Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke
ToTheLeft wrote:Looks like Bowling Ball is going to San Diego.I like that pick up along with the rest of the Chargers Draft. Woo hoo!
Libertyhttp://www.newsadvance.com/lna/sports/c ... team/4394/
Liberty linebacker Vince Redd and offensive tackle Stephen Sene signed free-agent contracts with NFL teams Sunday following the conclusion of the NFL Draft. Redd, a 6-foot-6 outside linebacker, signed with the Cleveland Browns. Sene, a 6-foot-8 left tackle, signed with the St. Louis Rams.
Liberty, which hasn’t had a player selected in the NFL Draft since Eric Green went in the first round in 1990, has had 23 players ink contracts with NFL clubs. Last year, 2005 graduate Lauren Williams signed with the Oakland Raiders. Former Flames running back Samkon Gado has seen time with the Green Pay Packers, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins.
--Fumble (1961-2009), RIP
--Fumble (1961-2009), RIPChris Lang wrote:Not a N&A mistake, a Lang mistake. I wrote the brief at home on a day off and I guess I had heard so much about the Browns all week that I subconsciously wrote that. Sorry all.Seriously, no worries....i had to work with the guy you replaced, ive always been impressed with your work.
bozlady wrote:Casale likes “the cut of his jibb.”In other words, his jersey is large enough to make a sail out of.
Requisite Pats potshots 
can go here: 
Learning curvehttp://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... 209798720/
Crable revealed the linebackers - who included Mayo, sixth-round pick Bo Ruud, and undrafted free agents Gary Guyton and Vince Redd - spent Thursday night in the hotel cramming with the playbook. Crable said the group had to call the coaches because they didn't understand what they were trying to learn.
Bill Belichick said that's fine by him. "That's what we get paid to do," he said. "We get paid to coach the players. We don't have the alumni functions and recruiting, and golf tournaments and all that. We coach the players, that's what we are here for."
Bigg Reddhttp://www.patriots.com/search/index.cf ... =draft2008
Saturday rookie minicamp notes
By Andy Hart and Erik Scalavino, Patriots Football Weekly
Media access to rookie minicamp concluded Saturday morning as New England’s 27 draft picks, rookie free agents and tryout players worked out in the Dana Farber Field House behind Gillette Stadium.
One of the more intriguing undrafted rookie free agent prospects on hand for New England’s rookie minicamp is Liberty outside linebacker Vince Redd (6-6, 260). Redd began his college career playing for Al Groh at Virginia. But he was suspended for one game for violating team policy in 2005 and was then reportedly dismissed from the squad along with fellow Cavaliers defender Ahmad Brooks for a failed drug test in March of 2006.
Redd transferred to Liberty where after sitting out 2006 he had a very productive 2007 campaign playing for former Groh assistant Danny Rocco’s Flames. Rocco was an associate head coach with Virginia and linebackers coach for five seasons who also worked under Groh with the Jets in 2000.
Last fall Redd started 10 games for Liberty, registering 67 tackles and a league-high 6.5 sacks. He’s an impressive physical athlete having also played basketball for a short time at Virginia in 2003. He’s been timed a 4.56 in the 40 and brings an impressive 39-inch vertical to the field.
The defense Redd played at both UVA and Liberty has many similarities to what he’ll be asked to do in New England. He’s aware that he likely earned a free agent look with the Patriots thanks to his connection to Bill Belichick via Groh and Rocco and is hoping to make the best of the opportunity.
“Them knowing each other, they can speak to each other and see how I play and my character and stuff like that and how I actually work,” Redd said before acknowledging that his familiarity with the scheme should help him in the early going. “It’s good for me, but I still have to come in here and make my own spot on the team.”
After a somewhat tumultuous college career and entering the pro ranks as an undrafted free agent, Redd is hoping his impressive athletic skills combined with some hard work lead to good things at the NFL level.
“There is nowhere to go but up, that’s the way I see it,” Redd said while admitting that he must work on the “total package” that is the tough job of playing outside linebacker in New England’s 3-4 scheme.
Notes and Quotes
Redd, who said he’d already crossed paths at Gillette with Bruschi, delivered the quote of the day when asked whether he was the kind of guy who gets star struck. “If you get star struck you’ll be sitting back home watching the stars on TV.”
Various rookies got pretty well chewed out by some of the New England coaches at different points in the two days of practice. “I think we demand a lot of the players here,” Belichick said. “There is a lot at stake. It’s what we all do for a living. It’s not a hobby.” … Belichick said he would likely make decisions about the tryout players by Monday.
Rookies leave town with homework
New England’s seven draft picks, 11 rookie free agents and nine tryout players returned to the Dana Farber Field House Saturday morning for a second day of double sessions in the Patriots rookie minicamp.
With workouts taking place in shorts and helmets the work being done on the indoor turf due to the rainy, slick practice fields is clearly focused in indoctrinating the fresh-faced youngsters into the Patriots system. At this point the players are mostly competing with themselves to learn the playbook that’s being thrown at them in advance of the passing camps, full-team veteran minicamp in June and the real competition of summer training camp that come down the road...
- By Sly Fox