Kaspers Korner

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith had his season cut short last year by a shoulder injury.  Now, entering his fourth National Football League season it is make or break for Smith.

The 49ers have a open quarterback competition, but do not be surprised if Smith wins it.  After all that is who the front office is routing for.

Smith was the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft.  So, the team has a lot invested in him.  His failure would set the team back serveral years.

The question is does Smith have the same abilities as he did before the injury?

With modern medicine creating amazing feats in football today; Smith should come back fine phyically.  The real issue is going to be mentally.

49er head coach Mike Nolan made a real questionable decision playing Smith after he got hurt.  The only thing that did is lose the trust of his players.

No one can blame Smith, or his teammates, for questioning Nolan.  The quarterback position is too important to be rolling out a quarterback with a bum throwing shoulder.

Simply put, if Nolan is going to keep his job he needs to display sound decisions in critical moments.  Lack there of will simply lose his team, and him his job.

Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shannahan took full control of the team earlier this year.  Now, his actions could force a key starter into retirement.

Safety John Lynch has been absent from training camp lately, as the team is citing personal reasons.  The issue is that Lynch is unhappy that he is not getting more practice time.

Lynch wants to be a starter this year.  However, Shannahan has only stated that Lynch has no guarantees to play.

Lynch was going to retire, but Bronco owner Pat Bowlen urged him to come back.  Lynch did, and even took a pay cut.

The real problem here is the difference of opinions between head coach and owner.  The head coach thinks Lynch could be washed up.  On the other hand the owner thinks that the Broncos need Lynch.

This is a move that can definately come to bite Shannahan in the rear. 

Simply, the Broncos have no immediate replacement for Lynch.  When that player is a future hall of famer, then it is even more harder to replace him.

In the end Lynch should of been with the first team offense.  Then if he practices poor he will be replaced for sure.

Sport Illustrated.com’s Peter King Monday Morning Quarterback Tuesday edition finally gave the full story of the saga that happened between the team, and former tight end Jeremy Shockey.  After reading it one can only conclude that the divorce was soley that of the Giants.

The team dropped the ball completely in regards to Shockey. 

 First, the team made Shockey pay out of his own pocket for his flight to the Superbowl.  While, letting other injured players in New York take the team charter in the middle of the week.

Second, the team put Shockey up in a separate hotel across town from the team.

Finally, the team never told Shockey about the parade.

Holy crap, what is up with all the stupidity coming from teams front offices.  First, Packers general manager Ted Thompson nudge Farve into retirement, second Giants gm Jerry Reese treats Shockey like crap, and then Bills COO Russ Brandons decides to be a twelve year old girl, and not call left tackle Jason Peters, because Peters never called him asking for a new contract.

Seriously, how did these people get these jobs anyways? 

Well now the Giants better hope that tight end Kevin Boss lasts a whole season, because they have nothing behind him.

Only time will tell if  treating Shockey like crap will come to bite them in the rear.

The Washington Redskins were the first team that opened training camp on July 20th.  Already that is showing to be a huge mistake.

The Redskins already lost two defensive players for the season, thus forcing them to trade for defensive end Jason Taylor.  Now, another defensive player suffered a major injury as starting defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery broke a bone in his right hand.

There was not time table set on Montgomery’s return.  Before he returns the swelling must first come down.  It is expected that he will be out at least ten days.

Head coach Jim Zorn is simply pushing them for so long, and hard, that there are going to be more major injuries still to come. 

Zorn needs to start cancelling some practices if he is going to have a season.  If he does not, and players keep going down, then Zorn could even fired after one year.

The Minnesota Vikings have been implicated in tampering charges brought up by the Green Bay Packers.  Now, the Packers are going to have to answer some question from  National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell.

Vikings saftey Darren Sharper was a teammate of Brett Farve for eight seasons with the Packers.  When responding to the question if he has had any questions with Farve, according to the Star Tribune, he said this, “Not that I can say on the record. I don’t have his cell phone. It’s Packer issued. They’re not going to let me have that number.”

The problem is that the Packers have not included the worth of the phone in the rest of Farve’s contract.  Not disclosing that Farve had the phone to the league is a violation of the salary cap.

This is going to be a huge blow for the Packers.  It means that they will have to forefit a draft pick for violating the salary cap.

The Packers should have shut up, never filed the tampering charges, and just cut, or trade Farve.

So, in the end the Packers will be team that is hurt the most by the whole Brett Farve saga. 

Sometimes general managers just out smart themselves.   

The Saint Louis Rams and the Buffalo Bills are both in a situation that has a lot of things in common.  With that being said it looks like both players could miss the start of the regular season.

Rams running back Steven Jackson, and Bills tackle Jason Peters, mean a lot to their football team.  Also, both are holdouts, with the same agent Eugene Parker.

The Rams on one hand have a good shot at getting Jackson extension done in time for the season opener.  The reason being that have been in contract talks with Jackson’s agent

However, for the Bills that does not look like it is going to happen.  The reason being that the team has had very little discussions with Parker about Peters, and the team has not even talked to Peters.

Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement players are encouraged to work out new deals when in camp.  For Peters that is not going to happen, and who can blame him.

The insulting part about Bills COO Russ Brandon admission is that he has not once even to bothered to call Jason Peters.   Seriously, how do you not call your franchise left tackle.  

Now, many people will say that Brandon never said that he did or did not place any calls to Peters.  However, if Brandon did place phone calls, then he definately would have used it in his response in an interview on WGR 550 in Buffalo, NY.

In the end both general managers will cave, because if they do not get their guy in, and do not make the playoffs, it will be all their fault.  That could easily get each other fired.

The Arizona Cardinals earlier this year redid the contract of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, because horrible negotiating resulted in him having a $18 and $20 million cap figures for this year, and next.  Thanks to that, and promises, Boldin cutting off contract talks with the Cardinals.

“After last year, I was promised a deal would get done before this season. But the season is here and obviously that hasn’t happened. I don’t want a deal. People may think I’m being funny, or just saying that to say that. But I’m just tired of it. I’m washing my hands of the whole situation,”  Boldin said.

Seriously, who in their right mind would promise a new contract by start of training camp, with Fitzgerald’s contract still looming.

Fitzgeralds contract was so big that they had to wait in resigning its own players.  Even now, the contract is the real reason as to why the two sides cannot get a deal done.

Many Cardinal Fans are upset with the fact that Boldin is wanting a new deal after only one year into the contract extension.  However, the fact of the matter is that the deal the Chicago Bears did with linebacker Brian Urlacher has set forth that if a contract is disprotionate to the markey place the player now has the right to demand a new contract. 

In the end the Cardinals and Boldin have to wait till next year.

The Oakland Raiders drafted running back Darren McFadden, thus making running back Lamont Jordan expendable.  Now, they once again show that they simply do not know how to run a front office.

According to Pro Football Talk.com, the Raiders have told Jordan not to report to training camp.  The thing is though they cannot do that, because Jordan is under contract, and still with the team.

When I read about this I could not help, but just laugh.  The reason being that recently retired quarterback Steve McNair won a grievance, when the Tennessee Titans barred him from using team facilities.

Seriouly, what are the Raiders going to do to the league?  Are they going to call in the fans that beat up a Miami Dolphin fan, and urinated on him, to intimidate the league. 

How hard is it to  make 31 phone calls to see if anyone wants to trade for him.   Then if there is not any interest, then cut him.  How hard is that?

However, this is the Raiders we are talking about, and as of late it looks like everything they do has to be done in grand fashion.

Keep it up Al Davis.  The way you are going it looks like the next winning season for the Raiders will be when you are dead, unfortunately.

Philadelphia Eagle running back Brian Westbrook is looking for a new contract.  The Eagles are in a tough situation with Westbrook turning 29 September 2nd.

The key age for running backs is 30.  The reason being that running backs after that age cab raidly lose their skills, due to years of wear, tear, and being tackled.

Westbrook pretty much looked like he carried the team on his back last year.  That is defeinately what he is thinking, as he is demanding nearly $10 million a year.

The plain simple fact is that he is almost 30.  The Eagles would be nuts to pay him that kind of money.

With that being said, it looks like Westbrook will not be in camp for the whole preseason.

Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has been seeking a new deal, citing that he has out performed his old one that had four years left on it.  The two sides have reached an agreement that has essentially killed long term deals.

The two sides agreement added one more year, and $25 million in new money to the deal.  With six million of it is for his signing bonus.  Thus bringing the average yearly salary to nine million dollars.

What the Bears did made no sense.  Urlacer did not out perform his contract if anything he maintained his performance level. 

The only areas that Urlacher had career highs in was passes defended (12), interceptions (5), and touchdowns (1).

Urlacher knew what he was getting into when he signed a nine year deal.  What he signed up for was a huge pay day.  Also, knowing full well that he negotiate a new deal later if the open market sky rockets.

What the Bears did was two fold.  First, they killed any deals that are longer than five years.  Secondly, it opened up the door that at any time if you have one great year it gives you the right to ask for a new deal.  That even includes rookie contracts. 

Smooth move Bears you just gave every veteran holdout even more reason to whine, moan, and complain. 

In the words of former hockey player, and former head coach, Larry Robinson, “What a bunch of ffffffffff fricken sissies.” 

Makes it even more the reason to route for Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.  Stroud did not ask for a new contract when he was traded.  All he asked for was a little bit of what was left in his contract to be accelerated in the form of guaranteed money.