FanHouse

NFL Mailbag: Free Agents, Hot Seats and Aaron Curry Man Love

Dan Graziano — 2009-07-02T13:00:00 00:00

Filed under: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West, NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West, NFL Mailbag

Send your NFL questions (along with your name and location) to NFLFanHouse@gmail.com. Each Thursday, we'll answer the best -- or, if nothing else, most entertaining -- in our NFL Mailbag.

Excluding Brett Favre, which remaining free agent can play the biggest role in 2009?

The easy answer (INCLUDING Brett Favre!!) is Plaxico Burress. He's a high-ceiling, high-impact wide receiver. You saw the way the Giants' offense missed him at the end of 2008, and we've seen a handful of teams express interest in him -- even though nobody knows if he's going to play in 2009. If he is allowed to play, he's your answer. But it looks increasingly likely that he'll be suspended for at least part of the season, if not all. So in the non-Burress division, I have three veterans who could make an interesting impact in the right situation:

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Are the Steelers Being Underrated?

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-30T09:13:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

With the season just two months away, the Patriots seem to once again be the clear favorite to win the AFC, but the Football Scientist K.C. Joyner makes a pretty compelling argument that the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers are being underrated.

Joyner cites a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers defense bringing back nearly everyone from last year's historic unit, an easier schedule and an improved running game.

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Starks' Contract Means Another Redshirt For Hills

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-28T19:11:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

When the Steelers drafted Tony Hills in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, there was some thought among Steelers fans that he might be the team's starting left tackle in 2009. Max Starks was playing under a one-year transition-tag contract while his backup, Trai Essex, was also in the final year of his deal.

So the thought was: Starks and Essex may leave in free agency while Hills moves into the starting lineup after a one-year apprenticeship. It was the same path that Willie Colon took as a 2005 fourth-round pick.

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Starks Decides to Stick with Steelers

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-23T23:01:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

The Steelers have never seemed to fully know what to do with Max Starks, but it seems clear that Starks has always wanted to be a Steeler.

Two years ago, Pittsburgh slapped Starks with a transition tag--guaranteeing him a contract worth nearly $7 million even though he was considered a backup. It took an injury to Marvel Smith to finally get Starks into the lineup on an everyday basis.

A year later, Starks was slapped with the franchise tag, as Pittsburgh once again decided that it both couldn't part with Starks, but also wasn't willing to work out a long-term deal immediately. But Starks has now gotten his long-term contract. although the terms seem more favorable to the Steelers than to Starks.

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LenDale White vs. The City of Pittsburgh: A Primer on Sports Hate

Clay Travis — 2009-06-22T17:10:00 00:00

by Clay Travis

Filed under: Steelers, Titans, AFC North, AFC South, NFL Fans

Let's be honest, there are few things more entertaining in sports than when an athlete is absolutely despised by a city. And I don't mean despised in the Michael Jordan-tears-out-Cleveland's-heart-with-a-wooden-spoon level hate. That's rooted in Jordan's superhuman play on the field.

I mean on a level like LenDale White stomping on the Terrible Towel and refusing to apologize -- where the entire city is outraged at one particular player.

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Bengals Would Be Shocked if Andre Smith Doesn't Hold Out

Ryan Wilson — 2009-06-21T15:15:00 00:00

by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Draft

I get that first-rounders, particularly those taken in the top 15 picks, would threaten to hold out if it meant more leverage during contract negotiations. In recent years, however, both players and organizations have made efforts to get deals done before training camp because holdouts, in the long run, don't benefit anybody.

Rookies, already playing catch-up in a new system with new players, can least afford to miss practice. And the teams, who invest a lot of coin in developing players, often don't see a return in the first year. JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn might be farther along if not for protracted training camp holdouts. On the other hand, the 2008 first-overall pick, Jake Long, was signed prior to the draft, started every game and had a productive rookie season.

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Browns Sticking With Braylon Edwards, High on Brian Robiskie

Ryan Wilson — 2009-06-21T10:15:00 00:00

by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: Browns, AFC North

Braylon Edwards would probably like to get his hands on a time machine and go back 12 months. And as long as we're defying the laws of physics, Derek Anderson would like to hitch a ride, too. A year ago, both players were coming off Pro Bowl seasons.

Today, they're still with the team, but have endured myriad trade rumors, inconsistent play, and for Anderson, a midseason benching.

Yet, training camp is five weeks off and both remain on the roster. New head coach Eric Mangini hasn't named his starting quarterback, although the word on the street is that it's Brady Quinn's job to lose. And Edwards, the club's 2005 first-round pick, is not only off the trading block, but should be an integral part of the Browns' offense.

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Palmer, Wife, Not Interested in Hosting Ochocinco in Their Home

Ryan Wilson — 2009-06-20T17:30:00 00:00

by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Fans

After saying that he and Carson Palmer "were like Brokeback Mountain," it only made sense that Chad Ochocinco would move in with the Bengals quarterback this summer. That was the plan (according to Mr. Ochocinco), anyway.

Palmer's wife -- and I'd assume Palmer, too -- had other ideas. The family just had twins, and even if they hadn't, I'm not sure they would be interested in introducing crazy into their home. Via the Dayton Daily News' Chick Ludwig:

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Bernie Kosar Wanted Browns to (Re-)Hire Bill Belichick in 1999

Ryan Wilson — 2009-06-20T15:20:00 00:00

by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Fans

Bernie Kosar spent his first eight NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, he was a fan favorite, although Bill Belichick, hired in 1991, was less enamored with the immobile quarterback and eventually benched him for Vinny Testaverde in 1993, before releasing him in Week 8.

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Steelers Getting Draft Picks Signed Early

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-20T15:17:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

We're still a month away from training camp, but Pittsburgh is almost finished with signing all of their draft picks. Tight end David Johnson, the team's seventh-round pick, signed on Friday, making him the seventh of the team's nine picks to sign.

The only two rookies left unsigned are the two the Steelers most need in training camp. First-round pick Evander Hood, who is expected to be the team's No. 3 defensive end, and third-round pick Kraig Urbik, who is expected to battle for a starting job at offensive guard, are still unsigned, although with a month to work out those deals, it shouldn't be that hard to get the deals worked out.

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Tomlin Sends Hampton a Message

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-18T21:48:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

Casey Hampton is heading into the final year of his contract, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't exactly taking it easy on the Steelers nose tackle.

Last year, Hampton showed up too fat for training camp (well fatter than normal), so Tomlin sat him out of practices until he melted away some of the extra pounds. He ended up playing his normal key role as the anchor of the Steelers' defensive line, but that hasn't earned him a pass from Tomlin. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin could have easily said something like: "I'm sure he will be because Casey's a professional," or something like that to send a message while also going out of his way to not needle the big man.

Instead, he made it clear that he's not going to coddle Casey.

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New Steelers DVD Aimed at Diehards

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-17T08:40:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

For any team there are the fans and then there are FANS. Fans watch the game on TV, brag a little after a win to friends and may own a t-shirt and a hat with their team's logos.

FANS are the ones who likely own season tickets, or if not, they have Sunday Ticket if they live outside their favorite team's market. Their homepage is their favorite team blog or beat writer's site, and they have an encyclopedic knowledge of their team's every transaction of the past decade.

Fans will have little interest in the Steelers Road To XLIII DVDs, but for FANS, this is a nice addition to the library. It's one of those products that didn't exist a decade ago but now has become part of the bonus package that comes with winning a Super Bowl.

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Chad Ochocinco on Carson Palmer: 'We're Like Brokeback Mountain'

Bruce Ciskie — 2009-06-09T12:15:00 00:00

by Bruce Ciskie

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North

For some time now, there has been speculation about the relationship between Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

While Palmer has been working his tail off during offseason workouts, Ochocinco has been nowhere in sight. The receiver says he will attend minicamp, and he's now trying to assuade notions that there is trouble between him and Palmer.

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Ochocinco Says He Will Attend Minicamp

Bruce Ciskie — 2009-06-04T12:10:00 00:00

by Bruce Ciskie

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Training Camp

As the Cincinnati Bengals try to rebound from a disastrous 4-11-1 season, the key players are all working their tails off in offseason workouts.

The team expects a healthy Carson Palmer to be the triggerman for a much-improved offensive attack. However, a lot of the team's plans depend on the attitude and physical health of mercurial star receiver Chad Ochocinco, who has not been participating in workouts in Cincinnati.

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Bengals' Henry Having Great Offseason

Bruce Ciskie — 2009-06-04T11:35:00 00:00

by Bruce Ciskie

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Training Camp

For a long time, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has only been known because of his off-field behavior. He became a poster boy of sorts for the Bengals' problems, actually getting cut at one point last year, then signed again a few months later.

As Henry prepares for his fifth NFL season, it appears that the light is starting to flicker for the former West Virginia star. Teammates and coaches are praising Henry, saying he's having the best offseason of his career.

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Is Team of the Decade Still Up for Grabs?

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-03T21:51:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Colts, Patriots, Steelers, AFC East, AFC North

Sports Illustrated's Don Banks has thrown out a topic guaranteed to stir up a lot of passion and a lot of hate by ranking the 32 NFL teams over the past decade. That leads to the bigger question: is the title of team of the decade still up for grabs?

The Packers were the team of the 1960s, the Steelers claimed the 1970s, the 49ers dominated the 80s and the Cowboys were the team of the 1990s (even if their domination lasted for only the first half of the decade). Heading into the final year of the decade, the Patriots are the clear leaders to earn the title "Team of the 00s" with three Super Bowl rings and four Super Bowl appearances, but Banks argues that the Steelers could end up stealing that moniker with a second-straight Lombardi Trophy that would also give them three rings this decade.

And Banks even goes as far as saying that the Colts could move into the argument with their second Super Bowl title since they could end the decade with a better record than the Patriots.

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Roethlisberger Limps Out of Practice

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-03T19:03:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

It looks to be very minor, but on Wednesday we got a reminder of why there's a reason to be nervous anytime football players take to the field.

Ben Roethlisberger limped off the field during today's organized training activities after injuring his left knee. According to Dale Lolley, Lawrence Timmons stepped on his foot as he released a pass.

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Ward: 'We're Thin at WR'

JJ Cooper — 2009-06-02T21:39:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

Apparently Steelers fans aren't the only ones who are somewhat concerned about the team's lack of depth at wide receiver. Hines Ward is also noticing.

"We are thin at the wide receiver depth," said Ward. "Mike Wallace, Sweed those guys are going to have to help the team and contribute. If myself or Santonio goes down, one of those guys becomes the starter. You have to make sure you understand and help them so they understand. They are next in line. Over the course of 16 games anything can happen.

It's interesting that Ward did not mention Shaun McDonald when listing potential replacements. McDonald had almost 1,000 yards in receiving just two years ago, which makes him easily the most experienced backup wideout.

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Eric Mangini Is a Big Fan of Bus Travel

Ryan Wilson — 2009-06-02T13:30:00 00:00

by Ryan Wilson

Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching

Winning, as they say, solves everything. But while we wait for Eric Mangini to work his magic in Cleveland, it's perfectly reasonable to wonder what the hell he's doing. Last weekend, Mangini -- who replaced Romeo Crennel in January nine days after getting the Romeo Crennel treatment from the Jets -- thought it would be great fun to send the Browns rookies on a 10-hour bus ride to Hartford, Connecticut to work his football camp.

Also worth mentioning: Mangini flew from Cleveland to Hartford. It's one thing for Mangini to turn this into a "Hey, it's just like in Bull Durham" team-building exercise. It's something else entirely for a bus full of rookies to spend half a day making their way to Hartford while the head coach sips an apple martini in first class on his 90-minute flight.* (Mangini did slum it on the return trip to Cleveland and ride with the players, and who knows, maybe they watched Bull Durham.)

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Steelers Know How to Pick 'Em, but Only In Round One

JJ Cooper — 2009-05-31T20:32:00 00:00

by JJ Cooper

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

The early reports on the Steelers' 2009 draft picks is very favorable. Mike Wallace has shown speed. Frank Summers is just as big as everyone expected and Ziggy Hood has shown an outstanding motor.

Of course, there's yet to be a draft pick who's publicly been called out for disappointing at offseason workouts, so as always, we won't know very much until they put the pads on for real in two months. But if history is any kind of guide, expect Hood, the Steelers' first-round pick, to do quite well, while several of the later-round picks will fail miserably.

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