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| Dallas RB Marion Barber has decided to skip the Cowboys' off-season workouts as his agent and the team continue to discuss long-term contract options, according to the Marion Barber . |
Our View: Barber has refused to sign the team's one-year, $2.562 million tender and is now using the typical forms of persuasion agent Drew Rosenhaus would suggest. Organized team activities begin next week, and you can bet Barber won't be showing up for those if this is not worked out by then as well.
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| The Seahawks signed Chas Gessner on Wednesday, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. |
Our View: The Seahawks are throwing a lot of receivers against the wall this summer and hoping that one or two will stick.
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| Jonathan Stewart is in the mix to be the Panthers kick returner in 2008, even though he could also be their No. 1 running back. "Jonathan Stewart was one of the leaders in the country, as well as leading the Pac-10. He's the guy who'll start off with those duties when we go to (training) camp," head coach John Fox tells the Charlotte Observer. "Not only is he an outstanding running back, but that was one of the key factors but in our search for a kickoff returner -- that we were able to address that." |
Our View: Guys like Maurice Jones-Drew, Leon Washington, Jerious Norwood, Laurence Maroney (2006), and Michael Turner (2006) have returned kicks in recent seasons, but none of those backs were also asked to carry the ball 20 times per game. We're wondering if Fox is tipping his hand here and suggesting that Stewart is in line to split carries with DeAngelo Williams.
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| The Browns released cornerback Kenny Wright on Wednesday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms. He was arrested twice this offseason. |
Our View: This news shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.
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| Kellen Winslow Jr remained away from the Browns OTAs on Wednesday, and head coach Romeo Crennel didn't know if his absence was "health-related" or "non-health-related." Crennel says, "When he gets here we'll find out for sure what that is." Winslow had right knee surgery this offseason. |
Our View: We have a difficult time believing Crennel doesn't know exactly why Winslow isn't participating. It could be the knee. It could be the contract. It could be that he simply doesn't want to. We're not terribly worried at this early point in the offseason.
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| The Dayton Daily News confirms that Kenny Irons is likely to begin the 2008 season on the PUP list. He tore the ACL in his left knee on August 9, 2007. |
Our View: That's a little surprising considering many players come back soon than that from a torn ACL. Anyway, Irons could come back in the second half of the season, but fantasy owners obviously shouldn't count on anything out of him.
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| Willis McGahee and Cam Cameron came awfully close to making out on Wednesday. The new Ravens offensive coordinator is aiming to place even more of the load on his running back's shoulders in 2008. "I'm looking forward to that challenge," McGahee tells NFL.com. "Actually, this is a year I'm really excited about. Out of all my years playing football, I'm (most) excited about this year." Cameron adds, "I'm excited about him, I can tell you that... I think he's just scratching the surface of what he can be, based on what I've seen." |
Our View: Sounds like there's a lot of excited excitement going on in Baltimore. Cameron helped guide LaDainian Tomlinson while in San Diego and orchestrated Ronnie Brown's half-year breakout in 2007. Can he do the same with McGahee? Fantasy owners should enjoy the idea.
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| Carson Palmer isn't openly bothered by the fact that Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh weren't amongst the receivers he was throwing to on Tuesday. "My frustration level? I'm at zero right now," Palmer tells the Dayton Daily News. "I'm not frustrated at all. I'm happy and excited to be back on the field myself, whether they're here or not. I'm excited to be back with these guys, the guys that are here... We'll get to work whenever they get here." |
Our View: Palmer isn't raw enough to fall for what were likely some leading questions about his best two receivers. Fantasy owners should continue to trust Carson as a top option, although his ranking could slip a bit depending on who shows up in the long run.
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| Shaun Rogers isn't currently starting as the Browns open their OTAs, and he tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he needs time to figure out how to play both nose tackle and end in the 3-4 defense. |
Our View: This news isn't too surprising. Rogers has spent his entire career in a 4-3 scheme. The former Lion will undoubtedly be a big part of the Browns new line rotation and likely start. He is too good and paid too well not to play on most downs.
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| Owner Bruce Allen talked about Jeff Garcia's contract situation on Wednesday. He doesn't mind that the quarterback has been public about his issues with an expiring deal. "Each player has to handle his business how he sees fit," Allen tells the St. Petersburg Times. "Jeff, for the last five years -- it's been well-documented -- he's been with five teams. I know he enjoyed the great success with coach Gruden and wants that to continue. That's not bad news, that's good news. We've got seven months to free agency and we've got plenty of time." |
Our View: Allen is taking the line that most of us probably would in his situation. There's no way the Bucs want to commit to the 38-year-old Garcia beyond this season, and we'd be surprised if they extended his contract before the calendar turns to 2009.
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| Urgent news! Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson have broken up. Yes, the dream is over, the Dallas Morning News confirms. |
Our View: This frees up Romo to find another blonde star this November. Our money is on Kate Bosworth.
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| James Hardy released a statement on Wednesday regarding the reported altercation with his father. As reprinted on the team's official web site, Hardy says, "I realize what the public perception could be pertaining to this incident, however that was not the reality of the situation. This situation that has been blown out of proportion has been very hurtful and frustrating for me and my father. There was a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation of the situation. I would like to first apologize to the fans of Buffalo and the Bills organization for any distractions this may have caused." Published reports claim Hardy was beating up his father and had pulled a gun on the older man. |
Our View: It sounds like the Bills have done their part to figure out what happened and are ready to move forward with the rookie receiver. Hardy hopefully won't have this hanging over him as he tries to climb the depth chart this summer.
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| The Akron Beacon Journal confirms that cornerback Kenny Wright has had two legal issues since the end of the season. He was charged with a Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana on March 1, and on April 3, Wright was arrested outside a police station and charged with unlawful restraint. That second charge is a Class A misdemeanor. He is due in court for the possession count on June 27. |
Our View: Got all that? At the risk of jumping ahead, our guess is that this all adds up to Wright being released later this summer.
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| Titans O.C. Mike Heimerdinger admits he's still figuring out what he has for receivers. He is four months and five practices into his second tenure with the franchise. "I told the guys from the beginning: I don't care what you've done in the past. If you make plays then you have a chance to be on board," Heimerdinger tells the Tennessean. "So right now I'd rank them all in a giant wad." Justin Gage and Justin McCareins have been lining up with the first-string offense. |
Our View: It's hard to imagine Heimerdinger saying anything else at this point. Gage seems likely to lock down one job after a solid second half in 2007, and McCareins is familiar with the new/old coordinator. Roydell Williams and Brandon Jones figure to enter the mix when they are healthy, and a slimmed-down Mike Williams hopes to earn a job, too.
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| Linebacker Lofa Tatupu has apologized for his weekend DUI arrest. "I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend," he says in a statement to the Seattle Times. "Thankfully nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again." |
Our View: Due to the secrecy of the NFL's policy, we don't know if Tatupu will receive a suspension. First-time offenders only get a stern reprimand.
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| The Raiders released cornerback Duane Starks on Tuesday, the Contra Costa Times reports. |
Our View: Yawn.
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| The Chiefs are prepared to release safety Greg Wesley as soon as they've explored all the trade possibilities, the Kansas City Star reports. "This would be great. I feel like I’ll be in good shape as far as getting a job even if they don’t do it until June 1," Wesley says. |
Our View: The Chiefs are in the midst of revamping their secondary and throwing away older guys like Wesley, Ty Law, and Patrick Surtain. Given the obviousness of their intentions, the club will be lucky to get anything for Wesley. The veteran safety could be effective if he lands in a good situation.
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| Center LeCharles Bentley did not attend the team's voluntary practice on Tuesday and isn't expected to show up this week. The lineman is supposed to go to New York for a physical before being cleared by Browns doctors, but agent Jonathan Feinsod didn't inform the Cleveland Plain Dealer if the trip to the Big Apple has happened. Bentley has missed the last two seasons due a serious left knee injury, but Feinsod says his client will play in 2008. |
Our View: Bentley was an outstanding center prior to his injury, and he has the talent to turn the Browns unit into something special. There are quite a few questions to answer and steps to take before that happens, though.
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