Sunday, January 29, 2006
They're ALL seniors. I get it. Clever name.
While you were still trying to digest the news that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit, the next wave of NFLers were being showcased in Mobile, Ala. during Saturday's Senior Bowl.
The game itself -- a 31-14 North romp -- was pretty uneventful. The top prospects at the skill positions were Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler and Memphis RB DeAngelo Williams, and neither did much. The MVP was Miami wideout Sinorice Moss who had like 40 yards receiving and a TD. I'm certain he was awarded the MVP for having the name Sinorice, not the jaw-dropping stats. (And being related to Redskins' WR Santana Moss probably helped a bit).
But there were all sorts of other stories that made the game rather interesting (and pretty fucking confusing). For example, despite the campuses of USC and UCLA being no more than 10 miles apart, the Trojans were on the North squad while the Bruins were placed on the South squad. Not sure what to think about that. Somebody either doesn't know much about geography or this was some sort of social statement.
I nearly fell out of my proverbial seat when I saw who was roaming the sidelines for the South: Norv Turner! He was part of the 49ers' coaching staff that was in charge the Southern boys. I'm glad he's still employed after a week as the Niners' offensive coordinator, though he may not be for long. The South team racked up a whopping 179 yards of total offense. That's not surprising coming from a team coached by either Norv Turner or Mike Nolan. Kudos on a job well done. Looking forward to next season!
ESPN NFL Draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr., made a sterling performance as always. He made good comments, had quick reads and shook defenders like flies. But scouts are concerned whether his hair will fit under a helmet, so he's expected to be a second-day pick -- fifth-round at best.
So who helped their stock? Penn State QB Michael Robinson sure looked good running the ball, but he most definitely won't being playing quarterback on Sundays. Virginia offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson never has a bad game (likely because his name is D'Brickashaw), and this Sinorice kid did all right.
Who didn't look good? Well Jay Cutler looked iffy. He's projected as a top-10 pick and the third QB taken (behind Leinart and Young). I'm skeptical about him though because he played at Vanderbilt. The fact that they had a football team was news to me. Derek Hagan, wideout from Arizona State, dropped some balls which isn't good if you're a receiver. If football doesn't work out for him, I'm sure he could fall back on that ASU education. On second thought...
And at the end of the day, there were even cheerleaders at the Senior Bowl. What they were cheering is unclear to us. Maybe they were rooting for the city of Mobile. It could probably use all the help it can get.
In other news: The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Coco Crisp from the Indians for a big-name prospect and some Corn Pops.
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