Dolphins give DE Douglas 2 years, $2.5M
July 24, 2010
MIAMI (AP)—The Miami Dolphins moved quickly to find a replacement for injureddefensive end Phillip Merling(notes).
Free agent Marques Douglas(notes) agreed to terms on a $2.5 million, two-yearcontract, a person familiar with the negotiations said Friday. The person spokeon the condition of anonymity because the Dolphins had not announced the deal.
Douglas shores up a position depleted when Merling recently suffered anAchilles’ tendon injury that will force him to miss the entire season.
Douglas started 12 games for the New York Jets’ top-ranked defense lastyear, and he had 36 tackles and 28 assists. The Dolphins will be his fifth teamin an 11-year career, and he’ll compete for playing time with the Dolphins’ No.1 draft pick, Jared Odrick(notes).
The 33-year-old Douglas will rejoin Mike Nolan, the Dolphins’ new defensivecoordinator. They were together in San Francisco and Baltimore.
Merling, who played mostly as a reserve in 2008 and 2009, was hurt preparingfor the start of training camp next Friday. His status was already in questionafter he was arrested in May and charged with felony battery against hispregnant girlfriend.
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Cowboys’ Jones expecting special season
July 23, 2010
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to be trying totemper the obvious expectations he has for his team.
Not so easy when the next Super Bowl will be played in his own stadium, andthe Cowboys could legitimately be in position to play in that game nextFebruary.
“There’s just not a whole lot of things not to like about the upcomingseason,” Jones said Friday. “But we all know the game and the journey we haveahead of us.”
The ever-optimistic Jones has constantly reminded his players since the endof last season, and even before that, that they could be the first Super Bowlhost team to actually play for the title. He beams with pride when talking abouthis $1.2 billion stadium that opened last season.
Yet, on the day before the Cowboys open the NFL’s longest full-squad campthis year, Jones talked about how the defending NFC East champions ended lastseason. After winning their first playoff game in 13 seasons, againstPhiladelphia at home, they lost 34-3 at Minnesota the following weekend.
“We have got a lot to make amends for, but that’s not all bad,” Jonessaid. “Where I think that I won’t be going is spending a lot of time talkingabout, ‘Well, we’re having the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl stadium, theexpectation is to play the Super Bowl there.”’
Yet, clearly that is what he wants to happen.
Instead of a spending spree in an uncapped salary year, Jones emphasizedcontinuity with a group that has had success—though still hasn’t reached thepinnacle the owner experienced by raising the Lombardi Trophy three times in afour-year span in the mid-1990s.
A slimmer coach Wade Phillips (he has lost about 40 pounds since lastseason) goes into his fourth year with a 33-15 record in Dallas and a playoffvictory to his credit as head coach.
Phillips has also settled nicely into the dual role of head coach-defensivecoordinator. His 3-4 defense led by Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware(notes) last yearallowed the fewest points in the NFC, with consecutive shutouts to end theregular season.
Jason Garrett is still calling plays for Tony Romo(notes), who is coming off arecord-setting year in which he also threw a career-low nine interceptions.
Jones said having that continuity “is a big deal. … We have got a lot ofcontinuity in what our players are going to be asked to learn and execute.”
The only significant changes came after Dallas cut expensive former Pro Bowlplayers Flozell Adams(notes), their offensive left tackle the last 12 seasons, andsafety Ken Hamlin(notes).
“We do have a lot of starters coming back,” Phillips said. “We have a lotof starters who played well and are coming into the prime of their careers.”
Regardless of what happens, this is going to be a special season for thefive-time Super Bowl champions, who are marking 50 years as an organization. Forthe first time, Dallas has the highest all-time winning percentage in NFLhistory at .580, just ahead of Miami (.579), after the Cowboys won their lastthree games of the 2009 regular season.
Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s career rushing leader, is being inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in two weeks, and the Cowboys are playing in thepreseason opener that weekend in Canton, Ohio. Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin,teammates with Smith for those three Super Bowl championships under Jones, arealready in the Hall of Fame.
With the extra preseason game, the Cowboys are the first full squad to opencamp. Rookies of some other teams are already reporting, but no other fullsquads report until Wednesday.
Dallas has all of its drafted rookies under contract after linebacker SeanLee(notes), the second-round pick, agreed to a deal Friday. First-round pick Dez Bryant(notes)on Thursday agreed to a a five-year deal.
After the Cowboys went 13-3 in Phillips’ debut season, there were bigexpectations the following year. But they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in2008.
Jones remembers what the coach told players before the start of trainingcamp two years ago—that everybody was saying all they had to do was pick upwhere they left off and the next stop would be the Super Bowl. But the coachreminded them then they were still 80 players and not yet a 53-man team.
What did Phillips plan to tell the Cowboys before their first workoutSaturday?
“We’ve approached it, it’s not the Super Bowl at our place, it’s this nextpractice for us, that’s the most important thing for us, and then theprogression from there,” Phillips said Friday. “We’re going to take aright-now approach.”
Phillips described the team as confident but realistic. The coach said theCowboys want to draw from their great tradition and “made some strides” lastseason.
“We have some players on this team that have had some close experience inmaybe knocking on the door of the Super Bowl that are going to play majorimportant roles for this team,” Jones said. “I don’t even know that they needto be reminded that close doesn’t count. We all know we have an opportunity.It’s easy to see that it doesn’t sit there for you forever.”
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Childress says he knows Favre better now
July 23, 2010
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress says the timehe spent getting to know Brett Favre(notes) better in Mississippi will help grow theirrelationship this year if he decides to return.
Childress also says offseason visits to Favre’s home have given him moreclarity about the quarterback’s thought process about continuing his career.
Childress said the Favre situation was “all quiet” in an interview withThe Associated Press on Friday afternoon, a week before training camp starts.Favre has not declared his intention yet for 2010.
Childress also says there’s no rift between him and running back AdrianPeterson, who missed the mandatory minicamp last month for a hometown festivalin his honor in Texas. Childress says the absence “wasn’t the end of theworld.”
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Study: No helmet can prevent concussions
July 23, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—The results of an independent study commissioned by the NFL andthe players’ union show modern helmets perform better than those from a decadeago, though it stressed that no helmet can prevent concussions.
The results were forwarded to teams along with a memo from CommissionerRoger Goodell on Friday. The NFL wants teams to provide the information toplayers at the start of training camp.
The documents were obtained by The Associated Press.
Engineers at two independent labs tested each of 16 commercially availablehelmets for impacts similar to the open-field impacts felt by NFL players. Eachof the helmets tested met or surpassed national standards for protection againsttraumatic head injuries.
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Steelers extend Tomlin through 2012
July 23, 2010
PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed coach Mike Tomlin to atwo-year contract extension through the 2012 season, with an option year in2013.
The extension was expected because the Steelers’ policy has been to sign acoach before he begins the final season of a contract. Tomlin is only theSteelers’ third coach since 1969, following Chuck Noll (1969-91) and Bill Cowher(1992-2006).
Tomlin is 31-17 in three seasons, with two division titles, an AFCchampionship and a Super Bowl victory. During the 2008 season, he became theyoungest coach—he was 36—to win the Super Bowl when the Steelers beatArizona 27-23.
“Mike Tomlin has proven to be one of the top head coaches in the NationalFootball League in a relatively short time,” Steelers president Art Rooney IIsaid in a statement. “His unique ability to lead the team and motivateindividuals have been key factors in our success.”
The Steelers were 9-7 and missed the playoffs last season. They opentraining camp July 30 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported July 13 that Tomlin had signed athree-year extension through the 2014 season.
Tomlin made an average of $2.5 million per season under the contract hesigned upon succeeding Cowher in January 2007. His new contract is expected toat least double that.
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Dumervil deal worth $61.5M through 2015
July 23, 2010
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—Elvis Dumervil’s(notes) route to riches was somewhatunconventional by today’s NFL standards for superstars. He didn’t posture,wasn’t petulant or pouty. He didn’t rip his coaches or the front office, holdout of minicamps or ask for a trade.
Coming off an NFL-leading and team-record 17 sacks last season, Dumervilsigned his restricted free agent tender and continued working out with theDenver Broncos during the offseason while his agent and general managerexchanged figures.
Dumervil hit pay dirt with a $61.5 million extension through 2015 thatincludes $43.168 million in guarantees, a record for a player at hispass-rushing position.
His agent and his coach both suggested Dumervil’s payday wasn’t just abouthis pass-rushing prowess but also came about because of his patience andprofessionalism.
Dumervil said he was raised with a strong work ethic and he praised theadvice he got from family members and his agent.
“And so at the end of the day, I knew my value and there was no need to goout and pout or go out, you know, the way other guys may have handled thingsbecause I know that character is No. 1 for me and I knew if I could bring thestats along with that it gave me a good chance,” Dumervil said.
Coach Josh McDaniels, who has shipped Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler(notes) and BrandonMarshall(notes) out of town—where they got big extensions from their new teams—saidthe humble, hardworking Dumervil is the kind of player a team can be builtaround.
“The way he has handled this lengthy negotiation this offseason is a greatexample of the type of player and person we want on our team,” McDaniels said.
Dumervil’s agent, Gary Wichard, lauded both his client’s quiet approach toan extension and also the Broncos for coming up big at a time when uncertaintysurrounds the league’s labor accord, which is set to expire after the upcomingseason.
“I give all the credit to Elvis for conducting himself with classthroughout the whole process this off season,” Wichard told The AssociatedPress in an e-mail Friday. “Also, Brian Xanders did a great job of getting thisdone through some tough circumstances and signing a ‘Josh McDaniels guy.”’
Dumervil’s approach stood in stark contrast to that of Marshall, a member ofthe same draft class who was a similar bargain for the Broncos for severalseasons as a fourth-round steal in 2006.
Marshall’s petulance consumed the team at times last season. He wassuspended during training camp and again for the season finale forinsubordination. The Broncos traded him to Miami just before the draft, and theDolphins gave him a contract extension through 2014 that could be worth $50million.
One of McDaniels’ first orders of business as coach in Denver was to grantCutler’s trade request and send his recalcitrant quarterback to the Bears, whogave him a two-year, $30 million extension last season.
About the only time Dumervil talked money publicly last season was when hementioned in passing to an AP reporter that pass-rushers “get paid” because oftheir value to a team’s defense. So stunning was his comment that teammates whooverheard it immediately gave him grief, albeit good-naturedly.
Dumervil thrived last season in the Broncos’ new defensive alignment thatturned him from a classic 4-3 defensive end in a three-point stance into astand-up outside linebacker in the 3-4. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and wasnamed All-Pro, burnishing his credentials for a contract extension.
Although the total value of Dumervil’s deal isn’t as high as other toppass-rushers, his $43.168 million in guaranteed money surpasses that ofChicago’s Julius Peppers(notes) ($42 million), Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware(notes) ($40 million),Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs(notes) ($38 million) and Minnesota’s Jared Allen(notes) ($31million).
The Broncos could have put off a deal with Dumervil because the league mightshut down in 2011 without a new labor accord, and they could have slapped thefranchise tag on him after that, effectively keeping him away from unfetteredfree agency.
Instead, they rewarded him with the biggest deal since Champ Bailey’s(notes)six-year, $63 million contract in 2005.
Dumervil realizes his sack total could go down this season even as his valuerises because he’ll see plenty of double-teams and offenses scheming away fromhim. That makes it imperative for the Broncos to develop another pass-rushersuch as outside linebacker Robert Ayers(notes).
“If my sack total goes down and other guys make plays—that’s what it’sall about,” Dumervil said. “It’s not really about the numbers all the time,it’s about how effective I can be in trying to free up someone else. As far asthat guy, I don’t know. We’ll have to see when the time happens.”
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Browns, QB McCoy agree on multiyear deal
July 23, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—A person familiar with the agreement says the Cleveland Brownshave come to terms on a multiyear contract with rookie quarterback Colt McCoy(notes).
McCoy is expected to report with Cleveland’s other first-year players totraining camp on Friday, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press oncondition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced McCoy’s agreement.The Browns are the first NFL team to open camp.
The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com.
The former Texas star was selected in the third round by the Browns. He isexpected to be the club’s third-stringer this season behind Jake Delhomme(notes) andSeneca Wallace(notes). McCoy won 45 games as a starter at Texas—the most in NCAAhistory—and passed for over 13,000 yards.
The Browns are still in talks with first-round pick Joe Haden(notes), a cornerbackfrom Florida.
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Broncos, Dumervil reach long-term deal
July 23, 2010
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP)—Denver Broncos fans can relax. Not so opposingquarterbacks: NFL sacks leader Elvis Dumervil(notes) has at long last agreed to along-term extension.
Dumervil thrived last season in the Broncos’ new defensive alignment thatturned him from a classic 4-3 defensive end into a 3-4 linebacker. He respondedwith an NFL-leading and team-record 17 sacks, a starting spot in the Pro Bowland All-Pro honors.
Only two players have more sacks than Dumervil’s 43 since entering theleague as a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 out of Louisville—Dallas’ DeMarcusWare(notes) (56 1/2) and Minnesota’s Jared Allen(notes) (52).
Both of them have cashed in with big contracts that contain largeguarantees, $40 million for Ware and $31 million for Allen.
ESPN reported that Dumervil’s deal was worth $61 million over six seasonswith between $41 million and $43 million guaranteed.
The last player the Broncos committed that much money to was cornerbackChamp Bailey(notes), who is entering the final season of his six-year, $63 millioncontract that will pay him $13 million in 2010.
Bailey’s future in Denver has been almost as big a topic among Broncos’ fansthis summer as Dumervil’s contract talks.
Rather than hold out or issue ultimatums, Dumervil signed his one-year,$3.168 million restricted free agent tender this summer, bit his lip andparticipated in the team’s offseason camps while his agent, Gary Wichard, andthe Broncos hammered out an extension.
That goodwill paid off in a big way Thursday night.
In an e-mail from the Broncos announcing the long-awaited deal, coach JoshMcDaniels praised Dumervil’s handling of the protracted contract talks thisoffseason, which he said showed he’s “the type of player and person we want onour team. We look forward to Elvis’ impact for many years to come.”
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Dallas’ Bryant first 1st-rounder to sign
July 22, 2010
IRVING, Texas (AP)—Dez Bryant(notes) agreed to terms of a contract with the DallasCowboys on Thursday, making the receiver the first of this year’s NFLfirst-round picks with a deal.
The Cowboys announced the deal in a news release the day before they reportto training camp in San Antonio. The first workout is Saturday.
Details of the deal weren’t immediately available.
Bryant’s agent, Eugene Parker, didn’t return a message left on his cellphone. David Wells, one of the player’s advisers, indicated Bryant was spendingsome time with his family and said there was no immediate comment.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones was scheduled to discuss the deal withreporters Thursday night at the team’s Valley Ranch practice facility.
Dallas traded up three spots in April to get Bryant with the 24th overallpick. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave Bryant No. 88, the jersey worn by Hall ofFamer Michael Irvin and, a generation earlier, by Drew Pearson.
Bryant was an All-American in 2008 at Oklahoma State when he had 87receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns.
But Bryant played only three games last season because of his suspension forlying to the NCAA about his activities with former NFL star Deion Sanders.
In 27 games at Oklahoma State, Bryant had 147 catches for 2,425 yards (16.5yards per catch) and 29 touchdowns. He also returned 22 punts for a 19.6-yardaverage and three TDs.
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Childress visits Favre, unsure on return
July 22, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress recently paid a visitto Brett Favre(notes) at his Mississippi home.
But the coach says he still does not know if the quarterback will return foranother season with the Vikings. Childress told KFAN radio in the Minneapolisarea: “I don’t know if he’s going to play next year and I don’t know if heknows if he’s going to play next year.”
Childress says he wants Favre to make the best decision for himself.
Brett Favre passes to members of the Oak Grove High School football team in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Monday.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
The coach also believes that Favre’s surgically repaired ankle will notfactor into the 40-year-old’s decision. Childress says Favre is running stadiumsteps in a weighted jacket to slim down.
Many expect Favre to return for a 20th NFL season. Childress says he wouldnot be surprised either way.
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