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Whispers
April 5, 2008
There is more than one person in the Lions’ organization who thinks Drew Stanton is the best quarterback on the roster. Stanton has begun practicing for the first time since early in the 2007 training camp — he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in August and spent the season on injured reserve — and he’ll start this summer’s camp with a lot to prove. Yet, many feel he could supplant Jon Kitna before the end of the season.
The Vikings expect Ellis Wyms to step in at the No. 3 DT role — the underrated Spencer Johnson held that down before moving on in free agency — behind starters Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and think Wyms just might turn out to be a free-agent steal.
Don’t be surprised if the Bears increase the role of versatile fifth-year DL Israel Idonije, whom Bears head coach Lovie Smith went out of his way to compliment at the league owners’ meetings this week.
While Packers GM Ted Thompson wouldn’t go as far as to predict DT Johnny Jolly would be ready for training camp following rotator-cuff surgery, he did say at the league owners’ meetings this week that Jolly appeared to be making good progress in his recovery.
Donovan McNabb, barring a ridiculous trade offer from another team, will be an Eagle in 2008. Andy Reid pretty much shot down any lingering trade rumors at the owners’ meetings this week.
It appears that restricted free agents DE Chris Canty and RB Marion Barber are going to have to settle for their tender offers for now. The Cowboys have shown more interest in getting a long-term deal done with Barber — though nothing has come close to materializing with agent Drew Rosenhaus — and have done little with Canty.
Don’t completely dismiss the Giants-Saints trade rumors involving Giants TE Jeremy Shockey. Although the trade as discussed — Shockey to New Orleans for SS Roman Harper and the 40th pick — probably won’t happen, we’re told that there was dialogue on that subject.
While the Cardinals claim that the hold-up in finalizing WR Larry Fitzgerald’s contract did not keep them from being able to sign unrestricted free-agent LB Brandon Chillar, as had been widely assumed in league circles, we hear the team’s extremely tight purse strings before finally sealing the Fitzgerald deal did make it too difficult to re-sign backup OG Keydrick Vincent, who moved on to Carolina. We’re told Vincent was a player the Redbirds really wanted to keep.
With hopes of settling on a new training-camp site before the end of April, we hear the Rams are considering three specific Wisconsin locations (the universities at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and possibly a site in Madison), as well as a return to their former campsite in Macomb, Ill. Rams head coach Scott Linehan said at the owners’ meetings this week that the possibility of moving the team’s training camp to Wisconsin-Whitewater was very unlikely due to facility issues. Linehan also said that, if the team does end up training in Wisconsin, both the Chiefs, who train in River Falls, Wis., and the Packers would be interested in holding joint practices, but that the Bears, who train just outside of Chicago in Lake Forest, Ill., would not.
The early word on the Niners’ starting DE spot vacated by the retiring Bryant Young is that fourth-year pro Ronald Fields is first in line to take over but that fourth-year pro Isaac Sopoaga, who primarily shared the NT role with Aubrayo Franklin last season, could also share a lot of the load on the edge.
Our Seahawks sources tell us two young players who need to really step it up this season are LBs Lance Laury and Will Herring. Not only do they have big shoes to fill, replacing departed LBs Kevin Bentley and Niko Koutouvides as the LB corps’ primary backups along with recently re-signed D.D. Lewis, they also are being counted on to replace Bentley and Koutouvides as Seattle’s special-teams heavyweights.
We hear Rams unrestricted free-agent TE Aaron Walker remains on the Bears’ radar screen as a possible replacement for blocking specialist John Gilmore, who signed with the Bucs. Walker visited Halas Hall March 12.
Panthers coach John Fox told reporters he expected DE Julius Peppers to bounce back from his struggles last season. Peppers had a career-low 2½ sacks in 2007 and is entering the final season of his seven-year rookie contract. There were rumors that Carolina was set to make him the highest-paid defender in the league during training camp last year, and talk of a contract extension is sure to build again after the draft and during camp.
Sources say it would be an unpopular move to hand Peppers, whose desire and work ethic have been questioned by fans and media, a record contract, but it appears Fox is firmly in his corner. The Carolina front office may not want to take the risk of letting Peppers play through his deal and potentially lose him in free agency in 2009.
First-year Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff made some news at the NFL owners’ meetings. Dimitroff said he had yet to receive any trade offers for his club’s No. 3 overall draft pick but would be interested in talking with other teams about making a swap that would enable Atlanta to move down and pick up an extra pick.
Saints DE Will Smith has decided to sit out the team’s offseason workouts and wants to renegotiate the terms of his contract. Smith is due to be paid just over $1 million in 2008, the final year of his rookie contract, and might be looking for a new deal similar to that of teammate DE Charles Grant, who signed a seven-year, $63 million contract before last season. Saints coach Sean Payton indicated this week that he understands Smith’s position and thinks a new agreement may be worked out.
One team insider we talked to was surprised when the Bills were awarded fourth- and seventh-round compensatory picks in the upcoming draft. His feeling was that the team’s two big free-agent acquisitions last offseason — OG Derrick Dockery and OT Langston Walker — would offset the losses of CB Nate Clements and MLB London Fletcher, and that the additional departures of OL Mike Gandy and WR-KR André Davis didn’t warrant the extra picks.
We hear that the Patriots have legitimate interest in Eagles CB Lito Sheppard, despite the fact that the Eagles have stated publicly that they’re not interested in trading him. Nevertheless, there’s a good chance of Sheppard being dealt on draft weekend, and the Pats are at or near the top of the list of suitors. The Patriots have signed a slew of corners this offseason, but none approaches the athleticism of the one-time Philly star, when healthy.
Don’t be surprised if the Dolphins take a couple of offensive linemen early in the draft. Coach Tony Sparano has stated his desire to fortify a shoddy unit, and with his O-line background and Bill Parcells’ affinity for building a team starting in the trenches, it makes a lot of sense. One team source we talked to predicted they’d take two linemen within their first three picks — their first three being No. 1 overall and two picks in the second round (Nos. 32 and 57).
One of the more intriguing players on the Jets’ roster is OLB Bryan Thomas. A first-round pick in 2002, he had a great year in 2006 in his first season playing 3-4 outside linebacker after being a 4-3 defensive end to start his career. But he regressed last season, and the jury is very much out as to how he fits into the team’s future plans. With good athleticism, he could pose an interesting piece of trade bait during the draft.
One team source we talked to offered an interesting take on why the Chiefs have spent so little in free agency. After owner/chairman Clark Hunt invested $125 million in the $350 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, he simply didn’t have the money to go out and spend lavishly on players, the source said.
For all his antics off the field, insiders in Denver tell PFW that WR Brandon Marshall isn’t a bad guy but does have somewhat of a temper.
We hear Chris Kuper is the front-runner to fill the Broncos’ vacancy at left tackle created by the retirement of Matt Lepsis. Kuper can play guard or tackle, started 11 games last season and has quickly worked his way up the ladder since he was drafted in 2006. His rise is impressive, considering head coach Mike Shanahan generally stocks his line with more experienced players.
The way we hear it, the Texans’ OLT job remains Ephraim Salaam’s to lose. However, it should be noted that the Texans would not hesitate to give a rookie a shot at the job. Head coach Gary Kubiak chose then-rookie OLT Charles Spencer over Seth Wand in ’06. Two games into his career, Spencer suffered a knee injury he is now just coming back from.
One Titans draft need, the way we hear it, is a young outside linebacker who can contribute on special teams. And special-teams ability will be key because starting OLBs Keith Bulluck and David Thornton are not leaving the lineup any time soon.
At present, Leroy Harris is listed as the starting left guard on the Titans’ depth chart. However, we’re hearing fifth-year veteran Eugene Amano is expected to make a strong push to capture the job.
Ravens TE Daniel Wilcox had this to say about new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron: “I don’t think he is going to let a defense dictate what we are going to do on offense.” Wilcox told PFW he expects the Ravens to take a more aggressive approach on offense, something he says suits an offense that wants to prove it is better than it has shown. “We think we are oversaturated with talent,” Wilcox said.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis’ strong comments about WR Chad Johnson at the league meetings this week marked a change in tone for him; he had been known for his measured comments about his talented but volatile star receiver. This time Lewis, who indicated Johnson would have to either play for the Bengals or sit out the ’08 season, took a hard-line approach. The way we hear it, the Bengals’ resentment about Johnson’s public lobbying for a trade has been building for some time.
Mark Bartelstein, agent for UFA DE Bryan Robinson, told PFW on Thursday that five or six teams had shown interest in his client and that Robinson “would like to get something done soon.” Robinson, 33, played all 16 games for Cincinnati last season, notching 19 tackles.
LINK
April 5, 2008
Lions QB Drew Stanton
Sources say it would be an unpopular move to hand Peppers, whose desire and work ethic have been questioned by fans and media, a record contract, but it appears Fox is firmly in his corner. The Carolina front office may not want to take the risk of letting Peppers play through his deal and potentially lose him in free agency in 2009.
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