THIS AND THAT..........MONDAY
Two of the NFL's biggest stars, lost to injury in 2008, are now 100% according to both players. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati quarterback, has fully recovered from an elbow injury & is throwing without any restrictions. San Diego linebacker, Shawne Merriman, not only claims that he feels 100% better, he jokingly added he looked much better too. A big sigh of relief was heard in Cincinnati & San Diego.
Plaxico Burress, New York Giant wide receiver & resident pinhead, is due in court tomorrow. He's facing a minimum 3 1/2 year sentence for his unregistered gun complaint but I smell a plea bargain. If it's knocked down to a misdemeanor & why shouldn't it be, he's a star athlete, he will probably do 90-120 days in jail. That would get him out in time for the preseason. A hefty fine (is $10,000 hefty to someone who makes $5 million a year?) would certainly be levied along with the usually bogus 'community service'. The guy continually flaunts rules & laws & I think he'll get away with a slap on the wrist yet again.
Houston running back Ryan Moats is my winner of the 'turn the other cheek' award. If you haven't heard his story, I'll relate it & then think about how you'd react. Moats & his wife were racing to the hospital late one night last week, Moats' mother-in-law was very near death. Moats, driving with his emergency flashers on & maintaining the speed limit, rolled through a red light on a deserted downtown Dallas street a few blocks from the hospital. Dallas police officer, Robert Powell, pursued Moats into the emergency entrance & as Moats & his wife emerged from their car, Powell drew his gun. They tried to tell Powell about their dying relative, but he couldn't have cared less. As Tamisha Moats started toward the emergency room door, Powell pointed his gun at her, telling her to get back to his car. Ryan Moats was very calm & respectful throughout the entire 13-minute episode, all caught on the police cruisers dash cam. Powell continued barking orders & ultimatums. Finally a nurse came out onto the driveway & told the cop what was going on inside & he released Tamisha Moats. Ryan was given his ticket & released minutes later. The woman passed away just before they arrived at her bedside. I watched this entire video twice & was very disturbed by it. Officially the Dallas Police Department has suspended Powell with pay for now & has expressed regret for his actions. Now accusations from the wife of Zach Thomas, formerly of the Cowboys & Dolphins, have surfaced accusing Powell of handcuffing her & taking her to jail for an illegal u-turn & not having her insurance card with her. Powell apologized on Good Morning America & the Moats accepted the cop's apology, though Tamisha said she wished it had been made to them personally. Agreed. I'm a law & order guy, but this sure looked like profiling to me & it was really offensive. I expect the Moats' are now being pursued by the best ambulance chasers in Texas in hopes of filing a lawsuit.
A couple of draft notes quickly. Representatives of 31 teams were present at the pro day on campus for Richmond U. They were there basically to see one guy, Lawrence Sidbury, a defensive end. Sidbury caught the spotlight late last season when the Spiders were televised twice in the Div. I playoffs. He literally jumped off the screen at me. He played in the East-West Shrine All-Star Game & impressed vs tougher competition. He was then called by Senior Bowl officials to be an injury replacement. He made the most of it, impressing all of the pro scouts on hand for Senior Bowl practices. I love this kid, he could be a great 3rd down situational defender. He has a real burst off the edge & he showed it in February at the combine turning in the fastest 40-yard dash time amongst all the defensive linemen. He's 6' 2 3/8" & 266 pounds, with a 35" vertical jump & 28 reps on the 225-lb bench press.
The Ravens have scheduled a private visit & workout with N.C. State RB Andre Brown. I think Brown is a fine late 2nd to early 3rd round prospect but what's wrong with this picture? The Ravens have Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain & Ray Rice, all productive RB's & all currently under contract, am I missing something?
In what must be one of the more strange pro day reports, Western Ontario was host for an on campus workout for one of their own, Vaughn Martin. Needless to say I'd never heard of him. The Jamaican immigrant can't be drafted by the CFL until his eligibility is exhausted in 2011. He wants to go pro now & after seeing his workout numbers, I think someone will take a chance on this 22-year old defensive lineman. He has the size at 6' 4" & 327 pounds. He ran a 5.04 in the 40-yard dash, an eye-popping time for someone weighing 327. He showed his strength too, doing 32 reps on the bench press. I remember years ago when the Chiefs took a flyer on a wide receiver playing in Canada with eligibility remaining. His name was Joe Horn, so who knows.
Plaxico Burress, New York Giant wide receiver & resident pinhead, is due in court tomorrow. He's facing a minimum 3 1/2 year sentence for his unregistered gun complaint but I smell a plea bargain. If it's knocked down to a misdemeanor & why shouldn't it be, he's a star athlete, he will probably do 90-120 days in jail. That would get him out in time for the preseason. A hefty fine (is $10,000 hefty to someone who makes $5 million a year?) would certainly be levied along with the usually bogus 'community service'. The guy continually flaunts rules & laws & I think he'll get away with a slap on the wrist yet again.
Houston running back Ryan Moats is my winner of the 'turn the other cheek' award. If you haven't heard his story, I'll relate it & then think about how you'd react. Moats & his wife were racing to the hospital late one night last week, Moats' mother-in-law was very near death. Moats, driving with his emergency flashers on & maintaining the speed limit, rolled through a red light on a deserted downtown Dallas street a few blocks from the hospital. Dallas police officer, Robert Powell, pursued Moats into the emergency entrance & as Moats & his wife emerged from their car, Powell drew his gun. They tried to tell Powell about their dying relative, but he couldn't have cared less. As Tamisha Moats started toward the emergency room door, Powell pointed his gun at her, telling her to get back to his car. Ryan Moats was very calm & respectful throughout the entire 13-minute episode, all caught on the police cruisers dash cam. Powell continued barking orders & ultimatums. Finally a nurse came out onto the driveway & told the cop what was going on inside & he released Tamisha Moats. Ryan was given his ticket & released minutes later. The woman passed away just before they arrived at her bedside. I watched this entire video twice & was very disturbed by it. Officially the Dallas Police Department has suspended Powell with pay for now & has expressed regret for his actions. Now accusations from the wife of Zach Thomas, formerly of the Cowboys & Dolphins, have surfaced accusing Powell of handcuffing her & taking her to jail for an illegal u-turn & not having her insurance card with her. Powell apologized on Good Morning America & the Moats accepted the cop's apology, though Tamisha said she wished it had been made to them personally. Agreed. I'm a law & order guy, but this sure looked like profiling to me & it was really offensive. I expect the Moats' are now being pursued by the best ambulance chasers in Texas in hopes of filing a lawsuit.
A couple of draft notes quickly. Representatives of 31 teams were present at the pro day on campus for Richmond U. They were there basically to see one guy, Lawrence Sidbury, a defensive end. Sidbury caught the spotlight late last season when the Spiders were televised twice in the Div. I playoffs. He literally jumped off the screen at me. He played in the East-West Shrine All-Star Game & impressed vs tougher competition. He was then called by Senior Bowl officials to be an injury replacement. He made the most of it, impressing all of the pro scouts on hand for Senior Bowl practices. I love this kid, he could be a great 3rd down situational defender. He has a real burst off the edge & he showed it in February at the combine turning in the fastest 40-yard dash time amongst all the defensive linemen. He's 6' 2 3/8" & 266 pounds, with a 35" vertical jump & 28 reps on the 225-lb bench press.
The Ravens have scheduled a private visit & workout with N.C. State RB Andre Brown. I think Brown is a fine late 2nd to early 3rd round prospect but what's wrong with this picture? The Ravens have Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain & Ray Rice, all productive RB's & all currently under contract, am I missing something?
In what must be one of the more strange pro day reports, Western Ontario was host for an on campus workout for one of their own, Vaughn Martin. Needless to say I'd never heard of him. The Jamaican immigrant can't be drafted by the CFL until his eligibility is exhausted in 2011. He wants to go pro now & after seeing his workout numbers, I think someone will take a chance on this 22-year old defensive lineman. He has the size at 6' 4" & 327 pounds. He ran a 5.04 in the 40-yard dash, an eye-popping time for someone weighing 327. He showed his strength too, doing 32 reps on the bench press. I remember years ago when the Chiefs took a flyer on a wide receiver playing in Canada with eligibility remaining. His name was Joe Horn, so who knows.
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