Newsgroup: it.sport.americani
Titolo: infobeat folies... continuiamo così

Denver ha rilasciato Steve Atwater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A chi serve uno dei migliori 3 safety NFL?
Sembra che l'articolo va di moda....
Carnell Lake: Pitt ---> Jax.
Bah.
Mi perplime.
Mauro
          News and Notes
                 Broncos release Atwater after signing Carter
                 Falcons release leading tackler Bennett
                 Jets decline to match offer for Brady
                 Eagles sign Pederson to be starting quarterback
                 Giants terminate Calloway; Widmer re-signed for $11.2
million
                 Ravens sign Evans; seek QB Mitchell
                 Simmons signs two-year contract with Bears
                 Friesz visits San Diego
                 Broncos sign tackle Berti to contract
                 Rams sign free-agent safety Bush
                 Patriots could get bonus if stadium costs run low
                 Slaying suspect had record of violence
                 Vikings fan pleads guilty in attack
                                                  Return to Top
          Broncos release Atwater after signing Carter
          (AP) - The Denver Broncos released safety Steve Atwater on
          Wednesday, one day after making Dale Carter the highest-paid
          cornerback in NFL history. The Broncos and Carter reached
          agreement Tuesday on a six-year, $38 million contract that
          includes an $8 million signing bonus. Carter, 29, was one of
the
          top prizes in this year's free-agent class, and by signing him
          the Broncos showed their commitment to trying to win a third
          straight Super Bowl. "As you can see, we're very serious about
a
          three-peat," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. Carter, a No. 1
pick
          of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1992, was named to start in four
          straight Pro Bowls from 1994-97 and was an unrestricted free
          agent. The Chiefs could have matched Denver's offer but did
not.
          "It was too large," Kansas City general manager Carl Peterson
          said. "It's an amazing contract. I'm surprised at the
numbers."
          To free up space under the league's salary cap to sign Carter,
          the Broncos on Wednesday released Atwater, who was scheduled
to
          count nearly $3.3 million against Denver's salary cap next
          season. Atwater, 32, has played in eight Pro Bowls, but he has
          been bracing for his exit from Denver since being replaced on
          passing downs this past season. The Broncos said that after
          Atwater has explored all options available to him, it is
possible
          he may still return to the Broncos for the 1999 season. "It's
not
          like this is a big shock to me," he said. "When they were
taking
          me out of games, that said something right there. They had
needs
          to address. I have nothing but great things to say about my
time
          in Denver. It was 10 great seasons." Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan
          said he spoke with Atwater before releasing him.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558492102-579
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Falcons release leading tackler Bennett
          (AP) - Cornelius Bennett, a five-time Pro Bowler who led the
          Atlanta Falcons in tackles during their Super Bowl season, was
          released by the team on Wednesday. The stunning move was
          announced late in the afternoon in a three-paragraph
statement,
          which included no explanation from Falcons coach Dan Reeves or
          general manager Harold Richardson. But the release of Bennett
          apparently stems from his age -- he will be 34 by the start of
          next season -- and a salary cap figure that would have been
$3.7
          million for the final year of the $13.6 million, four-year
          contract he signed in 1996. The Falcons cleared a spot in the
          lineup for Keith Brooking, the team's first-round draft pick a
          year ago. After a slow start, Brooking was playing regularly
in
          passing situations by the end of the season.
          Reached at his home, Richardson declined to comment on the
          release of Bennett, deferring to Reeves. But the head coach
was
          on vacation and not available for comment, according to
Falcons
          spokesman Charlie Taylor. Richardson did say the decision had
          nothing to do with off-the-field problems. Before last season,
          Bennett spent 35 days in a New York jail for a guilty plea to
          sexual misconduct charges, but he returned to have his best
          season with the Falcons. "There wasn't anything
extraordinary,"
          Richardson said. "There's no hidden agenda. There's nothing
that
          someone ought to know, none of that. I'm being honest with
you."
          Bennett's agent, Eugene Parker of Fort Wayne, Ind., did not
          immediately return a telephone message left at his office.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558492664-c38
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Jets decline to match offer for Brady
          (AP) - Tight end Kyle Brady is headed for the Jacksonville
          Jaguars after the New York Jets declined to match a $14.4
million
          offer Wednesday. Brady signed a five-year deal with the
Jaguars
          earlier in the week, which the Jets had the right to match
          because they placed a transition player tag on the four-year
          veteran. A team spokesman said Wednesday that the Jets
notified
          both the NFL and the Jaguars about not matching. The contract
          calls for a $4 million bonus and a salary cap hit of only $1.3
          million next season, but the Jets opted to sign Eric Green
away
          from Baltimore and let Brady go. Brady, 27, had his best
season
          under coach Bill Parcells in 1998. A solid blocker, Brady also
          made 30 receptions and had five touchdowns. Green was signed
to a
          $7.5 million, four-year contract with a $1.2 million signing
          bonus. He caught 34 passes and had one touchdown for the
Ravens.
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Eagles sign Pederson to be starting quarterback
          (AP) - The Philadelphia Eagles signed free agent Doug Pederson
to
          a $4.5 million, three-year contract on Wednesday to be the
          starting quarterback for the NFL's worst offense. Pederson,
31,
          has never started an NFL game and had thrown just 32
          regular-season passes in the league during a career that began
in
          1992 on the Dolphins' practice squad. He has been Brett
Favre's
          backup the last four seasons. "He's a very smart individual
who
          has size and that helps," said Eagles coach Andy Reid, who was
          Green Bay's quarterbacks coach before being hired by the
Eagles.
          "He also has the physical ability to run and throw the ball.
He's
          been able to study the West Coast offense for the last three
          years, so he knows the system." Pederson will be called upon
to
          resuscitate an offense that scored only 161 points last
season,
          80 fewer than the next worst team.
          The Eagles went through three quarterbacks -- Bobby Hoying,
          Rodney Peete and Koy Detmer. "It's a big step," Pederson said.
          "You can't turn away from that. But I'm ready. I'm willing to
          take that step," Pederson said. Pederson, undrafted after
          throwing 33 touchdowns and 41 interceptions at Northeast
          Louisiana, completed 14-of-24 passes in 1998, including
10-of-16
          for 128 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Minnesota
          Vikings. "I've been around enough to know that it's a game
about
          winning and I want to win. That reaction (from the fans) is
          fine," Pederson said. "I guess that's part of the history of
Doug
          Pederson. I've been a backup to Dan Marino, I've been a backup
to
          Brett Favre. This is my time." Reid said the signing would not
          impact the team's strategy for the NFL Draft, which begins
April
          17.
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Giants terminate Calloway; Widmer re-signed for $11.2 million
          (AP) - Chris Calloway, who led the New York Giants in
receptions
          the last four seasons, had his contract terminated in a salary
          cap move by the team after it signed linebacker Corey Widmer
to
          an $11.2 million deal on Wednesday. The release of Calloway
will
          give the Giants an opportunity to see what young receivers
Amani
          Toomer, Joe Jurevicius and Brian Alford can do when playing
          opposite Ike Hilliard. "In my two years here, this was the
          toughest move I've had to make," Giants coach Jim Fassel said.
          "We've improved the quality and the depth at the receiving
          position. That, along with the salary cap, forced us to go in
          this direction. Chris is a true professional, and I wish him
          nothing but the best." Calloway, 30, was to earn a little more
          than $1 million this season, including a $500,000 roster bonus
          due on March 1.
          A starter since 1993, the sure-handed Calloway had 62
receptions
          for 812 yards and six touchdowns this past season, all team
          highs. The nine-year veteran caught a pass in 88 of 89 games
          since becoming a starter and ended his career with catches in
a
          team-record 47 straight games. That broke the old record of 46
          set by Dave Meggett between 1989-93. "I have had a good career
          with the Giants," said Calloway. "I appreciate my time here
and
          the opportunity the organization gave me to play. I hope to
          continue to play somewhere this season." The release of
Calloway
          overshadowed Widmer's big day. He moved into the starting
lineup
          at middle linebacker in 1996 and last season he finished with
85
          total tackles, a fumble recovery and five passes defended. "It
          was very important to me to stay here," said Widmer, a seventh
          round draft choice from Montana State in 1992.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558491785-b75
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Ravens sign Evans; seek QB Mitchell
          (AP) - The Baltimore Ravens, after losing four players in one
          day, began rebuilding their offense by signing free-agent
          fullback Charles Evans and intensifying their pursuit of
          quarterback Scott Mitchell. Evans, who spent the previous six
          seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, has not missed a game
since
          1994. He will be used primarily to clear a path for running
backs
          Priest Holmes and Errict Rhett. The addition of Evans on
Tuesday
          stopped a frustrating string of setbacks for Baltimore over
the
          past two weeks: Starting offensive linemen Wally Williams and
          Orlando Brown, defensive lineman James Jones and tight end
Eric
          Green left via free agency, backup guard Ben Cavil was taken
by
          Cleveland in the expansion draft and the Ravens failed in
their
          bid to obtain Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson.
          Mitchell, 31, lost his job as the Detroit Lions' starter in
1998,
          but is still considered a valuable commodity by Ravens coach
          Brian Billick, who this year helped turn aging Minnesota
          quarterback Randall Cunningham into a Pro Bowl star. "Scott is
a
          very capable quarterback who has plenty of life in the NFL,"
          Billick said. "Not to be self-serving, but I've had plenty of
          success with players whom others said no longer have it or
          couldn't do it in the first place." But Billick made no effort
to
          hide the fact that he would have loved to have Johnson, who
was
          traded to the Washington Redskins on Monday for three draft
          picks. "There's a personal disappointment because of my past
          association with Brad, but I'm very comfortable with the
options
          left to us," Billick said.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558483452-2fc
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Simmons signs two-year contract with Bears
          (AP) - It took the Chicago Bears two tries to get Clyde
Simmons.
          And they have new coach Dick Jauron to thank for finally
sealing
          the deal. The free agent defensive end, whose 114 career sacks
          are 10th-best in the NFL, signed a two-year, $4 million deal
          Wednesday. "I have a lot of confidence in Dick," Simmons said.
          "I've played in his scheme for a couple of years. I know what
he
          brings to the table." Simmons notched 16 sacks during two
seasons
          at Jacksonville (1996 and 1997) while Jauron was the Jaguars'
          defensive coordinator. But the Jaguars let him go to make room
          for Tony Brackens. Simmons visited Chicago last year during
his
          free agency tour but signed with Cincinnati instead. He
started
          all 16 games for the Bengals and finished with five sacks,
          second-best on the team, and 30 tackles.
          But Simmons wasn't quite comfortable with Cincinnati's 3-4
          defense after playing most of his 13-year career in 4-3
schemes.
          So when the Bears made another pitch this year, he was happy
to
          listen. "I felt really good about getting Clyde because of his
          relationship with Dick," said Mark Hatley, the Bears' vice
          president of player personnel. "Clyde liked it here the last
time
          he was here, and Dick's real close to him. He felt like he'd
fit
          in here and he'd really be a part of it." Simmons has made the
          Pro Bowl twice (1991 and 1992) in his career. He has six
          touchdowns, 12 blocked kicks, 21 forced fumbles and 12 fumble
          recoveries.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558492715-e75
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Friesz visits San Diego
          (AP) - Two days after Warren Moon came looking for a job,
former
          San Diego starter John Friesz visited the quarterback-hungry
          Chargers. Both Moon and Friesz were released by the Seattle
          Seahawks last week, and the Chargers are interested in signing
          one of them to start until Ryan Leaf gets his act together. On
          Monday, Moon said there would be a lot of positives about
joining
          the Chargers. But his agent, Leigh Steinberg -- who also
          represents Friesz -- said on Wednesday that several other
teams
          are interested in Moon, and the 42-year-old quarterback will
          extend his search a week. The Chargers have made signing a
          veteran quarterback their top priority, and need to do that
          before taking care of other free agent needs. That could open
the
          door for Friesz to get the job here, and he'd come cheaper
than
          Moon would.
          "I'd like to get something done as soon as possible, whether
it's
          here or somewhere else," said Friesz, who has a 13-25 record
in
          38 starts over nine seasons for San Diego, Seattle and
          Washington. "San Diego still feels like home. I'd love to be a
          Charger again, sure." Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard,
          who drafted Friesz in the sixth round of the 1990 draft,
didn't
          immediately return a phone call. "There has always been a lot
of
          warmth and mutual trust between John and Bobby; there's a lot
of
          good feelings there," Steinberg said. "That would also be a
          logical fit. Again, it's the Chargers' prerogative to set a
          timetable that makes sense for them." Aside from spending 1992
on
          the injured reserve list when the Chargers went 11-5 and
reached
          the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Friesz has never
          played for a winning team.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558493545-241
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Broncos sign tackle Berti to contract
          (AP) - The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed tackle Tony
Berti,
          a 300-pound offensive player who is entering his fifth NFL
          season. The one-year deal was worth $400,000, according to
head
          coach Mike Shanahan. Berti, 26, a free agent who blocked for
          running back Rashaan Salaam while at Colorado, originally was
          chosen by San Diego in the sixth round of the 1995 draft and
          played in 33 games there. Berti was released by the Chargers
          after a knee injury before the start of the 1998 season and
          signed with Seattle, but was inactive for the team's final
five
          games.
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Rams sign free-agent safety Bush
          (AP) - The St. Louis Rams signed free agent safety Devin Bush
to
          a four-year contract Wednesday. Bush, 25, appeared in 13 games
          for NFC champion Atlanta in 1998. He had 24 tackles, forced
two
          fumbles and recovered one. Bush was a first-round selection by
          the Falcons out of Florida State in the 1995 draft. He has
          started 36 games in his NFL career. Bush is expected to
compete
          for a starting job at safety, where veteran Toby Wright has
been
          bothered by knee injuries. The Rams have signed three free
agents
          this offseason, agreeing to deals with former Packers
offensive
          guard Adam Timmerman and former Redskins quarterback Trent
Green.
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Patriots could get bonus if stadium costs run low
          (AP) - New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft may pocket some
of
          the difference if construction costs for the team's Hartford
          stadium run below what the state has agreed to pay.
Connecticut
          has pledged up to $280 million for the 68,000-seat stadium,
          scheduled to be built by 2002. The state will pay another $94
          million in other costs, including securing the construction
site
          and cleaning up environmental contamination. Kraft will pick
up
          the tab if construction costs run more than $280 million. But
if
          he cuts costs while building the stadium, he may be able to
rake
          in some of the savings. Details of the stadium deal were made
          public in a 226-page development agreement released Friday.
          "If the state felt it was in its best interest to provide some
          kind of incentive to save the state money, they could
negotiate
          an agreement," according to Scott Murphy, the state's chief
          lawyer who drew up the development agreement. Murphy said
          Wednesday there is nothing unusual about offering Kraft
          incentives if they could save the state money. He noted the
          development agreement does not obligate Connecticut to strike
          such a deal with the NFL team. If Kraft did get a bonus, it
          wouldn't amount to much, Murphy said. "If there is something
          negotiated, it would be unspectacular in its particulars,"
Murphy
          said.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558491707-25f
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Slaying suspect had record of violence
          (AP) - The man arrested in the slaying of the daughter of NFL
          Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff once was convicted of
kidnapping a
          former girlfriend but served little prison time, prosecutors
said
          Wednesday. Mohammed Haroon Ali was arrested as he tried to
return
          to California from Mexico on Tuesday, the same day the body of
          Tracey Biletnikoff, 20, was found on a hillside at Canada
College
          in Redwood City, Calif. She is one of Biletnikoff's five
          children. The 23-year-old Ali, who was driving her car, was
          arrested by immigration agents at San Ysidro running a random
          check of the license number, said Immigration and
Naturalization
          spokesman Bill Strassberger. Ali will be returned to Redwood
City
          in the next few days, when a decision about charges will be
made,
          said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe at a news
          conference.
          Ms. Biletnikoff, Ali's girlfriend, disappeared early Tuesday.
A
          friend called San Mateo police to report that the couple was
          fighting, but they were gone when the police arrived.
Maintenance
          workers found her partially clothed body hours later near an
          empty parking lot while picking up garbage. Ali was convicted
in
          1996 of kidnapping a former girlfriend after she broke up with
          him, Wagstaffe said. "Our office sought a state prison
sentence
          for his conviction, but the defense sought no prison time," he
          said. "They didn't want any jail time." Ali, a native of Fiji,
          plead guilty to felony kidnapping and threatening bodily
injury
          with a deadly weapon. A nine-year prison sentence was
suspended
          and he spent a year in county jail. He remains on probation in
          that case.
          *** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558492144-b2a
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Vikings fan pleads guilty in attack
          (AP) - A Minnesota Vikings fan accused of setting on fire the
          clothing and hair of two Green Bay Packers fans has pleaded
          guilty to two misdemeanors. Brian Siegmann, 23, of Eau Claire,
          Wis., was sentenced Tuesday to two years' probation and fined
          $200 for his conduct on Oct. 4, the night before the Vikings
          defeated the Packers in a nationally televised game. Eau
Claire
          County Circuit Judge Thomas Barland also ordered Siegmann --
who
          called himself "The Grand Viking" -- to spend 30 days in jail
or
          perform 240 hours of community service and to get an
assessment
          for drug and alcohol abuse, court officials said. Siegmann was
          accused of lighting Casey Conners-Herm's left pants leg on
fire
          and then setting Meagan Corcoran's left jacket sleeve and hair
on
          fire after they identified themselves as Packers fans. Neither
          was seriously injured.
          Siegmann told police he tied a shirt to the end of a piece of
          metal and lit it on fire and was attempting to stir up a
rivalry
          between fans by creating an "Olympic torch." He pleaded guilty
          Tuesday to endangering safety by reckless use of a weapon and
          negligent handling of burning material, court officials said.
In
          return, prosecutors dropped one felony count of first-degree
          endangering safety and one of second-degree endangering
safety.
          Those charges carried a maximum punishment of seven years in
          prison.
                                          Return to Top | News and Notes
Index
          Transactions
          CHICAGO BEARS-Signed DE Clyde Simmons to a two-year contract.
          DENVER BRONCOS-Released S Steve Atwater. Signed OT Tony Berti
to
          a one-year contract.
          JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS-Signed WR Nakia Jenkins.
          NEW ORLEANS SAINTS-Signed C Jerry Fontenot to a four-year
          contract.
          NEW YORK GIANTS-Re-signed LB Corey Widmer. Terminated the
          contract of WR Chris Calloway.
          PHILADELPHIA EAGLES-Signed QB Doug Pederson.
          KANSAS CITY CHIEFS-Allocated G Brad Kubik, G Fred Pollack, TE
Bob
          Rosensthiel and WR Shawn McWashington to Amsterdam of NFL
Europe;
          LB Terry Rice-Locket, RB Jesse Haynes and T Nate Parks to
          Scottish of NFL Europe; G Joel Davis and T TaVarr Closs to
          Barcelona of NFL Europe; LB Mike Maslowski and DT Jim Hoffman
to
          NFL Europe.
          ST. LOUIS RAMS-Signed S Devin Bush to a four-year contract.
          SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-Signed FB Ed Scissum and DB Corey Hill.

          than Moon would.
Vabbè, ma allora guardiamo ai conti della serva e continuamo
allegramente a mertellarci alla Tafazzi... Per me tra Moon e Friesz...
bah, non lo dico neanche...
Povero Diego...
Ciao
Charlie Brown
G O   D O L P H I N S ! ! !
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chNOS...@excite.com
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