Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 54

16C I Sunday April 6 2008 www star-telegram com 32 mnasmm BBS Learning the drill of balancing it all LT NEED INSULT ADDED TO INJURY Pass and Sage I had to sign 9000 cauls They paid me for that Another thing I do is go to church a lot Faith is very important to me I go to Bible study and church I don't have a place to stay so I'm staying with one of my ex-teammates lie's a firefighter in Oakland staying in their guest room getting closer and closer to the draft I get calls from different coaches Visits are getting set up going to visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday and Tuesday and fly back that night Basically you meet with the coaches maybe go to the film room and watch some tape and have dinner definitely aware of the day (Dallas Day) the Cowboys are having for the area guys Crowing up a Cowboys fan and my dad is a Cowboys fan I'm very happy interested in me coming I've been a fan for a while now Emmitt Smith is one of my favorite running backs and one of the guys I looked up to when I was little not sure if be able to make it yet Every day been a little stressful You have workouts then you have to get ready for midterms The priorities have to be put in order Studying comes back into play I'm still a student I abandon all my schoolwork I want to focus on my training but my other dieam is to graduate I want to get that degree Everybody says they want to come back and get it but they normally I want to get it out of the way while I'm in the mood worth it going to pay off By Justin Forsctt Former Arlington Grace Prep standout Justin For-sett an All-Pac 10 running back from California is writing a journal that appears weekly in the Star-Telegram leading up to the NFL Draft been woiking out each day going to class and taking midterms been doing all the little stuff that I have to do to get prepared to graduate and reach my dream of going to the NFL Every day I get up in the morning around 8 eat breakfast and work out working out at the school right now Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the guys working out with us Matt Gutierrez the quarterback for the New England Patriots and a couple of other pro guys are working out with us training hard and trying to get better for the camps after the diaft After that I usually go to class Most of my classes are online but I go to class too Lately been getting a lot of card deals Card companies like Topps and Press I Chargers running back LaDainian books in Austin this spring Now he also is studying his playbook in Nashville Young who is taking 12 hours at UT began working with new Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger a little more than a week ago "Vince came in for a week and together they went inside and worked on his Titans coach Jeff Fisher said where the focus was and Mike was very pleased as was Vince as to what was taking place on a daily basis I think made significant strides to this point with his footwoik now are in a part of the off-season where they are going back through coverage concepts whatever offensive changes Heimerdinger spent 2000-04 in Tennessee where he season ended on a sour helped turn Steve McNair into a co-MVP during the 2003 season It is the reason Fisher called Heimerdinger after he fired Norm Chow "Coach Heimerdinger got Steve McNair in his fourth year as a starter and two years later Steve was Fisher said getting Vince now in his third year as a starter We'll have to wait and see what happens But excited about that the McAllister's future Deuce McAllister is 29 years old He plays running back I Ie is dying to come back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and microfracture surgery on his right no surprise then that the Saints have concerns about football future "I think you have to have Galloway: Which comes first image or winning? Chargers coach Norv Turner believes LaDainian Tomlinson received some misdirected criticism CHAREAN WILLIAMS telegram com PALM BEACI I Fla San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson has never missed a game because of injury Yet critics questioned his heart after he played only four plays in the 21-12 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game The Chargers bear much of the blame for the heat Tomlinson has endured this off-season They took him off the injury report before game day despite his hypeiextended left knee not being healed and they failed to provide a definitive explanation for Tomlinson's absence during the game "I was disappointed the way it was Chargers coach Norv Turner said "I know some of it goes back on us in terms of how it was communicated during the game Anyone who knows LT and what accomplished knows that if he could have played he would have played If that injury would have happened in Week 2 he probably would have missed six weeks He tried to come back and play in a week He got hurt again on the second play "I think the disappointment LT showed was real You play as many years as he has and do all the individual things he has done here he is with a chance to go to the Super Bowl and now you be a part of it Turner expects Tomlinson to use the criticism as motivation in 2008 Young working hard Titans quarterback Vince Young has been hitting the MY FIVE CENTS 1 Shaun Alexander who had postseason surgery to repair a cracked bone in his left wrist had the cast removed but still is in a splint The Seahawks who signed Julius Jones and TJ Duckett in free agency are expected to cut Alexander when healthy 2 The Patriots could ask linebacker Junior Seau to return for a 19th season Seau who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery has played in two Super Bowls but does not have a ring evaluate the situation with Junior a little bit further into the Patriots coach Bill Belichick said see where he 3 The Vikings have an agreement with Gus Fre-rotte to be their backup in case Tarvaris Jackson continues the whole quarterback-in-the-headlights thing That means Minnesota use a first-day pick on a quarterback It also means Texans backup Sage Rosenfels be going to Minnesota The Vikings had offered Houston a third-round pick for Rosenfels but the Texans wanted a second 4 The Jets who have the sixth pick in the draft are showing some interest in Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan Coach Eric Mangini general manager Mike Tannen-baum and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer attended a private workout with Ryan on March 21 The Jets also have visited with Arkansas running back Darren McFadden 5 The Saints are expected to use the 10th choice on a defensive player The new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron recruited defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Keith Rivers to USC Cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Leodis McKelvin also are possibilities The best way to describe uh unique You have an owner that is very hands-on an owner that prides himself on knowledge of football especially defensive knowledge and coaching of the defensive side of the ball Raiders coach Lane Kiffin on working for owner Al Davis note getty ima'gesdoug PENSINGER some concern with what he does and the position he plays" Saints coach Sean Pay-ton said best we can trying to gather all the information and seeing how he responds to the treatment and rehab" The Saints have pushed back a roster bonus that McAllister was due in March to give them more time to evaluate rehab He is on schedule but a long way from a comeback "I know what give Payton said "Eve got a good bead on what we have in the player a strong strong person So pulling for The Saints worried about their running back situation though having re-signed Aaron Stecker to go with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas The Rams who had only 31 sacks last season are considering taking defensive ends Chris Long of Virginia and Vernon Gholston of Ohio State with the second pick But they will get a boost with the return of defensive end Leonard Little Little who is entering his 11th season had reconstructive toe surgery Nov 12 He already is running and should be 100 percent by training camp Little averaged nearly 10 sacks from 2001-2006 After a recent meeting with Tiffany Co to discuss the design of the Super Bowl rings Eli Manning stopped by Tom office smiles were on our Coughlin said he went out the door he was saying know this is pretty good I think maybe we ought to do this And off he Material from other NFL writers was used in this report i HOT Craig Steltz SS LSU: Steltz who work out at the Senior Bowl or at the combine because of a right shoulder injury ran a 460 40-yard dash and had a 35-inch vertical jump at Pro Day Scouts knew Steltz (6-foot-1 210) played hard every down He is expected to go in the third or fourth round NOT Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon: Stewart projected as a first-round pick is expected to miss four to six months after surgery last month for a right toe injury Stewart injured his toe Nov 15 against Arizona THE NUMBER 8 Jack Del record against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady the past three seasons The Jags signed him to a four-year contract extension believed to be worth more than $20 million almost certain to make it a full season for '08 Even on Pacman not a certainty Goodell will reinstate him After six arrests in three years (one more than Henry his former West Virginia teammate) the commissioner dismissed the Pac Rat for all of Goodell has admitted he reviewed Pacman's comments during his three hours of local radio two weeks ago with Michael Irvin and was impressed with some of what he heard What I also heard on that show was a guy still somewhat in denial (A good line last week in The Tennessean (Nashville) from columnist Joe Biddle: people choose Larry King to come clean Pacman opted for Michael But in my own defense on Pacman I will say again if the acquisition price is cheap from the Titans and if the contractual money is cheap then the team controls him instead of the player controlling the team One slip-up here and gone and that be Jerry decision Goodell will yank Pacman off the field And what about as many have asked the impact on the image of the Cowboys by adding a Pacman Jones? be honest here my friends not saying everybody but I will say 90 percent of fandom equate image with one thing: winning The Cowboys won a playoff game in 11 years Combine talent with the team needs and a bet that six arrests one suspension and all he will be more than welcome around here and not just by the topless lizard clubs But yes I do draw the line at Chris Henry For those who have asked one criminal at a time is my limit Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway Co weekdays 3-6 on ESPN103 3 FM RANiJy GALLOWAY 817-390-7760 CONTINUED FROM 1C other incidents that involved charges being dropped and two NFL suspensions including last season for eight games Sure enough however Henry and the Cowboys were immediately around the league and locally mostly in a mocking manner obviously related to Jerry interest in Pacman One newspaper in Ohio (the Dayton Daily News) ran a story last week titled top 10 career A few of those items were: "No 10: Pacman official 7: Jose 5: Michael newest 2: Driver for the Girls Gone Wild the top possible new job for Chris Henry: 1: Wide receiver for the Dallas Normally I never deal in factual information but for anyone who actually cares Let the record show Jerry Jones runs maybe the cleanest operation currently going in the NFL There has been one arrested Cowboys player in the last five years Backup veteran safety Marcus Coleman was booked for suspicion of DWI in 2006 and his brief Valley Ranch tenure ended immediately The team released Coleman within eight hours of his being booked But one disclaimer No make it two: This excellent record for behavior was mainly a product of the Big Bill regime And since departure Jones has added Tank Johnson with Pacman on the way Jerry is playing with fire again Plus Henry is a receiver The Cowboys need a receiver Again just joking on Chris Henry Chances are very good he won't be stepping on an NFL field this season Since an eight-game suspension in '07 curb street activity Rogel Goodell is Craig Steltz getty imageschris graythen THE BLITZ The Bucs have given up on Jake Plummer They acquired Plummer from the Broncos a year ago but he never reported Bucs coach Jon Gruden visited Plummer at his home in Idaho last year but failed to convince him to return tried all I can Gruden said think still one of the top quarterbacks on the planet I think his performance and his won-lost record speaks for itself We traded a seventh-round draft choice basically for Jake Plummer and unfortunately decided to stay The Bucs have five quarterbacks on their roster Jeff Garcia Brian Griese Chris Simms Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski Chris Simms who played a regular-season game since a splenectomy 17 months ago is not participating in Tampa voluntary workouts It is the first time in his five-year career that he has missed quarterback orientation hard to accommodate wants and Gruden said paid him $75 million We want to win and part of our plans and we want him to compete we want him to be Internet photos of Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart partying at his Arizona home last weekend are promoting the Hollywood image he has worked so hard to downplay It also has forced Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt to defend commitment percent of the time been working hard and has been focused on being better and staying out of the Whisenhunt said one situation like this just erases all of that work done to prepare himself and.