The Mini-camp/Preseason NFL Thread

[Brett Favre 0]

Jets sign Quincy Carter.

 

Free agent quarterback Quincy Carter, released by the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 4 after allegedly testing positive in violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, on Tuesday sign a one-year contract with the New York Jets.

 

Financial details of the deal were not immediately available, but it is believed Carter will earn more than $500,000. Once he learns the Jets offense, Carter is expected to serve as the primary backup to starter Chad Pennington.

 

 

Several teams had inquired about Carter but most had opted to wait for a resolution of his case in which the NFL Players Association has charged that the Cowboys violated statutes of the collective bargaining agreement in releasing him.

 

 

The CBA stipulates that a player cannot be released solely for violating the substance abuse policy. Dallas officials have insisted they were well within their rights to cut a player who has been their starting quarterback for the past three seasons.

 

 

New York was apparently more aggressive than other teams interested in Carter, in part because they have no experienced depth at the backup spots. The Jets coaches are said to be very excited about working with Carter, but the deal is beneficial to the quarterback as well, since it will expose him to a new offensive system, something he can tout when he is in the free agent market next spring.

 

 

The projected primary backup to Pennington when training camp opened, second-year veteran Brooks Bollinger is sidelined by a sprained knee. The No. 3 QB on the depth chart is former CFL star Ricky Ray, who is in his first NFL training camp.

 

 

Basically, Carter's aim is to get back into a structured football environment, maybe get some snaps this season, and then go back into the free agent market next spring as an unrestricted player.

 

 

Carter, 26, was the Cowboys' second-round pick in the 2001 draft. In three years, Carter started 31 games and completed 507 of 902 passes, for 5,839 yards, with 29 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.

 

 

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

 

We have a reliable backup QB now.

[nl5xsk1 0]

What's your definition of reliable? Playing really well one week and really poorly the next? Or being caught with pot and facing reprimand?

 

If I was a Jets fan, I'd be praying that QC gets no closer to the field than standing near Pennington during timeouts.

 

/glad that I'm not a NYJ fan

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I think "occasionally not-horrible" qualifies as a good backup in today's NFL

[Brett Favre 0]

What's your definition of reliable? Playing really well one week and really poorly the next? Or being caught with pot and facing reprimand?

 

If I was a Jets fan, I'd be praying that QC gets no closer to the field than standing near Pennington during timeouts.

 

/glad that I'm not a NYJ fan

He's been in the playoffs, has experience, and should fit well with the West Coast offense. It's not like he's starting here, he's better than any of the other backups we would have, starting the year.

[Sass 0]

Pennington >>> Carter.

 

Chad's got a *gun* for an arm and is the future of that franchise. QC is still an upgrade as a back-up. Maybe this is where he'll shine. He can be the Chris Chandler for a new generation. I don't see him as a starter or someone who can hold his own and win the big games.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

What's your definition of reliable?  Playing really well one week and really poorly the next?  Or being caught with pot and facing reprimand?

 

If I was a Jets fan, I'd be praying that QC gets no closer to the field than standing near Pennington during timeouts.

 

/glad that I'm not a NYJ fan

He's been in the playoffs, has experience, and should fit well with the West Coast offense. It's not like he's starting here, he's better than any of the other backups we would have, starting the year.

1 game where his team completely bent over for the Carolina Panthers. I wouldn't call that playoff experience.

[Brett Favre 0]

He was in the playoffs...so now he has playoff experience.

[Brett Favre 0]

Pennington >>> Carter.

 

Chad's got a *gun* for an arm and is the future of that franchise. QC is still an upgrade as a back-up. Maybe this is where he'll shine. He can be the Chris Chandler for a new generation. I don't see him as a starter or someone who can hold his own and win the big games.

I wouldn't say he has a gun, but he's a damn smart QB who'd be even better if Paul Hackett wasn't the coordinator. But yeah he is the future of this franchise, and Carter should be a decent backup.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Packers: Couch's arm hurting again

 

by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com

Thursday, August 26, 2004

 

News

Tim Couch sat out of practice again on Wednesday because of his sore right arm, leaving his status for Friday's preseason game against the Jaguars uncertain. "Concern level is pretty high," offensive coordinator Tom Rossley told the Green Bay Press Gazette. "We've got two weeks left (in the preseason)," Rossley said. "He's only been here what, three, three and-a-half weeks, and it hasn't really been a full, strong three weeks. These next two weeks have to be productive. We've got to make some ground up in these next two weeks."

 

Views

Not that Brett Favre ever misses any games (knock on wood) but the Packers are not going to enter the season with Couch as his backup. Doug Pederson will fill that role and Couch will have to catch up, whenever possible, on the fly in practice. Ideally, a deal for Couch would have been struck before minicamps and he would have had time to soak in the Packers' West Coast offense, but he signed lateand has been hurt for almost the entire training camp. It has shown during his opportunities to play this preseason.

 

What a fucking worthless pussy. I hate Tim Couch.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

I can't wait for this weekend's Carolina Panthers vs. New England Patriots game, although it can't possibly be as good as their Super Bowl matchup, it will be a good gage as to how good Carolina will be this season. After seeing New England get stomped by the Bengals, I feel pretty confident that the Panthers can pull out a win.

[KingPK 0]

No it won't. I laugh at the quotes from some of the Panthers players that say that this is "Super Bowl No. 2" and things like that. It isn't. The Panthers could win 99-0, the Patriots could win 99-0, it means jack squat in the long run. I turned off the game as the second quarter started last week, because A) The Pats were totally listless while the Bengals came to play and B) The scrubs were coming in anyway. If Cincy plays like that in week 12(?) against the Pats, then I'll care.

 

The only way this weekend's game will mean something will be due to a big injury. If Carolina's going into this thinking REVENGE~!, then they're wasting their energy.

 

Nowadays in the NFL, you can't really get a feel for your team until Week 8 or later, since many teams start off hot, but fizzle out. If I was the commish, I'd cut the preseason schedule down to two games, one road and one home, to be played in the second and third weeks of August. Teams can hold scrimmages with other teams if they want to make a few more bucks.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

From what I've seen the Carolina Panthers are approaching this game as just another preseason game. Jake Delhomme said they were looking forward to it because it would give them a chance to test themselves against the best team in the NFL. I just hope the Patriots try a little harder this week than last week. Carolina's first two preseason games have been decided by a touchdown or less, so this could easily be as close as the Super Bowl was.

[KingPK 0]

YAY!! Carolina won a meaningless preseason game!! YAY!! Look at the fans celebrate. Morons. Yeah, we'll ship over the Lombardi Trophy tomorrow.

 

A hell of a lot better performance than last week, at least. The passing game looked goooood and Dillon seemed to get some better run blocking. The backup QB situation still looks pretty cloudy since Kingsbury didn't really impress anyone with how he played, and the assload of penalties are never good. Although some of the calls, on both sides, were kind of iffy. The refs called the game way too tight when the starters were in there. Good, entertaining preseason game, overall.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I felt the exact same way when Green Bay played Denver in the preseason after Super Bowl XXXII. Hey, let them have their fun, they had their hearts broken.

 

Panthers fans, I feel ya. But at least we were able to beat the Pats in the Super Bowl.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

YAY!! Carolina won a meaningless preseason game!! YAY!! Look at the fans celebrate. Morons. Yeah, we'll ship over the Lombardi Trophy tomorrow.

 

A hell of a lot better performance than last week, at least. The passing game looked goooood and Dillon seemed to get some better run blocking. The backup QB situation still looks pretty cloudy since Kingsbury didn't really impress anyone with how he played, and the assload of penalties are never good. Although some of the calls, on both sides, were kind of iffy. The refs called the game way too tight when the starters were in there. Good, entertaining preseason game, overall.

Yeah, those morons. Who in the hell cheers for their own team? Jackasses.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

if you even know who's playing in a preseason game, much less watch it, you're a dope.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Hugh Douglas has been released by the Jaguars:

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2847758

 

He'll likely be heading back to Philadelphia for the veteran minimum

[Guest El Satanico]

And people said Philly would miss him terribly.

 

Philly has already signed him to a one year deal, which will surely help make up for N.D. Kalu being out for the year.

[Brett Favre 0]

Chad Pennington extends his contract for 7 more years

 

The town so nice they named it twice now has a second quarterback with a fat contract that includes more than $20 million in bonus money.

 

 

The New York Jets and representatives for Chad Pennington on Wednesday finalized a seven-year contract extension that is worth $64.197 million in so-called "new money" for the fifth-year quarterback. The deal, which extends Pennington's contract through the 2011 season -- he signed with the Jets as a first-round pick in 2000 -- includes combined bonus money of $23 million.

 

 

Chad Pennington

Quarterback

New York Jets 

Profile

 

 

2003 SEASON STATISTICS

Att Comp PaTD RuTD Int Rat

297 189 13 2 12 82.9

 

 

 

 

Pennington had insisted this summer that he wanted the extension completed by Sept. 1 or that it would have to wait until after the season. On Tuesday, he indicated the deadline might have to be stretched a few days to complete the paperwork requisite to such a deal, but Jets assistant general manager Mike Tannenbaum and agents Tom Condon and Ken Kremer were able to hammer out final details by the deadline.

 

 

Both sides have been motivated to strike an accord, and the agents and Tannenbaum have been bargaining for more than two weeks. The representatives from IMG Football, who have now completed a record five contracts that included $20 million or more in guaranteed money, traveled at least twice to New York for bargaining and spent the past few days completing the contract by phone.

 

 

Condon and Kremer also negotiated the contract for Giants rookie quarterback and first-round draft choice Eli Manning, who also received $20 million in guarantees. In addition to the Manning and Pennington deals, IMG Football has negotiated agreements which included $20 million or more in combined bonus money for Tampa Bay defensive end Simeon Rice, Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

 

 

The $34.5 million in bonuses for Peyton Manning is an NFL record.

 

 

Said Pennington, on Tuesday, when he conceded that the contract was nearly completed except for some incidental details: "What an extension does, in my opinion, it gives you a sense of excitement, knowing you have more than one chance to help this team, and it is not just a one-year thing. If things should happen, I know for a fact I will have some time to get now to build a championship program. What is exciting about it is that I can finish what we have started."

 

 

Pennington, 28, was the 18th player chosen in the 2000 draft, a lottery in which the Jets had four choices in the opening round.

 

 

The former Marshall star played in three games, with no starts, in his first two NFL seasons. In 2002, his third year, he replaced Vinny Testaverde as the starter four games into the season, posted an 8-4 record and led the NFL with a gaudy passer rating of 104.2. He missed the first six games in 2003 after breaking his left wrist in the opening preseason contest.

 

 

In 28 appearances, and 21 starts, Pennington has completed 476 of 721 passes for 5,418 yards, with 37 touchdown passes, 18 interceptions and an efficiency rating of 95.1.

 

 

While he is not blessed with great arm strength, Pennington has great feel for the game, is smart and gets the ball to receivers. A Rhodes Scholar finalist, he is respected by his teammates and possesses a down-home mien that has quickly made him a New York favorite. Pennington has also been known as a "gym rat," a player who loves the game and lives for it since high school.

 

 

"He had a football mind," said Jets tailback Curtis Martin. "He's always here studying or lifting weight or something. He should have built his house next to the facility."

 

 

New York has several key veterans eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season, but securing a long-term extension with the charismatic Pennington was crucial, and was clearly the franchise's top priority. Had the Jets not been able to consummate a deal with Pennington, the team would have used a "franchise" designation next spring to keep him.

 

 

The next target is defensive end Shaun Ellis, who has been talking contract extension all summer. Ellis hopes to have a deal in place in the next week or two.

 

 

After that, they would concentrate on defensive end/linebacker John Abraham and tight end Anthony Becht.

[MrRant 0]

The Miami Dolphins appear to have ended their summer-long search for a replacement for Ricky Williams. They are close to reaching a trade agreement with the St. Louis Rams to acquire halfback Lamar Gordon.

 

The Rams didn't want to trade Gordon, so the cost is likely going to be high. To get Gordon, the Dolphins may have to give up as much as a third-round draft pick, but they have the luxury of having acquired an extra third-round choice from the Bears in the Marty Booker-Adewale Ogunleye trade.

 

But the price of a third-round pick could be cheap in comparison if Gordon can take over the starting halfback job. Gordon is a 6-1, 228-pound back who runs quick to the line of scrimmage and is tough to tackle.

 

He had nine starts in two years filling in for Marshall Faulk. During those games, he's rushed for 526 yards and had a career 3.9 yard rushing average. A former third-round choice out of North Dakota State, Gordon has shown the durability to handle more than 20 carries in a game.

 

With Faulk and Stephen Jackson ahead of him in St. Louis, Gordon wasn't going to be too active in the Rams' running game this year. The Dolphins had targeted Gordon and Anthony Thomas of the Chicago Bears, and were willing to give up a third-round choice for Thomas.

 

In Gordon, the Dolphins believe they get a back with more explosion than Thomas. The potential trade comes after coach Dave Wannstedt named Travis Minor as the starting halfback but also said that Sammy Morris would get some action.

 

For the past few days, the Rams were slow in returning calls to the Dolphins because they wanted to keep Gordon as an insurance policy for the future. The Rams told the Dolphins it would be pricey to acquire him. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the Rams wouldn't give the Dolphins a price.

 

On Tuesday night, negotiations heated up to the point where the Dolphins were confident a deal could be completed by Wednesday morning. Gordon first would have to meet with coach Mike Martz and the final details of the trade had to be work out.

 

Gordon had ankle surgery early in training camp, but came back in three weeks and had 22 carries for 77 yards against the Raiders in the final preseason game.

 

Once the trade is completed, the Dolphins will feel as though they acquired two offensive starters -- Booker and Smith -- for Ogunleye.

 

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

[Dr. Tom 0]

Getting Gordon would be a good pickup for the Dolphins, especially since they have an extra third-round pick.

 

And regarding Pennington's contract, I'm tired of the media reporting these ridiculous contracts that will never be honored. Pennington is guaranteed about $20m over the next two seasons. After that, his deal will be reworked again. Remember Drew Bledsoe's supposed $100m deal? He never saw the absurd back-end money before that deal was torn up and replaced by a new one. NFL contracts are not guaranteed, and once the team has gotten a couple years out of the deal, while being as friendly to the salary cap as possible, they'll either redo the contract or release the player.