Green Bay Packers WR Javon Walker Does Not Want to Return To Lambeau Field - AP

Walker's threats ignored
Packers won't give in to wide receiver

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Wide receiver Javon Walker says he'd rather retire than return to Green Bay and play for the Packers. General manager Ted Thompson says he has no plans to placate the former Pro Bowler.

Walker, rehabilitating his right knee at his former college Florida State, told ESPN.com on Thursday that he wants to be traded or released.

"If I had to go back there, I'd retire," he said. "I don't have to play."



Thompson, who has reorganized the Packers in his 14-month tenure by firing former head coach Mike Sherman and bringing in Mike McCarthy, said Friday the organization will not concede to Walker's demands.

"During his time as a Green Bay Packer, Javon Walker has been well thought of by everyone here. I like Javon, certainly as a person and a player," he said in a statement. "There have been several highly publicized cases of player discontent in the National Football League. I don't anticipate us making any concessions in this matter."

Walker's new agent, Kennard McGuire of CSMG Sports, asked Thompson to move the veteran entering his sixth year or pursue a trade. His former agent, Drew Rosenhaus, made similar requests to management.

McGuire did not return messages left Friday by The Associated Press.

"I just don't feel like this is the best place for me to be right now," Walker told ESPN.com. "I really have no interest in being in a Green Bay Packers uniform or playing for Green Bay again."

Walker has been at odds with the organization since management refused to renegotiate his contract that had two years remaining on it after his Pro Bowl season in 2004, when he caught 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Brett Favre criticized Walker's threat of holding out in 2005, and Walker returned only to tear a knee ligament in the season opening loss to Detroit.

"I just don't like the way the organization runs itself," Walker said. "They want players to come up there and play hard and work hard, but when it comes time to be compensated, it's like, 'We forgot what you've done."'

Walker also said Favre's comments last year made living in Wisconsin difficult, and he felt it was unfair the team let Favre interfere with Walker's squabble with management.

"There's an unwritten rule that players stick together," Walker said.

Walker says he will not show up for training camp or come back at all for the final season of his contract regardless of whether Favre decides to retire or return. He said he'll repay the Packers the prorated portion of his signing bonus to leave Green Bay.

"Why should I risk another year of getting beat up playing for a team that I don't want to play for? That's stupid," he said.

Walker said he'll be ready for the 2006 season wherever he lands.

"If I'm going to go out and take hits, it's going to be for a team that I love playing for," he said. "I'm not going to grandstand. I just want the Packers to give me peace of mind."

For now, the Packers say the only way Walker will be free to play elsewhere is if he finishes what he started in Green Bay.

"Javon is under contract," Thompson said. "We expect him to honor it."

Reggie Bush USC Pro Day Gets Rave Reviews - 4.33 40-Yard Dash and 225 Pounds at 25 Reps - Houston Chronicle

He's ready to be drafted by the Texans. The question is, if you're the Indy Colts, who do you draft to stop him? I'll give that answer soon.


April 3, 2006, 1:14AM
Bush has powerful showing
RB demonstrates strength to go with 4.33 speed in 40

By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

LOS ANGELES - Southern California running back Reggie Bush entered his workout for the NFL scouts Sunday as if it were a game. It wasn't simply about targeting specific numbers.

Bush had just one specific objective: to secure his place as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. By late Sunday afternoon, he stood outside the USC practice facility confident he had done just that.


"There's always that .1 percent chance, but pretty much I figure 99.9 percent I am (the top pick)," said Bush, who checked in at 5-11, 202 pounds. "I did a pretty good job today. I think I proved to them that I should be the No. 1 pick."

With a ticket to Houston on his mind, Bush was nearly flawless in the different stations. He ran the fastest time of the day in the 40-yard dash — 4.33 seconds. He recorded the highest vertical jump — 40.5 inches. And he recorded the longest broad jump — 10 feet, 8.5 inches.

The biggest surprise to the more than 150 scouts and NFL personnel watching, however, was Bush's ability to complete 24 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press. That beat the majority of his teammates, many of whom are bigger than him.

"He took his shirt off, and I mean, he was huge," USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. "You should have seen the looks on (the scouts') faces. They already know how fast he is. They didn't know he looked like that."

Bush hopes that image stays with NFL scouts, who have criticized him at times because of his size.

It was an image that definitely left an impression on Texans coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Charley Casserly, who watched every move Bush made.

"That was my biggest surprise," Kubiak said. "I knew he was what he was. But to bench-press what he did at his size was pretty impressive."


Young vs. Bush

The Texans are weighing their options between drafting Bush or Texas quarterback Vince Young. They will meet with both players at their Houston offices this week, and because they hold the top pick in the draft, they can begin contract negotiations with one or more players at any time.
Bush will visit Reliant Stadium on Thursday. Young will visit and go through an on-field workout with the Texans on Friday.

Bush doesn't figure his association with Young will end even after the draft. The rivalry that grew between them in college is one Bush expects to continue in the NFL, especially if they are drafted by teams in the AFC.

"They will try to make that Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young," Bush said. "I think it'd be good. It'd just be an ongoing rivalry."


'Class individual'

Bush, who has never visited Houston, will be joined Thursday by his agent, Joel Segal, and his marketing consultant, Mike Ornstein. Because Bush had dinner Saturday night with Casserly and Kubiak, much of Thursday will be spent meeting with Texans owner Bob McNair and some of the assistant coaches.
"We spent a couple of hours with him, and you get a little more read on his personality, more than a 15-minute interview in Indianapolis," Casserly said. "I think he's a class individual, well-spoken, genuine."

Many in the league agree with Bush, taking it as a foregone conclusion he will land in Houston on April 29. That doesn't mean other teams weren't setting up meetings, though.

After Bush's four-hour workout, Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese, coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow met with Bush. After working with him for two years as the offensive coordinator at Southern Cal, Chow praised his former standout.

"I think he's a tremendous player," Chow said. "He's so explosive."

As for the potential of playing against him two times each season, Chow was less thrilled.

"We don't want to even think about it," he said.

megan.manfull@chron.com

Penn State QB Michael Robinson and Boston College WR Will Blackmon: Tweeners for the 2006 NFL Draft - Pro Sports Group's Jeff West

Tweeners for the 2006 NFL Draft

A couple months ago, Consensus Draft Services explained the definition of a "tweener" prospect for the NFL Draft. A tweener is a player who may play one position in college, but be ill-suited for that same position as a professional. Generally this occurs when a player has the athleticism to excel at the position in college, but does not have the requisite size needed to play the same position at the professional level.

In April of 2005, DeMarcus Ware (Troy State) was selected in the first half of the first round based on his athleticism. As a collegiate defensive end he played at 225 pounds and used his athleticism to dominate his opponents. A 225-pound defensive end would likely be tossed around easily by most NFL offensive tackles. So Ware made the transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker and was coveted by NFL teams once they saw he had the athleticism to make the switch. A few picks after Ware was selected, the outstanding Georgia defensive end, David Pollack, was selected by the Bengals with the intent to move him to a 4-3 outside linebacker position.

Now the 2006 NFL Draft is approaching and a new group of "tweeners" has emerged. CDS will take a look at some of them in this issue.

The play of Michael Robinson at quarterback has been largely responsible for the success Penn State has enjoyed this season. Robinson is a big play QB who can succeed in the right system in college, but scouts believe he will likely have to consider a move to wideout or running back to continue playing as a professional. He certainly has the athleticism to make the change, following in the footsteps of a player like Antwaan Randle-El.

Another player who is considered a tweener, not based on size or athleticism, but experience, is Boston College's Will Blackmon. Some players are firmly entrenched in a position in college, only to have to learn a new one in the NFL. Others have the advantage of a head start. After establishing himself as one of the top corners in the NCAA as a junior, Blackmon decided to give wideout a try as a senior. However, despite some moderate success at WR, CDS believes that he will be drafted as a corner since truly good ones are so hard to find. He would be a nice double threat in the NFL, much like Champ Bailey and Deion Sanders were early in their careers, however he has probably hurt his draft status some since he has not played much corner as a senior.

One position that is sometimes hard to define is the H-back position. Is the player a tight end or is he a fullback (or both)? Tulsa's Garrett Mills is one of the most productive tight ends in the country, yet he wasn't even considered for the Mackey Award because of his ability to line up in the backfield as a blocker. Vernon Davis (Maryland), a junior who might consider declaring for the draft, is another player who would be ideal in the H-back position. He is a bit undersized to be used as a blocker on the line of scrimmage consistently in the NFL, but would be a dangerous threat as a receiver out of the backfield and would be very effective picking up the blitz with his blocking ability.

There are a number of other players following in the footsteps of DeMarcus Ware and David Pollack for the upcoming draft. North Carolina State's Manny Lawson has had a solid year as an undersized pass-rushing end, however at 240 pounds with outstanding athletic ability and blazing speed, he will likely be looked at as an OLB in the NFL. Brandon Guillory of Louisiana-Monroe could be this year's Ware, coming from a small program to make draft headlines. Guillory, with a strong showing during post-season workouts, should garner some interest as a 3-4 OLB who has pass-rushing ability along with the athleticism and speed to drop back into coverage when needed. Florida State's Kamerion Wimbley is quickly climbing draft boards with his production as a sack artist in 2005, however he too is undersized by NFL DE standards at only 240 pounds. If he puts up good 40-yard dash times after the season, he could be a candidate to switch to a 3-4 outside backer. A little-known prospect from tiny Anderson University in Indiana, Wyatt Gayer should make some noise this off-season with his workouts. Gayer is a smallish DE (6' 2" and 250 pounds) who projects well to a 3-4 OLB position. He is productive on the field and is an amazing athlete with surprising speed, quickness, and strength.

There are a number of collegiate defensive tackles who might not have the size or strength to play the position in the pros. LSU's Claude Wroten is a 4-3 DT who is having an outstanding season. He has the size and speed and strength to continue playing the position at the next level, but he's really ideally suited to be a 3-4 defensive end. At nearly 300 pounds with uncommon quickness, he could be dominant at that position. There are some DTs in college who are productive without Wroten's size. Cal-Poly's Chris Gocong leads the nation in sacks playing a lot of 3-4 DT at about 265 pounds. He would have trouble holding up at the point of attack inside in the pros (unless he was able to add another 25+ pounds while maintaining his strength), so he will likely be looked at as a DE because of his athleticism and speed (4.7 forty).

Another common move for prospects is from linebacker to strong safety. A strong safety has to be tough enough to be an effective run stopper, but still quick enough to provide solid pass coverage. Michael Boulware of Seattle made the switch after it was determined that he was too small to play outside linebacker in the NFL. Auburn's Antarrious Williams has played weakside linebacker quite effectively in college, but is too small to consistently take on the bigger blockers in the NFL. He does have the speed and coverage skills to effectively make the change to strong safety in the NFL. Stanford's Jon Alston is another player who has outstanding speed and athleticism at the OLB position, but at 6' 1" and 220 pounds with very good speed, he's a prime candidate to be tried at the SS position where his size would be a better fit. Devin Conwell of Ashland (Ohio) University is a tad small for the LB position at 6' 2" and 216 pounds, and has seen some work at SS this year. With his athleticism and football intelligence, the big-hitting Conwell could be a nice sleeper tweener in the NFL Draft.

Finally, the last move to be discussed is the cornerback to safety (or vice-versa) switch. One of the top prospects coming into the season was Tennessee's Jason Allen. He was a stand-out free safety who might have been a first-round selection in 2005, however he agreed to go back to Knoxville for his senior campaign if he was allowed to switch to corner, a more coveted position. By all accounts, he was playing well at corner before suffering a season-ending injury. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can get back to good health and what position he will be drafted for. Jimmy Williams is another player who can play either the corner or safety position. His versatility and skill at both positions will likely make him a top ten selection in April.

There is a marked difference between the collegiate game and the NFL, and success and production at a position at the collegiate level does not guarantee the same success in the NFL. However, a player may translate success at one position into opportunity at another position.



--------------------

Jeff West - Site Editor, Scout, Writer, Administrator

Next Buys Disney! Steve Jobs Plans To Transform Disney World

Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of Next, Inc., as well as Apple Computer, annouced that Next purchased Disney for just north of $234 billion today, in a hostile takeover. Jobs and his investment bankers used Next, believed dead, as the holding company for their takeover bid.

"I'm ready to bring Disney into the 21st Century," Jobs said as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs stood behind him with perfect Disney smiles.

Jobs also revealed plans to transform Walt Disney World in to the real EPCOT, or Experimental Prototype Community of Tommorrow. "Walt never got to see his dream come to life. We're going to make it happen. There are too many problems in our cities not to have an urban lab of some kind. EPCOT will be just that."

He also said that Disney would convince the NFL to allow it to establish a franchise in Los Angeles. "We can clear up the mess that the other deals the NFL's looking at are, and build a new kind of sports company around the new LA franchise."

Jobs also took time to appologize for how Disney treated A.A Miline, the creator of the "Winnie The Poo" cartoons, who claimed Disney owned it $200 milllion in back revenues from the "Poo" property. "Disney will do everything to clean up this mess," Jobs said, "and restore Winnie The Poo and Tigger, too, to the Disney family."

April fool!

Commissioner Tagliabue Press Conference, Annual League Meeting Orlando, FL -- March 29, 2006

From NFL Media.com

Commissioner Tagliabue

Good afternoon. We've covered a lot of ground since I saw you on Monday. I think in a nutshell
we had a really good report from the Competition Committee. You've just heard about all of
that. Once again they've done a terrific job, and I think the membership recognized that with the
endorsement they had of most of their recommendations. Other than that, we had many reports
and a lot of discussion about short-term things -- 2006 season -- and some long-term things --
business in the United States -- and some discussions about where we are headed internationally
in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere.

I know that you have many different subjects on your minds, so I'll go ahead and take your
questions.

Q: Are you still confident that you can retire in July (with a successor in place)?

PT: Am I still confident I can be out of here by July? I think so. Yes. It doesn't really matter
whether it's the 28th of July or the 10th of August. The only reason we've talked about July is
because that's I discussed with Dan Rooney, and we estimated that this could take four months.
If it takes two and a half, fine. If it takes five and a half, that's fine, too.

The one thing that might be extended, just in terms of being practical, is that there's a dead
period in the league from June 15 to July 15 where not a lot happens on any front because most
clubs take vacations. I'll be taking some vacation then, too, which we did discuss with the
owners. The practicalities of the NFL calendar are that when minicamps end in mid-June, a lot of
teams go to part-time schedules. Coaches take vacations, players leave, front office staff leave,
and they don't resume until sometime after the Fourth of July. That's got to be factored into the
timeline.

Q: So you are confident you will not have to go through the next season as Commissioner?
PT: Yes. Other than as a fan.

Q: What are the odds that the NFL will play a game in China (in 2007)?

PT: I think they are increasing. We've had some discussions on that. Our own international
people have been to China a number of times. I was there last May and met with representatives
of the city of Beijing, their Olympic Committee and the Mayor of Beijing. We and NBC have
been having those discussions. I think there's an increasing prospect that we could have a game
there in August 2007, which would be the beginning of the one-year countdown to the following
year's Olympics, which will begin on 8/8/08.

Q: Can you comment on the size and makeup of the search committee for the next
commissioner?

PT: We've talked to the owners about a committee of no fewer than six and no more than eight,
but that's not cast in concrete.

Q: When will the committee be announced?

PT: Probably sometime next week.

Q: If you could reflect back on the Cleveland situation 10 years ago, how do you view that
problem as it arose and how it was resolved?

PT: I guess I view it today pretty much as I viewed it then. It was a very traumatic thing for the
Browns' fans, the franchise and the league. The traumatic aspects of it were compounded by the
fact that Baltimore had had a similar trauma in '84 -- losing its team. So we had two cities, two
states, and two groups of fans -- great fans for many, many decades -- to deal with. Great
traditions. Some of the greatest players ever in the league played with the Colts and the Browns.
So that was very traumatic. I think the solution that was reached involved some considerable
give on all sides. Mayor White was terrific. Al Lerner was terrific throughout. Hopefully the
solution that was reached, which was novel, was one for the long term.
One of the personal regrets is that Al's health caught up with him, and he couldn't be there to see
a Super Bowl. I know that is the team's goal, that's Randy's goal, but it would have been nice if
Al had been there to pursue it.

Q: Do you continue to keep playing regular season games overseas?

PT: I think that we had an excellent report by our new head of international -- Mark Waller. We
presented the idea that going forward after 20 years of preseason games in non-U.S. venues,
starting with the Cowboys and the Bears in '86 in Wembley Stadium up through Tokyo last
summer, that the priority now has to be to institutionalize arrangements to have live, regularseason
games plus other important NFL events such as the Pro Bowl, for example outside of the
U.S. because the fans now are interested and they want to be part of the regular season or want to
be part of other events like the Pro Bowl. So that's going to be our focus, and we started some
conversation yesterday with the owners about what kind of a structure, what kind of
commitments it would take from all the teams to institutionalize that so the obligation of playing
a game every now and then, a regular season game, outside of the United States would become a
part of the normal team participation in the National Football League.

Q: Do you view the Mexico City game last year as an experiment or a success?

PT: I think it was a resounding success. I think it was built upon the preseason games we had
down there. It built upon the fan interest that's there. It was a resounding success both in Mexico
and the United States, and the two teams (49ers and Cardinals) view it that way, as does the
whole league.

Q: Regarding Los Angeles, you already have a 32-team template that works perfectly. Does
that mean the league would have to move a team into Los Angeles once that situation is
settled out there?

PT: Not necessarily. We've operated with odd numbers of teams. We've operated with divisions
with different numbers of teams. We'll be looking at all kinds of alternatives. I think that the key
thing here at this meeting was that we had a positive reaction to the proposals that have been
developed by our staff with the Coliseum and Anaheim. I'm expanding our working group of
owners by adding six owners to the five we've had. We'll now have an 11-owner group and
we'll be expecting to have meetings either in April or early May with representatives of the
Coliseum and Anaheim to put this to hopefully some decision at our May meeting.

Q: Is the escalating cost of building stadiums a deterrent to this project or to expansion
because then you'd have a huge fee to build a stadium and then another huge fee to
purchase a franchise?

PT: Yes. I think the escalating cost of anything in life, the escalating cost of a pair of shoes are a
deterrent to having two or three pairs. It's sort of obvious. So yes, it's an issue.
I remember when I was a kid I had baseball spikes and I wanted to run track, and my father told
me to run the mile with baseball spikes, which was not good for your feet, because two sets of
spikes were unnecessary. They were expensive. So I've always had that philosophy. In fact, I
won the state high school high jump championship with baseball spikes.

Q: It must have been a weak field?

PT: It was a weak field. Very weak. That's a different issue. Costly shoes and a weak field -- you
can still succeed.

Q: Will the search committee hire the consulting firm or will you?

PT: It would be a decision the committee would make after we interview multiple firms.

Q: Are you concerned about the perception of officiating in the playoffs with so many fans
convinced that there were bad calls?

PT: No.

Q: Why didn't you fine Mike Holmgren for his comments?

PT: We discussed that with Mike this morning. He said earlier in the meeting that he wanted to
make it totally clear that the Steelers won the game fair and square and he emphasized that at
several different points during the meeting. Then I spoke with him this morning, and he spoke
with me. He said that he just wanted to express strong appreciation for the relationship we've
had and what he's learned from me. I felt the same way.

We talked about the fact that Mike Holmgren was one of the first coaches, if not the first, to
emphasize to me how important it was for me as the commissioner to make myself accessible to
the assistant coaches, to the coordinators. We talked about a meeting we had in Green Bay when
he was the head coach and I was visiting training camp and expected to spend most of my time
with the players, or with the head coach, or with the Packers executive committee. But Mike
urged me to have lunch with all the assistant coaches and coordinators. Then Fritz Shurmur
wrote me a note later saying he'd been in the league for 34 years and never had had a prior
conversation with a commissioner, but it was one of the most important things that ever
happened in Fritz Shurmur's life. From that point forward, whenever I went to training camps, I
would meet with assistant coaches and coordinators whenever I could.

We talked this morning about learning from each other, and then he said that he knows he
popped off a little bit about the officiating after the Super Bowl. I told him I had a letter on my
desk written by my staff to fine him, but that that particular letter falls under the category of
something I learned a long time ago -- the first draft of a letter is better put in the trash can than
sent to the addressee, which means you should think twice before you start firing letters off. I
think the issue is resolved.

Q: How important is it that this search committee be diverse economically and
geographically? Is that important?

PT: Yes. We had some discussions yesterday with the owners about whether the committee
should be one owner from each division or whether there was any one factor that should
determine how the committee would be composed. I expressed the view that there was no single
litmus test, that if you wanted to have a representative committee, you'd have to look at multiple
factors. That's the way we'll approach it.

Q: There's a lot of complaints from fans about too much drinking in the stands. What's
your stance on that?

PT: I think we've had fewer complaints on that than we've had on the doubleheader games
starting at 1:00 P.M. in Jacksonville.

Q: Who's complaining about that?

PT: I thought that's what you asked me the other day. Were we going to start that Dallas-
Jacksonville game at 1:00 P.M. or 4:00 P.M.?

Q: But seriously, don't you get complaints like that?

PT: I'm sure the teams do and sometimes they get to my attention. We've had programs over the
years with the teams run through the league about fan behavior, and the teams make it a big
priority including having their security people be very attentive, policies about when beer is
served, when beer is not served. We have technology in the stadiums, cameras and other
technology, to identify unruly fans and revoke their season tickets. So, yes, that's part of sports.
It's part of American life, I guess. That happens at the beach, too, not just at NFL stadiums.

Q: On the issue of minority hiring, there seems to be fewer minorities on the offensive side
of the ball in coordinator positions. Have you looked at that at all?

PT: We have looked at that. I think over the years the numbers have kind of flipped back and
forth. At particular points in time it seems like there would be more on the defensive side, other
points of time, more on the offensive side. Why that is, no one seems to know.
We've tried to encourage the teams, if it's an issue of responsibility, to broaden responsibility. If
it's an issue of participation by position coaches in meetings with the coordinators and head
coaches to try to address it. It's something that's been discussed, and we try to address it
internally with our diversity committee and with some of the ways that we structure programs at
the coaching seminars that we run in May. The answer is yes.

Q: With the NFL Network preparing to broadcast its first regular-season game this
Thanksgiving, considering the billions of dollars that are involved with other networks,
what do you see as the potential for the Network to broadcast more games in the future?
Has the idea of pay-per-view ever been entertained?

PT: No. Our focus for the next six years is the eight games. We're going to be very careful to
make those incremental in terms of when they are played. When you boil it all down, it's about
three or four incremental national games. We had some Saturday games on CBS and FOX which
are now kind of folded into primetime and will be run on the NFL Network. I think we've gone
from 92 national games to 96 or something like that. It's a very small increment. There's been no
discussion of pay-per-view. It really is an effort to get games that otherwise might be regional
telecasts or national games on other networks in a couple of instances onto a nationally distributed network.

Q: If the Kansas City proposal were ever to get approved, would putting those extra games
on the NFL Network be a consideration?

PT: It's not something we've ever discussed, because I have never thought the idea of expanding
the playoffs was compelling. It's not anything we've ever discussed and I wouldn't anticipate
that. I think the playoff games will remain on our outside networks, if we ever have any more
games. Like I said, I don't think it's a good idea. We're going to discuss it at the May meeting, in
terms of expanding the playoffs.

Q: Why do you like the current format as is?

PT: Because it works. I think that when you go beyond that, you get into dilution and other
issues you shouldn't be getting into.

Thank you very much.
###

Michael Eisner as NFL Commissioner? Just Say No

Some silly goose with a sports mag I will not name floated former Disney head Michael Eisner as a candidate for the NFL Commissioner's job.

Please don't hire him.

Eisner's not in the NFL tradition of politically adept negotiation and positive relationships. He's a man with a public reputation for boardroom combat. Witness his high-profile tussles with his "former friend" Mike Ovitz. Can you see that played out in the NFL? I can, and with terrible results.

Stick with COO Roger Goodell as the next Commissioner. Roger's in the mold of Pete Rozelle and really understands what the NFL is all about.

Hiring Mike Eisner -- and this is not personal -- would be a major mistake. It's not his flair for producing good entertainment programs I question -- though others may considering his latest programming flop -- but his ability to get a diverse group of NFL owners to agree. My fear is tha Mike will take sides openly -- if not hostages.

Raiders In Hunt For...Joey Harrington!? Can You Say "Trade Bait"

If the Oakland Raiders do strike a deal with Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington, it will give them a set of four quarterbacks, all of which can start for the Silver and Black: Harrington, the recently signed Aaron Brooks, second-year man Andrew Walter, and sixth year man Marquez Tuiasasopo.

Wow.

The Raiders will almost certainly keep three quarterbacks, so one has to think that they're going to use one of the others as trade bait to move up in the draft. It's the only logical move.

Stay tuned.

Raiders get OK to meet Harrington
Oakland already has three QBs signed
By Bill Soliday, STAFF WRITER
Oakland Tribune

Having signed Aaron Brooks, are the Raiders still in the market for a quarterback?

That possibility was raised when the Detroit Lions said the Raiders were one of several teams that had requested permission to speak with Joey Harrington regarding a trade.

Harrington, the Lions starter since his rookie year, remains on the Lions roster, and Detroit is expected to explore a trade after adding Jon Kitna and Josh McCown in recent weeks. Failing to trade Harrington, it is believed the Lions will give him his release on June1.

The Raiders had no comment on the Harrington report.

The Raiders acquired Brooks earlier this month as a free agent who was formerly the starter in New Orleans. He joins holdover quarterbacks Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo on the Raiders roster.

Coach Art Shell, speaking with reporters at the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., said nothing was concrete in terms of which of the current three quarterbacks would be designated the starter.

"He (Brooks) is coming in to compete against the two kids," Shell said, noting that the new Raider was not opposed to trying to win the job.

"The job has not been given to him. We went to dinner together, talked about a lot of things, and he said, 'Coach, all I want to do is compete.' The biggest thing for him is to get away from where he's been. Mentally erase as much of what happened and just dive into what we're doing with the Raiders. Come in, have fun, compete and he'll have success."

As for the holdover quarterbacks, Walter and Tuiasosopo, Shell said, "We feel pretty good about (them). Those two kids are outstanding talents. With the competition at that position, I think we're pretty solidified at that position. But we're always looking to upgrade in all different areas."

Addressing speculation the Raiders might be inclined to draft a quarterback on April29, Shell deferred comment for the moment.

"We don't know who we're going to draft, to be honest with you," he said. "We don't know how this thing is going to go (and) won't rule anything out. The Raiders' history is take the best player available, and (with) the draft, it changes every day."

During his meeting with reporters, in his first public comments since a press conference upon his hiring on Feb.11, Shell said the decision to hire Tom Walsh as his offensive coordinator was based on a comfort level he felt with the man who held the position throughout his first tenure with the Raiders.

Walsh has not coached in the NFL since 1994 and in recent years has been out of football totally while running a bed and breakfast and serving as mayor of a small town in Idaho.

"He's a great football mind," Shell said. "He's a smart guy. He knows what I want, how I want to do things. He knows the system I like to run.

"He hasn't been involved in the NFL, but he's been involved in football. We've been talking for about two or three years now about football. I told him if I ever got back into this thing, I want (him) to come with me. I really feel good about him. He's going to do well. Having Tom back is a real plus to me because he knows me."

EXTRA POINTS: Confirming earlier reports, the Raiders will play in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug.6 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 5 p.m. game will be televised on NBC. Former Raiders coach John Madden and the late Reggie White, who played for the Eagles (as well as the Green Bay Packers), are scheduled for enshrinement. ... The remainder of the Raiders' exhibition schedule finds them playing the Vikings in Minnesota on Aug.14. Specific dates for home games against the 49ers and Detroit that follow have not been set, nor has the exhibition finale at Seattle. ... The Raiders have played in the Hall of Fame game twice, defeating Dallas 20-13 in 1979 and Green Bay 19-3 in 1993.

Ravens and Steelers Lead NFL in 2006 Compensatory Draft Picks

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

WWW.NFLMedia.com

NFL-18 3/27/06
NFL ANNOUNCES 32 COMPENSATORY DRAFT CHOICES TO 19 CLUBS

A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2006 NFL Draft have been awarded to 19 teams, the NFL announced today. Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 223 choices in the seven rounds of the 2006 NFL Draft (April
29-30). This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.

Three clubs this year (Buffalo, Seattle and Washington) will receive a compensatory pick even though they did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents. Under the formula, the compensatory free agents these teams lost were ranked higher than the ones they signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).

The following 2006 draft picks have been determined by the NFL Management Council:

ROUND CHOICE/
ROUND OVERALL SELECTION TEAM
3 33-97 New York Jets
4 33-130 Denver
4 34-131 Pittsburgh
4 35-132 Baltimore
4 36-133 Pittsburgh
5 33-165 Green Bay
5 34-166 Baltimore
5 35-167 Pittsburgh
5 36-168 Philadelphia
5 37-169 Tennessee
6 33-202 Tampa Bay
6 34-203 Baltimore
6 35-204 Philadelphia
6 36-205 New England
6 37-206 New England
6 38-207 Indianapolis
6 39-208 Baltimore
7 33-241 Tampa Bay
7 34-242 St. Louis
7 35-243 St. Louis
7 36-244 Tampa Bay
7 37-245 Tennessee
7 38-246 Tennessee
7 39-247 Detroit
7 40-248 Buffalo
7 41-249 Seattle
7 42-250 Washington
7 43-251 Houston
7 44-252 New Orleans
7 45-253 Green Bay
7 46-254 San Francisco
7 47-255 Oakland
Picks 251-255 are supplemental compensatory picks (based upon draft-order formula) to fulfill the number of draft choices
permitted by agreement with the NFL Players Association in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Following are the compensatory free agents lost and signed by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2006
NFL Draft:
BALTIMORE Lost: Bennie Anderson, Gary Baxter, Marques Douglas, Edgerton Hartwell, Casey
Rabach, Travis Taylor
Signed: Tommy Polley, Keydrick Vincent
DENVER Lost: Reggie Hayward, Kenoy Kennedy, Donnie Spragan
Signed: Stephen Alexander, Keith Burns
DETROIT Lost: Stephen Alexander, Stockar McDougle, Mike McMahon
Signed: Rick DeMulling, Kenoy Kennedy
GREEN BAY Lost: Bhawoh Jue, Marco Rivera
Signed: Adrian Klemm
INDIANAPOLIS Lost: Rick DeMulling
NEW ENGLAND Lost: Joe Andruzzi, Adrian Klemm, David Patten
Signed: Monty Beisel
NEW YORK JETS Lost: Anthony Becht, Jason Ferguson, LaMont Jordan, Kareem McKenzie
Signed: Derrick Blaylock, Barry Gardner, Lance Legree
PHILADELPHIA Lost: Derrick Burgess, Jermane Mayberry, Ike Reese
Signed: Mike McMahon
PITTSBURGH Lost: Kendrell Bell, Plaxico Burress, Oliver Ross, Keydrick Vincent
Signed: Cedrick Wilson
ST. LOUIS Lost: Bryce Fisher, Matt Lehr, Tommy Polley
Signed: Chris Claiborne
TAMPA BAY Lost: Keith Burns, Cosey Coleman, Chartric Darby, Dwight Smith
Signed: Anthony Becht
TENNESSEE Lost: Andre Dyson, Shad Meier, Antowain Smith

TOTAL 2006 NFL COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS
Baltimore -- 4
Pittsburgh -- 3
Tampa Bay -- 3
Tennessee -- 3
Green Bay -- 2
New England -- 2
Philadelphia -- 2
St. Louis -- 2
Buffalo -- 1
Denver -- 1
Detroit -- 1
Houston -- 1
Indianapolis -- 1
New Orleans -- 1
New York Jets -- 1
Oakland -- 1
San Francisco -- 1
Seattle -- 1
Washington -- 1
TOTAL -- 32

NFL CLUBS WITH MOST COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS, 1993-2006 *
Dallas -- 25
Green Bay -- 24
Philadelphia -- 23
Buffalo -- 21
Baltimore -- 20
St. Louis -- 20
Tennessee -- 17
Pittsburgh -- 16
New England -- 15
New York Giants -- 15
Arizona -- 14
Jacksonville -- 14
Tampa Bay -- 14
Minnesota -- 12
Detroit -- 12
San Francisco -- 12
Seattle -- 12
Kansas City -- 11
Miami -- 11
Chicago -- 10
* 1993 was first year that compensatory draft choices were awarded.
# # #

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez Calls Lou Dobbs "CNN CHIEF DUMBASS" - Film At 11

The New Mexico Latina Blogger is serious in this post on the US Media's approach to the news on the immigration policy matter. And I'm inclined to agree with her on several points.

...While I'm not touching the "dumbass" comment regarding Lou Dobbs, I think his approach on this matter is really a bit much. He looks like Archie Bunker on this matter, and it may be that CNN cast him in the roll of a kind of "Bunker" for ratings. But to fan the flames of race hate is a terrible way to make money. It's bad public policy too.

Check out her view by clicking on the title of this post.

80,000-Volt Shocking Suitcase

And it only costs $1,000! No kidding. Just click on the title post link to read about it

'Marriage Is for White People'...And Dreamers Like Me

Joy Jones (pictured) wrote this for the Washington Post. I must offer that it's a very good work, even though I don't agree with the idea that many African Americans don't want to marry. I do. I wonder if Ms. Jones was referring to black / black relationships, or interracial ones as well, since its seem that so many black women in the Bay Area seem to want white men now. (I've got no problem with that; just stating an observation. It could be because professional black men here -- like me -- date interracially as well.) But the Bay Area makes it hard to find someone stable. I'm serious. More on that later. Here's the article below, as well.

By Joy Jones
Sunday, March 26, 2006; Page B01

I grew up in a time when two-parent families were still the norm, in both black and white America. Then, as an adult, I saw divorce become more commonplace, then almost a rite of passage. Today it would appear that many -- particularly in the black community -- have dispensed with marriage altogether.

But as a black woman, I have witnessed the outrage of girlfriends when the ex failed to show up for his weekend with the kids, and I've seen the disappointment of children who missed having a dad around. Having enjoyed a close relationship with my own father, I made a conscious decision that I wanted a husband, not a live-in boyfriend and not a "baby's daddy," when it came my time to mate and marry.

For years, I wondered why not. And then some 12-year-olds enlightened me.

"Marriage is for white people."

That's what one of my students told me some years back when I taught a career exploration class for sixth-graders at an elementary school in Southeast Washington. I was pleasantly surprised when the boys in the class stated that being a good father was a very important goal to them, more meaningful than making money or having a fancy title.

"That's wonderful!" I told my class. "I think I'll invite some couples in to talk about being married and rearing children."

"Oh, no," objected one student. "We're not interested in the part about marriage. Only about how to be good fathers."

And that's when the other boy chimed in, speaking as if the words left a nasty taste in his mouth: "Marriage is for white people."

He's right. At least statistically. The marriage rate for African Americans has been dropping since the 1960s, and today, we have the lowest marriage rate of any racial group in the United States. In 2001, according to the U.S. Census, 43.3 percent of black men and 41.9 percent of black women in America had never been married, in contrast to 27.4 percent and 20.7 percent respectively for whites. African American women are the least likely in our society to marry. In the period between 1970 and 2001, the overall marriage rate in the United States declined by 17 percent; but for blacks, it fell by 34 percent. Such statistics have caused Howard University relationship therapist Audrey Chapman to point out that African Americans are the most uncoupled people in the country.

How have we gotten here? What has shifted in African American customs, in our community, in our consciousness, that has made marriage seem unnecessary or unattainable?

Although slavery was an atrocious social system, men and women back then nonetheless often succeeded in establishing working families. In his account of slave life and culture, "Roll, Jordan, Roll," historian Eugene D. Genovese wrote: "A slave in Georgia prevailed on his master to sell him to Jamaica so that he could find his wife, despite warnings that his chances of finding her on so large an island were remote. . . . Another slave in Virginia chopped his left hand off with a hatchet to prevent being sold away from his son." I was stunned to learn that a black child was more likely to grow up living with both parents during slavery days than he or she is today, according to sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin.

Traditional notions of family, especially the extended family network, endure. But working mothers, unmarried couples living together, out-of-wedlock births, birth control, divorce and remarriage have transformed the social landscape. And no one seems to feel this more than African American women. One told me that with today's changing mores, it's hard to know "what normal looks like" when it comes to courtship, marriage and parenthood. Sex, love and childbearing have become a la carte choices rather than a package deal that comes with marriage. Moreover, in an era of brothers on the "down low," the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and the decline of the stable blue-collar jobs that black men used to hold, linking one's fate to a man makes marriage a risky business for a black woman.

"A woman who takes that step is bold and brave," one young single mother told me. "Women don't want to marry because they don't want to lose their freedom."

Among African Americans, the desire for marriage seems to have a different trajectory for women and men. My observation is that black women in their twenties and early thirties want to marry and commit at a time when black men their age are more likely to enjoy playing the field. As the woman realizes that a good marriage may not be as possible or sustainable as she would like, her focus turns to having a baby, or possibly improving her job status, perhaps by returning to school or investing more energy in her career.

As men mature, and begin to recognize the benefits of having a roost and roots (and to feel the consequences of their risky bachelor behavior), they are more willing to marry and settle down. By this time, however, many of their female peers are satisfied with the lives they have constructed and are less likely to settle for marriage to a man who doesn't bring much to the table. Indeed, he may bring too much to the table: children and their mothers from previous relationships, limited earning power, and the fallout from years of drug use, poor health care, sexual promiscuity. In other words, for the circumspect black woman, marriage may not be a business deal that offers sufficient return on investment.

In the past, marriage was primarily just such a business deal. Among wealthy families, it solidified political alliances or expanded land holdings. For poorer people, it was a means of managing the farm or operating a household. Today, people have become economically self-sufficient as individuals, no longer requiring a spouse for survival. African American women have always had a high rate of labor-force participation. "Why should well-salaried women marry?" asked black feminist and author Alice Dunbar-Nelson as early as 1895. But now instead of access only to low-paying jobs, we can earn a breadwinner's wage, which has changed what we want in a husband. "Women's expectations have changed dramatically while men's have not changed much at all," said one well-paid working wife and mother. "Women now say, 'Providing is not enough. I need more partnership.' "

The turning point in my own thinking about marriage came when a longtime friend proposed about five years ago. He and I had attended college together, dated briefly, then kept in touch through the years. We built a solid friendship, which I believe is a good foundation for a successful marriage.

But -- if we had married, I would have had to relocate to the Midwest. Been there, done that, didn't like it. I would have had to become a stepmother and, although I felt an easy camaraderie with his son, stepmotherhood is usually a bumpy ride. I wanted a house and couldn't afford one alone. But I knew that if I was willing to make some changes, I eventually could.

As I reviewed the situation, I realized that all the things I expected marriage to confer -- male companionship, close family ties, a house -- I already had, or were within reach, and with exponentially less drama. I can do bad by myself, I used to say as I exited a relationship. But the truth is, I can do pretty good by myself, too.

Most single black women over the age of 30 whom I know would not mind getting married, but acknowledge that the kind of man and the quality of marriage they would like to have may not be likely, and they are not desperate enough to simply accept any situation just to have a man. A number of my married friends complain that taking care of their husbands feels like having an additional child to raise. Then there's the fact that marriage apparently can be hazardous to the health of black women. A recent study by the Institute for American Values, a nonpartisan think tank in New York City, indicates that married African American women are less healthy than their single sisters.

By design or by default, black women cultivate those skills that allow them to maintain themselves (or sometimes even to prosper) without a mate.

"If Jesus Christ bought me an engagement ring, I wouldn't take it," a separated thirty-something friend told me. "I'd tell Jesus we could date, but we couldn't marry."

And here's the new twist. African American women aren't the only ones deciding that they can make do alone. Often what happens in black America is a sign of what the rest of America can eventually expect. In his 2003 book, "Mismatch: The Growing Gulf between Women and Men," Andrew Hacker noted that the structure of white families is evolving in the direction of that of black families of the 1960s. In 1960, 67 percent of black families were headed by a husband and wife, compared to 90.9 percent for whites. By 2000, the figure for white families had dropped to 79.8 percent. Births to unwed white mothers were 22.5 percent in 2001, compared to 2.3 percent in 1960. So my student who thought marriage is for white people may have to rethink that in the future.

Still, does this mean that marriage is going the way of the phonograph and the typewriter ribbon?

"I hope it isn't," said one friend who's been married for seven years. "The divorce rate is 50 percent, but people remarry. People want to be married. I don't think it's going out of style."

A black male acquaintance had a different prediction. "I don't believe marriage is going to be extinct, but I think you'll see fewer people married," he said. "It's a bad thing. I believe it takes the traditional family -- a man and a woman -- to raise kids." He has worked with troubled adolescents, and has observed that "the girls who are in the most trouble and who are abused the most -- the father is absent. And the same is true for the boys, too." He believes that his presence and example in the home is why both his sons decided to marry when their girlfriends became pregnant.

But human nature being what it is, if marriage is to flourish -- in black or white America -- it will have to offer an individual woman something more than a business alliance, a panacea for what ails the community, or an incubator for rearing children. As one woman said, "If it weren't for the intangibles, the allure of the lovey-dovey stuff, I wouldn't have gotten married. The benefits of marriage are his character and his caring. If not for that, why bother?"

joythink@aol.com

Joy Jones, a Washington writer, is the author of "Between Black Women: Listening With the Third Ear" (African American Images).

NFL Owners Start Commissioner Search - Gary Myers, NY Daily News

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Paul Tagliabue had just finished an emotional speech to owners, coaches and front office executives summing up his nearly 17 years as commissioner when he was given a spontaneous sendoff, which served as a way of saying thanks for making the rich even richer.

"He probably got close to a five-minute standing ovation," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said yesterday.

Now the 32 owners must find his replacement without tearing the league apart, like they almost did in 1989 before picking Tagliabue to replace Pete Rozelle. This will not be a quick process. There is no sense of urgency after Tagliabue promised he would stick around, if needed, past his preferred departure date of late July.

Tagliabue is holding off naming the owners committee that will conduct the search, but did indicate an outside firm will be hired to interview owners to get their perspective on the structure of the league. A firm will also recommend candidates.

But the owners will do the hiring and Tagliabue will not endorse any candidate.

"I think we need to look at everybody," Jets owner Woody Johnson said. "You have to open it up."

The early leader is Roger Goodell , the league's highly regarded executive vice president and chief operating officer. "I think it's wide open," Texans owner Bob McNair said. "It can be someone no one even knows. The main thing is to get the right person for the position, whoever they might be."

Tagliabue likely will construct the committee to represent a cross section of the league: long-time owners and relatively new owners; big-market teams and small-market teams; influential owners already on powerful committees and owners who haven't had an opportunity to have their voice heard.

The six-owner committee in 1989, which included Wellington Mara as co-chairman, consisted only of owners who had been in the league at least 20 years. That infuriated many of the newer owners and created a "new guard" vs "old guard" split. The new guard became known as the Chicago 11, because there were 11 of them and they came together at what was supposed to be Jim Finks' coronation in Chicago.

But they all abstained, which prevented Finks from getting the required 19 out of 28 votes. It eventually led to two new committees being formed - Mara was on both of them - and Tagliabue being elected on the 12th ballot three months after Finks was rejected.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney was a peacemaker in 1989. Asked yesterday if this process can be as contentious, he said, "I sure hope not."