SB Nation - Dylan Gandy

Tuesday Notes: Lions Could Legally Delay Top Pick to Move Down Draft Order

Sean Yuille — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:00:15 -0000

If the Lions wanted to, they could purposely not turn in a pick on time to move down in the draft order. There was a column written by SI's Ross Tucker back on April Fool's Day suggesting this exact strategy with the No. 1 pick, but many wondered if the Lions could get away with it. As it turns out, they could legally delay their pick and wouldn't have to pay No. 1 money. That means that if they wanted to draft Matthew Stafford, theoretically they could wait to turn in the pick until after the Chiefs made their selection. Stafford won't be selected by the Rams of Chiefs, so the Lions could wait a couple picks to save some money.

While this strategy certainly would be interesting and smart for saving money, it is highly doubtful that the Lions would employ it on draft day. Aside from the perception that the Lions couldn't even turn in the top pick on time (I doubt most would realize what they Lions were doing), there's the risk of passing up one of the players selected during your delay and having him turn out to be a Pro Bowler or a great player. While picking one player over another and in hindsight wishing you could go back and do a certain draft all over again is a common occurrence, it would be worse to look back and know that you let another team swoop in and pick a Pro Bowler while you were trying to save some money.
Offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam left Detroit without signing a contract. He is thinking over his options and may wait to make a decision until after the draft. That way he can see exactly what each team's situation is, allowing him to pick a team where the chance for playing time exists.
Shortly after Salaam left the Lions, the team re-signed offensive tackle George Foster to a one-year deal. The team also signed center Dylan Gandy to a one-year deal, adding depth to the offensive line at multiple positions. Neither of these two players are starting material, but both provide needed depth. As some of you pointed out, they are more than likely "training camp bodies." They will be around during training camp for depth and practice reasons but probably won't make the team. That is the most likely scenario, so these signings don't seem like a very big deal to me, not that they should.
B.J. Raji's agents released a statement refuting multiple reports that their client tested positive for a drug (reported to be marijuana) at the combine. SI.com and NFL Draft Bible reported that Raji tested positive for a drug, and the latter of the two specified that it was marijuana. NFL Draft Bible is standing by all of its recent stories about players testing positive for marijuana and steroids, so it will definitely be interesting to see who turns out to be telling the truth in this whole situation.
Mocking the Draft has the Lions selecting Jason Smith and Peria Jerry in the first-round of its most recent mock draft.
Jeff Garcia signed with the Raiders to be JaMarcus Russell's backup.
Despite being released by the Ravens on March 18, the team re-signed cornerback Samari Rolle to a four-year deal on Monday.
I want to give myself a pat on the back for winning the Pride of Detroit tournament pool. I tied for first-place with Swish, who had 138 points just like me. I won the tiebreaker, though, as my prediction for the total amount of points scored was only a single point off the actual total.

Arizona Cardinals Offensive Line vs. Jim Johnson's Blitz Happy Defense

Hawkwind — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:10:10 -0000

Anyone who plays the Arizona Cardinals tries to pressure Kurt Warner early and often and very few, if any, teams turn the heat up on a quarterback like the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles defense has been led by Jim Johnson for the past nine seasons and Johnson is one of, if not, the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. The only other defensive coordinator who's in the discussion would be Dick LeBeau for his work in Pittsburgh. Johnson's defenses are well known for exotic blitzes and ball hawking secondaries and the 2008 Eagles have certainly lived up to that reputation. Only two teams registered more sacks than the Eagles during the regular season and they ended the season with 15 interceptions and 21 forced fumbles. The best part about Johnson's defense is that everyone is involved and eleven members of the defense recorded multiple sacks during the regular season.

Kurt Warner is no stranger to being blitzed but Jim Johnson has done a number on KW over the years. Warner's gone against Johnson's Eagles six times during his career and his stats against them are well below his career averages while winning just two of the six matchups. Warner's completed just over 52% of his passes against the Eagles and he's thrown nine interceptions to just seven touchdowns. The most telling stat though is that Warner's been sacked 20 times in six games by the Eagles and his worst game was in 2002 when he was sacked eight times. Warner will no doubt have his hands full on Sunday but he's not the only one who will be under pressure.

The Cardinals offensive line has taken it's lumps this season but for the most part, they do a good job of protecting Warner. KW was sacked 26 times this season, which is middle of the road, but the offensive line struggled at the start of the season before playing much better as the season progressed. Warner was sacked 12 times in the first four games, but he's only been taken down 15 times in the next 14 games (including the playoffs). So what will the offensive line have to prepare for this week?

Trent Cole and Darren Howard: While neither of these guys are household names like Jared Allen or Julius Peppers, they're still a potent combination at left defensive end. Cole is the starter but Howard sees his fair share of the field as well and they finished first and second on the Eagles in terms of sacks, with 19 total. Jim Johnson uses creative ways to get both of them on the field at the same time, especially on passing downs, but one of them will be matched up on Mike Gandy on nearly every down. Gandy has done pretty well this season considering that he's faced several elite pass rushers and the coaching staff rarely gives him help with running backs or tight ends. He'll need another good game on Sunday in order to keep Warner's blind side safe.

Line Stunts and Exotic Blitzes: The Eagles test the cohesion of an offensive line like very few teams in the NFL. Johnson dreams up new blitzes on a weekly basis so the Cardinals are almost guaranteed to see something new that the Eagles haven't showed on film all season long. It will be critical for the front five to communicate pre-snap reads and work 'inside out.' Warner is able to get rid of the ball in a hurry but blitzers running free up the middle are still disruptive. Much of this pressure falls on young Lyle Sendlein and they'll need him to make the proper calls.

Overload Blitzes: Make no mistake about it, the Eagles will find a way to get blitzers running free at Kurt Warner. One of the best ways is to dial up some 'overload' blitzes (ie sending more blitzers to one side of the line than the offense can block) and the Eagles are no stranger to this scheme. Their secondary combined for eight sacks this season and long-time Eagle Brian Dawkins added another in the playoffs. Jim Johnson will throw everything at Warner to shorten the amount of time he has to go through progressions and keep the longer pass plays from developing.

Quick Trivia: Who knew that Jim Johnson started his NFL coaching career with the Cardinals and he was here from 86-93?

Only time will tell whether the 'Master of the Bltz' can get the best of the Arizona Cardinals and thier offensive line, but they'll certainly need to solid game from each member to keep Warner clean and upright. What's the biggest key for this group against the Eagles? Who's got the most pressure on them?

Broncos Sign Chad Mustard, Release Dylan Gandy

John Bena — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:15:47 -0000

The Denver Broncos on Monday signed free-agent tight end Chad Mustard, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Broncos also on Monday waived guard Dylan Gandy.

Mustard (6-foot-6, 277 pounds) is in his fifth NFL season and third year with the Broncos. He competed with Denver in its 2008 training camp before he was waived on Aug. 30.

In 41 career games (6 starts) with Denver (2006-07) and Cleveland (2002-04), Mustard has totaled 12 receptions for 123 yards (10.3 avg.). He entered the NFL with the Browns as a practice-squad signee in 2002 after a stint with the Omaha Beef of the National Indoor Football League, and he played both football and basketball at the University of North Dakota.

Last season with the Broncos, Mustard saw time in 12 games (2 starts) and had a personal-best five receptions for 62 yards (12.4 avg.). He started a career-high four games and appeared in a total of 12 contests for Denver in 2006.

Mustard played two seasons of football at North Dakota after his basketball eligibility expired. He finished his collegiate basketball career ranked eighth all-time in UND annals with 1,568 points scored.

Born on Oct. 8, 1977, Mustard attended Scotus Central Catholic High School in Columbus, Neb.

Broncos Sign Dylan Gandy To Active Roster, Add Josh Bell To Practice Squad

John Bena — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:02:24 -0000

The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed guard Dylan Gandy to their active roster and added cornerback Josh Bell to their practice squad, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Gandy (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) is a fourth-year guard who rejoins the Broncos after he was released by the club on Sept. 9. Originally signed by the Broncos on May 16, Gandy competed in Denver's training camp and was inactive for its season opener at Oakland on Sept. 8.

He spent his first three professional seasons (2005-07) with the Colts after they selected him in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft from Texas Tech University. He has played 42 career games (14 starts) in the regular season along with six career playoff games (1 start).

At Texas Tech, Gandy started 20 games during his four-year career and was an honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference choice as a senior. He attended Pflugerville High School in Pflugerville, Texas, and was born on March 8, 1982.

Bell (5-foot-11, 177 pounds) is a rookie cornerback who joins the Broncos after San Diego waived him on Aug. 31. He entered the NFL with the Chargers on May 2 as a college free agent from Baylor University.

During four seasons at Baylor, Bell totaled 94 career tackles and 12 pass breakups. He received its Best Defensive Skill Player Award as a senior.

A first-team all-district selection at Skyline High School in Dallas, Bell was born on Jan. 8, 1985.

Denver Broncos Release Dylan Gandy

John Bena — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:03:40 -0000

Denver Broncos on Tuesday waived guard Dylan Gandy, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Gandy, a fourth-year player, originally joined the Broncos as a free agent on May 16 after spending his first three seasons with Indianapolis.

He was inactive for the Broncos' season opener at Oakland on Monday.