MVN - Most Valuable Network

Packers sign 4th rounder

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the Packers have agreed to a deal with fourth-round pick Jeremy Thompson. The deal will give him $3.4 million, with a $501,000 signing bonus.

Even though he didn’t post amazing numbers at Wake Forest, Thompson is a solid player who will only get better. He could actually start at defensive end once Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila retires.

Could Bears trade Hester?

With Devin Hester holding out, some Bears’ fans are starting to think the previously unthinkable: Why don’t we trade him? Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune thinks they should.

I don’t think this would be because Chicago can’t sign Hester. In fact, if the two sides work on it enough, it could probably get done. Pompei thinks so because he believes a trade of Hester would net so much in return that the Bears would be in a better position to succeed.

This is because his trade value is possibly the highest it will ever be. He’s young, will never be a better returner than he is now and intrigues teams with his receiving capabilities, not showing them that he can’t do it.

Pompei basically thinks this: if a team is willing to give up a ridiculous amount, trade him. If they aren’t, than keep him.

I’m kind of split down the middle on this one. When you look at their team, Hester is the only explosive offensive player they’ve got. But, I doubt he’s close to as good as a returner in a few years, the time Chicago figures to be in contention again. Getting draft picks for him could help them in those years. Therefore, if a team is willing to part with two or three first-day picks in addition to something else, I’d do it. I’m not even sure if anyone would be willing to do that for a returner who could be a bust as a receiver.

I still doubt that Chicago will even think about trading Hester. He’s just too special of a talent, and their focus will be on giving him an extension and/or getting him into training camp. What do you think?

Williams comes down with back injury

The Bears reported to camp very satisfied. After all, they had just signed Brian Urlacher and rookie Chris Williams to deals, getting all of the money stuff out of the way. Since then, though, it’s turned ugly. First, there was obviously Devin Hester holding out.

Now, Williams has come down with a bad back, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was practicing, but had had to stop because of back stiffness. Coach Lovie Smith said this:

“We’ll always err in favor of the players, but it was to the point where he couldn’t practice. When I say there is some stiffness, I don’t know exactly how much, but he couldn’t practice. The guys know there’s a difference between pain and injury. It seems like his was more of an injury.”

It is not yet known how serious the injury is, but it looks minor. Still, not a good way to start off a career, as they need him to start right away.

Jackson yet to show up at Rams’ camp; Holdout?

HOLDOUT ALERT, HOLDOUT ALERT. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Rams’ running back Steven Jackson hasn’t shown up at training camp in Wisconsin yet, despite almost all of his teammates already doing so.

However, this probably isn’t him holding out, as coach Scott Linehan said he gave Jackson permission to travel alone.

Still, Rams’ fans should be holding their breath until they see him on the practice field tomorrow morning. He is entering the final year of his contract, and wants an extension. I still can’t imagining him holding-out, though, as he is currently in negotiations with St. Louis.

If he does holdout, the Rams would be in tons of trouble, as their offense becomes one-dimensional without him.

Goodell meets with Marshall, Henry; Suspensions to come?

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter has the stories of two troubled receivers, both called into New York on Monday to meet with Roger Goodell.

In Marshall’s case, as I wrote earlier today, he has been arrested three times in the past year. That’s obviously not good. However, he has yet to be convicted on any charges. Therefore, I thought he would only get a one or two games suspension, if any.

Schefter, though, says Marshall could be gone for four to eight games. Wow, I didn’t think it would be that severe. I guess Goodell doesn’t consider being found guilty staying out of trouble. If he’s suspended this long, the Broncos would be in trouble. He’s their best receiving threat, and they need him desperately, even with how well they can run the ball.

Chris Henry is currently not on an NFL team after being cut by the Bengals following his fifth arrest in his short NFL career, shortly followed by an indefinite suspension. Even though those charges were dropped, Schefter thinks that Henry might not be reinstated, if he is at all, until the middle of the season. Despite the fact that he wasn’t convicted, he’s been in trouble so many times that this would be the right punishment. I guess he offered good reasoning, though(uh, ya, I’ve gotten unlucky, been in the wrong place at the wrong time five times. It happens).

If he is reinstated, there would be some teams interested in him, maybe even the Cowboys.

Early look at the NFC South

The fourth division looked at prematurely is the NFC South:

1. Saints
After the trade for Jeremy Shockey, I believe New Orleans’s offense will become elite again. Reggie Bush does need to step up, though. Their front seven should be much better with the additions of Sedrick Ellis and Jonathan Vilma, but the secondary still has some issues.

2. Panthers
If Jake Delhomme is healthy and can make a good comeback, the Panthers will once again be a threat. The ground game will be better with the addition of Jonathan Stewart, who will balance out starter DeAngelo Williams. Steve Smith will certainly like getting his old quarterback back. The defense will be pretty good, although Julius Peppers absolutely needs to play much better than he did last season.

3. Buccaneers
Even if the Bucs add Brett Favre, their team won’t become better. Jeff Garcia is a solid quarterback, but he’s clearly unhappy and is getting older. Their running game won’t be bad, but having Cadillac Williams would help a lot. The receivers they have are aging, giving Garcia a limited amount of targets. The defense still has a lot of talent on it, but it is getting old.

4. Falcons
What can you say about them? Chris Redman will likely start the season as the starting quarterback, but Matt Ryan should overtake him eventually. They took a risk on signing Michael Turner to that huge deal, and they’ll need him to prove that he’s more than a backup and worth the dough. The offensive line is improving, but still not very good. Their defense isn’t bad, with a solid secondary. This season will be as much about bringing respect back to Atlanta football as winning games.