THIS AND THAT..........SATURDAY
I told you recently of Larry Foote, the ex-Steeler linebacker, who chose to take his 2 Super Bowl rings & go to Detroit to play for his home town Lions. After the completion of their recent mini camp Foote was asked his impressions of his new team. He said "frankly, I was shocked by all the "F-bombs" dropped every 2 minutes. It was never like that in Pittsburgh under Bill Cowher or Mike Tomlin & certainly not ever from Dick LeBeau". For everyone, other than fans of the Chiefs, ex-Kansas City & new Detroit defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham, drops more "F-bombs" than probably anyone in all of football. The first time you're around him on the practice field, Foote's absolutely correct, it's one "F-this & MF-that" after another, all day, all the time. Welcome home Larry.
The World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to visit the White House & meet President Obama. The '09 defensive player of the year, linebacker James Harrison, won't be going. Apparently Harrison isn't a fan of the President's, saying "if he wants to me, invite me when we haven't won the Super Bowl". Huh???
Former Saint running back, Deuce McAllister, plans to return to the NFL very soon, he just needs a place to land. The Saints' all-time rusher has suffered thru ACL injuries to both knees, one in '05, the other in '07. Last year he had to have the left knee drained every week & the pain got to be too much at mid-season & he was shelved on I.R. He has worked very hard in the off-season to get himself ready to play. He toiled 5 hours a day at a rehab facility run by the famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews. He then moved on to working out with special forces personnel. Dr. Andrews told McAllister the focus of his rehab was core & hip flexibility & strength, the reason his knees took such a pounding. McAllister lost his Nissan dealership in the economic downturn but still owns a Land Rover & Jaguar store. He also is very active in refurbishing buildings in the historical section of his hometown, Jackson, Mississippi. He wants to go with a team that's looking for someone to carry the ball 10-12 times a game & a reduced salary doesn't scare him either. "the money's nice, but a championship is much more important at this point. Plus I still want to play & believe I can be an asset to the team that gives me a chance". He does have a possible 4-game suspension hanging over his head tho, he was part of the over the counter dietary supplement group from last season that have yet to have their appeal heard by the commissioner. All six players caught up in this 'positive test' are starters for the Saints & Vikings that have never had a single blemish on their records for anything.
The New York Jets have 2 disgruntled running backs, Thomas Jones & Leon Washington. Both want new deals & it's said in the New York media that Washington will soon be granted a new contract, Jones might not. The Jets also drafted Iowa RB, Shonn Green, who is more of a pounder than either Jones or Washington. The Jets also were unable to draft the WR everyone thinks they need, me included, so the trade rumor mill has cranked up now, with a Seattle WR Deion Branch for Jet RB Thomas Jones deal. On paper it looks conceivable, which means it will never happen. Seattle has $7.8 million in available salary cap, so if this swap were to happen, they would be better set to give Jones the $$$ he's looking for.
In the "Is anyone really surprised?" category, in spite of the economic hard times, University of Nebraska season ticket renewals are running at a 98% rate. For a school that has sold every ticket for every home game since 1964, does it surprise anyone?
I told you a few days ago of all of the Colt coaches that have resigned or retired recently. I was struck by owner Bob Irsay's take on it as well. Indy general manager, Bill Polian, one of football's sharpest minds, said yesterday "it's a very bad situation, we will miss them greatly. They're terrific guys, they're good friends & they're legendary coaches". There's speculation that Howard Mudd, O-line coach & Tom Moore, offensive coordinator, left in hopes of taking their lump sum retirement money before the league-wide fund falls below the 80%-funded level. When that benchmark is reached, the lump sum payment option will cease to exist & all retirement monies will be in monthly payments. If this is the cause, it's sad the NFLCA has done so little for their members. The resignation of D-coordinator, Ron Meeks & special teams coach, Russ Purnell, have nothing to do with the retirement question. Certainly, coupled with the retirement of Tony Dungy, a bunch of great coaching talent has departed Indianapolis.
For those keeping score at home, the top five teams in regard to salary cap availability, are Tampa Bay with $36.6 million, Kansas City with $31.1, Green Bay with $28.5, Frisco with $25.4 & Philadelphia with $23.1. The dubious leader of the bottom five is the Baltimore Ravens with $958,000, Giants with $4.2 million, New Orleans with $4.6, Pittsburgh with $4.7 & Carolina with $4.9.
The World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to visit the White House & meet President Obama. The '09 defensive player of the year, linebacker James Harrison, won't be going. Apparently Harrison isn't a fan of the President's, saying "if he wants to me, invite me when we haven't won the Super Bowl". Huh???
Former Saint running back, Deuce McAllister, plans to return to the NFL very soon, he just needs a place to land. The Saints' all-time rusher has suffered thru ACL injuries to both knees, one in '05, the other in '07. Last year he had to have the left knee drained every week & the pain got to be too much at mid-season & he was shelved on I.R. He has worked very hard in the off-season to get himself ready to play. He toiled 5 hours a day at a rehab facility run by the famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews. He then moved on to working out with special forces personnel. Dr. Andrews told McAllister the focus of his rehab was core & hip flexibility & strength, the reason his knees took such a pounding. McAllister lost his Nissan dealership in the economic downturn but still owns a Land Rover & Jaguar store. He also is very active in refurbishing buildings in the historical section of his hometown, Jackson, Mississippi. He wants to go with a team that's looking for someone to carry the ball 10-12 times a game & a reduced salary doesn't scare him either. "the money's nice, but a championship is much more important at this point. Plus I still want to play & believe I can be an asset to the team that gives me a chance". He does have a possible 4-game suspension hanging over his head tho, he was part of the over the counter dietary supplement group from last season that have yet to have their appeal heard by the commissioner. All six players caught up in this 'positive test' are starters for the Saints & Vikings that have never had a single blemish on their records for anything.
The New York Jets have 2 disgruntled running backs, Thomas Jones & Leon Washington. Both want new deals & it's said in the New York media that Washington will soon be granted a new contract, Jones might not. The Jets also drafted Iowa RB, Shonn Green, who is more of a pounder than either Jones or Washington. The Jets also were unable to draft the WR everyone thinks they need, me included, so the trade rumor mill has cranked up now, with a Seattle WR Deion Branch for Jet RB Thomas Jones deal. On paper it looks conceivable, which means it will never happen. Seattle has $7.8 million in available salary cap, so if this swap were to happen, they would be better set to give Jones the $$$ he's looking for.
In the "Is anyone really surprised?" category, in spite of the economic hard times, University of Nebraska season ticket renewals are running at a 98% rate. For a school that has sold every ticket for every home game since 1964, does it surprise anyone?
I told you a few days ago of all of the Colt coaches that have resigned or retired recently. I was struck by owner Bob Irsay's take on it as well. Indy general manager, Bill Polian, one of football's sharpest minds, said yesterday "it's a very bad situation, we will miss them greatly. They're terrific guys, they're good friends & they're legendary coaches". There's speculation that Howard Mudd, O-line coach & Tom Moore, offensive coordinator, left in hopes of taking their lump sum retirement money before the league-wide fund falls below the 80%-funded level. When that benchmark is reached, the lump sum payment option will cease to exist & all retirement monies will be in monthly payments. If this is the cause, it's sad the NFLCA has done so little for their members. The resignation of D-coordinator, Ron Meeks & special teams coach, Russ Purnell, have nothing to do with the retirement question. Certainly, coupled with the retirement of Tony Dungy, a bunch of great coaching talent has departed Indianapolis.
For those keeping score at home, the top five teams in regard to salary cap availability, are Tampa Bay with $36.6 million, Kansas City with $31.1, Green Bay with $28.5, Frisco with $25.4 & Philadelphia with $23.1. The dubious leader of the bottom five is the Baltimore Ravens with $958,000, Giants with $4.2 million, New Orleans with $4.6, Pittsburgh with $4.7 & Carolina with $4.9.
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