...as of 11 pm ish Wed. night, they were very close..
By Jason La Canfora | March 14, 2007; 9:52 PM ET

Hundreds of years from now, when they dig this blog entry out of the archives, someone will wonder why we waste time travel on such trivial matters...

I would like to time travel back to the point this past weekend when I said, "Another shot is a great idea!"

Either that, or I'd love to time travel ahead to 2075 and find out how to fill out every Bracket for the rest of my life.

Or the 31st Century so that I can see our troops finally leave Iraq.

We were very, very fortunate as far as O-line health last season. I think each of several preceding years we had at least one guy out for a long stretch... good old Ray Brown getting shoved on his a** was something none of us wanted to see. Happy to have Poochie and apparently T-Wade under wraps.

Does this mean we have the most dudes named Todd in the league?

Ah, the west coast checks in.
Myself, I would like to time travel to the point this weekend when I say, "Another shot is a great idea!"

Nate, please correct me if I'm wrong, but Ray did okay as a sub when Randy T went down; it was when he got dinged up and 265lb. Cory Raymer came in that the a$$-kicking began...

Did the Skins hire a GM and no one told me or did someone stuff my cousin Vinny in a box this offseason? No way the Skins are actually making smart moves for once. If they keep making smart deals and passing on big overpriced names we may actually have something to look forward to at the draft. Danny's gotta sign just one overrated, overpriced FA ...right? I am still hoping for a bid trade for some picks.

I'm reposting from two threads ago just because I can and it really messes with the time travel : ) Plus I'm becoming obsessive compulsive about the offseason. . .

Okay here's what I've been chewing on today.

How about this - if Adrian Petersen is still there at #6 make a pitch for a trade with Green Bay. They need an RB and some mock drafts have them taking Cal guy at 16.

They lost Green so really need an RB now especially since they're having to deal with a new QB sooner rather than later which means running game becomes important and Favre could use the help.

Swap #6 with them for #16 and their 2nd (#47)or 3rd (#78) and 4th and 5th. They may go for it even if they don't get Petersen cause they need more help than we do in a lot of areas. Plus at the 6 they may even be able to get Quinn if Rodgers does go to Raiders.

Thoughts? Just for the record youze guyze have turned me into an offseason nutjob - I used to keep 1/2 of 1 eye until May but now. . . I love it!

Maybe the 'skins are trading up? http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-russell031407&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I think it would be a big mistake...

Posted by: Mark | March 15, 2007 01:24 AM

Hi gang. I reposted the entry above because it was posted late on the previous thread. If you haven't read the article, at least click the link and read the sidebar. (Thanks for the link, Mark.)

Personally, I am not sure what to think after reading it. As JLaC hasn't mentioned any whispers or hints of this being a possibility, I find it hard to believe that the information is real.

From the perspective of disinformation, it's possible that it is a ploy being perpetrated by the Raiders to stimulate interest in trading for the #1 pick by other teams in order to drive the price up. There are several draft scenarios that have Oakland moving down in order to accumulate picks, due to their needs at multiple positions. (Sound familiar?)

If it is disinformation being run by the Redskins FO (for whatever reason), I hope they briefed Jason Campbell beforehand so he would know the deal. They sure don't need to do anything that will screw with his confidence.

At this moment, I can't consider any other possibilities - most of them just make me angry.

Jason,
Maybe you didnt notice that our D-LINE sucked last yr so anyone saying it was hard rushing against WADE isnt saying much at all !!

Tedskin, ?? Skins rushed BEHIND Wade, not against him. Welcome to the blog. Lighten up. Have a nice day.

sween, I think he was referring to when the DL's said it was hard pass rushing againt Twade.

sfskin - they need more help so they wont trade away all of those picks

| / 8-8, there is no way, even in danny boys wildest dreams that anyone in this organization is going after Jmark. Yahoo sports has hacks on its staff.

I think Wade is a good pick up at the right price.

You guys think everyone is a great pickup? And everyone who leaves wasnt any good? This team was 5-11 for a reason and the D was 31st and at the bottom in all categories? So excuse me if I dont like people saying someone is better then he is? This FO has overrated players since Gibbs got here and even before?

Ocho,

If Snyder pulls some S--- like that I'll sue him for $9mil of emotional damages, and not from having to watch his brats and put up with his sour a$$.

Can this be at all real??? I must be taking crazy pills.

Tedskinfan no one here said that Wade was a great player. No one here said that Doc wasn't a good player. We just pointed out that he was not worth 49 mil. Take a deep breath son.

I've got a bad feeling that the deal to move Campbell and move up for Russell is gonna happen. Snyder hasn't pulled one of these for a while and he's getting itchy. And since it will be a rookie QB, it will give Gibbs an excuse to start Brunell again. GRRRR...

jm220 heres a list of some Redskin players who were great here then when they left werent worth it????
Champ,Steven Davis,Trent Green,Lavar,Brad Johnson,Coles,Im sure you get the point(hopefully)? Please everyone add to the list?

rich, that would be my dream come true. no, it won't necessarily mean a good move or anything but it'll keep us talking, excited about the next season.

How about Campbell and our #6 pick for Manning and Harrison? I think it's just as likely...

Tedskinfan remember Champ wanted out. And I will take Moss over Coles any day of the week. That doesn't mean Coles is a bad player. I just think Moss is a better player.

Ted, champ wanted out, davis had one more year before he was done, Green was a huge mistake made when the ownership situation was in transition, Lavar has been hurt the last 3 years, Johnson was a mistake and Coles wanted out and we traded him for moss which I think was a great move.

No way the Russell "rumor" is true. It's just not gonna happen.

Like I said, Yahoo has hacks for sports writers.

I think this type of move is even beyond Snyder, especially since Gibbs isnt hanging around for another rookie QB to develop.

There are transition tags and there are franchise tags. Tedskinfan, you are looking at an ITA tag. Your line was "You guys think everyone is a great pickup? And everyone who leaves wasnt any good?" Then you rattle off a list of guys whose comings/goings had no effect on last season b/c were many seasons ago. The RI group does not think that everyone is a great pickup ... no love for Archuleta or Lloyd or Fauria, here. Admittedly, the only razzles this season have been for Ross Tucker, but even LFB was preemptively mocked as an overpaid, overvalued FA. Feelings here have changed recently as people consider his numbers last season (#4 in NFL tackles) and over the past five (#1). The RI blog does not believe that everyone who ever leaves isn't any good. Folks here still long for the return of Antonio Pierce and Ryan Clark. Folks went crazy with news about the return of Smoot.

Tedskinfan, come correct.

i'd love to trade down, but still stay in the top 10.. going down to 16 w/GB is getting out of the area where you pick up an instant impact player.. but i honestly don't think the opportunity to trade down will be there.. only if Quinn or Peterson drops to #6 will we have suitors.. in my opinion that probably will not happen.. the fav 5 Russell,Thomas,Peterson,Johnson and Quinn may all be gone by our pick.. the key will be what Detroit or Arizona does.. they too can down trade and spoil our chances.. if one of the top 5 slots (whichever teams they end up being there) takes anyone else (ie adams,etc), one of those fav 5 will slip to #6 and put us in shape to trade down a few slots.. still get a great player and extra picks.. i just don't think thats going to happen.. so then we'll have to choose which D-lineman is the best (that scary!).. and i think we won't know until draft day.. which will be high tension for us skins fans !

I FINALLY think the Skins has the right frame of mind. Continuity. Wade knows the OL calls. He filled in fantastic when Jansen was out. Is he a "long term" fix? No. Look at the money the OL FA have been getting. In years past we would have over spent on just looking to cash in.

I was a huge Lavar fan, however he just didn't get it. Plus he just couldn't stay healthy. FA/ Trades that have worked. Daniels, Griffin, (consistant) Portis, Moss, Brunell,( No playoff run without either of those guys) Rabach, Thomas, (achors the line ) Salaeva'a, Springs, Thrash, Fox, (Steady) Albright (remember Turk) Prioleou (you think the DEF missed him last year) Sellers.

Believe it or not, I think we have started to go in the right direction.

There is no question that Champ is the best corner, but Gibbs loves to run. Betts was unproven and we were looking at freaking Trung Canidate.

vpar, your logic makes sense to me. sounds like the trade partner might be someone who wants Adams or Anderson or some other-important-D-player-they-don't-want -to-miss more than the Skins do.

someone has his panties in a bunch this morning

vpar, don't forget that the tension about our FO's decision-making skillz won't dissipate on draft day, it will just change... it will take a couple of seasons to judge whether we picked the 'right' D-lineman or, hopefully, D-linemen in this draft.

big pisano, you're probably referring to me. you're probably right. time for another cup o coffee. maybe a good f@rt will help unbunch. those posts DID give me a chance to talk Skins though ... which has been so hard to do this offseason.

dcsween.. glad u see my logic.. great minds think alike ! i just don't know if there be anyone willing to move up for a d-player since there are so many in this draft.. they'll probably just stay put and pick one who's there.. logical ??

Ya never know, one of those offensive skill player gems could very well fall to us at #6... if we're still holding that pick when we're on the clock, that is.

Lining up our suitors now is the right move, I think, but not pulling the trigger until the draft nears (or until we're on the clock) should increase our leverage and potentially yield more picks, right?

Doing the right things in Free agency this year. Hope the anual off season fiasco doesn't happen on draft day.Maybe the Danny will hire vinny as the new nanny to keep him away from the war room in april.

Interesting article by Clayton about compensatory picks this morning. Reading through the examples/projections he has about teams he thinks will get some picks, doesn't it seem like the Skins could expect some compensatory picks given how they GAVE away so many draft picks and got nearly NOTHING in return (thinking mostly about Duckett and Lloyd). I need to read this again more closely -- first read suggested that the word "compensatory" refers to compensation for lost/devalued picks.

not sure why the hyperlink didn't work. try this for the Clayton article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2798269

Sween brought the Shabingus!!

"A source in Indianapolis says there's talk at the NFL scouting combine of the Arizona Cardinals swapping first-round picks with the Detroit Lions in an effort to bring Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas to Arizona.

The Lions own the second overall pick, and most mock drafts have them taking Thomas for themselves. The Cardinals have the fifth overall pick. According to the chart teams use in determining value of draft picks, to make it a fair trade, the Cardinals would probably have to throw in their second- and third-round picks in the deal"

Based on this, here is how I see it play out

1)Oak - Jmarc
2)Ari - thomas
3)Clev - Peterson
4)TB - Johnson
5)Det - Quinn (the reason they are trading down is because they know Quinn will be here)
6) We have the pick of the litter for DL

lions/cards swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams.. again, that leaves us choice of any DL.. which is scary given our talent evaluation skills... nate.. we can't wait a couple of years to judge this player we take.. by that time portis/samuel/janson/washington/grif and a whole host of players will be over the hill..

nope, the aforementioned panties were in reference to ted. i am going coffee-less as well this morning. part of a bold experiment to make my thursday a little more interesting.

PDxPD, not sure what I did, but I think the #6 pick still looks like the first defender chosen. Two things could change that. First, somebody could be hot to get the next LT after Thomas (Levi Brown?) and try to lock that in with #6, thus coming to trade. The other, mentioned before, would be if somebody 1-5 wanted Adams/Anderson/other D more than they wanted Quinn. I think that those first four guys look to be a lock on the first four (esp. with Russell's performance in his Pro Day yesterday ... including knocking off nearly 10 pounds since the Combine).

That said, stranger things have happened ... just last year ... Mario Williams #1? Matt Leinart #10? Donte Whitner as the first safety picked?

The ES site had a link to a site where someone has been tracking which teams have been taking an interest in which guys, based on who the scouts talked to at the Combine, who's been invited to visit, which scouts go to which pro days (I'll find the link and bring it back here). There is a WR who lots of teams seem to be interested in, but none of the mock drafts value much, a guy named Aundrae Allison. Could be this draft's Donte Whitner.

big pisano, I got the stomach flu virus early this flu season. Everything out in both directions. Ms. dcsween is an MD and knew the symptoms, but was worried about my JFK-in-Dallas-like headaches. Lasted for nearly three days ... just until I started drinking coffee again.

There's no way to vouch for this guy's credibility or accuracy, but the pictures of the little helmets are cool:

http://www.newerascouting.com/index.php?c=33&a=103

That article is just crap. For starters, Oakland is "enamored" with Russell. They loved him and will not trade their pick away. Secondly, as crazy as this sounds, I don't think the Skins would do anything that stupid. As Hail to em said...continuity is key to our team.

I was shabingusing your reply to ted.

Some mocks have Minny, Miami and SanFran interested in DL.

So I think even if all top 5 go in the top 5, then we still have a chance to move down

vpar, I WANT players who can make immediate impact, and we'll know that when we see it -- SeanTay starting by midseason, Golston in the mix from the start last season -- but by the same token I know that a longer view of a draft pick's success across several seasons is healthier and more realistic.

Are you saying that we're going to know everything we need to know about our picks when their names are announced on draft weekend? All we'll know is whether the Skins pick who we think they should pick at the positions we think are most needy. And we'll know AMTTS' new favorite team, the one which picks LaRon Landry.

I don't think the Skins would do anything that stupid.

BUT their owner paid a PART-TIME NANNY $160 THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! At least Tiger Woods got additional services with his...

and then he paid the nanny another $60 grand. PLUS he let his dirty laundry air out in public!!!!

Yes, as of wednesday 4:00 pm march 15, 2007 i believe that this owner is cursed and so is this team.

dealer, good to see you back in the mix with the old vitriol intact. Are you still making Five Guys runs every day?

Cm-on, that deal was concocted by someone who noticed that the redskins were at the workout (as JLC mentioned earlier).

Some in the media still are under the impression that Snyder is calling the player shots, false. If Snyder went around Gibbs to do this Gibbs would be gone the same day.

So... if we get a deal done with T-Wade, does that mean we're all done worrying about the O-line, from a free agency perspective? Or do we keep looking for a guard?

Any update on Springs? Has anything been said about things being smoothed out between him and the FO after the Bly trade talk cooled off? I want him firmly back in the fold, not in any way disgruntled.

(Did you know? According to the redskins.com roster, Springs turned 32 this past Sunday. Happy birthday, anchor of the secondary.)

Being that Todd Wade has never played guard or on the left side of the line, I would hope the Skins are still looking for a starting LG, unless they really think Pucillo can handle the job or Wade can make the switch. Good to see they are continuing to make solid thought out moves.

In an ideal world, Skins move to #8 if Quinn falls so Houston can take him. We then will still get one of the higher rated DL and then pick up a 2nd or 3rd to take a guard.

nate, thanks for reminding me about 5 guys. it's what's for dinner tonite baby! i still have 3 pounds to gain. though had a scary thought the other day what if there's study out there that says vegeterians will have less health problems than non-vegs and the beef/meat industry lobbyists are suppressing those studies. but then again...i think it'll take a heart attack for me to stop...

Dealer, while Snyder may do stupid things like paying a nanny an overzealous salary, he does not truly run the team since Gibbs returned. Gibbs would not make a stupid move like the article mentioned.

On the fabled "draft trade value" chart, I'm clipping a link to an article by Brandt at nfl.com from a few years ago. I'd guess that every team has its OWN version of a draft trade value chart, and that good teams calibrate the chart according to team needs, the relative strengths in the draft for those needs, expectations of compensatory picks, the numbers of the picks they do have, factoring in projections for the next year and the extent to which expectations were met in previous years. [At least, that's how I'd do it if I were GM ... maybe Ozzie does it that way in B-more ... how come the classified ads never announce openings for NFL GM?] Any way, Brandt says it used to be art, but teams have been trying to be more quantitative.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/6330687

Do we REALLY have to wait another 6 weeks for to find out? Seems like the other other stuff to happen before then is the owners' meeting ... where they vote on some new rule changes ... and probably more NFL player crimes.

Hi guys. How bout coming out and watching my beloved Baltimore Orioles this season? They have an exciting bunch of young players ready to take over the AL East and don't forget to watch them completely wax the Washington Nationals in interleague play this year! Go O's.

Ok, I've given up on trying to enter the NCAA pool you guys set up. Even though I am registered on Yahoo it still will not let me enter. I will just have to make do with my offic pool.

cdubb, the roster lists Wade as 6'8" 317 pounds and as "OL" ... while Jansen is listed at 6'6", 308 lbs and "tackle." Dockery was 6'6" and 335. At the risk of messing up the 'chemistry' on the right side of the line, do you think Jansen would take offense if asked to move to LG? For tagging purposes, offensive linemen are all valued in the same box. Given the "new" going rate for starting guards, Jansen's salary at least fits. [Of course, Wade might be pissed to start at tackle but not make 'tackle money'.]

nate.. everyone wants an impact player.. all i'm saying is its vital for the skins to get one this year.. gibbs was brought in here to get us to the sb within a few years because we had a bunch of players in their primes.. lets face it, for a lot of their playes, time is running out.. and last years mistakes didn't help..

The Skins trading their 1st round pick, Shawn Springs, Jason Campbell, and Renaldo Wynn to the Colts For Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Dwight Freeney. Go Team!!!

Here's the link:
Foxsports

When's tipoff?

Lisa, that's a bummer that you couldn't get in to the Yahoo! pool. I see 10 entries up there.

Tipoffs are usually early in round #1 - noon eastern time or somesuch.

Hey Rumor Boy, your link doesn't work.

Lisa, what's up?

Do you have a yahoo account? What does it say when you try to log in?

Group #: 14376
Password: jlc

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/register/joinprivategroup

Rumor I just read ....., don't you mean Rumor I just made up?

Could you please get back to using all CAPS or insulting us while asking for a place to eat?

Lisa, any chance you are already involved in five different bracket groups? You cannot join more than five groups in Yahoo.

Seems weird, but that's their limit.

From Yahoo Pick'Em rules: "All users can join up to five total groups (any combination of Private and / or Fans Of groups), but can only associate one of their brackets with each group."

"The Jets aren't believed to be shopping LB Jonathan Vilma, though he'd be their most valuable bargaining chip if they ever attempt a dramatic trade-up in next month's draft. A rival executive recently asked the Jets about Vilma, and was told they're not interested in trading him, according to an NFL source. Of the rumors, Vilma said: "The day it came out (in the paper), we had 20 phone calls. People were asking me, 'You can't go, you can't leave, you can't go to Washington.'" The Skins have since signed MLB London Fletcher."

I broke this at the time. I could've been the next Adam Scefter had it worked out........

Another link snatched off the ES blog -- an interview with Antonio Pierce. Best thing is his raves about Smoot as the BEST trash talker in the league ("You don't even understand half the stuff that's coming out of his mouth, ...").

http://nflplayers.com/news/news_release.aspx?id=6471

("You don't even understand half the stuff that's coming out of his mouth, ...").

LMAO

jm, no tourney for you?

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10060470

might clear up the top 5/10 spots in the draft

So it's Moss to the Packers for A. Rogers and a conditional pick...
with the Packers getting rid of their only young QB, this further reinforces my theory that Favre is a member of the un-dead and will never retire.

Lisa,

Are you the Lisa who sent an e-mail to Steve Czaben about him being cruel to someone who called in to the show and how you will not listen to his show any longer? If so, he read your message on the air this morning. And, if so, I too have wondered how he ever found anyone to marry him. Ugh

"LaRon Landry. No. 8 Houston Texans. His stock is soaring right now, and he probably could climb as high as No. 6, where the Washington Redskins will entertain trade offers."

Time Stamp - 11:51am EST

sween, Pierce talking about Sgt. Coughlin teaching players how to put on their socks... priceless.

Anybody seen a gigantic, underachieving D-lineman? Big Daddy goes AWOL...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2799298

Errata -

Beware the Ides of March.

Isn't this swallows week in Capistrano and vulture week in Hinckley, Ohio? I think so. (Someone else who is really interested can Wiki it - I pass.)

"Jason" - good point up above about Gibbs being in charge. That was my thought - if the LSU Workout Day was so important to the Redskins, wouldn't Gibbs be there in person? Why send a hack like Cerrato except to stir up talk? (It would be different if G. Williams had been there to check out Laron Landry.)

By the way, "Jason", I hate your name. Well, not really, but I hate seeing the name "Jason" on a post and wondering if it is LaCanfora trying to sneak a tidbit of info in on us. I think there should be a blog rule that prohibits the use of the name "Jason" except by LaCanfora. Maybe you could change your blog name to "Jay's Son", or "Seinfeld's Buddy", or "The Argonaut". No offense intended - just trying to make the going here a little less foggy, especially after a long evening of celebrating the Ides of March.

Mole, my take on the genesis of this Russell rumor (which, for the life of me, I just don't get), is that there ARE other guys at LSU who are entering the draft ... not just Russell or Landry (which seems to be the other assumption based on the stuff 4th found). Of course, it could be that the FO reads this blog ... and wants to tease AMTTS to death ... turn him into John from Herndon (why DO they break his heart?).

4th -

That point about Laron Landry rising up the board actually came from Mayock on NFLN yesterday, after seeing him at the LSU Workout. The uncited news agency probably picked up the item by watching TV last night.

Also, you are still listing your "official" time stamps as EST, when they should be "EDT". The LoseableType blog time is correctly stated in "EST".

DC -

Of course, the real interest by the Redskins MIGHT be in Laron Landry, and the joke is actually on us. AMTTS will have to buy the drinks if it is true.

Inadvertantly omitted from my errata above -

With no LaCanfora sightings this morning, can we assume that Guaness got the better of him yesterday? Small wonder.

Other Jason, the term Guaness has not be taken, nor has Toucanfora. Tend to agree with Mole about the misdirected excitement when your name comes up. No offense, of course, glad you are here. Another alternative might be "other Jason".

In college, then at the Dolphins, then the Texans, Todd Wade started at right tackle.

Another observation from yesterday's NFLN broadcast from LSU -

Oakland HC Lane Kiffin seemed somewhat evasive in answering questions regarding JaMarcus Russell. It made me think that the rumors of Oakland trading out of the #1 slot might be correct. Knowing Al Davis, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get rid of Moss, grab a decent non-rookie QB from someone (maybe Plummer or Carr or even Rodgers), and then draft Johnson at WR. If they stay at #1 and draft/keep Russell, I can see them using their second pick to take one of the USC receivers (Jarrett, Smith).

Based on Kiffin's weird evasiveness, I am thinking the first option is the preference at this time.

What does 'EDT' Stand for and why is 'EST' incorrect to use?

Time Stamp - 12:22pm EST

Eastern Daylight Time vs. Eastern Standard Time

DCS - I don't think there is any way you could ask Jansen to move. He's been the starting RT since we drafted him in the 2nd round out of Michigan. I just like the Wade signing as insurance since Jansen has been getting injured over the past 3 years. Seems the only way to keep him out is if he can't walk like with the achilles or that 1 game last year with the calf. We have to remember Wade is on a reconstructed knee as well. The nonchalance by the Skins on the guard spot is making me think they either have all the confidence in the world in Pucillo or know we are going to be able to trade down.

Even though Randy Thomas has always played RG, maybe he moves to the left side, with Jansen moving inside to RG and Wade to RT. That would leave Pucillo to be backup G and C.

It only makes sense when you consider that Wade wanted a chance to be a starter somewhere, and if the numbers are correct and the deal is signed, he is getting substantially more than vet minimum to come back.

It is probably my ignorance, but why is it so tought to play guard, if your natural postion was tackle?

Doesn't a guard have less responsibility, aside from pulling down the line on a run play?

Sween, I liked your analysis on the cover 2 argument awhile back, what do you say?

Anyone got Bugel's phone number? Maybe we can call and ask him directly - LOL.

I guess I need to ask the next question. What's the difference?

With all due respect to LaCanfora's parents (and anyone he was named for), I am officially renaming him Jason G. LaCanfora, in honor of the Guaness reference and the fact that he is Gone today when we need O-Line answers desperately.

JustMe, that actually was me that Czaban was referring to this morning. I can't believe that I wrote him but he was soo cruel to that lady yesterday. This is the email that he sent me as well:

"Dear Lisa,

I am sorry. But what was I supposed to do? I had screen her for Galdi's sake. Had she said: 5-10/140, I would say: "Hey. Not bad."

You know 5-10/172 for a woman is not good.

Just like ME at a hideous 6-0/242 is not good.

Plus, SHE was the one who called US, and she VOLUNTEERED her weight.

What can I say.

Sorry.

We all need to go on diets.

Please give me a second chance.

Steve"

Cdubb;

That is a good observation. Non-action is speaking volumes.

A definite must for the next pub crawl -

http://www.lacanfora.com/italy/en/default.htm

The Mole,

I saw Lane Kiffin interviewed by Steve B. and Mike Mayock on the NFL Network last night and he was very complimentary about Russell. Said he was highly impressed with him. Later, Adam Schefter reported that Oakland was "enamoured" with Russell.

I would LOVE to hear directly from Bugges, as long as it was unfiltered. He cusses like a sailor, right? Love that dude.

4th -

Eastern Standard Time is the name for the official time during the late autumn, winter when the clock is not adjusted for additional daylight.

Eastern Daylight Time is the name for that period when the clock is artificially advanced by one hour in the spring, summer and early autumn, to take advantage of the longer days by having the light in the evening when it is useful, rather than at 4:00 AM, when it is wasted for most people.

Beginning last Sunday, the correct time is denoted as EDT. Eastern Standard Time (EST) does not return until early November.

Lisa, hearing him read that email this morning, I thought of you well before he read your name.
You get props for taking care enough to respond to him, and, as no one of importance listens to him, we will not be deducting anything from your 15 minutes of fame.

Yeah, if I'm Lane Kiffin I'd tell anyone within earshot that he's worth two 1st round picks, your #1 QB, all your 2007 and 2008 picks, and your owner's wife.
If I'm Russell, I'm ok with going to Oakland, but I'm gonna lose another 20 lbs. because I'm gonna spend most of 2007 running away from unblocked defensive linemen.

Lisa, I loathe Czaban (and unlike some of the loathers out there, I don't listen to him), but he deserves a smidgen of praise for reading your note on the air AND writing you back. Maybe he's human after all.

I haven't seen any scores yet, but I'm pretty sure my bracket is busted.

In the "For What It's Worth" category -

POSTED 12:52 p.m. EDT, March 17, 2007

WOULD MOSS TRADE OPEN DOOR FOR JOHNSON?

If, as now seems likely, the Oakland Raiders ship receiver Randy Moss to Green Bay in exchange for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, we believe that Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson would become Oakland's primary target with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Johnson is, in our opinion, a can't-miss prospect with a combination of size and speed and hands and, uncharacteristically at the receiver position, not a hint of a bad attitude.

So while it's a 50-50 proposition at best when burning a top-five pick on a potential franchise quarterback, Johnson's chances of becoming a long-term contributor are much greater, we believe.

And there's a wrinkle to all of this that we find very intriguing. Packers quarterback Brett Favre is pushing the team to acquire Moss. If Moss goes, the door is open for Johnson to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Favre is represented by Bus Cook. Cook also is involved in the representation of Moss, and the Moss transaction depends in large part on Moss and his agents working out a restructured contract with Packers.

So if that gets done, then Johnson is poised to be the first guy off of the board.

His agent? Bus Cook . . . (profootballtalk.com)

Maybe these guys are reading RI for hot tips and rumors too - LOL

Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs is threatening to sit out the 2007 season and forfeit $7.206 million in salary if the team doesn't remove the franchise tag and sign him to a long-term contract.

''I'm prepared to sit out the season if I have to,'' Briggs told the Score. ''It's on the list of things that could happen.''

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Only in America. Dude wants a long-term deal for "financial security". Hello... Mcfly. $7.2 mil guaranteed for one season? That alone is financial security for life. Unless he's gotta get his 4 Bentleys, 3 super mansions, 2 Maybachs, and a partridge in a bling tree.

How many people actually care? I am not one of them.

Time Stamp - 1:09pm EST

Nate -

In the "Small Consolation" department, the best part about the RI Bracket Shabingus is that no matter how poorly any of us do, we still get to tell "outsiders" we finished no worse than 10th in the "best bracket" contest.

That's a lot better than having to say you finished 1,573,806 out of 2,197,473 in the CBS Sportsline.com bracket contest.

It appears that the gaurd Freshman is killing MD right now. Ofcourse that's only looking at the stats on the CPU......

Time Stamp - 1:11pm EST

No wonder - His Son is Dell Curry!

HAd I known that, I owuld have picked MD to be upsetted this round! Now I got them going to the Final Four! Dag Nabit!

Time Stamp - 1:16pm EST

I meant is father is Dell Curry!

Yeah, I will give Czaban props for responding to my email. I also emailed him back and asked him to just try and be kinder and he said again he was sorry. What he did not mention on the air was that I said I would now be listening to Triple X. He read my email as "I will now be listening to another station" - leaving out the Triple X part of it :-)

I'm not sure why I reacted the way I did but I felt so bad for that lady and maybe it was also from listening to him crucify my Skins all the time.

The Russell move wouldn't surprise me. Campbell has done nothing so far to suggest that he's going to be anything more than an average quarterback. I think the Raiders would be crazy to let Russell go, but if they feel like they have a lot of rebuilding to do (which they do), they might consider it. Yes, I know that it would give us a rookie quarterback... but what a rookie quarterback! I'm still hoping with Campbell, but I don't have a good feeling about our future with him. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we don't lose players and picks for Russell, and I hope that Campbell ends up shining. But if the coaches are seeing what I'm seeing, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see them go after a quarterback that they believe might take them all the way.

cdubb, maybe I'm thinking moving on the O-line is simpler than it is, but think about what we know that Jansen is a smart dude (he went to some school in Michigan -- not Michigan State, but almost as good) and, as a multi-year captain, he is "core" and "team-first". When I intergoogled "Jon Jansen left tackle," I found a WaPo article that said he was playing on the other side when he ruptured the achilles tendon. It doesn't seem like asking a NASCAR driver to turn left ... these guys are pros. It does, however, seem more like a decision that should come from the unit (i.e., Buges should pull them ALL together) rather than a unilateral action by the coaching staff because these types of things seem like they would be pride-related and they are all multi-year vets. Also bring in the QB.

k Squared, for me, this doesn't seem like it would be a football/tactics decision as much as a question of simple physics. Wade is bigger. Also, you're probably giving me more credit than I deserve re: football smarts. I haven't played football since high school. Didn't think about that till now ... my position was ... left guard. At the high school skill level, guard is where you put the guys with the least ability (left guard seems lower than right guard, who has a deodorant named after the position).

Also, though I know that the left tackle position is more highly regarded than right tackle, doesn't that only make sense if the QB is right handed (i.e., blind side protection)? Samuels has essentially been playing RT for Brunell, right?

sween, isn't the usual tactic to have the best D rusher lined up on the defensive right, therefore opposite the left tackle, to have your best rusher aiming at the QB's back? I think that's why the left tackle is the mack daddy, because he's almost always going against the D line's mack daddy.

But I haven't noticed if any Ds tend to flip their rush ends when facing a leftie QB, which would then flip the 'block the best guy' obligation to the O's right tackle as you suggest.

It's March, right? We have time to dig into these minutiae.

Dang, now I want to have a beer with Bugges and discuss.

Lisa, good work! Czaben is a turd. [Of all the posts today, I really hope JLaC lays down some Czaben slap.] Czaben says, "what was I supposed to do?" How about shut up ... or maybe just ask the lady why she thinks her measurements might be relevant to something on the show. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, etc. Even on things like physical beauty, tastes differ wildly. This is why there is someone for everyone.

On that topic (and completely flipflopping to make this point), see what this former Giant has to say about physical beauty:

http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl/thick-in-the-britches-203892.php

Olav, I dunno what you are seeing. How could anybody know what they are seeing...yet?

Campbell played ball in, easily, the toughest football conference in the country. He led the team to a National Championship, and did so under 4 different coordinators in 4 years. He had an unbelieveable, near 70% completion rate.

His pedigree far exceeds JaMarcus Russell. Russell looks good, throws the ball a country mile, but so did Kyle Boller.

Give Campbell a chance.

correction: Bob Whitfield is still on the Giants.

sween your dumb as nails when it comes to football! all your info comes from a**,you should be ITAed.

Isn't announcing your height and weight when coming on the air a convention of some sports call-in shows... I'm thinking I heard this on Dan Patrick's show at some point?

"Let's go to Pancho from Paducah."
"5'8", 260... I want to talk about the blah blah bleeeeeagh"

I assumed that's what this Czaban caller was doing.

ITA!

(really hard to bite my tongue instead of coming to my blog pal's defense! must... resist... temptation...)

Nate, its cool. I'm pretty sure I know which of my buddies posted that ... plus, its not completely inaccurate to say that SOMETIMES I do ACCIDENTALLY fill in details that I have pulled out of ... the air.

olav

Campbell needs to be evaluated over a longer period than 7 games. His mechanics need some work and speeding up. But it is the intangibles that make me think he has lots of promise.

Is Maryland the single most careless team in the Tourney? Man . . . we're talking about Davidson here. MD down by 8 early in the 2nd half (like there is anyone on the blog w/o a window open to the score tracker).

Didn't we go through a round of height and weight announcements up here a while back? Sort of a blog trust exercise.

The whole moving jansen to guard so that Darth Wader can play tackle has to stop, this ain't high school. back of the head to next ri'er who brings up disruping the rest of the continuity on the line to accomdate our newest signee.

DC -

Your observation is correct regarding OTs and Brunell. Samuels is the LT and is supposed to be the premier pass blocker (to protect the QB's back). Jansen is the RT and supposed to be more of a road grader-type blocker for running plays. With a lefthanded QB (like Brunell), both tackles end up playing away from their strengths. Jansen was also one of the more vocal lineman in mid-season about having to pass block so much (Saunders style) and preferred to run the Gibbs-style running offense.

That being said, Jansen can probably move inside to right guard with less difficulty, as run-blocking is important for the guards and they often have help with pass-blocking. Moving him to the left side would seem impractical, however. That seems better left to someone who is already a guard, or to a player who has prior experience on both sides of the line. ("Old dogs, new tricks" rule may apply here.)

MD got a poopy draw, didn't they? Compare Davidson as a 13 seed to, say, Stanford as an 11. But you gotta win each game, so no excuses.

Gary W's probably sweating his guts out. Through the shirt, through the jacket, a kid standing by courtside with a mop to clean up the spatters coming off his necktie.

Anybody watching the game on teevee to report? dealer?

But we're saying that Wade would switch to guard, right? Is it different that JJ because Wade has played guard before or what?

Nate- White shirt, dark suit jacket for Gary W, so it's hard to tell on the tv.

I meant ". . . different FROM JJ . . ."

difficulty . . .

. . . multi-tasking

dcsween

whitfields retired. sorry dude

Neewwwww pooooooost

Nate, also, the particular friend who probably wrote that (probably pissed b/c I should be working ... hear that? go blow, boss!) also requires me to correct immediately when he smells filler. That's why I'm in the habit of after-the-fact checking (see Whitfield correction above). Earlier in the season, Megskin slapped me down more than once for making shti up to fill in the gaps.

Also, your point about protecting the QB's back is what I was trying to say about getting not getting blindsided.

I think wade will get a shot a guard, they want their best 5 lineman on the field. wade is very physical, is a staring quality player.if he can make the transition he has the job. they may want to draft or look at another FA to compete and or develope for the long term.

I think we're in full agreement, sween.

who farted this blog stinks?

I have mentioned before read the book if you haven't already " The Blindside"

Evolution of Modern pro football (basically the arrival of one Taylor, Lawrence aka..LT) the effect said had on offenses and the O-Line.

k squared -

Just for the record, Russell comes from the same conference as Campbell (SEC), was 25-4 as a starter (if I remember correctly), had a 60%+ completion rate in 2006, and also dealt with coaching changes (Saban left in midstream and the OC changed at least once; Campbell had the same HC, but different OCs). They have similar physical size and measurables also. Both have significant upside potential. So you can't throw out Russell's pedigree - it is similarly impressive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JaMarcus_Russell

That being said, my first choice would also be Campbell as QB, and let someone else take Russell. Campbell has been in the Gibbs system for two years, and under Saunders for one. (Russell would be starting anew in a complex offensive scheme.) While Russell is likely to be a star somewhere, Campbell is just as likely to be one also, and he is already in DC. There is no reason to further mortgage the team's future (giving away more players and picks) when so much is already invested in Campbell.

Good for you, Lisa. I didn't hear the exchange you e-mailed him about, but I can just about imagine how it went. He's a disgusting prick, and I'm glad you took him to task.