Marvin Harrison / Photo: Newscom

Source: NFL.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Marvin Harrison Plans to Play in 2009

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions / Photo: Newscom

Matthew seemed to embrace the pressure that comes with that kind of investment:

“I was extremely surprised, you know, I didn’t know any of the numbers going in. I didn’t know what he (agent Tom Condon) was negotiating off of or anything. I just thank the Ford family for trusting me that much and putting their name out on the line for me because, you know, that’s a lot of positive pressure for me. I like that. It’s something I have to live up to and I have to prove that I’m worth, and that’s exciting for me ….. I think I’m prepared, I’ve been through a lot in my football career. Obviously in college you win more football games than you do in the NFL and you don’t lose as many. Every guy has to adjust to that coming from college to the pros, but I feel like I’m ready for the challenge. I’ve played in a lot of football games and I know what it takes to win. I’m anxious to learn what it takes to win at the NFL level. It’s going to be a learning process but something that I’m really excited about.”

I’m not saying Matthew won’t be a great quarterback for the Lions. I’m not saying he won’t be the first Lions QB since 1971 to make a Pro Bowl. And I’m not saying he won’t be able to take a winless Detroit team to the playoffs next season. What I am saying is this: all he has to do is win one game to move this team in the right direction. Those would be pretty low expectations, of course. But if Matthew can get the Lions to the playoffs, he’ll be doing what no quarterback has done for the team since 1999. Still, I’m wondering when he’ll get his chance. Returning starting QB Daunte Culpepper reported to minicamp in the best shape of his career and appears fully ready to assume the starting role. It will be a tough call, though, because the Lions have — you know — 41.7 million reasons to start Matthew immediately.

Source: NFL Media

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matthew Stafford: ‘I Think I’m Prepared’

Indianapolis Colts WR Marvin Harrison is being investigated by police for a shooting that took place outside his North Philadelphia bar, Playmakers, earlier this week. Before the media blows this all out of proportion, let’s keep in mind that Marvin has not been arrested nor charged. He was merely interviewed. Marvin’s agent Tom Condon said:

“I’ve spoken with Marvin and I’ve spoken with his attorney, and they say the reports are erroneous. Marvin was not involved in any shooting, and he is not the subject of this investigation.”

Here’s where things get troubling, though. An unidentified source close to the investigation said that ballistic tests showed the gun that had fired the shots was a custom-made Belgian weapon. Apparently Marvin owns such a gun. Police went to a Philadelphia car wash (also owned by Marvin) to question him about the gun. He admitted to owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home. The source, however, said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene.

The NFL’s gun policy says a player may not possess a gun or other weapon while performing any service for his team or the NFL. In Marvin’s case, he was not involved in any NFL-related function. He merely owns a bar and a car wash. But weapons laws are different in each state and in Pennsylvania, the owner of a weapon involved in the shooting can be charged in the crime. If police legally determine this handgun belongs to Marvin, he could be charged with at least a misdemeanor, which could result in a suspension. We’ll have to keep our eyes on how this investigation progresses.

Source: ESPN.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Marvin Harrison Investigated in Shooting

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Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

According to an NBCSports.com report, with six days to go before the NFL Draft, an unidentified league source is saying that a contract agreement between the Miami Dolphins and former Michigan OT Jake Long is nearly in place. Miami began talks with Jake’s agent, Tom Condon, about two weeks ago and Mr. Condon has been in South Florida to meet with Dolphins officials. Also, according to the same mysterious league source, former Virginia DE Chris Long is pretty confident he’ll be headed to St. Louis with the #2 overall pick. If this 1-2 scenario happens, I guess you can say it’ll be a “long” day at the 2008 NFL Draft.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Dolphins, Jake Long Close to Draft Deal