In today's edition of Around the Pound, we zone in on just two stories (along with some off-beat notes): a good interview by the Plain Dealer with cornerback Eric Wright, and a brief update on the deadline extension to reach a new CBA agreement. We also provide a screen cap of a recently banned member's final post.
Eric Wright Discusses Death Threats and Poor Play in 2010
In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, cornerback Eric Wright, who received a second-round tender the other day, discussed his "down" year this past season. One disturbing note, which I'm sure occurs much more often than reported given the type of crap you see daily on cleveland.com, Wright received death threats after struggling this past season. He said he did not report it to the team or the police because he attributed to fans just being passionate.
Speaking of his struggles after the Ravens game...
"It's hard to dig yourself out of that type of hole, when you have the worst game of your career,'' said Wright. "Then, the team's losing and we had a young corner in Joe Haden who looked great playing. There was a lot of negative attention around my struggles and it was hard to overcome.''
Wright has the confidence he can return to his 2009 form and become a top corner. That would be outstanding if that happens, because we all know what Wright was once capable of. He said he also talked to team president Mike Holmgren on Thursday:
"He said he knows that player wasn't me,'' said Wright. "He said he knows the player and I am and that he wishes I would've come to his office last year so he could've helped me. I have the utmost respect for coach Holmgren and the organization.''
Deadline for New CBA Extended Until Next Friday
I think it is impossible to say whether this is a sign that progress is being made toward a new agreement within the next week or not. It just could be more wishful thinking than anything else. Nonetheless, here is something to keep in mind:
Under terms of the seven-day extension, no player transactions will be allowed while it is in effect, and players’ health insurance coverage will remain in place.
Off-Beat Notes
- I thought America picked the correct top 10. And then, I thought the judges did a terrible job picking the two wildcards. Something immediately popped into my mind with some of the contestants they chose, but I should probably keep that to myself.
- Some of you asked to see GhostRider94's final post for comedic purposes. Here is a screen capture of it for your viewing pleasure.
- I just remembered a couple days late, but Dawgs By Nature turned five years old on March 2, 2011. Here is the very first post I made on the site (a welcome message). Looking through the posts that year, I always cringe at the quality of my writing.
