NFL Capsules: Bears, Raiders, Titans not interested in Vick
The rejection notices for Michael Vick came from Lovie Smith, Jeff Fisher and Tom Cable on Thursday.
But Patriots coach Bill Belichick isn’t saying whether his team is interested in the quarterback.
As the Chicago Bears began training camp, Smith said Vick deserves another opportunity in the NFL. The coach just doesn’t see it happening with the Bears even though they lack an experienced backup.
The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served 18 months for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team. Vick was conditionally reinstated Monday by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
"I think Mike deserves a second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we’re concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
The Titans, coming off the best record in the 2008 season, also like what they have.
"I’m pleased with our quarterback situation," Fisher said.
Would he be opposed to signing Vick if the Titans needed help?
"I’d have to cross that bridge when you come to it," Fisher added, saying Vick should be considered a quarterback, not a receiver or running back.
"Michael Vick’s a quarterback. He proved that early in his career."
Cable’s Raiders have JaMarcus Russell, the first pick in the 2007 draft, and veteran Jeff Garcia.
"We like who we have, so let’s move forward," Oakland’s coach said. "We haven’t had that discussion because it’s not relevant to what we’re trying to do and who we have."
The Lions, who used the top overall choice in April on Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, also are passing on Vick.
"With what we’ve done at quarterback, we’ve invested a lot at the quarterback position, as you know," coach Jim Schwartz said. "There’s a first-round pick (Matthew Stafford), a second-round pick (Drew Stanton), we have (Daunte) Culpepper looking good and coming back. So I think, from that standpoint, we’ve invested a (lot) at that position."
One day after Brad Childress shut the door on Brett Favre, he did the same to Vick, saying the Vikings don’t plan on pursuing him.
"I would just say that the guys that we’ve got we are going to fashion the team around and go forward that way," Childress said. "I don’t know how many different ways I can say that, but it is going to be Sage (Rosenfels) and Tarvaris (Jackson), and we’ll see how J.D. Booty factors in.
"We’re going to go with the three guys we have."
After New England’s first practice of training camp, Belichick was asked about Vick’s possible return to the NFL. He praised Vick’s athleticism, but left it at that.
"Michael is an outstanding player, hasn’t played in a couple of years," Belichick said. "But right now, our focus is on our team and our players and trying to get the New England Patriots ready and so that’s really where my attention’s been. But he’s a tremendous athlete. Where exactly he is right now, I don’t know."
Matt Schaub, who spent three seasons as Vick’s backup in Atlanta and now is Houston’s starter, is excited about Vick getting another chance.
Schaub said whoever signs Vick will be getting "a heck of an athlete and a guy that can help their football team."
The Texans, who also have Dan Orlovsky and Rex Grossman, have previously said they aren’t interested in Vick.
Some theories have had the Seahawks’ Jim Mora, who coached Vick in Atlanta, as a likely suitor. But a team spokesman said Seattle has no interest in Vick.
Vikings’ Udeze retires, end comeback from leukemia
MANKATO, Minn. — Kenechi Udeze’s comeback from leukemia served as an inspiration to his Minnesota Vikings teammates.
The announcement of his retirement will not diminish that.
Udeze retired on Thursday, saying his leukemia is still in remission but the side effects from the treatments for the disease were making it too difficult to continue the rigors of life in the NFL.
"I would like to thank the Wilf family and the Minnesota Vikings organization for their support," Udeze said in a prepared statement. "I would also like to thank my fans, friends and family for supporting me through everything. Last but not least, I would like to thank all of the medical professionals and staff in Minnesota who worked tirelessly to give me a second chance at life. God bless."
Minnesota’s first-round draft pick in 2004, Udeze was a starter for four years and tied for the team lead with five sacks in 2007. In his career, Udeze played 51 games, with 11 sacks and 117 total tackles.
"He hates to let it go and I hate for him to let it go," coach Brad Childress said. "But it’s really best for him."
That he made it this close to training camp — the Vikings hold their first practice on Friday — is a remarkable achievement.
He was diagnosed in February 2008 with the disease, which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Udeze missed all of last season while dealing with his condition and the Vikings, in a classy move, paid him while he was in recovery.
After a marrow transplant from his brother more than a year ago, Udeze started working out on the campus of his alma mater USC in hopes of making a comeback.
"I’d be lying if I said it was easy," Udeze said in May. "There was never an easy point. The first time I went back to USC and started working out with the fellas, I fell. I took two steps and I fell."
Eventually he worked his way back into good enough condition to make a go of it at the minicamps. He showed up at the team’s facilities looking much like the player he was before he became sick. With a big smile and a chiseled physique, Udeze took 26 snaps during the weekend and spoke of what it meant for him to be back on the field after having been through so much.
The entire team rallied around the popular defensive end who had been through so much. Udeze participated throughout the minicamp, but struggled with neuropathy in his feet, a side effect of chemotherapy.
"When it sets in, your feet start getting really numb and really sensitive, and it’s really hard to (move), especially at the level that we’re at out here," Udeze said then.
Childress said that was eventually what kept Udeze from coming to training camp. The numbness prevented Udeze from being able to plant firmly and create any burst up the field after the snap.
"He did all that stuff to put himself in a position, but his feet kind of have betrayed him, and everything goes through the feet," Childress said Thursday. "He had no way of knowing until he went out there and posted on it and tried."
It took quite some time for Udeze to come to terms with the fact that he had played his last snap. Over the past several weeks he has spoken with teammates and coaches while contemplating retirement, a tough pill to swallow for a proud 26-year-old whose optimistic view of leukemia as "nothing worse than the common cold" helped get him through.
"He’s so worried about being a quitter," Childress said. "And just the thing that he’s overcome already in his young life to be alive and thriving, (it) took him a while to come to grips with that."
But Childress said this is not the end, for Udeze, but the beginning. He took some classes at USC while rehabilitating and expects to still be around the Vikings in the future.
"He’s alive and living and thriving," Childress said. "Just wish him well and he’s not going to be a stranger."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Boldin says he’ll leave contract hassle to agent
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A toned-down Anquan Boldin says he will let his new agent deal with his long-simmering contract dispute with the Arizona Cardinals.
After the defending NFC champions went through a conditioning test in training camp on Thursday, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver said he will keep his feelings about the contract to himself.
Asked Thursday if he thought the team is being straight with him, Boldin brushed the question aside.
"That’s irrelevant," he said. "How I feel isn’t going to change a thing."
That’s a stark contrast to almost exactly a year ago when he lashed out at the team’s management, accusing the Cardinals of lying to him, seeking a trade and vowing never to re-sign with Arizona.
During the offseason, Boldin switched agents from Drew Rosenhaus to Tom Condon.
Condon represents Matt Leinart and has a strong relationship with the Cardinals, who have insisted they want to re-sign Boldin to a long-term deal but had other financial matters ahead of him.
"Business, that’s all," Boldin said of the agent switch. "I still have a great relationship with Drew. My younger brother, a couple of guys I mentor, they’re still with Drew, so there’s still a great relationship between me and him. I still think he’s one of the hardest working dudes in the business but that was just a business decision."
Boldin said the contract issues and the related controversy and speculation were a burden on him throughout last season and he doesn’t want that to happen again.
"It’s out of my hands," he said. "I mean, whatever happens. I said I’m here at the beginning of camp ready to play football."
He said his goal is to "enjoy life."
Boldin, entering his seventh NFL season, sat out this year’s minicamp with what he said was a sore hamstring, then did not participate in Arizona’s voluntary summer workouts. He said he had, however, worked out three times a day on his own while spending time on community projects in his hometown of Pahokee, Fla. He also traveled to Europe and the Caribbean.
"It’s out of my hands," he said of his contract situation. "I mean, whatever happens. I said I’m here at the beginning of camp ready to play football."
Coach Ken Whisenhunt was grateful not to have to deal with another Boldin tirade.
"It was a little bit of a crazy situation last year at the start of camp," Whisenhunt said. "This year when we’re coming off a season that we did last year you know there’s going to be enough distractions anyway that you want to be able to minimize that. So it’s nice that we don’t have a situation like that this year."
Boldin, long considered one of the team’s leaders, ranks third in career receptions with the franchise at 502, 33 behind record holder Larry Centers. Last season, despite missing two games with a fractured face from a horrific hit against the New York Jets, he had a career-high 11 touchdown catches.
In the playoffs, Boldin injured a hamstring on a 71-yard touchdown catch in the first round against Atlanta and missed the second-round victory at Carolina. He is well remembered for his sidelines shouting match with then-offensive coordinator Todd Haley during Arizona’s game-winning drive against Philadelphia in the NFC championship game.
Boldin signed a four-year, $22.25 million contract after the 2005 season. He is set to earn $2.75 million this season and $3 million in 2010. By contrast, Larry Fitzgerald, his teammate in perhaps the best receiving tandem in football, signed a four-year, $40 million deal, with $30 million guaranteed, after the 2007 season.
"I’ve said all along that we’re a much better team with Anquan on it," Whisenhunt said. "It’s my hope and it’s been our intention all along to get something worked out long-term. I wish I could say that it would happen right now or yesterday, but that is something the organization is working hard to do and I believe at the first opportunity we’re going to do that."
The Cardinals may well follow their usual pattern of waiting until a player has a year left on his deal before seriously negotiating a new one, as they did this year with safety Adrian Wilson. Boldin said he’s leaving all business dealings with the Cardinals to Condon.
"I’ll stay out of the everyday ‘They said this’ and whatever," he said. "All I ask for is let me know when something develops. If not, oh well."
-- Bob Baum
Future of McNair’s charity work is questionable
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair trained thousands of kids at youth football camps and collected truckloads of donations for hurricane relief before he was killed, and it’s unknown whether his foundation can continue similar charity work after his death.
Fans took solace in remembering McNair’s constant involvement in communities in his home state of Mississippi and in Tennessee. But his foundation no longer has his financial backing as his family goes to court to settle his estate, which includes business dealings and real estate holdings in two states.
Don Weatherall, who helped McNair operate the foundation, said it’s too soon to say whether the charity can continue with work that ranged from helping at-risk teens and Boys and Girls Clubs to providing for families devastated by natural disaster. Weatherall said he hopes the foundation will continue with the help of family members who had always been involved.
"(The camps) were always a nice time for the McNair family to get together," he said. "Mechelle would be helping out in the cafeteria, and his brother Fred ran all the camps. It was a family event."
Police say McNair’s mistress, Sahel Kazemi, 20, shot McNair to death at his condo July 4 before killing herself.
Weatherall said McNair started holding a football camp in Mississippi in 1999, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the Steve McNair Foundation was created and started to expand. More than 8,000 kids have come through the three camps each summer in recent years, he said.
The camp charged a fee, though at least 70 percent of the kids were sponsored by the foundation and attended for free, Weatherall said.
According to 2007 financial reports, the Hattiesburg, Miss.-based foundation raised more than $709,000 between 2003 and 2006.
During 2007, the foundation spent $99,000 on football camps for high school students and at-risk children in Tennessee and Mississippi. Another $37,000 was spent on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
In 2005, McNair teamed up with then-Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and filled a tractor-trailer with relief supplies bound for Mississippi. Later that year, Titans fans showed up in droves at the stadium, eventually filling 20 tractor-trailers and donating at least $80,000.
"He’d be out there carrying boxes and working hard, just as hard as the next guy in line," Weatherall said. "I think that really earned him a lot of respect from people and made people want to help out even more."
In the past, the foundation also made donations to the Boys and Girls Club in Covington County, Miss., and the Bethlehem Center in Nashville, which works with at-risk youth.
Anthony Law, a coach at White’s Creek High School near Nashville, often worked at the camp and said McNair constantly was there.
"He didn’t just give the camp and then let the foundation run it," he said. "He’d be there in the morning when the kids arrived and he’d be there for lunch. He was out on the field, throwing passes to kids."
McNair would often bring fellow Titans players like Vince Young, Keith Bullock, Eddie George and Jevon Kearse to the camps. Law said the foundation once bought 120 pairs of football shoes for kids who couldn’t afford them.
McNair mentioned after he retired in 2008 that he wanted to spend even more time with the foundation, Weatherall said.
"For a lot of these guys it is easy to just write a check, but it’s another thing for him to take a couple hours out of his day to actually see these kids," Weatherall said. "And sometimes that meant more to the kids than maybe a contribution into a fund."
Law said he expects one of McNair’s sons will take over the foundation and run the camps.
"I don’t see it folding," he said. "I just see it growing even bigger and carrying on with its mission."
-- Kristin M. Hall
Packers address Favre, finances with shareholders
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy was cheered when he brought up the dreaded F-word — Favre — at Thursday's annual meeting with the team's shareholders.
The warm reception could be a sign many fans are backing the way the Pack has handled its indecisive ex-quarterback.
Speaking to about 7,500 fans who hold shares in the NFL's only publicly owned franchise, Murphy praised the way the Packers handled Brett Favre's unretirement saga and subsequent trade to the New York Jets last year.
"We felt we had to act in the best long-term interests of the Packers," he said.
Murphy's comment received sustained applause — a stark contrast with last year's meeting, when a smattering of loud and defiant "Bring Brett back!" chants interrupted what is usually an orderly gathering of the team's most hard-core fans.
"Obviously, I think people realize it was a difficult situation," Murphy told reporters after Thursday's meeting. "And I mentioned that I think on the one hand, we're balancing a legendary player that had meant so much to the organization, being fair to him, but trying to do what's in the best interests of the organization."
Murphy reiterated the team's pledge to eventually retire Favre's No. 4 jersey, but again was not willing to guess when the rift between the team and one of its most popular players might heal. And Murphy said Favre's recent flirtation with the rival Minnesota Vikings — Favre said this week he's remaining retired, at least for now — don't have any bearing on the Packers.
"If he wanted to do it, fine," Murphy said. "But no, that doesn't really affect us."
With that, Murphy said the Packers are moving on.
The former Washington Redskins safety, who joined the Packers in January 2008 after a stint as the athletic director at Northwestern, expressed optimism about the upcoming season but detailed to shareholders his concerns about looming economic trends and labor issues.
The Packers posted a $20.1 million operating profit for the fiscal year ending March 31. Even taking into account significant investment losses — board of directors member Mark McMullen joked that it was a "Detroit Lion-type season" for the Packers' portfolio — the Packers still managed $4 million in net income.
Such economic issues are expected to drive upcoming labor negotiations between NFL owners and the players' union, the NFL Players Association.
Balking at a system that pays players about 60 percent of the league's gross revenue, owners voted last year to opt out of the current agreement. If the two sides don't agree to a new deal, the league could face a work stoppage in 2011.
"To me, there's no question: The biggest issue that we're going to face, as well as the league, is our collective-bargaining situation," Murphy said.
The union could try to use the Packers' ability to turn a modest profit in a rough economy to show that NFL owners can prosper under the current system; other teams are privately owned and don't make their financial information public.
But Murphy said the current system will be "hard to sustain," even for the Packers.
"When you really dig in and look at the numbers, it shows the issues that we have with the union. ... Just the last two years, our player costs have gone up $14 million — at a much higher rate than our revenues," Murphy said.
Murphy, who has a law degree and worked for the union after his playing days were over, took time during Thursday's meeting to make a 17-minute presentation on the history and future of NFL labor relations.
And yes, he saw some glazed-over eyes staring back at him.
"I actually cut it back a little bit," Murphy joked. "They would have been REALLY bored."
-- Chris Jenkins
Giants LB Pierce testifies before grand jury
NEW YORK — New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce appeared Thursday before the grand jury investigating gun charges against former teammate Plaxico Burress and was expected to return Friday.
Pierce did not comment as he left the courthouse. His lawyer, Michael Bachner, said, "We expect the grand jury testimony to continue tomorrow. At that point, after that, we’ll make a statement."
Pierce’s testimony Thursday came one day after Burress appeared before the grand jury in hopes of persuading the panel not to indict him on charges of carrying an unlicensed firearm.
Pierce was with Burress at The Latin Quarter club in Manhattan on Nov. 29 last year when the wide receiver shot himself in the leg.
Authorities say Pierce removed the gun from the scene and took it to Burress’ home in Totowa, N.J. Pierce also drove Burress to the hospital.
"Mr. Pierce is here voluntarily today to explain his side of the story so the grand jury understands what occurred on that day," Bachner said.
Giants co-owner John Mara defended Pierce this week, saying any charges against the linebacker would be "unwarranted."
Burress caught the winning touchdown in the final minute of the 2008 Super Bowl. The Giants released him in April and he has not signed with another team.
-- Karen Matthews
Now you can have T.O. for breakfast
FAIRPORT, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills fans who can’t get enough of Terrell Owens can have him for breakfast.
With a throng of about 400 "T.O.! T.O.!" chanting fans crowded into one corner of a suburban Rochester supermarket on Thursday, Owens officially unveiled the breakfast cereal that bears his name, ‘T.O.’s Honey Toasted Oats.’
Noting he’s never had a food named after him, Owens said having "this beautiful handsome face" on the cover is better than making it on a box of Wheaties.
"I’m very honored and humbled," Owens added. "I feel more pressure selling these boxes of T.O.’s than I do scoring touchdowns."
The crowd ate it up. Aside from those that yelled out, "I love you, T.O.!" one person even offered up a proposal of marriage. Owens smiled, but declined.
And there were even a few football questions, including someone who asked Owens whether the Bills were going to beat AFC East division rival New England to open the season on Sept. 14.
"Trust me when I say this: It’s not going to be an easy game for New England," Owens said, to a roaring cheer.
Owens’ has been a huge local celebrity since signing with the Bills in March, shortly after being released by Dallas. He’s drawn plenty of attention while filming his reality show around the city. And his arrival has paid off for the Bills, who have sold more than 53,000 season tickets.
Owens has particularly been the center of attention at training camp in Pittsford. About 5,000 total fans showed up for the team’s first two practices on Saturday, and the attendance has been steady all week. Numerous fans are wearing Owens’ No. 81 jerseys, and some have brought T.O.’s cereal boxes, which went on sale last week.
The cereal is produced by Pittsburgh-based PLB Sports, which previously produced "Flutie Flakes," when Doug Flutie was a Bills quarterback.
The cereal is sold at Tops Friendly Market locations in western New York, and also available online (www.plbsports.com).
Tops CEO Frank Curci said his stores have already sold more than 11,000 boxes of T.O.’s.
-- John Wawrow
Jets’ suspended Pace not "trying to cheat system"
CORTLAND, N.Y. — Calvin Pace took a dietary supplement he had taken on several occasions during his career. The New York Jets linebacker wasn’t aware that this time, it was on the NFL’s list of banned substances.
Pace was suspended earlier this month for four games without pay for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
"I made a mistake and it’s just my bad," Pace said Thursday as players reported for training camp. "People know I’m not out here trying to cheat the system. I’m not out here trying to get an edge on anybody. I take supplements to try to keep my weight up."
Pace, in his first public comments since being suspended, said he was alerted at the end of last season that he had tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He sent in the supplements he took to the league, but still lost his appeal.
"It was a workout supplement that I had previously taken, but our banned substances list changes from time to time and I lapsed," he said. "I take full responsibility for it. I just have to stay up on it and kind of be current with what’s banned and what’s not banned."
Pace wouldn’t specifically identify what he took, saying only: "Just a workout supplement, something that you can get at any GNC."
Pace will be eligible to return for the Monday night game at Miami on Oct. 12. In his second season with the Jets, Pace is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games. The suspension begins Sept. 5 and he can return to practice Oct. 5, a day after New York’s game at New Orleans.
"I just have to take the punishment, man," Pace said. "I’m not going to cry about it. When I come back for the last 12, I’ll do my thing."
Pace started all 16 games at outside linebacker in Eric Mangini’s defense last season, and was expected to have a prominent role in new coach Rex Ryan’s aggressive 3-4 system. Ryan said second-year linebacker Vernon Gholston, who had a disappointing rookie season, will replace Pace in the starting rotation.
"It’s disappointing because I feel we have a chance to do some great things," Pace said. "I let the team down for the simple fact that I’m plugged in to certain spots, so somebody else is going to have to step in. With all of that said, I don’t want my situation to be a distraction to what we’re trying to do, which is win games."
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
Raiders sign top pick Heyward-Bey
NAPA, Calif. — Rookie receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey signed a five-year contract with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday that will guarantee him at least $23.5 million.
Heyward-Bey joined the team in time to participate in Thursday’s afternoon practice session, their second of this year’s training camp.
"It feels great to get it done," he said. "I wanted to be here as soon as possible. I told my team that and we got the job done."
Oakland did not reveal terms of the contract, but a person involved in the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the seventh overall pick will get a base salary of $38.25 million along with the guarantee.
The seventh pick in last year’s draft, Sedrick Ellis, got $19.5 million in guaranteed money from the Saints.
"I think it’s big because we want him to be a big part of the offense," Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "Everybody was waiting on him to come in. I think that’s great that he signed."
The Raiders were able to get the deal done with Heyward-Bey missing only one training camp practice. The team was dealt a serious setback in 2007 when No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell missed all of training camp and did not sign a contract until after the first game of the regular season.
His rookie season was almost a complete loss and the team considered him a rookie still for most of last year.
"He needs to be here," Russell said. "I missed a whole lot. ... I hope he gets here and gets a chance to work with us."
Heyward-Bey was a controversial pick by the Raiders who passed over more highly touted receivers such as Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin to take the fastest one in the draft.
The Raiders are counting on a big contribution from the rookie this season. They need plenty of help at wide receiver after getting just 82 catches from the position last season, led by Johnnie Lee Higgins’ 22, and needed to get their star rookie in camp quickly.
"It can hurt your development as a player," Asomugha said. "When you’re coming into training camp as a rookie you have to be there to see how it goes. You have to get into a groove. In 2007 that didn’t happen. That’s good to get it out of the way now. He only missed one practice. It’s good for him."
To make room for Heyward-Bey on the roster, the Raiders released quarterback Andrew Walter. Walter, a third-round pick in 2005, was once viewed as the quarterback of the future in Oakland. But he went 2-6 as a starter in 2006 under coach Art Shell and never was given another chance, losing his only start in his final two seasons in Oakland.
He had been looking to leave the Raiders the past two years and now gets his chance to sign with another team. Walter has completed 52.3 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
"I’m very excited for a fresh start," Walter said. "We’ll see what happens. The only thing different that I would have hoped for is that it would have happened earlier. Things haven’t changed since February and it occurred just now."
The deal with Heyward-Bey was the highlight on a first day of practice that featured a heavy dose of fundamentals.
The team repeatedly lined up and snapped the ball, before a whistle immediately blew to stop the play as the focus was on proper footwork and alignment instead of running plays and hitting.
"Minicamp is a lot like going to Disneyland," coach Tom Cable said. "You get through it and enjoy it and you’re learning all that, and to me, this is like the U.S. Open, every shot counts. Every practice, every rep. ... Every rep counts because you’re learning something, you’re getting back, getting your mind lined up right."
The Raiders will spend the first four days of training camp working on the mental part of the game more than the physical. There will be lots of individual drills, time spent reinstalling the schemes taught in the offseason, and the aborted plays.
Next week, the players will finally put their pads on and practice. The get-back-to-basics focus is definitely different, but the players say it was needed on a team coming off its sixth straight season of at least 11 losses.
The Raiders are hoping for something different this year under Cable.
The Raiders were almost at full strength at the start of camp. Former Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Burgess has not reported to camp as he looks to be traded. Left guard Robert Gallery is out after undergoing an emergency appendectomy and receiver Javon Walker was placed on the physically unable to perform list after offseason knee surgery.
-- Josh Dubow
Ravens sign first-round pick Michael Oher
WESTMINSTER, Md. — For Baltimore Ravens rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher, signing his five-year, $13.8 contract Thursday marked yet another milestone in his winding life journey.
"It is very special," Oher said during a press conference at the team hotel. "You’ve got to forget where you came from and move forward and continue to work hard and put all your trust in the right people."
It’s hard to forget where Oher came from.
He was homeless for a time as a teenager in Memphis, Tenn., with his mother addicted to crack cocaine before he was adopted and embraced by a wealthy family that enrolled him in an exclusive private school. Oher became an All-American at Ole Miss and was the 23rd overall pick in the draft.
The right tackle missed the first two days of practice during a brief holdout while his agent, Jimmy Sexton, and Ravens vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty finalized his deal.
"I was disappointed I couldn't show up the first day when the rookies reported," Oher said. "I feel like I let my team down."
With four-time Pro Bowl tackle Willie Anderson retiring this offseason, the Ravens are banking on Oher being ready to anchor the right side opposite left tackle Jared Gaither. Oher lined up with the first-team offense throughout the offseason minicamps.
"As we said on the day of the draft, we traded up to get him for a reason," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Nothing that we’ve seen since that day has changed our mind. We feel even better about it."
Oher’s life story is the subject of a New York Times best-selling book called "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game." And his personal story is being made into a movie starring Kathy Bates and Sandra Bullock.
Oher said that the Ravens can count on him, on and off the field.
"I’m a very emotional guy, hard-nosed, physical," Oher said. "I have a passion for the game. Football is very important to me, to help my team win and get over the hump and be there with them."
Browns reach agreement with WR Brian Robiskie
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have all their campers under contract.
With coach Eric Mangini set to hold his first workout Saturday, the Browns agreed to terms on a four-year contract with rookie wide receiver Brian Robiskie, the club’s last unsigned player.
Robiskie’s agent, Joel Segal, said the sides reached agreement Thursday. Financial terms were not immediately available.
"Brian is looking forward to getting started," Segal said.
Robiskie was taken with the No. 36 overall pick in April’s draft. He will compete for a starting job with fellow rookie Mohammed Massaquoi, another second-round pick who signed his contract and reported to camp this week. Mangini had all his first-year players report one week earlier than the veterans.
Robiskie caught 55 passes for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for Ohio State. He was also once a ballboy with the Browns when his father, Terry, was on Cleveland’s coaching staff.
The Browns have little depth at wide receiver, which gives both Robiskie and Massaquoi a chance to earn playing time. Veteran Joe Jurevicius retired during the offseason and Donte Stallworth has been indefinitely suspended after serving jail time on a DUI charge.
Also, top wide receiver Braylon Edwards was placed on the team’s non-football active list this week after failing his physical with an ankle injury. Edwards reportedly hurt his ankle playing basketball and was kept out of mini-camp in June. He must pass his physical before he can practice.
-- Tom Withers
Colts sign 3 draft picks as camp approaches
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have signed three more draft picks: punter-placekicker Pat McAfee, defensive tackle Terrance Taylor and guard Jaimie Thomas.
Indy signed third-round pick Jerraud Powers, a cornerback, on Tuesday.
Powers, Taylor and Thomas all signed four-year contracts. McAfee's agent would not confirm the length of the contract, though the Colts have been offering four-year deals to players selected after the first-round for the past several seasons.
To make room on the 80-player camp roster, Indy waived defensive backs Brannon Condren, Brandon Foster and Brandon Harrison; quarterback Chris Crane; defensive lineman Pat Kuntz; offensive lineman Cornelius Lewis; and linebacker Tyrell Sales.
Taylor, a defensive tackle taken in the fourth round, is expected to help plug the middle of Indy's defensive line. Listed at 319 pounds, he could play a key role in stopping the run, a problem for the Colts last season.
McAfee, a seventh-round pick from West Virginia, will get the first opportunity to replace longtime punter Hunter Smith. Smith signed with Washington in free agency.
Thomas, Indy's second seventh-round choice, is 330 pounds and should provide depth and versatility along the offensive line.
The Indianapolis Star reported quarterback Curtis Painter also has agreed to a four-year contract. Repeated messages were left by The Associated Press for Painter's agent, Mark Humenik.
If Painter is in the fold, Indy has three draft picks unsigned: its top two choices, running back Donald Brown and defensive tackle Fili Moala, and wide receiver Austin Collie, a fourth-round choice.
The Colts are scheduled to report to training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., on Sunday.
Rams sign second overall draft pick
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Rams on Thursday signed offensive tackle Jason Smith, the second overall pick of the draft, one day before opening training camp.
The 6-foot-5, 306-pound Smith is expected to be an immediate starter for the Rams, 2-14 last season and with only five wins over the last two seasons. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
All the team’s draft picks are under contract heading into the first full-squad workout under new coach Steve Spagnuolo on Friday.
Smith began his career at Baylor as a tight end and started 31 games, 24 at left tackle and seven at right tackle, after growing out of that position. In 1,147 plays at left tackle his last two seasons, the Rams said Smith allowed only 4½ sacks.
Packers sign first-round draft pick Matthews
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have signed first-round draft pick Clay Matthews III, leaving only fellow first-rounder B.J. Raji unsigned with the Packers poised to report to training camp on Friday.
Terms were not disclosed.
After taking Raji, a defensive tackle out of Boston College, with the No. 9 overall pick in April’s draft, the Packers traded up to acquire the 26th overall pick and take Matthews, an outside linebacker from Southern California. Matthews is expected to play outside linebacker in the Packers’ new 3-4 defensive alignment.
The Packers also released wide receiver Jamarko Simmons.
Jaguars sign draft picks Cox, Underwood
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed cornerback Derek Cox and wide receiver Tiquan Underwood to contracts, leaving the team with three rookies unsigned as training camp nears.
Cox and Underwood signed their deals Thursday, three days before players are scheduled to report for camp.
Cox, a third-round pick from William & Mary, could earn a starting spot this season. Underwood, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers, also is expected to contribute right away since Jacksonville got rid of receivers Jerry Porter, Matt Jones, Reggie Williams and Dennis Northcutt.
First-round pick Eugene Monroe, second-rounder Eben Britton and third-rounder Terrance Knighton remain unsigned.
Giants sign pair of second-round picks
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have signed second-round draft picks Clint Sintim and William Beatty.
The Thursday signings leave only the Giants’ top pick, Hakeem Nicks, unsigned.
Contract terms were not immediately available for Sintim, a linebacker from Virginia who was the 45th pick overall, and Beatty, an offensive tackle from Connecticut who was the 60th pick.
The Giants, who report to training camp on Sunday, waived receiver Micah Rucker and linebacker Kelvin Smith to make room on their roster for Sintim and Beatty.
Nicks, a receiver from North Carolina, was the 29th pick overall.
-- Tom Canavan
Lions sign rookie DB Delmas to 4-year contract
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have signed second-round pick Louis Delmas to a four-year contract.
The team announced the deal Thursday, but did not disclose terms.
Delmas, a safety, was selected with the first pick in the second round (33rd overall) out of Western Michigan. In 2008, Delmas led the Broncos with a career-high 111 tackles (61 solo). He also had four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Also, the Lions released defensive end Eric Hicks.
Chiefs sign 3 draft picks
RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed three more draft picks, leaving first-round pick Tyson Jackson as the only unsigned player headed into training camp.
The Chiefs signed defensive end Alex Magee (third round), cornerback Donald Washington (fourth) and receiver Quinten Lawrence (sixth) on Thursday, the day before players report to camp.
Magee started 33 games at Purdue, with 117 tackles and six sacks. Washington started 24 games at Ohio State, finishing with 102 tackles and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Lawrence had 99 catches for 1,905 yards and 15 TDs, along with an 18.9-yard average on kick returns at McNeese State.
Jackson, a defensive end from LSU, was the third overall pick in this year’s draft.
Saints sign P Morstead, S Vaughn
METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints have agreed to contract terms with draft picks Chip Vaughn and Thomas Morstead.
The agreement on Thursday came as players reported to training camp for conditioning tests and meetings.
Vaughn, a safety from Wake Forest, was one of New Orleans’ two fourth-round draft choices. Morstead, a punter from Southern Methodist, was taken in the fifth round after the Saints traded up to take him by offering their seventh round pick in 2009 and fifth-rounder in 2010 to Philadelphia.
The Saints were still trying to sign first-round draft pick Malcolm Jenkins, a cornerback out of Ohio State who was selected 14th overall. Jenkins was not expected to begin practicing until he has completed work on his contract.
Seahawks 'optimistic' of Curry signing
RENTON, Wash. — The Seahawks are waiting for other first-round draft choices to sign to establish a market rate for an agreement with fourth overall pick Aaron Curry.
General manager Tim Ruskell said Thursday as rookies were reporting to training camp he is "optimistic" Seattle's last unsigned pick will sign before Friday's first practice.
He says Curry's agents are pointing to the "quarterback deals" as a benchmark for what their client should receive.
The Seahawks believe the $28 million the Jets guaranteed to fifth overall pick Mark Sanchez does not apply because passers historically make more than others no matter where they are picked.
Ruskell says nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones, who had microfracture knee surgery, and two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney, who had shoulder surgery, will be limited at the start of camp.
Ruskell also says the future of two-time Pro Bowl left guard Mike Wahle is in doubt pending his pre-camp physical Friday. He had shoulder surgery in December.
-- Gregg Bell
Patriots place Warren, 4 others on PUP list
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots defensive end Ty Warren is starting training camp on the active physically unable to perform list.
Others on the list announced Thursday are linebacker Shawn Crable, offensive linemen Mark LeVoir and Rich Ohrnberger and defensive lineman Darryl Richard. The team also put cornerback Shawn Springs and wide receiver Brandon Tate on the active non-football injury list.
Warren, a starter for the last five of his six seasons with the Patriots, missed three games last season with a groin injury. He had groin and knee operations in the offseason. Crable, a third-round draft choice last year from Michigan, didn’t play as a rookie and spent the last eight games on injured reserve with a shin problem.
Players on the active PUP list can return in training camp when the team decides they’re ready.
Report outlines impact of new Santa Clara stadium
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara city leaders will have some more things to think about as they consider a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.
A draft environmental report says a proposed 68,500-seat stadium in Santa Clara for the 49ers would significantly increase traffic, noise and air pollution on game days and during other events.
The report was posted to the Santa Clara city Web site Thursday. It recommends officials encourage fans and stadium workers to use public transportation. The report also recommends limits on tailgating.
The Santa Clara City Council must approve the environmental report before a referendum on a new stadium can be put to a public vote.
City officials are aiming for a vote next year.
