NFL Week One Injury Report - Wednesday: all teams

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This is the injury report for all team games for the first week of the 2009 National Football League season. The NFL's 2009 season kick's off tonight with the game pitting the Tennessee Titans at The Pittsburgh Steelers. The list is provided by the NFL.

NFL WEEK 1 INJURY REPORT – WEDNESDAY

Following is a list of quarterback injuries for the Thursday night game:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Probable

Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

TENNESSEE TITANS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS on Thursday night

TENNESSEE TITANS

Status Report

QUESTIONABLE

TE Jared Cook (ankle), CB Ryan Mouton (ankle), WR Nate Washington (hamstring)

PROBABLE

P Craig Hentrich (back)

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Tuesday

TE Jared Cook (ankle)

Wednesday

TE Jared Cook (ankle)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Monday

TE Jared Cook (ankle), WR Nate Washington (hamstring)
Tuesday

WR Nate Washington (hamstring)

Wednesday

WR Nate Washington (hamstring)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
Monday

P Craig Hentrich (back), CB Ryan Mouton (ankle)

Tuesday

P Craig Hentrich (back), CB Ryan Mouton (ankle)

Wednesday

P Craig Hentrich (back), CB Ryan Mouton (ankle)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Status Report

DOUBTFUL

LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle)

PROBABLE

QB Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Monday

LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle)

Tuesday

LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle)

Wednesday

LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Monday

QB Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

Tuesday

QB Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

Wednesday

QB Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

DALLAS COWBOYS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

DALLAS COWBOYS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Michael Hamlin (wrist), LB Curtis Johnson (hamstring), LB Jason Williams (ankle)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB E.J. Biggers (shoulder), TE John Gilmore (ankle), LB Adam Hayward (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Antonio Bryant (knee), WR Michael Clayton (hamstring)


DENVER BRONCOS at CINCINNATI BENGALS

DENVER BRONCOS

Practice Report

Wednesday

Practice Not Complete

CINCINNATI BENGALS
Practice Report

OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)
Wednesday

CB David Jones (foot), T Andre Smith (foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

G Scott Kooistra (knee), S Roy Williams (thigh)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

QB Carson Palmer (ankle)

DETROIT LIONS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

DETROIT LIONS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

QB Drew Stanton (knee)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Phillip Buchanon (neck), K Jason Hanson (right knee), DE Jason Hunter (ribs), DT Grady Jackson (knee), WR Dennis Northcutt (hand), G Stephen Peterman (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

TE Casey Fitzsimmons (knee), CB Anthony Henry (shoulder)

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday


T Jammal Brown (hernia), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), RB Pierre Thomas (knee)




FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

S Usama Young (shoulder)

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

TE Zach Miller (knee), T Tra Thomas (back)


INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE


Wednesday

S Bob Sanders (knee), TE Tom Santi (ankle), CB Jamie Silva (abdomen)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at BALTIMORE RAVENS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Practice Report

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday


RB Jackie Battle (illness), QB Matt Cassel (knee), CB Brandon Flowers (shoulder)



BALTIMORE RAVENS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

TE L.J. Smith (hamstring)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday


LB Brendon Ayanbadejo (foot), LB Dannell Ellerbe (knee), DE Haloti Ngata (knee)





MIAMI DOLPHINS at ATLANTA FALCONS

MIAMI DOLPHINS



Practice Report

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Vontae Davis (knee)

ATLANTA FALCONS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday
S William Moore (hamstring)


LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

DE John Abraham (knee)


FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

DE Chauncey Davis (foot), LB Tony Gilbert (hamstring), C Todd McClure (calf), RB Jerious Norwood (knee)


MINNESOTA VIKINGS at CLEVELAND BROWNS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

LB Erin Henderson (calf)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Bernard Berrian (hamstring), TE Jim Kleinsasser (hand)

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Practice Report

OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)

Wednesday

G Rex Hadnot (knee)






DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

RB Cedric Peerman (thigh)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

LB David Bowens (knee), RB Jerome Harrison (knee), DT Shaun Rogers (foot), CB Eric Wright (knee)






FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE




Wednesday


LB Alex Hall (shoulder), TE Steve Heiden (knee)


NEW YORK JETS at HOUSTON TEXANS

NEW YORK JETS

Practice Report

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

DE Mike Devito (hamstring)






FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE




Wednesday


QB Kellen Clemens (right elbow), RB Shonn Greene (ribs), LB Bryan Thomas (ankle), WR Wallace Wright (knee)



HOUSTON TEXANS



Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Kevin Walter (hamstring), CB Eugene Wilson (knee)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Jacques Reeves (fibula), DT Deljuan Robinson (calf), QB Matt Schaub (ankle)





PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at CAROLINA PANTHERS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES



Practice Report




OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)

Wednesday

G Todd Herremans (foot), LB Joe Mays (shoulder)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Kevin Curtis (knee), T King Dunlap (elbow), LB Moise Fokou (shoulder), DE Darren Howard (groin), T Winston Justice (shoulder), CB Dimitri Patterson (ankle), DT Mike Patterson (ankle), RB Leonard Weaver (knee), LB Tracy White (rib)



CAROLINA PANTHERS

Practice Report


LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

S Chris Harris (shin)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS at ARIZONA CARDINALS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS



Practice Report




Wednesday


Practice Not Complete

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday


WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring)


LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Early Doucet (ribs), WR Sean Morey (ribs), QB Brian St. Pierre (back)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Steve Breaston (knee), S Matt Ware (shoulder)

ST. LOUIS RAMS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

ST. LOUIS RAMS



Practice Report




DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE




Wednesday


S Craig Dahl (hamstring), LB Larry Grant (knee), T John Greco (hand)




LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

QB Marc Bulger (right finger), RB Sam Gado (ribs), RB Mike Karney (ankle), DE Leonard Little (knee)

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Practice Report

OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)

Wednesday

T Walter Jones (knee), C Chris Spencer (quadricep)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

WR Deion Branch (hamstring), CB Travis Fisher (hamstring), DE Derek Walker (hamstring), S C.J. Wallace (rib)

WASHINGTON REDSKINS at NEW YORK GIANTS

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Practice Report

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Carlos Rogers (calf), T Mike Williams (ankle)

NEW YORK GIANTS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Kevin Dockery (hamstring), T Adam Koets (ankle), CB Aaron Ross (hamstring), LB Clint Sintim (groin)

CHICAGO BEARS at GREEN BAY PACKERS on Sunday night

CHICAGO BEARS

Practice Report

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

DT Israel Idonije (hamstring)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Charles Tillman (back)

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

CB Will Blackmon (quadricep), RB Brandon Jackson (ankle), DT B.J. Raji (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday

QB Matt Flynn (right shoulder), S Aaron Rouse (hamstring)

Richard Seymour's faulty Mapquest reason for no-show?

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Off The Record blog speculates that Defensive End Richard Seymour's reason for not reporting to Oakland may be his Mapquest directions, plus the fact that there are so many Oaklands.

Actually, what Oakland are we even talking about? Oakland County, Michigan? Is that where the Raiders play? Oakland, Maryland? There’s an Oakland, Oregon. With all due respect, it is very confusing.

I think Seymour's trying to figure out some "small" issues like "Where am I going to live?" Or, "What schools do my kids attend."

Richard and Tanya Seymour

And what about his wife? I'm sure she has major concerns about the move and the trade. That's a hard deal to face when you've played for one team for all of your career. He's not going to tell Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable "I don't want to play for you" just yet. He's reviewing his options.

What's going through his head is he doesn't want to be treated like cattle and is trying to deal with the sudden change and asking if he wants to take it. I'm certain that's what's going on as of this writing.

I'll bet he's happy he doesn't have to deal with someone like Tila Tequila!

Shawne Merriman, Tila Tequila: she says she doesn't drink; what of this video?

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The latest news in the unfortunate story of the accused battery and assault charge on San Diego Linebacker Shawne Merriman by Tila Tequila is that Merriman claims he was trying to get Tequila, who's real name is Tila Nguyen, to avoid driving while intoxicated. This is just what I speculated in my video commentary:



Tila's lawyer disputes Merriman's claim, saying it's "spin" but does not offer an alternative explanation regarding what happened. Morever Tila herself now says she was not drinking, and that she's allergic to alcohol.

Really interesting...

But Stingaree nightclub owner James Brennan says that Tila was drinking Saturday night. Apparently Tila made the claim to an aversion to cocktails on her Twitter page but that specific tweet is now not to be found.

Also not to be found is any reason why Tila's suddenly covering up her tweets. Between these actions and her website message claiming she has multiple personalities, it seems there's more to this story than meets the eye.

I write that with great sadness because to accuse someone of assault is a serious charge that gives everyone pause: everyone either wants to or is compelled to run to the side of the assumed victim and attack the accused.

But what happened when it appears the assumed victim may be using how society responds to his or her advantage and wasn't really harmed at all?

It makes the public more skeptical of such claims and look more at the character of the accuser. This is where we are today, with even her "friends" leaving curious comments on her MySpace page and this YouTube video from her channel MissTilaTequila, which shows Tila talking about being at a Beverly Hills Mansion (posted August 4th, which was that Tuesday, my birthday, which means it was on August 2nd) and with the camera pointing to a champagne bottle set and saying "pimpin..Rose Chrystal Bottle popin livin it up on a Sunday"..



And in another video created this year and from her channel Tila claims she gets anxiety attacks when she goes out and tries not to because of that, just before she sings a song she wrote saying how she's a "little drunk and gonna get you high."



Okay! More questions.

If she's allergic to alcohol, why make such a video featuring it as a key part of the good life and focus on the champagne bottle not once but twice (she's controlling the camcorder). Why make another video rapping about being drunk?

(And check out the dog on the couch. The dog's reaction seems to be "Ho Hum. Nothing to see here; oh, what's up outside?" Too funny.)

Hey, I agree its the fun life but only in moderation, and I'm honest about how I enjoy the good life and do it with care. This is terrible, to say the least, and calls her latest claims into question.

Florida's Urban Meyer says NFL coaches are retreads; Spread would work in NFL

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I love Coach Chris Brown's blog called Smart Football because it's the best place to learn what the the most effective and cutting-edge schemes are and how they work: Urban Meyer's spread, Mike Leach's Airraid offense at Texas Tech, and the "Jet" concept, to name some of them.

 

The Airraid Offense of Texas Tech

Most of the new plays and formations are at the college level and there's a buzz about "who's doing what" that I've never seen before. But now, college coaches are looking at the NFL as the lesser level of football, at least from a strategy perspective.

Today, I ran across a discussion about Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer's comments in the Sunday New York Times. This is what he said:

“I think it (the spread) would have worked years ago,” Meyer said. “No one has had enough — I don’t want to say courage — no one has wanted to step across that line. Everyone runs the same offense in the N.F.L. A lot of those coaches are retreads. They get fired in Minnesota, they go to St. Louis. They get fired in St. Louis and go to San Diego. I guess what gets lost in the shuffle is your objective is to go win the game. If it’s going to help you win the game, then you should run the spread.”

Florida Coach Urban Meyer

While Meyer's comment may be seen as arrogant, he's correct. Where college teams have become known for a wide variety of offensive variation - Navy has the Speed Option, Hawaii has the Run and Shoot, Stanford uses an older two-back pro style offense with two backs, Cal employs a hybrid H-back system, Florida's known for the Spread - the NFL offenses have a boring sameness.

The Wildcat was born in Arkansas

It's hard to tell one offense from the other. Every team uses the "I" formation. Or if it's not that, then it's the "Offset I" formation. Four wide receiver sets have receivers all lined up the same way, and one back behind the quarterback. The Wildcast's new? Yes.

Most teams have it but no team, except the Miami Dolphins who brought it into the league, have created variations of it. And the Wildcat was created at Arkansas by then offensive coordinator David Lee, who holds the same title with The Dolphins and brought the system to the NFL. Point here is that the NFL's newest innovation is a college-born scheme.



The Wildcat works even in Madden NFL 2010:



And while you may observe that the Wildcat's just a variation of the old single wing set, remember the passing game was not well known at the time; the passes out of the Wildcat are brand new, not a reinvention of an age old approach.

NFL Owners must encourage innovation

Given the fact that NFL players and coaches are paid to spend time on football, one would think the league would be the leader in the creation of new approaches to the game. It's not. I think Meyer's right that the reason is the "retread" coach with the "proven" approach, but in a recession that way can lead to a boring offense that doesn't sell tickets or win games.

Using the Spread, in all of its forms, is an answer but I don't think one should stop there.  Developing something new should be the objective just to keep NFL defenses on their toes.  

Defenses are made to quickly adjust and as I've written before the Baltimore Ravens have set the tone for the kind of flexible, aggressive styles that have a schematic answer for any offense. Offensive variation is important to counter these defenses.

NFL Week One Injury Report: Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers

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This is the first injury report for the 2009 NFL Season and for Thursday night's NFL Kickoff Game pitting the Tennessee Titans against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field. This is provided by the NFL.

WEEK 1 INJURY REPORT -- MONDAY


TENNESSEE TITANS at PITTSBURGH STEELERS on Thursday night

TENNESSEE TITANS

Practice Report

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Monday

TE Jared Cook (ankle), WR Nate Washington (hamstring)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Monday

P Craig Hentrich (back), CB Ryan Mouton (ankle)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Monday

LB Lawrence Timmons (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Monday

QB Dennis Dixon (right shoulder)

Look here for more reports snd visit NFL Business Blog for the best podcasts in the NFL.

Oakland Raiders Coach Cable says Seymour wants to come to team

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The lastest information on the ongoing story of the trade of New England Patriots Defensive End Richard Seymour to Oakland has Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable on the NFL Network today at 4 PM PST saying that the star lineman told him he wants to come to Oakland.

According to Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times, Cable said he talked to Seymour today.

That counters earlier information that Seymour didn't want to come to Oakland. He was traded to Oakland for the Raiders 2011 first round draft pick, leading some to scratch their heads regarding why the Silver and Black would make such a trade for someone about to turn 30 years old.

The NFL network's Alex Flanagan said it for me "It seems confusing." Mike Mayock said that the Raiders could control Seymour by slapping the much-hated "franchise" tag on him after 2010. Solomon Wilcots observed that would be just the thing to cause Richard not to appear at Raiders headquarters.

The bottom line folks is he's still not physically with the Raiders as of this writing. Nick Haswell of Football Reporters Online still can't get over the trade news.

2009 Dallas Cowboys Preview-By J.P. Fox for Football Reporters Online

2009 Dallas Cowboys Preview-By J.P. Fox for Football Reporters Online
 
Coming off of a horrific ending to the 2008 campaign, the Dallas Cowboys are desperate to not let another season without a playoff victory pass them by. With a season that ended with a 44-6 loss in Philadelphia, with a playoff spot on the line, people in Dallas, and around the country, could begin to wonder about the job security of head coach Wade Phillips. Criticized for running “cupcake” training camps, not being tough on his players, and failing to fully prepare his teams for games, Phillips is definitely on the hot seat coming into his third season as head coach of America’s Team. With an impressive 22-10 regular season record in two years with Dallas, Phillips has not been impressive in the closing months of the season in both years with the team. In his final three games of the ’07 season, Phillips and the Cowboys went 1-2. Dallas ended up losing to the division rival New York Giants in the Divisional round of the playoffs. In his final four games of the ’08 season, the Cowboys went 1-3 and missed the playoffs. With an owner like Jerry Jones, mediocrity will not be accepted. Phillips better get the Cowboys to the playoffs, and WIN in the playoffs, to keep his job.

Quarterback Tony Romo could also be in a make or break year. He was inserted into the starting lineup midway through the 2006 season and brought the team to the playoffs. The following year, he led Dallas to a 13-3 record, but ended the season without a playoff victory. And in 2008, the Cowboys missed the playoffs by getting romped in Philly to end the season. Romo is the heart and soul of the Cowboys. When he goes, the team goes. Some people are ready to put Romo is the same breath as a Peyton Manning, before he won the Super Bowl. Manning just couldn’t get the Colts over the hump. Now Romo has got to get the Cowboys over that hump or he will have a lot of people not too happy about him receiving a $67 million contract before proving himself.

  Jerry Jones has rid the offense of Terrell Owens but inserted Roy Williams as the #1 Wide Receiver. The team gave up three draft picks and a $45 million contract to get Williams to Dallas, from Detroit, midway through last season. The team also has speedster Miles Austin at wideout, as well as Patrick Crayton, a good possession receiver, and Sam Hurd, an up-and-coming player. But the receiving corps with probably only go as far as Roy Williams takes them. He will step into the huge, gaping shoes that Terrell Owens left behind. Roy Williams will probably need to have a season like his 2006 campaign, for the Cowboys to keep on ticking. Dallas had T.O. for the last three seasons to be their #1 receiver and now that elite role for the ‘Boys will go to big #11.

The strength for the Cowboys offense will be their running game. They have a three headed monster in Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Felix Jones is the teams’ biggest weapon and with him healthy, the team will have an extra dimension that they lacked in the ten games he missed last season due to injury. Three players on the offensive line, Flozell Adams, Leonard Davis, and Andre Gurode, have made the Pro Bowl at least twice in their career. With Marion “The Barbarian” as the between the tackles, short yardage runner and #1 back, Felix Jones as a change-of-pace and third down back, and Tashard Choice available to give both of them a breather, the Cowboys should have no problem running the ball this season.
The Cowboys were ranked 8th overall in the NFL in total defense last season. But one thing the team did lack was forced turnovers. They ranked in the bottom half of the league in that category. Returning for the defense is star linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who racked up 20 sacks in 2008, Terence Newman (cornerback), Jay Ratliff (defensive tackle), and Ken Hamlin (safety), who each have made at least one pro-bowl, and linebackers Bradie James and Anthony Spencer. Gerald Sensabaugh comes over from Jacksonville and will replace Roy Williams at the strong safety spot. Sensabaugh will bring more play-making ability than the aging Williams. Keith Brooking, who had 100+ tackles with Atlanta last season, replaces Zach Thomas. At defensive end, the Cowboys will have Marcus Spears, a young player who is coming into his contract year, and Igor Olshansky, who comes over from San Diego to replace Chris Canty. Olshansky was drafted by San Diego when Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator there. And lastly, at the cornerback spot opposite Terence Newman, the Cowboys will go with a rotation of second-year players, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick. Jenkins was drafted in the first round last year and Scandrick, the fifth. Throughout the year, Scandrick outplayed Jenkins and many thought Scandrick would open the season as the starter. Instead, Jenkins will start the first game, Scandrick will start the second, and they will rotate until one significantly outplays the other.

So that outlines who will be playing for the 2009 Cowboys. The team is not too far off from becoming relevant again. They have a strong defense that will look to improve on their strong 2008 numbers with a couple of new faces. Also, a strong running game will only better Tony Romo’s chances of becoming that quarterback that every Cowboy fan hopes he is. A strong running game only opens up big things for a quarterback, and when you have three young, hungry runners, your quarterback is set up to flourish. I believe the Cowboys need a couple players to have big years for the team to break out: Felix Jones, Roy Williams, DeMarcus Ware. Jones missed 10 games last year, Williams had 19 catches in 10 games with the Cowboys, and Ware is looking to force more fumbles and become more relentless in the running game this season. Every Cowboy fan is hoping that the ‘Boys can claim that first playoff victory since 1996 but mostly, they are hoping the team can join the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only teams with 6 World Championships.

Al Davis Did What? By Nick Haswell-Football Reporters Online

Al Davis Did What?
By Nick Haswell-Football Reporters Online

Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders just traded their 2011 First Round Draft Pick to the New England Patriots for Future Hall of Fame Defensive End Richard Seymour. This is just the latest transaction by the Raiders that proves the insanity of Owner Al Davis. It’s almost hard to imagine that the Raiders were participants in Super Bowl XXXVII, just 7 seasons ago. Since the morning of that game, where All-Pro Center Barrett Robbins went AWOL before the game, the Raiders have become the joke of the NFL. The Raiders have a record of 24-72 and a winning percentage of .250 since 2003, good for the worst record and winning percentage in the NFL. As Al Davis has gotten older, it seems that his roster moves and coaching hires have gotten crazier. Here is a look at the top 5 reasons that Al Davis has gone crazy since 2003:
5. Signing DE/DT Tommy Kelly to a seven-year, $50.5 million contract in 2008: A 4-year pro that has never been to a Pro Bowl and is coming off a torn ACL gets the largest contract ever for a defensive tackle. That’s exactly what the Raiders did by re-signing Tommy Kelly. Kelly was a defensive end his first four seasons in the NFL, but with Warren Sapp retiring, Al Davis was compelled to overpay to re-sign Kelly and move him and his 6-6, 300 lbs. frame to defensive tackle. But to sign Kelly to a contract that paid him more than Albert Haynesworth (in 2008), Kevin and Pat Williams, and Vince Wilfork is quite ridiculous.
4. Offering Head Coaching Position to Tom Cable following 2008 season: Tom Cable is a fine offensive line coach and has been a very successful offensive coordinator at the college level at Colorado and UCLA. But as a head coach, he has a less impressive resume. As a head coach at the University of Idaho from 2000 to 2003, Cable’s record was 11-35, with 4 consecutive losing seasons. After taking over for Lane Kiffin during the 2008 season, Cable led the Raiders to a 4-8 finish. His head coaching record is not exactly worthy of a head coaching position in the NFL.
3. Trading 2011 First Round Pick to Patriots for Richard Seymour: Trading for a future Hall of Famer is not a crazy idea. But trading away a First Round Draft Pick for a player that could only be in uniform for one season is. Not only could Richard Seymour not be on the Raiders past 2009, but given the Raiders past performance, the Raiders could lose a top 10 draft pick in 2011. And how much will this move improve the Raiders, to win 5 or 6 wins, instead of 4? But the Raiders and Al Davis are desperate to improve their run defense, which has been the worst in the NFL the past several seasons. But exactly where Seymour fits in Oakland’s defense is in question. Seymour has been a 3-4 defensive end his entire career. By being traded to the Raiders, Seymour either moves to a 4-3 defensive end or to a 3-technique defensive tackle, where Tommy Kelly is currently starting.
2. 2009 NFL Draft: Wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin were still on the draft board when the Raiders drafted in the #7 overall spot in the 2009 NFL Draft. But Al Davis and the Raiders surprised everyone and drafted speedster receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland. Davis and the Raiders are notorious for their love of players with speed, especially with skill position players. Heyward- Bey ran the fastest 40-time at the 2009 NFL Combine at 4.30 seconds. But he is not a polished route-runner and doesn’t possess the best hands. Heyward-Bey was projected as a late first or second round pick. And then in the second round the Raiders selected safety Mike Mitchell from Ohio. Mitchell was considered a late round pick, but Al Davis surprised everyone and took Mitchell early in the second round, when he could have taken him several rounds later.
1. Offering Head Coaching Position to Lane Kiffin: When Art Shell was fired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007, one of the first people Al Davis contacted for the open head coaching job was USC co-offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. After being rebuffed by Sarkisian, Davis moved on to bringing in Sarkisian’s co-coordinator at USC, Lane Kiffin. Despite never being a head coach at any level, or coaching a position at the NFL level (Kiffin was the offensive quality control coach for the Jaguars in 2000), Davis offered the position to Kiffin. Kiffin’s tenure with the Raiders was contentious, almost from the start. There were reports that Kiffin entertained the idea of leaving the Raiders for a college head coaching job before the end of the 2007 NFL Season. Reportedly, Al Davis drafted up Kiffin’s resignation papers following the 2007 season for Kiffin to sign, but Kiffin refused to sign them because he would lose a guaranteed $2 million by signing the papers. Al Davis needs a puppet as his head coach, as Davis has the last word on roster moves and coaching hires. Kiffin was not one who would cooperate with Al Davis in this capactity and his hiring and firing ended up turning the Raider organization into even more chaos.

Richard Seymour may not report to the Oakland Raiders

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According to my friend Mike Florio over at ProFootballTalk.com, the Oakland Raiders trade for Richard Seymour may be scuttled by one action: Seymour's not reporting to the Raiders.

According to Mike and also Peter King of SI.com, Seymour is "angry" that he was traded to the Oakland Raiders, described as "football's literal black hole" over at Profootballtalk.com.

Peter King writes:

Seymour, I'm told, is angry about the deal. He lives in Foxboro, has children he may have to relocate to new schools as the school year dawns and has to get acclimated to a new defense (and an awful team) a week before the opening game. "I would not be surprised if he doesn't report,'' a good friend of Seymour's told me Sunday. I would. Aside from not earning his 2009 salary of $3.7 million, Seymour wouldn't be able to be a free-agent if he doesn't play this year. As it stands now, his contract is up after this year, and if he plays well and stays healthy, he could hit the jackpot when next year's probable uncapped season plays out.

So what's looked like a trade with a possible upside may turn into a complete disaster. How can the Raiders fix this? With CEO Amy Trask putting in a call to Seymour right now on Labor Day to adress his concerns. The call alone would do a lot of good.

Stay tuned.

Shawne Merriman, Tila Tequila and, her website message

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ESPN reports that San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman was accused of suspicion "choking and restraining" his girlfriend as she tried to leave his home at 3:45 am. This is what's written on ESPN's website:

Deputies responded about 3:45 a.m. to Merriman's house in Poway, north of San Diego, after a woman called to say she was choked by the player and thrown to the ground when she tried to leave, Sheriff's Department spokesman Jan Caldwell said at a news conference.


Merriman, 25, was taken into custody and booked into the central jail at about 8:30 a.m. He was released shortly after 11 a.m. Caldwell said she didn't know if he posted bail or was released on his own recognizance.


Tequila left Pomerado Hospital at 7:36 a.m. Sunday, ESPN's Colleen Dominguez reported. She was observed and treated, but not admitted. Her stay at the hospital was approximately two hours.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune was interviewed by ESPN's and said "this does not fit with the Sean Merriman I know. Now, I only know Merriman's fantastic football career, and little else, but I know nothing about Tila Tequila, so I went on a little Internet searching spree.

Tequila's real name is Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen, or Tila "Tequila" Nguyen and is known as an MTV star. She had a show on that network called A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila and was on for two years before it ended July 8, 2008. Tequila has been featured in Maxim, Stuff, and Penthouse magazines.

Her MySpace page was reportedly the most popular in pageviews in 2006, which is no mean trick to achieve. So I visited her MySpace page, scrolled down to "About TILA TEQUILA IS IN SAN DIEGO", and found something really interesting...

You've got to read how Tequila describes herself in this message:

You people probably won't even be able to read this because my page is so cluttered...sooo...imma blab a little bit here...hoping you won't read it. Here we go: i like people who are really fucked up. I mean like tormented in one way or another because then i won't feel like such a freak around those that are "normal." nerds, geeks, and freaks are all my friends. Cool people are pretty damn lame. I am very high strung and suffer from multiple personalities. Jane. She's crazy and she always wants to kill me. Tila...poor girl..she works so hard and always wants to make others happy...she deserves a break. I haven't had boyfriend for so long. I always want one, but when there is one around i run. I'm too busy. I love being in love but i hate the consequences. I do a lot of things that are self destructive. I try not to. I like being at home alone...a lot! So much more fun than surrounding myself with a bunch of wacko's out there. I am also bi-polar so that should explain my irratic postings. I like to read. I love to read. I am a nerd. I've always been a nerdy geek trapped inside a umm...woman's body. Yea....that's me. People love me for some reason. I don't know why...i do but i just say i don't know why just to be modest. I want to be a multi-millionaire by the time i reach 25 years of age. And i will.

What I could not help but focus on was this:

I am very high strung and suffer from multiple personalities. Jane. She's crazy and she always wants to kill me. Tila...poor girl..she works so hard and always wants to make others happy...she deserves a break. I haven't had boyfriend for so long. I always want one, but when there is one around i run. I'm too busy.

Now, let me make this clear, I don't care what personality Tila Tequila may have been, choking and restraining any one of them is wrong. But I also know from personal experience anyone who says, let alone blogs, that they "suffer from multiple personalities" and is "bipolar" and "bisexual", is not someone to deal with as they have a tendency to completely self destruct and distort reality and as Woody Allen said in Husbands and Wives "crash their plane right into you."

Unless you crave drama, it's best to run away from such a person just to preserve your sanity.

Also interesting is her Twitter page (which has been "protected" since about four hours ago) and tweets written in French, but loosely translate to..

You did not realize that I knew that you are in love with me, but I am more intelligent than you realize 1:01 PM Sep 5th from web

And this one:

My secret lovers.......always bitter sweet. Love undying....lust then weep...there she goes again.....Where is she now? Who is she with? 12:30 PM Sep 5th from web

What really happened?

All of this makes me wonder what really happened between Merriman and Tequila. Merriman is out of jail, having been released this morning at 11 am; Tequila was at the hospital for two hours, but its reported she was there for two hours, then released, not admitted. And it was reported she was drinking. According to E! Online the pair were partying at a hotspot called Stingaree in San Diego "without incident."

Ha. Except that they were having a load of fun. TMZ.com has a set of photos of Tequila on his lap, or more accurately, his thigh, but another one where it looks as if Merriman is drinking water from a bottle - look for yourself.

By contrast, It's reported that she was drinking at Merriman's house.

This is hard one to deal with because my gut, just my base instincts, say that Tequila got too drunk and Merriman tried to stop her from doing something, perhaps driving, then all hell broke lose. Others were in his home and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office will question them.

I know Sean's an NFL veteran, but this is one of those kinds of incidents they talk about avoiding at the NFL Rookie Symposium. In my view, there's nothing wrong with being a careful snob. People like Merriman have too much to loose and too many people and kids who look up to them to allow themselves to be connected with anyone who claims to "suffer from multiple personalities".


After all this is over, Merriman should get a new set of friends.

Oakland Raiders now have Richard Seymour and Greg Elllis, but...

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UPDATE: Seymour may not report to the Raiders.

The trade shot heard 'round the football and the Internet world is that the New England Patriots long time defensive end Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders.

While the transaction seems like a good deal for Oakland, hold on. There are two problems: the first one is that Seymour has not had an all pro season since 2006 and the Raiders defensive formation design is suspect.

Since 2001 Richard Seymour has been a force on New England's defense. But starting with a knee injury in 2007 and a back injury in 2008, he hasn't been the disruptive player he was known as three years ago. While he did have a career-high eight sacks last year, giving up a first round pick was too much for Seymour. Why Oakland did that is beyond me (it would make more sense for a Seymour three years younger) but he's here so we have to figure out a way to employ him to get best results. Let's look at the pluses of this trade:

Richard Seymour is not old

Richard Seymour while 29 years old, is not old at all. He still has perhaps five good years left in him. If the Raiders focus on enhancing his pass-run skills, then he will be a major addition to the squad. If the Raiders use him paired with Greg Ellis in a hybrid version of Buddy Ryan's "46 Defense" - where Ellis and Seymour would be aligned on the strongside of the formation - it would place considerable pressure on the offenses of the AFC West, especially the San Diego Chargers.

Richard Seymour is a tall defender

Seymour's 6 foot 6 inches tall so having him rush on the left side, when most quarterbacks are right handed, would block throwing lanes like no other player has been able to do. Greg Ellis, who the Raiders got from Dallas, is the same height as Seymour, so having them on the same side in a 46 Defense would spell matchup problems for any offense.

Richard Seymour brings the experience of a winner

Richard Seymour has four Super Bowl rings and is a product of a New England Patriots locker room culture that transformed Randy Moss from a player not really into the game in Oakland to a star player who takes over a game in Boston. Yes, I can understand if you question the Raiders culture, but this move signals a desire to bring in people who can lead the team and set the tone on the field and off of it.

Will Coach John Marshall creatively use Seymour?

My concern is less with Seymour than with Oakland Raiders Defensive Coordinator John Marshall. Will he design schemes that creatively employ Seymour and Ellis? Is Marshall capable of the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that's needed to counter what is a period of revolution in NFL offensive design?

The college game has altered NFL offenses like never before with the Utah Spread and the Wildcat Offense being paired with the passing philosophies popularized by the late 49ers Coach Bill Walsh to produce some of the best passing systems ever seen. It's no wonder why defensive designs like those used by the Baltimore Ravens are more in vogue, with overload defensive fronts and stand-up defensive end / zone blitz schemes.

Is John Marshall willing to be creative with the Raiders Defense? If so, he certainly has the tools to do so. Now, with the addition of Seymour, the Oakland Raiders Defense is a wild card; I don't know how well they will do this year and have to wait until the San Diego game to determine that. But I'm excited to see what's next from this unit.

The Battle of NY

Jets vs. Giants: The classic battle for the Crown of NY-Even if it's only pre season Football( or how i learned to become a Football Writer/Scout) By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Football Reporters Online

For years growing up lots of fans of the "older" generation(read: my late Father and his cronies) would blast the notion of "wasting time" on attending a pre season NFL game. My dad would always say "this is your only chance this season to take your friends" or "I'll give you some money for each of the pre season seats you sell, and you can afford to go and have a good time"(i was a teenager and it was the 1970's).

He has his subliminal reasons. My dad used to publish something he called "The Sheet" or the "Game Sheet." Since he was one of our street's "involved" parents, he was the "Football Coach/Scout" of our block, and for the most part, our development (we grew up in NYC Housing back when it wasn't a "stigma" or considered urban blight). "The Sheet" consisted of his observations on the up coming game and some briefs about the match ups between the teams. He typically passed them out at his workplace( a Federal Law Enforcement agency where he would eventually become a supervisor).

This was in no way intended for gaming purposes. It was strictly for your enhanced enjoyment of the game. My father never dreamed of being a writer of any type. "Half these clowns writing about the teams for the papers don't know squat anyway" he would always say. " I know more about the team from one day a year at practice" would always be his next line. It was also my "duty" as his first born son to "help" him by "taking those seats off his hands," since he went to "every other game they were going to loose that season." I would also have to take notes for him at those games, and since my handwriting stunk as a teenager, I would have to come home and type them (remember typewriters?) so he could read them.

My dad was fortunate enough that in his job he would have enough vacation time each year to take off a month, which was usually from the first or second week of August right through labor day. This was so we could attend the training camps of the Giants (first at Fordham University, then at Pace University's main campus in Westchester, and later on we'd add a day trip out to Long Island for the Jets Camp).

This was so my father could "Scout" the teams, but little did i know he was also teaching me about the game. "Watch and Learn" he would say "and try not to run your mouth too much while i take notes." Such was his manner, being an ex-soldier as well as a Fed. What he was really teaching me was how to evaluate a player's skill, and improve my communication skills at the same time. He was also teaching me that even though it wasn't worth the extra time on his Saturday night in August to actually go to the Jets-Giants game when he "could stay home and watch it on his color TV and not spend extra money on concessions," It was still important.

Tonight's game has never been more important for both teams then it is this year, although Coach Coughlin will tell you as he told a group of reporters in training camp " It's the Third Preseason game, That's what it is," as his way of downplaying the importance.

Both teams have a slew of unanswered questions coming into the regular season. The Jets have a new Head Coach, a new defensive scheme, and as of right now, a new starting QB. Questions abound with regards to weather this is the right choice. Some may think that the "we need to win now" theory applies here, but I'm not so sure. I also wonder if the Jets would have still made the trade for Sanchez if Brett Farve were still in N.Y. and Healthy enough to get through this season. The Jets still have two other QB's on their roster(three if you count WR Brad Smith, who only threw for well over 5,000 yards at in four seasons at Missouri). The Jets are also 0 for the preseason again thus far, and last week the Wonderkid didn't exactly look that good against the Raven's first team.

The Giants have plenty of receivers to "pick up" the mantle so to speak, from Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, but no veteran depth at the position unless you count in David Tyree, who is on the brink of being released from the squad. They also have lots of gaps on the defense right now because of injuries, even though they had a very busy off season. Also missing from tonight's line up for the G-Men are Antonio Pierce(foot), Chris Canty (hamstring), Michael Boley (Hip/ placed on Pup), Jay Alford (knee), DB's Aaron Ross (Hamstring), and Stoney Woodson (ankle) and on the offense, Tyree (hamstring), RB Andre Brown (Achilles Tendon), and OL Orrin Thompson (Strained Quad).

While the Giants are Playing it down, we can be sure the Jets are playing up the rivalry, and looking for a confidence booster of a win tonight.