Category: NFL (Page 124 of 1282)

      Bengals owner reiterates that team won’t trade Carson Palmer

      May 23, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (L) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Tank Johnson during the second half of their NFL football game in Oakland, California November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated on Monday that he has no intentions of honoring Carson Palmer’s trade demand.

      From NFL.com:

      “We don’t plan to trade Carson,” Brown said Monday at the NFL Spring Meeting. “He’s important to us. He’s a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he’d retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who’s a good prospect.

      “Ideally, we’d have both of them. That’d be the best way to go forward. If we don’t have Carson, we’ll go with Andy.”

      Neither Brown nor Palmer is giving in here. The Bengals would probably prefer to play Palmer for a year or two before Dalton is ready to take over, but Palmer seems hell bent on leaving. At this point Dalton seems like a lock to start Week 1 of the season, although situations change all the time in the NFL so you never know.

      It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals are the ones to crack first and talk to Palmer about restructuring his deal so they can trade him. Because I don’t see anyone dealing for a 31-year-old quarterback with poor arm strength and paying him $20-plus million over the next two years.

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: Jets are serious about adding Moss

      May 23, 2011 /
      Tennessee Titans wide receiver Randy Moss shows his frustration as he watches the game from the bench against the Houston Texans in the first half at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on November 28, 2010. The Texans defeated the Titans 20-0. UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher

      Sources have told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets in fact of interest in free agent Randy Moss.

      Last month, there were conflicting reports over Gang Green’s level of interest in Moss. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk reported that it heard rumblings that the 34-year-old wide receiver was on the Jets’ radar.

      The Jets will have more than a cursory interest in Moss if Holmes or Edwards doesn’t return, per sources.

      Rex Ryan firmly believes that Moss is still a viable vertical threat. Even in the twilight of his career, he creates matchup problems. In other words, opposing defensive coordinators still game plan to stop him. Moss is apparently as motivated to prove doubters wrong as he was when the Patriots rescued him from the Raiders four years ago.

      Moss may not ultimately be a Jet, but Gang Green is certainly interested in him if it loses Holmes or Edwards.

      I don’t doubt that Moss can still play at a high level, even given the disastrous ending to his 2010 campaign. If the guy is motivated and focused, he can still be a playmaker in any offense.

      The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated and focused. And more specifically, whether he’ll be motivated by more than money and focused on helping his team win. He was only motivated by money in New England last year and he clearly wasn’t focused after he was traded to Minnesota and picked up by Tennessee.

      This guy flat out disappeared for two years in Oakland only to resurrect from the dead to post 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns in New England during the 2007 season. So even at this stage in his career, the question isn’t whether or not he can play. He can. The question is whether or not he’ll be motivated enough to be worth an investment, which is something that Rex Ryan (a great motivator) and the Jets will have to figure before they eventually pursue him. (Assuming of course that the above report is accurate and they are interested.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Bears’ Garrett Wolfe the latest NFL player to be arrested

      May 23, 2011 /

      When you’re slated to become a free agent and are searching for a new contract, there’s really no better time than to get arrested and tarnish your name. Just ask Bears running back Garrett Wolfe, who was arrested early Sunday morning in Miami on charges of retail theft, disorderly conduct, assault of a police officer and resisting arrest with violence.

      Nice photo, champ.

      The Chicago Sun-Times has more details:

      ‘‘He became aggressive while being ejected by bouncers, and two off-duty officers were summoned,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘They gave him the opportunity to settle his bill, and he refused. He attacked one of the officers. Both officers suffered minor
      injuries.’’

      It’s not a reach to say that Wolfe is in some serious trouble here. This isn’t like he got caught speeding without a driver’s license and no vehicle registration, which is embarrassing enough. The courts don’t look too kindly on you when you get aggressive with officers of the law.

      Assuming the Bears don’t re-sign him once the lockout lifts, Wolfe was a waste of a third round pick by GM Jerry Angelo in the 2007 draft. He was a reach at No. 93 and hasn’t amounted to much outside of contributing on special teams. In 41 games, he’s racked up a mind-blowing 274 yards on 68 carries with one touchdown. He nearly has half as many tackles on special teams than he does carries on offense.

      I’ve now lost track of how many players have been arrested since the league locked its doors back in mid-March. Pretty sad.

      External Sports, NFL

      Falcons to be the next team filmed for HBO’s Hard Knocks?

      May 20, 2011 /
      Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan directs his offense in the first half of their NFC divisional playoff against the Green Bay Packers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia January 15, 2011. The Packers defeated the Falcons 48-21. UPI/Mark Wallheiser.

      While appearing on SiriusXMNFL radio on Friday morning, Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff indicated that the Falcons might be willing to be covered this year on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

      “Two years ago we were approached and decided that it wasn’t right for us at that point,” Dimitroff said. “That’s not to say we wouldn’t go down that road if it was presented to us at another time. We are much closer to being in that spot where it’s not going to be as much of a distraction as it would have been another time.

      “It’s such an individual thing. Hard Knocks could be right for some of the teams that are fairly entrenched. It could be right for some team that wants to kick off some more brand recognition.”

      “I truly believe that an organization has to be in the right spot to jump into something like Hard Knocks,” Dimitroff said. “I think it sheds a lot of light on our league. This is a league of entertainment. There are some traditionalists that struggle with it, but they have to work against the grain a little bit and see that this is about entertainment. Hard Knocks is a good show for the fan base.”

      Some Falcon fans might be worried that the show would become a distraction, but I would trust Dimitroff. He’s smart, calculated and he wouldn’t agree to anything that he believed would hurt his team. Outside of a few names that have come and gone, the Falcons have basically had the same coaching staff in place since 2008 and their core (Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner, John Abraham and Tony Gonzalez) remains intact. This is a grounded organization that shouldn’t be rocked by a potential distraction such as Hard Knocks.

      Of course, the Falcons would be the polar opposite of Rex Ryan and the Jets. Mike Smith can get as fired up as any coach in the league, but he’s always even-keeled and calm with the media. And while Roddy White can be flamboyant from time to time, I’m not sure if Ryan, Turner and Gonzalez have dropped an F-bomb in their lives.

      In other words, if the Falcons are the next team filmed for Hard Knocks, don’t expect the same foul-mouthed program that the Jets produced last year. (Not that I’m complaining – Ryan and the Jets were highly entertaining.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Ray Edwards would rather box than play for Vikings under one-year tender

      May 20, 2011 /
      Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards (91) listens for the crowd’s cheers after sacking New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) during the second quarter of their National Football League game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, January 3, 2010. Giants tackle David Diehl (66) is at left. Minnesota won the game. REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Defensive end Ray Edwards told 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he’d rather focus on his boxing career than play for the Vikings under his one-year tender.

      “I’ve openly said I won’t play for the Vikings, because of the simple fact of my backup is getting paid 70 more percent than I am — there’s no way I can do that to myself. I’d rather do what I love doing. I love doing football as well. But if there’s nobody that’s going to trade for me, I will be definitely focusing on boxing.”

      In case anyone was wondering if Edwards was harboring any hard feelings towards “his backup,” (Brian Robison) he’s not.

      “I was happy for (Robison),” Edwards told 1500 ESPN. “He’s a definitely great guy. I love the guy off the field, love him on the field. Great teammate. I wished him all the best, because we both were up for contracts. So, I told him that more than likely they’re going to keep you because of the numbers situation.

      “They’re paying Jared (Allen, who signed a six-year, $73.26 million contract in April 2008). You’ve got Kevin (Williams), who’s almost due for a contract and he’s been there forever and he’s a six-time Pro Bowler, I believe. I don’t know if they’re going to try to keep Pat (Williams) or not. It’s just a numbers game.

      “In this business, and I understand that, sometimes there’s an odd man out, and I believe that I was always that odd man out.”

      This goes against the cliched “it shouldn’t be about the money for athletes” that some writers love to overuse, but I actually don’t blame Edwards. The NFL is a nasty league and the life expectancy for players is short. Football is their career and they want long-term security just like your average Joe. Granted, athletes are making 10-times what your average Joe is, but it’s still the same concept in the end: they want to be financially set up for the long term.

      Let’s say your contract is about to run up with your company and for the moment, let’s forget about the money involved. Instead of giving you a new three-year deal, your company hands you a one-year contract and on top of that, the guy under you is given a three-year deal. Assuming you deserved a raise, wouldn’t you feel a little disrespected by your company? If the answer is yes, then that’s how Ray Edwards feels.

      That said, I still wouldn’t have handled the situation like Edwards is and he’s in for a rude awakening if he thinks he’s going to make more boxing than he is on that one-year tender. But I get why he’s frustrated and why he’s saying the things he is. He feels like he’s earned a long-term contract. (Although some fans feel like his production is a byproduct of playing opposite Jared Allen.)

      External Sports, NFL

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