MVP: Motor Vehicle Procrastination

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            You know it's the offseason when the biggest Patriots story relates to the fact that **Tom Brady** has yet to receive his Super Bowl XXXVIII MVP Cadillac, but that was the case this week. According to a story that originally appeared on ESPN.com, the New England signal caller had yet to receive the prize he earned last February by throwing for 354 yards and three touchdowns in the team's 32-29 win over the Panthers.  

"I'm not driving this damn car, that's for sure," Brady told ESPN.com. "It's the damndest thing I ever heard. It's ridiculous."

There was some speculation that the delay resulted from confusion about the delivery site and the availability of the specific model that Brady selected, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the Boston Herald that Brady's Cadillac has been delivered to a local dealer and that he will receive it on Friday.

"It's a very special car and I'm sure he'll enjoy it," Aiello told the Herald. "It will be worth the wait."

NFL and CFL renew partnership

The NFL and the CFL announced that they have reached an agreement to continue their alliance, first established in 1997, through the 2006 season. The deal extends current player transfer guidelines (CFL players with an option year remaining on their contracts will continue to be permitted to sign contracts with NFL teams), both leagues will support grass roots programs in Canada and the NFL will provide exposure for CFL games on the NFL Network, including the league's Grey Cup championship game.

"We support the CFL and its unique role in Canada, and share its goals of strengthening the interest and support of football among Canadians," NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. "As partners we have worked successfully to strengthen the sport of football in Canada, and the NFL looks forward to working with the CFL to build on these programs."

"The Canadian Football League is in a new and stronger position," CFL Commissioner Tom Wright said. "We look forward to the continued development of our game in Canada with recent solid results as our foundation. Better business performance in broadcast, at the gate and in retail has changed our focus to expansion of the Canadian game at the professional and amateur levels. To that end, our partnership with the NFL will play an important role in allowing us to better understand and prepare for the future of football in Canada."

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            **Players to temporarily take over NFL Network**  

Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker Willie McGinest is among a group of NFL players that will be taking over the reins of the NFL Network next week. Starting July 6 through July 9 the network's NFL Total Access program will be "Players Only." Notable NFL stars such as Jerome Bettis, Dhani Jones, Tony Parrish, Curtis Conway, DeShaun Foster, Marcellus Wiley, Chris Claiborne and T.J. Duckett, among others, will take over for host Rich Eisen and the entire NFL Network crew to produce Total Access. The players will conduct all on-air duties, as well as determine the show's content and format, without the help of professional broadcasters.

"It will be Players TV," NFL Total Access coordinating producer Eric Weinberger said. "We have such a tremendous respect for the athletes we cover and now we are passing the creative control of the show over to them for a unique experiment.

"We believe these shows will be enjoyable to the viewer and at the same time provide valuable insight for the player. This experience will give players a perspective that will benefit them and the media that covers them."

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            **Notes**  

David Givens' personal website, www.DavidGivens87.com, was officially launched this week. The site is run by Paid, Inc., the same company that runs sites for fellow New England wide receivers Deion Branch (www.DeionBranch83.com) and Troy Brown (www.TroyBrown80.com). … The jersey worn by Brady in Super Bowl XXXVIII arrived at the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week and is now on display with other artifacts from the game. The display also includes the shoes worn by Adam Vinatieri when he kicked the game-winning field goal