Busy day here at Dropback HQ. Free agency begins!

Derek Anderson re-signs with Cleveland, hours after the Browns traded their second-rounder to Green Bay for Corey Williams.

I wrote before Anderson re-signed that Browns GM Phil Savage handled it perfectly. Then, I asked for forgiveness.

Fox Sports guy says Anderson is the perfect fit for Cleveland.

New Orleans gets Jonathan Vilma from New York ...

... and New York gets Carolina's Kris Jenkins.

The Packers now have picks 30, 56 and 60. Can they move up?

Ten NFL truths from Jason Whitlock.

The Raiders shouldn't be paying anyone $50 million.

Should JoePa go?

Not good for the nerves of Packers fans: team web site posts Favre will retire.

Never thought I'd type this: Sage Freaking Rosenfels and Todd Freaking Collins are in demand.

June Jones is a bad dude.

Welcome to the First Annual Piggy Awards Show hosted by Andy "Bull" Barch.  Featuring guest appearances by Brian George, Anthony Pilcher, Kevin Wernert, and Andy "Bigfoot" Evans.

We'll be handing out awards for Freshman of the Year, MVP, Coach of the Year, Biggest Disappointment of the Year.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this laughter filled edition of The Piggy Awards!!!

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Be sure to tune in Friday morning for a very special edition of the Pigskin Podcast. I can barely contain my excitement! In the meantime, more links:

Predictably, the Browns, unable to get quarterback Derek Anderson signed to a long-term deal, have given him a high tender.

And Plain Dealer Browns beat reporter Tony Grossi thinks that's a good thing.

A satirical take on the scouting combine from ESPN.com Page 2 funnyman D.J. Gallo. My favorite:

29. De'Cody Fagg, WR, Florida State: Fagg suffered a serious knee injury at the combine while running a "tap-tap" drill that requires receivers to get both feet inbounds on sideline catches. Onlookers say Fagg may have been distracted by Brady Quinn taunting him from the stands.

I was completely and totally wrong about David Carr, and I'm not too big a man to admit it.

Free agency starts Friday -- I was also wrong about not having enough to blog about in this space! -- and here are the four who could move that day.

"Young veterans" are also in demand.

Packers president "guesses" Brett Favre will be back. Y'know, the usual offseason song and dance.

Yesterday's linked mock draft had Glenn Dorsey going ninth. SI.com's Don Banks, in his post-combine mock, has Dorsey going fifth. (Yesterday's mock also had Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie going 30th to Green Bay; this one has him 18th. That's a large difference.)

Not good news for the Bears: They stand to lose a ton in free agency.

College spring practice is nearing, and BG's outlook looks ominous: "The buzz: The Falcons would be better off if they can decide on a feature back. Coaches also need to find three new starters on the offensive line. The Falcons figure to spend a lot of time in the spring shoring up their weak run defense."

 

... is a surprise.

And even though one member of our crew is a notoriously bad secret-keeper, he won't be telling this time around.

So on Friday morning, drop what you usually do -- whether that's a quick trip to the gym, a little fun with the lady/fella friend or a stroll with the dog -- and listen to the Pigskin Podcast.

It's the first of a two-part series, and you will NOT be disappointed.

See you here Friday morning!

I hope the Dropback is helping you all as much as it's helping me stay current on the news and notes in the NFL and college football.

Obviously, when the seasons get closer and training camps open, I'll have a lot more news to sift through, but until then, this is a good primer.

PROS
Quick-hit recap of the combine.

Got a young quarterback? Be patient.

This Scouts mock draft has Glenn Dorsey falling to No. 9, where Nick's boys will grab him. Wow.

The NFL's rookie salary structure is ass backward.

Kevin Faulk, weedhead.

Will the Redskins get Ocho Cinco or Randy Moss?

 

THE COLLEGE RANKS
My boy Randy Edsall at UConn cashes in on two TERRIBLE calls for a raise. Ugh.

Andy Barch's boy, Nick Saban, runs a real tight ship.

Parent offers recruiting advice, via a blog, to other parents.

While I'm digging out of the snow, I figured I'd do a little dropping back.

The first item here, I think, is a view shared by many in the Windy City.

One man's plea for Rex Grossman to be put out of his misery.

Michael Strahan is getting to be more unbearable than Brett Favre with the incessant retirement talk.

Running backs, including Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall, are hot at the combine.

Rumors have it that Randy Moss is interested in joining T.O. and Mr. Jessica Simpson.

Buzz about the league's top free agents.

Is Terrelle Pryor leaning toward Ohio State?

Maybe Jim Zorn won't be so bad, eh?

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that only ends sometimes.

We've got another week full of NFL and college ball headlines for you, in advance of the first installment of The Piggy Awards, set for Friday morning. Stay tuned for that!

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback: The combine is boring. (And other stuff.)

This Glenn Dorsey injury thing is sort of intriguing, no?

Vikings OT Bryant McKinnie: An all-around good guy, sounds like.

A new Fox mock draft: Matt Ryan No. 1!

Darren McFadden's A Man.

And apparently, a potent man.

The combine's movers and shakers.

A quick Dropback today, because I'm pressed for time. (I know: Excuses are like kitchens. ...)

As always, if you see news you want to share with fellow listeners/readers, pass it along!

Uh oh: Did San Francisco tamper with the Bears' Lance Briggs?

Jason Campbell is Jim Zorn's starter in D.C. What? No Todd Collins?

Keep tabs on the Combine with ESPN's well-done Hashmarks blog.

Inside the minds of players with franchise tags dangling from their necks.

Andy Barch's boy Phil Fulmer lashes out at criticism stemming from the Vols' latest disciplinary issue.

Oklahoma won eight games today. No, seriously.
  
Who's Joe Flacco? He's the former Delaware quarterback creating a buzz.

And a college mailbag to take you into the weekend. Enjoy!

Welcome to the Back to School Edition of the Pigskin Podcast!

We've got lots in store for you in this episode, including the radio voice of The Ohio State Buckeyes, Paul Keels.

What are you waiting for?  Check it out!

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The Browns re-sign productive runner Jamal Lewis. 

Follow-up to yesterday's note on LSU incumbent quarterback Ryan Perriloux: He's had quite a journey.
  
I was hoping this Matt-Walsh-Roger-Goodell lovefest was going to go away, but it looks like it's here to stay. Ugh.
  
Delusion from the head of the NFLPA: HGH not common.
  
A cautionary tale from the combine.
  
A recent Rivals mock draft.

It's a big week at Podcast Central, with respected play-by-play man Paul Keels stopping by to chat about the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Nick Seuberling and admitted Buckeye follower Erik Bell will grill Paul on the mood in Columbus after the team's second straight disappointing finish -- and the very good season they had up until that point, as well.

They'll also ask Paul why he thinks most of the Buckeyes' NFL-ready juniors, like linebacker James Laurinaitis and offensive lineman Alex Boone, came back for their senior seasons, how far OSU can go in 2008 and where we might see some Buckeyes go in April's NFL Draft.

Additionally, Andy Barch and Joel Hammond will debate some of the hot-button issues of the day, including Phil Fulmer's status at Tennessee, horsecollar tackling and the state of the Big East.

It's all this week on the Pigskin Podcast!

We expect The Daily Dropback will be full of NFL Draft minutiae until that fateful Saturday in April, and today's no different.

Enjoy, and be sure to listen in to this week's Pigskin Podcast, where Nick and Erik take on Ohio State University radio network play-by-by man Paul Keels.

And, as always, if you see news you'd like to share with our readers, please don't hesitate to e-mail us.
 
The top five talent evaluators in the NFL:
  
Trouble for West Virginia, even after Rich Rodriguez's departure? Noel Devine was (allegedly) in a skirmish.
  
Add LSU quarterback Ryan Perilloux to the "he'll never learn" group.
  
Colt Brennan is falling.
  
Twenty to watch at the combine
  
Cream of the college assistant crop.
  
A former college coach's plan for spring football. If I remember correctly, it didn't work too tell for him.

It's another edition of the Daily Dropback, where the guys take you through the day's goings-on in the world of the oblong ball. (Some of this is a day late, as the flu bug bit me (get it?!) over the weekend and rendered me virtually useless.)
 
Let's kick it off with some college rule changes. Anyone got thoughts on a 40-second play clock, and no more 15-yard facemasks? I despite the latter. ...

So much for teams looking for defensive line help (Cleveland?) aiming for the Chiefs' Jared Allen: They'll franchise him.
  
Is Zach Thomas done? Not according to Bill Belichick, who has a pretty darn good track record of turning aging players into contributors.
  
A real shocker: the Packers project as the 2008 NFC North front-runner. Who knew?
  
(And here's an archive to the above writer's projections in each of the other seven divisions. A quick recap: Seahawks, Saints, Giants/Cowboys, Chargers, Steelers, Jags/Colts, Pats.)
  
Monday Morning Quarterback: Virginia's Chris Long is a man. Sounds like a pretty fascinating guy. (He's also got a nugget on how tough the Steelers' schedule looks early on.)
  
Great: Keyshawn Johnson wants a job.

We're off to a rocking start here at the PP (get it?!), but we're always looking to make it better.

So far we've brought you a couple standout guests, with Ohio State play-by-play man Paul Keels slated for next week's show. (Listen in, Buckeye fans!)

Starting today, we'll also be providing you a list of newsworthy, quirky or otherwise relevant links from the day in football, called the Daily Dropback. It could be injuries, draft news, contract statuses to anything else pertaining to football.
 
Highlights from the latest mock draft from SI.com's Don Banks: Darren McFadden to the Jets; USC's Sedrick Ellis to Cincinnati; Brian Brohm to the Bears; and some guy named Gosder Cherilus to Andy and I's Packers.

Surprising move from Atlanta: The Falcons release reliable tight end Alge Crumpler.
 
More bad news from the Colts: nagging injuries to terrific trio Harrison, Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney.
  
Shan Shariff railed against Daniel Snyder and his minions here Friday morning, but at least they're TRYING to do the right things: Super-cool tight end Chris Cooley (who has a hot wife) restructures his deal, saving some cap space.
  
Yahoo! Sports asks the question: If the NFL could have a Roger Clemens, who would you like it to be? Answer's obvious, to me: Vick. (He's not listed.)

Attention, running-back hungry teams: The Panthers have a deal for you!

Believe it or not the four of us do receive quite a bit of fan emails, so we figured it was time to open up our mailbags and share.

We also visited with ESPN Radio's Shan Shariff as he discussed the new coaching hire of Jim Zorn, and the love/hate relationship between Redskins fans and Daniel Snyder.

Enjoy!

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Big things are happening here at PigskinPodcast.com; don't be left out.

First, a reminder that, as we are daily adding to our stockpile of listener questions, you can get in on the fun, as well. If you have a question for the guys, e-mail us to have your voice heard.

Secondly, we have another special guest for this week's show: Shan Shariff, who is the program director and a sports show host at Delmarva, Md.'s ESPN Radio affiliate, 1240 AM. According to his bio, Shariff also fills in on ESPN's Baltimore affiliate, 1300.

An American University (that's big time, folks) graduate, Shariff has quite a self-deprecating sense of humor: His web site lists his greatest sports accomplishment as winning a state tennis doubles title - while being carried by a girl.

Shariff will let us know what the feeling is in the DC area on the Redskins' hiring of Jim Zorn (originally hired as the offensive coordinator, then elevated to head coach), and will also discuss any other Redskin- and NFL-related material we can throw at him.

It sounds like Shariff will fit right in with our motley crew, so please do tune in Friday morning for the latest episode of the Pigskin Podcast.

Also on Friday's show will be the latest installment of Stop the Presses, where our panelists find a column or story and tell you why it's bunk, and a listener mailbag segment, where we will take on the burning questions our faithful followers want answered.

We'll be back Friday morning. You should, as well. You never know what you'll miss.

(Additionally: Check in Sunday, where we'll announce a VERY special guest for NEXT week's show. Here's a hint: He's got a recognizable voice, at least to Buckeye Staters.)

We're finally through with those so called "practice episodes."  It's about time we officially announce ourselves to the world, and what better way to do that as the football season concludes?

HOWEVER: We at The Pigskin Podcast have lots of great stuff in store for you in the near future, so stay tuned!  Enjoy the very first REAL installment of The Pigskin Podcast.

Direct Download [7.6 mb]

Erik Bell and Andy Barch go head-to-head in our first segment, and it's all Super Bowl. What was the best commercial? Is this the biggest upset of all-time? Does Eli Manning now sit at the head of the family's table?
 
Then, we move to the college game and talk with Anthony Pilcher, who runs the ND Football Forum.
 
The Irish hauled in the No. 9 recruiting class according to ESPN.com, so what will this do for the 2008 season and beyond? 
 
The prize of the class is quarterback Dayne Crist: How soon does he see the field?
 
That's the future; what about the past? Can the Irish recover from their poor 2007 showing?
 
We've always heard that a day at Notre Dame Stadium is one of the best experiences for a sports fan. Can you describe the stadium, atmosphere, etc.? 
 
And we'll also have our first listener question, from avid Notre Dame fan and Rocky River, Ohio resident Anthony Fatica, who wants to know about the offensive line's struggles.
 
All this and more on tomorrow's Pigskin Podcast!

We're excited. He's excited.

We're set to host the first guest in the Pigskin Podcast's history in Friday's show: Anthony Pilcher, who runs "Pilcher's Notre Dame football blog," a popular little ditty devoted to the Golden Domers.

Our producer, Nick Seuberling, is a big Irish fan, and he promises to talk about Notre Dame recruiting (did you hear Signing Day is Wednesday?), Charlie Weis and the hiring of Jon Tenuta, the former defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and Weis' new assistant head coach.

As you'll see, Anthony also has a unique feature on his blog: the elite selection playoff.

In advance of the show, we asked Anthony to answer a few questions. He obliged (anyone who knows Joel well will know what part with which he and Anthony will disagree):

What do you do for a living?  I work as an engineer for GE aviation assessing large compressor and turbine rotating part airworthiness lives. This mainly entails doing material low cycle fatigue, fracture mechanics, and probabilistic inclusion fatigue analysis. I have an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame, a Master's of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame, and a Master's of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

How you ended up starting your blog? I started the blog mainly because I liked following, discussing, and, ultimately, writing about Notre Dame football. I feel very strongly that there is almost no impartial college football dialogue that takes place. Message boards seem to be ripe with knee-jerking and emotional commentary, following every rumor surrounding the program of interest with too much certainty.  ESPN, Sports Illustrated, etc. are out to make money and sensationalize everything, many times unnecessarily and incorrectly placing blame at the feet of 18-20 year old student athletes. I wanted to try and provide an objective forum on which to discuss things relative to Notre Dame football. I try and remain impartial, fair, and honest, not too quick to praise or criticize. I really started the blog to respond to demand for post-game analysis e-mails I used to send out. The audience got so big it just seemed like a natural fit.

How long have you been doing the blog, and what kind of traffic does it get? I guess I've been doing it for about two years now. I typically post a few things a week during the season as well as some stuff about recruiting, spring practice, and fall camp during the off-season. I also comment on any "major" football news. I'd say I have several hundred readers if I had to guess.

One thing I've found, via my personal blog and the overall development of Crain's Cleveland Business' web site, is that compilation of news from the millions and millions of sources on the web is very popular.

For instance: Crain's months ago began compiling the top news from 15 or so daily newspapers in Ohio every morning, then sending those top stories as one e-mail from our web site.

We don't necessarily get any benefit of extra web traffic from it, but it's one more service that we, as a weekly business paper, can offer our readers.

This is an advantage we at The Pigskin Podcast hope to offer, as well (I've also started a similar "Links of the Week" feature on my blog, HammondBacon.blogspot.com). We all live in different towns, we all have different sports interests and we all read different news every day.

So today, I'd like to offer a (albeit a little tardy) little recap of stories I enjoyed from the Super Bowl coverage, from The Big Lead to ESPN.com to the New York Times to the Boston Globe.

We hope you enjoy it, and, as always, e-mail us with tips at feedback@pigskinpodcast.com.

Comparing the great catches of all-time.

In pictures.

A whole mess of people watched the game.

The Sports guy needs a hug. Too bad.

Upset? Nah. Rather, a badly missed opportunity.

What I thought impossible: The Pats felt the pressure.

Any media critic worth his salt knows that Terry Bradshaw never gets above a C.

Tom Brady will likely regret the "17 points?" incredulity.