What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

The Giants paid a visit to the White House today and were feted to a special ceremony hosted by President Bush.

Rock was on hand and will give a full report in tomorrow's newspaper, but Bush did reel off a pretty good one-liner that was a perfect blend of politics and football.

Bush suggested to those assembled: "We're gonna send Jessica Simpson to the Democratic National Convention."

Those on hand cracked up as Bush made reference to the lovely Ms. Simpson, who was in the news last season because her frequent trips to Texas Stadium were seen by some - including Terrell Owens himself - as a distraction for Tony Romo.

One of the Giants' stunning playoff victories came, of course, at Texas Stadium.

Bush now suggests the distraction caused by Ms. Simpson can do for the Republicans in November what she did for the Giants in January.

Here is the full text of President Bush's speech.

... Randy Moss.

Yes, that Randy Moss.

The Patriots' star receiver, who has been a car racing enthusiast for years, is about to embark on a career as a NASCAR owner.

In honor of this weekend's Kentucky Derby, we thought we'd offer you our first glimpse into what Ed McNamara will surely wish he'd thought of first: equine look-a-likes: This year's favorite
"Big Brown" and 1981 Derby and Preakness winner "Pleasant Colony."

Pleasant Colony was trained by one of the most colorful horsemen ever, the lovable Johnny Campo. He was all the rage back then, especially in New York, although he apparently isn't quite the household name any more.

I told Boland I was doing an equine look-a-like, and when I mentioned Campo, he said: "Who?"

These kids today.

In the meantime, check out Eddie Mac's dispatches from Kentucky this week. He knows as much about horse racing as he does about football ... which is a lot.

(In answer to your question: Yes, I have gone off the rails. The draft is over, I've still got the heights, weights, and 40 times of hundreds of drafted players, as well as team-by-team evaluations, swimming in my head. Please indulge me as I attempt to decompress before the start of training camp. Ok, I gotta get outta here before I go Abramson.)

(Rock must be getting jealous of all these mentions of Boland, but he's down in D.C. with the Giants enjoying a day of sunshine and admiring the sights and sounds of our nation's capital, so I don't feel too badly.)

As the man who helped us coin the phrase explains, to "go Abramson" is quite an involved process. Here, let Abramson tell you himself. Very entertaining read.

Members of the Professional Football Writers of America recently conducted voting in several categories, and here are the results:

Halas Award (For the individual in the NFL who overcame the most adversity to succeed last season.) Kevin Everett, Bills. Everett, of course, suffered temporary paralysis in a game against the Broncos last season, but overcame the odds and is now walking again. Amazing story.

Horrigan Award (For the person who helped the media best do its job last season): Mike Holmgren, Seahawks coach. Holmgren, always one of the best interviews and a guy who will always give you insight and honesty, narrowly won over NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has been a major advocate for the media in his brief tenure as the commish.

Good Guy Award (For the player who best helped the media do its job): Brett Favre, Packers. There may not have been a better interview in NFL history. Good luck mowing the grass, Brett.

Rozelle Award (For the P.R. staff that best helped the media do its job): Seahawks. Dave Pearson and his staff do an exceptional job. Giants and Eagles, both previous winners of this award, were in the hunt, too.

McCann Award (Named in honor of the first executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Dick McCann Award is given annually by the PFWA to honor one of its members for distinguished service): Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com. The hardest working journalist I've ever known. Best wishes to Len on a speedy recovery from recent heart bypass surgery.

Joe M. has given us plenty of look-a-like suggestions, and now he offers a name-a-like note of interest.

"Forget What about Bob? ... What about Eric?

Erics with a C have to be pretty upset these days.

Erik Boland got promoted to the Jets beat.

Erik Ainge got selected by the Jets.

Erik Spoelstra was promoted to head coach of the Miami Heat.

Erik "The Ice Cream Scooper" is a fan favorite on this year's Survivor."

First of all, the NFL honchos who streamlined the draft by reducing the time between picks in the first round from 15 minutes to 10 minutes and the second round from 10 minutes to seven minutes deserve credit for making it a much, MUCH more enjoyable first day.

Instead of the six-hour marathon that the first round had become, cutting the time nearly in half made it much, MORE more interesting and palatable day.

That said, we've got one more suggestion: Move the draft back to 12 noon and get three rounds in the first day.

Apparently, we're not the only ones who feel that way.

As for moving the draft out of New York (the contract with Radio City expired after the 2008 draft), we have no problem with that. In fact, it's potentially a good thing. A suggested first stop: New Orleans. Nothing wrong with showing support for the Big Easy post-Katrina. Another potential landing spot: Los Angeles. The NFL is still intent on putting a team in the LA market, so why not move the process along. If I'm not mistaken, the league is having its owners meeting next year in Laguna Beach, Calif., in part to boost interest in getting a team back to Los Angeles.

A commenter who calls himself "PC Richard" liked our introduction of the phrase "go Abramson" to describe one who gets a tad upset when he can't live blog from the NFL draft noted. PC noted that he'd "go Abramson" if the Rangers didn't perform a certain way last night in Game 3 of their series against the Penguins.

To quote PC directly: "I will 'Go Abramson' if the Rangers lose to the Pengiuns tonite at The Garden.. will bang my head against that rail for hours!!"

PC added: "by the way - new nickname for the diver, Sidney Crosby - instead of "Sid the Kid", how about "Sid the Squid"?

Well, we heard from PC this morning. His one-word e-mail read simply: "Abramson."

Set by our buddy at ESPN.com, Todd McShay.

The draft isn't even two days old, and already Mac has a mock for NEXT YEAR'S DRAFT!!!!

Oh, my.

This one's for you, MelTriplett.

Man, if this keeps up, I'm gonna "go Abramson" pretty soon. Can't we at least wait until ... oh, say ... next week before we start thinking about next year's draft?

We had a blast a few months back coming up with phrases that describe situations, starting with the "Go Kendall" reference - namely, someone who rants and raves until he gets his way and finds a new place to work and make more money, like Pete Kendall did last year.

I'd like to add one more based on Adam "Big Cat" Abramson's near meltdown at the draft on Saturday. Adam was there to do the live blog with me, but there was major computer trouble for almost all the writers, and he couldn't get on board for a couple hours. It wasn't his fault, plain and simple. (Only reason I got on is because I had the Verizon air card, which is easily the best investment Newsday has made in the last 20 years.)

Anyway, "Big Cat" was freaking because he couldn't get into the live blog. But after hours of pounding his fist into the table, he finally did, thank goodness. I thought his head would explode.

So, we hereby anoint our new phrase, "Go Abramson," for those moments when it's all falling apart around you and you just don't know what to do with yourself.

Come to think of it, I'm a little stressed myself right about now, so before I "go Abramson," I need to duck out for a bit.

(NOTE TO THE BOSS: To "go Abramson" is actually a good thing in one sense. It shows that he cares deeply about his assignment, which he did. And once Abramson did get on the blog, his insight and analysis were top shelf. He carried the session through to the end in fine fashion. The fact is, any journalist who cares about his craft has "gone Abramson" many times. Well done, "Big Cat." Keep up the good work.)

... but he might be gone within a matter of days.

The Eagles and Jaguars are talking about a deal for Philly's cornerback, who was made expendable with the signing of free agent Asante Samuel.

I can't swear to this, and maybe Best can get the transcript from the Today Show on NBC this morning to confirm.

But Matt Lauer was in Amsterdam, riding up and down a canal, and noted that he was wearing a blue jacket and orange pants. Apparently, they are the two most important colors in the Netherlands.

Lauer then mentioned that the Mets' uniforms are orange and blue in deference to Manhattan's earliest settlers. I could swear Lauer described it as "a tip of the cap" New York's Dutch heritage. Delgado never did tip his cap to Mets' fans who wanted a curtain call after his two homers the other day at Shea.

Memo to Best: please follow up. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. But if Lauer's a Mets fan, maybe not. I wonder if Seinfeld was pissed Delgado dissed the fans.

I was in Amsterdam in 1983, riding up and down those same canals with a buddy from my days at the Gannett Westchester-Rockland Newspapers. We were on one of those rides that offered free beer, wine and cheese. I kept my alcohol consumption to a reasonable level, but my buddy did not. Thus, if you were in downtown Amsterdam in early August, 1983, and heard a very loud American singing songs, it was my buddy.

He is in the newspaper business and is somewhat famous, so I will not mention his name here.

UPDATE: Yes, the colors are significant. The colors of the flag of the City of New York are the blue, white and orange of the Dutch flag. Those colors are also seen in the Nassau County flag, as well as the uniforms of the Mets and Knicks.

I really do think that was Lauer's way of giving a shot to Delgado.

(I guess I should have known that stuff about the colors, but I didn't. I grew up a Yankee fan, so I was more interested in Mickey Mantle and World Series championships. My younger brother Mickey was named after Mickey Mantle. Mickey Glauber is a Mets fan. I will check to see if he knows anything about the uniform colors, and whether he is ticked that Delgado didn't come out for the curtain call.)

Yes, a blogosphere trifecta.

Seems Mr. Owens hasn't repaid the bonus money he owes the Eagles dating back to their nasty divorce a couple years ago. The Eagles are suing him to recover the cash.

Look, the draft is over, our five-part evaluation is done (see posts below), mini-camps are still a few days away, and quite frankly, our head is spinning with the names, 40 times, heights and weights of hundreds of players, most of whom will amount to very little over the coming years as the NFL's war of attrition siphons off all but the best from this year's draft class.

Besides, there are only two days left til the end of the month, and Adam "Big Cat" Abramson suggests the only way to catch Best in the page views war is to write something about Miley Cyrus and hope that it's linked to various websites. (FYI: Best, as always, has pulled out all the stops in his end-of-the-month quest for page views. He's posting pics of hot women AND even mentions Imus, the name that first brought him fame and fortune on the blogosphere. Best also drops the names of as many sports figures as he can in hopes of getting links from his buddies on the media beat. Shameless. But very effective.)

Which leads us to this post that La Monica put out there that is drawing massive page views and comments. Amazing what a picture and mention of the name Miley Cyrus will do for business.

Anyway, as we're counting down the hours until David Archuleta sings in tonight's American Idol competition, the Glauber family has discussed the matter and concluded that, in the grand scheme of things, Miley's transgression was simply a blip in her billion dollar enterprise, and that she can and will continue as the adorable 15-year-old that our two daughters love to watch. As far as we're concerned, Hannah Montana is forgiven.

Adam "Big Cat" Abramson, whose head nearly exploded during Saturday's live blogging from Radio City because he couldn't get his computer to work, suggests that we chime in on the Miley Cyrus stuff. Abramson wants us to start a rumor that Tony Romo will be dating the young singer. You know, if Roger Clemens can date a 15-year-old country singer, then why can't Romo?

But we're far too mature to do anything of the sort. Leave that one to "Big Cat" and La Monica.

Offensive tackle Brandon Keith, the Cardinals' seventh-round pick, was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors as a result of an incident at a party in Cedar Falls, Ariz. last month.

Keith, who played at Northern Iowa, was arrested along with two other players. He was charged with disorderly conduct, rioting and interfering with officials, all misdemeanors. Cops used a Taser on Keith when he charged at officers, according to a police spokesman.

I know the trendy thing is to immediately analyze every team's draft and assign a letter grade to their performance. It's something I've done in the past, and something I'm sure I'll do in the future.

But this year, I'd like to go a little bit off the beaten path. The reason for my reluctance to assign grades comes about after revisiting the top end of the 2005 draft.

Why that year's draft? Because NFL executives generally agree it takes three years to judge a draft. And now that the Class of 2005 has been around that long, I figured it was time to look back.

And really, you don't have to look very far to see that the results are mixed. At best. Here are the first 10 picks from that draft and where they now stand.

1. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith, Quarterback, Utah: Now in a competition with an undrafted free agent for the starting job.

2. Miami Dolphins: Ronnie Brown, running back, Auburn: After three mostly undistinguished seasons, coming off knee surgery. He's shown some flashes, though, so the jury's still out.

3. Cleveland Browns: Braylon Edwards, wide receiver, Michigan: A rising star after a breakout season. Probably Boland's favorite player on his beloved Browns.

4. Chicago Bears: Cedric Benson, running back, Texas: Close to being a bust. Not respected inside his own locker room.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, running back, Auburn: Rehabbing from potentially career-ending knee injury.

6. Tennessee Titans: Adam "Pacman" Jones, cornerback, West Virginia: Um .. yeah.

7. Minnesota Vikings (from Oakland): Troy Williamson, wide receiver, South Carolina: Bust. Now in Jacksonville.

8. Arizona Cardinals: Antrel Rolle cornerback, Miami: A washout at corner. Being tried at safety. Cardinals forced to draft another corner this year.

9. Washington Redskins: Carlos Rogers, cornerback, Auburn. Hasn't shown much yet. Recovering from knee injury. May not play until mid-season.

10. Detroit Lions: Mike Williams, wide receiver, USC. Bust. Never in shape. Out of football. Coming soon to a buffet line near you.

PS: Brandon Jacobs was a fourth-round pick that year and he's about to be get his first Super Bowl ring. Marques Colston was a seventh-round pick that year and he's the Saints' top receiver. Go figure.

Steelers: We barely heard a peep about the preferred team of Black N Gold and BBiB!, but these guys came away with two pretty terrific players. Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall (one of my personal faves from this draft because of his versatility) in the first round and Texas WR Limas Sweed in the second is quite a haul. Big Ben - the real Big Ben - gets his wish for a tall receiver in Sweed, and Willie Parker now gets a breather with Mendenhall, who might one day take over the starter's job. Fourth round T Tony Hills of Texas gives them some depth at a key spot. What I really like about personnel chief Kevin Colbert: He lets the draft come to him.

Panthers: There's no secret to what John Fox wants to do: Run the football and play good defense. Well, he got plenty on both counts. Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart is the best run/pass back in the draft. He's coming off foot surgery, but should be ok for training camp. T Jeff Otah was one of the premier half dozen blockers in the first round. And how about getting LB Dan Connor of Penn State in the third round? Some folks had him graded as high as a low first-rounder. Third-round S Charles Godfrey a potential replacement for Mike Minter.

Chiefs: It's not often we endorse trading away a blue chip pass rusher. But given the circumstances, I think the Chiefs will eventually come out ahead by dealing Jared Allen and collecting draft picks. The Chiefs appeared to do quite well over the weekend, nabbing LSU DT Glenn Dorsey, for my money the best lineman in the draft, and blue chip G/T Branden Albert of Virginia. Virginia Tech CB Brandon Flowers was there in the second round (first-round talent), and third-round S DaJuan Morgan of North Carolina is a potential steal. If the Chiefs can get production from 6 or 7 of their 12 picks, they're ahead of the game.

Packers: Packers GM Ted Thompson is one of the best in the business. He has NEVER EVER traded up in a draft, although he's moved down 15 times, including this year in the first round. He came away with Kansas State WR Jordy Nelson in the second round and then got more help at quarterback in the post-Brett Favre era by taking Louisville's Brian Brohm at 56 overall. Not bad for a kid who probably would have been a top 5 overall pick had he come out after the 2006 season. Thompson also bought some more QB insurance with LSU's Matt Flynn, who may not have all the talent in the world, but is a proven winner.

Giants: The best safety in the draft fell right into the defending Super Bowl champs' laps at No. 31 overall. That fills an immediate need after the Giants lost Gibril Wilson to the Raiders. GM Jerry Reese wanted a corner, too, and he got a potentially good one in the second round with Terrell Thomas of USC. And if third-round WR Mario Manningham of Michigan pans out, this will be a steal. Not saying it will happen, because Manningham has plenty of growing up to do. But the Giants generally don't make mistakes with misbehaving players. See: Ahmad Bradshaw in 2007.

Cardinals: It isn't often the Cardinals pick in the middle of the first round (they're usually a top 10 pick because they usually stink the year before), but they did a solid job in addressing needs with what appear to be quality players. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the second best corner in this draft, and they got him at 16. And second-round DE Calais Campbell of Miami might be a steal if he pans out. A big if, but certainly not out of the question. And LSU receiver Early Doucet in the third round is a potential hedge against the team not being able to extend Anquan Boldin's contract.

Ravens: GM Ozzie Newsome was wheeling and dealing early, trading down from No. 8 and then moving up to No. 18 to get Delaware QB Joe Flacco. This kid has a chance to be very good with the right coaching. Rutgers RB Ray Rice adds a nice change-up element, and Newsome came away with five picks in the next two rounds, including OLB Tavares Gooden of Miami. That is a good day at the office.

Patriots: Not a bad draft, considering the Pats had surrendered their own first-round pick in the Spygate affair. They did have the 49ers' seventh overall choice, and wound up trading down to 10 before selecting Tennessee OLB Jerod Mayo. We really like this guy, although we suspect the Pats would like to have taken him a shade lower down. Third-round QB Kevin O'Connell adds depth behind Tom Brady.

Jets: I'm not saying this thing won't work out. But there are some legitimate issues about whether DE/OLB Vernon Gholston will make the transition to the pros. I'll give the Jets the benefit of the doubt on this one, but Gholston had better be willing to make this thing work. I don't quibble too much with the selection of Purdue TE Dustin Keller, just the notion of trading up to get him at No. 30. Erik Ainge of Tennessee and interesting pick as a developmental quarterback.

Raiders: If Arkansas RB Darren McFadden turns out to be a star, then this whole draft will have been worth it. If not, then the Raiders will be stuck in the Black Hole a good while longer. I'm somewhat skeptical about how well McFadden will do. He is wonderfully talented and fast as the wind. But I do wonder if that speed will translate at the NFL level. We're about to find out.

Seahawks: USC DE Lawrence Jackson an interesting choice at No. 25, but just not sure if he's got first-round ability. Second-round TE John Carlson of Notre Dame addresses a glaring need. Seventh-round RB Justin Forsett of Cal added to a very crowded backfield.

Falcons: Is Boston College's Matt Ryan truly a franchise quarterback at No. 3 overall? Not sure anyone knows the answer, but the whole thing hinges on what he turns into. Huge reach for USC T Sam Baker at No. 21 overall. Had second-round grade ... at best. I do like second-round ILB Curtis Lofton, though, and LSU CB Chevis Jackson a good value in the third.

Buccaneers: Kansas CB Aqib Talib addresses a need, but Bucs hope character issues cloud his NFL future. Good value on second-round WR Dexter Jackson of Appalachian State. And what would a Bucs draft be without Jon Gruden getting yet another quarterback on his roster. Add Josh Johnson of San Diego to the mix.

Texans: Man, these guys must have been desperate for a tackle, because they made the biggest reach of the first round with Virginia Tech's Duane Brown. There was a group of six first-round tackles this year, and Brown wasn't close to that group. Antwaun Molden a solid pick in the third round.

Titans: Let's see. Vince Young is your franchise quarterback, and he has been begging for a wide receiver. So ... it's running back Chris Johnson in the first round!! Johnson has 4.24 speed, but I'll take a slower, more reliable runner between the tackles. Wait ... I'll take a receiver instead! What about Limas Sweed, Young's former teammate at Texas?

Eagles: Both your offensive tackles are 100 years old ... close, anyway. The draft is filled with quality blockers, especially in the first round. So what do the Eagles do? They trade out of the round and wind up with Notre Dame DT Trevor Laws as their top choice in the second round. WR DeSean Jackson addresses a need, but I don't know if I trust guys who are smaller than I am.

Redskins: I get it that you want to get a receiver. Fine. Devin Thomas of Michigan State is a good value in the second round. But with all the team's other needs, why go ahead and draft WR Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma later in the round? Fred Davis of USC is a quality tight end, but didn't you just invest huge dollars in H-back/TE Chris Cooley?

(Translated: nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about either.)

Broncos: They quietly addressed two major needs with the first two picks: OT Ryan Clady of Boise State and Virginia Tech WR Eddie Royal.

Lions: Ditto for the Lions, who got a qualify OT in Gosder Cherilus of Boston College (a guy the Giants were looking at) and OLB Jordan Dixon of Colorado.

Bears: Yet another team that gets a quality tackle, this time with Chris Williams of Vanderbilt. Second round RB Matt Forte might very well give Cedric Benson a run for the money.

Vikings: No first-round pick (traded in Jared Allen deal). But they did get a top-flight safety in Tyrell Johnson of Arkansas State. They also got some competition for Tarvaris Jackson with fifth-round QB John David Booty of USC.

49ers: Wonder if they regret trading away this year's first-round pick to the Pats. Niners did get a potentially good DT in Kentwan Balmer of North Carolinato replace recently retired Bryant Young. Not much else, though.

Not that it's any of my business to comment about Carlos Delgado on a football blog, but ...

Why in the world would a guy snub the fans of New York who were offering a standing ovation in hopes of a tip o' the cap from the top step of the dugout, this after Delgado smacked two homers at Shea yesterday?

So what if the fans booed him the day before. It's sports. It's New York. Get over yourself.

Talk to Alex Rodriguez and ask him about this sort of thing.

In the meantime, check out Newsday's "Final Score" blog for complete coverage of the Delgado snub.

...

ok, I'll go back to being a football writer now.

how 'bout the Seahawks getting Cal running back Justin Forsett in the seventh round. Great value!!

Check out Erik Boland's blog and see what Ohio State Jim Tressel has to say about the issue.

EBoli will be offering up some more stuff in the paper, but Tressel's initial take is interesting and informative.

The Giants are about to find out.

I wrote about the third-round receiver from Michigan, whose checkered past off the field gave plenty of teams reason to bypass him in the draft.

The Giants think he'll change his ways. If he does, he'll turn out to be a steal. If not, then he'll be another example in the next story about character being a factor when drafting.

I think we have to give Giants GM the benefit of the doubt here, because he and his staff do their homework. It's not a guarantee that Manningham will turn into a worthwhile pick. But after last year's selection of running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who had two arrests in college, in last year's draft, the Giants have taken another calculated gamble that Manningham will get his act together and be a productive player on the field and a solid citizen off it.

"Bleecker" and "Rich K," both of whom nailed the first six picks, are the official co-winners of the first official "What About Bob" Mock Draft Contest. Congrats to both contestants, who now have the honor of writing a guest post in our blog. Can't wait for their prose.

(E-mail me at Bob.Glauber@newsday.com, and we'll get it started. No impersonators, please. I'll know who the real winners are.)

BBiB! points out one interesting statistical anomaly (a term we haven't used in months, but one we love to break out): "Jason" got only one pick right ... and it was Derrick Harvey at No. 8. He had Harvey going to Baltimore, but we'll give him credit anyway (Harvey went to Jacksonville in a trade.)

Thanks to all for participating. Even those who gave some ... um ... creative answers. Here's a link to the post for those who want to recapture the magic.

Thanks once more to BBiB!, the official scorekeeper for "What About Bob." His contributions have proven invaluable, and he is welcome to guest blog any time.

Here's a look at the winners' scorecards (top 10 picks, plus Giants' first overall):

"Bleecker"

1. Miami: Jake Long, T, UMich
2. St. Louis: Chris Long, DE, UVA
3. Atlanta: Matt Ryan, QB, BC
4. Oakland: Darren McFadden, RB, Ark.
5. Kansas City: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
6. NY Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, OSU
7. New England: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
8. Baltimore: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
9. Cincinnati: Ryan Clady, T, Boise St.
10. New Orleans: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, TN St.
31. NY Giants: Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee

"Rich K"
1. Miami: Jake Long, T, Michigan
2. St. Louis: Chris Long, DE, Virginia
3. Atlanta: Matt Ryan, QB, BC
4. Oakland: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
5. Kansas City: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
6. Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE, OSU
7. New England: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
8. Baltimore: Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie, CB
9. Cincinnati: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
10. New Orleans: Keith Rivers, LB, USC
31. NY Giants: Gosder Cherilus, T, BC

All the big-name players whose names had been bandied about weren't dealt after all.

Jeremy Shockey.

Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor.

Lions receiver Roy Williams.

Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin.

Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard.

And, of course, Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, who has done all he can to force the Bengals to deal him, only to be told "no" by head coach Marvin Lewis.

... and really, what's so wrong with that?

There was plenty of sentiment to dump the temperamental tight end, but in the end, Jerry Reese didn't see enough value in any of the offers he'd received.

So he did the right thing. He kept Shockey.

Good for him.

My first career live blog was an awesome experience, especially sitting in with Adam "Big Cat" Abramson, Mr. College Football.

We went at it for more than six hours from Radio City, and plenty of folks chimed in with very insightful comments. Thanks to all who participated. If you missed it, just click onto the blog to replay it. You can jump to any spot you like.

The only drawback to this whole "live blog" thing is that we don't get credit for page views the way we normally do. But it sure was fun having Neil Best join in on the blog and whine about how this might move me past him in the page views war.

Once he found out that we actually would get LESS page views because of it, I'm fairly certain he did a back handspring in the basement.

Rock isn't on the beat a month, and already he's making trouble in the press room.

He tried to ask Mario Manningham, the Giants' controversial third-round pick, a question on the conference call, but Manningham kept telling Rock he sounded so far away.

Hilarious exchange, though. Rock blogs it here.

Just spoke to Marvin Demoff, the agent for Virginia defensive end Chris Long, and I asked if he felt Long would go to Rams at No. 2, as has been speculated.

"I don't think he's going there," Demoff said. "I know he is."

The team had initially focused its attention on Glenn Dorsey of LSU, but Long emerged late in the week as the consensus choice.

The buzz is that Atlanta will take take QB Matt Ryan of Boston College, but there might be some hesitation there because the Falcons have also been highly impressed with Dorsey.

The Raiders seem intent on drafting Darren McFadden at No. 4, but you never know with Al Davis. He's liable to do anything, including trading the pick.

If McFadden is on the board when the Jets pick sixth - or higher, if they make a trade - I'm told they will definitely take the Arkansas running back.