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2
Mar
2010
Oh yeah, the combine is happening
These stopwatches mean millions of dollars to players at the NFL Combine (Photo: Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)
You’ll have to forgive us for our recent lapse in NFL coverage … we were swept up in Winter Olympic fever for the past few weeks, and kind of forgot that the NFL Scouting Combine started last week. And yeah, we actually had something better to do than watch a bunch of grown men run around in their skivvies. So sue us.
Otherwise known as the “underwear Olympics”, the Combine is the annual meat market where NFL teams poke and prod at the latest round of prospects like so much cattle, sizing up their chances of success at the next level. It’s where Wonderlics, route trees and body lean become the talk of the day. A place where a mediocre player can rise from obscurity with a 4.3 40-yard dash time, and where an all-American LB can tumble down the draft charts because he’s a few inches too short.
As you might be able to surmise from our tone, we don’t put as much stock in the combine as some others. I mean, it’s a useful tool to get an up-close look at these athletes, who teams are about to invest millions of dollars in … but it should really only be one piece of the larger puzzle. How someone performs on an indoor track in a sterilized environment should not be viewed as a direct reflection of how they will perform on Sunday. Sure, there are some physical tools that you simply can’t teach, and certain teams (ie., the Raiders) are always going to take a chance on gifted athletes, whether they can actually play football or not. But if a kid is ranked in your top 10 at the end of the college season, after being a playmaker his entire career, there’s simply no way a slow 3-cone drill time should drop him off of your board.
DTs Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma (left) and Ndomukong Suh of Nebraska are 2 of the top prospects in this year's draft (Photo: Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)
I’ve watched a few hours of the combine over the past 2 days, and I guess I’ll have to leave it to the Kipers and Mayocks of the world, who make their living off of this event. And don’t get me wrong, you can definitely gain some affirmation on your feelings about a player one way or another from these workouts – and especially the interviews. I just feel that often, too much value is placed on these measurements over actual gameday performance.
And with that, I leave you with a few Combine-related links:
- Tim Tebow’s 2010 Combine performance set to Iron Maiden [Deadspin]
- NFL Network’s Rich Eisen prepares to run the 40-yard dash [NFL.com]
- *UPDATE* Clemson RB CJ Spiller’s blazing 40-yard dash of 4.27 seconds … actually clocked in at 4.37 seconds. Whoops.
AFTER THE JUMP, WATCH RICH EISEN RUN THE 40-YARD DASH … IN A SUIT
18
Sep
2009
Brett Favre: Nintendo Master
ONE FROM THE VAULT
April 21, 1991: University of Southern Mississippi quarterback Brett Favre plays video golf while waiting for a call on Draft Day.
Favre goes to work on an old-school Nintendo. Check out the red, white, and blue ribbons hanging on the wall... and the hip jean shorts. - Photo credit: Tim Isbell, The Sun Herald
24
Jul
2009
Friday Round-Up: NFL Draft Goes Primetime, the T.O. Show Sucks, You Wish You Were Matt Stafford
Happy belated 4th of July! Especially to the blond in the pink top.
Things have sort of gotten away from us here at ReadandReact since around the 4th of July, when a blur of whiskey, fireworks and real life responsibilities stepped in to interrupt your regularly scheduled pointless NFL banter. And for that, we’d like to apologize.
But let’s not kid ourselves. July is a particularly painful time for NFL news (we’re getting into Fantasy preview territory now), and since we won’t waste space on that attention whore who shall remain nameless, it’s been a little light on fodder for our cynical rants of late.
We’ll try to pick things up now that we’re heading into training camp, and there might be some semblance of actual football news. Or not. I mean, it’s not like we’re getting paid for this. Get off our backs, okay?!?
Here’s your Friday Round-Up:
- NFL Draft Expands to 3 days in 2010: First round to be broacast live on Thursday in primetime. Second and Third rounds Friday night. Fourth-Seventh on Saturday. Hmmmm … so entire weekends will no longer go to waste? Mixed feelings on this one, I gotta say.
- Good for Matt Stafford: I have no idea where the banner photo above is from (apparently taken on or around the 4th of July), but it’s nice to see the #1 draft pick is enjoying himself before his first NFL training camp begins. I mean, it’s all downhill for the poor bastard in Detroit.
- The T.O. Show premiered on VH1 this week, and it was just about the steaming pile we expected it to be (see this spot-on review from the Boston Herald). The latest “reality show” addition to the VH1 non-music video stable is a badly staged outlet for Owens’ unchecked ego, and it succeeds in revealing T.O. as a bigger child off the field than even imaginable. He spends most of the show shirtless and being scolded by his publicists/friends/handlers, Mo’ and Kita (neither of whom, incidentally, were responsible for the famous “25 million reasons to live” quote during the T.O. overdose scare of 2006, like I had hoped). They nag, he rolls his eyes and flexes … the highlight of the show is waiting to see whether or not Terrell ends up nailing his realtor.
Watch the awful highlight clip after the jump, and save yourselves from watching the show.
16
Jul
2009
Hey, they still hold a Supplemental Draft!
The Washington Redskins selected DE Jeremy Jarmon in this year's supplemental draft
Yeah, it caught me by surprise too. But apparently the NFL held it’s annual Supplemental Draft today, giving teams a chance to select one of eight college players who didn’t declare for April’s draft, but then lost or gave up their eligibility for varying reasons.
In the past, the supplemental draft has resulted in a handful of impact players in the NFL – most notably QB Bernie Kosar and WR Cris Carter. Oh, and Brian Bosworth. But for the most part, few players end up making it this way, and most end up going the way of Giants QB Dave Brown.
Plus, the supplemental draft is held somewhat like a silent auction, which takes pretty much all of the fun out of the process. And clearly there’s no need to rent out Radio City and invite all 8 potential draftees down to sweat it out on national TV. But you’d think the NFL could spring for a deli on the lower east side, and have Kiper blather on for a couple hours. And there are literally NO photos of this event. It’s like they held it in a back alley … or more likely over the interweb.
Here’s how the process works, from NFL Fanhouse:
Prior to Thursday afternoon’s “draft,” each NFL team’s general manager submitted an e-mail to the league, listing which players they’d like to bid on. Those bids include what round the team would like to “select” a player in — if a team is awarded a player in the 2009 supplemental draft, it forfeits it corresponding pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
The only player selected in the 2009 Supplemental Draft was Kentucky DE Jeremy Jarmon, who went to the Washington Redskins in exchange for the 19th pick of the 3rd round in the 2010 draft. Jarmon tested positive for a banned substance, and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for his senior season.
The other 7 hopefuls who went undrafted, and now become free agents are: Blake Boyd (Western Kentucky), Torris Magee (Southern Mississippi), Dixon McKinner (Texas Tech), Joe McMahon (Central Michigan), Demetrice Morley (Tennessee), Deon Murphy (Kansas State) and Corey Surrency (Florida State).
11
Jun
2009
Taking a look at the (((2005))) NFL Draft
By Artie Fufkin and The Dark Horse
We thought it might interesting to see how NFL teams fared in the 1st round of the 2005 draft. As opposed to falling into the trap of prematurely judging this April’s draft, we felt that looking back five years was a fair amount of time to really assess who hit and who missed–with those drafted players (in some cases) hovering near the prime of their careers.
1. San Diego – Eli Manning, QB Mississippi
As we all know, Eli was shipped to the New York Football Giants for Philip Rivers and the Giants third-round pick in 2004, and their first and fifth round picks in the 2005 draft. Although the Chargers ended up getting Shawn Merriman and Nate Kaeding with the extra picks acquired, overall, this deal has worked out well for the Giants. They’ve gone on to win a Super Bowl with Eli Manning, so, that pretty much ends the debate.
Did the Eli trade work out well for the Giants? Cracker, please: YES.
2. Oakland – Robert Gallery, OT Iowa
He’s started 73 out of 74 games for the Oakland Raiders. After being the most hyped OL prospect since Tony Mandarich, Gallery hasn’t lived up to the billing, but has settled in as a steady performer for the abysmal Raiders.
3. Arizona – Larry Fitgerald, WR Pittsburgh
Arguably the #1 talent on the board in this draft, Fitzgerald has emerged as one of the top-flight wide receivers in pro football, and helped lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl.
4. NY Giants – Philip Rivers, QB North Carolina State
Despite generally coming off as a royal douche, Rivers, for the Chargers, has been a solid quarterback. After sitting behind Drew Brees for two seasons Rivers has started 48 consecutive regular season games.
5. Washington – Sean Taylor, S Miami (Fla)
Sean Taylor died of a gunshot wound in Miami, FL, on November 27, 2007. Previous to his death, he showed tremendous potential as a football player, and was one of the leagues brightest young talents.
6. Cleveland ( from Detroit) – Kellen Winslow Jr, TE Miami (Fla)
Following a disastrous, injury-plagued first two seasons in Cleveland, Winslow has transformed into a dominant and dangerous tight end who presents problems for opposing defenses. He was traded to Tampa Bay this offseason.
7. Detroit (from Cleveland) – Roy Williams, WR Texas
Now a Dallas Cowboy, Williams has more than 4,000 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in the NFL. Some feel that Dallas paid way too high a price for him, but that cannot yet be judged. Now that TO has left town, Williams will be Tony Romo’s go-to-guy, so this is a big year for him.
8. Atlanta – DeAngelo Hall, CB Virginia Tech
Hall, now a Redksin, is with his third team since 2004. Hall has superior talent as a cover corner, and is a 2-time Pro Bowler (2005, 2006). But his hot temper has gotten him in trouble. He has 22 career interceptions.
9. Jacksonville – Reggie Williams, WR Washington
A middle-tier wideout who has yet to post more than 700 receiving yards in any given season. Known as an underachiever on the field and a loud-mouth off it, Jacksonville elected not to re-sign Williams this off-season. Currently a free agent.
10. Houston – Dunta Robinson, CB South Carolina
Defensive rookie of the year in 2004. Started his first 48 games in the league, but suffered a severe knee injury in 2007. Houston used the franchise tag on Robinson this offseason, and in response Dunta is holding out.
11. Pittsburgh – Ben Roethlisberger, QB Miami (Ohio)
Two Super Bowls and the heart of the team. Pittsburgh drifted for years without a quarterback, but Ben has solved that problem entirely. Eli gets all the built-in hype, but Ben has been the best quarterback of this draft.
Thankfully for Pittsburgh, Ben could also PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION.
12. NY Jets – Jonathan Vilma, LB Miami (Fla)
The first linebacker off the board, Vilma was a 4-year starter for the Jets before having knee surgery. He came back to 16/16 games for the Saints in 2008, and is the leader of their LB corps.
13. Buffalo – Lee Evans, WR Wisconsin
Evans has been extremely solid for Buffalo, with 4,700 yards receiving and 32 touchdowns. Will benefit from TOs presence as Trent Edwards’ #2 option.
14. Chicago – Tommie Harris, DT Oklahoma
Still a starting player with the Bears, Harris is one of the better pass-rushing DTs in the league, with 24.5 sacks in his career. Has battled injuries for the last few years, and had a sub-par 2008.
15. Tampa Bay – Michael Clayton, WR LSU
As a 5-year wideout with the Bucs, Clayton has totaled 2,706 yards and 9 touchdowns. Had a breakout rookie year (1,193 yds) but his production has fallen off since due to injuries, and falling out of favor with John Gruden. Just signed a new 5-year deal with Tampa Bay.
23
May
2009
Tony Mandarich Is Doing Alright These Days
The Ryan Leaf story from yesterday got me thinking about our pre-draft piece on Tony Mandarich, and wondering what he’s up to these days.
Well wonder no more, thanks to this fascinating report from ESPN. (I guess this came out around around the draft this year, but I must have missed it. Probably because in general I loathe ESPN’s draft coverage … but they knocked this one out of the park.)
In this candid interview, Mandarich tells the story of downing a pharmacy worth of steroids while at Michigan State, and being tested for drugs less than 5 times in his career there. But things went south when Mandarich got to Green Bay as a rookie and attempted to go off the juice, cold turkey. The problem was, instead of his usual steroid cocktail, Mandarich began taking, and then shooting, painkillers – including during practice. And he says he never spent a sober day in his 4 years with the Packers.
Watch and see for yourselves:
In this piece, Mandarich comes of as a sober, contrite, intelligent & self-aware person, who fully understands the enormity of his failure in the NFL. He takes full ownership of his drug addiction, and lets the blame for his fall rest squarely on his own shoulders.
Tony Mandarich could be doing worse for himself
People (myself included) forget that Mandarich came back to play with the Colts, where he had a 3-year career as a serviceable NFL lineman.
There’s a particularly poignant section of the video (around the 6:45 mark), where Mandarich says as part of his recovery, he had to try to “make amends for the disaster you created in the NFL. You had wronged the fans, you had wronged the Packers, you embarrased the sport … how do you right that wrong?”
It seems as though Mandarich has at least taken the appropriate steps to make amends for his past sins. And maybe – just maybe – he doesn’t deserve to be lumped with some of the other draft busts that he is always associated with ( Leaf, Marinovich, Phillips, etc).
And don’t forget the happy ending: today, Mandarich runs his own Glamour/Boudoir photo company. So he’s taking pictures of hot women for a living. And this is his wife. Not bad. Not bad at all.
22
May
2009
Ryan Leaf Indicted on Drug and Burglary Charges
Ryan Leaf during his salad days at WTAMU
Our favorite NFL Draft Bust, Ryan Leaf, was indicted by a Texas jury Thursday on drug and burglary charges.
When last we heard from him, the 33-year-old former #2 overall pick and San Diego Chargers QB had been suspended from his short-lived gig as QB coach at West Texas A&M, for … get ready … asking his players for painkillers. And it seems that these latest charges – well, at least one of the nine felony charges Leaf is facing – are related to that incident.
But really, should it come as a surprise to any of us that Leaf has a need to dull the constant, nauseating pain of … er … being Ryan Leaf?? Kinda makes you feel sorry for the guy. Kind of:
The indictment said Leaf presented an incomplete medical history to several physicians between January 2008 and September 2008 to get or tr Hydrocodone.
Canyon police Lt. Dale Davis said Leaf is suspected of breaking into a Canyon apartment on Oct. 30 and stealing Hydrocodone, which had been prescribed to an injured football player.
With this latest news, Leaf has somehow managed to continue his downward spiral even further, and is now treading into Todd Marinovich territory.
11
May
2009
Darrius Heyward-Bey Hurt Himself “Running Too Fast”
Darrius Heyward-Bey working hard at Raiders mini-camp. I think he just sprained his elbow. (Photo: BaltimoreSun.com)
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey became the pariah of the 2009 NFL Draft when he was selected with the 7th overall pick of the draft by the Oakland Raiders, ahead of top-ranked receiver Michael Crabtree. Al Davis clearly had visions of Cliff Branch dancing in his head, and took DHB primarily because of his blazing speed (4.3 40-yd dash).
But apparently, the Maryland product has got too much of the quick stuff for his own good, having “sat out the final day of the Oakland Raiders’ minicamp Sunday because of a sore hamstring and fatigue”
“Just tightened up,” Heyward-Bey said. “My legs are a little too tight. Running too fast.”
Heyward-Bey, who had the fastest 40 time at the Scouting Combine in February, was injured late in Saturday’s practice and did not work out in the afternoon.
That’s right. He was running too fast, and got tired. Yikes. This one is going south faster than anyone could have expected. Oh, and the Raiders’ 2nd round pick – S Mike Mitchell – missed the workout as well…. for “similar reasons”
I think it’s nice that they let people sit out practice in Oakland because they’re too tired. I hope they give the guy a nice comfy couch to sit on, and maybe a nice parfait while he’s hanging out on the sidelines too. He’s worked hard enough already.
Check out an ESPN video report on Darrius Heyward-Bey, after the jump.
Here are your Monday Evening Links:
- Peter King lists his early NFL Power Rankings. 1) Pats 2) Steelers 3) Giants 4) Bears
- In case you’d like to get caught up on who your favorite team signed and re-signed this off-season, here is a comprehensive list of the 2009 NFL unrestricted & restricted Free Agent Signings
- This is what Vikings DE Jared Allen has chosen to do with his head [Shutdown Corner]
Chris Kane had this same haircut back in the day (Photo: Shutdown Corner)
1
May
2009
Why was Graham Harrell overlooked?
There’s a great article on cbssports.com by writer Gregg Doyel describing the draft process that left Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell–who three for 45 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards last season–undrafted.
From the article, comparing Graham to Kansas State’s Josh Freeman: “Freeman was 10th in the Big 12 this past season in pass efficiency. Not 10th in the country — 10th in his (12-team) league. And that impressed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so much that they picked him in the first round, 17th overall. Meanwhile, playing in the same league as Freeman, Harrell finished his college career with more touchdown passes (134) than anyone, ever, and with the No. 2 total in passing yards (15,793). That’s after finishing his high school career with the most passing yards (12,532) and touchdowns (167) in Texas schoolboy history. He breaks records in high school. Breaks more in college. Of course he can’t play in the NFL.”
This week. Graham found a home… in Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We all know that Cleveland needs a hero… maybe he’s arrived?
29
Apr
2009
SI’s Impact Players of the 2009 Rookie Class
6'6" WR Ramses Barden has a chance to replace Plaxico Burress as Eli Manning's red zone target in NY (Photo by Ben Liebenberg)
SportsIllustrated.com has selected their NFL Rookies With an early chance to shine in 2009.
Again, this is basically an exercise in futility, but that’s what we’re all about here at ReadAndReact, right? SI’s Don Banks looks at the NFL teams/situations where draftees have landed, and selects his impact players at each position based on their likelihood to contribute right away.
At WR, even though the Giants selected Hakeem Nicks in the 1st round, Banks thinks it’s their 3rd round pick, Ramses Barden who will make the biggest splash in NY:
While I think Cleveland second-round pick Brian Robiskie is going to walk into a major role in the Browns’ receiver-thin offense, on a hunch I’m giving my top billing to Barden, the 6-foot-6 Cal Poly product who is slated to inherit Plaxico Burress’s job of out-skying opposing cornerbacks and safeties in the red zone. Barden caught 50 touchdowns in college, so it’s a key role the third-round pick appears up for.
Other impact players of note include RB Donald Brown (Colts), C Alex Mack (Browns) and LB James Laurenitis (Rams).
On the flip side, RedZoneReport has their Top 10 2009 NFL Draft Bust Candidates. Interestingly, both articles selected the same player at #1 – QB Mark Sanchez (Jets).
And, one more reminder to check out the list of Undrafted Free Agent signings, to see which players your teams will be bringing into camp for a look.
