I have signed with a new team.......

Remember in my previous posts about me declaring myself an NFL team free agent? What with Dallas signing the "human cancerous tumor" in Terrell Owens, and Miami trading for "he of the shredded knee" Daunte Culpepper, I was at the end of my rope. The Dallas thing had been sometime in the making, and I still love the play of Roy Williams. But, when Dat Nguyen, who was my favorite player on the team, retired, I knew my days with them were numbered. I'll still keep my interest in them, which is a lot more than I could have said in the early 90's, but it's just not the same now in Dallas for me. South FLorida, as well, holds nothing but bad things right now, as a team I'll still have a soft spot for has now announced they will be inviting Marcus Vick to training camp. OK, follow me on this one. You have a player who was suspended to start his first year of college because of the infamous "team policy" voilation. Second, he misses an entire season due to the fact he was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor....well, you know the rest of THAT sordid affair. Third, he stomps the leg of a fallen player in the Gator Bowl, other team, of course. Then, while serving that suspension, he gets in trouble again, resulting in his dismissal from Virginia Tech. Now, he could have gone to Division 1-AA to play his final year, improve his draft stock, rehab his image, etc. But, no! He sees the lifestyle his brother enjoys, and he declares himself eligible for the NFL Draft. OK, big shock that he doesn't get taken. Miami is now reaching out to him by inviting him to camp, which tells me that the proposed Joey Harrington trade may be more complicated than it seems. So, in light of all that, I am now here to say that my team for the 2006-2007 NFL season will be..................

To be continued


If you're Charlie Casserly, how much do you just want to crawl into a hole if Reggie Bush goes on to be the next brightest star of the NFL? Instead of taking Bush with the number one pick, the Texans took DE Mario Williams from NC State. Now, I kind of understand the selection. Houston is deep at RB, with Dominick Davis and Vernand Morency. Also, Houston plays in a division where they have to face Peyton Manning twice a year. So, with those two in mind, I understand. But, when you have a chance to get a player like Bush, you take it...period. New Orleans jumped all over Bush at two, but they have Deuce McAlister at RB. He's coming off a torn ACL, so maybe its a safe bet to get a RB there. But, while I'm talking about all of this, would someone please remind me.......What happened to the last Heisman Trophy winning running back that went to New Orleans? That's right....he's out of the league now because he couldn't stay off the nickel bags. Let's hope Bush's fate is better, and that New Orleans doesn't heap the entire load on Bush's young shoulders too early.


We look at the NFC North now, and that's kind of a sad division. Let's begin.

Green Bay- OK, so Favre is coming back, and they've traded Javon Walker. They get A.J. Hawk in the draft, and improve at the wideout slot. Are these the answers? in a word....no. Favre should just ride off into the sunset. He has absolutely nothing to prove. The Arron Rodgers era should be this season, so this team can take their lumps, and improve over time. I like the pick of Abdul Hodge in the third round. He'll help to replace Na'il Diggs, who went to Carolina via free agency. Bottom line, the Pack might win six next year. Anything more than that will be a pleasant surprise for a new head coach in Mike McCarthy.
Chicago- Did what they had to do, and that's get help at the defensive back position. They got a great one in Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian. I've seen the guy play many times, and he's going to represent the Lone Star Conference well. Chicago also got Ricky Manning from the Panthers in free agency. For a team that got scorched in the play-offs by the pass, they went a long way in shoring that position up. Devin hester might have been a reach at #57 overall, but he can absolutely fly, which is what the Bears return game needs. DT Dusty Dvoracek might help, lining up alongside former teammate Tommie Harris, but remember, this is a guy that was suspended for almost beating a kid to death at Oklahoma following a night of drinking. Let's monitor him, shall we?
Detroit- Well, Ernie Sims will help at the OLB spot, but this team is still a ship without a rudder. It's run like a fantasy team, and their team president seems to be coated in teflon, since nothing sticks to him. I wonder if people up in Detroit aren't pining away for the days of Wayne Fontes now? This team stinks, plain and simple.
Minnesota- For a team whose biggest story from last season was the "Love Boat" cruise on Lake Minnetonka last year, there's nowhere to go but up. New coach Brad Childress looks a little like he fell off of the set of a Nick At Nite re-run, but that's another story for another day. But, they're putting their money on Brad Johnson at the QB spot, a guy whose best days are behind him. I love the pick of OLB Chad Greenway, and getting CB Cedric Griffin will certainly help this club. But, at the end of the day, Minnesota will stink, and this division will be won by Chicago.....almost by default. I guess its good to be Lovie Smith these days.


OK, two more divisions to go, and we'll cover those in later postings. Some teams did well over the weekend, and some teams acted like they were new to the whole process of drafting. Arizona, San Francisco, NY Jets, and Cleveland did very well in the draft, while Detroit and Buffalo really caused a lot of head scratching. Mini camps are coming up soon, so we'll see how these new picks will work out once they step up to the penultimate level of football.

Now, getting back to my new team to follow for the 2006-2007 NFL season, it can be summed up in very few letters.

J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!

I love what they did in the draft, with D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold for the O-line. I love what I've seen of Kellen Clemens, out of Oregon. Let me tell you something about this guy. He breaks his ankle in a game last season, and rather than go to the locker room, he insists on going back out on the field on a cart, so he can call signals to the backup quarterback. The guy is in pain, and all he's thinking of is helping his team. Gutsy!!! Schlegel out of Ohio State will complement Jonathan Vilma at the LB position. The X factor could be Brad Smith out of Missouri. He played QB at Mizzou, but NY took him as a WR. Didn't everyone laugh at Pittsburgh for taking a guy that played QB in college and making him a WR in the NFL? How did that work out? Watch Super Bowl XL. There's your answer. So, with all that in mind, I'm jumping on the Jets bandwagon. In a division with New England, they'll have to compete for a wild card spot. But, with Miami and Buffalo in their division, and playing a last-place schedule, they'll be a much better team this season.


That's all for now. Talk to all of you soon.

Patrick