Big Dakota
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Whispers
April 19, 2008
One of the pressing issues confronting the Bills is making sure they re-sign WR Lee Evans before he enters the free-agent fray next offseason. From his on-field talent to his locker-room leadership to his role as the only dependable pass catcher on the roster, he may very well be the single most indispensable Bill. Despite putting up only decent production numbers, Evans is viewed as a premier receiver by those around the league and would command a deal commensurate with some of the game’s elite wideouts on the open market. Buffalo dishes out primo money judiciously, but a team insider told us there’s no doubt they’ll pony up the cash to keep Evans in Buffalo, even if it doesn’t happen until deep into the ’08 season.
Patriots NT Vince Wilfork, the linchpin of the Patriots’ 3-4 defense, ordinarily goes on easy street with his diet and workout regimen for a while after a season ends. Not this year. Wilfork is in the thick of his conditioning program and claims he’s already lost 10 pounds since getting an early jump on things. “Conditioning is a huge area when playing this sport, especially for me, being able to stay on the field as long as I can,” Wilfork said.
While GM Jeff Ireland’s now-infamous “pillar of our defense” quote at his pre-draft press conference seems to bode well for a defensive player being taken with the first overall pick, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that offensive tackle is far and away the Dolphins’ No. 1 need. Vernon Carey and second-year pro Julius Wilson — who’s never seen action in an NFL game — are the only two tackles on the roster. As far as immediate impact is considered, there’s little doubt that Michigan OT Jake Long would make a bigger splash in Miami than anyone else in this draft.
Word out of New York is that the Jets’ draft strategy will be heavily influenced by whether RB Darren McFadden or DE-OLB Vernon Gholston is available when they pick at No. 6. If either is available, expect the Jets to pounce — with McFadden being the choice in the unlikely event both are still on the board. If they’re both gone, however, GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric Mangini will be furiously working the phones to try to trade down. Especially after sinking such an exorbitant amount of money into free agents this offseason, the Jets will be more than pleased to avoid shelling out sixth-pick money if the guys they covet are already gone.
The way we hear it, the Broncos have already informed PK Matt Prater that they will bring in another kicker to compete with him in camp. Denver hosted former Cowboys and Colts PK Mike Vanderjagt for a workout recently, but no deal was made.
Word out of Kansas City is that the Chiefs harbor a belief that free-agent acquisition OT Anthony Alabi can help ease the dire situation that exists on the offensive line. Alabi was canned in Miami primarily because of a knee injury concern, but if healthy, he figures as a considerable upgrade at right tackle over Will Svitek.
Browns WR Donté Stallworth recently shared with PFW his reasons for signing with Cleveland. “I knew once I had decided to make that decision to come there that I’d be comfortable because, for one, I knew a few of the guys on the team. (WR) Braylon (Edwards is) a good friend of mine, I played with (RB) Jamal (Lewis) in college and I’ve known (DL) Shaun Rogers since I was drafted 20,000 years ago,” Stallworth told PFW. “Then, once I got here, I had a chance to meet with all the coaches. (Head coach) Romeo (Crennel), he’s a really good guy. I asked a lot of the guys in New England that played with him while he was up there as defensive coordinator, and everybody had nothing but good things to say about him. He’s in the players’ (ears); you’ll always get honest answers from him. The Browns are a team on the rise. Having a guy like Derek Anderson at quarterback, and also you know you have a guy back there in (Brady) Quinn who’s a young guy with a lot of talent, so quarterback depth is really good there. And they’re both really young, so that sold me twice. They’re looking to make things happen now and not build for the future.”
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said this week that ORG Fred Weary, currently an unrestricted free agent, is recovering well from a broken right leg and should be ready to play by the time training camp starts. Kubiak said the team would have interest in re-signing him once he gets healthy. Weary started the first 12 games last season before suffering the injury.
A Jaguars insider told us not to be surprised if Jacksonville tinkers with some 3-4 defensive alignments next season. Despite the fact that the backgrounds of coach Jack Del Rio and new coordinator Gregg Williams are primarily rooted in the 4-3, personnel groupings make the experimentation an enticing option. The Jags lack prototypical speed at defensive end, but their starters have enough bulk to hold up as bookends in three-man fronts. Furthermore, they feel they have the cast of linebackers necessary to dabble in the scheme. That being said, the 4-3 will remain their base defense.
At first glance, it appears that every one of the Colts’ starters is fairly solidified heading into the draft. But the reality is that the Colts operate out of twin-TE alignments so often that obtaining another tight end to complement Dallas Clark is almost akin to needing another starter. The Colts aren’t confident any of their existing tight ends behind Clark can get the job done, especially considering that what they really need is one who’s a proficient drive blocker.
While they’re not sure the Cardinals will select a cornerback with their first pick in the draft, team insiders tell us they wouldn’t be surprised if Arizona still took two corners in the first four rounds.
We hear the Cardinals are still seriously considering re-signing UFA Mitch Berger to compete with Dirk Johnson for the starting punting job but that they would like to wait until after the draft before possibly sealing a deal.
Wide receiver was the most popular position group among the 26 draft prospects who paid pre-draft visits to Rams Park this past week. Five wideouts — DeSean Jackson (California), James Hardy (Indiana), Donnie Avery (Houston), Andre Caldwell (Florida) and Limas Sweed (Texas) — paid their respects. Word is Rams head coach Scott Linehan is particularly intrigued by Jackson’s big-play ability.
While there are no indications that the Niners are even considering versatile RB Michael Robinson as the front-runner at fullback, daily team observers believe the 228-pound bruiser wouldn’t be a bad candidate at all to fill that role, provided he put on 10-15 pounds. It shouldn’t be too hard to find an upgrade for Moran Norris, who regressed last season, and Robinson provides an extra dimension, beyond being just a pile-moving blocker, with his running and receiving skills.
It would appear the Seahawks aren’t in a great rush to put together a long-term deal for FB Leonard Weaver, who signed his one-year, $1.417 million tender Friday. Weaver’s agent, Harold C. Lewis, told the Tacoma News Tribune that he believed the team wanted a “bigger (sample size) of Leonard playing” before making a long-term commitment. Lewis also said Weaver signed a waiver and participated in all voluntary workouts, even though he was not under contract.
There were some eyebrows raised by the fact that the only head coach not to attend the most recent league meetings was Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren. There were rumors that Holmgren was still feeling too burnt out after the disappointing end to last season in snowy Green Bay, but team sources told us that family issues involving his daughters moving to new homes took precedence over the meetings. The team also had a self-evaluation process going on during the meetings and ended up sending only three team representatives to Palm Beach, Fla.
We hear that the Lions, perhaps feeling that there’s no way Florida DE Derrick Harvey makes it to No. 15, are starting to turn their attention more to Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo.
“Ocho Cinco” in Chicago? That scenario was rumored earlier this week on Chicago talk radio after disgruntled Bengals WR Chad Johnson’s latest plea to be traded. While there’s no denying Johnson’s presence would greatly upgrade the Bears’ WR corps, team insiders doubt strongly that Bears GM Jerry Angelo would seriously consider taking on a potential headache of major proportions.
When asked recently by a team insider which Packers player he thought would improve the most from last season to this season, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy quickly mentioned the name of RB Brandon Jackson. McCarthy loved the way Jackson grew into the team’s third-down role down the stretch in ’07, and he also envisions Jackson as one of the key performers on special teams.
Sources in Atlanta are getting the sense that the Falcons will load up on guards and tackles at the draft next weekend.
The prize of the Falcons’ free-agent signings, RB Michael Turner, did not practice at this week’s minicamp as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. We hear, however, that he was in good enough shape and likely would have participated had it been a meeting of greater significance, like training camp.
If you can tell what the league thinks of a team by the number of scheduled prime-time games it receives, the Panthers aren’t well-respected, according to sources in Charlotte. Carolina has 15 of its 16 games in early time slots, with a lone Monday-night matchup against the Bucs in Week 14.
Saints RB Deuce McAllister agreed to restructure his contract this week, modifying the deal to root it in incentives as he attempts to return from his second torn ACL in three seasons. Though the potential for a pay cut from the $3.6 million salary and $1.1 million in bonuses now exists, we hear the negotiations were amicable. Each side feels it has some added protection with the new agreement. McAllister doesn’t have to fear getting cut quite as much as before, and the team won’t have to worry about overpaying for a player with two tender knees.
Despite reports from Jerry Jones himself that there is “no movement” on the Pacman Jones trade, we hear that Jones’ statement is, in part, posturing. The deal is far from dead, and we hear the Cowboys actually would like to have something in place before the draft begins, despite saying the trade would have no impact on the draft otherwise.
The Michael Strahan story likely will linger into the summer months, but our Giants sources feel the same now as they did right after the Super Bowl: Strahan is more likely than not to return for at least one final season.
Our moles in Washington say that the Commanders are not too happy with the recently unveiled schedule, which pits them against all three NFC East opponents on the road in the first five weeks of the season. That’s a lot to ask of any team, much less one that has a rookie head coach.
April 19, 2008
Bills WR Lee Evans
One of the pressing issues confronting the Bills is making sure they re-sign WR Lee Evans before he enters the free-agent fray next offseason. From his on-field talent to his locker-room leadership to his role as the only dependable pass catcher on the roster, he may very well be the single most indispensable Bill. Despite putting up only decent production numbers, Evans is viewed as a premier receiver by those around the league and would command a deal commensurate with some of the game’s elite wideouts on the open market. Buffalo dishes out primo money judiciously, but a team insider told us there’s no doubt they’ll pony up the cash to keep Evans in Buffalo, even if it doesn’t happen until deep into the ’08 season.
NOT!
