Professional Football News New Jersey ( and surrounding area)
Current Football News:
- Loomis: Brees deal has to be right for both sides (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012NEW ORLEANS (AP) Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says he isn't taking any of Drew Brees' recent complaints about the slow pace of contract negotiations personally.
- Saints' Vilma sues Roger Goodell for defamation (Yahoo! Sports) May 17, 2012NEW ORLEANS (AP) Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.
- Eagles RB McCoy gets new deal through 2017 (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012PHILADELPHIA (AP) LeSean McCoy ran his way onto the short list of the best running backs in the NFL. He can now stamp his name among the highest paid.
- Raiders' McClain sentenced to 180 days in jail (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012DECATUR, Ala. (AP) Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for assault and other charges stemming from a fight in his hometown when he allegedly threatened to kill a man and fired a gun next to his head.
- AP source: Jets agree with S Bell on 1-year deal (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012NEW YORK (AP) Yeremiah Bell is joining the other side of the Dolphins-Jets rivalry.
- Bucs sign PK Connor Barth to 4-year deal (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012TAMPA, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed placekicker Connor Barth to a four-year, $13.2 million contract.
- Reports: Jets DT Ellis agrees to plea (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) New York Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis reportedly has reached a plea agreement in a Virginia court that will reduce a felony charge to a misdemeanor.
- Attorney: No charges against Marshall (Yahoo! Sports) May 18, 2012NEW YORK (AP) The lawyer for Brandon Marshall says no charges will be brought against the Chicago Bears wide receiver for an altercation outside a nightclub in March.
- Hall of Famer Taylor auctioning Super Bowl ring (Yahoo! Sports) May 17, 2012LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is auctioning off his 1991 Super Bowl championship ring.
- If an NFL team calls, Ahman Green says he'd listen (Yahoo! Sports) May 17, 2012GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Green Bay's all-time leading rusher Ahman Green says he would come out of retirement if an NFL team presents the right opportunity.
Giants
- 2012 free-agent tracker, by position (Pro Football Weekly) May 18, 2012Updated May 18, 2012 @ 12:30 p.m. ET
- Thursday's Sports in Brief (The Associated Press) May 18, 2012NEW ORLEANS (AP) Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.
- NFL roundup: Vilma sues Goodell (The SportsXchange) May 17, 2012Suspended New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has sued NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for defamation, according to a ProFootballTalk report.
- Jonathan Vilma sues Roger Goodell for defamatory statements made during bounty investigation (Shutdown Corner) May 17, 2012If you thought that New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was going to take his year-long suspension for his alleged part in the Saints' bounty scandal lying down ... well, think again. Just one day after the Saints got their day in front of an arbitrator to appeal their penalties, Vilma filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (and not the NFL as an entity). [ Rewind: Jonathan Vilma suspended for '12 season for role in Saints bounty system ] The suit claims that "Goodell, speaking publicly about certain Saints executives, coaches and players, in relation to purported efforts designed to injure opposing players, made public statements concerning Vilma which were false, defamatory and injurious to Vilma's professional and personal reputation." The suit reviews the public statements Goodell has made about Vilma and other Saints players, coaches and executives, and it gets specific about statements made about Vilma. Goodell, in the March 2 Club Report, also alleged that "prior to a Saints playoff game in January, 2010, defensive captain Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 in cash to any player who knocked [opposing quarterback Brett] Favre out of the game." ("Favre Allegation.") Goodell knew and intended that the contents of the March 2 Club Report would be disseminated publicly. The contents of the March 2 Club Report, including the Favre Allegation, were reported, and continue to be reported, by essentially every major news organization, as Goodell intended. Upon information and belief, Goodell told others that Vilma placed $10,000 in cash on a table during a team meeting in making the alleged offer concerning Favre. The suit then goes on to claim the lack of evidence made available by Goodell and the league, despite repeated requests by the Saints organization, Vilma's attorney Peter Ginsberg, and the NFLPA. Goodell did not reveal, and, despite repeated requests from among others, Vilma, has never revealed, any evidence purportedly corroborating that a Bounty Program existed, that Vilma participated in any such Bounty Program. And if that is true, that's where things could get sticky for the NFL, especially since Goodell has said that he may make some of the evidence public record at some point in time . The players and NFLPA are clearly frustrated by what they perceive to be Goodell's continuing efforts to try this case in the court of public opinion, while denying those accused and penalized the right and ability to review the evidence and statements against them. In an interview Shutdown Corner conducted with NFLPA lead outside counsel Richard Smith on May 4, Smith's frustration with the process was palpable, leading us to believe that as much as this lawsuit may actually be about implied damages to Vilma's professional and personal reputation, it's also an attempt to facilitate the discovery process the players and NFLPA has claimed to want all along.
- 11 value picks to remember for August (National Football Post) May 17, 2012An early look at the market has these players undervalued entering the summer.
- Hall of Famer Taylor auctioning Super Bowl ring (The Associated Press) May 17, 2012LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is auctioning off his 1991 Super Bowl championship ring.
- New York Giants receive Super Bowl XLVI rings (Shutdown Corner) May 17, 2012"We wanted something a little more modest," New York Giants captain Zak DeOssie said of the team's Tiffany diamond and sapphire encrusted Super Bowl XLVI rings , which players received in a private ceremony in Manhattan on Wednesday night. Justin Tuck wasn't into humility. "Stray [former Giant Michael Strahan] talked about the 10 table ring," Tuck said in a statement released by the team. "He wanted a ring you could see from 10 tables away. I talked about the restaurant ring. I wanted one that was big enough to see throughout whatever restaurant you go in and see it from each corner." Tuck wins. [ Related: Former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor's Super Bowl ring up for auction ] Each ring features four Marquis diamonds in four Lombardi trophies (to represent the franchise's four titles), 37 blue sapphires and the dates of each Super Bowl title in franchise history. The inside of the rings include the words "finish" and "all in," psych-up words used by the team during its 2011 title run. The shanks have the score of this year's victory over the New England Patriots, the player's name and number, and the dates of New York's other Super Bowl triumphs. The team had some input in the design of the ring. Most specifically, players wanted the color blue to be incorporated. Their last Super Bowl ring was white gold and diamonds and looked like it could belong to the New Orleans Saints. "The blue makes it a little different," Eli Manning said. "We wanted some blue -- the Giants are Big Blue. We definitely wanted to get a little blue to spark it up a little bit." More sports news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute: Other popular content on the Yahoo! network: • Saints' Jonathan Vilma sues Roger Goodell for defamation • Rays' Will Rhymes OK after getting hit by pitch and fainting • Shine: Boy allowed back on all-girls field-hockey team
- Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring can be yours, unfortunately (Shutdown Corner) May 17, 2012UPDATE : It's evidently Lawrence Taylor's son who is selling the ring. Jay Glazer reports, via Twitter, that Taylor gave the ring to his son years ago. Here are the tweets: Lawrence Taylor just reached out to me through a mutual friend re the auction of his SB ring. Taylor had ZERO clue this was happening! Years ago he gave his rings to his son TJ, who apparently put it up LT wasn't aware at all that his son had put it up for auction. However, he had no problem with it bc he feels they are now his sons property His longtime rep Mark Lepselter said he talked w LT who said, "Lawrence was in fact unaware of it but said he gave it to TJ (his son) and its his right to do what he wants with it. He's fine with whatever TJ decided." --- That big shiny ring you see above contains 18 diamonds , including the big two in the middle, which total more than 1.5 carats. It was earned as the crowning achievement of a life spent being a revolutionary defensive force in the National Football League. And today, any clod with enough disposable income can own it . It belongs (soon to be past tense) to Lawrence Taylor. Why he's selling is unclear, but Taylor is not known for his wise post-career decisions . If it's on the auction block, it's probably safe to assume he needs the money. From Bloomberg News : Neither the auction website nor the release makes any mention about Taylor's motives for selling. Mike Senyo, a spokesman for SCP Auctions, said in an e-mail that the linebacker is "just ready to sell." Taylor earned two Super Bowl rings in his career, in XXI and XXV. Who knows, maybe this one doesn't mean that much to him. Maybe the first one is a treasured memento and this one's an afterthought. Click on through for more details on the ring.
- Fan's View: Who Will Replace Mario Manningham on the Giants? (Yahoo! Contributor Network) May 17, 2012Traditionally a run-first team, the New York Giants last season had the fifth-ranked passing offense in the National Football League. However, a key piece of Big Blue's passing game, Mario Manningham, signed on with the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason. The Giants are going to miss Manningham, who forever will be remembered for his epic sideline catch to jump-start New York's game-winning touchdown drive in Super Bowl XLVI. However, the G-Men have a few worthy candidates to replace Super Mario in the lineup in 2012. Here are four possibilities.
- L.T. is selling his Super Bowl XXV ring (National Football Post) May 17, 2012Giants Hall of Famer will part with jewelry
Jets
- NFL: Packers waiting before retiring Favre's jersey (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The Green Bay Packers will wait at least another season to hold a ceremony to retire Brett Favre's No. 4.
- Daniel eager to work with Saints' starting offense (The Associated Press) May 18, 2012METAIRIE, La. (AP) Chase Daniel has completed 75 percent of his passes during his first three years in the NFL, which would rank him among the league's top quarterbacks if not for the fact that he's only thrown eight passes.
- Colts claim Taylor, waive Murphy (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The Indianapolis Colts claimed offensive guard Zane Taylor off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles and waived offensive guard Matt Murphy on Friday.
- Jets ink free agent guard Campbell (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The New York Jets signed guard Terrence Campbell. The 6-foot-3, 296-pounder joins the team as an undrafted free agent after starting 25-of-38 games at South Carolina.
- Indianapolis dabbles with changing of guard (The Associated Press) May 18, 2012INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts are making a change at guard.
- Should the New York Jets Re-Sign Jim Leonhard? Fan's View (Yahoo! Contributor Network) May 18, 2012Jim Leonhard never complained about his bad luck and injury misfortune. In fact, he often used Twitter to entertain fans and make light of the knee surgery that ended his 2011 season.
- AP source: Jets agree with S Bell on 1-year deal (The Associated Press) May 18, 2012NEW YORK (AP) Yeremiah Bell is joining the other side of the Dolphins-Jets rivalry.
- Safety Bell lands with Jets (National Football Post) May 18, 2012Veteran had made visits with four teams.
- Pasquarelli: Pittsburgh completes overdue overhaul of O-line (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now 30, and the team's most valuable player sacked an average of 43.5 times over the last six seasons -- including 40 or more sacks in all but one of those campaigns, and coming off an ankle injury last year -- Pittsburgh has drastically retooled its blocking unit.
- Around the League: USFL to become NFL minor leagues? (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012Some of the discussion at Tuesday's league meeting is expected to focus on the resurrected USFL, which is being reconstituted as a "feeder" or minor league, and on how involved the NFL should be with it. Former NFL executive Jim Steeg, who once presided over Super Bowl preparations, is chairman of the USFL's board of advisors, and that could give it some entre with the NFL.
Eagles
- NFL: Packers waiting before retiring Favre's jersey (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The Green Bay Packers will wait at least another season to hold a ceremony to retire Brett Favre's No. 4.
- Colts claim Taylor, waive Murphy (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The Indianapolis Colts claimed offensive guard Zane Taylor off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles and waived offensive guard Matt Murphy on Friday.
- Previewing Eagles Quarterbacks as OTAs Begin: A Fan's Look (Yahoo! Contributor Network) May 18, 2012The Philadelphia Eagles will hold their first round of OTAs starting on May 22. While certain players might not be participating, this is still the first chance for the entire 2012 team to work out together. As the 2011 season turned into a disaster, we heard a lot about how the Eagles didn't have a full offseason to get ready. In light of that excuse, I would like to think that the team would take OTAs seriously. With that in mind, here is a look at how the quarterbacks stand as the team begins OTAs.
- Indianapolis dabbles with changing of guard (The Associated Press) May 18, 2012INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts are making a change at guard.
- Pasquarelli: Pittsburgh completes overdue overhaul of O-line (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now 30, and the team's most valuable player sacked an average of 43.5 times over the last six seasons -- including 40 or more sacks in all but one of those campaigns, and coming off an ankle injury last year -- Pittsburgh has drastically retooled its blocking unit.
- McCoy's deal, gets attention of franchised Forte, Rice (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012The five-year, $45 million extension signed by Philadelphia tailback LeSean McCoy on Thursday -- with the raw numbers provided by "a league source" otherwise known as agent Drew Rosenhaus, seeming to check out as accurate -- merited considerable attention.
- Ravens undecided on docking Suggs' pay (The SportsXchange) May 18, 2012Unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, who reportedly have decided to dock offensive tackle Jason Peters for his offseason Achilles ruptures -- technically regarded as non-football injuries -- Baltimore officials have made no decision about adjusting the salary of linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is due a salary of $4.9 million and roster bonus of $4.6 million for 2012.
- Is Matt Forte worth as much as LeSean McCoy? (National Football Post) May 18, 2012The Chicago running back deserves a new contract, but should he be paid as much as the Philadelphia Pro Bowler?
- Jets sign veteran S Bell (Pro Football Weekly) May 18, 2012The Jets added another safety this offseason, signing veteran Yeremiah Bell on Friday. Pro Football Talk first reported the signing.
- Mum is the word from Matt Forte (National Football Post) May 18, 2012Bears RB won't talk money, but he does like Tice's offense


