USF coaches say they are fine with Scott weight gain

Darrell Scott says he is not worried about his weight gain since spring practice and those thoughts were echoed by Bulls head coach Skip Holtz and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch after one day of practice.

The transfer running back says he just "blew up" since spring ball, but feels good and doesn't the extra poundage will slow him down.

Holtz describes Scott as a big strong, back who is carrying the weight well. Fitch said Scott is just naturally big and that he is probably carrying about five pounds of water. Both coaches note he made all his required times and didn't appear to be tired so far.

The 6-1 Scott is listed at 239 pounds after being listed at 246 pounds on a roster that was released the day before fall camp began. When camp ended last spring he was at 230 pounds.

Big East blanked again in pre-season football poll

The USA Today Football Coaches Poll is out and to no one's surprise no Big East Conference team is in the top 25

It didn't have any in the final BCS standings when the season ended last year, so we should not be shocked.

But then again this is one of six BCS conferences that is hauling in all that money from BCS Bowls. Is it asking too much that they have one team in the top 25?

USF received nine points to place the Bulls way down the totem poll, but at least were mentioned. More importantly it gets a chance to rectify things in its season opener at Notre Dame, which is ranked 18th.

West Virginia is the highest ranked Big East team at 27 (149 points). In the state of Florida, USF ranks behind FSU, Florida and Miami, which is no disgrace. But also behind UCF (ranked 33)!

Now that's got to stick in the Bulls craw. But hold on UCF finished 21st in last season's final BCS rankings.

Bulls head coach Skip Holtz is one of 59 coaches who vote in the poll. But they've got to help him.

Scott weight gain could be making Bulls a little nervous

Substantial weight gain can be good or bad for a running back depending on each player's circumstance.

In the case of USF junior transfer Darrell Scott it has to make people around the Bulls feel a little uncomfortable.

Remember he is the highly touted star who came out of high school in California in 2008 rated the number one running back prospect in the country.

He flubbed at Colorado where he was criticized for being out of shape, which perhaps led to a series of injuries that never seemed to go away.

When Scott signed with Colorado in 2008 he was 205 pounds and eventually got up to 215. USF listed the 6-1 junior at 230 last spring, but on this fall's roster with camp opening today he is listed as at 246.

That's a whopping weight gain. A big worry is that when he put on weight at Colorado Scott reportedly didn't add any power. Scott said during spring that he wanted to get his weight down to 225.

Fabian Washington happy to be a Saint

Fabian Washington couldn’t be happier with the deal that he made going to the New Orleans Saints, his mother Sandra said.

It’s a nice fit for him and apparently Washington has been a person that Saints head coach Sean Payton has targeted since the Bayshore High product first came into the league as a first round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders in 2005.

Washington is recovered from some injuries and his body has healed up from surgeries over the last few years that included repairing a torn ACL in his knee and removing a bulging disc in his neck. He still has that blazing speed that caught the attention of everyone back in ’05 at the NFL Combine.

Payton feels confident that if Tracy Porter is not ready or others get nicked up Washington can fill in any voids. He will likely be used in the Saints nickel package, but the 28 year-old could wind up as a starter.

“He is a guy that can run real well. I am anxious to see him. We want guys like that to come in and compete and compete to play,” Payton said.

DRC fitting in nice in Philadlephia

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has only been with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, a few days but he is happy and already feeling settled in, according to his father Stan Cromartie.

DRC is not worried about the long-jam some might see at the Eagles cornerback position. They signed Nnamdi Asomugha a few days after getting DRC and already have Asante Samuel.

DRC is not worried about the competition and the team seems to believe he would be the better guy to move into the slot when the Eagles go to their nickel package (5 defensive backs). He also volunteered to take the slot.

With Asomugha and Samuel covering the corners, DRC’s speed, size and athleticism make him all the more valuable. It’s a better fit than what he had in Arizona and he apparently knows it.

As a nickel back you won’t be starting, but you see a lot of playing time. At 25, DRC is younger than Samuel and Asomugha (both 30). It also might add some years to his career.

Samuel still hasn’t reported to camp because of personal reasons and some speculate he might be traded. If only for money, it makes more sense to keep DRC because his contract doesn’t carry the same dollar signs as Samuel and Asomugha.

Samuel allowed 3.2 yards per pass attempt in his direction last year and was first in the league in his success rate (78 percent), which is the percentage of passes that don’t manage to get at least 45 percent of the needed yardage on first down and 60 percent of needed yardage on second down or 100 percent of needed yardage on third down, according to Football Outsiders.

Of course, there are lots of factors that go into these numbers, like which cornerbacks are covering the other team’s number one receivers. The quality of a team’s overall defense and who a quarterback is picking on. But it makes for good conversation.

Fabian Washington expected to sign deal with New Orleans Saints

Fabian Washington is expected to sign a deal with New Orleans Saints, possibly as early as today, a person close to the Baltimore Ravens cornerback said.

The seven year NFL veteran out of Bayshore High spent last season with Baltimore earning a reported $1.8 million salary. He was slowed down by some injuries after coming off surgery and eventually lost his starting job.

At New Orleans, the 28-year-old will likely be a nickel back, though he said he is open to fighting for a starting job. He was the overall 23 pick in the 2005 draft by Oakland and played there through the’07 season before joining Baltimore.

Washington was also getting interest from Tampa, Minnesota and the New York Jets. The Saints offered the best opportunity all around and the deal could bring him a nice raise.

Could Fabian Washington join Mistral Raymond in Minnesota or head to Tampa?

Cornerback Fabian Washington could be headed to Tampa, Minnesota or the Jets, according to various reports.

The Bayshore High product was one of three unrestricted three agents on the Baltimore Ravens roster when the week began.

One of the trio, Chris Carr, reportedly signed with the Ravens on Saturday while another, Josh Wilson, has gone to the Washington Redskins.

Washington is not expected to sign with Baltimore. If he goes to Minnesota he will join, 2011 sixth round draft pick Mistral Raymond from Palmetto High, who played at University of South Florida and is expected to be used at corner or safety for the Vikings.

Washington has been contacted by the Bucs, Vikings and Jets. Though he is only 28 years old, he is considered a nickel back now perhaps because of several surgeries in recent years for a torn ACL in his left knee and a bulging disc in his neck.

The 5-11, 175 pound Washington started for the Ravens at the beginning of last season, but eventually lost his job and Wilson took over for him. He struggled last year though it was unclear how much of his problems were due to injuries.

Washington said after last season that he didn’t see a role for himself in Baltimore and mentioned Arizona, Jacksonville and Houston as teams he thought he could help.

He is expected to be a relatively inexpensive pickup for a backup corner or nickel back after earning a reported $1.8 million with Ravens last year.