Headlines

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Recent Headlines

	Bears: Gould wants new deal	Fanball
	The News Robbie Gould is putting his foot down, darn it! The kicker is entering the final year of his contract, and he is showing his displeasure by not showing up to the current set of voluntary offseason workouts, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Our View Go get 'em, Robbie. Kickers never have much leverage, as they are often seen as one of the most replaceable positions in the NFL. Gould will surely kick for the Bears this year and missing this time shouldn't hurt him.
	Bears: Briggs skipping workouts, too	Fanball
	The News Brian Urlacher isn't the only Bears linebacker skipping workouts. Lance Briggs has not been at any of the voluntary sessions that began on April 6, and he has cost himself $250,000, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Our View Briggs also hasn't shown up for a large chunk of these workouts for the past two years. This shouldn't affect his IDP value.
	Falcons: Williams away for personal reasons	Fanball
	The News It turns out that safety Jimmy Williams has been away from minicamp practices due to personal reasons, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "I talked to the coach and he understood my situation," Williams says. "My priority was making sure that they understood and he understood. That's the only person I have to focus on." Williams has been working as the No. 3 safety this spring. He can also play cornerback. Our View Williams has started seven games over the past two years and should have a decent role in the Falcons secondary, even if he is away right now. It doesn't sound like there's a rift between Williams and the new coaching staff.
	Redskins: Albert on the radar	Fanball
	The News Count the Redskins in as one of the many teams interested in Branden Albert, the Washington Post notes. The paper admits that it would be a long shot for the offensive tackle/guard to fall down to the No. 21 spot. Our View It's been a quiet offseason for Daniel Snyder and the Skins, so we're not counting out a major move come draft day, such as trading up for Albert.
	Ravens: Workouts too much for McNair?	Fanball
	The News Steve McNair wasn't prepared to deal with new head coach Jim Harbaugh's rigorous offseason plans, the Baltimore Sun says. Harbaugh expects players to attend the many minicamps throughout the summer and show up to weight-lifting programs, and he wanted McNair to shed some of his 250 pounds. The paper suggests McNair's body wouldn't have held up under Harbaugh's workout plan, which is why he opted to retire. Our View We understand that McNair has a long history of injury and should be handled lightly, but we imagine Harbaugh and he could have come to a compromise if Steve really wanted to play.
	Giants: Shockey open to the Saints	Fanball
	The News According to the New York Daily News, Jeremy Shockey has told friends he'd be fine with a trade to the Saints. Sources say at least two teams have contacted the Giants about the tight end. Our View We hear Drew Brees has worked with a pretty good pass-catching tight end in his past (Antonio Gates), and Sean Payton was a member of the Giants staff when Shockey was a rookie. We imagine Shockey would fit in immediately with the Saints.
	Bears: Urlacher threatens to retire	Fanball
	The News Brian Urlacher's agents have asked Chicago if they could explore a trade, and Urlacher is threatening to retire because of neck and back problems, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Urlacher feels he has outplayed his contract and is demanding more money. He's boycotting the team's voluntary offseason workout program and threatening to hold out of mini-camp, organized team activities and even training camp if he doesn't get a new deal. Our View It's tricky business for a number of reasons. Urlacher probably has outplayed the deal. He signed it with two years left on his rookie contract, becoming the first defensive player to renegotiate a deal with two years left. At the time, the salary cap was $75 million, and it has grown by more than $40 million since.
	Chiefs: Allen visiting Vikings, possibly Bucs	Fanball
	The News The Vikings and Buccaneers are talking with the Chiefs about the availability of defensive end Jared Allen, the Kansas City Star reports. Allen will be in Minnesota on Friday to meet with the Vikings and could visit Tampa soon. He led the NFL in sacks in 2007 but is currently working under the franchise tag. Allen has said he won't sign a long-term deal with the Chiefs if they can't work out something by July. If he signs with another team, the Chiefs would receive two first-round picks in return. Our View Two first-round picks is a lot to pay for any player, even if he is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. However, the Chiefs and one of these two teams could work out a trade, which is the much more likely path.
	Cowboys: Berger signs tender	Fanball
	The News The Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys signed restricted free agent C/G Joe Berger to a one-year, $927,000 tender on Thursday. Our View That leaves Marion Barber and Chris Canty as the team's remaining restricted free agents.
	Patriots: Scott visits with New England	Fanball
	The News The Boston Globe reports that the Patriots hosted free-agent defensive end Darrion Scott at Gillette Stadium today. The 6-foot-3, 289-pound Scott entered the NFL as a third-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 2004. He has played in 48 career games, with 28 starts. His most productive seasons, stats-wise, came in 2005 and 2006 when he totaled 104 tackles and 9.5 sacks. Our View The Ohio State alum, who is 26, played in just four games last season due to a fractured foot, but the interest by the Patriots is not surprising.
	Falcons: Robinson expected to start	Fanball
	Giants: Shockey still a Giant	Fanball
	Giants: Strahan given freedom to make decision	Fanball
	Bengals: T.J. says team should trade C.J.	Fanball
	Cardinals: Stewart signs to play in desert	Fanball
	Ravens: Suggs shows up at mini-camp	Fanball
	Chiefs: Allen leaving KC?	Fanball
	Bears: Anderson to be situational pass rusher	Fanball
	Cowboys: Barber not close to extension	Fanball
	Fins playing on the cheap with 1st pick?	Fanball