GBP got their top priority done on 2/22, signing their two most important free agents, safety Darren Sharper and kicker Ryan Longwell. Both players signed contracts making them the highest paid ever for their respective positions. Sharper's contract goes for 5 yrs/$30M and Longwell goes for 5 yrs/$7.5M. Both deals are cap friendly as far as 2001 and 2002 are concerned, though Sharper's contract will probably have to be restructured down the road.
Longwell is the NFL's most accurate kicker ever (100+ attempts and considered important, especially considering the close games GBP was involved in last year. Longwell kicked three game-winning FG's in 2000. By comparison, blown field goals cost the Washington Redskins three games last year. The Sharpler signing is a bit of a gamble, for he struggled his first two years as a starter. Darren came on strong in 2000, earning a Pro Bowl birth while intercepting nine passes, to go along with 92 tackles, four stuffs, one sack, and eight hurries.
Upcoming business for Green Bay includes...
- Restructuring Favre's contract
-Deciding whether to trade backup QB Matt Hasselbeck
-Deciding on the fate of RB Dorsey Levens
-Resigning O-linemen Ross Verba
In additional developments...
-Green Bay releases LB Brian Williams after failing a physical. Williams went against team wishes last year, undergoing additional surgery on the knee he blew out in 1999. GBP also found a capable replacement in Nate Wayne.
-Backup safety Gary Berry, a fourth round pick in 2000 from Ohio State, has been forced to retire. Berry suffered a spinal injury in a special teams collision in Week 5. Doctors told him a return to football was not advisable.
XFL WEEK 3 -Why is NY Hitmen coach Rusty Tillman still employed??? The quick-tempered Tillman, who seems to be in more hot water than Mark Chmura at a prom party, takes his 0-3 team into Chicago Saturday Night to take on the 0-3 Enforcers. The two teams had a huge brawl in a pre-season scrimmage. The weather forecast calls for very windy conditions, along with a wintry mix and temperatures in the 30's. So the league can look forward to a crowd of about 10 to 15 thousand to go along with a 2.5 TV rating. At least we can look forward to the prospect of Rustbucket railing a sideline interviewer. Look for Chicago to break into the pay window as John Avery runs wild.
Also how about those Orlando Rage uniforms. Kind of like that Jeff Gordon color scheme (blue, red, and gold). The Hitman's blue and black are not bad either (my two favorite colors). Also, Orlando coach Galen Hall (from 1980's Florida Gators fame) won't allow his players to put nicknames on jerseys. What does he think he's coaching, an NFL team???
Found the Memphis Maniax name controversy to be entertaining. In case you didn't catch it, the National Association of Mental Health find the name offensive to the 54 million Americans living with mental illness. They also don't like the logo featuring the guy with the frizzled hair and swirling eyes. Give us a break, it's just "Dan from Mequon" of Milwaukee sportstalk fame. Another group does not like the "ax" part of the name that appears in red, citing it's a reference to ax murderers. Myself, I thought it would be a civil rights group that would be offended. Here's a sign spotted at a game a couple weeks back "If you don't know, AX someone!!!"
Thanks, SNL producer Lorne Michaels, his bitching after the overtime game two weeks ago has forced the league to have the game moving as if the team buses were illegally double-parked outside. Players introducing themselves have been dropped, along with pre-game monologues from WWF celebrities. The whole production seems to be muzzled. Start the games a half-hour early if thats the problem. And do a little something at halftime such as a mini-concert (like the NFL did at the conference championships, as well as the Super Bowl) or break out the wrestling ring and have the Rock and HHH go at it. If the game play is going to suffer, sell some sizzle. Also, how about an XFL video game??? Have it with a feature to put whatever you want on the back of the jerseys. See, I ought to do the marketing for them.
And one more time, throw Bosworth out of the booth already "THAT'S A FREE BALL!!! THAT'S A FREE BALL!!!" As Rusty Tillman would say, "Wow, you actually figured that one out..."
