Try to contain your excitement while reading this…

Randy Moss is coming back to the NFL.

“I just wanna go to a team and play some football,” Moss said in an announcment to “true Moss fans” on his 35th birthday via his Ustream.tv channel this morning. “The real Moss is on his way back to the NFL,” he said. “I didn’t want to make no splash, that’s why I left it on Moss TV.”

Well, good thing he made the announcement on “Moss TV” seeing as how he didn’t want to make “no” splash. I’m sure the 12 people who tuned in will keep the situation on the down low for Randy.

I know what some of you are thinking: ‘Hey, for one year I’d see if Moss has anything left in the tank.’ But let’s be realistic for a moment: Which team would really want this guy?

First and foremost, nobody was interested in his services two years ago when he managed to get booted off two teams in one season. So why would anyone be interested now? Because he’s older and wiser?

There are plenty of receiver-needy teams that might be willing to kick the tire on Moss this offseason. But general managers of these receiver-needy teams would be better off trying to develop young talent than shoehorning Moss into the lineup for one season. After all, one year of Randy Moss isn’t going to solve any team’s receiver issues.

Winning has been the only thing that has kept Moss from being a distraction over his career. Chances are he would keep quiet for one last chance to play for a winning franchise, a la Plaxico Burress last season. Thus, Moss may be worth the risk for a good team like the 49ers, who oh-by-the-way will be searching for a wideout this offseason.

But have you seen the receivers that could be available this year? Vincent Jackson, Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Steve Johnson, Brandon Llyod, Robert Meachem, Mario Manningham, Laurent Robinson and Mike Wallace (restricted) are just a handful of the receivers whose contracts are expiring this offseason. Early Doucet, Harry Douglas, Legedu Naanee, Eddie Royal, Andre Caldwell, Roy Williams and Jerome Simpson could be available as well.

So why on earth would any team take on a potential headache like Moss when they could get a younger, potentially much better receiver on the open market?

I think it’s great that Moss is feeling rejuvenated on his 35th birthday. But if he wanted to play football so badly then he should have shut his mouth and trusted that the Patriots would give him a new contract in 2010. Instead, he pouted (just like he did in Oakland) and managed to completely fall off the radar.

“Faith, family, and football, that’s my M.O., bro,” Moss said. “Your boy be back for the upcoming season.”

We’ll see, Randy.

In today’s quick hits, Albert Haynesworth and Reggie Bush have new homes, the Dolphins could be ready for big things this season and are the Texans now the new front-runners for Nnamdi Asomugha?

- Can I sing the praises of Bill Belichick for a moment? Ah what the hell, I’m going to do it anyway – with or without your permission. Has the man ever been had in a deal? He traded a second round pick for Corey Dillon, who helped him win a Super Bowl. He traded Richard Seymour, who was due a raise, for a first round pick and netted a potential starting offensive lineman in Nate Solder. He traded a fourth round pick for Randy Moss, who helped him reach the Super Bowl. He then traded an older, more disgruntled Moss for a third round pick. And now in his latest move, Belichick landed Albert Haynesworth, who is undoubtedly one of the best interior defensive tackles in the game when his head is on straight, for a messily fifth rounder. Granted, in the end the Patriots are just acquiring talent, much like any team would. But they’re not like any other team because they have Belichick, a man players like Dillon, Moss and now Hanyesworth will fall into line for in exchange for the chance to win. The man never ceases to amaze me.

- The Jets and Patriots will still get the bulk of the attention in the AFC East but I really like what the Dolphins have done the past two offseasons. They hired a solid defensive coordinator in Mike Nolan, signed the most versatile linebacker in the league in Karlos Dansby, acquired a No. 1 receiver in Brandon Marshall, have drafted good young talent in Mike Pouncey and Daniel Thomas, are on the verge of trading for the underrated Kyle Orton, and on Thursday nabbed Reggie Bush for a late round pick. Bush has proven that he isn’t an every-down back but he’s the type of game-changer that Miami needs. (How good will Bush look out of the Wildcat?) Assuming Thomas pans out, the Dolphins now have more explosiveness in their backfield and will soon reunite Marshall with Orton, a duo that worked well together in Denver. The Dolphins are slowly building a winner, folks.

- I want to see the incriminating photos that Carolina GM Marty Hurney and head coach Ron Rivera have on Steve Smith in order to get the 32-year-old receiver to back off his desire to be traded and essentially state that he wants to remain a Panther for life. Not that Smith has been making a big fuss about being traded, but if there were one player I thought was a shoe-in to be dealt this summer, it was Donovan McNabb. But if there were two players I thought were a shoe-in to be dealt this summer, it was McNabb and Smith.

- NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi tweets that the Texans have “moved into the lead” for free agent Nnamdi Asomugha. Considering their defense was scored on more times than Jenna Haze last season, I would like to think that the Texans would be aggressive in their pursuit of Asomugha.

- The Cardinals and Eagles are getting close to completing the Kevin Kolb deal according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Arizona has to be stoked to get a quarterback that can actually play. Wait, Kolb can play can’t he? Ah whatever, the Cardinals will worry about that later…

T.O. to NY? It kind of has a nice ring to it, but that’s about all it has.

With Santonio Holmes set to miss the first four weeks of the season due to a suspension, signing Owens seems like a logical move for the Jets on paper. But in reality, what happens after Holmes returns? Owens goes home?

The pecking order in the Jets’ passing game this year will go a little something like this: Holmes (once he returns), Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, Al Toon. As you can see, there aren’t enough passes to go around if T.O. were thrown into the mix, especially when you consider that Mark Sanchez is still trying to develop as a passer.

Which is another thing: T.O. must be avoided so that Sanchez has room to grow. The Jets’ passing game is a work in progress and Owens would have plenty to groan about if a) he wasn’t getting enough touches and b) Sanchez started to struggle.

The fastest way to stunt a quarterback’s development is to play him before he’s ready. The second fastest is having Terrell Owens on the roster.

Kudos to Mike Tannenbaum for considering all of his options (the Jets were the same team that showed a small interest in JaMarcus Russell before he was busted sippin’ the syruuuup), but in the end there just isn’t enough room for T.O. in the Big Apple.

Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson and Jason Smith are still largely inexperienced.

Sam Bradford, Mardy Gilyard and Rodger Saffold are really inexperienced.

That’s why the Rams’ decision to pass on Terrell Owens today was the correct one. This is a team in rebuilding mode and adding a 37-year-old receiver coming off a bad year and who has a history of criticizing quarterbacks isn’t ideal. Can T.O. still contribute in the right situation? Yes, but not in St. Louis.

Some are quick to point out that T.O. wasn’t a distraction last year in Buffalo. That’s because he couldn’t have been a distraction – the team was awful and so was he. Does anyone really think that he would have kept his mouth shut if he had posted solid numbers week in and week out and the Bills still lost? Not a chance.

The Rams are better off in the long run. Avery, Robinson and Gilyard all of upside – Owens doesn’t. Besides, what’s the best case scenario if the Rams sign T.O.? He plays well and they go 4-12 instead of 2-14? It’s saying a lot that Owens would even be worth two wins, so signing him would almost seem unnecessary for St. Louis.

Cincinnati, however, is a different story. They made the playoffs last year, have a veteran quarterback at the helm and in their offense, they have enough playmakers so that T.O. wouldn’t be the focal point (unlike if he landed in St. Louis). Not to mention, their locker room isn’t as inexperienced as the Rams’ is and one would think that Chad Ochocinco would nullify anything Owens brought to the table in terms of personality. Carson Palmer wouldn’t stand for being treated like a 2-year-old either.

The Bengals are a decent fit for T.O. – the Rams are not. We’ll see if Cincinnati eventually pulls the trigger on a contract for Owens. My guess is they will.

In other Rams-related news, FOX Sports is reporting that the team is close to signing No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that the Rams are serious about signing Terrell Owens to a contract, presumably because they want to stunt the growth of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. (Just goofin’!…Kind of.)

The Rams asked Owens through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, if he would consider a serious contract proposal, even though they are not considered a playoff contender. Rosenhaus told the team Owens would definitely consider it, sources said.

Apparently the Bengals are also still in the mix for T.O.

The Cincinnati Bengals, as reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, are also engaged in talks with Owens. The Bengals signed free-agent receiver Antonio Bryant during the offseason but Bryant has struggled so far. According to a team source, that has motivated the Bengals to take another look at Owens.

One source said the Rams have gotten very aggressive in their pursuit of Owens and it’s possible that Owens will sign with the Rams or Bengals within the next 48 to 72 hours.

However, the Bengals still have given no indication they’re ready to offer a contract. They want to get a good look at their young wide receivers and have five preseason games to do it. They need some of those guys to play special teams. Chad Ochocinco, Bryant and Owens would not be special teams-type guys, so it’s uncertain how quickly the Bengals would react if they sensed he was about to sign with someone else.

The names listed on the Rams’ receiving depth chart aren’t going to stand out: Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Mardy Gilyard, which is why signing T.O. makes sense on the surface. But believe it or not, all three of those wideouts still have a lot of upside and if they can stay healthy, I for one believe that St. Louis could have a solid receiving corps in 2010 and beyond. I wouldn’t view signing T.O. as a bad thing necessarily, I just don’t think it would be necessary for a team like the Rams.

The Bengals, on the other hand, make more sense. There wouldn’t be much concern that T.O. would damage the team’s locker room (really, how more can it be damaged?) and Cincy has a veteran quarterback in Carson Palmer who could deal with a personality like the one Owens has. Plus, a trio of Ochocinco, T.O. and Antonio Bryant would, at the very least, be an upgrade over the unit the Bengals had last year. Not that T.O. is an elite receiver or even a great No. 2, but he could be a decent complementary piece in an improved Cincinnati passing game.

While speaking at the NFL’s Rookie Symposium over the weekend, commissioner Roger Goodell said that Titans’ quarterback Vince Young is unlikely to be suspended following an incident in which he punched a man in a strip club earlier this month.

From FOX Sports.com:

Goodell acknowledged that a first-time legal offender like Young is unlikely to face an NFL suspension. Young, though, is guilty of embarrassing the NFL with a physical confrontation that was caught on the strip club’s security camera.

When announcing a six-game suspension for Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in April, Goodell said one of the reasons for the punishment stemmed from behavior that “undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs or players.”

Asked whether Young did the same and if that would factor into his final decision, Goodell said, “I think you have to look at these cases individually and understand them in a way of what are the issues going on with any individual. The intent of the (personal conduct) policy is to intervene so you help some individuals make a better decision and avoid these troubles. So when I sit down and look at all the facts around Vince or any other player, you want to make sure they understand that and what the policy was designed to do and more importantly understand the responsibility (of being an NFL player).”

Some think that Goodell is too harsh on players and maybe he is. But the thing he does well is look at each situation separately when it comes to making a decision about whether or not to punish a player. If he needs to compare two separate incidents in order to determine the appropriate punishment for a player he will, but he’s not going to suspend Young for six games just because he served Big Ben for that amount. Nor should he.

Young made a mistake, but this was also the first time he’s been in any sort of trouble. Goodell recognizes that and while he can’t be pleased that the incident occurred, I think it’s fair that Young goes without punishment.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/06/28/vince-young-unlikely-to-be-suspended/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/06/02/with-jackson-out-for-the-season-what-are-the-eagles-options-at-free-safety/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/06/02/with-jackson-out-for-the-season-what-are-the-eagles-options-at-free-safety/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:30:29 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=40667

Marlin Jackson apparently has less luck than the victims of those “Saw” movies.

On Tuesday, Jackson suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in his right foot, which will end his season – if not his career. The injury comes on the heels of the Eagles’ signing him to a two-year, $6 million deal to be their new free safety despite the fact that he suffered two knee injuries in the previous two seasons. The position now becomes the black hole of Philly’s defense for the second straight season.

What are the Bird’s plans to replace Jackson? O.J. Atogwe is now a free agent, but GM Howie Roseman told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the team won’t pursue the former Rams’ safety. Instead, the Eagles will rely on in-house options like rookie Nate Allen, Quintin Demps or possibly even Macho Harris (a cornerback that started eight games at FS last season) to fill the void created by Jackson’s injury.

Demps was being counted on to replace Brian Dawkins last season, but he had a brutal preseason and then hamstring and ankle injuries limited him to special teams duties throughout the year. Harris made the switch from corner to safety and overtook the starting job from Demps, but it’s clear that his best position is cornerback in nickel and dime packages.

Allen is the most intriguing option of the group. He slid past the Vikings and the Chiefs in the second round of April’s draft and the Eagles were ecstatic to land him with the No. 37 overall pick. He made 39 straight starts to finish out his collegiate career at South Florida, while intercepting four passes in 2009 to earn second-team All-Big East honors. Even when Jackson was healthy, Allen was being given the opportunity to earn the starting position.

All bets are on Allen winning the job this offseason and entering the season as the starter. But if he struggles, the position might once again become a revolving door for an Eagle team that is expected to once again compete for a playoff spot in the NFC.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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