Combine Scuttlebutt 2/23

[MelK]

From KFFL:
Updating previous reports, Michael Marot of the AP, reports Marshall QB Byron Leftwich (leg) claims his left leg is fine. Leftwich said his left leg he has injured each of the last two seasons is fine and he is ready for the NFL. ''The stress fracture was in a different spot,'' he said. ''But you hurt your leg twice and people say you've got leg problems


Also of interest, as of yesterday afternoon, Leftwich said that he hadn't spoken with Cincinnati or Chicago.

I heard Dave Ragone looks like a monster (well for a QB at least). Hope he doesn't hold it against me that i'm waiting for him to fail.

[MelK]

Marshall QB refutes injury woes...In the face of constant questioning about his injured leg, Marshall QB Byron Leftwich, one of the top two-rated QBs in the 2003 draft class, says he is 100% healthy. NFL personnel people, though, remain concerned that Leftwich may be suffering from a recurring stress fracture in his lower left leg. Leftwich suffered a stress fracture in that leg during the 2001 season and then was hobbled by what is described as a hairline fracture in the same leg late last season. Leftwich, though, claims the injuries are to different parts of the leg. Nonetheless, NFL medical people will be thoroughly checking him out between now and the draft. Not surprisingly, Leftwich won't run or workout when QBs take to the field at tomorrow's on-field sessions, but plans to be ready to go at Marshall's on-campus workout on April 2nd.

[MelK]

Combine notes...Miami DEs Jerome McDougle and Andrew Williams led the way among defensive linemen who took to the field for actual workouts yesterday with both running sub-4.7 40s. McDougle, for example, ran his two sprints in a quick 4.65 and 4.68...Georgia LB Boss Bailey measured in at a respectable 6-3, 233...South Florida DE Shurron Pierson, who most teams are actually looking at as an OLB, ran a 4.6 40 and reportedly looked very athletic doing LB drills...Washington State DT Rien Long, a potential top 15 pick, didn't look the part at all, playing stiff and slow...DTs James Lee, a 320-pounder from Oregon State, and Nick Eason of Clemson both reportedly helped themselves; Lee ran a sub-5.0 40 at that weight, while Eason, who was something of an underachiever at Clemson, stopped the clock at just a tad over the 5.0 mark and reportedly looked quick and explosive off the snap...Utah OT Jordan Gross, who disappointed some scouts when he weighed in at barely 300 pounds, made up for it demonstrating outstanding athletic skills in on-field workouts; indeed, some teams are now looking at Gross as a bona fide top 5 prospect...Fellow OTs Kwame Harris of Stanford and Eric Steinbach of Iowa were alos both reportedly more than solid in on-field workouts.

Great Blue North
http://www.gbnreport.com/index.htm

[MelK]

GBN

(11:30 AM): Ravens win flip for 10th pick; Seahawks protest!...Baltimore has announced they won a coin flip with Seattle Thursday for the 10th pick overall in the first round of the 2003 draft. The coin flip was necessary because the two teams finished the season with the same 7-9 record, while their opponents' combined won-loss records were also identical. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, though, is disputing published reports that the flip is official. According to Holmgren, he and Ravens' GM Ozzie Newsome were to make the flip on Thursday, but Holmgren wasn't able to attend. As such, Holmgren is claiming the flip that took place is 'unofficial." There is no word yet whether coin flips are, indeed, subject to 'further review'!

[MelK]

Sunday, February 23

Teams fume over decisions not to run
http://msn.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayton_john/1513194.html
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By John Clayton
ESPN.com


INDIANAPOLIS -- Titans general manager Floyd Reese sat in the RCA Dome Saturday and joked with a frustrated group of personnel men as they watched running back after running back announce that they weren't working out.

"Looks like Willis McGahee is still the top running back in this draft," Reese said. That, of course, is the Willis McGahee who is seven weeks off of surgery to repair three damaged ligaments in his left knee. Even on one leg, McGahee didn't lose any ground to a group of backs who didn't want to run.

On Friday, only nine of 16 running backs ran. Saturday was worse. Only four of 16 ran and two of those -- Casey Moore of Stanford and Jeremi Johnson of Western Kentucky -- participated. Unless you feel in love with Justin Fargas of USC and his 4.3 40s, the masses of personnel people who came to Indianapolis to find a halfback left without learning much.

“ I just think it's ridiculous that when a player knows he's coming to the combine and he has not played in January and he has not had any injury and he doesn't run. He knows he has two months to prepare for this thing, which is a huge job interview and he can stack up against people in his position. How is he going to get ready week in and week out if he can't do this? ”
— Rick Spielman, Dolphins vice president

Many of the personnel decision makers fumed.

"To have four guys out of 16 work, I think it's a total embarrassment," Dolphins vice president Rick Spielman said. "It's an embarrassment for these kids. It's an embarrassment for these agents."

The running back group was so bad that South Carolina State halfback Derek Watson, who stood at the starting line for his 40-yard dash, received a standing ovation and loud cheer when it was announced he was running. Eight other backs in front of Watson refused. Many were healthy, but they opted to do their running at their college workout days.

But memories are long in this league. With workouts scheduled during a five week period from the beginning of March through the first week of April, there may not be enough time for scouts to see workouts of all of the 19 backs who didn't run. Don't be silly to think that the workouts of Larry Johnson of Penn State, Lee Suggs of Virginia Tech, Onterrio Smith of Oregon and Chris Brown of Nebraska won't be attended.

[MelK]

http://msn.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1513186.html

INDIANAPOLIS -- Holders of the first overall choice in the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals are in a bit of a pickle right now, because they would prefer not to exercise the pick.

Too many teams in need of help at the quarterback position, like Chicago which owns the fourth overall selection, are wary of paying big money to a guy who has had only one big season in college. And certainly Cincinnati owner Mike Brown, burned in the past by high first-round choices like Ki-Jana Carter and Akili Smith, is hardly sold on the idea of investing an eight-figure signing bonus in an unproven commodity.

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The release of Washington Redskins tailback Stephen Davis is imminent and there should be a healthy market for him in free agency. Despite his age (29 on March 1), and mileage (average of 296.3 carries over the last four seasons, most of them between the tackles), enough teams are in desperate need of a steady two-down back that Davis will prosper.
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Price
Make book on this: Even though the Buffalo Bills tagged wide receiver Peerless Price with the "franchise" marker, the Atlanta Falcons are still strongly considering him. The Falcons are expected to chat with Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe about what it would take to pry Price away from him. Donahoe prefers to keep Price around, but only at the team's contract numbers, which are about $15 million on a five-year deal. If that can't be accomplished, Buffalo will step up its efforts to trade Price, and hope to acquire a first-round choice for him. Remember, the Bills don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft, having shipped it to the Patriots last spring for quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

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Offensive tackle Orlando Brown, sidelined for the past three seasons by an eye injury, is drawing considerable interest. Among the teams interested: Minnesota, Baltimore, Cleveland, San Diego, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
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Hard to say if Seattle management will be accommodating, but cornerback Shawn Springs desperately wants to be traded from the Seahawks, and will push hard for a resolution this spring.
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Just a month or so ago, it appeared the Eagles were very interested in landing a contract extension with weakside linebacker Shawn Barber, who had been working on just a one-year deal. But the negotiations have fallen apart and agent Brian Mackler said there is virtually no chance now that his client will be returning to the Eagles in '03.

[MelK]

http://msn.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1512922.html

"Watch out for this kid (Robert) Johnson from Auburn. There are some really good tight ends in this class but he's a guy you don't hear too much about, yet he sticks out to all our scouts. The guy is a monster (6-feet-6 ½ and 278 pounds) and he does a lot of things well. He's a pretty decent in-line blocker, and can actually be dominant at times, really seals people off at the edge"
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Every year, you run into a kid who acts like he doesn't even want to be around and my nomination this year is (Texas guard Derrick) Dockery. I mean, he's got some talent, or at least we felt like he did when he did our meetings before coming to Indy. But his head doesn't seem to be in it, he kind of mopes around, and isn't very motivated.
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I saw what (ESPN.com) had (Friday) about Washington State defensive tackle Rien Long. Hey, I'm sure there are teams who really like him and the potential he brings. But, to us, he really looked bad (on Saturday). Really stiff-looking, disappointing, maybe like he was awed by the whole deal. I know we didn't have him rated a first-rounder coming here and we sure as heck won't when we get back home and re-do our board."

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Look for (LSU linebacker Bradie) James to be a 'riser' in the two months left before the draft. Yeah, I wish he was a little bit taller (6-feet-1 5/8), but he looks the part. You can tell from interviewing him he loves the game and he has real good football awareness
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http://espn.go.com/i/ncb/programming/up.gif Momentum meter
James Lee, Oregon State: Regarded as a low middle- or even late-round choice by many teams, Oregon State defensive tackle James Lee may have opened some eyes on Saturday, and perhaps positioned himself to be a first-day selection. A wide-bodied run-stuffer who allegedly didn't have great movement skills, Lee did well in the change of direction drills, according to three personnel directors. Lee was timed in under five seconds by some scouts, quite a feat. He showed that, for a guy in the 320-pound range, he could chase the ball and get upfield a bit more than talent evaluators anticipated.

http://espn.go.com/i/ncb/programming/down.gif Mike Doss, Ohio State: One of the most celebrated defenders in the college game over the last two years, Ohio State safety Mike Doss is drawing some mixed reviews, could slide out of the first round. The former Buckeyes star remains a big hitter, and an aggressive and sure tackler, but there are concerns about his coverage abilities. Certainly the trend in the NFL, where the safeties with deep range have become all the rage, isn't going to help Doss' cause. The guy who walked down to the line of scrimmage, to create a front with eight defenders "in the box," is becoming passe. And defending the run clearly is the strength of Doss' game. It doesn't help, either, that Doss is a shade under 5-feet-10, more squat than most secondary coaches want at the position, and may not play well in reverse. There is no questioning his football smarts, and his estimable character and leadership, but Doss seems to be slipping.

[TigerJ]

With the expected first round run on DTs it's good to hear about guys surprising the NFL brain trust (James Lee). I have to believe that TD will find somebody who can play for Buffalo even if he doesn't get a trade done (PP for a first round pick) and the big names are gone by the time Buffalo picks.