Ravens trade for C Shipley
The Baltimore Ravens acquired center A.Q. Shipley from the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday as they seek to fill the void left by veteran Matt Birk's retirement.
The Colts received a conditional 2014 draft pick for the former Penn State All-American. The deal is pending a physical.
At 6-foot-1 and 309-pounds, Shipley is entering his second NFL season after appearing in 14 games with the Colts last season, with five starts. The Colts have Samson Satele in their starting lineup and drafted Khaled Holmes in the fourth round of last month's draft, allowing them to move Shipley, who was originally taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
---Not all Jacksonville Jaguars supporters want Tim Tebow in their uniform.
Amid a failed petition posted on the White House's website and an ad by an Orlando lawyer getting attention for asking for the Jaguars to sign Tebow, the Bold City Brigade has struck back.
Billed as Jaguars booster club, the Bold City Brigade started a website, Evenifhesreleased.com, which refers to the answer given by new Jaguars GM David Caldwell when asked about a potential pursuit of Tebow: "I can't imagine a scenario where he'd be a Jaguar, even if he's released," Caldwell said Jan. 10 at his introductory news conference.
The site had more than 31,000 clicks as of Thursday morning, according to ESPN.com:
---Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency has become a heavy hitter in the New York market and could be close to adding a quarterback to a budding portfolio. New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith heard Roc Nation's pitch for representation and is considering Jay-Z's sports and marketing agency, which also fronts for Yankees' second baseman Robinson Cano and Giants' wide receiver Victor Cruz.
Smith terminated an agreement with Select Sports Group within days of his 2013 draft fall. He was anticipating being a first-round pick but the West Virginia senior dropped to 39th overall, where he was selected by the Jets to compete with Mark Sanchez, David Garrard and Greg McElroy in training camp.
---The Minnesota Vikings will play the 2014 and 2015 seasons at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium while their new stadium is being built.
The agreement includes stipulations that require the Vikings to pay for any capital improvements and operational expenses for the team's home games. In addition, the Vikings will pay the university a per-game rent of $250,000 and share $50,000 per game in concessions, advertising and sponsorship revenue.
---Free agent wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins has signed a two-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to The Tennessean.
Hawkins, who was released last week after five years with the Tennessee Titans, has 71 career receptions for 771 yards and a touchdown in 52 games. He played just seven games last season because of an ankle injury, and had five catches for 62 yards.
---Chicago Bears' second-round pick Jonathan Bostic agreed to a four-year contract.
Bostic is a candidate to fill the void at linebacker created when the franchise decided to break off contract talks with veteran mainstay Brian Urlacher. Bostic and former Denver Broncos' inside linebacker D.J. Williams are the primary competitors to start at middle linebacker in 2013.
---Free agent safety Gerald Sensabaugh signed a one-day contract with Dallas so he can retire as a member of the Cowboys.
Sensabaugh, who turns 30 in June, ends an eight-year NFL career spent evenly with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cowboys. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2005 draft by Jacksonville.
---The Atlanta Falcons waived kicker Casey Barth and cornerback Momo Thomas.
Barth, the younger brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Connor Barth, set school records at the University of North Carolina for consecutive extra points and career field goals made during his four seasons with the Tar Heels. Thomas started 35 of 42 games at cornerback Colorado State, and logged 151 tackles and five interceptions.
---As far as Daniel Snyder is concerned, the Redskins will remain the Redskins. In the face of a recent wave of criticism and a pending federal trademark lawsuit, the NFL team's owner reconfirmed this week that he will not waver on the long-standing nickname.
"We will never change the name of the team," Snyder told USA Today. "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."
