The Falcons trade up with Cleveland. NFL.com says- NFL.com says-
Jones has the prototypical build to become a No. 1 receiver. A vertical threat due to his height, strength, leaping ability, and speed. Generates big plays after the catch on screens and crossing patterns because of his physicality as a runner. Flashes outstanding hands and ball skills, will make the highlight grabs and haul in passes well outside his frame, but also struggles with bouts of drops. Needs to shore up his hands and route-running to develop into a consistent chain-mover at the next level. Plays aggressively, will go over the middle and block. A foot injury hasn’t hindered Jones’ upside, and he is projected to be a mid first-round pick.”>Jones has the prototypical build to become a No. 1 receiver. A vertical threat due to his height, strength, leaping ability, and speed. Generates big plays after the catch on screens and crossing patterns because of his physicality as a runner. Flashes outstanding hands and ball skills, will make the highlight grabs and haul in passes well outside his frame, but also struggles with bouts of drops. Needs to shore up his hands and route-running to develop into a consistent chain-mover at the next level. Plays aggressively, will go over the middle and block. A foot injury hasn’t hindered Jones’ upside, and he is projected to be a mid first-round pick.
Jones cost the Falcons alot of draft selections and he has a case of the drops. This pick has big bust potential.
Peterson is built like a safety, has the speed of a corner and is an elite playmaker. He has the explosion and range to play on an island and the instincts to be effective in zone heavy schemes. He has elite ball skills and is a shifty runner that is a nightmare to take down in the open field. He is a supremely confident kid that always looks to make plays, but at times can get burned by ball fakes and double moves. Peterson is a freakishly talented football player and might very well be the first corner back in the draft’s history to be taken No. 1 overall.
Green is one of the finest receiver prospects in the last few years. Has the ideal length, refined route-running skills, hands, and big-play ability to become one of the league’s top players at the position. Displays tremendous acceleration and fluidity for a taller player. Is a consistent vertical threat because of his outstanding combination of deep speed, height, ball skills and leaping ability. Very productive underneath gaining separation or catching the ball in a crowd. Occasionally has difficulty with bigger, more physical defensive backs and would like to see more attitude when run blocking. Was suspended once by NCAA but character appears to be solid. Green likely will go in the top 10, perhaps top five.
Dareus is one of this class’ finest prospects. Possesses the athleticism and explosiveness to be consistently disruptive against the run and pass. Hands that don’t stop, sheds blockers quickly, and frequently uses the swim move to get to the quarterback. Also has great power to push the pocket and stand his ground adequately when run at. Blessed with great feet and outstanding lateral quickness. Comfortable playing in space and likely capable of dropping into coverage. Only question is his endurance and stamina. Played in a rotation early and dealt with injuries as a junior. Dareus will likely be a top-five pick, maybe even go No. 1 overall.
Miller was the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, and it seems like his game will translate very well to the next level. He is a great athlete that has prototypical size and very good instincts for the linebacker position. He is at his best as a pass rusher in a 3-4 defense, as he is explosive and strong with an arsenal of pass rushing moves. He may lack the size to consistently anchor against the run, but he flashes the ability to disengage from blockers and is an underrated run stopper. Overall, Miller is an excellent prospect that could get drafted in the top 10.
Newton is one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks in draft history. Possesses a quick, clean release, enough arm strength to complete the deep out, prototypical size, and is a dangerous threat outside of the pocket. However, he has a ways to go before turning into a productive, reliable NFL starter. Was not asked to make pro-style reads or move through progressions in college. Footwork is sloppy and accuracy is inconsistent. He’s competitive and vocal on the field, but has had several off-the-field issues and his character is in question. Despite the risk, Newton’s talent will likely prevent him from lasting past the middle of the first round.
Jim Harbaugh agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract to become the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Friday, according to team and league sources.
The 49ers announced a news conference scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, but did not indicate the reason.
Earlier Friday, a source told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that Stanford was the favorite to retain Harbaugh’s services.
On Thursday, Harbaugh met with top Stanford officials — including university president John Hennessey — so that the school could make its best offer to try to retain him. The university reportedly increased an offer it had made to Harbaugh in December.
The 49ers met with Harbaugh Wednesday, and a source said that on Thursday night, after news broke that Harbaugh would not go to the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco was willing to increase its offer.
This makes great sense. While he’s a Michigan grad whose best days as a pro were with the Chicago Bears, Harbaugh’s a California guy.
The Stanford job is a much better one than the newly vacant Michigan one. Sure, it’s his alma mater and it’s one of the storied programs in the history of college football. And it would pay more. But the expectations are unreasonable and he’d have to uproot his family. Stanford is already a top program. If he wanted to stay in college, Stanford was the obvious choice.
And, yes, $7 million or whatever from the Miami Dolphins would have been a sweet deal. But that would have engendered all manner of animosity from other coaches, fuming that a first-timer was making all that money. And expectations would have been through the roof. The fact that they were openly courting him while Tony Sparano is still the coach didn’t help matters.
He can take over the 49ers, a franchise with a proud history of its own, without moving to a new house. His kids can stay in the same school. And, while $5 million isn’t $7 million, it’s not exactly chopped liver.
The expected has happened. Jason Garrett has been named the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach, sources said Thursday.
The team has scheduled a press conference for 1:30 p.m. CT to make an official announcement.
Terms of the deal were not available, but Garrett had one year remaining on his contract as the assistant head coach that paid him $3.5 million annually.
Considered the favorite all along, Garrett is the eighth coach in franchise history and owner/general manager Jerry Jones did not feel the need for an exhaustive search. He interviewed wide receivers coach Ray Sherman to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which states a team must talk with at least one minority coach during the process.
He also interviewed Miami Dolphins assistant Todd Bowles, a former Dallas assistant.
Jones wanted to finalize the deal quickly because he didn’t want other teams with vacancies getting their hands on Garrett.
[...]
For Garrett, 44, this seems like the culmination of a process that started when he joined the Cowboys before Jones even named Phillips the coach in 2007. He was viewed as the coach-in-waiting ever since but interviewed with Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Detroit and St. Louis. After Garrett turned down the Ravens, Jones made him the highest-paid assistant in the NFL with a $3.5 million salary.
Garrett was the obvious choice for the job and frankly should have been hired two years ago when it was obvious Wade Phillips didn’t have what it takes to lead a team to a championship. (Okay, so it was obvious before he was hired to everyone not named Jerry Jones. As I put it in a post four years ago, when his hiring was rumored, “Wade Freakin’ Phillips?!“)
Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher was a defensive back for Chicago and just finished his 17th year with the Titans/Oilers. Owner and GM Jerry Jones would like that kind of stability.
Jacksonville’s Jack Del Rio had an 11-year career as a linebacker, including a stint with the Cowboys from 1989-91, and just completed his eighth year as the Jaguars’ coach. Gary Kubiak spent nine years as John Elway’s backup in Denver and just finished his fifth year as Houston’s coach.
Ken Whisenhunt was a tight end for Atlanta, Washington and the New York Jets and is heading into his fifth year as Arizona’s coach. Leslie Frazier spent five years as a cornerback in Chicago and, like Garrett, turned an interim job in 2010 into a permanent post with Minnesota.
New Orleans coach Sean Payton’s playing career lasted three games with Chicago during the 1987 strike-seaso. One former player-turned-coach, Mike Singletary, was fired in San Francisco with a game to go.
And there could be other former players added to the mix this off-season: Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who played for Chicago, Indianapolis, Baltimore and San Diego, and Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who played for Minnesota and Pittsburgh, have had interviews recently. And don’t forget Bill Cowher could also come back this year.
While I don’t expect 29 years and five trips to the Super Bowl from Garrett, it’s noteworthy that the Cowboys’ first and longest serving coach, the legendary Tom Landry, was also a former player.
It was akin to the prodigal son being summoned home to one day take his rightful place as heir to the throne, considering he was a highly-respected backup quarterback on two Super Bowl title teams in the 1990s and the son of former longtime scout Jim Garrett.
The feeling grew stronger in the coming years when Garrett shunned head coaching opportunities in Atlanta and Baltimore, among others, to remain with the Cowboys, setting the stage for the inevitable. And then when Garrett was tabbed as the interim coach to replace the fired Wade Phillips following a 1-7 start and led them to a 5-3 finish in 2010, it was only a matter of time and paperwork.
The time is now and a new day finally dawns on the Cowboys franchise when Jones officially promotes Garrett to head coach at a news conference at 1:30 p.m. today at Cowboys Stadium.
Jones made the move after interviewing receivers coach Ray Sherman on Tuesday and Miami Dolphins assistant head coach Todd Bowles on Wednesday to adhere to the league-mandated Rooney Rule. Garrett is the eighth coach in Cowboys history.
Jones has always felt the Princeton-schooled Garrett had a bright offensive mind and would one day make a future head coach. Those feelings were cemented over the past eight weeks of the season when he proved he could also be the firm leader and effective motivator.
On his tenure as interim coach:
What Garrett did best was being a leader and changing the lackadaisical culture of the locker room. He stressed hard work, preparation and accountability. All three were absent in the final days of the Wade Philips era.
“I think we’re going to be a lot better with him in charge,” Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said. “I think he has a clear message. He has a plan and he does a great job of making that plan is clear and giving us the best chance to be at our best, coaches and players, on Sunday. I believe in him. I believe that he can make us winners in a timely fashion. All his messages, his mentality, all of that is so we’re at our best, and those distractions are eliminated and you focus on being the best football player you can be.”
The belief that the Cowboys can quickly get back to their winning ways under Garrett is one reason why Jones worked fast to make the promotion happen just three days after the season final victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jones said he will work with Garrett to overhaul the roster and usher in dramatic personnel changes. Despite the disappointment of predicting a dream Super Bowl season in 2010 and only to finish 6-10 and tied for last in the NFC East, Jones is back to talking big.
He believes the Cowboys have the talent base to again make a playoff and possible Super Bowl run in 2011 under Garrett.
When the play happened, no flag was thrown by the referees. From ESPN-
The NFL fined the New York Jets $100,000 in the wake of discoveries involving strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi, who instructed inactive players to stand in a wall in a prohibited area on the sideline to deter opposing teams’ players during special-teams plays.
“This is both a competitive violation as well as a dangerous tactic,” read the NFL statement to announce the fine.
The issue came to light when Alosi was caught on camera putting his knee forward as Miami gunner Nolan Carroll ran toward the Jets sideline and was tripped. Carroll was not injured. Alosi was suspended until the end of the season by the Jets for the trip.
On video replays of the moments before Alosi’s knee made contact with Carroll, it was apparent the Jets players were standing very close together. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Alosi hadn’t been fully truthful initially, and when the Jets learned he had instructed players to stand that way, they suspended him indefinitely.
“We will comply with the league’s decision,” said a Jets spokesperson.
Both Jets coach Rex Ryan and special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said they were unaware of the tactic.
Ryan and Westhoff knew what was going on. Alosi was thrown under the bus by the Jets. Not that Alosi didn’t deserve it. The Jets were equally deserving of today’s punishment.
Just for amusement sake, I put the video of the infamous 1954 Cotton Bowl play where a Alabama play came off the sideline and tackled a Rice player. The first showing of the play comes at the :45 mark of the video.
NFL.com says- 
