Stephen Jones: “Too big a divide” to do a Dez Bryant deal now

With wide receiver Dez Bryant — or those close to Dez Bryant — threatening to boycott regular season games, the Cowboys are using their own pulpit to illustrate the difference in bargaining positions.
Via the team’s official website, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said there was still  “wide gap” in negotiations with their franchise-tagged wide receiver.
“I’m not a good speculator, but I will say this is the tough side of our game – the side that the fans don’t probably love to talk about,” Jones said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “But there is a business side of it, and we’re doing what we can do, our goal ultimately being to sign Dez to a long-term contract – and I know Dez would like to have one. But this is an environment right now with a receiver market that’s not exactly easy to get your hands around.”
With wideouts including Demaryius Thomas, Julio Jones and A.J. Green looking for new deals, ascertaining market value is hard.
“I don’t think anyone quite knows what that market is, and that makes it difficult,” Jones said. “I think once we figure out what that is, then there’s a way for us to get something done with Dez. But until that happens, it’s what teams think versus what players and their representatives think. There’s a wide gap right now. . . .
“At the end of the day it’s a business, and when the time comes and there’s something that we can do that makes sense for both sides, I know that’ll happen – because they’re motivated to do it, we’re motivated to do it. But right now there’s just too big a divide.”
And until we get closer to the July 15 deadline for tagged players to reach long-term deals, there will doubtless be more noise from both sides as they try to bridge that gap.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Darin Gantt
Photo: Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

Saints move on from Smith, Harper, Greer, Vilma

In many ways, an era has ended for the Saints.
Four key defensive players won’t be back with the team in 2014.  The Saints have terminated the contracts of linebacker Will Smith, cormerback Jabari Greer, and safety Roman Harper.  The team also announced that linebacker Jonathan Vilma (pictured) will not be re-signed.
Last night, we reported that the release of Smith and Harper could come as soon as Wednesday.
“I would like to thank Jabari, Roman, Will, and Jonathan for their contributions on and off the field for the New Orleans Saints over the past several years,” owner Tom Benson said in a team-issued release. “All four of them played important roles in the success of our club and were great players and teammates. In addition, all of them made a significant impact in our community, especially with our youth and helping serve the less fortunate. On behalf of our organization and our fans, we appreciate everything that they have done for us and wish them continued success.”
“These were not easy decisions to make,” G.M. Mickey Loomis said. “Since we acquired them, Jabari, Roman, Will and Jonathan have all been excellent players on the field for us. Each of them were integral parts in turning this program around and winning a Super Bowl. They were a great example to our players as team leaders in the locker room as well. Will and Roman were two of the better draft picks we have made. Jonathan Vilma has been one of our best trades ever and Jabari Greer has been one of our best free-agent signings. These are the kinds of players and people you hope to acquire. However, a new NFL year is about to begin and, with the start of free agency in March, these difficult moves allow us to position our team under the salary cap to move forward for 2014.”
“I have coached and been around a lot of great players and I put these four guys right there at the top,” coach Sean Payton said. “Jabari, Roman, Will and Jonathan all represent and epitomize what we look for in our players. These are disciplined, smart, tough and team-oriented individuals. They all played an important role in helping this team and this city win its first Super Bowl and they have all enjoyed multiple playoff appearances and wins.”
Cutting Smith clears his $10.4 million salary off the books. Greer would have earned a base salary of $4 million in 2014; his release will result in a $2.65 million cap charge. Harper was due to earn $2.35 million. He counts for more than $3.5 million in dead money.
All three will become free agents as soon as their terminations are reported to the league. Vilma, whose contract is expiring, won’t be eligible to sign with a new team until March 11.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: Derick E. Hingle, US Presswire

Michael Jordan tells Dez Bryant to behave

Michael Jordan didn’t have many words for Dez Bryant, after the NBA legend signed the Cowboys wide receiver to represent his sneaker brand.
But the few words he said resonated with Bryant.
“The only thing he told me was ‘Stay out of trouble,’ ” Bryant said, via Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. “Hearing it come from him, . . . He is a strong voice. His opinion matters.”
By all accounts, Bryant has done what he’s supposed to do this offseason, but his checkered past made him a risky proposition for an endorsement deal.
Then again, the Charlotte Bobcats owner has never been afraid of a wager, and hedged his bets on Bryant by signing a deal that withheld payment from for a year, so Bryant can prove to Jordan he can keep his nose clean. If Bryant does, he’ll get his money in the second year of the deal.
“It just adds fuel to trying to do things great at all times,” Bryant said. “That’s something you don’t want to mess up. Now, I do pay attention to that, just because of the fact of who he is and what he is about. Everybody knows Michael Jordan is about his business, so that makes you want to be about yours.”
Perhaps in exchange, Bryant offered to tell Jordan about what it felt like to get to .500, something Jordan wouldn’t know much about since leaving the basketball court as a player.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Darin Gantt
Photo: Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

Jerry Jones: Dez Bryant will make ultimate decision on playing

When news of Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant’s finger injury broke on Monday, the Cowboys indicated the fate of his season would depend on the results of his visits to doctors to assess the severity of the injury.
Specifically, coach Jason Garrett said that Bryant would be shut down for the remainder of the year if the “medical decision” pointed in that direction. Owner Jerry Jones had a slightly different take during his weekly radio show on Tuesday.
“I know he wants to play,” Jones said on KRLD, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Dez will be the ultimate decision-maker on surgery or playing with some kind of padding.”
Bryant is on the longest sustained stretch of success in his career with 35 catches for 525 yards and seven touchdowns over the last five games, four of which have been Dallas wins. Losing that kind of production from the lineup would be a major blow to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Bryant was able to catch a key touchdown pass in the fourth quarter after hurting the finger on Sunday, something that could impact that ultimate decision he has to make about the rest of the year. Jones also said that Bryant would risk permanent stiffness in the finger if he played through the injury and waited on having surgery, which also figures to play into the final call.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Josh Alper
Photo: Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

Week Eight Football ERA Game Results

	Net	Offensive	Offense	Offense	Defensive	Defense	Defense
	Total	Total	Rushing	Drives	Total	Rushing	Pressure
Den	3340	1838	844	994	1502	1029	473
NO	-1697	-714	41	-754	-983	-1029	46
TB	1982	1148	467	682	834	473	362
Minn	-233	71	467	-396	-304	-473	168
SF	1929	858	516	342	1071	304	767
Arz	-393	-260	-74	-186	-134	-304	170
NE	1870	1113	662	451	757	385	372
StL	-439	88	272	-185	-526	-385	-141
Pitt	1728	991	473	518	737	334	403
Was	-423	-111	284	-395	-312	-334	22
Ind	1696	1135	706	429	561	500	61
Tenn	-86	113	338	-224	-200	-500	301
Atl	1663	1026	451	575	638	255	383
Phi	-50	161	511	-350	-212	-255	44
Car	1633	910	392	518	723	198	526
Chi	-24	8	366	-358	-32	-198	165
Dall	1533	873	236	637	660	365	295
NYG	113	-28	482	-510	141	-365	506
SD	1273	574	439	135	700	194	506
Cleve	561	571	552	19	-9	-194	185
Oak	1208	487	426	61	722	43	679
KC	594	464	353	111	130	-43	173
GB	1024	415	329	86	609	315	294
Jax	174	279	235	44	-105	-315	210
Mia	858	136	342	-207	722	-31	754
NYJ	847	648	332	316	200	31	168
Det	733	590	151	439	144	138	6
Sea	481	386	519	-133	96	-138	233

(Photo: Matthew Emmons, US Presswire)
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