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While all eyes in Minnesota have been on Judge Doty, clouds of change hang over the Vikings.

And we’re not just referring to the refurbishment of the Metrodome.

A new CBA is likely to see Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards test themselves on the free agent market while Pat Williams came out this week and said he won’t be returning to Minnesota.

To be clear, that’s got nothing to do with the 38-year-old defensive tackle considering retirement; Williams still wants to play for two years.  No, this is all about a breakdown in the relationship between Williams and the Vikings organization, and the Vikings’ own desire to get younger. Read the rest of this entry »

It wasn’t so long ago I found myself extolling the virtues of Shaun Rogers.

Recently released by the Cleveland Browns, I suggested a couple of teams I felt would be perfect fits for Rogers, and why he would upgrade pretty much any defensive interior.

Well he didn’t go to Indianapolis, and he won’t be wearing the Bengals colors. Instead he’s signed on with New Orleans for 2011.

And that’s bad news for the rest of the NFC South. Read the rest of this entry »

The Jets made a bit of a splash this week, trimming some fat from their roster. Vernon Gholston, Jason Taylor and Kris Jenkins represent three predictable, if significant, casualties from their defense. Gholston ranks amongst the league’s most spectacular draft busts of recent years, Jenkins is coming off back to back knee injuries, and Jason Taylor limped to the finish a bit after an incredible career.

But on the other side of the ball they also said goodbye to right tackle Damien Woody, who has been one of the best linemen in the league the past three years.

Woody recently had surgery to repair the Achilles tear that ended his season, and is still going to be far from 100% for quite some time, so the Jets were able to save themselves $3.35 million by letting him go. Was it the right move? Read the rest of this entry »

Another day, another cap casualty (as strange as that may be, given the fact we currently have no cap in place.)

There’s a certain degree of irony to the Redskins saying goodbye to Clinton Portis given that it’s the same week Champ Bailey, the man he was traded for, got a big extension from the Broncos. Irony or not, the end result is the same. An all-around back with a habit of entertaining is now free to visit with any team.

But coming off a second consecutive season-ending injury, and at 29 years of age, just how much does Clinton Portis have to offer? More than you might think. Read the rest of this entry »

All teams will be scouring the list of players cut in the reduction to 53 man rosters looking for something that may just have got past their competitors in the process of training camps and preseason and led to a worthy player being left jobless.

This isn’t to say teams have made a mistake; these guys may simply be on a downturn. But sometimes good players get bumped because of an excess of quality at a certain position, a salary demand too far or someone’s face simply not fitting. It’s at this time one man’s chaff becomes another man’s wheat.
Read the rest of this entry »

Amidst all the focus on Darrelle Revis, there’s another big holdout going on in the AFC East.

Step forward, Logan Mankins.

Mankins won’t get the press of Revis. He hasn’t shut down any receivers. There are no islands named in his honor, and he doesn’t have any readily available stats to garner him the praise an elite player deserves.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t deserving of praise — or a raise, for that matter. Going deep in the PFF vault for a hard  look at one of the league’s best and what he means to his team. Read the rest of this entry »