Most Viewed Stories
NFL Capsules: Dez Bryant agrees on terms of deal with Cowboys
IRVING (AP) — With all the stories about Dez Bryant being a character risk, and then with him picking the same agent his buddy and fellow receiver Michael Crabtree had during a holdout that lasted nearly until Halloween last season, plus there being all sorts of labor uncertainty complicating the signing of all draft picks, some Dallas Cowboys fans worried whether he'd ever show up.
Well, guess what: Bryant signed Thursday, becoming the first first-round pick in the entire NFL to strike a deal. The contract is for $11.8 million over five years, with at least $8.3 million guaranteed.
The key is that the deal is done in time for Bryant to be in San Antonio for the start of training camp Friday and, of course, the first practice Saturday. By the end of training camp, he might even be pushing Roy Williams for the starting job opposite Miles Austin.
"This was very important to me to be able to get this done in time for the first practice," Bryant said in a statement released by the team. "I want to help this team. I want to compete. I can't wait to start playing football again."
Bryant played only three games for Oklahoma State last season, then was dogged by all sorts of questions about his integrity, starting with an NCAA suspension for lying to investigators about a meeting with former Cowboys star Deion Sanders.
There was talk of him skipping meetings and classes, and being late to games. There were concerns about his mother's private life, enough that Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked if she ever was a prostitute. After he skipped the NFL combine and held his own pro day, there were whispers that he forgot to bring the right cleats.
But the Cowboys did their homework and wanted Bryant so badly that when they saw him slipping in the draft, they moved up to No. 24 and nabbed him. Team owner Jerry Jones also laid the foundation for Thursday's announcement before ever making the pick.
Speaking with agent Eugene Parker while the Cowboys were on the clock, Jones said: "We want a commitment here that we're going to work to get this done. We don't want a repeat of what happened last year."
That conversation was relayed by Stephen Jones, the team's vice president, while he repeatedly praised Parker and Bryant for getting this done on the eve of training camp.
"It's always been a good relationship with (Parker)," Jones said, noting that he represented two other recent first-rounders, but leaving out the fact both were a few days late to camp. "It's a two-way street. He's benefited, we've benefited. Nobody is trying to get the upper hand. You just want things to be good. He wants things to be good for Dez, and so do we."
Parker agreed that his long, solid relationship with the Joneses helped this deal come together.
"The trust factor," he said. "That enabled us to cut through some of the typical posturing and positioning and get right to the issues."
Among those issues was the lack of a collective bargaining agreement starting in 2011. That uncertainty is among the reasons none of the other first-rounders have signed.
"That's a big issue," Parker said. "Both sides had to be committed to compromise and be willing to see the other person's challenges and concerns and work through them."
Jerry Jones already has given Parker No. 88, a cherished jersey in Cowboys history because it was worn by Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson.
Irvin was Troy Aikman's favorite target, and Pearson was Roger Staubach's favorite target. With this deal done, it won't be long before Tony Romo starts his relationship with Bryant, perhaps adding them to that list.
"It was really important that we get him working and in the groove with Tony and our offense, and I think he understood that," Stephen Jones said.
Romo liked what he saw from Bryant over the summer — and from what the kid did in college.
In 27 games at Oklahoma State, Bryant had 147 catches for 2,425 yards (16.5 yards per catch) and 29 touchdowns. He also returned 22 punts for a 19.6-yard average and three TDs.
Bryant already is being counted on to return punts.
Stephen Jones added that second-round pick Sean Lee was close to signing his deal. Jones expects the linebacker from Penn State to be in San Antonio for the start of camp.
Browns have contract agreement with Colt McCoy
CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the agreement says the Cleveland Browns have come to terms on a multiyear contract with rookie quarterback Colt McCoy.
McCoy is expected to report with Cleveland's other first-year players to training camp on Friday, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced McCoy's agreement. The Browns are the first NFL team to open camp.
The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com.
The former Texas star was selected in the third round by the Browns. He is expected to be the club's third-stringer this season behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. McCoy won 45 games as a starter at Texas — the most in NCAA history — and passed for over 13,000 yards.
The Browns are still in talks with first-round pick Joe Haden, a cornerback from Florida.
-- Tom Withers
Turner: Chargers could be best in his 4 seasons
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Norv Turner thinks this season's San Diego Chargers can be the best team in his four seasons as head coach.
That's pretty optimistic thinking, considering the Chargers are expected to be without Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus McNeill, a Pro Bowler in 2006-07, for training camp and the first 10 games of the season. Unhappy about not getting long-term contracts, Jackson and McNeill have refused to sign their tenders as restricted free agents, a move that has cost each of them approximately $2.5 million.
Even if he were to report, Jackson has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He pleaded guilty in February to his second DUI since 2006.
Turner said Thursday that he bases his hopes on quarterback Philip Rivers, a defense that he says has made big improvements and a commitment to make the Chargers a better running team in the post-LaDainian Tomlinson era.
Rookies and some veterans are due to report on Sunday, with their first training camp practice on Monday morning. The first full-squad practice will be July 30.
Going into the weekend, the team's only unsigned draft pick is running back Ryan Mathews, the 12th pick overall who is expected to replace the departed Tomlinson.
San Diego was 13-3 last year before an embarrassing home playoff loss to the New York Jets.
"We have a chance — and you have to go do it — to have this be the best team that I've been with since I've been here," Turner said.
San Diego made it to the AFC championship game after the 2007 season, Turner's first with the Bolts. Including that defeat at New England, the Chargers have lost three of their last four playoff games.
The absences of Jackson, who had 68 catches for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns, and McNeill, who protects Rivers' blind side, can hardly be overlooked. Jackson is coming off his second straight 1,000-yard season, and at 6-foot-5, gave Rivers another enticing target to go along with Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates.
"You weigh that, and I'm like everyone involved — I'd love to have all our guys there," Turner said. "But from a coaching standpoint, I'm going to go coach the people that are there."
Turner likened this situation to the Chargers' 2009 opener at Oakland, when they lost center Nick Hardwick, rookie right guard Louis Vasquez and Tomlinson to injuries in a game they had to rally to win.
"It's like you got knocked down and had to take a mandatory count, you know, and you're looking around and saying, 'What are going to do, how are going to do this?' And then after you get over the shock, you start figuring, 'OK, we have to do this, this and this,' and then pretty soon we became a very good football team."
Hardwick missed the next 13 weeks, forcing the Chargers to shuffle their line.
To fill in for McNeill this season, the Chargers have signed 35-year-old Tra Thomas, a three-time Pro Bowler. Second-year pro Brandyn Dombrowski, who played right guard and right tackle last year, can also play left tackle.
"Tra Thomas brings his experience, much like four years ago when Roman Oben came in, and everyone said, 'This is an old, broken down guy,' and all he did was go play for two-three years and play at a high level," Turner said.
To fill in for Jackson, the Chargers will turn to Legedu Naanee, who's coming off foot surgery, and Craig "Buster" Davis, who's often been injured and hasn't lived up to his billing as the team's first-round draft pick in 2007.
"If Vincent Jackson isn't with us, Legedu Naanee is getting the opportunity of a lifetime," Turner said. "Buster Davis is getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Legedu believes he can be a dynamic, explosive receiver in this league. He has the same feeling about himself that Vincent Jackson had about himself when I got here, and Vincent's done that."
"There's opportunities for some other guys if we're in that position.
Naanee had 24 catches for 242 yards and two TDs last year, while Davis had six catches for 52 yards. The Chargers also have Malcom Floyd, who also wanted a long-term deal but signed his $3,168,000 tender in June. Floyd had 45 catches for 776 yards and one TD in '09. The Chargers signed free agent wide receiver Josh Reed from Buffalo, who had 27 catches for 291 yards and one touchdown.
Turner and the Chargers would love to forget their 17-14 playoff loss against the Jets, when All-Pro Nate Kaeding missed three field goal attempts, Jackson and linebacker Shaun Phillips each had a silly penalty and cornerback Antonio Cromartie — now with the Jets — whiffed on a tackle on Shonn Greene's 53-yard touchdown run.
"That's why I'm anxious, excited, about the season starting because we'll have some other games to talk about other than that one once we get going," Turner said.
-- Bernie Wilson
John Elway ready to step back into NFL
DENVER (AP) — John Elway is ready to get back into the NFL.
The Hall of Fame quarterback who retired in 1999 after winning his second straight Super Bowl in Denver is planning to attend some of the Broncos' training camp practices this summer and has agreed to help market the team's game in London in September.
Elway told the Denver Post recently that he'd also eventually like to own a piece of the Broncos.
After finishing his round at the HealthOne Colorado Open golf tournament on Thursday, Elway said he had no news to report from owner Pat Bowlen regarding his desire to be a co-owner but was eager to help his old team in many ways.
Elway, who carries a handicap of zero and fired an 11-over-par 83 at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club on Thursday, reconnected with the Broncos on the golf course this summer.
He teed off last month with Broncos second-year coach Josh McDaniels and the two discussed ways he could be involved with the franchise again after having very little contact with the team during the latter part of Mike Shanahan's tenure.
He isn't doing his famous helicopter dive back into football, just getting his feet wet again.
"I think it's going to be just a step-by-step type thing as needed," Elway said. "Kind of be around them a little bit more. Do some stuff on the business side for them with sponsors and stuff, to get a little bit closer to them and slowly work into it and see what they need. If they need advice, then I'm there to give it to them — if they want my advice."
The Broncos are eager for Elway, who turned 50 in June, to be a part of their future and not just their past. Whether that means Bowlen offers him a piece of the team is uncertain.
Elway said he wanted a clean break from football when he retired. He learned the business side of the sport as one of the owners of Denver's Arena League team before that league folded.
"When I first retired I wanted to get away. I had been in football my whole life. My dad was a coach so I wanted to get away from football," Elway said. "And then when I wanted to get back in, that's why I did the Arena League, to learn the business side of it, be on that side and get some experience."
Elway said he's eager to step back into pro football, especially now that McDaniels is entering his second season in Denver.
"I think that now is the time. Last year I think would have been tough with the transition to what they were going through and so maybe now is the time to start," Elway said. "Timing may be a lot better now in their minds than it was a while back."
And it certainly is in Elway's mind.
"I'm finally at the point of my life to where I guess I'm starting to just enjoy life a little bit instead of charging ahead. Everything I've ever done, I've always charged and now I'm in a pretty good spot," Elway said. "I'm back in the car business. I've got three dealerships in California and they're doing fine now. I'm taking the foot off the pedal a little bit and kind of smelling the roses a little bit."
Elway said he thinks Tim Tebow, the most intriguing pro prospect since Michael Vick, will do just fine in the NFL as he makes the transition from combination college quarterback to prototypical pocket passer.
"I haven't worked with him. I saw him in practice and obviously saw him when he played. I think they are focusing too much on his release. As long as he can get it out in a timely manner, I think he has plenty of arm there," Elway said.
Elway said Tebow is in the perfect place to begin his pro career because of McDaniels' experience working with quarterbacks, but he said fans are going to need plenty of patience.
Tebow attended his birthday party, Elway said, but the two didn't talk football. They will soon.
Elway also praised the way incumbent Kyle Orton has handled the offseason that saw not only the drafting of Tebow but the trade for Brady Quinn.
"I think he's done a heck of a job of handling the whole situation, accepting them and realizing that he has to compete and win football games. That's how you keep your job," Elway said. "I look for Kyle to have a good year."
Elway said he hasn't been around the Broncos enough but said eight to 10 wins would be a successful season for the team that beefed up its defensive front but also lost Pro Bowl wideout Brandon Marshall.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Former Browns center Bentley sues team over staph
CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley sued the team on Thursday over a career-ending staph infection he says he contracted at the team's training facility.
Bentley's attorney, Shannon Polk, said the lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court seeks at least $25,000 in damages for alleged fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Bentley could seek more money in court.
Polk said Bentley nearly died from the infection while he was rehabbing from a knee injury.
"They told him their facility was the best," Polk said. "But they never told him about a host of unsanitary conditions there. And they never told him about the list of others who contracted staph before he chose to rehab there."
The Browns declined to comment on Thursday.
The lawsuit was first reported by AOL Fanhouse.
Bentley never played a game for the Browns after signing a six-year, $36 million contract as a free agent. He tore his left patellar tendon in training camp in 2006, and his career never recovered after the infection.
In 2007, Bentley told The Associated Press that he had undergone four operations since getting hurt, the final two to clean out the staph infection, which ate away at his tendon. The virus became so severe that doctors considered amputating his leg.
"At one point, I was so sick they weren't sure I was going to live through the night," Bentley told the AP.
The lawsuit alleges the Browns' training facility in suburban Berea has been portrayed to players and player prospects "as a world-class facility at which 'state-of-the-art' physical training, medical care and treatment and other rehabilitative services are provided."
Bentley's repaired knee became swollen and he was diagnosed with staph infection within weeks of beginning rehabilitation at the facility in July 2006, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also says the Browns failed to sanitize equipment.
The Browns had at least six players stricken with some sort of staph infection in recent years, including former receiver Joe Jurevicius, who settled a similar lawsuit with the team in June. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
When the Jurevicius lawsuit was settled, team attorney Fred Nance said the Browns' sanitation and hygiene practices "have been and continue to be at the highest state-of-the-art level in the league."
The Browns' alarming rise in staph cases spurred the club to request assistance from the Cleveland Clinic, its health care provider and a sponsor. The Clinic twice sent a team to examine the team's headquarters and indoor practice field house in Berea.
The Clinic concluded the team was following proper procedure and CDC recommendations to prevent staph and that the five cases involving players were unrelated.
Browns players Brian Russell, Ben Taylor, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards also battled staph.
An NFL physicians survey of the 32 clubs determined there were 33 MRSA staph infections leaguewide from 2006-08.
"Had the Browns disclosed that stuff to him, had they been straight with him, he would have never agreed to rehab at their training facility," Polk said.
-- Meghan Barr
Broncos, Dumervil reach agreement on extension
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos fans can relax. Not so opposing quarterbacks: NFL sacks leader Elvis Dumervil has at long last agreed to a long-term extension.
Dumervil thrived last season in the Broncos' new defensive alignment that turned him from a classic 4-3 defensive end into a 3-4 linebacker. He responded with an NFL-leading and team-record 17 sacks, a starting spot in the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
Only two players have more sacks than Dumervil's 43 since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 out of Louisville — Dallas' DeMarcus Ware (56 1/2) and Minnesota's Jared Allen (52).
Both of them have cashed in with big contracts that contain large guarantees, $40 million for Ware and $31 million for Allen.
ESPN reported that Dumervil's deal was worth $61 million over six seasons with between $41 million and $43 million guaranteed.
The last player the Broncos committed that much money to was cornerback Champ Bailey, who is entering the final season of his six-year, $63 million contract that will pay him $13 million in 2010.
Bailey's future in Denver has been almost as big a topic among Broncos' fans this summer as Dumervil's contract talks.
Rather than hold out or issue ultimatums, Dumervil signed his one-year, $3.168 million restricted free agent tender this summer, bit his lip and participated in the team's offseason camps while his agent, Gary Wichard, and the Broncos hammered out an extension.
That goodwill paid off in a big way Thursday night.
In an e-mail from the Broncos announcing the long-awaited deal, coach Josh McDaniels praised Dumervil's handling of the protracted contract talks this offseason, which he said showed he's "the type of player and person we want on our team. We look forward to Elvis' impact for many years to come."
-- Arnie Stapleton
Childress doesn't know if Favre will play
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress recently paid a visit to Brett Favre at his Mississippi home.
But the coach says he still does not know if the quarterback will return for another season with the Vikings. Childress told KFAN radio in the Minneapolis area: "I don't know if he's going to play next year and I don't know if he knows if he's going to play next year."
Childress says he wants Favre to make the best decision for himself.
The coach also believes that Favre's surgically repaired ankle will not factor into the 40-year-old's decision. Childress says Favre is running stadium steps in a weighted jacket to slim down.
Many expect Favre to return for a 20th NFL season. Childress says he would not be surprised either way.
Saints re-sign DE McCray and sign rookie C Tennant
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Defensive end Bobby McCray is returning to New Orleans only one month after the Saints unexpectedly waived him.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says McCray signed a one-year contract on Thursday, the same day fifth-round draft choice Matt Tennant signed a four-year deal.
McCray, a six-year veteran, was with the Saints the past two seasons, playing in all 32 regular season games and started eight. He also started all three playoff games last season during the Saints' Super Bowl championship run.
Tennant started three seasons at center for Boston College.
The Saints also have waived former LSU linebacker Harry Coleman, as well as linebacker Sam Maxwell, defensive end Brandon Sharpe and cornerback Marcell Young.
Ravens CB Williams suspended by NFL for 2 games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore Ravens backup cornerback Cary Williams has been suspended by the NFL for two games without pay for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome says the violation occurred while Williams was playing for the Tennessee Titans. Williams was with the Titans in 2008 and at the outset of last season before joining the Ravens in November.
Newsome says "we were aware of this" before Baltimore signed Williams.
The 25-year-old Williams was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 draft by Tennessee. He played one game with the Titans in 2008, and last year he played in four games with Tennessee and five with Baltimore.
He will compete to play nickel back when training camp opens next week.
Bills place TE Klopfenstein on injured reserve
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have placed tight end Joe Klopfenstein on injured reserve a week before the start of training camp.
In announcing the move on Thursday, the Bills provided no details on Klopfenstein's injury. Re-signed by the team in March, Klopfenstein appeared in only the Bills' season finale last season, when he had one catch for 11 yards.
The Bills open camp on July 29 in suburban Rochester.
Raiders sign rookie S Stevie Brown
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have signed seventh-round pick Stevie Brown to a contract.
The deal announced Thursday leaves Oakland with only two unsigned draft picks. The Raiders are working on signing first-round pick Rolando McClain and second-rounder Lamarr Houston before training camp starts next week.
Brown was the last of Oakland's nine draft picks in April. He was taken 251st overall and will try to make the team as a reserve defensive back.
Chiefs sign TE Moeaki
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed tight end Tony Moeaki, one of the team's two third-round draft picks.
Terms of the deal, announced Thursday, were not released.
Moeaki, 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, had 76 catches for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns at Iowa. He started 10 games in his senior season.
Elsewhere
49ers' Ray McDonald pleads not guilty to DUI
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence.
San Mateo County Assistant District Attorney Karen Guidotti said Thursday that McDonald's attorney entered the plea on the player's behalf on Monday.
Guidotti says a pretrial conference has been set for Sept. 28 and a jury trial for Oct. 18, if he does not resolve the case.
McDonald was arrested June 12 after a California Highway Patrol officer pulled him over in his black BMW on Interstate 280 for allegedly driving 94 mph. His blood-alcohol content was not released.
McDonald publicly apologized after he was booked into a Redwood City jail.
If convicted, the 25-year-old could face a maximum of six months in jail.
