BRYANT'S ACT BECOMING TEDIOUS, CHIEFS SIGN A PAIR & A NEW LOMBARDI ON THE HORIZON
Former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is beginning to wear out his welcome with some NFL teams. First he was suspended for the remainder of the season in week four last year for lying to an NCAA investigator. To be honest, the penalty was overkill in my opinion, but if he doesn't lie, he doesn't get suspended. Then he decided to not participate in the physical part of the recent NFL combine promising to show NFL decision-makers what he can do at OSU's pro day on campus tomorrow, March 10th. Then his agent put out the word last night that Dez wasn't going to participate after all. He will have his own private workout on March 25th. These diva-like moves are wearing thin with some teams & it's likely a few have already dropped him from their draft boards. Too many of these kids get really bad advice, they are stuck in the "it's all about me" time warp. Let's get this straight, the NFL was a going concern before Dez Bryant came along & it will continue to function as a profitable entity whether he makes an impact in the league or not. One more thing, it's a privilege to play in the NFL, it isn't a privilege for a team to draft Dez Bryant. Some of these young men need to get over themselves.
Scott Fujita finally got a big-money contract. After cinching a Super Bowl Championship ring, he did what a lot of 30+ players do right after they win that ring, they go looking for one big contract, regardless of where they have to play to get it. The Browns signed Fujita to a 4-year deal with over #11 million guaranteed. They also signed offensive right tackle Tony Pashos to play opposite Pro Bowl left tackle, Joe Thomas. New team boss Mike Holmgren also swung a deal to reunite himself with former Seahawk backup QB Senaca Wallace.
The Chargers gambled & lost. Longtime San Diego nose tackle Jamal Williams was cut in an effort to save a $2.5 million roster bonus. The Chargers thought at his age, 34 in April, he wouldn't get much interest & they could resign him. Wrong, the Denver Broncos continued reshaping their front seven by signing Williams to a 3-year deal. Denver is trying to shore up a miserable run defense, but they're getting considerably older by going the way they've chosen.
Former live tackling dummy, quarterback David Carr, has signed on to be San Francisco's backup. Carr, with eight NFL seasons under his belt, has been sacked 265 times. He missed part of 2 seasons with injury, was a backup the past two seasons for the Giants & he's still been sacked 265 times. That's frightening. Good luck David.
Former Shawnee Mission West & Kansas State guard, Ryan Lilja, was cut yesterday by the Indianapolis Colts. The 7-year veteran plucked off the waiver wire after being cut from the Chiefs practice squad. Lilja started 50 of 57 games he played with Indianapolis. He's played in two Super Bowls, winning one. Now before everyone starts emailing me about picking Lilja off the scrap heap, know this, he is an undersized, finesse blocker who was cut because GM Bill Polian made it clear the Colts' offensive line wasn't getting the job done. They haven't been able to run the ball consistently for over two years. Lilja became the first casualty in what looks to be a revamping of their line. I'd rather see Wade Smith resigned before they go after Lilja, he's a helluva lot more versatile.
Ben Roethlisberger has been accused again of sexual assault, this time in Georgia. A young woman made the accusations to Millegeville(just a few miles from his off-season home in Macon) police just hours after the alleged incident last Friday night. Fellow Steeler, Willie Colon, was with Roethlisberger all evening & he refutes her story. But at some point both the Steelers & the NFL are going to have to look into Big Ben's choices in off-time recreation. Once again, I have no idea if the allegations are true, but if you keep putting yourself in dicey situations, it's reasonable to expect trouble. That's assuming he's innocent, if he really did something to this woman, then unleash the hounds by all means.
The Chiefs resigned WR Cris Chambers to a new 3-year deal worth $5.9 million in guaranteed money. Since they struck out in their attempts to acquire Anquan Boldin, it was really necessary to sign Chambers. They also signed former Jet/Bear/Cardinal running back, Thomas Jones. He gained 1,402 yards last season & scored 14 touchdowns for the Jets. But as I told you last week, Jones has a lot of miles on those wheels, over 1,500 carries the last 5 seasons & he'll be 32-years old in August. He got a 2-year deal good for $3 million this season & $2 million next. With that kind of money for a backup, how long do you think Jamaal Charles will remain happy & can you blame him?
Who do you think will play legendary coach Vince Lombardi on the big screen? My favorite actor, Robert DeNiro, that's who. Considering how he gets into a character(Jake LaMotta, Travis Bickle, Al Capone), this could be a great football movie, provided there's a script worth producing. Looking forward to hearing more details about this project.
Scott Fujita finally got a big-money contract. After cinching a Super Bowl Championship ring, he did what a lot of 30+ players do right after they win that ring, they go looking for one big contract, regardless of where they have to play to get it. The Browns signed Fujita to a 4-year deal with over #11 million guaranteed. They also signed offensive right tackle Tony Pashos to play opposite Pro Bowl left tackle, Joe Thomas. New team boss Mike Holmgren also swung a deal to reunite himself with former Seahawk backup QB Senaca Wallace.
The Chargers gambled & lost. Longtime San Diego nose tackle Jamal Williams was cut in an effort to save a $2.5 million roster bonus. The Chargers thought at his age, 34 in April, he wouldn't get much interest & they could resign him. Wrong, the Denver Broncos continued reshaping their front seven by signing Williams to a 3-year deal. Denver is trying to shore up a miserable run defense, but they're getting considerably older by going the way they've chosen.
Former live tackling dummy, quarterback David Carr, has signed on to be San Francisco's backup. Carr, with eight NFL seasons under his belt, has been sacked 265 times. He missed part of 2 seasons with injury, was a backup the past two seasons for the Giants & he's still been sacked 265 times. That's frightening. Good luck David.
Former Shawnee Mission West & Kansas State guard, Ryan Lilja, was cut yesterday by the Indianapolis Colts. The 7-year veteran plucked off the waiver wire after being cut from the Chiefs practice squad. Lilja started 50 of 57 games he played with Indianapolis. He's played in two Super Bowls, winning one. Now before everyone starts emailing me about picking Lilja off the scrap heap, know this, he is an undersized, finesse blocker who was cut because GM Bill Polian made it clear the Colts' offensive line wasn't getting the job done. They haven't been able to run the ball consistently for over two years. Lilja became the first casualty in what looks to be a revamping of their line. I'd rather see Wade Smith resigned before they go after Lilja, he's a helluva lot more versatile.
Ben Roethlisberger has been accused again of sexual assault, this time in Georgia. A young woman made the accusations to Millegeville(just a few miles from his off-season home in Macon) police just hours after the alleged incident last Friday night. Fellow Steeler, Willie Colon, was with Roethlisberger all evening & he refutes her story. But at some point both the Steelers & the NFL are going to have to look into Big Ben's choices in off-time recreation. Once again, I have no idea if the allegations are true, but if you keep putting yourself in dicey situations, it's reasonable to expect trouble. That's assuming he's innocent, if he really did something to this woman, then unleash the hounds by all means.
The Chiefs resigned WR Cris Chambers to a new 3-year deal worth $5.9 million in guaranteed money. Since they struck out in their attempts to acquire Anquan Boldin, it was really necessary to sign Chambers. They also signed former Jet/Bear/Cardinal running back, Thomas Jones. He gained 1,402 yards last season & scored 14 touchdowns for the Jets. But as I told you last week, Jones has a lot of miles on those wheels, over 1,500 carries the last 5 seasons & he'll be 32-years old in August. He got a 2-year deal good for $3 million this season & $2 million next. With that kind of money for a backup, how long do you think Jamaal Charles will remain happy & can you blame him?
Who do you think will play legendary coach Vince Lombardi on the big screen? My favorite actor, Robert DeNiro, that's who. Considering how he gets into a character(Jake LaMotta, Travis Bickle, Al Capone), this could be a great football movie, provided there's a script worth producing. Looking forward to hearing more details about this project.
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