NFL 2010 Off-Season Thread

RipCity32 said:

Well yeah..

However, when your a team as bad as the Rams or Lions, you look for as much depth as you can. That 3rd rounder looks beautiful to a guy like me. Just as it probably does for the Rams.

Maybe after getting Johnson they could draft a defensive player. Who knows lol.
I think if they don't make the deal they will be fine, and if they do, they'll still be in good shape.

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NFLDraftBible.com reports Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour stated that he has elected not to participate in the passing drills next week during the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I’ll be doing (pretty much) everything except throwing at the combine,” LeFevour said of his plans.

The passing drills have drawn criticism in years past as some quarterbacks have more of a comfort zone throwing to their own wide outs at their school Pro Day.

“I will focus solely on throwing at Pro Day,” LeFevour added. “Just getting focused with that…only having one thing to do on Pro Day and being able to work with my receivers up at school that are coming out. Putting everything I have into that aspect of it.”

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Detroit Free-Press - The Lions will take the best non-quarterback available in the draft.

"Philosophically, our position hasn't changed," GM Martin Mayhew said last month. "We want to look for the best players we can find without regard to what side of the ball that they play, what position that they play.

"Obviously, we wouldn't take a quarterback with the second overall pick at this point, so there's some common sense in there, too. But we want to continue to add talented players, no matter what side of the ball those guys play on or what their positions are."

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RipCity32 said:

Good to hear. Glad he is handling it this way.

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Mooche said:

I hope with the 2nd overall pick they wouldn't take a QB.

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Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reports Jets running back Thomas Jones is due a $3 million roster bonus plus a $2.8 million salary. There's a decent chance they may cut Jones even though he ran for 1,402 yards last season. That sounds crazy, but he turns 32 in August. That, coupled with his late-season swoon and the emergence of Shonn Greene, puts Jones squarely on the bubble.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on an ESPN radio show in St. Louis on Wednesday and painted a very different picture than most analysts and prognosticators have up to this point.

Here are Schefter's comments, as reported by Profootballtalk.com:

"I would like to record something here, on February 24th. Two months from the draft. And tell you who the number one pick is gonna be right now. On the basis of what I've talked to people around the league [about], everything I've heard. And at some point it's gonna shift to this guy, and I don't know whether it'll be now or late March. It'll probably be after his Pro Day, when he goes through his Pro Day and goes through his workout. Then all of a sudden -- it'll be about a month from now -- we'll start hearing, 'Wow. Would and could the Rams take with the number one overall pick Sam Bradford?'

"And I believe ultimately, when all is said and done, that the Rams' number one pick on April 22nd, two months from now, will be Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. I'm willing to take all bets on that one right now."

According to the report, Schefter went on to say"there's no way" the Rams won't take Sam Bradford based on what he's heard around the league.

If the Rams took Bradford first overall, it would allow Suh (defensive tackle, Nebraska) to fall into the Lions' lap at the No. 2 pick. Suh was named The Associated Press national player of the year in 2009. He is the first defensive player to ever receive that honor since the award's inception.

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ESPN - The Lions are considering a number of different moves in the wake of 30 losses in the past two seasons.

Detroit could trade the No. 2 pick and even chase recently-released running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

"We're open to just about everything," Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said Thursday.

"Whether you keep the second pick or whether you trade down, it doesn't change what you have to do -- that's make good decisions in the draft. There are blue-chip players available a lot of different spots in the draft."

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The Super Bowl champion Saints could be creating a vacancy for RB LaDainian Tomlinson by apparently allowing Mike Bell to become a free agent. Bell was not one of the 13 restricted free agents they tendered on Thursday. Neither was Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans, but he will be back on the team, either through a long-term deal or by placing a restricted free agent tender on him by next Thursday’s deadline.

New Orleans could try to lock up Bell by then but that seems unlikely since his role diminished as the season wore on. By letting Bell walk the Saints might acquiesce to quarterback Drew Brees’ wishes to bring in Tomlinson, who was released by the Chargers on Monday. Brees, who carries substantial swagger, mentioned on his Twitter page this week that he wouldn’t mind being reunited with his former San Diego teammate.

“I would love to get LT in the black and gold,” Brees tweeted on Tuesday. “Crazier things have happened.”

On Thursday, Brees seemed to be backing off a bit. “Appreciate everyone’s input on LT,” he tweeted. “First off, I love who we have … Pierre, Reg, Bell, Train … might be the best stable of backs in the NFL. LT and I go way back … we’ve been thru a lot together … I just want the best for him … he will land on his feet, trust me.”

The Saints likely won’t rush to nab Tomlinson at the start of free agency on March 5, but it seems reasonable they would explore the possibility of signing him. New Orleans did its due diligence on veteran Edgerrin James last offseason before opting for Bell, but the Saints have an open mind when it comes checking out veteran running backs.

Tomlinson would be a role player should he end up with the Saints. New Orleans used three running backs –- sometimes four -– last season, with Pierre Thomas being the main starter, Reggie Bush being the top backup, and Bell or Lynell Hamilton as the third tailback. And the Saints plan on bringing Bush back, as my colleague Jason La Canfora reported on Thursday.

Evans, meanwhile, is the Saints’ best lineman and one of three Pro Bowlers from the front five. If a long-term deal isn’t reached, New Orleans likely would place a first- and third-round restricted free agent tender on him, meaning that would be the compensation they would receive from another team that tried to sign him. That high tender has proven a worthy deterrent when placed on players.

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ESPN - The Chargers have opted not to tender running back Darren Sproles, which will allow him to leave the team without compensation.

A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter of the decision.

If San Diego wanted to retain Sproles' rights, they would have had to tender him with an offer of nearly $7.3 million for the coming season by March 4.

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Charley Casserly of NFL Network reports that Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen won’t be 100% before the draft.

Clausen recently had surgery on his right big toe, so he won’t be able to participate in a full workout consisting of running, cutting, and dropping back to pass. Clausen should be ready by training camp.

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RipCity32 said:

No LT and Sproles? Dang.

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nolafan33 said:

Who else does San Diego have at running back?

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Frontpage Stardom said:

I wonder what NFL stars will be wearing different colors this season, it should be an interesting Free Agency this year.

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INDIANAPOLIS - The rumor seemed highly suspicious. Over the last couple of days at the NFL scouting combine, there was a small buzz that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was trying to reach out to former NFL cornerback Pacman Jones to set up a workout. Very few people believed it to be true.
That little piece of gossip, considering today's "news,'' was clearly manufactured by an agent to generate some spark in his client. It was released to the media that Jones will be holding his own private workout on March 19.
While Schwartz was not available for comment, a source connected with the Titans said there's very little chance that Detroit would be interested in Jones. While Schwartz was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee while Jones was there, Schwartz isn't likely to bring in Jones despite Detroit's lack of depth at cornerback.
According to the source, Jones was viewed in Tennessee as an excellent player and a very good teammate. However, even more than his legal difficulties, Jones fell out of favor with head coach Jeff Fisher because of Jones' problems with authority. While trying to build a young Lions team, it's unlikely Schwartz wants to take on that headache in Detroit.
It wouldn't be a surprise if the Lions sent a scout to Jones' workout just as a part of their due diligence, but it would be a huge surprise if the Lions made any moves to sign Jones to a contract.

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INDIANAPOLIS - There is a report that the Detroit Lions are interested in trading for San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie and, in one sense, it makes total sense. Then again, when you think about the revolving door at cornerback last season, it makes no sense.
The reason the Lions might be interested in Cromartie is because Detroit is desperate for cornerback help and it appears the Chargers are so eager to get rid of him that he might come at a discounted price. Because the Chargers might release Cromartie if they don't get a trade, Detroit -- which won't have to sign Cromartie to a long-term deal -- might deal one of their two fifth-round picks for the cornerback.
However, both of Detroit's starting cornerbacks last year - Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry - were benched at different points in the season because they did a poor job in run support and containment.
The more glaring hole in Cromartie's game? Run support and containment.
This will be an interesting one to watch.

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Lions have spoken to the Chargers about a potential trade for cornerback Antonio Cromartie, the Free Press has confirmed.

Kevin Acee, the Chargers reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune, posted on his Twitter account that it’s “not a done deal” but he’s hearing Cromartie “could be a Lion soon.”

Cromartie is only 25 and considered one of the most talented athletes in the NFL. He had 10 interceptions in 2007. But he has fallen out of favor because of a lack of physical play and off-the-field issues. He has had only five interceptions over the past two seasons.

The Lions need help at corner desperately, and Cromartie might be available for a low price. He has one year left on his contract.

Cromartie grew up in Tallahassee, Fla., with Lions linebacker Ernie Sims and played with him at Florida State. Lions general manager Martin Mayhew also played corner at FSU.

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