As the Atlanta Falcons begin a three-day mandatory minicamp Saturday, they'll have a new face (rookie quarterback Matt Ryan) and a new mind (courtesy of new coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff). But the one thing the Falcons did keep was their heart.

They kept Keith Brooking.

Some day, the middle linebacker will get his due. Maybe a few years down the road, Ryan, Smith and Dimitroff will stand around at Super Bowl media day and talk about the franchise's remarkable turnaround. They probably will talk about some rough times early on, and if there's any justice in the world, they'll talk about Brooking.

In the past year, Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino came pretty close to re-enacting Sherman's march through Georgia -- torching a fan base as Vick went to federal prison and Petrino to the University of Arkansas. In the past few months, the Falcons worked to bury just about every sign of the past, releasing popular running back Warrick Dunn and tight end Alge Crumpler and unloading disgruntled cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

CLICK IT 4 the full read.......brooking does indeed, have heart!!!

No position on the Eagles' roster comes under more scrutiny than that of the wide receiver.

Since the departure of Terrell Owens, Eagles' fans have been clamoring for a receiver of Owens' ability. Prayers were almost answered this offseason when the team nearly snagged Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, and Roy Williams.

The team also had the chance to sign former Denver receiver Javon Walker, as well as former Raider Jerry Porter. However, no new receivers ended up in Eagles' green during the free agency spending frenzy.

It was not until the Draft that head coach Andy Reid and company snagged a receiver in Cal's electrifying DeSean Jackson.

The first mini camps have come and gone without any meaningful new additions to the position.

This begs the question: Can the Eagles make a Super Bowl run with these receivers?

Reid thinks so.

"We did a tremendous job statistically in just about every area," Reid said in a press conference last week. "We'll work very hard at [red zone production], and we'll be fine there."

CLICK IT!!!!!! just for the record i dig Curtis, always have & well Jackson is gonna be off the hook soon enough!!! as usual, i'm stayin positive.......u read & decide how u feel,

peace out

ck0712

What does Governor Ted Strickland have in common with NFL players and turkeys? Their effort to promote youth outdoor recreation.

Today during the 2008 Ohio Governor's Youth Celebrity Spring Turkey Hunt, local kids got a chance to mingle with Governor Strickland and some Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles players, all in effort to promote outdoor recreation.

"If more young people were involved with the outdoors, and hunting and other outdoor activities, I'm convinced we'd have less drug abuse, we'd have fewer school dropouts. I just think it's a way to try to get our young people engaged in a way that's wholesome and healthy and will keep them out of trouble, and at the same time, let them enjoy themselves," says Governor Ted Strickland.

some "give back" love it, click it for the full read!!

lol!!! it's a slideshow, check it for a good laugh!!

my pick is this guy....LMAO!!!

KANSAS CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The rookie has two bags, an MP3 player and a ticket he's eyeballing like a straight-flush poker hand. He fetches a ride with his girlfriend, because his old green clunker died months ago. She tells him she loves him, and that she'll see him in three days.

They know, as they say goodbye in a crowded hallway near the security gate, that his life is about to change.

It's just the way Xavier Omon always wanted it. As a sophomore at Beatrice High School in southeastern Nebraska, he told a handful of people -- only the ones he trusted -- that someday he'd be an NFL running back. But life, for the first 23 years at least, has been far less hopeful. He was 8 when his brother was killed by a drunken driver; he was 14 when another brother committed suicide.

Division I football snubbed him, recognition eluded him, but none of that matters now because Omon is holding a plane ticket to rookie camp. He's dressed in gray pants and an Ecko sweatshirt. He knows it's the fanciest outfit he'll need for his first week in the NFL.

Everything else is a mystery. He fidgets in the terminal and pops his head up every time a flight announcement is made. He's nervous. He knows he's in good shape, but is it NFL shape?

Omon's row is called, and he walks briskly to the door. His eyes do not turn back.

"I'm 23 years old, and I've never even been to a wedding before," he says. "I've been to five funerals and no weddings. So much bad stuff has happened in my life, stuff that is so big, and then this comes along. … Something really nice has finally happened."

CLICK it 4 the full read: this is a great write up done by a friend of mine!! she chronicled him from stepping on the plane to his 1st mini camp......the best part, GETTING his phone call !!!!

The older brother of New York Jets safety Abram Elam was fatally shot, the third sibling in the family to die by gunfire since 1987. Riviera Beach police officers were called to the scene of a shooting at about 12:35 p.m. Friday, and found Donald Charles Elam shot in the lower back, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office news release. Donald Elam, 33, was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. The Palm Beach Post reported that Abram Elam's brother, Donald Runner, was fatally shot in 1987. He was 17. Christina Elam, his sister, was shot in 1999. "Abram learned this afternoon that his brother has been killed; the circumstances of his death are still unclear," the Jets said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Abram and his family." Donald Elam was once the youngest person in the Palm Beach County indicted on a first-degree murder charge, the Post said. Elam, then 14, was acquitted of the 1989 shooting.

this is just awful, wtf is this world coming to.......... no familia deserves all this awful violence, i don't care who you hang out with, or who your friends are!! this is just downright sad!!!!!!!!

Joe Flacco dropped back in the pocket, scanned the field, cocked his arm and tossed a spiral far downfield. Mark Clayton sprinted under the ball and made the catch in stride, one step ahead of the defender.

Ah, if only playing quarterback in the NFL was that easy. Instead of pumping his fist or showing any outward sign of pleasure, the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens simply walked away from the line of scrimmage and awaited another opportunity.

"I'm just moving onto the next play. The last thing I'm thinking about is the play I just completed," Flacco said. "This is a new offense for me, and I'm worried about the next play and making sure I know what to do."

Flacco endured a steady rain during his first day on the job at the team's mandatory minicamp Friday. Wearing a red jersey with the No. 5, the 6-foot-6 rookie from the University of Delaware set out to prove he's worthy of the 18th overall pick in the NFL draft and capable of starting in his first season.

The first hurdle Flacco encountered was getting over the sense of awe that comes with being alongside some of the finest players in his profession.

"There's guys out there I've been watching on TV for who knows how many years now, and they're getting after it," he said. "This is football at a high level. You know that coming in, but you don't know what level it is. To go out there, get the first practice out of the way and really find out what it's about was really fun."

It might take a while before Flacco becomes entirely comfortable being around one of the most intimidating players in the league, a standout linebacker who makes a living chasing down quarterbacks.

"Yeah, it's definitely different to see Ray Lewis come into the locker room and be on your team. I'll get used to that, but I don't know if I am right now," Flacco said. "… He was just joking around with me, telling me he was going to get a pick off of me, all those kind of things. We'll see."

CLICK it 4 the full read.......just for the record i still dig flacco (lol) !!! i don't see him starting, but he's going to be an asset to this team!!!

"I do not believe that Cedric was intoxicated when his boat was boarded by the [Lower Colorado River Authority] officers for a safety inspection," Benson's new lawyer, Sam Bassett, said Thursday in an e-mail, the Chicago Tribune reported. "I also am concerned that the force used by the LCRA officers, particularly the use of pepper spray, was not necessary under the circumstances."

"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," Patch said, according to the report.

"They ended up -- I don't know why -- but laid him on his back, I heard him say, 'Please don't pepper-spray me, please don't pepper-spray me,'" Patch said, according to the report. "It was uncalled for, it was ludicrous, no point for it."

Earlier this week, Elizabeth Cartwright, a passenger on Benson's boat, said she did not believe Benson was intoxicated when he was arrested and that he did not resist officers, according to the Tribune. Cartwright, a University of Texas student and friend from Benson's days at Texas, called her father and asked him to dial 911.

Oh man, i'd get a new attorney too!!-HOG CARRYING HIM..........wtf!!!!

CLICK it 4 full read!!!

CLEVELAND -- Browns linebacker Willie McGinest says the 2008 season will be his last.

McGinest told SI.com that he wants to finish his career on one last playoff run.

"This will be it," he said. "This will be my 15th season. I've worked hard; I think I've done everything I set out to accomplish."

McGinest, who played 12 seasons and won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Browns in 2006, reuniting him with his former defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel.

In two seasons with Cleveland, McGinest hasn't been the pass-rushing threat that he was with the Patriots. He has seven sacks and 107 tackles in 27 games for the Browns.

He had 78 sacks with New England, set the record for most postseason sacks with 16 and the single-game playoff record with 4.5 in a 2006 wild-card win over Jacksonville.

"I have no regrets or no qualms about my career," McGinest said in a story that appeared on the Web site Tuesday night. "I've done everything a football player can do and I've done it more than once."

Bill Williamson: What happened to the rumored big draft weekend trades that never developed involving Jason Taylor, Jeremy Shockey, Chad Johnson and Lito Sheppard?

The great no-trade letdown was another reminder that players do not run the NFL. While these four players might want to be traded, it isn't that simple. Teams are not in the habit of letting go of valuable talent just to appease an unhappy player. Hurt feelings can be fixed. Pro Bowl players can't always be replaced.

In the case of Taylor, Shockey and Sheppard, their respective teams did not pull the trigger on trades because they did not like the offers that were coming in. So Taylor, Shockey and Sheppard stayed put. As for Johnson, the Bengals have made it very clear they are not interested in dealing for him and didn't listen to trade offers.

Don't expect any major fireworks prior to training camp on any of these players. Offers on draft weekend were light and they will not suddenly get better. Sheppard was considered the most likely of the four who could get his wish. But he was a surprising participant in the Eagles' minicamp this weekend and there is a chance the team restructures his deal. If that's the case, he'll likely join Taylor, Shockey and Johnson as players who originally wanted to be traded but won't be.

CLICK it 4 the full read!!!

**this article basically slams donovan, once again the media takes what he says & runs with it** having a bad day, morning whatever-vent it here, cuz all i could do was laugh when i read this, re hash. nothing like taking positive vibes & turning them all into negatives......some never learn-enjoy smashin it!!!

In past offseasons, attendance at coach Andy Reid's voluntary Eagles minicamps was at or close to 100 percent. Veterans had always felt their presence was required in order to set the tone for a more efficient training camp, paving the way for deep playoff runs year after year. Don't be surprised if that red-hot climate cools a bit this year, the second straight in which the Eagles traded away their first-round pick in the NFL Draft despite missing the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. Most of the non-rookies were extra careful with their comments during last weekend's mandatory minicamp, as if they were wary of blurting out something the front office might not want to hear. Such as their real feelings. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, better than even money to be entering his final season in Philadelphia, was asked point-blank if the team's offseason changes were to his liking. Let's just say he misquoted himself in the response. "It wasn't to my likeness," he said. "It was for the team. It's hard to put pressure on these young guys coming in because you wouldn't throw them into the fire like that. I think it's good that we have our guys back healthy and we can all get out there and those young guys can contribute where they are. And for veterans, I think it's an important season for us." Other than the first sentence, which McNabb later revised to "it wasn't about my liking," the response had nothing to do with the question.

CLICK & SMASH !!!! picture is of donovan smiling like he always does & kicken this reporter right in the a$$ lol!!!

How do I end up in a bathroom stall at the Borgata with my pants around my ankles while a man named Bill stares at my penis?

Earlier that morning, I'd made over 10 phone calls to three different people arranging the final details of my afternoon meeting. After meeting up with Bill, we wasted no time as we casually strolled through the men's room doors. The two of us snuck quickly past the corridor of urinals toward the last stall -- our best bet for going unnoticed. Luckily it was unoccupied, and we moved right in.

Not many words were said in the stall. Both of us were completely comfortable with the procedure. Bill took out the package, but I was the one who had to break the seal. I ripped open the plastic container, revealing a short plastic cup to capture my random urine sample.

I had known Bill was going to show up around four in the afternoon, so I was well prepared. After drinking five or six cranberry juices I couldn't wait to go, but I figured that was a good thing. I couldn't risk having stage fright in that type of situation. I mean, what would I have done? Chat it up with Bill over a couple of beers while he stared at my junk?

I had thought mine was an original story, but I was mistaken. It didn't take many interviews before finding out that most players on my team had some kind of crazy urination story. Rock Cartwright was thrown into the same situation as me: "I was standing in the middle of the bathroom in the New York, casino in Las Vegas, and the dude says, 'Just do it in front of the urinal.' Forget the stall, I was standing ass out in front of a urinal with some guy peeping around my shoulder."

FUNNY yet at that same time, necessary these days!!! CLICK it to read the rest

taggin this for the backyard ;0 !!!

The millions of dollars doled out to professional athletes, including some native Chicagoans, doesn't shield them from the perils of street violence and brazen home invasions. When it comes to targeted armed attacks or random assaults, the list of victims in the last 10 months with local ties includes Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry and, most recently, Rashard Mendenhall. "As an athlete, I think it is a concern because you are dealing with people being robbed in general," said Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who graduated from Mt. Carmel High School and was a teammate of Walker's on the Caravan basketball team. "… It is devastating not to be able to go out in the city of Chicago," McNabb said. "You want to know at least that you will be fine and have a good time and be able to go home. It's tough to hear every year that athletes are being robbed, especially with Mendenhall, a guy who [the Steelers just drafted out of Illinois]." In an era when fans demand that their sports stars remain accessible to them, the security issue for the players makes them particularly vulnerable and wary. McNabb enjoys communicating directly with fans through a secure Web site: www.yardbarker.com.

CLICK IT 4 the full story & they prop yardbarker.....!!!!!!

The Minnesota Vikings made defensive end Jared Allen the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL last month, but also provided themselves plenty of financial protection in the deal. It's the type of protection that could become increasingly popular around the NFL as teams deal with high-risk players in the post- Michael Vick era. One of the key elements to Allen's six-year, $74 million contract is a provision, pre-approved by the player, that allows the Vikings to convert an $8 million roster bonus Allen is due to receive in 2010 into a signing bonus. In such a case, the team would recoup its money from the player and the signing bonus would count under the salary cap for the remaining years of his contract. Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, signing bonuses can be recovered by a team when a player violates his contract; a roster bonus can't.

interesting !!! CLICK it to read more !!!!

Casey Hansen has earned a shot at an NFL career. The Norfolk State quarterback signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, one day after returning from minicamp with the team that finished 8-8 last year. "It hasn't hit me yet," said the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Norco, Calif. "It's obviously a dream come true, something I've dreamed about since I was a little kid." Hansen is 1 of 4 quarterbacks in camp and the only rookie at that spot. Donovan McNabb sat out much of the camp with an injured right shoulder. Kevin Kolb and veteran A.J. Feeley are expected to compete for the backup spot. Hansen, a junior college transfer, spent two years with NSU and threw for 4,277 yards, second most in the Spartan record book. In leading NSU to an 8-3 record last season, he completed 164 of 310 passes with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Hansen is the first NSU quarterback to sign with the NFL since all-time leading passer Aaron Sparrow in 1995. "We're excited for him," Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian said. "The hardest thing to do is go into camp and get a look. He's got great size and a good arm." Hansen said he was pleased with the three days he spent at minicamp and heard from the Eagles on Monday night while in the airport ready to return to Norfolk. He will return to Philadelphia on May 19. "They ended up liking what I showed them," Hansen said. Until that date, Hansen plans to stay in shape and work on throwing while reviewing notes from camp. The fifth-year senior will graduate Saturday with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

http://www.nsuspartans.com/news/2008/5/7/FB_0507080529.aspx