Category: NFL (Page 393 of 1282)

Report: Revis won’t follow through with holdout

SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 17: Cornerback Darrelle Revis #24 of the New York Jets runs after making an interception against the San Diego Chargers during AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Qualcomm Stadium on January 17, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network reports that Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis will not follow through on his threat to hold out of training camp if he doesn’t receive a new contract.

Revis has plenty of incentive to report.

He has the option to void his current contract at the end of the 2010 season, but the Jets have the right to buy back the remaining two years at $20 million, fully guaranteed.

If Revis were to miss any mandatory time due to a holdout, however, he might lose the guranteed portion of the contract. He would then be under contract for two more years, at $5 million in 2011 and $15 million in 2012. That potential guarantee is something he would not want to risk.

The Jets are willing to give Revis the biggest contract ever for a defensive back (one that will approach $100 million), but reports continue to state that he wants more than the Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha (who received $28.5 million in guaranteed money over the first two years of the deal he signed in 2009).

As I wrote last month on this topic, I refuse to believe that Revis would turn down $100 million just because he wouldn’t make more than Asomugha annually. No athlete can be that greedy, can they? (Don’t answer that.)

The Jets are heading in the right direction under Rex Ryan. They don’t need a major case of the “me’s” right now as they try to make a run at the Super Bowl this season. Hopefully for their sake, Revis won’t hold out and eventually the two sides can come to an agreement on a deal so things don’t get ugly.

Vick: “There should of never been a party”

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 06:  Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on from the sidelines during their 34-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on December 6, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Michael Vick, whose grammar is really, really good, told Fox 29 in Philadelphia that he should “of” never held the birthday party that resulted in Quanis Phillips being shot in the leg.

“There should of never been a party,” Vick said.

On June 25, Quanis Phillips was shot early shortly after 2 a.m. outside a club called Guadalajara in Virginia Beach, where a 30th birthday party was being thrown for Vick. Phillips had been a co-defendant in Vick’s dog-fighting case.

Virginia Beach police have closed the case and say Vick is not a suspect . The shooting also led to the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles to start their own fact-gathering effort about the party.

Vick has said in statements that he was not at the scene of the shooting and was not involved in any way.

Vick is also set to appear at another “birthday” event next weekend as he hosts a charity golf event run by a nightclub outside Atlanta.

Whether you host a party at a nightclub or do it form the comforts of your own home, there’s no law against celebrating your birthday. But all of this sounds way too familiar.

He shouldn’t have fought dogs. He shouldn’t have held a party. He shouldn’t have contracted herpes. He’s the king of hindsight.

If he hasn’t learned now that he’ll forever be in the public eye, then he never will. It can’t be too hard to just lay low, but maybe for him it is.

Cris Carter has a few choice words for Sidney Rice

NEW ORLEANS - JANUARY 24: Sidney Rice #18 of the Minnesota Vikings makes a reception against Randall Gay #20 of the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Championship Game at the Louisiana Superdome on January 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints won 31-28 in overtime. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

While I would classify it as “ripping” the young receiver, former Viking Cris Carter was a little testy that Sidney Rice didn’t show up to Larry Fitzgerald’s football camp this year. Rice did so last year and praised Carter and Fitzgerald for his breakout season (83 catches, 1,312 yards, 8 touchdowns) in 2009.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

“I don’t know,” Carter said. “You have to ask him. I don’t know what it’s like to have one good year and then disappear. I don’t know what it’s like. That’s on him. I really don’t know. … If I had that kind of impact on him he should have been here today.”
Carter’s response prompted another media member to ask if he is mad that Rice has not returned to workout with the group.

“I don’t look mad do I?” he said. “I don’t get mad about kids coming or not coming. Larry is the only one who invited me. Larry is the only one but some people in Kansas City as far as their administration kind of knew I was going to be here. We kind of let them know that I would be here for [receiver Dwayne] Bowe. But I’m here for Larry. Everybody else is just getting the benefit of our relationship. But Sidney is not here so I guarantee he’s not getting no better today.”

You’d think that if the camp helped transform Rice into the player he was last year that he’d do it again. But he has reportedly been dealing with a lingering hip injury too, so maybe that has something to do with it (and probably does).

Either way, Carter is probably just trying to motivate Rice.

Freeman: Russell may have used the syrup to ease the pain of being a bust

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 15:  JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders looks on against the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 15, 2009 in Oakland, California.  (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports writes that maybe the reason JaMarcus Russell used/drank codeine syrup was for relief of the criticism he often faced from the media and fans while playing in the NFL.

My experience covering the NFL for two decades is that players use drugs or their facsimiles for the same reason non-athletes do: for some sort of relief.

Russell was a bust, a terrible bust, and totally unprepared for the rigors of NFL life, but he was still human. Russell likely heard what was said about him by media and fans (much of it deserved). His plunge into eternal bust-dom might’ve led to Russell easing the pain with this cheap drink while believing the chances of getting caught were small.

“The subjective effects [of using codeine] are quite hard to describe beyond the word euphoria,” writes the site Opioids.com. “The sedation associated with codeine is quite a lot less than that experienced with morphine or other stronger opiates. A strong feeling of contentment is usually also experienced. Most people enter a phase where you become quite content and tend to lose interest in their surroundings.”

Wouldn’t you want to lose interest in your surroundings if you played for the Raiders?

I couldn’t disagree more. I think Russell sipped on syrup because he’s a massive idiot and not because he sought some form of relief. Nobody should feel sorry for this clown, who made more money than most of us will make in a lifetime for doing nothing. He’s unmotivated, he’s lazy and he used his God-given talents to become rich. And while I’m the first to admit that I often refer to the Raiders’ organization as a “circus,” most fans would love the opportunity to play for a NFL franchise – any NFL franchise.

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

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.

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