From time to time, I take a peek at what college newspapers are doing around the country. This morning we check in with Nick Gourdoux of the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire's Spectator.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Vanderbilt offensive tackle Chris Williams. I had the pleasure of visiting with Williams one-on-one for a little while at the Indianapolis airport following the combine and he seems like an outstanding kid. Dennis Dillon of Sporting News covers a lot of ground in his 2,000-word feature on Williams. Here's a look inside Williams' 5,000-calorie per day "diet":
"One of the most essential training table items was a 1,000-calorie protein shake created by [nutritionist]Magic [Noori] that consisted of protein powder, whole milk, sliced bananas, ice cream (often Cookies 'n' Cream), honey, almonds and peanut butter. Williams would drink at least two a day. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were another nutritional staple. "He wasn't a picky eater like some athletes," says Noori, who has worked individually with such Titans players as Eddie George, Keith Bulluck and Jevon Kearse. "He'd listen and you could see he wanted to do everything right. I tried to cook the special foods he liked. Sometimes if I was busy, he'd wait until I could slow down and then he'd get his food from me."
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the Dolphins have started talking parameters of a contract with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston. While this is an interesting development, we probably shouldn't read too much into it. Teams are wise to get a head start on negotiations -- especially in light of last year's JaMarcus Russell holdout. Where does Darren McFadden fit into all this? Folks, he's starting to slip...
I'm sure Bill Parcells would never use a high-powered agent such as Tom Condon to drive up interest in the first pick. To be clear, Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald broke this Jake Long negotiation story. Not that we're keeping score or anything.
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Paul Kuharsky
Kuharsky joined ESPN.com in 2008 after 12 years covering the Oilers/Titans and the NFL for The (Nashville) Tennessean. The New Jersey native and Columbia graduate lives in Nashville with his wife.
Matt Mosley
Mosley, an award-winning writer for The Dallas Morning News for seven years, joined ESPN.com in January 2007. Mosley, a Baylor graduate, writes columns, features and blogs for ESPN.com.
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter.
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch.
Bill Williamson
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
