SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Chargers agreed Saturday to a two-year deal with aging star pass rusher Dwight Freeney that could be worth $13.35 million.

According to reports, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick showed up to the first practices under new head coach Chip Kelly ‘noticeably bigger’ and very enthused about Kelly’s high-tempo offensive system. Apparently, Vick also arrived with a point to prove, and a burr in his saddle when it comes to the criticisms levied against him regarding the sandlot nature of his game. On Wednesday, Vick went on Philly radio station 97.5 The Fanatic and laid it out to those who wonder if he’ll ever play consistently and with the right kind of mechanics, as opposed to winging it and letting his athleticism rule the day.

“I’m really tempted right now to just say no comment to that because like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense,” Vick told the station, via Sheil Kapadia of Phillymag.com. “Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football. Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

But there are those who do watch tape, and are fairly informed on the subject, who believe that Vick holds on to the ball too long, fails to read defenses completely, doesn’t correctly anticipate pressure, and runs himself into sacks that shouldn’t happen. It’s why Vick has started all 16 games in a season just once in his career, and it’s why Vick was so turnover-prone in 2012, giving the ball up 11 times on fumbles. Vick led the NFL in fumbles in 2004 and 2010, but he doesn’t want to hear the talk about the holes in his game.

“It’s incorrect. Without getting sensitive about it, it’s incorrect. So I’d rather not talk about it.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. Vick also said that Kelly, the former Oregon offensive mastermind, recently taught him how to correctly run with the ball, which is a pretty amazing claim for a guy who’s been in the NFL since 2001 and has 791 rushing attempts and 5,551 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career. You’d think someone would have taught him that before, but apparently not.

“The other day, I broke out in the pocket, and the first thing Chip told me was to tuck the football,” Vick said. “So I showed him how I was running with it, and he looked at it and he knocked the ball right out of my hands. And he was like, ‘Hold it like this.’ And what he told me felt comfortable. I had a tighter grip on the football. That should secure that problem as long as I work on it. Like I said, you’re always a work in progress, and even when you think you know it all, sometimes you don’t. The people who feel like they know everything, they don’t.”

One of the first things Kelly did when he took the Eagles job was to insure that he has Vick on the roster by restructuring his old six-year, $100 million deal down to a one-year, $7.5 million contract with a $3.5 million signing bonus. Vick is the projected starter at this point, but there’s backup Nick Foles and fourth-round draft pick Matt Barkley to worry about. Vick would seem to have the ideal skill set for Kelly’s offense, but Kelly doesn’t generally tolerate a lot of sacks and turnovers from his quarterbacks. So, whether he likes it or not, and whether he thinks he has to or not, Vick will have to clean up a few things if he wants to go forward with his current team.

Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, who also contrubites to Shutdown Corner on a regular basis, watches as much tape as anyone in America who isn’t working with an NFL team. His take on Vick, from May, 2012:

Vick is a transcendent athlete, capable of extraordinary throws and runs at any given moment. Yet he always leaves you wanting more. The reason, in simplest terms: Vick is not, to this day, an accomplished passer. He remains a week-to-week player with little stability or continuity to his game. He’s always dangerous, at times dazzling, but seldom consistent … NFL quarterback is a highly disciplined craft. For those like Vick who are exceptional athletes, it requires more intellectual discipline to properly harness that athleticism than is necessary for those players predisposed to play in the pocket. Perhaps the most damning assessment of Vick is this: his frenetic, haphazard approach sabotages his ability to stay on the field.

Many with no specific agendas, who have watched Vick for years, would certainly agree.

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As first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney has agreed to a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.

Freeney had a two-day meeting (Wednesday and Thursday) with the Chargers, who were in the market for pass-rush help after losing Shaun Phillips to free agency and Melvin Ingram to a torn ACL. Phillips led the Chargers with 9.5 sacks last season and his departure, to AFC West rival Denver Broncos, was expected to be cushioned by a larger role for Ingram, a 2012 first-round pick who suffered what will likely be a season-ending knee injury during the team’s second day of OTA practices.

The 33-year-old Freeney spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, earning seven trips to the Pro Bowl while becoming that franchise’s all-time leader in sacks with 107.5. Most of Freeney’s production came during his first ten seasons as a defensive end in a 4-3 system. Last season, the Colts hired Chuck Pagano as head coach and, in a new 3-4 system, Freeney was moved to outside linebacker. Freeney posted just five sacks, his lowest total since notching 3.5 sacks in an injury-shortened 2007 season.

First-year Chargers GM Tom Telesco is very familiar with Freeney as he worked in the Colts’ personnel department for 15 seasons before landing the San Diego job in January. San Diego’s defensive coordinator is John Pagano, Chuck Pagano’s younger brother, so the Chargers should have a good sense of how Freeney best fits their defense.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Bills defensive end Mario Williams isn’t any closer to getting back his $785,000 diamond engagement ring from his former fiancee, Erin Marzouki.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears and first-round draft pick Kyle Long agreed to a four-year contract Friday.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Mike Goodson is facing drug and weapons charges after he was found in a car with an acquaintance early Friday morning on Interstate 80 in New Jersey.

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season on Friday after the league announced he violated the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Charles Woodson pushed back a visit to Oakland to pursue a reunion with the Raiders because extending his career in the NFL isn’t his only mission.

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Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin has been suspended for the first four games of the 2013 regular season after violating the NFL’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

Irvin, who is eligible to participate in training camp and the preseason, will miss games against the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans before he is reinstated on Monday, Sept. 30. The four-game suspension will cost the 2012 first-round pick out of West Virginia $191,681 in base salary and could potentially void the guarantees on the $3,717,870 that remains on his four-year, $9.342 million rookie contract. The Seahawks could also seek to recoup a prorated portion ($307,902) of Irvin’s signing bonus.

According to Dave “Softy” Mahler of 950-KJR in Seattle, Irvin’s suspension is due to unauthorized use of Adderall, a substance that led to 2012 suspensions of Seahawks cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman. Browner served his four-game ban, but Sherman challenged his suspension, which was overturned.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption,” Irvin said in a statement. “I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return.”

Selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Irvin came off the bench in all 16 games and was credited with 16 tackles, including eight sacks, with 19 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 43.41 percent of the Seahawks’ defensive snaps. Irvin added another sack in the playoffs and was expected to play a larger role in the defense in 2013 as starting defensive end Chris Clemons is recovering from a torn ACL.

The Seahawks did cover their bases at the position this offseason by signing former Detroit Lions pass-rusher Cliff Avril to a two-year, $13 million contract on March 15.

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will undergo a fourth surgery on his left forearm next week, but that is not the only medical issue that the two-time Pro Bowler is facing this offseason.

According to Mike Garafolo of the USA Today, Gronkowski recently underwent an MRI on his back and will visit with back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins to determine if surgery is required to repair a disc issue that has been bothering the 24-year-old since last season.

While at the University of Arizona, Gronkowski missed the 2009 season after having a disc shaved down and there were whispers prior to the 2010 NFL draft that Gronkowski had spinal stenosis, which both Gronkowski and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, vehemently denied. The back surgery kept Gronkowski out of the 2010 combine and would be enough to drop Gronkowski out of the first-round in the 2010 draft as the Patriots selected him with the No. 42 overall pick.

Gronkowski answered questions about his durability by appearing in all 36 regular and post-season games in his first two seasons in the league. Over that stretch, Gronkowski emerged as one of the top tight ends in the NFL and last year signed a six-year, $54 million contract extension that included over $18 million in guaranteed money. Gronkowski missed five regular season games and one playoff game in 2012 after breaking his left forearm on two separate occasions.

The disc that is currently bothering Gronkowski is not the same one that was shaved down in 2009, Garafolo adds. Furthermore, the “hope” is that if back surgery is required, the recovery time would coincide with Gronkowski’s recovery from the forearm surgery, which has been widely reported as being 11 weeks. That should have Gronkowski ready for the start of the regular season, which begins a little over 15 weeks after next week’s surgery.

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Mike Goodson is facing drug and weapons charges after a New Jersey traffic stop.

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New York Jets running back Mike Goodson was arrested on drug and weapons charges early on Friday morning, reports News 12 in New Jersey.

According to the report, Goodson and another man, identified as Garrett Evans, were found intoxicated in a parked SUV along Route 80 in Denville, New Jersey, which is about 15 miles northwest of the Jets’ headquarters in Florham Park. A loaded .45-caliber handgun was found in the SUV and when the 25-year-old running back was transported to a hospital for evaluation, marijuana was discovered in his possession.

Both Goodson and Evans were released from the hospital and into the custody of State Police who transported the two men to the unit’s Netcong’s barracks. Mike Garafolo of the USA Today reports that Goodson was the passenger in the vehicle and that Evans has been charged with a DUI.

Goodson played his college ball at Texas A&M and was selected in the fourth-round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Goodson spent three seasons with the Panthers before he was traded to the Oakland Raiders last offseason. In 40 career games, Goodson has rushed for 722 yards and three touchdowns with 59 receptions for 524 yards and one touchdown as a receiver out of the backfield.

The Jets signed Goodson to a three-year, $6 million contract on March 15 to compete for a starting job this season. Goodson’s deal with the Jets included a $1 million signing bonus, which was the only portion of the contract that was guaranteed.

Former West Virginia and current St. Louis Rams receiver Tavon Austin recently said that he can’t believe how many people are crawling out of the woodwork asking for money now that he’s set up as the eighth-selected player in the 2013 NFL draft. “Everybody wants to be around you,” Austin told the Rams’ official website. “My phone doesn’t stop ringing now. It feels like they’re counting my bank account now. So that’s probably the hardest thing for me.”

If Austin wants to know how tough it can really get, he should talk to Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, who was selected with the ninth pick in the 2011 draft out of USC. Smith signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal and went about becoming one of the best young blockers in the game. Considering what he was going through, it’s amazing that Smith would be able to get his head together enough to find the field at all. As he recently told the Dallas Morning News, Smith agreed to pay his stepfather, Roy Pinkney, and his mother, Frankie Pinkney, a substantial sum of money in four installments to insure that they would want for nothing. But that wasn’t good enough for the Pinkneys, or some of Smith’s own siblings.

“There was a certain amount I agreed to give them, but it went way beyond that and I was just like, ‘I’m done,’” Smith said. “I feel like I shouldn’t have given them so much. There was nothing wrong with helping them out and making sure they were taken care of, but not something to where they live the same lifestyle as you.”

According to the Morning News story (and as we recalled on Shutdown Corner at the time), things got a lot worse when Smith tried to set some boundaries.

Last October, John Schorsch — Smith’s Dallas-based attorney at the time — said Smith’s “mom and/or the stepdad threatened the physical well-being of Tyron and the life of his girlfriend.” Smith filed a protective order against his parents last summer to keep them from having any contact with him. The order also prohibits contact from Smith’s parents through his siblings. During training camp last year in Oxnard, Calif., one of Smith’s brothers whom he said he hadn’t talked to “in a long time” showed up and had to be removed from the facility.

Six months ago, his attorney said, Smith discovered that his family had taken more than $1 million from him. “There was money missing, but I just don’t know where it went,” Smith said in the report. “There were times I would check my statements and it wouldn’t make sense and I hadn’t authorized it at all. I just felt betrayed and I was like, ‘Who can I trust?’”

Smith had been using a financial advisor recommended by his parents.

And last season, when Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett told Smith that he’d be moving from right to left tackle, he texted his family to share the good news. Of course, since left tackles generally make a lot more in their second NFL contracts than do right tackles, you can guess where their focus was.

“They were already looking forward to the next contract, talking about things they wanted to get already,” Smith said. “I was like I haven’t even got there and there’s not even a sure thing that I will. And that was all that was coming out of their mouth.”

As the report indicates, Smith is a good kid with the right attitude … but there’s only so much one can do. He hopes to reconcile with his family someday, but things will obviously have to change on the other end, and it’s fair to wonder if his family isn’t beyond hope.

“If all the incidents stop,” Smith said about what it would take for that reconciliation to happen, “and they just give me the space that I’ve asked for.

“The takeaway from this is don’t let people take advantage of you. And it’s all right to say no to certain people.”

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will have surgery next week to replace a plate in his left forearm, Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network report.

Gronkowsk broke his forearm while blocking on a fourth-quarter extra point attempt in a 59-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 18. Gronkowski underwent surgery to repair that break and would miss five regular season games. Gronkowski broke the same forearm again during a divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans and had surgery in mid-January.

A third procedure took place in February after Gronkowski developed an infection following the second surgery. A fourth procedure to replace the plate in Gronkowski’s forearm has been delayed by that infection, which has been treated with a round of antibiotics.

According to report, Gronkowski’s forearm will be examined on Monday to determine if the infection has cleared. If it has, Dr. Jesse Jupiter will perform the operation sometime next week at Mass General Hospital in Boston. Gronkowski appears to be in good hands as Dr. Jupiter’s bio at the Mass General website states that he “specializes in the care of traumatic and reconstructive problems of the upper limb. These include arthritis, fracture healing and failure to heal, nerve compression and injury, and both pediatric and adult injuries to the upper limb”.

Previous reports have Gronkowski needing 11 weeks to recover from a fourth surgery. If the infection has cleared, and the fourth surgery does the trick, Gronkowski would be on schedule to return early in training camp and should be available for the start of the regular season. As Rapoport notes, if the infection has not cleared a fifth procedure, in July, is a possibility, which would jeopardize Gronkowski’s availability for the start of the regular season.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young’s legal problems are only getting worse.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Chargers have signed linebacker Thomas Keiser, who was waived by Carolina on Monday.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with former Arizona quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Late last month, New York Jets second-round quarterback Geno Smith fired his agents after falling out of Round 1 in the 2013 NFL draft. Smith is expected to announce a decision on a new agent soon — the favorite is Jay-Z’s “Roc Nation” sports agency — but he won’t be the only Jets draft pick to change agents after being selected slightly later than expected.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Jets first-round pick Dee Milliner has fired Impact Sports after he was not selected with one of the first five picks in the 2013 NFL draft. Milliner “tumbled” all the way to the ninth overall pick in the draft.

Milliner was expected to be a first round pick, but there were no iron-clad guarantees that he would be selected in the top five, or even the top ten. In our pre-draft, “Shutdown 50″ series, Milliner was ranked ninth by editor Doug Farrar, who had Milliner going to the Cleveland Browns with the sixth overall pick in his mock draft. Greg Cosell had Milliner going to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 17 pick in his mock draft.

Milliner was represented by Tony Fleming and Mitch Frankel, who were set to negotiate Milliner’s four-year rookie contract which would be worth around $12.66 million, all of which would be fully guaranteed, including a $7,588,072 signing bonus. Based on the contract signed by Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah on May 10, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2013 draft, Milliner would have received a four-year contract worth $18,594,502 in fully guaranteed money.

“I know that everything was done to ensure that Mr. Milliner would be drafted as high as possible,” Fleming told Rapoport. “Dee was the first cornerback selected, and he was drafted ninth overall to the New York Jets. This is a tremendous accomplishment. I wish Mr. Milliner future success in his professional career.”

Per NFLPA rules, Milliner has to wait five days before he can officially hire a new agent.

While there is a nearly $6 million difference in the value of the first (and perhaps only) NFL contract Milliner will sign, it’s difficult to see how falling out of the top five can be pinned on Fleming or Frankel as neither agent was in charge of a draft war room making those selection. Perhaps Milliner was promised he’d go in the top five, but on the surface, that seems doubtful. Fleming and Frankel have three dozen active players and Impact Sports (Sean Kiernan is a third agent with that agency) as a group has over 50 active players in the NFL and 2013 was not this group’s first rodeo.

Among their active client list, a dozen players were selected in the first two rounds of the draft, with six players chosen in Round 1, including Green Bay Packers linebacker Datone Jones, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2013 draft.

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As we and many others reported yesterday, the New England Patriots released defensive tackle Kyle Love this week in the wake of the news that he has Type-2 diabetes. And for those who were wondering whether Love’s release might have been for other reasons, there’s a lot of evidence that there were no other reasons. First, there was the fact that New England released Love, who started 25 games for the team over the last two seasons, with a non-football injury designation. And, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Pats gave Love two options: Either retire for a year, in which case the team would not move to recover any part of the $500,000 signing bonus he received as part of his two-year, $3.09 million contract extension he signed in 2012, or take a risk on playing sooner, and take a walk.

Love chose the latter, and as it turned out, he didn’t have to wait long for a team interested in his services. The Jacksonville Jaguars reported, per the team’s official website, that they picked Love up off waivers on Thursday. Love had lost about 30 pounds off his 315-pound frame in the offseason, which left him unable to participate in off-season activities for the Pats, but according to his agent, Richard Kopelman, Love is back in fighting shape and ready for action.

“Prior to the diagnosis, Kyle recently experienced unexplained weight loss, but since being diagnosed and having altered his diet, Kyle has regained most of the weight he lost, is in good health, and was not limited in any way during offseason workouts in which he was engaged up until being told he would be released,” Kopelman told ESPN Boston on Wednesday.

Love is the second former Patriots defensive lineman picked up by the Jaguars this week — they also acquired defensive end Brandon Deaderick off waivers on Tuesday.

Love played primarily as a run-stopping tackle for the Patriots, and he could well perform the same role for new Jags head coach Gus Bradley, who learned a lot about multiple fronts from Pete Carroll when Bradley was Seattle’s defensive coordinator. Jacksonville signed tackles Sen’Derrick Marks and Roy Miller this offseason, moved former tackle Tyson Alualu to end (where Deaderick will also compete for playing time), and the Jags, who have been missing true pass-rush effectiveness for a number of years, will try Jason Babin as the LEO pass-rushing end.

Kudos to the Jags for taking a chance on Love, who had quietly morphed into a good rotational player in his third NFL season. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010 out of Mississippi State, and became an important cog in a championship-level line. It’s also worth mentioning — once again — that diabetes is far from an NFL career-ender.

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, two years after the Denver Broncos selected him in the first round. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Sinclair, who racked up 73.5 sacks for the Seattle Seahawks between 1992 and 2001 and still holds the team’s single-season sack mark with 16.5, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes late in his career. And offensive guard Kendall Simmons started 83 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills from 2002 through 2009 as a Type 1.5 (Latent Autoimmune) diabetic.

As for the Patriots, you’d think they’ll have some explaining to do if the NFLPA comes calling with questions about the way this was handled. And the NFLPA should be doing exactly that.

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METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints signed defensive tackle Isaako Aaitui to a two-year deal Thursday.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Browns have agreed to terms with free agent running back Brandon Jackson on a 1-year contract.

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Anthony Hargrove, who sat out the 2012 season after he was suspended as part of the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs shook up their scouting department Thursday by hiring Will Lewis as director of pro scouting and Marvin Allen as the director of college scouting.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The way Brandon Weeden sees it, nothing’s changed. He’s still Cleveland’s starter.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have added another defensive lineman from New England, landing fourth-year tackle Kyle Love off waivers from the Patriots.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson in South Florida.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — David Garrard’s balky knee kept him from being a serious challenge for the New York Jets’ starting quarterback job.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doug Whaley was promoted to take over as Buffalo Bills general manager, making the team’s near top-to-bottom offseason overhaul complete.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Joe McKnight wants to make this clear: He’s not going anywhere.

David Garrard’s injured left knee will end his decade-long playing career, but the former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback could begin his coaching career with an internship with the New York Jets, reports Jim Corbett of the USA Today.

Garrard, 35, has not played in an NFL game since 2010. After being released by the Jaguars a week before the 2011 season, Garrard had surgery to repair a herniated disk, a procedure that ended his season. Garrard resurfaced with the Miami Dolphins last offseason, but injured his knee away from the field at the start of training camp and was released in September.

In March, the Jets signed Garrard to a one-year deal worth up to $1.35 million to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster. Garrard’s left knee forced him to call it quits on Wednesday, but the Jets have provided him with an opportunity to return as a coach during this year’s training camp.

“The Jets offered me the chance to come back if I want to take a shot at that coaching thing with an internship in training camp,” said Garrard, whose wife recently gave birth to the couple’s third child. “I told them I’d talk with my wife about it, so I could still work with those guys. “It’s definitely something I’m considering.”

With Garrard out of the fold on the roster, 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith is expected to press the much-maligned incumbent Mark Sanchez for the starting role. Garrard said the battle will be fought during the preseason.

“If he [Sanchez] goes out there as the vet and gets back to just playing ball and not thinking too much on the field, he’s going to make it tough on [the coaching staff],” Garrard said. “It’s up to those guys [Smith and Sanchez], the way they carry themselves and handle the offense, really putting points on the board and winning ballgames.

“So when they get to the preseason, it’s really going to show who should be the guy.”

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One year ago, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll went all-in on third-round quarterback Russell Wilson, saying that the former North Carolina State signal-caller (by way of Wisconsin) would get a huge number of reps in the preseason. He certainly did — Wilson was worked like a mule up to, in, and through, the preseason, and it’s safe to say things worked out pretty well … pretty well, that is, for everyone but seeming incumbent Matt Flynn, who Seattle signed to a lucrative free agent contract before Wilson was drafted.

Now, another team has taken Carroll’s “Always Compete” mantra to that same position, applying it to another third-round pick from NC State, and that philosophy may spell trouble for a seeming incumbent and former first-round pick. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano came away from his first year at the helm of the Bucs without a clear picture of quarterback Josh Freeman, and that was reflected in his comments after the season.

Though Freeman became the first player in franchise history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season, and his 27 passing touchdowns also set a team mark, he was as bad as the Bucs were down the stretch. Tampa Bay lost five of its last six games, and Freeman threw nine of his 17 picks in the last three games. Of course, it wasn’t Freeman’s fault that the Bucs’ pass defense was a dumpster fire in 2012, but when Schiano was asked about Freeman’s future, he didn’t sound convinced.

“That’s a question that, again, I’m not all in with myself yet, so how could I me all in with Josh Freeman or any other player?” Schiano told the Tampa Bay Times last Dec. 31. “I’m not side-stepping you, but I need to evaluate.

“What I can say is, a 4,000-yard passer, a touchdown record – there’s a lot of things you say, “Wow.’ Are there things that frustrate you? Yeah. There’s things that frustrate him, too. And I’m not ducking the question, because quite frankly, I really like Josh Freeman. But I want to make sure I don’t get ahead of my skis at all here and really evaluate every single thing to what’s best for this organization. Do I think Josh Freeman is going to win Super Bowls in this league? I do. So, I hope that happens here. But again, at the end of the day, I have to evaluate everything before I can say that’s what we’re doing.”

Part of that evaluation was the selection of NC State quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round. Glennon, who we ranked as the 41st-best player in this year’s Shutdown 50 series, impressed the Bucs brass enough at the team’s rookie minicamp for Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik to give Glennon the Russell Wilson treatment. Glennon got his chance after Wilson transferred to Wisconsin because NC State head coach Tom O’Brien would not let Wilson pursue his baseball aspirations, and Glennon was the beneficiary. Apparently, he took his collegiate lessons to the NFL, and looked like a model student from Day 1.

“We’re going to put a lot of pressure on him and see a lot of reps from him in the preseason,” Dimonik recently told NFL.com (via JoeBucsFan.com). “He’s got to play. We may not see as much of Dan Orlovsky or even of Josh Freeman somewhat in the preseason as much as you’re going to see Glennon.

“We’re excited about just the little bit we saw from him [during rookie minicamp] in terms of mentally what he could handle. We kept piling more on him and he kept doing a great job digesting it, regurgitating it and running the team.”

Freeman, who is in the last year of the five-year, $26 million contract he signed after the Bucs selected him with the 17th pick in the 2009 draft, has seemed to get up Schiano’s nose for a while. Whether it’s his streaky play, of the fact that he’s not as “rah-rah” as Schiano would like, or a simple schism in overall football philosophy (Dominik drafted Freeman, and Schiano may want his own guy under center), it would appear that the Bucs are not committed to Freeman beyond this year — and the switch could come sooner than some expected.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam says he was ”absolutely not” aware of and did not participate in the practices that led to the federal investigation into his Pilot Flying J company.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have released special teams ace Montell Owens after seven seasons.

Ten days after he was released by the Minnesota Vikings, veteran punter Chris Kluwe will reportedly sign a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders, reports Brendon Ayanbadejo of FOXSports.com.

Kluwe, a native of Southern California, is looking forward to playing in his home state.

“I’m excited to be an Oakland Raider and be playing in California,” said Kluwe. “Now, my family can actually come to games.”

Kluwe spent eight seasons with the Vikings and was scheduled to earn $1.45 million in base salary and bonuses in the final year of his contract. According to Ayanbadejo, Kluwe’s deal with the Raiders is for the veteran minimum, which for Kluwe, is $840,000.

The 31-year-old Kluwe had speculated that his release was due, in part, to his vocal support and advocacy for marriage equality, both nationally and in the state of Minnesota. Vikings GM Rick Spielman, who used a fifth-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft on punter Jeff Locke, denied that accusation, which he called “off-base”. Kluwe finished the 2012 season with the highest net punting average of his career (39.7 yards), but ranked towards the bottom of the league in placing punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and was one of three regular punters to not have at least one punt of 60 yards.

Kluwe joined first-year player Marquette King and undrafted rookie Bobby Cowan on the Raiders, who lost free agent Shane Lechler to the Houston Texans this offseason. According to Football Outsiders’ advanced metrics, the Raiders ranked 31st in special teams DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) last season and their punting unit ranked 31st, as well. Earlier this week, the Raiders took a step towards improving their punt coverage unit by agreeing to terms with Josh Cribbs, a solid return man who had 24 special teams tackles for the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons.

The Raiders will need to clear a roster spot to officially add Kluwe, which means King, or most likely Cowan, will be released as carrying three punters is not feasible even with a 90-man roster during the offseason.

Off the field, Kluwe returns to California in the same week that Minnesota officially approved a marriage equality bill and at a time where many are awaiting a decision from the United States Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state of California.

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Buffalo Bills assistant GM Doug Whaley has been promoted to general manager, the Bills announced on Thursday morning.

Whaley replaces Buddy Nix, who stepped aside from that role on Monday and is now working in a “special assistant” role to the club.

“He did a great job of helping to pick players and scouting,” Nix said of Whaley. “He’s a level-headed mature guy and he makes the right decisions. He’s very loyal and will be to the Bills for a long time.”

Whaley, 41, joined the Bills as director of pro personnel in 2010 after spending over ten seasons in the scouting department with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whaley was promoted to assistant GM in 2011 and has been viewed as the Bills’ “GM-in waiting.” Whaley was involved in the team’s search for a new head coach in January and received a contract extension in February, though it remained unclear when Whaley would replace Nix as general manager.

As recently as the Bills’ post-draft news conference on April 27, CEO Russ Brandon said that Nix would be the GM for “a long time”. Less than three weeks later, Nix is out, Whaley is in, and the Bills are moving forward.

The Minnesota Vikings may not be entirely sure who their future franchise quarterback is, but they apparently know who it won’t be. It was announced on Wednesday that head coach Leslie Frazier has decided to move backup quarterback Joe Webb to receiver on a full-time basis. Webb, who started the Vikings’ first playoff game since the end of the 2012 season due to starter Christian Ponder’s elbow injury, completed 11 of 30 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Vikings’ 24-10 wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers. Those passes were the first Webb had thrown since the 2011 season finale against the Chicago Bears.

Webb was a quarterback/receiver combo player at Alabama-Birmingham, and the Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft more for his impressive athleticism than his positional specificity. Now, with Ponder established as the starter and former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel signed on as the backup, Webb will add to a receiver corps that was weakened in the offseason by the trade of Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks, but bolstered by the addition of Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the first round of the 2013 draft. It was after the Patterson selection that Frazier informed Webb of his new full-time role.

“Coach brought me in the office and talked to me about the different plans they had and stuff,” Webb told Sid Hartman of the Star-Tribune. “I haven’t played [receiver] since my rookie minicamp, but I think I can adjust to it pretty good. You just have to put in a lot of work. Coach Stew [wide receivers coach George Stewart] will do a lot of that with me, so we’ll see what happens.”

It was thought by some at the time that the Vikings were drafting Webb to be a receiver, but after Brett Favre’s injuries in 2010, the team’s quarterback situation was nebulous enough for Webb to get some time under center. He started two games in his rookie campaign, and played in 11 in 2011. The Vikings selected Ponder in the first round of the 2012 draft, and while Ponder’s overall results have been less than totally impressive, he’s going to be the man at that position — at least, in the short term.

Webb’s positional switch does give Ponder another target. He spent his entire sophomore season at UAB at receiver, but he said that his experience at quarterback goves him an advantage.

“I always relate things that I see on the field to quarterbacks — to Christian [Ponder], to Matt Cassel, to [McLeod] Bethel-Thompson, I can tell those guys what I see out there. That will help them out a lot, my quarterback experience. Also, it will help the receivers out — for instance if they see a safety rotating down, different coverages that teams prepare and things like that. I think it’s going to be a big help.”

Webb, who displayed 4.4 speed as a draft prospect, has caught 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns total in his college and pro careers. Just one of those catches — a nine-yard reception against the Packers in Nov., 2011 — came in the NFL.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Charles Woodson met with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, then left town without a contract.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots released defensive tackle Kyle Love on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with diabetes.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders signed free agent kick returner and wide receiver Josh Cribbs to a one-year contract Wednesday, giving the team a versatile player that could boost the offense and special teams.

NEW YORK (AP) — David Garrard is out of the New York Jets’ quarterback competition.

In case you had any doubt as to the truism that professional football is a ruthless business, wonder no more. Two weeks after he was diagnosed with diabetes, former New England Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love was released by the team via a non-football injury designation.

“This comes on the heels of Kyle having been diagnosed within the past two weeks with Type-2 diabetes,” Richard Kopelman, Love’s agent, told ESPN Boston. “Naturally, we are disappointed that the Patriots decided to part ways with Kyle, especially in light of the fact that a number of elite professional athletes with diabetes – both Type-1, which is known to be far more difficult to manage than Type-2 diabetes – have had very successful careers in professional football, hockey, baseball and basketball.

“Prior to the diagnosis, Kyle recently experienced unexplained weight loss, but since being diagnosed and having altered his diet, Kyle has regained most of the weight he lost, is in good health, and was not limited in any way during offseason workouts in which he was engaged up until being told he would be released.”

Love, who had been with the Patriots since 2010, started 25 games over the last two seasons in the Pats’ interior defensive line, most often as Vince Wilfork’s bookend. Used primarily as a run-stopping expert, the 6-foot-1, 315-pound undrafted Mississippi State alum signed a two-year, $3.09 million contract extension in 2012 to prevent him from hitting the market as a restricted free agent.

Wilfork, whose father died after a long struggle with the disease, and whose foundation is committed to raising awareness about diabetes, can’t be happy about this at all.

Love played his last snaps for New England in the Pats’ AFC Championship loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Love suffered a knee injury in the first half, and the Ravens took advantage with several big running plays in the last 30 minutes of the game. According to Pro Football Focus’ run defense metrics among defensive tackles, Love was the 22nd most effective player at his position in the league last year.

“Having consulted with leading authorities on the effects of Type-2 diabetes, we have every reason to believe that Kyle will, in the immediate future, be at 100 percent, and will be prepared to participate in training camp in a couple of months,” Kopelman concluded. “As Kyle said, ‘there is no way something like this is going to stand between me and a long and successful NFL career.’”

Several prominent players have succeeded in the NFL despite known diabetes diagnoses. Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, two years after the Denver Broncos selected him in the first round. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Sinclair, who racked up 73.5 sacks for the Seattle Seahawks between 1992 and 2001, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes late in his career. And offensive guard Kendall Simmos started 83 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills from 2002 through 2009 as a Type 1.5 (Latent Autoimmune) diabetic.

Simmons is now a full-time advocate for those who manage diabetes.

“I wasn’t going to use diabetes as an excuse for missing a block or use [my blood sugar] being high and not really being able to focus as an excuse for missing an assignment,” Simmons told the War Eagle Reader in 2011 . “But you have to mentally tell yourself, ‘I can do this.’”

Clearly, Kyle Love has told himself the same thing, and we wish him the best.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A woman has sued Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, claiming he or a body guard hit her, threw a drink at her and tossed her off a party bus on the New Jersey Turnpike last December.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Linebacker Rolando McClain has told the Baltimore Ravens that he’s retiring from the NFL.

Remember that infamous Seattle-Green Bay Monday Night Football game last season where the replacement refs completely butchered the outcome? (Sorry, Packers fans.)

Richard Sherman, who was on the winning Seattle team, sure does, and in a bit of devilish humor has hired replacement ref Lance Easley (he’s the one making the “touchdown” score there) to umpire at his upcoming charity softball game. Easley ruled that Seattle’s Golden Tate snagged a touchdown even though it sure appeared that Green Bay’s M.D. Jennings intercepted the pass. (The NFL even admitted the refs’ error, and that game was seen as one of the reasons hastening the NFL’s settlement with its regular refs.)

“Don’t be surprised if a few flags are thrown,” reads Sherman’s event’s Facebook page. The game will take place on July 7 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash., which is a good thing because any closer to Wisconsin, and Cheeseheads would be on the march.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — St. Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson has pleaded guilty to reduced charges of reckless driving and refusing a breath test and received a 90-day suspended jail sentence.

New York Jets quarterback David Garrard is calling it a career due to a knee injury that ended his comeback bid last season with the Miami Dolphins.

“Having to call it quits. My knee is not holding up,” Garrard said in a text message to Adam Schein of Sirius XM radio. “Continuing to swell after practices. Limiting what I can do.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that Garrard had informed a few teammates that he no longer planned to be on the team, who signed the 35-year-old to a one-year, $1.35 million contract on March 12. Garrard’s deal with the Jets included a $100,000 signing bonus, a $250,000 roster bonus (which will not be earned when Garrard officially retires) and a non-guaranteed base salary of $1 million for Garrard to compete for a role behind projected starter Mark Sanchez.

Garrard spent his entire on-field career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected the East Carolina product in the fourth-round (No. 108 overall) of the 2002 NFL draft. Garrard took over the Jaguars’ starting job on a full-time basis in 2006 and, in 86 games over his nine seasons in Jacksonville, passed for 16,003 yards with 89 touchdowns and 54 interceptions, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2009.

The Jaguars released Garrard a week before the 2011 regular season-opener, opting to go with 2011 first-round pick Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. Garrard would miss the entire 2011 season after undergoing back surgery. The Miami Dolphins signed Garrard last offseason and he opened training camp as the No. 1 quarterback, but injured his knee while playing with his kids away from the field and was released on Sept. 4.

According to Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chronicle, Garrard intends to retire as a member of the Jaguars.

With Garrard out of the fold, the No. 2 quarterback job with the Jets will either be Sanchez, 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith or 2011 seventh-round pick Greg McElroy, the No. 3 quarterback behind Sanchez and Tim Tebow for much of the 2012 season.

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