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I got a chance to be part of a foursome of two NFL scouts (one collegiate, one pro advance) and a team beat writer. Extremely brief summary of the conversation:

--not one of us believes Favre will be back, for different reasons

--if Rex Grossman starts in Chicago, that team does not win more than 4 games even with the #1 defense in the league, which they certainly do not have.

--Shaun Rogers is in the best shape of his life and his Browns teammates love him. The Browns like what they saw from him playing RE; Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach couldn't stop him and that's the best left side in football. The advance scout told us he believes Rogers could win DPOY.

--Dallas stuff for my friend studcrackers:
Tashard Choice might wind up beating Felix Jones for the #2 RB spot. Felix = not very smart.
James Marten is in danger of being cut. If they keep McQuistan as the #4 tackle and scrap his move to backup G (50/50), Marten is the odd man out.
Orlando Scandrick will likely be an IR stash
The team rebuffed both Byron Leftwich and Daunte Culpepper, who called them and not vice-versa. The Chris Simms rumors are legit and hot, but they also have interest in Kyle Boller and JP Losman. They absolutely do not trust Brad Johnson to take even one snap.
Expect a very tense training camp. The team is acutely aware of the high expectations and the antsiness of Jerry Jones, but the players seem well-prepared to handle it

--John Beck probably won't make the Dolphins final roster. Right now McCown is the starter and Henne "blew right past" Beck with his work already. Look for them to bring in an end-of-the-line veteran to be the #3/mentor. Think Brad Johnson or Kelly Holcomb, who I know can be coerced from retirement. Or Vinny, and the guy who said it was only half joking.

--More Dolphins:
Their OL should be significantly better. It's going to be a very physical, very aggressive unit and that fits their personnel
Ronnie Brown will be 100% by the first preseason game
The team cannot believe their good fortune in getting Anthony Fasano. The advance scout believes he will lead the team in receptions.
Ted Ginn Jr. spent the offseason catching 1000 throws every day, all over the field and off different routes. He also grew at least an inch

I asked 3 open-ended polls. Here are the results...
What is the most overhyped team?
2 votes Jacksonville, 1 vote Philly, 1 vote Minnesota. I voted Jacksonville
What team is underrated the most?
1 vote Baltimore, 1 vote Arizona, 1 vote Philly, 1 vote New Orleans. I voted Saints
Super Bowl matchups right now?
1 vote Indy vs. Dallas, 1 vote New England vs. Dallas, 1 vote Indy vs. Seattle, 1 vote New England vs. Philly. I voted Indy/Seattle.

FYI I shot a 17 over par 89, which is pretty good for me. The collegiate scout shot a 70, proving my assumption he's better at golf than he is evaluating football players

Wow. I'm not sure why I'm surprised the Phins are giving up on Beck, but I am.

I'm also happy people think the Bears will be as miserable as I think they will be.

if rex is only getting them 4 wins how many would orton get them

3

People were putting Rex Grossman in MVP discussions half way into the 2006 season

I'll never forget how insufferable Bear fans were that season.

appreciate the info friend

when you say orlando scandrick is an IR stash is that b/c they dont want to lose him or what? b/c ive heard reports from camp that he looked as good if not better then mike jenkins, im excited for him. your thoughts on him?

also nice to know the team has giant expectations, it's time for them to surpass them. also nice to know they're trying to replace johnson, if you're unable to throw any type of deep ball in this league you're worthless

studcrackers wrote:appreciate the info friend

when you say orlando scandrick is an IR stash is that b/c they dont want to lose him or what? b/c ive heard reports from camp that he looked as good if not better then mike jenkins, im excited for him. your thoughts on him?

also nice to know the team has giant expectations, it's time for them to surpass them. also nice to know they're trying to replace johnson, if you're unable to throw any type of deep ball in this league you're worthless

Scandrick is a very quick guy but he doesn't have a lot of natural cover instincts, and in college he was terrible in run support--both bad form and bad anticipation. If you get a chance, check out the BSU/Fresno game last year; Scandrick got absolutely flattened a few times when he tried to come up in run support. In short, he needs some developmental time. I think he's got a ceiling high enough to be a capable #2 CB, but it's going to take a couple of years to get there. Jenkins has great innate cover skills but the knock that he picks his spots is apparently correct.

Just my speculation, but if Scandrick makes the final roster that means Anthony Henry (or Roy Williams) is traded. I know Cleveland would love to have Henry back and has approachd Dallas about that, so if Scandrick shows enough that they're comfortable with him playing right away, expect the Cowboys to part with Henry. If Henry is still around it's a sign Scandrick (or Jenkins) isn't ready quite yet.

I was never a big fan of Felix Jones, I always liked Tashard Choice so i'm glad he's gonna get the #2 spot rather than Felix Jones, who is going to end up being a bust.

I'm surprised the Dolphins are giving up on John Beck, but it's a whole new front office/coaching staff so its obvious that the players they bought in are going to make the roster rather than the players that were on last years disaster of a team.

hey icness do u have any info on this peyton manning surgery?

the espn article by john clayton quotes bill polian saying it's no big deal and he'll be ready to go by the start of the season. is this the type of injury that could linger or affect peyton down the road?

studcrackers wrote:hey icness do u have any info on this peyton manning surgery?

the espn article by john clayton quotes bill polian saying it's no big deal and he'll be ready to go by the start of the season. is this the type of injury that could linger or affect peyton down the road?

It was an infected bursa sac behind his left knee. It's not the type of thing that will impact his on-field performance, but it's the kind of thing where he'll hurt more after games. Everything I've heard is that as long as the infection was contained he'll be fine in 4 weeks. The danger was that the infection would spread or the sac would burst, which could cost him a season or worse.

Derrick Thomas had the exact same procedure before his final season and he didn't seem too troubled by it.

You'll like this too:
Lecharles Bentley and his people are talking with the Cowboys today about a possible signing in Dallas. He has visits with 4 or 5 other teams lined up so nothing is imminent, but he sure makes sense for the Cowboys.

im guessing he would replace kyle kosier at G or gurode would slide over to guard (though he's a better fit at C)

Are the Saint's one of the 4-5 for LeCharles? We really need a gritty interior linemen at C or left guard.

Gilbert0Arenas wrote:People were putting Rex Grossman in MVP discussions half way into the 2006 season

Up to the Arizona game that season he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league.