The Jaguars have looked at the tape and they came to the same conclusion I did. Byron Leftwich is a better quarterback than David Garrard. He makes throws that few NFL quarterbacks can. His teammates love playing with him. He hasn't put it all together, but he has a higher upside than Garrard.

The decision to keep Leftwich as the starter isn't a huge surprise. He was Jack Del Rio's first pick. The fact there won't even be a competition for the job also isn't too surprising. The team wants to avoid a media circus that has enflammed the team's fanbase for years.

The Jaguars say they want to keep Garrard, but he would be an attractive trading chip. If Garrard makes any noise about wanting to get out, which would make sense, Jacksonville should just avoid the QB controversy next season and deal him. They could get a mid-round pick for him, if not higher.

Leftwich has more experience than Garrard, but his history of taking big hits and getting injured has to be a concern. Trading Garrard is still worthwhile, however, if the team believes in Quinn Gray. He was a revelation in Week 17, igniting the Jaguars offense against a Chiefs team that needed a win to make the playoffs. The Jaguars lost that day, but Gray led them to three second half touchdowns.

Jacksonville has rare quarterback depth, and they should be able to take advantage in the next few months.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

More than 24 hours after the latest and most inflammatory news about Pacman broke, all the major media have jumped on board, including my employers. We even have embedded video!

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Blurbs have been flying fast and furious on our news page the last 36 hours, and it's only going to pick up with the entire NFL at the combine.

Here are some good combine links before I get back to the news ...

Our very own Evan Silva looks at players to watch this week.

FootballOutsiders' always excellent Michael David Smith previews the week.

For Blogs at the combine with live coverage, Bills.com's Chris Brown, the Boston Globes' Reiss' Pieces, Mason's Morsels from DenverBroncos.com and Tom Kowalski's Lions blog have all been active on day one.

Scout.com also has a lot of information on their blog and an Adam Caplan blog, but I'm not sure if it's subscription only.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The NFL Network starts their live coverage of the Combine today at 2 PM. While there should be a lot of good stories and NFL rumors coming out of the media room in Indy, there isn't actually any action on television until Saturday.

Today and tomorrow will just be players being weighed and getting medical tests. NFL Network will air two hours of press conferences with the players, but you aren't missing much if you are working today.

I'm up in Stamford ready to tape a baseball and football edition of the Fix today in our new studio, so I will miss the coverage today as well. Starting Saturday and continuing until Tuesday, I'm going to try to liveblog as much of the event as possible, so check back this weekend.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does anyone else find the deafening silence from the big sports outlets on the Pacman Jones case bizarre?

Is it because of legal issues? Does the NFL help keep it quiet because it crosses the line of making a well-known athlete look depraved for lack of a better word? Is it because police haven't officially accused Jones of anything yet? That hasn't stopped the AP from reporting about it, but it has stopped the biggest sites from even carrying a stunning article from Wednesday including strippers, assault, a shooting, and one of the NFL's best young players.

Thursday's development's come courtesy of a search warrant obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Jones reportedly came to the club with $81,000 in a trash bag, which ultimately caused the melee. The bag was later stolen by a promoter. You can't make this stuff up.

As we learn more about the case, it's becoming clear that this story is only just starting for Jones. The Titans and the NFL are going to need to address the issue sooner rather than later.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The active player with the highest Wonderlich Score in the NFL is Kevin Curtis, with a 48. Just thought you should know.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LaDainian Tomlinson was in studio on the NFL Network Wednesday. He was very positive about the coaching change and came across well as gracious and intelligent as always. But he's also honest, and his attempts to spin it positive sometimes didn't come out right.

"I really believe Marty is probably more of a motivating coach. He has a tendency to get you pumped up," Tomlinson said. "When you look at Norv ... Norv is more of a laid-back guy, I think he's more easy-going. He demands discipline from his players, but I don't think he really pushes the envelope like Marty."

Perhaps catching himself, Tomlinson continued, "But I think change can be different sometimes. Sometimes guys react to coaching in different ways."

Yes, change can be ... different. But you don't want to change too much from a 14-2 team.

The other notable part of the interview was when Rod Woodson asked if the Chargers '07 season is Super Bowl or bust.

"The conference championship game is that next step to take. At least get there. Even if we don't reach the Super Bowl, we're taking huge strides. Anything less than that is a huge failure," Tomlinson said.

That's an odd line to draw. I don't see how winning one playoff game is that big a step for a team that was 14-2. I believe each NFL season is it's own self-contained universe, and there isn't as much carry-over from one year to the next as most believe.

If the Chargers somehow got back into a similar position next season, but fell one game short of the Super Bowl, it wouldn't be progress. It would be another painful missed opportunity with LT2 in his prime.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's hard to change a losing culture or a perception of a "cursed" franchise when all your big free agent signings suffer career-threatening injuries.

Last year, ESPN.com ranked C LeCharles Bentley as the top free agent on the market. The Browns got him to back out of a verbal deal with the Eagles to sign with them, which looked like a major coup. But Bentley's career may have ended on his first day of training camp last year. The Browns couldn't cut him even if they want to now, so they will see where his health is at next year at this time. He's definitely going to miss the 2007 season and the Browns don't have a center.

Meanwhile, their big free agent signing of 2005 may also be done as a pro. Gary Baxter, who received a $10 million signing bonus at the time, is recovering from two torn patella tendons. If he plays in 2007, it would be a surprise.

Continue reading "Are the Browns cursed? " »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The latest AP article on the Pacman Jones situation is a doozy. The actions of the night are straight out of a Sopranos episode. If the co-owner of the night club in question is even half right about Jones' involvement, his future with the Titans could be in bigger trouble than first believed.

The most ridiculous part of the story is that the whole fracas started because Jones or a rap artist to be named later threw a bunch of dollar bills in the air and people started fighting for it. The co-owner Robert Susner claims Jones, "Tossed hundreds of $1 bills on the stripper stage ... when a dancer started grabbing the money without Jones' permission, he got angry, grabbed her, and slammed her head against the stage."

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm getting married the same week our annual magazine is due this year (early May, because we're doing two magazines). Between the wedding, and moving in a few weeks, I'm worried about my sanity over the next few months.

To make it run smoothly, I'm starting my magazine work... now! And that includes the somewhat mind-numbing (but useful) practice of going over all my notes from the season and condensing them by player. This is one source I use for our outlooks.

Anyhow, I began the process a few days ago. I couldn't help enjoying these notes on Rex Grossman, from the second game of the preseason.

Grossman: Good game until first interception. Then mentally collapses. Takes unnecessary delay of game. Fumbles snap. Then throws wild interception on second-and-23. Gets booed. Later calls it overwhelming.

Can't say Lovie didn't ignore some warning signs.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)