After another 10-hour work day, our five-man crew was tired and hungry. So, around 7 p.m., we set out to have a nice meal, our last dinner in Indy on this trip.

Our plan was simply to walk across the street to Champps Sports Bar. But when we got there, they told us the wait would be about an hour and a half.

So, we went across the street to the Rock Bottom Brewery, where they told us it’d be at least an hour, 15. No problem, we thought. We’ll circle back to the Weber Grill, downstairs at our hotel. Our best meal was there anyway, so we might as well enjoy another one before leaving town.

Sadly, that wait was going to be easily two hours. So, we went down to the next street corner, to a place called Alcatraz, another microbrewery.

Now, this place had only two or three people waiting … we’re good, or so we thought. Nope, they told us, we’d have to wait an hour to an hour and a half. Ahh, no thanks. (Thank God Casale wasn’t with us, or that hostess would’ve gone head-first through the front window.)

Across the street, there was yet another microbrewery called RAM, where another hour-and-change wait was expected. Suddenly running out of options, we momentarily considered room service and a 1950s-looking joint called Steak n’ Shake, but settled on Houlihan’s, where we only had to sit tight for about 5 minutes before a table opened up. Wasn’t ideal, but by 7:45, it was the best we could do.

And that’s when the fun began, as we soon met the acquaintance of an entertaining young woman named Brooke …

(I’m nodding off as I write this, so check back in the morning for the conclusion.)

A good number of prospects at the Combine have mentioned the Patriots at various times throughout the week. Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton (6-0, 246) did so Saturday when he said he thinks New England was one of the many teams he has talked to in Indy. He also said landing with the Patriots would offer him the chance to learn from some of the team’s proven veteran linebackers.

 ”I think it’d be great,” Lofton said. ”There’s Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau;that’s some great guys to go in there and have kind of mentor me and teach me little things about the game and kind of help me along in my career.”

Right now Lofton is projected by NFLDraftScout.com as a possible second round pick and the second best inside linebacker in the draft after Penn State’s Dan Connor.  He also said that while the Sooners are a base 4-3 team, they also run a lot of 3-4 and he knows what he’s doing in the scheme.

TOP 40-YARD DASH — OFFENSIVE LINE AND TIGHT ENDS

Player — School — Time 

Offensive Line
ZUTTAH, JEREMY — RUTGERS — 4.99
THOMAS, DONALD — CONNECTICUT — 5.00
POLLAK, MIKE — ARIZONA ST — 5.02
BROWN, DUANE — VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST – 5.08
BENEDICT, HEATH — NEWBERRY — 5.09
COUSINS, ONIEL — UTEP — 5.11
ALBERT, BRANDEN — VIRGINIA – 5.17
WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER — VANDERBILT — 5.17
GIACOMINI, BRENO — LOUISVILLE — 5.2
CHERILUS, GOSDER — BOSTON COLLEGE — 5.21
      
      
Tight Ends      
KELLER, DUSTIN – PURDUE — 4.55
TAMME, JACOB — KENTUCKY — 4.58
STEVENS, CRAIG — CAL-BERKELEY — 4.59
DAVIS, KELLEN — MICHIGAN ST — 4.6
COTTAM, BRAD — TENNESSEE — 4.63
BARNIDGE, GARY — LOUISVILLE — 4.65
BENNETT, MARTELLUS — TEXAS A&M — 4.68
FINLEY, JERMICHAEL — TEXAS-AUSTIN — 4.82

TOP BENCH PRESS RESULTS — OFFENSIVE LINE AND TIGHT ENDS
Player School Reps

Offensive line 

LONG, JAKE — MICHIGAN — 37
ZUTTAH, JEREMY — RUTGERS — 35
BARTON, KIRK — OHIO ST – 34
GIBSON, MICHAEL — CAL-BERKELEY – 31
NICKS, CARL — NEBRASKA – 31
KEITH, BRANDON — NORTHERN IOWA – 31
GRECO, JOHN – TOLEDO – 30
MCGLYNN, MICHAEL — PITTSBURGH – 30
MURPHY, SHAWN — UTAH ST – 29
MCDUFFIE, CHRISTOPHER — CLEMSON – 29
POLLAK, MIKE — ARIZONA ST – 29
      
Tight ends      
STEVENS, CRAIG — CAL-BERKELEY – 27
KELLER, DUSTIN — PURDUE – 26
COTTAM, BRAD — TENNESSEE – 24
DAVIS, FREDERICK — SOUTHERN CAL – 24
FINE, DEREK — KANSAS — 24
KAPANUI, KOLOMONA — WEST TEXAS A&M – 23
BARNIDGE, GARY — LOUISVILLE – 22
DAVIS, KELLEN — MICHIGAN ST – 22
BISHOP, ADAM — NEVADA-RENO – 21

LSU’s Ali Highsmith (5-11, 230), an OLB, didn’t appear too confident when I asked him about possibly switching to an inside role in the NFL.

He said, “Yeah, I played all the linebacker spots at LSU. I just go out there and play. I can fit anywhere.”

But I pressed him about the 3-4 specifically and he replied, somewhat sheepishly, “Everything was pretty much 4-3 at LSU.”

Seven-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker Zach Thomas has reached a contract agreement in principle with the Dallas Cowboys. According to ESPN’s John Clayton, Thomas signed a one-year deal worth $3 million.

The Patriots were in the running to sign the veteran, as were the Jets and Saints. However, in the end the Cowboys not only met Thomas’ contract demands, they offered the former Dolphin something no other team could: a chance to come home. Thomas is a native of Pampa, TX and played his college ball at Texas Tech. He had originally scheduled to meet with the Cowboys later in the week but changed his mind and flew to Indy to meet with Dallas on Friday. The two sides agreed in principle Saturday morning and Thomas is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston is working out at the Combine as a defensive lineman, but he clearly has the athletic skills to project as a outside linebacker in the NFL, especially in a 3-4 scheme. Gholston played the “Leo” role in the Ohio State defense which is a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker role in the scheme and he is considered the elite edge pass rusher in the draft.

With his Ohio State ties and 3-4 potential I asked Gholston if he had a relationship with Patriots All-Pro and former Buckeye Mike Vrabel.

 ”Yeah, not only Mike Vrabel. A lot of guys come back and work out and help us out,” Gholston said of working with Vrabel during the summer in Columbus.  ”He comes back a lot of times in the summertime for conditioning for the season, and a lot of times he actually joins in the workouts, so I get a chance to compete with him and some of the other veterans. Sometimes I beat him and sometimes he beats me.”

I followed up by asking if Gholston could see himself playing a Vrabel-like role in a 3-4 defense at the next level.

“Yeah, I think I could. Obviously he made the Pro Bowl this year. That’s one of my goals for the future,” Gholston said. ”We come from similar backgrounds, Ohio State, similar positions.”

It will be interesting to see if Gholston is around at No. 7 for the Patriots, as some think he will draw interest from the pass rush defecient Jets at No. 6.

A local product to keep an eye on is inside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar (6-0, 22 of Boston College.

He came off very polished, friendly, and humble in his interview with the media Saturday. Being a player from the New England area, he compared himself – size-wise and in style of play – to Tedy Bruschi.

He also said that he’s had some contact with the Patriots, and has even interacted with head coach Bill Belichick at some local charity events. 

“How were those encounters,” Dunbar was asked. “Ahh,” he paused, searching for the right words, “Short,” he finally replied with a smile. 

From the SEC, Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo is another possibility.

“I haven’t had any official meetings yet, but those guys [the Patriots] pulled me aside and told me what they think of me,” Mayo told me a short time ago. He added  that his official interviews start tonight.

He came across as nice, bright young man who has experience with 3-4 schemes.

“At UT we play multiple defenses,” he noted. “Some of our packages include 3-4 and I line up in the middle.”

At this point, both players are projected as second-day draftees.

Purdue’s Dustin Keller and Tennessee’s Brad Cottam are throwing their hat in the ring to be the top tight end in this draft. Keller is having a tremendous Combine, turning in a 38-inch vertical jump and blazing a 4.53 40-yard dash. Meanwhile, the 6-7 Cottam put up a respectable 4.68 40 time. Notre Dame’s John Carlson came to Indy as the top TE on most people’s board but will struggle to keep that spot after running a disappointing 4.89 in the 40. Carlson’s 40 wasn’t good enough to land him in the top 10 at his position, so he could see his stock fall. Keller, especially, will be a fast riser following his performance this weekend.

I just left Chris Long’s media session and came away very impressed. He seems to be a very humble guy and I think fans are going to love him no matter where he gets draft. He was very comfortable dealing with the media. He mentioned that there has been some talk of him playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense at the next level. That’s not something he did at Virginia where he played 3-4 defensive end in Al Groh’s scheme. I don’t think he’ll slip as far as No. 7 and I’m not sure how well he’d make the transition to OLB, but wouldn’t that be an interesting decision for the Patriots if Long was on the board when the team picked in the first round? But in term of being a polished professional ready to take on what comes with the pressure at the next level I think Long is more than ready. I’d compare him in that way to Mike Hart.

And for what it’s worth Long mentioned that Groh talks a lot about Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick at UVA. He feels like he already has a sort of connection to those guys and their schemes as they all come from the same coaching tree.