Colts Ready To Lose Their "Edge?"

Colt's President Bill Polian could have kept RB Edgerrin James by using the franchise tag on him for the second straight year, especially since the Colts have already tied up receiver Reggie Wayne with a new six-year contract.

Instead, Polian, decided against using the tag, which would have increased James' salary next season to more than $10 million.

That makes Edge, a four-time Pro Bowl choice, one of the most attractive free agents available.

"Tails" Gives The 49ers' Their First Win Of The Season!

The 49ers have solidified their position in the upcoming draft. Tied with Oakland for the sixth or seventh overall pick in the draft, the two teams faced off with a coin flip to determine the seeding Friday morning at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The old adage “tails never fails” rang true as Scot McCloughan successfully called the correct side of the coin which will enable the 49ers to pick sixth overall in the draft which will take place April 29-30, in New York City.

McCloughan said the victorious flip will definitely pay dividends for 49ers fans in the draft process.

The successful coin flip not only has an impact in the first round, but its echoes will reverberate throughout the draft. San Francisco will get the fifth overall pick in the second round, fourth overall pick in the third round and third overall pick in the fourth round. In the fifth round, the 49ers will pick seventh overall, sixth overall in the sixth round and fifth overall in the seventh round barring trades.

Head Coach Mike Nolan recognizes the importance of the successful flip as well.

“This puts us in even a better light in the second and future rounds which is very important,” Nolan said. “It gives us a better spot to find more quality football players.”

Something the 49ers continue to need indeed!

Vinatieri To Test Free Agency?

Adam Vinatieri may test free agency after New England declined to protect their clutch kicker with the franchise player tag.

The designation would have forced the team to commit to a one-year $3 million offer to Vinatieri. Without the tag, the team will not be compensated if he signs with someone else. (Of course, $3 million bucks is a lot of dough for a kicker, who is going to pay him THAT?)

"It just didn't feel like the right thing to do," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We considered all our options and decided not to tag anybody."

The Patriots still have until March 3 to sign Vinatieri. But negotiations around the league have been held up because the collective bargaining agreement between the players' union and the teams is set to expire next week, and 2006 salary cap numbers remain unknown.

Williams reportedly Appeals Failed Drug Test

Dolphins' running back Ricky Williams is reportedly appealing a positive drug test that could force the Miami Dolphins' star to sit out the 2006 season, according to an AP source.

If the positive test result is upheld, it would be Williams' fourth violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy, meaning at least a one-year suspension.

Positive tests in the past have been for marijuana, which Ricky has acknowledged using. But the latest test appears to involve a different drug according to the source. (who spoke on condition of anonymity of course) So much for drug test confidentiality!

The Miami Herald reported Monday that two sources said Williams failed a test for a substance not publicly known. His latest positive test was first reported Sunday by Denver television station KDVR.

Warner A Card for 3 More Years

Kurt Warner agreed to an incentive-laden three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals that could be worth between $15 million-$22 million.

The Cardinals can know turn their attention to other needs, including upgrading the offensive line and running game.

It is not widely acknowledges, but with Warner starting 10 games last year, Arizona had the NFL's most potent passing attack. Of course, part of that is due to the fact that the Cardinals' rushing attack finished last.

Warner, who will be 35 when next season kicks off, missed the last two games of the 2005 season with a knee injury. He said he's healthy and has been running for the last six weeks.

During The Off-Season

To be honest, while the pros may have an off-season, we don't. We are busily preparing for the 2006 season in order to bring you an experience unlike anything you've ever seen in the world of Fantasy Football. Such as??? you might ask...

Well, lets start with an out of this world draft package. We'll bring you all the normal player profiles and information PLUS, for the first time we'll be applying our proprietary statistical analysis tools across multiple seasons to provide you with the best pre-season forcasting available. Additionally, the package will be updated daily through the start of the season. (None of the frozen in early May magazine stuff)

Next, we are expanding our statistical tools to provide even more accurate league-specific week-to-week point projections throughout the season. Our statistical guru Rocketman has already come up with enhanced data routines which take into account even more data parameters. (I don't profess to understand it, but Rocketman sure is excited about it)

Third, our databases are being restructured to allow faster posting of our weekly point projections. Games over Monday? You'll have them Tuesday to help you with you free agent choices. Plus, they will be updated throughout the week as player availability changes.

More content. During our first two years we have primarily focused on statistical analysis. For 2006 you'll be seeing a lot more content and commentary. There will also be some new faces (for example "Smoove") joining Mister2 and myself.

Wrap it all up in a slick package being put together by our talented web designer (Silvertip) and you have the shape of things to come.

Oh, one more thing. Keep an eye out for a few special surprises. 2006...It's gonna be a great year.

Bettis' Retires On Top

"I think the Bus' last stop is here in Detroit," Bettis said.

Jerome Bettis has indicated that Super Bowl XL would be his last game. Going out on top - with a Championship.

Bettis made his retirement official even before he left the field. He held the Super Bowl trophy aloft, said he was through, and then went to have some fun in the locker room.

"It's official, like the referee whistle," Bettis said.

Assuming it is official, Bettis leaves after rushing for the fifth-most yards in the history of the NFL.

Smoove Says...

First of all, who is Smoove.

Well, Smoove is the newest team member here at StatLeader. Smoove brings a new perspective to our columns having played semi-pro football. We'll tell you more about him shortly, but for now, here is his take on tomorrow's big game. (Doc)

Smoove Says...

Super Bowl XL (Steelers V.S. Seahawks). It is very, very, easy to pick the winner here. How? Lets look at a couple of things:

First, Defense:

This season the Seahawks got 50 sacks, most in the NFL. The Steelers appear almost as good with 47. Face it, both teams get at the QB. But let's look a little deeper.

Here are some stats for the key players on both defenses.

• For the Steelers, #55 Joey Porter (3-time Pro Bowl), has 11 sacks and 5 forced fumbles while Clark Haggans adds 9 more sacks. Nobody else on that Steelers defense has more than three sacks.
  

• Meanwhile, for the Seahawks Rocky Bernard has 9 sacks with 2 fumbles, Leroy Hill 8 sacks, Marcus Tubbs 6 sacks, and Lofa Tatupu 4 sacks and 1 fumble. So why is the media making the Steelers defense sound so great?

Advantage Seahawks.

Now the offense:

• The Steelers Willie Parker has 1067 yds rushing with 4 TDs. Jerome (The Bus) Bettis added 327 rushing yds and 6 more TDs.

• Now the Seahawks only have one Running Back to talk about, of course it's league MVP Shaun Alexander. His 1880 yds rushing is significantly more than Parker and Bettis combined and he has almost 3 times their total number of TDs with 27.

Even if you consider the two teams equal at the remaining positions (which I don't), it comes out once again to:

Advantage Seahawks.

Let's face it the number don't lie. Seattle has both the better Defense and the better Offense. This is why I'm picking the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XL.

First Black QB Joins The Hall Of Fame

Warren Moon became the first black QB selected for the Hall of Fame. Troy Aikman, Reggie White, Harry Carson, John Madden and Rayfield Wright also were elected. Not since 2001 had the maximum number of candidates been chosen.

"To be the first African-American quarterback into the Hall of Fame, all African-American QBs who played before me should share in this," Moon said. "I don't want to make this a racial thing, but I think it is significant. It shows that we have arrived at the pinnacle of our sport."