February 2009 4for4 Player News Articles

The Bengals re-signed safety Chris Crocker and running back Dede Dorsey.

Kansas City Star: The Chiefs have reportedly acquired quarterback
Matt Cassel in a trade with the New England Patriots. According to
the NFL Network, the teams have agreed on compensation, although
terms were not immediately known. Cassel had accepted the
Patriots' franchise tender earlier this month and is set to earn
$14.651 million in 2009, an average of the top five salaries at
quarterback. He would probably be negotiating a long-term deal
with the Chiefs.

SF Chronicle: The San Francisco 49ers have signed free agent wide
receiver Brandon Jones, the club announced Saturday.

The Bucs acquired tight end Kellen Winslow from the Cleveland
Browns for undisclosed draft picks.

The Bills released guard Derrick Dockery and tight end Robert Royal.

The Vikings acquired quarterback Sage Rosenfels from Houston for a
fourth-round pick in 2009.

The Broncos agreed to terms with running backs Correll Buckhalter
and J.J. Arrington and long snapper Loin Paxton.

The Patriots signed running back Fred Taylor.

The Vikings re-signed tight end Jim Kleinsasser.

The Lions and Cowboys struck a deal on the second day of free
agency with Dallas acquiring veteran quarterback Jon Kitna in
exchange for cornerback Anthony Henry. Kitna played in four games
for the Lions in 2008, throwing for 758 yards on 68-of-120 passing
with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Kitna landed on the
injured reserve list with a back injury in October, ending his
three-year tenure in Detroit. The Central Washington product is a
12-year NFL veteran with a five-year stint in Cincinnati after
spending his first four years in the league with Seattle. The 36-
year-old has thrown for 27,293 yards and 152 touchdowns with a
59.8 completion percentage and 151 interceptions over 128 career
games. Kitna is entering the final year of a four-year contract
signed in 2006 with his remaining $1.95 million base salary to be
covered by Dallas.

The Cowboys released quarterback Brad Johnson.

New York Daily News: The Giants on Wednesday signed Brandon Jacobs
to a long-term deal that will keep the running back with the club
through the 2012 season. Although terms of the two-time 1,000-yard
rusher's four-year deal were not announced, a report in the New
York Post said the pact is worth $25 million and Jacobs will be
paid $15 million over the first two years. The report also stated
that $13 million is guaranteed. "Both parties are happy to get a
long-term deal done," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said.
"Now Brandon can totally concentrate on the offseason program and
get himself ready to go this fall."

The Panthers announced on Wednesday that they have released a trio
of players, including running back Nick Goings, offensive lineman
Jeremy Bridges and wide receiver D.j. Hackett.

The Rams released quarterback Trent Green and wide receiver Drew Bennett on Wednesday.

New York Daily News: The Jets and wide receiver Laveranues Coles
reached an agreement Wednesday on the restructuring of his
contract that allows the veteran to become an unrestricted free
agent. "I have had the pleasure of getting to know Laveranues
since he has entered the league in 2000," Jets general manager
Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement released by the team. "He is a
fierce competitor, a great teammate and a good friend who has
always given his best to the New York Jets. "I spoke with him
today and expressed my appreciation for his contributions both on
and off the field. This move will allow Laveranues to explore his
options, and we both agreed to keep the lines of communication
open."

Kansas City GM Scott Pioli continued the Chiefs' offseason
overhaul on Tuesday, releasing key veterans in quarterback Damon Huard, linebacker Donnie Edwards and cornerback Patrick Surtain.

The Bucs have released five veterans including 11-time Pro Bowl
selection linebacker Derrick Brooks, running back Warrick Dunn,
wide receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard and linebacker Cato
June.

TSN: The future of perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison was finally decided on Tuesday as the Colts held a news
conference announcing his release. "Marvin let us know his
preference was to be released. Both (team owner) Jim Irsay and I
felt very strongly that after Marvin's long and dedicated service
to the Colts, we would, in this painful circumstance, be guided by
Marvin's wishes," Colts president Bill Polian said. "This is a sad
day for the Colts. Marvin Harrison, in addition to being a certain
Hall of Famer, has been a good friend, model professional and a
loyal and dedicated teammate. His record-setting achievements
brought about by immense talent, work ethic and dignified
professional demeanor have thrilled Colts fans for a generation."

ESPN: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has struck down a January report
that indicated the team was set during the offseason to discuss
the possible release of WR Terrell Owens. Jones, speaking to
reporters late Saturday at a downtown hotel in Indy, where the NFL
Combine is being held, expressed anger over a Jan. 14 report by Ed
Werder. "That Stephen and I were debating about Terrell, that's
just misinformation," Jones said regarding his son, Cowboys VP
Stephen Jones. "That's just not accurate. I don't know where that
comes from. That's just total misinformation. At least 2 sources
told Werder that Stephen Jones would attempt to convince his
father that Owens should be finished with the Cowboys. The Cowboys
paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus just last year, included as
part of a new 4-year, $34 million deal. "I think we all know that
chemistry is the problem with this team more than the schemes or
anything else," a Cowboys source told Werder. "Are we going to
continue to allow talent to outweigh everything else in the
decisions we make with players and putting the roster together?
"We're like the Redskins used to be when they signed every player
they wanted. There's more to it than talent. It has to be more
about the team."

ESPN: Officers who arrested Bills RB Marshawn Lynch last week for
possessing a loaded gun decided to search him after noticing the
smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle he occupied, police
said Wednesday. Lynch and two other men were sitting in a parked
Mercedes Benz with no license plates and dark, tinted windows on
Feb. 11 when officers approached to investigate if the car was
stolen, said police Capt. Dave Tankenson. The officers smelled
marijuana and searched the car and its occupants, finding four
marijuana cigarettes and an unregistered 9 mm pistol, Tankenson
said. Officers were unsure if the drugs belonged to Lynch. Lynch's
attorney, Gerald Schwartzbach, said the RB was not booked on any
drug violations. He said he had not seen a copy of the police
report and would not comment further. Tankenson said the LA County
district attorney's office will decide whether to charge Lynch
with possessing the gun by the end of the week. Even if Lynch is
not charged and convicted, he could face disciplinary action from
the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The Vikings named Diron Reynolds defensive assistant/defensive
line coach; released running back Maurice Hicks.

The Bengals placed franchise tag on kicker Shayne Graham.

The Saints released running back Deuce Mcallister.

ESPN: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says his recovery from knee
surgery remains on schedule and he doesn't see any reason he won't
be ready for the 2009 opener. But Brady stopped short of
predicting when exactly he'll return to the field. "I'm feeling
great. I'm feeling really good. Everything is progressing just as
I expected," said Brady told reporters Wednesday at a charity
event. "It's just a matter of getting to that time," Brady said.
"I wish it was right around the corner. I wish it was here now.
It's not, but the competitor in me has to sit back and wait and
continue to work and try to get stronger."

The Jaguars released running back Fred Taylor.

The Lions re-signed kicker Jason Hanson to a four-year contract;
re-signed guard Stephen Peterman to a five-year contract.

Buffalo News: Bills RB Marshawn Lynch was arrested last Wednesday
in Culver City, California on felony gun charges. According to the
Buffalo News, Lynch was discovered with a loaded firearm while
sitting with two other men inside a parked car. The gun was
determined to be Lynch's and he was booked and subsequently
released on $35,000 bond. It's unclear if Lynch is licensed to
carry a firearm. The arrest came just three days after Lynch took
part in the Pro Bowl. Scott Berchtold, Bills vice president of
communications released a statement regarding Lynch earlier
Sunday. "We can confirm that Marshawn was arrested in California
and has retained an attorney. We are in the process of trying to
gather the facts and will not offer a comment while that process
is ongoing." This is the second incident involving the 22-year-old
Lynch and the law in less than a year as he was behind the wheel
of a vehicle that struck a woman in downtown Buffalo in a May 31
hit-and-run case.

ESPN: Steelers kicker Jeff Reed is in trouble with the police over
some towels, but not the Terrible kind waved by his fans.
Pennsylvania state police say Reed threw a temper tantrum at a
Sheetz convenience store in New Alexandria, a tiny borough about
35 miles east of Pittsburgh, because its restroom didn't have any
towels. Reed has been cited for disorderly conduct and criminal
mischief, offenses similar to traffic tickets that carry a maximum
fine of $300 and 90 days in jail each. Police said he broke the
towel dispenser then used profane language to an employee and also
outside the store. "Reed caused damage to a towel dispenser as he
was infuriated at the fact that there were no towels in it,"
according to a news release by Trooper Shawn Askins, who issued
the citations. The incident occurred Saturday about 2:50 a.m.

New York Daily News: RB Derrick Ward was reportedly scheduled to
meet with the Giants last week, but his agent said that neither he
nor his client had any plans to be in the New York area. That
doesn't mean they didn't speak by phone, but clearly the
franchising of Jacobs is a blow to Ward, if he wanted to return.
He made it clear he wants a starting job, which can't happen now.
He's also, a source said, looking for upwards of $4 million per
year. It's hard to believe the Giants will give him that much,
especially since the coaches love Ahmad Bradshaw. But, if Ward
checks out the market and can't find what he's looking for, don't
rule out a return at a bargain price.

Mlive.com: Former Lions WR Mike Furrey said during a radio
interview today that Detroit's QBs have been informed that Daunte Culpepper will be the starter for the '09 season. A team source,
however, said Furrey's information is incorrect. While Culpepper
could be considered the best option currently on the Lions'
roster, that doesn't mean the team isn't going to bring in another
player from the outside. A few days ago, Lions GM Martin Mayhew
said he was still deciding the fate of Culpepper and Jon Kitna.

New York Daily News: The Giants designated Brandon Jacobs as their
franchise player on Friday. Under the terms of the NFL's
collective bargaining agreement, each team is allowed to designate
one of its free agents as a franchise player each season. Jacobs
will receive a one-year tender for the average of the five largest
salaries at his position from the previous season, which last
season was $6.6 million. The franchise tag does not exclude the
Giants or any other team from negotiating a multi-year contract
with Jacobs when the free agency period begins on February 27th.
However, should another team offer Jacobs a contract, the Giants
have the right to match that contract or would receive two first-
round draft choices as compensation from that team.

ESPN: QB Brett Favre has told the New York Jets he is retiring.
Favre had instructed his agent, James "Bus" Cook, to inform the
Jets on Wednesday that he is retiring. Favre and the Jets both
confirmed the retirement in separate conference calls. "There are
several things that went into decision but most importantly, the
most important thing, was that physically, you know with my
shoulder the last half of the year it hampered the way I played,"
Favre said. "I'm 39, I had several options [to have surgery] and
to let it heal. How that would affect me in terms of playing I had
no idea and it wasn't something I was going to risk." Jets owner
Woody Johnson said it was Favre's decision to step aside.

ESPN: Despite spending just 48 hours with the Cowboys, Dan Reeves
was a witness to some heated debate on WR Terrell Owens' future
with the club, according to Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning
News' Cowboys blog. During an appearance on the David Smoak show
on KTBB, Reeves said, "I don't think you ever talk to the Cowboys
without Terrell Owens coming up. I can say there are definitely
some mixed feelings about T.O. Most everybody you talk to has a
different opinion of him. They definitely have a decision to make
as far as to what they will do about T.O., and I really don't know
what that will be." Speaking later in the day with BaD Radio on
1310 The Ticket, Reeves reiterated his point that there were mixed
feelings amongst Cowboys staff on Owens, then added, "From an
outsider, I certainly have an opinion. I think the more
distractions that you can eliminate and get the team focused on
the team and not themselves, then you've got a better chance."