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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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Thursday, December 23, 2004
OMG NFL RUMORZ~

Privately the Lions have compared RB Kevin Jones to both Garrison Hearst and LaDainian Tomlinson. Jones has shown surprising power and better speed than he displayed at pre-draft workouts in March. The Lions believe Jones can be a Pro Bowl-caliber back as early as next season and are particularly encouraged that Jones’ numbers continue to rise without the threat of a passing game.

Expect the WR position to be a major area of need in the offseason in Oakland, especially if Jerry Porter makes good on his threat to void the last year of his contract.

Colts TE Marcus Pollard told PFW he plans to take the same, unselfish approach he and Indianapolis have had in their tight-knit locker room to the negotiating table in March. Pollard’s cap figure doubles, and with Dallas Clark proving capable of replacing Pollard, the Colts may opt to go young.

Although the Falcons don’t feature a great run stopper on their defensive line, we’re told defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has done a great job in making sure his linemen fill their gaps on every play, which has helped the team improve its run defense as the season has progressed.

The way we hear it, the Texans are likely to address their offensive and defensive lines in the draft.

A source close to the Texans believes the team may have erred in giving DE Gary Walker a lucrative contract extension before the season. Walker hasn’t been much of a pass-rushing factor in 2004.

It wasn’t surprising that the Browns claimed QB Josh Harris off Baltimore’s practice squad. We’re told interim head coach Terry Robiskie was a fan of Harris’ prior to April’s draft.

The way we hear it, the Ravens are surprised by the speed of productive rookie WR Clarence Moore. Look for the team to encourage the skinny 6-foot-6 Moore to bulk up in the offseason to be able to take the hits that come when a receiver goes over the middle.

The Ravens are rotating Ethan Brooks and Orlando Brown at right tackle. Word is the Ravens feel this is the best way to use Brown, who has been bothered by a knee injury this season. There’s even a feeling the rotation could extend Brown’s career.

A source close to the Steelers continues to be impressed with the play of James Harrison, who filled in at right outside linebacker for the injured Clark Haggans in Week 15.

A source close to the Bengals believes the team may be able to be more aggressive on offense with QB Jon Kitna in the lineup, as the veteran is still more well-versed in the offense than Carson Palmer.

The decision to drop Cowboys QB Drew Henson to No. 3 and promote Tony Romo as Vinny Testaverde’s backup is more about evaluating Romo than anything else. Bill Parcells likes Romo, and it’s possible both he and Henson could get a start in the final two games. There’s also a chance that either Romo or Henson — but not both, of course — could end up in NFL Europe this offseason.

Expect the Cowboys to give a longer look to special-teams ace Keith Davis at free safety. Davis has worked more as Roy Williams’ backup in practice, and there exists the possibility that Williams could move to strong safety next year if Darren Woodson isn’t back.

Giants observers say QB Eli Manning looked a little more shaken before the Steelers game, perhaps bothered some by the Ben Roethlisberger comparisons, than he had at any point since taking the starting job.

There have been indications that popular KR Brian Mitchell, who left the Redskins under acrimonious circumstances in 1999, will return to the club as a formality so that he can retire as a Redskin. Owner Daniel Snyder reportedly has signed off on the deal, but this probably won’t happen until the offseason because of salary-cap considerations.

Not enough credit for the Eagles’ success this season has gone to OTs Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, who have held up better this year than they have in recent memory. Both tackles have handled one-on-one matchups very well and kept defenders’ hands off QB Donovan McNabb, for the most part.

Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith told PFW last week that this team has striking similarities to the 1996 Jaguars, who came from nowhere to advance all the way to the AFC title game. “Oh yeah,” Smith said, “we’ve got that kind of team that can do it.”

We hear the Cowboys have made a lengthy free-agent wish list and won’t spare expense come March, with special attention being given the offensive and defensive lines and the QB position. Two names insiders say have come up are Jets DE John Abraham and Eagles DT Corey Simon. Sources say Simon also is a target of the Colts and Bears.

Team observers don’t believe Bears RB Thomas Jones has been completely healthy since suffering a turf-toe injury on Oct. 31 vs. San Francisco. Jones seems to have lost a bit of his initial burst and isn’t hitting the hole as quickly.

We hear Vikings owner Red McCombs has not made his intention to pick up the 2005 option on head coach Mike Tice’s contract official yet. Team observers outline a scenario that could still lead to Tice’s involuntary departure, and it includes a loss to Green Bay in Week 16.

Packers coaches believe they have at least three Pro Bowl-worthy players on offense: WR Javon Walker and OLT Chad Clifton, along with Brett Favre. Heading into Week 15, Clifton had not allowed a sack, and Walker had caught 114-of-115 passes thrown his way this year. As a rookie, Walker dropped 9-of-59 passes.

We hear that teams looking for a head coach would do well to take a close look at how hard the Dolphins have played for interim head coach Jim Bates. He has the Dolphins playing aggressively and giving their all in a lost season and has shown an ability to make good adjustments during games.

Patriots DE Rodney Bailey, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon in August after being acquired as a restricted free agent from the Steelers in the offseason, has signed a three-year contract extension with the team.

One underrated aspect of Bills QB Drew Bledsoe’s skills is his ability to throw accurate passes in the adverse weather conditions often found in Buffalo late in the season. Ex-Bills QB Alex Van Pelt told PFW, “He is one of the only guys I’ve ever seen who can come into (Ralph Wilson) Stadium, other than Jim Kelly, and throw the ball with accuracy and effectiveness. It’s a tough, tough place to play. He throws a big, tight spiral that doesn’t break up in the wind and has zip on it. Weather never bothers him.”

The move of Buccaneers DE Greg Spires to the “under” tackle position is being described as a “brilliant ploy” by some team observers, who say the Bucs now will get a chance to get a good look at DE Dewayne White, a 2003 second-round draft choice, without upsetting anyone other than demoted starter Chidi Ahanotu.

The Panthers are grooming DT Kindal Moorehead to be Brentson Buckner’s replacement, possibly as early as next season.

Although the Saints have been impressed with the play of CB Mike McKenzie this season, we’re told he isn’t a priority for a long-term deal this offseason.

There are rumors in New Orleans that the Saints’ cornerbacks have been pleading with defensive coordinator Rick Venturi to play more man-to-man coverage rather than zone.

We’re told Falcons RB T.J. Duckett is expected to be back in Week 16 vs. the Saints, and the team doesn’t expect him to have any residual effects from the arthroscopic surgery that kept him out of action in Week 15.

The franchise number for cornerbacks could jump to around $10.5 million in 2005, and the fact the Raiders were willing to discuss the franchise option with PK Sebastian Janikowski before agreeing to a five-year extension with him last week could be significant for the future plans for Charles Woodson, who is the team’s current franchise player.

Head coach Dick Vermeil did not beat around the bush when asked about the Chiefs’ weaknesses in the secondary. “They’re glaring. I don’t know if they’re solvable,” he said. “Maybe we’re asking the guys to do some things within the scheme that they physically can’t consistently do too many snaps in a row.” The biggest problems have come when the Chiefs try to lock up in press man-to-man coverage, but zone alternatives haven’t worked well either.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith offered his perspective on Drew Brees’ situation for 2005. “We were not going to pursue Drew’s contract. He’s an unrestricted free agent. That’s a decision we made,” Smith told PFW. “However, if you’re building a football team and Drew Brees plays fantastic, we want options. The options are: We can redo his contract. We can franchise and keep him. We can franchise and trade him. I haven’t a clue what we’re going to do until the last game is played.”

Word out of Denver is that the primary issue for RB Reuben Droughns is his health, not necessarily his fumbling problems. Coaches have stressed to him to recognize the importance of knowing when to go down as opposed to fighting for extra yards when he’s off-balance. There is some concern that Droughns, who has taken on a significantly larger workload since switching over from fullback, is wearing down a bit, which could negatively impact his ball security.

Though coaches are said to have plenty of confidence in them, the pressure will be on Broncos rookie CBs Roc Alexander and Jeff Shoate down the stretch, as they will see their roles increase significantly with Willie Middlebrooks joining Lenny Walls on injured reserve recently.

Teams have been more successful of late at keeping Broncos QB Jake Plummer in the pocket, where he is less likely to produce a big play downfield, by keeping linebackers on the outside up near the line of scrimmage.

Our sources in Arizona think it remains likely that OT L.J. Shelton, who is out for the remainder of the season with a sprained knee ligament, will be playing elsewhere next season, considering his strained relationship with head coach Dennis Green. A headline in an Arizona Republic story on Shelton last week indicated that the sixth-year tackle wanted to return to the Cardinals, but we hear the tackle actually said, “As far as I know, I’m in their plans.” That’s a far cry from demonstrating a burning desire to return to the team.

With Seahawks TE Ryan Hannam starting to make his presence felt more, we hear the odds have gotten stronger that free-agent-to-be Itula Mili will be moving on after this season.

Word is Seahawks WR Koren Robinson will move right back into a starting role this Sunday vs. Arizona. In addition to being out the last four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, Robinson also sat out Seattle’s Week 11 game vs. Miami for violating a team rule.

Whether or not there’s a major change in the Seahawks’ coaching staff, which includes head coach Mike Holmgren, we hear, at the very least, that special-teams coach Mark Michaels will probably be looking for a new job.

The Rams were certainly glad to learn last week that ORT Kyle Turley, who has spent the season on injured reserve with a herniated disc in his back and has been sorely missed, wants to return in 2005. But taking into account Turley’s reported 70-pound weight loss, the team also realizes the need for a strong Plan B. Look for offensive tackles to be a top priority in the next draft, even though the Rams don’t normally like to use high picks on offensive linemen.



etch-a-sketched by john at 10:57 AM