News and Notes for Sunday Evening - 6/29

They say that on the 7th day (normally considered Sunday) the Lord rested. Apparently this is completely untrue though for the NFL. Despite the fact that we are several weeks from the first Training Camps and most players are 'off', there is still plenty of action.

Here are some notable happenings from around the league and my take on them:

IF A KEVIN JONES WORKS OUT AND NOBODY IS THERE, DOES HE MAKE A SOUND?
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that former Lion and current free agent running back Kevin Jones was no longer going to hold open workouts, feeling he had proven what he needed to and if a team wanted him, they could bring him in for a private work out. I didn't see it as a big deal - he'd worked out several times and probably had a point. Today though, ESPN tells a different story. It appears Jones ended up holding another workout, this one on Saturday. But only four teams - Miami, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Green Bay showed up, though Cleveland asked for a copy of the tape.

Now, I don't know what is odder - the sudden reversal on Jones' part or the teams who showed up? Miami might make some sense if they are truly worried about Ronnie Brown's injury or the end of his contract. Pittsburgh seems a bad fit with Willie Parker, rookie Rashard Mendenhall,
Mewelde Moore already locked into spots. Detroit's interest is a tad odd to me, as they released him in the first place. Rookie Kevin Smith has been looking good and they have Tatum Bell there, so while maybe they are thinking about buffering the position, I would think Jones wouldn't want to go back unless nobody else gave him offers. Green Bay is probably just playing hardball with Ryan Grant.

As with many of the RBs out there (Shaun Alexander, Travis Henry and others) Jones may be waiting until someone gets hurt in training camp. For you Fantasy Football players out there, in my opinion, Jones is the best of the FAs out there and will likely get signed at some point IF his leg is OK. I wouldn't sell the farm for him but he might be worth a bench spot in Dynasty if you can afford to sit him, or worth a very late pick in a redraft league in the hopes he lands in a situation where he will produce a little.


BUCCANEERS COUGH UP SOME DUBLOONS TO RB ERNEST GRAHAM
Clearly I used most of my humor on the first title, although according to NFL.COM, Ernest Graham will be laughing to the bank anyway. For those of you not keeping up on current events via blogs like PewterReport.com, here's the short version. Unhappy with the remaining years and money on his contract, Graham has been threatening to sit out Training Camp until he got more of both. The Bucs looked to be willing to let that happen - though reports were they were talking to Graham's agent. Well, has reported that Graham just signed a 4 year, 11 million dollar contract. The extension is nice and Graham wasn't making a heckuva lot, but the 11 mill really isn't that big a deal. I like Graham overall, though I need to see two years from him to see if he is the real deal. Still, the Bucs brought in Warrick Dunn and have been using him a lot in
OTA's, especially catching balls. So how much work Graham will see is still up in the air, though in my opinion, he'll get the majority of the carries. I think he'll put up good numbers though. In terms of Fantasy Football, he looks to be a decent #2 RB this season. And if the passing attack can get off the ground, there could be a lot of room to run for him as well.

What's most interesting now will be seeing how this affects another guy I just mentioned, Ryan Grant. Graham didn't break the bank and like Graham, Grant's body of work consists on one season.

Grant may have just seen his profits slide considerably.



Last on the agenda for tonight is a blurb involving everyone's favorite agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Every time this guy reps a player I like, my head hurts. Right now he's BUSY SCREWING UP ANQUAN BOLDIN. Well, perhaps that's a bit unfair, but it makes great copy, don;t it?

It is true though, that Anquan Boldin is Agent Drew's client and like so many of his clients, unhappy with his contract.

Now frankly, Boldin has a point, with Larry Fitzgerald having been signed to a $40 million contract. Boldin has contributed a ton to that franchise and probably deserves the pay day. But the Cards very little left under the cap and in all likelihood, more players to sign. According to Arizona Republic writer Kent Somers, GM Rod Graves has called Rosenhaus although it was termed 'merely a courtesy call' by Graves. One hopes they can find a way to bridge the gap between the team and Boldin, but the wide receiver has 3 years left on his contract and as I said, the team is low on cash. Boldin may have to wait for his payday. With Matt Leinart's struggles the last few years, the Cards would like all hands on deck this coming Training Camp to help the young QB as much as possible. I'm concerned that might not be the case.


But look at it this way - if he doesn't report, you'll get an extended look at rookie Early Doucet in August.


See, every cloud DOES have a silver lining.


Until tomorrow......