Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 387 of 1503)

      One down, three to go: Jets re-sign Ferguson

      July 7, 2010 /
      HEMPSTEAD, NY - JULY 30: D'Brickashaw Ferguson #60 of the New York Jets signs an autograph for a fan during New York Jets Training Camp on July 30, 2006 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

      So much for the notion that the Jets don’t take care of their own.

      On Wednesday, New York agreed to terms with left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson on a six-year, $60 million extension, which also includes $34.8 million in guarantees. Da Brick will receive $73.6 million over the next either years, which exceeds the five-year, $57 million deal that the Dolphins gave former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long.

      Along with Long and Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, Ferguson is among the best left tackles in the league and it was vital for the Jets to keep him in New York. But while fans can sleep a little easier tonight knowing that Ferguson will be around for a long time, GM Mike Tannenbaum still has plenty of work cut out for him.

      Cornerback Darrelle Revis, center Nick Mangold and linebacker David Harris are all still seeking extensions themselves. Tannenbaum will likely turn to Revis next, seeing as how the cornerback will probably receive the richest contract in Jets history (at least on a per year basis).

      Whether or not new deals are on their way for Revis, Mangold and/or Harris, it’s nice to see that the player who didn’t openly complain to the media got paid first. Ferguson has been a total professional this entire offseason and he was just handsomely rewarded for it. Maybe Revis should take some notes.

      External Sports, NFL

      While cruising around with mom, Bucs’ Trueblood arrested for public intoxication

      July 7, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - 2009: Jeremy Trueblood of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by NFL Photos)

      Buccaneers’ offensive lineman Jeremy Trueblood obviously didn’t want to be the latest NFL player to make headlines for DUI. That’s why he got his mom to pick him and his friend up after a recent night of drunken debauchery, although unfortunately for him the decision still led to an arrest.

      From Tampa Bay Online:

      Trueblood was arrested late Tuesday following a traffic stop in Greenfield, a suburb of Indianapolis, after police suspected he and another passenger were drunk and disorderly, Maj. Derek Towell said.

      Trueblood, an Indianapolis native, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Towell said his department received a call shortly after 10 p.m. from a gas station clerk complaining about two men who disrupted the business before leaving in a car driven by a third person.

      “The gas station clerk called us and said two guys came into the store and were knocking stuff off the counters and almost knocked over a small lady with a child in her hand,” Towell said.

      The driver of the car was Trueblood’s mother, Wanda, Towell said. The third member of the party, Benjamin McKenny, was also arrested on a public intoxication charge, Towell said.

      After the car left the gas station, Towell said police responded and pulled the car over because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. As the officer was talking to Wanda Trueblood and writing a citation, McKenny and Jeremy Trueblood became beligerent and uncooperative and were arrested, Towell said.

      If I were 6’8” and 320 pounds, I’d be knocking into things too. It wouldn’t matter if I were three sheets to the wind or stone cold sober either.

      While the situation is a little embarrassing, Trueblood was released from jail and no charges were filed against him. Seeing as how he doesn’t have a checkered past, it’s doubtful that the league will suspend him.

      He can now go back to having his mom drive him around the state of Indiana without a care in the world. Weeeeeee!

      External Sports, NFL

      Looking at the bigger picture when it comes to Seantrel Henderson and USC

      July 7, 2010 /

      It’s hard to blame Seantrel Henderson for getting out of his letter of intent at USC to join another program like Miami, Ohio State or Minnesota (which were three schools, along with USC, that he was reportedly interested in). Thanks to the fairly recent sanctions handed down by the NCAA, the Trojans won’t be able to compete in a bowl game over the next two years and obviously that’s important to a player like Henderson, who was considered the second best recruit from the class of 2010 according to Rivals.com.

      But will Henderson inevitably miss out in the long run?

      The 6’7”, 295-pound offensive lineman, who played for Cretin-Derham High School in Minnesota, committed to USC in February before waiting to sign his letter of intent with the Trojans until the NCAA had wrapped up its investigation. Then, after reportedly meeting with Miami head coach Randy Shannon over the weekend, Henderson wanted to opt out of his commitment to USC, which Lane Kiffin and the Trojans granted by releasing him from his LOI with zero penalties or restrictions. (If USC wanted to, they could have made Henderson sit out an entire year before transferring because he had already signed with the program.)

      On the surface, it appears as though Henderson is making the right decision. After all, what blue chipper would want to go through the next two seasons without the opportunity to play in a bowl game or perhaps a national title? It couldn’t have been a hard sell for someone like Shannon to sit the young man down and say, “Come to Miami and have the opportunity to play in four postseason games over the next two years, or go to USC and be limited to two.”

      But let’s keep in mind that USC is a NFL-producing factory. Last year, the Trojans sent seven players to the NFL, while in 2009 they sent 11 and in 2008 there were 10 USC players drafted.

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      Titans, Johnson working on compromise

      July 7, 2010 /
      Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson sets an NFL record for yards from scrimmage in a single season with 2,509 on this four yard run against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter At Qwest Field in Seattle on January 3, 2010. Johnson rushed for 134 yards on 36 carries and scored two touchdown in the Titans 17-13 win over the Seahawks. (UPI /Jim Bryant) Photo via Newscom

      According to the Nashville Tennessean, the Titans and the player rep for Chris Johnson are working on a contract compromise that would ensure that the star back will report to training camp on time.

      Under the terms of the five-year, $12 million contract he signed prior to his rookie season, Johnson has reached escalators in the deal that could pay him up to an additional $2.5 million in salary in 2012. The Titans could turn that money into a signing bonus in 2010, and combine it with his scheduled base salary of $550,000 for this fall.

      Players earn escalators by reaching individual and team goals as part of a contract, and, unlike incentives that are paid out at the end of a season, they’re attached to future salaries. While such a move wouldn’t provide a big pay raise like Johnson wants, it would get him some additional funds now, with the hope of getting a long-term deal after next season.

      The Titans have already paid Johnson roughly $7 million in guarantees over his first two seasons. He’s scheduled to make base salaries of $800,000 in 2011 and $960,000 in 2012. The Titans have cited the 30 percent rule, a byproduct of the league’s labor issues, as a reason why a lucrative long-term deal isn’t do-able at this time. It restricts big increases in Johnson’s salary from year to year, since they’d have to pay him guaranteed signing bonus in the $40 million range as part of a market rate extension.

      Reaching a contract compromise has seemed like the most logical solution from the start. The Titans can’t give Johnson the long-term deal that he covets because of the “30 percent” rule, but considering he’s far and away their best player and highly underpaid, the team needs to do something.

      A modest raise in the form of a bonus makes sense now, and then the two sides can come together after the season and work on a long-term extension. This would ensure that Johnson reports to camp on time and that the Titans have their most productive player ready to go for the regular season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Police identify shooter in Vick investigation

      July 6, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 9: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on from the sideline in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys during the 2010 NFC wild-card playoff game at Cowboys Stadium on January 9, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

      According to the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News, the Virginia Beach Police have identified who shot Quanis Phillips the night of Michael Vick’s 30th birthday party and also announced that the Eagles’ quarterback is not a suspect.

      The police have identified the shooter, but cannot charge the suspect because the victim and various witnesses have been uncooperative. The statement went on to say that there are no other suspects, including Vick.

      Here’s the Virginia Beach police statement in its entirety, released by spokesman Adam Bernstein:

      “Investigators were able to determine the identity of the shooter. Unfortunately because of the lack of cooperation from the victim, coupled with the reluctance of witnesses, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, upon reviewing all of the evidence, has determined that no charges will be filed in this case at this time. Because the suspect will not be charged, his identity cannot be released by police. There are no other suspects in this case, including Michael Vick.”

      It appears that Vick is in the clear, although don’t forget that at one point during his dog fighting investigation it seemed as if he was going to dodge punishment, too. I doubt the Eagles will release him at this point, but you never know.

      My question is, will the league take action against him for associating with Phillips, who was one of the co-defendants from his dog fighting case? If they do, it’s going to be pretty hard for Roger Goodell to determine that Phillips wasn’t just an unwanted guest crashing the party. And in that case, Vick did nothing wrong.

      External Sports, NFL

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