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You Won't Want to Read This: NFL Players Doing Good in the World

A number of you aren't going read this because as Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says, the public prefers to follow news of celebs and sports figures who are "[expletived] up." The rise of the sports blog generally hasn't be driven by fans' desire to read do-gooder stories. (Though I have to say, I think that would be an interesting niche sports blog).

In any event, I want to highlight a few stories in the news this week that talk about NFL players doing good in the world.

The New York Times had a great article yesterday about four NFL players with ties to Nigeria visiting the country in March. They must have been an impressive display of defensive linemen big people: NY Giants' Osi Umenyiora, Houston Texans' Amobi Okoye, and Chicago Bears' Adewale Ogunleye and Israel Idonije.

It was Okoye's idea for them to all go to Nigeria as a group, figuring they could do more good works together than separately. They also could get scared together as the bus they were traveling in got broadsided by a truck on the first day of their trip. The article is certainly worth a read.

Another article worth checking out is the continuing help that Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn gives to single parents looking to purchase their first homes. He does this to honor his police officer mother who never owned a house. She was shot while working her off-duty security job, and a 17-year-old Dunn along with his grandmother found themselves taking care of his five siblings. To date, his foundation has helped 77 single parents buy their first homes by providing a down payment and home furnishings. (Here's the donation link).

The next time you feel like ragging on athletes for being a bunch of "turds", ask yourself what you are doing to make this world a better place. Athletes are like the rest of us imperfect people. Some do good, some do bad, and some get busted for being a smiling black guy who loves his mom on a boat full of white women in bikinis boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest.

(Photo of Dunn as the first winner of the Home Depot Neighborhood MVP award in January. Photo Credit: Scott Halleran, Getty Images).

Video Of Cedric Benson's Booking Released and Questions Continue to Mount

The salvos keep on coming in the Cedric Benson boating arrest. With witnesses streaming forward to corroborate Benson's side of the story, the Travis County police has released a video of the Bears running back entering the booking station on the night in question.

You can watch the whole thing at the Chicago Tribune's site but here's the quick recap. It's a man walking into a police station in hand cuffs, hanging his head and showing none of the confrontational nature he's been accused of in the official police report. I'm not sure what we're supposed to get from the video, it has nothing to do with the incident in question, but there it is.

All of the attention focused on this case has made it impossible not to wonder what the final verdict might mean for Benson's career. Chicago bloviator Jay Mariotti has weighed in, writing that the Bears should cut Benson based on his performance with no regard to what happened out on the water but he can't help combining the two anyway.
If the Lower Colorado River Authority had been cracking down on boaters of all sorts, why would Benson, with his NFL career at a crossroads and the Bears sending a message with the second-round drafting of Matt Forte, allow beer on his 30-foot boat and turn himself into a target?
I don't know, maybe because if he wasn't doing anything wrong he was just enjoying a day out on his boat with friends.

Lawsuit Alleges Wayne Chrebet's Restaurant Was Targeted by Cops

If there's one guy you'd think could get away with anything in Hempstead, New York it would be Wayne Chrebet. The former Jets receiver came out of Hempstead's Hofstra University as an unknown, undersized wide receiver and became one of the team's most popular players. Hofstra got tons of free advertising and a bold name to add to their roster of famous alumni and, after he retired, Hempstead got a restaurant owned by a bona fide celebrity.

Because of a man he hired as the eatery's manager, though, Chrebet's joint became a target of local police. That's what a suit filed in federal court by Matthew Prince, the manager, alleges, anyway. His suit claims that Chrebet's Steakhouse and Lounge was raided on opening night by police and fire marshals because he'd testified on behalf of a man accused of assaulting a police officer in 2002.

"Mr. Chrebet came to understand that if he did not sever his business relationship with Mr. Prince, the county police officers and fire marshals would continue to raid Chrebet's," the complaint alleges.

They parted ways last fall but Prince claims that the police came to the restaurant this March looking for him. Chrebet had no comment and a Nassau County spokeswoman said it was nothing more than an unproven allegation.

If true, such vindictiveness should be punished. Chrebet's only deserves scorn if it serves steaks as small and tough as the owner.

Drafting Josh Johnson Was Jon Gruden's Way of Telling Bucs to Cut Chris Simms

Apparently, a few people in Tampa think Chris Simms has been properly compensated by the Buccaneers for giving his spleen for the cause, and it's time for them to cut him loose.

That had to be Jon Gruden's message to the team after he drafted University of San Diego QB Josh Johnson with the Bucs' fifth-round pick. Johnson was reportedly impressing his teammates in a minicamp last weekend. He seems like a natural fit for the Bucs, given that he played in a West Coast offense at San Diego and threw 43 touchdown passes and one interception last season -- impressive numbers at any level.

Still, Johnson is a project, and the Bucs are loaded up with quarterbacks. Jeff Garcia is old but clearly still capable, and Brian Griese and Luke McCown are serviceable backups.

Which brings us back to Simms. Nobody really knows his current form. His throwing motion was reportedly ruined after his spleen was removed. Has it recovered? Could he return to his 2005 form, when he led the Bucs to the playoffs? Or is he done as an NFL quarterback, and if so, are the Glazers just keeping him on the payroll out of guilt, or out of fear that he'll become a starter for another team?

The only thing for sure here is that Gruden really wants to move on without Simms. Perhaps the Bucs should as well.

Witness Calls Police Treatment of Bears' Cedric Benson 'Uncalled For ... Ludicrous'

Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested last weekend for boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, and he has said from the outset that he did nothing wrong and was mistreated by police. The friends and relatives who were on the boat with him have backed him up.

Now a witness who apparently has no connection to Benson is corroborating his story. A man named Toby Patch told a local TV station,
"It was uncalled for, it was ludicrous, no point for it. ... It seemed to me they were manhandling him a little bit. As they were taking him up the dock, they stopped, he said, 'I am fine, I can continue walking,' and they put their legs behind his knees and knocked him over his knees and started hog-carrying him."
Benson has suggested that he might file a lawsuit, and unless he and these witnesses are all lying, that would be a good idea.

Drew Bledsoe Believes Bill Belichick, Thinks Most Teams Bend the Rules


Former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe isn't a big Bill Belichick fan, and doesn't have particularly warm feelings about the way his time in New England ended, with an injury and Tom Brady replacing him.

But Bledsoe takes the side of Belichick and the Patriots in the Spygate story. From the Boston Herald and PFT:
"I've followed it," Bledsoe said. "I've talked to some people about it. To be honest with you, my take now is the same as it's always been. Every team in the league is trying to do everything they can to get ahead. I'm sure most, if not all, are bending the rules in some way, shape or form. This just happened to be one that was very public, and the organization has been reprimanded for it.

"As a player here, I never did see anything other than what was already reported. . . . Was it a violation of the spirit of the rules? Absolutely, it was, but I think all of that has been readily acknowledged."

One of the strongest points in the Patriots' favor in Spygate is that there are several ex-Patriots who don't like Belichick, and none of them have come forward to say they think New England taped the Rams' walk-through before the 2002 Super Bowl. Bledsoe is the latest to take Belichick's side.

Joe Montana Sues Ex-Wife

Kim Moses, the ex-wife of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, recently auctioned off several personal possessions that once belonged to him, and now things like their marriage certificate; a letter he wrote her on a Ziggy card; an "I Love You" note; and a letter Montana wrote to Moses's parents detailing his first year playing for Notre Dame are available for everyone's perusal on The Smoking Gun.

Also on The Smoking Gun: Montana's lawsuit against Moses over the auction:
Montana, 51, claims that the sale of the assorted items--which were auctioned last weekend by a Dallas, Texas firm--violated his copyright and privacy rights. In a U.S. District Court complaint, Montana names Kim Moses, his first wife, and Heritage Auction as defendants.
Montana has been a private person since his retirement, and it's understandable that he's mad that his ex made a nice chunk of change from memorabilia collectors. But all of those possessions belonged to her, which is why, unless there's something specifically in their divorce decree prohibiting such sales, he's likely to lose this case.

Bengals Sign Maurice Purify (DUI, Assault, Disturbing the Peace, Probation Violation)

The Cincinnati Bengals are doing their best to keep up with stereotype of a franchise that lacks morals. After declaring that they weren't going to bring in more problem guys, they are doing just that.

Today, it was Maurice Purify ... an undrafted free agent from Nebraska. The Bengals signed the receiver to a two-year deal after he (apparently) wowed the coaching staff during last weekend's rookie minicamp.

Purify has had his fair share of run-ins with the law which include assault, resisting arrest and DUI. Use of alcohol may put him in more hot water as it violates his probation.

This comes on the heels of the team drafting Jason Shirley who was previously best known for driving his car (while drunk) into an apartment building.

And so it goes for the Bengals who, it seems, just will never change their stripes.

The Saints Aren't Leaving New Orleans

Since Hurricane Katrina, the Saints have been rumored to be on the outs from New Orleans. Los Angeles, San Antonio, Berlin in the NFL Europa 2.0 league -- most people have been placing the future of the team in cities that aren't New Orleans (maybe that last one was made up).

Those rumors, in Katrina's wake, were justified -- and if insiders are to be believed, Tom Benson's plan to upheave the Saints to San Antonio was far more reality than rumor. Just google "New Orleans' crumbling economy can't meet the financial demands of a pro football team," and you'll get plenty of results arguing for relocation.

But those rumors haven't died even though the NFL, from the waaaay back days of Paul Tagliabue, has committed over and over to keeping the Saints in New Orleans for the long haul. When the specs were unveiled last month for the beautiful new stadium potentially coming to Los Angeles, some media reports had the Saints as potential tenants despite two consecutive season ticket sell-outs.

But the team isn't going anywhere.

Drew Stanton is Far Less Vague About Mike Martz Than Jim Colletto

We may still not know whether Jim Colletto was using the mechanics of Drew Stanton as another excuse to fire a shot in the ongoing war between the Lions and Mike Martz. But I think we've now got a better idea.
The Lions drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State, and offensive coordinator Mike Martz immediately altered his mechanics.

"He changed everything, and I didn't really understand why and I never really got explanations on how to work on it," Stanton said. "It was one of those things, 'Well, you're just doing this wrong.' "

Stanton said he "felt robotic" and struggled to think about the offense while thinking about his mechanics.
Hmmmm. Control freak? Check. Convoluted? Check. Egotistical? Check. Abrasive? Check. Yep, sounds like Martz.

Of course, now that Stanton is healthy from the knee injury that derailed his entire season, and working with quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler instead of the departed Martz, things are going much better. He even notes that working under Loeffler is such a relief comparatively that going to work is all "sunshine, puppy dogs, and cotton candy" (note: not in those words).

Say what you want about Shaun Rogers, but the team's biggest tumor the last two years was Martz.
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League Leaders

Passing COMP ATT YDS TD
Tom Brady 398 578 4806 50
Drew Brees 440 652 4423 28
Tony Romo 335 520 4211 36
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD
Reggie Wayne 104 1510 14.5 10
Randy Moss 98 1493 15.2 23
Chad Johnson 93 1440 15.5 8
Rushing Att Yds Avg TD
LaDainian Tomlinson 315 1474 4.7 15
Adrian Peterson 238 1341 5.6 12
Brian Westbrook 278 1333 4.8 7

Division Standings

AFC East W-L-T PF PA
Patriots 16-0-0 589 274
Bills 7-9-0 252 354
Jets 4-12-0 268 355
Dolphins 1-15-0 267 437
AFC North W-L-T PF PA
Browns 10-6-0 402 382
Steelers 10-6-0 393 269
Bengals 7-9-0 380 385
Ravens 5-11-0 275 384
AFC South W-L-T PF PA
Colts 13-3-0 450 262
Jaguars 11-5-0 411 304
Titans 10-7-0 307 314
Texans 8-8-0 379 384
AFC West W-L-T PF PA
Chargers 12-5-0 429 290
Broncos 7-9-0 320 409
Chiefs 4-12-0 226 335
Raiders 4-12-0 283 398
NFC East W-L-T PF PA
Cowboys 13-3-0 455 325
Giants 11-6-0 397 365
Redskins 9-7-0 334 310
Eagles 8-8-0 336 300
NFC North W-L-T PF PA
Packers 13-3-0 435 291
Vikings 8-8-0 365 311
Bears 7-9-0 334 348
Lions 7-9-0 346 444
NFC South W-L-T PF PA
Buccaneers 9-8-0 348 294
Saints 7-9-0 379 388
Panthers 7-9-0 267 347
Falcons 4-12-0 259 414
NFC West W-L-T PF PA
Seahawks 10-6-0 393 291
Cardinals 8-8-0 404 399
49ers 5-11-0 219 364
Rams 3-13-0 263 438

Injuries

Pos Player Injury Status
S Mel Mitchell biceps IR
RB LaDainian Tomlinson Left game - bruised knee Day-to-Day
QB Philip Rivers Left game - right knee Day-to-Day
S Bob Sanders Left game - shoulder Day-to-Day
TE Antonio Gates sprained left big toe Day-to-Day

Transactions

Pos Player Transaction
TE Rudy Sylvan practice squad addition
RB Anthony Sherrell practice squad deletion
WR Mark Simmons practice squad addition
WR Carlton Brewster practice squad deletion
G Justin Geisinger practice squad addition