Category: NFL (Page 685 of 1282)

      Training Camp Notes: Burgess, Marshall, Crabtree

      August 6, 2009 /

      Denver Broncos
      Brandon Marshall will miss the Broncos’ first preseason game August 14 against San Francisco. Marshall is still dealing with an undisclosed injury, which some believe has to do with either his hip or hamstring. (Denver Post)

      New England Patriots
      The Pats acquired defensive end Derrick Burgess from the Raiders in exchange for undisclosed draft picks. Burgess will presumably play outside linebacker for New England and gives the Pats a pass rushing threat if he can stay healthy. (Patriots.com)

      Kansas City Chiefs
      The Chiefs have agreed to terms with No. 3 overall pick Tyson Jackson on a five-year contract. The details haven’t been released, but it stands to reason that Jackson will receive roughly $30 million in guarantees based on his draft position. He’ll play defensive end in Kansas City’s new 3-4 defense. (National Football Post)

      San Francisco 49ers
      The 49ers and the player rep for Michael Crabtree insisted that the wide receiver did not make threats to skip all of the 2009 season and re-enter the draft in 2010. Apparently Crabtree’s cousin and adviser, David Wells, got some bad information. (NFL Fanhouse)

      Atlanta Falcons
      It’s been confirmed that receiver Harry Douglas tore his ACL and will miss all of the 2009 season. Douglas was subbing for Roddy White, who is in the midst of a contract holdout that could go deep into training camp. Atlanta signed veteran Robert Ferguson, although he’s hardly the answer for the Falcons’ receiving woes. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

      The Falcons also got word that rookie safety William Moore will miss up to four weeks after undergoing a procedure on his left knee. Moore was battling 2008 third round pick Thomas DeCoud for the starting strong safety position. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

      Baltimore Ravens
      Receiver Mark Clayton is only expected to miss 2-3 preseason games with a hamstring injury. Head coach John Harbaugh expects Clayton to be completely healthy and available for Week 1 of the regular season. (Baltimore Sun)

      NFL

      Michael Crabtree to re-enter draft?

      August 6, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the cousin and adviser (whatever that entails) of Michael Crabtree states that the rookie wideout is prepared to sit out the entire 2009 season and re-enter the NFL draft in 2010 if he doesn’t get fair market value in terms of his contract.

      “We are prepared to do it,” Wells said. “Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey [the seventh overall pick by the Oakland Raiders] getting $38 million? This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial.”

      Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker, says that no such threat has been made, although he also says that the 49ers’ initial contract offer is not acceptable. Profootballtalk.com suggests that Parker had promised Crabtree that he would be drafted in the top three and now is trying to get the rookie top three money, although that hasn’t been proven.

      I highly doubt that Crabtree will sit the entire 2009 season if he doesn’t receive the contract that he and his agent wants. Besides, it wouldn’t be in his best interest to do that, seeing as how teams picking at the top of the draft next year would likely stay away from him knowing that he was out of football for a year and would be a hassle to sign.

      I’m assuming that San Fran will have to get close to the number that the Raiders gave Heyward-Bey, although I don’t blame the Niners if they feel that they don’t have to match that number considering Heyward-Bey was taken three spots ahead of Crabtree in the draft. Considering the rookie salary structure is already screwed up, teams shouldn’t have to pay players for the draft slot that their agents felt they should have been taken in.

      NFL

      Roddy White should show more humility

      August 6, 2009 /

      Roddy White deserves to be paid like a No. 1 receiver – he just doesn’t deserve to be paid like Larry Fitzgerald.

      White, the Falcons best receiver and top playmaker, is currently in holdout mode in hopes of getting a new contract. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal that will pay him $2.28 million this season and if he can’t reach a contract agreement with the Falcons, he’ll be a restricted free agent next year since the owners are opting out of the collective bargaining agreement. (2010 is heading for an uncapped year.)

      Last season, White hauled in 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns while helping to lead Atlanta to a miraculous playoff appearance. But when the Falcons opened their doors for training camp last Friday, White was nowhere to be found and is reportedly working out on his own in Alabama. Making matters worse for the Falcons, they just lost slot receiver Harry Douglas (who has been subbing for White during the holdout) for the season after he tore his ACL on Wednesday.

      According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contract talks between White and the Falcons have soured, with GM Thomas Dimitroff indicating that the holdout could go deep into camp. With White seeking a deal similar to what Fitz got (four years, $40 million), the Falcons may soon pull their offer off the table and make Roddy play out the final year of his contract.

      This situation could have been avoided had White and his agent showed a little more trust and humility from the start. While White certainly has put up fantastic numbers these past two seasons (171 receptions, 2,584 yards, 13 TDs), he also shorted the Falcons during the first two years of his contract when he only caught 59 passes for a messily 952 yards and three touchdowns.

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      NFL

      Vince Young: ‘I will be in the Hall of Fame.’

      August 6, 2009 /

      Vince Young recently sat down with Esquire magazine and in the interview, he set some lofty expectations for himself and his football career.

      From AOL Fanhouse:

      I don’t know when I’ll start again. But I will be the next black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. And I will be in the Hall of Fame.

      Does it count if he wins a Super Bowl as a backup?

      I like a player who sets a goal and then goes after it. The problem is that Young is currently stuck behind Kerry Collins and his future with the Titans is up in the air after proving that he’s a mental midget last season.

      Young certainly has the athletic talent to succeed in the NFL, but does he have the mental makeup? Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks don’t feel the heat in pressure situations and when things start to go awry, they’re usually the coolest customers. Does any of that fit the description of Young?

      I like VY and I’m hoping he earns (key word: earns) a starting role again someday. But he has long odds to win a Super Bowl as a starter and even longer odds to be in the Hall of Fame.

      Nice ambition, though.

      NFL

      Lombardi: Vick to wind up east of the Mississippi

      August 6, 2009 /

      Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post is reporting that free agent quarterback Michael Vick will likely sign with a team east of the Mississippi.

      Back to Vick. By the way, did you see him working out with those kids on the high school field? He looked good, throwing the ball around softly. In fact, I mentioned on the air that we should send him some new NFL footballs. Quarterbacks cannot be properly evaluated unless they have the right footballs. So where does this leave Vick? I put my thinking cap on (yes, Raiders fans, I have one) and, based on the east of the Mississippi clue, my best guess is Carolina. I still feel Jacksonville is in play, especially because they went after Andrew Walter and failed to land him, despite the fact their offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, coached Walter in college. Carolina badly needs a backup quarterback and has seen firsthand how Vick can create problems with his running skills. It makes sense, but it’s still a guess. I’ll keep working on the clues.

      One thought being floated around the web is that Vick will wind up in a southern state because dog fighting is more widely accepted in the south. But that kind of seems like a ridiculous, fabricated notion and I think any team that signs Vick will do so knowing that PETA will be on their front lawn as soon as he reports to their facilities.

      The Panthers are an interesting team that never crossed my mind in terms of who Vick could potentially sign with. Jake Delhomme just signed a new contract, but there’s nothing guaranteed about his play (see last year’s divisional round playoff loss to the Cardinals) and Vick could give Carolina better depth at the quarterback position.

      But again, it all comes down to which team is willing to take the risk of signing him. Financially he’s probably worth it, seeing as how he’s probably going to have to take the first offer presented to him. But any team that signs him risks alienating their fan base and turning their facilities into a daily media circus.

      NFL

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