SPECIAL ISSUE FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW PLAYER REPORTS | DRAFT BOARD | THE BUZZ | STATISTICS URGENT NEWS — PA l VOL. XXIII, NO. 5 l JULY 2008 DELIVER IMMEDIATELY l PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY FANTASY FREE TO PLAY! SEE PAGE 19 $4.99$4.99US U.S. $5.99CAN / $5.99 Can. 26 0 74470 01161 3 GETTY IMAGES / G. NEWMAN LOWRANCE (ROETHLISBERGER) l HARRY SCULL JR. (BRADY, GARRARD, TOMLINSON) 2 PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY ■ http://www.profootballweekly.com JULY 2008 ALSO: In this Volume XXIII edition of No. 5 CREATORS & FOUNDERS Big money Arthur Arkush, Robert Drazkowski and Joel Buchsbaum equals more Publisher/Editor Hub Arkush General manager Mike Waters pressure Editor-in-chief Keith Schleiden Art director Bob Peters Now that Ben Roethlis- Managing editor Mike Holbrook berger of the Steelers Executive editors Dan Arkush Neil Warner and David Garrard of Senior editors Nolan Nawrocki the Jaguars have signed Eric Edholm Mike Wilkening lucrative contract exten- Associate editors Matt Sohn sions, expectations for Dan Parr Michael Blunda 6 both QBs have risen. PHOTOS BY HARRY SCULL JR. Production assistant Matt Quinnan DEPARTMENTS Not fulfilling The Way We Hear It ......................Pg. 3 NEW MEDIA SPECIAL SECTION Publisher Sue Nemitz their promise Arena Football; CFL ....................Pg. 30 Web developer Tom O’Brien FANTASYFANTASY We examine the past five years Audibles ......................................Pg. 32 Business manager Christine Klimusko of draft picks and identify the NFL transactions ..........................Pg. 34 Network support tech. Bob Boklewski biggest bust for each team. FOOTBALLFOOTBALL The Slant with Dan Arkush ........Pg. 35 Distribution manager Arthur Arkush 8 Plus, seven players who are in Subscription manager Kristine Carlsson SPECIALSPECIAL make-or-break years. COLUMNISTS Player reports ..............Pg. 12 Dan Parr; Ron Borges ................Pg. 28 ADVERTISING SALES New offensive coordinators Pg. 16 Free-agency Glenn Dickey; Jerry Magee ......Pg. 29 VP, Marketing Phil Hornthal Draft board ..................Pg. 18 AD SALES OFFICE: 1-847-940-1100 update Ask the Experts............Pg. 20 NEXT ISSUE COLUMNISTS The Buzz ......................Pg. 22 Contract extensions for Don’t miss our in-depth team-by-team train- ing-camp previews. And check out another Ron Borges, Jim Campbell, Bob Carroll, 2007 fantasy statistics ....Pg. 24 Will Smith and Tommie Harris thin the FA ranks for 2009. round of the Fantasy Buzz with the hottest fan- Glenn Dickey, Barry Jackson, 27 tasy football news from around the league. Jerry Magee, Bill Wallace VIC MILTON AFC REPORTERS TO COMMENT ON ANY OF THE STORIES OR COLUMNS IN THIS ISSUE, E-MAIL PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY AT [email protected] Baltimore Ravens Jamison Hensley Buffalo Bills Chuck Pollock Cincinnati Bengals Mark Curnutte Cleveland Browns Tony Grossi MIXED MESSAGE: Denver Broncos Frank Schwaab Houston Texans Megan Manfull Indianapolis Colts Tom James Jacksonville Jaguars Vito Stellino What is commissioner Goodell’s real objective? Kansas City Chiefs Rick Dean Miami Dolphins Harvey Fialkov HUB ARKUSH PUBLISHER/EDITOR New England Patriots John Tomase New York Jets Andrew Gross suspect more than a few of you caught the ple pony. Upshaw quickly weighed in with the Oakland Raiders Michael Wagaman comments NFL commissioner Roger A little over a month prior to these state- promise that he represents every NFL play- Pittsburgh Steelers Jim Wexell Goodell made on the last Friday in June ments from the commissioner, the 32 NFL er, veteran and rookie alike, and that he San Diego Chargers Jay Posner I Tennessee Titans Paul Kuharsky relative to the amount of money being paid owners chose to opt out of the current Col- wasn’t giving back anybody’s money in new PEN to NFL rookies. He called the lucrative deals lective Bargaining Agreement and place at negotiations. A rookie mistake by the novice NFC REPORTERS “ridiculous” and went on to add, “There’s risk the labor peace, which the NFL has politico Mawae or a visible chink in the Arizona Cardinals Kent Somers Atlanta Falcons Steve Wyche something wrong about the system. The enjoyed since 1993 and which has paid NFLPA’s armor, and into the breach leaps Carolina Panthers Charles Chandler money should go to people who perform.” gigantic dividends for owners and players the commissioner? Does it sound a little dif- Chicago Bears Bob LeGere I’ve got to hand it to the man. When alike. This was done on the premise that in ferent to you now? Dallas Cowboys Mickey Spagnola you’re right, you’re right, and the commish order to be economically viable, the owners I’ve always believed the job description of Detroit Lions Nicholas J. Cotsonika would appear to be spot-on with this one. Or have to get back some of the 60 percent of the commissioner of the National Football Green Bay Packers Bob McGinn is he? revenues the current CBA pays the players. League should be to represent the best inter- Minnesota Vikings Sean Jensen Speaking before approximately 2,000 NFL Players Association boss Gene Upshaw ests of the game first and always, and toil New Orleans Saints Mike Triplett people at a sports symposium at the Chau- responded by suggesting the owners scratch equally on behalf of the fans, players and New York Giants Paul Schwartz tauqua Institution and referring to the deal themselves in areas of the body extremely owners. I think it’s possible Pete Rozelle Philadelphia Eagles Dave Weinberg St. Louis Rams Jim Thomas signed recently by Jake Long, the No. 1 difficult for an individual to reach on his or may have believed that at some level, and in San Francisco 49ers Kevin Lynch overall pick in the 2008 draft, Goodell said, her own. his early years perhaps Paul Tagliabue fos- Seattle Seahawks Dave Boling “He doesn’t have to play a down in the NFL Shortly thereafter, we learned there was a tered those kinds of dreams, as well. But Tampa Bay Buccaneers Katherine Smith and he already has his money. Now, with the movement afoot by certain player reps, led let’s face it, folks, my beliefs have become Washington Redskins John Keim economics where they are, the consequences by Baltimore’s Matt Stover, to find a succes- pure fantasy. Commissioner Goodell works if you don’t evaluate that player, you can sor for Upshaw. Stover refused to discuss for and serves at the pleasure of the 32 own- CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tom Danyluk, Matt Duffy, Art Edelstein, lose a significant amount of money. And that the subject in public other than to offer the ers, and the rest of us — players, fans and Pat Fitzmaurice, Court E. Mann, Rick Matsumoto money is not going to players that are per- fact that Upshaw’s contract was up in a year media alike — get what we get. That doesn’t forming. It’s going to a player that never or two and all he wanted was to have a make Goodell a bad guy or a bad commis- STATISTICIANS PUBLISHER’S Rick Arkush, Daryl Arkush makes it in the NFL. And I think that’s handpicked successor in place. I’ve talked to sioner, just a working stiff like the rest of us. ridiculous.” several players who’ve supported that story, And so it comes to this: If Roger Goodell Pro Football Weekly (ISSN: 0032-9053, USPS Pub. I was not in Chautauqua, but the lead item and several others who’ve claimed, off the truly intends to negotiate a bunch of that #000-509) is published by Pro Football Weekly LLC, 302 Saunders Road, Suite 100, Riverwoods, IL 60015, I heard and read in every news report on record, that there are definitely a few flames ridiculous guaranteed money away from the once in April, twice in May, once in June and July, three Goodell’s comments suggested he wanted to fostering this smoke. For Upshaw’s part he first 40-50 draft picks each year and put it in times in August, three times in September, five times in October, four times in November, four times in Decem- take much of that windfall from rookies and says he has no intentions of going anywhere the hands of accomplished veterans, then ber, four times in January and twice in February for a give it to veterans. But if the quote has been until his troops have a new CBA in place, God bless him — he’s a guy after our own total of 30 issues annually. The subscription price is $99.95 for 30 issues. Periodicals postage is paid at accurately reported, it is only fair to ques- but the fact is that’s not his call to make and hearts, and all hail the new economy in the Deerfield, IL, and at additional offices. tion the commissioner’s real meaning. Does he might be facing a battle on two fronts. NFL. But if this noise is really just Goodell ‘‘Canada Post International Publications Mail Product he want to give the bulk of that money to Soon after that little public spat, the new tossing all that expensive English tea over (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 1356097’’ veteran players, who deserve it, or does he president of the NFLPA, Kevin Mawae, was the rail in Boston Harbor, or firing a musket POSTMASTER: Send address change to: want to put it back in the pockets of the 32 quoted as saying he did have some issues round at Fort Sumter in an effort to do his Pro Football Weekly NFL team owners, who pay his exceptional- with a system that was paying all that job, which is to make his bosses that much 302 Saunders Road, Suite 100 ly robust salary, which is a horse of a truly money to rookies while a number of veter- more money, then let the new CBA war Riverwoods, IL 60015 different color? Based on recent events, I’m ans continue to toil at wages well below begin.