As you may recall, Brandon Lloyd was a former aspiring rapper even while he was a former aspiring wide receiver. On his debut album  "Training Day":

After practices, on his days off, even between workouts, Lloyd has been writing lyrics, polishing his flow and preparing to release his debut rap album, "Training Day," this summer.

"I'm a football player, first and last," Lloyd said. "But I love music, too."

Athletes have a long and embarrassing history of musical dabblings, but Lloyd believes he can do better. This 23-year-old, who's also an aspiring sports broadcaster, is an amateur historian of this sub-genre who can cite every significant crossover athlete and the reason he failed.

BLloyd, as he's known behind a mike, is determined to learn from the musical misadventures of Deion Sanders, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest and others P all while never forgetting he's a football player first.

O R L Y?

Your Washington Redskins may have given up on Brandon Lloyd, but they didn't give up on rappers. First, I give you Malcolm Kelly per Mr. Irrelevant:

Whatever the reason for picking Kelly, we can no longer be too upset about it after seeing this video of him "freestylin’" (although it seems written) after Oklahoma won the Big 12 title back in ‘06

Video follows:

 

I don't have sound at this computer, so listen at your own risk.

Moving to Fred Davis, who also happens to be an aspiring rapper per the Bog, emphasis added on clever remarks by attorney girlfriend Jean:

* His girlfriend? Jean F. Kuei, an employment attorney for Reed Smith LLP and a graduate of Georgetown Law.

* His mom? Yeah, she can talk. "Something's gonna happen in this city," she said of her son's arrival. "Watch out."

* His hobbies? Among other things ("American Idol" video games), Davis has set up a freestyle rapping studio with his home computer.

"He thinks he's a rapper," said his brother. "He freestyle raps everywhere he goes."

The reviews?

"You know, I think he should stick to his day job," Jean said.

"He's getting better," his brother said, kindly.

"After four years," Jean pointed out.

"I'm very critical, you're asking the wrong one," his mom said. "Maybe he can come out with a rap song for the Redskins."

"I rap a little bit," Davis said. "I'm pretty decent. I'm not bad at all. If I wasn't playing football, I might go platinum, you know what I'm saying?"

Although he assures us he is not a baller later on.

Let me just say that I was skeptical about the pick from the beginning, because I didn't know if bolstering one of the few positions where we have a pro bowler and decent depth wasn't the best use of day one draft resources, especially considering other areas of need (such as o-line and d-line and secondary). That said, there is no question that Fred Davis was one of the, if not the, best tight ends available in the draft. And from the print available within 48 hours of his selection it is apparent he's going to be great for the written word as well. I like that.

I also like comments made by TexSkins:

Think about the options: spread the field with Kelly and Moss on one side, with ARE and Thomas on the other. Hell, go five wide with Cooley out there. The perfect combination of speed and size. And then when that turns into a first down, the next play you could have a 3 TE set with Cooley, Davis, and Yoder. Power running. Zorn's got options and options are always good.

I also appreciated the comments by Conquest Chronicles contributor DC Trojan that I hope were not overlooked:

Davis essentially saved SC’s season in 07 when most of the wide receivers decided that they didn’t want to catch the ball. He came pretty close to several TE records for the team because they were leaning on him so much. IIRC, he actually started out at SC as playing at both WR and TE, but they moved him to TE because of his size and decent blocking. He’s not a precision route runner like Steve Smith is, but it was very unusual to see him off the pace… again, unlike some of the WRs.

I don’t know how he’ll fit into the new coach’s scheme for all of you, but he’s a good player and stood out on a team full of them. Good luck to him.

And he'd know infinitely more about Davis than I would at this point, so I appreciate those thoughts.

Which is all to say that I'm coming around on this Fred Davis kid, especially if he doesn't quit his day job.

Well now I'm just getting repetitive, but add Detroit WR Roy Williams to the list of players the Redskins made deals for. As David Elfin reports, emphasis added:

A Redskins source said that Bengals star Chad Johnson isn't the only receiver about whom the team has inquired about acquiring. But as with Cincinnati, which rejected Washington's offer of the 21st pick in this weekend's draft and a conditional third-rounder in 2009, Arizona and Detroit turned down overtures regarding Anquan Boldin and Roy Williams, respectively.

He notes that such inquiries aren't going to do much good, though, since Detroit says Williams is off the market.

Of the three, though, I'd actually be happiest with Roy Williams. He's the youngest, lacks the degree of current contentiousness with his current team in Chad Johnson, and (as far as I can tell, though I don't follow him closely) isn't willing to turn down a top 3 WR contract as was apparently the case with Boldin.

All wishful thinking, because he's staying in Detroit... or is it? As my colleague at Blogging the Boys points out:

At the Lions’ press conference yesterday, they shook off questions about trading Roy but didn’t give the emphatic "no" that they had previously stated. Maybe something is cooking there and I hope the Cowboys are right in the middle of it. I’ve always said this one was the most likely to happen for the Cowboys.

If the Cowboys are in, you can bet we're interested as well.

The offer further lends credence to the idea that the 'Skins are committed to filling the WR need with a proven free agent, rather than a draft pick. For better or worse, that appears the strategy.

First, huge hat tip to dr WNC for getting this up in a diary earlier. His thoughts:

When the majority of Fans look at the Redskins team roster, the roster which all 22 starters are returning, most say the need is for a large WR.  It appears based on another report today the Redskins are exploring options with other NFL teams.

"other" NFL teams because we took a stab at getting Chad Johnson from the Bengals, unsuccessfully. The emerging picture is one where the team is committed to getting a proven wide receiver in free agency and isn't afraid to shop around to do so. The question is whether they can get the guy they want before the upcoming draft? Time is running out, and surely if we need a WR before the draft (but can't get one) we'll need one during, which would have a profound impact on how and who we select this weekend.

The story per ESPN:

The Arizona Cardinals have no interest in dealing wide receiver Anquan Boldin, despite trade inquiries from other teams and a trade request by Boldin's agent...

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the Cardinals have declined a trade offer from the Washington Redskins for the five-year veteran.

Details on the offer are lacking, though the most important news is, once again, who is involved behind the scenes. He is always around:

Boldin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, recently asked the team if it would be willing to trade his client, Cardinals officials said, according to the Republic. The Cardinals said no and don't plan to allow Rosenhaus to seek a trade...

The roots of the trade talk extend to last summer, when Boldin and Rosenhaus met with Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt to discuss a new deal. Rosenhaus, according to the Cardinals, made a proposal, and the Cardinals made a counterproposal in late November or early December, according to the report.

 Graves said that offer would have put Boldin among the five highest-paid receivers within three years, the Republic reported.

Rosenhaus didn't respond to the agreement says Graves, ostensibly to find out what the team was going to pay Larry Fitzgerald first. I respect an agent who is willing to advocate for his client, but at some point aggressive agenting becomes adversarial negotiations, and that can permeate throughout the league, so long as it works. While the Redskins are out seeking other people's players under contract, it's worth considering the impact successful accomplishment of our task would have on future negotiations. Suppose, for instance, that Rosenhaus encourages both Chad Johnson and Anquan Boldin to make themselves so contagious to the teams that have them under contract that they do trade? Rosenhaus represents more than a few Redskins players, and do we really want to send the message that players should be encouraged to get combative with their teams to force trades? Then again, Rosenhaus is the most famous of player agents for a reason; if the future of the NFL is his adversarial style of agenting, why not go along for the ride? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and few teams have as good a working relationship with Drew Rosenhaus as the Redskins.

I have absolutely no idea where this is all headed.

But more on point, the Redskins are interested in Boldin, and I like Boldin. I think he's a quintessential possession receiver of the type we need. That said, if he's unwilling to accept a deal that (allegedly) makes him a top 3 paid receiver in the league, he won't come free to us. And he won't come at all unless the Cardinals show more willingnses to budge on the trading issue.

Moving forward, I wouldn't be surprised if we tender more offers between now and Saturday. WR is probably our biggest need right now, as the other positions that are listed as needs are mostly for depth and future purposes. (For example, we return all defensive and offensive line starters and are only temporarily without our starting cornerback Carlos Rogers.) But we need a damned complement tall wide receiver now. Much as we needed a new starting inside linebacker now when we went out and acquired London Fletcher, perhaps our current WR need demands getting a proven talent as opposed to trying to develop a young drafted player, with all the attendant risks of a bust. That certainly appears like the conclusion the team has made, if reports are true that we're pursuing both Boldin and Johnson.

Comments?

Elsewhere: I think, as per usual, Hog Heaven speaks wisely on this issue and urge you to go read that blog.

I don't think this story is remotely close to having legs yet as there isn't any indication that the team illegally discussed anything with Chad Johnson, but it should get noted anyways. In two posts at PFT Mike Florio accuses the Redskins of tampering in strong language. First:

Here’s our take on all of this — the Bengals should be very concerned about the possibility of tampering.  The Redskins have enjoyed over the years a very strong relationship with Drew Rosenhaus, Johnson’s agent.  And it is believed by some league observers that Chad’s campaign to be traded arose not from his zeal to wear a new uniform but from his desire to stuff more money into his pockets. 

Thus, if the Redskins were willing to make such a strong and specific offer for Johnson, it’s hard not to think that they have an idea as to the contract extension that Johnson (via Rosenhaus) would accept.

And that, of course, would be tampering.

And now:

And we continue to be (more) concerned that tampering might be occurring with Johnson.  Even if the ‘Skins aren’t directly talking to agent Drew Rosenhaus, the fact that the Washington Post knows that the team is ready to pay Johnson $21 million in guaranteed money strongly suggests that the team is putting this information out there in the hopes of continuing to stoke the “I want out” fire that has escalated into an inferno.

In our opinion, what the Redskins apparently are doing is 1000 times worse than the conduct that formed the basis for the Bears tampering allegations against the 49ers.  In our opinion, the Bengals should file tampering charges against the Redskins today, if for no reason other than to get the Redskins to back off.

I'm not that familiar with the league's tampering rules. But recall what got the 49ers in such hot water with the Bears, not too long ago:

Following a detailed investigation and a hearing, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the San Francisco 49ers violated the league’s anti-tampering policy last season by contacting linebacker Lance Briggs’ agent without the Bears’ permission...

The Bears had filed tampering charges against the 49ers to initiate the proceeding. Briggs, whose contract expired following the 2007 season, agreed to a six-year extension with the Bears March 1, the second day of this year’s free agency period.

What that tells me is first and foremost, the Bengals have to allege tampering before the Redskins can ever be accused of it. Second, whether the Redskins did or didn't "tamper" is a factual matter totally irrespective of whether or not Mike Florio thinks "what the Redskins apparently are doing is 1000 times worse than the conduct that formed the basis for the Bears tampering allegations against the 49ers." Tampering is an NFL rule violation, not a violation of Mike Florio's Personal Moral Compass. And it will apparently depend on whether and to what extent the Redskins contacted Chad Johnson (which is, again, a factual matter totally irrespective of the wrongness or blameworthiness of what the Redskins did per Mike Florio).

I hope there was no tampering. I don't see any indication from the Bengals or any other league source that there was tampering, though reader(s) are all encouraged to keep their eyes open.

Who happens to have a bad attitude.

Typically I'd just promote this prescient diary by CptChaosSidekick as it captures my thoughts on the deal. His words bear repeating:

The fact that this even went down really pisses me off. I continue to be amazed at how little the Redskins value the draft. Chad Johnson is an amazing talent but to keep fleecing our picks away is fucking annoying.

What is it that went down exactly? As ESPN tells the story...

How serious are the Cincinnati Bengals about not giving in to Chad Johnson's trade demands?

Serious enough to swat away an offer from the Washington Redskins that could have netted the Bengals two first-round draft picks, team and league sources said.

The Redskins offered its first-round pick, No. 21 overall, and a conditional third-rounder in 2009 that could escalate to a first rounder if Johnson and the Redskins hit certain performance levels, the sources said.

So forgive a slightly misleading title. While it might've been the case that the team offered only a conditional first rounder in 2009, it's still a heavy trade. I would be interested to know the conditions under which we'd have given up two first round picks, and anything short of Redskins Super Bowl in 2008 is going to give me fits.

How frustrated at least two Redskins fans are that the team even made the offer is one way to look at the trade. How pissed an opposing fan was that his team didn't turn it down is just as telling, and I give you Cincy Jungle:

I guarantee you that the discussion and attitude with fans instantly went from Chad is a prick, to the Bengals front office are bigger idiots than we realized. Still, everyone laughs at our silly little team.

The peanut gallery was no less dismissive of their failure to accept the deal. A representative sampling:

I absolutely agree. I will renounce my Bengals fan status, if this stupidity continues.

Isn't there some way that we could wrest control of the team from the gene-pool diluted Brown family?

The good news is that the Bengals are so insistent on keeping Chad Johnson that they seem perfectly willing to save us from ourselves. It also shows to what lengths other suitors for Johnson, including Dallas and Philly, will have to go to get him. What terrifies me is that I'm unconvinced the Redskins have thrown out their highest offer for Chad Johnson. It is at least possible that we could lower the conditions on that 2009 1st rounder, or even bump it to a 2nd rounder, etc.

Am I being fair? I think it is high time the team took a chance on some draft picks. I believe that when we have drafted, although the amount we've done so is admittedly relatively little compared to other franchises, we've done pretty damn well. Our best class in some time, from top to bottom at least, was 2006; Rocky McIntosh, Anthony Montgomery, and Reed Doughty all started last year, and Kedric Golston appears a very reliable backup for now, perhaps starter in the future. We finally have the draft resources (9 picks, more if we trade down out of #21) so why not take a shot and see what the scouting department can produce?

Is Chad Johnson a great receiver? Hell yea he is, but you'd be expending a huge amount of resources on a guy just so he can also learn a whole new offense with a quarterback doing the same. There will be some growing pains in the new scheme, I fear, and while it is important to get a tall, competent receiver to complement the current unit, it doesn't make sense to break the bank on a brand new golden bullet when you aren't sure the gun is going to fire yet. That'd be no big shakes if CJ were a child, but the dude is 30 years old. There is no doubt that he has some mileage in front of him -- 2007 was, by many measures, his best season -- but if we want to get value from Johnson we need to get it in the present and the future, since he's going to be 31 years old by next January. Can he do that in an entirely new offensive scheme? Maybe, maybe not. What isn't debatable is the cost this team will bear to acquire him, which is substantial.

The above discussion ignores entirely, for the moment, questions Johnson has raised about his own ability to be a team player. For the same reasons last year that I was down on trading for Lance Briggs, I question bringing in a guy who is willing to sit out camp to teach his team a lesson. Can any of us be certain that Johnson won't contribute to tearing this team apart when we're sitting at 5-6 (which is an unusually good place to be at for this team)? Does his attitude comport with the professed, perhaps fictionalized assertion by team representatives that we're interested in having "Redskins guys" on the team? I don't want to compare Johnson's mostly harmless flamboyancy and criminal conduct, but how does this move square with the team's recent signing of Jerome Mathis, which left many of us scratching our heads?

Note: Having said the above, I want to stress that my concerns with Johnson are not, absolutely not, unequivocably not, his enthusiasm for celebration. I love that about him, it tells me he is a passionate guy who wants to win. What I hate about him is the apparently emerging breakdown in Johnson's relationship with his quarterback, and his egomania. This latter isn't even the real issue except when it manifests itself in a contentious relationship he has with his franchise, one that he's called home his entire professional career and that has, by all accounts, made him the star he is today (even if they haven't met his lofty expectations). And I always overstate this, but I also can't help but notice that this guy is the one maneuvering the trade, and that fucking worries me.

Now, breath, get yourself together Skin Patrol. There is good news. First, Marvin Lewis denies this ever went down:

Geoff Hobson, of Bengals.com, reports Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis denied an ESPN report that the team turned down the Washington Redskins offer of a first-round pick this year and potentially next year for WR Chad Johnson. Lewis said that team president Mike Brown has not received a phone call with a trade proposal for Johnson.

I imagine a denial by our own team will follow, though if it doesn't that should be quite telling. That said, consider other sources:

In addition, the Redskins are prepared to guarantee Johnson about $21 million as part of a new contract. ESPN today reported the bulk of what we were told last week and were in the process of confirming with sources familiar with the Redskins' ongoing pursuit of Johnson.

As a rule, teams do not have much to say about such things particularly right before the draft and Redskins officials are currently unavailable to comment. However, the team's annual draft luncheon begins at 1 and you can bet this will be addressed. Stay tuned.

Is it smoke and mirrors produced by agent Drew Rosenhaus to generate interest for his client, or is our franchise legitimately pursuing Chad Johnson and willing to part with picks and a huge chunk of change to get the thirty year old player they want? I vote no, but don't take my word for it, as there will be a poll attached. Elsewhere:

Lee Gibbons at Redskin Report:

Johnson may be an elite NFL receiver, but there is no receiver in the NFL worth two 1st round picks.  Even if the performance clauses aren’t met and the pick would have remained a 3rd rounder, its still too much. 

AOL Fanhouse:

Cincy's wall comes from the fact that a deal means they take an $8M cap hit (which could be spread out over the next two years). They've also been telling suitors that Chad wants a new, more lucrative deal done wherever he goes ... hopefully to scare everyone off.

Riggo's Rag:

All this in exchange for grumpy, outspoken Chad Johnson.  The Bengals refused the offer and informed other NFC East teams that Johnson is not on the trading block.  It’s probably for the best. 

The Fun Bunch:

The Bengals could really use a couple high draft picks to assemble a team that doesn't spend most of the offseason in prison. That's why they suck so bad.  How cool would it be to have Chad Johnson on the Redskins?

Mr. Irrelevant, with the best post title:

So clearly, I’m missing something here. First, the Skins offer entirely too much for Chad Johnson — potentially two first round picks — as they’re wont to do. Second, instead of robbing Washington blind, and sending them a player who isn’t going to show up for camp, Cincy turns down the offer. Third, this was reported by Chris Mortenson, so there is about an 83% chance some or all of it isn’t accurate.

Suffice to say I'm against it, but please, somebody, anybody coax me away from the ledge. Poll attached, probably going on the front page.

Poll

Would you offer the trade as reported to the Bengals?

• Yes
• No
• Naw, that's crazy man
• Seriously, no, that's not right
• Of course, though because I think 1st round picks can transmit HIV, right?

  74 votes | Results

I will not stop repeating it. Go read this.

Last year rumors surfaced that a move of Shawn Springs to safety was a serious possibility for a team that had not yet drafted Landry. A year later and we're without Sean Taylor which has prompted the rumors to return. Per Redskins Insider:

Team sources said there is strong sentiment within the organization that the best move for the Skins D would be to move corner Shawn Springs to safety, to mentor and play alongside young stud LaRon Landry.

Although Jason goes on to note that we really can't afford to do so, at least to open the season. Carlos Rogers is injured, substantially thinning our cornerback unit. Without Rogers we're with Springs/Smoot/Torrence through nickel, and Torrence doesn't strike me as a reliable #2 guy if we were to move Springs to safety. Additionally, Reed Doughty is not a utility player and cannot be moved to cornerback. Someone needs to adopt Byron Westbrook because he's going to see this roster, mark my words.

More on the safety situation from Jason:

Safety is as thin as can be, however. Landry and youngster Reed Doughty held it down as the starters after Sean Taylor's death, and the scouts and execs I speak to continue to be impressed with Doughty's development. "There's guys like Doughty starting for teams all over the league," one personnel exec said. "We like that guy. He could come start for us." However, only Smallish Vernon Fox - primarily a special teams guys - sits behind the two kids. That's it, three safeties on the roster.

Hence the movement to switch Springs over there. The Skins could perhaps still re-sign either Pierson Prioleau or Omar Stoutmire at some point, but overall I would be very surprised if they did not make a concerted effort to grab a safety at some point this weekend.

That's high praise for Doughty. Still, we're an injury away from having Vernon Fox start. Even if the solution is to move Springs over to safety, that means we're an injury away anywhere in the secondary from having Leigh Torrence line up at the #2 cornerback spot (semi-related: Leigh Torrence and Fred Smoot enjoy parties. Witness here.) Does John Eubanks creeping into the nickel spot garner much confidence in our pass defense? Meh, nothing against Eubanks, but we're thin at defensive back.

Once Carlos Rogers returns healthy I'll open up to the idea of Springs at safety. Until then, I'd just as soon have our best cornerback playing where he's best and placing at least as much faith in Doughty as we were willing to expend last year.

For the sake of argument, though, assuming Springs did move to safety, would that require a shift in where Landry plays as well? Springs' strong suit is coverage, and thus he'd be more useful patrolling the deep field, swatting balls and getting picks. That's currently where we have Landry, with Doughty at strong safety used more in run support. If you did have a hypothetical safety unit of Landry and Springs, my intuition is that we'd be better off with Springs at FS and Landry back to SS, where he was playing when Sean Taylor was still with us. Question: Are constant positional shifts counter-productive or are the positions similar enough where it matters little? I didn't notice a drop off in Landry's production when he moved to FS; if anything he only got better. But maybe that's because Landry is a physical freak of nature capable of inhuman things. Or, very plausibly, he was simply improving over the course of his rookie season, wherever he played?

Reader(s), where are you on a Springs to safety move?

My fellow HogsHavenites,

This is a crucial time for our nation.  Never before has your support been needed any greater than it is today.  Recently, my fellow blogger Skin Patrol advocated Pete Schmitt and supported him as part of his Adopt-a-Redskin program.  Now, while I feel that this program is a worthy venture, I do not want you to be decieved by his strong support for Schmitt.

I say this because, as recently as a few weeks ago, Skin Patrol had been expressing the merits of one Anthony Mix and as recently as a month ago, he expressed his (and I quote) "irrational faith" in Mr. Mix as becoming a fine player for your -- no, our -- beloved team.

But, when pressed, he flip-flopped his advocation for Mr. Mix in favor of Mr. Schmitt, and then tried to hide his deed by immediately calling for a Blogwar with Mr. Lee Gibbons over at The Redskin Report.  I ask you... what kind of man tries to cover up his wrongs by going to an unnecessary war of his own making?

Now, I want to make my intentions clear: I am, hereby, announcing my support of Anthony Mix in the 2008 Adopt-a-Redskin program started by Skin Patrol and I encourage -- no, I emplore -- all of you to do the same.  Your -- no, our -- faithful head coach Jim Zorn is already giving the issue his attention (Hat tip: PFT) and I ask that you do the same.

Now, while we're on the subject, I also want to point out that the Adopt-a-Redskin program proposed by Skin Patrol is really a thinly veiled attempt to rip off a fine idea from your friend -- no, our friend -- Blitzburgh over at Behind the Steel Curtain.

I want you to be aware of the trickeration of Skin Patrol so that you might foil his plot of having you fall into his carefully laid trap.  I want you to have all the information available to you as you head towards making such a crucial decision.  I ask only that you give this measure your utmost attention and deliberate carefully, while weighing all the options.

I support Anthony "Joseph Reali" Mix not for your -- I mean, our -- now, but for our team's future.  I thank you, and remind you to also keep informed of the issue over at Mocking the Draft as the pick of your -- I mean our -- Redskins will be up early tomorrow.  

I thank you again and, as always, HTTR.

I predict this will be the Lance Briggs story of this year, the player acquisition rumor that never seems to go away and has enough bits of truth mixed in with the generic Redskins-love-to-spend storyline that it's too good not to be true. First:

As Redskins Insider points out: I'll go even further; what could be better leverage for your player than playing two rival teams -- the Redskins and the Cowboys -- against each other in a bid for your services. Drew Rosenhaus is one part evil and one part genius in that he knows damn well that if he makes Chad Johnson lack value enough to the Bengals organization, they'll trade.  The issue is whether and to what degree teams are willing to be bullied around by this tactic, and I'd stress this is a league wide concern that happens to be uniquely important to the Redskins. While we may be on the receiving end of a Chad Johnson deal as a result of his tantrum in Cincy, it could just as easily be us having to deal with a very talented, but very disenchanted Drew Rosenhaus player, years from now, that wants to force our hand in a transaction. He has the following clients on our team: And as Jason points at at RI, Chad Johnson's cap hit decreases substantially in June, which means you better get comfortable talking, thinking, and commenting about Chad Johnson from now until eternity. Because this story is not going anywhere.

More at Cincy Jungle, including this tidbit:

One danger of convincing your own team that you are cancerous and that they're better off without you is that you may end up proving too much. Go too far, and you risk convincing the rest of the league that you aren't worth the trouble. Stay tuned (you have no choice).

The Redskins signed their first free agent (outside of their own free agents) of the offseason in the form of former Pro Bowl KR Jerome Mathis.

Meet your new KR.  (P.S. The official site has it, so it's official.)

Casserly took the home whites with him to Houston. (Image from here.)

I'm not sure what this means for Rock Cartwright, who was brought back earlier in the offseason and has been the main kick return guy for the team.  Mathis was never much of a recieving threat in Houston (the team who drafted him) so I have to view this as signing him to be a KR.  He is wicked fast (like 4.31 fast), and in his 2005 Pro Bowl season, he had 54 kickoff returns for 1542 yards and 2 TDs, plus 12 punt returns for 68 yards.  As a WR that year, he had only 5 receptions for 65 yards (13.0 yard per catch average) and only has 6 receptions in his career.

Part of that is because he's injury prone.  He played 12 games in 2005, missed all of 2006 and played only 3 games last season.  His injuries are the main reason Houston let him leave.  He's had some run-ins with the law, as documented in the Yahoo! article above, but apparently all charges have either been settled or dropped.

I'm really not sure what to make of this.  The article doesn't mention money, but I'm guessing it can't be much (if anything) above the minimum.  

Thoughts, concerns comments?

With so little news of the Redskins this offseason, I think it's time we took a look at where some former Redskins either are, or might be, landing.  The following names are just a few... and have been in the news this week.

First up, everyones favorite head-butting quarterback: that's right sports fans, Gus "I knocked myself out of a starting QB job in Washington because I played head-butt-chicken with a concrete wall and lost" Frerotte.  

I'm not even sure this is him... but this is how I like to remember him. (Image from here.)

Well, at least I spelled his name right.  Anyway, Frerotte signed a "multi-year" deal with the Minnesota Vikings.  He is there to puch Tavaris Jackson... and replace him, if necessary.  Let's just hope the Vikings protect their investment and put padding up on all the walls behind each end zone.  Wouldn't want to see a valuable commodity go to waste because of a heat-of-the-moment decision, which could negatively effect the franchise for years to come.  Good luck to you, Gus.

Next up, Sage "Skin Patrol overpaid for my rookie card online" Rosenfels.

Come on, you knew I had to show it.

Anyway, the Texans aqpparently would like to trade Sage, and a team that had been interested, the Vikings, just signed Frerotte.  Interesting dilemna.  And then add to that the fact that the Texans just signed QB Quinn Gray and you've got yourself a full-blown controversey.

There's also this rumor that Sage might want to be a starter.  I'm not sure why this is news worthy because you could probably say that about every backup QB in the league... well, except for David Carr.  He's in it for the money.

Good luck to you, Mr. Rosenfels.  May you thrive and prosper (and send SP's rookie card value through the roof) wherever you may land.

I saved the best for last.  Remember a CB named Kenny Wright?  No?  Because Pearland police do.  You can't make this type of stuff up.  By the way, Pearland is just south of Houston.  From the article:

Yes, it started at a police station parking lot.  Yes, he ran.  Yes, he (an NFL CB) got caught by police (the advocates of the coffee and donuts diet) within a quartermile.  And yes, he had illegals substances on his person (well, in his car... but the "on his person" just sounds so much more... police-y.)  Again, from the article:

Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back there, Sgt. Castillo.  Anyway, all this isn't even the best part.  The best part is his Nick Nolte mugshot.

This is my anti-drug. (Image from here.)

Anyway, that's all I got.  Hit up the comments section.