NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

The Steelers didn’t win the Super Bowl last season, but they did score an offseason title, as wide out Hines Ward has been crowned Champ in ABC’s dance show “Dancing with the Stars.”

Here’s James Walker’s write up on Ward winning the title, only the second NFL player to get that coveted award.

It’s not quite another Lombardi Trophy. But Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward can add another piece of championship hardware — The Mirror Ball — to his distinguished collection.

Ward, a two-time Super Bowl champion, became just the second NFL player to win the popular “Dancing With The Stars” competition on ABC, joining former running back Emmitt Smith. Ward and partner Kym Johnson had great chemistry from the start and became the prohibitive favorites, and they finished the job Tuesday night with another great performance to beat Kristie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who came in second.

Ward and Johnson, wearing the Steelers’ black-and-gold colors, performed the Samba and didn’t miss a step. He showed fluid moves and sported his trademark smile the entire performance, which scored a perfect 30 points from the judges Tuesday. The final tally was the combined result of the judges and the fans.

To be honest, I didn’t expect Ward to win “Dancing With The Stars.” Ward is not the fastest or the quickest receiver in the NFL, but his abilities translated very well on the dance floor. Ward admits he never danced before, but he’s an intense competitor and you can tell he put his all into winning this competition.

I also had questions about Ward taking part in this lengthy competition spanning more than two months in the spring, but it turned out to be the right call. Due to the lengthy NFL lockout, Ward didn’t miss any offseason activities and was able to do something to stay in shape and further his career after football. Perhaps dancing this offseason will also help Ward become more nimble in the twilight of his career.

There has been much speculation about where Plaxico Burress will land after his June 6 release from Philadelphia and the eventual lifting of the lockout.

Today on WIP in Philadelphia (via SportsRadioInterviews.com) Eagles quarterback Michael Vick made it clear he would welcome his fellow felon in Philly as part of their receiver corps.

"Absolutely it would be a great addition for our team. I think with the guys we have now I think we can fit him in and make it work. Obviously the ultimate goal at the end of the day is to put that ring on your finger at the end of the year. I think certainly Plaxico is going to come out with a chip on his shoulder the same way I did and he'll go out and help this football team to whatever capacity he can. I think the guys would be willing to embrace him and bring him in. If that happens? Who knows? We talking about "what ifs" now? It would certainly be a good thing."

There is word that the Eagles braintrust is serious about bringing Burress to Philly. One potential problem is that the top three spots are already filled with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant.

Burress would have to accept the role of a red-zone specialist in Philly. Burress will likely first pursue other situations that may give him the opportunity to start.

First it was Carson Palmer. Now Chad Ochocinco.

Bengals owner Mike Brown first again stated Monday that Palmer won’t be moved this offseason, much to the dislike of the QB, and now he’s firing some shots at the flamboyant wide receiver, who seems to be making headlines for everything outside of getting ready for the 2011 season.

First it was playing soccer, and then the now famous bull riding stunt. Brown it sounds like has grown tired of it all.

"He's going to do the things he does,” Brown told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Next maybe he'll be a snake wrangler and we'll watch to see if he gets bit. He's always up to some stunt. They amuse me in a way.

“They concern me because let's face it we want a football player. We aren't hiring a bull rider, a dancer, a soccer player. We want a football player. It's simple. And that should be the focus, not on other things. ..Chad has a genius for bringing notice to himself."

Brown rightfully so wonders about the wide outs focus when it comes to playing football.

“I've never known any football player who can bring a spotlight on to himself seemingly all year around,” he said. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing? And that gets to be a debate. "The issue is does he at this stage of his life have that focus."

The Bengals likely will release or do their best to trade Ochocinco, meaning that Brown won’t have to worry about his next trick, which likely will simply mean packing up and leaving town.

The player some feel is the best in the game had neck surgery this past Monday in Chicago to repair a disk problem.

Colts QB Peyton Manning had his second neck surgery since February 2010 earlier in the week. He had a prior surgery to repair a pinched nerve, and this operation was less invasive and less complicated, team owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday at the NFL meetings.

"He had a bulging disk," Irsay said of the NFL's only four-time league MVP. "The doctors removed a part of it.

"It's usually a six-to-eight week recovery period. I think this is one you can bounce back from quickly."

The surgery was performed at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Manning was back at home Tuesday.

Even though the NFL has locked out its players, communication between teams and players in these cases is allowed. So Manning was able to contact the team and its doctors before heading to Chicago for the operation.

"Now is the time to do it, the end of May," Irsay reasoned. "He's had things tougher than this before."

Irsay, of course, has a special interest in Manning, who has started 227 consecutive games including the playoffs, second only to Brett Favre's(notes) 321. His contract is up, but there is little chance Irsay will allow the 35-year-old Manning to become a free agent once a labor agreement is reached.

"He has a great chance to play five years," Irsay said. "He's such a tough guy, takes care of himself and really, really works hard. This won't affect his long-term career.

"I feel good about it. This doesn't affect the way I view (a new contract)."

The ESPN NFC East blog ranked the quarterbacks in this esteemed division. The verdict?

1. Vick
2. Romo
3. Eli
4. McNabb
5. Kolb
6. Grossman/Beck

We'll exclude the last two rankings, because they are backups who could be starters whenever there is a season.

I agree completely with Mike Vick being the best QB. I know he's an Eagle, but he is tremendously fun to watch, possesses incredible raw talent, and believe it or not, is still learning the QB position. He has it all: Can throw with the best of them, can obviously run. When the Eagles were mounting that comeback, watching Vick do his thing was incredible.

McNabb's days as a top tier QB are over, and with rumors swirling that John Beck is going to be the starter, McNabb's days as a QB might be over. He had some great years, no doubt, and often did it with lackluster receiving talent. Once he got a big time receiver in TO, he made the Super Bowl.

So, onto Romo v Manning. I'll admit, I'm biased. I like Eli Manning more than I like Tony Romo. I'm going to try to be objective, looking at stats.

Eli's Career:

105 games, 22,646 yards, 215 yards per game, 58% completion, 156 touchdowns, 1.48 touchdowns per game, 113 interceptions, 1.07 INTs per game. . 4-3 playoff record.

Romo's career

83 games, 16,650 yards, 200 yards per game, 64% completion, 118 touchdowns, 1.42 touchdowns per game, 62 interceptions, .74 interceptions per game. 1-3 playoff record.

Click HERE to read the rest

Browns president Mike Holmgren expressed satisfaction Tuesday in Colt McCoy’s rookie-year performance and his standing on the team. Yet Holmgren stopped just short of saying the former University of Texas standout is the answer to a quarterback question the franchise has asked since re-entering the NFL in 1999 according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.

“We have Seneca Wallace, too, and Jake Delhomme as well right now,” Holmgren said at the NFL Spring Meeting. “But (McCoy) got his feet wet last year. I didn’t necessarily want him to play that much last year, but we were injured, and so he had a chance to play. He showed us enough where he will go in, and we’re hopeful that — it’ll be competitive — but if he does what I think he can do, he’ll probably be the guy, yeah.”

McCoy has taken a leadership role with the team in organizing workouts in Austin, Texas, for Cleveland’s offensive players.

“I’ve always been impressed with Colt and his leadership ability — that’s one of the reasons we drafted him (in the third round),” Holmgren said. “So I’m not surprised by this. They love to play the game, so he’s going to do what he has to now as he gets his chance to be the starting quarterback and the leader of the football team.

“He’s going to do what he has to do, what he thinks is best, in this time we’re going through right now. I’m not surprised by it. And yeah, it puts a little smile on my face.”

According to Len Pasquarelli of Sports Xchange, word is that if tailback Reggie Bush doesn’t return to New Orleans for the 2011 season — and despite an $11.8 price tag, that remains a possibility — he will be more sought after than some people think as a free agent.

At least one team with time on its hands during the lockout was reviewing videotape of Bush as a potential slot receiver. Pasquarelli also heard from some teams this week that he is just as valuable as a change-of-pace back, who gets maybe 10-12 “touches” per game as a back and return man.

Said one team executive: “The thing with (Bush) will be timing. You don’t want to run out when free agency eventually starts, and sign a (versatile) back, and then have Bush pop free, because the Saints can’t afford him. You might be kicking yourself for not waiting on Bush, and seeing what his market is out there. So it’s probably going to take some legwork, you know?”

The NFL is cancelling next month’s rookie symposium in Canton, Ohio, due to the unresolved labor situation, this according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s the first event cancelled due to the league’s calendar by the impasse.

The symposium is designed to teach rookies life lessons on dealing with football, finances and their new lifestyle. Many players who have been through the symposium have said it has been a positive first step in their transition into the NFL.

But with the NFL and NFLPA at an impasse and with both sides waiting for a June 3rd court hearing before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the legality of the ongoing lockout, the event is not going forward.

The symposium was scheduled to kick off June 26th and would have been held in Canton, the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for the first time.

Up until now, teams have laid off or furloughed employees, but no events had been wiped off the NFL calendar.