Ravens S Ed Reed Plans To Play In 2012

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed has battled injuries in recent seasons, prompting him to take a year-by-year approach to his playing career.

After leading the NFL in interceptions in 2010, despite playing in just 10 games, Reed started all 16 games in 2011 and recorded three interceptions to bring his career total to 57. Last month, Reed told general manager Ozzie Newsome that he intends on playing another season, a stance he reiterated while being inducted to the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night.

"There's a lot of talk out there," Reed said according to the Sun-Sentinel. "I'm not going to say I'm 50-50 because I'm not. I want to play football. But it's something me and my team have been discussing the last couple of weeks.

"I plan on doing it, but depending, it could change."

The Ravens would like to have the 33-year-old Reed back, though perhaps at a salary lower than $7.2 million and a cap number lower than the $8.5 million Reed is scheduled for in 2012, the final year of his current contract.

source:  Mac's Football Blog
author:  Brian McIntyre
photo:  Getty Images

Mike Shanahan Views Robert Griffin III As A Franchise Quarterback

The Washington Redskins traded three first round picks and a 2012 second round pick to the St. Louis Rams to move up to the No. 2 pick, so it's no surprise that the team views Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin as being franchise quarterbacks.

"We think we got a franchise quarterback with one of the [top] two picks, and that gives you a chance to reach your goal," Shanahan said during Wednesday's league meetings according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post. "They don’t fall off trees."

Luck is expected to go No. 1 to the Indianapolis Colts, leaving Griffin for the Redskins with the No. 2 pick. That would be just fine to Shanahan.

"This guy is bright. This guy is passionate. He’s got everything you look for," Shanahan said of Griffin.

"When you take a guy (like Luck), who's 6-4, that's 240 (pounds) and can run a 4.6 forty, that guy can move pretty good. And obviously with Robert, running a 4.4 or under, usually guys that are that fast can't throw. And he can do both."

source:  Mac's Football Blog
author:  Brian McIntyre
photo AP

Judge blocks sale of Reebok Tebow jerseys

The lawsuit filed by Nike against Reebok arises from a fairly simple set of facts. Nike contends that, as of March 1, 2012, the group licensing agreement between Reebok and the NFLPA expired. Since Tebow’s own personal show/apparel deal was negotiated with Nike in 2010, Nike claims that Reebok had no right to use Tebow’s name when manufacturing and selling Jets T-shirts and jerseys last week.

There’s no middle ground on this issue. Either Reebok had the right to sell jerseys with Tebow’s name on them, or Reebok didn’t.

Which explains why a judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking the sale of the Reebok Tebow jerseys, according to Darren Rovell of CNBC. The TRO is based on the information provided by Nike. At some point, Reebok will have a chance to be heard.

Until then, Reebok must stop making and/or selling Tebow jerseys. The NFL apparently hasn’t gotten the memo yet; as of this posting, Reebok-manufactured Tebow jerseys continue to be available for sale via the NFL’s official online store.

Tebow also has been involved in this battle between billion-dollar shoe and clothing companies. The case presented by Nike includes an allegation in its 19-page complaint that, as of Friday, March 23, an “authorized representative of Tebow” sent a letter to Reebok informing the company that it had no right to use Tebow’s name on any Reebok-manufactured products. As of Monday, March 26, Reebok allegedly did not respond.

At some point, Reebok will have to respond, even if their response essentially amounts to saying, “Oops.”

source:  PFT.com
author:  Mike Florio
photo:  Associated Press

Parcells, Payton play coy after playing golf

As the Saints face the imminent suspension of their head coach for a full season and amid reports that coach Sean Payton wants his mentor, Bill Parcells, to take the reins, both men are suddenly tiptoeing around the topic — which could mean that there’s a lot more to the possibility of Parcells taking the job than anyone realizes.

“We played golf,” Parcells told Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. “We really didn’t talk about the job. They told me they would be in touch.”

“There’s really nothing new to date,” Payton told Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com. “More than anything, we just played golf. It was a great chance to visit with him and see how he’s doing.”

In other words, possibly, the Saints need to interview at least one minority candidate if the interim hire is going to come from outside the organization, so they’d better throw some water on this talk until they find someone who won’t think that it’s a sham.

“[T]he specifics in regards to him coaching, and I’ve read a lot of the reports, that would be something that [G.M.] Mickey [Loomis] and I and our owner and Bill would deal with at a later time,” Payton separately told Myers. “Right now it’s been more as an advisor, as a parent. That’s kind of really what he’s been to me.”

That’s fine, but it cuts against the multiple reports that Payton wants Parcells, and that Parcells may be warming up to the possibility. Parcells told Myers that he couldn’t say what he would do because he has received no offer, and Parcells didn’t rule out the possibility of replacing Payton during Payton’s suspension.


And so it’s possibly only a matter of time before Parcells is referring to someone on the Saints roster as “she”.

source:  PFT.com
author:  Mike Florio