Football Blog

NFL ALL-PRO AND FORMER BRONCO QUINTIN MIKELL TO VISIT BOISE
www.BroncoSports.com

BOISE, Idaho — Former Boise State University star and current Philadelphia Eagles starting safety Quintin Mikell will be in Boise this weekend making public appearances at two different events.

The first meet and greet with Mikell will be this Friday (Feb. 27) on the Boise State campus, with the other on Saturday (Feb. 28) at the Boise Towne Square Mall.  Both are free of charge to the public and provide a chance for autographs and pictures with one of the rising stars in the NFL, while also showing support for Bronco football by picking up the 2008 "No Off-Season" Commemorative DVD.

Friday’s event will be from Noon to 1:30 pm at the Bronco Stadium Shop located on the west side of Bronco Stadium near the Allen Noble Hall of Fame Gallery.  On Saturday, Mikell will be upstairs in front of the Blue and Orange Store at the Boise Towne Square Mall from Noon to 2:00 pm.  Bronco merchandise, including the "No Off-Season" DVD will be on sale, as will Quintin Mikell photographs.  All media are welcome to attend the events, and Mikell will be available for interviews on both days.

"I am truly looking forward to being in Boise and seeing all the fans. It’s a way for me to keep connected to a city and a program that has truly helped shape me," said Mikell.  "It’s going to be a great weekend of saying thank you to the Bronco fans and also being able to see for myself how far the Boise State program has come."

Mikell was one of the key building blocks in the national rise of Bronco football.  The four year starter (1999-2002) was a member of Boise State’s first Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly division I-A) conference championship and bowl team in 1999, and was the defensive leader on two other league title and Humanitarian Bowl championship teams in 2000 and 2002.

He earned Big West Conference Defensive Most Valuable Player honors in 2000 and was voted Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, the only Bronco player to earn league MVP honors in two different conferences.  His 401 career tackles ranks second all-time at Boise State, while his eight forced fumbles in 2002 set an NCAA record at the time and currently ranks second in college football single season history.

This past season was Mikell’s sixth with the Philadelphia Eagles, and first as a full-time starter.  He led the Eagles with 169 tackles, while ranking second on the team with four forced fumbles and three interceptions.  Mikell was rewarded for the breakout season by being voted second team All-Pro by the Associated Press, one of two former Broncos (along with Ryan Clady of the Denver Broncos) earning All-Pro recognition in 2008.

During the Eagles 2008 run to the NFC Championship game, Mikell made 26 total tackles in three playoff games.  He also picked off Giants quarterback Eli Manning to secure the 23-11 NFC Divisional Playoff win over New York.

"He’s a beast. He’s an animal. He’s just an old-school football player," said Eagle teammate and fellow defensive back Sheldon Brown.  "He’ll have a bloody nose, bloody mouth, you’re going to look at him and he’s going to line up again and bring it."

Mikell owns 318 career tackles and five interceptions on defense, while his 126 special teams tackles since 2003 leads the Eagle team.  His aggressive special teams play earned Mikell Philadelphia’s Special Teams MVP Award in 2005 and 2006, and a spot on Sports Illustarted’s Paul Zimmerman’s All-Pro Team as a special teamer in 2006.

Mikell originally signed with Boise State in February of 1998 out of Willamette High School in Salem, Oregon, red-shirting during the 1998 season.  After his stellar Bronco career ended, he joined the Eagles as a free agent in 2003, making the opening day roster and playing in at least 14 games every season since.

He completed his communications degree from Boise State in 2005.

Giants sign RB Jacobs to four-year, $25 million contract
Associated Press, NFL.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Less than two weeks after putting a franchise tag on him, the New York Giants signed bruising halfback Brandon Jacobs to a four-year, $25 million contract on Wednesday.

The signing came less than two days before the start of the NFL free agency period.

“I was confident all along that this was going to get done I didn’t panic one bit,” Jacobs said in a statement released by the team. “I know the reason we did it the way we did; I knew I was going to be here. I was super-confident and I am here. I’m happy about it.”

The deal includes $13 million in guarantees. Jacobs will earn $15 over the first two years.

Putting a franchise tag on Jacobs earlier this month guaranteed him a $6.6 million salary next season.

The 264-pound mainstay of the Giants’ running attack the past two seasons, Jacobs signed the deal on Wednesday after the two sides hammered out the agreement over the past week.

“This team is full of young talent,” he said. “We brought some great talent in here the last two years and those guys are still learning and getting better. Our offensive line is great and will continue to be great. There are a lot of young guys on our team that are still playing great, great football. I’m looking for big things out of our football team next year.”

Despite missing three games with a knee injury, Jacobs ran for 1,089 yards and a team-leading 15 touchdowns in helping the Giants win the NFC East last season. He also combined with fellow halfback Derrick Ward (1,025 yards) to make the Giants only the fifth team in NFL history with two 1,000-yard running backs.

Ward also became a free agent after this past season.

“Both parties are happy to get a long-term deal done,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “Now Brandon can totally concentrate on the offseason program and get himself ready to go this fall.”

If Jacobs he had remained a free agent, the Giants could have matched any offer made by another team or allow him to sign with that team in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Jacobs has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons, joining Joe Morris (1985-86), Rodney Hampton (1991-95) and Tiki Barber (2002-2006) as the team’s only backs to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

For those of you who haven’t had time to keep up on what is happening at the combine here are the results for the times for Receivers and Running Backs running the 40.

Wide Receivers
1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland — 4.30
2. Mike Wallace, Mississippi — 4.33
3. Johnny Knox, Abilene Christian — 4.34
4. Deon Butler, Penn State — 4.38
5. Mike Thomas, Arizona — 4.40
6. Tiquan Underwood, Rutgers — 4.41
7. Demetrius Byrd, LSU — 4.42
8. Louis Murphy, Florida — 4.43
9. Kenny McKinley, South Carolina — 4.44
10. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri — 4.45
11. Kevin Ogletree, Virginia — 4.45

Running Backs
1. Cedric Peerman, Virginia — 4.45
2. Ian Johnson, Boise State — 4.46
3. Kory Sheets, Purdue — 4.47
4. Andre Brown, North Carolina State — 4.49

Ian Johnson is one of the many talents being scouted at the Combine, and he’s not doing bad.

Ian looked impressive and took advantage of this opportunity to show NFL scouts and coaches what he is made of.

Ian had an impressive second fastest time, out of 32 running backs, in the 40 yard dash, running a 4.46. He also had the fourth fastest time in the 20 yard shuttle, tied for fourth in the 60 yard and eighth in the 3-cone drill.
Put up 225 lbs for 26 reps.

Ian will be back in Boise in March for the Broncos Pro day and yet another chance to show the NFL and everyone else what he is made of.

Ian is expected to be a second day selection at the NFL draft in April.

It has been confirmed by Bears Coach Lovie Smith that the Bears will be lead by Kyle Orton at QB next season.

Orton threw for 2,972 yards and 18 TD’s out of his 15 starts last season.

Now that they have a "QB" at least for now, the Bears need to add to the receiving game, Hester is solid but the Bears could use another strong receiver, get some height and some speed in the mix.

Then as long as Orton can deliver the Bears might turn next year into a great year for the Bears. Lets hope for the sake of Bears fans everywhere that Ortons the man and we can keep a QB around for a little while.

Teams looking for intangible that can’t be measured by drills
By Steve Wyche  |  NFL.com
Senior Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — The prospective NFL offensive linemen moved about the media circuit at the combine Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium following extensive medical workups. Most looked the part, strolling around in black sweats, meeting media that probed which teams the players will be meeting with before going through a multitude of drills in the coming days.

Yet, this whole circuit might not dictate much of what teams — especially those in desperate need — are looking for in an offensive lineman.

“Toughness,” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said about the main trait he wants in an offensive lineman.

Can’t measure that in a 40-yard dash or in drills where guys go at it in non-padded Under Armour gear. You can measure it, though, but it might take the insight of an offensive line coach, by nature, like Sparano.

“It’s OK to watch them against the best player, but I kind of like to watch them against people they should play well against and see maybe what they’re about,” Sparano said.

Manhandling the vulnerable measures a player’s focus, will and, maybe, his nasty streak — requirements that are mandatory in the NFL, where there are no patsies eager to make their mark by racking up quarterback sacks and tackles for lost yardage.

Sparano, along with members of Miami’s personnel staff, saw what he liked in Michigan tackle Jake Long and used the NFL draft’s No. 1 pick on him last season. Though a lot of other things fell in place, Long’s development at left tackle factored into the Dolphins advancing to the playoffs after winning just one game the season before he was drafted.

As a result, Miami will select 25th overall in April’s draft, long after most of the top offensive line prospects have been snatched up.

Tackles Andre Smith (Alabama), Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Jason Smith (Baylor) and Michael Oher (Mississippi) and centers Alex Mack (California) and Max Unger (Oregon) lead an offensive line group that is highly regarded for its depth and top-end talent, especially at tackle. The guard group isn’t viewed as spectacular, but solid players can be found (isn’t that what is always said about guards?).

“We coached in the Senior Bowl last year, and you had a pretty good idea about both (teams’) lines,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said about the offensive line prospects in the 2008 draft class. “This year, just going to the Senior Bowl and watching, I thought all these guys are going to be NFL players. I wasn’t sure about all those guys last year.”

Most of the teams in the top 10 of the draft need to upgrade their offensive lines with top-level players (St. Louis, Cincinnati and Jacksonville, especially), and some of them will. The run on tackles could start much earlier than last season, when six went in the top 19 picks. There might not be as many tackles selected, but the top four could be gone before the 15th selection.

The projected first-round picks among the offensive linemen have the size, footwork, strength and athleticism to be anchors for years. Yet, do they have that extra bit of heart that will let them overcome being whipped by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison on the previous play? Do they possess that extra toughness to move Albert Haynesworth back a yard at money time after being hammered for the better part of four quarters?

[Read More]

For those of you who don’t know, the Combine is like a job fair for players who want to be in the NFL. Players go through a series of drills, tests and interviews with more than 600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers and scouts.

The Combine started today and will go on over the next six days.

For more information go to www.nfl.com/combine

Watch the Combine Online here

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team will try to trade suspended quarterback Michael Vick, who is serving a 23-month sentence for his part in a dog-fighting ring.

"We feel a trade is the best move for the Falcons, and it’s also in the best interest of Michael," Dimitroff said on the team’s website.

"This has been a really unique situation from a variety of standpoints and because we will actively be involved in a trade situation, I don’t envision our organization speaking any more about this subject publicly until it’s reached a resolution."

Vick signed a 10-year, $130-million contract in 2004. The NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay on Aug. 24, 2007, and Commissioner Roger Goodell called the dog-fighting operation "cruel and reprehensible."

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Courtesy: Staff

BOISE, Idaho - Former Boise State running back Ian Johnson will make a promotional appearance in Boise on Saturday February 14th. The event will offer an opportunity for fans to meet Ian as well get free autographs. Johnson will begin signing autographs at 10am on the upper level of the Boise Towne Square Mall outside of The Blue & Orange Store.

February 14th also will mark the official release of the Ian Johnson Commemorative Football. Each football is individually numbered, and only 250 were produced. It is available exclusively at The Blue & Orange Store. The 14th is also the release day for the 2008 Season in Review Bronco Football DVD.

IMPORTANT CROWD CONTROL INFORMATION
Due to expectations of a very large crowd, a limit of two autographs per person will be strictly enforced. Mall doors will open at 6am. Line will be closed once capacity is reached. It is possible the line will reach capacity before 10am.

ABOUT IAN JOHNSON
Ian Johnson recently completed his senior season at Boise State University and is now living in California training for the NFL Draft. Ian is the all time WAC rushing TD leader with 58 touchdowns. He rushed for 4,183 career yards and is best known for scoring the winning points in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. His #41 jersey is the best selling Boise State jersey of all time.

BRONCO VALENTINE’S DAY “SWEETHEART OF A DEAL”
Courtesy: Boise State Sports Information

BOISE, Idaho — As an added benefit for those attending the Boise State University-Utah State University men’s basketball game this Saturday night (Feb. 14), key members of the 2008 WAC Champion Bronco Football team will be on hand pre-game meeting fans and signing autographs.

The "Sweetheart of a Deal" Valentines Night event is part of the launch weekend for the 2008 Bronco Football "No Off-Season" Commemorative DVD, which will be on sale at the event.

The football players will be signing autographs from 5:00-7:00 p.m., with the basketball game tipping at 7:05 p.m.  A ticket to the Utah State basketball game is needed as admission to the autograph event, which will be held in the Taco Bell Arena Auxiliary Gym.  Fans will use Entrance 3 of the Arena to enter the autograph event and game.  Adult tickets are $12 and youth tickets $5 to the game and can be purchased the night of the game or at any Select-A-Seat outlet leading up to the game.

Sixteen football players will be on hand for the autograph event, including graduating seniors Vinny Perretta and Mike T. Williams, as well as returning all-conference players Kellen Moore, Austin Pettis, Ryan Winterswyk, Kyle Wilson and Jeron Johnson.  Other players on hand will be Jeremy Avery, DJ Harper, Kyle Efaw, Richie Brockel, Billy Winn, Derrell Acrey, Brandyn Thompson, George Iloka and Kyle Brotzman.

ESPN.com

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon coach Mike Bellotti wants college football to have tougher penalties against unsportsmanlike conduct and dangerous hits.

Now it’s time to find out whether his coaching colleagues agree with his suggestions.

Bellotti, the NCAA football rules committee chairman, said Wednesday officials should eject more players for flagrant personal fouls, and agreed to seek input on whether some celebration penalties should be live-ball penalties, which could result in losing points.

While the ejections will be a point of emphasis next season, the celebration recommendation is not even a formal proposal yet.

"We’re going to poll the coaches and see if they support that [celebration change]," Bellotti said. "They may not."

Bellotti said the change was not likely to take affect for at least two years, and even if approved would likely apply only to players who begin taunting opponents before crossing the goal line. The penalty would be assessed from the spot of the foul, like offensive holding calls in college football.

Teams would not be penalized, Bellotti said, for a group celebration after the score because the NCAA wants to emphasize the team concept, not individuals.

Then again, the committee may not have to do anything.

"That would be a huge change, so we want to give it time to soak out there," said Rogers Redding, the SEC coordinator of officials. "We may change behaviors just because we’re talking about it."

Other proposals include a revised statement on sportsmanship that could lead to harsher penalties.

The edited version would make coaches responsible for player behavior before, during and after games. If there are repeated infractions, a coach and school could be disciplined by conference officials.

None of the proposals will become official until they are passed by the oversight committee next month.

Bellotti also wants officials to have more leeway in ejecting players for flagrant personal fouls. Those calls would also trigger an automatic review by conference officials.

"We believe, in some cases, that players must be penalized more severely when the contact is clearly flagrant and dangerous," Bellotti said.

Another change would limit the protective area for punters.

That is a reaction to the trendy rugby style kicks, a tactic in which punters move several steps before kicking the ball on the run. If adopted, opponents could not be called for roughing or running into the kicker if the punter is outside the tackle box.

Game clock and time issues that have dominated rules meetings in recent years were not major topics this week.

"There was consensus approval by coaches on all levels on the clock discussions," Bellotti said. "I think the clock rules worked out as we thought they would. It may have cost teams four or five plays per game, but that’s what we were expecting."

The committee also approved a provision allowing both teams to wear colored jerseys in games when there is a clear contrast in color and only if both teams agrees. The agreement is also subject to conference approval.

If there is not an agreement, the visiting team would wear white jerseys.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Broncos promote Xanders to GM, fire two front office executives

Associated Press

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Brian Xanders, who begged every NFL team for a job after graduating from Florida State, was promoted to general manager of the Denver Broncos on Thursday.

Xanders, a former walk-on middle linebacker, joined the Broncos on May 5 after 14 seasons in the Atlanta Falcons organization. He served as assistant general manager in Denver along with Jeff Goodman, whose father, Jim, was the Broncos’ vice president of football operations.

Both the Goodmans were fired when Xanders was promoted.

When owner Pat Bowlen fired coach Mike Shanahan on Dec. 30, he decided not to give his new coach as much power and said he would search for a general manager after finding his new coach.

Upon hiring Josh McDaniels as Shanahan’s replacement, Bowlen said his GM was already in house — presumably Jim Goodman. But Bowlen changed his mind and decided Xanders was the man best suited to lead the Broncos back to the postseason after three straight seasons out of the playoffs and just one playoff victory in the decade since Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway’s retirement.

"In evaluating the work of our football operations department over the past several weeks, it has become clear to me that Brian Xanders is the right person to step into our general manager’s job," Bowlen said in a statement. "I am confident he will work in tandem with head coach Josh McDaniels to re-establish our football team at the level we desire."

Xanders, 38, didn’t immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press but said in a statement that his promotion was bittersweet: "This appointment comes with unfortunate circumstances as I have enjoyed working with Jim and Jeff over the last year. Nevertheless, I am humbled by this opportunity and accept it as a great challenge on behalf of our fans, our community, Mr. Bowlen and the organization.

"I am excited to work together with Coach McDaniels and put our collective resources into winning football games."

McDaniels thanked the Goodmans for their contributions and said he was excited for Xanders and looked forward to "working with him hand-in-hand well into the future."

Xanders, who negotiated some of Denver’s bigger contracts last season, is now in charge of all player personnel issues, including college scouting, pro personnel and labor negotiations with the Broncos.

Xanders graduated from Florida State with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in business administration. He was on four bowl-winning teams with Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles.

In 14 seasons in Atlanta, he worked with the Falcons in a variety of capacities, including player personnel, coaching, salary cap management, information technology and business management.

Xanders said in an interview with The AP last year that he sent resumes to every NFL team and was rejected at least three times by all of them until finally landing a job for $19,000 a year working as assistant general manager at the Falcons Sports Complex, a sports health club that was open to the public and his ticket to the NFL.

"I was changing light bulbs, scrubbing toilets and cleaning racquetball courts, and then they made me GM three months later of the Falcons Sports Complex," Xanders said.

Two years later, he taught himself databases and began working in information technology by day and helping the coaching staff put together tape in the night. That led to a job as the Falcons’ defensive quality control assistant in 1997. He was a member of the Falcons’ coaching staff on their 1998 Super Bowl team, which lost to the Broncos.

Shanahan hired Xanders last year to assist the Goodmans in the front office following the firing of GM Ted Sundquist.

Asked if he aspired one day to be a general manager of an NFL team, Xanders told The AP: "I just want to win. That’s first. I’m just fortunate to be here and have that opportunity to win. That’s what’s primary for me. I have high expectations for the team. Down the road, whatever happens, happens."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Most NFL teams may not have yet felt any financial pressures with a declining economy as of yet, but there are definite signs that they are starting to be effected. Teams are starting to freeze tickets prices for the upcoming season, in attempts to encourage fans to still buy tickets and offering more payment options and extended payment deadlines.

So could NFL teams be starting to feel the economic pressure?

      Besides freezing prices teams are cutting staff, for example the Browns laid off over a dozen staff members recently. There is the possibility that some NFL teams may be headed to a possible work stoppage in 2010, as they attempt to get payroll and financial issues under control.

      To be honest maybe the NFL as a whole should step back and look at the ridiculous amount of money everyone is making, not only the players but corporate execs and employees. But yes mainly the players, many NFL stars are way over paid and that’s not just my opinion, there is no reason for paying a player multi millions. You can make more than a decent living on a salary under a million dollars a year, even $250,000 is more than enough money to make a great living.

As it turns out the Chicago Bears are not the only team Freezing ticket prices, I found out today that the Cleveland Browns will be following suit and freezing ticket prices for 2009 as well. This could be the start to a new trend for many NFL teams, as the economy is still in a downward spiral, freezing tickets prices might encourage fans to still buy tickets for the 2009 season.

The Browns now have the second lowest ticket prices in the NFL, this could be partially due to the economy and partially due to last seasons poor performance. No matter what the cause at least Browns fans don’t have to worry about tickets costing more in 2009.

Brett Favre may be done for good this time. Rumor has it the 39 year old Hall of Fame quarterback is done after 18 seasons of rocket launching passes. Favre is by far one of the NFL’s greatest and definitely had an amazing career.

He had one season with the Jets in which was a little disappointing after not making the playoffs but neither the Jets or Favre had anything bad to say about one another. New York does not expect him to change his mind and  will move forward with a new quarterback, whether that will be Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff, Erik Ainge or perhaps a veteran free agent such as Jeff Garcia, Kerry Collins, Byron Leftwich or Rex Grossman.

Jones’ Cowboys days come to an end after one season
Associated Press, NFL.com

IRVING, Texas — Troubled cornerback Adam Jones became a free agent Monday after being released by the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys said last month that they planned to release Jones, but Monday was the first day that NFL teams could make waiver requests.

The NFL gave Jones a six-game suspension after he was involved in an alcohol-related scuffle with a team-provided bodyguard in October at a Dallas hotel.

Jones came to Dallas after being suspended for the entire 2007 season following multiple off-field incidents while with the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys acquired Jones, a former first-round draft pick, in an April trade, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cleared the cornerback to play for Dallas at the end of the preseason.

Expected to give the Cowboys a boost on defense and special teams, Jones had 31 tackles and no interceptions in his nine games (six starts). He averaged just 4.5 yards on his 21 punt returns, with a long of 18 yards.

Before coming to Dallas, Jones was arrested six times and involved in 12 instances requiring police intervention after the Titans drafted him in the first round in 2005.

The Cowboys traded for him anyway, despite the 2007 suspension.

But on Oct. 7, Jones got into the incident with the bodyguard and was suspended again. Jones missed a seventh game later in the season with an injury.

Jones, 25, spent part of his time away from football taking part in an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Tennessee received a fourth-round draft pick in the April trade. The Titans also were supposed to get a sixth-rounder next year, but because Jones was suspended again, the Cowboys instead will receive a fifth-round pick this year.

A call placed to Worrick Robinson, Jones’ Nashville, Tenn.-based attorney, wasn’t immediately returned Monday night.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press