Jets acquire Santonio Holmes
- Thread starter bballlgm10
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Now this is redonkulous. Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia to the Redskins at 8 p.m. last Sunday. Santonio Holmes from Pittsburgh to the Jets at 11:15 this Sunday night. The state of Pennsylvania obviously has no respect for the offseason sleep habits of Mr. Monday Morning QB.
Holmes to the Jets. A 26-year-old Super Bowl MVP traded for a fifth-round pick. A healthy star receiver coming off a 1,248-yard season, for the 155th overall choice in the draft.
Six quick points about a deal almost as stunning as the McNabb trade:
1. It's a 12-game trial for New York. It's a great deal for the Jets, obviously, but it comes with a giant asterisk. Profootballtalk.com reports Holmes is due to start the season on a four-game NFL suspension for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. He's also been accused of assaulting a woman in Florida for allegedly throwing a glass of juice in her face and cutting her. Since this is the last year of Holmes' rookie contract, the Steelers are trading three-quarters of Holmes' 2010 season for a fifth-round pick, which makes a little more sense.
2. The Steelers are sending a message to Ben Roethlisberger, and to any other future miscreants on the team. We've all heard how chagrined the Steelers are over this offseason. ESPN reported Saturday there will be no criminal charges brought against Roethlisberger over his sexual-assault allegation by a 20-year-old coed in March -- I heard the same thing from a reliable source Sunday night -- but there could still be a civil suit filed by the family. And he still must meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
It's unlikely the commissioner would use use his far-reaching "the-shield-has-been-tarnished'' powers to suspend Roethlisberger for a brief period at the start of the season for his second sex-related accusation in eight months, especially without criminal charges. What may make more sense is a ban of a game or two by the upstanding Steelers, who could use conduct-detrimental-to-the-team as a reason to sit Roethlisberger. In a city like Pittsburgh, the populace would applaud a slap upside the head to Big Ben.
In the meantime, the Steelers, I believe, are saying to Roethlisberger: You have two strikes on you, and you're out if you get another strike. This is a decision of conscience for Pittsburgh, not a football decision.
3. This happened very suddenly, too sudden for the Steelers to troll the NFL to see if they could make a better deal, which they almost certainly could have done. When I say sudden, I mean Sunday. I hear the first inkling the Jets got of this deal came in a phone call Sunday, and GM Mike Tannenbaum jumped on it.
Now, it's possible the Jets have too many at-risk players. A four-game suspension for substance-abuse means Holmes is one positive test away from a year out of football. Fellow Jet wideout Braylon Edwards could be facing a one-game ban for pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. The Jets previously dealt for talented but troubled Antonio Cromartie (seven children in five states), who the Chargers were determined to unload this offseason.
4. Rex Ryan absolutely loves Holmes. It's no secret that the Jets coach thought Holmes was the most dangerous receiver he faced. Before taking the Jets job, Ryan was the Ravens' defensive coordinator. In 2007, second-year receiver Holmes caught eight balls for 208 yards and three touchdowns against the Ravens in two games. In 2008, Pittsburgh swept the Ravens in three low-scoring meetings, the last being the AFC Championship Game. In those three games, Pittsburgh totaled three offensive touchdowns -- all scoring receptions by Holmes.
Ryan's throwing a party this morning, and when Holmes walks into the Jets' complex in Florham Park, N.J., Ryan will hug him like a college roommate he hasn't seen for 30 years.
5. In retrospect, maybe we saw this coming. The Steelers signed Arnaz Battle, a poor man's Hines Ward, last month, and also brought back former all-purpose receiver Antwaan Randle El; they hosted immensely talented Dez Bryant, the top wide receiver in the draft, on a two-day visit a week ago. Mike Wallace emerged as a major threat as a rookie with a 756-yard, six-touchdown season. They could open the season with a respectable receiver group by doing nothing in the draft.
6. Jets-Steelers, in Pittsburgh, is more must-see TV for the NFL this fall. The schedule-maker is kind. We can only hope the game is in the last 13 weeks of the season, so Holmes will be there to face the team he helped get that sixth ring.
Last thing: The Jets are amazing. They've become a little like the old Raiders (we're afraid of taking no one on our team), a little like the Yankees (we'll sign anyone to win), and a little like the Dan Snyder Redskins (we love headlines!) in the last year. With any luck, they'll sign all-decade player Jason Taylor to be a designated pass-rusher by Wednesday. And with all the additions, they've retained their first- and second-round picks, 29th and 61st overall. If they don't implode, they're going to a damn good team.
***
Now, before the Holmes trade so rudely interrupted the evening, other news around the league:
Favre succeeded by ... Tebow? The Vikings, who pick 30th in the first round, had a private workout with Florida quarterback/NFL temptor Tim Tebow Saturday. Though I think it's a long shot that Minnesota would use the 30th pick of the first round to take Tebow, it's interesting that coach Brad Childress and VP of personnel Rick Spielman, who have the draft-day juice, were both present for the workout, according to a Florida source.
All along I've felt Tebow needs to go to a spot where he can have a peaceful redshirt year or two, and assuming Brett Favre plays one or two more years (now we're getting ahead of ourselves), Tebow to the Vikes makes some sense, particularly if Childress feels he's the kind of prospect that two of the quarterback coaches he admires most -- Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren -- think he is.
By the way, Tebow was in Cleveland and Washington last week, and he visits Denver this week. I hear the Cleveland coaches were very taken with him, and if he's there when they pick in round two (number 38 overall), or they trade down from number 7 in the first round, well, who knows?
Sam Bradford works out for Washington and St. Louis this week. The workouts happen Thursday and Friday. They are formalities. Unless something strange happens, it's hard to envision anything standing in the way of Bradford to the Rams with the top pick on April 22. The only strange thing I see is Cleveland paying a ransom to move up to pick Bradford -- like the seventh and 38th picks this year, and the Browns' first-rounder next year, plus something else.
I keep hearing the Rams believe Bradford's significantly better than the other quarterbacks, and if they do, what sense does it make to trade a franchise quarterback so you can be in position to take a quarterback with a couple more holes, and then other top prospects? At the end of the day, you're not going to be sure if you plugged the biggest hole you've got, and if you haven't, and if it's a Brady Quinn situation all over again, then what sense does it make to do the deal? None.
Holmes to the Jets. A 26-year-old Super Bowl MVP traded for a fifth-round pick. A healthy star receiver coming off a 1,248-yard season, for the 155th overall choice in the draft.
Six quick points about a deal almost as stunning as the McNabb trade:
1. It's a 12-game trial for New York. It's a great deal for the Jets, obviously, but it comes with a giant asterisk. Profootballtalk.com reports Holmes is due to start the season on a four-game NFL suspension for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. He's also been accused of assaulting a woman in Florida for allegedly throwing a glass of juice in her face and cutting her. Since this is the last year of Holmes' rookie contract, the Steelers are trading three-quarters of Holmes' 2010 season for a fifth-round pick, which makes a little more sense.
2. The Steelers are sending a message to Ben Roethlisberger, and to any other future miscreants on the team. We've all heard how chagrined the Steelers are over this offseason. ESPN reported Saturday there will be no criminal charges brought against Roethlisberger over his sexual-assault allegation by a 20-year-old coed in March -- I heard the same thing from a reliable source Sunday night -- but there could still be a civil suit filed by the family. And he still must meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
It's unlikely the commissioner would use use his far-reaching "the-shield-has-been-tarnished'' powers to suspend Roethlisberger for a brief period at the start of the season for his second sex-related accusation in eight months, especially without criminal charges. What may make more sense is a ban of a game or two by the upstanding Steelers, who could use conduct-detrimental-to-the-team as a reason to sit Roethlisberger. In a city like Pittsburgh, the populace would applaud a slap upside the head to Big Ben.
In the meantime, the Steelers, I believe, are saying to Roethlisberger: You have two strikes on you, and you're out if you get another strike. This is a decision of conscience for Pittsburgh, not a football decision.
3. This happened very suddenly, too sudden for the Steelers to troll the NFL to see if they could make a better deal, which they almost certainly could have done. When I say sudden, I mean Sunday. I hear the first inkling the Jets got of this deal came in a phone call Sunday, and GM Mike Tannenbaum jumped on it.
Now, it's possible the Jets have too many at-risk players. A four-game suspension for substance-abuse means Holmes is one positive test away from a year out of football. Fellow Jet wideout Braylon Edwards could be facing a one-game ban for pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. The Jets previously dealt for talented but troubled Antonio Cromartie (seven children in five states), who the Chargers were determined to unload this offseason.
4. Rex Ryan absolutely loves Holmes. It's no secret that the Jets coach thought Holmes was the most dangerous receiver he faced. Before taking the Jets job, Ryan was the Ravens' defensive coordinator. In 2007, second-year receiver Holmes caught eight balls for 208 yards and three touchdowns against the Ravens in two games. In 2008, Pittsburgh swept the Ravens in three low-scoring meetings, the last being the AFC Championship Game. In those three games, Pittsburgh totaled three offensive touchdowns -- all scoring receptions by Holmes.
Ryan's throwing a party this morning, and when Holmes walks into the Jets' complex in Florham Park, N.J., Ryan will hug him like a college roommate he hasn't seen for 30 years.
5. In retrospect, maybe we saw this coming. The Steelers signed Arnaz Battle, a poor man's Hines Ward, last month, and also brought back former all-purpose receiver Antwaan Randle El; they hosted immensely talented Dez Bryant, the top wide receiver in the draft, on a two-day visit a week ago. Mike Wallace emerged as a major threat as a rookie with a 756-yard, six-touchdown season. They could open the season with a respectable receiver group by doing nothing in the draft.
6. Jets-Steelers, in Pittsburgh, is more must-see TV for the NFL this fall. The schedule-maker is kind. We can only hope the game is in the last 13 weeks of the season, so Holmes will be there to face the team he helped get that sixth ring.
Last thing: The Jets are amazing. They've become a little like the old Raiders (we're afraid of taking no one on our team), a little like the Yankees (we'll sign anyone to win), and a little like the Dan Snyder Redskins (we love headlines!) in the last year. With any luck, they'll sign all-decade player Jason Taylor to be a designated pass-rusher by Wednesday. And with all the additions, they've retained their first- and second-round picks, 29th and 61st overall. If they don't implode, they're going to a damn good team.
***
Now, before the Holmes trade so rudely interrupted the evening, other news around the league:
Favre succeeded by ... Tebow? The Vikings, who pick 30th in the first round, had a private workout with Florida quarterback/NFL temptor Tim Tebow Saturday. Though I think it's a long shot that Minnesota would use the 30th pick of the first round to take Tebow, it's interesting that coach Brad Childress and VP of personnel Rick Spielman, who have the draft-day juice, were both present for the workout, according to a Florida source.
All along I've felt Tebow needs to go to a spot where he can have a peaceful redshirt year or two, and assuming Brett Favre plays one or two more years (now we're getting ahead of ourselves), Tebow to the Vikes makes some sense, particularly if Childress feels he's the kind of prospect that two of the quarterback coaches he admires most -- Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren -- think he is.
By the way, Tebow was in Cleveland and Washington last week, and he visits Denver this week. I hear the Cleveland coaches were very taken with him, and if he's there when they pick in round two (number 38 overall), or they trade down from number 7 in the first round, well, who knows?
Sam Bradford works out for Washington and St. Louis this week. The workouts happen Thursday and Friday. They are formalities. Unless something strange happens, it's hard to envision anything standing in the way of Bradford to the Rams with the top pick on April 22. The only strange thing I see is Cleveland paying a ransom to move up to pick Bradford -- like the seventh and 38th picks this year, and the Browns' first-rounder next year, plus something else.
I keep hearing the Rams believe Bradford's significantly better than the other quarterbacks, and if they do, what sense does it make to trade a franchise quarterback so you can be in position to take a quarterback with a couple more holes, and then other top prospects? At the end of the day, you're not going to be sure if you plugged the biggest hole you've got, and if you haven't, and if it's a Brady Quinn situation all over again, then what sense does it make to do the deal? None.
And Dez Bryant's in demand. That was going to be my story of the day. "In my 24 years in the business,'' his agent, Eugene Parker, said Saturday, "I've never seen so many teams so interested in finding out everything about a player.'' Look at Bryant's two-week tour, culminating in Colorado on Wednesday night, the last day players can visit teams at their facilities before the draft:
Thur., April 1: Dallas (Irving, Texas)
Fri., April 2: Miami (Davie, Fla.)
Sun-Mon., April 4-5: Cincinnati
Tue-Wed., April 6-7: Pittsburgh
Thur., April 8: New England (Foxboro, Mass.)
Fri.-Sat., April 9-10: Baltimore (Owings Mills, Md.)
Sun., April 11: Tampa Bay
Mon., Today: San Francisco (Santa Clara, Calif.)
Tue., April 13: St. Louis (Earth City, Mo.)
*Wed., April 14: Denver (Englewood, Colo.)
*Cleveland was scheduled to host Bryant Wednesday morning, before he flew to Denver to meet with Broncos officials. But a source close to the Browns told me last night, "He's no longer on our list. He's not visiting us.''
NFL teams will have a tough call on Tim Tebow. The call might be tougher on Bryant. Teams wonder about his character after he lied to the NCAA about having dinner with Deion Sanders and was suspended for 10 games last season. (An idiotic sanction. Too severe if you ask me. But Bryant did get caught in a lie.) Teams wonder about the influences around him, and whether he'll be solely devoted to his NFL job once he gets drafted. Teams wonder about his maturity. And no wonder: His mother was incredibly young when she conceived him -- 12, Parker says, though the New York Times reported she was 14 when she became pregnant with the first of three kids she had in her teens. She later served time on a drug rap, and Bryant shuttled from "home'' to "home'' as a child.
"I'm amazed you're not a statistic by now,'' I said to Bryant Saturday as he left Baltimore. He was flying home to Dallas, to spend one night in his own bed before continuing on the trip Sunday in Tampa. "I'm amazed you're still here. How'd you do it?''
"Just staying positive,'' he said. "I used all the negative stuff in my life as motivation. I tried to stay humble. It's a blessing to have been able to overcome everything I have. By me going through everything, it's made me a stronger person.''
When Bryant meets with teams, the questions invariably are the same. They're about his suspension, his relationship with Sanders, who are the biggest influences in his life, and whether he'll be myopically devoted to football. He's a receiver with top-five-in-the-draft talent, who might get picked in the second half of the first round because teams see too many red flags.
I think Bryant might be turning a corner in these meetings. He admits his mistakes. He doesn't blame the NCAA. He doesn't blame his upbringing. It may be well-rehearsed, but if it is, he sounds sincere and hasn't had a hiccup.
"I just go and try to be me,'' he said. "People who know me know I'm not a bad guy. I made a mistake. I learned from it. I think it matured me. What I want these teams to know is I never committed a crime. I've never been in trouble with the police. Don't smoke weed. Don't drink. Whoever drafts me is going to get a dedicated, hard-working player.''
His two-week odyssey, he said, is "all business. I don't consider this exciting, and I don't consider draft day exciting. Just business. It's all on the path of getting ready to play pro football. When I get drafted, that's not the exciting part. Getting to a team and starting to work, that's what I'm looking forward to.''
He said three of the teams he visited either told him he'd be their pick if he was on the board when their first-round pick came up, or hinted strongly at it. The reason I don't want to put headlines on that is simple. Every year, teams tell players, "You're our guy,'' then end up picking another guy. So let's not get too excited about a "promise'' that may or may not be true. But many of the teams he's visiting could use a productive deep threat.
Roy Williams has disappointed the Cowboys terribly. The Bengals have no legit complement to Chad Ochocinco. The Broncos are still looking to trade Brandon Marshall and will need a field-stretcher to play opposite Eddie Royal. New England needs the next Randy Moss, and receiver depth. That'd be an interesting fit -- Moss mentoring Bryant. He could tell the kid about how he slid low in the first round because of off-field issues in high school and college.
"On TV all these years, I never saw Bill Belichick smile,'' Bryant said. "But we had a great conversation, and he was smiling a lot. I really liked it there. I think I'd be a good fit there.''
The teams that make the most sense to me: Denver, picking 11th, Miami (12th), San Francisco (13th, 17th), Pittsburgh (18th) and New England (22nd). Of course, the Patriots, with three second-round picks, could move up to a team wanting extra picks (Jacksonville at 10, perhaps) to make sure they can get him. Where Bryant goes will be one of the best stories of an intriguing draft.
Thur., April 1: Dallas (Irving, Texas)
Fri., April 2: Miami (Davie, Fla.)
Sun-Mon., April 4-5: Cincinnati
Tue-Wed., April 6-7: Pittsburgh
Thur., April 8: New England (Foxboro, Mass.)
Fri.-Sat., April 9-10: Baltimore (Owings Mills, Md.)
Sun., April 11: Tampa Bay
Mon., Today: San Francisco (Santa Clara, Calif.)
Tue., April 13: St. Louis (Earth City, Mo.)
*Wed., April 14: Denver (Englewood, Colo.)
*Cleveland was scheduled to host Bryant Wednesday morning, before he flew to Denver to meet with Broncos officials. But a source close to the Browns told me last night, "He's no longer on our list. He's not visiting us.''
NFL teams will have a tough call on Tim Tebow. The call might be tougher on Bryant. Teams wonder about his character after he lied to the NCAA about having dinner with Deion Sanders and was suspended for 10 games last season. (An idiotic sanction. Too severe if you ask me. But Bryant did get caught in a lie.) Teams wonder about the influences around him, and whether he'll be solely devoted to his NFL job once he gets drafted. Teams wonder about his maturity. And no wonder: His mother was incredibly young when she conceived him -- 12, Parker says, though the New York Times reported she was 14 when she became pregnant with the first of three kids she had in her teens. She later served time on a drug rap, and Bryant shuttled from "home'' to "home'' as a child.
"I'm amazed you're not a statistic by now,'' I said to Bryant Saturday as he left Baltimore. He was flying home to Dallas, to spend one night in his own bed before continuing on the trip Sunday in Tampa. "I'm amazed you're still here. How'd you do it?''
"Just staying positive,'' he said. "I used all the negative stuff in my life as motivation. I tried to stay humble. It's a blessing to have been able to overcome everything I have. By me going through everything, it's made me a stronger person.''
When Bryant meets with teams, the questions invariably are the same. They're about his suspension, his relationship with Sanders, who are the biggest influences in his life, and whether he'll be myopically devoted to football. He's a receiver with top-five-in-the-draft talent, who might get picked in the second half of the first round because teams see too many red flags.
I think Bryant might be turning a corner in these meetings. He admits his mistakes. He doesn't blame the NCAA. He doesn't blame his upbringing. It may be well-rehearsed, but if it is, he sounds sincere and hasn't had a hiccup.
"I just go and try to be me,'' he said. "People who know me know I'm not a bad guy. I made a mistake. I learned from it. I think it matured me. What I want these teams to know is I never committed a crime. I've never been in trouble with the police. Don't smoke weed. Don't drink. Whoever drafts me is going to get a dedicated, hard-working player.''
His two-week odyssey, he said, is "all business. I don't consider this exciting, and I don't consider draft day exciting. Just business. It's all on the path of getting ready to play pro football. When I get drafted, that's not the exciting part. Getting to a team and starting to work, that's what I'm looking forward to.''
He said three of the teams he visited either told him he'd be their pick if he was on the board when their first-round pick came up, or hinted strongly at it. The reason I don't want to put headlines on that is simple. Every year, teams tell players, "You're our guy,'' then end up picking another guy. So let's not get too excited about a "promise'' that may or may not be true. But many of the teams he's visiting could use a productive deep threat.
Roy Williams has disappointed the Cowboys terribly. The Bengals have no legit complement to Chad Ochocinco. The Broncos are still looking to trade Brandon Marshall and will need a field-stretcher to play opposite Eddie Royal. New England needs the next Randy Moss, and receiver depth. That'd be an interesting fit -- Moss mentoring Bryant. He could tell the kid about how he slid low in the first round because of off-field issues in high school and college.
"On TV all these years, I never saw Bill Belichick smile,'' Bryant said. "But we had a great conversation, and he was smiling a lot. I really liked it there. I think I'd be a good fit there.''
The teams that make the most sense to me: Denver, picking 11th, Miami (12th), San Francisco (13th, 17th), Pittsburgh (18th) and New England (22nd). Of course, the Patriots, with three second-round picks, could move up to a team wanting extra picks (Jacksonville at 10, perhaps) to make sure they can get him. Where Bryant goes will be one of the best stories of an intriguing draft.
"Wow. We got Holmes this is crazy. We makin' big moves this offseason.''
--Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, on his Twitter feed at 12:24 a.m. today, an hour after the Jets traded a fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Santonio Holmes, 14 months after Holmes won the Super Bowl MVP.
Quote of the Week II
"You don't have to be Mr. Loudest Guy in the Room. That's not ever going to be Sam. He's not going to be on 'SportsCenter' screaming at the top of his lungs. But that doesn't mean he's not going to get after you if you're not doing your job. He was well-respected in our locker room, and that wasn't just some transformation that happened in the last month or so either.''
-- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops on Sam Bradford, in the excellent Bradford profile by Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sunday.
Quote of the Week III
"Going to Washington was the shocker to me. I think the Eagles are hurting themselves. Donovan makes the Redskins a better football team. They needed a player like that. But the Eagles run their team as a business. It's the New England approach -- 'Don't fall in love with the player.' I see why they did it. But I think Donovan's got a lot left and really improves the Redskins.''
-- FOX studio analyst Jimmy Johnson, to me, on the deal of Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia to Washington.
Quote of the Week IV
"Coach Reid knows what Donovan's limitations are.''
-- Former Eagles tackle Jon Runyan, on Sirius NFL Radio, asked why Philadelphia coach Andy Reid would deal McNabb within the division.
To be fair, Runyan didn't say this as a shot at McNabb. He said it simply to acknowledge that any coach who would trade a quarterback to a rival he plays twice a year would certainly know how to attack that quarterback and be comfortable that the quarterback would have an Achilles heel the old team would be able to exploit. That is why the trade is so fascinating, even a week later.
Stat of the Week
You think it's tough to pick a quarterback out of college football who will succeed in the NFL? I say it's harder to pick a pass-rusher. And when I talk to coaches and personnel people around the league, it's maddening to them to try to figure out if Derrick Morgan or Jason Pierre-Paul --or maybe Sergio Kindle, if he goes to a 4-3 team and plays end -- will be productive rushing the quarterback.
A look at the nine defensive ends picked in the first two rounds of the 2009 draft shows that only one rushed the passer at a big-league level as a rookie. That was Brian Orakpo, the 13th overall pick, by Washington. He had 11 sacks and was getting some double-teams by the end of the season. Here are the other eight college defensive ends (one exception -- Connor Barwin was a jack-of-all-trades at Cincinnati) and how they fared rushing the passer as rookies:
<!--tablemaker--><TABLE class=cnnTMbox cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxTitle>Defensive Proficiency For 2009 Draft Picks </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMcontent><TABLE class=cnnTM cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=cnnIEHdrRowBG><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Player</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Team</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>'09 Overall Pick</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Games</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Sacks</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>*Tyson Jackson</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Chiefs</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>3</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Aaron Maybin</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Bills</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>11</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Larry English</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Chargers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Robert Ayers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Broncos</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>18</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>15</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Everette Brown</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Panthers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>43</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>15</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Connor Barwin</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Texans</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>46</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>4.5</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Paul Kruger</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Ravens</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>57</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>9</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>**Cody Brown</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Cardinals</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Total: 103</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>9</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMfooter>* Jackson, a 3-4 defensive end, is not expected to be a pass-rushing end in the Chiefs' scheme. Most 3-4 ends are asked to be run-stuffers and a player who clears the way for outside linebackers to make plays.
** Spent season on IR with a bad wrist</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--/tablemaker-->
Admittedly, this is no exact science. But the Bills and Broncos didn't draft Maybin and Ayers to see them take the field 31 times and never sack the passer.
--Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, on his Twitter feed at 12:24 a.m. today, an hour after the Jets traded a fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Santonio Holmes, 14 months after Holmes won the Super Bowl MVP.
Quote of the Week II
"You don't have to be Mr. Loudest Guy in the Room. That's not ever going to be Sam. He's not going to be on 'SportsCenter' screaming at the top of his lungs. But that doesn't mean he's not going to get after you if you're not doing your job. He was well-respected in our locker room, and that wasn't just some transformation that happened in the last month or so either.''
-- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops on Sam Bradford, in the excellent Bradford profile by Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sunday.
Quote of the Week III
"Going to Washington was the shocker to me. I think the Eagles are hurting themselves. Donovan makes the Redskins a better football team. They needed a player like that. But the Eagles run their team as a business. It's the New England approach -- 'Don't fall in love with the player.' I see why they did it. But I think Donovan's got a lot left and really improves the Redskins.''
-- FOX studio analyst Jimmy Johnson, to me, on the deal of Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia to Washington.
Quote of the Week IV
"Coach Reid knows what Donovan's limitations are.''
-- Former Eagles tackle Jon Runyan, on Sirius NFL Radio, asked why Philadelphia coach Andy Reid would deal McNabb within the division.
To be fair, Runyan didn't say this as a shot at McNabb. He said it simply to acknowledge that any coach who would trade a quarterback to a rival he plays twice a year would certainly know how to attack that quarterback and be comfortable that the quarterback would have an Achilles heel the old team would be able to exploit. That is why the trade is so fascinating, even a week later.
Stat of the Week
You think it's tough to pick a quarterback out of college football who will succeed in the NFL? I say it's harder to pick a pass-rusher. And when I talk to coaches and personnel people around the league, it's maddening to them to try to figure out if Derrick Morgan or Jason Pierre-Paul --or maybe Sergio Kindle, if he goes to a 4-3 team and plays end -- will be productive rushing the quarterback.
A look at the nine defensive ends picked in the first two rounds of the 2009 draft shows that only one rushed the passer at a big-league level as a rookie. That was Brian Orakpo, the 13th overall pick, by Washington. He had 11 sacks and was getting some double-teams by the end of the season. Here are the other eight college defensive ends (one exception -- Connor Barwin was a jack-of-all-trades at Cincinnati) and how they fared rushing the passer as rookies:
<!--tablemaker--><TABLE class=cnnTMbox cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=cnnIEBoxTitle>Defensive Proficiency For 2009 Draft Picks </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMcontent><TABLE class=cnnTM cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=cnnIEHdrRowBG><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Player</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Team</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>'09 Overall Pick</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Games</TD><TD class=cnnIEColHdrC>Sacks</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>*Tyson Jackson</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Chiefs</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>3</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Aaron Maybin</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Bills</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>11</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Larry English</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Chargers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Robert Ayers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Broncos</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>18</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>15</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Everette Brown</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Panthers</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>43</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>15</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Connor Barwin</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Texans</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>46</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>16</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>4.5</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>Paul Kruger</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Ravens</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>57</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>9</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>**Cody Brown</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Cardinals</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD></TR><TR class=cnnIERowAltBG><TD class=cnnIEColTxtL>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>--</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>Total: 103</TD><TD class=cnnIEColTxtC>9</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnTMfooter>* Jackson, a 3-4 defensive end, is not expected to be a pass-rushing end in the Chiefs' scheme. Most 3-4 ends are asked to be run-stuffers and a player who clears the way for outside linebackers to make plays.
** Spent season on IR with a bad wrist</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--/tablemaker-->
Admittedly, this is no exact science. But the Bills and Broncos didn't draft Maybin and Ayers to see them take the field 31 times and never sack the passer.
Holmes would of been gone at end of the year because of FA, steelers were not going to fork up the unreal price he was going to ask. he will also bee out for 4 games to start season which they did not need and I posted on my fb site on sunday, that it is a message to Big Ben and any others to get their shit right off the field. hell Holmes had many problems not talked about so much except in Pittsburgh his biggest one is he likes to suck on the bong to much. They will not miss him just watch and see. This was going to happen 1 way or another. That is why the brought back Randel El after that move was made Holmes knew he was out before start of camp.
