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Bucs News:
Well I have not fallen off the face of the earth, there just has not been much to write about. Sure I could have told you all that right guard Sean Mahan re-signed with the Bucs, again keeping last season offensive line together, which keeps changing the dynamics of this seasons draft. So who will the Bucs pick with the 23rd overall pick, who knows really? It could still be an offensive linemen, or a wide receiver, or they could move down and trade Simeon Rice, which is rumored. Last years draft, it was rumored that the Bucs where going to send Mr. Rice to the Chargers for one Mr. Rivers. But as we all know that did not happen.
The Bucs also brought in fullback Jerald Sowell, which I think is a good thing. Sowell is the man when it comes to blocking and has helped Curtis Martin of the Jets maintain mutliple 1,000 yard seasons. So he should be a good friend to my boy Cadillac Williams. Sowell, who worked with Bucs quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett and offensive line coach Bill Muir in New York, is expected to fill the void left on the BucsÂÂ' roster by FB Jameel Cook, who signed with the Houston Texans earlier this offseason.
NFL News:
The Texans have made contract proposals to both Reggie Bush and Mario Williams, according to ESPN, and hope to have an agreement with one of the two in place prior to the draft April 29. Houston had David Carr signed, sealed, and delivered prior to draft day the last time they held the first overall pick. Odds are they're trying to keep the price of their top selection in check by publicly negotiating with both; they're still expected to take Bush, though a trade down that allows them to keep Domanick Davis and take Williams or D'Brickashaw Ferguson seems to make a whole lot of sense.
Linebacker LaVar Arrington agreed to terms with the Giants on a seven-year, $49 million contract, according to ESPN. Arrington got the $7 mil per year he was seeking, plus he gets to stay in the NFC East and harass his former team, the Redskins, twice a season. And there's a good possibility he'll find a way to get some pub in the media capital of the universe, too. As for the Giants, they fill a large need at linebacker heading into the draft, freeing them up to address other areas.
The Redskins signed wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (who just got there this off-season from the 49ers) to a long-term contract extension on Friday. Terms of the deal were not announced, the team's official web site reported. Lloyd was a restricted free agent this offseason and signed a one-year tender prior to being dealt from the 49ers to the Redskins. The terms are not terribly important for fantasy football owners to know. The big thing is that the two sides got a deal done, and Lloyd won't enter the 2006 season worried about working under a one-year RFA tender. He should enter training camp as the number two receiver alongside Santana Moss, although Antwaan Randle El might have something to say about that.
Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes made a pre-draft visit to Denver, the Denver Post reports. All three receivers considered first-round picks—Holmes, Chad Jackson, and Sinorice Moss—have interviewed with the Broncos. After a trade with the Niners earlier this week, the Broncos now own only one pick in the first round, the No. 15 overall. Neither Holmes nor Moss is expected to command that high of a pick, but the Broncos have made as many draft deals as any team in the NFL, so you never know what's going on in Denver.
image courtesy of Profootballtalk
Is there trouble in paradise already:
Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens has not regularly attended the team's voluntary offseason workouts, and rumors surfaced that his lack of attendance might anger head coach Bill Parcells. Owens Jerry Jones addressed the situation on Thursday. "Bill and T.O. have worked that out. Both of them are on the same page as to how he does his workouts and the nature of his workouts. They're on the same page. I know first-hand that they're on the same page and it's not an issue with either one of them," Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson said Thursday he is counting running back Priest Holmes" in" for the 2006 season. "If we had to start today, right now, the doctor would not clear him for contact," Peterson told the Associated Press. "But we don't have to start today." Holmes is still undecided on his NFL future while he recovers from head and neck trauma suffered in the middle of last season. If he does return to the Chiefs, it will most likely be as a change-of-pace to Larry Johnson, the team's unquestioned feature back.
Wide receiver Chad Johnson won't have to sweat any excessive celebration fines after agreeing to terms Thursday on a restructured contract that will pay him $35.5 million over the next six seasons. "As long as I've been doing this, I've never been able to get an extension like this," Johnson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN. "In terms of 'new money,' and just being unique from the standpoint of being able to do something for a player who still had four years left on his [current] contract, it's really monumental." Johnson was slated to earn $5.75 million over the next two seasons; that total will jump to $16 million, including a $5 million signing bonus this year, another $5.75 in workout, reporting, and option bonuses over the next two seasons, and base salaries of $2.75 million in 2006 and $2.5 million in 2007. The restructuring adds two years to Johnson's existing deal, assuming the Bengals exercise the option for the 2011 season. If there were any concerns about lingering animosity between the team and Johnson with regards to the alleged locker room incident at halftime of Cincy's playoff loss, it appears they've been swept under a big pile of dollar bills.
Former Tennessee running back Eddie George, appearing as a guest host on the NFL Network, indicated he thinks ex-teammate Steve McNair is not long for the Titans, either. "Once [Titans owner] Bud Adams makes a decision about you, his mind is made up," George said on the network's "Total Access" program. George knows a little something about being run out of town by Adams; he was released by the club in 2004, when the two sides couldn't agree on a restructured contract, and spent his final season in Dallas. The Ravens are waiting for McNair to be released, which appears more likely with each day the former MVP is locked out of the Titans' training facilities. In Baltimore, he would be reunited with Derrick Mason and most certainly bump Kyle Boller to backup status.
Quarterback Joey Harrington informed the Lions on Wednesday he wants to be traded to the Dolphins, ESPN reported. "I look forward to joining the Miami Dolphins whenever I am released or a trade is completed," Harrington said in a statement. Harrington negotiated a two-year contract last week with the Dolphins, who have offered a 2007 sixth-round pick in exchange for his services. Lions president Matt Millen could refuse the offer, but he runs the risk of getting nothing in return for Harrington, who will be released before his $4 million roster bonus kicks in June 15.
The "Terry Glenn: Badass" edition. Holy crap, did you see that catch he made in the endzone last night?
UPDATE: Huge news today. Arizona State QB Sam Keller has decided to leave the school. The story goes that he was given the starting job last Friday, but yesterday Dirk Koetter abruptly decided to go with Rudy Carpenter instead. Keller either didn't practice or was asked to leave practice on Sunday (the story doesn't make it clear). Rumors are flying that some of the players requested a meeting with Koetter in order to make it clear that they preferred Carpenter. ESPNNews is reporting that Keller has decided to transfer to Nebraska.
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Maryland Terrapins (Ralph Friedgen; 5-6, 3-5 ACC Atlantic)The Terps are another one of those teams like Washington State or NC State that had a bunch of great seasons in a row, then crashed pretty hard. They went 31-8 in the three years from 2001 to '03, but have been 5-6 in both of the seasons since then. They've been plagued by poor defense and middling offense, despite having TE Vernon Davis (#6 to the 49ers) and LB D'Qwell Jackson (#34 to the Browns) on the squad. Four starters are back on the offensive line as is the backfield, but the receiver corps has been gutted; Drew Weatherly leads returning wideouts with a measly 10 catches last season. The defense returns seven starters, but the top three tacklers from last year are all gone. The conference schedule isn't tough, but it isn't easy, either. Out of conference, the only loss should come in the game at West Virginia, but it's tough to imagine Maryland doing any better than 6-6 with this slate.Missouri Tigers (Gary Pinkel; 7-5, 4-4 Big 12 North)My general feeling regarding Mizzou is "no more Brad Smith, no more winning seasons." The guy was a great dual threat, and was the first player in Division I-A history to pass for 8,000 yards and rush for 4,000 in a career. But even with him, the Tiggers were just never that good. Personally, I never saw him justify his (relatively modest) hype, and I think the fact that he wasn't drafted until pick #103 (to the Jets), and then as a wide receiver, bears this out. His probable replacement, Chase Daniel, has shown himself to be pretty serviceable, and led a fourth-quarter comeback against Iowa State to attain bowl eligibility. Most of the rest of the offense returns, with the sole notable exception of receiver Sean Coffey, the team's best. The defense must improve, as that has been Missouri's glaring weakness ever since Gary Pinkel took the job. The front seven return almost intact, but the secondary is going to be a major rebuilding project.Arkansas Razorbacks (Houston Nutt; 4-7, 2-6 SEC West)In addition to being another one of those teams like Maryland and Washington State that had several good seasons followed by a serious crash, the 'Backs are also one of those teams that I just loathe with every fiber of my being, for reasons far too numerous to relate here. There are already bets being taken on how many games will go by before high-profile local recruit Mitch Mustain is the permanent starting QB. That might be the best thing to happen in Fayetteville in quite a while, because if there was one single game aspect that Arkansas simply couldn't master last year, it was the passing game. Not much was expected of a team that returned only six starters, but this year's squad returns 20, so if they don't perform up to par, it could cost Nutt his job.Texas A&M Aggies (Dennis Franchione; 5-6, 3-5 Big 12 South)Nobody in College Station can quite figure out what is going on, here. After his promising second season, the Aggie faithful (read: creepy cult) expected big things from the 2005 team. Some people even went so far as to claim that A&M could compete for the Big 12 title. And while the offense was decent, even if QB Reggie McNeal could completely flake out at times, the defense was absolutely miserable. Just atrociously bad. They ranked dead last in the nation in passing defense, allowing 304.64 yards per game through the air (which is almost exactly twice as many as the national leader, Miami, allowed), and were 107th in total defense. Mid-1990s Wrecking Crew stalwarts Dat Nguyen, Quentin Coryatt and Sam Adams were all crying themselves to sleep, watching this hapless, helpless team. In order to compensate, former Western Michigan head coach Gary Darnell is moving to a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, replacing one of the linebackers with a nickelback. To staff it, they're looking for the smaller, more agile kind of linebacker/strong safety hybrid, and they may have found it in juco transfer Mark Dodge. Most promising, however, are the performances of then-freshman Stephen McGee and bull-headed tailback Jovorskie Lane against Texas last year. The two of them racked up almost 300 yards of total offense against the conference's best defense (but were still beaten by the 'Horns for the sixth straight time, neener-neener). Also back are four offensive line starters and tight end Martellus Bennett (whose name, incidentally, means "hammer" in Italian). So the offense will be stacked, but everything, including Franchione's job, turns on defensive improvement.Iowa State Cyclones (Dan McCarney; 7-5, 4-4 Big 12 North)For two straight years, the Cyclones have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and back their way out of a Big 12 championship appearance on the last play of the last game of the regular season, both of them in overtime. In 2004, Missouri intercepted a touchdown pass in the endzone, and last year, ISU missed a long field goal at Kansas. The Jayhawks made theirs and won. They're taking the sting of those losses into this season with them, and they're expecting to have the best offense in the North division. QB Bret Meyer is only a junior, and this will be his third year as the starter. By the time he's done (assuming he sticks around for year four), he'll have demolished all of the school's quarterback records. Also featured are two of the conference's best receivers, Todd Blythe and Austin Flynn, who was the 'Clones starter during their disastrous 2-10 2003 season. He lost the QB battle to Meyer the next season and unselfishly decided to switch to receiver, a position he had never played. He was the team's leading pass-catcher that year. The defense was acceptable, if unimpressive, last year, but only two starters return. If ISU is going to win, they're going to have to outgun opponents, since they're going to have trouble stopping them.Purdue Boilermakers (Joe Tiller; 5-6, 3-5 Big 10)Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. That's the story of football in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers have been competitive under Tiller, but they've never quite managed to convert it into conference crowns, with the lone exception of a three-way co-title in 2000, which they shared with Michigan and Northwestern. Last year, Purdue was ranked #11 in the country after two lackluster wins, then dropped their next six games. It was Tiller's first losing season (and first bowl-less season) in nine years at the school. With a brutal schedule that includes a 13th regular season game at Hawaii, it's going to be tough to turn things around quickly. Four of five starters on the offensive line return, but only 11 starters return to the team overall. The defense must be entirely rebuilt, although that's not necessarily a bad thing, since it was one of the worst in the country last year. Tiller has built up enough coaching capital (a respectable 67-43 record during his Purdue tenure) that the school should give him some leeway this year and next, but they're not going to sit idly by if the losing continues for three or four more seasons.South Carolina Gamecocks (Steve Spurrier; 7-5, 5-3 SEC East)The Ol' Ball Coach didn't do too poorly in his first season back in the college ranks. 'Cock fans (nyuk, nyuk) were positively ecstatic about it, in fact. The team won its first ever game in Knoxville, beat Florida for the first time since 1939, and posted their best conference record (5-3) since joining the SEC in 1992. It should come as no surprise that Spurrier has completely rebuilt the offense and it's now running on all cylinders. He's going to have to take at least a passing interest in a defense that only returns four starters, and wasn't that good to begin with. The schedule is very favorable, if not downright weak, but it includes one of the most compelling games of the entire season: Spurrier's homecomeing trip to Gainesville on 11 November. He's still revered as a god there, and he should receive a warm welcome from Gators fans. Then they will enjoy beating him.California - Los Angeles Bruins (Karl Dorrell; 10-2, 6-2 Pac-10)UCLA's 2005 season was defined mostly by blind, dumb luck and the occasional spectacular collapse. True bright spots were few and far between: beating a shellshocked Oklahoma team early in the season later wound up looking more impressive than it actually was at the time, and the bowl win over Northwestern was statistically impressive, but it was still a bit like watching a teenager with tuberculosis beat up on a toddler with no legs. In between, the Bruins needed overtime to beat weak WSU and Stanford teams, and were absolutely obliterated by Arizona, one of the worst teams in the league, 52-14. So they weren't anywhere near as good as their record, and now they've lost the only two players who kept them from going 6-5 last year, RB Maurice Drew and QB Drew Olson. The front runner to lead the team is Ben Olson, who started at BYU in 2001, took a Mormon mission, transferred to UCLA, and has thrown exactly four live-action college passes in the last five years. The weak side of the line is young, so Olson is a bit lucky that four of the first five games are against bottom-drawer competition (the only exception: Utah). After that, things could slope away rather sharply.Boise State Broncos (Chris Petersen; 9-4, 7-1 WAC)Boise stayed in-house after Dan Hawkins left for Colorado, and appointed five-year veteran offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chris Petersen. He was there for Hawkins's entire ride, during which the Bruins were the fourth-winningest team in the nation (53), behind only Texas (56), Oklahoma (55), and USC (54). So that's nice. It'll be a monumental shock if there's any significant drop-off this season, since 20 starters return, including QB Jared Zabransky and LB Korey Hall. The coaching staff is among the youngest in the country, but with all the experience among the players, all they really have to do is not screw up too much. Boise has won 31 consecutive games on that hideous blue AstroTurf (Smurf-Turf!!) at Bronco Stadium, and they have most of their tough games (Oregon State and Fresno State) in its comfortable confines. Some very realistic BCS hopes ride on a tough road game at Utah, and the biggest challenge to a fifth-straight conference crown is a season-closing visit to Nevada. Don't let the low preseason ranking fool you; this could be a top-10 team come December.Wisconsin Badgers (Bret Bielema; 10-3, 5-3 Big 10)First, the good news: Barry Alvarez no longer has to scramble around Madison as both the athletic director and head football coach. The bad news? He'd rather be AD. Here's an amazing stat: since 1906, Wisconsin has had just 12 seasons of eight or more wins. Ten of those came during Alvarez's 16 years as head man. Like Bill Snyder at Kansas State and Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, Alvarez transformed a national joke of a program into a top-flight contender with an occasional legitimate shot at a national title. The new coach, Bret Bielema, spent two seasons working with Snyder and has been in Madison since 2004, so he knows what's what. The Badgers have been steadily improving after going 5-7 in 2001, but it's going to be tough to follow last season's mark with only 11 starters returning. All-league left tackle Joe Thomas returns, as does QB John Stocco, who is the fourth-winningest starting quarterback (19) over the past two seasons. Who's ahead of him? Matt Leinart (25), Vince Young (24), and Jared Zabransky (20). Pretty good company, that. But rusher Brian Calhoun and most of the receiving corps are gone. The defense could be the best in the Big 10, but if the offense can't hold up its end of the bargain, they're going to have to rely on the weak schedule to get them through.
Denver Broncos Schedule
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