NFL News For June 21, 2007

A bunch of news for today:

- Today, Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said that WR Brian Finneran is going to miss the entire 2007 season because of his 2nd reconstructive knee surgery in two years that took place last week. He hurt the knee while going through rehabilitation in May, which was for the severe knee injury that Finneran suffered last year and caused him to miss the entire season. Petrino said,"He had a lot of differing [medical] opinions and decided last week to go in and get the reconstruction surgery. It's a 9-to 12-month recovery period, and unfortunately that means he's out for the season."This injury could be career threatening for Finneran. He led all Falcon receivers in 2005 when he compiled 611 yards on 60 catches. In March 2006, he signed a 4 year, 8 million dollar contract. After that, he suffered his first knee injury. In total, Finneran has played 86 games with 35 starts for Atlanta. In those games, he has 187 catches for 2,647 yards and 15 touchdowns.

So, with Finneran's injury, lets take a look at the Atlanta Falcon's receiver situation. Following last years performance of last in the NFL in passing, the Falcons signed star WR Joe Horn from the New Orleans Saints. They also selected Illinois State WR Laurent Robinson in the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL draft. Before the injury, Horn and former 1st round pick Michael Jenkins were listed as the starting WR with Finneran as Jenkin's top backup(Jenkins is the #1 WR). Now, either Robinson, Adam Jennings, or Fred Gibson has a chance to take over the number 3 WR spot. Said Petrino," I think it affects our competition a little bit. [Finneran] would have been another guy in there who really competed and lifted everybody else with his experience. We lose a lot there without his experience and knowledge of how to prepare for a game."

I think that this is a pretty big blow to an Atlanta WR group that does not have that much depth to begin with. But, this injury does open up the door for the mentioned WR, and gives them chances to shine.

- LaVar Arrington, who was involved in a motorcycle accident when he ran into a highway ramp earlier this week will remain in the Prine George's Hospital Center for at least a few more days, most likely next week. In the accident, Arrington suffered a broken right forearm and has severe lacerations in his leg. This accident greatly setbacks Arrington's football career as the linebacker still has no team to play on after he tore his Achilles tendon last year when his was on the New York Giants. Said his attorney, Rosalyn Pugh, on his career,"He's not talking about that. He's just talking about how blessed he is to be in one piece given the accident he's been in." If I were a NFL team GM, I would give Arrington a shot if I had little depth at linebacker. He has proven that he is a pretty good player when he has been healthy. However, this recent accident and the injury obtained last year has to and is obviously drawing a lot of concern.

- Former USC star and the 2nd round pick of the Carolina Panthers Dwayne Jarrett in the 2007 NFL draft escaped serious injury in a car crash that took place Wednesday night. Although details of the accident are not out yet, Panthers officials said that Jarrett only sustained superficial bruises and bumps. Luckily, he had his seatbelt on. The Carolina physicians are aware of the accident and are expected to monitor him along with Jarrett's personal doctors. It is not believed that Jarrett is hospitalized, and more details of the accident will come tomorrow. I don't think that this is that big of a deal. Jarrett may just need to take a few days off, but the injuries do not seem too serious.

- The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to adopt Social Security Administrative satndards for determining qualification for retired players to get disability funds. Under this agreement, any former player who qualifies for Social Security disability benefits will be automatically for NFL disability too. This is a big change from the previous policy which made past players with injuries travel to doctors who were unfamiliar with their case. This change comes before the congressional subcommittee hearing Tuesday over the pension and disability programs of the NFL. Says Troy Vincent, NLFPA president,"It's long and involved and there definitely is a lot of red tape. Some guys don't understand it, and even for the ones who do, it's a real [chore]. I'm sure some [retired players] just get to the point where they figure it's not worth the time you've got to put into it. They just get so frustrated, they kind of give up." I think that this is a very good decision. There is no reason why to not get former NFL players who are injured help. Although this does not settle it, it is a step in the right direction.

- Recently released safety from the Jacksonville Jaguars Donovan Darius had a meeting with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday and had a physical exam. Oakland has yet to make a contract offer, reports Len Pasuarelli, but were expected to talk to Darius's agent today. No offer has been made yet. Other teams interested in him are are the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers, but he has not visited with either one. Darius, who is 31, was not able to participate in the Jaguar's offseason program this spring, but was expected to be ready for training camp. Last year, he played in 11 games before breaking his right ankle. The year before, he played in just 2 games before tearing his ACL. Last year, he made 48 tackles, 39 of which were solo and 9 assisted, and had no sacks or interceptions. I think that he would be a solid pickup for a team looking for safety depth, even though he has suffered major injuries and has played in only 12 games the past 2 seasons. We'll see what happens with him, as he has not been offered a contract yet.

-John Clayton of ESPN has reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a contract extension with defensive tackle Chris Hoke through 2010. The contract is 4 years, 6.5 million dollars with a 1.5 million dollar signing bonus. Hoke was going to make 900,000 dollars this season, but he will now make 2.1 million dollars this year including the signing bonus. He just got a lot richer. Hoke is entering his 7th season with the Steelers. He plays behind pro bowler Casey Hampton at the nose tackle position, but coaches think he would be able to start on other teams. Last year, Hoke made 12 tackles, 10 of which were solo and 2 assisted, playing in all 16 games. I really like this extension. It provides good depth on the defensive line for the Steelers for years to come, and locks up a solid player that could start at nose tackle. Last year, Hoke made 12 tackles, 10 of which were solo and 2 assisted, playing in all 16 games.



- In other steelers news, Pittsburgh has began contract extension talks with safety Troy Polamalu and will most likely begin talks with linebacker Clark Haggans soon. Both are free agents after this season. Other free agents after next season are guard Kendall Simmons, tackle Max Starks, and guard Alan Faneca, who is expected to leave after this season. It is very important for the Steelers to resign Polamalu in my opinion, for he is a very key part of that Pittsburgh defense.