Category Archives: nfl draft

How Ben Roethlisberger Helped Tim Tebow

We all know about the recent trouble that Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, got himself into. Teams are trying to stay away from players with possible “character issues,” could this have been the reason Tim Tebow shot up the draft board as a first-round pick?

Tim Tebow is probably the most celebrated college football player to come out since Roger Staubach. He was a tremendouse college football player and he is a model citizen. He is the kind of player that the NFL would love to have to represent “the shield.” With the recent trouble that some high-profile players have gotten themselves into, the NFL would love to have 50-players on every team like Tebow. Continue reading →

2009 NFL 1st Rounders – The First 4 Games

NFL 1st-round picks are either slowly groomed to be a star or instantly thrown into the starting line-up. You have seen successes and failures either both ways. What can the first four games show about a player? If they are already doing well, the team has instant gratification about taking that player in the 1st-round. If the player isn’t doing great, they can just use the excuse “he’s a work in progress.” Here is what the 2009 NFL 1st-round picks have done so far this season.

1. Matthew Stafford – QB – Detroit Lions – 79 for 139, 894 yards, 3 TDs, 6 INTs, sacked 10 times

2. Jason Smith – OT – St. Louis Rams – currently injured, has played in 2 games.

3. Tyson Jackson – DE – Kansas City Chiefs – 2 tackles, no sacks

4. Aaron Curry – OLB – Seattle Seahawks – 22 tackles, 1 sacks, 1 forced fumble

5. Mark Sanchez – QB – New York Jets – 63 for 110, 744 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs, sacked 9 times

6. Andre Smith – OT – Cincinnati Bengals – currently injured, has yet to play this season

7. Darrius Heyward-Bey – WR – Oakland Raiders – 2 catches, 36 yards, 1 rush attempt, 20 yards, 0 TDs

8. Eugene Monroe – OT – Jacksonville Jaguars – Has played in 3 games.

9. B.J. Raji – DT – Green Bay Packers – 4 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

10. Michael Crabtree – WR – San Francisco 49ers – Has not played this season.

11. Aaron Maybin – DE – Buffalo Bills – 2 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

12. Knowshon Moreno – RB – Denver Broncos – 60 attempts, 249 yards, 1 rushing TD, 4 catches, 33 yards, 1 receiving TD

13. Brian Orakpo – DE – Washington Redskins – 13 tackles, 2 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

14. Malcolm Jenkins – DB – New Orleans Saints – 6 tackles, 0 INTs, 2 forced fumbles

15. Brian Cushing – OLB – Houston Texans – 33 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

16. Larry English – DE – San Diego Chargers – 6 tackles, 1 sacks, 1 forced fumbles

17. Josh Freeman – QB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Has yet to play, currently 2nd-string QB

18. Robert Ayers – DE – Denver Broncos – 3 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

19. Jeremy Maclin – WR – Philadelphia Eagles – 6 catches, 45 yards, 0 TDs

20. Brandon Pettigrew – TE – Detroit Lions – 10 catches, 131 yards, 0 TDs

21. Alex Mack – C – Cleveland Browns – Has played in 4 games

22. Percy Harvin – WR – Minnesota Vikings – 14 catches, 167 yards, 2 receiving TDs

23. Michael Oher – OT – Baltimore Ravens – Has played in 4 games

24. Peria Jerry – DT – Atlanta Falcons – 1 tackle *knee injury – out for year

25. Vontae Davis – DB – Miami Dolphins – 4 tackles, 1 INTs, 0 forced fumble

26. Clay Matthews – OLB – Green Bay Packers – 7 tackles, 1 sacks, 0 forced fumble

27. Donald Brown – RB – Indianapolis Colts – 38 carries, 132 yards, 2 rushing TDs, 5 catches, 125 yards, 0 receiving TDs

28. Eric Wood – C – Buffalo Bills – Has played in 4 games

29. Hakeem Nicks – WR – New York Giants – 3 catches, 72 yards, 1 TDs

30. Kenny Britt – WR – Tennessee Tians – 17 catches, 271 yards, 0 TDs

31. Chris Wells – RB – Arizon Cardinals – 16 rushes, 71 yards, 0 TDs

32. Ziggy Hood – DE – Pittsburgh Steelers – 0 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles

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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 Off-Season – AFC Team Needs

2008 was a great season for the NFL. The entire season was filled with drama and stayed competitive until the final week of the season. Some teams came from obscurity (Dolphins) and and some teams took a step back (Patriots). Here are the needs of all 16 AFC teams for the 2009 Off-Season. Let’s hope it’s very active and teams get what they need in the draft and free agency.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Offensive Line – “The Steel Curtain” was back on the defensive side of the ball, but the offensive line looked like tin foil. Big Ben needs to stay upright to stay healthy and lead this team.

Cleveland Browns – Defensive End – The Browns couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback this season. They were decent on short yardage situations, but they gave up too many 3rd and long first downs.

Cincinnati Bengals – Cornerback – Teams lit up the Bengals secondary in 2008. Injuries plagued the team, but Ndukwe can’t be your best defender. They need to upgrade with more than one new face covering wideouts.

Baltimore Ravens – Wide Receiver – Baltimore took a step in the right direction last season by drafting Joe Flacco. He has a huge arm and can spread the field with long passes. They don’t have any deep threats on the team currently and it would even help their running game by signing an #1 receiver.

Indianapolis Colts – Defensive Tackle – This has been a need for the Colts for a few years. They have been taking their early draft picks on offense and taking fliers in the late rounds with DTs that don’t work out. They need to lighten the run-stopping load from Bob Sanders and get a large body to plug up running lanes.

Tennessee Titans – Wide Receiver – Whomever the quaterback is in Nashville next season, they need someone better than Justin Gage catching footballs. Bo Scaife is their best receiver and he’s a top-15 TE, at best.

Houston Texans – Defensive End – Mario Williams is a great pass rusher and they are very fortunate to take him over Reggie Bush and Vince Young. He is often double-teamed and they would could be a playoff team if they had a book-end pass rusher on the other side to help him out.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Defensive Tackle – In 2007, the Jaguars had one of the best defenses in the NFL. Marcus Stroud, left via free agency, and they Jaguars couldn’t stop the run. If Jacksonville is going to compete, they need a good defense. Their offense isn’t built to consistently score 30 points a game.

Miami Dolphins – Wide Receiver – Chad Pennington had a good season for the Dolphins. He deserves all the credit for their success. If you step back and realize Greg Camarillo was his #1 receiver for most of the year, it’s even more amazing.

Buffalo Bills – Quarterback – I’m not sold on Trent Edwards. I think he will be a decent quarterback eventually, but he needs more grooming. Dick Jauron has one more season in Buffalo and he needs to win or he’s out of there.

New England Patriots – Linebacker – Jerod Mayo will be a great linebacker for many years. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the rest of the linebacking corps has an average age of 38. If they sign a few linebackers and stay healthy, the Patriots will be back on top of the AFC East, if not the entire conference.

New York Jets – Quarterback – Brett Favre has a 10% chance he’ll be back and the Jets have to ask themselves if they even want him. Kellen Clemens is their next best option, but Matt Cassel could be a free agent and he could be a nice addition to open the new stadium.

Oakland Raiders – Offensive Line – After drafting many offensive linemen and none of them working out, Oakland has to get better fast. They spent a lot of money on JaMarcus Russell and he can’t live up to his potential if he is running for his life.

Kansas City Chiefs – Linebacker – I would have mentioned quarterback for Kansas City, but Tyler Thigpen started looking like Len Dawson the last half of the season. The Chiefs have to get better at linebacker to help their young defensive line out.

San Diego Chargers – Fullback – After letter Lorenzo Neal leave last off-season, the Chargers realized his worth during the 2008 season. L.T. didn’t look himself and needs a fullback to clear a path. If they sign a fullback, L.T. should go back to his normal numbers and scoring nearly 20 touchdowns a season.

Denver Broncos – Cornerback – Dre Bly and Champ Bailey looked good on paper, but when they are together on the field, it’s quite scary. The Bly/Bailey duo looked old when they faced better-than-average wideouts. If they get younger and faster at this position, it should help them out, but they clearly need much more help in a variety of areas.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 Off-Season – NFC Team Needs

In 2008, we didn’t have the one dominant team like we had last season. We did have a lot of good teams (Giants, Panthers, Eagles), but they still all had more than three losses each. Every team in the NFC has needs and this off-season will be full of free agent signings, trades, and drafting young talent. Here are all 16 NFC teams and their main need going into next season. I could write and entire post about the Lions needs, but I’ll spare everyone’s eyes and just list one.

Detroit Lions – Defensive End – I could go quarterback or every other position here, but they need to get to put pressure on the quarterback.

Chicago Bears – Wide Receiver – Devin Hester and Brandon Lloyd aren’t #1 or #2 WRs in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers – Cornerback – Their secondary is getting older and they need some youth to keep up with the speed of the WRs.

Minnesota Vikings – Cornerback – Their defensive line is one of the best in the NFL, unfortunately teams can pass all over them.

New York Giants – Wide Receiver – Plaxico Burress will not be back in 2009 and this team will not go far with Domenik Hixon as your #1 option.

Philadelphia Eagles – Wide Receiver – If Donovan McNabb comes back in 2009, remember how he played with T.O.? The Eagles need a legit #1 receiver to catch passes, not Reggie Brown or Kevin Curtis.

Dallas Cowboys – Offensive Line – Tony Romo was on his back after every snap the last four games of the season. If you protect Romo and give him time, he can help get this team to the playoffs.

Washington Redskins – Offensive Line – With Jim Zorn as the head coach, the Redskins will be a run-first offense. Clinton Portis will have a monster season if you give him some holes.

Carolina Panthers – Tight End – Jake Delhomme is stacked with every offensive tool but Tight End. If they work on a short passing game, the long ball will be there for Steve Smith.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Linebacker – Derrick Brooks is getting older and I’m not completely sold on Cato June. If they want to keep the Tampa 2 intact once Monte Kiffin leaves, they need to get better at Linebacker.

Atlanta Falcons – Cornerback – The Falcons have a nice defensive line and linebacker personnel, but lack an elite corner. They have to fill the void that DeAngelo Hall left, back when he was good.

New Orleans Saints – Safety – The Saints were passed on in every game this season. They need a good safety to help cover when their corners get beat.

Arizona Cardinals – Running Back – If Arizona had a decent running back, they wouldn’t have staggered into the playoffs. Tim Hightower and his sub-3.0 yards per attempt isn’t going to cut it in the desert.

San Francisco 49ers – Defensive End – With Mike Singletary as their coach, the 49ers need to take on the personality of the ’85 Bears. They don’t have anyone to put pressure on the quarterback. I hear Julius Peppers is a free agent, he would look good next to Patrick Willis.

Seattle Seahawks – Running Back – Matt Hasselbeck may only have a few more seasons left in him and he’ll do in this re-building period. A running back tandem of Maurice Morris and Julius Jones deserves an upgrade.

St. Louis Rams – Left Tackle – The Rams have to replace the spot Orlando Pace stood for many years. If there isn’t any left tackles in free agency, Alabama has a couple nice tackles that could be available with the St. Louis pick.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The White Boy Mock NFL Draft – 2008 Edition

I am going to do my best Mel Kiper impersonation, but I will not replicate the hairstyle, that thing is pretty brutal. I’m more of a fan of Todd McShay than Kiper Jr. anyways. McShay has been going toe-to-toe with him for a couple months now. If Matt Ryan goes #3 to Atlanta, look for McShay to punch Kiper Jr. straight in the mug.

Before I start, I will like to state the two moments when Mel Kiper Jr. was extremely wrong. He never talks about them, ‘cause he would lose nearly all credibility. They both involve the Colts picks. The Colts picked Marshall Faulk over Trent Dilfer and Kiper Jr. blew a fuse on camera. An executive actually went on air and said that he didn’t care at all what Kiper Jr. thought about their pick. The next incident happened a few years later when the Colts selected Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf. Kiper Jr. didn’t think it was the right choice for the team, even though I just saw an ESPN commercial that stated that Manning was Kiper Jr.’s #1 rated QB that year….I smell bullshit, son.

Here is my first round mock draft.

1. Miami – Jake Long, OT, Michigan
2. St. Louis – Glen Dorsey, DT, LSU
3. Atlanta – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
4. Oakland – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
5. Kansas City – Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, Ohio State
6. New York Jets – Chris Long, DE, Virginia
7. New England – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
8. Baltimore – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
9. Cincinnati – D. Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
10. New Orleans – Aqib Talib, DB, Kansas
11. Buffalo – Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
12. Denver – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
13. Carolina – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
14. Chicago – Justin King, DB, Penn State
15. Detroit – Sam Baker, OT, USC
16. Arizona – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida State
17. Kansas City – Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
18. Houston – DeSean Jackson, WR/KR, California
19. Philadelphia – Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
20. Tampa Bay – Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
21. Washington – Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
22. Dallas – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
23. Pittsburgh – James Hardy, WR, Indiana
24. Tennessee – Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee
25. Seattle – Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
26. Jacksonville – Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
27. San Diego – Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
28. Dallas – Branden Albert, OG/OT, Virginia
29. San Francisco – Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
30. Green Bay – Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
31. New York Giants – Dan Connor, LB, Penn State

There are still a few guys out there that I wasn’t sure where to put them, ‘cause their need isn’t there. I would have really liked to put Fred Davis, Early Doucet, Dustin Keller, or Brandon Flowers at the end of the first round, but I wasn’t sure if there was a need for their positions.

My argument about my own mock draft is that I don’t think Oakland should pick McFadden. Justin Fargas and Michael Bush should do a great job in their backfield. A pick of Ryan Clady would make a lot of sense, since their O-Line is pretty weak. They could end up trading McFadden to a team for help in other areas or future draft picks. I think Jerry Jones would love to get him, who knows what kind of package he will throw at Al Davis if the Raiders pick McFadden. Also, I think the Chiefs could pick Chris Long with the #4 pick, but I think they need a solid pass rusher since they just traded Allen yesterday for some draft picks. Vernon Gholston would be a better fit to start right away, he did smoke Jake Long in last year’s OSU/Michigan game a few times.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.