The Fins’ visit with local draft prospects included Penn State LB Dan Connor, Cal S Thomas DeCoud, and UNLV LB Beau Bell.
The Dolphins recently held a private workout with Hampton DE Kendall Langford.
The Ravens are gearing up for visits with Michigan QB Chad Henne, Louisville QB Brian Brohm, Delaware QB Joe Flacco, and Troy CB Leodis McKelvin.
Says Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta, regarding QB Matt Ryan: “You know, I think there is a phenomenon. I’ve seen it now for the last three or four years, where the top quarterback, for whatever reason, starts taking on water and starts receiving a lot of criticism. [Ryan] . . . might drop down a bit.” (Possible translation: “Man, I hope he’s there when we pick at No. 8.”)
Will the Steelers look for the next Alan Faneca in round one?
In his first tour with the Titans, DE Jevon Kearse worked out on his own for most of the offseason; he’s now working out with the team.
The Chargers started their offseason program later than expected.
The 49ers aren’t having a coronary about DE Quentin Groves’ recent heart procedure.
From the “Maybe He Wants To Get Drafted In The Third Round” file, CB Aqib Talib missed his scheduled visit with the Cowboys on Friday.
The 30 potential draft picks who will visit the Giants next week include Auburn DE Quentin Groves, Michigan WR Mario Manningham, Arkansas State S Tyrell Johnson, Vanderbilt OT Chris Williams, and Utah DT Gabe Long.
The son of Denzel Washington got a workout with the Giants, but wasn’t offered a contract.
Biloxi Sun-Herald reporter Al Jones says that Brett Favre wouldn’t return for another team because Favre knows that doing so would offend Packers fans.
Former Panthers WR Patrick Jeffers is still pursuing claims against the team and the doctor who butchered operated on his knee in 2000.
Though Jonathan Goodwin is expected to be the starting center in New Orleans, he might have to fend off Matt Lehr.
Eugene Wilson could end up pushing Philip Buchanon at left corner in Tampa.
Said Rams coach Scott Linehan, regarding free agency: “There’s not many [quality players].” (Or maybe Linehan was talking about his team’s current roster.)
Our old friend Brad Riter is back on the air in Buffalo.
Here’s an outside the box suggestion on who should replace Bryant Gumbel.
Oregon QB Dennis Dixon is relying upon the ‘Net to alleviate concerns about the ‘Nee.
For $25, FB Owen Schmitt will sign an autograph. For $50 more, he’ll do this with the headgear of your choice.
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April 12th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Regarding Aqib Talib missing his meeting with the Dallas Cowboys….Maybe he just doesn’t want to play with the inmates at Texas Stadium Penitentiary???
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Uh, I think not on Pam Ward for NFL Network…are you freaking kidding me?
Ward sounds like a boy during puberty who just woke up.
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Rating: 3.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Yeah, that must be it, jcasey. No way a guy that tested positive three times for weed and is currently dropping the draft boards like a rock because of character issues would want to play with the thugs that populate the Cowboys, who have had to suffer a grand total of *one* Cowboys player arrested in the last five years (veteran DB Marcus Coleman, DUI, was released less than 8 hours after he was booked).
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April 12th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Aquib Talib is no different than any of the cookie cutter football players of today…no respect for anything but what they want…and while Jerry Jones has led the charge on the “win at all costs” attitude…and thus given the Cowboys the reputation they have now…Talib should ask himself..”what team doesn’t have turds that have been busted on it”….easy answer…none.
We can only hope that someday players the caliber of the late Pat Tillman step up and clean this league up…neither the NFLPA or the Commissioner have the stones to do it.
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April 12th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Way to go Owen…you’ve started out your NFL career (assuming you get drafted) as a first class douche-bag!
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
There’s reputation and there’s reality. Only one Cowboys player has been arrested in the last 5 years. They’ve brought guys with bad reputations in and have had success, thanks in no small part to former Cowboys RB and stand-up guy Calvin Hill who has been working as an advisor to troubled players for years. Every team needs a guy like that on the payroll. That one guy that was arrested was Marcus Coleman, by the way. The Cowboys cut him less than 8 hours after he was booked, in the middle of the season.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Maybe he booked his flight on American Airlines.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Pam Ward is a perfect fit for NCAA Division 3 football. Oh, that’s right - she already does Division 3 football. Good - leave her there.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Vox, agreed on the the difference between reputation and facts…one of my points is that a jerk like Jerry Jones has soiled the Cowboys rep time and again (think firing Tom Landry for starters)…but in today’s world, perception many times is reality. This is coming from a 45+ year Cowboys fan by the way…
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’ve heard Pam Ward do play-by-play many times. She is very good. She does better than most of the guy announcers. The thing is, she is not AMAZING or anything like that. She doesn’t get in the moment and make the game exciting (how did Joe Buck call that Eli Manning almost-sack best Super Bowl play ever like it was just another third down?).
Ward would not embarrass the network at all and would be very, very competent — but not excellent. She is not that; she is just simply good.
As for Chris Collinsworth … I mean, he was made to be a color man. Play-by-play would take away from his analysis, as even though no one is perfect and it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to be truly objective, Collinsworth would not be able to use his insight at the highest level, as the play-by-play individual isn’t really supposed to have an opinion. Plus, how great would he be at play-by-play anyway?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hmmm, Vox, maybe Michael “The Snowman” Irvin let him know that weed won’t get you any street cred in Dallas. You need to hit the hard stuff before you get in there. You know, a little coke. Maybe transport some drugs. Pacman was involved in a shooting and he still can’t get in town. If Rodger lets him back in, he’ll be a Cowboy, same for Chris Henry.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Aqib Talib did not miss a private workout, he did not attend Dallas Day which is for later round picks and undrafted free agents anyway. I have not seen a first round pick go to Dallas Day in the years I have been following the draft. I would not have attended either, its just a combine for spares.
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April 12th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
it says Talib had a different scheduled workout.
If he had interest from somebody drafting higher than the Cowboys, it is not a red flag.
Especially since these ‘team day’ invites are a total joke/smokescreen.
Maybe the other team indicated they were actually interested and didn’t broadcast it in the newspapers because they didn’t want to advertise it.
There is no better way to say you don’t want a player in the first round than to invite him in with 30 other guys and publish it in the paper.
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April 12th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
FLORIO quotes the Ravens personnel guy as saying, “You know, I think there is a phenomenon. I’ve seen it now for the last three or four years, where the top quarterback, for whatever reason, starts taking on water and starts receiving a lot of criticism. [Ryan] . . . might drop down a bit.” (Possible translation: “Man, I hope he’s there when we pick at No. 8.”)
I’m thinking the other way. If the Ravens wanted Ryan, they’d probably stay mum. Instead, they’re probably hoping that Ryan gets selected in the top 7, so the player they actually want is still around.
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April 12th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Being up here in the hinterlands, we seem to get a lot of the odd games, so we see/hear quite a few of the booth teams every year on all the networks. The PBP folks are universally so spectacularly awful that we often wonder if they’re watching the same game we’re seeing on the screen and the “color” people seem to be all working from the same two-page Xerox of cliches. The worst of the lot have to be Madden and Michaels who get so caught up in their own schtick that they regularly miss injuries, critical penalties and often even fail to call anything at all on a couple downs in succession. When I tune into a football game, I want to watch the damn game, NOT a couple of guys clowning around in the booth and interviewing irrelevant celebs.
It’s so bad that, for the last couple years, when we can find the game on radio we mute the TV and listen to that. Radio description is often more thorough since, hypothetically, they know you can’t see what they’re talking about. And maybe therein lies the problem with TV announcing crews, including the directors. Perhaps they forget that they can, hypothetically, see everything that’s happening on the field, whereas the camera can only capture and transmit to us viewers a relatively limited view. IMHO, the PBP and color guys should be consistently describing the often important stuff that’s happening on the field OFF-camera, and not just when something’s flagged or when a player screws up or gets hurt, but also when a player is brilliantly doing his job to prevent something from happening.
Anyway, somebody on some network needs to provide PBP and color people and directors who are willing to focus ALL attention on the field, the game in progress and the players, not on themselves. If this Pam Ward can do that and help to raise the standards across the board, then I’m more than fine with that.
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April 12th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
The Golf Channel already tried to play the gender card when they hired Kelly Tilghman to do PxP on their golf broadcasts. They got a lot of publicity, but she is spectacularly awful at it. Do we really need that again?
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
April 12th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Ky, Greg B. … misogynist, anyone?
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)