2006 NFL Draft Day One

Wow. What a first day!

I'm in New York City and have been here since early Thursday morning. Well not that early. It just feels early because I'm used to being three hours behind the East Coast.

A travel advisory: if you use Expedia.com to make airline reservations, make sure to read the fine print. I thought I booked a flight on Alaska Airlines, only to discover that I was to be on American Airlines because they have some weird relationship. Well, I missed my red-eye flight. Fortunately, I waited stand-by on American and got in at 11 PM EST.

I rushed to get to my hotel, change into a suit and get down to Chelsea Piers for the NFL's Draft Luncheon. It started at 11:30: I got there are 12:45 PM. Crestfallen, I thought I missed everything. Actually, I didn't at all. I got -- on video -- a great conversation with Texans Owner Bob McNair, where he did hint that "the guy we pick will certainly help us sell season tickets" as an answer to an indirect question I posed which was "The guy you're going to get will certainly help sell tickets, right?" There's an old saying that offense sells tickets, so ...The Texans will pick Bush.

I also got -- again on video -- Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck. I asked him about their great Super Bowl game plan and he did say that there was some good things to take from that game, and he felt that the game was "too one sided" in favor of the Steelers. In other words, he didn't think it was a neutral game at all. It's interesting to see him offer that perspective on camera. And while he and his Mom were enjoying being named the new spokespersons for Cambell's Chunky Soup.

Later, I went to another NFL Draft Party. This one at Gustavino's, a cool place that was built into the 59th Street Bridge Landing. This one had a press conference to introduce the stars from the new movie "Invincible" about how a Philadelphia Eagles local Vince Papale, made the team. It stars Mark Walberg and was made in part by the NFL with Walt Disney Company.

I then got a segment of Eagles QB Donovan Mc Nabb as you've never seen him before. I also talked with Matt Leinart and about how he's maintained his composure through all the attention. He said he credits his parents and really just "being myself" to use his words. Jake Delhomme, the Carolina Panthers QB explained Steve Smith's comments regarding their new wide receiver, free agent Keyhawn Johnson, saying that he understood what Steve was saying, that "He was telling the truth. We have to see how Key plays."

Yes, all that's on video, too. You'll see it all on Saturday.

Oakland Raiders To Trade WR Jerry Porter and #7 Pick To Saints? Rumor I Got Via Text Message

I'm trying to confirm this rumor, but it involves The Raiders trading their #7 pick and WR Jerry Porter to The New Orleans Saints and for their #2 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

It's no secret that the Saints want to trade down and will not pick Matt Leinart at #2.

Stay tuned.

Falcons Should Draft Michael Vick's Brother Marcus Vick - And Check Out This Video

Yes. The Atlanta Falcons are the best fit for a quarterback some regard as a misfit: Marcus Vick.

Yes, we've seen Michael's brother do some rather stupid things on the field, and read reports of his problems off the field. But I contend that the one person who can help him stabilize and mature is none other than Michael Vick himself.

Plus, it would give the Falcons two of the most effective quarterback's in the NFL and they would secure the one person who many say throws even better than his storied older sibling.

But there are some who think of him as the next Maurice Clarrett or Lawrence Phillips. Ohh. That's bad. It's a comment that makes the younger Vlck angry. "That kind of hurts me," Marcus Vick said to the Associated Press. "Maurice and Lawrence were definitely guys who had a bad past. They're not even in the league anymore. But I'm a hard worker. I'm going to keep on fighting through my ups and downs. That's the difference between me and them."

The organization that picks him should be the Falcons, where exists a great support system for him. Besides, this is the range of things he's done: reckless driving, feeding alcohol to underaged girls, driving on a suspended license, and reportedly pulling a gun on people in front of a fast food restaurant. All of this is bad. But it could be a lot worse. Plus, many of them are the mistakes of immaturity. He can and will grow up in the right environment.

Once he does, the only hell he will raise will be on the football field.

Check out this video of the Vick Brothers.

Profootballtalk.com Reports That Leinart May Slide All The Way To The 17th Pick In The First Round

This could happen. It may simply be because of the idea that USC QB Matt Leinart was the beneficiary of great talent, rather than being a great QB. I personally disagree with this; I think Matt will improve his game. But would I pick him over Vince Young? No.

Here's Mike Florio of www.profootballtalk.com

TEAM LEINART BRACING FOR SLIDE?

At a time when former USC tailback Reggie Bush is dealing with an unwelcome distraction that could disrupt his plan to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, his teammate who could have been the first pick in 2004 could now be facing a slide conjuring memories of the Aaron Rodgers plunge in 2005.

A source close to the Leinart camp tells us that Matt's handlers have accepted the reality that the Titans won't be drafting their guy at No. 3, barring a dramatic reversal of the current intention to acquire Texas quarterback Vince Young. Per the source, new Leinart agent Tom Condon has attempted to get some kind of an assurance from each of the teams drafting in the top five -- but has gotten nothing.

At No. 4, the Jets are not expected to draft a quarterback. Word is that they are looking to land Alabama's Brodie Croyle later in the day.

At No. 5, the Packers can't afford to spend another first-rounder on a guy who'll do nothing for them in 2006, especially since Lord Favre is coming back for one more year.

At No. 6, the 49ers have their quarterback in Alex Smith.

We'd initially presumed that the Raiders would take Leinart at No. 7, but we're now hearing from multiple sources that they won't.

The Bills won't touch Leinart at No. 8, unless G.M. Marv Levy is even nuttier than we currently believe.

At No. 9, there's no way the Lions pounce on Leinart.

Then we come to the Cardinals at No. 10. Will Denny Green be able to resist drafting a guy who falls into his lap, just like Randy Moss did eight years ago? We've got the Cardinals taking offensive tackle Winston Justice, given the importance of beefing up the group of guys who are going to be charged with keeping those big-money skill-position players alive.

At No. 11, quarterback is one of the few positions that the Rams have covered.

At No. 12, we can't see the Browns taking Leinart.

Then come the Ravens at No. 13. In our current mock draft, we've got them taking Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. Though we're feeling a little wishy-washy about whether Brian the Brain will stake his future on another first-round signal-caller, it might be hard for the supposed offensive guru to not take Leinart, if he falls into the team's lap.

And we think that the lowest Leinart would go, if he gets past Baltimore, is Minnesota at No. 17.

So the 2004 Heisman winner won't fall as dramatically as Rodgers did a year ago, when the Jeff Tedford prodigy plunged from potentially being the No. 1 pick all the way to No. 24. But given that Leinart was the presumptive No. 1 choice in 2005, and that he most likely would have been taken by the 49ers with the first pick, the possibility of sliding to No. 10 or lower translates into millions and millions of dollars of money that will never come back.

Off To New York City And The NFL Draft Tonight

I leave on the red-eye and get in Thursday morning. I'm not only going to cover the draft, but all of the events -- the NFL Luncheon and some surprises -- before the Draft.

This year, the NFL Draft's at historic Radio City Music Hall. I'm quite interested to see how this space "works" versus Javitz last year.


Stay tuned!

Brett Favre Elects To Return To Green Bay For One Year - ESPN

I personally believe this could have been handled as a non-issue by the Packers. Moreover, Brett does have the matter of his wife's health to consider. All they had to do was have two plans ready to go: one for if he comes back; one for if he doesn't return. They draft as if he's not going to come back, then they're ready. It made little sense to have this total circus, but we had one. Now, it's over.


From ESPN Wire Service:

Brett Favre informed the Packers on Tuesday that he will definitely play the 2006 season in Green Bay.

The NFL's only three-time MVP shared his decision with general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy in a telephone conversation on Tuesday morning, the sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Tuesday night. Wednesday, Thompson confirmed the news.

"The Green Bay Packers are very pleased that Brett has come to this decision, and look forward to a successful 2006 season," Thompson said in a statement posted on the team's Web site Wednesday.

Packers president and CEO Bob Harlan said he was delighted that Favre was coming back -- something he expected to happen, despite Favre's four months of public wavering on the decision.

"I always said the calendar was working in our favor,'' Harlan said. "If he was going to [retire], he would have told us in January.''

Neither Favre nor McCarthy was available for immediate comment. Bus Cook, Favre's agent, did not return phone inquiries.

Favre, who had a roster bonus pushed back from March to July while he pondered his decision, has said that if he chose to play in 2006 that it would be his final season.

Favre said repeatedly after the 2005 season ended that he wasn't sure if he would come back to play a 16th season, saying he wasn't sure if he wanted to be part of what he saw as a possible long-term rebuilding effort.


Will Aaron Rodgers be a success as Favre's eventual replacement in Green Bay?
Yes
No

He also claimed he wasn't sure if the team wanted him and his hefty salary to be a part of that effort. He hinted that the team's moves in free agency would play a role in his decision to come back. Favre also questioned his own motivation to continue playing.
Favre, 36, is second to Hall of Famer Dan Marino in passing yards, touchdown passes and completions. Marino is the leader with 61,361 yards, followed by Favre with 53,615 and Hall of Famer John Elway with 51,475.

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Favre has made an NFL-record 221 consecutive starts for the Packers. He never had a losing record until last season, when Green Bay went 4-12 and he led the league with 29 interceptions.

But the fans at Lambeau Field did not want to see him go. After Green Bay closed a disappointing campaign with a win over Seattle on Jan. 1, Favre left the game with 46 seconds left after throwing for 259 yards and a touchdown and received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd.

Favre saluted the fans with a wave and was surrounded by a swarm of photographers as he ran off the field.

Favre extended his NFL-record streak of seasons with at least 20 touchdown passes to 12 and increased his career total to 396. He also established a career high with 372 completions last season, surpassing his previous high of 363 in 1994.

Marino, the NFL's most prolific quarterback, has 420 career TD passes and 4,967 completions.

Favre led the Packers to six division crowns and a Super Bowl title, restoring success to one of the NFL's most famous franchises.

The Packers fired coach Mike Sherman after the final game of the season and replaced him with McCarthy, who was Favre's quarterbacks coach in Green Bay during the 1999 season. They also re-signed running back Ahman Green, who missed most of last season because of a knee injury.

But Favre continued to waffle in the offseason as the Packers struck out on high-profile free agents.

His apparent decision to return comes despite the Packers' failure to answer the quarterback's call to make a "statement" signing in free agency similar to that of Reggie White in the 1990s.

Sticking to Thompson's stated philosophy of not splurging for the sake of splurging in the free-agent market, the Packers lost veteran kicker Ryan Longwell to the division rival Minnesota Vikings and lost out in the bidding for a potential replacement, free-agent kicker Adam Vinatieri, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Packers' two most high-profile free-agent signings have been former St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and former Seattle Seahawks safety Marquand Manuel. The team has also re-signed fullback William Henderson and wide receiver Rod Gardener.

Seattle Seahawks Get Safety Mike Green From Chicago Bears - AP

Wow. Apparently Chicago believed they had someone better to fill the shoes of Green, who was the second leading tackler on the team in 2004. ..Course, he wasn't in 2005.

Associated Press

CHICAGO - The Seattle Seahawks acquired veteran safety Mike Green from the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round draft pick on Tuesday.

Taken with the and final pick in the 2000 draft from Northwestern State, Green had 437 total tackles (282 solo), six sacks, four interceptions and 27 pass breakups in six seasons with the Bears.

Green was second on the team to linebacker Brian Urlacher with a career-high 138 tackles in 2002 and 132 in 2004.

Six Players Who's Stock Has Fallen - One Of Them Is RB LenDale White

According to Mike Florio at Profootballtalk.com , six players have fallen in their "stock," which is the value placed on that person relative to other players of the almost 400 college football players under consideration for the 2006 NFL Draft

STOCK HAS DROPPED FOR SIX HIGH-PROFILE PLAYERS

Although there have not yet been any final-week disclosures or developments causing one or more of the draft-eligible players with name recognition to plummet this weekend, a broader look at the past several months reveals six guys who have seen their prospects for getting drafted early decline.

This information is based on our discussions with league sources, and thus is subject to the standard possibility that someone is knocking a guy in the hopes of making sure he's available at a lower round. In the end, where the guy is drafted is where the guy is drafted. (How freakin' profound.)

1. Mathias Kiawanuka, DE, Boston College.

Viewed by some as a top-five pick prior to the 2005 season, Kiawanuka will now be lucky to be selected on day one of the draft. The perception is that Kiawanuka had his "ass whupped" at the Senior Bowl, and that he showed no leg strength or intensity. Three teams that we know of have him rated as a fourth-rounder.

2. Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech.

Williams is regarded by some league insiders as a "very bad dude" -- and not in the good way. We've heard that some teams have removed him completely from their boards.

3. Claude Wroten, DT, LSU.

We reported on Friday, citing three league sources, that Wroten tested positive at the combine. Although the teams know about the result, no one else in the media has made the connection between the positive result and the negative impact on his draft stock.

Wroten also was arrested on marijuana charges earlier this year, but the charges were dropped. To compound the problem, we're told that some teams were not enamored by his interviewing skills.

4. Derek Hagan, WR, Arizona State.

Before the 2005 season, he consistently was viewed as one of the top receivers in the country. His inconsistent hands are putting him in the round three range now.

5. Dominique Byrd, TE, USC.

Byrd was seen as one of the top two tight ends before the 2005 season. But a "brutal" pro day workout and a "lackadaisical attitude" have fueled a fall.

6. LenDale White, RB, USC.

For anyone who has been living under a rock or, even worse, on top of one, White is this year's poster child for how not to handle the run-up to the draft. A hamstring injury was disclosed when he showed up for his pro day workout. He managed a total of 15 reps in the 225-pound bench press.

At one point, White was a possible top-ten pick. Now, he'll be lucky to hear his name called by dinner time on Saturday. White's likely response?

NFL Suspends Miami Dolphins RB Ricky Williams For One Year

I listened to the news on ESPN. I feel sorry for Williams, as it wasn't for smoking anything, and it seems as if someone tried to get him in trouble. It also seems as if there's a kind of vendetta going on against sports agent Leigh Steinberg. First he looses Matt Leinart and after a questionable turn of events that the NFL Players Association seems blind to look into, now this.

NEW YORK Apr 25, 2006 (AP and ABC) -- Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams was suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the fourth time.

The league announced the suspension after Williams' appeal of a his latest positive drug test was denied. Williams met with NFL counsel Jeff Pash on April 10 in an attempt to have the league overturn the test.

Previous positive tests were for marijuana, which Williams acknowledged using. The latest test apparently involved a drug other than marijuana.

Williams retired and sat out the 2004 season, but returned last year to play for new Miami coach Nick Saban.

Before being allowed to return, Williams served a four-game suspension at the start of the season for his third violation of the drug program. He ran for 743 yards and averaged 4.4 yards a carry while sharing playing time with rookie Ronnie Brown.

2006 NFL Draft - SBS NFL Business Blog Partnership With The Oakland Tribune

Thanks to ANG Newspapers, Sports Editor Jon Becker, I'm proud to report that I'll be working with the Oakland Tribune in my coverage of the NFL Draft. I'm going to be their "Man On The Scene" at The Draft in NYC.

Visit the Oakland Tribune's website at www.oaklandtribune.com for our Draft coverage on Saturday, and this blog nflbusinessblog.com for coverage of the Draft on the days leading up to the main event and during it as well. My aim is to make you feel as if you're there and behind the scenes, especially since I'm taking my camcorder.

The Oakland Tribune's website will also be the center for our videos and we'll have links and content from this blog to the Tribune's website and their popular Raiders Blog "Inside The Oakland Raiders" http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog

I'll also feed information to my good friend Oakland Tribune Columnist Monte Poole -- pictured at left -- as well.

It's going to be one big party! Join us!

Santonio Holmes In Miami Dolphins Draft Sights - Palm Beach Post

Holmes could be in Dolphins' plans

By Jeff Darlington
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

She never wanted her baby to fly so far away.

Yet Patricia Brown never argued. Never told her son he was wrong. Never questioned aloud his dreams, the ones that led Glades Central High School receiver Santonio Holmes to his college football career at Ohio State.

"I just thought it was a far place for him to go," Brown said, recalling her son's decision to leave South Florida four years ago. "But he said it's where he wanted to go. He said there were more opportunities than anywhere else."

As it turns out, those opportunities might earn Holmes a one-way ticket back to his mother's home — as a Dolphins draft pick.

Holmes is one of a several prospects in Saturday's NFL Draft projected to land somewhere in the range of the Dolphins' first-round pick — No. 16.

The Dolphins are looking for cornerbacks, linebackers, offensive linemen and receivers and Holmes certainly fits the description of what coach Nick Saban is looking for in a playmaker.

"Typically, people who can score touchdowns or create big plays, whether they affect the quarterback on defense or make the plays down the field, are guys that have a little bit more impact," said Saban, who has said his picks will be based more on the value of a particular player than on a need for a specific position.

In several recent mock drafts, Holmes has been listed all over the board — sometimes early in the first round and other times late. Todd McShay, an analyst for Scouts, Inc., has Miami selecting Holmes.

That's not a stretch, considering that the Dolphins would like to add a third receiver behind Chris Chambers and Marty Booker.

Holmes — and Florida receiver Chad Jackson — has had a pre-draft meeting with the Dolphins.

"Holmes and Jackson will probably be the only two receivers drafted in the first round," said Frank Coyle, head scout and draft analyst for draftinsiders.com. "You could make a case for three or four clubs taking (Holmes) in the middle of the first."

When Holmes, a junior, declared early for the draft, he was considered the top receiver in the class. But while his top-10 potential has slipped, Jackson's stock has risen after he posted his fastest 40-yard dash times at the scouting combine.

That's not to say Holmes isn't getting some long looks. He finished his three-year Ohio State career with 140 catches, including 25 touchdown receptions.

"Although he is an underclassman, and he still needs to be polished, he's an explosive playmaker," said Chris Landry, a former NFL scout who now serves as a consultant to NFL teams. "He has long arms and he's really strong in the lower body. He also has the speed to consistently beat defenders."

Any recent drops in Holmes' draft projections haven't affected his confidence. At 5-feet-10, 198 pounds, he described himself at the scouting combine as an "all-around playmaker.... One of the best wide receivers possibly in the game right now."

"Looking at all the things I've accomplished — the way I play on the field, the way I block, carry myself, leadership — I have all the ability to be a great wide receiver," Holmes said.

This weekend, Holmes will return to South Florida from Ohio, where he is currently pursuing his degree. Hundreds of family and friends are expected at his mother's home on draft day.

There, they'll watch with Patricia Brown to see if her baby is coming back to South Florida.

"It would probably be too close to home for him," Brown joked. "That means I would have to see him more. It'd be fine with me, but he probably wouldn't like it very much."

BUCS OWNER MALCOLM GLAZER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Malcolm Glazer was released today from the Cleveland Clinic after suffering a stroke last Sunday, April 16. The stroke has
impaired Mr. Glazer’s speech and mobility in his right arm and leg.
“On behalf of the entire Glazer family, I want to thank everyone at the Cleveland Clinic for their outstanding care,” said Joel
Glazer. “My father’s spirits are high and doctors expect his condition to improve with rehabilitation.”
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