Month: March 2011

One of the attorneys hired for Aqib Talib’s defense team warns that you – or specifically the media – should not jump to conclusions when it comes to the felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that has been filed.

After all, Talib is innocent until proven guilty and in this instance, a former coach of his says Talib is telling people it was his mother squeezing the trigger firing shots at a man, not him.

“It’s important to note that these charges are only allegations, allegations that Aqib vigorously denies,” Pittsburgh-based lawyer Jay Reisinger said, according to the Twitter account Jason La Canfora of NFL.com. “Given that the charges are only allegations, we are deeply troubled that certain members of media have jumped to unfair conclusions. Aqib is confident once all facts are known, this matter will be resolved favorably and in an expeditious fashion.”

Talib better hope it is resolved favorably or whatever discipline Roger Goodell could potentially have in mind for him won’t matter. He’ll be facing some hard time. Reisinger, of course, needs to keep in mind that the court of public opinion is going to weigh in no matter what. And the case Talib already went through for punching a cab driver in the head is still fresh on the minds of many. So is the time Talib swung a helmet in practice to hit a Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate and inadvertently struck another teammate. So is the time Talib got into a fight at the NFL’s rookie symposium.

So, Reisinger needs to realize that his client has already developed a track record. Yes, Talib is innocent until proven guilty and allegations made by Garland, Texas police are just that – allegations. It’s still part of a troubling pattern of behavior.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

Oklahoma State University has announced it will investigate whether Dez Bryant did anything to taint his amateur status during the summer of 2009 before the wide receiver was suspended by the NCAA for lying to investigators.

Accepting large amounts of jewelry on an I.O.U. (that may or may not be paid back) would constitute a violation of NCAA guidelines.

Kevin Fite, the school’s associate athletic director for compliance, told the Tulsa World that the school will look into the matter. It’s unlikely any sanctions could come against the program.

“The first I heard of it was when you guys heard of it (this week),” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “Those issues are very delicate and they're hard to speak to … When it hit our office, it was news to everybody on our floor.

“It saddens me that (Bryant) is in that situation, and it saddens me that a (former) OSU player is tied in with it and it's negative.”

Bryant is taking on water as an avalanche of criticism comes his way. Charles Barkley is the latest to fire on him.

“It was high-maintenance with Dez toward the end, but the issues we had the first couple of years were very minor,” Gundy said. “I have more memories of what he did (on the field) … all the plays that he made.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

The NFP takes a look at some of the top prospects to work out this past week and discusses what their pro day performances mean for their draft stock going forward.

DL Lawrence Guy: Arizona State (6-5, 304)
Guy is one of the more interesting prospects in the defensive line class as he possesses an impressive size/speed combo, can bend and has some anchor to his game as well. He ran in the high 4.9 range at his pro day, proved how gifted of an athlete he was during position drills and could end up being one of the more sought after five-technique prospects in this year’s draft after round one. There are some concerns about his overall instincts and mental make-up. However, if he can continue to improve in that area, he really is a gifted athlete with starting potential in the NFL.

ICONAyers had a strong pro day showing.

DB Aaron Williams: Texas (6-0, 201)
Williams dramatically improved his 40 time from the NFL Combine, running in the low 4.4 range, nearly a tenth of a second faster than he ran in Indianapolis. However, Texas is known for its fast track and a lot of NFL executives will either add time to prospects pro day results or just stick to the Combine times. Either way when you watch the tape, there seems to be a lack of a second gear to Williams’ game when asked to turn and run, and at 201 pounds he might need to lose some weight if he hopes to play on the outside in man coverage in the NFL.

OLB Akeem Ayers: UCLA (6-3, 259)
Ayers showed up five pounds heavier than he did at the NFL Combine, at nearly 260 pounds. However, he ran much better, posting a time in the high 4.6/low 4.7 range and looked very comfortable and fluid during positional drills. When I watched the workout it’s rare to find a guy at his size to be able to cleanly change directions and open up his hips, and I really do think he can play just about any linebacker position in any scheme. However, you can’t ignore his ability to attack downhill and I think he’s got too much upside because of his burst, length and athleticism to not get a real look at as 3-4 rush guy.

CB Brandon Burton: Utah (6-0, 188)
The ability to quickly recover is still the biggest question concerning Burton’s upside as a pro, as he ran two forties in the 4.5 range and on tape simply doesn’t have the second gear needed to make up for a false step. Now, he can be physical off the line and will tackle in space. But he needs to be able to get his hands on receivers in order to be effective. In my view Burton has to play in more of a press scheme or Cover 2 look where he can play near the line, because if he misses on the jam initially, he will struggle to recover down the field.

DT Cameron Heyward: Ohio State (6-5, 295)
A lot of scouts I talked to after the Ohio State workout weren’t real pleased with the 4.95 40 time of Heyward. However, in my mind it’s not a big deal. It’s not like the guy is an edge/speed player. He’s a power guy who is going to either play as a five technique in a 3-4 or a LDE in a 4-3 with three-technique potential. Honestly, that’s about what I thought he would run anyway.

OLB Mason Foster: Washington (6-2, 245)
Foster didn’t “wow” anyone with his 4.7 40 time. However, what I love was his 4.42-second short shuttle. Foster has the ability to cleanly change directions, generates a burst for himself out of the breaks and gets back up to speed quickly, a better attribute in my mind than overall straight-line speed at linebacker.

OT Tyron Smith: Southern Cal (6-5, 310)
If there is a more physically impressive looking tackle in the draft, I would like to see him. Smith displays little body fat on his frame for a guy at his size, possesses a ridiculous 85-inch wingspan and ran in the sub 5.0-second range. He also jumped 29 inches on his vertical, 9-feet-one-inch on his broad and pounded out 31 reps on the bench even with his 36 3/8 inch arms. Quite a day for the Southern Cal offensive lineman who now looks like a distinct possibility for the top ten.

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The next step in what they hope will be the construction of the next home for the Minnesota Vikings could come in a matter of days.

A stadium bill is expected to be introduced in the Minnesota state legislature, perhaps by the end of the week, and the hope is this one will succeed where lawmakers failed a year ago.

Ted Mondale, who leads the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, was optimistic in the remarks he shared with Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“My understanding from the bill authors is we're getting close,” Mondale told Hartman. “How they want to handle it is obviously up to them. It's to the point now where the majority over at the Capitol now have their bill together and they're going to bring it out.

“I think it can happen this year. I think it's probably as good a shot as ever,” Mondale said. “The governor (Mark Dayton) would like to see it, and has laid out what he'd like to see. You can't pass a bill like this unless the governor is supportive of it. (Former governor Tim) Pawlenty was saying, 'Maybe, yes, no,' and when he said, 'I'm not going to vote for it,' it just can't get done.”

Many questions remain. The Vikings have said they are only interested in contributing their portion of funds for an open-air stadium. The Metrodome has been used year-round for decades and lawmakers are going to demand a stadium with a roof (more expensive) in order for it to be a multi-use structure suitable for year-round use.

The Vikings’ lease at the Metrodome expires after this coming season. This could be the final at-bat lawmakers in Minnesota have before the team starts seriously exploring stadium options that are hundreds and hundreds of miles away.

“Everyone has seen the economic benefit,” Mondale said. “I think, in a strange way, the roof going down has made the case that a controlled-climate facility like the Metrodome is critically important for sports across the state.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

The story Aqib Talib is telling is that only his mother pulled the trigger, firing shots at Shannon Billings, the boyfriend of her sister, as he fled a domestic disturbance on foot.

Talib is busy preparing a defense now after he has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Talib turned himself into police in Garland, Texas, on Wednesday and was released on $25,000 bond.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback has hired two law firms and a private investigator to help prepare his case. Police say Talib and his mother Okolo both fires shots at Billings on March 21 after he had argued with Talib’s sister Saran. Talib has also been accused of attempting to pistol whip Billings.

Per the report, Talib has retained the counsel of Pittsburgh attorney Jay Reisinger and Dallas criminal attorneys Frank Perez and H. David Lozano.

The attorneys didn’t comment on the matter but Talib reportedly told Clint Bowen, a coach when he was a player at Kansas, that only his mom squeezed off shots at Billings.

“I talked to Aqib two days ago,” Bowen said, according to the Times. “I told him, ‘I just read something about you firing a gun.’ He said, ‘Man, I didn't do a thing. It'll all come out soon.’ He just kept saying that. … He said, ‘I didn't do that. That was my mom. It's all going to come out.’”

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<em>Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

Since Charles Barkley is weighing in on everything these days – from the NCAA Tournament to athletes being paid at Auburn – we might as well get his take on Dez Bryant because, well, it’s been a while since any news has surfaced on the Dez Watch.

When we last left off with Bryant, his advisor David Wells (the guy who helped arrange a lot of the unpaid loans for jewelry) said the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver was in a “dark place.”

Barkley weighed in on KESN-FM on Wednesday and you can listen to the interview here. The Dallas Morning News was kind enough to transcribe it.

“Could you all control Dez Bryant down there for me?” Barkley said. “Guys have to understand, man, it isn’t about being a punk or bagging down or being like that. You have to back down all the time if you’re a celebrity now because there’s nothing positive…growing up, if people started with you, you’d say, ‘I’m not going to be no punk.’ That’s when you’re young and you’re childish. When you’re in the limelight now, you got to stand down. You got to stand down because everything you do is going to be a big deal. So you don’t take it personal.”

Barkley doesn’t advise athletes to invest their money in jewelry, either.

“Anybody that buys a lot of jewelry I think they’re an idiot,” Barkley said. “But, I’m going back to the thing at the mall. You have to be smart enough to understand that I’m going to back down here, because I know whether it’s me or my friends who has their pants hanging down, ‘Dez Bryant’ is going to be the name in the paper. I got to stand down.

“Now, the jewelry thing: pay your debts. I think anybody that wastes their money on jewelry – I think they’re an idiot anyway – but you got to pay your debt, plain and simple. You know it’s going to be a big deal; I mean, now this is all people are going to talk about. You got to pay your debt, plain and simple.”

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Now, Shaun O’Hara has had surgeries on both feet.

The New York Giants center, who was limited to six games last season, had surgery to clean out his left ankle and Achilles this week, according to ESPN New York. It sounds similar to what Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz had last offseason.

Two months ago, O’Hara had screws inserted in his right foot to promote healing following a Lisfranc injury.

O’Hara says he has been told he will be healed and ready to go prior to training camp. The surgery that Kreutz had basically wiped out his offseason program, but he was full strength in advance of training camp.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune