04/24 (Loomis) Quickie

Two words: Mickey. Loomis. "Loomis" is kind of a Dickensian name for an NFL GM with the league -- certainly the media -- bearing down on him over an alleged eavesdropping scheme. He vehemently denies it, but it's hard to imagine the news would get leaked if it wasn't at least truth-ish. What he probably needed to say was "I totally did that other bounty stuff, but I swear I didn't do this."

NFL Draft: The most interesting thing I read yesterday was the mock draft from NFL Films' Greg Cosell, who based his picks entirely on watching tape of the prospects (and, presumably, team need), with none of the troubling "scuttlebutt" (or disinformation) to sully his picks. That's how you end up with Janoris Jenkins in your Top 5. (Most interestingly, he grades RG3 higher than Luck.)

Meanwhile: RG3 got permission from the NFL to have "Griffin III" on his jersey nameplate. I'll bet his No. 10 Redskins jersey will be one of the Top 5 best-sellers in the league next year.

Tebow Watch: The Jets are going to use him on punt-protection, which drew some guffaws, but I think it's brilliant: Teams punt way too often as it is; Tebow gives the Jets a viable option to do something out of the punt formation besides punt, each and every time they line up to punt. That gives the return team something new to think about and an edge to the Jets.

CFB: Arkansas hires John L. Smith as temporary head coach while they figure out who they want to hire. Aside from screwing over Weber State, which had just hired JLS to be their head coach, it's a pretty brilliant move: Arkansas gets continuity from a previous assistant (one who has head-coaching experience), while setting up the understanding with him that it's a one-season gig; they can start recruiting his replacement immediately. (If you don't think that kind of head-start is important, ask Notre Dame how that went when Florida got a 6-week jump on them for Urban Meyer.) The New York Times' Pete Thamel was right: Arkansas is the most fascinating team in college football next season.

NBA: My Wizards have won four straight, and all I can think of is: "If they blow their previously locked-in No. 2 Lottery position...." Ah, don't you envy the life of a Wizards fan?

NHL: Rangers taking Senators to a Game 7. Nice pairing with the Caps taking the Bruins to a Game 7. Unfortunately, both are likely to end with the favorites escaping on home ice.

Nets say goodbye to New Jersey: As a die-hard fan of the borough of Brooklyn, I say Welcome.

Watch for: the perennial pre-draft rumor-mongering heading into the final 48 hours before the draft commences Thursday night.

-- D.S.