There is no doubt that Larry Johnson was the second-best running back behind LaDainian Tomlinson over the last two seasons. Johnson isn’t in training camp with Kansas City because he wants to be paid like Tomlinson and wants his $1.7 million base contract torn up. The Chiefs will give him a raise, maybe, but they will never give him the $28 million in guarantees that Tomlinson received.
I don’t see how Johnson’s holdout – apparently he listens a lot to his mother – comes to a satisfactory conclusion because Chiefs President Carl Peterson is pretty stubborn and firmly believes that no other team would give Johnson that kind of bonus money, either.
The Chiefs might go halfway with L.J., but there are reports that Coach Herm Edwards wouldn’t mind trading him, believing the holdout distraction is not worth the aggravation. And if Johnson waits until the 10th game in order to get credit for this season, you can bet that next year the Chiefs will slap the franchise tag on him if they negotiate a fair contract.
Translation: he may never receive what he thinks he deserves out of the Chiefs.
No one knows whether Priest Holmes can really replace Johnson until he plays in a preseason game and displays his old magic. The Chiefs are taking a very hard-line stance on Johnson, and without him it won’t matter who the starting quarterback is. KC won’t win.
Packer prediction
The Packers were the 11th team I’ve seen this summer and I must say that their starting cornerbacks, Al Harris and Charles Woodson, may be the two most engaging players on the same team that I’ve met in a long time. Both veterans are great talkers and know the game. Both also played at a very high level last season, even though Woodson was hurt in 10 of his 16 starts. Another thing, they like small town Green Bay and their fans.
White or black, “we’re all in the same boat,” Harris said. “There aren’t a lot of things to do. But our fans love their Packers and they love football. They are better fans than those in Philadelphia. I mean some of their fans rented a bus simply to go boo Donovan McNabb on one of his biggest days of his life when he was drafted in the first round.”
But Harris made a bold statement to me. Harris said second-year safety Atari Bigby reminds him of Brian Dawkins, the Eagles’ All-Pro. Harris thinks Bigby, who is working on the second team right now, can be that good.
“I really like him, too,” Woodson said of Bigby. “Keep an eye on him. You’ll see what we like when the (game) lights come on.”
Bears won’t deal Orton
Kyle Orton, who won 10 games as a rookie quarterback, is now third on the depth chart behind Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. And he’s a quarterback that the Falcons are keeping an eye on just in case Joey Harrington busts out. But the word in Chicago is that Orton isn’t available at any price. “If we wanted to do something like that, we never would have allowed J.T. O’Sullivan to end up in Detroit,” said one Chicago insider.
We all know that Chicago has never had the greatest quarterback situation, but the front office likes these three players and won’t make a deal with the team on a Super Bowl mission. Another thing to consider is that Rex Grossman is in the final year of his contract.
Bucs to collect?
Tampa Bay has filed its grievance against quarterback Jake Plummer to recoup $7 million in signing bonus money that the Broncos paid him. It is an odd situation, but the Bucs technically view Plummer as a holdout because they did trade a seventh-round pick to Denver for his rights. And when team acquires a player’s rights, they technically are obligated to the terms of that player’s contract. This is why it’s the Bucs, not the Broncos, seeking the money.
The Bucs believe they will eventually get the money from Plummer, who claims he’s retired. Remember, if Plummer would actually change his mind and play for the Bucs, they owe Denver a fourth-round pick.
Bulletin board stuff
Todd Monken developed a few NFL receivers while coaching at LSU and now he’s a first-year assistant for Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville. He really likes Mike Walker, a third-round pick out of Central Florida. The Jags play the Saints this season and Monken started to make some comparisons.
“When Joe Horn went down, the Saints had (Devery) Henderson. What was that other guy’s name? Colston, Goldston (rookie Marques Colston). You can’t tell me Mike Walker is not as good as that guy Goldston or Colston. And they had a good quarterback and had explosive guys and just put them in the right spots to make it work. Why can’t we do that?’’
Colston, a seventh-round pick last year, is billed as the Saints’ No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, the Jaguars former first-round picks at the position – Matt Jones and Reggie Williams – continue to struggle. Jones has another sore hamstring while Williams is listed as third team on the depth chart.
“It is what it is. Guys take reps based on where they’re at. If they (Williams and Jones) can’t figure (it) out, you can’t paint more of a vivid picture,’’ Monken said. “It’s time for Reggie and Matt to do it. If not now, when?’’
Every kid’s favorite
Hats off to Tennessee quarterback Vince Young, who takes plenty of time to sign autographs after practices. But what was really impressive was when it was Young’s official team day to sign, hundreds of kids showed.
Young signed for everyone, spending more than an hour.
Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris told his teammates on Monday that he was simply kidding around when he said friend Donovan McNabb would win a Super Bowl if he was playing in Chicago. Harris is probably right; McNabb would make a big difference in the Chicago offense.
When players get caught speaking their mind, like Harris did, they always have to face the music. Harris reportedly explained himself to Rex Grossman, Chicago’s starting quarterback. The bottom line, whether he was kidding around or not, Harris most likely was speaking the truth.
Defensive players are very much like the fans. Harris knows that Brian Urlacher and friends put the Bears in the Super Bowl. McNabb would be an upgrade over Grossman. That’s simply the facts, based on NFL experience and production to this point in their careers.
Pacman can't steer clear of trouble
Strip clubs and friends with guns. Adam “Pacman” Jones can’t seem to steer clear of either.
Pacman’s latest incident, in which DeKalb County police (outside Atlanta) want him to identify who in his group was packing a gun, once again shows his utter recklessness and his total disregard of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ultimatum to stay clean and off any police blotter while serving his one-year suspension.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Tennessee Titans and coach Jeff Fisher have moved on without their talented cornerback. I’d be shocked if we ever see Pacman in Titans’ uniform ever again. And what a waste of talent that is!
I also say one more strike and the NFL should ban Pacman for life. The league doesn’t need young men like him. He’s had plenty of second chances, plus there are plenty of cornerbacks in America who would love his roster spot and don’t have an arrest record attached to their resume.
Can someone please tell me why does Pacman need to hang with guys that need to shoot it out after there is some argument (fight?) over some stripper? It happened in Las Vegas and now in Atlanta. There must be a better way to have a little fun in the midnight hours.
Speaking of Titans
The signing of running back Chris Brown by Tennessee -- the Bears were once again slow to react -- reveals that young backs LenDale White and Chris Henry (second round pick) haven’t secured anything.
In fact, White still has weighty issues and few are convinced Henry can be a 200-carry runner. Brown has ability. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, either, or prove he can be the every-down back. The Titans need one of these backs to emerge if they are going to make any playoff run.
Badge of honor
I have never been a huge fan of organized team activities (OTAs) because I think football players need a pronounced rest from their season-long pounding. But a lot of coaches and NFL teams believe these sessions are the only way to keep their players out of trouble and in good physical shape. With the money they earn these days, it’s pretty rare to see a NFL player drastically out-of-shape.
There is no doubt that many coaches have abused the OTAs and mini-camps with too much physical contact. Heck, it is football! But there have always been enough whistle-blowers to get coaches and teams reprimanded, causing them to lose some of these unnecessary practice days.
But in the case of the Raiders and rookie head coach Lane Kiffin, it was good news to any Oakland fan that his OTAs were tough and that his practices were very up-tempo. But this style of practicing cost the Raiders one entire week of OTA drills because they broke the rules.
Still, I find this good news compared to last season when the Raiders were in hibernation; their practices were dreadfully slow and excruciating long under Art Shell. Kiffin may have been a little rough on these Raiders, but Oakland fans probably believe it was necessary and definitely deserving. All you have to say is one win in their last 24 AFC West games.
Like his mentor Mike Martz, Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is preparing J.P. Losman and his youthful receivers to go to the next level. This means that Buffalo has been working on five receiver sets this off-season, believing that the free-agent offensive line acquisitions will allow Losman the time to go deep and throw, throw, throw.
Such a strategy worked in the Jim Kelly era in wild-weather Orchard Park, but no one is convinced these Bills are up to the task. There is no doubt that Fairchild knows some offense and is a strong enough voice to play it safe, too.
The Bills are in one of the AFC’s toughest divisions, considering the Patriots, the newly-improved Jets and the always-reliable Dolphins. To compete for a playoff spot, Buffalo must improve on a red-zone offense that managed only 15 touchdowns on 35 visits last season. Losman showed improvement at the end of last season and must continue those strides this summer. It’s just hard to imagine #### Jauron coaching a pass-first offense.
Bears fixing Rex
Chicago’s coaching staff has been diligent in the off-season of constantly reminding quarterback Rex Grossman to quit throwing off his back foot and to remember to step into every one of his throws. It is Quarterback School 101. The Bears believe that most of Grossman’s 20 interceptions last season were the result of faulty mechanics and bad habits like throwing off his back foot.
Young quarterbacks like Grossman, who does have a strong arm, often believe that their arms can salvage any precarious situation. Well, that rarely happens unless you are a young John Elway.
What is odd about the Bears, though, is that they showed absolutely zilch confidence in highly-paid backup Brian Griese last season. They have a young team coming off a Super Bowl and shouldn’t management be focused on making sure the offense can score if Grossman doesn’t produce?
I mean, shouldn’t the Bears consider signing Daunte Culpepper? He knows the NFC North and he can throw. Wouldn’t Culpepper be a better option should Grossman misfire once again?
Zone blocking
The use of zone blocking along the offensive line has raised its head in Carolina under new coordinator Jeff Davidson. It seems like the futility of Carolina’s running game last season had as much to do with Dan Henning’s firing as offensive coordinator as Jake Delhomme’s subpar passing season. There were rumblings that owner Jerry Richardson had a hand in Henning’s dismissal, but it appears that coach John Fox believed he needed to make a dramatic change even though he had a lot of respect for Henning’s work. It’s just too bad that Fox didn’t take into consideration all the injuries on offense last season, too, before bailing on Henning.
There has been a lot of speculation about Fox’s future in Carolina and most of it hinges on the fact that ex-Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher is retired and living nearby. But Fox doesn’t appear to be entering a win-or-else season and if Cowher does return to the NFL sidelines his likely landing spot would be Cleveland where owner Randy Lerner has the money ($7-to-$10 million) to pay him. Plus, it would be a coup for Lerner and the Browns to hire Cowher and give him the keys to the franchise.
Moss beneficiary
A lot has been written lately about Randy Moss and his strong workouts with the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. There is no question that Moss should be a splendid weapon in the Patriots offense if he remains healthy. But what Moss and speedy receiver Donte Stallworth mean to Brady and Co. is pretty obvious.
If those two receivers can be effective deep, it will allow ex-Dolphin Wes Welker to operate in single coverage underneath and be in position to catch 100 passes this season.
Welker -- not Moss -- was the pivotal New England acquisition this off-season. Not only does Welker’s departure lessen Miami’s offense, but he gives Brady a sure-handed, feisty target to keep the chains moving. When the Patriots play teams like the Colts, time of possession will be as important as scoring. With Welker, the Patriots will move the chains.
And, finally, if Brady has a successful passing offense, you can bet that running back Laurence Maroney could have 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. If defenses are forced to play the pass, Maroney should have plenty of opportunities to run.
The beauty of the Green Bay Packers is that the franchise has survived with community ownership and that those in the football operations can concentrate on building a solid product without a lot of top-heaving interference.
Bob Harlan, the Packers’ chairman, was going to retire and turn over his position to John Jones, but that isn’t going to happen now and Jones has been placed on paid leave.
Now, Harlan’s job may not be as powerful as say Ted Phillips’ position with the Chicago Bears or John Shaw’s with the St. Louis Rams, but he does have tremendous influence over the hiring of Green Bay’s general manager and head coach. The best thing Harlan ever did was hire Ron Wolf as general manager, who then hired Mike Holmgren. The Packers have been living off that legacy for years now, primarily because Brett Favre hasn’t retired.
Yes, part of Harlan’s job is ceremonial and public-relations conscious. But that doesn’t have to be true of his successor. The executive board would be wise to give Harlan’s replacement a bit more power and influence. If the league opts out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2008, a franchise like Green Bay could suffer competitively against the big-city markets. That’s why Harlan’s renovation of Lambeau Field was so financially critical to the franchise.
Everyone is talking about Tennessee GM Mike Reinfeldt returning to Green Bay, but that is highly unlikely. Vice President Andrew Brandt is probably the best in-house choice. But you can bet that Harlan would have pushed Brandt by now if that was a real possibility.
Harlan and the Packers should consider these experienced club executives: Bryan Wiedmeier, president of the Miami Dolphins; Rob Brzezinski, vice president of football operations for the Minnesota Vikings; and Jay Zygmunt, president of football operations for the Rams. This would be a great job for former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi if he wanted to come out of retirement.
Some believe this position is one of the best in the NFL. But the downside is that you have to live and work in Green Bay.
Restoring some sanity
The long-term result of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s strong stance against the NFL’s most embarrassing players (Chicago’s Tank Johnson received an eight-game suspension on Monday, following the punishment of Chris Henry and Pacman Jones, et al) will be the opportunity to restore some sanity to the locker room while making other league employees realize that Goodell means business and that even lesser violations might warrant a one- or two-game suspension.
There is nothing wrong with putting a little fear into every player. Hopefully, it will make them all think twice before doing something stupid. There is too much at stake to simply toss away a million dollar career and the overall good name of the league.
There is no question that the majority of players support Goodell’s no-nonsense stance because the rap sheet element on teams erodes the good name of the vast majority of players and club employees.
Meanwhile, the league waits to see whether Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is charged in a dog fighting scandal in Virginia. Those close to Vick believe he has nothing to worry about and that any potential courtroom drama will be postponed until 2008.
The Falcons have shown no interest in signing another veteran quarterback (they have Joey Harrington as a backup), believing Vick will be their starter this season. For example, when Trent Green was available the Falcons decided against bidding with the Chiefs for his services.
Carr fitting in
There is no question that Jake Delhomme is Carolina’s starting quarterback, but David Carr, the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, has looked good in workouts for the Panthers. Carr chose the Panthers over Seattle. The Raiders kept calling, too, but they couldn’t promise Carr that they wouldn’t select a quarterback (JaMarcus Russell) with the first overall pick.
“Everybody likes their team in June,” Carolina GM Marty Hurney said. “Carr has looked good. But let’s wait until we’re into training camp for a couple of weeks before we say how good we can be.”
Remember, the Panthers had one of the NFL’s best drafts in April, plus there’s the positive news of linebacker Dan Morgan’s return. Morgan (concussions) is one of the league’s very best when healthy.
When you think about Carr, you have to wonder why Miami didn’t make a run at him, considering his arm strength. The Dolphins have finally acquired Trent Green, but there are many in Kansas City who believe Green’s career is at the end of the line.
New Cowboys coach Wade Phillips has returned former first-round pick Bobby Carpenter to inside linebacker, his position at Ohio State. There is no question that the rookie Carpenter struggled as an outside pass rusher last season.
“It's tough because Bill (Parcells) doesn't always communicate everything really well,” Carpenter said. “It was tough for me trying to get a feel for what was going on and what they expected out of me and what their goals were for me to be out on the field. They have done a good job this year of communicating what they want and what I need to do to get better.”
Phillips said he moved Carpenter to inside linebacker in his 3-4 scheme because he’s athletic and because he can run. Some believe the new defense is more flexible for a young player like Carpenter.
“Last year was a little difficult," Carpenter said. “But with this defense, it allows you to run and make more plays. It's not near the structure of how you have to play within the scheme. You get to let your athletic ability take over.”
Super Bowl redux
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones only beat Indianapolis by a vote of 17-15 in last week’s 2011 Super Bowl vote, and the tightness is a strong indicator of the divide between the big-market and small-market owners. Jones won because his new stadium will be able to have 30,000 more fans attend the championship game, whereas Indianapolis wowed many owners with a $25 million pot to alleviate any NFL expenses for the game.
There was a time, long, long ago when the Super Bowl went to the best city and venue. But when the late Pete Rozelle was commissioner, many cities began to include financial perks to the league to land the all-important game. I can remember writing in the mid-1980s the “selling of the Super Bowl” when Miami out-spent San Diego for the rights to XXIII, and Rozelle pulled me aside to explain the financial situation. The cities started by bidding a couple million dollars 20 years ago to now where Indy was prepared to spend $25 million simply to buy the NFL’s most-prestigious event.
It shows how valuable the game is to any city. And, also, how valuable the Super Bowl is to the NFL.
Hester looks great
The experiment never worked at the U. of Miami, but Chicago’s super return man, Devin Hester, looked like a natural at receiver in recent mini-camp work. The first two days of camp, he didn’t drop a pass. He ran solid, crisp routes and, basically, had his teammates and coaches raving about him.
Give head coach Lovie Smith high marks for convincing Hester to junk cornerback for being a wide receiver.
“It was more exciting than I really thought it would be,” Hester said. “Whenever a player gets his hands on the ball and knows what he can do with it, it's a lot of fun.”
After the catch, Hester routinely made players miss. The new dimension should be great for Rex Grossman and also alleviate the frustration that Hester, who returned six kicks for touchdowns last season, will face when punters and kickers kick away from during the season. The Bears needed to find a way for Hester to get more touches.
On kickoffs, Hester will be paired with safety Danieal Manning, former college kickoff specialist, in hopes they can form a 1-2 punch. He will still wear No. 23 and be listed as a running back/receiver.
Reggie helps again
Saints running back Reggie Bush matched his original $50,000 to Holy Rosary High School last year, which helped keep the school for learning-challenged youth open. Bush presented the New Orleans’ school with his second $50,000 gift last Friday.
“After last year, they did such a great job, and what they do is so important,” Bush said. “This is a school that needs to stay open.”
Holy Rosary serves the needs of students who face learning challenges in a typical classroom environment. The school offers hands-on learning and cross-curricula that is designed to provide students with alternative ways to learn mainstream subjects in a smaller classroom setting.
Vikings coach Brad Childress passed on Brady Quinn or any other rookie quarterback for that matter and he sees no sense in pursuing receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
"I don't know if he's got anything left," Childress said of Keyshawn.
There is a chance that Childress could find out first hand when Minnesota plays the Packers this season. Green Bay has been trying to convince Keyshawn that Lambeau isn't such a bad place to play. The Raiders and the Tennessee Titans, who need a quality possession receiver for their young quarterbacks, are more attractive to Keyshawn.
However, based on his ESPN work during the draft, Keyshawn definitely has a future in television. He may opt for TV if doesn't receive a contract worth a lot more than the minimum salary.
Peppers next?
The theory in Charlotte a few months ago was that defensive end Julius Peppers would receive a new contract before Steve Smith did. But the Panthers just extended Smith, meaning that Peppers may have to wait or be prepared to get the franchise tag placed on him next season.
There is no question that the Panthers and Peppers have been waiting to see what Indianapolis pays Dwight Freeney. Depending on your point of view, they are the game's two best defensive ends and both set the tempo for their team's defensive line play.
The problem for Indianapolis is that quarterback Peyton Manning eats up so much of their salary-cap space. The Panthers could strike a deal with Peppers, but he really wants to see what Freeney gets. It's called keeping up with the Joneses.
Why would Lance show?
The Bears haven't been showing linebacker Lance Briggs the money, so why would the player show for the team's mandatory mini-camp in two weeks? Chicago didn't make any serious attempts to trade their second-best linebacker prior to the draft and Briggs has gone on record that he's prepared to withhold his services for as long as it takes. Although he could earn $7.2 million this season, Briggs wants a long-term contract with a guaranteed signing bonus.
To cover themselves in case Briggs pulls a no-show, GM Jerry Angelo drafted Stanford linebacker Michael Okwo in the third round, the same round he tabbed Briggs in 2003. "I like Okwo," Angelo said. "He is a very, very good player and, in fact, he reminded me a little bit of Lance."
Go ask Bill
With all the receiver upgrades, plus the signing of Adalius Thomas to an aging linebacking corps, the New England Patriots are considered the preseason favorites to win the AFC despite the fact that Indianapolis won the Super Bowl. To deal with Tom Brady's receivers, the Jets moved up in the first round to draft Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Jets coach Eric Mangini was asked if the road to the Super Bowl goes through New England.
"I think that the road anywhere starts with our next minicamp and then training camp." Mangini said. "Last year was last year and I don't think they were the ones that won it."
What about Randy Moss being a Patriot?
"I think that he is a good player," Mangini said. "They are a good team and why they do the things they do, the question is better for Bill (Belichick)."
Call him the Mortician
If he really worked at it, Bucs coach Jon Gruden probably could be a standup comedian instead of a football coach. Gruden was asked last week about offensive tackle Chris Denman, a seventh-round pick from Fresno State, and his nickname of "The Mortician."
"It's not because he buries people or kills anyone." Gruden said. "He's a very serious guy. I guess that's how most morticians are. A mortician I know is kind of a loose, happy guy, but this mortician is very serious and quiet – kind of a subdued guy. But I'm going to keep this nickname alive. I kind of like it."
At Tuesday morning’s AFC coaches’ breakfast at the lush Arizona Biltmore, it was standing room only around 31-year-old Lane Kiffin’s table. The Raiders’ fifth different head coach since 2001 handled the nationwide reporters pretty well. He never got flustered, and even admitted that he snuck into the Raiders’ Alameda facility for his final interview with owner Al Davis “through a back door, so no one would see me. Kind of like the CIA.”
Kiffin said some interesting things. He believes that disgruntled Randy Moss will be a Raider this season and that he is building a good relationship with Jerry Porter, who spent last season in Art Shell’s doghouse. Kiffin said he was even coaching Porter on the practice field last week.
On Moss, Kiffin said that after watching film of how Moss played, or lack of it, last season, he saw “a very talented player who was not playing at the standard I would expect of a player of that stature. He looked to me like he was just a very frustrated player,” Kiffin said.
Sometimes, the youngest NFL head coach said, those are symptoms of a player who is simply highly competitive and totally frustrated by having two passes thrown his way in the course o####ame. Moss was frustrated because he knew he couldn’t help the Raiders win under those circumstances.
It was impossible to get an accurate read on whether Kiffin prefers LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell over Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson in the upcoming draft. He compared Russell to a quarterback in a video game. “He can make every throw, just like in the game,” Kiffin said. “But some of those throws, the ones 70 yards across the field, you may make two of them in the course of a season.”
Kiffin admitted that Russell is a quiet leader, very similar to Titans quarterback Vince Young. You can tell, he said, that Russell’s teammates simply gravitate to him and want to be around him. “I saw the same things prior to when we played Texas in the Rose Bowl,” said Kiffin, who used to be USC’s offensive coordinator. “You could sense how much the Texas players wanted to perform and play for Young.”
The intriguing aspect to Oakland owning the first choice in April’s college draft is that Johnson may be the best player in the draft.
“He seems perfect for the most part,” Kiffin said. “When a player is considered for the top spot in the draft, you want to find negatives about the guy. You know all the scouts like him and are saying great things about him. But with Johnson, you can’t find a bad thing about him. His character, his make-up, his commitment to working out, all his off-season work, and well, there are no holes in his game.”
Kiffin compared Johnson a little to former Heisman winner Reggie Bush. They are the kind of players, that if a teammate runs a better 40-yard time, they are ready to race that guy, challenge him.
Who knows if Kiffin can win in Oakland? Nobody has since Bill Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl, where they were torched by former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and Tampa Bay in the big game. He said his father, veteran Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, told him what guarantees to seek from Davis, and that he was satisfied. He also admitted that some coaches advised him against taking the Raiders’ job.
“But my process happened so quickly, there wasn’t much time to really talk to a lot of people about what they thought I should do,” he said.
Who’s No. 1?
Kiffin said it was too early in the draft process to be saying who should be the first pick, but many league observers believe it will hard for Al Davis to pass on Calvin Johnson. “He’s the kind of can’t-miss player that Al has always coveted,” said a rival club president who knows Davis and also is drafting in the top five. “It’s going to be difficult for Al to take a quarterback when there are no flaws in Johnson. At 6-foot-5, Johnson is not only going to be bigger than all the cornerbacks he goes against, but faster than almost every one of them. He could be impossible to cover.”
“His vertical jump was 43 inches,” said Kiffin, who knows that Johnson will attack the football and use his 235 pounds to muscle the ball away from defenders.
Green and Miami
It may take some time, but the Chiefs believe that Miami will eventually make a trade to acquire veteran Kansas City quarterback Trent Green. Granted, Green may have only a year or two left on his body, but he’s a quarterback who knows Cam Cameron’s offensive inside out and the word out of Florida is that the new head coach doesn’t believe Daunte Culpepper will ever be of any use to the Dolphins.
“We keep hearing that Cam doesn’t like Culpepper,” said a rival GM. “You have to think that Cam will make a move because he has a solid defense and he has a chance to win now with Green.”
Such a trade could put Culpepper on the street. You can bet that the Raiders would have an interest in Culpepper. Oakland definitely has an interest in former Houston quarterback David Carr. “I think he can still play,” Kiffin said. “I was at Fresno State when (Carr) put me into early retirement as a quarterback there. I can remember Coach Tedford telling me I should start thinking about becoming an assistant coach.”
Drew goes on the offense
Drew Rosenhaus took a beating on his handling of Terrell Owens in Philadelphia. We all remember the press conference outside of T.O.’s house. “Next question” was the common reply from Rosenhaus that day.
Well, Rosenhaus was back in bravado action Monday at the NFL League Meeting, ushering Bears linebacker Lance Briggs among the media and the coaches and GMs in the hotel hallways here. He and Briggs are doing their best to free themselves from Chicago and are being very aggressive about it. You can surmise that Rosenhaus caught the Bears’ front office off-guard with a potential trade to the Washington Redskins for the sixth overall draft choice for his client.
Earlier in the day, Bears GM Jerry Angelo was prepared to offer Briggs a guarantee that the club wouldn’t place the franchise tag on him next year if he would simply agree to play for $7.2 million this season, the franchise number, and start attending the off-season workouts and mini-camps. But Rosenhaus didn’t want anything to do with such an offer.
In the past, teams like Seattle placed the franchise tag on offensive tackler Walter Jones for three straight years before working out a long-term contract. Last season, Buffalo guaranteed cornerback Nate Clements that they wouldn’t place the franchise tag on him this year and he received $20 million in guaranteed money earlier this month from the San Francisco 49ers.
The Redskins are obviously gearing up to win this season. The trade would be a good one for Chicago, considering Briggs was a third-round pick and he definitely doesn’t sound a bit interested in sticking around. The only downside to grabbing the sixth overall choice in the draft is that Chicago doesn’t like being that high in the round because they would have to pay out a $10 million signing bonus to a rookie. If the Bears do make the trade with Washington, they most likely would trade down from the sixth spot.
The Chicago Bears’ fan convention is a month away, and head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo will arrive with new contracts.
Smith was given a four-year deal on Wednesday and Angelo received an extension through the 2013 season.
The Bears are an interesting team, in that both Smith and Angelo have publicly supported quarterback Rex Grossman while most fans are wishing they had a better choice at the position.
Behind the scenes, the Bears apparently are prepared to trade some of their best players, ones that were instrumental in winning the NFC championship. They are willing to unload linebacker Lance Briggs, who they believe they will be unable to sign to a long-term contract, running back Thomas Jones and defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who had only 6 ½ sacks last season, ranking third on the team.
Raiders update
The rumors persist that Michael Lombardi, the Raiders’ top personnel executive, won’t be back this season with the team. Sean Jones, the former player and scout, tried to supplant Lombardi with the Raiders during last season, suggesting several reforms with owner Al Davis, and his moves ended with him no longer being employed with the Raiders.
Outside of Davis, Lombardi is the only experienced personnel man in Oakland and the only one with extensive knowledge of the league and agent contacts. Although the rumors persist, what would Davis do if he did not renew Lombardi’s contract. I mean, if he wouldn’t promote Jones, who wanted the job, whom could he hire?
In reading responses to my blog on Sunday, the Raiders do know that Randy Moss can still play at a high level. They don’t want to trade him, but the feeling is that Moss would sleep-walk through another season in Oakland because he knows they won’t be able to win if they draft JaMarcus Russell and start a rebuilding process. What do you do with a player you’re paying $9 million to and he doesn’t want to run his routes?
Word is that the Packers might be willing to part with a fourth-round pick as long as Moss is also willing to restructure his contract. He is owed $11 million in 2008.
Miami worried
Did the Dolphins make a mistake in choosing Cam Cameron over Chan Gailey?
There is word that some in the organization are worried that they may have made the wrong decision. But owner Wayne Huizenga didn’t want to wait for Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who had a solid interview in Miami, or for the Chargers to fire Marty Schottenheimer.
Believe me, Schottenheimer would have been the perfect coach for the Dolphins right now. Instead, they have San Diego’s offensive coordinator.
Lions unloading
Detroit will trade cornerback Dre’ Bly and pass rusher James Hall, who had five sacks last season before ending up on injured-reserve. The Lions owe Hall a $500,000 bonus next month and they aren’t going to pay him. Bly wants out because he’s not a classic cover-two cornerback; he’s not interested in run-support tackling.
This is why the Titans will have difficulty trading troubled cornerback Pacman Jones. Pacman is a great kick returner, but he also hates to tackle. And with so many teams playing the Tampa Two scheme, you can scratch those teams off any potential trading list. Jones, though, if the league stiffens its off-field policy, could be facing a major suspension if the Las Vegas allegations are proven to be accurate.
Two things are known about the AFC playoff picture. The Indianapolis Colts are back and will receive a first-round bye. And, two, the Baltimore Ravens will be scoreboard watching this Sunday, praying that the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Diego Chargers. I’m also pretty sure that Mike Holmgren is hoping for that same result.
Otherwise, there are still a lot of unknowns in the AFC playoff picture.
Based on Monday night’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts appear to be a lock to win their final two games against Houston and Miami, thus securing one of the conference’s top two seeds and the first-round bye.
The Chargers currently hold the No. 1 seed but they must beat Seattle and Arizona to keep ahead of the pack.
The Ravens, who travel to Pittsburgh this Sunday before hosting pesky Buffalo, believe they can win those two games. If they do, and San Diego falters just once, Baltimore would earn a first-round bye. How’s that?
Well, should Baltimore and San Diego finish with the same record when the regular-season ends, the Ravens hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 16-13 win over the Chargers in Week 4. The Colts hold the advantage over the Ravens, even though both are 11-3, based on a better record against common opponents. That’s why the Ravens were rooting for the Bengals on Monday. Baltimore has lost to two teams -- Cincinnati and Denver -- that Indianapolis beat.
Right now, New England (10-4) owns the fourth seed in the AFC, but the Patriots have two difficult road games during the holidays. They travel to Jacksonville, who remains alive for a wild-card spot, and then Nashville to face rookie Vince Young and a 7-7 Tennessee team.
If the Patriots beat Jacksonville, it should guarantee the winner of Sunday’s Cincinnati-Denver winner of a wild-card spot. If Denver wins, they would be 8-4 against conference foes, by far the best record among teams that have not secured a division title.
The other spot could go to the surprising New York Jets. The Jets travel to Miami and then host the Oakland Raiders. If they win out, I say they will get a wild-card spot. As physical and tough as Jacksonville is, the Jaguars simply can’t be counted on when it matters most. The Jaguars can beat the Patriots, but I wouldn’t bet on it. But it is something of a mini-playoff game, similar to the Bengals-Broncos’ matchup.
Pro Bowl thoughts
The first thing I noticed was that Giants quarterback Eli Manning wasn’t selected, but the three players (or draft selections) which were traded for him did. How remarkable is that? The Chargers ought to give GM A.J. Smith a raise.
Quarterback Philip Rivers, who wasn’t good enough for Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, made it in his first year as a starter (this is Eli’s third such starting season), as well as outside linebacker Shawne Merriman (despite missing four games for a steroid suspension) and kicker Nate Kaeding.
For the most part, I thought the majority of the selections were no-brainers. It’s difficult to judge interior linemen and interior defensive linemen. I do believe Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce deserved it over Seattle’s Lofa Tatupu. Even Minnesota’s E.J. Henderson is a much more physically-imposing linebacker than Tatupu.
You can’t argue with the NFC’s running backs, but I will anyway. Frank Gore definitely deserved it; he’s carried the 49ers this season. Nothing against Tiki Barber or Steven Jackson of the Rams, but Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook would have been on my team over those two. Westbrook has 1,756 yards from scrimmage; he’s a bigger playmaker to me.
Two players got the shaft in the AFC. Jets receiver Laveranues Coles has 87 receptions and a 12.2-yard average and he should have been one of the four receivers selected; in three or four games, Coles helped secure wins for the Jets. He was the NFL’s leading wide receiver (28 receptions) on third down plays.
Also, Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has eight interceptions and his play is one reason why Oakland has been much improved on defense this season, ranking first against the pass and fourth overall. He’s definitely more deserving than Baltimore’s Chris McAlister.
The other receiver I liked was Seattle’s Darrell Jackson, who has more third-down catches than any of the four NFC starters. Doesn’t being clutch, plus carrying a 15.2-yard average and 10 touchdowns, count for anything?
The only other stunner is that overweight defensive tackle Kris Jenkins of the Panthers was selected as the third interior defensive linemen.
Suspension warranted
The Bears suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Johnson was arrested for the third time last Thursday and then a day after he apologized to the team and its fans, Johnson was out clubbing past 1:30 a.m. with his good friend Willie B. Posey, who ended up getting shot and killed. How many hangouts do you go dancing in where your night ends up with a buddy getting murdered?
You can call it bad luck or whatever, but Johnson hasn’t been hanging with the right people once he leaves Halas Hall. His teammates have been supporting him and the Bears seem willing to accept him long-range as long as he undergoes counseling.
Johnson can blame the automatic weapons found in his house on his dead friend, who lived with him, but there are too many instances in his life were he’s crossed the line going back to his college days at the U. of Washington.
It's been more than three years since John Butler died. If you loved talking about the draft and potential prospects, there were few better in the NFL at sharing their opinions with writers like myself than the former Chargers general manager. I really miss him at this time of the year when everyone starts asking where players like Ohio State's Troy Smith or Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson belong in the draft.
I can remember how much Butler believed in Tomlinson even though the tailback played in a pretty weak WAC conference. So, Butler traded away the rights to Michael Vick in order to draft Tomlinson and later Brees at the top of the second round. I can't recall in NFL history when one team drafted two players who will undoubtedly finish 1-2 in the MVP race in the same year.
Run, Forrest, run
Most everyone remembers the great Tom Hanks' movie Forrest Gump and Chicago's return specialist Devin Hester, who broke the NFL record with his sixth touchdown return this season, was something of a Forrest Gump while at the University of Miami.
Hester was one of the best high school players ever in the state of Florida and was the Hurricanes' top recruit in 2003. Hester likes to think of himself as the next Deion Sanders, but in college the coaches tried him at running back and receiver and he simply couldn't crack the lineup. They eventually switched him to defense in 2004. Despite his awesome physical skills, he has struggled to be a factor in Chicago's secondary. He did make one awesome tackle Monday night, but he only saw the field because the Bears were minus three injured defensive backs.
Good, not great
Just to clear up last weekend's reported signing of running back Ladell Betts by the Washington Redskins, it should be noted that Betts didn't receive $3.5 million to sign because $3 million of it was deferred. He did collect $500,000 extra now to spend for Christmas shopping. In the next four months, he will collect $2 million in cash with the remainder of his bonuses down the line, like a $2 million roster bonus in 2008.
Vick at running back?
This rumor, which started more than a month ago, got serious legs this week due to the injuries to Atlanta running backs Jerious Norwood, who is definitely out for Saturday's game against the Cowboys, and Warrick Dunn. The word is that the coaching staff is considering some offensive plays with Vick at tailback and seldom-used Matt Schaub as the quarterback. But now that it's out, the Cowboys will be prepared for it and what's the sense of throwing to Vick? Besides, Vick has looked pretty good the past two games.
Despite what Charles Barkley said on ESPN last night, Denny Green's career in Arizona moved to earthquake status in the shaky-ground department after the Cardinals' collapse to the unbeaten Chicago Bears. Barkley is right that Green had put a positive face on the franchise for the first time in awhile, but he obviously hasn't fixed whatever curse is lurking over his offensive line.
The Cardinals have this brand new stadium in Glendale, Arizona and actually had a full house and a crowd giving them home-field advantage for the first time ever and they still couldn't protect a 20-0 lead? This is weird stuff, quoting Edgerrin James, befalling the Cardinals.
Not only did the O-line not give rookie quarterback Matt Leinart enough protection at times, but rarely did James have room to run. Then kicker Neil Rackers, who was virtually automatic last season, still hasn't made a game-winning kick in two seasons. He missed poorly on a 41-yarder that would have won last night's game and he also missed a 51-yarder the week before that would have sent the Chiefs game in overtime.
Green was right about one thing. The Bears were never going to score an offensive touchdown. Rex Grossman played poorly, accounting for six turnovers. Chicago won, though, because linebacker Brian Urlacher and the defense scored two touchdowns and then Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown. Hester was another great draft pick by GM Jerry Angelo.
Green was definitely right about switching to Leinart at quarterback. The Hollywood Kid has a bright future and whenever Larry Fitzgerald returns, the Cardinals will be very scary on offense.
End of a friendship
This usually happens in sports when you hire an unemployed friend.
Ravens coach Brian Billick, who is fighting for his own job in Baltimore, tossed his former good friend, Jim Fassel, under the bus today, firing his offensive coordinator with two years left on his contract. In Billick's case, it is always easier to point fingers at someone else when the offense isn't working.
Such a firing could prove to be the end of Fassel's NFL career. I mean, how many teams or coaches will be willing to hire a guy who was dumped by a close friend?
The interesting thing is that Fassel saved the job of quarterbacks coach Rich Neuheisal in the off-season.
Reid admits to problems
Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted that he has had problems communicating play calls into quarterback Donovan McNabb in the past and also last Sunday in the Superdome that basically cost his team two timeouts, preventing it from saving some time at the end of the game prior to John Carney's game-winning field goal. The Eagles had to stand around helplessly in the final two minutes and simply watch the Saints run off the time before Carney's kick won it.
Reid had this same problem during the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. He took way too much time in the fourth quarter when the Eagles should have been in a hurry-up mode. The Saints might be for real, but the Reid and the Eagles blew a game they should have won. Or, at least, should have had a chance to win had Reid simply saved his timeouts.
Bengals upset
How would you like to watch NFL games with all the best quarterbacks sitting on the sidelines? I wouldn't and that's why I am in referee Mike Carey's corner on the Justin Smith sack of rookie Bruce Gradkowski last Sunday.
Gradkowski fumbled when sacked by Smith and the Bengals recovered. Had the play stood, the Bengals probably wouldn't have been upset by the Buccaneers. But when Smith hit Gradkowski, the quarterback's head did get smashed into the ground. Carey called roughing the quarterback, negating the fumble.
Hey, quarterbacks need protection back there. To some, Carey erred on the call. But I don't think so because Carey thought the tackle was unnecessary.
Granted, fans like to see quarterbacks get blown up, but pro football would really be awful to watch if the best quarterbacks were always hurt. I know the battle cry that this is football – Hall of Famer Jack Lambert said it best when he famously suggested quarterbacks wear skirts – but the NFL has crossed the line and the game is also entertainment. That's why fans are paying over $100 or more every Sunday to watch in person.
Compare it to attending a Broadway play. Nobody likes to pay good money and then end up watching the understudy instead of the marquee star.
The Cowboys are too good to be 2-2. That’s what I believe, anyway.
But you have to tip your hat to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff and to quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles out-schemed the Cowboys and McNabb performed marvelously under pressure and made touchdown throws to virtual unknowns that many thought were not possible.
McNabb correctly predicted the cornerback blitz on Sunday, a Dallas defensive play that isolated rookie receiver Hank Baskett on a safety. McNabb bought himself enough time in the pocket to complete a 50-yard throw. It was the play of the game, second only to McNabb’s earlier touchdown throw to Reggie Brown, who was covered by both Dallas safeties. Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams lost the flight of the ball because he basically did a 180-degree turn, the unnecessary movement just enough to get him out of position and prevent him from either intercepting or tipping the ball away.
Jim Johnson’s defense shot both center-guard gaps to get into Drew Bledsoe’s face all game long. Bledsoe was under siege most of the time. Still, Bledsoe made the big throw that had the Cowboys in position to tie the game at the end. Eagles safety Michael Lewis admitted he had no choice but to drag the intended receiver down for a 57-yard pass interference penalty.
This is partly why Bill Parcells is sticking with Bledsoe. Yes, maybe Tony Romo could have escaped some of Philadelphia’s pressure. But would he have made all the throws and won the game?
The bottom line in Dallas is that Parcells knows that if he rushes now to bench Bledsoe, the old quarterback may retire on the spot. I mean pack his bags and retire and with his wife and kids. He doesn’t need the money.
Bledsoe is a good man and he deserves every opportunity. If he can’t get the job done, he’ll realize it when Parcells does. The fans in Dallas, starting with Terrell Owens, believe Bledsoe has had bad games in the two Dallas defeats.
We are assuming Bledsoe will beat the Texans on Sunday. His deciding game will be Monday night at home against the Giants. He and the Cowboys must beat the Giants.
Protecting Rex
Yes, the Bears sure do look unbeatable. And there are some interesting statistics to support their 5-0 start.
First, quarterback Rex Grossman has been sacked the fewest times, or 2.6 percent of the time he drops back to throw. With the protection, Grossman has delivered. The Bears are converting 48 percent of their third-and-long plays or second-best in the NFL thus far. They trail only Peyton Manning and the Colts. Last season, despite winning 11 games, they were next-to-last in the league on third-and-long. Only the 49ers were worse.
Speaking of third-down conversions, the Carolina Panthers are 11 of 48 on the season after going 0-for-11 against mighty Cleveland on Sunday. Only – guess who? – the Raiders are worse.
Moss on the move?
Ok, the Raiders have had internal discussions about trading unhappy receiver Randy Moss, who is simply frustrated with offensive coordinator Tom Walsh’s offense. But it doesn’t look like Moss will be traded because the Raiders need to get more than simply a first-round draft pick as compensation.
But you have to wonder if the Seahawks and Falcons wouldn’t rather have Moss than Deion Branch and Ashley Lelie, respectively. The one team that Moss would help immediately is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would open up that offense and definitely help Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben is currently on his worse streak as a pro, losing three straight while producing zero touchdown passes with seven interceptions.
Former Vikings coach Mike Tice has pointed out those same possibilities to the people in Jacksonville. Moss does force teams to account for him everywhere, whether he’s giving effort or not. But teams like the Steelers don’t make trades like that. Neither do the Chicago Bears.
Bargain shoppers
Without a salary-cap hit, the Broncos simply went with the cheaper punter in Paul Ernster, whose salary is $302,590. Todd Sauerbrun’s salary for this season is $1.39 million or $82,059 every week over the course of a 17-week season. Even if Sauerbrun needed steroids or some other illegal supplement to help heal some injuries, how many teams want to risk a punter with two strikes against him?
Jets groaning
When you lose 41-0, like the Jets did on Sunday, there’s going to be a lot of moaning and groaning. Well, Laveranues Coles popped off Sunday about his lack of playing time and the face he only had three receptions for 19 yards. He entered the game against Jacksonville tied for the NFL receptions lead with 30. But how can you have any sympathy for Coles, who has had 50 passes thrown his way in five games? That’s the third-highest amount in the NFL behind only Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison.
Birthday boy
Happy Birthday to Brett Favre, who turns 37 today. But probably feels like 47, what with the pinched neck nerve and those four losses. Plus, Coach Mike McCarthy isn’t giving his players the week off like Mike Holmgren did last week in Seattle.
When examining Chicago’s schedule it makes total sense that 12 victories is a slam dunk unless their mauling of proud Seattle was a fluke. And I doubt that. Granted, they can’t afford for Brian Urlacher to get injured, but they may even be able to win another eight games without Rex Grossman. Then again, they won’t advance far in the playoffs without Rex.
John Madden said it best when he compared Grossman’s gambling style to that of Brett Favre’s. Grossman would rather go deep, risk the rewards of a big play rather than play it safe and dump it off for a measly five-yard gain. Grossman is all about going downtown.
The defense can’t be compared to the ’85 Bears merely because this is a different era and the styles are totally different. This team overall does appear to be a little quicker, but the ’85 Bears also had better outside pass rushers and also a smart, tackling machine in Mike Singletary. The safeties loved to hit and both were playmakers. Buddy Ryan was a defensive genius and he had all the right pieces to wreck havoc with the finest offenses of that era.
There is no question that Seattle, the reigning NFC champion, missed MVP Shaun Alexander and all-world guard Steve Hutchinson last Sunday. Seattle’s coaches will tell you that once they got into a passing game with the Bears, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck reverted to past mistakes and simply became unglued. It’s understandable, though, considering the tremendous inside pressure applied by Bears tackle Tommie Harris.
“What we weren’t expecting is how good Grossman played and that No. 80 (receiver Bernard Berrian),” said a Seahawks coach.
The Hutchinson story won’t die in the Northwest because the Seahawks really would rather pound the ball with Alexander (he may be back in two weeks) than evolve into a passing team. They really don’t want to live by the four-receiver formation. After this week’s bye, look for Deion Branch will be starting ahead of Nate Burleson.
Back to the Bears, though, their schedule is simply too easy, considering the weakness of the NFC North and three more games against the NFC West. They simply need to survive one weird three-game road stretch in November when they visit the Meadowlands for consecutive games against the Giants and Jets followed by a visit to New England on Nov. 26.
What the Bears have right now is potentially the tiebreaker for home-field advantage with the Seahawks because the good teams in the East and South figure to beat each other up.
