SB Nation - Amari Spievey

Lions minicamp: Notes from Day 3 of practice

Sean Yuille — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:06:06 -0000

The Detroit Lions wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp with a morning practice on Thursday. Below is a recap of various tidbits from the practice.

Jim Schwartz said on Thursday that Matthew Stafford and Joique Bell were the two players who spent the most time at the Lions' facility this offseason, according to Josh Katzenstein.
Tahir Whitehead took his turn with the first-team defense at outside linebacker on Thursday. As noted by Tim Twentyman, Whitehead, Travis Lewis and Ashlee Palmer all got first-team reps this week.
With Chris Houston not taking part in the team drills on Thursday, Bill Bentley got a chance to run with the No. 1 defense, according to Chris McCosky.
At safety, Amari Spievey was with the second-team defense and Ricardo Silva was with the third-teamers, according to Dave Birkett.
Michael Williams got some time with the first-team offense at tight end on Thursday, according to Justin Rogers.
If Louis Delmas misses time again this year because of injuries, the Lions will be prepared to replace him, likely with Don Carey.

#Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the team is prepared to play 16 games with or without safety Louis Delmas this season.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) June 13, 2013
Sam Martin continued to impress on Thursday.

Lions rookie punter Sam Martin was wowing teammates today, nailing two 70-yarders. Slightly wind-aided but impressive
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) June 13, 2013
Havard Rugland also continued to impress on Thursday, as he had "another perfect field goal session," according to Rogers.
Darius Slay said on Thursday that getting to go up against Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson in practice has already made him a better player.
Balaal Hollings, a high school senior who was shot in the head in April, spoke to the Lions as they wrapped up their practice on Thursday.

#Lions w/ special visit from Balaal Hollings. Hollings was shot in the head while breaking up a fight in Detroit. twitter.com/DetroitLionsNF…
— Detroit Lions (@DetroitLionsNFL) June 13, 2013

Lions notes: Throwback uniforms returning this year?

Sean Yuille — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:00:07 -0000

The Detroit Lions sound like they're going to bring back their throwback uniforms for one game in 2013. They haven't worn the throwbacks since 2010, but the Lions may be "taking those out of the closet" in 2013, according to team president Tom Lewand. Would you rather the Lions bring back their throwbacks or wear new alternate uniforms?
The Lions don't have any plans to add cheerleaders right now.
The charges stemming from Lions safety Amari Spievey's arrest last month are expected to be dropped in June, as he has enrolled in a family violence education program.
New Lions kicker Havard Rugland got a three-year deal. Here are the salary details:

Lions K Havard Rugland three-year deal, $1.485 million, $405,000, $495,000, $585,000 salaries. Split salaries No bonus or guaranteed money
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) April 12, 2013
Defensive tackle C.J. Mosley's deal with the Lions is worth $2.75 million over two years. Here's the breakdown on his contract:

New Lions DT C.J. Mosley's two-year, $2.75 M deal: 13-$850 K (base); 14-$1.55 M (base). $350 K SB.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) April 4, 2013
Two of Jason Hanson's field goals stand out as the most memorable for former Lions punter (and holder) Nick Harris.
Lions running backs coach Curtis Modkins attended Notre Dame's pro day last month.
This is a pretty interesting stat about left tackles:

Just looked @nfl starting left tackles-19 of 32 are 1strd picks. Add 3 more this yr & 22 of 32 will be 1st rd guys 69% of LT are 1st rd guys
— Pat Kirwan (@PatKirwanCBS) April 3, 2013
On that note, this is also pretty interesting:

In my 12 years of going to Senior Bowl practices, I don't recall a more dominant performance from a LT than Lane Johnson's.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) April 5, 2013
Mike Mayock now has Eric Fisher ranked as the 2013 NFL Draft's top offensive tackle.
The Lions aren't planning to bring in LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo for a pre-draft visit, according to Dave Birkett.
Looking back, Jeff Backus says that his decision to retire wasn't a tough one to make.
The Lions' preseason game against the New England Patriots this year is set for Aug. 22.
Jim Schwartz thinks Reggie Bush could end up with 60-80 catches a season "depending on how you use him."
Calvin Johnson attended Monday's national championship game between Michigan and Louisville.

Had a great time at the game despite the loss. Enjoyed watching the game with @bigplaycj and@rebeccafeely twitpic.com/ci1u24
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 9, 2013
Tim Twentyman has an interesting look at what takes place behind the scenes on the day of an NFL game.
Gil Brandt is apparently not on the Jarvis Jones bandwagon.

Going to drop Jarvis Jones out of first round. Not sure he's a first-round talent. #NFLDraft.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 2, 2013
Defensive tackle Mike Patterson, who visited the Lions earlier in the offseason, signed with the New York Giants last week.
Carson Palmer is already the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, meaning Drew Stanton is once again stuck in the backup role.
Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha signed with the San Francisco 49ers last week.
Cornerback Eric Wright reworked his contract to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Former Lions kicker Derek Dimke has landed with the New York Jets.

Amari Spievey expects assault charges to be dismissed, says attorney

JP Starkey — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:08:57 -0000

Detroit Lions safety Amari Spievey was arrested in Middletown, Conn., in late March and was charged with third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and risk of injury to a child. Spievey and his attorney expect the charges to be dropped, after Spievey agreed to enroll in a family violence education program, according to the Detroit Free Press.

More: Lions blog: Pride of Detroit

Spievey was originally due in court on Thursday, but a Middletown Superior Court clerk said that the case was continued until June 28.

Spievey and Lisa Marie Santos, the mother of his two-year-old daughter, were involved in the dispute. Santos was also arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and risk of injury to a child. The two were involved in an altercation stemming from an argument regarding child support. At one point, Spievey told their daughter "not to be like her mother," which likely escalated the argument.

Detroit re-signed Spievey to a one-year contract in March. Spievey is expected to compete for a backup safety role, behind Louis Delmas and Glover Quin. Spievey appeared in just five games in 2012 and recorded 21 tackles without forcing a turnover.

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• NFL mock draft: Predicting 3 full rounds

• Will the NFL concussions case get another day in court?

• Ravens signing Rolando McClain

• Jets to work out Geno Smith | Will release Tebow

• Sneak peek at the Chargers' new offense

• The next step for Mankind: Mick Foley's evolution

Battle Red Newswire: Greg Who? Greg Jones

Bayless Parsley — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:00:07 -0000

Let's just dive right in today.

Houston Texans News

Who? Greg Jooones.

The Texans signed former Jacksonville Jaguars fullback Greg Jones to a one-year contract on Wednesday, handing the 10th year player a total package worth $1 million, when factoring in his signing bonus. He will follow the trail blazed from Jacksonville to Houston by Chronicle Texans beat writer Tania Ganguli, who probably makes only slightly less than him.

A million dollars is a lot, but I've heard of punters that make more, and for far less effort, with far fewer consequences to their long-term health. For all of you out there who love to say that Andre Johnson is injury-prone, it could be much worse. He could be like Greg Jones, who has torn two ACLs in his career. (Editor's note: Owen Daniels laughs at only two torn ACLs.)

Jones will be the team's fourth starting fullback in four years. He fills the void left by James Casey's departure, just as Casey filled the void left by Lawrence Vickers' departure in 2012, and as Vickers did the same when Vonta Leach departed the year before that. Let's take a quick peek at how much all four of these guys are due to make in 2013, and what their respective cap hits will be, to see who got the the biggest value:

* - Casey is the only one of the four who is not in the last year of his current contract. He is also not really a "fullback" per se, now that he is in line to be Chip Kelly's NFL Wunderkind.

Given the team's track record at the position, it's quite possible that Jones' stint in Houston will last only a year. That depends on how well the bruising run-blocker opens up the seams for Arian Foster in 2013. Play poor, be shown the door; play too well, though, and Foster may be forced to rejoin Twitter solely to try and outdo Maurice Jones-Drew in the excessive-vowels-and-exclamation-points-cry-of-distress.

"@adamschefter: Jaguars FB Greg Jones is visiting the Texans today." Noooooooo!!!!!!
— Maurice Jones-Drew (@Jones_Drew32) March 26, 2013

Bill Barnwell, take note: MJD is coming for Jim Irsay in this category.

Jones has languished in relative obscurity in the sticks of northern Florida for the duration of his nine-year NFL career. Many claim Jones would have already made a Pro Bowl by now had he only been on another team. Perhaps that is true. He certainly passes the eye test in the Jesus-Christ-that-dude-is-jacked department and has since his days at Florida State.

Greg Jones (via atmymercy41)

This is one back that clearly can make do in light of the new NFL rule that prohibits leading with the crown of your helmet.

If you think Jones looks good with pads on, you should see the man take his shirt off. It's like our own bigfatdrunk, only much stronger and leaner as well.

Watch the two videos down below. The first is from his time as a Seminole. The other is from last year. Observe the evolution of his eating habits, and then try and see whether or not it really made any difference. Don't you get the sense that the man could eat a bucket of lard every morning and still look like a background dancer at a Salt-N-Peppa show?

1) Greg Jones as college student, when his Wendy's M.O. was to actively seek out the greasiest possible thing on menu:

Greg Jones' diet from Brian Liburd on Vimeo.

2) Greg Jones as seasoned NFL veteran, who now bores his wife with his daily routine of baked chicken, baked chicken and some more baked chicken:

ESPN The Body Issue - ESPN The Magazine- Greg Jones Body Shot (via ESPN)

One more random factoid about Greg Jones before we move on: he is somehow related to boxing legend Joe "Down Goes" Frazier. Whether their parents are siblings or merely "distant" relatives, I don't know, as we're all aware that the word "cousin" has a different definition in certain segments of American society versus others. I don't know what the relations between Jones and Frazier are, but if there's blood, it goes a long way towards explaining the genetic freak show that is Greg Jones.

Chad Johnson, you should probably have done some more research on who you were challenging to a fight back in the day. You are really lucky that never went down.

*****

Around the NFL

A quick look at the cap

Here is an excellent chart that shows the amount of cap room all 32 NFL teams have remaining as of March 26. The Texans have $4,912,260 of cap space according to these figures, but that probably did not reflect the addition of Greg Jones.

*****

Laces are OUT, Dan. And so is the classic Dolphins logo.

The Miami Dolphins are finally trying to move past the Ray Finkle era, engaging in a "total rebranding" of the team that will feature a new logo, a new color on their face masks, and a return to the original aqua that reminds South Floridians of a simpler time in their franchise's history. A time before the "laces out" game.

Ace Ventura: Ray Finkle's House (via littleurchin28)

The most obvious change will be the removal of the Rockne-era protective headgear worn by the dolphin that flies across the team's iconic helmets. The new dolphin eschews headgear altogether, a provocative gesture in the Concussion Era. This new dolphin definitely carries a more modern tint to its style, which is very Miami. The face mask will also be white this year, which is also very Miami. The change has spawned an excellent trivia question for the guy in your weekly group that owns the sports portfolio: What is the only other NFL team that has white face masks? (Answer at bottom of the story.)

If you're the type of person that immediately knew the answer to that question, you may already know this as well: the Miami Dolphins have apparently always been serial color changers when it comes to what shade of "aqua" their jerseys feature. The only question I have in light of these changes is why the hell the Carolina Panthers have never realized how terrible their Electric Blue threads are, and have always been.

*****

At least he and Jordan will have each other

Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy apparently has nine lives in Cleveland Browns terms. Even after Tuesday's signing of Oakland-and-Chicago castoff Jason Campbell, Cleveland claims there are no immediate plans to release or trade the former third round pick. They simply plan to bury him on the bench as the third string option.

#Browns CEO Joe Banner told new flagship partner ESPNCleveland that Weeden will come to camp as the starter, but Campbell will compete.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 28, 2013

It's just really unfortunate. That Cleveland gets its own local ESPN flagship before Houston, and that yet another former Longhorn star is watching his pro career disintegrate after promising start. No one deserves to go from Heisman finalist to a third string option in Cleveland, Ohio.

It could be worse, I suppose. At least McCoy's not stuck in Detroit.

"Not stuck in Detroit!"

*****

Ah, Detroit.

The land of Motown, $400 houses and lovely stories such as this one regarding Lions safety Amari Spievey and the mother of his two-year-old daughter:

Santos told police she and Spievey, her live-in boyfriend, got into an argument about child support. She said he is the father of her 2-year-old daughter. At one point during the argument, Spievey put his hand around Santos' neck and pushed her, she told police. Police said they observed a small red mark on the front side of her neck.

In a later statement to police, Santos said Spievey was telling her daughter "not to be like your mother."

...

Spievey told police Santos grabbed his throat with her right hand and he had to push her hand away. He also told police she threw a "flurry of punches at his chest." Spievey allegedly told police he already gives Santos child support and that he will pay anything for his daughter, but he will not pay for Santos to "go shopping and pay off her student loans," according to police.

Looks like the free agent safety pool that was so deep heading into this offseason may soon be adding another member.

*****

Huff, Huff, Pass...ed Over By The Texans

One member of that aforementioned free agent safety pool is now off the market. Former UT star Michael Huff, a man forever close to my heart after buying my breakfast - and the breakfast of every other patron at the Austin restaurant Juan in a Million one day back in 2011 - signed with Baltimore on Wednesday. The Ravens got Huff for $6 million over three years, a shockingly cheap rate for a player of his caliber. Huff, who is entering his eighth season in the NFL, has experience at cornerback as well as safety, but is expected to replace Ed Reed in the suddenly dangerous-looking, revamped Baltimore defense.

When news broke of how little Huff had agreed to sign for, all the #BattleReedWatch skeptics understandably groaned in unison. Both players are under contract for three years, but the one almost five years Huff's senior is making an average of $3 million more per season. Reed is clearly on the downslope of his career, and though Huff is also on the wrong side of 30, the long-time Raider is way more likely to still be playing at a high level when their respective contracts enter their third and final seasons. It's clearly a smarter football move to sign Michael Huff over Ed Reed, is the way this thinking goes.

But just take a look at Reed's contract, and see how it's structured. The whole point of the Reed experiment in Houston is to get the most out of him in year one, and to view years two and three as a potential bonus, should his body not begin to break down. Reed's contract leaves him pretty vulnerable after 2013, and especially so after 2014. If he starts to suck right off the bat in Houston, he could easily be gone by the start of next season. If he starts to suck in two years' time, he can be let loose for a dead money charge of only $666,668 following the 2014 campaign. Reed's deal is effectively a one-year contract with a team option for extending him in consecutive years after that. It's a win now proposition the Texans are making. The team's front office clearly views him as the better player than Huff at this moment in time, and thinks having Reed patrolling the defensive backfield this season gives them a better chance at that elusive Super Bowl appearance.

From this, logic would point to the draft as where the Texans plan to find that safety of the future that everyone assumed Glover Quin would be following the end of the 2012 season. To select a young player who could learn under Reed and another aging safety on the Texans roster, Danieal Manning, would be an ideal situation for mixing a streak of carpe diem in with the more traditional Smithiak philosophy of building through the draft. Something needs to be done to ensure that the Texans don't simply get taken to the woodshed every time they face Tom Brady (who wants to play until he's 90) and Aaron Rodgers (who, by the way, is about to become Joe Flacco rich and has plenty left in the tank).

That's the logical analysis, of course. If only logically was the way it always worked.

*****

Don't sleep on Jurgen K. Don't ever sleep, on Jurgen K.

Speaking of Baltimore's remarkable defensive turnaround - adding not only Huff but also Elvis Dumervil in less than one week's time - whose public perception has experienced a greater reversal in fortunes over that same time period: U.S. men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann or the Ravens organization as a whole?

What a huge ~~win~~ scoreless tie at Mexico on Tuesday night, which only reaffirmed what we all already knew: "U-S-A! U-S-A!" is the greatest chant to come out of the Westphalian era.

I know there are plenty of soccer haters out there, and I understand your reasoning. After all, a 0-0 tie? Really? But you really need to give it a chance, and it needs to happen in time to fully enjoy the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. If neither the obscene national pride nor the excitement of the game itself is enough to sway you, perhaps you should think about it from a more primal point of view. If you're at all into hot Latin chicks*, soccer fandom has your name all over it. Especially if you speak any Spanish whatsoever. For our readers who reside in our great state capital, the place to be during a World Cup qualifier that invokes a Latin American nation is Cuatro's on W. 24th street.

This was the scene in the waning moments of U.S. Soccer's biggest moment since Algeria:

America, F Yeah! USMNT-Mexico, World Cup qualifier, 3/26/13 (via billyparsley)

The OKC fan you see at the end may have been a little overzealous in his thoughts on the nation of Mexico, but as the Mexican girl whose face you see reacting to his invective told me when I apologized on his behalf afterwards, "It's okay. We have our 'puta' and 'culero' chants, too."

(* - Of course, I am perfectly content with my lovely, non-Latin American girlfriend. Especially as she is a huge Texans fan.)

*****

Barkley just positioning his balls well, all day every day

Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley threw for scouts at the Trojans' Pro Day Wednesday, the first time he's done so since injuring his shoulder late in his senior season. The potential first round pick's workout session has drawn some pretty solid reviews, none more glowing than the assessment delivered by fellow Trojan Robert Woods, the wide receiver many Texans watchers are hoping Houston can snag in the second round:

"He looked great," Woods said. "His balls were in great position."

Somewhere, Battle Red Blog's Brett Kollmann is like, "That is so the Matt Barkley I remember from high school."

*****

Honey Badger DO care

Speaking of former D-I stars whose draft stock appears to be rising, Tyrann Mathieu also impressed in his Pro Day workout on Wednesday. I personally hope that Mathieu's off-field issues keep him in the third-to-fourth round range, so the Texans can take a risk on the undersized defensive back with minimal blowback should things not work out.

*****

Lattimore pulling a McGahee

Feel good candidate of the draft award goes to Marcus Lattimore, who drew a standing ovation from NFL scouts that convened in Columbia to witness the former Gamecock work out during the South Carolina Pro Day. Lattimore has clearly made incredibly strides since the gruesome knee injury he suffered against Tennessee in October. Whether Steve Spurrier's comment that he believes Lattimroe may have worked his way into first round material is meant to reassure Jadeveon Clowney or not is a matter of opinion.

*****

Osi in the ATL

Long-time New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is now an Atlanta Falcon, having signed a two-year deal for $8.5 million on Wednesday. The maximum value of the deal is $12 million, with $5 million of it is reportedly guaranteed. The choice to move from the Meadowlands to the Dirty South seems like a good fit for the eleventh-year player, who maintains his offseason home in the ATL. Umenyiora will be filling the shoes left by former Falcon John Abraham, who is still a free agent. Something that surprised me to learn about Abraham was that he is the active career sack leader in the NFL. Umenyiora is tenth, with 75 in 10 seasons as a Giant, one of which he missed due to injury.

One category in which Abraham - or any other active player in the league for that matter - could never touch Umenyiora is the ratio of shoulder pad to body mass statistic. Sadly, no one keeps records like that, it seems, which sucks if you're Ed McCaffrey.

*****

While We're All Here

This is a picture my dad took at last night's Rockets-Pacers game:

The Bob doesn't even care about the Rockets, and he somehow swings seats like this for free. He was two seats away from Harden - so close that you can even see how excited the guy was in the photo! Turns out it pays to be boys with the top priest at Strake Jesuit, who got the tickets from someone, presumably a wealthy Catholic, I don't know. All Jesuits take three vows when they enter the order: poverty, chastity and obedience. I could maybe handle the chastity and obedience if this is what the poverty looked like.

#JesuitPope

*****

(Trivia answer: Kansas City Chiefs)

Amari Spievey arrested, charged with assault

Jason Garrison — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:16:53 -0000

Detroit Lions safety Amari Spievey was arrested in Middletown, Conn. on Tuesday and was charged with third-degree assault, risk of injury to a child and disorderly conduct after an argument with his girlfriend over child support, according to The Oakland Press' Viktoria Sundqvist.

More: Pride of Detroit

According to police, Spievey's girlfriend was also charged with risk of injury and disorderly conduct. She told police that, while the two were arguing about child support for their two-year-old daughter, he put his hands around her neck and pushed her. Police said there as a small red mark on her neck.

Bond for Spievey was set at $5,000 and both he and his girlfriend are scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court on Wednesday. They were also issued no-contact orders.

Spievey was the Lions' third-round pick out of Iowa in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in 30 of the team's 32 games in 2010 and 2011 but only played five in 2012 after he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion. In his three-year career, he has made 142 tackles and has intercepted five passes.

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Amari Spievey arrested following dispute over child support, according to report

Sean Yuille — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:56:42 -0000

Given all of the off-field issues Detroit Lions players had last offseason, it's extremely important for them to stay out of trouble this offseason. The Lions can't let off-field issues become a distraction like last year, and up until this week, there hadn't been any problems.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Lions safety Amari Spievey was arrested on Tuesday and charged with third-degree assault, risk of injury to a child and disorderly conduct, according to the Middletown Press. The arrest apparently happened after there was a dispute over child support between Spievey and his girlfriend, who was also charged with risk of injury to a child and disorderly conduct. Here are the details on the incident:

Santos is accused of pushing Spievey while he was holding their daughter, and he pushed her back, according to police. She then tried to take the child away from him, but he pushed her until she stumbled against a counter, according to police.

Spievey told police Santos grabbed his throat with her right hand and he had to push her hand away. He also told police she threw a "flurry of punches at his chest." Spievey allegedly told police he already gives Santos child support and that he will pay anything for his daughter, but he will not pay for Santos to "go shopping and pay off her student loans," according to police.

Spievey just re-signed with the Lions two weeks ago. He got a one-year deal worth $630,000, and the Lions brought him back with the expectation that he would compete for a backup job at safety. Given that Spievey has been arrested, his status with the team is without a doubt up in the air going forward.

The Lions need to be very smart about how they handle this situation considering how many problems they dealt with off the field last year. On the one hand, it might be unfair to simply release Spievey without waiting for the legal process to play out given the nature of this incident. Then again, releasing him would send a message that the Lions have zero tolerance for players getting in any kind of trouble. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do with Spievey.

NFL free agent tracker 2013: A week in and a ton of signings later

James Brady — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:09:53 -0000

We're officially a full week into the NFL's free agency period and the signings are finally starting to slow down. They're not stopping, of course, especially when there's still plenty of top players available. Over the past couple days, teams have worked hard to fill needs and there's been a ton of depth signings to sort through.

The most significant signing is Jake Long with the St. Louis Rams. Rather, that's the most significant signing since the last tracker we posted. Long should be able to step right in and give some solid protection for Sam Bradford.

Below, we have a tracker filled with most of the signings throughout free agency thus far, with links where applicable. Enjoy.

AFC East

LS Tanner Purdum re-signed

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

S James Ihedigbo re-signed for one year

Signed DL Chris Canty for three years, $8 million

RB Damien Berry re-signed for one year, $465k

OL Ramon Harewood re-signed for one year

LS Morgan Cox re-signed for two years, $1.61 million

DB Chris Johnson re-signed

Signed DE Marcus Spears for two years

Cincinnati Bengals

DE Wallace Gilberry re-signed for three years, $6.75 million

DE Robert Geathers re-signed for three years, $9.5 million

LB Rey Maualuga re-signed for two years

Cleveland Browns

Signed OLB Paul Kruger for five years, $41 million

Signed DT Desmond Bryant for five years, $34 million

Signed OLB Quentin Groves for two years, $2.8 million

Signed TE Gary Barnidge for three years, $3.75 million

RB Chris Ogbonnaya re-signed for two years

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR Plaxico Burress re-signed for one year

LB Larry Foote re-signed for three years, $5.5 million

Signed QB Bruce Gradkowski for three years

LS Greg Warren re-signed for one year

Signed TE Matt Spaeth

AFC South

Houston Texans

T Andrew Gardner re-signed

Indianapolis Colts

Signed OT Gosder Cherilus for five years, $34 million

Signed CB Greg Toler for three years, $15 million

Signed LB Erik Walden for four years, $16 million

Signed G Donald Thomas for four years, $14 million

Signed LB Lawrence Sidbury

CB Darius Butler re-signed for two years

Signed S LaRon Landry for four years, $24 million

Signed DT Ricky Jean-Francois for four years, $22 million

P Pat McAfee re-signed

CB Cassius Vaughn re-signed

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed LB Geno Hayes for two years, $2 million

Signed RB Justin Forsett

Signed DT Roy Miller for two years

Signed CB Alan Ball

DB Antwaun Molden re-signed

Tennessee Titans

Signed G Andy Levitre for five years, $39 million

Signed TE Delanie Walker for four years, $17.5 million

FB Quinn Johnson re-signed for two years

Signed RB Shonn Greene for three years, $10 million

Signed DL Sammie Lee Hill for three years, $11.4 million

Signed LB Moise Fokou for two years, $2.8 million

Darius Reynaud re-signed for one year

AFC West

Denver Broncos

Signed WR Wes Welker for two years, $12 million

Signed G Louis Vasquez for four years, $23.5 million

Signed LB Stewart Bradley for one year, $1.1 million

Signed DT Terrance Knighton for two years, $4.5 million

Signed CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for one year

DT Kevin Vickerson re-signed for two years

Kansas City Chiefs

Acquire QB Alex Smith via trade with San Francisco

Signed CB Dunta Robinson for three years, $15 million

Signed TE Anthony Fasano for four years, $16 million

Signed QB Chase Daniel for three years, $10 million

Signed DE Mike DeVito for three years, $12.6 million

Signed WR Donnie Avery for three years, $11 million

Signed CB Sean Smith for three years

T Branden Albert re-signed

Signed OL Geoff Schwartz

Oakland Raiders

Signed LB Kaluka Maiava for three years, $6 million

Signed DT Pat Sims

Signed DE Jason Hunter

DB Coye Francies re-signed for one year, $630k

CB Phillip Adams re-signed for one year, $630k

LB Nick Roach signed

Signed OLB Kevin Burnett

Signed DE Vance Walker

San Diego Chargers

Signed OT King Dunlap for two years, $6 million

Signed TE John Phillips for three years, $5.275 million

Signed G Chad Rinehart for one year

Signed CB Derek Cox to a four-year, $20 million deal

K Nick Novak re-signed for four years, $6.6 million

WR Richard Goodman re-signed for one year, $630k

Signed RB Danny Woodhead for two years

RB Ronnie Brown re-signed for one year

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

LB Ernie Sims re-signed for one year

New York Giants

Signed DT Cullen Jenkins for three years, $8 million

Signed CB Aaron Ross for one year

RB Ryan Torain re-signed for one year, $715k

Signed K Josh Brown for one year

Re-signed LB Keith Rivers for one year

Signed LB Dan Connor for one year

Signed WR Louis Murphy

Signed TE Brandon Myers

Signed S Ryan Mundy

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed FB/TE James Casey for three years, $14.5 million

Signed NT Isaac Sopoaga for three years, $12 million

Signed CB Bradley Fletcher for two years, $5.25 million

Signed S Patrick Chung for three years, $10 million

Signed LB Jason Phillips for two years

Signed LB Connor Barwin for six year, $36 million

Acquired WR Arrelious Benn in trade with Buccaneers

Sign CB Cary Williams for three years

Signed S Kenny Phillips for one year

Washington Redskins

P Sav Rocca re-signed for two years, $2.24 million

DL Kedric Gholston re-signed for three years, $3.3 million

OT Jeremy Trueblood signed

Re-signed LB Bryan Kehl for one year

RT Tyler Polumbus re-signed for two years

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Signed TE Martellus Bennett for four years, $20.4 million

Signed OT Jermon Bushrod for five years, $36 million

Re-signed CB Zach Bowman for one year

Re-signed DT Nate Collins for one year

Detroit Lions

Re-signed S Amari Spievey for one year

Re-signed WR Kassim Osgood for one year

Re-signed CB Chris Houston for five years, $25 million

Signed DL Jason Jones for three years, $9.5 million

Signed RB Reggie Bush for four years, $16 million

Signed S Glover Quin for five years, $25 million

Re-signed LS Don Muhlbach for one year

Re-signed LB DeAndre Levy for three years, $9.75 million

Signed S Louis Delmas for two years

Signed OL Dylan Gandy

Green Bay Packers

Re-signed LB Robert Francois for one year

Minnesota Vikings

OT Phil Loadholt re-signed for four years, $25 million

WR Jerome Simpson re-signed for one year

S Jamarca Sanford re-signed for two years, $5 million

LB Erin Henderson re-signed for two years, $4 million

FB Jerome Felton re-signed for three years, $7.5 million

C Joe Berger re-signed for one year

Signed QB Matt Cassel

Signed WR Greg Jennings for five years

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

OT Sam Baker re-signed for six years, $41.5 million

Signed RB Steven Jackson to three-year deal

Re-signed TE Tony Gonzalez for two years, $14 million

Carolina Panthers

Signed CB Drayton Florence for one year

QB Derek Anderson re-signed for one year

New Orleans Saints

Signed LS Justin Drescher for four years, $3.385 million

Signed CB Keenan Lewis

Signed TE Ben Watson for three years

WR Courtney Roby re-signed

LB Ramon Humber re-signed

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed S Dashon Goldson for five years, $41.5 million

Signed LB Jonathan Casillas for one year, $3 million

Signed WR Kevin Ogletree

Signed TE Tom Crabtree

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

S Rashad Johnson re-signed for three years

Signed RB Rashard Mendenhall for one year, $2.5 million

Signed OLB Lorenzo Alexander for three years, $9.5 million

Signed QB Drew Stanton for three years, $8.2 million

Signed S Yeremiah Bell for one year, $905k

Signed CB Jerraud Powers for three years

Signed WR/KR Josh Cribbs

Signed MLB Jasper Brinkley

Signed CB Antoine Cason for one year

Signed DE Matt Shaughnessy

San Francisco 49ers

Signed DL Glenn Dorsey for two years

Signed S Craig Dahl for three years

Signed LB Dan Skuta for two years

Signed K Phil Dawson

Seattle Seahawks

Acquired Percy Harvin via trade with Minnesota

Signed DE Cliff Avril for two years, $15 million

Signed DE Michael Bennett for one year, $5 million

St. Louis Rams

DE William Hayes re-signed for three years, $10.5 million

Signed TE Jared Cook for five years, $35 million

Signed OT Jake Long for four years

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2013 NFL Free Agency: NFC North Day One Round Up

Devin Shanley — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:34:41 -0000

While some divisions are in an arms race with lots of major news, the NFC North played things a bit more conservatively today. All four teams of the division made some noise throughout the day, but overall not many earth shattering signings or big name free agents brought into the fold. Here’s a quick breakdown of what each NFC North team did for day 1 of free agency:

The Chicago Bears

The Bears probably had the most positive day of the teams. The Bears kicked off the day by agreeing to terms with tight end artellus Bennett and then followed that up by signing offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod. Both of these moves represent a big splash for the Bears…partially because of the upgrades these players represent, but even more due to the fact that it may represent "the largest paradigm shift in the team’s history."

Bennett, previously with the New York Giants, is a 6’6", 265 lbs tight end. He should be an upgrade for the Bears at the position and offers Jay Cutler a reliable target to attack the middle of the field. More important though may be the fact that Bennett could offer the Bears a reliable target other than Brandon Marshall.

Bushrod comes to the Bears after playing with the New Orleans Saints for six years. He has been part of a well respected line and been to the Pro Bowl twice. However, some (for example Walter Football and PFF) question how much of an upgrade this will be from current left tackle J’Marcus Webb. At the very least though shouldn’t this upgrade the right tackle position?

Finally on the Bears front it’s worth noting that for the first time in his career Brian Urlacher is a free agent. It’s doubtful that he would end up anywhere but Chicago, but stranger things have happened. As much as Urlacher is not the same player as a few years ago, he is still a player I am concerned about when the Packers face him twice a year.

The Detroit Lions

The Lions did not make any big signings on Tuesday, but they did schedule some visits. Reggie Bush is in town for the Lions, and it would be a bit of a disappointment if he leaves Detroit without a deal in place. LaRon Landry is also scheduled to visit the Lions. Both of these players could be desperately needed upgrades for the Lions.

The Lions were also able to re-sign Kassim Osgood and Amari Spievey. The Spievey deal is interesting due to his history of concussions; the deal is probably less for what he would have received had the Lions tendered him through the restricted free agency process.

The Lions also lost starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus to the Colts. Currently it looks as though the Lions will fill this need from within via Jason Fox, former first round pick Rely Reiff, or the recently re-signed Corey Hillard.

The Minnesota Vikings

No other team in the division took as many body blows as the Vikings. The Vikings lost a dynamic playmaker in Percy Harvin and then followed that up by cutting Antoine Winfield. The Winfield move is a bit unexpected but not completely unreasonable. Winfield is getting long in the tooth and was set to receive $7.5 million dollars. It’s a big loss to the Vikings, but they should be able to find some sort of answer to their now questionable cornerback unit due to the glut of veteran corners available.

The good news for the Vikings is that they were able to re-sign many key players who were hitting the free agent market. The Vikings were able to fend off the Bears and get a deal done with tackle Phil Loadholt. Loadholt is one of the best run blocking guards in the league, but is also struggles with penalties and pass blocking. It’s a key signing for the Vikings given their offense, but I don’t know if he’s worth the money they have ended up paying him (Loadholt is now the second highest paid RT in the league).

Similarly the Vikings re-signed fullback Jerome Felton. This deal also makes sense due to Felton’s ability to run block. The deal looks pretty affordable and should help keep Adrian Peterson happy. The Vikings also re-signed receiver Jerome Simpson.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings resigned linebacker Erin Henderson and safety Jamarca Sanford. Henderson is a solid two down linebacker who has shown an ability to play on the outside and the inside of the Vikings 4-3 defense. Sanford regained his starting safety position after losing it at the beginning of the 2012 season. He should be a competent starter for the Vikings.

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Lions re-sign Amari Spievey (UPDATED)

Sean Yuille — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:00:32 -0000

Just after NFL free agency opened, the Detroit Lions re-signed a pair of their free agents. Safety Amari Spievey, who became a restricted free agent at 4 p.m. ET, has been re-signed to a one-year deal, according to Dave Birkett. Unrestricted free agent wide receiver Kassim Osgood has also been re-signed to a one-year deal, according to Pro Football Talk.

Spievey was the big question mark when it came to the Lions' restricted free agents. In the end, the Lions decided against tendering him a contract, instead agreeing to a separate deal with him. I'm sure the contract is worth less than any of the tenders, which is by design given Spievey's history with concussions.

Osgood is back with the Lions after spending the 2012 season in Detroit. He joined the Lions toward the end of training camp last year, and he was brought in to help improve their special teams units. It took some time for that to actually happen, but Osgood was one of the Lions' top special teams players in 2012, and that's why he has been brought back for 2013.

UPDATE: Osgood never ended up re-signing with the Lions.

• Follow all of the Lions' free agency news

• 2013 Detroit Lions free agency tracker

• Lions scheduling visits with Reggie Bush, Jason Jones

• Jason Hanson to return for another season, according to report

Where the Lions roster stands: Safety

Sean Yuille — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:00:11 -0000

As a precursor to free agency and the NFL Draft, Pride Of Detroit will take a look at each position on the Detroit Lions roster. The series continues with a look at the safety position.

Under contract: Don Carey (through 2013), John Wendling (through 2013), Tyrell Johnson (through 2013)

Free agents: Louis Delmas (UFA), Amari Spievey (RFA), Ricardo Silva (ERFA)

It would be an understatement to say the Detroit Lions have a lot of questions at safety. Decisions need to be made about which safeties are going to be re-signed, and those are complicated decisions because of the injury concerns surrounding Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey.

Delmas has been the Lions' top safety over the last few years, but he has struggled to stay healthy. As a result, a long-term deal seems out of the question, and even if the Lions re-sign Delmas, there will be questions about his health.

Spievey's history of concussions may dissuade the Lions from re-signing him even though he's a restricted free agent. Spievey has been a starter at times, and he worked his way back into the starting lineup last season before he suffered a season-ending concussion. Like with Delmas, injuries will be a concern with Spievey if he is re-signed.

As of right now, Don Carey is really the only starting-caliber safety under contract. He emerged as a starter last season, and at the very least he's a serviceable safety. John Wendling showed some promise last preseason as a starter, but he is really just a special teams player. Ricardo Silva, though inconsistent, showed some promise as well, but is he ready to become a full-time starter? I don't really think so. The same assessment could be made for Tyrell Johnson, who was active for only four games last season.

Need going forward?

To me, this position is right up there with defensive end on the list of needs for the Lions. Even if Delmas is re-signed, a need will still exist because you can't count on him to stay healthy. Plus, the Lions probably need to do a bit better than Carey at the other safety spot. From that perspective, the Lions could really use two new starting-caliber safeties in addition to Delmas. Look for the Lions to take a serious look at free-agent safeties and the safeties in this year's draft class.

Previously: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, offensive guard, center, defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback

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