Month: May 2008 (Page 10 of 28)

Jason Taylor still isn’t a happy camper. The Dolphins’ defensive end has officially asked the team to trade him and he will not report to OTA’s (Organized Team Activities).

Taylor’s thinking is simple: He wants to play for a winner and he doesn’t think the Dolphins are that team. The Dolphins, Taylor believes, are in a rebuilding mode and that doesn’t fit his agenda, which at 33 years old, is to win a championship.

So Taylor ain’t showing. He wants out. And he wants out now. He wants to play football, just not for the Dolphins. This is the proverbial tip of the iceberg, people.

As I’ve been stating to a chorus of accusations that I sensationalize, the situation promises to get very ugly. Uglier than it already is.

If Taylor isn’t traded before the season in September, don’t be surprised if he threatens to retire.
The Dolphins should just bite the bullet and deal Taylor. Obviously he’s not happy and this isn’t a team ready to win now, so why not get whatever they can for an aging, yet still productive player? They’re not going to get a first rounder like they reportedly wanted in April, but maybe they can swing a mid round pick from a team in desperate need of a pass rusher.

ESPN.com’s John Clayton discusses why the NFL owners decided to opt out of the current labor agreement.

What a surprise – it all comes down to money and how much the owners can make. Whether fans like it or not, the NFL is a business and if owners aren’t seeing the profits they want, changes will be made.

Saints’ defensive end Charles Grant has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter according to the Associated Press.

Grant, who was stabbed in the neck during the fracas, was charged by an Early County grand jury that also charged Laquient Macklin with felony murder and feticide in the shooting death of Korynda Reed, 23. Reed died after being taken to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, after the fight early Feb. 3.

Sheriff’s Capt. Will Caudill said at the time of the melee that there was no known connection between Grant and Reed. He said the fight started inside the club and then moved outside, and Grant was attacked after shots were fired.

Woodrow Gray was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault in the knife attack on Grant, a former University of Georgia star from nearby Colquitt.

It’s amazing how some of these profession athletes just can’t stay out of trouble. Grant is innocent until proven guilty, but considering he was stabbed in the neck at some point during the fracas, it’s not a stretch to think he was somehow involved with the young woman’s death. Hopefully he wasn’t, but things don’t look good for the promising player.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Falcons have reportedly reached a six-year deal worth a maximum value of $72 million, which also includes $34.75 million in guarantees.

Ryan spent minicamp two weeks ago working behind starter Chris Redman and backup Joey Harrington. D.J. Shockley was limited because he is recovering from knee surgery.

Coach Mike Smith has not ruled out Ryan starting from Day 1. How Ryan performs in training camp and preseason likely will factor into the decision. Helping Ryan’s cause is that he won’t miss any practices in a contract dispute, allowing him to be on relatively equal footing with the other quarterbacks on the team.

There are two schools of thought on whether or not Ryan should start for the Falcons in Week 1. On one hand, the Falcons don’t have enough talent (especially on the offensive line) for Ryan to realistically find much success this year, so why get the young man killed and possibly ruin his confidence ala the Lions and Joey Harrington?

However, out of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, Ryan was the only one that pundits claimed was “NFL ready” now. So, why not get him experience this year and let him cut his teeth on the field? Knowing how most teams handle rookie quarterbacks, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Atlanta go with Chris Redman to start the season, but it’s almost a guarantee it will go with Ryan if/when they struggle out the gate. I’ll set the over/under on Ryan starting at Week 6 and give me the under.