NFL: June 2009 Archives

The DuPage Valley Conference just got a little more interesting for the 2009 season. Wheaton North quarterback Taylor Graham has verbally committed to Ohio State, where his father Kent once played before beginning a long NFL career.

Graham reportedly picked the Buckeyes over Michigan State, UCLA, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado and Duke.

"I had all the information I needed to make my decision," Graham told Taylor Bell of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I felt comfortable. It wasn't just because my dad went there. I felt God led me there."

Neuqua Valley now has a cool Web site up and running. It's filled with all sorts of information, including stats and records. It was designed by an alumnus with a high profile - Babatunde Oshinowo, the Carolina Panthers defensive lineman out of Stanford.

Owen Daniels has signed a one-year, $2.79 million tender from the Texans, but he's still looking for a multi-year deal in Houston. The Pro Bowl tight end skipped Monday's mandatory minicamp as his agents continue to negotiate for a longer contract.

"We're happy he elected to come in and sign his tender and be part of this football team again," Texans general manager Rick Smith told the Houston Chronicle. "I'm a little disappointed he's not here today, but again, we talked about how it's a process and how complicated it is. At some point, I'm sure Owen will rejoin his teammates and be back and be a productive football player for us."

UPDATED LINKS: Reactions from Daniels' agent Alan Herman; the tight end takes his case to Facebook.

Looking for a long-term deal from the Texans, tight end Owen Daniels skipped Tuesday's organized team activities - which are not mandatory - in an attempt to push negotiations. The restricted free agent had been a part of the first three weeks of OTAs in Houston.

Houston Chronicle writer Megan Manfull reports:

"Obviously we're in the middle of negotiations," general manager Rick Smith said. "He's well within in his rights not to be here. We wish he were working out like he had been, but we understand it. Every day he is out here he's getting better.

"Things like this have a way of working themselves out."

This will be a punch line if his Saints struggle in 2009. Or it will be viewed as a sign of his outside-the-box genius if his team gets back to the playoffs. Either way, New Orleans coach Sean Payton is shopping a movie project.

Times-Picayune reporter Mike Triplett has the story:

The movie, currently titled "The Xbox Kid," is about a boy from a poor family in New Orleans who starts controlling the outcome of NFL games through a refurbished Xbox given to him by his grandfather following a devastating hurricane.

"I just wrote about four pages, piddling around with it," said Payton, who later turned the idea over to a professional screen writer to flesh it out.