CHIEFS HAVE A PRO DAY, BILL PARCELLS SAYS "NO THANKS," PETRINO RALLY FALLS SHORT & DOES MIZZOU HAVE ANOTHER ALDON SMITH ON THEIR DEPTH CHART?
The NFL allows 30 private visits and or workouts with draft prospects, the Chiefs currently have 12 on their schedule having just added Oklahoma tight end James Hanna. But the league allows all of it's teams to host a one day tryout for "local" players. Local is defined as prospects who played for universities & colleges within a 40-mile radius of Arrowhead stadium or kids who played high school football in the same region. Today, the Chiefs welcome 18 such prospects to their training facility for a scaled version of the combine. Prospects will participate in the the usual combine tests, the forty, standing broad jump, vertical jump, bench pressing 225-pounds, 3-cone drill & position drills. Kansas City didn't draft or sign any of the prospects they hosted last season for their mini-combine but 5 of them wound up signing deals with other teams & 3 made NFL rosters. A few you may have heard of or might find interesting:
Donald Stephenson--offensive tackle--Oklahoma--Blue Springs
Starting left tackle for the Sooners the past two seasons, mid-round draft talent
Stephenson at the Combine
Taylor Embree--wide receiver--UCLA--Overland Park
Father Jon, former Chiefs' tight ends coach & current head coach at Colorado. Taylor is 6' 3" & 202, had 137-career receptions for some really bad Bruin teams.
Jayson Palmgren--center/guard--Missouri--North Kansas City
Super-strong interior lineman, 39-bench press reps at Mizzou pro day, 2-year starter for the Tigers.
Drake Dunsmore--tight end--Northwestern--Lenexa
All BIG TEN tight end, undersized at 6' 2" & 241.
Jermaine Saffold--wide receiver--Missouri State--Grandview
Recently ran a 4.36 forty at Missouri State's pro day. First team all-Missouri Valley Conference player who is all-time leader in receiving yards for the Bears. 6' 1" 198
Trey Hobson--cornerback--Missouri--Stanley
4-year letterman for the Tigers but only a 1-year starter. 5' 9" 187.
I told you yesterday KU's leading rusher, James Sims, was charged with DUI over the weekend. New head coach Charlie Weis moved swiftly to send a message to his team by suspending Sims for the first three games of the upcoming season. He'll miss games against South Dakota State, Rice & TCU.
The Carolina Panthers & their 5-time pro bowl wide receiver Steve Smith have agreed to a 3-year contract extension. With one year left on his current deal that will pay the 33-year old tougher-than-nails wideout, the 3-year extension will most likely be his last contract. Very smart move with 2nd year quarterback Cam Newton.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported earlier this morning Bill Parcells will not be the Saints' interim coach. Mort said the candidate will come from within the organization. Now that the appeals have been denied, the team needs to get their quarterback Drew Brees under contract, he is the unquestioned leader of the this team, a team desperate for some stability.
RG3 is the clubhouse leader in commercial endorsements already. The Heisman Trophy winner will be a product spokesman for Castrol Motor oil. Griffin is expected to become the 2nd overall selection in the upcoming NFL draft.
Jacksonville Jaguar defensive tackle Terrance Knighton underwent emergency eye surgery Sunday morning after an early morning incident in an area night spot. Knighton's injury was considered to be extremely serious & there's been no report from the team, Knighton or the surgeon. He was reportedly struck in the eye by a vodka bottle sometime during a fight within the Pure nightclub. After an off-duty police officer, working club security & his staff broke up the fight, they forced Knighton & a friend outside. Knighton was reportedly screaming he was going to shoot someone & security finally forced the pair to get into their car & leave. After not being called initially, Jacksonville Police have now begun an investigation.
The rally held in support of embattled Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was sort of a dud. Less than 200 people showed up to show their support for Petrino. The coach is currently on paid administrative leave while athletic director Jeff Long investigates the fallout from a motorcycle accident a week ago last Sunday that left Petrino beaten & battered. I read a lengthy police report last night, filed by Arkansas State Trooper, Captain Lance King. Gotta tell you there are some holes in his story. At one point he talks about being summoned by Petrino to an intersection to pick him up & take him to the emergency room. He mentions Jessica Dorrell, describing her perfectly & but when asked by Becky Petrino(wife) if anyone helped her husband, King said "I don't know, I don't know who took him to the hospital." Later he says he has never met Jessica Dorrell, but mentions her as helping Petrino get from a Jeep Cherokee they were passengers in to King's cruiser. King also mentions he went to the grocery store for a jar of spaghetti sauce Sunday evening when he got a call from Pettrino's cell phone. When he answers the call it's Dorrell. He heads out on a 20-minute drive to pickup Petrino when an ambulance could've picked him up much sooner. Dorrell called twice more before he arrived. Petrino wanted to go to a surgical center, not an emergency room & wanted a specific doctor. Both took more time when Petrino was sure his neck was broken or severely injured. The whole story is pretty shaky, University officials still want to speak to the people who originally tried to help Petrino & Dorrell but were told not only their help wasn't needed but they were asked to not call 911. I'm going to say if nothing more comes out, Petrino will keep his job. It appears U of A & their fans are more concerned with winning football games than doing the right thing. Great example for their athletes & students. One last thing, I just this morning noticed Petrino wore a brand new Cotton Bowl cap to his press conference of a week ago. Might as well remind everyone he took the Razorbacks to their first BCS Bowl game since the inception of the BCS.
Any Missouri Tiger fans out there remember their All-Big Eight defensive end Wendell Ray from the 1978-80 teams? He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings & also played for the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. Well, Wendell has a son on the Mizzou roster & he just might be Aldon Smith 2.0. Shane Ray, a redshirt freshman, like Aldon Smith, is a pass rushing specialist & like Smith, he has that ultra-quick first step that separates him from most pass rushers. He has stood out in both spring scrimmages & with starting DE Brad Madison on the shelf this spring because of shoulder surgery, Ray figures to get quite a few snaps. The Bishop Miege product from the K.C. area, is 6' 3" & 242 right now, but defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski said after Saturday's scrimmage, "Shane will grow, he should end up about 6' 4" & 255-260." Smith is 6' 4" & 258, he's also the runner-up for NFL defensive rookie of the year after recording 14 sacks. In Saturday's scrimmage Ray recorded 3 sacks. This is a Tiger to watch.
Donald Stephenson--offensive tackle--Oklahoma--Blue Springs
Starting left tackle for the Sooners the past two seasons, mid-round draft talent
Stephenson at the Combine
Taylor Embree--wide receiver--UCLA--Overland Park
Father Jon, former Chiefs' tight ends coach & current head coach at Colorado. Taylor is 6' 3" & 202, had 137-career receptions for some really bad Bruin teams.
Jayson Palmgren--center/guard--Missouri--North Kansas City
Super-strong interior lineman, 39-bench press reps at Mizzou pro day, 2-year starter for the Tigers.
Drake Dunsmore--tight end--Northwestern--Lenexa
All BIG TEN tight end, undersized at 6' 2" & 241.
Jermaine Saffold--wide receiver--Missouri State--Grandview
Recently ran a 4.36 forty at Missouri State's pro day. First team all-Missouri Valley Conference player who is all-time leader in receiving yards for the Bears. 6' 1" 198
Trey Hobson--cornerback--Missouri--Stanley
4-year letterman for the Tigers but only a 1-year starter. 5' 9" 187.
I told you yesterday KU's leading rusher, James Sims, was charged with DUI over the weekend. New head coach Charlie Weis moved swiftly to send a message to his team by suspending Sims for the first three games of the upcoming season. He'll miss games against South Dakota State, Rice & TCU.
The Carolina Panthers & their 5-time pro bowl wide receiver Steve Smith have agreed to a 3-year contract extension. With one year left on his current deal that will pay the 33-year old tougher-than-nails wideout, the 3-year extension will most likely be his last contract. Very smart move with 2nd year quarterback Cam Newton.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported earlier this morning Bill Parcells will not be the Saints' interim coach. Mort said the candidate will come from within the organization. Now that the appeals have been denied, the team needs to get their quarterback Drew Brees under contract, he is the unquestioned leader of the this team, a team desperate for some stability.
RG3 is the clubhouse leader in commercial endorsements already. The Heisman Trophy winner will be a product spokesman for Castrol Motor oil. Griffin is expected to become the 2nd overall selection in the upcoming NFL draft.
Jacksonville Jaguar defensive tackle Terrance Knighton underwent emergency eye surgery Sunday morning after an early morning incident in an area night spot. Knighton's injury was considered to be extremely serious & there's been no report from the team, Knighton or the surgeon. He was reportedly struck in the eye by a vodka bottle sometime during a fight within the Pure nightclub. After an off-duty police officer, working club security & his staff broke up the fight, they forced Knighton & a friend outside. Knighton was reportedly screaming he was going to shoot someone & security finally forced the pair to get into their car & leave. After not being called initially, Jacksonville Police have now begun an investigation.
The rally held in support of embattled Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was sort of a dud. Less than 200 people showed up to show their support for Petrino. The coach is currently on paid administrative leave while athletic director Jeff Long investigates the fallout from a motorcycle accident a week ago last Sunday that left Petrino beaten & battered. I read a lengthy police report last night, filed by Arkansas State Trooper, Captain Lance King. Gotta tell you there are some holes in his story. At one point he talks about being summoned by Petrino to an intersection to pick him up & take him to the emergency room. He mentions Jessica Dorrell, describing her perfectly & but when asked by Becky Petrino(wife) if anyone helped her husband, King said "I don't know, I don't know who took him to the hospital." Later he says he has never met Jessica Dorrell, but mentions her as helping Petrino get from a Jeep Cherokee they were passengers in to King's cruiser. King also mentions he went to the grocery store for a jar of spaghetti sauce Sunday evening when he got a call from Pettrino's cell phone. When he answers the call it's Dorrell. He heads out on a 20-minute drive to pickup Petrino when an ambulance could've picked him up much sooner. Dorrell called twice more before he arrived. Petrino wanted to go to a surgical center, not an emergency room & wanted a specific doctor. Both took more time when Petrino was sure his neck was broken or severely injured. The whole story is pretty shaky, University officials still want to speak to the people who originally tried to help Petrino & Dorrell but were told not only their help wasn't needed but they were asked to not call 911. I'm going to say if nothing more comes out, Petrino will keep his job. It appears U of A & their fans are more concerned with winning football games than doing the right thing. Great example for their athletes & students. One last thing, I just this morning noticed Petrino wore a brand new Cotton Bowl cap to his press conference of a week ago. Might as well remind everyone he took the Razorbacks to their first BCS Bowl game since the inception of the BCS.
Any Missouri Tiger fans out there remember their All-Big Eight defensive end Wendell Ray from the 1978-80 teams? He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings & also played for the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. Well, Wendell has a son on the Mizzou roster & he just might be Aldon Smith 2.0. Shane Ray, a redshirt freshman, like Aldon Smith, is a pass rushing specialist & like Smith, he has that ultra-quick first step that separates him from most pass rushers. He has stood out in both spring scrimmages & with starting DE Brad Madison on the shelf this spring because of shoulder surgery, Ray figures to get quite a few snaps. The Bishop Miege product from the K.C. area, is 6' 3" & 242 right now, but defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski said after Saturday's scrimmage, "Shane will grow, he should end up about 6' 4" & 255-260." Smith is 6' 4" & 258, he's also the runner-up for NFL defensive rookie of the year after recording 14 sacks. In Saturday's scrimmage Ray recorded 3 sacks. This is a Tiger to watch.
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