Carl Nicks wants to remain a Saint

Posted by Josh Alper on February 1, 2012, 3:13 PM EST

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Saints guard Carl Nicks projects as one of the most desirable free agents to hit the market this offseason.

If he has his way, though, he won’t be leaving New Orleans. Nicks was at a ceremony honoring the Saints’ offensive line with the Prilosec OTC Madden Protectors Award on Wednesday and told Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he would like to re-sign with the Saints this offseason. Nicks also said that the team has told him that they are interested in keeping him.

Jacobs thinks he will be with Giants next year, we don't

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 1, 2012, 2:19 PM EST

AP

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs has talked for months like a man who understood he was likely wrapping up his time in New York.

Four days before the Super Bowl, Jacobs feels a little differently. He was asked Wednesday if the Super Bowl will be his last game with the team.

“I honestly don’t think that’s the case. I think something’s going to get worked out,” Jacobs said via the New York Daily News.

Betcha didn't know Vince Wilfork could dunk a basketball

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 1, 2012, 11:11 AM EST

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On Monday Patriots coach Bill Belichick gushed about how athletic and in shape defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is. But Wilfork says most people don’t realize just what a good athlete he is.

Asked today what most surprises people that he can do, Wilfork said, “Probably dunk a basketball. People look at me and are like, ‘He’s a butterball, he can’t.’”

There’s no hiding the fact that Wilfork is fat. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds, which pegs his body mass index at 41.7, on a scale where anything over 30 is obese. And Wilfork probably weighs a good deal more than 325 — in college the Miami Hurricanes listed him at 344 pounds, and he sure doesn’t look like he’s lost 19 pounds since college.

But football is a sport in which fat people can thrive, especially if they’re as athletic as Wilfork. If Wilfork plays as well against the Giants in the Super Bowl as he did against the Ravens getting to the Super Bowl, he could become the biggest Super Bowl MVP ever.

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Brandon Marshall lobbying for elite quarterback

Terry McCormick - National Football Post

Brandon Marshall, fresh off a Pro Bowl MVP performance with six catches for 176 yards and four touchdowns, liked the quarterbacks who threw him the football in Honolulu. He liked them so much, he wants one like that for his very own with the Dolphins.

Marshall caught a TD each from Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers and two more from Bengals rookie Andy Dalton in the all-star game. And while none of those guys will be available this off-season the Dolphins to acquire, Marshall wants someone of that ilk in Miami, says the Miami Herald.

The Tiger Report is getting a facelift

Some of you may have noticed the new toolbar that should appear across the bottom of your browser.  This will allow us to free up some space on the page, and de-clutter our layout.  So please be patient over the next week or two as we tinker with it to get the best feel and a sharp new look.

-Sincerely,
Tiger

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Jason Pierre-Paul in one word, rare

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 31, 2012, 11:58 PM EST

AP

Bill Belichick has seen a lot of players come through the NFL in his 37 years of coaching. There haven’t been many quite like Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

“He’s very rare,” Belichick said Tuesday.

That word — rare — came up four times from Belichick during the one minute he discussed Pierre-Paul. JPP’s combination of “athleticism, size, and explosiveness” sets the second-year player apart.

Belichick was asked if Pierre-Paul ever made plays on film that made Belichick stop and say “wow.”

Bears say Forte will not reach free agency

Posted by Evan Silva on January 31, 2012, 7:02 PM EST

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Bears running back Matt Forte’s contract is up, and he’ll be eligible for free agency on March 13. NFL teams can begin assigning franchise tags on February 20.

On Tuesday, the Bears publicly confirmed that they’ll either be signing Forte to a long-term deal or tagging him between those two dates.

“We’d like to (strike a long-term agreement),” Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips told ESPN 1000 Chicago. “But as (new G.M.) Phil (Emery) pointed out, we obviously will at least consider placing the franchise tag on him. We don’t have any intention of letting Matt hit the open market.”

The 2012 franchise tag for running backs is expected to cost roughly $8 million. The Panthers paid DeAngelo Williams a five-year deal worth in excess of $8 million per season in July 2011, and Forte’s agents would surely settle for no less on their own long-term arrangement. Forte is a much better back than Williams.

Thanks to Carolina’s overspending, the franchise tag looks like a borderline bargain for the Bears.

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