NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Despite claims otherwise by Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant over the weekend, a lawyer said the Cowboys wide receiver still owes more than $600,000 and that a lawsuit is still pending.

“I have a handle on it and it’s done,” Bryant told The Associated Press Saturday at a department store in Tulsa, Okla. “It’s in the past and I’m ready to go ahead from here.”

Attorney Beth Ann Blackwood told Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas on Sunday night, Bryant still owes Colleyville jeweler and ticket broker Eleow Hunt a little more than $600,000 for jewelry, tickets and personal loans

Blackwood said the lawsuit is on hold while Bryant’s attorney — Texas State Senator Royce West — is in special session in Austin.

Bryant is hopeful to settle this lawsuit when the NFL lockout ends, when he’s scheduled to receive a $1 million roster bonus.

By Eagles Gab Columnist Brenden Peddigree

Plaxico Burress was released from prison this morning after serving his 22 month sentence on a weapons charge. He emerged from behind the chain-link fence wearing none other than a Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat. After the past few weeks of speculation let's take a look at the possible teams that Plax could end up on and where he is most likely to end up.

The teams that have been mentioned in the running for Burress include teams like the Jets, Rams, Eagles, and Plaxico's agent Drew Rosenhaus will not rule out the Giants.

The New York Giants released Plaxico Burress on April 3^rd, 2009, five months after he accidently shot himself in the leg. Brandon Jacobs' has ruled out Burress' return to the Giants. While Brandon Jacobs is not in the front office, he has been a frequent visitor to Plaxico during his time in prison.

The Giants have no need for Plaxico anymore, they have since replaced him. Hakeem Nicks has stepped up as the number one wide receiver in the Giants offense with a solid corps behind him with the likes of Steve Smith and Kevin Boss at tight end.

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U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has scheduled a hearing on the owners’ motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit from a group of players for September 12th according to the Associated Press.

Coincidentally or not, September 12th is four days after the regular season is set to open in Green Bay, and one day after the first Sunday of games for the 2011 season.

Shortly after the owners filed their motion to dismiss on Monday, Nelson announced when she would hear arguments on the motion.

The timing is significant, given that the Packers are scheduled to host the New Orleans Saints on September 8th, and the NFL has big plans for the first Sunday of action to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Both sides hope that hearing never has to happen. The NFL and its players held settlement discussions in Chicago last week, but there is no sign a new collective bargaining agreement is imminent.

There has been a great deal of speculation that Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor would make the jump to the NFL via the July supplemental draft, but Rob Rang of CBS Sports spoke with two NFL sources in the past few days that believe Pryor would be making a mistake in doing so.

One source characterized Pryor as a “mid-round pick at best” if he were to enter the supplemental draft, and both sources questioned whether the Buckeye passer had the poise and accuracy to be successful in the NFL. Perhaps just as interesting is the fact that both sources had reservations about the 6-6, 235 pound Pryor’s ability to make the transition from quarterback to wide receiver or any other position in the NFL.

Pryor was characterized as a “basketball player playing football” and one whose lack of maturity could make it difficult for him to find a niche in the pro game despite his obviously unique combination of size and athleticism. Pryor, of course, was suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season after it was discovered that he and several teammates had received free tattoos in exchange for memorabilia gained from playing at Ohio State.

Said one scout, "He [Pryor] is a nice college player playing in a system that caters to his strengths. He's a basketball player playing football, though, when it comes to the NFL. He's not a quarterback. He doesn't have the makeup, the release or the accuracy for it. And he isn't one of those guys that you can make into another position. He's going to run well and people are going to get excited about him, but he isn't a football player. What you've seen at Ohio State – on the field and off – is what you get with him."

CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus made the official announcement Monday that Albert, who recently did NCAA Tournament games for the network in crossing over from his lead role on TNT’s NBA coverage, will join the network next fall for NFL games.

"Marv Albert is recognized throughout sports broadcasting as one of its true legends," McManus said in a statement. "Very few in the broadcasting industry can claim his combined accomplishments and remarkable longevity.” Although Albert, a basketball Hall of Famer, is best known to sports fans for his NBA work — 37 years for the New York Knicks and then most prominently on NBC during the Michael Jordan era before joining TNT — he also has an extensive background calling NFL games.

From 1977-’97, Albert was a Sunday regular for NBC’s NFL game coverage, and from 2002-’09, he partnered with Boomer Esiason to call Monday Night Football for Westwood One Radio. CBS needed someone who could generate some buzz and excitement in the booth after losing their most excitable NFL and NCAA hoops voice, Gus Johnson. CBS didn’t announce with whom Albert will partner this season.

As the NFL Lockout continues with more bad news this morning, few offensive lines in the NFL need it to end as much as the Raiders, but even with a new offensive line coach and a unit that has more questions than a four year-old on a road trip, one of the team's rookies feels like he has at least one answer who will be starting.

"I expect to start right away," Joseph Barksdale told Tom Markowski of The Detroit News. It seems like a bold statement for a rookie joining a team that had the 2nd ranked rushing offense in the NFL last year, but the Raiders are facing the a major overhaul along their offensive line with the departure of guards Robert Gallery and Cooper Carlisle, as well as the uncertain status of tackles Langston Walker and Mario Henderson.

So, Barksdale will definitely get the opportunity to start as a rookie. As far as the lockout itself is concerned, Barksdale is working out at home in Michigan and is taking it all in stride. "Nobody knows when it will end," Barksdale said. "All you can do is stay in shape. I take care of what I have control of. It's like the motto at my fraternity: "Do thy duty that is best and leave unto the Lord the rest."