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NFL PICKS- (associated press) browns rookie arrested.

 

Cleveland Browns rookie receiver Mike Mason was arrested Sunday after refusing demands from

 

two off-duty police officers to leave a downtown nightclub at closing time.

 

Mason struggled with one of the officers and was shocked with a stun gun, Lt. Thomas Stacho

 

said Monday. The 22-year-old Mason was charged with aggravated disorderly conduct,

 

obstructing official business and resisting arrest - all misdemeanors.

 

The officers confronted Mason while trying to clear patrons from the club about 2:30 a.m.

 

Sunday.

 

Mason refused orders to put down his drink and leave, and when the officers tried to take

 

the drink, he ''apparently slapped one of the officers' arms away'' and the two began

 

struggling, Stacho said.

 

Mason appeared in court Monday and later posted bail.

 

He was drafted out of Tennessee State and signed with Cleveland as a free agent in May.

 

Browns spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz said in a statement that the team was aware of Mason's

 

arrest and ''takes matters such as these very seriously.''

 

 

 

NFL PICKS : (covers.com): doubting daunte culpepper.  

 

One of two things have to be true with this whole Daunte Culpepper - Miami Dolphins mess:

 

Culpepper’s knee is still as shaky as Michael Vick’s dogfighting defense, or any common

 

sense this franchise had regarding the quarterback position must have slipped out the door

 

with Dan Marino.

 

 

 

For the life of me I can’t decide where to put my buck.

 

 

 

You really can’t give the Fish a pass on anything at the moment. Just check out their

 

offseason in a nutshell:

 

 

 

-         Nick Saban heads for the hills, Cam Cameron takes over his office.

 

-         Cameron thinks he might have a quarterback issue since Cleo Lemon is actually on

 

his depth chart.

 

-         Dolphins think about calling Trent Green - that hit that nearly decapitated him

 

last year wasn’t that bad, was it?

 

              No. And he’s only 37 after all, right?

 

-         On Draft day, the Dolphins give Brady Quinn the cold shoulder and gamble on Ted

 

Ginn Jr. and his bum foot with the No. 9 pick. 

 

-         Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga enters witness protection program to hide from

 

angry mob of Fish faithful.

 

-         Dolphins ignore Culpepper going nuts in the weight room even after Zach Thomas

 

gives him a personal

 

              shout-out for his hard work at the team’s awards banquet.

 

-         Dolphins call Trent Green, then pretend they don’t want him.

 

-         Dolphins ink Joey Porter (immediately hunt for Common Sense Coordinator).

 

-         Call Trent Green again, but still say you don’t want him.

 

-         Trade for Trent Green.

 

-         Kick Culpepper off the practice field fearing an injury that might force them to

 

pay his $5.5-million contract and

 

              then tell him that he’s not getting a release.

 

-         Culpepper files grievance with the league.

 

 

 

It’s a weird situation for the Fish. They think they landed their quarterback of the future

 

by taking John Beck out of BYU in the second round of the draft and he may just work out

 

down the road. He’s got everything the Dolphins have been looking for: size, great arm,

 

composure and maturity. But he isn’t ready for the big time yet and that just may be a

 

long-range blessing in disguise for the Dolphins.

 

 

 

For now, Trent Green is the guy that has to deal with an O-line that may start two rookies,

 

plus journeymen, with running back Ronnie Brown as his only real offensive threat.

 

 

 

Green is 37 years old and coming off a terrible head injury that just isn’t going away. He

 

was awful when he came back from the hit last year, outside of a four-touchdown performance

 

in a loss at Cleveland. Green’s familiarity with Cameron’s offense from their days together

 

in Washington may be the one thing that keeps him alive back there.

 

 

 

Of course when the club committed to Green, he needed to take the majority of the snaps,

 

but it still makes you wonder what’s going on when the Dolphins push Culpepper out the

 

door.

 

 

 

He spent more time in the weight room than anybody in the offseason and then gets sent off

 

the practice field like the odd kid out on the sandlot. I think he deserved better, even if

 

he was a Saban guy.

 

 

 

Now the Jacksonville Jaguars have informed their top two quarterbacks, Byron Leftwich and

 

David Garrard, they’re going to bring Culpepper in for a workout with his former coach in

 

Minnesota, Mike Tice.

 

 

 

Now that makes sense.

 

 

 

I like Leftwich and think he’s still going to be the top guy when all’s said and done, but

 

what’s wrong with doing some tire-kicking with a former Pro Bowler?

 

 

 

If Culpepper can move at all, at least half the teams in the league should be lining up to

 

have a look at him. It was a while ago, but he’s still just 11 regular season starts

 

removed from a 39-touchdown, 4,700-yard passing season with the Vikes in ’04.

 

 

 

The knee’s a huge question mark that may end up spelling the end of his Pro Bowl or even

 

every-Sunday-starter days, but if he is healthy, don’t tell me he isn’t worth a fourth or

 

fifth round pick – which just happens to be the price Miami dished out to get Green.

 

 

 

And that might be the deal that really drowns the Fish.

 

 

 

Culpepper may not have been the answer, but I really doubt Trent Green will be either. This

 

mess in Miami could get a lot worse before it gets better.

 

 

 

FREE NFL PICKS. (covers.com): nfl team notes.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers – After leading the league with 23 interceptions last season, Ben

 

Roethlisberger just can’t have enough black and gold targets to throw at. The team's been

 

trying out four-wide formations to spread defenses and get the ball to Santonio Holmes more

 

in the slot. Mike Tomlin’s putting his stamp on the Steelers already and while they’ll

 

still pound the ball with Willie Parker, some changes to the offense should help

 

Roethlisberger. He’s in for a bounce back year.

 

 

 

Baltimore Ravens – You can’t blame Brian Billick for trying.

 

 

 

"Nothing good ever happens after midnight," Billick told his players at the end of the

 

team’s final minicamp. "I know that isn't going to keep some of you from going, but at the

 

very least, I hope you feel guilty about it."

 

 

 

One guy he probably doesn’t have to worry about is Ray Lewis. Ray Ray showed up for camp in

 

great shape at a lean 250 pounds, his game-day weight last year after adding wrestling,

 

swimming, kickboxing and some heavy napping to his offseason regimen. Lewis started doing

 

most of his training in the evenings and says he’s getting about 10 hours of shut-eye a day

 

now, about four more than he used to.

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders - Don’t be completely shocked if JaMarcus Russell starts as early as Week 1

 

for the Raiders. He recently rated himself at seven out of 10 when asked how ready he was

 

to start an NFL game, and you almost want to believe him. Reports have him putting in nine

 

hours a week on the phone with quarterbacks coach Jon DeFilippo before his first minicamp.

 

Plus, it’s not like the Raiders have much to lose; they might as well see what the kid can

 

do.

 

 

 

New York Giants – After last year's soap opera, coach Tom Coughlin has had enough with the

 

drama. 

 

 

 

“What we would really like to do, and I’ve talked to our team about it, is do our playing

 

on the field and let our play do the talking,” Coughlin said. “Not spend so much time

 

trying to explain who we are, where we are. Let’s just play the game. Talk is cheap.”

 

 

 

Last year was a media mess inside the Giants locker room, so it’s good that Coughlin

 

addressed the issue immediately. On another note, forget Reuben Droughns, Brandon Jacobs is

 

going to be a heck of a starting running back. Pencil him in for more than a dozen majors

 

if he stays healthy. Easy.

 

 

 

Chicago Bears – Chicago shipped Thomas Jones and his annual 1,200 rushing yards off to the

 

Jets and didn’t get much more than a Thank You card in return. The Halas Hall braintrust

 

thinks Cedric Benson can manage the load as the feature back. I’m not so sure. He hasn’t

 

had a ton of opportunities to show what he can do, but it’s not as though he’s flooring

 

anybody when he's had a chance.

 

 

 

Maybe that’s why Chicago is rumored to be in the running to sign free-agent back Chris

 

Brown if he doesn’t return to the Tennessee Titans. Brown might be the best backup the

 

Bears will find at this point and they need two reliable backs – like every team in the

 

league.

 

 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jon Gruden might as well have named 37-year-old Jeff Garcia his

 

starting quarterback the moment they put pen to paper back in March. Chris Simms and Bruce

 

Gradkowski may battle it out for the starting job, but for now this is Garcia’s gig.

 

 

 

Gruden’s West Coast offense and the newly-implemented shotgun formation suits him perfectly

 

and Garcia proved he could still be dangerous in the right system last year with the Eagles

 

when Donovan McNabb went down.  Good choice by Gruden. The Bucs will be much better this

 

season because of it, while allowing Simms time to recover and develop.

 

 

 

Buffalo Bills – Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild must have one heck of a grip to twist

 

Dick Jauron’s arm. Fairchild, a Mike Martz disciple, is employing five-WR sets this year

 

and appears ready to let J.P. Losman put the ball in the air. With Lee Evans running by

 

everybody on the field, it’s certainly tempting. But Losman firing it up there in the

 

Buffalo wind? Really?

 

 

 

 

 

FREE NFL PICKS- (associated press) titans resign vetran back chris brown.

 

Chris Brown, the running back who lost his starting job to Travis Henry last season, has

 

agreed to a one-year deal bringing him back to the Tennessee Titans.

 

Brown, who found himself on the bench watching Henry rush for 1,211 yards in 2006, spent

 

the offseason visiting with other teams and had narrowed his choices down to his hometown

 

Chicago Bears and Tennessee. Agent Ryan Morgan said the Titans offer an opportunity.

 

''I wouldn't have necessarily predicted this when the free agency period started,'' Morgan

 

said Monday. ''But we're constantly evaluating things. It really comes down to opportunity,

 

and we're hoping Chris can go in there and compete and contribute.''

 

The deal includes performance incentives for the four-year veteran who has 2,295 yards

 

rushing in his career, 10th all-time in team history. He was a third-round draft pick out

 

of Colorado in 2003.

 

Brown, who was in Nashville on Monday helping hand out free shoes at a homeless shelter,

 

could be signed and take part in the Titans' final minicamp starting Tuesday. Tennessee is

 

+2500 on BookMaker.com to win the AFC this season.

 

The Titans found themselves needing an experienced running back when LenDale White, the

 

45th-pick overall in 2005, came into the offseason program overweight. The former Southern

 

California running back has struggled with a hamstring problem and spent several days in

 

minicamps working on rehab on the sidelines.

 

Tennessee also used another second-round draft pick on the position in April, selecting

 

Chris Henry of Arizona at No. 50 overall.

 

Brown started three of the first four games in 2006 and wound up playing only in five. He

 

rushed 41 times for 156 yards with his best game coming at Houston on Dec. 10 when he

 

averaged 11 yards on four carries.

 

The Titans finished 8-8 with the NFL's fifth-best rushing offense in 2006, and Morgan said

 

they believe Henry took advantage of some of the success the offense started having once

 

Vince Young, who was the NFL's 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year, took over as quarterback.

 

 

 

NFL PICKS- (associated press): 10th bengal arrested.

 

 Running back Quincy Wilson was charged with disorderly conduct for failing to disperse

 

after a weekend wedding party, making him the 10th Cincinnati Bengals player arrested in

 

the past 14 months.

 

The former West Virginia star was with a wedding party celebrating outside a downtown bar

 

around 3 a.m. Sunday when he and 13 others refused a police request to leave, assistant

 

prosecuting attorney Lora Maynard said Monday.

 

Some were charged with disorderly conduct, others with obstructing justice and underage

 

drinking, police Lt. Hank Dial said.

 

The running back was booked at a jail and released Sunday afternoon. He is scheduled to

 

appear in Huntington Municipal Court on July 19.

 

Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said it was inappropriate for the team to comment on

 

Wilson's arrest because the matter is unresolved.

 

Dial said police wanted to disperse the crowd because some shots had been fired about 30

 

minutes earlier a block from the bar. None of those arrested with Wilson were thought to be

 

connected to the shooting, Dial said.

 

Wilson is the 10th Bengals player arrested in the past 14 months, a streak of misconduct

 

that drew the attention of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, resulted in three suspensions

 

and made Cincinnati an example of players gone bad. The Bengals' team over/under is set at

 

nine wins on sportsbook.com.

 

Wilson is the third former West Virginia player in the NFL to get into trouble in recent

 

years. Wilson was the Mountaineers' leading rusher his final season.

 

Atlanta drafted the running back in the seventh round in 2004. The Bengals signed him off

 

the Falcons' practice squad later that year, and he spent the next year on Cincinnati's

 

practice squad.

 

Wilson got into three games last season, carrying two times for 2 yards in an Oct. 1 loss

 

to New England. He was waived on Oct. 19 and signed back onto the practice squad.

 

Wilson, who lives in Weirton, was a teammate of receiver Chris Henry, a Bengals player who

 

has been arrested four times. Goodell suspended Henry for two games last season for

 

misconduct, and has suspended him for the first eight games of the 2007 season for his most

 

recent convictions.

 

Another former West Virginia player, Titans cornerback Pacman Jones, has been suspended for

 

the entire 2007 season. Jones was being sought by police as a witness in a shooting early

 

Monday involving members of his entourage after a fight at an Atlanta strip club.

 

Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was suspended last season for violating the league's

 

substance abuse policy. He has yet to be reinstated.

 

Last month, linebacker A.J. Nicholson was arrested on a domestic violence charge in

 

northern Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. The Bengals released him three

 

days later

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE NFL PICKS (associated press) pacman involed in another incident.

 

 Suspended NFL player Adam ''Pacman'' Jones was being sought by police for questioning

 

about a shooting early Monday involving members of his entourage after a fight at an

 

Atlanta strip club.

 

The Tennessee Titans cornerback is currently on suspension following a melee and shooting

 

at a Las Vegas strip club.

 

Jones, his group and three other people got into a fight, apparently over a woman, at a

 

club around 4 a.m., officer Ariel Toledo said.

 

After everyone involved left the strip club - the three people in one car, and Jones and

 

his entourage in three other cars - someone in Jones' group shot at the car, and the others

 

returned fire, Toledo said.

 

Toledo said Jones was not present when the shots were fired.

 

''We believe he knows some of his entourage who were involved in the shooting,'' Toledo

 

said. ''On himself, we do not have any charges on him. He wasn't there when the shooting

 

occurred.''

 

One person who was outside the vehicles and not involved in the dispute was injured by

 

debris in the shooting and was treated by emergency medical technicians, Toledo said.

 

Manny Arora, Jones' attorney, said he expects Jones will give the police whatever help he

 

can.

 

''I've got to sit down with him and sit down with the police and figure out what we're

 

looking at or if in fact he can even help them,'' Arora said. ''Once we agree to do that, I

 

will do it very privately and we'll take care of it.''

 

He said that may be in person, by phone or even by e-mail.

 

''Adam was not involved, they'll tell you, in the shooting,'' Arora said. ''His car wasn't

 

there or anywhere near the scene. They simply are just asking him ... much like any other

 

witness, if anything happened inside that might help them figure out who was involved.''

 

Authorities have also been investigating what role Jones had in a February shooting outside

 

a Las Vegas club that left a bar employee paralyzed and two other people wounded.

 

Attorney Robert Langford said no evidence tied Jones to the shooting, but an aide to Clark

 

County District Attorney David Roger said it could take several days to decide if there is

 

enough information to file charges against Jones and two friends.

 

The Titans, busy with their annual golf fundraiser Monday, did not immediately return a

 

message Monday. But team officials have declined to comment on Jones since his suspension.

 

The Las Vegas allegations were the 10th time Jones had been questioned by police, which

 

also included an incident in April 2006 when police identified him from surveillance video

 

diving for cover after shots were fired at a Nashville gas station.

 

Jones has been arrested five times. Two arrests he did not report to either the Titans or

 

the NFL, leading NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Jones in April for one season.

 

But Jones has not been convicted of any crimes since being drafted in 2005.

 

He was the Titans' best defensive player in 2006 with four interceptions. Two of those came

 

in their stunning rally from a 21-0 deficit for a 24-21 victory over the New York Giants in

 

the final 10 minutes. He also led the NFL in punt return average and tied a team record by

 

returning three punts for touchdowns.

 

But Jones has done little to help his case since being suspended.

 

The cornerback agreed last week not to appeal the suspension. The 23-year-old player could

 

be reinstated after 10 games for good behavior if he adheres to conditions set by Goodell

 

and is not arrested again. Missing the entire season would cost him his salary of nearly

 

$1.3 million.

 

 

 

 

 

FREE NFL PICKS - (associated press): packers linebacker arrested for battery.

 

Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Barnett was arrested early Sunday after a disturbance at

 

a nightclub.

 

Police said in a statement that Barnett was taken into custody for battery after allegedly

 

being involved in a physical altercation about 2 a.m. at the Wet. He was taken to Outagamie

 

County Jail in Appleton and released within an hour after posting a $500 cash bond.

 

Barnett appeared for a charity softball event later Sunday, participating in a preliminary

 

game involving Packers players and sponsors. But he left the field before the regular game

 

and didn't return.

 

He was unavailable for comment.

 

In a statement issued after the game, the team said, ''We are aware of the incident in

 

Appleton involving Nick Barnett. The Packers organization is going to defer further comment

 

until we have had a chance to speak with Nick and gather more facts.''

 

Barnett is in his fifth year with the Packers, who selected him in the first round of the

 

2003 draft. He's been the starting middle linebacker since his rookie season.

 

The Packers gave Barnett with a six-year, $34.85 million contract extension in April.

 

His arrest comes in the midst of the Packers' organized team activities. The voluntary

 

workouts, which started May 30, resume Monday and end Tuesday.

 

 

 

NFL FREE PICKS- (associated press) garcia frontrunner as tampa bay starter.
 
It's only June, but the competition for Tampa Bay's starting quarterback job is turning

 

into a one-man race.

 

Veteran Jeff Garcia, signed as a free agent in March, has quickly established himself as

 

the frontrunner in coach Jon Gruden's plans, leaving younger hopefuls Chris Simms and Bruce

 

Gradkowski to try for No. 2.

 

''I'm accused of not liking young players. I just like good quarterbacks like everybody

 

else in the league,'' Gruden said Tuesday after the opening practice of the Buccaneers'

 

three-day mandatory mini-camp.

 

''I like guys that can make plays in a number of ways, whether it be through experience -

 

seeing a look and not running a ball into a corner blitz, making a change at the line of

 

scrimmage; a guy that can create with his legs; a guy that works the pocket and can throw

 

the ball into congested areas and be accurate; a leader; a consistent performer.''

 

Although Garcia, who led Philadelphia to the playoffs last season while filling in for the

 

injured Donovan McNabb, turned 37 in February, he and the Bucs are confident that he can

 

continue to perform at a high level.

 

The three-time Pro Bowl selection won five of six games after replacing McNabb, helping the

 

Eagles win the NFC East. He's thrown for more than 20,000 yards over the past eight seasons

 

and led teams to the playoffs three times.

 

''Garcia's a guy we've coveted. We've made no secret about that over the last few years,''

 

said Gruden, who also tried to sign Garcia as a free agent in 2004, when the quarterback

 

signed with the Cleveland Browns.

 

''He's in great shape, he's doing a good job and I don't want to jinx him. He still has a

 

long way to go. We do like his progress, and we think he's got a nice future here.''

 

Garcia, who was surprised when the Eagles didn't try to retain him, is excited about the

 

opportunity.

 

The Bucs were 4-12 last season with Gradkowski starting 11 games as a rookie after Simms,

 

who thought he was Tampa Bay's quarterback of the future, went 0-3 and was lost for the

 

year after having his spleen removed in Week 3.

 

SPORTSBETTING.com lists the Bucs at +1800 to win the NFC Championship next season.

 

Under pressure to turn the team around after posting losing records three of the past four

 

seasons, it didn't take Gruden long to decide his nearly acquired veteran may offer the

 

best chance to win soon.

 

Garcia's success in previous stints with the 49ers, Browns, Lions and Eagles provided

 

instant credibility with his new teammates.

 

''I don't necessarily have to step out here and prove that I can play. They know that I can

 

play already,'' Garcia said. ''It's just a matter of now of backing that up. And I expect

 

to back it up every single day that I'm out here.''

 

Simms, preparing for his fifth NFL season, signed a two-year contract extension in December

 

and has been participating in offseason workouts. He insisted Tuesday that he's not

 

discouraged by falling behind Garcia on the depth chart.

 

''Competition's always on. ... It's not any different than years past when I've been here.

 

It's football,'' the 26-year-old Simms said.

 

''The way the NFL is now, you need good quarterbacks. You need at least two good ones

 

because guys are getting hurt every year. That's the way it is. All I can do is worry about

 

myself.''

 

The only no-show for the start of mini-camp was quarterback Jake Plummer, acquired in a

 

trade from Denver on the same day the Bucs signed Garcia. He has said he's retired, so his

 

absence was expected.

 

Gruden said there was no update. Plummer has three years left on his contract and is due

 

$5.3 million in 2007.

 

''He's a heck of a quarterback,'' the coach said. ''We just hope that at some point he

 

reconsiders and considers saddling up with the Bucs.''

 

 

 

NFL FREE PICKS- (associated press) : paul brown stadium suit upheld.

 

 An antitrust suit claiming officials and taxpayers were pushed into financing a new

 

stadium to keep the Bengals in Cincinnati was filed after time had run out, a federal

 

appeals court ruled Tuesday.

 

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel unanimously agreed with a federal

 

district judge who dismissed the suit filed by Hamilton County against the Bengals and the

 

NFL because it was not filed within a four-year statute of limitations.

 

WSEX.com has the Bengals listed at +2400 to win the Super Bowl.

 

County voters approved a half-cent sales tax hike in 1996 for the $450 million Paul Brown

 

Stadium, which opened in 2000. A 30-year lease was signed in 1997. The antitrust lawsuit

 

was filed in 2003.

 

By dismissing the suit, the courts didn't rule on the county officials' claims that they

 

were victimized by monopoly power. Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote that the District

 

Court didn't need to decide whether there is an antitrust problem with the NFL's control

 

over its number of teams and cities.

 

Sutton added: ''The county, like all local governments competing to attract professional

 

sports teams, understood this reality long before it entered the May 1997 lease and

 

understood the leveraging truth that goes with it: The only thing worse than having a

 

losing team is having no team - no team for the community and its political leaders to

 

support and no reason to say: 'There's always next year.'''

 

Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune, who initiated the lawsuit, said officials would

 

consult with their attorneys, but were unlikely to pursue further legal appeals in their

 

effort to get a more equitable deal with the Bengals.

 

The Bengals called the ruling a vindication for the club and the NFL.

 

''The final chapter has been written on the lawsuit ... and as a community, we can now turn

 

toward solving today's challenges,'' Mike Brown, Bengals owner and president, said in a

 

statement.

 

In its appeal, the county contended officials were misled into thinking that the Bengals'

 

finances were so bleak they needed a new stadium to survive, and didn't find out until 2001

 

that the team was profitable. The appeals court cited many earlier reports and comments

 

about the Bengals' profitability and about NFL tactics in gaining new stadiums and

 

favorable leases.

 

''With red flags flying, the county instead moved forward with negotiations and signed the

 

stadium lease,'' the court said.

 

While the Bengals finished their first season in the new stadium with a 4-12 record, the

 

court said, ''It is Hamilton County that claims it was the real loser because it signed a

 

lease with the Bengals for the stadium that it now calls 'unconscionable.'''

 

Portune said the court rulings are disappointing because they don't decide the key issues.

 

''It seems that every judicial authority that has taken a look at this agreed that it is a

 

terrible deal. But rather than acting on those aspects, they have instead hung their hats

 

on a technicality,'' he said.

 

He said the stadium terms have helped push the county into a financial crunch, facing

 

deficits of $200 million or more.

 

The appellate opinion recounted the history of pro football in Cincinnati, saying the

 

Cincinnati Celts were the first team in 1921, ''long before Ickey Woods shuffled across the

 

end zone, long before Kenny Anderson and Boomer Esiason led the Bengals to Super Bowls XVI

 

and XXIII (a team from another circuit, the San Francisco 49ers, won both games).''

 

 

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