Fantasy Football Team News

News: According to the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs are shopping Larry Johnson in hopes of acquiring more draft picks.

Views: A pretty stunning development and it could make for a very interesting scenario for teams as it relates to the draft. However, in my best guess, Johnson won't be moved.

Breaking News: A new collective bargaining agreement was passed late tonight by the owners of the NFL. Reports out of Dallas note that the salary cap for the 2006 season will be set at $104 million. The free agency period will start at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, March 10. The deal is set to run through 2012.

Updates to come

The New York Giants will be playing host to the home team, for perhaps the first time in history. The New Orleans Saints were scheduled to play a home game on Monday night in New Orleans, but with the effects of Hurricane Katrina that would not have been possible. As the media have reported, the Louisiana Superdome has been destroyed.

The Giants want to be fair to the Saints, so they are trying to make Giants Stadium, in East Rutherford, NJ, as home-like as possible. One end zone will be painted in the Saints' colors, something that the visiting team never gets to see during the regular season. In addition, various Saints signs will be placed across the stadium and presumably on the stadium walls.

The Red Cross will also be on hand Monday night inside the stadium. The Giants have agreed to match all donations raised in the stadium, and donate their share to the USA Freedom Corps, the task force set up by Former Presidents Bush and Clinton.

From all of us here at FIC, good luck with your fantasy league(s)! You can depend on FIC all-year long to stay on top of the stories that matter to you.

Have a great season.

On Sunday, during Giants training camp here in Albany, NY, the Giants and Jets got into a multi-player brawl that sent Jeremy Shockey to the ground.

The brawl was a long time developing, when all morning the two teams were hitting each other harder than the Giants like to do in practice. The Giants offense was practicing against the Jets defense, and some Jets players hit a little too hard for the Giants' comfort. Jets safety Kerry Rhodes sent Giants wide receiver Willie Ponder to the bench with bruised ribs. Linebacker Eric Barton knocked down Amani Toomer during a play. The tough hits led Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Jets coordinator Donnie Henderson to get into a yelling match.

"I was blocking somebody and I got shoved in the back, and the next thing I know, everybody's fighting," Giants' tight end Jeremy Shockey explained.

Actually, what happened to Shockey was that defensive backs Erik Coleman and Oliver Celestin ganged up on Shockey and brought him to the ground. Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma then jumped on top of the pile.

There will not be any suspensions or fines coming from the commissioner's office. However, that does not mean that the Jets or Giants will not fine some of the players involved in the altercation.

FIC will keep you posted.

One of the biggest stories of the NFL season came out just a few days ago. The San Francisco Forty Niners were left stumbling over themselves to try to explain how a "training" video containing racist, X-rated, and otherwise terrible material was allowed to not only be made, but be shown to players as well.

Jim Litke, a columnist with AP Sports, talked about the incident in a recent column. In the column, Litke said, "Teams coming off a 2-14 season are understandably reluctant to put out commemorative videos. So for the moment, this soft-porn classic is all that hard-core fans will have to remember the team by."

To me, it is an absolute shame that the team would stoop to this level in an effort to make players more equipped for dealing with the media. I have never had a problem with teams coaching their players on how to deal with the media, including encouraging them to keep team secrets a secret. What bothers me is the fact that videos like this are becomng a mainstream way of doing business in the NFL.

Need I remind you of the Monday Night Football pregame skit between Terrell Owens and the topless Nicolette Sheridan? Players like 49ers' safety Tony Parrish are defending the video, saying that it's the same type of humor that threw comedian Dave Chappelle into the spotlight.

Don't get me wrong, I do have a sense of humor and can sit down and laugh until my stomach hurts at some things that come up on "The Chappelle Show." But, what bothers me is when controversial entertainment crosses into business or professional lives. Granted, football players are entertainers, but the NFL has perhaps the greatest reach of any sports organization in the United States. All of us that frequent FIC know this fact. The 49ers know this fact, which is why they would never want a tape like this getting out to the public. The difference comes in when something like this isn't just aberration - it's a developing trend in the NFL.

Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime "slip." The ABC Monday Night Football skit. Lewd celebrations in the end zone after a touchdown (a la pretending to moon the people that keep you employed). And now, this tape. There are, undoubtedly, other instances or examples that I have failed to mention. But, my point is: what's next? If we begin to accept this from the teams in the NFL, what else will be forced down our throats?

Should we resign ourselves to the fact that the NFL is no longer going to be a sport that the nation's children can watch in peace? My point mirrors that of countless other journalists around the nation; if we become accepting of things like this, we will be forced to live with a new NFL, an NFL that is more about antics than pigskin.

The family of former professional football player Pat Tillman expressed deep disappointment with the Army in Monday's editions of The Washington Post.

Tillman's parents say that they are upset that the Army drew up a heroic tale of their son just to rouse a patriotic response from the country. In the interview with the Post, Pat's mother Mary Tillman said, "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting."

In the interview, Ms. Tillman also wonders how one of the most elite squads of soldiers America has to offer could have gunned down their most recognizable face at such a close range.

Tillman was originally thought to have been killed by enemy gunfire when he was on patrol in Afghanistan. Tillman and a few other troops were eventually separated from the rest of the convoy, and were later fired upon by their own comrades, who believed that they were enemies.

Tillman later received the Silver Star at a public memorial service. A few weeks after the service, the Army came clean to Tillman's family and told them that the investigation had come to the correct conclusion, but that the story was changed on the initial report.

Pat Tillman's parents, who are divorced, share the same disgusted views on the fact that the Army lied to them. His father, Patrick Tillman Sr. said, "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."

Mr. Tillman went on to say that he has resigned himself to the fact that he will probably never know what really happened on April 22, 2004. He says that the soldiers that killed him were never disciplined, and neither were the officers in command. "Pat's dead, and this isn't going to bring him back. But these guys should have been held up to scrutiny, right up the chain of command, and no one has," Mr. Tillman said.

The Army defended the report by saying that they simply "made mistakes." In the words of Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, "...The Army made mistakes in reporting circumstances of his death to the family. For these, we apologize. We cannot undo those early mistakes."

There was no comment in the Post story from Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers. Beevers was the U.S. Army spokesperson that had said Tillman was killed by enemy fire.

Pat Tillman was a poster boy for the Army Rangers, even though he didn't want any special treatment or recognition. Tillman was a star for the Arizona Cardinals, but he decided to give up a three-year, $3.6-million contract to go defend the country after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was stationed in Afghanistan to help in the search for Osama bin Laden.

Since the first day of training camp, Vikings' head coach Mike Tice promised that there would be a battle for the running back spot. The three big names: Michael Bennett, Onterrio Smith, and Mewelde Moore. Tice's comments to the media indicated a while back that the battle was really just between Bennett and Smith, with Moore serving as a backup "just in case."

On Saturday, the NFL announced that Smith would be serving a one-year suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Just one day later, on Sunday, Tice announced that Bennett would get the starting role.

Bennett is going to be the running back for long yardage situations, while Moe Williams will be in the game for short yardage or goal-line plays. If you are going to be looking for a Viking with high yardage potential, go with Bennett. For a running back with high TD potential, Williams will be your guy.

The Philadelphia Eagles' held their first mandatory minicamp practice on Friday. But, the big news was that they were doing so without four of their big name players: WR Terrell Owens, RB Brian Westbrook, DT Corey Simon, and WR Freddie Mitchell.

Terrell Owens has been expressing displeasure lately for not being offered a new contract. Last March, he signed a seven-year deal worth a reported $49 million. The Eagles have refused to renegotiate the blockbuster contract. Speaking about Terrell Owens, head coach Andy Reid said, "If he's here, he's here. If he's not, he's not."

Brian Westbrook failed to show up at all, presumably due to a contract dispute. The Eagles have asked Westbrook to sign a one-year, $1.43 million contract, something that he thinks is not long enough. He is looking for a new contract, but is going to have to sign some sort of deal by June 15.

Corey Simon has also asked for a longer contract than the one-year deal worth $5.13 million.

Andy Reid said that Freddie Mitchell was excused from the camp today, but that everyone else was supposed to be there.

Speaking about all of the players, including Owens, Reid said, "We have an understanding here that if you're not here, we move on without you... You don't worry about it. You take care of who is here and who wants to be here."

Owens helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl last year (just his first season in Philadelphia). Owens set team records last year with 14 touchdown receptions and seven 100-yard games. He also finished the season last year with 77 receptions for 1,200 yards. His season was prematurely cut short by a leg injury he sustained in Week 15, which kept him out until the Super Bowl.

After the Super Bowl, Owens threw QB Donovan McNabb under the bus by saying that by the end of the game McNabb was physically exhausted. "I wasn't even running until, like, two weeks before the game. But I made sure I was in the best shape possible." Referring to McNabb he said, "I wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl."

McNabb took offense to that and lashed back at Terrell Owens, in a professional manner. He said, "For whatever has been said, I don't play games in the media. If someone has a problem with me, they can call me or they know how to get in touch with me. That's the way to handle the situation. Don't try to throw names or guys under the bus to better yourself. You never heard me say any names in any situation. You never heard me talk about any given players. I'm the guy to be professional and be a man about things."

The past few months living in New York State have been chilly. But, despite the subfreezing temperatures, the debate is heating up over whether a new stadium should be built in New York City, probably for the NFL Jets.

Well, now the New York Jets may be one step closer to getting their new stadium. NFL owners will be meeting next week to talk about where the 2010 Super Bowl will be played. The new stadium, which is proposed for construction on the West Side of Manhattan, is one potential site for the owners. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the new stadium will likely be chosen for the Super Bowl, contingent only on if it actually gets constructed.

The TV commercials around here are expected to pick up in the coming months. We are being bombarded by commercials from people like Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, Senator Chuck Schumer, and others. The New York Jets are behind most of the ads which tell us New Yorkers to support the construction of the new stadium. Still, other groups are opposed to the stadium saying that it won't create any new jobs, and will be putting taxes to poor use.

If the Super Bowl site for 2010 is indeed this newly constructed stadium, part of the argument for the opposition is undermined. As I understand it, state taxes will be put toward this project, which is something that some "upstaters" (people in Upstate New York) are opposed to.

In addition to hosting the Super Bowl, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that he also hopes the stadium will be a great site for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition, he hopes the stadium will generate more than $200 million in economic activity for the state and almost $30 million in tax revenue.

In case you are wondering, the Super Bowl sites up through 2010 are Miami (2007) and Phoenix (2008). The location of the 2009 Super Bowl is currently between Miami, Tampa, Houston, and Atlanta.

So, where will the 2010 game be played? Will the Jets be able to play in a separate stadium than the worse off New York Giants? It's all up in the air right now. But, we'll keep you posted.

The Arizona Cardinals have just finalized the terms of a contract which will bring two-time MVP Kurt Warner to the team. The deal will throw about $4 million in Warner's pocket for a year of work. Warner is expected to sign the deal on Tuesday, which will put him with his third team in as many seasons.

Warner is hoping to turn around a team that has only had one winning season since 1988. It isn't set in stone yet that Warner will be the starting QB for the team. For that, the team is going to have him battle Josh McGown.

FIC Spin: That's all fun and hopes are high right now for Cardinals' fans. But, what does that mean for the fantasy team sports owner? Honestly, not a whole heck of a lot. Warner was a great quarterback (peaking in the 2000 Super Bowl as the MVP), but has since faded off drastically. He lost his starting job last season to a rookie who still has to prove why he is in the NFL - Eli Manning. We'll have to see if Warner surprises the world by becoming a dominant player in the league again. If I had to bet on it, I'd say that he'll fade off into the sunset.

The New York Jets are on their way home, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on to the next round. We start with the big stories from the game.

The nine-point underdog New York Jets looked about ready to roll over in the opening quarter of the game. The Steelers jumped out to an early 10-0 lead on a 45-yard field goal from Jeff Reed and a Jerome Bettis 3-yard TD run. The Jets were able to tie the score at 10 at halftime.

The New York Jets did not score an offensive touchdown in the game. In the second quarter, Santana Moss returned a punt 75 yards for an impressive TD. In the third quarter the Jets' Reggie Tounge returned a Ben Roethlisberger pass 85 yards for a TD.

Ben Roethlisberger played way below his par. His stat line looked the way many people expected Chad Pennington's to look: 17 completions on 30 attempts, 177 yards, with 2 INTs and 1 TD. The big concerns for the Steelers are that they don't get too comfortable in their own shoes and make sure Roethlisberger still knows that he is a rookie.

The Jets did everything in this game but pick up the win. The Jets' Doug Brien had a chance to put the Jets ahead with 1:58 remaining in the game, but missed a 47-yarder off of the bottom crossbar. Brien had yet another opportunity to take the lead with virtually no time remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Brien choked under the pressure and shanked the kick wide to the left. The Jets gave Brien two chances to win the game, and he missed both chances.

The Steelers were eventually able to hit a winning 33-yard field goal in overtime to give the team the win.

The big story from this game is that the Steelers looked anything but Super Bowl quality in Saturday's game. Ask anyone from the Jets' organization about the game and they will tell you that they should've had the win, and how disappointed they are. Even Doug Brien is admitting how much he let the team and its fans down by saying, "I'll be fine. I just feel bad for the guys that played so well, played so hard and came up short."

The Steelers need to regroup before moving on to next week's game. They will need Roethlisberger to work hard in practice this week and ensure that this rookie gets back to his veteran form.

Chad Pennington was forced to miss Wednesday's practice due to the stomach virus that is taking the country by storm, at least here in the Northeast. Up until Friday, Pennington was listed on the Jets' injury report as "probable." Pennington is now completely removed from the Jets' injury report, indicating that he will be getting the start. The Jets know that the only chance they have of winning is to have Pennington show up and play an outstanding game.

If Pennington's illness returns before the game, or if he injured during the game, the Jets have only a third string QB on which to fall back. Jets' backup QB Quincy Carter is not going to be available for the game on Saturday because he will be at home with his ill mother in Georgia. The only other option at QB besides Pennington is third stringer Brooks Bollinger, who has only appeared in one game with the Jets.

The Seattle Seahawks had a relatively good 2005 season, going 9-7 and taking the NFC West championship. After their disapponting loss to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs last week, two big changes have been made to the team's front office.

Bob Whislitt's title is now former president of football operations, after his dismissal on Friday.

Talking about Whislitt's termination, Seahawks owner Paul Allen said, "I decided to take a change of direction and bring in somebody with a deep background in football to run the football side of the organization."

Whislitt has a fairly impressive resume: Seahawks' president for eight years, hiring of Mike Holmgren as head coach, purchase of Qwest Field, and the former president and of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.

The Green Bay Packers were the source of the other shakeup in Seattle; Seattle's former Vice President Ted Thompson was hired by Green Bay as their new General Manager. The Packers had come under fire recently for letting head coach Mike Sherman double as the team's GM. (Sherman proved that he was an effective football coach, period.) Thompson is going to be taking over the GM office in Green Bay, which should lead to a more productive season next year for the Pack.

The Seahawks could be in rough shape for the 2006 season. The team has approximately 16 players eligible for free agency, including RB Shaun Alexander and QB Matt Hasselbeck.

The Seahawks better start working fast to ensure that the team doesn't begin to crumble as their players, coaches, and some management personnel leave for higher ground.

Earlier this month, the Associated Press named Marty Schottenheimer, 61, their 2004 NFL Coach of the Year. The San Diego Chargers have taken note of this fact and have awarded Schottenheimer with a two year contract extension. At the time of this release, there is no word on how much the contract is worth. However, Schottenheimer still has one year left on his four-year contract (signed in 2002), which pays him $2.5 million a season.

Last year the Chargers were the worst team in the NFL at 4-12. They flipped their record around, dramatically, this season to become to the AFC West Champions with a regular season record of 12-4. This season marks the first one in nine seasons that the Chargers were able to make the playoffs.

Last Saturday, the Chargers were overtaken by the New York Jets with a dramatic 20-17 overtime win.

Speaking about the extension, Schottenheimer said, "I appreciate the opportunity to continue to build on what we've achieved together over the past three years."

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting that Packers' President Bob Harlan will strip Mike Sherman of his current GM title as early as today. It is also believed that the Packers will offer the GM job to Seahawks VP of Football Operations Ted Thompson. Seattle would be powerless even though Thompson is under contract because he would be receiving a promotion to a position where he had total control of a football operation, which he does not have in Seattle.

The move is expected to be made because of the many front office blunders in the Sherman era including, drafting a punter with a 3rd round pick and benching him, not pursuing an experienced cornerback even when a trade of Mckenzie seemed imminent and firing defensive coordinator Ed Donnatell after the 2003 season without improving player personnel.

Sherman, who has one year left on his contract, will not receive an extension as coach unless the new GM thinks he is the right man. Sherman could opt out of his final year if he doesn't like the demotion.

The Packers are 53-27 in the regular-season under Sherman but have not made it past the NFC Divisional round since 1997.

This is a move that I believe has to be made. When Sherman fired Donnatell following the 2003 season, it was because the defense had to improve and become more aggressive. The lack of off season moves, losing their #1 cornerback and starting rookies in the secondary sent the defense into a further decline. With an offense as powerful as the Packers' is, not addressing the obvious hole with experienced, impact players seems inexcusable.

While Cornerbacks Ahmad Carroll and Joey Thomas were good picks in the NFL Draft last season, it was obvious they weren't going to be ready to contribute enough to fill Mckenzie's shoes in the near future.

The San Diego Chargers are due to host the New York Jets Saturday evening. They will be going into the game with an award-winning coach - Marty Schottenheimer. The Associated Press has named Schottenheimer as their 2004 NFL Coach of the Year.

Last year the Chargers finished the season with a laughable 4-12 record. The Chargers are the only ones laughing now, having gone 12-4 in the regular season. For his work, Schottenheimer received 27 1/2 of the 48 votes cast from a national panel of voters who cover the NFL.

Accepting the award, Schottenheimer said, "There is a great sense of satisfaction when you're able to get things going in the right direction."

FIC has learned that Saints head coach, Jim Haslett, will be kept on to coach next season. The word came from New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis, and ended months of speculation regarding Haslett's future with the organization.

Loomis told FOXSports.com, "He's the right guy to get us to the next level."

Loomis was reportedly upset with Haslett over the increased role Haslett was pushing for. Loomis felt as if his power as GM was threatened and, in return, threatened to let Haslett go. However, after intense discussions Haslett agreed to simply coach, as long as Loomis would work closer with Haslett.

The news came after the team finished the season 8-8, three games behind, the leaders of the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons.

If the New England Patriots get to the Super Bowl this season, they will have to do it without four-time Pro-Bowler Ty Law.

Back on October 31, the CB broke his foot, which set him out for the rest of the regular season. There was talk from October 31 up until Friday that Law might be able to get back into the swing of things by the postseason. Law's broken foot is still too fragile to allow him to play in the postseason, including, if his team gets that far, the Super Bowl.

News has also been circulating that DE Richard Seymour might not be able to play in the team's game next week against either Indianapolis (who plays on Sunday) or, if Indianapolis loses, the winner of the Jets/Chargers game. Seymour is currently nursing an injured knee, and hinted at the fact that if there were a game this Sunday, he would not be able to play.

So, a tough piece of news for the Patriots. Will they get back to the Super Bowl? I highly doubt it, especially if Seymour is not able to give his team a much-needed boost on the defensive side of the ball next week. I don't see the Patriots getting past their first game next week, with Seymour or without him.

With their 12-to-7 win over Dallas on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles clinched home field advantage for the playoffs. Head coach Andy Reid said, "We love playing here... I think it's tough on any opponent coming into Lincoln Financial Field and dealing with the fans. We're excited.''

On a very important side note, Terrell Owens was forced to leave the game after injuring his right ankle early on in the third quarter. X-rays taken on Sunday showed that there was no break in the bone, which the Eagles were very relieved to hear. However, "T.O." will be having an MRI on Monday to determine if there is any structural or ligament damage to the ankle.

Luckily for the Eagles, Owens has a couple weeks to rest before the playoffs begin. We'll keep you posted on the MRI results and when you can expect to see him back. It is fairly unlikely that he will play on Sunday, as there really is no need to risk further injury to the ankle this close to the playoffs.