larry johnson
- Thread starter dannyboy
- Start date
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
exactly, seriously people need to give him his props. He's about the best power back in the NFL right now. What he has been able to do since taking over for Priest is downright obsene. Priest wasn't doing what LJ is right now. I remember hearing rumors on this board at the time before the trade deadline, that there were talks between Dallas and KC. The Chiefs wanted AB and a 3rd rounder for Larry Johnson and after that it fizzled. Seems it was back during the Rudi Johnson talk as well. Also I thought the chiefs gave up a 3rd rounder for Roaf not a 4th. Well worth it anyway.jem88 said:
AbeBeta
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 35,684
- Reaction score
- 12,393
Natedawg44 said:
Let's stop pretending we know what exactly the offer was for Johnson. Or if there was an offer at all. It's all speculation unless you get it directly from Jerry -- who would NEVER give out that sort of information.
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
Lack Of Trade Frustrates Chief RB Johnson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keenan McCardell got his wish Tuesday. Larry Johnson did not.
Despite rumors that Johnson may be headed to Tampa Bay in exchange for McCardell or to Dallas in exchange for wide receiver Antonio Bryant, Tuesday's trading deadline passed with Johnson still a member of the Chiefs.
McCardell, who threatened to hold out for the entire season if Tampa Bay didn't trade him or pay him more money, was sent to San Diego in exchange for third and sixth round draft picks while Bryant went from Dallas to Cleveland in exchange for former Kansas State receiver Quincy Morgan.
“It didn't happen the way I wanted it to happen,” said Johnson, who has been inactive for three out of five games this season, including Sunday's loss at Jacksonville. “I'm still a Kansas City Chief and I'll wait it out till it's my time to shine. But I want to make it clear to people that it's not because of me, it's because I'm not getting a chance to play. You can't do too much when you have an offensive coordinator who doesn't trust you and a head coach who never wanted you in the first place.”
Johnson, who was selected by the Chiefs with the 27th pick of the 2003 draft, has continually expressed frustration over his role with the Chiefs.
He has appeared in eight of a possible 21 games in two seasons and despite words of praise from team president/general manager Carl Peterson and head coach Dick Vermeil, Johnson remains a solid third on the depth chart behind Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock.
Johnson has seen some action on special teams in two games this season but does not have a carry. The result is that the Chiefs and their fans know little more about Johnson's abilities as a running back than they did the day the Chiefs drafted him as an insurance against Holmes' career-threatening hip injury.
Johnson, who earned the team's scout team player of the week award for his work as Jacksonville's Fred Taylor in practice last week, learned that he wouldn't play one hour before kickoff on Sunday.
“I have no problem with being behind Priest,” Johnson said. “It's not about me being behind Priest, it's about not getting an opportunity to be behind Priest. If you were in my situation, how would you feel? I'm sitting on the bench, not playing. … I've got people saying I'm this and I'm that and all I want to do is play. It's just not happening here.”
The Chiefs did hold trade talks involving Johnson with several teams, including Tampa Bay and Dallas, but nothing solid materialized.
It's not the first time Johnson has expressed dissatisfaction with the Chiefs. Earlier this season, Vermeil said it was time for Johnson to “take off his diaper.” Johnson responded by calling the comment “unnecessary” and saying Vermeil should have come to him directly.
Even after that, Peterson made it clear that he was not interested in swapping Johnson for the 34-year-old McCardell, and talks with the Cowboys, who badly need a talented young running back, never heated up because of concerns about Bryant's character.
So the Chiefs, who have had problems at receiver, watched as several deals went down, including one that sent Oakland's Jerry Rice to Seattle.
San Diego's decision to deal for McCardell was spurred by a knee injury suffered by second-year receiver Reche Caldwell in Sunday's loss at Atlanta.
McCardell, who was scheduled to make $2.5 million this season and $2.75 million in 2005, wanted a new deal from Tampa Bay worth around $4 million per season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dbair1967
he's a malcontent bust...really all that anyone needs to know about him
David
__________________
SkinsandTerps
Johnson could end up in Miami next year. Or even Tampa after all. I would love to see what he could do in Arizona with Dennis Green and company.
The Chiefs, WRs or not, just arent willing to let this guy go. Its sad too because he hasnt gotten enough touches to up his value and warrant a great trade.
__________________
MichaelWinicki
And you combine that with his "Joe Pa" background and he scares the **** out of me.
And I didn't think he was that great of a college back...
__________________
Wayne Motley
I don't think that's true...according to what we just read above, it was KC who didn't want AB due to character issues...they may not be using him for whatever reason, but they aren't going to give him away for nothing.
Personally, I don't think Johnson sounds at all like a malcontent...the guy hasn't even been given 1 carry. here we are, most of us, griping about BP's not using Lee,...I guess if Lee were a #1 draft pick who complained about it himself, we'd label him a malcontent....a guy who wins an award for being Fred Taylor all week with the scout team, is not a guy going through the motions...sounds like a guy who did some nice things, running hard against the starting defense. I don't blame a guy who feels like the coach never wanted him and won't use him as a strike against the owner.
Sounds like we would have traded AB for Johnson, except that AB was viewed as a character problem.
jacs-
"Penn State RB's seem to be busts so i am thankful that we didnt trade AB for him"
Interesting takes to say the least.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keenan McCardell got his wish Tuesday. Larry Johnson did not.
Despite rumors that Johnson may be headed to Tampa Bay in exchange for McCardell or to Dallas in exchange for wide receiver Antonio Bryant, Tuesday's trading deadline passed with Johnson still a member of the Chiefs.
McCardell, who threatened to hold out for the entire season if Tampa Bay didn't trade him or pay him more money, was sent to San Diego in exchange for third and sixth round draft picks while Bryant went from Dallas to Cleveland in exchange for former Kansas State receiver Quincy Morgan.
“It didn't happen the way I wanted it to happen,” said Johnson, who has been inactive for three out of five games this season, including Sunday's loss at Jacksonville. “I'm still a Kansas City Chief and I'll wait it out till it's my time to shine. But I want to make it clear to people that it's not because of me, it's because I'm not getting a chance to play. You can't do too much when you have an offensive coordinator who doesn't trust you and a head coach who never wanted you in the first place.”
Johnson, who was selected by the Chiefs with the 27th pick of the 2003 draft, has continually expressed frustration over his role with the Chiefs.
He has appeared in eight of a possible 21 games in two seasons and despite words of praise from team president/general manager Carl Peterson and head coach Dick Vermeil, Johnson remains a solid third on the depth chart behind Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock.
Johnson has seen some action on special teams in two games this season but does not have a carry. The result is that the Chiefs and their fans know little more about Johnson's abilities as a running back than they did the day the Chiefs drafted him as an insurance against Holmes' career-threatening hip injury.
Johnson, who earned the team's scout team player of the week award for his work as Jacksonville's Fred Taylor in practice last week, learned that he wouldn't play one hour before kickoff on Sunday.
“I have no problem with being behind Priest,” Johnson said. “It's not about me being behind Priest, it's about not getting an opportunity to be behind Priest. If you were in my situation, how would you feel? I'm sitting on the bench, not playing. … I've got people saying I'm this and I'm that and all I want to do is play. It's just not happening here.”
The Chiefs did hold trade talks involving Johnson with several teams, including Tampa Bay and Dallas, but nothing solid materialized.
It's not the first time Johnson has expressed dissatisfaction with the Chiefs. Earlier this season, Vermeil said it was time for Johnson to “take off his diaper.” Johnson responded by calling the comment “unnecessary” and saying Vermeil should have come to him directly.
Even after that, Peterson made it clear that he was not interested in swapping Johnson for the 34-year-old McCardell, and talks with the Cowboys, who badly need a talented young running back, never heated up because of concerns about Bryant's character.
So the Chiefs, who have had problems at receiver, watched as several deals went down, including one that sent Oakland's Jerry Rice to Seattle.
San Diego's decision to deal for McCardell was spurred by a knee injury suffered by second-year receiver Reche Caldwell in Sunday's loss at Atlanta.
McCardell, who was scheduled to make $2.5 million this season and $2.75 million in 2005, wanted a new deal from Tampa Bay worth around $4 million per season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dbair1967
he's a malcontent bust...really all that anyone needs to know about him
David
__________________
SkinsandTerps
Johnson could end up in Miami next year. Or even Tampa after all. I would love to see what he could do in Arizona with Dennis Green and company.
The Chiefs, WRs or not, just arent willing to let this guy go. Its sad too because he hasnt gotten enough touches to up his value and warrant a great trade.
__________________
MichaelWinicki
And you combine that with his "Joe Pa" background and he scares the **** out of me.
And I didn't think he was that great of a college back...
__________________
Wayne Motley
I don't think that's true...according to what we just read above, it was KC who didn't want AB due to character issues...they may not be using him for whatever reason, but they aren't going to give him away for nothing.
Personally, I don't think Johnson sounds at all like a malcontent...the guy hasn't even been given 1 carry. here we are, most of us, griping about BP's not using Lee,...I guess if Lee were a #1 draft pick who complained about it himself, we'd label him a malcontent....a guy who wins an award for being Fred Taylor all week with the scout team, is not a guy going through the motions...sounds like a guy who did some nice things, running hard against the starting defense. I don't blame a guy who feels like the coach never wanted him and won't use him as a strike against the owner.
Sounds like we would have traded AB for Johnson, except that AB was viewed as a character problem.
jacs-
"Penn State RB's seem to be busts so i am thankful that we didnt trade AB for him"
Interesting takes to say the least.
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
PFT: Cowboys Rumor Talk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://www.profootballtalk.com
POSTED 1:14 p.m. EDT, October 20, 2004
COWBOYS PASSED ON HUGGIES
Word out of Dallas is that the Cowboys could have sent receiver Antonio Bryant to the Chiefs for 2003 first-round running back Larry "Huggies" Johnson.
The Cowboys declined, instead shipping Bryant to Cleveland for receiver Quincy Morgan.
"The Cowboys didn't want to touch [Johnson]," the source said.
Johnson was drafted by the Chiefs in 2003 as a hedge against injury and contract questions regarding starter Priest Holmes. Johnson has yet to contribute to the team, and he had been the subject of trade rumors for weeks.
BRYANT A PAWN BETWEEN TUNA, JONES?
A league source tells us that the trade of receiver Antonio Bryant by the Dallas Cowboys was the final step in a power play between owner/G.M. Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells regarding the fate of the talented-but-tempestuous player.
Jones, we're told, wanted to keep Bryant -- and he wanted Bryant to have a greater role in the offense. Parcells, on the other hand, had been relying more heavily on Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn.
Though we don't know the details, Jones finally gave in, allowing Bryant to be moved.
We wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Tuna, mired in a 2-4 start, said to Jones something along these lines: "Listen, one of us is going, okay? And it's either gonna be the young guy, or it's gonna be the old guy, okay? And if you wanna keep Bryant, then you can call Dave Campo to coach this team, okay?"
We're gonna keep a close eye on the doings in Big D. The Tuna honeymoon definitely is over, and we don't think that Jerry Jones can go much longer without being Jerry Jones.
Back to Bryant, word is that he's thrilled to be out of Dallas. Instead of being the No. 3 man in a team that's been using more and more two-receiver sets, Bryant has a shot at becoming the go-to guy in Cleveland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://www.profootballtalk.com
POSTED 1:14 p.m. EDT, October 20, 2004
COWBOYS PASSED ON HUGGIES
Word out of Dallas is that the Cowboys could have sent receiver Antonio Bryant to the Chiefs for 2003 first-round running back Larry "Huggies" Johnson.
The Cowboys declined, instead shipping Bryant to Cleveland for receiver Quincy Morgan.
"The Cowboys didn't want to touch [Johnson]," the source said.
Johnson was drafted by the Chiefs in 2003 as a hedge against injury and contract questions regarding starter Priest Holmes. Johnson has yet to contribute to the team, and he had been the subject of trade rumors for weeks.
BRYANT A PAWN BETWEEN TUNA, JONES?
A league source tells us that the trade of receiver Antonio Bryant by the Dallas Cowboys was the final step in a power play between owner/G.M. Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells regarding the fate of the talented-but-tempestuous player.
Jones, we're told, wanted to keep Bryant -- and he wanted Bryant to have a greater role in the offense. Parcells, on the other hand, had been relying more heavily on Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn.
Though we don't know the details, Jones finally gave in, allowing Bryant to be moved.
We wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Tuna, mired in a 2-4 start, said to Jones something along these lines: "Listen, one of us is going, okay? And it's either gonna be the young guy, or it's gonna be the old guy, okay? And if you wanna keep Bryant, then you can call Dave Campo to coach this team, okay?"
We're gonna keep a close eye on the doings in Big D. The Tuna honeymoon definitely is over, and we don't think that Jerry Jones can go much longer without being Jerry Jones.
Back to Bryant, word is that he's thrilled to be out of Dallas. Instead of being the No. 3 man in a team that's been using more and more two-receiver sets, Bryant has a shot at becoming the go-to guy in Cleveland.
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
dbair1967
Fwst
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Bryant on the block
The Cowboys are talking to the Kansas City Chiefs about trading receiver Antonio Bryant, KXAS-TV reported Tuesday night.
Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones declined to confirm or deny the report. Bryant's agents Lamont Smith and Peter Schaefer said they didn't know anything about it.<<<<
This would be pretty stupid IMO, unless KC wants to give up a 1st rd pick...they dont have crap on defense that we could use (oh wait, yes they do...its all CRAP)
and if they trade Bryant for malcontent scrub RB Larry Johnson I'll hurl
David
Fwst
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Bryant on the block
The Cowboys are talking to the Kansas City Chiefs about trading receiver Antonio Bryant, KXAS-TV reported Tuesday night.
Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones declined to confirm or deny the report. Bryant's agents Lamont Smith and Peter Schaefer said they didn't know anything about it.<<<<
This would be pretty stupid IMO, unless KC wants to give up a 1st rd pick...they dont have crap on defense that we could use (oh wait, yes they do...its all CRAP)
and if they trade Bryant for malcontent scrub RB Larry Johnson I'll hurl
David
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
Seriously the archives are pure gold
heavyhitta31
"Just say NOOOOOOOOOOO"
junk
"penn state RB, nuff said"
Micheal Winicki
"I think Johnson sucks. He wasn't a great back on college AND he's a Penn St. back and we know those guys generally speaking aren't worth a crap. Maybe that's why he needs the diaper."
Hostile
"AB for Johnson???? Guess thats why it didn't get any further
I have no idea what Jerry's answer was but I hope it involved a single finger."
Hostile
"Yep, it's been a long time sicne the days of Franco harris and Lydell Mitchell at PSU.
Curtis Enis
Ki-Jana Carter
Blaine Thomas
Larry Johnson
Sad quartet of under achievers."
Hostile
"I wouldn't want Larry Johnson for any player on our team right now."
Dallas
Can you imagine that trade? I can still hear Parcells laughing as he is hanging up the phone. WoooHoooooo..haHaHa !!! *wipes eyes*
Roughneck
"Give away one of the best players on our team (yeah, I said it) for that scrub?
Now that is funny."
heavyhitta31
"Just say NOOOOOOOOOOO"
junk
"penn state RB, nuff said"
Micheal Winicki
"I think Johnson sucks. He wasn't a great back on college AND he's a Penn St. back and we know those guys generally speaking aren't worth a crap. Maybe that's why he needs the diaper."
Hostile
"AB for Johnson???? Guess thats why it didn't get any further
I have no idea what Jerry's answer was but I hope it involved a single finger."
Hostile
"Yep, it's been a long time sicne the days of Franco harris and Lydell Mitchell at PSU.
Curtis Enis
Ki-Jana Carter
Blaine Thomas
Larry Johnson
Sad quartet of under achievers."
Hostile
"I wouldn't want Larry Johnson for any player on our team right now."
Dallas
Can you imagine that trade? I can still hear Parcells laughing as he is hanging up the phone. WoooHoooooo..haHaHa !!! *wipes eyes*
Roughneck
"Give away one of the best players on our team (yeah, I said it) for that scrub?
Now that is funny."
AbeBeta
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 35,684
- Reaction score
- 12,393
Natedawg44 said:
Natedawg -- do you honestly consider that a source?
You are talking rumors. Not fact. PFT hits on stuff sometimes -- but a lot of the time they are just wrong. Worse still, reporters go there and steal their stuff -- thereby making it seem more legit.
The fact is we just have no idea about whether there was any talk at all.
Natedawg44
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,598
- Reaction score
- 0
PFT, KXAS-TV, FWST, Lee Hamilton were all talking about the rumored traded at the time in addition
Foxsports.com was as well
This week, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil tried his best Dr. Phil imitation to defuse a situation with his first-round pick from a year ago, running back Larry Johnson. By Friday the whole world believed the affair between the two, who had a midweek spat, was over.
Not so.
FOX NFL Sunday and FOXSports.com has learned that Thursday, the day after Johnson criticized his coach for saying it was time for Johnson to "take the diapers off" the Chiefs tried feverishly to unload their No. 1 pick from last year's draft.
In exchange for Larry Johnson the Chiefs were seeking a linebacker, wide receiver or draft pick. (Brian Bahr / GettyImages)
According to several league sources, Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson and other Chiefs executives phoned several teams, namely the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Cowboys. When contacted, Peterson confirmed talks but didn't seem optimistic that a deal would be done.
In exchange for Johnson the Chiefs were seeking a linebacker, wide receiver or a draft pick. The Dolphins said they were still considering making the move for a linebacker, which would be a credit to that franchise for continuing to aggressively work their way out of a hole. The Chiefs also said they phoned the Cowboys with the hopes of swapping Johnson for wide receiver Antonio Bryant.
The Eagles have flatly denied their overtures.
It's extremely rare when a team tries to ditch a first-round pick at running back one year into his service with the team. Johnson, relegated to third on the depth chart, has already been too much of a headache for Peterson.
Two weeks ago, he played for free after being stripped of the week's pay by the NFL for an off-field incident. He has also grumbled about lack of playing time, which tends to happen when one is seated behind Priest Holmes on the depth chart.
Then came this week's Diaper-gate.
When broached with the subject that Johnson may have to play if Priest Holmes were hurt for Sunday's game, the coach shot that it was time for his running back to "take the diapers off."
That didn't sit too well with Johnson.
"I don't need no motivation,'' Johnson said. "If I need motivation, I'll talk to my father. I don't need another grown man telling me I need to take the diapers off. That's not how I've been raised, and I don't need no motivation from anybody. I'm self-motivated because my father taught me to be that way. I don't really listen to that kind of stuff. If the man can't say something in my face, that's how I feel. It don't mean nothing to me.''
Asked if the statement would impact his relationship with the coach, Johnson said, "It affects a lot of things. But that's between to him and me to figure that out. There's a lot of things going on that I want to address but I want to wait to the right time for me to do that.''
If Peterson can find a suitable buyer then Johnson may never find the time for that.
Maybe there was talk between the teams maybe there wasn't. Alot of people were reporting it at the time. Thats what was interesting.
Heck the more interesting thing is the responses at the time about trading AB for Larry Johnson from the board. Pretty funny stuff.
Foxsports.com was as well
This week, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil tried his best Dr. Phil imitation to defuse a situation with his first-round pick from a year ago, running back Larry Johnson. By Friday the whole world believed the affair between the two, who had a midweek spat, was over.
Not so.
FOX NFL Sunday and FOXSports.com has learned that Thursday, the day after Johnson criticized his coach for saying it was time for Johnson to "take the diapers off" the Chiefs tried feverishly to unload their No. 1 pick from last year's draft.
In exchange for Larry Johnson the Chiefs were seeking a linebacker, wide receiver or draft pick. (Brian Bahr / GettyImages)
According to several league sources, Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson and other Chiefs executives phoned several teams, namely the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Cowboys. When contacted, Peterson confirmed talks but didn't seem optimistic that a deal would be done.
In exchange for Johnson the Chiefs were seeking a linebacker, wide receiver or a draft pick. The Dolphins said they were still considering making the move for a linebacker, which would be a credit to that franchise for continuing to aggressively work their way out of a hole. The Chiefs also said they phoned the Cowboys with the hopes of swapping Johnson for wide receiver Antonio Bryant.
The Eagles have flatly denied their overtures.
It's extremely rare when a team tries to ditch a first-round pick at running back one year into his service with the team. Johnson, relegated to third on the depth chart, has already been too much of a headache for Peterson.
Two weeks ago, he played for free after being stripped of the week's pay by the NFL for an off-field incident. He has also grumbled about lack of playing time, which tends to happen when one is seated behind Priest Holmes on the depth chart.
Then came this week's Diaper-gate.
When broached with the subject that Johnson may have to play if Priest Holmes were hurt for Sunday's game, the coach shot that it was time for his running back to "take the diapers off."
That didn't sit too well with Johnson.
"I don't need no motivation,'' Johnson said. "If I need motivation, I'll talk to my father. I don't need another grown man telling me I need to take the diapers off. That's not how I've been raised, and I don't need no motivation from anybody. I'm self-motivated because my father taught me to be that way. I don't really listen to that kind of stuff. If the man can't say something in my face, that's how I feel. It don't mean nothing to me.''
Asked if the statement would impact his relationship with the coach, Johnson said, "It affects a lot of things. But that's between to him and me to figure that out. There's a lot of things going on that I want to address but I want to wait to the right time for me to do that.''
If Peterson can find a suitable buyer then Johnson may never find the time for that.
Maybe there was talk between the teams maybe there wasn't. Alot of people were reporting it at the time. Thats what was interesting.
Heck the more interesting thing is the responses at the time about trading AB for Larry Johnson from the board. Pretty funny stuff.
AbeBeta
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 35,684
- Reaction score
- 12,393
Natedawg44 said:
Lee Hamilton -- there's a name from my past. He's an awful radio guy in LA -- he comes up with all these stupid rumors -- LA radio listeners regularly discount whatever he says -- since he's wrong about 95% of the time.
Tyler Durden
New Member
- Messages
- 68
- Reaction score
- 0
Funny how LJ only looks good because of his o-line, but if you even think about saying that about Emmitt back in the day, you'd be crucified here.
tyke1doe
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 54,312
- Reaction score
- 32,716
Good job, Natedawg.
Maybe there was something to the rumors. It seems a multiple of news operations picked up on it.
While it may be true that the information was "borrowed," if any one of the sources involved a Dallas station/newspaper or a Kansas City station/newspaper, I would believe it because local reporters have more "in" than national reporters, with the exception of the networks, SI and possibly ESPN.
Maybe there was something to the rumors. It seems a multiple of news operations picked up on it.
While it may be true that the information was "borrowed," if any one of the sources involved a Dallas station/newspaper or a Kansas City station/newspaper, I would believe it because local reporters have more "in" than national reporters, with the exception of the networks, SI and possibly ESPN.
joseephuss
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 28,041
- Reaction score
- 6,920
Tyler Durden said:
Larry Johnson has to do it over the long haul. He is having a great run of games. Props to him, but lets not annoint him to the HOF just yet. Give him time to keep it going year after year. That is what the great ones like Emmitt did. Emmitt was also a complete back. He caught the ball and blocked. Johnson doesn't do that yet. Give him time.
Tyler Durden
New Member
- Messages
- 68
- Reaction score
- 0
Hostile said:
Come again?
AbeBeta
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 35,684
- Reaction score
- 12,393
tyke1doe said:
a) our local reports got nothing. none of them has broken a story since BP got here. they know what the team wants them to know. or what a player leaks. seeing that Jerry and BP are pretty much the only guys who are involved in trade talk then we can be sure that they got nothing.
b) here's how rumors work. one site throws something out there. then another picks it up. then, once there are a handful of internet sites reporting on something, reporters from the big papers swoop in and take it as a story. journalistically, it meets the "2 independent sources" criteria - but really it is all just so much BS.
c) SI and ESPN regularly take rumors directly of PFT.com - the dude calls them out on it all the time