by Joe Tailgate on August 21, 2009
in NFL News
The Falcons unveiled Thursday the throwback jerseys they will wear for two games this season. The Falcons will wear them when they play host to the defending NFC South champion Carolina Panthers on Sept. 20. They will wear them again when Tampa Bay comes to the Georgia Dome on Nov. 29.
Bears RB Matt Forte likely will get at least half a dozen carries Saturday night when the Bears host the Giants at Soldier Field. “He needs to get some work,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner.
Eagles coach Andy Reid left open the possibility last night that Michael Vick would play in the team’s third exhibition game next week, but he would not guarantee it. “He had a good week of work,” Reid said. “He got a good workout in today. We’ll see how he does next week. We’re shooting for the third game. We’ll see. We’ve just got to get a feel on him throughout the week.” [click to continue…]
by Joe Tailgate on July 6, 2009
in NFL News
At the NFL Rookie Symposium in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford told CBSSports.com in an exclusive interview that his new team’s offense is familiar to him.
“Coming from Georgia, we do a lot of the same concepts with [offensive coordinator Scott] Linehan that we did there,” Stafford said. “It’s obviously called something completely different and you may look for a different look for certain coverages, but a lot of the concepts are similar, so it’s been a pretty easy transition for me so far.”
Before and after the draft, the Lions talked about adding a veteran backup because they weren’t sure how quickly Stafford would be ready. They didn’t want to get into a situation where Daunte Culpepper would start the season and then get hurt and then be forced to go with a raw rookie. That situation has changed. The Lions are now very confident that Stafford will be ready for the start of the regular season.
The Lions’ offensive line is under scrutiny again. Center Dominic Raiola knows it, and so does right tackle Gosder Cherilus. They are two of the key figures on the line and both believe the OL will be improved.
“We feel like we got good people around us,” Cherilus said. “We are playing well together. We understand each other and once we start playing (games), the sky is the limit. I love what we are doing. I am excited. I can’t wait to start hitting somebody.”
Caleb Campbell’s NFL career may be on hold, but he is now training with the United States bobsled team in hopes of making the 2010 Olympics. He had never been in a bobsled prior to the start of his training, so it would be pretty remarkable if he actually is able to make the Olympics.
by Joe Tailgate on June 11, 2009
in NFL News
- The Eagles and QB Donovan McNabb are close to restructuring the final two years of the quarterback’s current contract. Under his current deal, the 11th-year veteran is scheduled to earn $9.2 million this season and $10 million in 2010. The two sides had been discussing an extension before agreeing to focus on reworking the two years remaining on his current deal.
- Andy Reid isn’t happy about it, but cornerback Asante Samuel has decided to skip at least some of the team’s volunteer camp this week. The Eagles’ cornerback did not show up Monday as the team resumed the full-squad camp that started with four workouts last week. No direct statement was made by the team about Samuel’s absence, and because this camp is voluntary, the Eagles cannot take any disciplinary action.
- Andy Reid is optomistic about Brian Westbrook. “Brian was on a mission this year to come back, and he still is,” Reid said. “When I mention that he was in phenomenal shape, I mean he really was in incredible shape, and that will help him get through this. You have to understand how tough Brian is and how much he loves football.” Westbrook could be sidelined through the preseason after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his right ankle last week.
- Lions C Dominic Raiola can’t help but be excited about rookie QB Matthew Stafford, and Raiola says there’s a big difference between Stafford and the Lions’ other first-round quarterbacks, Joey Harrington. “I’m very optimistic – I am every year,” Raiola tells Matt Shepard on WDFN-AM. “But I think this more than any other year. I’m excited. I’m anxious to see the product we put out there with Coach Schwartz leading us. The quarterback competition has been great. Daunte’s in better shape; he’s throwing the ball well. And even Matt … Matt came in and – it’s totally different than our past first-round quarterback that we’ve drafted, y’know, in the past. You can tell that this guy, he looks like a first-rounder. He looks like a No. 1 pick.”
- Patriots NT Vince Wilfork shows up to mandatory camp. Wilfork recently said that he missed all of the Patriots OTA’s because he was upset with the lack of progress in contract negotiations, the OTA’s were optional and he didn’t have to show up to any of them. The Patriots Nose Tackle did show up today as the team began its mandatory mini-camp. He’s currently in the final year of his six-year rookie deal.
- Owner Robert Kraft spoke with reporters today about Wilfork. “Vince and I have a great relationship, we actually chatted at the golf tournament Monday,” he said. “We both understand that this is not personal in any way. This is just each side doing their business. One way or another, I’m sure things will get resolved.”
- The Jets have reached a contract agreement with rookie QB Mark Sanchez, the team has announced. The Daily News has learned that Sanchez has received a five-year contract that includes $28 million in guarantees. This makes Sanchez the highest-paid player in team history.
Peyton Manning, on the Kravitz and Eddie show on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis, on whether the first pick in the 2009 draft should play as a rookie or observe. “With Matthew Stafford, I think you throw him in there right away. I think he’s lucky, the fact that he’s coming in with a new coaching staff. That’s a big advantage because basically he’s just like all the other veterans as far as learning this new system, learning the way their new head coach is going to approach things, learning his philosophy … I’m waiting for somebody to break that NFL rookie record for interceptions I set back in ‘98. Hopefully Stafford will give it a good run. But I’ll say this, there’s no way I could have played as well as I did in my second year if I hadn’t played that first year.”
But, according to the Detroit Free Press, if the season started today Daunte Culpepper would be under center for the Lions despite drafting quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in the draft. The Lions seem committed to bringing Stafford along slowly, but when you pay a guy that much money he isn’t going to sit for long. Culpepper will probably start the season under center, but get your over/under pools ready to go for which week Stafford takes over.
Drew Stanton is the third quarterback for now, though Mayhew said he’s “actively looking” to add another veteran backup to the mix. “All the starters and all that, it’s May,” Mayhew said. “We got plenty of time to figure all that out. Daunte is a guy that’s a vet, that’s been around, that’s a pro. I trust Daunte. He’s got a lot of ability, and I anticipate that if we had something to do today, Daunte’d be the guy. Today. But we got a lot of time to work and we’ll see where it goes.”
