The Detroit Lions informed part-time starting fullback Jerome Felton of his release Tuesday morning, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Tuesday is the deadline for teams to trim their rosters to 80 players.
Felton, a fourth-year pro, is a quality fullback, but the Lions are taking their offense in a different direction and keeping more tight ends
Felton was a touchdown machine at Furman scoring 67 total touchdowns. But he was never able to turn into the bruising runner they had hoped for in Detroit. Felton showed good burst and decent hands on the way to becoming a more reliable lead blocker, but he never seemed to have the power in the running game to push the pile. The Lions coaching staff never developed much confidence in Felton in short yardage and goalline situations. This move should not come as a surprise.
John Carlson contributed a great deal to Seattle’s playoff win last year with two touchdowns, but he won’t be able to help the Seahawks for the entire 2011 season.
We agree. Carlson has averaged more than 500 yards-per-season in his three years in Seattle. He had a diminished role last year, but their offense needs as many versatile players as it can get.
On paper, the Seahawks had one of the more intriguing tight end combinations in the league with new pickup Zach Miller joining Carlson.
“[Carlson] was rocking and rolling, and those two guys out there together looked really good. Fortunately, our tight ends have really played well,” Carroll said.
That combination may never play together because Carlson is a free agent after the season.
This clearly has to increase newly acquired Zach Miller's value. I bet Pete Carroll is glad they made that pick up.
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The team activated Crabtree on Tuesday, then watched as he practiced officially for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era. Barely.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports that Crabtree didn’t really do anything different than on Monday, when caught a few short passes and mostly worked on the side.
“We’ll talk about that very little and just assess it as we go,” Harbaugh said when asked about Crabtree’s involvement.
It’s hard to imagine Crabtree will be ready to play a lot of snaps, if any, in time for Week One at this pace. If Crabtree isn’t ready, San Francisco’s top three wideouts entering the season will be Braylon Edwards, Josh Morgan, and Ted Ginn.
Starting this year, players who are fined for certain types of on-field infractions ultimately will put their teams in line to pay fines, too.
Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, Commissioner Roger Goodell advised all teams in a memo dated August 11, 2011, of an expansion of the “Club Remittance Policy” to include 11 different on-field infractions.
The 11 specific infractions are: (1) striking/kicking/kneeing; (2) horse collar tackle; (3) facemask violations; (4) leg whip; (5) late hit; (6) spearing; (7) impermissible use of helmet; (8) hit on a defenseless player; (9) blindside block; (10) roughing the passer; and (11) chop block.
Once players on a given team have accumulated $100,000 in fines for the various specified infractions in any season (from the first game of the preseason through the Super Bowl), the team must pay a fine of $50,000. For the next $50,000 in player fines, the team must pay another $25,000. After the cumulative fines reach $150,000 in a given season, the team’s fine matches the player’s fine at a dollar-for-dollar rate.
For suspensions, the player’s forfeited salary will be counted toward the team’s total fine amount, up to $50,000.
Trading or cutting a player doesn’t wipe off his fine amounts, and the team cannot seek reimbursement from any player for the fines that the team must pay.
The league previously established a policy for fining teams based on multiple suspensions arising under the personal conduct policy, the substance abuse policy, an the steroids policy. The goal of the expanded approach is to encourage teams to encouraging the teaching of proper techniques.
It may not matter. Just as players aren’t fazed by fines, teams may not care about losing some money in the name of playing the game aggressively. Thus, just as suspensions may be needed to get a player’s attention, a team will get the message only when it faces a loss of draft picks.
We’ve gotten our hands on Mike Vick’s new contract numbers. As expected, it’s not nearly as good as advertised.
For starters, the sixth year voids if he participates in 35 percent of the snaps in any year of the deal. It’s actually a five-year, $80 million deal.
Of the amount, $32.5 million is fully guaranteed, and $3 million is guaranteed for injury only.
That makes the total guaranteed $35.5 million — $4.5 million less than the reported guarantee of $40 million. (It’s also less than the guaranteed money Vick would have received in 2011 and 2012, if the Eagles had used the franchise tag on him again in 2012.)
Vick can earn another $3 million if the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2011 or 2012, and if Vick participates in 77.5 percent of the plays during the regular season.
Under the five-year deal, he’ll make $20 million in 2011, $12.5 million in 2012, $15.5 million in 2013, $15.5 million in 2014, and $16.5 million in 2015.
So it’s still a great deal, and as a practical matter it’s probably worth $48 million over three years. But it’ll never pay out $100 million because there’s no way that the Eagles would keep Vick for all six years if he never takes more than 35 snaps in any single season of the deal.
NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora "wouldn't be shocked at all" if Chris Johnson and the Titans have a "breakthrough" by the weekend.
The two sides are continuing negotiations Tuesday, and LaCanfora believes the framework of a deal could be done in time to get him ready to "practice and play in Week 1." Nothing is certain, and continued disagreement over CJ2K's value is still possible, but LaCanfora obviously got the positive vibe from one or both sides. Our suspicion has been that Johnson will have a deal in place a week before the start of the season, which would be this weekend. We have no qualms about taking on the risk with CJ2K in the middle of the first round.
The Jets have given former Bills first round pick Aaron Maybin a chance to revive his career. Instead, it looks like he’ll go the way of Vernon Gholston.
“I think he can play in this league. We’ll see if he can play for us,” Ryan said.
Translation: He’s not making this roster unless something crazy happens Thursday. (Injuries or an incredible outing by Maybin.)
We called Gholston one of the biggest defensive draft busts in recent history on Monday, but Maybin deserves consideration too if he falls out of the league only two years removed from going No. 11 overall.
If only these guys would stop competing with each other for the biggest bust label, they might turn into players in this league.
When asked about Reggie Bush Tuesday, coach Tony Sparano said, "I would think he's going to have the most touches and the most carries."
This is mere confirmation after Daniel Thomas face-planted in his rookie training camp. Bush is going to start and be the primary runner in the early part of the season. We're skeptical that he'll be able to sustain health and effectiveness in that role, but with 16-20 touches weekly Bush figures to be a PPR asset.
The National Football League and the NFL Players Association will contribute $1 million to three memorials and two charities related to the events of September 11, 2001, it was announced Tuesday.
The NFL and NFLPA will contribute $500,000 to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in Lower Manhattan, and $250,000 to be divided between the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C.
In addition, the NFL and NFLPA will donate all proceeds from the sale of auction items from games played on Sunday, Sept. 11. These items, which fans can bid on at www.NFL.com/Auction, will include game-worn autographed player jerseys, coaches and player hats, and commemorative game coins used during those games.
NFL Auction proceeds will be divided equally between Tuesday's Children and MyGoodDeed. Tuesday's Children is a leading organization providing support and services to those who lost a loved one on 9/11, as well as to rescue and recovery workers who responded to the events. As the principle organizer of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, MyGoodDeed is providing a positive, forward-looking way for Americans to honor and remember 9/11 victims, survivors, and first-responders.
NFL Auction proceeds from Sept. 11, 2011 are expected to total at least $250,000. Including the $750,000 in charitable donations to the national 9/11 memorials, total NFL-NFLPA donations will reach $1 million.
The NFL-NFLPA contributions complement donations made to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial by the New York Giantsthrough the Tisch Family Foundation and the New York Jets.
About the Flight 93 Memorial
On Sept. 24, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation's capital. The memorial is near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, please visit www.nps.gov/flni. For information on how to make a donation and help build the memorial, go towww.honorflight93.org.
About the Pentagon Memorial
The Pentagon Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization established by the families of the 184 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Washington, DC. The Memorial Fund's mission is to provide education resources concerning the Pentagon Memorial and the events of September 11, 2001, as well as raising funds to preserve the Memorial for future generations. The Pentagon Memorial is a 2-acre park adjacent to the Pentagon that provides a place for reflection, remembrance and renewal. For more information about the Pentagon Memorial, please visit www.pentagonmemorial.org.
About the 9/11 Memorial and Museum
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the not-for-profit corporation created to oversee the design, raise the funds, and program and operate the Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center site. The Memorial and Museum will be located on eight of the 16 acres of the site. The Memorial will be dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and will open to the public the following day. The Museum will open in 2012.
The Memorial will remember and honor the nearly 3,000 people who died in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The design, created by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, consists of two pools formed in the footprints of the original Twin Towers and a plaza of trees.
The Museum will display monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, while presenting intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 attacks and the aftermath. It will communicate key messages that embrace both the specificity and the universal implications of the events of 9/11; document the impact of those events on individual lives, as well as on local, national, and international communities; and explore the continuing significance of these events for our global community.
When the Memorial opens, construction will continue on the other World Trade Center projects and free visitor passes will be temporarily required. To plan a visit to the Memorial or learn how to contribute, go to www.911memorial.org. Follow the Memorial & Museum on Twitter: @sept11memorial. For more information, contact: Michael Frazier/Sarah Lippman at 212-312-8800.
About Tuesday's Children
Tuesday's Children is a non-profit family service organization that has made a long term commitment to every individual impacted by the events of September 11, 2001 and more recently those who have been impacted by terrorist incidents worldwide. Since 2001, Tuesday's Children has promoted healing and recovery by strengthening family resilience, providing individual coping and life management skills and creating community through programs, mental health support and family engagement opportunities. For more information, please visit www.tuesdayschildren.org or call 516-562-9000.
About MyGoodDeed, Inc.
MyGoodDeed is the respected 9/11 nonprofit that worked to formally establish September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under federal law. For the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 MyGoodDeed is working closely with HandsOn Network, and many other prominent groups to organize the single largest day of charitable service in tribute to the 9/11 victims and survivors, and all those that rose in service in response to the attacks. The group's hopeful mission is to provide a positive and forward-looking way for Americans and others to forever honor and remember the 9/11 victims, survivors, and the many that rose in service in response to the 9/11 tragedy. It is easy and free to participate. Simply observe the anniversary of 9/11 by performing good deeds, supporting charitable causes, volunteering and engaging in other acts of compassion. To post your plans for 9/11 visit 911day.org orFacebook.com/911day. For more information, email MyGoodDeed at: info@911day.org.
It’s not surprising that popular players on the Super Bowl champions have the top-selling jerseys, but it is a little surprising that Packers fans are buying so many more jerseys than fans of other teams that they’ve got the first and second top sellers. The third best-selling jersey is that of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who had the best-selling jersey in the NFL at this time last year, has dropped down to No. 10. But while sales have declined, it’s actually rather extraordinary that a third-string quarterback can remain in the Top 10 in jersey sales. Tebow’s popularity remains incredible.
"Don't expect much, but talking is better than not," says Cole. With Saturday's final roster cuts looming as a quasi-deadline, we'd expect negotiations to pick up steam this week. Everyone says nothing gets done until the last minute in the NFL and we are nearing the last minute as the Titans open the season in 12 days. We should have an update on any progress later today.
Everything you need to know about what Tom Kowalski meant to the Detroit Lions community was demonstrated by head coach Jim Schwartz at the beginning of his post-practice press conference on Monday.
Kowalski usually asked the first question in postgame and post-practice pressers, as the reporter with the longest tenure on the Lions beat. In honor of Kowalski on Monday, no one asked the first question in Kowalski's absence.
"When we're ready, we'll go to the second question," he said. The group then took a moment of silence in honor of Kowalski.
"I'll just say this about Tom," said Schwartz. "The one thing he always tried to do was get it right. He knew football and he always wanted to get it right and we had a lot of respect for that."
A moment of silence, followed by Schwartz asking reporters, "Second question?" It was a simple, but poignant tribute to Kowalski.
Schwartz is about to begin his third season as the Lions' head coach. Yet Kowalski clearly made an impression on him during his relatively short tenure.
But Killer obviously was a big part of the Detroit Lions, and the organization reflected that with their thoughts and kind words about him in light of his death.
Williams said he and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler are working on their chemistry and will be a great pass-catch combination this season.
“It’s getting there,” Williams said, via John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “It’s not day one, it’s not day 365 but we’re getting there. And one day it’ll be magic.”
The problem for the Bears is that they want Williams to be a major contributor to their offense from Day One, not just “one day.” And Day One of the regular season is less than two weeks away. Williams needs to show off some of that magic soon.
You won't hear me say this very often, but this is brilliant on Roy Williams part. He may not even realize it, but the Bears have to love this guy already. He is such a lightning rod for criticism that he draws all the (negative) attention away from Jay Cutler for once. At least this year if Jay Cutler has a rough year or blows out his knee it will be Roy Williams fault.
“Still going out there running and still having that burst, that’s really all you want,” Jones-Drew said Monday according to Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. “There’s no fatigue factor or anything. I can’t wait to go out there in a live period to see what it’s like and take a couple of hits, get tackled hopefully and get ready for Week One.”
With backups Rashad Jennings and Deji Karim injured, the Jaguars will be watching MJD’s progress closely. So will fantasy owners.
Rotoworld’s online draft guide lists Jones-Drew as a mid-second round pick, but I disagree with my man Silva on this one. If Jones-Drew looks solid this Thursday, I’d be happy to get him outside the top-10 picks.
Here’s one we weren’t going to mention, since it’s meaningless. But since plenty of you think that there’s something potentially ominous or nefarious about the development, it makes sense to address it.
Briefly.
The Titans placed running back Chris Johnson on the reserve/did not report list on Monday, roughly a month after he did not report for training camp. The move coincides with the team’s effort to trim the roster to 80 players.
By sliding Johnson to the “reserve” designation, he doesn’t claim a spot.
The fact that they hadn’t put Johnson on the list previously means only that the Titans chose not to take advantage of the decision to allow teams to bring 90 players to camp, due to the lockout. (Several teams didn’t have the full allotment of 90 players.)
Johnson will remain on the reserve/did not report list until he (duh) reports. That way, the Titans can have 80 players for the preseason finale — and 53 for the first week of the regular season, if Johnson doesn’t show up by then.
Barring a major development, he likely won’t be showing up by then.
UPDATE (9:48 a.m. ET): Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reports that the two sides will talk again today. “Don’t expect much,” Coles tweets, “but talking is better than not.” (Actually, not talking is better than talking if the talking consists of an exchange of insults and/profanity.)
