Mammoth Blog

Jay Feely regularly tweets about his family, has talked sports as a guest radio host and criticized President Obama on a national news television program.

The New York Jets kicker certainly isn't afraid to speak his mind, or have a game riding on the strength of his right leg.

"I've never worried about the implications," Feely said Monday. "I've always felt that if I do my job the best I can and I'm one of the best at what I do and am honest with what I say, then people will respect that."

Feely, entering his second season with the Jets and ninth in the NFL, prides himself on being well-read, well-spoken and well-rounded. He's the rare athlete who can debate sports and politics , and be equally adept at both.

"If somebody asks me my opinion, you can be honest and still respectful at the same time," he said. "I think that's part of the problem in our country is that we've got this discourse now politically where if you disagree with somebody, you attack them rather than respectfully disagree with them."

During the offseason, the 33-year-old Feely pulled no punches when he was a guest panelist on Fox News' "The Sean Hannity Show."

"I think that the magic act that Obama put on during the election, the curtain is kind of being pulled back," Feely said on the show in June, "and the American people will see what is behind the stage, and they don't really like it."

There was also this zinger: "He's creating a foundation from which he must lead from, and that foundation does not have the same character traits that have made this nation great."

Whoa. Pretty heady , and controversial , stuff for an NFL kicker, no?

"One thing I love about Jay is that he's brutally honest," long snapper James Dearth said. "Jay says whatever's on his mind and doesn't really care what too many people think. He's a straight shooter."

And some contend that has gotten him in trouble during his football career. Despite setting a Dolphins franchise record with a 91.3 field-goal rate in 2007, Feely was cut, many believe because his outspoken nature clashed with the new Bill Parcells-led regime in Miami. He was also inexplicably cut a day after signing a one-year deal with Kansas City last summer, losing a "kick off" with two less-experienced players.

"I think anytime you go through adversity, your character's tested," Feely said. "The way in which you respond to that will define what kind of man you are."

When Mike Nugent went down with a leg injury in the season opener last year, the Jets jumped at the chance to sign Feely. He became their kicker the rest of the year, and the Jets re-signed him in March after he was 24 for 28 on field-goal attempts. Feely is the only kicker in camp this summer, and has looked impressive.

"We couldn't find a kicker that could tackle like a linebacker, so we decided to stay with the one that can," coach Rex Ryan quipped. "If you don't think you have somebody that can give him legitimate competition for the job, then why do it?"

Feely enjoys being the lone placekicker in camp, and knows Ryan expects big things because the Jets plan to play a ball-control offense.

"It makes it more exciting for me," Feely said. "In that kind of style of football, you need a kicker who's going to make his field goals, and I like that."

Besides his TV appearances, Feely spent part of the offseason co-hosting a sports talk show with ESPN Radio's Seth Everett, discussing everything from the Jets to the NBA playoffs to baseball. He also wrote a blog in which he called for Michael Vick to get another chance at playing in the NFL.

"What you see on TV and hear from him in the media and what you read on Twitter, that's just him," punter Reggie Hodges said. "That's really who he is. That's one of the things I really like about him. He's so consistent and he's always the same Jay Feely."

Feely is considering a second career in politics after his playing days. He has already rubbed shoulders with some pretty good company, including former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

"It's something that if I didn't have kids, yes, I'd do it in a heartbeat," said Feely, who has four children with his wife, Rebecca. "My first priority is my children. I want to be a great father. I don't want to be an OK father. The way I approach football is the same way I approach parenting. I don't ever want to have any regrets." source>>>

Sarah Palin's beloved child Trig, born with Down Syndrome, is safe and so is everyone else who has been terrified by her hyperbolic "death panel" rhetoric on President Obama's health care reform efforts.

I'll leave it to our editorial page to debunk the unsubstantiated and preposterous Palin press release -- a wild distortion of an optional benefit already offered under Medicare to pay doctors for helping patients and their family face end-of-life decision making according to their own values.

What interests me here is the tactical gimmick of arguing-by-extremes. Palin reflects the teachings of the master -- Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the Eagle Forum and a conservative-right tactician extraordinaire.

I profiled Schlafly for The Miami Herald (full text here) in 1987 after she had brilliantly, almost single-handedly stomped the Equal Rights Amendment ratification campaign into a powder by turning it into a gay-sex-rampage-enabling amendment. How, I never quite understood.

So, I asked Schlafly about the formidable skills she deploys in a heartbeat on any public topic. See who she reminds you of...

Schlafly adores absolutes. It's an efficient way to reason in debates.

A serious debate requires an opponent of equal intellectual weight and moral force. Schlafly says she can't think of any honorable spokesman for the opposition -- someone of knowledge and integrity with whom she can respectfully disagree -- on any issue.

People who think differently than she does are either lying, laughing or not truly confronting the issues, she says.

In our 1987 interview, Schlafly likened American families to endangered species deserving vigorous protection.

Don't we have a new line that every time we pass a law, we should have an environmental impact statement? Isn't that exactly what the environmentalists do? They say it might hurt some bird that might possibly perch, even though that bird isn't from that neighborhood. Maybe that bird never comes to that part of the country...

Schlaflyx-blog200 In short, it's what "could" or "might" happen, no matter how far-fetched or disengaged from reality.

She showed me how this worked in her (unsuccessful) efforts to defeat parental leave legislation as "a windfall for yuppies... who could use their mandated leave for vacationing instead of parenting."

She acknowledged that was hardly likely but, she crowed, "That is what you could do..."

At Women on the Web last year, writer Andrew Belonsky mused that Schlafly might be the "most dangerous woman in America" with the routine and deliberate detachment of verbal fire-power from facts.

He points out that her career as an activist took off with her support for Barry Goldwater, the Arizona senator campaigning for the Republican nomination in the 1964 presidential race, Schlafly spun his campaign slogan, " A Choice Not an Echo," into a book title, calling him " the epitome of American Constitutional principles."

He ultimately lost the presidential race to Lyndon Johnson but Schalfly won big -- launching her career as a writer and activist on the far right. According to Belonsky (who doesn't give his source for this) she once said: "Most political writing is just to rev up your juices of your prejudices. And my writing was persuasive."

Soon she was in the thick of the ERA battle where she discovered that the basic political opposition argument -- whether the Equal Rights amendment would expand federal powers -- wasn't cutting the mustard. She flipped it into an attack on the nuclear family, Belonsky says. source>>>

The title of Jack Ingram's upcoming album, Big Dreams and High Hopes, sums up his approach to life and his career.

In a recent interview with CMT Insider, Ingram talked about the album, along with his decision to record a new version of the fan favorite, "Barbie Doll." He also displayed optimism in his effort to make the Guinness Book of World Records for the most interviews ever given in a 24-hour period. He'll work to achieve that goal around the time the new album is released on Aug. 25.

The idea for the new album's title track came about unexpectedly.

"I was talking with a buddy of mine, talking about being in this business and what it takes to get there and what it takes to stay there," Ingram explains. "I just said it in a conversation, 'All I've ever really had was a guitar and big dreams and high hopes.' And that's what's kept me going.

"I ended up writing a song called 'Big Dreams and High Hopes' which is about that -- just kind of looking out at the world from your window and seeing what's out there and kind of having that wanderlust of hitting the highway and doing it -- chasing your dreams. I think that's what you need. You need big dreams and high hopes. If you're gonna get up every morning, you've gotta have something to go for."

Ingram has already found success with "Barefoot and Crazy," the first single from the album. However, he's excited about the new version of "Barbie Doll," a song that first appeared on his 1999 album, Hey You, several years before he began achieving success in mainstream country music.

"It's had a fantastic life," he says of the song. "On the record it's a great, loose, drunk, fun recording with Todd Snider screaming in the background. Live, it just plays every night. It just goes over gangbusters every single night."

After performing the song for years in smaller venues in his home state of Texas, Ingram noticed the crowd response during his arena shows as the opening act for Toby Keith, Martina McBride and others.

"Even though that song has never been a single and most of the people at the concerts have never heard the song before, by the time we're done playing it live, people are on their feet screaming, spilling beers and having a great time," he says. "So I thought this would be a great time to reintroduce it to ... a huge, brand new country audience."

As for the Guinness Book of World Records, Ingram is planning to beat the interview record set by Pete Wentz and Patrick Vaughn Stump of the rock band, Fall Out Boy. In 2008, they gave interviews with 72 radio stations during a 24-hour period.

Ingram acknowledges that the plan is aimed at attention to the release of Big Dreams and High Hopes.

"I knew we were going to do a ton of interviews anyway, so I thought, 'I should just do it all day long. For 24 hours, let's just get on the phone and stay on,'" he says. The executives at his label, Big Machine Records, thought it was an excellent idea. "That's what I get for opening my stupid mouth," he laughs.

Predicting he'll surpass Fall Out Boy's record "by a pretty good shot," Ingram adds, "It's going to be fun. I'm going to be able to visit and catch up with a ton of guys from radio stations that I've been friends with for the last five or six years. It's going to be nice to catch up, talk about the new record -- and break a record, as well." source>>>

Clint Black has been named executive producer of ITV Studios' American Storytellers, a series that will develop current and classic country music hits into a series of one-hour dramatic episodes for television. The venture is being undertaken by ITV in conjunction with Roberts/David Films and Sony/ATV Music Publishing. ITV Studios, previously known as Granada America, is one of the largest international television producers for the U.S. market. Black has directed several of his own music videos and is credited as being the first to create them on large format 65 mm film. source>>>

If you're thinking this Taylor Swift concert review is going to be about how unprepared she is to be a country superstar, then my guess is that you haven't seen her show yet.

I have to report that her super-successful Fearless tour offers one of the most ambitious and entertaining country concerts I've ever seen. My 12-year-old cousin, who lives in Nebraska, had never been to an arena show before, and I was curious to see if Swift's live performance could live up to her expectations. So off we went to the enormous Qwest Center in Omaha on Sunday night (Aug. 9). I'm not sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn't a seamless, two-hour, multi-act, singing-dancing-hugging extravaganza. All that and Kellie Pickler and Gloriana, too. Whew. Am I getting too old for this?

Actually, one surprising element of Swift's show is that her audience isn't comprised of just screaming teenage girls. I saw several grown women in pairs singing along to every word, along with lots of teen guys (admittedly, most with girlfriends). It's naive to think that only young people would care for Swift's music, even though I was guilty of having that perception myself. It's not like I'm going to tape her poster to my bedroom wall when I get back to Nashville, but I have to say that if she nabs a CMA entertainer of the year nomination this fall, I wouldn't be a bit surprised. Actually, I might be a little proud that our little girl is all grown up.

Yes, I know she's taken flak for her vocal performances on TV broadcasts. Sure, she doesn't belt it out like Pickler or rely on complex arrangements like Gloriana. Instead, she's from the singer-songwriter mold, where the message is just as important as the music.

As a grown man, it's true that her message can seem a little difficult to relate to, especially when songs are about the "best first date ever." At such moments, I'd roll my eyes, then look over at the kids next to me and think, "OK, I get it." That sort of epiphany happens a lot at a Taylor Swift show. I understand where she's coming from, even though I don't burn pictures of my ex's and don't write songs about them if they hurt my feelings. I don't remember who I had a crush on when I studied in the library, and my life lessons stretch beyond this little Swift nugget: "In real life, the bad guy is always really, really cute."

I also think this is the only concert I've attended where the person next to me whipped her hair in my face. More than once, thank you very much.

Swift's show is a lot of fun. It moves fast, rarely pausing to milk it for all it's worth. However, after "Hey Stephen," the shrieking was so loud and so long -- about two minutes' worth -- that Swift had to adjust her ear monitors. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, and the crowd instantly hushed as though the Queen of England was about to speak. Then she continued, "I'm never going to forget that you did that for me." And, of course, more screaming.

OK, now what about the music? It wasn't always note-for-note perfection, but she's singing live -- a trait you can't necessarily take for granted in all musical genres. Actually, every artist on the bill enjoyed some of the cleanest audio mixes I've encountered on the road. Swift's band is outstanding and apparently always game for role-playing. (I quit counting the costumes changes right around the time of the Renaissance dancers.)

Like Brad Paisley, Swift is savvy when it comes to mixed media, with lots of video and interactive components to prevent any lulls. The only boring part for me was when she magically appeared in a far corner of the arena for a song, then hugged everybody -- and I do mean everybody -- in her path back to the stage. However, for the fans back there, I'm sure it was the highlight of their evening.

Even though Swift isn't in my regular musical rotation, I have somehow retained the lyrics to "Our Song," "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Should've Said No," "Tim McGraw" and "White Horse." I have to give her songwriting props for that, too.

If you're a parent dreading a Swift concert because you'd rather be seeing Alan Jackson or George Strait, don't worry. Try to get there early to see the opening acts. Pickler is more confident than I've ever seen her, and since her set is pretty short, she doesn't pad it with a lot of banter or cover songs. And she doesn't cry after "I Wonder" anymore, an indication that her confidence is growing. With fresh-faced singers and engaging harmonies, Gloriana will definitely appeal to teens as well as the older contingent of country fans. They're about to add a bass player and a drummer, but for now it's just them -- and they're making the most of an exceptional opportunity by greeting fans with quick handshakes and autograph sessions at the merchandise table.

Since this was my cousin's first concert, I asked for her opinion on a couple of things, but she answered every question with, "Oh, that was awesome." Fair enough. I have to agree with her on the big finale, which I won't spoil for the people who haven't seen the tour yet. Since it was my cousin's first concert, she can say it's the best one she's ever seen. I have a feeling, though, that she'll be standing by that opinion for years to come. source>>>

Brooks & Dunn are calling it quits on one of the most successful acts in music history. The country music duo, who posted the news on their website, announced the end of a partnership that sold millions of records and concert tickets and won them a slew of awards.

Singer-songwriters Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn each had enjoyed some success in the 1980s. However, it was their pairing by a record company executive in 1990 that took them to new heights. They released 10 studio albums, two greatest hits collections and a Christmas disc, all of which produced charted singles. Their third compilation of hits is due out Sept. 9.

Over the years, Brooks & Dunn dominated the kudos of two competing country music groups. They owned the category of best duo at the Country Music Assn. awards fest every year from 1992 to 2006, with the exception of 2000 when Montgomery Gentry won. They were named entertainers of the year in 1996, and "Believe" won both single and video of the year in 2006.

Brooks & Dunn were the top duo with the Academy of Country Music from 1991 to 1997 and then again from 2001 to 2008. Brooks & Dunn were named entertainers of the year in 1995, 1996, and 2001. They won album of the year for their debut disc "Brand New Man" in 1992 as well as single of the year for "Boot Scootin' Boogie." And "Believe" took the song of the year prize in 2005.

Brooks & Dunn enjoyed far less success with the Grammys, having to compete there with groups as well. They took home only two of these awards over the years - in 1993 for "Hard Workin' Man" and again in 1996 for "My Maria." They also won favorite country group at both the 2005 People's Choice and Billboard awards. source>>>

Wilson Gouviea's recent-withdrawal from a scheduled UFC 102 fight against Ed Herman has caused the UFC to shuffle several upcoming matchups, as Herman will now fight Aaron Simpson at the August 28 event, while Dan Miller, who was to fight Simpson at UFC Fight Night 19, will instead meet CB Dollaway on the September 16 card.

The matchups were both reported by MMA Madness on Monday.

Simpson (5-0, 1-0 UFC), a teammate of Dollaway's at Arizona Combat Systems, made his WEC debut late last year with an 18-second knockout of David Avellan, then jumped to the UFC, where he defeated Tim McKenzie via first-round TKO in his April debut. Herman (15-7, 4-4 UFC) suffered losses to Demian Maia and Alan Belcher in 2008, but rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over David Loiseau in April.

The former IFL middleweight champ Miller (11-2) won three-straight bouts over Rob Kimmons, Matt Horwich, and Jake Rosholt to begin his UFC career, extending his unbeaten streak to ten-straight, but suffered a unanimous decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 98 in May, his first loss in over three years. After losing to Amir Sadollah in The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, Dollaway won back-to-back fights over Jesse Taylor and Mike Massenzio before losing to Tom Lawlor in July at UFC 100. source>>>

As reported by The Guardian: "Ladbrokes is shifting its online gambling arm to Gibraltar in a move that will cost the UK Treasury millions of pounds.

"The company confirmed this morning that, like rival bookmaker William Hill, it will defy a "gentleman's agreement" to keep running its internet operations in the UK.

"Chief executive, Christopher Bell, blamed "intense competitive pressures" for the decision, which industry experts had already said was inevitable following William Hill's move on Tuesday.

"Ladbrokes did not reveal how much it expects to save through the move..." source>>>

Gambling revenue is no longer a sure thing for many states.

In yet another sign of the recession's toll on the U.S. economy, eight of the 12 states that allow commercial gambling, including Nevada, experienced declines in revenue, the Wall Street Journal reports.

In 2008, states' take from casinos was down 2.2 percent to $5.7 billion, according to the American Gaming Association, and casinos as a whole earned roughly $33 billion, down 5 percent from the previous year's total.

Between 1998 and 2008, state gambling revenue, which includes horse racing and lotteries, rose 65 percent to $23.9 billion, the Journal reports.

In addition to the weak economy, the expansion of casinos and slot machines across the U.S. has thinned profits.
source>>>

Ooh, the NCAA vs. Delaware issue just keeps getting better. A few weeks ago, Delaware state majority leader Peter Schwartzkopf got all Chris Farley on the NCAA's objection to a legalized single-game gambling motion currently making its way through the Delaware legislative sausage machine. Delaware wants to tax gambling and make money on it; the NCAA claims legalizing such chicanery would "would irreparably harm professional and amateur sports."

Schwartzkopf excoriated the NCAA for hypocrisy, calling it a "for-profit sports league" that sponsored the Las Vegas bowl last year, where players stayed in casinos. Frankly, the NCAA got pwned.

But the big leviathan isn't going down without a fight. This weekend the NCAA announced that it would prevent any state that legalizes single-game gambling from hosting "any session of an NCAA championship," meaning any Final Four or BCS Bowl and maybe any tournament in general, even the non-money-making olympic sports.

This would affect Delaware most acutely as it relates to college basketball; no Final Four sessions means a loss of a week or two or revenue once every few years. At the very least, it closes a door.

Still, if there's one state that seems to stand more from allowing gambling and reaping its benefits -- and losing the one-time NCAA regional money in the process -- it's Delaware. There are no BCS bowls at stake here. The Final Four itself wasn't landing in Wilmington any time soon. If Delaware's legislators are to be believed, the state can make upwards of $50 million a year from gambling tax revenues. That's much more than any tournament event can generate, at least as it relates to local revenue. Heck, the numbers on just how much event spending really helps cities are fuzzy anyway.

In a way, the NCAA's gesture is nothing more than symbolic, and it sort of feels like when a friend is sure he invented a truly cutting argumentative rejoinder only to have it fall flat. This'll show you! Ha! ... Ha? Meanwhile, Delaware will laugh all the way to the bank. source>>>

Aaron Curry was packing more helmets, but less weight, as the rookie linebacker continued his rapid-fire introduction Monday into the Seattle Seahawks training camp.

After carrying four helmets and an extra set of shoulder pads off the practice field Monday for teammates happy to heap a little more rookie hazing on the team's newly signed first-round draft pick, Curry said he felt great in his third day on the field with the team.

Curry said he's lost 12 pounds since the Seahawks' offseason minicamps, down to 247, as he worked himself into prime condition for his NFL debut.

It's the lightest he's been since his junior year at Wake Forest when he returned three interceptions for touchdowns to tie an NCAA single-season record for a linebacker.

The Seahawks list him at 6-foot-2, 254 pounds and he played at 250 in his senior season of college. But the 23-year-old said speed is more important than bulk.

"I want to be in that 247 range. That's when I feel like a (defensive back)," he said. "Last year I was around 250, but my junior season when I had all those interceptions returned to the house, I was weighing 247 or 248.

"That's where I feel my best. That's where I feel like an LT and Ed Reed mix."

Yes, that would be a reference to former New York Giants linebacking legend Lawrence Taylor and current Baltimore Ravens standout safety Ed Reed.

And, yes, the Seahawks would be just fine with that sort of impact from the man they selected with the fourth pick in the draft and just signed to a six-year, $60 million contract.

But while Curry is thinking big, he's aware this is all a long process that's just beginning. He posed for pictures with fans after Monday's practice, shook hands with sponsors, went on the radio for a live 710 ESPN interview with Kevin Calabro and then returned to where he'd set down his collection of helmets and pads from his on-going hazing.

"It's just something I know I've got to do," he said with a smile. "Leaving college I went from being the big fish in the pond to just an itsy, bitsy goldfish. My thing is to do whatever it takes to gain the respect of the vets, which means practicing hard, playing hard, studying time, putting extra time in ... and carrying helmets.

"Life hasn't changed much for me. No matter how much they pay me or don't pay me, my passion will always be to just play football. I'm just happy to be out here enjoying my teammates, flying around and doing what I really love."

He flew around running back Justin Forsett in a couple one-on-one pass rush drills, showing the speed and power the Seahawks crave. He ran with the first-unit offense on a day when Lofa Tatupu again sat out most of the drills to rest up.

Curry said he's spending an extra 90 minutes every night with linebacker coach Zerick Rollins going over the playbook to speed his catch-up process after missing the first eight days of camp in contract negotiations.

But on the field, he said he's just fine and ready to play Saturday's preseason opener at San Diego if the coaches deem him adequately prepared.

"I'm feeling pretty comfortable," he said. "One thing about playing defense, especially if you're a linebacker, you can't go wrong just playing fast and hitting something." source>>>

Fans of the long-running Madden games are breaking from their huddles and moving up to the line.

It is August after all, and that means that NFL training camps are winding down, exhibition games have been scheduled, the first game after Labor Day isn't far away, and of course it's time for the newest Madden game to hit the shelves. Eager fans of the franchise are grinning in anticipation.

Madden NFL 10 is making some noticeable changes to the title's legacy this year with a whole host of new mechanic changes, additional options, and added features.

The gameplay will perhaps be the most noticeable change to many players. Overall the game has been slowed down a bit compared to previous editions, using a game speed style that is intended to make the experience more of a realistic sports simulation, with individual character movements featuring more noticeable acceleration, deceleration, and turn rates. The experience may feel a bit awkward to fans of the previous games who had perhaps gotten use to faster play, but what may have been lost in speed is more than made up for in visual acuity. Overall the new speed change permits players to make more in-play choices on the fly.

Additional features include the new Pro-Tak system, which allows as many as nine independent characters to affect a single tackle, resulting in more tackle interactions and outcomes within a single play. This is further augmented by the ability to steer tackles in a particular direction and produces even more unanticipated outcomes, sometimes making for a desirable result and other times more unfortunate ones for the player.

Also included is a new fumble mini-game that initiates when two opposing characters are near the recovery point. Gamers will be required to input a correct sequence of random buttons to secure the ball's ownership.

Madden NFL 10 Trailer

The offensive line interface is also receiving due attention with improved QB animations, some unique to superstar players, and better routes and interactions between the Receivers and Defensive Backs. The game also includes a new Depth of Field visual system that does seem to improve the visual space of the game and serves to enhance the overall experience and allows gamers to select their targets and routes more effectively. Individual QBs will also feature specific range ratings for short, medium, and long distances.

Lately it seems that sports games are trying their best to really improve the community aspects of their titles, and Madden 10 is certainly keeping with the times. Online options have been improved to include up to 32 players in Franchise mode and a proposed league message board which will be accessible through the console or internet. How well these community features will be used still remains to be seen, but dedicated players will find it nice to have the option. Online co-op is also available, allowing gamers to play along side each other on the same team.

(EA Sports)

EA Sports is certainly looking to immerse gamers even more in the NFL experience this time around by including additional presentation features like weekly improved commentary and broadcasting, interviews, game wrap-ups, halftime and postgame shows, and a variety of new cut-scenes including sideline views of players and coaches. Special events will even showcase the inclusion of the USAF Thunderbirds and National Anthem during the Superbowl. Individual character models will also now follow the ball as their heads and bodies tilt in the direction of the pigskin and game action.

All of theses features and options certainly add a new dimension to the franchise and judging by the response so far it appears that Madden NFL 10 is already finding a strong audience among fans. Players who want to experience the game for themselves can download the demo right now on Xbox LIVE.

For those wanting the full game, the wait is almost over. Madden NFL 10 will be released on August 14th, 2009. Grab your gear and get ready for kickoff!

Madden NFL 10 Gameplay

Also released this week on the Xbox 360 is Trials HD, a fast paced motorcycle racer that received a nice deal of buzz at this year's E3. This new arcade racer will come with over 50 unique tracks to race and compete on, and even better, the game boasts a track editor that will allow gamers to create, edit, and share their own customized tracks with friends and community members. source>>>

Former New England Patriots [team stats] defensive back Tebucky Jones - who is suing three doctors for allegedly failing to diagnosis a career-ending injury - claimed yesterday that the practice of cutting hurt players from NFL teams is more widespread than commonly believed.

"This (lawsuit) is just me, individually, but it happens all the time and it needs to stop," Jones, 34, told reporters yesterday, adding that he knows of at least one other NFL player who was cut while injured without being fully compensated. "To have doctors come out and shortchange you like that, that's not right."

The Herald reported Sunday that Jones, an eight-year NFL veteran, filed a lawsuit last week against Dr. Thomas J. Gill IV, head Patriots physician, Dr. Bertram Zarins, another Patriots doctor, Rhode Island Hospital's Dr. Jeffrey M. Brody and Shields MRI. The Patriots are not named in the suit.

Jones alleges that Gill and Zarins, who practice at Massachusetts General Hospital, twice failed to tell him that MRIs taken in 2006 at a Shields facility showed a chronic tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Those two MRI reports also raised concern about a right knee posterolateral corner injury, records show.

Jones, who was injured Aug. 26, 2006, claims he should have been told about his injury immediately.

"If they would have just came out and told me, I could have got the surgery and went on from there," said Jones, who was paid $710,000 for the first year of a two-year contract before he was released. "I'd probably be in training camp somewhere right now."

This isn't the first time a former Patriots player has gone public with injury concerns. In 2007, former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said he was forced to play while recovering from concussions, leaving him with mental health problems.

Representatives for the National Football League and the NFL Players Association declined comment. Messages left yesterday for Gill, Zarins, Brody and Shields were not returned.
source>>>

"Little stuff" holding up Eli's big deal

It's been been five days now since Eli Manning agreed to that mammoth, six-year, $97.5 million contract extension, but he still hasn't put his signature on the dotted line. Today, at least, the Giants quarterback broke his silence about the stalemate.

And he insisted it's no big deal ... I mean, it is a big deal ... a really big deal ... but the holdup isn't a big deal ... at least not to him.

Manning said the deal is being held up by "very, very little stuff. So it'll get worked out. I don't have much info on it right now."

Asked if he expected it to be finalized soon, he said "I think so."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Giants GM Jerry Reese told the media there's nothing new to report.

"When there's something new to report," he told us, "you guys will be the first to know."

Somehow I doubt that. But as soon as I know, you'll know source>>>

There was renewed anticipation Monday in and around the NFL that recently reinstated quarterback Michael Vick might be inching closer to signing with a team.

After Tony Dungy, the former Indianapolis Colts coach who serves as an adviser to Vick, said during the television broadcast of Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game that he expected Vick to sign soon, several people familiar with the deliberations indicated Monday a handful of teams have been demonstrating behind-the-scenes interest.

"I don't know where he's gonna end up," one person familiar with the situation said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the talks are at a sensitive stage. "I can't tell you which teams, but I know there's at least five."

As of Monday, it had been two weeks since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated Vick, allowing him to sign and participate in practices. Vick is eligible to play in his team's final two preseason games, and Goodell is to rule by Week 6 on Vick's eligibility to play in regular season games.

The former standout quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons has missed the last two NFL seasons while serving his federal sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia. His partial reinstatement by Goodell came a week after Vick was released from federal custody. Vick is a free agent after being released by the Falcons in the offseason.

No NFL team has acknowledged publicly it is attempting to sign Vick. But Dungy, now an NFL analyst for NBC, said during the network's broadcast of the Bills-Titans preseason game in Canton, Ohio, that Vick had been in contact with a handful of teams, and "he has several teams interested." Dungy said he'd spoken to a number of NFL coaches about Vick.
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The former coach did not identify any of the interested teams but indicated he believed Vick could be signed within a week or so. Dungy said "something may happen here pretty shortly."

Dungy said he wasn't sure if Vick, who is set to be interviewed on "60 Minutes" this Sunday, is in football-playing shape. But a person familiar with the situation said Monday he'd been told Vick is in very good physical condition after training recently with speed coach Tom Shaw.

Vick's representatives have said little publicly about their deliberations with teams, and agent Joel Segal was not available to comment Monday. But even before Dungy's comments, some within the league had suspected Vick would end up back on an NFL roster at some point in the not-too-distant future.

"There's usually a market for good football players," New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese said late last week at his team's training camp in Albany, N.Y. "That's really not for me to say. [But] he's a good football player, so I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up with a team before the season's out."

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said at his club's camp in Bethlehem, Pa., last week that "with every player, there's risk" and he was waiting to see what happens when the Vick situation "plays itself out."

The upstart United Football League, which begins play this fall, has been mentioned as a possible fallback. But people close to Vick have said he is focused on a return to the NFL.
Any NFL team that contemplates signing Vick will have to consider the possible public relations ramifications, people within the league have said, and then will have to discuss how he would fit into that club's quarterback hierarchy and offensive system. Even the football-related considerations are a bit tricky, with the regular season only a month away.

"I really think the timing of it really has a lot to do with it," Giants center Shaun O'Hara said late last week. "If this decision had been made in the spring and a team had a chance to bring him in and spend time with him and have him learn the offense, I think that maybe would be a different situation. Right now, everybody is trying to focus who they can have on the roster now, and then they're going to be trimming rosters, not trying to add players."

Some executives within the league continue to wonder if Vick could end up with the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers. Both are stable organizations with established quarterbacks who presumably wouldn't feel threatened by Vick's presence.

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick at one point declined during a news conference to rule out signing Vick. But Patriots owner Robert Kraft said during a subsequent radio interview he doubted the club would make any move that would result in quarterback Tom Brady being out of the lineup for even a single play.

Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said during a recent news conference that his club considers all options. There were reports the Packers were giving serious consideration to signing Vick and had sent a member of the front office to meet with him, but team president Mark Murphy has said he doesn't envision the move being made.

Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox has declined to rule out signing Vick but also indicated he thinks his team is set at quarterback.

The Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams and the Bills are among the teams that indicated they had no interest in signing Vick. source>>>