Lothar

the smell of bacon is wafting in this thread

It's amazing what professional jealousy and excess hype will do - I'm amazed that Belichick and Pioli keep finding the perfect team players who gel in their system. If Borges and others in the NE media can't appreciate BB's skills, they need to bring back the mediocrity of Parcells and Meyer. Limiting the best offensive team in the NFL to 3 points 1 week, then lighting up the league's best defense the following week - in the playoffs no less, is proof of his genius.

Just some kudos to our front office for the UDFAs they signed. The Great Blue North Draft Report ranked all the UDFAs by position. Here's how our signees stacked up: George Gause - # 1 DE Jim Leonhard - #2 SS Liam Ezekial - #2 MLB Jon Goldsberry - #13 FB Geir Gudmundsen - #15 OT Sure, these are players that didn't get drafted but 3 of them (Gause, Leonhard and Ezekial) were ranked in the top 15 at their positions overall in the weeks leading up to the draft. Also, another UDFA signee, Rob Lee, was on the "cusp" of being drafted as a CB/FS according to DraftInsider: Northern Illinois' answer to Jason Sehorn, possess superior athletic ability and a fierce attitude. Had a very solid, yet unspectacular college career. Displayed his athletic ability at Pro Day, running a solid 4.48 40 at 6'1" and 200 pounds. He also did real well in other agility and athletic drills. This really put him on the NFL's radar. Will he be drafted? Maybe, but not as a cornerback. Teams, however, could give the athletic Lee a look in round 7, based on his size and speed. These days in the NFL, even the safeties need to possess top speed.

I remember a line from Marv Levy some 15 years ago when he was talking about what he expected from the young veterans on his team, the 2nd and 3rd year players. It was something to the effect of "by the 3rd year, we expect our youngsters to be pushing the starters - they've been acclimated to the pro game, they should have the playbook down and they really should be able to show us their talent." He implied that if you were stuck as a 3rd stringer - unless you showed incredible special team acumen a la Mark Pike - after that amount of time, you - and the team - might be better off parting ways. I tried to apply this reasoning to positions on our football team - and see how our first year players might impact the younger veterans on the roster. Roscoe Parrish: As a 2nd rounder and the highest draft pick, he's a shoo-in for the roster even if he decides to take the summer off and come in looking like Len Pasquarelli. The punt returner position is his to lose, despite our top-ranked special teams. It protects Clements from the risks of the job and allows Parrish a chance to grow into a slot WR role. Since he makes the roster, that leaves Reed, Aiken, Fast Freddie and any other rookies fighting for the remaining 2 or 3 slots. I was a huge Reed fan thru his LSU days but he hasn't shown me half the separation and hands he did in college, or even in pre-season. I think he may be done here. Kevin Everett: This selection seems close to a boom or bust type pick for the front office. Comments made by his coaches and pro scouts extol praises on his skills, but injuries and QB issues at the U seem to have hampered his growth. I think we see him as a special teamer and as a change-up TE - on the field maybe 20-30 percent of the time by the end of the season, especially as game situations require JP to throw. Assuming Campbell and Euhus recover fully, that leaves Trafford, Neufeld, Gomez and camp fodder fighting for a spot on the practice squad at best. Raymond Preston: Given he was drafted in front of higher ranked centers like Brown and Wilkerson, I have to think he did well enough in personal workouts to justify his on-field performance, giving up just 1 sack in 2 years and considered the best player on a bad team. I think "the Duke" has a 50-50 chance of winning the pivot position IF and only if Teague is moved out to LT. In nearly every scenario, I see Preston on the final roster barring serious injury. Tucker is a solid backup and Sobieski has yet to show the talent that had him as one of the top prep players. Smith, Gudmundsen, Gandy, Geisinger and Esposito are all also in the mix as backups to the interior OL positions. I'm guessing 3 of the above 5 are gone, with one one of those a candidate to the practice squad. Eric King: A solid performer in a tough conference, I think King has the smarts and toughness (likened to a poor man's Winfield) to overcome his size and compete with Greer and Thomas for the nickel role. King was a team leader and has good instincts - whether that compensates for his lack of size remains to be seen. The fact that Vincent has moved over to safety may allow all the above to stay on the roster. Justin Geisinger: A big tough working stiff, he'll compete with the Gandys and Smiths to get a backup role this year. His skills were adequate as a tackle in college but seem much more suited for guard in the pros. Being a later round selection, he also is more likely to be a Practice Squad candidate. Lionel Gates: At first I thought this was a throwaway pick but it makes sense if Henry does get traded in the pre-season. He's a big guy with enough quicks and good pass catching skills to spell Mcgahee from time to time. With Shaud Williams showing potential as an alterna-back to Willis' bruising style, I think Joe Burns, despite his ST contributions, may be the odd man out of this mix. Now we get to the UDFAs - I'm as excited about who we picked up in the days following the draft as those we got during the draft. Last year, 4 UDFAs made the team. Obviously, as the team improves, those numbers will be tough to duplicate. I'm going to list them in order of who I think has the best chance of sticking with the team. Jim Leonhard: Steve Tasker reborn as a safety - them's big shoes, but jeez, all you have to do is read comments about his play from his teammates, coaches and opponents to realize this kid's got all the intangibles along with great athletic skills. He's just too short too short too short! But Coy Wire shows us that athletic prowess without instincts are worthless in the NFL. This boy's got all the instincts, leading the country in interceptions over a 2 year peiod. At 5-8, he runs a 4.45, can dunk the basketball and was one of the top punt returners in the country. He's competing with Wire and Baker for the backup safety spots. Baker showed a world of potential last pre-season. I think Coy becomes the odd man out. Absolute worst case, Leonhard makes the PS but I don't think he stays there for long. Liam Ezekial: I was hoping we would draft him or the kid from UNLV in the middle rounds since our backup LBs have not done much more than play special teams. Ezekial's all passion, yet has the size and skills to stick in the NFL. The knocks on him are that he's not fast and hasn't played top competition. But he's fast enough, has a nose for the football and - based on reviews of his play - is a tougher, meaner version of John Holocek. I give him a 50-50 shot to make the roster since Crowell, Hagans and Stamer have not pushed our starters yet. That leaves him fighting Towns and Brantley for a PS position even if he doesn't make the team. I like his chances. George Gause: Projected to go as high as the 2nd round by some draft publications, Gause's inconsistencies overshadowed his obvious talents. At 6-5, 270, he has the size and strength to compete against Denney and Osunde for a backup role. He put up solid numbers in South Carolina. He's fast but not explosive. If Krumrie can light a fire under this kid - a big if - he may be the steal of this UDFA class. Jon Goldsberry: If this kid played defense, his nickname would have to be "Tackleberry". He was voted the top special teams "Demon" in the Big 10. Since we lost Luke Lawton, who i thought would challenge Shelton last year, I think this kid is a perfect backup who will upgrade our already great special teams. Fullback is such a throwaway position in the NFL that you wonder if the Bills even save him a spot on the PS. He has decent receiving skills so he may be worth stashing away even if his "special" skills don't get him a roster spot. Geir Gudmundsen: McNally took this kid out to dinner - and has been watching this kid's progress even at a small school like Albany. Obviously unpolished, his best shot comes on the PS but he'll have to fight Mcfarland and Pruce for that position. If McNally sees something in you, you have a fighting chance. There are other kids that obviously have a chance but 4 of the 5 UDFAs above have the intangibles to help the team now in some way as special teamers - and that's the quickest way to get a spot on the team. Just watch and see if these kids shine on the return and block teams in the preseason. A lot of the young vets who weren't on the bubble the last couple years need to step up or these kids jump right over them.

If I'm not mistaken - though I may very well be - the players' take of the league's monetary pie will grow by some 20+ percent based on new projected numbers (I've heard the jump will be up to around 110 mill). Does it make the likelihood of signing someone like Nate a better possibility next year - or if not - to franchise him since overblown cornerback numbers (higher even than QBs now) will be manageable for the foreseeable future? Or does it open a Pandora's box where GMs have an extra 25 mill to lavish on free agents? I've got to think that front offices are evaluating whether signing a burgeoning star to what seems like a ridiculous contract now might not be a bargain in 5 years. For example, that sick contract Peyton signed may actually be reasonable and allow the Colts a lot more options once the higher revenue TV contracts kick in.

we'd like a 3rd or 4th for the guy - I don't think we're deifying him - he's not Franchise material - especially at this point.

so is it future success or past glories that determine value?

hear me out - we get to keep a proven backup for this year, then I'm assuming we'd at least get a 4th rounder as compensation in 2007 (or does the league only look at the most recent past?) Not sure if that's much worse than trading him now for a 4th round 2006 pick. Obviously, we'd like happy players on the team but at this point I don't see how a trade buys us much unless a team loses its starter in preseason, gets desperate and actually gives TD a good option.

Very true, Kelly - that and the quick screen passes they design slow down the pass rush schemes of many blitz happy defenses like ours. Once they - and the running of Dillon - create doubt in the defense, it sure seems like Brady gets all day to throw.

yahoo afc draft rating He gave 2 C's in the AFC - one to the atrocious picks Denver made, the other to us. It's interesting how he gives some teams a lot of slack (i.e Dolphin picks a late round CB to replace pro bowler Surtain was smart) but doesn't feel we addressed O-line properly. Bottom line is that McNally knows the kind of linemen he can mold into his type of players. Reading about "The Duke', it seems as though there were a lot of teams interested - he probably performed much better at his individual workout than at the Combine + he gave up 1 sack total the last 2 years - I'm guessing they saw better production/potential out of him than some of the bigger name centers still available. I know there are several on this board who think OL is a major liability on this team - we've only drafted 2 as 1st ounders in 10 years, etc - but I don't think it's that bad. Just remember our last 2 starting QBs were RJ and Drew - they'll make anyone look bad. I still go to how the very same New England OL that many called a sieve while Drew was there evolved into a great OL with a bunch of mid and late round picks. QBs, coaches and gameplans make or break the line. I just believe that McNally and Mularkey are the right coaches. Here's to hoping our faith in JP isn't unwarranted.

Wilkerson from LSU was considered a solid 2nd rounder - but his patella injury has scared everyone. Likewise, Munoz - a solid technician with great genes - must have serioius problems with his rotator cuff. Both didn't work out at the combine ...

Greg Benjamin is a senior staff writer for On the Clock Draft. Greg Benjamin: This is Greg Benjamin from On The Clock Draft. I am speaking with two-time All-ACC cornerback from Wake Forest Eric King. How are you doing today Eric? Eric King: I’m doing good Greg. Greg: What would be your accurate height, weight, and 40 time? Eric: My height is around 5’9” and I’m about 185 and my 40 time is around a 4.44. Greg: Do you feel you have the height to compete against taller wide receivers in the NFL? Eric: I feel that I’m a good cornerback and that I have good coverage ability and with my competitive nature I feel that I can match up with anybody. Greg: What made you decide to attend Wake Forest? Eric: Coming out of high school basically it was down to Maryland and Wake Forest and withy both teams being in the ACC I wanted to go to a good school like Wake Forest and be able to get out of state. Greg: You played in the Gridiron Classic last weekend. How was that experience go for you? Eric: It went pretty well. I really enjoyed meeting a lot of the guys and some of the practices we had. I also enjoyed the Orlando sun. Greg: Do you have a plan for the offseason when it comes to preparing for the combine, pro day, and ultimately the draft? Eric: Yes right now I’m in Atlanta as we speak working out at Competitive Edge Sports with Chip Smith and just getting ready to get a little bit bigger, stronger, and faster so that I’ll be able to run a good 40 and test well at the combine. Greg: What would you say was your best football moment? Eric: I actually had two of them. One of them was a tackle on Greg Jones as a sophomore and my junior year my interception on Phillip Rivers of N.C. State to seal a victory. Greg: Who would you say is the best player you’ve ever faced? Eric: As a sophomore up in Wake Forest that year we played Florida State and Anquan Boldin was the best receiver I matched up on. Greg: What is it like to play against a guy like that then the next year to see him in the NFL breaking records and doing the things that he did as a rookie? Eric: (laughing) Well at the time I really had to look myself in the mirror and ask myself was I a really good football player and the following year when I saw him in the NFL breaking records and doing some of the same things to some of those pro guys, I realized I wasn’t too far off. Greg: What is your best attribute? I think my best attribute is my football sense as well as my hips and my feet and just using that to cover all types of receivers from big to small. Greg: Is there a particular type of coverage that you are more comfortable in? Eric: Personally I think I’m more comfortable with man to man coverage. The fact that I can get my hands on guys sometimes and during my training I want to work on getting a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger and faster so that I’ll be able to cover guys and I think that my ability to run and open up my hips and use my feet help me in man to man coverage as well. Greg: Is there an NFL player that you try to mold your game after? Eric: I try to take pieces of my game from a guy like Dre’ Bly who is a smaller guy like myself with his playmaking ability. And another smaller guy like Antoine Winfield and the way he’s able to cover and tackle as well. Greg: Is there anything about your game you feel you need to improve on to excel at the professional level? Eric: Yeah I would like to get a little stronger, as well as a little bit faster, and just work on all of my different types of techniques that I use. I think I’m still a little bit raw and I can get better in a lot of areas. Greg: How do you feel you stack up against the other corners in the draft? Eric: I think I’m right up there with everybody else. I think I’m a pretty good corner who comes from a good conference and I’m a guy who started 41-42 games so I have a lot of game experience and I think I match up well with anybody. Greg: Do you have any expectations as far as what round you think you will or should be drafted in? Eric: I don’t want to really give myself expectations that are too high. But I also set goals for myself and one of my goals is just to work hard and get better and go the highest round and the highest draft pick as possible. Greg: What will the team that drafts you be getting? Eric: They’re going to get a good guy first of all. They’re going to get a good person who wants to work hard and better himself. And somebody who is going to get out there and make plays and use his football sense as well as his speed and quickness in order to make plays for a professional football team. Greg: Ok Eric, those are all the questions I have for you today, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to answer them and I wish you luck in the draft. Eric: Thanks a lot. Transcribed by Greg Benjamin. Conducted on January 19, 2005

at this point, Miller would be a great pick.

Damn Doze - you guys do focus on football over there, dontcha? Very impressed.

uh oh - I hope DC Tom doesn't catch this little oversight ...

oh please VA ... I'm just pointing out your personal vendetta against Travis is akin to Weiler's against Drew. I like your football insights when you veer away from the non-stop Henry bitching - I just don't understand why you joined the dead horse beater's club.

New SAT question ... Drew Bledsoe is to Mark Weiler as Travis Henry is to: a. Britney Spears b. pet rock c. LJ Shelton d. VABills

this will go down to draft day. TD says Zona wants Henry + something ... we'll see who blinks first: Engelhard, who has the Bills' permission to discuss potential trades for his client with other teams, has said the Arizona Cardinals are prepared to send to Buffalo starting left tackle L.J. Shelton in a one-for-one deal. Donahoe denied that, saying the Cardinals want more, which is unacceptable for the Bills. ``Arizona understands our position and we understand theirs,'' Donahoe said. ``So probably, unless somebody wants to blink, it's probably not going to get done.''

I think the main detractors are the Bills (from NY and VA) and stevestojan who seem to have personal vendettas against Henry. Most of the rest of the board accepts Henry as having given his all as a Bill and who was simply replaced by a better back. Travis may have been the toughest player on the team but this is a "what have you done for me lately" league. I wish him nothing but luck in his future endeavors.

This thread is on it's way to becoming a classic - dual conversations are great for those for those of us with ADD - note, I didn't say AD.

The NFL Network did a profile during the combine and they were gushing all over his receiving skills - they showed iso's of him at the Senior Bowl practices schooling the top corners. He's big and he's fast and it was the first time he played wideout. Now admittedly, it was only a few plays they showed but for not having ANY experience, this guy has the look of a big, speedy H-back with decent hands. In college I thought he was a decent QB but it was amazing to see him outrunning DBs when he scrambled. A 6-6, 240 guy running a 4.4 - sheesh, that's Moss-like. Given that his measurables are freakish, it really is too bad that he wasn't asked to play wideout in college. I think he's jumped into the late 2nd or early 3rd round with his potential. If we didn't already have needs at tackle and kicker, I'd seriously consider him with our 3rd. But TD's somewhat of a riverboat gambler, so you never know ... p.s. Did I mention he looks like a fast tall Jeremy Shockey?

Kedrick Vincent, a 4th year FA backup guard from the Steelers is rumored to be on TD's list. No live sources, just being bandied about on message boards since all is quiet at OBD.

Not up-to-the-minute but you can search for candidates by position scouts.com

I think KJ would be a great fit as a #2a receiver - but seeing as he voided his contract, he may be looking for bigger bucks.

I've been in lurker mode during the offseason, but that is the funniest post I've read in weeks - I had to give kudos to the zeppman.