News & Info/Headlines

According to Javon Walker, the Packers have not budged on their refusal to renegotiate his contract, but that has not changed his resolve to be one of the highest-paid players at his position.

Walker, who was in town to host a celebrity softball game Saturday, told Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel beat man Tom Silverstein on Friday evening that team officials had not responded to proposals that he and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have submitted for a renegotiated contract.

It has been almost three months since Rosenhaus informed the Packers that Walker wanted a new deal, but almost no progress has been made.

"There's been nothing in response," Walker said. "Their attitude is they're going to do something when they're ready."

Asked if he thought the Packers were holding firm against upgrading his contract because two years are left on it, Walker told Silverstein, "Yes, I'm guessing so.

"I think it's something they're not really concerned about right now. I think it's something they want to do on their terms. I have to respect that, so I have to do what I have to do on my terms."

Walker's response to the team's refusal to address his contract has been to boycott off-season workouts, including a mandatory three-day mini-camp last month. He said his major reason for skipping the camp was to avoid an injury that would squash his chances of getting a new deal.

He told Silverstein that careers were so tenuous in the National Football League because of the injury factor that every player has to strike when his value is the highest.

At the heart of Walker's demand for a new deal is his contention that he has established himself as an elite receiver. Walker had a breakout season last year with 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, good enough to earn him his first Pro Bowl selection.

He would like to be paid money commensurate with the league's top five receivers, who currently average $7.8 million in annual salary.

Walker dismissed the notion that he needs to accomplish more before being worthy of the big deals the others received, a contention quarterback Brett Favre made in recent comments regarding Walker's holdout.

Favre, who was excused by head coach Mike Sherman from the mini-camp, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette earlier this month that Walker was wrong to skip the mini-camp.

"If Javon wants to know what his quarterback thinks, and I would think he might, I'd tell him he's going about this the wrong way," Favre said. "I sure hope the Packers don't give in to him."

According to the Associated Press, the veteran quarterback repeated his stance Saturday at his celebrity golf tournament in Mississippi.

"Just because you have one good year, doesn't give you the right to hold out," Favre told reporters. "Javon Walker's on my team. I wouldn't say I'm pro-management, I wouldn't say I'm anti-management.

"But when you're under contract, I think it's a different situation. I think you have to honor that contract and work with the team maybe on a renegotiation."

Walker obviously doesn't see it that way. In fact, he believes it only takes one good year for a player to prove himself.

"Anybody can (say), 'OK, he had a great year, let's see if he can do it again,'" he said. "That's like trying to tell a person to go to war in Iraq, but let me see if you can go to war again and come back and then we'll give you a medal of honor.

"You can't send a soldier out to a battle field twice for him to be consistent."

Ahhhh. ... It's like that then.

You'd think an agent as shrewd as Rosenhaus would have put the kibosh on using out-dated and insensitive "football as war analogies," which somehow seem even less appropriate when used to dispute the worthiness of a contract worth well over $1 million dollars -- $515,000 this season and $650,000 in 2006 -- over the next two years.

As for his teammates, Walker said Favre was entitled to his opinion.

"I have no hard feelings against anybody or with what Brett said," Walker said. "Everybody has their own opinion. If we all worried about what other people say, none of us would be here today. When I do go back to the Packers, I'll welcome them just like I hope they'll welcome me. ..."

For the record. ... There were reportedly genuine cheers -- and a few boos -- from people who wanted to make a point when Walker was introduced at his charity softball game on Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.

But according to Journal-Sentinel staffer Lori Nickel, when Rosenhaus was unexpectedly summoned to take an at-bat during the game for charity, fans -- some who had been tailgating three hours before game time -- booed viciously. Rosenhaus good-naturedly smiled and waved.

Nickel added: "It didn't matter. The place turned into the Roman Coliseum and the people wanted blood. They got it in Rosenhaus' ground-out to shortstop that drew, by far, the biggest ovation of the entire event. ..."

In a semi-related note. ... In a Thursday interview on ESPN's SportsCenter, Rosenhaus discussed another client, Terrell Owens, who the agent claimed still has not decided whether he will attend Eagles training camp, which is scheduled to begin Aug. 1 for the team's veterans.

"That's going to be something Terrell and I talk about," Rosenhaus told ESPN's Dan Patrick. "I try telling people who are up in arms right now that Terrell hasn't missed a game yet. It's only May.

"Everyone should just chill out. This is when you talk about contracts and things. We'll decide at the appropriate time, but everyone should just relax a little bit."

Owens, who has six years remaining on the $49 million deal he signed after being traded from Baltimore to the Eagles before last season, skipped the team's mandatory three-day mini-camp two weeks ago and subjected himself to a $24,000 fine and the potential for a large portion of his $9.6 million signing bonus to be recouped by the team.

He was asked to respond to owner Jeffrey Lurie's statement this week to Philadelphia Inquirer staffer Ashley McGeachy Fox that the Eagles will absolutely not rework Owens' contract.

"It's not even an issue," Lurie told McGeachy Fox in an exclusive interview. "It's a non-issue. There are a lot of things I spend time thinking about, but that's not one of them."

Asked whether he expects Owens to be with the Eagles when the regular season begins in September, Lurie said: "If he wants to win a Super Bowl, he sure should be."

"It's his football team and he's obviously entitled to make those decisions, and we'll just have to take it one day at a time. Hopefully, he'll change his mind," Rosenhaus said of Lurie's comments during his five-minute ESPN interview.

"I have a lot of respect for the Eagles' organization. ... They're good people. I'm confident we can work this out with a positive result for everybody."

Asked what he wants the Eagles to do for Owens, Rosenhaus was evasive. "That's a discussion I hope to have in the near future with the Eagles and let me just leave it at that," he said.

Rosenhaus said Owens continues to remain silent about his contract issue because he felt his words were being taken out of context when he was interviewed last month about the contract issue.

Though the Eagles' mini-camp two weeks ago was mandatory, Rosenhaus said he does not consider Owens a holdout until training camp. He insisted he is not a big fan of holdouts.

"In my opinion, technically, I don't have any holdouts right now," Rosenhaus said. "You can't label me as a guy that is involved in holdouts because we've got many, many more players who aren't involved in contract disputes."

Meanwhile, Donovan McNabb told the reporters he's confident the Eagles can win the Super Bowl without Owens.

"I feel that if he plays or not, we definitely have a chance of making it to the Super Bowl and winning it," McNabb said Wednesday, the day after Lurie spoke out. "That's nothing against T.O. and it's nothing against anybody else. I just feel confident in the guys that we have. With T.O., I think we can do a lot of great things. Without him, I still think we can do a lot of good things."

McNabb went on to say he expects Owens to play for the Eagles this year.

"He has a contract," McNabb said. "There is desire to have more money and there is the desire to lose money. That would at least give you the motivation to get back out there on that field.

"When you sign your name on the dotted line, that's your deal, and that's a decision you have to make."

Suffice it to say, Owens doesn't see it that way. "At this point in my career, I have to think about myself and my family," the mercurial receiver explained during a recent television appearance. "It's business first. My family first. ..."

But by accounts, the Eagles aren't going to move an inch on this one. Or as San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto suggested Friday, the way things are going right now, "Owens' family is in for a long, hard winter. ..."

So, with Freddie Mitchell released and Owens threatening to sit out the season, Greg Lewis suddenly becomes a more interesting prospect.

As the Sports Xchange noted earlier this week, Lewis was "an against-the-odds undrafted free agent with a seemingly slim chance of making the Eagles roster just two years ago."

But he did make it and has quickly seen his role with the team grow. He caught 17 passes last season and came on strong in the playoffs when he had eight receptions for 182 yards in three games, including that late Super Bowl TD.

Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Brad Childress saw enough potential last year to convince management to sign Lewis to a five-year contract extension. He can play all three wide receiver positions.

"He's a smart guy," Childress said. "He's not thinking out there at all. Right from the first day of his first mini-camp with us, he kind of flashed at us. He's not just straight-line fast. He [changes directions well], and he's got very nice hands."

"His movement reminds me a lot of a Chad Johnson-type guy," Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "He's slender, and he's able to move in and out of his cuts, because of his body type, without giving any indication of what he's doing.

"He's an excellent football player. If he's on the field more, then I have just as much confidence in him as I have in (the players he would replace)."

Assuming Owens returns in time for the season, Lewis likely will replace Mitchell in the slot, though as the Xchange suggested, "he'll probably be utilized more by McNabb than Mitchell was. ..."

Other Fantasy-specific news and notes from around the league. ...

In Minnesota. ... According to Minneapolis Star-Tribune staffer Sid Hartman, there was good reason why the Vikings likely would have taken running back Ronnie Brown instead of wide receiver Troy Williamson in the recent NFL draft if Brown hadn't gone to Miami with the second pick.

Michael Bennett, the No. 1 back, has been injury prone. Onterrio Smith, who filled in most of the time during Bennett's absence, always has been a question because of his personal problems, dating to his college days.

There has been some question about whether Mewelde Moore, who had some good games as a rookie last season, can stay healthy, or whether he can play through injuries. And Moe Williams turns 31 in July.

Head coach Mike Tice has talked more than once about the instability of his running backs. And of course, we better understand his concerns

This after reports surfaced that Smith was detained at the local airport last month and authorities found a kit -- the "Original Whizzinator" -- used to circumvent drug tests in his possession. Smith rushed for 544 yards last season but also served a four-game suspension after testing positive for marijuana, his second "strike" in the NFL program.

The only good news here -- at least from the Vikings perspective, is that the Whizzinator won't result in a third strike. According to a statement released Wednesday by NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, a player would need to make a "deliberate attempt" to substitute or alter a specimen during a drug test for there to be a violation.

The policy doesn't specifically address possession of paraphernalia outside of a testing situation, Aiello said, but the NFL will investigate to determine whether anything can or should be done.

But this story is hardly a positive.

"We'll monitor the situation and see what extent the league gets involved, then we'll decide what course of action to take, if any," Tice said. "We'll do that after the league does their due diligence."

St. Paul Pioneer Press beat man Sean Jensen advised readers that Smith worked out at team headquarters on Wednesday. But his attorneys and agents instructed him not to comment.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper told Jensen he tried to call Smith's cell phone Wednesday but hadn't heard back from him as of early Wednesday evening. Culpepper said he expects Smith to help the team achieve its goals next season.

"I don't know what happened," Culpepper said. "But hopefully, he'll keep himself right, because Onterrio is a good dude, and he's going to be a part of helping us win a championship."

Although he is in competition with Smith for the starting running back position, Bennett said he hopes "this will all blow over."

"We're all brothers, and we're all pulling for each other and trying to win the Super Bowl," Bennett said. "When a person goes through something, you just want to be there for them, for advice or whatever they need to help them get through.

"I'm going to have his back regardless of what happens."

Despite the support, I'd suggest the decision to select running back Ciatrick Fason of Florida in the fourth round of April's draft had more than a little to do with Smith's off-the-field inclinations.

For what it's worth, Hartman reported that Fason was a real surprise at the team's first mini-camp and could help immediately if need be. ...

In Tennessee. ... The Bills continue to hold on to disgruntled running back Travis Henry, but Nashville Tennessean staffer Jim Wyatt reported Saturday that the Titans are among the teams who would trade for him if the deal is right.

The Titans and Bills discussed a trade for Henry during the draft, and general manager Floyd Reese and Bills GM Tom Donahoe have had some dialogue since.

"My gut is I think if they can't get what they were looking for during the draft, then I am almost thinking they are going to keep him," Reese said. "But I don't know that."

Reese said the Bills initially wanted a second- or third- round pick. Reese said the Titans offered the Bills a fifth-round pick and the Bills balked.

Would the Titans still take in Henry, a former University of Tennessee star?

"If I can get him at a decent price, yeah," Reese said. ...

Also in Tennessee. ... Backup quarterback Billy Volek has been running and throwing for weeks following shoulder surgery in January and will participate in this week's organized team activities along with Steve McNair.

Head coach Jeff Fisher estimates Volek is at 90 percent.

Volek has been doing shoulder exercises five days a week and said his right shoulder might end up being stronger than before.

"I'll be throwing with even more velocity," Volek said. "The (recovery) process has actually gone a lot faster than I thought it was going to.

"I am happy with the progress, I am happy where I am at. I am not there yet, but I am probably 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule. ..."

In Seattle. ... As the Xchange framed it last weekend: "Jerramy Stevens has always talked a good game. Now he might be ready to play one as well. ..."

The 2002 first-round draft choice has become more active in the team's offseason program, reducing his weight into the 248-pound range.

"Honestly, he has stepped up as a leader on our team in a lot of ways -- not in what he says, but more in his work ethic," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "He hasn't said one word but he has sent a message to all of his teammates that, 'Hey, he really cares and he wants to get better, he wants to help this team.'"

It's worth noting that Stevens, who reportedly caught everything thrown his way, was the only tight end on the field when the Seahawks closed their first mini-camp.

Incumbent starter Itula Mili decided not to participate in the "voluntary" portion, and promising No. 3 tight end Ryan Hannam needed arthroscopic surgery to correct a problem that was causing swelling in his surgically repaired right knee.

According to those who follow the team closely, Mili not only looked heavy during the three-day mandatory camp, he was heavy. The former BYU standout reportedly checked in at 290 pounds. ...

In Pittsburgh. ... FOXSports.com reports that Duce Staley is 100 percent recovered from the hamstring problems that plagued him last year. "I think I came back too early and that hurt," the veteran halfback explained. "When I came back it was never the same. A hamstring takes a long time."

The piece went on to remind readers that Staley was on pace for 1,600 rushing yards when he was injured in Week 8. ...

In Tampa. ... According to Boston Globe staffer Nick Cafardo, Buccaneers speed coach Mike Morris claims that Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who was drafted fifth overall by the Bucs, is as advertised: fast and explosive. Now the trick is to get him into not only NFL shape but into NFL Florida shape.

"When you come from a college program, I think the kids are used to doing heavy weights and doing a lot right off the bat," said Morris. "Because of the long season and the heat down here, we have to make sure that they're prepared for a 20-plus-game season and playoffs.

"We don't want them hitting a wall. We can do more quality speed work here because of the weather. Work on more explosive type of drills.

"But I'll tell you, he looks like the real deal to me. ..."

And finally, in Miami. ... The Dolphins still are in the market for a veteran receiver, which includes David Boston, whom the team cut earlier in the offseason.

Boston, who did not play in 2004 because of a knee injury, had shopped his services to the San Francisco 49ers, but that team has been lukewarm about signing him.

According to Miami Herald staff writer Armando Salguero, the team also might add Az-Zahir Hakim, Curtis Conway or another receiver who might be released after June 1 for salary cap reasons.