NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

It had been reported by ESPN that the Steelers were not going to rush to get a new deal in the hands of OLB LaMarr Woodley, but now according to NFL Network’s Insider Jason La Canfora, that is not the case, and Woodley is the teams #1 target to get inked to a new deal.

On Tuesday night’s Total Access program, NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora threw cold water on a recent ESPN report that (falsely?) indicated the Steelers aren’t in any rush to re-sign contract-year linebacker LaMarr Woodley. The positivity of La Canfora’s report was backed up by the Saginaw News on Tuesday.

According to La Canfora, re-signing Woodley remains the Steelers’ “No. 1 priority.” La Canfora added that he can envision “no scenario where Woodley is not” a Steeler in 2011, going so far as to predict the Steelers would franchise tag Woodley if such a designation is still available. La Canfora was adamant that Woodley isn’t going anywhere.

The Saginaw News wasn’t quite as strong, but directly disputes ESPN. According to the newspaper, the idea promoted in ESPN AFC North blogger James Walker’s report “doesn’t mean the Steelers won’t sign Woodley to a new contract. Once the new collective bargaining agreement is in place, the Steelers are expected to sign Woodley to a multi-year contract.”

The Jaguars passing had its issues in 2009, and the team is hoping to get back on track, but to do that, they will need QB David Garrard to return to the form of two years ago.  It’s a huge storyline for the team heading into 2010.

2009 Season: Garrard threw 15 touchdowns and 10 picks, and put up 224 yards per game.  He had three 300+ yard games, but also had five games where he threw for less than 200 yards.  The team grew frustrated him at times, including a 41-0 loss in week five at Seattle where he threw for 188 yards but went just 18-for-31 passing.

What to Expect in 2010: The heat is on Garrard this year, as the team has invested a lot of time and money in him, and they are expecting him to at least be in the 20-25 TD area, and close to 4000 yards passing.  He has a good run game to work off of with Maurice Jones-Drew, and also can run himself.  The Jags are headed for a tough season though it appears, and with it Garrard shouldn’t be more than a backup on any fantasy team out there.

It seems like everyone in the sports world has formed their own opinion on who should be the Buffalo Bills’ starting Quarterback next season.

And while you must take each opinion with a grain of salt, when a Hall of Famer such as Jim Kelly speaks his mind, the whole city of Buffalo, as well as Bills fans everywhere should be all ears. Here is the latest from Kelly, as reported by www.buffalonews.com

” Jim Kelly, like most Buffalo Bills fans, hopes coach Chan Gailey selects a starting quarterback capable of leading the team to more victories. And by the sound of it, the Hall of Famer figures that player is Trent Edwards.

“I hope it’s Trent,” Kelly said on Friday at Coca-Cola Field for Hunter’s Hope Night for the Buffalo Bisons game that was called due to poor field conditions. “I know Trent, I’ve known him for a couple of years and I think everyone hopes that one guy will step up.”

Kelly, 50, has apparently changed his tune from last November when he told USA Today that while he admires Edwards, he believed it was time for the team to move on.

“I like Trent personally,” Kelly told USA Today. “He works hard. But he’s had three years. It’s time to find somebody who is the future of the Buffalo Bills. If I’m the owner, that’s what I’m thinking.”

Now, Kelly said there are legitimate reasons for Edwards to play, like an offensive line that couldn’t remain healthy and an offensive system under former coach Dick Jauron that, Kelly said, “stunk.”

“Everyone talked about the thing between me and Trent and the bottom line is he didn’t have an offensive line last year with all the injuries, and he had a system that I totally thought stunk,” Kelly said. “It’s a new start, not many people get a third opportunity to show what they can or cannot do.” ”

Chan Gailey is doing a good job keeping everyone in the dark about who his first string Quarterback will be come training camp. But if the competition remains as close as he makes it seem, perhaps it doesn’t matter who starts the season, because it’s the one that finishes it, that truly matters.

Hall of Fame linebacker and former NY Giant Lawrence Taylor pleaded not guilty today to an indictment that alleges he had sex with a 16-year-old girl in a New York hotel room.

The former NFL star allegedly paid $300 to the girl, a Bronx runaway, for their encounter in May. Taylor pleaded not guilty through his lawyer to third-degree rape, patronizing a prostitute, sexual abuse and endangering a child.

In the gallery, before his case was called, Taylor, 51, smiled, looked around and said, "It must be a slow news day." He also said to a friend, "You're not playing golf today, are you?"

Earlier, when a reporter asked outside court if he was guilty, Taylor responded, "Grow up." Taylor was arrested May 6, after the girl's uncle contacted New York City police. He could be imprisoned for up to four years if convicted.

Defense attorney Arthur Aidala said Taylor would challenge the girl's identification of him. Aidala also said the defense would look into whether all statements made in the case were voluntary.

"A plea bargain is possible at any time in any case," he said in response to questions. But in this case, "There is no plea bargain. There is no offer."

One potential witness is a 23-year-old woman who told defense investigators that she heard the girl say after meeting Taylor, "It was weird. … We didn't even have sex."

Aidala said Taylor is "doing the best he can under the circumstances."

"Mr. Taylor is very much looking forward to going forward, putting this behind him, and going on to live his life," the lawyer said.

Taylor's wife sat in a front row of the courtroom during the proceeding. "His family is very supportive of him; his business colleagues are very supportive of him," Aidala said.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have filed a complaint against Rasheed Davis, who is accused of acting as the girl's pimp and who allegedly assaulted her and brought her to Taylor's hotel room in Montebello against her will. Court papers in that case say Taylor admitted to sex acts with the girl but was told the girl was 19.

Ignorance of a minor's age is not a defense to third-degree rape, said Peter Brower, chief of the Ramapo police force that arrested Taylor.

Oh Boy, no it looks like the Steelers QB was trying to add a little hydration to a tree while playing golf the other day – by taking a whiz on it:

TMZ has obtained a report from police in Dublin, Ohio which shows Ben Roethlisberger was investigated for allegedly peeing in public at a local golf course this past Friday.

According to the report, a woman named Nan Fowler phoned the pro shop at the Muirfield Country Club around 6:53 PM and complained that a white, tall male — sporting a blue golf shirt and khaki shorts — was “urinating into some trees.”

The report states that Nan was informed by the woman at the pro shop that the person who fit that description was Big Ben. Nan then called police and told them that the NFL star was peeing in public.

Cops eventually arrived to the scene and spoke with country club management — and later determined that no crime had been committed. Sources connected to the investigation tell us cops never interacted with Roethlisberger — because Ben was “long gone” by the time authorities had arrived.

TMZ spoke with reps at Muirfield who tell us, “We had a full slate of golfers that day … it may have been anyone.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Ben’s penis has been at the center of controversy — earlier this year, he was accused of raping a young woman inside a nightclub bathroom. That case was ultimately dropped after investigators determined there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed.

So far, no comment from Roethlisberger’s camp.