Rookies can be required to report as early as July 5

Some of you have noticed that rookies are required to report for training camp before the veteran players.  Some of those some of you have asked us to explain how that can be. 

None of us knew.

So we looked into it.  And we learned that the only guiding principle in this regard comes from the league’s Player Personnel manual, which states that clubs may not open training camp for rookies prior to July 5.

As to veteran players, the earliest date on which camp may begin is July 15, or 15 days before the team’s first preseason game, whichever is later.  (The July 15 limitation does not apply to the participants in the Hall of Fame game.)

This year, 23 of the teams did not ask rookies to show up before veterans.  Of the nine who staggered the dates (Browns, Ravens, Broncos, Patriots, Jets, Chargers, Eagles, Rams, 49ers), Cleveland had the longest gap, at a full seven days. 

While coaches want all of the rookies signed before the rookie-reporting date, a league source explained that G.M.’s and agents regard the true deadline as the date on which the veterans must report.

Thus, even though three teams have opened camp for rookies (Cleveland on Friday and the Pats and Chargers today) and none have signed their first-round picks, the three players in question aren’t generally viewed to be holdouts by anyone but the men charged with getting them ready to make contributions in their first years on the job.

AP

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis may cause problems for the team by taking a stand over his two-year-old deal.  Revis realizes that he may not be the only source of possible consternation in 2012.  The presence of Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow on the roster may create issues, too.

“It could cause a problem,” Revis recently told Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.  “We’re not going to sit here and say it can’t.  I think our focus is just being positive about the situation and making sure these guys actually get along, which they do, and work together.  That’s the only thing you can do. We win games, everybody is getting a pat on the back. We lose games, that’s where it might cause controversy. All in all, we’re just excited.”

If it becomes a problem, Revis should place some of the blame on himself, for sending mixed signals to the locker room.  Last month, Revis raved about Tim Tebow’s leadership abilities.

“He’s a born leader, he really is,” Revis said.  “Very few athletes have the gift he has.  He tries to lead by example all the time.  He tries to be positive, which is awesome, and that [has resulted] in his success on the field. . . .  Some people have it, some guys don’t.  It’s the passion within, wanting to be a leader, wanting to win. You see it all the time, eating lunch, walking down the hallway.  You see it.”

As Revis sees it, however, Sanchez should keep his job.

“That’s what we know as a team,” Revis said.  “Mark is the leader of the offense and the starting quarterback. . . .  He’s improved a lot and he’s going to keep on improving.  Mark works very hard.  This guy is here all the time.  Usually here with me.  He does what he does.  Don’t write him off.”

It’s not a direct conflict in the cornerback’s comments, but it definitely creates an atmosphere of uncertainty that could quickly become a firestorm if/when Sanchez struggles to start the regular season.

Even though there may not be a “problem” just yet, Revis admits a quarterback controversy indeed exists, despite the team’s repeated proclamations that Sanchez is the starter.

“It already started,” Revis said.  “This is something we are going to have to deal with probably for a couple of years.  We’ll see how it pans out.”

Perhaps realizing the potential impact of his words, Revis eventually tried to joke his way out of the minefield, claiming that neither guy should be starting.

“I’m the best quarterback,” Revis declared. “I’ve been talking to coach [Tony] Sparano and he’s talking about giving me a couple of plays.  He’s going to let me throw a couple of balls.  I’m the best quarterback on this team.”

The sad part is that some may actually agree with Revis.

Getty Images

Florio mentioned in Saturday’s one-liners that Chiefs wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin was absent from Friday’s OTA practice due to an “illness.”

Coach Romeo Crennel told the Kansas City Star that Baldwin is dealing with a migraine headache, which Baldwin himself has independently confirmed on his Twitter account.

“He had a migraine [Thursday] and he’s going to see the doctor today,” Crennel said. “So we’ll just have to wait and see.”

There have been no indications that Baldwin’s migraine is particularly severe, or something that could cause him problems during the regular season. It is worth noting, however, that Baldwin missed a practice with an “illness” in mid-December last year. Details of that illness were never revealed.

When Baldwin has been migraine free during OTAs, he’s been tearing up practices.

Getty Images

Though running back Jonathan Stewart is now the third highest paid running back on Carolina’s roster — yet the best one on the football field — he’s been a diligent participant in offseason workouts. Theoretically, Stewart could be griping about his committee back role and $1.3 million salary entering a contract year. He’s taken a more honorable approach.

Stewart has watched while DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert signed lucrative, long-term deals to share the backfield. But he still wants to spend the rest of his career with the Panthers.

“I definitely hope things work out,” Stewart told Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “I want to be back. I think we have a lot of weapons on offense and we can be a dangerous team.”

Stewart was the subject of early-offseason trade rumors, but they didn’t amount to anything. The Panthers instead traded Mike Goodson, and Stewart will return as the better half of a one-two punch with Williams. Tolbert is expected to focus on fullback and special teams.

If Stewart doesn’t get the extension he desires in Carolina, he’ll be a hot commodity in 2013 unrestricted free agency. Per Reed, the Panthers “wanted to extend Stewart’s contract earlier this offseason,” and the organization “hasn’t given up hope.”

Getty Images

While perusing on Twitter the reaction to our latest entry about the leaked ledger entries, one link led to another and I landed on Jonathan Vilma’s timeline.

Vilma points out the flaws in the ledger story, from the initial leak being wrong to the corrected leak not meshing with what happened in a game against the Panthers that supposedly produced a trio of game-ending injuries.

Something deeper in Vilma’s entries reminded me of something I forgot to mention the other day.  Vilma writes that Commissioner Roger Goodell “has asked for a delay to respond to my defamation suit. He was granted until july 5th to respond. Interesting.”

Unfortunately, it’s not that interesting.  Parties who are sued routinely ask for extra time to respond to the complaint.  Requests filed for an extension of the deadline to “move, answer, or otherwise plead” (that’s what I used to call it, if anyone cares . . . and no one does) are routinely granted, too.

There’s nothing sinister about it, especially in this case.  Goodell undoubtedly will avoid responding to the specific allegations contained in Vilma’s complaint, filing instead a motion to dismiss the case based on the argument that the claims made by Vilma are covered by the grievance procedure contained in the labor agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA.

Typically, the request for a delay is driven by the personal calendar of the lawyer who’ll be handling the case.  With pre-existing professional and personal commitments, it simply may be impossible for the lawyer to put together the motion and the brief and the other bells and whistles that, in this case, could be put together very, very quickly.  Instead of doing it quickly, the lawyer will want to do it accurately.

Indeed, in an industry driven by billable hours, time is of the essence in a much different way.

Getty Images

Adam Caplan reports that the Washington Redskins have released cornerback Leigh Torrence.

Torrence signed with the Skins in April, but was cut to make room for waivers pickup Morgan Trent. Trent is a younger cornerback prospect who will battle for a roster spot.

Torrence was a longtime favorite of former Saints and Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. With Williams out of the league — possibly for good — Torrence’s NFL future may be bleak.

Getty Images

The Twitter account of Colts owner Jim Irsay has been a useful and, at times, compelling source of information during the 2012 offseason.  Soon, it will revert to being a periodic repository of obscure lyrics and oft-indecipherable amusement.

But the Irsay Twitter feed has one final task — to let us know what’s happening with the rookie contract of quarterback Andrew Luck.

Irsay has disclosed that the talks between Luck’s agent/uncle and Colts negotiator Dan Emerson are “getting close!“

It’s a far simpler process than it used to be.  Luck will receive a fully-guaranteed four-year deal, worth roughly $24 million.  The team will hold an option for a fifth year, at a salary equal to the transition tag for quarterbacks in 2016.

The only surprise is that it’s taken this long to get it done.

Luck’s deal would set the ceiling for a trio of CAA clients who were taken at No. 2 (RG3), No. 3 (Trent Richardson), and No. 4 (Matt Kalil), respectively.

Getty Images

Adam Caplan reports that the Saints have waived defensive tackle Mitch King.

King is a former undrafted free agent out of Iowa. Undersized at 6-foot-1 1/2 and 280 pounds, King has bounced around the league since 2009. He spent time on the Saints’ practice squad in 2011.

Per Caplan, King has already cleared waivers and is free to sign wherever he pleases.

Getty Images

The Giants and Osi Umenyiora announced Friday that they agreed to a restructured contract that will effectively keep the long-disgruntled defensive end in New York this season.

Loose details of the deal have trickled out, though nothing concrete has been confirmed. NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported late Friday that Umenyiora likely got a one-year deal worth in the range of $7 million to $7.5 million in 2012. Umenyiora is expected to receive a signing bonus of about $3 million, with a voidable year in 2013 to spread out the salary cap hit.

Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger has similar numbers, citing a person informed of the talks between Umenyiora and the Giants. Keep in mind that the financial details we know about are based on recent discussions, and not necessarily the exact numbers Umenyiora and the Giants ultimately agreed upon.

Regardless, it sounds like Umenyiora received what amounts to a one-year contract. He’ll play out this season with a raise on his old $3.975 million salary, and be free to test the unrestricted free agent market next spring.

Getty Images

On Friday, a stream of leaks emanated from 345 Park Avenue regarding the alleged contents of a pay-for-performance/bounty ledger that was maintained, presumably by former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

As best we can ascertain via communications with multiple sources having knowledge of the investigation, the information leaked to various members of the media comes from the Power Point presentation that the league shared in April with NFLPA representatives.  The raw data — a copy of the ledger itself — apparently has not been disseminated, as evidenced by the fairly significant error contained in the initial report from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports.

Cole wrote that the ledger reflects three $1,000 payments to Saints players following a September 2009 game against the Bills.  After we explained that the injuries from the Bills game don’t mesh with the contention that three $1,000 payments were made, Cole’s sources told him that the trio of four-figure payments actually came from a November 2009 game against the Panthers.

Even then, the injuries that were inflicted in that game don’t seem to match the notion that three Panthers were carted off.

The end result is an even murkier mess that can never be clarified until raw evidence is released.  Given the manner in which the league’s characterization of two items of evidence that have made their way to the media (i.e., the Anthony Hargrove declaration and the Mike Ornstein email) failed to correctly reflect their actual contents, there’s no reason to believe that any description or summary of raw evidence from the league is or will be accurate.

So if there’s a ledger, leak the ledger.  Better yet, produce the ledger via a press release — the same kind of press release that accused linebacker Jonathan Vilma of offering $10,000 payments for the infliction of injuries on quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner, without of course any of the raw evidence that backs up that accusation.

How do we know what the ledger actually says until the ledger itself can be examined, objectively and independently?  Given the glitches in Friday’s reporting, and the lingering question regarding whether three Panthers players were in fact carted off or otherwise knocked out of the game with injury, it’s entirely possible that the $1,000 payments were for big — and legal — hits that inflicted no harm of any kind.

And so, at a time when some are content to conclude that the multiple reports regarding the ledger represent compelling evidence that a bounty system existed, we’re still no closer to knowing the truth than we were before the Yahoo! servers spit/spat out Cole’s story.  In fact, there’s an argument to be made that the leaked characterization of the ledger actually undermines the league’s claims.

Either way, no one should come to any conclusions until sufficient raw evidence that there actually was a bounty system is publicly disclosed.

AP

The Titans haven’t wasted any time heaping a big practice role on No. 20 overall pick Kendall Wright. The rookie wide receiver is running as Tennessee’s starter at “X” wideout, Kenny Britt’s usual position.

(Britt is out with a knee injury.)

13-year veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has seen his fair share of rookie receivers come into the league, and leave it. Hasselbeck has been impressed with Wright, and that might be putting it mildly.

“He’s been great,” Hasselbeck told the team’s website. “He’s been as advertised. He’s explosive. He’s a great kid, he’s a competitor. He’s not a big guy, but he’s been fun to have around. … It’s great to see.”

The Titans have openly spoken of running a more wide-open offense in 2012. With versatility to beat man coverage both as a slot receiver and out wide, Wright is expected to be a big part of that more aggressive philosophy.

AP

Much has been said and written and contemplated (and ignored) about the ongoing development of quarterback Mike Vick.  After a surprisingly strong performance in 2010, Vick regressed last season, with injuries and turnovers and bad decisions, at times.

Vick hears the criticism, and on Friday he responded to it.

He specifically seems to be perturbed by the notion that he gets injured by holding the ball for too long.  “[A]t some point I probably feel like it’s personal shots being directed towards me for holding the ball too long and certain things when that’s not the case,” Vick said, via Steve Patton of the Reading Eagle.

Still, he’s content to shoulder the criticism.

“I accept the responsibility for everything,” Vick said.  “I feel like my sole responsibility is this team. We’re going to go as I go.  If I’m not on the field, then I’m not helping this team in any shape, form or fashion.

“The turnovers, that’s my responsibility.  That’s my responsibility to orchestrate the offense and make sure the team is well put together and suited and ready to play on Sundays.  I understand the responsibility and the role that comes along with being a quarterback, and I accept it.  Sometimes I just don’t accept people saying things and really not knowing what they’re talking about.”

Regardless of the specific reasons, Vick slid from 8-3 in 2010 to 7-6 as a starter in 2011.  His turnovers doubled, from nine to 18, and his passer rating plunged by more than 15 points.

He has millions of reasons to turn that around.  The much-hyped $100 million contract Vick signed in 2011, apart from having a phony final year that pushes the package to nine figures, operates in reality as a two-year deal with a year-by-year team option for the rest.

Thus, Vick needs to do enough in 2012 to persuade the Eagles to opt to keep him around for 2013, when he’s due to earn a base salary of $15.5 million.

Getty Images

Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Vikings fullback Jerome Felton was arrested for DWI on Saturday morning.

Felton reportedly refused a chemical test at the scene and his bond was set at $12,000 at Hannepin County Jail.

The Vikings had high hopes for Felton, projecting him as their No. 1 fullback ahead of Ryan D’Imperio and Matt Asiata. Felton signed a one-year, minimum deal with the club in March, so he’d be easy to release if the Vikings want to cut ties with an off-the-field problem.

Prior to Saturday’s arrest, Felton had no history of conduct policy violations.

Getty Images

Broncos 2011 first-round pick Von Miller played strong-side linebacker on early downs and defensive end in pass-rushing situations as a rookie. He produced 11.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles en route to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Gone is 2011 defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, and ex-Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has arrived as the Broncos’ new defensive shot-caller. Will Miller’s role change?

Based on the player to which Del Rio compares Miller, we’re guessing not.

“So Peter Boulware is the guy that comes to mind,” Del Rio said, per Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post. “Von’s going to be a very productive player for a long time.”

A four-time Pro Bowler with the Ravens, Boulware was a ferocious, hybrid pass rusher in his heyday, and Del Rio was his position coach for three years in Baltimore. In the middle year (2000), the Ravens fielded perhaps the best defense in the history of the game. In Boulware and Del Rio’s final year together (2001), Boulware exploded for 15 sacks and four forced fumbles in essentially the exact same position Miller played with the Broncos last year.

Del Rio left to become Carolina’s defensive coordinator the following year, and Boulware never reached those levels of greatness again.

Miller might already be just as good of a player as Boulware in his prime. Which means that Del Rio’s tried-and-true scheme plus improved offense that will allow for more pass-rush opportunities could turn Miller into an even more lethal defender in his second season.

Scary.

AP

Before any appeal hearings may occur regarding whether four players will be suspended for their alleged role in the Saints’ bounty program, a pair of grievances regarding the manner in which the appeals will be handled must be resolved.

On May 16, arbitrator Shyam Das conducted a hearing on the question of whether:  (1) Commissioner Roger Goodell lacks any power to impose discipline on players for conduct occurring before August 4, 2011, the date on which the new labor deal was signed; and (2) the discipline should be reviewed not by Goodell but by Art Shell or Ted Cottrell, the men jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA to handle on-field conduct issues.

Das could pull the plug on the entire process by agreeing with the players on that first point (which would be ironic, given that the NFLPA currently is trying to make a collusion claim based on pre-August 4 behavior).  If he doesn’t, Special Master Stephen Burbank could force Goodell to start over.

The grievance pending before Burbank arises from the contention that any punishment relating to violations of the salary cap (via paying extra money to players) must be resolved by Burbank under the labor deal.  Per multiple sources with knowledge of the May 30 hearing conducted by Burbank, he could void the discipline, if he believes it arises in whole or in part from alleged salary cap violations.

At that point, the NFL would have to choose whether to file with Burbank a claim that players were involved in salary-cap violations, or Goodell could try to fashion discipline on some basis other than the allegation that payments above and beyond a player’s contract were made.  Obviously, that would spark another legal challenge from the NFLPA and the affected players.

A decision is expected within a week, and the NFL definitely has reason to worry, at least a little.  The letters advising Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, and Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove of their suspensions make no effort to distinguish between a pay-for-performance program and a bounty system, instead lumping both together.  While the letters claims that the suspensions are based upon conduct detrimental to the game, a pay-for-performance system (e.g., $500 bucks for making an interception) isn’t nearly as detrimental to the game as a pay-for-injury system.  By making reference to the pay-for-performance system in the letters, the NFL has fueled the argument that the matter should have been handled by Burbank.

If Burbank compels the league to start over, Goodell will have no choice but to do so, probably by fashioning discipline in a way that avoids Burbank’s salary-cap jurisdiction.  And while the suspensions may eventually stick, the notion that the process initially was mishandled would create a major P.R. hit for the league — surely prompting some casual observers to simply conclude (albeit erroneously) that there wasn’t a bounty system at all.

In short, things could get even more interesting, soon.

AP

In March, the Chiefs pursued flirted played tonsil hockey with evaluated quarterback Peyton Manning.  Eventually, the Chiefs added former Browns and Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn.

Quinn’s knowledge of new coordinator Brian Daboll’s offense prompted speculation that the former first-rounder may have a chance to unseat Matt Cassel.  As it turns out, Cassel should perhaps be more concerned about Ricky Stanzi.

According to Nick Toney of KCChiefs.com, Stanzi supplanted Quinn this week as the second-team quarterback during Organized Team Activities.

Coach Romeo Crennel wasn’t asked about the backup-quarterback battle during a post-practice media availability on Friday.  But it’s no secret that the Chiefs like Stanzi.  A fifth-round pick in 2011, Stanzi played at Iowa for Kirk Ferentz, who has a strong relationship with Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli.

Last month, Pioli defended the decision not to draft a signal-called in 2012 by explaining that the team has “three good quarterbacks.”

Quinn and Stanzi presumably will battle it out during training camp for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.  At least Quinn won’t have to worry about billboards or other fan-driven efforts that would make Stanzi the first man off the bench even if Quinn wins the fight, fairly and squarely.