JonCJG
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POSTED 9:41 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 2:00 p.m. EDT, June 23, 2006
YEE THE FRONT-RUNNER IN QUINN QUEST
A league source tells us that agent Don Yee has emerged as the front-runner in the race to secure the representation of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.
Quinn, who for reasons that still aren't clear has opted to get an early start on the selection process, can't sign with Yee or any other agent until he wraps up his college career. So it's possible that, even if Quinn makes a tentative decision to retain Yee, Quinn's mind could change between now and January.
Then again, the purpose of picking an agent now likely is to ensure that Quinn won't be distracted once the season starts with calls, e-mails, and text messages from prospective agents. (Or that no one in his family will end up living rent-free in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.)
We're also told that Irish coach Charlie Weis and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (who is represented by Yee) have been instrumental in pushing Quinn toward the Los Angeles-based agent, who per NFLPA records has negotiated 17 active contracts. Yee negotiated for Brady a team-friendly contract that will pay Brady handsomely, but that won't compromise the Patriots' ability to put a solid roster around their quarterback.
And the influence of Weis and Brady has been strong enough to overcome the fact that Quinn's future brother-in-law, linebacker A.J. Hawk, is represented by Priority Sports & Entertainment of Chicago. Priority Sports was one of the finalists for the representation, but we're told that the firm is now out of the running.
YEE THE FRONT-RUNNER IN QUINN QUEST
A league source tells us that agent Don Yee has emerged as the front-runner in the race to secure the representation of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.
Quinn, who for reasons that still aren't clear has opted to get an early start on the selection process, can't sign with Yee or any other agent until he wraps up his college career. So it's possible that, even if Quinn makes a tentative decision to retain Yee, Quinn's mind could change between now and January.
Then again, the purpose of picking an agent now likely is to ensure that Quinn won't be distracted once the season starts with calls, e-mails, and text messages from prospective agents. (Or that no one in his family will end up living rent-free in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.)
We're also told that Irish coach Charlie Weis and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (who is represented by Yee) have been instrumental in pushing Quinn toward the Los Angeles-based agent, who per NFLPA records has negotiated 17 active contracts. Yee negotiated for Brady a team-friendly contract that will pay Brady handsomely, but that won't compromise the Patriots' ability to put a solid roster around their quarterback.
And the influence of Weis and Brady has been strong enough to overcome the fact that Quinn's future brother-in-law, linebacker A.J. Hawk, is represented by Priority Sports & Entertainment of Chicago. Priority Sports was one of the finalists for the representation, but we're told that the firm is now out of the running.
WHERE WILL QUINN LAND?
With (as a league source tells us) a grade of 8.0 in the National scouting rankings, Quinn legitimately has the inside track on being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.
So is it too early to project where Quinn might land? Yeah, but we're gonna do it anyway.
The candidates for the worst record in the 2006 season are (in our view) the Jets, the Bills the Titans, the Texans, the Raiders, the Vikings, the Packers, the Saints, the Rams, the 49ers. Of those, the Jets, the Bills, the Raiders, the Vikings, the Packers, the Saints (who owe Drew Brees a $12 million option bonus in March), and the Rams would be the prime candidates to land Quinn.
Other teams who might need a starting quarterback in 2007, and who might be inclined to trade up if a team like the Texans or the Titans hold the first pick, include the Browns, the Ravens (if the Steve McNair experiment is a disaster), the Chiefs, the Cowboys, and the Lions.
RAMS "STUPID" FOR TRADING FOR RAGONE
If the first official move of the Tony Softli regime in St. Louis was to swing a trade with the Bengals for quarterback Dave Ragone, then that Lombardi trophy in the team's case is going to continue to be lonely for a long while.
A league source tells us that it was a "stupid, stupid move" by the Rams, because the Bengals were getting ready to cut Ragone -- and that "everyone" knew it.
Everyone, of course, but the Rams.
The other strange aspect of the move, as our pal Howard Balzer of USA Today SportsWeekly pointed out to us earlier in the week, is that the Rams could have had Ragone for nothing after he was cut by the Texans. Only the Bengals and the Colts had put in waiver claims, and St. Louis would have been awarded the rights to Ragone by virtue of having a 2005 record worse than either of those teams.
Instead, the Rams will owe a seventh-round pick to the Bengals in 2007 if Ragone makes the roster in St. Louis.
And before anyone concludes that Ragone is merely a cap arm whom the Rams will cut come September, consider this -- the Rams (we're told) gave him a $100,000 signing bonus.
CONFLICTING REPORTS ON BROOKS WORKOUT
On Thursday, we reported that all teams except the Bears were represented at the workout of former Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks.
On Friday, there are discrepancies in the various reports regarding who was and wasn't there. Gil Brandt of NFL.com reports that 31 teams were present for the workout, but that the missing team was the Vikings, not the Bears.
However, we're now certain that the Bears were not there -- so if Brandt is right that the Vikings weren't present (and we're not yet willing to concede that he is), then there were only 30 teams at the workout.
Brandt's information otherwise meshes pretty well with ours regarding the workout.
According to Albert Breer of the Boston Herald, only 22 teams were present at the workout and that the Patriots were one of the absent teams. Breer got his information in this regard from Brooks' agent, Greg Williams.
We're standing by our report, but we're likewise rolling up our sleeves to
find out whether the Vikings, the Pats, or any other teams skipped the workout. The Bears definitely were not there.
FRIDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS
Published reports indicate that Saints LT Jammal Brown's altercation with his wife was more than just yelling.
Rams RB Marshall Faulk says he's a "foreigner to [his] own body."
The 'Skins have signed seventh-round OL Kili Lefotu (gesundheit).
Packers president John Jones is continuing to recover from open heart surgery.
Kenyatta Walker is the only offensive starter from the Bucs' 2002 Super Bowl championship team still at the top of the depth chart.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune digs deep into the cliche' bag for this one: "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Bucs coach Jon Gruden's published quotes from Thursday don't include "Where's my f--king lunch?" . . . but we'd be willing to bet that he said it at some point in the day.
Giants QB Eli Manning pretty much admits that he has no personality or charisma.
The Orlando Predators have extended coach Jay Gruden's contract through 2011.
Veteran Bucs TE Dave Moore, on whether he'd miss the team's outdated practice facility: "Uh . . . no."
Another decade, another Metcalf.
Has Pacman Jones finally grown up?
Agent Jack Bechta apparently needs to slap a muzzle on CB Al Harris.
The Bengals might have a waiting list other than the one for visiting team players in jail.
A limited number of tickets for the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies were available as of 11:00 a.m. EDT on Friday (and our guess is that all of them were gone within minutes -- but that plenty are available via RazorGator.com).