DEZ MAKING SOME SURPRISE VISITS, SKINS GRIPING ABOUT ALBERT'S ABSENCE & DHB FINDS OUT JUST HOW UNPOPULAR HE IS
Dez Bryant visited Pittsburgh & New England in the last two days. Somewhat surprising since Dez is considered to be a top-10 talent & Pittsburgh at 18 & the Pats sitting in the 22nd spot don't figure to have a shot at the enigmatic wide receiver. In regard to Pittsburgh's interest, I'd say it's a combination of things. Hines Ward is getting up there in years, Limas Sweed is a 2nd round bust so far & Santonio Holmes continues to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, bring bad publicity to a proud franchise already reeling from Ben Roethlisberger's missteps. Only 2nd year man Mike Wallace looks like he'll be on this roster in 3 years. They also hosted Notre Dame's Golden Tate, a receiver more inline with their football philosophy. I don't see Dez as a Steeler, but we'll see. I do however, see Bryant as a Patriot. Bill Belichick certainly isn't afraid of the diva-type wide receiver. Tho not comparable to the talent of Randy Moss, his probable fall down draft boards is similar to that of Moss back in 1998 when he fell to the 21st pick & was selected by Minnesota. The Pats have three 2nd round choices & a slight move-up to snag Bryant is something I could see happening.
With all but one Redskin veteran on hand for the off-season workouts, a few of those vets are starting to make their feelings known about the one guy not in attendance, Albert Haynesworth. Fellow defensive lineman Lorenzo Alexander & fullback Mike Sellers both spoke to The Washington Post about their disappointment & displeasure in Haynesworth's decision to stay away. The $100 million man is in a standoff with new coach Mike Shanahan about the switch in defensive schemes to a 3-4, putting Albert on the nose. Haynesworth wants no part of the nose tackle position & actually I agree it's somewhat of a waste of his abilities skill set. The coach really wants Albert on a different team for 2010, but so far, thanks to owner Daniel Snider's grossly bloated free agent contract he gave Haynesworth, the Skins might be stuck with him for now. And his teammates will continue to grumble.
For my readers down in the DFW area, don't forget to stay up all night Saturday so you can get over to the old Texas Stadium site by 2AM for the pre-implosion tailgate party. They're scheduled to drop the stadium at 7AM & you can see it live on ESPN3 or The NFL Network. But the best way to experience it is to wake up the kids, throw 'em in the minivan, get out to Arlington so you can have the privilege to pay $25 & witness the entire 10-seconds of this monumental bit of Cowboy history. Mike & Kim, I'm depending on you to document this important moment, I doubt I'll roll over & hit the remote at 6:59AM Sunday morning.
I have to give Raven coach John Harbaugh some credit. He's a defensive guy but he isn't sparing any money in an attempt to help his offense & 3rd year QB Joe Flacco become more productive. They obtained WR Anquan Boldin in February & re-signed WR Derrick Mason. As soon as he was fired by the Redskins, Jim Zorn was added to the Raven staff to coach the QB's. Now Al Saunders has been named offensive consultant to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Saunders & Cameron will compose the game plan. These are three really sharp offensive minds. I look for the Ravens to add another wide receiver & tight end early in the upcoming draft.
I'm not a fan of Joe Theisman, I had to deal with him a few times in Las Vegas, so I'm going to leave it at that. But yesterday Joe finally said something I'm in complete agreement with, he's not a fan of JaMarcus Russell. Joe said "I can tell you conclusively that JaMarcus Russell never will play quarterback in the national Football League. He just doesn't get it. They ought to trade for Jason Campbell, who does get it." He's right on both counts. Yes, Joe finally got one right.
Darius Heyward-Bey, the 1st round bust(so-far) of the Oakland Raiders decided to change numbers in an effort to begin his career(?) in Oakland all over again. The Raiders & the NFL informed DHB that he couldn't switch from #12 to #85 until all of the #12 jerseys with his name on them were sold.The seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft was depressed, he said "it may take forever to sell all those jerseys." Even more sad was when he was informed it would take significantly less than $10K to buy up all the jerseys. I wish I knew how much less "significantly less" is. He quietly paid off the tab on the unsold jerseys & officially changed his number to 85. Anyone for Darius Heyward-Ochocinco?
Any comments or questions? Please submit comments at the end of any article or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
With all but one Redskin veteran on hand for the off-season workouts, a few of those vets are starting to make their feelings known about the one guy not in attendance, Albert Haynesworth. Fellow defensive lineman Lorenzo Alexander & fullback Mike Sellers both spoke to The Washington Post about their disappointment & displeasure in Haynesworth's decision to stay away. The $100 million man is in a standoff with new coach Mike Shanahan about the switch in defensive schemes to a 3-4, putting Albert on the nose. Haynesworth wants no part of the nose tackle position & actually I agree it's somewhat of a waste of his abilities skill set. The coach really wants Albert on a different team for 2010, but so far, thanks to owner Daniel Snider's grossly bloated free agent contract he gave Haynesworth, the Skins might be stuck with him for now. And his teammates will continue to grumble.
For my readers down in the DFW area, don't forget to stay up all night Saturday so you can get over to the old Texas Stadium site by 2AM for the pre-implosion tailgate party. They're scheduled to drop the stadium at 7AM & you can see it live on ESPN3 or The NFL Network. But the best way to experience it is to wake up the kids, throw 'em in the minivan, get out to Arlington so you can have the privilege to pay $25 & witness the entire 10-seconds of this monumental bit of Cowboy history. Mike & Kim, I'm depending on you to document this important moment, I doubt I'll roll over & hit the remote at 6:59AM Sunday morning.
I have to give Raven coach John Harbaugh some credit. He's a defensive guy but he isn't sparing any money in an attempt to help his offense & 3rd year QB Joe Flacco become more productive. They obtained WR Anquan Boldin in February & re-signed WR Derrick Mason. As soon as he was fired by the Redskins, Jim Zorn was added to the Raven staff to coach the QB's. Now Al Saunders has been named offensive consultant to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Saunders & Cameron will compose the game plan. These are three really sharp offensive minds. I look for the Ravens to add another wide receiver & tight end early in the upcoming draft.
I'm not a fan of Joe Theisman, I had to deal with him a few times in Las Vegas, so I'm going to leave it at that. But yesterday Joe finally said something I'm in complete agreement with, he's not a fan of JaMarcus Russell. Joe said "I can tell you conclusively that JaMarcus Russell never will play quarterback in the national Football League. He just doesn't get it. They ought to trade for Jason Campbell, who does get it." He's right on both counts. Yes, Joe finally got one right.
Darius Heyward-Bey, the 1st round bust(so-far) of the Oakland Raiders decided to change numbers in an effort to begin his career(?) in Oakland all over again. The Raiders & the NFL informed DHB that he couldn't switch from #12 to #85 until all of the #12 jerseys with his name on them were sold.The seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft was depressed, he said "it may take forever to sell all those jerseys." Even more sad was when he was informed it would take significantly less than $10K to buy up all the jerseys. I wish I knew how much less "significantly less" is. He quietly paid off the tab on the unsold jerseys & officially changed his number to 85. Anyone for Darius Heyward-Ochocinco?
Any comments or questions? Please submit comments at the end of any article or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
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