It still would be nice if he was the #1 DE. That would make him probably in the top 15 with Branch and Leon Hall.

Sure it would be nice, but your making a multi-million dollar investment...who would YOU take? Do you actually think that Russell(LSU) put up better numbers that Quinn? I know for a fact that he diddn't, but these pro scouts see 6'6" and 260lbs with a rocket-arm and mobility and they start drooling(ala Vince Young..only BIGGER)...not to say that "on-the-field" production dosen't get taken into account..quite the contrary...but in the case of QB's, it's also LARGELY a matter of potential(see Jim Druckenmiller).

DE's are looked at and held up to the standard of current All-Pro players, which isn't very fair I know, but again, these owners are making big-money investments and these GM's jobs are on the line....DE's selected in the 1st round must be considered "game-changing" players/talent.

Well, Woodley will just have to prove them wrong in the Pros

Precisely!! And he'll have ample opportunity when he goes to some lucky team in the late 2nd or 3rd round(depending on his pro-day workout).

So where do you guys think Marty will end up in? I know he wants to return to coaching if he has the chance, but retirement is still an option.

He's a coach, through and through, I don't see him taking a front-office position anywhere. He'll probably do some television for the next year or two and then throw his hat back into the head coaching ring when guys like Romeo Crennel in Cleveland and Mike Holmgren in Seattle and some others get canned in the next couple of years unless they're teams make it deep into the playoffs.

Yup...I think Minnesota should fire Childress and hire Marty!

And lo the Vikes shall begin a long, storied campaign of dropping out of the playoffs in the first round.

I haven't posted here in a while.

It's better than not making the playoffs at all!

Plus, I think the playoff game that SD lost was a heartbreaker...

I think you're right on both counts, to a certain extent.

Broncos' RB Nash dead at 24.

Boy, Denver seems "snake-bit" at this point, and the doctors STILL aren't sure what killed Nash. His brother had a heart condition that he actually needed to be hooked-up to a machine to help his circulation at one point and The Bronco's RB had JUST left a charity basketball event to help raise money for their foundation......sad and unfortunate.

Man, Calvin Johnson is a BEAST! 239 lbs and he ran a 4.35!

Adrian Peterson's no slacker either. 4.35 and a 39" vertical leap!

Remember Mike Mamula? He was a "work-out" warrior to....and a flop as the 7th overall pick for Philly......now, I'm in no way insinuating that Johnson or Peterson will be flops, but combine workouts are only a PART of this process. I put more stock into the pro-day workouts of these college players beacuse the coaches can put them "through the paces" in an enviornment that isn't so "scripted"...all that being said....those were damn impressive numbers for a couple of potential "game-changing" young players.....TE Greg Olson(UM) also helped himself tremendously by posting a 4.45 dash time at 253lbs.

Remember Oakland's Robert Gallery????

But still, a 4.35 at 239 is pretty amazing.

Yeah, lol, we could go on for hours on the the subject of "great measurables" and no production. I agree those stats are amazing, and everyone agrees that Johnson is a can't-miss prospect, but I just like to wait until the pro-day workouts when coaches from specific teams can workout these players in more of a hands-on manner..........Tony Mandarich?....Ryan Leaf?

Ryan Leaf!!!

Calvin Johnson reminds me of a stronger Randy Moss...albeit he is a little slower and probably can't jump as high.

Is Ryan Leaf even still alive?

I hear he tried to kill himself but the bullet got intercepted....at least he's consistant.

Well, The Vikes cut Brad Johnson...not that I'm shocked...but all this does is tip Brad Childress' hand in either the draft or free-agency....can anyone say Jeff Garcia? I hear Joey Harrington is available, lol. I personally(unless there was some sort of roster bonus due to him I'm unaware of) would have waited until after June 1st(where you see most of the veteran cuts get made) to cut him just in case you don't get the QB you want in the draft or free-agency.

WOW....the cuts are starting to come fast and furious now....Porter, McCardell, Bledsoe just to name a few, and the trade that sent Dre Bly to Denver and George Foster, Tatum Bell, and a 5th round pick to Detroit changes the dynamic of the draft from The Lions standpoint. With the addition of Foster at RT(and Jeff Backus at LT) they no longer have the glaring need to draft a Joe Thomas as they had before, so IMO, it looks like the two most likely picks would be 1. Whomever The Raiders DON'T pick at QB as the 1st overall pick or 2. Calvin Johnson...would they REALLY pick another WR as they're 1st choice for the 4th year in a row?

The way I see it, Tampa Bay has a decision to make, Calvin Johnson(Detroit, we're assuming) may not be there at #4....do they go with a Joe Thomas? or possibly whomever dosen't get chosen 1st out of Russell and Quinn(beacuse I believe that Cleveland has they're sights set on Peterson at #3)...possibly even Landry(LSU).

Detriot WILL not take Johnson. They will go OL or DL.

Man, these free agents are coming fast! Kevin Carter, Adalius Thomas, London Fletcher-Baker, etc. There are a lot of Free agent WRs: Joe Horn, Antonio Bryant, McCardell, and Moulds. Hopefully Minn. can pick up Bryant and Horn

Man, I can't believe Minnesota cut Jermaine Wiggins...I don't like Childress very much...

Man, the NFL is in a flurry! Plummer is retiring, Clements got the biggest deal in the history of the NFL, and check the rest out here:

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10033511

I love and hate Free Agency

So Jeff Garcia's signed with the Bucs. Do you think it'll matter?

I can't see them going OL with Backus and now Foster in the mix at OT...Quinn or Russell or Johnson seems more plausable(even though my gut tells me that Matt Millen KNOWS that if he dosen't show some sort of improvement IMMEDIATELY this year that he's a gonner next year, so I find it hard to believe that he could pass-up a sure-fire talent like Johnson over an unproven rookie QB like Quinn or Russell...just my gut feeling.)




I was a bit taken aback by this move also, wasn't he the leading receiver last year?

Not to sure, QB is the BIGGEST crap-shoot in professional sports, but he's(Garcia) a "west-coast offense" QB and Gruden is a west-coast offense running coach of offense...I thought Gradkowski did a decent job as a rookie 6th round choice thrust into a starters role last year...They trade for Jake Plummer and he abruptly retires( )....boy, Chris Simms must feel like s**t right now. I hope he's made-out his change of address form, cause either this year or next, he's a gonner.

The Fins sign Joey Porter....at least they've started to make some signings, all they've been doing is cleaning-house lately. They release McMichael, trade Welker, release McIntosh & James on the OL, release Harrington and Carter.....needless to say, they have ALOT of holes to fill on offense.

As usual the Raiders are doing nothing.

Honestly, I don't see much The Raiders CAN do in this free agent market, they're pretty-well set on defense, and who was available on offense(especially on the OL side) that made your toes tingle? If they were smart, they would get as much as they could for Moss and bite the bullet for the next two years to bring that franchise back to the proud stature that it's accustomed to being in.

Minnesota is doing nothing either...

I don't see where anyone has signed Wiggins yet, he may re-sign with The Vikes. The OL looks good, Chester Taylor is a good RB, it looks to me like Childress is looking to the draft to fill his needs, which isn't a HORRIBLE strategy, but it will take time...especially if they hope that Brady Quinn will fal into they're laps at #7(which I don't, I have trouble seeing him getting past Detroit or even Tampa Bay...depending on who takes Calvin Johnson first...the flurry of free-agent moves has changed the dynamic of the draft SIGNIFICANTLY). I still see The Vikes taking Ted Ginn Jr with #7.

My updated top ten:

Oakland: Jamarcus Russell QB

Detroit: Brady Quinn QB(Just a gut-feeling here, you could still se a trade-down here to someone who wants Calvin Johnson bad enough)

Cleveland: Adrian Peterson RB

Tampa Bay: Calvin Johnson WR(I want to give them Joe Thomas here, but they just signed Luke Petitgout, and passing-up on a talent like Johnson is something I just can't see Gruden doing)

Arizona: Gaines Adams DE

Washington: Jamaal Anderson DE

Minnesota: Ted Ginn Jr. WR

Houston: Joe Thomas OL(somehow, I get the feeling that there's going to be a trade-down either here or at #2 or #3)

Miami: Alan Branch DT(with Quinn, Ginn Jr., and Thomas off the board, this is the pick...unless they feel they can trade-down for someone that wants LaRon Landry and knows that Atlanta is poised to nab him at #10.....I know Miami also really likes Amobi Okoye).

Atlanta: LaRon Landry S

The Browns are going to have a good 1-2 punch if the pick up Peterson. Jamal Lewis and Adrian Peterson!!!

I really hope you're right on this one. Joey Galloway is getting old, Ike Hilliard is old, and Michael Clayton hasn't done anything since his rookie year. So far I am liking the signing in free agency from the Bucs, and hopefully continue that in the draft with Calvin being our first pick and go defense the rest of the draft.

It really is a toss-up at #3, The Browns sign Jamal Lewis for only 1 year....which makes me believe that they'll take Peterson for the future....but if Detroit takes Quinn over Thomas at #2 then The Browns have a problem....Peterson for the future, or Thomas(whose probably more readly to step in right away at the crucial LT position and man it for the next 10 years) for the here and now, especially after they signed Kevin Shaffer to that big free agent contract in 2005 to be their LT...unless they don't think that he's good enough to do the job. The only other alternative I see is a trade-down with either Minnesota(to jump in front of Tampa Bay and grab Calvin Johnson) or Miami(who has an extra 2nd round pick to offer from the Wes Welker trade w/ New England)....but if everybody decides that the price of a trade-up with Cleveland is too steep, then the Browns have a bit of a quandry at #3.

If Adrian Peterson can cut down on the number of hits he takes he'll be a monster of a power running back. Most of the other draft players I'm pretty much clueless on, however. Though none of you should be surprised to hear that.

That's why events like thhis can be so informative, Snuffs. Peterson is the real deal, but in the pro's your going to take hits, and you either learn to play and adapt to it....or you become Ron Dayne/Tyrone Wheatley, lol.

Bah! Soccer rules <3 and wow, this thread is HUGE.

Wow, Minnesota must suck...No one wants to join them. Our biggest off-season pickup has been Drew henson!

Bucs land Cato June. Sweeetttt.

I'm originally from Indianapolis.
That's all I need to say....GO PEYTON!!

I don't think it's that nobody wants to go to Minnesota, it's that there isn't a whole lot out there right now(or even earlier) that could make all that big a difference....and DEFINITELY nothing worth overpaying for. Other than a few "impact" FA's(Adalius Thomas, Joey Porter, Nate Clements etc.) there wasn't a whole lot in free agency worth throwing big dollars at "value-wise"(Leonard Davis will be cut by Dallas within 2 years, I don't understand overpaying for him at all) and some of the more impulsive GM's and personnel men in the league are gonna find-out the hard way that just beacuse you HAVE the cap space/money dosen't mean you should throw it at guys who aren't worth it.....which is why you are seeing more trades discussed and executed than in previous years and more restricted free agents being courted by other teams, especially by teams that feel that they're only one or two impact players away from championship contention........The Patriots are GOING for it, no doubt about it, lol.

NOOOOO!!!! My Boys! So, so far, CATO JUNE has signed with the TB BUCS, and Brandon Stokely has signed with the DENVER BRONCOS.

Ahmand Green is with the Texans!

Yep, alot of movement so far this off-season....and things are FAR from over. I think Green will be o.k. in Houston, but unless they shore-up that OL, he may be forced into early retirement.

Things are really beginning to shape-up with regards to the draft. It looks like there maybe 3-4 potential trades being discussed regarding the top-10 picks ALONE, lol. By the time April 28th rolls around, the top-ten may look COMPLETELY different.

JaMarcus Russel has locked up the #1 pick...I wonder who the Lions are going to take?

I think they trade-down with either Cleveland(depends on how bad they want either Quinn or Thomas) or more likely Tampa(Calvin Johnson), but if neither one of them wants to ante-up the goods to obtain the 2nd overall pick, I think Matt Millen would be(or would CLAIM to be) perfectly happy with a choice of Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, or Brady Quinn. After the first 2 picks, the rest of the top-ten should be an easy one to call.

Knowing Millen, he'll take Calvin Johnson...

But THIS year...who could really blame him?

Calvin Johnson is a beast. I wouldn't blame him for taking him.

My condolences to Titan fans, just read Vince Young will be the coverman to Madden 08. He had such a bright future.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cf...p;news_id=55690