Plauderecke » Alterraun Verner, defensive end Michael

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began to overhaul their roster on Tuesday, agreeing to contracts with Pro Bowl cornerback Alterraun Verner, defensive end Michael Johnson and two other potential new starters on the first day of free agency. In addition to landing Verner, who had five interceptions for Tennessee last season and Johnson, who had 11 1/2 sacks for Cincinnati two years ago, the team announced Tuesday through its website that it also had reached deals with former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and ex-New York Giants tight end Brandon Myers. The club planned a news conference Wednesday to introduce the additions. Meanwhile, efforts to trade cornerback Darrelle Revis continue. Tuesdays contracts are the first major moves for new coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht, who were hired in January following the firings of former coach Greg Schiano and GM Mark Dominik. The Bucs finished 4-12 in 2013. One of Smiths top priorities is improving a pass rush thats been one of the least productive in the NFL in recent years. Adding Johnson, who received a five-year deal, and McDonald, who had 5 1/2 sacks for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, could help. Verner, 25, has 11 career interceptions in four seasons. He agreed to a four-year contract and could wind up being a replacement for Revis, who was obtained in a pre-draft trade from the New York Jets last spring, a deal that cost the Bucs a first-round draft in 2013, as well as a fourth-rounder this year. If Revis remains on Tampa Bays roster at 4 p.m. Wednesday, he is due a $1.5 million bonus and the 2014 pick the Bucs owe the Jets becomes a third-rounder. That has led to speculation that Revis, who was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he joined the Bucs and was given a six-year, $96 million contract, will be released if the team isnt able to find a suitor. Despite not being 100 per cent physically, Revis appeared in all 16 games and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl last season, when he had two interceptions, a sack and two forced fumbles. Cheap Shoes USA .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. Cheap Shoes Free Shipping . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. http://www.discountshoescheap.com/. The 34-year-old averaged 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 82 games played in 2013-14 with the Utah Jazz. Jefferson has averaged 14.5 points, 4. Cheap Shoes Nike . His second visit, not so much. Roark (7-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings in a 7-2 setback in front of several friends and family members, as the Cubs snapped his personal streak of four consecutive victories on Friday. Wholesale Shoes China . - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. RENTON, Wash. -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always wanted. He was proven to be correct. Bennett now has a Super Bowl title and a new four-year contract that will keep him with the Seahawks. "I dont know if there was any doubt, but there was a lot of speculation a lot of teams tried to get me to come there," Bennett said Monday after signing his new deal. "But ultimately I wanted to come back and play with these guys and win some more games." Bennett was considered one of the top free agents in the NFL after a breakout season with the Seahawks where he led the team in sacks and proved a versatile option as a defensive end and defensive tackle. But he never made it all the way to the start of free agency Tuesday after the Seahawks came up with a satisfactory deal. Terms were not announced by the team. Pro Football Talk reported Bennetts deal was worth about $28.5 million with $16 guaranteed. Bennett said there were other teams offering more money, but the guaranteed amount was most important. Bennett was thought to have been strongly pursued by Chicago, where he had a chance of joining his brother, Martellus, with the Bears. But he ultimately decided to return to Seattle. "Yeah there was more, but I wanted to be here man. There are a lot of young guys here, and there are a lot of winning ways and I just love the organization and the things that they are about. I love the staff, from the equipment staff to the medical staff; it just goes on and on." Lost in the speculation about Bennetts future was his history with Seattle and specifically defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn. The Seahawks signed Bennett as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2009 and gave him a spot on their roster for the start of that season when Quinn was his defensive line coach. Even though he was eventually waived and claimed by Tampa Bay, that initial relationship with Seattle remained strong. Its partly why Bennett jumped at the chance to return last offf-season with Quinn as the new defensive co-ordinator, even if it meant playing on a one-year deal that paid only $3 million in base salary.ddddddddddddIts also a factor in why hes staying now. "At the end of the day, it was about being comfortable and being in a good situation," Bennett said. "Sometimes going to a whole other organization doesnt work out the way it worked out for me coming here and being with these guys. A lot of times people take a lot of money and they go to places and theyre not what they turned out to be. I know what this place is. Im familiar with the staff and players and it makes a big deal to be here." Seattle seemed to understand what it would take to retain Bennett. The Seahawks parted with defensive end Red Bryant and wide receiver Sidney Rice to create additional salary cap space. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have been steadfast that their top priorities in free agency were retaining their own players and not making big splashes by signing others. Bennett was at the top of the list with wide receiver Golden Tate not far behind. Bennett had 8 1/2 sacks in the regular season and a fumble return for a touchdown. His numbers would have likely been higher had the Seahawks figured out earlier in the season how best to utilize their defensive line rotation. Bennett had even more impact in the playoffs. He had a forced fumble and recovery that gave Seattle an early lead in the NFC divisional playoff win over New Orleans, and added one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the NFC championship game against San Francisco. "We had hopes he would be a real contributor and he exceeded our expectations and were excited to keep him," Carroll told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday. "Hes got great energy, a terrific motor and hes a very versatile football player. We really need to play him more. He didnt play a lot of plays the first half of the season, we specialty played him, and then we played him more as the year went on. We got better and he helped us. Were excited about it." ' ' '