CARROLLTON, Texas -- DeMarcus Ware led the NFL in sacks last season with a career-high 20. The Cowboys outside linebacker didn't receive the league Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts, though -- that went to James Harrison of the Steelers.
But Ware is not too concerned about awards. He wants more pressures, more victories, and of course, more money.
So what's three million dollars a year between friends?
The Titans have apparently upped their offer to Albert Haynesworth in an attempt to keep him before free agency starts on Friday. Before the Titans had been offering four years, $36 million, but they are also aware that Haynesworth wants to be the highest paid defensive lineman in the league--which would mean he would need to average more than Jared Allen's $12.3 million per year deal.
The Nashville City Paper is reporting that Haynesworth is looking for $35 million guaranteed, which is roughly $10 million more than what the Titans have offered.
The Carolina Panthers have, according to many "league sources," as well as Peppers' agent Carl Carey, officially designated Julius Peppers with the team's franchise tag.
This, of course, is against Peppers' preference (he's not the only one who hates the franchise tag) and comes as a result of the Panthers inking LT Jordan Gross to a six-year deal. The tagging of Peppers is no surprise whatsoever -- it was well known that the team, regardless of whether he wants to play there or not, intended to get something back if the lifelong Panther actually ended up leaving.
Julius Peppers told the Carolina Panthers, in no uncertain terms, that he wants out of Charlotte. There is no disconnect here: he wants nothing to do with the Panthers in 2009, regardless of their defensive scheme.
But the Panthers face an entirely different issue aside from simply acquiescing to Peppers' demands and shipping him out. See, Pepp will be a free agent in 17 days, and at that point, the Panthers will lose any value that he previously provided the franchise. So, yeah, this should be a fun few weeks, considering the Panthers' various options.
The Minnesota Vikings have a huge decision to make this offseason. Should they beg veteran Gus Frerotte to come back? Is it time to sink or swim with Tarvaris Jackson (though I think they already did this)? Do they find another veteran, perhaps one who wants to throw interceptions to the Packers twice before he figures out that it's time to retire?
Complicating matters is Jackson's tendency to play well in spurts and randomly implode, while Frerotte did manage to win games despite a large number of interceptions. As he gets ready for his fourth year, Jackson is willing to try some unorthodox measures to improve.
"Chippy" is a term that's thrown out a lot these days. It refers to a sporting contest that gets a little heated without getting violent. Wake Forest, the nation's top-ranked team, and Virginia Tech, a classic "look past" opponent for the Deacs, took that adjective to an entirely different level on Wednesday night in a fantastic ACC battle.
Virginia Tech led by 10 at the break, and as much as 13 throughout the second half, and while there were pendulum-like momentum swings throughout the final 20 minutes, the mistakes made by the Demon Deacons down the stretch resulted in a 78-71 loss to the Hokies. The biggest issue surrounding those mistakes, and something that will be addressed frequently over the next few days, is probably Jeff Teague, who failed to take charge late.
So Eagles fans, do you still want to see Donovan McNabb head elsewhere?
On a day when the Eagles' running game was non-existent, McNabb threw for 300 yards, generally ran the Eagles offense efficiently and made only two serious mistakes. With an Eagles' defense that's good enough to get this team to the Super Bowl, that was enough.
The Vikings had almost everything happen according to plan and they still lost by 12. Adrian Peterson broke off a long run with a 40-yard touchdown run and scored two touchdowns. Bernard Berrian got deep for a 27-yard catch and the Vikings pass rush sacked McNabb three times.
The big question heading into the 3:30 pm EST kickoff is whether Eagles coach Andy Reid will try to take advantage of this. Long known as a pass-happy play-caller, Reid does have the talent in the backfield to exploit the Vikings defensive front, which has missed Williams each of the last two games.
His absence may also hurt the effectiveness of the Vikings' other linemen, who aren't used to getting tons of attention from blockers on running plays.
Threats of a blackout for the Minnesota Vikings' first home playoff game since 2000 have officially gone away. The team announced Saturday afternoon that they have sold their remaining tickets, and Sunday's date with the Philadelphia Eagles is now officially considered a sellout.
The team's cause certainly wasn't helped by the failing economy, and it was really hurt when some 45 percent of Viking season-ticket holders passed on playoff tickets, apparently choosing to believe that coach Brad Childress or quarterback Tarvaris Jackson would find a way to blow his team's chances.
Of course, the near-miss apparently was enough to cause Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to again complain about the team's stadium situation. That seems like a really good idea. I'm sure plenty of people in a state that is facing a huge budget deficit are going to be sympathetic to a sports owner whining for public dollars to build a new stadium.
(I don't mean to dismiss the role that the Vikings' crappy stadium plays in their struggles to sell tickets, but come on.)
As we get ready for the Wildcard Weekend matchup of the Vikings and Eagles, Dan Zinksi from The Viking Age and Derek from Iggles Blog were nice enough to offer some insights on their teams for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.
SportzAssassin: How do both of you feel about how your teams are playing heading into the playoffs?
Dan Zinksi (Viking Age): I would've been happier if the Vikes hadn't needed a 10-point comeback against the Giants' second-stringers to win their last game. I think they're shaky. I think Tarvaris Jackson's performance was a bit of a mirage, since a lot of it came against some bad pass defenses. I get nervous every time Adrian Peterson touches the ball now, because he keeps fumbling. I don't think they're exactly going into the playoffs with momentum.
Derek (Iggles Blog): I'd feel a lot better if the Eagles had won that "must win" game against the Redskins two weeks ago. These guys are clearly playing some good football right now, but I still think they're short a couple of guys needed to make a Super Bowl run.
So what's three million dollars a year between friends?
The Carolina Panthers have, according to many "league sources," as well as Peppers' agent Carl Carey, officially designated Julius Peppers with the team's franchise tag.
The Minnesota Vikings have a huge decision to make this offseason. Should they beg veteran Gus Frerotte to come back? Is it time to sink or swim with Tarvaris Jackson (though I think they already did this)? Do they find another veteran, perhaps one who wants to throw interceptions to the Packers twice before he figures out that it's time to retire?
"Chippy" is a term that's thrown out a lot these days. It refers to a sporting contest that gets a little heated without getting violent. Wake Forest, the nation's top-ranked team, and Virginia Tech, a classic "look past" opponent for the Deacs, took that adjective to an entirely different level on Wednesday night in a fantastic ACC battle.
Stay on top of all the postseason action with FanHouse's NFL playoff coverage.
As we get ready for the Wildcard Weekend matchup of the Vikings and Eagles, Dan Zinksi from The Viking Age and Derek from Iggles Blog were nice enough to offer some insights on their teams for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.
