Vontaze Burfict's stock continues to plummet

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 27, 2012, 2:50 PM EST

AP

First came Mike Mayock’s strong, negative commentsabout Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict before the Combine.

Once Burfict got to Indianapolis, things didn’t get any better. His interviews with teams and the media were described as disastrous.

“I’m not sure any player here sparked a worse reaction than Vontaze Burfict,” writes Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports. “I wouldn’t touch him.”

“The guy is completely out of control. There’s no way you could trust him. I can’t believe they [ASU coaching staff] didn’t cut him loose,” one scout told Feldman.

Burfict cut his weight to 248 pounds before the Combine, but it didn’t help him in the forty-yard dash. He ran unofficial forty times of 4.93 and 5.10 Monday. That will draw some comparisons to Brandon Spikes two years ago, but Spikes is known as a heady, instinctive player. Burfict’s instincts have often been questioned.

Years ago, Burfict was considered a potential top-ten pick. Now he seems more likely to slide until the latter portions of the draft.

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Dontari Poe's freakish combine results

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 27, 2012, 12:12 PM EST

AP

Robert Griffin III won the press conference. Memphis defensive tackleDontari Poe could be winning the Combine on the field.

The 346-pounder has put together a crazy combination of size and strength at Lucas Oil Field.

The Memphis product put up 44 reps at 225 pounds, which was the most of any player at the Combine. That was impressive, but not shocking. Poe’s times while running on Monday were more eye-opening.

Zach Brown's bad forty is still blazing fast

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 27, 2012, 1:57 PM EST

AP

North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown is so fast that a bad 40-yard dash for him is good for anyone else.

Brown ran his first 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.45 seconds today at the NFL Scouting Combine, making him the fastest linebacker to run so far. And yet it clearly wasn’t Brown at his fastest.

Out of his start Brown appeared to stumble, and midway through his run he took an awkward step and looked like he wanted to stop. He shook his head as he crossed the finish line and looked disgusted with himself. And yet his time was still the best of any linebacker who has run today.

Lions working to keep Eric Wright

Posted by Josh Alper on February 27, 2012, 12:08 PM EST

Reuters

Eric Wright hasn’t gotten as much attention as Cliff Avril with free agency approaching, but the Lions are working to keep the cornerback off the open market.

The team met with Wright’s agent on Saturday in Indianapolis to discuss a new contract. No offer was put on the table, but Dave Birkett of theDetroit Free-Press reports that both sides would like to get a deal done before free agency opens next month. Wright started all 16 games for the Lions in 2011 and intercepted four passes.

Browns re-sign D'Qwell Jackson

Posted by Mike Florio on February 27, 2012, 2:00 PM EST

Getty Images

The annual Scouting Combine and Free Agent Meat Market has produced another new contract.

Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who should have been the 2011 Comeback Player of the Year under the usual definition of the term, will be coming back to the Browns next season, and presumably beyond.

The Browns have announced that the team has finalized an extension with Jackson.  A press conference will be held at 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday.

Hill and Floyd standout among receivers

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 26, 2012, 1:29 PM EST

AP

Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd is making a strong push to be the second receiver taken in this draft.

He ran an electronic time of 4.47 in the forty-yard dash and faster on hand timed watches, beating expectations. More importantly, Floyd looked fluid and natural in his position drills.

Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill made himself some money. He ran an official 4.36 in the forty, good for second among wide receivers. His broad jump led all wide receivers. He’s a big, physical receiver that is a great blocker.

Has Irsay made up his mind on Manning and Luck?

Posted by Mike Florio on February 26, 2012, 2:03 PM EST

Getty Images

Last month, Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports compared new Raiders owner Mark Davis to Tommy Boy, the charmingly incompetent son of a deceased business owner who proceeded to drive the business into the ground.  Many fans, however, would be more likely to envision Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeting out the lyrics to Fat Guy in a Little Coat (then again,the title contains all of the lyrics).  But in Silver’s latest item, a very long but very well done look at the situation in Indianapolis, Silver makes Irsay look like Einstein for his handling of a franchise that suddenly has run aground.

Regardless of whether anyone agrees or disagrees with all or part of Silver’s assessment, some news is buried in the 1,973-word opus, even if it takes a staff with a specially-designed crystal catching a ray of sunlight at a precise moment in the late afternoon to find it.

Former NFL tight end helps rescue people from van

Posted by Mike Florio on February 26, 2012, 11:24 PM EST

Getty Images

Ben Patrick, a tight end with the Cardinals from 2007 through 2010, made a different type of headline in Arizona over the weekend.

Patrick helped pull a group of people out of a van that had been flipped onto its side.

“My first thought was just to help the peopleon the inside,” Patrick told KTVK-TV.  “I ran over and I looked in the front window and everybody was laying sideways and I debated on kicking the window in, but I didn’t want to get glass over everyone.”

Vontaze Burfict says he's misunderstood

Posted by Mike Florio on February 26, 2012, 5:04 PM EST

AP

Until Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can find a way to finagle cameras into the player-team interview sessions, we’ll have to settle for the things a player says at the Scouting Combine when meeting with the media.

Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burficthad his chance to talk on Sunday.

He has been sliding on draft boards due to concerns regarding an ability to properly harness his fiery on-field demeanor.  Naturally, Burfict said that he’s “misunderstood.”

Lamar Miller leads the pack at the combine

Posted by Evan Silva on February 26, 2012, 3:41 PM EST

The official forty-yard dash times for running backs at the Combine are out, and Lamar Miller of Miami paced the field with a 4.40.

Rotoworld’s Josh Norris has more:

LaMichael James of Oregon, Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State, and Chris Rainey of Florida tied for second among running backs with forty-yard dash times of 4.45. Cincinnati’sIsaiah Pead and Cyrus Gray of Texas A&M ran 4.47. Virginia Tech’s David Wilson and Temple’s Bernard Pierce had 4.49s.

The aforementioned were the only running backs to break the 4.4s in Indianapolis. 222-pound Utah State underclassman Robert Turbin did run a 4.5-flat.

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