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Broncos put Plummer in tough predicament

Trading up to get Cutler sends signal veteran QB may soon lose hold of job

Jack Dempsey / AP file

Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, left, can't be thrilled that the Broncos traded up to select signal-caller Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt in the first round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Quick hits
Leinart and USC offensive tackle Winston Justice get the Bad Karma Award after dropping to No. 10 and No. 47, respectively. Both fired long-time agent Leigh Steinberg in the weeks leading up to the draft. Leinart, who expected to go in the top three picks, listened to the inexperienced folks at CAA to convince him to leave Steinberg. That’s no slap at agent Tom Condon, who now works at CAA and basically got into the situation too late to change anything. But the notion that Steinberg was responsible for the fall is ungodly stupid. As for Justice, he switched to Gary Uberstine after getting wooed by rapper Snoop Dogg, who has recently partnered with Uberstine. Justice, who got ripped around the league for lack of maturity and for not being too bright, said he “wasn’t feeling it” with Steinberg. Perhaps now he’ll feel it in the pocket book.
Speaking of USC, the draft didn’t go well for a team that got within 19 seconds of a third consecutive national championship. Running back Reggie Bush fell from No. 1 to 2, Leinart to 10 and both Justice and running back LenDale White completely out of the first round. Overall, it was a horrendous week for the Trojans, who are about to be engulfed by the Bush agent scandal and are dealing with a sexual assault charge against young star quarterback Mark Sanchez, who probably has a shot to start this season if the charges are cleared.
On the subject of Bush, fans in New Orleans were obviously happy with getting the star back who has been compared to Hall of Famer Gale Sayers and Pro Bowl back Marshall Faulk. However, in the days leading up to the draft, Bush’s camp was doing everything it could to get the New York Jets to trade up for the No. 2 pick so that Bush could play in a bigger media market. Bush wanted no part of New Orleans and now is only hoping that the team eventually moves to Los Angeles. That was obvious as Bush took the call from the Saints on Saturday with a somewhat glum look and basically got condolences from family and agents Mike Ornstein and Joel Segal. Or as one person in the group said of the sad reaction: “Was it that obvious?”
Toronto of the CFL has expressed interest in suspended running back Ricky Williams playing for them this season. However, under NFL contract language, Williams must receive permission from the Dolphins to play in Canada. Dolphins coach Nick Saban said he had Williams over to his house on Friday for pizza — hmm, that’s an odd picture — and that the subject of playing in Canada never came up. That said, having Williams play up north might be wise. It would keep him out of financial trouble and it would also keep him playing football. Sure, Williams might get hurt, but think about what Williams might do if he doesn’t play.

Jason Cole writes regularly for NBCSports.com and covers the Dolphins and the NFL for the Miami Herald.

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DAY	TIME	EVENT	SITE	TALENT
Saturday, May 26	2 - 3 p.m.	*Red Bull Signature Series: X Fighters	Glen Helen Raceway – San Bernardino, CA	Sal Masekela, Tes Sewell, Todd Harriss, Tina Dixon
	3 - 6 p.m.	*Senior PGA Championship	Benton Harbor, MI	Dan Hicks, Gary Koch, Mark Rolfing, Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper, Jimmy Roberts
Sunday, May 27	12 - 3 p.m.	*French Open	Paris, France	Ted Robinson, Mary Carillo, John McEnroe
	3 - 6 p.m.	*Senior PGA Championship	Benton Harbor, MI	Dan Hicks, Gary Koch, Mark Rolfing, Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper, Jimmy Roberts

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