Players Bungles WONT Draft

[tony hipchest]

high character guys. (actually if the bengals arent paying lip service you can expect them to look stronly at several of these). of course we draft before them for once and like joey porter did to levi jones we may "beat them to the punch".

http://nfl.com/news/story/10080785

A GREAT WEEK OF INTERVIEWS
Every week on my Sirius Radio show with Tim Ryan called Moving the Chains, we get a chance to interview many of the 2007 draft candidates. We talk with the prospects every week leading up to the draft and, in many cases, we develop a rapport with them. This has been a great week to sit down and meet with some outstanding young men.

Here are the top-six draftable players I interviewed this week and one very special veteran. These guys show a depth of knowledge about the game, a passion and respect for the game, the talent to play it at the highest level and a humility that puts to rest the risk that money and fame will change them in the next few years. Any one of these men could be on my team.

1. Tim Crowder, defensive lineman from Texas: His teammates call him "old school." He lists one of his hobbies as lifting weights. He is a technician on the field who can easily describe his pass-rush plan and the multiple ways he would rush a passer. Crowder will play for a long time in the NFL.

2. Robert Meachem, wide receiver from Tennessee: Here's a kid who grew up on a farm and when I asked him about his chores, he said, "I always wanted the farm to look great, not good. I wanted people to drive by and say, 'I wish I had a farm like this.' " Because his numbers from the Combine were so good, Meachem didn't have to run again at his Pro Day. But he felt if NFL people came to see him, he would run again. Both of his feet are squarely on the ground.

3. Joe Staley, offensive tackle from Central Michigan: Staley was a few minutes late for his appointment with us today and couldn't stop apologizing. After his workout last week when he ran 4.78 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, he said the best part was how proud he was for his school that he and his teammates put on a good showing. Every week when we talk to Staley he brings up his family.

4. Alan Branch, nose tackle from Michigan: Branch is a top-10 pick in this draft yet, he doesn't have one ounce of "big-timing" us on the show. He can answer any question about technique and has remarkable recall of his opponents throughout college. The guy knows how to prepare and will never let his weight balloon up. He weighs 324 pounds but was once closer to 400 pounds in high school. He taught himself about nutrition and lives the game.

5. Michael Griffin, safety from Texas: A first-class man with a sense of humor and a strong family background was the impression I got after spending 20 minutes talking with Griffin. He knows he's good, but he knows his opponent can beat him if he's not on his "A" game. Here's a guy who had 370 tackles in college and he remembers how well Matt Leinart was able to look him off with his eyes. When I asked him where I could find a few plays on videotape in which he passed some of his teammates on his way to one of those many tackles, he said, "That didn't happen very often because we all swarmed to the ball."

6. Leon Hall, cornerback from Michigan: Hall is a weekly guest and after a few sessions with him, I will tell you he might not be the flashy modern athlete trying to always draw attention to himself, but he will be solid player like a Ronde Barber. Hall has no trouble pointing right at himself when a mistake was his fault and on the sideline in a big game -- that kind of maturity in invaluable.

the interview with t. crowder was one of the best ones ive heard from a draft prospect. i think hes a cant miss and would be great in the 2nd round. doubt he falls that far though. in kirwans latest draft, he moved paul poz up the board to carolina at #14. he put the steelers then taking leon hall at #15. him and carruci were discussing that words from the inner circle is that tomlin is gonna push the switch to the 4-3 much quicker than predicted. they talked in depth about halls similarity to ronde barber. who coached barber into a pro bowler? hmmmmmm.

[tony hipchest]

dont mean were gonna draft him but the steelers are looking, and of course weighing their options. if hes there, the bengals need him at #18. from the workout number breakdowns ive heard, him and revis are almost exactly the same.

http://nfl.com/draft/story/10083100

Hall draft diary: The toughest part is over

(After an All-American senior season at Michigan, cornerback Leon Hall is busy getting ready for the NFL draft. He shares his experiences in his NFL.com journal.)

(March 23, 2007) -- My Pro Day at Michigan was a much more relaxed setting than the Combine. I only had to do my cornerback position drills since I felt I did everything else well in Indy.


A strong performance at the Combine took a lot of stress out of Leon Hall's Pro Day.
All 32 teams were there, including head coaches Mike Tomlin from the Steelers, Scott Linehan from the Rams and Rod Marinelli from the Lions. My drills went well and I think I had another solid performance to add to my r?sum?. It was good to see my teammates excel, too.

A few days after my on-field business was handled, I headed to sunny Orlando to get my first taste of off-the-field activity at a Nike photo shoot my agents set up. It was held at Disney's Wide World of Sports, which is an amazing facility. I had been to Orlando only one other time for a college football awards ceremony.

For this shoot, I was down there with a few of the other top rookies, some of whom I had worked out with in Arizona, including fellow Octagon client Marshawn Lynch. It was nice to hook up with those guys again and see how everyone was doing.

As my first photo shoot, it was different than anything I'm used to. It was basically a long day of trying out multiple poses for the camera and having the photographer take a million shots, only to pick one in the end. I'm hoping it will turn out well and fans will enjoy the creative aspect of it. I think they will be pleasantly surprised. Nike does first-class work. Keep an eye out for it!

I'm looking forward to taking some team visits I have scheduled. Until then, I'm just chilling and working out. I'll let you know how they go. Wish me luck!

[paw-n-maul-u]

man I sure hope we don't get Leon hall. He got absolutely torched in big games ... TORCHED ... dwayne jarrett and tedd ginn clowned on him all day. The only corner worth taking at 15 is Revis and even then I would rather put off a high draft pick on a CB for next year.

You have to have the front 7 personnel for a 4-3 FIRST.

CB's in the cover 2 are doing way more zone coverage and don't have to be nearly as talented as far as man to man coverage is concerned. more so sure tacklers.

It's all about the pass rush and we badly need help at LB ... someone that can come in and make an immediate impact in the pass rush ... I would actually like to see our first two picks at DE/LB ... willis/moses would be nice 1-2 ... then pick up a Big WR or power RB in round three ...

[SteelCzar76]

Originally Posted by paw-n-maul-u

man I sure hope we don't get Leon hall. He got absolutely torched in big games ... TORCHED ... dwayne jarrett and tedd ginn clowned on him all day. The only corner worth taking at 15 is Revis and even then I would rather put off a high draft pick on a CB for next year.

I'm not sold on Hall for exactly the same reasons Paw. Though i like Chris Houston more so than Revis. Not only did he have an exceptional combine but he shut down D.J, Meachem and Dwayne Bowe last year. (Held the three of them to a combined 14 catches for 168 yds and only one TD)
He is also a beast in press coverage whom will 'fill hard' against the run. Oh yeah,....did i mention he's got great leaping abilty and his 4.3 speed allows him to run with almost anyone ?

Note the shameless 'pimpin' of only one of two corners that i'm actually impressed with. LOL (The other being Terrell Brown of Texas)

[SteelCityMan786]

Anyone from Penn State that is going into the draft are also in the equation. They have been considered to Classy for the Bengals. Pitt is also safe from any of their class acts from going their.

[BettisFan]

haha the bungles they will probally spend all their picks on kickers and punters