This piece of the news brought a smile to my face :-)
FSU does have a lot of new staff for this upcoming season, but the one that a lot of Noles fan will be looking for is the new offensive coordinator, Jimbo Geathers, formerly of LSU.
Mr. Geathers, sir, if you bring us back the pre-Jeff Bowden days, a lot of Noles would run naked around Doak Campbell :-)
And not forgetting an old friend, Chuck Amato, formerly of NC State, who is back as linebackers coach.
Ahh .. I will be following spring practice more closely this season :-)
Monday, March 19, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Colts lose June and Harper
Since the NCAA playoffs are now running, NFL's taken a backseat but this news is significant..
2001 draft trivia
- do you know that out of the 31 first round picks, only two are not playing in NFL
10th pick - Jamal Reynolds - Green Bay - out of the football
24th pick - Willie Middlebrooks - Denver - FA since 2005
- LB Cato June goes to Tampa Bay Bucs, as shown here
- CB Nick Harper goes to the Titans, the news link here
2001 draft trivia
- do you know that out of the 31 first round picks, only two are not playing in NFL
10th pick - Jamal Reynolds - Green Bay - out of the football
24th pick - Willie Middlebrooks - Denver - FA since 2005
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Skins Draft Picks During My College Years
I attended George Washington University during my final two college years , 1993 - 1995. It was there I was exposed fully to American football, became addicted to it and remain so ever since :-)
Actually, it was easy to pick up but took me a while to understand the game, especially, NFL and college ball differences and quirks. ;-) fyi, two feet inbound ( college ) and one feet inbound ( NFL ) for a catch to be ruled legal ... and the game scheduling. I understand you have to play the teams in your division, but the other opponents were determined by your win-loss and previous season schedule strength. It took me a while and still does :-)
Understanding the draft was another thing, especially when it came to coin toss reasons and compensatory picks, then came the supplementary draft .. okay.. that is understandable.. then came the signing bonuses, hold outs , etc.
I was curious to know what happened to Skins first round picks during those years. For me, my first draft experience was the 1994 NFL Draft followed by the 1995 NFL Draft.
1994
3rd pick of the draft
Heath Shuler, QB, Tennessee
- in Tennessee, was 2nd in the Heisman voting for 1993 season.
- on the predraft, the Skins were flip flopping between him and Trent Dilfer. In the end, Shuler was chosen.
- first draft pick under coach Norv Turner
- held out of training camp until he signed a 7 year deal worth 19 million plus. His holdout costed him valuable training time. I saw him in the preseason game, Skins vs Chiefs, and he didn't impress me a bit.
- eventually, he was cut after the 1996 season and signed for the Saints for 1997 season.
- Played in 1997 season, was injured and cut from the team after 1998 season.
- in 1998, had a foot injury during the Raiders training camp, and retired.
Well, he became a real estate agent, later went into politics and is now a US House of Rep member for North Carolina 11th district.
He sucked at pro ball but went on to have a fine career after football.
Part of me wonders, what if Trent Dilfer was picked, but you cannot second guess that now. Or, if he went into training camp on time.
His career stats
1995
4th pick of the draft
Michael Westbrook, WR, Colorado
-was part of the triple threat option at Colorado, along with Kordell Stewart and Rashaan Salaam
- Played for 7 seasons with the Skins before traded to the Bengals in 2002. He had a good but unspectacular career with the Skins
- his best season was 1999 season, 65 receptions, 1191 yards and 9 TDs.
- was known for his brief altercation with Stephen Davis during training camp in 1997.
- also known for slamming helmet into the turf incident in 1997 season that costed the Skins their game against NY Giants.
- played his last season in 2002 with the Bengals and promptly retired.
- for some Skins fans, he is in the top 10 unpopular Skins players of all time.
Career stats
In short, I think I jinxed their draft ;-)
Actually, it was easy to pick up but took me a while to understand the game, especially, NFL and college ball differences and quirks. ;-) fyi, two feet inbound ( college ) and one feet inbound ( NFL ) for a catch to be ruled legal ... and the game scheduling. I understand you have to play the teams in your division, but the other opponents were determined by your win-loss and previous season schedule strength. It took me a while and still does :-)
Understanding the draft was another thing, especially when it came to coin toss reasons and compensatory picks, then came the supplementary draft .. okay.. that is understandable.. then came the signing bonuses, hold outs , etc.
I was curious to know what happened to Skins first round picks during those years. For me, my first draft experience was the 1994 NFL Draft followed by the 1995 NFL Draft.
1994
3rd pick of the draft
Heath Shuler, QB, Tennessee
- in Tennessee, was 2nd in the Heisman voting for 1993 season.
- on the predraft, the Skins were flip flopping between him and Trent Dilfer. In the end, Shuler was chosen.
- first draft pick under coach Norv Turner
- held out of training camp until he signed a 7 year deal worth 19 million plus. His holdout costed him valuable training time. I saw him in the preseason game, Skins vs Chiefs, and he didn't impress me a bit.
- eventually, he was cut after the 1996 season and signed for the Saints for 1997 season.
- Played in 1997 season, was injured and cut from the team after 1998 season.
- in 1998, had a foot injury during the Raiders training camp, and retired.
Well, he became a real estate agent, later went into politics and is now a US House of Rep member for North Carolina 11th district.
He sucked at pro ball but went on to have a fine career after football.
Part of me wonders, what if Trent Dilfer was picked, but you cannot second guess that now. Or, if he went into training camp on time.
His career stats
+---------------------------------------+-----------------+
| Passing | Rushing |
+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+
| Year TM | G | Comp Att PCT YD Y/A TD INT | Att Yards TD |
+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+
| 1994 was | 11 | 120 265 45.3 1658 6.3 10 12 | 26 103 0 |
| 1995 was | 7 | 66 125 52.8 745 6.0 3 7 | 18 57 0 |
| 1996 was | 1 | 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 | 1 0 0 |
| 1997 nor | 10 | 106 203 52.2 1288 6.3 2 14 | 22 38 1 |
+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+
| TOTAL | 29 | 292 593 49.2 3691 6.2 15 33 | 67 198 1 |
+----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+
1995
4th pick of the draft
Michael Westbrook, WR, Colorado
-was part of the triple threat option at Colorado, along with Kordell Stewart and Rashaan Salaam
- Played for 7 seasons with the Skins before traded to the Bengals in 2002. He had a good but unspectacular career with the Skins
- his best season was 1999 season, 65 receptions, 1191 yards and 9 TDs.
- was known for his brief altercation with Stephen Davis during training camp in 1997.
- also known for slamming helmet into the turf incident in 1997 season that costed the Skins their game against NY Giants.
- played his last season in 2002 with the Bengals and promptly retired.
- for some Skins fans, he is in the top 10 unpopular Skins players of all time.
Career stats
+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1995 was | 11 | 6 114 19.0 1 | 34 522 15.4 1 |
| 1996 was | 11 | 2 2 1.0 0 | 34 505 14.9 1 |
| 1997 was | 13 | 3 -11 -3.7 0 | 34 559 16.4 3 |
| 1998 was | 11 | 1 11 11.0 0 | 44 736 16.7 6 |
| 1999 was | 16 | 7 35 5.0 0 | 65 1191 18.3 9 |
| 2000 was | 2 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 9 103 11.4 0 |
| 2001 was | 16 | 2 8 4.0 0 | 57 664 11.6 4 |
| 2002 cin | 7 | 1 1 1.0 0 | 8 94 11.8 2 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 87 | 22 160 7.3 1 | 285 4374 15.3 26 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
In short, I think I jinxed their draft ;-)
Saturday, March 10, 2007
My Take On FA Deals And ...
The last few days, the free agency transactions have been quite interesting. A few involve my favorite teams, Skins and Raiders, so let's have a look at some key transactions
1) Pats signing of Adalius Thomas, Kyle Brady and Sammy Morris
In one shot, this was a shrewd move by the Pats. In signing Thomas, it showed that they were looking for someone to replace Willie McGinest, a hybrid defender, who can do everything in the box. Look for him to play end / lb positions all over the line. When the Pats spend money, be assured that they really need the player. Brady is a short term replacement for Daniel Graham whom they lost to the Seahawks, more known for his blocking. As for signing Morris, Pats have Maroney, vets Faulk and Morris. The Pats may rush more this season ;-) .... looks like RB tandems could be the trend this season.
2) The lineman are getting their blings2
So far this offseason, the lineman are getting serious dough ..
- Kries Dielman with the Chargers
- Leonard Davis with the Cowboys
- Steinbach with the Browns
Hmm.. I am a bit surprised about the Davis signing. What do the Boys see in him ? ...when he was drafted, the potential was enormous, but he didn't do much, in my opinion, to warrant that kind of money. Oh well, it is the market. Luckily, Skins didn't take him even though they could.
3) Raiders getting some running help
The Raiders still kept Lamont Jordan, by restructuring his contract. And what they did next was taking in the real Super Bowl MVP, RB Dominic Rhodes and FB Justin Griffith. And they got OL Jermaine Newberry earlier.
I was not suprised by this move, being the offseason, but what surprised me was the moves all made sense. They needed a young vet on the line ( Newberry ), a running back to complement Jordan ( Rhodes ), and a bruising blocking fullback, Griffith.
The backfield looks like Jordan - Rhodes, Griffith, and Newberry anchoring the line.
Maybe Al got some sense after all
4) RB moves
Have you guys seen the movement of the backs ? ... McGahee to Ravens, Droughns to Giants, Henry to Broncos, Thomas Jones to Jets, Jamal Lewis to Browns
These guys were starters with their respective teams yet ended being released / traded away. In a way, the Colts success in the last Super Bowl showed that a RB tandem could do a better job, so it is interesting to see how the concept develop next season.
PS / What's up with Class of 2001 NFL Draft ... how are they ?
1) Pats signing of Adalius Thomas, Kyle Brady and Sammy Morris
In one shot, this was a shrewd move by the Pats. In signing Thomas, it showed that they were looking for someone to replace Willie McGinest, a hybrid defender, who can do everything in the box. Look for him to play end / lb positions all over the line. When the Pats spend money, be assured that they really need the player. Brady is a short term replacement for Daniel Graham whom they lost to the Seahawks, more known for his blocking. As for signing Morris, Pats have Maroney, vets Faulk and Morris. The Pats may rush more this season ;-) .... looks like RB tandems could be the trend this season.
2) The lineman are getting their blings2
So far this offseason, the lineman are getting serious dough ..
- Kries Dielman with the Chargers
- Leonard Davis with the Cowboys
- Steinbach with the Browns
Hmm.. I am a bit surprised about the Davis signing. What do the Boys see in him ? ...when he was drafted, the potential was enormous, but he didn't do much, in my opinion, to warrant that kind of money. Oh well, it is the market. Luckily, Skins didn't take him even though they could.
3) Raiders getting some running help
The Raiders still kept Lamont Jordan, by restructuring his contract. And what they did next was taking in the real Super Bowl MVP, RB Dominic Rhodes and FB Justin Griffith. And they got OL Jermaine Newberry earlier.
I was not suprised by this move, being the offseason, but what surprised me was the moves all made sense. They needed a young vet on the line ( Newberry ), a running back to complement Jordan ( Rhodes ), and a bruising blocking fullback, Griffith.
The backfield looks like Jordan - Rhodes, Griffith, and Newberry anchoring the line.
Maybe Al got some sense after all
4) RB moves
Have you guys seen the movement of the backs ? ... McGahee to Ravens, Droughns to Giants, Henry to Broncos, Thomas Jones to Jets, Jamal Lewis to Browns
These guys were starters with their respective teams yet ended being released / traded away. In a way, the Colts success in the last Super Bowl showed that a RB tandem could do a better job, so it is interesting to see how the concept develop next season.
PS / What's up with Class of 2001 NFL Draft ... how are they ?
Friday, March 9, 2007
Test Email Post
This is a test email post to my blog ;-) Updates coming up soon, later tonight, Malaysian time.
--
- author of My Pet Life ( http://ome20.blogspot.com ), The Mind Of Pet ( http://omecool20.blogspot.com )& American Football Malaysian Style ( http://nfl-malaysia.blogspot.com )
--
- author of My Pet Life ( http://ome20.blogspot.com ), The Mind Of Pet ( http://omecool20.blogspot.com )& American Football Malaysian Style ( http://nfl-malaysia.blogspot.com )
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Skins News + 2001 Draft Ebook
Allegiance
I am raising up my hand and tell you where my allegiance lie in football ;-)
NFL - Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders
NCAA - Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The links to those teams are under my Pigskin Links
Ok, now that is out of the way .... ;-)
Skins News
1. London Fletcher and Fred Smoot Signing
As now announced, Skins have signed up FA LB London Fletcher, to a 5 year, 25 million contract. He is expected to man the MLB spot that was problematic last season, and upgrade the defense that was ranked near bottom in the NFL.
On a nicer note, Fred Smoot is coming back after leaving the Skins a few years ago. He went to the Vikings for the money, had a tough time, off and on the field and was let go. He is not a shutdown corner like Champ, but he is still a good corner, so welcome back, Smooter !
2. Derrick Dockery Leaving For the Bills
It was kind of neat, Skins and the Bills exchanged players ;-) you give us Fletcher, we'll give you Dockery :-) .... Dockery was a good lineman but the price was too much. So, all the best Derrick, and thank you for the service
So far, I am happy the way Skins have been conducting the free agent offseason. Not as splashy as the last few years, but they are going after positions of need. I do think that their first pick in the upcoming draft will be on defense. Rumor has it that the team have their eyes on Gaines Adams of Clemson. Looks like a stud on the D-Line ;-)
====
There is no significant news on the Raiders. My one message to Al is simply, It's Time To Really Honor The Commitment To Excellence :-| ... this franchise is fast becoming ( if not already ), the Tampa Bay of the 80s.
2001 Draft Free Ebook
Yes ;-) The cat is out of the bag. I am drafting an ebook based on the 2001 draft. I cannot divulge the details yet, but rest assured, the developments will be updated here.
Free Ezine
At my personal blog, there is a free ezine offer. Go check it out, you know where the link is. :-)
======
check out 7 dollar secrets
... it could be your touchdown pass of 2007
I am raising up my hand and tell you where my allegiance lie in football ;-)
NFL - Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders
NCAA - Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The links to those teams are under my Pigskin Links
Ok, now that is out of the way .... ;-)
Skins News
1. London Fletcher and Fred Smoot Signing
As now announced, Skins have signed up FA LB London Fletcher, to a 5 year, 25 million contract. He is expected to man the MLB spot that was problematic last season, and upgrade the defense that was ranked near bottom in the NFL.
On a nicer note, Fred Smoot is coming back after leaving the Skins a few years ago. He went to the Vikings for the money, had a tough time, off and on the field and was let go. He is not a shutdown corner like Champ, but he is still a good corner, so welcome back, Smooter !
2. Derrick Dockery Leaving For the Bills
It was kind of neat, Skins and the Bills exchanged players ;-) you give us Fletcher, we'll give you Dockery :-) .... Dockery was a good lineman but the price was too much. So, all the best Derrick, and thank you for the service
So far, I am happy the way Skins have been conducting the free agent offseason. Not as splashy as the last few years, but they are going after positions of need. I do think that their first pick in the upcoming draft will be on defense. Rumor has it that the team have their eyes on Gaines Adams of Clemson. Looks like a stud on the D-Line ;-)
====
There is no significant news on the Raiders. My one message to Al is simply, It's Time To Really Honor The Commitment To Excellence :-| ... this franchise is fast becoming ( if not already ), the Tampa Bay of the 80s.
2001 Draft Free Ebook
Yes ;-) The cat is out of the bag. I am drafting an ebook based on the 2001 draft. I cannot divulge the details yet, but rest assured, the developments will be updated here.
Free Ezine
At my personal blog, there is a free ezine offer. Go check it out, you know where the link is. :-)
======
check out 7 dollar secrets
... it could be your touchdown pass of 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
Draft Style And Charlie Ward
How do teams draft ?
That is a popular question about the NFL draft.
The main question is do teams draft based on team needs or the best available athlete when their turn comes ?
Ever since I followed American Football, the NFL draft has been one of the most intriguing events where there is not an exact science.
My answer to the question has always been this :
Before a draft, the team has to evaluate their needs and base their draft strategy accordingly. Always have plan B, if the player that you covet. Teams with excellent draft usually do this, but teams that don't do well, their NFL results demonstrate the aftermath.
One particular example, was the 1997 Draft. It was widely known that the Raiders needed an OT were angling for Orlando Pace, OT from Ohio State. When the Rams maneuvered ahead to pick Pace, they took USC DE Darrell Russell and insisted that he was their choice all along. Pace is now a premier left tackle in the game, while Russell bombed out due to off the field issues, after a good start to his career, and is now deceased. If only the Raiders did their evaluation thoroughly and saw that there was another excellent OT available which was Walter Jones, who is also now a premier player in the position.
Charlie Ward
I want to give my props to Charlie Ward, the best QB and Heisman Trophy winner never to play in the NFL. I believe that he had been playing, he would have been a good player, as he was comparable to Michael Vick in terms of the dual threat option.
He was setting the scene alight in college sports, as the starting QB for the Seminoles football and starting point guard for the Seminoles basketball team. However, upon graduation, it was made clear that NFL teams were not considering him as quarterback, despite his obvious success there at the college level, as written here. So, he decided to play in the NBA and went on to have an okay career with the Knicks and the Rockets. A classic case of what might have been.
Last year, he was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame Class of 2006, for his achievements.
That is a popular question about the NFL draft.
The main question is do teams draft based on team needs or the best available athlete when their turn comes ?
Ever since I followed American Football, the NFL draft has been one of the most intriguing events where there is not an exact science.
My answer to the question has always been this :
Before a draft, the team has to evaluate their needs and base their draft strategy accordingly. Always have plan B, if the player that you covet. Teams with excellent draft usually do this, but teams that don't do well, their NFL results demonstrate the aftermath.
One particular example, was the 1997 Draft. It was widely known that the Raiders needed an OT were angling for Orlando Pace, OT from Ohio State. When the Rams maneuvered ahead to pick Pace, they took USC DE Darrell Russell and insisted that he was their choice all along. Pace is now a premier left tackle in the game, while Russell bombed out due to off the field issues, after a good start to his career, and is now deceased. If only the Raiders did their evaluation thoroughly and saw that there was another excellent OT available which was Walter Jones, who is also now a premier player in the position.
Charlie Ward
I want to give my props to Charlie Ward, the best QB and Heisman Trophy winner never to play in the NFL. I believe that he had been playing, he would have been a good player, as he was comparable to Michael Vick in terms of the dual threat option.
He was setting the scene alight in college sports, as the starting QB for the Seminoles football and starting point guard for the Seminoles basketball team. However, upon graduation, it was made clear that NFL teams were not considering him as quarterback, despite his obvious success there at the college level, as written here. So, he decided to play in the NBA and went on to have an okay career with the Knicks and the Rockets. A classic case of what might have been.
Last year, he was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame Class of 2006, for his achievements.
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