JonCJG
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POSTED 12:41 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006
RAIDERS DANGLING PORTER
We've heard from two different sources that the Oakland Raiders are willing to trade receiver Jerry Porter, if an interested partner can be identified. One source said that the Raiders discreetly have been shopping Porter for several months.
Porter was a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2000. He received a $7 million signing bonus in 2005, only a day or two before word broke of a trade that sent Randy Moss to the Bay Area.
Porter is scheduled to earn base salaries of $1 million in 2006 and 2007.
Teams that might be interested include the Eagles, Packers, Bears, Patriots, Jaguars, Saints, and 49ers.
POSTED 12:10 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006
PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NO. 11
We received an e-mail on Tuesday congratulating us for not ranking the New York Giants below No. 12 on our Preseason Power Rankings. We wonder what the guy will have to say about the No. 11 team on our list.
The New York Giants.
We're not sure what to make of this team, frankly. It's like an ensemble cast of a bad sitcom. There's the cranky old man in coach Tom Coughlin. There's the brash young redneck in Jeremy Shockey. There's the backward young redneck in Eli Manning.
There's the misunderstood hoodlum in Plaxico Burress. And the kid with the Webster/Gary Coleman factor in Sinorice Moss.
Plus, there's the big imposing guy who's either secretly gay, a sister-in-law-peeping perv, or maybe both.
So can these diverse personalities come together? Yeah, until a really important game comes along, when they'll fracture or splinter in some critical way, just like they did for a home-field playoff loss to the Panthers, in which the Giants scored a grand total of, well, no points.
Remember that one? Plaxico quit on the team, and then running back Tiki Barber publicly dissed the coaching staff.
Perhaps the lack of bonding has its roots in the offseason, when Shockey, Burress, and Moss acted as if the term "voluntary" when used in the context of "workout" really means "voluntary." FOX analyst Troy Aikman hit the nail on the noggin several weeks back when he said that the lack of reps with quarterback Eli Manning will ****** his development. (The use of "Eli Manning" and "******" in the same sentence is purely coincidental, and not intended to be any type of implicit comparison between Eli and, say, Forrest Gump.)
Speaking of Eli, something ain't right there, in our opinion. Former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt once complained that Eli's brother, Peyton, is too laid back. But Eli makes Peyton look like Rip Taylor.
We're not saying that Eli should be grabbing facemasks or kicking his teammates square in the ***, but something like, you know, a pulse would be nice.
Newcomers this year include linebacker LaVar Arrington, cornerback Sam Madison, cornerback R.W. McQuarters, and safety Will Demps. Gone are cornerback William Peterson, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, safety Brent Alexander, and linebacker Barrett Green.
The big questions for the coming season are whether Eli Manning can continue to develop, whether Tiki Barber can still grind out the yards despite being on the wrong side of 30, and whether Arrington can become dominant working behind Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.
And whether they can all work together when the chips are down.
Our guess? They'll get back to the playoffs, but that's all the farther they'll get.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: Eli has a long way to go before he'll be matching his brother's numbers. Someone in every league will take him higher than he should be drafted. Don't be that guy. Or gal. Eli is still a C student.
Running back: Tiki Barber had a great year in 2005, with more than 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns. And he caught 50-plus passes for another 500-plus yards. Though we're getting concerned about his age, he's still an A- as fantasy backs go.
Wide receiver: Despite his turdish tendencies, Plaxico Burress put up solid stats in his first year with the Giants. But so did T.O. in season one with the Eagles. We're not predicting a full-blown meltdown for Plaxico, but there's still a bad taste in plenty of mouths regarding his behavior during and after the 23-0 loss to the Panthers in January. He gets a B-.
Tight end: Jeremy Shockey is one of the top tight ends in the game. As we've said plenty of times before, however, we'd take a solid third receiver over most tight ends. As tight ends go, though, Shockey is a B+.
Defense: Despite all of those great defenses from Giants teams past, this unit is so-so, at best. The addition of Arrington and Madison will help, but they'll miss Clancy more than they'll ever admit.
Kicker: Jay Feely was the leading scorer among kickers in 2005. How does he not get an A?
POSTED 9:32 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2006
SANTURDIO A STEELER?
We're picking up some info from our sources in the 'Burgh regarding the status of negotiations between the Steelers and first-round draft pick Santurdio, the 25th overall selection this year.
Word is that a deal is very close, if not already done.
The news is shocking, given the reputation of agent Joel Segal for refusing to do a first-round deal until the guys taken before and after his client have signed.
In this case, the player taken with the No. 24 pick (Bengals corner Johnathan Joseph) and the player selected at No. 26 (Bills defensive tackle John McCargo) have not agreed to terms.
It also remains to be seen whether and to what extent the Steelers have built protections into the deal, given that Santurdio was arrested twice in a three-week period earlier this year.
Stay tuned.
RAIDERS DANGLING PORTER
We've heard from two different sources that the Oakland Raiders are willing to trade receiver Jerry Porter, if an interested partner can be identified. One source said that the Raiders discreetly have been shopping Porter for several months.
Porter was a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2000. He received a $7 million signing bonus in 2005, only a day or two before word broke of a trade that sent Randy Moss to the Bay Area.
Porter is scheduled to earn base salaries of $1 million in 2006 and 2007.
Teams that might be interested include the Eagles, Packers, Bears, Patriots, Jaguars, Saints, and 49ers.
POSTED 12:10 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2006
PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NO. 11
We received an e-mail on Tuesday congratulating us for not ranking the New York Giants below No. 12 on our Preseason Power Rankings. We wonder what the guy will have to say about the No. 11 team on our list.
The New York Giants.
We're not sure what to make of this team, frankly. It's like an ensemble cast of a bad sitcom. There's the cranky old man in coach Tom Coughlin. There's the brash young redneck in Jeremy Shockey. There's the backward young redneck in Eli Manning.
There's the misunderstood hoodlum in Plaxico Burress. And the kid with the Webster/Gary Coleman factor in Sinorice Moss.
Plus, there's the big imposing guy who's either secretly gay, a sister-in-law-peeping perv, or maybe both.
So can these diverse personalities come together? Yeah, until a really important game comes along, when they'll fracture or splinter in some critical way, just like they did for a home-field playoff loss to the Panthers, in which the Giants scored a grand total of, well, no points.
Remember that one? Plaxico quit on the team, and then running back Tiki Barber publicly dissed the coaching staff.
Perhaps the lack of bonding has its roots in the offseason, when Shockey, Burress, and Moss acted as if the term "voluntary" when used in the context of "workout" really means "voluntary." FOX analyst Troy Aikman hit the nail on the noggin several weeks back when he said that the lack of reps with quarterback Eli Manning will ****** his development. (The use of "Eli Manning" and "******" in the same sentence is purely coincidental, and not intended to be any type of implicit comparison between Eli and, say, Forrest Gump.)
Speaking of Eli, something ain't right there, in our opinion. Former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt once complained that Eli's brother, Peyton, is too laid back. But Eli makes Peyton look like Rip Taylor.
We're not saying that Eli should be grabbing facemasks or kicking his teammates square in the ***, but something like, you know, a pulse would be nice.
Newcomers this year include linebacker LaVar Arrington, cornerback Sam Madison, cornerback R.W. McQuarters, and safety Will Demps. Gone are cornerback William Peterson, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, safety Brent Alexander, and linebacker Barrett Green.
The big questions for the coming season are whether Eli Manning can continue to develop, whether Tiki Barber can still grind out the yards despite being on the wrong side of 30, and whether Arrington can become dominant working behind Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.
And whether they can all work together when the chips are down.
Our guess? They'll get back to the playoffs, but that's all the farther they'll get.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: Eli has a long way to go before he'll be matching his brother's numbers. Someone in every league will take him higher than he should be drafted. Don't be that guy. Or gal. Eli is still a C student.
Running back: Tiki Barber had a great year in 2005, with more than 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns. And he caught 50-plus passes for another 500-plus yards. Though we're getting concerned about his age, he's still an A- as fantasy backs go.
Wide receiver: Despite his turdish tendencies, Plaxico Burress put up solid stats in his first year with the Giants. But so did T.O. in season one with the Eagles. We're not predicting a full-blown meltdown for Plaxico, but there's still a bad taste in plenty of mouths regarding his behavior during and after the 23-0 loss to the Panthers in January. He gets a B-.
Tight end: Jeremy Shockey is one of the top tight ends in the game. As we've said plenty of times before, however, we'd take a solid third receiver over most tight ends. As tight ends go, though, Shockey is a B+.
Defense: Despite all of those great defenses from Giants teams past, this unit is so-so, at best. The addition of Arrington and Madison will help, but they'll miss Clancy more than they'll ever admit.
Kicker: Jay Feely was the leading scorer among kickers in 2005. How does he not get an A?
POSTED 9:32 p.m. EDT, July 25, 2006
SANTURDIO A STEELER?
We're picking up some info from our sources in the 'Burgh regarding the status of negotiations between the Steelers and first-round draft pick Santurdio, the 25th overall selection this year.
Word is that a deal is very close, if not already done.
The news is shocking, given the reputation of agent Joel Segal for refusing to do a first-round deal until the guys taken before and after his client have signed.
In this case, the player taken with the No. 24 pick (Bengals corner Johnathan Joseph) and the player selected at No. 26 (Bills defensive tackle John McCargo) have not agreed to terms.
It also remains to be seen whether and to what extent the Steelers have built protections into the deal, given that Santurdio was arrested twice in a three-week period earlier this year.
Stay tuned.
