ESPN Insider Peep Show 4-22-04

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Peep Show

By Darrell Trimble

ESPN Insider

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1787454

San Diego Chargers: Wednesday afternoon the team moved closer to not moving at all. Mayor Dick Murphy notified the media, subject to a public meeting Monday, of a proposed amendment of the 1995 lease between the city and the franchise. The amendment would eliminate the controversial ticket guarantee, the trigger in the lease that would have allowed the Chargers to shop themselves to other cities as of May 2, and the litigation the team has filed against the city to show its right to trigger. Mark Fabiani, the Chargers' lead scout in the battle for a new stadium, seemed pleased with the agreement. "I think it's very encouraging," Fabiani told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We have to be encouraged. This will clear the decks of all the bad stuff and give us a chance for an open field with some clear running room."

McKenzie

Green Bay Packers: CB Mike McKenzie has requested a trade but the team doesn't seem to be ready to part ways with the six-year veteran. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the Packers have taken a half dozen calls from other teams wanting to know what it would take to obtain and sign the Memphis product but haven't given anyone permission to speak with McKenzie about his willingness to play for them or with his agent about what type of contract it would take to get him to report. Coach Mike Sherman spoke at a pre-draft news conference Wednesday and admitted there was a problem but refused to answer whether he was taking offers for McKenzie or when the issue would be settled. "I'm not going to keep my head in the sand," Sherman said. "Obviously, I don't have a crystal ball on the final verdict in regard to Mike's status. But you move forward. We have to move forward."

Carolina Panthers: The team restructured DE Mike Rucker's contract to clear salary-cap room. According to the Charlotte Observer the new deal lowers his 2004 cap figure by over $2 million. Rucker will make the same amount of money, but his scheduled $3.4 million in 2004 base salary will now be only $600,000 after the team converted the difference into a signing bonus. The Panthers needed to make the move to create enough cap space to sign OL Travis Claridge. Carolina now has about $1.5 million in cap space.

NFL: Pat Summerall will turn 74 next month, and with any luck he won't spend his birthday in the hospital. Summerall was released from a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital Wednesday, 11days after receiving a liver transplant. He is expected to remain in the Jacksonville area for several weeks of outpatient care before returning home. "He's upbeat and in great spirits," Summerall family spokesman Rick Ericson told the Dallas Morning News.