Category: NFL (Page 495 of 1282)

      Brees in line for a contract extension

      February 4, 2010 /

      According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, the Saints are planning to reward quarterback Drew Brees with a contract extension in the offseason.

      The Saints intend to redo Brees’ deal later this year to bring his salary more in line with the game’s top quarterbacks. This season Brees was the 17th-highest paid quarterback in the league, yet he finished second in the league in MVP voting and led New Orleans to the first Super Bowl in franchise history.

      New Orleans considered extending Brees’ contract last offseason, but opted to wait another year. Now that it has, the price only has risen with Brees performing the way he has. Should the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV, Brees practically would be able to name his price.

      Good for the Saints and for Brees, who is the 17th-highest paid quarterback in the league, which means he’s well underpaid for NFL standards. It’s nice to see a team be aggressive with a player that deserves a raise.

      Tom Condon, who represents both Brees and Peyton Manning, is going to have himself one hell of an offseason. As the article notes, he’ll single-handily re-establish the salaries for top quarterbacks in the league.


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      Umenyiora suggests he’d rather quit than be a backup

      February 3, 2010 /

      In an interview Wednesday on sports radio WFAN, Giants’ defensive end Osi Umenyiora said that this is the worst offseason of his life and indicated that he’d rather stop playing football altogether than be a backup player.

      From the New York Daily News:

      “I’m not going to be a back up player, I can promise you that,” Umenyiora said. “I’ll stop playing football before I do that ever again. This has been just the worst offseason of my entire life. I can’t even think of a time when things were this bad during the offseason. You’re supposed to be relaxing, but I can’t relax because all I can think of is the things that took place last season, you understand? So for me it’s not something that I’m going to do. If I’m asked to come back there and do that then I’ll just stop playing football.”

      Umenyiora, of course, is coming off a tremendously rocky season which began with a one-day walkout after a dispute with former defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, and continued as he struggled to regain his form after missing all of 2008 following knee surgery. His play slipped so far, especially against the run, that he was replaced in the starting lineup by Mathias Kiwanuka for the final weeks of the season.

      He was so frustrated, in fact, that he thought his time with the Giants was just about over.

      “Did it go through my mind? Obviously, yes,” he said. “Obviously you come through a situation where you’ve been here for a long time and you’ve won Super Bowls, you’ve been to the Pro Bowl a couple of times, then things like that start happening, you start being benched and they say you’re coming in on the third down rush, I think it almost seemed like the writing was on the wall at that particular time. I felt like I had worn out my welcome, because for certain people, no matter what happens, they’ll never take them out of the lineup, you understand what I mean?

      Umenyiora also said in the interview that he hopes that things will get resolved and he can stay with the Giants, who hired Perry Fewell to be their new defensive coordinator.

      These types of situations seem to work themselves out in the end, but Fewell and the Giants are going to have to do some damage control if they still feel that Umenyiora is a full-time player. If they don’t, then this would be the perfect time to trade him and get some kind of compensation for him. After all, it doesn’t make sense to pay a part-time player over $4 million, which is what Umenyiora would make in 2010.


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      Baltimore a landing spot for Marshall or Boldin?

      February 3, 2010 /

      General manager Ozzie Newsome told the media on Wednesday that he’ll seek wide receiver help this offseason for the Ravens, although he obviously didn’t divulge any details about how he’ll acquire said help.

      Will Newsome make a run at Anquan Boldin or Brandon Marshall? It’s a strong possibility, as is the idea of the Ravens signing/acquiring either Julius Peppers or Elvis Dumervil to help boost their pass rush. At this point, nothing should be ruled out.

      If the Ravens do decide to trade for a receiver this offseason, the general consensus might be that they’ll go after Boldin because he comes with less baggage. But don’t forget that Newsome had a deal in place with the 49ers back in 2004 for Terrell Owens before an arbiter squashed that deal from happening. Marshall is younger than Boldin and can likely be had for a reasonable price because everyone knows that he’s on the outs in Denver. So if Newsome feels that Marshall is worth the risk, then it might only take a second or third rounder to acquire him.

      Newsome knows that the Ravens have a solid young core on offense and the defense is still good enough to make a Super Bowl run. If he can acquire a receiver of Marshall or Boldin’s talent, then he’ll be taking another step in getting Baltimore to the next level.

      Update: Beat writer Mike Preston disagrees with the sentiment that Baltimore will be a landing spot for Marshall, even going as far as to say that he would be surprised if the Ravens pursued him this offseason.


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      Super Bowl XLIV Preview: 5 Factors the Saints must overcome

      February 3, 2010 /

      As part of our ongoing coverage leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, here are five factors the Saints must overcome to beat the Colts.

      1. First time jitters.
      Since the berth of the Super Bowl in 1966, only seven teams have won in their first appearance: the Packers, Jets, Steelers, 49ers, Bears, Giants and Buccaneers. The remaining 18 teams appearing in their first Super Bowl all lost, meaning 30% of first-timers fall in the NFL title game. Trends like these mean nothing when it comes to the actual game, but it’s worth noting that this will be Drew Brees’ first Super Bowl, compared to Peyton Manning, who will be appearing in his second in four years. The fact that the Colts have already played once in Miami is an advantage for them as well.

      2. Peyton Manning’s quick-release.
      Perhaps no team has done a better job this postseason at battering the quarterback than the Saints. But Manning doesn’t make it easy for teams to get to him because he excels at reading the defense at the line of scrimmage, diagnosing the coverage and getting the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. He also makes adjustments better than any QB in the game, as evidence of how quickly the tide turned in the AFC Championship Game towards the end of the first half. Gregg Williams can boast all he wants about getting to Manning, but his players still have to execute. And that’s easier said than done when it comes to pressuring Peyton.

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      Plaxico Burress vows to return to NFL

      February 3, 2010 /

      In an interview with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher that will air Sunday on CBS, imprisoned receiver Plaxico Burress vowed to return to the NFL. He also apologized to the Giants for tarnishing their organization.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I will play again,” Burress said in the interview with his former Steelers coach, Bill Cowher, scheduled to air on CBS’ “NFL Today.”

      Burress said he wrote a letter to Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch apologizing for his actions.

      “I told them how sorry I was about bringing all this bad publicity to such a stand-up organization,” Burress said in the interview with Cowher.

      Cowher, who was Burress’ coach for five years in Pittsburgh, told the New York Post that he believed the receiver was sincere in the interview.

      “He looked me in the eye. I believe he was sincere,” Cowher told the newspaper. “I think I know him well enough to know that …

      “He admittedly blames no one except himself. He’s had a lot of time to reflect. He’s had great, unwavering support from his wife. … It’s been an eye-awakening situation for him. He had a daughter born when he was in prison. It’s very sobering to be in there. When you walk through the door, and you listen to him talk, you can see it’s very genuine.”

      Personally, I believe everyone deserves a second chance in life, but they have to earn it. It’s not uncommon that a man in person shows regret for the actions he took to get their and reach out to the people that he harmed. But what happens when Plax gets out of jail will be the true measure of whether or not he learned from the mistake he made.

      Burress could be released as early as 2011 but he’ll be two years removed from playing and will also be 34. I’m sure some team will give him a shot as their third or fourth receiver, but he shouldn’t expect anything more than a tryout.


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