Saturday Sound Offs-The Blog for the College Football Junkie

Question of the Day #3: Colored Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:46:00 +0000

Q: Should the NCAA ban the use of colored fields?

A: No.

Wow! Sorry about that prolonged absence. I had no idea it had been this long since I last updated this site. At any rate, let's press on with some of the preseason questions regarding the college football scene.

If you haven't heard, Central Arkansas is getting a new field. And it's not a purple field. Well, sorta. It's actually a multicolored field with stripes of purple and silver. Yeah, and you thought Boise State and Eastern Washington were radical.

What many in the UCA community and the college football community at-large thought was a funny joke as this report was released on April Fool's Day, this turns out to be legit (unlike LSU's joke of a purple field a few years ago). Many outlets did confirm earlier this month that this was indeed a legit proposal and will take effect this season (I believe the installation may be underway right now).

This begs the question, is this the future of college football? I respect tradition as much as the next guy, but I am also a big fan of iconoclasts. Being iconoclastic for the sake of attention may not be held in as high esteem, but these schools are looking for something to latch on to and I won't begrudge them that. After all, Boise State's initial decision over 20 years ago to install blue turf has done wonders for their program. It feels like the fad is wearing thin, but the decision should be left up to the individual schools. Eventually if too many schools start doing it, attention-getting will not be a benefit of the switch.

I wonder what the ugliest fields would possibly be? Can you imagine Wyoming with a brown field? How about Oregon State with an orange field? UCLA or North Carolina with a powder blue field? Tennessee with the yellowish-orange? The possibilities are endless!

Question of the Day #2: The SEC in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Q: Will the SEC be the Best Conference in 2011?

A: Probably.

When people put their eggs all in one basket, usually things don't turn out as planned. Case in point, check out how the Big East did in the 2011 NCAA tournament. After all the hype, only two of the eleven teams made it into the Sweet 16 (and one of those was 11-seed Marquette). Granted, two second-round games were between Big East teams, but I think the point still stands. The SEC, even though they abused the Big 10 on New Year's, had a rather average bowl season, at least early. A 6-5 mark isn't anything to cry over, but the bottom end of the conference (which is where it is thought the strength of the conference comes from) was a paltry 1-4 in bowl games (counting Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia; leaving out the underrated Mississippi State).

Are there any conclusions we can derive from last year's bowl games though? Not really. It's a one-and-done for most of the teams involved and you can never purely assess the teams' psychological makeup heading into an exhibition game after a long lay off. Clearly, even though the SEC was fairly average compared to recent seasons' outputs, I can't think of any other conference that was quite as good last year. The Pac-10 was terrible with USC, UCLA, Cal, and Oregon State not holding up their end of the bargain. Arizona and Washington were nothing to write home about while Stanford and Oregon were great. The Big 12 had Texas losing a step to go along with an incredibly weak bowl showing (A&M getting blown out by LSU, Nebraska blown out by Washington, Baylor blown out by Illinois, Kansas State losing to Syracuse, Missouri losing to tailspinning Iowa). The Big 10 was completely invalidated for 2010 after New Year's. The Big East was mediocre as ever. And the ACC was the usual above-average ACC.

Without a lot of competition and after yet another year of domination in the recruiting rankings, I have to give the nod to the SEC yet again, but this year, more than any other in the last handful, will see the rise of a challenger somewhere. Florida is adjusting to a new coach, South Carolina will be South Carolina again (8-4ish), Kentucky will be Kentucky again, Vandy is going to struggle, Tennessee has a lot of work to do, Georgia will disappoint again more than likely, Ole Miss will remain in neutral, and Alabama will be breaking in a new QB. Not to mention last year's national champion, Auburn, will practically be fielding a different team next season with all of the departures.

Okay, so who is to challenge the SEC if there is to be a challenger? I think it's the Big 10. Yes, as a Michigan man maybe I'm a little biased, but a post-suspension Ohio State team will be as good as anybody in the nation. Michigan may learn how to play defense. Illinois is returning enough guys to be dangerous. Michigan State was a bit of a fraud last season, but very solid. Iowa will be your usual Iowa team. Wisconsin will pound the rock and likely be the favorites in the 2011 conference title chase. Add Nebraska to the mix and this looks like a conference that could pose a threat to the SEC.

So I'm a little non-committal on this question. If I were a betting man, ESPN will give the SEC an automatic pass thanks to their billion dollar partnership, but the bottom half of this conference will be all sorts of weak. Tennessee I think could easily be a top 15 team next season if Bray and the youngsters make the expected progress, but beyond that, Auburn will dip, Alabama will dip, Arkansas will dip without Mallett, while Florida and Georgia are in relative states of flux. Those are your usual conference powerhouses and none seem to be able to dominate the college football field this year. Could Mississippi State take advantage? Time will tell.

Question of the Day #1: The Team to Come From Nowhere

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:38:00 +0000

Q: Which team is most likely to be a top 25 dark horse near the end of the 2011 season?

A: Tulsa.

Tulsa is going to be a hot pick to do a lot of damage this year. The reason being 19 starters come back, 10 on one of the nation's most potent offenses. However, there are a few set backs and reasons to be worried. First off, there's the schedule. The odds of Tulsa competing for a spot in the BCS are extremely slim considering they face Oklahoma and Boise State in the non-conference schedule on the road with a pretty solid Oklahoma State team tossed in for good measure. However, in C-USA, this is a team that will likely have a margin of victory hovering around 20+ points per game. Houston and SMU have to come to Skelly Stadium and for the rest of their slate, C-USA has notoriously put up some of the leakier defenses in the nation. Secondly, Todd Graham has abandoned ship and taken over the Pitt Panthers, so there will a bit of a transition with Bill Blankenship getting his first college head coaching job after building a powerhouse high school program at Union High, although Blakenship has been on this staff for the last three seasons. Just ask Todd Dodge how easy going from high school to college is.

But Tulsa put on an offensive fireworks show in their last game against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl thanks to an uncharacteristic game from Moniz and the Warriors' run n' shoot, but it is momentum nonetheless. As mentioned, there is experience aplenty on the nation's 5th ranked total offense and 6th ranked scoring offense. Damaris Johnson is back as well and ready to return kicks and punts as well as being a stud as far as all-purpose yardage goes. While Houston and SMU will be very, very dangerous threats to win this division and/or finish in the top 25, I think Tulsa will roll through October and November with an undefeated conference record; that'll be impressive enough for them to enter the top 25 heading into bowl season.

Tresselgate Shows Hypocrisy

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:11:00 +0000

Being a little late to the Tressel-bashing party, I can't help but feel like this whole thing is just an idiotic charade put on by the NCAA to maintain what they feel as "preserving the integrity of the game." A quick background on the matter, five Ohio State players (including DeVier Posey and Terrelle Pryor) sold their 2010 Rose Bowl memorabilia last year and purchased tattoos in exchange for the items. As it turns out via an e-mail, Tressel knew about the situation when he scolded them this January for putting the well-being of the team at risk. Conveniently enough, all five of the Ohio State guys involved in the situation were not suspended for the Sugar Bowl, a game in which the Bucks pulled out a squeaker in the last moments.

Because Tressel failed to notify the athletic director or anybody in the NCAA that matter (Tressel pled ignorance in saying he didn't know what the chain of command was), he was suspended for two games, but asked that he serve the same penalty as that of the players. The Sweater Vest will now miss four non-conference games (two being against Miami and Colorado) and the Big 10 opener against the Michigan State Spartans.

Big whoop. Does anybody care? Sure, the preaching that Tressel did during the press conferences before the Sugar Bowl to the players looks absolutely silly in light of these revelations. Here Tressel was, behind his feigned sense of dignity, telling the players that they need to make up for this mistake all the while being aware of the entire situation. So basically, he lied. A pretty slimy thing to do if you ask me.

However, the bigger issue as I see it is with the NCAA. Tressel lied for sure, but I take offense to the fact that the NCAA is creating these imaginary crimes and then basically forcing people like Jim Tressel to weave their way through the loopholes. Let's keep in mind, Dez Bryant didn't entirely get suspended two seasons ago for hanging out with Deion Sanders; he was suspended for lying about it. Why did he lie? Because of what he thought the NCAA Storm Troopers would do to him if he told the truth.

It's ridiculous in the first place to have this prohibition on selling materials. It's theirs; let them sell or keep the items if they wish. Even though they technically broke the rules, I don't care if they lie about it because this rule is completely inane and illegitimate in my eyes. The reason it is completely inane and illegitimate? Well, that would probably be because the NCAA makes so much money off of the backs of their student athletes. It's true that you may as well be paying student athletes (on scholarships) so that they don't wind up tens of thousands of dollars in debt and coming out of it with an education, but that's another matter for another day. The point is, the players are kept in a non-profiteering stranglehold and restricted from benefiting themselves, all the while the NCAA makes a ton of money and jersey sales, ticket sales, and all that jazz.

Yes...I'm Back

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:51:00 +0000

I know, I know. The itch has returned. Updated blogging will commence.

2-a-Days: Arizona and Arizona State

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:21:00 +0000

Arizona Wildcats

It was a good year in the Desert. Arizona, even though they ended the year on a sour note against Nebraska 33-0, exceeded most expectations. Most who saw the Wildcats making a bowl were thinking 6-6 was going to do it, and there was no shame in any of the four regular season losses. What are the odds that Stoops, now safe, can have a repeat-type season?

THE OFFENSE: It actually wasn't quite as good as previously thought to be. The offense in 2008 under the newly-hired Sonny Dykes managed to average 36 points per game whereas the 2009 version only 27 points a game. Yes there was that 70-0 win against Idaho and that shutout against Nebraska that may have tilted the scales, but overall it was less efficient. At the QB position, I think Nick Foles has the ability to bust out. While Foles has a good reputation as being the leader of an explosive offense (namely for those who saw him against Stanford), Foles was only ranked 70th in passing efficiency. Another year in the system and I expect that number to skyrocket. It also helps that David Douglas and Delashaun Dean are also returning at WR. Both have potential to be solid playmakers in the 2010 season along with juniors such as Juron Criner and David Roberts. So the receivers are set in their third year of the Dykes spread, what about the running backs? More than set, it appears. Nic Grigsby comes back for his senior season and should be the main focus of the offense. Grigsby has been the focus of the rushing game and the savior of said rushing game for the last 3 seasons and some thought he would leave for the NFL this year. He's joined by Keola Antolin who actually saw a diminished role from his 2008 to his 2009 season. However, Antolin still has a load of potential and this being his first year as an upperclassmen should see an increased pass-catching role and more handoffs. The offensive line was fantastic last season allowing only one sack per game, and while they have to replace the tackles, they return the interior in tact.

THE DEFENSE: This was a solid group in 2009. However, after finishing 25th in scoring defense, this team has to replace roughly 7 starters from a year ago. The most secure position on the field will be the pass rush for the 'Cats. Donald Horton and Earl Mitchell have moved on, but Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed will be back on the ends. Reed had a great 2008 season but was hampered with a mid-season injury, so having him healthy will try to maintain that sack total from a year ago. The linebacker corps is a big question mark heading into the year. C.J. Price has some experience in the systems, but has never started any meaningful games. R.J. Young also may get a shot as a sophomore in the starting rotation. Put simply, Xavier Kelly was kind of the anchor of the group when blitzing and is no longer there, so it may be a rough transition to generate pressure. CB Devin Ross was one of the biggest playmakers last season as a senior and without him in the secondary, the tackle production may slip. However, CB Trevin Wade will be returning, last year's leader in interceptions.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sep. 4 at Toledo
Sep. 11 The Citadel
Sep. 18 Iowa
Oct. 2 California
Oct. 9 Oregon State
Oct. 16 at Washington State
Oct. 23 Washington
Oct. 30 at UCLA
Nov. 6 at Stanford
Nov. 13 USC
Nov. 20 at Oregon
Dec. 2 Arizona State

It is a bit interesting. The Pac-10 only can schedule 3 non-conference games as it stands, and while Toledo and The Citadel shouldn't be a problem, that home game against Iowa makes it very interesting. I think this is actually a very favorable schedule getting Arizona State, Washington, Oregon State, USC, and Cal all at home.

Don't Even Think About It:
Ehhhhh.....Maybe....: Iowa, USC, @ Oregon
Good/Probable Shot At It: @ Toledo, Citadel, Cal, Oregon State, @ Washington State, Washington, @ UCLA, @ Stanford, Arizona State

THE OUTLOOK: This is a good team. But I'm afraid that's all I have to say about the matter. Arizona isn't going to shock the world this year and make another Pac-10 run deep into November, but they will win another 6 or 7 games and try to keep building on the momentum they had created over the last two years. The offense will be above-average and the defense will try to solve some continuity issues in September, but even with the favorable schedule I think the potential defensive struggles will prevent them from hanging with USC and Oregon late in the year. They'll make it into a decent bowl and will then try to be better in 2011.

BOWL GAME?: Sun Bowl.

Arizona State Sun Devils

It's safe to say that Dennis Erickson is losing steam in Tempe. After a surprise run made in 2007 and a push for respectability, Arizona State has gone bowless the last two years marred by two 6-game losing streaks in the last two years. Is there hope for a change or will Arizona State change their head coach at the end of the year?

THE OFFENSE: There's not much to talk about here. Arizona State will be scratching their head regarding their QB situation, the RB situation is depleted by graduation, and the top two WRs from last year's team are gone. It's rebuilding time on this side of the ball and they'll try their hand at utilizing Noel Mazzone who has been hired all over the place. Mazzone will install a more no-huddleish, fast-pace type offense to try and light a spark under this team. At QB, I would say as a Michigan fan, Brock Osweiler all but has this job. He's battling Michigan-transfer Steven Threet who I honestly think has potential with his arm and that frame, but I doubt he'll figure it out any time soon. Don't mark me down as surprised if the Osweiler experiment fails miserably and Threet gets some looks past the midway point of the season, but Osweiler has the upside and the potential so he'll get the nod early on. The RB situation isn't quite as bad as I previously stated with Cameron Marshall, a sophomore with tons of talent, figuring to get the bulk of the work. Depth is an issue, but it will cease to be if James Morrison provides power running off of the bench. At receiver, it'll be Gerell Robinson and Kerry Taylor trying to provide the downfield threats, but my money is on former Oregon Duck Aaron Pflugrad as evolving into one of the top options. On the offensive line, watch out for redshirt freshman OT Evan Finkenberg who by all accounts has had a good spring and has gotten much bigger than when he first stepped on campus. Offensive line figures to be the strongest part of this offense, even though unfortunately LG John Hargis is out of the year with a torn ACL.

THE DEFENSE: Arizona State on defense was very solid. A surprise to many, the Sun Devils finished 13th in total defense and 26th in scoring defense a year ago. Every game besides Oregon and Stanford saw the Sun Devils D make it close enough to give the sputtering offensive a shot. The defensive end position will be decent with James Brooks returning and the interior looks great with All-Pac-10er Lawrence Guy the star up the middle. Also be careful of Saia Falahola whose production may be overshadowed by Guy this season, but proved himself last year a productive athlete. Juniors Brandon Magee and Shelly Lyons will try their hand at providing some strength at the LB positions, and they have shown some athletic ability even though they have not started in the past. Vontaze Burfict is an animal, and I say that as a compliment. Burfict showed he was everything hyped up to be and more and will serve as the foundation for this Arizona State defense. He's got everything at the linebacker position and as a sophomore, I'd expect his knowledge of the college game and his adjustment to the speed of the game will make him one of the top five linebackers or so in college overnight. The secondary was a strength last season and led by CBs Omar Bolden and Deveron Carr (who now has more experience), it should be once again.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sept. 4 Portland State
Sept. 11 Northern Arizona
Sept. 18 at Wisconsin
Sept. 25 Oregon
Oct. 2 at Oregon State
Oct. 9 at Washington
Oct. 23 at California
Oct. 30 Washington State
Nov. 6 at USC
Nov. 13 Stanford
Nov. 26 UCLA
Dec. 2 at Arizona

I was disappointed to find two FCS schools on the slate, because with the depth of the Pac-10, probably the only way ASU was going bowling was at 6-6, but I digress. The road game at Wisconsin should be a very interesting one. The Pac-10 slate could be easier, but at least they get some winnable games at home like Stanford and UCLA. The rivalry game against Arizona will be played in Tuscon this year.

Don't Even Think About It:
Ehhhhh.....Maybe....: @ Wisconsin, Oregon, @ Washington, @ Cal, @ USC
Good/Probable Shot At It: Portland State, Northern Arizona, @ Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford, UCLA, @ Arizona

THE OUTLOOK: Arizona State is one of those teams where coming to a conclusion about them in the preseason always leaves me feeling queezy. I see potential here, but can they get lucky and surprise us once or twice during the season? Those two six-game losing streaks in the past two years have made Arizona State look like UTEP in those mid-season collapses. There's too many questions on offense with a lack of reliable receivers, mediocre QB play, and little depth at running back. The defense will be fine I think, but the change in offensive styles holds the key for ASU. If they can figure out a way to increase production with the faster paced offense, then 7-5 and a bowl game is a possibility. 6-6 won't cut it since only one FCS win can count towards bowl eligibility. I think we're looking at a 6-6 team with a 4-5 Pac-10 record.

BOWL GAME?: Nope.

2-a-Days: Troy and UAB

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Troy Trojans

This may be a different year for Troy. For a team that arguably underachieved considering their talent level in 2009, this will be a change for the Trojan program as they are not projected to be the best team in the Sun Belt for 2010 (or at least they are grouped with the contenders with no decisive favorite). Can Troy overcome this obstacle and win the Sun Belt yet again?

THE OFFENSE: The offense for Troy last season exploded onto the scene without much prior warning. The Trojans started off the year a bit cold against Bowling Green and Florida only scoring a combined 20 points, but beyond that point, the team never scored fewer than 27 in a game. Ranked 3rd in total offense and 4th in scoring offense a year ago, there will be a replacement at QB with Levi Brown off to try and make an NFL squad. Will it be Jamie Hampton's chance to shine? Hampton was planned to take over in 2008 when Brown took the job and never looked back. Hampton was able to sit out 2009 via redshirt, but will he be sharp in his return? The junior was relatively unimpressive when starting in '08, but maybe some more maturity will do him good. Corey Robinson, a redshirt freshman, will compete for the starting job if Hampton is weak. At running back, Troy has a very interesting situation. Without Brown hurling passes, the backfield has to be more present than in 2009, even though they provided decent production. DuJuan Harris will have the most experience as a senior and he was steady last year, but possibly the most dynamic option could come by way of sophomore Shawn Southward who saw more playing time late in the year with two 100+ yard games. Jerrel Jernigan is the star of the offense. With his diminutive stature, it's easy to overlook him, but he is a great downfield threat to go along with his running ability and YAC potential. I think the rest of the receiving corps could be an issue, but Tebiarus Gill showed some flashes last season and Brett Moncrief adds some depth coming in from junior college. Troy's offensive line isn't exactly a problem area, but they were mediocre last season and need to replace a few important pieces. Tyler Clark, last year's LG, will shift over to play C.

THE DEFENSE: This area drastically underachieved. With defensive ends such as Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield, the sack production and the plays made behind the line of scrimmage were great, but the secondary couldn't put that dominant pass rush to use. Filling for the departed Lang and Sheffield combination will be DEs Mario Addison and Jonathan Massaquoi. The duo has strong potential and will probably be adequate replacements. Bulk is an issue, and the rush defense will probably suffer for it. Riley Flowers is one of the bigger guys and will have to step it up at defensive tackle. The LB situation will also be depleted after Troy legends Bear Woods and Boris Lee have officially left. It'll be up to Xavier Lamb at MLB to try to replace the production as well as Donnell Golden at the OLB spot. The other outside spot is projected to be filled by Daniel Sheffield, but he is a little small for that side. He makes up for that with his athleticism, however. Nobody of note really returns in the porous secondary besides KeJuan Phillips who sat out due to academic suspension. Phillips is inexperienced, but was a projected starter for 2009. Hope is that Barry Valcin's switch from corner to safety will make for a more natural fit as well.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sept. 4 Bowling Green
Sept. 11 at Oklahoma St
Sept. 18 at UAB
Sept. 25 Arkansas St
Oct. 5 at MTSU
Oct. 16 UL Lafayette
Oct. 30 at ULM
Nov. 6 at North Texas
Nov. 13 Florida International
Nov. 20 at South Carolina
Nov. 27 WKU
Dec. 4 at Florida Atlantic

Troy's notorious non-conference schedule of taking on the big boys has been scaled back somewhat. Still on the slate will be road dates against Oklahoma State and South Carolina, with rival UAB in September. The Sun Belt slate isn't anything to get worked up over, but road dates against Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic will be rough.

Don't Even Think About It:
Ehhhhh.....Maybe.....: @ Oklahoma State, @ South Carolina
Good/Probable Shot At It: Bowling Green, @ UAB, Arkansas State, @ MTSU, UL Lafayette, @ UL Monroe, @ North Texas, Florida International, Western Kentucky, @ Florida Atlantic

THE OUTLOOK: Troy may, or may not, win the Sun Belt this year. It's kind of a tossup between them, Middle Tennessee, and that inevitable third challenger that arises from the rest of the pack. The defense is a huge question mark after finishing 104th in total D a year ago even with the four stars, Sheffield, Lang, Lee, and Woods. Without them, things should be even more difficult, although some switches in the secondary may end the bleeding there. That could make more of a difference than we make it out to be. Also, the QB situation will sputter a bit at first whether the starter is Hampton or Robinson. Either way, this is Troy, who have stocked the cupboards full for just these types of occasions. The no-name defense will give rise to a couple of future stars, the QB production will be alleviated by Jernigan's playmaking skill and a more emphasized running game, and Troy will win 8 or 7 games. I'm predicting a second-place finish in the Sun Belt for 2010, but a bowl game is for certain.

BOWL GAME?: GMAC Bowl.

UAB Blazers

UAB is struggling as a program. In 2009, the team showed flashes of competitiveness, but couldn't close out the year with one more victory to gain bowl eligibility, stagnating at 5-7. Joe Webb is now out of eligibility, so where will the Blazers and Neil Callaway turn to now?

THE OFFENSE: As mentioned, the biggest issue currently for UAB is to find a replacement for Joe Webb. Webb was 6th in the nation in total offense and led the team in rushing by far, operating many spread option-type formations. The QB competition will most likely go down between David Isabelle and Bryan Ellis, with the edge going to Isabelle. Isabelle is an athlete much in the same mold as Webb (obviously not as potent); so even with a giant learning curve ahead of him, don't expect much to change in the offensive gameplan. RB Pat Shed has a real opportunity to shine in this offense. Without Webb, the RBs will certainly be more of a factor and in the spring, Shed outplayed the two seniors in the running to get the most touches in this offense, Daniel Borne and Justin Brooks. WR Frantrell Forrest ought to be the team's top target in 2010. At 6'2 and weighing in at almost 200 pounds, he has a solid frame and should help Isabelle get more comfortable at throwing the ball downfield. Also contributing in the receiving department will be Jeffery Anderson at TE. Anderson is one of the premier college TEs this season and is getting some looks from pro scouts. The offensive line was relatively average last season, even with a scrambler like Webb. This group in 2010 has to be more consistent with an inexperienced QB behind center.

THE DEFENSE: It was rough. Last year, the Blazers finished with the worst pass defense in the nation, clocking in at giving up over 310 yards per game. The good news is that UAB will return 10 starters from last year's defense, so there is some hope for improvement. While lacking raw talent, at least this unit can fall back a little bit on experience and depth. Anchoring the defensive line is DE Bryant Turner. Turner led the team in sacks with 6 last year and will try to provide a pass rush to help the abused secondary. Derek Slaughter and Elliot Henigan also provide experience to the group. LB Marvin Burdette probably has the most potential in the LB group, starting all 12 games and registering tackles in 11 of them, but Lamanski Ware led the group in tackles for 2009. The beleaguered defensive backfield returns the talented safety leader Hiram Atwater, who is back for his senior year. Atwater is one of those players who can do it all at the safety spot, tackle, cover, and he has a good knowledge of the defensive scheme. Terrell Springs will be the number one corner back and should provide some stability there. This isn't a fantastic secondary, but it shouldn't be the worst in the nation with Springs and Atwater patrolling the area.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sep. 4 Florida Atlantic
Sep. 11 at SMU
Sep. 18 Troy
Sep. 25 at Tennessee
Oct. 6 at UCF
Oct. 16 UTEP
Oct. 23 at Mississippi State
Oct. 30 at Southern Miss
Nov. 6 Marshall
Nov. 11 ECU
Nov. 20 Memphis
Nov. 27 at Rice

The schedule doesn't look that difficult on the surface, but it is deceptive. Non-conference games against fellow non-BCSers Florida Atlantic and rival Troy should be hard games to come away with wins, even with them being at home. They also get road dates against Tennessee and Mississippi State. The draw from C-USA West is so-so with SMU, UTEP, and Rice.

Don't Even Think About It: @ Tennessee
Ehhhhh.....Maybe....: @ SMU, Troy, @ UCF, @ Mississippi State, @ Southern Miss, ECU
Good/Probable Shot At It: Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Marshall, Memphis, @ Rice

THE OUTLOOK: UAB's 2010 season hinges on a couple things. Firstly, Isabelle has to produce. The gaping hole left by Joe Webb simply can't be duplicated by the sophomore, so will it be the RBs who pick up the slack? It's hard to say. The defense can't be giving up 455 yards per game like they did last season, and it's safe to say that it will at least become marginally better with the experience on the defensive side of the ball. That being said, this team went 4-4 in conference play with Webb, and I'd say it's likely this team goes 2-6 in conference play without Webb. The reason you have to keep bringing up Webb in this discussion is the fact that he was that irreplaceable and there was no bowl game to show for it. I'd guess UAB probably will go 3-9 or 4-8 in 2010, and that probably won't be good enough for Callaway to stay.

BOWL GAME?: Nope.

Hypothetical Conference Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:29:00 +0000

With all of this conference talk going on, I thought I'd give my take on what the college football landscape will look like in about 2 or 3 years. Nobody knows what is going on. Texas A&M wants to join the SEC. The Pac-10 wants to use teams from the Midwest. The Big 10 wants to go from New Jersey to Missouri. The Big East wants Kansas. It's mayhem, folks.

This is my guesstimate of what college football will look like in 2011 or 2012:

Here's my guess:

Pac-16
--------

Pacific Division:

1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Oregon State
4. Stanford
5. UCLA
6. Cal
7. Washington State
8. Washington

West Division:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Oklahoma State
4. Texas A&M
5. Texas Tech
6. Arizona
7. Arizona State
8. Colorado

Big 16
--------

East Division:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Penn State
4. Michigan State
5. Rutgers
6. Indiana
7. Syracuse
8. Pitt

West Division:

1. Wisconsin
2. Iowa
3. Nebraska
4. Missouri
5. Minnesota
6. Illinois
7. Northwestern
8. Purdue

SEC
-----

East Division:

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. West Virginia
5. South Carolina
6. Kentucky
7. Vanderbilt

West Division:

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Auburn
4. Arkansas
5. Ole Miss
6. Mississippi State
7. Kansas (mainly for basketball)

ACC Stays the same, but could add ECU, UCF, or UConn or something to expand to 14 teams. I think there's also a chance, to bolster basketball, that the ACC looks into grabbing Syracuse and Connecticut from the Big East. Not sure what that would entail for the Big East and the Big 10.

Big East (auto BCS bid revoked)
-------------------------------------
1. Cincinnati
2. USF
3. UConn
4. Louisville
5. ECU
6. Memphis
7. Marshall
8. Villanova (maybe in the future)
9. UCF
10. Southern Miss

Mountain West (now a BCS conference)
--------------------------------------------

West Division
-----------------
1. TCU
2. Iowa State
3. Baylor
4. Kansas State
5. Houston
6. SMU
7. Colorado State
8. Air Force

Mountain Division
------------------
1. Boise State
2. Utah
3. BYU
4. Fresno State
5. UNLV
6. Nevada
7. New Mexico
8. San Diego State

WAC (looks more like the circa-2000 WAC between C-USA remainders and remaining schools)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Hawaii
2. Idaho
3. New Mexico State
4. Wyoming (booted from MWC)
5. San Jose State
6. Utah State
7. Tulsa
8. Rice
9. UTEP
10. North Texas (really a shot in the dark, but I think the WAC will want to even it out and it would help the Sun Belt align itself with even divisions. This would take place before the 2013 season when the Sun Belt accepts Southern Alabama as a member)

MAC Stays the same, C-USA is deleted.

Sun Belt
---------

East Division
--------------
1. Troy
2. Florida Atlantic
3. Florida International
4. UAB
5. Southern Alabama
6. Arkansas State (yes, I know it is more westward than MTSU and WKU, but the conference probably doesn't want to split that budding rivalry up)

West Division
--------------
1. Middle Tennessee
2. Western Kentucky
3. UL Lafayette
4. UL Monroe
5. Tulane
6. Louisiana Tech

There She Goes!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:22:00 +0000

The Big 12's funeral is being planned for sometime soon, after Colorado agrees to join the Pac-10 and Nebraska pretty much is headed towards the Big 10. The Big 12 will desperately try to hang on to Missouri and probably attempt to replace Colorado and Nebraska with two of the three: BYU, Utah, or TCU. Of course, this expansion depends on whether or not the Big 12 fully collapses and loses the Big 12 South to the Pac-10. It's interesting to say the least.

I think Colorado makes a good fit in the Pac-10, but of course we're yet to see whether or not this is the last of their expansion. Probably not.

2-a-Days: Alabama and Auburn

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Alabama Crimson Tide

The job isn't over yet. Alabama won the 2009 season title, sure, but the lingering drive to win another one must be there. With the Colt McCoy injury, the talk of the town was, "sure Bama was a good team, but we'll never really know whether or not they were better than Texas with McCoy." The holdovers still have something to shoot for, a second straight title and one that most people will count.

THE OFFENSE: As of right now, things are on the up and up. At quarterback, the biggest question coming into last year was how Nick Saban would replace John Parker Wilson. The answer to that question, Greg McElroy, seemed unconvincing at the time, but it was good for an SEC title, an undefeated record, and a national championship. With efficiency being his main goal, McElroy managed a decent season of 17 TDs to only 4 picks. However, Saban will be looking to expand the role of the passing game this year and would like to see McElroy eclipse 300 yards passing at least once, something he didn't do all of last year. The running backs are absolutely set with Mark Ingram and the extremely underrated Trent Richardson backing him up. Ingram obviously won the Heisman trophy and is an impressive, humble individual to boot. My baseless guess is that Ingram will see some of his burden lifted and placed on Richardson and the passing game so he doesn't wear out early. Julio Jones' sophomore season was a colossal disappointment in the Arrelious Benn mold before he broke out against Auburn. Jones caught 15 fewer passes than his freshman season and was short about 350 yards as well. The output was similar since Jones sat out against North Texas and it was safe to say that near the end of the year he was getting back in the groove, but it's all about how comfortable he is with McElroy. I expect a better rapport between the two and Marquis Maze is another WR who has breakout potential in this offense. The offensive line gets 3 returning starters including LT James Carpenter, but the youth on the line looks promising.

THE DEFENSE: Now we run into some issues. While the offense will keep plugging away and producing, the defense has some holes. Only two starters return with only one projected senior starter in DE Luther Davis. Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was being lured away to Georgia, but he became the highest paid assistant coach this offseason. Kirby has a lot of youth to work with which bodes well for the future, but if the unit doesn't gel in time, there could be early issues. The defensive line will pretty much be fine with the underrated Marcell Dareus finally getting his shot at a starting DE spot. Josh Chapman at NT will be attempting to fill in the shoes of Terrance Cody who won't be around to block Tennessee field goals anymore. He's a strong dude who shouldn't have too many issues. The face of the green defense will probably be sophomore LB Dont'a Hightower who is coming off of an ACL tear and appears to be very healthy. Hightower has the speed and athleticism of a lot of SEC linebackers and could be an all-conference selection at the end of the year, if/when healthy. The rest of the linebacking situation is in flux right now, but Saban plans to rotate a lot of guys who are in the mix. The secondary is definitely the biggest hole on the team right now, with S Mark Barron being the only returning starter. Guys at corner like Dre Kirkpatrick and B.J. Scott have tremendous upside, but lack experience only being sophomores.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sep. 4 San Jose State
Sep. 11 Penn State
Sep. 18 at Duke
Sep. 25 at Arkansas
Oct. 2 Florida
Oct. 9 at South Carolina
Oct. 16 Ole Miss
Oct. 23 at Tennessee
Nov. 6 at LSU
Nov. 13 Mississippi State
Nov. 20 Georgia State
Nov. 26 Auburn

It's an interesting slate. I love the Penn State/Alabama matchup as that should send thrills up the spine of some of the old-schoolers. I have a gut feeling that the road game against Duke will wind up being more interesting than it should. The SEC road slate hands Bama dates at Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU, but it could be worse.

Don't Even Think About It:
Ehhhhh.....Maybe.....:
Good/Probable Shot At It: The entire schedule.

THE OUTLOOK: The outlook for the Crimson Tide goes as follows: Take care of business, and you'll be in Glendale by January. It's a lot easier said than done though getting through the SEC unscathed, but the two main issue areas are the offensive line and the secondary. Both units are young, sure, but most of all they show enormous promise. And while I generally don't pick a team to repeat an appearance in the national title game, my money is on Alabama this fall winning all or all but one game and finding their way back into the title game with another SEC title in their pocket.

BOWL GAME?: BCS Championship.

Auburn Tigers

An interesting year, a new offense, some clunker games along the way, and capped off with a bowl victory in a wacky game against Northwestern. There are plenty of things to get excited about down on The Plains, but for Gene Chizik, things are heating up a bit. The intrastate rival Alabama basking in the glory of a championship, the expectations will turn up a notch on Auburn very, very soon.

THE OFFENSE: What else can you say about Gus Malzahn? This is a guy that turned around the Tiger offense from 110th in scoring offense under Tommy Tuberville to 17th in the span of one year, mostly with the same athletes at the helm. After Tony Franklin was ditched the year previous to last, Malzahn effectively implemented the spread under Chizik. But now without Chris Todd and without Ben Tate, who will be the new stars? At QB, it's a derby of epic proportion between the big prospect Cameron Newton, senior and well-polished Neil Caudle, and the exciting playmaker-type Tyrik Rollison. Although it sounds like a big competition, Newton has to be the de facto starter, at least entering the year. There's too much potential to bench him for long. The running back spot has some returning experience with Onteno McCalebb and Mario Fannin, some younger guys who saw plenty of time playing with Tate in this offense. At WR, I'm looking for the pictured Darvin Adams to absolutely bust out. I'm talking 1200 yardsish. Adams ranked 34th last season in receiving yards per game. Terrell Zachery and former QB Kodi Burns will also be featured on the offense. The veteran offensive line led by OT Lee Ziemba could cut down on some of the sacks, but things should be better in 2010.

THE DEFENSE: Auburn had one of the worst units in the SEC last season, so things need to improve or else they could be in for another so-so year in SEC play. Giving up roughly 375 yards per game isn't going to cut it against teams like Alabama and Arkansas this season. Auburn gets 8 starters from last year's unit back, so that's at least a positive sign. The two biggest stars from last year's group, Walter McFadden and Antonio Coleman, are gone. But the defensive line will still have Mike Blanc and Antoine Carter to build around for some sort of a pass rush/run-stopping combination. The linebackers look very promising heading into this year with Craig Stevens, Josh Bynes, and Eltoro Freeman all returning. Darren Bates will shift over from safety and play a little bit of linebacker as well. Bates was a standout last year as a freshman, but the secondary will try to get better. Zac Etheridge at safety should be the leader of that group. For being a heralded defensive guru coming into both Auburn and Iowa State, Chizik's groups have underperformed and with the athleticism of this team on defense, there shouldn't be any excuses not to see an improvement.

THE SCHEDULE:

Sept. 4 Arkansas State
Sept. 9 at Mississippi State
Sept. 18 Clemson
Sept. 25 South Carolina
Oct. 2 UL Monroe
Oct. 9 at Kentucky
Oct. 16 Arkansas
Oct. 23 LSU
Oct. 30 at Ole Miss
Nov. 6 Chattanooga
Nov. 13 Georgia
Nov. 26 at Alabama

The non-conference schedule isn't that difficult again. Arkansas State, UL Monroe, and Chattanooga should be three automatic wins, but the non-conference date with Clemson will be very interesting. The draw from the East isn't bad at all with South Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia being the three teams. The Iron Bowl this year will be played in Tuscaloosa.

Don't Even Think About It:
Ehhhhh.....Maybe.....: Clemson, LSU, @ Alabama
Good/Probable Shot At It: Arkansas State, @ Mississippi State, South Carolina, UL Monroe, @ Kentucky, Arkansas, @ Ole Miss, Chattanooga, Georgia

THE OUTLOOK: I'd keep an eye on Auburn. The offense will at least keep them in games. The Tigers managed 29 scoring drives in under two minutes last season, but I wonder if that has any bearing on the defense? Tulsa turned the tempo down a bit and while they were a worse off team without Malzahn, the defense became noticeably better. Auburn's defense last season may have been getting a little too gassed. However, this team isn't going to be a in a position to compete for the SEC West and the potent no-huddle offense will at least give them an identity. As long as Cameron Newton manages the offense, this is a team that could see a one-game improvement over 2009 and finish the year 8-4.

BOWL GAME?: Gator Bowl.

2-a-Days Begin TOMORROW

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Yes. They do. No broken promises this time.

2-a-Days Begin Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Obviously I feel pretty bad for letting things lag on as bad as they have been. However, good news is coming: 2-a-Days begin next Monday! Why not this Monday? Because I still have no time!

At any rate, it would give me a good bit of time to get prepared for some of them; after all, usually it takes me about 2 hours to type one up. So it takes time and they are researched (relatively) thoroughly. This is the list again that I posted a few months ago in chronological order:

Alabama/Auburn
Troy/UAB
Arizona/Arizona State
Arkansas/Arkansas State
UCLA/USC
Cal/Stanford
Fresno State/San Jose State
San Diego State/(FCS)
Colorado/Colorado State
Air Force/(FCS)
Uconn/(FCS)
FIU/FAU
Florida/Florida State
USF/UCF
Miami/(FCS)
Georgia/Georgia Tech
Hawaii/(FCS)
Boise State/Idaho
Illinois/Northwestern
Northern Illinois/(FCS)
Ball State/Indiana
Notre Dame/Purdue
Iowa/Iowa State
Kansas/Kansas State
Kentucky/Louisville
Western Kentucky/(FCS)
UL Lafayette/UL Monroe
Louisiana Tech/LSU
Tulane/(FCS)
Maryland/Navy
Boston College/(FCS)
Central Michigan/Western Michigan
Michigan/Michigan State
Eastern Michigan/(FCS)
Minnesota/(FCS)
Mississippi State/Ole Miss
Southern Miss/(FCS)
Missouri/(FCS)
Nebraska/(FCS)
Nevada/UNLV
Rutgers/(FCS)
New Mexico/New Mexico State
Syracuse/Buffalo
Army/(FCS)
Duke/Wake Forest
North Carolina/NC State
ECU/(FCS)
Akron/Kent State
Bowling Green/Toledo
Miami/Ohio
Cincinnati/Ohio State
Oklahoma/Oklahoma State
Tulsa/(FCS)
Oregon/Oregon State
Penn State/Pitt
Temple/(FCS)
Clemson/South Carolina
Memphis/Middle Tennessee
Tennessee/Vanderbilt
Houston/Rice
SMU/TCU
Baylor/Texas
Texas Tech/Texas A&M
North Texas/UTEP
BYU/Utah
Utah State/(FCS)
Virginia/Virginia Tech
Washington/Washington State
Marshall/West Virginia
Wisconsin/(FCS)
Wyoming/(FCS)

Question of the Day #4: Will Army's Option Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:42:00 +0000

Q: Will Army's option offense work in 2010?

A: Somewhat.

I want to bill Army as one of the top sleepers in this year's college football landscape. They were eons better than anything Michie Stadium had seen from the Black Knight football program a year ago. I mean, statistically they didn't improve much from 2008 to 2009 just by installing the option, but they did manage to shield their defense a little more often which resulted in a 5-7 record, two more wins than they managed in '09.

Now the question here is whether or not the option can start to look more like Navy's instead of averaging 275 yards per game. It's an interesting question, and I think we will see improvement. It's difficult to ask Rich Ellerson to complete an entire turn around the mess left behind by Stan Brock (and his failed attempt to use the wishbone and other option formations).

I would even submit that this year's schedule is slightly more difficult than the one in 2009. Even at 5-7, Army could still show improvement. That will have to come statistically. Ellerson was disappointed by the offensive output, because even though they ranked 16th in rushing offense, the point-production simply wasn't there. You want to be higher than 16th if you focus 90+% of your offense on that category.

The surrounding cast still looks good enough with most of the offensive line coming back and the running back corps should be solid enough and experienced in the option offense. The biggest drawback on Army is (obviously) across-the-board size and speed which Ellerson has shown his creative side to filling in gaps and the fact that the quarterback spot was inefficient. Even in an option game, your QB is after all going to touch the ball on every play. Trent Steelman is a work in progress in reading who should get the ball and when, but there's potential. Army's option can only work if the QB play improves.

I think we will see Steelman have a better grasp of the offense. Let's remember here, this was his first year in collegiate play and the option mistakes we saw last year from Army certainly weren't all his fault. He could become a sharper passer which would do the rest of the offense better, considering only 49% was his completion percentage. But he can scamper and if he gets better with his option reads, this offense will see its production skyrocket.

Question of the Day #3: Oregon's QB Situation

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Q: Who should be Oregon's opening day starting QB?

A: Darron Thomas.

Due to Jeremiah Masoli's suspension, Oregon is looking for a starting QB, but isn't scrambling to find one for the time being. Either Darron Thomas or Nate Costa would be viable options, but I'm really liking Darron Thomas over the veteran Nate Costa. Costa is going to be a senior this year and coming off of major knee surgery, he played decently in relief of Masoli. Costa went 20-33 for 197 yards to go with a pick and an interception in 2009, but he also had 16 carries that went for 18 yards.

That's where I think Thomas separates himself. Taking a redshirt due to the depth of the position last season, Thomas comes into this year as a redshirt sophomore with two years of experience running the system already under his belt. Thomas' big coming out party didn't occur in 2009 (obviously), but in 2008 he played fantastically in one of those the-loss-wasn't-really-the-rookie's-fault type of games against Boise State in Autzen. Thomas didn't go all Michael Vick or anything, but he does happen to be a bit of a Dennis Dixon clone. Thomas' ability to scramble and make something happen out of nothing, to go along with his passing talent, would make him seem like the obvious fit here. Not to mention he's got plenty of upside and will probably be the starter in 2011 (it should be noted that Masoli has a redshirt option as a pure senior).

During the spring game last week, both QBs basically played to a draw. Thomas did misfire on an int-touchdown and Costa wound up winning the game, but Thomas did end the game with better stats on his side. It seems as if Chip Kelly is fostering an environment that will promote competition in the best manner possible. Whichever QB wins the job, they'll have the benefit of 10 returning starters on offense (plus the new QB which may as well count as a returning starter) along with 9 guys back on defense. In a nutshell, Oregon will be about a lot more than just the QB situation and the off-field problems surrounding LaMichael James (who will be eligible by Week 2 to face Tennessee). So saying that, it seems as if whichever QB Kelly decides on, they'll be able to challenge for the Pac-10 title.

My choice at this point would be Thomas because of his youth, upside, and dual-threat abilities, but I'm not beholden to selecting Thomas. Costa may be a little gunshy about taking the ball downfield sometimes and in order for Oregon's spread offense to really work, the option game has to be clicking. Darron Thomas I think would best accomplish that considering he's pretty much Dennis Dixon reincarnated! Kelly will more than likely settle for Costa early on and take his bets with seniority versus upside.

Question of the Day #2: NFL Eligibility

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:23:00 +0000

Q: What should the rules for draft eligibility be for an incoming collegiate player?

A: Anybody coming out of high school should be eligible.

Of course that sounds nutty. The NFL has these rules in place to protect the athletes, right? Well barring some unfair lawsuit against the NFL, that's not my idea of how things should be. I believe anybody who is ready to compete professionally coming out of high school should be eligible to enter the NFL draft.

This idea popped into my head due to a Pete Fiutak Cavalcade of Whimsy where he mentioned how the rules are exclusive to some extent. The blurb raises some good points about how anybody who is ready to join the NFL should have an opportunity to make money for themselves. Regardless of your opinion of the NCAA holding itself up as some noble institution and then manage to not pay their players (although they certainly get some type of compensation for attending college for free), the fact that the players aren't getting paid relative to the product they put on (like selling Gator jerseys with Tebow's number or something like that) should raise some alarms.

The bottom line is that even if the eligibility rules are in place to protect the athletes from physical harm, it's a completely arbitrary system. Some players will be ready to compete at that level sooner than others whereas others will spend the four years in college developing. Sure it may suck the fun out of college football for the enthusiasts like us who enjoy the more stable atmosphere compared to college basketball, but if a guy is ready, I don't see the reason for him to sit out three years after high school in order to work at a job where he can perform. It seems dangerous on the surface, but with advisors and trainers today, I'm sure these players know their bodies and their status as potential NFL players better than we do. If they want to take the risk of playing one season of college football and trying to get molded into some NFL prospect, then they probably deserve that opportunity to take the risk.

Of course, the NFL is a private institution and I'm not going to tell them how to do their business. If it's in the financial interest of the league to bar players for a certain amount of time, then be my guest. It's not worth it to the fans or the players to sustain from enjoying the product or declaring a boycott on the system, so obviously it's found some type of market equilibrium. I just think it would be more fair to allow people the same opportunity across the board and that the NFL is mistaken here. Changing the policy won't affect much, as it only will apply to the exceptions rather than the rules (like in the case of a Larry Fitzgerald after his freshman year, something like that).

Question of the Day #1: Boise State's Role

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:34:00 +0000

It's new segment time! As lame as possible, it is titled "Question of the Day" where I expound on a completely random topic that comes across my mind. There will be no flow to it really or no reason to talk about it, it's really just subject to what I feel like talking about. So, without further ado, let's get going.

Q: What is Boise State's role in the college football world?

A: The continual Cinderella at worst, and the Gonzaga of college football at best.

At least that's how it stands as of right now, not considering any pending changes into conference realignment. The bottom line is that as of right now, Boise State's ceiling is always going to be one of second-tier status until they start facing better competition.

The reputation of Boise State as being that wacky team that plays on a blue field earned them a decent amount of recognition throughout the 90's and their winning ways earned them TV spots on Friday Night ESPN2 broadcasts. How did this turn into a team that could challenge with the traditional powers? Well, quite simply I think it was a combination of the exposure due to the blue turf and people who were put in place that had a good idea of how to build a football program. For a quick history lesson, this was a team that was successful during the late 80's and early 90's playing in the Big Sky conference. It wasn't until 1996 that they made the shift into the formerly FBS conference of the Big West where they really took off and made some appearances in the Humanitarian Bowl, where they enjoyed homefield advantage.

An interesting point has to be made about Boise State. The win over Oklahoma is still garnering this program brownie points today even though the current roster, I believe, has no holdovers unless they were redshirting as a freshman in 2006. The 2010 Fiesta Bowl that took place against TCU was only their second bowl victory in the last six seasons. The win against TCU was nice, but it's difficult to say that it proved much in the way of their legitimacy since it was against a non-BCS peer. I hate to diminish TCU and Boise State in that fashion, but the fact was that neither of these teams played anywhere near a BCS-caliber schedule and needed a national spotlight against a BCS team to prove they belonged. Boise's regular season was a one-game deal against a frustrated Oregon team. You could argue that was clearly Oregon's worst game of the year and they even struggled against a mediocre Purdue team weeks later. It really pains me to diminish the success of Boise State, but I can't help it here. They need to play tougher teams.

So that being stated, what does the future hold for the Broncos? Well, this year I believe they do have a shot to play for the national title. The only way that is going to happen is if they blow out Virginia Tech (who goes on to win the ACC) and they blow out Oregon State (who is in the top 25 at years' end) and they blow out the rest of their schedule. No close calls against Louisiana Tech. Of course the other requirement will have to be no undefeated teams from BCS conferences and no one-loss teams with superb resumes. This is a longshot, but I believe it is the way the system is designed to work. The WAC slate alone allows for criticism of Boise's slate. The Broncos, if they really want to be taken seriously, need to blow out the lesser teams and schedule more competitive teams. And no, Oregon State and Virginia Tech alone aren't going to cut it. Fair or unfair, as a member of the WAC, they have the deck stacked against them.

Diamonds in the Rough - 2010 NFL Draft

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:18:00 +0000

I know as a rule of thumb, I try not to talk too much about the NFL draft here. But, I changed direction a bit and focused some more on the draft, since there's nothing else to talk about. So, who are some of the top draft sleepers in the 2010 NFL Draft?

1. John Skelton - QB Fordham (Cardinals, Round 5, Pick 24)

Skelton, oddly enough a recruit coming out of El Paso, Texas finding a home in the Northeast, definitely has all the physical tools. A cannon of an arm, a 6'5 height, and a frame of roughly 240 pounds, Skelton was a man amongst boys playing mid-major FCS football at Fordham. And that would have to be the source of the skepticism.

FCS recruits are always treated with a dose of reservations about the competition level. Oftentimes, this could be worth an entire round's worth of teams passing up on a given player. Skelton threw for only 26 TDs and 10 picks while playing against teams like Bryant and Holy Cross during his senior year, but the biggest drawback outside of the competition level is probably going to be his footwork. Skelton is obviously a project-type QB, but which QB isn't in this draft? Even Sam Bradford isn't proven playing behind what basically became an NFL offensive line while at Oklahoma and played with NFL receivers in TE Jermaine Greshma, Iglesias, Broyles, and having Murray come out of the backfield. McCoy is coming off of shoulder issues. Tebow has to re-work his throwing motion. LeFevour has fundamental issues passing. Kafka isn't a great thrower. So among his peers, I think working with Skelton won't be all that different than the other QBs taken. He'll have ample opportunities in the Desert working with some great offensive weapons if Matt Leinart doesn't pan out.

2. Stevenson Sylvester - LB Utah (Steelers, Round 5, Pick 35)

Sylvester has potential. Being a little undersized, Sylvester did see some windows of opportunity close in the NFL. Being 6'2 and 231 pounds at Utah wasn't so much a disadvantage as his 'tweener measure allowed him to be quick enough to play TEs and receivers while at the same time being bulky enough to be effective up the middle stopping the run. This could be a problem in the NFL, however.

I trust that Mike Tomlin knows how to use Sylvester. Sylvester will be the source of pressure coming off of the edge and he fits the scheme pretty well. "Aggressive" is a good word that sums up what Sylvester wants to do and how the Steelers think he can find a role in the defense. Sylvester would be perfect on special blitz packages where getting to the QB quickly will be crucial. Ultimately, I think Sylvester could be very effective and find a niche in the NFL as a pass rushing linebacker. He's not going to turn into Ray Lewis or anything, but Sylvester has good value as a late 5th rounder.

3. Riley Cooper - WR Florida (Eagles, Round 5, Pick 28)

I was going to talk about some other receivers who got left out of the draft picture entirely such as Blair White (who could be very effective on short yardage situations), Seyi Ajirotutu, Freddie Barnes, Danario Alexander (this one stunned me), and Shay Hodge who would all be pretty great as slot threats or decoys, but Cooper being drafted in the 5th round should fit this role pretty well for the Eagles.

Looking to equip Kevin Kolb with some more weapons on a team that has historically had issues at receiver (up until 2009 with Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, and Jason Avant), the Eagles have built up quite a repertoire of receiving talent. Cooper can be sneakily good as the 4th, or possibly 5th option behind Hank Baskett, target in the passing game. With 4.5 speed, he's fast enough to play at this level and I think his biggest asset could be concentration when the ball is in the air. He's also a terrific route runner and while he hasn't exactly found ways to get separation against top flight talent all of the time, I think he can get some better coaching in the pros regarding that. Another developmental guy, but in two or three seasons, he could become one of the big focuses of the offense, especially with the attention being paid to the #1 and #2 guys at WR.

4. Ciron Black - OT LSU (Undrafted)

Um, excuse me? Ciron Black was projected in some mock drafts to go as high as the latter portion of the 2nd round. I figured Black would have been a mid-5th rounder at worst. Some LSU fans were a little disenfranchised with Black's effort and that may have possibly caught the attention of the scouts, but you've got an athlete to work with in Black!

Black has a pretty big frame and while he's not very fast, he's all about taking up space and adding bulk and strength to a line that may need it. He's tall at 6'5 and happens to weigh close to 320 pounds. I think teams did shy away from him due to his being overweight and occasionally taking plays off at LSU this year, but I think you could coach that out of him. At least spend a 7th round draft pick on the guy. He was very good once upon a time and could have just had a down year by his standards. I was even looking at the NFL's official Web site where one staff writer compiled a list of the best undrafted free agents, and Black didn't even make the offensive lineman list. Okay, so what, are we just going to pretend this guy doesn't exist? Geez!

5. Joique Bell - RB Wayne State (Undrafted)

Here was a surprise. Bell had garnered the attention of NFL scouts during his senior season at Wayne State, leading the GLIAC and all of D2 in rushing yards. He averaged over 6 yards a touch and also wasn't too bad out of the backfield. Unfortunately, his speed has become an issue. He's a compact, bowling ball type of RB who isn't going to run past anybody, but in one 40 drill he timed at 4.8. That's not good, but he was able to beat that previously with a 4.6 time (still not impressive).

The problem is that isn't what Bell is designed to do. He's not meant to be Barry Sanders and break out into the open field for a 50 yard spurt. Bell, even though he is just a tad little, has the body built for 3rd and short when you need a quick burst up the middle. Bell is a grinder. He also has an attitude I think that means he's ready to go. Bell had a tough time accepting the fact that scouts were dissing his ability and seems ready to prove them wrong. It'll be interesting to see who he signs with and how he's used.

6. Vladimiar Ducasse - OT UMass (Jets, Round 2, Pick 29)

I'd like to see Ducasse do well. Just note that Ducasse was picked in the 2nd round, but he still has his detractors. What I'm trying to figure out is how Ducasse is supposedly so much less of a sure thing than Mike Iupati of Idaho. They each have fundamentals that are a bit shaky as of right now, but I think Ducasse has more to work with and generally played better in college (at least what I've seen of him).

Ducasse has to be put on the inside first, even though he's originally listed as an OT. He's not quite agile enough and he doesn't have good enough hands to start on the perimeter of an NFL offensive line, at least so far. However, Ducasse's girth can allow him to be a factor at this level. I like the pick the Jets made. Make no mistake about it, he needs some tampering with his form before he can reach his potential, but when he does, I think we're talking about a Pro Bowler here. Easily the best FCS offensive lineman in this year's class.

7. Barry Church - S Toledo (Undrafted)

Another head scratcher. Church was one of the top safeties in college football for quite some time. Church's biggest attribute seems to be his tackling ability. As an all-MAC safety, Church has been racking up the hits throughout his career, even finishing nationally ranked in the top 100 for his last two years. His most active year in interceptions was his freshman year, but he still maintained a good presence in the defensive backfield for the Rockets.

Again, the issue was speed. Church measured a 4.7 time in the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine, but topped it with a 4.62 in the Toledo pro day. He certainly does need to get faster somehow in order to be an NFL starter, because the NFL certainly isn't the MAC. However, I think his instincs at the safety position could potentially outweigh any physical problems. Church was one of the more smart defensive backs I saw in the non-BCS ranks and as a four year starter, you can't top his game experience. During the combine's defensive back drills, Berry showed good promise on the skill portion. I think it would be a mistake to write off Church just yet, even though he is a longshot to turn into an NFL factor.

8. Syd'Quan Thompson - CB Cal (Broncos, Round 7, Pick 18)

Syd'Quan Thompson was arguably one of the best cornerbacks in college football once upon a time. Thompson had a very good career at Cal starting for a number of years. One of his biggest drawbacks was the fact that he limped into the Combine with an injured hamstring which meant he wasn't able to run the 40 yard dash. He did run it at the pro day, but it didn't wow anybody. That hamstring issue is still an issue, so a lot of teams didn't bother. Being 5'9 also didn't work to his advantage as NFL teams put a lot of emphasis on size at the corner spot.

But will the gamble pay off for the Broncos? It really is tough to say. From what I've seen from Thompson, I think he's really solid in coverage. I don't think he could someday become good enough to be a consistent starter in the league, but in the 7th round, it's certainly worth a gamble. He has proven himself to be one of the best Pac-10 corners for quite some time so there's potential. As long as that hamstring can get healthy, he can add some valuable depth on the bench if needed.

Eight More With Potential:

1. Blair White - Michigan State WR (Undrafted)
2. Harry Coleman - LSU LB (Undrafted)
3. Jarrett Brown - West Virginia QB (Undrafted)
4. Joe Webb - UAB QB/All-Purpose (Vikings, Round 6, Pick 30)
5. Danario Alexander - Missouri WR (Undrafted)
6. Dezmon Briscoe - Kansas WR (Bengals, Round 6, Pick 22)
7. Clint Gresham - TCU Long Snapper (Undrafted)
8. D'Anthony Smith - Louisiana Tech DT (Eagles, Round 3, Pick 10)

Live Blog! 2010 NFL Draft Rounds 2-3

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:59:00 +0000

6:00 - Alright, the live blog is open for business. The suspense is killing me! Not really. But the decline of Jimmy Clausen is pretty intriguing. As is the Colt McCoy situation. I think McCoy and Clausen will have pretty similar NFL careers, kind of like...Jake Plummerish or Kerry Collinsish type careers. A couple teams that could use a QB? Minnesota to groom behind Favre, Indianapolis to groom behind Peyton Manning (he's older than you think), Carolina (starting Oregon Stater Matt Moore), Cleveland (although reportedly they feel like they have bigger issues, even with 4-picks-a-game Jake Delhomme), Buffalo (with Trent Edwards), and Oakland (who may put more faith in Gradkowski than we might otherwise assume). All of these make for interesting destinations for any of these guys.

6:04 - Speaking of QBs, I don't plan on former UAB QB Joe Webb going today, but whoever takes Webb and turns him into a specialist will be very lucky. He's the exact same type of athlete as Josh Cribbs or Brad Smith or Julian Edleman. His passing was rusty in college, but his legs were what set him apart. I just want to go on the record that when he goes on Day 3, he's going to be a factor in the NFL.

6:06 - How is Charles Brown still on the board? I think Brown may be the best overall prospect on the board right now. Whenever I saw him at USC, I was never really able to pick out a lot of flaws in his game. If it comes down to him or Saffold out of Indiana, I'm pretty sure I want Brown. Saffold is interesting though because he practiced against Greg Middleton and Jammie Kirlew at Indiana. Maybe he's more ready than some people assume?

6:10 - Well, what do you know. Saffold is off the board and ready to protect Sam Bradford at St. Louis. Again, I have no clue why you want Saffold over Brown, but whatever. I was pretty sure the Rams were going for a wide receiver target, but if Laurent Robinson is healthy, then I think they're a little more secure than most people think if paired up with Donnie Avery.

6:15 - Chris Cook is going to be a consistent NFL cornerback. If he's healthy enough, I think his athleticism and form should work in his favor. The Vikings missed out on McCourty and Kyle Wilson, so I figured they don't mind settling for Cook.

6:22 - Is this it? Clausen to KC? Weis is the offensive coordinator there. I don't think the management will want Clausen though because of the investment in Cassell.

6:30 - These commercials are killing me.

6:36 - The Browns are up. Get ready, Colt McCoy.

6:45 - I'm not a huge fan of Benn. I remember watching ESPNU the day he signed to play at Illinois, and he hasn't certainly failed to disappoint. Yet another athletic body that gets a free pass into the NFL without any significant collegiate production. Benn just doesn't have the instincts in my opinion. Golden Tate is who Tampa should have wanted.

7:04 - Man, about time Sergio Kindle came off the board. I was thinking Kindle was going to fall to the second round, but I thought teams would have been wheeling and dealing last night trying to swap spots with the Rams to get him. Kindle is just a total match for what Baltimore tries to do. That's going to work out pretty well.

7:14 - Linval Joseph is a beast. He was a man among boys at ECU. He has a prototype defensive tackle body and should be a good fit in New York. They know how to groom defensive lineman.

7:16 - McCoy's coming off the board! I picked Carolina as his destination this fall, so let's see if I nailed it!

7:24 - Okay, Mays to San Francisco and Clausen to Carolina. Clausen fits in so well with Carolina's system and I don't think he could have asked for a better spot to land. The Panthers knew sitting there they'd get either McCoy or Clausen, so it worked out in the end. I think Clausen could be a force to be reckoned with, but again, still in that Jake Plummer / Kerry Collins mold of above-averageness. It'll be an interesting battle between him and Matt Moore this fall.

7:37 - Wow! Toby Gerhart is a Minnesota Viking. I love this fit for him. He's a grinder and anybody who says he has to be shifted to a fullback is missing out. He's not extremely fast, but he's fast enough, and outside of Barry Sanders (and I'm serious about this), he has the greatest feet I've ever seen. He's all about balance. That's going to work in his favor in the NFL.

7:54 - Hmmm. This is a pretty interesting second round. A lot of teams are reaching on guys that were projected to go in the 3rd round at the earliest. Mike Neal from Purdue just went off the board, and the Bills earlier in the second round took Torrell Troup who wasn't really dominant at UCF last year. Oregon safety T.J. Ward going to the Cleveland Browns was a reach as well.

8:09 - Man, I'm really surprised at what Cleveland is doing. They definitely don't have a current long-term answer at QB. I was almost 100% sure they were getting somebody before I saw a Michael Smith report that said the Browns were not that interested in upgrading the QB situation. My guess is that Holmgren is getting his guys in place and probably wants to start fresh in 2011 with a new head coach and a new QB so they can enter together. Mangini isn't going to be lasting there for long. Maybe that's it. As for Colt McCoy, I'm not sure Seattle will be interested because of the Whitehurst trade. I would limit the possibilities to Buffalo, Indianapolis, Oakland, and San Francisco and Minnesota as long shots.

Live Blog! 2010 NFL Draft

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:34:00 +0000

Wow, just got here in time. I'll do a live blog for most of the 1st round draft. Stick with SSO for mundane and not-very-in-depth analysis!

7:34 - Rams are on the clock. I personally think they should take Ndamukong Suh here. Suh is just a beast. He's definitely the best DT in the draft (I don't care what McShay says about McCoy) and he's also a great pass rusher. The Rams shouldn't try to invest so much time into developing a QB, but Spagnuolo wants something to build around. So it'll be Bradford.

7:37 - Yeah, Bradford was just on the phone with a giant grin on his face.

7:38 - Woooow, big surprise. Okay now Detroit, don't mess up and take McCoy. Okung or Suh, take your pick. The Lions needs at the OT spot and DT spot are both in a dire position. I think they should go with Okung just because they can shift Backus inside to play guard, which is what he naturally did when he was at Michigan. I'll bet this is Suh though.

7:41 - Mel Kiper sounds like he's in love with Bradford. I'm not totally buying it. He's got a great release and all that jazz, but he did play behind the best offensive line in America in 2008. I doubt his decision-making under pressure is up to par. He won't force passes like Stafford did, but his mental process won't be up to snuff right away.

7:42 - Oh boy, is Suh on the phone? I'm getting giddy as a Lions fan. I can see though how he'll bust, but if he does meet his potential, the Lions won't be sorry. They have pretty much the worst pass rush in the NFL.

7:44 - Yup, it's Suh. I think this could be the draft pick that derails the Lions' curse. Stafford's potential is still up in the air and Cherilus hardly knows what he's doing. Suh looks like the real deal, but I'm always reserved whenever it comes to a Detroit Lion draft pick. Bucs on the clock and McCoy here is a lock. They need some rush defense help.

7:47 - "Will the Bucs take Gerald McCoy?" The ESPN announcer says (sounds like Jenn Brown!). Uh, yes. Duh.

7:53 - On the clock, it's the Redskins! I'm betting the house on Okung. I should note that so far I'm 3/3 here with my latest mock draft that didn't get published. When I posted my mock draft earlier this month, I did get swayed by the reports that Okung would go to Detroit. But that's not happening anymore, obviously. Coming up, Okung to Washington, Bulaga to KC, and Eric Berry to Seattle.

7:58 - Damn! I'm surprised. I had Williams going 4th from the offensive tackle bunch of Okung, Williams, Bulaga, and Campbell (because Oakland is stupid in the draft, nothing against Campbell but he's not #8). I liked Williams at Oklahoma, but Okung would have been the smartest choice in my opinion. The Chiefs lucked out. Williams will be pretty solid, but Okung will develop into a star. Mark it down.

8:08 - Eh....Okay, I should quit right now! Berry could be one of the top one or two players in the draft. Either way the Chiefs were going to come out of this with a win. I thought they would focus more on helping out Cassell's situation, but passing up Eric Berry is a tough thing to do. Now, what does Seattle do with this pick? This is a hard one. They could take Okung or they may take Spiller pretty high.

8:19 - They seriously asked which QB was next up on the board. Clausen can go to either Cleveland, Buffalo, or Oakland. My guess at this point would be the Bills. Either one of the three are pretty realistic though. The Browns are desperate for a QB though, so they'll either come away with McCoy or Clausen.

8:23 - I love Joe Haden. He's fast enough and great in coverage. I think his years starting at Florida was proof enough that he's the top corner in the draft. I originally had Haden at #7 to Cleveland, but upon learning about his .40 time, I thought teams would have shied away. The Browns made a smart move here. Now, it's Oakland's turn. It's either Bulaga or Campbell here. Davis usually goes for athleticism, so it'll be tough to pass up on Campbell, but Bulaga I think will come off the board right here.

8:30 - McClain to Oakland. Buffalo is either going for Clausen or Dan Williams out of Tennessee. Possibly Bulaga too, who has really fallen farther than I thought he would have. If Clausen doesn't go here, it's Aaron Rogers part deux.

8:46 - Huh. I thought teams would shy away from Davis a lot more than they did. Apparently the 49ers really liked him. And what was Jacksonville doing? Tyson Alualu? Alualu was going near the top of the second round. Something tells me Jacksonville was planning on trading down and couldn't get a swap done. He's really a tweener, so I don't get the appeal at #10 overall.

Okay, we're out of the top 10. I'm going to stop the live blog here or else I'll be here until 11. I do plan on being back probably Saturday for the final rounds, since that'll be more interesting for college football fans to find out where some of the more esoteric collegiate names will be going. Signing off!

Broken Thumb = Not Keen on Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:09:00 +0000

As if I haven't been slacking off enough, I broke my thumb yesterday. This kind of limits my ability to post. I'm usually one of those consistent 90-100 wpm typers, but this makes me feel like I'm in middle school typing class again! So hopefully this will heal up within a week or so, but when your main "spacebar thumb" has a splint on it, it would make typing a lengthy post even longer than it usually does.

SSO Mock Draft

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000

When it comes to saying things you never do, this blog is the master of it! I truly do hope that starting around May the posting will get a point where it is daily, but until then, I have decided to scrap the Mock Draft segment for something a little more college-football-worthy. So saying that, I'll unveil my revamped draft for the 1st round:

1. St. Louis Rams - Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford: It seems like the Rams are leaning more in this direction. I still think Clausen probably has more potential skill as an NFL QB with his tools, but lately I've been convinced that he hasn't shown the ability to be a proven leader at this level.

2. Detroit Lions - Oklahoma State OT Russel Okung: The Lions really are leaning towards Okung at this point and are going to be looking to give Matt Stafford some more pass protection. Jeff Backus is getting up there, not to mention his natural position is at OG guard anyway, even though every coaching staff refuses to shift him. He has struggled at lot at the tackle position.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh: Most mock drafts like the Bucs to pick McCoy, but if Suh is on the board, it looks like Tampa will take him. They need some run defense help, so it's one of these two defensive tackles.

4. Washington Redskins - Iowa OT Brian Bulaga: I was never that huge on Bulaga in college. I mean he was obviously a good player, but I didn't envision him becoming a top 10 draft pick in the NFL. At any rate, if the Lions pick Suh over Okung, then Okung will become a Redskin to help out McNabb. If Okung is off the board, I think the Skins may take a look at either Trent Williams or Bulaga at offensive tackle.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - Tennessee S Eric Berry: It could certainly be argued that Berry is the top player on the board in this years' draft. Berry certainly has the skill that anybody would look for at the position--speed, athleticism, great coverage instincts, and he can hit hard. The Chiefs want to protect Cassell, but anything other than Okung or Bulaga here will be a stretch.

6. Seattle Seahwaks - Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy: Seattle has some other areas of needs, but with two first-round draft picks for the Seahawks, I don't think McCoy can be passed up at #6. There are some holes in McCoy's game (mostly being his ability to plug up the middle and some interior stuff), but he's too good to pass up. Seattle can afford to wait until their next pick to plug their most glaring needs.

7. Cleveland Browns - Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen: With a new general manager in town (and probably a new head coach for 2011), I would hedge my bets on Cleveland getting their franchise QB. With the Redskins trading for McNabb, I can't see them getting a QB this year, so for Clausen it's either Cleveland or Buffalo. The Browns can't build long-term with Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme at the QB position.

8. Oakland Raiders - Maryland OT Bruce Campbell: It's Al Davis. Need I say more? Campbell though is going to be a solid player, but at #8, it's kind of high. He has good measurables and apparently, that's all Davis cares about.

9. Buffalo Bills - Tennessee DT Dan Williams: Williams has the size and athleticism to be one of the premier defensive tackles in the game. Especially for a team looking to add some bulk on the defensive line while making a switch to a 3-4, Williams makes a ton of sense. They could also give looks at Oklahoma OT Trent Williams or Dez Bryant as the offensive playmaker that Terrell Owens never was, but Buffalo will focus on shoring up the D this year more than likely.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars - Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan: Morgan has the size, speed, and athleticism that Jacksonville is looking for at the end position. For Jacksonville, trading down is a possibility so that they can get Tim Tebow, but assuming they hold on to their pick, it would have to be either Pierre-Paul, Morgan, Haden, or Bryant. So this is a tough one. Morgan is probably the #1 DE on the board, so I think that eliminates Pierre-Paul. Haden, regardless of his bad 40 time, would be a very good selection here. I think Jacksonville is okay with their assets at WR with Sims-Walker, Troy Williamson, and Mike Thomas, not to mention an emerging Mercedes Lewis at TE.

11. Denver Broncos - Alabama LB Rolando McClain: Denver has three areas of concern, those being DT, CB, and LB. Haden again is a possibility, but that 40 time will have teams shying away from him. At DT, there isn't really anybody worth the value at #11 to go with now that Williams is off the board. I think the Broncos go with the safe pick and take McClain who will develop into an above-average force at LB.

12. Miami Dolphins - USF DE Jason Pierre-Paul: It's funny how Pierre-Paul eventually became the best defensive option in the draft ahead of George Selvie. Pierre-Paul has a great body for a 3-4 LB type or he can also be a solid pass rusher as a DE. I think this flexibility gives him a leg up on a few others. Being in Florida, Miami could also go with Haden.

13. San Francisco 49ers - Oklahoma OT Trent Williams: This is a really tough call. According to many pundits, CJ Spiller going to San Francisco is a big possibility even with Coffee and Gore in the backfield. I think saying that though, Williams makes the most sense since the 49ers are in need of some offensive line depth.

14. Seattle Seahawks - Clemson RB/KR C.J. Spiller: And there he goes off the board. The Seahawks probably aren't sold on Justin Forsett outside of being a good change-of-pace number two back. I think Seattle will be searching for some offensive firepower and Spiller can provide that off the bat, not to mention his electrifying ability on special teams.

15. New York Giants - UCLA DT Brian Price: I admit this is a bit of a reach here because most outlets I see have New York taking Sean Witherspoon, but I think Price can fill in at DT and keep up the tradition of the Giants building that defensive line. It seems as if they've figured out how to get it done and in order to relive that 2007 Superbowl season, they need to maintain that whale of a pass rush.

16. Tennessee Titans - Florida DE Carlos Dunlap: The Titans taking a DE is almost a given here. Without Pierre-Paul and Derrick Morgan on the board, it looks like Tennessee will have to go with either Carlos Dunlap or Everson Griffin. They lost both of their starting DEs and the offseason didn't see any significant signees.

17. San Francisco 49ers - Florida CB Joe Haden: It's about time Haden came off the board! I originally had Haden going to the Browns, but it's more of an issue of team needs versus his ability. Again, he had a relatively weak combine and that may contribute to his falling down a bit, but he's still a good talent.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers - Idaho OG Mike Iupati: Talk about a work-in-progress. Iupati is just a really weak draft selection, but his size has put him in the discussion of being a premier draft pick. Iupati was a pretty good offensive lineman in the WAC, but my biggest drawback from watching him was his fundamentals. Those being positioning and footwork. Not much of a fan, but he'll be a first rounder and the Steelers are looking for a guard who can at least be fine against the run.

19. Atlanta Falcons - Florida OG Maurkice Pouncey: There are a few ways Atlanta can go here, being one of the main wildcard drafters in 2010. The Falcons could probably look at Pouncey as adding some needed depth at the G position and moving him to play C in the future. Brandon Graham could also get some looks here.

20. Houston Texans - Texas S Earl Thomas: A lot of drafts I have seen are looking at Ryan Matthews, but I don't see Houston going that route with Slaton and Chris Henry in the backfield along with Ryan Moats still being a restricted free agent. Even though they were 30th in rushing offense, I still think they have enough faith in those three to get the job done. Thomas would help out an already decent secondary and the safety spot seems to be the weakest position on the team. Thomas could probably start from day one and he's homebred.

21. Cincinnati Bengals - USC S Taylor Mays: With Thomas going one pick earlier, the Bengals may see Mays as the logical choice. He's a great run stopper even from the safety position. Even with the playoff berth last season, the defense still needs some work and some attitude. Mays will provide that. Jermaine Gresham is considered a wise pick here as well, but with Coats and Coffman already on the roster, it's not a need by any means.

22. New England Patriots - Michigan DE Brandon Graham: Most mock drafts have Graham going slightly higher than I do, but I think the Pats will get a steal here. They are also looking at Penn States' Odrick who is a flex player who can make it on the inside as well as on the outside. The Pats will take Graham because of his pass-rushing skill. Gresham or Bryant would also be good value picks to replace the aging offensive playmakers.

23. Green Bay Packers - USC OT Charles Thomas: Thomas appears to be the top offensive tackle on the board at this point. I think we're going to be seeing a shift in the NFC North with a larger emphasis on pass protection. Julius Peppers and Jared Allen will pose some problems for the Packers and the Lions, so I think that is the rationale behind both picking offensive tackles.

24. Philadelphia Eagles - Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon: Weatherspoon is probably the best player on the board right now. I admit it's a bit of a stretch having him go this late when most project him getting selected by the New York Giants, but Weatherspoon has great athleticism at the LB position and should be a rock solid player for the time being. Right now, the depth chart for Philly shows aging Jeremiah Trotter, Will Witherspoon (who is 29), and Moise Fokou who was solid but a 7th round draft pick from last season. The Eagles would jump on an opportunity to get Weatherspoon if he falls this far.

25. Baltimore Ravens - Boise State CB Kyle Wilson: Again, I'm a little unsure here because many have Wilson going to a place like New England, Green Bay, or Philly. Wilson has proven himself I believe to be the number two cornerback in this draft and the Ravens are looking for somebody to groom. If Wilson is off the board, look for Baltimore to take Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas. McCourty out of Rutgers is also an option.

26. Arizona Cardinals - Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham: The Cardinals have no help right now at TE. The starter as of right now is Anthony Becht, who is a solid veteran TE, but certainly no guarantee to produce. Gresham wouldn't replace Boldin per se, but he would provide a huge offensive threat at TE. Gresham is more of an offensive TE, so he would help the high-octane attack and provide an option for Matt Leinart.

27. Dallas Cowboys - Rutgers OT Anthony Davis: Without Flozell Adams, the Cowboys will try to build some line depth. This deep in the draft, Davis may be worth taking a flier on. Davis' work ethic has really come into question, but he's undoubtedly pretty talented. If he can get in good shape, I think he will become a solid choice at #27.

28. San Diego Chargers - Alabama DT Terrence Cody: Now that Jamal Williams is no longer on the roster, Cody seems like the obvious choice. San Diego needs a run stuffer desperately in his absence. Although Cody has some drawbacks such as his speed and agility off of the line. However, his size alone makes him a valuable selection at this point in the draft.

29. New York Jets - Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant: There he is! I felt kind of uncomfortable leaving Bryant on the board for this long, but many teams are not really in the market for receivers right now. Again, he could go as high as Jacksonville, so I'm kind of hesitant to put him down this far. Bryant would be the perfect target for Sanchez to build around. Golden Tate would be another option if Bryant is off of the board at this point, considering he is an excellent route-runner and probably better at that then Benn and Thomas who may also be considered.

30. Minnesota Vikings - Rutgers CB Devin McCourty: Minnesota is getting older at CB and they are suffering from some injury problems. I don't think they'll be worried about the QB position even if they want to groom somebody in waiting. It looks like Favre will be back. So saying that, CB will be a spot in need of a stop-gap pick and McCourty could develop into a nice prospect.

31. Indianapolis Colts - TCU DE Jerry Hughes: The Colts are fine on offense, obviously. Defensively they are pretty solid, but they also need somebody to sit-and-learn and even sub in as the third defensive end from time to time. That could be Jerry Hughes. Hughes could turn into one of the better pass-rushers in the NFL if he gets the right training. Even though Mathis and Freeny are on the same roster, Hughes could still see plenty of mop-up duty to develop. Also, as a security blanket, he could obviously be effective (considering Freeny wasn't healthy in the playoffs).

32. New Orleans Saints - USC DE Everson Griffen: Griffen entered the draft early, but he was probably hoping to go a little higher. The depth at DE I think could hurt Griffen, but ultimately he looks like he should manage to sneak into the first round. Even though USC has a relatively rough track record of sticking NFL prospects in the NFL (at least the ones who are expected to), the Saints, coming off a Superbowl win, can afford to take that risk. Look for the Saints to find a better option on the D-line as that should be their main focus in the first few rounds.

Conference by Conference: Disappointments (Pt. 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Mountain West: Wyoming

Not too high on the Cowboys this year. The reason? Well, they were just a bad team last season, regardless of their New Mexico Bowl upset over Fresno State to cap off the year. This is a team that didn't have any good wins outside of that New Mexico Bowl, was shut out three times all year and was held to 10 points or fewer SIX times, and had a mediocre defense that ranked 81st in total D. Some people blamed the offensive ineptitude on the youth and while that's a fair place to put the blame, I doubt this will become the offense that Dave Christensen saw at Missouri after one year. Having Austyn Carta-Samuels at QB and Alvester Alexander at RB are bonuses as they were each freshman in 09, but let's not get carried away! This offense was atrocious last season. It'll be at least another year before this spread attack takes off. The defense doesn't have a whole lot of rebuilding to do, but again, this team on paper did not come off as one that should have won 6 regular season games. I think they'll compete for a bowl game considering how poor the bottom of the MWC looks like it'll be in 2010, but I think they may come up short.

Pac-10: USC

Well, things couldn't be more disappointing than they were in 09, could they? Remember though, this is only relative to expectations. While Lane Kiffin has his numerous detractors (me), USC obviously has designs on a national title even with the tough schedule. Is it possible? I don't think it's that farfetched and even though Kiffin will eventually cause the relative decline of the USC football program, this year it won't be the case. However, if we've learned our lesson in recent seasons, the Pac-10 is deep. And it's not in a way where you just stop and pause at how good the teams are necessarily, it has more to do with the fact that these teams are ultra-familiar with each other. Let's not forget, it's been four seasons since USC went undefeated and in each of those, they lost a crucial road game that caused them to stumble along the way. This year, those road teams are Stanford, Arizona, Oregon State, and UCLA. I don't think the non-conference opponents (Hawaii, Virginia, Minnesota) will pose any threats but Notre Dame, while planning on being pretty good next season, have to come to L.A. I think USC could still win a Pac-10 tiebreaker, but if fans are expecting more than a 10-2 season, I think they may come away disappointed.

SEC: Ole Miss

If any year was going to put the Rebels into the BCS, it was 2009. They had momentum, they had a fresh attitude, and they certainly had the pieces. Now gone will be Jevan Snead, Dexter McCluster, Shay Hodge, Marcus Tillman, and the core of their secondary defense. Besides that, this is a team that underachieved in 2009 and managed to drop four tough games. Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, and Mississippi State knocked them out. If Snead did give his team more a passing boost than he did last season, Ole Miss may have been able to challenge Alabama, but it just wasn't meant to be the case. In steps (more than likely) Nathan Stanley who has some hype but has never been put under this type of situation. Ole Miss was probably a better team than they let on last season and some pieces are still in place to compete, but the schedule isn't really conducive to a great year, at least in SEC play. The first five games should be easy enough, but Kentucky and Vanderbilt don't figure to be pushovers. The road games this season are going to be painful against Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, and Tennessee. A bowl game should definitely be in sight for the Rebels, but I wouldn't expect a .500 or better record in SEC play.

Sun Belt: North Texas

Perhaps no conference has quite as much parity as the Sun Belt, so it's hard to pick a team to fail to meet expectations. That might be North Texas. Yes, I realize North Texas has been bad and isn't coming into the year with a lot of hype as being a sleeper, but most expect some noticeable improvement compared to Dodge's first three seasons. With the hype of the new stadium about to open in 2011, recruiting may see a temporary uptick, but the question for head coach Todd Dodge is will he be around to see it? I have to admit that after Dodge's first year, I automatically assumed that this offense would take off and leave them with one of the better units in the non-BCS ranks. As it turns out, the offensive production could not have been flakier over the last two seasons. The Mean Green also have not fixed their turnover situation ranking 117th. With a two-win season in 2009, Dodge needs, at the least, a 5-7 mark to hang on for dear life. While another infusion of JUCO guys may make some pundits give North Texas the nod as being a Sun Belt sleeper, I wouldn't be surprised to see a repeat of last year. One interesting wild card though is the hiring of Mike Canales from USF to be offensive coordinator. Will Dodge relinquish his offensive system a little bit and give the reigns to Canales? I guess that's the question around Denton. Since nobody in the Sun Belt has shoot-for-the-moon expectations nationally, I think I'll go with North Texas to disappoint and have another very bad season and probably a new head coach for 2011.

WAC: Nevada

Am I really going to go against that pistol rushing attack? No. But after last year's egg that the Wolf Pack laid in the Hawaii Bowl, I wouldn't be surprised to see almost a duplicate year in which they lose most of the important non-conference games, give Boise a push, and then get spanked in the bowl game. There has always seemed to be something missing with this team as far as mental toughness is concerned. And while they were shorthanded against SMU last December, that doesn't excuse losing 45-3 with the still-dangerous Mike Ball in the backfield. All that will be missing from this group that churned out three 1,000 yard rushers will be Luke Lippincott who seems to have finally run out of eligibility. There will still be Kaepernick running the pistol, Taua gashing WAC defenses, and Ball as a good fill-in. However, the defense will remain awful and that will ultimately do them in. The non-conference schedule has BYU and Cal which should be losses, but the WAC schedule sets up perfectly. It won't matter because Nevada will rip to shreds the meat of the WAC schedule and drop a game to Boise State. So Nevada will ultimately have a good year, but they will not realistically challenge for the WAC championship.

Bellotti Joins ESPN as Analyst

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Count me in as a fan! Bellotti will be leaving his cozy job as Oregon athletic director to join the team at ESPN. I always like listening to what Bellotti has to say and he was usually one of the better coaches at the Pac-10 media days. He's a pretty engaging figure and should fit in pretty well. Here's the link. One of the things I think that makes ESPN the best place for college football analysis (and I'm usually really tough on ESPN for a number of things) is because of the cohesiveness of the analysts and the anchors. The only ones that I truly don't enjoy would probably be.....Bob Davie, Ray Bentley, and a few of the lower-tier play-by-play guys.

This kind of raised the question of whether or not Bellotti was running away from the internal struggles at Oregon. The Blount punch put a black eye on the program and it doesn't help that Oregon will be losing Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James, the two biggest offensive stars, for the time being. I doubt though that Bellotti would have turned the job down had it not been for these issues. For the record, let me just say that as far as having depth players who can make a difference at RB and QB, Oregon is one of the deepest teams in the nation, so they should be fine.

Conference by Conference: Disappointments (Pt. 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:24:00 +0000

ACC: Clemson

Don't get me wrong here. I like Clemson coming into this year as they should easily find their way into another postseason. For many preseason outlets, the Tigers should be on the brink of their top 25s, but with 13 returning and some key players missing, this will be a tiny bit of a transition year. The defensive line, as it is with most ACC teams, is going to be great again. However, I think there are a couple unproven cogs defensively as they break in two new starting CBs (although Byron Maxwell is a senior) and two new LBs. Offensively they'll be okay with a decent offensive line, but no C.J. Spiller will kind of limit the big play ability of this offense. The momentum heading into 2010 should carry a bit, but the biggest drawback about Clemson could be their road schedule. The draw from the Coastal is rough with Miami and Georgia Tech again, not to mention South Carolina and Auburn are in the non-conference slate. North Carolina and FSU are the road teams I'm worried about. This team will be solid, but with this slate, I wouldn't expect more than 8 wins. Those thinking Clemson can get back to the ACC title game may wind up disappointed.

Big East: Rutgers

While Greg Schanio has at least established an above-average football program where there was no success to speak of for around a century, it doesn't change the fact that if there was any year for Rutgers to win the Big East, it was probably 2009. The schedule set up perfectly for them with USF, Pitt, West Virginia, and Cincinnati at home. Rutgers only went 1-3 in those games. While there's a chance the Scarlet Knights may be better than last year, their hopes for a Big East title look diminished based on the fact that all of those games are reversed and now to be played on the road. Pitt, West Virginia, and Cincy look like the favorites and all of these teams come on the road. The offense looks to be okay with Savage and Martinek in the backfield, but without D'Imperio, McCourty, and George Johnson, you can see there are some shoes to fill. If people point out that Rutgers can compete for the Big East this summer, just point out the schedule and you should easily win your case. I'd look for a 7-5 campaign, but 8 wins is the ceiling for this group.

Big 10: Iowa

Iowa was the big overachiever of 2009. Is it inevitable that they come crashing down? Not necessarily so. The Hawkeyes won games they shouldn't have until starting and returning QB Ricky Stanzi went down with injury. This derailed the season, but with that BCS run under their belts, they like their odds of getting back into one of the select five bowl games again. I think it's going to be a difficult road. Penn State may have some issues this year in a couple of areas, but after having their season destroyed by Iowa twice in a row, they're going to be motivated. Ohio State, Michigan State, an improved Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin also find themselves on this slate. If Iowa goes 9-3, I think it'll be a successful season. The defense is going to be impenetrable in 2010, but will the offense find any answers? You can only play with fire for so long and I would guess the tide may shift against Iowa's affinity for pulling out games in the clutch. The running game needs addressing and both tackle spots need a replacement. Iowa will be a very good team coming into this season, but I think the depth of the much-improved Big 10 will catch up with them and prevent them from getting into the BCS. They should be a lock for New Year's though.

Big 12: Texas A&M

While Mike Sherman at least found one thing A&M could do well under his regime, it didn't amount to much. The Aggies put points on the board and got involved in their fair share of shootouts, but the defense was horrendous. Well, why do people, a few of them at least, think Sherman's crew has an opportunity to challenge Oklahoma and Texas this year or at least be in the running of a Big 12 South title? 10 of 11 come back on defense. Now, I'm not so sure that's a good thing! The Aggies laid claim to the slowest, most unathletic defense I saw in the nation last year. Maybe it was conditioning or just laziness, but they looked gassed a lot. It didn't help that if one player out of 11 blew an assignment, it was so egregious that the opposing offense would charge down the field for a 30 yard gain, either. When Colt McCoy is as fast your guys in the secondary, you're going to give up a lot of plays. This is a team that, I have to say surprisingly, gave up 40+ points only 5 times last year. It helped balance out the scales since they had to take on New Mexico, UAB, and Utah State last year (although Utah State did hang over 500 yards of offense on this team). I love Jerrod Johnson and this offense has the capability of being very explosive, but the defense will keep them from doing anything special.

C-USA: Marshall

Marshall has been a favorite pick to actualy surprise some folks and make a bowl game under Mark Snyder for the last few years. Snyder actually gets the Thundering Herd to a bowl game and--Kerplunk!--He's gone. Doc Holliday has taken the job with a lot of charisma and figures to have Marshall competing in the C-USA East any time soon (and that's not him in the photo). However, I don't think they are going to be good enough to challenge for a division title with the likes of Southern Miss, ECU, or UCF in 2010. Albert McClellan had a pedestrian year in 2009 by his standards due to injury, but even so, he will be missed on the defensive line. The offense banked on the fact that if there was ever trouble, they could hand the football off to Darius Marshall as well. He's going to be drafted this April, forgoing his senior season. This will leave Marshall with a couple holes and I don't like how their schedule sets up. With Ohio State, West Virginia, and a road game against Bowling Green, it's going to be tough to open up the year with a win (although I'm pretty sure that Bowling Green game should be a tossup, just that it's on the road). ECU, Southern Miss, and one of the favorites in the West, SMU, all come away from Huntington.

MAC: Central Michigan

Could it be anybody else? Nobody in the MAC really has any expectations since the conference has been so bad and has seen so much parity over the last few years. Central Michigan has taken advantage of the parity by finding one of the MAC's best players ever in Dan LeFevour. With LeFevour's help, this team won 3 MAC championships within the last 4 seasons. This will be Year One sans LeFevour, and they'll also be without their head coach (who I really, really dislike by the way). If you thought the pain of dropping LeFevour was going to be alleviated by the return of all-purpose man Antonio Brown, think again. Brown is opting for the NFL. Central Michigan can however take solace in the fact that their defense may remain stable. Led by Nick Bellore, this unit was finally good after a noticeable two year disappearance from any bit of relevance. The scoring defense went from 89th to 17th in a matter of one season. Even with this in their corner, I don't think the machine will operate smoothly without LeFevour. Central will find themselves in the hunt for the MAC West, but getting to a bowl game will be a challenge (actually, that's not so with all of the at-large slots bound to be available). Just mark me down as skeptical, but I think a .500 season may be on the horizon since teams like Toledo, Western, and Northern Illinois will jump on this opportunity and that the East is getting slightly better year-by-year.

Mock Draft Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:08:00 +0000

6. Seattle Seahawks

The Situation: You always got the feeling this year that Seattle was better than they let on. Regardless, Matt Hasselbeck was sidelined with a rib injury near the middle of the year and Seattle never really recovered. At any rate, there are a lot of positions where Seattle can improve themselves and RB is a possibility if they don't buy into Forsett being a legitimate NFL starter. Defensively, their biggest issue comes in the secondary.

Who They Should Draft: Tennessee S Eric Berry. When it comes down to it, Berry may wind up being the top prospect in this draft. Even as a junior, he has all of the skill and as I mentioned in last week's post, he reminds me of being an Ed Reed clone. Seattle was 30th in pass defense in 2009.

Who They Will Draft: Tennessee S Eric Berry. With the new direction of Pete Carroll, he may be tempted to take some USC Trojans, but at this spot, you don't pass up on a guy who can easily solidify the secondary in a hurry.

7. Cleveland Browns

The Situation: By trading Brady Quinn to Cleveland and dumping Derek Anderson, a gaping hole has opened up at QB. Jake Delhomme figures to be a stop-gap hire who I could see getting cut before the end of the miserable 2009 year that is bound to happen. However, with Bradford and Clausen off of the board, the Browns will have to wait until later to get a QB, and there will be some value in the 2nd-3rd round for QBs. If they don't trade, you figure their selection would have to come in the secondary.

Who They Should Draft: I actually believe Cleveland should make a move to try and snag Bradford or Clausen, whomever the Rams don't want. We know that Washington is heavily in the market and we know that the Lions and the Bucs are not currently searching for a QB. The Browns would have to give up some draft picks and maybe a player or so, but swapping spots with Detroit or Tampa would guarantee them a franchise QB. If they stay at this point, it would make sense to draft Florida CB Joe Haden.

Who They Will Draft: I can see the Browns putting a move on, but Joe Haden will go here. Cleveland's number one priority coming into this draft is at QB, but they would have to get a deal done. Their secondary gave up 244 yards per game and Haden has the athleticism of a premier NFL cornerback.

8. Oakland Raiders

The Situation: Al, Al, Al....This guy has no hope. Or does he? The Raiders showed some strides and may be at least getting on the right track if they can find a QB. He's shown interest in a few guys, of course, all with speed. Trying to avoid a Michael-Mitchell-disaster type draft choice with the #8 overall pick, Davis needs to find somebody who can plug a hole right away. The needs right now (besides at QB unless Russell gets one final shot or if Gradkowski shows he can perform) are on the offensive line which surrendered 49 sacks or possibly the defensive line which struggled a lot last year.

Who They Should Draft: Tennessee DT Dan Williams This is a really tough choice to make considering their position. Al Davis has a couple prospects he likes on the ends, so I think they may actually be set there. In the middle though, this is a group that is going to age really fast. Gerard Warren is 31 and Tom Kelly is 29. So I think it's a good time to start grooming the 21-year-old Williams to take over the job. The drawback here would be that Williams is more of a nose tackle than anything else and I believe the Raiders run a 4-3. Williams though has enough bulk and athleticism I think to be molded into a good pass rusher in a 4-3. This probably won't happen here though. The other guy I'd really consider is Pierre-Paul but Al Davis likes his other DE prospects and has Seymour back for 2010.

Who They Will Draft: Iowa OT Bryan Bulaga. This is getting more dicey by the day because the word out there now is that Okung will go to Detroit and that obviously shakes up my draft board. If Okung is selected by Detroit, the Chiefs may opt for Bulaga or Trent Williams which would then limit the options for Oakland. The Raiders also like Bruce Campbell, but I think Bulaga will prove to have more outright potential and so that's who Oakland goes with.

9. Buffalo Bills

The Situation: The Bills are praying they can find a QB somewhere in the draft. As it stands, Buffalo is another team in desperate need of a QB. Trent Edwards, the former Stanford QB, has shown some flashes, but he's always stunk it up not too much later in a given season. However, it's unlikely that any QB will be worth drafting here. It didn't help that Buffalo's offensive line gave up 46 sacks on the year and in the meantime wasted the efforts of Fred Jackson by doing a poor job in helping the rushing attack. So it seems as if that's where Buffalo's biggest need is at. Also, without Terrell Owens, the offense is lacking a big play threat unless you count Lee Evans as providing that.

Who They Should Draft: Oklahoma OT Trent Williams. Williams is the best offensive tackle on the board at this point and the Bills need some major repairing to do in that sector. Edwards will not have much hope next season if he doesn't get any pass protection. Ultimately, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them select Dez Bryant here either without Terrell Owens.

Who They Will Draft: WR Dez Bryant. I think they'll pull the trigger. After waiting on the offensive line last season, it'll be hard to do it again, but Bryant has the potential to turn into one of the best WRs in the NFL. His fling with the NCAA was overblown and unimportant, so I don't think it'll effect his draft status. I'd really like for the Bills to improve their offensive line, but I think Bryant's talents will ultimately be too seductive to pass up.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Situation: The Jags need some help. Their defense got soft on them under Jack Del Rio in a pretty surprising fashion. The offense was average. This team also had a misleading record I think because their wins were mostly difficult and came against a lot of bad teams. Still, there is some hope for the future but the needs come on the defense for the most part. Drafting a big-play guy at WR is also a possibility.

Who They Should Draft: USF DE Jason Pierre-Paul. Paul is probably the most purely athletic end on the board and the Jags could use one of those. It's a close tie between Pierre-Paul and Rolando McClain of Alabama, but the Jags could trade this pick too. On the board, there are two guys who, if you want them badly enough, you may be playing with fire with if you wait long enough: Tim Tebow and Toby Gerhart. Nobody is really sure where Gerhart will wind up or who is interested in him and the same can be said for Tebow. The idea is that both will go between the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but to who is the question. Jacksonville is one of the few NFL franchises dealing with some financial trouble and being so close to Gainesville will pique interest in Tebow. So a trade is a very viable possibility, but Tebow is likely not a first rounder.

Who They Will Draft: Alabama OLB Rolando McClain. McClain is a terrific, physical linebacker who doesn't do a good job in coverage necessarily, but the trade off is getting a presence against the run. The Jags need to get a little more physical defensively and he would certainly add to that. Again, the other options are Derrick Morgan, Pierre-Paul, Dez Bryant if he falls here, or just to simply trade to the pick so they can snag Tebow near the top of the second round. At this spot though, McClain would help bring an edge to a defense that lost it over the last year or so.