trickblue
Not Old School...Old Testament...
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Jeff Fisher has one year remaining on his contract and there have been zero talks about an extension. Granted, the Titans have the right to pick up an option for one more year on Fisher's contract, but the cost of doing it would be prohibitive. To date, the organization has not demonstrated any intention of keeping Fisher long term. Should Fisher hit the open market, he would be the No. 1 candidate available. Any owner would love to have a seasoned coach who helped turn the Titans into the perpetual winners they were until the team was beset with salary-cap issues and injuries. And take it one step further: http://img.***BLOCKED***/albums/v628/cowboyszone/zingers/spacer_replace.jpgFisher would be the ideal coach for the next NFL franchise in Los Angeles, where the Titans head coach started at defensive back for USC.
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Kansas City, considered a prime suitor for Ty Law’s services, has not hosted him for a visit or a physical. Law has instead stayed in touch with coach Herman Edwards, who had him with the Jets last year. The Chiefs have balked at Law’s asking price. Their interest could be affected by this weekend’s minicamp, which will provide a clearer answer of what they have at corner opposite Patrick Surtain. Law has visited the Pats and Titans, but hasn’t discussed money with either team. He passed a physical with the Titans last week, but is not considered a priority because they only have $100,000 in cap space. ... The Pats could offer Law a contract with a low base salary and incentives that would pay him like an All-Pro if he performs like one.
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The Bengals scaled back Carson Palmer's on-field work, knowing there is no need to push him and being sufficiently satisfied with what they already had seen. Now there are no guarantees, and Palmer always could suffer some type of setback to what was a significant knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. But the early-spring reports are that Palmer will be ready for the regular-season opener. This means that each of the two marquee quarterbacks that suffered significant knee injuries last season -- Palmer and Miami's Daunte Culpepper -- are on pace to bring mental peace to their franchises.
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Roy Williams would welcome Az-Zahir Hakim back to the receiving corps. Hakim, a free agent, was a Lion from 2002-04. Williams was a rookie in '04. A decision is likely to come soon on whether Hakim will sign for a second tour with the Lions.
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared on WEEI Tuesday and once again refused to divulge the length or terms of coach Bill Belichick’s contract. “I think we’ve created a certain sense of stability here,” Kraft said. “When you’re fortunate to do well, people are after you every way they can. The brilliance of the league is that it’s geared to try to make everyone mediocre, 8-8. Those organizations that can manage a little bit better have a chance to do better.”
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Defensive end Greg Ellis is returning to the Cowboys, but the question remains whether he's happy about it. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones wouldn't say whether Ellis is unhappy or happy; Jones was quick to point out that he wouldn't make that assessment about any player. It seems Ellis' happiness might depend on a meeting he and his agent are expected to have with Jones and team vice president Stephen Jones before the Cowboys' June minicamp.
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Nick Harper hasn't changed his opinion regarding his contract but has altered his plans on how to deal with it. The Indianapolis Colts' starting cornerback will be on hand for the team's mandatory three-day minicamp, which begins Friday at the Union Federal Football Center. Last month, Harper said he would skip the team's voluntary offseason conditioning program and vowed to boycott the mandatory minicamp to protest what he considered to be an inferior contract. However, he has been a regular participant in offseason workouts and will join the rest of the team for minicamp. "Even though things are not right between me and people in the front office, I didn't want to be the person labeled as a (troublemaker),'' Harper said Wednesday. "You're going to get what you deserve if you hold out. They put that bad label on you when you do that.''
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The NFL draft is in the books, minicamp season is in full swing, and Paul Edinger is still looking for a team, but is the former Vikings kicker worried? Not according to his agent, Ken Harris, who said Edinger, an unrestricted free agent, is training three times a week at his home in Florida, confident he'll sign somewhere sooner or later. "He's kicking so well on his own right now, I'm not really that concerned at this point if someone calls before camp starts in July or after camp starts," Harris said Wednesday. "Either way, the bottom line is to be in the right place." As an example, Harris said Edinger might be better off than if he had landed with New England or Green Bay. The Patriots signed Martin Gramatica, then drafted kicker Stephen Gostkowski of Memphis in the fourth round. The Packers signed Billy Cundiff and Dave Rayner.
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In Chicago, despite leading the Bears to the NFC North title, Lovie Smith is the league's lowest-paid head coach ($1.35 million per year). He still has two years left on his contract, so Smith isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips has made it clear that, after giving other former Chicago coaches extensions that failed to work out in the past, he wants to see Smith duplicate last season's results one more year.
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Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain lives in the same south Florida neighborhood as free-agent cornerback Ty Law, but Surtain said Wednesday that he hasn’t talked to Law in a few weeks and has no idea what he will do. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Surtain said. “It would be great to have a player like that. But we feel we have some guys who can step in and do the job.
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Quarterback Joey Harrington will receive a guaranteed $3.75 million through for 2006 and 2007, but it is unlikely that he will be with the Dolphins in 2008 unless his contract is restructured to reduce his prohibitive cap number, according to a source.
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Donald Driver said in a radio interview he considers himself the No. 1 receiver on the Green Bay Packers and did so even when Javon Walker was with the team. "I have always been the best receiver on this football team," Driver told Peter Brown of WSSP-AM (1250) on Monday. "I'm not taking anything from Javon or any of the receivers that we have. But I have always put the pressure on me to go out there and make plays day in and day out."
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The Ravens signed veteran linebacker Tim Johnson after his tryout last weekend. Johnson was a special teams performer for the Oakland Raiders' January 2003 Super Bowl team. He was a Raven for the first week of the 2001 regular season before getting cut. He is best remembered for his Shannon Sharpe impersonation during the rookie talent show on the Hard Knocks television show.
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Titans QB Vince Young, who worked primarily in the shotgun in college, had troubles with the center-to-quarterback exchange on Wednesday, but he completed some nice passes during the practice.
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The Lions are back at practice and preaching unity. There is a stated commitment to coach Rod Marinelli's high-energy work ethic in the offseason training program. A wall of silence is in place regarding details of a grievance filed against Marinelli and his coaching staff for violating rules that regulate offseason workouts. And there has been no confirmation of who filed the grievance. The strongest statement on that point came Wednesday from Marcus Bell, one of three defensive linemen whose name surfaced as potential whistle-blowers. "I had nothing to do it," Bell said after practice.
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The Titans are scheduled to be back on the field Friday, but Vince Young won't participate because of a commitment in Los Angeles. Young and running back LenDale White, the team's second-round pick, are scheduled to attend the Reebok NFL Players Rookie Premiere, where they'll participate in a series of photo shoots for trading-card companies Donruss Playoff, Topps and Upper Deck.
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A felony charge against defensive tackle Keith Traylor could be reduced to a misdemeanor, according to the prosecuting attorney. Traylor is charged with injuring a public building because he tore a smoke detector off a jail wall with damages in excess of $50, according to court documents at Mayes County, Okla. Charles Ramsey, assistant district attorney for Mayes County, said the minimum fine for a felony in Oklahoma is $500. Ramsey said he has yet to receive a damage estimate from the incident.
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When offensive tackle Jeff Backus agreed on Monday to sign his one-year tender, it was reported the Lions guaranteed they will not designate him the franchise player in 2007. The Lions also have assured Backus they will not use the transition tag, said Tom Lewand , the Lions' chief operating officer. The franchise and transition tags limit a free agent's ability to get offers from other teams.
____________________________________________
The NFL has hired one of the nation's top stadium architects, HOK + Sport, to design plans for a football stadium in Anaheim. Until recently, the NFL had given much of its design attention to the renovation of the Coliseum, which is more complicated due to preservation restrictions and the lease arrangement under which it would operate the stadium. In Anaheim, the NFL has agreed to purchase 53 acres for approximately $50 million on which it would build and own the stadium, providing a cleaner deal.
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Bradlee Van Pelt said when he heard whom the Broncos had drafted last month, he took a long hike to gather his thoughts. He said he understands what the Broncos have invested in Jay Cutler, but at this point he's not about to concede anything to Cutler or Jake Plummer. "As far as I know, I'm still No. 2," Van Pelt said. "I'm with the No. 2 group. I'm just going to make myself so good that no matter what happens, I'll be No. 1 someday, somewhere."
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NFL special counsel Jay Moyer will preside over the arbitration hearing between the Vikings and their former vice president of player personnel, Fran Foley. But Foley's attorney said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would decide the matter. "For purposes of holding meetings or things like that, he can appoint somebody like Jay Moyer to be his representative," attorney Jeffrey Kessler said. "But the commissioner will be the decider." Kessler contends his client was wrongfully terminated when the Vikings fired Foley on May 3, three months into a three-year contract. The Vikings have until Monday to respond to the complaint.
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An Eagles spokesman said Donovan McNabb didn't know about Jeremy Bloom's taking the jersey to President Bush; it came from a batch the team public relations staff happened to have on hand Tuesday, when Bloom mentioned he was going to the White House. Bloom, who just completed his first Eagles minicamp, joked that he was "trying to get some extra points" with McNabb by taking his jersey to the White House. It's unclear whether Bloom will succeed there - last year, when McNabb attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner, he said he was honored to be in the same room as the president and the first lady. But McNabb said meeting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. (McNabb's home state) that night "was the highlight for me."
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that defensive end Greg Ellis is going to have a big role in the team's defense in 2006, although he declined to say whether the former No. 1 draft choice would start. Ellis has been unhappy with his role on the Cowboys since he was benched in the middle of last season and had his playing time significantly reduced. Ellis doesn't believe he's a good fit in the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme because it requires the 271-pounder to consistently battle tackles who often outweigh him by 50 pounds. A source said Ellis has not participated in coach Bill Parcells' off-season program, which requires the players to complete 40 workouts in a 10-week period. Jones said Ellis, 31, whose contract runs through 2009, remains an important player because he's the only proven pass-rusher on the roster aside from second-year linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
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As a possible reaction to Vincent "Sweet Pea" Burns’ run-in with law enforcement officials, Scout.com has reported that former University of Memphis defensive end Marcus West has been added to the Colts’ preseason roster. Team officials, however, have yet to confirm the signing. A first-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior, West missed a portion of the 2001 season with a broken hip and was sidelined for three games in 2003 with a turf-toe injury. He did, however, start every game as a junior and senior for the Tigers.
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Steelers safety Troy Polamalu explained why he is sporting a bushy beard. "Lazy," he said. "Just haven't shaved it."
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Steelers rookie wideout Santonio Holmes wore No. 10 during his three days at minicamp, and, if he so chooses, he can continue to wear it for the regular season. Incoming wide receivers are permitted to wear Nos. 10 through 19 and 80 through 89, according to a memo sent to NFL franchises prior to last month's draft. It used to be that receivers could wear Nos. 11 through 19 only if Nos. 80 through 89 were taken. Players currently in the league, however, are not permitted to change from an 80s number.
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DT Chris Hovan resurrected his career with the Bucs after the Minnesota Vikings let him go, and new teammate Toniu Fonoti is hoping for similar results. Fonoti, a guard selected by San Diego in the second round of the 2002 draft, was traded to Minnesota last season and signed with Tampa Bay on March 17. Fonoti quickly went to work getting into shape. The 6-foot-4 Fonoti said he has 10-15 pounds to lose to get to 370, the weight he played at in college at Nebraska. Fonoti has starting experience at both guard positions, but the Bucs have worked him out almost exclusively at left guard during team activities.
____________________________________________
Kansas City, considered a prime suitor for Ty Law’s services, has not hosted him for a visit or a physical. Law has instead stayed in touch with coach Herman Edwards, who had him with the Jets last year. The Chiefs have balked at Law’s asking price. Their interest could be affected by this weekend’s minicamp, which will provide a clearer answer of what they have at corner opposite Patrick Surtain. Law has visited the Pats and Titans, but hasn’t discussed money with either team. He passed a physical with the Titans last week, but is not considered a priority because they only have $100,000 in cap space. ... The Pats could offer Law a contract with a low base salary and incentives that would pay him like an All-Pro if he performs like one.
____________________________________________
The Bengals scaled back Carson Palmer's on-field work, knowing there is no need to push him and being sufficiently satisfied with what they already had seen. Now there are no guarantees, and Palmer always could suffer some type of setback to what was a significant knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. But the early-spring reports are that Palmer will be ready for the regular-season opener. This means that each of the two marquee quarterbacks that suffered significant knee injuries last season -- Palmer and Miami's Daunte Culpepper -- are on pace to bring mental peace to their franchises.
____________________________________________
Roy Williams would welcome Az-Zahir Hakim back to the receiving corps. Hakim, a free agent, was a Lion from 2002-04. Williams was a rookie in '04. A decision is likely to come soon on whether Hakim will sign for a second tour with the Lions.
____________________________________________
Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared on WEEI Tuesday and once again refused to divulge the length or terms of coach Bill Belichick’s contract. “I think we’ve created a certain sense of stability here,” Kraft said. “When you’re fortunate to do well, people are after you every way they can. The brilliance of the league is that it’s geared to try to make everyone mediocre, 8-8. Those organizations that can manage a little bit better have a chance to do better.”
____________________________________________
Defensive end Greg Ellis is returning to the Cowboys, but the question remains whether he's happy about it. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones wouldn't say whether Ellis is unhappy or happy; Jones was quick to point out that he wouldn't make that assessment about any player. It seems Ellis' happiness might depend on a meeting he and his agent are expected to have with Jones and team vice president Stephen Jones before the Cowboys' June minicamp.
____________________________________________
Nick Harper hasn't changed his opinion regarding his contract but has altered his plans on how to deal with it. The Indianapolis Colts' starting cornerback will be on hand for the team's mandatory three-day minicamp, which begins Friday at the Union Federal Football Center. Last month, Harper said he would skip the team's voluntary offseason conditioning program and vowed to boycott the mandatory minicamp to protest what he considered to be an inferior contract. However, he has been a regular participant in offseason workouts and will join the rest of the team for minicamp. "Even though things are not right between me and people in the front office, I didn't want to be the person labeled as a (troublemaker),'' Harper said Wednesday. "You're going to get what you deserve if you hold out. They put that bad label on you when you do that.''
____________________________________________
The NFL draft is in the books, minicamp season is in full swing, and Paul Edinger is still looking for a team, but is the former Vikings kicker worried? Not according to his agent, Ken Harris, who said Edinger, an unrestricted free agent, is training three times a week at his home in Florida, confident he'll sign somewhere sooner or later. "He's kicking so well on his own right now, I'm not really that concerned at this point if someone calls before camp starts in July or after camp starts," Harris said Wednesday. "Either way, the bottom line is to be in the right place." As an example, Harris said Edinger might be better off than if he had landed with New England or Green Bay. The Patriots signed Martin Gramatica, then drafted kicker Stephen Gostkowski of Memphis in the fourth round. The Packers signed Billy Cundiff and Dave Rayner.
____________________________________________
In Chicago, despite leading the Bears to the NFC North title, Lovie Smith is the league's lowest-paid head coach ($1.35 million per year). He still has two years left on his contract, so Smith isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips has made it clear that, after giving other former Chicago coaches extensions that failed to work out in the past, he wants to see Smith duplicate last season's results one more year.
____________________________________________
Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain lives in the same south Florida neighborhood as free-agent cornerback Ty Law, but Surtain said Wednesday that he hasn’t talked to Law in a few weeks and has no idea what he will do. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Surtain said. “It would be great to have a player like that. But we feel we have some guys who can step in and do the job.
____________________________________________
Quarterback Joey Harrington will receive a guaranteed $3.75 million through for 2006 and 2007, but it is unlikely that he will be with the Dolphins in 2008 unless his contract is restructured to reduce his prohibitive cap number, according to a source.
____________________________________________
Donald Driver said in a radio interview he considers himself the No. 1 receiver on the Green Bay Packers and did so even when Javon Walker was with the team. "I have always been the best receiver on this football team," Driver told Peter Brown of WSSP-AM (1250) on Monday. "I'm not taking anything from Javon or any of the receivers that we have. But I have always put the pressure on me to go out there and make plays day in and day out."
____________________________________________
The Ravens signed veteran linebacker Tim Johnson after his tryout last weekend. Johnson was a special teams performer for the Oakland Raiders' January 2003 Super Bowl team. He was a Raven for the first week of the 2001 regular season before getting cut. He is best remembered for his Shannon Sharpe impersonation during the rookie talent show on the Hard Knocks television show.
____________________________________________
Titans QB Vince Young, who worked primarily in the shotgun in college, had troubles with the center-to-quarterback exchange on Wednesday, but he completed some nice passes during the practice.
____________________________________________
The Lions are back at practice and preaching unity. There is a stated commitment to coach Rod Marinelli's high-energy work ethic in the offseason training program. A wall of silence is in place regarding details of a grievance filed against Marinelli and his coaching staff for violating rules that regulate offseason workouts. And there has been no confirmation of who filed the grievance. The strongest statement on that point came Wednesday from Marcus Bell, one of three defensive linemen whose name surfaced as potential whistle-blowers. "I had nothing to do it," Bell said after practice.
____________________________________________
The Titans are scheduled to be back on the field Friday, but Vince Young won't participate because of a commitment in Los Angeles. Young and running back LenDale White, the team's second-round pick, are scheduled to attend the Reebok NFL Players Rookie Premiere, where they'll participate in a series of photo shoots for trading-card companies Donruss Playoff, Topps and Upper Deck.
____________________________________________
A felony charge against defensive tackle Keith Traylor could be reduced to a misdemeanor, according to the prosecuting attorney. Traylor is charged with injuring a public building because he tore a smoke detector off a jail wall with damages in excess of $50, according to court documents at Mayes County, Okla. Charles Ramsey, assistant district attorney for Mayes County, said the minimum fine for a felony in Oklahoma is $500. Ramsey said he has yet to receive a damage estimate from the incident.
____________________________________________
When offensive tackle Jeff Backus agreed on Monday to sign his one-year tender, it was reported the Lions guaranteed they will not designate him the franchise player in 2007. The Lions also have assured Backus they will not use the transition tag, said Tom Lewand , the Lions' chief operating officer. The franchise and transition tags limit a free agent's ability to get offers from other teams.
____________________________________________
The NFL has hired one of the nation's top stadium architects, HOK + Sport, to design plans for a football stadium in Anaheim. Until recently, the NFL had given much of its design attention to the renovation of the Coliseum, which is more complicated due to preservation restrictions and the lease arrangement under which it would operate the stadium. In Anaheim, the NFL has agreed to purchase 53 acres for approximately $50 million on which it would build and own the stadium, providing a cleaner deal.
____________________________________________
Bradlee Van Pelt said when he heard whom the Broncos had drafted last month, he took a long hike to gather his thoughts. He said he understands what the Broncos have invested in Jay Cutler, but at this point he's not about to concede anything to Cutler or Jake Plummer. "As far as I know, I'm still No. 2," Van Pelt said. "I'm with the No. 2 group. I'm just going to make myself so good that no matter what happens, I'll be No. 1 someday, somewhere."
____________________________________________
NFL special counsel Jay Moyer will preside over the arbitration hearing between the Vikings and their former vice president of player personnel, Fran Foley. But Foley's attorney said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would decide the matter. "For purposes of holding meetings or things like that, he can appoint somebody like Jay Moyer to be his representative," attorney Jeffrey Kessler said. "But the commissioner will be the decider." Kessler contends his client was wrongfully terminated when the Vikings fired Foley on May 3, three months into a three-year contract. The Vikings have until Monday to respond to the complaint.
____________________________________________
An Eagles spokesman said Donovan McNabb didn't know about Jeremy Bloom's taking the jersey to President Bush; it came from a batch the team public relations staff happened to have on hand Tuesday, when Bloom mentioned he was going to the White House. Bloom, who just completed his first Eagles minicamp, joked that he was "trying to get some extra points" with McNabb by taking his jersey to the White House. It's unclear whether Bloom will succeed there - last year, when McNabb attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner, he said he was honored to be in the same room as the president and the first lady. But McNabb said meeting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. (McNabb's home state) that night "was the highlight for me."
____________________________________________
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that defensive end Greg Ellis is going to have a big role in the team's defense in 2006, although he declined to say whether the former No. 1 draft choice would start. Ellis has been unhappy with his role on the Cowboys since he was benched in the middle of last season and had his playing time significantly reduced. Ellis doesn't believe he's a good fit in the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme because it requires the 271-pounder to consistently battle tackles who often outweigh him by 50 pounds. A source said Ellis has not participated in coach Bill Parcells' off-season program, which requires the players to complete 40 workouts in a 10-week period. Jones said Ellis, 31, whose contract runs through 2009, remains an important player because he's the only proven pass-rusher on the roster aside from second-year linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
____________________________________________
As a possible reaction to Vincent "Sweet Pea" Burns’ run-in with law enforcement officials, Scout.com has reported that former University of Memphis defensive end Marcus West has been added to the Colts’ preseason roster. Team officials, however, have yet to confirm the signing. A first-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior, West missed a portion of the 2001 season with a broken hip and was sidelined for three games in 2003 with a turf-toe injury. He did, however, start every game as a junior and senior for the Tigers.
____________________________________________
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu explained why he is sporting a bushy beard. "Lazy," he said. "Just haven't shaved it."
____________________________________________
Steelers rookie wideout Santonio Holmes wore No. 10 during his three days at minicamp, and, if he so chooses, he can continue to wear it for the regular season. Incoming wide receivers are permitted to wear Nos. 10 through 19 and 80 through 89, according to a memo sent to NFL franchises prior to last month's draft. It used to be that receivers could wear Nos. 11 through 19 only if Nos. 80 through 89 were taken. Players currently in the league, however, are not permitted to change from an 80s number.
____________________________________________
DT Chris Hovan resurrected his career with the Bucs after the Minnesota Vikings let him go, and new teammate Toniu Fonoti is hoping for similar results. Fonoti, a guard selected by San Diego in the second round of the 2002 draft, was traded to Minnesota last season and signed with Tampa Bay on March 17. Fonoti quickly went to work getting into shape. The 6-foot-4 Fonoti said he has 10-15 pounds to lose to get to 370, the weight he played at in college at Nebraska. Fonoti has starting experience at both guard positions, but the Bucs have worked him out almost exclusively at left guard during team activities.
