April 2009 - Football Wiretap
Beanie Wells Believes Durability Concerns Are Nonsense
Chris "Beanie" Wells took exception with his reputation as having durability issues during his first press appearance with the Cardinals.
"I missed three games in three years," he said, "so I don't understand the durability question. ... I played the whole 2007 season with a broken wrist.
"I've never been a part of a football team where I've had such a great quarterback and so many great wide receivers," he said. "I've always been a part of a team where the box was getting stacked with eight, nine men. It's exciting to be part of an organization where I'm not going to be the focal part of the offense."
Vontae Davis Says He Is Opposite Of What Skeptics Say
Vontae Davis, selected by the Miami Dolphins, has been described as having potential character problems.
"Please tell the Dolphins fans how I really am," he said, wrapping up a phone conversation from his grandmother's home in Washington D.C. "I'm the total opposite of what they say."
Seattle Signs Leroy Hill To Multi-Year Deal
Leroy Hill has agreed to terms on a multi-year deal with the Seahawks, the team announced Thursday evening.
Hill became a free agent when the Seahawks took the franchise tag off his contact status last weekend after drafting rookie linebacker Aaron Curry in the first round.
Bills Preparing To Run No Huddle Offense
The Buffalo Bills are preparing to run a no huddle offense in 2009, according to a team source.
"The no-huddle lends itself to guys that are big-play guys, because if you get a defense that's just a little fatigued, just a little off their first-step quickness, and you get the explosive guys, they can hit the home run," said no huddle pioneer Sam Wyche.
"They have those quick-strike guys."
Broncos Release Selvin Young
The Broncos released running back Selvin Young on Thursday.
They used the 12th overall pick in last weekend's draft to take Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno, and will have a half-dozen tailbacks competing for playing time.
The Broncos also have holdovers Peyton Hillis and Ryan Torian and free agents J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan.
Patriots Acquire TE Alex Smith
The Patriots acquired veteran tight end Alex Smith from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today in exchange for an undisclosed selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, the team announced today.
Falcons To Wear 1966 Throwbacks This Season
The Atlanta Falcons will wear throwback uniforms from 1966 this season in at least one game.
The uniform scheme involved a black jersey and red helmets.
Fitzgerald's Younger Brother Gets Tryout From Vikings
Receiver Marcus Fitzgerald will receive a tryout from the Minnesota Vikings. He is the younger brother of Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.
Flight From Minneapolis Goes To Hattiesburg
The crafty folks at ProFootballTalk.com are monitoring the flights that come in and out of Hattiesburg-Laurel airport, which is famously home to Brett Favre.
A flight from Minneapolis arrived at 9:11 AM on Wednesday and a departing flight took off at 4:14 PM on the same day.
Favre was released by the Jets this week, which has fueled speculation that he will come out of retirement and sign with the Vikings.
Was Brad Johnson The 'Snitch' In Dallas?
According to Warren Sapp, former teammate Brad Johnson was the 'snitch' that provided the infamous below quote to ESPN.
"He's insecure about it. The thing that bothers me more than anything about this problem is that it's always something with him -- San Fran, Philly and here, always something. And he brings other people into it. You know, he talks to Sam Hurd and Roy Williams, who just got here and doesn't really know these guys. T.O. talks to him and so now he probably thinks Witten politics with Tony for the ball.
"That's so far from the truth. You think Tony is throwing to him because that's his buddy? His best buddy is Bobby Carpenter, and that's not helping him too much. It's crazy to think that, and I hate that he acts that way."
At the time, Jason Witten was blamed as the 'snitch', which was illogical considering the quote.
No. 94 Ware Wants New Deal To Match Uniform Number
DeMarcus Ware remains patient because he fully expects a contract extension with the Cowboys to be completed before the start of the season.
Colts Re-Sign Freddy Keiaho
The Indianapolis Colts reportedly have re-signed linebacker Freddy Keiaho.
Favre To Minnesota Talk Will Continue Indefinitely
The only thing that will prevent Brett Favre from joining the Minnesota Vikings is his torn biceps.
Michael Mitchell Looking To Prove Raiders Right
Raiders safety Michael Mitchell, who was drafted with the 47th overall pick in last weekend's NFL Draft, is looking to prove his critics wrong.
Smith Is Confident NFLPA, NFL Will Agree On New CBA
New NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is confident that the Players Association and the league will come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Saints Release DT Hollis Thomas
The Saints have released veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas.
Eli Isn't Surprised Giants Didn't Land Big WR
Giants quarterback Eli Manning wasn't surprised that the team didn't end up swinging a major trade for a wide receiver like Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin this past weekend.
Detroit Receives Most Rookie Pool Money
The Lions, who had the first overall pick after finishing 2008 with an 0-16 record, received the most rookie pool allocation dollars.
Vick To Be Released From Prison May 20
Michael Vick will be released from federal prison camp in Leavenworth, Kan., to serve out the rest of his sentence in home confinement on May 20.
Rosenhaus: Edge Could Have New Team Soon
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic exchanged a few text messages with Drew Rosenhaus on Tuesday, and the agent doesn't believe that Edgerrin James will be a free agent long.
Raiders' Heyward-Bey Isn't Worried About Critics
Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey isn't worried about the critics that lambasted Oakland for taking him with the seventh overall pick.
Rod Smith Persuaded Titans To Take Britt
The Titans selected Rutgers wide receiver Kenny Britt in the first round of this past weekend's NFL Draft after he received a glowing recommendation from Rod Smith.
Drew Bennett Will Visit With Cleveland
Veteran wide receiver Drew Bennett will reportedly visit and workout for the Browns on Wednesday.
Bengals Agree To Terms With Texas WR Cosby
The Bengals have agreed to terms on a contract with former Texas wide receiver Quan Cosby.
Giants Had Trade In Place To Take Maclin
The Giants reportedly had a deal in place to move up to the 20th pick in order to take Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin.
Jets Release Favre
Brett Favre was released by the Jets on Tuesday night, making the QB a free agent if he decides to come out of retirement.
Sproles Signs Tender With Chargers
Darren Sproles, the Chargers? designated franchise player, signed the team?s one-year contract tender on Tuesday.
Cardinals Release Edgerrin James
The Arizona Cardinals, in an expected move, released RB Edgerrin James on Tuesday afternoon.
McNabb Blogs About Philly's Offseason Moves
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb discussed the team's offseason moves in a blog on Yardbarker.com on Tuesday morning.
Rams Passed On Maualuga Because Of Off-Field Woes
The Rams decided to take Ohio State's James Laurinaitis over USC's Rey Maualuga because of the latter's history of off-field woes.