Friday, 22 July 2011
-
Expect 2011 to be Jackson's last as a Charger
According to his Twitter account, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson "made no demands" regarding a settlement for his role as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL. Reports persist that Jackson and Patriots OG Logan Mankins are asking for $10 million or the right to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason in exchange for their agreement to drop the suit.
While he might not have demanded it, we hear that the fact remains that Jackson would prefer to be on the open market when free agency begins as opposed to being the Chargers' franchise player. Last offseason, Jackson was put into a tough situation because of the previous CBA expiring, forcing him to accept a one-year tender instead of negotiating a long-term contract with the team. The receiver protested by holding out for much of the regular season, but it didn't help his cause. In February, the Chargers once again eliminated his chances of working out a contract extension by giving him the franchise tag, a one-year contract worth the average of the five highest-paid receivers in the league.
So even though he likely would be the top wide receiver on the market, Jackson appears to be stuck in San Diego for another season on a one-year deal, unless a team is willing to trade multiple draft choices to the Bolts and give the receiver a lengthy contract. According to a PFW source, the team was frustrated with the receiver's off-field actions last year, which included a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, along with the holdout. In response, Jackson is frustrated with the organization for not allowing him to negotiate a deal in each of the past two offseasons.
The language of the new CBA will determine if teams can give the same player the franchise tag multiple times, but even if they are allowed to do so, expect 2011 to be the last year Jackson plays in San Diego. His price tag would be even higher next summer if tagged again, and the Chargers are unlikely to make Jackson the highest-paid player at his position considering his off-field baggage.
Neither side might like it, but the team and player appear to be stuck with each other for the short-term future. Once the 2011 season is done, however, expect the two sides to go their separate ways without looking back.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/07/21/expect-2011-to-be-jacksons-last-as-a-charger
rich franklin roger huerta royce gracie sean sherk sherdog strikeforce mma
-
Nick Diaz Jumpstarts Training for GSP Fight With 36th-Place Finish in Triathlon
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, News
Nick Diaz has his biggest fight ever in front of him, but that doesn't mean he's putting his other passion to the side just yet.
On October 29, the Strikeforce welterweight champion vacates that belt for good to take a shot at becoming the man to dethrone long-reigning UFC champion Georges St-Pierre. Last Sunday though, Diaz was still taking part in one of his favorite activities: triathlons. Diaz participated in the 30th annual Donner Lake Triathlon in Truckee, Calif., finishing 36th out of 292 entrants.
The race, characterized as an "International Distance" event, was comprised of a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 6.5-mile run. Diaz completed the course in 2 hours, 46 minutes and 20.4 seconds.
In each individual discipline, he clocked a 24:59.1 in the swim, 1:25:11.4 in the bicycle portion, and did the run in 53:50.5. He also finished ahead of the event's other well-known pro athlete, as former major league baseball player Eric Byrnes finished 76th with a time of 2:58.19.09.
Diaz has long been a triathlon competitor and credits the training for his reputation as one of the fittest fighters in mixed martial arts.
if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_713339345001','codever':0.1, 'autoload':false, 'autoplay':false, 'playerid':'77912043001', 'videoid':'713339345001', 'width':624, 'height':420, 'stillurl':'http://pdl.stream.aol.com/pdlext/aol/brightcove/aolmaster/1612833736/1612833736_898597941001_ari-origin29-arc-478-1302424033460.jpg?pubId=1612833736', 'playertype':'inline','videotitle':'Nick Diaz Diaz vs. Daley Post-Fight Interview','videodesc':'MMA Fighting','videolink':'http://www.mmafighting.com/videos/','playlist':true,'featured':'898608649001'});
In fact, in a June interview with Fighters Only, Diaz specifically mentioned completing demanding triathlon courses as a recipe for his future success.
"Fighting is 90 percent mental, and knowing that 15 minutes or 25 minutes are no problem can help you sustain that mental advantage over your opponent," he said. "What's 25 minutes when I've been pushing 80 percent of my maximum aerobic threshold for three hours?"
Diaz also famously once said that if the pay was the same, he'd race triathlons instead of fighting. Since that's not the case, he'll be back in the cage for his biggest career payday in October. A winner of 10 straight fights, Diaz (25-7, one no contest) faces St-Pierre at UFC 137 in Las Vegas.
%VIRTUAL-Gallery-118685%Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/20/nick-diaz-jumpstarts-training-for-gsp-fight-with-36th-place-fini/
sean sherk sherdog strikeforce mma tapout ufc ultimate fighting
