You can even get his Jersey here!
Young jerseys No. 2 in NFL apparel sales
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer The Tennesean
Only Saints running back Reggie Bush has been a hotter post-NFL Draft property than Titans quarterback Vince Young, an official with the NFL's official apparel company said Wednesday.
According to Eddie White, vice president of team properties for Reebok, the company had 15,000 orders for Bush jerseys and 14,500 for Young jerseys as of early this week.
White also said that Saints and Titans hats were among the top five sellers at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where the draft was held Saturday and Sunday.
Bush was the second overall pick by the New Orleans Saints and Young went third to the Titans.
"The buzz around town has been great," said Don MacLachlan, vice president of administration and facilities for the Titans.
"For them to have gotten that many orders for jerseys in that short amount of time, that indicates he'll be quite a marketing fixture, not only for us, but for the NFL, for a long time."
The Titans Pro Shop sent out an e-mail 12 minutes after Young was drafted on Saturday, making fans aware his jersey was could be ordered online at a price of $74.99.
The Titans Pro Shop at the Coliseum expects to have Young jerseys in stock and on sale Friday.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Tennessee Titans To Bring Vince Young Along Slowly - The Tennessean
Titans to set a slow pace for Young
Deliberate plan helped McNair
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer The Tennessean
Along with the rest of the Titans' new rookies, Young was expected to arrive in Nashville last night. This morning they begin a two-day rookie orientation that includes two practice sessions.
Young will be asked to start digesting and learning the Titans' playbook, though the team has no intention of rushing him into the lineup on opening day when the Titans face the Jets on Sept. 10.
That's the same plan the team had for Steve McNair when he was drafted third in 1995. The Houston Oilers offensive coordinator at the time, Jerry Rhome, worked with Young as a private coach preparing him for the combine and his pro day leading up to the draft.
''I know back in '95 Coach Fisher had a plan for him; we wanted to bring Steve along,'' Rhome said. ''I think the way the Oilers handled him back in '95-96 was very smart. We brought him along slowly, gave him a little action.
''Then he and I worked together four days a week, probably two and a half hours each day in the offseason after his rookie year, inside and outside. He was a great student and learned quickly, and I think it helped him have a great career.''
Resisting the temptation to use Young before he's ready will be a big theme for Jeff Fisher and his current offensive coordinator, Norm Chow.
Because Fisher has seen the patient plan payoff before, he is more likely to stick with the long-term vision than other coaches around the league who talk of plans to wait on a quarterback but wind up turning to rookies in times of trouble.
McNair missed the early part of his first training camp while his contract was ironed out. The Titans, Young and his agent, Major Adams, have pledged to work diligently to ensure that this quarterback is under contract by the time camp opens in late July.
Titans General Manager Floyd Reese talks often about how damaging playing too early can be to a young quarterback's psyche. While Fisher and his staff will decide if and when Young plays, they are unlikely to hear any whispers from Reese pushing to see him.
"I think the key is that in spite of what you want, he will get there when he gets there,'' Reese said. "And if I want him to be ready for the second preseason game and he says, 'No, I will be ready for the 10th regular-season game,' then there's not much you can do about it.
"The thing that happens with so many of these young quarterbacks is they get thrown out there and end up getting hurt. They're confused. They loose their confidence. When you're done with the whole experiment, you end up with a shipwreck. We're going to make sure that doesn't happen with this kid. If it takes a little bit longer, then it takes a little bit longer, but that's the process.''
Rhome said McNair circa 1995 and Young now are comparable in that they both had a knack in college for leading their teams to comebacks and they both arrived in the NFL with a need for polish.
But McNair's experience in the small program at Alcorn State was certainly different than Young's at Texas, where he led the Longhorns to consecutive Rose Bowls.
''I think Vince is probably a little bit ahead of Steve because Steve came out of a little bit of a smaller school and Vince was playing for the national champions,'' Rhome said with a laugh. ''That might be a little bit different there.''
Rhome said despite his strong rapport with Fisher and Reese left over from his two seasons as the Oilers coordinator in 1995 and 1996, there was no special insight for them to gain from him about Young as they prepared for the draft.
"I visited with them,'' he said. "I think Vince is a good player who's ready. But it wasn't a matter of Jeff or Floyd trying to pick my brain. They knew what they were looking for.''
Said Fisher: "I spoke with Jerry at the (Young's) workout. He's spent a lot of time with Vince, and they have a good relationship. He's very excited for Vince's future and the potential.''
Rhome said he'll watch Young carefully and expects to have fun doing so. He said he hopes to talk to Young periodically but not in any way that would interfere with the Titans coaching.
"If (Fisher) chooses to put Vince out there early, there will be a good reason for it,'' Rhome said. "You never know. I don't know how quickly Vince will progress or what they plan on doing. But I think that the Titans will make good decisions all the way down the line with him. They know they got a great athlete, they know what they'll have to do to work with him.
"He's just like any other rookie coming in. It's the NFL, and he's going to have to develop. He's not going to be any different than all those other No. 1 draft choices coming in. They all want to play.'' n
Deliberate plan helped McNair
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer The Tennessean
Along with the rest of the Titans' new rookies, Young was expected to arrive in Nashville last night. This morning they begin a two-day rookie orientation that includes two practice sessions.
Young will be asked to start digesting and learning the Titans' playbook, though the team has no intention of rushing him into the lineup on opening day when the Titans face the Jets on Sept. 10.
That's the same plan the team had for Steve McNair when he was drafted third in 1995. The Houston Oilers offensive coordinator at the time, Jerry Rhome, worked with Young as a private coach preparing him for the combine and his pro day leading up to the draft.
''I know back in '95 Coach Fisher had a plan for him; we wanted to bring Steve along,'' Rhome said. ''I think the way the Oilers handled him back in '95-96 was very smart. We brought him along slowly, gave him a little action.
''Then he and I worked together four days a week, probably two and a half hours each day in the offseason after his rookie year, inside and outside. He was a great student and learned quickly, and I think it helped him have a great career.''
Resisting the temptation to use Young before he's ready will be a big theme for Jeff Fisher and his current offensive coordinator, Norm Chow.
Because Fisher has seen the patient plan payoff before, he is more likely to stick with the long-term vision than other coaches around the league who talk of plans to wait on a quarterback but wind up turning to rookies in times of trouble.
McNair missed the early part of his first training camp while his contract was ironed out. The Titans, Young and his agent, Major Adams, have pledged to work diligently to ensure that this quarterback is under contract by the time camp opens in late July.
Titans General Manager Floyd Reese talks often about how damaging playing too early can be to a young quarterback's psyche. While Fisher and his staff will decide if and when Young plays, they are unlikely to hear any whispers from Reese pushing to see him.
"I think the key is that in spite of what you want, he will get there when he gets there,'' Reese said. "And if I want him to be ready for the second preseason game and he says, 'No, I will be ready for the 10th regular-season game,' then there's not much you can do about it.
"The thing that happens with so many of these young quarterbacks is they get thrown out there and end up getting hurt. They're confused. They loose their confidence. When you're done with the whole experiment, you end up with a shipwreck. We're going to make sure that doesn't happen with this kid. If it takes a little bit longer, then it takes a little bit longer, but that's the process.''
Rhome said McNair circa 1995 and Young now are comparable in that they both had a knack in college for leading their teams to comebacks and they both arrived in the NFL with a need for polish.
But McNair's experience in the small program at Alcorn State was certainly different than Young's at Texas, where he led the Longhorns to consecutive Rose Bowls.
''I think Vince is probably a little bit ahead of Steve because Steve came out of a little bit of a smaller school and Vince was playing for the national champions,'' Rhome said with a laugh. ''That might be a little bit different there.''
Rhome said despite his strong rapport with Fisher and Reese left over from his two seasons as the Oilers coordinator in 1995 and 1996, there was no special insight for them to gain from him about Young as they prepared for the draft.
"I visited with them,'' he said. "I think Vince is a good player who's ready. But it wasn't a matter of Jeff or Floyd trying to pick my brain. They knew what they were looking for.''
Said Fisher: "I spoke with Jerry at the (Young's) workout. He's spent a lot of time with Vince, and they have a good relationship. He's very excited for Vince's future and the potential.''
Rhome said he'll watch Young carefully and expects to have fun doing so. He said he hopes to talk to Young periodically but not in any way that would interfere with the Titans coaching.
"If (Fisher) chooses to put Vince out there early, there will be a good reason for it,'' Rhome said. "You never know. I don't know how quickly Vince will progress or what they plan on doing. But I think that the Titans will make good decisions all the way down the line with him. They know they got a great athlete, they know what they'll have to do to work with him.
"He's just like any other rookie coming in. It's the NFL, and he's going to have to develop. He's not going to be any different than all those other No. 1 draft choices coming in. They all want to play.'' n
Racist Florida Guards Responsible for Death of 14-Year Old African American Boy - AP News
There's no good reason for this at all. It makes me sick to my stomach, but it also causes me to wonder if this is the first time this has happened. I wonder what other black kids have been abused in this camp, or others like it. Whatever the number the President should issue a directive that this is not acceptable. The kid was 14 and was "in" for "stealing" his grandmothers car to take a joy ride.
Now how many of you have taken a joy-ride in a family member's car when you were that age? Did your family member call it "stealing?" I don't believe this.
(05-05) 13:44 PDT Tampa, Fla. (AP) --
A 14-year-old boy kicked and punched by guards at a juvenile boot camp died because the sheriff's officials suffocated him, a medical examiner said Friday, contradicting a colleague who blamed the death on a usually benign blood disorder.
"Martin Anderson's death was caused by suffocation due to actions of the guards at the boot camp," said Dr. Vernard Adams, who conducted the second autopsy.
Adams said the suffocation was caused by hands blocking the boy's mouth, as well as the "forced inhalation of ammonia fumes" that caused his vocal cords to spasm, blocking his upper airway.
Martin Lee Anderson's body was exhumed after a camp surveillance videotape surfaced showing the guards roughing him up Jan. 5, a day before he died. His family had questioned the initial finding by Dr. Charles Siebert, the Bay County Medical Examiner, that the boy died of complications of sickle cell trait.
"I am disturbed by Dr. Adams' findings and consider the actions of the Bay County boot camp guards deplorable," said Gov. Jeb Bush, who ordered the investigation that led to the second autopsy.
In a statement, Bush assured Anderson's parents that the state will provide any resources prosecutors deem necessary "to complete this investigation as quickly as possible."
No one has been arrested in connection with the death, which sparked protests at the state Capitol, forced lawmakers to scrap the military-style camps and led to the resignation of the state's top law enforcement officer.
Anderson's parents planned a news conference Friday evening at their attorney's Tallahassee office to respond to the findings. Marc Tochterman, a spokesman for the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which operated the boot camp, said the agency had no immediate comment.
Siebert did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but he has repeatedly stood by his findings, saying they were based on reliable science, not emotions. He also has said he was being unfairly attacked by special interest groups.
State Attorney General Charlie Crist said Friday that Siebert "should probably be suspended pending further review." He said the second autopsy report wasn't surprising.
"I can't say I'm shocked after having watched the tape. What was surprising was the first autopsy," Crist said. He said there will "probably will be arrests."
The videotape shows Anderson being kneed, struck and dragged by guards on his first day at the Bay County Sheriff's boot camp for juvenile offenders. He was eventually taken to a Pensacola hospital, where he died a few hours later.
Waylon Graham, attorney for sheriff's Lt. Charles Helms, who was second in command of the boot camp and present in the exercise yard that day, said he wasn't shocked by Adams' report. Graham said the investigation has turned into a "witch hunt" with criminal charges inevitable.
"I think (Helms) knows what's coming next," Graham said. "When you get an autopsy with results like that it's pretty clear that they are going to charge him and obviously the others. It would take a pretty naive person to think otherwise."
He said Helms doesn't believe that the guards caused Anderson's death.
The second autopsy was ordered by Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober, whom Bush tapped to lead the investigation.
A forensic pathologist hired by Anderson's family observed the second autopsy, Dr. Michael Baden, said afterward that he believed Anderson didn't die from natural causes.
Siebert's autopsy concluded that physical exertion had triggered sickle cell trait and ultimately caused small blood clots to develop in Anderson's bloodstream, which resulted in internal bleeding.
Anderson had collapsed while doing push-ups, sit-ups, running laps and other exercises that were part of his admission process at the camp. The sheriff's office said force was used on Anderson because he was uncooperative.
He had been sent to the boot camp for violating probation by trespassing at a school after he and his cousins were charged with stealing their grandmother's car from a church parking lot.
Now how many of you have taken a joy-ride in a family member's car when you were that age? Did your family member call it "stealing?" I don't believe this.
(05-05) 13:44 PDT Tampa, Fla. (AP) --
A 14-year-old boy kicked and punched by guards at a juvenile boot camp died because the sheriff's officials suffocated him, a medical examiner said Friday, contradicting a colleague who blamed the death on a usually benign blood disorder.
"Martin Anderson's death was caused by suffocation due to actions of the guards at the boot camp," said Dr. Vernard Adams, who conducted the second autopsy.
Adams said the suffocation was caused by hands blocking the boy's mouth, as well as the "forced inhalation of ammonia fumes" that caused his vocal cords to spasm, blocking his upper airway.
Martin Lee Anderson's body was exhumed after a camp surveillance videotape surfaced showing the guards roughing him up Jan. 5, a day before he died. His family had questioned the initial finding by Dr. Charles Siebert, the Bay County Medical Examiner, that the boy died of complications of sickle cell trait.
"I am disturbed by Dr. Adams' findings and consider the actions of the Bay County boot camp guards deplorable," said Gov. Jeb Bush, who ordered the investigation that led to the second autopsy.
In a statement, Bush assured Anderson's parents that the state will provide any resources prosecutors deem necessary "to complete this investigation as quickly as possible."
No one has been arrested in connection with the death, which sparked protests at the state Capitol, forced lawmakers to scrap the military-style camps and led to the resignation of the state's top law enforcement officer.
Anderson's parents planned a news conference Friday evening at their attorney's Tallahassee office to respond to the findings. Marc Tochterman, a spokesman for the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which operated the boot camp, said the agency had no immediate comment.
Siebert did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but he has repeatedly stood by his findings, saying they were based on reliable science, not emotions. He also has said he was being unfairly attacked by special interest groups.
State Attorney General Charlie Crist said Friday that Siebert "should probably be suspended pending further review." He said the second autopsy report wasn't surprising.
"I can't say I'm shocked after having watched the tape. What was surprising was the first autopsy," Crist said. He said there will "probably will be arrests."
The videotape shows Anderson being kneed, struck and dragged by guards on his first day at the Bay County Sheriff's boot camp for juvenile offenders. He was eventually taken to a Pensacola hospital, where he died a few hours later.
Waylon Graham, attorney for sheriff's Lt. Charles Helms, who was second in command of the boot camp and present in the exercise yard that day, said he wasn't shocked by Adams' report. Graham said the investigation has turned into a "witch hunt" with criminal charges inevitable.
"I think (Helms) knows what's coming next," Graham said. "When you get an autopsy with results like that it's pretty clear that they are going to charge him and obviously the others. It would take a pretty naive person to think otherwise."
He said Helms doesn't believe that the guards caused Anderson's death.
The second autopsy was ordered by Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober, whom Bush tapped to lead the investigation.
A forensic pathologist hired by Anderson's family observed the second autopsy, Dr. Michael Baden, said afterward that he believed Anderson didn't die from natural causes.
Siebert's autopsy concluded that physical exertion had triggered sickle cell trait and ultimately caused small blood clots to develop in Anderson's bloodstream, which resulted in internal bleeding.
Anderson had collapsed while doing push-ups, sit-ups, running laps and other exercises that were part of his admission process at the camp. The sheriff's office said force was used on Anderson because he was uncooperative.
He had been sent to the boot camp for violating probation by trespassing at a school after he and his cousins were charged with stealing their grandmother's car from a church parking lot.
Niners Trade Ken Dorsey -- Their Only Effective Quarterback -- For Trent Dilfer.
Last year, he was the first 49ers Quarterback to throw a touchdown pass.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- The San Francisco 49ers acquired a proven backup quarterback for Alex Smith, getting Trent Dilfer from the Cleveland Browns on Thursday in a trade for quarterback Ken Dorsey and an undisclosed 2007 draft pick.
Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2001, will give the 49ers depth behind Smith, who struggled as a rookie last season after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.
"Trent was a player we had interest in last season," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said in a statement. "We were looking for a veteran quarterback with experience that could help mentor Alex Smith. Trent fits the bill on both counts and we are excited to have him with the 49ers."
Dilfer signed a four-year deal with the Browns last year after stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks. He went 4-7 as a Browns starter before losing the job to rookie Charlie Frye. Dilfer completed 59.8 percent of his passes last season for 2,321 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
"Trent Dilfer played an important role in the making over of our football team last year," Browns general manager Phil Savage said in a statement. "At this point, to add Ken Dorsey and to give Trent the opportunity to go back home to California is a win-win for all parties."
Dilfer, who played in college at Fresno State, has started 107 career games, throwing for 106 touchdowns and 117 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl with Tampa Bay in 1997 after passing for 2,555 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Dorsey started 10 games in his three years in San Francisco, including three last season. He completed 48 of 90 passes for 481 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in 2005.
Cody Pickett is San Francisco's third-string quarterback and the team also drafted Michael Robinson in the fourth round last month. Robinson, a quarterback in college at Penn State, is expected to mostly be used as a running back, receiver or kick returner in San Francisco.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- The San Francisco 49ers acquired a proven backup quarterback for Alex Smith, getting Trent Dilfer from the Cleveland Browns on Thursday in a trade for quarterback Ken Dorsey and an undisclosed 2007 draft pick.
Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2001, will give the 49ers depth behind Smith, who struggled as a rookie last season after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.
"Trent was a player we had interest in last season," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said in a statement. "We were looking for a veteran quarterback with experience that could help mentor Alex Smith. Trent fits the bill on both counts and we are excited to have him with the 49ers."
Dilfer signed a four-year deal with the Browns last year after stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks. He went 4-7 as a Browns starter before losing the job to rookie Charlie Frye. Dilfer completed 59.8 percent of his passes last season for 2,321 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
"Trent Dilfer played an important role in the making over of our football team last year," Browns general manager Phil Savage said in a statement. "At this point, to add Ken Dorsey and to give Trent the opportunity to go back home to California is a win-win for all parties."
Dilfer, who played in college at Fresno State, has started 107 career games, throwing for 106 touchdowns and 117 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl with Tampa Bay in 1997 after passing for 2,555 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Dorsey started 10 games in his three years in San Francisco, including three last season. He completed 48 of 90 passes for 481 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in 2005.
Cody Pickett is San Francisco's third-string quarterback and the team also drafted Michael Robinson in the fourth round last month. Robinson, a quarterback in college at Penn State, is expected to mostly be used as a running back, receiver or kick returner in San Francisco.
Bills Sign Nate Clemons To A One-Year Deal
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Nate Clements re-signed with the Bills on Friday, accepting the one-year, $7.2 million contract Buffalo offered the star cornerback after designating him the team's franchise player in February.
The deal was struck in time for Clements to attend the start of a three-day minicamp. Clements, who missed a voluntary minicamp session last month, took the field Friday afternoon.
Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2001 draft, Clements is a five-year starter who leads the team with 20 interceptions, four of which he's returned for touchdowns.
He was a 2004 Pro Bowl selection and considered a key member of a defense that is rebuilding under new coach Dick Jauron.
The deal was struck in time for Clements to attend the start of a three-day minicamp. Clements, who missed a voluntary minicamp session last month, took the field Friday afternoon.
Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2001 draft, Clements is a five-year starter who leads the team with 20 interceptions, four of which he's returned for touchdowns.
He was a 2004 Pro Bowl selection and considered a key member of a defense that is rebuilding under new coach Dick Jauron.
Six Penn State Nitany Lions Selected In 2006 NFL Draft
This was sent to me via Penn State Sports News:
Defensive end Tamba Hali, a consensus 2005 All-American for the
Nittany Lions, was selected Saturday by the Kansas City Chiefs in the
first round of the National Football League Draft.
In addition, Penn State standouts Michael Robinson, Calvin Lowry and Alan Zemaitis were selected in the fourth round of the National Football League Draft,
Tyler Reed was taken in round six and Ethan Kilmer was drafted in the
seventh round.
Hali is Penn State's fourth defensive lineman to be
selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in the last seven years,
joining Courtney Brown (2000), Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Haynes
(2003). Hali is the 33rd Penn Stater to be chosen in the first round
of the NFL Draft, 30 of whom have played for legendary coach Joe
Paterno. Hali is the 222nd Nittany Lion to be drafted under Paterno
and more than 300 of his players have signed NFL contracts.
Defensive end Tamba Hali, a consensus 2005 All-American for the
Nittany Lions, was selected Saturday by the Kansas City Chiefs in the
first round of the National Football League Draft.
In addition, Penn State standouts Michael Robinson, Calvin Lowry and Alan Zemaitis were selected in the fourth round of the National Football League Draft,
Tyler Reed was taken in round six and Ethan Kilmer was drafted in the
seventh round.
Hali is Penn State's fourth defensive lineman to be
selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in the last seven years,
joining Courtney Brown (2000), Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Haynes
(2003). Hali is the 33rd Penn Stater to be chosen in the first round
of the NFL Draft, 30 of whom have played for legendary coach Joe
Paterno. Hali is the 222nd Nittany Lion to be drafted under Paterno
and more than 300 of his players have signed NFL contracts.
Porter Goss Resigns From The CIA - Did Mary McCarthy's Problem Cause This?
All I know is CIA chief Porter Goss was on the job for about two years. Then, today, he resigns. Blogger News Network seems to have a view of what happened that's connected to the firing of Mary McCarthy for alledged leaks of classified information. Here's the rest of the story from CNN:
Porter Goss resigns as CIA chief
'I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically,' he says
Friday, May 5, 2006; Posted: 4:03 p.m. EDT (20:03 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- CIA Director Porter Goss is resigning, President Bush announced Friday.
"Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, where he's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job," Bush said in a photo session with Goss at the Oval Office.
"He's got a five-year plan to increase the number of analysts and operatives, which is going to help make this country a safer place and help us win the war on terror," the president said. (Watch Bush's Oval Office announcement -- 2:38)
Goss told Bush: "I believe the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well, I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically."
No reason was given for Goss' resignation, but the White House has been in the midst of an administration shakeup since Josh Bolten took over as chief of staff.
Goss' resignation was based on a "mutual understanding" between Bush, national intelligence director John Negroponte and Goss, a senior Bush administration official told the Reuters news agency.
"The best way to describe it is when you ask somebody to do very difficult things during a period of transition, it often makes sense to hand off the reins to somebody else to take the agency forward," the official told Reuters.
No replacement was announced.
Goss became CIA chief in September 2004. He had previously served 16 years as a Republican congressman from Florida. During his congressional tenure, Goss served as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
From 1962 to 1972, Goss was a CIA clandestine service officer.
Goss' deputy, who may take over in the interim, is Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland.
Reaction to Goss' resignation from lawmakers emphasized that the CIA needs to continue to change, regardless of who takes the reins.
"Director Goss took the helm of the intelligence community at a very difficult time in the wake of the intelligence failures associated with 9/11 and Iraq WMD," Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a written statement. "Porter made some significant improvements at the CIA, but I think even he would say they still have some way to go."
Former CIA Director Stansfield Turner told CNN that Goss may have resigned because he was passed over for the position of director of national intelligence, which went to Negroponte.
Former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr agreed with Turner's speculation and added, "I think there's going to be more coming out; we don't know the whole story."
"This is a devastating blow, the importance of which really cannot be overestimated," Barr told CNN. "It indicates again a continuing downward slide in the intelligence capabilities of our government, it indicates again the disorganization on the part of our intelligence agencies at a time when we can ill afford to see that happen."
The agency was recently rocked when Mary McCarthy was fired, reportedly for allegedly leaking information about secret prisons to The Washington Post. McCarthy's lawyer denies that she was the source for the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting.
McCarthy's firing was seen as part of a crackdown by Goss on the leaking of classified information.
There has also been media reports of dissatisfaction with Goss' leadership among the rank-and-file within the agency and the exodus of several high-level staff members.
Porter Goss resigns as CIA chief
'I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically,' he says
Friday, May 5, 2006; Posted: 4:03 p.m. EDT (20:03 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- CIA Director Porter Goss is resigning, President Bush announced Friday.
"Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, where he's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job," Bush said in a photo session with Goss at the Oval Office.
"He's got a five-year plan to increase the number of analysts and operatives, which is going to help make this country a safer place and help us win the war on terror," the president said. (Watch Bush's Oval Office announcement -- 2:38)
Goss told Bush: "I believe the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well, I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically."
No reason was given for Goss' resignation, but the White House has been in the midst of an administration shakeup since Josh Bolten took over as chief of staff.
Goss' resignation was based on a "mutual understanding" between Bush, national intelligence director John Negroponte and Goss, a senior Bush administration official told the Reuters news agency.
"The best way to describe it is when you ask somebody to do very difficult things during a period of transition, it often makes sense to hand off the reins to somebody else to take the agency forward," the official told Reuters.
No replacement was announced.
Goss became CIA chief in September 2004. He had previously served 16 years as a Republican congressman from Florida. During his congressional tenure, Goss served as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
From 1962 to 1972, Goss was a CIA clandestine service officer.
Goss' deputy, who may take over in the interim, is Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland.
Reaction to Goss' resignation from lawmakers emphasized that the CIA needs to continue to change, regardless of who takes the reins.
"Director Goss took the helm of the intelligence community at a very difficult time in the wake of the intelligence failures associated with 9/11 and Iraq WMD," Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a written statement. "Porter made some significant improvements at the CIA, but I think even he would say they still have some way to go."
Former CIA Director Stansfield Turner told CNN that Goss may have resigned because he was passed over for the position of director of national intelligence, which went to Negroponte.
Former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr agreed with Turner's speculation and added, "I think there's going to be more coming out; we don't know the whole story."
"This is a devastating blow, the importance of which really cannot be overestimated," Barr told CNN. "It indicates again a continuing downward slide in the intelligence capabilities of our government, it indicates again the disorganization on the part of our intelligence agencies at a time when we can ill afford to see that happen."
The agency was recently rocked when Mary McCarthy was fired, reportedly for allegedly leaking information about secret prisons to The Washington Post. McCarthy's lawyer denies that she was the source for the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting.
McCarthy's firing was seen as part of a crackdown by Goss on the leaking of classified information.
There has also been media reports of dissatisfaction with Goss' leadership among the rank-and-file within the agency and the exodus of several high-level staff members.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Matt Leinart Parties With Paris Hilton -- And 200 Others -- In Las Vegas
Well, I can say I ordered him a free cocktail last week. We -- just the two of us -- were at the bar at Gustavino's in NYC last Thursday and I said "I'll never get the chance to say this, so 'Buy the bar a round?"
I just hope Matt can focus on the field once training camp starts, but I think he can. It's a new level. Still, it's like he's turning 21 again -- what's one more big bash?
Thing is, he's a very nice person, so those 200 people who were in attendance were not there just for his name.
Paris Hilton & Matt Leinart: Cozy in Vegas
Thursday May 04, 2006 3:50pm EST
By Stephen M. Silverman
Hilton and Leinart on May 1
CREDIT: ALPHAX / X17
Matt Leinart celebrated being drafted into the NFL by partying at a Las Vegas nightclub on Tuesday with Paris Hilton.
For the record, Leinart was joined at the club PURE by more than 200 of his closest friends, including Nick Lachey, Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson – but he spent the better part of the evening with the newly single Hilton, a source tells PEOPLE.
On his way into the bash, the 22-year-old, 6'5", Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who was recently drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, told PEOPLE, "After this, it's all business, all NFL."
Inside, he danced with Hilton, 25, on the club's VIP beds. She called him "baby" and rested her head on his back, sometimes holding his hand, says the source.
The pair danced the night away – and at one point disappeared together behind closed doors in the club's private suite.
Later, Hilton treated the crowd to an impromptu concert, jumping on top of the DJ booth and belting out several songs from her upcoming album, including a rendition of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy" – which she dedicated to Leinart.
When not on the dance floor, the pair nestled themselves into the corner of a VIP bed, where they kissed and hugged before leaving around 3:30 a.m.
Hilton and Leinart have been spotted together several times recently. On May 1, Hilton, wearing a brunette wig, shopped at the Grove in Los Angeles with Leinart, PEOPLE reports. That night, they partied together at L.A. club Shag. "They seemed really into each other," said one witness. "He was very touchy-feely."
Leinart's rep denies that they're dating, and Hilton's publicist, Elliot Mintz, says, "She knows Matt, she likes Matt. They are friends. I don't want to go any further than that. They have known each other a while."
Russian Youth Exhibit Signs Of Mental Illness -- Attacking People Just Because Of The Color Of Their Skin
I saw this on Yahoo! and wanted to call for a medic. Read it because it's as stupid as it reads. The Russian youth need to be institutionalized. Their behavior is sick.
Think about it. DOGS don't even do that. DOGS!
Think about it. DOGS don't even do that. DOGS!
Oakland Raiders Legend Michael Dotterer's Advice To The New Raider Draftees - Video
Oakland Raiders running back Michael Dotterer -- who was also on the Stanford team that lost to Cal because of "The Play" in the 1982 Big Game -- has been my friend for about 11 years now. He played for the Silver and Black during their LA years and was part of the 1984 Super Bowl Championship Team. He is also one of only 24 two-sport all stars in Stanford University history.
During my trip to the NFL Draft, I asked Mike if I could do a kind of walking interview of him and his advice for the Raiders newest draftees on the eve of the NFL Draft. He was more than happy to allow this. The result is a talk and walk through Midtown Manhattan on the way to dinner at The 21 Club restaurant. My favorite.
Along the way, Mike reveals that his Raiders roommate was none other than the legendary Lyle Alzado, a true character and so much in the Raider mold it's easy to forget he played for the Denver Broncos. Mike also instructs rookies to listen.
We covered a lot of ground and in more ways than one.
Here's my conversation with Michael Dotterer:
During my trip to the NFL Draft, I asked Mike if I could do a kind of walking interview of him and his advice for the Raiders newest draftees on the eve of the NFL Draft. He was more than happy to allow this. The result is a talk and walk through Midtown Manhattan on the way to dinner at The 21 Club restaurant. My favorite.
Along the way, Mike reveals that his Raiders roommate was none other than the legendary Lyle Alzado, a true character and so much in the Raider mold it's easy to forget he played for the Denver Broncos. Mike also instructs rookies to listen.
We covered a lot of ground and in more ways than one.
Here's my conversation with Michael Dotterer:
"Beyond The Call" - Adrian Belic and Michael Dotterer Introduce Adrian's New Film "Beyond The Call" At The Tribeca Film Festival
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the premier of a new film called "Beyond The Call" at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. It's a really good and moving work about three ex-military Americans who travel around the world making sure that food and other resources get right to the people who need it.
My friend Michael Dotterer's helping Adrian market the film, and so I thought I'd take a video of Adrian and Michael talking about a documentary that's certainly oscar-material.
This is the first of three videos on the movie.
Here's the video:
My friend Michael Dotterer's helping Adrian market the film, and so I thought I'd take a video of Adrian and Michael talking about a documentary that's certainly oscar-material.
This is the first of three videos on the movie.
Here's the video:
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Prom Hairstyles - It's That Time Of Year!
You can tell what America's doing just by a simple visit to The Lycos 50, a website that tracks the most popular searches conducted with engines like, well, Lycos.
The most popular search this week is for something as simple as prom hairstyles. What's number one in that category? Click on the title of this post to find out.
Proof that NBA Basketball Is a Contact Sport - Watch Your Mid Section
Last Saturday, Reggie Evans had the nerve to do something that may be considered ok only in the ranchiest of gay bars (Heck, I don't know.) What did he do? Click on NBA Business Blog to find out.
"BuziBUZZ" - BuziBuZZ: My Friend J. Randy Gordon's Book Is Out -- And It's A Hit!
At the EA Sports Super Bowl party in Detroit, I ran into my friend Leigh Steinberg, who knows a thing or three about the "buzz" business and was the boss of my good friend J. Randy Gordon, who's just finished and released his long awaited book "BusiBUZZ."
"When is his book coming out!?" Leigh asked.
Well, it's out.
I don't write this just because he's my friend and I'm biased, but as a follower of the Zeitgeist, this is it! He's got the one book you want. I know you've wanted that one book full of all the popular saying's you've been within earshot of someone uttering: "Close The Deal," "et It Across The Goal Line" , "I'm shagged", "I need to drop a bomb." They're all here and many you never knew existed.
I decided to have fun with Randy and his book, so I interviewed him at a great place: The Golden Gate Perk Cafe in San Francisco on Bush near Kearny. This talk is laced with the buzz words that appear in his book, and it's fun to hear.
Check out Randy Gordon talking with me about his new book "BuziBuzz" then go out and buy it!
Here's the video, followed by a press release about the book, BusiBUZZ. (As a note, the video is a LARGE file, which may take a few minutes to load depending on browser and service. Go get some wine, then come back. Also, YouTube may be down for service, too!)
New Book Exposes the 'Real' Language Heard in Today's Boardroom
More than 5,000 Buzzwords and Catch Phrases Brought to the Forefront by
Marketing Executive, J. Randy Gordon in His Book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business
Buzzwords for Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City
LOS ANGELES, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it's "going after the low
hanging fruit," or "fast tracking the project," America's boardroom
maintains its very own corporate speak and first-time author, J. Randy
Gordon has captured it in his book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords for
Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City (Booksurge Press -- an amazon.com
company). With more than 5,000 buzzwords, catch phrases, euphemisms, short
anecdotes and general business speak, BusiBUZZ(TM) discloses a
"behind-the-scenes" view of the interaction that's taking place in the
executive offices of corporate America.
With the foreword written by famed sports agent and author Leigh
Steinberg, BusiBUZZ(TM) goes where no outsider has gone before -- the inner
sanctum of the business world's most exclusive circles. Readers will
experience corporate-speak at its best -- ranging from negotiation
terminology to the daily vernacular reflected in various industries found
in such words or phrases as "podcasts," "traction," "going nano,"
"hotspots," "blogging" and "mash-ups," among thousands more.
"This book will hopefully level the playing field for many people in
business or just getting started in the business world," said Gordon.
"Boardroom chatter is not necessarily a secret code but it's easy to feel
as though your colleagues are speaking an unfamiliar language. I've made it
easier to feel a part of the inner circle."
Gordon, who has held positions at some very prestigious companies
including The Coca-Cola Company, Sony Computer Entertainment America,
Universal McCann and Ubisoft Entertainment, recorded more than 15 years of
executive daily dialogue and interaction by listening to those around him
and attending meetings, conferences and interviews.
"Every profession and field has its own lexicon and jargon which needs
translation," commented Leigh Steinberg, CEO, Leigh Steinberg Enterprises.
"In the world of sports representation, language can either serve as either
a barrier or a bridge. With so many catch phrases in today's sports lingo,
one needs a vivid imagination just to keep up."
The book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords For Survivin' and Thrivin'
in the Big City, is available for purchase on http://www.booksurge.com for $19.95
and will soon be available on Amazon.com. The ISBN number is:
1-4196-2124-6.
"When is his book coming out!?" Leigh asked.
Well, it's out.
I don't write this just because he's my friend and I'm biased, but as a follower of the Zeitgeist, this is it! He's got the one book you want. I know you've wanted that one book full of all the popular saying's you've been within earshot of someone uttering: "Close The Deal," "et It Across The Goal Line" , "I'm shagged", "I need to drop a bomb." They're all here and many you never knew existed.
I decided to have fun with Randy and his book, so I interviewed him at a great place: The Golden Gate Perk Cafe in San Francisco on Bush near Kearny. This talk is laced with the buzz words that appear in his book, and it's fun to hear.
Check out Randy Gordon talking with me about his new book "BuziBuzz" then go out and buy it!
Here's the video, followed by a press release about the book, BusiBUZZ. (As a note, the video is a LARGE file, which may take a few minutes to load depending on browser and service. Go get some wine, then come back. Also, YouTube may be down for service, too!)
New Book Exposes the 'Real' Language Heard in Today's Boardroom
More than 5,000 Buzzwords and Catch Phrases Brought to the Forefront by
Marketing Executive, J. Randy Gordon in His Book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business
Buzzwords for Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City
LOS ANGELES, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it's "going after the low
hanging fruit," or "fast tracking the project," America's boardroom
maintains its very own corporate speak and first-time author, J. Randy
Gordon has captured it in his book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords for
Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City (Booksurge Press -- an amazon.com
company). With more than 5,000 buzzwords, catch phrases, euphemisms, short
anecdotes and general business speak, BusiBUZZ(TM) discloses a
"behind-the-scenes" view of the interaction that's taking place in the
executive offices of corporate America.
With the foreword written by famed sports agent and author Leigh
Steinberg, BusiBUZZ(TM) goes where no outsider has gone before -- the inner
sanctum of the business world's most exclusive circles. Readers will
experience corporate-speak at its best -- ranging from negotiation
terminology to the daily vernacular reflected in various industries found
in such words or phrases as "podcasts," "traction," "going nano,"
"hotspots," "blogging" and "mash-ups," among thousands more.
"This book will hopefully level the playing field for many people in
business or just getting started in the business world," said Gordon.
"Boardroom chatter is not necessarily a secret code but it's easy to feel
as though your colleagues are speaking an unfamiliar language. I've made it
easier to feel a part of the inner circle."
Gordon, who has held positions at some very prestigious companies
including The Coca-Cola Company, Sony Computer Entertainment America,
Universal McCann and Ubisoft Entertainment, recorded more than 15 years of
executive daily dialogue and interaction by listening to those around him
and attending meetings, conferences and interviews.
"Every profession and field has its own lexicon and jargon which needs
translation," commented Leigh Steinberg, CEO, Leigh Steinberg Enterprises.
"In the world of sports representation, language can either serve as either
a barrier or a bridge. With so many catch phrases in today's sports lingo,
one needs a vivid imagination just to keep up."
The book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords For Survivin' and Thrivin'
in the Big City, is available for purchase on http://www.booksurge.com for $19.95
and will soon be available on Amazon.com. The ISBN number is:
1-4196-2124-6.
2006 NFL Draft - Sights And Sounds Before The Start Of The Draft
I took my camcorder on a kind of tour around the main theater of Radio City Music Hall just before the start of the NFL Draft. It was kind of like the crew of the Starship Enterprise preparing the big vessel before it leaves drydock. A cool scene.
During my rounds I reconnected with Todd Barnes, who, with Jerry Andersen formed the plans for the use of the Oakland / Alameda County Coliseum for the 2005 Super Bowl in1999-2000. He's a very nice person, who's landed well as the architect for the NFL. The segment where I almost ran into him wasn't fake -- it really happened.
I also feature Bill Chachkes, who as you know if you regularly read this has attended more NFL drafts than perhaps all but a handful of people in the room. I also catch ESPN's Mike Golic, who at the 2005 NFL Draft was tossing his cookies to the audience. No kidding. (He later told me that security really got on him for that, so he didn't do it this time.)
I also met Jerry Davis, Al Davis brother, whom I refered to earlier. You can see how much he's really like the man who runs the Oakland Raiders.
You also see both ESPN's crew and the NFL Network's hosts getting ready to go into action.
Along the tour one can gain a keen idea of the complexity of this massive production.
Here's the video:
During my rounds I reconnected with Todd Barnes, who, with Jerry Andersen formed the plans for the use of the Oakland / Alameda County Coliseum for the 2005 Super Bowl in1999-2000. He's a very nice person, who's landed well as the architect for the NFL. The segment where I almost ran into him wasn't fake -- it really happened.
I also feature Bill Chachkes, who as you know if you regularly read this has attended more NFL drafts than perhaps all but a handful of people in the room. I also catch ESPN's Mike Golic, who at the 2005 NFL Draft was tossing his cookies to the audience. No kidding. (He later told me that security really got on him for that, so he didn't do it this time.)
I also met Jerry Davis, Al Davis brother, whom I refered to earlier. You can see how much he's really like the man who runs the Oakland Raiders.
You also see both ESPN's crew and the NFL Network's hosts getting ready to go into action.
Along the tour one can gain a keen idea of the complexity of this massive production.
Here's the video:
Tiger Woods' Father Passes Of Prostate Cancer At 74 - I Feel His Pain
I just learned that Tiger Woods' father Earl Woods passed on from prostate cancer at 74. Last year, I lost both my father and stepfather to that something I hate so much.
For us a black men, hit hardest by prostate cancer, it's very important to get annual PSA level checks, eat as much fish as possible, stay fit and not overweight, and keep vitamins in our system and our blood pressure low.
I think we can beat this thing if we try.
Tiger's father got to see his son at his best. I'm sure he went to rest in peace.
For us a black men, hit hardest by prostate cancer, it's very important to get annual PSA level checks, eat as much fish as possible, stay fit and not overweight, and keep vitamins in our system and our blood pressure low.
I think we can beat this thing if we try.
Tiger's father got to see his son at his best. I'm sure he went to rest in peace.
2006 NFL Draft - "From A White Game To A Black Game" - S.I.'s Paul Zimmerman On The NFL Draft, Pro Football, and Katie Couric - Video
I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with the legendary Sports Illiustrated writer, Paul Zimmerman at the 2006 NFL Draft. While our conversation was short -- we were all getting ready for the drama that was to unfold after the Houston Texans officially annouced their selection of defensive lineman Mario Williams -- it was blunt, honest, illuminating, and fun.
Some of the highlight of our conversation: "If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available, and busted my hump to sign him. Maybe they did that...Football has changed from a white game to a black game. It's a speed game... If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available. Maybe they did that. Time will tell... You tell me. What has Katie Couric done for $15 million?"
Well, you get the idea. This was totally off the cuff. Paul didn't know this guy was going to come with with a camcorder and ask for an interview. We didn't go over exactly what was going to be asked. I just filmed our conversation. It was that simple.
For those of you who don't know who "Dr. Z" is, here's his bio from S.I.com:
"Paul Zimmerman, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 1979, videotapes and charts as many as eight NFL games a week from his home. It's safe to say that Dr. Z has watched more NFL games than any other person on the planet. In addition to his regular columns for SI, he contributes Insider, Power Rankings and Mailbag columns to SI.com.
Dr. Z is the author of seven books on the NFL, including The Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. His inside analysis and opinions are rooted in more than 50 years of playing and watching football.
As a 15-year-old, Zimmerman sparred with Ernest Hemingway in a Manhattan gym. He sustained four broken noses as an offensive lineman in high school (Horace Mann High in the Bronx, N.Y.), at two colleges (Stanford and Columbia) and for his Army team (the Western Area Command Rhinos, in Germany). He also played semi-professionally in New Jersey for the Paterson Pioneers and the Morristown Colonials.
Before joining SI, Zimmerman worked for the New York Journal-American and the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and spent 13 years at the New York Post, where he covered pro football and three Olympic Games. He was one of the few journalists to get close to the Israeli compound during the 1972 hostage-taking in Munich; he bucked two lines of security guards and took a rifle butt to the head.
Zimmerman and his wife, to whom he often refers in his columns on CNNSI.com, live in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
Dr. Z refered to his wife in our conversation, too.
Here's the video of my conversation with Paul Zimmerman:
Some of the highlight of our conversation: "If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available, and busted my hump to sign him. Maybe they did that...Football has changed from a white game to a black game. It's a speed game... If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available. Maybe they did that. Time will tell... You tell me. What has Katie Couric done for $15 million?"
Well, you get the idea. This was totally off the cuff. Paul didn't know this guy was going to come with with a camcorder and ask for an interview. We didn't go over exactly what was going to be asked. I just filmed our conversation. It was that simple.
For those of you who don't know who "Dr. Z" is, here's his bio from S.I.com:
"Paul Zimmerman, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 1979, videotapes and charts as many as eight NFL games a week from his home. It's safe to say that Dr. Z has watched more NFL games than any other person on the planet. In addition to his regular columns for SI, he contributes Insider, Power Rankings and Mailbag columns to SI.com.
Dr. Z is the author of seven books on the NFL, including The Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. His inside analysis and opinions are rooted in more than 50 years of playing and watching football.
As a 15-year-old, Zimmerman sparred with Ernest Hemingway in a Manhattan gym. He sustained four broken noses as an offensive lineman in high school (Horace Mann High in the Bronx, N.Y.), at two colleges (Stanford and Columbia) and for his Army team (the Western Area Command Rhinos, in Germany). He also played semi-professionally in New Jersey for the Paterson Pioneers and the Morristown Colonials.
Before joining SI, Zimmerman worked for the New York Journal-American and the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and spent 13 years at the New York Post, where he covered pro football and three Olympic Games. He was one of the few journalists to get close to the Israeli compound during the 1972 hostage-taking in Munich; he bucked two lines of security guards and took a rifle butt to the head.
Zimmerman and his wife, to whom he often refers in his columns on CNNSI.com, live in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
Dr. Z refered to his wife in our conversation, too.
Here's the video of my conversation with Paul Zimmerman:
2006 NFL Draft - A Neat Sign-Off: Bill Chachkes Takes Us Out, NFL Network's Pat Kirwan and NLS John Murphy Give Views
While it's not the last video from the NFL Draft you'll see on this blog, it was the last one taken there. It's a sign off, and starts with Bill Chachkes of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com and Fieldposition.com and now nflbusinessblog.com signing off, Mel Kiper giving an opinion just as he's called away by someone at ESPN, NFL Network's Pat Kirwan providing his views, and John Murphy of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com chiming in as well.
In this, you'll not only get a view of Radio City Music Hall, but also an idea of just how many people are required to put on what really is a TV production. Also notice how fast everyone was working. That's because Radio City's security people kept coming by and asking us to pack up. It was a little much, especially considering that we had not received the on-paper results from the 7th and final round. Some draft attendees write down each pick. I did that last year; not this year and because the NFL's going to give them to us, and I figured I needed the time to produce video and blog content.
Here's the video:
In this, you'll not only get a view of Radio City Music Hall, but also an idea of just how many people are required to put on what really is a TV production. Also notice how fast everyone was working. That's because Radio City's security people kept coming by and asking us to pack up. It was a little much, especially considering that we had not received the on-paper results from the 7th and final round. Some draft attendees write down each pick. I did that last year; not this year and because the NFL's going to give them to us, and I figured I needed the time to produce video and blog content.
Here's the video:
Monday, May 01, 2006
John Kenneth Galbraith - Quotes
In what will be a series of posts in celebration of the man who so shaped my intellectual gantry, I am presenting this set of quotes by John Kenneth Galbraith, and that I found at www.brainyquote.com. They're worth remembering :
A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in ignorance; but finding that they will read, he is doing all in his power to poison their books.
John Kenneth Galbraith
A person buying ordinary products in a supermarket is in touch with his deepest emotions.
John Kenneth Galbraith
All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.
John Kenneth Galbraith
All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Anyone who says he won't resign four times, will.
John Kenneth Galbraith
By all but the pathologically romantic, it is now recognized that this is not the age of the small man.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Commencement oratory must eschew anything that smacks of partisan politics, political preference, sex, religion or unduly firm opinion. Nonetheless, there must be a speech: Speeches in our culture are the vacuum that fills a vacuum.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Economics is a subject profoundly conducive to cliche, resonant with boredom. On few topics is an American audience so practiced in turning off its ears and minds. And none can say that the response is ill advised.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Few people at the beginning of the nineteenth century needed an adman to tell them what they wanted.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Humor is richly rewarding to the person who employs it. It has some value in gaining and holding attention, but it has no persuasive value at all.
John Kenneth Galbraith
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
John Kenneth Galbraith
If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.
John Kenneth Galbraith
In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong.
John Kenneth Galbraith
In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.
John Kenneth Galbraith
In economics, hope and faith coexist with great scientific pretension and also a deep desire for respectability.
John Kenneth Galbraith
In economics, the majority is always wrong.
John Kenneth Galbraith
In the choice between changing ones mind and proving there's no need to do so, most people get busy on the proof.
John Kenneth Galbraith
It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought.
John Kenneth Galbraith
It is not necessary to advertise food to hungry people, fuel to cold people, or houses to the homeless.
John Kenneth Galbraith
It would be foolish to suggest that government is a good custodian of aesthetic goals. But, there is no alternative to the state.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Liberalism is, I think, resurgent. One reason is that more and more people are so painfully aware of the alternative.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Meetings are a great trap. Soon you find yourself trying to get agreement and then the people who disagree come to think they have a right to be persuaded. However, they are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Modesty is a vastly overrated virtue.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Money differs from an automobile or mistress in being equally important to those who have it and those who do not.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Money is a singular thing. It ranks with love as man's greatest source of joy. And with death as his greatest source of anxiety. Over all history it has oppressed nearly all people in one of two ways: either it has been abundant and very unreliable, or reliable and very scarce.
John Kenneth Galbraith
More die in the United States of too much food than of too little.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Much literary criticism comes from people for whom extreme specialization is a cover for either grave cerebral inadequacy or terminal laziness, the latter being a much cherished aspect of academic freedom.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Nothing is so admirable in politics as a short memory.
John Kenneth Galbraith
One of the greatest pieces of economic wisdom is to know what you do not know.
John Kenneth Galbraith
One of the little-celebrated powers of Presidents (and other high government officials) is to listen to their critics with just enough sympathy to ensure their silence.
John Kenneth Galbraith
People who are in a fortunate position always attribute virtue to what makes them so happy.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Power is not something that can be assumed or discarded at will like underwear.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Several times I concluded that there was too much detail; always I returned to continue and enjoy the book.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Talk of revolution is one of avoiding reality.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The commencement speech is not, I think, a wholly satisfactory manifestation of our culture.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The conspicuously wealthy turn up urging the character building values of the privation of the poor.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The enemy of the conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The great dialectic in our time is not, as anciently and by some still supposed, between capital and labor; it is between economic enterprise and the state.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The man who is admired for the ingenuity of his larceny is almost always rediscovering some earlier form of fraud. The basic forms are all known, have all been practiced. The manners of capitalism improve. The morals may not.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The Metropolis should have been aborted long before it became New York, London or Tokyo.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The process by which banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled.
John Kenneth Galbraith
The salary of the chief executive of a large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself.
John Kenneth Galbraith
There are few ironclad rules of diplomacy but to one there is no exception. When an official reports that talks were useful, it can safely be concluded that nothing was accomplished.
John Kenneth Galbraith
There are times in politics when you must be on the right side and lose.
John Kenneth Galbraith
There is certainly no absolute standard of beauty. That precisely is what makes its pursuit so interesting.
John Kenneth Galbraith
There is something wonderful in seeing a wrong-headed majority assailed by truth.
John Kenneth Galbraith
There's a certain part of the contented majority who love anybody who is worth a billion dollars.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Total physical and mental inertia are highly agreeable, much more so than we allow ourselves to imagine. A beach not only permits such inertia but enforces it, thus neatly eliminating all problems of guilt. It is now the only place in our overly active world that does.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith
War remains the decisive human failure.
John Kenneth Galbraith
We can safely abandon the doctrine of the eighties, namely that the rich were not working because they had too little money, the poor because they had much.
John Kenneth Galbraith
We have escapist fiction, so why not escapist biography?
John Kenneth Galbraith
Wealth is not without its advantages and the case to the contrary, although it has often been made, has never proved widely persuasive.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Wealth, in even the most improbable cases, manages to convey the aspect of intelligence.
John Kenneth Galbraith
You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Stephen Colbert Let's Loose On George Bush At Annual Dinner
This video's making the rounds on the blogsphere and for very good reason: it's really funny. What's equally hiliarious is the almost nervous reaction of the attendees at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
He hits just about everyone, including Joe Wilson, but saves his best stuff for President Bush.
After the attach, er, segment, President Bush seemed stone-faced, but then nice-face only to shake Colbert's hand. But watch Bush's expression after Colbert walks by.
Here's Part One....
and Part Two:
..Here's an article on the event, with a link at the title of this post:
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner -- President Not Amused?
By E&P Staff
Published: April 29, 2006 11:40 PM ET updated Sunday
WASHINGTON A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk-show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2,700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk-show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face — “and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought " Valerie Plame." Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean ... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife." He might have "dodged the bullet," he said, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face. He advised the crowd, "if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. "
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday -- no matter what happened Tuesday."
Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides of the story — the president’s side and the vice president’s side." In another slap at the news channel, he said: "I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the No Fact Zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term."
He also reflected on the alleged good old days for the president, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, "Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know -- fiction."
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is "Snow Job."
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people.
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately.
Those seated near Bush told E&P's Joe Strupp, who was elsewhere in the room, that Bush had quickly turned from an amused guest to an obviously offended target as Colbert’s comments brought up his low approval ratings and problems in Iraq.
Several veterans of past dinners, who requested anonymity, said the presentation was more directed at attacking the president than in the past. Several said previous hosts, like Jay Leno, equally slammed both the White House and the press corps.
“This was anti-Bush,” said one attendee. “Usually they go back and forth between us and him.” Another noted that Bush quickly turned unhappy. “You could see he stopped smiling about halfway through Colbert,” he reported.
After the gathering, Snow, while nursing a Heineken outside the Chicago Tribune reception, declined to comment on Colbert. “I’m not doing entertainment reviews,” he said. “I thought the president was great, though.”
Strupp, in the crowd during the Colbert routine, had observed that quite a few sitting near him looked a little uncomfortable at times, perhaps feeling the material was a little too biting -- or too much speaking "truthiness" (Colbert's made-up word) to power.
Asked by E&P after it was over if he thought he'd been too harsh, Colbert said, "Not at all." Was he trying to make a point politically or just get laughs? "Just for laughs," he said. He said he did not pull any material for being too strong, just for time reasons. (He later said the president told him "good job" when he walked off.)
Helen Thomas told Strupp her segment with Colbert was "just for fun."
In its report on the affair, USA Today asserted that some in the crowd cracked up over Colbert but others were "bewildered." Wolf Blitzer of CNN said he thought Colbert was funny and "a little on the edge."
Earlier, the president had addressed the crowd with a Bush impersonator alongside, with the faux-Bush speaking precisely and the real Bush deliberately mispronouncing words, such as the inevitable "nuclear." At the close, Bush called the imposter "a fine talent. In fact, he did all my debates with Senator Kerry." The routine went over well with this particular crowd -- better than did Colbert's, in fact, for whatever reason.
Among attendees at the black tie event: Morgan Fairchild, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Justice Antonin Scalia, George Clooney, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers -- in a kilt.
.
He hits just about everyone, including Joe Wilson, but saves his best stuff for President Bush.
After the attach, er, segment, President Bush seemed stone-faced, but then nice-face only to shake Colbert's hand. But watch Bush's expression after Colbert walks by.
Here's Part One....
and Part Two:
..Here's an article on the event, with a link at the title of this post:
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner -- President Not Amused?
By E&P Staff
Published: April 29, 2006 11:40 PM ET updated Sunday
WASHINGTON A blistering comedy “tribute” to President Bush by Comedy Central’s faux talk-show host Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner Saturday night left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close.
Earlier, the president had delivered his talk to the 2,700 attendees, including many celebrities and top officials, with the help of a Bush impersonator.
Colbert, who spoke in the guise of his talk-show character, who ostensibly supports the president strongly, urged Bush to ignore his low approval ratings, saying they were based on reality, “and reality has a well-known liberal bias.”
He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”
Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face — “and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”
Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought " Valerie Plame." Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean ... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife." He might have "dodged the bullet," he said, as prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wasn't there.
Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face. He advised the crowd, "if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. "
Observing that Bush sticks to his principles, he said, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday -- no matter what happened Tuesday."
Also lampooning the press, Colbert complained that he was “surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides of the story — the president’s side and the vice president’s side." In another slap at the news channel, he said: "I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the No Fact Zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term."
He also reflected on the alleged good old days for the president, when the media was still swallowing the WMD story.
Addressing the reporters, he said, "Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know -- fiction."
He claimed that the Secret Service name for Bush's new press secretary is "Snow Job."
Colbert closed his routine with a video fantasy where he gets to be White House Press Secretary, complete with a special “Gannon” button on his podium. By the end, he had to run from Helen Thomas and her questions about why the U.S. really invaded Iraq and killed all those people.
As Colbert walked from the podium, when it was over, the president and First Lady gave him quick nods, unsmiling. The president shook his hand and tapped his elbow, and left immediately.
Those seated near Bush told E&P's Joe Strupp, who was elsewhere in the room, that Bush had quickly turned from an amused guest to an obviously offended target as Colbert’s comments brought up his low approval ratings and problems in Iraq.
Several veterans of past dinners, who requested anonymity, said the presentation was more directed at attacking the president than in the past. Several said previous hosts, like Jay Leno, equally slammed both the White House and the press corps.
“This was anti-Bush,” said one attendee. “Usually they go back and forth between us and him.” Another noted that Bush quickly turned unhappy. “You could see he stopped smiling about halfway through Colbert,” he reported.
After the gathering, Snow, while nursing a Heineken outside the Chicago Tribune reception, declined to comment on Colbert. “I’m not doing entertainment reviews,” he said. “I thought the president was great, though.”
Strupp, in the crowd during the Colbert routine, had observed that quite a few sitting near him looked a little uncomfortable at times, perhaps feeling the material was a little too biting -- or too much speaking "truthiness" (Colbert's made-up word) to power.
Asked by E&P after it was over if he thought he'd been too harsh, Colbert said, "Not at all." Was he trying to make a point politically or just get laughs? "Just for laughs," he said. He said he did not pull any material for being too strong, just for time reasons. (He later said the president told him "good job" when he walked off.)
Helen Thomas told Strupp her segment with Colbert was "just for fun."
In its report on the affair, USA Today asserted that some in the crowd cracked up over Colbert but others were "bewildered." Wolf Blitzer of CNN said he thought Colbert was funny and "a little on the edge."
Earlier, the president had addressed the crowd with a Bush impersonator alongside, with the faux-Bush speaking precisely and the real Bush deliberately mispronouncing words, such as the inevitable "nuclear." At the close, Bush called the imposter "a fine talent. In fact, he did all my debates with Senator Kerry." The routine went over well with this particular crowd -- better than did Colbert's, in fact, for whatever reason.
Among attendees at the black tie event: Morgan Fairchild, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Justice Antonin Scalia, George Clooney, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers -- in a kilt.
.
John Kenneth Galbraith - My Hero Passed Away Over The Weekend
I'm going to write more later, but I just learned that Harvard Professor and well-noted writer John Kenneth Galbraith passed away over the weekend. He was the first public figure who caused me to entirely shift my interest in life to that of economics and specifically institutional economics.
More soon.
More soon.
Video - 2006 NFL Draft - Draft Analysis By Bill Chachkes, Eric Strauss, and Matt Shapiro
Three NFL Draft media veterans totalling 34 years of NFL Draft experience talked about the 2006 NFL Draft with me at Radio City Music Hall. Bill Chachkes (pictured) of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com and Fieldposition.com and now nflbusinessblog.com which you're reading, Eric Strauss of Raiderfans.net , and Matt Shapiro of cstv.com provide this really interesting take on the draft and which teams did well and why. I really enjoyed filming this. We even picked an interesting place, all the better to escape the loudspeakers.
As to their takes, it's varied and well worth listening to. It's also contains some opinions on where the draft was held, and other views you're not going to get anywhere else.
Here's the video:
2006 NFL Draft - It's Over And Too Bad
The NFL Draft finished with Paul Salada's read of the Oakland Raiders selection of Maine's Kevin McMahan as "Mr. Irrelevant" at as the 255th pick and all the while as fans were cheering for Marcus Vick to be that pick.
Best draft? Well, John Murphy of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com and a 10 year draft veteran says that "I really like New England for how they filled those long-term offensive needs with Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson... Cardinals have continued to add value across the board... Leinart, Lutui, Pope and then Gabe Watson who falls into the second day... Eagles have traded around and gotten excellent value, especially Winston Justice in round two... also like how the Broncos added a future starting QB in Jay Cutler and improved for this season by trading for wide receiver Javon Walker."
I've got a lot of video "in the can" as they say, and came away with some new friends and solidified some existing relationships. Longtime NFL Draftnik Bill Chackhes is joining my blog, and I welcome his knoweldge, wisdom, and charm. Now, if I can just get him to acitivate his Blogger account!
(Speaking of Blogger, I thought this little experiment of video / blogging went very well. With some tweaking, it will be huge next year.)
The NFL staff, as usual, were great to work with and feel like family to me. Radio City Music Hall was a great venue to hold the Draft and as I understand it better than the ballroom at Javitz because of the ceiling design there. I liked the space at Javitz but at Radio City everything and everyone was around me, as the videos will show.
Neat.
Stay tuned for a lot -- a large number -- of video clips and pictures. You'll love it.
Best draft? Well, John Murphy of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com and a 10 year draft veteran says that "I really like New England for how they filled those long-term offensive needs with Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson... Cardinals have continued to add value across the board... Leinart, Lutui, Pope and then Gabe Watson who falls into the second day... Eagles have traded around and gotten excellent value, especially Winston Justice in round two... also like how the Broncos added a future starting QB in Jay Cutler and improved for this season by trading for wide receiver Javon Walker."
I've got a lot of video "in the can" as they say, and came away with some new friends and solidified some existing relationships. Longtime NFL Draftnik Bill Chackhes is joining my blog, and I welcome his knoweldge, wisdom, and charm. Now, if I can just get him to acitivate his Blogger account!
(Speaking of Blogger, I thought this little experiment of video / blogging went very well. With some tweaking, it will be huge next year.)
The NFL staff, as usual, were great to work with and feel like family to me. Radio City Music Hall was a great venue to hold the Draft and as I understand it better than the ballroom at Javitz because of the ceiling design there. I liked the space at Javitz but at Radio City everything and everyone was around me, as the videos will show.
Neat.
Stay tuned for a lot -- a large number -- of video clips and pictures. You'll love it.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Confessions of a Draftnik #1
"Hello, my name is Bill and I'm a football Addict." I have often thought that If there were an organization named Football-a-holicis annon., that I would be it's north american chairman. I have been involved in Football for just over 40 of my nearly 46 years on Earth. I've been a fan, Youth Player, Highschool Player, High School asst. coach, Semi-professional asst. coach, and writer. I'm also about to become a College asst. coach. The one constant through all of that has been the title "Draft Geek" or "Draftnik." I have been to 32 NFL drafts dating back to 1974, and to every draft since 1985, and have held a press credential from one outlet or another since 1987. In the future I will use this space at the behest of Zennie to post various experiences i have had, as well as draft related football info.
2006 NFL Draft - At Selection 252, The Fans Cheer For Someone To Draft Marcus Vick
Marcus Vick has taken a dramatic freefall in this year's draft, and for reasons concerning his character and not his talent. Right now, we're at the 252nd selection in the draft and the fans are standing and cheering for them -- or someone -- to take Marcus Vick.
Green Bay selected Dave Tollifson, a DE from N.W. Missouri. Two picks to go. Vick's still around.
San Francisco selected, which leaves the Oakland Raiders ....the fan are cheering LOUDLY now...for Marcus Vick.
Green Bay selected Dave Tollifson, a DE from N.W. Missouri. Two picks to go. Vick's still around.
San Francisco selected, which leaves the Oakland Raiders ....the fan are cheering LOUDLY now...for Marcus Vick.
2006 NFL Draft - How A Draftees Name Gets Called
Last year, I explained the process of how an NFL draftee's name gets called. This year, I thought I'd show it. Here's the text from my report from 2005 and a video of a couple of NFL "runners" taking the name of a pick of the San Francisco 49ers to the NFL's main table.
First, the report on "How a Draftee's Name Gets Called" from my 2005 NFL Draft Report:
While I was next to the stage, I took time to record the process by which a name gets called to be the "whatever round" pick of a team. It works like this: First, the team -- let's say the San Francisco 49ers -- has 15 minutes (or a quarter in football lingo) to decide who they're going to select. Two giant football-style clocks count down the seconds. If a team fails to make a pick during that time span, they must pass and the next organization in draft order has 15 minutes to make a selection. This is called being "On the clock." Redskins' Team Table: One of 32
It's Starts With The Team Table
Second, the team's representatives, including (depending on the team) the owner, general manager, head coach, and player personnel staff, are not in New York at the Draft, they're at the team's headquarters. It's from here that they call in their selection to their representative at the team table. Washington Redskins team representatives are in the foreground in the first picture shown on this page. NFL Head Table
...Then The Name Is...
Third, the team's representative -- which range from a friend of the organization to a young employee -- write the name of the choice on a card. NFL and CSC events employees pick up that card and carry it to the NFL's main operations table. (NFL SVP Frank Supovitz is the leftmost person above.)
Fourth, from that table and to its left, the card is passed over to a bank of NFL staffers that enter it into a computer system to be recorded.
Now, here's the video of part of that process:
First, the report on "How a Draftee's Name Gets Called" from my 2005 NFL Draft Report:
While I was next to the stage, I took time to record the process by which a name gets called to be the "whatever round" pick of a team. It works like this: First, the team -- let's say the San Francisco 49ers -- has 15 minutes (or a quarter in football lingo) to decide who they're going to select. Two giant football-style clocks count down the seconds. If a team fails to make a pick during that time span, they must pass and the next organization in draft order has 15 minutes to make a selection. This is called being "On the clock." Redskins' Team Table: One of 32
It's Starts With The Team Table
Second, the team's representatives, including (depending on the team) the owner, general manager, head coach, and player personnel staff, are not in New York at the Draft, they're at the team's headquarters. It's from here that they call in their selection to their representative at the team table. Washington Redskins team representatives are in the foreground in the first picture shown on this page. NFL Head Table
...Then The Name Is...
Third, the team's representative -- which range from a friend of the organization to a young employee -- write the name of the choice on a card. NFL and CSC events employees pick up that card and carry it to the NFL's main operations table. (NFL SVP Frank Supovitz is the leftmost person above.)
Fourth, from that table and to its left, the card is passed over to a bank of NFL staffers that enter it into a computer system to be recorded.
Now, here's the video of part of that process:
Bob McNair Clears The Air - On Video
Earlier today, you saw the post of Texans owner Bob McNair explaining the rationale behind his organizations selection of Mario Williams as that team's first pick and number one pic of the First Round of the NRL Draft. Now, here's the entire video of that press conference.
Vince Young Comes Out To Stage - The 2006 NFL Draft - Video
This is a video I took of the Titans first pick in the First Round of the NFL Draft, Vince Young, as he and hid family come out from the green room and onto the state of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Note how enthusiatic the crowd reception is. It wasn't the same for his counterpart, USC (and now Arizona Cardinals) quarterback Matt Leinart, who was greeted with some boos from the gallery of Radio City Music Hall.
Why? I really don't know. I think -- at that point -- the reason was to send a message that Matt wasn't wanted by the New York Jets fans, which are in abundance at the NFL Draft.
Here's the video:
Note how enthusiatic the crowd reception is. It wasn't the same for his counterpart, USC (and now Arizona Cardinals) quarterback Matt Leinart, who was greeted with some boos from the gallery of Radio City Music Hall.
Why? I really don't know. I think -- at that point -- the reason was to send a message that Matt wasn't wanted by the New York Jets fans, which are in abundance at the NFL Draft.
Here's the video:
2006 NFL Draft Day Two Part One - Houston Is On The Clock
Unlike the sheer craziness of Day One, Day two of the NFL Draft feels more like a club. But for draftniks and football fans -- real fans -- the drama is still real. Where will Penn State's too-fast quarterback Michael Robinson go? Will be a QB?
Houston opened up the Fourth Round and Day two with the selection of Wisconsin TE Owen Daniels. She's 6-3 253 pounds and plays with a toughness much like the New York Giants Jeremy Shockey.
Today, only ESPN's working. There's no one at the NFL Network at this time -- 11:14 AM EST. Only a fraction of the media in attendance yesterday is here today. But the gallery and the seats to the far left of me are still filled with fans. I think ESPN convinced them to go over there.
The Niners are on the clock now. They selected Michael Robinson...as a running back. A running back, not a quarterback. I wonder if Robinson agreed to that in general. Interesting. And even more so considering the Niners need for quality backup signal callers. The Oakland Raiders are on the clock now. They've selected pick 101: Darnell Bing, Linebacker from USC -- well, he played safety.
One person who's here is Paul Salata, the creator of "Mr Irrelevant" week. In this year's draft, the Oakland Raiders have the honor of picking the last draft pick, called "Mr Irrelevant." Then, later in the year on June 11-16, Mr. Irrelevant will be sent to Newport Beach, CA, where he will be "celebrated with a shower of gifts from hundreds of sports teams, treated to a day at Disneyland, honored at the All Star Sports Banquet, and presented the Lowsman Trophy from the University Athletic Club," according to the press release.
A Brief Word On The Shortness of Day One
I can't believe we finished at 9:38 PM. In 2005, Day Two went on to about 11:10 PM. Plus, it was raining like crazy. It's a lovely day in New York City this time.
Back to Day Two
Unlike Day One, the NFL didn't provide food for the media, and on that note, their was less food on Draft Day One 2006 than on Draft Day One 2005. The point is I was hungry. So, after not being able to get a simple cup of coffe because Radio City Music Hall's security guard was less than helpful, I walked over to The Broadway Deli, just one block away and one block from the Ed Sullivan Theater, where David Letterman's Show is taped. It's a great place to get a cheap meal where you just pick what you want and put it in a dish, then pay and leave. I got a lot of food. Then as I returned Mr. Salada was kind enough to stop by with two cups of coffee for me.
We're still in Round 4 and at the 128th pick. Here are some updates on the Draft to date:
• For the second time in history, Ohio State had two linebackers selected in the first round, A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. The last time that happened was 1974.
• Both Vince Young and Bobby Layne share two things in common: both are Texas Longhorns and both were picked number 3 in the NFL Draft. Vince Young is the fifth Longhorn to go in the First Round in NFL History.
• According to the NFL, Houston's new First Round pick, Mario Williams of North Carolina State breaks a streak of five consecutive quarterbacks taken with the top selection in the draft, and a string of seven QBs taken No. 1 in the past eight
drafts.
More soon!
Houston opened up the Fourth Round and Day two with the selection of Wisconsin TE Owen Daniels. She's 6-3 253 pounds and plays with a toughness much like the New York Giants Jeremy Shockey.
Today, only ESPN's working. There's no one at the NFL Network at this time -- 11:14 AM EST. Only a fraction of the media in attendance yesterday is here today. But the gallery and the seats to the far left of me are still filled with fans. I think ESPN convinced them to go over there.
The Niners are on the clock now. They selected Michael Robinson...as a running back. A running back, not a quarterback. I wonder if Robinson agreed to that in general. Interesting. And even more so considering the Niners need for quality backup signal callers. The Oakland Raiders are on the clock now. They've selected pick 101: Darnell Bing, Linebacker from USC -- well, he played safety.
One person who's here is Paul Salata, the creator of "Mr Irrelevant" week. In this year's draft, the Oakland Raiders have the honor of picking the last draft pick, called "Mr Irrelevant." Then, later in the year on June 11-16, Mr. Irrelevant will be sent to Newport Beach, CA, where he will be "celebrated with a shower of gifts from hundreds of sports teams, treated to a day at Disneyland, honored at the All Star Sports Banquet, and presented the Lowsman Trophy from the University Athletic Club," according to the press release.
A Brief Word On The Shortness of Day One
I can't believe we finished at 9:38 PM. In 2005, Day Two went on to about 11:10 PM. Plus, it was raining like crazy. It's a lovely day in New York City this time.
Back to Day Two
Unlike Day One, the NFL didn't provide food for the media, and on that note, their was less food on Draft Day One 2006 than on Draft Day One 2005. The point is I was hungry. So, after not being able to get a simple cup of coffe because Radio City Music Hall's security guard was less than helpful, I walked over to The Broadway Deli, just one block away and one block from the Ed Sullivan Theater, where David Letterman's Show is taped. It's a great place to get a cheap meal where you just pick what you want and put it in a dish, then pay and leave. I got a lot of food. Then as I returned Mr. Salada was kind enough to stop by with two cups of coffee for me.
We're still in Round 4 and at the 128th pick. Here are some updates on the Draft to date:
• For the second time in history, Ohio State had two linebackers selected in the first round, A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. The last time that happened was 1974.
• Both Vince Young and Bobby Layne share two things in common: both are Texas Longhorns and both were picked number 3 in the NFL Draft. Vince Young is the fifth Longhorn to go in the First Round in NFL History.
• According to the NFL, Houston's new First Round pick, Mario Williams of North Carolina State breaks a streak of five consecutive quarterbacks taken with the top selection in the draft, and a string of seven QBs taken No. 1 in the past eight
drafts.
More soon!
San Francisco 49ers TE Vernon Davis Interview - From The NFL
The NFL provided this text of the interview with the San Francisco 49ers first pick in the first round (they had two), Vernon Davis. There's a video I have of this as well, which I will upload and install here later today. But here's the interview
An Interview With:
VERNON DAVIS
Q. How do you feel right now?
VERNON DAVIS: I feel great.
Q. Did you talk to any coaches yet?
VERNON DAVIS: I talked to Norv Turner,
I talked to him before. He called me up on the phone and he said, "Are you ready to get down here"? I said, "Yeah, let's go."
Q. Do you think you can have an immediate impact?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah I think I can have an immediate impact. I'm already familiar with the offense and it's a great system and a great situation for me.
Q. What's your thoughts on your rise from when the season ended to the draft and your stock just kept going up?
VERNON DAVIS: I kind of knew that my stock was going to go up, basically, because of what I did at the Combine and I just had confidence in myself. I knew what I could do.
Q. What sets you apart from other tight ends in the league?
VERNON DAVIS: Well, my speed, my ability to just make plays and I'm explosive and I can just do other things that a normal tight end can't do.
Q. When you worked out with the 49ers, what did you see from their system that you thought you would be a good fit there?
VERNON DAVIS: Just Norv Turner, he's there and he's got a great history of knowing how to deal with tight ends and put them in great situations.
Q. Did you expect to be as emotional?
VERNON DAVIS: I didn't expect to be that emotional but it hit me, this is a lifelong dream. Hearing my name called on ESPN, being the sixth pick, it feels great to be up there -- I don't think a tight end has ever been that high, along with me and Winslow. It just feels great.
Q. You mention Kellen Winslow and now you have a lot of tight ends, who played basketball who have come into the league and experienced success -- inaudible?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, Antonio, he's a great pass-catcher, he's in a great offense, certainly as good as the one I'm headed to. I watched him a lot on film while I was in college and I seen some of the things that he can do that I can
do, also. It's going to be great just watching us, the new tight end class, new breed of tight ends.
Q. You're joining what was the worst offense in the NFL last year. Even with all your talents, can you make that much a difference in that offense?
VERNON DAVIS: Yeah, but I can't do it all by myself. Just like what I told some of the guys back at the University of Maryland, everybody expected me to be Superman because I made so many plays. I can't do it all by myself. It's going to
be the quarterback and the offensive line, we're going to have to be as one to get it done together.
Q. You thought you might be going to New York, were you surprised when they didn't pick you or did you see this coming, going to San Francisco?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, I did think I was going to New York. But, you know, I also knew their problems, what they needed. I knew they needed an offensive lineman so I figured their first choice would be D'Brickashaw Ferguson. After that, I just started getting emotional right there because I knew that either Green Bay for San Francisco was going to take me and when my agent told me he thought Green Bay was going to take A.J. Hawk, that's when tears started to come down that I was going to go to a team that I wanted to go to.
Q. Why specifically was this the team you wanted to go to?
VERNON DAVIS: You know, like I said before, Norv Turner is there, Alex Smith is there, a guy who struggled last year who I see can be great for that team. He just needs the right weapons in there, and I think I'm a good choice for that. It's just going to be good watching us.
Q. What do you think of your family all being here, especially your grandmother, I guess she has a special nickname for you?
VERNON DAVIS: She calls me Duky, her Duky. (Laughter).
Q. Why does she call you that?
VERNON DAVIS: I don't know, she's just being a grandmother, typical grandmother who wants to make up a name for her grandchild.
An Interview With:
VERNON DAVIS
Q. How do you feel right now?
VERNON DAVIS: I feel great.
Q. Did you talk to any coaches yet?
VERNON DAVIS: I talked to Norv Turner,
I talked to him before. He called me up on the phone and he said, "Are you ready to get down here"? I said, "Yeah, let's go."
Q. Do you think you can have an immediate impact?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah I think I can have an immediate impact. I'm already familiar with the offense and it's a great system and a great situation for me.
Q. What's your thoughts on your rise from when the season ended to the draft and your stock just kept going up?
VERNON DAVIS: I kind of knew that my stock was going to go up, basically, because of what I did at the Combine and I just had confidence in myself. I knew what I could do.
Q. What sets you apart from other tight ends in the league?
VERNON DAVIS: Well, my speed, my ability to just make plays and I'm explosive and I can just do other things that a normal tight end can't do.
Q. When you worked out with the 49ers, what did you see from their system that you thought you would be a good fit there?
VERNON DAVIS: Just Norv Turner, he's there and he's got a great history of knowing how to deal with tight ends and put them in great situations.
Q. Did you expect to be as emotional?
VERNON DAVIS: I didn't expect to be that emotional but it hit me, this is a lifelong dream. Hearing my name called on ESPN, being the sixth pick, it feels great to be up there -- I don't think a tight end has ever been that high, along with me and Winslow. It just feels great.
Q. You mention Kellen Winslow and now you have a lot of tight ends, who played basketball who have come into the league and experienced success -- inaudible?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, Antonio, he's a great pass-catcher, he's in a great offense, certainly as good as the one I'm headed to. I watched him a lot on film while I was in college and I seen some of the things that he can do that I can
do, also. It's going to be great just watching us, the new tight end class, new breed of tight ends.
Q. You're joining what was the worst offense in the NFL last year. Even with all your talents, can you make that much a difference in that offense?
VERNON DAVIS: Yeah, but I can't do it all by myself. Just like what I told some of the guys back at the University of Maryland, everybody expected me to be Superman because I made so many plays. I can't do it all by myself. It's going to
be the quarterback and the offensive line, we're going to have to be as one to get it done together.
Q. You thought you might be going to New York, were you surprised when they didn't pick you or did you see this coming, going to San Francisco?
VERNON DAVIS: Oh, yeah, I did think I was going to New York. But, you know, I also knew their problems, what they needed. I knew they needed an offensive lineman so I figured their first choice would be D'Brickashaw Ferguson. After that, I just started getting emotional right there because I knew that either Green Bay for San Francisco was going to take me and when my agent told me he thought Green Bay was going to take A.J. Hawk, that's when tears started to come down that I was going to go to a team that I wanted to go to.
Q. Why specifically was this the team you wanted to go to?
VERNON DAVIS: You know, like I said before, Norv Turner is there, Alex Smith is there, a guy who struggled last year who I see can be great for that team. He just needs the right weapons in there, and I think I'm a good choice for that. It's just going to be good watching us.
Q. What do you think of your family all being here, especially your grandmother, I guess she has a special nickname for you?
VERNON DAVIS: She calls me Duky, her Duky. (Laughter).
Q. Why does she call you that?
VERNON DAVIS: I don't know, she's just being a grandmother, typical grandmother who wants to make up a name for her grandchild.
Seattle Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck At NFL Draft - Named Chunky Soup Spokesperson - Video
The Seattle Seahawks' top signalcaller Matt Hasselbeck was presented as the newest Campbell's Chunky Soup Spokesperson at a luncheon at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Thursday before the NFL Draft.
Distant from the Seahawk's Super Bowl XL -- that's "40" -- loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Matt seemed to be enjoying his new role. His Mom, too.
I got the chance to ask Matt about the innovative game plan they used in that Super Bowl, but he could not get over one thing: "The crowd noise was just unbelieveable. The Steelers fans; they travel well." Matt also answered a set of questions from the press, but what I liked the most was just plain how people crowd around one person to get something -- in this case, a quote or a photo.
It's still, to me, one of the most interesting aspects of human nature.
There's little real news here other than Matt's being named as Chunky Soup Spokesperson, which I suppose lends itself to a certain measure of humor. I did ask him if he called Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for tips. "No, but I'm going to do that," he said.
Here's the video of Matt and his mom:
Distant from the Seahawk's Super Bowl XL -- that's "40" -- loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Matt seemed to be enjoying his new role. His Mom, too.
I got the chance to ask Matt about the innovative game plan they used in that Super Bowl, but he could not get over one thing: "The crowd noise was just unbelieveable. The Steelers fans; they travel well." Matt also answered a set of questions from the press, but what I liked the most was just plain how people crowd around one person to get something -- in this case, a quote or a photo.
It's still, to me, one of the most interesting aspects of human nature.
There's little real news here other than Matt's being named as Chunky Soup Spokesperson, which I suppose lends itself to a certain measure of humor. I did ask him if he called Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for tips. "No, but I'm going to do that," he said.
Here's the video of Matt and his mom:
Saturday, April 29, 2006
"No. I'm Not Disappointed" - Matt Leinart, Picked 10th By the Arizona Cardinals, Meets The Press - Video
(Photo credit: Bill Chachkes, NL Scouting)
After a whirlwind five months which saw his life literally played out on the Internet, firing his agent, parties large and small (like the nice one at Gustavino's on Thursday), and numerous reports that he would either be picked by the Tennesee Titans or slide down as many as 16 picks, USC's two-time national champion quarteback Matt Leinart was picked by The Arizona Cardinals as the 10th selection in the first round of the NFL Draft.
A crowded Radio City Music Hall Interview Room was the result of a mad rush to come down and hear what Leinart had to say. Frankly, I know Matt was just happy to get it all over with. He goes to a team with a proven veteran he can learn from in Kurt Warner, a good set of running backs, Ex-Colt Edgerrin James and J.J. Arrington from Cal, a respected head coach in Dennis Green (who calls him God-sent) and a brand new, state of the art stadium. Plus, he's as close to the West Coast and home as he can possibly be without being in LA.
Nice for him.
For some reaon the East Coast media loves to hit Matt on this "Hollywood Image" thing, a line of questioning that Leinart's clearly tired of: "If teams passed on me for that reason, that's their problem, not mine. I don't think there's a Hollywood Image. "
As my friend, NL Scouting's Bill Chackles put it: "I'm only slightly surprised that Matt fell as far as he did, but it was more because of the other deals going on around the top of the round then because of Questions about Matt's "Lifestyle". Still, I remarked to his Personal Coach, Steve Clarkson, "better 10th then 30th, Right?" his answer, "Thats Right."
(Well, I think the problem comes with his association with Hollywood Agency CAA, Jessica Simpson, and others. If it's part of his life, it's part of his life; he's get used to being in that "place" as long as the money's right.)
My friend ESPN's Darren Rovell asked if anyone aimed the "Do you realize how much money you lost by going 10th?" question. The answer is no -- no one other than you, DR. In fact, only about eight questions were asked. A small number considering the person. But then more were asked in the back interview room, including two by me.
One of them stemmed from a concern I had that he -- like the other draftees -- may be experiencing a loss of friends because of their newly developed celebrity status; in other words, he didn't know who his friends were. Matt took that question and ran with it, as you'll see on the video at www.nflbusinessblog.com. "Yeah, it's like you've got more hangers on and people you can't trust. It's been an experience, that's for sure."
He sounded like a person who'd been through the mill. It's only going to get more intense especially if he plays well. I mean just consider the now famous photo of him with the girls and the bottle of wine. You think they were his best friends? Heck no.
Matt's just happy to get on with it. "All the questions that teams had, I answered when I met them. As far as the (lack of) arm strength, I answered that. As far as the lifestyle I had, I answered that. As far as them getting to know me as a person, I think I answered every question I could."
It's clear he's tired. He's ready for some football.
Here's the video of the press conference held today.
An Eventful First Round Ends - Raiders and Niners Get Solid Picks - Niners Score Best First Round
The first round of the NFL Draft came and went but not without drama. There was the Reggie Bush "none-selection" by the Houston Texans, and USC QB Matt Leinart's fall to the Arizona Cardinals, leaving Texas QB the first quarterback taken, and by the Tennessee Titans.
Me? I've been taking a lot of video and talking to a lot of people. When you're one person it's hard to take video, talk to people, come back, blog in fear of missing a press conference, and then download the video -- which calls for waiting. To combat this, I decided to take all of the videos first, then download and edit them all at the same. I wish I Movie worked faster, but I'm glad I have it nonetheless.
The best drafts? Well, I'm going to sound like a homer but the 49ers had the best draft thus far. They took two solid consesus first round impact players: Maryland TE Vernon Davis and DL Mario Williams teammate Manny Lawson, outside linebacker. In the case of Lawson, his stock has moved up considerably. Bil Chackes of NL Scouting said "Lawson was rated as high as a low first round selection in some circles. A quality player but somewhat rough around the edges."
Indianapolis got the running back they needed to replace Edgerrin James, LSU's Joseph Aidi. The Raiders took the best defensive back in the draft, Texas' Michael Huff and to fill a hole created by the departed Charles Woodson.
But the 49ers got the better first round over the Raiders, because one can't argue the fantastic talent of Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson was ranked as high as the seventh best player on some reports floating around here. Davis is excited to play in an offense developed by Norv Turner, the 49ers new offensive coordinator, stating that Norv, "has a great history of knowing what to do with tight ends."
But one who runs as fast as Michael Vick? Well that's something special.
Oh, did I tell you that Reggie Bush's press conference was short and he came off -- to some -- as surly? Well, yes he did. He was clearly upset over not being picked number one, but as Lloyd Vance of "Big Play Radio" said, "He brought it on himself."
Me? I've been taking a lot of video and talking to a lot of people. When you're one person it's hard to take video, talk to people, come back, blog in fear of missing a press conference, and then download the video -- which calls for waiting. To combat this, I decided to take all of the videos first, then download and edit them all at the same. I wish I Movie worked faster, but I'm glad I have it nonetheless.
The best drafts? Well, I'm going to sound like a homer but the 49ers had the best draft thus far. They took two solid consesus first round impact players: Maryland TE Vernon Davis and DL Mario Williams teammate Manny Lawson, outside linebacker. In the case of Lawson, his stock has moved up considerably. Bil Chackes of NL Scouting said "Lawson was rated as high as a low first round selection in some circles. A quality player but somewhat rough around the edges."
Indianapolis got the running back they needed to replace Edgerrin James, LSU's Joseph Aidi. The Raiders took the best defensive back in the draft, Texas' Michael Huff and to fill a hole created by the departed Charles Woodson.
But the 49ers got the better first round over the Raiders, because one can't argue the fantastic talent of Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson was ranked as high as the seventh best player on some reports floating around here. Davis is excited to play in an offense developed by Norv Turner, the 49ers new offensive coordinator, stating that Norv, "has a great history of knowing what to do with tight ends."
But one who runs as fast as Michael Vick? Well that's something special.
Oh, did I tell you that Reggie Bush's press conference was short and he came off -- to some -- as surly? Well, yes he did. He was clearly upset over not being picked number one, but as Lloyd Vance of "Big Play Radio" said, "He brought it on himself."
Steelers Tagged For Giving Up Too Many Draft Picks For Ohio State's Fleet Santonio Moss
There's a lot of carpping about the Pittsburgh Steelers giving up a first round, second round, and thrid round pick for Ohio State's Santonio Moss. He was one of the stars of the draft, but I can't find anyone around here who thinks he's worth that much in draft picks. No one. Reporters and fans and draftniks around here can't believe it.
Meanwhile, ESPN shows LenDale White's draft party.
..He's still waiting.
Meanwhile, ESPN shows LenDale White's draft party.
..He's still waiting.
Bob McNair Clears The Air - Bush "No Pick" Not Related To Budget
I'm writing this behind the din of New York Giants fans. It's now the 24th pick and the giants are on the clock. The jets fans have had their day. Now, it's the Giants turn. But I've got so much to write...Here's Bob McNair
Once the Houston Texans personable owner Bob McNair took the podium in place of his organization's newest employee (not counting unknown front office moves), he immediately hit with the obvious set of Reggie Bush related questions.
Mr. McNair, as I call him, realizes that it's going to be hard to avoid some ""PR hit as far as fan reaction" as one person put it. "I think that's going to be a temporary situation. I'ts up to us to go out and win football games. We win football games, they are going to say 'you made the right decision." If we don't win football games, they say 'you're stupid.' anyways, so what difference does that make?
McNair slammed down the perspective of people like me, who immediately thought Bush's rejection by the Texans was a because he wasn't "signable." "They are mistaken because we could have signed either one. We made the same offer to both of them.
Giants trade 25th pick to Steelers. Giant's fans are going nuts. Steelets take WR Santonio Holmes from Ohio State. Pittsburgh gave the Steelets their first round, third round, and forth round pick for ...as my Row mate put it, "One person."
While McNair wants a player that will be in camp, he says to me that it wasn't the reason Bush wasn't selected: "No, I don't think Reggie would have held out. I think we were close enough in the discussions with his agent in terms of the money and everything that we would have been able to reach an agreement. We felt like that Reggie Bush would have a tremendous impact on our offense and would be very exciting. But that Mario Williams could have the same impact on defense."
Chicago traded it's 26th pick to Buffalo, which is now on the clock. Chicago gets second round and third round selection.
Once the Houston Texans personable owner Bob McNair took the podium in place of his organization's newest employee (not counting unknown front office moves), he immediately hit with the obvious set of Reggie Bush related questions.
Mr. McNair, as I call him, realizes that it's going to be hard to avoid some ""PR hit as far as fan reaction" as one person put it. "I think that's going to be a temporary situation. I'ts up to us to go out and win football games. We win football games, they are going to say 'you made the right decision." If we don't win football games, they say 'you're stupid.' anyways, so what difference does that make?
McNair slammed down the perspective of people like me, who immediately thought Bush's rejection by the Texans was a because he wasn't "signable." "They are mistaken because we could have signed either one. We made the same offer to both of them.
Giants trade 25th pick to Steelers. Giant's fans are going nuts. Steelets take WR Santonio Holmes from Ohio State. Pittsburgh gave the Steelets their first round, third round, and forth round pick for ...as my Row mate put it, "One person."
While McNair wants a player that will be in camp, he says to me that it wasn't the reason Bush wasn't selected: "No, I don't think Reggie would have held out. I think we were close enough in the discussions with his agent in terms of the money and everything that we would have been able to reach an agreement. We felt like that Reggie Bush would have a tremendous impact on our offense and would be very exciting. But that Mario Williams could have the same impact on defense."
Chicago traded it's 26th pick to Buffalo, which is now on the clock. Chicago gets second round and third round selection.
Houston Texans' Mario Williams Meets The Press
The suspense of whom the Houston Texans would pick first in the first round removed, the NFL and the Texans introduced Mario "Let's Go" Williams to the media in a jammed packed press conference in the lower level of Radio City Music Hall. Between his family members, friends, press, NFL people, and assorted-who-knows-what with a badge, it was crazy and made it a little hard to hear.
But that didn't stop me. It certainly didn't phase the very happy new defensive lineman for the Houston Texans.
"I'm speechless," said the 6'7" inch clean cut player thought by some -- including himself -- to be the next Julious Peppers, a standouit defensive lineman who's made a name for himself with the Carolina Panthers. "It's hard to explain. It's a dream come true (to be selected as the first pick in the draft) It's a dream I always had and now to be a part of it especially with the Texans."
When asked at what point he knew he was going to be the number one pick, Williams informed "You know, I really found out last night. During the day, yesterday, I got a call from my agent and he was just like, you know, we need to talk and things like that. He finally told me 'You're going to be the guy."
Williams is friends with the person everyone thought was gong to be the number one pick, Reggie Bush. "We're still god friends and that's just how it goes. Can't really do anything about it and I'm not going to try and rub it in anybody's face. I don't have an ego. I'm just so proud to be a Texan."
After Williams was done, he moved away from the podium and walked -- with a crowd of media followers -- down to the photo interview room.
Oh, I forgot to mention that because Mario Williams was the number one pick Campbells will donate 1,000 cans of Campbells Chunk Soup to the schools of Houston.
I'm not kidding.
While Williams was talking in the back, Texans owner Bob McNair took his place at the podium. That talk's next.
But that didn't stop me. It certainly didn't phase the very happy new defensive lineman for the Houston Texans.
"I'm speechless," said the 6'7" inch clean cut player thought by some -- including himself -- to be the next Julious Peppers, a standouit defensive lineman who's made a name for himself with the Carolina Panthers. "It's hard to explain. It's a dream come true (to be selected as the first pick in the draft) It's a dream I always had and now to be a part of it especially with the Texans."
When asked at what point he knew he was going to be the number one pick, Williams informed "You know, I really found out last night. During the day, yesterday, I got a call from my agent and he was just like, you know, we need to talk and things like that. He finally told me 'You're going to be the guy."
Williams is friends with the person everyone thought was gong to be the number one pick, Reggie Bush. "We're still god friends and that's just how it goes. Can't really do anything about it and I'm not going to try and rub it in anybody's face. I don't have an ego. I'm just so proud to be a Texan."
After Williams was done, he moved away from the podium and walked -- with a crowd of media followers -- down to the photo interview room.
Oh, I forgot to mention that because Mario Williams was the number one pick Campbells will donate 1,000 cans of Campbells Chunk Soup to the schools of Houston.
I'm not kidding.
While Williams was talking in the back, Texans owner Bob McNair took his place at the podium. That talk's next.
Matt Leinart's Gets Booed
In what's certain -- well, heck, I could see it on his face -- to get to his skin, USC quarterback Matt Leinart was booed --- BOOED -- by the fans here. Since we've now got more Jets fans in the house than Steelers fans it tells you they don't want the Jets to take him. Wild. It was very loud, too.
They cheered for Texas QB Vince Young when he was introduced.
I was just informed that the Green Bayn Packers are trying to switch picks with the NY Jets.
Stay tuned.
They cheered for Texas QB Vince Young when he was introduced.
I was just informed that the Green Bayn Packers are trying to switch picks with the NY Jets.
Stay tuned.
2006 NFL Draft Post Three - Massive Crowd
I'm about to go back up to the podium, but it's a madhouse here. I interviewed Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, which I'll post in a moment, and took a basic walk around the hall as the crowd filled. It's a crazy mix of fans and media and NFL people.
More soon!
More soon!
2006 NFL Draft Day - Post One - Arriving At Radio City Music Hall
I got a cab and arrived at Radio City Music Hall as 9:32 AM EST. Once I arrived I met with a little problem in that my name and company name was filed in a place no one could find -- at first.
Then NFL VP of Media Relations Leslie Hammond wooshed by to take care of my relatively small issue with no time wasted. I got my badge and went in.
Radio City Music Hall is something to see. For those who visit the Grand Lake Theater, it's like it in design but about three times larger. To me it's a smaller space than Javitz last year and the fact that both ESPN and the NFL Network are sharing this space makes it all the smaller.
I'm sitting in row RR and next to Fumi Watanabe who's covering the Draft for Japanese Media and lives in New York. He's got a great love for snack chips and eats them like they're going out of style.
Behind us and to the right is the ESPN "studio" platform, where Mel Kiper, Michael Irvin, Susie Kolber, and Tom Jackson just did a segment. To my left and again behind me is the NFL Network platform, where Mike Mayock, Rich Eisen, and two other people I can't yet see from this angle are doing a report.
Around me and them are seats and TONS of media people and NFL sponsors, and the fans haven't even shown up yet. Opps, I stand corrected. They're filing in. They've got various jerseys ..But Steelers fans are in force here, just as they were at Super Bowl XL.
Once this place is full up, it's going to be a mad house.
For me this is like coming home. There's my good friend Bill Chackes who's attended every NFL Draft going back 30 years or so. There's Todd Barnes, who's now an NFL architect and helped me with Oakland's Super Bowl Bid. Then, there are people like ESPN's Mike Golic, who promised me that he's going to throw cookies at the crowd on the second day to get them reved-up. Funny guy.
But the highlight was meeting Jerry Davis, who represents the Oakland Raiders at their "Draft Table" He's been with the Raiders in this role for over 30 years. Frankly, I didn't know Mr. Davis was -- Raider Owner Al Davis' brother!
Yep.
I didn't realize this until I asked him "So how did you get to have this wonderful role?" Mr. Davis answer was "Well, I'm Al Davis' brother." And with that information, I froze. He got a chuckle out of that.
We talked about Oakland and how the city can do so much better than it has; that was about it. He was looking for help with a phone problem at the time. He's a nice person. Very much like his brother in style.
Oh, all of this is on video, too
What Jerry Davis does is take the phone call from Raiders Headquarters of what their pick's going to be and gives that to an NFL "runner." The runner then takes it to the head table just next to the main podium where the Commissioner reads the name of the team picks. It's that simple.
Well, I'm off to locate the Interview room right now.
The crowd is massing - fast. ESPN's Chris Berman is walked past as well.
There's a number of media stars here, so many you need a scorecard to keep track. Geez.
I'll be back!
Then NFL VP of Media Relations Leslie Hammond wooshed by to take care of my relatively small issue with no time wasted. I got my badge and went in.
Radio City Music Hall is something to see. For those who visit the Grand Lake Theater, it's like it in design but about three times larger. To me it's a smaller space than Javitz last year and the fact that both ESPN and the NFL Network are sharing this space makes it all the smaller.
I'm sitting in row RR and next to Fumi Watanabe who's covering the Draft for Japanese Media and lives in New York. He's got a great love for snack chips and eats them like they're going out of style.
Behind us and to the right is the ESPN "studio" platform, where Mel Kiper, Michael Irvin, Susie Kolber, and Tom Jackson just did a segment. To my left and again behind me is the NFL Network platform, where Mike Mayock, Rich Eisen, and two other people I can't yet see from this angle are doing a report.
Around me and them are seats and TONS of media people and NFL sponsors, and the fans haven't even shown up yet. Opps, I stand corrected. They're filing in. They've got various jerseys ..But Steelers fans are in force here, just as they were at Super Bowl XL.
Once this place is full up, it's going to be a mad house.
For me this is like coming home. There's my good friend Bill Chackes who's attended every NFL Draft going back 30 years or so. There's Todd Barnes, who's now an NFL architect and helped me with Oakland's Super Bowl Bid. Then, there are people like ESPN's Mike Golic, who promised me that he's going to throw cookies at the crowd on the second day to get them reved-up. Funny guy.
But the highlight was meeting Jerry Davis, who represents the Oakland Raiders at their "Draft Table" He's been with the Raiders in this role for over 30 years. Frankly, I didn't know Mr. Davis was -- Raider Owner Al Davis' brother!
Yep.
I didn't realize this until I asked him "So how did you get to have this wonderful role?" Mr. Davis answer was "Well, I'm Al Davis' brother." And with that information, I froze. He got a chuckle out of that.
We talked about Oakland and how the city can do so much better than it has; that was about it. He was looking for help with a phone problem at the time. He's a nice person. Very much like his brother in style.
Oh, all of this is on video, too
What Jerry Davis does is take the phone call from Raiders Headquarters of what their pick's going to be and gives that to an NFL "runner." The runner then takes it to the head table just next to the main podium where the Commissioner reads the name of the team picks. It's that simple.
Well, I'm off to locate the Interview room right now.
The crowd is massing - fast. ESPN's Chris Berman is walked past as well.
There's a number of media stars here, so many you need a scorecard to keep track. Geez.
I'll be back!
Video: Texans Draft Mario Williams Over Reggie Bush / Owner Bob McNair Gives Clue In Discussing "Signability"
SBS NFL Business Blog is partnered with The Oakland Tribune for the NFL Draft. Visit their site at http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders
"We need another running back. Reggie Bush is another running back. He's also a receiver....But then McNair stressed that the player -- whomever is selected as theiir first pick, must be "signable." That is the organization's not wondering if their player's going to hold out of training camp after a contract dispute.
That is what Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said while we interviewed him at the NFL's Luncheon at Chelsea Piers on Thursday before the NFL Draft. (The video is at www.nflbusinessblog.com) Last night, the Texans signed North Carolina State Defensive Lineman Mario Williams to a six-year $54 million contract. He will be introduced at the 2006 NFL Draft today, and I will be there.
To put this in perspective, recent reports had Reggie Bush's agent Joe Siegel asking for a signing bonus as high as $30 million.
That's well over half of Mario Williams new contract, and implies that Bush's total asking price could top $70 million.
The Texans may be trying to build a winner, but they're also cost concious in a different way. McNair says that money "Is not an issue" but then explained to me that "we do have a budget" for the Draft. He also hinted that they have expectations of what a kind of player should cost.
My educated guess is that McNair and Casserly determined that signing Bush would require spending "QB - Level" money. So, they went with the more affordable and theoretically "ready to play" Williams. (Both are ready to play, but Bush would be more likely to hold out in a contract dispute.)
It also appears that McNair and Casserly believe Williams will be enough of an impact player at his position to contribute to the development of a championship defense. At least that's what their press clips say.
Meanwhile, this is an obvious blow to the ego and pocket book of Team Reggie Bush. Even deeper still, it may open a rift between Bush and his agent because just last week Bush was recorded as saying that he didn't want a $30 million signing bonus. But it's apparent his agent talked him out of this desire for less money, and with disasterous results for the young man considered the number one pick for so long in the hype building up to this draft.
The Texans have done considerable damage to Team Bush in another way. By signing William for less and making him the number one pick Team Bush can no longer ask for quarterback - level money. They have to settle for less. The question is will they? Now, the New Orleans Saints are "on the clock" and may select Bush. If they skip him, I'll be it's for reasons concerning Team Bush's asking price.
Nw, it's 8:01 Saturday morning. I've gotten little sleep working with this new video strategy and using "You Tube" to upload the video, but it's time well-spent. I'm so excited to get over to Radio City Music Hall. My plan is to leave here by 9 AM. Gotta get dressed.
In closing, here's Bob McNair talking to me and another conventional media guy. (I'm unconventional.)
"We need another running back. Reggie Bush is another running back. He's also a receiver....But then McNair stressed that the player -- whomever is selected as theiir first pick, must be "signable." That is the organization's not wondering if their player's going to hold out of training camp after a contract dispute.
That is what Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said while we interviewed him at the NFL's Luncheon at Chelsea Piers on Thursday before the NFL Draft. (The video is at www.nflbusinessblog.com) Last night, the Texans signed North Carolina State Defensive Lineman Mario Williams to a six-year $54 million contract. He will be introduced at the 2006 NFL Draft today, and I will be there.
To put this in perspective, recent reports had Reggie Bush's agent Joe Siegel asking for a signing bonus as high as $30 million.
That's well over half of Mario Williams new contract, and implies that Bush's total asking price could top $70 million.
The Texans may be trying to build a winner, but they're also cost concious in a different way. McNair says that money "Is not an issue" but then explained to me that "we do have a budget" for the Draft. He also hinted that they have expectations of what a kind of player should cost.
My educated guess is that McNair and Casserly determined that signing Bush would require spending "QB - Level" money. So, they went with the more affordable and theoretically "ready to play" Williams. (Both are ready to play, but Bush would be more likely to hold out in a contract dispute.)
It also appears that McNair and Casserly believe Williams will be enough of an impact player at his position to contribute to the development of a championship defense. At least that's what their press clips say.
Meanwhile, this is an obvious blow to the ego and pocket book of Team Reggie Bush. Even deeper still, it may open a rift between Bush and his agent because just last week Bush was recorded as saying that he didn't want a $30 million signing bonus. But it's apparent his agent talked him out of this desire for less money, and with disasterous results for the young man considered the number one pick for so long in the hype building up to this draft.
The Texans have done considerable damage to Team Bush in another way. By signing William for less and making him the number one pick Team Bush can no longer ask for quarterback - level money. They have to settle for less. The question is will they? Now, the New Orleans Saints are "on the clock" and may select Bush. If they skip him, I'll be it's for reasons concerning Team Bush's asking price.
Nw, it's 8:01 Saturday morning. I've gotten little sleep working with this new video strategy and using "You Tube" to upload the video, but it's time well-spent. I'm so excited to get over to Radio City Music Hall. My plan is to leave here by 9 AM. Gotta get dressed.
In closing, here's Bob McNair talking to me and another conventional media guy. (I'm unconventional.)
Friday, April 28, 2006
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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.
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!
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