In tonight's edition of Around the Pound, we take a look at a few things the Oakland Raiders did Thursday, what Mike Lombardi had to say about the Browns' Colt McCoy, an interview from good old Kelly Holcomb, and more.
Kamerion Wimbley Tagged, Stanford Routt Large Contract
Since when did it become trendy to tag players having some affiliation with the Cleveland Browns? The Browns used the franchise tag on Phil Dawson earlier in the week, and on Thursday the Oakland Raiders used it on linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. The former Brown led Oakland with nine sacks last year and is now set to make an astounding $10.1 million next season! The team will reportedly try to reach a new long-term contract with him.
The Raiders also agreed to a three-year, $31.5 million extension with cornerback Stanford Routt. The Raiders have re-signed a ton of their defensive talent the past few days, leading me further to believe that Nnamdi Asomugha will hit free agency and find another team to pay him an outrageous contract. I like Asomugha's talent, but there is no way I want Cleveland to pursue him anymore given the type of contract I know he will command.
Lombardi on Colt McCoy - Arm Strength Needs to Improve
Michael Lombardi spoke out on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy at the NFL Combine, saying the youngster needs to improve his arm and body strength:
"I think Colt did a really good job for a young quarterback,'' Lombardi said at the NFL Combine here. "I think durability, I think his body's got to get bigger, his body's got to get stronger, his arm's got to improve. He's got to follow the same thing that (Green Bay's) Aaron Rodgers did. For him to take the next step, he's got to really recondition his body. To play in the NFL, 16 games, 60 minutes and to take the pounding quarterbacks take, if your body's not ready it's not going to be able to do it."
Walker: Summary of AFC North Coaching Changes
In case you have been living under a rock, Pat Shurmur is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Seriously, though, in this article, ESPN's James Walker does a nice job highlighting all of the major coaching changes in the AFC North. I'd say it is worth a read, especially when you compare the offensive changes that will be made in Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Kelly Holcomb Interview
Ah, the memories. In an interview on Cleveland.com, the only quarterback to play in a postseason game for the Browns post-1999 talks about that playoff game against Pittsburgh, Colt McCoy, and the current coaching staff for the Browns. Hey, forget keeping Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme; let's dig Holcomb out of retirement and have him air it out. After all, he did work with an offense that often used four receiver sets.
Off-Beat Notes
- So, Charlie Sheen and company are supposedly in the works to possibly do a third "Major League" movie. Sadly, Roger Dorn is not expected to reprise his role:
"This time around, the Indians convince Vaughn, Willie Hayes (Wesley Snipes), and Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert) to re-join the team as bench players to help salvage their season, but complications ensue when Vaughn’s long-estranged son, born out of wedlock, joins the team from the minors."
- Not that it was bad, but I thought the Todd Packer episode would have a few more laugh out loud moments. Nonetheless, as the episodes move on, I know it is only a matter of time before "Michael Scott's" final episode.
- Seems like most Cavaliers fans are quite pleased with the deals the team made before the deadline. Two high picks in the first round isn't bad regardless of how "weak" the draft class is perceived. Head over to Fear the Sword for the latest.
- I took enough statistics courses to know what that sample sizes to a certain extent are representative of the population as a whole. With that said, I just get the feeling that the Nielson ratings for television shows are horribly inaccurate. Not many families have a Nielson box, and I can't imagine it does a fair job accounting for differences across regions, shows in which one person vs. an entire family watches all at once, etc. The DVR+7 ratings are being added in sometimes now, but I still think a better measuring system needs to be developed. In short, save Fringe please!