The Mock Draft

Since I can't pretend to know whether Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie out of Tennessee St. is a better corner than Leodis McKelvin, I decided to keep my mock draft at 10 picks. After that, I've seen a guy like Cromartie go 10th in some mock drafts and 30th in others. I've seen Branden Albert (G, UVA) taken 6th overall and in the 2nd round. So after 10, things go a little haywire, but here's how I think the top picks will shape up:

1. Miami Dolphins: Jake Long, OT Michigan- As a Dolphins fan, even though they have already signed him to a contract, I still think they'll find a way to mess this one up. It's hard to get excited about an offensive lineman at #1 instead of someone flashy like McFadden or Ryan. However, this is the right pick for a team that has the amount of rebuilding the Phish have to do. Great teams start in the trenches, and 6'7, 313 pound Long will anchor the line for years to come.

2. St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE UVA- It's either going to be him or Glenn Dorsey, but I think the Rams will go with the safer pick. Long is a hard-nosed, feisty end who can give the Rams a much needed pash rush. Dorsey has tremendous upside, but his injury concerns should prove too much for a team coming off a year decimated by injuries.

3. Atlanta Falcons- Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU- Matt Ryan could also be the pick here, especially if Dorsey does go #2, but the Falcons will have a tough time passing on Dorsey at 3. While injuries are a concern, he is often described as "freakishly" athletic and Falcons fans are going to need a player that can keep them interested, because they are going to be bad for years to come.

4. Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas- Assuming Dorsey is taken by one of the above two, it will come down to Chris Long or McFadden for Al Davis, and thus by process of elimination McFadden is the pick. I personally believe he's the most talented player in the draft. McFadden is a tremendous athlete who posses a rare ability to run with both speed and power.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio State- This is where the draft will get dicey, because KC can do a number of things here. They have a 2nd pick (#17) and it appears they want to address their offensive line issues with one of the picks. Ryan Clady and Branden Albert are both possibilities here as well. I think the Chiefs will try to trade this pick, which if Matt Ryan is on the board is a definite possibility (especially with Baltimore expressing interest in doing so). However if they don't trade it, logic says to take the best player available, which in my opinion here is Gholston.

6. New York Jets- Sedrick Ellis, DT USC- The Jets are going to want McFadden or Gholston (or would be ecstatic if Chris Long somehow fell), but as above, will have to take the best player available. I would be shocked to see the Jets go QB here with Pennington and Clemens still on the roster. This could also be a spot where Baltimore jumps in with a trade to prevent anyone else from doing so.

7. New England Patriots- Keith Rivers, LB USC- The Patriots will try to trade down as they always so, but assuming they don't, Rivers will be the pick. The Pats need help at CB too with the loss of Samuel, and should they trade down later in the first round, would often grab a Talib, Cromartie, or McKelvin. However, sitting at 7 with no clear cut favorite at corner, the Pats will fill another need at LB, where they continue to age.

8. Baltimore Ravens- Matt Ryan, QB BC- There's no chance the Ravens pass on Ryan if he's sitting here at #8. It's quite possible they trade up to get him as well, but he won't fall past 8.

9. Cincinnati Bengals- Ryan Clady, OT Boise State- The Bengals love Sedrick Ellis, but he won't fall to #9. They'll address their need on the line with either Clady or Albert, but since Clady won't have to switch positions, they'll take Clady.

10. New Orleans Saints- Aqib Talib, CB Kansas- The Saints will likely go corner if they are unable to get Ellis or Rivers (potentially in a trade). To be quite honest, this will most likely not be the pick. McKelvin, Cromartie and Mike Jenkins of South Florida are all rated higher on most draft guru's board, and one of them will likely go here instead. However, watching Talib play, he is a tremendous athlete. He's a shutdown CB with tremendous breakway speed, who can also return kicks and punts. I didn't watch too many Tenn. St or Troy games, and can't compare to the other top CBs, but Talib is a special player and whoever lands him will be thrilled.

A couple of other notes for the rest of the draft.

1) Whoever gets Brian Brohm will get a steal. This guy was a potential 1st overall pick last year before a lackluster senior season after a coaching change. Try being a 20 yr old QB and transition from a Bobby Petrino offense to a human offense. Brohm is a great player, and I would be thrilled if he falls out of the first and the Dolphins could nab him with pick #32.

(Of course, Drew Brees fell into the Dolphins lap years ago, but the dolphins opted to take CB Jamar Fletcher instead of Brees, while sporting the best pair of corners in the NFL at the time. We later traded Fletcher for David Boston.)

(And of course, Brady Quinn fell to #9 last year, and we took a punt returner instead.)

2) There could potentially be 11 Virginia Tech players taken tomorrow, which would really be exciting for me. CB Brandon Flowers should be a 1st round pick, but could fall to early 2nd round (attention Dolphins again). OT Duane Brown will be a mid 2nd round selection. LB Xavier Adibi will like fall to round 3, and be a complete steal there. WR Eddie Royal is a solid 3rd selection, he's quick, great hands and is also a fine returner. After that WRs Justin Harper and Josh Morgan will find homes in round 5-7, DE Chris Ellis could get a picked a bit earlier, and D-Lineman Barry Booker and Carlton Powell will likely be picked. Don't be surprised if S D.J. Parker gets taken before round 6 too, as Hokie defensive backs have found roles in special teams.

3) There's a few QBs that I believe will be better pros than people think. In addition to Brohm, I think Chad Henne is underrated. The former Michigan star has a heck of an arm, and has proven himself in big spots. I wouldn't mind him in round 2 either. I'm not sold on Joe Flacco yet, but word is he has tremendous upside as well. John David Booty is also an excellent player, who didn't have the college career many were expecting. But then again, that Brady guy didn't light the world on fire in college either.

The Masters

It's incredible what Tiger Woods has created. He has created a golf world where the focus is not the tournament, the course, or the field, it's on him. It's not about who will win the Masters, but whether or not Tiger will win. It's the field vs Tiger, and the amazing thing is, I'd still take Tiger. Woods is currently playing on a level no one has ever seen before, perhaps even for Tiger. And if someone else wins, the story will not be that Rory Sabbatini won, or that Luke Donald won, it will be that Tiger DIDN'T win.

And if Tiger does win, expect the Grand Slam talk to commence immediately.

Opening Week

1. Not quite the start you'd want from the mets, but definitely some great early signs.
Both Santana and Oliver Perez look terrific early on, and keeping these two dominant throughout the season is essential, especially with the injury to Pedro. Additionally, the #3-#8 hitters are all batting over .300, with Church and Delgado both having surprisingly good starts. However, the Mets still can't seem to manufacture runs, which can be attributed in large part to the struggles of their table setters. Reyes and Castillo have slumped in the season's opening week, which is particularly scary for Reyes, who closed out last year in similar fashion. But the same old story has been the bullpen, who still doesn't appear to be able to get any out. This is going to need to change, or the boys from Queens could easily find themselves near the basement of the NL East.

2. It's hard to make a comment like this only 7 games into the season, but at some point you have to be concerned about the Tigers. Starting off 0-7 is digging quite a hole for yourself, and if it gets any deeper it may be tougher than you think to get out of it. Consider the following situation: If the Tigers drop 3 more and go to 0-10, they'd have to play .667 baseball just to get to .500 at the season's 1/4 mark. Not exactly promising for a team who opened up the favorites to win the World Series at 3:1. This is not to say the Tigers are overrated or that their season is over, but just a heads up that the hole they are digging is becoming problematic.

3. Other than the Tigers 0-7 mark, don't put too much stock into the early performances of teams. There's no reason for Indians', Mariners' or Rockies' fans to sweat a losing record after one week. By the same logic, I'd caution Royals, Cardinals and Marlins fans to get too enthusiastic over there early season mark. It's a long season, and the bad teams will show their true colors, just like the talented ones will hit their stride.

Memphis Meltdown

In what could be a considered the year of the Meltdown, Memphis added their name to the list of choke artists. Leading 60-51 with 2:12 to play, the Tigers had a national title in their grasp. This coming in a year where despite how many games they won, no one would give them the credit they deserved. Three key factors led to the collapse.

1) Abysmal free-throw shooting down the stretch, hitting just 1/5 in the final 1:15 of regulation.
2) With a 7-point lead and all the momentum with 1:54 play, a stolen inbounds pass followed by a subsequent 3-ball from Sherron Collins.
3) A very questionable decision not to foul with only 10 seconds left and a 3-point lead.

All three of these are inexcusable, but it seems coach John Calipari is taking the brunt of this from talking heads around the nation. In my opinion, the blame should fall squarely upon the shoulders of the players. CDR missed his last three free throws, and with a chance to ice the game, Derrick Rose (considered to be one of the top players in the country) only hits 1/2. Additionally, Joey Dorsey commits a foolish foul with 1:23 left, knocking himself out of the game and giving Kansas 2 free points. This is not representative of poor coaching, but of poor execution by the stars of your team.

And can you really fault Calipari for not wanting to foul in that situation? After all, Kansas shot 14/15 from the stripe yesterday. Should he really have given Kansas 2 free points, and then put his own team back on the line and trusted them to respond?

You can blame Calipari all you want, call him a great recruiter but an average coach until you are blue in the face, but when you put your team in a position to win, you must be able to count on your stars to deliver. When a first team All-American misses 3 foul shots down the stretch, it's time to blame the player, not the coach.

On the flip side, lets give some credit to Kansas for the a gutsy comeback. The tremendous play by Collins, two clutch free throws from Mario Chalmers, and of course, Chalmers historic desperation three to send the gave to OT. Kansas stayed calm, they did not panicked, and they executed down the stretch, and thus, deserved to win.

The Return

It's been awhile, but I am happy to inform you that Don't Be Skrrred is back. I'm sure you are all wondering about the reasons for the hiatus, and I assure you it can be explained. Over the past 6 weeks, here are all the things that have been keeping me from informing, entertaining and wowing you:

1. Spring Break ( 2 days in Florida, 5 day cruise followed by a weekend in Vegas.)
2. Formal (3 days in Louisville, Kentucky)
3. Invasion of the 16-year olds (A 4 day visit from baby sister and friend)
4. The revelation I should have gone to a state school (My trip to Bloomington, Indiana).
5. The loss of my free time (Watching the first 3 seasons of LOST)

Now that my American road trip is over, and theres no more LOST to watch, I can get back to doing what I do best; telling you why I am right and everyone else is wrong.

Upcoming posts:
Week 1 of the MLB season
NCAA tournament recap

St. Louis Cabbies, round 5

A quick excerpt from my cab ride home last night, from a 30-something year old yetti named Lee with a 19-year old son:

"Lee: So where are we going?

Jess: Wash U, Forsyth please"

Lee: Ok, foreskin, heh heh heh, foreskin, heh heh.

Jess: No, Forsyth, it's near Big Bend.

Lee: Yeah, yeah, foreskin, heh heh heh. Foreskin, heh heh. You know, like from Beavis and Butthead"

Me: Oh yeah, I remember that phase, then I passed the fifth grade."

Ramblings

1. I've gotta give Roger Clemens some credit. He took a situation where its so obvious that he's lying, and turned it around and made McNamee look like a jackass. Clemens is still so obviously lying, and all the evidence points there, but his charade coupled with McNamee's inability to come off as any semblance of a human being made McNamee come off as the liar. And I think if it weren't for Henry Waxman's highly inappropriate closing comments (where he basically said it's obvious Clemens is still lying, and apologized to McNamee) the general public might have been swayed. With two completely conflicting stories, it's obvious someone is lying, and there's likely to be a federal investigation. While I firmly believe Clemens will eventually be outed as a liar, kudos to Roger for convincing many dumb Americans, and congressmen, that he might be telling the truth.

2. Happy Pitchers and Catchers! Early reports are that Johan and Pedro look great, and Duaner Sanchez is in the best shape of his life. I can't help but get excited for this year, as I hope to get the horrible taste of the 07 collapse out of my mouth as quickly as possible.

3. Every time I watch the Richard Zednik highlight, I cringe. What an absolute freak accident, and thank god team doctors were able to get him into a hospital on time. It just goes to show that in sports literally anything can, and will happen eventually. I've heard analysts say they are 'amazed' that more things like this don't happen on the ice with skates flying everywhere, but how often are people inverted in the air in hockey, and do so at the same time another players neck is in the area. I, for one, am glad it doesn't happen more often, and hope it never happens again.

4. As a Dolphins fan, I fully anticipated that Bill Parcells would come in here and clean house. I expected Randy Mueller to get the ax, I knew Cam Cameron would get his walking papers, and I wasn't surprised when Trent Green was sent packing along with other starters like Marty Booker and Keith Traylor. But did they really have to release Zach Thomas? This guy has been the heart and sole of the Dolphins since Marino left, and he deserved a better fate. It's gonna be a young, inexperienced team out there next year, and what better thing for a defense than a veteran leader who busts his ass play after play and makes 150 tackles a year. I know his contracts is big, and I know he's old, but the Dolphins faithful can only take so much. After a 1-15 year, 6 straight seasons without playoffs, and 5 different opening game QBs in 5 years, I don't know that I can swallow losing a team icon like that. Jason Taylor, one of the league's premier players, has been keeping his mouth shut while playing hard for this insufferable losing team. However with 1-15 and now the release of his half-brother (although I heard rumors they got divorced), we might hear some trade demands from JT. And the sad thing is, I think Parcells would let him go.

5. It's hard to comment on the Kidd trade fiasco, because it's hard to know what the exact deal was. I originally heard the deal was Devean George, Devin Harris, DeSagna Diop, Jerry Stackhouse, $3 million, and 2 first round picks for Kidd. In which case, what a deal for the Nets. They get a couple of expiring contracts, cash, and two first rounders for an unhappy player who, as good as he is, is causing more harm than good. But now, Devean George, who inexplicable has a no trade clause thanks to a little known NBA rule regarding 1-year contracts, has vetoed the trade and the NBA says Stackhouse cannot be traded to the Nets, only to be waived and return to Dallas in a month. Instead, the Mavs now want to be Trenton Hassell and Keith Van Horn in their place. Sure, just what the Nets fans have been itching for...the return of Keith Van Horn. More on this to come...

Phoenix Folly

I think I speak for all NBA fans when on Tuesday night I said...."WHAT?!?! Marion and Banks for Shaq?? Why on earth would the Suns do that? Has to be a rumor."

Sure enough, the Big Aristotle is on his way to Phoenix, and Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks are headed to Miami. The Suns have traded 29 year old PF who has average 18 and 10 over his career, for a 35 yeard old, 325 pound center who has seen his PPG and RPG drop each of the last 3 years. As a longtime Shaq fan, I'm thrilled with this trade because the Daddy will get a chance for a 5th ring. But from the Suns standpoint, regardless of whether or not you like the guy, you can't trade superstar in his prime for a legend on the steep decline. Shaq is all-time great, but to call him a mere shadow of his former self might be giving him too much credit. He's slow, he's out of shape and hes owed 30 million dollars over the next year and a half. Since the Suns sell out consistently, the 'he'll put asses in the seats' defense doesn't work here. Unless the Suns ownership recently developed a personal vendetta against UNLV grads, this trade makes no sense from the Suns' standpoint. The Heat however, will have a solid combination between Wade and Marion for the next few years, and if some pieces can be put around them, will once again turn into an Eastern Conference contender.

Eli Manning, Super Bowl MVP

Five months ago this guy, Eli Manning was seemingly the second coming of Ryan Leaf. Giants' fans everywhere were regretting the draft day swap of Eli Manning for three pro bowlers, Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding. And can't blame them, Eli turned the ball over this season more than any player in the National Football League. But over the past 6 weeks, Eli Manning underwent a transformation likened to LeBron's game 6 performance against the Pistons. Each player went from a player with tremendous talent, to a winner. It appears the G-Men have found their franchise QB, just 4 years after they drafted him.

This upset happened for a few reasons. 1) A tremendous 4th quarter performance by Eli Manning. If the previous 4 games hadn't proved it, 9-14, 152 yds and 2 TD in the biggest pressure quarter against a top defense..that might do it. 2) Hitting Brady 18 times. Part of what allows Brady to be so dominant is that he's never touched, he's only hit a few times a game. On Sunday, Brady was not only sacked 5 times, but knocked of his feet 18 times. The Giants' front four was tremendous, and the difference make in the game. 3) No big plays from the Pats. As I said in the preview, a key was to limit big plays. No Maroney 50 yard runs, no Moss 60 yard TD bombs, no pick sixes. The Giants made the Pats sustain long drives to score, of which they could only produce 2. 4) The Patriots' arrogance. Mostly this was demonstrated by the genius head coach opting to bypass a 48 yard FG in a dome and go for it on 4th and 13. I don't buy the long FG argument, if you can't trust your kicked to a 48 yd FG in perfect conditions, then why have a kicker. They went for it because Belichick was saying 'you can't stop us'. I think a lot of Pats went into the game with that attitude, and it contributed to their demise.

The Super Bowl Preview

In what will be one of the highest rated Super Bowls of all-time, the unbeaten Pats will try to finish off their undefeated season against the resurgent Giants. This game has endless story lines: Manning's breakout months, a 4th title in 7 years for New England, Brady's ankle, 19-0, New York vs Boston, the list goes on and on. The game itself is likely to be anti-climactic after all the hype, so don't get your hopes up. A few disclaimers before my analysis begins:

1) For those of you who don't know, I absolutely, positively despise the New England Patriots. Additionally, I have fully jumped on the Giants bandwagon. That being said, this becomes the Super Bowl I have the most rooting interest in my 21 year life, so please excuse any bias.

2) Plaxico Burress needs to shut his mouth, but I don't buy into the fact that his comments are going to 'pump up the Pats'. If you need comments from a WR to get you psyched for the Super Bowl, you don't deserve to be playing. All players should be motivated to play with the highest intensity, and to the fullest extent of their ability, it's the Super Bowl. Give me a break.

3) Tom Brady's ankle is completely fine. Kudos to ESPN for filling up hours of dead air with a non-story.

Super Bowl XLVII

The Giants actually come into the game with more momentum, which is tough to do against a team who has won 18 straight. The G-Men come in riding the 'no one respects us' wave, which is always dangerous. Meanwhile, the Pats have failed to live up to their expectations and blow out opponents. So despite playoff victories by 11 and 9 point margins, the Pats have been 'disappointing'. However, the momentum stops the second the ball is kicked off, and the Pats are the more talented, and more experienced team.

When the Patriots have the ball:

The Giants do possess the one thing that can slow the Pats offense, a consistent pass rush. Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora are among the best DE tandems in the game, and must get to Brady early and often to stay in the game. The problem on defense is the mismatch of the Giants secondary vs the Pats receivers. Big Blue's defensive backs are suspect, which is bad enough without having to face the likes of Moss, Stallworth and Welker. Madison, Ross and Webster have all battled injuries, and R.W. McQuarters appears to have been infected with fumblitis. I think the Giants will get pressure on Brady, and knock him down a few times, frustrating him a bit early on. However, I think in the end the mismatch down the field is too great, and I expect several plays of 20+ yards. A major key for the Giants is limiting big plays, and I think this will be a tremendous challenge. Additionally, what we've seen over the past few weeks is that even if you manage to slow Brady and the passing offense, Maroney is perfectly capable of carrying the load to the tune of 150 yards. The Pats big boys have been dominating the line of scrimmage, and the Pats always find a way to score. The G-Men will frustrate the Pats offense, but despite Plax's prediction, they'll drop more than 17 points.

When the Giants have the ball:

On the other side of the ball, I fully expect the Giants to move the football. His big mouth aside, Burress played a tremendous game last week, and will be a big factor in the ball game. Eli has thrown the ball extremely well the past 4 weeks, and has spread the ball around successfully. Most importantly, he has been smart with the football, making efficient throws and avoiding turnover. Manning has yet to throw an interception in the playoffs, and continuing this trend is a must. Amani Toomer is the go-to-guy in big spots, and TE Kevin Boss has filled in quite nicely for the injured Jeremy Shockey. Brandon Jacobs is among the toughest runners in the league, and will provide the Giants with the ground attack they need to open up the passing game. The key for the Giants is to take advantage of red zone opportunities. The past two weeks, Jacksonville and San Diego have moved the ball well, but couldn't convert opportunities into 6 points. I expect the Giants to have little trouble piling up the yardage, but the less we see of Lawrence Tynes, the better. Plus, we know the Giants will get at least 30-45 yards on Rodney Harrison penalties, probably on hits administered to #17.

Prediction:
I truly believe this will be an exciting, competitive game. Contrary to popular belief, Giants are a talented, well-coached, fundamentally sound football team, not simply a hot one. If they can limit the big plays on offense, protect the football, and convert opportunities into touchdowns, the Giants have a real shot. Unfortunately, that's just too many 'ifs' against a team as good and as experienced as this Pats team.

New England 31, New York Giants 24

(Inserts Santana Exclamation Here)

The Mets have acquired LHP Johan Santana from the Twins in exchange for four prospects.

It's over. I can't believe it. No Fernando Martinez. No Mike Pelfrey. No Jose Reyes. And to think, all it took was last night's blogpost to give the Twins the kick in the ass they needed. This is a great day to be a Mets fan, and later today, when I have finished celebrating, more reaction will follow.

As the Rumor Mill Turns..

Erik Bedard

There are officially 17 days until pitchers and catchers report, and the rumors are beginning to catch fire once again. All signs point to an imminent deal between the Orioles and Mariners, sending stud pitcher Erik Bedard to Seattle in exchange for OF Adam Jones, RP George Sherrill and two top Seattle prospects.

The deal would give the Mariners 2 potentially dominant starting pitchers in Felix Hernandez and Bedard, to compliment lights-out closer J.J. Putz. The M's offense is strong behind Japanese stars Ichiro and Kenji Johjima and vets Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, but with Jones heading to Baltimore and Jose Guillen signing with Kansas City, the outfield has taken a big hit this season. Still, a lineup featuring something like Ichiro-Vidro-Ibanez-Beltre-Sexson-Johjima, with Jeremy Reed, Jose Lopez and Willie Bloomquist at the bottom of the order is still a strong top to bottom lineup. The Mariners play a big role in the AL West race, as they showed significant potential after their 2007 run.

On the flip side, this trade sets the Orioles further and further back in returning to respectability. With young players maturing in Tampa, the Orioles may need to make themselves comfortable in the AL East basement. A perennial power in the '90s, Peter Angelos has run this team straight into the ground, and as the Yankees and Red Sox continue to get stronger, the Orioles may not see the players for many years.


Johan Santana

This has to be one of the most talked about, debated, blogged, and written about trade in MLB history. Articles seem to surface on this story daily, incredible since there hasn't been any real news here since the winter meetings. The latest 'story' has the Mets as the new front-runner. According to multiple 'sources' , the Yankees have taken Phil Hughes off the table, and the BoSox have done the same with Jon Lester. Suddenly, a package of all the Mets top prospects is much more attractive to the Twins. The deal rumored to be on the table is 18 year old pitching prospect Deolis Guerra, SP Phil Humber, SP Kevin Mulvey and OF Carlos Gomez. The sticking point is reportedly 18-year old phenom OF Fernando Martinez, who the Mets are currently refusing to add.

I find it so hard to comment on this, because no one really knows what's really happening. Some seem to think the Twins are just keeping the Mets in it to keep the Yankees interested, and in turn, the Red Sox. It appears now that the Twins would pull the trigger on a Phil Hughes trade without insisting on the addition of Ian Kennedy. The price has dropped for Santana since December (or so it appears), but apparently not low enough to accept a package of prospects from the Mets. As a Met fan, I say throw the lot of young talent at Minnesota, because a pitcher like this comes along once a decade. It is near impossible to acquire an ace of Santana's statute in this day and age, and the Mets have the money to sign him long-term, and no player who has yet to make a major league contribution should hold up this deal.

If a deal is to happen, it will likely happen in the next week or so, as the team will want to prepare for spring training. I'm on the edge of my seat, I just don't know how much more I can read.

The Rest of Baseball

Incredibly, this entire off-season centered around three players, none of which were free agents. Danny Haren, Bedard and Santana have been the story, and only Haren was actually moved. Despite some big names still on the free-agent market (Livan Hernandez, Kenny Lofton, Bartolo Colon, some guy named Bonds), no one seems to care. This has been of the most boring off seasons in recent memory, as the trend is toward locking up young players for many years, even if it means buying out some arbitration years. Any winter where the biggest signing for a team from New York is Matt Wise, well....it's a good thing the Giants are in the Super Bowl. Go Big Blue!

Super Bowl Preview will debut on Wednesday

Against the Spread

Just for the record, here are my picks against the spread this playoff season, all spreads are from the Thursday Star Ledger, as per my football pool rules:

Wild-Card Round:

Seattle (-3) over Washington
Jacksonville (+2) over Pittsburgh
NY Giants (+3) over Tampa Bay
San Diego (-8) over Tennessee

Divisional Round:

Green Bay (-8) over Seattle
Jacksonville (+13.5) over New England
Indianapolis (-8.5) over San Diego
NY Giants (+7.5) over Dallas

Championship Round:

San Diego (+14) over New England
NY Giants (+7) over Green Bay

For those keeping score, that's 9-1. Don't be Skrrrrrrrred.

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue

Well, it's not surprising that the red, white and blue team from Foxboro, Massachusetts has made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Despite 3, count 'em, 3, interceptions from Tom Brady, the Chargers fell short, falling to the Patriots 21-12. Despite the three picks, and three trips inside the Patriots 10-yard line (3 FGs), the Chargers could not capitalize on an off-day from the Pats-O. If any there were a day for this team to be beaten, it was on this day. Tom Brady played as poorly as you'll ever see, as perhaps the frigid temperatures got to him. However, despite the poor play by the MVP, the Chargers hobbled offense could not take advantage. Philip Rivers turned in a gutsy performance on a bum knee, but could not get the ball into the end zone. The Bolts outplayed the undefeated Pats for 3 quarters, but because they could not push the ball across the goal line, still trailed 14-12. An early 4th quarter TD allowed the Pats running game to take over, while Laurence Maroney solidified his status as an elite-back with a big-time performance down the stretch. The Pats did not turn in an 'A' effort, but it was good enough to advance to the more important A, Arizona.

The other red, white and blue team from straight down I-95 served as a bit more of a surprise. To all those who said 'No way is Eli winning 3 straight road games'. To all those who said "No way can the Giants win in Lambeau'. To all those who said it couldn't be done, I present to you the 2007-08 NFC Champion New York Football Giants. In one of the most entertaining and exciting championship games in recent history, Big Blue shocked the Pack in Green Bay, with a 23-20 overtime win. And it all starts and ends with Eli, who threw of over 250 yards, and for the 3rd straight time this playoff season, did not turn the football over. The G-Men came out and outplayed the Packers from the get go, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead before a 90-yd TD pass to Donald Driver. The Giants went into the locker room down 10-6 at the half, but a strong drive in on the opening series in the second half gave the Giants the lead, capped by a Brandon Jacobs TD run. The two teams traded 7s to make the score 20-17 Giants before the game got interesting. With the Packers driving, R.W. McQuarters, one of the heroes of last weeks upset in Dallas, picked off Brett Favre deep in Green Bay territory, only to fumble the ball right
back to the Pack. Mason Crosby tied the game with a 37-yard field goal, setting the stage for a classic ending. The Giants took the ensuing kickoff down the field, giving Lawrence Tynes a chance to give the Giants a lead with 7 minutes to play. Tynes pushed the kick left, giving the Packers life. After both teams were stopped, the Giants were set to get the ball back with 2:30 to play. After returning the ball inside the Packers 40, R.W. McQuarters coughed the ball up yet again, but instead of falling on the ball, the Packers attempt to pick it up, and the ball winds up in Domenik Hixon's hand as the Giants retain possession at midfield. Following 2 big catches by Steve Smith and tough runs by Ahmad Bradshaw (including a 48 yard touchdown which was called back), Lawrence Tynes was set up with a chance for redemption, a 36 yard game winning FG attempt. However, once again Tynes booted the kick left, badly, sending this instant classic to overtime. After winning the coin toss, Favre made things happen quickly, throwing the ball right into the hands of the Giants' Corey Webster on 2nd down. The Giants did nothing with the field position, and coach Tom Coughlin decided to leave it up to his shaky kicked for a 47-yard attempt ( keeping in mind no one in the history of the NFL has every made a 40+ yard FG in Lambeau Field during the playoffs). Sure enough, Tyned drilled this FG, sending the Giants to the big show and half of New York into a frenzy.

Enough already

I honestly can't take it anymore. This steroid scandal has been made infinitely worse than it had to be. Major League Baseball has turned a performance-enhancing drug scandal, which has arisen in nearly all sports, and cranked out the Mitchell Report, books authored by intellectuals such as Jose Canseco, and multiple hearings before Congress. We get it, people took steroids, it's a blemished era. Must we beat the dead horse and find out exactly who did it, and for how long? Must we continue to make this into a circus? With our country at war, healthcare problems galore and a potential recession looming, should Congress really be wasting their time listening to Roger Clemens lie about whether or not he took a needle in the ass to make him throw a baseball harder? This is ridiculous, and frankly, I've had enough and can no longer be bothered.

Now starting for the New York Mets?

I refuse to comment on speculation, especially with the 2 months of drama regarding Johan Santana. However, I will re-iterate one point. As a Met fan, I am willing to deal ANY package of players that does not include Jose Reyes, David Wright or Carlos Beltran to bring Johan Santana to the Mets. This guy is the best pitcher in the game, in his prime, and I refuse to let any player(s) who has yet to make any kind of impact in the major leagues prevent me from getting him. With a package of guys like Deolis Guerra (18), Fernando Martinez (18), Carlos Gomez (hit .250 in the big leagues last year, Kevin Mulvey (a 22 yr with just 1 AAA start) and Philip Humber (still waiting for ANYTHING impressive), the BEST case scenario is that ONE of them rises to the level of Santana.

I'll take the sure bet, and don't kid yourself, the Mets can afford the 6 yr/$150M extension. After all, their biggest off-season acquisition to this point remains Matt Wise and the $1.2M we gave him.

For the record..

In week 17, many were debating the right approach was for a team with nothing to play for. Here is a small statistical sampling:

New England- At 15-0, with the #1 seed wrapped up and only a perfect season to play for, the Pats played as hard as any week, and now find themselves hosting the AFC championship game.

Indianapolis- At 13-2, the Colts were locked into the #2 seed, and took all starters out before the start of the 2nd quarter. Their reward? Losing their first playoff game at home to Billy Volek.

Jacksonville- Locked into the 5th seed at 11-4, the Jags willingly took a beating from the Texans to give Garrard, Jones-Drew and Taylor a rest. While they did win at Pittsburgh, they still find themselves watching on TV with the rest of us next week.

Dallas- At 13-2 with te #1 seed in hand, Tony Romo played just the first half, and Marion Barber carried the ball only 6 times as the 'Boys let their division rival Redskins walk into the playoffs with a 27-6 win. Their reward? An opening round home loss to hated rival New York.

Green Bay- Despite having the #2 seed locked up, the Pack came out with something to prove, started their A-team and routed the Lions 34-13 to wrap up the season. Not surprisingly, they find themselves hosting the NFC title game next week.

New York Giants- Locked in the #5 seed and faced with a no-win situation ( try to derail the Pats perfect season or rest up a beat-up squad), Big Blue opted to play their hearts out and have the Pats a run for their money. They lost Sean O'Hara, but gained priceless confidence. Two road wins later they find themselves a game away from the Super Bowl.

So much for 'much-needed rest'...

A Giant Weekend

It's down to four in the NFL playoffs, and its a tale of two different stories in the AFC and NFC. Pre-season odds on a Pats/Chargers AFC Title game would have been pretty reasonable, but how many people predicted a Packers/Giants NFC Championship game before the season?? After the Packers outscored Seattle 42-6 in the final 55 minutes on Saturday, the Patriots took the Jaguars best shot, and still rolled to a 31-20 victory.

Sunday was the more interesting day; two road teams pulled significant upsets, and two preseason favorites were derailed. Despite a hobbled Antonio Gates, and losing both Philip Rivers and LDT to injury, the Chargers shocked the Colts in Indy to advance to the AFC Championship game. This sets up a potentially disastrous AFC title game, and the big wigs and CBS are still weeping over losing their dream matchup. The only way the Chargers can make this a game, is if they can get healthy (fast) and Shawne Merriman can terrorize Brady. I don't like the Chargers chances at all, but its football, and stranger things have happened.

How about them GGGGGG-Men?? You have to give Eli Manning credit. After all the abuse he's taken, after all the talking heads saying he would never be a star in this league, he has elevated his game the past 4 weeks and grown by leaps and bounds. He hasn't put up eye-popping numbers, but he's made the smart plays, avoiding the disastrous ones, and emerged as a true leader. While Eli has blossomed, the Giants have quietly been working the two-headed rusher monster, as Ahmad Bradshaw has served as the perfect compliment to the hard-nosed Brandon Jacobs. Additionally, Amani Toomer has proven himself to be among the league's most underrated receivers, and Kevin Boss has filled Shockey's shoes flawlessly. The pass rush has been key all season, and was outstanding on the Cowboys final drive. R.W. McQuarters played a phenomenal game, but the secondary must get healthy in a hurry for the Giants to advance. The blue and red have exceeded expectations, and Giants' fans are thrilled to even make it to Lambeau, but don't expect anyone to be satisfied. Going into Lambeau and winning is a tall task, but who can really argue with 8 straight road wins??

"National Championship"

Pretty much what I expected. LSU was bigger, faster and better. This Ohio State team is extremely young, losing only 3 seniors to graduation in 2008. The future is bright for this team, and Chris "Beanie" Wells may be a Heisman favorite heading into next season. The Buckeyes jumped out to a quick start, similar to last year's game, and were overmatched from there on out. The SEC truly seems to be the dominant conference in the NCAA. SEC teams went 7-2 in bowls this year, and have won the past 2 national titles.

In a shocking development, after being screwed out of the national title thing, Georgia president Michael Adams is suddenly advocating a playoff. Funny how the system is all well and good until it screws your school. My theory is, once all 119 teams in the Bowl Championship Subdivision have been screwed out of a title shot, we will finally see a playoff. But until then, the best we can hope for is a plus-one format in 2010, which may be becoming a realistically possibility.

That's Why They Call It Wild-Card

The NFL uncharacteristically lacked parody this year, which did not bode well for the postseason. However the opening weekend to the playoffs was extremely entertaining, with 4 competitive, entertaining games.

Seattle/Washington: The emotional wave can only carry you so far and met its enemy on Saturday, deafening crowd noise. Qwest Field is an impossible place to play, and even harder when your starting QB is returning from a decade absence in the NFL. The Redskins showed heart and rallied to take the lead with two scores in a three minutes, but the Seahawks pulled away behind Marcus Trufant's pick-6. Don't count the Seahawks out of the NFC picture. I'm a firm believer in Matt Hasselbeck, and an experienced QB, excellent coach and quality defense can carry a team to the big show.

Jacksonville/Pittsburgh- In the most thrilling game of the weekend, the Jags did what 80% of the world expected, knocked off the Steelers in Heinz Field. After an atrocious first half, Big Ben rallied the troops as the Steelers mounted a furious comeback. Rothlisberger has proven himself time and time again to be one of the leagues premier QB, despite the fact that he lacks the skills of the majority of signal callers. He's an outstanding leader and a tough, gutsy football player. As is David Garrard, who recorded the first of what I suspect will be many memorable playoff moments, with a 4th-and-2 scramble for 32 yards to set up the game winner. I love the Jacksonville-New England game next weekend, as I believe the Jags are the only team outside of Indianapolis who can give the Pats a game.

NY Giants/Tampa Bay- You can give me as much proof as you want, and I still won't believe Peyton didn't play the final three quarters of that game. After 15 minutes, the New York media had already written their stories about how the Giants will never win in the playoffs with the ambivalent Eli Manning. But the supposed Black Sheep of the Manning family came through on Sunday afternoon, completing 20 out of 27 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdown passes. And where in the world did Ahmad Bradshaw come from? This team has finally shown character to go along with its obvious talent, and could surprise Dallas next weekend. The Giants are playing their best football over the past month, while Dallas hasn't played well since Thanksgiving, a dangerous combination for Tony Romo's hope of erasing past playoff woes. In other news, rumor has it Tim Mara has invited Jessica Simpson to the game as his special guest.

San Diego/Tennessee- I refuse to elaborate too much on this game, because it may well have been the worst played playoff game I have ever seen. San Diego looked miserable, and if the Titans had any talent on offense outside of Young, would have lost this game. However, I am thankful the Bolts pulled this game out because a) they covered their 9 point spread, and b) we don't have to sit through Tennessee-New England next week. Imagine the carnage.

Hokie low

If you had told me Kansas would come out and throw all over VT's defense, I might have believed it. If you had told me the offense would sputter against a quick KU defense that only allowed 16 pts/game, I might have believed it. But the fact that the Jayhawks came out and beat the Hokies in the area that has brought them fame is simply shocking to me. A blocked field goal, a fake punt for a first down, two 60+ yard punts, a missed FG return for 40 yards. That's right, Kansas' SPECIAL TEAMS won the Orange Bowl for the Jayhawks, upsetting my 3rd ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 24-21.

In fairness, the Hokies played a very poor game. Glennon and Taylor completed less than 50% of their passes and threw 3 deadly interceptions, one returned for a TD, and another returned to the Tech goal line. The offensive line did a miserable job protecting the QB, giving up 5 sacks, including on consecutive plays on the opening drive which took VT out of scoring range. However, what makes Virginia Tech a great team, is they normally win games like this. They normally can pull out those games where the make mistakes, with special teams and big defensive plays. But yesterday, it was Kansas that pulled out the big special teams plays and big defensive plays, and that made all the difference.

Congratulations to Mark Mangino and his team for the win, but they beat VT at their own game, and that's what stings.

Later Sooners

So much for Oklahoma deserving to go to the national championship game. The Sooners defense looked impossibly slow all night, as the Mountaineers ran all over Bob Stoops' bunch for 249 yards. For the fourth straight year, the Sooners lost a BCS game, and for the second straight year, to a heavy underdog. The sad part is, this game, and its 20-point margin of victory, was the closest BCS game yet. These games have been painfully disappointing thus far, hopefully the next 2 will make up for it.

As for tomorrow, I'm really not sure what to expect because I don't know what to make of Kansas. The team did have an 11-1 record in a major conference, despite not playing Texas or Oklahoma, and getting trounced by Mizzou. Should be a good one, as I hope the Hokies come out and do exactly what Georgia did; show why they should be playing for the National Title.

Happy New Year Omar!

Happy New Year to all, especially Mets GM Omar Minaya.

Hopefully 2008 will be a year where we can't say, 'our biggest move was signing Matt Wise'.

(I'm quite glad I decided not to blog about just the Mets, poor Matt Cerrone).

BCS hangover

If there wasn't already enough to complain about with the BCS, yesterdays games gave us brand new ammunition. On New Year's Day, historically the biggest day for college football, the slate was cleared for a USC-Illinois Rose Bowl, and a Georgia-Hawaii Sugar Bowl. Thanks to the ever flexible folks of the Rose Bowl Committee, deserving teams like Missouri and Arizona State got passed over for... Illinois. After all, why have a match-up of two deserving teams when you can keep the tradition of Pac 10 vs Big Ten.

So as a result of the open-minded sensible decision makers in Pasadena, we get...USC 49, Illinois 17.

And for an encore...Georgia 41, Hawaii 10.

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with the system.

16 and Oh Well

So it happened. Similar to the 2007 Mets collapse, it had you think "It's really gonna happen isn't it? Nah, it couldn't happen, could it?" And then sure enough, it did, the Pats went 16-0. The shock is minimal, as people talked about 16-0 after the Week 1 victory against the Jets, and while the Pats were down in a few instances, it never really seemed like they were actually going to lose. I only really have two words in response "Oh well". What else can you say? It wasn't as if the gods of fate didn't try. They slapped a cheating scandal on them after Week 1. Dealt them several injury blows with Maroney, Seymour and several other defenders. The gods of fate allowed Kyle Boller and the Ravens to give the Pats a run, and allowed Eli Manning to pose as a polished passer. None if it mattered, as the Pats were destined for this. And while I wouldn't take 5:1 odds that they don't win the Super Bowl, I will say this: It means nothing if they don't win the Super Bowl. Some have argued the fact, but consider this. When you think of the great baseball teams of all time, where do the 2001 Seattle Mariners rank. Probably not on your radar, despite their all-time record 116 wins. Why? Because they didn't even PLAY in the World Series. Regardless of regular season performance, the Pats need to seal the deal for this to mean anything, and even if you don't agree, there's 52 guys in Foxboro, Massachusetts who do.