Giants Sign Henderson

The New York Giants on Friday signed defensive end Robert Henderson, one of their two sixth-round picks this year. Read more

Harris in Upshaw Camp

Gene Upshaw has his critics among NFL players, including some of the player representatives. Walt Harris, the 49ers’ cornerback and player rep, isn’t among them. Read more

Tomlin Goes Extra Mile for Charity

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin put down the pigskin and picked up his golf clubs for charity.

He hosted the 11th Annual Extra Mile Education Foundation Golf Outing at Nevillewood.

The event raises money for inner-city kids to give them a chance to have a Catholic education to help them achieve their dreams.

Tomlin says he was inspired to get involved with the program.

“When I was apart of it last year and really my first exposure to it, when that young man got up and talked about how the Extra Mile helped him, and gave his living testimony, that’s all you need to hear,” he said.

The charity has been in existence for 19 years.

Curry Returns from Foot Injury

Ronald Curry has dealt with so many injuries in his NFL career that he wasn’t about to let a bone spur in his foot sideline him last season.

Curry played through that pain to be Oakland’s leading receiver last year until it finally became too tough to handle this off-season. After undergoing surgery on his left foot that forced him to miss six weeks of off-season practices, Curry returned to his usual spot at receiver this week for the Raiders.

“Just coming off the Achilles’ I didn’t feel like it was the right time to go in and take it out, because you know you were going to miss another four to six weeks,” Curry said Thursday. “So basically just deal with it. I took a shot probably every two weeks just to calm it down a little bit. But it feels great, man. Feels like a new foot, actually.”

Curry said he had trouble planting on the foot before the operation, but says he is now running pain free with six weeks before training camp starts.

Curry had his seasons shortened by injuries to his Achilles’ tendons in both 2005 and 2006, hindering his development as an NFL receiver after playing quarterback in college.

But he led the team with 55 catches for 717 yards and five touchdowns last season and is being counted on again heavily this season.

“Ronald is very important to us as far as a veteran receiver who knows our system really well,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “Last year he made some plays for us. Going into the off-season I had a number of meetings with him about where he can get better where he improve in this system, the second year in the system. Physically he’s looking to improve his body as well.”

Kiffin wanted Curry to be stronger this season after he was limited to 11 catches in the final five games of the 2007 season. Curry said he was skeptical at first, because weightlifting was never a priority when he played quarterback or basketball when he was younger.

But he already sees some benefits for this season from the work he put in with strength and conditioning coach Brad Roll.

“I never took the weight room too seriously,” Curry said. “I would do just enough. But Kiffin wanted me to get in there and really hit the weights, and coach Roll was really a blessing for me, and I’m sure others, just to really stay on me. He got me on my own little plan as far as upper body, lower body, and it’s really helped me out. I can feel the difference in my legs, and when I go to block somebody.”

Curry has spent most of his career playing behind stars like Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Randy Moss. He emerged as Oakland’s leading receiver last season but does not consider himself a No. 1 after the Raiders signed Javon Walker to a six-year, $55 million contract this off-season.

Curry, joins Walker and free-agent acquisition Drew Carter as the only proven receivers on the roster.

“Regardless of who was here, I felt like I always been productive, whatever they ask me to do. And it’s not going to change this year,” Curry said. “You know, Javon, he’s going to be the guy, and I’m just going to be out there making the plays when they go to me.”

In other news, the Raiders signed linebacker Grant Irons and waived undrafted free agent Shane Simmons. Irons has not played in the NFL since 2006, his fourth season with Oakland.

Irons finished that season on injured reserve with a back injury. Irons will compete with Sam Williams and Robert Thomas for the strong-side linebacker spot.

“He’s worked extremely hard, really basically worked for two years to come back and to have an opportunity,” Kiffin said. “We worked him out yesterday. He’s in really phenomenal shape for a guy who has not been in an NFL program so we’ll give him a chance.”

Soul Hold off Gladiators

Matt D’Orazio threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Chris Jackson with 37 seconds left to help the Philadelphia Soul beat the Cleveland Gladiators 62-61 on Saturday night in the Arena Football League.

Cleveland pulled within one on Raymond Philyaw’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Otis Amey with 5 seconds to go, but Eddie Moten intercepted Philyaw’s 2-point conversion attempt.

The Soul (12-3) missed a chance to wrap up the Eastern Division title and home-field advantage throughout the National Conference playoffs when Dallas beat New York later Saturday night.

D’Orazio was 25-of-39 for 283 yards and six touchdowns and also ran for two scores. Brent Holmes had 11 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and Jackson finished with nine receptions for 104 yards and three scores.

Philyaw was 26-of-38 for 319 yards and six touchdowns for the Gladiators (8-7).

Tubbs Back on Road to Recovery?

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said this week that the return time of defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs may be moved up, to the point that Tubbs could be back in time for the start of training camp. It is a key point. Since he was drafted in the first round by Seattle in 2004, Tubbs has alternated between great play and serious injury frustration.

With injuries to both knees in consecutive seasons, his return to prominence may never quite happen. But if Tubbs could become a solid backup, he could add some significant talent to a defensive front that already is relatively strong.

Tubbs had microfracture surgery on his left knee two years ago and then he blew out the right knee in a preseason game last season, ending that year prematurely. There was some question whether Tubbs would be able to resume his career. But after extensive rehab, Tubbs has been back on the field doing some agility and running drills, and while Holmgren initially said he didn’t expect Tubbs back until the beginning of the regular season, now he says Tubbs may be ready to begin training with the rest of the team in six weeks.

Full Story: Tubbs Back on Road to Recovery?

Poteat Gives Back

Hank Poteat helped crush the hopes of Philadelphia Eagles’ fans as a cornerback for the 2004 Super Bowl champion New England Patriot.

Now a New York Jet, Poteat is hoping to inspire new football dreams among Newark-area children at an in-store appearance in Bear this weekend.

Poteat is slated to appear at The Athlete’s Foot in the Fox Run Shopping Center on Saturday to help promote his summer football camp at Glasgow High School for children between 8 and 14 years old.

Registration for the camp usually goes for $230, but kids who sign up during Poteat’s appearance at The Foot Locker will receive a discount, according to Hank’s wife, Jasmine, who has lived in Delaware with her husband since 2002.

The camp will run from July 14 through July 17 and feature appearances by pro football players such as fellow Jets cornerback Drew Coleman; Na’Shan Goddard, an offensive tackle for the 2008 Super Bowl champion New York Giants; and Brandon “Bam” Childress, a wide receiver who signed a two-year deal with the Eagles this off-season.

Childress also is expected to join Poteat for Saturday’s in-store appearance, according to a spokeswoman for the Bear Athlete’s Foot.

Anyone who signs up for the camp this Saturday also will be eligible to receive a pair of cleats for $20 compliments of franchise owner Cesar Dumet Jr.

Poteat will be available to meet fans and sign autographs from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday and then again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For those who don’t know, Poteat is an eight-year veteran of the National Football League, who was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2000 draft.

After playing a single game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he signed with the New England Patriots and played in three playoff games en route to their Super Bowl victory in 2004.

A member of the New York Jets since 2006, he recorded a career season in 2007 with 16 games played, 45 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in week 6.

Source: Newark Post

Jackson’s six scores help Soul sweep Desperados

Wide receiver Chris Jackson scored six touchdowns and Brent Holmes made two critical plays in the final minute, as the Philadelphia Soul chalked up a critical road win, 71-64, against the Dallas Desperados Saturday night at the American Airlines Center.

The win improved Philadelphia’s record to 11-3, lifting the Soul into a tie with Dallas atop the Eastern Division standings. With the victory, Philadelphia completed a sweep of the regular season series and would have homefield advantage throughout the National Conference playoffs as long as the team wins out or finishes in a tie was Dallas at season’s end. Both teams, which had previously clinched playoff berths, have two games remaining this season.

In the final minute of the game, Holmes forced a fumble on a kickoff return and then made a 10-yard sideline grab for a first down to clinch the result. Clifton Smith recovered the fumble for Philadelphia.

The Soul host the Cleveland Gladiators (8-6) in their final regular-season home game Saturday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at the Wachovia Spectrum. The regular season finale comes Sunday afternoon, June 22, against the New York Dragons (8-6) at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Dallas meets the Dragons this coming weekend and closes out the regular season against the Chicago Fire (10-4).

The see-saw battle featured three ties and 12 lead changes as the teams waged what may be a playoff preview. In the first half, Philadelphia’s offensive fireworks included four of Jackson’s touchdown receptions. Dallas countered with two return touchdowns, a 19-yard interception return by Bobby Perry and a kickoff return by Bush.

Tony Graziani returned as starting quarterback for the Soul but suffered a concussion in the first half and Matt D’Orazio was effective again in relief, scoring once himself on a six-yard run.

Graziani finished 8-of-12 passing with three of the touchdown tosses to Jackson. D’Orazio competed 19-of-23 passes for 183 yards and five touchdowns.

Source: Arena Football

Lavarus Giles proves that Workouts Matter

In what can only be described as an absoulte longshot, Running Back Lavarus Giles became an official member of the Jacksonville Jaguars today. Running Back D.D. Terry, who had looked pretty good so far in OTA’s was released to make room for Giles.

D.D. Terry had some minor fumbles in practices, but nothing so major that it seemed that he was a release candidate for one of the tryout players.

More on Giles:

Jackson State University running back Lavarus Giles might be the fastest player you’ve never heard of. In fact, there’s a strong likelyhood that we’ll hear his name in the Olympics in a few years, as his straight-line speed is nearly unbeatable. Why then, is he an undrafted prospect hoping that a tryout on a team stacked at running back is his only shot at the NFL?

His 4.41 40-yard dash was impressive at the JSU Pro-day, but his change of direction drills and footwork leave something to be desired. Frankly, while his speed is fantastic for running in a straight line, there is very little track style running in the NFL. His speed is unquestioned though: JSU Track Coach Ernest Tche (a two-time Olympian himself) has this to say:

“If he would train for track on a day-to-day basis, he could be an Olympic runner. Without a doubt. As far as size and speed and if he would just concentrate on track, (he compares) almost like a Maurice Greene type athlete.”

His shot at the roster is slim, but he’s hoping to show a team that his speed can translate into on the field performance. His backup plan isn’t so bad though.

Gary Russell Helps Bring Smiles to Kid’s Faces

For a while the beeping coming from IV machines and cries of discomfort were drowned out by laughter and joy for kids in a play room at Children’s Hospital as they enjoyed Story Time, with three Steelers players on hand as guest readers.

Running backs Mewelde Moore and Gary Russell and linebacker Anthony Trucks spent time with the kids at the hospital reading and taking part in their craft activities, making masks that the kids can wear and one that Trucks took home himself.

“It’s definitely fun,” said Moore. “Having a nine-month old daughter its fun to be able to come out and speak with children. I love kids. It is really exciting to see their eyes light up when you read to them and talk with them. It was a great time. I had a lot of fun.”

Trucks provided an animated reading of “Alien Al” and Moore captured the kid’s attention while reading “Out of the World Moon Pie Adventure.” While the two read, Russell interacted with the kids, but gave his teammates the thumbs up for story time.

“They are great,” said Russell with a smile about the reading. “I am just here to help out and give them support. It’s great to see the kids. They dream of meeting people so it’s a great opportunity for us to come out and meet the kids and read them books.”

The presence of the players was a pick-me up for many of the kids, some of whom don’t have a lot to smile about while being cooped up in the hospital. For Gaig, a young boy from Meadville, it was just what the doctor ordered.

“When he heard about this he put down the video games and he was ready to go,” said Evelyn Och from the Hospital’s Child Life Department. “He was so excited about it. He has been pretty shy but to get him up and around doing this has been good to see. It really put a smile on his face.”

They kids weren’t the only ones smiling. The players couldn’t help but be in high spirits being around the kids.

“Its fun seeing the different personalities,” said Trucks. “I love giving back. To come out in the community and see the people and put a smile on a kids face is awesome.

“It’s a way to give back. It’s something that nobody likes to experience. But it’s out there and people should give more focus to this type of things. Kids don’t need much; they just need somebody to care for them. If you can give them that it will make their day a little better.”

Source: Steelers.com

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