From THE AP:

Ex-NFL players lash out at union seeking support
By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP)—Retired football players angry with the NFL Players Association over disability and pension benefits said Sunday that the executive director of the union may be ahead of himself in seeking their support during upcoming contract talks with the league.

The informal group of former football players lashed out at comments made by NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who said Saturday that retired player benefits would be reduced if there is an uncapped year in 2010 or a lockout by owners in 2011.

Several players meeting in Las Vegas about their problems with the union said their benefits are protected by law—lockout or not.

But the union says its supplemental disability payments would be cut in an uncapped year, and all payments would expire in 2011 if there is a lockout.

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Smith also said Saturday at a meeting of the NFLPA Retired Players Organization in Palm Springs, Calif., that he represents all NFL players, active and retired. He wants the retiree groups behind the union in negotiations to extend the contract that expires after the 2010 season, with talks scheduled to start Wednesday.

Owners opted out of the current deal last year.

“I think he might be putting the cart before the horse,” said Marvin Cobb, a former defensive back who played six years in the NFL for Cincinnati, Minnesota and Pittsburgh, and won two NCAA national championships with USC in 1972 and 1974.

Cobb said Smith must understand the rocky relationship between the union and former players who feel it turned their back on them after they stopped playing football.

“Mr. Smith has quite a lot on his plate,” Cobb told The Associated Press. “He may prioritize his to-do list differently than I would prioritize it.”

Smith in March replaced the late Gene Upshaw, who often clashed with retired players over benefits and other matters. Smith’s spokesman George Atallah said Smith has reached out to retired players, including many who met in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Several former stars, including Hall of Fame members Mike Ditka, Green Bay’s Herb Adderley and Buffalo’s Joe DeLamielleure have been increasingly critical of the union’s health benefits and pension plan, which pays some retired players only hundreds of dollars a month.

Cobb said he makes about $500 a month in pension and has had problems getting disability payments because he had to work other jobs.

“I think the verdict is still out on DeMaurice,” Cobb said. “I don’t know that we can trust him any more than we could trust Gene (Upshaw).”

Retired players are also angry over the union’s appeal of a $28.1 million federal judgment, which the union was ordered to pay the players for allegedly cutting them out of lucrative marketing deals.

The lawsuit was filed in 2007 by Adderley on behalf of 2,056 retired players who contend the union failed to actively pursue marketing deals on their behalf with video games, trading cards and others sports products.

Cobb said he didn’t think any of the players represented in the lawsuit would support the union if it goes through with its appeal.

“The easy thing for (Smith) is to write the check,” Cobb said.

The players didn’t form a formal group at the Las Vegas meeting or align themselves behind one of several groups for retired NFL players. They said they planned to reach out to active players and further push the league for support and the player’s union for more money.

Bob Grant, a former linebacker who played for the Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins from 1968-72, retired players would likely need to win litigation to gain influence with the union that controls the money.

“We don’t have a seat at the table right now,” Grant said.

But Grant told other players Sunday that he thought the union might be more willing to listen to retired players under its new leadership.

2009 NFL UNRESTRICTED & RESTRICTED FREE-AGENT SIGNINGS AS OF 5/21/09
(Based on official notification to NFL office)
1) 125 UNRESTRICTED free agents have signed with a NEW team:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
CB Bryant McFadden
Pittsburgh
3/11

RB Jason Wright
Cleveland
3/18
Atlanta Falcons
LB Mike Peterson
Jacksonville
3/11

C Brett Romberg
St. Louis
3/10
Baltimore Ravens
C Matt Birk
Minnesota
3/5

CB Chris Carr
Tennessee
3/18

CB Dominique Foxworth
Atlanta
2/27

TE L.J. Smith
Philadelphia
3/20
Buffalo Bills
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Cincinnati
2/28

C Geoff Hangartner
Carolina
3/2

G Seth McKinney
Miami
4/8

RB Dominic Rhodes
Indianapolis
4/20

LB Patrick Thomas
Kansas City
3/20
Chicago Bears
S Josh Bullocks
New Orleans
3/12

T Frank Omiyale
Carolina
2/28
Cincinnati Bengals
WR Laveranues Coles
NY Jets
3/5

DT Tank Johnson
Dallas
4/8

QB J.T. O’Sullivan
San Francisco
3/10
Cleveland Browns
LB Eric Barton
NY Jets
3/16

CB Corey Ivy
Baltimore
3/19

DE C.J. Mosley
NY Jets
3/9

CB Hank Poteat
NY Jets
3/10

T John St. Clair
Chicago
3/18

T Floyd Womack
Seattle
3/16
Dallas Cowboys
LB Keith Brooking
Atlanta
3/2

DT Igor Olshansky
San Diego
3/9

S Gerald Sensabaugh
Jacksonville
3/11
Denver Broncos
RB JJ Arrington
Arizona
3/5

RB Correll Buckhalter
Philadelphia
2/28

LB Andra Davis
Cleveland
2/28

S Brian Dawkins
Philadelphia
3/2

NT Ronald Fields
San Francisco
3/3

WR Jabar Gaffney
New England
2/28

CB Andre’ Goodman
Miami
3/3

T Brandon Gorin
St. Louis
4/18

CB Renaldo Hill
Miami
2/28

RB LaMont Jordan
New England
3/4

LS Lonie Paxson
New England
2/28

DT Darrell Reid
Indianapolis
2/28

QB Chris Simms
Tennessee
3/5

G Scott Young
Cleveland
3/13
Detroit Lions
CB Phillip Buchanon
Tampa Bay
3/5

TE Will Heller
Seattle
3/17

DT Grady Jackson
Atlanta
3/5

WR Bryant Johnson
San Francisco
3/2

T Daniel Loper
Tennessee
3/11

CB Eric King
Tennessee
2/28

RB Maurice Morris
Seattle
2/28

RB Terrelle Smith
Arizona
4/17

LB Cody Spencer
NY Jets
3/9
Green Bay Packers
C Duke Preston
Buffalo
3/30
Houston Texans
NT Shaun Cody
Detroit
3/30

QB Dan Orlovsky
Detroit
3/2

G Adrian Jones
Kansas City
5/18

DE Antonio Smith
Arizona
3/2
Indianapolis Colts
LB Adam Seward
Carolina
3/20
Jacksonville Jaguars
S Sean Considine
Philadelphia
2/28

T Tra Thomas
Philadelphia
3/9
Kansas City Chiefs
LB Monty Beisel
Arizona
3/17

WR Terrance Copper
Baltimore
3/17

CB Travis Daniels
Cleveland
3/10

WR Bobby Engram
Seattle
3/17

G Mike Goff
San Diego
3/26

G Eric Ghiaciuc
Cincinnati
4/30

TE Sean Ryan
San Francisco
4/21

LB Zach Thomas
Dallas
4/13
Miami Dolphins
G Joe Berger
Dallas
2/27

CB Eric Green
Arizona
3/12

C Jake Grove
Oakland
3/3
Minnesota Vikings
CB Karly Paymah
Denver
3/19
New England Patriots
DT Damane Duckett
San Francisco
3/23

C Al Johnson
Miami
3/16

S Brandon McGowan
Chicago
5/5
New Orleans Saints
TE Darnell Dinkins
Cleveland
3/23

FB Heath Evans
New England
3/12

CB Jabari Greer
Buffalo
3/5

DE Tony Hargrove
Buffalo
5/18

C Nick Leckey
St. Louis
3/18

S Pierson Prioleau
Jacksonville
3/25

S Darren Sharper
Minnesota
3/24
New York Giants
DT Rocky Bernard
Seattle
3/2

LB Michael Boley
Atlanta
2/28

S C.C. Brown
Houston
3/4

DE Chris Canty
Dallas
3/2
New York Jets
DT Howard Green
Seattle
3/16

LB Larry Izzo
New England
3/11

S Jim Leonhard
Baltimore
3/3

LB Bart Scott
Baltimore
2/28

CB Donald Strickland
San Francisco
3/25
Philadelphia Eagles
T Stacey Andrews
Cincinnati
2/28

S Rashad Baker
Oakland
3/11

S Sean Jones
Cleveland
3/9

RB Leonard Weaver
Seattle
3/23
Pittsburgh Steelers
WR Shaun McDonald
Detroit
5/1

CB Keiwan Ratliff
Indianapolis
4/27
Oakland Raiders
T Khalif Barnes
Jacksonville
3/16

DT Ryan Boschetti
Washington
4/1

S Keith Davis
Dallas
5/21

QB Jeff Garcia
Tampa Bay
4/6

T Marcus Johnson
Minnesota
4/6
St. Louis Rams
TE Billy Bajema
San Francisco
3/31

QB Kyle Boller
Baltimore
4/6

C Jason Brown
Baltimore
3/10

S James Butler
NY Giants
3/12
San Diego Chargers
LB Kevin Burnett
Dallas
3/12
San Francisco 49ers
DE Demetric Evans
Washington
3/10

LB Marques Harris
San Diego
5/1

WR Brandon Jones
Tennessee
2/28

RB Moran Norris
Detroit
3/3

T Marvel Smith
Pittsburgh
3/30
Seattle Seahawks
DT Colin Cole
Green Bay
3/2

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Cincinnati
3/3

TE John Owens
Detroit
3/5

LS Bryan Pittman
Houston
5/18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LB Angelo Crowell
Buffalo
3/23

QB Byron Leftwich
Pittsburgh
4/14

K Mike Nugent
NY Jets
3/4

RB Derrick Ward
NY Giants
3/3
Tennessee Titans
CB DeMarcus Faggins
Houston
4/2

DT Jovan Haye
Tampa Bay
3/3

WR Mark Jones
Carolina
3/20

QB Patrick Ramsey
Denver
4/6

WR Nate Washington
Pittsburgh
3/3
Washington Redskins
DT Albert Haynesworth
Tennessee
2/28

DE Renaldo Wynn
NY Giants
3/24




2) 88 UNRESTRICTED free agents have re-signed with their OLD team:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
DE Bert Berry
3/20

G Elton Brown
3/25

CB Ralph Brown
3/27

P Ben Graham
3/2

LB Clark Haggans
3/17

QB Brian St. Pierre
3/2

QB Kurt Warner
3/5
Atlanta Falcons
DE Chauncey Davis
3/4

LB Tony Gilbert
2/27

DT Jason Jefferson
3/3

LB Coy Wire
2/27
Baltimore Ravens
QB Todd Bouman
4/6

LB Ray Lewis
3/9
Buffalo Bills
T Kirk Chambers
3/4

RB Corey McIntyre
3/3
Chicago Bears
RB Kevin Jones
3/9
Cincinnati Bengals
RB Cedric Benson
3/4

LB Darryl Blackstock
3/2

S Chris Crocker
3/5
Cleveland Browns
CB Mike Adams
3/6
Denver Broncos
DE Kenny Peterson
3/10

TE Jeb Putzier
3/16
Detroit Lions
RB Aveion Cason
3/9

G Damion Cook
3/5

WR Keary Colbert
5/7

T George Foster
4/6
Green Bay Packers
DE Mike Montgomery
3/23
Houston Texans
S Nick Ferguson
3/12

C Chris White
2/27

S Eugene Wilson
2/27
Indianapolis Colts
S Matt Giordano
4/18

LB Tyjuan Hagler
4/8

C Jeff Saturday
2/27
Jacksonville Jaguars
C Brad Meester
2/27

CB Scott Starks
2/27
Kansas City Chiefs
S Jon McGraw
3/6
Miami Dolphins
S Yeremiah Bell
2/27
Minnesota Vikings
LB Heath Farwell
3/6

DT Jimmy Kennedy
3/11

TE Jim Kleinsasser
2/28

S Benny Sapp
3/10
New England Patriots
P Chris Hanson
3/5

G Russ Hochstein
3/2

S James Sanders
3/5

DT Kenny Smith
4/22

S Tank Williams
3/16

DE Mike Wright
3/16
New Orleans Saints
QB Joey Harrington
3/30

WR Devery Henderson
3/4

T Jon Stinchcomb
3/3

LB Jonathan Vilma
3/3
New York Jets
CB Ahmad Carroll
3/16

K Jay Feely
3/9

TE Bubba Franks
5/12

RB Tony Richardson
3/3
Oakland Raiders
G Cooper Carlisle
3/3

LB Isiah Ekejiube
3/3

NT William Joseph
3/16

CB Justin Miller
3/16

RB Lorenzo Neal
5/8

TE Tony Stewart
3/3

LB Sam Williams
4/1
Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Charlie Batch
4/17

CB Fernando Bryant
3/17

T Trai Essex
3/17

LB Keyaron Fox
4/6

LB Andre Frazier
3/16

G Chris Kemoeatu
3/12
St. Louis Rams
CB Ron Bartell
3/5

G Adam Goldberg
3/23

DE Eric Moore
3/16
San Francisco 49ers
CB Allen Rossum
3/11

LB Takeo Spikes
3/4
Seattle Seahawks
LB Leroy Hill
5/1

LB D.D. Lewis
3/16

T Ray Willis
3/9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
S Will Allen
3/3

WR Michael Clayton
3/2

WR Cortez Hankton
3/5

S Jermaine Phillips
3/6

TE Jerramy Stevens
3/5
Tennessee Titans
QB Kerry Collins
2/28

S Vincent Fuller
3/2

P Craig Hentrich
3/6
Washington Redskins
DE Phillip Daniels
4/2

LB Alfred Fincher
3/10

CB DeAngelo Hall
3/4

P Hunter Smith
4/27
3) 0 RESTRICTED free agents have signed with NEW teams:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED




4) 51 RESTRICTED free agents have re-signed with their OLD team:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
TE Leonard Pope
3/31

DT Gabe Watson
3/31
Atlanta Falcons
G Harvey Dahl
4/15
Baltimore Ravens
P Sam Koch
3/27

S Dawan Landry
4/2

TE Quinn Sypniewski
4/9

WR Demetrius Williams
4/9
Buffalo Bills
LB Keith Ellison
3/23

S George Wilson
3/31
Carolina Panthers
LB James Anderson
4/18

TE Jeff King
3/18

S Nate Salley
4/20
Cincinnati Bengals
LB Brandon Johnson
4/16

LB Rashad Jeanty
4/18
Dallas Cowboys
WR Miles Austin
4/23

DE Stephen Bowen
4/6

WR Sam Hurd
4/21

G Cory Proctor
4/2
Green Bay Packers
S Atari Bigby
4/18

CB Jarrett Bush
3/16

DE Jason Hunter
3/16

RB John Kuhn
4/18

WR Ruvell Martin
4/18
Houston Texans
WR David Anderson
3/13

T Rashad Butler
4/7

TE Joel Dreessen
3/4
Kansas City Chiefs
C Rudy Niswanger
4/24

WR Jeff Webb
4/20
Philadelphia Eagles
C Nick Cole
3/31
Pittsburgh Steelers
T Willie Colon
3/10

S Anthony Madison
3/20

TE Sean McHugh
3/2
Minnesota Vikings
DT Fred Evans
4/6

RB Naufahu Tahi
3/30
New England Patriots
LB Pierre Woods
4/21
New Orleans Saints
G Jahri Evans
4/21

WR Lance Moore
4/22

T Zach Strief
4/13

CB Leigh Torrance
4/13
New York Giants
CB Kevin Dockery
4/13
New York Jets
S Abram Elam
3/17
Oakland Raiders
LB Ricky Brown
3/16
Philadelphia Eagles
WR Hank Baskett
4/23
St. Louis Rams
DE Victor Adenyanju
4/20

G Richie Incognito
5/1
San Diego Chargers
WR Malcom Floyd
5/15

CB Cletis Gordon
4/14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
T Donald Penn
4/14
Washington Redskins
DT Kedric Golston
4/10

DT Anthony Montgomery
3/25

K Shaun Suisham
3/16
5) 0 FRANCHISE players have signed with NEW teams:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED




6) 4 FRANCHISE player has re-signed with his OLD team:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
LB Karlos Dansby
3/4
Cincinnati Bengals
K Shayne Graham
4/30
San Diego Chargers
RB Darren Sproles
4/28
Tennessee Titans
TE Bo Scaife
4/28

from The AP Via Yahoo.....

NFL coaches association upset with pension change

NEW YORK (AP)—The executive director of the NFL coaches association is upset with the way the league has handled a change in assistant coaches’ leaguewide pension plan.

The owners voted in March to make the pension, the 401K, and the current supplemental retirement plan non-mandatory for the clubs.

“We’re most miffed that this happened with absolutely no advanced warning and that they were even discussing it,” Larry Kennan told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday. “If you ask any of the owners, coaches are really important to them. But we weren’t important enough to keep in the loop. Tell us four or five months ago that we’re thinking about that.”

The change in the pension led to the retirement of longtime Indianapolis Colts coaches last week Tom Moore, the only offensive coordinator Peyton Manning(notes) has had, and offensive line coach Howard Mudd.

“Howard and Tom are doing this strictly because of the pension,” Kennan said, shooting down reports that the retirements were tied to other issues.

According to Kennan nine teams—Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, New England, New Orleans, and San Francisco—have opted out of the program. Others may do so over the next few years.

All NFL coaches have already signed their contracts for the upcoming season, so no immediate recourse was available to Moore and Mudd.

“Maybe had we known those nine teams had opted out we wouldn’t have signed with one of them,” Kennan said. “We felt really, really disrespected and betrayed.”

There has been renewed talk of the coaches forming a union. The NFL has in the past threatened to fire all coaches who joined a union.

“That’s generally what has been said at different times when we brought it up,” Kennan said. “We don’t have a lot of options.

“Having a pension is a big deal. A lot of coaches are in the NFL instead of college because of the wonderful pension we have. For them to change it dramatically without any advanced warning is wrong.”

There has been speculation the league opted to change the pension plan requirements as an offshoot of the owners opting out of the collective bargaining agreement with the players. Several coaches believe it is part of the league’s overall strategy for negotiating a new CBA.

Winds of change for the 2009 New York Giants-By Dr. Bill Chachkes for Football Reporters Online/SBS Media

The loss of veteran leadership at the Wide Receiver spot is an issue that the Giants front office has to be concerned about. They replaced personnel through the NFL Draft by obtaining Hakeem Nicks with the 29 overall selection in the first round, and Ramses Barden with the 85th overall selection in the third round. But replacing players lost with draft choices doesn't replace the veteran leadership lost with the departure of Armani Toomer and Plaxico Burress.

Toomer was a 13 year veteran and the Giants all time leading receiver with 580 receptions. While never really a "#1" receiver in the true sense, Toomer was the Giants "Go-To" player at the position for many years when the focus was the running game, first with Rodney Hampton and then with Tiki Barber. The Giants also got some help from now New Orleans Saints Tight End Jeremey Shockey while he was here in the pass catching department. The Burress Story has been told countless times already, so i won't chronicle it here again. It does seem worth mentioning that Plaxico was one of the vocal leaders of the offense, even more so since Tiki Barber's departure after the 2006 season.

Now the veterans in the receiving corps are David Tyree, going into his 7th season in the NFL, followed by Sinorice Moss and Dominik Hixon, each with 4 seasons in Pro Football. While the offensive game plan may not change too much, which receivers get called for which plays might change somewhat. Surely Tyree makes the team again after his injury absence simply because of his veteran status and what he does on the specials. Then Steve Smith, because of his inside game, and his big play contributions since the second half of the 2007 season. Assuming that both Nicks and Barden have spots on the squad already because of their draft status, that's already four of the six active roster spots. So you have Moss, Manningham, and Hixon. Three players going for the last two active roster spots. Seemingly Moss seems to be on the bubble here, given his overall lack of production last year. Unless someone gets hurt this summer, it might be a wrap for Santana's little brother in Giants Blue. You will continue to see the "Bigger Guys" stretch the field with deep routes (Hixon, Barden & and Kevin Boss from the TE spot), while Smith, Nicks, and whomever survives between Moss and Manningham
running the underneath routes.

On the Defensive side of the ball, the difference here will be the new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. Although he was promoted from within, Coach Sheridan has a long history as a college defensive position coach. This will be his 28th year in the coaching profession, but only his 4th in the NFL, and all 4 with New York. He was also promoted over defensive secondary coach Peter Giunta, who was the defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams.

I was a bit surprised to see Coach Sheridan get the nod as "DC" but if you looked at the sidelines the last three seasons when former "DC" Steve Spagnoulo ran the show, Sheridan was usually next to him. Sheridan has said he won't make too many changes to the defensive game plan, but the Giants have "reloaded" their defensive front 7 with free agent arrivals Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty at the defensive tackle spot and Mike Boley at Linebacker, plus draftee Clint Stintum also at the linebacker spot. This will allow the defense to continue with it's "whole line rotational concept" weather veteran Fred Robbins remains a Giant or not.

How much of these slight changes will you really see? RB Brandon Jacobs told us at the EA Sports NFL Draft event that the "Giants are a team built to win and ready to win now, not in 2010 or 2011." It could just be possible that the biggest changes for the Giants could only be in the actual players and coaches, and not the playbook as much.

FRO's Fave 5 from the NFL Draft-By William Queen for Football Reporters Online

Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest –
Being passed up by the Kansas City Chiefs at 3rd overall, where most mock drafts had him going, didn’t seem to phase Curry when he was selected 4th overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
 
“It’s hard to put it into words, for how hard we work as players,” stated Curry when asked about being drafted so high, “But it’s one moment. To be able to provide for my mama and my brothers is just a great feeling.”
 
Aaron Curry, joined by Bryson Merriweather, a 12-year old leukemia survivor invited by the All-American linebacker, was set in tears as the crowd in Radio City Music Hall roared in excitement.
 
Only receiving two scholarships, Aaron Curry wasn’t an attraction to many college scouts. Lacking size for an outside linebacker, Curry had a ways to go to get in reach of his true goal of succeeding in the NFL. Yet, he made the best of it. Despite family issues, Curry rose from a 195lb wannabe starter, to a Wake Forest linebacker sensation. Racking up 101 tackles, 2 sacks, and one forced fumble in his senior season, Curry earned 2nd team All-American honors, and high reconization from ACC football fans around the nation. 
           
Yet, what really impresses NFL scouts about Curry is his rare mix of speed, strength, size, and aggressiveness. Possessing practically every tool needed to be successful in the NFL, Curry astonished scouts with his work ethic and complete linebacker package during combine workouts. 
 
By the time the NFL draft came around, Curry was under many teams microscope, being checked over and over for strengths and weaknesses. As I said before, when Kansas City was on the clock, Curry looked to be the sure pick for the Chiefs. Yet, defensive end Tyson Jackson had somehow catapulted himself up the draft boards to the #3 pick, leaving Aaron Curry to wait another 10 minutes in the “green room”.
 
Honestly, if the Lions had any sense in them, Curry wouldn’t have to wait 10 seconds in the green room. I would have taken him in a blink of an eye. Yet, Seattle practically had a spastic attack of compulsive glee when Curry was still on the board at their 4th overall pick.
 
Seattle was expecting to snag USC QB Mark Sanchez, now a member of the Jets, with the4th overall pick. But the Seahawks knew that they would regret it if they didn’t choose Curry. He’s just too versatile, and too good for the Seahawks to pass up.
 
Being ranked in 30th overall defense, Seattle has plenty of room for much needed improvement in the front seven.
 
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland –
All of America sat in shock when the Oakland Raiders selected Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey at 7th overall. Michael Crabtree, wide receiver out of Texas Tech, was the clear favorite as the #1 receiver in this year’s draft. Yet, Oakland’s famous need-for-speed drafting mindset directed them towards the swift receiver out of Maryland.
 
Enjoying what is possibly one of the largest surprises in recent draft history, Heyward-Bey, surrounded by his family, slouched in awe when commissioner Roger Goodell announced his name in front of thousands at Radio City Music Hall.
 
“Going ahead of those guys, it's an honor just to be the first guy taken,” Heyward-Bey claimed sympathetically, when asked about being picked before top receivers Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin, “But being able to play in the pro-style offense at Maryland and taking that to the NFL, I'll take that. And I don't know why I moved ahead of those guys, but definitely the Raiders saw something in me."
 
Heyward-Bey never won any exclusive awards, or won any BCS bowls, but when it comes to potential, this speedy receiver takes it to the next level with his pro-style of play. His considerate and grateful attitude propelled his draft stock even higher, never taking all the credit for himself, or becoming too self-centered, but rather being concerned about the future of his team and his teammates.
 
Coming into the draft, Heyward-Bey was a very unknown and unacknowledged receiver, only projected to be a late first round/second round pick. Either the New York Giants or Tennessee Titans, holding the 29th and 30th spots, looked to surely be the future bearers of the professional-ready ACC receiver. Yet, Oakland was thinking otherwise.
 
When asked if he had any idea if he would be picked so early, Heyward-Bey exclaimed, “I had an idea," the NFL bound receiver said. "I felt I was one of the top guys up there and I had a chance to become a Raider."
 
Losing wide receiver Randy Moss to the Patriots in 2007, the Raiders have had a gap in their young offense, and Heyward-Bey will kick it high speed, helping Oakland’s young quarterback Jamarcus Russell succeed in the passing game.
 
Heyward-Bey never lost confidence in his ability to play with the big boys, and neither did the Raiders, seeming certain about their shocking selection.


Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia 
Despite the availability of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Eugene Monroe with the 8th overall pick, aiming to protect quarterback David Garrard.
 
Monroe, the 2nd offensive tackle taken, certainly has the size to be a successful starter in the NFL. 6’6” and 315 pounds doesn’t lie, and neither does his play.
 
Coming out of high school, Monroe made a huge splash in the recruiting pool, being ranked as the 2nd offensive tackle of his class. When enrolled in Virginia, Monroe quietly produced impressive play, allowing no sacks in the last 25 games of his college career. Always being in the right position, Monroe never gave defensive ends a sliver of daylight, always keeping them in arms reach. Though never receiving any All-American honors, 1st or 2nd team, Monroe secretly anchored Virginia’s offensive line, and dominated ACC defensive ends.
 
Playing very unnoticed during his time at Virginia, Monroe was never under the spot light with fellow top draft choices such as Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford, and Michael Crabtree. Though, popularity doesn’t play a factor in NFL scout’s minds, as Monroe’s quick and accurate footing excels his draft stock higher than most would think.
 
When the NFL draft arrived, Monroe was expected to be the second offensive tackle, in a flock of elite lineman, to be taken in the NFL draft. With Jason Smith, offensive tackle out of Baylor was drafted to St. Louis with the 2nd overall pick; Monroe took the stage as the next lineman to be drafted. As I stated earlier, With Oakland passing on what was believed to be the top wide receiver taken, Michael Crabtree, and taking Darrius Heyward-Bey instead, Jacksonville was put on the spot.
 
Going with their gut, the Jaguars couldn’t pass up on the detail-oriented tackle, and selected him at 8th overall.
 
“It’s incredible,” Monroe said regarding his future in Jacksonville, “My family all knows the work I put in every day, and how much I wanted this. And I was here, and now again it’s time to work.”
 
Ranking 20th in overall offense, Jacksonville selected Monroe for help slowing down the pass rush, and to enforce their run n’ gun style of offense, pounding the rock with multiple running backs and maintaining possession in order to win.
 
Ready to work, Eugene Monroe will take a 715-mile adventure to Jacksonville, ready to play for Jack Del Rio and his physically tough Jaguars.


BJ Raji, DT, Boston College
Striving a powerful nose tackle, The Green Bay Packers used the 9th overall pick to select defensive tackle BJ Raji. His main assignment: work the middle of the Packers 3-4 defensive scheme.
 
Immediately following Green Bay’s selection, the 325 pound defensive tackle was swarmed by relatives young and old, getting prepared for the undertaking of playing at historic Lambeau Field.
 
Even with his lineman size and all, Raji played two sports in high school, football and basketball, and is very athletic. After his sophomore year, he focused mainly on football, earning All-State honors in New Jersey, and being recruited heavily as a division one college lineman.
 
Signing with Boston College, Raji started his college career by being part of a d-line rotation, trading playing time for experience. All the experience soon paid off, with his senior year consisting of 101 tackles, 10 of which are sacks. Perhaps a larger accomplishment, Raji led the Boston College to being the 5th best defense in the nation, and putting his name at the top of teams draft boards all over.
 
Raji’s blend of strength and bulk attracted attention from NFL scouts everywhere, and eventually declared Raji as the top defensive tackle in this year’s draft. Exploding off the ball and rocketing himself past the offensive line gave scouts yet another reason to scout him, considering that with his size, when he gets past you, the ball carrier is officially having a bad day.
 
Most mock drafts had Raji going 9th overall to the Packers, and it was a fearless prediction in most draft expert’s minds. Yet, the NFL draft always leaves most mock drafts in the dust, and puts everyone in concern, debating whether they thought their predictions through well enough.
 
Yet, BJ Raji was in most cases the easiest pick to predict, with Green Bay being the only team heavily considering him coming into the draft.
 
Packer’s manager Ted Tomphson seemed awfully excited about drafting Raji, “It's unbelievably hard to find the combination of skill set that he brings. The good Lord just didn't make many people like this.” He went on later to say, “He (Raji) is genuinely a powerful, powerful man, especially in his lower body. He has the ability to take people backward where they don't want to go. He also has the quickness to go around them. He is a very powerful player against the run.”
 
With Packers head coach Mike McCarthy expecting Raji to start immediately, their looks to be an increasing amount of opportunity awaiting in Green Bay.
 
Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC
With the second half of the first round being full of receiver craving teams, Hakeem Nicks being drafted by the New York Giants didn’t surprise many. Though, most expected Darrius Heyward-Bey to still be around, Nicks has potential to be a starter for the Giants in the near future.
 
Having never lost a game in high school, Nicks came into college with huge expectations. Though only North Carolina was the only school that took real interest in him, Nicks made the best of it, accumulating a total of 181 receptions, 2,840 yards, and 21 touchdowns over his 3-year career.
 
Nicks has steadily gotten better, with every receiving category increasing nearly every game. Perhaps the highlight of the Tarheels career was in the Meinike Car Care Bowl, where despite losing, he caught 8 passes for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns.
 
Being just a red-shirt junior, staying for another year at UNC may have shot Nicks into the national spotlight. But after the Meinike Car Care Bowl, Nicks couldn’t avoid the scouts any longer.
 
Described as a talented, physical receiver with tremendous potential, Nicks was rated as one of the top 5 receivers in this year’s draft. With all the hype being around on draft day, Nicks just wanted to skip it, and be in the NFL.
 
When the 29th pick arrived, Nicks was the best of the remaining receivers, and was severely eager of heard his name called. Not surprisingly, when Roger Goodell announced his name, Giant fans let out a roar of relief, finally ending their receiver needs.
 
“It’s a dream come true,” Nicks said by telephone from Charlotte, N.C. “I just wanted to hear my name called.”
 
Ever since former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress literally shot himself in the leg, their passing game has been out of sink, determining head coach Tom Coughlin to find a legitimate replacement.
 
“He is his own man,” Coughlin said optimistically of Nicks. “We’re not into comparisons. Let’s let him be who he is. We did draft a very good collegiate receiver, a young man who’s got an exceptional body.”
 
If Hakeem Nicks turns out the way expected, then the New York Giants will have it made at receiver. With 24 year-old Steve Smith, 24 year-old Domenik Hixon, and veteran Amani Toomer, Nicks looks to add to Eli Manning’s passing fortune.

On Saturday, May 2nd, my new television show starts. It's called "The Blog Report With Zennie62" and features the use of my video blogs in a weekly 30-minute format broadcast and co-produced by CoLoursTV in Denver. The start time is 3:30 PM Pacific Time, 6:30 PM Eastern Time and the show is replayed at 11:30 PM and 2:30 PM respecfully.

If you don't have a TV you can see the live stream at CoLoursTV.org. or Zennie62.com

The first show focused on selected events that occured after the shooting of Oscar Grant by BART Officer Johannes Mesherle on New Year's Day. It opens with my walk through a riot-ravaged downtown Oakland where I talked with many people about what happened, including a group of kids who were some of the rioters. Then we focus on the words of "DaveyD", America's foremost hiphop reporter and voice of the street, who shares his observations of how Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums handled the situation. And finally we hear from Dellums himself. This is not the last time I will visit this issue, but it's a good place to start the show.

The standard format is to present politics, news, sports, and tech in some combination for each show. Sometimes it's me talking about an issue; other times it's me talking to someone else, and with this show we will feature the work of other video-bloggers. It's a vloggers' playground.

The show will have a deliberate vlogger feel. Videos that you see on my channels at YouTube, Blip.tv, and other places make up the show. There's no studio; the camcorder is the star instrument. That means we can go anywhere at anytime and quickly make a video. It also means I can share what's happening in the news on the blogsphere in video form and show it on "The Blog Report". A lot of ground we can cover considering I never dreamed of having my own television show, but this whole road I've taken has been totally unplanned by me.

"The Blog Report" all started last year when I met Art Thomas who's the Executive Vice President with CoLoursTV at a media walk-through for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He lived in Oakland before moving to Denver and so we had a lot to talk about. I was looking for a sponsor for our show at the time, so I sent a proposal to Thomas. That exchange turned into an idea for placing our videos on CoLoursTV and that became the concept called "The Blog Report With Zennie62".

Our first concern was how to get the videos up on television without a loss of at least the quality that is seen on Blip.tv and Viddler, which have the sharpest video uploads (that written, I love YouTube and the quality's really improved over time such that it's competitive with the two, but YouTube's best system is the website design and its "viral" nature as well as The YouTube Partner program.) I think we solved that problem and I understand the TV version looks even better than what you're going to see here.

I look forward to your feedback and questions. We're seeking sponsors and there are some organizations we simply want to establish strategic partnerships with, so please contact me. The possibilities for this are many and should serve as an example for a possble future for newspapers as well.

If you're a video-blogger located anywhere in the World and have material that's not longer than 4 minutes tops, notify me via email at zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com and we'll go from there. I prefer the video is already uploaded on some site, Brightcove, Blip.tv, YouTube, etc, so I can see it.

I wish to thank Art Thomas, Damon Purdy, and Tracy Winchester of CoLours TV, as well as Steve and Bernard who made me look good in the promo. I also wish to thank Google / YouTube for their support and encouragement and specifically Chad, Emily, and Hunter. A big loud shot-out to the iReport team at CNN: Lila, Henry, Rachel, David, Nicole Saldi, and the rest. And thanks to the team at CNN Special Projects, Errol and Jessica, and to Roland Martin and his staff at CNN for discovering me. Finally, thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle for seeing the value in how I do what I'm doing and providing a platform. To the National Football League and Commissioner Roger Goodell, Greg Aiello, and Frank Supovitz ("Mr. Super Bowl") And of course, thanks to my Mom and my relatives in Chicago and Tennessee.