SB Nation - David Snow

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 9/3

MattRichWarren — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:55:41 -0000

Bills name five to practice squad - BuffaloBills.com
"Aiken spent most of the 2011 season on the practice squad. Every other player is new to the team’s practice squad this year."

Mario Williams explains why it's fun to scare QBs - The Buffalo News
"No matter how fast or how slow you get to the quarterback, it all goes to slow motion when you get there. Everything just stops. You don't see anything but the quarterback. You don't hear anything but the quarterback's breath. It's almost like you're a shark. Your eyes get real big and everything's just quiet. You don't hear the fans or anything. It's just one second, but it feels like forever. Everything just comes to a halt. And then when you get him and bring him down, everything opens up again."

LB Chris White regains special teams role - BuffaloBills.com
"During his rookie season, White was primarily used on special teams. He recorded eight tackles and forced two fumbles during some limited game action. He expects to see his role on special teams increase this year and he feels that his ability to play on special teams certainly helped him make the final roster."

Inside The Bills | Bills know what they’re in for with Jets
"They create a lot of problems defensively because of their multiple blitz packages," said head coach Chan Gailey. "Their offense, they have added the (Tim) Tebow package so you have to spend time doing that. You do not know exactly what it is, you have an idea, but you do not know exactly what it is. So there are a lot of unknowns going into our first ball game. I think probably the things that we know the most about are their defense and their kicking game because they have the same people there."

Jets dismiss Stevie Johnson's success over Revis - The Buffalo News
"That's the position I'm in," Revis told Mehta. "The success that I've had is the reason why maybe people criticize me a different way. ... I'm not panicking over nothing. I know how to play ball. I play great ball. I'm not panicking because a guy got 70 yards."

Bills prepare for Wildcat package - The Buffalo News
"So the Bills will take their stack of Miami Dolphins scouting reports, place them next to their Denver Broncos scouting reports and shuffle them together like a deck of cards. Then the Bills will have two former Wildcat operatives help review the data."

Howell survives longest day - The Buffalo News
"The draft was a lot longer, but that one [cut down] day may have felt a lot longer," rookie Buffalo Bills safety Delano Howell said. "It was more important for me."

Stevie Johnson has Darrelle Revis' number? Jets say no way - USA Today
"Come on, man. Nobody's indestructible. A lot of times when he gives up yards, he's got the whole half of the field with no help. Everybody was doubling everybody else on the other side. It's easy for (Johnson) to get (some yards)."

After zigzag path to NFL, Fred Jackson has top billing in Buffalo - latimes.com
"His career didn't route him through a big-time college hub, he wasn't invited to the scouting combine and he barely got a sniff from the NFL. Now the running back is a centerpiece of the Bills."

Former Carvers Bay star joins the Buffalo Bills : CarolinaLive.com
"The Bills mark the fifth team in Geathers three year NFL career. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and the Cowboys."

Curious cuts as Bills get down to 53 - Olean Times Herald
"IN SHORT, one third of Nix’s draft choices are not on the active roster."

Buffalo Bills Name Five Players To Practice Squad

Brian Galliford — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 23:14:05 -0000

The Buffalo Bills on Sunday named five players to its practice squad. Four of them we already knew about, while the fifth name is a new one from previous reports.

David Snow, an undrafted free agent rookie out of Texas, was chosen to replace sixth-round pick Mark Asper, a player the team had planned on adding to the practice squad before the Minnesota Vikings swooped in and claimed him off of waivers. Snow, who played center in college and has played both guard and in the pivot in Buffalo, offers the same interior versatility that the Bills wanted on their practice squad.

The other four names are obvious: wide receivers Kamar Aiken and Marcus Easley, defensive end Jarron Gilbert, and cornerback Isaiah Green. Those names had been previously reported by Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News.

Buffalo still has three open slots on its practice squad, and they begin official preparations for their Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets with a practice tomorrow. It's unclear if the team will have a full practice squad when that happens.

NFL Cuts 2012: Buffalo Bills Release 21, Place One On IR

Brian Galliford — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:29:09 -0000

The Buffalo Bills placed rookie offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders on Injured Reserve and released 21 players to get down to the NFL maximum of 53 players prior to tonight's 9PM deadline.

Here are the names of the 21 players released: running backs Johnny White and Zach Brown, wide receivers Derek Hagan, Ruvell Martin, Naaman Roosevelt, Kamar Aiken and Marcus Easley, tight end Kevin Brock, tackle James Carmon, guards Mark Asper, Keith Williams and David Snow, defensive ends Jarron Gilbert and Robert Eddins, defensive tackles Dwan Edwards and Kellen Heard, linebackers Scott McKillop and Tank Carder, cornerback Isaiah Green, safety Nick Saenz and punter Shawn Powell.

It's unclear what injury Sanders sustained; he played left tackle for much of last night's pre-season ending loss to Detroit.

Key players that made the cut: quarterback Tyler Thigpen, tackle Sam Young, halfback Dorin Dickerson, defensive tackle Alex Carrington, undrafted free agent safety Delano Howell and kickoff specialist John Potter, among others. We'll have a full 53-man depth chart up in short order.

Vince Young Released By The Buffalo Bills, Other 'Horns Jettisoned As Well

Wescott Eberts — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:00:37 -0000

The Vince Young bandwagon is noticeably short of members these days, at least as it regards his professional prospects after the Longhorn legend was released by the Buffalo Bills on Monday morning.

NFL.com writer Gregg Rosenthal called himself the last remaining member of that bandwagon, before acknowledging "that the ride is probably over." Rosenthal may not actually be the last aboard, as surely there are a few Texas homers who can't yet quite admit how imperiled the future is for the man who brought home the crystal football to Austin.

A terrible preseason performance against the Steelers on Saturday may have sealed his fate -- he went 12 of 26 for 103 yards and threw two interceptions.

On Sunday, the Bills acquired Tarvares Jackson from the Seattle Seahawks, a trade that became official on Monday just before Young was officially released.

Young released this statement on his Twitter feed:

"I want to thank the Bills organization for the opportunity and wish the organization and my teammates good luck this season".
— Vince Young (@VinceYoung) August 27, 2012

He may yet get another opportunity, but it seems clear that if this isn't the end of the road for Vince Young as a professional football player, it is quite imminent at this rate.

In other sad news, offensive guard Kasey Studdard was released by the Texans on Saturday, while wide receiver Quan Cosby was given his walking papers by the Indianapolis Colts. Other Longhorns released -- Christian Scott, David Snow, and Jamison Berryhill.

Texas Football 2012: Offensive Line Position Preview

Wescott Eberts — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:00:43 -0000

With fall camp now underway, BON is taking a look at the storylines surrounding each position entering the 2012 season. Today, we look at the offensive line.

#	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
79	Thomas Ashcraft	6-5	315	Junior
66	Sedrick Flowers	6-3	313	Freshman
72	Mason Walters	6-6	320	Junior
73	Garrett Porter	6-6	315	Junior
75	Trey Hopkins	6-4	301	Junior
74	Taylor Doyle	6-5	290	Freshman
76	Garrett Greenlea	6-7	308	Freshman
51	Donald Hawkins	6-5	301	Junior
71	Camrhon Hughes	6-7	320	Freshman
65	Marcus Hutchins	6-5	280	Freshman
78	Josh Cochran	6-6	290	Sophomore
62	Curtis Riser	6-4	304	Freshman
71	Luke Poehlmann	6-7	275	Senior

Departures: David Snow, Tray Allen

Snow broke into the starting lineup at times as a true freshman (two starts), then remained there for most of his final three seasons (32 starts total, in 52 appearances).

The 2009 Big 12 championship game against Nebraska was a low point for him, when he suffered a round beating at the hands of Ndamukong Suh.

Fortunately for the interior stalwart, he never had to face a player the caliber of Suh again and the results were typically much more successful. Good enough, in fact, to earn several first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior, when he was one of the more steady performers after something of a slow start, earning the Bevo Beast award for top offensive lineman on the team in seven different games.

A player who would have greatly benefited from a redshirt season and more time spent under new strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wyile, the sum total of Snow's career is that of a more than solid contributor.

Tray Allen? Not so much. It doesn't say it on his MB-TF bio, but it should -- Allen was an absolute bust as a former five-star prospect, standing as one of the shining examples of how strong recruiting at certain positions never transitioned to the field for the Longhorns. What will never be clear is whether Allen was simply a failure in evaluation or whether he just never developed in Austin, for whatever reason. Maybe it was both.

After starting six games in 2011 at Texas after having played inside for most of his career, Allen is another player who would have benefited from redshirting early in his career, but that fact doesn't excuse the terrible performance he turned in against Oklahoma that essentially ended his time as a starter and thrust true freshman Josh Cochran into the spotlight.

Yeah, the former five star got passed on the depth chart at left tackle by a true freshman who was never expected to play his first season on campus. If there's anything to thank Tray Allen for, it's being so terrible as to allow Cochran some crucial development from game reps. And for bleeding for the program, or something.

Arrivals: Donald Hawkins (Northwest Mississippi CC), Kennedy Estelle (Pearland Dawson), Curtis Riser (DeSoto), Camrhon Hughes (Harker Heights)*

*Click on the names for their respective Recruiting Spotlights. You know you want to do it.

The key here is the addition of Hawkins, the former Oklahoma State commit who switched his pledge to Texas late in the process and has been penciled in as the starter at left tackle ever since his arrival on campus, filling a monumental need and creating a trickle-down effect that allowed Cochran to move to right tackle and Trey Hopkins back to guard.

Hawkins didn't face much of a test in the spring game going against walk-on defensive ends, but he did look good in the running game, getting to the second level, chopping his feet to allow himself the ability to change direction, and latching onto defenders when they presented themselves.

At the time of Estelle's commitment in May of 2011, it seemed as if the relative newcomer to the game might have to step in this season. He still may earn his way onto the depth chart with the losses of Paden Kelley and early enrollee Camrhon Hughes, but the pressure on him is nowhere as significant as it could have been if Texas had somehow lost out on Hawkins.

Massive and athletic for his size, Estelle needs to work on the nuances of pass protection of showing well on one play and then giving up the edge rush on the next at the Under Armour game. Beyond how quickly he can develop, the main question now is whether he has the kick step and lateral quickness to play left in college.

Hughes managed to stick at tackle during the spring after enrolling early, a good sign for his ability to stick at the position and hardly a guarantee for guys who come in projected as tackles, but sometimes end up on the interior in a heartbeat. The word on the massive Hughes is that he's raw but athletic, with a need to add strength. He'll have time to do that after tearing his ACL playing basketball during the summer.

An interior lineman with a nasty streak, Riser hails from the talent-rich DeSoto program as a kid with a reputation for loving to mash in the running game, as well as some experience in pass protection as a high school tackle. With good depth at guard and center, Riser won't have to play early and may struggle to serious dent the rotation until he's spent several years in the program, but has a chance to be a major asset in the power-running game eventually.

Starters: Donald Hawkins, Trey Hopkins, Dominic Espinosa, Mason Walters, Josh Cochran

It's not often that starters are already covered in these position previews in the arrivals section, but that's the case with Hawkins. If you don't know what you need to know about him by this point, check your reading comprehension skills. And then re-read.

For the junior Hopkins, he's another in a long line of Texas linemen who should have redshirted but didn't have the chance. Probably one of the smartest players on the team regardless of position, he never quite had the pure height to deal with edge rusher, but should be much more comfortable back on the inside, where can use his quick feet and overall athleticism to cause some devastation at the second level.

Beside him, the third-year sophomore Espinosa should only improve with his first full season in the strength and conditioning. And, anyway, he wasn't as bad as many made him out to be, according to Scipio Tex:

So we have a 2nd year freshman, who after missing the entire Spring with a shoulder injury, plays the one position that puts an OL at the greatest disadvantage physically from the guy across from him, while being asked to call out the line adjustments, and is then asked to move a 6-1, 305 pound, 23 year old Polynesian who can squat his village, keying hard on run because our offense passes like Mr Magoo on the highway. Recipe for success, IMHO.

Dominic Espinosa is smart, shows good feet when asked to zone (and even pull in certain instances), and he plays with low pads. He was also asked to play two years before he was ready. As he makes up ground with respect to age, physical development, and experience, he can be a good player for us. Yes, really.

On the other side, Walters still has room for development, despite the comparisons to Kasey Studdard, There's no doubt that he has the edge to him that compares favorably to Studdard, but he lacks the consistency that defined the former Texas offensive line stalwart. If Walters can improve handling shorter players who can get under his pads, he'll go a long way towards making those Studdard comparisons more apt.

Bookending the tackle position with Hawkins is Cochran, whose should have made similar strength gains to Espinosa and should also continue to improve with his technique as well after filling in ably as a true freshman. After Hopkins, Cochran is right up there with Hawkins as the most athletic offensive lineman in the starting group and does well in space.

Depth: Sedrick Flower, Luke Poehlmann, Thomas Ashcraft

Like Riser, Flowers is known as a mauler and both are around the same height, so they don't have too many issues with defenders getting up under their pads. It would be something of a surprise if Flowers didn't end the season as the top reserve for Texas and could be a de factor starter sooner rather than later. An injury kept him from burning his redshirt, which is probably the best thing in the long run.

Poehlmann will be the top reserve at tackle if Hopkins doesn't get most of the reps in that role. After an eternity in the program, he's still only 275 pounds, which suggests he hasn't had the greatest dedication in the weight room or in gaining weight at the training table. He was most effective last season as a short-yardage blocker at tight end and may reprise the role again this season.

The pear-shaped Ashcraft was also was one of the sloppier linemen for Texas in recent years and has never lived up to his billing as a four-star recruit. There's some talk that he's slimmed down a bit in order to improve his mobility, but until he actually gets on the field and performs well, there's no much other reason to believe that he can be a rotation player for Texas.

Same thing for Porter, except he's never had a weight issue, it's just not clear how much he likes football considering he spends most of his time on Twitter trying to get people to support his band.

If any other players contribute regularly or even in spot duty, it will be a bit of a surprise.

Recruiting: Kent Perkins (Dallas Lake Highlands), Darius James (Harker Heights), Jake Raulerson (Celina)

This is a good group, as Stacy Searels was able to land all of his top targets, with the exception of Ishmael Wilson, the A&M commit who has some temper issues on the field. Perkins is a left tackle prospect who is one of the better players to emerge there in recent seasons. James is a remarkable athlete for his size who could end up playing all five spots on the line, with some speculation from people inside the program that he could be good enough to see time on the field right now, were he in college. As for Raulerson, he's the bellcow and only needs to add some good weight to his frame before he can contribute, as his technique and want-to are unquestioned, he just struggles to anchor against stronger players.

What to watch for in fall camp: Can the starting tackles stay healthy? Nothing else is as important as this consideration. In that sense, Hawkins may be the most valuable member of the entire Texas team, with Cochran not too far behind -- the Texas depth behind them is that sketchy, with Hopkins perhaps ranking as the third-best tackle.

Other than that huge consideration, the big key is finding more quality depth on the interior -- everyone loves Flowers, but he hasn't proven it on the field yet. Ashcraft has supposedly reshaped a bit, but he hasn't either, in plenty more time. On and on. To achieve the depth that coaches prefer, some players need to step up.

State Of The Buffalo Bills Roster: Guard, Center

Brian Galliford — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:00:26 -0000

Buffalo Rumblings is in the process of breaking down the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position. Installments you may have missed: WR, OT, DE, LB, CB.

Heading into the 2012 regular season, the Buffalo Bills appear to have solid depth on the interior offensive line, where they have four capable and experienced players and a handful of interesting developmental-type guys. They're in a good position for this year.

Next year, however, is where it could get hairy. Three of the aforementioned group of four players - Andy Levitre, Kraig Urbik and Chad Rinehart - are all scheduled for free agency next year. That's a situation worth monitoring for two reasons: it only adds to the competition already inherent to the position, and it makes the race for the depth spots inside even more intriguing.

ANDY LEVITRE
Age: 26
Contract: UFA in 2013. Will make $565,000 in base salary in the final year of his rookie deal.

Levitre was having a break-out season in 2011 before injuries forced him first to left tackle, then to a disastrous stint at center; the position flipping completely derailed his momentum. Ideally, Levitre will play 16 games at left guard next season; if he does, he could be in for his best season and a highly lucrative pay day next spring.

ERIC WOOD
Age: 26
Contract: UFA in 2014. Will make $1.725 million in base salary over the final two years of his rookie deal.

For the second time in three years, Wood ended the season on IR with a leg injury, though his torn ACL was slightly less catastrophic than the broken leg he suffered as a rookie in 2009. When he's healthy, Wood is a solid center, but as he enters his fourth season, it's beginning to feel like he'll only reach the upside that made him worthy of being a Round 1 pick if he can stay healthy.

KRAIG URBIK
Age: 26 (27 in September 2012)
Contract: UFA in 2013. Signed a one-year, $1.26 million restricted free agent deal.

Handed the starting right guard job at the outset of 2011 training camp, Urbik played well as a starter, then added to his CV by capably filling in for Wood in the pivot after Levitre's disastrous play at center in Miami. Retained on a one-year restricted free agent offer this off-season, Urbik will be the starting right guard again, and will also likely be the team's first choice to play center if Wood gets hurt again.

CHAD RINEHART
Age: 27
Contract: UFA in 2013. Signed a one-year, $1.26 million restricted free agent deal.

Rinehart signed the same RFA offer that Urbik signed; it was an unusual move in the sense that Rinehart, in an ideal world, wouldn't play an awful lot, given that he's a backup. Injuries, however, have forced Rinehart into the lineup on numerous occasions at both guard spots, and he has played well in those instances. Experienced depth players don't come easy, but the Bills have themselves a good one with Rinehart.

COLIN BROWN
Age: 26 (27 in August 2012)
Contract: RFA in 2013. Scheduled to make $490,000 in base salary in 2012.

When the 2011 season started, Brown was a massive former fifth-round pick that was inactive on game days and buried on the depth chart. By year's end, he was the team's starting center - and adequate performance in that role have made him a more valuable reserve entering the new season. That versatility is valuable, but the Bills did draft competition for Brown, as well.

MARK ASPER
Age: 26 (27 in November 2012)
Contract: UFA in 2016. Signed a four-year rookie deal in May 2012.

Right now, it's safe to consider this sixth-round pick out of Oregon as direct competition with Brown at center and players listed below him on this list at guard. Asper fits the mold of what the Bills like in interior reserves: he's gigantic and smart, and comes from an up-tempo collegiate offense, so we know he'll be in shape. Asper is playing center for the first time in his career; his progress there in camp will go a long way toward determining his spot on the depth chart.

MICHAEL JASPER
Age: 25 (26 in October 2012)
Contract: ERFA in 2014. Signed a three-year contract off of the team's practice squad in December 2011.

Fans have loved him since the moment he was drafted, because humans this big should not be this athletic. He spent his rookie season chiefly on the practice squad, and with that year under his belt, he'll enter 2012 training camp in better shape to compete for a roster spot.

KEITH WILLIAMS
Age: 24
Contract: Signed a reserve/future deal in January 2012.

A 2011 sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Williams is another huge player with some upside. He ended last season on the practice squad, landed a reserve/future deal, and will compete for a roster spot this summer.

JAKE VERMIGLIO
Age: 24 (25 in November 2012)
Contract: Signed a reserve/future deal in January 2012.

Vermiglio - one of an unusual three players from North Carolina State on the roster - is in the same position as Williams: he's huge, ended 2011 on the practice squad, and landed a reserve/future deal to compete for a roster spot this summer.

DAVID SNOW
Age: 22 (23 in November 2012)
Contract: Undisclosed. Signed as an undrafted free agent in April 2012.

An undrafted free agent out of Texas, Snow is another option at center for the Bills, who couldn't have enough options at that position a year ago. Snow lacks the ideal size the team looks for (he's listed at 6'4" and 305 pounds), so he may need to show movement skills to stick with the team in any capacity. He is, however, a highly experienced and productive prospect, and fits the team's zone-blocking scheme quite well.

POSITIONAL OUTLOOK: Nothing has changed. Levitre, Wood and Urbik will be the starters, and Rinehart is a proven depth option that has performed adequately (and sometimes very well) as a starter. Wood and Urbik can both play center, giving the Bills two pivot options within a group of four capable players. Take that, and add in two more gigantic options at center (Brown and Asper), as well as a few developmental prospects headlined by the fan favorite Jasper, and this is a strong area for the Bills. At least for this season, that is.

Texas Pro Day Recap: 'Horns Work Out Prior to 2012 NFL Draft

Wescott Eberts — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:45:07 -0000

On Tuesday, the Longhorn football program welcomed a handful of the powers that be in the NFL to the athletic facilities on campus to provide an opportunity for departing players to showcase their skills in advance of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Many NFL dreams will continue to die a slow death into the fall or perhaps beyond, but the Texas Pro Day was about one last major chance to keep those dreams alive for former 'Horns who will be attempting to latch on as undrafted free agents in the hope of making a roster.

For those assured of hearing their names called in the NFL Draft -- defensive tackle Kheeston Randall and linebacker Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho -- the day was about improving on poor performances from the NFL Combine and avoiding any drills in which they could not reasonably expect to match or surpass those results from Indianapolis.

Click through the jump to find the chart featuring all the available results from the day and more analysis.

Name	Height	Weight	40	Vertical	Broad jump	Short shuttle	Bench press
Emmanuel Acho	6-1.5	237	DNP	DNP
Tray Allen	6-3.75	300	5.1	26.5	9-7		22
Jamison Berryhill	5-10.5	230		29.5	9-3
John Chiles	6-0	214		37.5
Blake Gideon	6-0	204	4.58	35.5	9-9		15
Ahmard Howard	6-3.75	238					10
Cody Johnson	5-10.75	259	4.72	30	9-2		27
Kheeston Randall	6-4	293	DNP
Keenan Robinson	6-3	242	4.7	36.5	10-5	4.4
Christian Scott	5-11	220	4.6	37.5	10-5	4.28
David Snow	6-3	303	DNP	26			23
Fozzy Whittaker	5-9	194	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	23

Results from Orangebloods ($), Hookem.com ($), ESPN Horns Nation ($). DNP = Did Not Participate

As a caveat to those numbers above, the track at Moncrief is considered a fast surface, so the scouts in attendance will be adding a few tenths of a second to those times.

Those in attendance included ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, NFL.com draft guru Gil Brandt, and a handful of former Longhorn players like Sam Acho, Aaron Williams, David Thomas, Justin Blalock, Greg Smith, Curtis Brown, Chykie Brown, and Blaine Irby, along with several current 'Horns. Even J'Covan Brown stopped by and joked about declaring for the NFL Draft.

No player at the event was facing more pressure than Keenan Robinson, even if some of his teammates were fighting for the prospect of any professional future in football. Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith and his linebackers coach Bob Babich both made their way down to Austin to take in Robinson's workout, as the Bears are in the market for a linebacker and are apparently considering Robinson.

The former 'Horns helped his cause by improving both his vertical and his broad jump from the combine, but opted not to try to drop some weight to run a faster 40 time -- a tactic adopted by some players -- instead measuring in at the exact same 242 pounds he weighed at the combine. Robinson improved his 40 time substantially on one run, which came in at 4.70. On the surface, that looks like a major improvement that could earn him some money, but scouts will again take into consideration the speed of the surface in Austin, as well as his other attempt, which was virtually identical to his combine time.

It seems that the only other head coach or coordinator in attendance among the 50 people on hand was Bengal defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. The Bengals need linebackers and could target either Robinson or Acho.

The latter opted not to participate in several drills, sticking with his 40 time from the combine, as well as his vertical, simply a result of the quadricep injury he incurred running his 40 in Indianapolis. Brandt called Acho "impressive" after watching him go through his positional drills and cited his older brother's success as a positive for Acho Uno Ocho. McShay agreed:

A lot of the things I like about Sam I like about Emmanuel. I think that Sam is a little more athletic, but with Emmanuel, you see the instincts, you see the preparation he has for games, the versatility. I looked at my scouting report and it's consistent in every single facet of the game. He's a smart, dedicated football player.

Perhaps it's time to officially declare once and for all that anyone who is anyone (with a brain) loves them some Achos.

Randall also stuck with his results from Indianapolis, but did go through his position drills with a little coaching from "Mean Joe" Greene, the legendary Steelers stalwart and Texas native.

One guy who needed a strong day and probably had it was Cody Johnson, who is attempting to sneak into the back end of the draft. His 4.72 40 will be adjusted down by scouts, putting him more in the range of what Keenan Robinson ran at the combine, but still fast enough to have some upside as a situational ball carrier, a role that McShay can envision for Johnson:

Cody Johnson has a chance to get drafted in the late rounds because he's probably the best inside runner of this year's fullback class.

Johnson's other results were not overly impressive besides his bench press, where he threw up 225 pounds 26 or 27 times depending on the report, tops among the former Texas players working out.

Showing off that speed at 260 pounds and that strength should help Johnson, whose stock was not helped by the fact that he didn't participate in the East-West Shrine game despite an invitation. Combined with film that improved as the season progressed, the results on Tuesday could help Johnson at least increase his odds of signing a free-agent contract with a team with serious hopes of him being able to make the roster. Johnson revealed that he was receiving some interest from the Jets and Packers during the day.

Brandt came away impressed with Scott's performance, which he thought could put him in contention for a spot late in the draft. As with any player who increases their stock based on pure testing numbers, the buzz around Scott may not survive a trip into the film room that likely will confirm that potential, but leave some question marks about his ability to put everything together, something he never managed at Texas.

For McShay, his take on Scott centered more around his reading of Mack Brown talking about the Dallas Skyline product:

I know Mack's not gonna say bad things about any of his players, but you can tell when he really believes in a young man and believes that he's turned the corner. I think Mack Brown believes in Christian Scott. To hear the conviction with which Mack Brown was talking about him and the fact that he's gonna play at the next level and he'll bet us right now that he's the next guy to do it really tells me that he believes in Christian Scott.

Or maybe Mack is just that good, eh, McShay? He doesn't get compared to politicians all the time for nothing. Wool, your eyes. Or maybe Mack is right.

If the Blake Gideon haters were expecting to crow about his athleticism following his work out, that was far from the case. His vertical, variously reported as either 35.5 inches or 36.5 inches, was on par with Keenan Robinson, and his 40 time under 4.6 respectable for a safety, a number he said he had even bested during training.

Those numbers obviously don't translate exactly to the football field and his training over the last several months may have been beneficial to those testing numbers, but Gideon's workout today provides a sharp twist his career's narrative. As a cliche-encrusted "coach's kid" who was a "leader on the field" and helped make sure everyone was lined up, the perception was that his athleticism was the issue.

The case here is that Gideon's issues were both in the more subtle measurements of athleticism like the ability to break down and re-direct, along with during-play mental issues that contributed to all those poor angles he would take. Like every workout success story, there's something being lost in translation there that has to be about more than the fact he can test well in some measures, but can't flip his hips and transition (see the Kendall Wright play early in the game last year).

Blake Gideon's legacy, further complicated.

Fozzy Whittaker could not participate in anything other than the bench press due to his knee injuries. After looking like a possible late-round draft pick before Faurot Field decided otherwise, Whittaker indicated that he has a meeting with the Patriots (the next Kevin Faulk, perhaps?) and should be full speed by late summer, which could put him in a position to compete for a roster spot this fall. The Patriots, in particular, with the culture there and a zone-heavy offense that would take advantage of his skillset as a runner, seem like a strong prospective fit.

Not sure what Ahmard Howard was doing at Texas other than occupying a scholarship, but lifting weights was apparently not part of that equation with a 10 reps on the bench press. Kicker territory. Thanks for giving up that blocked kick against Colorado though.

Just as terrible as the tight end throwing up only 10 reps were the results from Snow and Allen, each of whom failed to surpass the reps put up by the guys for whom they blocked -- Johnson and Whittaker. Mad Dog and McWhorter, for the win! Snow was disappointed in his effort, a sentiment likely prevalent among those evaluating his performance, so it's unlikely that he really helped himself on Tuesday.

Besides wondering which random former players will show up to work out as they cling tenaciously to fading NFL dreams (I see you John Chiles!), one of the more interesting storylines every year is who will throw to the offensive skill position players during drills.

This year, it was former NFL quarterback Tony Banks, who last played in the NFL for the Houston Texans in 2005, and made his way down from Dallas after working out with Chiles in recent weeks and volunteering to throw. Don't expect a comeback any time soon, however:

@GhostofBigRoy I wish bro. I've only felt healthy the last 2 yrs but I definitely have the ITCH
— Tony Banks (@tonybanks12) March 20, 2012

For Scipio Tex, the Pro Day was an opportunity to reflect on how the systemic issues that lead to the coaching purge have revealed themselves at these events:

Some quick thoughts on which Longhorns can improve their draft stock on a Texas offense that saw its last draft choice come from the 2005 recruiting class. I wish that was a misprint. 2009's foreshadowing, 2010's total meltdown, and 2011's struggles make some sense, don't they? On offense, we effectively had the upper class talent of a Conference USA team.

Now that you've bowed your head in shame at the shamefulness of this shameful fact and considering that it won't change next year either on offense, it may be worth envisioning future pro days that once again draw closer to 100 coaches and front-office personnel. Just to feel better -- 13-12 does hurt, after all.

There's not much reason for coaches or coordinators to circle the Texas Pro Day right now and though that isn't nearly as important as wins and losses in the fall, it's just one more indication of how far the program has fallen. Despite the progress that 2011 represented, the sins of coaching staffs past are still being visited upon the Longhorns -- right now, the hospitality from Mack Brown and the barbecue are both more noteworthy than the talent.

Let's get on with the exorcism, shall we?