by Joe Tailgate on February 23, 2010
in NFL News
The Panthers have until this Thursday to place the franchise tag on defensive end Julius Peppers. A source in the organization has indicated to Newschannel 36 that Peppers is finished with the team, and they will not pony up the twenty million plus that would be required to keep him for another year under the tag allowing him to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Things could get rough for Peppers. Peter King tweets “Had an NFL exec tell me this weekend he thought Peppers would be lucky to get $10m a year in this climate.”
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by Joe Tailgate on February 10, 2010
in NFL News
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick told an Atlanta radio station that he wishes he had shown more dedication to quarterbacking the Falcons. “There was a lot more I could have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated my game to a different level,” Vick said. “I was complacent at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought what I was doing was enough.” In contrast, Vick, who will turn 30 in June, said he’s training hard for what may be his last opportunity to start in the NFL. “I’m stronger, I feel fast and I’m back to my old-school workouts,” he said. “I think you’ll see a big difference this year.”
Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski will likely be a restricted free agent but he is not interested in playing the field anymore. In an interview over the weekend, he said, “I plan to be back with the Raiders. I think everything will work out, and I’m looking forward to it. We did a lot of good things this year and I’m looking forward to next season.”
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by Joe Tailgate on August 18, 2009
in NFL News
Eagles RB Brian Westbrook experienced pain in his ankle while rehabbing the knee. Westbrook may just sit out the entire preseason and take his first snap in the Sept. 13 opener against Carolina.
The Browns No. 2 receiver spot is up for grabs. It’s a role Joshua Cribbs is seeking, hoping to duplicate his impact as an offensive and defensive special teams ace. Now Cribbs has set his sights on the Browns’ opening at No. 2 receiver. He believes that’s given him something even bigger to prove. ”That’s all I hear. ‘He can’t catch the ball. He can’t do this. He can’t do that.’ I love it,” Cribbs said after practice Monday. ”Now I’ve got to go out there and prove I can catch the ball. I’m working real hard to be in the running to be a No. 2. I’m going to keep showing the coaches I can be that guy.” [click to continue…]
by Joe Tailgate on June 30, 2009
in NFL News
- Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, said the hamstring that he injured during offseason workouts is at about “80” percent strength. He expects to be at 100 percent by the start of training camp. Heyward-Bey said he went through a lot of offseason drills despite not being at full strength to show coaches and teammates he could play through pain.
- Vikings WR PercyHarvin reported for the start of the symposium Sunday afternoon but after notifying the medical staff that he was not feeling well, it was recommended that he return home. This is the second time Harvin has become ill after traveling this offseason. He missed the Vikings initial rookie minicamp in May when he was hospitalized for a virus and severe dehydration after vomiting on a flight from Florida to Atlanta on his way to Minnesota.
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is leaning toward indefinitely suspending former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress and continuing to sideline quarterback Michael Vick, three sources with knowledge of the situations have indicated. Such moves would be the latest examples of Goodell’s tough stance on players embroiled in off-field issues as evidenced with the suspension of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth earlier this month. Stallworth has been ruled out indefinitely by the league after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter in the death of a Miami man in March.
- Chiefs fans, take heart. The team may not be quite ready, but your new stadium is progressing toward completion, officials heard Monday. Jim Rowland, executive director of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, told the Jackson County Legislature that the stadium should be 70 percent complete for the Kansas City Chiefs’ opener, as planned. “Arrowhead is a flurry of activity, trying to get ready for the Aug. 15 opening,” Rowland said.
- Steelers WR Santonio Holmes‘ physical remake, particularly around his neck and through his shoulders, is the next step in the development of the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII. The increase in Holmes’ upper body is becoming so pronounced that he’s beginning to look like an entirely different player. “I tipped the scales (Monday) at 201 (pounds),” Holmes said proudly following his workout at Tom Shaw Performance at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.
by Joe Tailgate on June 22, 2009
in NFL News
- Derrick Johnson said Friday that he has welcomed the Chiefs’ offseason overhaul. Kansas City has a new quarterback in Matt Cassell. The Chiefs also have a new general manager (Scott Pioli) and a new coach (Todd Haley) to turn around the franchise’s sagging fortunes. “Change is good, especially for a team that’s been losing for the last two seasons,” Johnson said. “(After finishing) 4-12 and 2-14, we need a change. We had developed a habit of losing, and we have to turn that around.”
- The Chiefs just might be the biggest losers in the NFL. To be specific, the Chiefs have lost a combined 340 pounds this year — and not, say, by cutting some rotund defensive tackle. They lost the weight through hard work, something apparently in short supply when the team went 2-14 last season. “We were out of shape and not really strong,” said new Coach Todd Haley, who has put a premium on his players dropping some pounds. “I talked to our strength coach at Arizona [where Haley was last season] and he said if you’re a highly efficient team that’s working, you lose about 120 to 150 pounds in the off-season. The players understood that to be around, we weren’t going to have a fat team,” he said. “And if you were fat, we’d probably just move on at some point as soon as we could.”
- Mike Vrabel, traded to the Chiefs after eight seasons and three Super Bowl rings with New England, may be another unhappy player in Kansas City. He missed all the voluntary workouts, showing up only for the mandatory minicamp. “For lack of a better term, I was just trying to exercise my rights within the (collective bargaining agreement),” Vrabel said. “We bargained for rights to make these workouts voluntary, and that’s all I was trying to do, to exercise my rights within the CBA.”
