NFL Capsules: Cowboys' Romo expects Free, others to protect him
GRAPEVINE — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo isn’t sounding too concerned about life without five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Flozell Adams protecting his blind side.
"I can’t worry about it," Romo said Wednesday. "I have to trust the people around me."
That includes fourth-year player Doug Free, who is expected to slide over to left tackle after starting the final seven regular season games last season on the right side for injured Mark Colombo. It also includes newly acquired Alex Barron and re-signed Montrae Holland.
"This will give us competition, it will give us real experience if you add up all the games our offensive line has played. That’s pretty impressive, and it gives us depth," team owner Jerry Jones said. "So I’ll be very candid with you. I’m no longer concerned about the offensive line at all. As a matter of fact, I like the mix."
Romo hasn’t had the opportunity yet to throw passes to first-round draft pick Dez Bryant. That will come next week when the Cowboys hold the first of four consecutive weeks of workouts that will culminate with a mandatory minicamp in mid-June. Training camp opens in late July.
"They say he’s pretty natural and fluid," Romo said of Bryant. "That’s obviously a good thing."
Roy Williams is coming off a disappointing season (38 catches, 596 yards, seven touchdowns) after Terrell Owens’ departure cleared the way for him to be the No. 1 receiver. He expects to be better next season and welcomes the addition of Bryant, who the Cowboys got with the 24th overall pick in last month’s draft.
"He’s a playmaker, a game-changer," Williams said. "I welcome that. You get a steal like that that far down, why not. ... Our team got better."
Romo, Williams and several other teammates played golf Wednesday as part of an annual Cowboys-sponsored function at a course bearing the name of the team.
It was the second day in a row on a golf course for Romo, who Tuesday shot an even-par 72 in a pre-qualifier for the Byron Nelson Championship, the PGA Tour tournament in the Dallas area next week.
That got Romo a spot in the open qualifying Monday, when the top four finishers earn a spot in the Nelson field. That is also the first day of OTAs for the Cowboys. Romo said he obviously will not miss football workouts, but his tee time for the qualifying event likely will be in the afternoon, allowing him to do both.
The golf outing Wednesday was certainly less stressful than the pre-qualifier the day before.
"I’m not having to grind over every shot. I don’t mind if I hit out of play today," Romo said. "It’s good to get out here and have fun."
Next week, it’s the start of OTAs, though Romo and others have been working out already for several weeks.
"We’re always doing football," he said. "Next week will just be a little bit more for other people to see. We’ve kind of been doing it for a good month or so and on the field. It is just part of the next step in the process, but it will be fun next week."
It will also be Romo’s first time on the field with the 6-foot-7, 315-pound Barron, who played in 76 games for St. Louis, all but two of them starts. The Cowboys got him after trading linebacker Bobby Carpenter to the Rams in a swap of former first-round picks.
Holland, the Cowboys’ only unrestricted free agent this offseason, signed a two-year deal to stay after being inactive all 16 games last season. He started two of his eight games for Dallas in 2008 after starting all 16 the previous season for Denver.
"Right now, we’re going into it thinking that with Doug and these other guys, we’re going to be able to keep doing what we’ve been doing," Romo said. "And hopefully the team can grow as an offense."
Jones, Benson among Hall presenters
CANTON, Ohio — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will be the presenter for Emmitt Smith at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions this summer.
Jones also served as Michael Irvin’s presenter in 2007. Smith is the NFL’s career rushing leader and was a first-ballot choice for the Hall in February.
The Cowboys will play Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame game to open the preseason on Aug. 8, one day after the induction ceremonies.
"There is no greater honor for a person in my position," Jones said, "and I can’t think of a more inspirational way for our current team to start a new season than being in Canton, Ohio, while we all recognize the NFL’s all-time leading rusher."
Jerry Rice, the all-time receiving leader, will be presented by Ed DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers. Rice also is a first-ballot inductee.
This is the fourth time DeBartolo has served as a presenter. He presented Bill Walsh in 1993, Joe Montana in 2000, and Fred Dean in 2008.
"It’s truly a great honor to present my dear friend Jerry Rice into the Hall of Fame," said DeBartolo. "No player in pro football history dominated his position the way Jerry did, and it’s a privilege to be his presenter."
New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson will introduce linebacker Rickey Jackson, the first longtime Saints player to reach the Hall of Fame. And he did it in the year New Orleans won its first Super Bowl.
"Mr. Benson has always been good to me and stood by me since Day 1," Jackson said. "I owe a great deal of my success to him."
Former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little will be introduced by his son, Marc. Little was voted in as a senior committee nominee.
"I’m humbled to be the representative who will speak on behalf of our family, many of whom equally deserve to be presenters," Marc Little said. "Our family will all stand together and witness the crowning achievement of a spectacular career."
John Randle, who harassed offenses from his defensive tackle position for 14 seasons, mostly in Minnesota, has asked former defensive line coach John Teerlinck to introduce him.
"I’ve been an assistant coach for 22 years," said Teerlinck, now with the Indianapolis Colts. "I’ve coached in 31 playoff games, six championships, and four Super Bowls. This tops them all. This is the biggest honor for an assistant coach."
Russ Grimm, a one-time star guard with the Washington Redskins, will have his former line coach for the Hogs, Joe Bugel, present him.
"When Russ said he wanted me to be his presenter," Bugel said, "it lifted me so high I almost hit my head on the ceiling."
Dick LeBeau, a standout defensive back for Detroit, will be introduced by his brother, Bob. LeBeau is the renowned defensive coordinator of the Steelers.
Cushing keeps AP Defensive Rookie award
NEW YORK — A positive drug test notwithstanding, Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is still The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Five days after he was suspended without pay for four games, a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL voted again to give Cushing the award. He didn’t receive anywhere near the 39 votes of his previous landslide victory, but the 18 he got in Wednesday’s revote were enough to reclaim the honor.
"I was just glad to hear the news, that people stuck by me. Very honored," Cushing said. "I’m very happy to have the award once again, and I’m just happy with how everything turned out."
Although Cushing said he took a non-steroid substance, the league still considers it a performance-enhancer.
In the revote, Cushing finished five votes ahead of Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd. Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews III got 12, Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo earned three votes, and St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis got one.
Three voters abstained. In all, 19 voters switched from Cushing to another player, and one voted for Cushing after picking Byrd originally.
"I’m good," Byrd said, referring to the result. "Yeah, I’m fine with it."
In the original balloting in January, Cushing received 39 votes to six for Byrd, three for Matthews and two for Orakpo.
Cushing did lose his spot on the All-Pro second team, for which he originally had five votes and now has just one.
"If Brian Cushing had come out with a plausible excuse as to why he failed a test for prohibited substances, he could have kept his defensive rookie of the year award as far as I was concerned," said voter Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune. "But his silence was deafening, disturbing and damning."
Not to some voters.
"If I had known in January when we initially voted that Brian Cushing had tested positive for a banned substance, I might not have voted for him," said Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and president of the Pro Football Writers of America. "However, Cushing won the award in January, and I don’t feel like we should revise history. I am concerned about the precedent."
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle voted for Cushing the first time and had "no problem" voting for him again.
"In good conscience, I couldn’t not vote for him after voting for Julius Peppers in 2002 knowing he’d tested positive (and won the same award), and for Kevin Williams on the All-Pro team knowing he’d tested positive (in the StarCaps case).
"I also believe taking the award from Cushing would have opened up a Pandora’s box when it came to players and awards. I think the AP should make it a rule that a player who tests positive is going to be subjected to a revote."
But Peter King of Sports Illustrated cited Peppers’ case as a reason to change his vote.
"Two wrongs don’t make a right," King said. "And just because Peppers’ rookie victory in 2002 wasn’t overturned ... doesn’t mean you continue to make the wrong decision year after year. The precedent this sets, in my opinion, is a good one. I know I have changed my mind over the past couple of years, and won’t vote for any player who tests positive for any performance-enhancer."
A person familiar with Cushing’s case told the AP on Tuesday that Cushing tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL’s banned substance list. The person said Cushing had one positive test from a urine sample taken in September, then subsequently tested negative several times. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because test results are considered confidential.
Cushing is suspended without pay until Oct. 4, although he can participate in offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games. He will not be eligible for next season’s Pro Bowl — he made the AFC team last January, but did not play, citing several injuries — or any NFL-sponsored awards.
"We respect the AP’s decision to revote and the decision of the voters," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
One voter who switched from Cushing, Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio and foxsports.com, said he was stunned by the outcome.
"A player who tests positive for a performance-enhancing drug, especially a masking agent for steroids, should not be honored with a prestigious award," Schein said. "He failed the test in September. His season is tainted. This is wrong.
"I am very disappointed in the results of the revote and my fellow voters who voted for Cushing."
-- Barry Wilner
Bills’ P Moorman questions Cushing’s victory
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bills punter Brian Moorman questioned why Brian Cushing shouldn’t have an asterisk next to his name after the Houston Texans linebacker retained The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year title in a revote.
Moorman called the result of the vote Wednesday "unfortunate" and added it was a "bad message" to send young football players by rewarding Cushing after he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s drug policy.
"I’m not taking anything away from the season that Cushing had," Moorman told the AP by phone. "But there’s definitely an asterisk beside it."
A nine-year NFL veteran, Moorman was rooting for Bills safety Jairus Byrd to win the honor. Byrd finished second in the initial vote in January and Wednesday’s revote taken by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.
Byrd was not bothered by the revote.
"I’m good," Byrd said, referring to the result. "Yeah, I’m fine with it."
Moorman was not.
"I just think it’s unfortunate," said Moorman, who acknowledged he might be biased because Byrd is a teammate. "Rules are the rules. (Cushing) won an award under the assumption he was clean, and he wasn’t."
A person familiar with Cushing’s case told the AP on Tuesday that Cushing tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL’s banned substance list. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the test results were supposed to remain confidential.
Moorman first made his views known shortly after the vote was announced by calling the result "Ridiculous!" in a message he posted on his Twitter account.
"I don’t do a lot of tweeting, but I thought this one was just kind of one of those things that I decided that’s wrong," Moorman said. "It’s nothing against the voters, but it’s a bad message to send."
He said that message is that players can get away with skirting the rules.
"That’s just what I think the message that’s been given, and that it’s OK with the media as well now," Moorman said.
-- John Wawrow
Texans sign LB Clark
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have signed free agent linebacker Danny Clark.
The Texans agreed to terms with Clark on Tuesday and made it official on Wednesday.
Houston needed to add depth at the position after Brian Cushing was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s drug policy.
Clark played for the Texans in 2007 and spent the last two seasons with the New York Giants. He appeared in each game, started 11 and finished with 53 tackles last year.
The 33-year-old has been in the league for 10 years and his best seasons came with the Oakland Raiders, where he finished with more than 110 tackles in both 2004 and 2005.
Titans deliver on owner’s promise to help victims
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The flood-beaten ticket booth washed away from a resort and was carried miles across town by raging waters until it came to rest upside down in someone’s backyard — until Vince Young and some of his Tennessee teammates arrived.
They broke it apart and carried the sodden chunks of wood up to the street to be taken away.
Skilled carpenters they’re not. Strong with plenty of enthusiasm? Yes.
The Titans delivered Wednesday the help to flood victims promised by owner Bud Adams last week. The team took a break from their offseason program, and nearly 80 employees, coaches and players hit the streets a short drive from the Titans’ offices. They didn’t look that different from other volunteers throughout town wearing masks and sweating from all the hard work.
Donald Meadows, who lost his ticket to the 2000 Super Bowl and other Titans’ memorabilia collected over the years when Richland Creek flooded his small home, didn’t recognize them until he saw coach Jeff Fisher.
"I told him personally, ‘Jeff I really appreciate it. Of all the places in Nashville you could’ve went ... to come down to the low-rent district and help these folks, that’s good,"’ Meadows said.
The storms May 1-2 that flooded Tennessee killed 22 people with an early damage total for Nashville alone already at $1.5 billion and rising fast, not counting the devastation in 51 other counties. Adams donated $200,000 from his foundation last week with the NFL and the NFL Players Association matching that amount.
But the Titans worked with Hands On Nashville, the group organizing and directing volunteer efforts throughout the city, to identify an area in desperate need. That put them in this neighborhood that backs up to a usually low-lying creek almost lost in the shadow of nearby Interstate 40.
They arrived Wednesday morning and scattered across three different streets where they tore out drenched drywall, flooring, appliances and personal belongings destroyed when the creek filled homes with muddy waters May 2. Some, like Meadows and his family, escaped.
Young talked with one man whose wife and mother crawled up to the attic when the waters reached the doorknob to their home.
"Thank God they had an attic," Young said.
The Texas native remembers the damage to his Houston hometown from Hurricane Ike two years ago. Seeing the damage on Hite Street, Young said it’s obvious a lot of help is needed.
"For Mother Nature to come take over your house and your home, it’s a terrible thing," the quarterback said. "In the same time, you’ve got guys like myself putting out a lot of help to rebuild. That’s good motivation to take your mind off the bad and get to the point of rebuilding and get your foundation back to where you want it to be at."
Defensive tackle Tony Brown was struck by how high the waters filled the houses as he took a break.
"It’s just a shame that people lost so much so fast ... People can’t really prepare for it," he said.
The work wasn’t without its dangers.
Receiver Lavelle Hawkins had a nail puncture his left shoe as he ripped at that ticket booth with a hammer. A sign identified the booth as serving ticket holders for the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland, parts of the Gaylord Opryland Resort, before being dumped in the yard by the flood.
Seeing the Titans’ LP Field under water was an early sign of just how much the Cumberland River had overflown its banks. The Titans couldn’t get to their offices downstream for days because local officials worried about a leaking levee had evacuated the area. But carp had been seen swimming in the parking lot before the area was closed off.
The Titans diverted most flood water away from a main level down to the field and have said damage at LP Field was minor. Fisher said the Titans were very fortunate considering how much had been ruined around town.
They had been waiting for the right time to head out to help, and Fisher said they went on a day off between two minicamp sessions. Most of the roster turned out, minus the rookies who can’t join the team until next week.
The coach spent a few minutes talking with Meadows, a 48-year-old fan who lost a silver coin from the Titans’ inaugural season in 1999 along with his other Titan’s memorabilia. Meadows said he also lost some gold coins from his father during the scurry to clean all the rotting items out of his house.
"I probably spent an hour and a half in a closet, one closet in one home," a sweaty and dusty Fisher said. "And how many hundreds of homes are there here? So these people down here need the help."
-- Teresa M. Walker
Giants, Jets sign bid to bring Super Bowl to N.J.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Blankets, seat-warmers and earmuffs could compete with hats and T-shirts as must-have Super Bowl souvenirs if the owners of the New York area’s two NFL teams woo football’s ultimate game to the region in 2014.
"We’ll be lucky if it snows," Jets owner Woody Johnson quipped Wednesday at a news conference marking the official signing of the bid package that will be delivered to the league’s other 30 owners.
The theme of the new Meadowlands Stadium’s bid is "Make Some History," and if the stadium is awarded the game, it will be the first Super Bowl to be played outdoors in a cold-weather locale. Miami and Tampa, which have hosted 14 Super Bowls between them, also are submitting bids. The owners will pick the Super Bowl site at the NFL meetings in Dallas on May 25.
Johnson, stadium chief executive Mark Lamping and New York Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara extolled the advantages of playing the game in the New York area, but they also acknowledged they will have to get other owners to revise their vision of the Super Bowl as a game that can only be played in bikini weather or in a climate-controlled dome.
"Sports fans aren’t easily intimidated by weather," Lamping said on an unseasonably cool, drizzly day at the new stadium. "The game of football was never intended to be played in perfect conditions."
That view was echoed by several players from both teams who attended the news conference, including Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Manning spoke fondly of beating the Packers in the NFC championship game two years ago in bone-chilling weather at Lambeau Field.
"Some of my friends still talk about that game more than the Super Bowl," he said. "It’s one of my all-time favorite games, being in Green Bay, in negative-20-degree weather. If the NFC championship game can be played anywhere, why can’t the Super Bowl be played in a cold-weather atmosphere?"
In December, the league gave the Giants and Jets the right to bid on the Super Bowl despite the traditional requirement that the host region have either a minimum temperature of 50 degrees or a stadium with a roof.
The new, $1.6 billion Meadowlands stadium, which both teams will call home beginning this fall, does not have a retractable roof, but Lamping pointed out that it does have "two of everything" including medical facilities and state-of-the art locker rooms, as well as more than 10,000 club seats and four huge HD video screens in the stadium’s four corners. The Giants’ training facility is on site, and the Jets’ in nearby Florham Park.
Lamping said the bid envisions holding the traditional Saturday night Super Bowl party at Liberty State Park in Jersey City against a backdrop of the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline. He mentioned New York’s Jacob A. Javits Center and Ellis Island as possible sites for other pre-game events.
He also said the stadium would offer fans amenities like hand-warmers, blankets and self-warming seat cushions, as well as fire pits in the parking lot for tailgaters.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in February that holding the Super Bowl at the Meadowlands "could have tremendous benefits."
Mara was cautiously optimistic Wednesday, saying that while he has gotten a thumbs-down from some owners already, he has received support from others.
"We’ve already got two votes," he said, referring to himself and Johnson. "We only need 15 more."
-- David Porter
Saints’ attorney: Club won’t try lawsuit in media
NEW ORLEANS — An attorney for the New Orleans Saints said Wednesday that the team will wait until trial to respond to a former security director’s allegations that the club tried to cover up prescription Vicodin thefts at team headquarters.
The Saints won’t settle with Geoffrey Santini and won’t be publicly discussing the lawsuit that he filed against the team until it goes to court, lawyer Phil Wittman said.
"We’re in litigation with Mr. Santini and I feel we should proceed with the legal process and not make any media comments at this time," Wittman said. "The courts don’t like it when you try your case in the papers."
Wittman’s comments came after Santini said in an interview with Gannett Louisiana Newspapers that he regrets not going straight to Saints owner Tom Benson when he found out about missing prescription drugs at team headquarters.
Santini says he instead went to general manager Mickey Loomis, who allegedly tried to cover up the theft and improper distribution of Vicodin from the team’s prescription drug locker.
Santini wound up resigning in August because of his dispute with Loomis over how the handle the matter and on April 30 filed suit seeking damages and back pay.
"Mickey was a friend of mine," said Santini, a retired FBI agent. "I considered him a friend, and I’ve always respected a chain of command. So I didn’t go to Tom Benson. I didn’t want to have to put Mickey in a position that he couldn’t recover from if in fact I thought I could save this.
"I did everything, believe me, that I could to stop this," Santini said. "I tried to use everything I’ve ever learned — the hundreds of times that I’ve dealt with bringing people in behind closed doors legally and getting things worked out."
Santini’s lawsuit says one unnamed staff member stole Vicodin while another was allowed to take an amount that far exceeded an amount appropriate for any known medical condition he had.
People familiar with the case have told The Associated Press that the staff member stealing Vicodin was linebackers coach Joe Vitt and the one who was allowed to take excessive pills was head coach Sean Payton. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the allegations.
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel initially denied all allegations and said Santini was a disgruntled former employee trying to squeeze the club for money. Payton also issued a statement denying he ever stole or abused Vicodin. No one on the team has addressed the allegations directly since.
Both the theft of Vicodin, a scheduled narcotic, and any attempt to cover that up would be state and federal crimes. The Federal Drug Administration has acknowledged it is aware of the case and that an investigation is pending. Authorities in Jefferson Parish, where the civil case was filed, say they are not investigating at this time.
Santini says he has video and audio recordings to back up his claims, including recorded conversations with trainers Scottie Patton and Kevin Mangum in which they discussed being ordered by Loomis to forge entries in official prescription drug logs to cover up the Vicodin thefts.
"It broke my heart to have to put a recorder on these people — absolutely broke my heart," Santini told the paper. "Let’s make one thing perfectly clear, I have no ill will against the Saints. I am so happy that they got to the Super Bowl and won it. I had no intention and still have no intention of hurting the New Orleans Saints, the players or other coaches.
"I was witnessing crimes, and I wasn’t going to stand for that," Santini said. "I did everything I could to save the people that were involved, but it just didn’t go that way. Mickey didn’t let it."
Brady: Patriots weren’t "mentally tough" in 2009
BOSTON — Tom Brady said Wednesday the New England Patriots lacked confidence and mental toughness last season.
In a radio interview on WEEI in Boston, the quarterback also said the team didn’t respond well to adversity.
"When the going got tough, we didn’t get going. We weren’t really a mentally tough team last year," he said.
The Patriots were 10-6, then lost 33-14 to the Baltimore Ravens at home in the first round of the playoffs as Brady threw four interceptions. New England had won three Super Bowls in the previous eight seasons with Brady but then lost team leaders Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison to retirement and Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour in trades.
The Patriots lost four games last year in which they led at halftime and were 2-6 on the road.
"Games that we lose in the fourth quarter, games that we lose in the second half, or losing on the road like we did, that can be lack of trust, lack of confidence," Brady said. "There are a lot of issues you have when that repeats itself time and time again over the course of the season."
Brady said he hopes the players coach Bill Belichick obtained during the offseason can make the team more mentally tough.
"Coach always used the words ‘mentally tough’ to us. I always agree with him," he said. "I think that’s been a big point of emphasis this offseason. Hopefully, we find ways to address it with each other and also with coach bringing in different players and to see if they can bring a little bit of that to our team."
Longtime Eagles RB Brian Westbrook visits Redskins
WASHINGTON — Brian Westbrook could become the fourth big-name veteran in a crowded Washington Redskins running back competition.
The longtime Philadelphia Eagles standout visited the Redskins on Wednesday. General manager Bruce Allen called it "a good meeting" and that he will "probably have some meetings down the road" with the 30-year-old back.
The Redskins already have plenty of experienced star power at the position. In addition to 28-year-old incumbent Clinton Portis, they’ve added 30-year-old Larry Johnson and 29-year-old Willie Parker this offseason.
Westbrook played eight seasons with the Eagles, usually in the backfield with new Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. He had two concussions last year and was released in February.
Trooper appeals ban on working for Roethlisberger
PITTSBURGH — A Pennsylvania state trooper who was barred from working for Ben Roethlisberger wants the agency to let him return to his part-time job as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
State police spokeswoman Lt. Myra Taylor said Wednesday that Trooper Ed Joyner has filed a union grievance, but he won’t be allowed to work for Roethlisberger while it is pending.
The state police last month rescinded Joyner’s permission to work for Roethlisberger as part of an investigation into Joyner’s activities when Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault in a Georgia nightclub on March 5.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association says the agency hasn’t shown justification for rescinding its outside work permission. The union also says it will "vigorously" defend Joyner.
Jets’ Sanchez says knee rehab is on schedule
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said Wednesday his rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery is progressing on schedule but he can’t say if he’ll be ready to participate in minicamp in June.
Sanchez had a procedure on his left knee Feb. 17 to repair the patella ligament. At a news conference to discuss the Jets’ and New York Giants’ bid for the 2014 Super Bowl, Sanchez said he recently began jogging and playing catch.
He has no doubt he’ll be ready for training camp in August, but he’ll have to wait and see if he can take part in the team’s minicamp in mid-June.
"That’s the goal," he told reporters. "If it’s in the cards, great; if not, then we’ll just be smart about it and not rush anything and get ready for camp."
Bills release RB Mendenhall, C Mutcher
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills have released running back Walter Mendenhall and center Kyle Mutcher.
The cuts were announced on Wednesday, three days after the team completed a weekend minicamp for rookies and players with fewer than three years of NFL experience.
Mendenhall was signed in April and had no NFL experience a year after completing his college career at Illinois State. He’s the older brother of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Mutcher, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Weber State, signed with Buffalo earlier this month.
USA Football awards $1 million in grants
NEW YORK — USA Football says it will award $1 million in equipment grants for youth leagues, middle schools and high schools.
The grants are made possible through the NFL’s Youth Football Fund, and will be awarded based on merit and need, USA Football announced Wednesday.
USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association.
Each league chosen receives a $1,000 package, with high schools receiving $1,500 worth of equipment that includes helmets, shoulder pads and apparel.
