Purdue-centric NFL Draft Notes

To close the loop on the NFL Draft and assorted Boilermakers (because we know some of you only come to BS for all your news), here's a quick recap on Boilermaker movement over the past few days.

Kawaan Short, to no one's surprise, was drafted. He went to the Carolina Panthers in the second round with the 44th overall pick. Short will have a chance to further shore up a Carolina defense that was actually in the top half of the league in total, pass and rush defense. Along with having Cam Newton there, not a bad place to be for KK.

Josh Johnson signed a free agent deal with the San Diego Chargers and will now begin the uphill climb to make the team as an undrafted rookie.

Akeem Shavers and BS favorite Robert "Marve-lous" Marve both signed on with the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Bucs QB situation featured Josh Freeman as the starter, the legendary Dan Orlovsky as his backup, as well as Mike Glennon (NC State) and Adam Weber (formerly of Minnesota) on the roster. Beating out entrenched guys is never easy, but Marve's drive and leadership abilities might make it possible for him to crack the practice squad or third string position.

Danny Hope could not be reached for comment. 

Good luck to all. Now let's not talk about the draft until next April.

Feeling Drafty? Re-light Your Boiler

Go home, NFL, you're drunk.

As you may know if you know us, we sort of loathe the NFL Draft.

Well, actually, that's not right. What we loathe is the nonsense surrounding it. Like weeks upon weeks of "mock drafts," endless hours devoted to it on TV and radio, and things like, you know... f-cking glass cases with the hats for each team in them. Just stop it, NFL. You're becoming as trite and forced and unwatchable as the Emmys.

But we'll put aside our dislike for the fanfare around the NFL draft to talk about a few prospects from Purdue, since we were asked by a couple people so... fine. We're here to serve.

Josh Johnson - CB

We've made no secret of the fact that we're big fans of Josh Johnson. He's someone we really enjoyed watching and felt very comfortable with knowing he was out there. In fact, I dare say we felt he was a little more "reliable" than the guy on the other side who gets all the accolades.

Johnson's write-up at NFL.com has him as a 67.2 grade, which puts him in the "Draftable Player" bucket, just below the threshold for "Eventual Starter."

I read this to mean he's a guy who should be drafted and regardless will find playing time in the NFL, with the potential of becoming a regular starter with some hard work. I don't think there's any doubt Josh will work hard and we look forward to seeing him playing on Sundays. He's an easy guy to root for (for us, anyway).

If you like the sometimes-arbitrary measures studied at the combine, Josh was a "top performer" in the 60-yard shuttle, finishing fourth among CBs. He was also sixth among CBs in the bench press. We'll choose to now selectively enjoy those measures and say that for these reasons, a team looking for a fundamentally-sound leader who can be quick and is strong should give Josh Johnson a good look.

Kawaan Short - DT

Short is another guy we've enjoyed watching and seeing develop over his time at Purdue. Is he an NFL prospect because of Danny Hope's staff.... or in spite of them?

Short showed freakish, next-level skills a number of times during his years in black and gold and was a two-time team captain. If you're wondering why there are no combine numbers listed for Short on his NFL draft page, I assume it's because he didn't attend. However, Short is graded as an 80.6, which is  a "quality player who will contribute to the team early on and is expected to develop into a starter. A reliable player who brings value to the position."

Skimming the analysis, you see what you would expect to see regarding his size, quickness and development. The concerns, though, seem to center on the worry that Short might let himself get fat and, if he does, he'll be out doing whatever it is JaMarcus Russell does these days. So work hard, Kawaan. Make us proud.

Akeem Shavers - RB

Prince Akeem has no NFL.com prospect page, which probably doesn't bode real well for him. However, he's hoping to play at the next level and did have a pro day that was generally reported to be a positive experience for him.

From GBI:

Shavers ran in the low 4.4s - perhaps as fast as 4.39 - in the 40-yard dash. It was his only opportunity in front of scouts from multiple teams, after not being invited to the Combine, making his performance all the more critical.

Right now, Shavers will be hoping for a call to be a post-draft free agent invite to a team's training camp. We loved seeing Akeem run and are pulling for him to get a chance to prove himself against the big boys.
The draft resumes today.

Big Journalism is as Dead as Te'o's...Reputation.

I read this today...and learned A LOT!

I learned that some people are so willing to save face, that they'll hire silly-expensive lawyers and PR firms instead of simply coming clean.

According to quotes from last night's interview, Manti Te'o "tailored" and "catered" his story in order to deceive his parents and friends...Ummmmmmkay.

Good enough for me-

Now he's confirmed that he compounded lies for three years in order to get those he cared about most on board with the original scam hoax victimization...But we're supposed to believe that now he is telling the truth because Schaap says he seemed honest...and Swarbrick vouched for him.

At this point, he's either completely fooled himself into believing his own saccharin-sweet story OR his years of practice at lying has trained him to lie all the time in a convincing manner.

The fact that EsPN passes this interview as journalism is funny.  We don't know all of the stipulations that Schaap had to agree to to get this exclusive...we do know that Te'o refused to let the interview happen on video.  It could be because he's too embarrassed to go in front of the camera...Well, that's not true, he allowed photographers and tape recordings.  He also had a team of handlers with him and his lawyer at the table during this "some holds barred" interview.

So just to review some of the finer points-
-UND finds out that Kekua isn't dead in early December...tells no one but their crack private investigation team.
-Te'o continues to perpetuate the lie with the media during awards shows and bowl prep after finding out the real truth...(for Mr. Schaap- he was pretty convincing at that point too!)
-The story blew up earlier this week, thanks to Deadspin.com's real investigation. UND's Swarbrick defended Te'o and cried...Te'o stayed silent.
-TMZ reports that Tuiasosopo has given a tear-filled confession that Te'o had nothing to do with it.
-A paper in Hawaii reports they've been contacted by Kekua who said she faked her death in order to evade drug dealers threats (she also told Te'o the same story in early December).  Now that's where the story gets ridiculous- Te'o said she was a beautiful, bilingual Stanford grad who was a great person...but she had drug dealers after her?

No matter...all of this is an exercise is misinformation and blind trust.

Te'o's interview took place at a training facility for pro-athletes-to-be called IMG Academy.  Ironic, no? This whole thing is about image.

Te'o repeatedly via taped interviews and released statements calls himself the victim of a cruel hoax...But, I'm pretty sure he could press charges or at least sue the crap out of Tuiasosopo and company if he really felt wronged. When the courts get involved, we'll see Te'o's phone records that showed him amassing thousands of hours on the phone with the "love of his life"...we'll find out about the four or five people that he knew, by the way, who perpetuated this elaborate all-consuming hoax for YEARS.

Seriously, if I see the phone records and find out that Te'o has sued or press charges on Tuiasosopo, my perspective will change- Te'o will be downgraded from an perpetrator of a hoax to a small time delusional liar.

The good news for me, like most of you, is that I didn't care about his sappy human interest story until I read about it via Deadspin.

As my brother said, the initial reports of Te'o's fall sounded like the life of Job...and no person should have to go through losing two of their loved ones in mere days.  But, with the exception of Te'o's Grandmother's death, we now know Kekua and her made-up death is a myth like the Gipper or Weis' schematic advantage (that got Te'o to commit to UND, by the way).

In spite of Schaap's awesome and revealing interview, there are still too many holes in the story to believe anything...other than we've all been lied to, A LOT.

Am I the only one who loves the irony of this sub-title??

Draft picks up two of three Boilermakers

The Boilermakers represent only two out of 41 Big Ten players drafted to the NFL this year, but at least neither of them are going to the Packers.

A lifelong Vikings fan (which switches to the Saints when playoff hopes are crushed for Minnesota), I'm happy to see that the Eagles and Texans have claimed former Boilermaker tackles Dennis Kelly and Nick Mondek.

Kelly was picked up by the Eagles in the fifth round, the number 18 pick in the round and 153rd overall. The 6-foot-8, 306-pound Chicago Heights, Ill. native had 36 starts during his last three years at Purdue, the most in program history for an offensive player. As a three-year letter winner he was a captain and Most Valuable Player for the Boilers his last two years on the squad.

The blocking effort by Kelly last fall contributed to the Boilers' ability to push through the season and regain bowl game eligibility to make a successful trip to Detroit for the Little Caesar's Bowl.

Mondek's bid by the Texans came in round six. He was picked 25th in the round and 195th overall. The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Naperville, Ill. native is Houston-bound after two letter-winning seasons with the Boilermakers. In 2010 he was awarded the Most Improved offensive player on the squad.

The NFL gave Mondek a score of 45, and according to the organization, anything between 20 and 49 points indicates "A player with solid measurables, intangibles, college achievements, or a developing skill that warrants an opportunity in an NFL camp. In the right situation, he could earn a place on a 53-man roster, but most likely will be a practice squad player or a camp body." AKA a free agent, but he beat the odds with the Texans.

Kicker Carson Wiggs entered the draft but was not picked up during the seven rounds. But then again, how often is a kicker? Wiggs owns the record for best field goal percentage (.715 on 37-of-51 attempts) and has made the four longest 3-point kicks in school history. Hopefully, his consistency will earn him a spot as a free agent somewhere... as long as it's not Green Bay.

Addendum:
Wiggs signed a free agent contract with Seattle (according to his own Twitter feed).

NBA, NFL and baseball Boiler Updates (Monday Gumbo)

I tuned in for much of the fourth quarter of the Celtics hoping to see a glimpse of Smooge or JJ...and I got to see it! But what I saw was merely Moore on the bench following Rajon Rondo's spastic nonsensical pair of techs following a questionable call in the closing minute of the contest.

Much like Ron World War a week ago, not only was Rondo a bad actor in this stanza, but he lied after saying he didn't mean to run into the official.

Not only did he mean to, he put his chest out just before bumping the official for effect.  And whenever a professional athlete says they inadvertently ran into someone, our antennae should perk up.  These guys are the best athletes in the world...and are pretty coordinated as well. I'm a pretty average person, when it comes to coordination, and I hardly ever just run into someone when not pushed or throw elbows into someones neck accidentally.  Rondo isn't on the same level of maliciousness, obviously...but he's acted pretty dumb in the situation's wake by lying.

No need for Moore to wear a uni under his warm-up
thanks to Doc

Kerrigan is a 'Skin...and NCAA Basketball Attendance

Like everyone else, I'm not too surprised that Ryan Kerrigan was picked in the top-20 of last night's NFL draft. I am surprised that prognosticators got it so right though. On both EsPN & NFL's tickers in the last few days, he was either 16 or very near that spot...and he ends up getting picked up at the 16th spot by the Washington Redskins after a trade from the Jags.

Washington was in need of a pass rusher...right now. They get that from another guy in a long line of quarterback terrorizing DE from God's country. Kerrigan might have the best combo of motor and strength of all of the guys who ended up in the NFL from Purdue. Like many of them, 94 said he'd be willing to move to OLB if the Redskins needed/wanted to give him a try there. They most-definitely will see if he works there.

Congrats to Ryan Kerrigan...Man, are you going to be missed.

Elsewhere in the draft, all-around great and likable guy, Cam Newton went as #1 overall to the Panthers. He'll be joining another totally-awesome and uber-likable guy who also plays QB in Carolina named Jimmy. Something tells me that the Panthers aren't fans of their young QB from ND as much as he, himself is.

If nothing else, Carolina has made it very easy for me to decide whom I'll be rooting against next season...regardless if the Panthers decide to keep both QBs or not (which they won't), one of those guys is enough of a jack to draw the ire of plenty of fans on his own.

Now, Newton, Kerrigan and the rest of the fresh-faced draftees can join their brethren in solidarity as they all fight with the owners in a battle that I don't care to watch for one more second.

Hopefully Keith Smith finds a home in the coming days. Adams and Werner will probably also get camp contracts at minimum after the draft is over...good luck to all of these guys- they were all easy to root for, at least for me, while playing for both Hope and Tiller.

2011 NCAA Attendance

You're going to hear me do something I don't do a whole lot: Give IU some credit...and it's deserved. In spite of having a coach that demotivates his team as the season progresses and the fact that IU spent its third-straight season in cellar of the BT, IU fans still show up in droves. That says a lot. IU was 12th in the nation, third in the conference in basketball attendance averaging 15,529 tickets sold/game. That's around 2,000 unsold tickets/game.

At the same time, Purdue came in at sixth in the conference, 17th in the nation. This number might be an indictment of the shrinking Mackey Arena, more than the Purdue fans. Mackey only averaged a few hundred empty seats/game.

See more here...but here are a few things we found noteworthy:

Six of the top-20 arenas in the nation were in the BT. The only upper-half team that wasn't in the top-20 was Michigan (37th). UM had over 3,000 empties each game. Sure, that number is probably off because of their early-season performance. But, poor performance didn't keep Iowa fans away (31st in the nation).

Penn State came in at an embarrassing 70th place. This in spite of the surprising Lions finishing better than many thought they would and playing extremely well during the season. Penn State boasts of an enrollment of over 44,000 students, and the Bryce Jordan will hold over 15,000 whimpering kitties...but the PSU only had around 7,000 fans at each contest.

Outside the conference, it wasn't surprising to see the likes of the win-at-all-costs UK fans atop the list and the massive Carrier Dome close behind, but there were a few surprises. Memphis' small-ish enrollment didn't keep the out of the top-10 as the city of Memphis has decided the Tigers are their sports team as they attracted 2,000 more fans/game than the Grizzlies.

Jimmer helped propel BYU to the top-10 and record-setting numbers in Provo (Spain?). The 123rd (RPI) ranked Creighton Blue Jays landed at an astounding 22nd in the nation in attendance...Iowa State was only a few spots behind them.

The Big East had three teams in the top-20. The national champ Huskies were in 32nd place averaging a bit over 11,500.

Boiler Free Agents & Thoughts

A couple more Boilers will be getting their shot to make money playing football. Sure, it's an uphill battle they'll face, but I'm glad their getting a look.

-King to Indy
The Colts are pretty rich on defense right now, especially after their draft. But, they lost a few guys in the defensive backfield. That said, they also picked up two in the draft, so the front office thinks there's a need- that's good...but it'll take a pretty big effort for Brandon to find his way onto the roster.

-Elliott to Philly (Kolb, Vick & Kafka also in Phil.)
Depending on what happens with Vick, Elliott might have a shot to make this roster. The biggest shame about what we saw last year, in my opinion, was that his shoulder wasn't 100% for much of '09 following his surgery the prior season.

-Pender also to Philly
Lots of experienced, and good corners on the roster in Philadelphia...like King, this is a tough position to walk into.

-Zwilling to Tampa Bay
Zwilling's ability to play multiple positions might prove useful as the Bucs have a couple of experienced centers in front of him...but all indicators are he'll be a tackle at the next level, if he gets on a roster.

NBA Playoffs
Not much to write about here, for me at least. I've admitted it multiple times- I'm not a fan of the NBA...but I enjoy playoff basketball as it's actually worth something. Sure, the playoffs are too long- the first round series should still be 5 games (in my opinion) and I can't stand the lengthy gap between each game. It kinda kills enthusiasm from the casual fan like myself.

But, I like what's happened in the LA/OKC series. The Thunder's arena feels like a college venue, their team is really young and they play the game fast and with active feet. Plus, it's great seeing Kobe getting beaten...just doesn't happen enough, in my opinion.

That said, I'm still experiencing shakes and sweats as I withdraw into the cold, dry desert of my sports year. I'll enjoy May in Indy...at least half the month, this year...but it's not the same. Already looking forward to August.

Jimmy Clausen Finally Pays For Being an Insufferable Jerk

From the moment he arrived at Notre Dame, we detested this punk. No, wait, check that.... from the moment he arrived at the College Football Hall of Fame in a limousine (presumably thinking it was like his prom), flashing high school championship rings (exactly four years to the day before he didn't get selected in the first round last night), and announcing he was going to Notre Dame, we loathed this douche.

We get accused of being too negative sometimes. We get accused of hating and not representing Purdue fans well. However, most of you, we think, come here at least partly because you like the sarcastic, sharp-tongued nastiness we sometimes espouse. And this is one of those examples where, I think you'll see the record reflects, we were right....again.

Jimmy Clausen was projected to be a star. He was going to be perfect for Chuck Weis' system, since it would basically be like playing in the NFL but against college teams. And then Jimmy barely survived his freshman year and the Domers went 3-9.

"But just wait until we get some guys for Jimmy to play with!" we kept hearing. Then you'll all be sorry. And then Jimmy went on to have two .500 seasons, following one with a bowl win over a less-than-mediocre Hawaii team, to run UND's record in the JC era (that's Jimmy Clausen, not the other JC, though I'm sure Jimmy sees them as similar) to 16-21. Wow. Impressive.

Jimmy, on one of his last weekends as a college football player, then managed to get his lights punched out in a restaurant/bar in South Bend. Of course, the story is that he was jumped by hoodlums (or an "irate fan"), because, as I'm sure we can all agree, this guy is just too damn sweet to have said or done anything obnoxious that might have precipitated someone wanting to spin his head around.

On his way out of office, Emperor Weis advised Jimmy Heisman and Golden Tate to declare for the draft. You know the cliches...they were "ready" and had "nothing more to accomplish." Nothing more than, you know, having a season with fewer than six losses. Or a regular season over .500. Or a win against USC.

Jimmy-boy then went and sat down with Jon Gruden for Gruden's Draft Camp routine, where Gruden -- I guess -- gives the kids advice and they watch some film, etc. From what I understand, the exchanges in this video (and some that aren't included in the clip I was able to find) were definitely talked about at the draft. Namely, the part where Pickles blames pretty much everyone else besides himself when things go wrong. Gruden clearly doesn't like what he's hearing in that regard and is doing his best to warn Clausen that isn't going to fly with the adults. Of course, Jimmy yes-es the Super Bowl winning coach and doesn't maintain eye contact -- dismissive, much? And where do you think Jimmy learned how to throw teammates under the bus?

Why, the master himself, Chuck Weis. The guy who loved to hear himself drone on and on during press conferences, saying things about certain guys didn't do this or that and then saying, "but it's on me." You know, the most disingenuous douche out there.

The point of all this rambling? Well, it's just that character has become a bigger deal to NFL teams over the years. And while being an insufferable a-hole to people gets guys like Clausen through high school and even through a place like ND, it does not work as well at the NFL level. This morning on the radio, I heard that at least two teams had Clausen rated higher than Sam Bradford (as per Peter King) but that Bradford's character is unquestioned, while Clausen's is a concern. Huh, interesting. Sounds like another UND QB who's always been a douche.

As reader Gregg Z sums up:

"Neither Jimmy 'Avatar' Clausen nor Golden Tate were picked in the first round, despite being ahem, "encouraged" by Weis to declare for the draft. Certain Domer faithful see this as Charlie's scorched Earth policy, robbing Kelly of key talent on his way out in hopes of burnishing his own image as an offensive mastermind. But whatever.

The Germans have a word for it-- schadenfreude-- satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune. Not that Clausen or Tate aren't going to be multimillionaires in the next 2 days, but these guys seemed to believe (or were told by their barely-competent fired coach) they were First-round material. Like Nelson from The Simpsons says: Ha ha!"

Indeed. These guys could have come back to UND and played under a new coach who loves to throw the ball and, really, aside from injury risk, what would be the harm? Finishing out of the bowls again? Big deal. Maybe one of them would actually have wound up being a first-round pick.

Regardless, Jimmy Clausen is now considered a character risk, which is something we knew a long, long time ago.

Curtis Painter love

Phil Simms, who played a down-or-two of NFL football likes Curtis Painter more than any of the lower QB picks in this year's NFL draft (check the 4:50 mark for details):



Nice to see a Purdue guy getting publicity...hopefully, he has a long, successful career in the league. I've contended all along that I don't think he was coached all that well/all that critically in the last few seasons of his Purdue career...and that could be why he didn't seem to progress in West Lafayette. He was always a favorite of Tiller's, and from what is slowly leaking out of various reports and player interviews, Tiller's range of treatment for different players was obvious in practice at times.

And speaking of Tiller's favorites, Kory Sheets is still upset at Tiller and co. saying that they all but sabotaged his chances of being drafted last weekend. And GBI had a story today in which Kory is still bemoaning the fact that Tiller ruined his draft weekend.

First off, I really don't think Tiller has that kind of power with that many teams in the NFL. Unless Joe Tiller is actually the Worldwide Wes of this league, it's doubtful that his word would matter to that many franchises. But, what probably did hurt him was the fact that every time Kory was given the chance, he erased any doubt that he had a massive ego...and that everyone was wrong last season, but him in the way his conflict was handled.

Instead of focusing on how excited the Niners are to have him and how much he wants to prove everyone wrong who didn't pick him, he'd rather complain that he deserved more...We'll see in a few months if he's correct.

Moving On...

Some former favorites at Ross-Ade have found homes in the NFL...at very minimum until camp.
3rd round pick, Alex Magee is headed to Kansas City...His less-than-stellar year at DE might be exactly why he ended up in KC. They will play the 3-4 in '09, according to a few sources.
6th round pick, Curtis Painter is going to stay in the state of Indiana...a rarity* as he's now been a high schooler, college player and soon-to-be a pro quarterback, all in the state he was born. But, last season, Jim Sorgi kept his back-up role despite two veteran back-ups being invited to camp in Indy (Lorenzen & Gray)...and the Colts have only had one quarterback on their roster not named Manning for the past 8 seasons...or so...so who knows what the next few months hold for Curtis.

It might seem like an odd pick, but it's not a charity pick by any means for Indy. Pollian's pretty good at drafting "jewels" that others think are just stones...Might Curtis shine up nicely learning from one of the best in the game? We'll see.

The Colts also filled needs in a lot of positions including WR, T, and P/K as Smith is no longer on the roster and Venetieri isn't much of a kick-off specialist.

Kory Sheets talking about his own greatness might have cost him a few dollars...but he has a good shot of making the 49ers after signing a free agent contract...Anthony Heygood has signed a similar deal with the Panthers. I think Heygood's a steal as he hasn't played the position long, is a good special teams player and played at a very high level despite having little help at LB last season at Purdue.

Greg Orton has been signed as a free agent to Cincinnati...Like Painter, he probably likes the fact that he's close to home...but honestly, he's probably really pleased to have a shot at playing, regardless of where.

Ryan Baker has the tough assignment of trying out for the professional football team in Miami. (sidenote- 5 years ago, I talked to Baker on his official visit at Ross-Ade...my family is convinced I was the reason Baker became a Boiler...because of his workmanlike Purdue career, he's now making money playing football...I think it's only fair that I receive half of his earnings as a thank you...What?)

BREAKING
According to the JConline:

"Monday, April 20 -- Torri S. Williams, 22, of the 1200 block of Northwestern Avenue, was arrested on suspicion of driving while suspended/prior."

It seems we might have seen the last down of football for Williams in a Purdue uniform after all...I trust he had been warned that if he was to get arrested, yet again, his career at Purdue would be over. We'll see how Hope reacts, but if I were a betting man, I'd say Evans, McKinley or someone else will now be starting in '09 at safety.

All that said, this is by far the least-serious offense in the string of arrests Williams has had...We'll see.

*addendum- The Colts also signed Pat Kuntz to a free agent contract...Kuntz went to Indianapolis Roncalli, then to UND, now to the Colts...so maybe it's not that uncommon.

Making the most of an opportunity

Only four Boilers were invited to the NFL Combine in Lucas Oil Stadium, but all have been noteworthy, at least in one or two categories.

-Alex Magee was a top-10 performer in the bench press putting up 225 30 times (that's impressive to me because I can only do it 29 times). While some scouts say his position switch in '08 helped show his flexibility from a positional standpoint, I don't think it raised his stock at all as his numbers never seemed to show a dominant DE.

-Curtis Painter surprised some people by finishing in the top-10 in the 40 (finishing 6th with a 4.87)...remember, he was an option quarterback during his first season at Purdue. He was fifth in the three-cone drill, coming in at 7.0.

-Greg Orton came into the combine chiseled, and his bench press reflected his physique. He put up 225 22 times, third-most by wide receivers. His vertical leap of 38 inches tied him in 6th place...and his 10'5" broad jump placed him 7th among a very talented group of receivers. His numbers, route-running and build seem to lend themselves to being a possession receiver on the next level.

-Kory Sheets confidence was the only thing that outshined his performance at the combine. Calling himself one of the most under-rated backs at the event, Sheets backed it up by running a top-3 4.47 40 yard dash, a top-5 vertical jump (37 in.), top-5 broad jump (10'1") and the sixth-best 60-yard shuttle running an 11.7.

Both Kory and Curtis were asked some difficult questions- Curtis was asked about his drop in production in '08...his answers were congruent with his overall attitude...like his old coach, he wasn't too up or too down ever while in a Boiler uniform, and he didn't get too excited about these questions either. He simply reiterated that he was trying to prove he was a capable athlete and that he placed too much pressure on himself during his Senior campaign.

Sheets, like Painter, didn't seem to have the best answer when asked a difficult question. Teams and media members alike asked him about his public conflict with Painter and Tiller during his final season at Purdue. He pretty much said, "It was what it was..."

Neither player particularly helped themselves with these answers. Hopefully all these Boilers test well behind closed doors.

Quick note- I have no idea why Anthony Heygood didn't get a look at the Combine...hopefully he'll be able to help himself during the pro day in West Lafayette.

Brady Quinn Draft Diary

It's no secret that we aren't big fans of Notre Dame around here. That's what happens when you end up being humbled for a few decades by one particular, in-state rival, while that rival is becoming more and more overrated and signs exclusive network TV deals even though they play the armed services as part of their challenging schedule every year. Ah, but I digress.

We asked Brady Quinn if he wanted to bury the hatchet and do a diary for us on the day of the NFL draft. Many pundits had Quinn going #3 to the Browns so we thought this could be fun as Brady realizes his true calling as a top-tier draft pick.

----------------------------------------

11:45 AM: Hey, everybody! Brady Quinn here! I am psyched for the draft and ready to sign my big contract. Aren't I pretty? The lady of the evening that Drew Rosenhaus sent me last night sure liked me. I think I have a chance to go number 1 today. I mean, I know I've been projected at number 3 but, really, the Raiders need a QB and I was coached by Charlie Weis, so we all know I'm practically an NFL quarterback already, right? And besides, this JaMarcus Russell -- who the hell heard of him before my team put him on the map in January in the bowl game? We made Russell who he is, so really, he should be thanking us. And who doesn't what a white, pretty-boy, sparkling smile QB as their team leader?

11:58 AM: I have to be honest, I hope Cleveland doesn't take me. But I will be a good soldier if they do. I mean, it's Cleveland, right? They wear those hideous orange uniforms sometimes. I don't know if I can do that. I might just have to petition the team to change to navy blue with gold helmets. I look stout in those. Hey, that would be creative. I could hold out until they change their color scheme. And retire my number immediately. Bitches.

12:15PM: Okay, so Oakland just took JaMarcus Russell. Bogus. He's so overrated. Hey, he was only a junior! I was a senior! Seniors rule! And you know, I keep hearing about Russell being able to throw the ball like 75 yards from his knees. Whatever. I know a lot about holding balls while on my knees, and I don't think that's really possible. I mean, who can't throw a ball 75 yards? I throw for more than 300 yards all the time at Notre Dame. Oh, wait, Calvin Johnson just told me Russell can do that on one throw. Whatever. Not possible. And besides, if you're on your knees, you're considered down aren't you? Yeah, that's what I thought. That's a Notre Dame graduate brain for you, boys. Better represent.

12:28 PM: Alright, Detroit always sucks, too, and they need a QB. I mean, when don't they need a QB? And they play in a dome. I can get down with that. And the #2 pick makes serious dough, too. Here we go...

12:32 PM: F-ck! They took Calvin Johnson. Yeah, nice move, Millen. Who's going to throw to him, you putz? Shit, this probably means I'm going to Cleveland. Oh, well, it'll be fine. I like Cleveland. I like snow. I like Ohio. These aren't tears in my eyes, really... it's just kind of dry in this room. And I yawned.

12:45 PM: Wow, that was embarrassing. I stood up and was halfway to the podium before I realized Cleveland didn't pick me. That has to be a mistake. Maybe this dipshit Goodell can't read my name. It's not that hard, man! "Joe Thomas" doesn't sound anything like "Brady Quinn." Brady Quinn. God, that's sexy. I love hearing my name. Especially when someone shouts it in an orgasmic fit of ecstacy.

12:55 PM: Okay, I'm okay with this. We can roll with Tampa. It's warm there, it's not Cleveland, their existing QB had his spleen busted last year. I could rule that town.

1:15 PM: This isn't even funny. Tampa picked some guy I've never heard of. He played for Clementine or something. This is wack.

2:25 PM: I was giving my diary the silent treatment for a while there. I am so mad. Some more shitty teams passed me up. Arizona, Washington and Minnesota... none of you could use a beautiful man such as myself? Get real.

2:40 PM: Atlanta just picked Jamaal Anderson. Come on, now I know you're all f-cking with me. He played for them, like, when I was in high school.

2:55 PM: Okay, now Miami us up. This is it. And it's awesome. All those experts said for a long time that Miami was hot for me. And that's cool. Miami would be perfect for my tanning goals and in the off-season, I think Alex Rodriguez lives there. I can't tell you how many times I've been watching a Yankee game and fallen into a daydream about horsing around with Alex on a beach, talking sports, visiting the sauna.... cracking each other on the ass with wet towels.

3:05 PM: Just had to text Alex back and tell him Miami didn't take me after all. This is not cool. Seriously. Have none of these teams seen me flex? I'm a damn Adonis!

4:35 PM: Houston, San Fran, Buffalo, St. Louis, Jets, Pittsburgh... you can all suck it. I can't believe you'd pass me up. I'm NFL-ready, I tell you! Even Charlie Weis says so!

5:15 PM: I can't believe this. Guys are getting to walk up there and smile who nobody has heard of. I mean, who are these guys? I know they don't play for Notre Dame and I don't recognize anybody from our games against Army, Navy and Vanderbilt. This is so confusing. Am I even at the right draft? Maybe today's day 2 and I was picked yesterday. Yeah, that's probably it.

5:30 PM: Okay, the Giants are next. That would be great. Screw this Eli Manning kid -- he clearly isn't NFL-ready. I could take New York by storm. I hear there are lots of fun bars in "the village" in New York. Sounds like my kind of place.

5:32 PM: Bastards. I hate New York. Plus someone just told me the Giants don't even play in New York. That's completely misrepresenting. I don't like it.

5:45 PM: Wait, what just happened? I got picked! Hell yeah! Wait, let me look at this booklet I have... who had the number 22 pick? Dallas! DALLAS! YEEEAHHH, bitches! I guess Tony Romo really did end his time there with that botch in the playoffs! Awesome. I belong in a place like Dallas, playing for a franchise about as arrogant and entitled as my college program. Excellent.

5:46 PM: I don't think this Goodell guy was ready to be the commissioner at all. He just gave me a Cleveland Browns hat instead of a Cowboys hat. Ha ha, real funny commish. I get it, yeah, close call with the Browns. Good thing I'll be a Cowboy! Wahoo!

5:50 PM: Everyone around me is keeping up this joke that I am actually a member of the Browns. Yeah, okay, guys, I get it... it's funny but it's not that funny. When do I get interviewed about the future of the Cowboys and playing for Jerry Jones?

6:05 PM: Apparently, there was some kind of administrative mixup and my rights have been signed over to the Browns. I'm sure the Cowboys will fight this since I am not the kind of prized possesion you just let go of without a fight. I'll be polite to these Cleveland people calling me on the horn but only to a point -- I might have to steamroll them when I'm quarterbacking the Cowboys next season.

This is Brady Quinn, out.

How's the offensive line?

Please pardon me while I lose my impartiality. That is to say; bear with me while I angrily vent about a Cleveland sports team.

If the Browns draft freaking Brady Quinn then I am going to be very angry. Hulk smash type angry.

The last thing the Browns need is another quarterback! Address the root cause of the suck for once! They need an offensive line. Draft 7 offensive linemen! That way, then all of them get hurt while walking to the first practice of the season, you'll still have people capable of playing on the OFFENSIVE LINE!

In order words, take note: Your quarterback sucks. Your running back sucks. Your receivers suck. Your defense sucks. What do they all have in common?

Exhibit A: Quarterbacks. Your quarterbacks cannot stand upright for more than 1.5 seconds because THE OFFENSIVE LINE SUCKS!

Exhibit B: Running backs. Your running backs have no holes to run through and thus average -10 yards per carry because THE OFFENSIVE LINE SUCKS!

Exhibit C: Wide receivers. The receivers are just running track out there because the quarterback isn't upright long enough to throw them the ball because THE OFFENSIVE LINE SUCKS!

Exhibit D: Defense. The defense is on the field for 59 minutes a game because the offense goes 3 and out every single time. Why are the on the field for 59 minutes a game? Because THE OFFENSIVE LINE SUCKS!

I hope that you members of the jury hear the point that I'm trying to make. Let's all say it in unison...