Sooner Than Later?

Great news out of the U. After Graig Cooper's knee injury in the bowl game, talk was that he would sit out next season, get a medical redshirt and return to UM in 2011. But Cooper's father said the surgically repaired injury was less serious than feared, doctors are optimistic, and Cooper believes he will be ready to start the 2010 season. Cooper was told he had a partial ACL tear and no MCL tear and after surgery, can take as long to heal as a full year. That means if he returns in September, it might take another month for him to feel where he was before the injury. But he would need to regain his old form to earn a lot of playing time. They are stacked with Damien Berry will be the favorite to start, and teammates rave about Lamar Miller (who is the fastest back). No matter though who he is competing against, if Cooper is healthy enough to play, it doesn't seem likely he would agree to sit out 2010 and return to UM in 2011, delaying an NFL career.

Senior Bowl Recap

Well, I am not even going to lie. I did not watch the Senior Bowl because I can't get the NFL Network (great) but this are the highlights and what I have gather from my colleagues:






The person everybody wanted to watch was Tim Tebow, who had an inconsistent game. He made a couple of nice throws, but he showed in this game that he is incapable of running away/around NFL linebackers. His mobility was a huge part of his game in college and this concerns me when projecting him to the league. Some team is going to have to draft him as a quarterback purely on intangibles. Taylor Mays bombed this week and missed a tackle in the game as he got out of control and failed to wrap up. His stock is dropping, but I still see some team taking him in the first round based on his workouts. Nobody knows whether he would be a OLB or DB. Mardy Gilyard, came up big in the game, catching a 40-yard touchdown pass. He showed nice speed in this game deep, but he still shied from contact during the week and struggled to locate the ball. The MVP of the game - deservedly so - was Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham. None of the South offensive tackles could stop him and he finished with two sacks and a forced fumble. Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour was the best quarterback. He threw the 40-yarder to Gilyard and also scored on a one-yard run. McCluster took a snap in the "Wildcat" formation, which would be another way a team that takes him in, say, the second round could get maximum production from him.

Your Turn

Matt Leinart will be stepping into that giant void at quarterback. Leinart watched for 2½ seasons while Warner took the team to a level of success: 2 NFC West championships, back to back winning seasons and a Super Bowl appearance. Leinart has stayed the good, praising Warner, saying he would work hard and would be ready when he got his chance. Well Matt, your chance is here and everybody wants to know what you are going to do with it.If Leinart is the quarterback, he will inherit the same talented receivers that caught so many passes from Warner, with one possible exception, Anquan Boldin, who goes into the final year of his contract. Whisenhunt could well choose to reign in the offense and move toward a greater emphasis on the running game, a tactic he used in his days as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Which in that case, would be perfect because that is what he had during his days at USC. Next season the NFC West should be some great storylines ranging from Matt Leinart, Seahawks & Pete Carroll, and the 49ers (for now we won't mention the Rams).

Back to the U

Andre Johnson is back at the U. No Miami fans not to play but to finish getting his education. That's why he's back at the University of Miami this semester. Working toward a degree. Making good on a promise. He's 30 hours away from a liberal arts degree and is taking three sociology classes worth 12 hours this spring. It has been 7 years since he sat in a classroom and dominating on Saturdays. He represents what every professional athlete should represent. All that's missing on his résumé is a trip to the playoffs. He believes he has a more substantive contribution to make and thinks his second career will be coaching high school football. He'll play in his fourth Pro Bowl tonight after a season in which he led the NFL in receiving yards for a second straight season and was third with catches.

Note: 11 former Hurricanes in this Pro Bowl is a record for players from one school, breaking the mark of 9 by USC in the 1986 game.

Anywhere But Here

Nothing new for the Panther fans, Julius Peppers says he's willing to play anywhere in 2010, and really has no preference. He has no idea what was going on with his status with the Panthers. Carolina could restrict his movement by placing the franchise tag on him again. He keeps saying that he has no preference of defensive system nor whether he wants to stay in Carolina. For you that need a translation, that means he wants to play for a winning team and he feels that the Panthers cannot provided that for him with the staff and personnel they have in place right now. How could you argue with him as Jake Delhomme is your starting quarterback? Let me stop but watch Peppers to be on the move to a playoff caliber team.

Shots Taken

I don't know if you all remember Fran Tarkenton, who took shots at Favre earlier in the season, well he is back at it.

"Well, before that I think the Vikings were clearly the best team. They held this New Orleans offense to under 300 yards. They made Drew Brees look ordinary. He didn't even throw for 200 yards. This is a guy that's throwing for 400, 500 yards. They were the better team. Their offense turned the ball over five times, the Viking offense. And still, if he didn't make this stupid play at the end of the game, they win the game. Now you are in Philadelphia, remember a few years ago when Green Bay played you guys for the, I think it was a championship game ... I think you guys went to overtime. I mean, he throws the ball straight up in the air, freefalls. Do you remember that? I have never seen any quarterback — much less, well, he is going to be a hall of fame quarterback — make plays like that at a critical time. He has done the same thing in the Giants game.

And then he went at Favre again:

"No, I think he has been a great, great player. But I'm not a great fan of Brett Favre's because he goes out and all I heard them talk about is Brett Favre and he is tough, he is getting hit. You know, Peyton Manning gets hit. I have played with a torn ACL. Donovan McNabb gets hit. We all get hit, but he is flopping around and jumping around and he is getting hit and he talks in the soft voice. I would rather it be about the team and not Brett Favre. But I get the idea that it is more about Brett Favre than the team. A quarterback is to make his teammates better, but (he is) not about that. Now as a player, he has been a great player. No question about it. Also, great players, my gosh, I have never seen great quarterbacks make that many bad plays in a critical moment in a playoff game."

You thought that was comedy, wait til you hear what he said about him returning:

"He's going to come back and play. He's theater. He's dramatic. He's going to tell this guy, 'I'm not playing.' ... But here's what he won't do. He won't go to any offseason programs. He won't go to training camp. Let's look at the difference. Here's Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning's all about his team. Peyton Manning, he's helping to put in the offense. He's there in the offseason. He's working with those young receivers. Pierre Garcon and the other kid, I can't even think of his name ... (Austin Collie). He loses Marvin Harrison. He loses (Anthony) Gonzalez before the season started. ... Peyton works with these guys in offseason programs in Indianapolis, and he's teaching them how to play offensive receiver because that's what quarterbacks (should do). Brett didn't do that last year. He won't do it this year."

More on whether Favre will return: "He'll be back there. Keep in mind, how did Minnesota do last year? They won the division championship. They went to the playoffs. (Philadelphia) beat them, but they went to the playoffs. So Brett Favre goes in there. This team, I think they have the best personnel in football. They defend the run better than anybody for three straight years. They rush the passer; they're the leading pass-rush team in football. They've got two of the best running backs in football. They've got one of the great offensive lines in football. And last year with Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson, whatever his name is, they won the division and they went to the playoffs. Green Bay went to the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers. Last year Favre played with the Jets. They didn't make the playoffs, did they?"

Wow So if your a Favre fan do not get mad at me but at the former Vikings quarterback. I am simply the messenger.

Fix Problem

Adrian Peterson he is still not over his team's overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. He has a right i mean considering that he helped to the turnover problem his team had Sunday and during the season. Even he knows that himself saying securing the football was something he was going to focus on during the off-season. Peterson lost six of seven fumbles during the regular season then fumbled twice against the Saints, although the Vikings recovered both of them. A lost one, though, was credited to Brett Favre. Coaches plan to analyze his running style in hopes of coming up with a fix. Even though Peterson's aggressive rushing technique, which often involves swinging his arms erratically and jostling with defenders for extra yards, is ripe for an occasional strip, alterations to his placement of the ball can help to make the fumbles more infrequent. After all, coaches were able to mostly cure Tiki Barber of his ball security problems. He said he wants to bounce back and be the best player next season so we shall see.

Pro Bowl Changes

So in case nobody has noticed, the Pro Bowl is this weekend. A lot of people are having problems with that because it is usually after the Super Bowl but this year it is before. Roger Goodell likes just about everything so far regarding this one-year test. The Pro Bowl has traditionally been held the week following the Super Bowl. Sunday’s game marks the first time in three decades the Pro Bowl is being played somewhere other than Honolulu, where it will return for 2011 and 2012. No decision has been made on whether it will be played before or after the Super Bowl in those years. But if it was up to me I would leave it alone after the Super Bowl. Playing the Pro Bowl used to be a nice perk for NFL players and their families. More than 30 of the players originally picked for the game have opted not to play this Sunday, citing injuries or more important commitments like preparing for the Super Bowl. NFLPA contends the game change is all about money. But the Pro Bowl's always been a money loser and probably will be this year as well. It doesn't help that the A-list players originally selected for the game still get paid tens of thousands, whether they end up opting out or not. So I am hoping that they change this for next year.

Two Different Stories

The stories everybody has been talking about from the Senior Bowl week in Alabama, has been Dexter McCluster and Tim Tebow. For those people who are worried about size of McCluster should not worry about a thing. A few years ago everybody was saying the same thing about DeSean Jackson when he was only 168 now look at him, Pro Bowler and big time playmaker. Some so-called "analyst" are predicting him to be a 4th rounder and if that happens a lot of teams will have passed up on something special. At least that he is keeping his options open by classifying himself as a reciever-running back. He wants to run a 4.37 during the combine next month. Two things have jumped out about McCluster – his speed, and his versatility. At running back, he has shown superb acceleration through holes. At wide receiver, he has made acrobatic catches. No matter his weight you can't deny what he done in the SEC at that weight.

On the opposite side of things Tebow has been the talk of things but not in such a great way. ESPN analyst Todd McShay said Tebow did not elevate himself into a top-echelon NFL draft QB prospect at this week's Senior Bowl practices. McShay even argued that Tebow may have hurt his draft stock if NFL talent evaluators consider how far he lags behind his competitors such as Sam Bradford, Tony Pike and Jimmy Clausen. I was shocked by those sayings. I know he is not Peyton Manning but he wins and is a competitor. Look at Farve he is not completely orthodox on everything he does. I mean but Tebow was hospitalized for strep throat. I do not know where Tebow will be taken or at what position but he is a winner no doubt, but I can't see him playing QB on the next level. He is similar to Bush, great college all-star but short of the NFL superstar.

Pro Bowl Kicker

Chad Ochocinco wants to kick this weekend at the Pro Bowl game. This is nothing new as he kicked an extra point and had a deep kickoff, providing the winning point in Cincinnati's 7-6 victory. Afterward, he referred to himself as "Esteban Ochocinco". He is an international soccer fan and practices kicking. He had never done it during a game until last August. Ochocinco said that he's also planning to kick field goals during practice this week. He wants to show AFC coaches that he could be more than a just receiver during the game Sunday.It shouldn't be a problem, if they're going to let him do it. He has to do it early in the game before they get serious and they start to play for real.