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The Obligatory "I'm Still Alive" Post

post from Daily Norseman on 08 April 2008 10:26:55 PM. © Daily Norseman

Sorry for the lack of movement the past couple of days, folks. . .had a couple consecutive crazy days at work, and that's kept me from getting too involved with anything here.

Tomorrow, there shall be blogging at some point. Not sure when, but there will be. The draft is less than three weeks away, so feel free to look through the Mock Draft Database and look at what the popular opinion of the Vikings' #17 overall pick is.

Enjoy what's left of your Tuesday, ladies and gentlemen, and we'll see you back here tomorrow.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.dailynorseman.com/story/2008/4/8/212655/8153

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Texas tight end Finley works out for Eagles

post from Eagles football blog on 08 April 2008 06:57:13 PM. © Eagles football blog

Texas tight end Jermichael Finley worked out for the Eagles yesterday, a source close to the situation said. Finley, who turned 21 last month, left Texas with 2 years of eligibility remaining; some experts felt he should have stayed for...

Read The Full Article:
http://www.eaglesfootballblog.com/2008/04/texas-tight-end.html

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Former Dallas Cowboy named in steroid
investigation

post from Cowboys football blog on 08 April 2008 06:53:53 PM. © Cowboys football blog

Federal authorities in North Texas are investigating a former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman for allegedly distributing steroids and have subpoenaed a current member of the Atlanta Falcons to testify for federal grand jurors in the matter, The New York Times...

Read The Full Article:
http://www.cowboysfootballblog.com/2008/04/former-dallas-c.html

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A another new Mock Draft (because I screwed up
the last one): 4/8/2008

post from Stampede Blue on 08 April 2008 06:50:40 PM. © Stampede Blue

So, in my last Mock Draft I listed the Colts taking Jerod Mayo in the 6th round. Long story short, I pasted in the wrong name. It should have read Wesley Woodyard from Kentucky. My bad. However, what the error allows me to do is create a new Mock Draft.

Every time I look at Draft Tek's latest mock, I shake my head at the notion that both Chris Johnson and Matt Forte will be available, but the Colts pass on them for Purdue TE Dustin Keller? Now, Keller is intriguing, and I plan to do a profile on him, but to draft Keller over Johnson and Forte is utter stupidity. I'd love Indy to get a good TE in the draft so Indy can return to a little more 2 TE, but give me a break! If Indy had Chris Johnson or Matt Forte, we'd see more 2 back than 2 TEs.

The other element of Draft Tek's recent mock is Georgia DE Marcus Thomas is there in round 3, and the Colts bypass him for RB Kevin Smith for Central Florida.

Um, WHAT?

What's funny is both DE Marcus Howard and Notre Dame TE John Carlson are available in round three of this mock, and it is utter insanity to assume the Colts would pass on both those guys, IMHO. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Draft Tek. But, this recent mock is a bit silly.

This Mock Draft is based on the premise that Marcus Howard is taken in the early third round:

Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina
John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
Jack Williams, CB, Kent State
Kory Lichtensteiger, OC, Bowling Green
Rudolph Hardie, DE, Howard
Titus Brown, DE, Mississippi State
Kirk Barton, OT, Ohio State
Carlton Powell, DT, Virginia Tech
Jonathan Hefney, FS, Tennessee

Read The Full Article:
http://www.stampedeblue.com/story/2008/4/8/175040/1951

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Bears: Urlacher deal is good money

post from Bears football blog on 08 April 2008 06:50:00 PM. © Bears football blog

Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips responded Tuesday to Brian Urlacher's contract protest, saying that the Bears are engaged in on-going discussions with Urlacher's camp but have not committed to a new deal or extension with the All-Pro linebacker.

In fact, Phillips sounded more like the team is trying to convince Urlacher that his current deal is fair. "I never said we were talking about an extension," Phillips told the media gathered for a ceremony in which defensive lineman Tommie Harris was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award. "I said we're talking to his representatives about how to look at his contract and try to educate them on the value of his deal. ... The money was (good). It still is." Continue

Read The Full Article:
http://www.bearsfootballblog.com/2008/04/bears-urlacher.html

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Safety Gerald Sensabaugh Signs Tender!

post from Big Cat Country on 08 April 2008 05:43:31 PM. © Big Cat Country

Good things come in threes, Jacksonville completed their trifecta by signing safety Gerald Sensabaugh to his second round tender.

Good for him, he'll get 1.47 million dollars this season and will have a chance to prove his value to the team this year as he'll be playing for a new contract. Gerald is a very tough player who's absence forced the Jaguars to play the Sammy Knight game last season. I look forward to seeing him fill out our secondary.

Jack, David, and Gerald, not a bad couple of days.

IMPORTANT:

It's almost time for me to pick in the SB Nation Mock Draft! If you've got any suggestions as to the pick, please let me know!

-C

Read The Full Article:
http://www.bigcatcountry.com/story/2008/4/8/164331/9813

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NinersNation NCAA Tourney Results

post from Niners Nation on 08 April 2008 02:04:01 PM. © Niners Nation

EDITOR'S NOTE 10:05AM - Congratulations and thanks to everyone for taking part. Info to follow at some point about a draft prediction contest.

The NCAA Tournament is over and congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for beating Memphis in just about as heart stopping a way as possible. That over with, there's only one sensible thing left to do: revisit our Brackets and see whose bracketeering cuisine ranks supreme! I know it's not mine because, well, I had UCLA beating North Carolina in the finals and I was technically eliminated from contention by the time the Final Four came around, anyway. But somebody won, and to see who it was you can do one of two things:

Visit this link and log in: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage
Keep reading because I'm just going to tell you anyway!

And the winner is...

Gailikk!

Congratulations to Gailikk on kicking our collective asses (really, he did, nobody else was close). If you want to see how well you did (I'll give you a hint: Not well), just check the link.

And don't worry Gailikk, we'll get you when the real predictions season begins!

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ninersnation.com/story/2008/4/8/12476/79524

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Falcons Draw A Southern Slate For Preseason

post from The Falcoholic on 08 April 2008 01:18:03 PM. © The Falcoholic

It's usually difficult to get a good sense of your team's talent during the preseason. After all, when your fourth stringers are out there on the field tripping over the football and trying to earn a job against fellow fourth stringers, you are not getting a picture of what the best team on the field might look like. Still, the quality of your opponents can help you make that determination.

That's why I'm glad the Falcons are set to get a workout late this summer, with the Jaguars, Colts, TItans and Ravens serving as the four-game slate. Obviously, all these teams have a ton of talent that may be on the field long enough for us to get a glimpse at the success of the draft and free agent strategy the good Comrade is providing. Indianapolis and Jacksonville in particular give us tough looks on offense and defense, respectively.

If the Falcon starters don't screw up too badly against their counterparts, this season might be a little easier on the eyes than anticipated. Too much could go wrong before then, but I believe in the new management. If nothing else, maybe we can get four wins in the preseason.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.thefalcoholic.com/story/2008/4/8/12183/06146

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Falcoholic Draft Countdown: Houston Texans, #18

The Vikings selected defensive end Phillip Merling, which makes him sound like he should be in a wizard's hat or something. Dude's a talented end, though, so this is a pretty good pick for the Vikings.

Next up, the Houston Texans, represented by Battle Red Blog. The team could use a running back, a linebacker, a corner and some help along the offensive line, so keep that in mind as you vote. The complete list of picks is now after the jump.

Click on entry link below to access the poll and comments.

1. Chris Long, DE, Miami Dolphins
2. Jake Long, OT, St. Louis Rams
3. Glenn Dorsey, DT, Atlanta Falcons
4. Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders
5. Ryan Clady, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
6. Vernon Gholston, LB/DE, New York Jets
7. Leodis McKelvin, CB, New England Patriots
8. Matt Ryan, QB, Baltimore Ravens
9. Sedrick Ellis, DT, Cincinnati Bengals
10. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, New Orleans Saints
11. Malcolm Kelly, WR, Buffalo Bills
12. Chris Williams, OT, Denver Broncos
13. Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Carolina Panthers
14. Jeff Otah, OT, Chicago Bears
15. Derrick Harvey, DE, Detroit Lions
16. Mike Jenkins, CB, Arizona Cardinals
17. Phillip Merling, DE, Minnesota Vikings

Read The Full Article:
http://www.thefalcoholic.com/story/2008/4/8/121116/1654

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Who the hell will they draft 2008: Kent State CB
Jack Williams

Jack Williams might be the only corner Bill Polian drafts this year.First of all, congrats to Kansas fans everywhere. I was rooting for them last night, and for their coach Bill Self. I remember a few years ago he got a highly ranked Kansas team into the tourney only to lose in the second round. Everyone wanted his head on a pike. Now, he's the Prince of Lawrence. Meanwhile, the incompetent John Calipari continues to show us how to lose games down the stretch. I have nothing against Memphis, but Calipari is a total boob and I had issue with him losing, again.

But basketball is not what we are here for. We're here for football, and the NFL Draft is two-and-a-half weeks away! OMG! I Can't wait to smell the sweet hair grease oozing from Mel Kiper's head. BTW, be sure to sign-up for the21eraser's NFL Mock Draft Contest. As we gear up for the draft, we'll continue doing profiles of players we think the Colts will pick. Today, we focus on Kent State CB Jack Williams.

I've included Jack Williams on a the last few mock drafts I've done, and people are starting to ask Who the hell is this guy? and Why the hell would the Colts draft ANOTHER cornerback? Well, to answer the second question, the conclusion I came to years ago is Bill Polian does not feel right about the draft unless he takes at least one CB or S for no damned reason whatsoever. For years, we've seen guys like Donald Strickland, Cory Bird, Indress Bashir, and Joseph Jefferson get drafted (usually in the third round) only to get cut a few years later. Last year, many scratched their heads at picking a safety (Brandon Condren) in round five when areas like DT were still a big concern. However, per usual, Polian made fools of us all. He signed a free agent rookie (Ed Johnson) and drafted Keyunta Dawson in the seventh round.

Polian is god, folks. Polian is god.

As for Who is this guy?, I'll simply state that Jack Williams is the proto-typical Cover 2 corner, and he would fit in perfectly with what Dungy and Polian like to do in the secondary. For example, look at these measurements:

Height: 5'9, Weight: 178

I could be talking about Donald Strickland, Jason David, or Tim Jennings when I list those measurements, but I'm not. I'm talking about Jack Williams. As with all corners Polian looks at late in the draft, Williams is short. But, like with most other positions, height at CB is over-rated, especially if the corner is tough and can jump. Jack Williams can do both. He had a strong showing at the NFL Combine, displaying both strength and speed. Here's what NFL.com has to say about him (via The Sports Xchange):Track speed and exceptional jumping ability. ... Strong for his size, he's one of the few small corners with a decent bubble. ... Changes directions quickly and sticks to receivers. ... Reads the quarterback well and will come off his man to make a play. ... Will plant and drive to the ball -- and make the play (13 career interceptions). ... Good reaction to the tipped ball. ... A threat to take interceptions back to the end zone. ... Very aggressive cut blocker against the run (70 solo tackles in '07, five forced fumbles in ?06). ... Can also get off a receiver block to wrap up a ballcarrier in the open field. ... Typical Tampa-2 corner... Very good special teams coverage player.

13 career INTs. Wow! For comparison's sake, Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason (a projected first round pick) has 15 college career INTs.

Before I go further, I'd like to direct you to skywalker's write-up of Jack Williams, which includes links and clips from KentStateSports.com. What skywalker's diary tells us is Williams has a ton of experience at CB. He's not some converted WR or a CB in college who could only play S in the pros. Williams has started since his sophomore year, and his production has remained consistent year after year. The other thing you learn from skywalker's diary is Jack Williams is ALWAYs around the football. He recorded 4 recovered fumbles, 4 pass break-ups, 4 INTs, and 3 sacks his senior year. Williams also played a lot of special teams at Kent State, earning him the team's award for Defensive Back of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year. Williams' ability to play special teams would prove invaluable to him making the roster on a squad that, for the most part, has its secondary locked up. Marlin and Kelvin are the starters with Tim Jennings battling Dante Hughes, Keiwan Ratliff, and Michael Coe for nickel duty. I think Hughes will win the nickel job because he was really coming into his own before he got hurt last season.

Still, despite this heavy competition, Jack Williams could find his place on this roster, because when you look at his strengths, he is exactly the kind of dude you want smacking WRs on your defense:A great athlete...Excellent speed and quickness...Outstanding leaper..Good hands and ball skills...Solid instincts and awareness..Reads and reacts well and he has a burst to close...Is very strong...Tough and physical...Gets a good jam at the line of scrimmage...Willing to come up and support the run..A hard worker...Team leader.The speed and quickness will suit him well on special teams, and his ability to close on the ball carrier or on a live football is likely why he always seems to generate turnovers. Tony Dungy LOVES these kinds of guys. Despite Williams 5'9 size, he is apparently very physical when jamming WRs at the line of scrimmage. His speed and quickness allow him to recover well, and the sentence I bolded above makes him ideal for the Cover 2. All Cover 2 corners must be willing to come up and stop the run. Williams also comes across in interviews as a smart guy with a good knowledge of football.

His weaknesses? Well, to start, he grew up a Cowboys fan. This means that Jack was 10 years old the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game. Poor, poor Jack. I guess nobody's perfect. Jack's other weaknesses are his hips, which aren't very fluid when he turns to run. Again, he has the speed and quickness to run with many WRs, but if your hips don't turn quick when re-acting to a move, an NFL-caliber WR will eat you alive. More negatives, via NFL.com:Size can be a detriment against larger receivers. ... Missed time with shoulder injury caused by tackle (durability when bringing down pro backs and receivers will be questioned). ... Definitely not a press corner. ... Has only returned a few kickoffs, which could be a nice feather in his cap when trying to make a team. ... Used on blitzes, but lacks the size and strength to beat even an average blocker. ... Will gamble at times to make the big play.Williams has generated a lot of interest because when you compare his strengths with his weaknesses, he could turn into one helluva Tampa-2 style corner. He could go as high as round 3, but I think he should be there in round 4, and if he is the Colts (who have expressed interest in him) will take him. Unlike the Donald Stricklands of the past, this kid looks and sounds like someone who wants to make an impact. And he seems to have the tools to do just that.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.stampedeblue.com/story/2008/4/8/11918/63168

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