Month: February 2010

INDIANAPOLIS—Jimmy Clausen met with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins on Friday, but the biggest move of the day for the Notre Dame quarterback was his move through the gauntlet of medical personnel looking to examine him.

Clausen said his medical checkup went well and his right big toe is healing nicely from surgery in January. He said he expects to be fully cleared in time for his pro day in South Bend, Ind., on April 9. That would seem to dispute a report made earlier this week by Charley Casserly on the NFL Network.

Clausen has two tendons reattached in his foot in the surgery, and played nearly the entire season for the Fighting Irish with the injury.

“I went through (the medical) process yesterday,” Clausen said. “It took quite a bit of time. They said it looks really good and it’s healing. They told me to take my time and not push it too much.

“That is what I am shooting for (to do everything at his pro day) and that is what the doctor told me. I played the rest of the season taking painkillers. All they told me was it was turf toe. I had to gut it out for my team.”

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INDIANAPOLIS—If it wasn’t for the explosive season turned in by Miles Austin, you might have heard more, a lot more, about the flop that was Roy Williams’ season.

And what a flop the trade owner Jerry Jones made for the Dallas Cowboys in 2008. How bad is it? Coach Wade Phillips said that Williams’ starting job is in jeopardy now. It should be. That means he’s going to have to fight for playing time in a season in which he is due to earn $12.9 million guaranteed, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas.

“We are going to play the best player, no matter what,” Phillips said.

The door just swung wide open for Patrick Crayton, Kevin Ogletree or just about anyone else.

Jones forked over first-, third- and sixth-round draft picks for Williams and a seventh-round pick. Austin is now the team’s No. 1 receiver and Crayton’s stats pretty much mirror the production from Williams. See what a problem that creates for the team as it considers crafting a contract for Austin? Williams picked up a $45 million, five-year contract after the trade. Why would Austin accept less? Williams has 57 receptions for 794 yards and eight touchdowns in 25 games with the Cowboys.

Williams was a Pro Bowl performer for the Lions. Can he get back?

“I think a guy that has been a Pro Bowler like Roy, he’s got to take part of it too,” Phillips said. “Miles has come so far that nobody knew he was going to be that good. He has to maintain being that good, and Roy has to get to that level again.”

The Cowboys and Jones better hope he reaches that level again.

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INDIANAPOLIS—Tom Moore could be hanging ’em up for good now.

The Indianapolis Colts have not made an announcement, but the club is adding an assistant to its staff and it’s easy to connect the dots here.

Ex-Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is leaving Stanford, where he was hired earlier this month as the offensive coordinator, to take a job with the Colts. It is believed Turner will be the wide receivers coach.

The Colts didn’t have an opening on their staff. Speculation is that wide receivers coach/assistant head coach Clyde Christensen will be promoted to offensive coordinator. He took the job last year at this time when Moore retired. Moore wound up returning in the spring, and now he could be departing for good.

The move makes sense for Turner for a few reasons. He has ties at Stanford, and coached there previously, but his family remains in the Midwest and it’s an opportunity to remain in the NFL.

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Jarrett Brown: No. 16, QB. 6-3, 222

A physically gifted quarterback, Brown has the athleticism to buy time in the pocket and make plays with his feet. He displays good coordination on the move. Creating big plays when things break down, he does a nice job keeping his eyes down the field. He’s a dual run/pass threat once he gets on the perimeter. Looks very comfortable when asked to improvise. He possesses a strong arm, but his accuracy is erratic. Doesn’t have the most compact of throwing motions. His passes underneath tend to nose dive on him and fall at the receiver’s feet. Lacks awareness in the pass game and struggles going through his progressions quickly from the pocket. Doesn’t consistently get rid of the ball on time, looking more comfortable using his athletic ability to break containment and create outside.

Isn’t a very efficient decision-maker. He has a tendency to force the ball into coverage. Brown consistently makes up his mind before the play, stares down receivers and tries to fit the football into tight areas. A turnover-prone signal-caller, he isn’t ready for the NFL from a mental standpoint. Overall, his athletic skill set is impressive, but he still has a long way to go as a pocket passer. Looks more like a developmental guy at the next level.

Grade: 6.1

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INDIANAPOLIS—Earl Bennett has talked about being excited to dive into the new playbook belonging to offensive coordinator Mike Martz, but the Chicago Bears wide receiver might need a little bit of time to put what he finds inside the thick binder to use on the field.

Bennett recently underwent minor knee surgery, according to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, and could miss a portion of the offseason program. The Bears are scheduled to begin in a month. A source described the procedure as a “minor cleanup” and said Bennett will be fine.

Getting quarterback Jay Cutler up to speed with the new offense, and getting him in rhythm with his receivers, something that was an issue at times last season, is paramount to the team’s success. Bennett and Cutler have a comfort level, though, having played together previously at Vanderbilt.

Bennett started this past season but changes could be in the works. Martz has said he would like to see Devin Hester moved inside to the slot like he used to use Az-Zahir Hakim in St. Louis. Some believe Martz will find Hester has more skills to him. If Hester goes inside, it would presumably leave Bennett with Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu to compete for two starting jobs on the outside.

“With our offense, we’re going to do a little bit, a lot of shifts, motions and things like that,” coach Lovie Smith said. “It’s just important that the guys, first off, be here. I know they are all excited. How could you not be excited if you are a wide receiver with the type of offense we’re going to run and that’s been the case with all of the guys. They can’t wait to get started and we can’t wait to work with them.

“Even though we’re young, I really feel like that may be the deepest position on our ballclub and they’ll just take off. Even a guy like Juaquin Iglesias that didn’t get a chance to play this last year. I saw a lot of good things that he did during practice going against our one defense last year.”

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INDIANAPOLIS—Tough to find much buzz from the agents milling around the scouting combine about free agency this year.

But one thing that raised the group up earlier today was the visit from NFL Players Association executive director De Smith that lasted more than 90 minutes.

“That’s more than Gene Upshaw ever did,” one veteran agent said.

Of course, the union has never been in this exact situation before where it is one week away from what right now looks like a lock to be an uncapped year. A work stoppage in 2011 looms and Smith did his best to poke holes in the stance of the owners. But he stopped short of sharing any real details on the state of negotiations.

Smith conducted a question-and-answer session with the agents and then made himself accessible afterward. Some agents had expressed concern that agents have been in the dark during recent months on the status of the labor showdown. But Smith clearly put forth his best effort. He wants to involve the agents and inform them as the union looks to ensure it is unified for the battle ahead.

Agents were so concerned with concussions and where the league is going with that issue that they asked for some time in the second session to be carved out. Smith made that happen. There was discussion of experiments for safety and new helmet designs.

Typically, agents walk out of the annual meetings with a look of complete boredom plastered on their faces. It was different today.

“There was some worthwhile information,” another agent said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it was good to hear from De in that forum.”

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A look at some of the key points to come out of the wide receiver group after day two of the NFL Combine:

• One guy who’s going to need time to develop at the next level but really seems to “get it” is Connecticut wideout Marcus Easley. Easley is a one-year starter who at this time last year didn’t even have a scholarship to play at UConn. However, he seemed genuinely blessed about his opportunity to be at the combine and said he expects to run in the 4.3 range. At 6-2, 210 pounds, Easley runs extremely well on tape but needs some time to mature as a route runner. His combination of size, speed and maturity could make him one of the more intriguing wideouts in April.

• Kansas State wideout Brandon Banks wants his name added to the list of guys looking to break 4.24 in the 40 this year. He said he has already run a 4.24 in workouts and is hoping to better it with a 4.23. Asked what he can bring to an NFL offense, Banks said, “ I’m electric and can score a touchdown every time I get the ball into my hands.”

• One guy who needs to impress this week during the interview process is Norfolk State WR Chris Bell. Bell is a former five-star recruit who was kicked off the Penn State football team in 2008 after he was charged with threatening a teammate with a knife. However, he came off as someone who doesn’t seem to want to be here. I do believe there’s some upside to his game and that he has the skill set needed to make an NFL roster, but I also worry about Bell’s willingness to put in the work.

• I was impressed with Illinois wideout Arrelious Benn when he was asked about his drop in production last season. Benn didn’t throw anyone under the bus and instead accepted responsibility for his numbers and was mature about it. First and foremost, his lack of production wasn’t his fault, and he might make more of an impact than any wideout in this year’s draft because of his run-after-the-catch ability. He looks like a great fit in Baltimore at the end of the first round, and he’s meeting with the Ravens tonight.

• I found it interesting that Notre Dame wideout Golden Tate said the best cornerback he faced all season was Pittsburgh’s Aaron Berry. Berry is a solid college corner, but in terms of NFL potential, he looks like a guy who will struggle to make a roster. You can’t take anything away from Tate’s production last season, but he played a really soft schedule in terms of opposing defenses and corners, and I simply don’t think he’s the kind of player many are making him out to be.

• Finally, one guy who’s going to fall a bit because of his inability to work out this draft season is Minnesota wideout Eric Decker. However, when you listen to his his passion for the game and attention to detail, he comes off as someone ready to be a professional. He said he expects his left foot to be 100 percent by June and that he’ll be ready to go full tilt come training camp. Again, he might not be a top-75 pick, but he’s a player who looks like a potential No. 2 possession guy at the next level.

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For complete draft coverage, check out the NFP’s new Draft Central page.