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INSIDE DISH: Redskins trying to move up for Gallery?
Dan Pompei
Posted: 51 minutes ago
The latest draft scoop is the Raiders and Redskins already might have a silent agreement to make a draft-day deal.
The Raiders would trade the second pick in the draft to the Redskins for the fifth overall pick and LT Chris Samuels. The Redskins then would select Robert Gallery to replace Samuels. The Raiders then would take WR Roy Williams or TE Kellen Winslow.
Chris Samuels could join former Redskins coach Norv Turner in Oakland.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
The deal makes sense on a couple of fronts. Raiders coach Norv Turner was Samuels' first coach in the NFL, and Redskins management has been frustrated over the inability to sign Samuels to a contract extension. The Redskins reached a similar impasse with CB Champ Bailey and subsequently traded him to Denver. . . .
One unheralded reason the Chargers and Raiders might like to trade out of the first and second spots in the draft: money. Both teams have poor fan support and unfavorable stadium contracts. To sign the first pick in the draft, the Chargers would have to cough up a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $15 million and commit to a contract worth approximately $46 million. . . .
The Packers want to cut back the playing time of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila after the defensive end played approximately 90 percent of the defensive snaps in 2003. The thought is that Gbaja-Biamila can be more effective with more rest, so he'll be on the sideline in more first- and second-down situations. The Packers are paying Gbaja-Biamila too much for him to be a nickel pass rusher exclusively, however. The plan is for Gbaja-Biamila to be on the field about 60 percent of the time. The team also will try to help Gbaja-Biamila by using less gap control and allowing him to get up the field more. . . .
OLB Takeo Spikes had a history of hamstring problems -- until he signed with the Bills last year. On the advice of Bills strength and conditioning coordinator Rusty Jones, Spikes changed his diet and stretching routine. The result was a player who didn't miss so much as a practice last season. . . .
It isn't going to get any easier for the Titans after the coming season. They already have nearly $107 million of salary committed for 2005, which figures to be about $22 million over the projected salary cap. And they only have 31 players under contract. The two biggest salary cap hogs are DE Kevin Carter, who will take up $13.9 million worth of space, and QB Steve McNair, who will take up $12.6 million. The Titans will have to do quite a bit of creative accounting to continue to field a contending team. It's not impossible to do, as the Raiders can attest. . . .
The Vikings are encouraging DT Chris Hovan to change the way he trains. Coach Mike Tice believes Hovan was too muscular last season, and it cost him some of his lateral quickness, explosion and change-of-direction ability. Hovan weighed about 305 pounds in 2003. The Vikings would like to see him no heavier than 297 this year.
Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. Email him at [email protected].
Dan Pompei
Posted: 51 minutes ago
The latest draft scoop is the Raiders and Redskins already might have a silent agreement to make a draft-day deal.
The Raiders would trade the second pick in the draft to the Redskins for the fifth overall pick and LT Chris Samuels. The Redskins then would select Robert Gallery to replace Samuels. The Raiders then would take WR Roy Williams or TE Kellen Winslow.
Chris Samuels could join former Redskins coach Norv Turner in Oakland.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
The deal makes sense on a couple of fronts. Raiders coach Norv Turner was Samuels' first coach in the NFL, and Redskins management has been frustrated over the inability to sign Samuels to a contract extension. The Redskins reached a similar impasse with CB Champ Bailey and subsequently traded him to Denver. . . .
One unheralded reason the Chargers and Raiders might like to trade out of the first and second spots in the draft: money. Both teams have poor fan support and unfavorable stadium contracts. To sign the first pick in the draft, the Chargers would have to cough up a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $15 million and commit to a contract worth approximately $46 million. . . .
The Packers want to cut back the playing time of Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila after the defensive end played approximately 90 percent of the defensive snaps in 2003. The thought is that Gbaja-Biamila can be more effective with more rest, so he'll be on the sideline in more first- and second-down situations. The Packers are paying Gbaja-Biamila too much for him to be a nickel pass rusher exclusively, however. The plan is for Gbaja-Biamila to be on the field about 60 percent of the time. The team also will try to help Gbaja-Biamila by using less gap control and allowing him to get up the field more. . . .
OLB Takeo Spikes had a history of hamstring problems -- until he signed with the Bills last year. On the advice of Bills strength and conditioning coordinator Rusty Jones, Spikes changed his diet and stretching routine. The result was a player who didn't miss so much as a practice last season. . . .
It isn't going to get any easier for the Titans after the coming season. They already have nearly $107 million of salary committed for 2005, which figures to be about $22 million over the projected salary cap. And they only have 31 players under contract. The two biggest salary cap hogs are DE Kevin Carter, who will take up $13.9 million worth of space, and QB Steve McNair, who will take up $12.6 million. The Titans will have to do quite a bit of creative accounting to continue to field a contending team. It's not impossible to do, as the Raiders can attest. . . .
The Vikings are encouraging DT Chris Hovan to change the way he trains. Coach Mike Tice believes Hovan was too muscular last season, and it cost him some of his lateral quickness, explosion and change-of-direction ability. Hovan weighed about 305 pounds in 2003. The Vikings would like to see him no heavier than 297 this year.
Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. Email him at [email protected].
