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TOP STORIES - DECEMBER 19, 2005  FROM NFLDRAFT06.COM: 2005 ROOKIE REPORT CARDGet your NFL football tickets now at TickCo. They have all team Cardinals tickets, Cowboys tickets, Packers tickets, Colts tickets, Patriots tickets, Titans tickets and more. Get your Super Bowl tickets here!  DOLPHINS HAVE 'MIXED' EMOTIONS OVER BLUE HORSESHOE LOSS??? Actually, I wouldn't doubt if Don Shula was doing a Chad Johnson-like celebration in his Dolphins Stadium suite. The sad reality is that Shula and many of the '72 Dolphins will now cash out without seeing another team eclipse their 17-0 season. No matter how good an NFL team is, the fact is that there is usually at least one good team that catches them in an off-game during the course of a 16-game season. With a number of bad teams in the league this year, the table was seemingly set up for Indy. Cards, Niners, Rams, Ravens, Browns, Titans twice, and Texans twice - that was nine games right there. Some have accused of Shula of getting the league office to give his team an easy schedule in '72, a theory that may hold merit until realizing that there were eight AFC East games, meaning there were only six other opponents to be selected (there was no scheduling formula in those days), also Miami had to play Pittsburgh on the road for the AFC Championship that year since that game was still being on a rotating basis. I also get a kick how everyone says the media scrutiny was going to get much heavier for the '05 Colts than the pre-ESPN, pre-internet '72 Dolphins. I remember everyone starting to make a big deal out of the Dolphins when they got to 5-0 (anyone remember the old NFL Game of the Week??), beating the Chargers as Bob Griese was being whisked off the old Orange Bowl Poly-Turf after breaking his ankle (seeing that 835 times on NFL Films you'd think the ambulance was double-parked outside).BADGER RECEIVER ARRESTED: Put this up there with Nick Davis' big screen 'purchase' from Best Buyand Lorenzo Booker blood-staining a vintage Earl Campbell jersey beating the tar out of someone. Receiver Marcus Randel El (yes, Antwaan's bro) was jailed after a fight with a roommate over an alleged theft of money. Earlier this year MRE a First Offenders Program after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct for allegedly shoving his girlfriend. LARRY THE LEGEND??? Over the weekend long-time Giants radio commentator Dick Lynch put Kansas City running back Larry Johnson in very heady company by mentioning him in the same breath as the immortal Jim Brown. The comparison doesn't sound nearly as crazy when looking at Johnson's numbers since taking over for Priest Holmes seven games ago. In those games Johnson has rushed for 107, 132, 211, 119, 140, 143, and 167 yards - a total of 1,019 in all. To put into historical context only O.J. Simpson rushed for over 1,000 yards in the first seven games of a season - projected over an entire season Johnson would finish with 2,329 yards, that sounds like playing retard level on Madden. You may recall LJ's first three starts were against Oakland, Buffalo, and Houston - when some scoffed at the competition was when Johnson got off his 'do I have to run against Jesus' blast - then proceeded to go off against playoff contenders the past four weeks. Even splitting time with Holmes for the first seven games Johnson still ranks fourth in the league in rushing and could approach 1,700 yards for the season. For you people living in Kansas City, you might want to show LJ some love and send him some Christmas Cards this week, and maybe even tell him you'll endorse for the Democratic candidate in 2008 - you don't want to see this guy walk off the Raiders in a few years.  CHUCK LONG VOWS TO TURN AZTECS FORTUNES AROUND: Former Iowa QB/Oklahoma offensive coordinator comes out of nowhere to become new SDSU coach, and says basically the same thing everyone since Doug Scovill has said on their first day at Montezuma Mesa. Both Chuckles and the new AD feel like San Diego St. can become a top ten program, which is going to be pretty hard considering San Diego's top preps always end up at USC or UCLA, or worse Utah (see Alex Smith). Let's see, do you want to play with the big boys or play against Wyoming and UNLV for the next four years. For the record Chuckie gets a salary of $700,000 per plus a potential $300,000 in bonuses and a whopping $100,000 bonus if SDSU ever does make the BCS (which I imagine he would turn down to accept a job in the Big Ten or SEC). Meanwhile University of San Diego coach Jim Harbaugh was among those turned down, I guess his dad being a long-time coach and his brother-in-law going to the Final Four a couple years ago wasn't impressive enough. Or let's just say the timing of that DUI charge could had been better. Recent DUI raps don't necessarily ban a candidate from employment but it doesn't help. And for all the other radio/TV announcers/commentators in the Mountain West Conference who keep on referring to San Diego ST. as simply 'SAN DIEGO', yes, there is another school out there called San Diego. Would anyone ever dare refer to Ohio St. as simply 'Ohio' - in fact their alums playing in the NFL insist on their school being known as 'The Ohio State University' MATT HAYES: Sporting News writer says DUI charge most likely cost Harbaugh the job, noting that he had the support of SDSU boosters before his arrest, and that USD went 11-1 while winning the conference championship for the first time in school history.LENDALE WHITE STAYING FOR SENIOR YEAR??? A former recent defensive line standout along with a teammate died this week, but never mind that - as LenDale White hints that he may want to take a run at becoming what would be SC's fourth Heisman winner in five years. BUSH WILL TURN PRO: Family says Reggie is already being represented by Reebok.BRUCE PEARL SIGHTING: In a game played under heavy surveillence in Austin, Tennessee routs #6 Texas. The good news was that no fans were mugged by UT football players on the way out.  THE REAL-LIFE IVAN DRAGO!!! American John Ruiz lost his share of the heavyweight championship in a controversial split-decision to Russian Nikolay Valuev, who goes 7-feet, 330 lbs and becomes by far the biggest heavyweight champion ever. In the hilarious aftermath, Ruiz manager Norman Stone (see right) attempted to take the belt back from Valuev, and yelling 'you suck' while being led away by security. I'm guessing Jim Lampley is calling this biggest travesty yet in the history of world. Ruiz meanwhile demanded that promotor Don King does his job and grant him a rematch. Forget it, Donnie's currently woking on a Valeuv-Shaquille O'Neal bout, just tell Shaq that his opponent's really Brad Miller - I say Shaq would win that for real.MARTZ CLEARED TO RETURN ON JANUARY 1ST: Too bad he's going to get fired on January 1st. 'SEVERAL' LONGHORNS INVESTIGATED??? Has the bloom just come off the University of Texas football program??? Broadcast reports Friday night linked players in the Longhorn football program to two recent incidents in the Austin area. According to police, the incidents were an alleged armed robbery with an automatic handgun on September 4th and assault and attempted robbery last week, in which police received a call that the suspect 'used his hands, fist and feet' to carry out the assault. No charges have been filed. One report says the investigation involves four players including three starters while later reports say starting cornerback and Senior Bowl invite Cedric Griffin has talked with police regarding a 'non-violent trash talking incident', which I guess is not be confused with an attempted assault/robbery. A laywer advising Griffin also feels that the notoriety and celebrity leading up to the January 4 Rose Bowl is 'lending more drama' than the facts would justify. USC did have the Matt Leinart tabloid nonsense earlier in the week, but this has a chance to be much more damaging on the UT side. If I were a betting man, I'd run to my bookie and take USC -7 right now, I'm beginning to smell another 55-19 rout.  FOUR CHARGED IN 'BAWDY' BOAT CASE Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three teammates each hit with three misdemeanors. Complaints offer very explicit details of the alleged behavior of the NFL players (butt groping, sex toy usage, assorted oral favors, topless lap dancing, etc.) during the October floating excursion. CULPEPPER - 'I DIDN'T TOUCH ANYONE AND NO ONE TOUCHED ME' - Mum since suffering his season-ending knee injury, Culpepper breaks his silence to dispute charges against him stemming from the Lake Minnetonka boat party, saying his only mistake was 'GOING ON THAT STUPID BOAT'. Daunte also discussed several perceptions about his absence from the team that have been bothering him. BAD END FOR DARRELL RUSSELL: Yet another one to file under horrible and ironic ways to meet the grim reeper. Former Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Darrell Russell dies along with former USC teammate Mike Bastianelli in a pre-dawn high speed crash in Los Angeles. The car Bastianelli was driving went out of control and hit curb, tree, newsstand, fire hydrant, light pole, another tree and finally an unoccupied transit bus. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Russell was the No. 2 overall pick by the Raiders in the 1997 draft, and made the 1998 and 1999 Pro Bowls before substance abuse problems derailed his promising career, finally being suspended indefinitely in 2004. Bastianelli was mostly a reserve wide receiver for the Trojans in 1995-1998 and finished with 68 career receptions for 961 yards and four touchdowns. RUSSELL PASSING NOT NOTED ON USC SITE: As of early Saturday morning, nearly 48 hours after the accident, there is still no mention of the deaths of Bastianelli or Russell on USC's site, just the usual '48 wins in four years, 32 straight polls at #1, three of the last four Heisman winners', Fight On, Fight On, yada, yada, ya - and of course subscribe to Matt and Reggie TV. Guess noting the passing of two of the current football program's predecessors might get in the way of Rose Bowl preparations. Yes, D-Russ had drug issues that ruined his pro career, and SC wasn't winning National or even conference championships when Russell and Bastianelli played. Still someone over in the SID or whoever runs that site dropped the ball here.NFL WELCOMES CHRIS HENRY TO IT'S SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM: The controversial ex-West Virginia receiver almost made it through his rookie year without getting in trouble, but now has been busted on traffic (expired license, expired tags, speeding) and weed charges. TONY STEWART - POKER PLAYER??? An 'unknown' running under an assumed name wins a 60-lap feature in a midget race in Indiana last year. It isn't until the driver takes off his helmet in victory lane that anyone realizes that the driver was none other than NASCAR icon Tony Stewart. It's later revealed that Stewart bought the 'junker' race car at a poker game with buddies the night before. Now Stewart has decided to run in another midget race between Christmas and New Year's in Fort Wayne (they race in Indiana in the dead of winter???), making that announcement at an annual Christmas poker party in which he plays with his old midget racing rivals. I say Tony needs to retire from racing (NASCAR, IRL, F1, midgets, everything) now and join the pro poker circuit. You could put Stewart and Hellmuth at the final table on pay-per-view if you wish - Stewart gets a bad beat, he and Hellmuth have words - Norm Chad chases down Stewart and asks him what's up, and Tony replies 'IF PHIL HELLMUTH WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING TO ME, TELL HIM I'M EASILY ACC - ESABLE!!!' before knocking the microphone out of Norm's hands - and ESPN would be left wondering why they ever got back into NASCAR. MORE STEWART: Nice cover on SI's NASCAR Year in Review, where Stewart strategically places his helmet over his ever-expanding belly. Kind of like how we only see Jeanne Zelasko's on pit road from the chest up when she's preggers. Tony's fast becoming my favorite driver of all-time, when does Daytona start???'INTIMIDATING' ICE STORM HITS CAROLINAS: Kannapolis man lying in his recliner killed when 100-foot oak tree buckles and crashes into his house. WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL FINAL FOUR: Santa Clara, Nebraska, Tennessee, Washington. At least one of those schools belong. And at least the other three schools contended and made the post-season in one sport this fall. U-Dub won their semi-final match with a .405 'hitting percentage' in the second game v. the Lady Vols and will now face the Lady Blackshirts in the final. I'm just wondering when we can start filling out post-season brackets and participate in fantasy leagues for this sport??? 2.3: Lost dog listings in San Jose newspaper quadruple with the pending news that the San Jose Earthquakes are in the process of bolting to Houston, the shock of that alone might rip the San Andreas in half. The 'good' news is the city of San Jose will get the Cleveland Browns plan, getting to retain their name and team colors until the city gets a new soccer stadium and an expansion team, perhaps as early as 2007. The Earthquakes won MLS titles in 2001 and 2003, but only drew an average of 13,000 to Spartan Stadium this past season. Good thing San Jose gets earthquakes and not hurricanes, if a Cat 5 ever hit that area Spartan Stadium would become the new Atlantis. NOW THE REAL STORY!!! Utah Jazz's Robert Whaley raised eyebrows earlier in the week saying he managed to cut his hand while trying to take a sharp knife away from his two-year old son. Now comes word that Whaley and fellow rookie Deron Williams have been charged with one count each of giving false names to police following an altercation at a Park City club for members. The incident supposedly started when the two started being harassed by Denver Nugget fans. The fight, which involved eight to 10 people, then spilled outside. During the fray Nugget fan alledgedly threw a bottle, breaking a club employee's arm, while Whaley cut his hand over some glass. When officers arrived, they found seven people 'in the middle of Main Street yelling at each other, gesturing at each other and throwing garbage cans'. When the basketball players were asked to identify themselves, Whaley said his name was Bobby Williams while Deron Williams identified himself as Torry Ellis. But then the officers were tipped off that they play for the Jazz and identified the duo through team photos. Deron Williams was the third overall pick in the draft while Whaley, who has a history or legal problems, was taken in the second round. AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING OFFICIALS OUTRAGED!!! Local newspapers print photographs of 'mock exucutions' of young Australian swimmers at a military-style boot camp, prompting outrage from athletic officials. The images showed a trainer holding an imitation 9 mm pistol to the heads of kneeling swimmers at a camp being held outside Melbourne. Says a Chief Executive Officer, 'These images are nothing short of appalling, insulting, embarrassing and are unequivocally unacceptable'. RAVENS SUPER BOWL HERO ARRESTED: Guess former NFL kick-returner Jermaine Lewis could not take this one to the house, as he's arrested for DUI after his rental car rear-ends a Toyota Camry near a local Maryland mall. Court records show Lewis is charged with driving under the influence, driving while impaired with alcohol,driving a rental car in violation of the rental agreement and failure to control vehicle speed on a highway to avoid collision. The charges together carry maximum penalties of more than a year in jail and $2,000 in fines. Upon arriving on the scene, officers 'detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage', according to the police report. Officer also describes Lewis' eyes as 'bloodshot and glassy' and noted slurred speech and clothing 'in disarray'. Lewis returned a kickoff for touchdown in the Ravens Super Bowl 35 victory. PACKERS BUMPED OUT OF LATE GAME: Lambeau Field will be seen in it's brilliant mid-winter, low-lying mid-day sunlight (or just total gloominess) after all. FOX has come to it's senses and has moved the New Year's Day kickoff for Packers/Seahawks from 3:15 to NOON, Bears/Vikings and/or Cards/Colts (Indy's last hurdle??) figure to be moved into the late slot. #5 A 'SELL-OUT'??? Donovan McNabb has now officially gotten it from both sides, as things get even uglier in Philly. A NAACP leader who also writes for a newspaper, suggested McNabb 'choked' in the Super Bowl and said he 'played the race card' in explaining why he no longer runs the ball. J. Whyatt Mondesire writes in the Philadelphia Sunday Sun that McNabb 'is mediocre at best, and trying to disguise that fact behind some concocted reasoning that African American quarterbacks who can scramble and who can run the ball are somehow lesser field generals ... is more insulting off the field than on.' Did somebody try to tell this guy that McNabb tried to play half the season with a sports hernia, and that he had a 105 quarterback rating last year (QB ratings don't use rushing yards as criteria). #5 was clearly steamed at his holiday party over the weekend, saying 'I always thought the NAACP supported African Americans and didn't talk bad about them. Now you learn a little bit more.' Ironically, it was the NAACP who turned the heat on Rush Limbaugh two years ago when the conservative commentator made his infamous comments about the media being biased for McNabb on ESPN. REACT: What does Byron Leftwich, Aaron Brooks, Doug Williams and Warren Moon have in common?? They're all black and are (or were) drop-back, non-scramblers - are they 'sell-outs' too???THIS COULD BE GOOD: Meltdown Bradley traded to Oakland. One of two things happen now, he either meshes well with the Oaklanders or things really get ugly. This is the guy who had a problem at laid-back Dodger Stadium, what happens if he takes a few 0-4's and a D-Cell or two comes flying his way??? He can consult Carl Everett on that one. |
2003 NFL DRAFT PROFILES
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