Colston agrees to 3-year extension with Saints
July 23, 2008
Posted by Doug Tatum, The Times-Picayune July 23, 2008 5:29PM
JACKSON, MISS. – Star wide receiver Marques Colston has agreed to terms on a three-year extension with the Saints, General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Wednesday in his pre-training camp address,
Colston, a seventh-round pick in 2006, has far outplayed his rookie contract. In two seasons, he’s caught 168 passes for 2,240 yardsand 19 touchdowns.
Loomis said he can’t remember ever signing a player to an extension after two years. “He’s been a nice surprise for us,” Loomis said. “We’re excited to have Marques and to know that he’s going to part of the New Orleans Saints through 2011.”
“He’s steady and consistent and does his job” Saints Coach Sean Payton said. “As a player that was selected in round seven, he’s started off on a good note. .. He brings a level of consistency and he knows what to do.”
Payton, in his pre-camp address to media at Millsaps College, said Wednesday that 79 players reported to camp and that the team is in good shape. Three players – safety Josh Bullocks, cornerback Mike McKenzie and tight end Eric Johnson – will miss the first few days of practice because of injury.
Bullocks and McKenzie are on the physically unable to perform list. Payton said they could come off the list in a few days. Payton said Johnson will be out longer.
Cornerback Jerametrius Butler did not report. Payton said he decided to retire.
Payton said star running back Deuce McAllister came to camp at 227 pounds, a light weight for the former Ole Miss star coming off of two knee surgeries. He did not take part in the conditioning tests but Payton said he will take part in camp activities.
McAllister said he met with his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews on Monday and that he was cleared to go.
“I don’t know if it will be two-a-days right from the beginning … But I feel good about my health.”
McAllister said this is not a day he’s been eagerly anticipating.
“This is just another step. This isn’t the big day.”
Newly acquired tight end Jeremy Shockey will be listed as limited but soon will be at full speed, Payton said. Shockey missed the end of last season with the Giants after suffering a broken leg.
Loomis said the Shockey trade was the result of lengthy talks, starting before April’s draft. Loomis said he made a call to the Giants earlier this week to let them know the Saints were still interested and a deal was made.
Earlier Wednesday, the Saints announced that fifth-round draft pick Carl Nicks signed a three-year contract. That leaves first-round pick Sedrick Ellis of USC and second-round pick Tracy Porter as the only unsigned drafted players.
Loomis said right now he expects a lengthy holdout from Ellis and Porter because no deals are getting done around them.
Payton also said he doesn’t expect defensive end Charles Grant to be distracted by his legal situation in Georgia. Grant has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and has an arraignment date set for Aug. 15 in Early County, Ga.
As far as camp battles, Payton said he expects cornerback and wide receiver to be tough competitions. But he said at every position – except for quarterback – there will be tough competition for playing time.
Saints owner Tom Benson and his wife Gayle were in attendance at the opening press conference.
Saints trade for Jeremy Shockey
July 22, 2008
Saints trade for Jeremy Shockey – New Orleans Saints Beat – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune July 21, 2008 1:39PM
Categories: Breaking News, Saints
APJeremy Shockey is now a Saint.It took nearly six months, but the New Orleans Saints finally got their man, agreeing to a trade for New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey on Tuesday.
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed the deal, which is still contingent on league approval and Shockey passing a physical. League sources said the Saints gave up a second-round and fifth-round pick in 2009.
The Saints have been targeting Shockey since before the start of free agency in February, and they had reportedly offered similar picks in this year’s draft back in March and April. But the Giants had been reluctant to give up the volatile four-time Pro Bowler for anything less than a first-round pick.
Perhaps the Giants finally had enough of the tension created by their disgruntled star, who was reportedly pushing for the trade to New Orleans.
Shockey will be reunited with Saints Coach Sean Payton, who served as the Giants’ offensive coordinator during Shockey’s rookie season in 2002. Shockey caught 74 passes for 894 yards that year – both of which remain his career highs. He has reportedly become increasingly upset in recent years that he isn’t more involved in the Giants’ passing attack.
Nevertheless, Shockey (6-foot-5, 251 pounds) is one of the NFL’s premier blocking tight ends, and his versatility will give the Saints offense a dimension that it has not had during Payton’s tenure.
Shockey’s presence also makes things a bit crowded at the tight end position, where veterans Eric Johnson, Mark Campbell and Billy Miller will now be battling for roster spots during training camp.
The Saints will report to camp Wednesday at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., with the first set of two-a-day practices scheduled for Thursday.
DREW BREES on USO tour Supporting the TROOPS!
July 16, 2008
Roger Goodell sounded totally spent over the phone from Afghanistan, but he also sounded totally exhilarated at the same time. That’s what taking a one-week trip to the twin war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan last week did for him.
“A life-changing experience,” he told me Friday, late at night his time, and early afternoon my time. “I’m absolutely exhausted, but it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever gotten to do.”
Friday is when Goodell, Osi Umenyiora and Drew Brees helicoptered into FOB Tillman, a base just 700 meters from the Pakistan border, and a base close to — and very similar to — the one that was attacked by Taliban extremists early Sunday morning, resulting in the deaths of nine American soldiers.
This Tillman base, as with many others in the Afghan war, is invented and built to gain a foothold in an eastern area of the country that sees an attempted daily influx of Taliban. The American troops must intercept the Pakistanis, then determine whether they’re either harmless (Bedouin tribesman, perhaps, or simple shepherds), or militants invading the country to try to drive out the Americans.
It’s not always easy to tell, and it’s not always easy to prevent the Taliban from secretly crossing the border and engaging in firefights with the Americans. On Sunday morning, somehow, the militants crossed the border, gained access to the small base and used grenade launchers and machine guns to kill nine and wound 15 American troops.
All of which made the will-Brett-Favre-play-or-won’t-he stuff dominating the football news rather insignificant to the Goodell party, back on American soil Monday.
“The news was a lot more personal than it would have been a week ago,” said Goodell, back at his Manhattan desk Monday afternoon. “And my first thought was: ‘Did I just meet these kids?’
Goodell said at FOB Tillman, 10 troops stood lookout on one hill near the base and 14 on another hill close by. These sentries were charged with securing the border and stayed atop the hills for days at a time. The base commander told Goodell that about eight kilometers away on the previous day, 70 soldiers from the base engaged insurgents in a firefight with no American casualties. On Sunday, men and women from the nearby base weren’t so lucky.
“What impressed me so much,” Goodell told me, “is of all the men and women we met at so many different bases, not a single one complained about anything — not their missions, not about how long they were there, nothing. It’s inspiring. We are so fortunate to have so many great people in service to our country. And I felt how meaningful and important the NFL is to these people.
“One of the most sobering moments of the tour was our return to Bagram Airbase [the main U.S. base in Eastern Afghanistan] from FOB Tillman. Shortly after we landed we were driven to an area on the flight line to take part in a Fallen Comrade Ceremony for two of our soldiers. Our entire group stood in a line on the airfield along with hundreds of other soldiers, paying our respects as the coffins were loaded into a cargo plane. It was absolutely quiet and emotional. My heart goes out to all the families as well as their fellow soldiers.”
I saw one of those on my USO trip to Afghanistan in March. Unforgettably emotional. I get choked up thinking about it four months later. I’ve got to applaud Goodell, Brees and Umenyiora for taking this trip, particularly so close to the season. I felt a searing gratitude from everyone I met in the military in my week overseas; I can only imagine how a marquee quarterback, a Super Bowl champion and the commissioner of the game were made to feel.
Not to get on my flag-waving soapbox here, but I’d really love to see a couple of coaches and more high-profile players go next year. Regardless of your feelings about these conflicts — and I admit I’m a card-carrying dove if there ever was one — we cannot do enough to show the men and women risking their lives how much we appreciate what they do. Stepping outside the cocoon of the NFL to do that is something more of our football heroes should do.
***
One comment on the Favre interview on Fox News last night. In retrospect, Favre should probably have told the Packers last March that he wouldn’t make a decision on his future ’til June 1, and if the Packers couldn’t live with that, they should release him. Hindsight’s 20/20. But it’s clear now we’re dealing with a player who thought he was convinced he was done but clearly wasn’t in a frame of mind to make any absolute judgments in late February or early March.
If you could hear the tone of the voicemail he left me in March — I was in Afghanistan, and he left me a three-minute message with the reasons for his retirement — you’d be amazed at his flip-flop now. I’ve played the message for people in the last couple of months, and invariably they say words to this effect: “Man, he’s done. He’s beat.” Just goes to show you it’s probably not a good deal with emotional people to rush into decisions.
Click Below to continue reading….
USO visit humbles Goodell – Peter King – SI.com
Fantasy Football around the corner; RB’s preview
June 27, 2008
Come in, No. 5 – Fantasy Sports – NOLA.com
Posted by Ross Devonport June 26, 2008 7:59PM
Categories: football
AP Photo / A.J. MastJoseph Addai was a stud at LSU. Can he be one for your Fantasy team too?
LaDainian Tomlinson. Adrian Peterson. Brian Westbrook. Steven Jackson.
They are unquestionably the top four running backs in the world of Fantasy Football, although not necessarily in that order. The big question is who is the next best running back?
Here are my candidates for that fifth spot, in alphabetical order:
Joseph Addai — Addai is undoubtedly a first-round pick in every single Fantasy Football draft out there, but he has a few things going against him. The fact he plays in such a pass-heavy offense limits his touches sometimes. Also, add in the facts that he struggled quite a bit in the second half of last season, and that the Colts brought in Dominic Rhodes this offseason, and you have yourself a dilemma. Rhodes knows the system well, and is Tony Dungy leaning towards a semi-committee in the backfield this season? We’ll have to wait and see.
Marion Barber — Barber is an interesting proposition this season, in that he will be a clear No. 1 running back for the first time in his career and won’t have to worry about that annoying Julius Jones (annoying in Fantasy terms, anyway). But while one Jones is long gone, another one arrived via the draft as the Cowboys took a chance on Felix Jones of Arkansas. Barber signed a big deal in the spring, so the money won’t be a motivating factor in 2008. How much you read into that is up to you, but it’s always something to think about. The No. 5 pick might be a bit high for him, but you’ll look like a genius if you reach for him and he puts up 1,500 yards and 12-15 touchdowns.
Frank Gore — Gore took a bit of a step back last season, but any runner would have done the same thing in that mess they call San Francisco. The former Cane put up nearly 1,700 yards and eight touchdowns in 2006, and the people who take him as the fifth running back in drafts will clearly be hoping he puts up those kinds of numbers again in 2008. The names Mike Martz and DeShaun Foster might concern some folk when it comes to Gore, but he averaged 107 yards in each of his final three games last season, which is always a good sign.
Larry Johnson — Johnson left many owners cursing his name last season when he missed eight games with a broken foot. In the eight games he did play in, he was hit or miss with three games over 100 yards rushing and five under 60 yards. If you’ve paid any attention to the NFL over the past few years, you know what LJ is capable of when he’s on form. The questions are: Can he return to that form in 2008? Will the Chiefs open enough holes for him? And, do you have the cojones to pull the trigger on him in the first eight picks and head into the season with him as your No. 1 back? Just don’t ask me.
Clinton Portis — After vanishing in an injury-plagued 2006 season, Portis came back nicely in 2007 with 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns. He will get a taste of the West Coast offense this season, but running backs have had mixed success in that system. The real question is going to be whether Jason Campbell can produce enough offense through the air to force the opposition to respect both aspects of the Redskins offense. If he can stay healthy, he’s a legitimate threat for 1,500 and a dozen touchdowns no problem.Along with those five contenders, you could also possibly toss in Marshawn Lynch and his legal troubles, Willis McGahee and his six-touchdown average over the last three seasons, and maybe even Green Bay’s Ryan Grant or Cleveland veteran Ray Lewis. Those four have major question marks, however, and should probably be left to the end of the first round or the start of the second round in your draft.
So, who would I take? I usually go the safe route, so I would certainly lean towards taking Addai, who won’t put up massive games on a frequent basis but will get you consistent points every week. If I felt like being risky, like in a non-money league, I would go with Barber. He’s exciting to watch and you know how much extra stressful exciting it will be if your Fantasy week is resting on MB3′s shoulders.
Saints’ top rookie Ellis has to carry his weight
June 1, 2008
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Peter Finney
As Sedrick Ellis met the media after a two-hour get-acquainted practice, rivulets of sweat still were rolling down the round face of the man the Saints picked in the first round of last April’s draft.
According to his calculations, it was about four pounds of sweat, give or take a few ounces. That left Ellis, he figured, slightly on the sunny side of 300 — this for a defensive tackle who played for Southern Cal last season at anywhere from 295 to 310.
With May winding down, it didn’t matter what Ellis weighed the first day of minicamp. The only thing that matters is his “quickness weight” when he tees it up for the season opener in September against Tampa Bay, likely as a front-four starter, alongside Hollis Thomas, and inside ends Will Smith and Charles Grant.
It’s not stretching a point to suggest no new face on the roster figures to have a greater impact on Sean Payton’s record than the guy wearing jersey No. 98.
Look at it this way.
The 2008 Saints cannot afford a top pick to contribute zero seconds for an entire season, which was the case last season with wide receiver Robert Meachem.
What the Saints need from Sedrick Ellis is a 180-degree flipside: Consistent quality minutes to help a defense come alive, to become a disruptive force. That is a far cry from the somewhat passive group it was a year ago, when it came up with a mere 10 interceptions in 16 games, and surrendered 54 completions of 20-plus yards.
Will Ellis have an impact?
“My first impressions are very positive,” said Pro Bowl player Will Smith, a first-rounder in 2004. “I like his explosiveness, the way he comes off the ball. When you’re playing on the outside like me, you’ve got time to make a decision. When you’re on the inside everything is happening right away. It’s happening — NOW. That’s a big difference.”
The man who recruited Ellis out of high school as an assistant at Southern Cal will be coaching him for the Saints. Payton plucked Ed Orgeron from the unemployment line during Senior Bowl week in January. For the man turned loose by Ole Miss, Orgeron felt twice blessed
Job hunting in Mobile, Ala., he not only landed a job, he got to watch Ellis practice and play.
“I thought Sedrick was the standout player among the entire group,” Orgeron said.
The 6-foot-1 kid who had impressed Orgeron as a prepster mainly for his “strength” was generating the kind of “first-step explosiveness quickness” NFL teams look for in a defensive tackle.
“When Sedrick was a redshirt freshman at USC,” Orgeron said, “we were practicing for a bowl game against Oklahoma. We were allowed 20 practices, and over that stretch Sedrick kept improving, practice after practice.”
Orgeron remembered Trojans Coach Pete Carroll saying, “He’s going to be a special player.”
For Orgeron, whose college coaching tour included stops at Miami, Syracuse and Southern Cal, Ellis was among a number of first-round defensive tackles he recruited out of high school — big, fast bodies that went by the name of Warren Sapp (6-2, 281), Cortez Kennedy (6-3, 293), Russ Maryland (6-1, 285), Mike Patterson (6-0, 292), Lawrence Jackson (6-5, 268), and Kenechi Udeze (6-3, 281).
“Would you believe Warren Sapp was a quarterback in eighth grade?” Orgeron said. “He started out in college as a tight end, then moved to defensive tackle, which gives you an idea of the athleticism the top defensive tackles have.”
When he talked about Ellis, Orgeron said things like “long-legged,” “short torso,” “long arms,” “hands down,” “change direction,” all part of someone, he said, “has the build of an ice box.”
A quick ice box, of course.
Top defensive tackles always draw double-teams. “You never allow one man to beat you,” Orgeron said. “When you start beating the double-team, you feel like you’ve arrived.”
Bobby Hebert and Orgeron were teammates on the 1977 South Lafourche state championship team and college roommates at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.
“When Ed talks about being good enough to draw the double-team,” said Hebert, “I think of Jim Wilks, who the Saints drafted in the 12th round in ’81. It was Jim’s ability as a defensive lineman to occupy two blockers that helped those Saints linebackers (Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson) to make a lot of tackles. If Sedrick can do the same, the linebackers are going to love him.”
So will Sean Payton.
Saints trade up, get their man
April 27, 2008
Saints trade up, get their man – David Gladow – New Orleans Sports
Saints trade up, get their man
Posted by David Gladow, NOLA.com April 26, 2008 3:02PM
Categories: College Sports, NFL, Saints
AP Photo / Kevork DjansezianSedrick Ellis is headed down to New Orleans.(Dave Gladow will be keeping a draft diary for fans of the 2008 NFL Draft, chronicling his exciting day in front of the television … and offering a couch potato’s view of every first-round pick. Exciting? No. Informative? Maybe. Silly? Definitely.)
3:01 p.m. – Again, it didn’t take long for me to be wrong about something. The Saints have traded up to get Sedrick Ellis, after not making a move for Glenn Dorsey, and there was much rejoicing (at least by some). Defensive tackle was a position of dire need for a defense that simply couldn’t hold up against either the run or the pass last year, and Ellis figures to help that immediately. This is a good pick.
Likewise, Jacksoville has traded up for a defensive player (Florida DE Darrick Harvey). A nice player, but top ten? Then again, I can’t fault the Jags too much for identifying a need and trying to aggressively address it.
Gotta love the Bungles sitting put and getting passed over by both the Saints AND the Jaguars in their pursuit of a defensive player. Some things never change.
2008 New Orleans Saints Schedule
April 15, 2008
PRESEASON
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@ ARIZONA CARDINALS | Aug 07 | 7:00PM | ESPN |
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vs. HOUSTON TEXANS | Aug 16 | 7:00PM | TBA |
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@ CINCINNATI BENGALS | Aug 23 | 6:00PM | TBA |
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vs. MIAMI DOLPHINS | Aug 29 | 7:00PM | TBA |
REGULAR SEASON
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vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Sep 07 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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@ WASHINGTON REDSKINS | Sep 14 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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@ DENVER BRONCOS | Sep 21 | 3:05PM | FOX |
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vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | Sep 28 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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vs. MINNESOTA VIKINGS | Oct 06 | 7:30PM | ESPN |
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vs. OAKLAND RAIDERS | Oct 12 | 12:00PM | CBS |
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@ CAROLINA PANTHERS | Oct 19 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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vs. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS | Oct 26 | 12:00PM | CBS |
| BYE | Nov 02 |
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@ ATLANTA FALCONS | Nov 09 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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@ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | Nov 16 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS | Nov 24 | 7:30PM | ESPN |
|
@ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Nov 30 | 12:00PM | FOX |
|
vs. ATLANTA FALCONS | Dec 07 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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@ CHICAGO BEARS | Dec 11 | 7:15PM | NFLN |
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@ DETROIT LIONS | Dec 21 | 12:00PM | FOX |
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vs. CAROLINA PANTHERS | Dec 28 | 12:00PM | FOX |
ESPN Draft Analysis: The SAINTS are on the Clock
April 9, 2008
Saints must improve defense to return to postseason
As the NFL draft approaches, “SportsCenter” is putting every NFL team with a first-round pick “On the Clock,” and Scouts Inc. will break down each team and look at what questions still need answering.
Mock Draft: Saints
The Pick (No. 10 overall):
OLB Keith Rivers, USC
Brees likes moves made in offseason
March 26, 2008
Saints QB says 2007 ‘part of the learning process’
Wednesday, March 26, 2008By Mike Triplett
If you’re curious what kind of guy Drew Brees is, this nugget should tell you all you need to know:
When Brees arrived in New Orleans over the weekend, he was excited to find out that the team got new carpet in the locker room.
“As simple as that sounds, you walk in, you see it and you’re like, ‘OK, it’s a new year,’ ” said the Saints’ eternally optimistic quarterback, who was eager to get back to work after a few months of recharging and globetrotting.
Brees said he even missed the media because, “We have exciting stuff to talk about now, expectations and free agents and all that stuff.”
As expected, Brees was thrilled with the Saints’ offseason moves — the new additions, plus the players who returned — and his expectations for 2008 are higher than ever.
“What do you think?” Brees said when someone asked if he expected to be back in the playoffs this season. “Absolutely. There’s no doubt. Any expectation less than that, you might as well leave the building right now.”
The Saints fell short of their goals with a disappointing 7-9 season last year, but Brees said he didn’t see that as a hiccup, but as “part of the learning process.”
“I think you have to go through an ’07 in order to achieve the things we want to achieve long term. I believe that’s what’s happened in my career,” said Brees, who was selected the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year after a bounce-back performance with the San Diego Chargers in 2004. “My worst year, individually and as a team, was back in ’03 in San Diego, and we went from 4-12 to then 12-4 the next year. My mind-set was that it made us so much mentally stronger, and I think that’s what will happen here.
“The only reason we’re going to be able to accomplish what we’re about to accomplish in ’08 is because of what we went through in ’07.”
Brees is personally delighted to be healthy at this time of year. Every year since 2004, he has been rehabbing one injury or another, some more serious than others.
He is pleased the Saints kept the offense almost fully intact, because he said there is a level of “ESP” between everyone when you’re on the same page for so long. He admitted that it was disappointing to lose center Jeff Faine to a mega-contract in Tampa Bay. But he is happy for Faine and has faith in replacement Jonathan Goodwin.
Brees has high hopes for the defensive newcomers, namely linebacker Jonathan Vilma, whom he called “special” and “dynamic.”
And he believes the Saints can get a boost from rehabbing tailback Deuce McAllister and second-year receiver Robert Meachem, among others who weren’t able to contribute much in 2007.
“This is always an exciting time,” Brees said. “Obviously once the season ends, everybody wants to get away and should get away. It’s a good time to clear your head, spend time with family and refresh. After a few weeks, though, you start thinking about that time in March, you’re keeping up with free agency. That’s when it starts to get exciting.”
Brees stayed busy throughout the winter. He took a trip to Phoenix during Super Bowl week, played in his first Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, vacationed with his wife in China, went on a USO tour in Okinawa, Japan, with Saints tight end Billy Miller and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards and traveled to Hawaii last week for the NFL Players Association meetings.
The USO tours have become a staple of Brees’ offseason. Last year, he went to visit troops in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and he said it was a rewarding experience.
This year, he got to visit the beach his grandfather stormed in on when he was a marine in World War II. Brees spoke with his grandfather on an international phone while walking past the same landmarks his grandfather described.
“It was kind of an emotional moment,” Brees said. “I said, ‘What were you thinking, Grandpa?’ He said, ‘Well, I was 19 years old at the time. I was just trying to live to be 20.’ It puts things in perspective as to what those guys did back then and what our soldiers do now. That’s why I feel so strongly about those USO trips.”
Brees’ appearance at Pebble Beach was his first, because in the past he had always been playing in the Pro Bowl or rehabbing an injury. It was a great and terrible experience at the same time, because he and professional partner Jeff Overton missed the cut in a tie-breaker. They both bogeyed the par-5 18th hole at Poppy Hills on Saturday, when a par would have sent them into the final round.
“It was extremely disappointing,” Brees said after a deep sigh. “I felt like I lost a football game. Seriously, I was that disappointed.”
Brees, a single-digit handicap, also will take his skills to the TPC Louisiana today in the Zurich Classic’s pro-am.
CNNSI’s Peter King has Saints trading down DRAFT day
March 25, 2008
Peter King has the Saints trading from 10th spot to 15th?
What do you think?
T-minus 33 days ’til Draft Day, and I’ll give you my guess (and let’s be honest– we’re all guessing) about the top of the draft. By top, I mean the top 10.
1. Miami. Virginia DL Chris Long. If Bill Parcells is going to guarantee anyone $33 million, it’s going to be a 24/7 football player who he’d trust to marry one of his daughters. And Chris Long is as trustworthy as they come, in a personal and football sense.
2. St. Louis. Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston. The Rams got 5.5 sacks last year from their defensive ends. That’s 5.5. Total. Their best one, Leonard Little, is 33 and coming off toe surgery. There might be no team in the NFL needier at the rush spot than this team, and Gholston is tailor-made to come off the edge on the carpet of the Rams’ home dome.
3. Atlanta. LSU DT Glenn Dorsey. Trust me. The Falcons’ new GM, Thomas Dimitroff, is a very big Dorsey fan. And for all you out there who say, “No! You can’t take a guy with a bum leg with the third pick in the draft,” I would advise you to remember two things. One: Dorsey never missed a game due to injury in his LSU career. Two: Anthony Munoz was flunked on his pre-draft physical by 14 teams. Fourteen! And he only went on to be one of the greatest offensive tackles in the last 40 years.
4. Dallas (acquired in trade from Oakland). Arkansas RB Darren McFadden. Count me among those who think the Jerry-loves-Darren stuff is very real. If it costs Jones the 22nd and 28th pick in the draft, it’s fine with him. Imagine the Cowboy offense with McFadden. The best 1-2 punch at running back in football, hands down. Very good young quarterback. Good-enough receivers. Very good 1-2 punch at tight end. A left tackle who can hold speed rushers off the quarterback. Dallas could be Patriot-like on offense next fall with McFadden.
5. Kansas City. Boston College QB Matt Ryan. Just a hunch, though they’ll have trouble passing on Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.
Strange thing here. At the combine, Carl Peterson told me the Chiefs loved Ryan, but there was no way they could take him because of their needs elsewhere. (Offensive line, I’m guessing.) Then they sent half the front office to his workout the other day at BC. Methinks Carl does not want to be the man to pass on the guy he thinks will be a franchise player. The other thing this does is buy coach Herman Edwards one more year of rebuilding. Even if the Chiefs go 5-11 this year, they couldn’t whack Edwards until after they got a really good look at Ryan.
6. New York Jets. Michigan OT Jake Long. You and I and everyone else who does these things believe there’s no way Long lasts ’til number six. And he probably won’t. But funny things happen in unpredictable drafts like this one.
The benefit for the Jets: If D’Brickashaw Ferguson continues to be a C-plus left tackle, Long could play the right side this year, then the coaches could decide who’d be the best left tackle in 2009. But here’s my view if Ryan’s there: The Jets will hold an auction and try to get two first-day picks for this slot.
7. New England. USC DT Sedrick Ellis. Go back to those not-so-thrilling days of the 2007 playoffs. The man who is supposed to be the difference-maker on the New England defense, end Richard Seymour, played 12 postseason quarters against a decent but hardly murderers’ row of left tackles — Khalil Barnes (Jags), Marcus McNeill (Chargers) and David Diehl (Giants). Seymour’s pass-rush line from those 12 quarters: zero sacks, zero quarterback hits. Seems like Seymour’s gone pretty unscathed for that three-week no-show, which I would think, in Boston, would be something like Manny Ramirez having zero extra-base hits in three playoff series.
So I’m sure the Patriots want someone to collapse the pocket and a corner, not necessarily in that order. But I would be stunned if the Pats did not go for the best available front-seven player with this pick that it obtained from San Francisco via a trade in last year’s draft.
The Pats are in an interesting spot. Don’t put it past them to trade up if they’ve decided Gholston or Dorsey is the guy they simply have to have. Even if they sit at seven, they’ll likely get one of the four most highly regarded linemen — Chris Long, Dorsey, Gholston or Ellis. And if those four are gone, maybe USC outside ‘backer Keith Rivers is there for them. In any case, New England should come out of the top 10 with a premier front-seven player.
8. Baltimore. Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Ravens have no corners of the future, which, with a risk-taking defensive boss like Rex Ryan, is going to get them killed. Rodgers-Cromartie not only will have to make the jump from mid-major football to the NFL, but also he’ll have to be ready to play opening day, with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed jumping down his throat if he screws up.
9. Cincinnati. Florida DE Derrick Harvey. Five names here. Glen Collins. Pete Koch. Jason Buck. John Copeland. Justin Smith. What do they have in common? They are the five first-round defensive end picks by the Bengals in the last 30 drafts, and none made it big. Not a one of them made a Pro Bowl. Now that the underachieving Smith is gone, it’s time to find an edge force again.
10. Detroit (acquired in a trade with New Orleans). Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall. Matt Millen deals up from number 15 to get a 227-pound back with 4.4 speed … and coming off a 1,600-yard season with every defensive eye on him every snap. Nice back for the plastic grass of Ford Field.
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