Eagles Lure Asante Samuel Away From Patriots

Asante Samuel will play for the team he beat in Super Bowl XXXIX, the Philladelphia Eagles.

Asante Samuel has such good hands and terrific instincts that the All-Pro cornerback rarely drops the ball, one reason why he has 16 interceptions the last two years.

The Eagles instincts were on the ball, too, that Samuel was the kind of playmaker they desperately needed to strengthen a defense that recorded an NFL-worst 19 takeaways in 2007.

Philadelphia got its first one of 2008, signing the free-agent cornerback to a six-year contract on Friday and ending Samuel's five-year stint in New England.

"I just want a chance to be able to win and get back to the Super Bowl," Samuel said. "That's why I picked the Philadelphia Eagles."

Samuel, an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection this past season, knows something about making timely picks. Samuel, who won two Super Bowl rings, has 22 career interceptions in 75 games.

"We regarded Asante as the No. 1 available free agent in the NFL," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said.

The Eagles wasted little time making an offer, reportedly worth around $57 million with $20 million guaranteed, on the first day of the free agent period.

The Eagles badly needed a shutdown corner - or a "pick magnet," as his agent called him - like Samuel. Philadelphia had only 11 interceptions last year and failed to score a defensive touchdown to go along with its abysmal takeaway record.


Free-Agent Central Keep up to date with all the comings and goings of the NFL free agency period and check out Alex Marvez's blog for all the latest notes, rumors and analysis. Samuel, a fourth-round draft pick in 2003, also tied the NFL career playoff record with three interceptions returned for TDs.

He was protected by New England last year by the franchise player tag. When asked if he felt underappreciated in New England, Samuel declined to comment.

"You just have to try to block it out of your mind," said Samuel of the tag.

Samuel tied Denver's Champ Bailey for the NFL lead with 10 interceptions in 2006 and returned two more picks for touchdowns in the postseason against the Jets and Colts. His 12 total interceptions in the 2006 regular season and playoffs were the highest combined single-season total in Patriots history.

Samuel kept New England's perfect 2007 regular season alive in late November against the Eagles. He returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and had a second pick off A.J. Feeley that halted a late Philadelphia drive in New England's 31-28 victory.

Samuel also won a Super Bowl ring when the Patriots beat the Eagles by three points in the Super Bowl in 2005.

So did the Patriots really know all of Philadelphia's signals before the game?

"This is over," said coach Andy Reid, with a laugh.

The acquisition means the Eagles will likely trade or shift positions for either Lito Sheppard or Sheldon Brown.

Sheppard, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, is reportedly unhappy with his contract. The Eagles denied a report earlier this month that Sheppard, who signed a five-year extension in 2004, had asked for or been given permission to seek a trade.

Reid said Samuel will be the starting left cornerback, or, what was Sheppard's starting job.

"When you have an opportunity to get the best one in the business, then you need to look at that," Reid said.

Samuel hoped Sheppard and Brown would be on the roster and felt the trio could give the Eagles perhaps the best secondary in the NFL.

Samuel said the Eagles were on the top of a list of four teams he considered visiting. After the Eagles gave him a hard sell on the first day free agents could sign, Samuel decided to stay in Philly.

"When you come to one that makes you happy, why wait around?" Samuel said.

Samuel is the latest in a line of former New England Super Bowl winners who have moved on, joining Deion Branch, Adam Vinatieri, David Givens and Daniel Graham.

Samuel did allow New York's David Tyree to get loose for a touchdown and the cornerback muffed a potential clinching interception with less than 2 minutes left in the Giants' 17-14 upset win in the Super Bowl. The stinging loss was still tough for him to get over.

"He'll have a chance to recover twice this year," Reid said.

The Eagles finished in last place in the NFC East at 8-8, the same division that includes the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, whose 13-3 record was the best in the conference.

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"Freak Show" Moving Elsewhere

The Freak show is over in Philadelphia.

After four mostly disappointing and injury-plagued seasons where he only showed glimpses of his feared pass rushing ability, the Eagles released defensive end Jevon Kearse on Thursday.


Kearse was in the middle of a $66 million, eight-year deal signed in 2004 that made him at the time the highest-paid defensive end in NFL history.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection failed to live up the lofty expectations set when he signed. His ineffective performance last year led to reduced playing time and finally landed him on the sideline, despite his big salary. Juqua Thomas replaced Kearse in the starting lineup.

Kearse recorded only 3 1/2 sacks in 14 games last season after missing most of the 2006 season with a knee injury. The move had been expected since the end of the season and comes a day before the NFL free-agent signing period begins.

Kearse, nicknamed "The Freak," played in 45 regular season games for the Eagles and recorded 133 tackles and 22 sacks. He was due to earn $6.46 million next season.

"We tried to work out a restructure with the Eagles and it didn't work out," Drew Rosenhaus said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. "He had a wonderful career there."

Rosenhaus did not immediately return a message on Thursday.

The Eagles also agreed to terms on a one-year contract with safety J.R. Reed and tendered a one-year contract to restricted free agent cornerback Joselio Hanson.

If another team signs Hanson to an offer sheet, the Eagles have seven days to match that offer. If they choose not to match, the Eagles will receive a second-round draft choice as compensation.

Early in his career with Tennessee, Kearse was one of the NFL's most feared pass rushers. He had 36 sacks in his first three season and earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1999.

"I'm a freak of nature," Kearse said when he signed with the Eagles. "I do a lot of things ordinary people wouldn't be able to do. As far as performance and playing my position, I'm a freak out there."

Kearse twice earned All-Pro honors, but injuries started to catch up soon after his early success. Kearse missed 12 games with a broken bone in his left foot in 2002, sprained the same foot in 2003 and missed nearly three games.

Kearse was off to fantastic start in 2006 with the Eagles, recording 3 1/2 sacks in the first two games. But he sprained multiple ligaments in his left knee during Philadelphia's overtime loss to the New York Giants in Week 2.

Rams Cut Issac Bruce

For the second time in three years, the St. Louis Rams released wide receiver Isaac Bruce. This time they may be cutting ties for good with the last player remaining from the team's 1995 move from Los Angeles to St. Louis.


"It's a tough choice for the franchise," coach Scott Linehan said on the team's Web site, stlouisrams.com. "It's like anything else. We make decisions as a franchise on the business side and that's the part that makes it the most difficult."

Linehan said the "possibility is always open" for Bruce to re-sign with the Rams.

Bruce's agent, Jimmy Sexton, didn't immediately return a telephone message from the AP.

Gus Frerotte, the backup quarterback the last two seasons, also was released on Thursday. The moves came hours before the start of free agency.

The 35-year-old Bruce had been due a $2 million roster bonus on Friday and the Rams were unsuccessful in attempts to restructure his contract. He signed a $15 million, three-year deal in March 2006, billed as an opportunity to finish his career with the Rams, five days after he was cut in a similar salary cap move.


Bruce is third on the NFL career list with 14,070 yards receiving, trailing only Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. He's sixth in receptions with 942, has been to four Pro Bowls and caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Kurt Warner in the Rams' Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans in 2000.

Bruce was second on the team last season with 55 catches and had a 13.3 yards-per-catch average and four touchdowns. He has eight 1,000-yard seasons with the team and had 119 receptions for 1,781 yards and 13 touchdowns in 1995.

The 36-year-old Frerotte, also a 14-year veteran, made three starts when starter Marc Bulger was sidelined by injury and played in nine games overall in two seasons. Last year, he threw seven touchdown passes with 12 interceptions.

The move frees up $1.9 million heading into free agency while leaving the Rams with only two quarterbacks, Bulger and Brock Berlin, on the roster. Frerotte had been due a $500,000 roster bonus on Friday.

Erroneous Report States Brett Favre Retires

Green Bay's Website Earlier Today Said Mistakenly that Brett Favre had retired.


Brett Favre's retirement lore is becoming almost as popular as his on-the-field heroics.

On Thursday, the Packers' official Web site briefly reported he was retiring, but the page under the breaking news section was live for only a few minutes.

"There's nothing to it," Packers spokesman Jeff Blumb told The Associated Press. "People who handle our Web site had set up a dummy page in the event he was to retire. They were asked to take down that page."

A call by The AP to Favre's agent, Bus Cook, was not immediately returned.

Cook told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Favre, in his annual rite of winter, had not made up his mind whether to return for his 18th season. The three-time MVP's decision one way or the other is not expected this week.


Several Internet sites have screen captures of the page that show Favre's picture with a caption saying, "Packers quarterback Brett Favre has announced that he will retire."

The page also had a blank area to enter the story's text and details on general manager Ted Thompson holding a "brief press conference" to talk about the announcement.

This is not the first time a team put major news on its Web site, and then promptly removed it.

On Oct. 23, 1999, the news that Don Baylor had been hired as Cubs manager appeared on the team's Web site, and was subsequently removed within hours. The team denied the story, but on Nov. 1, Baylor was hired.

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Scott Spiezio Released By Cardinals

Utilityman Scott Spiezio was cut by the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, released after being charged in a six-count complaint involving drunken driving and assault in a December car crash.


"We had heard some things about this," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "Ultimately nothing was ever confirmed to the level it was today. To have this warrant put out there, it completely changes the landscape of what we're dealing with."

A warrant was issued Tuesday for Spiezio, who missed more than a month last year while getting treatment for substance abuse. The warrant was recalled Wednesday after Spiezio's attorney appeared in court, and the arraignment was continued to March 26.

The Orange County district attorney charged Spiezio with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more, hit and run, aggravated assault, assault and battery.

"We anticipate a successful resolution to this misdemeanor matter," attorney Paul Meyer said.

The 35-year-old Spiezio did not play in Wednesday's exhibition game against St. Louis University at Jupiter, Fla.

"Scott and I will have a statement at a later date," Spiezio's agent, Barry Meister, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"Scott is clean and sober and has been for a significant period of time and is fully prepared to continue his career. He has had no problems at Cardinals camp, is in great shape and was and is looking to have a great 2008 season," he said.

Police said the accident occurred Dec. 30. The maximum penalty is two years in state prison.

"We've never been able to talk to him," Irvine police Lt. Rick Handfield said. "The detective has expressed an interest in having Mr. Spiezio come to California."

Spiezio won World Series championships with Anaheim in 2002 and St. Louis in 2006. He has cultivated a hard-rocking image during his 12 seasons in the majors and plays in the heavy metal band SandFrog.

He batted .272 in 119 games with 13 homers and 52 RBIs in 2006. Last year, he appeared in only 82 games because of injuries, illness and treatment, managing only four homers, 31 RBIs and a .269 average.

Spiezio was entering the final season of a two-year, $4.5 million contract. He was released the same way most players are cut, for failure "to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability."

That means the Cardinals owe him this year's $2.3 million salary plus a $100,000 buyout of a $2.5 million team option for 2009 -- because of that, the likelihood of a grievance by the players' union is small.

Asked about Spiezio's release, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, "I think it's a consistent message about what the team represents."

"It wasn't like he escaped last year without catching some heat and the organization acting to try to get him right," he said.

When the Cardinals activated him from the restricted list last September, Spiezio said, "I was out of control for a while. I learned a lot and I'm ready to start contributing in a good way now."

At the time, Spiezio said he'd been struggling with substance abuse for six or seven months, although he wouldn't disclose the substance, saying, "I'll save that for the book."

Spiezio is best remembered in Anaheim for a three-run homer in Game 6 against the San Francisco Giants that helped the Angels rally from the largest deficit ever in a potential Series-deciding game.

Spiezio played in Seattle for two seasons before joining the Cardinals in 2006 and helping them win the World Series that year.

Irvine police responded to a report of a single-car crash at 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 30.

Officers found a 2004 BMW registered to Spiezio had crashed into a curb and fence. The driver was seen running from the crash site, Handfield said.

A neighbor told police Spiezio arrived at their condo complex appearing disheveled and apparently injured. The neighbor said Spiezio allegedly assaulted him, causing significant injuries, Handfield said.

Mozeliak said that he and La Russa met with Spiezio and his agent before spring training started to discuss the accident. The GM said team officials did not know until Wednesday that alcohol was allegedly involved.

"We were led to believe that there was a chance that some of this was not going to gravitate to the level that it did today," Mozeliak said. "Obviously what came to light today changed how we looked at it. We decided we had to react."

Spiezio was devastated by the death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, who was legally intoxicated when he crashed into the back of a flatbed truck last April.

Spiezio said the situation might have pushed him deeper into dependency.

"You've got to put yourself in the right situations, sometimes change friends or go out to breakfast with a friend and not to a place where you can start making bad decisions," he said in January. "I've got to be in a frame of mind where I can't lose focus in any way."

Let's Hope that Scott, for his sake, gets his situation resolved and gets his life straight.