Compiled by Arthur Arkush
April 18, 2008

Friday, April 18, 2008

Former Titans/Ravens QB Steve McNair, announcing Thursday his plans to retire after a very successful 13-year career, as quoted in The (Nashville) City Paper: “It was a hard decision but I think it’s a good decision. I'm always a team player first. Mentally, I could go out there and play. But physically, I just couldn’t do it anymore — not to the capacity that I need to help my teammates win a football game.” McNair added: “My career speaks for itself. I can reflect back on it and not change a thing. I played the game with a lot of passion and a lot of heart, and it showed over the course of my 13 years.”

Chiefs president Carl Peterson, confirming that DE Jared Allen has at least two teams (Tampa Bay and Minnesota) interested in acquiring last year’s NFL sack leader before the draft next weekend, as quoted on tampabay.com: "We will confirm that we have been in conversation with a few teams regarding the possibility of acquiring Jared Allen's contractual rights. Any potential agreement would be contingent on the Chiefs receiving appropriate compensation and Jared's representative reaching a contract agreement. Jared is not an exclusive franchise player. Therefore, based on the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, he has the right to visit and negotiate with other teams. … At this point, all of these discussions are preliminary."

Cardinals’ LB Karlos Dansby, quoted on azcentral.com after signing a one-year $8.065 million franchise tender Thursday: "Hey, I'm feeling good about it, to be honest. If it's not what I think I'm worth, then I'm not going to sign. Then, if they have to come down and tag me next year … they will have their hands full. They won't want to take that big a hit on their salary cap." Dansby continued by saying he believes his worth may be higher than former LB Calvin Pace, who signed a six-year deal with the Jets that included more than $20 million in bonuses: "I think mine might be a little bit higher. I think I bring more to the table than Calvin did. I can play outside, and I can play inside. Not taking anything away from Pace; he can play defensive end and he can play Sam (strong linebacker). Those are the two things he's good at. I think my value is pretty high, also."

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, unintentionally revealing his team’s plans to potentially draft a defensive player with the first overall pick in next weekend’s draft, as quoted in the Miami Herald: ''Of course I want guys who have great upside — this is the first pick in the draft. This guy is going to be, you hope he's a pillar of your defense for a long time. Of course you hope he's going to have upside. The economics to me …'' Ireland added this after realizing what he had just revealed: ''Pillar of your defense, your offense, your team. That's a Freudian slip.''

Giants GM Jerry Reese, quoted on nfl.com regarding DE Michael Strahan, and whether his decision on whether to return for a 16th season affects the team's draft plans: "Sooner is better for us, but it is not going to weigh any decisions on what we are going to do in the draft. We are going to try to draft good players in the draft whether Michael is here or not. If he decides to play, how long is he going to play?" Reese said. "Is it one year? Two years? Who knows if he decides to play how long he is going to play, so we will draft again just like if he is going to be here or if he is not going to be here."

Thursday, April 17, 2008

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, quoted on titansonline.com regarding the potential reinstatement of suspended CB Pacman Jones: "If he continues to conduct himself in a way that I think represents the NFL positively, I will consider reinstating him before the season. Whether he is going to be traded or not doesn't impact on my decision, on that basis. His representatives know that.'' Goodell added: "I think any time you can look into people's eyes and seeing how they say something, whether they are genuine in what they are saying. A lot of us can be scripted, a lot of us can be told, `These are the messages' and `This is what the commissioner wants to hear.' But I will ask questions and I will look for responses from him to see if he is genuine and if he's taking responsibility for what he's done. ... You can make a mistake, but you need to recover from that mistake, and you need to start to develop the resources and the understanding how to make better decisions going forward. And that's what I'm hoping for from Adam when I look him in the eye. I'll ask him questions and I'm hoping he'll be genuine and I'm hoping he'll conduct himself in the right way and I'm hoping we'll see him on the field again someday.''

Ravens new head coach John Harbaugh, quoted in the Baltimore Sun on his excitement to finally get things under way (the Ravens start their first three-day minicamp today): "We've been working the draft. We've been working the weight room. It's exciting just to work on football. I can't wait to be in front of that group being a football coach." Harbaugh continued when asked if he expected perfect attendance at the minicamp: "Probably not. Guys have obligations. ... I think we'll have the vast majority of them here. Guys are trying to work out their schedules. We're hopeful for every single guy."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, explaining his philosophy on draft day in regards to drafting value versus needs, as quoted in the Boston Herald: “It really does come back down to value. Just because you need a position and then take a player at that position and put his name up there on the board, once you get out there in August, or more importantly in November, and that player can’t actually perform that job or that position and play it the way you need it played, then you haven’t really accomplished much. That fill-in needs and draft grades the day after the draft don’t really mean anything. What really means something is a year or two down the road whether the player you’ve taken can do what you selected them to do, and if he can then that’s a good pick and if he can’t then it really isn’t. What we want to try to make sure is that we get the most value for our pick, and that’s a very inexact science. Sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong.”

Bills CEO Russ Brandon, reiterating the team’s stance that, despite his trade requests, QB J.P. Losman will be a Buffalo Bill when the 2008 season begins, as quoted in the Houston Chronicle: "J.P.'s on this roster and he's a part of this organization. And we anticipate J.P.'s going to be on this team. He's here, and that's how we're approaching it."

Agent Brian Mooney, who represents new Bronco WR Darrell Jackson, quoted in The Rocky Mountain News regarding his client’s new home in Denver: "I honestly think the only way this could be a better fit is if Darrell's first name was Brandon.Then you'd have three Brandons. Mooney went on to say: “In the end, I think Darrell will be the No. 2, but he doesn't take anything for granted. I expect the Denver fans will see the real Darrell this fall."

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Broncos LB D.J. Williams, quoted in The Rocky Mountain News on the sacrifices he has made switching back and forth between inside and outside linebacker in his first four years in the league: "Sometimes you do things that are best for the team and it's not best for you. I feel like if I played one position all four years, I could probably be the top guy at my position or one of the top guys at the weak-side position. Changing every year kind of stunts your growth. But at the same time, I've got knowledge." Williams added: "I already feel like a little knock-around guy, like hey, we can put him here, we can throw him there. But just as long as I was successful at the position. The only position I didn't like playing was 'Sam' (strong side). I hated 'Sam.' But the thing about that is I had the size to play 'Sam.' I enjoyed playing 'Mike' last year. I had fun. I thought I caught on well at the end."

Chargers GM A.J. Smith, disappointed in LB Stephen Cooper who was suspended Tuesday for the first four games of the 2008 season after testing positive for a banned substance, as quoted in The San Diego Union-Tribune: “It's very disappointing. Coop embarrassed himself, his family and the Chargers. He made a mistake and now he will move forward with his life. Some guys learn from their mistakes and others do not. I believe Stephen Cooper will learn from his and move forward in a very positive way.”

Falcons OT Todd Weiner, quoted on ajc.com regarding past perceptions about the Falcons and how they have a chance to change those this year: “The key word is that we’re all starting fresh, and things that happened in the past, perceptions and everything, are kind of thrown out the window until there’s something new out there. There’s always certain mentalities — some true, some not — about certain players, certain people. And until you really get to know them and see their everyday work ethic on the field, it’s hard to have a total perception.”

Eagles president Joe Banner, responding to reports that disgruntled CB Lito Sheppard will be traded before next weekend’s draft, as quoted in the Philadelphia Daily News: "We're going to have to see what happens with that. There is interest in him, and we'll just have to make a determination as to whether the best thing for the team is to move him or bring him back. Obviously, to this point, we've decided the best thing to do is keep him."

Bills head coach Dick Jauron, quoted in The Buffalo News on the first-ever regular-season game to be held in Canada between the Bills and Dolphins: “The bottom line is no matter where we play we’ve got to perform well and do everything we can to win the game. I’ve been in the National Football League long enough as a player and coach to understand a couple of things very well. One of them is I have no control over the schedule, where we play the game and when we play it. It’s a great privilege to play it anywhere.”

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Giants QB and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, quoted on Newsday.com responding to speculation that TE Jeremy Shockey will be traded before next week’s NFL draft: "I've learned in this league that you never know what might happen, but I hope he'll be a New York Giant next year." Manning continued: “We've been playing phone tag the last couple of weeks. Jeremy and I, we haven't reached our potential yet in the tandem we can become and the way we should be playing together. He's a tremendous player and you look at some of the games he had early in the year and some of the plays he had in those games to help us win and even make it into the playoffs, he's a big part of our offense and I think he knows that. I hope he knows that because he helps us out a lot."

Colts president Bill Polian, quick to offer praise for LSU DT Glenn Dorsey, as quoted on Star-Telegram.com: "I saw him last year at his best against Notre Dame when he was healthy, and he's a force. He can do it all. He can stop the run; he can rush the passer; he can beat you one-on-one. I'm not sure there are many people who can win a battle one-on-one against him in pass-protection."

New Buccaneers C Jeff Faine, who signed the richest contract for a center in NFL history, quoted in Florida Today on his excitement to be in Tampa and be reunited with QB Jeff Garcia: "I played with him in Cleveland. We're good friends and have stayed in touch this entire time. He was on the phone with me, right before I signed, just kind of egging me on a little bit. He's a competitor, and I enjoy playing with him. I'm looking forward to Tampa. It should be a good, competitive group."

New Falcons RB Michael Turner, disappointed to not be ready for the start of the first veteran’s minicamp of the spring (Turner is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery but expects to make a full recovery before training camp in July), as quoted in the Macon Telegraph: "Yeah, the first day, everybody wants to see what the big fuss is about. Now, you don't want to miss any day period, but especially not that first day … not when you're a new guy." Turner went on to discuss the challenges he and RB Jerious Norwood hope to provide opposing teams: "We're two different guys, two different styles of running. So you know that's always tough on a defense, they can't just prepare for one guy every week. That's something to throw them off their toes and keep them guessing a bit."

Monday, April 14, 2008

Cal WR DeSean Jackson, addressing the concerns of several NFL scouts who believe that Jackson is a selfish, "me" guy, as quoted on chicagobears.com: " 'Me' guy and selfish? I will never consider myself that. I got to Cal and at first we were losing. I only lost four games total in high school. It was just my competitive edge of adjusting and accepting that. Then doing something about it, which we did at Cal. I was benched for the start of the bowl game because I was late to a team meeting. I was working out with one of my teammates, left for practice, got stuck in traffic and was late. And was benched. That was not easy to accept, but I made the most of it. I am a competitor. That's what I bring to the football field. A very explosive, finesse route runner with great hands and ability to make people miss. Heart. The heart and will to score touchdowns."

Ravens TE Todd Heap, quoted in the Baltimore Sun in response to some critics that believe Heap suffers from a lack of toughness: "I'll be as strong as ever this year. I've heard that some people have questioned my toughness. I don't know who would do that."

Rams executive vice president of player personnel Billy Devaney, very complimentary of Boston College QB Matt Ryan, as quoted in STLtoday: "I like everything about the guy. The intangibles. … The leadership. The intelligence. Being a team guy. This guy has 'it.' Whatever it is to play that position, he's got it. I think this guy is going to be a heck of a player for a long time."  

Agent Worrick Robinson, whose clientele includes suspended CB “Pacman” Jones, quoted on Tennessean.com regarding the likelihood of a deal getting done this week that would send Jones to the Cowboys: "I think for both teams, it is important. It will give them a chance to set their draft boards and make adjustments. But both sides are savvy business people and they both have experience in these matters, and they are moving at their own pace. They are not going to let the pace of this be dictated by anyone else. … But the draft is going to influence everything.''

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, quoted in The News–Press regarding QB John Beck, and all the extra work Beck has put in during voluntary workouts thus far: "He really does do extra and has been doing it since the day we walked through the door. More importantly, we're trying to get the game to slow down for him. We haven't had as much opportunity as we'd have liked to spend time with him in the meeting room and the classroom right now. But we want to get the game to slow down for him when he gets out to the line of scrimmage. Make it as simple as we can."