NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

The Boston Herald reports that the Patriots could look into acquiring WR Chad Ochocinco if he’s released by the Bengals once the lockout is lifted. Ochocinco has one more year on his contract, but he's made no secret he wants out of Cincinnati.

It appears the Bengals want a divorce, too. The report says “with Bill Belichick's affection for him, Ochocinco may, in fact, find a way to end up in Foxboro.” It would be a surprise if Ochocinco stayed in Cincinnati in 2011, but the Bengals have been known to be unconventional before.

I like any scenario where first round bust Kelly Jennings is not a starting cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Which is why I love the idea floated by one Detroit area beat writer.

Prefacing his article by saying it's not a sexy name, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News speculates that Jennings is the best available cornerback that the Lions have a feasible chance at landing.

Here's the most significant part of the article:

There is an intriguing cornerback on the market that I think will pass through the Lions' radar screen at some point, whenever the process begins. It's not a real sexy name, but to me, he might end up making a lot of sense.

I am talking about Seattle free agent Kelly Jennings. I know, I know, he's no Nnamdi Asomugha or Johnathan Joseph. I didn't include him in the top five cornerbacks I think the Lions will go after first (see the story on detnews.com).

But the Lions are longshots to get those two players. And if they don't get them, and they are not sold on Chris Houston — which is a matter of debate — then Jennings is the kind of guy Martin Mayhew has taken a flyer on in the past.

First of all, he been a starter in Seattle who hasn't exactly meshed with Pete Carroll's new system there. Mayhew has had a lot of success with Seahawks castoffs in recent years — Julian Peterson (well, for one season any way), Nate Burleson, Maurice Morris, Lawrence Jackson. There's a solid working relationship between the two teams.

I don't know about you, but the thought of booting Jennings out the door and adding Jonathan Joseph has me doing backflips (mentally of course). In a normal off season I would consider that a passing daydream. With the amount of money they're required to spend and the fact they're a playoff team at square one of a full blown rebuilding movement, it really isn't.

He also brings up a valuable point about the seemingly endless pipeline of former Seattle players ending up in Detroit. McCosky leaves off a couple names as well; Will Heller, and Chuck Darby (why did he ever leave?). This is in addition to the fact the Seahawks also acquired Tyler Polumbus from the Lions last off season as well.

If this does come to pass, it makes sense, and well, good riddance Kelly Jennings, I don't think you will be missed.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith were not at Tuesday’s meeting at a Manhattan law firm’s headquarters. On Thursday, Goodell and Smith will resume their meetings, with owners and players present. Those talks could last into the weekend if a new CBA appears imminent; the sides did not get together on weekends during negotiations over the last month.

“If things are really close, you could say working through the weekend is possible,” a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “But they would need to be really close. If not, they will probably take the weekend off and go back to work next week. But time is running out.”

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a judge has directed that details of the court-ordered mediated negotiations not be disclosed.

There is a chance that quarterback Terrelle Pryor could be headed to the Miami Dolphins in this years supplemental draft. Greg Linton who's an agent based in Louisville, KY sent a message to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Twitter.

"Word on the street is TP may be headed your way," said Linton. "What do you think about that?" We still need to wait and see when the NFL decides to schedule the suppplemental draft. My guess is that it will take place some time at the end of July. The NFL may be waiting to see if the lockout will get lifted before the end of the month.

Packers cornerback Brandon Underwood has been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly assaulting his wife, WITI-TV in Milwaukee reports.

According to the complaint, Underwood is alleged to have ripped a necklace off his wife’s neck before dragging her out to their car and throwing her on the ground. Underwood’s wife had filed for divorce in May.

The incident in question took place on June 16, the night the Packers received their Super Bowl rings, and Underwood is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

In March, the now 25-year-old cornerback plead no contest to soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor, and was fined $379 following an incident last summer in Lake Delton, Wisconsin where two women had accused Underwood of sexual assault.

Underwood denied the accusations, claiming the sex was consensual. Underwood later admitted that he picked the two women up at a strip club and offered them $250 each “to take pictures” with him at a condo he and six of his Packers teammates were staying during a charity golf weekend.

A 2009 sixth-round pick out of the University of Cincinnati, Underwood appeared in 12 games during the Packers’ Super Bowl season, totaling 10 tackles, all on special teams. Underwood had three more special teams tackles in the post-season, but was inactive for his team’s 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

The Philly Inquirer says don’t believe too much all the talk and hype about the reported Eagles interest in former Giants WR Plaxico Burress. The paper says that the team isn’t as interested in Burress as they were last season in QB Michael Vick.

The former New York Giants wide receiver and notorious thigh-shooter has filled the NFL news cycle since his release from prison last month, so his kicking off what should be an unprecedented flurry of activity would seem only appropriate. But, in truth, hiring Burress – who has been linked to the Eagles in some reports – is far down on the list for most teams and especially for the decision-makers at One NovaCare Way.

When reports surfaced that the Eagles were first in line for Burress, the information was not leaked from their camp, team sources indicated. The Eagles are nowhere near as interested as they were in Vick, post-incarceration, but they’re not going to broadcast it. Reid is fond of Burress and doesn’t want to hinder his return to the NFL and if the 6-foot-5 receiver would fall into his lap for a meager price, then Burress’ signing could be something worth presenting to owner Jeffrey Lurie.

With the world still shaking their heads at the verdict involving 25-year-old Casey Anthony, one NFL player for some reason decided to take to Twitter to express his thoughts – as mind boggling as they may be.

Jets wide out Santonio Holmes, following in the footsteps of Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall, is going against public opinion and telling outraged people all across America that Anthony’s innocence should not be questioned.

Here’s the Tweet that Holmes sent out right after the verdict was read that is causing quite a stir on the social network:

Oh don’t be mad at the outcome of the #CaseyAnthony verdict. Non of yall went thru any evidence and yall tryna state your claim #dead

That tweet was sent out at 1:38pm Eastern, and since then his Twitter has been blowing up with people telling him just how disgraceful he and his thoughts about the case are.

From Chird11 – @santonio10 I really hope you never put on another Jet uniform again. Your the definition of an uneducated classless jackass.

From: DonaldLongo – @santonio10 the Jets aren’t resigning this clown. He sucks anyway GTFO of NY douchebag.

It sounds like Mendenhall all over again, the Steelers RB who took a beating for Tweeting about the Osama Bin Laden death, and how America should not rejoice as they were.

Wonder if the Jets will respond to Holmes, who is sure to get national attention for his comments.

Lawyers for the NFL and the players are meeting for two days to sort out paperwork that could speed the process in reaching a new labor contract.

"The owners will not open the doors without a signed document in place," a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "So this paperwork is important to get done" on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a judge has directed that details of the court-ordered mediated negotiations not be disclosed.

The 1993 collective bargaining agreement was slowed by the volume of paperwork.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith were not at Tuesday's meeting at a Manhattan law firm's headquarters. On Thursday, Goodell and Smith will resume their meetings, with owners and players present. Those talks could last into the weekend if a new CBA appears imminent; the sides did not get together on weekends during negotiations over the last month.

"If things are really close, you could say working through the weekend is possible," the person said. "But they would need to be really close. If not, they will probably take the weekend off and go back to work next week. But time is running out."

Indeed, training camps for the Rams and Bears are scheduled to open in less than three weeks. Those teams are supposed to play in the Hall of Fame game on August 7th in Canton, Ohio in the opener of the NFL preseason.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is still on track to hold the annual Hall of Fame Game on August 7th between the Bears and the Rams — the first game on the NFL’s preseason calendar — according to Hall of Fame president Steve Perry. “We’re making all plans to have the game on time. We’ve heard from both parties — the owners and the players — and they’ve expressed their desire to have the game. So, that’s our plan,” Perry told Sal Paolantonio of ESPN.

“Ticket sales are lagging behind where they were compared to this time last year,” Perry acknowledged. “That’s understandable. There is some uncertainty out there. But we’re planning to have the game. Nobody has told us otherwise. In fact, both sides have told us they want to play the game.”

Perry said tickets for about half the 22,000-seat Fawcett Stadium have been sold. If the game is not sold out, it would be blacked out in the Ohio area around Canton, he said. Perry said the Bears and Rams have both told the Hall of Fame they plan to play in the game, but to do so both teams would have to begin training camp the third week in July — which means the labor negotiators are cutting it extremely close.

It sounds more and more like if the Redskins decide flat out to trade QB Donovan McNabb, they may not got a whole heck of a lot in return for him. The National Football Post reports that McNabb may only be able to bring in a conditional 6th Or 7th rounder to the team that decides to make a move for him.

If the Washington Redskins elect to trade Donovan McNabb – and they haven't stated what they're going to do with their big addition from a year ago – he's not going to bring a whole lot in return. Jason Reid of the Washington Post speculates that McNabb's value is so low it would be "surprising if any team offered more than a sixth- or conditional seventh-round pick for him." That's a huge drop from the second- and fourth-round picks the Redskins paid the Philadelphia Eagles for McNabb a year ago, at that price, surely McNabb will find a taker entering his 13th NFL season. But as Reid points out, Mike Shanahan and his son Kyle, the team's offensive coordinator, did "so much to devalue McNabb." It's put the Redskins in a tricky position. McNabb has been a respected player in the league for a long time, players like that are generally helped out – when possible – so it will be interesting to see how the club handles the situation.