Category: NFL (Page 782 of 1282)

      Report: Patriots turned down 12th overall pick for Cassel

      March 2, 2009 /

      The Matt Cassel-to-Chiefs trade just got a little juicer.

      According to ESPN.com, the Broncos offered the 12th overall pick to the Patriots in exchange for Matt Cassel. Denver would have then traded Jay Cutler to the Bucs in exchange for a first and third round pick.

      So then why did the Pats turn down that offer and trade Cassel (along with linebacker Mike Vrabel) to the Chiefs in exchange for Kansas City’s second round pick?

      ESPN.com’s Tim Graham tries to answer that question:

      But Belichick never embraced a trade with the Broncos, even though it was a head-scratcher on the value part (second-rounder versus a first-rounder). It suggests two or three speculative thoughts:

      1. Belichick has always valued second-round picks (he now has three) and didn’t want to be stuck at No. 12 financially for whatever reason;
      2. Belichick had an agreement with Pioli all along and wouldn’t break his word;
      3. Belichick isn’t about to help another former assistant.

      The Broncos sensed resistance all along, which is why they held the Bucs, Lions, Vikings, etc., at arm’s length and allows McDaniels his plausible deniability on trading Cutler (and logic supports his denial).
      However, despite intense efforts to keep this run at Cassel under wraps, enough damage has been done that Cutler may now be on the block.

      The Broncos/Cutler aspect of the trade was reported by the Boston Globe. A Patriots’ leak? Why? To mess with McDaniels?

      Several citizens of Patriot Nation have written into my AFC East mailbag and left notes in the comments section that Belichick didn’t want a first-round pick for Cassel, that a second-rounder is more financially palatable.

      Ridiculous, I say. The Patriots had the No. 10 pick last year and were highly successful with it, selecting defensive rookie of the year Jerod Mayo, a franchise player who could anchor their defense for the next decade.

      The No. 12 pick is a commodity. The Patriots might’ve traded it for additional picks, dangling it on draft day to a team that has the hots for, say, quarterback Mark Sanchez, and doesn’t want him to get away.

      Now this is what NFL free agency is all about! Failed trade talks, espionage and lies!

      I don’t know how the relationship ended between Belichick and McDaniels but nobody should be surprised if Bill was trying to stick it up the moon of another assistant. Belichick is ruthless and it shouldn’t shock anyone if eventually it comes out that he took a second rounder for Cassel because it was from Pioli, rather than taking the 12th overall pick because it came from McDaniels.

      Either way, this is one of the best offseason storylines in some time and I can’t wait for the next chapter in the ongoing saga, although it appears that Cutler will remain in Denver and Belichick will never speak of this situation again…

      NFL

      King: Cutler had already asked to be traded

      March 2, 2009 /

      If you weren’t a Jay Cutler fan before, you’re really going to like him now.

      Remember how upset Cutler was after his name came up in trade talks over the weekend? Well according to SI.com’s Peter King, Cutler had already asked the Broncos to trade him, long before the events of this weekend took place.

      Via Rotoworld.com:

      According to SI’s Peter King, Jay Cutler had asked the Broncos to trade him after the team lost offensive coordinator Jim Bates to USC after the season.

      Cutler wasn’t happy about losing Bates or head coach Mike Shanahan, and he’s not handling the recent trade talks well at all. It doesn’t look like the Broncos are going to trade Cutler at this point, so, as King suggested, “maybe both sides need to get into marriage counseling.”

      You’re kidding me right? Cutler had already asked to be traded after Shanahan and Bates were fired, yet said he was shocked when his name came up in trade talks over the weekend? I guess he still could have been surprised by all the news, but for him to say how upset he was about the whole thing makes him look two-faced with this latest information coming to the table.

      Any way you slice it, the Josh McDaniels era in Denver has not started off well. Cutler isn’t expected to be dealt any time this offseason, so that means the two parities will have to come together and bury the hatchet before the start of next season. These things tend to work themselves out and the situation will probably be a dead one by the time Week 1 hits, but again, this isn’t a good start for McDaniels.

      NFL

      Housh to sign with Vikings soon?

      March 2, 2009 /

      Perhaps the biggest name still left on the free agent market is wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who appears poised to sign with the Vikings if you read between the lines.

      When the free agency period began last Friday, Housh set up a visit with the Seahawks. He left Seattle without signing a contract, however, and despite rumors that the Lions, Bengals and Bears were interested, Housh headed to Minnesota for a visit with the Vikings on Saturday.

      He hasn’t left Minnesota since.

      According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Housh remained in Minnesota overnight Sunday and is expected to make a decision on whom he’ll sign with by Monday night. He is supposed to pay a visit to Tampa early this week, but it appears that the Vikes are trying hard not to let him leave Minnesota without a contract.

      Houshmandzadeh and Bernard Berrian would make quite the underrated receiving tandem in Minnesota. Coupled with bruiser Adrian Peterson and a solid line, the Vikings would have one of the better offenses in the NFC and certainly the best in the North. Some fans might not be enthralled with the Sage Rosenfels trade, but he’ll give Tarvaris Jackson some competition and head coach Brad Childress will allow the best man win this summer.

      If the Vikings could eventually land Housh (and for what it’s worth, I think they will), then they’d easily be the favorites to once again with the NFC North. Signing Housh would also mean that they could concentrate on filling some holes on the defensive side of the ball and add good overall depth to the entire team.

      Unless the Bucs make a strong push, the last time the Vikings probably have to worry about swooping in and stealing Housh would be the Bengals. Cincy still remains in the mix and even though Housh would probably be upgrading his situation if he went to Minnesota, he has history with the Bengals and his heart could remain there.

      NFL

      Brandon Marshall arrested…again.

      March 2, 2009 /

      Broncos’ wideout Brandon Marshall is keeping up with his lifelong dream of being arrested at least once every year for the rest of eternity.

      Marshall was arrested Sunday in Atlanta and booked into the Atlanta City Jail on a disorderly conduct charge.

      Details of the events leading to Marshall’s arrest were not known Sunday night, but a jail supervisor told ESPN’s John Barr that Marshall was involved in a fight.

      Marshall posted a $300 bond and was released. This was the fourth arrest for Marshall since March 2006. He was suspended for three games last season for repeatedly running afoul of the law — Marshall’s suspension stemmed from seven police-related incidents with his former girlfriend, Rasheedah Wately.

      But he had his punishment reduced to a single game when he pledged to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he would stay out of trouble.

      Marshall, 24, now potentially faces a longer suspension to start the 2009 season, perhaps as much as eight games, which is the punishment other players have received for repeatedly getting into trouble off the field.

      The league doesn’t require convictions for the commissioner to suspend a player.

      Let’s see what I wrote the last time Marshall was arrested…

      Marshall needs to wake up and smell the opportunities that have been given to him. He’s a rare talent, blessed with both size and speed. But he also seems to have nothing between the ears and if he ever wants to cash in on his Terrell Owens-type talent, then he’ll need to start making better decisions.

      Yep, that should cover it for his latest arrest, too.

      So let’s see, Jay Cutler is pissed off at new head coach Josh McDaniels for trying to trade him over the weekend and now Marshall is in trouble again. What a great time to be a Broncos fan.

      Update: The charges have been dropped against Marshall. Wow, that was fast. Either way, how about Marshall lay low for a while anyway?

      NFL

      Report: Raiders, Lions players lost at sea

      March 1, 2009 /

      The Tampa Tribune is reporting that Lions’ free agent Corey Smith and two Raiders’ players including special teamer Marquis Cooper are lost on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico.

      The search includes an 87-foot cutter, two helicopters and two planes. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected to join the search of inshore waters on Monday.

      Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close said current weather conditions are hampering search efforts. They are encountering 14-foot seas and 30 mph gusts with whitecaps making it difficult to spot a white boat, he said.

      The weather is expected to stay bad at least through Monday.

      About 10 a.m., the Coast Guard withdrew a 47-foot rescue boat that had been searching since 2 a.m. because the rough seas made it difficult to search effectively.

      The search started 50 miles offshore because a family member provided GPS coordinates of a place the men have fished in the past.

      The men left Clearwater Pass about 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a 21-foot, center-console boat with a single engine. They were expected back by Saturday afternoon or early evening. There was no contact between the boaters and their families during the day Saturday and the Coast Guard received no distress call.

      That does not mean one was not issued, just none was received, Close said.

      The Coast Guard was alerted about 1:30 a.m. today when the boat did not return as expected. The search started about 2 a.m., centered about 50 miles from Clearwater Pass. The search area covers about 750 square miles.

      I pray for the men’s safe recovery.

      NFL

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