Footballgames's Blog

With training camps scheduled to open around the NFL at the end of July, here's a list of important dates for the 49ers and the rest of the league for the remainder of this year, along with the postseason schedule and important 2007 dates leading up to next year's draft. July 24: Signing period ends at 4 p.m. ET for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender. July 27: 49ers players report to team headquarters. July 28: 49ers training camp practice sessions begin. August 6: Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio – Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles (NBC). August 10-14: First full preseason weekend. August 11: 49ers open preseason with 7 p.m. (PST) game vs. Chicago at Monster Park in San Francisco. August 29: Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players. September 2: Final roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players. September 3: Teams may establish practice squad of eight players. September 7-11: Kickoff 2006. September 10: 49ers begin regular season with 1:15 p.m. (PST) game vs. Arizona in the inaugural game at Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. October 17: Trading deadline. October 23-25: NFL Fall Meeting (New Orleans, Louisiana). December 30-31: Regular season ends. 2007 January 6-7: Wild Card Playoffs. January 13-14: Divisional Playoffs. January 21: Conference Championships. February 4: Super Bowl XLI, South Florida (CBS). February 10: AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii (CBS). February 21-27: NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Indiana. March 25-28: NFL Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona. April 28-29: NFL Draft, New York City. Late May: NFL Spring Meeting (Site TBD).

The N.F.L. has toughened its drug policy, adding amphetamines to the list of banned performance-enhancers starting in 2007. Amphetamines were previously listed as a "substance-abuse drug," but are now in the same category as steroids and other enhancers that carry stronger penalties. Next year will serve as a transition year, when a first positive test will bring a warning and put a player into the drug program. But in 2007, testing will cover amphetamines on a regular basis. A first positive will result in a four-game suspension.

The Giants 2005 season was filled with some great memories, including some fantastic offensive drives, defensive stops and special teams plays that are worth remembering. This week on Giants.com, we'll feature what we consider to be the top five offensive drives and defensive stops of last season and then let you, the fans, vote on which was the best of the best! Today's featured offensive drive is the team's 10-play, 81-yard possession, which resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass from QB Eli Manning to TE Jeremy Shockey during the season opening 42-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Multimedia Links: Video: Game Highlights | Photo Gallery: Giants 42, Cardinals 19 TE Jeremy Shockey got behind several Arizona defenders for this 20-yard touchdown reception on the Giants opening drive during their 42-19 win over the Cardinals in Week 1. The Giants opened the 2005 season the right way, scoring on their first possession en route to a 42-19 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The opening drive contained a number of firsts for the Giants. It was quarterback Eli Manning’s first season opener and his first game action since straining his elbow 22 days earlier in a preseason game against Carolina. There was wide receiver Plaxico Burress’ first reception as a member of the Giants, and running back Brandon Jacobs’ first ever NFL action. Most importantly, the drive resulted in the Giants’ first touchdown of the season, on Manning’s 20-yard pass to Jeremy Shockey. And of course the drive included a number of first downs: four, to be exact. Two of those first downs came from Jacobs, who converted a pair of short third down opportunities to extend the Giants drive. “He gave us a nice shot in the arm, he really did,” head coach Tom Coughlin said of Jacobs’ play on that first drive. On the Giants third offensive play—third-and-one from their own 28 yard line—Jacobs busted up the middle for seven yards. Three plays later it was again third-and-one—this time from the Giants’ 44-yard line—and Jacobs broke free down the right side for a 21-yard run. “That game, there were a lot of sparks flying in the air. It was 9/11, we came out with a lot of stuff to play for,” Jacobs said. “But that particular drive, the first drive of the season, for us as a team it was a great drive. For me it was the first drive of my career, so it was something special.” It was also something special for Giants fans, as they watched their team drive 81 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. The Giants took possession at their 19-yard line following an Arizona punt. The drive started with an eight yard pass to Burress. “I hit him on a little hook route,” said Manning. “It’s always good to get that first completion down.” Following a one-yard run by Barber, Jacobs ran for seven yards up the middle and a first down. On 2nd-and-10 Manning completed a pass to tight end Jeremey Shockey for nine yards. “I hit Shockey on a hook route in the middle,” said Manning. “Just a simple route, but it was good. You always like to get some completions to start, just to kind get into the groove of things. You don’t have to start out deep, just kind of get those first couple of completions to get into rhythm.” Shockey’s reception set up Jacobs 21 yard run, which put the Giants into Cardinals territory at the 35. Barber lost a yard, then gained 16 to move the Giants to the 20. From there Manning needed two plays to get the Giants into the end zone. The first was an incompletion to Burress. The Cardinals then came with a blitz. With Barber providing a key block on the play, Manning found Shockey open over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Following Jay Feely’s extra point, the Giants led, 7-0. It was an efficient and successful first drive of the season for the Giants. “It was a great start,” said Manning. “We got everybody involved. Got Plaxico a catch, got Tiki in. Brandon Jacobs had a couple big runs in there, and then Shockey had a couple catches and a touchdown. So it was a picture perfect drive and what you like to do.”

The Baltimore Ravens added a safety net at the safety position, agreeing with 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ed Reed on a contract extension. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome announced the news today that it will be a seven-year contract (extending his current contract six years). The extension assures that Reed will not enter the free agent market at the conclusion of the 2006 season, which was the final year of his previous contract. What some perceived as a tenuous situation between the two parties was just part of the negotiation procedure. Both head coach Brian Billick and Reed were confident that an agreement could and would be reached. "Our track record speaks for itself," Billick told the Baltimore Sun before the beginning of the Ravens' mandatory minicamps on June 6-8. "There have been very few people we value that leave this organization. Ed Reed would be right at the top of that list." As a rookie out of the University of Miami in 2002, Reed signed a five-year contract and immediately began making an impact. The 5-11, 200-pound former Hurricane began his career with five interceptions, then went on to lead the NFL in 2003 and 2004, with seven and nine picks, respectively. Both '03 and '04 were Pro Bowl campaigns. Last season, Reed was limited to only 10 games of action due to an ankle injury sustained in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. Still, the ball-hawking safety merited a spot as a first-alternate in the 2005 Pro Bowl. "Ed is one of the bright young stars in the NFL," said Newsome. "He's already had outstanding production, including his MVP season in 2004. He's an emerging leader on our defense and to the whole team, for that matter. "The way he works, the way he prepares speaks volumes to his teammates." Reed's extension ensures that one of the NFL's top secondaries - consisting of No. 20 and Pro Bowl cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle - will have the opportunity to stay intact for years to come. McAlister signed an extension that runs through 2010 in 2004, while Rolle inked a six-year deal as a free agent in 2005. To complement Reed at the safety position, the Ravens recently traded a conditional 2007 draft pick to the Indianapolis Colts for Gerome Sapp and drafted the hard-hitting Dawan Landry out of Georgia Tech. The training camp competition will be rounded out by Robb Butler and Jamaine Winborne - both of whom looked like playmakers at the Ravens OTAs - special teams talent B.J. Ward, and rookie free agents Shannon James and Steve Paris.