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W'Happened at the Combine This Weekend?
As we prepare for tonight's SBL, which will lead off with NFL.com's Pat Kirwan reporting from Indianapolis (hear that now), here are items of interest from around the internets...
· Football Outsiders Schatz and Smith post Peter/Larry King-style ramblings:
"Jay Cutler was impressive in dealing with the media, and impressive by doing everything asked of him during the workouts. And his 23 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press must have opened some eyes...
Matt Leinart was adamant that he wouldn't mind playing in New Orleans. "If I were to go to the Saints it would be an honor," he said... Jeff Fisher said that if Leinart becomes a Tennessee Titan, the offense he'll run is the same as the one he ran in college under Norm Chow, now the Titans' offensive coordinator...
LenDale White said he weighed 253 pounds on the day of the Rose Bowl, but he's down to 238 now. When asked why he was so big in early January, he said, "Thanksgiving and Christmas."
· NFL.com's Gil Brandt posts daily from Indy:
"Virginia tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was the first player that I can remember to ever to come to the interview dressed in a shirt and tie. His rational for dressing up was that this was a job interview and he wanted to do whatever he could to impress the people interviewing him."
· NFL.com's Pat Kirwan tries to predict the top-eight:
"Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and D'Brickashaw Ferguson are not going to slip outof the top eight picks unless they have a major injury over the next few months, but after that, I haven't seen a sure thing in this race...
I like Ferguson to be a 10-12 year pro with a lot of accolades along the way, and I don't think he has to add cosmetic weight to his frame before he naturally grows into it. Lomas Brown went to more Pro Bowls than I can count and he played at 265-270 pounds his whole career...
Well, when Vernon Davis from Maryland sat down to talk with me, I was sure I met a guy that could turn around the fortunes of a mediocre offense looking for a spark. Davis has the tools to play early and often, and his personality is just as impressive... Davis is a solid first-round pick that has to be moving up as he sits down with team executives and talks football."
· The NFL.com Combine Blog is hot:
"Right now it looks like there will be upwards of seven first-round draft picks from the Texas-USC Rose Bowl game. Leinart, Young, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Winston Justice, Michael Huff and possibly Deuce Lutui or Rodrique Wright...
I spent some time with UCLA running back Maurice Drew after he ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and vertical leaped 36 inches. The kid is focused, and the more I speak with him the more I see a player who will make it in the NFL. "He wants it bad and he will overcome his height issue with power and heart" is what one NFL running back coach said about him...
At 5-foot-9 and 173 pounds, Jeremy Bloom simply seems way too small to have a future in a game dominated by behemoths -- even if he does show the remarkable speed that prompted Nebraska tight ends coach Shawn Watson, the former offensive coordinator at Colorado, to remark, "He's the fastest human being I've been around."... Bloom will be lucky to be a second-day draft pick, but he still is a terrific story."
"A hot rumor circulating here for the past several days is that New York Jets willing to make a deal with the Texans to move up from the No. 4 spot in order to draft a replacement for quarterback Chad Pennington, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and was recently asked to take an $8 million pay cut. As the rumor goes, the Jets supposedly covet former USC quarterback Matt Leinart."
· Pete Prisco's SportsLine blog:
"Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson was the buzz of the combine Sunday, his 4.32 in the 40 sending jaws a dropping. At 6-1, 210, Jackson is a big, strong receiver who was considered a second-round prospect coming into the weekend. He's now pushed himself into the first round...
North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams just might be the best player in this draft. Williams measured in at 6-7, 295 pounds here, which means he's big and fast. He will run a 40 here, and said Saturday he expects to run under 4.8. He plays that fast, too. He is favorably compared to Carolina Panthers end Julius Peppers, but he will be better than Peppers...
LSU running back Joseph Addai is one of my favorite players in this draft. He's a hard-nosed, tough runner who was a productive player in college. What I didn't realize is that he also has explosive speed. Addai wowed the scouts Saturday by running a 4.4 on what is considered a slow track. With that time, Addai may push himself to the back end of the first round."
· Clark Judge's SportsLine blog:
"One of the weekend's big winners was Ohio State defensive lineman Mike Kudla, who, NFL officials said, tied the combine weight-lifting record by pushing 225 pounds 45 times. Kudla's personal best is 52, set last June. "I was kind of keyed up to break the record," said Kudla. "I had 46 right there, but I couldn't get that last inch with my right arm."...
The most impressive time this weekend was not the 4.32 turned in by Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson. That was good, but it took second to the 5.07 of Auburn's Marcus McNeill. McNeill is a tackle, and a huge one. He's 6-8, 338. Now imagine driving that body over 40 yards in five seconds. Yeah, as I said, impressive...
There is concern about a hitch in the motion of Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs. Though Jacobs showed a strong arm Sunday, several NFL observers worried about his mechanics -- with several re-enacting the stop-and-go hitch they observed."
· SI's Peter King in the house:
"Two quarterbacks who might switch positions -- Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal and Missouri's Brad Smith -- helped themselves. They ran 4.41 and 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash, respectively...
Jay Cutler's an impressive kid -- quick on his feet, faster than he looks (4.77 in the 40), with a strong arm and quick delivery...
I mean, is [Marcus Vick] insane? He's trying to get drafted -- anywhere -- and he's ripping his brother, who was the first pick in the draft, who's beaten Favre at Lambeau and who's played in an NFC Championship Game. Marcus Vick chafed at the comparison, but he seems like a kid who's got Maurice Clarett written all over him. Vick did run a 4.54 40 and threw the ball well, which matters."
· SI's Don Banks makes snap judgements:
"If Jay Cutler were a publicly traded stock, I'd be buying as much of him as I could about now. I've got him locked in at No. 3 to Tennessee in my mock draft, ahead of the falling Young, and he's looking better all the time...
"The thing you like about Cutler is when he shows up you know he's the quarterback,'' said one AFC defensive coordinator. "He's got thehair hanging down in his eyes, and he likes to lift because he's just one of the guys. He sort of reminds me of Tom Brady that way. Brady's not afraid to get his hands dirty and be one of the guys. His teammates love that about him.''...
That's a pretty fair pro team USC put on the field last season. There are a combine-high 14 Trojans here, and I'm convinced they could organize and beat the Texans right now...
Miami receiver Sinorice Moss measured 5-8, 185 pounds at the combine, but it helps that his older brother, Pro Bowl Redskins receiver Santana Moss (along with Carolina's Steve Smith), has helped turn NFL scouts back on to the advantages of smaller, quicker pass-catchers."
Update: AOL Sports posts 10 players whose stock fell and 10 players whose stock rose at the Combine.
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I was going to name my daughter "D'Brickashaw," but the PCP wore off first.
2/27/06 10:39 PM
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