Just a quick update on the Josh Hancock tragedy, there is now surveillance video of Hancock’s fatal crash. The video comes courtesy of KMOV.com.
The video is kind of hard to see, but it happens right around the 1:13 mark, you’ll see two cars driving right next to each other and then the SUV’s headlights go out in the middle lane.
The Cincinnati Bengals draft, in my opinion, was decent. I love the first round choice in Leon Hall, I think he along with Johnathan Joseph will be a terrific duo and will help what was one of the worst at defending the pass last season. I like the fact that we got Kenny Irons, he could be a hit or miss though, and although I would’ve rather seen us go defense here, but you can’t really complain with having two solid runningbacks now. I was a little taken back by our 4th round pick but now i’m coming along to it, Marvin White could turn into a Sean Taylor type player(for the record i’m not saying he will be the next Taylor, just a similar type player, big-hitter, playmaker, etc…). I also really love our 7th round pick, Dan Santucci, he reminds me a lot of Eric Steinbach in the sense that he can play both guard and center, he has a lot of potential that he hasn’t reached yet and has all the physical tools to be a starter very soon.
Now onto the guys I don’t like. First of all, Jeff Rowe, the quarterback out of Nevada. I don’t know why we chose him with our 5th round pick, we could have used a back up but Rowe wasn’t expected to go until the 7th or undrafted, why wasted the 151st overall pick on him? We could’ve upgraded our defensive line or linebacking corps or shit, even go with another receiver seeing as how Chris Henry is going to miss half of the season and Kelly Washington is in New England but no, we go with Jeff fucking Rowe. Rowe was projected to be a career back up(which he will) and he played in a horrible scheme at Nevada(at least for quarterback). It was a shallow shotgun/I formation type thing called the Bullet or something like that. Basically he played quarterback normally where the fullback would be positioned in an I-formation scheme. But with that aside I also wish we would’ve drafted Ben Patrick, the tight end out of Delaware. He was projected to be a 2nd/3rd round pick and didn’t go to the 7th. I think he has all the tools to be a great tight end in the NFL and I think he can be the next Alge Crumpler, Arizona should be very proud of themselves…lucky bastards.
1st Round(18th overall):
Leon Hall, Cornerback (MICH)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 194
Born: December 9th, 1984
Leon Hall is regarded as one of the premier coverage cornerbacks in this years rookie class. He had a great career at Michigan, finishing with the teams record in pass deflections with 43 and he was the 2006 finalist for the Thorpe Award (top defensive back) and Bronko Nagurski Award (top defensive player). He played in 50 career games and made 37 career starts at Michigan, so you know he’s reliable and has a lot of experience.
Hall is compared to former Wolverine, Ty Law, because he has very good size, a smooth athlete with great quickness and fluid hips. He’s very tough and aggressive with receivers, he is also does a great job in run support because he is such a sure tackler. He has good hands and is able to make big plays, he’s very smart with excellent instincts and awareness and is very versatile, with experience at safety. The only real knock on Hall was his speed, and he answered that at the NFL’s combine when he ran a 4.39(official time) in the 4o-yard dash. He was a team leader at Michigan and is a real character guy, something that the Bengals were desperately in search of.
NFL.com is comparing him to future Hall of Famer, Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, i’d be thrilled if he turned out to be anywhere near the player Ronde is. Also look for Hall to help out in the Bengal’s return game, preferably as the punt returner. We’ve already lost Tory James to the Patriots and it appears as though we may be releasing or trading Delta O’Neal soon, so taking Hall was absolutely the best pick for us. A duo of Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph will be great for a very long time.
2nd Round(49th overall):
Kenny Irons, Running Back (AUB)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210
Born: September 15th, 1983
He played at South Carolina his first two years before transferring to Auburn in 2004, and didn’t get his first chance to start until 2005, right after the two top 5 picks, Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown were taken in the draft. He had an amazing start to his career gaining 1,293 yards, 13 touchdowns and an average of 5.1 per carry in 12 games but in 2006, as a senior and a possible Heisman candidate, he struggled with nagging injuries and only rushed for 893 yards, 4 touchdowns and an average of 4.5 per carry, which is still very good. The average that is. He played most of his senior year at less than 100 percent due to turf toe, a groin pull, a high ankle sprain and a bruised fibula. Through all that he still managed to pick up All-SEC first-team honors from the league’s coaches.
He displays very good vision and instincts and is a natural runner, he is more quick than fast but is very patient and will explode through holes when as soon as they open. He runs very strong and with authority and really plays much bigger than you would expect from a 5-11 210(soaking wet) back would. He is very athletic and has the agility to change directions in a snap. Although he may not be one of the fastest backs, he does have great break-away speed. And he doesn’t have a lot of mileage so you know when he gets into camp, he’s going to be fresh.
It isn’t known right now if he can be a feature back in the NFL, but with getting drafted to the Bengal’s who already have a proven starter in Rudi Johnson, he won’t have to worry about trying to be “the man”. He will most likely take over the third down and change of pace back duties from Kenny Watson this season.
4th Round(114th overall):
Marvin White, Safety (TCU)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 199
Born: December 15th, 1983
Marvin White is an unheralded talent who didn’t get the media attention he rightly deserved as the leader of the secondary unit at Texas Christian. The defense ranked 21st in the nation against the pass compared to 63rd the previous season, as White and his teammates allowed just 174.08 passing yards per game in 2006, compared to 221.17 in 2005. The entire unit seemed to jell around White, as the Horned Frogs ranked second nationally, allowing opponents only 234.92 yards per game in the safety’s final season at Texas Christian. In his senior season, Marvin White racked up 86 tackles, 3 deflected passes and 4 interceptions.
Like I mentioned earlier, he is a very underrated prospect but he has all the tools and potential to turn into one of the biggest steals of draft. He has good size, he’s extremely tough and physical and he is truly a big hitter. His timed speed at his pro day was good, he ran a 4.43 in the forty, he’s very athletic and is very quick. He has terrific ball skills and is a hard worker that has a motor that doesn’t stop. He has a lot of potential and will improve drastically in the coming years.
At first, like I said, I wasn’t too sure about this pick, that is until I did some research. I feel completely differently now and along side Madieu Williams and with our pair of young corners we now have I feel our secondary will be much better this year and many years to come. And as far as I know, he’s a character guy. Which is what we need.
5th Round(151st overall):
Jeff Rowe, Quarterback (NEV)
Height: 6-5
Weight: 226
Born: March 21st, 1984
Jeff Rowe struggled mightedly for three seasons of trying to move up the Wolf Pack’s depth chart, Rowe took over the starting job as a junior. He struggled as the starter and he was replaced in each of the first six games of the 2004 season before settling in comfortably behind center. He now ranks fifth in school history in passing yardage (7,862), seventh in touchdown passes (55), second in pass completions (682) and pass attempts (1,122), and fourth in total offense yardage (8,413). Rowe started in 38 out of his 45 games for Nevada. He hit on 682 of 1,122 pass attempts (60.8 percent) for 7,862 yards, 55 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carried 317 times for 561 yards (1.8 avg.) and 13 scores. In 1,439 plays, Rowe amassed 8,413 yards in total offense. He also recorded five solo tackles.
Jeff Rowe looks exactly what you would expect an NFL quarterback to look like with his great size at 6-5 226 lb. He moves well in and out of the pocket and has a nice touch on his passes. He is a very good leader, a character guy and is a hard worker. But Rowe doesn’t have the tools to be a full-time starter in the NFL, his arm strength is mediocre at best, he has to adjust to pro game as he spent the last few seasons in that “Bullet” offense and is really only effective in the short passing game. He has a long slow release and will make a lot of mistakes.
Out of all of our picks, this is the one that I have a major problem with. I know we really don’t have a solid back up quarterback and I was fine with drafting one, but Jeff Rowe? He has little to no potential to be a good player, he wasn’t projected to be picked until the 7th round or even could’ve gone undrafted, but yet we used our 151st overall pick on him when we could’ve addressed the defense again or pick up a solid replacement for Chris Henry(while he’s suspended) and full-time for Kelly Washington (who signed with New England).
6th Round(187th overall):
Matt Toeaina, Defensive Tackle (ORE)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 307
Born: October 9th, 1982
At Matt Toeaina’s tenure at Oregon he spent a lot of time behind players that are already in the NFL, like Baltimore’s Halati Ngati. He finally got a chance to start, but still didn’t take advantage of it making only 36 tackles, 0 sacks and only 3.0 tackles for loss in 2006. It also should be mentioned that he played in all 13 games for the Ducks. In 2005 he also had only 36 tackles but he was able to get 3.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss.
Toeaina struggled with consistency throughout his career at Oregon but has strength and ability to stop the run. Toeaina is particularly attractive in the later rounds due to his versatility as teams featuring the 4-3 and 3-4 defense will be looking for a bargain developmental prospect. He is intense, very competitive and is tough and physical. He is a solid tackler and gets a great push on the offensive line and is versaitile because he can play both defensive tackle and defensive end. And of course, he’s a character guy.
I was and still am a little bit weary about this pick. He seems like he doesn’t have much room to grow and lacks potential to be a top-notch player. He is probably going to be more of a backup but hopefully will fill that spot nicely and be a solid contributor off the the bench. What can I say, we needed help stopping the run, and Toeanina is a run stopper, at worst he’s a backup at best he’s a starter.
7th Round(230th overall):
Dan Santucci, Offensive Guard (ND)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 296
Born: September 9th, 1985
[this comes from from NFL.com]
Santucci has made the rounds on the Irish front walls since enrolling at the school. He began his Notre Dame career as a defensive end on the scout team, shifting to defensive tackle as a redshirt freshman. He then moved to the offensive line as a sophomore, starting one game at left guard. He earned a full-time job as a junior, taking over left guard duties and closing out his career with 26 consecutive starts at that position. One of the team’s top scholar-athletes, Santucci again manned left guard for the Irish in 2006. He totaled 325 minutes of playing time, allowing four of the team’s 31 quarterback sacks. He provided solid pass protection as the team ranked No. 13 nationally, averaging 264.08 yards per game passing. He closed out his career starting 26 of 48 games, seeing action for more than 696 minutes.
Dan Santucci is a very good athlete that is quick and agile. He has good size but he could stand to gain some weight. He’s very physical and is very effective as both a run and pass blocker. He’s a tough hard worker that is very smart and always knows whats going on on the field. He has a lot of upside and can play both guard and center at the NFL level. And he always plays with a nasty demeanor.
I love this pick, he reminds me a lot of Eric Steinbach, who was a rising star with us until he opted to sign with Cleveland as a free-agent. Much like Steinbach, he can play just about everywhere on the offensive line and play them all extremely well. He is under 300 pounds which is a little odd to see, and could use some more upper body strenght, but all that can be worked out in the weight room. I beleive he is a 100% steal in the 7th round if he develops the way he’s on track to.
7th Round(253rd overall):
Chinedum Ndukwe, Safety (ND)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 206
Born: March 4th, 1985
Chinedum “Nedu” Ndukew was a two-year starter along side with Tom Zbikowski and gave the Irish one of the top zone coverage safety tandems in college football. Ndukwe played in 45 games at Notre Dame, starting in 25 of them. He finished his career with 175 tackes, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4 career interceptions. In fact in his senior season he had by far his best year. He had 98 tackles, 6 passes defended and 2 interceptions. He’s played a lot of positions while at Notre Dame, he came in as an accomplished wide receiver, he then switched to strong safety, which is where he eventually started for the remained of his career. He also lined up as the rover, apache linebacker and free safety.
Ndukew has great size and bulk and is a great natural athlete. He had a pretty good timed speed and has shown that he has good hands and ball skills. He is solid versus the run and has shown some playmaking ability against the passing game. He still has a lot of potential and has terrific special teams potential. He is a very hard hitter as well.
I like him as a back up to Madieu Williams and maybe our new punt and kick returner. It was a decent pick in the 7th round to help sure up our lackluster secondary. And here is a video of Ndukew destroying second overall pick, Calvin Johnson. This video comes via the NFLFanhouse.
Well it now makes sense on why Bob Wickman has been struggling recently. He’s been injured. The Atlanta Braves have placed closer, Wickman, on the DL and have activated Chad Paronto from the DL.
From AJC:
The Braves have placed closer Bob Wickman on the disabled list and activated reliever Chad Paronto.
Wickman struggled in three appearances the past five days, blowing leads Wednesday against Florida and Sunday against Colorado. He also had to be removed in the ninth inning Friday night against Colorado.
The veteran righthander has allowed five hits, six runs and six walks in 1 2/3 innings in his past three games.
More details on the injury and the amount of time he will be missing aren’t out yet, but I will update as they are released.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have added their 5th tight end to their roster late last night by signing former Seattle Seahawks veteran, Jerramy Stevens.
Stevens was an unrestricted free agent and was the Seahawks first round pick in 2002 and had played his entire five-year career with them before entering the free agent market nearly two months ago. The terms and financial details of the contract were not immediately available, but they should be released soon enough.
The former University of Washington star has recently been been having more off-the-field problems when in last March he was arrested for a DUI and marijuana possession and is facing charges in Arizona. Stevens also previously pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge in 2003 and served two days in jail for that offense. In 2000, Stevens was convicted on hit-and-run charges after driving into a nursing home. There was also a string of team-related offenses for which Stevens was disciplined by coach Mike Holmgren.
From Deadspin:
Stevens agreed to perform field-sobriety tests, but declined after an initial “walk-and-turn” test. He also declined a portable breath test, and the officer indicated that was when Stevens was placed under arrest. The officer stated in the report that there were paper napkins with a loose clump of “green leafy substance” in Stevens’ back pants pocket. A second officer indicated he smelled the odor of marijuana in the driver’s-side seat.
Stevens has also been having plenty of troubles on the field. He dropped several easy passes in the Super Bowl which the Hawks eventually lost to the Steelers then in 2006 he was then kneed in the crotch by former Raider’s 2003first-rounder, Tyler Brayton.
“On Monday November 6th, 2006 in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, Brayton issued a knee to the groin of Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens, after Stevens kneed him and was ejected from the game. Brayton was later fined $25,000 by the NFL. Stevens was fined $15,000. This incident led to Brayton’s nickname of ‘Nut Cracker’.”
Stevens caught a total of 130 passes for 1,458 yards and 15 touchdowns in 71 career games at Seattle and is coming off of another poor season in which he caught 22 balls for 231 yards and 4 touchdown.
“He’s a former first-round pick and he’s had some off-the-field issues that have hampered him a little bit,” Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said. “He had a recent public mistake. . . . [But] we brought him in [earlier] in free agency and we had a great understanding of what he is. We’ve talked to him since the [March] incident and we had a very serious talk with him today. I think Jerramy Stevens is a good young man, and he’s focused on doing things right. More importantly, he understands he has to do the right things.”
Stevens will be joining an already lengthy depth chart in Tampa Bay, on the Buc’s depth chart they have Anthony Becht, Alex Smith, Keith Heinrich and T.J. Williams.
According to ESPN’s Michael Smith, the Chicago Bears and former Florida quarterback, Chris Leak have agreed to a free-agent contract.
Chris Leak led his Florida Gator’s to a National Championship in 2007 against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Heisman winner, Troy Smith. And unlike Smith, Leak was not selected in this weekend’s NFL Draft. The details of the contract are not known at this point, but i’m sure it will be revealed sometime tomorrow.
In his 4-year career at Florida, Leak played in 51 games, he threw for 11,213 yards, 88 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. One of the biggest reasons everyone passed on Leak in the draft was his height, Leak stands at only 5′11″, but is a solid athlete who can make stuff happen with his feet and throws well on the run and he is a hard worker and is very competitive. Like I said, the downfalls on Leak is his size and his arm strength is just average and never really developed into the player that he was projected to be coming out of high school. He will likely go into training camp competing for the Bears third string quarterback position.
UPDATE:
Here’s the link to the Bears signing free-agent Chris Leak to a contract.
“We were happy that he is with a Super Bowl team like the Bears,” his father, Curtis Leak, told the Charlotte Observer on Monday. “It’s a good situation for him. That’s all that matters to us. I feel great about it.”
The St. Louis Cardinals are mourning the death of a teammate for the second time in five years, and it isn’t any easier this time.
Just hours before the St. Louis Cardinals were set to take on the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals received tragic news, their pitcher, Josh Hancock was involved in a auto accident earlier that morning and sadly, didn’t survive.
Josh Hancock, a 29-year old relief pitcher, died when his SUV slammed into the back of a tow truck early Sunday morning, this brought up painful memories of Darryl Kyle’s death in June of 2002. Hancock was a big part of the bullpen that helped the Cardinals win the World Series last season.
From ESPN.com:
“There’s a big hole that’s going to be there,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “This is brutal to go through.” Tony La Russa had the unfortunate duty to inform Hancock’s family, that resides in Mississippi of their son’s horrible accident.
“What words can you give somebody in a situation like this?” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.
St. Louis police said that Hancock was alone in his 2007 Ford Explore when the SUV struck the rear of a flatbed tow truck at 12:35 a.m. The tow truck was in the left lane with it’s lights flashing while assisting another car that had crashed, Police Chief Joe Mokwa said.
Hancock died upon impact, Mokwa said. The driver of the tow truck, whose name was not released by police, was in the truck at the time of the crash but was not injured. Mokwa said the truck driver saw Hancock’s SUV swerve just before it hit the tow truck.
Mokwa said it appeared Hancock was driving at or just above the speed limit, and there were no alcohol containers in his vehicle.
“We may never know what occurred,” Mokwa said. “It appears that he just merely didn’t see the tow truck.”
“All of baseball today mourns the tragic and untimely death of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock,” baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. “He was a fine young pitcher who played an important role on last year’s World Series championship team.”
The Cardinals will wear patches with Hancock’s No. 32 on their sleeves for the rest of the season. The team also planned a memorial for the bullpen, which already features a tribute to Kile, found dead in his hotel room in Chicago. The 33-year-old pitcher died of a coronary artery blockage.
General manager Walt Jocketty said the Cardinals, who are off Thursday, plan to charter a plane to the funeral. The team begins a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday and returns to St. Louis on Friday.
“Obviously, this is very difficult for all of us, especially those of us who were here five years ago when we lost Darryl Kile,” said Jocketty, his eyes red. “There’s no way we could have played tonight’s game.”
“This has obviously been a very difficult time,” St. Louis pitcher Branden Looper said. “Josh was a great teammate and a great friend to everybody, and he was a key part of our success.” Atlanta Braves ace Tim Hudson played with Hancock at Auburn. They helped lead the school to the 1997 College World Series.
“It feels like being punched in the stomach right now,” Hudson said. “Josh was such a good person. I saw him a few times a year going back to Auburn for football games. It’s really a shock.”
The Cards postponed the Sunday night game against the Cubs, and it was the right decision, the players shouldn’t be think of baseball at this time. This is a very tough time to go through, and it seems like nothing but tragedy can hit this country at this time, with the massacre at Virginia Tech, the death of Hancock, the shootings at a mall in Kansas City, MO today that killed 2 innocent people and so much more. I extend my deepest sympathy to the Hancock family and the Cardinal organization.
The Atlanta Braves have traded worthless 4th outfielder, Ryan Langerhans to the Oakland A’s in exchange for a Player To Be Named Later or cash considerations.
From David O’Brien of AJC.com:
LANGERHANS TRADED TO OAKLAND.
For cash or a player to be named. Braves are bringing up Willie Harris, who’s batting .362 with a homer and seven RBIs in 17 games at Richmond, and .412 vs. right-handed pitchers.
Bobby says doesn’t know how he’ll use him when I asked if it’d be platoon. But I think it will be.
There must really be some serious shit going on in Oakland if they would trade for Langerhans. Langerhans, after finally breaking an 0-29 slump, well once you go 0-29 is it really considered a slump? Anyways, back to what I was saying, Langerhans sucks, he’s a great outfielder but he makes Rafael Belliard look like, oh I don’t know, someone who doesn’t suck balls. Anyways, this is definitely addition by subtraction. Now we just need to find a way to lose Chris Woodward. Oh well, oh and on a side note, we lost today, Bob Wickman fell apart again and Holliday hit a walk-off 2-run shot off of Colyer in the 11th. But we got the Phillies coming to town so that should be fun and Woodward….go play in the street.
And that’s it folks, the 2007 NFL Draft is now officially over. I’ll be doing a recap with winners and losers very soon.
#255(Mr.Irrelevant) Current Selection, Detroit selects Ramzee Robinson, CB(ALA)
#254 Current Selection, Oakland selects Jonathan Holland, WR(LA TCH)
#253 Current Selection, Cincinnati selects Nedu Ndukwe, S(ND)
#252 Current Selection, Jacksonville selects Adrew Carnahan, OT(ASU)
#251 Current Selection, Jacksonville selects Chad Nkang, S(ELON)
#250 Current Selection, New York(Giants) select Ahmad Bradshaw, RB(MAR)
#249 Current Selection, St.Louis selects Derek Stanley, WR(WIS Whiwtr)
#248 Current Selection, St.Louis selects Keith Jackson, DT(ARK)
#247 Current Selection, New England selects Mike Elgin, C(IOWA)
#246 Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects Kenneth Darby, RB(ALA)
#245 Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects Marcus Hamilton, CB(UVA)
#244 Current Selection, Atlanta selects Jason Snelling, FB(UVA)
#243 Current Selection, Green Bay selects Clark Harris, TE(RUTG)
#242 Current Selection, Indianapolis selects Keyunta Dawson, DE(TXTH)
#241 Current Selection, Chicago selects Aaron Brant, OT(ISU)
#240 Current Selection, San Diego selects Brandon Siler, LB(FLA)
#239 Current Selection, Buffalo selects C.J. Ah You, DE(OU)
#238 Current Selection, Miami selects Abraham Wright, DE(COL)
#237 Current Selection, Dallas selects Alan Ball, CB(ILL)
#236 Current Selection, Philadelphia selects Nate Ilaoa, RB(HAW)
#235 Current Selection, New York(Jets) selects Chansi Stuckey, WR(CLEM)
#234 Current Selection, Cleveland selects Syndric Steptoe, KR/PR(ARI)
#233 Current Selections, Minnesota selects Chandler Williams, WR(FIU)
#232 Current Selections, Seattle selects Steve Vallos, OT(WF)
#231 Current Selections, Kansas City selects Michael Allan, TE(Whitworth)
#230 Current Selections, Cincinnati selects Dan Santucci, OG(ND) I love this pick, great value in the 7th round he could turn out to be just like Eric Steinbach because he’s versatile and can play center.
#229 Current Selections, Jacksonville selects John Broussard, WR(SJST)
#228 Current Selections, Green Bay selects Deshawn Wynn, RB(FLA)
#227 Current Selections, Pittsburgh selects Dallas Baker, WR(FLA)
#226 Current Selections, Carolina selects C.J. Wilson, CB(BAY)
#225 Current Selections, Miami selects Brandon Fields, P(MSU)
#224 Current Selections, New York(Giants) selects Michael Johnson, S(ARI)
#223 Current Selections, Tennessee selects Mike Otto, OT(PUR)
#222 Current Selections, Buffalo selects Derek Schouman, TE(BOISE)
#221 Current Selections, Chicago selects Trumaine McBride, CB(MISS)
#220 Current Selections, New Orleans selects Marvin Mitchell, LB(TENN)
#219 Current Selections, Miami selects Kelvin Smith, LB(SYR)
#218 Current Selections, Houston selects Zach Diles, LB(KSU)
#217 Current Selections, Minnesota selects Tyler Thigpen, QB(COASTCAR)
#216 Current Selections, Washington selects Tyler Ecker, TE(MICH)
#215 Current Selections, Arizona selects Ben Patrick, TE(DELWARE) Damnit! We should’ve picked him, he’s going to be great, probably should’ve went in the 2nd/3rd round.
#214 Current Selections, Tampa Bay selects Chris Denman, OT(FRESNO)
#213 Current Selections, Cleveland selects Chase Pittman, DE(LSU)
#212 Current Selections, Dallas selects Courtney Brown, CB(CAL POLY)
#211 Current Selections, New England selects Oscar Lua, LB(USC)
END OF THE 6TH ROUND
#210 Current Selections, Seattle selects selects Jordan Kent, WR(ORE)
#209 Current Selections, New England selects Corey Hilliard, OG(OKST)
#208 Current Selections, New England selects Justin Hariston, RB(CCONN)
#207 Current Selections, Baltimore selects Prescott Burgess, LB(MICH)
#206 Current Selections, Tennessee selects Ryan Smith, CB(FLA)
#205 Current Selections, Washington selects Jordan Palmer, QB(UTEP)
#204 Current Selections, Tennessee selects Jacob Ford, DE(ARK)
#203 Current Selections, Atlanta selects Daren Stone, S(MAINE)
#202 Current Selections, New England selects Mike Richardson, CB(ND)
#201 Current Selections, Philadelphia selects Rashad Barksdale, N/A(ALB)
#200 Current Selections, Cleveland selects Melila Purcell, DE(HAW)
#199 Current Selections, Miami selects Drew Mormino, C(CMICH)
#198 Current Selections, Atlanta selects Doug Datish, C(OSU)
#197 Current Selections, Seattle selects Courtney Taylor, WR(AUB)
#196 Current Selections, Kansas City selects Herbert Taylor, OT(TCU)
#195 Current Selections, Dallas selects Deon Anderson, FB(UCONN)
#194 Current Selections, Atlanta selects David Irons, CB(AUB)
#193 Current Selections, Green Bay selects Mason Crosby, K(COL)
#192 Current Selections, Green Bay selects Desmond Bishop, LB(CAL)
#191 Current Selections, Green Bay selects Korey Hall, LB(BOISE)
#190 Current Selections, St. Louis selects Ken Shackleford, OT(UGA)
#189 Current Selections, New York(Giants) selects Adam Koets, OT(OREST)
#188 Current Selections, Tennessee selects Joel Filani, WR(TXTCH)
#187 Current Selections, Cincinnati selects Matt Toeaina, DT(ORE) I guess this is a good pick, but I really wish we would draft Ben Patrick. Please.
#186 Current Selections, San Francisco Clayton Thomas, RB(KSU)
#185 Current Selections, Atlanta selects Trey Lewis, DT(WASHBURN)
#184 Current selections, Buffalo selects John Wendling, S(WYO) Good pick here, this kid has a lot of upside
#183 Current Selections, Houston selects Kasey Studdard, OG(TEX)
#182 Current Selections, Tampa Bay selects Adam Hayward, LB(PORT)
#181 Current Selections, Miami selects Reagan Mauia, RB(HAW) Again, the Phins boggle me
#180 Current Selections, New England selects Justin Rogers, LB(SMU)
#179 Current selections, Washington selects H.B. Blades, LB(PITT)
#178 Current Selections, Dallas selects Nick Folk, K(ARI)
#177 Current Selections, New York(Jets) selects Jacob Bender, OT(NICH)
#176 Current Selections, Minnesota selects Rufus Alexander, OLB(OU)
#175 Current Selections, Oakland selects Oren O’Neal, FB(ARK ST)
END OF THE 5TH ROUND
#174 Current Selections, Baltimore selects Troy Smith, QB(OSU)
#173 Current Selections, Indianapolis selects Michael Coe, CB(ALA ST)
#172 Current Selections, San Diego selects Legedu Naanee, WR(BOISE)
#171 Current Selections, New England selects Clint Oldenburg, OT(CSU)
#170 Current Selections, Pittsburgh selects William Gay, CB(LOU)
#169 Current Selections, Indianapolis selects Roy Hall, WR(OSU)
#168 Current Selections, Chicago selects Corey Graham, CB(NH)
#167 Current Selections, Chicago selects Kevin Payne, S(LOU-MON)
#166 Current Selections, Jacksonville selects Derek Landri, DT(ND)
#165 Current Selections, Oakland selects Eric Frampton, S(WSU)
#164 Current Selections, Carolina selects Tim Shaw, ILB(PSU)
#163 Current Selections, Houston selects Brandon Frye, OT(VIRGINIA TECH) Love this guy, he should have a long career with the Texans.
#162 Current Selections, Philadelphia selects Brent Celek, TE(CIN)
#161 Current Selections, Seattle selects Will Herring, LB(AUB)
#160 Current Selections, Kansas City selects Justin Medlock, K(UCLA)
#159 Current Selections, Philadelphia selects C.J. Gaddis, CB(CLEM)
#158 Current Selections, Detroit selects Johnny Baldwin, LB(ALAAM)
#157 Current Selections, Green Bay selects David Clowney, WR(VIRGINIA TECH) YES!! Man, those Packers sure love them some Hokies!
I’m just going to go pick by pick now.
#156 Current Selection, Pittsburgh selects Cameron Stephenson, OG(RUTG)
Pittsburgh is on the clock
#155 Current Selection, Carolina selects Dante Rosario, FB/TE(ORE)
Carolina is on the clock
#154 Current Selection, St. Louis selects Clifton Ryan, DT(MSU)
St. Louis is on the clock
#153 Current Selection, New York(Giants) selects Kevin Boss, TE(WORE)
New York(Giants) are on the clock
#152 Current Selections, Tennessee selects Antonio Johnson, DT(MISSST)
Tennessee is on the clock
#151 Current Selections, Cincinnati selects Jeff Rowe, QB(NEV) What? Why? We need a tight end(Ben Patrick), a linebacker and a defensive lineman, come on Cincy!
Cincinnati is on the clock
#150 Current Selections, Jacksonville selects Josh Gattis, S(WF)
#149 Current Selections, Jacksonville selects Uche Nwaner, OG(PUR)
Jacksonville is on the clock
#148 Current Selection, Kansas City selects Kolby Smith, RB(LOU)
#147 Current Selection, San Francisco selects Tarell Brown, CB(TEX)
#146 Current Selection, Minnesota selects Aundrae Allison, WR(ECU)
#145 Current Selection, New Orleans selects David Jones, CB(WINGATE)
#144 Current Selection, Houston selects Brandon Harrison, S(STAN)
#143 Current Selection, Washington selects Dallas Sartz, LB(USC)
#142 Current Selection, Arizona selects Steve Breaston, WR(MICH)
#141 Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects Greg Peterson, DE(NCC)
Sorry for the delay, a guys gotta eat
12:04 PM- Tampa Bay is on the clock
12:03 PM- #140 Current Selection, Cleveland selects Brandon McDonald, CB(MEMP)
12:01 PM- Cleveland is on the clock
12.:00 PM- #139 Current Selection, St. Louis selects Dustin Fry, C(CLEM)
11:58 AM- St. Louis is on the clock
11:58 AM- #138 Current Selection, Oakland selects Jay Richardson, DT(OSU)
11:56 AM- Oakland is on the clock
END OF THE 4TH ROUND
11:56 AM- #137 Current Selection, Baltimore selects Le’Ron McClain, FB(ALA)
11:55 AM- Baltimore is on the clock
11:55 AM- #136 Current Selections, Indianapolis selects Clint Session, LB(PITT)
11:52 AM- Indianapolis is on the clock
11:52 AM- #135 Current Selection, San Francisco selects Joe Cohen, DT(FLA)
11:49 AM- San Francisco is on the clock
11:49 AM- #134 Current Selection, Baltimore selects Antwan Barnes, LB(FIU)
11:48 AM- Baltimore is on the clock
11:47 AM-#133 Current Selection, Atlanta selects Martrez Milner, TE(UGA)
11:46 AM- Atlanta is on the clock
11:45 AM- #132 Current Selection, Pittsburgh selects Ryan McBean, DT(OKST)
11:44 AM- Pittsburgh is on the clock
11:44 AM- #131 Current Selection, Indianapolis selects Brannon Condren, S(TROY)
11:42 AM- Indianapolis is on the clock
11:41 AM- #130 Current Selection, Chicago selects Josh Beekman, OG(BC)
11:39 AM- Chicago is on the clock
11:38 AM- #129 Current Selection, San Diego selects Scott Chandler, TE(IOWA)
11:36 AM- San Diego is on the clock
11:36 AM- #128 Current Selection, Tennessee selects Chris Davis, WR(FSU)
11:35 AM- Tennessee is on the clock
11:35 AM- #127 Current Selection, New England selects Kareem Brown, DL(MIA)
11:33 AM- New England is on the clock
11:33 AM- #126 Current Seleciton, San Francisco selects Dashon Goldson, S(WASH) They really need to slow the hell down.
11:31 AM- San Francisco is on the clock
11:30 AM- #125 Current Selection, New Orleans selects Jermon Bushrod, OT(Townson)
11:27 AM- New Orleans is on the clock
11:26 AM- #124 Current Selection, Seattle selects Mansfield Wrotto, OL(GT)
11:24 AM- Seattle is on the clock
11:23 AM- #123 Current Selection, Houston selects Fred Bennett, CB(SCAR)
11:22 AM- Houston is on the clock
11:21 AM- #122 Current Selection, Dallas selects Doug Free, OL(NIU)
11:19 AM- Dallas is on the clock
11:18 AM- #121 Current Selection, Denver selects Marcus Thomas, DT(former FLA)
11:17 AM- The Vikings trade pick to the Broncos
11:15 AM- Minnesota is on the clock
11:15 AM- #120 Current Selection, Seattle selects Baraka Atkins, DE(MIA)
11:12 AM- Seattle is on the clock
11:12 AM- #119 Current Selection, Green Bay selects Allen Barbre, OT(missiouri southern st.)
11:08 AM- Green Bay is on the clock
11:07 AM- #118 Current Selection, Carolina selects Ryne Robinson, WR(MIA,OH)
11:05 AM- Carolina is on the clock
11:05 AM- #117 Current Selection, Detroit selects Manuel Ramirez, OL(TXTCH)
11:03 AM- St. Louis trades pick to Detroit
11:03 AM- St.Louis is on the clock
11:02 AM- #116 Current Selection, New York(Giants) selects Zak DeOssie, LB(BROWN)
11:01 AM- The New York Giants are on the clock
11:01 AM- #115 Current Selection, Tennessee selects Leroy Harris, OL(NCST)
10:59 AM- Tennessee is on the clock
10:58 AM- #114 Current Selection, Cincinnati selects Marvin White, S(TCU) I wanted Ben Patrick, but this guy is an All- MWC
10:56 AM- Cincinnati is on the clock
10:55 AM- #113 Current Selection, Jacksonville selects Brian Smith, LB(MIZZ)
10:53 AM- Jacksonville is on the clock
10:53 AM- #112 Current Selection, Pittsburgh selects Brian Sepulveda, P(BAY)
10:52 AM- Green Bay trades pick to the Steelers
10:50 AM- Green Bay is on the clock
10:49 AM- #111 Current Selection, Buffalo selects Dwayne Wright, RB(FRESNO)
10:47 AM- Buffalo is on the clock
10:46 AM- #110 Current Selection, Oakland selects John Bowie, CB(CIN)
10:46 AM- Oakland on the clock with the Patriots picked they received for trading Randy Moss.
10:42 AM- #109 Current Selection, Stephen Nicholas, LB(SFLA) Great value here, he’s a good linebacker at a relatively small college.
10:40 AM- Atlanta Falcons are on the clock
10:40 AM- #108 Current Selection, Miami selects Paul Soliai, DT(UTAH)
10:36 AM- Miami is on the clock
10:35 AM- #107 Current Selection, New Orleans selects Antonio Pittman, RB(OSU)
10:34 AM- Houston trades pick to New Orleans
10:32 AM- Houston is on the clock
10:31 AM- #106 Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects Tanard Jackson, S(SYR)
10:27 AM- Tampa Bay is on the clock
10:26 AM- #105 Current Selection , Detroit selects A.J. Davis, CB(NCST)
10:22 AM- Detroit is on the clock
10:21 AM- #104 Current Selection, San Francisco selects Jay Moore, DE(NEB)
10:19 AM- San Francisco is on the clock
10:18 AM- #103 Current Selection, Dallas selects Isaiah Stanback, QB(WAS)
10:16 AM- Dallas is on the clock
10:15 AM- #102 Current Selection, Minnesota selects Brian Robinson, DE(TEX)
10:12 AM- Our first trade of the day, Tampa Bay ships 4th round pick to Minnesota
10:12 AM- Tampa Bay is on the clock
10:12 AM- #101 Current Selection, Jacksonville selects Adam Podlash, P(MARY)
10:09 AM- Jacksonville is on the clock
10:09 AM- #100 Current Selection, Oakland selects Michael Bush, RB(LOU) This is a great pick, he’s a first round talent, just the injury in the first game knocked him down to round four.
10:06 AM- Oakland is on the clock
Sorry for the late start, I was writing a post about the Moss and Jackson trades.
According to ESPN and NFL.com’s Adam Schefter, the Oakland Raiders have agreed to send Pro-Bowl receiver, Randy Moss to the New England Patriots in exchange for their 4th round pick today. There are still details that will need to be completed, including Moss taking a physical and restructuring his contract. Moss’ current contract calls for him to be owed $21 million over the next two years, and he has agreed to re-do it for the Patriots. I mentioned that the two teams resumed trade talks yesterday and I speculated that the deal was done last night when they Patriots sent their 3rd pick to the Raiders but that was proven to be just for a Raiders’ draft pick next season.
“The Raiders have resumed trade talks with the New England Patriots over disgruntled receiver, Randy Moss. The Patriots offered the Raiders a second-day pick in this years draft, which Al Davis immediately shot down, but now he may be reconsidering it. The Raiders do NOT want Moss on their team no longer and it seems like the only team Moss wants to play for is the Patriots. The Raiders asked Moss to restructure his contract in order to make it easier to trade the Pro-Bowler, but he quickly declined. He did say that he will be more than happy to restructure his contract which calls for him to make $9.75 million this season, for the Pat’s, he said the only thing he wants to do right now is win a Super Bowl and he believes the best place for him to succeed in that journey is in New England.”
This latest move caps off an already stunning offseason for the Pats and in my opinion has vaulted them to the number one choice for the Super Bowl this season.
Jackson to the Niners
This is also news, the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to send receiver Darrell Jackson to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their 4th round pick.
Jackson, 28, caught 63 passes in 2006 for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns — all team-leading totals. At the time of his toe injury, Jackson was leading the league in touchdown catches. He’s exceeded 1,000 receiving yards three times in seven seasons.
However, Jackson and Seahawks management reportedly have been at odds following negotiation of the six-year, $25 million contract extension Jackson signed in March 2004, his decision to skip voluntary workouts in 2005, and the manner in which the team handled his knee injury last season.
Making his first start after signing that new contract, John Smoltz wasn’t fooling anyone in the first inning. He started the game by walking Rockies speedster, Willy Tavares and then followed that by giving up a 2-run homerun to Troy Tulowitzki. He also gave up a double to Todd Helton before getting out of a hellish 1st inning. But what makes John Smoltz so great is his composure, he regrouped and struck out two in the next inning. The Braves got their offense started in the 2nd inning when Chipper Jones connected with a 2-run single that scored both Ryan Langerhans and Kelly Johnson. In the third inning, Smoltz got a little help from his All-Star centerfielder, Andruw Jones. Jones robbed Garrett Atkins of a homerun to preserve the Braves lead.
“Nothing to it. It’s all about positioning, finding the wall and locating the ball” said Andruw Jones after the game.
Atlanta had a big inning in the fourth when Jeff Francoeur hit an absolute, no doubter to deep left field. The Braves added to the score later in the inning when Kelly Johnson tripled and scored Langerhans. And the Braves final run came in the 9th inning when Edgar Renteria took Rockies closer, Brian Fuentes deep.
John Smoltz had a rough start but was able recollect himself and pitch 7 strong innings, 2 earned runs(both in the 1st inning), struck out 8 and walked only 1 batter. He was replaced in the 8th inning by Mike Gonzalez who pitched a scoreless inning of work, striking out one and was then replaced by Rafael Soriano in the 9th inning and Soriano was fantastic, striking out 2 men and gave up no runs.
WP: John Smoltz(3-1)
LP: John Hirsh(2-2)
HR: ATL- Jeff Francoeur(5) and Edgar Renteria(4) COL- Troy Tulowitzki(2)
The Braves will go for the sweep later today at 3:05 PM ET. We have Kyle Davies going and they have Aaron Cook going.
