LABOR TALKS UNRAVELING, SOME PRO DAY REPORTS & WHO WANTS TIKI?
So much for progress in the NFL labor strife. So much for the media blackout. So much for another extension. When I saw the owners who were going to accompany Roger Goodell to the labor negotiations, I had hope, but only briefly. After seeing Clark Hunt, John Mara, Pat Bolden & Art Rooney on Goodell's list, I was thinking good thoughts. Then an amended list came out & my heart sank. Jerry Jones, Jerry Richardson & Cincinnati's Mike Brown were going into the meeting as well. Then, making matters worse, the NFLPA's sledge hammer, attorney Jeffrey Kessler, was once again back on union boss DeMaurice Smith's list to sit down with ownership. Bad mix of people & egos. I was right, for the first time since federal mediator George Cohen imposed a media blackout, both sides were firing off Tweets & text messages as soon as the talks adjourned this afternoon. Let the finger-pointing commence. The 1-week extension for the talks expires Friday at 5PM ET. I expect that to be the end of talks. Then the name-calling will begin in earnest.
Thursday's main topic was the 18-game schedule proposed by ownership & generally hated by most NFL players. Today I voted in three online polls regarding the 18-game schedule. In all three(total votes-over 77,000) the nays had a commanding lead, in the 65% range. I don't want it, the season is long enough as it is, it's more dangerous to the players, other than TV revenue, I fail to see any upside for any of the parties. This proposal is a loser for ownership, they should, at the very least, table this for now & move onto something that has a pulse.
Cam Newton's pro day was a rousing success compared to his awful throwing performance at the combine. In a pre-scripted throwing exhibition, Newton completed 50 of 60 passes & 4 or 5 were dropped. He took every snap from under center & his footwork was much improved from the combine. There were several reports of newton looking tired, beatdown & stressed. A lot was riding on this day & he did well enough to stop much of the negative talk. He has already been scheduled for 9 private team workouts before the draft. Some scouts still want nothing to do Newton, two said they had recommended their team drop him from their draft board. Tho that sounds drastic, there's not a lot of middle of the road opinion on Newton's future as an NFL quarterback, either they're really hot on him as a prospect or want no part of the Heisman winner. I'm in the latter group, there are simply too many question marks regarding his character, his devotion to being an NFL QB & his ability to become a franchise QB. Because at the level he'll be selected at, surely a top-10 pick, he has to be as sure a thing as he can. I'm not sold.
Oregon ILB Casey Mathews once again tweaked his shoulder & couldn't do some of the required drills at the Ducks' pro day. Same thing happened at the combine & there is cause for concern.
Here's a couple of names you'll want to follow next month during the draft, Blaine Sumner & Marc Schiechl, both of Colorado School of Mines, a Division II school. Sumner equaled Stephen Paea's record of 49-reps on the bench press. The 6' 1 1/2", 335-pound nose tackle was athletic enough to jump 32" in the vertical & 9' 6" in the broad jump. Schiechl, a defensive end with the Division II career sack record at 45, ran a 4.64 forty-yard dash, leaped 35" in the vertical, 10' 6" in the broad jump & did 38-bench press reps. He ran thru the linebacker position drills as well & word is he showed tremendous fluidity & balance. He weighed 251 on his 6' 2 1/2" frame. Scouts were so intrigued by this pair they were invited to work out again next week when the neighboring Air Force Academy & Northern Colorado have their pro days.
Two small school wide receiver prospects who impressed scouts this week were Stephen Burton or West Texas A&M & Ricardo Lockette of Fort Valley State. Both have excellent size, good speed & I'm told, excellent hands. They literally caught everything thrown in their direction.
A guy I'm very high on, Kentucky WR/KR Randall Cobb participated in the Wildcats' pro day & he excelled at every part of every drill. Precise route running with quickness into & out of his breaks. Caught the ball well, snatching it with his hands, no juggling, no passes bouncing off his body. The explosion Cobb showed after catching the ball really impressed scouts. Cobb has scored running the ball, throwing it, catching it & returning kickoffs, he's a dangerous guy with the ball in his hands & is solidly built at 5' 10 1/2", 192.
A QB I wasn't expecting much from, Texas Tech's Taylor Potts, put on a helluva show down in Lubbock on Thursday. He took every snap from under center, something he never, ever did for the Red Raiders. His footwork in his drops were nearly flawless & he got his throws out on time & showed some new found accuracy downfield. Tech seldom throws the ball deep & it was assumed he'd have trouble either with the needed strength or the desired accuracy. He showed both & now I think teams will start all over in their evaluation of Potts. At 6' 4" & 222, he's always had the size, now he's shown the arm.
New England safety Brandon Meriweather could be in a real jam. He was present at a party where a shooting occurred two weeks ago & initially it was thought he was just a witness. But now another source says Meriweather might well have been the shooter. After a night of drinking in an Orlando home, a fight broke out & that turned into a shooting where two men were injured, neither severely. A couple of Meriweather's relatives who were present claimed another suspect did the shooting. Police have been interviewing a new witness who says the shooter was Meriweather. He has been a terrific young player for the Patriots, but if he is involved in this crime, I think his days playing for Robert Kraft are numbered. I hope he proves himself to be innocent.
The New York Giants hold the rights to Tiki Barber. Now that he has filed papers with the NFL allowing him to return to the league, the question is, who wants him? So far, the answer has been a resounding no. The Giants quickly relinquished his rights & 6 teams have already said they wouldn't be interested in Barber's services. Tampa Bay might be his best bet. His twin brother Ronde is still a member in good standing in the Bucs' locker room. They will part company with backup RB Cadillac Williams since he makes too much & has been supplanted by LeGarrette Blount as the starter. I don't see any real veteran team accepting Tiki, he burned a lot of bridges after he retired in 2006. A hungry young team like Tampa might be his best shot at another NFL paycheck, which is what this is all about.
Thursday's main topic was the 18-game schedule proposed by ownership & generally hated by most NFL players. Today I voted in three online polls regarding the 18-game schedule. In all three(total votes-over 77,000) the nays had a commanding lead, in the 65% range. I don't want it, the season is long enough as it is, it's more dangerous to the players, other than TV revenue, I fail to see any upside for any of the parties. This proposal is a loser for ownership, they should, at the very least, table this for now & move onto something that has a pulse.
Cam Newton's pro day was a rousing success compared to his awful throwing performance at the combine. In a pre-scripted throwing exhibition, Newton completed 50 of 60 passes & 4 or 5 were dropped. He took every snap from under center & his footwork was much improved from the combine. There were several reports of newton looking tired, beatdown & stressed. A lot was riding on this day & he did well enough to stop much of the negative talk. He has already been scheduled for 9 private team workouts before the draft. Some scouts still want nothing to do Newton, two said they had recommended their team drop him from their draft board. Tho that sounds drastic, there's not a lot of middle of the road opinion on Newton's future as an NFL quarterback, either they're really hot on him as a prospect or want no part of the Heisman winner. I'm in the latter group, there are simply too many question marks regarding his character, his devotion to being an NFL QB & his ability to become a franchise QB. Because at the level he'll be selected at, surely a top-10 pick, he has to be as sure a thing as he can. I'm not sold.
Oregon ILB Casey Mathews once again tweaked his shoulder & couldn't do some of the required drills at the Ducks' pro day. Same thing happened at the combine & there is cause for concern.
Here's a couple of names you'll want to follow next month during the draft, Blaine Sumner & Marc Schiechl, both of Colorado School of Mines, a Division II school. Sumner equaled Stephen Paea's record of 49-reps on the bench press. The 6' 1 1/2", 335-pound nose tackle was athletic enough to jump 32" in the vertical & 9' 6" in the broad jump. Schiechl, a defensive end with the Division II career sack record at 45, ran a 4.64 forty-yard dash, leaped 35" in the vertical, 10' 6" in the broad jump & did 38-bench press reps. He ran thru the linebacker position drills as well & word is he showed tremendous fluidity & balance. He weighed 251 on his 6' 2 1/2" frame. Scouts were so intrigued by this pair they were invited to work out again next week when the neighboring Air Force Academy & Northern Colorado have their pro days.
Two small school wide receiver prospects who impressed scouts this week were Stephen Burton or West Texas A&M & Ricardo Lockette of Fort Valley State. Both have excellent size, good speed & I'm told, excellent hands. They literally caught everything thrown in their direction.
A guy I'm very high on, Kentucky WR/KR Randall Cobb participated in the Wildcats' pro day & he excelled at every part of every drill. Precise route running with quickness into & out of his breaks. Caught the ball well, snatching it with his hands, no juggling, no passes bouncing off his body. The explosion Cobb showed after catching the ball really impressed scouts. Cobb has scored running the ball, throwing it, catching it & returning kickoffs, he's a dangerous guy with the ball in his hands & is solidly built at 5' 10 1/2", 192.
A QB I wasn't expecting much from, Texas Tech's Taylor Potts, put on a helluva show down in Lubbock on Thursday. He took every snap from under center, something he never, ever did for the Red Raiders. His footwork in his drops were nearly flawless & he got his throws out on time & showed some new found accuracy downfield. Tech seldom throws the ball deep & it was assumed he'd have trouble either with the needed strength or the desired accuracy. He showed both & now I think teams will start all over in their evaluation of Potts. At 6' 4" & 222, he's always had the size, now he's shown the arm.
New England safety Brandon Meriweather could be in a real jam. He was present at a party where a shooting occurred two weeks ago & initially it was thought he was just a witness. But now another source says Meriweather might well have been the shooter. After a night of drinking in an Orlando home, a fight broke out & that turned into a shooting where two men were injured, neither severely. A couple of Meriweather's relatives who were present claimed another suspect did the shooting. Police have been interviewing a new witness who says the shooter was Meriweather. He has been a terrific young player for the Patriots, but if he is involved in this crime, I think his days playing for Robert Kraft are numbered. I hope he proves himself to be innocent.
The New York Giants hold the rights to Tiki Barber. Now that he has filed papers with the NFL allowing him to return to the league, the question is, who wants him? So far, the answer has been a resounding no. The Giants quickly relinquished his rights & 6 teams have already said they wouldn't be interested in Barber's services. Tampa Bay might be his best bet. His twin brother Ronde is still a member in good standing in the Bucs' locker room. They will part company with backup RB Cadillac Williams since he makes too much & has been supplanted by LeGarrette Blount as the starter. I don't see any real veteran team accepting Tiki, he burned a lot of bridges after he retired in 2006. A hungry young team like Tampa might be his best shot at another NFL paycheck, which is what this is all about.
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