News

Seattle Seahawks sign WR Terrell Owens

stevenlourie News, Seahawks

I don’t understand this signing at all. TO is done. We saw it in 2010 and he’s not going to be any better 2 years and a torn ACL later, after a year out of football. In 2010, he did catch 72 passes for 983 yards and 9 touchdowns, but he did that on 132 targets (54.5%) and 10 balls targeted for him ended up getting intercepted. Carson Palmer was just forcing him the football, which is why he led the league in interceptions that year and the Bengals went 4-12. He also dropped 8 passes.

Terrell Owens is one of the greatest receivers of all time, but father time is undefeated. Eventually, everyone is done and, heading into his age 39 season, TO is definitely done. Of the top 30 leading receivers of all time, only 3 others have played into their age 39 season or later: Jerry Rice, Charlie Joiner, Joey Galloway. Only Rice (83/1139/9) was productive in his age 39 season. Joiner caught 34 passes for 440 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Galloway caught 12 passes for 173 yards and didn’t score.

Unless Terrell Owens is secretly his former teammate Rice, he’s not going to have any positive impact this season at age 39. He may rank 2nd all-time in receiving yards, but he’s 6961 yards back of 1st place Rice, who is just on a completely different level. He’s actually closer to Mark Clayton and Fred Biletnikoff, who are tied for 51st place, than he is to Rice.

All he’s going to for the Seahawks is steal reps and snaps from young receivers looking for a chance to prove themselves, guys like Golden Tate, a 2010 2nd round pick, Kris Durham, a 2011 4th round pick, and Ricardo Lockette, a talented 2011 undrafted free agent. It’s not like the Seahawks are contending for a Super Bowl or anything this season and even if they were, Owens wouldn’t be much help. On top of that, he could prove to be a locker room cancer as he’s been elsewhere in the NFL (and Arena League), which is not a good thing, especially on a young team with a young quarterback. He might not, like he didn’t in Buffalo, but even then, he’d be no help, especially coming in so close to the season.

This is a move that wreaks of desperation for a team who lacks proven receivers after Sidney Rice, who has yet to be cleared for contact. So far this month, they’ve signed Antonio Bryant (last catch 2009), cut Antonio Bryant, signed Braylon Edwards, and signed TO. I liked the Edwards signing because at age 29, he’s still got some bounce back potential. TO doesn’t. I’m going to say the same thing about this signing that I said about the Ochocinco signing. The best way this can end is if TO gets cut in camp.

Grade: D

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Vikings’ rookie Greg Childs likely out for the year with knee injuries

stevenlourie News, Vikings

This is not what you want to see. Greg Childs is an incredibly talented player who caught 48 passes for 897 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore at Arkansas in 2009 and 46 catches for 659 yards and 6 touchdowns in just 8 games in 2010, before tearing his right patellar tendon. Childs struggled mightily in 2011, seeing limited action as he attempted to work his way back from that injury, catching just 21 passes for 240 yards and not scoring.

However, he worked his way back during the offseason before the draft, putting on strong individual workouts both on private visits and at his Pro Day. He ran a 4.48 40 at 6-3 219, showing off his immense athleticism and upside and convinced the receiver needy Vikings to take a chance on him in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft, still at least a 2 round drop from where he would have been if fully healthy.

The Vikings looked like they had a steal with him as he dominated in offseason workouts with the team and had himself in position to begin the season as a starter, with Jerome Simpson starting the year with a 3 game suspension. However, Childs went down with an apparent leg injury today during practice and is expected to be out for the season as the team fears he not only re-tore his right patellar tendon, but also tore his left patellar tendon. Needless to say, it’s a career threatening injury and a sad story for a talented player who may never get a chance to show his abilities in the NFL.

In his absence, veteran Michael Jenkins, once a candidate to be cut because of his 2.5 million dollar salary, becomes the favorite to start in Simpson’s absence opposite Percy Harvin. Also in the mix is 2011 7th round pick Stephen Burton, who has had a strong offseason, mediocre veteran Devin Aromashodu, and even their other 4th round rookie receiver, Jarius Wright, a former teammate of Childs’ at Arkansas. They may add another receiver through free agency or trade.

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Bengals’ Jay Gruden expects Brandon Tate and Armon Binns to split #2 receiver reps

stevenlourie Bengals, News

Bengals’ Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden says he expects Brandon Tate and Armon Binns to share the majority of the 1st team receiver snaps in Training Camp opposite AJ Green. It’s possible that he is just letting the veterans get the first crack, before their two rookies, Mohamed Sanu (3rd round) and Marvin Jones (5th round). However, it’s also a sign that Sanu might not be nearly the favorite some thought he was.

None of these receivers are draftable in fantasy. There’s no clear favorite and Cincinnati’s passing offense is really only good enough to have one fantasy relevant wide receiver this year (AJ Green). Besides, none of these guys are that talented. Sanu and Jones are mere rookies and rookies normally take at least a year to adjust to the speed of the NFL and learn a much more complex playbook.

Tate, meanwhile, has struggled whenever he was counted on in New England and things won’t get any better now that he has a worse quarterback. Binns is an inexperienced 2011 undrafted free agent who has never caught a pass in the NFL. There doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite right now, but whoever wins the job, the #2 receiver position should be a weakness on the Bengals’ offense at least for this season.

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Panthers, Eagles interested in Jeremy Shockey

stevenlourie Eagles, News, Panthers

Jeremy Shockey is one of the biggest name free agents still available as we head into August. Last season, the 4-time Pro-Bowler (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) caught 37 passes for 455 yards and 4 touchdowns as a key contributor for a Panthers offense that used a lot of two-tight end sets with him and Greg Olsen. The Panthers really like the inexperienced Gary Barnidge to potentially take over Shockey’s old role.

However, they also haven’t ruled out bringing back Jeremy Shockey, even as he heads into his age 32 season, according to the Charlotte Observer. The Eagles are also another team that is interested and could bring him in for a visit. It wouldn’t be surprise me if a couple other teams were in on him. He’ll probably get signed sometime in the next week or so.

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Steelers’ Mike Wallace not available for trade?

stevenlourie News, Steelers

After Antonio Brown signed an extension yesterday and the Steelers said they would no longer be discussing an extension with Mike Wallace, speculation picked up quickly that Wallace would be traded. According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, GM Kevin Colbert is denying that Wallace is available for trade. That may be true, but it may also be the Steelers trying to drum up a false report so they can get more in return for Wallace in any potential deal. If teams see the Steelers as feeling desperate to move Wallace, their offerings would likely be significantly smaller. Teams rarely confirm that they’re trying to trade a player and the ones that do often don’t get very much in return.

Meanwhile, if this report is true, we’ll just have to see if that remains the case if it’s a week or two from now and Wallace still has not reported. Obviously, best case scenario for the Steelers is that he reports and helps a team that is in win now mode and this report may signify that the Steelers are clinging to hope that Wallace reports. Either way, this report should not be as interpreted as Wallace won’t be traded. It should be interpreted as “Wallace won’t be traded… yet” or “we are trying to trade Wallace, but we don’t want to make it look like we’re selling him on Craigslist.”

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Buccaneers’ Head Coach Greg Schiano praises LeGarrette Blount’s work ethic

stevenlourie News

Discipline was a major problem for the Buccaneers under Raheem Morris, which is why they lost 10 straight to finish last season and why Morris was predictably fired. The Buccaneers hired Greg Schiano, a more disciplinarian coach, this offseason and he has already made his mark, trading Brian Price just 2 years after he was a 2nd round pick by the previous regime, after a series of issues dating back to his rookie year.

Two of the players who had the biggest discipline problems last year were Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount. Both fell in the 2010 NFL Draft for that reason, as Williams went in the 4th and Blount went undrafted. However, both had amazing rookie years in 2010, especially for where they were drafted (or weren’t drafted). Last year, however, both were disappointments. Blount was frequently late to practice and put in no effort to improve as a blocker or receiver, while Williams would fall asleep in team meetings. Both were also out of shape and partied far too much, especially Williams.

While I don’t know about Williams, it appears that Blount’s discipline has gotten better with the new coaching staff in town. Schiano, in fact, praised Blount’s work ethic, singling him out by saying “LeGarrette has bought into what we’re doing, he’s working incredibly hard, and if you watch and you see the things he does from time to time, it’s great really great running back play.”

Rookie Doug Martin, who they traded back up into the end of first round to get, will get the majority of the carries and see most of the passing down snaps. However, they plan to run the ball a lot so there will be enough carries for both of them and, while he doesn’t pass catch well, Blount is a very good runner when motivated. He averaged 5.0 YPC as a rookie when he had something to prove.

Besides, just look at Joseph Addai (2009), Chris Wells (2011), DeAngelo Williams (2008), Marion Barber (2008), and Fred Jackson (2010). All of those guys arguably had career years the season after their teams spent early picks on a running back. Meanwhile, rookie backs tend to struggle, even ones drafted in the 1st round. Backs drafted in the first round since 2007 have just averaged 165 carries as rookies. I like Doug Martin a lot, but there’s some sleeper value with Blount at his current ADP in the late 9th round.

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Dan Williams shows up at 314 pounds for Cardinals’ Training Camp

stevenlourie Cardinals, News

Dan Williams was the 26th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, but has struggled thus far in his career with a combination of weight and injury problems. With injury problems no longer an issue, Williams showed up at Training Camp weighing 314 pounds, which is right where the Cardinals want him. Williams is heading into a pivotal 3rd year, one that could end with him being cut if he doesn’t get his act together, but he’s still got time to make good on his potential.

The Cardinals defense is obviously a lot better if Williams can be the player they thought they were drafting. With Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett, the Cardinals have the best 3-4 defensive end duo of any team other than the San Francisco 49ers, but nose tackle has been a weak spot for them. Last year, Williams played a disappointing 244 snaps there, leaving the undersized David Carter and the terrible Nick Eason to fill in the rest of the snaps. A healthy and in shape Williams would allow Carter to provide above average depth at all 3 spots and give the Cardinals one of the best defensive lines in the league.

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Bryant McKinnie will report for Ravens on Monday

stevenlourie News, Ravens

Bryant McKinnie has been a surprise no show for Ravens Training Camp, leading to some speculation that he could be retiring or be cut for not making weight. The Ravens wanted him at 345 pounds and held him out of mandatory minicamp last month to work on his conditioning. The Ravens have been fining him 30,000 daily, as is allowed, and reportedly have had no communication with him. Jason La Canfora also reported that McKinnie’s days in Baltimore appear to be numbered.

However, the latest report on the situation, from Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, is that McKinnie will report on Monday. This is the same reporter who broke the story that the Ravens were not in communication with him. He also reported that McKinnie’s absence might have something to do with a legal issue and that the only communication the Ravens got from anyone close to McKinnie was from his chiropractor. It doesn’t sound like McKinnie reporting Monday would get him amnesty from being cut, however. We’ll know more in a few days. In the meantime, Michael Oher and Jah Reid have been working as the Ravens’ two tackles, leaving the Ravens very thin on the offensive line.

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Santana Moss shows up at 189 pounds for Redskins’ Training Camp

stevenlourie Commanders, News

Santana Moss has had a remarkable turnaround this offseason. Once seen as a player on the roster bubble, after the additions of Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, Moss was kept over Jabar Gaffney, who is younger and was more productive last year. Moss then got himself into fantastic shape and really impressed in offseason practices. Now he has shown up at 189 pounds (at 5-10) for Training Camp, down roughly 15 pounds from last season, when he admits he was out of shape and overweight.

Moss is currently working as the primary slot receiver only, while 2011 3rd round pick Leonard Hankerson works as the starter opposite Pierre Garcon. However, he’s in the competition for the starting job with Hankerson and, to some extent, Morgan. Hankerson is inexperienced and Morgan is marginal at best, so Moss definitely has a chance to be the week 1 starter opposite Pierre Garcon.

Some even speculate that he could lead the team in receiving. I give him an outside shot of doing that because Pierre Garcon has never been a #1 receiver and because receivers switching teams don’t have a great track record. However, doing so would require him to have a bounce back year at age 33 after catching 46 passes for 584 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. That’s possible (see Smith, Steve), but not likely. He is less than 2 years removed from catching 89 passes in 2010, however. I think he’ll finish the season as the Redskins’ 3rd leading receiver behind Garcon and tight end Fred Davis.

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Patriots’ Logan Mankins no guarantee for week 1

stevenlourie News, Patriots

Already potentially missing one of their two stud starting guards from 2011, as right guard Brian Waters has yet to report and could retire, the Patriots are in danger of potentially not having Logan Mankins, the left guard, early in the season. Mankins partially tore his ACL in the Super Bowl and had surgery, though that was not even known until over a month after it happened. The Patriots are very good at keeping secrets.

Because they are such a secretive organization, we don’t know much either way. However, we do know he has been placed on the active/PUP list and is not practicing at the moment. The Boston Herald reports his return date is “uncertain,” which doesn’t really help. If the Patriots are missing both of their starting guards from last year week 1, it would be a huge loss and not just because they are such great players.

The Patriots would have to move center Dan Connolly, a mediocre player anyway, back to guard and start Dan Koppen, who is heading into his age 33 season and coming off a broken ankle that cost him most of 2011, at center. Options to start at the other guard spot would include veteran Robert Gallery, who was awful last season in Seattle, or one of two inexperienced players, Ryan Wendell and Marcus Cannon, the latter of whom is currently listed as a tackle.

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