Put a handle on that ball: Despite all the rules that have been
put in place to protect quarterbacks, the top seven players in the fumbles lost
category were all quarterbacks. Topping the list were Detroit's Jon Kitna and
the Raiders' Andrew Walter with nine. Then tied with seven were Houston's David
Carr, Cleveland's Charlie Frye, Buffalo's J.P. Losman and Cincy's Carson Palmer.
Tampa Bay's Bruce Gradkowski was the seventh quarterback on the list with six.
Get out of the weeds: It's that time of year when gazillions of websites
provide pretty much the same draft coverage, wasting your time with lengthy
page-long reports that talk about how fluid a player's hips are and whether or
not he has a good "bubble" (do we really need to know
that....seriously). If you're like me, the bottom line that you want to know is
if the prospect is a player or a wannabe. Is he a good guy or a goon? And you
want to know about it fast with one quick, fun read so you can amaze your
friends and fellow fan forum members with your depth of knowledge that took just
30 seconds to learn. That's the goal of Scout.com's
new Draft File features, like this one on North Carolina State cornerback A.J.
Davis. And if you want to get up close and personal with these prospects,
check out our Scout.com
subscribers' NFL Draft Q&A features -- like this one with A.J.-- that
will help you figure out if he's a good fit for your favorite team.
Wart removal: Chuck Hixson at our Eagles site expects there to be a
number of changes and upgrades in Philly's defensive personnel this offseason.
In regards to the linebackers, he says, "[Jeremiah] Trotter's knees are
starting to fail him. He was a liability in coverage and doesn't have the
run-defending range he once did. [Dhani] Jones was ineffective and likely will
be released at some point. The guy Jim Johnson would like to see replace him at
SAM is '06 third-round pick Chris Gocong, who spent the entire season on injured
reserve." Check out his
analysis of the defense and find out where the Eagles might be competing
with your favorite team for fresh talent this offseason.
 | | Dolphins DE David Bowens sacks Browns QB Luke McCown (Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images) |
Re-sign or Release? Alain Poupart at our Dolphins site shares his
thoughts on whether or not Miami should make an effort to bring back defensive
end David Bowens, a good situational pass rusher and special teams player.
"Bowens racked up only 19 tackles on defense on the season, but five of
those were sacks, which put him fourth on the team in that department. He also
had six tackles on special teams and also recovered a fumble," Poupart
reports. Scout.com
subscribers can take a look to see if he's likely to be available for your
favorite team.
Today's Birthday Bunch: Texans FS C.C. Brown (24), Falcons DE Chauncey
Davis (24), Bucs QB Bruce Gradkowski (24), Packers OG Travis Leffew (24),
Vikings LS Cullen Loeffler (26), Ravens K Matt Stover (39), Jaguars RB Fred
Taylor (31), 49ers DE Bryant Young (31)
Playmakers needed: Doug Ritchay at our Packers site takes a look at Green
Bay's shortage of talent at the wide receiver position, saying, "Not that
the Packers’ offense is Baltimore Ravens-like, but Thompson needs to add
firepower. What happens if Driver gets hurt? Might as well run the
wishbone." Scout.com
subscribers can check out his full analysis at our Packers site.
Did you know? Five quarterbacks exceeded the 4,000-yard passing
threshold this season. Sure, you'll guess a couple of them right off the top of
your head, but I'll be really impressed if you can get all five of them. The
answer is displayed at the end of today's blog.
ScoutTV: Our network's Senior Bowl week coverage was enhanced this year by
Miller Safrit's ScoutTV features. Scout.com subscribers can check out some of
his most recent installments with players who will be prominent in this year's
draft, such as RB Lorenzo
Booker, DE Quentin Moses
and DT Amobi Okoye.
Check out the rest of the ScoutTV
features from the Senior Bowl and the rest of our network's coverage here.
 | | Falcons assistant coach Billy Johnson (Getty Images) |
White Shoes: Remember former wide receiver and kickoff returns
specialist Billy "White Shoes" Johnson? He broke into the league in
1974 with the Houston Oilers, then played for Atlanta from 1982-1987 before
wrapping up his 14-year career with a one-season stint in Washington. Johnson is
55 years old today and can look back proudly on a career that included 25
touchdown catches, an 11.8 yards per punt return average (including 6 TDs) and a
23.9 yards per kickoff return average (including 2 TDs). This week the Falcons announced that they were retaining Johnson as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He's been part of the player development staff for 12 years in Atlanta.
One more time: Muhsin Muhammad, a former Panthers wide
receiver, is one of the few Bears who have played in the Super Bowl before.
“I don’t know if I would definitely say it’s going to be easier," he
admitted. "I would say I know what to expect. It’s still going to be a
chore. Media Day is still Media Day. You have to talk for an hour straight.
There’s other things that go on during the week with appearances and media
requests and different things like that..." Find out what he had to say and
what the Bears are drawing from his experience in
this Scout.com subscriber feature at our Chicago site.
Quotable: "The last time we played them two years ago, he did
not play, and believe me, I was not disappointed about that, going into that
game because he is a guy that you truly have to account for on every play."
-- Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Find out
what else Manning said to the media this week in
this transcript at our Colts site.
That's a wrap: Our Scout.com team in Mobile, Alabama begins wrapping
up their practice reports for this week's Senior Bowl with their Thursday notes
and final analysis of each player. Scout.com
subscribers can check out the first of four final reports as they break down the
South's offensive roster player-by-player.
The answer: Okay, here's the answer to the quarterbacks question I
posed earlier in today's blog. The five who passed for 4,000 yards or more were
the Saints' Drew Brees (4,418), the Colts' Peyton Manning (4,397), the Rams'
Marc Bulger (4.301), the Lions' Jon Kitna (4,208), and the Bengals' Carson
Palmer who slipped into the club with 4,035. If you're not a Detroit fan and you
knew Kitna made it into that group this year, I'm impressed.
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