The Tiger Report: 08/31/11

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Troy Aikman still irked by Skip Bayless after more than 15 years

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 31, 2011, 7:30 PM EDT

Fifteen years ago, Skip Bayless wrote a book about the Dallas Cowboys called Hell Bent, and in that book Bayless delved into rumors that then-Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was gay.

Time has passed, but Aikman is still so upset with Bayless that he hinted in a recent radio interview that if he were ever to see Bayless again, he might take a swing at him.

“I will tell you this,” Aikman said on 1310 The Ticket, via the Dallas Morning News. “I’ve not seen — I’ve not physically seen Skip Bayless since that time. That was in ’95. And I still kind of wonder what I might do to him when I do see him.”

Asked whether he might have a physical confrontation if he saw Bayless, Aikman said, “Well, I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Aikman says it still irks him that Bayless used rumors about his personal life to help sell books.

“When a guy like that comes out and, whether it’s intimated or stated, and there’s no substance to that claim, and he’s doing it purely to gain interest in a book, that’s a problem,” Aikman said.

Aikman declined to take the high road in commenting about Bayless, saying, “I’m not so sure Skip’s not gay.” Aikman says he has never read Bayless’s book, but it’s clearly a book that still gets under Aikman’s skin.

Taylor Mays was traded for just a 7th rounder

Posted by Mike Florio on August 31, 2011, 6:47 PM EDT

After sending out an e-mail to all 31 teams offering 2010 second-round pick Taylor Mays, the 49ers finally found a taker in the Bengals. The compensation was undisclosed when the deal was made. And so most of us simply forgot about the question of what the Niners got and moved on.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com shared withPFT Live on Wednesday that the Bengals gave up a seventh-round pick.

In 2013.

Maiocco explained that Mays was hand picked by former head coach Mike Singletary, and that the new regime simply decided that Mays can’t play.

Given what the Bengals surrendered for Mays, most other teams decided that, too. The Bears reportedly made an offer that the Niners opted not to accept. (Maybe the Bears offered an eighth-round choice in 2013.) Singletary’s new team, the Vikings, could use some safety help, but they didn’t bite, either.

And Pete Carroll, who supposedly led Mays to believe that a first-round pick would be used on the former Trojan last year, wasn’t interested. Mays will get to personally thank Carroll for that second slap in the face on October 30.

If Mays is still a member of the Bengals by then.

We’ll bet you a ninth-round choice in the 2013 draft that he isn’t.

Bengals and Andrew Withworth agree to 2 year extension

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 31, 2011, 4:07 PM EDT

Cincinnati Bengals Andrew Whitworth and Domata Peko celebrate touchdown against Pittsburgh Steelers in NFL football game in Pittsburgh

Reuters

The Bengals locked up one of the most underrated tackles in all of football for another two years.

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Andrew Whitworth agreed to a two-year extension with the Bengals, keeping him under contract until 2015.

Whitworth was arguably one of the best tackles in football last year. He was named the MVP of the team by the Cincinnati Pro Football Writers.

The Bengals had a top of cap room, and now figure to focus on an extension with cornerback Leon Hall.

UPDATE: The Bengals confirmed the deal.

Mark Clayton re-signs with the Rams

Rams re-sign Mark Clayton to one-year deal

Mark Clayton re-signs with the Rams for a 1 year deal. Clayton is hoping to return from a serious knee injury, where he tore his patella tendon.

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

Chris Johnson tells fake fans to shut up

Posted by Mike Florio on August 31, 2011, 2:43 PM EDT

Getty Images

Fantasy football players want to see Texans running back Arian Foster get healthy, only because they care about their fantasy football teams. Other fantasy football players want to see Titans running back Chris Johnson get his rear end back to the team for the same reason.

And some of them apparently are giving Johnson an earful via Twitter. And Johnson doesn’t like it.

“Can these fake Titan fans STFU on my timeline I don’t have a regular job so don’t compare me to you and I can care less if uthink I’m greedy,” Johnson said via Twitter.

Johnson’s decision to lash out comes at a time when there are indications that the Titans will sweeten their offer for Johnson, but not to a level of sweetness that he desires.

Speaking of sweetness, can anyone envision Walter Payton telling fans, fake or real, to “STFU”?

C’mon, Chris. Fake and real fans pay the high salary you’re trying to get. Don’t bite the hands that help feed you.

Yet this is perhaps a glimpse into the character of the young man that is about to be paid handsomely. Listen, no one likes to be picked on or talked about. But some people know how to rise above that. I just think of the old saying that, "money does not change a man's character, but reveals it". Chris, people shouldn't attack you, it is uncalled for. But verbally attacking those that help pay your salary is definitely not showing much wisdom.

Arian Foster and the fantasy football comments

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 31, 2011, 12:45 PM EDT

It’s been four days since Arian Fostercreated a stir with his tweet about fantasy football players following Foster’s recent hamstring injury.

“Those sincerely concerned, I’m doing OK & plan to B back by opening day. 4 those worried abt your fantasy team, u ppl are sick,” Foster wrote.

We said at the time that we had no problem with Foster’s comments whatsoever. Too often fans and Twitter followers will treat a player as if he’s not human, and it’s only fair for Foster to respond. As a human.

The entire episode has stuck in my mind the last few days, and I wanted to revisit it because it’s a shame if people get the wrong impression of Foster. He’s one of the most thoughtful, incisive players in the league whether it’s on Twitter or speaking to the media.

Foster is the type of player that can hilariously make Colin Cowherd look like a bigger child than Cowherd already is. Foster is the type of player to tweet an MRI of his hamstring.

“I put nothing but positive thoughts and energy out on here, but look at what gets the attention,” Foster wrote. “This reiterates my original point.”

It’s a great point and one I try to keep in mind. There are times I can be too cynical or unfair to players as a writer. Foster was just sticking up for himself.

“What I was saying that people who value a digital game over a human being’s health is just kind of weird to me,” Foster said this week. “And that’s all that I meant by that, and people took it as, oh, I don’t care about fantasy football. I think it’s good for the game. It gets people that don’t really watch into it. I’m on my mother’s fantasy football team, so I’ve got to do good.”

Foster has a problem with fans that don’t seem to fully grasp he’s just another guy, not a set of statistics.

One fan wrote to Foster that without fantasy football, Foster “would be cleaning toilets.” The fan told Foster he hopes he gets seriously hurt. We’ve read, and tried to delete, plenty of comments on PFT that hope for players to get seriously injured.

When you think about how many similar comments Foster probably received, his response seems remarkably mature.

Arian Foster is absolutely correct, and if you don't understand that then you need to re-evaluate your priorities in life. Health is never less important than statistics or a game.

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Brandon Marshall poised to return to Elite status

Brandon Marshall - WR - Dolphins

Marshall had offseason surgery on his hip last year and never truly regained his explosion. Now healthy, he says he has his speed and quickness back. With Chad Henne showing signs of life, Marshall is a value at his current fourth-round ADP. The Rotoworld Draft Guide projects 95 catches and seven touchdowns.

Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Two years ago Marshall was one of the most dominant receivers in the game. The 6 foot 4, 230lb wide receiver was too much for defensive backs to handle. In a 3 year span he brought in 307 receptions for 3,710 yards and 23 TDs. He did it with multiple quarterbacks, coaches, and did it while being covered by the other teams top defensive back.

But he has had his own personal struggles that he had been fighting through. Not only the hip injury that ended his 2009 season a tad bit early, but it slowed him down last year too. He was clearly not as explosive after the catch in 2010. You can blame the Dolphin's conservative play calling or Chad Henne's poor performances, but he was not making his money after the catch. Which is precisely where Marshall made all his money before landing in South Beach, but it just wasn't there last year. Then you add in the biggest factor, Brandon has been dealing with a condition known as BPD. You quickly realize that this internal struggle was always just out of view, but not out of the way. It was wearing him down.

The good news for Brandon is that he is getting healthy in all areas of his life. His hip is healthy, but more importantly he is getting the help he needs to heal his mind, heart and soul. Those are things we often want to brush aside as insignificant, but that is in our ignorance. The famous Chinese General Sun Tzu said "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." It looks like Brandon Marshall is now in position to become a victorious warrior, on and off the football field.

Saints working to lock down Drew Brees

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 31, 2011, 10:39 AM EDT

Sean Payton half-joked on PFT Live Tuesday that he’d be in New Orleans as long as Drew Brees stayed there.

The Saints are working to make sure Brees is there a very long time.

Brees confirmed to the New Orleans Times-Picayune that his agent and the Saints are in “ongoing” discussions about a new deal. Brees couldn’t help but notice Michael Vick’s contract.

“I did see it,” Brees said. “It looks like a nice contract. Obviously I don’t know any of the details other than the six years and $100 million.”

If Brees kept up on his PFT reading, he would know it’s not really a $100 million deal. We’d guess that Brees will get a contract somewhere above Vick’s contract, but below Peyton Manning’s recent deal.

Lee Evans misses 3rd straight practice

Lee Evans - WR - Ravens

Lee Evans (foot) missed his third straight day of practice Tuesday.

The Ravens are showing no long-term concern over Evans' injury, so his absence appears precautionary. We'd expect him to return to practice following Thursday's final preseason game.

Source: Carroll County Times

Chad Ochocinco is sleeping with the fishes

Shutdown Corner - Yahoo
By MJD

Chad Ochocinco sleeps underneath a whole bunch of fish

What you're looking at is the extraordinary bed of New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. I had never before stopped to think about what Chad's bed might look like, but if I had, I probably would've guessed something exactly like this.

The aquarium that arches over the headboard was made by Wayde King and Brett Raymer, who operate Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM), the largest aquarium maker in the country. They make aquariums for casinos, business and celebrities, including Steven Spielberg and Dr. Dre, and now they have their own show on Animal Planet (Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT).

Oh, and they also made a shark tank for his living room, upon which three HDTVs hang.

I've got to hand it to Chad. If you're going to do something absurdly extravagant in your home, I like the route he's taken. I love the idea that you have this gorgeous, custom-built shark tank in your living room, but that's not enough to look at -- it needs three big TVs on it, too. I guess there's something for everyone sitting on his 700-ft. couch.

The aquariums aren't without their inconveniences, though. About the fish tank arching over his bed, Chad once tweeted that his fiancé Evelyn Lozada "stares at these damn fish every time before bed." What a tremendous inconvenience! Sometimes, the scalding hot lady in bed next to him likes to look at the fish tank literally built around the bed in which she slumbers. I'll pray for Chad.

Gracias, Sportress of Blogitude.

Video: Sam Bradford brings young girl to tears

Shutdown Corner - Yahoo
By MJD

Without even speaking to her or looking at her face, quarterback Sam Bradford (notes) made a woman cry. That signature of his must be magical.

That's really sweet. High-fives to the Rams employees who made the exchange happen, Bradford for taking a moment to sign, and the girl for her pure enthusiasm. Smiles all around.

Also, he's too shy to tell you this himself, but fellow Shutdown Corner blogger Chris Chase once reacted the exact same way when Rex Grossman (notes) signed his "Rex Grossman's #1 Fan!" sign. Sometimes, this game moves us all.

Cedric Benson decides to do jail time now

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 31, 2011, 8:36 AM EDT

So much for Cedric Benson spending his bye week in jail.

Instead, the Bengals running back arrived in Austin, Texas on Tuesday night to surrender himself to authorities.

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports Benson is expected to spend seven days in Travis County Jail assuming he gets credit for good behavior. (He also has to give prison guards fantasy football advice.)

Benson must also complete 30 hours of community service.

Benson expects to get released by the morning of September 6 at the latest. That means he should be back at practice next week in time for Wednesday’s practice in order to get ready for the season opener against the Browns.

It’s a unique way to spend the last week of the preseason, but ultimately the Bengals must be pleased it won’t interrupt their season. (Barring a league suspension.)

At least he is staying with the home team colors.

Dept of Corrections Prison Jumpsuit Costume

Greg Little - WR - Browns

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi suspects rookie Greg Little has the best chance of any Browns receiver to emerge as a true No. 1 receiver.

Little still needs to nail down the fundamentals, but he offers the highest fantasy upside of any receiver on the roster. While he's no longer a WR3/4 candidate to enter the season, Little is worth carrying as a roster stash to see if his role grows before the bye-week crunch begins.

Source: Tony Grossi on Twitter

Growing optimism surrounding Chris Johnson and Titans

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 30, 2011, 9:40 PM EDT

It’s that time of year.

Extensions are getting worked out. Disgruntled players are becoming gruntled. It’s about time that the only holdout in the league comes to terms, and there are increasing signs that could happen in the next week.

NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi said Tuesday night that the Titans are “ready to make an offer” that would get Chris Johnson under contract.

“They’ve opened up the bank vault. . . . . It looks like they’re going to pay him,” Lombardi said Tuesday night, indicating a potential deal is possible by the end of the weekend.

Lombardi’s cohort Jason La Canfora said earlier Tuesday that he wouldn’t be a surprised if a deal happened by the weekend.

Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports broke down the divide between the two sides. He wrote Tuesday morning Johnson was looking for $30 million guaranteed, with a $12 million-per-year average. The Titans are reportedly offering $20 million guaranteed and $8 million-per-year.

That gap can be bridged. We thought Johnson might be pushing for a more unreasonable guaranteed sum.

These types of holdouts usually end in time for the player to play in Week One, and it looks like we could be headed in that direction.

It is rumored that Golden Tate could be on the bubble

Posted by Mike Florio on August 31, 2011, 7:04 AM EDT

Marcus Sherels, E.J. Henderson, Golden Tate

The Seahawks, under G.M. John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll, haven’t been bashful about bouncing players they inherited — and/or squeezing them into taking less money. But the harsh reality of the NFL may not be limited to the men who were there when Schneider and Carroll arrived.

John Clayton of ESPN, via our brethren at Rotoworld, thinks that receiver Golden Tate, a second-round pick in the 2010 draft, could be waived.

“Pete Carroll is not afraid to make bold moves,” Clayton said. “Nothing surprises you when you get to these cuts.”

He’s right, and we’re not just saying that to (further) hype our coverage of cut-down day, which is coming on Saturday, September 3. Every year at this time, one or more surprises pop up as teams drop from 80 to 53 men on the active roster.

Last year at this time, the Seahawks unexpectedly dumped receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. It would be even more of a surprise for the Seahawks to give up so quickly on Tate.

I highly doubt that Tate get's cut this year. He is a second round pick, and he is only going into his second season. His first of which was mostly cut short by injury. There were reports weeks ago about how huge a part of the offense Tate was supposed to be this year. The only reason he would get cut so quickly is if his attitude or work ethic are lacking, and we have not heard any mention of that to this point. Also it's not like they exactly have a lot to work with in the receiver department either.

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