Juan Castillo, Lito, OT and the combine
I've had the combine on in the background and have been paying attention on and off for much of the day. Here are some notes, rumors, etc.
The fellas over at Eagletarian and Birds' Eye View are doing a tremendous job of or providing updates live from Indy at the combine.
Of note:
* John Harbaugh and the Ravens are showing some interest in Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens.
* The Rams and Browns may or may not be interested in the Eagles' quarterbacks, but they're not allowed to say much without violating tampering rules.
* And Leonard Weaver's new deal may be close to getting done.
Check out those blogs for more details.
I've had the combine on in the background and have been paying attention on and off for much of the day. Here are some notes, rumors, etc.:
* I had a flashback to training camp, watching Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo take the lead on offensive line drills today. I don't know how they decide which position coaches are involved in the combine workouts, but it certainly can't hurt the Eagles' scouting process that Castillo gets to see these prospects up close and personal.
* The camera caught Steve Spagnuolo and Brad Childress talking and laughing. The beat guys wrote about how Tom Heckert's room is right next to the Eagles' staff. And I mentioned Harbaugh's comments above. Interesting to see how many guys with Eagles ties have risen through the ranks in the past few years. Especially in an offseason like this where the Birds could be wheeling and dealing.
* According to multiple reports, a change in the NFL's overtime rules is being discussed. Initially, SI.com's Peter King and NFL Network's Rich Eisen wrote about the new format on Twitter, saying it would be the first team to six points. But NFL spokesman Greg Aiello clarified, saying that's not exactly the case.
Per Aiello, here's how it would work: Team A gets the ball first. If they score a touchdown, game over. If they kick a FG, Team B gets the ball. If Team B scores a TD, game over. If Team A kicks a FG and Team B kicks a FG, the game continues until someone scores again. If Team A doesn't score and Team B kicks a field goal, game over.
If you were able to follow all that, do you like the rule change? I actually think it works. Definitely an improvement. Again, nothing's definite, but this is the format reportedly being discussed.
* Lito Sheppard's stint with the Jets appears to be almost over. Sheppard's due a $10M roster bonus, and per Pro Football Talk, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is telling teams he'll be a free agent. I wrote about this before, but it's worth mentioning again. When Manish Mehta of the Newar Star-Ledger asked Sheppard if he was flexible on that bonus, he responded: "I think I'm worth it. That's flexible."
And this is why we are constantly entertained by professional athletes.
* In terms of combine results, NFL.com has the top performers. Maryland offensive lineman Bruce Campbell has generated some buzz, running the 40 in 4.85 seconds and bench pressing 225 pounds 34 times.
Pittsburgh tight end Dorin Dickerson, who weighs in at 226 pounds, had the top 40 time at his position (4.40). He benched 225 pounds 24 times and has the top vertical leap of any performer so far at 43 inches.
South Florida wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, who we'll be profiling in the coming weeks, had 16 reps on the bench, tied for eighth among receivers.
Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless had 23 reps on the bench (fifth among TEs) and ran a 4.69 40 (tied for fourth among TEs). Our favorite part about Quarless is that he has God's tattoed on the back of his left arm and Gift tattoed on the back of his right arm.
Have we mentioned how entertained we are by professional athletes?
Anyway, those are some notes from today. Much more on Sunday.
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