Safety Myron Rolle figured out the proper balance between football and academics long ago. His priority: Becoming a neurosurgeon after football ends in 10 to 12 years. So could his passion for football wind up ruining the precious hands of a future surgeon? “That’s not something I really worry about,” Rolle said Sunday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine.

Read the full story.

Syndicated via RSS From: http://www.nflnewsblog.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Ndamukong Suh thinks he should be the No. 1 pick. Gerald McCoy and Eric Berry both contend they should go first, too. Suddenly in the quarterback-driven NFL, defense is becoming all the rage. Early draft projections have Suh and McCoy, defensive tackles, going among the top four picks. Berry could join them in the top five, and none of the three defenders are shy about making their cases for who is…

Read the full story.

Syndicated via RSS From: http://www.nflnewsblog.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: NFL Draft

INDIANAPOLIS - If things continue on this path, the Legend of 4.24 will live to see another year. A handful of the biggest threats to break Chris Johnson's vaunted 4.24 have run the 40-yard dash and have failed to break the figure.

Returner Trindon Holliday posted a 4.34 while running back C.J. Spiller's initial unofficial time of 4.28 was just a tease -- as his official number was 4.37. Spiller's collegiate teammate, wide receiver Jacoby Ford -- who earlier in the week said he was faster than Spiller -- has the fastest time of the combine thus far with a 4.28. Jahvid Best actually had the best time for running backs, eclipsing Spiller's mark by two hundredths of a second (4.35). These were the only four players to record a time of less than 4.40.

The fastest quarterback was Jarrett Brown (4.54) and Dorin Dickerson came with an impressive 4.40 -- easily making him the fastest tight end.

The defensive backs still have yet to run the 40, and there are some burners in there, but the trio most thought had a chance to break the 4.24-mark -- Holliday, Spiller and Ford -- have already run.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: NFL Draft

INDIANAPOLIS -- After listening to much of the same discussion throughout the day, Florida's Major Wright breathed some refreshing air into the media room at the NFL Combine. Sure, Wright went through the same song and dance about himself, the decision process to leave school early, how much playing for Florida prepared him for the NFL, etc. But he also had a goal that didn't really seem to have much to do with football.

"I want to be a role model, more than anything else," he said. "I want to work with kids and talk to kids and tell them to stay straight and out of trouble."

With eight career interceptions and having missed out on most individual accolades, Wright may be a bit overlooked as an NFL prospect. But he's a leader, he's smart and he's a good teammate. Plus, don't overlook the competition he's used to facing.

"I played against the best in high school, so it wasn't a huge transition to college," he explained. "Then I played against the best in college."

"In practices, with Louis (Murphy) and Percy (Harvin), it was tough," Wright went on. "You know what happened though? Everyday someone got better."

The three-year starter with a nose for nasty hits was quite a bit more docile in person than he is on the football field. If potential teams zero in on Wright's infectious personality, he'll be drafted a lot higher than the third round -- which is where most pundits expect him to fall. He certainly feels like the type of player who is a significant cog in the wheel of a great team where the sum of the parts is better than all the individuals combined.

But, again, he's just as worried about being a role model for children as he is worried about how he fits into an NFL scheme. In a time where the onus is placed on individual fame and fortune, it was quite different to see a young man with this mindset. Again, how refreshing.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: NFL Draft

INDIANAPOLIS -- If there's a way to be endearing while still selling yourself as the best player in the NFL draft, former Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry may have pulled it off Sunday. The sure-fire top-10 selection fielded questions from a large group of media at the NFL Combine, showing confidence -- and a definite swagger -- while still remaining as humble as someone with his God-given abilities can be. Just don't expect him to fudge the truth.

When asked if he was the most talented player in the draft, Berry didn't even hesitate, simply saying he was -- no need to elaborate on it. Berry also believes he should be the first player taken in the draft, despite the fact that he's a defensive back. No defensive back has been taken as the top overall pick since the current draft system was implemented. The Cleveland Browns selected Eric Turner second overall in 1991 and a few other DBs were taken third overall, but none have gone off the board first. Why not now?

"I don't think something like a position should prevent someone from being picked," he said, "but if you wanna go into position, I played almost every position on the field. Under Coach (Monte) Kiffin's scheme, you could say that I played a lot of linebacker ... I play either safety spot ... natural corner."

It was like a list to Berry, one you could tell he was getting used to saying before he's interviewed by potential suitors Sunday evening. So, while he might say the position he plays isn't an issue, he's clearly gotten used to the idea that it is to almost everyone else.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: NFL Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Because nothing beats a forced, gimmicky solution to something that's not really a problem, the NFL is talking about maybe possibly changing its overtime rules. The "modified sudden death" proposal that's apparently in its embryonic stages came to light Saturday via a tweet from SI.com's Peter King. More details emerged later, when an NFL commissioner's office employee began discussing it on Twitter. The gist is that the first team to score at least six points in overtime would win the game.

"Both teams would be guaranteed a possession unless first team w/ball scores TD," tweeted Greg Aiello, the league's Senior VP of Public Relations. "If first team kicks FG, other team gets ball. If it doesn't score, game over. If second team w/ball ties it w/FG, game continues till someone scores."

Cute idea, but sudden-death haters shouldn't get too excited too fast.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: Bills, NFL Free Agency

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Terrell Owens is on the market after the Buffalo Bills announced Saturday they do not plan to offer him a contract.

The Bills also declined to offer contracts to defensive end Ryan Denney and wide receiver Josh Reed, allowing them to become unrestricted free agents at midnight on March 5.

"We wanted to inform all three players ahead of the start of the free agency period so they could begin making their plans,'' Bills general manager Buddy Nix said. "We just felt that was the right thing to do. All three have represented our organization with class and we thank them for their dedication and hard work."

Owens, who will turn 37 in December, caught 55 passes for 829 yards and five touchdowns in his only season in Buffalo. He also ran for a touchdown.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: Steelers, NFL Draft

With a defense that is filled with 30-year-olds and an offensive line that has struggled for several years, you would think that Pittsburgh would have lots of different ways to go with its early-round draft picks.

But when you look at the roster a little more closely, what's clear is that Pittsburgh is keeping the 2008 Super Bowl champs together for one more run at the title. And that means there aren't a whole lot of positions where a rookie can be expected to see significant playing time.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Filed under: Jets, NFL Coaching, NFL Free Agency, NFL Analysis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Yes, Rex Ryan has regrets. He's sincerely sorry that his New York Jets didn't win Super Bowl XLIV his first year as an NFL head coach.

Ryan is really sorry for letting those liquored-up Strikeforce fight fans in South Florida goad him into throwing the camera phone-ready middle-fingered salute at an MMA event during the NFL's Pro Bowl week. He's deeply, truly sorry from the bottom of his gut -- literally -- that he ever decided to swap out that Philadelphia Flyers jersey to Carolina Hurricanes' attire at a Feb. 9 NHL game in Raleigh, N.C.

The viral video of Ryan's pasty, corpulent fully exposed belly during that very public wardrobe change -- hey, the Hurricanes cheerleaders offered him the jersey! -- is the sort of staggering mental image that will make you swear off nacho cheese forever.

"I don't even know what to say, gosh, it's been a while since I get to talk about my football team, brag about my football team if you will," the second-year Jets coach said Saturday while equally large offensive linemen grunted through drills at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I appreciate everybody's interest in making sure that I was still in the papers and all those other things -- the video. Hey, I am working on those abs a little bit, I think."


The room at Lucas Oil Stadium busted out in laughter -- much like Ryan was busting out of that jersey. And so the one-liners continued. You may be sick of hearing about the NFL's ongoing labor strife. But you can never get enough of Ryan's off-the-cuff honest shtick, which flows like atta-boy standup comedy in the break room at the local factory.

So, about those bulging abs, Rex ...

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Syndicated via RSS From: http://nfl.fanhouse.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com

Terrell Owens is on the market after the Buffalo Bills announced Saturday they do not plan to offer him a contract. The Bills also declined to offer contracts to defensive end Ryan Denney and wide receiver Josh Reed, allowing them to become unrestricted free agents at midnight on March 5. “We wanted to inform all three players ahead of the start of the free agency period so they could begin…

Read the full story.

Syndicated via RSS From: http://www.nflnewsblog.com

Get Free NFL Picks - Every Week in 2010 at Paul Knows Football.com