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Monday, February 28, 2011
Report: Jets cut four veterans
OLB Jason Taylor, ORT Damien Woody, NT Kris Jenkins and DE Vernon Gholston have been released by the Jets, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
All four players had extenuating circumstances. Taylor will be 37 when the 2011 season begins and has hinted at retirement. Woody, 33, missed the last three games of the regular season due to a knee injury and the final two playoff games after tearing his Achilles tendon in the wild-card win over the Colts. Jenkins will be 32 next season and has played in seven games total the past two years after suffering a pair of season-ending knee injuries. And Gholston has been a nonfactor ever since he was the sixth pick in the draft in 2008, registering no sacks in his three-year career.
Speaking with the media last Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said Gholston's late introduction to the sport may have been a cause for the slow start to his career.
"He loves football, he works hard at it. Maybe not having any experience earlier in his career playing much in high school to what he played in college. But we'll see where his career goes. He's really done everything we've asked off the field in terms of the workouts, watching extra tape, putting in time with coaches. Obviously he hasn't played to where he was picked, but with that said, he has only played three years so far."
The way we see it
All four players could return to the Jets next season, though all would likely have to take massive pay cuts to return. Woody was already at risk to lose his job to 2010 second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse before he was let go, while both Jenkins and Gholston weren't even on the two-deep depth chart by the end of last season. If Taylor chooses to continue playing, the Jets might be interested in having him back.
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Mark Story: Kentucky-native coaches having difficult seasons
For the college basketball coaches I think of as "The Kentucky Three" — John Pelphrey, Darrin Horn and Travis Ford — this is the winter of discontent.
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AFC West free-agent preview
First of an eight-part series
With the absence of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement threatening to delay the start of the 2011 free-agent signing period, PFW identifies the players whose contracts expire March 3 and analyzes the likely free-agent game plan for each of the AFC West teams. Without a new CBA, free agents will be in limbo, unable to negotiate with any team.
The number of accrued seasons of service is shown in parentheses following each prospective free agent's name. The new CBA will dictate how many accrued seasons are required to qualify as an unrestricted free agent.
Denver Broncos
Unsigned players: RB Kyle Eckel (4), DT Ronald Fields (6), OT Ryan Harris (4), RB Laurence Maroney (5), DE Ryan McBean (2), DT Matt McChesney (2), PK Matt Prater (3), DT Marcus Thomas (4), DT Kevin Vickerson (5), OLB Wesley Woodyard (3).
Analysis: Re-signing veteran CB Champ Bailey was the first major personnel move made by executive vice president of football operations John Elway, but the team still has a long way to go in its quest to restore the integrity of the organization. Harris was an All-Pro right tackle in 2008 but has been unable to put together a complete season since then. After being benched and nearly sent to Chicago at the trade deadline, Harris came on strong and started the final eight games of the season. With so many holes to fill on the defensive side, it has yet to be seen if the team will shell out the necessary money to bring Harris back. In an attempt to turn around the NFL's 32nd-ranked defense, new head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made the decision to switch primarily to a 4-3 scheme. That means Thomas would have to make a switch to a 4-3 tackle if he were retained, and special-teams captain Woodyard could plug in as a strong-side 'backer. Prater is almost a lock to come back. However, Maroney, who gained just 2.1 yards per rush in four games after being acquired via trade with New England, is unlikely to return.
Kansas City Chiefs
Unsigned players: OLB Charlie Anderson (7), RB Jackie Battle (4), CB Brandon Carr (3), RB Tim Castille (4), WR Terrance Copper (7), TE Brad Cottam (3), RB Mike Cox (3), QB Brodie Croyle (5), WR Kevin Curtis (8), CB Travis Daniels (6), DT Ron Edwards (10), DE Wallace Gilberry (3), ILB Cory Greenwood (1), OLB Tamba Hali (5, franchised), S Reshard Langford (1), CB Maurice Leggett (3), ILB Corey Mays (5), S Jon McGraw (9), C Rudy Niswanger (5), OT Ryan O'Callaghan (5), TE Leonard Pope (5), OT Barry Richardson (3), DT Shaun Smith (6), OLB Mike Vrabel (14), C Casey Wiegmann (15).
Analysis: Coming off an impressive 10-win season and AFC West title, the Chiefs don't have many major decisions to make in free agency, but they do have a few. They ultimately would like to work out a long-term deal with sack artist Hali, but with the two sides reportedly far apart on contract terms, they wisely used the franchise tag on him. Carr and Gilberry each have only three years of service and also won't be going anywhere. After that, however, none of K.C.'s free agents is a lock to be back in 2011. Smith played well in his first year as a Chief and probably will be retained, but the GM Scott Pioli isn't about to overpay for him. Croyle also will be an interesting decision, as Pioli will have to decide if he is still the guy the team wants backing up Matt Cassel after Croyle's disastrous 2010 effort. And the Chiefs will have tough calls to make on aging veteran contributors like Edwards, McGraw, Vrabel and Wiegmann, who could be re-signed to short-term deals. In an effort to stay atop the division, K.C. shouldn't be afraid to spend money trying to bolster its roster at receiver, O-line and in the defensive front seven.
Oakland Raiders
Unsigned players: CB Nnamdi Asomugha (8), OT Khalif Barnes (6), RB Michael Bennett (10), QB Kyle Boller (8), MLB Ricky Brown (5), DT Desmond Bryant (2), RB Michael Bush (3), RB Rock Cartwright (9), LS Jon Condo (4), OLB Bruce Davis (2), S Hiram Eugene (4), QB Charlie Frye (6), OG Robert Gallery (7), QB Bruce Gradkowski (4), OT Mario Henderson (4), WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (4), OLB Thomas Howard (5), S Michael Huff (5), OG Daniel Loper (6), WR Nick Miller (2), TE Zach Miller (4), DE Jarvis Moss (4), QB J.T. O'Sullivan (8), RB Marcel Reece (1), C Samson Satele (4), OT Langston Walker (9), OLB Sam Williams (8), OLB Kamerion Wimbley (5, franchised).
Analysis: While some teams have held off on throwing money at key potential free agents with a work stoppage looming, managing general partner Al Davis took a different tact, signing DT Richard Seymour and CB Stanford Routt to lucrative contract extensions in February. They placed the franchise tag on Wimbley, but that's not the only player the Raiders would like to keep from hitting the open market. Before they tagged Wimbley, there were rumblings that Oakland would use the tag on Gallery or Zach Miller. Miller recently told PFW that his agent and the team had been discussing a long-term deal and he's interested in staying in Oakland. Gallery is the club's best O-lineman, and his departure would leave a considerable void. The biggest name on the list above, however, is Asomugha's. His contract voided after the season, and the Raiders could not place the franchise tag on him. He's considered one of the best corners in the game. It would be no surprise if Davis makes him a nice offer, but Asomugha is going to explore his options and might end up with a team that's better-prepared to compete for a championship. The Eagles are reportedly interested, and the Raiders might not have salary-cap space for him if the cap is reinstated. Bush is due to become a restricted free agent, and he likely will be tendered. Huff, the starting free safety, is also a potential key free agent looking to drive up interest on the open market, but Oakland would re-sign him at the right price.
San Diego Chargers
Unsigned players: OLB Antwan Applewhite (3), OLB Antwan Barnes (4), ILB Darry Beckwith (1), ILB Kevin Burnett (6), S Tyrone Carter (11), DE Jacques Cesaire (8), OT Jeromey Clary (4), ILB Stephen Cooper (8), TE James Dearth (10), OT Brandyn Dombrowski (2), WR Malcom Floyd (5), LB James Holt (2), CB Dante Hughes (4), WR Vincent Jackson (6, franchised), DT Travis Johnson (6), FB Billy Latsko (1), TE Randy McMichael (9), ILB Brandon Moore (7), OG-C Scott Mruczkowski (6), WR Legedu Naanee (4), DE Ryan Neill (4), DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo (2), CB Paul Oliver (4), ILB Brandon Siler (4), RB Darren Sproles (6), FB Mike Tolbert (3), QB Billy Volek (11), WR Kelley Washington (8), S Pat Watkins (5), S Eric Weddle (4).
Analysis: GM A.J. Smith and Co. have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason if they hope to keep the Chargers relatively intact in 2011. One of their first orders of business will be inking Weddle to a long-term deal, as he has become one of the league's top free safeties. Next on the agenda will be figuring out what to do at inside linebacker, where both Burnett and Cooper are free agents. It's unlikely San Diego will be able to keep both, so Smith might have to pick between the two defensive stalwarts. Receiver is also a key spot for the Bolts, who have already put the franchise tag on Jackson. With V-Jax probably in his final year with the club, signing Floyd to a long-term deal becomes even more important. Naanee, on the other hand, could be done in San Diego. Meanwhile, the Chargers like what they have in Clary and probably will re-sign him, and Tolbert definitely will be brought back after a breakout year. The same isn't true for Sproles, however, who is due too much money for a third-down back. In free agency, expect Smith to target linebackers and D-linemen, possibly adding a receiver or two, as well.
Later Monday: NFC North free-agent preview
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
Kentucky basketball players have to want it more, Calipari says
As Kentucky Coach John Calipari recalled a recent conversation with Terrence Jones, it went like this: Calipari: "You've got to try harder than the other guy's trying."
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UK basketball notes: Sutton in crowd as Pelphrey's guest
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Former Arkansas and Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton was part of a large, enthusiastic crowd that watched the Wildcats play the Razorbacks on Wednesday night.Dressed in a gray, pin-striped suit and red tie, Sutton shook his head when an Arkansas beat reporter noted how Bud Walton...
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Newton leaves the past behind him
INDIANAPOLIS — Cam Newton addressed his past briefly at the beginning of his press conference on Saturday, explaining the statement he made last week that he was an "entertainer and icon" was for promotional reasons only. Other than that, however, Newton was all about looking forward.
The Auburn quarterback's 13-minute talk with the media on Saturday featured plenty of questions about Newton's legal issues while he was at the University of Florida, the controversy surrounding his father last fall over his collegiate eligibility and even his run to the national championship with the Tigers. But outside of a few sentences at the start, each of Newton's answers was framed as a look toward his coming workouts, the draft and his pro career.
"What I did in the past is in the past. My sole focus is to perform at this year's Combine, I'm not going to entertain anything that happened in the past," Newton said when asked about the rumors he stole laptops and was expelled from Florida. "I'm all about the future. I'm just trying to prepare today to make my future the best that it can be."
Much of that preparation has taken place in San Diego, where Newton has worked out with QB coach George Whitfield since declaring for the draft in mid-January. The QB says he knows the knocks against him from his time in college, and even used the third person to explain how he's improving his game.
"I'm going to continue working on my craft and that's to become the best quarterback possible during this transition," Newton said. "Obviously, everybody knows that Cam has been in a spread offense and I've been trying to work as much as possible in being fluid coming from under center with the three-step, the five-step and even the seven-step drop. Me and George have been working day and night, in the film room, on the chalkboard or on the field throwing routes."
Unlike Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, who cited his own statistics in an attempt to prove he is a top prospect, Newton's numbers speak for themselves. Last season at Auburn, the quarterback combined for 4,327 yards and 50 touchdowns running and throwing, helping the Tigers finish with a 14-0 record. It is that dual-threat ability that has teams salivating over the 6-5, 248-pound monster, despite all the controversy surrounding his past.
His rare combination of arm strength and foot speed is also the reason Newton is participating fully at the Combine. While some other top signalcallers are waiting for their pro day to throw, Newton said he will do every drill over the next few days, as well as showcasing his skills on Auburn's campus on March 8.
"This whole path to where I am right now has been a whirlwind to say the least, but at the same time, this is what I signed up for," Newton said. "I wanted to come out here and compete, because that's what I feel like I wanted to do. To have fun competing."
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John Clay: Arkansas loss shows Cats are not improving
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Now that this team has become the first Kentucky basketball team to lose six SEC road games in a season since the conference expanded, one question begs to be asked. Has this Kentucky basketball team gotten better? The answer is no. A team can't be progressing when it continues...
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Kentucky overwhelms South Carolina 90-59
If Kentucky wanted to solve the recurring problem of poor play in the final minutes of close games, this was the way to do it.
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Giants' Kiwanuka gets medical clearance to continue career
A few hours after expressing doubt about the future playing career of DE-OLB Mathias Kiwanuka during a session with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Giants GM Jerry Reese released a statement that was much more optimistic regarding the 27-year-old.
"After I spoke to the media this morning at the Combine, I had a conversation with (head trainer) Ronnie Barnes, who confirmed for me that last night we did receive the final written evaluation that gives Mathias medical clearance to return to the field," Reese said in a statement issued through Giants' PR department. "The consensus of all of the spine physicians and Dr. (Russ) Warren is that it is safe for Mathias to return to play. I have talked to Mathias and he is fully committed to returning to football."
That means that Kiwanuka, who missed most of the 2010 season with a herniated disc in his neck and whose playing career was in jeopardy, now will be able to enter free agency once a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed.
Unless, of course, the Giants, reach a deal with him to keep him in New York. Kiwanuka has been in the Giants' facility working with trainers this offseason. Without a new CBA in place by March 3, Kiwanuka will have to take his rehab outside the building and out of the hands of the Giants' doctors.
On Friday, head coach Tom Coughlin said that Kiwanuka "seems to be doing well" and was able to avoid surgery.
"I don't think the final hurdle has been overcome, but the arrow is in the right direction," Coughlin said. "It's been positive."
The way we see it
This is great news for Kiwanuka, who has established himself as a versatile playmaker at two spots in his NFL career. The big questions are: Will Kiwanuka be able to continue making progress away from the team facility in the even of a lockout and will the Giants re-sign him or let him go because of his injury history?
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Pouncey living up to expectations
INDIANAPOLIS — The Pounceys were a dominant force on the University of Florida's offensive line in 2009, helping paving the way for a 13-1 season, en route to a Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati.
However, it took Mike by surprise when identical twin brother Maurkice left for the pros. Suddenly, Mike was the only Pouncey left at Florida, and was also left to fill massive expectations. Mike got off to an inauspicious debut, but has since flashed the talent that some believe will make him every bit the dominant player that his brother is.
After leaving Florida a year early, Maurkice Pouncey set the bar high for Mike. Maurkice was selected by the Steelers with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, then immediately became the leader of Pittsburgh's offensive line and was so good he earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie.
With Maurkice gone, the center position was open for the Gators, and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio thought Mike would be the perfect replacement. Mike had played the previous year at guard, but it seemed natural for one Pouncey to replace another.
"(Maurkice) was a guard, I made him a center because I believe that in our offense the center should be the best player, and the sharpest guy to call everything," said Addazio, who is now the head coach at Temple University. "And so I moved Maurkice there, and then when Maurkice left, I moved Mike there."
Mike's early season games, particularly the season opener against Miami (Ohio), were littered with errant snaps. Some began to question whether it was a prudent move to switch Pouncey from guard to center. Media criticism rained down upon both Pouncey and Addazio.
"I felt like after that (Miami) game I walked away and I let everyone in that stadium down," Pouncey said. "I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, woke up that next morning and was the first one in the building and from then on out, I got it fixed."
However, after going back and reviewing the game tape, Addazio found that Pouncey was not often the culprit in the poorly executed QB-center exchange.
"There were three snaps the whole season that I would call real errant snaps, that's it. So he really wasn't having any trouble," Addazio said. "The guy fielding them was just phenomenal two years ago (Tim Tebow), and sometimes some of those snaps never came into play as being bad. It was just presented that way by the media."
Nonetheless, Pouncey rededicated himself to his craft, motivated to fix this newfound flaw in his game.
"(I) felt like crap, told myself when I left the locker room that I would never play like that again, and since that game I went on to have a great season," Pouncey said.
Addazio noticed an immediate commitment out of Pouncey.
"He wants to be the best at what he does, so he'd stay and snap it a hundred times after practice, everything he could to ensure more stability there," Addazio said.
His teammates saw the same level of dedication.
"Mike is a veteran," said OT Marcus Gilbert, who started the past two years with Pouncey on the O-line. "When you have a great player like that, he knew that he had a weakness and some issues, and he got in the next day and corrected it."
After those first few trying games, Pouncey settled down, became a leader of the Florida offense, and continued to work hard at his snapping technique.
"It's improved the whole year, I'm fluent with it now, just confident with it," Pouncey said. "To this day, I'll never take it for granted again, and just keep practicing at it."
While Pouncey was able to make that adjustment relatively easily, there was another adjustment that proved more difficult: life without Maurkice.
"I think that was legitimate," Addazio said. "I think that was the hardest thing for him. Because they do everything together, they fed off of each other. They're just so close."
The two Pounceys are so similar that fans often mistook Mike for Maurkice while Mike was in North Texas for the Super Bowl. Such a bond was hard to break up.
"It was tough at first," Mike said. "We're best friends, we have spent our whole life together, so it's real tough just getting used to him not being around. But we still, to this day, talk on the phone every chance I get, he's the first person I call. Second person I call is my mom."
One place that Mike could put his mind at ease was on the practice field. Addazio raved about both of the Pounceys' passion for the game.
"Those are two guys when we'd be out on the practice field, they'd come jogging across that field, it was the best part of their day," Addazio said. "Make no mistake."
Now moving on to the next level, Pouncey can turn that burden of living up to standard set by his brother into a selling point for the NFL, emphasizing their similarities. Addazio, for one, sees Mike as having the same potential as Maurkice.
"(Mike) had an unbelievable year; he's the most dominant player, and at times was more dominant than Maurkice was," Addazio said. "Mike is every bit the center that Maurkice is."
Now going through the scouting process, NFL executives have begun to come around to Addazio's point of view.
"Who's to say he's not as good as his brother?" said Rick Spielman, Vikings vice president of player personnel. "We spent a lot of time on (Maurkice). We had (Mike) up for a visit, and I think he has just as high of a chance to be successful as his brother does the way he played this year."
Mike Pouncey said that, after his initial meetings with teams, some teams told him that they couldn't tell Mike and Maurkice apart on film, with a few saying that Mike actually looked better than his brother on film.
However, before Mike is drafted, he has to go through the grueling evaluation process.
Maurkice told PFW that he did give Mike some advice on what to expect over the next few months before his name is called in the NFL draft.
"I told him, man, it's long. You just got to stick it out," Maurkice said. "Toward the end, once the football comes, that's what you love doing. But you got to go through the Combine, meet with everybody, fly out to teams, work out with teams, your Pro Day … it gets stressful, man, but once that's over it's smooth sailing."
Mike will use this advice as he goes through the draft process, where the possibility exists he could be reunited with Maurkice if he falls to No. 31 and the Steelers. But while Mike might be excited to be back with his brother, one part of that deal wouldn't sit well with him.
"(The Steelers) got the 31st pick, I have to go before 18. I gotta be drafted higher than Maurkice," Pouncey said. "(No.) 18 or better. I would never live to hear the end of it."
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Trainer Tells?More?About What I Have Learned in Health and Fitness
Without a doubt, my most popular article on the blog ever has been the Trainer Tells All post, with I can’t even tell you how many times it has been viewed (a ridiculously big number!).� People have asked for a “follow up”, which I always responded “Well I already told ‘all’, so what is left [...]
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Locker isn't looking back
INDIANAPOLIS — Had he entered the 2010 NFL draft, Washington QB Jake Locker almost certainly would have been a first-round selection and might have been the No. 1 overall pick. Instead he went back to campus for his senior season, where his passing yards, completion percentage and touchdowns all fell from the previous year.
Now a prospect for the '11 draft, Locker is hearing criticisms that were barely audible a year ago when he was a hotshot prospect. Critiques of his accuracy and timing, as well as his commitment to football, supposedly have dropped him on draft boards. The QB told the media on Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine that he hasn't worried about those who doubt him, and in hindsight, he's quite pleased with his decision to stay in school for his senior year as a Husky.
"As a player and as a person, I'm a lot more prepared for this process," Locker said regarding his choice to complete his college career. "Doing things like this, going through this process and being comfortable going through it. I don't think I would have been as prepared for it last year. To be able to go out and go through the workouts and have confidence in what I was doing personally. I feel a lot better after having another year playing with the coaches that I did and the system that I did. I'm very thankful for that."
Despite his drop in statistics, the '10 season was far from a failure for Locker. He led his team to some big wins over the likes of USC, California and Nebraska, and for the first time in his career he played in the postseason, helping Washington top the Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl. Proof that he's a leader also was shown, as Locker was voted a captain by his teammates for the second year in a row, something that he says is one of his greater strengths.
"I think that to be able to bring good character into a locker room, be somebody that guys can trust and believe in," Locker said. "And then I also believe that I also have the opportunity to kind of improvise, create with my legs and extend plays, give guys the opportunity to work downfield."
As for the question about his passion for pigskin, the former draft choice of the Los Angeles Angels said that his love for football is unquestioned. Not only was Locker happy to be in Indianapolis at the Combine because of what it could mean for his professional career, but because he's been a big fan of watching the event the past few years and couldn't wait to experience it himself.
"I'm a fan of this game and I always have been. To be a part of this process that I enjoyed watching so much as a kid, it's a cool opportunity. It's one that I'm trying not to let slip through my hands," Locker said. "It's something I'm trying to enjoy and have fun with because there's a lot of people that I think would like to be in this position, so I don't want to dread it or make it seem like it's something I have to do. It's a privilege, and I'm really excited about it.
"I've been watching this stuff, this process, since I was a little kid. I watched games on Saturday and Sunday with my dad since I was really little. It has been something that has always been a part of my life. I'm very passionate about it. It means a lot to me, and I'm going to put the work in it takes to be successful."
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Friday, February 25, 2011
Frazier looks to address D-line
INDIANAPOLIS — Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said Friday that defensive line would be an area the club seeks to address this offseason, but didn't specify how that change would come about.
Frazier faces a difficult situation with starting DE Ray Edwards looking for a big payday in free agency, and one of his backups, Brian Robison, also eligible for free agency. The current CBA situation also makes things difficult for Frazier, but he seems intent on improving the position.
"We are going to try to upgrade our defensive line — it may be through the draft, it may be through free agency, but that's an area where we want to do some things to really help our defensive line," Frazier said. "We're aging at one of the spots, and we need to do some things to improve it. One of our mantras has been being good against the run, being able to stop the run. And we kind of slipped a little bit (last year)."
Not helping the situation is DE Everson Griffen's latest legal troubles. The talented second-year player was arrested twice in three days in early February, once for being drunk in public and once for being found with an invalid driver's license.
"You don't want to see your players' names in the papers for negative situations, so anytime it happens, that becomes a concern," Frazier said. "I had to talk with him about a few things and just remind about what was important to us as an organization and as a football team. Hopefully for us that's something that's behind us."
Fortunately for Frazier, this draft class is generally regarded as being outstanding at the defensive line position. Frazier recognized this depth, especially at the top with DT Nick Fairley and DE Da'Quan Bowers.
"It's a deep group on the defensive line, but there are some other positions also where there is some depth and we have got to determine what direction we want to go in the draft, especially early," Frazier said. "But (Fairley and Bowers), they're quality players, but there are others. They're not the only two good defensive linemen, there are some quality players in that group."
Frazier pointed to campus visits as an important part of the evaluation process, in determining who they want to select come late April.
"We've got a little homework to do, and this is a partner process, being able sit down with someone and talk to them and get a chance to watch them work out," Frazier said. "But the campus visits will be important as well, just seeing them in their environment, spending some time with them, and see if they fit what we're trying to do."
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Jaguars re-sign LS Cain
The Jaguars re-signed LS Jeremy Cain to a contract on Thursday.
Cain just finished his second season with the Jaguars and fifth NFL campaign. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent. He has played in 49 games in his career, including all 32 games with the Jags the past two seasons.
Cain's nine special-teams tackles in 2009 were the second-most in team history by a long-snapper.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Fan Fare: Ranking the 25 coolest UK athletes of all time
Lists about who is cool have become something of the rage in the sports media. GQ seemed to get things rolling with its list of the 25 coolest athletes (Ali. Jordan. Namath.) of all time.
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Harbaugh boys fill Lucas Oil Stadium with brotherly love
INDIANAPOLIS — Among all those in attendance at Ravens head coach John Harbaugh's interview session late Thursday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine, one wide-eyed person stood out.
That would be 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, John's younger brother.
Separated by a mere 15 months, the Harbaugh boys' bond and genuine respect for one another came through loud and clear.
Having made the playoffs in each of his three years as Ravens' head coach, John Harbaugh was asked Thursday if he had any specific advice for brother, Jim, whose hiring as the Niners' 18th head coach five days after the season ended couldn't have been better received by a fan base that had grown more than a little weary of his predecessor, Mike Singletary.
"Jim doesn't need any advice from me," John said. "We grew up in the same room and had our share of battles, but we really get along well. I have tremendous respect for him. He is a proven football coach. People can downplay what he did at Stanford, but what he did there the last four years has made me really proud. He built a team that just ran over people. I mean, he just took USC to the woodshed. Sorry, USC, but that's the truth."
John was then asked if he had learned anything from Jim.
"Well, I tried to learn how to play football from him, but he must have kept that a secret," John said with a smile. "He lasted 15 years in the league, and I can't even throw the ball 30 yards."
A little more than an hour later, Jim Harbaugh spoke glowingly about his older brother in his first-ever Combine address to the national media.
"I learned so much from my brother," he said. "He has given me a lot of advice. We never coached together or worked together professionally. We played some baseball, football and hockey growing up, but that was it.
"But in my heart, we've always been one team. Now that will change next season, when the Ravens play the Niners (in Baltimore on a date to be determined), and I can guarantee you it will be very competitive."
John Harbaugh said he actually will be bonding a lot with his brother the next five days in Indianapolis.
"We will spend a lot of time together," he said. "We'll sit in the stands together and watch all the players run. We're not big 'box' guys; we don't have suites. We'll be down there on the field with everybody else, grab a hot dog and do our evaluations."
John Harbaugh would not tip his hand on the specific needs he hoped to fill in the upcoming draft.
But he did talk about expanding the Ravens' offense in 2011 and the likelihood that QB Joe Flacco, who was not a happy camper after the season when the Ravens decided to fire QB coach Jim Zorn, will have more leeway entering his fourth season.
"Joe has been at the facility a lot," John Harbaugh said of his starting QB. "He did a lot more last year (on his own) than people think, and he'll have a bigger role this year. Joe is a highly intelligent, very conscientious guy who also is really in tune with our defense and special teams. He's capable of being very creative, and he's a big strong guy, who will only will get stronger."
John Harbaugh said the Ravens will look to employ more of a wide-open "quick game" offense.
He also filled the room with laughter when asked to talk about the growing number of head coaches, like himself, who previously worked under Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
"Andy is an amazing guy," John Harbaugh said. "It's incredible what he's done. People talk about the Mike Holmgren tree. Now Andy's got his own tree growing.
"Maybe some day we will all have our own trees with lots of branches. I already have Rex Ryan, and that is one big, sturdy branch!"
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Spiller still a major part of Bills' future
INDIANAPOLIS — At last year's NFL Combine, Clemson RB C.J. Spiller was all the rage, showcasing the speed and athleticism that made him a dynamic college player. Spiller ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds and proved to be a skilled pass catcher, solidifying his place as the top running back in the Class of 2010.
His skills were enough to entice the Bills, a team without a huge need for a running back, to use the ninth overall pick to select him. It was the team's first draft choice under GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey, who envisioned Spiller to be a multi-dimensional player that would compliment the team's existing running backs: Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.
That never came to fruition. Lynch was traded to the Seahawks in early October after a slow start and Spiller rarely saw the field for Buffalo. The rookie averaged 3.8 yards on 74 carries and caught only 24 passes in his 14 games, with his greatest impact coming as a kick returner. Only Jackson, who started 2010 as the team's third-string running back, proved to be a consistent player for the Bills last season.
Heading into the 2011 season, Gailey said the team believes Spiller can live up to the lofty expectations better in his second season. His disappointing rookie campaign was not expected, but the team still has tremendous faith that the running back will become the gamebreaker they envisioned last April.
"It didn't work out like everybody planned; he planned, I planned, any fan out there planned. It didn't work out like any of us planned," Gailey said in reference to Spiller. "I still think he's going to be a very good to great player for the Buffalo Bills. No question in my mind. I think I'll do a better job this year creating ways to use him more."
The head coach attributed some of Spiller's struggles to the fact that both the player and the coach were in their first year with the team. Buffalo's offense struggled to gel early in the season, as changes at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line resulted in weekly adjustments to the team's lineup and gameplan. With the second-year running back and second-year coach both more comfortable, the overall results should improve.
"When you are establishing what you're trying to get done offensively, you have a hard time deviating too much doing things for one guy to create things for one guy," Gailey said. "We were in the process of evaluating everybody on our offense because it was a just a 'Getting to know you' year. So I think I'll do a better job next year of incorporating him."
Gailey said he told Spiller two skills he needs to work on this offseason: ball security (five fumbles as a rookie) and pass protection. With questions still lingering on the Bills at QB and the offensive line, the team would love if Spiller could complement Jackson and be the one-two running back punch they imagined.
"(C.J.)'s still a great player. He's still a great young man. He is going to be very productive in this league for a long time," Gailey said. "Just because it didn't work out, that wasn't his fault."
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How I Train: Fitness for the Everyperson
Post written by Leo Babauta.
I don’t train to lose weight or look good. I don’t train to beat anyone or impress anyone. I don’t train for bigger muscles or a six-pack.
I train because I love it. And because it’s my life.
As I said last week: I am in the best shape in my life. That’s [...]
I don’t train to lose weight or look good. I don’t train to beat anyone or impress anyone. I don’t train for bigger muscles or a six-pack.
I train because I love it. And because it’s my life.
As I said last week: I am in the best shape in my life. That’s [...]
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Combine training facilities have become big business
Former Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers wakes up at 6:30 every morning, grabs some fruit and heads out the door to Athletes' Performance Institute, an award-winning facility in Los Angeles. He is in physical therapy by 8 a.m., and begins his workout at 9. After the main part of the workout, Bowers moves into positional work with former NFL great Willie McGinest. This is followed by a meal prepared by a nutrition staff, as well as supplementary diet pills and booster drinks.
All in a day's work.
Former Northwestern DT Corbin Bryant wakes up at 8 a.m. and heads to TCBoost, located in a small industrial park, down a dirt road in Northbrook, Ill. After a brief warm-up, Bryant goes through a running workout led by Tom and Bob Christian, two former Northwestern football players, the latter of whom played for 11 years in the NFL. After the running workout, Bryant studies film of his running form, before a lifting workout later in the day.
Both players are putting themselves through grueling training schedules in order to prepare for the NFL draft. The difference? Bowers is a surefire top-five pick in this year's draft, whereas Bryant is hoping to be picked up in the seventh round. But in today's NFL, both players must have the facilities and resources to prepare for the draft, a fact that has created a boom in the market for sports performance companies that specialize in training NFL draft prospects.
"It's blown up, it's out of control," said Joe Flanagan, Bowers' agent at BTI Sports. "It's taken on a life of its own. What used to be considered a real luxury for the top picks is now a virtual mandate for anyone who thinks they're a draft pick or even a guy who projects as a priority free agent."
Facilities now feature full-time culinary staffs, massage therapists and nutritionists to make sure every detail of a player's preparation is accounted for.
It's a stark change from when Warren Anderson, the owner of Rehab Plus, a facility that has trained such players as Donovan McNabb, Tiki Barber and Zach Miller over the years, entered the industry.
"At the time the kids weren't all versed in the 40 (yard dash), short shuttle and all those things, so it probably had some value," Anderson said. "Over the next 26 years or whatever it's been, it has sort of morphed into a monster of its own."
Back in the day
Back in 1990 when Bob Christian was concluding his career at Northwestern, there were no shiny, state-of-the-art facilities with brand-new weight equipment and in-house culinary staffs. Instead, Christian improvised.
"I had to work (draft training) in between electromechanics and other classes I was taking," Christian said. "I usually worked out in the middle of the day, because that's when the facility was the most free. They didn't have the other sports teams using it. I just found time between classes and went over to Northwestern's athletic facilities and got after it."
Fortunately, Christian had a few teammates who were also looking to train for the draft, so he didn't have to train alone. But facilities weren't Christian's only concern.
"My regimen was all messed up because we didn't have a pro day back then, and scouts would just call, and most of the time they would say, 'I'm going to be in town tomorrow. Can you run for me?' " Christian said.
This could often lead to poor times if, for instance, Christian had just done a heavy squat workout the prior day. Other times, he would have to run multiple days in a row, due to the schedule of scouts.
"There were times when I ran multiple days in a row, and my hamstrings were stretched to the max," Christian said. "In fact, I pulled my hamstring in the last sprint for the last scout. I don't think he knew, though; I kind of hid that. Luckily it didn't matter."
In today's era of pro days and the entertainment circus that has become the NFL Scouting Combine, those days of guesswork and pulled hamstrings are all gone. They have given way to a culture of precisely measured workout plans and regimens, with every set and repetition planned out months in advance.
The system approach
Talk to Mark Verstegen, and he sounds like he belongs in an Ivy League lecture hall, not in a weight room training football players. "Systems," "analytics," "strategies" are just some of the words that find their way into his comments as he talks through his approach to training. Verstegen is the founder and president of Athletes' Performance, based in Phoenix, but he also has authored books on his training philosophy and recently presented at an MIT analytics conference.
"(Our facility) is a complete integration of all physical therapy services, athletic training services and massage therapy services," Verstegen said. "We have a full-time culinary staff at our facilities, and that's seamlessly integrated with our nutrition supplementation with Gatorade and EAS where our systems and innovations help power their products."
While all of the focus at the Combine might be on the fastest 40-time, and the highest vertical jump, Verstegen sees his industry in a different light.
"We try to take a proactive look at manageable variables within someone's lifestyle and performance plan to make sure that they are fulfilling their full potential," Verstegen said. "We try to get each athlete to understand that each day is game day, that they have to prepare for it, they have to fuel for it, they have to train for it, and ultimately they have to recover for it."
The Combine factor
Thanks in great part to NFL Network's wall-to-wall coverage of the Combine, more and more people are obsessed with the numbers that prospects are putting up.
"I think the NFL is always going to be able to use that Combine as an entertainment and marketing vehicle," Anderson said. "That's the only venue where people can see these kids in their underwear, without their helmets and pads on."
And of all the tests at the Combine, none draws more attention than the 40-yard dash.
"I had a scout tell me that 90 percent of where they get drafted is what they did in college, on the field, that's on film," Tom Christian said. "Ten percent is the Combine and pro timing day. And of that 10 percent, 90-95 percent of that is their 40-time."
But at the same time, if every player is training for the Combine, is all this training making everyone relatively the same?
"Some teams feel, all of these facilities are almost ruining the Combine, because everybody is preparing for the test," Verstegen said. "And it's a fair statement."
Anderson elaborated on the point further.
"To be candid, as things have changed with the (Nike) SPARQ clinics and the Under Armour clinics, these kids have been running short shuttles now for 10 years," he said. "The value of it has become less and less and less."
Six weeks?
From the end of the college football bowl season in late December to the Combine in late February, it leaves little more than six weeks for these draft hopefuls to fine-tune their measurables. While that might seem like a small amount of time, some directors have seen tremendous results.
"We had a guy from Nebraska, Patrick Kabongo, a defensive tackle, 6-7, 340. His initial 40-time was a 6-flat, which isn't very good," Tom Christian said. "Eight weeks later at Nebraska's pro day (in 2004), he ran a 5.3, so seven-tenths of a second is a huge change."
While it might be only six weeks, when you consider that training is almost nonstop during this period of time, Verstegen believes that positive results are inevitable.
"They start to go through getting breakfast, lunch, dinner plus snacks and their bedtime food delivered by a culinary staff to the gram and then specific training multiple times a day," Verstegen said. "The right amount of sleep, all the regeneration they do between workouts, the therapy, the massage therapy — you can literally watch people transform in the course of six weeks."
During this six-week period, the focus isn't on physical training alone. Facilities must prepare their players for the rigorous interview process that accompanies the NFL draft.
Just a few years ago, the physical training might have been the sole focus of their preparation.
"Now I've got to do Combine prep, prepare them for job interviews, the Wonderlic test," said Chip Smith, the founder of Competitive Edge Sports in Atlanta, who has trained such athletes as Brian Urlacher, James Harrison and Champ Bailey.
Christian also recognizes the wide-ranging preparation that now takes place during Combine training time.
"Guys are going to be taking a Wonderlic test that they can take practice tests on," Tom Christian said. "It's not something that we offer, but it's something that we considered, buying them study materials, saying, 'Hey, you have nothing else to do, why don't you take this test?' "
Agent or the facility?
With so many facilities now looking to train the top prospects, the competition to sign players to train at a facility has become increasingly heated. Similarly, agents continue to attempt to find ways to sign players to be represented by them. These factors have led to a symbiotic relationship of sorts between draft training facilities and agents.
"In the last five, 10 years, the agents have to find some kind of selling point to get the kid," Anderson said. "A lot of them lock up their slots with (Athletes' Performance Institute), for example, and that's their selling point. These guys say, 'Hey, we can send you to API, and the next guy can't.' "
These deals are lined up even before a player begins fall camp.
"Long before we get into that season, we already have those spots filled with those particular agents," Verstegen said. "They know that we are working hard on making sure that when that time comes, that we will deliver for those athletes."
A facility like Athletes' Performance can be the puppeteer directing the agents, but for other facilities it can be the other way around.
"We have a good relationship with a core group of agents," Tom Christian said. "As agents do well, they send us guys and we do well."
For an agent, however, the decision to support a player at a certain facility is an expensive, and potentially risky, move.
"Agents are making an investment on a player that they want to see a return on," Tom Christian said. "To pay for the training facility, lodging, food, supplements and transportation, it really adds up, and if it's not likely that they're ever going to sign an NFL contract, that's a bad decision by that agent."
The National Football Post recently estimated that, after taking into account all of these costs for all of the players attempting to make it in the NFL, the total industry cost spent on training the rookie class by agents is somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.7 million.
However, agents aren't the only people out recruiting these players. Facilities themselves have begun recruiting players in an environment Flanagan compared to the financial market.
"You see Combine prep guys actually out recruiting players in advance of any association with an agent," Flanagan said. "That's how competitive the environment has become. When the agent finally gets to him, a player might say, 'Hey, I want to train with this guy.' "
Coming at it from the other side, Anderson agrees with Flanagan's assessment.
"A lot of these places recruit kids," Anderson said. "The training places recruit kids. They want to offer more and more amenities — daily massage and cooking for them and all that — it's just grown and grown and grown."
The NFL
As these facilities continue to grow and spend more and more time with elite prospects, it's only natural that a relationship develops between facility directors and NFL personnel folks looking to get an inside scoop on a certain player.
"I've had a GM call me for the past 11 years and ask me to give him a sleeper pick," Smith said.
Verstegen acknowledges that he will have conversations with NFL people, but only if the player or agent signs off on it. Verstegen believes that, in these conversations, a facility can be a real selling point to raise a player's stock.
"They know that if they have had an athlete that enters their system from a place like ours, and they know what type of miles are put on that car, the value of that athlete in their mind, and their projections based on analytics, is a much more sure bet than if they're just trying to go buy used cars all the time and not know what they're getting," Verstegen said.
Where do we go from here?
With this industry taking off exponentially, is there still more room for growth? If preparing for Wonderlic tests was the new advance five years ago, what will be the new advance five years from now?
For one, it seems bringing in former NFL players (a la McGinest) and coaches has become more in vogue.
"The real value is going to be more and more into the football stuff," Anderson said. "It's going to be more and more people working with NFL coaches and NFL players."
Some directors are already frustrated with the 40-centric focus that the Combine creates.
"My theory is this: Your muscle fibers, when they're recruited, don't know whether they are being recruited to run a 40 or do a three-step or five-step drop if I'm a quarterback," Smith said. "So why train for 10 seconds of Combine training? Why train 95 percent for the Combine?"
Bob Christian tries to teach his athletes about more than just how to run a 40-yard dash.
"I try to teach them a little bit about what they're going to face," Bob Christian said. "I try to teach them about life, because no one teaches a college student how to handle a million dollars if it suddenly falls into their lap."
At the core of it, more and more facilities view themselves not as keepers of knowledge on how to run a fast 40-time, but rather guardians and stewards for athletes as they make the transition from the college ranks to being professionals. This is more likely to be the trend that drives the next phase of draft training facilities, rather than any new way to run a three-cone drill.
"I really classify what we are doing as more of us taking an intermediary step for these teams to get these guys in the right mindset, have the right capacities to enter their organization, and truly deliver from Day One and be able to do that for their entire career," Verstegen said.
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Notes: Cats want to prevent Gamecock bombing run
No Southeastern Conference team has shot more three-pointers in league play than South Carolina's average of 23.1. Kentucky's last three opponents have made 54.5 percent or better of their three-point attempts.That convergence of statistics will be on display Saturday in Rupp Arena when South Carolina plays Kentucky."If you look at it, they're making tough shots," UK Coach John Calipari said of the opponents' good perimeter shooting lately. "They're going to shoot 30. If they make 20 of them with us hanging on them, then you go to the next game. ... If a guy's making hard, contested threes, you have to live with that."No UK opponent has ever made 20 three-pointers in Rupp Arena. The record for an opponent is the 18 made by Sam Houston State last season.But the last three UK opponents — Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State — made a combined 32 in 58 attempts.
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Calipari: Cats can't keep going to late-game extremes
Like basketball's version of Goldilocks, Kentucky Coach John Calipari continues to search for — ahhh — just the right way to play the final few minutes of a game.The Cats were too cool down the stretch of Tuesday's victory over Mississippi State. They largely dismissed time and score and played freely and loosely. Turnovers and air balls ensued as a 13-point cushion with barely three minutes left dwindled to a four-point paper towel with 40 seconds still to play.This came after Calipari saw UK players as too hot — too anxious — because of the close score and ticking clock at the ends of earlier games. So he had suggested the Cats not look at the scoreboard."Forget about the score," he said after Tuesday's game. "Let's execute. Don't look at the score. I'll look at the score. You just play and execute."So, obviously, they weren't looking at the score," he added as reporters chuckled. "They just were shooting balls, trying to make plays. So they're listening to me, anyway."
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Hartline gets community service on alcohol-related charges
If former University of Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline completes court-ordered community service, public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges will be dropped, a prosecutor said Monday.Hartline, 22, was arrested in December after a 3 a.m. shouting match involving several people in a residential neighborhood near the UK campus. The fifth-year senior was suspended from the football team and did not play in its bowl game Jan. 8. Also charged with disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication was Ashley Kathleen Carnes, a UK cheerleader listed in court documents as Hartline's girlfriend.They were scheduled for a pretrial conference in Fayette District Court on Monday.Hartline and Carnes both were found eligible for the Fayette County Attorney's Diversion Program, First Assistant County Attorney Brian Mattone said. If they complete the program, charges will be dropped, and their criminal records will be expunged."It's a second chance for first-time offenders to have a clean slate," Mattone said.
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Kentucky football notebook: Cobb's NFL Draft stock on the rise
It's become clear in the past month that Randall Cobb made the right decision in skipping his senior season at Kentucky to enter the NFL Draft.Cobb has been one of the fastest-rising players in draft projections since the deadline for underclassmen to apply passed on Jan. 15. During the season, Cobb was viewed as a middle-round prospect, and the NFL Draft evaluation that he used in helping to make his decision viewed him as a third-rounder.But in his latest mock draft, ESPN and Scouts Inc. draft analyst Todd McShay has Cobb going in the first round to the Baltimore Ravens as the 26th overall pick.Just because Cobb's decision appears to have been validated doesn't mean it has been easy, however. Cobb, who signed with agent Jimmy Sexton, has been working out at the Athletes Performance Institute in Phoenix and admitted that he missed Lexington."That's been the hardest part, leaving my friends and family that I've been around the past three years," he said. "It was tough leaving. I was thinking the other day, that right now me and all the guys we'd be working with (UK strength) Coach Rock (Oliver) getting ready for the season. I had so many great times at Kentucky, and I'll always be a Wildcat. But I've also got to realize that I've moved on and it's time to take care of business."
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Is Stopping Angiogenesis The Key To Stopping Cancer?
Angiogenesis And Cancer A friend recently sent me several articles and a Ted Talk video about how inhibiting angiogenesis might make it possible to stop the growth of cancer. So I figured it was worth taking a look at to figure out what it’s all about and if there’s any credence to the idea. What [...]
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How to Win the Mental Battle in Life
Honestly when it comes to health and weight loss,�you probably know what you need to do. Are there really any true breakthroughs that will help you? Not really. Are you shocked when you hear to “eat less overall, eat healthier foods and exercise more”? Nah. At some point most everyone has been lean and then [...]
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Former UK punter Masthay enjoying spoils of Super Bowl victory
The celebrity treatment is operating in full force for Tim Masthay. Masthay and his wife, Amanda, had just finished lunch at a Green Bay restaurant and were ready to settle up when they received a message from the restaurant's manager."They told us lunch was on the house," Masthay said. "That was a nice little surprise."That's what happens when you're a Super Bowl champion in a football-crazed town and when you come up big in the NFC championship game against one of the organization's hated rivals.Even if you're the punter.Masthay, who played for the University of Kentucky from 2005-08, is basking in the glow of the Packers' 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's Super Bowl, the organization's first championship since 1997. Thousands of fans welcomed the team upon its return from Dallas, and the Super Bowl celebration on Tuesday drew a sold-out crowd to Lambeau Field despite sub-zero temperatures.
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Vikings place franchise tag on Greenway
The Vikings have placed the franchise tag on LB Chad Greenway.
Greenway is coming off one of his better seasons, his fifth in the NFL, and likely will be eligible for unrestricted free agency. Although the new CBA has yet to be agreed upon, it's possible that fifth-year players will be eligible to hit the market.
Not Greenway, however. He had a strong season amid a disappointing team performance in 2010, leading the club in tackles.
The franchise tender could be in the range of $10 million for a one-year deal if Greenway does not sign a long-term contract.
This means the Vikings will not place the tag on other potential free agents, including DE Ray Edwards and WR Sidney Rice.
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Draft Dose: Linebacker U.
Over the years, Penn State has developed a reputation for being "Linebacker U." Hall of Famer Jack Ham played at State College in the late 1960s before playing a key role on the Steelers' Super Bowl teams, Greg Buttle was a force during the early '70s before being a standout for the Jets, and recently a new generation of star-studded linebackers has come up through the ranks. LaVar Arrington ushered in this new wave of 'backers in late 1990s, before going on to star in the NFL with the Redskins. In the sixth installment of the Draft Dose series, we look back at some of the most recent 'backers who continue to uphold the tradition of "Linebacker U." in the order in which they entered the league.
Tamba Hali, Chiefs
After playing as a defensive end at Penn State, Hali has made his mark as a pass-rushing outside 'backer in Kansas City's 3-4 scheme. Drafted in the first round by the Chiefs in 2006, Hali has started all 79 games in which he has played, missing only one game in 2008. Hali's stock really rose this past season as he recorded an AFC-best 14½ sacks and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time.
Cameron Wake, Dolphins
Wake went undrafted coming out of Penn State, where he played mostly linebacker, but also dabbled at defensive end. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, but still ended up in the Canadian Football League to start his career in 2007, after being out of football entirely in '06. Playing for the BC Lions, Wake led the CFL in sacks in both '07 and '08 before going to the Dolphins and signing the richest contract ever for a CFL-to-NFL transfer. Moving into the starting lineup for Miami in '10, Wake made the Pro Bowl, recording 14 sacks as an outside linebacker in the Dolphins' 3-4 scheme.
Paul Posluszny, Bills
A second-round pick by Buffalo in 2007, Posluszny has started every game in which he has played the past three seasons. After posting 110 tackles in ’08 and 111 tackles in '09, Posluszny broke out with 151 in '10. He is a building block on a young Bills team who should flourish under the tutelage of the team's new LB coach Dave Wannstedt.
Dan Connor, Panthers
A third-round pick of the Panthers in 2008, Connor played in all 16 games in 2009 before moving into the starting lineup in '10. Connor started eight games, recording 47 tackles and one sack, before a hip injury landed him on injured reserve. He looks to be a big piece of the rebuilding effort for the Panthers under new head coach Ron Rivera.
Sean Lee, Cowboys
A second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2010, Lee played in 14 games, mainly on special teams. However, the former Nittany Lion made his presence felt when he intercepted Colts QB Peyton Manning twice, returning one pick 31 yards for a touchdown. Lee's pick-six helped the Cowboys score a 38-35 victory at Indianapolis.
NaVorro Bowman, 49ers
A third-round pick of the 49ers in 2010, Bowman got off to a slow start in training camp but came on strong to play in all 16 games for San Francisco. Bowman even started the final game of the season, and recorded eight tackles in a 38-7 win over the Cardinals. Along with star LB Patrick Willis, Bowman should be part of a solid LB corps for new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
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Kentucky awards contract extension to athletics director Barnhart
Less than five months before his time as University of Kentucky president ends, Lee T. Todd Jr. announced Wednesday that he had given Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart a contract extension and six-figure salary increase.When asked if the decision might adversely impact the pool of candidates to become UK's next president, Todd bristled."Absolutely not," he said. "I'm doing a heck of a favor for the next person to be president of this university. And don't you think I'm not."Ironically, Barnhart dismissed several administrators in UK's athletic department in order to bring in his own people when he arrived nine years ago. Todd denied that the new contract, which added three years and boosted Barnhart's annual pay from $475,000 to $600,000, would hinder the new president from enjoying the same privilege.Instead, Todd described Barnhart's extension through June 30, 2019, as a gift to the new president.
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Facing Reality On Acidosis And Alkalosis
Acidosis and Alkalosis Today, we’re going to talk about acidosis and alkalosis. I’ll explain just what I mean by that in a second. But first, what put this topic in my head? In the past week, I’ve directly or indirectly read/heard two things that prompted me to write this. First, there was a comment by [...]
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KFC To Prevent Breast Cancer? Are You Clucking Serious?
Today, I want to take a look at a very touchy, emotionally-charged subject today: preventing breast cancer, along with how to go about funding prevention and education. Preventing Breast Cancer I think we all agree that preventing and treating breast cancer is a good thing. We all have moms, sisters, wives, friends, and girlfriends that [...]
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Different strokes for new Cardinals coordinators
Our sources in the desert were not surprised by the hiring of Ray Horton as the Cardinals’ new defensive coordinator and the promotion of Mike Miller, who had been serving as the team’s passing-game coordinator, to the offensive coordinator position. Horton, who was the Steelers’ secondary coach, had been rumored as a serious candidate to replace the fired Billy Davis for more than a month. And during that same time span, Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt had mentioned more than once that he did not envision any significant coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball.
But while Whisenhunt had been making it clear that he remained very comfortable with his offensive coaching situation — despite the offense’s abysmal performance this past season, when it ranked 31st overall — there was no denying it was a much different story on the other side of the ball, where underachievement and communication breakdowns had become increasingly irritating.
When Whisenhunt arrived from Pittsburgh four seasons ago, daily team observers were quickly led to believe that a “Steelers West” defensive scheme would be installed for the long haul. But for whatever the reasons, neither Clancy Pendergast, Whisenhunt’s first defensive coordinator, nor Davis was able to effectively incorporate the same type of 3-4 pressure scheme that Dick LeBeau has made such a successful staple in Pittsburgh. It hasn’t taken long for Horton to convince daily team observers that he definitely has a “Steelers West” mindset.
“No question about it,” one team source told PFW. “He has made it clear that there will be an attack mentality all the time with lots of blitzing.”
Making that game plan clear in the minds of his new troops, especially the defensive backs, will be a major point of emphasis. But the likelihood that the league’s labor problems will greatly curtail interaction with Horton's new players this offseason presents a major challenge.
“If he had a whole offseason to work with, we’d probably be seeing sweeping changes in the system,” the source said. “Instead, he plans on putting his defense into the defense's existing language in the hopes of shortening the learning curve.”
Early indications are that Horton has what it takes to get his new points across.
“He seems like a pretty sharp guy,” the source said. “And as a former defensive back, the players at that position — where there seemed to be such a big disconnect last season — figure to respond well to him.”
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