THURSDAY FACTS AND RUMORS
Raider assistant coach Randy Hanson has filed a civil suit against head coach Tom Cable & the Raiders organization. The suit is in response to the broken jaw Hanson allegedly received in a scuffle with Cable last year. A Sonoma County grand jury declined to indict Cable after hearing testimony from several witnesses. The word is they claimed Hanson suffered the broken jaw falling onto a cabinet after being shoved by Cable, not from a punch thrown by Cable, as Hanson had claimed. I'm not a lawyer, but the fact remains no one has disputed Hanson's claim of a broken jaw. The hospital that treated him verified the injury, the police who investigated Hanson's charges didn't refute his injuries either, so somehow this fracture to his jaw happened. Hanson has been banished from contact with the coaching staff & players. He is required to enter the team offices thru the public entrance, he is isolated in a cubicle by himself with absolutely no responsibilities. Owner Al Davis, in one of his finest hours as a vindictive, petty & immature human being, won't fire Hanson. Instead Hanson is required to come to work everyday & do nothing if he wants his paycheck. When the team's buffet lunch is served, Hanson isn't allowed to come to the dining room, he must send someone to fill a plate for him & eat alone in his cubicle. Is the Raiders recent lack of success difficult to comprehend when the organization is being run like this? I don't think so.
The Bears are rumored to be very interested in pending free agent defensive ends Julius Peppers & Aaron Kampman. Peppers will not be 'franchised' again by Carolina, allowing the 5-time Pro Bowl performer to go into the free agent market. Kampman, also a Pro Bowl pass rusher, didn't make the transition to Green Bay's new 3-4 defensive scheme, he works better as a right defensive end in a 4-3 defense. He couldn't get used to standing up as an outside linebacker & was vocal about his displeasure. Both players are 30 years old, but both still have plenty of tread left on the tires. It's said Chicago wants both of them but unless they're willing to spend a helluva lot of money at the defensive end position, I can't see both wearing Bear uniforms next season.
The fallout in the Oregon Duck football program continues. Coach Chip Kelly has suspended linebacker Kiko Alonso for the entire season. Alonso was arrested & charged with DUI about 10-days ago. In his arrest report, Alonso was alleged to be nearly double the legal of limit blood-alcohol content. Wide receiver Jamere Holland was dropped from the program after posting on his Twitter account an obscenity-laced tirade against Kelly for suspending Alonso temporarily. Well now Holland can feel truly free to trash coach Kelly because he has suspended Alonso officially for the entire season. Once again, there are no winners, stupid, immature decisions make everyone a loser out in Eugene.
The Rams have cut season ticket prices from $30 to $190 per ticket for the upcoming season. Bravo, the Rams have been lousy for a number of years & in this economy, it's a smart business move. The Rams haven't raised ticket prices in 3 seasons. The decrease will not affect about 6,300 premium seats.
On the free agent front we have a few signings, a few franchise tags applied & a pair of very notable running backs released. On the signing front, the Steelers signed nose tackle Casey Hampton to a new 3-year $21 million deal with #11 of it guaranteed. Very smart move to sign a very productive & popular player. The Green Bay Packers have slapped the franchise tag on nose tackle Ryan Pickett. Oakland did the same to defensive end Richard Seymour. The Saints will not 'franchise' safety Darren Sharper, who led the league in interceptions, they hope to resign the popular 34-year old before the March 5th free agent deadline. The same goes for Colt middle linebacker Gary Brackett, no franchise tag, but hope they can sign him by next Friday. Two running backs with Hall of Fame credentials, San Diego's LaDanian Tomlinson & Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook have been released. Both have seen declining production & increased play lost to injuries. Both also where on schedule for multi-million dollar roster bonuses this week, so their release wasn't a surprise. Neither were bitter & both believe they can still contribute to a contending team. Having been "The Man" for so many seasons with their teams, I wonder how eager they really are to set on the bench behind younger players. What they say now & the reality of being out of the spotlight might be two different things.
NFL Combine coverage will begin tomorrow, so check back daily to see what unfolds in Indianapolis.
The Bears are rumored to be very interested in pending free agent defensive ends Julius Peppers & Aaron Kampman. Peppers will not be 'franchised' again by Carolina, allowing the 5-time Pro Bowl performer to go into the free agent market. Kampman, also a Pro Bowl pass rusher, didn't make the transition to Green Bay's new 3-4 defensive scheme, he works better as a right defensive end in a 4-3 defense. He couldn't get used to standing up as an outside linebacker & was vocal about his displeasure. Both players are 30 years old, but both still have plenty of tread left on the tires. It's said Chicago wants both of them but unless they're willing to spend a helluva lot of money at the defensive end position, I can't see both wearing Bear uniforms next season.
The fallout in the Oregon Duck football program continues. Coach Chip Kelly has suspended linebacker Kiko Alonso for the entire season. Alonso was arrested & charged with DUI about 10-days ago. In his arrest report, Alonso was alleged to be nearly double the legal of limit blood-alcohol content. Wide receiver Jamere Holland was dropped from the program after posting on his Twitter account an obscenity-laced tirade against Kelly for suspending Alonso temporarily. Well now Holland can feel truly free to trash coach Kelly because he has suspended Alonso officially for the entire season. Once again, there are no winners, stupid, immature decisions make everyone a loser out in Eugene.
The Rams have cut season ticket prices from $30 to $190 per ticket for the upcoming season. Bravo, the Rams have been lousy for a number of years & in this economy, it's a smart business move. The Rams haven't raised ticket prices in 3 seasons. The decrease will not affect about 6,300 premium seats.
On the free agent front we have a few signings, a few franchise tags applied & a pair of very notable running backs released. On the signing front, the Steelers signed nose tackle Casey Hampton to a new 3-year $21 million deal with #11 of it guaranteed. Very smart move to sign a very productive & popular player. The Green Bay Packers have slapped the franchise tag on nose tackle Ryan Pickett. Oakland did the same to defensive end Richard Seymour. The Saints will not 'franchise' safety Darren Sharper, who led the league in interceptions, they hope to resign the popular 34-year old before the March 5th free agent deadline. The same goes for Colt middle linebacker Gary Brackett, no franchise tag, but hope they can sign him by next Friday. Two running backs with Hall of Fame credentials, San Diego's LaDanian Tomlinson & Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook have been released. Both have seen declining production & increased play lost to injuries. Both also where on schedule for multi-million dollar roster bonuses this week, so their release wasn't a surprise. Neither were bitter & both believe they can still contribute to a contending team. Having been "The Man" for so many seasons with their teams, I wonder how eager they really are to set on the bench behind younger players. What they say now & the reality of being out of the spotlight might be two different things.
NFL Combine coverage will begin tomorrow, so check back daily to see what unfolds in Indianapolis.
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