[clear - refresh] ---NOT QUITE A MOP, NOT QUITE A PUPPET--- [created by may, modified by johnny b]
ABOUT ME:
Home to a half Mexican who now lives in Silverdale, WA and who supports the Hawks, Sonics and Mariners along with the alma mater (WSU). I also post wacky links, pictures of insanely hot women and what have you (if you don't want to read my ramblings), so enjoy.


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* m a y s t a r *
designs


Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Enjoy these rumors and enjoy the holiday, kidz.

PEACE

-Don’t believe the talk that Falcons QB Michael Vick will have input into who will be the team’s next head coach. Insiders say Vick will have no say whatsoever on who will replace Dan Reeves on a permanent basis.

-Cardinals vice president of football operations Rod Graves was in Mobile, Ala. last week to scout Miami (Ohio) QB Ben Roethlisberger in the GMAC Bowl.

-Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer raised some eyebrows last week when he said LaDainian Tomlinson was the best running back he has ever seen. Schottenheimer, who has been involved in pro football for 27 years, said he believes Tomlinson, in just his third year, is a combination of Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.

-The Broncos are now expected to make a strong pitch toward keeping both LBs Ian Gold and John Mobley with new contracts, despite their season-ending injuries.

-We hear the Ravens are concerned about QB Anthony Wright’s tendency to lock on to his primary receiver. However, a source close to the team says Wright is not in danger of losing his job to Kyle Boller.

-The Lions will give restricted free agent QB Mike McMahon playing time this week, but not because they are disappointed in starter Joey Harrington. McMahon is being rewarded by head coach Steve Mariucci for his effort and professionalism this season. Team sources say getting McMahon a few snaps is not an effort to showcase his talent to other teams hoping to strike a deal in the offseason. In fact, the Lions haven’t received a single inquiry about McMahon’s availability — third-string QB Ty Detmer has garnered more interest. Still, Detroit plans to tender McMahon at a level that would enable the Lions to keep him around.

-Vikings short-yardage RB Moe Williams doesn’t believe he is risking further damage to his knee by playing with a partially torn ligament. Vikings officials told PFW, “If there was risk, we wouldn’t have him out there.”

-There are some in the Packers’ organization who believe OLG Mike Wahle may have been as worthy, if not more worthy, than ORG Marco Rivera of a Pro Bowl invitation. Wahle has been rock-steady this season while Rivera, some believe, has fallen off over the last month.

-The fact that Redskins OT Chris Samuels was named a third alternate for the Pro Bowl shows just how far he has fallen this season.

-Last week, Redskins CB Fred Smoot told PFW that he feels confident his friend, CB Champ Bailey, will return next season, but most Redskins apparently do not feel the same. Meanwhile, Smoot has pledged his allegiance to new Mississippi State football coach Sylvester Croom and says he will continue to help the coaching staff with recruiting down there.

-FS Matt Bowen said the Redskins’ players will not be affected by any rumored changes to the coaching staff. There has been talk in Washington that perhaps defensive coordinator George Edwards and OL coach Kim Helton are in trouble; more likely, the team might also replace TE coach Lawson Holland and OLB coach Jim Collins, who had no previous NFL experience, under pressure from management.

-Despite rumblings that the Cowboys were considering replacing RS Zuriel Smith on punt returns with Terence Newman, who handled those duties in college, it’s not going to happen this season.

-Sources say the Falcons could look to deal RB T.J. Duckett in the offseason if they can get a solid player and a draft pick in return because he is one of the Falcons’ few valuable players who realistically can be dealt.

-Panthers LB Dan Morgan, who just returned to the lineup after missing time due to the aftereffects of a concussion, has started wearing a mouthpiece in an attempt to lessen the chances of getting another concussion.

-Panthers sources say DE Julius Peppers, who has been a disappointment this season, is starting to hit his stride and is playing with more confidence now than at any point in the season.

-It looks like Saints WR Joe Horn doesn’t really know when to quit. We hear he was told by the team to stop talking about his cell-phone shenanigans midway through last week, only to show up on a national sports-talk show, infuriating team management.

-The way we hear it, the Saints hope the success of Pro Bowl OG LeCharles Bentley will inspire rookie Montrae Holland to work harder in the offseason to reach the same level as Bentley.

-Don’t think the Bucs didn’t notice that DT Anthony McFarland excelled while playing in Warren Sapp’s DT spot when Sapp missed the Bucs’ Week 15 tilt with the Texans.

-We’re told the Bucs have no plans to part ways with RB Michael Pittman after the season because head coach Jon Gruden wants to continue to use the running back-by-committee approach that he employed in Oakland.

-Rams MLB Robert Thomas has made so much progress recovering from a torn groin suffered in the first half of the Monday-night game in Cleveland two weeks ago that we hear there’s an outside shot he could suit up this Sunday at Detroit.

-49ers DT Bryant Young has been playing with bone spurs in his left ankle but says he won’t have an operation until after the season.

=Niners owner John York on his team’s free agent plans (the Niners will have 14 unrestricted free agents and six restricted free agents): “We’re interested in getting every one of those players back.”

-Our Cardinals sources believe CB David Barrett, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, has hurt his chances of being re-signed with his shoddy play as of late. Barrett was completely taken to the cleaners by Panthers WR Steve Smith in Carolina’s game-winning drive in Week 15.

-With 49ers WR Terrell Owens expected to be available, the prospect of Owens lining up opposite rookie phenom Anquan Boldin in Arizona is no doubt intriguing. But we’re told there’s no way the Cardinals, who will again have lots of free-agent money to spend, will pursue Owens, since they believe he is too much like former Cardinals problem child David Boston. However, Seattle WR Darrell Jackson, who also is expected to be available, is a different story altogether.

-Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck on teammate Trent Dilfer, who was selected as the Seahawks’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award by his teammates last week: “Trent’s example of remarkable faith, strength and cour­age is a daily inspiration to not only myself, but every person in the Seahawks’ organization. He is a modern-day hero.”

-Observers of the Bills have been puzzled by the lack of playing time for rookie DE Chris Kelsay, given that current starter Ryan Denney really hasn’t done much in his position.

-The contributions from Patriots tight ends have decreased, but our sources say that’s because QB Tom Brady and WR Deion Branch have begun to work up a good rapport, WR Troy Brown has returned to action and the running backs have gotten more involved in the passing game of late.

-Despite breaking his right fibula in Week 13, Colts TE Dallas Clark remains on the active roster. According to our sources, because of his value as a receiver and improving blocker, the Colts have not placed him on injured reserve. The team holds out hope that Clark could return for the AFC championship or Super Bowl, although it remains a longshot.

-Colts RB Dominic Rhodes has replaced WR Terrence Wilkins as the team’s kickoff returner. Lingering knee and shoulder injuries prevented him from assuming the role earlier in the season, but Rhodes has added a special-teams punch that had been lacking since RS Brad Pyatt went down with an injury in Week Nine.

-Jaguars DE Hugh Douglas has played so poorly that the coaching staff has limited him to a little more than half of the defensive snaps.

-Although the Titans have not received many contributions from their rookie class, some second-year players — LB Rocky Boiman, LB Brad Kassell and CB Tony Beckham — have all stepped up when called upon.

-According to our sources, one reason the Titans signed QB Neil O’Donnell is because undrafted rookie QB Jason Gesser did not look close to being ready to play on the NFL level.

-Texans rookie WR Andre Johnson has admitted that he hit a wall around Week Nine, which along with QB David Carr’s three-week absence due to a shoulder injury, accounted for his late-season slump. Making matters worse, Johnson played the last month of the season with a toe injury.

-CB Charles Woodson, a pending unrestricted free agent, was very open with reporters in Oakland last week when discussing his market value, whether it be with the Raiders or elsewhere. “I want every penny, I’m not going to keep that a secret,” Woodson said. He added that his uncertain future has been weighing heavily on his mind and hoped that something would have been done by now.

-According to some close to the team in Oakland, the emotion and straightforwardness head coach Bill Callahan has displayed recently, even after wins, is refreshing to see. He also insists he hasn’t given a second thought to coaching beyond next week, and the speculation surrounding his uncertain job security doesn’t faze him.

-Broncos DE Reggie Hayward on the prospect of facing Colts QB Peyton Manning in Week 16: "He's crazy-smart. He's going to get in your head and try to get you to mess up in some form or fashion or show your defensive scheme. He's going to do something to get you out of your system so that he knows what you're trying to do."

-Word out of Kansas City is that MLB Mike Maslowski, who has missed the last five games, could have been back in the lineup earlier had he not aggravated the MCL sprain in his knee by playing in two games after the injury in November.

-There was some surprise in Pittsburgh that NT Casey Hampton was elected to the Pro Bowl. A source close to the team told PFW that Hampton has been the Steelers’ third-best defensive lineman this season behind DEs Aaron Smith and Kimo von Oelhoffen.

-We’re told Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is in PK Jeff Reed’s corner despite Reed’s recent slump.

-A source close to the Ravens tells PFW that WR Frank Sanders will have to take a paycut to be back with the team next season.

-A source close to the Bengals says the team didn’t expect rookie CB Dennis Weathersby to have much of an impact as a rookie given the tumult he experienced in the offseason, but do expect him to play a bigger role next season.



etch-a-sketched by john at 12:59 AM