Matthew Stafford Opts out !

[THE KOD]

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NFL SCOUTING COMBINE
Stafford takes pass on throwing drills
By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Indianapolis ?- Matthew Stafford made an interesting choice during his first interview with the Detroit Lions.

The team that holds the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft took the former Georgia quarterback out to dinner at the world-famous St. Elmo Steak House.

Curiously, Stafford ordered salmon and a side of asparagus.

?Kept it healthy,? he said.

He knew he had to weigh in at the scouting combine Friday.

?I didn?t know what I was going to weigh, so I just wanted to make sure I was good,? said Stafford, who checked in at 225 pounds and a shade over 6 feet 2.

Stafford confirmed that he will not participate in the passing drills or do the 225-pound bench press. By not working out, he is opening the door for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, who plans to do all the drills, to move past him as the top quarterback in the draft.

?You want to see guys who have that confidence to go out there,? Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said. ?I know a lot of quarterbacks typically haven?t thrown simply because they want to throw to familiar receivers.

?But it does speak a little bit to a coach that a guy has the confidence to go out and throw at 7 in the morning or throw at midnight, ?whenever you want it coach, I?ll do it.??

Stafford plans to throw at a Pro Day in Athens on March 19.

?I?m going to ? throw 50, 55 balls and do kind of what everybody expects in a Pro Day workout,? Stafford said. ?I?ll take care of it then.?

Stafford is not a lock to be selected by Detroit, but it?s unlikely that he will slip past Kansas City, which holds the No. 3 pick.

The Lions, who played five quarterbacks in their record-setting 0-16 season, recently re-signed Daunte Culpepper and might use the top pick to solidify the offensive or defensive line.

?There is not only a lot of money at stake,? Schwartz said. ?There is an opportunity at stake that we can?t let pass. It?s going to be a very in-depth process.?

Stafford said the success of the Falcons? Matt Ryan and Baltimore?s Joe Flacco as rookies wasn?t a factor in his decision to leave Georgia early.

?It definitely gives you confidence as a quarterback coming out in this class that you can make an impact early,? Stafford said. ?But as far as whether I was going to come out as a junior, that didn?t make a difference to me whether they did so well, which they did, or not.?

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock doesn?t think Stafford and Sanchez can have the same immediate impact as Ryan and Flacco, who were fifth-year seniors when they entered the draft.

?He?s got three years as a starter in the SEC, which is impressive,? Mayock said of Stafford. ?But still, you don?t have the same tracking mechanisms that you had with those other guys.?

Stafford believes he?s ready.

?I guess I could cover that by saying I played in 39 football games in college,? Stafford said. ?That?s a lot of football games, probably more than some seniors have played in. I was actually there for an extra semester. I?ve been doing this for a while.

?Obviously I have a lot to learn. It?s a whole different ball game in the NFL, but I understand what it takes to prepare and get ready to play early.?
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There is only one reason why he wont participate in all the drills. He is weak and has no confidence in his abilities.

I am glad he is gone from Georgia. For all the build up of the guy, he never came close to being the QB he was supposed to be.

Detroit taking him number 1 will be the worst thing they could do.

They need to take Sanchez. They will be glad they did.

Stafford should drop to the late first round.

 

[THE KOD]

New head coach Jim Schwartz said he won't build the Lions into a dome-specific team.
AP
NFL Combine 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- Musings, observations and the occasional insight from on scene at the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine, which has morphed into the league's all-purpose kick start to all things having to do with personnel acquisition season....

? It took a good 45 minutes or so into my four-day stay here in Indy, but I'm convinced I've already figured out the biggest riddle of this year's NFL draft season: What, pray tell, will the Detroit Lions do with the first overall pick on April?

After careful analysis of every syllable uttered to the media by new Lions head coach Jim Schwartz on Thursday morning in the bowels of Lucas Oil Stadium, where the combine has relocated to this year, I'm willing to guarantee that Detroit isn't taking a quarterback with its No. 1 pick. Okay, guarantee is a little much. Let's just say I'm pretty sure. Make that reasonably certain. Could I get by with calling it a very strong hunch?

I will admit it's entirely possible I was pre-disposed to come to such a conclusion, given that I gave Detroit an offensive tackle -- Alabama's Andre Smith -- last month in my inaugural mock draft of the year. But after hearing Schwartz describe the needs of his 0-16 team, the boom-bust factor at the top of the draft, and his time-tested philosophy of building a roster from the inside out (read the offensive and defensive lines first), I'm willing to go on record stating that I'll be shocked if the Lions tap a quarterback like Georgia's Matthew Stafford or Southern Cal's Mark Sanchez first overall.

So, there you have it. Please, no more calls, we have a winner. The Lions are going to select one of the draft's several highly rated offensive tackles with the first pick, and that's that. As for exactly who, check back with me a bit later. Say, April 24th or so.

All kidding aside, I didn't think it took a rocket scientist -- or even a particularly sharp NFL writer -- on Thursday to discern the way the Lions appear to be leaning early on in draft season. Give a listen to Schwartz when asked for his take on the dubious distinction of picking in the top slot:

"This is my 16th year in the NFL and it's my first experience with it -- and hopefully my last,'' Schwartz said. "It is a different animal. I've compared it a little bit to playing blackjack. You can go play blackjack in Vegas, and play $5 tables, and play for a couple hours and make bad decisions and lose $100 and have some fun. You go play at the $5,000, or $10,000 table and you're making bad decisions, you're walking home. You're not flying home. You've got to add that into the equation. Not only is it an opportunity to get a great player. But you need to make sure.''

Make no mistake, Schwartz's Lions are at the big-money table this year, holding the No. 1 pick for the first time since they selected Billy Sims in 1980. Last year's No. 1 pick, Miami offensive tackle Jake Long, got $30 million in guarantees in his rookie contract, and that figure won't drop this time around.

That's why you need to make sure at the top of the draft, and does anyone out there think the track record of picking highly rated offensive tackles isn't safer on the whole than picking highly rated quarterbacks? That said, the Lions own two first-rounders this year, their own and No. 20 (which came from Dallas in the Roy Williams trade), and they very well could address the game's most crucial position with that second No. 1 (Kansas State's Josh Freeman?)

But the Lions rolling the dice on a junior quarterback like Stafford or Sanchez selected first overall? I just can't see it happening. Schwartz might as well move over to those high-roller blackjack tables and start playing two hands at a time.

At no point did the Lions rookie head coach say quarterback was not an option at the top of the draft, but he really didn't have to if you listened to what he was saying. Like when I asked him about the conventional wisdom within the league about building a team from the inside out, which I happen to know he buys into.

"I've said before, we're going to build the team like it's an outdoor team,'' Schwartz said. "We're not going to build it to be a dome team. This is a great dome, and Ford Field is a great dome. But the fact is that we have to go to Lambeau, probably in December. We'll have to go to Chicago, maybe for a game that might mean the playoffs. You need to be big and physical, run the ball and stop the run when the weather gets bad. When you look at Tennessee and other places I've been, if you're strong on the offensive and defensive line, you'll be consistent from week to week.

"That doesn't leave you. You can have a dominant skill player, but he might get hurt one week or the wind might be blowing, like it was in Buffalo when New England played up there, and you can't throw the ball. Or the footing might be bad and the running back can't make his yards. But offensive line and defensive line will make you consistent from week to week.''

Does that sound like a guy about to tie his and the franchise's fortunes to a quarterback at No. 1? There's plenty of subterfuge practiced at this time of year in the NFL, but by my way of thinking, Detroit's dismal history of drafting first-round skill-position players this decade only reduces the chances of the Lions spending their top pick on a passer. Or have you already forgotten Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, and the aforementioned Roy Williams?

"You mean Calvin Johnson?'' quipped Schwartz, when I mentioned the Lions' recent first-round draft busts. "I'm going to stress the positive. You're not going to hear me speak a lot about what happened in years past.''

But then I rephrased my question for Schwartz, asking him if the boom-bust factor in the first round was even steeper with skill players?

"Probably,'' he admitted. "You probably do have a chance to get that impact player, but it probably is safer, if you're talking about left tackle or a defensive lineman, stuff like that.

"The whole boom-bust thing, not many fans or people in the media know if the left tackle has been a bust or not. If he's starting, it's hard for them to assign blame for a sack or something like that.''

All the more reason to be thinking about an offensive tackle like Virginia's Eugene Monroe, Alabama's Smith, Baylor's Jason Smith or Mississippi's Michael Oher with the top pick, especially given that there are no defensive linemen deemed No. 1 worthy. Less pressure and fewer eyes trained upon every little move that a franchise quarterback makes is probably something that sounds kind of appealing to Schwartz as he starts his NFL head coaching career with the mother of all rebuilding jobs.

"We need everything,'' he said. "There's a reason the record was what it was last year. It wasn't because of bad luck or a rash of injuries. There's a lot of work that needs to be done.''

But I now refuse to believe that work will begin with the quarterback position in Detroit this offseason. And you can take that to the bank, even at the ridiculously early juncture of Feb. 19, before the combine has even really gotten rolling.

No ifs, ands, or maybes about it.

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Stafford maybe should think now about throwing and not sitting back like a wuss.

:142smilie

 

[THE KOD]

By Sean Leahy, USA TODAY

INDIANAPOLIS ? Another NFL draft without a first-round wide receiver? Unlikely to happen this year. Wideouts are poised to return in grand style to the top of the draft board in a class that Titans head coach Jeff Fisher called impressive.
"This was a good year," Fisher said. "There's a lot of talented receivers at this point."

No receivers were selected in the first round of last year's draft, the first such occurrence in 18 years. (Ten wideouts were chosen in the second round last year.) Two years ago, six receivers went in the first round.

THE HUDDLE: Crabtree has stress fracture, could miss 10 weeks

This year's crop is highlighted by Michael Crabtree, a 6-1, 215-pound Texas Tech product most notable for his spectacular, game-winning touchdown catch with one second left against Texas last season. A dynamic playmaker who caught 231 passes and 41 touchdowns in two college seasons, Crabtree has drawn comparisons to Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald for what NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said are "elite" ballhandling skills.

"I look at Michael Crabtree," Mayock said, "and I think he's a top-10 pick."

Florida's Percy Harvin and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin join Crabtree as potential first-round material. Harvin did not speak with reporters on Friday due to a lengthy medical test with NFL officials. Maclin, 6-0, 198 pounds, will get the first chance to work out in front of NFL talent evaluators when he participates on Sunday in combine drills, which Crabtree said he'd skip in favor of his pro day.

Crabtree, in an unassuming and understated manner, said he thinks he's the best player in the entire draft and wants to be chosen first overall ? even if he didn't have the best sales pitch for the Detroit Lions, who hold the first selection.

"I don't have a reason for them to pick me," said Crabtree, a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's best receiver, "but I'm going to work hard every day to better myself and to present myself to them the best way I can."


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If there's a knock on Crabtree, analysts have suggested his speed may not measure up with most elite prospects. He had a right ankle injury last season that he said is nearly back to 100%, and should be healed by the time he runs the 40-yard dash at his pro day March 26.

Browns general manager George Kokinis said any concerns about Crabtree's perceived lack of speed are assuaged by his superior game performance. "The only speed issue I've seen so far is him running by people," Kokinis said. "I think when he does time eventually, you match it to the tape, to his competition, and you try to project it against NFL corners. I'm not too concerned about Michael's speed because right now on tape I see him running pretty good."

Maclin, who caught 184 passes and 22 touchdowns the past two seasons, said he's not putting too much stock into where he'll be selected just yet. The draft is hard to predict ? many mock drafts last year had several receivers pegged as first-rounders ? and can lead to disappointment if players buy into the hype.

"You try not to get caught up into that stuff too much, because you never know what happens on draft day," Maclin said. "You take Brady Quinn for instance (slipping to 22nd in 2007) not too long ago. That's something that I definitely don't want to experience."

Maclin's value is helped by his threat as a returner. He had five touchdowns on kick and punt returns at Missouri, and teams could see special teams as an immediate way for him to contribute.

"You just get the ball in your hands, I'm just looking to make plays," Maclin said. "Every time I touch the ball, I look for the end zone. So that's something I feel I can do, whether it be receiving, running, kick return or punt return. I definitely look to change the game. I consider myself a game changer."

Investing a high draft pick in a wide receiver can be risky because it often takes time for receivers' skills to translate to the NFL. Only two first-year wideouts caught more than 60 passes last season, the first time more than one rookie crossed that threshold since 2003.

The physicality of the NFL can be too much for rookie receivers to overcome, said Vikings head coach Brad Childress. "Whether it's the holding, the grabbing ? the things that maybe you don't see in college football," he said. "And then all the route conversions compiled with that physical nature that's happening to you. It's very hard to get past that as a rookie."

While Crabtree's hopes of being the first player taken may not gel with the needs of the Lions, there are several teams with high picks that would benefit from his playmaking. The St. Louis Rams (second), Seattle Seahawks (fourth), Cincinnati Bengals (sixth) and Jacksonville Jaguars (eighth) all have needs at receiver and hold top-10 picks.

And if they have any doubts about whether Crabtree's skills will translate as a pro, Mayock suggested tracing Fitzgerald's career arc for comparison.

"People that didn't like (Fitzgerald) when he came out didn't think he could separate," Mayock said. "But what he had was unbelievable ball skills ? vertical jump, ability to go get it.

"Crabtree is that type of player."

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[THE KOD]

By dawgball

February 21, 2009 1:30 PM

Matthew Stafford = Fran Tarkinton\

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By athensdawg

February 21, 2009 1:24 PM | Link to this

who cares.

i am beginning to believe that matt stafford and knowshown were one of the problems with the dawgs? inability to be tough. Although, K. Moreno showed some class with his thanks to the fans in the athens paper.

m. stafford will be remembered as another underachieving college talent who took the money and ran. unlike knowshown, he didn?t ?need? the money?.i think he clocked in, did his time and moved on.

historically, georgia teams have played much better with a pedestrian quarterback (Bobo, Greene, Belue, Lastinger, etc.) than some all star-all world talent. (QC, Stafford.)

looking forward to having a regular guy like joe cox leading the dawgs next year.


By RealityYech

February 21, 2009 5:19 PM | Link to this

You can say a lot of it has to do with both Stafford and Moreno not being Georgia boys, and this why their heart wasn?t in it. But this Aaron Murray kid seems to be gun-ho about being a Dawg. So I?m not sure if that makes the case for it or not. Stafford made no bones about it, he has always dreamed of being a pro QB. He chose to come to UGA because his family really liked Richt and they knew Richt and his system would be the best thing to prepare Matt for the pros. Knowshon is just your typical kid that wants the fame and bucks. No different than all of Yech?s ?one and dones? on the hardwood.

Programs are now forced to play kids as true freshmen because there?s always that chance they will bolt after the third year is up. I agree, it?s easier to pull for the guys that stuck around for the full 4-5 years when they advanced to the NFL, but you can?t blame them for bolting and taking the money either. Espeically for a Stafford who never hid the fact he wants to be an NFL QB.


By Athens dawg

February 21, 2009 5:39 PM | Link to this

yep, bill you said it all. Stafford was a decent QB, he will never be remembered for long at UGA he was just another QB to come to UGA. He won some games and helped us out, over 3 great years but he never was that leader who won your heart over. He never won an SEC Championship, or a National title.

However Joe Cox is already a leader, and he has only played in a couple games. The one game we can say Cox played like a leader, was the Colorado VS. UGA game. Thank goodness we had Cox, because if we didn?t we would have lost that game, with a decent overrated Stafford. Go Dawgs!!! 2009 season gonna be better than 2008. WE GOT LEADERSHIP NOW, cant wait till Spring game.

By DawgMike

February 21, 2009 5:46 PM | Link to this

I wish Stafford all the best as well. Stafford (and Moreno) going first round does a lot for UGA. It tells Offensive Playmaker recruits (QBs, WRs and RBs) you can go to UGA and play in an NFL pro style offense, get press, and get drafted. CMR has been a great coach for UGA, but it hasnt been until Stafford, Moreno and now AJ Green under CMR and getting all the national press that they have the past two years at UGA, that has really put UGA on the national recuriting map for the elite recruits. Sure we?ve always had Top 10 recruiting classes but we always seemed to miss out on the elite playmakers in the skilled positions. Stafford was the first 5 star highly touted QB UGA has had UNDER CMR. We got 3 good years with Stafford. He did a great job. Will he be considered one of the greatest QBs at UGA based on performance? prolly not, but what he does for UGA as well as Moreno and Green will do, is help UGA land the elite prospects going forward. What they do For UGA is help UGA land 5 star QB Aaron Murray ranked #3 nationally and 5 star WR Marlon Brown ranked #2.

Dont get me wrong, I would have loved another year with Stafford and a couple more with Moreno, but as we all know, the game is a business now. Times have changed and it?s ok. UGA is going to continue to be GREAT!

Good Luck Stafford and Moreno! DGDawgs!!
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[DIRTY Diapers]

St. Elmos - The best shrimp cocktail in the world.

 

[THE KOD]

St. Elmos - The best shrimp cocktail in the world.

where is St Elmos ?

never heard of that before

 

[DIRTY Diapers]

Downtown Indianapolis - Very nice restaurant. If you like food with a little spice then I would recommend having their shrimp cocktail if you are ever in town. Be carefull though very spicy.

 

[THE KOD]

Downtown Indianapolis - Very nice restaurant. If you like food with a little spice then I would recommend having their shrimp cocktail if you are ever in town. Be carefull though very spicy.

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I dont particularly care for a burning asshole.

Either in my restaurant or in my thread.

If you catch my drift.

 

[THE KOD]

From Adam:

Thanks for taking the time to put together your mock NFL draft. I?m writing regarding your decision to project Stafford as the No. 1 overall pick by the Lions. Although I understand your logic, I don?t agree with your conclusion. The reason I don?t think the Lions should take Stafford is because I don?t think he is a one in a million prospect. He?s the best this year, but if Bradford, McCoy or Tebow had come out, would you still be able to say that Stafford is the lock No. 1 QB in the draft? The unfortunate reality is the the Lions have multiple areas of need and it is highly likely that they will be picking somewhere in the top 10 again in 2010. Addressing the trenches (OL and DL) in the 2009 draft would allow them to provide a solid foundation for a new guy next year, such as Bradford, McCoy or Tebow. Taking Stafford No. 1 this year would require the Lions to start him sooner than necessary, potentially stunting or destroying his development because no one is blocking for him. And, I know that the Lions could load up on OL players with Dallas? pick at 20 and/or their early picks in Rounds 2 and 3, but if they do so, then they will not be able to address their defense ? which, as you know, has been ranked amongst the worse in the NFL for several years now.

Bottom line: The Lions are, once again, rebuilding. Next year?s crop of QBs is as good, or possibly better, than this years. The better move is to build the OL/DL foundation now and take a shot at one of next year?s prospects.
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alot of Detroit fans think taking Stafford is the wrong choice.

He would end up getting beat the fawk up every game and probably injured and out.

wait until next year. Pretty much guarantee Detroit will not win 3 games anyway.

 

[THE KOD]

Overall
Rank Rating Name Yr Ht/Wt/40 College Home
WR 1 Michael Crabtree SO 6-2/208/- Texas Tech Dallas, TX
OLB 2 Aaron Curry SR 6-3/240/- Wake Forest Fayetteville, NC
OT 3 Michael Oher SR 6-5/309/- Mississippi Memphis, TN
OT 4 Eugene Monroe SR 6-6/315/- Virginia Plainfield, NJ
QB 5 Mark Sanchez JR 6-3/225/- USC Mission Viejo, CA
CB 6 Malcolm Jenkins SR 6-1/201/- Ohio State Piscataway, NJ
QB 7 Matthew Stafford JR 6-2/230/- Georgia Dallas, TX
OT 8 Andre Smith JR 6-4/348/- Alabama Birmingham, AL
DE 9 Everette Brown JR 6-4/250/- Florida State Wilson, NC
DT 10 B.J. Raji SR 6-2/334/- Boston College Westwood, NJ
MLB 11 Rey Maualuga SR 6-2/254/- USC Eureka, CA
DE 12 Brian Orakpo SR 6-4/260/- Texas Houston, TX
WR 13 Jeremy Maclin SO 6-1/200/- Missouri Kirkwood, MO
RB 14 Knowshon Moreno SO 5-11/207/- Georgia Middletown, NJ
OT 15 Jason Smith SR 6-5/300/- Baylor Dallas, TX
CB 16 Vontae Davis JR 6-0/204/- Illinois Washington, DC
MLB 17 James Laurinaitis SR 6-3/240/- Ohio State Plymouth, MN
RB 18 Chris Wells JR 6-1/237/- Ohio State Akron, OH
WR 19 Percy Harvin JR 5-11/181/- Florida Virginia Beach, VA
DE 20 Tyson Jackson SR 6-5/290/- LSU Edgard, LA
DT 21 Peria Jerry SR 6-2/290/- Mississippi Batesville, MS
TE 22 Brandon Pettigrew SR 6-5/257/- Oklahoma State Tyler, TX
CB 23 D.J. Moore JR 5-10/182/- Vanderbilt Spartanburg, SC
OLB 24 Brian Cushing SR 6-3/243/- USC Oradell, NJ
DE 25 Aaron Maybin SO 6-4/248/- Penn State Ellicott City, MD
RB 26 LeSean McCoy SO 5-11/210/- Pittsburgh Harrisburg, PA
S 27 William Moore SR 6-1/223/- Missouri Hayti, MO
WR 28 Hakeem Nicks JR 6-1/210/- North Carolina Charlotte, NC
CB 29 Sean Smith JR 6-3/207/- Utah Pasadena, CA
OT 30 Phil Loadholt SR 6-8/343/- Oklahoma Fountain, CO
C 31 Alex Mack SR 6-4/312/- California Santa Barbara, CA
CB 32 Alphonso Smith SR 5-9/193/- Wake Forest Pahokee, FL
OLB 33 Clay Matthews SR 6-3/246/- USC Agoura, CA
OLB 34 Larry English SR 6-2/254/- Northern Illinois Aurora, IL
WR 35 Darrius Heyward-Bey
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Scouts ranks Sanchez over Stafford.

I am thinking Stafford is going to be a bust like
Ryan Leaf

 

[THE KOD]

Snap Judgments: QBs at combine Story


West Virginia quarterback Pat White enjoyed a strong workout at the combine

USC quarterback Matt Sanchez was not sharp in sideline passes

After Sunday's workout, Matt Sanchez should not be projected by anyone as the Lions' choice at No. 1.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we wrap up Money Day at the NFL Scouting Combine, the day the quarterbacks show their stuff (at least the ones who deem to work out) ...

? Score one for collegiate experience and a little old-fashioned perseverance, because of all the quarterbacks who threw on Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium, none looked better than West Virginia's Pat White, the record-breaking senior passer who many have been trying to project as anything but a quarterback.

White threw the ball accurately and with authority in his quarterback group, looking poised and comfortable in an unfamiliar setting that has thrown many a highly-ranked quarterback off his game. White was especially strong in throwing deep outs, which always catch the eye of NFL scouts.

"I'll tell you who looked good today and that was Pat White,'' one longtime NFL offensive assistant coach told me. "He really helped himself with that workout. He made people recognize him as a quarterback.''

In a draft class heavy with junior quarterbacks at the top, it was White who generated the most buzz Sunday. Not USC's Mark Sanchez, who was decent but far from spectacular, or Georgia's Matthew Stafford, the top-rated passer who ran a solid 40-yard dash (low 4.8s) but declined to throw here with the rest of the draft's quarterbacks.

White might still be thought of by some NFL talent evaluators as best-suited to be a team's Wildcat formation quarterback and part-time receiver, but all Sunday's throwing session has to do is convince one team to draft him as a full-time quarterback.

"He was sharp and he made all the throws you want to see,'' another NFL talent evaluator told me. "Our quarterbacks coach said he looked better than most people anticipated.''

? Other quick-hit impressions from the player workouts on Sunday:

-- Southern Cal's Sanchez did nothing to make anyone believe he's top 10 material at this point. He struggled quite a bit on passes he threw outside the numbers, near the sidelines, and only looked great on slant patterns. I expect any potential chatter about Sanchez being a real option for the Lions at No. 1 to all but evaporate unless he has a boffo pro day workout next month.

-- Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman was thought to be someone who could really improve his draft projection based on his throwing session, but he was erratic in the drills and probably did nothing to help himself crack the first round.

-- Ball State quarterback Nate Davis wasn't too impressive either and is probably still in the range of the third round in terms of his draft status.

-- Michigan State's Brian Hoyer was a solid performer among a rather ho-hum quarterback group. He's an under-the-radar type product who didn't have much of a senior season for the Spartans, but he seems ready to climb a bit after Sunday. He doesn't have the deep arm that NFL evaluators like, but he at least looked good by comparison to his fellow passers on Sunday.

-- Among receivers, I heard rave reviews for Ohio State senior Brian Robiskie, who caught everything that came his way, and North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks, who continues to look like a polished product who will wind up going in the bottom third of the first round. Neither player ran great, finishing in the 4.5 range, but there's plenty of room in the NFL for proven commodities like Robiskie and Nicks who lack blazing speed.

-- If there was a consensus Sunday, it was that most of the receivers ran faster than expected. That list included Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, whose 4.30 tied for the second-fastest 40 for a receiver at the Combine since 2000, Mississippi's Mike Wallace (4.33) and Abilene Christian's Johnny Knox (4.34).

? I've covered plenty of NFL combines without ever seeing Patriots head coach Bill Belichick once all weekend, but he surprisingly gave reporters a rare audience for almost 20 minutes on Sunday morning in the media workroom, beginning with a rambling, almost 12-minute long opening statement that for a while struck me as a filibuster designed to avoid being asked a question. Eventually he took a handful of queries before returning to watch the player workouts that were beginning.

Wearing a red and black Rutgers lacrosse zip pullover rather than his usual loose-fitting Patriots gear, Belichick touched on a lot of topics, and we'd be remiss if we didn't hit the highlights for you. To wit:

-- Maybe the most interesting subject that he brought up, unbided by the way, is the drain of Super Bowl coaching talent that has left the league in recent years. Belichick is now just one of three head coaches in the league who have won a ring, joining the Giants' Tom Coughlin and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin.

In the past three offseasons, the NFL coaching ranks have lost the likes of Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Cowher. And not all of those left voluntarily.

"I can't speak for what other teams are doing or not doing, but as a coach, it's sort of a little bit of an empty feeling to see people like that not in the game,'' Belichick said. "It just doesn't seem right, really, not to have people like Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden, Brian Billick and Steve Mariucci, guys who I've coached against and in some cases not very well, not be head coaches in the National Football League. It's just hard to believe that coaches like (that) aren't coaching in the National Football League. It's just odd for them to be here (at the combine, in their NFL Network TV gigs), but not in a coaching capacity. But that's the National Football League.''

-- Belichick took pains to mention how good it was to see here at the combine all of his former associates in coaching or in personnel who have moved on to bigger things after branching off the Belichick tree. Well, almost all. He noted by name new Browns general manager George Kokinis, new Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, new Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, new Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers and others. Rather glaringly, he didn't find any reason whatsoever to reference new Browns head coach Eric Mangini, his former prot?g? turned enemy.

-- Belichick lightheartedly said he nearly fired Kokinis from the Cleveland organization in the early 1990s. "I was this close to firing him,'' Belichick joked. "One of his jobs in Cleveland was driving guys to the airport and he got in an accident.''

-- Before taking questions, Belichick told reporters with a smile that he wasn't here to give any "injury updates,'' which everyone quickly understood to mean no Tom Brady knee-rehab questions.

-- In assessing this year's crop of defensive backs, Belichick was fairly expansive about the changing role of the safety position in the NFL.

"The safety position is becoming more and more a corner position in the NFL,'' Belichick said. "There was a time when some of the safeties, particularly the strong safeties, fit more almost like linebackers than they did as defensive backs. That's changed gradually, but now to the point where the defensive backs a lot of times have to cover either wide receivers or tight ends who are very, very good in the passing game. So the demands of that position have changed and we have to change the evaluation of them.''

-- And finally this, when asked one too many follow-up questions about the NFL's coaching ranks, in particular the trend toward hiring younger, first-time candidates: "I don't know. I'm just trying to coach the Patriots, really. I'm not trying to solve the world's problems.
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this is the reason Stafford refused to throw. Sanchez gets thrown under the bus.

 

[THE KOD]

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[THE KOD]

now the real reason Stafford is not working out at the combine.

he weighs in at about 250 lbs

the guy has to drop the lbs so he can workout on his pro day. What a joke and lack of dicipline and desire. Cant back off the cheeseburgers to collect a 10 million dollar meal ticket from some poor NFL team ?>

I admit I am kinda pissed at him for leaving Ga early. And playing like crap

 

[Dice34]

its ok to go outside your Atlanta bubble Scotty, nobody cares about Atlanta sports, theyve been irrelevant since...well theyve always been irrelevent

go put on some lil wayne or lil john, T-Pain or T.I., thats all Atlanta has going for them and last I checked this wasnt a hip-hop board:sadwave:

 

[THE KOD]

ran two unofficial 4.84 in the 40

I got a turtle that runs faster

PS why does it look like he is sucking in his gut ?
how do you run like that ?

 

[THE KOD]

its ok to go outside your Atlanta bubble Scotty, nobody cares about Atlanta sports, theyve been irrelevant since...well theyve always been irrelevent

go put on some lil wayne or lil john, T-Pain or T.I., thats all Atlanta has going for them and last I checked this wasnt a hip-hop board:sadwave:

........................................................

I care about atlanta sports. Well kinda.

I dont go for that hop hip music.

damn its 24 degrees this morning. Got to go get some coffee .

 

[THE KOD]

San Francisco has issues with Stafford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, March 27, 2009

San Francisco will likely not be drafting Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.

A report in the San Francisco Chronicle suggests Stafford was uncomfortable answering questions at the NFL combine last month from a team psychologist regarding his parents? divorce.

Niners head coach Mike Singletary told KNBR (680 AM) in San Francisco this week that ?if you?re going to look at drafting a guy in the first round, and you?re going to pay him millions of dollars, and asking him about a divorce about his parents, if that?s going to be an issue, uhhh, then you know what, maybe he doesn?t belong here.?

Stafford, a potential first-round draft pick, told the Detroit Free Press that the psychologist presumed Stafford had ?unfinished business? about his parents? split in high school.

Stafford said he answered no and inquired how much the doctor was being paid for the analysis.

San Francisco has anointed Shaun Hill its starting quarterback, but Singletary has implied that Hill and Alex Smith will compete for the job.

Stafford will have a private workout with the Detroit Lions, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, next week ahead of the April 25 NFL Draft.
.................................................................

I have to take offense to Singletary taking this position on Stafford.

His parents divorce while he was in high school would have little to do with what kind of a QB he will become.

its unfair and stupid.

I guess when Stafford asked the psycologist how much he was getting paid , that pissed him off enough to tell Coach about it.

I think Singletary may have taken too many hits to the fawking skull .

 

[Woodson]

What San Francisco is implying is grounds alone for a liable suit, period. (I do not have a dgree nor have played a lawyer on TV) What Singletary is implying could very well hurt HOW MUCH he gets from other NFL teams at the very least paints him in a light to Tennessee's issues earlier with their QB...

Very interesting. I'd like to hear Eddie Haskell's take on this w/ just this little amount of detail available.

Seems to portray Stafford in a bad light for simply stating he did not wish to discuss...

 

[THE KOD]

What San Francisco is implying is grounds alone for a liable suit, period. (I do not have a dgree nor have played a lawyer on TV) What Singletary is implying could very well hurt HOW MUCH he gets from other NFL teams at the very least paints him in a light to Tennessee's issues earlier with their QB...

Very interesting. I'd like to hear Eddie Haskell's take on this w/ just this little amount of detail available.

Seems to portray Stafford in a bad light for simply stating he did not wish to discuss...

.............................................................

yeh its almost like the guy flunked the mental part of their interview process.

Maybe Stafford shouldnt have got smart ass about it.

He could have said ..... Look my parents have moved on with their lives and I am involved and love my entire family.

I am ready to start my career in the NFL.

Stafford has been known while at Georgia to be kind of a smart ass though.

:0corn :0corn

 

[UGA12]

I am sure Stafford is heartbroken to know he want be drafted by SF:142smilie

I agree about this possibly hurting his value and thus opening the 9ers up to litigation. The funny thing in the interview is that right before singletery made the comments about stafford he is asked a question about last year and responds that he isnt looking at the past and only worried about the future:mj07: I guess he is not the right coach for the 9ers huh:shrug: