JonCJG
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POSTED 10:34 p.m. EDT, August 20, 2006
DAVIS HEADING TO PHILLY
A team source tells us that running back Stephen Davis will visit with the Eagles on Monday, possibly as a precursor to signing a free-agent deal.
Davis passed a physical last week with Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. A letter was then sent to every team explaining that Davis is healthy and available.
The Eagles currently have injury issues at the tailback position. Brian Westbrook has a bad foot. Correll Buckhalter is working his way back from two lost seasons; he managed a 48-yard run on Thursday night against the Ravens.
Other teams that could be interested in Davis include the Commanders. Davis was drafted by Washington in 1996 and spent seven seasons in D.C. Coach Steve Spurrier gave up on him after the 2002 season, but Davis then had his best season ever in 2003 with the Panthers, as Carolina landed in the Super Bowl. Davis was injured for most of the 2004 season, and had 12 touchdowns in 13 games before landing in IR in 2005.
Another possible scenario would be for Davis to sign with a new team after the first week of the regular season, since if he is on any team's roster for the opening weekend his entire salary would be fully guaranteed.
DAVIS HEADING TO PHILLY
A team source tells us that running back Stephen Davis will visit with the Eagles on Monday, possibly as a precursor to signing a free-agent deal.
Davis passed a physical last week with Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. A letter was then sent to every team explaining that Davis is healthy and available.
The Eagles currently have injury issues at the tailback position. Brian Westbrook has a bad foot. Correll Buckhalter is working his way back from two lost seasons; he managed a 48-yard run on Thursday night against the Ravens.
Other teams that could be interested in Davis include the Commanders. Davis was drafted by Washington in 1996 and spent seven seasons in D.C. Coach Steve Spurrier gave up on him after the 2002 season, but Davis then had his best season ever in 2003 with the Panthers, as Carolina landed in the Super Bowl. Davis was injured for most of the 2004 season, and had 12 touchdowns in 13 games before landing in IR in 2005.
Another possible scenario would be for Davis to sign with a new team after the first week of the regular season, since if he is on any team's roster for the opening weekend his entire salary would be fully guaranteed.
POSTED 6:47 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:29 p.m. EDT, August 20, 2006
ROSENHAUS TAKES UP FOR T.O.
Want more proof that the situation between Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and receiver Terrell Owens is dangerously close to an implosion? Look no farther than Sunday's appearance by agent Drew Rosenhaus on ESPN's SportsCenter, in which Rosenhaus gives the media a tongue lashing for putting pressure on Owens to practice while suffering from a "serious injury."
Said Rosenhaus, to Bob Ley: "I represent approximately eighty players in the NFL, and many of them are injured and most of them don't have injuries that are as serious as Terrell's and they don't get any flak. I think this is a non-story. Terrell Owens has a serious injury. He has a pulled hamstring. He is coming off of this injury to the best of anyone's ability and I think that the pressure that has been placed on him by the media is just ridiculous.
"Let me just state it again: He is injured. He wants to practice. He wants to play. Let me remind everybody about what he did at the Super Bowl a few years ago where he came off of an injury that people thought might have been career threatening. It's ludicrous to suspect that he's doing anything but working at his hardest to come back. Terrell loves to practice. People have criticized him in the past for many things but no one has ever said that he doesn't love to work and love to practice. He is hurt, and he's still hurt."
By focusing his attention solely on the media, Rosenhaus ignores the fact that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently urged Owens to practice at less than 100 percent. Likewise, it's been no secret that coach Bill Parcells has been frustrated by Owens' failure to practice on a hamstring that showed no damage in an MRI. Indeed, Mike Silver of Sports Illustrated reported last week that Owens' Wednesday return to practice was the direct result of a direct order from the Tuna to the team's trainer that Owens will be on the field the next day.
Owens then practiced on Wednesday through Saturday morning, before retreating to his stationary bike for the afternoon session. On Saturday night, we heard that Owens is now claiming that the premature resumption of practice resulted in an aggravation of the injury, that he won't come back until he believes that he is at 100 percent, and that he might miss the first game of the regular season as he heals.
Most telling regarding his agent's comments, in our view, is the fact that Rosenhaus speaks in the present tense. "Terrell Owens has a serious injury. . . . He is injured."
Our take? It's a deliberate effort by Owens, through Rosenhaus, to defuse any further criticism from the media -- or from anyone associated with the team -- when Owens fails to dress out for practice on Wednesday, the team's next scheduled practice session, and beyond.
And it's further proof that a real battle is looming between Owens and Parcells, which still could result (we believe) in Owens' name being omitted from the 53-man roster. If the Cowboys release him before the start of the regular season, the team would avoid responsibility for $5 million in salary, which otherwise will become fully guaranteed as of September 10.
We also think that the decision of Rosenhaus to stick his nose into the situation will serve only to aggravate Parcells, and could made it easier for the Tuna to persuade Jones that the team should cut its losses by cutting T.O.
JETS LAND BARLOW
Only days after the Jets tossed tailback Lee Suggs back to Cleveland after he failed a physical, Gang Green struck a deal with the 49ers for veteran running back Kevan Barlow.
The move gives the Jets a viable No. 1 runner if, as it appears, Curtis Martin won' be back. The trade also clears the way for Frank Gore to become the every-down guy in San Fran.
In return, the Niners receive an undisclosed draft pick in 2007. Barlow is signed through 2008, and he is scheduled to earn $2.5 million in 2006.
Whether Barlow has enough time to learn the Jets' offense and contribute this season is a separate issue. As Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post expertly points out in a shish-ka-bobbing of coach Eric Mangini and G.M. Mike Tannenbaum, the organization by all appearances dragged its feet for far too long in addressing the gaping hole that Martin's absence would create. With two first-round picks, the Jets had plenty of other options. They could have traded down from the fourth overall pick and selected a top-tier running back. They could have traded up from No. 29 and done the same. They could have taken Joseph Addai or LenDale White or Maurice Jones-Drew at No. 29. They could have (as we recently suggested) insisted that T.J. Duckett be added to the deal that sent John Abraham to Atlanta.
And, obviously, they could have slapped together the No. 4 and No. 29 picks and whatever else was necessary to persuade the Texans to give up the No. 1 spot, and the Jets could have had Reggie Bush.
But, hey, the first year of a new regime is the best year in which to go into the tank. They can worry about the tailback position come 2007, when the expectations will be a bit higher.
