NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Legendary senior writer jclombardi reports NFL lockout nearing end deal.

Sides Move Toward July 21 ratification–Growing belief inside league circles that the NFL and NFL Players Association will have an agreement in place that can be ratified during the July 21 league meetings in Atlanta, according to sources familiar with the state of negotiations.  As one NFL owner said this weekend, there’s “no reason to believe it won’t get done.” Other people familiar with the talks now think an agreement in principle will be put in place in the next seven to 10 days, a handshake deal that would allow each side to ratify the deal to start the 2011 season.

Mike Shanahan seems bent on putting John Beck under center in 2011, and it seems more and more like they are going to make some type of move with Donovan McNabb in order to open the door for a competition between Beck and Rex Grossman.

From what Pro Football Weekly hears, nothing has changed in Mike Shanahan’s mind about his QB situation: He still plans to go with John Beck as his starter. That could change whenever free agency starts, but it appears to be the direction the Redskins firmly are headed. Back in May Shanahan was asked about Beck's strengths, and he said: "No. 1 you've got to love the game, you've got to have passion, you've got to have a mindset and what I'm looking for is a guy that's first to work, last to leave. You've got to be able to run this offense at a very high level. He can do some things with his legs that a lot of quarterbacks can't do. He's in that 4.675 [40-yard dash] range. Those are some of the things."

It’s a huge risk for a coach like Shanahan to hitch his wagon to Beck, who has yet to prove that he can be a solid starter in the NFL. With the way Daniel Snyder wants results, it could be a decision that spells the end for Shanahan if Beck fails.

Last week former Cowboys official Gil Brandt raised eyebrows when he said during an NFL.com chat that Brett Favre might consider returning for 21st season. Fans and media were prepared for another “Favre watch.”

But Al Jones from the Biloxi Sun Herald spoke with Favre’s agent Cook, who simply laughed at that report and didn't make a comment. Favre's brother, Scott, did the same.

"I would say there's less than a 1 percent chance (he would return)," Scott Favre said. "He is retired."

Even Brett's mother, Bonita Favre, scoffed at the thought. "I would hope he would not do it," she said. "He is crazy if he does."

So for those that were thinking it would be another summer of leads on ESPN of shots of Favre throwing footballs to high school kids and being asked non-stop if he’s coming back – it looks like you can rest easy.

As if the Ravens have anything to be proud about when it comes to the police blotter – Ray Rice has decided to take a shot at Steelers WR Hines Ward over his recent arrest.

Ward was arrested Saturday and charged with a DUI, though he is fighting the charges and TMZ.com reported that those that saw him said he wasn’t drunk at all.

Rice though, maybe trying to overcome his insecurity over fumbling in the AFC Divisional Playoff loss last year to the Steelers, took to hiding behind Twitter to post the following Sunday:

Well it looks like Hines Ward will miss week 1 when the lockout ends DUI charge not a good look

Funny.

First of all, nothing has been proven yet, and with Ward never having had any issues in the league, and fighting the charges, it’s not a given that any type of suspension is coming at all.

“Not a good look”? Maybe fumbling a playoff game is not a good look either Ray.

After Rice posted the comments, Steelers safety Ryan Clark must have gotten wind of the situation, coming to the defense of the future Hall of Fame WR.

"@RayRice27: Well it looks like Hines Ward will miss week 1 when the lockout ends DUI charge not a good look"So glad you could Weigh in.Thx”

To which Rice came back: “@RealRClark25 it’s whatever u wanna do bro you know how to find me”

Uh, ok, so Rice is calling out Clark? Maybe he should ask Willis McGahee how getting laid out feels. Anyway, here’s Clark’s comeback.

“@RayRice27 I hear ya brother.Thought we were all better than that. Wouldnt speak negative of you. I’ll find you!It’s not hard. God bless.”

Which basically means Rice – opening day there’s a hit coming, and you had better look out. It’s good to see Clark, who more and more is a leader on this team taking up for his teammate. As for Rice, maybe he should focus more on holding on to the ball then taking to Twitter to deal with his on field battles.

Multiple reports have indicated that a key sticking point between the league and players is the rookie wage scale. ESPN’s John Clayton and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk have both reported as much, and tonight Albert Breer of the NFL Network reports that the rookie compensation system remains “a major discussion point” between the two sides.

According to Breer, the two sides agree, or are in basic agreement, on the following:

Four-year contracts for players chosen in rounds 2-7. All second-round picks currently receive four-year deals, and 29 of the 32 NFL teams offered four-year deals to players chosen after round two last offseason. The Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers offered three-year deals, a structure that the Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and St. Louis Rams have offered to recent draft classes.

The players have agreed to a system that prohibits contracts for drafted players from being renegotiated until after year three. In the previous collective bargaining agreement, contracts for drafted players could be negotiated after year two, a system that would remain for undrafted free agents who signed three-year deals.

A sticking point remains an insistence from the league that first-round picks sign five-year contracts. In the 2006 CBA, players chosen in the first half of round one could be signed to six-year deals, a perk owners used on 22 of the 80 players chosen in the Top 16 between 2006 and 2010.

Breer reports that one ownership proposal has the first overall pick signing a five-year, $34 million contract — no word on contractual guarantees — with the Top 8 picks receiving contracts with fifth-year base salary escalators to 150% of the average salary for starters at the player’s position, with a floor of $6 million and ceiling of $12 million.

Under the previous CBA, the 23 players drafted in the Top 8 that signed five-year contracts had base salary escalators totaling over $460 million, an average of nearly $20 million per player. That’s a lot of money, but remember, teams looking for five-year deals from first-round picks are purchasing the player’s opportunity to test the restricted free agent market and the player’s first years of unrestricted free agency and most, if not all, of that money is non-guaranteed.

Following his early Sunday morning arrest, Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones denies any wrongdoing.

Jones was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In his mugshot, Jones is wearing a neck brace. The 27-year-old finished the 2010 season on injured reserve with a herniated disc in his neck.

“It's ridiculous…It don't make no sense,” Jones told Cincinnati television station WCPO-TV on Sunday.

“Only thing I can do is be me and do what I'm supposed to do. But I was not yelling at the police. I was not yell(ing) profanity at the police. And at the end of the day…I'm the bad guy.”

Jones tweeted that he was not drunk as he does not drink.

Jones’ agent, Denver-based Peter Schaffer, issued a statement.

“He did not do anything wrong. For him to go through this is a shame. He's doing the right thing by not taking the law in his own hands,” Schaffer said. “Adam has done a great job of changing his image and turning his whole life around. We will explore every possible legal action to make sure the right thing occurs.”

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the list of presenters for the Class of 2011, who will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio on August 6th.

Defensive end Richard Dent will be presented by Joe Gilliam, Dent’s coach at Tennessee State. Cornerback Deion Sanders and running back Marshall Faulk have chosen their agents to present them into the Hall of Fame. Eugene Parker will present Sanders, while Rocky Arceneaux presents Faulk.

Warren Moon (Class of 2006; Leigh Steinberg) and Mike Haynes (Class of 1997; Howard Slusher) are the two other Hall of Famers to have been presented by their agents.

Hall of Fame ceremonies are always a family event, and tight end Shannon Sharpe will be presented by his brother, former NFL wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

NFL Films Founder Ed Sabol will be enshrined by his son, NFL Films president and co-founder Steve Sabol. Senior nominees and fellow linebackers Chris Hanburger the late Les Richter will be inducted by their sons, Chris Hanburger and Jon Richter.