Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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Today was a bit of a disappointment thanks to the insufferably combative morons at American Airlines. After sitting on the runway for 1 hour and 32 minutes in Houston, we arrived in Dallas just in time to watch them seal the doors to the connecting flight to Mobile. That delay caused me, and five members of a certain NFL organization, to miss both practices as I arrived about five minutes after the late session ended. So I don?t really have much to say about the action on the field, sorry folks?blame American Airlines for sending a half-empty plane to Mobile from Dallas while 11 of us missed the plane by less than two minutes! Just shoulder pads and helmets today, so it was a pretty light workout, more of a getting to know you session for the coaches.
Here?s what I gathered from some trusted NFL personnel evaluators on what their thoughts were for the day:
-- Colin Kaepernick has a stronger arm and is bigger than a lot of people expected. Almost none of the coaches I spoke to had ever seen him before, and he exceeded his reputation. He drew more than a few unprompted, unrelated comparisons to Vince Young athletically.
-- Noel Devine is grossly undersized. He weighed in at 160 pounds, and several guys commented at how skinny his frame is. As one RB coach told me, ?He makes Garrett Wolfe look like Brandon Jacobs. Skinniest legs I?ve ever seen on a player.? I?ve never been real high on Devine and this does not help.
-- Local favorite son Courtney Smith from South Alabama was the most impressive physical specimen at wide receiver. He?s 6?4?, 220 pounds and built a whole lot like TO?except he?s got smallish hands for his size. No one I talked to has ever seen him play, nor have I, so we are all intrigued and looking forward to see him in action. He apparently has quite a sizeable cheering contingent, and I hope they aren?t disappointed.
-- Most everyone I talked to here is very happy the Bengals and Bills are coaching. Last year many of us complained at how the Dolphins staff ran the South team practice a year ago, with very few mano a mano drills and lots of sawed-off plays.
-- I talked with a college coach for a few minutes about some of the players he faced off against and coached here. He raved about Ryan Kerrigan from Purdue, says he is the most well-versed pass rusher he?s faced in years. He had no question that Kerrigan can play 4-3 end, comparing him to both Jon Abraham and Kyle VandenBosch, but (like everyone else here) needs to see his ability to play in space this week to see if he can make the transition to 3-4 OLB. The coach was not real kind on Christian Ballard or Ross Homan, calling the latter ?too easy to block?, a death punch for a small guy like Homan that must stay out of the trash to make plays.
-- Anthony Castonzo drew numerous raves for his physique. He?s a 6?7? 300+ pound tackle with very little visible fat; he looks like a professional wrestler in build. On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoma?s Jeremy Beal turned some off by appearing pudgy and not in great condition. One coach told me, ?that boy ain?t run in weeks, and he ain?t gonna be able to run at our practices?.
Again, sorry I don?t have more for today. Tonight is the media night gathering where we get extensive access to the players, and tomorrow will be a full day of much more intensive practice. I did talk quite a bit with the fellow stranded travelers and gleaned some good info on how other coaches view certain players and coaches, as well as their initial impressions of some prominent members of this draft class. I was a bit surprised at how much they wanted to know about a couple of players that most draftniks don?t regard as high potential picks. It confirms my early suspicion that Cameron Jordan and Stephen Paea are going to get drafted higher than anyone thinks right now?assuming they have good weeks here in Mobile. Jordan could be a top 8 pick.
Two quick hits on a couple of NFL developments:
-- Everyone I talked to about it, and that?s a higher number than I have fingers, defends Jay Cutler and many are aghast and appalled at how some players and media have questioned his heart and testicular fortitude.
One of the coaches I was stranded with said it best, ?The guy has worked so hard to get to that point and then he gets hurt and can?t go. What do you want him to do, crack jokes?? Amen. Go tear a ligament in your knee in subzero wind chill and try to plant that knee in sloppy, loose turf and throw strikes while being chased by Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson. The criticism is pathetic sour grapes.
-- Carson Palmer came out and demanded a trade from Cincinnati, which made Marvin Lewis? job in Mobile all the more fun. My take, and this is just my opinion and not from anyone else, is that this is Carson Palmer telling the Bengals to get rid of Ochocinco. And even though there are reports to the contrary, I strongly believe they will.
