NFL

– The Broncos have signed the No. 25 overall pick QB Tim Tebow to a 5-year/$33M deal with $8.7M guaranteed. Tebow was believed to be holding out for more money than Cowboys’ No. 24 pick Dez Bryant, and it turns out that he did receive the “quarterback premium.” His guaranteed portion comes in at $400K above Bryant’s total. Tebow signed in plenty of time to get comfortable with Josh McDaniels’ offense throughout camp. Though he’ll spend his rookie season developing behind Kyle Orton, there’s a decent chance the offense will be his as soon as 2011.

– UFA DE Shawne Merriman does not plan to show for the beginning of training camp. Merriman, who wants assurances that he will not be traded, is in denial about the current state of his career. “I’m only coming back to be the guy on the defense. I’m not coming back to be a guy. I want to be on a team where someone is going to be building a defense around me.” Teams don’t build defenses around pass rushers with four sacks in two seasons. Merriman has no leverage right now.

– Super Bowl XLII hero WR David Tyree will retire after signing a one-day contract with the Giants. Tyree played five seasons with the Giants, mostly as a special teamer, but his career will always be defined by his “helmet catch” that led directly to one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets of all time. Along with the “Immaculate Reception,” Tyree’s catch will go down as perhaps the most memorable playoff moment in NFL history.

– The Eagles have signed the No. 13 overall pick DE Brandon Graham to a 5-year contract. The Eagles gave up the No. 24 pick and two 3rd-rounders to trade up for Graham, a former Michigan star who was named MVP of the Senior Bowl. Graham is a solid pass-rusher.

– Redskins’ DE Albert Haynesworth failed his conditioning test Thursday, according to FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer. Haynesworth reportedly “killed” the first portion of the test before walking through the second portion. According to the Washington Post, Haynesworth “apparently” needed a bathroom break during the second portion of his conditioning test Thursday, explaining his failure to finish. The test consisted of two grueling 300-yard shuttle runs – he aced the first, but walked through the second, in apparent need of a bowel movement. Haynesworth will not be allowed to practice until he completes both runs. By all accounts, he’s in good shape, so he should be fine on Friday’s retake.

– The Texans have signed No. 58 overall pick RB Ben Tate to a multi-year deal. His stock flew with a stellar performance at the Combine in February. He also missed the majority of OTAs with a hamstring injury. While he’s the future in Houston’s backfield, he’ll enter training camp behind Arian Foster and Steve Slaton. He’s expected to fill the void on early-down and short-yardage situations.

NBA

– The death of Lorenzen Wright is being investigated as a homicide by police, and the Shelby County medical examiner’s office reported that he died of a gunshot wound. Details are hard to come by, but it is known that a 911 hangup call was made from his cell phone on July 19 near the place his body was found. Wright had a 13-year NBA career that included stints with the Grizzlies, Hawks, Kings, Cavs, and the Clippers, who made him the No. 7 overall pick in 1996.

MLB

– Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels said 2B Ian Kinsler (groin) will likely return in “mid-to-late-August.” He’s been limited to just 76 of the team’s 101 games this season and hasn’t lived up to expectations when he’s been on the field.

– Phillies’ LHP Jamie Moyer (left elbow) will not require surgery but is expected to miss the rest of the season. Moyer met with Dr. Lewis Yocum in LA on Wednesday after being diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and a strained tendon in his elbow. He has not announced if he will pitch next season.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
Add me on Facebook at Facebook.com/VoiceofValeri
Add me on Twitter at Twitter.com/VoiceofValeri
Join the VoV Forums
Ask me anything on FormSpring
Get VoV RSS feeds
Become a Fan of VoV on Facebook
Join the VoV Facebook Group