STEELERS HANG TOUGH FOR A WIN, CHRIS PETERSEN A WANTED MAN & MORE PRE-DRAFT COMBINE CAMPS
The Thursday night game on NFL Network was a low-scoring defensive struggle that saw several goal line stands, 5 turnovers & numerous injuries. The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled to a 14-3 win, finally clinching the victory with a Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown 79-yard catch & run with 2:52 left in the 4th quarter. Big Ben sustained a high ankle sprain in the 2nd quarter on a tackle that looked worse than it was, but played on after halftime. DE Ziggy Hood(groin), center Maurkice Pouncey(high ankle sprain) & safety Troy Polamalu suffered a strained hamstring as well as a jammed shoulder. Fellow safety Ryan Clark was seen yanking Polamalu's shoulder back into place on the sideline. Look for Pittsburgh OLB James Harrison to be fined yet again by the league after his helmet to helmet hit on Browns QB Colt McCoy. The Steelers now have until a week from Monday before they play the San Francisco Forty-Niners. Considering how beat up they are, they'll need every day of it.
In the kind of story I hate to talk about, Oakland cornerback Chris Johnson has returned to the team after being in his hometown of Fort Worth Texas since Monday night. His 26-year old sister was shot & killed in a public parking lot by her estranged baby daddy. Johnson's mother was also shot, but her wounds are not life threatening. The piece of human garbage who shot the two women in front of his 2-year old child, is in police custody & has already been arraigned on 1st degree murder & attempted murder charges.
When asked what winning the league's rushing title would mean to him, Jaguars' running back Maurice Jones-Drew gave the perfect answer, "Nothing, it would mean nothing." MJD is sick of losing & even some personal achievements won't improve his mood. I respect that a lot.
Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder missed practice for the 2nd day in a row. His ailing hip prevented his participation & backup Joe Webb took all the first team snaps. RB Adrian Peterson ran a little in practice but isn't expected to go Sunday after sustaining a high ankle sprain two-plus weeks ago.Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson is also missing all practice sessions for the Texans because of an aggravated hamstring injury.
Boise State coach Chris Petersen is in great demand, this time reportedly from Penn State. Petersen already turned down a $4 million per season offer from UCLA last week & now the ailing Nittany Lions are looking for an established coach to replace the legendary Joe Paterno. Petersen is a hot choice right now because of his ridiculous 72-6 record as a head coach & the abnormally high graduation rate amongst his players. Considering what has transpired at Penn State over the last 45-days & the prospect of stepping in for a coach that leads in all-time wins at the Division I level, this is going to be a tough position to fill. I doubt Petersen will consider this job. Oh, he'll move on to a bigger, more high profile program, probably within 5-years, but not right now.
Junior wide receiver Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State became only the second 2-time winner of the Bilenikoff Award, college football's equivalent of the MVP for wideouts. He matched the accomplishment of fellow Big-12 wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who won the award in 2007 & 2008. Blackmon has made it clear this week, the Fiesta Bowl will be his last college game before turning pro with one year of eligibility remaining. It's the right move, Blackmon has nothing left to prove at the collegiate level.
Other awards handed out last night in New York:
Davey O'Brien Award-National QB Award was won by Baylor's Robert Griffin III
Maxwell Award-Best All Around Player--Stanford's Andrew Luck
Walter Camp Award-Player of the year--Luck
Chuck Bednarik Award-Defensive player of the year--LSU's Tyrann Mathieau
Doak Walker Award--Outstanding running back--Alabama's Trent Richardson
Jim Thorpe Award-Outstanding defensive back--LSU's Morris Claiborne
Outland Trophy-Outstanding interior lineman--Alabama's Barrett Jones
Mackey Award-Outstanding tight end--Clemson's Dwayne Allen
Coach of the Year--LSU's Les Miles
In an effort to not leave a single stone unturned or a minute of un-exploited TV time, the NFL announced on Thursday a series of regional scouting combines for players not invited to the big event in Indianapolis early next year. There will be eight of them all over the country leading up to a final one in Detroit where the leading prospects of the previous seven will assemble for one last look. These will be open not only to college players eligible for the draft, but former NFL players who have been out of the league for at least one year. Every year a number of prospects are drafted or signed as free agents who weren't invited to the Indy combine. This will give pro scouts a better chance to evaluate them without going to a few of the more far-flung campus pro days. Plus, they'll be featured on the NFL Network. For a draft-geek like myself, this is great news.
In the kind of story I hate to talk about, Oakland cornerback Chris Johnson has returned to the team after being in his hometown of Fort Worth Texas since Monday night. His 26-year old sister was shot & killed in a public parking lot by her estranged baby daddy. Johnson's mother was also shot, but her wounds are not life threatening. The piece of human garbage who shot the two women in front of his 2-year old child, is in police custody & has already been arraigned on 1st degree murder & attempted murder charges.
When asked what winning the league's rushing title would mean to him, Jaguars' running back Maurice Jones-Drew gave the perfect answer, "Nothing, it would mean nothing." MJD is sick of losing & even some personal achievements won't improve his mood. I respect that a lot.
Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder missed practice for the 2nd day in a row. His ailing hip prevented his participation & backup Joe Webb took all the first team snaps. RB Adrian Peterson ran a little in practice but isn't expected to go Sunday after sustaining a high ankle sprain two-plus weeks ago.Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson is also missing all practice sessions for the Texans because of an aggravated hamstring injury.
Boise State coach Chris Petersen is in great demand, this time reportedly from Penn State. Petersen already turned down a $4 million per season offer from UCLA last week & now the ailing Nittany Lions are looking for an established coach to replace the legendary Joe Paterno. Petersen is a hot choice right now because of his ridiculous 72-6 record as a head coach & the abnormally high graduation rate amongst his players. Considering what has transpired at Penn State over the last 45-days & the prospect of stepping in for a coach that leads in all-time wins at the Division I level, this is going to be a tough position to fill. I doubt Petersen will consider this job. Oh, he'll move on to a bigger, more high profile program, probably within 5-years, but not right now.
Junior wide receiver Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State became only the second 2-time winner of the Bilenikoff Award, college football's equivalent of the MVP for wideouts. He matched the accomplishment of fellow Big-12 wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who won the award in 2007 & 2008. Blackmon has made it clear this week, the Fiesta Bowl will be his last college game before turning pro with one year of eligibility remaining. It's the right move, Blackmon has nothing left to prove at the collegiate level.
Other awards handed out last night in New York:
Davey O'Brien Award-National QB Award was won by Baylor's Robert Griffin III
Maxwell Award-Best All Around Player--Stanford's Andrew Luck
Walter Camp Award-Player of the year--Luck
Chuck Bednarik Award-Defensive player of the year--LSU's Tyrann Mathieau
Doak Walker Award--Outstanding running back--Alabama's Trent Richardson
Jim Thorpe Award-Outstanding defensive back--LSU's Morris Claiborne
Outland Trophy-Outstanding interior lineman--Alabama's Barrett Jones
Mackey Award-Outstanding tight end--Clemson's Dwayne Allen
Coach of the Year--LSU's Les Miles
In an effort to not leave a single stone unturned or a minute of un-exploited TV time, the NFL announced on Thursday a series of regional scouting combines for players not invited to the big event in Indianapolis early next year. There will be eight of them all over the country leading up to a final one in Detroit where the leading prospects of the previous seven will assemble for one last look. These will be open not only to college players eligible for the draft, but former NFL players who have been out of the league for at least one year. Every year a number of prospects are drafted or signed as free agents who weren't invited to the Indy combine. This will give pro scouts a better chance to evaluate them without going to a few of the more far-flung campus pro days. Plus, they'll be featured on the NFL Network. For a draft-geek like myself, this is great news.
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