NFL Jabber 6/16/07

The NFLPA is working overtime this week. They feel the Raiders are "too committed." The Raiders will be punished...they must be dealt with.

"I was notified that the (NFL) Players (Association) believes our total commitment to improving our football team has resulted in some violations of rules regarding practice standards," Lane Kiffin said in a statement released by the club. "The union has complained about the high level of intensity, player aggressiveness and fast pace of our practices and as a result, has taken away the final week of our offseason program."

It's all fun and games until someone gets shot in the nuts. Cheesy I know but I couldn't resist. Redskins rookie D-Back, LaRon Landry could not practice on Friday do to a paintball to the groin. His injury occurred while some of the gang went out to play Wednesday after work.

"I didn't know paintball was that dangerous," linebacker Marcus Washington said. "I hope it wasn't friendly fire."

San Antonio officials are looking to cash in on the Hispanic roots of Tony Romo when he and the boys come down for training camp this summer. They are hoping that people from the place that used to be Mexico will flock from miles around to see a successful Hispanic athlete. I don't usually pay attention to ethnicity but this is news...I would have guessed by the name that he was Italian.

"That's the way I would write the story line if I could," said John Solis, the bureau's executive assistant director of sales and marketing.

"Coming down to a city with 60 percent Hispanic population, (Romo) will have a lot of people surrounding him positively," Solis added. "We are looking forward to being tied to a class act."

Jeff Garcia "felt snubbed" by the Eagles. I think it's time you can quit crying and be happy that a team paid for you to be it's starter. When the Eagles do finally get rid of McNabb, he will be replaced by someone young enough to get away with having a MySpace page (I can say that because I'm only 36).

"I think there was a lot of anger within myself," the 37-year-old Garcia said, describing his feeling when the Eagles waived him goodbye after he led them into the playoffs last season as the very capable fill-in for the injured McNabb. "Here was finally a situation where I felt so comfortable and I felt like I had a good home and a good place, and I wanted to be able to experience more of that and, hopefully, not have to relocate all over again. That opportunity wasn't presented to me."

A few minutes later, Garcia gave a more abbreviated version: "I felt personally snubbed."

Technorati : buccaneers, bucs, cowboys, football, garcia, hispanic, landry, nfl, nflpa, paintball, players, practice, raiders, redskins, romo, sports
Ice Rocket : buccaneers, bucs, cowboys, football, garcia, hispanic, landry, nfl, nflpa, paintball, players, practice, raiders, redskins, romo, sports

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NFL Jabber 6/4/07

What a crappy QB battle in Kansas City. I feel for the fans. You have Trent Green, who is just taking up space right now, waiting for a call from another team. He is taking away reps from...Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. And at this point they have no idea who is going to win this nail biter (I'm guessing not Green as he keeps looking at his watch and then at the phone).

Not all Redskin fans are convinced that Jason Campell is the answer.

Lorenzo Booker is going a little nuts in the temp housing. Perfect for a Dolphins RB.

''I can't take it, man,'' said Booker, currently lodged at the local spot in Davie where rookies typically stay until they find more permanent housing. ``One week in this place is enough. I need to find a house as soon as possible.''

As the Saints wrap minicamp, rookie WR, Robert Meachum, wraps his leg and sits out. He wouldn't speak to reporters but Drew Brees commented on him.

"I like him," Brees said. "I think he's been real hampered by his ankle and that sort of thing, but I think he's got a lot of talent. I really like the way he catches the ball. He attacks it, and I think he's going to be a big run-after-catch kind of guy. He's going to be big and physical, kind of hard to bring down, kind of like a (Marques) Colston. So I think he'll add a nice dimension to our offense."

Tarvaris Jackson is doing well in practice...until they have people coming at him.

The Bengals minicamp will be featured on the NFL Network today.

It appears that Curtis Martin's retirement is not set in stone...or is it?

Technorati : battle, bengals, brodie croyle, camp, chiefs, curtis martin, damon, dolphins, football, huard, jason campell, jets, lorenzo booker, meachum, mini, network, nfl, redskins, saints, sports, tarvaris, trent green, vikings
Ice Rocket : battle, bengals, brodie croyle, camp, chiefs, curtis martin, damon, dolphins, football, huard, jason campell, jets, lorenzo booker, meachum, mini, network, nfl, redskins, saints, sports, tarvaris, trent green, vikings

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NFL Jabber 5/23/07

 Justin Gage knows he didn't make a very good first impression as a Titan.

"Very sluggish, very slow,'' is how Gage described his early days as a Titan. "It was more trying to get the plays down and thinking more than reacting and playing.''

This could be the breakout year for Jags TE, Marcedes Lewis.

The Redskins are apologizing for the mouth of Clinton Portis.

"The Washington Redskins, as an organization, obviously would never condone anything related to animal cruelty," the team's statement said. "The team takes the recent comments of Clinton Portis very seriously and apologizes to everyone that was offended."

An Arizona killer left this world with the last words..."Go Raiders."

Drew Brees feels the Saints are in better shpae this year at WR than last.

"We have a great group of receivers," said Brees, who was in no way hindered by his recovery from a dislocated, non-throwing (left) elbow injury he sustained in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 9 in Honolulu. "You're already seeing where it's going to piece together. We've got so many good guys. I'm excited about our options. We knew what we could accomplish based on last year, but I feel we could get so much better.

"We've been throwing together for the last four weeks. We've been doing our quarterback/receiver/tight end/running back throwing sessions twice a week for the last four weeks. So we've had some of that time together. Obviously, that hasn't been with any defense. You get it to where it's second nature and guys know the route depths and they know when the ball is coming out of my hand. So when you get out there, forget that there's a defense there, we're just going to play catch."

NFL Jabber 5/21/07

Drew Brees continues with his good deeds in New Orleans. Brees and some teammates took 31 New Orleans area kids on a fishing trip that began with a limo ride.

"Most kids have not really been able to have that experience," said Brees, who came up with the idea for "Brees on the Seas" back when he was with the San Diego Chargers. "Especially when you're talking about Children's Hospital. Some of them might be terminally ill with cancer, and it might be their only opportunity to do this.

"Sometimes the best treatment is just to get them out here and put a smile on their face. Sometimes that's the best therapy, to get them away from the treatments and the medicine and the doctors. Give them a place where they can just relax and forget about that for a while and just catch fish."

The Titans are expecting Ben Troupe to step it up this year.

Anthony Brown at Hog Heavan writes that Clinton Portis does not see a problem with dog fighting.

Kenton Keith is in the running to replace Dominic Rhodes as half of the Indy backfield with Joseph Addai.

Realfootball365.com has Power Rankings of sites Power Rankings listed. Top dog? 1. Walter's Football Site

Jamar Williams continues to benefit from Lance Briggs not showing up to work.

“I think it went real well,” Williams said following Sunday’s practice. “I felt better than ever out here. I feel like I’m knowing what to expect and able to make more plays.”

Quincy Carter could not manage to make it through a AF2 season without being suspended.

Indy, North Texas, and Arizona have 15 minutes each to state their case Tuesday in their bid for the 2011 Super Bowl.

Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden are the new CB due in Indy. The Colts lost both starters in free agency.

19 year-old rookie, Amobi Okoye, is impressing the Texans already.

Vernand Morency is stepping up in the race for starting RB in Green Bay.

tag: nfl, football, sports, super bowl, af2, packers, colts, texans, bears, redskins, titans, saints, drew brees, ben troupe, clinton portis, kenton keith, jamar williams, quincy carter, amobi okoye, morency,

NFL Jabber 5/16/07

Steve Young has Brett Favre's back, coming to his defense.

The Chiefs dug deep into D-III for their new TE.

After watching another LB/DE get drafted high, Greg Ellis wants more money.

Sean Taylor was decided to join the Redskins at work.

Tank Johnson is the latest to possibly face a suspension.

tag: nfl, football, sports, cowboys, packers, chiefs, redskins, bears

NFL Jabber 5/11/07

NFL is thinking about adding a 17th game. It would make one of the preseason games count. Being a part of the quest for world domination, the 17th game would take place outside the US.

When Vince Young sets his mind to something it seems to happen. He is focused on improving to another level this offseason. Coaches and teammates have taken notice already.

"The good thing about this league is you have to prove yourself every
year," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said of Young. "I don't see any
big-headedness (in Vince). If anything, he understands his role has to
get bigger this year. He's working at it."

Feathers in Joe Gibbs headdress are getting ruffled as half his starting secondary didn't show for "voluntary" workouts.

"With Sean Taylor, I've had no contact whatsoever," Gibbs said. "I'm
not aware of anything there. That's about all I can say about it. I've
had no contact."

"With Shawn Springs, I've had a lot of talks this offseason," Gibbs
said. "We kind of made up our decision how we were going to proceed
this year and that we were going to go ahead with our normal situation
with him contractually and every other way. I had a sit-down with him
in Phoenix. Up to two weeks ago we thought we were in real good shape
with him.

"Then all of a sudden we lost contact. I think that's
something up here that can happen. It's one of the things you have to
work your way through."

Greg Cote of The Miami Herald makes a good point in his cry for giving Culpepper and Ricky an earned chance.

Mike Shula enjoys taking the step from Bama coach to QB coach for the Jags.

"I love coaching quarterbacks," Shula said Thursday after the Jaguars completed their final day of organized team activities. "Our job is to get the most out of these guys."

tag: nfl, football, sports, jaguars, dolphins, redskins, titans, game, vince young, sean taylor, shawn springs, joe gibbs, daunte culpepper, ricky williams, greg cote, mike shula, alabama

NFL Jabber 4/28/07-Draft Day

The best move for the Lions could be to grab Calvin Johnson if he is there at #2 and look for teams to make offers that want him. Worst thing that could happen is they end up with the best player in the draft.

It's reported the 49'ers are close to a deal for Seahawks WR Darrell Jackson.

The Titans are kicking up the effort to snag Chargers RB Michael Turner today.

"On Friday the Titans and Chargers discussed scenarios including a swap of first-round picks today, with the Titans also giving up a fourth-round pick. The Titans are scheduled to pick 19th overall, the Chargers 30th.

But the Titans might have competition for Turner. ESPN reported an unidentified team offered San Diego a first-round pick in the 2008 draft, and that the Chargers thought it was an acceptable offer."

Unless that trade for Lance Briggs goes through, the Redskins are expected to stay where they are at #6, which is a pretty good spot to be in considering their needs.

The Cowboys seem content where they are but are in a good position to make a move up or down.

The Seahawks are looking at going "Best Player Available" today. "

How he plays on Saturdays, how he performs in big games, how he performs against higher-level competition, that is really what matters most," vice president of player personnel Ruston Webster said this week. "The guy's résumé is the film."

The trade talks of Kris Jenkins going from the Panthers to the Rams looks like it will come down to the wire if it happens on draft day.

The Lions are in a great position to stay where they are or move back. either way, they will get a player that can make an immediate impact.

Dolphins GM Randy Mueller will move up to get Brady Quinn or back if he is gone according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald.

The Vikings are picking at #7 for the fourth time in six years.

Because of the breakout season by Saints WR Marques Colston, the later rounds may be found more interesting for some people this weekend. Common headlines this year have included "Small School Sleepers."

The Texans are looking for immediate help and shouldn't have a problem getting it where they sit.

tag: nfl, draft, trade, football, vikings, saints, texans, dolphins, panthers, rams, lions, seahawks, cowboys, redskins, bears, chargers, titans, 49'ers, calvin johnson, michael turner, darrell jackson, lance briggs, kris jenkins, brady quinn, marques colston

NFL Jabber 4/28/07

ESPN has a big ass ad on it's NFL page trying to get you to pay for their NFL draft info at the "impulse buy" section of the checkout counter.

Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post reports that talks have resumed with the Bears and Redskins over LB Lance Briggs. Doesn't 50% translate to might or might not?

"While a deal was not a certainty, one source with knowledge of the situation said there was a "50-50" chance a trade would be completed before Washington makes its first selection in the NFL draft tomorrow. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was possible the teams also would swap their first-round draft picks, with the Bears receiving Washington's sixth overall selection in return for Chicago's 31st pick."

Some mock drafts that we have seen have the Bengals taking Miami TE, Greg Olsen in the first round. How often do the Bengals use a TE? Marvin Lewis weighs in with a "might or might not" of his own leaving it as a 50% chance?


The Titans have many needs to fill this season. Given the current situation they can kill two birds with one stone by taking Ted Ginn Jr. if he is there for them. The fashion of the year is to have a stud returner. Ginn could provide them with that and help at WR where they lost players to free agency.

A year after the biggest day in his life, Reggie Bush returns to New York with the less stressful job of peddling Schutt Sports gear.

"It's definitely a year later," Bush said at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where he met with a handful of area high school football players and coaches to introduce a new line of gear for Schutt Sports. "(I'm) able to come to New York and in a sense enjoy this trip without the stress of all that outside stuff."

The Chiefs are saying the trade rumors about Larry Johnson are untrue (but when Larry goes in the other room we can talk...).

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, trade, football, sports, redskins, bears, bengals, titans, saints,chiefs, larry johnson, reggie bush, ted ginn jr., greg olsen, lance briggs, espn

Peterson could make 1/2 of scary duo

Last season the Saints had no choice but to take Reggie Bush when he fell to the #2 spot the night before the draft. Bush made the perfect sidekick to Deuce McAllister in the new Saints offense. The pairing worked perfectly because Bush did not take away from the bread and butter running of Deuce. He was used more to spell McAllister, decoy, and in the passing game.

This season a team that seems to have their #1 running back could face a decision if Adrian Peterson falls to them. Peterson is a different type of RB but teams are leaning more toward the running back by committee approach. Peterson has been projected to go anywhere from 3# to the Browns all the way to #12 with the Bills. The reason for the big gap is that many of those teams appear to be set, or at least manageable at the RB position. Let's have a look at what kind of pairings could develop if someone did pull the trigger. (No, I'm not always addressing teams needs, I'm talking about if it were to happen.)

Raiders
With the glaring needs in other positions it won't happen. Beyond the other needs, the signing of Dominic Rhoads and the current starter LaMont Jordan would make it too crowded.

Lions
It could have happened here but the Lions went out and got T.J. Duckett and Tatum Bell to carry the rock while Kevin Jones is recovering.

Browns
Easily the first place it could happen. Don't let the Jamal Lewis signing fool you. He is not the long term, or possibly even the short term answer. It may be the perfect situation for Peterson to share the load with Lewis in his first season. Many rookie RB's run out of gas toward the end of their first season.

Bucs
This would be a long shot since the Bucs have Caddy Williams on the squad and he was picked just two years ago. Granted, he had somewhat of a bomb of a season last year but two top 5 RB's in three drafts isn't likely. It could make for a nice pairing though.

Cardinals
The Edge would not be happy but this is a tasty scenerio as well. James is getting older but thinks he is going to play forever so it wouldn't make for a pretty locker room. If they got past that though you could have another reason to think this will be the breakout year for the Cards offense.

Redskins
Another crowded backfield. The Skins like Ladell Betts but could move him on draft day if they wanted to make room for Peterson. Don't think it will happen but Peterson and Portis would make a nice pairing.

Vikings
This is actually another projected spot for Peterson to fall. Chester Taylor had a decent season but he isn't the home run hitting franchise back that Peterson will be. The Vikings have not had THE guy since Robert Smith retired.

Falcons
Jerious Norwood had a decent rookie campaign last season. Peterson coming to Atlanta would give them the significant threat at the position though. They say they want to pound the ball and this could do it.

Dolphins
Like the Bucs, you don't take two RB's in the top 10 in three years. Pairing Peterson with Ronnie Brown could be interesting. Ricky Williams coming back could make for a crowded backfield but trading him away could make room for Peterson. Longest shot since the raiders in my eyes.

Texans
Another landing spot for Peterson on many mock drafts. Like the Browns, the Texans went out and got an RB in free agency in Ahman Green. Call me crazy but I think that Kubiak guy has been know to use more than one RB in Denver. I would love to see this be the place for Peterson to fall and that is because I want to see the Texans succeed.

49'ers
Frank Gore came out like a warrior last season. Not a logical choice at all but what a scary duo it would make .

Bills
No team needs Peterson more than the Bills. McGahee is gone and Anthony Thomas has not been the answer since his rookie season. The Bills would be blessed if Peterson somehow fell this far.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, football, trade, sports, saints, raiders, lions, buccaneers, browns, cardinals, redskins, vikings, falcons, dolphins, texans, 49'ers, bills, adrian peterson, thomas, gore, ahman green, ricky williams, ronnie brown, cadilac williams, norwood, chester taylor, ladell betts, portis, edgerin james, jamal lewis, duckett, tatum bell, rhoads, jordan

NFL Jabber 4/22/07

With no picks in the 2nd, 3rd,or 4th round, we could see the Redskins trading down. Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post thinks that a trade up for Calvin Johnson could swing as well.

Character is likely going to be a big part of this years draft given the actions of the new sheriff in town.

"We've always had the information," said an NFL team scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "It's a matter now of the weight we give it; do you accept or decline a guy because of his background?"

Greg Olsen would love to be taken by the Jets next weekend.

"That would be unbelievable," Olsen told the Daily News. "You couldn't ask for anything better than that. My family would have to drive only 20 minutes to see my home games."

The Saints could have to wait until Friday to plan a direct draft strategy. They are waiting on the Colts to match or not on CB Jason David.

Four NFL related guys land on the 100 Unsexiest Men list of The Phoenix, Michael David Smith posted at The Fanhouse...

"The Phoenix has revealed its annual list of the 100 Unsexiest Men, and four guys from the NFL world made the cut: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Titans cornerback Pacman Jones, Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Monday Night Football commentator Tony Kornheiser."

Buying Disability Insurance is the new "In" thing to do on campus.

Not much going on in Denver. Headlines of Punter Todd Sauerbrun have dominated the Rocky Mountain News.

Rumors of Marshawn Lynch's back problems doesn't scare the Packers.

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, sports, football, trade, packers, broncos, titans, colts, saints, patriots, jets, redskins, la canfora, washington post, greg olsen, calvin johnson, jason david, peyton manning, pacman jones, kornheiser, belichick, marshawn lynch

NFL Jabber 4/12/07

Drew Bledsoe hangs up the cleats. Knowing when to say when is a good thing. It's too bad he had to go out riding the bench. Cheers to a career Drew!

"I feel so fortunate, so honored, to have played this game that I love
for so long, with so many great players, and in front of so many
wonderful fans," he said. "I fulfilled a childhood dream the first time
I stepped on an NFL field, and the league did not let me down one time.
I retire with a smile on my face, in good health, and ready to spend
autumns at my kids' games instead of my own. I'm excited to start the
next chapter of my life."

Despite a gimp foot, Ted Ginn Jr. impressed the Rams. Sounds like they may have some of the Devin Hester fever if they look to draft a return guy that high.

JaMarcus Russell made a trip to visit the Skins. I wouldn't look to far into it. Teams often will interview recruits even if they don't intend to take them (or they likely won't fall to them) just to cover all the bases. You just never know who is going to fall though...(Matt Leinhart).

Mike O'Hara at detnews.com is takings tokes off whatever Jon Kitna is smoking. He thinks the Lions can go 10-6 as well.

Jon Kitna is drinking the Calvin Johnson Kool-Aid...could part of the campaign be because that means the Lions don't take a QB?

"Is he still the best player in this draft?" Kitna said Tuesday, smiling. "Yeah, I'm on that bandwagon."

Coach Rod Marinelli laughed at Kitna's comment.

"Him? He's a draft expert," Marinelli said, smiling. "He's got it all."

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, football, sportscowboys, lions, rams, redskins, jamarcus russell, ted ginn jr., calvin johnson, jon kitna, drew bledsoe, mike o'hara

NFL Jabber 4/10/07

The is a good article at The Washington Post on London Fletcher and the obstacles overcome. I love these stories. I get sick of hearing about the Pacman's.

"It slaps us in the face," said Gregg Williams, the Redskins' assistant head coach-defense. "He's had just horrible tragedy," added Dick Vermeil, Fletcher's first head coach in professional football. Only Fletcher will not frown along with them, his voice will not harden. Everything he has become is because of where he had been and the fact he had been able to break away when others never could.

"I think of my story as inspirational," he said. "If I can help one kid who may be going through the same things I did, then it is worth telling."

The Rams have 29 players set for pre-draft visits.

"To be honest, some of these (visiting players), we really, really like," Linehan said. "The rest of the them are a mixed bag. There's medical re-checks that we need on some players. And there were pro-day conflicts with some where we're really just getting more information on players."

Peter Sirmon has a one-year offer on the table from the Cardinals.

Mike Shanahan has signed a three-year extension with the Broncos. This guys has only had one losing season with the team.

The Colts are looking for another RB to replace Dominic Rhoads. Kevin Barlow is on the list of "talked to."

David Carr says he is okay with the backup job in Charlotte.

"I'm excited about the opportunity in Carolina," he said. "They've got a great team -- good offensive line, good receiving corps, solid defense ... Pat Hill (Carr's coach at Fresno State) and (Panthers coach) John Fox have been friends for a long time, and I know he's a great coach."

tag: nfl, draft, free agency, trade, football, sports, redskins, cardinals, colts, broncos, panthers, texans, rams, london fletcher, peter sirmon, mike shanahan, kevan barlow, david carr,

NFL Jabber 4/4/07

So the pissing match with the Redskins and Bears over Lance Briggs continues. The Skins shot down the Bears counter offer. First the Skin offered to swap 1st rounders (Bears get 6th for 31st) and Skins get Briggs. The Bears counter and want LB Rocky McIntosh too because he has such a cool name...Skins say no way. I'm not thinking they are done yet, stay tuned...


Like watching hot, sweaty, competitive women? The Charger Girls auditions would have been the place for you. More than 400 showed up for 28 spots.


Top news in Dallas is that Terrell Owens is going to join the rest of the team in learning the new offense this season.

Brodie Croyel is set to get started on winning the Chiefs QB job.

“It makes you even more eager and more excited about what’s fixing to happen,” Croyle said. “They’re not guaranteeing me anything. They’ve just said they’re going to give me a shot. If I’m ready to go, I’m ready to go. My whole thought is that I’m going to be ready to go and have the best offseason and minicamp and training camp I can possibly have. I want to give them no reason to think anything but that I’m ready to go.”

Speaking of QB's ready to go with a new job, Matt Schaub is going to start playing catch with Andre Johnson in Houston today. The two have already began to form the QB/WR bond and Johnson already seems sweet on Schaub.

"Just from looking at him and looking at the way he walks around the locker room and things like that, you can tell he's a leader," Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson said. "That's something you want to have at the quarterback position."

tag: nfl, football, trade, sports, texans, chiefs, cowboys, chargers, bears, redskins, babes, cheerleaders, lance briggs, rocky mcintosh, terrell owens, brodie croyel, andre johnson, matt schaub

NFL Jabber 3/28/07

Mike Tomlin gives an example of his aggressiveness to the class by humiliating an airline employee that had it coming. After dealing with the airline over the phone regarding his lost bag and getting nowhere, Tomlin headed to the airport to do a little schooling.

"I get over there, and they tell me the bag is not there," Tomlin was saying at breakfast yesterday morning. "I said, 'I've been talking to your call center all weekend, and they said the bag is here.'

"They said, 'I don't care what they told you on the 1-800 number, your bag isn't here.' "

He was offered a $25 voucher on his next flight for his troubles.

"Well, somewhere during the conversation, I see my bag behind her in a pile," Tomlin said. "I said, 'That's my bag!' She said, 'Sir, your bag's not here, the computer says'... I said 'I understand what the computer says, but I'm looking at my bag! It's a black bag, Pittsburgh Steelers. It's my bag.'

"So, I walk around the counter and at that point, she started to get mad. I pulled the tag off and showed her it was my bag. I had to dig it out myself."

Frank Gore got new five-year deal in San Fran.

Manny Arora, the attorney for Pacman Jones is asking to see some evidence that proves his client should be charged with the felony that police are asking for in Vegas.

"My experience tells me if they would have been independent witnesses with a good recollection and no sort of bone to pick that they (police) would have acted on this weeks ago," Arora said.

Howard Bryant and Mark Maske of The Washington Post report that the Skins are being quiet on the Mr. Briggs goes to Washington talk. If John Clayton at ESPN is correct it could be sour grapes.If the trade did go through it would make for quite a change win the LB's in D.C. Briggs and London Fletcher would make for a scary pair. It's being brushed off as rumors by the skins.

"Right now, it's just a bunch of stuff that got thrown around" Monday, said Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, interviewed yesterday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. "Just a bunch of rumors."

The Cardinals and Bengals were the only two teams to vote to get rid of Instant Replay. Regardless it was revealed on the last episode that the Zebra have the hidden immunity idol.

Chris Henry is doing his part to make sure that the Bengals are not upstage on The Police Beat.

Coach Kiffen comments on the luxury of the #1 pick and compares the top two QB's.

"With JaMarcus, you have somebody -- it's like a video game," Kiffin said. "That's what I tell our guys. There isn't a throw he can't make, probably. The throws he can make, I don't know if anybody else can. He can go way over there and throw the ball 70 yards back over there. That's really exciting and everything. How many times does that happen in a year? About two in 16 games. While that aspect is fun, you've got to dig deeper. That doesn't happen much. That's a scout's dream, to have a guy like that."

On Quinn...

"He's fun to watch in that situation, when they're down and he's bringing them back," Kiffin said. "He's a big-time competitor. He's fun. I've had some discussions with him.He's extremely intelligent. I'm really excited about Brady, and I like him a lot."

The Lions are jumping in the the Trent Green trade talks. That would shake things up once again in the draft given they are projected in many places to take Brady Quinn.

Mike Shanahan is chipper these days, at least he showed that when talking to the press yesterday. He covered many topics while at the meetings in Phoenix. While some questioned the Broncos signing Travis Henry when Willis McGahee and Thomas Jones were out there, Coach was high on him all along.

"Two of the guys you first mentioned there were draft choices involved. So you want to give draft choices away for a guy you can get free, that you might like more? I really thought Travis Henry was the MVP of (the Titans), that's what I thought. . . . You were able to sign a guy and not lose a draft choice. It's like getting a first rounder."

Could it be Houston fans? Could the Texans finally be looking to land a tackle in the first round? Rumor has it...

"There's a good chance; it depends on who's out there," Kubiak said about the possibility of selecting an offensive tackle first. "We have to continue to improve up there."

TINO's Bloghouse
tag: nfl, draft, free agency, trade, sports, football, texans, titans, broncos, steelers, raiders, bengals, cardinals, redskins, bears, chiefs, lions, 49'ers, frank gore, pacman jones, lance briggs, joe gibbs, jamarcu russell, brady quinn, mike tomlin, trent green,

NFL Jabber 3/27/07

Marshall Faulk concedes that his body just can't do it anymore and officially retires. Heck of a career, huh?

"A very good friend of mind told me, 'There's not that many 34-year-old running backs that come back to play,''' Faulk recalled Monday. "I started thinking about it. It's a tough position to play."

"The (competitive) instinct, it never goes away," Faulk said. "That fire never dies. But in my training — where I wanted to be, how I wanted to feel — those things weren't coming around as fast as I wanted them to."

"If I felt like there was any doubt that I could finish a season, then I shouldn't go out," Faulk said. "Because I would not only be cheating myself, I'd be cheating other guys on that team that were depending on me to do a job. If I couldn't accomplish the task, why even start it?"

Vegas police asked the D.A. to file three charges on Pacman Jones for the Vegas strip club fiasco (hard to keep track of which fiasco).

Browns G.M. Phil Savage says they will take a pass on all the vet QB's available.

"I think we're content with what we're doing, to stay with the direction we're going," Savage said. "We've got six weeks of off-season conditioning and [organized] programs. Chud's putting the offense in, meeting with the quarterbacks, along with [assistant head coach] Rip Scherer. So I think we'll have a pretty good gauge of the two primary competitors, Charlie and Derek, by the time we get to the draft."

The Saints and the Colts will open the 2007 season in Indy on Thursday night.

"The Colts are the Super Bowl champions and New Orleans obviously was a terrific story on and off the field for the league," commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday at the NFL meetings. "We felt it's a great game to highlight during the 2007 season."

The Cardinals and 49'ers will play the second game of a MFL double header to open the season.

Bengals and Ravens will play in the early game.

The Lions DT Shaun Rogers decided to show up for work.

The Redskins are expected to make a move for Bears LB Lance Briggs.

The Eagles got LB Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb from the Bills for DT Darwin Walker and a draft pick next year.

Green Bay Coach, Mike McCarthy doesn't understand all the negative talk around Aaron Rodgers.

"I don't understand and really care, because I don't know where it's being generated from, but the negativity toward Aaron Rodgers . . . usually your backup quarterback is on scholarship for a couple years and everyone loves him," McCarthy said. "For whatever reason, he's had a couple situations where people are trying to get after him. I've been in the position before with young quarterbacks. I'm very pleased where he's at right now. He's getting better."

Jon Gruden is happy with the Bucs offseason and is throwing out the smokescreen that they may move up and select a QB in the draft.

"Our offseason is just beginning, really,’’ said Gruden, coming off a 4-12 season that saw the Bucs tumble from first to last in the NFC South. ‘’We’ve still got the draft and some unattended business, but we’ve got some players in here that we know can play. It’s exciting to have a Jeff Garcia here. Luke Petitgout is a guy who has played left tackle and Cato June is a good football player. Kevin Carter can play a lot of positions and B.J. Askew is an interesting guy. It was nice to sit in quarterback school last week with a healthy Chris Simms, a Bruce Gradkowski, who has played 13 games in this league, plus a veteran guy we like. We’re excited about our quarterback situation, plus we’ve got Jake Plummer to talk about. We’ll see what happens there.’’

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NFL Jabber 3/21/07

Lovie Smith and Adam Archuleta will be reunited in Chicago. The deal sends Washington a sixth round pick.

In other Bears jabber, Rex Grossman says he deserves criticism...and praise, but his play wasn't as bad as made out to be. (Sounds to me like he isn't quite accepting the criticism part).

"In some games, I was bad," Grossman told the Baltimore Sun. "I had 13 or 14 games I'm extremely proud of and five or six that were really bad. The swings of criticism were much bigger than swings in my play."

Byron Leftwich's agent says he has not asked for a trade but does not know if he will show for offseason training programs next week.

Shaun Rogers is a no-show for the start of Lions offseason workouts.

Something else that looks to seal that Trent Green is out the door...Herm Edwards is talking about Brodie Croyle getting a shot to compete.

“He’s going to get an opportunity,” Edwards said. “Maybe it doesn’t work out. But at least you’ll know. That’s not to say he’s going to be the starter. I don’t know who that guy is going to be at this point. But it needs to be open for competition, in my opinion, from what happened last year. It’s just the way we need to go. I want to find out where he’s at. Until you give players the ability to go out there and do it, you never know. It’s just a matter of getting Brodie some reps where he’s in competition and … where you can see how he can perform.”

Big Ben makes no excuses for his off season in Pitt.

"You know what? I might have still had the same year," if there had been no trauma, Roethlisberger said. "Who knows? I'm not going to look back and say, wow, this is what caused this and this is what caused that. There's no need for that. It's a bad year. It's going to happen. That's just the way it goes."

The Seahawks new HQ will be called the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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