You know it's going to be a crazy First Day of Free Agency (teams can officially begin signing free agents Friday) when NFL Network holes Jason LaCanfora up in a "free agency war room" as if he's preparing for the NFL draft.
But he is, and free agency is going to kick into gear today as what usually takes place around the first week of March will happen in the span of 24-48 hours. Hang on tight.
For Giants, Osi Umenyiora is at forefront as camp opens Friday | NJ.com
With players scheduled to report for the start of training camp, and with Burress set to meet with Tom Coughlin at the team’s facility, all eyes will be on the lookout for the one player whose absence or presence will speak the loudest: defensive end Osi Umenyiora, he of the affidavit in the Brady et al. vs. NFL case in which he said general manager Jerry Reese promised him a new contract by now.
Osi still pondering a training camp holdout | New York Daily News
Osi Umenyiora is not likely to be at training camp when it opens tomorrow, but according to someone who spoke with him earlier today he still hasn’t made up his mind. The only thing that’s clear is that the Giants defensive end is still angry and will still insist that GM Jerry Reese honors the promise Umenyiora believes was made to either give him a lucrative, new contract or trade him to a team that will. Giants co-owner John Mara has told Umenyiora that he needs to show up and settle things with Reese face to face, but that has yet to happen and it’s unclear if it will.
This is going to be really interesting. I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel Osi is worth all this baggage.
For N.F.L. Agents, the Action Is Nonstop - NYTimes.com
David Canter was sitting in a hibachi restaurant in South Florida late Wednesday afternoon, having his first food of the day and trying to jam in some family time before the phone rang again. For an agent juggling multiple clients, this has been the most unusual and exhausting week in N.F.L. history — a crash course in multitasking melded with a case study on the effects of sleep deprivation.
You might say you would not want to be in their shoes right now, but I'd love to know how much money agents will make in the next seven days.
Because I thought you all needed some news from down the turnpike....
Report: Eagles sign Vince Young to one-year deal - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Apparently, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided to corner the market on scrambling quarterbacks with "interesting" pasts. After hitting the jackpot with the reinstated Michael Vick(notes) last season, the Eagles have gone against the grain again by signing former Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young(notes) to a one-year deal. The signing was first reported by Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
As if we needed another reason to hate the Eagles. I was at the horror of a game in Nashville in 2006 when Young led the Titans to a (craptastic) win over the Giants.
Eagles send Kolb to Cardinals - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie(notes) and a second-round pick in 2012....Kolb, who turns 27 next month, will sign a five-year contract for just under $64 million that includes $21 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
You read that correctly. SIXTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS, TWENTY ONE MILLION GUARANTEED. For Kevin Kolb. Seriously?
After surviving cancer, Herzlich is ready for anything in trying to make Giants team - The Washington Post
Several teams, though, were interested in signing Herzlich as a free agent rookie. Then Giants co-owner John Mara — a fellow BC grad who had watched Herzlich play — said he "suggested" to team executives that the linebacker was someone they could not afford to overlook.
I know this was posted earlier in the week when Herzlich signed with the Giants, but this is an incredible story.
Nigerian sentenced in NY-Liberia drug case - WSJ.com
A Nigerian narcotics trafficker has been sentenced in New York to 30 years in prison for conspiring to import more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States. Chigbo Peter Umeh was sentenced Thursday in a Manhattan federal court after being convicted in April following a three week trial by jury that included New York Giants owner Frank Mara.
A sign that Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal is crumbling--they called the Giants' owner Frank Mara. I know that sports is not exactly their forte, but that's just inexcusable.
Enjoy the free agent signings today, guys.