- 06/30/04 - Green Bay Packers: B. Duane Cross of Sports Illustrated used a point formula based primarily on 2003 statistics to rank the top running backs in the NFL. The Top 5- 1. LaDainian Tomlinson S.D. 225 points, 2. Ahman Green G.B. 224.5, 3. Priest Holmes K.C. 223.5, 4. Shaun Alexander Sea. 178.5, 5. Jamal Lewis Bal. 171.5. Complete Article
- 06/29/04 - Rulon Gardner Preparing for Olympics
06/28/04
- [Detroit Lions: Patrick Kabongo has been placed on waivers by the NFL's Detroit Lions and is expected to join the Renegades in the next two weeks. Kabongo, a University of Nebraska product taken in the third round of the 2003 CFL draft, is a massive defensive tackle (6-6, 325 pounds) whom the Renegades will convert to offensive guard. Once signed, the Montreal native will likely spend the rest of this season on the practice roster. (Ottawa Citizen)
- Green Bay's release of former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch came shortly before the June training sessions. He played safety in the post-draft camp, but club officials had reservations about his toughness. Crouch might try quarterbacking in the CFL. (Stan Olson, Inside The NFL)
06/27/04
- Harvey not ready to try on AL batting crown
- Benning, Beef put on really big show
06/25/04
- Part-owner Benning makes 'comeback'
- a href="http://www.seahawks.com/ardisplay.aspx?ID=4212">Pitching is a Kick for Josh Brown
- [Green Bay Packers: As the Packers concluded their offseason work, the status of cornerback Mike McKenzie had yet to be resolved. McKenzie asked to be traded in April when the club refused to renegotiate a contract that has three years remaining. He has been absent from all offseason work, putting himself above the team. The deal McKenzie signed two years ago is worth $17.1 million and included a $3.5 million signing bonus. His salary this year is $2.75 million, yet he forfeited $200,000 for being a no-show in the offseason. In addition, after the initial trade demand, McKenzie hired Drew Rosenhaus, who became his fifth agent in five years.
McKenzie's attitude is in stark contract to running back Ahman Green, who arguably has outplayed his contract to a greater extent than McKenzie after rushing for 1,883 yards last season and scoring 20 touchdowns. Green's five-year, $18.375 million contract expires after the 2005 season.
"A couple years back, that was fair," Green said of his contract. "And I signed the contract. I wouldn't hold out because money's not that big of a deal, and I'm not that type of person."
- [Seattle Seahawks: Seahawks kicker Josh Brown, in Portland promoting a Seahawks' intrasquad scrimmage, threw out the first pitch at the Class AAA Portland Beavers' game last night. (The Seattle Times)
06/24/04
- [Houston Texans: S Jammal Lord signed to a three-year deal worth $995,600, including a $75,600 signing bonus. Lord will receive minimum base salaries of $230,000 (2004), $305,000 (2005) and $385,000 (2006). (Houston Chronicle, KFFL)
- Wistrom among Forbes' highest-paid athletes
06/23/04
- Schlesinger says west coast or option...it's still football
- Marco Rivera traveled across the world and halfway through a four-day NFL-USO trip to the Middle East to visit U.S. bases in Kuwait and Qatar.
While Rivera is supposed to be the celebrity, he's the one walking away from each meeting with goose bumps. At each stop, he's been especially taken aback by the number of Packers fans he's come across -- fans who have packed their Packers pride all the way to the Middle East.
"I also met a Marine today who had an Ahman Green jersey. I mean, he comes all the way out to Kuwait ready to fight in a war, and when he packs his clothes one of the things he makes sure that he brings with him is an Ahman Green jersey. It just shows what great football fans these guys are, and how much the game means to them." (Packers.com)
- According to Richard Walker of the Freedom News Service, the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats were expected to select Milwaukee guard Erick Strickland in the expansioin draft, but when all was said and done Strickland was still a Buck.
Eric Piatkowski's name also came up in the rumor mill. Walker stated that "Cleveland reportedly has contacted the Bobcats about selecting Houston guard Eric Piatkowski for them.
"Charlotte's GM Bernie Bickerstaff on Monday said the Piatkowski rumor had some merit and also thinks his team will have more than one first-round draft pick. Since Cleveland officials have said they would like to deal their first-rounder, there certainly appears at least mutual interest for the deal between the teams."
- [CFL-Winnipeg: Tony Ortiz has accepted a practice roster position, he won't be back in town until at least after Friday's game because his wife gave birth last week and is still in the hospital. (Winnipeg Sun)
- Alan J. Burge of HoustonTexans.com lists DL Jeremy Slechta as one of the "long shots to make the team".
- Of Jammal Lord he says: "Rookie Jammal Lord, the former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback, and second year player Curry Burns will compete with Marlon McCree for a spot behind Marcus Coleman. Lord and Burns may be in a tough spot unless one or the other outplays McCree in camp and preseason since last season the Texans kept only two free safeties. The ability to play special teams will be the discriminator for many of the DBs trying to make the team."
- The Houston Texans officially signed S Jammal Lord, their sixth round draft pick. Lord is the third of the team's nine selections from the 2004 draft to sign a deal. (Associated Press)
- 06/22/04 - The Texans could be nearing an agreement with sixth-round selection Jammal Lord, who is being converted from quarterback to safety. Lord's agent, Adisa Bakari, said Monday the two sides are "very close" and that a deal could be finalized by midweek. (The Houston Chronicle)
- 06/19/04 - Gardner handles his foe, hubbub
- 06/00/04 - Green Gives Back
- 06/16/04 - Bucks to expose Erick Strickland to expansion draft
06/17/04
- Chiefs look at Crouch
- ESPN's Phil Rogers discusses the possibilities and the deserving for the American League All-Star team.
Who should be on first? Rogers writes: "The usual suspects are Jason Giambi, Carlos Delgado, Rafael Palmeiro and Mike Sweeney, but there are no first basemen having monster seasons this time around.
"The most deserving first basemen are Ken Harvey, Sweeney's teammate in Kansas City, and the White Sox' Paul Konerko, who hit only .234 a year ago.
"Harvey, third in the AL with a .352 batting average, is hitting almost 100 points better than Sweeney. Konerko is leading AL first basemen with 14 homers while hitting .280 with a .380 on-base percentage."
- If LB Tony Ortiz returns (to the Winnipeg Blue-Bombers), he will have to accept a practice roster agreement. Ortiz had gone home to be with his wife, who was giving birth.
- [Chicago Bears: Free-agent safety Mike Brown decided to stay with the Chicago Bears, signing a six-year contract last night. He has been one of the Bears' most durable players, missing just one game in three seasons. (AP)
- [Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys received an NFL Europe roster exemption for OT Dave Volk, who was allocated to the league this spring. He will not count against the 80-man roster during training camp. (DallasCowboys.com, KFFL)
- [New Orleans Saints: Reserve cornerback Keyuo Craver missed Wednesday's two practices after being banished from the training facility for disciplinary reasons the day before. "I just asked him to leave Tuesday and come back to training camp in better condition and mentally ready to play football," Haslett said. "Without getting into specifics, there were a number of different issues." Team sources said Craver weighed 218 pounds, 25 pounds above his reporting weight, and had been late for meetings recently. (The Times Picayune)
06/16/04
- The Peoria Pirates of the AF2 (Arena Football 2) were "assigned" DS Dion Booker. Booker had been with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL but he was cut in late May.
- A late note: DE Demoine Adams has been signed to the Edmonton Eskimos practice squad. He had been cut by the Eskimos on the 13th of June after working through training camp.
Earlier, in a preseason game with Calgary, Adams was ejected (along with Calgary's Jay McNeil, Jeff Pilon and Taylor Robertson) following a third-quarter dust up after Calgary missed an extra point. (Edmonton Sun)
- The Montreal Alouettes will be minus safety Barron Miles when they open their season Saturday night against Edmonton in a Grey Cup rematch.
Miles, 32, suffered a knee injury in Montreal's 38-10 exhibition victory over Ottawa last week and was scheduled to undergo arthroscopy surgery Wednesday. There is also a chance Miles might not be ready to play when the Alouettes face Calgary on June 27.
With veteran William Loftus ailing (knee, out four weeks), Stephane Fortin will start at safety against Edmonton. Miles took over the safety position from Loftus in training camp. (Canadian Press)
- Correll Buckhalter is ready for the silver screen. Whether the silver screen is ready for him remains to be seen.
The Eagles running back recently passed a screen test and has been cast in the comedy flick "White Men Can't Rap," which is shooting in the Philadelphia area and stars John Lumia. Buckhalter plays a character named Hambone who is part of a bar scene.
Director Rick Morris told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Buckhalter is "as comfortable in front of the camera as he is running off tackle."
"When I heard [Atlanta Falcons defensive back] Bryan Scott had been cast, I felt it was important to have an Eagle represent this Philly-based production," Buckhalter told the paper (apparently learning the ways of Hollywood quickly) through a spokeswoman for the movie. "Not only because we're the home boys, but also because the project could definitely benefit from association with a Super Bowl-bound team." (Chicago Sun-Times)
- "I signed my papers probably six weeks ago," Jared Tomich told the Northwest Indiana Times during a charity event. "Nothing's ever final and you could always come out of retirement, but I'm done. It's the first summer I'm not in some kind of minicamp or getting ready to go- and it's nice. I'm really enjoying it."
Yet the retirement may not be for good. "Right now, it's not bad," he said of stepping away from the game he still loves. "But I think once football training camps kick in, and I'm seeing everything on ESPN, I'll probably feel (the void) a little more...
"We'll see what happens this fall."
Tomich says he "was real happy with my career and how everything went" but adds that he might still be playing if not for a coaching change. Mike Ditka was fired and replaced by Jim Haslett, who basically wouldn't give Tomich the time of day.
"If Ditka were still coaching, I'm sure I'd still be playing," Tomich added. "When coach left, that's when things kinda went downhill for me. He was the one who was definitely in my corner." (Northwest Indiana Times)
- CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco pegged Ahman Green as the 15th best player in the NFL, saying that "in a league where the running backs are king, he is among the best. Green can run with it and catch, making him a duel threat."
The Complete List
- [Carolina Panthers: The Panthers lost FS Deon Grant through free agency and will be replaced by Colin Branch. While trying to make a transition into starting role, Branch said that it helps working next to veteran Mike Minter, the starting strong safety, every day in practice.
"Mike is a great guy. The whole defense looks to him for leadership and guidance," Branch said. "All the guys in the defensive backfield now are young - two-, three- and four-year guys, at the most - except for him. So he's the captain back there, and we take our cues from him. (Winston-Salem Journal)
06/15/04
- [CFL-Toronto: Shortly after being cut by the Toronto Argonauts, Johnnie Mitchell was re-signed to the club's practice roster.
- 'Committed' Green reemerges at practice
- 06/13/04 - CFL-Winnipeg: Winnipeg linebacker Tony Ortiz was officially 'suspended' because he "has gone home because his wife is having a baby (by C-section)," Bomber head coach Dave Ritchie said. "I knew that coming into camp." (Winnipeg Sun)
06/14/04
- Angel's presence graces Stingers (Erstad)
06/12/04
- Beckville honors Demorrio Williams
- Is 388 pounds of Fonoti better than none at all?
- [Cincinatti Bengals: Rookie punter Kyle Larson sprint-walked out of the locker room after Friday morning's workout. He was hustling to catch a plane home to Nebraska because he gets married today. The honeymoon will have to wait. He's due back at minicamp on Sunday. (Dayton Daily News)
- [San Diego Chargers: Jim Trotter of the Union-Tribune provides some background information on the recent troubles of Toniu Fonoti, Here.
Also from the Union-Tribune, "Coach Marty Schottenheimer says he is disappointed Jason Ball and Toniu Fonoti did not attend" Cable DSL, 56k
- Defensive back Tyrone Hughes isn't ready to quit. Hughes, a former New Orleans Saint, joined the Bayou Bucks (NIFL) this season even though he's past his athletic peak. A six-year NFL veteran and former Pro Bowler, Hughes spent last season as the head coach at Phoenix High School and will join the Jesuit staff this year. Hughes said he still sometimes wonders what the heck he's doing driving to Houma three times a week for practices and enduring marathon bus rides to and from games, but he said he never questions why he plays.
"It's fun," he said. "In the NFL, there's so much B.S. in it now. It's not fun anymore. You don't see guys having four- to eight-year careers with the same team anymore. It's all about money. This is pure. You see guys who want to get to the AFL or maybe even the NFL. I'm going to give whatever I can to help them get better. I'm done, but I'm willing to do anything I can to help these guys." (The Times-Picayune)
- CFL-Toronto: Johnnie Mitchell was among Toronto's final six cuts. (Canadian Press)
06/11/04
- Fonoti , Ball no-shows at Chargers minicamp
- Fan Q&A with Grant Wistrom
- Wistrom, Wunsch throw considerable selves into program
06/10/04
- [Atlanta Falcons: When asked if "any of the Falcons undrafted rookie free agents..have stood out", head coach Jim Mora said "there have been a number of guys who have stood out". CB Pat Ricketts was the first of four defensive players Mora specifically mentioned. Rickett's critics take note. (AtlantaFalcons.com)
- [Green Bay Packers: Although on the smallish side, Dahrran Diedrick shows some burst and is a hard runner. He'll have a tough time cracking the three-man rotation of Green, Najeh Davenport and Tony Fisher, however. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
- [Green Bay Packers: Halfback Ahman Green was back at practice and confirmed he missed two days of workouts while in San Diego for a business venture. Green met Sherman in his office when he returned, and Sherman said that "he and I are fine." (Wisconsin State Journal)
- [San Diego Chargers: One player who isn't in good standing at the moment is guard Toniu Fonoti, who has skipped all of the team's voluntary offseason coaching sessions. Club officials considered the workouts critical for Fonoti because he missed all of last season after being put on injured reserve because of problems with his feet and questions about his psyche.
To this point, things have not gone as well as the club hoped. On May 7, Fonoti reported for the voluntary rookie minicamp at 388 pounds – 33 pounds heavier than the club's desired weight for him. He has not worked with the team since then and has made only one appearance at the training facility, two days ago.
The Chargers thought he was going to participate in yesterday's on-field coaching session, but he failed to appear. This weekend's minicamp is mandatory, so Fonoti has to show up or face being fined.
Fonoti and his agent, Carl Poston, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Last week, Poston said Fonoti went to his native Hawaii last month to deal with a family matter. He said his client told him things were going well at the time of their talk. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Too many LBs, too few spots (Ortiz)
06/09/04
- Panthers.com- Rucker ready to roll
- Russ Hochstein, who filled in ably for Damien Woody in the playoffs, is penciled in at left guard, but should face competition from veteran pickup Bob Hallen. (Boston Herald)
- PackersNews.com with an assessment of NFL Europe allocations:
Erwin Swiney (Cologne), CB-- Had 12 passes defensed but gave up more plays than expected for a guy who’s been on and off the Packers’ roster and practice squad the last two years.
Wilson Thomas (Amsterdam), WR-- He’s tall (6-5), but had only three receptions and is too slow for the NFL.
Cowboys offensive guard Dave Volk was voted All-NFL Europe first team for his play this spring overseas. Volk, a first-year player from Nebraska who spent last season on the Cowboys practice squad, earned his first-team honors playing for Amsterdam and is expected to challenge for a roster spot this summer during training camp. (DallasCowboys.com)
06/08/04
- SF49ers.com- Roger Craig Keeps On Running
- Four Huskers Taken in Day 2 of MLB Draft
- [Atlanta Falcons: LB Demorrio Williams and S Etric Pruitt got several reps with the second team defense on Tuesday, though neither played exclusively with the Falcons second D. (AtlantaFalcons.com)
- From The Green Bay News-Chronicle: Brett Favre has hinted that he feels something special surrounding this team. This Packers' team has few stars, and the stars they do have are about as humble as can be. Favre isn't going to complain when he takes a backseat to Ahman Green. Green's ego is about as small as his work ethic is big. The offensive line is made up of a bunch of above-average players whose whole is infinitely more than the sum of its parts.
- Mini-camp continued for the Green Bay Packers out on Clarke Hinkle Field, Tuesday, albeit without star running back Ahman Green. Green failed to attend the practice due to a prior commitment that he couldn't get out of, a team spokesperson said.
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman didn't meet with the media after practice, but was said to have been made aware of Green's schedule conflict ahead of time. Nevertheless, Sherman was said to be "disappointed" by Green's absence, which -- like that of Cletidus Hunt before him -- isn't technically a violation, since the Packers' June mini-camp is voluntary. (Packers.com)
Center Mike Flanagan, the Packers representative with the players' association, suggested Tuesday that too much is being made about players such as Green and Hunt taking time off during a voluntary camp.
"Let these guys worry about it. This is between 'Sherm' and Ahman," Flanagan said. "I don't worry about Ahman; he's going to be ready to play on Sundays. It's just another thing to talk about, I guess." (AP)
- Green's absence allowed Dahrran Diedrick, a fellow former University of Nebraska standout, to get some reps working out of the backfield with the starting offense. Diedrick, a first-year player, is No. 4 on the depth chart at halfback and has a daunting challenge ahead of him to make the team coming out of training camp.
Najeh Davenport and Tony Fisher are the incumbent backups to Green. "But, he's going to battle them; he's going to make them do their best. We're really pleased with 'Double D,' that's what they call him," offensive coordinator Tom Rossley said.
Incidentally, Green was a host for Diedrick, 25, during his recruiting visit to Nebraska. San Diego signed Diedrick as an undrafted free agent last year, he then had two stints on the Packers practice squad for most of last season.
"It's just a lot of fun trying to work as hard as I can and make the coaches see that I have ability and I'm good enough to be here," Diedrick said. "There's been a lot of other players who come up to me and tell me that, sometimes, they can't tell if it's me or Ahman out here running. It's a great compliment to put my name with his." (AP)
- [MLB Draft: LHP Justin Pekarek was the first Husker chosen in the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, as he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round (No. 226 overall). Second-baseman Jake Mullinax was chosen in the 14th round (No. 420 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Senior Mike Sillman was chosen in the 21st round (No. 630 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals and fourth-year junior Dustin Timm was picked in the 26th round (No. 766 overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers. A pair of right-handers, Phil Shirek (No. 1304 overall) and Quinton Robertson (No. 1317 overall) were chosen in the 44th round, with Shirek being chosen by Cleveland and Robertson picked by St. Louis. (Huskers.com)
06/07/04
- Mullinax Selected by St. Louis in MLB Draft
- Pekarek Selected by Cleveland in MLB Draft
- [CFL-Toronto: After releasing 10 players Sunday the Argos still have newcomers Robert Baker, R. Jay Soward, Chris Cunningham, Robert Johnson, Johnny Mitchell, Marc Lester and holdover Lal Knight battling for three starting and two backup receiver spots.
Mitchell, who had been given permission to miss Saturday night's 31-23 pre-season win over Hamilton to return to Florida to be in a friend's wedding party, was placed on the suspended list in a paper move. (Toronto Star)
- [Carolina Panthers: National Football scouting and Blesto, who provide college scouting reports to subscriber NFL teams, recently finished their annual spring meetings. Barrett Ruud was ranked at #7 among the "elite 10" potential draft prospects. (ESPN)
06/05/04
- [Carolina Panthers: Veteran safety Mike Minter is under contract through 2005, but his cap figure is more than $5 million this year, and close to $6 million next year. At the NFL meetings in April, Minter's agent approached general manager Marty Hurney about an extension that would make his client a Panther for the rest of his career.
The idea makes some sense. Minter is still in his prime, and an extension could create some cap room. Minter also is one of the most popular players in franchise history, and it wouldn't be a bad public relations move to make sure he sticks around. (Charlotte Observer)
- [Kansas City Chiefs: Pro Bowl right guard Will Shields has been absent all week because of the death of his mother. (AP, KC Star)
- [CFL-Winnipeg: Winnipeg Blue Bomber head coach Dave Ritchie virtually assured that new import (non-Canadian) linebacker Tony Ortiz has already made the team. "He'll be on our roster, as far as I'm concerned, as long as I can stretch our Canadians (starters)," he said, referring to the import/non-import ratio. (The Winnipeg Sun)
- [San Diego Chargers: Chargers guard Toniu Fonoti weighed 388 pounds at a recent mini-camp. The Chargers want him down to 350. (KRT Wire, Chicago Tribune)
06/04/04
- Minter: Focus, patience key
- AZCardinals.comA Pair With Something To Prove (Vanden Bosch)
06/03/04
- [Green Bay Packers: After running their two-back offensive sets Wednesday, the Packers worked on single-back offensive sets with Ahman Green, Najeh Davenport, Tony Fisher and Dahrran Diedrick sharing the workload. (Packers.com)
- Buckhalter ready to erase doubts
- Ex-49er Roger Craig set to run without the ball...for 26 miles
- Dazzle sponsor charity car wash with Mikki Moore
- [CFL-Winnipeg: Winnipeg head coach Dave Ritchie continues to single out linebacker Tony Ortiz, one of just four LBs to play in Calgary. "He's a heartbeat from starting," the coach said. "He's poppin' off the sheet. Now if he goes to this game and pops off ... then maybe he's found a home." (The Winnipeg Sun)
- [CFL-Toronto: The Argos face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday in the last CFL pre-season game for both teams. Johnnie Mitchell will miss the game because he's in a friend's wedding party this weekend. Greg Mohns, the Argos player-personnel director, said the CFL club was aware of Mitchell's wedding obligations when it signed him in the off-season. (Canadian Press)
- [San Diego Chargers: The Chargers have signed P Bill LaFleur. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. (ESPN, KFFL)
- [Seattle Seahawks: One of the newest members of the Seahawks, defensive end Grant Wistrom, will be tossing the first pitch at the Portland Beavers versus Fresno Grizzlies game at PGE Park Thursday night. (Seahawks.com)
06/02/04
- [Green Bay Packers: The Packers cut S Eric Crouch.
"We thought it was best to release him," Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman said Wednesday. "I didn’t think he was truly a defensive back. We gave him a look at punt returns and didn’t feel like it was going to work."
The Packers activated Crouch from the reserved/retired list on March 23 with the hopes of giving him a look at safety or as a punt returner. But while Crouch made the decision to leave the NFL the first two times, this time it was Sherman who cut the cord.
"There’s a chance he can play quarterback in Canada," Sherman said. The Canadian Football League begins its regular season in a little less than two weeks. (PackersNews.com)
- [Atlanta Falcons: As expected, the Falcons have cut CB Tyrone Williams.
- Crouch packs bags one more time
- Packers have seen enough, waive Crouch
06/01/04
- Ex-Huskers on brink of making big impact
- [Arizona Cardinals: Several players who sat out the last series of organized team workouts for the Cardinals returned to practice on Tuesday, including DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.
"I know I have to be out here practicing and getting some reps because this team is going places this year and I want to be in the front of it leading the group," stated Vanden Bosch. (AZCardinals.com)
"The last time I was hurt (with a knee injury), I was hesitant around the pile," said Vanden Bosch, who blew out his right knee in 2001. "The more reps I can get without pads the less hesitant I will be with pads. (East Valley Tribune)
The workouts are voluntary.
- [Carlina Panthers: Strong safety Mike Minter and defensive end Mike Rucker both returned to practice on Wednesday after missing time in the rookie minicamp. (AP)