Mike Ditka critical of proposal to eliminate kickoffs

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Ever since Roger Goodell floated the idea proposed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano to eliminate kickoffs in a TIME magazine feature last week, many people have called the proposal ridiculous.

Former Chicago Bears tight end and coach Mike Ditka is just one of the latest to take a shot at the idea of eliminating kickoffs. During an appearance on Mike and Mike In The Morning on Monday, Ditka scoffed at the notion of getting rid of kickoffs for safety reason.

“Who the hell is going to take it out? Somebody who never played the game? Somebody who never coaches the game? We’re going to take the kickoff because it’s too dangerous? Well listen guys, driving a car is dangerous too. Getting on the bus is dangerous. There’s a lot of things that are dangerous. It’s your living. It’s what you do,” Ditka said, via Chris Chase of the USA Today.

If anything, Ditka would like to see even more kickoff returns.

“It’s an integral part of the game,” Ditka said. “It’s a skill part of the game. People who cover have to have courage, determination and skill. And the people who return certainly have to have that. To take that out of the game would be the stupidest thing they would ever do. I think they should move the kickoff back to the 15-yard-line and make more of them happen.”

The moving of kickoffs to the 35-yard line has cut down on the number of returns and getting rid of the wedge has made kickoffs safer for players. While it’s unlikely the league will move the kickoffs back to allow for more returns, it seems equally as unlikely that Schiano’s proposal would ultimately get any real legs either.

AP

A Bennett family reunion could be heading to Chicago.

A year after the Bears signed tight end Martellus Bennett, the team reportedly is in “strong pursuit” of Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Two team officials told Briggs that the team expects to sign Bennett once the free agency period opens on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Bennett signed a one-year, $5 million deal in Seattle last year after hitting free agency as a member of the Buccaneers.  The Seahawks wanted to re-sign Bennett; a report from Super Bowl Sunday said they definitely would.

At this point, it looks like they won’t, barring an unexpected development.

It’s also possible that the acquisition of Bennett via a market deal will conclude defensive end Julius Peppers‘ run with the Bears.  Signed on the first day of free agency four years ago, Peppers has an $18.1 million cap number and a $13.9 million salary.  If the Bears keep him at that number, they’ll have more than $40 million in 2014 cap space tied up in two players — Peppers and quarterback Jay Cutler, whose cap number is $22.5 million.

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AP

One of the top offensive linemen in free agency is reportedly set to change teams.

Alan Herman, the agent for Rams offensive tackle/guard Rodger Saffold, has told the team his client will likely be departing St. Louis, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday.

The Rams’ second-round pick in 2010, the 25-year-old Saffold has started 44 games in four NFL seasons. He has made starts at both tackle spots, and he has also played guard. His ability to play tackle and his relative youth are among his primary assets in free agency.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Herman did not indicate where Saffold could be headed, though the paper reported Oakland and Tampa Bay were speculated to have interest.

Saffold is ranked No. 25 in PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100.

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The Bears continue to sign their own free agents — even though the guys they aren’t signing may be getting more of the attention.

Defensive tackle Nate Collins and quarterback Jordan Palmer have signed one-year contracts to return.  The team announced the moves on Sunday night.

Collins appeared in five games with two starts in 2013 before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury.  He has played two seasons with the Bears and two before that with the Jaguars.

The younger brother of Carson Palmer, Jordan Palmer spent nine weeks on the Chicago roster in the 2013 season.

The moves mean that the Bears have re-signed 12 of their potential free agents.

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It’s been a good year for Karlos Dansby.

Cut by the Dolphins last year after Dannell Ellerbe arrived via free agency, the veteran linebacker returned to Arizona on a one-year, $2.5 million deal.

After a strong season to Arizona, the Cardinals have offered Dansby a two-year deal worth $10 million to $12 million, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.  Dansby, the No. 23 player on the PFT Free Agent Hot 100, hasn’t taken it, opting instead to test the market.

Dansby’s decision suggests that he’s got something else cooking for even more. Not bad for a 32-year-old linebacker who shouldn’t be making that kind of money.

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The NFL enjoys a tenuous relationship with college football.  The league benefits greatly from a farm system that costs the NFL nothing, allowing the many major college programs to develop players and weed out pretenders and allow the 32 franchises to welcome an annual crop of boys who have become men on someone else’s watch.

In return, the NFL has erected (with the consent of the NFLPA) a barrier to the periodic boys who already are men, able to leap to the NFL before expiration of the mandatory three-year waiting period after high school.

Since the passage of the new labor deal, the NFL has developed a problem.  With the lottery prizes at the top of round one eliminated, more and more college players are inclined to leave once their three years have passed, anxious to begin putting in seasons toward a second pro contract limited only by the marketplace.

Responding to the recent trend, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has penned an op-ed urging players to stay in school.

Published last weekend by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and posted this week by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rooney blames the dynamic on agents looking for a quick score.  But the quick score has been greatly diminished by the rookie wage scale.  Before 2011, a player pegged to be a second-round pick could make tens of millions by staying in school one more year and vaulting to the top of the first round.  Since 2011, that extra year won’t dramatically increase a player’s potential earnings.

With each human body having a limited number of hits it can take in a lifetime, the sooner those hits are taken for money, the better.

While not every college player should squander his remaining eligibility, those who know that the NFL is ready for them should go as soon as they can, earning real money for the constant physical risks and wear and tear.  College will always be there.  The cartilage and ligaments and tendons may not.

We won’t address each of Rooney’s points.  But if he’s right — if players should stay in school — the solution is simple.  The league and the union should push the waiting period from three years to four.

The NFL will never do that because the league wants the best of the best players.  But for the potential harm opening the floodgates would do to the league’s ability to enjoy the full benefits of a free farm system, the NFL would get rid of the waiting period completely, taking anyone who has the physical skills to make a difference at the pro level, regardless of age.

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AP

Another top-end free agent appears poised to re-sign with his current club.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS, the Colts and cornerback Vontae Davis are “nearing a deal” that’s anticipated to be completed on Monday.

The 25-year-old Davis is the second-ranked cornerback and the No. 7 overall player on PFT’s Free Agent Hot 100. He started all 16 games for the Colts in 2013, notching 46 tackles, defending 12 passes and recording one interception.

Were the 5-foot-11, 204-pound Davis to hit the market, his age, athleticism and size would work in his favor. However, the Colts, who surrendered a second-round pick to acquire Davis from Miami in 2012, are reportedly on the verge of keeping him in the fold.

AP

A couple of days ago, word out of Baltimore was that the Ravens and Eugene Monroe were far apart in contract negotiations. But a lot has changed in a couple of days.

The Baltimore Sun now reports that Monroe and the Ravens have continued to negotiate, and there’s optimism that an agreement can be reached.

It’s unclear what has changed, but the report that the Ravens weren’t expecting to keep Monroe came out before teams were allowed to start talking to agents. So it seems likely that once teams and agents began their communications on Saturday, either Monroe’s camp began to realize that there isn’t a better deal out there than the one the Ravens are offering, or the Ravens upped their offer for Monroe when they discovered that offensive tackles are going to be more expensive than they expected. Or perhaps some combination of the two.

Nothing is official until Monroe signs, and he may still decide to wait until free agency starts on Tuesday afternoon. But it’s now looking a lot more likely that Monroe will remain in Baltimore than it looked 48 hours ago.

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Jimmy Graham isn’t the only one who’s shocked by the Saints’ offseason moves.

Saints running back Mark Ingram told Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune that he was stunned to learn that fellow running back Darren Sproles was among the players the Saints released, and that another running back, Pierre Thomas, might follow Sproles out the door.

“Everything has been shocking,” Ingram said. “If something did happen to Pierre, it would be a shocker, too. It would be completely different. I would be the oldest guy in the [running backs meeting] room. It’s crazy to think about, and it’s shocking with everything going on. But it’s just the business side of everything. Those guys in the front office are doing what they think is best to have success this year.”

Ingram also realizes, however, that he’s likely to play a bigger role in the offense with Sproles gone and Thomas possibly following him.

“It’s an exciting time in my career,” Ingram said. “I just want to take advantage of my situation and the opportunity that’s presenting itself. Just want to prove to the organization that I can be the back they wanted, an every-down back, type of playmaker that they need. I’m excited about my situation. It’s unfortunate to see a lot of guys go, but I’m excited about my opportunity that I have coming up.”

It’s an opportunity for Ingram to be something he’s never been in New Orleans: The Saints’ primary running back.

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The Ravens released linebacker Jameel McClain as they started getting ready for free agency, but they’ve held onto another member of the linebacking corps who was headed for restricted free agency.

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the team has re-signed Albert McClellan ahead of Tuesday’s start to free agency. According to Wilson, it’s a two-year deal that allows McClellan and the team to avoid the restricted free agent tender process.

McClellan made the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall and has played 45 games over the last three years. His most extensive playing time on defense came in 2012 when he made 11 starts and recorded 49 tackles and a sack. McClellan has played both inside and outside linebacker in Baltimore and seen extensive time on special teams.

Wide receiver Tandon Doss is the only other potential restricted free agent on the Ravens this offseason.

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After earning $15.1 million through six NFL seasons, running back Rashard Mendenhall has had enough.  He has explained in an item for the Huffington Post his decision to retire at age 26.

Basically, Mendenhall says:  (1) he has done everything he could do in football; (2) football has become more about entertainment than football; and (3) he no longer wishes to put his body at risk for the entertainment of others.

Mendenhall also explains that he has experienced hate and racism, presumably via the Internet.  Possibly in response to his controversial remarks following the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Lost in Mendenhall’s essay is any reference to his actual expected earnings in 2014 or beyond.  At one point he explains that others have asked, “You’re just going to walk away from millions of dollars?”  But it’s unlikely that anyone would have paid him “millions” in 2014.

Last year, Mendenhall was paid $2.5 million by the Cardinals.  Eventually, he was displaced by rookie Andre Ellington.  With a soft market for veteran tailbacks, Mendenhall quite possibly was at the point where, if he found a team, he’d be getting at best the veteran minimum for a player with six years of experience.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Mendenhall’s initial column hinting strongly at retirement came after the Scouting Combine, where his agent would have learned whether and to what extent the Cardinals or another team have interest in employing Mendenhall for another year, or longer.

In the end, that’s the unanswered question.  How much is he really walking away from?  Our guess is that it’s a non-guaranteed base salary $715,000.

While still not easy to walk away from, it’s a lot easier to walk away from than $7.15 million.

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AP

A so-so veteran quarterback market could soon add another name.

Jason Campbell, former starter in Washington and Oakland, has a $250,000 roster bonus due on the third day of the 2014 league year.  To avoid paying it, the Browns would have to cut or trade Campbell before Thursday.

Campbell, a first-round pick in 2005, started eight games for the Browns in 2008.  But he won only one of them, throwing 11 touchdown passes against eight interceptions.

The Browns signed Campbell to a two-year contract in 2013.  In addition to the roster bonus, he’s due to earn a $3 million base salary.

The PFT Free Agent Hot 100 has only five quarterbacks; two of them (Matt Cassel and Chad Henne) have re-signed with their current teams.  Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez presumably will have a market for his services, if/when the Jets cut him.

AP

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks has spent some time this weekend making sure that NFL teams know that his knee and foot are fine after injuries to each slowed him over the last two seasons with the Giants.

Nicks also spent some time talking to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com and said that he hopes teams looking for “a missing link” to their championship aspirations give him the chance to show that he’s over the injuries. He told Anderson that he’s considering “a number of teams” and revealed a few of the players he could envision as his next quarterback.

“I know if I went to a place like Indianapolis, I would be dangerous with a quarterback like Andrew Luck,” Nicks said. “I can see myself catching passes from Cam Newton or even Philip Rivers.”

There’s no word on interest in Nicks from the Colts, Panthers or Chargers although the fact that Nicks is from North Carolina and played for the University of North Carolina in college and the Panthers need some help at wideout have led some to connect those dots while forecasting free agency.

Nicks also addressed a report that he’s willing to consider a one-year deal as a way to rebuild value he may have lost on the field recently. Nicks told Anderson he wants to “make it clear that I want a long-term deal” from whichever team signs him this offseason.

AP

It had been expected for some time and all but confirmed when the Vikings re-signed defensive end Everson Griffen, but defensive end Jared Allen made his departure from Minnesota official on Saturday night.

Allen’s agent Ken Harris said that Allen does not know where he’ll wind up playing in 2014, but that the decision was made to let the Vikings know that Allen’s time with the team was done.

“He made his decision to narrow it down [Saturday] night after I had a final conversation with the club,” Harris said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

After opening their wallet to sign Griffen and Brian Robison, the Vikings pretty much told Allen, the 16th-ranked free agent on PFT‘s Hot 100, the same thing. Allen’s run with the Vikings comes to an end after six seasons, 85.5 sacks and plenty of recognition as one of the best pass rushers in the league. 

Those skills will now be put to use for another defense, with Allen saying last week that he’s looking for “a chance to win” and a “fair contract” above all else.

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The Cardinals are looking for a tackle in free agency and expressed early interest in Branden Albert, but they are turning their attention elsewhere with word that Albert will be headed to Miami.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports that the team has set its sights on Jared Veldheer. The Raiders opted not to use the franchise or transition tag on Veldheer last week, leaving the 26-year-old on track to sign with any team he chooses come Tuesday.

Somers thinks Veldheer will come in as a cheaper alternative to Albert and points out that he’s three years younger than the longtime member of the Chiefs. They won’t be the only team chasing him, however, and the Raiders are believed to have made an offer to keep him.

Should Veldheer land elsewhere, the Cardinals will be moving on to other options. Somers reports that any interest they may have had in Rodger Saffold has “cooled.” Eugene Monroe, Michael Oher and Anthony Collins are some of the other tackles on PFT‘s list of the Hot 100 free agents.

AP

With the Titans unwilling to pay running back Chris Johnson $8 million in 2014 and Johnson unwilling to take less, the Titans will be moving on.

Before they do, they’ll try to get value in return for the man they selected in the first-round of the 2008 draft, and to whom they’ve paid $30 million in the last three years.

Per a league source, the Titans soon will commence efforts to trade Johnson.  If the Titans can find no takers, they will cut him.

It’s unclear when they would cut him.  With no bonus coming due or a trigger to make all or part of the base salary guaranteed, the Titans don’t have to make a decision until the eve of Week One, when the full salary becomes guaranteed as a practical matter.

If he’s not cut before the launch of the offseason program, the Titans could face a repeat of the ugly final days of Steve McNair’s tenure with the team, when the Titans were hoping both to trade McNair and to keep him from suffering a potential season-ending injury while on the premises, which would have made his full salary guaranteed.  They locked McNair out of the facility, he filed a grievance, and he eventually won.

From Johnson’s perspective, the sooner the release comes, the better.  With a running back market that has yet to generate much buzz, Johnson would quickly go to the top of the class — eclipsing Ben Tate of the Texans, the No. 38 player on the PFT Free Agent Hot 100.

Cutting Johnson would result in a $4 million cap charge.  That amount would be cut in half and spread over two years if he’s released with a post-June 1 designation.