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Friday, July 11, 2008

Some random thoughts

I just got off the phone a little while ago with former West Virginia University star center Dan Mozes.

For those of you outside the area, Mozes is a Washington native and signed with the Minnesota Vikings after last year's draft.

The 2006 Rimington Award winner as college football's best center, Mozes is a high-motor player who gives his all on the field.

He suffered a torn ACL in camp last summer with the Vikings while trying to make a tackle following an interception during a scimmage with the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Mozes is back on the field with the Vikings this year and has a good shot at making the roster. Starting center Matt Birk is considered one of the best in the business, but he's sat out the OTAs while trying to get a new contract. And Minnesota may not want to give him one considering he's on he wrong side of 30.

The Vikings selected John Sullivan from Notre Dame in the sixth round of this year's draft, but he's by no means a lock to make the roster ahead of Mozes. The team could, in fact, keep both around considering Birk's age and impending free agency.

© So Brett Favre now wants the Packers to release him. Who is really surprised by that?

Favre will likely be looking for one last shot at a Super Bowl – though he pretty much kept the Packers out of one last season with his NFC Championship performance – and my best guess is that he'll wind up in Baltimore for at least one season,

Miami is also a possibility and certainly he would make a nice mentor to Matt Ryan in Atlanta, but the Ravens have a better chance to win some games this season.

© The very public sale of the Steelers - or adjustment of the team's stock - has to be killing Dan Rooney, who prefers to do such things in private.

One thing for sure, when it's all said and done, the Rooneys will still be running this team.

It may cost Dan and Art III more money than they wanted, but it will happen.

© The Steelers agreed to terms with sixth-round picks Mike Humpal and Ryan Mundy Friday, leaving only first and second rounders Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed unsight.

Humpal and Mundy each got three-year contracts. Humpal receives $71,600 signing bonus, and Mundy gets a $67,600 bonus.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey mister lolley...

One knock against mozes is that he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer so that could work against him with sophisticated blitz recognition. With Dan Rooney on the back nine, don't you think he'll just give the reigns over to the "evil" Druckenmiller eventually? Art the 2nd isn't getting any younger either, so I wonder if they're just gonna take the money and run? Or maybe put it all on black(gambling pun)? Speaking of the "evil" Druckenmiller, let's hope he doesn't turn out to be a Danny Snyder or Jerry Jones! Them jackoffs spend all that dough and got nuttin' to sho!!! Ya like my rappin' skills, homey??? talk to you soon.

Love....Your man crush
Sasquatch

Anonymous said...

*reads above post* bloody hell? O_o

erm...

Back on topic. With Mendenhall and Sweed, should we expect them to be signed soon or will Mendenhall be forced to wait until the #22 and #24 picks get signed?

Anonymous said...

Stillexile,

Mendenhall and Sweed will sign a day or two before camp. It's not anything to worry about especially if the "evil" Druckenmiller owns the team. My man has "deep pockets"! Yea..........

Dale Lolley said...

Mozes has always seemed pretty bright to me when I've spoken to him. The knock I've always heard is size. And he's at 295 right now.

I don't know enough about Druckenmiller to give an honest assessment of the man. It is my fear, however, that he would be another Snyder, who is one of the biggest jerks out there.

I would expect Mendenhall and Sweed to get done in the days leading up to camp. Mendenhall may be held up by the lack of other first round signings. Nobody wants to be the first and come in with a low signing.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, I just want them signed and in camp on time.

As for Druckenmiller, he's at least promised the Steelers would stay in Pittsburgh if he buys them and is a genuine fan. Whether a promise is still worth anything in these times, I don't know, but there are worse options. Also, if he truly is a fan, he should know the team's in good hands while Art's still around... Not too sure about Danny boy, but Art has a proven track record.

Anonymous said...

Dale, what did you make of the quotes from the anonymous Rooney family members in the P-G's story on Sunday?
Becaue of the similarity of the sentiments, it sure sounds to me like it's the family of one brother who's not happy about what he's been offered. If that is true, which brother's family do think it is?

Anyway, it's amusing to me that there is such a sense of entitlement over inherited money.

Dale Lolley said...

It doesn't matter if somebody wants to buy the Steelers and move them. The NFL isn't going to let that happen. They'd have no cause. The team has the best support in the country and a brand new stadium.
So the fact that Druckenmiller wouldn't move the team is moot. Nobody who bought them would move it.

As for which brother is complaining, I couldn't hazard a guess. But that may have something to do with some kind of tradeoff on shares of the tracks. Dan turns over his share of the dog track and cash for the shares of the Steelers.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Dale. I can appreciate your not wanting to speculate.

I had also heard that Dan perhaps would reduce the price he'd pay by his shares in the race tracks, which he will have to sell since he wants to retain the Steelers. To me, that's a reasonable trade off. After all, there's nothing to prevent Dan from offering his share of the tracks on the open market. Those racinos are a license to print money. He'd get plenty of offers for more money than his brothers could afford from the big players like Harrah's, etc. I wonder how his race track owning brothers would like having a deep pocketed partner? I think it's to Dan's credit that he hasn't taken this option yet.

Patrick said...

Dale

Rumors abound that Kevin Jones is going with either the Steelers or Bears. The Bears make sense (and this isn't a Bears blog) but where does he fit in with the Steelers? Is Moore the new Allen Rossum? Is Jones protection against Parker not being 100%?

Something doesn't seem right in the backfield here.....

Anonymous said...

patrick....

no offense to kevin jones, he has more athleticism in his pinky than I do in my body, but he is broken "don"(pittsburghese). the steelers are better off playing the 3-headed skin flute(parker,mendy & mewelde)...hey, I must say I liked that...The 3-Headed Skin Flute! With Gary Russell the Love Muscle waiting in the wings should a "wheel come off again." 2 legit 2 quit.

Thanks,
Sasquatch

Dale Lolley said...

The supposed interest in Kevin Jones was fueled by his agent, probably to spur the Bears into signing him, which they did.
The Steelers' scout who went to his workout happens to live in suburban Detroit. I'm sure he went as a favor and to cover his bases.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Lolley,

any dirt on Shaun Alexander? Wow, he surely fell from grace rather fast, huh? And what about "Dookie" Davenport? And while you're at it, "The Incomprable" Cedric Benson? Thanks buddy!

-Sasquatch

Dale Lolley said...

Teams are questioning Alexander's desire to play. And the fact that he hasn't actively pursued a job would lend credence to that.
Benson's a bad character guy. Was coming out of school, though, too, so that's no surprise.
Davenport will land somewhere once somebody has an injury in camp.