Pack Re-Signs Run-Stuffer
Free-agent nose tackle Gilbert Brown, the run-stuffer who anchored the middle of the defensive line for the Super Bowl champion Packers, re-signed Tuesday with Green Bay.
“I listened to other teams, but I wasn’t sold on going anywhere,” Brown said at a news conference. “It’d be kind of hard to get me out of here.”
The Packers said Brown, who turns 26 on Saturday, signed a three-year contract. Terms weren’t disclosed but the deal was reported to be worth more than $2 million a year. Brown’s salary last season was just over $200,000.
“It’s a tremendous day for us,” Packers defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur told Green Bay station WLUK-TV. “That guy is crucial to us. He allows us to do so many things defensively.”
Defensive end Reggie White, also interviewed by WLUK-TV, agreed.
“For him to be able to plug it up in the middle for us, it gives us an opportunity to do other things. He is so important to the team, I’m glad he signed.”
Hobert ready for Bills battle
The Buffalo Bills will have their first quarterback competition in 12 years when training camp opens, and Billy Joe Hobert plans to be right in the middle.
Hobert passed his physical and was introduced to the Bills’ coaching staff Tuesday after they acquired him in exchange for a third-round draft choice in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.
The four-year backup will challenge Todd Collins to become Buffalo’s first regular starter other than Jim Kelly since 1985.
Kelly retired three weeks ago.
Shuler wants to be KC’s QB savior
Heath Shuler, looking to resurrect a once-promising career, went through an impressive workout for the quarterback-desperate Kansas City Chiefs.
“There’s a time and a place for everyone,” said Shuler, a former first-round draft choice out of Tennessee who lost his starting job on the Washington Redskins to Gus Frerotte. “And I’m trying to find my place. Being wanted is something everybody would like.”
The Chiefs are looking for a replacement for Steve Bono, their starter the past two seasons who faded last year and lost the confidence of coaches, fans and teammates.
Broncos add more offensive punch
Howard Griffith, one of the NFL’s better blocking fullbacks, has left the Carolina Panthers and signed with the Denver Broncos.
Griffith, who will earn $4.4 million over four years, is the second significant addition to Denver’s offense in the past week. Last week the team obtained Tony Jones from Baltimore for a second-round draft choice to replace Gary Zimmerman, who is retiring.
Griffith will replace Aaron Craver, a Broncos starter last season.