Jake Long to be First Overall Pick

So the Dolphins have made Jake Long the first overall pick, and also the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL. 

The Rams have been denied permission to begin negotiations with a player of their choice. 

First things first, the pick. In terms of needs, I don't think they could have done much worse. He's the kind of player who could finish his career with them after about 10 seasons, assuming he resigns at the end of his rookie contract. You would have had to be delusional if you thought they were going to take Matt Ryan. A defensive pick wouldn't have been out of the question, but difficult to justify since they'll probably have Jason Taylor still playing for them next season. 

The thing that stands out most about this pick is the contract. First of all, congrats to this front office for not paying as much as Oakland did. The contract they gave JaMarcus Russell was obscene, and they will yet regret it. The second thing, is this proves exactly what Bill Polian, GM of the Colts, has been talking about all offseason. Rookie contracts are out of control. The fact that this guy makes more than Joe Thomas, already a proven Pro Bowler, is insane. Better yet, he gets paid way more Jason Peters, Matt Light, or even Chris Samuels. It's a very strong argument for the fact that rookie salaries need to be capped somehow. It really is getting out of control.

My final point would be how ridiculous it is that the Rams are being prevented from negotiating with a player of their choice. Now that Jake Long is under contract, they really should be allowed. It's a huge competitive advantage for the first overall pick to be able to get the rookie under contract in time for mini-camps, and it was Oakland's fault for not taking advantage of that with Russell. Barring the Rams from opening negotiations is nothing more than the NFL protecting its money since most normal people don't tune in for rounds 4-7. The draft is about restoring parity, not money, and giving the Dolphins an advantage like that is ridiculous. 

Mike Rucker Retires

I'll be honest, no out at the one column for him since his best playing days happened before I took a real interest in football, but he was always a solid player. A ceremony in Canton for him is probably not in the cards. He was a solid, but unspectacular player, a played a huge role in the founding of the Carolina franchise. As a Saints fan, I can't say I'll miss him. But he sure did play. 

The Pacman Report

As a general rule, I try to concern myself with football and not what these fine, and sometimes less than fine, young gentlemen get up to off the field. 

Right now though, I'd be willing to bet Pacman Jones never gets re-instated. Titans - Cowboys trade talks have stalled because the Cowboys don't want to trade away picks for a player that isn't even allowed to train at someone's facilities. Furthermore, there are now allegations that Pacman either extorted or paid extortion money to people involved in the Minxxx Strip Club shooting. The full details may never come out because this is no longer in court, as a result of Pacman's plea deal, and it may not be admissible evidence at the hearing of the Strip Club shooter (who was apprehended several days ago). Whatever money was paid, unless Pacman sues somebody over it, or it has relevance to whether or not a man by the name of Arvin Kenti Edwards shot a strip club bouncer in the spine, this is never going to see court and thus never going to get the media. 

I think Goodell just has to say case closed on this guy. He's not worth waiting for. 

Free Agency

First up, new signings.

Redskins got former Houston KR/WR Jerome Mathis. The guys comes with a few character issues, battery and stuff like that, so this isn't exactly a character signing... but if he acts out they'll just cut him. I thought Rock Cartwright did a great job doing kick returns last year, but I guess they just want an insurance policy. He's probably also decent as a 4th or 5th receiver due to his speed. 

Falcons signed DB Omare Lowe. Basically this a depth signing, possible training camp cut depending on what they draft. In terms of DBs, watch for Zbikowski out of Notre Dame to go late but do something special this year. I called it. 

Garrard got a huge extension. I don't know about this one. I know that they can't risk letting him go, so they really had no choice, but I would have looked at copying more Derek Anderson's contract rather than Tony Romo's. The reason for this is that I think Garrard was protected a lot of last season by Jacksonville's running game, and when Fred Taylor retires I think you might find out Garrard isn't as much of a playmaker as you might think. 

San Diego Chargers signed their starting SS Clinton Hart to a new deal. He's a hard worker and came up from Arena League Football rather than through college. His coverage skills need work though. 

Patriots signed Jets LB Victor Hobson. He's basically a passable starter. Belichick will find a way to use him I'm sure. And at 28, he's a lot younger than most of their LBs. He's an insurance policy in case Junior Seau retires. 

Saints signed CB Aaron Glenn. The Saints have been aggressive about pursuing free agent CBs, which is good because it's a hole they need to fill. The weird news is that you have to look at their current CB roster. They have Mike McKenzie (who is coming off an ACL injury), Jason David, Aaron Glenn, Usama Young, Randall Gay and possibly whoever they pick in the draft. Too much cap room to carry at the position in my opinion. Someone will get cut. 

Bengals signed WR Doug Gabriel. He was out of the league last year, but they really need some depth since if Johnson somehow holds out, all they have is Houshmanzadeh and Antonio Chatman. 

Vikings signed QB Gus Frerotte to be a backup. Good signing here. As we saw last season in St. Louis, he can be a passable starter. The Vikes' running game will be better, and their line will be too, although he'll have less in the way of targets. Anyways, what counts is that this is Tarvaris Jackson's chance at being a starter. If he fails this season, they'll throw in Frerotte and get a QB in the draft next year. Good stuff. 

Danny Baugher, a punter, got signed by the Broncos. It's to replace Sauerbrun, who they had to get rid of because of character issues. Baugher got drunk and punched his father and got arrested for it this year though, so watch that. 

Denver also signed WR Darrell Jackson. Another good hire here. With more consistent QB play, he should be able to put up a decent season. They need someone to start opposite Brandon Marshall, and it would be nice if they could keep Stokely in the slot where he's most effective. 

Coffin Corner Returns

Sorry about the disappearing act there guys. School work caught up with me.

At this point I'm going to assume that I've pretty much obliterated what small fan base I had. One day we'll get linked to somewhere and we'll make it big. Don't worry. 

Anyways, what counts is that I've been keeping track of the major storylines over the last few weeks, and I'll be slinging them to you shortly.

Stay tuned. 

More Competition Committee Rulings

Well, the excitement of the annual NFL owners' meeting has almost passed. Other than the rule about defensive radios now being allowed, the following were passed:

1) Elimination of the Force Out Rule: Receivers now need to get two feet down in bounds no matter what. This is really going to be more influential than a lot of people think. It makes covering a speed receiver a lot easier, since as long as you have a speed guy to cover him, he just has to shove the guy a step out. It means that sideline passes are going to become a lot harder, and it also increases the role of safeties, since receivers will be tending more towards the middle. 

2) After that Phil Dawson field goal that was overturned and ruled as good, field goal attempts are now eligible for instant replay. 

3) Direct snaps from centre that go back without touching the QB are now fumbles instead of false starts. 

4) There are no accidental facemask penalties, only 15 yard versions are assessed. This one makes sense since the possible injury for the player remains the same no matter the way it is hit. This will mean players will go out of their way not to grab a facemask, which is a good thing. 

Defensive Players Given Radio Helmets

It was decided that next season will be the first in which a defensive player will be allowed to have a radio device in his helmet. A backup will be designated who will also have a radio helmet, but he will only be allowed to wear it when the original player chosen is not on the field. This has been proposed, in different forms, for the last few years, but I think what really got is passed this year was Spygate... since the use of radio will cut down on defensive hand signals. It does, however, make it very important for every team to have a real leader and intelligent player on their defense. Some guys who come to mind:

1) Ray Lewis, BAL

2) Antonio Pierce, NYG

3) Derrick Brooks, TB

4) Keith Bulluck, TEN

5) Brian Urlacher, CHI

Ray Lewis, despite what happened in the 2000 Super Bowl, really does lead the Baltimore defense, and there's a lot of people in the league who call him for advice. They don't call him 'Sugar Ray' 

A season ago, I would have put Brooks above Pierce, but after their Super Bowl win it's Pierce by a nose. Strahan is the mouth of that locker room, that joking guy, but he's not the leader. You can always see Pierce before each play tapping at least one of the D-line men or other LBs on the shoulder and telling them what to do. 

Derrick Brooks, despite his faltering production, remains the guy for Tampa Bay. They can take risks on players like Antonio Bryant because if he steps out of line Brooks will keep everyone else in order. Their Super Bowl was a while ago, but he's still the player for this franchise.

Keith Bulluck is one of the more underrated guys in the league. He's put up really consistent numbers, but is rarely ever noticed. The only thing that's holding him back is how bad the Titans' offense is. His leadership though in invaluable to this pretty no name defense. 

A lot of people will probably take issue with ranking Urlacher so low, but I think he's less of a leader than a spectacular player. I also wasn't so impressed 

Five Worst Led Defenses

1) Cincinnati Bengals

2) Oakland Raiders 

3) San Francisco 49ers

4) Detroit Lions

5) New York Jets

All these teams really lack leadership on defense, and so won't benefit from this rule... among their other problems. 

The Bengals are an obvious case, but they might be able to look at one of their younger players like Rashad Jeanty, Landon Johnson, or Robert Geathers. Even Deltha O'Neal is a possibility. 

The Oakland Raiders could look at one of their younger LBs, perhaps Kirk Morrison or maybe Thomas Howard. Michael Huff is a possibility. Nnamdi Asomugha certainly has star skills, but he's a quiet guy. For this defense to get to the next level though, one of them has to step up. 

The 49ers paid a lot of money to Nate Clements, and he's a solid character guy. They also have Patrick Willis, who with some real production under his belt can become a locker room force. Look for him to step up next season  and probably be the 49ers radio player. 

The Jets lost their defensive captain Johnathan Vilma in a trade to the Saints. Kerry Rhodes is a solid, but quiet player, and their only other real leader is Laveranues Coles, their starting WR. Kris Jenkins was a leader in Carolina, but at the same time, you have to look at how he left. The Jets do a good job of really underpaying a lot of players (Pete Kendall) and so end up angering even their most supportive players. 

The Detroit Lions are in a hole here. Ernie Sims is a great player but a quiet guy, and they brought in Dwight Smith this season who has really questionable character. They gave Cory Redding a big raise in the hopes that he could coax more effort out of some players, Shaun Rogers in particular, but that didn't exactly work out. Brian Kelly is a tremendous CB who is mostly overlooked because he plays opposite Ronde Barber, and he's a great signing, but he comes from a great locker room and look for him to maybe add some veteran leadership.