Tag: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Page 3 of 6)

      Torry Holt asks Rams to release him

      March 5, 2009 /

      League sources (whatever that means these days – could be a well respected NFL front office figure or could be Roger Goodell’s janitor) have told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that wide receiver Torry Holt has asked the Rams to release him.

      The Rams have been trying to trade Holt for the past couple weeks but so far they haven’t found any takers. As the Post-Dispatch notes, Holt is due a $1.25 million roster bonus on March 17 and therefore it’s unlikely that he’ll be a Ram past that point.

      If he remains patient for the next week and a half, Holt is likely to get his wish. But I don’t blame him for wanting to end the charade and have the team just release now so both parties can move on. It’s clear that Rams are moving in another direction at receiver and I think the team owes Holt a debt of gratitude for all he’s done over the years. If they’re going to wind up releasing him anyway (and they will – no team is going to trade for him knowing that he’ll be cut if they wait long enough), they should do him a favor and cut him now.

      Holt will catch on with another team because he still wants to play. This isn’t a situation like Marvin Harrison, who has completely dropped off the face of the earth. Harrison’s main concern is to get paid and if no team is going to do that, then he’ll just retire. But Holt still has that flicker of fire burning in him and he’s likely to take a pay cut to sign with a contender in an effort to play in one last Super Bowl.

      Wide receiver-needy teams are the Bears, Dolphins and maybe even the Cowboys now that they’ve released Terrell Owens. I could also see a team like the Bucs being interested in Holt after they were spurned by T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

      NFL

      Ravens re-sign Ray Lewis, add Matt Birk

      March 4, 2009 /

      The Ravens made two significant moves on Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with linebacker Ray Lewis and signing free agent center Matt Birk.

      “We have agreed in principle on a multi-year contract that will allow Ray to finish his career as a Baltimore Raven,” general manager/executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced.

      (Note: Lewis’ contract will not be official until he signs, which will take place sometime in the next two weeks. At that time, the Ravens will hold a press conference with Lewis. Please understand that travel schedules for owner Steve Bisciotti, Newsome, head coach John Harbaugh and Lewis are causing this delay.)

      Also agreeing to a contract this afternoon is six-time Pro Bowl C Matt Birk. Birk, who has played all 11 of his NFL seasons with Minnesota, will meet with the media Thursday morning (3/5) at the Ravens’ Owings Mills training facility at 11 a.m.

      Re-signing Lewis was pivotal after the Ravens lost Bart Scott to free agency. Lewis wore down towards the end of last season but proved he can still play at a high level. Now Baltimore can turn its attention to addressing the hole left by Scott.

      The addition of Birk was huge because the Ravens lost Jason Brown to the Rams. Birk has more years on Brown, but is a seasoned veteran and one of the most intelligent centers in the league. He was also the best center on the market after Brown inked his deal with St. Louis.

      The other team impacted by this signing is Minnesota – Birk’s former team. They lost the bidding war for T.J. Houshmandzadeh (who signed with the Seahawks on Monday) and now have to replace Birk on their offensive line. It’s been a rough start to free agency for the Vikes.

      NFL

      Bengals sign wide receiver Laveranues Coles

      March 4, 2009 /

      After losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks on Monday, the Bengals addressed their need at wide receiver with the signing free agent Laveranues Coles to a four-year, $28 million contract.

      Considering Housh got $8 mil per year over the next five years, it would appear that the Bengals overpaid for Coles. But keep in mind that once Houshmandzadeh was signed, Coles became the best wideout on the market and therefore was able to cash in.

      At 31, Coles is no spring chicken but he can still play. He’s a solid overall athlete, an excellent route runner and he isn’t afraid to block. Despite missing six games last year due to injury, Coles is strong and durable. He doesn’t have elite speed and he won’t run away from defenders in the open field, but that doesn’t mean he can’t create separation.

      Despite paying what I estimate to be about a mil more per year than he is worth, this was a nice signing by the Bengals. The addition of Coles will allow Cincy to concentrate on their other needs in the draft and now they won’t be tempted to select a wideout early when those picks could better be used to address the offensive line and defense.

      NFL

      Bengals interested in Laveranues Coles

      March 3, 2009 /

      After losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks on Monday, the Bengals have emerged as a possible candidate for free agent Laveranues Coles, who was released by the Jets last week.

      Cincinnati has bigger needs than wide receiver, including finding a new center, adding a quality pass-rusher and finding overall depth at running back and along the offensive line. But with plenty of cap space available (the Bungles started with $26 million at the start of free agency), Coles could be a solid addition to a team that lost a lot of production at receiver when Housh signed with Seattle.

      Of course, the Bengals could wait until draft day to address the wide receiver position; in fact, now that the Seahawks signed Housh there’s little chance they would draft Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree in April. That means Crabtree could fall to No. 6 and if Cincy pulls the trigger, they could get significantly younger at the receiver position while also filling the hole vacated by Houshmandzadeh.

      There are obvious risks involved with waiting until the draft to address the receiver position. One, Crabtree might not fall to No. 6 and two, he is scheduled to have foot surgery soon and might miss some time this summer recovering. There’s obviously no guarantee that he’ll develop into a productive pro, either.

      The Bengals could probably afford to offer Coles a four-year deal in the $6 mil per year range. If they do, they know they would be signing a consummate pro that has produced throughout his entire career. Therefore, signing him (if he’s even interested) seems like a better choice and then Cincy could look to addressing one of their other needs ni the first round.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Houshmandzadeh signs with Seahawks

      March 2, 2009 /

      According to the National Football Post, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Seahawks. The deal also includes $15 million in guarantees.

      Barring any last-second problems, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will sign a multi-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, according to sources close to the situation.

      According to the source, the Seahawks have offered close to $2 million more than the closest competitor in the race for Houshmandzadeh’s services.

      An eight-year veteran out of Oregon State, Houshmandzadeh caught 92 passes for 904 yards and 4 touchdowns in 15 starts for the Bengals last season.

      In addition to the Seahawks, the Vikings and Bengals were pursing Houshmandzadeh.

      Well…slap…me…hard. I thought Housh would wind up in Minnesota after the Vikes made a decent push this weekend and if not there, surely back in Cincinnati where the Bengals seemed to be offering the most money. Out of the top three choices, I would have ranked Seattle third as Housh’s likely destination. Yikes.

      The Seahawks landed the best receiver on the market, although they probably overpaid considering he’ll be 32 in September. He’s highly dependable, an excellent target and he’s not afraid to go over the middle if he has to. Hopefully he doesn’t mind blocking either, because he’ll be doing plenty of it in Greg Knapp’s West Coast Offense because the Seahawks will definitely run the ball next year.

      I just wonder how Knapp and Housh will get along. Knapp seems like a good guy, but he’s been known to frustrate receivers in the past (i.e. Terrell Owens and Peerless Price), and Housh isn’t afraid to voice his frustration when he feels that what the offense is doing isn’t working.

      I also wonder what this signing means for Michael Crabtree, who some predicted would go fourth to the Seahawks in the April. With Seattle needing to address other holes, I doubt Crabtree will be their pick in round one now that Housh has been signed. (Or is expected to sign, that is.)

      NFL

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