Olevao Back with the Blaze

The Utah Blaze announced that they have re-signed Kautai Olevao, a LB/FB who played for the Blaze from 2006-2008. Olevao delivered the greatest hit I have witnessed in Utah's rivalry with BYU when he leveled fleet-footed RB Ronney Jenkins, who coughed up the ball and a lung. Check it out:

Make Room for Ma'ake

Ma'ake Kemoeatu has a lot on his plate, even for a 345 lb. self-described "big fat guy." He's trying to come back from an Achilles tendon injury that kept him off the field last season, and he's doing it with a new team that's transitioning to a 3-4 front. According to this article on redskins.com Kemoeatu could be the first nose tackle in the proud history of the Hogs. Albert Haynesworth doesn't want the job, so make room for Ma'ake!

Supporting Cast

Andrew Bogut was back in the states this week, getting his cast removed and partying with his supporting cast known as "Squad 6." Bogut, who earned third team all-NBA honors this season, has been spending the off-season in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. He's healing, but not in time to lead the Boomers at the FIBA World Championship in August.

Luke Nevill is also in Melbourne, playing for the Melbourne Tigers of the NBL. Nevill was a member of the Boomers squad in 2009 but does not appear to be on the roster for the World Championship.

Savage on the Move

Josh Savage has played for a number of teams in his career: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Florida Tuskers. Add to that list the Omaha Nighthawks, which selected him in the recent UFL expansion draft.

Omaha also took a pair of defensive tackles from the Las Vegas Locomotives, which could spell more playing time for Lauvale Sape and Gabe Long. The Locos protected Jesse Boone and Sape (who is currently playing with the Utah Blaze of the AFL) from the expansion draft. Long is a free agent following his workout with the Detroit Lions in December.

Tight end John Madsen also had a workout with the Lions last week, but was released on Friday and remains a free agent.

I'm a few seasons behind, but I finally got my #95 Josh Savage Titans jersey!

Home Run Homer

Chris Shelton was right at home in Spring Mobile Ballpark yesterday, hitting his first home run out of the park since he played there in college. The Round Rock Express beat the Salt Lake Bees for the second time, with two games remaining in the home stand. The Express have struggled on the road, but this is a homecoming of sorts for Shelton, who leads the team in HR (5) and RBI (20).

Plenty to Prove

Enough talk about how far quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy fell in the draft. Let's talk about something that really matters: what it means to Brett Ratliff. The third-string Browns qb is the only holdover from the purge that sent Brady Quinn and his hair to the Shadow of Tebow in Denver and Derek Anderson to Arizona, where he will compete with another pretty boy, Matt Leinart. The Rat abides. But will he play? In his career as an undrafted free agent he hasn't taken a snap in the regular season, but he had a nice preseason for the Jets, prompting Coach Mangini to bring him over to Cleveland in the trade for Braylon Edwards. Clearly this is a guy the coach wants in his locker room, but not necessarily on the field. Cleveland brought in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace presumably as the #1 and #2 qbs, then drafted Colt McCoy. Free agent Graham Harrell has been getting some reps in camp as well. According to The Chronicle-Telegram Ratliff could remain with the team as the fourth-string quarterback. So he goes from last man standing to last on the list? Here's hoping McCoy continues to fall.

Another player who seems to have fallen out of favor is Paul Soliai in Miami. As high as the Dolphins are on Koa Misi (see Peter King's recent Monday Morning Quarterback), Soliai's name hasn't even come up as Miami looks to revamp their defense. Jason Ferguson has been suspended for 8 games, apparently opening a double-wide door for Soliai to step in as a starter for at least half the season, but the only names coming out of camp are Randy Starks and rookie Jared Odrick. The Palm Beach Post spoke with Soliai's new agent, who said Paul is ready to prove he can play. Let's see if the ProUte of Week 8 can play at that level every week!

Firebrand on Khoury

Came across a solid evaluation of Ryan Khoury on the AL Firebrand page.