2009-10 NFL off season thread

[dfwabel]

Former #4 overall pick and current Redskins OL Mike Williams expected to miss the season as he was diagnosed with blood clots..

[BlueSky]

I think I won't pay any attention to the annoying chatter out there about the Saints fighting through a Super Bowl hangover. I've read that the Saints have had some off-season distractions and need to fill some holes on their roster. Every team in the NFL has distractions of some kind during the off-season, so I'm not buying it. I think the NFC South is the toughest division in football.

Yeah, I'm a Saints homer and I don't care who knows it. But that aside, I didn't write the above. Who did? This guy:

He went on to say "...and there isn't a player or coach in our locker room who thinks the Saints won't be what they always are twice a year every year -- well-prepared, physical and ready to play."

Thanks, Matt. I hope you're right!

[Cujo]

Previweing a clip of HBO's Hard Knocks, featuring the New York Jets.

http://www.hbo.com/hard-knocks/episodes/0/1-episode/video/the-buzz-fan-day.html?autoplay=true&cmpid=ABC158

It also gives us a glimpse of the new Meadowlands Stadium from the field. Looks great!

[randyc]

Chris Johnson has finally restructured his contract and will be at training camp according to Pro Football Talk.

[Cujo]

I wish the Jets would hurry up and do the same with Darrelle Revis. As a Jets fan, the last thing I want to see happen, is for Revis to go into the season as a hold-out or disgruntled to the point where he asks out of New York. I view him as one of the NFL's premier players, and a possible future HOFer. New York is privlaged to have him. I say, give him what he wants before someone else does!

[dfwabel]

Dez Bryant is the initial First Round pick to sign. He agreed to terms with Dallas for a five-year deal worth $11.8 million (with $8.3 million guaranteed). As their training camp starts on Friday, he will be in camp.

[Jigga]

Dez Bryant is the initial First Round pick to sign. He agreed to terms with Dallas for a five-year deal worth $11.8 million (with $8.3 million guaranteed). As their training camp starts on Friday, he will be in camp.

Let the floodgates open!

[dfwabel]

Dez Bryant is the initial First Round pick to sign. He agreed to terms with Dallas for a five-year deal worth $11.8 million (with $8.3 million guaranteed). As their training camp starts on Friday, he will be in camp.

Let the floodgates open!

Those terms which I gave may not be official, but they apparently are similar to what last year's #22 overall pick (Percy Harvin) received from the Vikings. It was not slotted, according to Stephen Jones. (If a staff writer gives the terms they are probably correct). Remember, Crabtree and Bryant share the same agent...Eugene Parker. He may have learned from his error last season in looking at where the player was drafted as opposed to where they thought where the player should have been drafted.

For history on #24 overall picks, the Titans selected Chris Johnson with the 24th pick, and he received a five-year, $12 million deal, of which $7 million was guaranteed. Johnson had an original contract base salary of $295,000 in 2008 ? followed by $385,000 in 2009, $550,000 in 2010, $800,000 in 2011 and $960,000 in 2012.

In 2009, ATL selected Peria Jerry signed a five year contract ranging from $10.35MM to 13.25MM with $7.55 million guaranteed.

[dfwabel]

Fully Rennovated Arrowhead Stadium opens on Sunday

[Cujo]

Owens to the Rams?

Really, St. Louis? I'm not sure if that's the guy I want influencing my stud rookie quarterback.

[Seadragon76]

Owens to the Rams?

Really, St. Louis? I'm not sure if that's the guy I want influencing my stud rookie quarterback.

Take him, St. Louis. The more you guys suck, the better Seattle can look when they beat the Lambs and T.O. (Who Seattle said no to).

[rams80]

Owens to the Rams?

Really, St. Louis? I'm not sure if that's the guy I want influencing my stud rookie quarterback.

Quarterback's not the issue. His arm will fall off from leprosy or something by Week 10. It's the very impressionable young wideouts this team has. That's goiing to really screw up the offense.

Man, the sooner they get rid of this band of "football guys" and replace them with "football guys" who are actually competent, the better.

[dfwabel]

Well, at least MartyB has something to talk about on his YouTube channel.

Credit: dallascowboys.com

SAN ANTONIO - Third-year Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett was a surprise addition to the Non Football Injury (NFI) list as the team opened training camp on Saturday.

Bennett had sprained his ankle, apparently while working out last week. Though he will miss at least several early-camp practices the injury is not considered serious. Bennett appeared at the Cowboys' Friday evening kickoff event with no discernable limp, but tweeted Saturday that he had received an 8 a.m. treatment. An MRI was scheduled for Saturday.

The NFI listing means Bennett counts as part of the 80-man roster, but he did not attend the first practice of camp. The Cowboys moved three other players to injury designation lists, NFI and Physically Unable to Perform (PUP), though those were more expected. Head coach Wade Phillips said he only learned of Bennett's injury Friday.

"He was working out on his own when it happened," team vice president Stephen Jones said of Bennett. "That's just the list he goes on. I'm not concerned about it. I think he'll be back fairly soon."

Also sent to NFI was fourth-round safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, who has been recovering from shoulder surgery in March. Linebacker Stephen Hodge (knee) and undrafted defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington (hamstring) were placed on PUP. Hodge is still fighting to return from microfracture surgery last year, and Washington tweaked his hamstring near the end of the Cowboys' summer workouts for rookies. The players can be activated and return to practice at any time.

[charger77]

Dez Bryant refuses rookie tradition.

[infrared41]

Dez Bryant refuses rookie tradition.

This ought to get good. Put my money on Mr. Bryant getting taped to the goalpost.

[tBBP]

I just find it funny that this is Roy Williams we're talking about here. Shoot, I wouldn't want to carry Williams' stanky-ass pads and pants, neither. As a matter of fact, I applaud Dez Bryant for this one here.

Imma just play devil's advocate for a second here...might it be possible that Bryant refused to carry Williams' pads and whatnot because Williams knows that Bryant is coming for that number one spot? The story in that link doesn't mention any other names besides Williams, so I gather that Bryant pretty much just told Williams "I ain't finna be your bitch; nah, cat...I'm coming for your job". I find this whole thing hysterically funny...and I'll find it even funnier if Bryant ends up as the starter come week one opposite Miles Austin.

[Closet pseudo-Cowboy fan rant] I personally ain't never cared for Roy's bum ass, anyway. I wasn't all that high on him while he was in Detroit. Then JJ overpaid to get him to Dallas, wherein the dude basically turned into T.O., dropping balls all over the place, then running his mouth a/ that balls weren't coming his way and 2/ that things were "just going #2's way, but he's still the number one". Whatever dude. As far as I'm concerned, both he and Patrick Crayton (another clown who could use some duct tape over his mouth) could get cut tomorrow, and I wouldn't miss either one of them.

[/closet pseudo-Cowboy fan rant]

[NJTank]

Bryant is a rookie and a rookie needs to know his place, I hope the rest of the team teaches him a good lesson.

[chuckymack]

Good for him. I didn't do that sort of thing when I played football, either. Sure, I caught some flak for it, but at least they knew I wasn't their to kiss their jockstraps.

[charger77]

Just carry the damn pads like hundreds of players did before you did and hundreds will after.

[tBBP]

Now see, any other player besides Roy Williams and I might go along with the "paying dues" bit--which I know plenty about, trust me.

But this is bum-ass Roy Williams.

All that means is Roy knows a/ Dez won't let Roy just punk him like that and b/ Roy had best step his game up if he don't wanna get his spot took by the lil' lowly rookie. This camp battle gon' be good. Or, at least, I hope so.

Go get him, Dez.