Monday NFL Draft News and Notes

Week three of the Pro Day Meat Market has commenced and there are a ton of schools over the next six days who will be hosting NFL Scouts and Staff to their home campus to give their guys a look and maybe a shot at being grabbed by a team in April.

I mentioned many schools to look for in this week's Pro Day Rewind as well as my impromtu Pro Day episode of All Access Football show, but honestly there is no way to cover every school and even the players who aren't having their expos are news in some cases.

Here are some of the big pieces today and my thoughts on them:

DE Michael Johnson ran an official 40 time of 4.59 at the Georgia Tech Pro Day on Monday, although the Lions had him at 4.49. Which is odd and totally opposite my personal experiences at USC and UCLA's Pro Days last year. Sometimes a school will put an athlete's time much faster than the Scouts do but I don't think I've seen a discrepancy flipped like this. And .10 of a second in a 40 time is an eternity. How does that happen? My thoughts on Johnson really are simple. He measures up really well, but gets pushed around and lacks consistent effort from play to play. However, Johnson is looking to be a late second, early third pick right now and could still move up depending upon what times other teams got today.

Beat writers and mockers have the Jets grabbing the best available wide receiver at #17. All sorts of guys - Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jeremy Maclin most often - get mentioned so far and the only thing that really might not be accounted for could be that Rex Ryan is a defense guy. So given how good I think the defensive class is (article forthcoming), it wouldn't shock me, even with the cash they've spent over two years, if Ryan went with a great defensive player.

Georgia QB Matt Stafford (sorry, Matthew) apparently kicked some serious tail in personal interviews at the Scouting Combine. While it comes as a shock to nobody that he's still in the conversation to be Detroit's pick, it's something interesting to hear. This is not a fantastic quarterback class. Stafford testing well may bump up it's overall grade. Now we'll see what we hear of Sanchez as well. He's a guy I am very interested to see when I head to USC's Pro Day on April 1st.

Mike Mayock was on the NFL Network and is talking up University of Connecticut running back Donald Brown pretty hard. He was already looking at him as his second best back in the draft, an opinion I didn't particularly share. I've been watching tape I can get ahold of and have been gradually getting on board. I haven't gotten to the point where I have him as high as Mayock but he's starting to get there.

I was supposed to interview Utah QB Brian Johnson, but he had to postpone (hence the impromptu Pro Day show on all Access) and so was paying close attention to Utah's Pro Day this afternoon. Johnson was very productive in an offense that led a team on an undefeated run last season - so you kind of need to look and see what's there. Some injury issues and an offense which worked largely out of the spread are question marks. He moved all right in the 40 (4.88/4.89) and the three-cone in 4.41. Johnson is a long shot, but is just intriguing enough to maybe catch on as a Rookie Street Free agent.

Pro Day Rewind Article up at NFLDraftbible.com

Hope this Combine week finds you well. I launched a new column on NFLDraftbible.com called Pro Day Rewind. While Pro Days are not really underway (and won't be until Thursday), I wanted to start now and take a look a t a few guys who either didn't work out (Stafford and Crabtree) or weren't invited.

Check it out every Monday at NFLDraftbible.com and check out all the excellent work there leading up to - and beyond - Draft Day.

Also check out the All Access Monday Night Lights podcast from tonight - just finished up my segment and we covered Maualuga and Orakpo's injuries as well as who else did well today and who I am looking forward to tomorrow.

All Access Appearence pushed

Hey folks - in case you were planning to tune it, with the jam packed show they have planned, it looks like I will get pushed on the All Access Football show. However I am still doing both Saturday and Sunday shows as well as (right now) the appearance on Monday.

Even without my lovely voice tonight, make sure you tune in anyway and Dan and Rick will get you set for the Combine. I know I'll be listening.

NFL COmbine Coverage and Appearences!

Hey folks -

Have been busy in the batcave setting up some work for one of the most important weeks in football - the NFL Combine. Nothing compares to actually seeing a player PLAY but this is darn near the next best thing and these days you can get a better seat than the press AT the Combine (who cannot witness the workouts, only interview players and staff after said workouts).

If you want to know just what is going and how it impacts your favorite team, your fantasy season or the world economy, I can guarantee you answers for two of the three items listed.

Over the course of the next week I will be hosting or appearing on numerous shows, mostly on NFLDraftbible's All Access Football shows. At the top of the blog, you can see the general list (which I will add to if other things crop up). Here are some details on some of the shows.

The Thundering Blurb Football Show - tonight (Wednesday at 10pm PST/7pm PST) - Join me as I get you set for the NFL Combine with news and notes as well as an interview with California OLB Zack Follett.

Guest on All Access Football (approx. 10:10pm EST/ 7:10 pm PST) - I'll be appearing with the guys from NFLDraftbible for a short guest spot where I am sure we'll talk some Pac 10 prospects and expectations for the coming week of action.

Hosting All Access Football - Combine Show - Saturday 10pm EST/ 7pm PST - Join me for exclusive coverage of the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine. Special Guests: Justin Van Fulpen of Verius Sports * Nick Miller of Southern Utah * Darrell Mack, Greg Newman & Freddie Brown of Utah. Also discussion of the kickers (yes kickers) O-Linemen and TEs who worked out today.

Hosting All Access Football - Combine Show - Sunday 10pm EST/7pm PST - Join me for exclusive coverage of the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine. Special Guests: Will Harding of Fresno State * James Pierce of Langston. Also discussion of the QBs, WRs and RBs who worked out today.

Guest on All Access Football (approx 10:10pm EST/7:10pm PST) - Again appearing with the guys from NFLDraftbible.com to discuss the week so far as well as some PAc 10 prospects as always.

There could be some more over the course of the week and if so, I'll get them to you. Also, expect at least one article over the weekend here at the Blurb. I'll have some stuff at Draftguys.com shortly as well as some player interviews at NFLDraftbible in the coming weeks.

We're ramping up hard - hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

ps - Make sure you check out NFLDraftbible's COMPLETE coverage of the Combine. Not only will they have shows daily with guests ranging from Draftguys Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom to beat writers to the players themselves but they will have folks on the ground in Indianapolis and reporting in daily.

You want blanketed Combine coverage? Next to NFL network, there's nobody better than the boys at NFLDraftbible.com.

Favre retires - REACT

Hey folks, hope you are having a fine Wednesday.

As promised, the site is gearing up again and what better way to start off than with the announcement that Brett Favre will be retiring. again. Maybe for real.

NFLDraftbible.com has compiled some reaction to the imminent departure of Brett the Jet, myself among them.

Click the link for some other thoughts on it, but here is what I had to say:
"Brett Favre has retired yet again and while the season didn't exactly go the way he or the Jets envisioned, that's not what leaves me with a poor taste in my mouth. It's the rumors that he has, once again, asked to be released prior to deciding to retire (presumably to play for the Vikings, where he wanted to go last summer) that really will stick in my craw. Will we see a repeat of last off-season, when Favre pitched a fit as he once again flip-flopped on retirement and, failing to force his outright release, then settled for a trade to the Jets? For the Jets, being able to move forward with their quarterback situation prior to free agency and the draft while dumping Favre's $13 million cap hit is a positive. But one has to wonder - will the Favre controversy from 2008 rear its ugly head in 2009, all dressed up for a repeat performance?

Let me be clear on this - I love Brett Favre. I think he is a heckuva competitor and has put together a fine career which should not be much marred by the sub-par end of last season. The Jets collapse was not just his fault - he was part of many issues.

That said, I have to wonder if he will ever get that he is not in control. Twice now he has (allegedly) tried to force an outright release to (allegedly) play for the Vikings (who are a QB and good playcalling away from being a legit Super Bowl contender).

I like Favre - I still think the trade for him was a no-brainer, no-lose situation which played out very well for part of the season, only to peter out for many reasons at the end. I am happy I have a Brett favre jersey. I am glad he played for the Jets. Maybe Pennington would have had the success he had with the Dolphins, had he stayed with the Jets. But I doubt it (though some of the failure rests on Mangini's hands - best of luck Brady Quinn).

Regardless it was a risk worth taking and I think the Jets made the right call.

Right now I'm hoping Favre makes an equally good call and stays retired. I really don't want to see him again in yet another uniform for a team that is good, though far from great.

Still, given last year, you have to wonder.

Best of luck, Brett - enjoy hunting season.

Special Thanks to Rick and Cecil

So we're looking on target for the regular return of myself on the weekly Thundering Blurb show as the home office is almost set up.

But I want to take a moment to thank to good friends who covered for me the last two weeks.

Rick Serritella of NFLDraftbible.com took over the slot with the Draftbible's All Access football show - if you missed it or if you haven't checked it out before, take a listen. And check out the site, nfldraftbible.com, for all the latest and greatest on the NFL Draft news front. The folks over there run a great site and I look forward to doing lots with them this year.

And of course the verbose and energetic Cecil Lammey - he of the Audible, the Drive Block and Footballguys.com - who took over the Blurb last night. As he said on the show, we've known each other for a bunch of years now, going back to the defunct FFAdvisor and then fantasyfootballjournal.com days before he launched the Audible over at FBGs. Like with Rick and the Draftbible.com, if you haven't seen/heard Cec's work over at Footballguys, check it out. Also make sure you head over to the Draftguys.com site and keep your eyes peeled for another great season of DraftguysTV. Again, I look forward to doing tons with Cecil and the Draftguys all year long.

I'm heading back to bury internet cables, but starting next week, we'll be ramping the site back up and getting back on track, linking you up to all the latest and greatest takes on NFL and Draft news with my take on each and every one, as well as articles and thoughts written by myself.

Thanks for hanging in there the last few weeks during the move - and thanks again to Cecil and Rick for keeping things going!

Eben Britton to the NFL - good or bad?

Hey folks

Here's my latest article on NFLDraftbible - Arizona OT Eben Britton declared for the NFL draft on Jan 3rd and this article covers why I think it was the right decision for him. Feel free to discuss in the comments here or on NFLDraftbible.com.

Also, my pick for tonight's game is Oklahoma. If the Sooners contain Tebow - and I feel they will - and if they get ahead.... well, it's going to be hard for Tebow, a great athlete but not a great QB (boy will I get hate mail), to throw them back into a game.

Should be a good game though. Dunno how people are calling for a Gator blowout.

Bowl Previews at NFLDraftbible.com

Here are a couple of previews I did for the NFLDraftbible and College Football Insiders -

New Mexico Bowl - Colorado State vs Fresno State
Las Vegas Bowl - BYU vs Arizona

All that and much more great content for Bowl games, draft prospects and much more over at NFLDraftbible.com!

Pac-10 Preview Up at NFLDraftBible.com

Hey folks - busy day here but am hoping to post the ESPN Radio bit later on, maybe tonight. Meanwhile, here is my weekly breakdown of the football games in the Pac-10 conference on NFLDraftbible.com.

Not many games this weekend there, but all rivalries and as they are rivalry games, they can always go any way. I know USC may be cheering on Arizona this week but Bill I think it was Plaschke this week in the LA Times who pointed out that in terms of exposure and level of competition, as well as an outside shot to get a better ranking, USC would be better served not winning the Rose Bowl. As he put it, this year the 'Grandaddy of them all' really won't mean as much as some other bids.

We'll see. The Oregon State loss stings already, having them win the Conference title might be too much for USC to bear.

Pac 10 Preview for Week 9

Check out my take on this week's matchups at either the College Football Insider or NFLDraftbible.com.

Pac 10 Review

Hey folks

NFLDraftbible has posted the Pac 10 review for this past weekend - check it out here!

While you're there, check out some of the other content at NFLDraftbible.com - if you're a football fan, college fan or a dynasty fantasy owner, there's good stuff there for you.

Pac 10 Week 6 Preview

Check it out over at NFLDraftbible.com here. Should be on College Football Insider as well soon.

Pac 10 Preview at College Football Insider and NFLDraftbible

My thoughts on the relatively light schedule this weekend in the Pac 10. HUGE game for the Sun Devils and Rudy Carpenter against Georgia. HUGE.


Did I say HUGE?

Read the details HERE and HERE.

Thundering Blurb Appearances/Columns/Whatnot

Just finished a spot for College Football Insiders on their College Football Insiders Weekly podcast, talking Pac 10 football of course. Check it out here.

I will be covering the Pac 10 for College Football Insider all season long and it will also be carried on NFLDraftbible.

Check out both sites thoroughly as they are chock full of college-footbally goodness. Check the podcasts out too, as they are a great source of info as well.

New Writing Gig

I have just begun prepping to write for a new site - this time as the coverage guy for the San Diego Chargers. The site is called NFLSpot.com and it now resides in the links to the right under 'Sites that keep you from getting pancaked'.

The site is not quite ready to launch but will soon - and I'll let you know exactly when it is. It's also a companion site for NFLDraftbible.com and the great stuff they do over there.

I'll let you know when it's up but the forums are up and humming over here, so check them out.

Will go over the preseason game notes in a while, including Charlie Batch's injury AND some USC Mark Sanchez news as well. Bad day to be a QB,

Leodis McKelvin video

Here's another video from NFLDraftbible, this one on Buffalo CB Leodis McKelvin.

Again you can check out this, and many more great videos like it, along with 2009 analysis (already!) at NFLDraftbible.com.

More NFLDraftbible videos

One about rookie Matt Forte and one general report covering rookies Jordan Dizon, Chris Long and Dan Conner.

They are also available, along with many more videos at NFLDraftbible.com's front page.

NFL Draft Bible Rookie Report #1

Hey guys,

Did a bunch of voice over work and analysis for the NFL Draftbible and All Access Football site.

Check out the first installment HERE.

Non-Favre news (and some Favre news)

I think I've vented my spleen here and on The Audible enough to keep the Favre stuff brief and move on.

So here is the Thundering Blurb Favre Take for the Day (patent pending)

He's NOT getting an unconditional release. Not a chance. I posted in the Footballguys.com Shark Pool that the only thing worse (PR-wise) that the Packers could do in this situation is to allow him to go within the division. To not only allow him to play elsewhere, but see him TWICE next season. Heck no.

He'll be activated, he'll be traded. I am leaning towards Baltimore as it's out of the division and conference, but Tampa makes sense too. Would love to see him as a Jet, but that's not likely.

But no way in Football Hell he is being released to go where he pleases. If GB does that, then GM Ted Thompson is insane.

/Favre rant

FORMER BRONCOS RB TRAVIS HENRY REPORTEDLY TESTED POSITIVE FOR DRUG USE
Well, now we know why he was released. According to a report by the Denver Sports Insider (producer/reporter Josina Anderson from Fox31) Henry tested positive again for the dope just prior to his release from the Broncos. Shanny said 'lack of committment' in terms of the why when Henry was let go - but I disagree. Sounds like TOO MUCH committment to me. It's a real shame, frankly, as Henry seems to have tremendous talent but can't keep his head straight.

Starts to make you worry a little when Shanny is now defending Brandon Marshall, huh? Hopefully BMarshall can get HIS head on straight before he gets further into trouble.

Speaking of Drugs -

MATT JONES BUSTED FOR COCAINE POSSESSION
I won't be shocked if Jones - who insiders have said already was on the bubble - is released by the end of the weekend. He was already a bust as a wide reciever, wasn't playing consistently well and was just taking up space in Jacksonville. But according to the Orlando Sentinel now he compounded it by being pulled over while in possession of cocaine which, by the way, he reportedly tried to hide from the cops IN HIS HANDS. Nice.

KEVIN JONES DEPORTED TO TAMPA BAY - SAYS HE'S NOT FROM THERE
Apologies for the old Johnny Dangerously quote. But while Kevin Jones was reported to have a visit scheduled with the Tampa Bay Bucs earlier this week, Jones has now come out and said despite what was posted on the ESPN Blog Hashmarks that no, he is not going to Tampa yet. He says in an article with the Tampa Tribune that they haven't called him, though he is still interested in playing there.

Remember a week or so ago how I said it was interesting that reports were focused on how much Jones wanted to play in Tampa but how telling it might be that Tampa wasn't commenting? I'm not saying he won't go to Tampa (he went to Pittsburgh earlier this week) but the fact that they haven't responded yet. Tough market for the Free Agent running backs this off-season, no? Jones will find a home - I'm just dubious it will be Tampa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, I wanted to send you guys over to an article my fellow Draftnick and friend Josh Buchanan wrote - an interview with Ramses Barden, WR from Cal Poly. It's posted on NFLDraftbible.com and they do some excellent work there. They are very high on Barden, so take a look. I'll have my own interview with him in another week or so, but Josh is a great source. He knows his stuff. Check it out.

More later or tomorrow.

Quick warning - I will be traveling to Alaska on Monday - either I will have some guest posting or thes posts will be few and far between next week. But I will be back in full force on the 22nd and it'll be postapalooza from there on out including some stuff from Cowboys Camp in Oxnard, California, which I will be covering for Denver radio station FM 104.3 The Fan. Or at least that's my story and I am sticking to it.