Toone, a Weber State receiver, was the final selection of the draft at 255th overall by the Detroit Lions.

The first thought that may have came to your mind was that’s this year’s Mr. Irrelevant — which is the name given to the last player taken in the annual draft.

Although you may think that being dubbed Mr. Irrelevant is as cold as the weather in Poconos right now (it was snowing yesterday and it’s a feel-like temperature of 30 degrees outside right now), it does have its perks. For one, he just had his NFL dream come true with the recognition of being selected; not only that, he also gets a weeklong celebration in Newport Beach, Calif., in his honor. 

For one week, the public is invited to events including a golf tournament, a regatta and a sports banquet — all to celebrate the underdog.

In fact, this will be the 34th year of celebrating the last pick in the draft. Irrelevant Week was born in 1976 when University of Dayton recevier Kelvin Kirk was selected with the 487th pick that year by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After that, he was surprisingly invited to Newport Beach for a week of celebrating. This year’s edition is from June 21 to 25.

“It all transpired that historic first week just as Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata hoped and dreamed,” according to the website IrrelevantWeek.com. “Hardly anyone outside of Newport Beach swooned or blinked. Few noticed. Fewer cared. Perfect. It was so irrelevant that birds didn’t even sing. But some kind of strange spark was ignited. The humble essence of being irrelevant stirred souls.”

Salata, a former USC standout, is also the spokesman of the event, which ends with the presentation of the Lowsman Trophy as plenty of sports celebrities join in on the fun.

“And so what was originally planned to be a mere one-shot-only, once-in-a-lifetime brief flight into happy lunacy lingered and survived and grew beyond belief or reason,” IrrelevantWeek.com says. ”Once Irrelevant Week hit age 20, it became rather obvious that it will never go away. It’s here to stay.”

So here’s the you, cheers, Tim Toone. And good luck in the NFL.

And since I’m finally at work and can type something, here’s my take:

It’s about time Roger Goodell put an end to the speculation and the drama of how long Ben Roethlisberger will be suspended.

The NFL commissioner put the Steelers quarterback away from now to potentially Week 8 of the regular season, when the Steelers play in their first prime-time game against the Super Bowl-champion Saints (8 p.m. Oct 31). The six-game suspension pushes back Big Ben’s return to Oct. 31 because the Steelers have a bye during Week 5.

There’s a chance that Roethlisberger could join his teammates following a mandatory treatment program and professional evaluation. If Goodell feels Roethlisberger is making personal and professional gains, the commissioner will reduce the suspension to four games and allow Big Ben to participate in training camp and preseason games this summer. After the preseason, however, Roethlisberger must leave the facility for four weeks, and then he can return during the bye week and play Week 6 against Cleveland.

The ruling was never a matter of if, only when. And it’s about time Roethlisberger paid the price for his off-field misconduct. And even though he wasn’t charged with a crime, that didn’t matter.

In a letter to Roethlisberger, Goodell wrote, “The Personal Conduct Policy makes clear that I may impose discipline ‘even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime’ as, for example, where the conduct ‘imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person.’

“As the District Attorney concluded, the extensive investigatory record shows that you contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing (or facilitating the purchase of) alcoholic beverages for underage college students, at least some of whom were likely already intoxicated. There is no question that the excessive consumption of alcohol that evening put the students and yourself at risk.

“The Personal Conduct Policy also states that discipline is appropriate for conduct that ‘undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.’ By any measure, your conduct satisfies that standard.”

The public knowledge of the suspension couldn’t come at a better time for the league, given the prime-time exposure the NFL draft will get at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (first round) and 6 p.m. Friday (second and third rounds). Saturday’s draft coverage starts at 10 a.m. and comprises rounds four through seven.

Essentially, the buildup to the draft, water cooler discussions over the picks and the media attention will surely focus on draft selections. So by the time the weekend is out, Roethlisberger will be flushed out of the news cycle and more attention will be paid on the rookie class and the NFL schedule, released Tuesday.

Quite frankly, Roethlisberger’s offseason problem of keeping his hands (and other portions of his anatomy) to himself without consent — allegedly — was getting more annoying than Brett Favre’s waffling.

That reminds me: It seems that this is the first time in recent years that the 40-year-old QB and newly minted grandfather is more a part of the witness protection program these days than being mentioned in the media.

Simple solution to that is it’s the first time in a few years that Favre is a surefire bet to return to football and rejoin his Vikings teammates late this summer.

For Roethlisberger, there’s a chance he may not be back until late October.

Something about showering and getting ready for work and actually accomplishing something like getting off the recliner.

It’s one of the downfalls of not covering the NFL  full time. As a matter of fact, I do most of — if not all of — my blogging at home and off the clock.

I’ll do what I can to post more news and analysis regarding free agency today, but I have an ESU men’s basketball game that I’m covering tonight. So I have to prepare for that. It’s my first crack at covering college basketball, so I’m pretty excited about that.

But for those Eagles fans, here are some tidbits — rather significant ones — regarding their favorite football that resides in Philadelphia.

Once again, I go one-liner style courtesy of ProFootballTalk.com.

NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora reports that fullback Leonard Weaver signed a deal for three years at $10 million, a record for a fullback. The contract guarantees Weaver will receive $6.5 million.

Rich Hoffman of the Philadelphia Daily News wants the Eagles to take a risk in free agency if veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb returns to the team.

That risk could be going after free agent defensive end Julius Peppers. According the LaCanfora, the Eagles are one of two teams who have offers out to Peppers other than the Chicago Bears.

Now it’s being reported by ESPN that the Lions and the veteran defensive end have agreed on a contract.

Per ESPN’s Adam Shefter, it’s a four-year deal worth $26 million. No word on what’s guaranteed.

Chris Mortensen, also of ESPN, makes a great point on his Twitter account regarding the impact the veteran pass rusher will have on the Lions defense.

“Aside from a pass rusher, in Vanden Bosch the Lions also get one of the hardest working players in the NFL,” he said. “That can be contagious.”

Vanden Bosch is 31 years old and coming off a three-sack season, but he can provide Lions with creditability in their pass rush and unmatched leadership on the defensive line. Vanden Bosch is certainly on the downswing of his career and has had only two seasons with 6-plus sacks, the most recent was in 2007 (12 sacks). The most sacks he’s ever had in a season was in 2005 (12.5), his first year with the Titans since being drafted by the Cardinals in 2001.

If the Lions can get defensive tackle Corey Williams from the Browns and perhaps go after DTs Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy in this year’s NFL Draft, the Lions will have a much-improved front line. Suh or McCoy, if drafted by the Lions, better be in Vanden Bosch’s jockstrap to learn all the nuances of playing on the defensive line at the NFL level.

And the Saints brass has finally stopped celebrating long enough after the franchise’s first championship to lock up a key player, G Jahri Evans, in the team’s historic run.

The great thing about that distinction is that Evans, of Philadelphia, went to Bloomsburg University.

Evans, a restricted free agent who has started all 64 games since being drafted in 2006, could get his deal “any day now,” according the ESPN’s Adam Shefter.

“Saints on verge of making restricted free-agent G Jahri Evans one of the highest paid guards in NFL history,” Shefter said, via his Twitter feed. “Deal could come any day now.”

Evans was an All-Pro selection in 2009, and helped lead an explosive, balanced and top-ranked offense by protecting quarterback Drew Brees and blocking for a running game that produced 131 yards per game in 2009.

Evans, who would have been an unrestricted free agent if a new CBA was negotiated, was tendered at the first- and third-round level, ostensibly to give the respective parties extra time to sign a long-term contract.

There’s no denying Cromartie physical prowess, but you can’t turn a blind eye to his checkered past and his present legal problems.

Cromartie brings with him from coast to coast a ton of baggage, and ESPN’s Tim Graham does a nice job spelling out the troubled corner’s trangressions.

If somehow coach Rex Ryan can get out of Cromartie what he did in that 2007 season, the Jets have bolstered the league’s top-rated defense.

With all these adverse facts against Cromartie, let me defend him a little bit. In 2007, when he exploded onto the scene with 10 interceptions, Cromartie was on the backend of a furocious defense that sacked the QB 42 times, led by Shawne Merriman’s 12.5 sacks. Also, that year Wade Phillips was in charge of a defense that played man-to-man coverage, a philosophy the Jets employ as well.

In 2008, the Chargers were without their best pass rusher and the team recorded only 27 sacks, good for 22nd in the league. Cromartie picked off only two  passes in ‘08. Last year, Cromartie picked off only three passes as the Chargers defense recorded 35 sacks.

It’s been reported that Cromartie has played with hip and ankle injuries, but neither injury has kept him out of a regular-season game. Who knows, Cromartie could have been affected by those injuries and by his off-field legal problems. If you don’t think legal problems can keep a player from performing at a high level, think again.

The Jets last season recorded fewer sacks (32) than the Chargers (35). But Ryan is masterful at creating exotic blitz schemes that put pressure on the QB, which can be considered as more important than sacks because pressure can cause ill-advised throws from under-duress quarterbacks.

Who knows, maybe a change of scenery will be good for Cromartie. Rex Ryan undoubtedly loves the corner’s physical look, but there was nothing physical about his bow-out in the AFC divisional game. Ryan needs to get Cromartie’s head in the right place, and that’s getting him back to that 2007 form and into the gut of a running back when he has a chance to potentially keep the game-winning touchdown from happening.

Shefter reports (on Twitter) that it’s a five-year deal. As of right now, it’s not known how much the contract will be worth or what the guanrateed dollars will be.

The Colts brass and Brackett and Co. were negotiating well into the night last night, according to the Indianapolis Star.

It’s a smart move and necessary move by the Colts. Brackett is the unquestioned leader of the defense, and he brings a tough, physical presence to an undersized yet underrated yet speedy unit.

If you don’t think Brackett can bring it, then you weren’t watching the goal-line stand in the Super Bowl. (Fast forward to the 8:00 mark, but I advise you to watch every second of it.)

UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting/tweeting that Brackett’s five-year deal is worth $33 million, with a $12 million signing bonus. (Good for him, Brackett deserves this money.)

The Atlanta Falcons were considered the favorite to land free agent corner Dunta Robinson (from Houston), and it appears that Robinson will be joining the Atlanta secondary, which was a very weak unit heading into free agency.

Just in case the Bears do lose their “deal to lose” with Julius Peppers, the agent for the free agent defensive end says his only client’s fallback plan is the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Washington Redskins could replace recently retired left tackle Chris Samuels with free agent LT Chad Clifton, who’s 33 years old and looking for a deal that averages $7 million annually.

After bringing back running back J.J. Arrington, the Denver Broncos are also lining up more free agent visits.

Update: I’ll catch up with any major developments later this morning when I’m up at 8:15. But before I go to bed, the Lions signed free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson, according the Adam Caplan of Scout, who broke the story on his Twitter account. Shefter tweets that it’s a five-year deal, and it’s worth $25 million, with $11 million guaranteed.

(Correction: The original post had Shefter breaking the news of the signing, but as I update myself on last night’s tweets from numerous sources, Caplan broke the story so I have to give him his props. Shefter reported that it’s a five-year deal, as noted.)

Good night! I’ll be ready to go with coffee in hand.

“Barring any complications in Chicago, the Julius Peppers deal gets done and announced with the Bears by Friday afternoon,” Shefter tweeted.

The Bears are by far the most aggressive team right now, already scheduling visits with three prominent free agents who could very well end up as a Chicago Bear. The three players are the aforementioned Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and block-first tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who Shefter says is one of those surprise signings that come up this time of  year.

Manumaleuna played for Mike Martz in St. Louis from 2001 to 2005. Martz was hired earlier this year the Bears offensive coordinator. In his system, he calls for tight ends to block first, and Manumaleuna fits that description perfectly. Manumaleuna is also familiar with Bears coach Lovie Smith, who was the defensive coordinator with the Rams.

UPDATE: It’s official, the Bears and Manumaleuna have agreed to a five-year deal.