by Joe Tailgate on July 2, 2009
in NFL News
- The New York Giants may have lost a pair of veteran wide receivers, but the team believes quarterback Eli Manning will be able to make up the different with experience, the New York Post reported. “We’re going to put more of the onus on him,” Giants GM Jerry Reese said. And how did Manning respond? “I think you got a quarterback going into his sixth year and . . . some young receivers,” Manning told The Post Tuesday. “It’s my job to make sure those guys are on the same page and my job to be a leader and take control of the offense and the passing game. “As a quarterback you’re always going to be a leader, but now I’m one of the older guys on the offense.”
- Free agent RB Edgerrin James‘ agent, Drew Rosenhaus posted on his Twitter page that James has been training hard and as a result is in great shape. “I can tell you that Edgerrin James is in great playing shape. He weighs 216lbs and is training hard. He is excited about this season!”
- The Redskins drafted Kevin Barnes in the third round out of Maryland to compete with Fred Smoot at nickel corner, and the local product was impressive during OTAs, snagging several interceptions and winning the defense’s competition on the final day of the practices with four picks. Barnes projects confidence and immediately declared he was ready to compete with anybody on the roster, and his size may help him match up against some bigger wide receivers in the NFC East. But Barnes is coming off of an injury, and he’ll have to prove himself in the preseason.
- Texans Wide receiver Kevin Walter put together a career season in 2008, finishing with 60 catches for 899 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a fantasy football goldmine. This season, he plans to boost those stats by increasing his yards after the catch. “Each year I have improved. Last year, I worked on my yards after the catch and I think I continue to do a better job with that. This year, I really want to work on my stiff arm and other moves that get you a few more yards after the catch. Once you get the ball in your hands, you have to do something special with it. Obviously, protecting the ball is the most important thing; turnovers can change the momentum of a game. But I do want to improve my yards after the catch.”
- In the weeks following the Falcons trade for 10-time Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez few details emerged on how he’ll integrate into the team’s offense. He’ll catch passes, but the Falcons built the offense around Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner. ”Tony will help our offense in a number of ways,” Mularkey said at the close of June organized team activities. “One thing he’s going to do is that he’s a productive blocker and that’s important in our offense… As successful as he’s been as a receiver, he’s a good blocker too and he really doesn’t get the credit that he should.” At 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Gonzalez has size to push people around but his ability to shake defenders and soft hands made him the most prolific pass catcher at his position. “If you double team somebody, someone’s going to get open,” Gonzalez said. “If it’s one-on-one, we have to get open. Do I think I’ll catch 100 balls? I don’t have to. This is something we’re all going to work together on. I’ve been fortunate to have such a good career. It’s not about breaking records and all that stuff. It’s about going out there and moving those chains… I’m going to help those guys. I feel like I’ve got some stuff they can learn and I’m going to learn from them. I don’t mind putting in the work, I never have, and hopefully they feel the same way I do.”
by Joe Tailgate on June 10, 2009
in NFL News
- Ravens running back Willis McGahee said he doesn’t mind being the backup to Ray Rice for now. McGahee had been limited for most of the offseason after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Because Rice has been going with the starters during his absence, McGahee said he didn’t expect to supplant Rice immediately. “It wouldn’t be right,” McGahee said Tuesday during the final minicamp for veterans. “I don’t mind. Work is work. That’s either with the first, second or third.”
- As a rookie, Ray Rice placed third on the team with 107 carries for 454 yards, and he is obviously aiming to increase those numbers. Rice added a noticeable amount of bulk to his upper body to be more of an every-down runner. Head coach John Harbaugh believes Rice can fill that role. “Not that he wasn’t a tackle-breaker last year – he was a tackle-to-tackle runner at Rutgers, that was what he did – but he’s come a long way,” Harbaugh said. “Now, people see him as a third-down back because of the success he had last year, but I don’t think we have any question that he can be an every-down back.”
- The Saints were reported to be interested in Edgerrin James, but today when head coach Sean Payton was asked if he had any more thoughts about bringing in another veteran running back he responded with “No. Right now we’re content with the guys we have.”
- Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha, who did not participate in the Raiders’ last OTA, was present and accounted for Tuesday, according to the club’s Twitter page. Quarterback Charlie Frye, signed Monday, also got in his first work as a Raider.
- Texans TE Owen Daniels has become the second player to skip organized team activities this offseason because of a contract dispute with the franchise’s front office. Daniels, who had participated in the first three weeks of OTAs, did not show up to the team’s voluntary workout Tuesday. While teams cannot make OTAs mandatory, Daniels and Dunta Robinson are the only two missing. “Obviously we’re in the middle of negotiations,” General manager Rick Smith said. “He’s well within in his rights not to be here. We wish he were working out like he had been, but we understand it.”
- Jets QB Kellen Clemens continued to work with the first team Tuesday and outperformed rookie QB Mark Sanchez but head coach Rex Ryan said the quarterback competition is going to be “fierce.” Sanchez has the stronger arm, and was throwing lasers in a one-on-one drill, but he has to avoid mistakes. Ryan wants Sanchez to also improve his voice, as he wants Sanchez to be louder and more inflective with his cadence.
- Cowboys RB Tashard Choice taking snaps at QB in Razorback . Coach Wade Phillips said it was just a matter of the Cowboys exploring their options for the benefit of their offense and their defense. “I like it. I have a chance to get the ball in my hands,” Choice said. “They are looking at it to see how they like it. They’ve got to have somebody who can run and throw. Most times it’s a running back.”
Free-agent running back Edgerrin James, who got his wish via a release from the Arizona Cardinals but since hasn’t drawn much interest, remains confident that he’ll contribute somewhere in 2009. He also says that his lack of high-end production with the Cardinals wasn’t his fault. “Of course I’ve still got it”, James recently told Dan Steinberg of SportingNews.com’s The Sporting Blog.
Jets running back Leon Washington ended his three-week absence from the team’s organized team activity sessions and showed up this morning. Washington, who is due to earn $535,000 this season, is upset with his contract and began skipping workouts to voice his displeasure.
Panthers WR Muhsin Muhammad returned to practice. Muhammad had been excused from the voluntary workouts last week by coach John Fox. Muhammad quickly resumed his role as the team’s first-team receiver alongside Steve Smith, bumping Dwayne Jarrett back to the No. 3 spot.
Patriots QB Tom Brady is recovering from his knee surgery much better than expected. Dr. Neal ElAttrache told The Times that Brady “even exceeded what I thought he was going to be able to do, and I was expecting big things from him.” With Brady’s permission, ElAttrache spoke about the knee reconstruction, treatment of a subsequent infection and the patient’s unwavering focus to recuperate in time to play this season. “With regard to his recovery of strength, I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” said ElAttrache.
Chiefs RB Larry Johnson attended and participated in Monday’s session. He missed practice two weeks ago for undisclosed reasons.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler apparently isn’t making himself very popular with the local fan base. He hasn’t been signing autographs at Wrigley Field.
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Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told FOXSports.com that the team is still considering making a contract offer to free-agent running back Edgerrin James. “We’ve spent some time evaluating Edgerrin,” Loomis said Tuesday morning. “We think he can still play. We’re going to continue to evaluate that and see where it ends up. We haven’t made a decision on Edgerrin yet.” In an expected move, James was released last month after the Cardinals drafted Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (first round) and LaRod Stephens-Howling (seventh). James is the NFL’s active rushing leader with 12,121 yards, which also ranks 11th on the league’s all-time list.
About 2 weeks ago this idea was initially brought up. New Orleans has been evaluating this for a while. “There’s been talk about Edgerrin James, and we’ve spent some time evaluating that prospect,” Loomis said back on May 6th.
It was believed that Edge would not be picked up after a quote by Coach Sean Payton on that same day.
“(James) is someone who we have discussed as an organization, just as we would with anyone of his magnitude who becomes available,” he said. “Right now, he is someone that we’re taking a look at but there hasn’t really been anything going on outside of that. In other words, it’s not something that is imminent.”
