Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1495 of 1503)

After being suspended for one season for violating the NFL’s drug policy for the fourth time, Ricky Williams has reached a deal with the Toronto Argonauts to play in the CFL in 2006. The deal is reportedly a one-year contract worth $240,000, which would make Williams the highest paid running back in the league.

The $240,000 is a far cry from the $8.6 million that Williams still owes to the Miami Dolphins, but at least he will remain in game shape while he sits out for one season.

Against the Dolphins wish of Williams playing in the CFL, head coach Nick Saban said he would leave the final decision up to Ricky.

“We expressed to Ricky our concerns about playing in Toronto in 2006,” Saban said. “We are relying on assurances made by Ricky, his agent, the Toronto Argonauts, and the commissioner of the Canadian Football League that Ricky will return to the Dolphins in 2007.

“Based on these assurances and despite our concerns for Ricky playing in the CFL in 2006, we will leave it up to him to decide whether or not he will negotiate a contract to play for the Argonauts this year.”

I’ve never seen a decision to ultimately quit football to take drugs backfire as much as it has for Ricky Williams. He quits, realizes he owes $8.6 million, decides to return, gets caught again and now he’s playing in the CFL just to earn more money.

If this situation is not turned into an after school special on why drugs are bad, I don’t know what will.

There is nothing wrong about taking a nice boat cruise to release some frustrations after starting an NFL season 1-3. Unless of course that cruise was filled with sex toys, some strippers and a bunch of Minnesota Vikings that is.

Cornerback Fred Smoot and offensive tackle Bryant “Mount” McKinnie pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for their actions while at a party on a cruise taken during the Vikings bye week last season. Both players agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 48 hours of community service as their penance.

Smoot was charged with using a sex toy on two female dancers in front of crew members during the cruise, while McKinnie had been accused of performing oral sex on a dancer in a public area of the boat.

The best quote of this article came from Steve Tallen, the prosecutor in this case:

“Hopefully, next year’s party will be at the children’s hospital,” Tallen said.

I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think the parents of those kids would like Smoot and McKinnie hanging around their sick children very much.

Unless of course it was one of those make a wish foundations and Smoot and McKinnie could rent that boat again.

Nine-year veteran defensive lineman Kenard Lang signed a three-year $4.7 million deal with Denver Broncos on Monday. Just a year ago, Lang’s former Cleveland Browns teammates Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers joined the Broncos.

The former Browns defensive linemen helped produced pressure that created 36 turnovers, 16 more than the previous season, for a Broncos team that was one win away from a Super Bowl appearance in 2005.

Although Lang says that things in Cleveland seemed to be improving with the hiring of head coach Romeo Crennel, he is thrilled to be in Denver.

“It’s not that things (were bad in Cleveland). They’re getting better with Romeo over there, don’t get me wrong. But when you get tired of losing, it starts eating at your soul,” Lang said. “I can see that light at the end of the tunnel for me. Football is not forever, and I’d rather be with a team that knows what’s best to do, and that’s what coach Shanahan does.”

“Now I’m here in Denver, where it’s beautiful; I love it. The weather is always nice. It’s not cloudy; it’s not raining. The whole atmosphere is different. Nothing against Cleveland, they have great fans and everything, and I know Denver does, also, but it’s just the atmosphere,” Lang said.

Lang was a first round selection of the Washington Redskins in 1997 and played four seasons with the Browns starting in 2002. His best statistical season was set in 2002 when Lang recorded a career-high 79 tackles and six sacks.

Lang dropped 25 pounds to play in Crennel’s 3-4 defensive scheme last season, but will return to his more natural position of defensive end for Denver. He was cut this offseason for salary cap reasons.

The way things are turning out for the Browns and Broncos, I wonder if first round selection Kamerion Wimbley (also a defensive lineman/linebacker) should just bypass the Cleveland stop and sign with the Broncos too.

After a 21-year career, Doug Flutie has decided to hang up his cleats for a microphone. The former Charger, Bill, Bear and Patriot (x2) quarterback will join ABC/ESPN as a college football analyst.

The former Heisman trophy winner has had quite an interesting career. After being selected by the Los Angles Rams in the 11th round of the 1985 draft, he decided to play for the USFL’s New Jersey Generals. Flutie thought that the style of play better suited his free wheeling attributes.

Flutie later joined the NFL, but never found his footing until playing in the CFL. It was there that he would find most of his success by throwing for 41,355 yards and 270 touchdowns in eight seasons with British Columbia, Calgary and Toronto. Flutie won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award six times and the league’s Grey Cup championship three times.

Flutie would make one final return to the NFL and did end up in a starters role. He also made quite a lasting impression as a kicker.

Flutie finishes with 14,715 passing yards and 86 touchdowns in the NFL, spending most of his time as a backup. Last season, he converted the league’s first drop kick for an extra point since the 1941 NFL title game.

“If that ends up being my last play, it wouldn’t be bad,” Flutie said after the game, a mostly meaningless regular season-ending loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The kick was something, but it will never rival Flutie’s last second heave to Gerard Phelan on a desperation 48-yard touchdown pass that propelled Boston College over Miami in 1984. That play is shown on ESPN almost daily when the bowl season starts approaching.

Not to bring up a sore subject on the man’s retirement day, but I’ll always remember the look on Flutie’s face when he watched the Music City Miracle play from the Bills sideline in the 1999 NFL season. He leads Buffalo to a playoff berth only to watch then head coach Wade Phillips hand the starting role over to Rob Johnson right before the game.

This guy got passed over his whole career and still is memorable.