NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints Jimmy Graham and the NFL Players Association were dealt a setback Wednesday when an arbitrator ruled that he can only be considered a tight end for the purposes of his franchise tag designation. NFLPA had filed a grievance arguing that Graham was used as a wide receiver often enough to qualify for the more lucrative receiver tag. But arbitrator Stephen Burbank disagreed and now the NFLPA is reviewing his ruling, and will advise Graham on his options, which could include an appeal. Grahams case is being closely watched around the league because it could set a precedent for negotiations involving players who fill diverse roles in their teams offensive or defensive schemes. For example, some outside linebackers in a 3-4 defensive scheme could argue their right to receive the higher defensive end tag. NFL franchise tags, which allow each team to keep one prized player who is due to become a free agent, were set this year at $7 million for tight ends and $12.3 million for receivers. Burbank, who is also a University of Pennsylvania law professor, found that Graham could fulfil the standard duties of a tight end when he was lined up in the slot or within 4 yards of an offensive tackle, as he was for most of his snaps. Burbank further pointed out that defences usually accounted for Graham as a tight end, regardless of his alignment, by assigning a linebacker or safety to cover him. "Like tight ends, wide receivers and running backs often line up in the slot," Burbanks ruling stated. "The defence employed against any player so aligned turns on the players position, not his alignment, because of the physical attributes and skill sets of the players in those positions." Burbank indicated there could be merit to the NFLPA contention that Graham cannot be considered a tight end when he does in fact line up as a wideout. However, because both sides stipulated that Graham lined up within 4 yards of an offensive tackle for nearly 55 per cent of his snaps, Burbank said he did not need to address the minority of instances in which offensive formations employed by Saints coach Sean Payton placed Graham at a wider distance from the offensive line. The NFLs collective bargaining agreement states that franchise tags should be applied according to the position at which a player lines up for the majority of his snaps. Graham has skipped Saints off-season practices while holding out for a new, long-term contract. A favourable ruling from Burbank would have further enhanced negotiating leverage for Graham, who last season led the Saints with 86 catches for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns. Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said the club would have no comment on the ruling, and Sexton did not respond to a request for comment. In its statement, the NFLPA said: "We will also continue to assist Graham and his representation as necessary to help the player reach a fair long-term deal with the New Orleans Saints." Such disputes are not frequent, but draw lots of attention because of their potential to set a precedent. Baltimores Terrell Suggs, the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, argued in 2008 that he should be tagged as an end, not a linebacker. The difference back then was about $800,000. That dispute ended when Suggs signed a new long-term contract with the Ravens. He later helped them win the 2012 NFL championship. July 15 is the final day a team can sign 2014 franchise players to long-term extensions. Otherwise, they must play under their franchise tag designation for one season, after which they would be set to become free agents. Calvin Ridley Youth Jersey . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. Tony Gonzalez Falcons Jersey . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/Takkarist-McKinley-Falcons-Jersey/ .com) - The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Seth Curry on Tuesday. Steve Bartkowski Womens Jersey . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Steve Bartkowski Youth Jersey . -- Center Max Unger and tight end Zach Miller are both probable for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the New York Giants and Percy Harvins recovery continues to be slow.LOS ANGELES – Ryan Getzlaf breaks into a big grin when asked about the agitating antics of his longtime linemate Corey Perry. "What? You want me to talk about that?" the Anaheim Ducks captain asks chuckling. After some gentle prodding Getzlaf opens up. "Thats part of Perrys game. I mean, hes always going to play hard, play hard between the whistles and, you know, theres always a little extra stuff going on and its stuff hes been doing his whole career. Its part of his makeup and things that fuel him to be a better player on the ice and I thought he was unbelievable [in Game 3]." On the ice, Perry is in the middle of everything. Rarely will a shift go by without him getting engaged physically with someone. "He is what he is," said Getzlaf. "Hes not out there chirping at every guy that skates by or anything like that. Hes just a bit of a rat out there, I guess, if you want to call him [that]. He stirs the pot and he does the things that he does and that helps make him a better player." What makes Perrys pest persona on the ice intriguing is that it differs sharply with the seemingly reclusive life he leads away from the rink. "Hes very, very quiet off the ice," said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. "Hes actually shy around people. But on the ice hes one competitive man." "If you dont really know him off the ice hes pretty quiet, he really doesnt say too much," said Kings defenceman Drew Doughty, who lives around the corner from Perry in London, Ont. and was his Olympic teammate in February. "You kind of got to get to know him a bit more. Hes an awesome guy off the ice and I see him quite a bit in the summer, but on the ice hes just a pest out there. Hes a really good player and he likes to get under the other teams skin and when you put those two things together it kind of frustrates you." Perry was third on the Ducks with 65 penalty minutes in the regular season. He is fourth on the team in penalty minutes during the post-season with 15. And the Kings are wary of being goaded into taking retaliation penalties. "If he starts [agitating] after the whistle then Im probably going to ignore it, but if its throughout the game, hes going to try and hit me or whatever, Im going to try and hit him for sure," said Doughty. "You got to play physical on a guy like that. The only way you can beat him is physically. You got to play him hard and try and get under his skin too, because he gets frustrated at times." What makes Perry somewhat different is that hes a creative pest. His prank on Jeff Carter in Game 1 – squirting water in his Olympic teammattes unattended glove during a commercial break – went viral.dddddddddddd Someone even showed Boudreau the video on YouTube. It reminded the Ducks bench boss of when Perry sprayed water at Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy at the end of the first game of the regular season when the two coaches engaged in a shouting match. Perry also made it on to plenty of highlight reels earlier in the season. During a November overtime game in Carolina, the 28-year-old broke his stick and grabbed one right out of Alex Semins hands while skating back to the Ducks bench. Semin was hanging over the boards waiting to come on as part of a line change. "I dont know if hes trying to get under peoples skin or if hes just playing like hes been playing since he was six years old," said Boudreau. "I dont think hes a guy like [Stars forwards] Antoine Roussel or [Ryan] Garbutt, who purposely do things to tick the other person off. I think Corey just plays as Corey and if it ticks people off then thats an added bonus." Boudreau believes Perry needs to create chaos in order to be the effective 43-goal scorer he is. "The more youre on him and the more you hound him the more competitive he gets just like when I watch Doughty," Boudreau explains. "The more you hit him the better he gets." "If Im not doing different things," Perry said, "Im not going to be myself on the ice." But how does Perry explain the double life he leads? How is he able to morph from unassuming off the ice into an annoyance on it? "Theres a switch where, when I get to the rink, it flips on," the former Hart Trophy winner said quietly. "I can turn it off when I leave." NOTES: Perry and Getzlaf held a one-on-one meeting after the Game 2 loss to discuss why they werent as effective. "Luckily enough we dont have to have them that often," said Getzlaf. "Its not that often where both of us dont have a good game. Sometimes its one or the other and we can kind of pick each other up a bit. There were just some things we needed to do better. Its not like we were playing horrible or anything like that. It was just we needed to be better than we were and thats when you have those talks." The two responded with a strong effort in Game 3 as the Ducks got back in the series. Perry scored the opening goal of the game on the power play ... "We just got to take him out of this series," said Doughty of Perry. "Hes one of the key guys on their team and we havent done a good enough job against him yet so tonight [in Game 4] we got to pay special attention to that and take him out of the game." ' ' '