Albany,n.y.

One reason is because it's a lot easier to build a football stadium than the WTC site where: Plans for the site, to be dominated by a 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, have been stalled lately because of security concerns, though Gov. George Pataki assured New Yorkers last week that the project was not losing momentum. http://cbs11tv.com/terror/terror_story_138170341.html

Bring in 50 kickers if we have to. Just choose the best one. Lindell must go.

Not only do I think Rex is dead, but I think Bree will be a suspect in his death. They set it up so the note plus the doctor's comments about his potassium level going up and the question who is feeding him all leads to Bree getting arrested in next season's opener.

Bring him in,we've got nothing to lose except maybe Lindell.

Because he still hasn't learned not to drink and drive, All he learned was not to drink & drive when the police are out in force. Uncalled for, hardly!

Extreme would have been if you were in your car, half drunk & another patron, fully drunk, slammed into you with one of you dead & the other facing hard time in prison. That's extreme. Next time you're in the same situation without the police presence, do the same thing & walk home. Too bad it took the police presence for you to do the right thing.

They've upgraded the team a lot since last year via free agency & had 2 #1s this year. Bledsoe isn't playing on the 2004 Cowboys. I expect Dallas to be much improved, Bledsoe will have little to do with it. Name one of our 9 wins Bledsoe was responsible for. It will be the same in Dallas. Take a look at the roster, it's not too shabby http://www.dallascowboys.com/team.cfm

8-8 made the playoffs in the NFC last year. We went 9-7 last year. If Dallas goes 9-7 & makes the playoffs it means nothing. If you watched Drew last year, it was Drew.

I doubt that we'll cut him. Assuming that he isn't traded before camp, if he reports, then we'll wait for another team to need a RB & trade him. If he doesn't report, then we'll just put him on did not report & not pay him until he does. There's no reason for the team to let him get his way & cut him. If he doesn't report he's only hurting himself, & TD will make sure he understands that, rather than cutting him.

Kind of ironic that they drafted him with the pick they got for RJ. That whole pick was injury prone, no matter how one used it.

Draft guru Dave Te' Thomas absolutely loved Lee coming out of college in the 2003 draft. He said he had the most potential of any running back after Willis. Thomas went so far as to send his subscribers a videotape of Lee playing RB, returning kicks & playing as a slash QB near the goal line. He's definitely worth a shot as a free agent.

I keep saying, there's no way Lindell is our kicker on opening day. We won't stop with this guy if he doesn't work out: Bills | May Call on Place Kicker - from www.KFFL.com Wed, 11 May 2005 15:23:44 -0700 The Salt Lake Tribune reports undrafted rookie free agent PK Matt Payne (BYU) recently received a call from the Buffalo Bills. He is hopeful the Bills may extend an offer in two weeks. If not, other chances may come over the summer. "He had four great years," said BYU special teams coach Paul Tidwell. Payne has given up punting to focus on his place kicking. Name: Matt Payne College: BYU Number: 38 Height: 6-4 Weight: 229 Position: K Pos2: P Class/Draft Year: Sr/2005 40 Time: 4.75 Projected Round: Stock: Rated number 9 out of 32 K's / 1482 TOTAL Combine Results Pro Day Results Combine Invite: yes Height: 6040 Weight: 229 40 Yrd Dash: 20 Yrd Dash: 10 Yrd Dash: Wonderlic: 27 225 Lb. Bench Reps: Vertical Jump: Broad Jump: 20 Yrd Shuttle: 3-Cone Drill: Dates: 03/08/2005 03/16/2005 Height: 6040 Weight: 229 40 Yrd Dash: 20 Yrd Dash: 10 Yrd Dash: 225 Lb. Bench Reps: Vertical Jump: Broad Jump: 20 Yrd Shuttle: 3-Cone Drill: DRAFT BIOGRAPHY OVERVIEW In this day and age of specialized football, Payne takes the words "special teams" to a different level. Few kicking specialists in the game are capable of handling all the aspects of kicking as well as Payne. Not only is he a superb long distance field goal artist, but he is known for his towering punts and ability to pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line. Not to be outdone by those exploits, he is also a capable kickoff specialist and also has ranked among the team leaders in tackles on the coverage unit. He has a strong arm and quick feet to either throw or run with the ball on fake field goal and punt attempts. He even got some action as a receiver earlier in his career. Payne lettered in football twice and basketball and soccer three times at Weber High School. He earned All-Region, All-Area and All-State honors in soccer and basketball. Payne handled place-kicking duties in 2001 at Brigham Young, scoring a career-high 109 points as he made 73 of an NCAA season-record 76 extra point attempts and 12 of 17 field goals. He took on punting chores as a sophomore, gaining 2427 yards on 51 attempts (47.6 avg) with eleven kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line. He added 66 points on 13 of 16 field goals and 27 of 30 PATs. He also recorded four tackles in 2002. Payne again handled all kicking duties in 2003, connecting on 14 of 18 field goals and all 20 extra point tries for 62 points. He punted 78 times for 3433 yards (44.0 avg) with 22 boots that were downed inside the 20-yard line in 2003. He also registered a team-high eight special teams tackles. All-American accolades would come his way in 2004. Payne scored 75 points on 15 of 22 field goals and all 30 PAT attempts. He averaged 43.0 yards on 62 punts with 23 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line and had only 27 boots returned. He added eight tackles on special teams, threw a 12-yard touchdown and rushed twice for 44 yards. He also averaged 62.2 yards on 57 kickoffs, with only 30 attempts returned. In 47 games with the Cougars, Payne scored 312 points on 54 of 73 field goals and 150 of 157 PATs. Only Owen Pochman (333, 1997-2000) scored more points in a career at Brigham Young. His 54 field goals rank second on the school's career-record list behind Pochman's 66. Payne has never had a field goal blocked in his career. He gained 8713 yards on 192 punts, finishing with a 45.38-yard gross average and a 40.48-yard net average. He recorded 25 tackles (16 solos), rushed three times for 72 yards, caught a 1-yard pass and completed one of two passes for a 12-yard touchdown. He also holds the Mountain West Conference career-records for holds the most field goals, PATs and career yards per-punt average. ANALYSIS Positives...Solid and productive kicker who consistently produces under pressure...Very quick in his approach, coming from the side at a proper angle...Gets excellent trajectory and lift behind his kicks...Very flexible and smooth in his approach...Extremely consistent field goal artist from the mid-range (40 yards) area...Strikes with explosion and shows the range to make the longer three-pointers...Uncoils quickly, getting additional hip swerve and body snap behind his attempts...Very enthusiastic in lending support to the kickoff coverage unit, getting downfield quickly and showing no fear in getting involved in making the tackle...Hands appear good fielding the punt...Average hang time on punts range from 4.5-4.64 seconds and his touch-to-toe mechanics on punts ranges between 1.16-1.28 seconds...Shows explosion into the ball as a punter and has the leg strength to drive it into the wind. Negatives...Erratic as a kickoff specialist...Does not get good height on these attempts, with most barely making it to the end zone, resulting in a high amount of returns...Mostly kicks line drives on his kickoffs, needing to improve both distance and height on his attempts to prevent the long return...Average kickoff hang time ranges from 3.77-4.07 seconds...Steady field goal artist, but lacks the leg strength to make the long range kicks...Two-step punter, but sometimes his approach is slow and deliberate, resulting in a few blocks (four). CAREER NOTES 2004 SEASON First-team All-American selection by The Sporting News and the American Football Coaches Association, adding second-team honors from The NFL Draft Report and Associated Press...First-team All-Mountain West selection at punter and second-team All-MWC performer at kicker...Was a semi-finalist for both the Lou Groza Award (nation's top place-kicker) and Ray Guy Award (nation's top punter) and was the only player in the country to earn that distinction on both lists...Five-time Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week ...Broke the NCAA record with 14 consecutive field goals from 40-49 yards...Broke the BYU record with 67 consecutive PATs...Scored 75 points on 15 of 22 field goals and all 30 extra point tries...Punted 62 times foe 2808 yards (43.0 avg), as one attempt was blocked, seven others went for touchbacks, three resulted in fair catches and 23 were downed inside the 20-yard line...Finished with a 41.45-net yard average as only 27 of his punts were returned...Completed one of two passes for a 12-yard touchdown...Rushed twice for 44 yards...Recorded eight tackles (7 solos) on the coverage units...Averaged 62.2 yards on 57 punts as 21 resulted in touchbacks and four others went out of bounds. 2004 GAME ANALYSIS Notre Dame...Earned ESPN Player of the Game and MWC Player of the Week honors after punting nine times for a 46.8-yard average with a long of 63 yards and six kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line...Only two punts were returned for 11 yards...Also made 44 & 35-yard field goals and a pair of extra points. Stanford...Punted four times for 180 yards (45.0 avg) with a 54-yarder that was downed inside the 20-yard line...Had one punt blocked for a 14-yard gain and only one punt returned for 9 yards...Added a PAT and a 40-yard field goal. Southern California...Averaged 48.2 yards on eight punts with a long of 79 and two kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line...Only two punts were returned for 7 yards...Had an extra pint and a 46-yard field goal. Boise State...Kicked 32 & 42-yard field goals and three PATs...Punted seven times for 308 yards (44.0 avg) with a long of 59 yards and made four tackles, including two highlight reel stops of returner Chris Carr. Colorado State...Added four extra points and a 52-yard field goal...Punted five times for 238 yards (47.6 avg) with three kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line, including a 55-yarder...Only two punts were returned for 5 yards...Also made a solo tackle. Nevada-Las Vegas...Had a pair of conversions and field goals of 47 & 50 yards...Punted seven times for a 45.1-yard average with two attempts returned for 13 yards...Also attempted a pass. Wyoming...Averaged 40.3 yards on seven punts, with four returned for 67 yards...Posted a solo tackle...Kicked a 46-yard field goal and three extra points. Air Force...Followed with 23 & 53-yard field goals, five PATs and had three punts for a 42.3-yard average...None of his punts were returned...Also gained 20 yards on a fake punt. San Diego State...Successful on 43, 34 & 42-yard field goals and four PATs...Had one extra point blocked, snapping his school record streak at 67...Punted four times for 187 yards (46.8 avg) with two kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, including a 55-yarder...Had two punts returned for 12 yards and registered a solo tackle. New Mexico...Averaged 47.8 yards on four punts, with three returned for only one yard... Added two PATs, including one on a 12-yard touchdown pass that he threw to Riley Weber in the first quarter. Utah...Closed out his career with three conversions, a 24-yard rushing attempt and four punts for 172 yards (43.0 avg). 2003 SEASON An Honorable Mention All-MWC selection...Saw action at both punter and kicker in all 12 games...Listed as a candidate for both the Lou Groza and Ray Guy awards...Led the MWC with 78 punts for 3433 yards (44.0 avg) with two attempts blocked, eight that went for touchbacks, three result in fair catches, 22 that were downed inside the 20-yard line and a long of 67 yards...44 of his punts were returned for 492 yards and two touchdowns...Hit on 14 of 18 field goals and all 20 extra point tries for a career-low 62 points...Because of poor coverage on his punts, he led the special teams with eight tackles (5 solos). 2003 GAME ANALYSIS Georgia Tech...Had two punts blocked, but also made three PATs and a 24-yard field goal. Southern California...Became the first kicker in BYU history to kick two 50-yard field goals in the same game, connecting on 53, 26 & 52-yarders and averaged 44.3 yards on six punts...His 53-yarder was the second-longest field goal in school history, topped only by Owen Pochman's 56-yarder vs. New Mexico in 2000. Stanford...Punted nine times for a 50.2-yard average with three kicks that were downed inside the 20-yard line and a long of 67 yards. Air Force...Gained 264 yards on six punts (44.0 avg) and kicked a 35-yard field goal. San Diego State...Followed with 39, 47 & 18-yard field goals, two PATs and eight punts for a 41.6-yard average. Wyoming...Punted five times for 255 yards (51.0 avg) and kicked a 30-yard field goal. Nevada-Las Vegas...Had field goals of 40 & 50 yards, two extra points and a 51.6-yard average on five punts, adding two tackles on special teams. 2002 SEASON Earned All-MWC first-team honors...Named the team's Special Teams Most Valuable Player as he ranked second nationally with 51 punts for an average 47.6 yards (2427 yards)...Had a long of 76 yards, one punt blocked, seven go for touchbacks, two result in fair catches and eleven that were downed inside the 20-yard line...Only 21 of his punts were returned, finishing with a 43.49-net yard average...Recorded four tackles on special teams, caught a 1-yard pass and ran for a 28-yard gain...Scored 66 points on 13 of 16 field goals and 27 of 30 extra point attempts. 2002 GAME HIGHLIGHTS Posted a season long punt of 76 yards vs. San Diego State...Also recorded punts of 70 (vs. Syracuse), 72 (vs. Nevada), 71 (vs. Nevada), 64 (vs. Hawaii) and 63 (vs. Wyoming)...Had 21 punts of 50 yards or more, including four 50-yarders vs. New Mexico...Pinned Nevada inside its own 20-yardline three different times...Credited with a 28-yard run for a first down vs. New Mexico...Earned MWC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honors after posting a 44.4 yards-per-punt average vs. New Mexico, and posted three straight field goals. 2001 SEASON Competed in all 14 games for the Cougars as a freshman...Earned All-Academic MWC honors...Cougar Club Academic Award recipient... Made 73 of 76 point-after attempts, setting an NCAA record for most point-after attempts (76)...Ranked second on the BYU roster in scoring, posting 109 points...Connected on 12 of 17 field goals and also punted once for 45 yards...Recorded five tackles on special teams. 2001 GAME HIGHLIGHTS Earned MWC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honors after nailing a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give BYU a 41-38 victory at Mississippi State and also connected on a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter at MSU to pull the Cougars to within a touchdown...Tied a BYU single-game record with 10 successful extra-point attempts vs. Tulane...Kicked a season-long 50-yard field goal vs. Nevada-Las Vegas. 2000 SEASON Redshirted as a freshman. INJURY REPORT No injuries reported. AGILITY TESTS COMBINE: 30 ¼-inch arm length...9 5/8-inch hands...27 Wonderlic score. HIGH SCHOOL Lettered in football twice and basketball and soccer three times at Weber (North Ogden, Ut.) High School, playing football for coach Kory Bosgieter...Earned All-Region, All-Area and All-State honors in soccer and basketball. PERSONAL Business major...Younger brother, Mitch, signed as a kicker with BYU in 2003...Married the former Amanda Lindley...The couple has one child...An Eagle Scout...Served a Church mission to Portland, Oregon before enrolling at BYU...Son of Gordon and Mary Payne... Resides in North Ogden, Utah. PLAYER STATISTICS PLACEKICKING STATISTICS STATS FGA FGM EPA EPM POINTS LONG 0-29 30-39 40-49 50+ 2001 17 12 76 73 109 50 5/4 3/3 6/4 3/1 2002 16 13 30 27 66 52 2/2 6/6 6/4 2/1 2003 18 14 20 20 62 53 7/6 4/2 2/2 5/3 2004 22 15 30 30 75 53 2/1 4/2 11/8 5/4 TOTAL 73 54 157 150 312 53 16/13 17/13 25/18 15/9 PUNTING STATISTICS STATS NO YARDS AVG BK LONG In20 RET R/YDS N/YDS N/AVG 2001 1 45 45.00 0 45 0 0 0 45 45.00 2002 51 2427 47.59 1 76 11 21 209 2218 43.49 2003 78 3433 44.01 2 67 22 44 492 2941 37.71 2004 62 2808 45.29 1 79 23 27 238 2570 41.45 TOTAL 192 8713 45.38 4 79 56 93 939 7774 40.49 KICKOFF YARDAGE STATISTICS STATS NO YARDS AVG TB OB 2004 45 2797 62.2 10 1 MINI-PROFILE, DRAFT SCOUT NEWS 01/13/2005 - (East-West Shrine Practice Note) - PK Matt Payne, BYU: Provided some highlights this week with some impressive punting. Payne, who has seen action as both a punter and kicker this week, routinely booted punts of fifty yards or more, with most scraping the clouds. 11/03/2004 - P/PK Matt Payne -- The senior has been named Mountain West Conference special teams player of the week four times this season and seven times in his career. Payne is averaging a league best 45.2 yards on punts, is 12 of 14 on field goals and set a BYU record with his 64th consecutive PAT in an Oct. 23 win at Air Force. 10/05/2004 - DRAFT 2005 PROSPECT - #38 K/P MATT PAYNE, (BYU), 6032, 238 lbs Big, physical athlete for a kicker/punter...that led the Cougars to a 31-21 win over Colorado State on Saturday with outstanding special teams play...the strong legged kicker/punter is the the only prospect listed on both the Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award watch lists...on Saturday Payne averaged 47.6 yards per punt on 5 punts and added seven points in the Cougars' 10-point victory over Colorado State...he kicked a 52-yard field goal to give BYU an early 3-0 lead with 9:55 left in the second quarter and also added 4 PAT's...Payne was also credited with another bone-jarring tackle in kickoff coverage and has 3 "monster" special teams hits on the season. Payne holds the MWC record for most career field goals with 46 and has hit 55 consecutive point-after attempts.... BYU leads the nation in net punting average, with 42.9 yards per punt. Payne ranks third nationally in overall punting with a 46.5 yards-per-punt average. Also, Payne is a perfect 6-for-6 from 40 yards or more on the season, including 2-for-2 from over 50 yards. Payne has scored 269 career points, including a team leading 32 points this season. JUNIOR SEASON - (2003): An Honorable Mention All- MWC selection ... saw action at both punter and kicker in all 12 games ... was listed as a candidate for both the Lou Groza and Ray Guy awards ... a preseason all-league selection ... earned preseason All-America honors ... an Athlon Sports second-team Preseason All-American ... selected by The Sporting News as a preseason second-team All-American ... listed by TSN as the second-ranked punter in the nation ... led the Mountain West Conference with an average 44.0 yards per punt ... recorded at least one punt of 51 yards or more in all 12 games during the season ... credited with a season-high 67-yarder against Stanford ... also recorded a punt of 66 yards at Wyoming ... posted an average of 51.0 yards per punt in three different games, including a career-best 51.6 yards per punt at UNLV ... recorded a season- high 10 punts for 409 yards in the Cougars? 10-7 win at New Mexico, averaging 40.9 yards per punt ... recorded a total of 22 punts over 50 yards on the season ... also tallied 22 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line ... only eight punts were credited as touchbacks ... 44 of his punts were returned for an average of only 11 yards per return ... credited with 14-of-18 field goal attempts, including a long of 53 yards ... became the first kicker in BYU history to kick two 50-yard-plus field goals in a single-game (vs. #4 USC) ... booted a career-long 53-yard field goal against the Trojans in the first half, followed by a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter to pull the Cougars to within just three points of the Trojans with 7:05 remaining ... his 53-yard field goal against USC tied for the second longest field goal in school history ... was 3-for-3 in the Cougars' 44-36 win at San Diego State ... was also 2-for-2 in the Cougars' overtime win at UNLV, including a 50-yarder that tied the score at 13-13 with two seconds left before the half ... credited with eight tackles as a result of aggressive special teams play ... named Special Teams player of the game by the coaching staff against USC, UNM and UNLV. SOPHOMORE SEASON - (2002): Earned All-MWC First Team honors ... garnered post-season All-America honorable mention recognition ... a Phil Steele's College Football Preview second-team All-MWC selection ... named team's Special Teams Most Valuable Player ... ranked second nationally with 51 punts for an average 47.6 yards per punt ... posted a season long punt of 76 yards against San Diego State ... also recorded punts of 70 (vs. Syracuse), 72 (vs. Nevada), 64 (vs. Hawaii) and 63 (vs. Wyoming) ... credited with 21 punts of 50 yards or more, including 4 50-yarders against New Mexico ... landed 11 punts inside the 20-yardline ... pinned Nevada inside its own 20-yardline 3 different times ... credited with a 28-yard run for a first down against New Mexico ... was 13-of-16 in field goal attempts, including a long of 52 yards ... earned MWC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honors after posting a 44.4 yards-per-punt average against New Mexico, and posted three straight field goals ... was a perfect 8-for-8 from 20-39 yards ... posted a mark of 4-for-6 from 40-49 yards out ... after missing the first two field goals in the season-opener against Syracuse, connected on 13 of his next 14 field goal attempts ... was 27-of-30 on PATs. FRESHMAN SEASON - (2001): Competed in all 14 games for the Cougars as a freshman ... earned All-Academic MWC honors ... a 2001 Cougar Club Academic Award recipient ... earned MWC Special Teams Player-of- the-Week honors after nailing a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give BYU a 41-38 victory at Mississippi State ... also connected on a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter at MSU to pull the Cougars to within a touchdown ... made 73-of-76 point-after attempts, setting an NCAA record for most point-after attempts (76) ... ranked second on the BYU roster in scoring, posting 109 points on the season ... tied a BYU single-game record with 10 successful extra-point attempts (vs. Tulane) ... connected on 33 straight PATs during the season ... posted five or more successful PATs in nine different games this season... was 12-of-17 on field goal attempts ... posted a season-high 50-yard field goal at UNLV ... was four-of-six on field goal attempts between 40-49 yards ... was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts between 30-39 yards. REDSHIRT - (2000): Redshirted.

My last Clumpy printout has Lindell with 2 years left, here are the #s: Salary: $825,000. Amortized Bonuses:$287,500 Other Bonuses: $200,000 Cap hit: $1,312,500. Cap savings before 6/1 $507,000. 2005 dead cap < 6/1 $575,000 2005 dead cap > 6/1 $287,500. Based on these #s if we cut Lindell post 6/1 he costs us $287,500 on this year's cap & we don't have to pay the bum another $825,000. We save a total of $1,025,000 on the 2005 cap. If we keep Rheem & Pochman Rheem costs $230,000, Pochman costs $380,000 for a total of $610,000. That saves $415,000 in cap #.

Too late, season tickets have already been charged for 2 exhibition games. Same thing for regular season games.

Shane Matthews has retired & we're signing Rob Johnson to be our 3rd stringer

I've never understood the fascination with Bocce's pizza. I've always thought their pizza was below average. I think it's more homesickness of those who moved away than the taste, because it ain't that good. Personally, I liked the old Picos in Tonawanda a lot better than Bocce. They closed around 1990 and someone else moved in & changed the name. Back when I was living in Kenmore, a Bills road game always started with a Pico's pizza, never a Bocce.

We need more endings like Alex Mengel's. The link talks about his crimes, pretty sick, if you don't remember them. What the story doesn't say is that after he was returned from Canada, he "tried to escape" in the police car and had to be shot to death. No court costs, no muss, no fuss. These child killers need to be "trying to escape" a little more often. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0...,964094,00.html

Maybe not. His improvement means he's a solid K, but he's still inconsistent on kickoffs. Pochman (for KOs) & Rheem combined cost less than Lindell if Rian is released after 6/1.

How about: Flutie has signed to be the backup to a great quarterback, who has won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls. This thread has to be one of the all time worst in TSW history. OP comes up with an idea too stupid to even bother replying to and then gets mad at people who do and calls them morons etc. I think he should get a sideline pass at Foxboro so he can smooch Dougie's @ss, instead of wasting our time with his childish Flutie worshiping posts.

Here's my final order of finish for the top 6 after mulling things over the past 2 days: Bandini Afleet Alex Wilko High Fly Bellamy Road Noble Causeway I moved Afleet Alex up because his speed #s are so much more consistent than the rest & Wilko because he ran back to his top 2 year old # in his last & horses like this can have an explosive forward move.

OJ is good friends with the owner of Greeley's Galaxy. He's in Kentucky already. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...RTS08/505050464

Two reasons I have Bellamy Road so low are 1) That race at Keenland last October really makes me wonder what he can do with horses near him. 2) The Wood produced not one Derby horse other than him. The major preps including the winner produced the following # of Derby horses: Blue Grass 5, Arkansas 4, Santa Anita 4, Florida 2, Illinois 1, Wood 1. On all figures, Bellamy Road ran the fastest of all these, he also has a top trainer, but he is not battle tested and will either win by the length of the stretch or not hit the board. I'm guessing the latter-we'll know on Saturday.

Someone once posted that Pochman got hurt & was sent home, but other than his post I've heard nothing on Pochman.

The Giants had him in camp last year & he was going to be their kicker until Coughlin decided he wanted someone with more experience & cut him days before the season started & signed Christie. He did well last preseason but missed a kick that Mularkey wouldn't have let Lindell try & it cost him his roster spot. I think he's got an NFL leg & all he needs is a chance.

Here are my selections The Contenders: 15 Bandini Pletcher/Velasquez duo is set to win the Derby by sitting slightly off a hot pace up front and firing as he did in the Blue Grass. The Blue Grass is a hidden good race as both Ragozin and Thorograph sheet #s are higher relative to the Beyers than other races. Bandini’s Blue Grass got a 1.1 lower Thorograph than Afleet Alex’s Arkansas Derby #. While some feel he will bounce, since he had a 6.4 forward move from a prior top of 3.3, he has never regressed in any of his 5 starts. Even though the Blue Grass looks slow, it not only was fast, but it was the race that drew the toughest field of the final preps, 4 of the 6 horses that Bandini beat were winners of graded stakes in their race prior to the Blue Grass. Also, he is one of only one of 3 horses in this race with 3 1 1/8th races-a solid foundation leading up to this race. As solid a horse as one can find in this field of 20, and my top selection. 11 High Fly 5 for 6 lifetime, including a victory over my top choice. Bailey rides in what might be his last Derby. He’s the best of the Zito horses, although he doesn’t have the lofty figures of Bellamy Road. Should sit a good trip with a running style similar to Bandini’s. Another with a good foundation of 3 straight 1 1/8th races. 12 Afleet Alex At one point he was my first choice until I found out Bandini had a higher sheet #. Looked impressive in the Arkansas Derby, but who did he beat? The 2nd and 3rd horses are 20/1 & 50/1 ML here. He has a solid foundation with a 6 race 2yo season and 3 preps this year. However, his 1st prep was only a 6f sprint and his 2nd prep was a poor race when he had a lung infection. Biggest negative is his jockey, Jeremy Rose, who was responsible for his Breeder’s Cup defeat by Wilko last year and almost blew the Hopeful with a bad ride last summer. There’s no room for error in the Derby, where Afleet Alex will have to negotiate a come from behind trip. You can expect Rose to cost this horse at least a length or 2 somewhere in this race. Any comparison to last year’s winning rider, Stew Elliott, is unfounded, since Rose has had at least 2 bad rides on this horse already. Still, he’s one of the best horses in the race and if Rose rides the race of his life, he could make it to the top. 4 Noble Causeway Another Zito horse who ran 2nd to stablemate High Fly in the Florida Derby. Only horses to beat him this year are Bandini & High Fly. Nothing to really knock him. He’s the 3rd horse with the last 3 races at 1 1/8th. He has a decent shot to run in the superfecta and might even run 2nd or 3rd. It’s tough to see him winning this but he could be a Travers horse. 16 Bellamy Road He’s the favorite off his Wood Memorial blowout, earning a lofty 120 Beyer and a negative 5 on the Thorograph Sheets. I’m not concerned about a bounce-his –0.1 going into the Wood shows he has developed into a fast horse since Zito took over, but his running style is why I can’t put him any better than 4th. With the exception of his 1st race, a 6f sprint, he has always gone right to the lead. This year he’s gotten loose on the lead in both his races and ran like a wild horse. Well this time he will be getting pressured every step of the way, and I doubt he can handle it. If he doesn’t go for the lead, he may get totally discouraged running behind horses in a huge field. His two distance races as a 2 yo send the alarms ringing on this one. In the MGD Cradle he lost 3 ¼ lengths in the stretch of a 1 1/16th race. Worse was his Breeder’s Futurity at Keenland last October, where he went for the lead, weakened, and finished 7th, 12 lengths behind. After that race George Steinbrenner fired Michael Dickenson and replaced him with Nick Zito, who is 2/2 with him-both blow out victories. Another negative is he only has 2 races this year, something that hasn’t worked well for past Derby entrants. 9 Greeley’s Galaxy Tomlinson indicates he’s bred for it, waiting for a OTB Channel Breeding # on Saturday. Jumped up from a prior top of 4.3 to a –2 Thorograph sheet # in blowout win in the Illinois Derby. Another one who hasn’t beaten anyone of consequence, but he’s one of only 4 with a negative sheet #. He might be the toughest horse in this race for me to figure. Best of the rest, could be in the superfecta: 7 Flower Alley Tomlinson breeding figure is really different than OTB Channel Breeding here. Finished way behind Afleet Alex in the Arkansas Derby, and really hasn’t beaten anything of quality. If you trust the OTB Channel Breeding #, he could make it up for 4th. 14 Wilko Tomlinson & doseage say no, OTB Channel Breeding says he has the best distance pedigree in the race. Here’s a horse who, off his Beyers looks like he’s failed to progress as a 3yo. Has only 2 races this year & may still not be ready to fire his best race. He’s a total unknown on the surface, since he has trained at Hollywood for this. Could finish as high as 3rd, could finish last. 2 Andromeda’s Hero If the front runners all collapse, he could suck up for 3rd or 4th. More likely to finish 9th, where I have him. Forget about them (in no particular order): 13 Spanish Chestnut Best pick for last place. He’ll be 1st early, last late. 1 Sort It Out Too slow & outclassed 17 Don’t Get Mad no comment . 19 Going Wild–recent form bad 2 Closing Argument Too slow. 10 Giacomo–Breeding says no, eligible for nw1 other than 5 Coin Silver Probably the 2nd best of this no chance bunch. 8 Greater Good Beyers say he’s way too slow. 6 High Limit–Pace says no, better than most of these losers 20 Buzzards Bay– Worst post, bad 1 ¼ breeding. 2nd last to SC 3 Sun King– Best form of this bunch, OTB Channel Breeding # says no way.