Brian Orakpo Injured at Combine

by Matt SnyderFiled under: NFL Draft, NFL Injuries, NFLBrian Orakpo, the burly defensive end from Texas, is widely considered one of the best players in the upcoming NFL Draft. In fact, he’s a beast. Monday was the day for his position to perform a series of drills at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and he [...]

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[Source: NFL Access

Malcolm Jenkins Runs a Slow 40

by Michael David SmithFiled under: NFL DraftLast week we noted that Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins needed to run a good 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine if he wanted to prove he had shutdown corner speed. Today Jenkins ran, and he did not deliver.Malcolm Jenkins Runs a Slow 40 originally appeared on NFL [...]

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[Source: NFL Access

Colts release WR Harrison after 13 years (AP)

Big surprise here.

Marvin Harrison can play wherever he wants now.

In Indianapolis, he will always be a Colt.

Team owner Jim Irsay on Tuesday grudgingly honored Harrison’s request to be released, a move that becomes official Wednesday.

Team officials turned the news conference to announce Harrison’s release— the receiver didn’t attend—into an emotional tribute to one of the most identifiable players in the franchise’s Indianapolis era.

They took turns recounting stories that stretched back more than a decade. Irsay’s halting words at the start and team president Bill Polian’s reddened eyes at the end were indicative of how hard it was to let go of one of the best receivers in NFL history.

“I’ve always treasured the time I’ve had with him because I respected him so much as a person,” Polian said. “He worked so hard at his craft, he was always so prepared and he did every little thing he could to win. And he did it with quiet dignity, superb professionalism and with a sense of contribution to the team, that really is second to none.”


Irsay saw the announcement as more of a temporary goodbye than a permanent farewell.

He plans to induct Harrison into the team’s Ring of Honor after he retires, and expects Harrison to return to the city where he became a star.

Irsay also wants to re-sign Harrison again, one day, so he can leave the game as a Colts player.

The move was made because Harrison’s price tag was too expensive.

Harrison is the second member of the Colts’ original triplets—Edgerrin James and Peyton Manning were the others—to depart.

“It will be strange to line up under center and not see No. 88 out on my right,” Manning said in a statement issued by the team. “He is a Hall-of-Fame receiver, I am proud to have played with him, and he will always be an Indianapolis Colt in my book.”

The 36-year-old receiver would have counted $13.4 million against the cap in 2009, the highest of any NFL receiver. Although Indy wanted to restructure Harrison’s contract, Polian said there was no feasible way to do it.

Releasing Harrison saves the Colts about $6 million, with about $7.4 million in prorated bonuses still on the books. With three-time Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez ready to make up for Harrison’s absence, they couldn’t afford the luxury of keeping three former first-round picks.

Over the past two seasons, Harrison hasn’t played up to his usual standards.

He missed all but five games in 2007 because of injuries, underwent offseason knee surgery and then caught 60 passes in 2008—less than half of his NFL record 143 in 2002.

Yet Colts coach Jim Caldwell and Polian continued to insist that Harrison hadn’t lost a step.

The decision may have been hardest on Irsay, who remembered Harrison as the only remaining player from his early days as owner in 1996, following his father’s death.

Before filing the paperwork and publicly announcing the decision, Irsay had a private conversation with Harrison. It was billed as a final effort to get Harrison to stay, but that’s not how the discussion went.

“I wanted to make sure Marv and I had a chance to talk this afternoon and really thoroughly go through things together,” Irsay said. “I know he wishes to go forward and pursue opportunities in the National Football League and that’s something we honor with his release.”

Indianapois Colts president Bill Polian talks about receiver Marvin Harrison team being released from his contract with the football team during a press conference in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009. Harrison and quarterback Peyton Manning, hold NFL records for most completions, yards and touchdowns of any quarterback-wide receiver duo since the 1970 merger.


Harrison was the Colts’ first-round draft pick in 1996, out of Syracuse, and it didn’t take long for him to make an impression.

Polian, then with Carolina, called Harrison’s personal workout that year the most impressive he’s ever seen from a receiver.

Harrison proved better than advertised with his delicate toe-taps and penchant for acrobatic catches. Of the five first-round receivers drafted in ’96, Harrison was easily the most productive over the longest period.

He caught 1,102 passes for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns—all rank in the NFL’s top five. He broke all of the Colts major single-season and career receiving records, most previously held by Hall-of-Famer Raymond Berry, and teamed with Manning to form the most prolific passing duo in league history.

Harrison won a Super Bowl and was selected to eight Pro Bowls.

But it’s not the numbers or the accolades Indy fans will remember; it’s the moments.

“I’ll never forget the catch at Tennessee, which in my mind is the signature play of his career,” Polian said. “He was suspended in mid-air, reached out with one hand, hauled it in and then got up and waved the rest of the players down the field. That was quintessential Marvin.”


After Manning’s arrival in 1998, he spent countless hours trying to get the timing down perfectly with his new quarterback. And when he scored touchdowns, he usually flipped the ball to the official.

Around teammates, he was nearly as quiet as he was with reporters, skipping Tuesday’s news conference, Polian said, because he didn’t want to slight anyone at the team complex.

“The best way I’d describe him is there’s an old saying that goes lead by example and when necessary use words,” Caldwell said. “That’s what Marvin did. He rarely used words.”

Harrison stayed out of the spotlight, refraining for the headline grabbing antics that have made other star receivers famous.

Last year, for the first time, Harrison was involved in some high-profile off-the-field trouble.

Philadelphia police believe one of Harrison’s guns was used in an April shooting in his hometown. No charges were filed against Harrison, and the man who made the accusation was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of lying to police.

Harrison does not believe his career is finished.

He hopes to sign with another team, possibly as early as Friday when the free-agent market opens.

Polian did not rule out the possibility of bringing Harrison at a lower price, either, though there has already been speculation that Harrison might be interested in playing for the Eagles and reuniting with former college teammate Donovan McNabb.

“I had a chance to reflect on a lot of what has happened over the last 12-plus years,” Irsay said. “I really look forward to the time he goes into the Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honor at our stadium.”

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[Source: Yahoo! Sports - NFL News

How to Win Football Game 90% of the time

Here are some traits of a winning Football player: DESIRE: Desire is the determination to overcome an opponent, whether by deliver...

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Raiders keep CB Asomugha with hefty contract

OAKLAND, Calif. – All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha re-signed with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, agreeing to a three-year, $45.3 million contract that gives him the highest salary in nfl history for a defensive back.Asomugha, who’s heading into his seventh nfl season, is one of the league’s elite cover defenders. He was selected for the Pro [...]

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[Source: NFL Access - Posted by FreeAutoBlogger]

Not guilty plea in Darrent Williams case (AP)

A judge entered a not guilty plea Friday for the man accused of killing Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams in a drive-by shooting. District Judge Christina M. Habas entered the plea on behalf of 25-year-old Willie D. Clark, who is charged with first-degree murder and 38 other counts in the New Years Day 2007 slaying.

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[Source: Yahoo! Sports - NFL News - Posted by FreeAutoBlogger]

Dunta Robinson Feels Betrayed After Texans Franchise Him

by Ryan WilsonFiled under: Texans, AFC South, NFL Free AgencyFourteen teams used the franchise tag in the last two weeks; for a few the designation was expected, while some were probably caught off guard by the news. And others — like Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson — were pretty bummed out about the whole thing. In [...]

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[Source: NFL Access - Posted by FreeAutoBlogger]

Redskins release LB Washington (AP)

Linebacker Marcus Washington was released by the Washington Redskins on Friday, saving the team about $4 million as it positions itself for free agency. The Redskins' most energetic locker room presence for the past five years, Washington made the Pro Bowl following the 2004 season, his first with the team, but hamstring and ankle injuries eventually took their toll on the 31-year-old star.

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[Source: Yahoo! Sports - NFL News - Posted by FreeAutoBlogger]

Holmes fined $10K for TD celebration (AP)

Santonio Holmes' last-minute touchdown catch won the Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It cost him 10 grand, too. The NFL fined Holmes $10,000 for using the football as a prop during his post-catch celebration, which came well after the play ended. Holmes, impersonating NBA star LeBron James' pregame ritual of tossing powder into the air, shook the football and tossed it after his 6-yard...

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[Source: Yahoo! Sports - NFL News - Posted by FreeAutoBlogger]

Falcons to try to trade Vick's rights (AP)

Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Friday the Falcons will try to trade the contract rights on Michael Vick to another team. In an interview that appeared on the team's Web site, Dimitroff said, "With regards to Michael Vick, we've decided to seek a trade of his contractual rights to another NFL club." Vick is currently in federal prison on felony charges related to dogfighting and is...

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Source: Agent says Burress desires trade (AP)

Plaxico Burress seemingly wants to leave the New York Giants. Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for the troubled receiver, sent an e-mail to the NFL's teams earlier this week letting them know that Burress was one of his three clients who wants to be traded, an NFL executive told The Associated Press on Thursday.

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Giants tag RB Jacobs as franchise player (AP)

Brandon Jacobs, the 264-pound running back who has been a mainstay of the New York Giants' offense the past two seasons, was designated by the team Friday as its franchise player. The move will guarantee Jacobs, who was due to become a free agent Feb. 27, $6.6 million next season. General manager Jerry Reese said the Giants and Jacobs will continue negotiating a long-term deal.

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Bills' Simpson asks for pretrial program

A prosecutor says Buffalo Bills safety Ko Simpson has asked to enter a program that would remove from his record a charge of hindering police while they tried to make an arrest. Rock Hill prosecutor Chris Barton told The Herald of Rock Hill, S.C., that Simpson likely will be accepted into the pretrial intervention program because he has no record and the charge is a misdemeanor.

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Chargers DT arrested for DUI suspicion (AP)

Chargers defensive tackle Jamal Williams was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, the team's second such arrest in less than a month. Williams was pulled over for speeding early Sunday on a freeway outside downtown, the California Highway Patrol said. Williams gave a blood sample for a blood-alcohol test, but the results won't be known for a few weeks.

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Harrison has 100-yard INT return for TD (AP)

James Harrison didn't win the Defensive Player of the Year award by making plays like this. He's a sacker and a run-stuffer, not a long-distance runner. Didn't matter. Harrison went the distance on a 100-yard interception return -- one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl and Steelers history -- to swing the NFL title game on Sunday night when it appeared the Arizona Cardinals were ready to take the...

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