February 2008 Archives
Just swapped email with former Pats, Jets and Chiefs corner Ty Law. He's not officially released until Monday so he can't make any visits or negotiations until then.
He's getting up there but should draw interest from better teams. Law wants to go to a contender at this point in his career and could well wind up back in New England.
The Dolphins were one of the busiest teams on the first day of free agency and made strides on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, they added the Jaguars leading receiver last year, Ernest Wilford (45 catches, 518 yards) and former former Niners guard Justin Smiley and backup tight end Sean Ryan.
Wilford's the best signing out of that bunch because, while he's not the fastest wideout on the block, he can go up and get the ball at 6-4, 223 pounds, is a hard worker and is pretty surehanded.
The Dolphins were close to adding Raiders quarterback Josh McCown but NFL Network reports that he's gone to the Bengals. That means John Beck remains the incumbent starter in Miami and Miami remains in the market.
It's kind of a head-scratcher to figure out why McCown would prefer to backup Carson Palmer in Cincy instead of competing with Beck.
Smiley, a former 49er, helps shore up the Dolphins porous offensive line but there's still much work to do up front. Ryan's a bit player at this point, a former Jet.
Defensively, the Dolphins swung a deal with Dallas for space-eating Jason Ferguson, a 312-pound defensive tackle. He's 33 and has played in both Dallas and New York for Bill Parcells who - while Jeff Ireland is the personnel - likely pushed for that deal. Ferguson will be able to indoctrinate the Dolphins into the
Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor and Tennessee defensive tackle Randy Starks are also headed to Miami. Torbor was a part-time player in New York and finished the season with 39 tackles.
The biggest domino to fall could for the Dolphins could be linebacker Calvin Pace who did visit Miami but may still head to the Jets for a looksee.
Who's had the best offseason to date - other than Big Blue?
The Cleveland Browns. (Check out the Plain-Dealer blog here).
Last week, they re-signed running back Jamal Lewis. On Friday they got quarterback Derek Anderson locked up for three more years and swung a deal for Packers defensive tackle Corey Williams and another one for former Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. They also hosted former Patriots receiver Donte Stallworth and Tennessee defensive end Travis LaBoy.
The Raiders are trying to get Stallworth in for a visit this weekend so that's not a done deal by any means. LaBoy is also supposed to visit the Saints.
The Anderson signing is particularly big because A) he's pretty good and B) it means Brady Quinn gets a reasonable apprenticeship before being handed the reins of the offense.
As for Williams, there's some uncertainty as to whether the Browns sent a third-round pick to Green Bay or a second-rounder in exchange.
Either way, Cleveland's off to the best start in this free agent period.
We're 14 hours into the 2008 free agency period. As our buddy Dan Pompei from the Chicago Tribune noted, team decision makers agree the shelves are not stocked with franchise-altering players.
Why? It's because the number of players franchised (12) and the proliferation of teams with more cap room to spend since the CBA passed less than two years ago ($85 million to $116 million in 24 months) means teams had cash on hand to keep guys around.
So the guys who are free agents today - even if they are good players - are free agents because their former teams felt they either had a better guy on hand (Michael Turner, ex of the Chargers) or they had too rich an asking price for their services (Asante Samuel, soon-to-be Eagle).
Here are the 7 biggest developments in the first 14 hours.
1. Asante Samuel bound for Philly.
With a 4:30 eastern press conference scheduled, the ex-Patriots corner will be the biggest name to be locked down on the first day of free agency. For the Eagles, great get. You couple Samuel with Sheldon Brown on the outside, and Brian Dawkins at safety and you have a terrific secondary. Samuel NEEDS a good safety behind him in order for him to make the kind of plays on the ball that result in picks (he had 16 over the past two seasons). He'll get beat - less than Lito Sheppard - so Eagles fans can't think they have the next Champ Bailey. But overall, Samuel will win you more games than he'll help lose.
2. Jets Unloading Early
Well, it's probably not the highest priority news for Patriots fans on the eve of free agency but special teams ace Larry Izzo isn't going anywhere.
Izzo, who'll be 34 in September, has agreed in principle to a deal to stay with the Patriots. The 5-10, 228-pounder is almost exclusively a special teams player although he has appeared in some goal line defenses for New England.
Izzo's entering his 13th year in the league which is fairly amazing since he went undrafted coming out of Rice in 1996.
The Patriots are also close to getting a deal done to keep another special teams specialist, Kelley Washington, in Foxboro.
Washington is a receiver by trade. Although he didn't have a catch for the Patriots in 2007, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder could be moving up the New England depth chart by osmosis.
The Patriots have already taken a pass on Donte Stallworth and receivers Jabar Gaffney and Randy Moss become free agents at 12:01 Friday morinng. That leaves Washington (when he signs), Chad Jackson and Wes Welker as the Pats receiver corps.
I didn't figure it would take this long to get Moss locked up given both sides desire for him to be in New England for the foreseeable.
But Moss is a mercurial guy and, while talks continue the closer he gets to having the opportunity to hear other offers, the more hands will sweat in New England.
Sitting at home with the flu sucks. Aside from attending a meeting this morning, I've got no plans to go back outside today. Which is fine by me because I can't stand this weather anymore. Yes, that's right. I'm complaining. I turn on the TV this morning and it says: "With the windchill it feels like 7 degrees." 7. That's 73 degrees less then what I'd like.
So I'm home with Oprah, a box of tissues, my comfy couch and A LOT of extra time to peruse the internet. I haven't checked out this website in just short of forever. However, I'm glad I did today because I came across this hilarious article on The Onion. With the title: Canseco: 'Hey guys, who wants to come to my big steroid party this weekend?' I don't see a need to explain.
And in case you are wondering what Kelvin Sampson is up to, just go here to find out. The fact that it's completely made up is a small point. It makes perfect (fiction) sense.
That's my suggested headline for the New York Post next week ...
I hear he's also courting the Irish-American vote: O'bama!
And how about Hillary's "pillow" comment? More and more I'm looking at Hillary and seeing Tracey Flick ("Pick Flick!" from Election)
Did you read that ESPN traded in Sean Salisbury for Cris Carter? My favorite aspect of this story is that Salisbury, in a statement, said that "it's time to expand into other opportunities in TV, radio, internet, publishing, movies ... " Movies???
Vanderbilt beat No. 1 Tennessee last night, which only reaffirms what my good friend and former editor at Sports Illustrated, Dick Friedman, has long said: "There's no such thing as a home team scoring an upset in college basketball."
Is it a "Greatest Highlight" if Chris Berman is narrating it? Doesn't anyone in Bristol have the cojones to tell him to simmer down, now?
The Ming Dynasty will have to wait another year to begin. I'm totally bummed about this. The NBA Western Conference playoffs is going to be so mind-blowingly entertaining this spring that I'm already considering phoning Clooney and telling him I can't make the shindig at Lake Como this year. I may even miss Cannes. I mean, it's just going to be that cool.
Kobe.
Nash.
Dirk.
Manu.
Eva Longoria.
Kirilenko, who nearly has as open a marriage as Tilda Swinton. And what the hell is up with that, by the way? She lives with both her husband and her boy toy, reportedly? I mean, has someone already written the Tilda Swinton biopic? And will Jodie Foster star in it?
Carmelodrama. Baron Davis' beard. Peja and C Paul.
Shaq. McGrady. Pau. Amare. Deron. AI. Duncan. Do you realize that seven of the last eight NBA MVPs (the lone exception being Kevin Garnett) will be participating in this spring's Western Conference playoffs? And by the way, can we please hand Kobe the MVP right now so that future generations will not have to wonder why the best player in the wake of Michael Jordan did not win an MVP award in his first dozen seasons? Future hoops scholars will wonder what was wrong with us.
According to this, Mr. Darren McFadden will be Daddy McFadden not once but twice this summer. So to the lucky team who takes the honor of drafting the Arkansas RB, it really will be a family event. (Travis Henry and McFadden can host family bbq's)
In non-sports news (unless you consider dancing a sport, in that case take out the non), this video will bring a smile to your face today (and through the rest of the boring work week.) Adorable.
Rockets fans are not going to be happy. Houston center Yao Ming is done for the season. They go and win 12 in a row and then this happens.
You're a Chicago Bears fan. So does this news make you smile or scream?
And I don't mean former Chicago Bear Bill Perry.
The NFL just emailed the 2008 League Calendar.
Sadly, no beefcake shots of Guns Hochuli but there's plenty of dates to circle.
Here you go. Oh, and scroll down for J-Dub's more interesting take on William Rhoden's piece in the NYT. Sorry to dump this on top of dat.
February 28 -- Deadline for submission of qualifying offers by clubs to their restricted free agents whose contracts have expired and to whom they desire to retain a right of first refusal/compensation.
February 28 -- Deadline for clubs to submit offer of minimum salary to retain exclusive negotiating rights to
their players with fewer than three seasons of free agency credit whose contracts have expired.
February 29 -- Veteran free agency signing period begins.
Yesterday in the New York Times, William C. Rhoden penned a column in which he took on one of the lowest-hanging pinatas in sport: The NCAA. The article was entitled "N.C.A.A. Isn't Allowing Athletes to Be Regular Students", and after you bend your mind around that stunning revelation, you may want to take a moment to read Mr. Rhoden's thoughts before we advance. Here they be.
Mr. Rhoden is correct. The NCAA does not allow athletes to be regular students. Because regular students must repay student loans.
The NCAA is often a cowardly and hypocritical organization. I will agree with Mr. Rhoden on that point. For example, why is it that one school can renege on an agreement to play another in a football game (especially after ESPN gets involved and dangles a tastier carrot before one of those schools) and the NCAA places no sanctions on that school? Or, even better, how come the NCAA turns its head as to where a departing coach locates the cash to pay his buyout to his former employer (could it be ... boosters???) but is dogged about penalizing a school when one of its student-athletes accepts $100 from a booster?
No, I am no fan of much of the NCAA's policies.
That said, Mr. Rhoden, in his article, seems to want it both ways.
"What if athletes want to leave?" Mr Rhoden writes. "Not so fast, the N.C.A.A. rules say. If a player wants to transfer to another Division I program, he must sit out a year."
Miffed at his treatment by The Baltimore Sun, ex-Ravens coach Brian Billick took to the radio yesterday for his first comments since being fired on Dec. 31.
But The Sun's Jamison Hensley was listening and reports that Billick's working on a book about the state of the NFL, just visited troops in Iraq and is looking at TV and radio opportunities.
Speaking about his dismissal by owner Steve Bisciotti, Billick said, "Once I saw the resolve in Steve's mind -- and he knows what he wants -- there was no use in going round and round. Steve has been a good partner and will be someone that I'll want to interact with going forward. I have no hesitation about that whatsoever."
Billick also acknowledged, "The instinct is to say I'm not done coaching."
Billick will be well-compensated by the Ravens in his football-idle 2008. The Sun reports he had three years left on his deal with between $15 and $18 million coming to him.
Anyone so brash as to compile some candidates for Billick's services if he does opt to return in 2009 would have to figure Cincinnati, Kansas City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, Detroit and Philadelphia (if Andy Reid decides he's had enough) would be landing spots.
Defensive end Chris Long ran a 4.71 40 (unofficially) which is good for business given that he's 6-3 and 272 and already has one of the most impressive compilations of game tape from his time at the University of Virginia.
Long, the son of Fox Sports analyst Howie Long, doesn't figure to last past the top five. NFL Network draftnik Mike Mayock has Long and Matt Ryan neck-and-neck for the top prospect in the draft. He is the highest rated defensive end by just about everybody.
Oakland, the team his pappy played for, drafts fourth.
Now it's down to just a few workouts left for defensive linemen, linebackers, corners and safeties.
Access to players and decision-makers is going to be limited and I'm pulling up stakes to fly out of here shortly.
Meanwhile, working the halls outside the RCA Dome proper is agent Ronald Todd and his client Kevin Hoyng.
Hoyng, a college quarterback switching to free safety, didn't get the invite to Indy but, bless his soul, he came anyway just to get his name out.
Hoyng was actually a pretty good college quarterback at Dayton. He was named second-team All American in 2007 and set the Flyers record for passing yardage (7,862), completions (530), attempts (1,013) and total offense (9,565).
Great moments from Oscar night (brought to you by Diablo D'Cody Fagg):
1. George Clooney to Regis Philbin: "How did Notre Dame do today?"
We already knew you were the coolest kid in class, George, but making small talk about the Syracuse-Notre Dame game on the red carpet? You've taken it to a level that no one will be able to reach. When you said, "They were up at the half", it was almost enough to make me forget "One Fine Day." I was half-expecting you to say, "And that Harangodly! Hope he doesn't turn pro this summer!"
Also, how can we forget your rejoinder when Regis paid you that embarrassing compliment ("Everybody used to want to be Cary Grant, now they want to be George Clooney."). Your reply? "Well, that's because Cary Grant is dead. Nobody wants to be dead."
Obama-Clooney. You're telling me this wouldn't work? George, you are hereby appointed "Secretary of Suave".
2. Jon Stewart. Funny, funny man you are. Anyone who has ever even attempted to have something published saw the punchline from the "Vanity Fair" party joke coming all the way up LaBrea, but it was still funny. And the line about "Norbit" receiving a nomination -- "Too often the Academy only recognizes movies that are good" -- was sweet. Also, the Dennis Hopper riff ("I'm just mentioning you so that you know where you are") was good humor.
3. How many times did the camera pan to lovely Laura Linney (Laura, get yourself a role where you can actually look as good as you do in real life) and there was Viggo Mortenson seated directly behind her and you thought, What a nice couple they'd make.
Colts president Bill Polian took up a cause we banged the drum about last week, the prohibitive and spiraling cost of having the first overall pick.
"Trades are a unique thing in the first round anymore because of the cost of the top 10 picks financially," Polian said. "To take on that cost ... is almost counterintuitive.
"The draft was designed to either allow the weakest teams, based on record, to choose the best players, or if they chose not to take a particular player, to gather a bunch of picks to further accelerate their growth and competitiveness," he said. "That's now been skewed by the cost of the picks in the first round."
This is one of those genie is out of the bottle, horse is through the barn door situations, unfortunately. With looming CBA strife and bigger battles between players, agents and ownership possibly coming, this is not likely to become a front-line issue.
The most interesting comment I've heard and I've heard it twice from two different team officials ... Virginia defensive lineman Chris Long is one of the best college football players to come out in a generation.
* De'Cody Fagg, a wide receiver from Florida State, blew out his left knee on Sunday during quarterback/wide receiver drills. Fagg was carried off the field on a stretcher after getting hurt while attempting to tap his toes on the sideline to get both feet inbounds. This is a story we'll follow in the coming weeks since Fagg, who would have likely gone after Round 2, likely is done for the rest of the predraft season.
* Mario Manningham didn't have the disastrous Combine that Fagg did, but his 40 time of close to 4.6 on the clocks of some scouts has given the Michigan wideout something to work on for the next month leading up to his pro day.
* San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson ran a position-best 4.55 in the 40. And while his throwing was a little wild and his ball didn't spiral very well, he did have good presence and overall form on his throws. Overall, he didn't hurt himself.
* Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, who needs to fight back from difficult Sugar Bowl and Senior Bowl performances and he made strides toward doing that Sunday by being the most accurate thrower of the quarterback crop.
* If you're going to rank quarterbacks by whether or not they "fit the suit," Delaware's Joe Flacco at 6-6, 230, leads that crop.
* Watch for Appalaichan State's Dexter Jackson to get a longer look from teams with visits to facilities. Jackson ran a 4.37 40 and really caught the ball well on Sunday. Working against him are his size (5-9, 178 pounds) and the fact there's not a lot of tape on him playing against top-tier competition during the season although he always has Michigan!
The 4.27 Darren McFadden ran was on a hand-timer. Talk about an itchy trigger finger, man.
Meanwhile, East Carolina running back Chris Johnson burned past even the hand time of McFadden, running a 4.24 to equal the fastest time run in the past 10 years. The fastest was, as we mentioned in our faulty McFadden post, a 4.24 by Rondel Melendez, a wide receiver from Eastern Kentucky.
Arkansas junior running back Darren McFadden confirmed one thing today. He's fast. McFadden ripped off a 4.27 on his first effort.
That's the fastest recorded time in the 40 since 1999 according to NFLDraftScout.com.
Rondel Melendez, a wide receiver from Eastern Kentucky, ran a 4.24 in 1999.
That's Oscar face. I don't have too much to say about this year's Oscars, there being a disturbing absence of Helen Mirren in any of the categories. Let's all pray that at least she sashays down the red carpet and has a cougar-off with Julie Christie. Anyway, I have just a few comments:
... I am intrigued by the Best Supporting Actress category. Cate Blanchett is up for portraying Bob Dylan while Tilda Swinton is up for portraying Jodie Foster.
... Here's hoping that Daniel Day-Lewis collects a second Oscar and says, "Screw you, Hollyweird! I'm going back to my bucolic retreat to be a regular Joe again for the next 10 years, then I'll come back and win yet another Oscar. Without ever having had to play the game. Ha!"
... What if Diablo Cody wins for best original screenplay and her acceptance speech is boring and borderline inarticulate? Wouldn't that be ironic?
That's all I have to say about the Oscars, but our good friend Moose, who actually resides in Beverly Hills (although she'd tell you that it's the part on "the wrong side of Olympic"), does. Moose is in "the biz," though none of us are exactly sure what she does. She's also on my list of "Top Five Blonde Canadians" along with Sarah Chalke, Stacey Dales-Not-Schuman, Kerri Matchett, Martin Short (who's not blond) and Kinsey Packard (who's not Canadian ... but hey, it's my list). And yes, that makes six, but I'm all Jim Delany when it comes to naming Top 5 lists. You know?
Anyway, I've asked Moose to handicap the Oscars and here are her thoughts. She also included a prolix explanation on the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing that is more effective than Ambien. I've saved it until the bottom, for those of you who truly are interested. And now, ladies and gents, here's Moose ...
In a perfect world, Joey Harrington and Charles Rogers would just be entrenched as starters for the Detroit Lions by now. Didn't work out that way. And that's part of the reason why the Lions annually have a top-10 selection. This year is an exception. They went 7-9 and select 15th.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli just finished talking and said, "I've got to have a starter. The first day, first two rounds, we need guys who will eventually be starters for you. Good starters. Guys you want to re-sign a year before they come up. You want to keep them for 8 to 10 years. That's when you get humming and you get really good continuity."
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who is viewed along with Louisville's Brian Brohm as the top quarterback prospect in this year's draft, just finished his press conference.
Opening his statements, Ryan noted that Atlanta won the coin flip for the third overall pick by calling tails, adding "tails never fails, huh."
Ryan measured in at 6-4 and 228 pounds. In his time at the podium he seemed very well-prepared. Almost too well-prepared. When asked about the possibility of joining the Falcons, Ryan elaborated on the great job he things owner Arthur Blank has done. My man Peter King from Sports Illustrated said he just talked to Ryan and he's a HUGE NFL fan so maybe he's up on ownership. To me, it raised a red flag as being a question he was prepped for.
Ryan said he'll run this week but he will not throw, opting instead to throw at his pro day at Boston College on March 18. Asked why he won't throw, Ryan said, "I want to portray to teams that will be looking at my skills an accurate representation of what my performance in a game would be like."
Asked about the possibility of being the No. 1 overall pick, Ryan said, "It's exciting to be mentioned in that light but for me I just hope somebody gives me an opportunity to compete and help make an organization a winner. It doesn't matter what number pick that is just as long as somebody gives me a chance."
The Falcons won a three-way coin flip for the third overall pick. Atlanta, Oakland and the Chiefs all finished with 4-12 records last season.
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff called tails and tails it was.
"We were fortunate enough to win the coin toss with the Raiders and Chiefs, and I'm excited about the prospects of owning the third overall pick in this year's draft," said Dimitroff. "Selecting third in the draft sheds a totally different light on our draft possibilities and also eliminates some of the uncertainties that previously existed before today's coin toss."
Vikings coach Brad Childress remains supportive of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson despite the general perception that the 24-year-old is a weak spot on the Minnesota roster.
"He went 8-4 as a starter. I think a lot of teams would like that."
Childress was then asked if the Vikings would seek help at the position.
"Globally on our football team there's a bunch of different positions we're looking for help at. Sixty quarterbacks played in the NFL last year. Our guy missed four games. So you better have someone who's a viable candidate if your guy breaks his leg."
A few nuggets from Texans coach Gary Kubiak who's at the mike in the Indianapolis Convention Center.
(ON COACHING CHANGES INCLUDING THE ADDITION OF 28-YEAR OLD KYLE SHANAHAN AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR)
I don't think our system will change very much. Scheme will stay somewhat the same, if anything a little simpler.
(ON QUARTERBACK GROUP)
There are some fine players within that group starting with the young man from Boston College (Matt Ryan). There could be a lot of lead changes, so to speak, depending on what happens in the next few weeks.
(GAP CLOSING IN AFC SOUTH)
"I don't see them coming back to us. We have to go get 'em. It's a heckuva division but it all starts with the Colts."
I don't like this flurry of NBA trades at all. No sir. The Dallas Mavericks, for instance, had to pull Keith Van Horn out of retirement in order to complete a trade with the New Jersey Nets. Van Horn-of-Plenty will not play for the Nets -- he may not even need to travel to New Jersey -- he'll just collect more cash. In a related deal, Mark Cuban has also picked up the contracts of Joan Van Ark, Jerry Van Dyke and Lilly Von Schtupp, the latter of whom best summed up my feelings about the NBA trade deadline some 34 years ago in the film Blazing Saddles: "I'm tired of men always coming and going, and going and coming ..."
I mean, seriously, when did the NBA become the American League East? I just read yesterday that the Houston Rockets acquired Eric Gagne because they were afraid Denver would land him first. The entire league has become one magnificent key party, with no team seemingly satisifed to dance with the gal they brung.
Why did any of us bother to follow the NBA during the first half of its season -- oh wait a second, that's right: we didn't -- if all of the contending teams were going to undergo a personality makeover to rival that of Rob Lowe in the early 90s (Remember? Post-St. Elmo's Fire: Rob Lowe's a pretty-boy himbo. Then, post-Wayne's World: Rob Lowe doesn't take himself too seriously! Yea! Let's turn him into Sam Seaborn!)? Okay, there's a lot to digest in that sentence; I'll wait here while you catch up.
Back with me? Good. Look at the Western Conference. In the past two weeks three of the top six teams have dramatically altered their team composition. The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol in exchange for Marc Gasol (who knows, maybe Marc is the next Eli Manning?), the Suns got Shaq in exchange for Shawn Marion and the Mavs landed Jason Kidd in exchange for half the 214 area code. By the way, dirty pool on behalf of Gregg Popovich, purchasing courtside seats for Toni Braxton and Jimmy Jackson at American Airlines Arena for the remainder of the season. But I digress...
I know this is hopelessly old-fashioned of me, harking back to a time before the terms "starter wife" and "cougar" were invented, but why can't teams just resolve to improve with the players they have? The New Jersey Nets, in their first game after trading away Kidd, got a season-high 33 points from Vince Carter. Where had that effort been all season long? And, please, don't tell me that Jason Kidd, the human assist machine, inhibited Carter's game.
Buzzer Beater was on location this weekend in New Orleans. Here's a recap of the weekend including but not limited to Shaq, Magic, some "immaculate" fashion, what'd be different if the players were running things, some sweet dance moves and an atrocious dunk by yours truly (now affectionately known as Tiffizany). Enjoy.
Over at SI.com, you can take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of the best stories from the NFL combine. It's amazing what one good day can do to a guys draft status. It's also a great reminder of why it would be just as effective (if not cheaper) to use a magic 8-ball and take a guess.
Pop Quiz:
He entered the draft as a junior and did not have the benefit of postseason All Star Games. His draft grade was heavily reliant on the combine and he did not perform well. He was inaccurate with his passes throughout his workout and as a result became the third quarterback chosen in the '04 draft.
With Chad Pennington playing a backup role at the end of 2007 the Jets appear ready to move on to the respected but modest-armed veteran and move toward Kellen Clemens as their starter for the future.
But Jets coach Eric Mangini said Thursday that he's not moving on from Pennington.
"I feel very good about Chad Pennington and one of the things I like about him is he wants to be the starter. I want that from everyone. I don't want someone content to play on special teams or be the third receiver."
The trouble with that stance - and it may be only a public stance because Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum are smart enough to know this - is that Pennington could easily be a starter elsewhere in the NFL. And his presence in New York, if Clemens falters, is going to lead to incessant speculation that at any time Pennington could be back in charge of the offense. The Jets would be wise to move him.
Asked about precisely that, Mangini told me, "Chad's a member of the New York Jets and that's how we're proceeding. All (options) are talked about quite a bit and that's true with any player on our roster."
Mangini also fielded the dynamite stick that is Laveranues Coles with mild aplomb.
Coles recently alleged the Jets lied to him and strung him along about a contract extension for the past two years.
"Laveranues Coles and I have a very good relationship," said Mangini. "I sent him a text recently and I think he was shocked I knew how to text. I wanted to get his feedback on the season. He's one of the most impressive guys I've been around and I wanted to get feedback on the things he can do better and things I can do better."
Mangini said the texting fun came before Coles called the Jets liars.
He had nothing of relevance to add when asked about Coles' allegations, saying instead that every team has contract squabbles.
Jets head coach Eric Mangini is scrolling through the offseason changes to the Jets coaching staff. Not surprisingly, he's enthused about all of them. The first mention he made was of offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
(FREE AGENCY)
"Any time you bring a player into the building you're trying to figure out how they're gonna fit not just on the field but in the locker room," said Mangini
(COPING WITH 2007)
"The season is unique. You don't start at 10-6. You don't start at 4-12. In 2007 I thought the players played hard throughout the whole year. The biggest lesson in the NFL is you never start where you finish."
Where: Dallas, Texas
What: Barack Obama Campaign/Rally
Who: Emmitt Smith
What's he say: well you'll have to watch it now won't you?
Why you should: Because Smith actually does something that will impress you. He speaks clearly, avoids making up words and gets Dallas all riled up. (Well the end gets a little choppy but on an overall scale, he keeps it together)
According to Emmitt, what do he and Barack have in common: "As a young man people told me I was too small and not fast enough to do the things that I wanted to do in terms of football. Well you know what, I did not allow them to keep me down. Barack Obama is not going to allow them to keep him down." And there you have it, simple as that.
Ok, John McCain you're up. Which future Hall of Famer is speaking at your next rally?
This is the first day of access here at the NFL Combine. Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert just concluded a brief press conference and next up is Jets head coach Eric Mangini.
The setup here is unique.
A conference room which is about 40x100 with a staging in the middle for tv cameras.
At one end, the draftable players are stepping to the podium in a somewhat steady stream. At the other, there's another podium for front office cognoscenti.
We'll be updating throughout the day from both ends of the room.
Here my friends is a brilliant take on the now final (although not surprising) Jason Kidd deal. As is apparent after reading, retirement has never been so good to anyone, let alone Keith Van Horn.
From the website Cousins of Ron Mexico:
"That's the last time I ignore an e-mail regarding a bank in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso. I just hope next time the Mavericks need to make an 8 player deal, they contact me."
Watched the entire Lakers-Suns game last night. A few thoughts:
1. Don't rush to judgment on the Shaq Experiment. There's no doubt that the Suns have entered a new era and that they're going to miss all the things that Shawn Marion can do that only a few other players in this league (Kobe, LeBron, KG) can. One stat you should check is Rebounds. Phoenix outrebounded LA, 46-33, and they grabbed nine more offensive boards (16 to 7) than the Lakers did. Then again, when you're allowin layup after layup to Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, the other team doesn't miss as many.
2. Boris Diaw, you are more and more becoming my least favorite Sun. I'm beginning to long for Pat Burke. There Steve Nash gives you a perfect feed in the second quarter for an uncontested layup. You take it to the hoop. Here comes Kobe Bryant from the weak side. Kobe Bryant who has the broken right pinky. You know he's only got one hand to block that dunk of yours. But you take it up weak and Kobe blocks your dunk. Huge play right there. Sometimes, Boris, you are soooooooooooooo French (which reminds me, there's a player at the NFL Combine this week named "Pierre Garcon". Pierre Garcon! "Morticia, you spoke French!").
3. The Lakers look extremely frisky. Difficult not to like their chances, and that's before you even factor in the late-season addition of Andrew Bynum. Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher are just lights-out gamers. You just know that Fisher will bury the three when it counts (ask San Antonio) and Gasol can take anyone one-on-one. And when you really, absolutely need a bucket, you have the dude who may very well retire as the leading scorer in NBA history. Did you see Kobe go one-on-one against Raja Bell just before halftime? Went right around him and slammed it home as if it were the All-Star Dunk Contest. The Lakers, in short, are a better team than the Suns. And with last night's win they technically moved ahead of Phoenix, since they now have identical records and LA took three of four from Phoenix this year.
The Oakland Raiders slapped corner Nnamdi Asomugha with the franchise tag on Wednesday. The fifth-year corner out of Cal was originally a first-round pick. Albert Haynesworth, the Titans defensive tackle who got my vote for AP's Defensive Player of the Year, also had it handed to him on Wednesday.
(Aside: I need to come up with another verb to describe application of the franchise tag. The old crutches - "slapped" "handed" "whacked" "administered" - they still work but they are just too hackneyed (I could use another word for stale other than "hackneyed" too) to keep trotting out.
Asomugha had just one pick in 2007 after making eight in 2006 but that was traceable to the fact quarterbacks avoided him like Britney ducks common sense.
So far this offseason, Colts tight end Dallas Clark, Ravens linebacker (so they say) Terrell Suggs, Bengals tackle Stacy Andrews, Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross, Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen have all been franchised (seven players were franchised last season as well) and there's been little rancor among those who've had it ... levied?
Boxer Bernard Hopkins declined -- check that, out-and-out refused -- to apologize when asked this week about what the Associated Press calls the "racially tinged" remarks he made in December about another fighter, Britain's Joe Calzaghe. The two are due to fight in Las Vegas in April; they're on one of those pre-fight publicity tours just now.
"I will never let a white boy beat me. Never," Hopkins said in December, referring to Calzaghe, and it's a mystery why Hopkins has not been more forcefully challenged to apologize.
Because he should.
His remarks weren't merely "racially tinged."
Those comments are flat-out racist. And there is no place for that in a society that aspires to civility, decency and tolerance for everyone.
Winning streaks you should be cognizant of....
Memphis Tigers........25 games
Houston Rockets.......9 games
Barack Obama..........10 states
So I'm watching the CNBC yesterday morning, as I do every morning (Erin Brunette, where art thou this week?), and they're discussing Microsoft's proxy move on Yahoo (yes, this is a sports blog). So everyone, especially those who own Google, is supposed to be quaking at the thought of a Microsoft takeover of Yahoo. But then a bright young man who was a guest on the "Squawk Box" program, Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times, said something that assuaged my concerns. "Why does everyone think," asked Sorkin, who was quoting someone else whose name I cannot recall, "that when you mate two dogs you're going to get a pony?"
Exactly. As someone who was a Time Warner employee when AOL bought us in 1999, I seriously doubt that the Microsoft-Yahoo takeover will proceed smoothly. I remember sitting in a conference room with all of the other SI writers, listening as our intrepid publisher assured us that none of us would lose our jobs. How could we?, he asked. SI's too profitable and successful.
Six months later, four of us were laid off. Including the senior writer who'd specifically asked, "Are any of us going to lose our jobs?"
MUSIC, MOVIES AND TV, 2007
With the Oscars nearly upon us, it's time that I finally unburden myself (while burdening you) of a list I've had handy for a month or so now. The list is simply my favorite moments in music on film or television from 2007. Now, I didn't see every movie and certainly not every TV show (there are entire episodes of "Kyle XY" I've missed, for example), but this list represents the best moments in which music was incorporated into a show or film that I witnessed. I more than welcome anyone else's contributions to this list.
And with all that said, here goes...
What a wonderfully serendipitous late night of viewing on Monday. If you tuned in to ESPN, you could watch Gonzaga at San Diego. Simultaneously, one of HBO's channels was airing "Accepted", starring the lithesome Blake Lively (who appeared earlier in the evening on "Gossip Girl", as well). So, yeah, how could I not come up with the above header?
"Accepted" is a fine little film, a "Van Wilder" meets "Revenge of the Nerds" vehicle. Justin Long, who has been in both "Ed" and Drew Barrymore, played the loser-turned-maverick role perfectly. And then there was Lively, who is lovely and light. She's light and lively. Blake Lively reminds me of every other girl at Xavier High School, the sister school to mine back in Phoenix. I would write that she reminds me of every other girl at Xavier whom I knew, but I didn't know any of them.
Zach Thomas' and the Patriots went through their get acquainted meeting Monday and it went well enough for the Pats and Thomas' agent Drew Rosenhaus to talk dollars.
There's serious interest on both sides but Rosenhaus is too sharp to let the first suitor that buys his guy a drink leave the party with him (wait, that didn't come out right ... anyway).
The Saints and Cowboys are interested in Thomas still and it behooves the blockheaded one to hear what they have to say. New England has a good relationship with Rosenhaus as long as he doesn't get into the jerking-them-around stage so they'll wait as Drew does his Drew diligence.
The Moose is nearing the end of the line.
Today, the Bears jettisoned receiver Muhsin Muhammad. The 34-year-old had a 40-catch, 570-yard season in 2007 and while he wasn't helped by Chicago's forgettable quarterbacking triumvirate of Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton, it's pretty likely Muhammad is heading toward the spare parts pile.
When players get to Muhammad's age teams are generally slow to bring them in until desperation sets in and their draft picks/younger players haven't suitably developed or injuries crop up. Which is cool for the older player because he now gets to work out at his own pace, doesn't have "voluntary" workouts to attend and can spend time with his family into July uninterrupted.
Hat doffage to young Mike Reiss of The Boston Globe for getting Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the record regarding the so-called Spygate controversy.
This is the first defense/explanation the Patriots have offered on both their taping history and on former video assistant Matt Walsh who purportedly has compromising materials collected during his time with the team which ended in January of 2003.
Five Quick Hit Reactions ...
1. Belichick's interpretation of the taping rule was obtuse. The part of the rule (which Reiss cites in his story) Belichick leaned on was that, as long as the team didn't use any video on the day it was taken the team was all set. But while the rule can be interpreted that way, the league went to lengths to clarify that on September 6, 2006, sending the memo to all 32 teams saying ..."Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game."
I'm sure it's fun and interesting to be there in New Orleans.
But out here in Los Angeles I have yet, over this long holiday weekend, to hear one person talking about the NBA's All-Star gala.
Aren't these All-Star productions -- basketball, baseball, hockey and especially football -- way past the point of being relevant? Would somebody please tell me why we keep indulging in these things?
Check out my one-on-one with the newest member of the Suns: