Texas A&M University was well represented over the two-day amateur draft held at historic Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Texas A&M(5) -Was that cupboard so empty?

Texas(5) -Actually, kind of a down year

Oklahoma(4) -See Texas

Kansas(4) -Showing ability to find diamonds in the rough

Nebraska(3) -not surprising

Missouri(2) -Little surprised they didn't have a KU like showing

Kansas State(2) -Jordy Nelson will be productive

Colorado(2) -Lions picked up a solid LB in Dizon

Iowa State(2) -Who would have thought Blythe wasn't one of them

Baylor(0) -Did you expect anything different?

Texas Tech(0) -How do they beat us every year?

Okla State(0)    0 -"I'm a man, I'm 40..." and have no NFL level players

The Aggies also had more players selected than Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Notre Dame and UCLA.

The Chosen (in order by selection):

Martellus `Jerry Jones is on my phone' Bennett
Dallas Cowboys
Pick No. 61

America's Team filled a void left when back-up TE Anthony Fasano was traded to the Dolphins, by selecting the boisterous Bennett in the second round. The Cowboys raved about Bennett's athleticism after this year's combine. Some close to the team said the Cowboys had him tied with Purdue TE Dustin Keller as the best tight end in the draft and even considered moving up in the second round to get him.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' take on Money Bennett:
"We didn't draft Bennett to be a backup tight end...We wanted to add a dimension to the offense."

Bennett, who is never shy with the media, gave all us sports nerds some golden audio on Saturday when Jones called to tell him of his selection.

Enjoy:
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia_center.cfm?id=8DFA1F0B-0D3A-92C1-80781F87E6CE974F

Cody Wallace
San Francisco 49ers
Pick No. 107

San Francisco desperately needed help on their offensive line and they picked up an All Big XII player in Wallace. After a less than stellar combine, the Cuero, Texas native slipped farther than some had projected after the college season ended. Wallace will get time to work himself into the rotation on a playoff contender (I mean in the NFC, who isn't?).

Good story on Cody out of San Fran:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/28/SPKL10CQG0.DTL&feed=rss.49ers

Joseph `Red' Bryant
Seattle Seahawks
Pick No. 121

No one will ever be able to tell Big Red that he is underachieving in life. For Bryant, who almost did not qualify to attend Texas A&M out of high school, being selected in the NFL Draft is just icing on the cake. In high school, he had friends tell him to give up, whenever he would go in early for extra help in math. This past December, Bryant graduated with a degree in Ag Leadership. He gave a stirring speech to a group of boosters at a Kickoff Event before the 2006 season. He spoke about his struggles with dyslexia and how people used to always count him out.

That night Bryant said "You will never have any idea what the support you guys have given me is going to do in my life. Football is a great game and I love it, but after I'm done playing here in College Station [pause], I'm leaving with a degree [pause]. That doesn't happen where I come from [pause]. Where I come from you don't choose the colors of your favorite college, you choose the colors of your favorite gang."

I don't want to be come off as biased, but who cares it's a blog! Red is one of my favorite Aggies of all-time, and it has nothing to with ANYTHING he has ever done on the football field. He is one of the most respectful gentlemen you will ever meet. I strive to be half the man Red Bryant is [physically, I am half the man of Red].

Chris Harrington
Arizona Cardinals
Pick No. 185

The Arizona Cardinals chose Harrington in the 6th Round, a steal if you buy into the pre-draft rankings, which had Harrington projected as high as the late 3rd round. Harrington has a great motor coming off the end and will challenge for playing time in a year or two once he acclimates to the pro game. I really like Harrington's athleticism and think he can be a productive player at the next level.

Corey Clark
San Diego Chargers
Pick No. 234

A perfect example of what exceeding expectations at the combine can do for you. In fact, the biggest mistake Clark made at the scouting combine was not slapping the goons from the NFL Network for repeatedly saying he was from Texas Tech [the nerve!]. Clark may not make the Chargers squad this year, as the runners up in the AFC Championship are a quality team and built very soundly. However, he will get a shot somewhere and if he keeps his work ethic up, he will make a very serviceable guard for a team in the league.

This weekend was a very good one for the Aggies and for a program which could really use some positive energy.

Give `em hell in the NFL

Gig `em.

Just as the sports world came to a lull, we have some new headlines to keep us interested. The Aggie Baseball Team is flirting with making their first trip to Omaha in years, Spring football has wrapped up, the NBA Playoffs are in full blossom, and the NFL Draft is on Saturday. To hold you over until we get to see teams poke and prod over their newest franchise player, we sat down with one of 12th MC's favorite Aggies, Joseph Liam Thomas to talk about his outlook and thoughts going into what could be the biggest day of his life:

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JT MONEY #81

1) What are your thoughts going into the NFL Draft? Do you have hopes of getting drafted? Signed as a free agent? JT:This whole experience of getting ready for the draft has been awesome. As soon as last season ended I started preparing myself for a chance to play in the NFL. Things have gotten nothing but more optimistic since. It started out as more of a dream that has now become more of a reality. I have had pro day and a few personal workouts with teams, all of which went well. This past week, I've received phone calls from 7 different teams that all nice things to say and wish me good luck this weekend. I've gotten the notion that I have a chance of being drafted in one of the late rounds and if not, I will definitely be signed as a free agent and have a much appreciated chance to make a team.

2) What did you do to get ready for the draft? Where did you work out? Who did you work out with? JT:My agent, Jordan Woy, sent me to train up in McKinney, Texas to train at the Michael Johnson Performance Center. It was an amazing experience that taught me alot. It was hard not being starstruck the first week. Not only did we have Michael Johnson working with us everyday, two of the guys I was working out with should be first round picks, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Dan Campbell, along with some other NFLers, were also there keeping his body in shape. Michael Johnson and Lance Walker, a former Cowboy's strength coach, worked out me and 7 other guys out for about a month and a half, Monday through Saturday. A typical day was 7am to 6pm of mixed workouts.

3)What teams have you met with? Talked to? JT:I've have been in contact with quite a few teams, some of which I talked to personally and some of which my agent has been talking to. The ones that I personally have been talking to the most are Cleveland, Seattle, Indianapolis, New England, and Jaxsonville. Lately, it has been Cleveland that has been giving me the most attention. The thing about them though, is they only have 4 picks in the draft starting in the 4th round. I have had personal workouts with Jaxsonville, New York Jets, and Cleveland.

4)What have they told you about your NFL chances? JT:As I mentioned earlier, I have gotten the feeling that I have a good chance at being drafted in a later round and if not, teams have confirmed that they will offer me a free agent deal. My agent seems to think I have a great chance of getting drafted but I usually take things with a grain of salt. I will be happy with any chance to make a team.

5)How are you spending Saturday? JT:Well, Saturday I will be relaxing in Austin and maybe go out on the lake for a bit. Sunday is when I will start to actually watch the draft and probably get a little more stressed.

6)Out of all of A&M's players in the draft this year, who will be the best pro? Why? JT:It's hard to say because I love all our guys coming out this year, most of whom I've been with for 5 years now. If i had to pick one though, I'd say Martellus, just because of his raw ability and athleticism. If he can get in a good system, he has the potential to really shine.

8)If you could pick the tea to play for, who would it be? JT:I would have to pick the Texans, solely because I am in love with Texas and I have never liked the Cowboys, which you and Plunk know. If I could start an NFL team in Austin I would. The hill country is my favorite place in the US.

9)Who would make a better NFL agent, JLOU or PLUNK? JT:J Lou, no offense but Plunk is in law school so I'm going to have to go with Plunk. Plus you and I would be too distracted by having fun. I would trust Plunk more because he is a bigger dork.

10)How did you workouts help/hurt your NFL stock? JT:I performed pretty well in Pro Day which I think helped me alot. I was able to show my athleticism and really drew alot of scouts and coaches attention. Things got exponentially better since my Pro Day.

11)Can I have tickets to your first NFL game? JT: If you tell me where my taser went.

For the record, JLou has no idea as to the whereabouts of Joey's taser, and if he did would still refuse to share them with JT solely out of fear that he may get shocked yet again when JT's ADD kicks in

I thought that you guys would find this interesting. A fellow SB Nation blog, Niners Nation, is doing some NFL Draft work. Today's piece focuses on Red Bryant.

Here is a sample of what it says:

At 11:00 am, Bill Byrne and the Athletic Dept. are set to announce the hiring of Mike Sherman as the next head coach at Texas A&M (watch it live). While not the sexiest name or biggest splash, Sherman's name has consistently been in the mix since early October. The 52 year old former lineman boasts an impressive resume that started as an OL coach in Aggieland and eventually includes 10yrs of NFL experience. While the W-L record leaves something to be desired, Sherman comes highly recommended from coaching circles around the country.

It's much too early to pass judgement on the hire. Some fans feel let down because they treat the coaching search like a game, with the object to steal the shiniest looking coach from another school. Still others are wary of hiring a coach that hasn't been in the college game since the early 90's. All of our hopes, doubts, and fears can be assuaged with the answering of a few simple questions.

Questions That Need Answers

1. Who will Sherman bring in as his OC and DC?
2. Can Sherman hold on to our current recruits as well as some current players (martellus)?
3. How soon can he get here and get to work?

Until these questions are answered, we sit and wait, trusting in Bill Byrne, breathing hope and doubt in the same breath.

Bill Byrne has named DC Gary Darnell as the Aggies' interim head coach. He will oversee the practices leading up to the bowl game (which one is still undetermined), as well as coach the game.

Although the appointment is not surprising, I will admit that I had expected Assistant HC Kenith Pope to get the nod.

Darnell's experience as a HC and an asst in a variety of other systems indicates a desire by the AD to begin the severance from the Fran era as quickly as possible.

Darnell is extremely popular among the players for his passionate and hands on coaching approach. Both his experience and popularity should help the Aggies continue their upward climb as they focus on bowl preparations.

Rivalry Week Games

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we have a feast of football games to pick this week. Even if you're down by 17, you can still come back..in theory.

1. USC @ ASU
2. t.u. @ Texas A&M
3. Oklahoma St. @ Oklahoma
4. Kansas St. @ Fresno St.
5. Nebraska @ Colorado
6. Boise St. @ Hawaii
7. Missouri vs. Kansas
8. UConn @ West Virginia
9. Georgia @ GT
10. Va. Tech @ Virginia
11. Utah @ BYU
12. Notre Dame @ Stanford
13. Washington St. @ Washington
14. Tennessee @ Kentucky
15. Clemson @ South Carolina
16. FSU @ Florida
17. Bama @ Auburn

Standings

As we head into the home stretch, here are the current stanings. remember, these standings do not reflect the score after the lowest week is dropped.

1st - 3825968, Imarealist (49)

3rd - TxHny (46)

4th - Brad, Rptgwb (35)

6th - TB (31)

7th - Ihavethemelody, UMichAg, Swisha (29)

10th - Vick116, Radiocan2 (27)

Week 12 Games

1. Mizzou @ K-State
2. Iowa State @ Kansas
3. Oklahoma St @ Baylor
4. Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
5. West Virginia @ Cincinnati
6. Ohio St @ Michigan
7. Kentucky @ Georgia
8. Miami @ Virginia Tech
9. Boston College @ Clemson
10. Harvard @ Yale
11. Duke @ Notre Dame
12. Louisville @ South Florida

(but seriously, some chick on WGN was trying to say that last week.. sorry no link)

The real reason I'm posting that pic instead of writing a review of the Mizzou game is because I couldn't resist doing this:

What new low has Aggie Football reached when I get more excited about photoshopping Big10 crap than thinking about our football team?

Standings

blah blah blah, excel spreadsheet, blah blah

Week 11 Games

1. Colorado @ Iowa St.
2. Texas A&M @ Mizzou
3. K-State @ Nebraska
4. Texas Tech @ Texas
5. Baylor @ Oklahoma
6. Kansas @ Oklahoma St.
7. Auburn @ Georgia
8. Florida @ South Carolina
9. USC @ Cal
10. Fresno St. @ Hawaii
11. North Carolina @ North Carolina St.
12. Wake Forest @ Clemson