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Volume 8, Issue 56 (Tuesday, June 19th)
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Hi Folks,
Big news today as the Footballguys Magazines are in the house. They look great and they're ready for immediate shipping to our folks that order them online. The official release date for them on the newsstand is July 3 so you should get a jump on your competition ordering online. Details are below. We've got the News and Notes you need but first, the Quote Of The Day: "I really like what Garcia's doing. Gradkowski's doing very well at this point. Ummm. So I'll coach the guys that are here. Hope Jake shows up." -- Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden Keeping Chris Simms down while talking up Jeff Garcia, Bruce Gradkowski and even Tampa Bay (but probably soon to retire) QB Jake Plummer. Let's get to it. JSITE NEWS
A.
Footballguys Magazine In The House - Ready For Shipping
They're here. The 2007 Footballguys Strategy Guide Magazines are here and ready for shipping to our folks that order online. The official release date for the newsstand is July 3 so you should have the magazine in hand well before the other guys in your league. Shipping by USPS Priority Mail is included in the price. There are some good magazines out there but we honestly think the FBG mag is the best on the market. Click the link in the headline to order.
B.
Joe Needs Your Help - Footballguys Testimonials
One thing that we wanted to add to the website this year was some short testimonials from our Footballguys readers.
For any of you that happen to be satisfied customers, could you help me out?
Shoot me a quick email with a couple of lines about what you think about the site. That FBG helped you win the league. That FBG helped you make a zillion bucks. That FBG was the key to you landing a date with the Cowboys cheerleader. Whatever.
If you'd shoot it to me at bryant@footballguys.com that would be great.
I very much appreciate the help. Thank you.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. Indiana Coach Terry Hoeppner Dead - Roethlisberger Remembers2. TEN - Chris Brown Has A Chip On His Shoulder
3. NE - WR Troy Brown Still Without Team
4. WR Keenan McCardell Visiting Teams
5. ATL - Nike Rebuffs Humane Society - Will Keep Vick
6. Ryan Leaf Makes It To The Big Screen
7. PHI - LS/TE Bartrum Retires
8. CLE - Rookie WR Mike Mason Arrested
9. Inventors Want To Better Equip Players
10. DEF - TEN - Goodell Waiting On Details Regarding CB Jones
Indiana Coach Terry Hoeppner Dead - Roethlisberger Remembers
Source: AP
Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner died today of complications from a brain tumor. He was 59.
Hoeppner, who had two brain surgeries in the past 18 months, spent the last four months on medical leave. He died at 6:50 a.m. at Bloomington Hospital with his family at his side, school spokesman J.D. Campbell said. "Coach Hoeppner has inspired me to be who I am today," said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whom Hoeppner coached at Miami (Ohio). "He has been a second father, a teacher and a friend. He believed in me and I owe everything to him for where I am in life. I hold the deepest love and respect for him, his wife Jane and their family. He has been a role model for so many young men. I aspire to be as honorable and touch as many lives as Coach Hep. I will miss him more than words can describe."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Sad news and touching words from Roethlisberger. Our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Coach Hoeppner.
TEN - Chris Brown Has A Chip On His Shoulder
Source: Teresa M. Walker, AP
LenDale White sounded as if he had finally gotten the message the Tennessee Titans have been trying to send the running back since he dropped to them in the 2006 draft.
"You've just got to take care of your body. You've go to do everything right. You've got to come back in camp and be in shape and you know, just ready to play football at all times. It is what it is," White said. "You know you've got to learn from this experience and hopefully next year, things will be way different," White said. "I think it puts the whole team in a better frame now we have a proven running back there, a veteran guy," center Kevin Mawae said. "Whether he becomes the No. 1 guy or not is yet to be determined. he definitely gives the younger guys, Chris and LenDale, something to strive to be like." "I've got a chip on my shoulder. I've got a lot to prove," Brown said. Coach Fisher said no guarantees have been made and that all three running backs (Brown, White and Chris Henry) have been told the competition for the starting job is wide open.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Is adding Chris Brown what it will take for LenDale White to wake up? Possibly. It also might be what keeps White on the bench this year. I think Fisher is being honest when he says the RB competition is wide open. They'd obviously like for White to grab the reins and be the guy they drafted him to be. But he's done little so far to make anyone think that's happening. So Brown is the backup plan. All three RBs will battle this summer. Should be fun to watch.
NE - WR Troy Brown Still Without Team
Source: John Tomase, Boston Herald
Free agent WR Troy Brown still has a locker inside Gillette Stadium with the Patriots, but he remains unsigned with his former team or any other team. Brown has said that he intends on playing this season. Assuming health, his versatility on both sides of the ball and his knowledge of the playbook(s), his place in New England may still be intact, but he would have to compete with a slew of newcomers for a roster spot. New England signed receivers Wes Welker and Kelley Washington this offseason and also employs receivers Chad Jackson, Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney, not to mention starters Randy Moss and Dante Stallworth.
"My intention is to play," Brown told the Associated Press earlier this offseason. "That's what the deal is. We'll see what happens. I'm not writing anything in stone but my intentions are to play." This marks the third straight year that Brown's return has not been guaranteed. Two years ago, he spurned more money from the Saints to sign a one-year deal. Last year, following the losses of Willie McGinest, Adam Vinatieri and David Givens, Patriots owner Robert Kraft stepped in and inked Brown before losing yet another link to the past. Now, Brown finds himself once again technically unemployed, even as veterans with far less service to the Patriots, such as linebacker Junior Seau, have been resigned. "I expect Troy to have a role with us this year as far as I'm concerned," Belichick told NBC.com in March. "He is part of the plan for next season." Asked two weeks ago at minicamp if he had an update on Brown's situation, Belichick simply said, "No."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Gotta love that Belichick. We don't have any reason to think that Belichick or Brown have changed their mind on anything but the clock feels like it's ticking. It's a crowded WR corps there with the new guys they've signed and even in the best case, Brown looks like he'll be squeezed a bit.
WR Keenan McCardell Visiting Teams
Source: Len Pasquarelli, ESPN
Free Agent WR Keenan McCardell is currently in talks with the team that brought him into the NFL back in 1991, The Washington Redskins. McCardell is also in talks with the Texans as well. A timetable for his decision is not known.
[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Washington would make for a nice stop for McCardell as he returns to the team that started it for him. But the Texans would be a good fit as well. Stay tuned.
ATL - Nike Rebuffs Humane Society - Will Keep Vick
Source: CBS Sporstsline
Nike has no plans to dump Michael Vick from its roster of celebrity athletes, turning aside a request from the national Humane Society to cut ties with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback over alleged ties to dogfighting.
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, on Tuesday released a letter that he sent to the apparel giant. "We trust that Nike does not want to be associated with any celebrity who is linked to this odious form of animal cruelty," Pacelle wrote. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the company planned to honor its lucrative deal with Vick, who worked with the company to design a line of athletic shoes and has been used prominently in advertising campaigns. "There is no change in the status of the agreement between Nike and football player Michael Vick," Stoyer said. "He is rightfully presumed innocent and afforded the same due process as any citizen, rather than be tried in the court of public opinion. Nike will continue to monitor the situation, but has nothing further to say at this time."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Just passing along.
Ryan Leaf Makes It To The Big Screen
Source: Kevin Noonan, The News Journal
Tim Carr could have made a movie about Peyton Manning, but that would have been too easy. It would have been too much like a typical sports movie, where the handsome hero overcomes adversity and ends up winning the big game, and usually the gorgeous girl, as well.
"That's been done to death," Carr said. "I was looking for something different, and I think I found it." What he found was the story of the anti- Peyton. Carr, an actor and independent filmmaker from Wilmington, decided to make a movie about Ryan Leaf. Carr said his film will show how Leaf succumbed to the dark side of the force. "But, like with anything, there's more than one side to the story," Carr said. "Ryan Leaf also has a good side to his personality, and I wanted to make sure we presented a true picture of who this guy is. And the more I looked into his story and the more layers I was able to peel away, the more I became convinced that this is a story that should be told." Carr, 30, wrote and directs the film and also plays Leaf. The film is tentatively titled "Leaf: An Almost True Story" and is scheduled for an October release. Carr describes it as a pseudo-documentary. Carr even got in touch with Leaf, now an assistant football coach and head golf coach at West Texas A&M. Though Leaf wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, Carr said, he didn't try to talk him out of it, either. "Once I convinced him that this wasn't just going to be a hatchet job, he didn't seem to mind me telling his story," Carr said. "And he really has gotten his life together, so he has a different perspective on things now."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
I'll go see it. I'm not sure what that says about me but I'll go.
Source: Josh Wheeling, PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Rather than risk further injury to his neck, Eagles pro-bowl long-snapper and TE Eric Bartrum announced his retirement today. Bartrum suffered a herniated disk in his neck last year against the Colts. He played 119 games with the Eagles since the 2000 season and also had stints with Kansas City, Green Bay and New England.
[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Not much fantasy information here. But Bartrum was a valuable contributor for a long time with the Eagles. We wish him the best in whatever he takes on next.
CLE - Rookie WR Mike Mason Arrested
Source: CBS Sportsline
Cleveland Browns rookie receiver Mike Mason was arrested Sunday after refusing demands from two off-duty police officers to leave a downtown nightclub at closing time.
Mason struggled with one of the officers and was shocked with a stun gun, Lt. Thomas Stacho said Monday. The 22-year-old Mason was charged with aggravated disorderly conduct, obstructing official business and resisting arrest -- all misdemeanors. The officers confronted Mason while trying to clear patrons from the club about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Mason refused orders to put down his drink and leave, and when the officers tried to take the drink, he "apparently slapped one of the officers' arms away" and the two began struggling, Stacho said.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Maybe it's just something in the Ohio water...
Inventors Want To Better Equip Players
Source: Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun
Neither Dr. Gerald Maher, team dentist for the New England Patriots, nor Bert Straus, an industrial design engineer in Baltimore, will attend the NFL's concussion conference in Chicago today.
But what they have to offer may be relevant to the continuing debate over concussions. Maher says he has a mouth guard the Patriots use that can cut down on concussions originating in the jaw. Straus says he has expanded the technology he used to create a protective cover over Mark Kelso's helmet in the late 1980s after the former Buffalo Bills safety experienced a number of concussions. Straus has designed a full helmet - called the Gladiator - that he will test in Philadelphia and Washington high schools in the fall. "It's directed at the heart of the issue, equipment improvement," said Straus, who owns Protective Sports Equipment Inc., in Erie, Pa. Maher has tried to get support for his mouth guard with the league but twice was rejected for an NFL research grant that could prove its merit. Now, Maher says, he's talking to the military about taking his mouth guard to Iraq, where U.S. soldiers have experienced a significant increase in concussions. Meanwhile, Kelso, a color commentator with the Bills and a high school coach in Lancaster, N.Y., said Straus' Pro Cap extended his NFL career by five years. The expanded version will have a softer urethane coating over the hard shell. "I designed one dorky-looking product," Straus said of the Pro Cap worn by Kelso. "But the thing worked. After seven years in the pros, it fell out of favor, primarily because of looks. "This helmet will be well-received on looks, providing it demonstrates the performance advantage."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
I mentioned the other day that I'd expect to see some significant and fairly radical equipment changes in response to this new focus on preventing concussions. Stay tuned.
DEF - TEN - Goodell Waiting On Details Regarding CB Jones
Source: Len Pasquarelli, ESPN
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that it is too soon to say if the Tennessee Titans CB Pacman Jones violated the terms of his suspension over the weekend in an incident in Georgia. Jones is being sought for questioning by DeKalb County, Ga., police following an alleged verbal altercation inside an Atlanta-area strip club early Monday morning.
"I would prefer to wait until I know everything that went on before I comment specifically on the incident," said Goodell, who is attending the NFL player health and safety conference dealing with concussions. "So I don't know if 'disappointed' is a fair term to describe how I feel. When I met with Pacman last week, he told me he was taking steps to change things in his life, and he seemed sincere about it. I hope that's the case. But I don't have the facts yet." One of the changes Jones told Goodell he intended to make was to stay out of clubs and to avoid situations in which he might be compromised. Goodell has said that he has apprised Jones that he will ultimately be judged by his actions, not his words. "Yes, he did say that he was going to stay away from those places that might be a problem, or places where there could be trouble," Goodell acknowledged.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Not a lot more to say here that hasn't already been said. I'm tired of Jones and I'm guessing you are too.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Wednesday and thanks for reading. We'll see you tomorrow with the update. And if you've got a spare minute, please share those testimonials. Thanks.
J