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It sounds like one team rumored to be very interested in signing Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is not so big on the idea. That team would be the Arizona Cardinals. They have plenty of room under the salary cap to do some things in free agency and were put into the mix for Alexander because of their cap space and their struggles with a running game last season. Comments from Arizona coach Dennis Green and Rod Graves, vice president of football operations, at the NFL combine indicate the Cardinals aren't too willing to make the big splash.
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Adam Vinatieri was a hot topic at the scouting combine yesterday, with buzz centering on an unlikely potential suitor - the Green Bay Packers. Currently in negotiations with their own free agent kicker, Ryan Longwell, the Pack are rumored to be considering letting Longwell walk and making a run at Vinatieri, perhaps the best cold-weather kicker in history. Patriots spokesman Stacey James refused to confirm whether the Patriots are meeting with Vinatieri’s agent, Jonathan Hurst, citing club policy not to discuss ongoing negotiations. Hurst did not return calls. If the Patriots fail to sign him by Friday, he’s expected to have no shortage of suitors. The Dallas Cowboys could be in the mix, particularly since head coach Bill Parcells gave Vinatieri his start in 1996.
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If the Washington Commanders are able to rework enough contracts and cut enough players to get under the projected salary cap of $95 million by Thursday and then free up some more cash to sign a new player, Pittsburgh receiver Antwaan Randle El could be on their radar. Randle El is expected to be pursued by Chicago and Philadelphia. Pittsburgh would like to keep Randle El but not at the kind of price he will command on the open market.
____________________________________________
Texans GM Charley Casserly is openly shopping the top pick, which the Jets would use on Chad Pennington's successor. The Jets are logical partners, because disgruntled defensive end John Abraham would have great appeal to the Texans, who are desperate for a pass rush. In addition, the Texans have a crying need to protect their recently re-signed QB, David Carr, and can grab blue-chip left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4 should they swap picks with the Jets.
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The likelihood Chris Simms will sign a one-year restricted free-agent tender of $2-million has increased significantly. Such an offer would require any suitor to compensate the Bucs with a first- and third-round draft pick. It seems a long-term deal may be a long way off. "There's nothing new right now," Condon said Sunday. "We're still talking."
____________________________________________
The Green Bay Packers have the ability to more than satisfy defensive end Aaron Kampman's financial demands, but the estimation of some National Football League observers is that unless they complete a deal with him before the start of free agency Friday, he'll be playing somewhere else next season. If Kampman makes it to free agency, he will be one of the top ends available and stands to receive around $5 million a year on a long-term deal.
____________________________________________
President Matt Millen wants to meet with defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson before any decision is made on Wilkinson's future with the Lions. Wilkinson, who turns 33 in two weeks, has played 12 NFL seasons and started all 48 games since signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2003. There is some question about where Wilkinson will fit in coach Rod Marinelli's system. Wilkinson lives in the Washington, D.C., area. "I'm going to go see Dan," Millen said. "I really like him. He's one of my favorites. He's a good man."
____________________________________________
While Vince Young's Wonderlic tests created a huge controversy, he was busy interviewing with different teams, including the Texans. "I thought the interview went well," Young said. "I thought coach (Gary) Kubiak was cool. "They asked me a lot of questions about offense. At the end, they asked me why I thought I'd be good for the team. I basically told them that I'm a high-character guy that wants to win. I said it's important to be a leader. "I told them I wanted a chance to lead them to a Super Bowl win."
____________________________________________
With the NFL staring into an abyss of labor discord that it hasn't faced in more than a decade, representatives of the league's players and team owners are prepared to resume negotiations aimed at producing a last-minute settlement that would keep the league's salary cap system in place beyond next season. However, there are widely disparate views on whether the last-ditch talks have much of a chance for success. NFL Players Association Executive Director Gene Upshaw has said repeatedly over the past 10 days that he is not optimistic that he can agree with the owners to an extension of the collective bargaining agreement before Friday, when the free agent market is scheduled to open.
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The Browns are expected to announce today the signing of one of two players who would otherwise become free agents Friday -- either defensive end Orpheus Roye or left tackle L.J. Shelton.
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on La'Roi Glover's future: "The timing hasn't been where we had to address it. With the quality of player La'Roi is and the job he's done for us, the job of sitting down with him or him sitting down with us and seeing how fits, it was going to be so difficult that we put it off till a better day, to be realistic about it."
____________________________________________
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the decision to extend Bill Parcells' contract: "The alternative to that wasn't even close as far as us having a chance to win and win big in the immediate future. Not even close. And I have placed a big priority on winning in the immediate, like this year, next year and maybe beyond."
____________________________________________
Bears coach Lovie Smith gave what has become his stock answer when asked at the NFL combine if he has been offered a contract extension. Smith said he loves his job, doesn't aspire to another one and feels good about the contract he's working under. "Hopefully, in time, I'll do something to warrant getting a long-term extension,'' Smith said. Just how much time appears to be something of a problem. Agent Frank Bauer said Sunday that he has had a couple of brief conversations with Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips about an extension for Smith -- who has two years left on a four-year deal that reportedly pays him about $1.4 million a year -- but Bauer described the preliminary talks as "at a stalemate.''
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Southern California's Matt Leinart scored 35 on the Wonderlic test Friday, according to sources. The other top quarterback in the upcoming draft, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler, had 26 in April. Almost all of the quarterbacks taken in the first round in the last decade scored 20 or more. The average score by 26 quarterbacks who took the test last spring was 23.35.
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Jets QB Chad Pennington broke his silence and sounded ready to fight for his job, assuming he still has one. "My arm and shoulder are fine," Pennington was quoted as saying in yesterday's Sarasota Herald Tribune. "I'm anxious to get started." Pennington, who has been rehabbing his second rotator cuff injury at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, was fishing. He will be fishing for a new team if ongoing negotiations in Indianapolis between his agent, Tom Condon, and new Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, do not come to an amicable conclusion. Condon has rejected the Jets' proposed 2006 pay cut from $9 million to $1 million.
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The task for the Patriots will be finding that player. Some who could be on their radar screen include Stanford’s Jon Alston, a 6-foot-1, 220-pounder with great football smarts; UTEP’s Thomas Howard, a 6-3, 239-pounder who advanced from walk-on safety to Senior Bowl standout; and Maryland’s D’Qwell Jackson, a 6-foot, 227-pounder nicknamed the Qwell-a-Monster for his big hits.
____________________________________________
When Mike Bell hired his agents, he had one request. "He told us that he really wants to be a Denver Bronco," said agent Steve Feldman, who, along with Josh Luchs, represents the University of Arizona running back. "He said that was his dream." It's uncertain if Bell, who lived in Denver until he was 11 before moving to Arizona and counts John Elway as his hero, will accomplish his goal. But he may be on his way. He was one of the running backs the Broncos studied at the NFL scouting combine.
____________________________________________
After Florida's Chad Jackson and his 4.32-second 40, the combine's fastest players by position in the 40 so far: Oklahoma offensive lineman Chris Chester, 4.88; UCLA running back Maurice Drew, 4.39; and Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal, 4.35.
____________________________________________
The Bucs arrived at the scouting combine looking for a kicker. And like last year, the kicker the Bucs came to look at the hardest was an OhioState product. A year after they strongly contemplated drafting Buckeyes specialist Mike Nugent, the Bucs are looking at possibly drafting Nugent's replacement, Josh Huston.
____________________________________________
Expect Florida WR Chad Jackson to start climbing some mock draft boards after yesterday when he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash and performed well in receiving drills. Before the combine, the 6-foot, 213-pounder had been projected to go anywhere from Rounds 2-4. Now, he could wind up being a first-round pick.
____________________________________________
The Falcons are in search of help at safety but could very well draft a cornerback with the No. 15 overall pick of the NFL draft April 29-30 — if Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams is available. Although Williams spent the first two years in college playing safety and is built like a safety (6 feet 2, 213 pounds) and hits like a safety, "I prefer to play cornerback, and I want teams to know I want to play corner," Williams said Sunday at the NFL scouting combine.
____________________________________________
The latest buzz about Texas quarterback Vince Young at the NFL Scouting Combine: his score on the 50-question Wonderlic Test. It was reported to NFL general managers Saturday that Young correctly answered just six of the 50 questions on the 12-minute exam designed to test logic and cognitive ability. To put that total in perspective: The average score among the top 10 draft picks a year ago reportedly was 22. The catch is that the test results are private, given only to the teams. Then again, NFL coaches, front-office personnel and agents are known to gossip, which is why there have been leaks. Then came reports Sunday that Young was allowed to retake the test and that he scored a more respectable 16. Keep in mind, none of this information ever has been released in an official capacity. But Alex Smith, the quarterback who was taken No. 1 a year ago, made a 40. Former Longhorn quarterbacks who took the test include Chris Simms, who got a 22, and Major Applewhite, with a 26.
____________________________________________
OhioState linebacker A.J. Hawk has seen his name linked to Green Bay in various mock drafts and wouldn't mind going there. "I try not to pay attention to too much of it," Hawk said. "I can play anywhere; any team that wants me I'll gladly go. Especially a team like Green Bay with the tradition they have, the fans they have, it would be unbelievable."
____________________________________________
Miami's Devin Hester, who played defensive back, wide receiver and was a kickoff and punt returner, interviewed with Cleveland, Cincinnati and New England. The Bengals asked him about playing both ways. "I would love to do that," Hester said.
____________________________________________
Of all the things Ted Thompson has to worry about, wide receiver Javon Walker's unhappiness with his contract apparently ranks pretty far down the Green Bay Packers general manager's list. "I don't think it's worth getting all worked up about," Thompson said Sunday in the crowded hallway of the IndianaConvention Center. "Business is business, and we'll be talking to those guys (Walker and McGuire). This is not unusual. Players are sometimes unsatisfied with their contracts. Sometimes teams are unsatisfied and it's the other way around. It's part of business."
____________________________________________
Jeremy Bloom did not finish among the top 10 receivers in the 40, then skipped the other physical skills tests at the combine. He will have a full workout for NFL scouts April 1 at the Velocity Sports Performance facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.
____________________________________________
Monmouth WR Miles Austin also ran extremely well. His 4.47 40 was the sixth-best time of the 20 receivers in his group. Austin dropped a couple of passes, including a short hook, but was pleased with his performance.
____________________________________________
The Jets are thought to be interested in Jay Cutler, but if Vince Young indeed bombed on the intelligence test, there is a chance the Titans could take Cutler one spot earlier. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who coached Cutler in last month's Senior Bowl, wasn't hesitant to praise him the other day.
____________________________________________
If the Steelers lose Antwaan Randle El, Kevin Colbert didn't rule out drafting somebody like Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, who could play a variety of positions in the NFL.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Adam Vinatieri was a hot topic at the scouting combine yesterday, with buzz centering on an unlikely potential suitor - the Green Bay Packers. Currently in negotiations with their own free agent kicker, Ryan Longwell, the Pack are rumored to be considering letting Longwell walk and making a run at Vinatieri, perhaps the best cold-weather kicker in history. Patriots spokesman Stacey James refused to confirm whether the Patriots are meeting with Vinatieri’s agent, Jonathan Hurst, citing club policy not to discuss ongoing negotiations. Hurst did not return calls. If the Patriots fail to sign him by Friday, he’s expected to have no shortage of suitors. The Dallas Cowboys could be in the mix, particularly since head coach Bill Parcells gave Vinatieri his start in 1996.
____________________________________________
If the Washington Commanders are able to rework enough contracts and cut enough players to get under the projected salary cap of $95 million by Thursday and then free up some more cash to sign a new player, Pittsburgh receiver Antwaan Randle El could be on their radar. Randle El is expected to be pursued by Chicago and Philadelphia. Pittsburgh would like to keep Randle El but not at the kind of price he will command on the open market.
____________________________________________
Texans GM Charley Casserly is openly shopping the top pick, which the Jets would use on Chad Pennington's successor. The Jets are logical partners, because disgruntled defensive end John Abraham would have great appeal to the Texans, who are desperate for a pass rush. In addition, the Texans have a crying need to protect their recently re-signed QB, David Carr, and can grab blue-chip left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4 should they swap picks with the Jets.
____________________________________________
The likelihood Chris Simms will sign a one-year restricted free-agent tender of $2-million has increased significantly. Such an offer would require any suitor to compensate the Bucs with a first- and third-round draft pick. It seems a long-term deal may be a long way off. "There's nothing new right now," Condon said Sunday. "We're still talking."
____________________________________________
The Green Bay Packers have the ability to more than satisfy defensive end Aaron Kampman's financial demands, but the estimation of some National Football League observers is that unless they complete a deal with him before the start of free agency Friday, he'll be playing somewhere else next season. If Kampman makes it to free agency, he will be one of the top ends available and stands to receive around $5 million a year on a long-term deal.
____________________________________________
President Matt Millen wants to meet with defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson before any decision is made on Wilkinson's future with the Lions. Wilkinson, who turns 33 in two weeks, has played 12 NFL seasons and started all 48 games since signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2003. There is some question about where Wilkinson will fit in coach Rod Marinelli's system. Wilkinson lives in the Washington, D.C., area. "I'm going to go see Dan," Millen said. "I really like him. He's one of my favorites. He's a good man."
____________________________________________
While Vince Young's Wonderlic tests created a huge controversy, he was busy interviewing with different teams, including the Texans. "I thought the interview went well," Young said. "I thought coach (Gary) Kubiak was cool. "They asked me a lot of questions about offense. At the end, they asked me why I thought I'd be good for the team. I basically told them that I'm a high-character guy that wants to win. I said it's important to be a leader. "I told them I wanted a chance to lead them to a Super Bowl win."
____________________________________________
With the NFL staring into an abyss of labor discord that it hasn't faced in more than a decade, representatives of the league's players and team owners are prepared to resume negotiations aimed at producing a last-minute settlement that would keep the league's salary cap system in place beyond next season. However, there are widely disparate views on whether the last-ditch talks have much of a chance for success. NFL Players Association Executive Director Gene Upshaw has said repeatedly over the past 10 days that he is not optimistic that he can agree with the owners to an extension of the collective bargaining agreement before Friday, when the free agent market is scheduled to open.
____________________________________________
The Browns are expected to announce today the signing of one of two players who would otherwise become free agents Friday -- either defensive end Orpheus Roye or left tackle L.J. Shelton.
____________________________________________
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on La'Roi Glover's future: "The timing hasn't been where we had to address it. With the quality of player La'Roi is and the job he's done for us, the job of sitting down with him or him sitting down with us and seeing how fits, it was going to be so difficult that we put it off till a better day, to be realistic about it."
____________________________________________
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the decision to extend Bill Parcells' contract: "The alternative to that wasn't even close as far as us having a chance to win and win big in the immediate future. Not even close. And I have placed a big priority on winning in the immediate, like this year, next year and maybe beyond."
____________________________________________
Bears coach Lovie Smith gave what has become his stock answer when asked at the NFL combine if he has been offered a contract extension. Smith said he loves his job, doesn't aspire to another one and feels good about the contract he's working under. "Hopefully, in time, I'll do something to warrant getting a long-term extension,'' Smith said. Just how much time appears to be something of a problem. Agent Frank Bauer said Sunday that he has had a couple of brief conversations with Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips about an extension for Smith -- who has two years left on a four-year deal that reportedly pays him about $1.4 million a year -- but Bauer described the preliminary talks as "at a stalemate.''
____________________________________________
Southern California's Matt Leinart scored 35 on the Wonderlic test Friday, according to sources. The other top quarterback in the upcoming draft, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler, had 26 in April. Almost all of the quarterbacks taken in the first round in the last decade scored 20 or more. The average score by 26 quarterbacks who took the test last spring was 23.35.
____________________________________________
Jets QB Chad Pennington broke his silence and sounded ready to fight for his job, assuming he still has one. "My arm and shoulder are fine," Pennington was quoted as saying in yesterday's Sarasota Herald Tribune. "I'm anxious to get started." Pennington, who has been rehabbing his second rotator cuff injury at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, was fishing. He will be fishing for a new team if ongoing negotiations in Indianapolis between his agent, Tom Condon, and new Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, do not come to an amicable conclusion. Condon has rejected the Jets' proposed 2006 pay cut from $9 million to $1 million.
____________________________________________
The task for the Patriots will be finding that player. Some who could be on their radar screen include Stanford’s Jon Alston, a 6-foot-1, 220-pounder with great football smarts; UTEP’s Thomas Howard, a 6-3, 239-pounder who advanced from walk-on safety to Senior Bowl standout; and Maryland’s D’Qwell Jackson, a 6-foot, 227-pounder nicknamed the Qwell-a-Monster for his big hits.
____________________________________________
When Mike Bell hired his agents, he had one request. "He told us that he really wants to be a Denver Bronco," said agent Steve Feldman, who, along with Josh Luchs, represents the University of Arizona running back. "He said that was his dream." It's uncertain if Bell, who lived in Denver until he was 11 before moving to Arizona and counts John Elway as his hero, will accomplish his goal. But he may be on his way. He was one of the running backs the Broncos studied at the NFL scouting combine.
____________________________________________
After Florida's Chad Jackson and his 4.32-second 40, the combine's fastest players by position in the 40 so far: Oklahoma offensive lineman Chris Chester, 4.88; UCLA running back Maurice Drew, 4.39; and Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal, 4.35.
____________________________________________
The Bucs arrived at the scouting combine looking for a kicker. And like last year, the kicker the Bucs came to look at the hardest was an OhioState product. A year after they strongly contemplated drafting Buckeyes specialist Mike Nugent, the Bucs are looking at possibly drafting Nugent's replacement, Josh Huston.
____________________________________________
Expect Florida WR Chad Jackson to start climbing some mock draft boards after yesterday when he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash and performed well in receiving drills. Before the combine, the 6-foot, 213-pounder had been projected to go anywhere from Rounds 2-4. Now, he could wind up being a first-round pick.
____________________________________________
The Falcons are in search of help at safety but could very well draft a cornerback with the No. 15 overall pick of the NFL draft April 29-30 — if Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams is available. Although Williams spent the first two years in college playing safety and is built like a safety (6 feet 2, 213 pounds) and hits like a safety, "I prefer to play cornerback, and I want teams to know I want to play corner," Williams said Sunday at the NFL scouting combine.
____________________________________________
The latest buzz about Texas quarterback Vince Young at the NFL Scouting Combine: his score on the 50-question Wonderlic Test. It was reported to NFL general managers Saturday that Young correctly answered just six of the 50 questions on the 12-minute exam designed to test logic and cognitive ability. To put that total in perspective: The average score among the top 10 draft picks a year ago reportedly was 22. The catch is that the test results are private, given only to the teams. Then again, NFL coaches, front-office personnel and agents are known to gossip, which is why there have been leaks. Then came reports Sunday that Young was allowed to retake the test and that he scored a more respectable 16. Keep in mind, none of this information ever has been released in an official capacity. But Alex Smith, the quarterback who was taken No. 1 a year ago, made a 40. Former Longhorn quarterbacks who took the test include Chris Simms, who got a 22, and Major Applewhite, with a 26.
____________________________________________
OhioState linebacker A.J. Hawk has seen his name linked to Green Bay in various mock drafts and wouldn't mind going there. "I try not to pay attention to too much of it," Hawk said. "I can play anywhere; any team that wants me I'll gladly go. Especially a team like Green Bay with the tradition they have, the fans they have, it would be unbelievable."
____________________________________________
Miami's Devin Hester, who played defensive back, wide receiver and was a kickoff and punt returner, interviewed with Cleveland, Cincinnati and New England. The Bengals asked him about playing both ways. "I would love to do that," Hester said.
____________________________________________
Of all the things Ted Thompson has to worry about, wide receiver Javon Walker's unhappiness with his contract apparently ranks pretty far down the Green Bay Packers general manager's list. "I don't think it's worth getting all worked up about," Thompson said Sunday in the crowded hallway of the IndianaConvention Center. "Business is business, and we'll be talking to those guys (Walker and McGuire). This is not unusual. Players are sometimes unsatisfied with their contracts. Sometimes teams are unsatisfied and it's the other way around. It's part of business."
____________________________________________
Jeremy Bloom did not finish among the top 10 receivers in the 40, then skipped the other physical skills tests at the combine. He will have a full workout for NFL scouts April 1 at the Velocity Sports Performance facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.
____________________________________________
Monmouth WR Miles Austin also ran extremely well. His 4.47 40 was the sixth-best time of the 20 receivers in his group. Austin dropped a couple of passes, including a short hook, but was pleased with his performance.
____________________________________________
The Jets are thought to be interested in Jay Cutler, but if Vince Young indeed bombed on the intelligence test, there is a chance the Titans could take Cutler one spot earlier. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who coached Cutler in last month's Senior Bowl, wasn't hesitant to praise him the other day.
____________________________________________
If the Steelers lose Antwaan Randle El, Kevin Colbert didn't rule out drafting somebody like Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, who could play a variety of positions in the NFL.
____________________________________________
