Friday, April 30, 2010

2010 Kentucky Derby


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Chip Woolley is back.

Good articles from www.espn.com and Pat Forde

Got no horses. Got nothing to do, other than Be Chip Woolley. And in this town on this week, that's a fun job.
The man who trained the horse that shocked the world in the Kentucky Derby a year ago, Mine That Bird, is meandering around the barn area at Churchill Downs. And where he goes, handshakes, back slaps, party invitations and can-I-get-a-picture requests follow.
This is his "Cheers" -- the place where everybody knows his name, and is certainly glad he came back.
Here, thanks to a life-altering two minutes, he is more than just a small-time New Mexico thoroughbred trainer whose career has unceremoniously returned to normal. Here, he is a celebrity and a savant, asked repeatedly to handicap this year's race. Here, they now display the crutches he hobbled around on all last spring in the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Woolley still has the black cowboy hat and the Fu Manchu mustache. The only outward changes from last year are the fact he's no longer slowed down by a badly broken right leg, and the perpetual lump in his throat.
"It's been surprisingly emotional," he said. "I don't think until you run in the Derby you can really grasp how big the Derby is, and how historic it is. When you're in it, everything is happening at such a high rate of speed, you don't have a chance to reflect on it and enjoy it."
This time, he's had a chance to reflect and enjoy. Naturally, that included a trip to the Derby Museum to see his crutches, and watch the race from his wildest dreams.
"A lot wells up inside of you," Woolley said of watching the video. "If it don't choke you up, you need to quit.
"Coming back, you're just overwhelmed. You realize how hard it is to get here, and how hard it is to win the race."
That Woolley did, somehow. The proof that it really happened is in gold letters on the façade of the Churchill Downs paddock:
Mine That Bird 2009
It's right there where they annually put the name of the most recent Derby winner. So it wasn't a dream, it wasn't fiction, it wasn't Hollywood. A 50-1 gelding who hadn't won a race in seven months and who floundered on the obscure New Mexico racing circuit really did win the biggest race in America.
Only once -- Donerail, at 91-1 in 1913 -- has a longer shot won the Derby.
"I really never thought I could win," Woolley said. "I thought I could finish fourth or so."
But when Calvin Borel bravely and brilliantly urged Mine That Bird through a narrow opening on the rail and incomprehensibly drew off, fourth was out the window. So were third and second. A blanket of roses materialized in the horse's immediate future.
And the world got an introduction to the unvarnished cowboys who looked out of place amid the bluegrass bluebloods -- and out of place at the postrace press conference. Frankly, they looked as stunned as all the people asking them questions.
Borel, we knew. He'd just won his first Derby two years earlier aboard Street Sense. But nobody knew a thing about owners Mark Allen and Leonard Blach. Or about Woolley.
The backstory was all charm: how Woolley personally drove Mine That Bird across the country to Kentucky in a trailer hitched to his Ford F-450, "with my broken leg on the god-danged dashboard, trying to keep the swelling down." How he and the horse whiled away the days leading up to the race in complete obscurity, overlooked by everyone. How they combined with Borel to shock the racing world.
And then Mine That Bird showed it wasn't a complete fluke, finishing a game second in the Preakness to super filly Rachel Alexandra and then third in the Belmont as the only horse to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
After that, the joyride sputtered.
Mine That Bird was upset in the West Virginia Derby, finishing third, and then was ninth in the Breeders' Cup Classic last fall. The gelding was, in Woolley's words, "spent" after that, and has not raced since then.
Currently Mine That Bird is at Allen's training facility, and there have been rumors that the owners want to take him out of Woolley's barn permanently and send him to a different trainer.
"There's been rumors," Woolley said. "But as far as I know, I train the horse. I feel pretty secure. Me and Mark talked about it."
How would he feel to have the horse taken away from him, after delivering the racing thrill of a lifetime?
"It would be shameful," Woolley said.
The trainer said he expects Mine That Bird to be ready to resume racing soon. But in the meantime, the Derby victory has not led to a significant boost in business for Woolley. He said he's added "maybe one or two clients, not what you'd expect." His hopes of setting up an operation at Churchill have not materialized.
The training statistics from Sunland Park in New Mexico reflect the sobering return to normalcy. Woolley was the No. 10 trainer in the park's December-April meet, with 65 starters, 15 wins and 33 finishes in the money. His winning percentage (23) and in-the-money percentage (51) were solid, but his horses earned just $253,759.
He earned more than six times that amount in two minutes on the first Saturday in May last year. Which is one reason why Woolley wants to come back with a horse sometime in the near future.
"You win a Derby and it'll light a fire in you to come back," he said. "There's no feeling like it. You'll be on a quest for the rest of your life for that next one."
In the meantime, the cowboy in the black hat will settle for the enjoyable job of Being Chip Woolley, in a place where that means something special.



LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The top two choices in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday have 'em surrounded. Lookin At Lucky, the favorite, drew the rail, and Sidney's Candy, the second choice, drew the outside post in a field of 20 when post positions were drawn on Wednesday for Derby 136 at Churchill Downs.
Devil May Care, the filly who will challenge 19 males, wound up in the middle, in post 11.
You Bettor Beware
Sometimes, the Kentucky Derby odds-on favorite really is the best horse; sometimes, not so much. In the last decade, the favorite has won the Run for the Roses four times -- and finished seventh three times.

Year Favorite Finished
2009 Friesan Fire 18th
2008 Big Brown 1st
2007 Street Sense 1st
2006 Sweetnorthernsaint 7th
2005 Bellamy Road 7th
2004 Smarty Jones 1st
2003 Empire Maker 2nd
2002 Harlan's Holiday 7th
2001 Point Given 5th
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 1st

• Overall, the favorite has won the Derby 52 times, finished in the money (win, place or show) 90 times and finished out of the money 45 times.
• The last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed in 1978, was not the Derby favorite. That was Alydar, who finished second.

The posts for the top two choices are not considered ideal. No horse has won from the rail since Ferdinand in 1986, and no horse beginning from the rail has finished in the money since Risen Star was third in 1988.
"He's got to break well," said Bob Baffert, who trains Lookin At Lucky and Conveyance, who drew post 12. "Plan A is to break well. Plan B is we're screwed."
Big Brown won from post 20 just two years ago, but he was clearly superior to his rivals. Though 20-horse fields have been the norm in recent years, they were rare in the early years of the Derby. The only other horse to win from post 20 was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929, when there was a walk-up start.
Post 11 also had its drawbacks. Because the Derby field is double-loaded, posts 1 and 11 go in the gate first for the 1 1/4-mile race, then 2 and 12, on down to 10 and 20.
"Eleven is a great position from which to start the race. The only thing I don't like is that she'll have to be in the gate a long time," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Devil May Care and three other horses in this Derby.
Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper, made Lookin At Lucky the 4-1 favorite, with Sidney's Candy 5-1 and Awesome Act the third choice at 8-1. He has Devil May Care next at 10-1, followed by Ice Box at 12-1.
Mike Battaglia, the linemaker at Churchill Downs, has Lookin At Lucky at 3-1, and Sidney's Candy at 5-1. Battaglia made Awesome Act, Devil May Care, and Ice Box co-third choices at 10-1.
Devil May Care is adding blinkers for the Derby, while Lookin At Lucky is having his removed.
Posts were determined in a traditional blind draw, rather than the two-step draft format of recent years. Under the abandoned format, Lookin At Lucky would have had the first choice of posts.
A maximum of 20 horses can run in the Derby. A total of 22 horses were entered. By rule, the Derby field is determined by graded stakes earnings in oversubscribed fields. So two horses -- Pleasant Prince and Setsuko -- were excluded.
The field was in flux right up to the hours before entries were due. Endorsement, the Sunland Derby winner, went out for a workout Wednesday morning with her trainer, Shannon Ritter, aboard and was timed in 47.23 seconds for a half-mile. But he was limping by the time he got back to the barn, and radiographs revealed he had a fracture in his right front ankle.
"It's a lateral condylar fracture, non-displaced," said Dr. Beau Landry, the attending veterinarian. "He's going to be scheduled for surgery."
"I feel sorry for Shannon," said Elliott Walden, the general manager of WinStar Farm, which owns Endorsement. "She's done a great job with the horse. Hopefully he'll be back."
The defection of Endorsement was the second this week for WinStar's Derby prospects. WinStar, owned by Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt, withdrew Rule earlier in the week because he was not training satisfactorily. WinStar still will be presented by Super Saver, who drew post 4, and American Lion, who got post 7.
Endorsement's injury allowed Make Music for Me to get into the Derby. Had Endorsement come out of his workout well, Make Music for Me would have joined Pleasant Prince and Setsuko as being excluded from the field because of insufficient graded stakes earnings. Make Music for Me was entered in the American Turf on Friday as a back-up, but now will be scratched from that race.
Make Music for Me will be ridden by Joel Rosario, who had taken a tentative call on Dean's Kitten, with the understanding he would opt for Make Music for Me if Make Music for Me got in. Robby Albarado, who was scheduled to ride Endorsement, took the vacated spot on Dean's Kitten.
Pleasant Prince is owned by Ken Ramsey, who also owns Dean's Kitten. Had Ramsey so desired, he could have failed to enter Dean's Kitten, allowing Pleasant Prince to move up another notch and get into the field. Instead, Ramsey said Pleasant Prince would await the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes on May 15.
Setsuko looked terrific when galloping on Wednesday morning, and his trainer, Richard Mandella, made several calls Wednesday morning -- "Got any news for me?" he said -- seeking updates on whether his horse would get in. But not enough dominoes fell. Setsuko is scheduled to run in the American Turf on Friday, and then will be pointed to the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, on June 5, Mandella said.
"Doesn't he look good?" Mandella said. "But what are you going to do? Rules are rules."
With 20 runners, the Derby's purse will be $2,185,200, with $1,425,200 going to the winner.
The Derby will be the 11th race on a 13-race card that begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Post time for the Derby is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. The Derby will be shown live on NBC in a three-hour telecast beginning at 4 p.m.
The weather was delightful at Churchill Downs on Wednesday, with a high temperature of 68 degrees under clear skies. But the forecast for Saturday has worsened as the week has progressed. According to the National Weather Service, there is a 60 percent chance of rain on Saturday, including scattered thunderstorms, with 1 1/2 inches of rain expected to fall Friday night into Saturday morning. The high temperature Saturday is forecast to be 75 degrees.



Kentucky Derby 136 Posts
Post Horse Jockey Weight Odds
1 Lookin At Lucky Garrett Gomez 126 3-1
2 Ice Box Jose Lezcano 126 10-1
3 Noble's Promise Willie Martinez 126 12-1
4 Super Saver Calvin Borel 126 15-1
5 Line of David Rafael Bejarano 126 30-1
6 Stately Victor Alan Garcia 126 30-1
7 American Lion David Flores 126 30-1
8 Dean's Kitten Robby Albarado 126 50-1
9 Make Music For Me Joel Rosario 126 50-1
10 Paddy O'Prado Kent Desormeaux 126 20-1
11 Devil May Care John Velazquez 121 10-1
12 Conveyance Martin Garcia 126 12-1
13 Jackson Bend Mike Smith 126 15-1
14 Mission Impazible Rajiv Maragh 126 20-1
15 Discreetly Mine Javier Castellano 126 30-1
16 Awesome Act Julien Leparoux 126 10-1
17 Dublin Terry Thompson 126 12-1
18 Backtalk Miguel Mena 126 50-1
19 Homeboykris Ramon Dominguez 126 50-1
20 Sidney's Candy Joe Talamo 126 5-1

Thursday, April 29, 2010

MLB: The Young Guns are Taking Over



Heyward, Davis lead sterling class in Year of the Phenom
by: John Heyman Good Article on the yooung guns. I think this will all change when the pitchers come up in a month.
This past weekend at Citi Field, a pair of rookies, one the most talked about prospect in the game, the other a recent call-up who has already been causing a stir in his first week, crossed paths for the first time on a major league field. In a season that is looking like it will be the Year of the Phenom, both Ike Davis of the Mets and Jason Heyward of the Braves have been turning heads and earning rave reviews from their managers not only for how they play but also for how they handle themselves.
"He's a very confident and comfortable young man at this level,'' Mets manager Jerry Manuel said of the 23-year-old Davis. "He doesn't seem to play with the anxiety of a young person playing in the major leagues for the first time.''
"He's a great kid,'' Braves skipper Bobby Cox said of the 20-year-old Heyward. "His makeup is off the charts.''
Heyward also stands out for his remarkable calm. While others have compared him to Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell and Ken Griffey Jr., he remains unfazed. "I don't have any expectations,'' he said. "I just intend to be patient and take what the game gives me.''
One scout has called Heyward "the best prospect I've seen in decades." On Sunday, Cox praised his baserunning ability by saying, "He has big-time instincts. He has some larceny in him.'' Keep in mind that those comments came from a level-headed future Hall of Famer who's seen it all and has every reason to keep expectations down. And they come, too, with Heyward having exactly zero stolen bases.
Heyward was programmed to be a star from the start, as his father, Eugene, a former Dartmouth basketball player, molded him to be a major leaguer while eschewing all other sports. But there has been no sign of any of the potential pratfalls associated with such single-mindedness.
Some have said the buildup is too much, the hype too high for Heyward. But everyone from baseball lifers like Cox to scouts to sportswriters have been raving about him. Veteran Troy Glaus is one of the rare people tempering his comments about Heyward. "He's got a good head on his shoulders, he's got all the ability and he's doing a great job,'' Glaus said. "But let the kid get his feet wet. He's got 50 at-bats.''
To be precise, Heyward has 59 at-bats, but they've been pretty productive ones. He has four home runs and 16 RBIs for the offensively inept Braves (see below). But he also has 23 strikeouts, including at least one in each of the last eight games before the rain-shortened 1-0 defeat Sunday night to the rival Mets. Cox acknowledged pitchers are making early adjustments to beat him and now it's Heyward's turn to adjust. It's a "cat and mouse game'' Glaus said.
Pitchers may soon have to adjust to Davis as well, who had a stellar first week in which he batted .318 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage. Going into the season, Davis was ranked as merely the seventh best first-base prospect by Baseball America, behind Texas' just-promoted Justin Smoak, Florida's Logan Morrison, Toronto's Brett Wallace, Oakland's Chris Carter, Atlanta's Freddie Freeman and Cincinnati's Yonder Alonso, and just ahead of Boston's Lars Anderson. A Mets official, upon Davis' call-up last week, cautioned against raising expectations. Referring to Heyward, the official said of Davis, "He's not that kind of prospect.''
You can't tell that to Mets fans now, not after Davis started his career by excelling at the plate and helping the Mets to six wins in his first seven games. He also powered his first big league home run on Friday, 450 feet to the faraway Citi bridge in right-center field. "I've only seen one other player hit it there and that was Carlos Delgado,'' one NL scout said. "But one difference between the two is this: Davis can really play first base.
Davis said he couldn't be sure it was the farthest ball he's ever hit since he said he swings hard every time and has connected that sweetly a few times before. But he didn't seem too concerned about it. Davis, the son of former Yankees relief star Ron Davis, has impressed in the clubhouse with an unassuming manner. He said he held no illusions his big spring would land him on the team, fully understood the Mets' call to go with the more experienced Mike Jacobs and wasn't expecting to be anything beyond "maybe a September call-up."
With Davis already in the majors, and already thriving, Manuel and the Mets brass have reason to be excited, though they aren't getting ahead of themselves. "He's smooth, he's rhythmic, he has soft hands and he really gets extended when he hits -- so that means power,'' Manuel said. "The test will come when he goes around [the league] a couple times.''
Mets fans eager for a new hero aren't going to wait that long. They are already crediting Davis for the Mets' sudden hot streak that has them back above .500 for the first time since Opening Day. But Davis' ascension happened to come shortly after the return of the team's most important player, shortstop Jose Reyes, plus Manuel's prescient decision to switch from Gary Matthews Jr. to Angel Pagan in center field. A Mets official said the team's "energy'' returned the same time Reyes did. But the fans, perhaps wary of all the injured Mets, seem to view Davis as nearly as important a figure.
While Mets people were guarding against the label of "savior'' being applied, nobody sees any sign the attention is going to Davis' head. "He's got all the tools, there's no question about it,'' David Wright said. "But the best thing about him is he hasn't bought into all the hype surrounding his call-up. That's more impressive than what he's done on the field.''
Heyward and Davis are far from the only young stars drawing praise in a year that may wind up being recalled for its sterling rookie class, even if not all the best ones have reached the majors yet.
The Nationals' Stephen Strasburg, last year's No. 1 overall drat choice, has been overpowering at Double-A Harrisburg, going 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. Washington GM Mike Rizzo cautiously warned that Strasburg wasn't ready when he kept him off the major league roster toward the end of spring training, but everyone figures he will be up with the big club by June 1, after three to four starts each at both Double-A and Triple-A. The Nationals plan to have Strasburg throw around 130 innings this year, with about two-thirds of them coming at the big-league level, assuming he continues his minor-league domination.
The Reds' Cuban import Aroldis Chapman has also been terrific so far, though he probably doesn't have the maturity of some of the other phenoms. Legend has it he complained about the early bids for him, telling people that if he wasn't going to get $60 million for his troubles that maybe he should have stayed in Cuba, a legend that was verified by someone who knows him well. Nonetheless, Chapman has a 0.60 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15 innings at Triple-A Louisville, numbers that could at least tempt the Reds to bring him up, considering how poorly their rotation has fared thus far. Chapman has been so dominant early that he's evoking comparisons to a young Randy Johnson.
There is a temptation, even a danger, in making such declarations. As Glaus pointed out, there's a very good reason the great prospects are often still compared to Mickey Mantle, and it's because no one has come along in "50 some years'' to top Mantle in terms of talent. As talented as Heyward is, he's not Mickey Mantle.

At least, not yet.



Strasburg by June?????
www.si.com
Stephen Strasburg is coming. The Washington Nationals have been guarded about their plans for Strasburg, the top pick in last June's draft, who signed for a record $15.1 million out of San Diego State. But he will not be with Harrisburg, in Class AA, much longer. After an apprenticeship for Class AAA Syracuse, Strasburg is expected to be in the majors by June. He is clearly ready for a promotion: after firing five no-hit innings in his fourth start on Tuesday, Strasburg is 3-0 with a 0.52 earned run average. His single drove in the only run in a 1-0 victory, and he now has 23 strikeouts and 3 walks in 17 1/3 innings.


MLB Power Rankings April 26-30th
1 (2) Rays 14-5 Carl Crawford has been caught stealing three times so far. In 2009, he was caught stealing for the third time on June 6.
2 (1) Yankees 12-6 Fun with statistics: The lowest payroll among the eight highest revenue teams, measured in terms of percentage of total team revenues, belongs to the Yankees, right in line with league average. (Jason Rosenberg, It's About The Money)
3 (4) Twins 13-6 It might be safe to say Justin Morneau's back is fully healed. He's among the league leaders in most offensive categories and has already drawn 20 walks, leading to a robust .511 on-base percentage. (Nick Nelson, Nick's Twins Blog)
4 (3) Phillies 11-7 The offense has slumped over the past seven games, averaging just three runs per game. Starting pitching has been the silver lining. (Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley)
5 (5) Cardinals 11-7 The Cardinals lost their first series of the year (to the Giants), but Colby Rasmus continues to emerge (team-leading .466 wOBA) and Chris Carpenter allayed Week 1 concerns about health with back-to-back double-digit strikeout starts. (Matt Philip, Fungoes)
6 (9) Athletics 12-8 Daric Barton, hitting .328 with a .488 OBP, fractured his middle finger Sunday. It's unknown if he'll miss time.
7 (21) Padres 11-7 The Padres have outscored their opponents 27-10 in the fourth inning of games this year. (Geoff Young, Ducksnorts)
8 (6) Giants 10-8 The Giants' offense has been a problem this past week as the team averaged only 1.6 runs per game while going 2-4. (Chris Quick, Bay City Ball)
9 (7) Marlins 10-9 Dan Uggla averages one strikeout every 3.87 ABs for his career. His average in 2010? One K every 6.45 ABs.
10 (15) Angels 10-10 Brandon Wood's two-run double Sunday accounted for his first extra-base hit and his first two RBIs of the season.
11 (10) Rockies 10-9 The Rockies have opened the season with three straight series wins at Coors Field for the first time since 2003.
12 (11) Tigers 10-9 Tigers fans thought Dontrelle Willis was the rotation's weakest link, but right now Rick Porcello's struggles are more alarming: 1-2, 7.91 ERA plus 33 hits in just 19 IP. (Mike McClary, The Daily Fungo)
13 (12) Blue Jays 10-9 Adam Lind, who struck out three times Sunday, has gone 3-for-22 (.136) with nine strikeouts over the past week.
14 (13) Red Sox 8-11 Though the Red Sox call themselves victors of four of their past six games, there's only so much love to go around when they outscore the 3-16 Orioles by a total of one run over three games. (Mike Silver, Fire Brand of the AL)
15 (18) Mariners 9-10 The Mariners have slumped under .500 thanks to a bullpen that's proving its volatility and to minor injuries to the fragile Jack Wilson and Milton Bradley. (Jon Shields, Pro Ball NW)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Ohio State Buckeye Wednesday




10 Things We Learned from the Spring Game
By Brandon Castel
I agree completely with Brandon's article. If you ever get a chance, head over to the ozone.net, it is the best buckeye blog out there.
COLUMBUS — It’s hard to believe spring practice is over at Ohio State, but just like that football came and went in Columbus with Gray’s 17-14 win over Scarlet in the annual spring game.
There was plenty to be learned from Jim Tressel’s 10th spring at OSU, but here are 10 things we learned about the Buckeyes Saturday.

1. Kenny Guiton is the second best quarterback on the team. No if, ands or buts about it, after watching Kenny Guiton, not only in Saturday’s spring game but the rest of the spring as well, it’s clear to me that he is the second best quarterback on the roster. Joe Bauserman might be a heck of an athlete, but he does not throw the ball with confidence. Officially, he is probably going to be the No. 2 quarterback in the fall during practice because there’s no point in announcing a change when neither is going to see the field, but if Pryor were to go down there has to be a feeling that Guiton would be the guy to lead the Buckeyes.

2. Offensive line helped him look good. With his 11 completions for 167 yards and two touchdowns, there’s no question Guiton was the star of the 2010 spring game, but let’s not forget about the guys who made it all possible. As usual, the offense linemen were the unsung heroes Saturday. They provided Guiton enough time to make the plays he needed to win the game. He was sacked four times, but two of them were on back-to-back plays. The rest of the day the Gray offensive line of Andrew Miller, Justin Boren, Michael Brewster, Jack Mewhort and J.B. Shugarts gave him excellent protection against a very talented Scarlet defensive front; one that included Cam Heyward, John Simon and Solomon Thomas.

3. Mike Adams is the best option at left tackle. At least at the moment anyways. He wasn’t dominant by any means in the spring game and I personally saw him get beat on several occasions by Nathan Williams, but Adams has gotten a lot better in the last year. He held his own for most of the afternoon, having one of his better performances when it mattered most. On the other hand, I thought Andrew Miller struggled mightily for the Gray team at left tackle. He got beat a number of times by Keith Wells and even on Gray’s game-winning drive he seemed to be holding on just about every play. The battle will likely continue well into the fall, but it appears Adams has the momentum after the spring game.

4. Etienne Sabino is going to start. Another guy who may have locked up a starting spot Saturday was linebacker Etienne Sabino. Playing alongside starting Mike linebacker Brian Rolle on the Gray squad, Sabino seemed to be all over the field making plays. He finished with a game-high seven tackles, including five solo stops, to go with a forced fumble. His performance came on the heels of a solid spring as the first-team Sam linebacker. A tremendous athlete, Sabino has finally learned to trust his instincts on the football field, and he knows the defense well enough now that he should be a mainstay in the starting lineup. Certainly Andrew Sweat is going to get a chance to push him when he comes back in the fall, but it’s hard to see Sabino giving this one up.

5. T-Wash not done yet. The same could be true for Taurian Washington as the No. 2 receiver. After dominating last year’s spring game, Washington did it again Saturday. He caught three passes for a game-high 83 yards and two touchdowns. The second one, a 45-yard strike from Guiton, was the game-winner for the Gray team with under a minute to play. His third catch was a dazzling one-handed grab on a drag route over the middle, and altogether it was hard to give out the MVP award between T-Wash and Guiton. Washington was having an up-and-down spring as he battled Chris Fields for the third receiver spot. He will face even stiffer competition in the fall when 6-foot-7 wideout Tyrone Williams arrives and if Duron Carter is back with the squad, but he should enter fall camp with a lot more confidence.

6. Tight ends could actually be a part of the offense. After watching the jersey scrimmage a week ago, it was hard to buy into the hype that the tight ends might actually have a place in the OSU offense this year outside of blocking. Jake Stoneburner didn’t catch a single pass in the jersey scrimmage, but he was a favorite target of Pryor during the first quarter of the spring game. Stoneburner said during spring camp that he has developed a lot of chemistry with Pryor on and off the field, and it showed Saturday as the two hooked up three times for 43 yards. The first was a five-yard comeback route, but the second was a fantastic seam route by Stoneburner down the middle of the defense for 23 yards. He followed that with 15-yard out that was perfectly placed by Pryor.

7. Terrelle Pryor is going to throw more in 2010. If you couldn’t tell by now, Ohio State’s gameplan in the Rose Bowl was about more than just beating Oregon. The decision to have Pryor pass the ball 37 times was a precursor to the rest of his career at Ohio State. That’s not to say Tressel is going to call 37 passes every game, but it is clear they expect a lot more out of Pryor as a passer in year three than they did in his first two seasons. Although he played only one quarter Saturday, Pryor aired it out 12 times, completing eight of them for 108 yards a touchdown. He started off slow, but his 4-play, 78-yard touchdown drive on Scarlet’s second possession of the game was a thing of beauty. Like Peyton Manning dissecting AFC East defenses, Pryor drove the offense quickly down the field with patience and precision.
He started the drive with the 23-yard pass to Stoneburner down the middle on a perfectly placed ball in front of safety Jermale Hines. He followed it with a fabulous touch pass over the head of Sabino into the arms of Dane Sanzenbacher for 33 yards. He hit Sanzenbacher again on a quick slant that picked up 10 yards before finding Dane in the left corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

8. Zach Boren should catch more passes this season. Sanzenbacher may have been the favorite target of the Scarlet team, but on the other side it was an unlikely suspect who did most of the catching for the Gray. While T-Wash was busy racking up big plays, fullback Zach Boren quietly led the team with four catches for 44 yards. He showed himself to be a reliable pass-catcher late last season, and if this spring is any indication he should see a lot more balls coming his way in the fall.

9. Boom Herron still a solid No. 2. With guys like Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, Carlos Hyde and Jermil Martin on the roster, many fans were ready to write off Boom Herron as a reliable No. 2 back behind Brandon Saine. He did lead the team in rushing touchdowns last year, but his yards per carry were way down from his redshirt freshman season. But Herron showed up Saturday and had a strong showing for the Gray team as he racked up 32 yards on just four carries. He showed good toughness inside and good burst to the outside and averaged 8.0 yards per touch.

10. Punting game could be an issue again. It’s no secret Jon Thoma didn’t have a great year punting the ball in 2009, and the Buckeyes could be in for more of the same in 2010. Although Thoma is gone now, neither Ben Buchanan or Derek Erwin looked good punting the ball in the spring game. Buchanan did blast a 51-yarder, but average only 35.7 yards on his seven punts. He downed one inside the 20, but also had one sail into the end zone for a touchback. Along with his 51-yarder, Buchanan had punts of 28, 32, 33 and 16 yards in an altogether ugly day.




Eleven former Buckeyes will get their first taste of life in the National Football League when they attend rookie minicamps May 1-3.
www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com

Four Ohio State defensive products were selected in last weekend's NFL Draft and seven more members of the Rose Bowl champions signed free agent contracts after the conclusion of the draft.

Thaddeus Gibson was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by trhe Pittsburgh Steelers with the 116th overall pick. Doug Worthington was also selected by the Steelers, with the 242nd pick, in the seventh round. Kurt Coleman was a seventh-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, 244th overall. Austin Spitler was selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins, 252nd overall.
I think Kurt Coleman will have the best career out of these four that were drafted. What do you think?

Signing as free agents were: Jake Ballard and Jim Cordle (New York Giants); Anderson Russell (Washington Redskins); Lawrence Wilson (Chicago Bears); Aaron Pettrey (Carolina Panthers), Ray Small (Minnesota Vikings) and Rob Rose (Seattle Seahawks).
Out of all of the free agent Bucks, I would have to say that my man Pettrey will make it and have a long career. Any agreements??



Ohio State Baseball - 2010 Schedule & Results
Record: 22-13 Home: 5-4 Away: 6-4 Neutral: 11-5 Big Ten: 7-5

Date Opponent OSU Rank Location Time (ET) Results Media
Fri, Feb 19 North Florida 14 at Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m. 4 - 2 (W)

Sat, Feb 20 Florida A&M 14 at Jacksonville, Fla. 5:00 p.m. 16 - 1 (W)

Sun, Feb 21 Richmond 14 at Jacksonville, Fla. 11:00 a.m. 20 - 9 (W)

Big Ten/Big East Challenge

Fri, Feb 26 South Florida 13 at St. Petersburg, Fla - Progress Energy Park 4:30 p.m. 4 - 2 (W)

Sat, Feb 27 Notre Dame 13 at Clearwater, Fla - Bright House Field 4:00 p.m. 10 - 2 (W)

Sun, Feb 28 Cincinnati 13 at St. Petersburg, Fla - Raymond A. Naimoli Complex 1:00 p.m. 4 - 12 (L)



Snowbird Classic

Fri, Mar 05 Duquesne 16 at Port Charlotte, Fla. 1:00 p.m. 9 - 8 (W)
STATS
Sat, Mar 06 Saint Louis 16 at Port Charlotte, Fla. 1:00 p.m. 15 - 9 (W)
STATS
Sat, Mar 06 Saint Louis 16 at Port Charlotte Fla. 4:30 p.m. 9 - 10 (L)

Sun, Mar 07 Fairleigh Dickinson 16 at Port Charlotte, Fla. 12:00 p.m. 15 - 8 (W)
STATS


Univ. of Tennessee Tournament

Sat, Mar 13 Marshall 17 at Knoxville, Tenn. 11:00 a.m. 1 - 17 (L)
STATS
Sun, Mar 14 Connecticut 17 at Knoxville, Tenn. 10:00 a.m. 4 - 5 (L)
STATS
Sun, Mar 14 Tennessee 17 at Knoxville, Tenn. 1:00 p.m. 2 - 0 (W)
STATS


Spring Break Trip

Fri, Mar 19 Eastern Illinois 27 at Winter Haven, Fla. 10:30 a.m. 7 - 6 (W)

Fri, Mar 19 Bucknell 27 at Winter Haven, Fla. 1:30 p.m. 9 - 7 (W)

Sat, Mar 20 Army 27 at Winter Haven, Fla. 6:30 p.m. 12 - 2 (W)

Sun, Mar 21 Cornell 27 at Winter Haven, Fla. 1:30 p.m. CANCELLED

Mon, Mar 22 Bethune-Cookman 22 at Daytona Beach, Fla. 3:00 p.m. 3 - 5 (L)

Tue, Mar 23 Dartmouth 22 at Winter Haven, Fla. 10:00 a.m. 7 - 6 (W)

Wed, Mar 24 Rollins 22 at Auburndale, Fla. 6:00 p.m. 1 - 3 (L) 10 innings

Thu, Mar 25 Webber International 22 at Babson Park, Fla. 1:00 p.m. 0 - 9 (L)
Wed, Mar 31 Toledo - Columbus, Ohio 2:05 p.m. 4 - 3 (W)

Fri, Apr 02 Northwestern * - at Evanston, Ill. 4:00 p.m. 11 - 1 (W)

Sat, Apr 03 Northwestern * - at Evanston, Ill. 2:00 p.m. 2 - 8 (L)

Sun, Apr 04 Northwestern * - at Evanston, Ill. 2:00 p.m. 11 - 6 (W)

Wed, Apr 07 Xavier - Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m. 12 - 7 (W)

Fri, Apr 09 Indiana * - Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m. 7 - 1 (W)
STATS BigTenNetwork.com

Sat, Apr 10 Indiana * - Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m. 4 - 6 (L) 10 innings
BigTenNetwork.com

Sun, Apr 11 Indiana * - Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m. 10 - 8 (W)
BigTenNetwork.com

Fri, Apr 16 Michigan St. * - at East Lansing, Mich. 3:00 p.m. 10 - 1 (W)
STATS
Sat, Apr 17 Michigan St. * - at East Lansing, Mich. 1:00 p.m. 4 - 3 (W)
STATS
Sun, Apr 18 Michigan St. * - at East Lansing, Mich. 1:00 p.m. 7 - 14 (L)
STATS
Wed, Apr 21 Akron - Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m. 7 - 10 (L)

Fri, Apr 23 Penn St. * - Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m. 3 - 1 (W)

Sat, Apr 24 Penn St. * - Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m. 10 - 18 (L)

Sun, Apr 25 Penn St. * - Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m. 6 - 14 (L)

Buckeye Batting Averages
16 Hurley, Zach . 4 0 8
10 Rupert, Cory . 3 8 5
24 Stephens, Michael . 3 8 0
17 Kovanda, Cory . 3 7 9
29 DeLucia, Brian . 3 6 1
23 Dew, Ryan . 3 3 1
15 Burkhart, Dan . 3 2 8
20 Streng, Matt . 2 8 0
21 Hallberg, Brad . 2 7 9
1 Engle, Tyler . 2 4 3


2010 Big Ten Baseball Standings

1. Michigan State 7-5 .583 27-11 .711
Michigan 7-5 .583 25-14 .641
Ohio State 7-5 .583 22-13 .629
Northwestern 7-5 .583 15-23 .395

5. Purdue 6-6 .500 24-16 .600
Indiana 6-6 .500 20-18 .526
Minnesota 6-6 .500 16-24 .400
8. Illinois 5-7 .417 19-18 .514
Iowa 5-7 .417 17-21 .447
10. Penn State 4-8 .333 17-23 .425
The Buckeyes are tied for 1st as of 4-27-10

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Highest Paid NBA Players


Highest Paid NBA Players......... as of 4-27-10

With the play-offs in full swing I thought some of you would be interested in this, especially when you see some of the names. I found this on www.bing.com

1. Tracy McGrady
23.2 Million
New York Knicks
out for year

2. Kobe Bryant
23.0 million
Lakers

3. Jermaine O'Neal
23.0 million
Miami Heat

4. Tim Duncan
22.2 million
San Antonio Spurs

5. Shaq
20.0 million
Cavs

6. Dirk Nowitzki
19.8 million
Dallas Mavericks

7. Paul Pierce
19.8 million
Boston

8. Ray Allen
19.8 million
Boston

9. Rashard Lewis
18.9 million
Orlando Magic

10. Michael Redd
17.0 million
Bucks
out for season

Lebron James is 19th on the list at 15.8 million and Chris Bosch and D Wade are 21st and 22nd at 15.8 as well.

Monday, April 26, 2010

2010 NFL Draft Grades





Cleveland Browns: B+

Mike Holmgren is known for his ability to build an offense, but he started the draft working on improving the defensive side of the ball, securing the draft's best cornerback in Joe Haden (Florida) and following that with the hardest-hitting safety in the country in T.J. Ward. The pick that will get all of the attention -- quarterback Colt McCoy, who has enough arm strength, accuracy and intelligence to perform well in the West Coast offense. Running back Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) could emerge as the team's most impactful rookie on offense if he can duplicate his 2009 season and remain healthy. Shawn Lauvao (Arizona State) is a tough, versatile lineman who could become a valuable swingman in Cleveland. WR Carlton Mitchell (South Florida) and DE Clifton Geathers (South Carolina), who each left after their junior seasons, have the size and athleticism worthy of being development picks



Cleveland Browns
The key to the draft was the selection of Texas QB Colt McCoy with the 85th overall pick. McCoy won 45 games in 53 college starts. McCoy made perfect sense in the third round, and he will be given every opportunity to be the future quarterback of this struggling franchise. Mike Holmgren did say he won’t be coaching McCoy, nor will the rookie play this season. It’s Jake Delhomme’s job in 2010. Grade: B+



This season is expected to be a close race in the division. So the drafts of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns could go a long way toward determining who comes out on top.

AFC North Draft Grades

Best move

The "Wizard of Oz" was at it again. After trading out of the first round for the first time in franchise history, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome came back strong in the second round by grabbing two first-round talents in linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive tackle Terrence "Mount" Cody.
Sergio Kindle notched 16 sacks over the past two seasons for Texas.Baltimore passed over some good players in the first round when the team traded its No. 25 overall pick to the Denver Broncos, who surprisingly selected former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. In return the Ravens got three valuable picks and selected two potentials steals on defense in Kindle and Cody.
"Well, I think the biggest thing that we did [is] we got guys that we wouldn't want to play against," Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said. "You know, these guys all have, really, a dominant trait in some respect. They do different things very well, and that's intriguing in our situation to get a linebacker that can really rush the passer -- a very explosive guy. And then we've had a lot of success over the years with these massive run-stuffers. Terrence Cody is that guy."
The Ravens had Kindle rated very high on their board and weren't scared off by injury concerns about his knee. That was the reason he fell to the second round. Cody has weight issues. But if he's able to keep that under control, Cody can be a force alongside Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata to create one of the biggest pairings of defensive tackles in the league.

Riskiest move

It's hard to doubt the Steelers with their stellar track record. But they did ignore more immediate needs in the top half of this year's draft.
Pittsburgh passed over help in other areas early to grab pass-rushers Jason Worilds and Thaddeus Gibson. Barring injuries, this pair of outside linebackers will have a very hard time getting on the field while sitting behind Pro Bowlers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.
Worilds and Gibson could turn out to be productive players at some point. But if I had rated positions of need for the Steelers entering this draft, outside linebacker would have been last.
In particular, there were plenty of quality defensive linemen available in the first three or four rounds who could've provided a more immediate impact in Pittsburgh's defensive rotation. But the team did a solid job addressing another immediate need at cornerback by trading with the Arizona Cardinals for former Steelers starter Bryant McFadden.

Most surprising move

Although it wasn't shocking the Browns landed former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, the manner in which Cleveland did it was very surprising. The Browns really liked McCoy, particularly his intangibles and accuracy, but felt they had more pressing needs to address early in the draft. Cleveland instead plugged holes in the secondary and at running back for three rounds as McCoy surprisingly slid further than expected.
When the Browns came up at No. 85 overall, Cleveland finally got its quarterback of the future.
"In Colt's case, I really didn't think that he would be available to us," Browns president Mike Holmgren said. "I really felt that he would go before we had a chance to pick him. But when it didn't happen, it was something I really wanted to do and [coach] Eric [Mangini] and [GM] Tom [Heckert] went along with me and there you have it."
McCoy, a projected early second-rounder, wasn't too thrilled about his slide. But it could work in his favor.
As much as the city of Cleveland tends to love its backup quarterbacks, McCoy is coming to the Browns as a low third-rounder and without a ton of pressure to perform immediately.
Veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme is the starter in 2010, and the team has an experienced backup in Seneca Wallace. So McCoy should be able to hold a clipboard, learn the offense and get used to the NFL game for a full season before Cleveland thinks about putting him on the field.
"I don't expect him to play this year," Holmgren said. "We didn't draft [McCoy] to play this year."

File it away

The Bengals' third-round selection of Texas receiver Jordan Shipley adds a tremendous amount of competition to Cincinnati's receiving corps. Out of necessity, expect a surprise cut or two at the position coming out of training camp.
Pro Bowler Chad Ochocinco and free-agent pickup Antonio Bryant are set as the two starters. But Shipley, Andre Caldwell, Matt Jones, Quan Cosby and former second-round pick Jerome Simpson also will compete for roles on the team.
There are not enough roster spots to carry everyone. Could this be the year Cincinnati cuts ties with Simpson, who has been a bust his first two seasons? Or will the controversial signing of Jones, who’s had off-field troubles and was out of football last season, be for naught? Cosby, last year's punt returner, also is a possible cut.
The Bengals have a lot of options in their passing game, which struggled at the end of last season. But they will have to make some key decisions about who will be a part of it in 2010.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Funny Pictures and Videos


Spell-Check Anyone????


Take That!!


One of those Years already


Surrounded!!


It's One to One!!


TWINS!!!!!!



Charles Barkley Just Up And Calls Everyone "Assholes"


Brian Kownacki Leaps The Catcher


Lawrence Frank Drops the F-Bomb on ESPN's First Take

Thursday, April 22, 2010

2010 NFL Draft Day 7:00 Today ESPN



2010 NFL Mock Draft: Giants, Eagles may trade up in first round
Peter King www.si.com
One of the reasons Gil Brandt, the godfather of the NFL Draft, thinks this one will have more "I'm shocked" moments is because of the pre-draft smokescreens by the teams picking high this year. Washington GM Bruce Allen and coach Mike Shanahan have always been pros at disguising their draft intentions. Scott Pioli, in his second draft in Kansas City, has his front office locked down. The Seahawks, Bills and Jags have muzzles on too. With those five teams in the top 10, Brandt's theory -- which is correct, I believe -- will bear fruit this year. One or more of those teams will pull off a shocker.
It's during times like these that doing a mock draft becomes most difficult. But I've learned over the years to ignore much of what's said in April when I put the mock jigsaw together.
Take the Redskins. Washington has a crying need for a tackle, its biggest need by far. There are three or four very good ones projected as top picks. Washington has the fourth pick in the first round, its only pick in the top 100. Shanahan twice shocked the world with Denver, picking John Mobley (1996) and Jay Cutler (2006) when no one had a clue he cared about either. His son, new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, has been talking about how swell he thinks his line is, particularly tackles Stephen Heyer and Artis Hicks. Allen and Mike Shanahan have said they might take a quarterback at number four.
Well, they might. But if you just traded for a veteran passer (Donovan McNabb) with three or four years left, with no one to protect his blind side, drafting into the teeth of a top-tackle draft, with one pick in the top 100 ... I mean, would your pick be Jimmy Clausen?
Mine wouldn't be either. So here's my mock draft, finalized last weekend in time for the magazine's deadline, with a tackle to Washington and two trades I project in the top half of the round. Trades -- always stupid to project. But I know Denver and Miami are talking about moving down, and I'm rolling some dice. In, as Brandt says, a very dicey first round. (Click players' names for complete profiles)

1. St. Louis
Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Rams need a face of the franchise -- and an accurate deep arm. Bradford's both.
2. Detroit
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Coach Jim Schwartz had Albert Haynesworth in Tennessee. He thinks Suh's better.
3. Tampa Bay
Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Easiest pick in the draft. For Bucs, value of McCoy is twice any other player left.
4. Washington
Trent Williams, T, Oklahoma
Got a sick feeling Shanahan wants to deal down, pick a QB. Crazy, but that's him.
5. Kansas City
Bryan Bulaga, T, Iowa
Sinking on most boards, but GM Pioli sees meat-and-potatoes left tackle for a decade.
6. Seattle
Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State
'Hawks rejoice. A month ago, Okung was top tackle on most NFL draft boards.
7. Cleveland
Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
But if Williams or Okung's around, this will be a very tough call for GM Tom Heckert.

8. Oakland
Anthony Davis, T, Rutgers
Chalk pick -- big, athletic OT -- but since when do Raiders make the chalk pick?
9. Buffalo
Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
Chan Gailey gets the only top nose tackle in draft to anchor his 3-4 defense.
10. Jacksonville
C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
I know he has Maurice Jones-Drew ... but Jack Del Rio thinks Spiller can be the next Chris Johnson



11.* Giants (from Den.)
Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
TRADE: G-men desperate to get long-term middle linebacker. Figure they can't wait until 15th pick.
12.^ Philadelphia (from Miami)
Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
TRADE: Eagles lost out on two free-agent gems -- Julius Peppers and Aaron Kampman -- and need a defensive end.
13. San Francisco
Joe Haden, CB, Florida
Lucky Niner night, getting the best corner in the draft in the middle of the first round.
14. Seattle
Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
It doesn't fit after Charlie Whitehurst deal, but 'Hawks think he's a top-5 player in draft
.
15.* Denver
Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan
Broncos would be happy with Kyle Wilson, Dez Bryant or Maurkice Pouncey here.
16. Tennessee
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
Titan task: Replenishing the defensive line one pass-rusher at a time, with a Jevon Kearse clone.
17. San Francisco
Mike Iupati, OL, Idaho
I came very close to putting Dez Bryant here. Imagine a Bryant/Michael Crabtree combo. Scary.
18. Pittsburgh
Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida
The Pouncey fan club is growing. Six mid-first-round teams could take him by early 20s.
19. Atlanta
Earl Thomas, S, Texas
No one thought he'd fall this far. I'm still not sure he will. But Falcons have to pounce.
20. Houston
Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
Texans steal Wilson, a physical force with good closing speed, this low in the round.
21. Cincinnati
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
Watch Oklahoma on tape. Gresham's so athletic you'll think you're watching a wideout.
22. New England
Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
"Coach Belichick? Dez Bryant's babysitter on line two.'' I don't care. I love the pick.
23. Green Bay
Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas
Bookend for Clay Matthews had 34.5 tackles for loss his last two years at Texas.
24.^ Miami
Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State
I know Dolphins love Mathews and would settle for him ... but like others here too.
25. Baltimore
DeMaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
Anquan Boldin. Donte' Stallworth. Thomas. Talk about rebuilding the weakest point of a playoff team.
26. Arizona
Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri
Cards begin to rebuild the defense that got laid waste this off-season with pass-rusher.
27. Dallas
Taylor Mays, S, USC
I say they rue the day they don't take tackle of the future, but Dallas likes speedy safety.
28. San Diego
Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
Ideal draft for Chargers is Dan Williams in first, Stanford RB Toby Gerhart down the line.
29. New York Jets
Jahvid Best, RB, Cal
This pick makes no sense -- unless you think Leon Washington and LaDainian Tomlinson are short-timers.
30. Minnesota
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
A hunch. Nothing more. Brett Favre lasts another year (two at the outside) while Tebow grows
.
31. Indianapolis
Rodger Saffold, T, Indiana
Colts tab an athletic left tackle candidate to fill a position they've been longing to cement for years.
32. New Orleans
Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers




Five bold draft predictions: Starting at No. 1
By Rob Rang
NFLDraftScout.com
5. St. Louis trades out of the first pick
I reported that the Browns were having internal discussions about offering a package of picks to the Rams for the rights to the No. 1 selection two days before Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert publicly acknowledged the talks. While trading out of the top pick is rarely feasible, the 2010 draft is unique in that the Browns appear to be enamored with Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and have the ammunition (five picks in the top 100) to make St. Louis a tempting offer.
Most important, sources tell me the Rams are not significantly more sold on Bradford than some of the other quarterbacks in this draft, namely Texas' Colt McCoy. If the Rams believe they can get McCoy with the first pick of the second round -- the 33rd pick overall -- don't be surprised if they trade out of No. 1, collect their extra picks and take advantage of this year's deep talent level to reshape their roster.

4. New TV-friendly format leads to plenty of drama, multiple trades
The NFL may have changed the draft format to better suit primetime television, but the impact could produce far more than just increased viewership as the new format will give teams more time to formulate trades.
The Seahawks and 49ers, with two first-round picks each, are obvious candidates to make moves. The Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots are all exploring trade-down opportunities, sources tell me. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, are looking to move up.

3. Trent Williams will be drafted over Russell Okung
Oklahoma State's Russell Okung is the top-rated offensive lineman in the 2010 draft by NFLDraftScout.com and most teams. He will not, however, be the first offensive tackle off the board, as the Washington Redskins will take Oklahoma's Trent Williams with the fourth overall pick.
Williams is seen as a better fit in Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. Okung won't be on the board for long, however. The Kansas City Chiefs or Seattle Seahawks will take him with one of the next two picks.

2. Ryan Mathews leapfrogs C.J. Spiller
I stand behind the comparison to Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson that I've been making with C.J. Spiller since September. The Clemson running back is the most dynamic runner and returner in this draft and is such an explosive athlete that he's an obvious candidate to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year wherever he may end up.
However, I've spoken to several clubs who feel that Fresno State's Ryan Mathews could sneak ahead of Spiller simply because of the fact that at 6-feet, 218 pounds, Mathews has the bulk to be an every-down back.
Most believe Mathews could wind up with the Houston Texans at No. 20 or the San Diego Chargers at No. 28 due to the fact that both teams have obvious concerns at running back. Six running backs have been drafted in the first round the past two years, and each went to teams with established runners already on their roster.
Spiller and Mathews are going in the top 32 -- and where they end up might prove to be two of the more surprising stories of the Thursday's opening round.

1. Some team is going to severely reach for South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul
Let's be clear about this. I'm not so in love with Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan's game that I think he warrants a top 10 selection -- and considering that he plays one of the true premier positions in the game, that is saying something about my top-rated pass rusher.
To rate Jason Pierre-Paul over Morgan, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is lunacy in my opinion. Pierre-Paul has seven career starts at the D-I level. Those starts were not consecutive, but spread out over 11 games, and he wasn't a dominating presence.
He's wonderfully athletic, possessing the quick burst off the snap and long arms that every team operating out of the 4-3 alignment is looking for. He has very little understanding of gap alignment, however, and offers next to nothing in terms of run defense.
The team that selects Pierre-Paul with a top 20 selection can expect similar results from his rookie season that Vernon Gholston in 2009 (Jets) and Aaron Maybin (Bills) and Robert Ayers (Broncos) last year -- three other severely overrated (by some) -- produced.





How come Sam isn't a Ram already?
Alex Marvez www.foxsports.com
It's the NFL draft's $50 million question.
Why haven't the St. Louis Rams already told Sam Bradford that he will be the first player chosen Thursday night?
Mind you, I still think Bradford is ultimately heading to the Gateway City. Since the Rams pick first, they could inform Bradford of their intentions at any point before going on the clock. Or they could make Bradford sweat, which the University of Oklahoma quarterback admits is a worst-case scenario.
"I would like to know or have a good idea of where I'm going before tomorrow night gets here," Bradford said late Wednesday morning at an NFL community event in Central Park. "If I walk into that (green) room having no idea, my heart's going to be going nonstop until I hear my name."
Not that the Rams have done anything lately to make Bradford's heart flutter with joy. Bradford said St. Louis has given no indication about his draft standing.
"They've held their cards really close to the vest," he said.
If the Rams felt strongly enough about Bradford as a franchise quarterback, St. Louis already would have plopped its hand on the table. The Rams wouldn't be open to trade talks with another interested suitor like Cleveland even with all the holes that could be filled with extra picks by moving down in the draft. The Rams wouldn't still be singing the praises of defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy as possible No. 1 selections. They wouldn't be talking up Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen during a Tuesday pre-draft news conference.
The Rams would have settled on Bradford at some point last week. They would have started contract negotiations with Bradford's agents to get him signed before the draft and eliminate any possibility of a ruinous JaMarcus Russell-like holdout. Bradford said that he was amenable to signing with the Rams early but the team "never presented a contract."
"If they haven't pulled the trigger, how could there be a contract?" Bradford said.
The Rams have won six games in three seasons, finishing progressively worse each year. They let two marquee signal-callers (Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez) slip away in the past two drafts. St. Louis can't make the same mistake again -- unless they're not completely sold on Bradford and the massive price tag that could include $50 million in guaranteed cash for an unproven NFL commodity.
I asked Bradford why a team that desperately needs a franchise quarterback and has a chance to draft a highly-touted one like himself hadn't already done so. Bradford flashed a polite smile and said, "It's probably a little more complicated than that. Obviously, it's a big decision for their organization. They can wait as long as they want. They don't have to make a decision until tomorrow night. I think they're just weighing their options, making sure that they're 100 percent sure of what they want to do."
Bradford can do nothing more on his end to convince the Rams of his worth. Bradford did every pre-draft passing drill asked of him and proved his surgically repaired throwing shoulder was sound. He met extensively with Rams officials and coaches during private interviews. He got stronger, bulking his 6-foot-4 frame up to 236 pounds. Bradford can't do anything about missing last season and the "fragile" label placed upon him. But his outstanding 2008 campaign -- 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 4,720 yards, 67.9 completion percentage – was good enough to potentially make Bradford the No. 1 pick in last year's draft ahead of Matthew Stafford had he turned pro.
"It's definitely been a rollercoaster for me coming off the injury," Bradford said. "There are so many different emotions I've felt over the past couple months. When I decided to have the surgery, you're not nervous but you're anxious to see how your shoulder is going to come back. Sometimes it's a little stressful because when you don't throw a ball in so long, you're not sure how you're going to be able to throw. With only four or five weeks to get ready for my pro day, at times that wore on me mentally.
"But in the end, I realize I'm extremely fortunate. There are guys who would kill to be in this situation. I realize I'm blessed and have tried to have as much fun and go with the flow as much as I can the past couple of months."
The pre-draft ride ends Thursday night, here. A new journey then begins – whether in St. Louis or elsewhere.
"At the end of the day, I realize that's not my decision," Bradford said about wanting to become the draft's No. 1 pick. "I've done everything I can at this point. I've shown them the type of player and person I am. Now it's up to the organization."
Should it be the Rams, that organization sure has a funny way of showing Bradford it's genuinely excited to have him under center.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

2010-2011 NFL Schedule


2010-2011 NFL Schedule

WEEK 1
Thursday, Sep. 09
Game Time TV

Minnesota at New Orleans 8:30 pm
Sunday, Sep. 12
Game Time TV

Denver at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Miami at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Detroit at Chicago 1:00 pm
Indianapolis at Houston 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Oakland at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Carolina at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at New England 1:00 pm
San Francisco at Seattle 4:15 pm
Green Bay at Philadelphia 4:15 pm
Arizona at St. Louis 4:15 pm
Dallas at Washington 8:20 pm

Monday, Sep. 13
Game Time TV
Baltimore at N.Y. Jets 7:00 pm
San Diego at Kansas City 10:15 pm


WEEK 2
Sunday, Sep. 19
Game Time TV

Arizona at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Tampa Bay at Carolina 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Philadelphia at Detroit 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Miami at Minnesota 1:00 pm
Baltimore at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Chicago at Dallas 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Green Bay 1:00 pm
St. Louis at Oakland 4:05 pm
Seattle at Denver 4:05 pm
Jacksonville at San Diego 4:15 pm
New England at N.Y. Jets 4:15 pm
Houston at Washington 4:15 pm
N.Y. Giants at Indianapolis 8:20 pm

Monday, Sep. 20
Game Time TV
New Orleans at San Francisco 8:30 pm


WEEK 3
Sunday, Sep. 26
Game Time TV

Cleveland at Baltimore 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at Carolina 1:00 pm
Dallas at Houston 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Tennessee at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Atlanta at New Orleans 1:00 pm
Buffalo at New England 1:00 pm
Detroit at Minnesota 1:00 pm
San Francisco at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Washington at St. Louis 4:05 pm
Philadelphia at Jacksonville 4:05 pm
San Diego at Seattle 4:15 pm
Indianapolis at Denver 4:15 pm
Oakland at Arizona 4:15 pm
N.Y. Jets at Miami 8:20 pm

Monday, Sep. 27
Game Time TV
Green Bay at Chicago 8:30 pm


WEEK 4
Sunday, Oct. 03
Game Time TV

San Francisco at Atlanta 1:00 pm
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Detroit at Green Bay 1:00 pm
Carolina at New Orleans 1:00 pm
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Denver at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Seattle at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Houston at Oakland 4:05 pm
Indianapolis at Jacksonville 4:05 pm
Arizona at San Diego 4:15 pm
Washington at Philadelphia 4:15 pm
Chicago at N.Y. Giants 8:20 pm

Monday, Oct. 04
Game Time TV
New England at Miami 8:30 pm
Open date: Dallas,Kansas City,Minnesota,Tampa Bay


WEEK 5
Sunday, Oct. 10
Game Time TV

N.Y. Giants at Houston 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Chicago at Carolina 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Tampa Bay at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Denver at Baltimore 1:00 pm
St. Louis at Detroit 1:00 pm
Green Bay at Washington 1:00 pm
New Orleans at Arizona 4:05 pm
Tennessee at Dallas 4:15 pm
San Diego at Oakland 4:15 pm
Philadelphia at San Francisco 8:20 pm

Monday, Oct. 11
Game Time TV
Minnesota at N.Y. Jets 8:30 pm
Open date: Miami,Pittsburgh,Seattle,New England


WEEK 6
Sunday, Oct. 17
Game Time TV

Seattle at Chicago 1:00 pm
Miami at Green Bay 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Houston 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Detroit at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Philadelphia 1:00 pm
San Diego at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Baltimore at New England 1:00 pm
Oakland at San Francisco 4:05 pm
N.Y. Jets at Denver 4:05 pm
Dallas at Minnesota 4:15 pm
Indianapolis at Washington 8:20 pm

Monday, Oct. 18
Game Time TV
Tennessee at Jacksonville 8:30 pm
Open date: Arizona,Buffalo,Carolina,Cincinnati


WEEK 7
Sunday, Oct. 24
Game Time TV

Cincinnati at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Baltimore 1:00 pm
San Francisco at Carolina 1:00 pm
Washington at Chicago 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Miami 1:00 pm
Philadelphia at Tennessee 1:00 pm
St. Louis at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Cleveland at New Orleans 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Arizona at Seattle 4:05 pm
New England at San Diego 4:15 pm
Oakland at Denver 4:15 pm
Minnesota at Green Bay 8:20 pm

Monday, Oct. 25
Game Time TV
N.Y. Giants at Dallas 8:30 pm
Open date: Detroit,Indianapolis,N.Y. Jets,Houston


WEEK 8
Sunday, Oct. 31
Game Time TV

Washington at Detroit 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Miami at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Carolina at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Green Bay at N.Y. Jets 1:00 pm
Denver at San Francisco 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Dallas 1:00 pm
Tennessee at San Diego 4:05 pm
Minnesota at New England 4:15 pm
Tampa Bay at Arizona 4:15 pm
Seattle at Oakland 4:15 pm
Pittsburgh at New Orleans 8:20 pm

Monday, Nov. 01
Game Time TV
Houston at Indianapolis 8:30 pm
Open date: Atlanta,Baltimore,Chicago,N.Y. Giants,Philadelphia,Cleveland


WEEK 9
Sunday, Nov. 07
Game Time TV

Tampa Bay at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Miami at Baltimore 1:00 pm
Chicago at Buffalo 1:00 pm
New Orleans at Carolina 1:00 pm
New England at Cleveland 1:00 pm
San Diego at Houston 1:00 pm
N.Y. Jets at Detroit 1:00 pm
Arizona at Minnesota 1:00 pm
N.Y. Giants at Seattle 4:05 pm
Kansas City at Oakland 4:15 pm
Indianapolis at Philadelphia 4:15 pm
Dallas at Green Bay 8:20 pm

Monday, Nov. 08
Game Time TV
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 8:30 pm
Open date: Denver,Jacksonville,St. Louis,San Francisco,Tennessee,Washington


WEEK 10
Thursday, Nov. 11
Game Time TV

Baltimore at Atlanta 8:20 pm
Sunday, Nov. 14
Game Time TV

Minnesota at Chicago 1:00 pm
N.Y. Jets at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Carolina at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Tennessee at Miami 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Detroit at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Houston at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Denver 4:05 pm
St. Louis at San Francisco 4:15 pm
Dallas at N.Y. Giants 4:15 pm
Seattle at Arizona 4:15 pm
New England at Pittsburgh 8:20 pm

Monday, Nov. 15
Game Time TV
Philadelphia at Washington 8:30 pm
Open date: Green Bay,New Orleans,Oakland,San Diego


WEEK 11
Thursday, Nov. 18
Game Time TV

Chicago at Miami 8:20 pm
Sunday, Nov. 21
Game Time TV

Detroit at Dallas 1:00 pm
Arizona at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Green Bay at Minnesota 1:00 pm
Baltimore at Carolina 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Oakland at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Washington at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Houston at N.Y. Jets 1:00 pm
Atlanta at St. Louis 4:05 pm
Tampa Bay at San Francisco 4:05 pm
Seattle at New Orleans 4:05 pm
Indianapolis at New England 4:15 pm
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia 8:20 pm

Monday, Nov. 22
Game Time TV
Denver at San Diego 8:30 pm


WEEK 12
Thursday, Nov. 25
Game Time TV

New England at Detroit 12:30 pm
New Orleans at Dallas 4:15 pm
Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets 8:20 pm
Sunday, Nov. 28
Game Time TV

Carolina at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Philadelphia at Chicago 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Green Bay at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Tampa Bay at Baltimore 1:00 pm
Tennessee at Houston 1:00 pm
Minnesota at Washington 1:00 pm
Kansas City at Seattle 4:05 pm
Miami at Oakland 4:05 pm
St. Louis at Denver 4:15 pm
San Diego at Indianapolis 8:20 pm

Monday, Nov. 29
Game Time TV
San Francisco at Arizona 8:30 pm


WEEK 13
Thursday, Dec. 02
Game Time TV

Houston at Philadelphia 8:20 pm
Sunday, Dec. 05
Game Time TV

Chicago at Detroit 1:00 pm
New Orleans at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Washington at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Minnesota 1:00 pm
San Francisco at Green Bay 1:00 pm
Denver at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Miami 1:00 pm
Oakland at San Diego 4:05 pm
St. Louis at Arizona 4:15 pm
Carolina at Seattle 4:15 pm
Dallas at Indianapolis 4:15 pm
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 8:20 pm

Monday, Dec. 06
Game Time TV
N.Y. Jets at New England 8:30
pm

WEEK 14
Thursday, Dec. 09
Game Time TV

Indianapolis at Tennessee 8:20 pm
Sunday, Dec. 12
Game Time TV

New England at Chicago 1:00 pm
Green Bay at Detroit 1:00 pm
Oakland at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Tampa Bay at Washington 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Carolina 1:00 pm
N.Y. Giants at Minnesota 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Seattle at San Francisco 4:05 pm
St. Louis at New Orleans 4:05 pm
Kansas City at San Diego 4:15 pm
Miami at N.Y. Jets 4:15 pm
Denver at Arizona 4:15 pm
Philadelphia at Dallas 8:20 pm

Monday, Dec. 13
Game Time TV
Baltimore at Houston 8:30 pm


WEEK 15
Thursday, Dec. 16
Game Time TV

San Francisco at San Diego 8:20 pm
Sunday, Dec. 19
Game Time TV

Washington at Dallas 1:00 pm
Buffalo at Miami 1:00 pm
New Orleans at Baltimore 1:00 pm
Arizona at Carolina 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Cleveland at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Houston at Tennessee 1:00 pm
Detroit at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants 1:00 pm
Kansas City at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Atlanta at Seattle 4:05 pm
Denver at Oakland 4:15 pm
N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh 4:15 pm
Green Bay at New England 8:20 pm

Monday, Dec. 20
Game Time TV
Chicago at Minnesota 8:30 pm




WEEK 16
Thursday, Dec. 23

Game Time TV
Carolina at Pittsburgh 8:20 pm
Saturday, Dec. 25
Game Time TV

Dallas at Arizona 7:30 pm
Sunday, Dec. 26
Game Time TV

Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm
N.Y. Jets at Chicago 1:00 pm
New England at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Minnesota at Philadelphia 1:00 pm
Seattle at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
San Francisco at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Detroit at Miami 1:00 pm
Washington at Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Tennessee at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Indianapolis at Oakland 4:05 pm
Houston at Denver 4:05 pm
N.Y. Giants at Green Bay 4:15 pm
San Diego at Cincinnati 8:20 pm

Monday, Dec. 27
Game Time TV
New Orleans at Atlanta 8:30 pm


WEEK 17
Sunday, Jan. 02

Game Time TV
Carolina at Atlanta 1:00 pm
Tennessee at Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Minnesota at Detroit 1:00 pm
Chicago at Green Bay 1:00 pm
Oakland at Kansas City 1:00 pm
Miami at New England 1:00 pm
Tampa Bay at New Orleans 1:00 pm
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets 1:00 pm
Cincinnati at Baltimore 1:00 pm
Dallas at Philadelphia 1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Houston 1:00 pm
N.Y. Giants at Washington 1:00 pm
San Diego at Denver 4:15 pm
Arizona at San Francisco 4:15 pm
St. Louis at Seattle 4:15 pm

Monday, April 19, 2010

2010 NFL Draft



With the NFL draft just a few days away, attention has centered on the top prospects expected to be selected in the early rounds. Yet every year unknown players chosen in the middle and late parts of the draft make rosters around the league and positively impact NFL squads. Here are 14 players, none of whom were invited to the combine, creating a buzz in the scouting community, and the teams which have shown interest in them:

Matt Nichols/QB/Eastern Washington: Nichols, a four-year starter at Eastern Washington, threw for more than 12,600 yards and had 95 career touchdowns. He's patient and has an excellent feel for the game and command of the offense. Nichols, who has already visited with a half-dozen NFL teams, possesses the size and skill to back up at the next level.
Teams with interest: Chargers

Deji Karim/RB/Southern Illinois: Karim is not only one of the hottest small school running back prospects in the draft, but also one of the fastest risers at the position. The junior college transfer set the FBS world on fire last season, rushing for 1,693 yards while averaging 31 yards on kick returns. Scouts think Karim could be selected as early as the fourth round
Teams with interest: Lions

Ray Fisher/WR-CB-RS/Indiana: The versatile Fisher was a productive receiver for the Hoosiers before moving to cornerback as a senior. More than anything else, Fisher was a game-breaking return specialist at Indiana. He averaged 37.4 yards returning kicks as a senior and took two back for scores. Fisher's special team skills will place him in the draft's late rounds while his versatility to play cornerback or receiver is added value.
Teams with interest: Browns, Jets

Terrell Hudgins/WR/Elon: Hudgins amassed 394 receptions, 5,200 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns at Elon. During his pro-day workout, the 229-pound receiver surprised scouts by running the 40 in the mid-4.5 range. He's a sure-handed possession wideout with a nose for the end zone.
Teams with interest: Colts, Broncos, Packers

Marc Mariani/WR/Montana: Mariani elevated his game the past two seasons and is a terrific combination of reliability and toughness. He could easily be a fifth receiver at the next level; the ability to return punts is added value.
Teams with interest: Falcons, Texans, Colts

Scott Sicko/TE/New Hampshire: Sicko is a terrific pass-catching tight end who has averaged 52 receptions over the past three seasons. He shocked scouts last month by running the 40 under 4.55 seconds at his pro-day. Sicko has moved into the late rounds of the draft
Teams with interest: Patriots

Chris Campbell/OT/Eastern Illinois: Campbell could be the best kept secret in this year's draft. He's already visited three while six offensive line coaches have privately met with Campbell. He's an athletic left tackle prospect with terrific size (6-foot-6, 328 pounds) as well as growth potential. Just a one-year starter in college, Campbell's best football is ahead of him.
Teams with interest: Lions, Seahawks

Nick McDonald/G/Grand Valley State: McDonald is a two-year starter who held down the left tackle spot as a senior yet is a better fit inside at guard. He possesses a good frame (6-5, 300) and will only get bigger and stronger in time. Five offensive line coaches traveled to Grand Valley State for private workouts with McDonald.
Teams with interest: Packers, Seahawks

Darryl Jackson/DT/Kean: The Union, N.J., school is not a hotbed for NFL talent but scouts made the trip this year to watch Jackson. The 343-pound nose tackle moves well on his feet and plays with a degree of athleticism. He must improve his consistency yet his ability to collapse the pocket and control blockers up front has teams intrigued.
Teams with interest: Jets

David Howard/DT/Brown: Howard has been a fast riser recently as a number of NFL teams have become enamored with his athleticism. His quickness and burst help him consistently beat opponents off the snap.
Teams with interest: Raiders, Panthers

Danny Batten/DE-OLB/South Dakota State: Batten has been flying up draft boards after a dozen private workouts and visits the past month. The intense defender plays with a non-stop motor and could be a surprise middle-round pick on Saturday.
Teams with interest: Saints, Bengals

Tim Knicky/OLB/Stephen F. Austin: Like Batten, Knicky plays with a warrior mentality and is consistently disrupting the action behind the line of scrimmage. He totaled 24.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss the past two years. His 6-4, 240-pound frame is better suited for outside linebacker than the defensive end position he played in college. Knicky's speed, 4.60 in the 40, should make for a smooth transition. He could end up as a late-round pick.
Teams with interest: Packers, Patriots

Josh Morris/CB/Weber State: Morris possesses prototypical cornerback measurables at 5-11, 180, which nicely compliments his speed (4.45 in the 40). He improved week-to-week since transferring to Weber State three years ago and was one of the best small-school cornerbacks by the end of 2009. Franchises across the league have been receiving rave reviews on his skills from Andre Dyson, a six-year NFL veteran and presently the cornerbacks coach at Weber State.
Teams with interest: Dolphins, Cardinals

Terrence Johnson/CB/California-PA: Johnson plays in the same conference as another highly rated cornerback, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah of IUP, and is often overlooked. He's a feisty, three-year starter with eight interceptions to his credit the past two seasons. Johnson offers potential as a dime back at the next level and should be a demon on special teams.
Teams with interest: Ravens, Dolphins



NFL Mock Draft www.espn.com
1. Sam Bradford
Quarterback
Oklahoma The Rams have set up their roster to add a franchise quarterback in the draft. Bradford might not be the highest-rated player on the board, but his selection will give the organization someone to build around. (Mike Sando)
2. Ndamukong Suh
Defensive Tackle
Nebraska There has been significant debate about the wisdom of giving No. 2 money to a defensive tackle. Oklahoma State left tackle Russell Okung is a financial alternative. But if the Lions want the best player here, Suh is their man. (Kevin Seifert)
3. Gerald McCoy
Defensive Tackle
Oklahoma The Bucs might prefer Suh. But they'll be very happy to add McCoy to the middle of a defensive line that desperately needs help. McCoy has been compared to Warren Sapp. The Bucs will be thrilled if he's anything close to that. (Pat Yasinskas)
4. Russell Okung
Offensive Tackle
Oklahoma State With Donovan McNabb now in the fold, the Skins need someone to protect his blind side. Okung is the most complete left tackle in the draft and he'll be expected to lock down the position for the next 10 years or so. Andy Reid's "genius" prevents Mike Shanahan from making a play for Sam Bradford. (Matt Mosley)
5. Eric Berry
Safety
Tennessee The Chiefs would have a decision to make if Okung fell past Washington. Berry has to be the choice over the other available left tackles. Berry can be the impact defender Kansas City desperately needs. (Bill Williamson)
6. Trent Williams
Offensive Tackle
Oklahoma The Seahawks badly need a tackle and scouts say Williams would fit their scheme nicely. This would seemingly be an easy choice given how the first five picks unfolded. (Mike Sando)
7. Earl Thomas
Free Safety
Texas The Browns would prefer Berry here, but Thomas is the next best thing. Cleveland now has its playmaker at safety to match division rivals Baltimore (Ed Reed) and Pittsburgh (Troy Polamalu). (James Walker)

8. Bryan Bulaga
Offensive Tackle
Iowa The Raiders must address left tackle. They may be tempted to take a defender like Rolando McClain or Joe Haden or even trading down. But taking Bulaga begins the rebuilding process on the line. (Bill Williamson)
9. Jimmy Clausen
Quarterback
Notre Dame If there's a run on offensive tackles, the Bills will have a tough decision to make. Do they pick up a possible franchise quarterback or the fourth-best tackle in the draft? Based on this mock that would be Anthony Davis of Rutgers. Clausen is too tempting to pass up here. (Tim Graham)
10. Rolando McClain
Linebacker
Alabama Trading down to gain extra picks looks to be priority No. 1. But in this scenario in this spot, McClain is very attractive. He'd ensure Daryl Smith is outside where he belongs, and potentially give the Jags the sort of playmaking MLB they see in Indy and Houston. (Paul Kuharsky)
11. Dez Bryant
Wide Receiver
Oklahoma State The Jaguars' selection of McClain makes Denver turn to Bryant to replace Brandon Marshall. There is a risk that Bryant could be an off-field problem like Marshall was, but his talent can't be denied. Denver could also think about trading down to take Florida center Maurkice Pouncey. (Bill Williamson)
12. Dan Williams
Defensive Tackle
Tennessee Now that the Dolphins have taken care of their missing piece at wide receiver, their biggest pressing need is nose tackle. Aging veteran Jason Ferguson will be suspended the first eight games, and while Paul Soliai has been a solid fill-in, he's not the type of player who can be the keystone in a 3-4 defense. Williams is an elite run stopper. (Tim Graham)
13. C.J. Spiller
Running Back
Clemson The 49ers filled their need for a return specialist by adding Ted Ginn Jr., but Spiller would appear to be the most dynamic player available at this point. The 49ers need to set up Alex Smith for success and Spiller would liven up the offense. Cornerback Joe Haden, tackle Anthony Davis or pass-rush help could make sense, too. (Mike Sando)
14. Derrick Morgan
Defensive End
Georgia Tech Spiller would make sense if the 49ers did go with a tackle under this scenario. Morgan would give new Seattle coach Pete Carroll another building block on defense. End is a huge need and the value would seem to be there. (Mike Sando)
15. Mike Iupati
Guard
Idaho The Giants probably wanted McClain, but Iupati can take over immediately at left guard. The Giants must regain their identity with the running game. McClain was the guy, but Paul Kuharsky "reaches" for him at No. 10. (Matt Mosley)
16. Brandon Graham
Defensive End
Michigan The draft's first CB or second DE? The Titans go polished production over long-term upside in Jason Pierre-Paul. But with good options on the board at both positions, I think they'd love to move back, perhaps for Pierre-Paul or Kyle Wilson later. (Paul Kuharsky)
17. Anthony Davis
Offensive Tackle
Rutgers The 49ers wanted to draft a tackle in 2009, but they saw more value in Michael Crabtree than Michael Oher. Passing on a tackle two years in a row could be tough. Davis would fill an immediate need. (Mike Sando)
18. Joe Haden
Cornerback
Florida This is a dream scenario for the Steelers and fills their biggest need on defense. They acquire the best cover corner in the draft without moving up from No. 18 to get him. (James Walker)
19. Jason Pierre-Paul
Defensive End
South Florida I think they'd prefer Graham's proven track record over Pierre-Paul's potential. Outside linebacker also is a possibility here. But the need for a pass-rusher is so great, the Falcons almost can't pass on Pierre-Paul. (Pat Yasinskas)
20. Ryan Mathews
Running Back
Fresno State The Texans can't be displeased with the options here -- a choice of running backs beyond Spiller and corners beyond Haden. I think it'll be a choice between Mathews or Devin McCourty. Completing the offense trumps defensive need -- which gets addressed next. (Paul Kuharsky)
21. Jermaine Gresham
Tight End
Oklahoma In seven years, quarterback Carson Palmer has never had a legitimate threat at tight end. Gresham is a tremendous weapon in the middle of the field who could take Cincinnati's passing game to the next level. (James Walker)
22. Sergio Kindle
Linebacker
Texas The Patriots were frustrated with their production at outside linebacker. Highly-paid veterans Adalius Thomas and Derrick Burgess combined for eight sacks. Kindle fits the Bill Belichick prototype for an outside linebacker. Kindle's about 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds and versatile enough to rush the passer, pursue the run and drop into coverage. (Tim Graham)
23. Charles Brown
Offensive Tackle
USC I'm thinking the Packers would have jumped on Kindle if New England passed him up. I also gave serious thought to Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson, but stuck with the Packers' top need. (Kevin Seifert)
24. Kyle Wilson
Cornerback
Boise State The Eagles can't believe their good fortune when the Packers take a project player in front of them. There's a chance Wilson immediately takes over for Sheldon Brown as a starter. The Cowboys were hoping he'd keep sliding. (Matt Mosley)
25. Jared Odrick
Defensive Tackle
Penn State With the exception of Haloti Ngata, Baltimore's D-line is getting long in the tooth. Odrick is a solid value pick here and will immediately help Baltimore win those battles in the trenches. (James Walker)