NFL to consider banning long hair (AP)
Troy Polamalu might not have to worry about getting tackled again by his hair. At their meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., next week, NFL owners will consider a proposal to ban players from having hair flow from their helmets below their names on the back of their jerseys. That might affect Polamalu’s image, but help him on the field.
NFL may start Thursday opener early (AP)
The NFL’s Thursday night season opener will match the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, with the game possibly starting an hour-and-a-half earlier to avoid clashing with the Republican National Convention. The game is now scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 4 — the concluding night of the Republican convention — and will be televised by NBC.
Steelers re-sign long snapper Warren (AP)
Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Greg Warren, a restricted free agent, signed a $2.3 million, three-year contract that includes a $395,000 signing bonus. Warren, Pittsburgh’s long snapper since winning the job as an undrafted rookie in 2005, was given a tender offer of $927,000 before he worked out the multiyear contract.
Seahawks‘ Trufant gets 6 years, $50.2M (AP)
Come on down to Marcus Trufant’s wedding on Saturday. He’ll be able to foot the bill. The Pro Bowl cornerback and his hometown Seattle Seahawks agreed Wednesday to a $50.2 million, six-year contract that runs through 2013. Agent Doug Hendrickson said the deal for the 11th overall draft choice out of Washington State in 2003 includes $20 million in guarantees.
Patriots to be Dealt Aces in Super Bowl XLII
Game: New York Giants (13-6) vs. New England Patriots (18-0) Where: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ) When: 6:32 PM EST on FOX Announcers: Troy Aikman & Joe Buck Tom Brady scoffed when told Wednesday that New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress guaranteed New York will beat Brady’s undefeated New England team in [...]
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Game:? New York Giants (13-6) vs. New England Patriots (18-0)
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium?(Glendale, AZ)
When: 6:32 PM EST on FOX
Announcers: Troy Aikman & Joe Buck
Tom Brady scoffed when told Wednesday that New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress guaranteed New York will beat Brady’s undefeated New England team in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“We’re only going to score 17 points?” Brady said before chuckling about it. “OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points.”
When the playoffs started, I already had the Super Bowl matchup that I wanted to see in the back of my mind. That game featured the Indianapolis Colts defending their title against the Green Bay Packers. It would’ve been a battle of my favorite quarterbacks playing the game today — Peyton Manning versus Brett Favre — in a showdown that I’ve been waiting years to see. Neither of my teams made the postseason. The Colts won’t have the chance to defend their title. Favre may never get the Packers as far as he did this year before he retires. And yet, the Super Bowl we’ve been given may turn out to be the best contest imaginable. (more…)
Muhammad Coming Back to Carolina?
A few days after being released by the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad could be headed back to a familiar place. The Carolina Panthers have reportedly shown a significant interest in the veteran receiver, who spent the first nine years of his careers with them. Since leaving Carolina, his numbers have gone down significantly. During [...]
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A few days after being released by the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad could be headed back to a familiar place. The Carolina Panthers have reportedly shown a significant interest in the veteran receiver, who spent the first nine years of his careers with them. Since leaving Carolina, his numbers have gone down significantly.
During the 2004 season, his final year with the Panthers, Muhammad had 93 catches for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns. Over the past three seasons in Chicago, he has totaled 164 catches for 2,183 yards and 12 touchdowns. Part of that had to due with ineffective quarterback play in Chicago, and part of it had to do with not having many talented receivers around him.
Although it’s doubtful he would be back in his prime with the Panthers, re-uniting with receiver Steve Smith and quarterback Jake Delhomme could be the ingredient for success. Since Muhammad left Carolina, the Panthers have failed to find a complement to Smith in Keary Colbert, Keyshawn Johnson, and Drew Carter.
Still, returning to Carolina is not an inevitable for Muhammad, as he has been in contact with other teams as well.
Trade Bait: Other Side of the NFL Market
With so much talk about free agency, sometimes people forget about the players that teams are looking to trade. And, if the teams can’t trade that particular player, they will likely release them before they are due a signing bonus. So, either way, these players are worthy of paying attention to, especially in the next [...]
With so much talk about free agency, sometimes people forget about the players that teams are looking to trade. And, if the teams can’t trade that particular player, they will likely release them before they are due a signing bonus. So, either way, these players are worthy of paying attention to, especially in the next couokd of days:
nfl/wp-content/uploads/image/jvilma.jpg” style=”padding: 4px; float: right;” alt=”" />1. DeAngelo Hall, CB, Atlanta Falcons: Hall has already proven during his stay with the Falcons that he has the potential to be a shutdown corner. The organization and Hall aren’t on good terms right now, and it seems as if it will take at least a first-round draft choice from a team to get Hall. The New York Giants reportedly have a strong interest in him, but other teams, including the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys are in the running as well.
2. Shaun Rogers, DT, Detroit Lions: The Lions know that Rogers is a very physical force if he plays with the highest enthusiasm, so they aren’t going to part with him just for the sake of parting with him. However, management are listening to calls and several teams have reportedly shown an interest already.
3. Jonathan Vilma, LB, New York Jets: While still talented, Vilma has not been the best fit in Eric Mangini’s 3-4 system. Knowing that they won’t receive any compensation next year for Vilma when he becomes a free agent, trading him now would benefit them, even if they give him up for a bargain.
nfl/wp-content/uploads/image/twilliamson.jpg” style=”padding: 4px; float: left;” alt=”" />4. Javon Walker, WR, Denver Broncos: Walker could be on the move again, but his injury concerns no doubt remain the biggest risk associated with him. Walker has clearly shown the potential to be a No. 1 receiver, but a team can’t afford to spend money on him if they aren’t already deep at the receiver position. Rumor has it that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested in him, but they could always wait until around the beginning of March. If the Broncos haven’t traded him by then, they’ll cut him to prevent him from earning a $5 million roster bonus.
5. Troy Williamson, WR, Minnesota Vikings: The former first-round selection hasn’t done anything worthy of production with the Vikings, and he has been given permission to seek a trade. Williamson would like to play for the Cleveland Browns due to his ties with receiver Braylon Edwards, but it’s hard to imagine Cleveland trading a draft pick for him. The Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly interested in him, as they are still searching for answers at the receiver position.
6. Jevon Kearse, DE, Philadelphia Eagles: Although the Eagles would like to find someone to take him, he’s probably going to end up getting cut instead.
With some players, trades are not an option. The Bengals are refusing to trade Chad Johnson at this point, due to the impact they know he can still have. On the other side of the spectrum, it may not be worth it for a team to give up a draft pick if a team will give up and cut a player. Two weeks ago it seemed like the Panthers were interested in trading DeShaun Foster, but they cut him a few days later.
Colts president Polian signs extension (AP)
The Indianapolis Colts have signed president Bill Polian to a contract extension through 2011. The Polian-led Colts have posted a 105-55 regular-season record over the past 10 seasons, reached the playoffs eight times and won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season. Team owner Jim Irsay confirmed through a spokeswoman Wednesday that the extension has been finalized.
Five ways each team can win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLII And so the big game is finally here. After weeks of teams battling hard to get to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants are the two who’ve reached the grandest stage the sport has to offer. I expect Chris will posting a Super Bowl analysis of sufficient [...]
Super Bowl XLII
And so the big game is finally here. After weeks of teams battling hard to get to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants are the two who’ve reached the grandest stage the sport has to offer. I expect Chris will posting a Super Bowl analysis of sufficient depth to dwarf anything I’d put together so I’ve decided to write down how I feel each team can go about win these games (aside from “Scoring more than the other team“, obviously.) Aside from that, I’m just hoping for a good game after being a little let down by previous Super Bowls. (more…)
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