FOXBORO - The NFL's new rule on kickoffs plays right into the hands - or more accurately, the right foot - of Patriots' kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
Now, all the veteran kicker needs to do is actually start to kick them.
In two preseason games, Gostkowski has yet to attempt a kickoff. It's all part of his continuing rehabilitation from a thigh injury, suffered prior to the Patriots' game at Cleveland midway through last season, that landed him on the injured reserve list.
Kickoffs have been handled thus far this preseason by rookie Chris Koepplin of UMass-Amherst. But when Gostkowski, a sixth-year veteran out of Memphis returns to those chores, he may find it's just too darned easy.
Kickoffs are now from the 35-yard-line, five yards closer to the opposing end zone. The NFL moved them up this year in an attempt to promote player safety by increasing the number of touchbacks and reducing the number or returns teams will attempt.
Some believe just from two weeks of preseason play that the league has taken one of the most exciting plays in the game and replaced it with the most boring play on the books.
"The rules are the rules and you've got to play them," said Gostkowski, who had 80 touchbacks (from the 30-yard-line) out of 421 career regular-season kickoffs entering this season. "It's definitely going to be an adjustment period, especially early in the year where you could have five or six kickoffs that are touchbacks in a row, then you don't hit one as well and it's not a touchback and all of a sudden they've got to cover, after the teams have been running down four or five times and not getting any action."
As Gostkowski said, not every kickoff is going to sail out of the end zone because of the new rule. Wind and weather conditions will play a role, especially later in the season. There will also be situations when a touchback, with the ball automatically brought out to the 20-yard-line to start a possession, won't be the proper strategy for the moment.
"We haven't really talked about it too much," Gostkowski said last week after practice at Gillette Stadium, where its characteristic gusty winds have helped keep the ball in play regardless of how well it was struck. "Whatever the coach wants to do if the coach wants me to kick it high and to the goal line, I'll do that. Whatever makes the team better. But if they want me to blast it, and get a touchback, I'll try to do that, too."
Limiting a team's return capability has made Gostkowski even more valuable over the years, above and beyond his accurate placement kicking. It appears that he's back to 100 percent in that area, having converted all three of his attempted field goals (all longer than 40 yards) and all nine of his conversion kicks in two preseason games.
It's not known yet if he will attempt kickoffs Saturday at Ford Field when the Patriots take on the Detroit Lions (8 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12) in what's generally regarded as the dress rehearsal for the regular season. But Gostkowski believes he's ready to accept that challenge. It will just be a matter of returning to what he already did well, regardless of where the ball is placed, and following the proper routine.
"It's kind of a really rhythmical thing, like a golf swing," he said. "When you try to adjust and make adjustments, you're more prone to missing it. So I try to do the same thing every time. I make slight adjustments whether it's into the wind or something like that."
He probably could kick the ball out of the end zone on almost every try from the 35, given his proven capabilities. But Bill Belichick may want him to improve his situational kicking.
"I would work on it and I'm sure I could figure out a way to get it done," Gostkowski said. "If they want me to see how far I can kick it, I'll do that, too."
It's not the easiest thing in the world for a kicker to put a kickoff exactly where he wants it, distance-wise. But Gostkowski thinks a key to being able to do that on a relatively consistent basis is in how he usually kicks a football.
"I always try to hit it as high as I can," he said. "That's never an issue. I feel like I do a pretty good job of hang time. I'd put myself up there for hang time; that's one of the things that I pride myself on."
Past experimentation that went awry taught the veteran kicker a valuable lesson.
"After kicking the ball out of bounds a couple of times and Bill yelling at me, I just try to kick it as high as I can now," he said. "But it helped me out in the long run. Most of the time, the smoother I am the better I hit the ball, and the farther it goes.
"The specialty kicks, those are things we work on, and whatever happens, happens," he added. "If they want me to do it, I'll do it, and if not, then no complaints out of me. My job is to kick the ball and that's all I'm going to do."
2011年8月23日星期二
2011年8月22日星期一
Lions tackle Backus returns to practice
ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions activated left tackle Jeff Backus on Sunday and the 11-year veteran practiced with the team for the first time this season.
Backus, who's started 160 straight games, suffered a partially torn chest muscle during the offseason and spent the first three weeks of training camp on the active/non-football injury list.
It's not clear whether he'll play in Saturday's exhibition game against visiting New England.
"Physically, I just have to get back the timing," he said. "The rest of these guys have three weeks on me. I've just got to play a little catch-up."
The 2001 first-round draft pick said the injury kept him from the full use of his left arm for a few weeks. Coach Jim Schwartz wouldn't say if he'll use Backus on Saturday but the lineman said he'll approach this week as if he is going to play.
Backus' return completes the Lions' regular starting offensive line from last season.
Fellow tackle Goder Cherilus, guards Rob Sims and Stephen Peterman and center Dominic Raiola started 12 games together in 2010.
Jahvid Best left Friday's exhibition game after being hit on the Lions' third offensive play and was removed from the game after complaining of a headache. Schwartz said the second-year tailback felt better a day later.
"By the next day he was clearing up," the coach said. "We'll be very cautious with him but we should have him back on the practice field pretty soon."
Losing Best for an extended period would have further depleted a group of backs that already lost rookie Mikel Leshoure to a season-ending injury and still is waiting for Maurice Morris to return from a hand injury.
Best led the Lions with 555 yards on the ground and had 487 more as a receiver last year. Morris, who added 336 yards and scored five touchdowns last season, took part in some drills Sunday and his status for Saturday's game is uncertain.
Rookie receiver Titus Young (muscle tightness) participated in seven-on-seven drills during Sunday's practice and Schwartz said the team hopes to have him participating fully soon.
The Lions also released tackle Isaac Sowells and moved safety Randy Phillips to injured reserve.
Backus, who's started 160 straight games, suffered a partially torn chest muscle during the offseason and spent the first three weeks of training camp on the active/non-football injury list.
It's not clear whether he'll play in Saturday's exhibition game against visiting New England.
"Physically, I just have to get back the timing," he said. "The rest of these guys have three weeks on me. I've just got to play a little catch-up."
The 2001 first-round draft pick said the injury kept him from the full use of his left arm for a few weeks. Coach Jim Schwartz wouldn't say if he'll use Backus on Saturday but the lineman said he'll approach this week as if he is going to play.
Backus' return completes the Lions' regular starting offensive line from last season.
Fellow tackle Goder Cherilus, guards Rob Sims and Stephen Peterman and center Dominic Raiola started 12 games together in 2010.
Jahvid Best left Friday's exhibition game after being hit on the Lions' third offensive play and was removed from the game after complaining of a headache. Schwartz said the second-year tailback felt better a day later.
"By the next day he was clearing up," the coach said. "We'll be very cautious with him but we should have him back on the practice field pretty soon."
Losing Best for an extended period would have further depleted a group of backs that already lost rookie Mikel Leshoure to a season-ending injury and still is waiting for Maurice Morris to return from a hand injury.
Best led the Lions with 555 yards on the ground and had 487 more as a receiver last year. Morris, who added 336 yards and scored five touchdowns last season, took part in some drills Sunday and his status for Saturday's game is uncertain.
Rookie receiver Titus Young (muscle tightness) participated in seven-on-seven drills during Sunday's practice and Schwartz said the team hopes to have him participating fully soon.
The Lions also released tackle Isaac Sowells and moved safety Randy Phillips to injured reserve.
2011年8月20日星期六
Brian Dulik: Browns show fans why preseason is waste of time
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell finally gets his way and expands the regular season to 18 games, he can cite Friday night as a prime example of why.
The Browns’ 30-28 loss to the Detroit Lions was an unwatchable debacle, even by the low standards of preseason football.
There were myriad mistakes, misplays and miscommunications, again proving exhibition games are a waste of time - and money - for all fans forced to pay full price as part of their season-ticket packages.
How bad was it? One longtime NFL official, now working as a game-day observer for the league, said he had never run out of room on his penalty/turnover/stoppage spreadsheet until Friday.
“I’m disappointed with how sloppy it was,” Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said. “Every mistake out there, you tend to see it.
“It’s the way an NFL game goes, it’s push and pull, and give and take. Everybody is playing hard, nothing is different that way. (But) those things that beat teams showed up, and we have to get them corrected.”
That was the case for both squads, giving Shurmur and Lions counterpart Jim Schwartz plenty of film to scold their players about in the days ahead.
The annual “Great Lakes Classic” featured 26 penalties, six fumbles and only 4-of-22 successful third-down conversions. It also had a ton of points - most of them set up by turnovers and rung up by lousy defense.
“We got a couple of short fields, and when that’s the case, you have to punch them in,” said Shurmur, who kept his first-string offense on the field for 34 plays. “We did a good job there, but the efficiency, I don’t think we were quite as efficient (overall) as last week.”
There were some highlights for the home team, many courtesy of quarterback Colt McCoy, tight end Evan Moore and wide receivers Greg Little and Joshua Cribbs.
That quartet led the Browns to 21 points in the first 26 minutes, despite not having the services of starting running back Peyton Hillis, tight end Benjamin Watson or guard Eric Steinbach.
McCoy completed 10 of 18 passes for 96 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.2, continuing his rapid growth in the new West Coast Offense.
Even more encouraging, the second-year pro wasn’t intimidated by Detroit’s scary pass rushers. McCoy absorbed - and played through - hard hits to the chest by Cliff Avril, Caleb Campbell and Stephen Tulloch, along with a cheap shot to his left knee by Quinn Pitcock.
Moore hauled in two of McCoy’s three scoring strikes before being “dinged,” while Little had the other. Cribbs chipped in two receptions and drew a 27-yard pass interference call by blowing past Nathan Vasher on a bomb down the right sideline.
“When you put up 21 points in the first half, you’re going to win a lot of football games,” McCoy said. “When we got a short field, we punched it in, which was a good thing.”
The bad, though, far outweighed the good for Cleveland, which blew a 28-13 lead in its home preseason finale.
Lions quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton shredded its defense for three touchdowns and 165 yards on just 18 combined throws. The Lions outgained the Browns 407-271 and held a 6-4 advantage in scoring drives.
Cleveland guard Shawn Lauvao and safety Brett Johnson were each called for late hits, while offensive linemen Pat Murray and Brian Smith committed holding penalties on the same fourth-quarter play.
Little also spoiled his first NFL touchdown by booting the ball into the stands, but avoided a flag when the officials somehow missed seeing him do it.
Worst of all was the plight of Browns running back Armond Smith - an undrafted rookie from Union College - who ripped off an 81-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put himself in the mix for a roster spot.
Less than a half hour later, Smith had punched his ticket to the waiver wire by losing two fumbles that Detroit turned into two touchdowns.
“Those fumbles in the second half directly led to points, and those were killers,” Shurmur said. “There is a lesson in that, and we’ll clean it up.
“Fortunately, it’s the preseason, so we have time to correct it. We’ve got a lot of things to correct after tonight.”
The Browns’ 30-28 loss to the Detroit Lions was an unwatchable debacle, even by the low standards of preseason football.
There were myriad mistakes, misplays and miscommunications, again proving exhibition games are a waste of time - and money - for all fans forced to pay full price as part of their season-ticket packages.
How bad was it? One longtime NFL official, now working as a game-day observer for the league, said he had never run out of room on his penalty/turnover/stoppage spreadsheet until Friday.
“I’m disappointed with how sloppy it was,” Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said. “Every mistake out there, you tend to see it.
“It’s the way an NFL game goes, it’s push and pull, and give and take. Everybody is playing hard, nothing is different that way. (But) those things that beat teams showed up, and we have to get them corrected.”
That was the case for both squads, giving Shurmur and Lions counterpart Jim Schwartz plenty of film to scold their players about in the days ahead.
The annual “Great Lakes Classic” featured 26 penalties, six fumbles and only 4-of-22 successful third-down conversions. It also had a ton of points - most of them set up by turnovers and rung up by lousy defense.
“We got a couple of short fields, and when that’s the case, you have to punch them in,” said Shurmur, who kept his first-string offense on the field for 34 plays. “We did a good job there, but the efficiency, I don’t think we were quite as efficient (overall) as last week.”
There were some highlights for the home team, many courtesy of quarterback Colt McCoy, tight end Evan Moore and wide receivers Greg Little and Joshua Cribbs.
That quartet led the Browns to 21 points in the first 26 minutes, despite not having the services of starting running back Peyton Hillis, tight end Benjamin Watson or guard Eric Steinbach.
McCoy completed 10 of 18 passes for 96 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.2, continuing his rapid growth in the new West Coast Offense.
Even more encouraging, the second-year pro wasn’t intimidated by Detroit’s scary pass rushers. McCoy absorbed - and played through - hard hits to the chest by Cliff Avril, Caleb Campbell and Stephen Tulloch, along with a cheap shot to his left knee by Quinn Pitcock.
Moore hauled in two of McCoy’s three scoring strikes before being “dinged,” while Little had the other. Cribbs chipped in two receptions and drew a 27-yard pass interference call by blowing past Nathan Vasher on a bomb down the right sideline.
“When you put up 21 points in the first half, you’re going to win a lot of football games,” McCoy said. “When we got a short field, we punched it in, which was a good thing.”
The bad, though, far outweighed the good for Cleveland, which blew a 28-13 lead in its home preseason finale.
Lions quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton shredded its defense for three touchdowns and 165 yards on just 18 combined throws. The Lions outgained the Browns 407-271 and held a 6-4 advantage in scoring drives.
Cleveland guard Shawn Lauvao and safety Brett Johnson were each called for late hits, while offensive linemen Pat Murray and Brian Smith committed holding penalties on the same fourth-quarter play.
Little also spoiled his first NFL touchdown by booting the ball into the stands, but avoided a flag when the officials somehow missed seeing him do it.
Worst of all was the plight of Browns running back Armond Smith - an undrafted rookie from Union College - who ripped off an 81-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put himself in the mix for a roster spot.
Less than a half hour later, Smith had punched his ticket to the waiver wire by losing two fumbles that Detroit turned into two touchdowns.
“Those fumbles in the second half directly led to points, and those were killers,” Shurmur said. “There is a lesson in that, and we’ll clean it up.
“Fortunately, it’s the preseason, so we have time to correct it. We’ve got a lot of things to correct after tonight.”
2011年8月19日星期五
Duff book chronicles he legend of Howard
Desmond Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Michigan, will serve as grand marshal for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway.
Howard will give the order to the 43 racers to start their engines, and will also be promoting his new book I Wore 21: The Legend of Desmond Howard, co-written with Bill Roose and Windsor Star sports columnist Bob Duff.
The 190-page book, published by Champions Press, LLC, features unique stories and hundreds of photos never seen before from the Howard family collection.
The book is slated for release Sept. 10 at the Michigan-Notre Dame game in the Big House at Ann Arbor, and Howard, who will be there as part of ESPN's College Game Day crew, will be signing copies.
The book will sell for US$20 that day, but can also be preordered through MDen.com for US$21.
Howard, recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, said he was excited about his upcoming appearance at the Wolverines-Fighting Irish game.
"This is going to be one of those days when I will need to constantly try and keep my emotions in check," he said.
"It's one of those types of experiences because of everything that has been going on so far, the hall of fame induction and the book is coming out."
While at the University of Michigan, Howard's acrobatic catches made him one of the most electrifying players ever to play the game.
He became the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring, as he set or tied five NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records.
The All-American won the Heisman by the second largest margin of victory in the trophy's history.
He was also awarded the Walter Camp Trophy and the Maxwell Award that year before graduating from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications.
Howard played 11 seasons in the NFL for five teams, including two with the Detroit Lions.
While playing for the Green Bay Packers, Howard was voted the most valuable player of Super Bowl XXXI and is the first and on ly special teams player to win the award.
He is one of only four players to win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.
His post-football career achievements include joining the College Football Hall of Fame and being inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, the University of Michigan Hall of Honor, State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.
Howard will give the order to the 43 racers to start their engines, and will also be promoting his new book I Wore 21: The Legend of Desmond Howard, co-written with Bill Roose and Windsor Star sports columnist Bob Duff.
The 190-page book, published by Champions Press, LLC, features unique stories and hundreds of photos never seen before from the Howard family collection.
The book is slated for release Sept. 10 at the Michigan-Notre Dame game in the Big House at Ann Arbor, and Howard, who will be there as part of ESPN's College Game Day crew, will be signing copies.
The book will sell for US$20 that day, but can also be preordered through MDen.com for US$21.
Howard, recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, said he was excited about his upcoming appearance at the Wolverines-Fighting Irish game.
"This is going to be one of those days when I will need to constantly try and keep my emotions in check," he said.
"It's one of those types of experiences because of everything that has been going on so far, the hall of fame induction and the book is coming out."
While at the University of Michigan, Howard's acrobatic catches made him one of the most electrifying players ever to play the game.
He became the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring, as he set or tied five NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records.
The All-American won the Heisman by the second largest margin of victory in the trophy's history.
He was also awarded the Walter Camp Trophy and the Maxwell Award that year before graduating from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications.
Howard played 11 seasons in the NFL for five teams, including two with the Detroit Lions.
While playing for the Green Bay Packers, Howard was voted the most valuable player of Super Bowl XXXI and is the first and on ly special teams player to win the award.
He is one of only four players to win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.
His post-football career achievements include joining the College Football Hall of Fame and being inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, the University of Michigan Hall of Honor, State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.
2011年8月18日星期四
No cancer for Eagles' Maclin
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who still hasn’t practiced this preseason, has been cleared to return to the team after a cancer scare, trainer Rick Burkholder said Wednesday.
Burkholder said, barring a setback, Maclin will return to practice within 10 days and should be able to play in the Sept. 11 opener at St. Louis.
Burkholder said Maclin began experiencing symptoms – night sweats, fever, loss of weight, loss of appetite – in March, synonymous with lymphoma, a form of cancer. But five months of testing to determine the cause were inconclusive.
Burkholder said in a conference call from Pittsburgh, where the Eagles face the Steelers in an exhibition game tonight, that Maclin’s symptoms disappeared at some point before late July. He said the cause of the symptoms remains “vague.”
“We’re confident that the life-threatening stuff is out of the mix,” Burkholder said. “Right now, we’re going to look at him as having an inflammatory condition that caused him to have the symptoms and the abnormal blood studies.”
Maclin underwent a laparoscopy procedure last Thursday so doctors could get a clearer biopsy than previous tests had provided. The results came back Wednesday, and were negative for cancer.
Maclin, 23, caught 70 passes for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
$20,000 HITS TO WALLET
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Mike Lockley have been fined $20,000 each for respective hits during the exhibition season.
Suh, the NFL defensive rookie of the year last season, grabbed Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton high last week and threw the rookie to the turf in the first quarter of a game. Suh was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Lockley also was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter for a hit leading with his helmet on New England Patriots receiver Taylor Price.
Because Lockley is not getting paid a regular-season salary, he will have to pay the fine only if he makes Jacksonville’s roster or lands with another team.
EXTRA POINTS
The 49ers signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a one-year deal for the league minimum of $810,000. The 32-year-old was with the United Football League’s Hartford Colonials last year. … Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin, waived by Buffalo on Monday, agreed to terms with the New York Jets on Wednesday morning, passed his physical a few hours later and then signed with the team. … The Chargers signed tight end Charles Davis to a one-year contract and released linebacker James Holt. … The Jets have confirmed that versatile offensive lineman Robert Turner has a broken right leg that will require surgery later this week, and running back Joe McKnight has a concussion. … Safety Randy Phillips, one of the former Miami Hurricanes to whom ex-booster Nevin Shapiro told Yahoo Sports he gave improper benefits from 2002 to 2010, has been waived injured by the Lions. … Authorities in Charlotte, N.C., say the apartment of Panthers defensive tackle Corvey Irvin was hit by burglars while he was away at the team’s training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. The missing items include a $1,000 pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses, a $500 television, and an Xbox 360.
Burkholder said, barring a setback, Maclin will return to practice within 10 days and should be able to play in the Sept. 11 opener at St. Louis.
Burkholder said Maclin began experiencing symptoms – night sweats, fever, loss of weight, loss of appetite – in March, synonymous with lymphoma, a form of cancer. But five months of testing to determine the cause were inconclusive.
Burkholder said in a conference call from Pittsburgh, where the Eagles face the Steelers in an exhibition game tonight, that Maclin’s symptoms disappeared at some point before late July. He said the cause of the symptoms remains “vague.”
“We’re confident that the life-threatening stuff is out of the mix,” Burkholder said. “Right now, we’re going to look at him as having an inflammatory condition that caused him to have the symptoms and the abnormal blood studies.”
Maclin underwent a laparoscopy procedure last Thursday so doctors could get a clearer biopsy than previous tests had provided. The results came back Wednesday, and were negative for cancer.
Maclin, 23, caught 70 passes for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
$20,000 HITS TO WALLET
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Mike Lockley have been fined $20,000 each for respective hits during the exhibition season.
Suh, the NFL defensive rookie of the year last season, grabbed Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton high last week and threw the rookie to the turf in the first quarter of a game. Suh was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Lockley also was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter for a hit leading with his helmet on New England Patriots receiver Taylor Price.
Because Lockley is not getting paid a regular-season salary, he will have to pay the fine only if he makes Jacksonville’s roster or lands with another team.
EXTRA POINTS
The 49ers signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a one-year deal for the league minimum of $810,000. The 32-year-old was with the United Football League’s Hartford Colonials last year. … Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin, waived by Buffalo on Monday, agreed to terms with the New York Jets on Wednesday morning, passed his physical a few hours later and then signed with the team. … The Chargers signed tight end Charles Davis to a one-year contract and released linebacker James Holt. … The Jets have confirmed that versatile offensive lineman Robert Turner has a broken right leg that will require surgery later this week, and running back Joe McKnight has a concussion. … Safety Randy Phillips, one of the former Miami Hurricanes to whom ex-booster Nevin Shapiro told Yahoo Sports he gave improper benefits from 2002 to 2010, has been waived injured by the Lions. … Authorities in Charlotte, N.C., say the apartment of Panthers defensive tackle Corvey Irvin was hit by burglars while he was away at the team’s training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. The missing items include a $1,000 pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses, a $500 television, and an Xbox 360.
2011年8月17日星期三
NFL notebook: Supplemental draft on hold
NFL spokesman Michael Signora confirmed Tuesday that the draft will not be held as planned and that teams have been told a new date has not yet been set.
At least five players are known to be eligible for the supplemental draft, including former Georgia running back Caleb King.
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor gave up his final season with the Buckeyes following an NCAA investigation at OSU. He wants to get into the draft but as of Tuesday afternoon had not yet been declared eligible for it.
Garrett Mills released: Former Jenks High School and University of Tulsa standout Garrett Mills was released by the Bengals. Mills, 27, has been with four teams since being drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2006. The tight end was claimed off waivers by the Bengals in December.
Lions' Fairley walking in boot: Detroit rookie defensive lineman Nick Fairley is making progress as he recovers from surgery on his left foot.
Fairley was walking around Tuesday with a protective boot on the injured foot. The defensive tackle missed the Lions' first preseason game last week, but at least now he's able to move around and be with the team out on the field during practice.
Saints add Tecumseh graduate: The Saints have added running back Patrick Cobbs, a Tecumseh graduate, to their roster, three days after running back Joique Bell left New Orleans' preseason opener with a knee injury.
Cobbs, who starred in college at North Texas, has spent five seasons in the NFL, appearing in 54 games with Miami.
Cobbs has made three NFL starts. His best season was 2008, when he carried 12 times for 88 yards and had 19 receptions for 275 yards.
McDaniels' system off to fast start: By design, Josh McDaniels' offense in the St. Louis Rams' preseason opener was not a radical departure from last season. It's no time to be unveiling the playbook.
The small portion the Rams used while scoring 33 points in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts was effective enough, even without Steven Jackson. They'll ease the Pro Bowl running back into action in Week 2 of the preseason Saturday against Tennessee.
McDaniels said Tuesday that players have been introduced to most of his system.
The former Broncos coach, fired last December, said it's been enjoyable concentrating on one side of the ball and getting a chance to work closely with former Oklahoma star quarterback Sam Bradford.
St. Louis averaged 18.1 points last year, tied for 26th in the NFL, and was 26th in total offense.
At least five players are known to be eligible for the supplemental draft, including former Georgia running back Caleb King.
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor gave up his final season with the Buckeyes following an NCAA investigation at OSU. He wants to get into the draft but as of Tuesday afternoon had not yet been declared eligible for it.
Garrett Mills released: Former Jenks High School and University of Tulsa standout Garrett Mills was released by the Bengals. Mills, 27, has been with four teams since being drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2006. The tight end was claimed off waivers by the Bengals in December.
Lions' Fairley walking in boot: Detroit rookie defensive lineman Nick Fairley is making progress as he recovers from surgery on his left foot.
Fairley was walking around Tuesday with a protective boot on the injured foot. The defensive tackle missed the Lions' first preseason game last week, but at least now he's able to move around and be with the team out on the field during practice.
Saints add Tecumseh graduate: The Saints have added running back Patrick Cobbs, a Tecumseh graduate, to their roster, three days after running back Joique Bell left New Orleans' preseason opener with a knee injury.
Cobbs, who starred in college at North Texas, has spent five seasons in the NFL, appearing in 54 games with Miami.
Cobbs has made three NFL starts. His best season was 2008, when he carried 12 times for 88 yards and had 19 receptions for 275 yards.
McDaniels' system off to fast start: By design, Josh McDaniels' offense in the St. Louis Rams' preseason opener was not a radical departure from last season. It's no time to be unveiling the playbook.
The small portion the Rams used while scoring 33 points in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts was effective enough, even without Steven Jackson. They'll ease the Pro Bowl running back into action in Week 2 of the preseason Saturday against Tennessee.
McDaniels said Tuesday that players have been introduced to most of his system.
The former Broncos coach, fired last December, said it's been enjoyable concentrating on one side of the ball and getting a chance to work closely with former Oklahoma star quarterback Sam Bradford.
St. Louis averaged 18.1 points last year, tied for 26th in the NFL, and was 26th in total offense.
2011年8月16日星期二
High school football players, coaches to visit Detroit Lions training camp practice session
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Some coaches and players from local high school football teams that will play their season-opening games in the Big Day Prep Showdown series are set to visit a Detroit Lions training camp practice.
Representatives of Detroit Cass Tech, Detroit Martin Luther King, Birmingham Brother Rice and Ann Arbor Skyline are to appear at the Lions' Allen Park facility on Tuesday.
The Big Day Prep Showdown gets under way Aug. 25 at Eastern Michigan University with Clinton vs. Manchester and Sterling Heights Stevenson vs. Howell.
The Aug. 26 schedule features Skyline vs. Hartland and Chelsea vs. Novi.
And on Aug. 27, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central plays Plymouth; Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard takes on Lake Fenton; Martin Luther King faces Brother Rice; and Cass Tech goes up against Farmington Hills Harrison.
Representatives of Detroit Cass Tech, Detroit Martin Luther King, Birmingham Brother Rice and Ann Arbor Skyline are to appear at the Lions' Allen Park facility on Tuesday.
The Big Day Prep Showdown gets under way Aug. 25 at Eastern Michigan University with Clinton vs. Manchester and Sterling Heights Stevenson vs. Howell.
The Aug. 26 schedule features Skyline vs. Hartland and Chelsea vs. Novi.
And on Aug. 27, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central plays Plymouth; Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard takes on Lake Fenton; Martin Luther King faces Brother Rice; and Cass Tech goes up against Farmington Hills Harrison.
2011年8月15日星期一
Giants' Umenyiora returns, will play through disrespect
A somewhat miffed Osi Umenyiora is returning to the New York Giants without a new contract.
In an email to The Associated Press on Sunday evening, the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end said he plans to practice today at training camp in East Rutherford, N.J., and that he will play this season under the terms of his current contract.
Umenyiora said the Giants offered to put incentives in his contact, which will pay him $7.1 million over the next two seasons, but he rejected them.
“No deal has been reworked,” Umenyiora said. “What has been offered has been unacceptable and shows they don’t really respect the fact I sacrifice my health for the franchise. I will play under my current deal because I love and respect my coaches, my teammates, the fans, and myself. Not for those incentives.”
The nine-year NFL veteran hasn’t practiced since reporting to training camp on July 30, a day late. He failed to report on time because he alleged that general manager Jerry Reese told him the team would rework his contract.
Reese has refused to discuss what was said between them.
CULPEPPER TRYOUT
Daunte Culpepper is the latest addition to the San Francisco 49ers’ stable of quarterbacks.
After practice Sunday, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh said the team is bringing in the 34-year-old Culpepper for a tryout today.
“We’re going to have Daunte in for a workout and kick the tires,” Harbaugh said. “I’m looking forward to that.”
Harbaugh said Saturday that the 49ers have no clear-cut starter at quarterback after veteran Alex Smith and rookie Colin Kaepernick both had shaky performances in San Francisco’s 24-3 loss to New Orleans in Friday’s exhibition opener.
Culpepper, the No. 11 pick in the 1999 draft, hasn’t played in the NFL since an eight-game stint with Detroit in 2009. He spent last season with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.
HASSELBECK’S TEMPO
Matt Hasselbeck’s new teammates are raving about how quickly the veteran quarterback works in practice, and now he and the Tennessee Titans have a glimpse of what their new offense might look like this season.
With the former Seahawks quarterback playing one series, the Titans moved quickly to the line of scrimmage and even flashed one play without a huddle in Saturday night’s 14-3 exhibition victory over Minnesota.
“We think we’re just getting more plays offensively. It’s an advantage for the offense,” coach Mike Munchak said Sunday.
EXTRA POINTS
Saints cornerback Tracy Porter returned to practice for the first time since training camp opened and says his surgically repaired left knee isn’t bothering him. Also at practice were receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem. … Kicker Shayne Graham was cut by the Redskins, two days after he shanked a 29-yard field goal attempt and also missed a 49-yarder against the Steelers.
In an email to The Associated Press on Sunday evening, the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end said he plans to practice today at training camp in East Rutherford, N.J., and that he will play this season under the terms of his current contract.
Umenyiora said the Giants offered to put incentives in his contact, which will pay him $7.1 million over the next two seasons, but he rejected them.
“No deal has been reworked,” Umenyiora said. “What has been offered has been unacceptable and shows they don’t really respect the fact I sacrifice my health for the franchise. I will play under my current deal because I love and respect my coaches, my teammates, the fans, and myself. Not for those incentives.”
The nine-year NFL veteran hasn’t practiced since reporting to training camp on July 30, a day late. He failed to report on time because he alleged that general manager Jerry Reese told him the team would rework his contract.
Reese has refused to discuss what was said between them.
CULPEPPER TRYOUT
Daunte Culpepper is the latest addition to the San Francisco 49ers’ stable of quarterbacks.
After practice Sunday, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh said the team is bringing in the 34-year-old Culpepper for a tryout today.
“We’re going to have Daunte in for a workout and kick the tires,” Harbaugh said. “I’m looking forward to that.”
Harbaugh said Saturday that the 49ers have no clear-cut starter at quarterback after veteran Alex Smith and rookie Colin Kaepernick both had shaky performances in San Francisco’s 24-3 loss to New Orleans in Friday’s exhibition opener.
Culpepper, the No. 11 pick in the 1999 draft, hasn’t played in the NFL since an eight-game stint with Detroit in 2009. He spent last season with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.
HASSELBECK’S TEMPO
Matt Hasselbeck’s new teammates are raving about how quickly the veteran quarterback works in practice, and now he and the Tennessee Titans have a glimpse of what their new offense might look like this season.
With the former Seahawks quarterback playing one series, the Titans moved quickly to the line of scrimmage and even flashed one play without a huddle in Saturday night’s 14-3 exhibition victory over Minnesota.
“We think we’re just getting more plays offensively. It’s an advantage for the offense,” coach Mike Munchak said Sunday.
EXTRA POINTS
Saints cornerback Tracy Porter returned to practice for the first time since training camp opened and says his surgically repaired left knee isn’t bothering him. Also at practice were receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem. … Kicker Shayne Graham was cut by the Redskins, two days after he shanked a 29-yard field goal attempt and also missed a 49-yarder against the Steelers.
2011年8月12日星期五
Ex-Notre Dame assistant hospitalized after standoff
GRANGER– Former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator and NFL player Corwin Brown was taken from his home Friday night with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a nearly seven-hour standoff, police said.
St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Commander Tim Corbett said Friday night he did not know whether Brown’s injuries were life-threatening.
Police say they heard gunshots inside the home shortly after they arrived about 1 p.m. in response to a reported domestic dispute. Brown’s wife and children exited the house sometime later and police say they began trying to talk him out using cellphones and a bullhorn.
Police said Brown, who was a tri-captain of the Michigan football team in 1992, asked to talk to several friends during the standoff. Shortly before it ended, someone could be heard saying through the bullhorn: “Be a Michigan man today. Step up to your obligation.”
Several seconds later the person said: “Please don’t let me down. Please!”
Moments later a fire truck and ambulance rushed to the front of the house. The ambulance left moments later.
Police would not identify the person who had been talking to Brown.
Police said Brown’s wife, Melissa, had a bruise on her head when she left the house earlier in the day. Their children were not hurt.
Police could be heard urging Brown, 41, throughout the day to give up or to give them a call. “We’d appreciate it if you’d let us know you’re OK,” one officer said through the bullhorn.
Sgt. Matt Blank, a St. Joseph County police spokesman, said Brown came out of the house several times during the standoff only to go back inside.
“Just calm down and put your hands in the air,” a police officer said when he came out about 4:45 p.m. Several moments later, Brown could be spotted inside in a window closing the blinds.
Blank said no shots were fired by police during the standoff.
Officers blocked off entrances to the subdivision about 10 miles northwest of the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, and blocked access to the Brown home from about three houses away. Police at one point provided an escort as a family left their home next door.
Brown was drafted in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft following eight years at Michigan, where he was co-captain and all-Big Ten his senior year. Brown played eight seasons in the NFL as a defensive back with the Patriots, Jets and Detroit Lions, from 1993-2000.
Before coming to Notre Dame, Brown was an assistant with the New York Jets and at the University of Virginia.
He was Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2009. He was fired along with most of the rest of the staff when Charlie Weis was fired. He coached defensive backs with the New England Patriots last season but was not retained.
St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Commander Tim Corbett said Friday night he did not know whether Brown’s injuries were life-threatening.
Police say they heard gunshots inside the home shortly after they arrived about 1 p.m. in response to a reported domestic dispute. Brown’s wife and children exited the house sometime later and police say they began trying to talk him out using cellphones and a bullhorn.
Police said Brown, who was a tri-captain of the Michigan football team in 1992, asked to talk to several friends during the standoff. Shortly before it ended, someone could be heard saying through the bullhorn: “Be a Michigan man today. Step up to your obligation.”
Several seconds later the person said: “Please don’t let me down. Please!”
Moments later a fire truck and ambulance rushed to the front of the house. The ambulance left moments later.
Police would not identify the person who had been talking to Brown.
Police said Brown’s wife, Melissa, had a bruise on her head when she left the house earlier in the day. Their children were not hurt.
Police could be heard urging Brown, 41, throughout the day to give up or to give them a call. “We’d appreciate it if you’d let us know you’re OK,” one officer said through the bullhorn.
Sgt. Matt Blank, a St. Joseph County police spokesman, said Brown came out of the house several times during the standoff only to go back inside.
“Just calm down and put your hands in the air,” a police officer said when he came out about 4:45 p.m. Several moments later, Brown could be spotted inside in a window closing the blinds.
Blank said no shots were fired by police during the standoff.
Officers blocked off entrances to the subdivision about 10 miles northwest of the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, and blocked access to the Brown home from about three houses away. Police at one point provided an escort as a family left their home next door.
Brown was drafted in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft following eight years at Michigan, where he was co-captain and all-Big Ten his senior year. Brown played eight seasons in the NFL as a defensive back with the Patriots, Jets and Detroit Lions, from 1993-2000.
Before coming to Notre Dame, Brown was an assistant with the New York Jets and at the University of Virginia.
He was Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2009. He was fired along with most of the rest of the staff when Charlie Weis was fired. He coached defensive backs with the New England Patriots last season but was not retained.
Football on the wire
CUNNINGHAM ANXIOUS
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham can't wait until defensive tackle returns to the team.
Nick Fairley, the Lions' firstround pick this year, suffered a foot injury in the first week of camp and will likely be sidelined for the rest of the preseason.
"I was really upset about it, because of him, not because of our football team," Cunningham told mlve.com.
GREEN RETIRES FROM PACK
Running back Ahman Green is retiring as a Green Bay Packer.
Green, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, was set to make his retirement official at a news conference at Lambeau Field Thursday night.
Green's most recent stint in the National Football League came during the 2009 season, when he returned to the Packers in midseason.
PIERCE MOVES ON
Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce said he has nothing special to prove when he suits up Saturday against the B.C. Lions, the team that released him following the 2009 season.
On the contrary, Pierce said he still feels indebted to the Lions organization, where he spent five seasons.
"That's where I learned how to play quarterback at the professional level," Pierce said.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham can't wait until defensive tackle returns to the team.
Nick Fairley, the Lions' firstround pick this year, suffered a foot injury in the first week of camp and will likely be sidelined for the rest of the preseason.
"I was really upset about it, because of him, not because of our football team," Cunningham told mlve.com.
GREEN RETIRES FROM PACK
Running back Ahman Green is retiring as a Green Bay Packer.
Green, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, was set to make his retirement official at a news conference at Lambeau Field Thursday night.
Green's most recent stint in the National Football League came during the 2009 season, when he returned to the Packers in midseason.
PIERCE MOVES ON
Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce said he has nothing special to prove when he suits up Saturday against the B.C. Lions, the team that released him following the 2009 season.
On the contrary, Pierce said he still feels indebted to the Lions organization, where he spent five seasons.
"That's where I learned how to play quarterback at the professional level," Pierce said.
2011年8月11日星期四
Lions quarterback Stafford looks strong, but true test will come against Bengals
DETROIT -- Whether he plays a series, a quarter or some random number of plays in between, all eyes will be on Matthew Stafford in the Lions' exhibition opener Friday against the Bengals.
Stafford has not thrown a football in a game situation since November, when he went down with his second separated shoulder of the season against the Jets.
He underwent surgery on his throwing arm in January, and as strong as he has looked in training camp, even part of Stafford is eager to put his shoulder to the real test - contact.
"Can't wait to just get drilled," Stafford said this week. "No, I'm kidding. I think that's definitely part of it. I'd love to go out there and test it out there a little bit."
The Lions aren't quite as eager to subject the man they built their offense around to unnecessary contact a month before playing a game that matters.
"If we go into a game thinking stay healthy, that's not a good attitude to have going in," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.
But ask anyone in the organization about Stafford's recovery, or how he has looked in camp, and the response is overwhelming.
"He's bigger and stronger, and he's still got that great head on his shoulders," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "I just see him physically different (than last year), and he worked really hard at that. It's paying off because I see him - he's never even showed any signs of a weary arm or anything. I can tell he's probably worked harder this off-season on his game and himself physically than he ever has in his whole career, which is a good thing."
Stafford spent the first 10 weeks of his rehab from surgery working primarily on building strength in his shoulder and back .
He said that he did more band exercises than ever before, that he follows a regular weight-training routine now, and that he doesn't think about his injuries unless he's asked. Along with last year's separated shoulders, Stafford missed six games as a rookie with knee and left shoulder ailments.
"You have to move on," Stafford said. "That's the way it is. Me personally, and as a team with guys that we've lost so far this season, we've got to go out there and try to produce."
The Lions have dealt with more injuries than most teams through the early part of training camp.
Both starting offensive tackles, Gosder Cherilus (knee) and Jeff Backus (pectoral), have missed significant time with injuries, and rookie running back Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon this week.
Still, Stafford is surrounded by an enviable cache of weapons, including Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson, the most versatile trio of tight ends in the NFL, and explosive second-year running back Jahvid Best, who looks healthy after battling two turf-toe injuries last year.
With so much firepower, Schwartz said he's looking for the "same things that we always expect" from Stafford when he takes the field Friday.
"Execute the offense. Go to the right places with the ball. Get us in the right plays. Control the game and score," Schwartz said. "Those are all important things to do."
Linehan isn't worried about seeing a different Stafford when live bullets start flying, either.
"He's going to get hit," Linehan said. "He's probably going to get hit Friday. He's going to get hit the next week sometime. It's going to happen. I'm not at all worried about it. He's better than ever and doesn't even cross my mind. Honestly, it doesn't."
Stafford has not thrown a football in a game situation since November, when he went down with his second separated shoulder of the season against the Jets.
He underwent surgery on his throwing arm in January, and as strong as he has looked in training camp, even part of Stafford is eager to put his shoulder to the real test - contact.
"Can't wait to just get drilled," Stafford said this week. "No, I'm kidding. I think that's definitely part of it. I'd love to go out there and test it out there a little bit."
The Lions aren't quite as eager to subject the man they built their offense around to unnecessary contact a month before playing a game that matters.
"If we go into a game thinking stay healthy, that's not a good attitude to have going in," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.
But ask anyone in the organization about Stafford's recovery, or how he has looked in camp, and the response is overwhelming.
"He's bigger and stronger, and he's still got that great head on his shoulders," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "I just see him physically different (than last year), and he worked really hard at that. It's paying off because I see him - he's never even showed any signs of a weary arm or anything. I can tell he's probably worked harder this off-season on his game and himself physically than he ever has in his whole career, which is a good thing."
Stafford spent the first 10 weeks of his rehab from surgery working primarily on building strength in his shoulder and back .
He said that he did more band exercises than ever before, that he follows a regular weight-training routine now, and that he doesn't think about his injuries unless he's asked. Along with last year's separated shoulders, Stafford missed six games as a rookie with knee and left shoulder ailments.
"You have to move on," Stafford said. "That's the way it is. Me personally, and as a team with guys that we've lost so far this season, we've got to go out there and try to produce."
The Lions have dealt with more injuries than most teams through the early part of training camp.
Both starting offensive tackles, Gosder Cherilus (knee) and Jeff Backus (pectoral), have missed significant time with injuries, and rookie running back Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon this week.
Still, Stafford is surrounded by an enviable cache of weapons, including Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson, the most versatile trio of tight ends in the NFL, and explosive second-year running back Jahvid Best, who looks healthy after battling two turf-toe injuries last year.
With so much firepower, Schwartz said he's looking for the "same things that we always expect" from Stafford when he takes the field Friday.
"Execute the offense. Go to the right places with the ball. Get us in the right plays. Control the game and score," Schwartz said. "Those are all important things to do."
Linehan isn't worried about seeing a different Stafford when live bullets start flying, either.
"He's going to get hit," Linehan said. "He's probably going to get hit Friday. He's going to get hit the next week sometime. It's going to happen. I'm not at all worried about it. He's better than ever and doesn't even cross my mind. Honestly, it doesn't."
2011年8月10日星期三
Gabbert draws start for Jags vs. Patriots
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — David Garrard is out, Blaine Gabbert is in and Todd Bouman is once again off the tractor.
Jacksonville's quarterback situation got scrambled a bit Tuesday when coach Jack Del Rio ruled Garrard out of Thursday's preseason opener at New England.
Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in April's NFL draft out of Missouri, will start against the Patriots. Gabbert and third-stringer Luke McCown will share snaps, but Bouman also will be available.
The Jaguars signed the 39- year-old Bouman, making this his seventh stint with the franchise in the last five years. In 2010, Bouman was literally sitting on a tractor helping his father harvest corn in Minnesota when the Jaguars called.
"We actually made a call to the tractor again and Todd will be joining us this evening," Del Rio said. "Pulled him off the tractor once again."
Garrard tweaked his back during practice Thursday and hasn't done anything on the field since.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, defensive end Aaron Kampman, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and tight end Marcedes Lewis also won't play, Del Rio said.
Crowder retires
MIAMI — Channing Crowder, one of the league's most notorious trash-talkers, said he has decided to call it a career less than two weeks after being cut by the Dolphins.
"I know I can still play football," said Crowder, 27. "But I decided to hang it up. Now I'm not worried about icing my knees anymore or getting stingers or concussions. I did it long enough. I played football since I was 9 years old."
Last season, Crowder made 33 tackles in 11 games.
Williams passes physical
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After agreeing to a two-year deal with the Ravens on Monday, running back Ricky Williams passed his physical and practiced with his new teammates.
Williams showed up for his Baltimore practice clean-shaven with a tight haircut and wearing a No. 38 purple jersey. It might be the lone session in which he wears No. 38, because he struck a deal with running back Jalen Parmele to get back the number he's worn throughout his entire career — No. 34.
Lions call in reinforcements
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Lions signed running backs Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison a few hours after promising rookie Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles tendon.
Bell, a former Bronco who rushed for only 99 yards last season between the Eagles and Browns, didn't hesitate when he got the call in Colorado.
"I wasn't going to wait for a second offer," Bell said. "I got on the first thing smoking toward Detroit."
Harrison figured he would get another chance because it has been less than two years since he broke Jim Brown's Cleveland rushing record with a 286-yard game against the Chiefs.
Footnotes.
Steve Smith injured his finger during practice, but Panthers coach Ron Rivera confirmed it's not broken and isn't anything that will keep the receiver out of any regular-season games.
• The Titans agreed to terms with safety Anthony Smith.
• The Anschutz Entertainment Group was granted a City Council endorsement it had long stressed was necessary to prove to league officials that its plan to build an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles has public support.
Jacksonville's quarterback situation got scrambled a bit Tuesday when coach Jack Del Rio ruled Garrard out of Thursday's preseason opener at New England.
Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in April's NFL draft out of Missouri, will start against the Patriots. Gabbert and third-stringer Luke McCown will share snaps, but Bouman also will be available.
The Jaguars signed the 39- year-old Bouman, making this his seventh stint with the franchise in the last five years. In 2010, Bouman was literally sitting on a tractor helping his father harvest corn in Minnesota when the Jaguars called.
"We actually made a call to the tractor again and Todd will be joining us this evening," Del Rio said. "Pulled him off the tractor once again."
Garrard tweaked his back during practice Thursday and hasn't done anything on the field since.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, defensive end Aaron Kampman, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and tight end Marcedes Lewis also won't play, Del Rio said.
Crowder retires
MIAMI — Channing Crowder, one of the league's most notorious trash-talkers, said he has decided to call it a career less than two weeks after being cut by the Dolphins.
"I know I can still play football," said Crowder, 27. "But I decided to hang it up. Now I'm not worried about icing my knees anymore or getting stingers or concussions. I did it long enough. I played football since I was 9 years old."
Last season, Crowder made 33 tackles in 11 games.
Williams passes physical
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After agreeing to a two-year deal with the Ravens on Monday, running back Ricky Williams passed his physical and practiced with his new teammates.
Williams showed up for his Baltimore practice clean-shaven with a tight haircut and wearing a No. 38 purple jersey. It might be the lone session in which he wears No. 38, because he struck a deal with running back Jalen Parmele to get back the number he's worn throughout his entire career — No. 34.
Lions call in reinforcements
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Lions signed running backs Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison a few hours after promising rookie Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles tendon.
Bell, a former Bronco who rushed for only 99 yards last season between the Eagles and Browns, didn't hesitate when he got the call in Colorado.
"I wasn't going to wait for a second offer," Bell said. "I got on the first thing smoking toward Detroit."
Harrison figured he would get another chance because it has been less than two years since he broke Jim Brown's Cleveland rushing record with a 286-yard game against the Chiefs.
Footnotes.
Steve Smith injured his finger during practice, but Panthers coach Ron Rivera confirmed it's not broken and isn't anything that will keep the receiver out of any regular-season games.
• The Titans agreed to terms with safety Anthony Smith.
• The Anschutz Entertainment Group was granted a City Council endorsement it had long stressed was necessary to prove to league officials that its plan to build an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles has public support.
2011年8月9日星期二
Football on the wire
LESHOURE TAKES HIT
Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure tore his left Achilles tendon Monday, ending his season before it began.
"There's no more tests ... He'll have surgery very soon," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "He'll be back, but he won't be back this year."
The rookie was injured on a clean hit by defensive end Cliff Avril during an 11-on-11 drill in practice. "I thudded him up and walked off," Avril said.
STAFFORD LEARNS
Detroit's Matthew Stafford learned a lot from watching his fellow quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton last season.
Stafford missed 13 games with a shoulder injury.
"All the quarterbacks on our team have different styles," Stafford told mlive.com. "You pick up and use some of the styles from those guys, incorporate them into my game and try to be that much better."
RAY ROUGHED UP
After Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray was sacked four times in Friday's loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, head coach Kavis Reed said that he was concerned by how often his QB was on the run.
"The last three games, Ricky has taken a lot of shots and our mandate coming in was to protect Ricky Ray," Reed said.
The Esks will face the Montreal Alouettes Thursday (7: 30 p.m., TSN).
ATTENDANCE LOW
Last week's Toronto Argonauts home game produced the franchise's smallest crowd since 2003, but the team president is not worried.
"We were down 500 or 600 people from the same game a year ago," Bob Nicholson said. "Overall, we're up just over one per cent from the first two games in 2010. We haven't seen a dramatic shift in support for the club."
PIPKINS JOINS MICHIGAN
The Michigan Wolverines added defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins to their lineup Monday.
The six-foot-three, 325-pound, who plays at a Kansas City high school, is ranked the country's No. 12 defensive tackle by Scout and No. 19 by Rivals.
Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure tore his left Achilles tendon Monday, ending his season before it began.
"There's no more tests ... He'll have surgery very soon," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "He'll be back, but he won't be back this year."
The rookie was injured on a clean hit by defensive end Cliff Avril during an 11-on-11 drill in practice. "I thudded him up and walked off," Avril said.
STAFFORD LEARNS
Detroit's Matthew Stafford learned a lot from watching his fellow quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton last season.
Stafford missed 13 games with a shoulder injury.
"All the quarterbacks on our team have different styles," Stafford told mlive.com. "You pick up and use some of the styles from those guys, incorporate them into my game and try to be that much better."
RAY ROUGHED UP
After Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray was sacked four times in Friday's loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, head coach Kavis Reed said that he was concerned by how often his QB was on the run.
"The last three games, Ricky has taken a lot of shots and our mandate coming in was to protect Ricky Ray," Reed said.
The Esks will face the Montreal Alouettes Thursday (7: 30 p.m., TSN).
ATTENDANCE LOW
Last week's Toronto Argonauts home game produced the franchise's smallest crowd since 2003, but the team president is not worried.
"We were down 500 or 600 people from the same game a year ago," Bob Nicholson said. "Overall, we're up just over one per cent from the first two games in 2010. We haven't seen a dramatic shift in support for the club."
PIPKINS JOINS MICHIGAN
The Michigan Wolverines added defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins to their lineup Monday.
The six-foot-three, 325-pound, who plays at a Kansas City high school, is ranked the country's No. 12 defensive tackle by Scout and No. 19 by Rivals.
2011年8月8日星期一
Vexed Vikings scramble to catch up
On paper, the Minnesota Vikings are lining up for the NFC North race wearing leg irons and a sack pulled up to their chins.
It's not that they can't win. This is the National Football League, after all.
But when compared with the stability that the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions carry over from last season, the Vikings have a long way to go before they catch the teams that aren't quite as far behind the proverbial 8-ball. That's their reality, thanks to the league's 4 ½-month lockout and the revised practice rules in the new labour deal.
"Yeah, but how many times do you see teams stacked No. 1 on paper not come through?" Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. "How many years have we been stacked No. 1 and not won the Super Bowl? Every year stands on its own."
The lockout and new practice rules came at a terrible time for the Vikings and other teams in transition. In the Vikings' case, the biggest of many hurdles to clear is introducing a new offence with a new co-ordinator and a new quarterback who received his playbook a week ago.
"We're in uncharted territory," offensive co-ordinator Bill Musgrave said. "We've never been through anything like this, whether as a coach or a player. We're trying to be smart in whittling down the volume that we present to the players. We want to be diverse and difficult to defend on offence, but at the same time, we want to know what the hell we're doing."
That's obviously not something Aaron Rodgers and the defending Super Bowl champion Packers are having to worry about.
"Does Green Bay have an advantage right now because their offence has been together?" Allen asked. "Yeah, but our defence has been together, too. So we feel we have an advantage, too. We also have that hunger and desire to get off our butts and get back to the top of the NFC North."
Besides the usual off-season training regimen, the Vikings also missed out on having two mandatory mini-camps. Coach Leslie Frazier, who had his interim tag removed in January, would have been given the extra mini-camp.
Once the lockout ended and training camps opened, teams couldn't hit the ground running. Fullcontact drills were prohibited for the first three days, and veterans who changed teams or restructured their contracts were sidelined until the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified Thursday.
The latter rule meant the Vikings went the first three days without their No. 1 quarterback, three of their top four receivers, and starters at nose tackle, outside linebacker, strong safety and left tackle. Overweight left tackle Bryant McKinnie was released on Tuesday and replaced by Charlie Johnson, who got his playbook less than a week ago.
Throw in right guard Anthony Herrera's spot on the physicallyunable-to-perform list and All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson's excused three-day absence to be with his fiancee for the birth of their son and, well, let's just say there's some overall catching up to be done ASAP.
"But it's not like we don't have time," cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "We have all the way up to Sept. 11. The pre-season is long, so there's time. I think we can catch up in a couple weeks. I don't see a problem."
Under the revised practice rules, two-a-day, full-padded practices are eliminated. Teams are limited to 4 ½ hours on the field a day for training camp. Padded practices are limited to three hours and a second practice is permitted, but must be a walkthrough with no pads or helmets. Teams also can't practise more than six consecutive days.
"One of our big concerns over the past couple years has been player safety, and this is definitely going to help with that," defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "That's all you heard the past couple years was concussions and player safety in general. With all the rule changes in the games, why not make the practices a little lighter?"
New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott criticized the new practice rules and suggested it could have the reverse effect and result in more injuries during the season.
"I think it's wimping out, making football more soft," Scott told the Newark Star-Ledger. "I get concerned you're making football players weaker because you don't push them past that threshold."
Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser said he believes the Vikings can adapt quickly and make up ground on other teams. But he admits the journey has been a strange one, to say the least.
"We have 90 guys in camp," Kleinsasser said. "A lot of us are still learning guys' faces. There's probably half these guys I've never seen before."
It's not that they can't win. This is the National Football League, after all.
But when compared with the stability that the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions carry over from last season, the Vikings have a long way to go before they catch the teams that aren't quite as far behind the proverbial 8-ball. That's their reality, thanks to the league's 4 ½-month lockout and the revised practice rules in the new labour deal.
"Yeah, but how many times do you see teams stacked No. 1 on paper not come through?" Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. "How many years have we been stacked No. 1 and not won the Super Bowl? Every year stands on its own."
The lockout and new practice rules came at a terrible time for the Vikings and other teams in transition. In the Vikings' case, the biggest of many hurdles to clear is introducing a new offence with a new co-ordinator and a new quarterback who received his playbook a week ago.
"We're in uncharted territory," offensive co-ordinator Bill Musgrave said. "We've never been through anything like this, whether as a coach or a player. We're trying to be smart in whittling down the volume that we present to the players. We want to be diverse and difficult to defend on offence, but at the same time, we want to know what the hell we're doing."
That's obviously not something Aaron Rodgers and the defending Super Bowl champion Packers are having to worry about.
"Does Green Bay have an advantage right now because their offence has been together?" Allen asked. "Yeah, but our defence has been together, too. So we feel we have an advantage, too. We also have that hunger and desire to get off our butts and get back to the top of the NFC North."
Besides the usual off-season training regimen, the Vikings also missed out on having two mandatory mini-camps. Coach Leslie Frazier, who had his interim tag removed in January, would have been given the extra mini-camp.
Once the lockout ended and training camps opened, teams couldn't hit the ground running. Fullcontact drills were prohibited for the first three days, and veterans who changed teams or restructured their contracts were sidelined until the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified Thursday.
The latter rule meant the Vikings went the first three days without their No. 1 quarterback, three of their top four receivers, and starters at nose tackle, outside linebacker, strong safety and left tackle. Overweight left tackle Bryant McKinnie was released on Tuesday and replaced by Charlie Johnson, who got his playbook less than a week ago.
Throw in right guard Anthony Herrera's spot on the physicallyunable-to-perform list and All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson's excused three-day absence to be with his fiancee for the birth of their son and, well, let's just say there's some overall catching up to be done ASAP.
"But it's not like we don't have time," cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "We have all the way up to Sept. 11. The pre-season is long, so there's time. I think we can catch up in a couple weeks. I don't see a problem."
Under the revised practice rules, two-a-day, full-padded practices are eliminated. Teams are limited to 4 ½ hours on the field a day for training camp. Padded practices are limited to three hours and a second practice is permitted, but must be a walkthrough with no pads or helmets. Teams also can't practise more than six consecutive days.
"One of our big concerns over the past couple years has been player safety, and this is definitely going to help with that," defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "That's all you heard the past couple years was concussions and player safety in general. With all the rule changes in the games, why not make the practices a little lighter?"
New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott criticized the new practice rules and suggested it could have the reverse effect and result in more injuries during the season.
"I think it's wimping out, making football more soft," Scott told the Newark Star-Ledger. "I get concerned you're making football players weaker because you don't push them past that threshold."
Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser said he believes the Vikings can adapt quickly and make up ground on other teams. But he admits the journey has been a strange one, to say the least.
"We have 90 guys in camp," Kleinsasser said. "A lot of us are still learning guys' faces. There's probably half these guys I've never seen before."
2011年8月6日星期六
Schuening rejoins Raider Nation
PENDLETON — Roy Schuening is making his fourth attempt at an NFL roster as he joins the Oakland Raiders for the second time.
The 2002 Pendleton High School graduate and All-Pac 10 tackle/guard at Oregon State signed with the Raiders after the NFL lockout ended.
Schuening had spent nearly four months with the Raiders in 2009 and made the active roster, only to be released two days later when the team signed quarterback J.P. Losman.
Schuening was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2008 draft and spent time on the team’s practice squad before being waived. He had signed with the Detroit Lions in 2010 but an arm injury made him a training camp cut.
Last fall he was an assistant coach for the Pendleton Buckaroos varsity football team.
— East Oregonian
The 2002 Pendleton High School graduate and All-Pac 10 tackle/guard at Oregon State signed with the Raiders after the NFL lockout ended.
Schuening had spent nearly four months with the Raiders in 2009 and made the active roster, only to be released two days later when the team signed quarterback J.P. Losman.
Schuening was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2008 draft and spent time on the team’s practice squad before being waived. He had signed with the Detroit Lions in 2010 but an arm injury made him a training camp cut.
Last fall he was an assistant coach for the Pendleton Buckaroos varsity football team.
— East Oregonian
2011年8月5日星期五
Sports Minute: Here is the latest Michigan sports news from The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) - The Texas Rangers ended a 3-game losing streak by beating the Detroit Tigers yesterday 5-2. Alexi Ogando became the first pitcher to defeat Detroit three times in a season after allowing two runs over six-plus innings. Brad Penny took the loss after giving up five runs on 11 hits.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Detroit Lions defensive end Cliff Avril has returned to work less than a day after welcoming a son. Avril signed a 1-year qualifying offer worth about $3 million yesterday morning. The 4-year veteran had a career-best 8.5 sacks last season.
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Michigan will face Memphis in the championship round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Kansas, Duke and UCLA will also be competing in the tournament this November. The event is expanding from four to eight teams this year.
CHICAGO (AP) - Ivan Nova had a career-high ten strikeouts last night as the New York Yankees topped the Chicago White Sox 7-2. Nova's performance helped the Yankees complete the 4-game sweep and win their seventh straight game. Adam Dunn homered for Chicago, who has lost six games in a row.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Detroit Lions defensive end Cliff Avril has returned to work less than a day after welcoming a son. Avril signed a 1-year qualifying offer worth about $3 million yesterday morning. The 4-year veteran had a career-best 8.5 sacks last season.
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Michigan will face Memphis in the championship round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Kansas, Duke and UCLA will also be competing in the tournament this November. The event is expanding from four to eight teams this year.
CHICAGO (AP) - Ivan Nova had a career-high ten strikeouts last night as the New York Yankees topped the Chicago White Sox 7-2. Nova's performance helped the Yankees complete the 4-game sweep and win their seventh straight game. Adam Dunn homered for Chicago, who has lost six games in a row.
2011年8月4日星期四
Lions DT Fairley has surgery on left foot
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley had surgery on his injured left foot Wednesday.
The team said in a statement that he will miss a "significant portion" of training camp. Detroit opens the preseason at home against Cincinnati on Aug. 12. The Lions start the regular season at Tampa Bay on Sept. 11.
Fairley, the Lombardi Trophy winner at national champion Auburn last season, was injured Monday and in a walking cast a day later after X-rays showed no significant damage.
He was sent to Charlotte, N.C., for further evaluation Wednesday morning, and Dr. Bob Anderson performed the surgery. The team did not provide details on the procedure.
The 6-foot-4, 298-pound Fairley was drafted 13th in April's draft to complement a defensive line that includes Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Fairley had 11½ sacks last season and a total of 24 stops behind the line for Auburn.
The Lions have finally started to roll in the Motor City, closing last season with four wins and a 6-10 record two years after being the NFL's first 0-16 team. Suh was a big reason, and Detroit chose to beef up perhaps its strongest unit by drafting Fairley.
His progress, already slowed by the lockout, is now on hold again.
Detroit has already had to put defensive back Alphonso Smith and offensive tackle Jeff Backus on the active/non-football injury list. Smith broke his left foot, and Backus is recovering from a pectoral injury.
The team said in a statement that he will miss a "significant portion" of training camp. Detroit opens the preseason at home against Cincinnati on Aug. 12. The Lions start the regular season at Tampa Bay on Sept. 11.
Fairley, the Lombardi Trophy winner at national champion Auburn last season, was injured Monday and in a walking cast a day later after X-rays showed no significant damage.
He was sent to Charlotte, N.C., for further evaluation Wednesday morning, and Dr. Bob Anderson performed the surgery. The team did not provide details on the procedure.
The 6-foot-4, 298-pound Fairley was drafted 13th in April's draft to complement a defensive line that includes Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Fairley had 11½ sacks last season and a total of 24 stops behind the line for Auburn.
The Lions have finally started to roll in the Motor City, closing last season with four wins and a 6-10 record two years after being the NFL's first 0-16 team. Suh was a big reason, and Detroit chose to beef up perhaps its strongest unit by drafting Fairley.
His progress, already slowed by the lockout, is now on hold again.
Detroit has already had to put defensive back Alphonso Smith and offensive tackle Jeff Backus on the active/non-football injury list. Smith broke his left foot, and Backus is recovering from a pectoral injury.
2011年8月3日星期三
Detroit Lions practice in pads for first time
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Training camp unofficially started for the Detroit Lions on Tuesday.
For some players, anyway.
Although the team has been practicing since late last week, coach Jim Schwartz had them in full pads for the first time Tuesday. The rise in intensity was obvious, especially after a lackluster practice Monday morning.
"We finally got to knock the dust off today," tight end Brandon Pettigrew said. "You prepare during the entire offseason to build up to training camp, even if it was a little different this year. But it isn't the same until you get the pads on and actually get to do some hitting."
One notable absence was rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who was in a walking boot after injuring his foot Monday. X-rays were negative, but Schwartz said Fairley was undergoing more tests.
Schwartz had said as late as Monday that he didn't know when his first full-padded practice would be, but his disappointment in that day's workout made the decision.
"These are football players, and they want to be in football situations," he said. "You could see the intensity pick up as soon as they got into pads today."
One day in pads, though, won't solve Schwartz's other problems in the new post-lockout NFL — issues he shares with 31 other head coaches. The Lions have more than 20 players that are unable to practice until the league year officially begins Thursday.
"We'll be back in shorts on Wednesday, and then we've moved Thursday's practice back to the evening," he said. "If the league year does start Thursday, we don't know if it will be at 12:01 a.m., or at noon, or maybe even 6 p.m., so we're going to practice at 6.
"You don't want to practice at 8 in the morning, have the league year start at noon and let everyone practice with full rosters."
If the sidelined players are allowed to work out on Thursday, that means another day without pads.
"There's no way that you are going to put guys in full pads on their first day," he said. "These guys did a great job of keeping in shape on their own during the offseason, but it isn't the same as going through the normal routine here.
"Even Kyle Vanden Bosch, who is as fanatical as anyone about being in shape, told me that he needed a couple days to get his football legs back. We don't know where these 23 or 24 guys fall on that spectrum."
The other change, of course, is the elimination of two-a-day workouts. Normally, the Lions would have followed up Tuesday's full-padded practice with another tough workout in the afternoon. Now they are reduced to a short walkthrough.
"People are calling it practice," Schwartz said of the second practice. "Even Allen Iverson could walk through with no helmets and everything. It's a walk-through without helmets. Technically it's a two-a-day, but when the second practice is a walkthrough, I don't view it as a two-a-day."
Although Schwartz sees the elimination of two-a-days as a loss of crucial teaching time, his players don't have the same opinion.
"There's not one person here who is upset about losing that second practice," veteran defensive tackle Corey Williams said. "Nobody is sad about that."
For some players, anyway.
Although the team has been practicing since late last week, coach Jim Schwartz had them in full pads for the first time Tuesday. The rise in intensity was obvious, especially after a lackluster practice Monday morning.
"We finally got to knock the dust off today," tight end Brandon Pettigrew said. "You prepare during the entire offseason to build up to training camp, even if it was a little different this year. But it isn't the same until you get the pads on and actually get to do some hitting."
One notable absence was rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who was in a walking boot after injuring his foot Monday. X-rays were negative, but Schwartz said Fairley was undergoing more tests.
Schwartz had said as late as Monday that he didn't know when his first full-padded practice would be, but his disappointment in that day's workout made the decision.
"These are football players, and they want to be in football situations," he said. "You could see the intensity pick up as soon as they got into pads today."
One day in pads, though, won't solve Schwartz's other problems in the new post-lockout NFL — issues he shares with 31 other head coaches. The Lions have more than 20 players that are unable to practice until the league year officially begins Thursday.
"We'll be back in shorts on Wednesday, and then we've moved Thursday's practice back to the evening," he said. "If the league year does start Thursday, we don't know if it will be at 12:01 a.m., or at noon, or maybe even 6 p.m., so we're going to practice at 6.
"You don't want to practice at 8 in the morning, have the league year start at noon and let everyone practice with full rosters."
If the sidelined players are allowed to work out on Thursday, that means another day without pads.
"There's no way that you are going to put guys in full pads on their first day," he said. "These guys did a great job of keeping in shape on their own during the offseason, but it isn't the same as going through the normal routine here.
"Even Kyle Vanden Bosch, who is as fanatical as anyone about being in shape, told me that he needed a couple days to get his football legs back. We don't know where these 23 or 24 guys fall on that spectrum."
The other change, of course, is the elimination of two-a-day workouts. Normally, the Lions would have followed up Tuesday's full-padded practice with another tough workout in the afternoon. Now they are reduced to a short walkthrough.
"People are calling it practice," Schwartz said of the second practice. "Even Allen Iverson could walk through with no helmets and everything. It's a walk-through without helmets. Technically it's a two-a-day, but when the second practice is a walkthrough, I don't view it as a two-a-day."
Although Schwartz sees the elimination of two-a-days as a loss of crucial teaching time, his players don't have the same opinion.
"There's not one person here who is upset about losing that second practice," veteran defensive tackle Corey Williams said. "Nobody is sad about that."
2011年8月2日星期二
Lions glad to have linebacker Stephen Tulloch aboard
Matt Burke walked out to Lions practice Monday and was greeted by the usual chorus of good-mornings and how-do-you-dos.
"Much better," the linebackers coach said. "Thank you."
Burke and the rest of the Lions were all smiles Monday as they welcomed new middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.
The Lions pursued Tulloch aggressively at the start of free agency last Tuesday, with coach Jim Schwartz calling at 10 a.m. when the market opened, and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and safety Louis Delmas phoning their friend as well.
Tulloch said he never doubted he'd be a Lion, though the deal took longer than expected to get done. He agreed to a one-year contract early Sunday morning.
"Schwartz is the main reason why I chose the Lions," said Tulloch, who played three seasons for Schwartz in Tennessee. "Schwartz believed in me back in 2006 when I first came out of (North Carolina) State. I heard the story about how they drafted me. They were going to draft another guy that went to Green Bay, and Schwartz went upstairs and told (head coach Jeff Fisher), 'This is the guy that we want.'
"He believed in me -- gave me an opportunity. Like I always told Schwartz, I'm indebted to you for giving me the chance to play in this league and show my ability."
LB takes short deal, long view
Tulloch waited two years to cash in on free agency, and when he finally hit the open market last week he found it "flooded" beyond belief.
The NFL's second-leading tackler a year ago, Tulloch officially signed a one-year, $3.25-million deal with the Lions on Monday.
If that seems like a bit of a bargain for one of the game's most productive middle linebackers, it is. And it's part of the trickle-down effect from the owners' decision to opt out of the NFL's last collective bargaining agreement in 2008.
That decision changed free-agent rules for the 2010 season, requiring players to have six years of service instead of the normal four before becoming unrestricted.
Free agency returned to four seasons after the lockout, and with more players to choose from and less money to spend (thanks to the return of a salary cap) teams such as the Lions were able to pick and choose in a buyer's market.
"You're looking at a market that generally is 250 players and the market this year is pretty much double that," Tulloch said. "I guess you can say that (there wasn't as much interest in some veterans) and the fact that the free-agent market was shortened and everything was a rush."
The Lions added two more defensive starters on short-term free-agent deals: cornerback Eric Wright and linebacker Justin Durant. Wright signed a one-year contract, and Durant got two years.
Cornerback Chris Houston also re-signed for two seasons.
"I had opportunities to go for a multiyear deal, and I just wanted to come here and show what I'm all about, show what I can do and earn it," Tulloch said. "I want to earn it. I want to show the coaches that I can come out here and be productive and help this team. So I felt like a one-year deal is the best opportunity for me to do that."
The Lions, meanwhile, retained some roster flexibility by not spending superfluously this off-season.
Defensive end Cliff Avril, a restricted free agent, will need a long-term deal before next March to keep him off the market; new contracts for 25-and-under core players Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh aren't too far off in the horizon; and Tulloch and Wright will have to be re-signed, or their replacements procured if they go elsewhere.
Schwartz said this year's free-agent strategy was right for a team that had specific holes to fill in its back seven and is committed to building long term. Tulloch, Durant and Wright are all 26 or younger.
"I think the thing to remember is every one of the players we've signed we have a very specific role in mind for them," Schwartz said. "They fit that job description and that's what we were worried about. We weren't worried about, 'Well, we've got a help-wanted sign at a certain position. That guy doesn't fit but let's take him anyway.' We take the position of saying, 'Hey, let's get good football players, let's put them on the field, let's worry about the other stuff later.' "
"Much better," the linebackers coach said. "Thank you."
Burke and the rest of the Lions were all smiles Monday as they welcomed new middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.
The Lions pursued Tulloch aggressively at the start of free agency last Tuesday, with coach Jim Schwartz calling at 10 a.m. when the market opened, and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and safety Louis Delmas phoning their friend as well.
Tulloch said he never doubted he'd be a Lion, though the deal took longer than expected to get done. He agreed to a one-year contract early Sunday morning.
"Schwartz is the main reason why I chose the Lions," said Tulloch, who played three seasons for Schwartz in Tennessee. "Schwartz believed in me back in 2006 when I first came out of (North Carolina) State. I heard the story about how they drafted me. They were going to draft another guy that went to Green Bay, and Schwartz went upstairs and told (head coach Jeff Fisher), 'This is the guy that we want.'
"He believed in me -- gave me an opportunity. Like I always told Schwartz, I'm indebted to you for giving me the chance to play in this league and show my ability."
LB takes short deal, long view
Tulloch waited two years to cash in on free agency, and when he finally hit the open market last week he found it "flooded" beyond belief.
The NFL's second-leading tackler a year ago, Tulloch officially signed a one-year, $3.25-million deal with the Lions on Monday.
If that seems like a bit of a bargain for one of the game's most productive middle linebackers, it is. And it's part of the trickle-down effect from the owners' decision to opt out of the NFL's last collective bargaining agreement in 2008.
That decision changed free-agent rules for the 2010 season, requiring players to have six years of service instead of the normal four before becoming unrestricted.
Free agency returned to four seasons after the lockout, and with more players to choose from and less money to spend (thanks to the return of a salary cap) teams such as the Lions were able to pick and choose in a buyer's market.
"You're looking at a market that generally is 250 players and the market this year is pretty much double that," Tulloch said. "I guess you can say that (there wasn't as much interest in some veterans) and the fact that the free-agent market was shortened and everything was a rush."
The Lions added two more defensive starters on short-term free-agent deals: cornerback Eric Wright and linebacker Justin Durant. Wright signed a one-year contract, and Durant got two years.
Cornerback Chris Houston also re-signed for two seasons.
"I had opportunities to go for a multiyear deal, and I just wanted to come here and show what I'm all about, show what I can do and earn it," Tulloch said. "I want to earn it. I want to show the coaches that I can come out here and be productive and help this team. So I felt like a one-year deal is the best opportunity for me to do that."
The Lions, meanwhile, retained some roster flexibility by not spending superfluously this off-season.
Defensive end Cliff Avril, a restricted free agent, will need a long-term deal before next March to keep him off the market; new contracts for 25-and-under core players Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh aren't too far off in the horizon; and Tulloch and Wright will have to be re-signed, or their replacements procured if they go elsewhere.
Schwartz said this year's free-agent strategy was right for a team that had specific holes to fill in its back seven and is committed to building long term. Tulloch, Durant and Wright are all 26 or younger.
"I think the thing to remember is every one of the players we've signed we have a very specific role in mind for them," Schwartz said. "They fit that job description and that's what we were worried about. We weren't worried about, 'Well, we've got a help-wanted sign at a certain position. That guy doesn't fit but let's take him anyway.' We take the position of saying, 'Hey, let's get good football players, let's put them on the field, let's worry about the other stuff later.' "
2011年8月1日星期一
Lions lose DE Turk McBride to Saints
The Detroit Lions are losing some depth on their defensive line.
Backup defensive end Turk McBride agreed to terms with the New Orleans Saints today.
McBride, who confirmed the signing via text message, had five sacks last year and started eight games while Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril were dealing with injuries.
Avril has yet to sign his restricted free-agent tender, but he’s expected to return at the Lions’ most well-stocked position. Vanden Bosch, Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young also are in the playing group at defensive end, and Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammie Hill, Andre Fluellen and rookie Nick Fairley make up a five-deep rotation at tackle.
The Lions also signed free-agent defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock last week.
Backup defensive end Turk McBride agreed to terms with the New Orleans Saints today.
McBride, who confirmed the signing via text message, had five sacks last year and started eight games while Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril were dealing with injuries.
Avril has yet to sign his restricted free-agent tender, but he’s expected to return at the Lions’ most well-stocked position. Vanden Bosch, Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young also are in the playing group at defensive end, and Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammie Hill, Andre Fluellen and rookie Nick Fairley make up a five-deep rotation at tackle.
The Lions also signed free-agent defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock last week.
2011年7月30日星期六
Nick Barnett Released, Climbs to Top of Detroit Lions’ Wish List
The Green Bay Packers released Nick Barnett on Friday, and the Lions are apparently wasting no time trying to take advantage. MLive’s Tom Kowalski reported that Detroit as “talking to” Barnett in hopes of signing the eight-year veteran.
Barnett was active on Twitter after his release became official, writing that “things are starting to move,” then later commenting that Lions and Chargers fans were putting the full-court press on him to sign with their respective teams.
For the Lions, the fit is obvious: Having already landed free agent outside linebacker Justin Durant from Jacksonville, Barnett could be the piece that fills out Detroit’s front seven. Barnett’s an inside linebacker, which would allow the Lions to move DeAndre Levy outside, opposite Durant.
Even though Barnett’s coming off a wrist injury that cost him the last 12 games on 2011, he’s been a reliable and steady force throughout his career. He’s played at least 15 games in six of his eight seasons, topping the 100-tackle mark each time.
Rumor earlier this week had it that Detroit’s main free-agent goal was to land Tennessee MLB Stephen Tulloch, who’d played under Jim Schwartz when Schwartz was the Titans’ defensive coordinator. But Tulloch, a Drew Rosenhaus client, may have priced himself out of the Lions’ range.
Barnett would be a strong backup option for the Lions, especially given his familiarity with the NFC North.
Detroit may also still be considering re-signing OLB Bobby Carpenter, who played surprisingly well late last year for the Lions. Even if Barnett comes on board, Carpenter could make a fine depth signing to add to Ashlee Palmer, who’s back on the outside.
For the time being, though, it appears as if Barnett’s moved to the top of Detroit’ list. The Lions have been fairly guarded and cautious about their free-agent pursuits so far, but Barnett would be a meaningful splash.
Barnett was active on Twitter after his release became official, writing that “things are starting to move,” then later commenting that Lions and Chargers fans were putting the full-court press on him to sign with their respective teams.
For the Lions, the fit is obvious: Having already landed free agent outside linebacker Justin Durant from Jacksonville, Barnett could be the piece that fills out Detroit’s front seven. Barnett’s an inside linebacker, which would allow the Lions to move DeAndre Levy outside, opposite Durant.
Even though Barnett’s coming off a wrist injury that cost him the last 12 games on 2011, he’s been a reliable and steady force throughout his career. He’s played at least 15 games in six of his eight seasons, topping the 100-tackle mark each time.
Rumor earlier this week had it that Detroit’s main free-agent goal was to land Tennessee MLB Stephen Tulloch, who’d played under Jim Schwartz when Schwartz was the Titans’ defensive coordinator. But Tulloch, a Drew Rosenhaus client, may have priced himself out of the Lions’ range.
Barnett would be a strong backup option for the Lions, especially given his familiarity with the NFC North.
Detroit may also still be considering re-signing OLB Bobby Carpenter, who played surprisingly well late last year for the Lions. Even if Barnett comes on board, Carpenter could make a fine depth signing to add to Ashlee Palmer, who’s back on the outside.
For the time being, though, it appears as if Barnett’s moved to the top of Detroit’ list. The Lions have been fairly guarded and cautious about their free-agent pursuits so far, but Barnett would be a meaningful splash.
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