04/29/05

04/28/05r doing things he's got to do to get better.

Incognito will undergo kneecap surgery and be sidelined three to four months. (KFFL)

04/26/05

04/25/05

04/24/05

"He had such terrific numbers coming out of college, we'll give him every opportunity (to win the job)," head coach Mike Martz said.

As a rookie in 2003, Groce averaged 7.1 yards on 19 returns for the Rams, but lost the job after a couple of fumbles. In college at Nebraska, Groce returned five punts for touchdowns.

Shaun McDonald handled the Rams' punt return duties last season, but averaged only 4.8 yards a return. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

"We've got really good corners. Five solid corners," head coach Mike Tice said. "You're talking Ralph Brown right now, as we sit here, is our fifth corner. He's pretty good. Ralph Brown had a pick for us in a playoff game. He's no bum." (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Davis versatility gives the Panthers options of where he will play. One option might not sit well with some Carolina fans - replacing popular Mike Minter at strong safety, if not this year, then in 2006. Minter, an eight-year NFL season, is in the final year of his contract with the Panthers and is due to cost more than $4 million under this year’s cap.

While the Panthers are not expected to cut Minter, a locker room leader, the drafting of Davis may not bode well for Minter’s long-term future with the club. (Freedom News Service)

04/23/05

04/22/05

04/21/05

04/20/05

04/19/05

"He came across very well," Ruston Webster, Bucs director of college scouting, said. "He was sharp, football-wise. He carried himself well. It was favorable. A lot of times what (visits do) is solidify your opinion of a player and I think it did that with Fabian."

Though much of the first-day focus has been on the team's offensive needs, Webster said the Bucs are willing to take a defensive player if he's the best available player. (St. Petersburg Times)

04/18/05

Rucker and safety Mike Minter were walking out of the stadium Monday after morning workouts when they got more of the same news they'd been hearing ever since the day Mills was diagnosed in August 2003. "We ran into Little Sam (Mills' son, Sam III, who works for the team)," Minter said. "We asked how Sam was doing and he said he was still fighting."

About an hour later, Minter and Rucker got a call saying the fight had ended.

"The man kept pounding right up until the end," Minter said.

"Keep pounding" was Mills' motto from the day of his diagnosis, and it also could have served as the theme of the life of a man who always seemed to overcome the odds. (AP)

04/17/05

04/16/05

Hamburg took a 31-0 halftime lead in their first-ever home game, but the Rhein Fire fought back in the second half before losing 31-24.

04/15/05

Vanden Bosch's wife gave birth to the couple's first child just more than three weeks ago and the family is ready to move to Nashville.

"We're trying to find a way to get there as soon as possible," said the former Arizona Cardinal. "I want to do what I can to help Tennessee win next year and the only way I can do that is to get there and get working with the team and get acquainted to everything in Tennessee."

Vanden Bosch had lunch with defensive line coach Jim Washburn and linebackers coach Dave McGinnis, his old coach with the Cardinals, when he was in town on his free agency visit. He also met with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Vanden Bosch, a second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2001, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Cardinals, though he was injured for two years.

"It has been tough coming back from two reconstructive knee surgeries and not be given a lot of opportunities," he said. "The (Titans) coaches told me what they needed and I think I can fill that void. I didn't feel I was able to do all the things I wanted to last year and after working this offseason I feel I am back strength-wise and speed-wise to where I was when I came into this league." (The Tennessean)

04/14/05

04/13/05

The Herald Tribune reports Washington worked out for the Buccaneers on Tuesday. Adding that "he will spend a day with the Chiefs... Then it's on to St. Louis, to visit the Rams. He started out visiting New England, Washington and Jacksonville..."

04/12/05

04/11/05

Carolina DE Mike Rucker remember his former Panther teammate: "You definitely would never forget a guy like that," said Rucker.

Rucker recalled that one time a skinny receiver came through the locker room and Lucas shouted, "Get that man something to eat, man." The remark became the defensive line's catchphrase that season.

"He was a great dude, always playing around, always a kid at heart," Rucker said.

Instead, White will have only memories of their final night together in L.A. After a few drinks at the hotel bar, Lucas joined a few of his former teammates upstairs, including White, one of Lucas' brothers in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. As Lucas was leaving, White wished him what had become a customary farewell between the players.

"Continue doing what you're doing," White said, "and stay healthy." (Orlando Sentinel, St. Petersburg Times)

Lucas leaves behind a wife and daughter.

04/10/05

04/09/05

04/08/05

One team possibly weighing those negatives is the St. Louis Rams. Incognito visited the Rams in a pre-draft visit concluded Thursday. (FoxSports.com, Post-Dispatch)

04/07/05

"I'm thinking about it," Shields said. "It's week to week, month to month. I'm not really worried about it at this point in time."

The Chiefs would love to have the 33-year-old Shields back, but he said he's not sure if he wants to put his body through another NFL season.

"It's just old age and playing 12 years in the NFL, the wear and tear on your body and those types of things," he said. " . . . Any time you get above Year 10, you always have those bumps and bruises and other stuff that you have to worry about." (Washington Post)

So unless players can cut it on both sides of the ball, they could be in trouble.

An example: Former Titans running back Dan Alexander leads the Kats with 105 rushing yards, and his five rushing touchdowns are second on the team. But he's been inactive the past three weeks because of his difficulties learning the linebacker position.

"You're thinking, 'Hey, I'm a really good offensive player, so why can't I play?'" Alexander said. "It's because you really have to go both ways and be very good both ways. The challenge for me is to pick up my defensive game as fast as I can because that's what will put me back on the field." (The Tennessean)

The East Valley Tribune (Arizona) adds that Cardinals offensive line coach Everett Lindsay was among those watching Incognito when he hurt his knee again and had to be helped from the field.

04/06/05

04/0/05

04/03/05