Yes, he did sign with the Birds. No, it those birds are not the Eagles, however, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Via a very giddy SSR.
Just a day after I was pretty much flying through the roof over the signing of Colin Cole, the Seattle Seahawks just made a signing that made me happy! Just hours ago TJ Houshmandzadeh agreed to a 5 year, $40 million deal ($15 million guaranteed) with the Seahawks, making him the biggest offensive signing of free agency so far.
And just because this blog has been deprived of happy fandom this football off-season, I present to you more from the same post of SSR that I linked to above!
YES!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!! I’ve been waiting for Ruskell to get off his chair and make a significant signing to improve their biggest need. Now with that said, this pretty much implies Bobby Engram is a goner and the chances of drafting Michael Crabtree took a nosedive, but this is a step in the right direction for rebuilding the offense.
For once, Seattle will finally have a receiver who isn’t 6 feet or shorter to throw to. Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace will have a fighting chance on fade passes into the end zone.
Next up is to rebuild the disastrous and aging offensive line.
Now if you’ll excuse me, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Getting back to the Eagles, though, after all of the campaigning I have done for the Eagles to sign Houshamanilly, I'm not upset at all, especially if the rumor that I reported a few days ago (sorry, it's 11:34 at night and I don't feel like searching for the link). Anyway, in a nutshell, Housh's agent lied to the Eagles, saying that he would go to them for less $ but the Eagles did research and it turned out Housh (and/or his agent) was actually wanted more money from the Eagles than other teams. If that rumor is true, then I don't blame the Eagles for not signing him.
Now if we can only TRADE FOR ANQUAN BOLDIN! and DRAFT BEANIE WELLS! Hell, this off-season has been so depressing, I'd even take a trade for Torry Holt or a Marvin Harrison signing has a free agency win, but come on Eagles, everyone is projecting it, DRAFT BEANIE WELLS!
"And how about Digger's dancing the other day at Cal?" - Sean McDonough
Sorry about the delay. There was a troll at AA who has worn on my last nerve and it was just the time and the place to tell him off.
Notre Dame leads Villanova 32-29 with 1:00 to go in the 1st half.
STOKES FROM 3 TIES THE GAME AT 32!
It's been a back and forth game thus far with Notre Dame getting the early edge but Nova going on a run shortly afterwards and since then we have had more lead changes and ties in this first half then most games have.
Cunningham's shot is blocked and that's the end of the first half. Villanova is tied at 32 with Notre Dame.
And now, here's the ESPN YouTube Video Of The Day.
Gotta love the PTI boys putting this in the Happy Trails portion of their show. Why is it happy trails, you ask? Loss of dignity. Sadly, this is not the first time though, that Digger has been caught busting a move.
Did I just see The Q-Tip? Good lord, Digger, get a life. And actually, while I'm thinking about it, get a dance lesson!
"This is my audtion tape for Dancing With The Stars." - Digger Phelps "MAKE IT STOP!" - Rece Davis
I honestly don't know what was talked about more that halftime show? Basketball or a fan's video that captured Digger Phelps dancing. It's funny and all, but was there really need to spend an entire halftime show showing it and talking about it?
Thank goodness the 2nd half is starting soon...
"I hope you enjoyed that song from Bill Ratery's iPod." - Sean McDonough
Raft would have Saliva on his iPod. The 2nd half is underway and Nova has the ball. Bad turnover.
Nice shot my Harangody. It almost looked like he pulled a Tom Brady from his buttocks type deal.
"It's a little bit danger time for Notre Dame." - Jay Bilas
Err, Jay, it's a 3-point game with 16:53 to go. And now it's a 1-point game. Why couldn't it just be McDonough and Raft?
"You've seen enough short arms, haven't you, hanging around McDonough." - Bill Raftery
+1, my friend. If only ou can call every game possible.
39-39 at the media timeout.
Wait, someone who surely has a lot of money as this David Apernathe, buys his first car at 28?
"I think, what's interesting, is that the committee is looking for the 34 best teams." - Jay Bilas
Oh gee, really, I never knew that! Thank's for the insight, Jay!
Nice rebound by Harangody. And we've gone from "danger zone" to a 4-point lead for the Irish. REYNOLDS FROM 3! One-point lead.
Gotta love Scottie Reynolds! The Wildcats now lead by 2.
"Harangody dropped it in." - Sean McDonough
I got a really bad image from that. Timeout Notre Dame, as Harangody is exhausted and the Irish are short some players.
G-Town is done. They are only talking about them because they are in The Big East. (49er16) Georgetown is in this discussion by name recognition and reputation. (SSR)
Villanova has the lead again! Up 51-50 over the Irish.
Aspeaking of overrated, Michigan State is a likely 2-seed. A Big 10 team is going to be a 2-seed!
53-50 at the media timeout.
Villanova now leads by 5 thanks to Shane Clark. Reynolds kicks it out to REDDING WHO MAY HAVE GIVEN US A DAGGER! 8-POINT LEAD! Timeout Notre Dame.
"I hate to see the season end, but I don't have to put up with McDonough anyomre. There are some blessings." - Bill Raftery
Ah, but Grandpa Verne is only 17 days away! Cunningham misses a fadeaway and an over the back foul by Redding on the rebound attempts.
REYNOLDS FROM 3 AND IT'S AN 11-POINT LEAD!
Finally, the Wildcats are playing like they should. Clark connects to bring the lead up to 13. 12-straight points for the Wildcats. Until now as Harangody makes a freebie.
He had a toenail on the ground? Jay Bilas says some weird things. (SSR)
Anderson dunks, but I'll admit, there may have been a foul there. Not that it matters. The Irish only have 6-players available, they're exhausted, and they are down by 16 with under 5 to go.
So ESPN is finally writing off Notre Dame? Yet they won't rule out Georgetown, who have a worst Big East record than the Irish.
Aires makes a 3 for the Irish! Down by 13 now and Nash is fouled.
67-54 with under 4 to go. The Wildcats are finally blowing out a team they are supposed to. REJOICE!
"Villanova when they get the ball, they gotta run some offense." - Jay Bilas
As opposed to defense? Yeah, I'd recommend rnning some offense when you have the ball as well.
SHANE CLARK CAPS A PERFECT CLOCK-MELTING POSSESSION WITH A 3! LEAD BY 16!
Back to 13. McAlarney from 3.
Well it's on to football for the Irish fans. Oh wait.... (49er16)
That comment just won the internets! The same can be said for Michigan, who thought they were all that when they beat Duke.
Wow, winningest Villanova senior class ever. Congrats to them!
Yeah, Villanova is getting all of the desparation bubble teams to conclude the season. I'll try to have a live blog for that Providence game.
18-point lead for the Wildcats with 1:30 to go and Jay Bilas is still trying to discuss strategy for the Irish. Get over it, Jay, the Irish are going to the NIT along with Georgetown. Actually I take that back, I think if the Irish make a run in the Big East tourney i.e. semifinals or better, they might get in. G-Town needs to win it outright, in my opinion. In other words, the Hoya's odds are the same as DePaul's.
Notre Dame, down 17 is not fouling with 25 seconds to go and that's it! The Villanova Wildcats may have just burst the bubble of Notre Dame, beating them 77-60!
Sorry for the delay, I was annoyed by a spammer. Thanks for joining me as the Wildcats still have an outside prayer of a double bye and the Irish may no longer have a prayer of The Big Dance. Thanks for joining me on this banner day at Fire Andy Reid Now! 6-posts in a day, that's a new record for me. And I may have a Houshamanilly post coming.
This is like the 3rd or 4th time I've told myself that this is going to be my last post of the day, but good grief, stories are flying left and right in all directions that I just can't get away from it all. The latest is a report from Chris Harry on The Morning Call
But Sunday marked the start of March, which means NFL offseason programs are mere weeks away. Before long, work will be heavy on players' minds.
In Westbrook's case, a key step toward that front was taken recently when he underwent knee surgery and began a rigorous rehab he hopes will whip him back in the form he displayed for most of the 2008 season, during which he wore down in the home stretch.
''It's getting better all the time,' he said.
Westbrook's agent is downplaying the situation considerably saying that he is already at 100% and this won't be an issue at all come the start of Mini-Camp. But there is a bigger issue at stake here.
Andrew Walter "Andy" Reid, you are losing your team. You lost the only credible back up to Westbrook to the Broncos (I have problems calling Lorenzo Booker credible; he's been an Eagle for a year now. Really. He has.), you lost your emotional leader, Brian Dawkins, to the Denver Broncos as well. But now, your starting running back is breaking down, Andy, he is breaking down! An injury-plagued season. Off-season surgery. The cruel, cruel monster that is age. It's all happening to Brian Westbrook. This is not the young team it used to be. Brian Westbrook, now, more so than ever, is not the guy for 3rd and 1 situations! The man is not equipped to plow through people and get a yard. And the outside pitch has been figured out by pretty much NFL team on that situaton when the Eagles are playing. Look, Andy, I know you have much better things to do than listen to some blogger who is calling for your job, but for goodness sakes man, get a grip! This team needs a back-up running back that can plow through the hole and get you those tough 2 yards every time he touches the ball. The Eagles need Beanie Wells, and I do not care how on earth you go about it, even if it means trading up to ensure that you get him, just get him!
Well, I'll admit, things got off to a slow-start today, even for me. But seeing as I'm essentially snowed in for the day and there are crazy stories of idiocy breaking everywhere today, let's keep the blogging fun coming. This latest story has so many different stories to it that my head hurts trying to figure out to believe or who to not believe. The accusation: Former Flyer, Steve Downie (yes, this is the same Steve Downie who went airborn on Dean McAmmond) and current member of the Tampa Bay Lightning AHL affiliate Norfolk Admirals, intentionally slashed an official! As in a referee! Yes, this guy is crazy! But wait a minute, did he? Was it intentional? Or was it an accident? Here are 3 reports of the incident compiled very nicely by The 700 Level
With the BEARS leading 5-4, Chris Bourque was tackled from behind as he tried to shoot into the empty net, and was credited with his 15th goal at 19:46 although the puck never entered the net. HERSHEY took a 6-4 lead on the goal and essentially clinched the victory. Norfolk forward Steve Downie then returned to center ice for the face-off and slashed linesman Mike Hamilton across the right shin. Referee Jeff Smith assessed a game misconduct on Downie for physical abuse of officials under ruler 41.2 category one. The ruling calls for an automatic 20-game suspension. Norfolk has just 21 games remaining.
Now let's go to the viewpoint of Hershey Bears broadcaster John Walton.
"The two teams came to center ice for the face-off, and Downie stepped into the face-off circle. Linesman (Mike) Hamilton prepared to drop the puck. Instead of trying to win the face-off, Downie took a baseball-like swing with full wind-up and struck Hamilton across the right shin. Watching the replay no less than 20 times myself during the postgame, I was appalled not only at the lack of respect for an official, but the sheer violence from one man to another"
But is it really this cut and dry? Not so fast says Norfolk Admirals GM Mike Butters.
"The linesman was really not even part of this," Butters said. "The centerman across from (Downie) was yapping at him. "(Downie) went to swipe at the stick. He swung in a downward motion and hit the puck. The intent was there to hit the puck. He may or may not have clipped the official's skate."
Those are certainly two rather conflicting reports, aren't they? And of course, at about the time that a YouTube video would come in handy in determining what really happened, no one has posted anything. And where is the official who was slashed in all of this? Where is this replay that Walton saw over 20 times. Is Walton exaggerating to try to get this guy away from hockey forever, because, as we all know, this is not the first time he has done something vicious. Is the Admiral GM just trying to save his player's ass because he knows he is guilty yet since there is no video to prove it, he is just trying to get his guy a lighter suspension? Who's telling the truth? Come on people, what is the truth?
I'll keep you updated on this, but for now, enjoy (or rather, cringe) as Steve Downie knocks Dean McAmmond senseless.
It is safe to say, that he is not missed as a Flyer.
I'm sure that most of you have heard this by this point, but Jay Cutler was almost traded to the Broncos and to say the least, the Bronco QB is not at all that happy. This is his response from the Denver Post.
"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me," Cutler said this afternoon. "We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here, I liked playing with these guys but obviously they're not going to let me have that opportunity."
[....]
"I'm upset. I mean I'm really shocked at this point," he said. "I could see why they want Cassel. I don't know if they think I can't run the system or I don't have the skills for it. I just don't get it. Or if they don't think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don't know what it is. I've heard I'm still on the trading block."
[...]
If Cutler is not traded, and he stays with the Broncos, can his situation be mended? Cutler took a long pause before answering.
"Anything can be mended," he said. "I'll always play with the guys we've got. I love playing for those guys. Obviously, Josh and I's relationship has taken a few steps backward. I don't play for the coaches anyway, I play for teammates. As long as we keep the guys we've got I'll go out there and play. I love those guys."
Cutler said he had spoken with teammates Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler and Casey Wiegmann, among others, about his trade.
"I know they love playing for me and I love playing for them," Cutler said. "There's going to be a lot of problems if they try to trade me. Well, they've already tried to trade me, but if they trade me for sure."
Aww, poor Jay-Jay Cutty Wutty is upset because he was nearwy twaded by dose mean, nasty, Bwoncos.
While New England and Kansas City were agreeing to Saturday’s trade of Cassel to the Chiefs for the draft’s 34th overall pick, there were more teams in the mix. Detroit, Tampa and Denver were involved in trade talks of their own also tied to Cassel, according to sources in the respective NFL cities.
Tampa approached Denver to try to make a three-way trade that would have sent Cassel to the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler to the Buccaneers. The Broncos entertained the notion and pondered it but ultimately decided against it.
Also, the Lions approached the Broncos about a trade for Cutler, trying to dangle Cassel as bait. Once again, Denver debated the deal and opted against it apparently. What made it a moot point was that while all Tampa, Detroit and Denver engaged in trade talks with New Engalnd, the Patriots went ahead and dealt Cassel to the Chiefs.
The Broncos firmly maintain that they never intended to trade Cutler, that they were approached to make the trades. But, as of Saturday afternoon, Cutler was angry to hear that his name had been floated in any trade conversations.
Now the Chiefs have Cassel, the Broncos still have Cutler and the Lions and Buccaneers continue their search for quarterbacks in one of the wilder and more complex behind-the-scene dramas the NFL has seen in any recent offseason.
That's an article that should start with the words "Warning: May cause severe headache".
But in all seriousness, there are trade talks with almost all players and almost all teams, and very few of them ever come to fruition. Look at Donovan McNabb. There have been trade rumors and discussions regarding him for the past few years now and look where he still is and look at how he's handled the situation. How many hissy fits as he thrown over his career over trade rumors?
And before you call me a hypocrite for crying over Dawkins and yet here I am making fun of Cutler, remember this, Cutler is a multi-millionaire professional, I'm an unpaid hapless blogger who lives in my mother's basement.
Update: It appears as if our buddy Jay Cutler is a hypocrite. For according to SI's Peter King, Cutler wanted to be traded out of Denver. According to Peter King
I heard one other interesting thing Sunday: Cutler asked for a trade shortly after the Broncos lost offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates -- Cutler's confidant -- to USC after the season. So maybe both sides need to go into marriage counseling here.
Marriage counseling? Seriously Peter?
But getting to the meat and potatoes of this story, it appears as if Jay Cutler only wants to be traded when it is a benefit to him, not right after the Denver Broncos hit the non-Albert Haynesworth jackpot during free agency. Typical prima donna quarterback. Jay Cutler, I take no shame whatsoever in calling you a selfish, hypocritical douche bag!
Like I said in the previous post, there is 6-inches of snow on the ground, so what better way to spend it than by delving into some of this year's bracketology. I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to making a full-fledged bracket (and even if I do, it'd be amateur hour time for I have never attempted a projection bracket before and I have not seen near enough "mid-major" games to make an accurate, thorough projection without taking ideas from someone else's bracket), but alas here are my thoughts on certain aspects of the bracket.
The number one seeds are very much in doubt at this stage. This has been a year of a lot of parity in college basketball whenever it seems like we've finally pegged that one team that will make a run for it and dominate the #1 spot, they lose a game. With that being said, I think that unless something drastic happens, while by no means a lock for the #1 overall, I think that UNC will definitley be a #1. And along with them, I project Oklahoma, UConn, and Memphis.
The bubble is not quite as exciting as it normally is this year. It seems like this is one of the years where there the middle is not as cluttered as it normally is. That being said, here is my take on some of the more interesting teams to look for this year.
Davidson. They were a great story this year, but there only hope is of making the field is to win the SoCon tournament. Their only win that really jumps off the page is West Virginia, but even then, they were without one of their big time starters, Alex Ruoff. The good news for Davidson, winning the SoCon should be much of a problem for them.
Maryland. The Terps have been an interesting team to say the least. They have beaten the Tar Heels, yet they have been completely blown out by Duke and they were beat by Morgan State in non-conference play. Playing and doing well in the ACC will help them on Selection Sunday, but only if they have a deep run in the ACC Tournament. If they can make the Final Four of the ACC Tournament and have a strong showing in that game, win or lose, I think they'll be satisfied on Selection Sunday, if not, then it could be a sad day for Terps fans.
The Big 10. How on earth Michigan State is in the discussions for a 2-seed is completely beyond me (not sure who they will be matched up against, but they are already on my 1st round upset radar), but the Big 10 as been just a tad above the SEC as far as weakness of major conference goes. The interesting stories coming out of the Big 10 this year are Penn State and Michigan, both of whom, while they have historically great football teams, their basketball teams have been less than stellar to say the least. In my opinion, I think that only one of these 2 teams is getting in, and that one team is Penn State (and I'm not saying this because PSU is my favorite football team and I can't stand Michigan, I'm looking at this from an objective viewpoint). Michigan may have the slight edge in quality wins, but Michigan has seemingly fallen apart in Big 10 conference and have done nothing to stand out at all. Meanwhile, while not a great record, Penn State's 9-7 and sole possession of 4th place in the Big 10 should be enough to get them into The Big Dance, barring a complete end of season/Big 10 Tournament collapse that sees them losing to a weak team.
Doing some local analysis here, I personally as if the A-10 is the 7th best conference in college basketball. There are some really strong teams in that conference and almost regularlly get multiple teams into the conference tournaments. While Temple may have a very outside shot of an at-large, St. Joe's has no chance. The best (and maybe only) hope for both teams is to go into Boardwalk Hall and win the A-10 Tournament, which with the likes of Xavier, Rhode Island, and Dayton playing in it, will be a very difficult achievement.
Last four in: Penn State, Providence, Notre Dame, Cincinnati
Last four out: Michigan, Kentucky, Temple, Georgetown
You would think that 6 inches of snow last night would really do a lot to brighten up the mood around things, but alas that has not happened. Not the least of which is a story emerging out of the NFL of the three missing people off the coast of Florida, two of whom are NFL players. Here's the latest scoop from NFL.com
The Coast Guard found a person clinging to an overturned boat off Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday, but couldn't immediately confirm whether it is the same boat that went missing with two NFL players aboard over the weekend.
The St. Petersburg Times reported that the Coast Guard did find the missing boat and that former University of South Florida player Nick Schuyler is the survivor.
Corey Smith, a free-agent defensive end who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and Marquis Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, as well as Schuyler and former USF teammate Will Bleakley left on a fishing trip early Saturday. Weather conditions worsened through the day, and the men didn't return as expected in the evening.
The men were reported missing Sunday, and the Coast Guard had searched about 16,000 square miles of ocean for the 21-foot Everglades-manufactured boat by Monday morning.
Everglades boats are built with compressed foam encased in Fiberglas, which makes them difficult or impossible to sink.
Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen confirmed that searchers located a boat. No further details were available.
Unless there is some miracle, it appears as if Smith, Cooper, and Bleakley may never return. Hopefully I am wrong and that by some miracle they show up again, even if it is 20-years from now on the coast of some deserted island.
