Report: Pats 'likely' to franchise tag Wes Welker

We've stated Wes Welker's title several occasions within the last day or two. Once as our pick for your top available free-agent wide receiver and formerly just like a player on whom the franchise tag would definitely be applied.

Which appears to become: with different study on Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots "are most likelyInch to take advantage from the franchise tag and use it Welker just before the March 5 deadline, to have the ability to prevent Welker from striking outdoors market. If Welker signed his tender, he'd obtain a guaranteed, one-year earnings of $9.5 million.

There's some belief the Patriots wouldn't commit much cash in guaranteed money to Welker and would permit him to test industry then try to re-sign him in an inexpensive than Welker apparently wants (it's thought he desires to be paid out somewhere in all the different $14 to $15 million every year).

Ian Rapoport in the Boston Herald reported on Saturday the logic behind the Patriots change of heart is the industry for Welker in free agency might be "incredibly active."

The ultimate time Colonial used the franchise tag, things did not go easily. Logan Mankins, one of the accused inside the Lockout Suit, held out for seven games following a labor crisis was resolved.

And there's an chance the similar stand-off could occur with Welker once the two sides don't acquire a extended-term deal. Welker's vital that you the Patriots offense -- he's 554 receptions and 6,105 receiving yards since 2007 -- but he'd also relish being paid out like one of the top wideouts in the sport and given his age and former injuries history, the security of just one more large contract.

More great news for that Vikings

Since Favre Fined(notes) has kinda/sorta introduced that he's still considering playing (unless of course obviously, he does not), and that he may be motivated by an NFC Championship rematch from the Saints (unless of course, obviously, he is not), there's still more great news for that Minnesota Vikings. The Minnesota Court of Appeals has declined the NFL's petition to expedite the StarCaps situation of defensive takes up Kevin and Pat Williams(notes), which virtually guarantees the Williams Wall come in uniform for that 2010 season.

The National football league was told it hasn't shown the four-game headgear for alleged utilisation of the banned StarCaps diuretic ought to be given special priority, and also the league really does not possess a situation here. Remember, this is actually the same National football league that understood the outcomes of John Cushing's drug test in September, and allow him to play all season with the appeals process. When the Williamses may need a precedent (although it does not seem like they'll be), they might start immediately.

--Saints coach Sean Payton has some quite interesting memories of publish-Super Bowl festivities (a minimum of, what he is able to remember of these) in the new book.

    Essentially, i was up through the night. Why is this so? There is no next game to bother with. And God knows, we'd anxiously waited lengthy enough with this. 4 years since I'd reached New Orleans - 42 years, five several weeks and 18 days since John Gilliam's opening run. Once we toasted they, the town and ourselves, we understood we still had some honoring before us. Nobody appeared wanting to refer to it as an earlier evening ...

    ... "Maybe you have seen the film, "The Hangover," in which the guy is asking, "How did this lion (really tiger) arrive here? Where did my tooth go? Is not that Mike Tyson? Which was (the Monday following the Super Bowl) for me personally.Inch

I believe, Payton's the NFL's best coach, also it sounds as though he's quite a captivating storyteller, too.

--Props to Professional Football Talk's Mike Florio for smashing the story that Panthers receiver Steve Cruz was really playing within an adult flag football tournament as he broke his arm, and never within the camping-for-kids story which was sailed by other sources for some time. As a direct consequence, Cruz described that his passion for the overall game was at the bottom of his taking a chance that won't keep him from the picture through training camping.

"When you get from your little shallow box, you'd understand it's not only money for me personally within this game," Cruz told radio station WFNZ-AM. "This is exactly what I was raised playing, also it was my offseason. Until freaking Father's Day, nothing had happened."

To any extent further, the 31-year-old Cruz could be more restrained. "I am likely to sit during my bubble. That is what I am likely to do for that relaxation of my career. That might be better for everyone."

Report: John Schottenheimer to interview in Jax

To date, it appears obvious the Jaguars are concentrating on offensive assistant coaches to interview for his or her vacant training job.

Based on the New You are able to Daily News, Jets offensive coordinator John Schottenheimer will interview to become Jack Del Rio?¡¥s successor in The city of jacksonville. That interview could occur as soon as in a few days.

Schottenheimer joins this mixture together with Panthers offensive coordinator Take advantage of Chudzinski and Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for any Jaguars team that finished last within the league in offense which includes a rookie quarterback who were built with a disturbingly-bad season and among the worst receiving corps within the league.

Obviously, the need for Schottenheimer isn?¡¥t exactly high at this time following the Jets' failure to create the 2010 nfl playoffs might be laid mostly in the ft from the offense, which finished 25th in yards acquired. He?¡¥s also not the very first Jets assistant to attract interest from the Florida team (Miami is at the top of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine).

The Jets have scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m. ET, and also, since gm Mike Tannenbaum is also set to go to, there has been whispers that training changes might be made. Not too Schottenheimer is anxious about this.

"I have been fired before," he stated a week ago. "When you get within this profession, you are getting fired. And also the men that wallow in it and be worried about it would be the men that generally finish up getting fired, since they're a slave to concerned about it."

Besides, if he?¡¥s hired, he or she is meeting with for any promotion anyway.

Create-a-Caption: Do not disturb Joe Blanton until necessary

This Philadelphia Daily News photo of fourth starter Joe Blanton(notes) snoozing behind the workhorse triumvirate of Roy Halladay(notes), Cole Hamels(notes) and Roy Oswalt(notes) is perfect.

So perfect, in fact, that it almost seems like a staged photo to convey a genius editorial message. However, I don't think that was the case, so we can just go ahead with the assumption that this is the most on-point photo of the postseason.

The Good Phight is making a too-much-offtime-on-our-hands argument of starting Blanton in Game 1, but he likely won't get the call until next Wednesday's Game 4.

If he's up and at 'em by then, of course.

Anyway, have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?