Category: NFL (Page 145 of 1282)

      Tom Brady breaks down talking about being selected in the sixth round

      April 11, 2011 /

      Just because he’s had a storybook career doesn’t mean that Tom Brady doesn’t get a little emotionally when discussing draft day in 2000.

      Or really emotional.

      Brady appeared on ESPN’s “Year of the Quarterback” series and broke down when discussing what he went through before hearing his name called with the 199th pick in the sixth round.

      Before watching the clip, my initial response to hearing that Brady started crying while recounting how he was a sixth round pick was: Oh, brother. What else could the guy ask for? He’s won three Super Bowls, is often viewed as the decade’s best player, has made millions of dollars and married a supermodel. And he’s crying about being taken in the sixth round? Give me a break.

      But then I watched the clip and I had a change of heart. At some point or another, we’ve wanted something so bad that we could taste it. Obviously Brady wanted nothing more than to be a NFL quarterback, to prove himself and also make his parents proud. I can imagine how that was a tough day for him and maybe I would have broken down too while recounting how agonizing the wait was. In fact, it seems like a lot of his emotion stemmed from remember how supportive his parents were.

      Either way, everything worked out in the end. In fact, it was almost better that he was taken in the sixth round because it has made his career that much more legendary. A sixth round quarterback winning three Super Bowls? Unheard of.

      On a related note, how about the Browns taking Spergon Wynn with the 183rd pick instead of Brady? You know that they must have had Brady on their draft board if they were looking for a quarterback in the sixth and they wind up with Spergon freaking Wynn. If that’s not Cleveland Brown luck, I don’t know what is.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vikings to take Jake Locker at No. 12?

      April 11, 2011 /

      The Vikings need someone to replace Brett Favre and according to ESPN 1500’s Tom Pelissero, they may have their eyes on a quarterback prospect who has Favre-like qualities in their eyes. (Uh, on the field.)

      After doing “a lot of digging,” Pelissero believes that Washington quarterback Jake Locker could be the Vikings pick at No. 12. The former Huskie has apparently generated “comparisons internally” to Favre at Vikings headquarters, and there’s a growing sense around the league that Locker is bound for Minnesota.

      The fit certainly makes sense. First and foremost, head coach Leslie Frazier told the media a couple of weeks ago that the Vikings want to draft and start a rookie QB. The team also brought Bill Musgrave over from Atlanta to be the new offensive coordinator because he works so well with young quarterbacks (i.e. Matt Ryan). I’m sure the Vikings would love to give Musgrave a similar opportunity to groom someone like Locker, who has great intangibles and an abundance of athleticism, but who needs a fair amount of coaching.

      If Locker does wind up in Minnesota, one thing he must make strides with is his accuracy. He fits the mold of a West Coast Offense quarterback in that he’s mobile and can get the ball out of his hand quickly, but his accuracy runs hot and cold. If he’s going to run Musgrave’s version of the WCO, Locker must improve that area of his game. Of course, the nice thing about landing in Minnesota is that Locker will have Adrian Peterson to take most of the load off his shoulders as he learns the ropes. Obviously not all young quarterbacks have AP lining up behind them in the backfield.

      We’ll find out in a couple of weeks if Locker does indeed wind up in purple and white.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Judge to impose forced mediation on owners and players?

      April 10, 2011 /
      David Boies, attorney for the National Football League (at microphone podium), speaks to the media after attending a federal court hearing regarding labor negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association in St. Paul, April 6, 2011. Right of Boies is attorney Gregg Levy. REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL CRIME LAW BUSINESS)

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter via Twitter, Judge Susan Nelson told owners and players that she will impose “forced” mediation” early this week.

      From Rotoworld.com:

      The NFL desperately wants mediation of a collective bargaining agreement under George Cohen while the NFLPA prefers mediation of their antitrust lawsuit under Nelson’s supervision. Nelson has hinted that she will side with the players, though there is a chance that she will defer to Cohen’s several-week head start on negotiations. Sources on both sides tell CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman that this round of mediation “might lead to a deal.” Let’s hope so.

      Let’s. The best way for these two sides to come to an agreement that works for everybody is if they talk. Leaving it up to the court system is a bad idea because I would have to imagine that one side would walk away a clear winner and the other a clear loser. Granted, there needs to be compromise on both sides but leaving the lines of communication open would seemingly make the most sense.

      External Sports, NFL

      Could Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick wind up going in the first round?

      April 9, 2011 /

      If someone had suggested three months ago that Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick could go in the first round of this year’s draft, that person would have probably been laughed at. In fact, ‘No way!’, ‘You’re an idiot!’, ‘I hate your face!’ would have likely been some of the typical responses.

      But times have changed.

      About a week ago, NFL Network’s Albert Breer was the latest to suggest that Kaepernick could merit first-round consideration. Granted, he did say late first-round consideration, but first-round consideration nonetheless.

      Breer isn’t alone either. Kaepernick’s combination of size, athleticism and arm strength has garnered some attention over these last couple of months and it appears as though the former Wolfpack is steadily rising up draft boards. According to FOX Sports, he’s “scheduled to take 13 trips” to meet with NFL teams before the draft, with another three “in the works.” A few more teams are also reportedly set to come out to Reno to watch him workout as well.

      That said, the biggest challenges that Kaepernick faces are that 1) he played in the pistol offense at Nevada and therefore has never ran a pro-style offense, and 2) he may have to adjust his unorthodox throwing motion when he gets to the next level. Granted, he’s not a work-in-progress like Tim Tebow was last year but he’s not Philip Rivers either in terms of his release (even though the ball does come out of his hand quickly).

      Depending on how far guys like Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett and Christian Ponder fall, Kaepernick will likely go somewhere in the middle rounds (i.e. 2 through 4). It still seems like a stretch that he would go in the first round, although it’s certainly not as big a stretch as it was three months ago.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      NFL, NFLPA will discuss the possibility of mediation on Friday

      April 8, 2011 /
      Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, arrives to continue negotiations between the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA) in Washington March 11, 2011. The parties were still negotiating a range of sticking points, including how to divide more than $9 billion in annual revenues, but the players’ union insist one issue, the NFL’s proposal to add two more games to the regular season, was off the table. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

      The NFL and NFLPA are scheduled to speak at 10:00AM Friday with Judge Susan Nelson to discuss the possibility of mediation. Rotoworld.com has the details.

      We’re not holding out much hope for immediate progress, but Judge Nelson is at least known for “settling standoffs,” per Judy Battista of the New York Times. The NFLPA stance is that the owners’ offer to resume mediation under George Cohen “makes no sense” as collective bargaining between the two sides is “over.” The players do hold the leverage right now, but they’re also missing out on a chance to hammer out a favorable deal through collective bargaining in lieu of litigation.

      Any progress is good progress at this point. Maybe Judge Nelson can convince both sides that it’s best to go through mediation rather than allow the court process to play out. If not, we’re right back where we were when the players decertified and we could be looking at a lengthy lockout.

      If the lockout does last another couple of months, I wonder if the owners will eventually crack. The players have been preparing for this moment for the past two years and even put a “lockout fund” together just in case. The owners have dug in their heels and have flexed their muscles a couple of times throughout the last couple of months (or tried to in the case of Jerry Jones), but they were also hoping to fund their lockout using TV contracts. Judge David Doty squashed that plan, so I wonder if the owners will eventually crack the longer the lockout resumes. (Or obviously if Judge Nelson rules in favor of the players and ends the lockout in a couple of weeks.)

      We’ll see. (I feel like I’ve said that a lot as it pertains to this CBA mess.)

      External Sports, NFL

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