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From Bradford to Mr. Irrelevant, rookies begin life in NFL.

From No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford all the way down to Mr. Irrelevant himself, Tim Toone, the 2010 draft class is starting to get acclimated to life in the NFL.

There’s no hitting at the league’s annual four-day rookie symposium at La Costa, not even time for hitting golf balls on La Costa’s famous golf courses.

The 252 draft picks — three have been excused for medical reasons — have come together at the posh resort to prepare for the challenges ahead. Topics include personal finance, personal conduct and things a lot of players might not have thought about, such as how expensive it can get buying tickets for all their friends and family members who want to go to games.

The rookies took a break on Monday to host a barbecue for 150 children of Marines stationed at nearby Camp Pendleton.

One of the Marines escorting the children, Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Miller, a St. Louis native, was wearing a replica Bradford No. 8 Rams jersey.

“I saw that. It’s pretty cool,” Bradford said.

“We’ve been kind of locked up in meetings since we got here. To get out here and get to be with the kids, that’s what it’s all about,” the quarterback said. “I know that if I were their age and I was out here and there were 250 NFL players, I would probably be pretty pumped up, so I can only imagine how these kids feel today.”

Running back Ryan Mathews, the No. 12 overall pick who will replace LaDainian Tomlinson with the San Diego Chargers, agreed.

“I’d be going crazy. I’d be running around trying to touch everybody. I’d probably have a football in my hand trying to throw at everybody. It’s crazy,” Mathews said.

While many of the players are big names, Toone is notable for being the last player drafted, by the Detroit Lions, thus the tag of Mr. Irrelevant.

The diminutive wide receiver from Weber State is distinguishable by the dreadlocks flowing out from under his Lions visor.

Asked if he’d had a chance to meet Bradford, who went 254 picks ahead of him, Toone said: “I don’t think he knows who I am.”

Toone will be feted later this week during Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach. He’ll receive the Lowsman Trophy, the opposite of the Heisman Trophy, which Bradford won in 2008 while at Oklahoma.

Toone won’t be getting the staggering signing bonuses that top picks get.

“You have to be careful and you need to learn how to say no,” Toone said. “A lot of us aren’t going to be like wealthy and rich and we still have to plan the rest of our lives. I can’t play football forever, so you have to be responsible and be grown up and professional about everything you do.”

One of the big topics in the NFL right now is the possibility of a lockout in 2011 if management and the players’ union can’t come up with a new collective bargaining agreement.

Most of the rookies, though, are more worried about making their team’s roster this year than the possibility of missed paycheques in 2011.

“Even if there isn’t a lockout, you should do the same things, still invest and find the right places to put the money so it can work for you,” Toone said. “I’m not thinking about the lockout, I’m thinking about making the team and being able to provide and have something for next year in case. If not, then I can go back to school.”

Said Bradford: “I’m excited about this year. This being my rookie season, that’s all I’m focused on right now, trying to learn as much as possible as soon as possible and helping my team win.”

Bradford would love to play golf at La Costa but won’t get the chance.

“I wish,” he said. “Our schedule is jam-packed.”

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

By Jim Walsh

The St. Paul Pioneers got back into the win column Saturday in convincing fashion, using a smothering defense, an opportunistic offense and solid special teams play to dominate the Rochester Giants on Saturday in Rochester, Minn.

On offense, it was the Alex Neist to Joseph Mapson show, with the Pioneers quarterback hooking up with the team’s leading receiver seven times for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Neist passed for 250 yards, but tossed three interceptions to go with the three scores. Wideout Reggie Houston also had a big game, coming back from a sore knee at Superior the week before to snare six catches for 99 yards. The Pioneers tallied almost 300 yards of total offense on teh day.

“We had a really nice game on the offensive side of the ball,” said Rob Neumann, the team’s offensive coordinator. “The line did a great job protecting Alex and giving us time to find some things downfield.”

On defense, Pioneers tackle Jeff McGaster had a dominating game, tallying three tackles and two sacks. But he also got into the game on offense, plunging in for a one yard TD run as fullback. Middle linebacker Josh Hollie also was back to his old ways, leading the team in tackles with 11 total stops and grabbing an interception. Defensive end Patrick Mitambo and cornerback Terry Jones also had sacks for the Pioneers. Safety Nate Beulah had a big game, with two interceptions and four tackles.

“The whole defensive effort was good,” said defensive coordinator Jim Walsh. “It was nice to have most of our regular guys back in the lineup. It certainly showed.”

In all, St. Paul gave up just 51 yards rushing and garnered four sacks, three interceptions and three fumbles recovered.

St. Paul kicker Jay Harding had a big day, as well. Hitting two field goals and booming the ball deep on kickoffs. He also handled the punting duties well. The 36-14 victory was a solid step back into the team’s winning ways, Head Coach Mark Heiser said.

“We have to keep up this kind of effort to get ready for the playoffs,” Heiser said of the team’s two remaining regular season games, both of which will be at home. “We can really set ourselves up for a good run… if we keep doing the things we know how to do.”

Notes:

Jon Robinson was the Pioneers’ leading rusher Saturday, with 25 yards on eight carries.

The Pioneers defense notched 16 tackles for loss on the day.

While Brett Favre continues to waffle in public over whether or not he’s going to come back for the 2010 season, everything he’s done off the field indicates a return is imminent.

First, Favre went and had ankle surgery, a surgery only really necessary at this point if the person in question intends on playing professional football.

Favre went on an eight-mile bicycle ride Thursday, according to a report in the Biloxi Sun Herald on Thursday. This ride was part of the rehabilitation from his surgery.

Favre also told the Sun Herald that his recovery is on schedule, which isn’t a comment necessary to make unless you’re planning on stepping on a football field this fall.

Another interesting quote from Favre was about the New Orleans Saints, whom the Vikings are scheduled to face in the season opener in New Orleans.

“I would love to go beat the Saints,” he said in the article. “I know I can still play at a high level.”

It’s been reported in several places that the majority of Vikings players, coaches, and other team officials expect Favre to return. Vikings head coach Brad Childress has said he’s willing to give Favre all the time he needs to make a decision in just about every interview he’s given on the subject.

Favre didn’t report to the Vikings until August last year after signing with the team, so don’t expect this year to be any different.

Favre has reached the age where he doesn’t need or want to go through the early stages of training camp, the two-a-days, basic offensive meetings, and basic drills.

Favre most likely will do the same thing he did last year: Wait until the first two weeks of camp have passed, miss the first preseason game, and then show up on a flaming chariot.

The bigger story at this point really isn’t, “Will Favre return?”

The biggest story to keep your eye out for is, “What DAY will Favre return?”

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith broke his left arm for the second time in six months.

The Panthers said Smith suffered his latest injury while playing flag football this past weekend and has already undergone surgery to have a plate inserted to help the healing process.

“Steve has talked to me and feels terrible about it,” said Panthers general manager Marty Hurney in a statement on the team’s website. “Now his focus is on the rehabilitating process and getting back as quickly as he can.”

Smith broke a bone in his left arm last December, taking a helmet to the arm while making a touchdown reception in a 41-9 victory over the Giants in the team’s next-to-last game of the season.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the latest break is near the same area as the previous one.

Smith will miss the start of Carolina’s training camp, which begins July 28, but he could be ready for the team’s season-opener on September 12 against the Giants.

Last year, Smith finished with team bests of 65 receptions, 982 yards and seven touchdowns. The catches and yards were his lowest since an injury- shortened 2004 campaign.

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

NFL meets with union officials, discuss adding two games.

NFL and union officials discussed adding two games to the regular season when they met Wednesday for their first negotiating session since February.

Teams would still play a total of 20 exhibition plus regular-season games under the proposal. The league would go from four in the pre-season and 16 in the regular season to two and 18.

“This is an idea that is really gaining momentum, particularly with the owners,” Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said on a conference call.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires in March, which could lead to a work stoppage during the 2011 season.

In quotes released by the NFL Players Association, Tom Brady and Ray Lewis expressed concern about the damage two extra regular-season games could do to players’ bodies.

“I’ve taken part in several post-season runs where we have played 20 games,” said Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback. “The long-term impact this game has on our bodies is well documented. Look no further than the players that came before we did. Each player today has to play three years in order to earn five years of post-career health care.”

Murphy said he frequently hears Packers fans complain about the quality of exhibition games, as starters now play sparingly in the pre-season. With off-season training, he said, players come into camp in good shape and no longer need four games to prepare.

“Part of it is really providing more value to our fans,” Murphy said. “The quality of our pre-season has really deteriorated over time.”

Murphy suggested that more regular-season games would mean more revenue — which means more money distributed to players. The earliest season with an expanded schedule would be 2012.

“I know our fans may not like pre-season games and I don’t like all of them,” said Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker, “but swapping two pre-season games for two end-of-season games — when players already play hurt — comes at a huge cost for the player and the team.”

Murphy said the league would look into how players train during the off-season and season to try to reduce injuries. The size of the active roster and practice squads could also be increased; that would have to be agreed to in bargaining.

The NFL could expand to 22 games — four exhibition, 18 regular season — under the current CBA, subject to financial negotiation with players, but Murphy said the league would not make a change without an agreement from the union.

He floated the possibility of creating a developmental league to make up for the experience lost by younger players with the reduction in pre-season games.

“If you look across most professional sports, we’re the only league without some type of minor league or developmental system to develop players,” Murphy said.

Vikings sign running back Ryan Moats.

The Minnesota Vikings have signed running back Ryan Moats.

The team announced the addition Tuesday. Moats was waived by the Houston Texans last week after rushing for 390 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Vikings coach Brad Childress was the offensive co-ordinator in Philadelphia in 2005, when Moats was a rookie. The Eagles drafted him in the third round out of Louisiana Tech.

Moats signed with the Texans in 2008 and filled in at times for starter Steve Slaton in 2009. He had a career game at Buffalo on Nov. 1, with 126 yards and three touchdowns.

After losing Chester Taylor, the Vikings have added rookie Toby Gerhart and Moats as backups to Adrian Peterson. Albert Young, Darius Reynaud and Ian Johnson are also in the mix.

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

Dallas police say Titans’ QB Vince Young cited for assault.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young received a misdemeanour assault citation after getting into a fight at a Dallas strip club and leaving before authorities arrived early Sunday, police said.

Surveillance video footage released by police showed the former University of Texas star and several people talking in a small room before Young attacked someone in the room. Others tried to break up the fight.

Young wasn’t at Club Onyx when police responded to a call about the fight, said Dallas police Lt. Andy Harvey.

Harvey said an investigation led to Young receiving a Class C assault citation, punishable by a fine up to US$500.

Titans spokesman Robbie Bohren said the team was aware of the incident and had contacted Young. He said the team was still gathering information. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a tweet that the league “will look into it.”

Titans coach Jeff Fisher was holding his annual charity softball game Sunday night in Nashville. Young was not on the early list of players committed to appear in the game.

The Titans resume on-field sessions Monday.

Young, the No. 3 pick overall in 2006, got his starting job back last fall when Tennessee started 0-6 and owner Bud Adams put him back in the lineup. He helped the Titans win eight of their final 10 and heads into his fifth NFL season with a 26-13 record as a starter.

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

Peterson’s absence from Vikings minicamp irks Childress

Adrian Peterson Day took priority over Minnesota Vikings minicamp.

Peterson was absent from Friday’s mandatory practice because of an event in his honour in his hometown, and coach Brad Childress is unhappy about it.

“I just know that there’s a bunch of guys here,” Childress said. “This has the term mandatory for a reason. The work’s here.”

The fourth annual Adrian Peterson Day is scheduled for Saturday in Palestine, Tex., where the All-Pro running back was raised. There will be a parade and a meet-and-greet session for the locals with Peterson, who has been mostly working out on his own in Houston this off-season.

Childress said he “had an inkling” about the conflict but that Peterson didn’t tell him until an appearance at the team’s facility this week.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be like every year they’re going to have that,” Childress said, “but we’re going to have this too.”

Asked whether he would consider this absence excused, Childress demurred.

“That’s something that we’ll talk about upstairs,” he said.

Peterson, like several Vikings veterans, has chosen not to attend the voluntary practices and workouts in Minnesota this spring. The organized team activities, as they’re called by the NFL, are important to the coaches and have become a part of the off-season routine around the league even if they’re not contractually required for the players.

Wide receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice and cornerback Antoine Winfield have all been working out on their own in warmer places, and Brett Favre is still in Mississippi without a confirmation if he’s coming back for a 20th NFL season.

Asked whether he’s worried that Favre’s refusal to commit can give other players an excuse to skip town until training camp, Childress called the 40-year-old quarterback’s situation a “special circumstance.”

“I don’t think Adrian’s batting around retirement in his mind, I don’t believe,” Childress said, adding: “Is everything equal? Obviously it’s not. That’s just the way it is. That’s matter of fact. I think everybody understands that part of the equation.”

Favre’s decision to have ankle surgery and a court ruling that kept a hold on pending four-game suspensions for defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams set the Vikings up to return their entire starting lineup from last season’s NFC runner-up team. That’s assuming linebacker E.J. Henderson and cornerback Cedric Griffin are able to eventually recover from their injuries, which might not happen in time for the season opener.

For this weekend at least, this model of stability was missing a few important pieces — though these are non-contact workouts for a team that has had the same offensive and defensive systems in place for four years.

Childress said his understanding was that Peterson would miss the entire weekend minicamp, which includes two practices on Saturday and one more on Sunday.

Favre and defensive end Ray Edwards were missing too, but Childress didn’t express concern about Edwards, who has yet to sign his contract tender and is expected to do so by Tuesday’s deadline.

“I think he’d probably want to do that, wouldn’t you?” Childress said.

Edwards was upset that because of the upcoming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement he was ineligible for unrestricted free agency. He had restricted status and signed a one-year tender.

“I know he understands that this is business,” Childress said. “We’ve communicated back and forth, because nobody likes to practise more and play more than Ray Edwards.”

The Vikings have been working on Peterson’s fumbling problem, and on the field earlier this week Peterson and the other running backs carried a 14-pound, sand-filled ball that is supposed to help players develop a stronger feel for the ol’ pigskin.

“It’s akin to putting a weight on a bat and swinging it before you go to the plate,” Childress said.

Asked whether the Vikings want to change the way Peterson carries the ball, the coach said: “When he’s here.”

The players, at least publicly, weren’t worried about their missing-in-action teammates.

“I cry myself to sleep every night,” defensive end Jared Allen said, with heavy sarcasm. He added: “Those guys are their own people. They’re going to do what they do.”

Allen was then asked what he would do if there were a Jared Allen Day planned in his hometown. “I’d be doing jumping jacks … right now. I wouldn’t even be here.”

Winfield gave Peterson a pass, too.

“We know what he brings to the table. We know he’s a hard worker. We’re not worried about that,” Winfield said.

Matt Field
TenYards.com Sports Editor

After months of speculation, the NCAA has finally released its rulings on an investigation into the USC athletic programs and alleged recruiting violations. And the news is not good for USC fans.

A 2 year bowl game ban, recruiting restrictions, and a loss of TEN scholarships per year for the next 3 years. That’s a total loss of 30 scholarships, which is a rather harsh punishment. However, the bigger news in this deal is the vacating of wins from the 2004-2005 season, which includes a 2005 BCS Championship. The culprit in this deal? Reggie Bush, the mercurial RB/WR/KR who was also the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner. It has long been rumored that Bush’s family was receiving improper benefits, including a rent-free home, while Bush was attending school at USC. Apprently, the NCAA found that Bush was receiving some type of improper benefits, though they did not release exactly what those were. Bush has already released a statement saying he “disagrees” with the NCAA’s findings, but, what else was he supposed to say? It’s been widely assumed that he’s guilty, and he wasn’t exactly cooperative with the NCAA when they wanted to interview him. Unfortunately, the current players will have to pay for the sins of Bush and the former coaching staff. Speaking of the coaching staff, does anyone else think Pete Carroll abandoned ship at just the right time?

Another side plot in this story? Lane Kiffin. Kiffin has one year of head coaching experience, and already has more recruiting violations than some coaches with 20 years experience. What happens the next time Lane messes up? Does USC get the dreaded “death penalty” or something close to it? Was the USC administration arrogant enough to think they were going to get off the hook with the NCAA in this deal, so they didn’t have to worry about Kiffin’s past transgressions? I have to think they are seriously kicking themselves today for that decision, even though the university has said they will appeal the ruling to the NCAA, claiming that the punishment was “too severe” for the violations. I hate to break it to you, USC, but you had a player basically being paid to play for you for a couple of years. The punishment definitely fits the crimes.

Hey, Seantrel Henderson, still comfortable with your decision to attend USC?

Rob Neumann
TenYards.com Correspondent

Report: Texas and Texas A&M have petitioned for membership to the Big Ten.

High level sources in multiple conferences have told KCTV5 that Texas and Texas A&M are looking to move to the Big Ten Conference and have petitioned for membership, while the University of Oklahoma is planning on petitioning the Southeastern Conference to become a member of its conference.

KCTV5’s sources said that Texas and Texas A&M do not have to include Texas Tech or Baylor in their plans. Sources told KCTV5 that there have already been discussions about the two schools entering the Big Ten and that the agreement could be made as soon as Thursday.

Oklahoma is currently working on petitioning to enter the SEC, but must find another university to enter the league with them, sources said. TMZ Sports has reported that Oklahoma State is likely to accept a bid to move to the Pac-10. Earlier Thursday, Colorado accepted an invitation to join the Pac-10.

KCTV5’s sources also said that some Big 12 officials are saying decisions on which deals Big 12 schools take invitations by the end of the day Thursday, although the deals may not be officially announced. Big 12 officials also tell KCTV5’s sources that some Big 12 office employees are planning to be without a job within weeks.

Those decisions would leave the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri with Baylor, Texas Tech and Iowa State in the Big 12. The Missouri Board of Curators met Thursday and planned to meet Friday to discuss the future of Missouri sports

http://www.kctv5.com/sports/23860558/detail.html