Hasty Ends Holdout, Reports For Training
Cornerback James Hasty arrived at training camp with his Kansas City Chiefs teammates in River Falls, Wis., on Sunday, a day after ending his two-week holdout in an unsuccessful effort to renegotiate his contract.
Hasty had reported to the Chiefs before Saturday night’s exhibition opener in Kansas City, a 26-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which a porous defense yielded 303 passing yards. Hasty was in street clothes at the game.
President and general manager Carl Peterson said coach Marty Schottenheimer will put Hasty with the second defensive unit, and he’ll have to earn back his starting job.
Hasty described the situation leading to his holding out as “really unfortunate” and “very, very stressful for me.”
He said he probably disappointed a lot of fans, but that he wanted to put the matter behind him so it isn’t a distraction as the team continues preparing for the season.
Hasty has started 30 games since signing as an unrestricted free agent from the New York Jets in 1995. He has three interceptions - including a 64-yard return in OT that gave the Chiefs a 23-17 victory over Oakland.
Favre sees a repeat
It is as close to a Super Bowl guarantee this side of Joe Namath’s unforgettable prediction nearly three decades ago.
But Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre sounds very much like a man who would be downright shocked if his team doesn’t win Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego.
“Our guys have worked as hard this year as they ever have,” Favre said this week during a break from two-a-day practices. “They have a taste for victory, and I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do it again.”
Of course, Favre has never been short on confidence, and the simple act of verbally reinforcing what everyone else seems to be thinking about the Packers shouldn’t be that surprising. Then again, it isn’t every day the Super Bowl-winning quarterback comes out and says there’s very little standing in the way of a repeat.
Surgery for Seau
San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today, two days after tearing cartilage in an exhibition victory over San Francisco.
Seau, who underwent an MRI exam Sunday, is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks. San Diego opens the regular season Aug. 31 at New England.
Defensive tackle Don Sasa also tore cartilage in his left knee in the Chargers’ 20-13 victory Saturday night. The former WSU lineman, also scheduled to undergo surgery today, missed all of the 1995 season because of a knee injury.
White hits the juice
Packers defensive end Reggie White freely admits it: He’s on the juice.
No, he’s not “on the juice,” as in the commonly used phrase when a player is suspected of using steroids. He’s literally on juice, which may help explain why he feels so fresh, even at age 35 and in the midst of two-a-day practices.
“I’ve been juicing since May,” he said. “Carrot juice, orange juice, papaya, celery, beets. You name it, I’ll juice it.”
Notes
The league makes a big deal of steering players away from gambling. But if that’s the case, why is the Packers’ team hotel located on an Indian reservation with a gambling casino? … Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson cautions anyone who believes Seattle will immediately improve because of the free-agent acquisitions of linebacker Chad Brown, safety Bennie Blades and cornerback Willie Williams. “It’s going to take time defensively with all the new people we have,” Erickson said. But the coach is optimistic about this season. “Our goal is to get to the playoffs, and we have a chance to do that if we stay healthy,” he said.