Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
With less than 24 hours remaining until the draft, you might envision NFL teams scrambling to make final preparations. Some might be. This is also the time when NFL teams guard against outthinking themselves. In all but a few cases, draft preparations should be finished. Boards should be set. Contingency plans should be ready.
The only maneuvering left to do in Seattle involves setting lineups for the annual Scouts vs. Coaches softball game, scheduled to begin in about 80 minutes. The game has become a tradition since Tim Ruskell took over as team president before the 2005 season. The scouts prevailed last year after Mike Holmgren's late would-be homer drifted foul by about three feet. I'm told Holmgren swings a mean bat, but arm injuries suffered during his playing days have removed the zip from his throws.
Ruskell values the game as a way to take off the edge before the draft. Of course, he also likes to win. That explains why he exercised presidential privelege after observing a few big bats among equipment staffers. Equipment staffers previously counted as coaches for the purposes of drawing up softball teams. They now swing their bats for the scouts.
