Eric Wright's mysterious illness stays that way

Posted by Mike Florio on June 12, 2012, 7:35 PM EDT

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Buccaneers cornerback Eric Wright’s health condition is a mystery, and it likely will continue to be.

No one is talking about the illness that reportedly required Wright to take medication that reportedly diminished his injury and that reportedly made him a sporadic attendee during offseason workouts.  In fact, no one is even talking on an “off the record”/”use this and I’ll kill you then, sue you” basis.

Wright’s Twitter page reveals no clues, other than an assertion that he’s now “great!“

And that’s what really matters.  But it’s normal to be curious, and whenever an NFL player has been hampered by an undisclosed illness, folks naturally become curious as to what the illness may be.

As to Wright, we’re more likely to find out the number of licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.

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Texans invite WR Sims-Walker to minicamp

Texans invite WR Sims-Walker to minicamp

Free agent WR Mike Sims-Walker is participating in Texans minicamp this week.

Coach Gary Kubiak has expressed at least mild concern about the lack of experienced depth at the position. Sims-Walker has already worked out for the Texans once this offseason, and Kubiak indicated that he "looked good" in Tuesday's practice. The coaching staff will take the three days of minicamp to evaluate Sims-Walker's tape before deciding whether to sign the veteran as competition for Lestar Jean.

Source: CBS Houston

Jun 12 - 2:07 PM

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Tyron Smith says switch to Left Tackle isn't complicated

Brad Biggs - National Football Post

The Dallas Cowboys are flip-flopping their offensive tackles, a move that was expected this year now that 2011 draft pick Tyron Smith has season under his belt.

Smith is making the shift to left tackle and Doug Free will move back to the right side after spending the last two seasons at left tackle. It probably puts both players at their more natural position, and the hope is it gives the Cowboys an elite pass protector on Tony Romo’s blind side.

Suggs off crutches and "beasting!"

Posted by Darin Gantt on June 12, 2012, 12:26 PM EDT

AP

There are still months of rehab in front of him, but Baltimore outside linebacker Terrell Suggs indicated he’s over one hurdle.

“No more crutches!” Suggs wrote on his Facebook account, per Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times. “Beasting.”

Suggs has targeted November for his return from a torn Achilles tendon. That’s an optimistic timetable at best, but at the moment, they’re willing to work with him.

The Ravens have already announced they had no plans to try to withhold any of his $4.9 million salary, despite reports the injury happened while he was playing basketball.

The bigger question is how they’ll replace his production until or if he returns this year. While they might have confidence in Paul Kruger or rookie Courtney Upshaw, the 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles Suggs posted last year are beyond a what anyone could expectation of either player.

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Despite Jaguars stance, MJD will skip mandatory camp

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 12, 2012, 7:04 AM EDT

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The NFL’s leading rusher is so unhappy with his contract that he’s refusing to show up to work.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will skip the team’s three-day minicamp that begins today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

That means the Jaguars can fine him up to $60,000, which would cut his 2012 pay from $4.45 million (an amount that Jones-Drew thinks is far too low) to $4.39 million. He could also be subject to having to forfeit a portion of the $9 million signing bonus he received when he signed his current five-year, $31 million deal in 2009.

Sebastion Vollmer continues to battle injuries

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 12, 2012, 6:48 AM EDT

AP

Back problems have bothered Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer for much of his football career, and those problems are continuing.

Vollmer isn’t expected to participate in the Patriots’ minicamp that starts today because of his ailing back. He had a “small procedure” on his back after the Super Bowl, a source tells Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Globe.

It’s not clear exactly what the current problem with Vollmer’s back is, but any type of surgical procedure has to be a concern for Vollmer, who missed the entire 2006 season at the University of Houston because of a back injury. Vollmer also dealt with back issues for all of 2011.

The 6-foot-8, 315-pound Vollmer has also been affected by ankle injuries, and his inability to stay healthy has to be a concern for the Patriots. The retirement of Matt Light gives New England less depth at offensive tackle, and Vollmer is a player they’re counting on to be a consistent, healthy starter. Vollmer hasn’t been consistently healthy so far in his career, and he’s not healthy now, either.

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Tuesday morning one-liners

Posted by Josh Alper on June 12, 2012, 8:33 AM EDT

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Said Bills CB Leodis McKelvin, “You’ve got a lot of other great guys who start off slow but they end up great. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

The Dolphins are planning a celebration for the 1972 team this season.

LB Jerod Mayo has moved into a leadership role for the Patriots.

S LaRon Landry is expected to be at Jets minicamp this week.

The battle for the backup running job will be in full effect at Ravens minicamp.

After two years out of football, Antonio Bryant lands in Seattle

Posted by Mike Florio on June 12, 2012, 7:31 AM EDT

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When it comes to receivers, Pete Carroll apparently has attached a revised version of the Statue of Liberty plaque outside the Seahawks’ facility.

Two years after reclaiming Mike Williams, one of the various top-10 wideout busts of the Millen era (at least they were able to grift the Cowboys in a trade for Roy Williams), Carroll and company are now giving a shot to a receiver who has been out of the game for two full seasons.

NFL announces 3 game suspension for Jerome Simpson

Brad Biggs - National Football Post

The Minnesota Vikings added Jerome Simpson knowing he would likely miss time at the start of the season.

Now, they know they will be without the speedy veteran for the first three games of the season. The NFL announced Simpson has been suspended without pay for the first three games for violating the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Simpson was busted for receiving a shipment of 2.5 pounds of marijuana at his home in Kentucky last year when he was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Simpson will also be fined an additional game check meaning he will play for free for one week and miss a total of four checks.

Simpson will be eligible to return to the Vikings’ active roster on Monday, Sept. 24, following the team’s Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Simpson is eligible to participate in all remaining offseason workouts, training camp and and preseason games. His suspension begins Week 1.

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Rex Ryan continues to deny quarterback controversy

Posted by Mike Florio on June 11, 2012, 11:09 PM EDT

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Maybe, in hindsight, Rex Ryan was talking about the Giants.

That’s the only rational explanation for Ryan’s comments during his Monday That’s My Boymedia blitz, doing four radio spots in support of his acting debut, making him the first Jets coach since, well, the last Jets coach to show up on screen wearing something other than a headset.

Rex insisted that, despite the presence of Tim Tebow and the widespread belief that a quarterback controversy already exists (team leader Darelle Revis has said so), Mark Sanchez is still the guy.

Reggie Bush talks like Tannehill is already the starter

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 11, 2012, 9:38 PM EDT

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We’re still a couple months (and a few episodes of Hard Knocks) away from knowing who the Dolphins’ starting quarterback will be. But the starter at running back in Miami, Reggie Bush, is talking like a man who thinks he’ll be sharing the huddle with a rookie signal caller.

Bush sounded in an interview on NFL Total Access like he thinks first-round draft pick Ryan Tannehill is the favorite in the three-way quarterback race with incumbent starter Matt Moore and free agent signing David Garrard.

“Ryan Tannehill, he’s a really good quarterback, he’s very smart,” Bush said. “Obviously he has the upper hand coming into an offensive system that he already knows basically. Now he really just gets to work on his skill set as a quarterback, improving and he has that advantage on his side.”