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Volume 8, Issue 78 (Wednesday, July 11th)
LIMITED TIME OFFERS THIS WEEK ONLY: 5% off of FantasyHeadquarters.com fantasy football league entry fees! Click Here!Hi Folks, Good Thursday to you. You can feel Training Camps getting closer. Won't be long now. We've got the News and Notes you need but first the Quote Of The Day: "Nothing good ever happens after midnight. I know that isn't going to keep some of you from going, but at the very least, I hope you feel guilty about it." -- Ravens head coach Brian Billick to his guys as they broke minicamp. Have a great Thursday. Let's get to it. JSITE NEWS A.
Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Interview With S Stacey Thomas (Buf)
B.
Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Interview With Ray Chan (SD)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. STL - QB Bulger Won't Rule Out Holdout2. GB - Packers With Many Options At RB 3. NE - Patriots WR Jackson Likely To Start Season On PUP List 4. DEN- Broncos WR Smith Still Not Close To Returning 5. PHI - Eagles Waive FB Tuiasosopo 6. DEN - TE Scheffler Told He Should Be Ready By Training Camp 7. KC - RB Johnson Talks On Hold 8. Boomer Esiason Reportedly To Replace Don Imus 9. DEF - TEN -Titans CB/KR Jones Cited For Traffic Violations 10. DEF - CIN - Bengals MLB Thurman Awaits Decision 11. NFLPA President Gene Upshaw Earning $6.7 Million Per Year STL - QB Bulger Won't Rule Out Holdout Source: Bill Coats, St. Louis Post-Dispatch In an interview Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio, Bulger hinted that if he doesn't have a new contract in place before camp, he might consider a holdout. "I don't think it's going to happen, but you never know. I don't want to rule anything out," he said. "The Rams have been good to me. I've been there my whole career, and I think everything's going to get worked out. . . . "I'd love to finish my career here," he said. "I know everyone says that, but being seven years in one place, I know I'm fortunate and I've had a blast here. . . . Hopefully we can get something done so I can finish (here) and we can win a couple of Super Bowls." "I would have done it in January or February, if it was up to me. Tom Condon, my agent, handles that. He's been doing it for a long time. He has the best guys in the league and I follow his advice." On Wednesday, Bulger said though a spokesperson that his comments had been "blown out of proportion" and declined to discuss them further with the Post-Dispatch.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] I think this will get done. I believe him when he says the radio comments are being blown out of proportion. He said he wouldn't rule anything out. That's just good business sense. But people take that and turn it into he's planning to hold out. Bulger is crucial to the Ram's offense and I'd expect them to get a deal done here. GB - Packers With Many Options At RB Source: Rob Reischel, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel The Green Bay Packers are loaded with many options to carry the ball this season, with names like Vernand Morency, Brandon Miree and Brandon Jackson joining holdover Noah Herron at RB. That could make Green Bay the latest team to use a running-back-by-committee approach. HC Mike McCarthy, though, emphasized that he'd like to see someone emerge. "You'd always like to see someone jump up and grab a position, because I think when that happens, obviously productivity increases," he said. "But once again, you want as much competition...So I'm very comfortable if it takes three, if it takes two, if it takes one." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Fantasy owners across the land are cheering for McCarthy here as we love it when a coach makes a decision to give one guy the lion's share of carries. Right now, it's just tough to predict. We'll know more once camp gets going so for today, we're projecting Morency and the rookie, Brandon Jackson to share the work. But it sounds like that balance could tilt to one of the players more heavily here soon. To see how we project the entire team, click here NE - Patriots WR Jackson Likely To Start Season On PUP List Source: John Tomase, Boston Herald New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Jackson is likely to begin the 2007 regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, according to John Tomase at the Boston Herald. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] This is one of the few bits of news coming out of New England lately that hasn't been great. And even this isn't all that bad. Jackson's been working hard but looks like he might not be ready for the season. If he can get healthy and produce at a level close to what the Patriots expect him to, this WR corps could be ridiculous. DEN- Broncos WR Smith Still Not Close To Returning Source: NFL.com Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith is still not close to returning to the practice field while recovering from a surgically repaired hip. "You can't rush something like this," Smith said. "You can't set a timetable for me. My body sets the timetable. If it's not time, I'm not going out there." "We don't want to push him too hard or we'll set him back," coach Mike Shanahan said. "The more he can do the more we will push him." Smith thought he'd be further along by now. And while he's trying to remain upbeat, it's difficult. "Everybody's body is different," he said. "When you get a little older, it takes a little longer. My body said, 'No, you're not (ready).' I have to listen. The thing is getting ready for football season. I know camp is a part of the season, but football season starts in September. That's what I'm looking forward to."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Watching Smith talk and listening to him, he doesn't look or sound like a guy champing at the bit. I would expect to see him back, but it looks to me like time has caught up to him in a hurry. As we talked about yesterday, new Bronco Brandon Stokley is hoping to make an impact. And Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall look to be ready for big years. QB Jay Cutler is looking confident and should benefit from his playing time last season. Smith is a savvy veteran and a hard worker. But it's not looking great for him right now. To see how we project the entire team, click here PHI - Eagles Waive FB Tuiasosopo Source: Associated Press, Philly.com On Tuesday the Philadelphia Eagles waived FB Zach Tuiasosopo. Tuiasosopo spent last season on the Eagles practice squad. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] OK, so Tuiasosopo probably wasn't going to carry your fantasy team this year. But he's a BlackEyedJoe.com All Name team stalwart so I keep up with him... DEN - TE Scheffler Told He Should Be Ready By Training Camp Source: Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News A doctor's visit Friday assured Tony Scheffler the healing process is progressing well in his broken left foot. But that doesn't mean things aren't touch-and-go as the Broncos tight end tries to return by the July 28 start of training camp. His rehabilitation changes almost daily, depending on how the foot feels. And that part of the body is known to be notoriously tricky, with different players reacting in markedly different fashions in their recoveries. Still, "At this point, I'm not terribly concerned about it," Scheffler said after observing Tuesday's final minicamp practice. The timetable remains the same. "I'm kind of in their hands and they've stressed to me I should be about ready to go come camp," he said. "But it's kind of hard to guess what will happen in the next two or three weeks."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Great news for Scheffler if he can be ready for camp. At the relatively early stage of both his career and the career of his QB Jay Cutler, every snap counts. Daniel Graham is the newly acquired TE who would grab more time if Scheffler isn't there so we'll obviously be watching this one closely. Source: John Clayton, ESPN Not much news to report on the Larry Johnson negotiations for a contract extension. Both sides are wisely taking a week off from talks. The Chiefs are on vacation until next week. But the pressure will be on the Chiefs to get something done to prevent a training camp holdout. The Chiefs hold all of the negotiating cards, which does not necessarily ensure a quick settlement. They have him under contract for around $1.9 million this season and have the ability to franchise him in 2008. Still, Johnson needs to get a deal done. He's going to turn 28 this fall and it's hard for running backs to net big contracts at that age. He can't let the season slip away and then get franchised. It's pretty clear Johnson will hold out if nothing gets done and he's stuck with a $1.9 million salary this season. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] I'll say it again, the time for playing hardball with Larry Johnson ended the day you shipped Trent Green out of town and handed the keys to the car to Brodie Croyle / Damon Huard. This is a team that's taken major hits on the offensive line and will going from a stable QB situation to something unknown. The one area they should be able to count on is running back and they seem intent on messing with that too. If Kansas City pushes him to a hold out, this will be ugly. Surely they're smarter than that... Boomer Esiason Reportedly To Replace Don Imus Source: Fox19.com - NY Post According to the New York Post, former Bengal quarterback Boomer Esiason may permanently replace radio broadcaster Don Imus. Imus was fired from CBS earlier this year over racist remarks he made against the Rutgers women's basketball team. CBS has been looking to replace him ever since. Boomer, who went into broadcasting after retiring from his football career in 1997, was the first person to tryout after Imus was fired.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] No fantasy value here of course but interesting news for Esiason if it's true. DEF - TEN -Titans CB/KR Jones Cited For Traffic Violations Source: Associated Press, Sports Illustrated Tennessee Titans cornerback/kick returner Adam "Pacman" Jones received several driving citations following a traffic stop last month in Tennessee. Jones was pulled over June 10th because the plates did not match the orange Lamborghini he was driving. Jones had switched the plate from another vehicle he owns, according to Sheriff's deputies. Jones was cited with a registration violation, as well as a residency violation for having a Georgia license and failure to show proof of insurance. A court appearance has been scheduled for August 10th. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Adam Jones in an orange Lamborghini. That's really flying under the radar there. I wonder if he was surprised that drew any attention?... DEF - CIN - Bengals MLB Thurman Awaits Decision Source: Len Pasquarelli, ESPN Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Odell Thurman has served his one-year suspension and now awaits word from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Thurman officially applied for re-instatement nearly a month ago and is hoping to hear soon if he can resume his linebacker duties for the Bengals. While Goodell could render a decision Wednesday, even Bengals officials don't think a resolution is likely on the first day. But they're optimistic he'll be reinstated. "All indications are that, to this point, Odell has not had any violations of the drug program, and we're hopeful that his application will be accepted," advisor Safarrah Lawson said.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Even if Thurman is reinstated, it looks like he'll have to work his way back to the starting lineup, maybe with another position. Ahmad Brooks is currently working as the #1 middle linebacker. If Thurman is reinstated, he might try moving to weakside LB. NFLPA President Gene Upshaw Earning $6.7 Million Per Year Source: Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson, NY Daily News According to the Sports Business Journal, Upshaw, who has been vilified by former players angry over what they call a disability system more interested in denying claims than helping the needy, earned a whopping $6.7 million in the year ending Feb. 28, 2007. Upshaw, who earned $4.3 million in salary and bonuses from the NFLPA and a $2.4 million bonus through the licensing unit Players Inc., according to the NFLPA's annual report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, is the highest paid union chief in pro sports. According to SBJ, the increased compensation came as the union negotiated a player-friendly labor deal with team owners. "I'm sure he's laughing all the way to the bank," said Bruce Laird, a former Colts player who leads an activist NFL retiree group in Baltimore. "But the fact remains that the system for partial and permanent disability is absolutely flawed." Upshaw's pay dwarfed that of the other union heads, including Major League Baseball Players Association chief Donald Fehr, who earned $1 million, and NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter, who made $2.1million in the 12 months ending on June 30, 2006. Neither of those unions has a licensing subsidiary comparable to Players Inc. Former NHL Players Association executive director Ted Saskin was reportedly paid a salary of about $2.1 million before being fired in May. Upshaw's salary even dwarfs that of his counterpart in management, Roger Goodell, who signed a five-year deal last year for a reported $4 million per year, although he lags far behind baseball's boss, Bud Selig, who earned a reported $14.5million in 2006.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] I'm not sure what's more shocking. That Gene Upshaw earns $6.7 million per year. That Donald Fehr only brings in $1 million. That the hockey guy was pulling down $2.1 million. Or that Bud Selig reportedly made $14.5 million in 2006. Did you hear that? BUD SELIG REPORTEDLY MAKES MORE THAN THREE TIMES WHAT ROGER GOODELL DOES AND MORE THAN FOURTEEN TIMES WHAT DONALD FEHR EARNS. I'm out. I got nothing after that. That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Thursday and we'll see you tomorrow with the update. J |
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