No Matter What Happens, Jets Fly High by Drafting Sanchez & Do NFL Owners Discriminate Against Hiring Veteran Coaches? posted by Colin Linneweber

No Matter What Happens, Jets Fly High by Drafting Sanchez 

The New York Jets selected former University of Southern California star quarterback Mark Sanchez Saturday after making a trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire the 5th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Sanchez, 22, a third-generation Mexican American who was named the 2009 Rose Bowl MVP, wowed Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during a workout at his old high school last month and Gang Green's brass were determined to land the Trojans onetime signal-caller.

"We saw the great feet, we saw the poise and how confident he was," said Ryan of the 2008 First Team All-Pac 10 nomination who played 16 games as a Trojan in Coach Pete Carroll's sophisticated, pro-style offense. "Brian put him through every route known to man and he passed every throw with flying colors. We knew right then this is the guy we wanted."

In order to attain the 5th pick, New York traded Cleveland their first and second round choices (17 and 52) and starting defensive end Kenyon Coleman, promising quarterback Brett Ratliffe and productive safety Abram Elam.

Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted it was peculiar to forge a deal with Browns coach Eric Mangini only months after he handed the famous whistleblower his deserved pink slip.

"It is ironic, but we also looked at it as an opportunity," Tannenbaum remarked of brokering a deal with the coaching “genius” who faltered on the sidelines in Gotham.

Draft Day 2009 posted by Pablo Rotondaro

Well,

Here we go again, the Redskins almost did this draft the right way, I say this because they got a good player but took him too quick, why not wait a few minutes to see if someone would give you an extra pick just to move up 1 or 2 spots? Why not be like every other team and take the full time alloted before taking the guy you want anyway. The Redskins have had a strange, but overall effective off-season. They have tried to get almost every QB available before settling on Jason Campbell because they had no other choice. I don't think that this is a bad thing, Campbell is not a bad quarterback but he has no fire or passion, maybe the fact that he has been dissed the entire offseason might light a fire under his ass and make him a bit more aggressive on the field. They did get Haynesworth and Hall and got back Dockery, so, overall, they should be better than last year.

As far as the draft, I would say that in comparison to other ones, was pretty good. They got a bonafide pass=rusher, I simply hope that he stays healthy, so they addressed their biggest needs. They also got a guy that I love in the 3rd round because he's 6-6, he can line up with big receivers and hopefully keep them in check. The LB's they got in the 5th & 6th rounds could be good on special teams so I have no issues with that except for the TE, why the fuck do we keep drafting TE's???? I don't get it? Why waste a pick on a position that we are overloaded on? Other than that, I can't say that they did anything stupid, and thank god they didn't trade any picks next year at least.

The draft demonstrates why the good teams just get better, no matter where they are positioned in the draft they pick, they just know how to trade down to get more picks and, in the case of Bellicheck, stockpiling more picks in the future and setting his team up for constant success. The Redskins will never be that team, not with dumb and dumber running the front office but maybe, just by pure dumb luck, they might actually have done a good job this year. They upgrading their pathetic defensive line and maybe, again if healthy, might have found a good pash rusher. The key to next year will be the play of Campbell and the O-line, if they hold up and Portis can have a decent year, this team might actually be OK.

Dream Draft posted by Randolph Charlotin

No matter how many times I re-do my mock draft, the answer is always the same. Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim falls to the Pats. I’ve just completed my third edition and for the third time Sintim is the logical 23rd pick overall.

Is that a bad thing? No. Sintim sounds like a fit. I feel more comfortable with that selection than USC’s Clay Matthews Jr.

I wouldn’t complain if the Patriots select Sintim if there isn’t a better choice by the time New England is on the clock. But the player I salivate for is Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English.

The problem is I feel English will be long gone to Washington at 13th overall. 10 slots ahead of New England!

One thing I do know is the Pats will go after a player if they want him bad enough. If English is irresistible, how does New England get in position to draft him? Since Scot Pioli wasn’t officially replaced, I’m gonna sneak into his former office and devise a plan to land the former Huskie.

With eleven picks in the draft, New England has the ammunition to make deals. So who should they call first?

Now let’s get things straight. N.E. won’t trade up too high. They aren’t interested in shelling out an exorbitant lump sum of cash to a kid who hasn’t played a down. They were willing to throw in LB Mike Vrabel with QB Matt Cassel just to save an additional four million dollars. Money is an object to the franchise, especially with the marquee Pats about to become free agents next year.

Jason Taylor Doesn't Want the Jets and the Jets Don't Want That Dancer & Mike Tyson is not a Good Man. But, Don King is Evil posted by Colin Linneweber

Jason Taylor Doesn't Want to Play for the Jets? The Jets Don't Want or Need Taylor! 

Free agent defensive end Jason Taylor told a reporter last week that he would like to return to Miami to play for the Dolphins this upcoming season and he likely would not even consider signing a contract with the New York Jets.

"It'd be very, very, very difficult. Very difficult," said the 2006 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and recent performer on Dancing with the Stars. "But at the end of the day, if you can't find a job anywhere else and the Jets call, I guess you've got to retire or go play."

Taylor, 34, a six-time Pro Bowler who evidently cares more about doing the electric slide than playing pigskin, was released last month by the Washington Redskins for refusing to participate in off-season workouts.

Despite squandering a second-round pick in this month’s draft and a sixth-round pick in 2010 to the Dolphins last year to obtain Taylor, releasing the former University of Akron All-American is a vintage case of addition by subtraction for the Skins.

Taylor performed feebly on the gridiron in Landover, Maryland throughout the 2008 campaign when he wasn’t sidelined by one pink injury after another and his firing already has fans in D.C. justifiably singing “Hail to the Redskins.”

The New York Jets and their new Head Coach, Rex Ryan, have done a tremendous job this offseason assembling quality players that should make the Jets very formidable on the defensive side of the ball and it’s comedic that Taylor thinks that Gang Green’s hierarchy would covet a decaying player such as himself.

Skins want Campbell out, Sanchez in posted by Todd F. Dixon

So, the newest little rumor going around is about the draft.  Apparently, Mel Piper has Mark Sanchez going to the Redskins at the 13th pick.  According to rumors, management with the Skins wants Campbell out.  They tried trading the 5th year veteran for draft picks during the whole Jay Cutler shabaz.  They tried trading Campbell for Cutler and failed.  Now, apparently the Washington Redskins want Jason Campbell out of Washington.

The slow rise of Mark Sanchez apparently has The Danny and Vin Dieseldorf intrigued.  We all want a franchise quarterback, we all want a Dan Marino, a Joe Montana, a John Elway.  The problem is that it happens a couple of times a decade.  Unfortunately for the Redskins it hasn't happened since I was born in 1982.

Mark Sanchez left school early, is unproven, and inexperienced, but might posess the skills to be the next Jim Kelly.  What do I think?   I don't know, I have stated a couple of times my disapointment in Campbell.  But, we drafted Colt Brennan because Coach Z said he possesed the skills to be a starting QB someday.  Do we give up on Campbell and Brennan already? To me its a circle, it doesn't make sense.

I believe we have way more gaping holes than QB.  Offensive line? Linebacker? If we play good defense, and moderate offense we can compete.  Jeez, the Ravens won a superbowl with Trent Dilfer!  Campbell can be middle of the road, and mabye a bit better.  If we waste a first-round pick on Sanchez, we better get some value for either Campbell or Brennan, otherwise its not worth it.

Redskins add yet another reserve for linebacking competition posted by Todd F. Dixon

The redskins have announced that they came to terms on a deal with free agent middle linebacker Robert Thomas. 

Thomas was not re-signed by the Raiders, for whom he played for the last three seasons.  He only played in two games last year for the Raiders who were one of the worst teams in the league.  Want to know why he didn't play much?  Want to know why the Raiders of all teams didn't want him back?  He is a 3rd-stringer at best, and he had a knee injury that kept him out of 14 games last year.  Since when did we start signing Raiders rejects?

Thomas was also let go by the Rams in 2004.  The Rams drafted Thomas in the First-Round (31st overall) in 2002, he played 2 seasons, was ineffective, and was released.  He spent the 2005 campaign with the Green Bay Packers.

For his career, Thomas has started 50-of-84 games and logged 304 tackles (245 solo), two sacks and one interception.

The only good thing he really has to offer is 7 years of experience, and youth I guess.  We have 3 linebackers competing for the final starting spot alongside London Fletcher and Rocky Mcintosh.  Right now that spot is between H.B. Blades (who made a strong impression on the coaches last year), Alfred Fincher, and Thomas.  While I have lots of faith in both Fincher and Blades, I don't believe either is a starter.  They provide very good depth, but we need to find a long-term solution as a starter.  The only other linebacker on the roster is Tyson Smith.  Although the possibility of Chris Wilson converting is a possibility.

Jack Johnson: The Black Man No White Fighter Could Beat Fairly & Jay Cutler is No Jason Campbell posted by Colin Linneweber

Jack Johnson: The Black Man No White Fighter Could Beat Fairly 

Arizona Senator John McCain and Long Island GOP Representative Pete King asked the first African-American President in United States history to grant the original black Heavyweight Champion of the World a posthumous pardon for his racially motivated 1913 conviction for violation of the Mann Act. 

The lawmakers request was inspired by Ken Burns’ documentary Unforgivable Blackness on boxing legend Jack Johnson. 

“For more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and notorious African-American on earth,” said Burns of the pugilist who completed his career with 89 wins in comparison to a measly 2 losses and was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. “This was a man who Muhammad Ali emulated,” Burns continued. “But Muhammad Ali did his fighting in a decade dedicated to civil rights. Jack Johnson did it in a decade in which more African Americans were lynched than at any other time.” 

Johnson, an impenetrable defensive wizard in the ring who scholar Molefi Kete Asante nominated one of the 100 Greatest African Americans in history, was a bigoted Klansman's most mortifying nightmare. 

The third child and first son of former slaves, the “Galveston Giant” blatantly ignored conventions regarding the social and economic statuses of blacks in American society. 

Johnson banged white women, drove expensive cars and donned flamboyant clothing that would have made a pimp blush.  

Chicago Bears Trade for Cutler, Sign Pace posted by Joe Anello

Jay Cutler is a Chicago Bear. I said it. I can’t believe it. This was a pipedream. All I wanted to hear was that the Bears expressed their interest and were on the phones trying to make an offer. I did not even fathom the idea that they could actually land a franchise quarterback. General Manager Jerry Angelo not only called the Broncos, but pulled the trigger on a massive blockbuster trade, acquiring the Pro Bowl QB from Denver.

On first analysis, what the Bears sent to Denver could seem like a king’s ransom, but on a closer look, the Bears didn’t give away all that much. Here’s how the trade breaks down:

Denver receives:
Bears’ 1st round selection in 2009 (18th overall)
3rd round selection in 2009 (84th overall)
1st round selection in 2010
QB Kyle Orton

Chicago receives:
QB Jay Cutler
Broncos’ 5th round selection in 2009 (140th overall)

Obviously the two first round picks hold a ton of value in the NFL, but that was going to be the starting bid for Cutler according to Denver’s front office. Adding Kyle Orton was a no-brainer, especially if Denver actually placed any value on him. Orton couldn’t stay here and be relegated to a back-up position again after all he’s been through for the organization. Sending that third round pick seems like overkill, but don’t forget the Bears were awarded an additional third round compensatory draft pick (number 99 overall) only a few weeks ago. That pick gave Angelo the flexibility to include his original third-rounder in the deal and outbid every other suitor. When the rumors surfaced that the Washington Redskins were getting involved when they have a solid talent at QB in Jason Campbell, I just assumed they’d win out. Jerry Angelo could never outbid Dan Snyder… could he? This deal proves that new Denver head coach Josh McDaniels liked Orton better than Campbell, which is a shock to me. McDaniels, the former quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots, places a lot of stock in system quarterbacks, which Orton obviously is, judging from his days at Purdue.

Redskins miss out on Cutler, and Titans accuse Skins of "Tampering" posted by Todd F. Dixon

Disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler is being sent to the bears in exchange for Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton, a first (18th overall) round pick, and a third (84th overall) round pick this year, and a first round pick next year.  In addition the broncos will receive a 5th rounder this year (whoopdee doo).  Now that I have seen the details of the exchange, i'm glad the Redskins didn't go through with it.  First of all, the Redskins only had 4 total picks this year, trading away 2 of them would have left us with nothing.  I did want Cutler, but that is a price even the Danny couldn't do.  Luckily for us, Campbell is very composed, very mature, and dealing with the situation very well. 

“This has taught me a valuable lesson about the business side of things, and the playing side of things,” said Campbell, who added that he was contacted by several of his teammates and coaches, “and that means a lot.”  He is dealing with the situation very well, and yes Brandon, better than Cutler.  You were right about his swelled head, and his arrogance, I was just blinded by his ability and what he could be for us.  I'm tired of not having a "franchise" quarterback, as the Bears were, and they have a quarterback to build upon.  They signed aging Orlando Pace to protect Cutler's blindside, and are already a better team.  The Broncos on the otherhand are falling apart, and won't have a winning record with Kyle Orton.

 On a different note, the Tennesee Titans are filing a grievance with the league against the Redskins.  According to the Titans, the Redskins moved too quickly after free agency started with Albert Haynesworth, and they are suspicious.  According to sources, the Redskins contacted Haynesworth before free agency began on Feb. 27th.  What does this mean you ask?  If the Redskins are found guilty of tampering, they will have to surrender draft picks.  Thats the penalty for what the Skin have most likely done in the past, and this time got caught doing.  More draft picks being flushed down the toilet.

Redskins actively pursuing Jay Cutler posted by Todd F. Dixon

Apparently the rumors are flying all over the place, and Vinny Cerrato is actually talking to Denver now.  I said it last time, the Redskins should go get Cutler.  We need a franchise quarterback, and he is exactly that. 

The Redskins apparently want to get the deal done as quickly as possible.  The list of pursuers is mighty long, and the Skins want to get it done before other offers are on the table.  How much would it take to get him?  Most likely Jason Campbell, and a first round pick.  That will hurt us a bit, because we needed that pick for a linebacker, end, or O-lineman.  But, if we look at the bigger picture, we have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades.

The Redskins haven't commented the last few days, and Coach Zorn and Cerrato came out and said that the Skins weren't interested when the rumors first surfaced.  The only issue I have with all of this is exactly what happened in Denver.  If the Skins pursue him and don't get him, Campbell will not be happy and his confidence will be hurt.  Cerrato didn't commit to him after next season, and doesn't feel like he's gonna be a franchise quarterback.  I don't either.

The reason why I think this will work is the relationship between former Denver broncos Coach Mike Shanahan and Cerrato.  Shanahan drafted Cutler and saw his greatness and wanted him, they actually traded up (surprisingly at the time) to get him..  When Shanahan was fired, Cutler was not happy, and apparently wanted some of the staff to remain behind.  That didn't happen, they were all let go as 32-year-old Mcdaniels came in and wanted his own staff.  Cerrato and Snyder are both in love with Shanahan and have a very good relationship with him.  I believe, knowing ole Danny Boy Shanahan will be the coach of the Redskins after this season.  If thats the case, he's gonna want to have his franchise quarterback here.  Cerrato and Snyder will see to it.  Although I wanted Shanahan as the coach, i'm getting tired of these 1 or 2 year coaches.  I think we need to give Zorn a chance, and stop firing people to go after a big-time name.

Thrash fails physical, cut by Redskins (AP)

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Suspect in Taylor slaying withdrawing plea

One of the five men charged in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea.A hearing is scheduled Friday morning in Miami on the request by 21-year-old Venjah Hunte.Under a plea deal, Hunte would serve no more than 29 years in return for his cooperation. If he withdraws his guilty plea, Hunte could face a life sentence like his four co-defendants. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Suspect in Taylor case to withdraw plea (AP)

One of the five men charged in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea. A hearing is scheduled Friday morning in Miami on the request by 21-year-old Venjah Hunte. Under a plea deal, Hunte would serve no more than 29 years in return for his cooperation. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Army-Navy in Philly 5 of next 8 years (AP)

The Army-Navy football game will be held in Philadelphia for five of the next eight years, beginning in 2010. The Naval Academy announced Tuesday that the annual duel between the service academies will be played at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The teams will play at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, in 2011. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports