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| Former NFL lineman Ross Tucker has put forth experiences and reports that suggest the New England Patriots have allowed some players on injured reserve to participate in team practices, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: In an article posted by ESPN, Tucker asserts that he was witness to such practices during this season in 2005 with the Pats, stating the team wanted to do this to save energy and injury risk for players not on the IR. This is in direct violation of league rules and bring New England back to the spotlight of NFL scrutiny. Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated he will investigate the matter but told reporters that even if the Pats are found in violation, no further action would be taken against the franchise.
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| The fans in Kansas City were hoping to see running back Larry Johnson in action today, but they left disappointed, according to the Kansas City Star. |
Our View: Coach Herm Edwards had planned on getting Johnson his first action in reps with the first-team offense, and that was the case in the morning session of exercises. However, rain moved in and forced practice into the domed field at the team's practice facilities, and thus Edwards decided to rest Johnson rather than run him on the artificial turf. Johnson missed the bulk of the second half of last season with a broken foot, but the team reports he is healthy and cleared for any and all football activities. Thursday was the first day the Chiefs opened practice to the media, but the bulk of the practice was held with Kolby Smith lined up as the starting rusher.
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| The Jets may be harboring one of the more intriguing quarterback position battles, but coach Eric Mangini refuses assertions the team is hoping Kellen Clemens gets the job, according to the New York Post. |
Our View: Mangini notes Chad Pennington is more than capable of leading the team again in 2008 and, while Clemens is still viewed as the arm of the future, the team is going to let the battle play out on the field during training camp. Of course, fans like to note that Pennington is the aging commodity inherited when Mangini took the reins while Clemens is much younger and was drafted as the potential field general for the Jets, thus it seems all too likely the coach has a desire to see his man take the job. Until training camp, we won't know.
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| The Cleveland Browns have announced the promotion of Mike Keenan to the role of President of the franchise, according to the Miami Herald. |
Our View: Keenan was part of the NFL's management council for 10 years, dealing with labor operations, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the salary cap. He has been working with the Browns since 1995 in a number of capacities and will now be charged with the team's non-football business operations and league matters.
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| The Raiders have signed free agent quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo , according to Raiders.com. |
Our View: The Raiders selected Tuiasosopo in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft where he played from 2001 through 2006. In 2007, Tuiasosopo spent the season with the New York Jets.
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| New Orleans defensive end Charles Grant appeared before a judge today, the first in several steps following his indictment by a grand jury on an involuntary manslaughter charge, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Assistant District Attorney Ron Smith told reporters Grant was taken before the judge, was formally presented with the charges, read his rights, and bond was set at $10,000. The charges stem from a February altercation at a nightclub. Grant, who was stabbed in the neck during the fracas, was charged by an Early County grand jury that also charged Laquient Macklin with felony murder and feticide in the shooting death of Korynda Reed, 23. Reed died after being taken to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, after the fight early February 3.
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| Lee Evans likely won't participate with his teammates until training camp as he works his way back into shape from a shoulder operation, according to the Bills Official Website. |
Our View: Lee continues to progress quite nicely and unless something unforeseen happens, there is little reason to think that Evans won't be fully healthy by the time the games count.
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| Joe Horn will not attend any team functions that are voluntary as he continues to try and push the team into moving him to another club, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "When we open up [training] camp we anticipate Joe will be here," HC Mike Smith said. |
Our View: Horn realizes that he will be nothing more than a spare part in Atlanta, but honestly, what did he expect after such limited success last season? At this point, he may not even be the team's WR3 with Roddy White, Laurent Robinson, Michael Jenkins and rookie Harry Douglas also in the fold.
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| Earnest Graham continues to miss OTA's in an attmept to force the club into giving him a new deal, according to the Tampa Tribune. “I hope to see him soon,’’ HC Jon Gruden said of Graham. “He’s a key member of our team. In the meantime, we’re very pleased with our addition of Warrick Dunn. Michael Bennett has been outstanding in the offseason. I hope Earnest gets in here soon. He’s a good football player.’’ |
Our View: Graham was a breakout performer last season with 898 yards and 10 TD on the ground while adding 49 receptions to help out in PPR leagues. Look for him to get signed and into camp in plenty of time to take out his frustrations on opposing defenses.
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| Jeff Garcia will more than likely be able to work out his contract concerns with the Bucs, according to the Tampa Tribune. “I’m very confident that it will all work itself out,’’ HC Jon Gruden said. “He was clutch for us. He’s a critical football player for us and hopefully it all works out.’’ |
Our View: Garcia managed the ball extremely well last year, and while his numbers certainly weren't eye-popping, he did exactly what Gruden wants him to do. Look for Garcia to be behind center for Week 1, but also don't expect much more than you say out of him last season.
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| Brandon McDonald has moved into the starting spot at cornerback following the injury departure of Daven Holly, according to ClevelandBrowns.com. Eric Wright is working at the other starting spot. |
Our View: McDonald emerged late in the season of his rookie campaign in 2007 and gained confidence by being awarded two starts. He has looked good so far in the OTA sessions, and will need to step up in his second season as Holly's injury is believed to be serious. McDonald made two interceptions last season, and his fantasy stock is on the rise.
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| Rashard Mendenhall has returned to limited drills on Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. This was his first action since straining his hamstring in the first week of May during minicamp. He said he felt pretty good after practice. |
Our View: The Steelers will monitor the prized rookie closely throughout their OTA, which run through next month, and will likely restrict how much he does. The team will be cautious to prevent the injury from turning into a lingering one and something that hinders Mendenhall during training camp, which starts in late July.
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| The Jets have hosted Musa Smith on Wednesday, according to ESPN Insider. |
Our View: Smith can play halfback or fullback, and the Jets are looking to strengthen the position. The team reportedly wants to run the ball a lot this season, but Smith wouldn't likely see a significant amount of action behind Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Jesse Chatman.
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| Mark Brunell is looking comfortable in the pocket and is fitting in well in New Orleans, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. |
Our View: He will battle Jamie Martin for the top backup job at quarterback behind Drew Brees.
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| Robert Meachem continues to impress the Saints during off-season workouts, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He battled a knee injury for most of his rookie season in 2007, but is now healthy, and is looking fluid and comfortable while running routes on the field. Meachem has gotten rave reviews from Payton, General Manager Mickey Loomis and teammates throughout this offense, showing a great attitude and work ethic after a disappointing debut campaign.
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Our View: Meachem is going to battle Devery Henderson for the number three role in the Saints' aerial attack, but could ultimately ascend to the starting number two spot opposite Marques Colston if he continues to impress the coaches through training camp.
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| Chinedum Ndukwe is working as the starting strong safety, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. |
Our View: He has solid range and plays with a high-motor and intensity and held his own as a rookie in 2007, namely late in the season. He is ready to take the next step as a full-time starter at strong safety, and he could make a solid impact as an IDP in 2008. Dexter Jackson shouldn't beat him out for the starting role.
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| Receiver Eddie Kennison is reportedly on the Buccaneers' radar, according to the Tampa Tribune. John Hamilton ( Kennison’s agent) confirmed the 13-year veteran worked out for Tampa Bay’s coaching staff on Monday. Hamilton also said Kennison, who was hindered by a torn hamstring last season, passed the physical. |
Our View: Joey Galloway is the number one receiver in Tampa Bay, but the number two role and beyond are up for grabs. If Tampa Bay is interested in signing Kennison, it likely will not happen until June 1. The 35-year old receiver has 548 career receptions for 8,345 yards and 42 touchdowns, and could still contribute and be productive with the Buccaneers, if he can just stay healthy.
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| Vincent Fuller excelled as the Titans' nickelback at times in 2007, while returning interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games and making seven tackles in the regular-season overtime loss to San Diego, according to the Tennessean. The third defensive back is a crucial piece of the defense, in some games he's on the field more often than not. And while Fuller remains the favorite to keep the job, Eric King and newcomer Chris Carr will get an opportunity to challenge him in training camp.
Defensive backs coach Chuck Cecil said, "Right now Vinnie Fuller is our nickel, he played well for us last year. When he got hurt it dropped off a little, but that was understandable, he had a dislocated shoulder. We always have an open competition and Eric King is going to be in that mix. So is Chris Carr. But for right now it's Vinnie's job and we'll see what happens."
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Our View: The job is Fuller's to lose, and he shouldn't give way to Carr or King. He could register favorable numbers this season, and would make a nice late round/low cost IDP prospect for larger leagues.
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| Former seventh-round draft pick Zach Diles is projected to start at strong-side linebacker and is poised to prove his worth to the Texans, according to the Houston Chronicle. Coach Gary Kubiak said, "I wish I'd have played him the last few games and got him some experience, but that is what it is, so it's time we've made the decision to move forward. It's kind of like one of those deals where we're not waiting. It's yours, go prove to us that you belong there. He's got a tough gig ahead of him here, but we've got a lot of confidence in him." Diles added, "Being a seventh-round pick, usually you're just supposed to be a training camp body. But it's just hard work. Just come out here and do what they ask of you and do it hard. You'll like the results at the end. When people tell me I'm too small, it upsets me a little bit. Because, shoot, I'm here. Somebody saw enough in me to bring me here. So size really shouldn't matter. But it's the NFL. You're going to get that kind of stuff, but you just have to prove to them that you can go out and do the job no matter how big you are."
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Our View: Diles was a pleasant surprise as it didn't take him long to earn the backup job to DeMeco Ryans as a rookie in 2007, and he will be on our IDP radar through training camp. He could provide some value as a late-round fantasy draft pick in larger leagues.
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| Ron Dayne is going to visit the Titans today, according to the Tennessean. The 30-old bruiser is expected to participate in a physical and workout for team officials. Agent Karim Lawrence said, "What the team said to me was LenDale is coming off a knee injury, so that is maybe a concern of theirs. Ron has proven he can play through whatever." |
Our View: The Titans were interested in Dayne last year, but a deal could not be worked out. The Titans are already stocked at running back behind LenDale White, with Chris Henry and promising rookie Chris Johnson. Dayne wouldn't likely make an impact as anything more than a goal-line or short-yardage back in Tennessee.
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| Kellen Winslow Jr is absent from the Browns' voluntary workouts, and the team does not know where he is, according to ProFootballTalk.com. Coach Romeo Crennel stated on Wednesday that the team hasn't heard from Winslow and does not know why he isn't in attendance. Agent Drew Rosenhaus says that Winslow is rehabbing his knee, which was the target of yet another surgery in the offseason. Rosenhaus also explains that Winslow, who several times commented on his desire for a new contract, will be attending all mandatory activities.
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Our View: Winslow racked up 82 receptions for 1106 yards and five scores last season, and his numbers merit he is worthy of a new contract, but the team has concerns regarding his durability following another surgery on his battered knee.
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| Aaron Rodgers said he is ready for the spotlight following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Brett Favre, according to the AP. He commented, "I know the pressure I’m under. I know who I’m following. I know that it’s a tough situation and a lot of people are expecting me to fail outside of this locker room. I’m just trying to get the guys we’ve got here now to believe in me. I know the comparisons, probably my entire career, as long as I’m a Packer and as long as I play in the NFL, my connection will be the guy who followed Brett Favre. I think that’s probably one of the most underestimated parts of my game is that I have spent the last three offseasons exclusively here and I’ve put in a lot of time and a lot of hard work into figuring out this offense. I think I’ll be ready to go once we can finally lace them up for real. I think I’ve always been a guy who wants to be involved not only in working together but be involved in the lives of these guys. I want us to be a connected team, on and off the field."
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Our View: Packers' coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers keeps doing everything right, and added that Rodgers will be the starter despite drafting Brian Brohm in the second round.
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