From NFLMedia.com

COMMISSIONER GOODELL INTERVIEW
WITH RICH EISEN and NFL NETWORK CREW
NFL DRAFT – New York – April 28, 2007

NFLN: Commissioner Roger Goodell, thanks for joining this program.

Roger Goodell: I am glad to be here.

NFLN: The last voice, not Paul Tagliabue’s, to be heard in a first round in the NFL
Draft is Pete Rozelle. Now you carry on this mantle. What are your thoughts as you
get set to conduct your first draft as a commissioner?

RG: It is an exciting day for everybody in the NFL to see these young kids now getting a
chance to make their NFL dreams come true. You can’t beat it. It’s an exciting day for all
of us.

NFLN: You’ve got your throat and voice ready?

RG: I’ve been practicing. I’ve been doing my best Rich Eisen.

NFLN: Okay. I will take that, Commissioner. Let’s talk about this draft in terms of
the topic du jour: player conduct. A lot of people believe that based on your year-
long suspension of Adam Jones and half-season suspension of Chris Henry that
teams will be drafting differently this year. Do you believe that is the case?

RG: Every club is going to have their own strategy in how they are going to approach the
draft. Character has always been an issue for teams when they look at players, talent is
obviously critically important, and how the player fits into their organization. But I do
think that clubs are more sensitive to the character issue and what they need to do to get
players that are going to fit into their team structure.

NFLN: The thing I hear around the league is that the most significant piece of this is
that you are effectively taking autonomy away from the individual clubs in certain
instances. And the clubs who have a history of great character applaud that because
if you take a good player out of somebody else’s lineup, competitively it helps them.
Do you see that happening a lot?

RG: I do. We have a lot of great players who have great character in this league. We have
very few players that don’t have great character. Our teams understand that. Our teams
have great people. I am very proud of our players in the NFL.

NFLN: Roger, you were nice enough to meet with us when we came to your office
the other day and you mentioned that it will change, yes, because you came down
and put a suspension on some players. But the teams will still police themselves and
have the ability to make decisions to suspend or fine players. And really only the
league will come into it with repeat offenders or possibly real flagrant conduct
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misactions. How will you do that with the teams? Will you allow the teams first to
make decisions and then see if you like them or will you step in immediately?

RG: It’s complex. There is no simple answer to that question. We would love to have the
clubs take responsibility for their players and discipline their players. They would love to
do that. The Players Association, also, on the other side wants to balance that by making
sure that it is done consistently and fairly among all 32 clubs and within each team. So
we’re going to look at it to try to do it in a way that is fair to the players. But one thing
should be clear here: we are not doing this to end careers. We are doing this to save
careers. We are trying to get our players back on the field doing what they do best. That
is playing football.

NFLN: Commissioner, speaking of saving careers, what are you implementing to
the teams that they do now to help some of these players to find out about their
character? When they come in, we don’t know about their character. When they get
their money, then we get to see what the real guy is like. What does the club have to
do? And if they don’t do those things, what kind of actions are you going to take
against them?

RG: We developed a lot of programs for our players over the last several years that are
designed to give resources to those players to help them deal with issues that they might
have off the field. We want to use those resources, build those resources up and make
sure that all 32 clubs are doing that intensively with their players. If they don’t, that will
be taken into consideration when I look at discipline for a club. I believe all our clubs are
going to aggressively be pursuing best practices in this area.

NFLN: How about the team that drafts a player with character issues? Do you
address that team differently? If that guy gets in trouble and they haven’t provided
the things for him, do you attack the team now? Do you take something away from
them? Do you fine them?

RG: One thing you know I don’t do is select players. I can’t control it nor do I want to
control that. I think clubs are going to be a little more sensitive to the kind of players that
they can bring into their organization and that they can mold into the kind of team that
they want. If they don’t make it for any reason and they have provided the resources,
clearly that will be taken into account. If they have not provided those resources, that will
be disappointing to me and that will be taken into account.

NFLN: What is the future of the draft? What is the possibility of playing the Super
Bowl overseas?

RG: This draft has become an incredible event for us not just today and tomorrow but
also over the last several months. The focus on the incoming class of players is just
extraordinary for us. We think that it’s great. We are looking at ways in which we can
build that. There are talks about moving it around the country. There are talks of moving
it into prime time. We have been talking about how we can bring more football to more
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fans. As far as the international piece, we do believe that our game has a great deal of
appeal internationally. We’re playing our first regular-season game as part of a series
over in London this year and we’re going to do more of that. We’re looking at how we
can get more football to more fans globally.

RE: Since you said you were doing your best Rich Eisen impersonation, can I do my
best commissioner impersonation and demand to get the helmet phones back here?
What happened to the helmet phones?

RG: Rich, that’s a good question and I’m going to follow up on that immediately.

RE: Please do. I appreciate the follow-up on that. Commissioner, thank you for
joining us.

RG: Thanks guys. Good luck guys.

###

Giants draft Steve DeOssie's son
Father of fourth-round pick won Super Bowl XXV ring with Giants

BY ARTHUR STAPLE
arthur.staple@newsday.com

Steve DeOssie was one of the more colorful Giants in recent team history. Now his son will get a chance to carry on the tradition of a guy they used to call "Beach Ball."

The Giants selected Zak DeOssie in the fourth round, the first of five picks yesterday to round out their 2007 draft. The younger DeOssie, a linebacker from Brown, comes from an unlikely school to produce an NFL player, but not when you consider his bloodline.


"Go figure, right?" Steve DeOssie said yesterday. "I really felt the kid was going to get a job somewhere. It just turned out to be one of the best places possible."

Steve DeOssie was the long-snapper and a linebacker on the Giants' Super Bowl XXV championship team and spent 12 seasons with the Cowboys, Giants, Jets and Patriots. He was one of Bill Parcells' favorites - the nickname came from the many shades of red his face turned after a workout - and his son, a 6-4½, 250-pound athlete, has the desire and drive of his father.

"I broke down when [my name was called]. My old man was right next to me," said Zak, who was a ball boy for the Patriots when his father played for them. "I know the Ivy League stereotype is there - non-scholarship, small school. But you have to ignore it."

The Giants see DeOssie as a strong-side linebacker and, more importantly, as an immediate contributor on special teams. Perhaps he'll even be a long-snapper, something he took up his senior year at Brown without any prodding from his father.

"I told him when he wants to get good at it, just let me know and I'll teach him how to really do it," Steve said. "We never emphasized getting to the NFL. We emphasized real life. Him taking up long-snapping was just another indication of him trying to help a team win."

General manager Jerry Reese called his first draft as the top man "solid." The Giants were one of the few teams that didn't make a trade during draft weekend and went for areas of need, selecting four offensive and four defensive players. The only question mark as far as character goes is their last pick, seventh-rounder Ahmad Bradshaw, a running back from Marshall who has been arrested twice.

"He's got some warts," Reese said, "but he'll be on a short leash."

Giants second-day picks

Zak DeOssie, LB - Brown, 6-4½, 250

Son of Steve DeOssie, a linebacker and special-teamer on the Giants' Super Bowl XXV team ... Should compete immediately with Ryan Kuehl for the long-snapper job, which DeOssie's father held ... One of the biggest LBs available in the draft, projects to the strong side ... Surprising speed (4.58 in the 40-yard dash) for his size should add to his value on special teams ... Has the smarts but his football instincts are an issue ... So is his level of competition, coming from the Ivy League.

Kevin Boss, TE - Western Oregon, 6-6½, 252

Considered an excellent pass-catcher but below-average blocker ... Level of competition is obviously an issue, playing in Division II, but "he dominated," according to GM Jerry Reese ... Giants see him as a third TE, behind Jeremy Shockey and Darcy Johnson; could easily become the No. 2 TE with better blocking skills ... Was the center on his school's basketball team as a sophomore and junior.

Adam Koets, T - Oregon State, 6-5, 298

Made 37 consecutive starts at left tackle ... Good skills and smarts, but some scouts question his mental toughness ... Allowed only four sacks in the last two seasons ... Needs work on his run-blocking skills ... Tom Coughlin on whether Koets would move from left tackle: "Right now, that's the position we want him at."

Michael Johnson, S - Arizona, 6-3, 211

Played at a high level and has the size to play either safety; was a strong safety his two seasons at Arizona ... Missed time with a hamstring injury his senior season.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB - Marshall, 5-9, 198

Good numbers (1,523 rushing yards, 19 TDs last season) but two arrests, one before last season for burglary and for underage alcohol possession in high school. Signed with Virginia but was released after his first arrest.

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I Guess Jerry Reese read my 'Ivy League report" article of 3-30??? ok maybe not,..but he must have seen him play like i did. The Kid is tremendous. everybit the player his dad was and maybe better someday.... I know some people gave the Giants draft a b- or even a c,..but for a 4th rounder this pick is a solid B+. DeOssie is closer to stepping in then anyone realizes. He DOMINATED the Ivy on Defense.....He almost beat Columbia single handed.
As for the other picks, Boss, Koets, and Johnson will have a chance to make the roster as the Giants try to get a bit younger in the depth department. Bradshaw will require watching, but could fill a "Tiki" like role someday

Bill(Draftnik)

So where do we begin? How do we break down the Marathon that is the 2007 NFL Draft.

Zennie likes to sing my praises, and I apologize for correcting him here, but he was off by one year. This was my 33rd Draft, and my 21st with a press credential working for various organizations. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t tell you all how much I enjoyed this Draft from a working standpoint, even though I was miserable from a health standpoint with a sore throat. Working with both Zennie at SBS and Walter at Fieldposition over the last year has been a great experience, and it should continue for a long time to come. It’s also great to work with great guys like Author Wil Mara, who thinks I’m some sort of second coming of Rich Little!

All that out of the way, lets get down to the meat of the draft. I was wrong, I admit it. I promised I would, so here I am. The Raiders suckered me in, As Walter would say “I’ve been Smoke screened, big time. I really believed that once they selected Quinn, they would trade Randy Moss, and the offensive conversion would be complete. I got it half right at least. Moss is a Patriot now, and JaMarcus Russell will have to develop a relationship with Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry. Clearly the better drafting team in the Bay area is the 49ers, getting both LB Patrick Willis and OT Joe Staley. Seems like what the Raiders are doing defies logic, much like Dallas trading out of the round altogether.

Speaking of the Big “D”, who’s driving the horse cart there? Ok so they had plenty of picks to trade around, But Doug Free? James Marten? This is the future of your Offensive line. Yes Jerry, lets get some value here, we don’t need anyone in the first round…Oh wait, this Spencer kid from Perdue, he’s worth a reach isn’t he. Seems like only the Eagles had a worse draft in the NFC East (Kevin Kolb? at 36??) I’m sure Donovan McNabb is sleeping well this week.

Surely The Cleveland Browns had the best draft in Ohio in years. Good thing too, because it probably saved Crennell and Savage's Jobs for the next two or three years,.....Unless Bill Cowher decides to un-retire. If they had tried to do it the other way around, Joe Thomas would not have been there past the 7th Pick, no matter where the fishing boad was that he was with Daddy On.

Over the next few posts we will break down the best and the worst of the weekend that was at NYC Radio City Music Hall.


Bill(Draftnik)