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Bills WR Eric Moulds has reached an agreement with the Houston Texans on a contract, according to a broadcast report on 610 WIP in Philadelphia. The Texans now must work out a trade with Buffalo.
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Owner Wayne Weaver said the Jaguars have no intention of moving to Los Angeles. "Jacksonville is not going to L.A. We're not a contender for L.A.'' Weaver said Wednesday at the close of the league's annual March meetings. When asked if the financial problems caused by the new collective bargaining agreement could put the Jaguars in the Los Angeles derby, Weaver responded: "It's not a question of financial. I'm not going to L.A. OK?''
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According to a league source, the Bengals are the early favorites to acquire Joey Harrington because they are willing to give up one of their seven picks (one in each round) in this year's draft. The Dolphins, after the trades for quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Cleo Lemon in successive years, have just six picks — and three are in the seventh round. The Dolphins don't have a selection in the fifth or sixth rounds. The Bengals also are likely to offer more money. Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle and Oakland also have expressed interest in Harrington.
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Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law will visit Tennessee and Seattle next week. The Chiefs are also interested.
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Defensive tackle Sam Adams and linebacker LaVar Arrington remain on the Bengals back burner, but the stove is hot.
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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker has expressed a desire to be traded, which could interest the Patriots.
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Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he spoke with agent David Dunn, who represents Kerry Collins and Joey Harrington, but indicated nothing surfaced from the meeting. Asked if he expected to pursue a trade with the Detroit Lions for Harrington, Newsome said, "Not at this point."
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The Jets signedSeattle Seahawks cornerback Andre Dyson to a five-year, $11.5 million contract that includes $3 million in signing and roster bonuses. Dyson, 26, is expected to replace Pro Bowler Ty Law in the starting lineup.
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USC QB Matt Leinart is scheduled to have dinner with coaches from the Titans and Jets after his pro day, Sunday April 2nd, agent Leigh Steinberg told Fox Sports Radio.
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The Green Bay Packers would like to know as soon as possible whether Brett Favre will be their quarterback this season, but they haven’t set a Saturday deadline for his decision. Though the team and Favre’s agent moved back the date for Favre to earn his $3 million roster bonus from March 20 to April 1, that later date — as previously reported — is artificial. Favre doesn’t receive the money until September, and then only if he’s with the team. So in reality, it’s a September roster bonus.
____________________________________________
The thought of again becoming an NFL general manager has become one factor in Mike Holmgren’s thought process as he decides whether to coach the Seattle Seahawks beyond 2006. “That’s something that is lingering there,” Holmgren told reporters Wednesday over breakfast at the NFL meetings. Holmgren, 57, expects to inform the Seahawks of his long-range plans within a few weeks. But he left open the possibility of waiting until the end of the 2006 season, the last year of his contract.
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Michael Eisner, National Football League commissioner? It could happen, sources say. The ousted Disney chief is now hosting a talk show on CNBC, but that shouldn't last long. (Ask Tina Brown, John McEnroe and Dennis Miller.) While oddsmakers have Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer, and Rich McKay, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, as favorites to succeed Paul Tagliabue, team-owner friends of Eisner are said to be campaigning to get him the job. NBA President Adam Silver is another candidate at even longer odds.
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Browns General Manager Phil Savage spent time at the NFL Meetings trolling the waters for a potential trade of center Jeff Faine but left with no takers. ``People are distracted here,'' Savage said Wednesday. ``What you do here is get it in their minds, then follow up.'' Savage said he talked to five or six teams, including the Green Bay Packers, who are looking for a center. The Browns are trying to grant Faine's request for a trade following the signing of LeCharles Bentley as a free agent.
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Former Jaguars safety Deke Cooper visited with the Dolphins. Cooper, 28, is known as a strong tackler with decent range and he has the size (6-feet-2, 210 pounds) Dolphins coach Nick Saban likes in his defensive backs.
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The Patriots appear to be trying to get a deal done with Deion Branch, which could eat up significant room if Branch lands something close to what David Givens got in Tennessee (five years, $24 million with $8 million in guaranteed bonus money)
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Titans owner Bud Adams sounds like he's ready to draft the franchise's quarterback of the future. The current starting quarterback, however, sounds like he's not ready to step aside anytime soon. With less than a month remaining before the NFL Draft, there's still plenty of intrigue about what the Titans will do with the No. 3 overall pick and what the future holds for veteran quarterback Steve McNair. "We ought to get a pretty good quarterback out of this draft,'' Adams said at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. "Drafting No. 3, we ought to get a pretty good quarterback in that spot right there. … I hope we get a guy who can be our leader for about 10 years. It's time for that, I think.'' Matt Leinart (USC), Vince Young (Texas) and Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) are the top three quarterbacks in the April 29-30 draft. The last time the Titans had the No. 3 pick, in 1995, they selected McNair.
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The Commanders still is roughly $4.4 million under the salary cap, but could also still look for a linebacker. Representatives for former Philadelphia linebacker Keith Adams and former Detroit linebacker Nate Wayne were contacted in recent weeks, but little movement appears to have taken place concerning either.
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Washington Commanders Coach Joe Gibbs said Wednesday that Jason Campbell, a first-round draft pick last year, will be given a chance in training camp and during the preseason to win the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Mark Brunell.
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Ravens coach Brian Billick was a supporter of allowing a defensive player to wear a radio helmet connected to coaches on the sideline. That proposal didn't pass because 11 teams voted against it. "If nothing else, we have a real good definitive list [of] who's good at stealing defensive [hand] signals," Billick said.
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The contract signed by Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks eight days ago calls for him to earn $2 million in base salary this season and only $720,000 in 2007. He received a hefty signing bonus, as well. His deal also features numerous incentives that could net him even more money.
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Oakland hired former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Darryl Sims as an assistant defensive line coach. He was the defensive coordinator for the World Bowl XIII champion Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe last season.
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Texans general manager Charley Casserly is emerging as a candidate to replace Art Shell as the NFL's senior vice president of football operations and development. During the NFL spring meetings this week, four league and team officials said Casserly is a candidate for the position that was vacated when Shell was hired to return to Oakland as the Raiders' head coach. Casserly, who is a member of the NFL's powerful competition committee, is under contract to the Texans through June 2007. Because of his longtime association with the NFL, he has vast knowledge of the inner workings of the league office in New York.
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NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue hasn't changed his mind about stepping aside after almost 17 years on the job. But he may have to call an audible on his departure date. The league's annual meeting concluded yesterday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., with the most significant news being that Tagliabue did not appoint a search committee to find his successor. That will probably occur within the next two weeks.
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Jags QB Byron Leftwich had his base salary boosted to $3.6 million because of an escalator in his contract and now has the team's highest salary cap number this year at $6.2 million. Wide receiver Jimmy Smith is second at $5.6 million and cornerback Rashean Mathis is third at $5.1 million.
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The Patriots have not called agent Carl Poston regarding clients Ty Law, Charles Woodson, or LaVar Arrington.
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Mum's the word from kicker Paul Edinger's agent, Ken Harris. Edinger visited Foxborough the same day Vinatieri signed with the Colts.
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Even though he no longer signs Terrell Owens' paychecks, Jeffrey Lurie was one of three NFL owners yesterday who voted against more restrictive end-zone celebrations for the 2006 season. "I voted against it," Lurie said as the NFL owners' meetings came to a close at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. "The celebrations don't bother me."
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Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green hopes the competition committee doesn’t go overboard limiting celebrations. “We don’t need to ban the Riverdance,” Green said. “We just want to make sure guys aren’t flopping around on the ground or trying to play drums with the band.”
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Free-agent LB Patrick Chukwurah said that he likely will decide between returning to the Broncos or joining the Bucs on Monday.
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Free-agent tackle Brad Hopkins, whom the Bucs are considering signing, is "leaning toward retirement" instead of playing another season. Hopkins told Sirius NFL Radio that he may not want to leave the Nashville area to play in another city but has yet to make a decision on his future.
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Coach Mike McCarthy said the Packers do want Brett Favre to make his decision by Saturday, which is the latest deadline for the $3 million roster bonus they owe him. But the deadline is an artificial one, because Favre's contract stipulates the team doesn't have to pay the bonus until September if he returns and doesn't have to pay it at all if he retires. Still, McCarthy said he'd like to see the issue resolved ASAP. "I feel like it's Groundhog Day. I've been answering the question the same way for two months," McCarthy said. "The bonus, that's pretty much the goal we're trying to set (for a decision). Obviously, you keep moving back the date, (but) there's a reason behind the date. So, we would definitely like to know as soon as possible." McCarthy maintained he thinks Favre will play, based on their conversation at Favre's Hattiesburg, Miss., estate earlier this offseason. "I think it's important when you talk to people that you have a chance to look in their eyes," McCarthy said. "I could be dead wrong, (but) I've always felt that he still wanted to play." Asked about Favre's accountability last season, when he threw an NFL-worst and career-high 29 interceptions, McCarthy disputed the suggestion Favre has more excuses made for him than any other player.
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Vikings coach Brad Childress went into vivid detail about his displeasure with Daunte Culpepper's desire to rehabilitate his knee in Orlando — where the player lives during the off-season — rather than at the team's facility in Minnesota. "He was doing himself a disservice," Childress said. "I told him, 'You can do better for yourself.' " Before trading Culpepper to the Dolphins, Childress sent Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman to Orlando in February so he could monitor the quarterback's progress while also evaluating the facility where he had been rehabilitating his surgically repaired right knee. Sugarman's findings didn't go over well with Childress. "He (was) rehabbing in a HealthSouth place in Orlando," Childress said. "I close my eyes. I'm seeing a Chinese restaurant, a HealthSouth place, a laundromat and a strip mall. And I'm thinking, 'What did they have in there?' They had a StepMaster and some other things." During Sugarman's visit, Culpepper's personal trainer offered to have the quarterback show Sugarman his progress, Childress said. Both trainers and Culpepper headed to a nearby paved lot. "They go into a Wal-Mart parking lot to do his movement," Childress said. "So you can understand where I'm coming from. There's the HealthSouth, the Chinese restaurant, the laundromat, here's the alley, out the backdoor and into the Wal-Mart parking lot. "I'm like, 'What's wrong with this picture?' Are you with me? I'm going, 'Come on now. Is he better served here in the fieldhouse or the Wal-Mart parking lot?' "
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Former Indianapolis Colts safety Idrees Bashir agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions on a one-year contract Tuesday. Bashir, 27, played 11 games without a start in 2005 in his only season with the Carolina Panthers. In 62 career games, Bashir has 233 tackles, five interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
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Former Jaguars offensive tackle Mike Pearson, who visited the Dolphins Monday, is drawing more interest from other teams.
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Free-agent defensive tackle Sam Adams, who visited the Dolphins, is talking with two teams about a contract but neither is the Dolphins.
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Randy Moss has said he'll play when he wants to. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to play on Aug. 14. The enigmatic wide receiver, traded by the Vikings last offseason, could make his return to the Metrodome on that date when Minnesota plays host to the Oakland Raiders in an exhibition game. Sure, it's only preseason, but it IS Moss, who caught 574 passes for 90 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Vikings, and the reception could be an interesting one. It also will be the first "Monday Night Football" game as ESPN takes over the longtime series from ABC.
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Owner Wayne Weaver said the Jaguars have no intention of moving to Los Angeles. "Jacksonville is not going to L.A. We're not a contender for L.A.'' Weaver said Wednesday at the close of the league's annual March meetings. When asked if the financial problems caused by the new collective bargaining agreement could put the Jaguars in the Los Angeles derby, Weaver responded: "It's not a question of financial. I'm not going to L.A. OK?''
____________________________________________
According to a league source, the Bengals are the early favorites to acquire Joey Harrington because they are willing to give up one of their seven picks (one in each round) in this year's draft. The Dolphins, after the trades for quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Cleo Lemon in successive years, have just six picks — and three are in the seventh round. The Dolphins don't have a selection in the fifth or sixth rounds. The Bengals also are likely to offer more money. Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle and Oakland also have expressed interest in Harrington.
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Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law will visit Tennessee and Seattle next week. The Chiefs are also interested.
____________________________________________
Defensive tackle Sam Adams and linebacker LaVar Arrington remain on the Bengals back burner, but the stove is hot.
____________________________________________
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker has expressed a desire to be traded, which could interest the Patriots.
____________________________________________
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he spoke with agent David Dunn, who represents Kerry Collins and Joey Harrington, but indicated nothing surfaced from the meeting. Asked if he expected to pursue a trade with the Detroit Lions for Harrington, Newsome said, "Not at this point."
____________________________________________
The Jets signedSeattle Seahawks cornerback Andre Dyson to a five-year, $11.5 million contract that includes $3 million in signing and roster bonuses. Dyson, 26, is expected to replace Pro Bowler Ty Law in the starting lineup.
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USC QB Matt Leinart is scheduled to have dinner with coaches from the Titans and Jets after his pro day, Sunday April 2nd, agent Leigh Steinberg told Fox Sports Radio.
____________________________________________
The Green Bay Packers would like to know as soon as possible whether Brett Favre will be their quarterback this season, but they haven’t set a Saturday deadline for his decision. Though the team and Favre’s agent moved back the date for Favre to earn his $3 million roster bonus from March 20 to April 1, that later date — as previously reported — is artificial. Favre doesn’t receive the money until September, and then only if he’s with the team. So in reality, it’s a September roster bonus.
____________________________________________
The thought of again becoming an NFL general manager has become one factor in Mike Holmgren’s thought process as he decides whether to coach the Seattle Seahawks beyond 2006. “That’s something that is lingering there,” Holmgren told reporters Wednesday over breakfast at the NFL meetings. Holmgren, 57, expects to inform the Seahawks of his long-range plans within a few weeks. But he left open the possibility of waiting until the end of the 2006 season, the last year of his contract.
____________________________________________
Michael Eisner, National Football League commissioner? It could happen, sources say. The ousted Disney chief is now hosting a talk show on CNBC, but that shouldn't last long. (Ask Tina Brown, John McEnroe and Dennis Miller.) While oddsmakers have Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer, and Rich McKay, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, as favorites to succeed Paul Tagliabue, team-owner friends of Eisner are said to be campaigning to get him the job. NBA President Adam Silver is another candidate at even longer odds.
____________________________________________
Browns General Manager Phil Savage spent time at the NFL Meetings trolling the waters for a potential trade of center Jeff Faine but left with no takers. ``People are distracted here,'' Savage said Wednesday. ``What you do here is get it in their minds, then follow up.'' Savage said he talked to five or six teams, including the Green Bay Packers, who are looking for a center. The Browns are trying to grant Faine's request for a trade following the signing of LeCharles Bentley as a free agent.
____________________________________________
Former Jaguars safety Deke Cooper visited with the Dolphins. Cooper, 28, is known as a strong tackler with decent range and he has the size (6-feet-2, 210 pounds) Dolphins coach Nick Saban likes in his defensive backs.
____________________________________________
The Patriots appear to be trying to get a deal done with Deion Branch, which could eat up significant room if Branch lands something close to what David Givens got in Tennessee (five years, $24 million with $8 million in guaranteed bonus money)
____________________________________________
Titans owner Bud Adams sounds like he's ready to draft the franchise's quarterback of the future. The current starting quarterback, however, sounds like he's not ready to step aside anytime soon. With less than a month remaining before the NFL Draft, there's still plenty of intrigue about what the Titans will do with the No. 3 overall pick and what the future holds for veteran quarterback Steve McNair. "We ought to get a pretty good quarterback out of this draft,'' Adams said at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. "Drafting No. 3, we ought to get a pretty good quarterback in that spot right there. … I hope we get a guy who can be our leader for about 10 years. It's time for that, I think.'' Matt Leinart (USC), Vince Young (Texas) and Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) are the top three quarterbacks in the April 29-30 draft. The last time the Titans had the No. 3 pick, in 1995, they selected McNair.
____________________________________________
The Commanders still is roughly $4.4 million under the salary cap, but could also still look for a linebacker. Representatives for former Philadelphia linebacker Keith Adams and former Detroit linebacker Nate Wayne were contacted in recent weeks, but little movement appears to have taken place concerning either.
____________________________________________
Washington Commanders Coach Joe Gibbs said Wednesday that Jason Campbell, a first-round draft pick last year, will be given a chance in training camp and during the preseason to win the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Mark Brunell.
____________________________________________
Ravens coach Brian Billick was a supporter of allowing a defensive player to wear a radio helmet connected to coaches on the sideline. That proposal didn't pass because 11 teams voted against it. "If nothing else, we have a real good definitive list [of] who's good at stealing defensive [hand] signals," Billick said.
____________________________________________
The contract signed by Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks eight days ago calls for him to earn $2 million in base salary this season and only $720,000 in 2007. He received a hefty signing bonus, as well. His deal also features numerous incentives that could net him even more money.
____________________________________________
Oakland hired former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Darryl Sims as an assistant defensive line coach. He was the defensive coordinator for the World Bowl XIII champion Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe last season.
____________________________________________
Texans general manager Charley Casserly is emerging as a candidate to replace Art Shell as the NFL's senior vice president of football operations and development. During the NFL spring meetings this week, four league and team officials said Casserly is a candidate for the position that was vacated when Shell was hired to return to Oakland as the Raiders' head coach. Casserly, who is a member of the NFL's powerful competition committee, is under contract to the Texans through June 2007. Because of his longtime association with the NFL, he has vast knowledge of the inner workings of the league office in New York.
____________________________________________
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue hasn't changed his mind about stepping aside after almost 17 years on the job. But he may have to call an audible on his departure date. The league's annual meeting concluded yesterday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., with the most significant news being that Tagliabue did not appoint a search committee to find his successor. That will probably occur within the next two weeks.
____________________________________________
Jags QB Byron Leftwich had his base salary boosted to $3.6 million because of an escalator in his contract and now has the team's highest salary cap number this year at $6.2 million. Wide receiver Jimmy Smith is second at $5.6 million and cornerback Rashean Mathis is third at $5.1 million.
____________________________________________
The Patriots have not called agent Carl Poston regarding clients Ty Law, Charles Woodson, or LaVar Arrington.
____________________________________________
Mum's the word from kicker Paul Edinger's agent, Ken Harris. Edinger visited Foxborough the same day Vinatieri signed with the Colts.
____________________________________________
Even though he no longer signs Terrell Owens' paychecks, Jeffrey Lurie was one of three NFL owners yesterday who voted against more restrictive end-zone celebrations for the 2006 season. "I voted against it," Lurie said as the NFL owners' meetings came to a close at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. "The celebrations don't bother me."
____________________________________________
Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green hopes the competition committee doesn’t go overboard limiting celebrations. “We don’t need to ban the Riverdance,” Green said. “We just want to make sure guys aren’t flopping around on the ground or trying to play drums with the band.”
____________________________________________
Free-agent LB Patrick Chukwurah said that he likely will decide between returning to the Broncos or joining the Bucs on Monday.
____________________________________________
Free-agent tackle Brad Hopkins, whom the Bucs are considering signing, is "leaning toward retirement" instead of playing another season. Hopkins told Sirius NFL Radio that he may not want to leave the Nashville area to play in another city but has yet to make a decision on his future.
____________________________________________
Coach Mike McCarthy said the Packers do want Brett Favre to make his decision by Saturday, which is the latest deadline for the $3 million roster bonus they owe him. But the deadline is an artificial one, because Favre's contract stipulates the team doesn't have to pay the bonus until September if he returns and doesn't have to pay it at all if he retires. Still, McCarthy said he'd like to see the issue resolved ASAP. "I feel like it's Groundhog Day. I've been answering the question the same way for two months," McCarthy said. "The bonus, that's pretty much the goal we're trying to set (for a decision). Obviously, you keep moving back the date, (but) there's a reason behind the date. So, we would definitely like to know as soon as possible." McCarthy maintained he thinks Favre will play, based on their conversation at Favre's Hattiesburg, Miss., estate earlier this offseason. "I think it's important when you talk to people that you have a chance to look in their eyes," McCarthy said. "I could be dead wrong, (but) I've always felt that he still wanted to play." Asked about Favre's accountability last season, when he threw an NFL-worst and career-high 29 interceptions, McCarthy disputed the suggestion Favre has more excuses made for him than any other player.
____________________________________________
Vikings coach Brad Childress went into vivid detail about his displeasure with Daunte Culpepper's desire to rehabilitate his knee in Orlando — where the player lives during the off-season — rather than at the team's facility in Minnesota. "He was doing himself a disservice," Childress said. "I told him, 'You can do better for yourself.' " Before trading Culpepper to the Dolphins, Childress sent Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman to Orlando in February so he could monitor the quarterback's progress while also evaluating the facility where he had been rehabilitating his surgically repaired right knee. Sugarman's findings didn't go over well with Childress. "He (was) rehabbing in a HealthSouth place in Orlando," Childress said. "I close my eyes. I'm seeing a Chinese restaurant, a HealthSouth place, a laundromat and a strip mall. And I'm thinking, 'What did they have in there?' They had a StepMaster and some other things." During Sugarman's visit, Culpepper's personal trainer offered to have the quarterback show Sugarman his progress, Childress said. Both trainers and Culpepper headed to a nearby paved lot. "They go into a Wal-Mart parking lot to do his movement," Childress said. "So you can understand where I'm coming from. There's the HealthSouth, the Chinese restaurant, the laundromat, here's the alley, out the backdoor and into the Wal-Mart parking lot. "I'm like, 'What's wrong with this picture?' Are you with me? I'm going, 'Come on now. Is he better served here in the fieldhouse or the Wal-Mart parking lot?' "
____________________________________________
Former Indianapolis Colts safety Idrees Bashir agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions on a one-year contract Tuesday. Bashir, 27, played 11 games without a start in 2005 in his only season with the Carolina Panthers. In 62 career games, Bashir has 233 tackles, five interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
____________________________________________
Former Jaguars offensive tackle Mike Pearson, who visited the Dolphins Monday, is drawing more interest from other teams.
____________________________________________
Free-agent defensive tackle Sam Adams, who visited the Dolphins, is talking with two teams about a contract but neither is the Dolphins.
____________________________________________
Randy Moss has said he'll play when he wants to. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to play on Aug. 14. The enigmatic wide receiver, traded by the Vikings last offseason, could make his return to the Metrodome on that date when Minnesota plays host to the Oakland Raiders in an exhibition game. Sure, it's only preseason, but it IS Moss, who caught 574 passes for 90 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Vikings, and the reception could be an interesting one. It also will be the first "Monday Night Football" game as ESPN takes over the longtime series from ABC.
