The Tiger Report: 08/18/11

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Shawne Merriman denies widespread allegations of steroids

Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2011, 9:08 PM EDT

Throughout the afternoon on Thursday, a rumor/report regarding Bills linebackerShawne Merriman raced through the Interent. According to BuffaloSportsDaily.com, Merriman was “caught carrying steroids near the United States border late Thursday night, July 28 on the eve of Bills’ training camp.”

Per the report, Merriman was found to be in possession of steroids while returning to the U.S. from Canada. He wasn’t arrested or booked.

Given the serious nature of the allegation against Merriman, who was suspended four games in 2006 after testing positive for nandrolene, we opted not to address it until the incident was confirmed — or until Merriman addressed it.

Merriman addressed it earlier tonight on Twitter, explaining that he is “disappointed by a story that was written by a Buffalo writer regarding a routine stop at the Canadian border a few weeks ago.” The statement implies that something indeed occurred as Merriman re-entered the U.S.

“To clarify,” Merriman added, “there was absolutely NO steroids found in my vehicle & there were NO charges against me. I’ve received a great welcome by the community and fans. I’ve worked my butt off to have a great season.”

The denial invites speculation that some banned substance other than steroids was found in Merriman’s vehicle, and it’s safe to say that someone will be tracking down whatever documentation was created as a result of the stop in order to find out exactly what happened.

For now, we’ll take Merriman at his word.

Patriots are manhandling the Buccaneers, Defense is dominant.

The Buccaneers are hosting the Patriots, and at the end of the first quarter the score is 21 - 0 Patriots. You can't typically get too excited or worried about preseason football, but this is a site to see. The Patriots are dominating the Bucs in every phase of the game to this point.

The Patriots at least to this point are running a 4-3 defense almost exclusively. I am not sure if they are going to be playing some hybrid mixture this year or not, but they look good in the 4-3. Andre Carter does not look like a 32 year old. He has quick get off and looks like he could be a force off the edge. Gerard Warren has look very explosive on the inside as well.

Another thing to note, Jerrod Mayo is playing the Will where they feel he will get to roam the field more freely. It looks like Brandon Spikes will man the middle when he gets healthy. This allows Belichick to use Mayo more as a pass rusher, and he has looked good doing it already.

I would love to share some positives regarding the Bucs performance, but honestly there hasn't been any yet.

Ochocinco blown up by Mason Foster

Tom Brady goes to Chad Ochocinco on a post pattern early in the game against the Bucs. As Chad fully extends for the ball, rookie middle linebacker Mason Foster unloads on him. The pass in incomplete, Ocho had no chance to hold onto the ball. Foster is flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver. Chad as expected pops right back up after the hit. He doesn't get enough credit for his toughness.

Jim McMahon suing NFL over concussions

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 18, 2011, 6:34 PM EDT

Getty Images

Jim McMahon is one of seven former players suing the NFL over health problems that they say are the result of concussions and other brain injuries they suffered on the field.

McMahon, the Bears’ quarterback in their Super Bowl-winning 1985 season, joins a group of players saying that the NFL was negligent and that players have suffered from headaches, dizziness and dementia because of injuries suffered on the field.

“The purpose of this lawsuit is to obtain proper funding to address these horrible long-term issues and to compel the NFL to establish a medical monitoring system to reduce the risk that current and future players will end up with the same kind of chronic mental and physical problems,” the plaintiffs said in a joint statement.

McMahon revealed last year that he is suffering from memory loss. He said that when he was playing, teams didn’t care if players suffered concussions.

“Back then, it was just tape an aspirin to your helmet and you go back in,” McMahon said.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press that the league will vigorously contest the claims.

The other former players involved in the suit are Ray Easterling, Wayne Radloff, Gerry Feehery, Joe Thomas, Mike Furrey and Steve Kiner. In July, a separate group of dozens of former NFL players announced that they were filing their own lawsuit against the NFL over concussions.

Joey Harrington: Playing for Lions is worse than getting hit by a Car

Source: NFL.com

Former NFL quarterback Joey Harrington is feeling better after a serious bicycle accident two weeks ago left him in the intensive care unit.

"I'm doing all right," Harrington told Portland television station KGW on Monday. "Everything was contained to ribs and collarbone and lung, was all up in this area. It's a pretty small portion of my body that's hurting. But I can get around fine."

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Harrington, who starred at the University of Oregon before he was taken third overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2002 NFL Draft, was hit from behind by an SUV while cycling in Portland on July 31. He suffered a broken collarbone and punctured lung, among other injuries.

Though seriously injured, Harrington never lost his sense of humor,according to the Detroit News.

"I was laying in the ER. I'm in the neck brace on the board and just sayin, 'Get me out of here,' " Harrington said. "I kinda whispered to one of the trauma docs, 'I played four years in Detroit. I can handle a car. Let's get this thing moving.' "

Harrington played for the Lions from 2002 to 2005, when the team went a combined 19-45. He later played for the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints

Let me get one thing straight. I am a long time faithful Lions fan. With that being said, I have never been delusional about the state of the franchise, no matter how bad they were. I also liked Joey when he came out. And despite the "Joey blue skies" moniker that teammates labeled him with, thought he could be a good pro. He never quite fit in with the locker room, but I always thought that would change with success. After all, winning cures everything right? But winning never happened. A lot of people blamed Joey, but that team did have tons of holes in it. I personally made excuses for his never turning the corner.

So now for Joey to be making wise cracks about how bad the Lions were, I wanted to take a look back to see the merit of his remarks. So I looked at his four years in Detroit for a reference. We all know that he did not have great success, because the team struggled. So the interceptions and the touchdowns we already knew wouldn't be sterling. But I wanted to see how many sacks he took. The results were pretty surprising indeed. From the 2002 to 2005 season he had approximately 1,879 drop backs. Now that is only an estimation, because it is only calculating total attempts plus sacks during this time period (Besides, using a smaller number in this case is to his benefit). Then if you divide the total number of times he was actually sacked over the amount of drop backs (77/1,879) you realize he only got sacked 4% of the time. Now compare that to Jay Cutler, a player most people want to dog for his lack of toughness, who last year alone was sacked 52 times for a whopping 12% of the time.

I understand his comments were made to lighten the mood in a serious situation. I also know the Lions were not good during Joey's tenure. But they say behind a joke is a piece of truth, and I think this gives a more clear understanding of Joey Harrington's NFL resume.

Larry Fitzgerald appears poised to stay in Arizona

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 18, 2011, 12:57 PM EDT

Getty Images

A monster contract extension for Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald appears to be on the way.

Fitzgerald told Jim Trotter of SI.com that the two sides are “not too far away” from completing a new deal.

The two sides have made progress in contract talks since last week, according to Fitzgerald. Cardinals G.M. Rod Graves said on PFT Live that a deal for Fitzgerald was the team’s biggest priority this month.

Fitzgerald says he won’t keep negotiating with Arizona after September 4 so that he can concentrate on the season ahead. Trotter, who has great ties to this story, has a “gut feeling” that Fitzgerald will get his contract before the self-imposed deadline.

It is sure to be a market-setting deal. We know Chris Johnson plays a different position, but the Titans would be wise to close their deal before Fitzgerald signs a contract that is likely to set a new bar for non-QB skill position players.

Injuries continue to mount for the Raiders

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 18, 2011, 11:45 AM EDT

Injuries are quietly starting to mount at Raiders camp.

Wide receiver Louis Murphy will miss at least the season opener after undergoing surgery this week on either an injured hamstring or his groin. Days before the surgery coach Hue Jackson swore that Murphy wasn’t even hurt.

Starting cornerback Chris Johnson also underwent an undisclosed surgery this week. Jackson said on Monday that Johnson was only missing practice this week because he was a veteran getting time off.

“Dang, I wish I would have known,” safety Michael Huff told Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune. “Nobody tells me anything.”

The Raiders think Johnson could be back for the opener. If not, rookie third round pick DeMarcus Van Dyke could be starting.

The injury issues don’t end there. Safety Mike Mitchell hasn’t practiced in two weeks. Center Samson Satele was taken to the hospital Wednesday. WideoutChaz Schilens is hurt once again. Wideout Jacoby Ford hasn’t returned yet from a broken hand.

There is an expectation in Oakland the team will build off last year’s impressive 8-8 record, but this team has a lot of questions. They removed a successful head coach and the offensive line is in huge transition. They also lost their best player (Nnamdi Asomugha) without remotely replacing him.

We know Yahoo’s Mike Silver thinks the Raiders are going to the AFC Championship, but a slide back to 5-11 irrelevance seems more likely.

NFL Sunday Ticket available through PlayStation 3 this year

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 18, 2011, 10:35 AM EDT

DirecTV has decided to throw a bone to NFL fans that can’t get satellite service.

NFL Sunday Ticket will be available this year through PlayStation 3 for for $339.95. The package is aimed at fans that can’t get DirecTV because of where they live. (I fall into this category in my latest apartment. Damn high rise blocking my southern sky.)

It’s a great idea, and would be even cooler if DirecTV expanded it by making it available through Tivo and other services. That won’t happen because DirecTV still wants to push people towards getting a dish.

Current Sunday Ticket subscribers could also get it through PlayStation for an additional $50 through DirecTV To-Go. Hopefully, DirecTV has solved the enormous amount of problems and clunky setup of their online offering from a year ago.

NFL.com’s Preseason Live is light years better than DirecTV’s 2010 package and shows where this market is headed. For the price DirecTV is charging, they need to catch up. Either way, it’s a pretty cool time to be an NFL fan and it’s only going to get better.

Terrelle Pryor is happy to be included in NFL supplemental draft

Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2011, 10:41 AM EDT

Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, happy to ultimately be included in the supplemental draft, will not appeal the NFL’s decision to suspend him for five games.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus tells PFT that Pryor accepts the suspension. Although he will be barred from practicing or playing in games, Rosenhaus said that Pryor will be allowed to attend meetings and work out at the team facility — if, of course, he’s on a team.

To aid his effort, Pryor will conduct a Pro Day workout at 1:00 p.m. ET Saturday in the Pittsburgh area. Pryor has been working with former NFL quarterback, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson.

Although the NFLPA ultimately agreed to the five-game suspension, Rosenhaus praised NFLPA executive director De Smith for his efforts to persuade the NFL to allow Pryor to enter the draft pool. Rosenhaus said that, with Smith’s involvement, Pryor likely would have been excluded.

Stafford and Vanden Bosch restructured their contracts to give Lions spending money

Source: NFL.com

Detroit Lions quarterback said Tuesday that he was in favor of restructuring his contract to help the team clear salary-cap space to sign other players.

Stafford spoke in vague terms about his new deal after details were reported by the Detroit Free Press and Crain's Detroit Business.

The Free Press reported Stafford and defensive end , who also restructured his contract, helped the Lions clear about $8.5 million in cap space. The team used that money to sign linebackers and and cornerbacks Eric Wright and .

"Just trying to be able to have enough cap space to be able to get the players we need and the players we want," Stafford told the Free Press. "I think there's guys in this locker room that, given the opportunity, a lot of them would do the same. We have a great locker room, a great bunch of guys that want to win, and if I can restructure a deal to help our team bring guys in here that can help us win, then I'm all for it."

Both players converted reduced base salaries into signing bonuses to be paid over the remaining years of their deals.

Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, signed a six-year contract worth up to $78 million with $41.7 million in guarantees. Vanden Bosch signed a $26 million, four-year deal last year.

The Free Press, citing papers filed with the NFL Players Association, reported that Stafford reduced his 2011 base salary from $9 million to $525,000, the minimum for players with two credited seasons, while Vanden Bosch cut his base salary from $4.5 million to $810,000, the minimum for players with seven to nine years of experience.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vick admits he did not want to play for the Eagles

Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2011, 7:02 AM EDT

Eagles quarterbacks Vick and Young watch a replay while playing against the Baltimore Ravens in a NFL preseason football game in Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Reuters

In an interview with GQ that was published at the magazine’s website moments ago, Eagles quarterback Mike Vick tells Will Leitch that Vick, the 2010 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, didn’t want to play for the Eagles.

“I think I can say this now, because it’s not going to hurt anybody’s feelings, and it’s the truth. . . . I didn’t want to come to Philadelphia,” Vick said. “Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options.”

Vick ultimately was persuaded — by Commissioner Roger Goodell and other NFL officials — to pick the Eagles. Bills and Bengals fans surely will be thrilled to know that the league office is participating in personnel decisions; they also would probably want to know why Vick was steered away from their teams. (Leitch writes that both the Bills and Bengals would have “allowed Vick to start”; it’s hard to imagine that the Bengals would have benched the guy they currently refuse to trade.)

The old Mike Vick would have ignored Goodell and anyone else who told him anything other than that which Vick wanted to do; the new Mike Vick heeds such advice. But the old Mike Vick still made a cameo appearance during the interview, when he took the position that only the media cares about his history of dogfighting, gambling, and . . . what else was there? Oh yeah, killing in cold blood dogs that were deemed unfit to fight other dogs.

“They are writing as if everyone feels that way and has the same opinions they do,” Vick said. “But when I go out in public, it’s all positive, so that’s obviously not true.”

We’re not sure we buy that logic. When it’s time to sniff jocks, lots of people become more than a little phony. Then there’s the fact that we all love a good redemption story, so we all root for Vick on his ride back to the top.

The media, frankly, is part of that. Plenty of reporters have moved on completely from Vick’s dogfighting days, and it will be a major issue again only if the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl and Vick is subjected to the intense scrutiny that goes along with it.

Or if Vick starts fighting dogs again.

We doubt that the latter will ever come to fruition, but from time to time we see periodic flashes of the old Mike Vick, like when he bailed on his interview with Oprah Winfrey. And even if the new Mike Vick is smart enough to never fight dogs again, there are other ways in which the old Mike Vick can make trouble for the new Mike Vick.

The new Mike Vick realizes that it’s important to demonstrate contrition for his crimes. But the old Mike Vick inches closer to the surface at times, indignant over the fact that he went to jail for something that he’d probably still be doing if he hadn’t been caught.

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