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Filed under: Seahawks

Even after “The Blind Side” came out, left tackles are not household names. If they were, Walter Jones would be just as famous as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

But the best left tackle of his generation quietly retired on Thursday. When a knee injury effectively ended his career in 2008, Jones was still one of the top left tackles in the league.

But Jones could never be truly famous: even the Seahawks’ tribute video for him lacks the drama of a Barry Sanders or Brett Favre highlight video. It’s just hard to truly illustrate Jones’ dominance by showing him absorbing blows as the perfect pass blocking left tackle.

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Filed under: Eagles, NFL Quarterbacks

The Eagles are doing what they can to take any heat off new starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. Philadelphia gave Kolb a one-year contract extension through 2011 on Thursday, with the extra year being worth a reported $12.26 million guaranteed.

“It does feel very special. I don’t think it’s just because now I’m the starter, I think everybody can kind of sense that there’s this united feeling between everybody,” Kolb said at a press conference announcing the extension. “We’re all kind of young, and even though we haven’t hit the field together yet as a core group, you can just kind of sense that, hey man, we have this energy that we’re just going to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong

According to Scout.com’s Adam Caplan, Kolb’s 2011 deal comes with a $10.7 million signing bonus — a perk that allowed the Eagles to work around the NFL’s “30 percent rule,” which limits a player from receiving a raise in base salary of more than 30 percent in the final capped year of a CBA. Kolb would have been an unrestricted free agent after the 2010 season without the extension.

“We’re happy to have Kevin under contract for the next two seasons,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said Thursday in a statement released by the team. “When given the chance, Kevin has proven to have good command of this offense and we’re looking forward to having him operate as the number one quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.”

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Filed under: NFL Draft, NFL Analysis, NFL Labor Negotiations

The NFL is finding it easy to rally support for its idea of a rookie wage scale. The latest example of rookie salaries run amok is JaMarcus Russell, who’s earned $39 million from the Raiders over the past three years to do little besides eat and throw interceptions, and who now may be on the verge of being released.

The league can point to Russell and say, “See? It’s ridiculous that these No. 1 picks sign for so much money when we have no idea whether they’ll make it.” And the public agrees, as it always does with simplistic arguments. Even some veteran players say they agree, making rookie wages a potential wedge issue the league can use against the union in its collective bargaining negotiations.

Interestingly, though, after vociferously protesting the very idea of a rookie wage scale a year ago, the union is the side that has actually proposed one. A source familiar with the CBA talks gave FanHouse some details of the union’s idea, which it first floated in negotiations late last year, and gets to the heart of the question of whether the NFL really wants a rookie wage scale for the sake of fairness or just as an easy avenue for restricting salary growth.

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Filed under: Redskins, NFL Free Agency

If veteran experience proves to be the tipping point for the 2010 NFL season, the Washington Redskins could be in line for big things. The Redskins, who have have already added veterans like Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, Philip Buchanon and Rex Grossman this offseason, signed 38-year-old wide receiver Joey Galloway on Wednesday.

Galloway received a one year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the signing.

Washington will be the sixth stop during Galloway’s soon-to-be 17-year career. He spent part of last season in Pittsburgh but saw no game action, after playing in three games with New England. Galloway had four starts in 2008 with Tampa Bay — his time there Tampa did coincide with current Redskins general manager Bruce Allen’s time there, a fact that may have facilitated this move.

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The Eagles have given quarterback Kevin Kolb another vote of confidence, extending his contract by one year, the team announced Thursday.

Filed under: Steelers, NFL Injuries

Like most of you, I was disgusted when I heard what Ben Roethlisberger’s been up to this offseason. Apparently, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

Who knew it was all in his head?

It seems the four concussions Big Ben has suffered may have helped turn him into the Tommy Lee of quarterbacks. At least that’s a theory being thrown around by some medical experts.

“It’s conceivable to think that there is a possibility that those concussions have led to some behavioral issues,” forensic psychologist Cyril Wecht told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

I’m no forensic psychologist, and I know concussions can lead to depression, memory loss, emotional instability, cognitive impairment and sleep disorders.

I just have a hard time believing they made Roethlisberger seemingly want to sleep with every woman he meets. Years of observing brains of athletes make me conclude other factors played a much larger role.

Arrogance, coddling, groupies, immaturity, booze, a sense of entitlement, a lack of responsibility, the moral code of a hyena. That explains how an NFL quarterback ends up hitting the town in a “Drink Like a Champion” T-shirt a lot more than a few blows to the head.

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Filed under: Cowboys, Dolphins, NFL Draft

News leaked Tuesday that Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland (pictured) had asked Dez Bryant if his mother is a prostitute during an NFL Scouting Combine interview. Ireland apologized for the incident, saying that “My job is to find out as much information as possible about a player I’m considering drafting.”

Miami’s GM has come under fire for the inquiry, though, and Wednesday NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith released a statement about the incident.

“We need to make sure the men of this league are treated as businessmen,” Smith wrote. “During interviews, our players and prospective players should never be subjected to discrimination or degradation stemming from the biases or misconceptions held by team personnel. NFL teams cannot have the free reign to ask questions during the interview process which can be categorized as stereotyping or which may bring a personal insult to any player as a man. For the past year, active, former and incoming players have heard me speak about the expectations we have of them as members of this union, their teams, communities and families. It is equally true that the same kind of respect is demanded of their employers.”

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Filed under: Broncos, AFC West, NFL Injuries

In his second NFL season, Denver Broncos‘ left tackle Ryan Clady was dominant enough to find himself recognized as a first-team All-Pro. Heading into the 2010 season, the Broncos were likely counting the Boise State product to play a paramount role in protecting whichever quarterback — be it Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn or Tim Tebow — happens to be under center.

Now, it appears that plan may be in jeopardy.

According to the NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, Clady was injured playing basketball and tore his patella tendon — an injury that could sideline Clady through the start of the 2010 season. The Denver Post, which first reported that Clady had been hurt, cites multiple NFL sources confirming that Clady has already undergone surgery on the injured knee. There is no word yet on the extent of the tear, a variable that could determine how much time Clady ultimately misses.

The patella tendon is what attaches the knee-cap (patella) to the lower leg. Obviously, this is an important area for any football player, but with a left tackle who is expected to anchor his body into the ground for pass protection, not being able to put all his weight on one of his legs would hinder him to the point of becoming useless.

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Filed under: Cowboys, NFC East

Dallas Cowboys fans who pay great attention to their team have apparently discovered the team’s draft grade board because of camera access owner Jerry Jones gave to the team’s war room.

Bob Sturm of Sportsradio 1310, The Ticket has sorted through fan comments, consulted with contacts with the team and put together a list of the Cowboys’ draft board from the leaked pictures.

This isn’t the first time the Cowboys have done such a thing. Back in 2008, fans believed that a cameraman exposed the Cowboys’ ranking of defensive backs. Usually when cameras come into a team’s war room, they take care to cover up the board. I guess the Cowboys figure they are so good they don’t need to do that.

Be sure to check With Leather’s picture of Jerry Jones and the whiteboard, and Blogging The Boys who show a closeup shot.. Never underestimate the ingenuity of diehard fans.

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Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Jets, AFC East, AFC West, NFL Free Agency

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals say they have agreed to terms with free-agent offensive lineman Alan Faneca on a one-year contract.

Financial terms were not released Tuesday.

Faneca, a nine-time Pro Bowl starter at guard, was cut Saturday by the New York Jets. The 33-year-old Faneca played the last two seasons for the Jets and has 128 consecutive starts over the past eight years.

Faneca spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the first round out of Louisiana State in 1998.

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