Mankins To Return To Pats Nov 16th

"Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins will report by Nov. 16, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Mankins, a restricted free agent who has been sitting out since the start of spring practices because he's upset about his contract situation, will report on recommendation from the National Football League Players Association, according to several sources. Mortensen says Mankins will report to the Patriots to earn an accrued season and secure unrestricted free agency in 2011 (WEEI)."

I haven't really noticed a lot of offensive line problems for the Patriots this year, but obviously getting a Pro Bowler back never hurts. This is a smart move by Mankins, so that he can become a free agent in 2011.

It is also being reported that Vincent Jackson is going to do the same thing, so if he is a free agent in your fantasy league you may want to jump on him now. The Players Association was the one who urged both of them to report back to their teams by this date.

Logan Mankins Holdout Update

ESPN's Adam Schefter joined Dennis & Callahan Friday morning to talk about all the contract issues surrounding the Patriots, and he is not optimistic about the chances of Logan Mankins playing for the Pats this season. "I don't like the way this is going," Schefter said. "I don't like the way it has gone. You never know. Something could happen to change the tenor of the talks and the direction of the negotiation, but right now it's ugly. Right now, I'd say no. I don't think he's playing there. My guess today is, I don't like the way this is going. Tomorrow, something could change (WEEI)."

I agree 100% with what he is saying and it seems like the Patriots are prepared not to have him all season. Obviously, this is a big blow and it will be tough to protect Brady against good pass rushes like the Jets,Vikings, Ravens, ect. What they can do is run the ball more, use play action and 3 step drops. This lowers the importance of the offensive line when compared to how they've been playing the last 3 year, which is a spread offense.

Jets/Revis No Closer To Deal

The situation between the Jets and Darrelle Revis is only get worse. Revis' camp sent an offer to the Jets, and the Jets rejected it saying that he hasn't budged at all on his demands. Things are so bad that the Jets owner came out and said this...

"The answer is no (if there had been progress)," the Jets' owner said tersely, adding, "My impression is no progress ... no movement whatsoever."

Expanding on that sentiment, Johnson told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap Monday that he doesn't expect Revis to play for the Jets this season.

"My gut feeling is, I would say no," Johnson said (ESPN).

As much as I would love this as a Patriots fan I'm not buying into it in the least. The Jets are playing hardball now, but when the season gets closer they will cave. Revis is the best CB in the league, and this team is no longer a Super Bowl contender without him.

A guy like Revis I don't think needs camp, though I would be somewhat concerned with a stupid hamstring injury so something, but compared to other players Revis knows his job and it won't change.

Albert Haynesworth Is A Big Pile Of Shit

Albert Haynesworth is staying away from the Redskins training camp, because he is not happy with the new defensive scheme, and is demanding a trade. Listen you piece of shit, you are one of the highest paid players in the game. You get paid to be fat and take up space, and yet you have the balls to question a team that gave you one of the most over-the-top contracts I have ever seen in the NFL.

Now his teammates are calling him out. Well good, he is a piece of shit, they should just get rid of him for whatever they can get, and fine him until they find a place to deal him. At least we know even with all his money he probably won't live past 50.

Here is the quick list of teams ESPN has that should be interested in Haynesworth...

Tennessee Titans
Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Oakland Raiders

Please don't go to the Vikings.

Packers Negotiations With Raji Fall Apart

"So much for all of those supposed developments earlier this week in the B.J. Raji negotiations. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the Pack's top pick jetted off "for points unknown" -- is he going to visit the Ultimate Warrior? -- perhaps in an effort to gain a little leverage in contract talks. The major stumbling blocks to a deal remain the unsigned gentlemen who were drafted near Raji, Eugene Monroe and Michael Crabtree, so Packers fans should take a good look at the photo accompanying the Journal-Sentinel article. It could be a while before you see Raji wearing the green and gold again (ESPN)."

This is very interesting, because the Packers really need this guy on the field ASAP. They were terrible on defense last year, and a lot of that had to do with their defensive line (and injuries). Raji was the best defensive lineman coming out of the draft, but with him missing so much time I worry about his conditioning, and I always preach that it is so important for players to be there from the start of training camp. I really like the Packers this year, but if he holds out for too long it could really affect his play, and the play of this defense...

Crabtree To Re-Enter Draft?

"San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree is prepared to sit out this season and re-enter the NFL draft in 2010, David Wells, Crabtree's cousin and adviser, said Thursday. "We are prepared to do it," Wells said. "Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey [the seventh overall pick by the Oakland Raiders] getting $38 million? This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial." Wells said he believes the Niners have made an offer but that it is not acceptable. Wells said Crabtree is ready to start practicing and was held out of OTAs this spring by coaches only for precautionary reasons (ESPN)."

At #10 Crabtree looked to be the steal of the draft, but after seeing the money that Heyward-Bey got Crabtree is looking to get a similar contract. This is really bad for both sides. The 49ers are rebuilding, and Crabtree looked to be at the center of those plans, so they really need to end this. This is also terrible for Crabtree because we have seen it again and again that young players who holdout struggle to grasp the offense, and tend to get hurt. There is no way he will sit out the season, and if sits out a year his value will only go down...

Peppers Ends Holdout

"Julius Peppers' long stalemate with the Carolina Panthers is over. The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end signed his one-year, $16.7 million tender under the franchise tag Wednesday, ending the chances that Peppers could hold out at the start of training camp (Sportsline)."

Peppers demanded to be traded, and the Panthers entertained offers, but were not able to move him. Instead of letting this bleed into the start of camp the Panthers have given up a lot of money so that Peppers will be "happy" for the upcoming season. I still think they will be looking to move him, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to keep Peppers, especially if he is in a "contract year".

Wilfork Shows Up At Camp

"Nose tackles usually toil in anonymity, but Vince Wilfork was front and center yesterday after he ended his string of offseason absences by showing up for the first day of the Patriots' three-day mandatory minicamp as expected (Boston.com)."

Not going to write about this since it feel like I write about it everyday, but Wilfork did show up at camp today (as expected). Here are the comments he made...

"I love football," said Wilfork. "It's something mandatory. I signed a six-year deal. I'm going to meet all my obligations and that's being here for mandatory stuff. That's why I was here. It wasn't a big deal if I was going to show up or not. All this while, I knew where I kind of wanted to be. At the same time, I still had some uncertainty of what was going on, and do I really want to come out here? But at the end of the day, I felt it was best for me to come out here, and it's best for the organization to know that I am out here. At the end of the day, I'm still a Patriot and I want to be a Patriot (Boston.com)."

Basically this is exactly what you want to hear from him if you're a Patriots fan. I have no idea if they will be able to resign him, but for now it really doesn't matter. What does matter is the 2009 season and getting back on top. To do that they need all there players ready to go, and Wilfork sounds like he will be ready.

Wilfork Holdout Update

Finally it sounds like we have some good news on the Wilfork story...

"The Patriots held their final organized team activity yesterday, and once again nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who is seeking a new contract, was absent. That made Wilfork 0 for the OTAs. However, expect Wilfork's offseason attendance to improve today, when the Patriots kick off their three-day mandatory minicamp. Nobody in Wilfork's camp would confirm he'll be in attendance today, but the strong vibe last night was that he will be on the field. It was part of the plan for Wilfork to attend mandatory events, and he has 500,000 good reasons why it's in his best interest to end his boycott (Boston.com)."

I agree with this article, and think that Wilfork will be there. He sent his message to the Patriots that he is not happy about his contract and will be looking elsewhere if they don't come up with something, but now that the message has been sent it is time to get down to business. Wilfork needs to have a strong season if he wants to get top dollar, so I really don't expect many headaches from him for the rest of the season...

Mankins Going A Different Route Then Wilfork

Logan Makins is going a much different road when dealing while dealing with his contract expiring after this season...

"Unlike a list of other players in contract flux that have not shown up to their team's organized activities this offseason, New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins will not be missing any of the team's voluntary sessions, according to the Boston Herald (ESPN)."

Both Mankins and Wilfork are free agents after this season, and both will be making a shit load of money on their next contract. I like the way that Mankins is dealing with this. He knows after this year is his time to cash in, so instead of trying to twist the patriots arm to do something he has instead chosen to do everything in his power to have a great 2009 season. Wilfork on the other hand has decided to skip the Patriots' voluntary practices, and may even skip some of the mandatory practice. I know Wilfork wants to stay in New England, but I think Mankins has the right approach here by just getting ready for the 2009 season then dealing with contracts after the season...

Vince Wilfork Update

Vince Wilfork for the first time was made available to the media. He made something interesting comments that put my mind a little to ease about the upcoming season...

"I love football ... to miss the OTAs, that really hurt me, because any time my family is on the field, I want to be there. At the same time, that's the business part to it. I'm looking forward to the upcoming season. Hopefully everything is resolved and if not, I'm gonna go forward, be 100 percent, and give everything that I have. Because that's what I do. Just because of the contract or the negotiation, if that's not done before the season, it won't stop me from working hard (Boston.com)."

At least we know he is not looking to hold out into the season. Would I like him at camp/ Obviously, but the Patriots have a chance to make another Super Bowl run and to do so they are going to need Wilfork. I am not sure if they will be able to resign him, but I am concerned about this year, so this quote will make me sleep a little bit easier...

Vince Wilfork Update

Vince Wilfork confirmed what a lot of us already knew. He is pissed about his contract and skipped OTA's to prove a point. What is getting scary is that there is a good chance this could boil over into the season. Wilfork has his feet in the ground and will not budge. He wants a new deal, and the Patriots are known for not giving in. So...where does that leaves us?

Well if you think the way Tony Massarotti does, then you better get ready for life without Wilfork. I really hope that it doesn't come to that, but I have to agree with Massarotti, and say that most likely Wilfork will not be with the Patriots after this season. My question is how far Wilfork is ready to take this. The best guess I can come up with is that he will holdout for some of training camp, but in the end he is going to want to get on the field so that he can get top dollar after this season.

We have see this many times before, and every time the Patriots choose the team over the player. It happened with Adam Vinatieri, Deion Branch, Asante Samuel, and so on. Wilfork is going to want too much, and the Patriots are just going to have to find another replacement.

Here is the video of Vince talking about his contract...

Washington Ends "Holdout"

"At the beginning of the offseason, the New York Jets had neither of their top two running backs at their voluntary workouts. Now, they have both. Running back Leon Washington, who had been absent from the Jets' workouts for three weeks because he is seeking a new contract, reported on Monday morning, his agent confirmed on Twitter (ESPN)."

Well you can't really call it a holdout since these workouts are voluntary, but obviously Washington was sending a message that he is unhappy with his contract, and if the Jets want him to stick around after this year then they better do something about it. Washington is looking for about $6 million a year, similar to deals that Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew and San Diego's Darren Sproles. As of right now he is only going to make $535,000 this year. Washington led the NFL with 2,337 all-purpose yards last year and scored 9 touchdowns. Even with all this nonsense the Jets have to be happy that Jones (who was also holding out) and Washington are back in camp.

Steven Jackson Still Holding Out

Steven Jackson is till not at Rams camp, and now will miss their first preseason game. The Rams really need this guy if they want to their team turnaround after a very disappointing 2007 season. Jackson is by far St. Louis' best players, and usually when a guy holds out like this it doesn't turn out good for anyone. I expect him to be back by the start of the season, but watch for pulled hamstrings, or groin injuries, which are common in running backs who don't go to training camp.

-BMack