SRPA: The Rugby League world was rocked today by 5 seconds of silence from Brisbane Rugby League commentator Dickie “Barracuda” McDagstead. A full 5 seconds’ silence went to air on McDagstead’s watch during the weekend’s Roosters v Broncos match, each second a bombshell to the heart of the proud winter code.

Cricket With Balls’ Jrod bemoans the similarity of UK Sky Sports’ Cricket logo with the Major League Baseball one.Sat at the Mac trying to find something to fuck around with when I should be writing, I fired up Photoshop:Them apples. You like?

I never really warmed to Robbie Keane - I always suspected he’d be crap at Kareoke. He’s no Chris n Glen, put it that way. He’s not even a GazzaMore Tour De France pictures? OK

The Patriots continued their "bottom-up" rookie signing trend by inking second round pick CB Terrence Wheatley to a contract today. Details of the deal were not disclosed. This signing leaves only first-round pick LB Jerod Mayo unsigned.

Offensive Lineman Nick Kaczur, who was arrested near the Canadian border with over 200 prescription pain killers, pled guilty to drug possession charges. The 28-year-old was ordered to pay $355 in fines and fees by Whitestown Town Justice Stanley Wolanin, who said the drug possession charge will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the next six months.

As training camp opens Friday, we've seen a number of articles on the key questions facing the '08 Tennessee Titans they will have to answer positively if they want to take their game to the next level. I'll quickly agree with the two I've read the most with the first being "Can Vince Young take his game to the next level?". The attention given to Young's development in both his mechanics and reads will likely stay in the spotlight throughout the upcoming season and is the top question facing the Titans offense.

As training camp fast approaches, the Titans have reached a contract agreement with DE Williams Hayes. Hayes, the first of three Titans fourth round selections (103rd overall), started 22 of 30 games at Winston-Salem State and recorded 150 tackles (80 solo) with 15 sacks, 37 stops for losses and 15 quarterback pressures. As a senior in 2007, he led the nation with seven forced fumbles and tied for 10th nationally with a team-high 19 stops for losses. The Titans now have agreed to terms with four of their seven draft choices. The team opens training camp on July 25th.

Rookies kick off training camp today, with veterans showing up Wednesday. At the start of camp, the Patriots have inked deals with four of their six draft picks - leaving only the top two players unsigned (LB Jerod May and CB Terrence Wheatley). With the NFL minimum base salary for rookies set at $295,000, the Pats have been seemingly getting great deals with their second-day picks. Here’s how the contracts break down thus far:

Although the Dolphins weren’t exactly a “contender” last season, Jason Taylor still lived in Tom Brady’s nightmares. Over the course of his career, the All-World DE has been one of the best players in the NFL, especially in terms of his getting-to-Brady skills (along with Buffalo DE Aaron Schobel). However, Brady can sleep easy now, and not because he’s sharing his bed with Gisele. The Dolphins have announced a trade which will send Taylor to the Washington Redskins for a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-rounder in 2010.

The Titans have reached an agreement with seventh-round draft pick Cary Williams. Williams was the 229th pick overall out of Division II Washburn, and the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Williams led the Ichabods with seven interceptions as a senior. He spent three years at Washburn with a redshirt season but started his career at Fordham. He had 11 interceptions and averaged 25.5 yards on kickoff returns with two touchdowns in his career at Washburn. This leaves the Titans with four more draft picks to sign before training camp begins next Friday.

Of all the off-season changes the Titans made this year, perhaps the most significant was the re-acquisition of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. And why not? In theory, he should give a boost to everyone on the offense. Titans fans all across the land wait giddily for us to become a razzle-dazzle spectacle wherein Alge Crumpler returns to being one of the best tight ends in the league, Chris Johnson convincingly claims offensive rookie of the year acclaim, and Vince Young throws twice as many touchdowns as he did last year (actually, that last one shouldn’t be too hard).

The Titans announced this afternoon that they've signed WR Lavelle Hawkins who was drafted in the fourth round with the 126th overall selection. Hawkins played in 35 games in three seasons at the University of California. As a senior, his 72 receptions led the Golden Bears and ranked fourth on the school’s single-season record list. The second-team All-Pac 10 performer also set career highs as a senior with 872 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions, and his 42 kickoff returns and 922 kickoff return yards broke program records.

The Titans and Albert Haynesworth did not reach an agreement on a long-term contract before the 3 p.m. central deadline. The All-Pro defensive tackle will play under contract during the 2008 regular season with a one-year, $7.25 million deal. Following the deadline, the Titans released an announcement which included "We will remain in contact with his representatives throughout the season; and at years end, see if both sides can agree on a fair number on a long-term agreement for a player with his qualities."

Time is running out for the Titans and Albert Haynesworth to agree on a long-term deal. Haynesworth's agent, Chad Speck, and Titans officials were talking Monday with discussions expected to continue up to Tuesday's 4 p.m. EDT deadline to reach an extension. If no such deal is reached by that deadline, then the team cannot extend Haynesworth to a new deal until after the Titans conclude the 2008 season against Indianapolis on Dec. 28. Haynesworth, the first player tagged as a franchise player by this team since safety Blaine Bishop in 1997, is coming off the best season of his career.

With the Patriots fielding one of the best offenses in NFL history once again, all eyes are focused on the defense. The loss of Asante Samuel will hinder the team’s plans greatly, but that doesn’t mean they will be a bad defense. In fact, this defense has the ability to be more successful than last year, which ranked 4th overall in the NFL. There are several question marks on the roster, but the Pats have done their best to mask their weaknesses. Here’s how the positions break down.