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Tuesday Roundup Falcons LB Tuggle retires after 14 seasons
Updated: Tuesday August 28, 2001 9:06 PM
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Linebacker Jessie Tuggle, convinced by head coach Dan Reeves to retire instead of being cut, announced his retirement Tuesday after a 14-year NFL career, all spent with the Atlanta Falcons. Tuggle, 36, was a five-time Pro Bowler and the NFL's active leading tackler with 1,830. "Good things come from hard work," said Tuggle, an undrafted free agent from Valdosta State who signed with the Falcons for a mere $500 bonus in 1987. "When I look back on my career, it's all been great." Tuggle had hoped to play another season but the Falcons decided he wasn't in their plans. Instead of trying to catch on with another team, he retired.
Tuggle took over as the starter at middle linebacker in 1988 and went on to compile 12 straight 100-tackle seasons. He started 182 games, more than any player in Falcons' history, and ranked third on the team's career list with 209 games. Tuggle's 100-tackle streak ended last year, when he tore a ligament in his left knee and missed the final eight games. He missed the first three preseason games this year because of an injured right thumb. While no formal offer has been made, Smith said he hopes Tuggle will remain with the Falcons in some capacity. The team president also said no Atlanta player will ever wear Tuggle's No. 58.
Dolphins waive injured QB HeupelDAVIE, Fla. (AP) - The Miami Dolphins waived injured quarterback Josh Heupel on Tuesday. The Dolphins also waived injured wide receiver LaVell Boyd and waived linebacker Nate Hemsley. Heupel, a sixth-round draft pick from national champion Oklahoma, has not practiced since spraining his left wrist Aug. 6 against the St. Louis Rams in the Hall of Fame game. Because of the injury, he could return to the Dolphins and be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers. Even then, Miami likely would waive Heupel once he is healthy. Head coach Dave Wannstedt expects the left-hander will get another chance in the league. "I know there was a lot of people that liked him going into the draft," Wannstedt said. "He's a great kid, he's intelligent, he's a winner. I think everybody knows that just because of the circumstances here, he never really got an opportunity to show what he might be able to do. "Under those circumstances, he could get another opportunity. And I'd love to see it." Last week, the Dolphins acquired former first-round draft pick Cade McNown from the Chicago Bears and expect him to be the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Jay Fiedler and backup Ray Lucas. Miami also has Mike Quinn. Heupel set school records for career completions (590), attempts (933) and touchdown passes (50). As a senior, he finished second to Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke in the Heisman Trophy balloting and was a first-team All-American. He was 25-of-39 for 214 yards in leading Oklahoma to the national championship with a victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Three months later, Heupel was the 11th quarterback taken in the NFL draft because of questionable arm strength. He was 4-for-8 for 62 yards in his only preseason game.
Denver RB Griffith placed on injured reserveDENVER (AP) -- Fullback Howard Griffith was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will miss the 2001 season after the Denver Broncos decided they could no longer wait to see if he recovers from a neck injury. The lead blocker for five 1,000-yard rushers in his career, he has not practiced since experiencing pain and numbness in his left arm during the first week of training camp. Tests revealed a pinched nerve exiting the spinal column near Griffith's neck, and doctors said, with treatment, the problem could be alleviated within eight weeks. Retirement also is an option. "I don't think he knows at this time," Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan said. "He'll probably just sit back and make a decision when he feels it's right for him to make one." Griffith said his neck feels better, but the recovery time has not changed. That left Shanahan with a decision to make as the Broncos trimmed their roster Tuesday. "It's still going to be 6-to-8 weeks," Shanahan said. "We couldn't wait that long, not knowing if he would be able to come back. And if he did come back, you're not really sure if he'd be able to come back full speed." Griffith, an integral part of Denver's 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl teams, signed a three-year contract this summer and hoped to block for a 1,000-yard rusher for the sixth consecutive season. In the last three seasons, he opened holes that helped Terrell Davis run for 2,008 yards in 1998; cleared the way for Olandis Gary (1,159 yards) in 1999; and blocked for last year's offensive rookie of the year, Mike Anderson (1,487 yards). Griffith also was the fullback when Jerome Bettis ran for 1,025 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1994, and he helped Anthony Johnson run for 1,120 yards for the Carolina Panthers in 1996. Without Griffith, the Broncos will turn to converted tight end Patrick Hape and Tony Carter. Both signed with Denver as free agents during the offseason. Hape has been working with the first-team offense, while Carter has gradually worked his way back from a bruised rotator cuff.
Chiefs place WR Morris on unable to perform listKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Wide receiver Sylvester Morris will miss at least six regular-season games after being place on the physically unable to perform list by the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday. Morris, who started 14 games last season, had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament on June 22. The second-year player cannot practice for at least four weeks. Morris caught 48 passes for 678 yards and three touchdowns last season. Also, the Chiefs cut tackle Ian Allen, quarterback Ryan Helming, linebacker Wes Robertson, safeties Brad Trout and Lyle West and defensive tackle Tyrone Williams. Defensive end Terdell Sands, a seventh-round draft pick, was placed on the reserve-non-football injury list. Sands has been rehabilitating a foot injury and has not practiced with the team.
Veteran WRs Brazzell, Tucker among 11 cut by CowboysIRVING, Texas (AP) -- The Dallas Cowboys' search for a No. 3 wide receiver changed Tuesday when veterans Chris Brazzell and Jason Tucker were cut and two more receivers were acquired. Brazzell and Tucker, both third-year players, were among 11 players cut by the Cowboys. "I just didn't feel like we were making the progress that we needed to make. There was a little bit of inconsistency," Cowboys head coach Dave Campo said. "That's not to say Jason or Chris can't play in the NFL, but we certainly wanted to take a look at some other players." Also Tuesday, the Cowboys acquired Darrin Chiaverini from the Cleveland Browns for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2002 and they were awarded wide receiver Anthony Lucas on a waiver claim from Green Bay. Chiaverini, a third-year player from Colorado, is a possession-type receiver. Lucas was a college standout at Arkansas, but has been hampered by knee and foot problems since coming into the NFL last year. Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail, both coming off season-ending knee injuries a year ago, have been treated with care this preseason. They have played in only one game, and owner Jerry Jones said it was "more than likely" they won't play in Thursday's exhibition game against Jacksonville. The Cowboys also cut three other receivers Tuesday, but Jeremaine Copeland, Damon Dunn and Chad Luttrull were never considered serious contenders to make the team. Copeland and Dunn were hampered by injuries throughout camp. The Cowboys also placed rookie defensive tackle Willie Blade (broken wrist) and cornerback Dwayne Goodrich (torn Achilles' tendon), their first draft pick in 2000, on injured reserve, meaning neither will play this season. Rookie defensive tackle Daleroy Stewart (rotator cuff injury) was placed on reserve for a non-football injury, meaning he can return after the first six weeks. The roster moves got the Cowboys to the necessary 71, based on the NFL-mandated 65 plus their six NFL Europe exemptions. The roster has to be down to 53, with no exemptions, by Sunday.
Ravens sign free agent T WilliamsOWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Former Dallas Cowboy Erik Williams signed with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday to help fill the hole caused by the injury to Leon Searcy, who will be lost until at least October with a torn triceps. Williams signed a one-year, $500,000 deal. Fourth-year tackle Sammy Williams, a starter on the NFL Europe champion Berlin Thunder, will replace Harry Swayne, whose contract was terminated Tuesday. Swayne now is contemplating retirement. Ravens head coach Brian Billick says Williams, a former All-Pro could be ready to assume the starting job by the time the Ravens play at Cincinnati in the third week of the regular season. The 6-foot-6, 311-pound Williams was close to considering his NFL career done after he was released by the Cowboys this year in a salary cap-related move. "This is a real great deal for me, a great situation for me, with a club that's giving me an opportunity," he said. "I almost kicked it in, gave up hope, but that's not the case now. There's a lot of frustrated guys out there, but that's the system. You have to deal with the system."
Vikings WR Moss fined for wearing unapproved capEDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss has been fined $5,000 by the NFL for wearing a cap on the sidelines that was not approved by the league. Moss wore the unapproved cap during two exhibition games. The NFL is in the first season of an exclusive contract with Reebok. Moss has a personal contract with Nike. Moss wore an approved cap during the Vikings' exhibition opener against New Orleans but crossed out the Reebok logo. He wore a hat in a game Friday against Indianapolis that included neither the Reebok nor Nike logo.
Browns get rid of three former startersBEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Butch Davis continued to reshape the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday by trading wide receiver Darrin Chiaverini to Dallas and releasing linebacker Rahim Abdullah and offensive lineman Steve Zahursky. All three players were former starters and key contributors the past two seasons for the Browns. However, Davis, who replaced Chris Palmer in January, doesn't think they can help Cleveland anymore. Chiaverini, who caught 44 passes and started eight games as a rookie but caught just 8 balls in 2000, was dealt to the Cowboys in exchange for a conditional draft pick. The 6-foot-2 Chiaverini, a fifth-round pick in '99, got off to a bad start with Palmer and lost playing time a year ago before running into a logjam of wideouts this summer. With a week to go before their final roster has to be at 53, the Browns still have eight receivers competing for five or six spots. Abdullah was selected in the second round (45th overall) of the 1999 draft by the expansion Browns. He started 13 games at leftside linebacker as a rookie but made just four starts last season before being sidelined for five games with a groin injury. Zahursky's versatility enabled him to switch from right tackle to left guard last season when Cleveland's offensive line was decimated by injuries. Davis' housecleaning in his first season in Cleveland began early in camp when he released running back Errict Rhett after the second day of practice. Davis has also cut offensive guard Jim Pyne and traded lineman Everett Lindsay to Minnesota.
Crews race clock to replace turf at the VetPHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Veterans Stadium workers raced the clock to convert the field from baseball to football in time for Thursday's Eagles game against the New York Jets. This will be the first football game at the stadium since a botched conversion forced the cancellation of an Eagles-Ravens exhibition game Aug. 13. In the weeks since, officials tweaked the stadium's drainage system and developed a plan to add a layer of asphalt beneath the turf for football games. Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the team is monitoring the field conversion and is confident it will be done on time. All work must be complete by 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when the Eagles and Jets work out. After Thursday's game the city will rip up the turf and asphalt and replace the clay to get ready for a Phillies game this week. City Managing Director Joe Martz expects both conversions to be done on time.
Patriots make roster moves before deadlineFOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- Linebacker Marty Moore, recently released by Cleveland, returned to the New England Patriots on Tuesday.The 30-year-old Moore, a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 1994, has played in 109 games, including 19 starts during his eight-year NFL career. He has 173 defensive tackles, as well as 110 special team tackles. He played in 93 games in six seasons with the Patriots before moving to the Browns in 1999. The team did not disclose the terms of Moore's contract. The team waived guard Adam Davis and linebackers Antico Dalton and Maugaula Tuitele. The Patriots also put cornerback Ray Hill, tight end Jabari Holloway, and Andy Katzenmoyer on the injured reserve list. Tight end Arthur Love was placed on the physically unable to perform list. The 23-year-old Katzenmoyer, a second round draft choice in 1999, damaged a disc in his neck during a game against Buffalo in his rookie season. The condition worsened last year and sidelined him after the eighth game. Katzenmoyer had surgery last Nov. 16 in Dallas. He said he felt something in his neck the first time he was hit in training camp, on July 26. Katzenmoyer left training camp without permission for two days when he felt the pain in his neck. He later said he had "panicked." He did not play in any of this year's preseason games.
Bears cut three veteransLAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- The Chicago Bears gave more signs Tuesday that their 2001 season will become a youth movement, cutting veterans Bobby Engram, Thomas Smith and Clyde Simmons."This was not an easy day for anybody around here ...," coach Dick Jauron said. "But it was a decision that we agreed on." Engram, the team's second-round draft pick in 1996, ranks seventh on the Bears' career receptions list and 13th in receiving yards. He was coming off reconstructive knee surgery, but his days with the team appeared numbered after the Bears drafted receiver David Terrell out of Michigan in April. "I was surprised, but not totally shocked," said Engram. "I'm not a dumb guy. I kind of saw what was happening." When the Bears announced in training camp that Terrell would play flanker, the same position as Engram, even though wideout Marcus Robinson needed back surgery, the future became more obvious. With Robinson possibly returning by the second week of the season, Terrell needing playing time, third-year player Marty Booker proving capable and several other young wideouts getting a look, the Bears informed Engram's agent of their decision Tuesday night. "The young players have ascended," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "And it's time for us to find out about Marty Booker and Dez White. We made a decision on draft day about David Terrell and what we felt about him. Marcus is coming back. He's right on schedule. "We have a lot of quality people there. We just had to make a decision on which one we wanted to go with." Smith, a cornerback, came to the Bears last year in free agency from Buffalo for $22.5 million over five years. He lost his starting job to R.W. McQuarters last week. The Bears expected plenty from Smith, who did not have an interception last season. "We looked at Thomas to be the main screw, the shutdown corner so to speak," Angelo said. "It didn't happen that way." The 37-year-old Simmons played defensive end 15 years, including the last two for the Bears. He also played for Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Arizona and Philadelphia. A 2 1/2-sack game by fourth-round draft pick Karon Riley from the defensive end spot Saturday in a preseason game with Arizona may have made Simmons expendable.
The Bears also put defensive end Al Wallace and cornerback David
Mitchell on the waived/injured list, trimming their roster to 68.
They must cut 15 players by Sunday.
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