But they only received a third round draft pick. I would have thought he would be worth a little more....maybe a second rounder.
A 3rd rounder this year... and a 4th rounder next year.
Not awful for a 4th round draft choice that the coaching staff was planning to dump next year anyway. (The coaching staff was happy to give him permission to seek a trade on his own this year.)
Lloyd made some awesome one-handed grabs... but he isn't a real speed burner, he never threw a block downfield, and he was allergic to going over the middle.
Antonio Bryant, the guy they picked up to replace Lloyd is a huge upgrade in terms of talent. He was something of a prima dona in college and when he first came into the league (he was the second year player who got ticked off and threw a wet sweat shirt in Parcells' face... shortly before he was banished to Cleveland.) but the hope is he's grown up a bit.
Battle and Bryant will start. Gilmore will be a key reserve. They are all pretty big, fast, block well... all pretty much fit the mold coach Sullivan likes for his recievers. Lloyd didn't fit. He wasn't long for this team.
Guh, Colts let The Edge get away... Now they have no running game.
That's sort of what everyone said when the Colts traded away Marshall Faulk, just before drafting James. They'll get somebody.
James is going into his 8th year as an every down back. He's been great... but the end isn't that far off.
MikeNolan
As to the Cards taking the NFC West... Until they fix their O-Line, and come up with a better option at QB, it's not likely they'll frighten either the Seahawks or the Rams. Their defense is getting there, and James still has enough in his tank to do some damage for a season or two. But it looks to me like they're still a ways away.
Japanese Woman a Pioneer in Her Field (March 22, 2006)
There is a Japanese female trainer employed by an American pro football team in the NFL. Her name is Iso Ariko. It is rare enough to have a female trainer looking after the physical condition of the athletes who compete at America's most popular sport, but being Japanese makes Iso doubly unique. As a member of the staff that supports the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of the 2006 Super Bowl on February 5, Iso received a shiny Super Bowl ring, awarded to players and staff of the champion team.
A Double First
In the 2002 season, the Steelers hired Iso, then a trainer for Portland State University, as the first full-time female trainer in the team's 82-year history. Iso was originally a basketball player in Tokyo, but after a knee injury ended her playing career, she decided to use her sports background to study sports medicine.
She did her graduate studies at San Jose State University, followed by a one-year internship with the Steelers. During her internship, her skills were recognized, and she became a member of the team's staff. Though Iso was the first woman to work as the team's trainer, not to mention the first Asian, neither she nor team affiliates showed any hesitation in making the move. A member of the training staff praised her excellent medical knowledge and her passion for her work and said that she is widely liked by everyone in the Steelers organization.
An Important Behind-the-Scenes Role
Iso's main work involves treating injured athletes and helping with their rehabilitation. She is always close at hand and running around without rest. Some may have seen her on TV passing out sports drinks to the players. During the season, her schedule is hectic and she gets no time off. After games, she massages each of the players as they come into the training room. She also records the details of the athletes' treatment process in the computer, administers injections, and accompanies players to MRI examinations.
"Getting players who don't want to come to the training room to do so is tough, but when players I've treated heal and are able to get back on the field, I truly feel glad to be doing this work," said Iso.
Thanks in part to the addition of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh's record has improved over the four years that Iso has been with the team. At the Super Bowl, an event that draws global attention, the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win their first championship in 26 years. Though the team was fraught with injuries earlier in the season, they were virtually injury free heading into the Super Bowl, evidence of the significant role played by Iso and the training staff.
Around the time that Iso joined the Steelers, there were around 30,000 trainers in the US, including high schools and universities. Of this number, some 1,500 were women. However, the only full-time female trainers other than Iso active in the four major sports (baseball, football, basketball, and ice hockey) were the few working in the NBA. Iso is the first to be a part of a championship team. "I don't believe it. I was happy just to be able to get to the Super Bowl, but to actually winc My father came from Tokyo to watch the game, and was happy for me. I'm a happy person," said a tearful Iso.
If she keeps working so hard to help the Steelers' players stay fit, it may not be the last time that Iso tastes success.