Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns in his lone collegiate campaign, but then a series of events led the school to suspend him. He was ultimately dismissed from OSU and eventually went to court to challenge the NFL’s rule that a player must wait three years after graduating from high school to enter the draft. By the time it was all said and done, Clarett entered the 2005 NFL Draft and was chosen by the Broncos in the third round (#101 overall).

Reporting to camp out of shape and 20 pounds overweight led to clashes with the coaching staff and his release that August. Out on the open market, not a single team made any inquiries about Clarett. Legal troubles shortly followed and the once promising gridiron star was arrested twice, once for armed robbery and another for weapons possession in which he was maced and tasered by the arresting officers in order to be taken into custody.

Using the plea bargain system to the max, Clarett bartered the two incidents into a seven and a half year sentence with the promise of possible early release. On April 7 of this year, he was granted as much and entered a halfway house in Ohio. He needed permission from a judge in order to fly to Omaha for a tryout with the Nighthawks.

Now we will see if Clarett is in fact rehabilitated and what he has left – if anything – in the tank. At only 26 years of age, he certainly is young enough to bounce back if he makes the effort. This is a move that will certainly give the second year league some press and if Clarett can be a success story, then it will be a win-win situation. At least on the outset, he is making it sound that way.

“I am humbled by the opportunity the Omaha Nighthawks have given me and will dedicate myself on and off the field to prove that I can be a valuable member of the team and the Omaha community,” said Clarett. “I am committed to working hard to earn the right for a second chance in football and more importantly in life.”

The ultimate goal for any UFL player is to be signed to an NFL contract and if Clarett can show even some of the flashes he had back in college, then his chances are better than not. But more importantly is his off-the-field behavior. Even a parking ticket at this stage in his life will be dissected, as it should be.

Career rushing statistics at Ohio State

His conservative approach, especially on offense, led to his demise in New York and now Kansas City. Once Pioli replaced Carl Peterson, the handwriting was on the wall and Herm’s days were numbered.

In a statement released by the Chiefs, Pioli said, “Since my arrival last week, Herm and I have had several conversations and part of my overall evaluation of the football operation. After careful consideration, Clark (team owner Hunt) and I felt that it was best to make a change.”

Edwards had more success with the Jets and finished a five-year run, finishing with a 39-41 mark and 2-3 I the postseason. When he was fired, many complaints were heard about him not opening up the playbook more.

In his first season in Kansas City in 2006, Edwards led the Chiefs to a 9-7 record and a wild card playoff berth.

One name that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Edwards is Mike Shanahan, who was fired by the Denver Broncos at the end of the regular season.

If the NFL Network had to do it all over again, they probably would have named Bob Papa as their play-by-play man from Day One. The radio voice of the New York Giants is a valid choice and will handle the job with dignity while bringing something to the table. Unfortunately, this comes a year too late and after football fans had to deal with Bryant Gumbel calling games, who’s style was reminiscent of the lead character in “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

While he may have been a decent studio host many years ago on NBC, Gumbel was an odd choice to be in the booth during the fledging network’s first season exclusively covering Thursday night games. His years as a ‘Today’ show host seemed to have taken a lot of his being considered a ‘sports’ person away. No matter what color analyst Cris Collinsworth did to attempt to salvage what was being said over the microphones, Gumbel’s inability to even have a deep knowledge of the game reared its ugly head on more than one occasion. If that wasn’t bad enough, his style was so laid back that even his calls of critical touchdowns had the same intensity as when he called for a commercial break.

Papa has been with the Giants since 1995 and has been called “one of the most talented and experiences announcers in the business” by NFL Network president Steve Bornstein. While being accused of being a ‘homer’ during Giant games, Papa won’t have to hear that on a national scale. His broadcasts sound as if he is having fun and not just doing a job, a claim that Gumbel cannot make.

The NFL Network’s first game this season will be on November 6 with the Denver Broncos at the Cleveland Browns.