NFL - National Football League News Blog

Cowboys’ Romo does endorsement video spoof
DALLAS (AP) — Meet Tony Romo, jokester.

Jim Trotter: Fitzgerald hosts star-studded WR camp
Two weeks before camps get under way. Time to relax, right? Wrong. Two NFL legends are leading workouts for the next great wideouts, writes Jim Trotter.

Bengals Might As Well Buy a Graham
The value of a kicker in Cincinnati is still unknown as the Bengals were unable to strike a long-term deal with franchise-tagged place-kicker Shayne Graham, before the time to negotiate expired on Wednesday. Shugah Shayne will earn a cool $2.5 million for the upcoming season, the average of the top-5 paid kickers throughout […]

The value of a kicker in Cincinnati is still unknown as the Bengals were unable to strike a long-term deal with franchise-tagged place-kicker Shayne Graham, before the time to negotiate expired on Wednesday.

Shugah Shayne will earn a cool $2.5 million for the upcoming season, the average of the top-5 paid kickers throughout the league. The Bengals will have the chance to lock him up long-term again when the season ends. They also have the option to franchise-tag him again next year.

Many casual spectators are shocked that a team would ever slap the franchise-tag on a kicker, but these little guys are earning some decent contracts these days (in fairness, every NFL kicker is bigger than me). Titans kicker Rob Bironas just signed a deal that gives him $3 million a year. Is Golden Graham worth that kinda cheese?

No.

But should the Bengals have signed him to it anyway?

Yes.

When the collective bargaining agreement expires after 2010 and the salary cap disappears after this season, Mike Brown will have the chance to sign someone cheaper and pass over Graham altogether. Under that kind of thinking, it seems unlikely that they would tag him in consecutive years. That would leave the team with no kicker at all ending the 2009 season and that makes me kind of nervous.

Graham struggles from outside 40 yards, he’s missed some big ones and he hasn’t shown that he can consistently kick-off. But he’s money inside 40 yards, he’s made some big ones too and he’s an outstanding community figure.

Some kickers fall apart fast. Mike Vanderjagt was an All-Pro with the Colts, but then got mouthy about Peyton Manning on a Canadian talk show and ruined his karma.

Other kickers are reborn with a new team. The Bengals suffered through some nauseating field-goal attempts shanked off the foot of Neil Rackers, only to watch him join Arizona and make the most field goals in a season ever.

Then there are those kickers who just can’t stop kicking: Gary Anderson, Morten Andersen, John Carney. These men are like those who never retire because they just don’t know what they’d do with themselves all day. In retirement, they go around kicking things they spot on the ground and running around chest-bumping people. It’s sad, really.

Mr. Graham has all the symptoms of falling into this last category, so he might as well fade into his NFL dementia with the Bengals. When another quality kicker comes down the pike for the team, they can afford to cut Graham if they have to, but until then, a long-term deal would insure that at least a manageable player holds down such a crucial position.

2009 Gridiron Gab Team Previews: Pittsburgh Steelers
To truly understand the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers is to understand the importance of all the peripheral details. Take, for example, inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. In the big scope, we see Timmons, a 6?1?, 234-pounder who plays with an upright posture that makes him looke 6?4?. Speedy agility and fervid tackling suggest that […]

To truly understand the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers is to understand the importance of all the peripheral details. Take, for example, inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. In the big scope, we see Timmons, a 6?1?, 234-pounder who plays with an upright posture that makes him looke 6?4?. Speedy agility and fervid tackling suggest that the 23-year-old could one day be a star.

But look closer; 2009 will be Timmons’s debut as a starter. The significance here is symbolic; Timmons was a first-round draft pick in ’07. By spending his first two seasons as a nickel linebacker, he became Pittsburgh’s only first-round draft pick since 1996 to not regularly start by at least his second season.

Think about this for a moment. The league-wide success rate for first-round draft picks is somewhere around fifty percent. Since ’99, the Steelers have basically batted 1.000.

Timmons is replacing veteran Larry Foote in the lineup. Foote is one of just two starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad not returning. The other is cornerback Bryant McFadden. McFadden, like Foote, was replaced from within (third-year cornerback William Gay will now start).

Timmons will be flanked by third-year stud LaMarr Woodley and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, forming the best outside linebacking duo in football. Like Timmons, Woodley and Harrison both began their Steeler careers as backups.

Pittsburgh’s trend of in-house replacements is even more startling along the offensive line. Left tackle Max Starks, once a backup to Marvel Smith, just signed a four-year, $26.3 million contract. Next to Starks is left guard Chris Kemoeatu who, for his first three years, backed up Pro Bowler Alan Faneca. Kemoeatu inherited the starting job last season and played well enough to receive a five-year, $20 million contract. His counterpart, right guard Darnell Stapleton, spent a year on the bench before taking over for injured veteran Kendall Simmons last season. The undrafted Stapleton is heading towards a long-term contract himself in the near future. And should he, for whatever reason, tail off, third-round rookie Kraig Urbik will be primed to start.

Are you seeing the point here? The NFL is all about change. The Steelers, by grooming their own backups into starters, always remain one step ahead of the curve. They don’t endure change––they embrace it. The Patriots and Colts are the same way. This is what wins Super Bowls. Yes, having superstar quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger helps. But there are also superstar quarterbacks on teams that fight change instead of welcome it; those quarterbacks become Pro Bowlers, not Champions.

Click HERE to read the rest of this Preview

Redskins Take DL Jarmon in the Third Round of the Supplemental Draft
The NFL supplemental draft took place today, and the Redskins took defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of the draft. A total of five teams put in fourth-round claims for the 278-pound defensive end. The Redskins now have five remaining draft choices in the 2010 draft. They are now without third- and […]

The NFL supplemental draft took place today, and the Redskins took defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of the draft. A total of five teams put in fourth-round claims for the 278-pound defensive end. The Redskins now have five remaining draft choices in the 2010 draft. They are now without third- and sixth-round picks.

Jarmon, the only player selected in Thursday’s supplemental draft, is only the fourth supplemental choice on an active roster this year. The Chargers have two — defensive tackle Jamal Williams and safety Paul Oliver — and the Ravens have one — left tackle Jared Gaither. Jarmon is the first supplement pick selected since 2007.

The reason the Redskins needed to look for a young defensive end is because they have too much age at the left end spot of their defensive line. Phillip Daniels is 36 and Renaldo Wynn is 34. The Redskins can develop Jarmon over the next year to take over the starting job and maybe help at defensive tackle on passing downs.

The 6-foot-3, 278-pound Jarmon left Kentucky because he was declared ineligible for his senior year because of a failed drug test after testing positive for a banned diuretic supplement. Jarmon fits perfectly in a 4-3 defense. He can play end or tackle.

Jarmon took the supplement while recovering from a shoulder injury and was not taking part in activities. He had been taking the supplement for 15 days before checking with the training staff, who told him to stop taking it.

Romo does endorsement video spoof (AP)
Tony Romo would love to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback like Peyton Manning. Romo might be after some of Manning's thespian accomplishments, too. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is starring in an online video spoof, endorsing a few tongue-in-cheek items. It smacks of Manning being the tongue-in-cheek pitchman for many products, which earned him a guest-host gig on “Saturday Night…

The Saints Have Improved Since the 2006 Season
I’ve seen some real improvement from our entire team since the rebuilding effort of 2006. Granted, we went 10-6 and reached the NFC Championship game in 2006, and we’ve failed to make the playoffs or post a winning season since then. But our offense has returned to #1 status despite losing our most prolific running […]

I’ve seen some real improvement from our entire team since the rebuilding effort of 2006. Granted, we went 10-6 and reached the NFC Championship game in 2006, and we’ve failed to make the playoffs or post a winning season since then.

But our offense has returned to #1 status despite losing our most prolific running back ever (Deuce McAllister… to injury and limited play over the last two years) who was released this year, and our defense, which caught everyone by surprise in 2006 with hungry new additions like Hollis Thomas, Scott Shanle, Scott Fujita, and Mark Simoneau, has acquired a great deal over the last two years (including Jonathan Vilma, Sedrick Ellis, Tracy Porter, Kendrick Clancy, Bobby McCray, and Randall Gay), and has shown some improvement vs the run as well as a slight improvement in turnover differential (-4 in 2008 after finishing -7 in 2007).

Enter 2009, we have even more to be excited about regarding our defense… mainly defense coordinator Gregg Williams, but not solely.

We’ve added some quality players in the secondary and quality depth on the DL in the form of Darren Sharper, Jabari Greer, Malcolm Jenkins, Pierson Prioleau, Rod Coleman, Paul Spicer, Anthony Hargrove, and returning youngsters Usama Young, Leigh Torrence, DeMario Pressley, and Jeff Charleston.

Now, I realize we are in a wait-and-see mode as far as the new additions on defense are concerned, but let’s not forget where we were in 2006 when we almost made it to the big game. Some relied-upon contributors for our defense during the 2006 season included Josh Bullocks, Fred Thomas, Omar Stoutmire, Jason Craft, Terrence Melton, DeJuan Groce, and Jay Bellamy. And the guy we relied on the most was DC Gary Gibbs.

On offense, the biggest difference from 2006 to now is without question the loss of Deuce McAllister, but there is hope for the running game for the Saints.

In 2006, we gained 1,761 rushing yards (and 19 rushing TDs), mostly due to McAllister’s 1,000-yard effort, and we finished a few games with the run despite our tendancy to pass (including coming from behind vs the Packers and edging out the Eagles in the regular season and in the postseason).

In 2007, we gained 1,466 rushing yards (and 14 rushing TDs) with Reggie Bush leading the team with 581 rushing yards, but we ran the ball 80 times less than in 2006. Most of that was due to falling behind early and often in several games. We gained almost 200 yards less with 80 less carries. I’d hope our RBs could muster 200 yards on 40 carries, which I’m sure they could on a decent day.

In 2008, we gained 1,594 rushing yards (and 20 rushing TDs) on only 6 more carries than in 2007. That’s 128 more rushing yards on only 6 more carries, with Pierre Thomas leading the way with 625 rushing yards while Deuce gained 418 yards.

There was surely a changing of the guard for our running game over the last three years, and it’s a tricky situation when you’re factoring out the team’s greatest RB ever and finding that best fit for a vesatile guy like Bush (who can’t carry the load) all while fielding a passing team led by a great QB in Drew Brees with a pass-happy head coach. I think we’ve done ok given the circumstances. Last year, we had our best TD total in three years both rushing and passing.

The real question goes back to defense. Despite the improvements I’ve mentioned before, the fact of the matter is we’ve allowed more points every year since 2006 (2006 - 322, 2007 - 388, 2008 - 393).

However, I am hopeful. We had a point differential of -9 in 2007 and a point differential of +70 in 2008. This is due to our explosion on offense, but any defensive improvement in 2009 would put the Saints way over the top… especially considering the following:

As a team, we were handled pretty badly in several games over the last three years.

In 2006, who can forget the spanking we got at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens (35-22)? We turned the ball over 5 times and managed just 35 rushing yards. And again vs the Cincinnati Bengals, we were spanked 31-16 after giving the ball up 4 times.

This was our NFC Championship game season, yet there were indications we were not quite ready for the big dance. We eventually fell flat in the Championship game to da Bears (39-14).

In 2007, we went 0-4 after being crushed in our first 3 games (41-10 vs the Colts, 31-14 vs the Buccaneers, and 31-14 vs the Titans). Later, we followed up a stellar effort vs the Jaguars (a 41-24 victory) with egg-laying vs the lowly Rams (37-29) and the Texans (23-10). And the whipping we got vs the Eagles (38-23) and the Bears (33-25) was the sorry way we ended that forgetful season.

In 2008, we rebounded in a big way, although our record improved by only one win. Opponents passing TDs fell from 32 in 2007 to 21 in 2008. And we remained in almost every game despite our defensive shortcomings.

The only two real disasters were against the Panthers in the first meeting (30-7) and the Falcons in the first meeting (34-20). Everything else came down to a FG-made here, a first down run-made there, or a defensive stop made in the final minutes.

I think it all comes together this season, with even more improvement from the defensive side of the ball in the coming years. Imagine a few more drafts (with more than 4 picks in each) focused on the defensive side of the ball. A re-stock of defensive linemen and linebackers as well as a few gems here and there on the offensive line and at running back will go a long way towards our continued dominance should we turn that corner this season.

We are a relatively young team when you consider some of our best players (Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, Lance Moore, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Sedrick Ellis, Tracy Porter) as well as some guys who can come into their own over the next few years (Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins, Usama Young, Carl Nicks, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jeff Charleston).

Geaux Saints all the way… this year and for years to come.

Ravens Coach Harbaugh Plans to Talk to WR Mason Soon
Some are starting to think that the sudden retirement of Ravens wide out Derrick Mason is nothing more the receiver trying to turn heads in order to get a new contract. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said today that he plans to visit with Mason “real soon” to try and change his number one receivers […]

Some are starting to think that the sudden retirement of Ravens wide out Derrick Mason is nothing more the receiver trying to turn heads in order to get a new contract. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said today that he plans to visit with Mason “real soon” to try and change his number one receivers mind.

“It will be interesting to see where he’s at with everything,” Harbaugh said. “I know he’s gone through a lot with Steve McNair’s situation over the past few weeks.”

The Ravens are scrambling a bit with Mason walking away, as their wide out core is hurt big-time with losing their top wide out. Harbaugh seems to really feel that a good sit down with Mason will go a long way in trying to see if the receivers quick walk-away from the game is real or not.

“Obviously he’s got some things he’s going through,” Harbaugh said. “If he’s going to be on board, he’s going to be on board 100 percent plus. . . . I know if he decides to come back he will be completely and fully committed. If not, we’ll move on as a football lteam and be the very best football team we can be.”

As far as money goes, Maosn signed in 2005 a five-year deal worth $20 million. And he received a $7 million signing bonus. If Mason really does retire, the Ravens can recover $1.4 million from the WR.

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