NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Chris Johnson has had two great years already for the Titans, and according to Sporting News, he is already talking about being shown the money as being the highest paid back in football:

Chris Johnson has only completed two years of the five-year contract he signed with Tennessee as a rookie, but the All-Pro running back is already seeking a new deal and a hefty raise.

Johnson told the Tennessean, “I think I deserve to be the highest paid running back in the league, or even the highest paid offensive player besides the quarterback.”

In just his second NFL season, Johnson topped 2,000 rushing yards to lead the league and broke Marshall Faulk's single-season record for total yards from scrimmage. Johnson is scheduled to make $560,000 next season but wants a raise that will push him past the Rams' Steven Jackson, who is currently the league's highest paid back.

Johnson's current contract is for five years and $12 million, with $7 million guaranteed. The team has yet to discuss an extension or renegotiation with Johnson.

Johnson’s already talking about coming out and being the league MVP in 2010, and also breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. Now we’ll see if the Titans make him happy with his demands.

With the Super Bowl a week away, there's some sad news that has started already for the Colts. Star defensive end Dwight Freeney had a torn ligament which would make it difficult for him to play in the Super Bowl against the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints.

"He is under the care of our athletic training staff," Team Spokesman Craig Kelley said. "Nothing we have seen changes our diagnosis that he is questionable. He has a third-degree, low basketball sprain."

It means Freeney has a complete tear in the ankle ligament. I see the Dwight playing. I doubt he will not play this game. 100 percent, actually. But even if Freeney does play in my mind, it's going to be questionable of how effective he will be.

"He has had injuries before where they said [he's] not going to play and he has come back," Colts tight end Dallas Clark said during the Pro Bowl. "He is a competitor, he is one of the toughest guys on our team and I never expect him to miss anything."

I think Freeney will be alright. It would be horrible without him. The Colts will lose another important player to squad. There was Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson. Don't let it be Dwight this time. Especially if it's Super Bowl time.

Don't worry.

I have been a critic of Bryant McKinnie's long before I started writing here at Vikings Gab.  In fact, I have such a lack of appreciation for the Vikings starting left tackle that I often times fail to give him credit when he deserves it.  When my failure to give McKinnie his props gets noted by an astute reader, I usually feel bad about it.

I probably won't feel bad about it anymore.

Bryant McKinnie has officially been dismissed from the Pro Bowl because he failed to show up for 4 of his 5 practices.

McKinnie used the media as a tool for publicly campaigning for his first Pro Bowl nomination.

McKinnie has not been a real positive light for the Vikings thus far in his career.

In 2005, McKinnie was one of the primary organizers of the party to be held on a boat on Lake Minnetonka.  McKinnie reportedly lifted up one of the strippers that had been flown in from Atlanta, set her on the bar, and performed "lewd acts" to her in front of his teammates and the boat crew.  Later, McKinnie was one of four Vikings reportedly receiving "lewd acts" from one of the strippers for all to see.  McKinnie was charged with a misdemeanor for the events that occurred, and he received a $1,000 fine and 48 hours of community service.  Zygi Wilf also promised the public that McKinnie would be required to more community service on behalf of the Vikings.

While he was not suspended for the event, McKinnie was fined one game check by the NFL, which totaled about $41,000.  Only a day later, the Vikings gave McKinnie a contract extension to the tune of $48 million over seven years.

In February of 2008, McKinnie reportedly bashed the head of a Miami nightclub bouncer with a pole.  A YouTube video was available shortly there after showing the owner of the club asking McKinnie to leave the establishment because him and the women around him were getting out of hand.  McKinnie did not seem to take the request very seriously in the video.  He did eventually leave, went to a nearby strip club, and then went back to the original club… which is when the assault occurred.  McKinnie was suspended for the first four games in 2008 for the incident.

McKinnie recently switched agents, hiring the (in)famous Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.  Many speculated that the move meant McKinnie is soon going to try and make a play for a new contract.  After all, Rosenhaus will not be paid a dime for representing McKinnie if or until a new contract is signed under Rosenhaus's watch.

Which brings us to the most recent event.  After reaching the Pro Bowl, some hack bloggers and others wondered if the election was deserved.  After all, he has not exactly been the most consistent player and was even benched at one point in the 2009 season after Julius Peppers dominated him.

Regardless, McKinnie was Pro Bowl bound for the first time in his career until being kicked off the team for not showing up to practices.  McKinnie tried to claim that he wasn't showing up due to nagging injuries, but other players have insinuated that this was "B.S." and reports are that McKinnie was feeling well enough to go clubbing in Miami the night before one of his no-shows…  no bouncers are reported injured yet.

McKinnie will not receive the usual stipend for appearing in the Pro Bowl, but it sounds like the league will take no further action against him.

Having not exactly been a positive force with the Vikings, the most recent incident may ensure that he has played his last game with the Vikings.  Rookie Phil Loadholt seems like he would not be too much of a downgrade if he were to move to the left side of the line, while veteran Artis Hicks could be re-signed to play on the right side.

Other options are also available via trade or the NFL Draft.

I tend to think that the looming uncapped year will keep McKinnie in Minnesota.  However, if a trade is offered to the Vikings that they are willing to accept then I don't think they'll think twice but to rid their team of a player that has given their Public Relations department headaches off the field and allowed far too many sacks on the field.

While many expect the Vikings to have a relatively uneventful offseason (other than Favre Watch), I think McKinnie's actions may have just made things a little more interesting.

Joey Porter has said a lot of things recently about his future with the Dolphins, but none may be as big and foretelling as this quote that he used on ESPN’s Jim Rome Is Burning:

“I won’t accept it no more, you know what I mean? I accepted it last year because I’m a team guy. I just want to play, have fun and win football games.”

“When you’re winning, all of this stuff is (swept) away. But after seeing how last year went, asking me to come back and play that role again, I can honestly say I won’t come back to do that. I can’t be happy about coming back playing that role.”

(when asked about being traded)
“I mean, it would just kind of be the smart thing to do. `Why keep a guy there that you want to make a role player? You’re paying me enough money as a starter. So why pay me all that money and make me a role player”

“If you make me a role player, it’s saying you really don’t want me, right? I mean, I just gave you 17.5 sacks last year.”

Get this guy out of here. He has just said that he wants out, and that he cannot see why any team would want to keep a player like him, so let him walk, and play for a team like the Raiders, or the Lions, and let him stink on a team that stinks.

He has shown his true loyalty to this team, and while he has gone through some rough patches throughout his tenure as a Dolphin, I no longer would like his selfish services on the team, when we have a class-act like Jason Taylor bending over back to win, and give up his position of choice to Joey, so the team can win.

I just do not get why guys get like this all of a sudden, right when you think that they are finally starting to buy into the system that the coaches are selling.

Taylor and Cameron Wake would provide better, more consistent options as pass rushers penetrating from the outside at this point, plus, Taylor provides the leadership quality that “Peezy” seems to be lacking at this point in time.

While I will miss seeing Joey’s emotion on the field, I know that they’re are better options out there, that can help this Dolphins team out more than Porter can.

So long “Peezy” good luck the rest of your career!

With one week until the big game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, I thought it would be neat to punch out an article on some really interesting Super Bowl facts that some people may not or may know.

• The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings have had four trips to the Super Bowl and never won. In the Bills case, they went four straight times with two of the losses back-to-back against the Dallas Cowboys.
• The San Francisco 49ers have been to the Super Bowl five times and have never lost. Their dominant years were in the 1980's with Super Bowl victories in 81', 84', 88', 89', and 94'!
• Although the Dallas Cowboys hold the record for the most trips to the Super Bowl

(8, 5-3), the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most Super Bowl's at 6 (Their Super Bowl          record is 6-1).

• There are still four teams that haven't been to the Super Bowl (Browns, Lions, Jaguars, and Texans).
• The Patriots played three of their six Super Bowl games in the Louisiana Superdome and the Indianapolis Colts have played all four of their Super Bowl's in Miami , Florida .
• Miami 's football stadium was changed from the "Land Shark Stadium" to "Sun Life Stadium" as of January 18^th because of a signed contract with Sun Life Financial. (Not Super Bowl related but I thought it was interesting).
• The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowl's.

Well, there is a little information to increase your Super Bowl IQ. I hope that you learned a thing or two and that you enjoyed this article.

The Bears have finally hired someone to run their offense, as reports are the team has inked former Rams coach Mike Martz to try and right the ship that was a disaster last season in Chicago.

Lovie Smith used to be Mike Martz's defensive coordinator when the latter was head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Now, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune, Martz is returning the favor to be the Bears' new offensive coordinator under Smith.

Martz, known for his mad scientist ways of concocting a no-holds barred prolific passing game — which helped the Rams get to two Super Bowls with Kurt Warner as their gunslinger — is now charged with getting Jay Cutler back on track.

Cutler has everything Martz wants in a quarterback, including a strong arm and a fearlessness to fire the ball downfield, regardless if it results in the occasional turnover. As an analyst for the NFL Network this past season, Martz called out Cutler for having an unpleasant post-game demeanor. Cutler may need some tough love to deliver as the Bears' franchise quarterback, and Martz can provide it.

Martz was able to win the job over another finalist, Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers.

In addition to getting Cutler's head on-straight, it's important that Martz works to get the offensive line up to speed to handle the volume of passes. Although it helps Orlando Pace is a familiar face at left tackle, the Bears could use an injection of athletic youth to help better protect Cutler.

There was word that GM Jerry Angelo wasn’t all that high on Martz, but something he must have said or done changed his mind enough to give in to allow Martz to come aboard and join the club. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact he has on Cutler and his second year with the Bears.

Are the Bills serious about thinking about Mike Vick in to play QB in 2010? The Buffalo News reports that the Bills may trade for Vick, but likely won’t get into a bidding war for him:

Numerous national media outlets are speculating that the Bills might make a run at Michael Vick who is still under contract with the Eagles who may be willing to trade him. If that doesn’t work, they could release Vick, who is due to make more than $5 million in 2010. It’s doubtful the Bills would get into a bidding war, especially when a season without a salary cap is looming, but If the demands aren’t too outrageous the Bills might pull the trigger on a trade.