I wonder if Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland will be conducting predraft interviews before next year's NFL Draft.
I hope so. I don't blame him for what he was trying to find out. I do blame him for how he did it.
Ireland is the man who, during a predraft visit in March, asked former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute.
Under normal circumstances that would be a question that, in football terms, is wide right. In an every day walk of life that question would be flagged for illegal procedure.
But this is not a normal circumstance. This is the NFL, where image is everything. It's a multi-billion dollar business where teams select young men, some barely out of their teen years, and sign them to a contract where millions and millions are guaranteed.
GM's have every right to snoop and dig to find out everything they can about a potential employee. Remember, athletes are employees of a business. I had to give references before I was hired as an insurance agent. I had to pass a background test and truthfully answer questions on an application. I had to pass a credit check and divulge financial information so my parent company knew they were hiring someone who was responsible with money, organized and wouldn't run an agency into the ground.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Gregory staying at UD for a while
I wonder which college will reportedly be interested in University of Dayton men's basketball coach Brian Gregory next.
Rutgers of the Big East is the latest team to have some interest. In the past, it seemed that we heard about DePaul being interested yearly, given Gregory's Chicago ties. Every time there is a major college or a college in a major conference with an opening, Gregory's name pops up.
Doesn't matter who comes calling. Gregory is staying.
Why leave? He's got a nice and comfy contract with the Flyers. He's got an arena that's packed every night (it's among the top 30 in attendance yearly). His program hasn't been investigated for anything other than a missing offense (more on that later). His players don't get in trouble and when they do, as we saw with recruit Jesse Berry, Gregory does the right thing. In this case he told Berry thanks, but no thanks.
And let's be brutally honest. When it comes to college hoops, UD is the only game in town. Sorry Wright State. I'm a Raiders fan too. But Dayton gets top billing in the newspaper, on the sports highlights and with fans too. The Flyers attendance nearly triples a typical WSU game. Shoot, even Andy Katz of ESPN.com, when writing about Brad Brownell, referred to Wright State as Dayton-based. Ouch.
Rutgers of the Big East is the latest team to have some interest. In the past, it seemed that we heard about DePaul being interested yearly, given Gregory's Chicago ties. Every time there is a major college or a college in a major conference with an opening, Gregory's name pops up.
Doesn't matter who comes calling. Gregory is staying.
Why leave? He's got a nice and comfy contract with the Flyers. He's got an arena that's packed every night (it's among the top 30 in attendance yearly). His program hasn't been investigated for anything other than a missing offense (more on that later). His players don't get in trouble and when they do, as we saw with recruit Jesse Berry, Gregory does the right thing. In this case he told Berry thanks, but no thanks.
And let's be brutally honest. When it comes to college hoops, UD is the only game in town. Sorry Wright State. I'm a Raiders fan too. But Dayton gets top billing in the newspaper, on the sports highlights and with fans too. The Flyers attendance nearly triples a typical WSU game. Shoot, even Andy Katz of ESPN.com, when writing about Brad Brownell, referred to Wright State as Dayton-based. Ouch.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The NFL Draft
I wonder what the Denver Broncos were thinking. Correct me if I'm wrong but they traded their franchise crybaby, I mean franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler, to my Bears for Kyle Orton. Then, if I'm not mistaken, the Broncos acquired Brady Quinn, who I still say is built more for defense.
So with their first pick in the recently completed NFL draft, the Broncos take Tim Tebow. Makes perfect sense to me.
Not!
Five solid defensive players were taken to close the first round, defensive players that the Broncos could use.
History lesson time. They started 6-0 and had given up 56 points. The Broncos were the toast of the town.
They finished the season 2-8 and gave up 58 points in their first two games after their bye week, which was week 7. The Broncos proceeded to give up fewer than 20 points only twice the rest of the way.
So with their first two picks they take a receiver and a great college QB with a questionable release and a run-first mentality. And then the coach announces that Tebow will be a QB, nothing else. Denver will be watching the playoffs on TV. Nothing else.
Of their 7 picks, they drafted 1 defensive player.
Huh?
So with their first pick in the recently completed NFL draft, the Broncos take Tim Tebow. Makes perfect sense to me.
Not!
Five solid defensive players were taken to close the first round, defensive players that the Broncos could use.
History lesson time. They started 6-0 and had given up 56 points. The Broncos were the toast of the town.
They finished the season 2-8 and gave up 58 points in their first two games after their bye week, which was week 7. The Broncos proceeded to give up fewer than 20 points only twice the rest of the way.
So with their first two picks they take a receiver and a great college QB with a questionable release and a run-first mentality. And then the coach announces that Tebow will be a QB, nothing else. Denver will be watching the playoffs on TV. Nothing else.
Of their 7 picks, they drafted 1 defensive player.
Huh?
Welcome to my blog
Hello, there.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm new to blogging but definitely not new to writing about and talking about sports.
Just a little bit about myself, I graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 and was a sports writer in the Dayton area until 2003.
I'm now an insurance agent with American Family Insurance in Middletown but I still follow sports as closely as I did when I was a writer. Ask my wife. She will tell agree, much to her dismay.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm new to blogging but definitely not new to writing about and talking about sports.
Just a little bit about myself, I graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 and was a sports writer in the Dayton area until 2003.
I'm now an insurance agent with American Family Insurance in Middletown but I still follow sports as closely as I did when I was a writer. Ask my wife. She will tell agree, much to her dismay.
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