Browns have already interviewed Bill O’Brien

AP

This week reports emerged that Penn State coach Bill O’Brien was strongly considering sitting down for an interview with an NFL team. It turns out that O’Brien hasn’t just considered it, he’s done it.

The Browns interviewed O’Brien this week, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

NFL teams sometimes announce the interviews they’ve conducted, but they’re not required to do so, and in this case the Browns and O’Brien seem to have tried to keep it quiet. That’s no surprise: College coaches generally prefer not to let the high school players they’re recruiting know that they’re considering leaving.

But it would be a surprise if O’Brien weren’t considering leaving. The NCAA sanctions that were handed down at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal make his team ineligible to play in a bowl, or compete for a Big Ten championship or a national championship, for the next three years. And scholarship reductions make it unlikely that his team will be good enough to compete for a Big Ten or national championship for at least a few more years beyond the school’s bowl ban. O’Brien did excellent work last year under difficult circumstances at Penn State, but that doesn’t mean he wants to put himself through several more years of difficult circumstances.

And so it makes sense that O’Brien is talking to the Browns. And given his impressive track record as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator and his good year as the Nittany Lions’ head coach, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Browns to hire him.

AP

Vince Young has attracted plenty of attention over the years for the wrong reasons.  It’s only fair, then, to shed light on something positive he’s accomplished.

On Friday, Young graduated from the University of Texas.

“This will rank No. 1 because it is what I came to school for,” Young told Bruce Feldman of CBSSports.com on Thursday night.  “I came here to get an education, and to win a national championship.  And now, I get to put that smile on my mom’s face.”

Young left Texas after a performance for the ages against USC in the Rose Bowl, becoming the third overall pick in the 2006 draft.  A rocky relationship with coach Jeff Fisher (much of which was Young’s fault) culminated in Young being cut in 2010.  He signed with the Eagles in 2011, made his unfortunate “Dream Team” remark at his introductory press conference, signed with the Bills in 2012, and was cut before the season began.

Now, Young will have a college degree, but he’s not done with football (even if football is done with him).

“I’m about to be the first in my family to graduate,” Young said.  “Just finishing what I started.  That’s why I’m trying to get back in the NFL.  To finish what I started.  That is the type of guy I am.  I do work hard — even when the times are good or bad.  That’s just how I was raised.”

Time’s running out for getting back to the NFL.  Today, Young turns 30.  If the comeback doesn’t happen now, it probably never will.

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Prior to a string of arrests, former Lions wide receiver Titus Young admitted to one of his old teammates he needed help.

Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch said he was on the same flight from Miami to Detroit as Young recently, and Young opened up about a mental issue he was dealing with, even showing him documents about the condition.

“He’s aware of the situation that he’s dealing with and he showed me a paper and we went over it and I looked over it, and I understand it,” Tulloch told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “A lot of people laugh about it and ke-ke-ke about it, but it’s real. He has head issues, and the Titus Young when he came in as a rookie and the Titus Young now is two different people.

“It’s kind of like when you look at him, he’s looking through you. It’s different. You can tell there’s something going on in his mind, in his head, and I hope that he can get help.”

That something is amiss is obvious. Young remains in jail in California, after he was arraigned on eight counts of burglary and assaulting police officers. He pleaded not guilty to all of them. If convicted, he could face more than seven years in prison.

Tulloch said he sought assistance from the league on Young’s behalf, though a league spokesman declined comment citing player privacy issues.

“He has a problem,” Tulloch said of Young. “Ain’t no question about it. . . .

“We had some long discussions and he showed me some things and I was like, ‘All right.’  The fact that before he didn’t realize it, now he realizes it. He just needs help. Basically he’s reaching out for help. He’s asking questions and he wants to be cured. And it’s tough when people laugh at him and think it’s a joke. ‘Oh, Titus did this.’

“Obviously, he’s dealing with a mental issue that he needs help and people need to reach out and help him.”

That his teammates are reaching out is a good sign, and the hope remains that Young gets the help he so clearly needs.

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If Manti Te’o wanted to make sure he heard fake dead girlfriend jokes forever, he’d duck his head and mutter “no comment,” or “that’s in the past.”

Embracing the joke takes the sting out of the needle, and will be what makes it go away.

Te’o appeared to be a good sport about the whole thing when Maxim named Lennay Kekua No. 69 (seriously, are they 13?) on their annual list of the world’s hottest women (never mind, they make an annual list of the world’s hottest women).

The Chargers linebacker even showed up at the magazine’s promotional party, according to the blog Busted Coverage.

There he was photographed with the kind of pretty people I suppose you get photographed with at a Hollywood party. One of them, pro volleyball player Jess Gysin, is apparently the girlfriend of Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

Of course, Clausen hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2010, or even been active for a game since the Panthers drafted Cam Newton.

So maybe the question should be, do we believe Gysin when she says she’s dating an NFL quarterback?

AP

Brandon Weeden knows he can’t look over his shoulder.  Jason Campbell apparently plans to force him to.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository reports that Campbell displayed “Roethlisberger-like size” during offseason workouts this week.

“He’s clearly bigger than Brandon Weeden,” Doerschuk writes of Campbell.  “He made Thaddeus Lewis look like a shrimp.”

And while Weeden officially is the starting quarterback, Campbell got the first crack in 11-on-11 drills during the first segment of full-squad practices.  Doerschuk praised Campbell’s performance; if the powers-that-be made the same observations, it’s hard not to wonder whether the presumed pecking order will soon become an open competition.

Campbell would have no complaints about that.  His $1.5 million salary for 2013 expands by $150,000 if he take 50 percent of the snaps in 2013, $350,000 if the number goes to 65 percent, and $600,000 if he takes 80 percent of the snaps.

He also will see his 2014 salary increase based on 2013 playing time; if he takes 65 percent of more of the snaps his $2 million salary for next season becomes $4 million.

The former first-round pick of the Redskins has a long way to go before he takes any of the snaps in 2013, but with the new regime in Cleveland inheriting Weeden and adding Campbell early in free agency, Campbell may have more of a shot than anyone realizes.

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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will have a fourth arm surgery on Monday.  But that’s three days away.

OK, two days and change.

Still, that’s time for plenty of living.  And Gronk will be living it up one more time in Las Vegas.

Jumpseat.me, a jet-sharing service, circulated an email late Friday afternoon offering four seats on the private plane that will take Gronkowski a teammate to Nevada.

“This Saturday night, share a cabin and fly privately with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman from Boston to Las Vegas for a last minute get away before Gronk goes for yet another surgery,” the email explains.  “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with a living Patriots legend.  Gronk is offering 4 seats in the cabin.”

While there’s no reason to believe that Gronkowski’s penchant for partying caused or contributed to the infection that invaded his arm following his second surgery, he’s contributing to a perception that, if he would back off on the shirtless slam dancing and everything that goes along with it, he’d be healthy by now.

Then there’s the probability that Gronkowski needs back surgery.  While he’s on his own time and he should be allowed to enjoy his life, he’s inviting criticism from folks who think he’s not taking his career seriously — especially when it appears that his career may be at a crossroads.

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Only one team made it to four straight Super Bowls.  But, like every team, the Buffalo Bills are limited to four heads on their version of Mt. Rushmore.

So nominate the best of the Bills below.

And we realize it won’t be easy.  Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, Darryl Talley, Steve Tasker, etc.

Before we can allow you to vote on four finalists, we need to come up with a dozen nominees.  Help us get there.

And, please, Giants fans.  Don’t nominate Scott Norwood.

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When it comes to the lawsuit recently filed by Bills defensive lineman Mario Williams for the recovery of a $785,000 engagement ring from his former fiancée, the wheels of justice are spinning quickly.

According to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle, lawyers for Williams and Erin Marzouki met for three hours on Friday in an effort to resolve the case informally, but were unsuccessful.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents Marzouki, said that Williams, not Marzouki, broke off the engagement.

“Texas law says that if the man breaks off the engagement, the woman keeps the ring,” Buzbee said.  “Mr. Williams experienced dramatic mood swings throughout the engagement.  It was during one of his low points that he broke off the engagement for the last time this past December.  It was only after Ms. Marzouki refused to take him back that he became angry and filed this frivolous case.

“He should have not filed a case out of anger.  Ms. Marzouki will not be bullied.  In the court system, no matter how rich you are, everyone is treated equally.”

Buzbee also released text messages from Williams to Marzouki, apparently to corroborate the contention of mood swings.

“I took 3 hydrocodones this morning and no one knows,” Williams allegedly said.  “I’m going to take 2 more on the plane and fade away.”  Williams also allegedly said:  “No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts.”

Regardless of the letter of the law, it’s odd that Marzouki would want to keep the ring.  Sure, Williams can afford it.  Sure, she can tell herself that she “deserves” it as compensation for putting up with him.

But the ring was purchased to secure a marriage that never happened.  Regardless of who broke it off, why would Marzouki want to keep it?

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The Bears have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick Kyle Long, the club said Friday night.

The No. 20 overall pick, Long (6-6, 311) is expected to compete for a starting role at guard on a new-look offensive line for Chicago.

Long has relatively little experience as offensive lineman — a mere two collegiate seasons — but the Bears are intrigued by his potential. After the team picked Long, Bears G.M. Phil Emery called the former Oregon lineman a “dynamic athlete.”

“There isn’t a movement playing where this guy doesn’t impress you,” said Emery, according to the club.

Long signed a four-year deal with a club option for a fifth year, which is required by the collective bargaining agreement.

Kyle Long is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long.

AP

Titans linebacker Moise Fokou faces an October trial date on charges of driving under the influence and operating a vehicle while impaired in connection with an alleged incident earlier this year in Washington D.C., the Washingtonian magazine reported Friday.

According to the Washingtonian, Fokou was cited in January after being pulled over by the United States Park Police.

Fokou, 27, signed with the Titans in March. He is entering his fifth NFL season.

At attorney for Fokou, Mark Schamel, told both the Washingtonian and the Nashville Tennessean that Fokou will be “cleared” of the charges.

“Mr. Fokou is innocent,” Schamel told the Washingtonian.

The Titans told The Tennessean that they were “aware of the report” regarding Fokou.

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Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin issued another public apology Friday after being suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The statement, which was posted on Irvin’s verified Twitter account, followed an apology issued through the team earlier Friday.

Irvin’s newest statement is a reflection of his contrition, and it’s a window into how he is coping with the fall-out from some bad news — news he knew was coming.

“I messed up and I feel so bad and have been depressed for weeks now,” Irvin said.

Irvin’s backstory is well-known; before he became a star at West Virginia, he encountered off-field trouble and even spent a short stint in prison.

In the statement posted to his Twitter account Friday, Irvin indicated he suspected the suspension could hurt the way he was perceived.

“I’ve had sleepless nights because I knew when this came out, I would let so many people down, including myself,” Irvin wrote. “I have worked so hard to rebuild my image and it takes another blow.”

Apologizing twice won’t undo a four-game suspension, but say this for Irvin — he’s at least shown that his actions impact numerous people, and he has been willing to publicly say he made a mistake. Neither action is easy.

AP

One major reason why the competition for undrafted free agents is so fascinating: every team gets the same amount of money to use for bonuses on undrafted rookies, and it is not much. Per the CBA, the bonus pool was $75,00o in 2011, and it has grown at the same rate of the salary cap since.

Thanks to a report from Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, we have a sense of how one team allocated their undrafted rookie bonus dollars this spring. According to Hodkiewicz, the Packers gave Oklahoma State offensive guard Lane Taylor $7,000 to sign. Five other players, per the Press-Gazette, received $5,000 bonuses. However, at least two players didn’t receive a bonus whatsoever, according to the report.

The job opportunity itself is what matters for undrafted players. The upfront money, if you can get it, is nice, but it’s really not much. Every undrafted player signs a non-guaranteed three-year deal and works to make it into something more.

And something more isn’t that far outside of the realm of possibility. An undrafted free agent can sign a new contact after his second season, per league rules. Even if that doesn’t happen, the player will likely be an unrestricted free agent no later than after his fourth NFL season — right in the player’s prime earning years.

For most rookies, the bonus money is tantamount to a comped meal at a casino. It is nothing to sniff at, but the real shot at riches is out on the floor with all the bright lights.

Though the NFL has not seen a player die from on-field injuries in decades (Korey Stringer died in 2001 from heat exhaustion), tragedy often strikes at the lower levels of this sport.

It happened recently in Farmerville, Louisiana, to 17-year-old Jaleel Gipson (pictured).  A fullback, Gipson died after fracturing a vertebrate during “Oklahoma drills” at Farmerville High School’s spring practices.  He was on life support for several days.

According to KNOE-TV, Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth has donated to the family the cost of Gipson’s funeral.  It’s a great gesture, and news of Whitworth’s generosity brought the story to our attention.

Now that we’re here, and speaking primarily as the father of a soon-to-be-17-year-old football player, why in the hell are high school kids doing Oklahoma drills in May, or ever?

The NFL stubbornly believes its rules will trickle down to the lower levels of the sport.  If so, the removal of contact from offseason workouts is trickling from Park Avenue to the Bayou at the rate of partially-frozen molasses.

Jaleel’s coach calls the incident an “unlucky event,” which Jaleel’s family surely  would consider to be the biggest understatement of human history.  The health of our children shouldn’t be left to chance, not when the risk is avoidable.  While we realize that many frustrated, over-the-hill athletes regard high-school sports as having the same significance as the pro game, youth sports are played with children, not adults.

While the excessive zeal of some can undermine the good intentions of the many, it seems like every community has more than a few coaches whose obsession with winning clouds their judgment.  Or, in many cases, supplants it.

Try to remember that your players are our children.  They’re not your tickets to the glory days that have long since passed you by.  They’re our children.

Jaleel Gipson should be alive, and now his family has to deal for the rest of their lives with the fact that he isn’t.  While it’s very good and kind that Andrew Whitworth will pay for Jaleel’s funeral, this situation needs to spark a broader discussion in every school district about putting the same limits on offseason practices that the NFL has instituted.

That won’t bring Jaleel back, but it could protect other kids from suffering a similar fate.

AP

We haven’t had a post all week on the recovery of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III from his knee surgery, so we’ll squeeze this one in under the wire.

Anyone who has been following the story can probably guess ahead of time that the news is positive. There’s been a steady stream of reports about how well Griffin is progressing in his rehab and that he’s either ahead of or right on schedule to be at quarterback for the team when the 2013 season gets underway. Friday’s entry is from Robert Griffin II and it falls right in line with everything we’ve heard before.

“Robert is doing extremely well as far as the timetable,” Robert Griffin II said, via Jim Corbett of USA Today. “He’s been doing a lot over time, he never stops. He was throwing some prior to the draft. Everything seems to be on cue. Everybody in the organization is targeting that season opener.”

Griffin II also said his son is “wiser” this time around, which is a reminder that the owner of the knee in question recently said that “it’s about taking it slow” when talking about his approach to rehab. It’s good advice for everyone when it comes to RGIII’s status over the next few months since every new thing he does adds the possibility of a setback.

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During the 2012 regular season, punter Chris Kluwe showed support for former Raiders punter Ray Guy.  Now, the Raiders are giving Kluwe a chance to join Guy’s line of successors.

The Raiders announced on Friday that Kluwe has joined the team.  According to Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com, the Raiders waived punter Bobby Cowan to create a roster spot for Kluwe.

An eight-year veteran, Kluwe was cut last week by the Vikings after the team drafted punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round of the 2013 draft.

The move brings Kluwe back to his home state of California, with a team that can’t say it didn’t know that Kluwe has plenty of non-football interests, including strong support for gay rights.  He’ll now be employed in the state that spawned the current Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of bans on same-sex marriage.

Kluwe and Marquette King likely will compete for the chance to replace Shane Lechler, a 2000 draft pick who signed earlier this year with the Texans.  The terms of Kluwe’s contract, which currently aren’t disclosed, will go a long way toward indicating whether Kluwe has, yes, a leg up.

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There were reports Thursday that safety Kemal Ishmael had signed his rookie deal with the Falcons and the team confirmed them by announcing Ishmael’s signing on Friday.

They added three more signings to the pot for good measure. The Falcons announced that fourth-round defensive end Malliciah Goodman, fifth-round defensive end Stansly Maponga and seventh-round safety Zeke Motta have all agreed to contracts as well.

Goodman had 12 sacks during his career at Clemson and projects to be a versatile enough player to line up inside on passing downs to help pressure opposing quarterbacks. He’ll compete with Kroy Biermann across from Osi Umenyiora.

Maponga is the latest in a line of late-round attempts to find pass rushing help by the Falcons. He had nine sacks in 2011 at TCU, but a foot injury helped him slump to just four in 2012. Even with Umenyiora around as John Abraham’s replacement up front, the team could use a little more bite in the pass rush so Maponga could work his way into the mix on passing downs with a strong camp.

Like many seventh-rounders, special teams is likely to be Motta’s ticket to the final roster. The same’s true of Ishmael, which may mean the two of them are fighting for one spot.