Mid-Week NFL News

NFL Star Chad Ochocinco Kicked off ‘Dancing’
He gave his “Dancing With the Stars” partner diamond jewelry, and now Chad Ochocinco  is kissing her goodbye.

Daunte Culpepper heading from the NFL to the UFL?
Free-agent NFL QB Daunte Culpepper may have finally found a job … in the United Football League.

J.P. Losman lands in Seattle
FOX’s Jay Glazer reports that J.P. Losman has signed with the Seahawks.

Cornerback Springs released by Pats
The New England Patriots announced Tuesday they had released cornerback Shawn Springs.

Arena and Canadian leagues aren’t in ex-Raiders QB Russell’s plans
Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell doesn’t plan to attempt a comeback in the Arena Football League or Canadian Football League, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.

Dan Snyder doesn’t hide his feelings on Haynesworth
When Snyder does speak out, he usually is to the point, and so it was this past weekend after an event in Washington.

Seahawks could be looking for a way to avoid Leroy Hill’s guaranteed salary
Per a league source, Hill’s $6 million base salary is guaranteed for skill and injury.  And we’re told that the relevant addendum contains language that permits the team to void the guaranteed salary if, among other things, he is suspended.

DC High School Appoints First Female Football Coach

It may take some time getting used to, but Calvin Coolidge Senior High School football players are quickly coming around to their new leader, Coach Randolph. It’s not that this coach is strict or demanding. It’s because Coach Randolph, who joined the team in March, is a woman.

Natalie Randolph is one of the nation’s only female head coach of a high school varsity football team. She stood out among the more than 15 applicants, who include former N.F.L. players, Pop Warner coaches and even a retired Army general, because she promised to help the players in the classroom as much as on the field.

Calvin Coolidge Senior High School consistently battles academic records that are less than stellar and Randolph brings to the table structure and discipline.

But, she is not just a great teacher. This coach is also a great athlete. The 5′ 5″ Randolph was a track star in high school and even played six seasons with the D.C. Divas, a professional team in the Independent Women’s Football League.

Randolph is just as persistent on the football field. She often leads running drills, and rarely yells. Bob Headen, who worked with Randolph when she was the receivers coach at H. D. Woodson, a nearby high school, said her coaching style worked.

“She’s harder on the players than I am,” Headen, one of her assistants, said. “Once when we had players running their mouth, I went to deal with them and she said, ‘No, I got them.’ Then she did her thing.”

Randolph is tough, but players still appreciate the novelty of having a woman in charge. During one practice last month, the junior cornerback Raynard Ware chanted, “Wildcats!” He was referring to the 1986 film in which Goldie Hawn played a coach of an inner-city football team. Other players have asked her if they could call her Mom. [via]

Norman Hand, 37, Dies From Heart Attack

Norman Hand, a defensive tackle who played for five National Football League teams and helped the 2000 New Orleans Saints gain the first playoff victory in their history, died Friday in Walterboro, S.C. of an apparent heart attack.

Hand began his career in the NFL as the Miami Dolphins’ fifth-round draft choice in 1995. Even though he was inactive his rookie season, he played for the Dolphins in 1996.

Hand then traveled to the San Diego Chargers (97-99), the Saints for a couple of years, the Seattle Seahawks for a year and finally with the Giants in 2004.

Realigning College Football

The Big Ten exemplifies everything that is wrong with College Football.

The Big Ten this week allegedly extended offers to Missouri and Kansas to join them. This comes after speculation that Notre Dame was extended an offer and this of course comes after months of speculation that Texas could be defecting to the Big Ten.

No one can begrudge a conference for wanting to add a new revenue stream. We can’t blame a school for showing interest in a conference that could increase their income. After all, this is a business they are running.

However, conferences are heading in the wrong direction and they’re running dangerously close to making themselves obsolete. Conference expansion is diluting the product. It’s watering down what has always been the best part of college sports. I’ll explain.

I have spent my whole life as a Notre Dame fan. There isn’t a team in college football that is more universally despised than Notre Dame. USC fans love to beat them(and they usually do). Purdue takes great pride in beating them. Michigan State breaks their hearts almost every season. But with all that hate and spite in their heart, do you know who considers Notre Dame their biggest rival? No one. No one considers Notre Dame their biggest rival. This is true for two reasons:

1. Notre Dame does not belong to a conference. They are nomads and so losing to them might be painful but it’s not as painful as seeing them at the top of the conference. Conversely Michigan State loves to beat them but would rather beat Ohio State, who often is at the top spot in their division.

2. Notre Dame usually only plays one in state team. College football is all about in state rivals. Because Notre Dame plays such an eclectic schedule they end up all over the country. While this was once thought to be good for national exposure it doesn’t lend itself to the kind of rivalries that get people fired up.

That last point is where College Football has lost their way. Conferences should be aligned by regions keeping states that surround each other in the same conference if possible. Penn State in the Big Ten is a terrible move. What breeds interest is rivalries and to this point Penn State has no rivalry with anyone in the Big Ten that could equal the kind of rivalry they should have with Pitt and other teams in the Big East.

So let’s realign the conferences. Let’s take a different look at college football. It seems drastic but give it a chance.

New Big Ten:

1. Illinois
2. Indiana
3. Iowa
4. Michigan
5. Michigan St.
6. Minnesota
7. Northwestern
8. Ohio St.
9. Purdue
10. Wisconsin
11. Notre Dame

What This Does: This keeps many of the same rivalries we have come to know and love and meanwhile this adds Notre Dame to the most logical conference it can go to. Notre Dame may be past the point of feeling like they are too big to be a part of a conference. And new rivalries never hurt anyone.

New Little Ten:

1. Cincinnati
2. Akron
3. Bowling Green
4. Kent St.
5. Miami Ohio
6. Ball State
7. Central Michigan
8. East Mich
9. Northern Ill
10. Toledo
11. Western Michigan

What This Does: This is a conference filled with some smaller, less successful schools. Everyone here gets a chance to compete and get themselves to a bowl game, or if they ever go to a playoff, then this conference gets a chance to participate in most scenarios.

Big East:

1. Penn State
2. Connecticut
3. Pittsburgh
4. Rutgers
5. Syracuse
6. West Virginia
7. Buffalo
8. Temple
9. Boston College
10. Maryland

What This Does: This conference may not please everyone but it keeps inner-state rivalries at a premium and infuses a little elite flavor into that conference with the admission of Penn State.

Southeastern Regional Conference

1. Duke
2. North Carolina
3. South Carolina
4. Virginia
5. Virginia Tech
6. N.C State
7. East Carolina
8. Marshall
9. Clemson
10. Wake Forest

What This Does: Here’s a perfect example of a balanced conference. It’s regionally balanced and competitive among itself. It can give better exposure for traditionally non-football schools like Duke and Wake Forest and still allow South Carolina and Virginia Tech to stay competitive with the rest of college football.

SEC

1. Florida
2. Florida St.
3. Miami
4. South Florida
5. Florida Atlantic
6. Florida Intl
7. Alabama
8. Georgia
9. Georgia Tech
10. Auburn

What This Does: This is still the class of college football in terms of elite teams but it’s not the power house that will run the rest of college football over. This gives other conferences something they currently don’t have: hope.

Little SEC

1. Kentucky
2. Tennessee
3. Vanderbilt
4. LSU
5. Memphis
6. Middle Tenn st.
7. West Kentucky
8. Louisville
9. UAB
10. UCF

What This Does: This gives those teams that haven’t had great football success a chance to make hay in their conference. LSU and Tennessee are probably the class of the conference but they aren’t a lock to be good every year. This comes back to that word: hope.

Now We Can Get A Bowl Game Conference

1. La. Lafayette
2. Louisiana Monroe
3. Mississippi
4. Mississippi St.
5. Arkansas
6. Missouri
7. Arkansas St.
8. Louisiana Tech
9. Iowa State
10. Southern Miss
11. Tulane

What This Does: No one in this conference is realistic about their own abilities to compete. However, competing in this conference means that there are 3 or 4 teams who can compete for a bowl bid.

Big 14

1. Kansas
2. Kansas St.
3. Nebraska
4. Baylor
5. Oklahoma
6. Oklahoma St.
7. Texas
8. Texas AM
9. Texas Tech
10. Houston
11. Rice
12. SMU
13. Tulsa
14. UTEP

What This Does: This was so hard to find a way to separate this conference, but in the end it didn’t matter much to the competitive play. Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech still take the top spot in this conference. Those 4 at the bottom remain awful, but will benefit from having one of those teams on the schedule every year.

Midwest Mountain Region

1. Colorado
2. Air Force
3. Colorado St.
4. New Mexico
5. Wyoming
6. TCU
7. TROY
8. NORTH TEXAS
9. New Mexico St.

What This Does: You don’t want to stick a 10th team in the conference just to do it. This is a fun conference where a lot of teams are in play and this means they have a shot of having a good season of fan interest.

Western Athletic

1. BYU
2. UNLV
3. Utah
4. Arizona
5. Arizona St.
6. Boise St.
7. Utah St.
8. Idaho
9. Nevada
10. Hawaii

What This Does: Nothing we haven’t been doing with every other conference. Everyone here gets a legit chance at winning and keeping those regional rivalries in tact.

PAC 10

1. San Diego St.
2. California
3. Oregon
4. Oregon St.
5. Stanford
6. UCLA
7. USC
8. Washington
9. Washington St
10. San Jose St.
11. Fresno St.

What This Does: This could compete for the best conference in college football. It’s a loaded conference with some elites and some not so elites. The smaller schools with get a boost of knowing they get to include USC and UCLA on their schedule every year.

Here’s the thing about college football: The elite teams maintain fan interest through the entire season. Those teams that are bad(and there are a lot of them) end up losing fans as the season goes on. People stop caring. They only way they care is if there is something to play for or if there is a chance of beating a rival. I’m pretty sure Colorado St. could care less about a late season game against San Diego St. But I know they’d still get up to play Colorado.

That’s the idea of this system. It’s keeping college sports local. This isn’t professional sports. The average college fan has grown up knowing the teams and schools in their area. Those are the teams they want to see. Of course Florida would love to play USC on occasion and perhaps it can be worked into the schedule, but it’s about doing what’s best for the fan.

The fans buy the merchandise, they come to the stadium. It’s them you need to please. Rivalries excite them. Winnable conferences excite them. Beating the big dog excites them. Hope excites them. This realignment works. It makes sense. College football should get back to making sense.

Pac-10 National Television Schedule Released

The Pac-10 will be getting plenty of airtime this fall as the national television schedule for football, which includes 38 games to be televised by Fox Sports Net, ESPN/ABC and Versus, was released.  USC and Oregon will get the bulk of the load but it is nice to see the networks mix it up with some of the rest of the conference.

ESPN-ABC announced a number of additions to its broadcast schedule today, which means there will be 24 games involving conference teams televised in 2010. The ESPN/ABC schedule is listed below but you can check out a bigger schedule with the FSN and VS. games at Oregon Live.

2010 Pac-10 Schedule as of May 11

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, Sept. 2	11 p.m.	No. 15 USC at Hawaii*	ESPN
Fri, Sept. 3	8 p.m.	Arizona at Toledo*	ESPN
Sat, Sept. 4	3:30 p.m.	UCLA at Kansas State	ABC
	7:45 p.m.	Cowboys Classic: Oregon State vs. No. 6 TCU*	ESPN
Sat, Sept. 11	7 p.m.	No. 10 Oregon at Tennessee	ESPN2
	10:30 p.m.	No. 24 Stanford at UCLA	ESPN
Fri, Sept. 17	10 p.m.	California at Nevada*	ESPN2
Sat, Sept. 18	3:30 p.m.	No. 7 Nebraska at Washington	ABC
		Arizona State at No. 9 Wisconsin	ABC and ESPN2**
	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 USC at Minnesota	ESPN
	10:30 p.m.	No. 11 Iowa at Arizona	ESPN
	11:15 p.m.	Wake Forest at No. 24 Stanford	ESPN2
Sat, Sept. 25	TBD	Oregon State at No. 2 Boise State*	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Sat, Oct. 2	8 p.m.	Washington at No. 15 USC	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
	11:15 p.m.	No. 24 Stanford at No. 10 Oregon	ESPN
Sat, Oct. 9	8 p.m.	No. 15 USC at No. 24 Stanford	ABC
Thu, Oct. 21	9 p.m.	UCLA at No. 10 Oregon*	ESPN
Sat, Oct. 30	8 p.m.	No. 10 Oregon at No. 15 USC	ABC
Sat, Nov. 13	8 p.m.	No. 15 USC at Arizona	ABC
Thu, Nov. 18	8 p.m.	UCLA at Washington*	ESPN
Sat, Nov. 20	8 p.m.	No. 15 USC at Oregon State	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Fri, Nov. 26	7 p.m.	Arizona at No. 10 Oregon	ESPN
Sat, Nov. 27	8 p.m.	Notre Dame at No. 15 USC	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Thu, Dec. 2	8 p.m.	Arizona State at Arizona*	ESPN
* Previously announced.
** Reverse mirror in which ESPN2 will regionalize the game to ABC markets not receiving the telecast.

Drug Use Should Cost Cushing NFL Rookie Award

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, the 2009 defensive rookie of the year, was suspended for violating the league’s drug policy this week for testing positive for illegal substances late last year.

Because of the violation, the Associated Press announced that it would allow broadcasters and writers to recast their votes for the award.

Lou Ferrara, The A.P.’s managing editor for sports and entertainment, said it was the first time the news organization had allowed its members to vote again after a season-ending award had been presented. “Because these awards are based on on-field performance, we consider it necessary to review the matter and allow for a revote,” Ferrara said.

This is not the first time an offense like this has occurred. San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman and Julius Peppers were both suspended and won the award. Merriman was punished the year after he won for a steroid and Peppers was suspended in 2002, the same year he won his award, for a banned dietary supplement.

The NFL really needs to look at how it handles the testing procedure. Cushing was tested back in September of 2009 and Texans owner Robert McNair stated he knew during the ’09 season of an issue with Cushing but nothing came about until this month. Cushing will now be suspended next season, a full year after testing.

Cushing, for the record, easily won the award with 113 total tackles, two forced fumbles and four interceptions in his rookie season.

He also admitted that he took a non-steroid banned substance, which is still considered a performance-enhancer by the NFL. McNair states that Cushing was taking the same supplements he has used for a decade with no problems. And while we may never know what triggered the drug test results, we do know that there’s going to be a new NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Someone is going to get a late bonus check.

The votes last year fell down to the following results: Cushing 39, Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd 6, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews 3 and Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo 2.

Unless the A.P. decides to throw another player in the mix to replace Cushing (which shouldn’t matter), the results will probably lean toward Byrd although some critics have tossed around the trendy Clay Matthews to possibly sneak up on the list.

Personally, I think Byrd should be given the award and not just because of his 2nd place default. Byrd had a solid year and pulled down 9 INT’s on his way to a solid rookie season. He’s a great player who stood out despite missing 2 games and was the first Bills rookie to be selected to play in a Pro Bowl.

Here’s a compilation video of Jairus “The Birdman” Byrd with the obligatory “Surfin Bird” song.

Top 5 Quarterbacks Who Have Something To Prove

While a quarterback never escapes the pressure of a team’s success, some quarterbacks face more scrutiny than others. Manning, Brady, Brees, and Rivers have total job security but for others the security is a relative thing. Whether it’s a large contract, new team, or recent promotion, some quarterbacks have a ton to prove this season. Here are the Top 5 Quarterbacks with the most at stake:

JaMarcus Russell Released, Pacman Jones A Bengal

Move over Ryan Leaf.  You have a new contender for biggest draft bust in the NFL.

The Raiders finally made the move to cut loose their troubled and lazy former QB of the future.  JaMarcus Russell was let go by the club after spending three years stumbling around Oakland to get 7 wins under his belt. (Check out our analysis of his downfall here)

Russell, who was drafted #1 overall in 2007, did little to prove he was worth the pick.  His name now goes down with the likes of  Ryan Leaf, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, Tony Mandarich, Charles Rogers, and Heath Shuler as huge busts.

What’s sad is that Russell is only 24 years old and could easily pick it up with another team and prove everyone wrong.    The truth is that few feel he can do that.  His reputation is for being overweight and lazy.  A former coach referred to Russell as a “binge eater” and former offensive lineman Jeremy Newberry said Russell ”looked like a lineman, he was way out of shape.”

Running back Dominic Rhodes also stated that Russell had a habit of falling asleep in meetings.

Add in a lengthy holdout his rookie year and you can see why he had such trouble fitting in.

On the field, however, his performance and stats spoke for themselves.  Russell was gifted with a strong arm but couldn’t do anything with it.

Russell won only seven of his 25 starts as the Raiders extended an NFL-worst streak to seven straight seasons with at least 11 losses. He completed just 52.1 percent of his passes in his career with 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a passer rating of 65.2.

That means Russell has been paid more than $5 million per win, more than $2 million per touchdown pass and more than $100,000 per completion.

While Russell’s numbers are superior to Leaf’s, he was paid considerably more money to do it and was picked first overall instead of second. Leaf’s rookie contract guaranteed him only $11.25 million. [via]

The Raiders are better off cutting him now. If Russell were to stay on this season they would end up paying him another $6 million on top of the already outrageous $39 million they have dished out for his (lack of) services.

The debate about Russell now shifts to whether he is the product of bad coaching or just a flat-out bust.    JaMarcus has had several assistant and head coaches during his few years in Oakland which didn’t help a kid with a poor work ethic, lack of discipline and weight problems.

I actually feel sorry for JaMarcus for being cursed with the pressures of a #1 pick. He clearly is a backup QB quality player who needed lots of help and coaching to be productive. For him to even be considered for another gig in the NFL he will have to train hard and work his way back up the ladder. Even at the young age of 24, I have yet to see any desire in his actions or play that shows me he wants to be in the league.

Another troubled player, Adam “Pacman” Jones, has found yet another chance with the NFL after reports surfaced today that the Cincinnati Bengals will sign the cornerback to a 2-year deal.

Jones was selected by Tennessee in the first round of the 2005 draft and has quickly become the poster boy for trouble off the field. When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came into the league, he made examples of a handful of troubled players by enforcing his player conduct guideline, and Jones was one of the most punished players.

Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season after he was arrested six times and involved in 12 instances requiring police intervention in the years before. He was finally traded to the Cowboys in 2008 and didn’t last long before being cut after getting into more trouble.

Now, Jones is making a comeback. He’s trained hard and he has had several personal workouts for a few teams after not playing at all last year. The Bengals are no strangers to criminals on their roster and taking a chance on Jones isn’t a bad deal.

He has supporters with some of the players and you know that the Bengals will have strict contract guidelines so they won’t have to pay him if he messes up again. If he can keep his head in the game both on and off the field, Jones might actually put in a few good years.

And it’s not like the Bengals haven’t gambled on former troublemakers before. In recent years, they’ve signed Running backs Cedric Benson and Larry Johnson as well as receivers Matt Jones, who was caught with drugs, and Chris Henry, the troubled player who passed away last year.

ESPN: Pacman Jones to play for Bengals

Gale Sayers Criticizes Current Bears

Gale Sayers is not happy with da Bears and he let people know about it Tuesday.

Former Bears running back and Hall of Famer Gale Sayers took jabs at current Bears during a speech for Boys Town, a home for troubled youth in Omaha, Neb.  It seems that Sayers took exception to quarterback Jay Cutler, head coach Lovie Smith and aging linebacker Brian Urlacher, in essence saying he was not happy with the state of the team and that those individuals should be doing more.

“Cutler hasn’t done the job,” Sayers said. “Urlacher, I don’t know how good he’s going to be coming back. He’s 33 years old. They need a couple wide receivers, a couple defensive backs. They haven’t done a good job.

“If Lovie doesn’t do it this year, I think he’s gone. He had a good team the Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last couple years.”

Those words might sting some Bears fans a bit but it’s nothing that hasn’t been muttered around town. Cutler has only been there one year and his support from the offensive line and receivers is lacking to say the least.  Give him some time.

As for Julius Peppers, Sayers told the Omaha World-Herald that, “He’s a good player, but he can’t do it all by himself.”

Despite the criticism of the current Bears, what is really perplexing about Sayers’ statements is that he called out Saints Reggie Bush for being injury prone.  Sayers, a fantastic player in his college and pro years, he must have forgotten that injuries were the major factor in his shortened career.

He shook his head when reminded that some pundits have compared the New Orleans Saints’ Reggie Bush with him.

“You can’t compare that, because he gets hurt too much,” Sayers said.

That’s just an odd statement considering Sayers played only 3 1/2 mostly healthy NFL seasons before knee injuries took their toll.

Lawrence Taylor Arrested After Rape Allegation

Growing up watching the NFL in the 80′s and 90′s, I can easily say the best linebacker in the game was the New York Giants Lawrence Taylor and he was great to watch on the field.  No one dominated the defense like LT.

That’s why it hurts to see him in a cycle of destruction as his bad party habits got out of control with several arrests and suspensions for drugs during his NFL years and continued well into his retirement.

Today brought about horrible news as LT was arrested again for the accused rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl. The shocking news is still developing but here are some early reports:

The former New York Giants linebacker was taken into custody early this morning by the Town of Ramapo police after being accused of raping someone in the Holidome Hotel in Montebello, north of New York City, WCBS said.

The Journal Newssays the alleged victim is a 15-year-old girl who was beaten. The Journal News also says it has learned Taylor will be charged with third-degree rape, which involves intercourse with a minor. [via]

Taylor’s personal life is no stranger to trouble. LT’s admitted to using cocaine during his NFL years and on several occasions he was suspended by the league for failing drug tests. His troubles continued into his post-NFL years with more arrests on a variety of acts.  After his 1998 arrest for drugs, LT did claimed he cleaned up and was sober. But drugs were not his only problem.

In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.

In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.

In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion. [via]

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