NFL Capsules: Jones expectant of a special season for Cowboys
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to be trying to temper the obvious expectations he has for his team.
Not so easy when the next Super Bowl will be played in his own stadium, and the Cowboys could legitimately be in position to play in that game next February.
"There's just not a whole lot of things not to like about the upcoming season," Jones said Friday. "But we all know the game and the journey we have ahead of us."
The ever-optimistic Jones has constantly reminded his players since the end of last season, and even before that, that they could be the first Super Bowl host team to actually play for the title. He beams with pride when talking about his $1.2 billion stadium that opened last season.
Yet, on the day before the Cowboys open the NFL's longest full-squad camp this year, Jones talked about how the defending NFC East champions ended last season. After winning their first playoff game in 13 seasons, against Philadelphia at home, they lost 34-3 at Minnesota the following weekend.
"We have got a lot to make amends for, but that's not all bad," Jones said. "Where I think that I won't be going is spending a lot of time talking about, 'Well, we're having the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl stadium, the expectation is to play the Super Bowl there.'"
Yet, clearly that is what he wants to happen.
Instead of a spending spree in an uncapped salary year, Jones emphasized continuity with a group that has had success — though still hasn't reached the pinnacle the owner experienced by raising the Lombardi Trophy three times in a four-year span in the mid-1990s.
A slimmer coach Wade Phillips (he has lost about 40 pounds since last season) goes into his fourth year with a 33-15 record in Dallas and a playoff victory to his credit as head coach.
Phillips has also settled nicely into the dual role of head coach-defensive coordinator. His 3-4 defense led by Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware last year allowed the fewest points in the NFC, with consecutive shutouts to end the regular season.
Jason Garrett is still calling plays for Tony Romo, who is coming off a record-setting year in which he also threw a career-low nine interceptions.
Jones said having that continuity "is a big deal. ... We have got a lot of continuity in what our players are going to be asked to learn and execute."
The only significant changes came after Dallas cut expensive former Pro Bowl players Flozell Adams, their offensive left tackle the last 12 seasons, and safety Ken Hamlin.
"We do have a lot of starters coming back," Phillips said. "We have a lot of starters who played well and are coming into the prime of their careers."
Regardless of what happens, this is going to be a special season for the five-time Super Bowl champions, who are marking 50 years as an organization. For the first time, Dallas has the highest all-time winning percentage in NFL history at .580, just ahead of Miami (.579), after the Cowboys won their last three games of the 2009 regular season.
Emmitt Smith, the NFL's career rushing leader, is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in two weeks, and the Cowboys are playing in the preseason opener that weekend in Canton, Ohio. Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, teammates with Smith for those three Super Bowl championships under Jones, are already in the Hall of Fame.
With the extra preseason game, the Cowboys are the first full squad to open camp. Rookies of some other teams are already reporting, but no other full squads report until Wednesday.
Dallas has all of its drafted rookies under contract after linebacker Sean Lee, the second-round pick, agreed to a deal Friday. First-round pick Dez Bryant on Thursday agreed to a a five-year deal.
After the Cowboys went 13-3 in Phillips' debut season, there were big expectations the following year. But they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in 2008.
Jones remembers what the coach told players before the start of training camp two years ago — that everybody was saying all they had to do was pick up where they left off and the next stop would be the Super Bowl. But the coach reminded them then they were still 80 players and not yet a 53-man team.
What did Phillips plan to tell the Cowboys before their first workout Saturday?
"We've approached it, it's not the Super Bowl at our place, it's this next practice for us, that's the most important thing for us, and then the progression from there," Phillips said Friday. "We're going to take a right-now approach."
Phillips described the team as confident but realistic. The coach said the Cowboys want to draw from their great tradition and "made some strides" last season.
"We have some players on this team that have had some close experience in maybe knocking on the door of the Super Bowl that are going to play major important roles for this team," Jones said. "I don't even know that they need to be reminded that close doesn't count. We all know we have an opportunity. It's easy to see that it doesn't sit there for you forever."
NFL, NFLPA release results of helmet study
NEW YORK (AP) — The results of an independent study commissioned by the NFL and the players' union show modern helmets meet all national safety standards, though it stressed that no helmet can prevent concussions and more studies are necessary.
The results were forwarded to teams on Friday, along with a memo from commissioner Roger Goodell outlining the study and a question-and-answer brief designed for players.
The results come roughly three months after a congressional committee criticized the NFL's research into equipment, particularly helmets, and questioned whether player safety is indeed being given top priority in an "infected system that needs to be cleaned up."
"The study should be regarded as an initial step in learning more about the effectiveness of safety equipment," Goodell said in his memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press. "It is not a definitive statement on helmet performance."
The study, which began last year, involved two independent labs that tested each of the 16 commercially available helmets for impacts similar to what would be felt by an NFL player in the open field. Eight locations on each helmet were tested using four speeds of impact, based on an analysis of game film and computer models in an attempt to replicate actual hits.
The raw data was examined by two independent biomechanical engineers and a statistician, and reviewed by the NFL's new Head, Neck and Spine Committee and doctors from the players' union.
The results showed that all 16 helmets met or exceeded national standards to protect players against traumatic head injuries, and none performed worse than a reference group of helmets from the 1990s. Three of the modern helmets — the Riddell Revolution, the Revolution Speed and the Schutt DNA Pro — were singled out as the top-performing helmets.
NFL players can choose to use any helmet that meets national safety standards.
"This was an opportunity to get the information to the players," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Associated Press. "The helmets that were tested all performed well. The three that were called out did qualify as top performers, but all the helmets met safety standards."
The information sent to each NFL team and its training staff included a line in bold-faced print that said "no helmet, including these top-performing helmets, can prevent concussions or reduce the risk of concussion to any specified degree."
Concussions in the NFL have recently become a major topic of concern.
Last year, Goodell and others from the NFL testified before Congress about concussions, and the league has already implemented new return-to-play guidelines for players who sustain head injuries in practice or a game. Teams must now consult with an independent neurologist whenever a player sustains a head injury.
The results of the helmet study are based solely on NFL conditions and are not applicable to collegiate, high school or youth football. The conclusions also cannot be drawn about helmet performance in specific types of collisions.
"Potential contributing factors for concussion, such as playing position, concussion theory, type of collision and helmet fit were not studied as part of this initial laboratory-based study," the results said. "Thus, this research represents an initial step in measuring helmet performance, and is not a definitive statement on performance."
NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah did not return a message seeking comment.
McCarthy said the testing is ongoing. The next step could involve additional laboratory work involving more speeds and impact points, or perhaps on-field analysis of performance. The NFL and the union are also considering expanded research to include other kinds of equipment.
"This has been a joint project throughout, and the intent was to take a look at existing helmets," McCarthy said. "It's an initial step in learning the effectiveness of the equipment, and we hope the manufacturers themselves can use the information to continue to improve."
-- Dave Skretta
Childress says he knows Favre better now
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Brad Childress sat forward in his chair and, in his scratchy, out-of-key baritone, started an old Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune.
"Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you," Childress sang, the melody barely detectable.
This was the Vikings coach's unique explanation of his first season with Brett Favre, the behind-the-scenes back-and-forth that helped frame the man behind the helmet and all those NFL records.
"I don't profess to be a Favre-istorian or anything like that," Childress said.
The education hasn't stopped for Childress, whose recently returned from his second visit this year to Favre's home in Mississippi. Childress didn't return to Minnesota with a better idea about his starting quarterback for the season, he said, but he did bring back an even stronger understanding of Favre's way of life and his way of thinking.
"The deep south is different, and he'd be the first to tell you that," Childress said on Friday afternoon in an interview with The Associated Press at team headquarters.
The coach recalled his drive to Hattiesburg from New Orleans, bewildered by all the bugs hitting his windshield.
"I felt like it was raining," Childress said. "He goes, 'That's the deep south, Brad.'"
Recovering from left ankle surgery and working out with the local high schoolers, Favre has yet to declare his intention for 2010. Childress said the situation was "all quiet," a week before training camp starts.
Continuing to speak in uncertainties about Favre's return, seen around the football world as a foregone conclusion, Childress said the time spent with Favre has given him more clarity about the 40-year-old's thought process related to continuing his career. He also said those conversations and observations will help grow their relationship should Favre decide to play a 20th season.
Childress downplayed the sideline clash over Favre's safety they had during a December game at Carolina while the Vikings' offense was struggling. He said the time it took to learn each other's idiosyncrasies was natural.
"Yeah, we banged heads. Like once," Childress said. "You could say I knew him from the outside and I knew his body of work, but I probably didn't know the wiring that was involved with that. Safe to say he didn't know how I was wired."
The Vikings have a lot of other good players and a lot of other intriguing story lines, but none of them captivate quite such as Favre, love or loathe. Though the coach was relaxed as can be at the office, wearing sandals, shorts and a purple polo on the verge of his last quiet summer weekend, Favre is clearly on his mind. Twice, Childress was asked about his own lingering feelings from the NFC championship game loss to the Saints, and in both answers he found a way to work in a couple of comments about Favre.
Childress also said there's no rift between him and running back Adrian Peterson, who missed the mandatory minicamp last month to attend a hometown festival in his honor in Texas.
"We're both men. It wasn't earth-shattering. It wasn't the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination," Childress said.
Will it be the end of the world if Favre doesn't come back? The always placid coach wouldn't acknowledge any anxiety about it.
"He knows that nothing's promised," Childress said. "He can say he's coming back and pull a calf the first day, and he can't get over it. ... He knows how fragile this thing is."
-- Dave Campbell
Dumervil's pass-rush, patience, attitude pay off
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Elvis Dumervil's route to riches was somewhat unconventional by today's NFL standards for superstars. He didn't posture, wasn't petulant or pouty. He didn't rip his coaches or the front office, hold out of minicamps or ask for a trade.
Coming off an NFL-leading and team-record 17 sacks last season, Dumervil signed his restricted free agent tender and continued working out with the Denver Broncos during the offseason while his agent and general manager exchanged figures.
Dumervil hit pay dirt with a $61.5 million extension through 2015 that includes $43.168 million in guarantees, a record for a player at his pass-rushing position.
His agent and his coach both suggested Dumervil's payday wasn't just about his pass-rushing prowess but also came about because of his patience and professionalism.
Dumervil said he was raised with a strong work ethic and he praised the advice he got from family members and his agent.
"And so at the end of the day, I knew my value and there was no need to go out and pout or go out, you know, the way other guys may have handled things because I know that character is No. 1 for me and I knew if I could bring the stats along with that it gave me a good chance," Dumervil said.
Coach Josh McDaniels, who has shipped Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall out of town — where they got big extensions from their new teams — said the humble, hardworking Dumervil is the kind of player a team can be built around.
"The way he has handled this lengthy negotiation this offseason is a great example of the type of player and person we want on our team," McDaniels said.
Dumervil's agent, Gary Wichard, lauded both his client's quiet approach to an extension and also the Broncos for coming up big at a time when uncertainty surrounds the league's labor accord, which is set to expire after the upcoming season.
"I give all the credit to Elvis for conducting himself with class throughout the whole process this off season," Wichard told The Associated Press in an e-mail Friday. "Also, Brian Xanders did a great job of getting this done through some tough circumstances and signing a 'Josh McDaniels guy.'"
Dumervil's approach stood in stark contrast to that of Marshall, a member of the same draft class who was a similar bargain for the Broncos for several seasons as a fourth-round steal in 2006.
Marshall's petulance consumed the team at times last season. He was suspended during training camp and again for the season finale for insubordination. The Broncos traded him to Miami just before the draft, and the Dolphins gave him a contract extension through 2014 that could be worth $50 million.
One of McDaniels' first orders of business as coach in Denver was to grant Cutler's trade request and send his recalcitrant quarterback to the Bears, who gave him a two-year, $30 million extension last season.
About the only time Dumervil talked money publicly last season was when he mentioned in passing to an AP reporter that pass-rushers "get paid" because of their value to a team's defense. So stunning was his comment that teammates who overheard it immediately gave him grief, albeit good-naturedly.
Dumervil thrived last season in the Broncos' new defensive alignment that turned him from a classic 4-3 defensive end in a three-point stance into a stand-up outside linebacker in the 3-4. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro, burnishing his credentials for a contract extension.
Although the total value of Dumervil's deal isn't as high as other top pass-rushers, his $43.168 million in guaranteed money surpasses that of Chicago's Julius Peppers ($42 million), Dallas' DeMarcus Ware ($40 million), Baltimore's Terrell Suggs ($38 million) and Minnesota's Jared Allen ($31 million).
The Broncos could have put off a deal with Dumervil because the league might shut down in 2011 without a new labor accord, and they could have slapped the franchise tag on him after that, effectively keeping him away from unfettered free agency.
Instead, they rewarded him with the biggest deal since Champ Bailey's six-year, $63 million contract in 2005.
Dumervil realizes his sack total could go down this season even as his value rises because he'll see plenty of double-teams and offenses scheming away from him. That makes it imperative for the Broncos to develop another pass-rusher such as outside linebacker Robert Ayers.
"If my sack total goes down and other guys make plays — that's what it's all about," Dumervil said. "It's not really about the numbers all the time, it's about how effective I can be in trying to free up someone else. As far as that guy, I don't know. We'll have to see when the time happens."
-- Arnie Stapleton
Steelers sign Tomlin through 2012, with option
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed coach Mike Tomlin to a two-year contract extension through the 2012 season, with an option year in 2013.
The extension was expected because the Steelers' policy has been to sign a coach before he begins the final season of a contract. Tomlin is only the Steelers' third coach since 1969, following Chuck Noll (1969-91) and Bill Cowher (1992-2006).
Tomlin is 31-17 in three seasons, with two division titles, an AFC championship and a Super Bowl victory. During the 2008 season, he became the youngest coach — he was 36 — to win the Super Bowl when the Steelers beat Arizona 27-23.
"Mike Tomlin has proven to be one of the top head coaches in the National Football League in a relatively short time," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. "His unique ability to lead the team and motivate individuals have been key factors in our success."
The Steelers were 9-7 and missed the playoffs last season. They open training camp July 30 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported July 13 that Tomlin had signed a three-year extension through the 2014 season.
Tomlin made an average of $2.5 million per season under the contract he signed upon succeeding Cowher in January 2007. His new contract is expected to at least double that.
AP Source: Douglas agrees to terms with Dolphins
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Dolphins moved quickly to find a replacement for injured defensive end Phillip Merling.
Free agent Marques Douglas agreed to terms on a $2.5 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations said Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Dolphins had not announced the deal.
Douglas shores up a position depleted when Merling recently suffered an Achilles' tendon injury that will force him to miss the entire season.
Douglas started 12 games for the New York Jets' top-ranked defense last year, and he had 36 tackles and 28 assists. The Dolphins will be his fifth team in an 11-year career, and he'll compete for playing time with the Dolphins' No. 1 draft pick, Jared Odrick.
The 33-year-old Douglas will rejoin Mike Nolan, the Dolphins' new defensive coordinator. They were together in San Francisco and Baltimore.
Merling, who played mostly as a reserve in 2008 and 2009, was hurt preparing for the start of training camp next Friday. His status was already in question after he was arrested in May and charged with felony battery against his pregnant girlfriend.
-- Steven Wine
Jets C Mangold says he'll be at camp on time
NEW YORK (AP) — Jets center Nick Mangold says he will report for training camp with the rest of the team next weekend despite not having a new contract in place.
Mangold tells the NFL Network on Friday night that it wouldn't do him any good to hold out, so "I'll be there with bells on."
The Jets report for training camp on Aug. 1 in Cortland, N.Y.
The All-Pro center is making $3.3 million entering the final year of his rookie deal, but is seeking a long-term contract extension. He decided to participate in minicamp despite being unhappy with the lack of negotiations.
All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, also seeking an extension, has not indicated if he will report to camp. He's due to make $1 million in the fourth season of his six-year rookie deal.
Browns sign Colt McCoy
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have signed rookie quarterback Colt McCoy to a multiyear contract, but have not yet reached an agreement with first-round pick Joe Haden.
Terms of McCoy's deal were not immediately known.
McCoy was selected in the third round in April's draft. The former Texas star reported with the team's other signed first-year players on Friday. The Browns' veterans are not required to arrive until next week. Cleveland opens training camp on July 31.
The Browns say they have also signed offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao, who was taken seven picks — No. 92 overall — behind McCoy.
The team is continuing talks with the agents for Haden, the No. 7 overall pick. Second-round picks, safety T.J. Ward and running back Montario Hardesty, are also unsigned.
-- Tom Withers
