NEW YORK — The experts said this was going to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. And you can easily say that was the case for Day 1 of the 2013 NFL Draft. There were some surprises and disappointments. Speaking of disappointments, no “Fandango” humming in the first round? The “What?” chants sort of hung on for another year. Thought we could get “Fandangoing” got at least. Ah, let’s get to it. ————————————————————————————————————————————– First things first ————————————————————————————————————————————– Mike Mayock called this fat-boy draft. He said Eric Fisher was going to be the first overall selection. So there were no surprises. Luke Joeckel went to the Jaguars with the second pick. That was expected. (And our style correspondent […]

As we do every week, let’s take a swing around the NFL, looking at a bunch of random things… So, what’s been up? 1. The Buccaneers have a serious challenge today in facing the Cowboys, but they will have some big-time weapons to use. One of them is blue-chip receiver Vincent Jackson, a monstrously tall former Chargers star who was the prize of this free agent class. He has nine catches for 175 yards in two games, and QB Josh Freeman seems to have already built a connection with him. As Cowboys CB Brandon Carr was telling me, Freeman is already following the lead of Chargers QB Philip Rivers. “They both have the same mentality,” Carr said. “They’re going to throw […]

Monday was a busy day in the quarterback competition world. First, we awoke to the news that the Tennessee Titans had anointed second-year QB Jake Locker as the starter. A few hours later, the Miami Dolphins did the same thing, announcing that rookie Ryan Tannehill would run their offense. Both players hadn’t exactly lit the world on fire in the previous preseason games, and both QB competitions could have extended for a much longer period of time. Tannehill was 11 of 23 for 100 yards against the Panthers, while Locker was 4 of 11 for 21 yards and one interception vs. the Bucs. Certainly not the stuff of legends. Instead, they didn’t wait. Teams made the call, went with the future […]

The Dolphins released WR Chad Johnson last night on the heels of his arrest on a domestic violence charge, ending that saga before it really began. Regardless of what the courts find, the player who used to be called Ochocinco became a distraction for his new team, and that was enough for new coach Joe Philbin. Earlier in the offseason, I wrote a guide to understanding Ochocinco based on my time spent with him. In my closing comment, I said this: “Use your eyes and ignore the noise.” That is exactly what Philbin did in dismissing Johnson/Ochocinco. He used his eyes and saw a player who can’t really contribute anymore. And he ignored the noise, in this case the player’s explanation […]

As we do every week, let’s take a swing around the NFL, looking at a bunch of random things … So, what’s been up? 1. The trip to Nashville on Friday was interesting, but the thing that left me thinking was the conversation I had with Titans RB Chris Johnson. I was impressed with the back’s speed, and I couldn’t help but travel back to last year. I had questions about how last year even happened. He did show up late after holding out, but was he simply not in shape? And why didn’t it get better during the season, as he had more time to run, get his legs under him, and get used to being in a game? […]

Linebacker Joey Porter played for three teams over the course of a 13-year career. Porter knows which organization he wants to end with. Porter told me today that he plans to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Specifically, Porter said he would be honored to do so. “That’s where I started at,” Porter told me on the driving range before a practice round of the American Century Celebrity Golf Classic in South Lake Tahoe. “It’ll be an honor to go out there and retire as a Steeler. Started there, end there. Thirteen years. I never thought I’d play that long when I first started.” The four-time Pro Bowler finishes with 170 starts, 503 tackles and 98 sacks. He […]

Well, vacation is over. Thankfully. I mean, it was fun, but let’s get to work, right? Still, it doesn’t hurt to get going in a vacation-like setting. So, hello from South Lake Tahoe, where the American Century Championship is taking place. The first few days are filled with celebrity golfers and plenty of NFL players, and that’s why we’re here. That’s Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to the right. We’ll be here all week with plenty of good stuff. But first, now that I’ve returned from being away… what did we miss? I did write a few stories that ran while I was out. – This was my take on the holdup over contracts for first-rounders with a look at where […]

By now, you have no doubt heard the shocking news. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau tragically died today, leaving everyone who knew him or saw him or heard of him mourning. I met Junior in 2009 while I was covering the Patriots, and he was in his final season. It was one thing to be in the presence of a future Hall of Fame. It was another thing to be around a guy who everyone just liked. His humor was infectious, players hung on his every word, and no one loved football more than he did. It was tough not to get drawn in. When I began calling around today to find people to talk about what he meant […]