Tebow Signs on the Dotted Line

Denver Broncos sign first round pick

Broncos backers, the wait is over. Whether you like it or not, the Broncos have inked former Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow to a five-year deal worth $33 million with $8.7 million guaranteed.

Tebow starts behind Kyle Orton

Tebow missed the team's first three practices in camp, but is expected to be on the field Friday. Now the real fun begins. Denver has already named Kyle Orton as its starting quarterback, which shouldn't be much of a surprise considering Tebow's diverse skill set.

He isn't exactly your prototypical NFL quarterback, even after all of the work he put into his throwing motion.

But that doesn't mean Tebow's going to be riding the pine all season. The Broncos plan to use him in a lot of Wildcat formations and he'll definitely get some looks in the red zone.

Albert Haynesworth Fails Conditioning Test

Haynesworth catching heat again

Albert Haynesworth said this season was going to be different, that he was going to show up for camp in great shape and prove everyone wrong. Then, according to reports from Fox Sports, he couldn't make it through Thursday's conditioning test held at Redskins camp even though he has apparently dropped 30 pounds off of last season's frame. To say it's a major disappointment for everyone involved would be a huge understatement.

Haynesworth is getting dangerously close to being considered as just another one of Washington's failed signings and this is just another stain on his recent record.

He didn't report to the team's voluntary OTA workouts and has been very critical of the teams switching to Mike Shanahan's 3-4 defense.

Where all of this goes from here is anyone's guess. Haynesworth met with Redskins brass on Wednesday and insisted he was ready to take part in the opening day of training camp. Now, speculation is that the team my force him to watch from the sidelines.

Stay tuned, friends. The saga continues.

There Goes the Neighborhood: TO Joins Ocho in Cincy

Terrell Owens finds a home

Don't look now, but Terrell Owens signed a one-year deal with none other than the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course. It's a match made in heaven. TO's deal is reportedly worth $2 million with the chance to earn another two mil through incentives.

At least one person is happy to see him

You have to wonder what Carson Palmer thinks about this now that he has two of the NFL's biggest sideshows split out wide for him.

I mean, isn't this just adding grease to a grease fire? These two guys have been buddies for a while and now they'll be sharing the field together, but I can't see them sharing the limelight nearly as easily.

Ocho's going to be whining if he isn't getting his looks and we all know how Owens reacts when things aren't going his way. I guess it's a decent signing at this price for Cincy, but I'm not sure it's going to be worth the turmoil. For the record, Owens had 829 receiving yards with five TDs last year with Buffalo.

Ed Reed's Status Up in the Air

Ed Reed out until Week 7?

Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed probably won't be playing in the team's opener, but won't go as far as verifying reports that he'll be placed on the PUP list.

Reed finished last year with 50 tackles, three picks, and three forced fumbles despite missing four games in Decemeber. He had the labrum in his hip replaced in the offseason.

Recent reports erroneous

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Reed said he'd be out until at least Week 7 (after he would be eligible to come of the PUP list), but Reed and Co. deny those claims.

"We have no idea when he's ready to return," Brad Davis, Reed's personal advisor, told reporters. "Anyone who is saying he will miss six weeks, that's just not true. We don't know at this point.

"He could be back before or after. We just don't know. It's too soon to say. He could be back Week 1 or he could miss the entire season. I seriously doubt he would miss the entire year, but the reality is it's all still up in the air right now."

Benson to Meet With Goodell Thursday

Benson could learn his fate this week

No matter what Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis thinks, his starting running back could be in some hot water when he heads to the NFL's version of the principal's office on Thursday to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell.

Benson was involved in another late-night altercation at a popular night spot in Austin, Texas.

"I don't know why we're even talking about Cedric being suspended a game," Lewis told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "... To me, it's unbelievable. It wouldn't be brought up in 31 other cities in the country I think.

"The truth about (the case) is that Cedric got sucker-punched in a bar," Lewis added. "That's the thing. And only because it was Cedric Benson does it become news."

Just the latest on Cincy's rap sheet

It doesn't help matters that the Bengals are viewed as the league's bad boys club in this case and I can't imagine Benson being completely innocent in this matter. Maybe that's unfair, but it's hard to ignore Benson's track record at this point. He'll be lucky if he just gets away with a stern talking-to.

Vikings Coach Visits Favre

One more time, with feeling

This is becoming a yearly pilgramage for Brad Childress. The Vikings head coach has been spotted in Southern Mississippi again, which just happens to be where his quarterback Brett Favre has been working out with some high school kids. A local TV station reported Favre and Childress were seen chatting together on Monday at the University of Southern Mississippi's football camp.

Childress wouldn't come right out and say why he made the trip but said "you can fill in the blanks" when a local TV station questioned him about it.

Favre gives Men's Journal magazine a decent quote (kind of)

When asked if he was concerned about his long-term health after having ankle surgery in the offseason he replied "playing another year probably isn't going to make a difference. The damage has already been done."

Minnesota's training camp is set to get underway in 10 days.

NFL Suspends Jolley for 2010 Season

Packers defensive end pays for 2008 arrest

Johnny Jolly won't be playing this season and he may have trouble getting reinstated after that. The suspension is for violating the league's substance abuse policy in 2008 when he was arrested outside a nightclub in possession of 200 grams of codeine.

Green Bay moves on

"If this stuff doesn't cause you to change, what will?" Jolly's teammate Ryan Pickett told NFL.com. "All this stuff he's going through -- you're missing practice, you can't be around your teammates, that'll make you feel isolated from the team. So if this stuff doesn't change, then that's an issue. I'm expecting him to be changed by this experience, definitely."
That's if he even gets the chance. Jolly could also be facing up to 20 years in the slammer.

"There's a lot going on, and he needs to focus and make sure he has everything in line," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said last month. "These decisions that are going to be made legally will affect every aspect of his life, most importantly his personal life and then his professional life."

The Gunslinger Speaks

Favre wants to play again

Brett Favre made it pretty clear at Wednesday's ESPY awards that he wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings this season. The only thing that's keeping doubts in his head now is his surgically-repaired left ankle.

"I still have a little bit of time, and believe it or not, [I'm] not completely healthy," Favre told reporters after the show. "I guess at 40 I may never be. I'm not getting any younger, but I am working hard trying to feel as best I can. Last year, I felt great. My arm was totally different than it was the year before [in 2008 with the Jets] and that made my decision a little bit easier. But we'll see."

Vikings hold their breath

That "we'll see" part has to be killing the Vikings right now. If Favre doesn't come back, their quarterback depth chart is a complete crapshoot.

"It starts with the ankle," he said. "This coming Friday will be eight weeks [since the surgery], and I had hoped it would be a little bit better at this point. I can walk fine, but you don't walk in football.

"Then it kind of works from there up. If you wake up in the morning and your feet hurt, it kind of makes the rest of your body hurt, and if you've been sacked 700 times, that usually adds to it."

The Brett Favre Report: Gunslinger Chucking to High School Kids

Still no official word

One of the major factors in whether or not Brett Favre would return to the NFL for another season as the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback was the ankle surgery he underwent in May. Right now at least, Favre looks as though he is preparing to throw the pigskin around a bit again this fall.

Favre working out with local high school team

He’s been practicing with the Oak Grove High team in Hattiesburg, Miss., for the past few weeks and his ankle looked just fine as he ran off the field and hopped in his pickup truck to avoid talking to media on Monday. Reports indicate Favre was working out on the field for about an hour.

The 40-year-old hasn’t gone on record with any new information yet with his 20th NFL season creeping up on him.

Ochocinco Strikes Again

Cincy wideout makes another bold claim

Chad Ochocinco has a reputation of being a great interview and he gets such a reputation by making comments like he did the other day on the Dan Patrick Show.

When asked about whether he expected to wear a Super Bowl ring or a wedding ring first Ochocinco replied "A Super Bowl ring. I believe that Super Bowl ring will be this year."

When one is not enough

And as for that other ring?

“I just talked to Pat Riley,” Ochocinco announced. “When I see the ends, I’ll be coming off the bench for the Heat. I can average 10 points per game. I might be the first player to get two rings in one year.”

Ochocinco had some pretty solid numbers last season, piling up more than 1000 receiving yards and nine TDs for Cincinnati.

Terrell Owens Blames the Media. Of Course He Does.

Little interest in free agent wideout

Free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens doesn't have a place to hang his helmet these days and has a pretty good idea who's at fault.

"People have listened to a lot of the commentaries throughout a lot of the media outlets, mainly ESPN, that has my character in question as far as things that have happened in the past," Owens told 104.5 The Zone, a Nashville radio station.

"I may do 99 good things right and if I do one thing wrong, ESPN and the people on there ... make it out to be the worst thing ever."

"I think with the years that I've had, the last three to four years, I feel like I've tried to turn over a new leaf," Owens said. "But still they won't let go of what I did in the past."

The numbers don't lie

Ah yes, it's the media to blame. Remember when T.O. invited all kinds of the devilish media to his house to watch him do curls and sit-ups in his driveway? He certainly didn't seem to mind the attention then. Maybe, just maybe, it has more to do with his 829-yard, five-touchdown season last year with the Bills, in which he cracked 85 receiving yards in only three games.

JaMarcus Russell's Downward Spiral Knows No End

Free agent quarterback arrested

Just when it looked like JaMarcus Russell might - just might - have a chance of signing on with the New York Jets, reality got the best of him. And right now, that's some nasty reality.

Russell, who was cut loose by the Oakland Raiders this offseason, was arrested at his home on Monday and charged with the possession of a controlled substance - codeine syrup, which can be mixed with soda to produce "purple drank."The arrest was a result of an investigation that's been going on for a few months and more charges could be on the way. Russell posted bond and was released shortly after.

A summer to forget

Not surprisingly, the New York Jets have decided Russell won't be a part of their future plans. They had made a few calls to see if the former No.1 draft pick might be a good fit to back up starter Mark Sanchez. Needless to say, their search continues.

Chargers: Vincent Jackson not on the block

Rumors, rumors, and more rumors

Last week the word on the street was that the San Diego Chargers were looking to deal their No. 1 wideout, Vincent Jackson. That's despite the fact that Jackson hasn't signed his tender yet and could be facing a three-game ban for violating the league's personal conduct policy following a DUI charge in the offseason. Some think Jackson may even sit out if San Diego doesn't re-work his contract. So, there's a lot to digest here.

Chargers prepared to play without Jackson

"We lost a couple of great players ... and it hurts," Chargers GM A.J. Smith told the San Diego Union-Tribune last month. "We are trying to build a championship team, and losing the services of both Vincent and Marcus [McNeil] just made that more difficult -- but not impossible. In due time, Coach [Norv] Turner will name two new starters. We will rally as a team, compete and try to win as many games as we can."

Even with Antonio Gates going over the middle to haul in everything in his time zone, playing without Jackson for the year would be really rough for the Chargers, who are counting on Josh Reed (of all people) to fill the void.

Eagles Deny Vick Will Be Released

Virginia Beach police investigation ongoing

For right now, the Philadelphia Eagles say Mike Vick isn't in hot water following a shooting that happened at his birthday party and released the following statement:

"Following the incident that occurred in Virginia on the morning of June 25, Michael and his representatives promptly contacted law enforcement agencies, the Philadelphia Eagles and the National Football League. The Eagles were provided with very detailed information during that discussion as to what took place at the event. Those details have not changed in any way over the course of the last week. Our investigation to this point has confirmed and has been consistent with the information that was originally communicated to us.

"Furthermore, any report or speculation that suggests the Eagles are considering releasing Vick are not true. We will continue to gather information and monitor the situation and we will not have any further comment until that process is complete."

Investigation details still fuzzy

There's no reason for the Eagles to jump the gun (er, sorry) about all of this, but you have to wonder about the specifics of the case. Somebody gets shot just minutes after Vick leaves the party? And the victim was tied to the dog ring fiasco? Could be a crazy coincidence, but it just seems fishy.