NFL NEWS AND NOTES

Among the quarterbacks expected to be available on the free-agent market this offseason are veteran Jeff Garcia of Philadelphia, Atlanta Falcons backup Matt Schaub, Kansas City's Damon Huard -- who actually outplayed starter Trent Green and had a 97.6 passer rating -- and Tampa Bay's Tim Rattay, who lit up the Bears' secondary in a 34-31 overtime loss at Soldier Field. Wide receivers include Philadelphia's Donte Stallworth, Tennessee's Drew Bennett and St. Louis' Kevin Curtis.....

Given Tiki Barber's retirement, the Giants might show some interest in Rhodes. And unlike Chargers restricted free agent Michael Turner, Rhodes wouldn't require any draft-choice compensation. Outside linebacker Cato June is almost surely gone now that his contract is up.....


The Colts' key free agent is a Pro Bowl talent, pass-rushing end Dwight Freeney. If the Colts can't work out a long-term contract, they plan to use the franchise tag on Freeney, effectively taking him off the market.....

For those that didn’t get the news, the Nation team hung on to defeat Team Texas 24-20 before a reported crowd of just under 22,000 in El Paso in Friday night’s Texas versus the Nation Classic. QB Jeff Smith of Georgetown College was the game's top passer, going 9-of-12 for 120 yards and an interception, while RB Paul Mosley of Baylor led all rushers with 37 yards on 7 carries including 2 TDs. And UTEP WR Daniel Robinson led all receivers with four catches for 65 yards, while Miami WR Ryan Moore had the game winning score when he hooked up with Maryland QB Sam Hollenbach with just under 10 minutes to play. The Nation also got a TB from Bethune-Cookman LB Taurean Charles who returned an interception 60 yards for a TD. Texas had a chance to win the game when they marched to the Nation 35-yard line with 32 seconds remaining, but a sack by Florida International DE Antwan Barnes ended the rally......

The New York Jets were cleared by the NFL on Thursday of tampering charges filed by division-rival New England in connection with the Jets’ talks with former Patriots’ WR Deion Branch, who was holding out last summer. The Patriots had given Branch permission to discuss terms of a contract with a new team, however, New England contended the Jets also told Branch what they would be willing to offer in a trade which the Patriots claimed was beyond what Branch had been given permission to do. Branch was eventually traded to Seattle. Had the NFL agreed with the Patriots, the Jets could have been fined or forced to forfeit draft picks.....




We have been able to update information on a couple or three trades in the process of trying to put together a full selection order for the 2007 draft. Tennessee appears to have San Diego’s 6th round pick from a deal involving former Titans’ backup QB Billy Volek who was sent to the Chargers last fall. That would appear to give the Titans a second late 6th rounder as they had acquired what is now the final regular pick in the round from Indianapolis in a 2006 draft-day trade. Meanwhile, several readers indicated that the pick Detroit gets from Miami for QB Joey Harrington will indeed escalate from a 6th to a 5th rounder after Harrington met playing time requirements. Several readers also noted that the Jets should receive a 6th round pick from Minnesota as part of a pre-season trade for QB Brooks Bollinger, however, we haven’t been able to confirm that one. It also appears that Atlanta gets what is being described as a ‘mid-round’ pick – possibly as high as a #3 – to complete that three way deal last involving the Jets in which DE John Abraham went to the Falcons.....

For the most part, personnel departments around the NFL are closed down for a week or two as scouts get a break after the end of the long college season and before the final sprint to the 2007 draft. And with the all-star games now in the books, the next stop on the draft calendar is the scouting combine in Indianapolis which kicks off on February 21st. For those who haven’t seen it all ready, here’s the list of players invited to this year’s combine. We’ll have a more detailed breakdown of the combine field once we get a little closer to the actual start date.....




* indicates underclassman
(X) indicates will or may not workout because of injury
(P) indicates player likely to be tested at position in addition to stated one

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks:
John Beck, BYU
Trent Edwards, Stanford
Luke Getsy, Akron
Matt Gutierrez, Idaho State
Kevin Kolb, Houston
Toby Korrodi, Central Missouri State
Chris Leak, Florida
Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh
Jordan Palmer, UTEP
James Pinkney, East Carolina
Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
Jeff Rowe, Nevada
Jamarcus Russell, LSU
Troy Smith, Ohio State
Isaiah Stanback, Washington
Drew Stanton, Michigan State
John Stocco, Wisconsin
Josh Swogger, Montana
Zac Taylor, Nebraska
Paul Thompson, Oklahoma
Jared Zabransky, Boise State

Running backs:

Lorenzo Booker, Florida State
Ahmad Bradshaw, Marshall
Eldra Buckley, Tennessee-Chattanooga
Michael Bush, Louisville
Thomas Clayton, Kansas State
Alonzo Coleman, Hampton
Jon Cornish, Kansas
Ken Darby, Alabama
Chris Henry, Arizona
Tony Hunt, Penn State
Nate Ilaoa, Hawaii
Kenny Irons, Auburn
Brandon Jackson, Nebraska
Marshawn Lynch, California
Ronnie McGill, North Carolina
Tyrone Moss, Miami
Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
Gary Russell, Minnesota
Kolby Smith, Louisville
Ramonce Taylor, Texas
Darius Walker, Notre Dame
Danny Ware
Garrett Wolfe
Dwayne Wright
DeShawn Wynn
Selvyn Young

Fullbacks:

Cory Anderson, Tennessee
Deon Anderson, UConn
Brian Leonard, Rutgers (FB)
Leron McClain, Alabama
Dante Rosario, Oregon (TE)
Jason Snelling, Virginia

Wide Receivers:

Aundrae Allison, East Carolina
Dallas Baker, Florida
David Ball, New Hampshire
Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech (QB)
Dwayne Bowe, LSU
Mark Bradford, Stanford
Steve Breaston, Michigan
David Clowney, Virginia Tech
Jemalle Cornelius, Florida
Chris Davis, Florida State
Craig Davis, LSU
Aaron Fairooz, Central Arkansas
Yamon Figurs, Kansas State
Joel Filani, Texas Tech
Ted Ginn, Ohio State
Anthony Gonzalez
Jarett Hicks, Texas Tech
Johnnie Lee Higgins, TCU
Jason Hill, Washington State
Jon Holland, Louisiana Tech
Drisan James, Boise State
Dwayne Jarrett, Southern California
Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
Jacoby Jones, Lane
James Jones, San Jose State
Onrea Jones, Hampton
Jordan Kent, Oregon
Mike Mason, Tennessee State
Marquay McDaniel, Hampton
Rhema McKnight, Notre Dame
Robert Meacham, Tennessee
Ryan Moore, Miami
Legedu Naanee, Boise State
Syvelle Newton, South Carolina (QB)
Jerard Rabb, Boise State
Sidney Rice, South Carolina
Laurent Robinson, Illinois State
Ryne Robinson, Miami (Ohio)
Bret Smith, Tennessee
Steve Smith, Southern California
Syndric Steptoe, Arizona
Chansi Stuckey, Clemson
Jason Swain, Tennessee
Courtney Taylor, Auburn
Matt Trannon, Michigan State
Mike Walker, Central Florida
Chandler Williams, Florida International
Paul Williams, Fresno State
D'Juan Woods, Oklahoma State

Tight ends:

Michael Allan, Whitworth
Kevin Boss, Western Oregon
Scott Chandler, Iowa
Dan Coats, BYU
Jonny Harline, BYU
Clark Harris, Rutgers
Zach Miller, Arizona State
Martrez Milner, Georgia
Joe Newton, Oregon State
Greg Olsen, Miami
Ben Patrick, Delaware
Anthony Pudewell, Nevada
Gijon Robinson, Missouri Western State
Derek Schouman, Boise State
Matt Spaeth, Minnesota

Offensive tackles:

Allen Barbre, Missouri Southern
Levi Brown, Penn State
Andrew Carnahan, Arizona State
Chris Denman, Fresno State
Tala Esera, Hawaii
Doug Free, Northern Illinois
Brandon Frye, Virginia Tech
Gabe Hall, Texas Tech
Ryan Harris, Notre Dame
Mario Henderson, Florida State
Stephon Heyer, Maryland
Chase Johnson, Wyoming
Adam Koets, Oregon State
James Marten, Boston College
Mike Otto, Purdue
Ken Shackleford, Georgia
Joe Staley, Central Michigan
Herbert Taylor, TCU
Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
Tony Ugoh, Arkansas
Dana Uperesa, Hawaii
Elliot Vallejo, Cal-Davis
Julius Wilson, Alabama-Birmingham
Mansfield Wrotto, Georgia Tech
Marshal Yanda, Iowa

Offensive Guards:

Andy Alleman, Akron
Josh Beekman, Boston College
Nathan Bennett, Clemson
Stephen Berg, Arizona State
Justin Blalock, Texas
Tim Duckworth, Auburn
Ben Grubbs, Auburn
Corey Hilliard, Oklahoma State (OT)
Mike Jones, Iowa
Paluani Ma Sun, Oregon
Uche Nwaneri, Purdue
Manny Ramirez, Texas Tech
Dan Santucci, Notre Dame
Arron Sears, Tennessee
Cam Stephenson, Rutgers
Kasey Studdard, Texas

Centers:

Doug Datish, Ohio State
Mark Fenton, Colorado
Dustin Fry, Clemson
Leroy Harris, North Carolina State
Ryan Kalil, Southern California
Enoka Lucas, Oregon
Drew Mormino, Central Michigan
Dan Mozes, West Virginia
Samson Satele, Hawaii
Scott Stephenson, Iowa State

DEFENSE

Defensive Ends:

Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame
Gaines Adams, Clemson
CJ Ah You, Oklahoma
Ikaika Alama-Francis, Hawaii
Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas
Antwan Applewhite, San Diego State
Baraka Atkins, Miami
Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan
Larry Birdine, Oklahoma
Mkristo Bruce, Washington State
Noland Buchette, Virginia Tech
Adam Carriker, Nebraska
Tim Crowder, Texas
Victor DeGrate, Oklahoma State
Jacob Ford, Central Arkansas
Justin Hickman, UCLA
Xzavie Jackson, Missouri
Charles Johnson, Georgia
Ray McDonald, Florida
Jay Moore, Nebraska
Quentin Moses, Georgia
Jarvis Moss, Florida
Chase Pittman, LSU
Jay Richardson, Ohio State
Brian Robinson, Texas
Anthony Spencer, Purdue
Lamarr Woodley, Michigan
Abraham Wright, Colorado

Defensive Tackles:

Jay Alford, Penn State
Alan Branch, Michigan
Kareem Brown, Miami
Larry Brown, Oklahoma State
Jeremy Clark, Alabama
Joe Cohen, Florida
Quinton Echols, Kansas State
Justin Harrell, Tennessee
Keith Jackson, Arkansas
Antonio Johnson, Mississippi State
Derek Landri, Notre Dame
Ryan McBean, Oklahoma State
Turk McBride, Tennesee
Brandon Mebane, California
Amobi Okoye, Louisville
David Patterson, Ohio State
Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State
Clifton Ryan, Michigan State
Marcus Thomas, Florida
Matt Toeaina, Oregon
Tank Tyler, North Carolina State

Outside Linebackers:

Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma
Antwan Barnes, Florida International
Jon Beason, Mimai
Quincy Black, New Mexico
Stewart Bradley, Nebraska
Prescott Burgess, Michigan
Earl Everett, Florida
KaMicahel Hall, Georgia Tech
Rory Johnson, Mississippi
Stephen Nicholas, South Florida
Michael Okwo, Stanford
Sam Olajubutu, Arkansas
Paul Posluszny, Penn State
Dallas Sartz, Southern California
Tim Shaw, Penn State
Juwan Simpson, Alabama
Tony Taylor, Georgia
Lawernce Timmons, Florida State

Inside Linebackers:

Jon Abbate, Wake Forest
Desmond Bishop, California
HB Blades, Pittsburgh
Quincy Culberson, Mississippi State
Buster Davis, Florida State
Zak DeOssie, Brown
Justin Durant, Hampton
David Harris, Michigan
Nate Harris, Louisville
Zack Latimer, Oklahoma
Marvin Mitchell, Tennessee
Chad Nkang, Elon
Blair Phillips, Oregon
Brandon Siler, Florida
Kelvin Smith, Syracuse
Justin Warren, Texas A&M
Anthony Waters, Clemson
Patrick Willis, Mississippi

Cornerbacks:

Anthony Harline, Baylor
Tarvarous Bain, Hampton
Fred Bennett, South Carolina
Tyrone Brackenridge, Washington State
Tarell Brown, Texas
Michael Coe, Alabama State
Duane Coleman, Clemson
AJ Davis, North Carolina State
CJ Gaddis, Clemson
Dashon Golden, Washington
Corey Graham, New Hampshire
Leon Hall, Michigan
Chris Houston, Arkansas
Daymeion Hughes, California
David Irons, Auburn
Deandre Jackson, Iowa State
Tanard Jackson, Syracuse (FS)
Reggie Lewis, Florida
Trumaine McBride, Mississippi
Marcus McCauley, Fresno State
Brandon McDonald, Memphis
Darrelle Revis, Pittsburgh
Aaron Ross, Texas
Kenny Scott, Georgia Tech
Ryan Smith, Florida
Jonathan Wade, Tennessee
Chaz Williams, Louisiana-Monroe
CJ Wilson, Baylor
Josh Wilson, Maryland
Eric Wright, UNLV

Safeties:

Gerald Alexander, Boise State
Zach Catanese, Arizona State
Craig Dahl, North Dakota State
Jesse Daniels, LSU
Eric Frampton, Washington State
Josh Gattis, Wake Forest
Michael Griffin, Texas
Brandon Harrison, Stanford
Michael Johnson, Arizona
Laron Landry, LSU
Bramdon Meriweather, Miami
Nedu Ndukwe, Notre Dame
JD Nelson, Oregon
Reggie Nelson, Florida
Marcus Paschal, Iowa
Kevin Payne, Louisiana-Monroe
Leonard Peters, Hawaii
Sabby Piscitelli, Oregon State
Aaron Rouse, Virginia Tech
Brandon Sharp, Louisville
Daren Stone, Maine
Eric Weddle, Utah
John Wendling, Wyoming
Marvin White, TCU

Special Teams:

Jesse Ainsworth, Arizona State (PK)
Kody Bliss, Auburn (P)
Brandon Carney, Syracuse (P)
Matt Clark, Auburn (PK)
Mason Crosby, Colorado (PK)
Brandon Fields, Michigan State (P)
Nick Folk, Arizona (PK)
Adam Graessle, Pittsburgh (P)
Aaron King, UTEP (LS)
Nick Leeson, Virginia Tech (LS)
Justin Medlock, UCLA (PK)
Brandon Pace, Virginia Tech (PK)
Adam Podlesh, Maryland (P)
Jared Retofsky, TCU (LS)
Alex Reyes, Texas Tech (P)
Nic Schmitt, Virginia Tech (P)
Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor (P)