star-telegram.com: Ray Buck

Emmitt should make Moose call for Hall

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:07 CDT

By RAY BUCK

Reader feedback ran close to 90 percent all week in favor of Daryl Johnston, and the e-mails are still coming in -- mostly Moose.

FIRST SHOT: Daryl "Moose" Johnston would be a good presenter for Emmitt Smith, because he opened a lot of holes for Emmitt.

Plus, Johnston has a lot of class and would represent the Cowboys' organization well.

-- Elliott Herndon, Austin

BUCKSHOT: You're right. DJ has made a career, or two, out of doing everything with class.

SECOND SHOT: I've got to say Jimmy Johnson should be Emmitt's presenter. I was never a big "Jimmy fan," but I don't believe Emmitt would have been a Cowboy otherwise.

I remember thinking in 1990: "Why Emmitt Smith?" Gil Brandt never did call me for advice, either.

-- Ron Allday, DeSoto

BUCKSHOT: The Cowboys didn't consult Brandt, either. He was gone by then.

THIRD SHOT: Emmitt's presenter? It definitely has to be Daryl "Moose" Johnston!

He was such an important part of Emmitt's success. Plus, he was the first one Emmitt looked for on the sideline at Texas Stadium when he broke the NFL's all-time rushing record.

-- Chris Anderson, Hurst

BUCKSHOT: Good memory... like an elephant -- or is it a Moose?

FOURTH SHOT: How about Cheryl Burke? And if she's too busy, then Dennis Green -- Emmitt's last coach.

Wait... if we're talking about a legitimate coach, then Jimmy Johnson.

-- Mike Kays, Muskogee, Okla.

BUCKSHOT: I agree. Cheryl is a way better (dance) coach than Denny Green.

FIFTH SHOT: When Emmitt is inducted into the Hall of Fame, there should be only one person considered as his presenter.

That person would be the same person who presented him with an easier path to his eventual NFL rushing record and many of his touchdowns: Daryl "Moose" Johnston.

Very few fullbacks get inducted into the HOF, so it would certainly be appropriate for Emmitt to recognize his backfield buddy on this occasion.

Buck & New Dawg: Who's to blame for Roy Williams' poor fit?

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:21 CDT

By RAY BUCK and NEWY SCRUGGS

Each Monday, the Star-Telegram's Ray Buck and NBC 5's Newy Scruggs go at it in a point-counterpoint on sporting issues.
E-mail Ray Buck at rbuck@star-telegram.com.
Newy can be reached at his Web site, www.newdawg.com.

Who's to blame for the Cowboys' style of defense not "fitting" Roy Williams? And what needs to be done about it?

NEW DAWG: Ray, some guys don't fit the 3-4 defense. I am a big fan of Roy, personally, but he has to prove he is still a three-down player in 2008 or he won't be a Cowboy in 2009. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart and secondary coaches Dave Campo and Brett Maxie can do only so much. Roy has to watch the extra film and find a way to take better angles in pass coverage.

BUCK: Roy Williams has lost his zeal for football, I believe. It came when the NFL basically told him that the way he has played football all his life no longer is OK. (See "leading-with-helmet" fines and legislation for horse-collar tackles, a.k.a., The Roy William Rule). Roy lost his mojo. He needs to rediscover it – and I think that's why he has isolated himself this off-season, to do just that. He has become a great human being with his charities; now he needs to become an impact player again. Trust me, he will be spared from deep responsibility on pass coverage this season. But it's not the system that requires retooling, it's Roy.

When is a retaliatory pitch a retaliatory pitch (see Thursday night's over-reaction by Seattle's Richie Sexson)?

NEW DAWG: Sexson reminded me of Mike Tyson the night he bit Evander Holyfield's ear ... frustrated and looking for a way out of competing.

BUCK: I think the rule is that a retaliatory pitch must either hit the batter or come within 2-3 inches of his common sense – if he has any. Nice to have Sexson and the Mariners in town.

Do the Rangers owe it to Ron Washington to either fire him now or assure him that he will finish the season?

NEW DAWG: Why is Ron Washington always the guy everyone wants to fire instead of the man who brought him to Arlington -- GM Jon Daniels? Bobby Cox couldn't win anything with this talent. The Rangers don't "owe" Ron anything, but it goes to show you why they are a rinky-dink organization.

BUCK: I see Nolan Ryan bringing in somebody like Phil Garner. Experienced manager. Former teammate. Familiar face. That's just the reality of the situation. But let me point out that the Rangers have dressed 37 different players in the first six weeks of the season. I fully expect to walk into the dugout someday and see players wearing "Hi, My Name is ...." nametags, you know, the kind you stick on your lapel at conventions and awkward cocktail parties. Ron Washington is certainly "owed" something, Newy ... it's called the respect that every honest worker deserves. I hope the Rangers give him that much, no matter what they do or when they do it.

Will Mike Ribeiro's post-Game 2 whack of Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood simply seal the Star's fate?

NEW DAWG: The Red Wings are the best team in hockey. Ribs' whacking of Ozzie won't change that. The Stars have to win their home games to make it a series. In fact, I'd say they need to win the next three games to have a shot to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

BUCK: I saw fire. I saw rage. With apologies to James Taylor, that's what I saw in that message-sending love tap to Osgood. You know how it is in sports, Dawg, stuff happens, things change. It's always better to get even than to get mad, and the way the Stars can still do that now – quite literally – is to win these next two games at the AAC. Don't seal that fate quite yet.

If Rick Carlisle is a Xerox copy of Avery Johnson in micro-managing skills, is he a stupid hire by the Mavs?

NEW DAWG: I won't say it's a bad hire, because we've been wrong about that before around these parts. Anybody remember Wade Phillips? He was supposed to be an uninspiring choice, and he won 13 games last year. I hope Carlisle has learned from his other two stops.

BUCK: Gosh, Newy, I hope Carlisle wins more than 13 games with the Mavs. Seriously, though, Avery's firing would never have happened 1) with a more responsible group of players and 2) without the Jason Kidd trade. Carlisle is not unlike his predecessor, which leaves me like most everyone else – full of wonder, full of cynicism.

HBO's "Hard Knocks" is coming. Who will steal the show at Oxnard, Calif., this summer?

NEW DAWG: I'll go with T.O. He has a certain fondness for performing for the camera.

BUCK: Steal the show? You mean other than Jessica? OK, I'll go with Mat McBriar (quirky, fun, plus punters have a lot of time to mug for the cameras.) No, wait ... free-agent WR Danny Amendola, the Texas Tech ex. NFL Films guys love the underdog with more film-able chutzpah and heart than realistic chance of making the team.

Apr. 28

Will Avery Johnson be fired if the Mavs are eliminated in the first round again?

NEW DAWG: He shouldn’t be fired. Ask the Maloof Brothers if overreacting to a few playoff losses and dumping Rick Adelman made the Sacramento Kings better. The lesson is simple. Winning 50 games a season is a good thing. Keep that situation alive.

BUCK: I think he’s gone unless he gets to the Western Conference Finals. But the way Avery’s players respond to the slightest bit of adversity during the course of a game, maybe Avery should be walking out on them. Johnson (who doesn’t go blameless for some of his Game 4 substitutions Sunday night) has to be baffled. His team’s only consistency is its inconsistency. While this Mavs bunch hasn’t exactly quit on him, it’s certainly gone haywire on him ... and always at the slightest hint of trouble in the air.

Can Vicente Padilla really save Ron Washington’s job for awhile?

NEW DAWG: Forget Wash’s job. How about the GM’s gig? Managers get fired all the time. The question is: Will Jon Daniels survive to make another hire after putting together yet another sad roster of talent?

BUCK: Managers are hired to be fired, we all know that. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stranger situation than Ron Washington getting a little extra rope because of Rangers’ starting pitching, and Padilla in particular. There’s no fainting in baseball ... but Padilla is earning his $11.25 million per year. Nice to see.

What grade do you give the Cowboys for their ’08 draft?

NEW DAWG: I give them an A. They upgraded a 13-3 team in four areas: Running back, cornerback, special teams and tight end. They should have come away with a quarterback like Andre Woodson or John David Booty.

Renfro set bar high for corners

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:31 CDT

By RAY BUCK

Mel Renfro played 13 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.

His first 10 were spent at the Pro Bowl.

He returned punts and kickoffs. Oh, did he ever. He once returned two punts for touchdowns in a Pro Bowl.

He was lock-down cornerback (after starting out his career at safety).

He was a second-round choice in the 1964 draft and the seventh Cowboy to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When Renfro retired, after Super Bowl XII, Adam “Pacman” Jones was still five years, eight months away from being born.

(Memo to Pacman: Longtime Cowboys fans have a standard for even the most highly decorated, punt-returning CBs to follow — and it’s way up there.)

“I’m kind of opinionated about these things,” said Renfro, now 66, and a limited partner in Hall of Fame Mortgage on Preston Road in Dallas. “In my day, someone’s chances of making the pros were 1-in-10,000. Certainly, that makes it a privilege.”

While the Cowboys await NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision on when, or even if, Jones’ suspension will be lifted, Renfro expressed a willingness to give Pacman Jones a second chance.

“The guys who hurt you most are the me-me-me guys,” Renfro said. “But I think Pacman is a team player. He’s had some off-field issues, but I certainly know he’ll help this team. Everyone deserves a second chance.

“But I really hope he maintains a level of integrity off the field.”

Old Cowboys are very protective of that blue star on the side of a silver helmet.

For those coached by Tom Landry, in particular, it wasn’t enough to be a good player; everyone was expected to be good citizens as well.

Renfro was a lot of both.

He still calls a stretch of postseason games (through SB V and the ’71 Pro Bowl) his absolute career “highlight,” quickly explaining the timing of these four games:

“Remember, we’d lost in the playoffs in ’66, ’67, ’68 and ’69.”

How can anyone forget?

Date: Saturday, Dec. 26, 1970

Game: NFC Divisional Round

Stadium: Cotton Bowl

Ray Buck: Four OTs make for a long day for TV folks

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:20 CDT

By RAY BUCK

After that four-overtime Stars-Sharks Game 6, who closed up shop for FSN Southwest on Monday morning?

And how deep into the wee hours was it?

Hint: The network's 53-foot production trailer rolled off the AAC lot just before sunrise.

And what about those unscheduled TV spots? How many of those ran ... and who paid for them?

Answer: 15 minutes of additional commercials were necessary. It was Christmas in May for existing sponsors, since the network doesn't pull extra revenue from that many OTs.

"We actually plan for something like that - although not necessarily four overtimes," said FSN Southwest spokesman Ramon Alvarez. "But it's like we do with [unlimited] pitching breaks in baseball."

So, commercial sponsors got a bonus ... well, as long as someone was still watching.

Apparently, in this case, plenty were.

The 5 1/2-hour Stars-Sharks Game 6 telecast posted a 4.4 Nielsen household rating (best for a Stars game in five years) and an 11 share, as 107,000 D/FW area homes on average tuned in to watch.

The TV audience grew in size during the OTs. The four overtimes, by themselves, averaged a 4.7 rating/15 share/112,000 homes.

Peak viewing (146,000 homes) occurred between 10:30-10:45 p.m., or roughly at the start of the first overtime.

And when Brenden Morrow scored the series-clinching goal at 1:21 a.m., 95,000 homes were still aboard with the broadcast (although no official count of actual watchers vs. snoozers with their TV sets on.)

FSN Southwest producer Jason Walsh and associate producer John Sponsler assembled a "melt reel" of game highlights - and didn't leave for home until close to 4 a.m.

Those who broke down equipment, packed up the truck and drove it away, added a couple of hours onto that.

"It was a bit of a long day," said understated Stars program director Mark Vittorio, who arrived at 10:30 a.m. for Stars' practice skate and ended up working a 16-hour day.

(With the exception of a fajitas lunch at a Knox-Henderson Mexican grill and cantina, the bulk of a 20-member FSN Southwest production crew were at the AAC from mid-morning to 2:30 a.m.)

"By the third OT, you're usually ready for the game to end," said Vittorio, a 38-year-old former Blackhawks fan who grew up in Chicago. "But that night, we're all saying, 'Let's go to sunrise to get this series wrapped up - right here.' It was that awesome."

Vittorio's wife, singer Celena Rae, sang the national anthem and worked between regulation periods Sunday night.

"My wife is six months pregnant and could barely watch," Vittorio said. "She sat in the production truck with her hands over her head."

To add to the craziness of the night, the Sharks' broadcast team shared space inside the FSN Southwest truck.

Buckshots: Howard's fans have just gone up in smoke

Mon, 05 May 2008 07:34 CDT

By RAY BUCK

FIRST SHOT: Josh Howard should be dumped by the Mavericks forthwith. His smoking pot and partying show he's not serious about playing.

He was a total washout. The entire team suffered the consequences. All the talent in the world is useless without a brain to go with it.

-- Bob Worley, Boyd

BUCKSHOT: The head bone is connected to the jump shot, now we know.

SECOND SHOT: Josh Howard has got to be a complete idiot. Why would he do the stupid thing he did?

-- G.W. Brantley, Midlothian

BUCKSHOT: J-Ho lost both his game and his common sense after the Jason Kidd trade. Coincidence?

THIRD SHOT: Please, please... tell the Mavs the next time whoever says, "We're loose. There is no pressure on us," to shut up.

Admit and embrace playoff basketball and the pressure that comes with it. You'll never have playoff success by trying to duck the truth.

-- Gary Huber, Mesquite

BUCKSHOT: Ah, they're just joshin'.

FOURTH SHOT: What did the Mavs have in '06 that they didn't have in '08? A bench!

-- Ron Allday, DeSoto

BUCKSHOT: Bad news gets worse: Next year's Mavs bench will have to come even cheaper.

FIFTH SHOT: I'll remember the Jason Kidd trade 10 years from now as putting a championship ring out of reach for the 2008 Mavs.

I'll also remember lots of poor judgments by team management such as letting Steve Nash get away... Devin Harris get away.

-- Millie Williams, Fort Worth

BUCKSHOT: Also Darrell Armstrong... and Adrian Griffin... and DeSagana Diop... all valuable pieces to a once-NBA Finals team.

SIXTH SHOT: Which Maverick won the most NBA championships? Oh, wait, it's the one who is not a Maverick anymore -- Avery Johnson.

It makes no sense to let players who have never won a championship steer the future of this team.

Sound bite we relish now is one of silence

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:27 CDT

By RAY BUCK

We've been under a "sound bite watch" for more than week now.

Blah... blah... blah... has reached a new level even for sports talk radio and the SportsCenter era.

At least Josh Howard's marijuana remarks on The Michael Irvin Show (ESPN/103.3 FM) a week ago carried some clout -- enough, in fact, to catch Michael Irvin off-guard with such a free-wheeling confessional over the airwaves.

(Too bad for Avery Johnson that Howard's game didn't carry the same kind of clout against the Hornets.)

By the weekend, we were off and running with the sights and incessant sounds of the NFL Draft. All conjecture, all the time.

Whatever you can guess, I can guess louder.

We were entertained by mocks, revamped mocks and re-revamped mocks over the two-day draft, although most of us were numb to the names by Sunday noon.

What I learned most was that the NFL Network has closed the gap on ESPN for draft-day coverage. Neither one was perfect, but channel-changing was an option this time (remember, ESPN has been doing the NFL Draft for as long as Tom Landry coached the Cowboys -- 21 years).

Only ESPN provided locals with a national reporter (Ed Werder) at Valley Ranch. However, Adam Schefter -- like Werder, a former newspaper guy -- was a solid sideline contributor for the NFL Network.

While ESPN seemed surprised by Houston's first-round selection of Virginia Tech OL Duane Brown, Schefter was flat-out telling his audience -- just before the pick -- that "[Brown] will be the sleeper of the first round right here... [the Texans] have sweated it out."

NFL Networker Deion Sanders was right-on with the Felix Jones pick by Dallas, saying, "The last time I checked, two halves make a whole," referring to a tag-team running game of Marion Barber and the Arkansas rookie.

Marshall Faulk, who has become much more assertive for the NFL Network, explained that the Cowboys got themselves a "better Jones," i.e., Felix is no Julius.

By Monday, ESPN fantasy guru Nate Ravitz was already projecting Felix Jones as a "flex-option pick" for the more sophisticated leagues.

"I actually like Felix Jones better as a fantasy player," said Ravitz, "than a real-life player."

Yep, we've come a long way with our sports analysis.

But one thing hasn't changed: The real tough question is still the hardest to answer.

Barely three minutes after the Mavs' first-round exit Tuesday night, Derek Harper was telling his KTXA/21 audience to be prepared that "something has to change" involving Avery Johnson.

"Avery may want out of here at this particular point," Harper added.

Sure enough, fewer than 18 hours later, Mark Cuban made the change.

It's been a lot to absorb, and I think sometimes we need a chance to pause and reflect, if even momentarily.

'Big Daddy' remembered by ex-Cowboys guard

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:47 CDT

By RAY BUCK

Just before Christmas 1964, Jim Ray Smith said goodbye to the Dallas Cowboys and a nine-year NFL career.

He had played for only two coaches — Paul Brown (Cleveland Browns) and Tom Landry (Cowboys) — a pair of “hard-headed” Hall of Famers (Smith’s choice of words) whom he found to be as different in their approach to football as they were alike in their everyday values.

“In nine years,” said Smith, “I never heard either one of them say a profanity.”

Born southwest of Houston in West Columbia, Smith is a Baylor Bear and past chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He recently was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

But because he spent seven seasons in Cleveland (1956-62) — blocking for the great Jim Brown — and two seasons in Dallas (1963-64) — just trying to stay healthy — Jim Ray is better remembered as a Brown than a Cowboy.

“In Dallas, I had two knee operations, two concussions, two broken hands and a cracked third vertebra in my neck,” said Smith. “So, I paid the price.”

This all happened after he retired.

Smith hung ’em up after the ’62 season to start his own real estate business (he had been working for a firm in Dallas) but then was “talked into” just meeting with the Cowboys. After all, he was living in town anyway.

“I just felt I was a traitor if I played for anyone other than Cleveland,” he recalled.

Not that Cleveland would be the same anymore. After that same ’62 season, a young Art Modell fired the legendary Paul Brown during Pro Bowl week. Smith had just informed Modell of his plans to retire.

It wasn’t a ploy. Smith wasn’t looking for more money, more playing time or a longer cot at training camp.

His top salary in Cleveland had been $18,750, and now the Cowboys were willing to make him (so they claimed) the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league at $25,000.

That was big money in 1962. But it was an even bigger decision for Smith to completely change business plans and hitch his wagon to the upstart Cowboys.

Smith earned a solid reputation in the NFL on an established team, with established players, earning five Pro Bowl trips in seven years. He had blocked for the best (Bobby Mitchell, Jim Brown).....and blocked against the best.

But now he would surprise even himself by agreeing to give pro football one more shot in Big D. Maybe it was his inner-Texan talking.

Big Daddy Lipscomb

No one in the NFL in the late ’50s and early ’60s was more menacing than Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb.

Think Sonny Liston in shoulder pads.

Jim Ray Smith survived six meetings with the 6-foot-6, 288-pound behemoth. Keep in mind.....Smith tipped the scales at 218 as a Browns rookie in ’56.

He would go on to have some classic head-to-heads (quite literally) with Lipscomb, all while Smith played for the Browns and Big Daddy played for the two-time defending NFL champion Baltimore Colts (1958-59), then later with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Buckshots: Turn up the volume on Pacman gossip

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:12 CDT

By RAY BUCK

FIRST SHOT: I've followed the career of Adam Bernard Jones since he was drafted by my Tennessee Titans, and I'm glad he is headed to the Dallas Cowboys. This is a bad guy.

There is so much stuff that has gone on here that is unreported by the national media. I understand that his house and loud parties were such a nuisance to neighbors that he had to move out in the country to a large estate next to [country-western legend] George Jones.

Will Pacman change? Yes, it is possible, but I doubt it.

Jerry Jones always wants to make a big splash ... but Pacman is not worth the risk.

-- Lee Eppinger, Hendersonville, Tenn.

BUCKSHOT: Will risk-taker Jerry change? I doubt that one even more.

SECOND SHOT: Felix Jones -- a solid cat -- is a solid pick at No. 22. CB Mike Jenkins [25th pick] is a Jerry guy -- speed, talent and some "history" that's not his fault.

But for the Cowboys to get Aggies TE Martellus Bennett to replace Anthony Fasano? Sign me up! This guy can run routes, jump out of the stadium ... and might be the most productive 61st pick in recent years.

-- David Glick, Las Colinas

BUCKSHOT: Brian Dawkins ... 61st pick in '96. How'd that work out for the Iggles?

THIRD SHOT: Risk-reward? The risk on Pacman Jones is that a reward will be posted by the law for information leading to his arrest.

-- Paul Wooten, Denver

BUCKSHOT: Just what we need, a funny sleuth.

FOURTH SHOT: The Jason Kidd trade will go down as one of the worst trades in team history. It cost the Mavericks not only a chance to compete in the playoffs this year, but for many years to come.

-- Kim Richards, Bedford

BUCKSHOT: Ah, a gift that keeps on giving.

FIFTH SHOT: How will I remember the Jason Kidd trade 10 years from now? Shakespeare ... Much Ado About Nothing.

-- John Olthoff, Seagoville

BUCKSHOT: Thanks, John ... but you really don't have to call me Shakespeare.

SIXTH SHOT: How can you tell a loser in baseball? His B.A. goes from .300 (bases empty) to .250 (men on-base) to .200 (men in scoring position).

Courtside Journal: TNT sideline reporter found herself in center of history

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:04 CDT

By RAY BUCK

TNT sideline reporter Pam Oliver's job is to go get the story.

Well, nothing I saw or heard Sunday night tops her own.

Oliver, born in Dallas in 1961, grew up in what was then called Arlington Heights. When she was a toddler, she ingested some of her mother's hair dye and had to be rushed to Parkland Hospital.

The date: Nov. 22, 1963.

"I thought my mother's hair dye was a strawberry milkshake, so I drank it," Oliver said. "We ended up at the very same hospital at the very same time that President Kennedy was brought there."

The Kennedy assassination was fresh -- just minutes old -- when Pam's late mother, Mary, desperately tried to get some help for her little girl.

"There was such chaos ... my mother was just minding her business and really didn't know what was going on," Oliver said.

Eventually, the 2 1/2 -year-old was given something to induce vomiting. Pam and her mom stayed a couple of hours, then went home.

President Kennedy was pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital. But it would be much later that day before Mary Oliver knew the full extent of what happened around her and her sick child that day.

"Anyway, that's my famous story," Oliver said, sitting in the AAC media dining room. "I feel I have a connection [with that piece of history]. I really think what happened that day somehow planted my desire to be in TV news.

"Whatever the reason, I was always fascinated by the news as a kid."

Today, she's one of the best in the business at gathering it. Oliver is also sideline reporter for Fox's No. 1 NFL broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

Noisier crowd noise

It was a late-arriving roar (of the crowd) for Friday night's Game 3 at the AAC, but Sunday's crowd was really loud from the get-go -- with zero lung lapses. But it didn't last. With 5:19 to play, nearly half the crowd had filed out.

General-ly speaking

Former Mavericks owner Don Carter said before the game that he felt the players owed Avery Johnson a big effort.

"Avery has had his hands full," said Carter, as he prepared to take his familiar courtside seat opposite the Mavs bench. He has missed only two games all season.

"I love Jason Kidd ... but getting him in here [in the Feb. 18 trade] was a little late," Carter said. "But if Avery gets great effort [Sunday night], he'll be over that hump. I don't think he'll have to coach looking behind him anymore."

Gimme some Game 4

For sheer excitement and importance, Game 4s take a backseat only to Game 7s.

It's not Blake's ability that scares NFL teams

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:36 CDT

By RAY BUCK

TCU defensive end Tommy Blake could be in for a rough weekend.

I hope not.

We should all pray -- for his sake -- that the sun comes up Monday morning and Blake belongs to an NFL team -- one willing to roll the dice, one willing to spend a second-day draft choice, that says, "Hey, you're not only welcome here -- you're wanted here."

There is no bigger mystery man in this draft than Tommy Blake.

He built an early résumé at TCU as a first-round talent... only to turn around his senior year and scare the bejabbers out of most NFL scouts with his "condition" -- clinical depression and a social anxiety disorder.

Blake isn't rated "high risk" because of a broken leg that mended crooked or a rap sheet longer than his coat sleeve.

Nope, it's far worse because NFL teams know so little about mental illness. It scares them.

An injury is tangible. You appoint an orthopedic surgeon to diagnose it. A police record is tangible. You investigate records or tiptoe around it or a little of both.

But most NFL teams don't have a clue about depression. The more Blake explains it, the more we all learn about it, the more of a red flag it seems to become, and that's sad.

Now we're told that pressure can trigger depression. Oh, great. What's the NFL Draft to a young man coming out of college with first-round potential and a low-round (or no-round) projection other than pressure and anxiety?

"Great question, but I'd better pass," said ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen when asked about Blake on a Tuesday conference call.

Ron Jaworski, ESPN's Monday Night Football and draft analyst, says mental illness is frightful to NFL teams accustomed to textbook calculations from scouts, coaches and friends of scouts and coaches.

Said Jaws: "Clinical depression is something we're all somewhat unfamiliar in evaluating, as far as how that will impact a player in the National Football League."

ESPN's E:60 ( www.e60.com) this week devoted eight minutes to Blake's Aug. 14 walkout on his team, how he returned and eventually played, albeit "slower and heavier."

Blake and his sister spoke candidly on-camera. The segment was tastefully done without skirting key issues.

At the NFL Scouting Combine two months ago, Blake underwent hospital tests while other players did interviews.

Inquiring minds wanted to know if he enjoys football. Or might he walk out on his next team?

At TCU's Pro Day on March 6, Blake appeared lean and mean, and lit up the workout with his desire to play at the next level. Still, it's his word now against his actions last summer.

One psychologist -- speaking in general, not specifically about Blake's case -- told E:60: "[Depression] is biologically based. It has to do with changes in brain chemistry," then added that pressure can trigger depression.

Here's wishing Tommy Blake makes it through the weekend.