Kaspers Korner

According to Associated Press, Buffalo Bills head coach is quoted on the Jason Peters contract situation as, “we’re trying to get something done.”  He was also quoted about if Peters will show up for mandatory minicamp in June as saying, “We’re anxious that he’s present and involved. It doesn’t serve anybody’s purpose when he misses all that time.”  That means Peters now has all the leverage, and something most likely will be done by June.
According to Tampa Bay Online, Tampa Bay Buccaneers officials are not aware of any NFL plans for their game in Toronto.  So, with the Buffalo New reporting the Indianapolis Colts being out of the picture it looks like the New Orleans Saints will be the team in Toronto.
Former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler will be auctioned off, because of back taxes he and his company owes, according to Pro Football Talk.com.  The news is even more evidence that the NFLPA NEEDS TO DO GET OFF ITS REAR AND DO SOMETHING!!!

According to the Denver Post, Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels showed off a throwback Jay Cutler jersey to try and show that he only wants him as the quarterback.  However, it most likely ticked off Cutler.

According to Tim Graham of ESPN.com, Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano thinks highly of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens on the football field, but not much off the field, because he had no comment on when asked if the Dolphins were inclined to go after him.

According to Matt Mosely of ESPN.com, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will not consider trading quarterback Tony Romo.

According to College Football Talk.com, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden considered taking a job at Central State, but eventually passed on it.

According to NFL.com, San Diego Chargers offensive tackle Jeromey Clary was the top recipient of the performance base pay program, which was $405,859.

According to Pro Football Talk.com, the money that Direct TV pays if there is lockout in 2011 will be taken off in future years.

According to Toni Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini will hold an open competition at quarterback when training camp opens this summer.

According to John Clayton of ESPN.com, NFL owners passed four safety proposals, which makes the game look more like two hand touch each time.

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Miami Dolphins are preparing quarterback Chad Henne to take over in 2010.

According to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, tight end Tony Gonzalez, running back Larry Johnson, and guard Brian Watters will remain with the team.

Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers is now participating in their offseason training programm, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

According to the Cincinnati Enquire, NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell wants costs for building and operating stadiums factored into figuring the salary cap as well as a salary cap for rookies.

According to the San Diego Times Union, San Diego Chargers running back Ladanian Tomlinson will be helped out more, because running back Darren Sproles role will be expanded a little.

According to the Detroit Free Press, which was first reported by Pro Football Talk.com, the Detroit Lions logo was leaked on NFL.com in the NFL.com Shop when a toy truck with the new logo appeared on it.

According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, Bills unrestricted free agent Duke Preston visited the Green Bay Packers last week.

News has spread like wild fire that Rogers Communication would like a second regular season game in Toronto.  The Buffalo Bills in Toronto either which way will flop.

Rogers Communication’s email that they were willing to consider a second game was stunning news as there were many people that thought Rogers Communication would as Stephen Brunt of The Globe and Mail.com, “were ready to wave the white flag,” on the idea of the Bills in Toronto, Canada.

Even if the Bills move to Toronto permanently they are going to flop.  The reason is simple that National Football League fans in Toronto are not just Bills fans.

Steve Simmons put it best about the situation in Toronto.  He went on to state that there is a Oakland Raider fan living in his house with a Miami Dolphins fan next door, and a Pittsburgh Steelers fan down the street.

The fact of the matter is that people in Toronto would not become Bills fans overnight.  The fact is that it takes time for a culture to change, so even if the Bills were to come to Toronto permanently people will still not come.

Also, there is another huge problem for Rogers Communication, and that is currency.  Players that come to Toronto are not going to accept being paid in Canadian dollars, which means that they would have to pay their players an extra 20 percent.

The Canadian Dollar is worth .80 cents in American money.  That means Rogers communication would have to spend at least an additional $25.4 million.  The amount would be more likely $30 million, because of the way the NFL does business.

The fact of the matter is that Rogers would lose a lot of money in the first decade of owning the Bills.  That is mostly due in large part to Rogers Communications themselves running the Toronto Blue Jays so cheaply, which many fans would think is going to be the same way the Bills would be run.

The main question is Rogers Communication willing to accept that much amount of a loss?  No sound business person would, which is why after this year if the Rogers communication loses money even after cutting ticket prices they will be singing a different tune.

Defensive tackle Saun Cody signed with the Houston Texans, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will get new uniforms according to their own site.

The Cleveland Browns announced they signed wide receiver David Patten signed with the Cleveland Browns.

The Greem Bay Packers made the Mike Montgomery official today.

Iowa had its Pro Day today

The League announced which teams received compensatory picks.

The Oakland Raiders will play on Thanksgiving day.

The Buffalo Bills are 0-1 for the 2009 season as they will play the New England Patriots on Monday Nite Football to open the 2009 season.  Also, wide receiver Terrell Owens was a no show for the opening of the teams conditioning program.
The Arizona Cardinals announced they signed cornerback Ralph Brown.

The Colts cut running back Clifton Dawson.

It has been many years since former Pittsburgh Steelers great John Stallworth help lead the Steelers to glory.  It was revealed Monday that Stallworth once again has come through to help out the Steelers

National Football League owners today approved Stallworth as a partner in the Steelers ownership that ultimately led to current owner Dan Rooney to keep control of the team.

For a couple of months ago it was looking like Dan Rooney would not be the controlling owner of the Steelers.  However, somehow Rooney put together a deal good enough to buy out his four other brothers.

Stallworth was able to buy a piece of the Steelers due to successful business endevours that he has taken on, since retiring.

It is simply a great story, because a lot of players squander their money, or become disabled.  That means they lose their fortune having to pay for their own medical bills, since they lose their health care from the league after three years of retirment.

Hopefully, Stallworth’s story will inspire some players to invest their money and not spend it on twelve fully loaded vehicles.

Cornerback Ralph Brown resigned with the Cardinals, according to Jocklife.com.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary is clamping down on media access to assistant coaches, according to Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, which makes me wonder who is more secretive the Central Intelligence Agency, or the National Football League.

Only one team showed up for Ball State quarterback Nate Davis’s Pro Day, which was the Colts who are nearby, according to the Muncie Star Press.

Also, Notre Dame, San Jose State, Vanderbilt, University of Missouri, University of Cincinnati, and Indiana had Pro Days today.
According to Pro Football Talk.com, New York Giants officials have not heard from wide receiver Plaxico Burress, since the end of the 2008 season.

According to the Associated Press, the Detroit Lions will retire Corey Smith’s number 93 for one year.  Hopefully the Lions make it permanant.

According to Matthew Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the 49ers have made a offer to offensive lineman Marvel Smith.

According to the Denver Post, free agent quarterback will sign either with the New England Patriots or the Tennessee Titans.

The Pittsburgh Steelers resigned backup cornerback Anthony Madison, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette.

Houston Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, along with a couple other NFL players, are going to Nigeria to help out there by giving scholarships to 10 boys and 10 girls going to universities.  Also, doctors are coming along to give free clinics.

The Indianapolis Colts signed linebacker Adam Seward.

The Jaguars and Dolphins trade is official, because of defensive tackle Tony McDaniel passing his physical.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Georgia’s Matthew Stafford scored a 38 on his Wonderlic test, USC’s Mark Sanchez scored 28, and Kansas State’s Josh Freeman 27.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Tompson is saving salary cap room to resign his 17 free agents next offseason, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is apart of a group of two others that throws to their tight ends the most.

The Saint Louis Rams resigned offensive lineman Adam Goldberg.  Also, congratulations to running back Steven Jackson who is now a father.

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson made a deal that sent one Bills home game for the next four years to be held in Toronto, Canada.  With the news that has come out on Sunday from ESPN.com’s Tim Graham it is time for Wilson to go.

Graham has reported that a survey conducted on behalf of the Bills in Toronto organizers has annouced their intentions of trying to procure a second home game per a year in Toronto for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 seasons.  That is if Bills fans in Toronto are willing to buy tickets via the survey.

The whole situation of the Bills in Toronto reminds me of one line that being from the 1988 Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.

In the movie Nicholson character before he became the Joker robbed Bruce Waynes parents, then shot and killed them.  He then turned the gun on Bruce and asked, “have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?”

Wilson is dancing with the devil in Rogers Communication, which now has made it clear that once Ralph is gone they will make a play for owning the Bills outright.

The problem is he is old, and has no vision.  A younger owner could see that the Bills are one of the most powerful businesses in America, which means that he single handedly could get the governments within New York to make changes.

On Friday it was reported on WGRZ channel two that Google and Wacker Chemie, a German chemical manufacturing company, wanted to bring jobs to Western New York, but the New York Power Authority stated that they did not have enough power for them, so the deals fell through.

One has to wonder if the NYPA has enough power to properly power a new football stadium downtown, which everyone in Western New York wants the new stadium built.  That is if one ever gets built.

Just last summer Southwestern Blvd, which runs in front of Ralph Wilson Stadium, got repaved.  The other streets around the stadium also are in dire needs of improvement, which is just not due to the Bills games, but year round traffic thanks to a community college across the street, and a shopping mall less than a mile away.
A new younger owner would have realized that he has enough power and influence to start getting New York State to help out making just the basic neccessary improvements that need to be done.

Actually, there is one example of that in Buffalo.  That being Buffalo Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn was appointed by Governor George Pataki as Vice Chairman of a New York state commission called the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, which oversees the development of the old port area, outer harbor, and immediate surrounding area of HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was leary of sharing revenue from luxury boxes due to his feelings that some of the small market owners have not done enough to bring in additional revenue.

Well he was right, because it is clear that Wilson has not done enough to help out the Bills and the city of Buffalo.

You have to look no farther than the stadium the Bills play in, which is named after Wilson himself, for evidence of that.

So, Ralph before you stab the very fans that have filled your bank account for so many years, by selling another home game to Toronto,  sell the Bills and get out of town your not welcome here.

If that means the Bills leave when the lease expires in 2012, then so be it.  For fear of the unknown, which Bills fans are going through right now, is hell compared to the fear of the known.

NFL Draft prospect defensive end Everrett Brown will workout for the Kansas City Cheifs.

Free agent defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban visited the Oakland Raiders Friday.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is skipping league meetings next week, because he has to run the Patriots draft due to turnover in the front office.

The Minnesota Vikings announced that they extended cornerback Cedric Griffin.

Restricted free agent Anthony Madison signed his tender with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they signed fullback Leonard Weaver.

Wide receiver Maurice Covington impressed people at the University of Virginia Pro Day.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed restricted free agent fullback Naufahu Tahi to an offer sheet.

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette restricted free agent cornerback Anthony Madison signed his tender.

The San Diego Chargers are trying to trade wide receive Kassim Osgood.

NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has been on the job only a short time.  However, that has not stopped him from talking trash.

According to the New York Daily News, Smith is a partner in the powerful Washington lawfirm Patton Boggs, which has ties to President’s Obama Administration.

Smith has threatend that if National Football League owners do not negotiate the next Collective Bargaining Agreement in good faith he will take action.  Meaning, Smith will ask congress to take away the league’s tax-exempt status and it limited antitrust status.

That is probably the most stupidest thing I have ever heard of.  How the hell did this guy even get elected.

Taking away the owners tax-exempt status would be the worst thing to do in this economy, because owners will pass down the losses to the fans by increasing the price of luxury suites and tickets.

With the increases in prices, in a recession, would most likely drive fans and businesses away, because the prices would be to costly for them.  Ultimately, that would have a direct effect on the players themselves.

The salary cap is determined by all the money that owners take in.  If businesses and fans stop buying tickets and luxury suites, then the salary cap will go down.  That means money will be going out of players pockets.

The old way that the salary cap was figured was largely based on television revenue.  Even in a recession with that math formula the salary cap will most likely never go down.
The effect in luxury suites would not be as quick, because most businesses are tied to the suite with a contract for a determined number of years.

Also, Smith needs to take care of his own house.  Many retired players are struggling to make ends meet, because of the measely amount of pensions they get, along with no health care coverage.

Until Smith shows that he has the best interests of active and retired players at heart he needs to shut the heck up!

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II announced that three new investors could be approved by the NFL finance committee by Monday, and one is “a very recognizable name,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Illegal contact in minicamps is running rampant again as Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester is tackled to the ground, which was caught on video at the Bears own website, according to Pro Football Talk.com

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded defensive tackle Tony McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins for a seventh round pick in the upcoming draft, according to ESPN.com.

Multiple reports out of Miami, Flordia have Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth’s Blood Alcohol Content at .12 at the time of his accident.

The New Orleans Saints announced the cut cornerback Mike McKenzie.

The Kansas City Cheifs cut center Jean-Phillippe Darche.

The Arizona Cardinals announced they signed tight end Anthony Becht, center Donovan Raiola, defensive tackle Ronald Leisle and resigned guard Elton Brown.

The Baltimore Ravens announced they cut cornerback Samari Rolle who will visit the New York Jets, according to the New York Daily News.

New Englad Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has denied the Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers trade talks.

According to NFL.com quarterback prospect Matt Stafford completed 47 out of 50 passes at his Pro Day.

Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin worked out for the New York Giants.

According to NFL.com Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds and registered a 37 1/2 inch vertical leap as well as a 6.80 time in the three-cone drill.

According to NFL.com, West Virginia quarterback Pat White worked out for the New England Patriots on Wednesday with the primary portion of performing wide receiver drills.

According to the Miami Herald cornerback DeMarcus Faggins is visiting the Dolphins

Surfing the internet for an upcoming article I noticed something weird.  Espn.com, SI.com, and NFL.com all have linebacker Bart Scott on the New York Jets roster, but none have him in the transaction lists for the team.

When a player signs a contract for a team the player is listed under the transactions for the team as signed with the team.  Then he is also placed under the teams roster.

However, that is not the case for Scott for any of these sites.

So, what does it mean?  I an not exactly sure, but for three major websites to do the samething is weird.