The PFW spin
Report: NFL considering shortening amount of time between draft picks
May 17, 2007
PFW asks associate editor Mike Wilkening for his take on NFL topics of interest.
Goodell expected to recommend shorter time frame to make draft selections.....
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s competition committee are considering shortening the amount of time allotted to make draft picks, according to ESPN.com. Goodell is expected to suggest the idea to league owners at the NFL’s spring meeting next week in Nashville. According to the ESPN report, the competition committee is expected to recommend time limits of 10 minutes for first-round picks, seven minutes for second-round picks and five minutes for picks in Rounds Three through Seven. Teams currently have 15 minutes for each first-round selection, 10 minutes for a second-round selection and five minutes for each pick in the five remaining rounds.
The first round of the 2007 draft clocked in at a record six hours, eight minutes. The first day took a record 11 hours, four minutes.
PFW: Do you like this idea?
Wilkening: Not really. I don’t see how making the draft faster will make it better. This isn’t like the NBA draft, where there are fewer prospects to analyze and far fewer roster spots to fill. Fifteen minutes seems to be a reasonable amount of time between picks when teams are making multimillion-dollar decisions. More time between picks can only help trade discussions … and if you’re asking what fans really want out of the draft, it’s entertainment, and trades are the ultimate entertainment on Draft Day.
The league is said to be contemplating moving part of the draft to prime time on Friday night; in that scenario, shortening the first round would be a must. But I have qualms with that idea, too. Why move the draft from where it stands on the sports calendar? In my opinion, it’s positioned perfectly. The NBA playoffs are just starting; baseball is only in its first month; nothing’s happening a week before the Kentucky Derby. Only the NFL could build something so big in April’s final days and have it dominate the sporting discussion in the United States.
Why change a good thing? And why speed up a good thing — an event we analyze, analyze and analyze some more from January through April? Part of the NFL draft’s charm, I think, is the time invested in it. The NFL isn’t interested in charm, of course — it’s interested in more viewers, more advertising revenue, a bigger stage for what was once a cult favorite.
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And I respectfully disagree! You will still have the SAME viewership, the same tv coverage slotted time, and the same Crazed fans watching both at the draft and at home,..as well as the various parties that are now held. Lets just shorten the first round to 12 mins. per pick. You can't tell me the teams don't know what they are doing to the point that they need the extra three mins. to figure it out. I can see if you need to discuss trades, but that should all be done already.
Bill (Draftnik)
Thursday, May 17, 2007
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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Ahmad Bradshaw - NY Giants Draft Pick Hoping to Outrun his past
Giants draft pick hoping to outrun his past
BY ARTHUR STAPLE
Ahmad Bradshaw knew the questions would come on Saturday, his first day on the field as a pro football player. Not football questions, but questions about character, that new NFL buzzword.
The 21-year-old running back answered them all Saturday, and again yesterday. But this time there were more football questions, more questions about his future rather than his past, because the seventh-round pick, No. 250 out of 255 selected two weeks ago, might have made the biggest impact of any player at the Giants' rookie minicamp.
"You'd have to say Bradshaw had a noticeable morning," coach Tom Coughlin said between practices. "He's been back on kickoff returns, on punt returns. He caught the ball coming out of the backfield. You saw a couple runs where he was able to turn the ball north-south. It catches your eye, for sure."
The 5-9, 198-pound Bradshaw put his name into the NFL draft after his junior season at Marshall, and one way to look at it is that he did so at just the wrong time. New commissioner Roger Goodell made character a hot-button issue, suspending Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for a minimum of 10 games next season and Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for six games for off-field incidents.
Bradshaw has been arrested twice, once for underage drinking while in summer school at the University of Virginia before his freshman year and again last January for taking a PlayStation 2 console from an unlocked dorm room at Marshall, where he walked on after leaving Virginia.
But another way to view Bradshaw's situation is that he's come to the NFL at just the right time. He was projected as a third- or fourth-round pick based on skill alone, and he had his comeuppance when he lasted through two days and nearly every pick in the draft.
"It's a very humbling experience, knowing so many people saw me a certain way," Bradshaw said. "It's a motivating factor to make people see me differently. This is my dream; this is where I want to be. I've seen guys get here and hurt themselves by making dumb mistakes. I feel like I learned from my mistakes."
Bradshaw could fill a very valuable need for Coughlin and the Giants. They have big, bruising running backs in Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns but lack a smaller, speedier back who can do what Tiki Barber did his first few seasons: provide a change-of-pace running style, catch the ball out of the backfield on third down and perhaps return kicks and punts.
General manager Jerry Reese had a brief but serious chat with Bradshaw on Saturday. "It was just a conversation where he said, 'This is the last time we're going to go over it, but character is a big thing around here,' " Bradshaw said. "I told him that I plan on backing him up as much as I can. This is a fair game. If you're able to do what you do out there, you'll get a chance."
#44 AHMAD BRADSHAW
Position: Running back.
Height: 5-9.
Weight: 198.
College: Marshall.
Hometown: Bluefield, Va.
Drafted: Seventh round, No. 250 overall.
Finished as Marshall's fifth all-time leading rusher, with 2,987 yards in three seasons ... Rushed for 1,523 yards, second in school history for a season, as a junior, and had 19 rushing touchdowns ... Caught 17 passes for 129 yards as a junior, and finished his college career with 86 catches ... Also returned punts and kickoffs as a freshman.
BY ARTHUR STAPLE
Ahmad Bradshaw knew the questions would come on Saturday, his first day on the field as a pro football player. Not football questions, but questions about character, that new NFL buzzword.
The 21-year-old running back answered them all Saturday, and again yesterday. But this time there were more football questions, more questions about his future rather than his past, because the seventh-round pick, No. 250 out of 255 selected two weeks ago, might have made the biggest impact of any player at the Giants' rookie minicamp.
"You'd have to say Bradshaw had a noticeable morning," coach Tom Coughlin said between practices. "He's been back on kickoff returns, on punt returns. He caught the ball coming out of the backfield. You saw a couple runs where he was able to turn the ball north-south. It catches your eye, for sure."
The 5-9, 198-pound Bradshaw put his name into the NFL draft after his junior season at Marshall, and one way to look at it is that he did so at just the wrong time. New commissioner Roger Goodell made character a hot-button issue, suspending Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for a minimum of 10 games next season and Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for six games for off-field incidents.
Bradshaw has been arrested twice, once for underage drinking while in summer school at the University of Virginia before his freshman year and again last January for taking a PlayStation 2 console from an unlocked dorm room at Marshall, where he walked on after leaving Virginia.
But another way to view Bradshaw's situation is that he's come to the NFL at just the right time. He was projected as a third- or fourth-round pick based on skill alone, and he had his comeuppance when he lasted through two days and nearly every pick in the draft.
"It's a very humbling experience, knowing so many people saw me a certain way," Bradshaw said. "It's a motivating factor to make people see me differently. This is my dream; this is where I want to be. I've seen guys get here and hurt themselves by making dumb mistakes. I feel like I learned from my mistakes."
Bradshaw could fill a very valuable need for Coughlin and the Giants. They have big, bruising running backs in Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns but lack a smaller, speedier back who can do what Tiki Barber did his first few seasons: provide a change-of-pace running style, catch the ball out of the backfield on third down and perhaps return kicks and punts.
General manager Jerry Reese had a brief but serious chat with Bradshaw on Saturday. "It was just a conversation where he said, 'This is the last time we're going to go over it, but character is a big thing around here,' " Bradshaw said. "I told him that I plan on backing him up as much as I can. This is a fair game. If you're able to do what you do out there, you'll get a chance."
#44 AHMAD BRADSHAW
Position: Running back.
Height: 5-9.
Weight: 198.
College: Marshall.
Hometown: Bluefield, Va.
Drafted: Seventh round, No. 250 overall.
Finished as Marshall's fifth all-time leading rusher, with 2,987 yards in three seasons ... Rushed for 1,523 yards, second in school history for a season, as a junior, and had 19 rushing touchdowns ... Caught 17 passes for 129 yards as a junior, and finished his college career with 86 catches ... Also returned punts and kickoffs as a freshman.
Jets sign five including former VCU hoops star
Jets sign five including former VCU hoops star
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The New York Jets signed five free agents Tuesday, including former Virginia Commonwealth basketball star Jesse Pellot-Rosa.
The Jets also signed defensive back James Ihedigbo, cornerback Rayshaun Kizer, linebacker Jared Newberry and wide receiver Renard Stevens. All five players received tryouts at rookie minicamp last weekend.
Pellot-Rosa, who tried out at wide receiver, helped lead the Rams to a Colonial Athletic Association title and a first-round upset of Duke in the NCAA tournament in March. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and shot over 42 percent from 3-point range last season.
Pellot-Rosa last played organized football in high school. He was recruited by Tennessee, Alabama and Virginia to play football, but chose to play basketball at VCU, which doesn't have a football team.
"I love to play football just like I love to play basketball," Pellot-Rosa said during minicamp. "They are equal to me. I love to play both, and it's been like that since I was a kid -- you go out on the playground and love to play. It didn't really matter whether it was basketball or football. I would play either one."
The Jets also released defensive back Caleb Hendrix, defensive end Matt King, wide receiver Dustin Osborn and LB Mark Zalewski. All four had been signed to free agent contracts before minicamp.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The New York Jets signed five free agents Tuesday, including former Virginia Commonwealth basketball star Jesse Pellot-Rosa.
The Jets also signed defensive back James Ihedigbo, cornerback Rayshaun Kizer, linebacker Jared Newberry and wide receiver Renard Stevens. All five players received tryouts at rookie minicamp last weekend.
Pellot-Rosa, who tried out at wide receiver, helped lead the Rams to a Colonial Athletic Association title and a first-round upset of Duke in the NCAA tournament in March. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and shot over 42 percent from 3-point range last season.
Pellot-Rosa last played organized football in high school. He was recruited by Tennessee, Alabama and Virginia to play football, but chose to play basketball at VCU, which doesn't have a football team.
"I love to play football just like I love to play basketball," Pellot-Rosa said during minicamp. "They are equal to me. I love to play both, and it's been like that since I was a kid -- you go out on the playground and love to play. It didn't really matter whether it was basketball or football. I would play either one."
The Jets also released defensive back Caleb Hendrix, defensive end Matt King, wide receiver Dustin Osborn and LB Mark Zalewski. All four had been signed to free agent contracts before minicamp.
