FanHouse CharlesGrant

While NFL players serve league-imposed suspensions, they're ineligible to practice, work out at the training facilities, or participate in any other team activities, which means it's up to them to stay in shape on their own. But for three players who are suspended for the start of the 2009 season, they'll be training at former UFC champion Randy Couture's mixed martial arts gym in Las Vegas.

Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reports that Jets outside linebacker Calvin Pace and Saints defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant -- all of whom will serve four-game suspensions for using banned supplements -- are going to spend that time working out at Xtreme Couture, a gym widely regarded as one of the best MMA training facilities in the world.

This is a good thing, this ruling that came down Saturday in the StarCaps case. You may not see it that way if you're a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, who now face the first four games of their season without their Pro Bowl defensive tackles. Or if your team is the New Orleans Saints, who've likely lost their starting defensive ends for those first four games.

But if you're the kind of person who thinks pro athletes (and, by extension, the children who admire them) should be discouraged from taking drugs to cheat at their games, you have to look at today's development as a positive.

As you may recall, five NFL players were slapped with respective four-game suspensions late last season -- though they never served them while their legal claims were being heard in court. Friday, a federal judge dismissed the claims of the players -- Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Vikings, Charles Grant and Will Smith of the Saints, and unsigned Deuce McAllister.

Those five players -- well, four if McAllister doesn't sign somewhere -- will be forced to sit out the first quarter of the season for their respective teams.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Gregg Williams hasn't informed a free agent decision for New Orleans yet, hasn't hand-picked the inevitable defensive playmaker the Saints choose with their 14th-overall selection this year, hasn't installed a single scheme in a minicamp. Yet Williams' reputation has preceded him to the Crescent City, and his hiring as defensive coordinator is already considered one of the most important moves in team history.

After almost two decades of guaranteed defensive putridity, the last three of which have revolved around Gary Gibbs' lack of talent identification and bland scheming, the idea of Williams and his history of intelligent, hard-working, active, complex defenses coming to the Superdome is music to the ears. It also might finally push the Saints over the top.

Great news for Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints fans. Maybe.

A federal judge has blocked the suspensions of five players, including Vikings Pro Bowl defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams. The five were banned for the last four games of the NFL regular season after testing positive for a banned diuretic over the summer and eventually having their appeals heard and denied.

The legal process started Wednesday, when the Williamses (not related) took their case to a district court in Minneapolis. There they convinced a judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the suspensions and allowing the two to return to practice.

Both tackles have returned to practice, and actually were at the Vikings' facility Friday instead of at the hearing over this latest legal action.

Thursday, the NFL Players' Association sued on behalf of the Williamses and the three affected Saints players, which include defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith, along with running back Deuce McAllister.

As expected, the NFL Players Association has filed suit in federal court asking that suspensions of six players be overturned.

From the Associated Press story via Access Vikings:

The NFL Players Association is suing to block five of the six player suspenions for violating the league's anti-doping policy. The suit field in federal court is on behalf of Kevin and Pat Williams of the Vikings and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints. The five players were suspended for testing positive for a banned diuretic that can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The diuretic was in a supplement that did not list the diuretic as an ingredient.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports the union is going to ask for a ruling by Friday, meaning that the involved teams are left twisting in the wind regarding the availability of their players.

Houston's Bryan Pittman isn't included in this lawsuit.

This filing comes less than 24 hours after a Twin Cities judge issued a temporary restraining order to block the suspensions of the two involved Vikings.

The NFL has suspended six players for four games apiece for using a banned substance.

The players are Saints defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith, Saints running back Deuce McAllister, Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and Texans long snapper Brian Pittman.

The players all tested positive for the banned substance Bumetanide. They all appealed the suspensions, saying that Bumetanide is an ingredient in the over-the-counter supplement Star Caps, and that the NFL did not tell players that Star Caps is banned. But the NFL turned down their appeals.

Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jackson was not suspended even though it has been reported that he also tested positive for Bumetanide. The NFL did not explain why Jackson was not suspended.

UPDATE: The NFL's official announcement is below.

When Paulie returns home from a stressful hideaway from nosy police on "The Sopranos", his subconscious asks the question, "When my time comes, tell me -- will I stand up?" The Saints are returning home tonight from a stressful and unusually lengthy road trip (including one of the infamous non-home "home games" the league is so fond of handing them), and if they're not asking themselves that question -- will we stand up? -- their fans surely are.

When the team left the Superdome for the last time, 43 whole days ago, they had put the finishing touches on a dominant win over the Raiders to even their record at 3-3. If they could leverage that win into success on the road, they could make a serious run in the NFC.

But a lot can happen in 43 days, and a lot did. The team went 2-2, continuing to be consistently inconsistent, making tonight's game essentially a must-win for playoff hopes. StarCaps entered the general sporting lexicon. Mike McKenzie and Charles Grant, among others, were put on the IR. They've used two kickers and three punters. And Drew Brees threw for 1,258 yards, which is more than Ryan Fizpatrick has thrown all year and not too far behind Kerry Collins' season total.

Some other things that have happened in the eternity since the Saints last played in the Superdome:

I'm from New Jersey and have seen every episode of The Sopranos, so I like to fancy myself an expert in the field of keeping information "in the family." Roger Goodell, apparently, is not.

Time and time again, the shroud of privacy that the NFL promises its players in certain situations turns out to be as thin as tissue paper; players are held to the tightest-lipped of standards while seeing that courtesy unrequited with every bolded headline exposing a player's "private" matters.

We got a repeat lesson on this hypocrisy this week, when four of supposedly 15ish players -- Saints Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, and Will Smith along with Texan Bryan Pittman -- were outed as having tested positive for a diuretic that resides on the league's banned substance list. Results of these tests aren't supposed to be made public.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7