National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Franchise player designations were announced today for the 2009 National Football League free agency signing period that begins on February 27. A club can designate one “franchise” player or one “transition” player among its veteran free agents. The salary offer by a player’s club determines whether the franchise player designation is exclusive or non-exclusive. An “exclusive” franchise player — not free to sign with another club — is offered a minimum of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year as of April 17; or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary; or the average of the top five salaries at his position as of the end of last season — whichever of the three is greater. There are no exclusive franchise player designations this year.

If the player is offered a minimum of the average of the top five salaries of last season at his position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, he becomes a “non-exclusive” franchise player and can negotiate with other clubs. His old club can match a new club’s offer, or receive two first-round draft choices if it decides not to match. The signing period for franchise players to sign with new clubs is February 27 until the Tuesday after the 10th week of the season (November 17).

A transition player receives a minimum offer of the average of the top 10 salaries of last season at the player’s position or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. A transition player designation gives the club a first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet given to the player by another club after his contract expires. If the club matches, it retains the player. If it does not match, it receives no compensation. There are no transition player designations this year.

The franchise players for 2009 are:

• Karlos Dansby, LB, Arizona Cardinals
• Michael Koenen, P, Atlanta Falcons
• Terrell Suggs, LB, Baltimore Ravens
• Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina Panthers
• Shayne Graham, K, Cincinnati Bengals
• Dunta Robinson, DB, Houston Texans
• Matt Cassel, QB, New England Patriots
• Brandon Jacobs, RB, N.Y. Giants
• Max Starks, T, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Darren Sproles, RB, San Diego Chargers
• Oshiomogho Atogwe, DB, St. Louis Rams
• Leroy Hill, LB, Seattle Seahawks
• Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Bucs
• Bo Scaife, TE, Tennessee Titans

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

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Franchise Players Named

Defense wins championships, of course. And if you’re in the playoffs, chances are you’re playing it pretty well. Like the Philadelphia Eagles. In a 23-11 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the N.Y. Giants this afternoon, it was the Eagles’ defense that stepped up to the challenge of stopping the NFL’s best rushing offense en route to the NFC Championship game next week at Arizona.

For all the deserved hype that was the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” (running backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw) this season, the Eagles had other ideas. Sure, Brandon got 92 yards on 19 carries, but on two crucial 4th down plays, it was Eagles’ defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley who played the role of earth mover, causing the Giants to turn the ball over on downs. This Eagles defense is something of a no-name group. Among household names like Brian Dawkins and Asante Samuel, you’re looking at guys like Stewart Bradley (the team’s regular season leader in tackles and in on 11 stops today), Quintin Mikell and Chris Gocong. Together, they rattled Giants quarterback Eli Manning into completing about half of his passes for just 169 yards. Still, Brian Dawkins wasn’t exactly savoring the moment:

“I won’t say satisfying. Satisfying is for when it is all said and done, and it’s not. We have more work to do.”

Source: PhiladelphiaEagles.com

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Eagles Defense Makes Crucial Stops

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

N.Y. Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was taken to court in handcuffs, then posted $100,000 bail on weapons possession charges today after accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub last week. He was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which could result in a sentence of at least 3.5 years in prison. As Plaxico awaits his next court date March 31, the Giants aren’t sure what action they will take against him. The NFL said it was monitoring developments. And NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it would be an outrage “if we didn’t prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”

Here’s what actually happened on Friday evening. Police said Plaxico and Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce arrived at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan with three other people around 11:30 p.m. I have no idea who the three other people were but they apparently weren’t members of the N.Y. Giants. Plaxico had been allowed to bypass security (even though they knew he was armed they wanted to be cool with the pro athlete) according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Around 12:05 a.m., as Plaxico was being escorted to a VIP area (ooh sounds so exciting) with a drink in one hand, he somehow ended up fumbling his gun and it discharged, hitting his thigh. Antonio was with him when that occurred, police said. Plaxico then spent about 90 minutes looking for a hospital that would treat him discreetly. He even used a different name — Harris Smith. He ended up at New York-Cornell, where he gave the phony name and said the incident had occurred at an Applebee’s. It was about this same time when he realized it was probably a bad idea to take a gun into a New York City nightclub.

I know some NFL players have licensed guns for protection at their homes, but few are stupid enough to stick one in their pants and take it to a nightclub. What was he planning to do with it? Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said he spoke with Plaxico on the phone after yesterday’s win over the Redskins and they actually laughed about the situation:

“I called him and made a few jokes about the situation and his laugh is what I wanted to hear. If he didn’t laugh I knew he was going to be down, which he shouldn’t be down. It’s a mistake that happened, something that shouldn’t have happened and that’s that.”

Well, that’s very sweet, but that’s not that. This is more than a mistake. Plaxico is looking at three and a half years in jail. There’s nothing funny about it. I know a fair amount of NFL players that think they’re invincible, but one look at Michael Vick should clear up that misconception. My feeling is that Plaxico Burress is headed for a similar fate.

Sources: NFL.com, New York Post, Photo: Newscom

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Plaxico Burress Posts $100K Bail

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

After a heart-to-heart with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about a hit on Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, it was announced today that New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork will not be suspended by the league. But he will be fined. We’ll have to wait until Friday to find out the exact amount, but Vince seemed pretty satisfied with the outcome:

“I think both sides were happy. He got a chance to hear my side of my story of how I approach the game. I got a chance to hear what he had to say about the whole situation of my past history and playing football. So I think we both left pretty happy.”

The only reason Vince was sent to the commissioner’s office was because of his history of unruly on-field behavior. Vince was fined a total of $35,000 last season for four different incidents — hits on Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman (a cheap shot) and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (after the whistle). Plus, he poked New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs in the eye during a not-so-friendly conversation and tackled then-San Diego Chargers running back Michael Turner by his facemask during the AFC Championship Game.

I don’t consider Vince a dirty player. His aggression sometimes gets a little out of control. I know the hit on Jay was not as big a deal as it was initially made out to be by the Broncos. I mean, it was an elbow to the head but I don’t think there was an intent to hurt Jay and Vince even helped him up and patted him on the back afterward. I think this was the right call. Vince didn’t deserve to be suspended and he wasn’t.

Source: Boston Herald, Photo: Newscom

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Vince Wilfork Will Be Fined, Not Suspended

By the time the N.Y. Giants took the field, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect after my experience with the Patriots. And as a result, I feel I had a better session with the G-Men. As much as Tom Brady was getting most of the attention for the Pats, Giants QB Eli Manning and DE Michael Strahan were pretty much split in their popularity for New York. Both of them appeared to handle the adoration very well. Michael seems to thrive on his popularity. And he’s usually joking and having fun, even when talking about what the Super Bowl means to him:

“If we win the game, I’m supposed to quit (laughs)? I’ve done everything personally that I feel like I can do — awards, honors — that sort of thing. The only thing I haven’t done is the ultimate thing, which is to win a Super Bowl.”

At the podiums/risers for the Giants were Antonio Pierce, Justin Tuck, Plaxico Burress, Tom Coughlin, Jeff Feagles, Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer, Shaun O’Hara and Osi Umenyiora. In special sections in the stands were offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Lawrence Tynes, chairman/executive VP/co-owner Steve Tisch, GM Jerry Reese, president/CEO/co-owner John Mara and Sam Madison.

For the BIGPLAY Radio NFL Podcast, I spoke with Sinorice Moss, Corey Webster, Kareem McKenzie, Ahmad Bradshaw, James Butler and Steve Smith. What I couldn’t believe was the attention kicker Lawrence Tynes was getting. He didn’t just have a small gathering around him. He was mobbed. In fact, for one full hour, I couldn’t even see him from the front. I had to go around behind the crowd to get a picture. So, I never got my questions in for LT. I also really wanted to talk to DB Aaron Ross, but I never actually saw him. I roamed almost constantly and never saw him once. Perhaps he was still feeling some ill effects from the flu he reportedly had.

I felt I had enough audio so with 10 minutes left, I just focused on taking pics. When time was up, the Giants headed to the field for their team photo and I climbed the stadium stairs to the parking lot for my 20-minute shuttle ride back downtown to the Convention Center. Before I exited, I turned around to look back at the inside of the stadium. I visualized five days into the future when this very place will be on the eyes of over 90 million people. Wow. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of from my perspective. I can only imagine how excited the players are.

(Note: I would later learn that I was captured on Giants center Shaun O’Hara’s personal video coverage for NFL Network. I’m listening to R.W. McQuarters as the cam passes by us. The whole thing was also saved on NFL.com. See if you can spot me for the two seconds I’m on.)

Photos by David Kindervater

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SBXLII Media Day: N.Y. Giants

There’s a Manning in the Super Bowl again this year. But this time, it’s younger brother Eli’s turn as he led his N.Y. Giants to a 23-20 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Yes, Eli Manning led them. It was the Giants’ 10th straight road win and once again, Eli took charge by managing the football game and not making mistakes. He was 21 of 40 for 254 yards with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions. There is so much to be said for not turning the football over. Fumbles or interceptions in games of this magnitude are season-enders as the Packers found out. Eli doesn’t need to be spectacular for the Giants to be successful. He really doesn’t. That being said, I don’t want to downplay his excellence. Eli did make some big-time throws today. He is a much different quarterback than earlier this season, looking more in-control and more confident than I have ever seen him. He’s easily playing the best football of his young career.

Eli had help. The Giants O-line paved the way for RBs Brandon Jacobs (67 yards, one TD) and Ahmad Bradshaw (63 yards, one TD). They had the ball almost twice as long as Green Bay. It was ridiculous. And WR Plaxico Burress put on a clinic against All-Pro CB Al Harris, catching 11 balls for 154 yards. I really think Plaxico can be as good as he wants to be. I’m not sure he’s always been the most motivated player. But with an ankle injury that has hobbled him most of this season, I give him a lot of credit for stepping up in the biggest game of the season. He made Al Harris look like just another corner.

And what can I say about Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes? The guy missed two field goal attempts, one of which would’ve won the game in regulation for N.Y. When given a third chance from the longest distance of the evening, he nails it to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. Ahh, the life of a kicker. You’re the hero or the goat. Lawrence was both today but the misses matter not as long as you make the one to win the game.

Brett Favre’s dream season came crashing down around him. In the second half, I thought he made a bunch of ill-advised throws, two of which were intercepted. His O-line gave him ample time to throw. Michael Strahan had just two tackles and Osi Umenyiora had nothing statistically. But Brett had a hard time finding open receivers and he forced some throws, as he has been known to do from time-to-time. I had no confidence that the Packers had any chance to take this game the way things were going in the 4th quarter. Even after they won the coin toss in overtime, I didn’t think they would be able to move the ball. And they didn’t. Credit the Giants’ defense for holding former teammate Ryan Grant to 29 yards on a mere 13 carries, far from the game plan the Packers had in mind for their top running back.

This was a great football game that came down to the Giants making one more play than the Packers. I thought both teams played their hearts out. Bottom line, the Giants went out and won this football game in extremely difficult weather conditions (temps at Lambeau Field were below zero the entire game) against a very good team. They truly earned their way to Super Bowl XLII as the first NFC team ever to win three road games and advance to the Super Bowl. The Giants peaked at exactly the right time this season and have to be considered as a legit contender to beat the Patriots in two weeks. Technically, it’s a road game, so why not?

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Giants Beat Packers for NFC Championship, Eli Manning Leads N.Y. to Super Bowl XLII

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

It’s a one-game season for the teams in this weekend’s Conference Championship games. Win and you’re on your way to sunny Glendale, AZ for Super Bowl XLII on February 3. Lose and it’s the sudden beginning of a long offseason. “Our whole season is at stake and so is theirs,” says New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in describing his AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers. The same can be said for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

• Both games are rematches of Week 2 meetings this season (it is the 16th time since 1970 that both championship games were rematches). But both winning coaches, Bill Belichick (Patriots) and Mike McCarthy (Packers) say that their opponents are different teams now.
• The clubs combined for an .800 regular/postseason winning percentage (56-14).
• The teams are hot, no matter what streak you look at. New England is scalding, continuing on an unbeaten season at 17-0. San Diego has won eight in a row. New York is 10-1 on the road (no road team has ever played in a championship game with that road record). Green Bay has won eight of its nine home games this year.
• In action this Sunday will be the NFL’s career leader in quarterback wins and touchdown passes (Brett Favre), the season TD-pass record-holder (Tom Brady), the season sack leader (Michael Strahan), and the running back who has led the league in rushing the past two years (LaDainian Tomlinson).

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (13-5) at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (17-0)
The players and personalities on these teams can exert their own game-changing influence on the matchup, but the bottom line to the meeting could be turnovers. San Diego led the league in takeaways (48; with a league-leading 30 interceptions), while New England had only 15 giveaways, best in the league (and only nine interceptions, third-best). That said, San Diego will face an offense seldom seen in the NFL. The Patriots set the season record this year for points (589) and touchdowns (75) and scored at least 24 points in 16 of their 17 games. Led by the 2007 NFL MVP, QB Tom Brady, New England seems capable of adjusting to anything defenses throw at it. Limit the pass (if that can be done) and they go to the run, or vice versa. Perhaps nothing illustrates this ability more than the Patriots’ Divisional Playoff game against Jacksonville. The Jags double- and sometimes triple-teamed WR Randy Moss, who set the NFL season TD-reception record (23) this year. What did Tom Brady do? He completed 26 of 28 attempts (for an NFL record 92.9 completion percentage) to eight different receivers for 262 yards – with only one pass going to Randy. The Chargers will come in to their rematch with the Patriots (they lost at New England 38-14 on September 16) somewhat limited. But that concerns Coach Belichick. RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee), QB Phillip Rivers (knee) and TE Antonio Gates (toe) are hurting. Phillip would be replaced by veteran Billy Volek, who led San Diego to the winning score in the Divisionals. MY PICK: How can I go against the undefeated Patriots, a team I’ve been touting as the eventual Super Bowl champion since before training camp started? I can’t. I won’t.

NEW YORK GIANTS (12-6) at GREEN BAY PACKERS (14-3)
If anyone exhibits how teams can change during a season, it’s these two. Back in Week 2 (a 35-13 Green Bay win in New York), the Packers were worried about their running game, and even Brett Favre (who would become the NFL’s winningest QB ever in that game) was saying the Pack needed to be able to mix the run with the pass. The Giants? Their concern — a big one — was their defense, with new packages put in under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. By the end of the Green Bay game, the Giants had surrendered 80 points in the season’s first two games. Going into the NFC Championship, how things have changed. It took five more games for Green Bay to find its running game — in Ryan Grant, who grew up 20 miles from Giants Stadium (Ramsey, NJ). Ryan was a practice squad player/injured for the Giants for two years before Green Bay traded for him right before the season. All Ryan did since Week 8 was run for 1,130 yards and 11 TDs, including a Packers’ playoff record last Saturday with 201 rushing yards. Meanwhile, from a gritty goal-line stand against Washington in Week 3, the Giants’ defense began to take form, Spagnuolo’s shifting schemes and player rotation up front began to mesh, and New York has allowed only 18.9 points-per-game through the Divisionals since the Green Bay game. So how will this all pan out Sunday in what is expected to be sub-freezing temperatures at Lambeau Field? You have to think the running game will be a big factor. The Giants can match Ryan Grant’s production with their own RBs – Brandon Jacobs, the 6-4, 264-pound freight train who usually needs a good two or three guys to bring him down, and elusive Ahmad Bradshaw, one of the team’s two seventh-round draft picks this year. Giants QB Eli Manning — looking to become the second consecutive Manning to win a Super Bowl after brother Peyton did it last season — has a 100 passer rating in each of his last three games, along with eight TDs and one interception. He will go against one of the best corner tandems in the league in Al Harris and Charles Woodson, who excel in man-to-man. And Brett Favre, who also became the career TD leader this year — who knows what he’ll pull this week, from last-ditch shovel passes that set up scores to out-and-out bombs to the Pack’s “Big Five” alignment of five wides and an empty backfield. Brett has a strong O-line in front of him. He was sacked the third fewest times in the league (19, tie), but faces a defense that led the NFL in sacks (53) this season. MY PICK: I believe the Giants’ road win streak ends here at Lambeau. Brett Favre in the NFC Championship on the frozen tundra? Yeah, I like the Pack.

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AFC & NFC Conference Championships: Patriots vs. Chargers, Packers vs. Giants

The N.Y. Giants lost two of their final three games to end their 2007 National Football League season. Naturally, that doesn’t seem like a very good way to head into the playoffs. But just like instant replay — upon further review, the G-Men actually found their groove during that time. Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for a ridiculous 294 rushing yards in a 38-21 come-from-behind win at Buffalo (I was working that game). And QB Eli Manning came into his own the following week in a narrow loss to the (still) undefeated New England Patriots. He’s now playing the best football of his career as the Giants have beaten Tampa and Dallas to advance to the NFC Championship game against Green Bay.

Through the ups and downs, one thing has remained constant — the play of Eli’s favorite target, veteran WR Amani Toomer. The Giants can’t really explain their recent success or unheard of 10-1 road record. At least Amani Toomer can’t. Speaking with him on a national conference call, I discovered a player who isn’t trying to overanalyze the Giants’ fortunes. He’s just enjoying the ride.

DAVID: Typically, a team going into Lambeau against Brett Favre — in that environment — is going to be at a disadvantage. But with your road record and being on a roll like you are right now, do you even look at this game as being an underdog?

AMANI: It doesn’t matter what everybody else thinks. The only thing that matters is what happens when we get out there and play. That’s the only thing that matters. People can say what they want to say, but the last two weeks, that goes to show that the experts don’t always know what they’re talking about.

DAVID: As a veteran player, do you put more pressure on yourself to make plays in this situation, in this type of game?

AMANI: You can’t worry about trying to make plays and all that stuff. You’ve just got to go out there and play. The only thing you can really control is your preparation and your effort, and everything else has kind of got to be “in the cards.” All you can do is control what you’re able to control.

DAVID: As a veteran, Amani, you know better than anyone how to savor the moment of being this deep in the playoffs because it certainly isn’t guaranteed every season.

AMANI: It’s definitely special. I’ve been in the league for like 12 years, and I’ve been in this situation twice. It’s one of those things that you never really can take for granted because it might be everybody’s last time doing this no matter what year it is for you. If I heard anybody in the locker room that thought, “Oh, this is going to happen every year,” I would tell them that there’s only one team a year that goes this far in our conference and the percentages of getting back here are pretty small. So they better take this like I take it. You can’t take it for granted.

DAVID: Is there anything in particular that you see as an explanation why the Giants are playing so well on the road? Your road record is incredible.

AMANI: Yeah, I know. I have no idea. It’s just one of those things that happens. I figure, just be glad that it happens and try not to analyze it and figure out the reasons why. I think back to when we hadn’t won a game and we were really trying to find ourselves and find our identity. I think now we have an identity as a resilient group that will fight until the end. And I think, from play calling on down to the players out there on the field, I think we’ve found a rhythm and we’re on a wave and we’re just going to ride it instead of wondering and analyzing and all that stuff. We’ve just got to keep going and doing what we’re doing.

DAVID: That resiliency you speak of. Has that developed all season?

AMANI: You know what, a lot of the stuff that we talk about when we talk about football is really indescribable. It’s just a feeling you get, and it’s hard to put into words and not sound corny, you know what I mean?

Some things are better left unsaid. Maybe just knowing they’re playing well and understanding what it takes to win is all the Giants need. So far, you can’t argue with the results. This was the third of four Conference Championship interviews. Check out Tom Brady (Patriots) and Ryan Grant (Packers). And look for LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers) to follow before Sunday’s games.

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Conference Championship Interview Series: New York Giants WR Amani Toomer

First thing’s first, though. They have a chance to knock off the (still) unbeaten New England Patriots and ruin the Pats’ perfect season this coming weekend. Here’s how they can do that:

• Brandon Jacobs Right, Brandon Jacobs Left – Go more left than right because the Pats have given up some big plays on that side. But bleed the clock and let Brandon do his thing. Give him the ball 40 times. Or give him the ball 25 times and let Ahmad Bradshaw have 15 carries. Just keep Tom Brady off the field.
• In establishing the run, keep Eli Manning out of third and long situations. If Eli’s forced to beat the Pats, the Giants have no chance in this game or any other forthcoming in the postseason.
• The Giants are the perfect team to create pressure on Tom Brady without blitzing (eg. Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan) and allow the DBs to double-cover or pseudo double-cover Randy Moss and/or Wes Welker.

I’m afraid all this optimism about the Giants will be short lived, though. Why? Who have the G-Men beaten? The Bills were probably the toughest team they defeated this season and Buffalo has a losing record. In fact, the Giants have only beaten one team with a winning record (Washington Redskins). Their wins have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of .348 with one game to go. And they’re going to beat the Patriots? I don’t think so.

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Big Blue Christmas: Giants Run to Playoffs, RB Brandon Jacobs Key to Postseason Wins

Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips had his players sign a “no-penalty pledge” this week, promising to play smarter and avoid dumb mistakes. Take LB Kevin Burnett for example. His 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for standing over and taunting N.Y. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs last weekend cost the Cowboys three points (and lightened Kevin’s wallet by $5,000). In a tight game, a mistake like that could be the difference between a win and a loss. Coach Phillips said:

“I want their word that they’re going to try to do the right thing. That’s my feeling. It may be silly. It may be whatever, but I was serious about it and I think I feel like I needed to do something they’re going to respond to. And everybody saw that it cost us points. We all saw it but I felt like I needed to do something.”

I think having the team sign something is a bit ridiculous — maybe even juvenile — but if it works, Coach Phillips will look like a genius. I think the team needs to be smart enough to figure these things out for themselves. I mean, tell them once and let the captains and team leaders take control of the situation. As we head into the run for the playoffs over the next month or so, the Cowboys will need to clean-up their act to have a chance to get to the Super Bowl. If signing a piece of paper gets the job done, than good for Coach Phillips. However they accomplish it, I think the team will need to develop the right mix of passion and aggressive play with just plain common sense to be considered among the NFL’s elite.

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Dallas Cowboys Sign ‘No-Penalty Pledge’