No one cares about the score or who won so I will just get right to how the players performed. First of all, the rules are tilted to help the offenses in these games so you won’t see a lot of dominant defensive performances. There is no blitzing for example, so the offensive line has a slight edge.
 

Random notes from the game:

 East-West Shrine Game:

1. QB Reggie McNeil: Proved to be the hero of the game and rallied the West to a win with 211 yards and 2 TDs. He threw some nice deep balls and was dangerous on the run. There are still questions about his accuracy, but he might have salvaged his chances of playing QB in the NFL.

2. WR Marques Colston: If not the best player in the game, definitely the most surprising. This small school 6-5 230 pound wideout from Hofstra showed that he could not only play with the big boys, but could dominate them. He was just too big and strong for his opponents in this game. Colston had five catches for 82 yards. "I'm 6-5 for a reason. I just went up and got it," the Division I-AA receiver said. "I think I came out here and put on a pretty good showing."

3. RB Leon Washington, Florida State: Had a strong week of practice and look very quick and elusive in this game. He might be a great value pick if he last into the second day of the draft. Good blocker, nice hands and has been very durable.

4. G Rob Sims, Ohio State: The best offensive lineman in the game hands down. He has nice size and can get out and pull with the best of them. Sims really raised his draft stock in this game. On one of Howard’s TD runs I watched him block 2 defenders out of the play.

5. S Dwayne Slay, Texas Tech: This young man can really lay the lumber in run support; he comes up fast and hard and punishes the ball carrier, but struggles in pass coverage. He reminds me of The Cowboy’s Safety Roy Williams.

6. WR Mike Haas, Oregon: What can you say, he just proves his doubters wrong time and time again. He has been criticized as being too slow, but on the field against top college talent he had no problems getting separation all day and of course he catches anything that he can touch.

7. RB De’Arrius Howard, Arkansas: I have to mention him because he ran for 3 TDs and he does have a nice burst for a big man, but he didn’t really wow me. He does stand out in college, but I don’t think he will stand out in the NFL.

8. WR Jonathan Orr, Wisconsin: Consistently mentioned as a top player all week in practice and he looked good early but he left the game with a hamstring injury in the second half.

9. QB Paul Pinager, Fresno State: Did not look good, didn’t see the field and lacks arm strength. He tends to aim his passes and stares down his receivers.

10. QB Tarvaris Jackson, Alabama State: Does not look to have an NFL arm, it is plenty strong enough, but he is very erratic with his throws. He missed a lot of wide open receivers.

11. OT E.J. Whitley, Texas Tech: This unknown future star turned a ton of heads and is sky rocketing up the draft boards. Outside of Rob Sims he was the best offensive lineman on the field. He was very difficult to get around on, and maintains good balance.

12. OG Kevin Boothe, Cornell: The best Division 1AA lineman the last few years. He played tackle for Cornell but was moved inside to guard for this game. He didn’t have a dominant performance, but looked very strong and athletic. He plays with a real mean streak. He will be a guard in the NFL and has a nice upside. He didn’t have the great performance like I thought he would, but I still think he can eventually be an NFL starter.

13. OT Paul McQuistan, Weber State: A developmental small school project, but he showed some NFL skills. Prototype size at 6-5 305 pounds and quick feet. He is just very raw and needs to get much stronger, but he wasn’t in over his head.

14. DE James Wyche, Syracuse: Once thought of as an elite pass rusher he had an inconsistent year and his draft stock has subsequently slipped. Not anymore, he really opened up some eyes with an amazing burst to the QB. His 2 sacks were impressive.

15. DE Chris Gocong, Cal-Poly: Displayed nice closing speed to the QB a couple times but didn’t blow away the competition like I expected him to. But it’s hard to sack scrambling quarterbacks.

16. Dion Byrum, Ohio: Had an up and down week of practice, but this kid is a gamer. He closes fast on the ball and displays good technique with good footwork and knee bend. He had a key pass break-up (deflection) that lead to a Rocky McIntosh interception.

17. LB Rocky McIntosh, Miami (FL): Speaking of Rocky McIntosh. With all the struggles down at Miami a lot of people have forgotten about this speedy linebacker. Miami linebackers have a history of excelling in the NFL and Rocky could be the next star. ESPN game announcer Mark May said he thought Rocky was the best pro prospect in the game.

18. S Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian: Mentioned all week in practice as the top DB on the field, he had a decent game but didn’t really stand out. But again, it is hard to scout Defensive backs because if they are doing their job, quite often they go unmentioned.

19. WR Todd Watkins, BYU: Last year about this time he was considered a top prospect coming into the 2005 season, but never really took that next step and his draft stock dropped. He had a nice game with a couple of acrobatic catches down field. He can really jump and he catches the ball at its highest point.

20. RB Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech: Kind of an unheralded running back but he shows a nice burst.