If the NFL has its way, players will be forced to wear knee and thigh pads beginning in 2013. The NFL might not get its way.

The competition committee will discuss the impending rule with the NFL Players Association and there is some expected backlash from players who may believe the additional padding will affect their mobility. The pad rule wouldn't go into effect until 2013 so equipment manufacturers can refine the design for speed and comfort.

[Related: Tom Brady's dad would think twice about letting son play in concussion era]

Rich McKay, the Atlanta Falcons president who chairs the NFL's competition committee, explained the rule change at an owners meeting:

"There's no downside, they have to add some sort of protection," he said. "In our football system, everyone wears them up to our game. Common sense tells you it has to be safer for (protection against) thigh injuries and knee bruises. If players have worn it in Pop Warner, high school and college ... from a safety standpoint it is time to put it back in."

There are valid arguments for the adoption of new leg padding. McKay hits on none of them. Instead, he cites "common sense" instead of actual data and breaks out the "but high schools and colleges do it" argument, as if the NFL is usually in the habit of following the lead of the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

McKay also suggests there's no downside, a claim that's both wrong and frivolous. Of course there's a downside; they can make players run slower. The benefits may outweigh the drawbacks, the same way wearing a seatbelt and being slightly uncomfortable is better than not wearing a seatbelt and going through your windshield. But "no downside"? That's Rich.

Former Philadelphia Eagles safety Troy Vincent, now an NFL vice president, was equally confusing in his support of the new rule.

"It's psychological," he said, according to the Associated Press. "Less pads you are faster, skinnier, that's just the way I was introduced to the game. It's a culture shift. They will adjust."

So it is psychological or do less pads make you faster?

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Now that the 2012 NFL draft is in the can, it's time to take the Shutdown 50 scouting format forward and get a closer look at some of the surprising and fascinating selections from this year's draft -- the guys we missed in the original 50, but who could be impact players now or down the road. Our next entry: Arizona receiver Juron Criner, selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 33rd pick in the fifth round (168th overall).

Overview: While most of the talk about Pac-12 passing attacks in 2011 focused on the offenses led by Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley, the Arizona passing  game has been one of the more productive in the nation in recent seasons -- and receiver Juron Criner may be the primary reason for that. If you're in the group who believes that former Arizona and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles hurt that aerial attack as much as he helped it with his inaccuracy and questionable decision-making, Criner stands out in sharper relief. After catching seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman, Criner moved up to 45/582/9 in 2009, and made a name for himself in 2010, when he caught 82 passes for 1,233 yards and 11 touchdowns. He repeated that touchdown figure last year, and the rest of the numbers almost matched up (75 for 926).

Criner further set himself on the radar with an exciting week at the Senior Bowl. From our own Mike Tanier's report:

Criner has probably helped his stock more than any other player during Senior Bowl practices this week ... [He] does not have breakaway speed, but he appears to have the rest of the package.

"I'm very agile for a man my size," Criner said after Thursday's practice. That agility was evident earlier in the week, when he made smooth cuts and adjusted to poorly thrown balls in live practices. Criner has also been demonstrating good hands and pass-catching technique, and he looks more fluid and comfortable running routes than some of the other big receivers on the South squad.

Janoris Jenkins (CB, North Alabama), the likely first-round pick who transferred from Florida because of personal issues, singled Criner out as the hardest South receiver to cover this week during his Thursday press conference. "He's kinda got ball skills," Jenkins said. "If you hit his hand, he'll catch it. And he's tall."

So, there's that. When he's thrown to by good quarterbacks, Juron Criner tends to make plays. And even when he's thrown to by quarterbacks who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat, he's going to do some interesting things. Now a proud member of the Oakland Raiders, Criner has a shot at doing what Tennessee wideout Denarius Moore did in 2011 -- come out of nowhere as a late-round pick and impress the NFL. Moore went off the hook in a relative sense in his rookie campaign, catching 33 passes for 618 yards and five touchdowns. Could Criner be the next guy on the Raiders' late-draft boards to flash that same kind of long-term potential?

Strengths: Shows an impressive burst for an alleged "possession receiver" -- Criner gets up to speed quickly off the line and in end-arounds. Fires upfield with an impressive second gear. Good catch radius and fine hands in space -- Criner often contorted his body to make catches when Foles was throwing with questionable accuracy. Will adjust his body to catch deep balls without losing too much speed after he's already beaten the corner or safety down the seam.

Made a lot of catches despite the fact that Foles was clearly targeting him as the first read, which allowed opponents to time their jumps on the ball. Will fight to get through contact before he's wrapped up and occasionally gets free to make a big play. Senior Bowl performances showed what he could do when targeted by quarterbacks with a clue, as has his brief performances in Raiders minicamp. Frequently listed as a possession receiver, but he's got more downfield speed than the title might imply.

Weaknesses: Tends to lose control of the ball when contact is coming -- doesn't have alligator arms, per se, but has trouble bringing the ball in and securing it when a defender is bearing down on him. Will lose the ball too often upon contact, leading to fumbles and incompletions. Not an especially physical player when fighting for balls with defenders in short spaces.

Read More »

Now that the 2012 NFL draft is in the can, it's time to take the Shutdown 50 scouting format forward and get a closer look at some of the surprising and fascinating selections from this year's draft -- the guys we missed in the original 50, but who could be impact players now or down the road. The latest entry: Brandon Boykin, the Georgia cornerback selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 28th pick in the fourth round (123rd overall).

Overview: Just before the draft, the Eagles traded disgruntled cornerback Asante Samuel to the Falcons for a seventh round pick. Samuel made the Pro Bowl three times in four years with the Eagles, but many fans were happy to see him go. Philadelphia Daily News columnist Marcus Hayes called Samuel "a fraud, wrapped in a mirage, inside an illusion," in a hyperbolic preach-to-the-base post-trade column that reflected the ultimate Philly bias: if you don't hit like a freight train, then you stink. And Samuel, for all his coverage skills, hit like a baby wipe.

Boykin will not replace Samuel in the starting lineup — that will be Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie's job — but he will get first dibs on the slot corner role. And Boykin, for all his athleticism, cannot tackle. Somebody get Marcus Hayes a scented candle.

Boykin played cornerback, returned kicks, and had a small role in the Georgia offense. According to the team website, he majored in magazines. Magazines? Writing for them? Selling them? Cutting pictures of celebrities from them? Or maybe he majored in ammunition supply shacks. Whatever he learned in college, Boykin must become a more reliable tackler to earn a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

Strengths: Boykin can fly. He has recovery speed in the open field and can track the deep ball. He often runs down screens from behind and can make the touchdown-saving stop.

Boykin has three years of starting experience and is very aware in zone coverage. He frequently played "off" at Georgia and was good at reading and reacting to plays in front of him. He also moved to the slot at times and demonstrated quick reactions in underneath zones. He has potential as a route-jumper.

Boykin will be able to contribute in the return game and will be very dangerous with an interception in his hands.

Weaknesses: Oh, the tackling. Boykin lunges at the ankles of ballcarriers in the open field. His angles are bad. He gets wired to blocks. He is soft and tentative in run support. He can drag down receivers after the catch, but that is about it. He is small, and he plays small. His tackling issues may make it hard for him to contribute on special teams.

Read More »

What's beef? Beef is when you tweet a Mother's Day message to a division rival, reigniting a months-old playground tiff. I'm pretty sure that's what happened with 2Pac and Biggie, right?

[The Sports Xchange: Chargers to retire Junior Seau's No. 55 jersey | 20,000 celebrate Seau]

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, a newcomer to the social media service, sent a special note to Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy early Sunday morning. It comes a few months after McCoy called Umenyiora "soft" and Umenyiora responded by oh-so-cleverly calling McCoy "she" and "Lady Gaga."

OK, the Lady Gaga crack was lame, but this is some solid trash talk that elevates the discourse. Because McCoy is a man and, by the laws of nature, he can't be a mother! It's a physical impossibility!

I want to know how long Osi's been sitting on this joke. Did he wake up this morning and think of it? Or was it something he came up with during last summer's trash-talk battle and had to save for 10 months?

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If you're the type of person who's already interested in the line for the Week 8 game between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers -- and, let's face it; you're on Shutdown Corner on a Wednesday afternoon four months from the start of the season, so we know the answer -- then you may want to clear the next 20 minutes.

Cantor Gaming, a company that runs a number of Las Vegas sportsbooks, has released lines for every NFL game through Week 16 of the 2012 NFL season. Want to bet on the Lions-49ers rematch? Hoping to get on the RGIII bandwagon early? Eager to throw some money on your favorite team to win after their bye week? Desperate to find another way to lose your paycheck in Vegas? You're in luck, my degenerate friends.

What do the odds show? Vegas loves the Philadelphia Eagles, has no idea what to do with Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos, wavers on the decimated New Orleans Saints and is fairly certain how Mike Mularkey's first season in Jacksonville is going to go. The season spreads contain few surprises -- the Indianapolis Colts are expected to be bad, the Green Bay Packers are expected to be good -- but are a good way to kill some time during the NFL's May doldrums.

A week-by-week selection of the most interesting lines (via Covers.com):

Week 2

Detroit Lions (+3.5) at San Francisco 49ers

Week 3

New York Giants (PK) at Carolina Panthers

Week 4

New York Giants (+4) at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 5

Green Bay Packers (+9.5) at Indianapolis Colts

Read More »

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Wrapping up the draft with Greg Cosell

Now that the 2012 draft is a thing of the past, we thought it was time to get back on the phone with our good buddy Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN's NFL Matchup. OF course, we talked with Greg pre-draft regarding all the best players per position, and if you'd like to review, you can find those podcasts here:

Related: [Cosell on quarterbacks, running backs/wide receivers, tight ends/offensive line, OLB/DE/DT stars, and the ILB/DB class]

Instead of going team-by-team and discussing who won or lost based on grades that make no sense at this point, we followed Greg's lead based on an article he wrote for the NFL Films blog regarding draft philosophy per team, and what an NFL team's draft can tell you about their future plans. Greg covered the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his piece. We discussed those three teams in the podcast, but we also stretched that out to talk about more teams, general trends regarding players, and where the NFL stands at this point from a personnel and strategic perspective.

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Wrapping up the draft with Greg Cosell

As Greg wrote in that article, "Organizations and coaches express their world view — what they want to be as a team — with their draft picks. I am not talking about the selection of individual players (i.e. this particular player over that particular player); I am speaking more generally about the positions targeted, and then more specifically, the attributes of those players. That addresses what kind of team they envision themselves being, how they believe they can best compete and win in the NFL."

As always with everything involving Greg Cosell, this podcast is a must-listen for those fans of advanced tape analysis. Subscribe to the Shutdown Corner iTunes link (in iTunes, go to "Advanced/Subscribe to Podcast," and paste this link in: http://ysportspods.podbean.com/category/shutdown/feed/). You can also use the link below to either left-click and listen, or right-click to save to your computer.

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Wrapping up the draft with Greg Cosell

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On Thursday, the death of NFL legend Junior Seau was officially ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner. While those who knew and loved the man are left to comprehend this, it has now been reported that Seau's family will allow his brain to be examined for damage resulting from concussions and other head trauma the linebacker may have suffered through his 20-year NFL career. The 43-year-old Seau shot himself in the chest at his Oceanside, Calif., home on Wednesday.

"The family was considering this almost from the beginning, but they didn't want to make any emotional decisions," San Diego Chargers team chaplain Shawn Mitchell told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. "And when they came to a joint decision that absolutely this was the best thing, it was a natural occurrence for the Seau family to go forward."

The autopsy determining the cause of Seau's death was assisted by Dr. Bennett Omalu, the San Joaquin County chief medical examiner, and the man credited with identifying Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the neurological disorder caused by repeated head trauma. As the co-founder of the Brain Injury Research Institute, Omalu has been studying the impacts of concussions for years. The institute Omalu co-founded with Dr. Julian Bailes is one organization asking to study Seau's brain; another is the Sports Legacy Institute at Boston University, an organization that has received funding from the NFL.

[Related: Junior Seau was gregarious, hilarious and immensely popular]

According to a January 2011 ESPN article, doctors from both organizations once worked together, but now "compete" to further research in their fields. Public knowledge of CTE really began in 2002, when Omalu, then working as a medical examiner in the Allegheny County, Pa., coroner's office, found unusually high amounts of tau protein in the brain of former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster. This led to his link between multiple concussions and long-term brain damage, a conclusion that the NFL went out of its way to discredit. Omalu  then studied the brain of Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters, who committed suicide in 2006. Omalu found that Waters' head traumas had left him with early onset Alzheimer's disease and the mental capacity of an 85-year-old. Waters was 44 at the time of his death.

Public awareness increased when former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson killed himself in January of 2011 by shooting himself in the chest so that his brain could be studied and analyzed for CTE symptoms. It was revealed that brain trauma led to the depression that caused Duerson to take his life. At the same time, a series of lawsuits filed by former NFL players, claiming that the NFL withheld knowledge of the effects of concussions, became more of a public issue. Currently, the number of former players suing the league in a number of class-action cases exceeds 1,500.

Read More »

Each year, there are players who fall in the draft for a number of reasons. We all remember the sight of Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn waiting far beyond expectations for their names to be called, and the divergent paths their careers have taken give us one more reason to say that the draft is, in the end, pretty much a total crapshoot. Here are this year's latecomers, with Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard as the all-time cautionary tale regarding taking it easy the week before the draft.

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Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama (35th overall pick, Baltimore Ravens) -- Upshaw, a dynamic pass rusher who was expected by most pundits to go in the mid-to-late first round, apparently started to drop when he showed up to his Pro Day weighing 279 pounds. The Ravens let the draft come to them and selected a great value pick who could really shine opposite Terrell Suggs.

Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (42nd overall pick, Miami Dolphins) -- Expected to be a sure first-rounder at one point, Martin's game tape bugged enough teams to have them looking in different directions. A good player without a strong anchor point who was protected in college by a conservative heavy-blocking offense.

[ Les Carpenter: NFL 'Die Hards' sit through all three days of the draft ]

Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall (59th overall pick, Philadelphia Eagles) -- This one is hard to explain, because Curry flashed a great deal of potential as a pure pass-rusher or LEO end even when he was facing stout competition. Might be small-school bias, because there are no obvious red flags. Down the road (and very much like Upshaw), Curry may be much happier in an ideal situation despite the lower pick -- he's a perfect fit for the Eagles' aggressive defense.

Rueben Randle, WR, LSU (63rd overall pick, New York Giants) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to get Justin Blackmon, so the alleged bias against one-speed receivers with outstanding overall characteristics doesn't seem to apply. Could be that Randle was dinged because he played in an offense that was anything but friendly to receivers, but the Giants put a first-round grade on him, and Tom Coughlin had a cake-eating grin on his face when explaining the pick on TV.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State (102nd overall pick, Washington Redskins) -- Could have been a second-round guy but for his tendency to lose his mechanics under pressure. People question the Redskins picking him in the same draft as RGIII, but Cousins is the ideal Shanahan project quarterback, and could be a very reliable backup and spot starter over time.

[ Shutdown Corner analysis: Why some top prospects fell down the NFL draft board ]

Bobby Massie, OT, Mississippi (112th overall pick, Arizona Cardinals) -- Concerns about conditioning, toughness and schematic fits (not a zone blocker at all) pushed Massie down, but the Cardinals picked up an excellent run-mashing right tackle with the ability to protect the quarterback from the right side.

Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska (126th overall pick, Houston Texans) -- Steal of the draft, and the best mix of player and scheme on this list. Crick is a second-round prospect based on his tape, but he lost most of the 2011 season to injuries and fell under the radar. Really impressed me in 2010 when he kept his production up even after Ndamukong Suh left for the NFL and he became the primary focus of every offensive line he faced. In Wade Phillips' multiple schemes, Crick can be a 3-4 one-gap end, provide pass rush in big fronts, and even slip inside as a nose shade if Wade's feeling particularly creative.

Read More »

52: Tennessee Titans -- Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina -- Like former West Virginia and current Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, Brown is all about speed. He'll need to develop as a read-and react guy, but as a moveable chess piece on passing downs, he can have an impact right away.

53: Cincinnati Bengals -- Devon Still, DT, Penn State -- The Bengals still play enough straight four-fronts to make this pick very sensible. Still is more a pure penetrator than a guy who's going to stand there and take up three blockers.

54: Detroit Lions -- Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma -- Injured last year, and at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, one wonders how much abuse he'll be able to take at the NFL level. Not a real burner, but an elusive and consistent target in a dynamic passing offense.

55: Atlanta Falcons -- Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin -- Thought by some to be a first-round pick because of his strength, fundamental awareness, and versatility, Konz could shift outside to guard if need be. Injuries (blood clots in both lungs, various ankle issues) may have pushed him down the board, but you won't often see Konz get pushed down anywhere else.

56: Pittsburgh Steelers -- Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State -- The Steelers pulled off an interesting bifecta - -they selected my favorite (David DeCastro) and least favorite (Adams) in this draft class. Adams is the kind of big, athletic tackle the Steelers prefer, but I've seen him struggle against enough elite defenders to wonder how his transition will go.

57: Denver Broncos -- Brock Osweiler, AB, Arizona State -- Osweiler is an interesting prospect -- a big, mobile quarterback who can make all the throws (including the bad ones). He's raw clay to a degree, but what better building for a developmental quarterback than one in which John Elway and Peyton Manning reside?

58: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- LaVonte David, OLB, Nebraska -- Too small/too slow? Well, yes. You don't want to run a 4.65 40 at the combine when you stand 6-foot-1 and weigh 235 pounds. However, David is also is one of those guys we like to call "just a football player" — when you turn on the tape, he's thumping people in the box and playing stay-at-home linebacker against the goofiest spread offenses. He's another reason the Bucs have been the offseason winners so far.

59: Philadelphia Eagles -- Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall -- Ever wonder what would have happened if the Eagles drafted Jason Pierre-Paul? Wonder no more. Underrated pass-rusher who can play many roles. Has the burst to get 10 sacks a season as an edge rusher, the agility to play in LEO fronts (the Clay Matthews/Aldon Smith role) and the upper-body strength to hold up as a straight run defender outside or in a five-tech role. I'm very surprised he fell this far.

60: Baltimore Ravens: Kelechi Osemele, OT, Iowa State -- Osemele is a huge lineman with elite strength and the ability to pound his opponents into submission. A perfect fit for an offense always looking to get tougher. Add his long arms and huge hands, and Osemele could be Ray Rice's new best buddy.

61: San Francisco 49ers: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon -- In one year, the 49ers' offense has gone from stodgy to fairly explosive. Between Mario Manningham, rolling the dice in Randy Moss, first-round receiver A.J. Jenkins, Jim Harbaugh had already given quarterback Alex Smith more to work with. But James outstrips them all in terms of pure athleticism -- he's not as powerful as Darren Sproles, but he shares many of the same characteristics as a burner of a running back, and he adds explosive capabilities in the return game. San Francisco fans who can stomach memories of the NFC Championship game will appreciate that concept.

62: Green Bay Packers: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt -- Decent sized cornerback with 37 straight starts at Vandy; a very aware player in space who could do multiple things for a Green Bay secondary looking to overcome several concerns. Couls switch off to cover safety, or play nickel corner, if Charles Woodson has to play more straight cornerback instead of his hybrid role.

63: New York Giants -- Rueben Randle, WR, LSU -- This is an ideal player for the Bears' offense, especially after Mario Manningham's departure -- he's a tough possession receiver with route correctness and a surprising snap upfield after the catch. Doesn't explode off tape, but he'll eat your lunch in the intermediate game, he's great over the moddle because he doesn't fear traffic, and he's very quick after the catch.

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43: New York Jets: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech -- After getting torched by Randy Moss a few years back, the Jets get the closest thing I've seen to Moss from a pure upfield burner perspective. Hill didn't have great stats in Tech's prehistoric offense, and he doesn't run a lot of routes, but he's got the kind of raw quickness that can't be coached. Hard worker and a great kid -- he is all upside. AFC East cornerbacks just got a little nervous.

44: Kansas City Chiefs: Jeff Allen, OL, Illinois -- With Eric Winston manning the right tackle slot, expect the athletic Allen to either start right away at right guard, or move around. Ideal move guard for the Chiefs' power/speed combo offense.

45: Chicago Bears (from St. Louis Rams) -- Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina -- A tough receiver, but this is a curious move with LSU's Rueben Randle on the board. Jeffrey struggles with weight issues and can't separate well. Comparing him to Marques Colston is a but nuts -- Colston had a much better grasp of the fundamentals out of college.

46: Philadelphia Eagles -- Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal -- A perfect fit to play outside in the Eagles' defense -- through the Andy Reid era, there's always been premium on athletic move 'backers who can cover the flats and still bring it in run fits.

47: Seattle Seahawks (from New York Jets) -- Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State -- Wagner is an ideal Pete Carroll linebacker -- he can rush the edge and play in space; he's a two-tier player with the ability to play in nickel fronts as well. Between Wagner and Bruce Irvin, Seattle front seven just got a lot faster.

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