NFL Statement On Michael Vick - NFLMedia.com

NFL Statement on Michael Vick - NFL Media.com
07/17/2007
STATEMENT FROM AN NFL SPOKESMAN:

We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him. We will continue to closely monitor developments in this case, and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick’s guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts. The matter will be reviewed under the League’s Personal Conduct Policy.

NFL TRAINING CAMPS OPEN THIS WEEK - NFLMedia.com

It's that time of year again! Training camps open up this week! Here's more info

“It’s time to get to work!”

So says SCOTT LINEHAN, head coach of the St. Louis Rams, about that summertime NFL staple that signals only one thing – the season is fast approaching!

NFL training camps are here. They start this Thursday, with the New York Jets (rookies) the first to report. By July 30, every club will be in camp.

“Training camp is a crucial time for a team to come together and prepare for the upcoming season,” says New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/general manager MICKEY LOOMIS.

The Saints are one of the teams that “come together” away from home (they train at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi). More and more, though, NFL clubs are training at their regular-season headquarters. The Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans this summer join the trend of “stay-at-homes” (the Titans split their 2006 camp between home and a college).

Ten years ago, only 13 percent (four of 30) of NFL clubs trained at home. This year, more than half will (53 percent, 17 of 32).

But there are holdouts to the trend. And they just may know something.

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FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS

Two teams -- the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks -- will encamp at new training sites this year. While some clubs have changed their training bases during the past decade, others return to familiar venues where they have spent their summer months for years.

The NFL training camp longevity king? The Green Bay Packers, who return on July 27 for their 49th consecutive summer at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin.

The longest active NFL training camp tenures:

Team
Training Camp
City
Years
Green Bay Packers
St. Norbert College
DePere, Wisconsin
49
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota State, Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
41
Pittsburgh Steelers
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
41
New York Jets
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York
39

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Indeed, the last two Super Bowl champions trained away at small colleges – the Pittsburgh Steelers (SB XL) at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and the Indianapolis Colts (SB XLI) at Rose-Hulman Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana. They will do so again at those locations this year.

The Kansas City Chiefs are another of the believers in going away to camp. They’ve trained at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls for the past 16 seasons.

“And we’ve had 12 winning seasons out of the 16 we’ve been there,” says Chiefs President CARL PETERSON.

That preparation for winning starts in camp and in the preseason schedule that will kick off on August 5. Coaches and players know the importance of these games. The past 10 Super Bowl champions prove that. Combined, they compiled almost a .700 preseason winning percentage (27-14, .659).

Once it’s kicked off, preseason is like regular season to the players. Last August 11, for instance, quarterback STEVE MC NAIR, in his first game with the Baltimore Ravens, took off on a third-and-goal and carried two defenders on his back into the end zone for a score.

“I play to win, regardless of whether it’s a preseason or regular-season game,” says McNair, speaking for all NFL players. “Once the blood gets flowing, you can’t shut it off.”

Fans this summer will be able to see what it’s like for teams to prepare for a season on NFL Network as it covers eight clubs in camp, and on HBO as it follows the Chiefs in its “Hard Knocks” reality show for five weeks of camp.

Two weeks after camps open, it’s “Hall of Fame Weekend” – a salute to football’s past, present and future – in Canton, Ohio on August 3-5.

On Saturday, August 4, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct its class of 2007 – GENE HICKERSON, MICHAEL IRVIN, BRUCE MATTHEWS, CHARLIE SANDERS, THURMAN THOMAS and ROGER WEHRLI. The enshrinement ceremonies will take place for the first time in primetime (6:00 PM ET) and will be broadcast live by NFL Network.

The following night, it’s the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game (8:00 PM ET) featuring the 2006 NFC Championship runner-up New Orleans Saints against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with MIKE TOMLIN directing his first game as an NFL head coach.

The game will be carried for the first time by NFL Network, with a two-hour pregame show starting at 6:00 PM ET.

The future of the game also will be nurtured during Hall of Fame weekend as the annual NFL Youth Football Summit takes place.

A group of more than 170 youth and high school football coaches and administrators from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will convene to discuss topics vital to their programs with football experts and NFL greats.

The Hall of Fame Game will be the first of 15 nationally televised contests this summer. Add to those the “wall-to-wall-ball” schedule of NFL Network – 52 games in 29 days (including two of the national TV broadcasts) – and NFL fans will be able to see first-hand the intensity of preseason competition…and the approach of the season.

The 2007 NFL training camp sites and reporting dates:

AFC:

TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS
Baltimore
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD
7/29
7/29
Buffalo
St. John Fisher College
Pittsford, NY
7/26
7/26
Cincinnati
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY
7/26
7/26
Cleveland
Cleveland Browns Training Facility
Berea, OH
7/23
7/27
Denver
Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre
Englewood, CO
7/29
7/29
Houston
Methodist Training Center
Houston, TX
7/22
7/27
Indianapolis
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN
7/29
7/29
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Jacksonville, FL
7/27
7/27
Kansas City
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
River Falls, WI
7/27
7/27
Miami
Dolphins Training Center
Davie, FL
7/22
7/27
New England
Gillette Stadium
Foxboro, MA
7/23
7/26
NY Jets
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
7/19
7/26
Oakland
Napa Valley Marriott
Napa Valley, CA
7/27
7/27
Pittsburgh
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, PA
7/23
7/23
San Diego
Chargers Park
San Diego, CA
7/24
7/28
Tennessee
Baptist Sports Park
Nashville, TN
7/27
7/27

NFC:

TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS
Arizona
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
7/27
7/27
Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons Training Facility
Flowery Branch, GA
7/26
7/26
Carolina
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
7/27
7/27
Chicago
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, IL
7/23
7/27
Dallas
Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
7/25
7/25
Detroit
Detroit Lions Training Facility
Allen Park, MI
7/25
7/25
Green Bay
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI
7/27
7/27
Minnesota
Minnesota State University
Mankato, MN
7/26
7/26
New Orleans
Millsaps College
Jackson, MS
7/25
7/25
NY Giants
University at Albany
Albany, NY
7/27
7/27
Philadelphia
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
7/27
7/30
St. Louis
Russell Training Center
St. Louis, MO
7/26
7/26
San Francisco
San Francisco 49ers Complex
Santa Clara, CA
7/29
7/29
Seattle
Seahawks Headquarters
Kirkland, WA
7/26
7/28
Tampa Bay
Disney’s Wide World of Sports
Lake Buena Vista, FL
7/26
7/26
Washington
Redskins Park
Ashburn, VA
7/27
7/27

Dow Over 14,000 Yesterday! Largest Ever

What goes up must come...

DOW TOPS 14,000
INDEX BACKS OFF AT CLOSE TO 13,971
By SUZANNE McGEE - NEW YORK POST

Click to enlarge.

July 18, 2007 -- A big dose of merger deals combined with some decent earnings numbers and a batch of benign inflation data stoked a rally that catapulted the Dow Jones industrial average above the 14,000 level for the first time yesterday. (Read the rest at the NY Post, then come back here to learn about Cloverfield.>

1-18-08 - New Monster Movie Update: J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield Filmed On Coney Island

Yep. There's a great update provided by the New York Post. Just go back to our original post for more information and photos.

Oprah Winfrey To Hold Big Party For Senator Obama, Sept 8th - LA Times / Other Sources

I learned about this yesterday. More detailed information over at the Senator Barack Obama for President Blog .

1-18-08 - Name The Monster In J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield Movie - Video

2008 Presidential Election: CNN Shows Balance, Finally

After months of what I have pointed to as reporting bias, CNN's finally designing its news with balance. As of today, gone are the minutes upon hours of negatively-slanted reporting on Barack Obama and positively-slanted reports on Hillary Clinton. For example, I just saw a report detailing Senator Obama's donations and that about 1 percent come from people who purchased items.

The report ended up being a plus for Senator Obama.

Then, Wolf Blitzer's about to explain how John Edwards' wife reportedly said that Hillary Clinton's too much of a man. Well she said something more complex in Salon .

GEEZ! I personally don't like that take. Senator Clinton's breaking new ground. I'm an Obama suporter, but I'd never make a comment like that.

Well, at least CNN's focusing on the story. Before today, I thought CNN was blocking bad news about Hillary Clinton.

Moe From Jezebel Drinks Martini's With Amber, The Obama Girl

This account is way too funny. You've got to read Moe's column. Apparently Ariana Huffington threw a party at her apartment in Washington, and...

"I'm Amber," said a petite woman with a cheery smile. She was very very thin and very very tan, though too naturally olive-complected to be called tanorexic, too compactly curvy to be "anorexic." Her white skirt stretched across an ass that was difficult to look away from, except when she smiled and flashed the flawless teeth of a sixteen-year-old cheerleader. It was the Obama Girl, and she was spectacular. "I've got a crush on Obama girl," my friend Crowley said at her sight. "I'm just going to repeat that until funny." We were at Arianna Huffington's apartment, and there was so much free booze everything was funny.

As inconceivable as it may sound to anyone who has marveled over Amber's God-ordained perfection in the role of Obama Girl -- the star of the esteemed "I Got A Crush On Obama" series of pro-Barack slow jam videos designed to give cable news outlets something about the presidential campaigns to report on when nothing is actually going on besides the counting of money and realizing that ..

Ok, you've got to go there to read the rest!

Packers Sign Aaron Rouse and David Clowney; Nego With Justin Harrell

Even with this, the NFL teams are showing a good record of signings at this time. It's typical that the higher dollar draftees take longer to sign.

Packers aim to get rookies under contract
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

With organized team activities completed, the Green Bay Packers have one main objective before training camp begins in less than six weeks: Get the rest of their rookies under contract.


The Packers have signed two of their 11 draft picks, third-round pick Aaron Rouse and fifth-rounder David Clowney. The more difficult negotiations, however, have not yet begun in earnest.


General Manager Ted Thompson and vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt have a tight rookie salary pool of $4.907 million, which is the maximum amount of salary cap space the Packers can use to sign their draft picks and undrafted rookie free agents. That's about $630,000 more than the NFL rookie pool average for 2007, but no team had more draft picks than the Packers.


The Packers had the highest rookie salary pool at $6.647 million last year, when they had 12 picks, including the fifth overall selection in the draft, linebacker A.J. Hawk. Their rookie pool this year is close to what it was in 2005, when it also had 11 draft picks but selected at No. 24 in the first round. Their first-round pick this season, defensive tackle Justin Harrell, was at No. 16, meaning he likely will command more first-year money than quarterback Aaron Rodgers received as the 24th pick in 2005.


Signing bonuses won't be the difficult parts of the negotiations with the draft picks, because those tend to fall in line with the players taken in similar spots, but structuring the deals to fit under the rookie salary pool will be the challenge facing Brandt and Thompson.


"The process continues as it always has," Brandt said this week. "We're in discussions with all of our draft picks."


Considering how heavily the Packers could rely on several rookies — especially Harrell, second-round draft pick Brandon Jackson, a candidate to start at running back, and James Jones, a possible No. 3 receiver — it would behoove them to have their entire draft class under contract before training camp begins on July 28.


That timetable is even more critical for Harrell, who played in only three games last season at Tennessee due to a torn biceps tendon. That injury caused the Packers to take cautious approach with Harrell this spring, holding him out of most minicamp and OTA workouts.


Like most agents, Harrell's representative, Eugene Parker, can be difficult to negotiate with at times. One of his clients, Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson, missed nearly all of his rookie training camp in 2005 before agreeing to a deal. However, the Packers haven't had any trouble signing Parker's clients of late. Parker represents receiver Greg Jennings, a second-round pick last season who signed before training camp. He also represented former first-round pick Ahmad Carroll, who also signed his rookie contract before camp opened.


"I'm fully confident in my agent, and he has a pretty good relationship with people here in Green Bay," Harrell said. "So pretty much, I ain't worried about that. (Signing before camp) was the goal coming in, even if I wouldn't have been hurt. My agent pretty much has a good feel where I'm coming from, and I feel 100 percent that he's going to get the job done."


Several NFL teams have signed a few draft picks, but the signing season begins in earnest now that most clubs have wrapped up their offseason workouts. The Packers completed their OTAs on Tuesday.

Rupert Murdoch Closer To Buying Wall Street Journal - WSJ Online

You've got to admire Rupert Murdoch's flair for the deal. Just a day after the reported block by Chris Bancroft , he engineers a deal, or is at least close to it. It's up to the Bancroft's now.

Dow Jones, News Corp. Set Deal
Tentative $5 Billion Pact
Gets Board Vote Tonight;
Family to Meet Thursday

By SARAH ELLISON - Wall Street Journal
July 17, 2007; Page A3

News Corp. reached a tentative agreement for the purchase of Dow Jones & Co. at its original $5 billion offer price. The deal will be put to the full Dow Jones board this evening for its approval, said people familiar with the situation.


In what could be the final round of talks, yesterday negotiators from News Corp. and Dow Jones -- including Chief Executive Richard F. Zannino, company advisers and two independent directors -- reached an agreement in principle on a deal first proposed by News Corp. in mid-April. News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch resisted pressure from Dow Jones to raise his initial $60-a-share offer, which represented a 67% premium to where the Dow Jones stock was trading before news of the offer became public. But Mr. Murdoch suggested the possibility of nominating former Journal Managing Editor Paul Steiger to the board of News Corp., according to a person who was there.

The deal still faces its biggest hurdle -- getting approval from the Bancroft family, which controls 64% of Dow Jones's voting power. Mr. Zannino has indicated to News Corp. that the family's position on the deal is too close to call, according to a person who spoke to him.

Michael B. Elefante, the Bancroft family's lead trustee, has scheduled a meeting for Thursday at which he would present the agreement to all Bancroft family members before asking for their final vote. Mr. Elefante is expected to give the family several days to make a decision, suggesting a final resolution could be achieved some time next week.

MORE


• Complete Coverage: A Deal for Dow Jones?
• Graphic: Key Players in the Dow Jones Bid
However, the Bancroft family remains sharply divided on a sale to News Corp. While some members are open to a deal, others have been looking hard for an alternative. Christopher Bancroft, 55 years old, a Dow Jones director who serves as a trustee overseeing shares that account for about 15% of the company's total shareholder votes, has spent the past several weeks approaching hedge funds, private-equity firms and others in an attempt to buy enough shares of Dow Jones to block a sale. Another family director, Leslie Hill, has pressed the company to meet with investors, such as supermarket mogul Ron Burkle, who have alternative proposals for Dow Jones. Ms. Hill's mother, Jane Cox MacElree, serves as a trustee for or owns shares that account for about 15% of the company's total shareholder vote.

News Corp.'s unwillingness to raise the price could also harden opposition from within the family. Some Dow Jones top executives and independent directors had hoped the Bancroft family's ambivalence about the Murdoch deal would help the company extract a few more dollars per share, according to people close to Dow Jones.

Dow Jones shares were down 54 cents to $56.95 in 4 p.m. New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday. The shares rose about 50 cents in after-hours trading.

The negotiations yesterday began with a lunch meeting attended by Messrs. Murdoch and Zannino.

In addition to The Wall Street Journal and its international and online editions, Dow Jones publishes Barron's, SmartMoney magazines and other periodicals; DowJones Newswires; Dow Jones Indexes; and the Ottaway group of community newspapers.

Cloverfield Clues - Cloverfield and Slusho - So What?

Ok, I'm going to go on a small rant regarding these clue seekers who are so myopic in their focus they can't tell a product placement from a clue.

First, Slusho is a product. Yes, it appeared in Alias. Yes, it's logo is seen on someone's t-shirt in the Cloverfield trailer . But does this make it a clue? Hell no!

The definition of a Clue is "Something that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem or mystery."

So how does a website called Slusho lead is to the solution of the mystery of what this film's about? Answer? It doesn't.

It's a way of Slusho benefiting from this viral marketing campaign. Period. Indeed, they may have paid a fee for this or at the least provided cast and crew with tons of Slusho drinks on the set.

But that's it.

Christopher Bancroft Tries To Block Rupert Murdoch's Bid For WSJ (Wall Street Journal)

Wow. Well, apparently Murdoch's (pictured) is not liked by this Bancroft, who's not giving in, or perhaps he's just trying to drive up the share price?

From CNBC: A Dow Jones board member who is also part of the family that controls the company has launched a last-ditch effort to block a takeover by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Christopher Bancroft has recently approached hedge funds, private equity firms and General Electric, hoping to buy enough voting shares of Dow Jones to give him the power to thwart a sale, the paper reported on its Web site, citing people familiar with the matter.