Dave’s Football Blog

Sharon Rosenthal gave up the Packers tickets and avoided the jail time. Perhaps she found out there was no chance she could be Ahman Green’s cellmate…

From the magnificent bastards of CBS Sportsline:

A federal judge has ordered the NFL to pay the estate of Hall of Fame center Mike Webster disability benefits for head injuries caused by his football career.

Webster, who played center for the Steelers from 1974-89, died in September 2002 in Pittsburgh. He was 50.

This decision comes three months after Greg Garber’s five-part piece on Mike Webster on ESPN.com.

She might have an ideal cellmate…

Verron Haynes, Pittsburgh’s third-string running back behind Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis, signed a one-year deal to remain with the Steelers as third-string running back.

If something happens to Duce and Bus, the third-string running back might be pretty important. Just ask the Panthers…

Sharon Rosenthal got caught. She embezzled $3,000 from a labor union account to pay household bills. Now a Wisconsin judge has given her a choice — go to jail for 90 days, or donate her family’s Green Bay Packers season tickets to charity.

This woman’s kids are probably telling her, “C’mon, Mom, it’s only 90 days. We can go to the first home game right after you get out…”

Peter King agrees with me:

I think you won’t see me join the instant-grade brigade, because it’s difficult to judge teams’ drafts after 24 hours. You can’t really judge them after 24 months, so how can you do it instantaneously?

In case you were wondering, yes, there are replica jerseys on eBay.

As if that weren’t enough, the media looked around long enough and found someone whose actual name is Ron Mexico. Really. Which begs the question: did they ever find the real Brock Middlebrook?

So we’re past the NFL Draft. How did the Steelers and Panthers do? Well, we’ll find out in a couple years. That’s why I don’t pay much attention to “Draft Weekend.” A draft that looks great today may look like crap in three years. That LaDanian Tomlinson-and-Drew Brees-for-Ron Mexico deal in 2001 turned out pretty good for both teams, didn’t it?

The only thing I’m wondering is why the Steelers took a running back with their last pick. Sure, they had addressed other needs already — a good pass-catching tight end, a fast cornerback, some O-line help, etc. — but don’t they already have four running backs? Why did they need a fifth?

As for the Panthers, they already beefed up their O-line through free agency, so they made picks to boost their secondary and got some running back insurance, just in case Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster really do prove to be Spinal Tap drummers. Will they help Carolina next season?

Do I look like Mel Kiper, Jr., to you? Ask me again around Halloween, okay?

The Carolina Panthers signed free agent punter Tom Rouen away from Seattle yesterday. It’s the second punter Carolina has signed in the last two months.

I’m sad. Now I have to throw out all those cream-and-clear meat loaf cracks I was saving for next season…

Don’t expect any mind-blowing moves from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Draft this weekend. They’re just going to sit back and see what happens.

Me? I’ll be doing something else. The NFL Draft is fairly crappy television, it lacks the rite-of-passage impact the NBA Draft had about a decade ago, and nobody will really know how the vast majority of these players will really do for at least another two years or so. The most interesting thing to come out of this weekend’s Draft coverage will be footage of the new Madden for the next-generation Xbox.

On the other hand, that might make a portion of this draft worth watching…