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Eric Moulds has a wish list of five teams he'd like to play for, and guess who's at the tippy-top of it? That's right. The Eagles. "Every time I mention Philadelphia, Eric's ears perk up," said Greg Johnson, who represents the 32-year-old Bills wide receiver along with his partner, Harry Henderson. "He wants to go to Philadelphia. He really feels he could help them. He loves the idea of being an Eagle and playing with Donovan [McNabb]." But don't start visualizing him in an Eagles uniform quite yet. Johnson said he talked to Eagles president Joe Banner last week. He said there is "some interest" in Moulds by the Eagles, which an organization source also acknowledged. But as much as Moulds would love to catch passes from McNabb, he is not interested in doing it for free, or anything close to free.
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Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson and his Detroit counterpart, Matt Millen, will have plenty of opportunity to talk about a trade for Lions quarterback Joey Harrington. The Chiefs appear interested enough that they would give the Lions a choice in the first three rounds of next month’s draft if they can work out details of a new contract with Harrington and his agent. “We’re doing our homework on him and trying to figure out what happened and why he could be so good in college and not have success in Detroit,” Peterson said. “There are always extenuating circumstances. The supporting cast is a big thing. “I wouldn’t rule it out at this point.”
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The Dolphins are preparing to step up efforts to sign unrestricted linebacker LaVar Arrington. He might be invited for a second visit with the Dolphins. The Dolphins don't necessarily want to meet Arrington's asking price either, but the source said the Dolphins want to convince Arrington that playing in Saban's scheme is worth lowering his asking price because it would increase his worth in the future.
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The Texans are interested in trading for veteran Buffalo Bills receiver Eric Moulds to start opposite Andre Johnson. Moulds, 32, has been given permission by the Bills to seek a trade because they don't want to pay him the $7.1 million he's due this year. "We're exploring an opportunity for Eric to play for the Texans," said Greg Johnson, one of Moulds' representatives. "If all sides can see eye to eye, we'll make it happen. "But everyone has to see eye to eye." The Texans, Philadelphia, Denver and New England are among the teams interested in Moulds, a former first-round draft choice who is entering his 11th year. A league official familiar with the negotiations said Sunday night that the Bills are asking for a fourth-round pick.
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The Steelers now hope to sign coach Bill Cowher to a contract extension. Cowher's contract goes through the 2007 season and the Steelers have never failed to extend it with two seasons left. "We'll sit down and talk," Art Rooney said. "We typically have tried to wait until after the league meeting and things calm down a little bit to have those conversations. We'll start having those conversations in the near future."
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NFL owners will convene today in Orlando, Fla., with the collective bargaining agreement extension behind them and the search for retiring commissioner Paul Tagliabue's successor ahead. Returning to Los Angeles, from which the Rams and Raiders both bolted after the 1994 season, has become a staple of these annual spring meeting. "Moving forward on Los Angeles is a key priority ... because the economic foundations that enable us to look at that type of a challenge and to address it are in place with TV in place and labor in place," Tagliabue said. Ironically, Tagliabue's success helping stadiums get built or onto the drawing board in markets like Arizona and Indianapolis has limited the possible franchises that could move to Los Angeles. If the San Diego Chargers don't move there, expanding to 33 teams would seem to be the most viable option.
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Ricky Williams' appeal of a positive drug test has been set for early April, according to a source. Williams is expected to attend the hearing in New York, along with his attorney David Cornwell. Williams, who was scheduled to return Sunday to the United States after spending time in India, tested positive for an unknown substance that sources have said is not marijuana.
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The Texans are expected to sign another free agent today. Philadelphia defensive end N.D. Kalu agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract during the weekend. The former star at Rice is a 10-year veteran who spent the past five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
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The Green Bay Packers just might be getting a little fed up with waiting for quarterback Brett Favre to make up his mind. Although neither general manager Ted Thompson nor coach Mike McCarthy went so far as to call out Favre for having not yet announced whether he'll retire or return for a 16th NFL season, both sounded like their patience with Favre was wearing thin as they walked through the lobby of the Hyatt Grand Cypress resort Sunday during the first day of the NFL meetings. Whereas the company line for much of the offseason has been the team wasn't going to give Favre a timetable and Favre should take his time to make what McCarthy repeatedly called a "family decision," it's becoming evident the Packers feel enough is enough and Favre needs to decide.
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There is interest in Steelers CB Ike Taylor around the league. Kansas City and New England are two franchises that would like to fortify their cornerback position and could risk a first-round draft pick -- they select 20 and 21, respectively -- for a player of Taylor's skills. No team, however, has made an offer. And history suggests that it could remain that way. Taylor's agent, Scott Smith of X-A-M Sports, said Taylor has set his sights on staying with the Steelers, but he added that "we have received inquiries from several teams about Ike as a free agent."
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Washington Commanders safety Sean Taylor will not take part in the team's offseason workout program until his felony assault charges are resolved in Miami, according to his attorney, Richard Sharpstein. Players are set to report to Commanders Park today, but Taylor has been "temporarily excused," Sharpstein said, as he prepares for an April 10 trial stemming from his arrest for assault with a firearm. He faces a possible three-year minimum mandatory sentence on each of his three felony counts.
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The Packers are going to spend this week addressing their defense, starting with visits from cornerback Charles Woodson and linebacker Barrett Green, both free agents. Woodson's signing would go a long way toward convincing people the Packers are serious about improving, but it remains to be seen if they're willing to meet his price. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only other team known to have interest in Woodson, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, and they are recruiting him as a safety. Woodson, who turns 30 in October, missed 10 games because of a broken right leg and played mostly safety for the Oakland Raiders last season.
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The Packers agreed to terms Sunday on a one-year deal with Kansas City free-agent wide receiver Marc Boerigter, giving them another big target for the pure West Coast style of offense new coach Mike McCarthy intends to play. Boerigter's agent, Craig Domann said his client would sign the contract today. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots both were in the running for Boerigter, who last year had a disappointing season with the Chiefs.
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The NFL will announce today that the Miami Dolphins will play the Steelers to kick off the season Thursday night, Sept. 7, at Heinz Field. The Dolphins, who did not make the playoffs last season, last week acquired quarterback Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers' players and coaches will receive their Super Bowl rings that night.
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Former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, on Sirius NFL Radio, regarding the Terrell Owens signing: "There used to be some pride. There are certain people that you knew would never ever be in a Cowboy uniform and there used to be a lot of pride in who wore that star on the helmet. Yes, it upsets me."
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In a ballroom radiant with Super Bowl bling, Roger Craig was an exception. His three Super Bowl rings are under lock and key. He never wears them. He has willed them to his children, and he is taking no chances of losing one, he said during a break in Saturday night's gala dinner at Paris Las Vegas honoring the San Francisco 49ers' five Super Bowl title teams. He has five kids, and with luck, Craig will have a ring for all of them. "I think there'll be a Team of the Decade ring coming and, who knows, maybe a Hall of Fame ring," said Craig, the only NFL back to lead the league in receiving.
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LaVar Arrington, the former Commanders linebacker, was supposed to come to Cincinnati, and his agent said he would be there, but they had internal miscommunications. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was Washington's defensive coordinator in 2002 and coached Arrington, who had a career high 11 sacks under Lewis' tutelage. And while their relationship appeared cantankerous on the surface, Arrington considers Lewis one of the top coaches he has played for and the type of coach who can get the most out of him. The two sides have talked several times but have not broached the issue of money, which could be a major stumbling block. He would be the type of A-list free agent the Bengals have never signed since the dawn of free agency in 1993. Arrington would add a legitimate superstar to the Bengals' defense.
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Kansas City will propose expanding the playoffs from 12 teams to 14 teams, which might fall on fewer deaf ears since the AFC's sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL in February. The wild-card Steelers run also will encourage discussion of not automatically awarding division winners higher seeds if they do not have a better record than wild-card teams.
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Tampa Bay will propose allowing all penalties to be subject to review, which would seem a long shot since the league is so conscious of game length, which this past year was 3 hours, 7 minutes, 6 seconds - "Down 40 seconds from last year," McKay said. Length of game is one of the reasons why there will be the discussion on tweaking false starts. McKay said there were 850 false starts called in 2006, and that a "a lot of those" were flinches by the receivers which had no effect of the ball being put into play. "That is a big number," McKay said, noting the league's 256 regular-season games each averaged 17 penalties, "and maybe we can save some time." There also will be discussion to make the always controversial down-by-contact ruling susceptible to instant replay and to reduce the referee's time limit for making a decision from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
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The competition committee, co-chaired by Rich McKay and Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher, will propose allowing one designated player on defense to have headset communication with the sideline, just as currently is in place for quarterbacks. "We want to prevent offenses from borrowing signals," McKay said.
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The Dolphins have called the agent for Joey Harrington to express their interest in the Detroit Lions quarterback. Finding a veteran backup quarterback and an outside linebacker are Miami's priorities for the remainder of the free agency signing period. A source said Miami officials called agent David Dunn to gauge Harrington's availability should the Lions waive Harrington before June 15 when he is due a $4.5 million bonus.
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The Detroit Lions aren't going to give up without a fight, but it's appearing more likely that a trade involving quarterback Joey Harrington isn't going to happen. The Lions have given Harrington permission to seek a trade and Harrington's agent, David Dunn, is expected to attend the NFL owners meetings, which begin here today, and talk to several teams who are interested in acquiring the veteran quarterback. The Lions hope to get something out of their investment in Harrington, even a lower-round draft choice, but Harrington holds most of the cards. Because Harrington has a roster bonus of $4 million due on June 15 and another $4.5 million in salary for the 2006 season, most clubs aren't interested in picking up that financial commitment. Harrington would have to agree to any restructuring before a potential trade so he can pick and choose the team he wants to join. The Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks appear to be the frontrunners, but other teams have shown interest, too.
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The Packers are still in the market for offensive linemen and will continue to monitor free agency to see if there is anyone who can help them. At this point, the field of available centers and guards is spotty at best.
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The Packers are still pursuing another, ex-Minnesota linebacker Raonall Smith, who visited last week. A team source confirmed ex-New York Giants and Detroit Lions linebacker Barrett Green will also visit soon.
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Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson and his Detroit counterpart, Matt Millen, will have plenty of opportunity to talk about a trade for Lions quarterback Joey Harrington. The Chiefs appear interested enough that they would give the Lions a choice in the first three rounds of next month’s draft if they can work out details of a new contract with Harrington and his agent. “We’re doing our homework on him and trying to figure out what happened and why he could be so good in college and not have success in Detroit,” Peterson said. “There are always extenuating circumstances. The supporting cast is a big thing. “I wouldn’t rule it out at this point.”
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The Dolphins are preparing to step up efforts to sign unrestricted linebacker LaVar Arrington. He might be invited for a second visit with the Dolphins. The Dolphins don't necessarily want to meet Arrington's asking price either, but the source said the Dolphins want to convince Arrington that playing in Saban's scheme is worth lowering his asking price because it would increase his worth in the future.
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The Texans are interested in trading for veteran Buffalo Bills receiver Eric Moulds to start opposite Andre Johnson. Moulds, 32, has been given permission by the Bills to seek a trade because they don't want to pay him the $7.1 million he's due this year. "We're exploring an opportunity for Eric to play for the Texans," said Greg Johnson, one of Moulds' representatives. "If all sides can see eye to eye, we'll make it happen. "But everyone has to see eye to eye." The Texans, Philadelphia, Denver and New England are among the teams interested in Moulds, a former first-round draft choice who is entering his 11th year. A league official familiar with the negotiations said Sunday night that the Bills are asking for a fourth-round pick.
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The Steelers now hope to sign coach Bill Cowher to a contract extension. Cowher's contract goes through the 2007 season and the Steelers have never failed to extend it with two seasons left. "We'll sit down and talk," Art Rooney said. "We typically have tried to wait until after the league meeting and things calm down a little bit to have those conversations. We'll start having those conversations in the near future."
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NFL owners will convene today in Orlando, Fla., with the collective bargaining agreement extension behind them and the search for retiring commissioner Paul Tagliabue's successor ahead. Returning to Los Angeles, from which the Rams and Raiders both bolted after the 1994 season, has become a staple of these annual spring meeting. "Moving forward on Los Angeles is a key priority ... because the economic foundations that enable us to look at that type of a challenge and to address it are in place with TV in place and labor in place," Tagliabue said. Ironically, Tagliabue's success helping stadiums get built or onto the drawing board in markets like Arizona and Indianapolis has limited the possible franchises that could move to Los Angeles. If the San Diego Chargers don't move there, expanding to 33 teams would seem to be the most viable option.
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Ricky Williams' appeal of a positive drug test has been set for early April, according to a source. Williams is expected to attend the hearing in New York, along with his attorney David Cornwell. Williams, who was scheduled to return Sunday to the United States after spending time in India, tested positive for an unknown substance that sources have said is not marijuana.
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The Texans are expected to sign another free agent today. Philadelphia defensive end N.D. Kalu agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract during the weekend. The former star at Rice is a 10-year veteran who spent the past five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
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The Green Bay Packers just might be getting a little fed up with waiting for quarterback Brett Favre to make up his mind. Although neither general manager Ted Thompson nor coach Mike McCarthy went so far as to call out Favre for having not yet announced whether he'll retire or return for a 16th NFL season, both sounded like their patience with Favre was wearing thin as they walked through the lobby of the Hyatt Grand Cypress resort Sunday during the first day of the NFL meetings. Whereas the company line for much of the offseason has been the team wasn't going to give Favre a timetable and Favre should take his time to make what McCarthy repeatedly called a "family decision," it's becoming evident the Packers feel enough is enough and Favre needs to decide.
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There is interest in Steelers CB Ike Taylor around the league. Kansas City and New England are two franchises that would like to fortify their cornerback position and could risk a first-round draft pick -- they select 20 and 21, respectively -- for a player of Taylor's skills. No team, however, has made an offer. And history suggests that it could remain that way. Taylor's agent, Scott Smith of X-A-M Sports, said Taylor has set his sights on staying with the Steelers, but he added that "we have received inquiries from several teams about Ike as a free agent."
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Washington Commanders safety Sean Taylor will not take part in the team's offseason workout program until his felony assault charges are resolved in Miami, according to his attorney, Richard Sharpstein. Players are set to report to Commanders Park today, but Taylor has been "temporarily excused," Sharpstein said, as he prepares for an April 10 trial stemming from his arrest for assault with a firearm. He faces a possible three-year minimum mandatory sentence on each of his three felony counts.
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The Packers are going to spend this week addressing their defense, starting with visits from cornerback Charles Woodson and linebacker Barrett Green, both free agents. Woodson's signing would go a long way toward convincing people the Packers are serious about improving, but it remains to be seen if they're willing to meet his price. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only other team known to have interest in Woodson, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, and they are recruiting him as a safety. Woodson, who turns 30 in October, missed 10 games because of a broken right leg and played mostly safety for the Oakland Raiders last season.
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The Packers agreed to terms Sunday on a one-year deal with Kansas City free-agent wide receiver Marc Boerigter, giving them another big target for the pure West Coast style of offense new coach Mike McCarthy intends to play. Boerigter's agent, Craig Domann said his client would sign the contract today. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots both were in the running for Boerigter, who last year had a disappointing season with the Chiefs.
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The NFL will announce today that the Miami Dolphins will play the Steelers to kick off the season Thursday night, Sept. 7, at Heinz Field. The Dolphins, who did not make the playoffs last season, last week acquired quarterback Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers' players and coaches will receive their Super Bowl rings that night.
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Former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, on Sirius NFL Radio, regarding the Terrell Owens signing: "There used to be some pride. There are certain people that you knew would never ever be in a Cowboy uniform and there used to be a lot of pride in who wore that star on the helmet. Yes, it upsets me."
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In a ballroom radiant with Super Bowl bling, Roger Craig was an exception. His three Super Bowl rings are under lock and key. He never wears them. He has willed them to his children, and he is taking no chances of losing one, he said during a break in Saturday night's gala dinner at Paris Las Vegas honoring the San Francisco 49ers' five Super Bowl title teams. He has five kids, and with luck, Craig will have a ring for all of them. "I think there'll be a Team of the Decade ring coming and, who knows, maybe a Hall of Fame ring," said Craig, the only NFL back to lead the league in receiving.
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LaVar Arrington, the former Commanders linebacker, was supposed to come to Cincinnati, and his agent said he would be there, but they had internal miscommunications. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was Washington's defensive coordinator in 2002 and coached Arrington, who had a career high 11 sacks under Lewis' tutelage. And while their relationship appeared cantankerous on the surface, Arrington considers Lewis one of the top coaches he has played for and the type of coach who can get the most out of him. The two sides have talked several times but have not broached the issue of money, which could be a major stumbling block. He would be the type of A-list free agent the Bengals have never signed since the dawn of free agency in 1993. Arrington would add a legitimate superstar to the Bengals' defense.
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Kansas City will propose expanding the playoffs from 12 teams to 14 teams, which might fall on fewer deaf ears since the AFC's sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL in February. The wild-card Steelers run also will encourage discussion of not automatically awarding division winners higher seeds if they do not have a better record than wild-card teams.
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Tampa Bay will propose allowing all penalties to be subject to review, which would seem a long shot since the league is so conscious of game length, which this past year was 3 hours, 7 minutes, 6 seconds - "Down 40 seconds from last year," McKay said. Length of game is one of the reasons why there will be the discussion on tweaking false starts. McKay said there were 850 false starts called in 2006, and that a "a lot of those" were flinches by the receivers which had no effect of the ball being put into play. "That is a big number," McKay said, noting the league's 256 regular-season games each averaged 17 penalties, "and maybe we can save some time." There also will be discussion to make the always controversial down-by-contact ruling susceptible to instant replay and to reduce the referee's time limit for making a decision from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
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The competition committee, co-chaired by Rich McKay and Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher, will propose allowing one designated player on defense to have headset communication with the sideline, just as currently is in place for quarterbacks. "We want to prevent offenses from borrowing signals," McKay said.
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The Dolphins have called the agent for Joey Harrington to express their interest in the Detroit Lions quarterback. Finding a veteran backup quarterback and an outside linebacker are Miami's priorities for the remainder of the free agency signing period. A source said Miami officials called agent David Dunn to gauge Harrington's availability should the Lions waive Harrington before June 15 when he is due a $4.5 million bonus.
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The Detroit Lions aren't going to give up without a fight, but it's appearing more likely that a trade involving quarterback Joey Harrington isn't going to happen. The Lions have given Harrington permission to seek a trade and Harrington's agent, David Dunn, is expected to attend the NFL owners meetings, which begin here today, and talk to several teams who are interested in acquiring the veteran quarterback. The Lions hope to get something out of their investment in Harrington, even a lower-round draft choice, but Harrington holds most of the cards. Because Harrington has a roster bonus of $4 million due on June 15 and another $4.5 million in salary for the 2006 season, most clubs aren't interested in picking up that financial commitment. Harrington would have to agree to any restructuring before a potential trade so he can pick and choose the team he wants to join. The Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks appear to be the frontrunners, but other teams have shown interest, too.
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The Packers are still in the market for offensive linemen and will continue to monitor free agency to see if there is anyone who can help them. At this point, the field of available centers and guards is spotty at best.
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The Packers are still pursuing another, ex-Minnesota linebacker Raonall Smith, who visited last week. A team source confirmed ex-New York Giants and Detroit Lions linebacker Barrett Green will also visit soon.
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