DAVIE, Fla. -- Dannell Ellerbe had to travel more than 1,100 miles south to escape Ray Lewis' large and overwhelming shadow. Coming off a Super Bowl victory, Ellerbe had a tough decision to make in free agency: He could either be heir apparent to Lewis -- the legendary Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker who retired in February -- or aim to build his own legacy at middle linebacker with the Miami Dolphins.
Tony Dungy has been selected at No. 20 on our Greatest Coaches in NFL History list over on our main NFL page. I’d like to say I saw this one coming all the way, but I can’t. Truth is, I was covering the Buccaneers for The Tampa Tribune back when Dungy was hired to coach Tampa Bay in 1996, and I wasn’t so sure he’d make it through a single season.
The San Francisco 49ers, though unusually healthy in recent seasons, had a hard time recovering from injuries to return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. and top defensive lineman Justin Smith over the past two seasons.
See, this is why the New York Giants like to keep their offseasons as dull and quiet as possible. Too often, the news you make this time of the year isn't the good kind. The Giants' OTA workout Tuesday featured two troubling items.
To this point of the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have elected to carry untouched the largest salary-cap hit for a non-quarterback in the NFL. Despite his cap charge of $17.063 million, defensive end Jared Allen told the Star Tribune recently that "we haven't talked one iota" about a contract extension that would lower that figure.
The “Patriots Way” is a popular saying in Foxborough. It means several things, such as no distractions, establishing a strong football culture, and playing consistent and smart football. The Patriots, more than any NFL franchise, are machine-like in their approach.
We interrupt ongoing coverage of Michael Crabtree's surgically repaired Achilles tendon to continue our recent discussion on average ages for projected 2013 NFL starting lineups. Offense went first. Defense is up next.
All we know for sure is that on May 21 -- more than two months before training camp and 109 days before the start of the regular season -- Mike Neal was working as an outside linebacker during a Green Bay Packers organized team activity (OTA).
Unable to find an acceptable situation under which to continue his Hall of Fame career, former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher announced his retirement earlier this week. Thanks to Kevin Seifert of the NFC North blog for pointing out this Chicago Tribune story, in which Urlacher says he liked the idea of possibly signing with the Dallas Cowboys, who were not interested: Although the Bears seemed to leave open the possibility of an Urlacher return months after sending out a parting news release, such a scenario never materialized.
The Carolina Panthers signed defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, the 14th overall pick in April's draft, to a four-year deal, his agent told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 311-pounder out of the University of Utah is "extremely excited to officially become a Panther," Bruce Tollner said.
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