This math equation should be taught at the grade school level because it’s as basic as it gets:

NFL Players + Too Much Money + Too Much Time on their Hands = Bad News.

Falcons’ safety William Moore became the 11th player arrested since the lockout began on March 11th when he was booked on Tuesday in Gwinnett County, Georgia. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Moore was charged with speeding, driving with a suspended license and failure to appear. But hey, at least he didn’t enter into a car chase and get arrested for eluding a police officer.

The 2009 second round pick became the Falcons’ starting strong safety last year, registering 72 tackles, five interceptions and one forced fumble. He is viewed as one of the bright young stars on an improving Atlanta defense and seeing as how this was his first offense, he’ll probably escape punishment from the league. Of course, that really isn’t the crux of the issue, now is it?

On Tuesday I wrote a piece about how it was in the best interest of the owners to stall during the lockout. The longer this dispute goes on, the more leverage they can create. Some of these young players are reckless when it comes to their spending habits and clearly can’t stay out of trouble. In the span of 40 days, 11 players have already been arrested. What will that arrest number look like after 80 or 100 days?

The longer the owners wait, the more likely these players who are currently running amok will continue to make fools of themselves. That’s not to say that I advocate the owners stalling or that I’m on their side. No, I think both sides should want to get a deal done immediately to avoid further embarrassment. But if I were an owner I wouldn’t be in a rush to see the lockout end.

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)

My colleague (and inspiration according to him) John Paulsen did a great job of highlighting the impact that this year’s offensive rookie class could have in terms of fantasy football, so I thought it would only be appropriate to show some love to the defensive rooks.

I’ve ranked the 10 rookies who I feel could make the biggest impact for their teams in 2009. This doesn’t mean that I think they’ll put up gaudy numbers, although they could. These rankings are more of a reflection of how I feel each rookie fits into their specific defensive scheme and what teams can expect in terms of overall production from these players in their first season.

Side Note: I stuck to only the defensive players that were drafted in the first two rounds. While plenty of mid-round picks have started and were successful in their rookie seasons, it’s a little hard to project at this point which third and fourth rounders could have an impact with training camps still a month or so away. Maybe I’ll re-visit this topic once again before the season starts and dedicate another piece to the mid-rounders that could have an immediate impact.

1. Aaron Curry, LB, Seahawks
Curry might not have been the first defensive player to come off the board in April (that honor went to LSU’s Tyson Jackson, who was selected with the third overall by the Chiefs), but he was the best defender that the 2009 draft class had to offer. Curry has the ability to play all three linebacker positions in a 4-3, although he’ll likely start on the strong side, allowing the Hawks to keep LeRoy Hill at weakside ‘backer. Curry has outstanding speed (4.5), size (6’2”, 254 pounds) and can stay on the field in passing situations, unlike some linebackers, who are often replaced in nickel packages because they can’t hang with backs, tight ends and receivers. Curry isn’t one of those situational prospects – he’s a complete player and should make a significant impact in his first year.

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