The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq.

They kept thanking us, said the Tennessee Titans Jeff Fisher. We kept thanking them.

Fisher, the New York Giants Tom Coughlin, the Baltimore Ravens John Harbaugh, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour over the Fourth of July weekend.

A world they knew only through the distant glimpses of news reports turned very real for the coaches as they met with hundreds of soldiers in three cities in a long first day Thursday. In a phone interview from Baghdad, Cowher recalled talking to military members on their second or third deployment who described how much the bombs and casualties have decreased from several years ago.

The coaches wanted to know about the troops lives; the soldiers wanted to know about their favorite NFL teams. The coaches began the day meeting for about an hour with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. They all talked about the similarities between football and the military.

The whole concept is about trying to build a team based on trust, camaraderie, sacrifice, Cowher said. They can identify with our game.

Fisher was impressed by soldiers asking about some of the Titans backups and wondering how the draft picks are doing. He signed one servicewomans Mothers Day present from her husband: a Titans jersey with the name Mom and the No. 1.

There were so many Terrible Towels being waved that Cowher declared Iraq to be Steelers Nation.

After two days of travel, the coaches arrived in Iraq late Wednesday night. On Thursday they met with soldiers in Mosul, Kirkuk and Baghdad.

The NFL has been working with the USO to send players to visit troops overseas since 1966. Last year, commissioner Roger Goodell joined players on a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. In March, Jared Allen, Danny Clark, Larry Fitzgerald and Will Witherspoon spent 10 days traveling through Iraq and Kuwait.

But this is the first coaches trip.

Fisher has frequently taken his players to meet with soldiers from Fort Campbell, which is about an hour north of Nashville. When the commissioners office asked him to participate, he was told to think about it for a couple of weeks and get back to them.

I didnt think about it for more than a couple hours, he said.

Cowher fielded plenty of questions from the troops about whether hell coach again. But his thoughts were far from football at the end of the first of the trips three days.

Sometimes we worry too much about ourselves, he said, instead of about what kind of difference we can make in the big picture for other people.

Posted on July 4th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

July 22 - Signing period ends at 4 pm EDT for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender.

Aug. 9 - Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio.

Aug. 13-17 - First preseason weekend.

Sept. 1 - Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players.

Sept. 5 - Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players.

Sept. 10 - Season opener.

Oct. 12-13 - Fall owners meeting, Boston.

Oct. 20 - Trading deadline.

Jan. 9-10, 2010 - Wild card playoffs.

Jan. 16-17 - Divisional playoffs.

Jan. 24 - Conference championships.

Jan. 31 - Pro Bowl, Miami.

Feb. 7 - Super Bowl, Miami.

Feb. 24March 2 - NFL combine, Indianapolis.

March 5 - Free agency begins.

March 21-24 - Annual owners meeting, Orlando, Fla.

Posted on July 4th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

Suspended NFL star Michael Vick would keep one vehicle, one home and a large assortment of furniture and personal items if his creditors and the judge who rejected his previous bankruptcy plan approve a revised one filed Thursday.

The new plan also gives creditors a bigger cut of his future earnings but would still leave enough for Vick to live comfortably if he is able to resume his once-lucrative NFL career.

It would give Vick incentive to return to the NFL and take responsibility to pay his taxes and expenses, Vicks lawyers wrote in papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News. Thursday was the deadline for filing the plan.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Santoro has scheduled a hearing on the new proposal for July 31. Santoro in April dismissed Vicks first plan as unworkable and ordered a new one. He suggested at the time that Vick consider liquidating some of the vehicles and one of his two expensive Virginia homes.

Vick now plans to keep only a 2007 Infiniti SUV and the house in Hampton where he is serving the final two months of his nearly two-year sentence on home confinement. Vick pleaded guilty to operating a dogfighting ring in August 2007 and was suspended indefinitely by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He is scheduled to be released from federal custody July 20.

Goodell has said he will review Vicks status after he is released but has not given a specific timetable.

Unlike the previous plan, the new one would give creditors 10 percent of the first $750,000 a year Vick earns, ensuring that they will get part of his future paychecks even if he doesnt make it back into the NFL. The plan rejected by Santoro would have allowed Vick to keep the first $750,000.

Creditors would get a larger slice of any Vick income over that amount, ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent on a sliding scale. The 40 percent cut kicks in at an earnings level of more than $10 million, which at least initially would appear to be a stretch for a 29-year-old quarterback who hasnt played since the 2006 season.

In exchange for the bigger cuts of Vicks future earnings, a committee representing his unsecured creditors agreed to allow Vick to keep more furnishings, including items from a his Duluth, Ga., home that is being sold. The plan includes a detailed list of items, from a toaster to a Mrs. Pacman arcade game from the homes bar.

Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, once was the NFLs highest-paid player. Court papers show that he squandered a fortune on bad business deals and lavish spending. Vick listed assets of $16 million and liabilities of $20.4 million when he filed his Chapter 11 petition in July 2008.

Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

The NFL suspended Jets linebacker Calvin Pace for four games without pay Thursday for violating the leagues policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Pace will miss New Yorks first four games of the season and be eligible to return for the Monday night game at Miami on Oct. 12.

In a statement issued by the Jets, Pace said the ban is a result of him taking an over-the-counter dietary supplement that he was unaware violated the NFLs policy.

Pace, in his second season with the Jets, is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games. The suspension begins Sept. 5 and he can return to practice on Oct. 5, a day after New Yorks game at New Orleans.

I am responsible for what I put into my body and I should have paid closer attention to the leagues guidelines, Pace said. I regret that this has happened and apologize to my teammates, the entire Jets organization, as well as the fans. Hopefully, this does not distract from our ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.

The team also issued a statement: We respect the leagues decision and look forward to Calvins return for our Monday night game at Miami.

Pace started all 16 games at outside linebacker in Eric Manginis defense last season, and was expected to have a prominent role in new coach Rex Ryans aggressive 3-4 system.

He finished second on the team last season with a career-high seven sacks, and added 67 tackles, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. Pace signed a six-year, $42 million deal with New York last offseason that included a $20 million signing bonus. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who selected him with the 18th pick in the 2003 draft.

Second-year linebacker Vernon Gholston, who had a disappointing rookie season, is expected to fill in at one of the outside linebacker positions, opposite starter Bryan Thomas. Ryan repeatedly said he was excited at the progress made by the former Ohio State star during minicamp and offseason workouts. Marques Murrell and Jason Trusnik will also be options to fill in.

Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1,9 million.

Kevin Houser, cut Monday as the teams long snapper after eight years, said Thursday he and at least 26 others bought what they thought were state film industry tax credits from Louisiana Film Studios in suburban New Orleans. A state official, however, said the studio that offered the credits never applied for them.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of one of the proposals Thursday from a person whose client was approached with the offer. The person requested anonymity because the client had not given approval to discuss it. The proposal, titled Investment/Tax Credit Purchase Agreement, said the studio would repay the investors in the form of state infrastructure tax credits no later than March 31.

A list of investors accompanied the proposal - including their investment totals - and identified 27 people. The document put the total amount of investments at just under $1.9 million.

Among them are defensive lineman Charles Grant, with a $425,000 investment; Brees, $100,000; Payton, $144,000; former punter Mitch Berger, $250,000; and tight end Jeremy Shockey, $80,000.

Manning, Payton and Tom Condon, the agent for Brees, did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said the team would have no comment.

The news was first reported by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.

Houser, who said he invested $125,000, said investors were told if the credits were not delivered by March 31, the money would be returned to them. Houser said the money hasnt been returned by studio chief executive Wayne Read and demands for repayment have gone unanswered.

Read could not be reached for comment Thursday. His office said he was out of town. The studio chief told The Times-Picayune, in a story published Thursday, that the company was not selling tax credits but was taking money with a pledge to provide a return in the form of tax credits.

But the head of the state office that promotes film industry development in Louisiana and administers the program told the AP the studio didnt have the credits to offer in the first place - because it never applied for them.

They never submitted the required documents to receive tax credits, said Sherri McConnell, director of the Office of Entertainment Industry Development.

Read told the newspaper he is talking to other potential investors, and money raised from them would be used to return at least the original investments associated with the tax credits deal.

Houser said he absolutely felt he had been defrauded. But his involvement with Read and the film studio went beyond the investments, court documents show.

According to a lawsuit filed in state court in suburban Jefferson Parish, where both the studio and the Saints are based, 47 Construction Co., owned by Housers wife, Kristen, and a partner, Toni Wendel, claims Read has not paid the company $681,418 for renovation work done on the studio.

Houser said the companys operations were managed by his wife and her partner. I was considered to be the intern there, he said.

Asked if he felt Read had used him as a promoter of the credits, Houser said: We have done tax credits, both myself and my wife and other people around the state of Louisiana.

Despite involving other Saints in the deal, Houser said no one from the team had confronted him about the potential losses.

Everyone I spoke with that was involved was very supportive and very disappointed, but understood that my wife and myself were in the same position, he said.

When he was cut, Payton said they wanted to upgrade the position, Houser said.

Houser said law enforcement officials had contacted him about the investments, but he refused to identify the agency. McConnell said her office had not been contacted by investigators. Both the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans refused to confirm or deny any investigation Thursday.

Housers attorney, Rob Couhig, said he and Houser were discussing legal options.

He thought there was no question that there were tax credits out there, and they only had to go through certain formalities, Couhig said.

The plan for Louisiana Film Studios was to provide more than 500,000 square feet of space for movie sets, soundstages and other film production work, studio president Daniel Forman said during a March interview. Forman said plans called for six soundstages and work space for wardrobe, among other functions.

A person who answered the telephone at the studio Thursday said Forman was no longer employed by the company. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor and two partners were cleared Tuesday in a civil suit of reneging on a deal to buy a private island with sandy shoals and wind-swept grasses.

Taylor, who recently signed a $1.5 million, one-year contract to return to the Dolphins, and the partners were accused in the suit of breach of contract in 2004 to purchase Great St. James island, off St. Thomas east end.

The partners contended the seller misrepresented several aspects of deal, such as public beach access, so they were entitled not to go through with it.

Taylor told reporters he was pleased with the jurys decision. Ive been coming here for 10, 12 years - and theyve given me a reason to keep coming back here to enjoy it, he said, flashing a grin.

The jury also ruled that Taylor and his partners did not misrepresent terms of the deal to seller Christian Kjaer, who argued the trio broke the contract because they could not come up with $23.5 million needed for the closing.

Taylor played his first 11 NFL seasons with Miami before being traded a year ago to the Washington Redskins. He was released by Washington in March after one injury-filled season.

The 34-year-old will make $1.1 million in base salary and $400,000 in easy to reach incentives.

Posted on July 1st, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

The Jacksonville Jaguars have traded receiver Dennis Northcutt to the Detroit Lions for safety Gerald Alexander.

The deal was finalized Tuesday after both players passed physicals.

Northcutt gives the Lions a veteran receiver opposite rising star Calvin Johnson.

Alexander, a second-round pick in 2007, gives Jacksonville depth in the secondary. He started 16 games as a rookie, but missed most of last year following a neck injury.

Northcutt, who has 364 receptions for 4,584 yards and 17 touchdowns, has been projected to start this season. But Jacksonvilles three rookie receivers were impressive enough during offseason drills that Northcutt became expendable.

Posted on July 1st, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to terms on a four-year deal with second-round draft choice LeSean McCoy on Monday.

The running back from Pittsburgh, taken by Philadelphia with the 53rd overall selection, is the first second-round pick to sign, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Philadelphia has come to terms with seven of the eight members of its 2009 draft class. Only first-rounder Jeremy Maclin, a wide receiver from Missouri, has not agreed to a deal.

McCoy, who provides insurance behind the dynamic but injury prone Brian Westbrook, rushed for 2,816 yards and 35 TDs, and caught 65 passes for 549 yards and one score in two seasons at Pitt. He ran for 1,488 yards and 21 TDs last year.

Posted on June 30th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson is in no hurry to have his team play more than one annual regular-season game in Toronto.

Wilson told The Associated Press on Sunday hed prefer waiting two or three years to determine whether the northern experiment is a success before hed consider reworking the contract reached last year with Toronto-based Rogers Communications. The Bills are locked into playing five regular-season - one a year - and three preseason games in Toronto under the agreement which runs through 2012.

Rogers officials have expressed interest in adding at least one additional regular-season game a year, particularly if the NFL goes forward with a proposal to expand its regular-season schedule to 17 or 18 games.

Wilson said an expanded schedule wouldnt make a difference at this point.

Im sure they want another game. And who knows? Wilson said in an interview conducted at his home outside Detroit. I dont know whether theyll get another game or not. Well have to see how it works out up there.

The series kicked off last year to mixed results as the Bills became the NFLs first team to play annual regular-season games outside the United States.

High-priced tickets averaging just under $200 were considered a major reason why Toronto organizers experienced difficulty selling out Buffalos regular-season game against Miami on Dec. 7. There were also thousands of empty seats for Buffalos preseason game against Pittsburgh in August.

Organizers have already attempted addressed that concern by lowering prices by 17 percent, including pricing 11,000 tickets at less than $100. Last year, only 4,700 tickets were priced at under $100.

Another disappointment for the Bills was how the game lacked a home atmosphere. Aside from being played inside the domed Rogers Centre, rather than in the wintery outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium, there was also a large contingent of Dolphins fans in attendance for Miamis 16-3 win.

The Bills host another AFC East rival, the New York Jets, in this years game at Toronto,scheduled for Dec. 3. Buffalo is not scheduled to play a preseason game in Toronto until next summer.

The Bills were interested in playing in Toronto in a bid to expand their market and tap into the revenue-generating potential of Canadas largest city and financial capital. Toronto is considered part of the Bills market, and located about a 90-minute drive east of Buffalo.

The deal is already paying off for the Bills, who are getting $78 million - more than double their calculated 2006 operating income - to effectively lease their games to Toronto organizers.

The Toronto group was led by Rogers CEO and founder Ted Rogers, who died the week leading up to the Bills game against Miami. Rogers Communications, which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre, remains committed to the series following Ted Rogers death. Another member of the group is Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors.

Rogers and Tanenbaum were eager to use the eight-game series to show that Toronto and its regional population of about 5 million can support its own NFL franchise.

Bills fans have persistently expressed fears that the series is the first step in the permanent relocation of their small-market franchise.

Not so, Wilson reiterated Sunday.

Were doing this to keep the team (in Buffalo), Wilson said. I could see why people think that this is just the first step of moving the team. But they dont realize how difficult it is to compete against the Cowboys and all these new stadiums.

Though he didnt have the exact figures, Wilson said the team has noted a significant increase in Canadian-based fans purchasing season tickets this year.

Posted on June 29th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether the National Football League and its 32 teams can enter an exclusive licensing deal with a maker of team jerseys and other gear without violating federal antitrust law.

The court said it will hear an appeal from American Needle Inc., of Buffalo Grove, Ill., that challenges an agreement the NFL struck with Reebok International Ltd. American Needle had been one of many firms that manufactured NFL headwear until the league granted an exclusive contract to Reebok in 2001.

The NFL won the case in the federal appeals court in Chicago. But it also asked the Supreme Court to hear the case in a quest for a more sweeping decision that could put an end to what the league considers costly, frivolous antitrust lawsuits.

The case concerns whether the league is essentially a single entity that can act collectively or 32 distinct businesses that must be careful about running afoul of antitrust laws by working too closely together.

Other than Major League Baseball, which has an antitrust exemption dating to 1922, the other sports leagues have an intense interest in the case. The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League both asked the court to rule in favor of the NFL.

The case will be argued late this year or early in 2010.

The case is American Needle v. National Football League, 08-661.

Posted on June 29th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL football news | No Comments »