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| Vince Young told NFL.com that he considered retiring during training camp last summer. "I really thought long and hard about it," Young said. "There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things. My teammates helped lift me out of it. I prayed really hard. And I began to focus on God's calling for me. Play football. Be a role model." |
Our View: Hmmmm. Really? We wouldn't take this too seriously. Young just turned 25 and still has some growing up to do. Don't worry about him hanging up his cleats anytime soon.
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| A Baltimore radio station reported earlier today that the Ravens have had official talks with the Miami Dolphins about acquiring defensive end Jason Taylor. However, a team official told the Baltimore Sun that the report was "untrue." |
Our View: Taylor is desperately wanting out of Miami, and it's likely the Fins will eventually accommodate him. The Chargers have also expressed interest.
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| Mike Nolan said earlier this month that J.T. O'Sullivan would be in the mix for the starting job, but he has now backed off that statement, according to the Sacramento Bee. Alex Smith and Shaun Hill will get the lion's share first-team reps when OTAs begin on June 2. |
Our View: We have a feeling Mike Martz doesn't like this, but Nolan is the man in charge. Smith is still the favorite to win the job.
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| The Vikings have decided to sever ties with Erasmus James, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The oft-injured former first-round pick has battled knee injuries the past two seasons. |
Our View: The 2005 draft has turned out to be a dandy for the Vikes. James and Troy Williamson were both taken in the first round, and neither player is on the team anymore. Ouch.
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| ESPN Radio 1300 AM out of Baltimore is reporting that Jason Taylor wants to become a member of the Ravens and that everything is pointing towards the fact that he'll become one soon. They speculate that the deal would involve Baltimore sending a second- or third-round pick to Miami for the defensive end. |
Our View: Taylor is bound to leave Miami eventually. He would obviously make an already-strong Ravens D even stronger.
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| Devin Hester was at practice on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He missed Wednesday's OTA. |
Our View: Some rumors popped up about Hester being unhappy with his contract, but he can't be that upset if he only missed Wednesday. Hester hopefully realizes he needs to be there in order to work on his receiving skills. The Bears depth chart remains (relatively) wide open.
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| The Dolphins signed guard Donald Thomas to a multi-year contract on Friday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. |
Our View: Thomas is a long-shot to earn the starting left guard spot, but the Dolphins should enter the summer with an open mind about their linemen jobs.
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| Lawyer Manny Arora tells the AP that Pacman Jones will play his $20,000 gambling debt to Caesars Palace on Friday. "We’ll pay the bill today and there’s not going to be a warrant," Arora explains. "We’re going to send a check today." The Clark County District Attorney was seeking a felony arrest warrant on fraud and theft charges. "We’re aware of it and we are looking into it," league spokesman Greg Aiello remarks. |
Our View: This would be a non-story with 99.5 percent of NFL players, but Jones can't afford even the smallest strike right now.
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| The Broncos are hoping Tony Scheffler will be back at practice by June 9, when the second half of a second offseason camp begins, the Denver Post reports. The tight end is currently wearing a boot on his left foot. "We know there's not another break in there," head coach Mike Shanahan says. "After a couple weeks in a boot, he'll come back full speed." |
Our View: Scheffler broke his foot on May 18, 2007 and underwent surgery. He recently aggravated the injury, but it doesn't sound too serious. Either that or he's wearing a magic boot.
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| Jerry Porter missed most of Thursday's OTA practice due to a sore ankle, the Florida Times-Union reports. |
Our View: We don't want to make too much of any little injury at this point in the offseason, but Porter is a new face in a new place. He needs to get reps with David Garrard if he is going to be a productive fantasy player.
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| Kevin Jones visited the Titans on Thursday. "We are getting to know them," head coach Jeff Fisher explains to the Tennessean. "Kevin Jones was a very good player and had a knee injury. We are just keeping our files updated." |
Our View: We wouldn't expect Jones to sign at this point, as he tore the ACL in his right knee last December and is still recovering. He doesn't project to have any value in 2008, but some team will undoubtedly give him a shot to show them something and potentially play a bigger role come 2009.
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| Defensive end Ray Edwards is moving to the left side of the line. "He’s really training hard and he needs OTAs, and the four times we’ve been out, he’s looked very well," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I think he’s on pace to be an improved player." Edwards has added 5-10 pounds in an effort to man his new position. |
Our View: Edwards has a good chance to start, and he could be worth noting in deeper IDP leagues. Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Pat Williams are going to eat up all the double-teams, and Edwards could easily benefit.
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| Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins ballooned to over 400 pounds while with the Panthers in 2007, but he is now down around 360. "I feel great," Jenkins tells Newsday. "Doing what I have done now, I would not go back the other way." |
Our View: Is there any wonder why the Panthers were eager to trade him? Jenkins was a nice addition for the Jets, but he won't make an impact unless he keeps the pounds off, relatively speaking. He has no IDP value.
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| Jarrad Page, the starting free safety, is currently missing OTAs as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery, the team's official web site reports. |
Our View: Page posted okay numbers in his second season. He's not yet of much help in IDP leagues, but he's a promising, younger safety.
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| Rookie tight end Dustin Keller is impressing the coaching staff with his versatility thus far. "He's got excellent vertical speed," head coach Eric Mangini informs Newsday. "He's able to put a lot of pressure on the defense very quickly. Zone or man, his ability to pressure you and get on you so quickly, it's a tempo-changer." Keller could see extra reps this summer because starter Chris Baker is skipping OTAs due to a contract dispute. |
Our View: Keller is a catch-first tight end, which is nice from a fantasy perspective. We can't get too excited, though. Rookie tight ends almost always struggle, and Keller will need to improve his blocking in order to see the field.
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| Jamal Lewis received a leading question regarding 2008 predictions on Thursday, and he answered boldly. "I think 1,400 or 1,500 yards is an understatement," Lewis informs the Canton Repository. "I'd like to get more than that. I think I can get more than that. Missing two games... I could have gotten more than that last year." |
Our View: It's worth noting again that Jamal simply didn't throw out numbers on his own. We'd expect him to be confident, but fantasy owners will be pleased if he can hit his 2007 numbers (1,304 rushing yards, nine scores) again in 2008.
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| Brodie Croyle has looked sharp in the early OTAs, albeit without pads and a pass rush. "He’s done a good job," head coach Herm Edwards informs the team's official web site. Tight end Tony Gonzalez adds, "He’s thrown the ball well. I think he’s going to have a big year." |
Our View: Croyle was in a very tough situation last year, as the Chiefs were an awful team and he was only in his second season. We anticipate another campaign of learning in 2008, as the Chiefs are in rebuilding mode. We're just looking for some sparks that make Brodie worth looking at in keeper leagues.
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| Pacman Jones apparently owes $20,000 to Caesars Place in Las Vegas, and the city's district attorney may pursue a felony arrest warrant, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Caesars Palace gave Jones three markers on September 3. The cornerback could face fraud and theft charges. "I thought we were working it out," attorney Robert Langford says. "He hasn’t been playing football, so he hasn’t been able to pay it back... When it comes to casino markers, $20,000 is next to nothing." |
Our View: When it comes to Jones, even small stories seem like a big deal. Roger Goodell has enough other, more serious paperwork to sort out regarding Pacman for this issue to get in the way. Maybe Jerry Jones will make an advance on Pacman's contract.
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| Wide receiver John Broussard is back on the field following ankle surgery in February, but the second-year wideout admits to being "a little bit rusty," the Florida Times-Union reports. "I don't feel I'm anywhere near where I should be," Broussard admits. "It might look like I'm running by people. Maybe I am. It doesn't feel like it to me. I'm not that comfortable where I am right now." |
Our View: Broussard, a seventh-round pick, caught only four passes as a rookie, but he was fighting an up-hill battle for playing time. The depth chart is even thicker now that Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson are in town, but the speedy Broussard could push a more veteran player out if he looks good come training camp.
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| Kevin Kolb displayed a lot of progress and leadership as he worked in the Eagles recent rookie camp. "Kevin's already been through what we're going through," rookie wideout DeSean Jackson informs the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He's showing a lot of leadership. I'm looking up to him because he knows the offense already." Kolb adds that he feels much more comfortable now than he did in his first year. |
Our View: Kolb is set to sit again in 2008, at least until Donovan McNabb suffers his yearly injury or three. There is no quarterback controversy at the moment, but Andy Reid is setting up the organization well for the post-McNabb era.
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| The Browns and cornerback Terry Cousin agreed to a deal on Thursday night, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. |
Our View: If the 33-year-old Cousin can turn the clock back to 2005, the Browns may be okay. Good luck with that. The club is hurting for experience at corner.
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