GAITHER "100%" MONDAY-SIDELINED TUESDAY, CHIEFS LEAD LEAGUE IN CAP-SPACE, DENVER SUFFERS INJURIES TO DL & NFL POSTPONED SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT
During Monday's press conference, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke about Jared Gaither's conditioning, his chances of becoming a starter & after practice Gaither himself spoke to the media. "I'm 100% right now, I will be a starter soon" Gaither said. So how did he go from 100% & almost a starter to standing on the sidelines in shorts & a t-shirt on Tuesday? He was limping around & had to catch a cart ride back to the locker room after practice. As a long time back patient, I can tell you favoring one leg or another can be caused by a lower back problem. Just 2 days of contact & he's unable to go on the third? The Raiders were desperate for offensive line help & didn't take a chance on Gaither, they believed his back was still an issue. If completely healthy, Gaither is a top-10 NFL left tackle, easily better than Brandon Albert, but I've never been sold on his long term availability. Having back issues can be career-threatening to any NFL player, especially for one Gaither's size(6' 9" 340). As a native Missourian, I'm going to need Gaither to "Show Me."
We knew even before the new CBA was signed, the Chiefs had the 2nd most cap space. Almost a month later, they now have the most, some $33 million. I hope long term deals for the Brandons, Flowers & Carr, happen soon. With that much cap space, not signing two players who are building blocks of Romeo Crennel's defense makes no sense. They have the money, get it over with.
Only one day left in St. Joe & Scott Pioli is still signing prospects. Tuesday saw Harold Ayodele sign as an undrafted free agent. He has two older brothers who have played for a number of NFL teams. Harold was somewhat of a traveler during his college career. He began at Florida, couldn't meet the academic requirements, moved to Coffeeville Junior College, then it was on to Tennessee State before finally transferring to Emporia State. His weight & a rumored attitude issue created problems at every stop. The 6' 1" nose tackle prospect weighed as much at 370, he weighed 331 during his Chiefs physical. Pretty late in the game to hold out hope of making a roster, even the practice squad might be a long shot.
For the first time since training camp began, Todd Haley had a meltdown. It was long overdue, blowing his stack was fairly routine during his first 2 camps. He had been pretty cool until OLB Andy Studebaker blew past a blocker on a blitz & ran into quarterback Tyler Palko. Sacking, hitting, bumping or touching quarterbacks is always a no-no in any practice, league-wide. He was already very unhappy with his offense before this incident & it just triggered the outburst. I've seen Haley go off in several practices in row during camp, so his restraint this year has been somewhat of a surprise.
The Broncos could not stop the run last season, the defensive line was shredded almost weekly. When John Fox replaced the fired Josh McDaniels he quickly moved to return the defense to a 4-3 scheme. He knew better tackles would have to be drafted or signed during free agency. Denver signed 3 free agent D-tackles & traded for a 4th. but already this plan is in jeopardy. The recently signed Ty Warren tore a triceps muscle & could be lost for the season plus fellow starter Marcus Thomas suffered a strained pectoral muscle on Tuesday. How soon Thomas can return was unknown yesterday, but 2-3 weeks is realistic. This pair wasn't ideal, but it was the best Fox could manage in a short period of time, if he loses one or both for even a few weeks, the Broncos will suffer.
No news on Jeremy Maclin as promised by Eagles coach Andy Reid. Reid successfully dodged questions about Maclin again on Tuesday saying "it's still afternoon, we may have something later today." No news regarding his condition or long term prognosis was forthcoming. Maclin's brother Andre said Jeremy "was fine, he'll be just fine." Maybe Wednesday will bring some clarity.
Yesterday the Buffalo Bills released linebacker Aaron Maybin, the 11th overall selection in the 2009 draft. On Tuesday evening, the New York Jets offered Maybin a 1-year contract. The Jets, if you'll recall released their own high draft mistake when they cut DE Vernon Gholston. Both players have fewer than 20 tackles & zero sacks in their disappointing NFL careers. Why the Jets are going to try another draft bust is beyond me.
Some real ugliness is about to explode in South Florida where a convicted felon has spilled his guts to NCAA investigators regarding illegal payments & gifts to former & current University of Miami players. Nevin Shapiro, currently serving 20-years for securities fraud & money laundering, was a big donor to Miami's football program. An investigation by Yahoo!Sports reporter Charles Robinson, has uncovered some of the NCAA's findings. This is about to go national & the 'U' is in major trouble. Several current NFL players are named along with the benefits Shapiro provided for them. Bears wide receiver & return man, Devin Hester, allegedly accepted a set of custom wheels for his SUV, $3,000 in cash to buy an engagement ring & cash bonuses for long kick returns. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma reportedly took cash, dinners, bar tabs along with a $2,000 cash bounty for repeatedly hitting Florida State quarterback Chris Rix. Kellen Winslow Jr. D.J. Williams, Vince Wilfork & 60 other former players were named. Six coaches too, including current University of Missouri head basketball coach Frank Haith. Shapiro claims to have thousands of pictures, bank statements & credit card receipts to back up his claims. Personal cruises on his yacht, prostitutes, trips for family members, the list is extensive. Very nice. Twelve current players, 8 of them starters, are also named in the investigation. New head coach Al Golden has this to deal with before his Hurricanes play their first game for him. Ugly, very ugly.
Baylor will lose a vital cog in their passing offense. Wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely last month & on Tuesday, Gordon, thru head coach Art Briles, announced his intention to transfer to another university. Gordon's 17.0 yards per catch led the team & he tied for touchdown receptions with seven. He was their deep threat. Gordon, you might remember from last fall, was found passed out, along with a friend, in the drive-thru of an on-campus Taco Bell at 2AM. Hey I wasn't there, but I have a pretty good memory for such trips to fast food drive-thrus after midnight & what motivated them.
The NFL made a crappy decision on Tuesday, they postponed the supplemental draft. Just because they can't come to a final decision on Terrelle Pryor's eligibility, why must the others suffer? Everyday they become less & less valuable to NFL teams. The same goes for Pryor, but he has no one to blame but himself. I'm tired of hearing his attorney, David Cornwell, blame the league for stifling his clients' rights. If Pryor hadn't done what he did, this wouldn't be an issue. He took money for autographs, traded or sold Ohio State memorabilia for cash & tattoos, drove 8 different cars, only 2 belonging to him, in three years in Columbus & he lied about leaving the university when in fact, he had been dismissed from the team. I think it's crappy the league is stalling Pryor, make a decision & move on. I know they don't want to set a precedent in this case by allowing someone who has gamed the system at every turn do the same to the National Football League. Considering he wasn't thought highly of by most NFL scouts before all this trouble began, he's fallen further everyday a decision isn't made. Postponing the draft "indefinitely" isn't fair to the 4 players who's eligibility was never in question.
We knew even before the new CBA was signed, the Chiefs had the 2nd most cap space. Almost a month later, they now have the most, some $33 million. I hope long term deals for the Brandons, Flowers & Carr, happen soon. With that much cap space, not signing two players who are building blocks of Romeo Crennel's defense makes no sense. They have the money, get it over with.
Only one day left in St. Joe & Scott Pioli is still signing prospects. Tuesday saw Harold Ayodele sign as an undrafted free agent. He has two older brothers who have played for a number of NFL teams. Harold was somewhat of a traveler during his college career. He began at Florida, couldn't meet the academic requirements, moved to Coffeeville Junior College, then it was on to Tennessee State before finally transferring to Emporia State. His weight & a rumored attitude issue created problems at every stop. The 6' 1" nose tackle prospect weighed as much at 370, he weighed 331 during his Chiefs physical. Pretty late in the game to hold out hope of making a roster, even the practice squad might be a long shot.
For the first time since training camp began, Todd Haley had a meltdown. It was long overdue, blowing his stack was fairly routine during his first 2 camps. He had been pretty cool until OLB Andy Studebaker blew past a blocker on a blitz & ran into quarterback Tyler Palko. Sacking, hitting, bumping or touching quarterbacks is always a no-no in any practice, league-wide. He was already very unhappy with his offense before this incident & it just triggered the outburst. I've seen Haley go off in several practices in row during camp, so his restraint this year has been somewhat of a surprise.
The Broncos could not stop the run last season, the defensive line was shredded almost weekly. When John Fox replaced the fired Josh McDaniels he quickly moved to return the defense to a 4-3 scheme. He knew better tackles would have to be drafted or signed during free agency. Denver signed 3 free agent D-tackles & traded for a 4th. but already this plan is in jeopardy. The recently signed Ty Warren tore a triceps muscle & could be lost for the season plus fellow starter Marcus Thomas suffered a strained pectoral muscle on Tuesday. How soon Thomas can return was unknown yesterday, but 2-3 weeks is realistic. This pair wasn't ideal, but it was the best Fox could manage in a short period of time, if he loses one or both for even a few weeks, the Broncos will suffer.
No news on Jeremy Maclin as promised by Eagles coach Andy Reid. Reid successfully dodged questions about Maclin again on Tuesday saying "it's still afternoon, we may have something later today." No news regarding his condition or long term prognosis was forthcoming. Maclin's brother Andre said Jeremy "was fine, he'll be just fine." Maybe Wednesday will bring some clarity.
Yesterday the Buffalo Bills released linebacker Aaron Maybin, the 11th overall selection in the 2009 draft. On Tuesday evening, the New York Jets offered Maybin a 1-year contract. The Jets, if you'll recall released their own high draft mistake when they cut DE Vernon Gholston. Both players have fewer than 20 tackles & zero sacks in their disappointing NFL careers. Why the Jets are going to try another draft bust is beyond me.
Some real ugliness is about to explode in South Florida where a convicted felon has spilled his guts to NCAA investigators regarding illegal payments & gifts to former & current University of Miami players. Nevin Shapiro, currently serving 20-years for securities fraud & money laundering, was a big donor to Miami's football program. An investigation by Yahoo!Sports reporter Charles Robinson, has uncovered some of the NCAA's findings. This is about to go national & the 'U' is in major trouble. Several current NFL players are named along with the benefits Shapiro provided for them. Bears wide receiver & return man, Devin Hester, allegedly accepted a set of custom wheels for his SUV, $3,000 in cash to buy an engagement ring & cash bonuses for long kick returns. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma reportedly took cash, dinners, bar tabs along with a $2,000 cash bounty for repeatedly hitting Florida State quarterback Chris Rix. Kellen Winslow Jr. D.J. Williams, Vince Wilfork & 60 other former players were named. Six coaches too, including current University of Missouri head basketball coach Frank Haith. Shapiro claims to have thousands of pictures, bank statements & credit card receipts to back up his claims. Personal cruises on his yacht, prostitutes, trips for family members, the list is extensive. Very nice. Twelve current players, 8 of them starters, are also named in the investigation. New head coach Al Golden has this to deal with before his Hurricanes play their first game for him. Ugly, very ugly.
Baylor will lose a vital cog in their passing offense. Wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely last month & on Tuesday, Gordon, thru head coach Art Briles, announced his intention to transfer to another university. Gordon's 17.0 yards per catch led the team & he tied for touchdown receptions with seven. He was their deep threat. Gordon, you might remember from last fall, was found passed out, along with a friend, in the drive-thru of an on-campus Taco Bell at 2AM. Hey I wasn't there, but I have a pretty good memory for such trips to fast food drive-thrus after midnight & what motivated them.
The NFL made a crappy decision on Tuesday, they postponed the supplemental draft. Just because they can't come to a final decision on Terrelle Pryor's eligibility, why must the others suffer? Everyday they become less & less valuable to NFL teams. The same goes for Pryor, but he has no one to blame but himself. I'm tired of hearing his attorney, David Cornwell, blame the league for stifling his clients' rights. If Pryor hadn't done what he did, this wouldn't be an issue. He took money for autographs, traded or sold Ohio State memorabilia for cash & tattoos, drove 8 different cars, only 2 belonging to him, in three years in Columbus & he lied about leaving the university when in fact, he had been dismissed from the team. I think it's crappy the league is stalling Pryor, make a decision & move on. I know they don't want to set a precedent in this case by allowing someone who has gamed the system at every turn do the same to the National Football League. Considering he wasn't thought highly of by most NFL scouts before all this trouble began, he's fallen further everyday a decision isn't made. Postponing the draft "indefinitely" isn't fair to the 4 players who's eligibility was never in question.
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