LKelley67

Now that Philadelphia has designated Corey Simon its franchise player, the top spot belongs to Williams. He\'s big, he\'s productive and he\'s perfectly suited for clubs playing the 3-4 defense. The only downside: He turns 32 this season. Williams had a solid year with the Bills, with 51 tackles, 2½ sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. He\'s this year\'s Ted Washington, and teams eager to plug the middle of their defenses can\'t help but be interested.
----why does this make me think of gandy?

baronm

the only problem I have with rogers is: was he a good college player that will break in the pros 0or be a stud?

if he is around in the second we shoul dgrab him though.

LKelley67

-----orlando pace franchised tagged, X him off the list

think good LTs are a hot commodity? 8+mil salary!

ScottyRo

I didn\'t want Pace anyway. Maybe I\'m just biased because he has played for the Rams.

Walter Jones is going to be interesting in the situation Seattle is in. My guess is they\'ll tag Jones as well and Hasselbeck will re-sign out of loyalty to Holmgren. Alexander will test the market but may give Seattle a chance to match.

And we still need a better LT.

LKelley67

The Post has learned that two-time Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart is considering attempting to qualify for the supplemental draft, which would allow him to play in the NFL this fall. Leinart would either have to graduate USC in May or drop out of school to qualify, according to Greg Aiello, the league\'s VP of public relations.
\"The purpose of the supplemental draft is not a means for players to avoid the regular draft,\" Aiello said. \"You have to qualify.\"
Should Leinart enter the supplemental draft, which would be held in July, the 49ers would have the best chance at the top pick, but it would not be guaranteed. The league would conduct a weighted lottery with teams divided into three categories — those with six or fewer wins, non-playoff teams and playoff teams.
A Southern Cal spokesman told The Post that Leinart, who lost offensive coordinator Norm Chow to the NFL\'s Titans, has alerted the school that he didn\'t plan to graduate until after the fall semester.
STEELERS WANT HOUSH
The Steelers already have a replacement in mind for free-agent receiver Plaxico Burress, whom they do not plan to re-sign — Cincinnati\'s T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Pittsburgh believes the H-Man can be just as good a downfield threat as Burress, and will certainly come cheaper. His dependable hands and selfless attitude make him a perfect fit for the Steelers\' offense.
GRIESE WON\'T BE EASY
In Tampa, there\'s no doubt the Buccaneers want to keep quarterback Brian Griese on board, but with the club an astounding $15 million over the salary cap, it might prove impossible. The Bucs will certainly need Griese\'s blessing to restructure his deal since the former Michigan signal-caller has a cap value of more than $8 million this coming season and a roster bonus of $6 million due March 1.
Coach Jon Gruden is practically desperate to retain Griese, who completed 69.3 percent of his passes and threw for 20 TDs last season, because \'03 third-round pick Chris Simms is still viewed as a project. One Tampa source told The Post, \"There\'s no way in the world\" the Bucs could make the playoffs next year if Simms is the starter.
If Griese stays in Tampa, he could be throwing to Rod Gardner. The Redskins expect to unload the unproductive Gardner no later than draft day for a second- or third-round pick and the Bucs seem the likely destination for the former Clemson star.

LKelley67

Simon still can sign with another team, but the Eagles would have the opportunity to match the offer or be compensated with two first-round picks. They also can test Simon\'s trade value while he is under that designation.

The latter ploy is becoming more popular. Wide receiver Peerless Price, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Tebucky Jones were franchise players who were traded in the past two seasons. Candidates for the same fate this year include Seattle running back Shaun Alexander, Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James, St. Louis offensive tackle Orlando Pace and New York Jets defensive end John Abraham.

Alexander\'s situation bears watching because he\'s one of the Seahawks\' three offensive pillars, along with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and offensive tackle Walter Jones, whose contracts are up -- for an organization still searching for a new general manager, no less. Seattle needs to lock up Hasselbeck soon if it wants some leverage with Alexander, who already is being mentioned as a target for all that salary-cap room in Philly.

Maybe the most-watched offseason saga will be the status of Minnesota wide receiver Randy Moss, who reportedly is on the trading block and has no less than four teams (Arizona, Baltimore, Oakland and the Jets) interested in taking on the balance of an eight-year, $75 million contract signed in 2001.

Although trades have been rare (and in most cases, difficult to consummate) in the cap era, look for Miami running back Ricky Williams, Buffalo running back Travis Henry, Cincinnati quarterback Jon Kitna and Washington receiver Rod Gardner to find new homes via trades, the way former Cincinnati tailback Corey Dillon did with New England (for a measly second-round pick) last spring.

LKelley67

---just blurbs here n there i find interesting...

From the Detroit newspaper-

...That means an open competition for Harrington in training camp?

\"Sure, depending on who you would get -- who\'s out there that\'s going to compete with him,\" Mariucci said. \"If there\'s a guy that\'s good enough to compete with Joey or beat out Joey or be his backup, that will sort out.\"

There isn\'t an all-star cast of quarterbacks who will be free agents.

At the top of the list is San Diego\'s Drew Brees. All indications are that the Chargers will designate him their franchise player by the Feb. 22 deadline. Matt Hasselbeck, modestly successful in Seattle, is next. Others included Pittsburgh\'s Charlie Batch, a former Lion, Kelly Holcomb of Cleveland, Kurt Warner of the Giants and Vinny Testaverde of Dallas.

Other candidates could be released either after March 1 or June 1, depending on their contract status. Rich Gannon of Oakland, Brad Johnson of Tampa Bay and Jeff Garcia of Cleveland -- Mariucci\'s former quarterback in San Francisco -- could be in that group.

Gannon, Garcia and Batch finished the 2004 season on injured reserve. Warner was benched after nine games, when the Giants had a 5-4 record and were still in playoff contention, in favor of rookie Eli Manning. Holcomb is a 63 percent passer for his career, but has started only 13 games in nine seasons.

One player to watch: Bengals backup Jon Kitna. He\'s happy in Cincinnati, has a great relationship with starter Carson Palmer and has a year left on his contract. The word during Super Bowl week in Jacksonville, Fla., was that Kitna is not likely to depart Cincinnati unless he has a rock-solid promise that he can compete for the starting job. If the Lions work a deal with the Bengals, then the fight is on between Harrington and Kitna for the starting job.

LKelley67

from mike detillier-

Last February, the Washington Redskins tagged All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey their franchise player, and then dealt him, along with a second-round choice, to the Denver Broncos in exchange for halfback Clinton Portis.

Many people around the NFL feel as if the New Orleans Saints will do the same thing with Howard.

Sources inside the organization feel coach Jim Haslett would love to keep Howard on the squad, but with a $7.8 million price tag, it seems more likely the team will try and trade Howard and acquire a proven veteran player and another high draft choice.

Howard has been a very solid defensive end for the Saints since coming into the league in 2000.

But with a talented duo of Will Smith and Charles Grant waiting in the wings and Howard’s history of injuries, the Saints may just be playing the poker game in order to get a sweet deal for Howard.

One NFL general manager feels the Saints will deal Howard to try and acquire a proven wide receiver or a starter on the defensive side of the ball.

\"I really believe the Saints will franchise Darren Howard and then deal him off,\" the AFC general manager said. \"Darren’s a real good player. Now he does have a series of injuries that would have me questioning his health, but when at full strength, he’s a real good NFL starter. Charles Grant has the makings of a Pro-Bowl performer and Will Smith is a real talent also. So it would be hard to justify $7.8 million for him unless you move him inside and I don’t believe he is built to play that spot. He’s an end and while he can give you some quality time inside, that’s not his best position and I doubt he could hold up to the every-game grind at tackle. I know they have Joe Horn and he’s a real good wide receiver, but to be honest Donté Stallworth looks like a tease player and this team needs a big, sturdy receiver that can work the inside routes. If they can’t get an end like that for Howard, then get a quality starter at outside linebacker or at free safety and maybe a draft choice.\"

-------what about howard and #16 pick for #6 pick and another guy? they are rumored to be letting cb rolle and wr mason go. bulluck is a decent lb.

LKelley67

i am finding increasing buzz about bledsoe to dallas. does make a lot of sense, parcells knowing him and liking vets so much.

LKelley67

AP reports Bucs GM Bruce Allen has to trim $14-million from the payroll in about 14 days. Where does he begin? Like most teams, at quarterback. Veteran QB Brad Johnson, who has an $8.55-million salary-cap value in 2005, will move on. When Johnson is released, he will save the Bucs about $4.5-million. The Bucs want QB Brian Griese back, but they may not view him as a long-term answer. Allen and agent Ralph Cindrich have swapped several proposals and more talks are planned. If the Bucs are successful in reworking the deal for Griese, who is owed a $6-million roster bonus in March and a $2-million base salary, they easily could reduce the cap space taken up by their starter. If the whole deal falls through, that\'s about $7-million erased from the cap and an enormous problem for the Bucs. CB Mario Edwards looks like a certain cap casualty. He\'s owed a $1.6-million roster bonus on March 1, which would increase his value to more than $3.3-million, too much for a player who couldn\'t secure the nickelback position, having lost it at one point to Torrie Cox. The player everyone asks about is FB Mike Alstott. He is owed $2-million, and given his ever-diminishing role, looked like a certain goner. The Bucs, however, remember the beating they took for cutting S John Lynch, who made the Pro Bowl as a Bronco. And they don\'t want to repeat it with Alstott, perhaps the most popular player in team history. Second, Alstott is willing to take a pay cut to finish his career in Tampa Bay. He likely will get just over the veteran minimum, say $1-million, to stay. If he has a good preseason and makes the team, great. If not, he retires a Buccaneer. It\'s hard to see the Bucs keeping LB Ian Gold. He fired his agent, Karl Poston. He proved his surgically repaired knee is sound, but he wants to return to weakside linebacker, his natural position. By keeping Gold, a large bonus after the \'05 season kicks in. LB Derrick Brooks will have to restructure his contract eventually because his cap figure exceeds $9.5-million next season. The Bucs can find another strongside linebacker. DE Greg Spires is on the books for $3-million next season. But he and agent Drew Rosenhaus believe Spires has a verbal agreement with the Bucs that he can become an unrestricted free agent if a restructured deal cannot be worked out. If he hits the market, there\'s some more room for Allen.