NFL 2007 Season - Discuss it all here

[Axl4Prez2004]

sounds like culpooper could end up in jacksonville.

gruden named garcia the starter in TB, and kinda took a shot a simms in the process.

i wish the birds would have resigned garcia. mcnabb practiced with the team yesterday and it looks like he's on track to be ready for the start of the season, but garcia was a real nice insurance policy.

I really wish Culpepper would get an agent.  I think being your own agent can make for contentious negotiations and cause bad blood.  At least if your agent is a shark and is holding the organization by the balls, the management won't be pissed at you the player as much.  Just my 2 cents.  The extra % going to the agent is well worth it in my opinion as he can negotiate a much better deal with less agravation.

Garcia would have been insurance alright...very expensive insurance.  I think the way they're running things is best for the future of the team.  If McNabb goes down, they know Garcia can't get them to the Super Bowl.  This is a huge year for Donovan.  The pressure will be high, but the man is the consummate professional.  He'll play very well and the Eagles will win 11 games and the East to boot...if Donovan stays healthy.

To Krispy Kreme, amen on the behavior issues.  Hopefully it's not too little too late.

[RebelRose89]

The Bills will look real good this year...

[Krispy Kreme]

Chiefs Larry Johnson is due to make a base of 1.7 mil this year, last year of the contract. He wants an extension, and the Chiefs no doubt will comply as they want to keep him. Talk is that he wants guaranteed money between 21-35 mil, with an overall value  of 60 mil for up to 8 years. He is or will be 28  this season, because he came  out  of college late at 23. Question: is he worth it? He probably has 4, maybe 5 really productive years left. The Chiefs  reportedly were  shopping him around this offseason, but could not get anyone to agree  to their asking price.

[Communist China]

The Bills will look real good this year...

Please, you're hurting me.

[RebelRose89]

The Bills will look real good this year...

Please, you're hurting me.

I know, I'm hurt just looking at the offseason losses they had ... but I'm still going to tailgate my ass off !

[Communist China]

The Bills will look real good this year...

Please, you're hurting me.

I know, I'm hurt just looking at the offseason losses they had ... but I'm still going to tailgate my ass off !

If punting ever makes the difference in winning and losing, the Bills will be ready to win the Super Bowl!

I wish the Bills would lie down for a season. I'm sick of this 6-10, pick 11 or 13 in the draft. Last time they had a great pick, #4 I think, they wasted it on 300 pounds of suck in Mike Williams. Perhaps going 2-14 is the way to do it. Worked for the Chargers anyways.

[RebelRose89]

The Bills will look real good this year...

Please, you're hurting me.

I know, I'm hurt just looking at the offseason losses they had ... but I'm still going to tailgate my ass off !

If punting ever makes the difference in winning and losing, the Bills will be ready to win the Super Bowl!

I wish the Bills would lie down for a season. I'm sick of this 6-10, pick 11 or 13 in the draft. Last time they had a great pick, #4 I think, they wasted it on 300 pounds of suck in Mike Williams. Perhaps going 2-14 is the way to do it. Worked for the Chargers anyways.

deffinitely!! someone who has my line of thought on the situation.
just as long as they don't pull a Charger move of the past and select a Ryan Leaf

[freedom78]

Grateful Freeney signs $72 million deal with Colts; Tom Brady Shits Pants, Claims His Vag Hurts

Defensive end Dwight Freeney has spent his entire football career chasing and sacking quarterbacks. Now, he's going to be paid as the premier player at his position.

Freeney, the Indianapolis Colts' franchise player, signed a six-year, $72 million contract with the team Friday that includes a $30 million signing bonus. He becomes the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

"To have me paid among the top players in the league -- not just as a defensive players -- means a lot of me," said Freeney, who flew to Indianapolis on Thursday night in anticipation of accepting the deal. "[Colts general manager] Bill Polian is the one who drafted me. I was hand-picked by him. He was going to do the right thing for the organization."

Polian drafted Freeney in the first round in 2002 and watched him develop into one of the game's most disruptive defensive players. Freeney registered 56? sacks during his first five seasons with the Colts and has forced 27 fumbles during his career.

Freeney and the Colts had until Monday to hammer out a long-term deal. Had that not happened, Freeney and the Colts would have been forced to settle for the one-year tender at $9.43 million, which would have left Freeney to decide whether or not to hold out.

Neither Polian nor Freeney wanted that to happen. Freeney expressed throughout the offseason that he wanted to remain a Colt. He attended most of the team's offeseason activities while Polian and Freeney's agent, Gary Wichard, worked on an agreement.

Freeney will receive $37.72 million over the first three years of the contract. In doing the deal, the Colts will save $3.68 million of salary-cap room that they can use to keep other players whose contracts are expiring. The Colts had $3.4 million of cap room before reaching agreement with Freeney.

"This really shows a commitment," Freeney said. "I have to thank [Colts owner] Jim Irsay and Bill Polian. They have done most of their big deals with the offense prior to this. Now, they've gotten to the defense and the guys who can go out and make some big plays on defense."

Depending on the way insiders view contracts, Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour had been the league's highest-paid defensive player if you consider the new money in a three-year, $28 million contract he signed in 2006. The Patriots view that deal as a $7.5 million-a-year contract if you include Seymour's salary in 2006.

Freeney's contract takes the top defensive pay scale to the $12 million-a-year range.

"I feel great about this because no one usually gets paid for the impact they have on the team," Freeney said. "To have a contract that pays me among the top players in the league and not just for being a defensive player means a lot. Normally, tight ends get paid with other tight ends and offensive linemen get paid with other offensive linemen."

This deal will have a significant impact on other top pass-rushers who are in negotiations to re-sign with their teams. New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith, Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs are pass-rushers who were waiting to see how Freeney's negotiations turned out.

"It's great to see the Colts are paying a guy who stops a quarterback like a quarterback," Freeney said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2935483

[tim_m]

Vick ordered to avoid camp during investigation
ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league reviews the dogfighting charges against him.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback.

The NFL said Vick would still get his preseason pay and Goodell told the Falcons to withhold any disciplinary action of their own until the league's review was completed.

Goodell told Vick the league would complete its review quickly and that he expected full cooperation. The review is expected to involve conversations with federal law enforcement officials so the NFL can determine the strength of the case against Vick.

The Falcons open camp on Thursday, the same day Vick is scheduled to be arraigned in Richmond, Va., on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation.

Team officials declined comment other than to say a news conference was scheduled Tuesday at owner Arthur Blank's office in Atlanta.

Blank, general manager Rich McKay and new coach Bobby Petrino are expected to speak publicly for the first time about their embattled quarterback. Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts said Vick, who is in Virginia, will not attend the news conference.

Petrino's wife, Becky Petrino, said her husband had not yet returned home when The Associated Press called on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor in Surry County, Virginia, says Vick will not be indicted when a grand jury meets tomorrow -- largely because a local dogfighting investigation has taken a back seat to the federal probe.

Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter said today that his investigation has been on hiatus since the feds conducted their first search of a house owned by Vick where evidence of dogfighting was found.

Surry County's grand jury is scheduled to convene again in September.

Vick hasn't commented publicly since the team held a mini-camp in May. None of the phone messages left on his cell phone have been returned. Lawyer Lawrence Woodward of Newport News, Va., also did not respond to interview requests Monday.

Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, last season became the first quarterback ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards. He led the Falcons to an NFC wild-card win 2002, his first season as a starter, and in 2004, Vick's play helped the Falcons reach the conference title game.

NFL veteran players will earn $1,100 per week from the beginning of camp until the first week of the regular season.

The contract extension Vick signed in 2004, a 10-year deal worth approximately $130 million, calls for a $6 million salary this season.

After Vick's indictment last week, the NFL's position was that it would monitor developments and allow the legal process to "determine the facts."

Since then, pressure has been mounting on the league and the Falcons, particularly from animal-rights groups.

PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- demonstrated at Falcons' headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., on Monday and did the same outside NFL offices in New York last week. At the same time, Goodell was meeting with officials from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The league and the ASPCA are working on a program to educate players about the proper treatment of animals.

Activists also pressured companies that have endorsements deals with Vick to sever their ties. Nike said it would not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick's name will remain in stores.

The Humane Society of the United States responded to the NFL's directive by renewing its call that the apparel company sever its relationship with Vick while the charges are pending.

Goodell's order came down after lengthy discussions involving the league office, the Falcons and the NFL Players' Association. Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA's executive director, was one of the first to side with Goodell when he instituted the strong Personal Conduct Policy after a season of repeated misdeeds by players.

Disciplining players has turned out to be Goodell's main focus since taking over last Sept. 1 for the retired Paul Tagliabue.

Since the end of last season, he has used the new policy to suspend Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans for the entire 2007 season; and Chris Henry of Cincinnati and former Chicago Bear Tank Johnson for eight games each.

Those calling for Vick's suspension have noted that Jones, who faces charges of coercion in Las Vegas stemming from a shooting that left a man paralyzed, wasn't convicted when he was suspended.

However, league officials said there were mitigating circumstances in the Jones case.

In January, he accepted a plea agreement to dismiss public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges in Tennessee if he behaved himself for six months. League officials say that the charges in Las Vegas voided that agreement and were a major factor in his suspension.

The indictment of Vick alleges that about eight young dogs were put to death at his Surry County home after they were found not ready to fight. They were killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

Purses for the fights ranged from hundreds of dollars to the thousands, and participants and spectators often placed side bets on the outcome, according to the indictment

If convicted, Vick and three others charged with him could face up to six years in prison, and $350,000 in fines.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2946832

[Axl4Prez2004]

The Bills will look real good this year...

Please, you're hurting me.

I know, I'm hurt just looking at the offseason losses they had ... but I'm still going to tailgate my ass off !

Great memories!  I saw GNR at Rich Stadium July 25th, 1992.  That parking lot was a hell of a good time, as was the incredible concert with Faith No More, Metallica, and GNFNR!  Great memories.   

Marshawn Lynch and Evans will give you some fun stuff to watch in Buffalo this year.  A lot will hinge upon Losman getting protection though.

Vick?  I just don't see him playing this season.  A lot of internet sites put his probability of playing this season at 50-50.  I don't buy it.  This case is huge and I just can't see how he'd be able to function.  Barry Bonds and George W. Bush have more favorable poll numbers than Vick...and that says a lot.  It's a shame because he is a lot of fun to watch.  What a dick...oops, I mean "alleged" dick. 

[Loaded NightraiN]

Great memories!? I saw GNR at Rich Stadium July 25th, 1992.? That parking lot was a hell of a good time, as was the incredible concert with Faith No More, Metallica, and GNFNR!? Great memories.? ?

Dude i was 9 years old at the time.... Wish i woulda been there  ... Only time they played in Buffalo 

Its ok I listen to the bootleg everyonce in a while.. Love it.. They fuck up sweet child, Axl says, "We wouldent be GNR if we didnt fuck up once in a while now would we??" 

[Krispy Kreme]

Priest Holmes is due to report to the Chiefs camp after not playing the past 1.5 seasons. I wonder if he has anything left in the tank. He'll be 34 in November.

Larry Johnson has officially started his  holdout. He is due to make 1.7 mil this year, but wants a multiyear extension with money that is close to or exceeds what  Tomlison got a couple years back. So we're talking 25-30 mil in guaranteed money up front.

The KC press has tried to spin this that with  Holmes coming back the Chiefs have more leverage in their talks with Johnson, but I think that is bull. You don't build a team or base your running game around a 34 year back who has not played since October 2005.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Ha, that's right!  I do have the boot as well and me and my buddies remember it well.  We also remembered they played that "weem-away, a weem-away, a weem-away...lion sleeps tonight" song as the intro.   

That show was insane.  We watched some jack-ass kid throw one of those monster sized toilet paper rolls off our top deck area and it hit some woman in the head...there was blood.  Needless to say, less than 5 minutes later some very angry people came up to the top deck and found the kid and got their payback.  It wasn't pretty.

On topic, this new commissioner, Goodell, fucking rocks.  If Vick is shown to have been at the dog fights, he will not play this season...mark my words.  He's exciting as hell to watch on the field, but you can bet your ass the Falcons owner is trying to get the NFL to dump Vick's salary so the Falcons don't have to suffer paying Vick all that money for nothing. 

Krispy juuuust posted.  LJ is asking way too much.  I think he wants his pay-day now because he knoooows that offensive line aint what it was the last 2 seasons.  KC is in trouble with or without LJ.  I hope LJ sits out and Priest is able to come back.  I've always liked Holmes.

[tim_m]

Ha, that's right!  I do have the boot as well and me and my buddies remember it well.  We also remembered they played that "weem-away, a weem-away, a weem-away...lion sleeps tonight" song as the intro.   

That show was insane.  We watched some jack-ass kid throw one of those monster sized toilet paper rolls off our top deck area and it hit some woman in the head...there was blood.  Needless to say, less than 5 minutes later some very angry people came up to the top deck and found the kid and got their payback.  It wasn't pretty.

On topic, this new commissioner, Goodell, fucking rocks.  If Vick is shown to have been at the dog fights, he will not play this season...mark my words.  He's exciting as hell to watch on the field, but you can bet your ass the Falcons owner is trying to get the NFL to dump Vick's salary so the Falcons don't have to suffer paying Vick all that money for nothing. 

Krispy juuuust posted.  LJ is asking way too much.  I think he wants his pay-day now because he knoooows that offensive line aint what it was the last 2 seasons.  KC is in trouble with or without LJ.  I hope LJ sits out and Priest is able to come back.  I've always liked Holmes.

If it is proven he actually did participate in the dog fighting i hope he never plays again. The possible 6yr jail sentence would pretty much ensure that.

[Krispy Kreme]

What Vick did, or? knew? about, is just sick sick sick. Federal indictments have something like 95% conviction rates. In other? words, they don't bring an indictment unless? they? are? pretty sure to convict. Plus now? there? is a "superseding" indictment? which may bring new/additional charges.

I do not believe that Vick did not? know what was happening in a house? he? owned. I hope he is released? by the Falcons? and then banned from? the league. Even if? he gets a 6 yr sentence, he can be out in 2 with good? behavior,? so Goddell? needs to ban him permanently. The NFL does not need such scum fuck filth among its ranks.

ESPN had a piece on the company that Vick kept, and they are? all facing? legal action? of one kind or another, so in other? words, Vick has shown? very bad? judgment in the company that he keeps.

[Axl4Prez2004]

The abuse of animals is heinous and the NFL is justly concerned about bad p.r.
...but the worst aspect of this whole mess is that when you or your family members are running a dog-fighting ring, this is also a gambling ring.  Gambling.  What player on a field has the greatest influence over the outcome of a game?  Quarterback.  What Falcon admitted to giving less than 100% effort in a late-season game when the Falcons had already been eliminated from playoff contention?  That's right...good ol' Ron Mexico.
This a-hole is the type of guy who could destroy the integrity of the game.

Yes Timothy, I agree.  I wouldn't be sad to see him do hard time, but with all that money, I just don't see it happening.  No priors.  He'll be fined severely, suspended, forced to do charity work, etc. and he'll turn on all involved including family members.  There will be an emotional interview next year with Terry Bradshaw talking about the hell Michael has been through, being estranged from his low-life fam. members, etc.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

As punishment, they should banish Vick to Oakland.

[Krispy Kreme]

Goodell needs to make an example of Vick, showing that just  because you are a "superstar" you are not immune to prosecution  or consequences of your behavior. The NFL has to come down hard, and Goodell  is doing the right thing so far because at  some point fans, who, with rising prices, are mostly white middle or upper  class, will be  alienated from the "gansta" behavior of the players. True, it is a minority, but it is always true that the  few ruin  it  for the majority. So Vick has to be the example to the other  few who are fuck ups.

[Krispy Kreme]

As punishment, they should banish Vick to Oakland.

Who would  gladly welcome him  with open arms, or  even Jerry Jones....

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

As punishment, they should banish Vick to Oakland.

Who would  gladly welcome him  with open arms, or  even Jerry Jones....

Nahhhh, good old Jerry wouldn't want Vick the Dick playing on America's Team.

As far as Goodell needing to make an example of Vick, you are spot on. 

Maybe that will straighten up all the other crooked players in the league.

And there are A LOT of players like that.  Not just in the NFL mind you.  The NBA springs to mind as well.