PRO DAY NOTES & THE CHIEFS SIGN ANOTHER FREE AGENT
I know it looks like I'm beginning to sound like a broken record(you remember records right?) but Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is going to end up costing himself some real money if he doesn't cut this diva act. Bryant hasn't played since last October when he was suspended for the remainder of the season by the NCAA for lying to investigators about a lunch date at Deion Sanders' home. Not a capitol crime to be sure but it was the lie that hung him. Then Bryant refused to work out at the combine saying he would perform for NFL coaches & scouts at OSU's pro day on March 10th. That came & went with no Bryant in his gym shorts. He told the pros he would work out on March 25th on campus. Now he's changed his schedule yet again, saying he wants to have a private workout in Lufkin Texas, his hometown, on March 30th. With every change, fewer NFL types are responding to his agent's emails & text messages. Lesser interest could equal less cash for Dez.
Florida had their pro day on campus today & the much ballyhooed Tim Tebow passing exhibition took place. Nearly 60 NFL personnel were in attendance & their reaction to his new & improved throwing motion was mixed to be honest. Some were impressed with the change while others said the change was nice but Tebow still has a lot of work to do before he could ever be considered at an NFL starting quarterback level. Cornerback Joe Haden, who had run a 4.57 & 4.62 forty at the combine, picked it up today running 4.52 on most of the hand clockings. That was on a wet field too. Once again, a guy runs a sub-par time at the combine & panic sets in. If you watched the Gators play this season, you saw an exceptional cornerback in Haden. Is he Champ Bailey in his prime? Is he Darrelle Revis? Maybe not, but he is a fine football player & what are they drafting these days, track stars or football players? A Gator who wasn't invited to the combine, inside linebacker Ryan Stamper, didn't work out because of a recent back strain. I wanted to see his timings in the forty & short shuttle. He's always been a tackling machine at Florida & I think he can be an excellent special teams player at the next level. Whether or not he can play every down with the big boys is unknown, but I would've like to seen him clocked today. DE Carlos Dunlap wowed everyone with his workout, but his athleticism has never been an issue. Dunlap's motor, desire & work ethic have always been the question marks. Last season Kansas City took Tyson Jackson with the 3rd overall pick. Dunlap is 2" taller while carrying the same weight, much quicker & faster, has great pass rushing abilities(when he's ready to play) & yet he will be drafted 10-20 picks lower than Jackson.
Tony Richardson has signed another 1-year deal to play with the Jets. The 17-year veteran is still one of the leagues' premier lead blockers(Jets led the NFL in rushing) & superior locker room leaders. T-Rich is another guy Carl Peterson let get away over $200,000 when the salary cap was almost $73 million. Still the only guy in the NFL wearing #49 on his jersey.
Rex Grossman continues to be employed at the highest level. The Washington Redskins signed the former Bear & Texan to a one-year deal to backup whoever is the eventual starter. Former Brown quarterback, Derek Anderson, signed with the Arizona Cardinals today with some pretty stout guaranteed money for a backup. The $7.25 million guarantee tells me the Cardinal brass might not be totally sold on Matt Leinart.
The Chiefs signed Ryan Lilja to a 3-year deal with $7.5 million of it guaranteed. The former Shawnee Mission Northwest & Kansas State guard was signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2005 before going to the Colts for 5 seasons. Todd Haley said Lilja was at the top of the depth chart at right guard, Wade Smith's old spot. With the addition of Casey Wiegman & Lilja plus the weight loss by Brandon Albert last season, the Chiefs are getting smaller. I sure would like to see Russell Okung or Bryan Bulaga manning that left tackle spot in September.
I saw something that caught my eye in The Kansas City Star the other day. Adam Teicher was speculating that cornerback Brandon Flowers might be the best player on defense. Might? I would say unquestionably, Flowers is the best player on the Chiefs' defense. If they had 5 more guys with equal skill sets, they would have a playoff caliber defense. He's a fine player who should stay productive for a long time, it's important to him.
Florida had their pro day on campus today & the much ballyhooed Tim Tebow passing exhibition took place. Nearly 60 NFL personnel were in attendance & their reaction to his new & improved throwing motion was mixed to be honest. Some were impressed with the change while others said the change was nice but Tebow still has a lot of work to do before he could ever be considered at an NFL starting quarterback level. Cornerback Joe Haden, who had run a 4.57 & 4.62 forty at the combine, picked it up today running 4.52 on most of the hand clockings. That was on a wet field too. Once again, a guy runs a sub-par time at the combine & panic sets in. If you watched the Gators play this season, you saw an exceptional cornerback in Haden. Is he Champ Bailey in his prime? Is he Darrelle Revis? Maybe not, but he is a fine football player & what are they drafting these days, track stars or football players? A Gator who wasn't invited to the combine, inside linebacker Ryan Stamper, didn't work out because of a recent back strain. I wanted to see his timings in the forty & short shuttle. He's always been a tackling machine at Florida & I think he can be an excellent special teams player at the next level. Whether or not he can play every down with the big boys is unknown, but I would've like to seen him clocked today. DE Carlos Dunlap wowed everyone with his workout, but his athleticism has never been an issue. Dunlap's motor, desire & work ethic have always been the question marks. Last season Kansas City took Tyson Jackson with the 3rd overall pick. Dunlap is 2" taller while carrying the same weight, much quicker & faster, has great pass rushing abilities(when he's ready to play) & yet he will be drafted 10-20 picks lower than Jackson.
Tony Richardson has signed another 1-year deal to play with the Jets. The 17-year veteran is still one of the leagues' premier lead blockers(Jets led the NFL in rushing) & superior locker room leaders. T-Rich is another guy Carl Peterson let get away over $200,000 when the salary cap was almost $73 million. Still the only guy in the NFL wearing #49 on his jersey.
Rex Grossman continues to be employed at the highest level. The Washington Redskins signed the former Bear & Texan to a one-year deal to backup whoever is the eventual starter. Former Brown quarterback, Derek Anderson, signed with the Arizona Cardinals today with some pretty stout guaranteed money for a backup. The $7.25 million guarantee tells me the Cardinal brass might not be totally sold on Matt Leinart.
The Chiefs signed Ryan Lilja to a 3-year deal with $7.5 million of it guaranteed. The former Shawnee Mission Northwest & Kansas State guard was signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2005 before going to the Colts for 5 seasons. Todd Haley said Lilja was at the top of the depth chart at right guard, Wade Smith's old spot. With the addition of Casey Wiegman & Lilja plus the weight loss by Brandon Albert last season, the Chiefs are getting smaller. I sure would like to see Russell Okung or Bryan Bulaga manning that left tackle spot in September.
I saw something that caught my eye in The Kansas City Star the other day. Adam Teicher was speculating that cornerback Brandon Flowers might be the best player on defense. Might? I would say unquestionably, Flowers is the best player on the Chiefs' defense. If they had 5 more guys with equal skill sets, they would have a playoff caliber defense. He's a fine player who should stay productive for a long time, it's important to him.
Comments