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Trekgeekscott -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 7:42:12 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: John Childress

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/07/27/burress.ap/index.html?eref=sircrc

Another example of why this country is so screwed up

2 years in prison for accidentally shooting yourself?

That is why we have the highest incarceration rate of any advanced nation in the world.


Except that's not the charge.  He isn't charged with shooting himself...he is charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm.  I agree the amount of time they want to put him in jail for is excessive...but let's not try to make it sound like he was charged with shooting himself.



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 7:57:49 AM)

Jeff George still wants to play

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 8:13 AM ET

On the same day that the first overall pick in the 2001 draft received a second chance at an NFL career, word emerged that the first overall pick from eleven years earlier would still like another opportunity, too.

Unlike Mike Vick, however, Jeff George needs no reinstatement from the league office to get back into the NFL.

He only needs a team that wants him.

"I feel like I can still play, and if there's someone out there to give me a shot, that would be wonderful," George said, according to IlliniHQ.com, via USA Today.

We're not quite sure what to make of this.  On one hand, it couldn't be any more clear that the NFL isn't interested.  On the other hand, we still think the guy is better than more than a few of the slapolas who are littering the lower rungs of quarterbacking depth charts in the pro game.

The fact that he's 41 is irrelevant to us.  His arm by NASA/body by Lego (man, it still feels good to break that one out once in a while) makes him more like a pitcher, and they often continue to perform at a high level into their fifth decades of life.

In this case, however, we're going to suggest that George lower his sights just a bit.  The UFL is launching this year, and his one-time coach in Minnesota, Dennis Green, is leading one of the teams.  George should call Green and ask for a workout. 

Assuming Green wants to win football games, and assuming he remembers the impact that George had ten years ago after Green wisely realized that Randall Cunningham's chariot had turned back into a pumpkin, Green should at least be intrigued.

We're not saying that George will have a Tommy Maddox-style rebirth in the upstart league, but at a time when redemption seems to be the trend in the NFL, we'd love to see George get a chance to show whether he can still bring the heat.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Todd M -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 7:58:43 AM)

A clear example of why this world is a joke.

< 30 days in jail for killing someone vs 1-2 years for carrying a firearm/shooting yourself in the leg - whatever you want to call it.



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 8:00:08 AM)

Patrick Willis takes up MMA

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 8:30 AM ET

[image]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/assets_c/2009/07/nfl_willis-thumb-250x185-769.jpg[/image]


Not long ago, word emerged that Cardinals backup quarterback (and, until further notice, first-round bust) Matt Leinart had taken up mixed-martial arts training in order to, as FOX's Jay Glazer put it, transform Leinart from a pretty boy into a killer.

So what happens when a guy who takes up MMA training already is a killer?

We're about to find out.

Glazer tells us that 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis is the latest NFL player to work with Glazer and Randy Couture in an effort to improve his football skills via the 21st century's answer to boxing and pro wrestling.

Willis started the program in early July.  And Glazer says that, though Willis entered and exited the program at the same 238 pounds, Willis has lost two belt notches in his midsection.

Willis likely will gain some of that weight back when he devours Steven Jackson.


[&:][&:][&:]




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 8:03:53 AM)

Dungy's involvement guarantees Vick will be signed

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 7:20 AM ET

Apart from the fact that the involvement of former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy lends significant credibility to the efforts of quarterback Mike Vick to be reinstated, we think that Dungy's role as an adviser and mentor to Vick will have a dramatic impact on the next phase of his career.

For starters, it virtually guarantees that Vick will be signed by another team this year.

Though the initial reaction to Vick's reinstatement, which includes a potential regular-season suspension that doesn't operate like a traditional suspension, has triggered multiple teams to express preliminary interest in Vick, let's assume that the initial interest doesn't translate to a contract offer.

With a wide swath of connections in the NFL, including multiple coaches who likely owe a debt of gratitude to Dungy, the Super Bowl-winning coach becomes an incredibly valuable lobbyist on Vick's behalf.

Dungy has said on multiple occasions that Vick needs to be in a locker room again, benefiting from the support that a team environment provides.  So if Dungy has signed up to devote time and attention to helping Vick, Dungy will want to see the situation unfold not with Vick finding no suitors, but with Vick landing on a team.

If the Bears hadn't already acquired Jay Cutler from the Broncos, we think coach Lovie Smith would have been Dungy's first target, given the close relationship between the two former colleagues.  Even with Cutler on the team, the Bears become a Wildcat option for Vick, if Dungy can't place Vick anywhere else.

The Colts become an option as well, given that Dungy said on The Dan Patrick Show that he'd be interested in Vick if Dungy were still the coach there.  Presumably, new coach Jim Caldwell shares some of the same views as Dungy; otherwise, Caldwell wouldn't have been hand picked to succeed Dungy.

Then there's the reality that Dungy, in his role as an adviser and mentor, will be able to steer Vick wherever Dungy thinks Vick needs to go, if/when multiple teams are making offers.  This means that, if one of Dungy's former colleagues wants Vick, Dungy will be more inclined to recommend that Vick move in that direction than to a team coached by a man with whom Dungy has no prior relationship.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 8:06:20 AM)

Don't rule out Redskins in Vick sweepstakes

Posted by Mike Florio on July 27, 2009 11:03 PM ET

For now, it's clear that multiple as-yet-unknown teams are pursuing quarterback Mike Vick.

It's also clear that one of the teams that has pursued multiple quarterbacks this offseason is the Redskins.

And we're beginning to pick up some subtle indications from a couple of sources with connections to the team that the Redskins should not be ruled out as potential suitors for Mr. Vick.

The thinking is that, if he were to land in D.C., Vick would not supplant current starter Jason Campbell, but that he instead would work in a Wildcat-type role for 2009, with an opportunity next year to succeed Campbell, whose contract expires after the season.

If the Redskins truly are interested, it could create an awkward situation for agent Joel Segal, who represents both players. 

Then again, Segal might be able to persuade Campbell that, if Vick makes the team better in 2009, Campbell will be more attractive on the open market in 2010, if the Redskins choose not to keep him.

For now, we're not reporting that anything will happen between Vick and the Redskins.  But as other teams begin lining up for a crack at Vick, who's living not that far from where the Redskins play their home games, how can the 'Skins not at least do a little due diligence?

With a far less noxious degree of stink emanating from Vick given the incredibly fair manner in which the league office has treated him, selling Vick to the local fans suddenly has become a far easier task.  And given that the Redskins are nearly 18 years removed from their last Super Bowl win, we've got a feeling that anything that pushes the franchise toward the top of the NFC will be viewed as a positive development.

Bottom line?  The Redskins signed Albert Haynesworth, who is hardly a choir boy.  If they can justify giving him $41 million guaranteed, they can easily justify giving Vick a one-year deal.

To be clear, we're not reporting that the Redskins will sign Vick.  But we've heard enough from a couple of trusted sources to believe that something could indeed happen.

And if it happens, it'll be happening fairly soon.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 8:07:55 AM)

Another suit against Marvin Harrison

Posted by Mike Florio on July 27, 2009 10:24 PM ET

[image]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/assets_c/2009/07/NFL_Harrison_250-thumb-250x185-363.jpg[/image]


Last week, at about this same time, we sent an e-mail to ESPN's news desk alerting the Worldwide Leader of our report regarding a civil suit filed against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by a woman who claimed that he sexually assaulted her.

And, as we all know, ESPN opted to ignore that report, initially floating the patently ridiculous notion that the network doesn't report on civil cases that haven't triggered criminal prosecutions.

So it's fitting, we suppose, that ESPN is reporting that receiver Marvin Harrison is the subject of a second civil lawsuit regarding an April 2008 shooting . . . even though he never has been charged with any crime.

Harrison, according to Shaun Assael of ESPN The Magazine, has been sued by Robert Nixon, who claims he was shot by Harrison, as Harrison tried to shoot Dwight Dixon.

Assael also points out an intriguing development that ESPN ignored last week -- that Dixon was shot seven times on Tuesday, and that he told police before slipping into a coma that he believes Harrison hired the gunman.

Prosecutors have not yet charged Harrison, due in part to concerns regarding Nixon's credibility.  But Assael reports that Nixon was placed in protective custody for two weeks at one point, which tends to lend some credence to Dixon's allegation that Harrison arranged for last week's shooting.

Bottom line?  While this story has slipped off the NFL's radar screen given that Harrison currently isn't under contract with any NFL team, it has the potential to eventually explode.

And, as a practical matter, the simmering possibility of a criminal prosecution might cause interested teams to shy away from him as training camps open.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 8:09:02 AM)

Back surgery for Charles Tillman

Posted by Mike Florio on July 27, 2009 9:45 PM ET

In a surprise development, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman reportedly has undergone back surgery.

According to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune, Tillman recently underwent an arthroscopic procedure to "clean up a disc in his back."

He's expected to miss all of training camp and most of the preseason.

Tillman missed the final two games of the 2006 season with a similar problem.  In February 2007, he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

The seventh-year pro has been a fixture in the team's starting lineup since his rookie season of 2003.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 10:29:58 AM)

Jeff George workout tape creating a buzz

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 11:03 AM ET

So we're taking a closer look at the latest effort by quarterback Jeff George to return to the NFL, and we're told that the effort has been sparked by video of a recent workout that already is making the rounds in the NFL and the UFL.

The tape was created roughly three weeks ago, showing George throwing to incoming freshman at Illinois.  We're told that Illinois head coach Ron Zook was blown away by the performance, and he began beating the bushes to get George a second chance.

"I coached against him when I was in the National Football League, and he was out there just throwing the ball around and I was like, 'Holy smokes.' He looked like he did when I coached against him," Zook told IlliniHQ.com.  "He was throwing the ball on the money.  He can throw all the balls.  He looks about 25 years old, and I was very impressed with where he is right now."

We're in the process of getting a copy of the video, and maybe we'll figure out a way to post some of it here.

Meanwhile, we're hearing that some NFL scouts have responded to the video very favorably.

That said, George still faces an uphill battle.  He's 41, and his reputation for not being a team player continues to resonate.

As one league source told us told, "Regardless of his skill set, he was hated by his teammates and was never a leader."

Still, the positive aspect of being 41 is that George necessarily has matured.  So if a guy who admitted to involvement in dogfighting and gambling and killing dogs in all sorts of grotesque and arguably psychopathic ways can get another chance, maybe Jeff George should, too.

We're not saying he should be signed to a contract or given a starting job.  But if he has been able to persuade Zook, a former defensive coordinator in the NFL, that George still has it, George should get a fair chance to show what he can do.

As a reader pointed out in the comments, it's at a minimum ironic that the Vikings currently are sniffing around 39-going-on-60-year-old Brett Favre less than two years after Minnesota coach Brad Childress scoffed at signing George, saying that describing George as being on the downside of his career would be kind, and suggesting that George go to a "fantasy camp or something."

There's actually a not-so-laughable argument to be made that George -- who clearly wants to play -- has more left in the tank than the guy who still doesn't know what the hell he wants to do.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



John Childress -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 11:44:45 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Todd Mallett

A clear example of why this world is a joke.

< 30 days in jail for killing someone vs 1-2 years for carrying a firearm/shooting yourself in the leg - whatever you want to call it.


bingo



John Childress -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 11:45:50 AM)

Harrison is 10x rthe thug that Randy Moss has been rumored to be



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 3:48:30 PM)

Report: Jim Johnson's battle nearly over

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 4:25 PM ET

As the Eagles begin preparing in earnest for the 2009 season, they're doing so amid the reality that former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's cancer battle is coming to a sad conclusion.

According to J.P. Sartre of the Daily Times of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Johnson recently took a turn for the worse.

Sartre says there was "muffled talk" at camp on Tuesday morning that Johnson's fight is nearly over.

Johnson served as the team's defensive coordinator for ten years, and he was regarded as one of the best at what he does.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



Caesar -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 5:44:57 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ryan Taylor

Report: Jim Johnson's battle nearly over

Posted by Mike Florio on July 28, 2009 4:25 PM ET


As the Eagles begin preparing in earnest for the 2009 season, they're doing so amid the reality that former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's cancer battle is coming to a sad conclusion.

According to J.P. Sartre of the Daily Times of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Johnson recently took a turn for the worse.

Sartre says there was "muffled talk" at camp on Tuesday morning that Johnson's fight is nearly over.

Johnson served as the team's defensive coordinator for ten years, and he was regarded as one of the best at what he does.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor


Just saw on the NFL Network that he died this afternoon. 

RIP Jim Johnson



Lynn G. -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/28/2009 7:52:27 PM)

Sad news. That cancer crap is ... crap.

[:@]



Trekgeekscott -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/29/2009 8:35:02 AM)

Bummer.

Rest in Peace you defensive blitz happy genius you.



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/30/2009 9:35:14 AM)

Pressure building on Marvin Harrison

Posted by Mike Florio on July 30, 2009 10:20 AM ET

In past years at this specific juncture of the calendar, the sweat on Marvin Harrison's brow resulted from running pass patterns at training camp.

This year, he's likely sweating for a much different reason.

According to David Gambacorta of the Philadelphia Daily News, police have served a search warrant at Harrison's aptly-named "Playmakers" bar for evidence relating to the July 21 septuple-shooting of Dwight Dixon.

Specifically, police hope to review the bar's surveillance tapes to see whether the gunman was in the establishment prior to the shooting.

A separate surveillance camera shows a six-foot black man wearing a dark hooded jacket, jeans, and white sneakers firing the bullets that hit Dixon, who previously sued Harrison for allegedly shooting Dixon in April 2008.

The July 21 incident occurred only two blocks north of Harrison's bar.

Dixon reportedly told police before slipping into a coma that he believes Harrison arranged the shooting.  Dixon has been unconscious following ten hours of surgery, and police have not yet been able to interview him.

We have no idea how any of this is going to turn out.  But unless and until Harrison is fully exonerated, I've got a better chance of playing in the NFL this year than he does.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



John Childress -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/30/2009 1:03:21 PM)

Harrison is a hard core thug who hid behind Manning and Dungy.

Twice as bad as Vick



John Childress -> RE: RE:NFL News (7/30/2009 1:18:39 PM)

MORE

urveillance footage filmed by cameras affixed to the front of a Valu-Plus on Girard Avenue showed the gunman shoot repeatedly at Dixon, who was sitting in the driver's seat of a rental car. Police last week released images of the triggerman fleeing on foot with his head lowered, making it impossible for his face to be viewed clearly.
Last year, Dixon sparked national interest when he claimed Harrison had chased and shot at him after they exchanged blows on Thompson Street near 25th on April 29, 2008.
The shooting occurred two weeks after the two had a dispute at Playmakers.
Another man, Robert Nixon, 33, claimed that he was shot in the back by Harrison as he tried to run from the scene.
Although police found that five bullets had been fired by a handgun Harrison owned, District Attorney Lynne Abraham declined to press charges against Harrison.
Abraham said Dixon, Nixon and others provided investigators with nine accounts of the shooting.
Dixon filed a civil lawsuit against Harrison last fall, seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
Nixon filed a civil suit against Harrison last Friday. His attorney, Wadud Ahmad, told the Daily News last week that Nixon still experiences discomfort from the bullet lodged in his back.



John Childress -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/2/2009 1:11:07 PM)

Last ride for Hassleback?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_trotter/08/02/seahawks.postcard/index.html?bcnn=yes



Tim Cady -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/6/2009 2:06:45 PM)

New Face, New Place
For someone who signed a five-year, $40 million deal that includes $15 million in guarantees and a "Get Out of Jail Free" card that allowed him to leave the Bengals, wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh has been doing a slow burn this summer. He's boycotting Madden '10 because he believes the video game didn't rate his skills high enough, and he's fuming at fans and reporters who believe he's nothing more than an underneath route-runner. Houshmandzadeh's yards-per-catch has fallen every year since 2004, when he averaged 13.4, bottoming out at a career-low 9.8 last season. "People who know football know better," he says. "I can only run the play that is called. I can't wait for this year so people can see what I can really do."
 
Something tells me we dodged a bullet here. TJ is over estimating his present contribution level, as much as he would have been a nice compliment to BB, he will be expected to be the man along with Nate(same type player when healthy) and the upstart Carlson of Litchville MN. What kind of excuse will TJ have when he can't beat double coverage or starts to average 7 yards a completion?[:)]


I predict 10 wins![&:]
 
Dude, don't Bogart that thing!

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_trotter/08/02/seahawks.postcard/index.html?
bcnn=yes#ixzz0NQkNecGH




Jim Trotter, I predict an improvement to 6, count them, 6 wins![;)]



So.Mn.Fan -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/7/2009 10:22:18 PM)

Crabtree picked the wrong coach and org to play chicken with.
Won't bother you to sit out a year?
Yeahhhhhhh, riiiiiiiiight. We believe ya.
Good luck getting first round money NEXT year, chump.



thebigo -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/7/2009 10:34:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: John Childress

Last ride for Hassleback?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_trotter/08/02/seahawks.postcard/index.html?bcnn=yes


Hasselback is unlikely to last an entire season. One good crack knocks that back back outta whack.



So.Mn.Fan -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/8/2009 8:48:07 PM)

[image]http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0806/nfl_hall_of_fame1_sw_203.jpg[/image]

Forgot the class for a minute, looked at the pic and thought .... "My God, Bob Griese has aged"
Never mind, it's Ralph Wilson.  [&:] 



Tim Cady -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/9/2009 3:47:14 PM)

[&:]



Ryan Taylor -> RE: RE:NFL News (8/13/2009 9:40:41 AM)

Stallworth suspended for a year

Posted by Mike Florio on August 13, 2009 9:57 AM ET

A league source tells us that Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth has been suspended for the entire 2009 season.

The suspension comes in the wake of Stallworth's guilty plea to felony DUI manslaughter in Florida.

Stallworth previously had been suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Roger Goodell, pending a full review of the case.

UPDATE:  The league has confirmed the suspension, via a press release.  Stallworth will be reinstated after the Super Bowl.




Ryan "Son of Don" Taylor



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