Raiders quarterback shuffle

NFL_Czar's Blog
BY NFL_CZAR
Sep 04, 2007 7:49PM

With the agents for JaMarcus Russell still debating how to best guarantee $31 million to their client, Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin can’t seem to choose between Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper for Sunday’s start against the Detroit Lions.
We know that owner Al Davis prefers Culpepper as his quarterback. Consequently, Kiffin must be in McCown’s corner for now and that’s the reason for delaying any announcement.
During last week’s final cuts, Kiffin and Davis both seemed to get their way.
Davis, who makes the majority of the Raiders’ personnel decisions, allowed the coaches and personnel staff to pick Quentin Moses atop the third round and he got the final say by cutting the defensive end from Georgia. Receiver Alvis Whitted was perceived as a Davis player, but he got the ax, too.
And then there was guard Kevin Boothe, who graded out as the team’s best offensive lineman a season ago. Boothe didn’t fit Kiffin’s new blocking system and was released. And Boothe probably will end up helping the New York Giants.
If McCown gets the start against the Lions, we’ll know that Kiffin won the first big battle with his owner.

Denver pays Rice
Simeon Rice received $2.1 million to sign with the Broncos, who also guaranteed his base salary for this season, and the overall deal is slightly better than what his former team, the Tampa Bay Bucs, were offering before he was released.
However, it will be interesting to see how much Rice plays this Sunday. The Rams passed his shoulder during a physical, but they were leery that he really wasn’t ready to play. The Titans thought the same thing. Rice could end up earning almost $4 million if he hits some incentives.

Leftwich & Baltimore
Byron Leftwich makes sense for the Ravens, who definitely don’t believe in Kyle Boller anymore as the backup. The Ravens, because of their defense, remain a strong Super Bowl contender, and who really knows how much longer 34-year-old Steve McNair can stay healthy? Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome liked Leftwich coming out of Marshall, plus he knows all about him from Jaguars personnel man Shack Harris.
If anyone can fix Leftwich and make him a more accurate passer, it’s Ravens head coach Brian Billick. Now, the deal is whether or not Leftwich will agree to a contract that makes sense for Baltimore right now. This is a better opportunity for Leftwich than vice versa. I mean if he doesn’t sign with Baltimore, who really wants him?

Bulletin board chuckles
The big game this Sunday is Chicago at San Diego, and now the Bears are all hot that LaDainian Tomlinson picked the Bears to run through, past and over in his new Nike commercial. Well, L.T. claims he didn’t; it’s just that he vetoed the Patriots. Well, seriously, he should have allowed Nike to use the Patriots. No one really thinks of New England in the same breath, historically, with Chicago’s defense.

To hear the Bears getting mad about the commercial is pretty funny, too. Do you think Brian Urlacher would turn down a big check from Nike to do a commercial? L.T. took the money and ran. He may do that Sunday, too. I can’t imagine that Urlacher and Co. needed a commercial to get fired up about playing the Chargers and L.T. on opening day.

Finally, the bad news in Chicago is that Rex Grossman won’t have rookie tight end Greg Olsen (knee sprain) available as a reliable check-down receiver against the San Diego pass rush.

Simms and Tampa Bay
The Bucs were the only team to keep four quarterbacks on their final 53-man roster. Fourteen teams kept two quarterbacks while the rest decided on three. Seventeen backups have never started a NFL game and four of them have never thrown a pass in the NFL.

This is why the Bucs kept Simms. He has potential trade value, considering the NFL quarterbacking landscape. He may be fourth-string in Tampa Bay, but he could be viewed by a lot of teams to be better than their backup or third-stringer. Mentally and physically, Simms simply hasn’t looked himself this summer. But that doesn’t mean he won’t come around. And, who knows, if Jeff Garcia goes down in December, Jon Gruden might even turn to Simms if he’s still around.

When a team like Kansas City opts to sign Tyler Thigpen as a third quarterback, you know there is hope for Simms, and the Bucs may eventually do a trade.

Look in the mirror
Arizona’s Rod Graves, who drafted Buster Davis in the third round, said he was surprised the Florida State linebacker refused to sign with the team’s practice squad after being cut last weekend.

“It says something else about the player,” Graves said. “I certainly thought Buster was the kind of guy who would carry a chip on his shoulder and accept that challenge and want to prove that the decision to release him was a mistake.”

When evaluating players for the draft, Graves must make decisions on whether any player has the heart and mindset to succeed in the NFL. Graves can question Davis, but we can also question Graves to risking the 69th choice in the draft on a player who took the money and ran.

College Exam for Football Players

Time Limit: One Month

1. What language is spoken in France?

2. Give a dissertation on the ancient Babylonian Empire with particular reference to architecture, literature, law and social conditions-OR- give the first name of Pierre Trudeau.

3. Would you ask William Shakespeare to (a) build a bridge (b) sail the ocean (c) lead an army or (d) WRITE A PLAY

4. What religion is the Pope? (a) Jewish (b) Catholic (c) Hindu (d) Polish (e) Agnostic (check only one)

5. Metric conversion. How many feet is 0.0 meters?

6. What time is it when the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 5? (a) Bed time (b) 5:00 (c) am or pm? (d) Happy hour

7. How many commandments was Moses given? (approximately)

8. What are people in America's far north called?
(a) Westerners (b) Southerners (c) Northerners (d) foreigners

9. Spell -- Bush, Carter and Clinton

10. Six kings of England have been called George, the last one being George the Sixth. Name the previous five.

11. Where does rain come from?(a) Macy's (b) a 7-11 (c) Canada (d) the sky (e) Prince

12. Can you explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity?(a) yes (b) no (c) He wasn't my relative

13. What are coat hangers used for?

14. The Star Spangled Banner is the National Anthem for what country?

15. Explain Le Chateliers Principle of Dynamic Equilibrium-OR- Just spell your name in BLOCK LETTERS.

16. Where is the basement in a three story building located?

17. Which part of America produces the most oranges?(a) New York (b) Florida (c) Canada (d) Europe

18. Advanced math.
If you have three apples how many apples do you have?

19. What does NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation) stand for?

20. The Cornell University tradition for efficiency began when (approximately)?(a) B.C. (b) A.D. (c) still waiting

*You must answer three or more questions correctly to qualify

FOOTBALL JOKE OF THE DAY

A guy walks into a bar with a dachshund under his arm. The dog is wearing a Jets jersey helmet and is holding Jets pom poms.
The bartender says,"Hey! No pets allowed in here! You'll have to leave!"
The man begs, "Look I'm desperate. We're both big fans, my TV is broken, and this is the only place we can see the game!"
After securing a promise that the dog will behave and warning him that if there is any trouble they will be thrown out, the bartender relents and allows them to stay in the bar and watch the game.
The game begins with the Jets receiving a kickoff. They march down field stop at the 30,and kick a field goal. With that the dog jumps up on the bar and begins walking up and down the bar giving everyone a high-five.
The bartender says,"Wow that is the most amazing thing I've ever seen! What does the dog do if they score a touchdown?"
"I don't know," replies the owner, "I've only had him for four years."

Carolina Panthers 2007 Preview

From James Alder,

Remember how fashionable it was at this time last year to pick the Carolina Panthers to win the Super Bowl? That worked out well, huh?

Well this is largely the same team that entered the 2006 season with such high expectations. So where is all the love this year? Gone with John Fox's job security?

What's New?

The Carolina Panthers were a popular pick to be Super Bowl contenders in 2006, but struggles in the running game combined with a down year by quarterback Jake Delhomme led to a disappointing 8-8 record. The team didn’t do a whole lot, however, to kick-start this offense other than bringing in former Cleveland Browns line coach Jeff Davidson to take over as offesive coordinator.

The Panthers did scoop up former No. 1 overall draft pick David Carr after he was released by the Houston Texans. Carr, who never came close to living up to his lofty draft status, should be a solid backup to Delhomme, and could potentially push him if he struggles again in 2007.

With the safety position a major concern, Carolina traded with Chicago Chris Harris, who will likely start at strong safety. They also picked up journeyman Deke Cooper to add some depth and competition at free safety.

NFL Draft Picks
1st Round - Jon Beason, LB Miami (FL)
2nd Round - Dwayne Jarrett, WR USC
2nd Round - Ryan Kalil, C USC
3rd Round - Charles Johnson, DE Georgia
4th Round - Ryne Robinson, WR Miami (OH)
5th Round - Dante Rosario, TE Oregon
5th Round - Tim Shaw, LB Penn State
7th Round - C.J. Wilson, CB Baylor

FOOTBALL JOKE OF THE DAY

First Football Game

A guy took his girlfriend to her first football game. Afterward he asked her how she like the game.
'I liked it, but I couldn't understand why they were killing each other for 25 cents,' she said.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
'Well, everyone kept yelling, 'Get the quarter back!'

WHOS YOUR TEAM?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO POST ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE NFL TEAM AND WHO DO YOU THINK WILL GO TO THE SUPER BOWL. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR NAME AND YOUR TEAM PICKS IN COMMENTS AND I'LL POST ABOUT THEM. THANKS

2007 NFL Schedule

From James Alder,Your Guide to Football.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Week by Week 2007 NFL Schedule

*All times Eastern

WEEK 1
Thursday, Sep. 6
New Orleans at Indianapolis 8:30 pm

Sunday, Sep. 9
Atlanta at Minnesota 1:00 pm
Carolina at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Denver at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Houston 1:00 pm
Miami at Washington 1:00 pm
New England at N.Y. Jets 1:00 pm
Philadelphia at Green Bay 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Tennessee at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Chicago at San Diego 4:15 pm
Detroit at Oakland 4:15 pm
Tampa Bay at Seattle 4:15 pm
N.Y. Giants at Dallas 8:15 pm

Monday, Sep. 10
Baltimore at Cincinnati 7:00 pm
Arizona at San Francisco 10:15 pm

CHECK BACK FOR WEEK 2 OF THE 2007 NFL SCHEDULE.