FRIDAY'S NOTES ON FREE AGENCY, THE COMBINE, A JUICY TRADE POSSIBILITY & WHAT 2,000-YARD RUSHER WAS RELEASED?
Three guys I liked in free agency will all be staying put next season. The Niners' have put the franchise tag on nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, Tennessee signed center/guard Eugene Amano to a new 5-year deal & officials with the Raiders have made it very clear defensive lineman Richard Seymour will either receive a new contract before the February 25th deadline or he'll get the franchise tag. Look for the Raiders to get the deal done, the franchise tag would set Oakland back over $12 million. One unrestricted free agent who will likely be turned loose is Houston cornerback Dunta Robinson. He played with the franchise tag last season & if Houston were to slap it on him again, they would be obligated to pay him nearly $12 million, a bloated contract for a corner who's never made the Pro Bowl.
Last season before the Carolina Panthers 'franchised' defensive end Julius Peppers, there was a lot of crosstalk suggesting the New England Patriots were very interested in him. That talk has surfaced again & if Carolina doesn't trade him, they'll get nothing for him. He got over $16 million last season & would be in line for an additional $4.2 mil for putting the franchise tag on him 2 years in a row. Peppers won't becomes the first $20 million defensive end, no way, he's gone. When the Pats traded Richard Seymour last August, they gave up a lot of play making on their defensive line, the kind Peppers makes often.
I know I poke fun at Jerry Jones quite often, but a quote from his son Stephen cracked me up when I read it. When questioned about the possibility the Cowboys would 'franchise' their leading receiver, Miles Austin, a restricted free agent, Jones said "We're not worried, who's going to pay 1st & 3rd round draft picks for a receiver? No one was willing to part with a 1st round pick for Anquan Boldin last year, so no, we're not worried." Hey Stephen, exactly what did the Cowboys give Detroit for major disappointment, Roy Williams? Well, to refresh your memory, they traded a 1st, a 3rd & a 5th for Williams. If I'm the receiver-starved Baltimore Ravens sitting there with the 25th pick in the 1st round, I'd consider giving up a 1st & 3rd for Austin. The Ravens are only a few players from being serious Super Bowl contenders & taking a productive, veteran receiver over an unknown college player who might be a year or two away, makes sense to me. If they want Joe Flacco to make serious strides as a QB, he needs much better receivers. Yeah, I'd do it in Baltimore's spot, careful Stephen.
I saw where ESPN.com's Mike Sando had some juicy trade ideas the other day. One of them really made sense to me. How about Derrick Johnson for Anquan Boldin? Boldin wants out of Arizona, he played for Todd Haley & he wants a new contract. DJ wants out of Kansas City, Todd Haley isn't a fan plus he's a restricted free agent. Arizona is losing LB Karlos Dansby to free agency, no franchise tag again, he'll be leaving the desert soon. Getting another veteran linebacker might be something Arizona would embrace. Please don't send me your thoughts about Boldin being Boldin because he played with Larry Fitzgerald & Kurt Warner. Boldin caught 101 passes in his rookie season with Jeff Blake & Luke McCown as his quarterbacks, he had Shaun King his 2nd season & Leinart has started over 20 games since he was drafted. Boldin set NFL records as being the fastest to both 300 & 400 receptions. The guy can play, plus he is more of a #1 receiver than Dwayne Bowe to be sure. He won't be 30 until October & his stats of 586 receptions & 44 touchdowns dwarf any wideout the Chiefs have had since Stephone Page. Drafting a college player is often a crap shoot plus they take a while to get into the pro passing game. Of course this trade will never happen, it makes too much sense. But we can always dream right?
How good is Boise State, or how good is working for Boise State? Ask former Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, he left the Bears after 8-years in the D.C. position to move to Boise with no promotion & for less money. Huh? Gregory said he & his family decided Boise was the place for their family with a much better quality of life than Berkley. The loss in revenue was ever-so-slight, but it was less. Gregory said their money goes much further in Idaho than California too, no argument there. Not a move you see very often, if ever.
Two wide receiver prospects slated to appear in next week's NFL Combine have been forced to undergo surgery. Georgia Tech's Damaryius Thomas, a possible 1st round selection, broke his foot this week preparing for the combine. He was running the 3-cone drill when he suffered the injury. Mizzou's Danario Alexander underwent knee surgery, his 3rd, after injuring it during Senior Bowl preparation. Alexander said he hurt the knee in Wednesday's practice & tho there was swelling, there was little pain. Playing in the game, he tweaked it again & now there was pain to go with the swelling. After consulting several orthopedic specialists, including Dr. James Andrews, Alexander underwent the surgery. Alexander will not only miss the combine, he won't even be able to workout for scouts at Mizzou's Pro Day before April's Draft. This is really a shame, this kid has fought back repeatedly from injury. He led all of college football this season in receiving yardage & looked like he was finally going to shake the injury bug. He will be lucky to be drafted at all now & frankly, you have to wonder just how many times he can rebound from these injuries & still have any impact at the next level.
I was very pleased, but not surprised, Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamakong Suh will run all the drills & lift at the combine next week. So often players like Suh refuse to be a part of the cattle-call the combine has become. He had turned down a chance to play in the Senior Bowl last month. Suh is the best D-lineman I've seen come out of college since Reggie White. He may not be as productive in the pro's as White, but it won't be for any lack of effort. Suh is very smart, very disciplined, never takes a play off, wasn't blocked by one man at the college level & has no holes in his game. Plus he has perfect size & can run. I hate the Huskers, but I loved watching this guy play. He almost single-handedly beat Mizzou back in October.
Chiefs' fans beware, there are more LSU players scheduled to participate at the combine than from any other school, twelve. After three straight LSU players being drafted #1 by Kansas City(Bowe, Dorsey & Jackson), I think there could be some bad P.R. if the Chiefs go to the LSU well again in April.
The Missouri Tigers announced they have a new season ticket deal for a limited number of seats in the South endzone. These elevated seats, 550 in all, can be had for all six home games for $600. Seams like a lot? Well they've made endzone seats a much more desirable with unlimited concessions & soft drinks all served in a temperature controlled tent immediately behind these seats. You can also purchase reserved parking adjacent to this section. They also will have their own private restrooms & the section borders the tunnel the Tigers use to go to & from their locker room. Each of the seats is newly padded for your comfort. Sadly the 2010 home schedule isn't too attractive with McNeese State, San Diego State, Miami of Ohio, Colorado, Oklahoma & Kansas State, making these chairs a little tougher sell.
The Cleveland Browns released Jamal Lewis on Wednesday. The former 2,000-yard rusher looked like he was running on empty early on in the 2009 season, only gaining 500 yards & no touchdowns before he was replaced by Jerome Harrison in week 13. Lewis gained 2,066 yards for Baltimore in 2003. In the 2 games he played against the Browns, he gained 295 & 205 yards, 500 total. How ugly is that? I expect someone will sign Lewis, but he'll be 31 in August & there's not much tread left on those tires.
Last season before the Carolina Panthers 'franchised' defensive end Julius Peppers, there was a lot of crosstalk suggesting the New England Patriots were very interested in him. That talk has surfaced again & if Carolina doesn't trade him, they'll get nothing for him. He got over $16 million last season & would be in line for an additional $4.2 mil for putting the franchise tag on him 2 years in a row. Peppers won't becomes the first $20 million defensive end, no way, he's gone. When the Pats traded Richard Seymour last August, they gave up a lot of play making on their defensive line, the kind Peppers makes often.
I know I poke fun at Jerry Jones quite often, but a quote from his son Stephen cracked me up when I read it. When questioned about the possibility the Cowboys would 'franchise' their leading receiver, Miles Austin, a restricted free agent, Jones said "We're not worried, who's going to pay 1st & 3rd round draft picks for a receiver? No one was willing to part with a 1st round pick for Anquan Boldin last year, so no, we're not worried." Hey Stephen, exactly what did the Cowboys give Detroit for major disappointment, Roy Williams? Well, to refresh your memory, they traded a 1st, a 3rd & a 5th for Williams. If I'm the receiver-starved Baltimore Ravens sitting there with the 25th pick in the 1st round, I'd consider giving up a 1st & 3rd for Austin. The Ravens are only a few players from being serious Super Bowl contenders & taking a productive, veteran receiver over an unknown college player who might be a year or two away, makes sense to me. If they want Joe Flacco to make serious strides as a QB, he needs much better receivers. Yeah, I'd do it in Baltimore's spot, careful Stephen.
I saw where ESPN.com's Mike Sando had some juicy trade ideas the other day. One of them really made sense to me. How about Derrick Johnson for Anquan Boldin? Boldin wants out of Arizona, he played for Todd Haley & he wants a new contract. DJ wants out of Kansas City, Todd Haley isn't a fan plus he's a restricted free agent. Arizona is losing LB Karlos Dansby to free agency, no franchise tag again, he'll be leaving the desert soon. Getting another veteran linebacker might be something Arizona would embrace. Please don't send me your thoughts about Boldin being Boldin because he played with Larry Fitzgerald & Kurt Warner. Boldin caught 101 passes in his rookie season with Jeff Blake & Luke McCown as his quarterbacks, he had Shaun King his 2nd season & Leinart has started over 20 games since he was drafted. Boldin set NFL records as being the fastest to both 300 & 400 receptions. The guy can play, plus he is more of a #1 receiver than Dwayne Bowe to be sure. He won't be 30 until October & his stats of 586 receptions & 44 touchdowns dwarf any wideout the Chiefs have had since Stephone Page. Drafting a college player is often a crap shoot plus they take a while to get into the pro passing game. Of course this trade will never happen, it makes too much sense. But we can always dream right?
How good is Boise State, or how good is working for Boise State? Ask former Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, he left the Bears after 8-years in the D.C. position to move to Boise with no promotion & for less money. Huh? Gregory said he & his family decided Boise was the place for their family with a much better quality of life than Berkley. The loss in revenue was ever-so-slight, but it was less. Gregory said their money goes much further in Idaho than California too, no argument there. Not a move you see very often, if ever.
Two wide receiver prospects slated to appear in next week's NFL Combine have been forced to undergo surgery. Georgia Tech's Damaryius Thomas, a possible 1st round selection, broke his foot this week preparing for the combine. He was running the 3-cone drill when he suffered the injury. Mizzou's Danario Alexander underwent knee surgery, his 3rd, after injuring it during Senior Bowl preparation. Alexander said he hurt the knee in Wednesday's practice & tho there was swelling, there was little pain. Playing in the game, he tweaked it again & now there was pain to go with the swelling. After consulting several orthopedic specialists, including Dr. James Andrews, Alexander underwent the surgery. Alexander will not only miss the combine, he won't even be able to workout for scouts at Mizzou's Pro Day before April's Draft. This is really a shame, this kid has fought back repeatedly from injury. He led all of college football this season in receiving yardage & looked like he was finally going to shake the injury bug. He will be lucky to be drafted at all now & frankly, you have to wonder just how many times he can rebound from these injuries & still have any impact at the next level.
I was very pleased, but not surprised, Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamakong Suh will run all the drills & lift at the combine next week. So often players like Suh refuse to be a part of the cattle-call the combine has become. He had turned down a chance to play in the Senior Bowl last month. Suh is the best D-lineman I've seen come out of college since Reggie White. He may not be as productive in the pro's as White, but it won't be for any lack of effort. Suh is very smart, very disciplined, never takes a play off, wasn't blocked by one man at the college level & has no holes in his game. Plus he has perfect size & can run. I hate the Huskers, but I loved watching this guy play. He almost single-handedly beat Mizzou back in October.
Chiefs' fans beware, there are more LSU players scheduled to participate at the combine than from any other school, twelve. After three straight LSU players being drafted #1 by Kansas City(Bowe, Dorsey & Jackson), I think there could be some bad P.R. if the Chiefs go to the LSU well again in April.
The Missouri Tigers announced they have a new season ticket deal for a limited number of seats in the South endzone. These elevated seats, 550 in all, can be had for all six home games for $600. Seams like a lot? Well they've made endzone seats a much more desirable with unlimited concessions & soft drinks all served in a temperature controlled tent immediately behind these seats. You can also purchase reserved parking adjacent to this section. They also will have their own private restrooms & the section borders the tunnel the Tigers use to go to & from their locker room. Each of the seats is newly padded for your comfort. Sadly the 2010 home schedule isn't too attractive with McNeese State, San Diego State, Miami of Ohio, Colorado, Oklahoma & Kansas State, making these chairs a little tougher sell.
The Cleveland Browns released Jamal Lewis on Wednesday. The former 2,000-yard rusher looked like he was running on empty early on in the 2009 season, only gaining 500 yards & no touchdowns before he was replaced by Jerome Harrison in week 13. Lewis gained 2,066 yards for Baltimore in 2003. In the 2 games he played against the Browns, he gained 295 & 205 yards, 500 total. How ugly is that? I expect someone will sign Lewis, but he'll be 31 in August & there's not much tread left on those tires.
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