Krieger » become top players in one season. A pass

MONTREAL -- Canadas Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has his eyes set firmly on the upcoming NFL draft. Under the gaze of nine NFL and four CFL scouts, Duvernay-Tardif confirmed why hes one of the most touted Canadian football prospects in recent memory. The six-foot-five offensive lineman for the McGill Redmen had his private pro day in Montreal on Thursday. He leapt, sprinted and tackled during the two-hour training session, setting personal bests and impressing his visitors from out of town. Its been a while since a CIS player garnered such attention from both sides of the border. "It doesnt happen every day, sure," said the 23-year-old, who chose to let scouts from both professional football leagues assess his abilities simultaneously, rather than attend last weeks CFL combine. "And its not every day a Canadian gets the opportunity to do what Im doing. I dont know if this is historic. But Im really happy it happened to me." Duvernay-Tardif, a medical student at Montreals McGill University, is projected as a third-to-fourth round pick in Mays NFL draft. The native of St-Hilaire, Que., scored a personal best in the broad jump Thursday, and some scouts clocked him in at less than five seconds in the 40-yard dash -- impressive results for a player weighing just under 300 pounds. "Ive been training for so long for these tests," said Duvernay-Tardif, who dedicated five months of work and conditioning to his pro day. "It was time to show what I could do. I knew what I was going to hit. I hit those numbers, and even better." About the only downside was Duvernay-Tardif registering 34 reps in the bench press. While thats a more than respectable showing, Duvernay-Tardif was looking for between 37 and 40 reps. Still, his results in most categories place him amongst the top performers from last Februarys NFL scouting combine, a week-long event where the top U.S. college football prospects display their abilities before league coaches, scouts and GMs. In Duvernay-Tardifs case, the NFL came to him. Scouts from Oakland, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Arizona, New York, Green Bay, Chicago, San Francisco and Buffalo made the trip north to see first-hand if the Quebec native has what it takes to play in the NFL. Lee Gissendaner, area scout for the Green Bay Packers, was pleased with Duvernay-Tardifs overall performance. "The most impressive was the way he moved around," said Gissendaner, now in his 13th year scouting for the Packers. "He showed the versatility that you like, the flexibility. He did everything in the workout. "He seems like a guy who likes to compete. He responded to what we asked him to do, followed directions. His work ethic was on display." NFL scouts have been watching Duvernay-Tardif closely since the East-West Shrine game in St. Petersburg, Fla., last January. He and Manitoba defensive tackle Evan Gill -- another top prospect for this years CFL draft -- represented Canada at the annual U.S. college all-star game. "You look for a guy to stand out at this level," said Gissendaner. "When he came down to Florida, he held his own. We saw some raw ability, and some raw tools that maybe we can develop." Scouts will continue reviewing film, compare some of their top prospects, and put together draft and free agency boards until the start of the NFL draft May 8 in New York. If the offensive lineman gets his way he will be drafted by an NFL team and head to training camp this summer. There are only a handful of Canadians in the NFL, and earning a spot on a starting line in the U.S. is no easy task. And Duvernay-Tardif is actually the top-rated prospect for the coming CFL draft according to the latest rankings. Alongside NFL scouts Thursday were members of the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Ottawa Redblacks. "Hes one of the top picks in this draft, for sure," said Joey Abrams, the Alouettes assistant director of player personnel. "Its difficult to find a kid like this, with his skill set and abilities. Hes a rare specimen. This is unprecedented. Ive never seen this before. "He met expectations. Everyone knew he was big and strong, and he showed that today." If the NFL doesnt come calling, Duvernay-Tardif is more than happy to play in is home country. "I would love to play in the CFL," he said. "I played against a lot of people that now play in the CFL. It would be great to play in that league. Im going to play and do my best wherever I end up." The CFL will hold its annual draft by conference call May 13. Notes: Earlier in the week, Duvernay-Tardif appeared on a two-page spread in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. The article was titled "Heal Thyself." a Last fall, Duvernay-Tardif was awarded the J.P. Metras Trophy as Canadian university footballs top lineman. Pat McAfee Jersey . - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race. Marshall Faulk Jersey . CBS Sports Jon Heyman is reporting that Santana will sign a one-year deal, likely in the next two days with one of a trio of suitors, with the Toronto Blue Jays believed to be heavily involved. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/.Shipulin pulled away from Martin Fourcade of France, Simon Eder of Austria and Fredrik Lindstrom of Sweden to finish in 35 minutes 16.8 seconds. Fourcade was 1.2 seconds back in second place to reclaim the overall World Cup lead, with Eder another 0. Marvin Harrison Jersey . - The Seattle Seahawks have signed nine players to 2014 future contracts, including quarterback B. Darius Leonard Jersey . Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.TSN football analyst Chris Schultz breaks down all the teams and each division in the NFL leading up to the regular season. Next up, the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants of the NFC East. Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles will win the division because as the 2013 season progressed they definitely improved. In the first half of the season they went 3-5. In the second half, 7-1. Yes, teams will adapt to the speed and tempo that a Chip Kelly team plays with but now starting his second year that speed and tempo with just get faster, quicker and more polished. Jason Peters to me is the best left tackle in the business, but it is much more than him. The Eagles have the best five "big athletes" in football with Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Todd Herremans and the No. 1 pick from last year, Lane Johnson. They as a group move exceptionally well in all facets of offensive line play and have to in order to keep up with LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. It is amazing to think that Sproles was abandoned in New Orleans for a fifth-round draft pick. But at 31 I imagine it was anticipated a "performance regression" would happen but I can see it myself. Sproles will help in the return game, especially on kick-off returns in a big way. Philadelphia doesnt know what it has on defence just yet. There are questions about the secondary and if they are satisfied by the pass rush - otherwise they would not have drafted Marcus Smith out of Louisville as their top pick. Still, what has changed the organization around and maybe was the biggest surprise of last year was quarterback Nick Foles from the University of Arizona. We all know it, he had 27 touchdowns against only two interceptions - a staggering ratio of success over failure. With Foles what is surprising was the calmness under pressure. It just seemed natural and normal to be really good at difficult moments. The only game where he got rattled - and I mean physically - was game seven last year in a 17-3 loss to Dallas at home. That was followed by a Giants loss at home again and a 3-5 record. Then the Oakland game where they put up 49 points and seven touchdown passes. That was a turning point. Certain cities are tougher to play in then others because of the intensity of the local media coverage. Philadelphia is one of those tough cities. Foles handled everything extremely well and there is no reason for him not to be able to handle it all extremely well again. The way Chip Kelly runs his team, practices and runs off-season procedures is a bit different. You could say its the opposite of a traditional approach of a Tom Coughlin, yet it works. And consider he took over from Andy Reid who had run the course but was a very popular figure in Philadelphia. A lot will depend on a duplication of efficiency but having Nick Foles makes success possible, and showing an improvement on defence - specifically pass defence which finished 32nd-best - again makes success very possible. Another first place finish in the NFC East becomes very possible and very likely. Eagles, first in the NFC West. Washington Redskins The most obvious comment to be made about Redskin success or failure is that it all revolves around Robert Griffin III and his relationship with new head coach Jay Gruden. While this is true I wonder if RG3 shouldnt look over his shoulder and see Kirk Cousins creeping up on him as a viable alternative. Griffin is the better quarterback and a much more spectacular pivot. But he must stay healthy and improve because that is what Cousins has done - stayed healthy and improved. Yes, Gruden will help RG3 reach his potential but the motivation comes from the presence of his own teammate over his shoulder in Cousins. I thought this last year and I still think it this year, that Alfred Morris is the most important player with the Redskins. He is not a home run hitter type of running back, quite the opposite. He is a grinder that gets first downs or creates manageable distances by getting four yards on first down. All the publicity is around Redskins receivers and rightfully so. DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Santana Moss and Andre Roberts with Jordan Reed at tight end give RG3 deep, intermediate and shallow options but if third-year player Morris plays as he has then the Redskins roll. On defence, signing Ryan Clark at free safety may also be of major benefit. A quarterback leads an offence but a safety leads a defence. Clark has 12 years of NFL experience and has played against every NFL offence there is. And he did it beside Troy Polamalu who played his own game so effectively as Clark adjusted. One of the great middle linebackers in football of all time, London Fletcher retired and a leadership void was created. Clark should fill that void. When the Redskins picked up Jackson they strengtheened their team and weakened an opponent, the Eagles.dddddddddddd. When the Redskins signed Jason Hatcher they strengthened their team and weakened another opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. Both are effective moves that will make a difference. The bottom line is that Year 3 for every NFL player is critical. By then the organization knows what it has in a player, whether that player will continue to improve or stay the same. Also at the end of Year 3 you are in position to renegotiate and sign your second contract and that is where the "for life" money comes into play. This is Year 3 for Robert Griffin and he first must stay healthy and second put his team in the playoffs, or at least ridiculously close to them. With all the ability in the world and good players around him you have to feel optimistic that this is the year. Redskins finish second in the NFC East. Dallas Cowboys Since 1996 the Cowboys won-lost record is 136-136. In the last four seasons it is 30-34. And in each of the last three seasons they have gone 8-8 with a season-ending playoff "win and in" game that Dallas did not win. So is this the year to go from average to great, from building to dominating? On offence I would say yes. As a starting group of 12 if they can stay healthy they are as talented as any Cowboy team in history. They have maybe the best young left tackle in the league in Tyron Smith and excellent depth across the front. Travis Frederick at centre has lived up to expectations. Theres great experience at tight end and more depth. Dez Bryant changes his game in a single play and DeMarco Murray changes games when he hits 100. On offence the Dallas Cowboys are as good as any top NFL team. But can they stay healthy? Tony Romo has had his second back surgery in an eight-month period. Murray played in only nine games last season. And in a major setback, middle linebacker Sean Lee, who is probably their toughest player, will miss another year of football. With the ball this is a great team, without the ball they are in trouble. First the suspension of Orlando Scandrick throws the secondary into a mess. There are also without the departed Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware which creates a void on the defensive line. Also, in 2014 the Cowboys will start not only their third offensive coordinator but also their third defensive coordinator. Continuity wins, not consistent change. This defensive issue is so critical when you consider the quarterbacks that Dallas faces this year. It starts with Colin Kaepernick in Week 1, Drew Brees in Week 4, Russell Wilson in Week 6, Nick Foles in Week 13, Jay Cutler in Week 14 and Andrew Luck in Week 16. To think Dallas is going to outscore all those quarterbacks and offences is unrealistic. Dallas would need two or three players on defence to become top players in one season. A pass rusher, a linebacker, and a defensive back. They have a trio of excellence on offence, but too many unknowns on defence. Dallas finished third in the NFC East. New York Giants I think the Giants could finish anywhere from second to fourth in the NFC East. I think they could finish second because I seriously doubt that Eli Manning will have a touchdown to interception ratio of 18 to 27. I think they will finish fourth because nine different Giants are now with different teams and one retired. And outside of Oakland the Giants spent $116 million on 10 other players to create immediate success. I do think the Giants drafted well. Watch out for the fourth pick Andre Williams out of Boston College, at 511" and 230 lbs on contact he should move forward. He reminds me of Frank Gore in San Francisco. This is a tough team to read in that they started the season 0-6 and ended the season on a 7-3 run. They picked up a good middle linebacker in Jon Beason last year but need Jason Pierre-Paul to regain his health and hunger from his rookie season. The trio of Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and eventually Odell Beckham Jr. are all up-and-coming receivers but tight end is unknown and the offensive line will have three of five new starters to run a new offence with a new coordinator in Ben McAdoo. That is a lot of "new" for my liking. Really the Giants over the last five seasons have struggled in the regular season. Yes, they won the Super Bowl in 2007 and yes, again in 2011 but over the last five years their regular season record is 8-8, 10-6, 9-7, 9-7 and 7-9. The NFC East is not like the NFC West with four good teams. The NFC East is a "what if" division. What if Philadelphia has a great year from Nick Foles? What if Dallas on defence is as good as Dallas on offence? What if Jay Gruden has a major impact on Robert Griffin III? And what about the New York Giants? It is tough to think it but it just may happen. Giants to finish fourth in the NFC East. 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