Moss' agent arrested again in Florida

The agent for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss was arrested last weekend for failing to appear at a hearing stemming from his March 14 arrest on crack cocaine charges.

Dante DiTrapano was arrested March 25 in Clearwater, Fla., sheriff's department spokesman Mac McMullen said. DiTrapano posted bond and was released.

Robert Heyman, DiTrapano's attorney, and Tim DiPiero, a partner in DiTrapano's law firm in Charleston, didn't immediately return telephone messages.



DiTrapano, wife Teri and three others were arrested this month at a St. Petersburg, Fla., hotel. Police say they recovered 73 pieces of crack cocaine and 21 grams of powder cocaine. All five were charged with felony possession of crack cocaine.

Florida officials issued a warrant for DiTrapano after he failed to attend a March 21 court hearing in St. Petersburg.

DiTrapano has said he's enrolled in a treatment center for an addiction to the painkiller OxyContin.

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Jets sign ex-Seahawks DB Dyson

The New York Jets announced Thursday the signing of unrestricted free agent cornerback Andre Dyson. Terms of the contract were undisclosed. The announcement was made by Jets’ General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

"Andre is a good, young player who has extensive playing experience at the highest levels in the NFL," said Tannenbaum. "One of our priorities heading into the off-season was to acquire a cornerback that had valuable playing experience. In addition, he has played in two championship games and a Super Bowl and that experience will be an asset to the Jets."

Dyson, 26, joins the Jets following one season with the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks and a start in Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 5-10, 183-pound native of Clearfield, Utah began his professional career as a second-round selection of the Tennessee Titans in 2001 (60th player selected overall) out of the University of Utah. He played for the Titans for the first four seasons (2001-2004) of his career before moving on last season via unrestricted free agency.

Through his first five professional seasons, Dyson has 17 interceptions, 69 pass breakups and five touchdowns in 72 regular-season games, 64 of them starts. In Seattle's 42-0 Monday night rout at Philadelphia last season, Dyson scored after an interception and a fumble recovery, becoming the first NFL player since 1999 to score on two defensive returns in the same game. He has accumulated 243 career tackles, as well as four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
In 2005 with Seattle, Dyson appeared in 10 regular season games, missing six with various injuries. Going into 2005, he had missed only two games. He was back in the starting lineup for all three postseason games, including the Super Bowl.

In 2004 with Tennessee, Dyson set a career-high with six interceptions and led the team with 15 passes defensed to go along with 40 tackles (34 solo). He also set career-highs in tackles (64) and passes defensed (16) in the 2003 season. Of his 17 career interceptions, four have been returned for touchdowns.

A three-year starter at Utah, Dyson played in 43 games with 29 starts. He returned four of his 12 career interceptions for touchdowns, which is a school record. He majored in sociology at Utah. Dyson, whose older brother, Kevin, is a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, weighing only 1 lb., 9 oz. at birth, garnering the nickname “Miracle Baby.”
Preseason Opponents Announced

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Raiders/Eagles to kick off NFL preseason

The Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles will open the NFL preseason schedule on Sunday, August 6 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

The game will also mark the return of NBC as a broadcast partner of the NFL. NBC will televise the premier Sunday night package for the upcoming season.

The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers will be featured in one nationally televised preseason game on Friday, August 25 at Philadelphia.



The preseason will feature four full weeks of play, ending the weekend of August 31-September 2.

The NFL's regular season is slated to kick off on Thursday, September 7 when the defending champion Steelers host the Miami Dolphins.

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Packers notes: A hole in the middle

While the Green Bay Packers try to figure out who will replace departed Mike Flanagan as their starting center, the Houston Texans couldn't be happier about having stolen Flanagan away to fill that role for them.

The Texans signed Flanagan, the Packers' starter the past five seasons, to a three-year, $8.9 million free agent deal ($3 million signing bonus) Thursday night. And while they think the 32-year-old can still play, they like even more the leadership he'll provide on a line that has allowed quarterback David Carr to be sacked an NFL-high 208 times over the past four seasons, including 68 times last year.

"His presence, if he sat here at this table, (you'd see) he's a leader," new Texans coach Gary Kubiak said during Tuesday morning's annual media breakfast with the AFC coaches. "And we felt our guys up front needed a leader to come in at the center position."



As one would expect, Kubiak said the recommendation ex-Packers coach Mike Sherman, who is the Texans' assistant head coach/offense and will be working with offensive line coach John Benton, played a major role in the team's decision to sign him.

"It's easy for us to see (Flanagan) as a player, but Mike knew him as a person. So really Mike was, I want to say the closer in the deal," said Kubiak, adding that Flanagan's addition will allow him to move Steve McKinney to left guard. "He was the one with the relationship that gave us the best opportunity to get the kid. No doubt about that."

The Packers, meanwhile, appear content to allow youngsters Scott Wells and Chris White to battle it out for the right to replace Flanagan. Flanagan's primary backup, Grey Ruegamer, is not in the Packers' plans, and coach Mike McCarthy said he wants to keep second-year lineman Junius Coston at guard "right now."

"We think those guys (Wells and White) can play," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'll see how it works out. We've got some young guys, but that's what you have to do in the NFL. You have to move on sometimes."

Thompson said the Packers tried to re-sign Flanagan, but "Houston stepped up to the plate pretty good (financially) and he decided to do that. You can't get too worked up about it."
Sounding board

Kubiak said his decision to hire Sherman, whom he worked with at Texas A&M in the 1990s, has been "awesome" because Sherman is helping him through the adjustment of being a first-time NFL head coach. Sherman spent six years as the Packers head coach and four as the team's general manager.

While Sherman's primary responsibility with the Texans is the offensive line, "he helps me in just about everything I do, to be honest with you," Kubiak said. "There's probably not a day that goes by that I'm not in there asking him about various situations going on and asking his opinion.
"It's nice to have somebody who's been there, where you can do down the hallway and say, 'I'm fixing to do this, what do you think?' You have so much respect for his opinion because he's had to make those decisions on a daily basis."
A lot to like

Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron said ex-Packers backup quarterback Craig Nall will be given every chance to win the team's starting job in a three-way competition with J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb.

"We wanted a three-man push there, thinking that the three of them would bring the level of play up of all of them a little bit higher and then one of them will surface (as the starter)," Jauron said. "At some point, we'll have to start changing the reps, because somebody hopefully will take the job. It'll be interesting."

Asked what he likes about Nall, who received a $1.3 million signing bonus despite having thrown just 33 regular season passes in his four-year NFL career, Jauron said, "He didn't get a lot of playing time, as we all know. But he's not a guy that we have to train to play in the league. And, we liked his demeanor when we interviewed him. He's a confident guy; he believes that he can start. He just wanted to come some place where he'd have the chance to just compete for the starting job."

Schedule on horizon

The Packers will open the preseason at San Diego and play a nationally televised game at home in Week 3 of the exhibition schedule, Packers president Bob Harlan said. The full preseason schedule will be released by the league today.

The league has told owners that the regular season schedule will be released April 6, Harlan said.
On the Web
Packers

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NFL Features : Trade values have extenuating circumstances

In recent years, trades in the NFL appear to be on the rise. Contract pressures, losses in free agency, health and lack of quality depth in the draft leave teams no choice but to acquire talent through a trade.

We witnessed Daunte Culpepper go from the Vikings to the Dolphins for a mere second-round pick. If he was healthy, the Vikings probably could have received two first-round picks for a young quarterback that threw for over 4,700 yards just two years ago. Next we watched a three-team deal that sent defensive end John Abraham to the Falcons in exchange for a late first-round selection. Patrick Ramsey only had sixth-round value as he left Washington for the Jets, and safety Chris Crocker is now a Falcon. This all leads me to players that are supposedly on the trading block right now.



Quarterback Joey Harrington, center Jeff Faine, receiver Eric Moulds and possibly receiver Javon Walker are being discussed around the NFL personnel offices right now. It is important to keep in mind that the players with big contracts and large roster bonuses coming due this spring control more of the "trade" process than players with lower salaries. For example, in the cases of Harrington and Moulds, the players will have to agree to restructured deals before a trading club will pull the trigger on a deal. If either player doesn't want to go to the teams interested in them, they simply don't renegotiate their contracts and the trade most likely goes away. The better the renegotiation talks go with the high-priced players, the more the value of the trade goes up for the trading team.

While I was at the owners meetings, I asked two GMs what Moulds was worth if he agreed to a deal like the one Keyshawn Johnson took in Carolina. The opinion was that if Moulds was willing to take that deal then he would be worth a third-round pick. If he required money in line with Terrell Owens and a club was willing to pay it, then the compensation might only be a fourth-round pick.

As for Harrington, there already appears to be a number of teams "interested" in his services. The real level of interest can't be determined until Harrington declares what he wants in compensation. Here's a guy with 60 touchdown passes since he was drafted in 2002, and most personnel directors around the league had a high first-round grade on him coming out of college. With that said, it will be hard to think of a team giving up more than a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick for him now. If I were the Lions, I might be more interested in a 2007 pick based on 2006 performance. If he starts a few games or throws a certain number of touchdowns, then the value goes up.

The guy who might warrant the most compensation right now is Faine. There is only one center with a first-round grade in the draft, and that is Nick Mangold from Ohio State. Faine has a modest salary at just over $500,000 and has two years left on his original deal. He has some medical history, but he also has 27 starts in the last two seasons. Faine could easily justify a third-round pick for his services. Is he a better player than Harrington or Moulds? Probably not, but he has the criteria for a better trade value.

It's not even substantiated that the Packers are interested in trading Walker. Remember the golden rule of moving talent off your roster. You must replace talent for talent or you hurt your club. The reason teams would be interested in Walker -- even though he missed 15 games last year and wants a lot of money right now -- is the lack of talent left on the open market and a weak draft class. When GMs look at 2004 when Walker caught 89 balls for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, they see a No. 1 receiver. When the same GMs look at the free-agent pool and the draft for this year, they only see No. 2 and No. 3 receivers. As one head coach said to me this week in Orlando, "If I'm going to have to draft Santonio Holmes or Chad Jackson and pay them first-round money, I might want to look at Walker if he became available." All things considered, if Walker's financial demands were realistic and Green Bay decided to part ways with him (which I wouldn't recommend), then he could bring a first-day draft pick. But that would put the Packers in the same boat teams interested in Walker are now, and it surely couldn't be music to Brett Favre's ears as he ponders retirement or a return.

Finally, it is good for the fans and the media to have some trade speculation floating around at the owners meetings, and as Matt Millen said to me on Tuesday, "It's a lot easier to get a trade done when you are looking right into the eyes of the guy asking about a trade then it is over the phone."

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NFL is still eyeing L.A.

Before he retires as commissioner, Paul Tagliabue would like to see the NFL get closer to placing a team back in Los Angeles.

While Tagliabue plans to be gone from the league in July -- if the owners can get together and find a successor by then -- a solution to the situation doesn't figure to come that soon.
Two sites are being considered, in Anaheim and at the current location of the Coliseum, each with cost estimates at $800 million, considerably higher than previous price tags. Tagliabue is eager to see a franchise return to Los Angeles, which was abandoned by the Raiders and the Rams after the 1994 season -- then failed to come up with public financing for an expansion team, which went to Houston beginning in 2002.

The subject is being discussed this week at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla., although it will be at the spring meetings in May that any concrete plans are developed.



"My guess is that we will be going forward with those presentations on behalf of the Coliseum and Anaheim so that we can make some decisions in Denver, to select one of the stadium projects and to go forward with the process of identifying a team and building a stadium," Tagliabue said.

Tagliabue has told the 32 team owners that unless a plan for Los Angeles is formulated soon, getting a team back into the nation's second-largest market won't occur by the end of the decade. For now, a six-man committee is handling the issue.

Meanwhile, the competition committee presented its proposals to the ownership Tuesday and votes will be taken today on the issues. They include:

• Cracking down on end-zone celebrations. Players won't be allowed to do anything while on the ground and also can't use props such as end-zone pylons. They can spike, dunk or spin the ball as long as they are standing in the end zone, and it is not a group thing.
• Allowing video reviews of down-by-contact plays; this proposal was defeated in an owners vote a year ago. Currently, a play is dead once the whistle blows and the ballcarrier is ruled down by the officials.
• Toughening enforcement on pass rushers who hit quarterbacks below the knees.
Harrington seeks job

Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington, who is helping his team try to find him a new job, is scheduled to meet in South Florida today with Dolphins coach Nick Saban, a source said.

Saban said at the NFL owners' meetings that he hoped to sign a backup quarterback as soon as possible. A few hours later, he left for home.

Harrington, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2002 but a bust with the Lions, remains under contract to Detroit, which would like to trade him instead of releasing him. A trade seems likely because several teams -- Miami, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Baltimore -- appear to be intrigued.

"I have talked to quite a few teams that have shown interest in me, and I am narrowing my list of teams to a few and then probably will visit them in the next week," Harrington said on his family foundation Web site.
Around the league

• 49ers: Tight end Terry Jones re-signed with San Francisco, who claimed him off waivers from Baltimore last season. Jones caught nine passes for 76 yards for the 49ers last season after being dropped by the Ravens, who drafted him in 2002.

• Panthers: Carolina re-signed punter Jason Baker and brought back cornerback Reggie Howard, who started on their 2003 Super Bowl team. Baker, who set a team record last season with a 38.9-yard punting average, agreed to a two-year deal. Howard, meanwhile, received a one-year contract.

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KING 5 to broadcast Seahawks pre-season games, new weekly football show

SEATTLE - Seahawks fans can now get more of a good thing next football season.

The Seattle Seahawks and KING 5 announced Wednesday that all Seahawks pre-season games will now be broadcast on KING 5. The station will also air a new weekly game review and coach’s show following NBC’s Sunday night NFL games.

The NFL regular season kicks off September 7 with a Thursday night primetime game.



The weekly program will be taped in a new KING 5 studio perched atop the south end of Qwest Field.

The program will rebroadcast Sunday evenings both on Northwest Cable News and KONG 6/16. Pre-season games will also be re-broadcast on KONG 6/16.

“This partner ship ensures Seahawks fans from throughout the region can enjoy the team featured on the number-one rated television station in Western Washington,” said Tod Leiweke, Seattle Seahawks CEO.

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Seahawks sign Tafoya, Keyshawn signs with Carolina

The Seattle Seahawks re-signed defensive end Joe Tafoya on Thursday.
He will earn $585,000 in base salary in 2006.

The five-year veteran, acquired off waivers from Tampa Bay last March, played in 15 regular-season games and all three of the team's postseason games as a backup end and special teams player. He finished fourth on the NFC champions with 15 tackles on special teams, including one fumble recovery.



Tafoya will continue to back up starters Bryce Fisher and Grant Wistrom.
Johnson signs with Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have reached agreement on a four-year, $19 million deal with wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. He's expected to sign the contract Friday.

Johnson was released last week by the Dallas Cowboys and turned down an offer from the New York Giants. He had planned to visit Seattle after meeting with the Panthers, but stayed all of yesterday in Charlotte meeting with Panthers officials.
The deal includes a $5 million signing bonus.

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Pirates stomped by Seahawks

East Carolina won't be heading to Rice exactly on a high note.

UNC-Wilmington (17-6) snapped the Pirates (16-7) four-game winning streak with a 14-6 victory in front of 2,822 fans Wednesday evening at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Seahawks, which avoided a season sweep by the Pirates, banged out 21 hits against eight ECU pitchers. Every starter for Wilmington had at least one hit.

The Pirates hurt their own chances with five costly errors.



ECU, which opens Conference USA play this weekend at No. 4 Rice, was held to two runs on five hits by Wilmington starter Jeff Hatcher (2-1). The sophomore, who made his second start of the season, fanned six and walked two in a career-high seven innings of work.

The Pirates were down 11-0 before scratching across four runs in the eighth. After Wilmington went up 14-4, the Pirates managed two more runs in the ninth.

“It was a rough night,” ECU coach Billy Godwin said. “I’ve been in the game long enough to know that you have nights like this. Fortunately, I haven’t been on this side of them too many times.

“We’re going to be fine. I was real proud of the players at the end. It was just a little too late.”
The Seahawks knocked starter Scott Andrews (1-1) out in the second inning. The senior southpaw, making his first start of the year, allowed three runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings of work.

Wilmington jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Jason Appel reached on an infield hit and eventually scored on an RBI-single by John Raynor.

The Seahawks tacked on two more runs off four hits in the second. Daniel Hargrave doubled into left to get things started. Hargrave scored on a throwing error by shortstop Dale Mollenhauer, the first of two in the inning by the sophomore. Kenny Smith, who reached on an error, later scored when Appel reached on a fielder's choice to make it 3-0.

The damage could have been worse, but left fielder Stephen Batts threw out Appel at the plate on a hit by John Raynor to end the inning.

ECU reliever Josh Dowdy did a solid job keeping it a 3-0 game until he had to leave because of an injury. The freshman, who gave up three hits and struck out three in 1 2/3 innings, came up lame after fielding a bunt by Chris Hatcher in the fourth.

Jason Neitz followed with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The junior gave up one hit and struck out two.

Wilmington increased its lead to 5-0 off two relievers in the sixth. Hargrave hit a leadoff double against sophomore Chris Powell. Senior Carter Harrell came on and allowed an RBI-double to Chris Hatcher and an RBI-single to Appel.

ECU used a couple strong defensive plays to keep it 5-0, as catcher Jake Smith tagged out Appel on a double-steal attempt and Batts made a diving catch to rob Raynor of a hit.

Steve Halford's RBI-single in the seventh extended Wilmington's lead to 6-0 and ended the night for Harrell (three runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning). Hargrave greeted ECU's sixth pitcher, senior Kevin Rhodes, with an RBI-double to make it 7-0. It was Hargrave's third double of the game, which tied a school record.

A passed ball, error, RBI-double by Halford and RBI-single by Hargrave off reliever Cody Leggett, ECU's seventh pitcher, produced four more runs in the eighth for an 11-0 advantage.
The Pirates avoided the shutout in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Tousley and Chris Buss had pinch-hit RBI-singles and Harrison Eldridge smacked a two-run double to make it 11-4.
A two-run double by Raynor and an error allowed Wilmington to tack on three more runs in the ninth.

Tousley had an RBI single and Buss brought in another run on a ground out to close out the scoring.

Hargrave and Raynor banged out four hits apiece for Wilmington, while Chris Hatcher and Appel had three each.

Jay Mattox had three hits for the Pirates.

The Pirates begin C-USA play Friday against the Rice Owls, with the first pitch at Reckling Park scheduled for 8 p.m. The teams will play Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
T.J. Hose, Dustin Sasser and Brody Taylor will start for the Pirates on those respective days.

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Seahawks find a new starter for offensive line

The Seahawks might have found their replacement for the departed Steve Hutchinson, and he's a guy with Super Bowl credentials.

If nothing else, Tom Ashworth figures to be a starter on Seattle's offensive line.
Ashworth, formerly with the New England Patriots, agreed Thursday to sign a five-year, $13 million contract.

Ashworth, 28, has been a right tackle for most of his four-year NFL career, blocking for quarterback Tom Brady in back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2003 and 2004. He made a free-agent visit to Seahawks headquarters earlier this week, and his agent said he came away excited, especially about his meeting with offensive-line coach Bill Laveroni.

The Seahawks' philosophy of employing athletic offensive linemen who are often put on the move fits well with Ashworth, who was a tight end briefly at Colorado. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Ashworth could slide to left guard, where Hutchinson played the past five seasons before signing with the Minnesota Vikings. That would allow Seattle to keep Sean Locklear at right tackle, where he started every game last season.



Locklear also could move inside to keep Ashworth at his typical spot.

Ashworth was expected to sign his contract today. He'll receive $4.5 million this year.

One more hurdle for Hamlin

Free safety Ken Hamlin has been cleared to play football by his physician. Hamlin suffered severe injuries in a fight outside a downtown Seattle nightclub last October. But the Seahawks aren't saying yet whether Hamlin will play.

Lawrence Temple, Hamlin's agent, said his client has been cleared to play by his personal physician, but Temple said he did not know whether the Seahawks' doctors have given Hamlin the go-ahead to resume playing.

Without that clearance, Hamlin still is officially out of action. Hamlin was under the supervision of Dr. Stan Herring, one of the Seahawks' doctors, after his injuries.

Team medical staff had not made a decision on Hamlin as of the NFL scouting combine last month. The team did not comment Thursday on Hamlin's state of readiness.

The football staff is apparently not completely convinced, either, as the Seahawks had free agent Lance Schulters in for a visit that concluded Thursday. The Seahawks are already down a safety after losing Marquand Manuel to the Green Bay Packers earlier this month.
Hamlin has been working out since before the season ended.
Notes

• Tight end Chris Baker, a former New York Jet, concluded his visit with the Seahawks on Thursday. The team is seeking a replacement for Ryan Hannam, who signed with the Cowboys last week. Baker, 6-3 and 258 pounds, started eight games last season and caught 18 passes for 269 yards. Baker, 26, has four years of NFL experience.

• Seattle also met with TE Will Heller on Wednesday. Heller (6-6, 265) spent his first three pro seasons in Tampa Bay, where he was a backup.

• The Seahawks announced that DE Joe Tafoya has signed his contract to return to the team for the 2006 season.
José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com

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Top picks not always worthy of savior status

here is no doubt that the fast-approaching NFL draft brings a buzz to the media and the fans that is second only to playoff games.

For some reason, the top 32 players selected from the college ranks make a lot of money and the dreams and hopes of the franchise rest squarely on the shoulders of these young men.
Who gets Reggie Bush? Is Matt Leinart the next great quarterback? How far up does a team have to go to get Jay Cutler? Who can resist the athleticism of Vince Young? Is D'Brickashaw Ferguson the next Willie Roaf? Has anyone looked better coming out of college as a defensive end than Mario Williams? You get the picture!

Well, before we get too caught up in the hype, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and look at last year's top pick for each club. (I included the second-round selection of teams that didn't have a first-round pick, and four teams had two first-round selections.) The top 36 players, if you will, and how much bang for the buck the teams got for their picks.



In the past two years, this "elite" group of program-savers averaged about a $3 million signing bonus and a salary of about $500,000. In plain English, NFL teams will spend about $100 million in bonus money and another $20 million in salary on the top 36 players drafted this year, just like they did last year. In fact, with the new CBA, teams might spend even more money.

Forgetting production, which takes time to develop, here's a look at the amount of time the top players were on the field learning how to play the pro game. A few years from now, a number of this year's top draft picks will claim they are underpaid but they will conveniently forget how much money they made back in their rookie year and what the club got in return for the cash.
The average top pick from the 2005 draft started seven games last season. There were only three 16-game starters: New England's Logan Mankins, Kansas City's Derrick Johnson and Dallas' DeMarcus Ware. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), Chris Spencer (Seattle) and Jason Campbell (Washington) didn't start a game.

When it came to the number of plays in a game, 20 of the 36 played more than 50 percent of the plays in each game and the average percentage of plays for these top 2005 draft picks was 49 percent. Got the picture? An average signing bonus of $3 million, an average salary of $500,000 and less than half the plays: overpaid or underpaid?

Since they averaged less than half the snaps on offense and defense, you would think they must have been on most of the special teams. Seven of these high-priced players did not play one snap of special teams. The average number of special-teams plays per player for the 16-game schedule was 62 plays, or slightly under four plays per game.

Thomas Davis of the Panthers contributed the most with 257 special-teams plays. The next closest rookie was Steelers tight end Heath Miller with 162 plays. The average NFL team has close to 500 special-teams per season. NFL special-teams coaches can look forward to the top rookies contributing on about 12 percent of the special-teams plays, but they also know some of their better veteran special-teams players get released or not re-signed to accommodate the big rookie salaries.

So, who got their money's worth in sweat last year from their top pick? Keyshawn Johnson made a point to me the other day when I asked him the question, "Now that you are free to talk to any team, who would want you?" The first thing he said was a team that wants a guy who plays over 1,000 plays a season every year. That point stuck with me all week.

Cedric Benson made just one start for Chicago despite being picked fourth overall. The top 36 players in the draft last year produced only one player with 1,000-plus plays -- Logan Mankins. There were some other rookies that combined their special-teams plays with their regular offense or defense plays to give their team its money's worth: Derrick Johnson (1,113 plays), Mankins (1,114), Pacman Jones (954), Heath Miller (945), Jammal Brown (893) and Fabian Washington (890).

I understand and agree with the fact that quarterbacks take time to develop, and sitting the first season is part of the process. I also understand that injuries play a big part in playing time.
But something just doesn't sit right with me when the money doesn't equal the work. If the average top pick averages seven starts, less than 50 percent of the snaps, and 12 percent of the special-teams plays, then maybe there should be an adjustment in how much these players in training make.

A very successful Wall Street broker told me that at his firm, the young brokers don't really have a change in base pay for three years, but the bonuses go up as the brokers become more competent. That sounds like a good formula to me.

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Prospects measuring up for success

If you are the kind of NFL fan who really wants to dig down into all the numbers being broadcast to us about the draft class -- the measurables if you will -- then you may find my take on some of these numbers interesting. Teams are still gathering 'measurable' numbers at Pro Day workouts, so this study is incomplete. But I thought it would be a good time to explain how I look at some of the test scores, and more importantly, how I combine certain test scores to get a better feel for an athlete.

Stop and think about what happens in a football game every single play right after the ball is snapped. The players in the box on both sides of the ball try and explode into the opposing player, attempt to dominate the opponent physically and in the case of the defensive players, get off blocks and get to the ball. The offensive players want to sustain a block, make the defender miss if they are the ball carrier or simply dictate where they want to go.

From the initial snap of the ball, all the way through the five seconds of violence, the elements of strength, power, explosion, agility and body control are the key elements for success. The strongest man in the world isn't worth a damn if he can't step over a pile of bodies down by his feet, the quickest guy on the field can't even get to use his best tools if he is physically dominated by the opponent in front of him. The ability to jump and launch his body become critical factors in blocking passes, making a tackle from an awkward position, or going up in the air to make a catch or defend a pass.

The 40-yard dash seems to steal the show as the marquee measurable and it is the most advertised score to interpret. It has its place in the final grade for an NFL prospect, but I prefer to look at a combination of three measurables to get a sense of a prospect's ability to win in the 'combat' of football. I take the vertical-jump score and add it to the standing broad-jump score, which is added to the number of repetitions on the bench-press test. These three scores are combined to give me a benchmark score, which gives me a good feel for a player's ability to win the mini battle he will engage in while trying to finish a play.

I have been adding these three scores for a long time now and I am always looking for athletes who can score a 70 or better. Some positions naturally score higher than others and they need to by the nature of what is required for these positions on the field. Defensive ends and linebackers will generally score higher than wide receivers or cornerbacks. And since these positions are played in space where collisions are not as frequent, it is not as important to score a 70, but nonetheless, I am intrigued by perimeter players who score well on this combination score.

This year, we have a number of players who crossed the 70 mark and we have the rare few that have crossed the 80 mark. Believe me, not many NFL draft-eligible players ever get an 80-plus score. Here's a look at the top guys in this year's draft that have the combination of strength, power, explosiveness and agility to excel. Mario Williams, the top defensive end in the draft class, is off the charts when it comes to this combo score and has one of the highest scores I have ever seen.

There were a few other athletes who broke the 70 barrier like UTEP's Thomas Howard, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein, Virginia's Kai Parham, and Alabama's Mark Anderson. But their football grades were not as high as the top 15 listed above. I would say that as a team gets into the third round and lower, it may be a good idea to take a look at players with a grade as close to 70 as possible to take a chance on a guy with the tools to work with over the next few years.
How impressive is it that a safety (Michael Huff) and a running back (DeAngelo Williams) and a cornerback (Antonio Cromartie) scored as well as they did among the defensive linemen and linebackers. As for the other positions, here's a look at some of the top scorers that at least get a third-round grade.

At no time do I believe any measurable or a combination of measurables replace what I can watch on tape when the athlete performs in a football game. But when it comes to putting the puzzle together and separating packs of players with similar production and grades, I do like to take a look at this combo score.

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Seattle loses hearing, lets Hutchinson go

The Seahawks were told they needed to match the guarantee provision in the seven-year Minnesota offer to their All-Pro guard if they wanted to keep him.

A team official for the NFC champions confirmed they let the league's midnight ET deadline pass without doing anything, making one of the keys to their Super Bowl season now the highest-paid Vikings lineman.

In fact, Hutchinson's agent, Tom Condon, said the Seahawks never contacted him about possibly matching the offer after Hutchinson signed the unprecedented offer sheet March 12.
When asked if Hutchinson wanted to leave the team that drafted him 17th overall out of Michigan in 2001, Condon said: "Not at all. I think that there wasn't any reason for him to leave Seattle.



"Nevertheless, Minnesota really stepped out for him."

The Vikings' seven-year contract became binding at 12:01 a.m. ET on March 21. It is the richest deal ever given to a guard.

A league spokesman and an attorney for the NFL players' union confirmed that a special master ruled against Seattle, saying a provision guaranteeing all of the money in the offer sheet Hutchinson signed with Minnesota should he not be the team's highest-paid offensive lineman is valid.

"The Seahawks lost," NFL Players Association general counsel Richard Berthelsen said.
The two teams had declined comment on the ruling.

Berthelsen attended the two-hour hearing in Philadelphia before special master Stephen Burbank, who ruled on the matter.

The Seahawks had argued that because they recently re-negotiated Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones' seven-year contract by adding an eighth, voidable year, Jones' team-best lineman deal now has an annual value below that of Hutchinson's offer.

After the re-negotiation, Jones' annual base salary would dip to $6.81 million -- just below Hutchinson's $7 million annual average had Seattle matched Minnesota's offer. Thus, the Seahawks argued they should not have to guarantee the rest of Hutchinson's new deal.
Berthelsen said Burbank did not elaborate in his ruling.

But Berthelsen said the decision validated the NFLPA's stance that the conditions at the time Hutchinson signed the offer sheet with the Vikings are the conditions Seattle must match -- meaning Hutchinson wasn't the highest-paid Seahawks lineman then, so Seattle must guarantee all of the Vikings' deal to match it.

"They wanted to put in additional language to make it from any point from now until the end of the 2006 league year," Berthelsen said. "That is contrary to the intent of the wording that was in the contract.

"And the special master agreed."

The Seahawks now have $6.39 million more to spend on potential free agents -- money they had been obligated to tender to Hutchinson once they made him their transition player last month.

Seattle has offered a first-round draft pick for Jets defensive end John Abraham, who wants a long-term deal. The Jets are still mulling that offer for their franchise player.
Some of the money freed by Hutchinson leaving could be used to sign his replacement. Versatile veteran Floyd Womack, who started 22 games at tackle and guard in his first four Seattle seasons before he lost his right-tackle job, currently is in line to replace Hutchinson.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

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Dolphins corner a DB, bring in Giants' Allen

Cornerback Will Allen signed a four-year contract with the Miami Dolphins after spending the last five seasons with the New York Giants.

The Dolphins also signed tight end Justin Peelle to a three-year deal.

Allen is expected to replace Sam Madison, a longtime Miami starter whom the Giants signed as a free agent this month. Allen started 71 of the 72 games he played with the Giants, who drafted him in the first round in 2001. He had eight interceptions with the Giants.

Peelle was San Diego's fourth-round draft choice in 2002. He has 40 catches for 270 yards and four touchdowns in his career.

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Seahawks nab Peterson, lose Hutchinson

One of the busiest teams of the offseason struck again when the Seattle Seahawks reached agreement with former San Francisco linebacker Julian Peterson on a blockbuster seven-year, $54 million deal.

The deal, which the Seahawks and agent Kevin Poston spent today finalizing, includes $18.5 million worth of guarantees, including $10 million this season.

The San Francisco 49ers designated Peterson their franchise player one year ago. Peterson spent six seasons with the team.
Even with Peterson's mega-contract, the Seahawks still had the wherewithal to match the $49 million offer sheet Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson signed with the Vikings, but the Seahawks chose not to match it.

But Seattle might not be done. Still in place is a contingent deal for defensive end John Abraham, whom the Seahawks have the exclusive negotiating rights for from the New York Jets in exchange for Seattle's first-round pick.

Already this offseason, the Seahawks have re-signed NFL MVP running back Shaun Alexander and defensive tackle Rocky Bernard.

But now, the Seahawks are bolstering their defensive line, landing Peterson tonight and former Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Russell Davis over the weekend.

Peterson now is expected to start ahead of D.D. Lewis, and the Seahawks also could use him as a pass-rushing end. But the NFC champion Seahawks have options for the 28-year-old Peterson, whom the Miami Dolphins also pursued until he reached agreement with Seattle.

With Peterson off the market, former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington now will be the most coveted defensive player available. His decision should come soon.

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NFL? Not yet

Ohio George Mason senior center Jai Lewis has plans quite different than the rest of the players participating in the NCAA basketball tournament.

The Pittsburgh Steelers in- vited him to work out for them, which Lewis intends to do. There may be other NFL teams that want to take a first-hand look at the 6-7 275-pounder.
Lewis, who will lead the 11th-seeded Patriots (24-7) against third-seeded North Carolina (23-7) this afternoon in a second-round NCAA game, last played football as a tight end and defensive end at Aberdeen (Md.) High School. But his size and athleticism intrigues NFL scouts, who see some Antonio Gates in Lewis.

Gates, 6-4 and 260 pounds, is an All-Pro tight end for the San Diego Chargers. He played basketball, not football, at Kent State before signing with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. A Steelers scout watched Lewis play in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament earlier this month at the Richmond Coliseum and left impressed by Lewis' dimensions, coordination and mobility.



"I'd love to play football, and the NFL is always trying to find athletes," said Lewis, who likely will get an opportunity to play pro basketball overseas. He averages 14 points and eight rebounds for the Patriots, who eliminated sixth-seeded Michigan State 75-65 on Friday night in the first NCAA win for a Colonial Athletic Association team since 2002 (UNC Wilmington beat Southern California).

At Aberdeen, Lewis drew football recruiting interest from Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and East Carolina, he said yesterday. But insufficient standardized test scores for freshman eligibility influenced Lewis, who averaged 18.3 rebounds as a prep senior, to seek another path to a scholarship. He spent a postgraduate year playing basketball at Maine Central Institute before becoming a four-year regular at GMU.

Lewis, 23, against a physical Michigan State team scored 13 and had eight rebounds.
"Jai Lewis is huge, and if you double-down [on him], he's also a very good passer," UNC coach Roy Williams said.

Lewis averages two assists, is second among Patriots in steals (1.4 spg), and made 16 3-pointers this season. His athletic versatility, Lewis believes, comes from his uncommon sports background. In addition to football and basketball, Lewis played soccer as a youth and lacrosse through high school.

"Can you imagine a guy his size running down the field with the ball in lacrosse?" GMU coach Jim Larranaga said.

Or as a tight end, after making a catch?

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2006 NFL Draft Blog Days 1-6

Sunday, March 19th, 2006

Michigan defensive tackle Gabriel Watson is an intriguing player. He is a two gap DT that dominates from time to time. He was absolutely unblockable at the Senior Bowl. He gets off the ball well, fills space, and does a good job of sealing off the inside run. While some question his effort, I do not think that is nearly the problem after watching him closely for four years. In my opinion, he simply is not in the type of condition to maintain his stamina and he becomes a completely different player when he is tired. He is not a pass rusher, but he has enough athleticism to be decent in that role. The plain and simple fact is that if Gabe Watson becomes serious and gets in condition, he has Jamal Williams type potential. Based on his career at Michigan, I question whether he will display that type of conditioning.



Saturday, March 18th, 2006

Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson was underrated throughout the year. When I watched him, I saw a fluid WR with good hands that ran solid routes. Unlike most Florida WR’s of the past, he showed pretty good strength and the ability to fight off jams. Despite the fact that he looked like a great athlete, you did not see a big play player. Then the combine happened and he had a lights out workout. At 6-foot-1, 213-pounds, Jackson ran a mind boggling 4.32. Now, he has NFL teams salivating. He is a guy with possession receiver skills and great speed. He should be the number one WR in the draft and could go higher than anticipated.

Friday, March 17th, 2006

In my opinion, DeAngelo Williams is a very intriguing player in this draft. He is talented and has that “it factor” that most marketing people love. He is charismatic and will immediately become one of the most quotable players around. He is simply a highly intelligent, class kid. That said, there are other RB’s I like more than him. For as talented as he is, DeAngelo has been snake bitten with injuries and will need a lot of work on his pass protection. He is a very instinctive RB who runs with speed and power. He has great cutback skills with superb change of direction, body control, and balance. He runs low, can really hurt LB’s who misjudge his speed, and has decent hands.

Thursday, March 16th, 2006

Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler has become a media darling after choosing to work out at the combine and some people are actually comparing him to Brett Favre. Outside of being a reckless QB with some questionable decision making skills, I fail to see the comparison. While he lacks glaring weaknesses and I admire his toughness, he is more like Jake Plummer than Brett Favre. He is a good athlete with good size and a pretty quick, fundamentally sound release. He shows solid accuracy and timing. My biggest problem is that he tries to do too much and throws off his back foot way too often. Maybe that is a byproduct of playing with inferior talent, but the team that gets him will need to be patient. Good QB prospect, but a little overrated. I would rate him higher than Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith, but lower than Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Matt Leinart, and Philip Rivers.

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006

Anyone who watched NC State play defense saw two players creating a ton of havoc. I know Mario Williams gets all the publicity and it is well deserved, but NC State had another great pass rusher in Manny Lawson. They are different players. Lawson is a terrific athlete showing good instincts and taking great angles. In many ways, he will remind you of Jason Taylor coming out of Akron. He is not great against the run, but put him outside in a 3-4 WOLB and he might not be better suited to play against the run. With 10.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, Lawson was an extremely underrated player before the combine. After measuring in at 6-foot-5, 241-pounds with a 4.45 speed at the combine, he is no longer underrated.

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

The first time I saw USC OT Winston Justice play was in High School. I was amazed at how much talent was in this big, 17-year old kid. In many ways, he will remind you of former Arizona State and current Cincinnati left tackle Levi Jones. At 6-foot-6, 320-pounds, he is an excellent overall athlete, solid competitor, and plays with good toughness. He is a strong run blocker for a LT with good initial quickness and the ability to get to the backside cut off block. The primary problem is that he is still a very raw pass protector who can get his feet tangled when going against a superior athlete. The promising component is that he takes pretty good angles in pass protection.

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NFL, Seahawks challenge Hutchinson contract

The Seahawks' hopes of keeping All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson could be decided by an arbitration process.

The NFL has filed a claim on behalf of the Seahawks contending a clause in the offer sheet Hutchinson signed with the Minnesota Vikings circumvents the league's collective-bargaining agreement.

The NFL and Seahawks believe the provision does not need to be included in the contract for the Seahawks to retain their three-time Pro Bowl guard and transition player.



The Vikings signed Hutchinson to a seven-year, $49 million offer sheet on Monday, and the Seahawks had a week to match or let Hutchinson become a Viking without receiving any compensation.

The deal, which contains $16 million in guarantees and would count $13 million against the $102 million salary cap, includes a clause that would guarantee the entire $49 million if Hutchinson is not his team's highest-paid offensive lineman at any time after the first year.

Hutchinson would be the highest-paid lineman for the Vikings. But his deal — the richest for a guard in NFL history — would be second among Seahawks linemen to All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones, who signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract last year.

On Saturday, a special master will determine whether the CBA gives him jurisdiction in the case. If so, he will hold a hearing on Monday in Philadelphia.

If the special master declines, the case will fall to a non-injury grievance arbitrator.
Richard Berthelsen, general counsel for the NFLPA, said the union will argue against the Seahawks' claims.

The Seahawks had no comment Friday night, telling The Seattle Times it's a league matter.
Berthelsen said the union's interpretation is that the disputed clause is permitted by the CBA because it is a "principal term" of the contract. A "principal term" is defined as salary, bonuses and incentives, plus "any modifications of and additions to the terms ... requested by the free agent and acceptable to the new club, that relate to non-compensation terms (including guarantees, no-cut and no-trade provisions)."

The Seahawks and league are challenging the last part, likely arguing that guaranteeing Hutchinson's entire contract would not be a "non-compensation" term.

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Panthers sign center Hartwig

The Carolina Panthers have signed unrestricted free agent center Justin Hartwig from the Tennessee Titans, the team has announced. Hartwig, 27, has appeared in 50 career games with 47 starts in four NFL seasons, all with Tennessee.

In 2005, Hartwig (6-4, 312 pounds) started all 16 games for the second time in his career and aided a Titans offense that finished ninth in the League in passing. Drafted in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft, he played in three contests, primarily on special teams, as a rookie. Switched from guard to center at the beginning of training camp in 2003, Hartwig earned the starting job after never having played the position and proceeded to start all 16 games.


A native of Des Moines, IA, Hartwig was a three-year starter at tackle for Kansas, where he was an All-Big 12 second-team selection as a senior and honorable mention as a junior.

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Eagles sign Garcia

Seeking an upgrade at the backup quarterback position, the Philadelphia Eagles signed free-agent signal caller Jeff Garcia to a one-year deal on Thursday.

"Garcia is a guy who’s had a lot of success in the National Football League," said head coach Andy Reid. "He knows how to win football games and he’s been to the Pro Bowl multiple times. He’s a very smart player and is very familiar with our offensive system. He'll be a great back-up to Donovan (McNabb)."

The 36-year-old quarterback will provide Philadelphia with a quality backup to McNabb, something they were lacking last season.

After McNabb went down November 14th in a loss to Dallas, the Eagles' backup quarterbacks struggled to run the offense efficiently. Mike McMahon completed just 45 percent of his passes (94-of-207) for 1,158 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine appearances, which included seven starts. Koy Detmer managed to complete 57 percent of his passes, but threw no touchdowns and three picks.

Philadelphia will be Garcia's fourth team in as many years. In seven NFL seasons, Garcia has completed 61 percent of his passes for 19,076 yards with 126 touchdowns and 71 interceptions. He has appeared in 91 games (86 starts) while serving stints at San Francisco, Cleveland and Detroit. The San Jose State product has also proved to be a threat on the ground, running 370 times for 1,791 yards and 24 scores.

Last year with Detroit, Garcia started five of six games, completing 102 passes for 937 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions before going down for the season with an injury.

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Pickett in, Jackson out as run stopper

Usually averse to spending big money on other teams’ free agents in his 14 months as the Green Bay Packers' general manager, Ted Thompson made his biggest such move on Wednesday, landing defensive tackle Ryan Pickett.

The Packers, Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams all were trying to sign Pickett as the market for defensive tackles started to thin out.

The Packers looked like the longest shot of all after Pickett left Green Bay without a deal on Monday, then spent an extra day visiting Buffalo.

Pickett was interested in the Bills because his former defensive line coach in St. Louis, Bill Kollar, is with Buffalo. Pickett also told the Bills he has family in the Rochester, N.Y., area.
Pickett also had a good offer from the Rams, his former team, but Thompson made a strong enough pitch to lure him to the Packers.




Pickett didn’t sign the deal on Wednesday because he was traveling from Buffalo to his home in St. Louis.
Terms of the contract were unavailable. The Rams were offering a five-year, $16 million deal that included a signing bonus of $5.5 million, and it’s believed Buffalo’s offer was slightly better than that. The Packers almost certainly offered Pickett a deal in that range.

The addition of the 6-foot-2, 330-pound Pickett means Grady Jackson’s 2½-year tenure as the Packers’ run stopper in the middle of the defensive line is over.

Jackson’s agent, Angelo Wright, is shopping him to teams in need of a run stopper.
The Packers wanted Pickett, 26, to replace Jackson, 33, because he’s much younger, is more of an every-down player and isn’t as great an injury risk.

Pickett, the 29th overall pick in the 2001 draft, started for the Rams for the past four seasons and is coming off his best year. Last season, he led the Rams’ defensive linemen with 81 tackles. He also had 2 ½ sacks.

Until agreeing to the deal with Pickett, Thompson’s biggest signing of another team’s free agent came earlier this week, when he paid former Seattle safety Marquand Manuel a $2 million signing bonus as part of a five-year deal worth $10 million.

Thompson’s biggest signing of any kind came last week, when he retained defensive end Aaron Kampman just before the start of free agency. That move required a huge first-year payment of about $12 million in bonuses and base salary and likely is a more lucrative contract than Pickett’s.

Kampman received an $8 million signing bonus, a $3 million roster bonus, a base salary of $900,000 this year and a workout bonus of $105,720. It’s a four-year, $21 million deal, with base salaries of $1.9 million in 2007, $2.9 million in 2008 and $3.9 million in 2009, plus workout bonuses of $100,000 in each of those seasons.

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Packers sign ex-Seahawk

The Green Bay Packers signed former Seattle Seahawks safety Marquand Manuel, the team announced Monday.

Manuel, 26, started the Seahawks' final 13 games at free safety after regular starter Ken Hamlin was injured in Week 7.

Manuel tied for third on the Seahawks with 67 tackles (54 solo), two passes defensed and one fumble recovery.

The Seahawks claimed Manuel on waivers before the 2004 regular season. He played mostly on special teams and as an extra defensive back in his first year with Seattle.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Manuel out of Florida in the sixth round of the 2002 draft, and he started nine games in two seasons before being waived.

Manuel signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Packers, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He received a $2 million signing bonus and base salaries of $1 million in 2006, $1.3 million in 2007, $1.6 million in 2008, $1.9 million in 2009 and $2.2 million in 2010.
The Packers also claimed wide receiver Harry Williams on waivers from the New York Jets. Williams, a 6-2, 186-pounder, was drafted by the Jets in 2005 in the seventh round out of Tuskegee.

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Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers found a real gem when they drafted AFL quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Nicknamed “Big Ben,” this Ohio native led the Steelers to the Super Bowl during his second year in the league.

An interest in sports during his high school years perhaps led to Roethlisberger’s success. As captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams, this star in the making finally landed his spot as the quarterback of his high school football team during his senior year. It appears as if that practice paid off - literally. In 2004, when Ben Roethlisberger found his way into the NFL Draft, the Steelers signed him to a six year contract with an impressive signing bonus. During his rookie season, Roethlisberger succeeded with a 13-0 record for the best start by a rookie.
In October 2005, just one year after he was selected in the draft, Ben Roethlisberger became the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as named by the Associated Press. During his rookie season, passing records were something to be broken by this Findlay High School graduate. Among them, best passer rating and highest completion percentage.



It was obvious to all who saw him, including Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, that this young man was here to play. And play he did. As the 2005 regular season wrapped up, the Steelers had secured the AFC league’s wild card position in the Super Bowl XL. On February 5, 2006, the Steelers took hom the Super Bowl victory in a win against the Seattle Seahawks.

Roethlisberger is far from being your average quarterback. In fact, his stature leaves little doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with. Tied with few others as the tallest starting quarterback in the NFL, “Big Ben” knows how to use his height to read the competition. In addition, his arm seemingly has a knack for guiding the passes to their intended receiver. There is no doubt that height would be an advantage to any quarterback trying to spot an open receiver on the field.

Ben Roethlisberger is the second youngest quarterback to play in the NFL Super Bowl. While he has been compared to many legends of the game, Roethlisberger is out to make a name for himself. With only his second regular season behind him, and 4 years remaining on his contract with the Steelers, it looks as if Pittsburgh can expect “Big Ben” to be a powerhouse for the team in the years to come. What’s next for this NFL superstar in the making? Stay tuned and find out.

Bob writes for GoAllOut.com and FanFrenzyZone.com. Where you can purchase a Ben Roethlisberger Jersey, Steelers Apparel or Steelers Tickets.

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NFL Draft 2006: What You Want To Know

With the 2006 NFL Draft coming up at the end of next month (April 29 and 30), fans are asking, what they should expect and if there will be any big surprises this year. To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the players, teams, and negotiations that are highlighting this year’s event.

Reggie Bush is looking like the first-round favorite. Bush, who played running back for USC, is a great all-around athlete. He’s versatile too; equally skilled in running, receiving, and returning. Vince Young garnered national attention when his Wonderlic test score was originally reported as a 6; it turned out to be an unexceptional 16, so look for this talented quarterback from Texas to be tapped in the top five. Another quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart from Southern Cal, gave up being last year’s #1 draft choice to finish school. This savvy player will be snapped up early in the proceedings. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, an offensive tackle from Virginia, should go quickly as well due to the fact he’s little, but nimble, and extremely fast.



At 2-14, the Houston Texas will make this season’s first pick. Look for them to beef up their struggling offensive line. The New Orleans Saints, in the number two spot, is looking for a strong young quarterback to take over. Third pick goes to the Tennessee Titans, who are looking to rebuild after last year’s salary cap reorganization. Fifth-seated New York Jets could use a strong offensive tackle, but will likely choose a more dependable QB in the first round.

The biggest League news so far this year is that the owners and the Players Association still have had trouble reaching a labor contract agreement. The free-agency deadline has already been pushed back by three days to give all parties time to cool off. Fans are watching this dispute closely, hoping that the NFL doesn’t go the way of Major League Baseball.

We have a slew of NFL Betting Systems to help you invest properly in sports and for those of you novice bettors looking find a Safe Reliable Bookie Review - Bodog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Portero

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NFL Notes: Moulds wants Bills to release him

Veteran star receiver Eric Moulds asked the Buffalo Bills to release or trade him yesterday, believing the team has no intention of keeping him at his current salary.

"The Bills have put us in a position where we're at Option Z and Option Z is to ask to be released," Moulds' personal adviser, Greg Johnson, told Associated Press. "It's a sad day. And we wish things could've worked out, but it's just not working out."

Moulds, a 10-year veteran and the Bills' senior player, has two years left on his contract. He's scheduled to make about $7.1 million (all figures U.S.) next season and count about $10.85 million against the salary cap.



Moulds twice has rejected the team's request to take what Johnson referred to as "a substantial pay cut." Johnson said the two sides are at a stalemate in finding other ways to reduce the player's salary cap hit.

LEWIS STAYS PUT: Running back Jamal Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens agreed on a three-year contract yesterday, less than 24 hours after the team added free agent Mike Anderson to improve a rushing attack that ranked 21st in the NFL last season.

Lewis's deal was in the vicinity of $25 million, according to the league's website.

The franchise career rushing leader with 6,669 yards, Lewis became a free agent in January.
Lewis had planned to fly to Denver yesterday afternoon to talk about joining the Broncos, but cancelled the flight after coming to terms with the Ravens.

He ran for a career-low 906 yards in 2005 after serving a four-month federal prison sentence on a drug charge and undergoing off-season ankle surgery.

SPENDING SPREE: The Tennessee Titans have money to spend in free agency and they haven't wasted time trying to improve a team that went 4-12 last season, agreeing to terms yesterday with linebacker David Thornton. The five-year deal is worth more than $22 million with an $8 million signing bonus.

Tennessee also met with wide receiver David Givens, another top free agent on the market. "We're not done," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "Veteran presence is important to us."
SIZE MATTERS: The Cleveland Browns signed 6-foot-5, 365-pound nose tackle Ted Washington to a two-year contract to bolster the team's run defence.

The 14-year veteran, who will turn 38 in April, recently was released by the Oakland Raiders for salary cap reasons.

FALCON STAYS HOME: Receiver Brian Finneran re-signed with the Atlanta Falcons, agreeing to a four-year, $8 million contract.

Finneran caught 60 passes for 611 yards last season.

SAFETY REASONS: Dexter Jackson, MVP of the 2003 Super Bowl, signed a four-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The safety, an eight-year player, was with Tampa Bay from 1999-2002. He spent 2003 with Arizona, then returned to Tampa.

REDSKINS BUSY: Washington added safety Adam Archuleta and linebacker Andre Carter to its free-agent haul yesterday, giving the Redskins five new players in three days.

Archuleta, who played five years with the St. Louis Rams, signed a six-year, $30 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus.

Carter will fly to Washington today to sign his deal.

The two players join receivers Brandon Lloyd and Antwaan Randle El and tight end Christian Fauria as the newest additions to Joe Gibbs' team.

with files from star wire services

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Free agency off to quick star

Free agency has opened with a flurry. Already, numerous teams are on the board. Take a glance at the deals, and the potential soon-to-be deals.

This list will be constantly updated throughout the day, so refresh this page often!
Former Denver defensive end Trevor Pryce reached agreement with Baltimore on a five-year, $25 million deal.

Cleveland reached agreement with former Seattle wide receiver Joe Jurevicius on a four-year deal worth about $10 million.



Former Minnesota safety Corey Chavous reached agreement with St. Louis on a five-year deal.
Former Seattle safety Marquand Manuel reached an agreement with Green Bay on a five-year, $10 million deal that includes a $2 million signing bonus.

Denver has reached an agreement to re-sign defensive tackle Gerard Warren to a six-year contract.

Former New Orleans center LeCharles Bentley agreed to terms with Cleveland -- 6 years, $36 million, with a $12 million signing bonus. The deal makes him the highest-paid center in NFL history.

Former Washington tight end Robert Royal has reached an agreement with Buffalo on a five-year, $10 million deal that includes a $2.5 million signing bonus.

Washington and San Francisco are nearing a deal that would send a 2006 third-round pick and a 2007 fourth-round selection to the 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Pending a physical, the deal should be completed before the end of the weekend.

Former Baltimore defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu reached an agreement with Carolina -- 5 years, $23 million, with $8 million of it guaranteed.

Dallas agreed to terms with ex-Detroit guard Kyle Kosier on a five-year, $15 million deal that includes a $5 million signing bonus.

Arizona agreed to terms with ex-Giants defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy on a four-year, $8.1 million deal.

Carolina re-signed RB DeShaun Foster to a three-year deal worth about $14.5 million.

Tampa Bay re-signed FB Mike Alstott to a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

Minnesota re-signed WR Koren Robinson to a three-year, $12.7 million deal that, with options, really is a one-year, $3 million deal.

Green Bay re-signed DE Aaron Kampman. SCHEDULED VISITS

Carolina LB Will Witherspoon is visiting St. Louis today and New Orleans on March 12 -- he's expected to have a new team in 24 hours.

Giants CB Will Allen is visiting the Seahawks today.

St. Louis defensive tackle Ryan Pickett is visiting Green Bay today.

Detroit cornerback R.W. McQuarters will visit the Giants on March 12.

Jacksonville linebacker Akin Ayodele is visiting Dallas today.

St. Louis safety Adam Archuleta will visit Washington today. He also is scheduled to visit Chicago on March 13.

Dallas linebacker linebacker Scott Fujita will visit New Orleans on March 12 and Jacksonville on March 13.

San Francisco defensive end Andre Carter will visit Washington today.

Former Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington just wrapped up his Miami visit today and is heading to the Giants for a March 12 meeting.

Former Buffalo safety Lawyer Milloy is visiting Cincinnati today.

Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson is visiting Cincinnati on March 12 and Minnesota on March 13.

San Diego quarterback Drew Brees is scheduled to visit New Orleans today, but first is meeting with Miami officials in Alabama.

Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James will visit Arizona today.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Antwaan Randle El will visit Washington today and Chicago on March 12.

Cincinnati quarterback Jon Kitna will visit the Jets.

Pittsburgh defensive tackle Kimo Von Oelhoffen will visit the Jets today.
Arizona quarterback Josh McCown will visit Detroit on March 12, then New Orleans, then Miami.

Green Bay center Mike Flanagan will visit Houston today.

Baltimore safety Will Demps will visit Cincinnati today and Minnesota on March 13.

New England wide receiver David Givens will visit Miami today and Houston on March 12.

San Diego linebacker Ben Leber will visit Minnesota today, and likely will sign there.
Miami quarterback Sage Rosenfels will visit Houston today.

Chiefs backup quarterback Todd Collins will Washington on March 12.

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NFL: PANTHERS: Terrific 10: Offseason Moves

Lists are starting points for discussion, and the following is no different. Here is a look at some of the top veteran offseason moves in team history as seen by Panthers.com.

10. Ken Lucas and Mike Wahle, 2005

In one 24-hour span, the Panthers shored up two positions by signing guard Mike Wahle and cornerback Ken Lucas. Wahle helped anchor the offensive line in Green Bay for seven years, and Lucas shared the NFC lead with Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble with six interceptions in 2004. Both players paid dividends in their first season as Panthers. Lucas made game-changing plays in the Panthers secondary, posting six interceptions in the regular season again, and one each in playoff victories at New York and Chicago. Wahle helped solidify the offensive line, helping the Panthers allow 28 sacks, the second fewest in team history and opening holes for a team-record 228 rushing yards in the regular season finale. Wahle was rewarded by his NFL peers by receiving his first career Pro Bowl invitation.



9. Mark Fields, 2002

Few remember that Mark Fields had played in the Super Bowl prior to the 2002 season as a member of the St. Louis Rams. But Fields, a former Pro Bowler in New Orleans, was released by the Rams. The Panthers signed him and he spent the entire 2002 season making them look like geniuses. Fields had his best season ever, posting 127 tackles, 7.5 sacks, a team record seven forced fumbles, and one interception. Unfortunately, during training camp the next summer he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease. He missed the entire 2003 season, but he and linebackers coach Sam Mills, who was diagnosed with cancer around the same time, served as an inspiration to his teammates with their Keep Pounding attitude. That mentality allowed him to come all the way back in 2004, when he earned his second Pro Bowl invitation.

8. Ricky Proehl, 2003

The Panthers already had Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith at wide receiver when they signed Proehl. They were seeking steady production, veteran leadership, and big play potential from their third receiver. It's safe to say that's exactly what they got. In his first game as a Panther, Proehl caught the game-winning touchdown versus Jacksonville with 16 seconds remaining. He hauled in three more touchdowns that season, then caught the game-tying touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII with 1:08 remaining. Two seasons later, Proehl caught another four touchdown passes, including the game-winner at Detroit with 36 seconds remaining.

7. Kevin Greene 1996

When Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he wanted to build an aggressive, attacking defense much like the one he had assembled in Pittsburgh. Enter Kevin Greene. Attack was Greene's middle name, and it paid off in terms of sacks and big plays. His first season in Carolina, he led the NFL with 14.5 sacks, forced five fumbles and recovered three, returning one of them 66 yards for a touchdown. Greene went on to post 15 sacks in 1998