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Think Honey Badger cares yet?

Tyrann Mathieu electrified college football in 2011 as he helped lead Louisiana State toward a spot in the BCS Championship Game. During that campaign, Mathieu earned a seat in New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist and took home the Chuck Bednarik Trophy as the country's best defensive player. 

2012 was not as prolific a year for the cornerback. 

Mathieu was dismissed from the team in August for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel wrote in October that Mathieu had failed multiple drug tests, spent time in rehab and endangered his eligibility by receiving improper benefits from a night club. 

Mathieu disputed the report, accusing Thamel of both bribery and harassment. He did not play football in 2012 but remained at LSU as a student—hiring an agent in December and forfeiting any eligibility he may have had. 

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Speedy wide receivers and running backs highlighted Day 4 of the NFL Scouting Combine. Seemingly every other player ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash, and Tyrann Mathieu spoke to the media.

It's odd to say, but Mathieu speaking a day after Manti Te'o made things very easy for the prospect known as the "Honey Badger."

Compared to the grilling that Te'o received Saturday, Mathieu breezed through his 15-minute session with reporters. What would have been a big media moment prior to the Te'o "Catfish" debacle was relegated to an afterthought. 

Check out the video above. Matt Miller and I review Day 4 of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indy. Let us know in the comments below if we missed any key highlights.

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Come join Matt Miller and myself at 8:00 p.m. ET for Bleacher Report's 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Google+ Hangout.

We'll break down all the biggest storylines surrounding the combine, as well as touch on the latest news coming out of the second day in Indianapolis.

We'll also be joined by a few of the prospects going through the combine process who will give their own unique perspective on the proceedings. 

You can join the conversation by asking questions via the Twitter hashtag #BRCombine.

Breaking Down the NFL Free-Agent Tiers

By on February 22, 2013

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On draft day, every NFL team wants to make the grade. NFL front office executives talk a lot about "building through the draft," because smart drafting though all three days will fill out a roster with young (cheap) talent.

You'll never hear an NFL coach or executive say, "We want to build through free agency," because the most popular players cost top dollar—and many times, they aren't productive enough to justify their cost.

There is value to be had in free agency, though. Besides cap-strapped teams letting good players go because they can't pay market price, some teams have a wealth of talent at the same position, are ready to go younger or plan to run a scheme that doesn't fit that player.

Teams that do their homework on this year's class of free agents could find some instant contributors for not a lot of cash.

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Come join Matt Miller, Will Carroll and myself at 8:00 p.m. EST for Bleacher Report's 2013 NFL Scouting Combine Google+ Hangout.

We'll break down all the biggest storylines surrounding the Combine, as well as touch on the latest news coming out of the first day in Indianapolis.

We'll also be joined by a few of the prospects going through the Combine process who will give their own unique perspective on the proceedings. 

You can join the conversation by asking questions via the Twitter hashtag #BRCombine.

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It's that time of year when aging stars who may have seen their best days in the NFL are released or allowed to walk in free agency to get teams underneath the salary cap.

Of course, this opens the door for 31 other teams to take a look, which is exactly what will happen over the course of the next few months. Vested veterans who are released in a cap purge, such as Charles Woodson or Bart Scott, are able to sign right away.

Players like Dwight Freeney or Reggie Bush, who have been told they will not be brought back, have to wait until March 12 and the start of the new league year before they can start meeting with teams. (Actually, this year agents can meet with teams a few days prior to the official start of free agency, but that's another story.)

In the video above, I predict the landing spot for a few of the biggest names in free agency this year. Let us know in the comments below where you agree or disagree, and where you think they might end up instead. 

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Like its massive, whirling, threshing namesake, the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine is rolling into Indianapolis to separate the wheat from the chaff. Three hundred thirty-three hopefuls will be injected, inspected and detected before (with luck) getting selected in this April's NFL draft.

The question is, does it do any good?

For all the medical, mental, personal and physical evaluations done at the NFL combine, does any of it correlate with real NFL success?

NFL clubs pay for the combine, as clients of the scouting services that run it (National Football Scouting, Inc. and BLESTO). They must be getting some benefit out of it. Yet we hear a lot of stories about busts, sleepers, late risers, late fallers and workout warriors that cast doubt on the entire process.

NFL Offseason: 5 Underrated Free Agents

By on February 19, 2013

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Well, the two weeks of downtime after the Super Bowl sure were fun, weren't they?

As NFL teams start to purge their rosters of players (and contracts) they have deemed expendable in anticipation of the start of the new league year on March 12th, fans are beginning to peruse the list of available free agents and dreaming of which big names their team may sign.

Unfortunately, many of the contracts handed out during the first wave of free agency usually equate to paying airport restaurant prices for hot-dog-stand talent. 

In the video above, I offer up five free agents who may not make big headlines immediately in free agency, but are underrated gems who will make teams happy they waited out the initial flurry of signings when teams finally take the field in 2013.

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With his comeback attempt off and running, so to speak, former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell is in the thick of his preparation for his own Pro Day in April. 

This week, with Jeff Garcia and the crew from TEST Football Academy monitoring his every movement, we see Russell go through what is basically his own personal combine. The results will be used to set his goals through the course of the next month or so. 

This is our second full episode following Russell's bid to get back into the NFL. Let us know in the comments below if you think Russell will make the goals set for him in the video above and if you think his comeback bid will end up a success.

For a look at the first episode in the series, click here

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Anyone who saw it happen will never forget it. In a November 2010 game, Indianapolis Colts receiver Austin Collie lay stricken on the ground, arms involuntarily held in the "fencing response" pose that indicates brain trauma:

Collie was stretchered off, and every football fan watching it felt their stomach churn. It was just one of four concussions he suffered during the 2010 season.

Violent hits to the head, neck and chest happen when linebackers and safeties are flying at you from opposite directions. When your job is to get into the spaces between defenders, you end up between defenders.

As such, when NFL receivers play in the slot, they play with fire.