Patriots owner Robert Kraft insists that Tom Brady isn't going anywhere, despite speculation in some quarters that the team and the player are far apart in their expectations for Brady's next contract.

"He's going to be here," Kraft told Judy Battista of the New York Times. "I love the guy.  We're so lucky to have him.  I have an emotional attachment because I remember him coming in as the fourth quarterback, being a skinny beanpole of a kid."

But while Kraft obviously has a lot of affection for Brady and is willing to pay him a lot of money, Battista writes that the Patriots will not pay Brady the kind of money that the Colts are likely to pay Peyton Manning, who like Brady is going into the final season of his contract.

If that's true, Kraft has no way of guaranteeing that Brady will remain with the Patriots. Brady could point out that he's won three times as many Super Bowl rings as Manning and insist that he won't sign for a penny less than Manning gets from the Colts, and that could lead to an impasse between Brady and the Patriots.

But Kraft insists that Brady will be in New England for years to come.

"In my mind, he will be," Kraft said.  "One way or another.  I believe he wants to be here. We want him here.  We have a complicated situation we're dealing with.  There are a lot of forces at work.  One way or another it will work out."

Earlier this week, Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill willingly reduced a guaranteed 2010 base salary of $6 million to $2.125 million.

So why would Hill give up $3.875 million in guaranteed money?

When Hill signed his current deal in 2009, he already had been arrested for marijuana possession.  And so his agent wisely included language in the contract preserving the guaranteed nature of the $6 million base salary in 2010, regardless of the suspension Hill expected to receive.

While it was believed at one point that the Seahawks were keeping Hill away from offseason workouts because they planned to void the guarantee and cut him after he received his suspension for inevitably pleading guilty to marijuana possession, the reality was that the guarantee remained in effect.

But only as to the marijuana charge.

The game changed once Hill found himself on the wrong end of domestic violence charges.  And by resolving the case in a manner that triggered a review under the Personal Conduct Policy, Hill now faces another suspension.  This one undoubtedly would have voided the guaranteed nature of his salary.

As a result, the Seahawks acquired leverage, and they used it.

Hill wisely agreed to slash his pay, presumably after being told that he'd be cut if he doesn't.  (Last night's episode of Hard Knocks demonstrates the cold, cruel reality of such conversations within the context of the Jets' power play against Kellen Clemens, a common move in which every team engages.)
 
So what could have been done differently?  Hill's lawyer should have tried to find a way to defer the resolution of Hill's case until after Week One of the regular season.  At that point, the money would have been guaranteed, either under the terms of Hills contract or via the termination pay provision of the CBA.

Regardless of whether Hill's lawyer tried to tap the brakes from August 18 until September 12, Hill's lawyer had 3.875 million reasons to succeed.

Raiders coach Tom Cable has given a message to his players as they enter their final preseason game tonight: Don't assume your job is safe.

Cable says the team will have a harder time cutting from 75 to 53 players this year than it has since he first joined the team as an assistant coach in 2007, and a lot of players who might think their jobs are safe are actually playing for their jobs tonight.

"Oh, there's definitely going to be some eye-openers," free safety Michael Huff said of the roster moves the Raiders will make by Saturday afternoon. "But that's what goes with being a good organization, being a team that has quality depth and great players. There's always going to be competition, and there's going to be players that could start for other teams, but because we have so much depth here, they won't be able to play here."

Steve Corkran of the San Jose Mercury News has sketched out his best estimate about which players are locks, which players are on the bubble and which players are long shots. Cable's message has been that even players who think they're locks might not be right.

Rex Ryan's trash talk to the media isn't half as fun as the real stuff on the field.

Last night's Hard Knocks showed Ryan berating Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall after a late hit on LaDainian Tomlinson after a long run.  Ryan tells Hall he should have made the play around the line of scrimmage.

"You aren't gonna tackle anybody!" Ryan said. "That's why my brother got rid of your ass!"

(Rob Ryan was Hall's defensive coordinator in Oakland.)

That was my favorite moment in the best Hard Knocks episode yet, but here are a few more lessons learned.

1. Beyond the bluster, the Jets coaching staff revealed serious concerns about the team.  Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the offense was lacking confidence.  The quarterback position lacked vocal leadership.  Multiple coaches bemoaned the lack of overall leadership on the team.

2. Ryan made a big speech about leadership that's transcribed here.  He killed the team for being "jackasses" when members of the secondary ate cheeseburgers on the field at practice.

Continue reading »

Joique Bell and Chad Simpson are likely fighting for one spot on the Bills roster Thursday night.

WR Marlon Moore leads a list of Dolphins on the roster bubble.

Said Patriots CB Leigh Bodden after being placed on injured reserve, "I've been hitting bumps my whole career and always seem to get past them. This will be no different."

Jets coach Rex Ryan wants to see WR David Clowney step up and claim a roster spot.

The Ravens placed FB Mike McLaughlin on injured reserve to make room for CB Josh Wilson.

Bengals backup quarterbacks Jordan Palmer and J.T. O'Sullivan are trying to make one last argument in favor of staying on the roster.

Browns QB Colt McCoy is hoping for a good showing on Thursday night.

QB Charlie Batch's days with the Steelers could be numbered. 

Texans K Kris Brown has been wearing a boot on his foot because he's suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Colts C Jeff Saturday has returned to practice after knee surgery.

DT Leger Douzable can wrap up a backup job with the Jaguars on Thursday night.

The Titans defense has played well which has cost the kickoff returners a chance to show off their stuff.

How firm is Brady Quinn's grasp on the Broncos backup quarterback job?

The Chiefs would be bucking preseason trends if they get pressure on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on Thursday.

Jon Gruden is feeling bullish about the Raiders.

LB Brandon Lang needs to prove he can play special teams to make the Chargers.

WR Sam Hurd is one of several Cowboys players trying to make the final roster during the game against the Dolphins.

Rhett Bomar still has a chance to wind up as the backup quarterback for the Giants.

CB Jorrick Calvin doesn't have much time to make an impression on Eagles coaches.

The kickoff and punt return jobs are still up in the air as the Redskins prepare for their final preseason game.        

The Bears claimed OL Edwin Williams off of waivers from the Redskins and released RB Brandon Minor.

It looks like Gosder Cherlius has won the starting right tackle job for the Lions.

The Packers are facing issues at safety with Atari Bigby out for at least the first six weeks of the season.

Vikings RB Albert Young's skills as a pass blocker have caught the eye of running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.

Falcons rookie LB Sean Weatherspoon has one more chance to lay claim to a starting job. 

It doesn't look like QB Tony Pike is going to make the Panthers' 53-man roster.

The Superdome roof is getting a vigorous cleaning before the Saints open the season next week.

WR Michael Clayton doesn't think Thursday night will be his last game with the Buccaneers.

Anquan Boldin said that he isn't surprised that Matt Leinart hasn't been able to win the Cardinals quarterback job.

Rams K Josh Brown hopes to be more accurate after a rough 2009 campaign. 

The 49ers might try to shop WR Jason Hill before final roster cuts are due on Saturday.

Figuring out who will man the left side of the offensive line is one of the bigger questions facing the Seahawks.
 

Though a certain high-profile quarterback with a five-letter last name won't be playing on Thursday night in Minnesota, another high-profile quarterback with a five-letter last name will be playing.  A lot.

Broncos tackle Ryan Harris says that the Vikings will be getting "a full dose of Tebow" in the preseason finale, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Harris, who said that the rookie first-rounder will be playing "a lot," gushed about his new teammate.

"He's a gamer, man," Harris said, per Walters.  "You can see why he was successful in college.  And he's a very good guy -- what you see is what you get.  He's as true as you see on TV.  That's how he is every day."

The game begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET. 

All 32 teams will be playing in contests that kickoff as early as 6:30 p.m. ET and as late as 10:00 p.m. ET.  And while most starters won't be playing at all, each team has to get down to 53 players by Saturday.  Most teams current have 75.  Thus, with nearly one of every three players on every team destined to be cut, the final preseason game is as important as the Super Bowl for plenty of guys.

Over the weekend, Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant told the world, Twitter style, that he'll be making his NFL debut in Thursday night's preseason finale.

On Wednesday, the guy who signs Dez's checks said otherwise.

Owner Jerry Jones announced at a Kickoff Luncheon that Dez will not face the Dolphins on Thursday night, according to Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News.

Though Bryant has been cleared to practice and play after suffering a sprained ankle early in training camp, Jones explained that Bryant won't be on the field, in part because no members of the starting offense will be playing.

And so, in a roundabout way, Jones possibly has confirmed that Bryant (who currently doesn't appear on the depth chart at all) will at a minimum have a significant role in the No. 1 offense once the regular season starts.

Not bad for a guy who has barely practiced with a team that is otherwise loaded at the position he plays.

Apparently, there a few NFL teams out there that like Packers tackle Breno Giacomini more than the Packers do.

Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports "several teams" are interested in the 2008 fifth-round pick, although we're not sure why.  Giacomini has shown no visible progress as a pro and the Packers have done everything possible to avoid him having a role on the offense despite a need at the position.

At this point, Giacomini is fighting for a roster spot in Green Bay.  But it's possible another team could give up a seventh-round pick or another end-of-the-roster type to acquire Giacomini for depth before Saturday.

One of the most bizarre stories of the 2010 offseason/preseason has come from former Bengals receiver Antonio Bryant.

Plagued by a knee problem for most of the 2009 season, the Bengals nevertheless decided to sign him to a four-year, $28 million contract a day after a March free-agent visit from Terrell Owens.

And so, after already paying Bryant $7.85 million, the Bengals cut him.  Ultimately, they could owe him ever more money.

We could write more about it, or we could let you listen to what we have to say.  Go ahead; you've got a few more minutes until the boss arrives.

There was a buzzing sound coming from the Cardinals' locker room yesterday about the possibility of Matt Leinart being traded to the Giants. But there was a clicking sound on the other end of the phone when the Cardinals called the Giants to see if they wanted to do a deal.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that that the Giants listened politely and then hung up when the Cardinals called, because they have no interest in Leinart.

The Giants especially have no interest in Leinart under his current contract, which pays him more than $10 million in salary the next two seasons. It's possible that the Giants could become interested if Leinart were willing to take less money, but considering that Leinart doesn't want to be a backup, it's hard to see why he'd agree to take less money as part of a trade to the Giants, where he has no chance of beating out Eli Manning for the starting job.

And so it appears that the Cardinals have decided they don't want Leinart -- and they can't find any other team that wants him, either.

UPDATE: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweeted yesterday that the Giants aren't interested in Leinart and want a veteran quarterback who's content with being Eli Manning's backup.

In early August, only a day after the latest (and hopefully last) Brett Favre retirement false alarm, a report emerged from Deadspin regarding allegations that Favre, while playing for the Jets, had sent via text message offensive photos to a former employee of the Jets.

The story gained little or no national traction, and by all appearances no questions have been posed to Mr. Favre regarding the contention.  (Except, presumably, by Mrs. Favre.)

But with the league acknowledging that it's "looking into" the videotape created by Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes before he even entered the league, several of you raised with us a very good question -- is the league also investigating Favre?

In Favre's case, he was employed in the league at the time the alleged conduct occurred, and the alleged target of it was an employee of the Jets when it happened.

So we asked NFL spokesman Greg Aiello about it.  And here's what he said, via e-mail:  "One can assume that we look into everything that is relevant, whether we say so or not.  This is not a confirmation of anything."

Frankly, the league would have no choice but to look into it.  If true (and we're not saying that it is), the allegations could amount to an actionable case of sexual harassment.  Some may be confused, however, by the league's willingness to acknowledge an investigation of some players but not others. 

But we think we understand the distinction.  For some high-profile players (like Ben Roethlisberger), the league's only viable option is complete and total transparency, given that a criminal accusation had been made and the event already occupied a prominent position in multiple news cycles.  For other situations that have yet to gain widespread attention, the mere acknowledgment of the existence of an "investigation" easily could nudge an otherwise little-known allegation into the mainstream.