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The Patriots can go the veteran route again, with a number of options still available on the free agent market. Some of the recognizable names include former Dolphins starter Jay Fiedler, ex-Bengals standout Jeff Blake, one-time Super Bowl starter Kerry Collins, Tommy Maddox (Ben Roethlisberger’s predecessor in Pittsburgh), as well as the ageless Vinny Testaverde and part-time Bears starter Shane Matthews. A logical fit would be Fiedler, a Dartmouth grad who’s 34 with four years of starting experience. Fiedler dislocated his shoulder last season and is still recovering from surgery. He recently began throwing 25-30 yards. Should the Patriots call, Levy believes Fiedler would be a good fit.
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Keith Pelley, president of the Toronto Argonauts, said there has been no progress in efforts to obtain permission to sign running back Ricky Williams. Williams' agent, Leigh Steinberg, is talking with the Dolphins. "We know of no movement in the last few days," Pelley said. "We are prepared to let it run its course. At some point, we will have to make a decision whether to continue pursuing it."
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The Broncos are conducting what the NFL calls a voluntary official team activity the next two weeks at their Dove Valley training complex. Ashley Lelie, the Broncos' unhappy wide receiver, has voluntarily chosen to forfeit a $100,000 workout bonus by not participating. Lelie was the only unexcused player absent from the workout that technically did not require an excuse. Not that this stopped Broncos coach Mike Shanahan from sending his missing player a message. "I just know it's hard to be the No. 1 wide receiver when you don't compete," Shanahan said. There is hope Lelie's offseason protest will reach an amicable resolution by the time participation becomes mandatory in late July with the opening of training camp. His new agent, Denver-based Peter Schaffer, has spoken once in the past two weeks to Shanahan and general manager Ted Sundquist. Schaffer will try to facilitate a trade, most likely for a conditional 2007 draft pick. The other option is for the Broncos to conclude they are better off waiting out Lelie than letting him play elsewhere for what little they could get in return.
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Ruston Webster, the Bucs' former scouting and player personnel director, agreed in principle Tuesday to a deal that could make him one of the highest-ranking football executives in Seattle's chain of command. Details of the deal still have not been completed, but a source with knowledge of the transaction said Webster could move into a spot immediately below football operations president Tim Ruskell. ... Ruskell spent 17 seasons serving the Bucs in a variety of front office capacities and was among those passed over when the Bucs chose Bruce Allen as the successor to former general manager Rich McKay.
____________________________________________
Even as they announced his promotion to the team’s No. 2 day-to-day position, the Chiefs were careful not to proclaim Denny Thum as their next general manager. But clearly the move from assistant general manager to chief operating officer makes Thum a more viable candidate to succeed Carl Peterson eventually. Thum will become involved in virtually every aspect of the business, from marketing and sales to salary-cap management and contract negotiation. Peterson indicated the move was as much for the future as the present and that the Chiefs might be preparing Thum, 54, for something bigger. “That’s fair to say,” Peterson said. “We’ll see what happens there. You’re getting to the question of whether I’m getting ready to replace myself. I’m not there yet. But we are preparing for the future.”
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Former Raiders QB Rich Gannon said he has no intention of reviving his playing career as a veteran backup for the Bucs or in becoming a coach, prefering the schedule of his current job as CBS analyst to an 80-hour work week.
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Former Texas A&M wide receiver Terrence Murphy attended the Texans' practice. He is looking to sign on with a team as a free agent, but it could prove difficult. Murphy, a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2005, was released last month because of health concerns. After Murphy suffered a neck injury last season, it was discovered he had a genetic narrowing of his spinal column. There is concern that another hard hit in the NFL could cause serious and permanent damage. The Texans have spoken with Murphy, but it is unknown whether any team will accept the risks associated with signing him.
____________________________________________
The Ravens have exchanged proposals with safety Ed Reed, but the sides aren't close to reaching a contract extension. Reed will earn $1.9 million this season, which is the final year of his contract.
____________________________________________
The Giants have four QBs on the roster -- Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, Jared Lorenzen and Josh Harris -- but could add veteran Jay Fiedler in the coming weeks. The former Dolphins starter, who was a backup for the Jets last season, continues to recover from shoulder surgery. He will begin working out for teams sometime next month and the Giants will likely give him a look.
____________________________________________
Get ready for left tackles to start raking in some serious dollars over the next year. Detroit's Jeff Backus, Minnesota's Bryant McKinnie and Cincinnati's Levi Jones each is headed into the last year of his contract, and at least one of these players could become football's first $10 million a year tackle. Right now, Baltimore's left tackle Jonathan Ogden is the game's highest paid tackle at $8.33 million. But the franchise number for tackles next season is going to increase to about $9 million. Any team desperate for one could be willing to pay even more to shore up blindside protection for its quarterback.
____________________________________________
Ravens officials privately remain confident that Steve McNair will join the team over the next two months either by trade or release. However long the delay becomes, Fassel said he believes personal tutoring could quickly bring a veteran up to speed, but he admits there's no substitution for these next five weeks of workouts. The problem is the Titans likely won't be forced to release McNair even if he wins his grievance. The Titans could allow McNair back into their complex and hold onto him until late July, when they would need to dump his $23.46 million salary cap in order to sign draft picks. At that point, McNair would have missed all of the Ravens' minicamps. Whereas training camp is more physical, these spring workouts are where the Ravens do most of their heavy mental lifting.
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David Dunn, the agent for Kerry Collins, would not comment on his client, who is considered a possibility in Tennessee if/when the Titans jettison Steve McNair.
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Starting left tackle Levi Jones reiterated Tuesday that his agent and the Bengals have discussed a new contract, and that he would like to remain with the team that drafted him. "I've expressed interest (in returning) and am wanting to return," Jones said. "I'm able to not focus on it. I told my agent, 'I don't want to hear about every conversation. When something pertinent comes up, let me know about it.' "I am here to focus on football. I've got another year on my contract, and I need to focus on getting my job done."
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Steve McNair endured seven-and-a-half hours of testimony and cross-examination Tuesday at his grievance hearing at Baptist Sports Park. Now McNair will have to endure up to two more weeks in limbo, as arbitrator John Feerick might not rule on the case between McNair and the Tennessee Titans until June 1. The cross-examination, according to Richard Berthelsen, was what led to such a lengthy hearing. Much of that was irrelevant to the case, the NFLPA attorney said. “It was mainly irrelevant things like, ‘You weren’t here much in the past, were you? So why do you want to be here now?’ But it wasn’t really to the point, it wasn’t that relevant or material,” Berthelsen said.
____________________________________________
The Boston Herald spotted... New England Patriot Vince Wilfork, Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky and retired Bruin Jean Ratelle braving the North Shore floods to make a sushi run to the Kowloon.
____________________________________________
The Seattle Seahawks’ list of 2007 free agents won’t include their head coach. Mike Holmgren accepted an extension through the 2008 season Tuesday as the organization sought to build upon the success of recent seasons. The Seahawks have won two-thirds of their regular-season games since 2003, best in the NFC, and the team played in a Super Bowl for the first time after last season.
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As coach Bill Cowher likes to say, the Steelers must recapture the mindset that helped them overcome a 7-5 start and win eight consecutive games, including three playoff contests on the road, en route to their first Super Bowl championship in 26 years. "We became a desperate team, a more focused and disciplined team, and that's the urgency in which we prepared," Cowher said. "We played that way, but we prepared that way. That's the thing that you have to take with you from the very beginning. Again, it starts at training camp. It sets the tone for an entire season, in Cowher's estimation.
____________________________________________
Efforts to fast-track the $800 million Memorial Coliseum modernization designed to lure an NFL team to Los Angeles have raised concerns that the ambitious plan will jeopardize the landmark status of the 83-year-old stadium. The speed with which officials are pushing the plan through has limited public debate and even past supporters question whether the Coliseum's historic status is being jeopardized. The plan - to create a towering, three-tier 68,000-seat stadium inside the Coliseum's existing walls - was approved unanimously Tuesday by the city Planning Commission and is headed for a City Council vote on Friday. "You've got a mentality of people who want to get it done at any cost," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who also is a member of the Coliseum Commission. "I caution everybody: It's not football ber alles (above all else.)"
____________________________________________
Here we are, 137 days into a new year, and you have Saints QB Brees throwing from 80-to-90 passes, 30-yard passes, three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and throwing another 40 on Tuesday and Thursday. The throwing follows a five-day-a-week schedule that begins at 7 a.m. in the Saints training room, beginning with the usual rehab routine involving heat, stretching and a variety of core exercises that continue into the early afternoon. "I've beaten every goal the doctors set for me," Brees said. "But, at the same time, I'm being cautious. I don't want to fall victim of trying to come back too fast."
____________________________________________
An MRI of Saints tailback Reggie Bush's injured left hamstring revealed the problem to be nothing more than a mild strain, according to Bush's marketing agent Mike Ornstein. "He's feeling great," Ornstein said Tuesday afternoon. "Probably in another week, he'll be 100 percent." Bush left New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon for Los Angeles, where he'll participate in a photo shoot for his rookie trading card. He will wear jersey No. 5 in the trading card pictures, not No. 25, Ornstein said.
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The Dolphins believe more carries will not be a problem for Ronnie Brown, who has vowed to be in better shape than last July, when he held out. One good sign: He averaged 4.3 yards in three games when he ran at least 20 times, very close to his 4.4 in the other games.
____________________________________________
Former Florida State offensive guard Matt Meinrod is not accustomed to being overwhelmed. But the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Meinrod, who can seemingly bench press and squat a Hyundai, has been knocked for a loss by the NFL. Nearly three weeks after the draft, he remains unemployed. "I'm completely confused why nobody has taken a chance on me," he said. He has a theory that's linked to a pitfall of the NFL salary cap: Signing a player coming off a serious injury carries a risk (a settlement that eats into the available finances if he can't return to the field) that exceeds the possible reward.
____________________________________________
Mario Williams quickly impressed a number of his Texans coaches and teammates. With it just being the first day of practice, it wasn't just Williams' skills that awed those around him. It was also his size — 6-7, 291 pounds. "He's a big man," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He stopped a lot of our plays (on offense), so he did a good job. He's got a lot on his plate to hop in there from day one as a starter. That's a lot to ask of a young man, but it looks like he did a fine job to me." Williams is slated to line up on the strong side mostly across from the tight end.
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His coaching days might never begin. Rich Gannon made that clear Tuesday, saying he's not interested in putting in the 80-hour work weeks that seem to be a minimum requirement for NFL coaches these days. Still, there he was, running around the suddenly rain-soaked fields at One Buc Place, calling out plays again and shouting instruction to a foursome of Bucs quarterbacks as if he was born to wear a whistle. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing," said Gannon, the former Raiders quarterback and current CBS analyst who spent the day talking to and tutoring the likes of Chris Simms, Luke McCown and Tim Rattay.
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His playing days are over. Former Raiders QB Rich Gannon made that clear Tuesday, admitting that Bucs LB Derrick Brooks all but finished them off with that helmet-to-helmet hit he delivered two years ago in Oakland.
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The Saints appear to be closing in on Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., as the site of their summer training camp, though General Manager Mickey Loomis insisted Tuesday night that no decision has been made. Loomis and Coach Sean Payton said Sunday that the Saints have narrowed their training camp options to Millsaps or staying at the team's practice facility in Metairie, and a decision is expected soon. Saints officials, including Loomis, already have visited Millsaps College. Loomis and Payton, among other team officials, are expected to tour the campus again this week. Saints tailback Deuce McAllister is revered in Jackson. He grew up nearby and played at Ole Miss.
____________________________________________
Keith Pelley, president of the Toronto Argonauts, said there has been no progress in efforts to obtain permission to sign running back Ricky Williams. Williams' agent, Leigh Steinberg, is talking with the Dolphins. "We know of no movement in the last few days," Pelley said. "We are prepared to let it run its course. At some point, we will have to make a decision whether to continue pursuing it."
____________________________________________
The Broncos are conducting what the NFL calls a voluntary official team activity the next two weeks at their Dove Valley training complex. Ashley Lelie, the Broncos' unhappy wide receiver, has voluntarily chosen to forfeit a $100,000 workout bonus by not participating. Lelie was the only unexcused player absent from the workout that technically did not require an excuse. Not that this stopped Broncos coach Mike Shanahan from sending his missing player a message. "I just know it's hard to be the No. 1 wide receiver when you don't compete," Shanahan said. There is hope Lelie's offseason protest will reach an amicable resolution by the time participation becomes mandatory in late July with the opening of training camp. His new agent, Denver-based Peter Schaffer, has spoken once in the past two weeks to Shanahan and general manager Ted Sundquist. Schaffer will try to facilitate a trade, most likely for a conditional 2007 draft pick. The other option is for the Broncos to conclude they are better off waiting out Lelie than letting him play elsewhere for what little they could get in return.
____________________________________________
Ruston Webster, the Bucs' former scouting and player personnel director, agreed in principle Tuesday to a deal that could make him one of the highest-ranking football executives in Seattle's chain of command. Details of the deal still have not been completed, but a source with knowledge of the transaction said Webster could move into a spot immediately below football operations president Tim Ruskell. ... Ruskell spent 17 seasons serving the Bucs in a variety of front office capacities and was among those passed over when the Bucs chose Bruce Allen as the successor to former general manager Rich McKay.
____________________________________________
Even as they announced his promotion to the team’s No. 2 day-to-day position, the Chiefs were careful not to proclaim Denny Thum as their next general manager. But clearly the move from assistant general manager to chief operating officer makes Thum a more viable candidate to succeed Carl Peterson eventually. Thum will become involved in virtually every aspect of the business, from marketing and sales to salary-cap management and contract negotiation. Peterson indicated the move was as much for the future as the present and that the Chiefs might be preparing Thum, 54, for something bigger. “That’s fair to say,” Peterson said. “We’ll see what happens there. You’re getting to the question of whether I’m getting ready to replace myself. I’m not there yet. But we are preparing for the future.”
____________________________________________
Former Raiders QB Rich Gannon said he has no intention of reviving his playing career as a veteran backup for the Bucs or in becoming a coach, prefering the schedule of his current job as CBS analyst to an 80-hour work week.
____________________________________________
Former Texas A&M wide receiver Terrence Murphy attended the Texans' practice. He is looking to sign on with a team as a free agent, but it could prove difficult. Murphy, a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2005, was released last month because of health concerns. After Murphy suffered a neck injury last season, it was discovered he had a genetic narrowing of his spinal column. There is concern that another hard hit in the NFL could cause serious and permanent damage. The Texans have spoken with Murphy, but it is unknown whether any team will accept the risks associated with signing him.
____________________________________________
The Ravens have exchanged proposals with safety Ed Reed, but the sides aren't close to reaching a contract extension. Reed will earn $1.9 million this season, which is the final year of his contract.
____________________________________________
The Giants have four QBs on the roster -- Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, Jared Lorenzen and Josh Harris -- but could add veteran Jay Fiedler in the coming weeks. The former Dolphins starter, who was a backup for the Jets last season, continues to recover from shoulder surgery. He will begin working out for teams sometime next month and the Giants will likely give him a look.
____________________________________________
Get ready for left tackles to start raking in some serious dollars over the next year. Detroit's Jeff Backus, Minnesota's Bryant McKinnie and Cincinnati's Levi Jones each is headed into the last year of his contract, and at least one of these players could become football's first $10 million a year tackle. Right now, Baltimore's left tackle Jonathan Ogden is the game's highest paid tackle at $8.33 million. But the franchise number for tackles next season is going to increase to about $9 million. Any team desperate for one could be willing to pay even more to shore up blindside protection for its quarterback.
____________________________________________
Ravens officials privately remain confident that Steve McNair will join the team over the next two months either by trade or release. However long the delay becomes, Fassel said he believes personal tutoring could quickly bring a veteran up to speed, but he admits there's no substitution for these next five weeks of workouts. The problem is the Titans likely won't be forced to release McNair even if he wins his grievance. The Titans could allow McNair back into their complex and hold onto him until late July, when they would need to dump his $23.46 million salary cap in order to sign draft picks. At that point, McNair would have missed all of the Ravens' minicamps. Whereas training camp is more physical, these spring workouts are where the Ravens do most of their heavy mental lifting.
____________________________________________
David Dunn, the agent for Kerry Collins, would not comment on his client, who is considered a possibility in Tennessee if/when the Titans jettison Steve McNair.
____________________________________________
Starting left tackle Levi Jones reiterated Tuesday that his agent and the Bengals have discussed a new contract, and that he would like to remain with the team that drafted him. "I've expressed interest (in returning) and am wanting to return," Jones said. "I'm able to not focus on it. I told my agent, 'I don't want to hear about every conversation. When something pertinent comes up, let me know about it.' "I am here to focus on football. I've got another year on my contract, and I need to focus on getting my job done."
____________________________________________
Steve McNair endured seven-and-a-half hours of testimony and cross-examination Tuesday at his grievance hearing at Baptist Sports Park. Now McNair will have to endure up to two more weeks in limbo, as arbitrator John Feerick might not rule on the case between McNair and the Tennessee Titans until June 1. The cross-examination, according to Richard Berthelsen, was what led to such a lengthy hearing. Much of that was irrelevant to the case, the NFLPA attorney said. “It was mainly irrelevant things like, ‘You weren’t here much in the past, were you? So why do you want to be here now?’ But it wasn’t really to the point, it wasn’t that relevant or material,” Berthelsen said.
____________________________________________
The Boston Herald spotted... New England Patriot Vince Wilfork, Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky and retired Bruin Jean Ratelle braving the North Shore floods to make a sushi run to the Kowloon.
____________________________________________
The Seattle Seahawks’ list of 2007 free agents won’t include their head coach. Mike Holmgren accepted an extension through the 2008 season Tuesday as the organization sought to build upon the success of recent seasons. The Seahawks have won two-thirds of their regular-season games since 2003, best in the NFC, and the team played in a Super Bowl for the first time after last season.
____________________________________________
As coach Bill Cowher likes to say, the Steelers must recapture the mindset that helped them overcome a 7-5 start and win eight consecutive games, including three playoff contests on the road, en route to their first Super Bowl championship in 26 years. "We became a desperate team, a more focused and disciplined team, and that's the urgency in which we prepared," Cowher said. "We played that way, but we prepared that way. That's the thing that you have to take with you from the very beginning. Again, it starts at training camp. It sets the tone for an entire season, in Cowher's estimation.
____________________________________________
Efforts to fast-track the $800 million Memorial Coliseum modernization designed to lure an NFL team to Los Angeles have raised concerns that the ambitious plan will jeopardize the landmark status of the 83-year-old stadium. The speed with which officials are pushing the plan through has limited public debate and even past supporters question whether the Coliseum's historic status is being jeopardized. The plan - to create a towering, three-tier 68,000-seat stadium inside the Coliseum's existing walls - was approved unanimously Tuesday by the city Planning Commission and is headed for a City Council vote on Friday. "You've got a mentality of people who want to get it done at any cost," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who also is a member of the Coliseum Commission. "I caution everybody: It's not football ber alles (above all else.)"
____________________________________________
Here we are, 137 days into a new year, and you have Saints QB Brees throwing from 80-to-90 passes, 30-yard passes, three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and throwing another 40 on Tuesday and Thursday. The throwing follows a five-day-a-week schedule that begins at 7 a.m. in the Saints training room, beginning with the usual rehab routine involving heat, stretching and a variety of core exercises that continue into the early afternoon. "I've beaten every goal the doctors set for me," Brees said. "But, at the same time, I'm being cautious. I don't want to fall victim of trying to come back too fast."
____________________________________________
An MRI of Saints tailback Reggie Bush's injured left hamstring revealed the problem to be nothing more than a mild strain, according to Bush's marketing agent Mike Ornstein. "He's feeling great," Ornstein said Tuesday afternoon. "Probably in another week, he'll be 100 percent." Bush left New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon for Los Angeles, where he'll participate in a photo shoot for his rookie trading card. He will wear jersey No. 5 in the trading card pictures, not No. 25, Ornstein said.
____________________________________________
The Dolphins believe more carries will not be a problem for Ronnie Brown, who has vowed to be in better shape than last July, when he held out. One good sign: He averaged 4.3 yards in three games when he ran at least 20 times, very close to his 4.4 in the other games.
____________________________________________
Former Florida State offensive guard Matt Meinrod is not accustomed to being overwhelmed. But the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Meinrod, who can seemingly bench press and squat a Hyundai, has been knocked for a loss by the NFL. Nearly three weeks after the draft, he remains unemployed. "I'm completely confused why nobody has taken a chance on me," he said. He has a theory that's linked to a pitfall of the NFL salary cap: Signing a player coming off a serious injury carries a risk (a settlement that eats into the available finances if he can't return to the field) that exceeds the possible reward.
____________________________________________
Mario Williams quickly impressed a number of his Texans coaches and teammates. With it just being the first day of practice, it wasn't just Williams' skills that awed those around him. It was also his size — 6-7, 291 pounds. "He's a big man," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He stopped a lot of our plays (on offense), so he did a good job. He's got a lot on his plate to hop in there from day one as a starter. That's a lot to ask of a young man, but it looks like he did a fine job to me." Williams is slated to line up on the strong side mostly across from the tight end.
____________________________________________
His coaching days might never begin. Rich Gannon made that clear Tuesday, saying he's not interested in putting in the 80-hour work weeks that seem to be a minimum requirement for NFL coaches these days. Still, there he was, running around the suddenly rain-soaked fields at One Buc Place, calling out plays again and shouting instruction to a foursome of Bucs quarterbacks as if he was born to wear a whistle. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing," said Gannon, the former Raiders quarterback and current CBS analyst who spent the day talking to and tutoring the likes of Chris Simms, Luke McCown and Tim Rattay.
____________________________________________
His playing days are over. Former Raiders QB Rich Gannon made that clear Tuesday, admitting that Bucs LB Derrick Brooks all but finished them off with that helmet-to-helmet hit he delivered two years ago in Oakland.
____________________________________________
The Saints appear to be closing in on Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., as the site of their summer training camp, though General Manager Mickey Loomis insisted Tuesday night that no decision has been made. Loomis and Coach Sean Payton said Sunday that the Saints have narrowed their training camp options to Millsaps or staying at the team's practice facility in Metairie, and a decision is expected soon. Saints officials, including Loomis, already have visited Millsaps College. Loomis and Payton, among other team officials, are expected to tour the campus again this week. Saints tailback Deuce McAllister is revered in Jackson. He grew up nearby and played at Ole Miss.
