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Email Update 7/9/02 Volume 3 Issue # 25
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Darnay Scott Released
2. Shaun Alexander not Quitting
3. Jabar Gaffney may be headed for a huge season with the Texans
4. Packer FB Najeh Davenport arrested in Miami
5. Patriots claim Ex-Jet Cornerback Tony Scott
6. Tony Gonzalez makes cut, on Heat's summer team
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Darnay Scott Released
Clipped from the ESPN article:
The Bengals have released wide receiver Darnay Scott, saving $3.2
million under the salary cap now that they have picked up free agent
receiver Michael Westbrook, ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reported.
Scott has skipped the Bengals' offseason workouts and has had a
contentious relationship with the team.
ESPN.com's John Clayton reports the team is listing Scott on the
wavier wire under "failed physical," but that Scott's agent, Rocky
Arceneaux, says Scott simply was not around to take the exit physical
and does not have any physical problems.
Arceneaux says Scott had some shin splint problems earlier this
offseason but is healthy now. Scott has been working out on his own
in the St. Louis area this offseason.
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
This was obviously going to happen. After the Bengals signed
Westbrook, they clearly did not need Scott. They took a hard line
stance early saying they wanted Scott to take a significant pay cut
to remain a Bengal. Scott passed. Scott will likely end up
somewhere this season, but will need to first demonstrate he is
healthy.
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Shaun Alexander not Quitting
Clipped from the Seattle Times:
Admitting that his sense of humor can be misleading, Shaun Alexander
dispelled rumors that have sprung up around the NFL insisting that
the Seahawks running back would quit his football job and join the
Rev. Billy Graham's ministry.
The misunderstanding arose two weeks ago when Alexander attended a
Graham revival. During a recent interview with a sports radio host in
Cincinnati, he was asked if he would consider immediately joining
Graham's ministry, to which Alexander replied: "No comment."
The noncommittal response sparked rumors on a few Internet fan sites
indicating that Alexander would skip his third season with the
Seahawks.
The idea might seem bizarre, but there is precedence for this type of
behavior. Two months ago, safety Pat Tillman declined to re-sign with
the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army.
The reports involving Alexander, however, are false, he said
yesterday.
"I plan to be in camp and do what God tells me to do," Alexander
said, referring to Seattle's training camp, which begins July 28 at
Eastern Washington University. "At this time, God wants me to play
for the Seahawks."
Alexander said he might pursue a career in the ministry when his
football days are over.
"It's crazy how rumors get started," he said. "I really wasn't trying
to be funny or anything. I just told the guy, 'No comment,' and from
those two words I'm supposed to be quitting. Nah, I'm not quitting.
This is where I'm supposed to be right now."
For the next three days, Alexander and teammate Shawn Springs are
hosting a football camp for youths at the playfield next to Garfield
High School. As many as 50 campers participated yesterday in the
drills and received instruction from Seahawks receiver Alex Bannister
and defensive lineman John Hilliard.
"I'm into helping children and creating an opportunity for kids that
I didn't have when I was growing up," Springs said a few weeks
ago. "With this camp, that's what we're doing."
Proceeds from the Shawn & Shaun Football Camp will benefit the
Springs for Life Foundation and the Shaun Alexander Family Foundation.
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
No real news here, but since rumors can spread fast we thought it was
wise to squelch this one. We remain very high on Shaun Alexander and
expect a tremendous season from him in Seattle.
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Jabar Gaffney may be headed for a huge season with the Texans
Clipped from an ESPN.com article by Len Pasquarelli, 7/8/02
"There were three wide receivers selected ahead of Jabar Gaffney
in the 2002 draft and one of them, Donte Stallworth of the New
Orleans Saints, already is being touted as a rookie of the year
candidate based just on his springtime practices.
Yet there is reason to suggest that Gaffney, the former University of
Florida star and the first prospect chosen in the second round, could
be the most productive of all the rookie wide receivers this season.
The evidence in such a guesstimate is based on his individual
talents, familiarity with a sophisticated passing game, family
bloodlines and, maybe most essential, the fact Gaffney was chosen by
the expansion Houston Texans.
That last component is not to be overlooked, since Gaffney could have
a much easier road earning playing time than the three wide receivers
chosen in the first round.
"Everybody here is new, starting off at the same spot, so there's
some (parity) of sorts," Gaffney noted last month. "The veterans
always have an edge, of course, but the coaches will play the best
people. And I'm going to work hard to earn their respect."
� the Texans offensive depth chart remains a bit unsettled just
two weeks before their inaugural camp commences and the competition
facing Gaffney is not daunting.
The most experienced receiver, former Baltimore Ravens star Jermaine
Lewis, has 16 touchdown catches in his career, but only three since
1998, and has been utilized more as a return specialist the last
several seasons. Free agent-acquisition Corey Bradford is the
consummate tease, a physical and acrobatic receiver capable of making
the tough catch, but a guy who seems to always be injured in even-
numbered years, which might not bode well for 2002. Tony Simmons,
Avion Black and Trevor Insley are largely untested.
The shortage long-ball threats is indicative of a Texans offense
that, even with the presence of highly respected coordinator Chris
Palmer, might struggle to score points in its maiden season. None of
the tights ends on the roster, for instance, has more than one
touchdown catch. Tailbacks James Allen and Travis Prentice have
combined for only 13 rushing touchdowns. His poise and maturity
aside, David Carr will be subject to the same kinds of problems that
plague every rookie quarterback.
In such an environment the well-trained Gaffney, tutored by his
father and Steve Spurrier on the nuances wide receiver position,
should have an instant opportunity to become the "go to" guy for
Carr, and a chance to make an immediate impact as a rookie. During
the spring practices, Houston coaches observed the beginnings of a
synergy between Gaffney and Carr, and the two have worked hours
together on their timing.
Noted Carr after a recent minicamp session: "Coming from (Florida),
he understands the passing game well, and he's a very smooth
receiver. The guy really is a natural."
Then again, given that Gaffney was learning basic pass routes before
he could walk, some things are simply second nature to him. His
father, Derrick Gaffney, is a onetime Gators star who played 10
seasons and 100 games at wide receiver for the New York Jets (1978-
87). Derrick Gaffney's three brothers, including former quarterback
Don Gaffney, all are onetime University of Florida players. Derrick's
cousin, cornerback Lito Sheppard, was the first-round choice of the
Philadelphia Eagles this year.
Jabar Gaffney's first toy, placed in his crib at birth, was a
football. At age 4, he ran pass routes, mapped out by his father in
the backyard of the family's Jacksonville home. When he was older,
Gaffney played against kids two or three years his senior at the
city's famed Scott Park, a stretch of open green where NFL stars like
LeRoy Butler polished their games. Gaffney even spent time breaking
down videotape of his father's NFL games.
He learned, through hundreds of daily repetitions, how to run precise
patterns, how to explode in and out of a move, how to cut without
throttling down.
"He's been doing it so long," Sheppard said, "it's like he can run
(routes) in his sleep. He was just meant to be a wide receiver, you
know? He was always in the fast lane."
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
Definitely a situation to keep an eye on in training camp. If Gaffney
overcomes the usual rookie struggles to learn an NFL offense (and it
sounds like he may have the tools to do so), he could be an absolute
steal in the late rounds of your draft.
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Najeh Davenport arrested in Miami
Clipped from an AP newstory by Sabra Ayres on www.sportserver.com
Packers fullback Najeh Davenport was arrested Monday, accused of
breaking into a university dormitory and defecating in a woman's
closet.
Davenport, 23, surrendered to police Monday and was charged with a
second-degree felony count of burglary and a misdemeanor count of
criminal mischief, said Richard Master, a Miami Shores police
spokesman.
The former University of Miami player was wanted on a warrant issued
in April. He was released Monday from a Miami-Dade County jail after
posting a $6,500 bond. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to
15 years in prison.
"This whole thing is a misunderstanding. Najeh had nothing to do with
the situation," said Richard Sharpstein, Davenport's attorney.
According to police, Davenport crept into a dorm room at Barry
University around 6 a.m. on April 1. A woman sleeping in the room,
Mary McCarthy, told police she was startled by a strange sound and
saw Davenport squatting in her closet. Davenport then allegedly
defecated in a laundry basket, McCarthy told detectives.
McCarthy told police she didn't know Davenport. Campus security
identified the football player from a picture in the University of
Miami yearbook.
Sharpstein said he was confident authorities would drop the charges
against his client.
The 6-foot-2, 248-pound Davenport was selected by the Packers in the
fourth round of the NFL draft.
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
Sure hope this isn't actually connected to Davenport. It's
disgusting behavior, on many levels, to say the least. Those of you
with rookie drafts who might have been considering Davenport should
rethink spending any pick on him until this charge is dealt with by
the legal system.
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Patriots claim Ex-Jet Cornerback Tony Scott
Clipped from the AP story at www.sportserver.com , 7/8/02
The New England Patriots claimed cornerback Tony Scott off waivers
from the New York Jets on Monday.
Scott, drafted in the sixth round out of North Carolina State in
2000, played in 16 games as a rookie and nine games, mostly on
special teams, last season. Scott had his first interception in 2000
against Miami.
Scott becomes the fourth player picked up from the Jets since the
Patriots won the Super Bowl. The others are safety Chris Hayes and
defensive linemen Steve Martin and Rick Lyle, who were free agents.
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
The Patriots continue to make moves that improve their D/ST in the
2002 off-season. The first Super Bowl champ in recent memory to
actually get stronger in the off-season due to free agent
acquisitions.
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Tony Gonzalez makes cut, on Heat's summer team
Clipped from an AP story on ESPN.com, 7/8/02
There's no running with the ball and tackling is forbidden, but
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez impressed the Miami Heat
enough to make the team's first summer league camp.
Gonzalez completed his first week of practice Monday, graduating to
summer camp starting Tuesday in Orlando.
''He would have made our team if he was just another guy, so why
would you cut him just because he's a football player?'' assistant
coach Stan Van Gundy said. ''He earned his way, plain and simple.''
A Pro Bowl tight end, Gonzalez is demanding that the Chiefs pay him
as a wide receiver and not a tight end, one of the lowest-paid
positions in the NFL.
In three years of college basketball at California, Gonzalez averaged
6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game as a forward. He has said he will
not give up football, but is serious about playing for the Heat.
''I had a pretty good camp,'' Gonzalez said. ''I did what I wanted to
do out here. These guys gave me a chance and hopefully I was able to
come out here and prove that I could do it.''
Gonzalez was one of 14 players in Miami trying out for the summer
team with the hopes of landing a roster spot.
At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he was dwarfed on the court but looked
capable while running drills.
Van Gundy said no one was cut from the summer camp roster this week
because of injuries plaguing the entire squad. The campers will now
be playing games every day during the five-day camp.
Cuts are possible before the Heat's second summer camp on July 16.
Gonzalez said he hoped to be playing next week but was realistic.
''I'm not trying to go out there and start,'' Gonzalez said. ''I'm
not trying to go out there and even back up the starter. I'm just
trying to go out there and back up the backup ... that's just
realistic.''
[[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]]
Gonzalez's NBA flirtation, combined with the signing of all-NFLE
tight end Tony Collins on Friday, July 5th by the Chiefs to a two
year contract, is setting the stage for a possibly nasty
confrontation over Gonzalez's contract demands. Who knows when,
or if, Gonzalez will be in camp? Stay tuned, this one could get ugly
fast, folks.
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That's all for today,
David Dodds
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