Cincinnati Bengals 01/26/2008 8:13 AMAP reports suspended Bengals LB Odell Thurman expects to learn in a few weeks whether the NFL will end his two-year banishment and reinstate him for the 2008 season. Thurman has applied for reinstatement and should learn in mid-February whether Commissioner Roger Goodell will allow him back in the game, agent Safarrah Lawson said. While Goodell weighs his case, Thurman is pursuing a federal employment complaint against the league, claiming he was given an unusually long suspension because he is an alcoholic. "Odell is doing well," Lawson said. "He's working out, trying to get ready mentally and physically for the season."Read more
St. Louis Rams 01/24/2008 8:38 AMThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports DE C.J. Ah You and C Donovan Raiola, who both spent part of last season on the Rams' practice squad, have signed one-year "futures" contracts with the club for the 2008 season.Read more
Atlanta Falcons 01/24/2008 8:34 AMThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Atlanta Falcons won't make a lot of noise with the hiring of Mike Smith, but that fits with the personality of the team's new head coach. "I don't yell and scream, but I am passionate about what we do and how we do things," the little-known career assistant coach told network Web site cbssports.com in October. The Falcons announced Wednesday night the hiring of Smith, who was most recently the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Smith signed a four-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the contract. The deal is believed to be worth from $8-10 million. A press conference to introduce Smith is set for 3 p.m. Thursday at Falcons headquarters.Read more
Miami Dolphins 01/24/2008 8:32 AMThe Palm Beach Post reports Dolphins LB Channing Crowder walked away, apparently uninjured, after wrecking his truck on Florida's Turnpike before dawn Wednesday. But he got in trouble with the law because he abandoned the vehicle after running into a tree, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Investigators said they found Crowder's 2007 Dodge smashed into a tree near the Hollywood Boulevard northbound off-ramp. Photos show extensive front-end damage to the copper-colored truck. Spokesman Mark Wysocky said the FHP found the vehicle at 5:30 a.m. The keys still were in the ignition. Also inside were two crutches - Crowder had arthroscopic knee surgery last month - and a handgun registered in his name.Read more
