OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team ... Maybe not

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team has some updates. Some are good, some are, well, not so good.

The only quarterback on the team, Xavier Lee, was moved to tight end by the Ravens. He didn't make it to first cuts, much less last cuts. So the team isn't going to have a lot of passing. Be interesting to see if there is another undrafted QB that makes a team. Dorien Bryant from Purdue was a top OldCleat pick to eventually become an NFL starter. Oops. Bryant failed his physical with the Steelers. I can't find that he's hooked on any where else.

More later.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Lou Piniella throws a birthday base

Lou Piniella turns 65 today. He was the World Series-winning manager for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. One of my favorite teams of all time was the 1990 Cincinnati Reds ... I may have mentioned this before. I am not sure what became of Lou after, I don't know, about 1992. (Actually, I am going to Wrigley Field tonight, as it happens, to see Sweet Lou.) Happy Birthday, Lou ... throw a base for me.

John Hiatt, 56 Years Old today

John Hiatt turns 56 today. I am tempted to say somthing about the cracked rear view of his life, but I will resist that temptation. "Bring the Family" is I think one of the great all-time albums, and it may be the most overlooked great album of the last whatever years. The image is from Amazon.

OldCleat Draft and Undrafted Update: Injury Bug

OldCleat just recommends 'em, but they have to play. And to play, they have to stay healthy. Well, that ain't happening.

In redrafting the Bengal's draft, I would have taken Justin King over Bubba Caldwell for the Bengals in the third round. Barely. Well, King tore his toe ligament in the first preseason game and is out for the year. Caldwell is fighting for the No. 3 wideout position for the Bengals.

In the fifth round, I would have taken Jonathan Goff and Alvin Bowen over Jason Shirley (as well as a few other players). Goff injured a vertabrae (a fractured transverse process) and is out indefinitely. Bowen has a torn ACL and is probably out for the year. The big news about Shirley, all this according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "is that he faces a Sept. 24 trial date in Fresno, Calif., on three misdemeanors: hit-and-run, driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher, the Fresno Bee reports. It will be his second trial. In June, a jury failed to reach a verdict after three days of deliberation. The trial had been scheduled to begin Aug. 27, but a judge at a hearing Thursday said he would give Shirley's lawyer more time to acquire and review transcripts of the first trial."

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team, with updates, I picked Nehemiah Warrick as one of the top players not to get drafted. The Giants signed him. Warrick hurt his knee in the first preseason game and the Giants cut him. The tough thing is, while many teams keep several safeties because of special teams, there are more strong safeties coming out of colleges than free safeties. So we shall see about Warrick. Vince Hall, another top OldCleat pick, looked impressive in early Rams camp but was waived because of a hamstring injury.

Good news, though, Ali Highsmith is impressing the Cardinals staff. And Wesley Woodyard played very well for the Broncos and is moving up in an injury-depleted staff.

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Danny Graves Born in Vietnam 35 Years Ago Today

Danny Graves, former Cincinnati Reds closer, was born in Saigon 35 years ago today. He is the first and thus far only Vietnamese-American player to have made the bigs. He was part of one of the best trade deadline deals in Reds history, and one of Jim Bowden's best deals as Reds GM.

Graves was part of the deal with Jeff Branson and John Smiley on July 31, 1997 that Bowden got from the Cleveland Indians. Bowden gave up Jim Crowell, Damian Jackson, and Scott Winchester. This was one of the great deals in Bowden's great deal-bad deal dichotomy.

Graves had seasons of 27, 30, 32, 32, and 41 saves for the Reds. They tried to make him a starter during that stretch, and he want 4-15 that season. But he was a helluva closer for several seasons. He is still active, pitching for the Twins Triple-A club. Minnesota was trying to make him a starter, but they recently abandoned that experiment. The image of Danny is from Sports Illustrated and Andy Lyons/Getty Images.

The Reds released Danny in 2005 after he gave the one-gun salute to some drunken moron who made racial slurs toward him at a game. Graves was really struggling, and it appeared that his time as a Red was coming to an end. While I almost always try to side with the fans--who I think are the least-considered stakeholder in pro sports--this time, no. I don't think Danny should have made the gesture. But they should have stuck with him at least for a while instead of letting that moronic damned fan "win."

Happy Birthday, Danny.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Ken Griffey Jr. -- Good Guy Wearin' Black

Ken Griffey Jr. is now a Chicago White Sox. Good Guys wear black. Grab some bench. One Dog. Big Hurt. Little Hurt. Rockin' Robin. Paulie. El Duque. (Hawk Harrelson is sort of like George W. Bush in so many ways, but in this instance it's because he has nicknames for everyone.)

Ken Griffey Jr. cared about what the fans of Cincinnati thought about him. Paul Daugherty of the Enquirer called Junior the most thin-skinned star that he had covered in 20 years. Why was Junior thin-skinned, however? Because he cared what the fans thought. Most pro players could really give a rat's patootie.

I hope that Junior wins a World Series with the ChiSox. Since I'm up in Chicago, I am now going to go to some White Sox games down at the Comiskey and root Junior on. Junior is a great player, and I am a Junior fan. Sue me.

Junior is wearing No. 17. I don't know why.

Maybe I can round the kids up and go see Junior next week when the Sox are at home. Go Junior. Go Nick Masset. Go Rocket Richar.

Joe Nuxhall Born 80 Years Ago Today

Joe Nuxhall would have been 80 years old today. And all of Reds Nation misses him, I would think. The Reds have done a very nice job honoring Nuxy, one in a spate of folks that the Reds are honoring. That, friends, is an entry for another day (Joey Jay had a few monster years for the early-1960s Reds, but are the Cincinnati nine honoring too many former players?). I have nothing at all against Dave Niehaus, but I still am a little saddened that the HOF didn't honor Nuxy when he so richly deserved it (especially after huge support from his fans). According to this story, Nuxy dominated everyone -- "Of the 122,505 fans who participated in the online election, 82,304 (67.2 percent) voted for Nuxhall, who died Nov. 15 from pneumonia at the age of 79. His passing was mourned throughout baseball, especially in Cincinnati. -- In the online balloting, King received 7,659 votes and Morgan got 6,065." The image is from the Cincinnati Enquirer and their great cartoonist, Jim Borgman.

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker

Al Beauchamp, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker from 1968 to 1975, celebrates a birthday on June 25. He was born June 25, 1944, in Baton Rouge, LA. He was a fine player, and he held down an outside backer job from the Bengals inception for eight years. He also played in St. Louis for the football Cardinals.

Beauchamp played at Southern University, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1968 draft by Paul Brown. The Bengals had an interesting draft in 1968. They were a first-year expansion team, so a lot of the players had an opportunity to impress right away. Also, Paul Brown didn't have a team to coach in 1967, so he was able to scout full-time. And he was the GM-head coach, so he didn't have to answer to anyone, so it was a little like building the Browns back in 1946.

Besides Beauchamp, Brown found Howard Fest, Bob Trumpy, Jesse Phillips, and Paul Robinson in later rounds in that draft.

The image of Al Beauchamp is the 1969 Tresler Comet Bengals card, and it comes from footballcardgallery.com.

Terry Hoeppner Inducted into Hall of Honor

Terry Hoeppner will be inducted today, June 19, 2008, into the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor, one year to the day after he died from brain cancer. The story about Coach Hep in today's Shreveport Times by Teddy Allen is very well done. Hoeppner was a great coach and a better person, and I am amazed that Miami (and the Big Ten and the college football community in general) lost two such young and amazing men as Hoeppner and Randy Walker in such a short space of time. The amazing reaction the entire Indiana University community had to Hoeppner is an indication of his impact. I'm glad Hoeppner was able to coach for the Hoosiers. The image of Terry Hoeppner is from Jeff Swinger of The Enquirer.

Here is the poem Don't Quit:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out --
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Penguins To Decide on Next Cup Move on Saturday

The Pittsburgh Penguins, while acknowledging that the Detroit Red Wings have won enough games in the Stanley Cup Finals to take the Cup, have not made a decision on whether to suspend their quest for the championship this year.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien congratulated the Red Wings for their campaign, but he did not concede the Cup. "This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight," he said. There were reports after the Red Wings won the fourth game that Pittsburgh would concede, but Therrien said Pittsburgh was "absolutely not" prepared to do so.

"I am just enormously grateful," Therrien said, "because, in the millions of quiet moments, in thousands of places, you asked yourself a simple question: Who will be the strongest team. Who will be ready to hoist the Stanley Cup and take charge as champions and lead hockey to better tomorrows?

"You know, I understand that that a lot of people are asking, 'What do the Penguins want? What do they want?

"Well, the Penguins want what the Penguins have always fought for in this whole campaign. The Pengins want to win the Cup.

"Now, the question is: Where do we go from here? And given how far we've come and where we need to go as a sport, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and the Penguins will be making no decisions tonight.

"But this has always been the fans campaign. So, to the 800,000 people who came to Penguins games, and to our 18 million other supporters out there of all ages, we want to hear from you. I hope you'll go to the Penguins website at penguins.nhl.com and share your thoughts with the team and help in any way that you can.

"And in the coming days, the Penguins will be consulting with supporters and other teams in hockey to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our team and the NHL guiding our way."

Eric Davis Another Year Older

Eric Davis for about five years in the late 1980s was what I thought Willie Mays was. Sorry. I know that you are not supposed to compare anyone to Willie Mays. But Davis was the best package, the most complete centerfielder, I had ever seen. At age 24, he had 27 homers and 80 stolen bases. At age 25, he had 37 homers and 50 stolen bases. Of course, then Junior came along, and E kept getting hurt, and so on. But, E was the guy. He was the one who led the Reds out of the dark times, all the way to a wire-to-wire World Series with one of my favorite teams of all time. In 2007, Davis received three out of 545 ballots for the Hall of Fame, or 0.6 percent. He tied Dante Bichette. Dante Bichette, for cryin' out loud. Jose Canseco doubled that vote total, getting six votes. Goes to show that Hall of Fame voters can be moronic just like the rest of us. Davis is 46 years old today. The somewhat disturbing image of Eric Davis and Marge Schott is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Glenn Hartong.

Bill Doran is 50

Bill Doran turned 50 years old yesterday. He grew up in Cincinnati, was a Mt. Healthy Owl, and played for Miami. He is the best major league player that Miami ever produced (sorry Charlie). When Billy was a Houston Astro, Bill James had what I think can best be described as a little crush on him. James used to talk and talk about how Bill was the second best second baseman in the NL, next to Ryne Sandberg, but nobody knew it. Bill was on the Reds in 1990 when they won the World Series, but he was on the DL during the postseason run. Happy Birthday Bill. The image is from Astros Daily.

John Fogerty still rockin' at 63

John Fogerty turns 63 today. He was born May 28, 1945, in Berkeley, CA. I bought the Creedence Clearwater Revival boxed set and have been listening to it, especially the Golliwogs disc. The Golliwogs were the Fogerty brothers with Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford playing together before they became CCR. The Golliwogs had some pretty good tunes. They were closer to a pop-R&B sound than CCR was. Listening to the CCR songs, each one, back to back, you realize what a great damned band that was. I also have been listening quite a bit to Revival, John's most recent album, where he just gives the White House some holy hell. I would love to see John this summer, but I just checked on John Fogerty dot com and it doesn't look like he's coming to Chicago. The image at right is from Rolling Stone.

Larry Wilson, All-Time Great Safety, Turns 70

Larry Wilson was the greatest free safety of his era. He was Ed Reed. Wilson was a ballhawk (some say he was THE ballhawk), a fine run supporter, and a great cover player. And, he is supposedly the first safety to blitz. Wilson turns 70 this weekend. A coordinator named Chuck Drulis has been credited with creating the safety blitz for Wilson to take advantage of his unique abilities. The HOF profile, however, disputes that he invented it or was the first safety to blitz. Usually, these disputes come down to the fact that these schemes are reinovated again and again. The card image is from Football Card Gallery.

Aaron Harang Turns 30, Needs A Beer

Aaron Harang turned 30 years old yesterday. I just wanted to show him some support, since his teammates don't seem to.

Let's see … 15th in the League in ERA. No. 2 in the NL in strikeouts. No. 12 in the League in WHIP. Twenty-fifth in opponents slugging percentage. No. 12 in opponents on-base percentage. What's that get ya? A 1-5 record. The Reds have scored two runs or fewer in four of his losses. His 2.44 runs per nine run support is 180th overall, 94th out of 96 for all pitchers who have tossed 20 innings thus far this year. (Barry Zito is at 95th with 1.87 and Yovani Gallardo is 96th with 0.90)

Happy dang birthday, Aaron. Have a beer. Have five. You deserve it.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Johnny Unitas 75th Birthday -- Greatest QB Ever?

Johnny Unitas was born 75 years ago today, May 7, 1933. In my view, Johnny U. was the greatest quarterback of all time.

When OldCleat was growing up, there was no doubt who the best quarterback in NFL history was. It was Johnny U. When he retired, he held the career marks for most seasons leading the league in TD passes, most touchdown passes, most yards gained passing, most passes attempted and most passes completed. He was top five in the NFL in yards per pass in 11 different seasons. He was first team All-Pro in five seasons. He went to 10 Pro Bowls. The Favres and Marinos and Montanas and Elways and Mannings be damned, I still think Johnny U. is the greatest.

In the first round of the 1955 NFL Draft, the first selection overall, the Baltimore Colts selected George Shaw of Oregon. In the ninth round that year, 102nd overall, the Colts selected Johnny U.

Here are some other facts.

The second QB taken in the first round of the 1955 draft was Notre Dame's Ralph Gugliemi, by the Washington Redskins. Then, in the seventh round, the Cardinals selected Ohio State's Dave Leggett.

The Steelers in 1955 drafted quarterback and punter Vic Eaton out of Missouri. Eaton made the squad. Unitas was cut.

The Green Bay Packers in the 16th round of the draft, 185th overall, selected quarterback Charlie Brackens out of Prairie View. Brackens made the Packers, played in one game, and was the third African-American player to play quarterback in the NFL.

The two quarterbacks on the 1955 Steelers were Jim Finks, who later became a Hall of Famer as a GM, and Ted Marchibroda, who had two different stints as the Colts head coach. Finks was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 1952.

The card image is from MacCauley Sports Cards.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

OldCleat Redrafts Bengals Draft

OldCleat redrafted the Bengals draft - first (2008) edition. The rules are, I would draft a player that the Bengals had drafted, or someone drafted after the selection, until the Bengals selected again. So, my universe of players that I would have chosen were the players in-between the Bengals draft. I, of course, had the benefit of hindsight on this. Here is the OldCleat draft.

First round, ninth pick. Cincinnati picked Keith Rivers, linebacker out of USC (I got the image of him overrunning Darren McFadden from Razorsblog and/or ap). I would have picked Keith Rivers. I disagree with some experts that said that the Bengals should have given up picks to move up for Sedrick Ellis. If Ellis fell to them, fine. But he didn’t. And I think that the Bengals were well served to get the best front seven player on the board. I think Rivers is a 10-year player.

Second round, 15th pick, 46 overall. Cincy picked Jerome Simpson, a wide receiver out of the Carolina School of the Beach. I would have picked ANYONE ELSE. AAAAAAAAHHHHH. As my brother-in-law said, every year the Bengals just have a head-scratcher. This is it. Hope I’m wrong. At this point, I really wanted Quentin Groves, DE/rush linebacker from Auburn. Calais Campbell from the U would have been a pick here as well. If you needed to draft a wideout, Limas Sweed or Malcolm Kelly were on the board.

Third round, 14th pick, 77 overall. Cincy picked Pat Sims, nose tackle out of Auburn. I would have picked … Pat Sims. I like him. He is a run stuffer. He may not be the greatest pass rusher ever, but at this point, I want someone to clog the middle of the porous, tissue thin, let’s face it not very good middle of the Bengals defense.

Third round, 34th pick, 97 overall. Cincy picked Andre “Bubba” Caldwell, wide receiver out of Florida. I would have picked Justin King, cornerback out of Penn State … I guess. Just barely. I think that King may not be that great, but he may be good. He has the physical skills. Caldwell may be awesome. He is UofF’s all-time leading receiver, and he ran a 4.3 something at the combine. But many receivers don’t pan out, and you need all the corners you can get in this league.

Fourth round, 13th pick, 112 overall. Cincy picked Anthony Collins, offensive tackle out of Kansas. I would have picked Jack Ikegwuonu, cornerback out of Wisconsin. I really like the Collins pick. I think he might develop into a right tackle, and perhaps even a left tackle. He also may be able to provide more immediate help at guard. I think Ikegwuonu was a first-round to early second-round talent at cornerback or free safety. He fell to the fourth round because of a knee injury suffered at the combine. I would have gambled on the future at this pick. I like Red Bryant of Texas A&M here as well, but would have gone with Ike.

Fifth round, 10th pick, 145 overall. Cincinnati picked Jason Shirley, defensive tackle out of Fresno State. I would have picked Jonathan Goff, linebacker, Vanderbilt, slightly over Alvin Bowen, linebacker, Iowa State. This was the Bengals worst pick in the draft, not Jerome Simpson, for this reason: Shirley was not worth the gamble. He has been a bad apple on the college level, and … is his upside really worth the pick? Goff is big and a tackler. Bowen is a good player but needs to pick up some size. There were several other selections I would have taken over Shirley. Owen Schmitt, Roy Schuening, Dennis Dixon, Josh Johnson, Dominique Barber, Geno Hayes, Frank Okem, and Barry Richardson, more or less in order.

Sixth round, 11th pick, 177 overall. Bengals picked Corey Lynch, safety out of Appalachian State. I would have taken Andre’ Woodson, quarterback, Kentucky. I really like Corey Lynch. He should be fine on special teams, and maybe he is a safety. I also like Mike Hart of Michigan. The Wolverines (Giant Weasels) were a completely different team when he played. But Woodson is a first round talent. He may have been the most talented quarterback in this draft. To get him in the sixth round is a steal.

Sixth round, 41st pick, 207 overall. Bengals picked Matt Sherry, tight end, Villanova. I would have picked Chauncey Washington, tailback out of USC. I think he is going to be a backup in the NFL, and he may, I repeat, may have a Ryan Grant-type season or two in him. Matt Sherry? I frankly have no idea.

Seventh round, 37th pick, 244 overall. Bengals picked Angelo Craig, pass rush linebacker from the University of Cincinnati. I would have picked … Angelo Craig. With the rules of this little exercise, I have to pick between him and Lionel Dotson, defensive tackle from Arizona, since the Bengals had the 39th pick, 246 overall. Dotson isn’t the stuffer I would look for, though he may become one. Craig should be able to help on special teams and may be able to rush the passer. UC’s defense looked great last year, and he was a reason.

Seventh round, 39th pick, 246 overall. The Bengals signed Mario Urrutia, wide receiver out of Louisville. I would have picked Wesley Woodyard, linebacker out of Kentucky just barely over Ali Highsmith, linebacker out of LSU, neither of whom was drafted. I think that both will have a shot to start in the NFL at some point in their careers. If having to pick a drafted player, I would have picked Kirk Barton, offensive tackle, Ohio State. Barton will be a right tackle in the NFL, and can be guard in the NFL as early as next year.

So here are the drafts. OldCleat’s is more defensive oriented, and, I think, much better.

Cincy
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida
4 Anthony Collins, T, Kansas
5 Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno State
6 Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian State
6 Matt Sherry, TE, Villanova
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville

OldCleat
1 Keith Rivers, LB, USC
2 Quentin Groves, DE/LB, Auburn
3 Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
3 Justin King, CB, Penn State
4 Jack Ikegwuonu, CB/S, Wisconsin
5 Jonathan Goff, LB, Vanderbilt
6 Andre’ Woodson, QB, Kentucky
6 Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
7 Angelo Craig, OLB, Cincinnati
7 Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Undrafted free agent update

Here are The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team and the NFL teams that signed the players:

Lee, Xavier QB 6'4" 232 Florida State Baltimore Ravens
Green-Ellis, BenJarvus RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi New England Patriots
Johnson, Dionte FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
McRae, Kalvin RB 5'9" 208 Ohio Kansas City Chiefs
Lumpkin, Kregg RB 6'0" 226 Georgia Green Bay Packers
Savage, Dantrell RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State Kansas City Chiefs
Temple, Tony RB 5'9" 210 Missouri Cleveland Browns
Bryant, Dorien WR 5'10" 169 Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers
Hall, D.J. WR 6'2" 190 Alabama New York Giants
Purify, Maurice WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska Cincinnati Bengals
Smith, Taj WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse Green Bay Packers
Bujnoch, Digger OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati New York Giants
Felton, Robert OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas Buffalo Bills
Kraus, Adam OG 6'6" 305 Michigan Baltimore Ravens
Miller, Drew OT 6'5" 302 Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
O'Donnell, Martin OG 6'5" 312 Illinois Retired
Polumbus, Tyler OT 6'8" 312 Colorado Denver Broncos
Radovich, Drew OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Minnesota Vikings
Spanos, Matt C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Blake, Tommy DE 6'3" 272 TCU Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Geathers, Jeremy DE 6'2" 256 UNLV New Orleans Saints
Gilberry, Wallace DE 6'3" 263 Alabama New York Giants
McClinton, James DT 6'0" 289 Kansas Kanas City Chiefs
McDuffie, Chris DT 6'4" 330 Clemson Kansas City Chiefs
Robertson, Darrell DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech Dallas Cowboys
Brown, Titus OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State Miami Dolphins
Hall, Vince ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech St. Louis Rams
Highsmith, Ali OLB 6'0" 226 LSU Arizona Cardinals
Leman, Jeremy LB 6'2" 240 Illinois Minnesota Vikings
Moffitt, Ben OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida Houston Texans
Woodyard, Wesley OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky Denver Broncos
Castille, Simeon CB 6'0" 190 Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
Wolfe, D.J. CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma Atlanta Falcons
Adams, Jamar S 6'2" 212 Michigan Seattle Seahawks
Brown, Cornelius S 5'11" 200 Missouri Kansas City Chiefs
Griffin, Marcus FS 5'10" 201 Texas Minnesota Vikings
Joiner, Tony FS 6'0" 215 Florida Tennessee Titans
Warrick, Nehemiah SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State New York Giants

OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team

Here are the guys that didn't get drafted who should have. It is The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team, The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team 2008. The biggest surprises to me are Ali Highsmith and Vince Hall. Not all of these guys will make an NFL team (especially Xavier Lee), but most will. I'll bet there are five to ten potential starters.

The players in bold are my best bets to become an NFL starter.

Lee, Xavier QB 6'4" 232 Florida State
Green-Ellis, BenJarvus RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi
Johnson, Dionte FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State
McRae, Kalvin RB 5'9" 208 Ohio
Lumpkin, Kregg RB 6'0" 226 Georgia
Savage, Dantrell RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State
Temple, Tony RB 5'9" 210 Missouri
Bryant, Dorien WR 5'10" 169 Purdue
Hall, D.J. WR 6'2" 190 Alabama
Purify, Maurice WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska
Smith, Taj WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse
Bujnoch, Digger OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati
Felton, Robert OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas
Kraus, Adam OG 6'6" 305 Michigan
Miller, Drew OT 6'5" 302 Florida
O'Donnell, Martin OG 6'5" 312 Illinois
Polumbus, Tyler OT 6'8" 312 Colorado
Radovich, Drew OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Spanos, Matt C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal
Blake, Tommy DE 6'3" 272 TCU
Geathers, Jeremy DE 6'2" 256 UNLV
Gilberry, Wallace DE 6'3" 263 Alabama
McClinton, James DT 6'0" 289 Kansas
McDuffie, Chris DT 6'4" 330 Clemson
Robertson, Darrell DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech
Brown, Titus OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State
Hall, Vince ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech
Highsmith, Ali OLB 6'0" 226 LSU
Leman, Jeremy LB 6'2" 240 Illinois
Moffitt, Ben OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida
Woodyard, Wesley OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky
Castille, Simeon CB 6'0" 190 Alabama
Wolfe, D.J. CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma
Adams, Jamar S 6'2" 212 Michigan
Brown, Cornelius S 5'11" 200 Missouri
Griffin, Marcus FS 5'10" 201 Texas
Joiner, Tony FS 6'0" 215 Florida
Warrick, Nehemiah SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State

Joe Novak, 63 today

Joe Novak, former Northern Illinois head football coach, turned 63 today. He coached the way a Cradle of Coaches coach should coach.

As the Northern press guide says, "Honesty. Integrity. Respect. These are the principles that have guided Joe Novak, not only throughout his 11-year tenure as head coach of the Northern Illinois football team, but throughout his 40 years as a football coach."

He also had Northern running the heck out of the ball. And he came up with great running backs, very good offensive linemen, smart quarterbacks, and tough defenses. He did it the right way.

Joe, have a good day today. We'll miss ya, but we won't miss watching the RedHawks defense get just run over.

Look at the picture at OldCleat got from the mutha. He looks like the second coming of Bo Schembechler. Love it.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat