Union files grievance for Burress against Giants
The NFL Players Association filed legal papers on behalf of Plaxico Burress on Friday, countering efforts by the Giants to recoup millions of dollars in their claim that Burress defaulted on his contract.
It is the second grievance filed on Burress' behalf since the wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub in late November.
The first grievance, filed in December, was aimed at the Giants' decision to suspend Burress for four games and put him on the non-football injury list. The union claimed that was in violation of the collective-bargaining agreement and thought the punishment was excessive.
This latest one, according to a report by foxsports.com which has seen the documents, was in response to a letter the Giants sent Burress in December saying they were trying to recoup and withhold previous bonus money and future monies. Burress signed a five-year, $35-million, incentive-laden contract just before the season ended.
In 2008 alone, Burress lost out on $823,000 in salary because of the suspension, plus a $1-million installment on his signing bonus that was withheld in December.
NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment, but both grievances are expected to be heard during this offseason. Burress is next due in court March 31 to face the two felony gun charges stemming from the November incident.
Copyright (c) 2009, Newsday Inc
Steelers always have three key ingredients
It's always about The Coach, The Quarterback, and The Defense.
Those are the ingredients that make a winning football team, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have those. They've had them, in fact, for each of their six Super Bowls, it's just that the names will change once in a while.
The Coach: The Steelers found their current man two years ago in Mike Tomlin and he's kept the aggressive, body-blow style that has been a Pittsburgh trademark for over four decades.
"I had great belief in the Rooneys," Tomlin said of the famous football family that hired him. "They know what they're doing."
The Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger has now won two Super Bowls in his five year career. He's only 27, so yeah, you're reminded of a guy who plays just south of Boston. The guess is that he will get a few more opportunities to win more. Anyone want to argue that fact? Didn't think so.
Although Roethlisberger is never pretty, he's big, strong and can find the receiver when he has to. Roethlisberger has directed 18 fourth quarter or overtime game-winning drives in his career, and that last one is the one he'll remember the mostin a 27-23 thriller over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night. As he said during the awards ceremony, "anything is possible."
"We've got a great QB in No. 7," said Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, who caught four passes on the game-winning drive, including the artistic game-winning grab with 35 seconds to go. "He's the guy who's going to continue to work hard."
The Defense: Great for three quarters, including a Super Bowl record 100-yard interception return for James Harrison. But they almost folded down the stretch, because the Cardinals, as we've said in the past, are fun to watch. Yet Cards quarterback Kurt Warner committed two turnovers, and turnovers lose games.
These are all the reasons why the Steelers will be around for awhile. Tomlin gives you the impression he won't settle for anything less.
Roethlisberger just gives you the impression he'll find a way to get it done, just like he did yesterday. All he needs is a willing participant, and Holmes was more than willing.
And the Steelers will always have a player like Harrison on defense, or at least it always seems that way.
Are we talking dynasty? Oh, please, everyone thinks that a championship team is on its way to more titles, and it never happens (or almost never) these days, and it won't here. Pittsburgh, while numero uno, is far from perfect.
They don't run the ball as well as they should. Sometimes that seems to make Tomlin seem timid as a head coach. Don't you think he should have gone for that touchdown on fourth-and-1 on the game's first drive?
And their defense wasn't able to dominate in the fourth quarter when it needed to, because Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald is an amazing athlete to watch, and was oh, some 35 seconds away from winning a Super Bowl MVP award.
Perhaps that's because in today's NFL, it seems there is more than enough talent to go around. That's why the Super Bowl has seemingly stopped being a Super Bore. We've had two fantastic finishes in a row now, and with a couple of exceptions, most of the games of the last 10 years have been close. Maybe you could argue this one shouldn't have been, but hey, that's how the Steelers played all year - living on the edge. They weren't dominant, just good enough to win.
"It's never going to be pretty," Tomlin said. "Throw style points out the window."
But as long as the Steelers have those three key ingredients in place, that window for them will always be there. It's up to them to squeeze their way through it past the rest of the league.
(c)Telegraph Publishing Company
Vince Young Should Finish His Degree
Kerry Collins will be the starter going into fall camp for the Tennessee Titans. This should alert Vince Young that finishing his degree at Texas is both a good idea for his resume and possibly a vocational necessity, as he just got beat out by Kerry Collins, a broken-jawed 36 year old journeyman old enough to have played at Penn State when Joe Pa was merely in his 200s.
Young's disintegration under the hydraulic press-heavy pressure of the NFL is astonishing, but while marveling at the flames consider the obvious parallels with Collins and the long, long learning curve for quarterbacks in the league as a teaching moment. Collins was a feted talent out of Penn State who, after initial rapid success imploded in 1997 in Charlotte thanks to an admitted drinking problem and an incident where he used racial slurs to refer to both an African-American and Hispanic teammate. He was placed on waivers a season after leading Carolina to the playoffs with a flick of the pen at the tender age of 25.
Collins, given up for dead for years and bouncing from roster to roster, ultimately bounced back not once but twice: once as the NY Giants starter in Super Bowl XXXV, and now as the starter for a Titans team finishing 13-3 for 2008 and hitting 2009 with a generous head of steam going into the season.
Collins had to learn to succeed the hard way: by putting his hand in the bear trap first, experiencing the pain of full-on failure, and then recovering by enduring and surviving as best he could in the league. Young may be able to do the same, but like Collins as a young athlete he has shown no indications of pain-avoiding behavior, and will have to learn through the pain of being cut, something the Titans could feasibly do in order to free up cap room.
The move would certainly delight the Merrill Hoges of the world who glory in pronouncing a 25 year old athlete as being "done," but the pain of being cut may be the best thing for Young, a gifted athlete who is experiencing his very first professional failure in front millions of watching eyes. The snap of the bear trap of failure may be the best thing that ever happened to Young, a spectacular and spectacularly immature talent who may only mature if beaten about the head with crushing and obvious FAIL for a few years.
If Young hasn't noticed the object lesson embodied in the guy who has his old job already, well...he can't be reached by anything less than the initiation of a full-on career implosion, can he? Also, it would make Merrill Hoge wrong about football for the 3,918,829th time, and every time he's wrong the angels sing. (Which they do frequently, because Merrill Hoge is always wrong about everything.)
(c)2009 SportingNews.com
Which Team Yet To Go to the Super Bowl Stands the Best Chance To Represent?
Feb. 1, 2009 will be Super Bowl XLIII and the Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, I said the Arizona Cardinals. (Ironically, the last championship they won back in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles.)
The Cardinals are a 9-7 team in the Super Bowl, something that doesn't always happen. The only No. 4 seed to do that feat. The same "But they are who we thought they were. And we let 'em off the hook!" Cardinals.
With the Cardinals finally making it to Super Sunday this season that leaves five franchises who have yet to be represented: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions.
So, who out of the remaining five have the best chance of reaching the Super Bowl the fastest?
I say the Saints.
Discounting the AFC Representatives
Three of the five teams are in the AFC and that conference is the stronger of the two. The AFC has won seven out of the last 10 Super Bowls. The New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos are more than likely always going to be strong contenders for the playoffs.
The Jaguars have underperformed in the past few seasons. They have tremendous talent on offense and defense but hasn't always put it together when it counts. For now, they'll be content just beating the Colts. As a Floridian, though, I want to see this team put it together.
The Texans are heading in the right direction. They have arguably one of the top three receivers in the game in Andre Johnson. They have a promising rusher in Steve Slaton. Mario Williams is coming along quite nicely on a defense that contains quality players like: Dunta Robinson, DeMeco Ryans, and Eugene Wilson.
Unfortunately, the Texans play in the same division as the Colts and Titans. They can't start playing great football in the last half of the season. They need to be consistent and I have yet to see that.
The Cleveland Browns are about to begin a new regime with their new coach Eric Mangini. They have many things to figure out. Are they content with Jamal Lewis being their primary back? Who is the quarterback, Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn?
Will the defense step up? Can Braylon Edwards hold on to the rock? And what can this team do to overtake strong competition in the form of the Steelers?
Discounting the Lions
Do I really need to give a reason on why I am against the Lions doing this feat first? They are the Detroit Lions for Pete's sake (I'm sorry Pete for associating you with the Lions).
The Lions are the only NFL team to ever go winless in a 16-game regular season. They have stunk at drafting. The whole team can go, sans Calvin Johnson. They aren't in one of the toughest divisions but it's no cakewalk either.
And just because the Miami Dolphins did an improbable turnaround this year, let's not get too ecstatic in the Motor City.
Why I say the Saints
They have a high-power offense led by near record-setting quarterback Drew Brees. They have Reggie Bush (and all of his potential) plus the surprising Pierre Thomas. Their receiving corps is very good as they seem to churn out a new unknown into a fantasy football stud yearly.
Defense is this team's shortcoming as well as staying healthy. If they can improve in both those departments and play how they normally do, then they should have no problem reaching the postseason.
It seems whoever finishes in the NFC South's basement one season has success the next. So things look to be in the Saints favor.
If that's not enough, let's look at the NFC as a whole. There are no standouts except for the New York Giants. Every other team in the conference is inconsistent. Taking a look at the Eagles and Cardinals of this season and the Giants of last season, you simply need to get on a hot streak in the NFC and you should be fine.
Conclusion
While I am not saying that the Saints will make Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, I feel, out of the five listed teams, they stand the best chance. If not next season, they ought to be the fastest to be represented. This is the NFL, though, and we've seen weirder things happen.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
Tomlinson unsure about future with Chargers
Should the Chargers look to deal Tomlinson, beat writer Kevin Acee suggested they could get a mid-round pick and a player in return. With an $8.9 million cap number, it's also possible that he could be released. Said Tomlinson, "I just got to make sure, whether with the Chargers or somebody else, that I'm ready to play football next year."
(c)2009 KING-TV
Hottest head coach candidates from tree of Eagles' Jim Johnson
New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is the hottest name in coaching right now and Dan Arkush, of Pro Football Weekly, thinks he'll end up with the Denver Broncos.
But he also points out how other coaches from the tree of Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, are getting a lot of attention this offseason.
ProFootballWeekly, January 5: However, Morris has no NFL experience as a coordinator, the Bucs' defense fell apart in the final month of the season after Kiffin decided he would join his son in Tennessee, and the "Tampa 2" defense has lost a lot of luster in league circles as Tony Dungy's disciples -- Lovie Smith, Herm Edwards and Rod Marinelli -- have all struggled running the single-gap attack that is designed to limit big plays.
"Monte Kiffin is the only guy who could run that defense effectively, and he had 13 years as a coordinator (with the Buccaneers)," a veteran personnel evaluator said. "Now everyone is trying to emulate (Eagles defensive coordinator) Jim Johnson. His guys are all having success. Look at (Ravens head coach) John Harbaugh, Spags, (Vikings defensive coordinator) Leslie Frazier and 'Chico' (Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera).
"If I'm an owner, that's the pipeline I want."
(c)2009 mlive.com.
2009 Could Be Patriots' Do-Or-Die Season During Reign of Dominance
All dynasties must come to an end. Perhaps it already has for the Patriots.
Perhaps Bill Belichick can make up for future losses, but losses of key players could spell the end of the Patriots' dominance.
That's a lot to say for a team that has won the Super Bowl without Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Ty Law, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Randy Moss, Lawyer Milloy, and practically every great player the Patriots have had besides Tom Brady.
Belichick has made up for free agent losses in the past, but the Patriots free agent class of 2010 is a strong one.
Following next season, the Patriots could lose guard Logan Mankins, defensive end Richard Seymour, and linebacker Mike Vrabel.
All of them have been Pro Bowlers and no ammount of cap space can retain all of them.
Mankins was arguably the MVP of the Patriots offense this past season, as his exceptional pass protection helped Matt Cassel make decisions. Cassel started out with a very slow release and the pass protection of the Patriots offensive line gave him a lot of time in the pocket.
Mankins was the most consistent offensive lineman this season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2007 and played at a Pro Bowl level in 2008.
Wilfork has been the cornerstone of the Patriots defense for two seasons on a Patriots defensive line that is arguably the best in football.
Seymour has been nothing to sneeze at either. He sacked quarterbacks eight times in the past year, very impressive for a defensive end in a 3-4 defense.
Vrabel has aged like wine. He accomplished a career-high 13 sacks in 2007 and is still a decent pass rusher at 33 years. He can play outside linebacker, inside linebacker, and tight end.
The Patriots can franchise one of these players next offseason and it will be difficult for them to set their priorities on who they apply the franchise tag to.
Vrabel is most likely out of the equasion due to his age.
However, it will be nearly impossible to retain Mankins, Wilfork and Seymour while staying under the salary cap.
The Patriots have a history of letting go of players that will cash in on free agency, but surely they will try to retain at least two of those players.
Another reason for a possible decline in the Patriots is Brady's health.
There have been conflicting reports of Brady's progress in recovery. Some have said there's a chance he could miss 2009 completely, while other reports state recovery is going as expected.
But a full recovery is not certain for Brady, who has been the constant superstar of the dynasty, but he may never be the same.
Next season could decide the rest of Brady's career. Will he be the same player or will his injury hurt the rest of his career?
All great reigns of dominance have to stop sometime. The Patriots may be great for much longer, but next season and next offseason will be the deciding factors.
Belichick is a genius, but the possible losses of great players may be too much for even him to recover from.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
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