Category: NFL (Page 765 of 1282)

Jerry Jones: ‘I wouldn’t trade Tony Romo for anybody’

Apparently there has been talk recently that Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones would trade Tony Romo for Jay Cutler if he had the opportunity. But Jones recently laughed those rumors off and quickly noted that Romo is still his guy

He ended his 30-minute session by saying, “I wouldn’t trade Tony for anybody.” I think that was in response to some of the fantasy talk about trading Romo for Jay Cutler. Here’s the other stuff Jones said about Romo:

“I’ve always been so amused about any talk of Tony and his focus on football and his work ethic,” Jones said. “Tony’s boring. He won’t talk about anything but football and the Cowboys and how to move the ball and what plays we can run. I don’t know if I’ve been around anybody that’s just that into football. I wish he would talk more about spicy things, but I can’t get him to.”

So other than his desire for Romo to spice up his conversations, Jones seems to feel pretty good about the quarterback. He talked about how pleased he was that wide receiver Roy Williams (remember him?) and Romo have been working out together so much at Valley Ranch. Jones said that Williams showed up for workouts three weeks before the actual voluntary workouts began.

Romo is at a fork in the road. 2009 will mark his fourth season as a starting quarterback and it seems like he sits right at the edge of very good and great. He has been criticized about his overall desire to play the game of football and his personal life has also been attacked. How he responds will be crucial. Is he a Super Bowl caliber quarterback or a signal caller that needs a lot around him in order to win?

Athlete Profile: Everette Brown

As a society, we’re always trying out the next new thing; well, not so much “new” as a combination of the old stuff we already like. They don’t always work out (Mustardayonnaise? Sparks Malt Beverage?), but we can get a great hybrid off the line every once in the while.

Most people get a look at Everette Brown’s size and speed and see what could be the first true defensive end/ linebacker to make it in the NFL. Take something more than a glance at the man, and you’ll see a hybrid of a different kind: a top-tier athlete who graduated early and still found time to do endless volunteer work. That kind of work ethic is going to be what makes him something special in the pros, and it’s that same thing that has gotten him this far already.

So where did he start out? Well, Brown was born in the small town of Stantonsburg, NC, and went to Beddingfield High School. While there, Brown started compiling some serious numbers and by his senior year he was the top defensive lineman in North Carolina, the third weakside defensive end in the country, and was ranked 78th in the nation overall. His senior year alone, Brown has 16 sacks and 120 tackles. But rather than rest on the bench, Brown iron-manned it as a tight end, catching 40 passes for 770 yards with 10 touchdowns.

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Lions to trade No. 1 overall pick?

Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew says he’s open to trading the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft.

Martin MayhewWhen asked specifically about Jay Cutler and if Mayhew would consider trading the top pick for the unhappy Broncos quarterback, he didn’t shoot down the idea.

“We’re open to all options with that pick,” Mayhew said during a break at the NFL Annual Meeting.

“Obviously, it has value to us, and if it has value to somebody else, then we can talk about that.”

On Sunday, Lions president Tom Lewand told Tom Kowalski of Booth Newspapers in Lansing, Mich., that the team was looking forward to discussions with “agents of players we’re interested in.” Speculation elsewhere has identified the Lions’ leading candidate as Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.

Before Lion fans start doing back flips about the possibility of trading out of the No. 1 slot in hopes to acquire more draft picks and essentially get better value for their selections, trading out of the top spot isn’t like shopping for toilet paper. It’s just not that easy – especially when there isn’t an elite prospect that multiple teams are after. (I know Aaron Curry is a stud, but he’s still not a prospect that multiple teams are going to trip over in trying to trade for the No. 1 pick.)

The last time the No. 1 overall pick was successfully traded was in 2001 when the Chargers dealt the top selection to the Falcons for the 5th overall pick, a third round pick and a second round pick in 2002. But Atlanta wanted Michael Vick and didn’t know if he would slide to No. 5 if they waited. Guys like Curry, Matthew Stafford, Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe aren’t going to garner that kind of attention, so I would imagine that the Lions will still be drafting out of that slot come next month.

Shaun Rogers reports to offseason program

Even though he stated at one point this offseason that he would like the Browns to release him, nose tackle Shaun Rogers reported to Cleveland’s workout program after skipping the first week of conditioning.

Shaun RogersBrowns nose tackle Shaun Rogers is participating in the Browns off-season program this week after skipping last week’s opening sessions while he resolved his differences with coach Eric Mangini.

Rogers is seen shaking hands with another teammate before starting his workout. The video comes a day after Browns General Manager George Kokinis said at the NFL owner’s meetings that Rogers and Mangini had a “good conversation.” He also said, “The communication is ongoing now and I think that’s being cleaned up.”

Kokinis said Rogers intended to fulfill “his contractual obligations,” and that “whatever weight” he wanted to play at was fine with Kokinis because he dominated last season.

Rogers, who made his third Pro Bowl last season, had been miffed about two perceived snubs by Mangini and a mandate to show up for the off-season program in shape. He asked the Browns to release him and not pay him his $6 million bonus due last week, but the Browns made it clear they had no intentions of doing so. Apparently, the matter has been resolved or is well on its way to being settled.

This is real good news for the Browns and it looks like a potential disaster has been avoided (at least for now). Rogers was an absolute stud last year and could do very well in Mangini’s 3-4 defense. Mangini needs him on the field and so do the Browns.

Browns declare open competition at quarterback

Browns’ new head coach Eric Mangini has declared an open competition at quarterback between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

“I talked to both of them about that and was very clear,” Mangini said. “I said if they have any questions they can come and see me. In terms of the competition and their opportunities. That’s what I told them. They understand that.”

Mangini said after reviewing tapes of both players, holding conversations with them and talking to others, he is “excited” about the prospect of having both compete for the job.

“Without knowing exactly what they were being asked to do on each of the plays, I thought both seemed to have a good presence, a good command of the situation. They each do different things in the passing game and running game that I like,” he said.

Mangini said he will determine later how to divide QB repetitions in offseason practices, the minicamps and then in training camp. He said with the Jets he alternated QBs by the practice period, by the day, even by the interception. He said there is merit in mixing up the opportunities.

The coach said there is no timetable in determining his starter.

As usual, Mangini didn’t rule out trading a quarterback before the competition actually plays out on the field.

“What I haven’t ruled out is George (Kokinis, GM) and I looking at any opportunity to improve the team,” he said. “But I in no way am saying that is specific to the quarterback situation. But we would look at any opportunity we thought would improve the team.”

This isn’t a bad idea by Mangini because if neither is traded this offseason, it’s always good to drum up some competition for training camp, no matter what position it is. Anderson was a stud two years ago and Quinn showed flashes of potential before getting hurt last season. So make one of them earn a starting gig this season. (Assuming one of them doesn’t get traded, that is.)

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