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College Football players being selected in the NFL draft has been a mainstay feature for two decades. Often multiple players would go in the first round. Not in 2009. Actually some speculated no Hurricane would get chosen. Atlanta bites the bullet in the 6th round with the #176 selection
ESPN writes-
Atkins lacks instincts and it’s going to take some major repetitions for him to catch on. He also has durability issues. However, he is a quick-twitched athlete who possesses above-average range.
Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel twitters-
The streak ends, but at least the Hurricane got a draft pick in when LB Spencer Adkins was taken by the Falcons. Told U he’d be picked first
The Hurricanes have slumped for the last five years or so but not to the extent they fell off to in the early and mid 1970′s. I expect Miami to bounce back. Warm weather and a history of winning are strong enticements to any high school player to choose Miami for the school they want to play college football at.
Second Ole Miss player taken in the first round and in back to back fashion. I join ESPN in asking when was the last time that happened.(Back to back or Ole Miss separately)
ESPN writes- Jerry wouldn’t fit well in a two-gap scheme because he has problems holding his ground and working against double teams. He also needs to add some lower-body strength. On the flip side, we expect him to develop into a one-gap, upfield player who can disrupt running plays in the backfield and get to the quarterback. We especially like the way he uses his hands when he rushes the passer.
He has caught more passes than any player at his position in NFL history. From AP-
The Atlanta Falcons boosted their hopes for another trip to the playoffs by acquiring tight end Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday for a draft pick next year.
The Chiefs insisted they also improved their chances for success in 2009 by making the trade.
The Falcons will send a second-round pick in 2010 to Kansas City in exchange for Gonzalez, the only tight end in NFL history selected to 10 Pro Bowls.
Gonzalez caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2008. He owns NFL career records for tight ends with 916 receptions, 10,940 yards receiving, 76 TDs receiving and 26 100-yard receiving games.
Kansas City probably made the right move long-term. A wise second round pick could benefit the team much more than the rest of Gonzalez’s career could have. It’s a gamble, but not a bad one. KC went 2-14 last year, but they were’nt as bad as that record indicates.
Is it for real this time?
Without the tearful public ceremony that accompanied his retirement announcement from the Green Bay Packers just 11 months ago, quarterback Brett Favre has told the New York Jets he is retiring.
Best of Mike and Mike
Chris Mortensen and Ed Werder break the news that Brett Favre is retiring from the Jets. Plus, Steve Phillips on A-Rod and Bob Knight on college basketball.
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Favre had instructed his agent, James “Bus” Cook, to inform the Jets on Wednesday that he is retiring. Jets team executives and coach Rex Ryan confirmed the retirement in a statement, saying they talked to Favre on Wednesday morning about his decision.
“I have great admiration for him as a player and a person. I wish him only the best in his life after football,” Ryan said.
In an e-mail to ESPN’s Ed Werder, Favre indicated he had no regrets about finishing his career with the Jets rather than with the Green Bay Packers franchise he represented for his previous 16 NFL seasons. He specifically praised Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, team owner Woody Johnson and fired coach Eric Mangini — and even mentioned Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, both of whom were publicly critical of Favre after the team’s collapse in the final month of the season prevented the Jets from making the playoffs.
Favre wasn’t the first athlete to retire and then unretire and he won’t be the last. The chance for further glory or more monetary riches, causes men and women alike to give it another try. It is sad when some of them keep playing well past their prime, and end up tainting what was a great career. Favre didn’t get to that point, but could have if he continued to play. Good luck in retirement.
A poor knee had left the Danish native unable to find football work in 2008. From AP-
Kicker Morten Andersen, the NFL’s career-leading scorer, is retiring because of knee problems.
The 48-year-old Dane, who scored 2,544 points during his 25-year career, played for the Atlanta Falcons the past two seasons but wasn’t able to get a contract this year. Andersen said Monday he has given up his search and his NFL career.
Morten Andersen cited old knees and lack of a contract Monday when announcing his retirement in his native Denmark.
He kicked for five NFL teams in 25 years, including 13 seasons for the New Orleans Saints, eight for the Falcons, two for the Kansas City Chiefs and one season each with the New York Giants and the Vikings.
A Copenhagen native, Andersen went to the United States in 1977 as an exchange student and played at Michigan State.
Good luck in retirement Morten.
The one-time 3rd overall pick, now has to take a job as an NFL 3rd stringer if he wants to stay in football. From AP-
NEW ORLEANS — The “piano man,” Joey Harrington, has landed a new gig in the birthplace of jazz. He’ll be playing third fiddle behind Saints starting quarterback Drew Brees and backup Mark Brunell.
Harrington signed with the Saints and participated in his first practice Friday at the team’s suburban training center, a day before the Saints were set to leave for Sunday’s game at Denver.
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Harrington, a standout at Oregon also known for his talent as a pianist, has spent six seasons in the NFL since being drafted third overall by Detroit in 2002. He played for Miami in 2006 and for Atlanta last season.
He appeared in 12 games for the Falcons, completing nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
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The Saints opened training camp with three quarterbacks, but cut Tyler Palko before the regular season and settled on reserve receiver and special teams regular Terrance Copper as their emergency third quarterback.
This week, Copper is out with a pulled hamstring, so the Saints decided to bring in Harrington, who had worked out for New Orleans in Indianapolis, where the Saints practiced during Week 1 to avoid disruptions from Hurricane Gustav.
As a Miami Dolphin follower of some two decades, I am well acquainted with Harrington’s flaws as a NFL starting QB. He piloted the Fins for most of the remaining 2006 season after Daunte Culpepper was benched. Miami’s record from week 5 on? 5-7. Not all of it Harrington’s fault, but his record since coming in the league clearly shows he is no more than an NFL backup. A 3rd string job in New Orleans seems fitting.
It is for a helmet to helmet hit in last Sunday’s game against Atlanta. From AP-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie cornerback Elbert Mack was suspended one game without pay by the NFL on Tuesday for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
The league said the flagrant violation of player safety rules was the second in three games for the undrafted free agent, who was fined $5,000 for an unnecessary roughness foul against Houston Texans quarterback Alex Brink during the Bucs’ preseason finale Aug. 28.
The hit against Ryan occurred Sunday when the NFL said Mack unnecessarily launched himself into the rookie quarterback and made helmet-to-helmet contact during an interception return play.
I haven’t seen a video of the play in question, but I’m hazarding a guess that the hit was pretty flagrant. Accidnetal contact shouldn’t lead to suspensions, but the NFL fines or penalizes players for end zone celebrations. What ever happened to the days of Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson?
This to replace the team’s present kicker, Mike Nugent, who got injured in last Sunday’s game.
Jay Feely watched Sunday’s Jets- Dolphins game from his home about 20 minutes away from Dolphins Stadium. Once he saw that Jets kicker Mike Nugent suffered a leg injury in the first half, Feely felt ready to spring into action.
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He’ll do the next best thing; Feely will be the Jets kicker when they host the Patriots on Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Jets signed the former Giants, Falcons and Dolphins kicker to a one-year deal yesterday. He will replace Nugent, who injured his kicking leg in the first half Sunday.
Feely, 32, was signed after a workout yesterday morning.
Jets coach Eric Mangini declined to specify how long Nugent might be out. Mangini said Nugent injured his kicking leg on his second kickoff Sunday following Brett Favre’s 56-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery.
Mangini said the injury happened during the actual kick, which traveled only to the 19 and came off like a squib kick “that wasn’t called,” Mangini said. He wasn’t criticizing Nugent, just making the point that as Nugent started to swing through the ball, that’s where the injury happened.
Nugent returned and kicked the extra point after Thomas Jones’ 6-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left in the third quarter that made it 20-7, but was clearly in discomfort coming off the field.
The Dolphins released Feely after the first pre-season game in order to go with a rookie kicker, Dan Carpenter. To me it seemed like Miami’s new coaches wanted to go with their own players, rather than leftovers from the previous regime. This reminding me of when Miami in the mid-90′s under Jimmy Johnson dumped All Pro Placekicker Pete Stoyanovich for then novice kicker Joe Nedney. Nedney was so unimpressive, he lasted just one season in Miami and was replaced with Orlando Mare. Then Miami dumped Mare after 10 years as their starting kicker for Feely. Does anyone see a pattern?
Where as Nedney’s tenure was poor, Feely was one of the few good points for the Dolphins. Carpenter’s start last Sunday wasn’t impressive, particularly when a kickoff went out of bounds setting up the Jets with excellent field position. The Jets then drove down the field for a touchdown. Sunday was just one game, but Carpenter better show more the rest of the 2008 season or Miami may be looking for a new kicker for the 3rd straight season.
This in order to shore up perhaps the weakest wide receiver corps in the NFL. From AP-
The Oakland Raiders agreed to terms on a one-year contract with discarded receiver Ashley Lelie on Monday in hopes that the former first-round pick can regain his form and help bolster an inexperienced position group.
Before adding Lelie, they were extremely thin at receiver behind starters Javon Walker and Ronald Curry. With Drew Carter sidelined by a season-ending knee injury, Johnnie Lee Higgins was the only one of Oakland’s three backup receivers who had even played in an NFL game, catching six passes as a rookie.
The Oakland Raiders agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Lelie on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 in the hopes that the former first-round pick can regain his form and help bolster an inexperienced position group.
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Lelie signed a two-year, $4.3 million deal with San Francisco last year, including a $2 million signing bonus, but he made little impact on his third NFL team. Lelie had just 10 receptions for 115 yards last season while struggling with injuries including a strained quadriceps, and the former first-round pick never emerged as the deep threat San Francisco needed.
Lelie then missed most of the 49ers’ training camp this season with a strained calf, watching from the sideline as Jason Hill and rookie Josh Morgan moved past him on the depth chart. Lelie played in the 49ers’ exhibition finale against San Diego on Friday night, but didn’t catch a pass in his only preseason action.
He was released on Saturday because of what 49ers coach Mike Nolan called a “durability issue.”
Lelie caught 54 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns during his best NFL season with Denver in 2004, but hasn’t come close to replicating those numbers since then with the Broncos, the Atlanta Falcons or San Francisco. He has just 80 catches for 1,315 yards and two touchdowns the past three seasons.
Just proves to show former 1st round picks will be given 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and even more chances to establish themselves in the league. I’m wary about Lelie being of help to Oakland. The Miami Dolphins are at least one team weaker at WR than Oakland. Miami however has upside with Ted Ginn. Lelie is unlikely to putting up Ginn like numbers.
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| Saturday, May 24, 2008 |
The gang at ESPN has ranked all 32 NFL teams. Here’s the top 10 (final 2007 rankings in parenthesis):
1 (1) Patriots 16-0-0 A healthy Tom Brady and a happy Randy Moss make the Patriots championship contenders this season and for years to come. (MS)
2 (2) Colts 13-3-0 They haven’t had a lot of offseason turnover and they already were very good. Continuity means a lot. (PY)
3 (6) Chargers 11-5-0 If the Chargers can get over their injury issues, they could be in the Super Bowl mix all the way to Tampa. (BW)
4 (3) Cowboys 13-3-0 Felix Jones should help the running game immediately. But who will emerge as the No. 2 receiver? Patrick Crayton wasn’t up to the task in late ’07. (MM)
5 (4) Jaguars 11-5-0 They sometimes get overshadowed by division rival Indianapolis, but the Jaguars have an elite roster and an elite coach in Jack Del Rio. (PY)
6 (9) Giants 10-6-0 Teams other than the Patriots aren’t supposed to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Will Michael Strahan retire? Can they compensate for free-agent losses at LB? (MM)
7 (8) Steelers 10-6-0 A very strong draft catapults the Steelers into Super Bowl contenders. RBs Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall should be one of the best 1-2 punches. (JW)
8 (7) Seahawks 10-6-0 New O-line coach Mike Solari stands out as the Seahawks’ top offseason acquisition, perhaps allowing them to keep their edge in the NFC West. (MS)
9 (13) Browns 10-6-0 The 2007 darlings face high expectations. The offense will score. Can the D, anchored by additions Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, hold up its end? (JW)
10 (5) Packers 13-3-0 This is an unpredictable team in the wake of the retirement of Brett Favre. Who will step up and make the big plays this year? (JW)
Click here for 11-32.
Dropping the Packers, were 13-3 and lost in the NFC Championship game to #10 seems about right. After all, they lost one of the best quarterbacks in League history to retirement. But how do you justify dropping the team that beat them, along with the #4 ranked Cowboys and the #1 ranked Patriots on their way to winning the Super Bowl down to 6th place? Even if Strahan retires, they still have the most dominant defensive front in the League and Eli Manning should only get better.
I like the Cowboys’ chances at #4, though, especially since that puts them as the favorite team to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They’re a deeper team than the Giants, I think, and have really shored up their defensive backfield with the Pacman Jones trade and the drafting of Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick. But the Giants deserve to be considered the team to beat.
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