Footballguys Daily Email - Volume 9, Issue 66 (Saturday, June 28th)
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Hi Folks,
Good Sunday to you. Hope your weekend is rolling well. It's a light news day today but we've still got the things you need to know so let's get to it. Thanks to our Footballguy Maurile Tremblay for the help on this one. JINSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. PIT - RB Davenport Released2. DAL - WR Glenn, Management Discussing Contract
3. DET - WR Shaun McDonald and WR Mike Furrey's Roles Defined
4. DAL - Cowboys Have No Interest In WR Horn Per Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
5. DEN - WR Marshall Fully Cleared For Practice
6. TEN - RT David Stewart Signs Extension
7. NFL - Free-Agent Running Backs Sit and Wait for Work
8. NFL - Madden '09 Player Ratings
Source: PA SportsTicker
The Pittsburgh Steelers released running back Najeh Davenport Friday, according to a report on NFL Network. With the Steelers current RB corps, Davenport became expendable as Pittsburgh has Willie Parker, rookie Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore to carry the bulk of the workload this season.
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Davenport was the number two guy in Pittsburgh for the last couple years, but the Steelers have dumped him in favor of Rashard Mendenhall. Expect Willie Parker to remain the Steelers' starter, with Mendenhall moving into Davenport's role and Mewelde Moore seeing some action as the third-down back. For those of you in dynasty leagues, Davenport's release means that Gary Russell is likely to make the final roster; he could eventually end up as the Steelers' primary backup after Willie Parker's contract is up in 2009.
DAL - WR Glenn, Management Discussing Contract
Source: Calvin Watkins
Wide receiver Terry Glenn is once again speaking with Dallas Cowboys officials about returning to the team. Glenn has refused to sign an injury waiver that would give him only $500,000 if he re-injures his right knee, so Glenn has missed all mandatory and voluntary on-field practices this off-season. The Cowboys told him he could not practice with the team without the waiver. Glenn, who is under contract for $1.74M for 2008 with Dallas, played in only one regular-season game last season because of two knee surgeries. Doctors told Glenn he needs microfracture surgery, but the receiver said an MRI taken a few weeks ago revealed his knee is fine.
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A little over a week ago it looked like Terry Glenn was calling Jerry Jones' bluff by asking to be released if the Cowboys insisted on having him sign the injury waiver. Now it looks like it is the Cowboys who have called Terry Glenn's bluff, as reports circulated yesterday that the team might be interested in acquiring veteran WR Joe Horn from the Falcons. Glenn, in response, has taken a more conciliatory position -- he's no longer hinting at wanting to be released. This issue should be resolved before the start of training camp. In the meantime, we'd suggest thinking twice before challenging Jerry Jones to a game of poker.
DET - WR Shaun McDonald and WR Mike Furrey's Roles Defined
Source: Tom Kowalski
While he won't top the career-high 79 catches that he had last season, McDonald is still Detroit's No. 3 receiver and should get a lot of looks on third down. While McDonald will be in the slot for almost all of Detroit's three-wide sets, he probably wouldn't replace Roy Williams or Calvin Johnson in the starting lineup if they miss any time. While Mike Furrey doesn't have McDonald's speed, he appears to be a better fit on the outside where he can do a better job of challenging cornerbacks for deep balls.
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With Mike Martz gone, the Lions' slot receiver won't have any fantasy value. While Furrey is behind McDonald on the Lions' depth chart, Furrey would be the one to grab if Roy Williams or Calvin Johnson are injured.
DAL - Cowboys Have No Interest In WR Horn Per Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Source: Clarence E. Hill Jr., Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
According to Clarence Hill of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, the Cowboys seriously looking at WR Joe Horn was never a consideration at the team's Valley Ranch headquarters. Horn's agent called to see if there was interest. The Cowboys took 30 seconds to say, hell no. They believe Horn is washed up as a player.
They also believe Horn would be a bad fit in the lockerroom. So the Cowboys never had any interest in Horn.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
This is Hill's opinion here and of course, not the official word from the Cowboys. We'll see if anything pans out from here but this looks as much as anything like Jerry Jones negotiating with Terry Glenn by floating Joe Horn's name.
DEN - WR Marshall Fully Cleared For Practice
Source: Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
Denver WR Brandon Marshall, coming off extensive surgery in March to repair a gashed right forearm, was cleared to fully participate in team activities this week. Marshall resumed full weightlifting and conditioning work to augment his rehabilitation regimen Monday.
Most important, to his employer and its fans, he started freely catching passes with both hands and encountered no problems. "I guess I'm a fast healer," Marshall said. "I feel great. And if we had a game today, I'd be in it. I'm full-speed ahead now, leaving all that stuff behind me."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
Great news for Marshall. He's looking like his on the field business is starting to take shape. Now he just needs to stay good with his off the field business. We'll see.
TEN - RT David Stewart Signs Extension
Source: Jim Wyatt
The Titans and right tackle David Stewart agreed to terms on a six-year deal Friday, giving the team and quarterback Vince Young more offensive line security. Stewart's deal is worth $38.9 million and averages just over $6 million per season. It has $10 million in guarantees, including a $6 million signing bonus.
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The Titans now have both of their bookends at tackle signed long-term. With Michael Roos on the left side and David Stewart on the right, the Titans' have two solid young tackles who should hold down the starting jobs and provide stability along the Tennessee offensive line for many years to come.
NFL - Free-Agent Running Backs Sit and Wait for Work
Source: Eric Edholm
The list of currently unemployed running backs contains two former first-rounders and a second-rounder. NFL teams appear worried about Shaun Alexander's sharp decline in production, Travis Henry's off-field issues, and Kevin Jones' back-to-back season ending injuries. Of the three, Jones is getting the most attention; he demonstrated in a private workout that he is ahead of schedule to return from last season's ACL tear.
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Edholm mentions that the Patriots may be interested in Kevin Jones. Belichick is rumored to have wanted Jones in the 2004 draft, but the Lions traded up to land Jones just two picks before the Patriots' selection. If Jones does end up in New England, it would be cause for concern among Laurence Maroney owners that the Patriots don't view him as a full-time, featured RB.
NFL - Madden '09 Player Ratings
Source: Bill Barnwell
Madden fans covet Player Ratings more than any other facet of information during the months before the game's release. Final ratings are now available for all 32 teams.
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There's no serious informational content here; but some of our readers may enjoy looking through the ratings just for fun. A couple observations: on a 100 point scale, Chad Johnson's morale is a 20; Tom Brady scores higher on arm strength than JaMarcus Russeell (99 to 98).
It's a slow news day.That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great rest of your weekend and we'll see you tomorrow with the update.
J