Colts issue joint Manning-Irsay statement

AP

As it turns out, neither guy will have the last word.  Instead, they both will.

The Colts have issued a joint statement from quarterback Peyton Manning and owner Jim Irsay, to cap a flurry of sound bites that have suggested a rapidly deteriorating relationship between the two men.

“We would like to dispel any misperception that there might be any hard feelings between us,” the statement reads, ignoring the fact that the perception arose from their own words — and their compulsion to respond to each other’s words.   “Since 1998, we have enjoyed a great relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust.  We have always been able to talk and address matters we’ve faced over the years, not just as owner and player, but as friends.  We had a long talk today and we want to assure Colts fans everywhere that we are both committed to maintaining our close relationship and to working together through any challenges the future may bring.”

The future brings one significant challenge:  What to do on March 8, when the Colts owe Manning a $28 million payment that could be avoided only if Manning is cut before then?  Embedded in the question of whether the Colts will give the money to Manning is the question of whether Manning will delay the due date in order to give the Colts a better chance to assess his health.

So while today’s statement represents a bucket of water on the burgeoning brush fire, the embers will still smolder.  The goal will be to keep the flames from returning before the unblinking red eye of the national media leaves Indy the morning after the Super Bowl.

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Earlier today, we pointed out that, once Friday’s coin flips lock in the 2012 draft order, the Colts may sign Andrew Luck, or any other player whom they’d like to make the first overall pick in the draft.  Unlike past years, the presence of a true rookie wage scale with little room to maneuver and few topics about which to negotiate, it’s far more likely that a contract will be signed before the draft begins.

And given the ease with which first-round picks can now be negotiated, some of you have expressed concern regarding the ability of the Rams at No. 2 and then the Vikings at No. 3 and then the Browns at No. 4, and so on, to sign their first-round picks and make the first night of the draft less meaningful.

Fear not.  NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT that only the team holding the first overall pick may strike a deal in advance of the draft.

So if (when) the Colts ink Luck, the Rams (or the team to which the Rams trade the second pick for the ability to take Robert Griffin III) will have to sit tight until the first night of the draft.

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It’s now a given that Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn said some unflattering things about Tim Tebow, including most notably a question regarding Tebow’s humility.

Though some think it was improper for Mike Silver and/or GQ to lift a few limited quotes out of a broader 50-minute interview, the reality is that anyone who talks on the record needs to be careful about everything that’s said.  It happens all the time.  People babble on and on and on about a given topic, and if they say something inflammatory, that’s what draws the headline.

Still, Quinn’s reaction, with equal parts anger and genie-rebottling, makes sense, for reasons articulated during Wednesday’s PFT Live.

I could type out the basis for that belief now, or I could paste below the video of the argument.  Since:  (a) I’m lazy; and (b) I have a vested interest in getting you to watch PFT Live, you won’t need two guesses to figure out this riddle.

AP

By working out a new two-year contract with tight end Jermichael Finley, the Packers have avoided what could have been a nasty and protracted dispute with Finley as to the question of whether he actually is a tight end under the rules of the franchise tag.

The Packers also have realized another benefit:  They can use the franchise tag on someone else.

The most obvious, and perhaps only, candidate is quarterback Matt Flynn.  Despite reports that the Packers won’t take a $14.4 million risk in the hopes of getting compensation for the 2008 seventh-rounder, Packers fans continue to clamor for a Matt Cassel-style move that would give the team something in exchange for his future services.

Beyond Flynn, there aren’t many viable candidates.  Center Scott Wells is due to hit the market, but with no separate category for interior offensive linemen, the Packers would have to be willing to give Wells $9.4 million for one season.  At one point, running back Ryan Grant was on track to have the kind of career that would have merited the franchise tag.  But after a pair of 1,200-yard seasons, Grant has become ordinary, rushing for only 559 yards in 2011 despite earning 14 starts.

So the franchise tag likely will be used on Flynn or no one.  But if the Packers tag Flynn and no one strikes a deal for his services, he’ll make nearly $6 million more in 2012 than the defending NFL MVP.

There are two factors that nevertheless could nudge the Packers toward doing it.  First, with former Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin now the head coach in Miami, the Packers know (or at least should know) whether Philbin truly wants Flynn.  If he does, the two teams should be able to work out a trade.  (The Dolphins, after all, love to devote second-round picks on quarterbacks.)  Second, tagging him and trading him to the Dolphins would keep him away from one of the NFC teams, like the Seahawks or the Redskins.

Reuters

New NFL Coaches Association executive director David Cornwell joined PFT Live on Wednesday to talk about his new job.

In his old job, which to a certain extent he’ll continue to do, Cornwell represented players who were appealing penalties imposed for violation of league policies.  And he handles not only football players but athletes in other sports.

One of his clients is Ryan Braun, the reigning NL MVP.  The appeal of Braun’s 50-game suspension is pending, and I took advantage of the opportunity to pick Cornwell’s brain about Braun’s case.

Though Cornwell wouldn’t say much (OK, anything) about the specific arguments made on Braun’s behalf, Cornwell explained that baseball’s drug-testing program provides multiple possible defenses for players who may have ingested a banned substance unknowingly or for a legitimate reason.  For NFL players, none of that matters.

AP

With a potential franchise-tag fight over whether he’s a tight end or a receiver looming, Jermichael Finley and the Packers have come to terms on a new contract.

According to a league source, a two-year deal was finalized on Wednesday.  The contract has a total value of just under $15 million.

The average value of the deal — $7.5 million — roughly splits the difference between the tight end franchise tender of $5.4 million and the receiver franchise tender of $9.4 million.  And it gives Finley another crack at the open market in 2014, when the new TV money will have kicked in and driven up the salary cap.

In light of the new contract, the question of whether Finley is a tight end or a receiver won’t be as significant the next time Finley is due to hit the market.  Based on the 2013 cap number in Finley’s deal, a 120-percent increase would put the tender for Finley over $10 million.

The deal also gives the Packers protection against the possibility that Finley’s potential never will fully be fulfilled, due either to injuries or ineffectiveness.  Though Finley enjoyed the best season of his career in 2011, he generated only 767 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and he has no Pro Bowl appearances.

But his unique skills create matchup problems.  Too fast to cover with a linebacker and too large to cover with a defensive back, Finley could have the same impact as Rob Gronkowski, if/when Finley puts it all together.

If Finley can do it in the next two years, he’ll be on the verge of free agency again — at a time when Gronkowski will either have been re-signed by the Patriots or limited by the franchise tag.

UPDATE 8:35 p.m. ET:  Finley confirms the deal on Twitter.  “It’s TRUE!” he writes.  “Thank you so much to the Packers organization, all of my fans, and my beautiful wife.”

AP

The Buffalo Bills and receiver Stevie Johnson continue to be far apart on negotiations.  But if the team and the player can’t worked out a deal to replace a rookie contract that expires at 12:01 a.m. ET on March 13, Johnson will be permitted to hit the open market.

Rodney McKissic of the Buffalo News recently reported that the Bills won’t use the franchise tag on Johnson.  Doing so would require the Bills to extend to Johnson a one-year contract worth roughly $9.4 million.

And so Johnson would join a deep class of unrestricted free agent wideouts, which will include (barring the franchise tag and/or a new contract) DeSean Jackson, Vincent Jackson, Reggie Wayne, Marques Colston, Brandon Lloyd, Laurent Robinson, Mario Manningham, Josh Morgan, Robert Meachem, Eddie Royal, Steve Smith (Eagles), and Wes Welker.

In other words, Randy Moss picked the wrong year to unretire.

Johnson has been solid for the Bills, even though he has committed a couple of high-profile drops and has gotten himself flagged for some foolish touchdown celebrations.  He gave Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis fits this year, which would make him attractive to one of the other two teams that play the Jets twice per season.

Reuters

Every year, an injury surprise pops up in connection with the Scouting Combine.  This year, the first surprise comes from Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, Richardson suffered a knee injury in practice preceding the BCS national championship game last month.  As a result, he had “minor” arthroscopic surgery on the knee, and Richardson will not participate in on-field drills in Indy.

Richardson, who rushed for 96 yards against LSU despite the injury, nevertheless plans to participate fully in the Alabama Pro Day workout on March 7.

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Mike Mayock of NFL Network and NBC joined PFT Live on Tuesday.  Mayock, who’ll be covering the Scouting Combine like the swaddling clothing of a newborn, worked the Pro Bowl last month for NBC.

So I asked him which event will more closely resemble real football — the Combine or the Pro Bowl.  As to the latter, Mayock was candid.

“Doug Flutie and I looked at each other after the first snap, like, ‘What are we gonna do with this?’” Mayock said.  “I was really stunned at the pace of play early.  It picked up for a while.  And I think the NFL has to make a decision.  You either say we’re gonna make this thing more competitive or we’re need to take a step back, because the intensity of play was not acceptable for at least half the game.”

He’s right.  And regardless of whether there’s anything the league can do to increase the intensity of the game, the league needs to decide whether it wants to try to make the Pro Bowl have something more than an amateur-hour effort, or whether the game needs to simply go away for good.

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From 1980 through 1994, a period that covered both of the team’s Super Bowl berths (including the franchise’s most recent playoff win), Jim McNally coached the offensive line in Cincinnati.

And he’s back.

The team announced today that McNally has returned as a consultant, more than four years after his career as an assistant coach ended.  He’ll work with offensive line coach Paul Alexander.

“Jim began his National Football League career with us and we’ve always thought highly of his abilities,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a team-issued release.  “He has a very good relationship with Paul Alexander that goes back a long way.”

McNally has coached with the Panthers, Giants, and Bills.  He also served as a consultant with the Jets.

With the Bills, McNally helped convert an undrafted tight end named Jason Peters into a left tackle.  The Bills eventually shipped him to Philly for a first-round pick.

AP

Terrence McGee will stay with the Bills on a restructured contract.

The team announced today that McGee and the Bills have come to terms on a new deal, although the Bills say they won’t be offering any details on the new deal.

A fourth-round pick of the Bills in 2003, McGee signed a five-year contract with the team in 2009. Adam Caplan reports that McGee was carrying a cap number of $6.3 million for 2012, with a $500,000 roster bonus due on March 17, so the new deal surely saves the Bills some money.

McGee was limited to six games in 2011 and was lost for the season with a torn patella tendon in November.

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In 2010, a Nike executive created a stir by suggesting that, once the company inherits the NFL apparel deal from Reebok, dramatic changes will be made to team uniforms.  Some were fascinated by this; others feared that the pro teams would begin to operate like the Oregon Ducks and their “snowflake” approach to helmet, jersey, and pants selection.

With the date for the handoff approaching, we recently dusted off those quotes in order to caution folks against buying any of the current Reebok jerseys until the new Nike designs arrive.  The league responded by saying that dramatic changes to logos and colors won’t occur.

On Wednesday, Nike CEO and president Mark Parker addressed the situation in an appearance on CNBC.

According to SportsBusiness Daily, Parker said, “[People] are wondering, ‘Well, what are you going to do?  Are you going to get crazy with the uniforms?’  We’re actually going to have some fun, but respect the traditions of these teams at the same time.”

It’s unclear how much “fun” Nike will be allowed to have.  Still, keep in mind what league spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT last month:  “Logos are controlled by teams and the NFL.  That will not change.  Teams have to apply to league to make changes to logos and colors.

Thus, while it may be something more than “zero fun, sir,” Nike won’t have the ability to do whatever it wants, and teams that change their uniforms will still need the league office to sign off.

So far, we’ve seen a subtle revision to the Panthers logo, and teams like the Rams and Steelers have suggested that their alternate uniforms could change.  (Surely, new Rams coach Jeff Fisher has no interest in the blue and yellow duds that the team wore when beating Fisher’s Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.)  The Seahawks apparently plan something more comprehensive.

We’ll all find out whether and to what extent every uniform changes at some point between now and the draft.  Until then, continue to think twice about buying any of the remaining Reebok jerseys.

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There’s been some uncertainty as to whether Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will throw passes at the Scouting Combine.  Many quarterbacks shy away from doing so, given the unfamiliarity of the surroundings and the wide assortment of receivers who’ll be trying to catch the ball.  For every quarterback, it’s much easier to have a successful Pro Day workout, since it happens on his campus with receivers he’s known for a long time.

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star told PFT Live on Wednesday that Luck reached out to the Colts for input on whether he should throw, and that the Colts advised him not to.  Joe Schad of ESPN.com created the impression, via comments from quarterbacks coach George Whitfield, that Luck had not yet made a final decision.  (Schad has since clarified his report to indicate Luck won’t throw.)

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Luck indeed isn’t planning to throw, but he may do the other Scouting Combine drills.

But if the Colts are pulling his strings (apparently because the Colts eventually will be calling his name), there’s no reason to do anything at the Scouting Combine.

If nothing else, the situation provides a bit of uncertainty as we prepare for the games of the underwear Olympiad.

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Mike Wright joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. A history of concussions now threaten his career.

New England released the defensive tackle on Wednesday and also cut guard Richard Ohrnberger.

Letting go of Wright must have been a difficult choice for New England. He led or tied for the team lead in sacks in 2009 and 2010, but missed the final two months of 2010 because of repeated concussions and almost all of 2011 because of recurring concussion problems. Wright was due $2.1 million next season.

New England needs to add a lot of bodies to their defensive line this offseason. Wright’s dismissal creates another hole on a depth chart that is filled with aging veterans and free agents on the defensive line.

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Amid increasing talk that he could leave Pittsburgh, soon-to-be free agent receiver Mike Wallace says he wants to remain with the Steelers. But in the next breath, he acknowledges it’s entirely possible he’ll leave.

Wallace said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s not sure if it will be possible for the Steelers to keep him.

“[Pittsburgh is] where I would like to be, but we all know that it is a business and you have certain things you have to handle,” Wallace said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “So if I have to go elsewhere, you know Pittsburgh will always be in my heart, but I have to do what I have to do.”

Wallace is a restricted free agent, and the cap-strapped Steelers aren’t expected to use the franchise tag to hold onto him. That means another team can sign Wallace away for the price of a first-round pick. Wallace said the Steelers and his agent, Bus Cook, are working on getting a deal done before the free agency period starts, but that doesn’t sound likely.

“Yeah, we are talking, but I don`t know how far they are going to get right now because of the situation,” Wallace said. “I know that they are working hard trying to take care of it, but I don`t know. We’ll see.”

What we’re likely to see is Wallace testing the market in three weeks, and signing an offer sheet from another team that the Steelers just can’t afford to match.

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We don’t know who will take snaps at quarterback for the Browns next year. We do know who will call the plays: The same guy that called them last year.

Pat Shurmur said Wednesday that he will remain the team’s playcaller, while new offensive coordinator Brad Childress will assist Shurmur on gamedays in the booth.

Playcalling ability is probably an overrated skill in the NFL and Shurmur understandably doesn’t want to give up one of the most fun parts of the job. That’s only a problem if a head coach that also calls plays struggles in game management on Sundays.

It’s hard to evaluate Shurmur’s rookie season, but we can say without question that he struggled with clock and game management aspects of the job.

While we’re talking Browns offense, we also wanted to pass along Childress’ message about Robert Griffin III. Childress was asked if Griffin could fit the West Coast offense.

“Don’t think you hesitate if think he’s guy you’re looking for,” Childress said.