Asked about our report that agent Bus Cook is telling people that quaterback Brett Favre wants to play for the Carolina Panthers, G.M. Marty Hurney said, “I don’t know where these things come from.”
Well, Marty, here’s how it works. Human beings have vocal cords. At a point roughly between 18 and 30 months of age, human beings begin using their vocal cords to articulate words. By the time we reach adulthood, we use them all the freakin’ time.
In this case, “these things” came from Cook using those vocal cords to talk to other people about Favre’s desire to play for the Panthers.
Hurney should understand how the process works. After all, he’s a newspaper man who got his nose far enough up Bobby Beathard’s rear end to somehow become an employee of an NFL front office, and he then navigated the process to somehow become the General Manager of a team. So but for the fact that people will pay money to know what other people are saying and doing, Hurney never would have established a pathway into the job he now holds.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 5, 2008, 2:27 p.m.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher gave a speech at the NFL Rookie Symposium this week. Titans quarterback Vince Young probably won’t be happy to know that he was one of the visual aids.
In explaining to rookies why they need to remember that they’re being watched at all times, Fisher showed the pictures of a shirtless Young that circulated on the Internet.
Vic Carucci of NFL.com reports that Fisher never mentioned Young by name, but he did show the picture of Young and tell the assembled rookies, “[Y]ou guys have got to be really careful because … one little cell phone camera that sends out [photos or video from] here and it ends up here. And guess what? You’re embarrassed.”
Carucci also reports that Fisher referred to wide receiver Brandon Jones as “dumb” for getting arrested at Nashville International Airport for having a loaded gun in a carry-on bag, and that Fisher used former Titans running back Travis Henry having eight kids from eight different mothers as another example of what not to do.
New Raiders strength coach Brad Roll is helping WR Ronald Curry get in better shape.
Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observergoes a little Buzz Bissinger on us, even though Sorensen likewise ignores the fact that fish-wrap writers routinely rely on anonymous sources for matters far more significant than the team for which a graybearded quarterback might want to play football.
Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun has it all wrong when it comes to the Brett Favre frenzy — it’s not a product of the media, but of Brett’s inability to make decisions, and of his willingness to talk about it.
In an effort to expand the appeal of its already appealing Instinct phone, Sprint has come up with a first-of-its-kind YouTube promotion in which folks are encouraged to submit home-made product placement videos.
The first 1,000 submissions get $20 each. The clip deemed to be the best will pay its maker $10,000.
“We’re asking you to sell out Hollywood style, letting your integrity go for a cold hard cash,” Christian Haas, group creative director at the San Francisco-based Omnicom shop, told AdWeek.
G.M. Rod Graves advised Somers of the team’s position via text message.
Our advice to Dookie? If you want to continue playing in the NFL, take what you can get. Even then, with Shaun Alexander and Travis Henry and Cedric Benson and Kevin Jones on the market, the options might be very limited.
The accident occurred in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego. A witness told police that Kiel was driving a 2004 Chevy sedan the wrong way before losing control and rolling it. Kiel was ejected from the vehicle.
Kiel was a second-round pick in the 2003 draft. He appeared in every game in 2003 and 2004, 12 in 2005, and 15 in 2006.
The Chargers released him in 2007 after he pleaded guilty to sending codeine-laced cough syrup to Houston, presumably for use as the main ingredient in the beverage known as “lean” or “purple drank.” No other team signed him.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher told this year’s rookies that the only time they’re truly off the field is when they’re in their homes (or when they’re, you know, in jail).
Pats WR Randy Moss will change the number of his new Craftsman Truck Series entry from 46 to 81, his jersey number in New England. (And maybe he can also ride shotgun and moon people.)
To do so, they might pursue a couple of former Raiders — Sam Adams and Grady Jackson.
Jackson spent his first five NFL seasons with the Raiders, from 1997 through 2001, and Adams was a member of the 2002 edition of the team, which made it to the Super Bowl.
We continue our trend of non-NFL stories on this rainy (in West Virginia) Fourth of July morning because, well, apparently every NFL beat writer in the country got the day off.
But this one is kind of an NFL story, since it relates to the son of the late Walter Payton, arguably the greatest running back in the history of the game.
Jarrett Payton spent some time with the Titans, but emerged last year as the leading rusher for the Montreal Alouettes, with 852 yards in 13 games.
It didn’t help that Payton missed most of the preseason with an ankle injury. But he insists that he’s now healthy.
“I really don’t know what happened, but a little bit was my injury,” Payton said. “The injury opened the door for a switch.”
Taking Payton’s place is Avon Cobourne, the career rushing leader at West Virginia Univeristy who was unable to catch on at the NFL level.
“It sounds like I was never in the picture,” Payton said. “What would have happened if I wasn’t hurt? I don’t know, but they would have had a tough decision. When I’m playing at my best, I’m good and can help a team win.”
A change in coaches might have been a factor, with Jim Popp yielding to Marc Trestman. Still, Payton can’t put a finger on the reason for the move.
“It’s one of those things and I still don’t understand why,” he said.
Payton is now a free agent, and he can play for any team in either the CFL or the NFL.
Former NFL player and current Philly sports anchor Vai Sikahema has received full medical clearance to enter the squared circle on July 12 for a boxing match against former juiced-up baseball player Jose Canseco.
“I’m healthy as a horse,” Sikahema said, presumably not referring to the one that broke its leg on the track at one of the Triple Crown races to which we pay hardly any attention.
Sikahema, at five-nine, 204 pounds, and 45 years of age, is seven inches shorter and 46 pounds lighter than Canseco, 44.
The estimated $5,000 payment to Sikahema for the fight will be donated to the wife of Philly police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.
Canseco is probably hoping for a bigger payday — perhaps something in the neighborhood of $335,236.23.
Despite the fact that it’s now harder for folks with a criminal record to gain admission into Canada, the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL have taken steps to eventually claim former Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews.
The Pats cut Andrews on Tuesday after his second arrest since Super Bowl XLII. The Alouettes have placed Andrews on their confidential negotiation list, which gives them dibs on Andrews in the event he can’t get another gig in the NFL.
But the Alouettes, and anyone in the NFL who might be interested in Andrews, apparently will have to wait. On Thursday, a judge ordered that Andrews could be held up to 90 days without bail for allegedly holding a pistol to the head of his ex-fiance.
Receiver Marcus Nash was best known in the NFL for being one of coach Mike Shanahan’s various misfires, flaming out in Denver after being selected in the first round of the 1998 draft.
As a rookie, he won a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos. Two years later, he won another one with the Ravens. For his career, he had four catches.
Nash disappeared from the NFL thereafter, but has spent six seasons in the Arena Football League. In 2004, he was named the league’s offensive player of the year, with 154 catches for 1,771 yards for the Las Vegas Gladiators. His 46 receiving touchdowns tied a league record.
For the last two seasons, Nash has played for the Dallas Desperados. He finished the 2008 season with 33 scores, most on the team. It also was his fifth straight season with more than 1,000 yards receiving.
So why hasn’t he gotten another chance in the NFL? He’s now 32 years old, which might be too old to get a shot at the highest level of the game. But to go from being a first-round pick to a completely forgotten man despite solid performances in the Arena league seems a little odd, to say the least.
UPDATE: It looks like that second chance in the NFL will never come for Nash. As a friend of the site points out, Nash suffered a broken neck in last week’s playoff loss. His career is likely over.
Receiver Kelly Campbell, who showed potential as a member of the Vikings but who then was exiled from the NFL due in part to an inability to stay beyond the reach of the long arm of the law, is playing football in Canada.
And he’s already making an impact. In a good way.
Campbell caught eight passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns for the Edmonton Eskimos in a Thursday night shootout win over the Calgary Stampeders.
Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray threw for 448 yards, including the game-winner with 1:09 to play, which was hauled in with one hand by Jason Tucker.
In Week One, Edmonton was blown out by Saskatchewan, 34-13. In that game, Campbell had three receptions for 40 yards.
Leading the way for Hamilton was former Chiefs quarterback Casey Printers, who had tried unsuccessfully to follow in the footsteps of men like Joe Theismann, Warren Moon, and Jeff Garcia by making the jump from the CFL to the NFL. Printers threw for 171 yards and rushed for 32, scoring two touchdowns.
For the Argos, former NFL receiver Bethel Johnson caught only one pass for 11 yards, and former NFL quarterback Michael Bishop stayed on the sidelines, with former NFL defensive back Kerry Joseph getting the reps.
Another former NFL defensive back, Willie Middlebrooks, who was the league’s defensive player of the week after the first round of regular-season game, didn’t play due for the Argos to a foot injury.
Something occured to me while chatting with our friends at Big Sports 590 in Omaha a little bit ago.
If Brett Favre returns to the Packers, and if the Packers take him back, do the Packers suddenly become the favorites to land Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor?
“He’s been through that quarterback thing before,” an unnamed source told Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel last month. “He doesn’t want to go through it again. Maybe if Favre was still there, but even that wouldn’t be a given.”
So if Favre is there, maybe Taylor decides that it makes sense to play in Green Bay, and to make a run at a Super Bowl title before heading off to Tinsletown.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network lays out the procedure that quarterback Brett Favre would follow if/when he decides to play football again.
Favre currently is on the reserve/retired list. To be activated from it, Favre only has to send written notice to the Packers and to the league of his desire to play. The Packers would then have 24 hours to reinstate Favre, or to release him.
The other possibility would be to activate Favre and then attempt to trade him, if the Packers don’t want him back on the team. But they would be required to use a roster spot on him until he is traded.
As to whether the Packers want Favre, Schefter reports that there are folks in the organization who go both ways on the issue.
As to whether Favre wants to play, Schefter confirms that Favre is training as if he’s returning.
If he chooses to do so, the Packers have limited options — and there’s a good chance that they like none of them.
The NFL’s supplemental draft has been one of the highlights of the offseason.
Well, not really.
But for those of you who look forward to the bizarre silent-auction-style process that allows NFL teams to use one or more of their picks from next year’s draft early, there won’t be a supplemental draft this year.
Last year, there were ten eligible players. Two were drafted, including tackle Jared Gaither, who is in line to take over for Jonathan Ogden in Baltimore.
Agent Bus Cook has been yapping a lot over the past several months regarding the future of his star client, Brett Favre.
Most recently, we heard that Cook had been telling people that Brett still wants to play. (Two days later, it was widely reported that Brett is telling people that Brett still wants to play.)
We’re now hearing that Cook is privately saying that Favre wants to play for the . . . . drum roll, please . . . oh, wait, it’s in the headline . . . Carolina Panthers.
We don’t know why Favre is eyeing Carolina. Maybe he thinks that it’s the best place for him to step in as the starter, notwithstanding the presence of Jake Delhomme, and have a chance to win. Or maybe Favre wants to play for a time that’s fairly close to his home in Mississippi — and that will play three division road games in that same general area as well.
Beyond the geography and a roster with the talent to compete in a wide-open NFC, Favre has no strong connections to the coaching staff. Favre never has been in the same organization as head coach John Fox.
Whether Favre plays again and whether he plays for anyone other than the Packers remains to be seen. But if he does play for anyone other than the Packers, his next team could be the Panthers.
Chiefs fans, you can rest easy. You won’t be ejected from Arrowhead Stadium by one of the guys in the yellow CSC Event Staff windbreakers for standing up and rooting for your team.
Despite reports that the Green Bay Packers have rebuffed apparent interest on the part of quarterback Brett Favre to resume wearing the yellow helmet with the squished “G”, a league source tells us that the team’s attitude regarding Favre is simple.
If you want to play, show up.
In other words, the team isn’t going to smooch Brett’s butt (or any other body parts) in an effort to get him to play for them.
The suspicion in some circles is that Favre and/or his agent, Bus Cook, are trying to finagle an impasse between the Packers and Favre, so that Favre can play for another team.
And Favre, as we hear it, has one team in mind.
Who is the other team? Stay tuned. (It’s a slow week, so we need to milk these a bit.)
The Buffalo Bills have agreed to a three-year contract extension with defensive tackle Kyle Williams, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.
Williams is now under contract through 2012. The contract has a maximum value of $14.5 million and it includes $5.7 million in guaranteed money.
A two-year player, Williams started every game in 2007, and eleven of 16 in 2006 as a rookie.
Williams was the first pick in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, had he had been under contract through 2009, at base salaries of $445,000 and $530,000, respectively, over the next two seasons.
The tidal wave of Brett Favre reports and rumors has included more than a few suggestions that the Packers are inclined to be Favre free in 2008, and beyond.
Setting aside for now the question of whether such a position would jeopardize the employment (and/or the life) of G.M. Ted Thompson, the Packers wouldn’t be able both to refuse to let Favre play or to refuse to let him leave.
Here’s a look at some of the possibilities. Courtesy of SportingNews.com. Penned by a doofis whose name you might recognize.
A.J. Daulerio, the brand-new chief cook and butthole washer (yeah, I think that’s funny . . . and, yeah, I’m also secretly eleven years old) at Deadspin, has an intriguing tidbit regarding the possible manner in which the whole “Brett Favre Has An Itch . . . In An Area Other Than His Crotch” spectacle that unfolded Wednesday afternoon.
Daulerio suggests that Chris Mortensen was working the story regarding Favre’s possible interest in playing (possibly in response to our report from Monday that Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, has been telling people that Favre wants to play), and that, lo and behold, Packers cornerback Al Harris was an in-studio guest on Wednesday’s NFL Live.
Under the scenario laid out by Daulerio (holy crap, I’m a freakin’ poet), Harris was asked off camera what he knew about the situation, Harris confirmed what Mort was hearing, and then Mort reported the whole thing.
If it’s true, there isn’t a thing that’s improper about any of it. (And I’m not just saying that because, inexplicably, I’ll be making an appearance on the ESPN Radio Friday morning at 11:25 a.m.) But it makes for a weird chain of events that unleashed during one of the sssssslow weeks in the NFL offseason a flood of stories and reports and rumors and speculation about what might happen next.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 3, 2008, 8:58 a.m.
Saints defensive end Charles Grant is facing a $5 million civil lawsuit in connection with the shooting death of a pregnant woman outside a Georgia nightclub in February.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune, passing along a report from WGNO-TV, reports that Grant’s lawyer confirmed that the aunt of victim Korynda Reed filed the suit.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 3, 2008, 8:45 a.m.
After missing three field goals in his CFL debut, Mike Vanderjagt explained, “I didn’t give the hashmarks enough respect. I didn’t play the angles.”
The Bills have released FB Mike Viti, a rookie who recently graduated from West Point.
Says Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of CB Adam Jones, “He is very committed. He is very committed physically and mentally. He is smart. He recognizes his challenge and he is really doing well.”
Redskins TE Chris Cooley is selling an Adrian Peterson rookie card on eBay.
The Bears gave RB Matt Forte a significant increase from the contract given to the player drafted in the same slot last year, Panthers WR Dwayne Jarrett.
Defensive end Jevon Kearse had a huge season as a rookie in 1999. To a certain extent, he’s been living off the fumes of that four-month period from nine years ago ever since.
Injuries plagued the rest of his tenure in Tennessee, and the Titans allowed him to walk away to Philly as a free agent in 2003.
After being released by the Eagles earlier this year, Kearse is back in Tennessee. And he’s already made headlines by being arrested for DUI.
So how has he followed it up? By claiming that the Eagles will regret cutting him loose.
Kearse recently told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com that he’ll play so well in 2008 that Philly fans will scratch their heads about the decision that was made.
“They’ll say, ‘Why the hell did we let that dude go?’ ” Kearse said. “‘What were they thinking?’”
Here’s what they were thinking, Jevon: “This guy is riding on the hype of his rookie season, and he’s no longer worth the money that we pay him.”
Says Kearse, ”Maybe it was a good reason: So I can get [pissed] off and get more motivated.”
If Kearse gets “more motivated” and plays well in Tennessee, that’s fine. The reality is that he wasn’t “more motivated” and wasn’t playing well in Philly.
So maybe he needed a kick in the butt. If so, it’s a shame; these guys are supposed to be professionals, and true professionals don’t need external events to make them “more motivated.” They already are.
We’ve been able to confirm via two sources the names of the rookies who were involved in a symposium slugfest.
The players were Aqib Talib and Cory Boyd. Talib was a first-round pick of the Buccaneers; Boyd was a seventh-round selection of the same team.
The players were in a budget and finances meeting, where rookies from four teams were gathered. Talib and Boyd had been jawing at each other for a while, and it came to a head during that specific session.
Few are surprised by the development. Boyd was suspended by South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier in 2005. Boyd was forced to apologize upon returning in 2006, after scoring a touchdown and uttering for the camera, “I’m back! I’m back liked cooked crack!”
Talib’s draft stock fell due to repeated positive drug test results while at Kansas. As one league source explained Talib to us on Wednesday night, “Trouble just follows Talib. . . . He can’t help himself, and it’s never his fault.”
It’s unknown whether the players were or will be disciplined.
A league source tells us that, at the 2008 rookie symposium, two players (who’ll remain nameless for now) got into a fight. The incident was broken up by Rob Davis, a former long snapper who currently serves as the Packers’ director of player development.
As the source said, “They were told not to let the incident leave the room, but it did.”
We might eventually identify the players. For now, we’ll tell you that one of them was a first-round draft pick.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 2, 2008, 8:10 p.m.
After an ESPN report this afternoon that Brett Favre was considering a comeback sparked a frenzy of speculation, Favre himself responded with a brief message to his local newspaper.
Favre replied to a South Mississippi Sun Herald question about the ESPN report by saying, “It’s all rumor.”
When queried about a possible media firestorm, Favre text messaged a reporter at the paper, “No reason for it.”
That sounds like Favre is saying he’s not playing this year. But it’s also a far cry from stating categorically, “I will not play football again.” And unless Favre says that, this story isn’t going away.
Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that Favre (possibly with his agent, Bus Cook, acting as an intermediary) contacted the Packers within the past few weeks about returning, and that the conversation ended in Favre asking the club for his release. The Packers refused.
As we’ve previously noted, if Favre does decide he wants to play again, his options are to play for the Packers, or not to play at all — unless he can convince the team to trade or release him.
If the State Journal’s report that Favre contacted the team about returning is correct, the Packers may have told Favre that they’re ready to move on, begin the Aaron Rodgers era, and save the $10 million-plus Favre is owed this year on his current contract. That’s where a request from Favre that the team release him would come from.
The Packers placed Favre on the reserve/retired list on April 25, but Favre can request that the team activate him from the list, in which case the team would either need to put him on the active roster, trade him, or cut him.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 2, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
The Kansas City Chiefs would like to clarify that their rule against standing while watching games at Arrowhead Stadium is only a rule against excessive standing.
Tammy Fruits, the team’s vice president of sales and marketing, tells Fox 4 News in Kansas City that the team’s guidelines for fan behavior — which drew criticism for listing standing among the activities that “the stadium staff will proactively intervene” to stop — are not intended to stop fans from jumping up to cheer spontaneously.
“We want Arrowhead loud and proud like it’s always been,” Fruits said.
The team will, however, intervene when a fan’s excessive standing obstructs the view of other fans. Now if we can just get a clear definition of what constitutes “excessive” standing, Kansas City fans will know how much time they should expect to spend on their feet when they go to games, and how much time they should expect to spend on their butts.
The Chicago Bears have announced that they have agreed to terms with second-round draft pick Matt Forte.
Forte, a running back from Tulane, is expected to have every opportunity to become the team’s starting tailback.
He is the eleventh Chicago draft pick to sign, leaving only first-rounder Chris Williams, an offensive tackle, unsigned.
Because, however, Williams was taken in the same slot as Jets corner Darrelle Revis in 2007, the negotiations could become complicated. Revis signed a six-year deal that voids easily to four and that contains a significant buy back for the fifth and sixth seasons; Williams’ agents would be wise to try to get the same type of deal, and the Bears will likely balk.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 2, 2008, 4:16 p.m.
ESPN opened NFL Live this afternoon with a blockbuster: Brett Favre is considering a comeback with the Packers.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Favre has made some preliminary contact with the team, including head coach Mike McCarthy, to discuss a possible return.
PFT has previously reported that Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, is pushing him to play in 2008, and that Cook is quietly telling league insiders that Favre isn’t 100 percent retired.
The last time reports surfaced of Favre contemplating a return, Favre issued an emphatic denial, calling returning to football “The last thing I’m thinking about.” It will be interesting to see whether Favre makes a similar statement this time.
As Trey Wingo noted during NFL Live, ESPN is already planning to make the first Monday Night Football of the year, all Favre, all the time. They just didn’t think there was any chance that Favre would be in uniform.
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