Epic is an overused word, but David Tepper has a truly epic week coming up.
On Sunday, he'll give the keynote speech during commencement at Carnegie Mellon, where he went to grad school. Two days later, we'll see him at the owners' meetings in Atlanta where he could make a statement and answer a question or two after owners vote to ratify the sale.
Because Tepper won't take over complete ownership until July, I'm not sure he'll hold a proper press conference before then. He may just conduct a handful of interviews one outlet at a time.
I haven't met him yet, but I've watched many of his interviews available online, and not surprisingly, he comes off as extremely smart. He also has a unique ability to talk about extremely complex topics in terms that make sense to those of us who, let's say, aren't well-versed in the business world.
And as a fellow native of the north, I very much appreciate his candor.
I can comment, I just don't get all that caught up in the uniform beat. But sure, since I'm usually in favor of things that advance the ball, I could probably be talked into a refresh.
We all understand there's very little to be concerned about with these slotted rookie contracts, right?
With that said, for guys taken in the top three rounds, there are some nuances like language and structure that could spark conversations between teams and agents.
I'm not sure if that's what's happening with Moore, but only nine of this year's 32 first-round picks have signed. If he still doesn't have a deal in mid-July, then we'll have something legit to wonder about.
Email from Brett: Who's your early leader in the clubhouse for the UDFA's who have a decent shot at making the practice squad or 53 man roster? Great to see the Browns on Hard Knocks. My native Avalon, OH father was none to happy but then I told him there was no Hard Knocks curse. It can't get worse.
When I asked Marty Hurney about UDFAs heading into rookie minicamp, the first name he mentioned was Brendan Mahon. The Charlotte Observer's Tom Sorensen wrote a nice piece on the former Penn State guard, who should get a long look this summer.
As far the Browns on "Hard Knocks," let me ask you this: What could go wrong?
No, because Donte Jackson isn't a slot corner. At least not yet.
Understand that defensive coordinator Eric Washington is very into processes. What that means for Jackson is he first needs to learn outside corner in their system. If and when he does that, they'll consider giving him some looks in the slot. But Jackson's beginning his time here as an outside guy who could help inside if he shows a solid understanding of his initial role.
For now, the nickel battle is between Munnerlyn, Elder and Kevon Seymour.
As I wrote in March, that ship has sailed.
Website submission from Adam in Germany: Hi Bill, how are you? I'm from Germany and I would guess I'm the biggest Panthers fan in this country of 80 million people. I check the Panthers app six times a day and stay awake late in the night for the Panthers games! I'm so proud to be a Panthers fan! Now to my question. Are there other possibilities to get more info about the team other than the app, website and Twitter?
Hallo, Adam. You certainly sound like a die-hard, so I'll let you in on a secret. This guy’s the brain trust. Just shoot him a DM, but please keep this between us.
Remember, Kalil was coming off shoulder surgery last offseason and was very limited in the offseason program. This offseason, I don't think I've seen any other player's car at Bank of America Stadium more often than Kalil's.
Because he's only played 14 games the past two seasons, I understand why many of you are leery about putting too much faith in his availability. But Kalil is still one of the best in the league when he's out there, and for what it's worth, he's doing all he can right now to increase his odds of staying out there.
It's really hard to give definitive answers about linemen this time of year because they don't have pads on. So there's not much to tell you about Hall either way. I can say it appears he's filling out his frame better than he was last year at this time. We'll see if he can put it all together once they get to Spartanburg.
