Arizona's Watson injured on in treadmill mishap

Arizona's Watson injured on in treadmill mishap
Arizona Cardinals starting nose tackle Gabe Watson suffered a fractured kneecap last week in a treadmill mishap and won't be able to participate in off-season practices, coach Ken Whisenhunt told the Arizona Republic Monday.

Watson underwent surgery to repair the fracture, and the Cardinals are optimistic he'll be ready for the start of the season. He will be limited, however, when training camp opens in July.

Watson suffered the injury Thursday evening at a local health club. He already had worked out at the team's facility earlier in the day. He slipped and fell on the treadmill, causing the fracture, Whisenhunt said.

Will Gholston slip out of top five picks?
As there continues to be speculation and innuendo in league circles that defensive end/linebacker Vernon Gholston might slip out of the top five, an experienced media insider tells us that, in his view, the talk is wishful thinking from the teams that would love to see Gholston slide according to Profootballtalk.com.

Apparently, however, there's a growing chance that Gholston won't slide past No. 1. If Michigan tackle Jake Long doesn't agree to terms to be the No. 1 overall pick, Gholston could be the guy. Per the source, Fins V.P. of football operations Parcells is always looking for the next Lawrence Taylor, which Golston could turn out to be.

The rumors of a slide also, in our view, could be propagated by the Dolphins, who might be hoping to squeeze Gholston into taking the low-ball offer at No. 1 that quarterback Brady Quinn surely wishes in hindsight that he'd accepted in Oakland.

Dolphins negotiating with Jake Long only

As of Monday night, the Miami Dolphins had not initiated contract talks with Chris Long according to the Miami Herald — which is consistent with Peter King's si.com report that they are negotiating only with Jake Long and have given him a deadline to accept.

Owner Wayne Huizenga won't discuss the No. 1 pick, but has such confidence in Bill Parcells, that he's not conceding next season as strictly a rebuilding one: ''A lot will depend on the draft,'' he said. ``Bill's doing a good job.''

Parcells did not accompany general manager Jeff Ireland and coach Tony Sparano to workouts and visits with the potential No. 1 picks, but Huizenga said that is OK because ``that's the general manager's job.''

Pacman: 'Can't count the eggs before they hatch'
Pacman Jones might need to brush up on clich�s, but his point is that he isn't assuming he'll be a Dallas Cowboy until the trade with the Titans is done.

"You can't count the eggs before they hatch," Pacman said on Michael Irvin's ESPN 103.3 show. "Everybody knows I would love to play for Dallas. Hopefully, it will work itself out."

Pacman said he's anxiously awaiting the trade and that he can't wait to work out with his new teammates. Two problems with that: 1) He won't be allowed to work out with the Cowboys until Sheriff Goodell says so; 2) He's got a minor injury at the moment.

"I had got to a point where I was working out a little too much," Pacman said. "I done pulled my groin, so I took off the last two and a half weeks."

Eagles say they may just keep Sheppard now
Rumors and speculation about the future of cornerback Lito Sheppard have been rampant since the Eagles acquired the prize of the free agent market, Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, in late February.

Team president Joe Banner acknowledged on Tuesday that other teams have shown "significant interest" in acquiring Sheppard's services. Banner said that the Eagles have to make a determination whether it's best for the team to move him or bring him back. As of now, Banner said "the best thing to do is keep him."

"You don't see many 26-year-old Pro Bowl players who there is even a possibility of acquiring," said Banner. "If you look at the history of player trades, you'll see a very short list of players that age, that caliber of player, that kind of character. There is significant interest, but the reason there is interest is because he's a good player, which is a compelling reason, also, to keep him. We'll just have to weigh the options of keeping him or whatever else is available, and in the end (head coach) Andy (Reid) will make a decision as to which he thinks is better."

Chargers' Cooper has been caught with drugs before

In the wake of then news that San Diego Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper has been suspended four games for violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy it has become apparent it isn't�Cooper’s first problem with drugs according to Profootballtalk.com.

In a Dec. 10, 2002 story in the New York Times, it was reported that�Cooper, then a star linebacker for Maine, had about 1,000 pills in his possession when he was stopped Nov. 1, 2002 for a traffic infraction on Interstate 95 in Hampden, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. McCausland said Cooper acknowledged to the police that the pills were steroids.�