As long snappers go, Kevin Houser was unremarkable. That may not seem like a compliment, but considering the fact that the only time anyone ever talks about a long snapper is when he screws something up, “unremarkable” is the gold standard for long snappers. To that end, he never biffed a snap that led to a missed field goal or blocked punt.

(God, I hope they’re related to him.)

And yet all the same, the Saints released him last week, even though they stand to save no money with his departure; his likely replacement will earn $100,000 more than Houser. Well, check that; the Saints won’t be saving any money against the salary cap; their own pocketbooks are a different matter.

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There’s something in the human endeavor that encourages those successful in one arena to attempt success in a wildly different one.  For example, NFL people can’t stop diving into Hollywood helmet-first.  Jim Brown is the textbook example, but Merlin Olsen and Alex Karros couldn’t resist working in front of the camera.  Michael Strahan owes much to the FTD Florists man.

(Next stop: The Academy Awards)

And now New Orleans head coach Sean Payton wants in on the action.  He wrote a screenplay, you see, and he… wait, he didn’t even write the screenplay?  He had a four-page idea for a screenplay and gave it to someone to write and now CAA is shopping it? That’s how it works? No wonder NFL players want into Hollywood; they work that hard before lunch at the first two-a-days of the year.

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Chiefs fans: I hope you enjoyed last week’s game against the Panthers. Actually, I’m pretty sure you didn’t since it was a 34-0 loss. But it also was not only the game where Tony Gonzalez broke Shannon Sharpe’s record for receiving yards by an NFL tight end, but it also might be his last game with Kansas City. The KANSAS CITY STAR reports that Gonzalez has asked the team to explore the possibility of a trade to a contender before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Teams who have expressed interest include the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers. But so far only the Giants have apparently only made an offer of a sixth-round pick, while the Chiefs are asking for a third-rounder. As Jay Glazer notes on FOX SPORTS, that sounds like a deal when compared to the second and fifth-round picks the Giants got for Jeremy Shockey in the offseason.

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• UNCOACHED reveals the best sights seen at last weekend’s NFL Hall of Fame ceremonies - namely, those of the Redskins cheerleaders.

• YOU BEEN BLINDED tosses up a classic clip of Johnny Bench berating a reporter for asking him about Pete Rose.

• DEADSPIN is all shook up, as Elvis takes advantage of the wild, wet weather at Wrigley to thrill the crowd with a sequined slip ‘n’ slide show.

• PLAYING THE FIELD wonders what daily words of wisdom they could expect if Manny Ramirez had a blog.

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Fresh on the heels of the Jason Taylor trade, another “distraction” has been shipped off, as the Giants have sent Jeremy Shockey to the Saints.

(”I’m gonna get me some of that!“)

Jay Glazer of FOX SPORTS reports the G-Men finally agreed to send their injured & irritating tight end to New Orleans for the Saints’ second & fifth-round picks in next year’s draft.

Strangely, this was the exact same offer the Saints made for Shockey during this year’s draft back in April, but the Giants turned them down. So why the sudden change of heart? Read more…

Brooks is punchy about partying over at the Playboy Mansion tonight.

• Is Ron Artest willing to give up a few bucks so he can gain an NBA title? “Not in a million years.”

• A modeling agency wants to turn seven LPGAers into real lookers.

• Would it have been too much trouble for Mark Buehrle to pony up for Dad’s plane ticket so he could see his son’s 1,000th MLB career strikeout?

• Jonathan Papelbon briefs us about the state of his stinky underwear.

• Michael Strahan starts his network analyzing early, saying that ex-Giants teammate Jeremy Shockey has got to go.

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• CINCY JUNGLE argues that Ocho Cinco’s oddball behavior might actually be bringing the rest of the Bengals together.

• Meanwhile, ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports that the New York Giants are dealing with their own mini-camp malcontents (i.e. Jeremy Shockey & Plaxico Burress).

• BABES LOVE BASEBALL finds a couple of factual errors about Chicago State’s new full-time coach.

• Andrea Reiher of BUGS & CRANKS also doesn’t like the way Rick Sutcliffe was speaking on-air about Erin Andrews’ skirt.

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Remember all the contributions that Jeremy Shockey made to the New York Giants during their playoff run? Oh, that’s right. Dude was laid up with a broken leg before his team won the Super Bowl without him.

So where does he get off acting like such an asshat? Read more…

• WITH LEATHER slams down rumors of Ashley Massaro, a WWE Diva that TMZ claims has been grappling with opponents outside the ring while working for an escort service.

• Speaking of the squared circle, THE SPORTS HERNIA catches Dancing fool Jason Taylor showing off more wrestling moves.

• WALKOFF WALK has pics and BUGS &CRANKS have video of Jennifer Anniston & Owen Wilson dogging it during a Marlins game.

• Remember that kid who had been wearing a Brett Favre jersey for the past 4 years? Well, YOU BEEN BLINDED follows up that the boy has finally shed the shirt.

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Is Jeremy Shockey on his way to the Pacific Northwest? No way, Jose. The SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reports that the Seahawks have denied a report in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS that they were one of the teams interested in acquiring the Giants’ injured tight end.

Too bad. Shockey was such a joy to watch last time he was in Seattle.