Friday Roundup

New England signs RB Smith to five-year deal

Antowain Smith led the Patriots in rushing after joining the team late in training camp last summer. AP

BOSTON (AP) -- Running back Antowain Smith, who revived the Patriots' running game last season, signed a five-year contract to remain with the New England Patriots on Friday.

Kennard Maguire, Smith's agent, confirmed Smith had signed the deal on the first day of the free agent signing period but did not provide details. The Boston Globe's Web site, citing unnamed league sources, reported the deal was for almost $21 million, with a signing bonus of about $5 million.

Smith, 29, earned $1.1 million last season, his first with the Patriots after four with Buffalo, including about $600,000 in incentives. His running was a key element in the team's drive to its first Super Bowl title.

He rushed for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns on 287 carries and had 92 yards on 18 attempts in the Patriots' 20-17 Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams.

Saints release former starting QB Blake

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Quarterback Jeff Blake, sidelined by injury in 2000 and replaced as a starter by Aaron Brooks in 2001, was released Friday by the Saints.

"Jeff has been a true professional and a leader on our team. He was vital to the turnaround of the Saints and was a main part of that success," general manager Randy Mueller said. "This is the nature of the salary cap and we wish Jeff the best of luck. He will be an asset to any team that he plays for."

Blake was signed by Mueller and head coach Jim Haslett before the 2000 season and immediately made him their starter.

He threw for 2,025 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in leading the Saints to a 7-3 record before his injury -- a fractured and dislocated left foot. With Brooks taking over, the Saints went to 10-6 for the year and got the first playoff victory in team history.

Brooks was named the starter for 2001 with Blake as his backup.

The 2001 season was the 10th for Blake and his second in New Orleans. He spent his first two seasons with the New York Jets and the following six with the Cincinnati Bengals before being signed by the Saints as an unrestricted free agent in 2000.

Cowboys re-sign Woodson for five years

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Every time last season that Darren Woodson thought about his contract expiring, he found a way to put it out of his mind.

Then the offseason came and he finally faced it. Did he want to remain with the Dallas Cowboys, his only NFL team, or was he ready to test free agency for the first time?

Woodson opted to stay and the Cowboys wanted the same thing. So Friday, the first day players could sign with other teams, Woodson got a $20 million, five-year contract to end his career where it started. The deal includes $5 million in bonuses.

"I'm made to have the star on my helmet," said Woodson, who along with Emmitt Smith are the only players left from the Dallas teams that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s. "It shows they've been loyal to me and I'm loyal to them also."

Team owner Jerry Jones said he's close to also re-signing offensive lineman Larry Allen. Although the perennial All-Pro is signed through 2003, a new contract probably would be more salary-cap friendly.

Jones also was on the phone early Friday with several free agents and has set up appointments with some. He'll be in Indianapolis this weekend for the scouting combine and will continue his talent hunt there.

Packers sign FB Henderson to 4-year deal

Head coach and General Manager Mike Sherman agreed to terms with Henderson late Thursday and signed the fullback before he was able to test free agency, which began Friday.

"I'm personally very excited about it. He's a big part of our team and a very unselfish player," Sherman said. "He's been a great help to me as a leader in the locker room."

Henderson, primarily a blocker and receiver, has started for Green Bay for the past six years. The Packers have had four 1,000-yard rushers since 1997.

Last season, the 6-foot-1, 253-pound fullback also caught 21 passes for 193 yards in 16 games.

Henderson said he believes he could have made more money if he signed with another team, but he wanted to stay in Green Bay.

"I grew up admiring the Green Bay Packers but have grown to love the Packers," he said.

Henderson has played seven seasons with the Packers. They selected him out of North Carolina in the third round of the 1995 draft.

Rams release offensive tackle Tucker

Tucker, a fourth-round draft pick in 1997, started 32 games the last two seasons, including the postseason. He didn't start in the Super Bowl after missing the previous two playoff games with an ankle injury but ended up playing most of the game when Rod Jones injured his groin.

Jones is an unrestricted free agent, leaving the Rams with John St. Clair as their starting right tackle at the moment. St. Clair, a third-round pick in 2000, has yet to play in a regular-season game.

The Rams have spent most of their time dealing with agents for middle linebacker London Fletcher, defensive end Leonard Little and wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, all of whom became free agents on Friday. The best bet of the three to return is Little, with Fletcher and Hakim interested in testing the market.

Wide receiver Ricky Proehl also is an unrestricted free agent and the team has offered him a $750,000 one-year deal. Proehl has reconsidered plans to retire.

Panthers claim Montgomery off waivers from Giants

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Panthers claimed running back Joe Montgomery off waivers from New York Giants on Friday.

The Giants released the injury-prone Montgomery in a salary cap move earlier this week, and Panthers general manager Marty Hurney confirmed the team had claimed him on Friday.

The Panthers assume the final year of Montgomery's contract worth the league minimum of $375,000.

The 5-foot-10, 230-pound Montgomery ran for 348 yards on 115 carries as a rookie, but has had troubles staying on the field since then. He spent all of last season on injured reserve after tearing his left Achilles heel in minicamp.

More Eagles cheerleaders sue over peephole

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- More than 100 former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders will join a lawsuit against 29 NFL teams, charging that visiting players peeped on them in a Veterans Stadium locker room, their lawyer said.

The suit, filed in state court in Philadelphia, now has 44 plaintiffs but will be expanded for a second time next week, said lawyer Michael J. McKenna of Cherry Hill, N.J.

McKenna said that 117 women have contacted him, all but 10 of whom have returned signed documents indicating they will participate in the suit.

"Many had not heard about the suit until the [news] coverage," McKenna said Friday.

The suit alleges that the players spied on the women as they showered and changed, looking through holes in a door and cracks in walls that separates the visitors' and cheerleaders' locker rooms, and through scratches in a painted window.

Jonathan Dryer, an attorney who represents most of the teams, declined comment Friday. A spokesman at NFL headquarters in New York also declined comment.

Enis plans return to NFL

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Running back Curtis Enis, forced to retire from the NFL last season because of a degenerative condition in his left knee, is planning a comeback.

"He's going to give it another shot," Enis' agent, Joel Segal, said Friday.

Last April, Enis, a former first-round draft pick, announced that his disappointing pro career was over before he got to play a down with Cleveland.

He had signed a one-year contract with the Browns a month earlier after spending three lackluster seasons with the Chicago Bears, who took him with the fifth overall pick in the 1998 draft.

When he announced his retirement, Enis said he was quitting out of concern for his long-term health and that it was time to move on to a new phase in his life. He said his plans were to go back to Penn State and get his degree.

Now he wants to give football another try.

Seahawks unveil new logo

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Seattle Seahawks president Bob Whitsitt unveiled the team's new logo and colors Friday, hoping they will set the tone for a big season when the team moves into its new stadium this fall.

In about a month, the Seahawks also will unveil their new uniforms and new helmets, Whitsitt said.

"We thought we made a good step up last year, and we hope to build on that," he said.

As a result of the NFL's realignment plan, the Seahawks will switch from the AFC West to the NFC West next season. Seattle improved from 6-10 in 2000 to 9-7 last season, but still missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

The Seahawks' logo is still a Seahawk, but updated to look a little angrier. That's the way the Seahawks' fans wanted it, according to surveys the team conducted, Whitsitt said.

"He's leaner, he's meaner, tougher. He's got a little attitude," Whitsitt said with a smile. "I think he's ready to compete in the NFC."

After 26 years, the old Seahawk was due for a change, he said. The Seahawks' colors are still blue and green, but different shades.

"You'll see a Seahawk blue, you'll see a Seahawk navy blue, you'll see a Seahawk green," Whitsitt said. "The new color, the Seahawk blue, will be the predominant color for the seats at the new stadium. There will be about 50,000 seats that color. The Seahawk blue is the color nobody else has."

Also Friday, the Seahawks had six players who became unrestricted free agents including: quarterback Trent Dilfer, tight ends Christian Fauria and Itula Mili, fullback Mack Strong, running back Ricky Watters and offensive tackle Todd Weiner.

And a bill to end NFL blackouts of Seattle Seahawks games was sacked by the Washington state Senate.

State Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, proposed the bill after watching a Seahawks game in a half-empty stadium in the driving rain. His bill would have allowed Seahawks games to be broadcast locally even if they don't sell out.

NFL rules say if games don't sell out 72 hours before kickoff, they can't be broadcast on TV within 75 miles of the stadium. None of the Seahawks games sold out last season.

 

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