March 19
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
columnist Daniel Wolf
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The Seattle Seahawks have just pulled a questionable acquisition that is more like a move that Raiders owner Al Davis would have made with the trade for new backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst from the San Diego Chargers. Moving down 20 spots in the second round of this year's draft and giving up a third round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, makes for a very bold move on the part of Head Coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. Not only did they give up a lot in regards to draft picks, but they also signed Whitehurst to a new two-year $10 million contract. In comparison, the Denver Broncos only gave up two future late round draft picks and Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn. In other words, the ..."
March 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Omar Kelly
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What's with the nation's obsession with Tim Tebow? I just don't get it. Being obsessed with the Florida Gators stud of a quarterback during the college season is one thing, but carrying that obsession (and it is an obsession) through the draft process is another considering he's AT BEST a project according to most NFL talent evaluators. What makes Tebow any different than Troy Smith, Jason White, Eric Couch, Chris Weinke, Danny Wuerffel, Gino Torretta and Andre Ware? All of them are former Heisman Trophy winners who led their college team to a tremendous amount of success, but fizzled at the next level."
March 18
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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`I'm not running the Father Flanagan boys' home,'' Nick Saban told me years ago when the Dolphins brought a handful of players with arrest records to an otherwise forgettable offseason tryout camp. Saban went on to explain that his intent was to build a good football team, not a happy place where good boys could become great men. Saban was unapologetic and his candor jarring because while most NFL teams often hire troubled players, they don't always make the case that it's OK. Saban wasn't embarrassed to make the case. And the Dolphins still aren't embarrassed. NOTORIOUS PAST Witness the addition of interior offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Even a cursory Internet inspection of ..."
March 17
Dallas Morning News
columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor
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Oh the consternation just a few years ago, when the Cowboys traded away the opportunity to draft the great Brady Quinn in the first round because they believed in Tony Romo. It turns out that was one of the better decisions Jerry Jones has made. Quinn was the eighth player on the Cowboys' draft board, but they thought he was a little too robotic, and they couldn't really pass on the first-round pick Cleveland offered. Besides, Tony Romo had just finished his first season as a starter, and there was no reason to put any doubt in his mind about the Cowboys' belief in him. Nearly three years later, Romo is among the top quarterbacks in the league after passing for more than 4,400 yards with ..."
March 16
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
columnist Chris Cluff
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As expected, the Seahawks are starting to make some moves. Two days after signing tight end Chris Baker, the Seahawks cut starting safety Deon Grant, signed reserve receiver Ruvell Martin, signed defensive end Darryl Tapp to his tender and released short-lived long snapper Matt Overton. The Baker signing was made public over the weekend and gives the Hawks some great depth at tight end, with Baker joining stud starter John Carlson, blocking specialist John Owens, and young Cameron Morrah. Martin, meanwhile, adds some depth to the Hawks' shallow receiving corps, which otherwise is comprised of T.J. Houshmandazdeh, Deon Butler, Ben Obomanu and, for now, Deion Branch. Martin was Green ..."
March 16
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
columnist Chris Cluff
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As the Seahawks wait for Charlie Whitehurst to decide whether he wants to sign with them or Arizona, it's worth wondering what the Hawks have offered San Diego in trade for the 27-year-old quarterback and what they have offered in money to Whitehurst. Because the Chargers tendered Whitehurst at his third-round draft level and the Hawks do not have a third-round draft pick, the only way they can acquire him is via trade. The Hawks might be able to get the Chargers to swap seconds. According to the NFL draft trade chart, that would be a pretty equitable deal; the 40th pick (500 points) for the 60th (300 points) and a guy who was drafted 81st (185 points). Otherwise, the Hawks probably ..."
March 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Dawson Devitt
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Many Falcons fans believe that its time for the Birds and their top brass to draft a franchise, bookend offensive tackle. One of the biggest and best surprises of the 2008 season was an amazing effort by the seemingly makeshift offensive line. Thomas Dimitroff traded up to draft Sam Baker in the first round in 2008. Justin Blalock was one of the main holdovers from the Bobby Pric-trino era. Todd McClure is one of the most underrated centers in the NFL, and the right side of the line consisted of two players redeemed from practice squads in Harvey Dahl and Tyson Clabo. Baker has been pretty solid, but has been injured and has missed a lot of games in his two years in Atlanta. Blalock has ..."
March 14
Green Bay Press Gazette
columnist Mike Vandermause
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The money thrown around by the Green Bay Packers over the past week is staggering. All told, the Packers committed more than $74 million in new contracts to Nick Collins, Ryan Pickett and Chad Clifton. Even if those players don't finish their deals, the Packers will pay them $31.5 million in first-year pay. General Manager Ted Thompson clearly believes his team is capable of great success, and he's putting up the money to prove it. Paying aging left tackle Chad Clifton $7.5 million up front and almost $20 million over three years is an indication Thompson doesn't want to mess up a good thing with the offense. It's a top-10 unit, Aaron Rodgers is blossoming and the Packers can't afford to ..."
March 14
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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Brandon Marshall is a one-man receiving corps, and that's not a metaphor if you ask the Indianapolis Colts because last year, against the NFL's second-best team, Marshall caught 21 passes in one game. One game. The Dolphins wide receiving corps -- all five guys combined -- did not catch 21 passes in any game in 2009. Marshall has caught all variety of passes the past three seasons, from the jumping, one-handed variety against the Giants, to the downfield bombs against the Redskins -- 307 receptions in all. It is an impressive football resume Marshall can carry with him on job interviews, and that's the reason NFL fans in a variety of receiver-starved outposts, including Miami, lust after ..."
March 14
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Matt Bowen
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Now that former Chiefs and Bengals RB Larry Johnson is in Washington under Mike Shanahan, is there a plan for the Redskins backfield? This past week, I questioned the idea of bringing a player like L.J. over to Washington mainly due to his running style and the offensive system he is coming into. Johnson is a straight up and down runner, and when you have a player like that who is older, and on the downside of his career, it almost becomes target practice for safeties coming down as an eighth defender or a linebacker running through the hole. And, in Shanahan's system, will Johnson be able to generate enough quickness with his first step and get his shoulder pads squared to the line of ..."
March 13
Boston Globe
columnist Christopher L. Gasper
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We're now a week into NFL free agency and the Patriots have been polishing up their return game. Their motto: No change is good. The status quo has elicited a lot of woe from Patriots fans and pigskin prognosticators who have been disappointed by the team's retention strategy following a 10-6 season and an ignominious first-round playoff defeat. The constant complaint as the Patriots have re-signed their own free agents -- nose tackle Vince Wilfork, cornerback Leigh Bodden, linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, right guard Stephen Neal and running back Kevin Faulk -- without making a major addition from outside is that the Patriots haven't gotten any better. Well, they certainly haven't gotten any ..."
March 13
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Scott Brown
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Active players were represented at the two-day symposium called: "Is Football Bad for the Brain?", which concludes today at Duquesne University. But today's players have done much to advance concussion awareness during the past couple of years, a handful of experts said Friday. That players are more forthcoming than ever about brain injuries has helped change the culture that has long prevailed in football and aided experts as they tackle the issue of managing concussions. "We're much farther along than where we were five years ago," Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, who chairs the department of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina, said of players' attitudes toward ..."
March 13
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rege Behe
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Art Rooney is remembered as the congenial owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His profile -- a thatch of white hair offset by thick eyeglasses, an ever-present cigar in his mouth -- is cherished by many sports fans. Lost in time is the image of Rooney in his youth: solidly built with whippet-like speed, a multi-sport athlete whose talents emerged at an early age. As a teenager in the late 1910s, Rooney was akin to Terrelle Pryor, the talented athlete from Jeannette High School who currently plays quarterback at Ohio State. When he was only 16, Rooney played for sandlot baseball teams against the Homestead Grays, the Kansas City Monarchs and the House of David. Rooney was one of the best ..."