2006 NFL Offseason Thread

[Bearcat729]

They used to say that Akili Smith scored around the single digits on his Wonderlic test and it didn't affect his draft status

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

If he falls out of the first round I'll fall out of my chair.

Bah. That's just reading material. He won't fall that far.

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by Bearcat729

They used to say that Akili Smith scored around the single digits on his Wonderlic test and it didn't affect his draft status

No but it didn't do his career wonders.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Bearcat729

They used to say that Akili Smith scored around the single digits on his Wonderlic test and it didn't affect his draft status

I don't recall Akili Smith being as dynamic as Vince Young.

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

I don't recall Akili Smith being as dynamic as Vince Young.

I don't recall Vince being as ignorant as Smith. Jury is still out on that one.

[Terps]

The Giants released Barrett Green and Jason Whittle.

[yabanci]

Funny anecdote:

INDIANAPOLIS - Mathias Kiwanuka figured he could be asked anything at the scouting combine, but this question blew him away.

“Someone brought up Rosevelt Colvin earlier,” the question began. “During the Patriots season, he talked about how much he loves sacks. He doesn’t want tackles or interceptions. He wants sacks. Do you have that kind of feeling on the field?”

Kiwanuka smiled broadly but appeared taken aback.

“Do I think of sex on the field?” he stammered. The room burst into laughter.

His mortified questioner apologized for failing to enunciate through a Boston accent and clarified: sacks, not sex.

“I was wondering where you were going with that,” Kiwanuka said.

http://patriots.bostonherald.com/pat...ticleid=128076

[Swaggs]

More rotoworld tidbits:

Texans GM Charlie Casserly told the NFL Network he's talked to other teams about dealing the No. 1 pick.
Casserly said he "absolutely" would consider dealing the pick, which is the only position that makes sense.

A nice shakeup at the top would make for some good drama. I wonder who is in the market to move up.

Texas A & M QB Reggie McNeal ran an unofficial time of 4.37 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
That's a ridiculous time for a quarterback. McNeal is highly athletic and has a big arm, making him an intriguing mid-level prospect. He's one of our favorite possible second-day selections.

Any B12 fans out there know much about McNeal? He sounds like a Steelers-type of offensive athlete if he has any kind of ball skills whatsoever.

Jeremy Bloom ran an unofficial 4.49 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Considering he's been training for the Olympics for the last two years, it's an impressive time. Bloom needs to gain weight, but he has a good shot to get drafted as a mid-round draft pick.

Not quite the sub-4.3, but pretty solid. He sounds like he could be an interesting project WR that could return kicks in the mean time.

[Swaggs]

Maryland TE Vernon Davis ran a 4.38 forty at the NFL Scouting Combine.
At 6'3 and 254 pounds, that is simply freakish speed. He also put up 225 pounds 33 times. Davis was already seen as a top ten pick and this should cement that status. His college production was excellent and the kid can block. Expect his fantasy hype to be through the roof.

Damn!!!

[Terps]

Davis is a beast. I think he'll be a top 5 TE this year.

[bhlloy]

Re. Reggie McNeal - Corey Chavous on the NFL network had him as his top prospect in the entire freaking draft. Chavous is supposed to be as knowledgeable and watch as much tape as a lot of NFL analysts. While I'm not agreeing with him, I don't see him lasting past the first day. At the very least he's Antwaan Randle-El, and potentially he's a poor man's Mike Vick if he can hit the backside of a barn.

Jay Cutler looks like he could be the real deal - he reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger and once he works with NFL coaches to get rid of some of the bad throwing technique I think he will come out as the best QB in the draft. He certainly has the best arm of all the prospects.

The other QB have been very impressed with is Ingle Martin of Furman (originally recruited to compete by UF) He's had the best touch on his throws of all the QB's in my eyes, and had one of the better 40 yard times. I don't know if there is some issues with arm strength, but he looks like a good developmental guyy.

[WSUCougar]

I recall that before this past college football season one writer tabbed McNeal as a better player than Vince Young.

[kentontrace]

If Vince Young was that stupid - i'm sure his agent wouldnt have let him take part in anything at the combine.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I would love to see Vernon Davis in a Niners uniform.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Re. Reggie McNeal - Corey Chavous on the NFL network had him as his top prospect in the entire freaking draft. Chavous is supposed to be as knowledgeable and watch as much tape as a lot of NFL analysts. While I'm not agreeing with him, I don't see him lasting past the first day. At the very least he's Antwaan Randle-El, and potentially he's a poor man's Mike Vick if he can hit the backside of a barn.

Saw that too about McNeal...Mike Mayock was very kind to Chavous I think when Corey busted out that one.

One thing I found odd...Mayock did not have Chad Jackson in his top 5 WR. Not saying the guy is a definite 1st rounder, but he had Stovall and Avant in over him...

[Swaggs]

Saw these on another board:

Full Name School Pos 40-1 40-2
Brett Basanez Northwestern QB 4.77 4.79
Kellen Clemens Oregon QB INJ
Brodie Croyle Alabama QB 4.87 5.01
Jay Cutler Vanderbilt QB 4.88 4.83
Bruce Eugene Grambling QB 5.16 5.09
Bruce Gradkowski Toledo QB 4.60 4.61
Darrell Hackney UAB QB 4.89 4.92
Tarvaris Jackson Alabama State QB 4.69 4.65
Omar Jacobs Bowling Green QB 4.88 4.93
Matt Leinart USC QB DNR
Travis Lulay Montana State QB 4.75 4.73
Ingle Martin Furman QB 4.72 4.74
Reggie McNeal Texas A&M QB 4.38 4.43
Erik Meyer Eastern Washington QB 4.72 4.69
Barrick Nealy Texas State QB 4.66 4.70
Drew Olson UCLA QB 5.15 5.15
Paul Pinegar Fresno State QB 5.21 5.27
Quinton Porter Boston College QB 4.75 4.74
Michael Robinson Penn State QB DNR
D.J. Shockley Georgia QB 4.68 4.62
Kent Smith Central Michigan QB 4.66 4.63
Brad Smith Missouri QB 4.45 4.52
Marcus Vick Virginia Tech QB 4.60 4.55
Charlie Whitehurst Clemson QB 4.74 4.72
Vince Young Texas QB DNR

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

I recall that before this past college football season one writer tabbed McNeal as a better player than Vince Young.

Not just one, quite a few actually. McNeal was supposed to be this year what Vince actually was this year. Therein lies the problem, though. He has never quite lived up to his potential on any consistent basis. If he does, some NFL team is going to be very happy.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

I recall that before this past college football season one writer tabbed McNeal as a better player than Vince Young.

Read that in TSN.

[Swaggs]

Some QB/combine info from rotoworld:

ESPN.com's Todd McShay said Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst threw better than anyone at the NFL Combine not named Cutler.
Whitehurst, Brodie Croyle, and Omar Jacobs are all vying to be the fourth quarterback drafted.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated told the Dan Patrick show that Vince Young was completely unprepared to take the Wonderlic test.
We're not talking about unprepared like he didn't practice. We mean unprepared like he didn't know he was going to take it. If anything gets Young to fire his family friends who are acting as his agents, this is it

.

Many teams have reportedly already taken Marcus Vick off their draft boards.
Vick did quite well on the field this weekend, but he didn't impress in his press conference or interviews. ESPN.com says he came across as "arrogant" and "smug" in interviews.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Brian Vogel

Saw that too about McNeal...Mike Mayock was very kind to Chavous I think when Corey busted out that one.

One thing I found odd...Mayock did not have Chad Jackson in his top 5 WR. Not saying the guy is a definite 1st rounder, but he had Stovall and Avant in over him...

Good call on Jackson, I bet Mayock would like to have that list back right now. I remember watching it wondering if the host was going to call him out on it, in his defense it was probably made up that morning before Jackson ran his 4.32.

I think Jackson is pretty close to a definite first rounder also now - see Troy Williamson last year. Some team will pay over the odds for that speed. It will be very interesting to see what Santonio Holmes runs at his pro day, if he runs above 4.45 I could see Jackson being the first WR taken.

[Easy Mac]

Some notes I've found on QB's:

QBs who threw the ball well on Sunday include Omar Jacobs of Bowling Green, who wasn’t text book but got the ball where it was supposed to be with authority, along with Kellen Clemens of Oregon, Brodie Croyle of Alabama, Barrick Nealy of Texas State, and Drew Olson of UCLA, as well as small school stars Tavaris Jackson of Alabama State, Travis Lulay of Montana State and 6-0, 260-pound Bruce Eugene. Ingle Martin of Furman, a former starter at Florida, was also something of a revelation. Martin got good velocity on his passes, getting them off from a nice high release point; he also showed surprising athleticism, although his release and footwork in the pocket as a little on the lazy side. On the other hand, Brett Basanez of Northwestern, Bruce Gradkowski of Toledo, Paul Pinegar of Fresno State, and Marcus Vick of Virginia Tech appeared to struggle at times with accuracy.

Bolded to pimp my boy Ingle. I would say that's an accurate description after watching him for two years. He's Favre-like in the way he plays (not really talentwise), kind of from the hip, prone to a lot of wow plays, but also a-lot of FU plays.

Where he finished in his group (which included Cutler, Croyle, Jacobs and Basanez, according to reports I have):
40yard dash–2nd, Ball speed–1st, 3-cone–5th, Short Shuttle–3rd, Broad jump–2nd, Vertical jump–2nd

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Good call on Jackson, I bet Mayock would like to have that list back right now. I remember watching it wondering if the host was going to call him out on it, in his defense it was probably made up that morning before Jackson ran his 4.32.

I think Jackson is pretty close to a definite first rounder also now - see Troy Williamson last year. Some team will pay over the odds for that speed. It will be very interesting to see what Santonio Holmes runs at his pro day, if he runs above 4.45 I could see Jackson being the first WR taken.

I absolutely believe the rankings were made up prior. It doesn't bother me that he wasn't first on his list, I fully expected Holmes to be there. But to not even have him in your top 5?

No way the host would call him out either...those guys are better than the ESPN guys (mostly), but still aren't "experts" like Mayock etc are supposed to be.

[flere-imsaho]

If anyone drafts Vick I can't help but believe that they're going to be making a colossal mistake.

[stevew]

Salary cap is supposed to be set sometime tomorrow, with it being possibly as high as 105 million, and as low as 93 million. With free agency starting on Friday, and no agreement worked out, something has to give soon.

[kentontrace]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

If anyone drafts Vick I can't help but believe that they're going to be making a colossal mistake.

Depending on where he gets drafted.

If he falls to the 6th or 7th round - I think he'd be a steal for a 'risk' pick. Lets be honest - if he could get his head on straight he could be better than his brother. He has a much better arm.

His problem is that he's been spoiled and nobody has ever put him in his place.

[Doug5984]

I have been hearing on my Saints boards that the Saints are enamored with Cutler. This could just be a smoke screen, I hope it is. While I agree he might turn out to be pretty good- I think Leinhart is a better player and if we want Cutler we should trade down to 6 or so.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by kentontrace

His problem is that he's been spoiled and nobody has ever put him in his place.

Hey Marcus? Bill Parcells on line 2 for you.

[JeeberD]

Bzzzzzzzzz! Wrong answer!

Parcells is in the Bucc camp and tends to not like the "athletical" QBs so much...

[TazFTW]

The talks about a new CBA have broken down. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2348417

Interesting since pretty much every site was reporting that an agreement would be coming within a day or two.

[Greyroofoo]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

If anyone drafts Vick I can't help but believe that they're going to be making a colossal mistake.

And in the 2nd round, the Detroit Lions pick................

(Of course this after taking a receiver in the first round)

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

And in the 2nd round, the Detroit Lions pick................

(Of course this after taking a receiver in the first round)

[mrsimperless]

I think you're going to see a team that already has a starting QB take a chance on Vick in a later roun. If he goes day 1 I'll be shocked.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Colts give him a shot if falls to 6 or 7. It'd give me a reason to use my preseason tickets. Studying under Peyton for a few years might do him wonders, who knows?

I think his main problem will be that he gets drafted low and his ego can't take it. I don't see him sitting on the bench as a backup very long without imploding and reverting back to his child-like ways.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by mrsimperless

...and reverting back to his child-like ways.

Reverting? What makes you think he's left them? The buzz around Vick is that he's put off a lot of NFL personnel people by displaying a bad attitude.

[mrsimperless]

He hasn't been accused of rape in a few years. I guess I thought he deserved the benefit of the doubt?

I guess what I meant was that if he was drafted by a team like the Colts and actually DID show some humility and learn behind a proven veteran that it probably wouldn't last long. I would love to be able to watch the guy play though. Anywhere.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by Some Article on Yahoo

San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers won the coin toss with Oakland to determine the owner of the sixth overall selection. They should be in position to take the guy they covet – Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk

Now, I haven't read much about the draft yet, but I can think of about, oh, 22 positions OTHER than LB that the 49ers need more help at. Why in the living hell would they draft another?

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by Vince

Now, I haven't read much about the draft yet, but I can think of about, oh, 22 positions OTHER than LB that the 49ers need more help at. Why in the living hell would they draft another?

Winborn is gone and Smith, Moore and Peterson are free agents, probably gone. They have Ulbrich (coming off an injury) and not much else. Linebacker is a huge position of need for the 49ers. Fortunately, this draft is supposedly rich in LB.

[Bad-example]

dola

Andre Carter is also a FA, and will be a tough signing because he can play DE and OLB. Saleem Rasheed is a FA and looks like a bust anyway. I think Ulbrich is the only LB currently under contract.

[st.cronin]

Charlie Whitehurst is considered an NFL prospect? Really? Wow.

[Vince]

I need to pull my head out of my ass. I knew Peterson was gone, but I didn't know that Smith, Winborn and Carter were gone as well. Yikes.

[RendeR]

I have to say, after watching a bunch of Big Ten games this year I really love Basanez, he can be a little erratic at times, but he has the ability to rally his players and get them to play better when its crunch time. I think he may well be the surprise guy in this Draft at QB.

I pegged Rothlesboinker as a star QB when he came out...My wife still cringes when I say "Just trade up ONE spot...its all they had to do..."

I think Brett will be a team changing player.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I have to say, after watching a bunch of Big Ten games this year I really love Basanez, he can be a little erratic at times, but he has the ability to rally his players and get them to play better when its crunch time. I think he may well be the surprise guy in this Draft at QB.

I pegged Rothlesboinker as a star QB when he came out...My wife still cringes when I say "Just trade up ONE spot...its all they had to do..."

I think Brett will be a team changing player.

I think he could be a good player, too. I was really impressed with him at times. Smart qb.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Vince

Now, I haven't read much about the draft yet, but I can think of about, oh, 22 positions OTHER than LB that the 49ers need more help at. Why in the living hell would they draft another?

Please don't draft another OSU player. We all saw how Ahmed Plummer turned out.

[TazFTW]

Thursday could be interesting as teams will have to be under the cap.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=2348970

Originally Posted by article

How drastic? There continue to be rumors the Washington Redskins, who extended numerous contracts in the past to deal with previous cap crunches, could have to play with 20 rookies on the roster in 2006. On Tuesday night in Atlanta, there were rumblings the Falcons, who aren't in nearly the dire straits some other franchises are, might be forced to release tailback Warrick Dunn, who rushed for a career best 1,416 yards in 2005. The Kansas City Chiefs could part ways with perennial Pro Bowl guard Will Shields if he doesn't agree to adjust his contract and reduce a $6.67 million cap charge. And that is just the start of the many examples of potential attrition cited by team officials Tuesday evening.

Watching Mike and Mike on ESPN2 and they've been showing a list as to who may be cut Thursday. It listed names like Favre, Pennington, Lavar Arrington, Dominick Davis, Chris McAlister, Daunte Culpepper, TO, Derrick Brooks, Steve McNair, Simeon Rice, and Jimmy Smith.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Bad-example

Winborn is gone and Smith, Moore and Peterson are free agents, probably gone. They have Ulbrich (coming off an injury) and not much else. Linebacker is a huge position of need for the 49ers. Fortunately, this draft is supposedly rich in LB.

Just stay the hell away from Thomas Howard...

[TazFTW]

The cuts, they are a coming.

Denver releases Jeb Putzier, Mike Anderson, and Trevor Pryce. Bills released Sam Adams and the Panthers release Stephen Davis, Brentson Buckner, and He Hate Me.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Just stay the hell away from Thomas Howard...

He might look good in black and gold, as long as we can cut that other useless Miner for good.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

The cuts, they are a coming.

Denver releases Jeb Putzier, Mike Anderson, and Trevor Pryce. Bills released Sam Adams and the Panthers release Stephen Davis, Brentson Buckner, and He Hate Me.

Is Anderson retiring or have a huge bonus due or something?

I thought he was held in pretty high regard by the Broncos.

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Is Anderson retiring or have a huge bonus due or something?

I thought he was held in pretty high regard by the Broncos.

I haven't heard anything about him retiring and his cap number ($2.5 mil) was pretty reasonable. Maybe the Broncos were worried about having a 33 year old RB. You also have the legacy of their system and they could think about drafting a replacement in the 5th or 6th round. They still have Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne.


Bills release Lawyer Milloy and Mark Campbell.
Mark Brunell has restructured his contract.


[edit]Dolphins release CB Sam Madison.
Titans release OT Brad Hopkins.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by stevew

He might look good in black and gold, as long as we can cut that other useless Miner for good.

That's fine with me, just as long as he doesn't become a stinkin' 49er (or Redskin, or Giant, or Eagle)...

[RendeR]

Wow, did this offseason just turn into a seriously ugly cut day or what? I gotta pay more attention...The Bengals could find some serious studs to help the defense out this year...and we're already under the cap. Whooot.