PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Two AFC North also-rans, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, were awarded the most compensatory picks in this year’s draft.
The Ravens (5-11) and Bengals (7-9) each received four picks, beginning in the third round of the April 26-27 draft. Those picks are slotted at the end of each of the last five rounds.
Baltimore lost four compensatory free agents in 2007, including star linebacker Adalius Thomas to New England, and didn’t sign any. Cincinnati lost five such free agents, the best of which was guard Eric Steinbach, who signed with Cleveland.
Only Washington, which was given the top compensatory selection, 96th overall (33rd in the third round), Cincinnati (97th), Atlanta (98th) and Baltimore (99th) got extra choices in the third round.
In all, 15 teams were awarded compensatory picks. Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis and Philadelphia each got three selections. Receiving two were Buffalo, Carolina and Miami. Getting one apiece were Atlanta, Green Bay, St. Louis, San Diego, Tennessee and the New York Giants.
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ATTENDANCE RECORD: For the sixth straight year, the NFL set a paid attendance record, led by the Washington Redskins.
Attendance surpassed 22 million for the second successive season, with 22,256,502 fans paying their way into games, an increase of 56,790 over 2006. The 2007 NFL regular-season total paid attendance of 17,345,205 and the average of 67,755 per game were both records. And 4,119,278 tickets were sold for 65 preseason games, an average of 63,374.
Twelve postseason games drew 792,019 fans, including 71,101 for the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
The Redskins, who have the league’s largest stadium, FedEx Field, led in regular-season home paid attendance for the eighth consecutive season. The Redskins drew 711,471, an NFL mark.
Three other teams topped 600,000 paid home attendance: the New York Giants (629,391), Kansas City Chiefs (622,541) and New York Jets (616,756). Eleven teams drew more than 1.1 million paid attendance home and away during the regular season, led by Washington (1,264,890). The others were the Giants (1,187,915), Jets (1,171,564), Miami Dolphins (1,156,762), Chiefs (1,145,938), New England Patriots (1,131,027), Buffalo Bills (1,129,052), Denver Broncos (1,120,996), Philadelphia Eagles (1,120,090), Green Bay Packers (1,112,753) and Carolina Panthers (1,100,147).
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49ERS FORFEIT: Commissioner Roger Goodell cited San Francisco’s “clear violation of policy” for his discipline against the 49ers for tampering with Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs.
Goodell stripped the 49ers of a fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft for early contact with the potential free agent, who wound up re-signing with the Bears.
He also ordered the teams to swap picks in the third round.
“Tampering charges normally are brought by clubs who believe they were grieved,” he said Monday at the NFL owners meetings. “The Bears did that late last fall, we followed up on it and we came to a conclusion. It wasn’t the 49ers being made an example of anything – in my mind it was a clear violation of policy.
“Any time you violate a tampering policy, that is egregious. If it is done during the season, that is even a different factor. If they improperly contacted the player or his representative, that is the only thing you need for a violation.”
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