Why me?

This morning I got a message that one of my readers (yes, thats plural) was disappointed that all I did was post some names for my mock draft.  He wanted more.  Well JB, here's more for you.  Here's my rationale for all 32 selections.

1.        I was physically ill making this pick.  I would bet a lot of your money that Cam Newton is an absolute bust.  The Panthers owner loves him which is all that matters.  I have serious concerns about his football IQ.  I’m still stunned after listening to his interview with Gruden.

2.       This will come down to Dareus and Miller and I think new coach John Fox will take Dareus to anchor his front seven.  He’s a steal at number two as most experts consider him to the be the top overall prospect.  Thank you Carolina!

3.       Offense or defense?  Most talking heads have the Bills taking Miller, but I see them grabbing Gabbert and solidifying the QB spot.  Sorry Harvard boy, but you’re going to be the tutor very soon. 

4.       Mark this down: A.J. Green will be an absolute beast AND he will be out of Cincinnati as soon as possible.  The Bengals couldn’t be more dysfunctional.  This is early for a WR, especially for a team with so many holes, but they can’t pass on this kind of talent.

5.       Finally Von Miller comes off the board.  Like the Broncos, the Cardinals steal a top defensive player because quarterbacks can be tough to pass over.  As a tackling machine, he makes an immediate impact on the outside for the sluggish Cardinals. 

6.       The Browns could go the safe route and take the best available player, Robert Quinn, or they take a chance and get Colt McCoy and the offense a playmaker?  I think they roll the dice and take Julio Jones, thus opening up the offense and making Peyton Hillis more effective. 

7.       The Niners get Mel Kiper’s number one prospect (whatever that’s worth).  It’s time for Bill Belichick’s favorite word, value.  Getting the top cover corner at number seven is great value.  This will be an easy pick if Peterson is still there.

8.       Like Buffalo, this comes down to QB or defense, but with Gabbert gone the Titans stick to their board and take Nick Fairley.  He’ll be disruptive as a pass rusher and it won’t take long for him to require a double team. 

9.       Tyron Smith has been linked with Dallas for a long time and I’m jumping on the bandwagon.  An instant upgrade at tackle and a very solid pick.  As Dallas has learned, keeping Tony Romo upright is of the utmost importance. 

10.   I can say that I have no clue what the Redskins are going to do.  I asked a friend of mine what he thought they should do and he suggested Julio Jones (already selected) or trade for picks.  Since trades are tough to predict I’m giving them the best available QB.  This is a shot in the dark.

11.   Houston needs to upgrade their defense, quickly.  The quickest way to make a defense look better is to get after the QB.  Teaming up Quinn with Mario Williams should improve the pass defense significantly.  Quinn is regarded as the top pass rushing defensive end in the draft.

12.   The first surprise of the draft comes right here.  Most experts have Akeem Ayers as a late 1^st or early 2^nd round pick, but I think he shoots up the board the same way Vernon Gholston did a couple years ago.  Every year there is a wild card that gets taken a little too early and this year I think its Ayers. 

13.   My beloved Lions continue to upgrade their defense with Nebraska Cornhuskers and select the number one all-around corner, Prince Amukamara.  I’m a huge fan of this pick.  He’s exactly what they need.  With that said, I’ll probably be wrong.  Will that be a popular jersey in Detroit this season?

14.   The Rams should be looking offense, but with the top two WR’s off the board and Mark Ingram not being an ideal fit with Steven Jackson, they go with Smith.  Smith will bring toughness and tenacity to the playoff bound Rams. Like most of the top defensive ends in the draft, he has a knack for getting to the QB. 

15.   Similar to Tyron Smith in Dallas, mark Ingram has been linked with the Dolphins from the beginning and it seems like a logical fit.  He’ll revamp a suspect RB core in Miami and make it easier for Chad Henne to survive in the pocket (at least for now).

16.   Jacksonville needs to be more physical at the line of scrimmage and this is how they do it; they draft J.J. Watt.  A monster at 6-6 290 lbs., Watt will be spending plenty of time in the opponent’s backfield very soon.  Hopefully he introduces himself to Mr. Peyton Manning.  [in cases you were wondering, this would have been the perfect selection for NE]

17.   With Watt gone, Bill Belichick elects to draft an offensive tackle to pair with Sebastian Vollmer.  Solder is massive, nasty, and will look great on the right side of the line.  It’s a close call between Castonzo and Solder, but Solder grades out higher.  Getting tougher in the trenches should be the main goal for the Patriots this offseason. 

18.   In this scenario the Chargers make out like bandits with the versatile Cameron Jordan.  They’ll be thrilled to get one of the more skilled defensive lineman who should be able to make the transition to OLB in the 3-4.  Jordan has the athleticism and knowledge of the 3-4 (having played it in college) to make an impact early on.

19.   This pick should be a no-brainer.  The Giants need interior line help and Mike Pouncey needs to get drafted. Done and Done.

20.   Tampa gets perhaps the steal of the draft.  Due to an injury and some questionable work ethic, one of the top talents in the draft falls all the way to 20.  If Bowers is healthy, he’s a top 3 pick.  No question about it.  I think his skill is too tough to pass on and the Bucs capitalize.  The other option at this point would be Ryan Kerrigan.

21.   The Patriots of the Midwest take the tackle that the real Patriots almost took.  Castonzo is a very good pick here and Scott Pioli will surely take advantage of his size, mobility and intellect.  BC can produce offensive lineman and 9-3 seasons.  It’s automatic. 

22.   Peyton Manning has been injury free because of his quick release and good protection.  To make sure he stays on feet the Colts take the top tackle left on the board, Gabe Carimi.  The Colts might look WR, but this is too early for Randall Cobb or Torrey Smith.

23.   He’s the first character guy.  The good thing is Andy Reid is the coach and he has a strong locker room.  Some draft folks are saying that Jimmy Smith could be the next Darrelle Revis and I don’t see the Eagles passing on a top CB prospect.

24.   I think the Saints try and trade up for Mark Ingram, but if the package is too rich I expect them to look for a pass rusher and luckily for them a good one is still on the board, Ryan Kerrigan.  Kerrigan falls to  number 24 because people aren’t sure where he’ll be most productive, 4-3 end or 3-4 OLB.  He’s you’re classic tweener, but I think Gregg Williams will find a spot for him.

25.   Here’s a spot that I have no feel for.  I think they need a QB, but they just signed Charlie Whitehurst and are claiming he’s going to be the starter.  If that’s the case then I think they continue to improve the offensive line and take Derek Sherrod.  He’s the norm; a 6-5 321 monster.  That’s a good start, right?

26.   I think the ravens try to deal this pick to a team looking to get back into the 1^st round for a QB, but if they do make a selection I think they work to make their defense a little more dynamic.  Justin Houston should be able to do that from the outside, as long as he can keep the recreational drugs out of his system.  Amazing that the Ravens are more talented on offense than defense right now.

27.   The Patriots of the south take who the real Patriots would have taken at number 28.  Cameron Heyward has the feel and look of another Richard Seymour.  He should be able to hold down the right defensive end spot for a long time. 

28.   The Patriots surprise, surprise, trade this pick to Titans for the Titans second round pick this year and a number one in ’12 (which will most likely be a top ten pick).  Dalton has been gaining steam recently and the Titans are desperate to get a consistent starting QB to balance Chris Johnson.

29.   The Bears select the local DT to help infuse some youth in their front seven.  Offensive line could be targeted here as well, but I think Liuget is the guy that makes the most sense.

30.   The Jets are looking for a large human being to put in the middle of their defense and Phil Taylor is a large human being.  He’s like a refrigerator with hands and feet, which is a good thing when Coach Ryan needs a GD snack.

31.   Pittsburgh was torched all last season through the air and they need the top corner available.  I went with Aaron Williams because of his hands and his size.  A big corner that should be able to help in the run game.

32.   The rich get richer as the Packers grab Brooks Reed to make their pass rush even more difficult to deal with.  Dom Capers will have a blast with Matthews on one side and Reed on the other. 

2011 NFL Mock Draft

       TEAM             POS       PLAYER                   HT   WT

1.    Carolina           QB       Cam Newton                6-5   248
2.    Denver             DT       Marcel Dareus               6-3   319
3.    Buffalo             QB       Blaine Gabbert              6-4   234
4.    Cincinnati         WR      A.J. Green                    6-3   211
5.    Arizona            OLB     Von Miller                     6-2   237
6.    Cleveland         WR      Julio Jones                    6-2   220
7.    San Francisco   CB      Patrick Peterson           6-0   219
8.    Tennessee         DT      Nick Fairley                  6-3   291
9.    Dallas               OT      Tyron Smith                  6-5   307
10.  Washington       QB      Jake Locker                  6-2   231  
11.  Houston            DE      Robert Quinn                 6-4   265
12.  Minnesota         OLB    Akeem Ayers                6-2   254
13.  Detroit              CB       Prince Amukamara        6-0   206
14.  St. Louis           DE       Aldon Smith                 6-4   263  
15.  Miami               RB       Mark Ingram                 5-9   215
16.  Jacksonville      DE        J.J. Watt                      6-5   290
17.  New England    OT        Nate Solder                  6-8   319
18.  San Diego        DE       Cameron Jordan            6-4   287
19.  NY Giants        C          Mike Pouncey              6-5  303
20.  Tampa Bay      DE        Da'Quan Bowers           6-3  280
21.  Kansas City     OT        Anthony Castonzo        6-7  311
22.  Indianapolis     OT        Gabe Carimi                  6-7  314
23.  Philadelphia     CB        Jimmy Smith                6-2  211
24.  New Orleans    DE        Ryan Kerrigan               6-4  267
25.  Seattle             OT        Derek Sherrod              6-5  321
26.  Baltimore         OLB     Justin Houston              6-3  270
27.  Atlanta             DE       Cameron Heyward         6-4  294
28.  Tenn. (NE)       QB       Andy Dalton                  6-2  215
29.  Chicago           DT       Corey Luiget                  6-2  298
30.  NY Jets           DT       Phil Taylor                      6-3  334
31.  Pittsburgh        CB       Aaron Williams               6-0  204
32.  Green Bay       OLB     Brooks Reed                  6-2  263

Finals Bound?

I realize that I'm late with a Celtics series recap, but I've been double-checking my computer for two days to make sure I didn't miss something.  Is it really true that the Boston Celtics are the only team to advance to round two without losing a game?  The answer is 'yes'.  Only five days ago, that would've seemed highly unlikely.  This is the same team that after two games looked like they were going to go the distance against yet another average team.  We were wrong on both counts.  First, the Celtics decided to turn up the intensity once they arrived in New York and absolutely embarrassed the home team.  Second, to call the Knicks an 'average' team would not be fair to all those C students getting ready for college finals.  They were awful.  In fact, I would argue that there were a couple intramural teams at Stonehill College that could've beaten that Knicks team.  That's what made the first two games so maddening.  The Celtics were the superior team, but they insisted on playing down to the competition, which has been the norm for the past four post-seasons. Logically, how could the Knicks without Amare AND Billups stay competitive in Game 2, never mind lose in the final minute?  I have no answer.  All I know is that they were crushed on the boards which led to them getting crushed in second chance points.  I know that Carmelo played a great game, but one player shouldn't be able to keep a team alive like that.  He looked like Teen Wolf out there with Chubby being played by Ronny Turiaf.  Thankfully the Celtics forced the ball out of Carmelo's hands and KG came up with a huge steal to seal the victory.

The two victories in New York were amazing.  It's what Celtic fans have been waiting for all season.  They were defending.  They were moving the basketball.  Paul and Ray were hitting everything they threw at the hoop.  Rondo was simply playing at a different level.  The Knicks had no answer for him defensively and he took full advantage.  KG was a monster on both ends of the court and the bench, umm, well, the bench didn't play awful the whole time.  The bench is certainly the biggest question mark at this point.  They struggled more in this series than they have all year.  Big Baby was hesitant, Jeff Green was confused, and Delonte West had trouble dribbling.  It was quite the performance.

The question that I keep asking myself is if this team is capable of making a serious playoff run.  Can they duplicate last year and get back to the Finals?  To get an answer I decided to look at the stats from last year's first round match-up with the Heat and compare them to this year's series against the Knicks.  Here's the breakdown of the top 8 players (points-rebounds-assists).

                                            2010 vs. Heat:                    2011 vs. Knicks
                                          
Paul Pierce                            19-5-3                                 22-4-2  
Kevin Garnett                         16-9-2                                 15-11-3
Rajon Rondo                          13-6-10                               19-7-12
Ray Allen                               19-2-3                                 22-4-2
Glen Davis                              9-5-1                                    6-5-1

Kendrick Perkins                    6-8-1
Rasheed Wallace                    4-1-0
Tony Allen                              6-1-0
Jermaine O'Neal                                                                 5-4-1
Jeff Green                                                                          6-3-0
Delonte West                                                                     2-2-1


This seems like a fair comparison for the simple reason that the 2010 Heat and 2011 Knicks are the same team.  They had one talented scorer (Wade and Carmelo) and a group of role players to fill out the rosters.  Both teams sucked.  So what can we conclude from these two beat downs?  I think it's pretty obvious that this team has a chance.  Probably a better chance than Lloyd Christmas.  I know, I know, the rest of the East is better than last year, but they're also unproven.  The Celtics are an extremely tough match-up on the offensive end and they're still a top five defensive team.  I think they can beat the Heat, even without home court and I'll take my chances against the Bulls.  The most important difference between last year and this year is KG.  He looks better now than in '08 when they won the title.  It's shocking with all the miles on his body, but he's catching his 3rd or 4th wind.  I think the improvement of KG's game/health more than makes up for the increased competition in the East.  This same team that was left for dead two weeks ago is now the favorite to get back to the Finals and all it took was a little effort. Isn't it funny how that works?

Disclaimer:  No Shaq talk until he plays a damn game.

Prologue

Back by popular demand...

You guys may or may not remember January 16th, but it was the beginning of the end for the Boston sports scene.  It's amazing to think back to that day.  The Pats were only hours away from destroying the Jets at home and steamrolling their way to a 4th title in 10 years.  The Bruins were at the top of their division with a 25-13-7 record and the night before they had beaten Carolina 7-0 with Thomas getting the shutout.  The Celtics were at the top of the conference with a 30-9 record (a 3 game lead on the Heat with Chicago nowhere in sight) and two nights earlier the immortal Shaq had 23 points and the catalyst Rajon Rondo had 18 and 13.  Lastly, the Red Sox were still weeks away for spring training and discussions had started about them winning 100 games and John Lackey possibly eating a hot dog and drinking a beer per inning in each of his starts just to make things fair.  The Boston fans couldn't have been happier.  There was talk about all 4 teams winning championships THIS YEAR.  Ooohhhh, how the times have changed.  Aas we all know, the Pats were physically dominated at home and the Jets once again advanced to the AFC Championship game.  The Bruins (the lone bright spot right now) had their ups and downs, but are poised to at least make a run at the Eastern Ffinals.  Then we get to the Celtics, who last night where soundly defeated by the Bulls and are in a tie with the Heat for 2nd place in the conference.  I'd say that they have no chance of beating that Bulls team in a 7 game series.  Last night they were outplayed and I'd say outclassed.  Boston looked like an average team that hopefully can make it a competitive series in the 2nd round.  Lastly, the mighty Red Sox who have been pathetic thus far.  I would argue that this weekend is the season.  I might be overreacting, but if they are 1-8 or 0-9 after this weekend, they are cooked. A fantasy team with Red Sox uniforms on.  All the optimism that was here only 3 months ago has vanished, but at least we have the Masters to watch this weekend and the NFL season to look forward too, oh wait...

The Beginning...

This is post number one and I'm probably going to ramble for a a few minutes as an introduction.  I know that I should have a catchy first couple of paragraphs to grab your attention and get you to come back, but why set the bar too high?  I'll be setting you up for disappointment.  I have no credentials as a sports blogger.  Though I do watch a decent amount of sports and at a time was considered an athlete, you certainly won't be reading an expert analysis. I have even less credentials as a writer (if that's possible).  I was the person in school that selected English classes with the least amount of writing require.  Lastly, to complete the trifecta, I can be a bit stubborn in my views and extremely irrational in my observations.  Going from one extreme to the other is a pretty normal thing for me.  This will be very clear as the blog posts pile up and I contradict myself on a daily basis.  It's amazing as a fan how quickly things can change and a trade that you understood six weeks ago (Perk to OKC) can seem as insane as Antoine Walker being broke today.  Side Note: Antoine's career earnings $110 million. 

Making up for my lack of experience and professionalism will be a stream of rants and observations that are meant to inform, as well as entertain.  The majority of the blog will focus on the NFL, which is locked out, the NBA, which will be locked out, and MLB for as long as the Red Sox are in the race.  That doesn't leave me with a lot of material at the moment.  The Celtics are still alive in the playoffs, but the run will most likely be ending soon and the Red Sox are 5-11 and still haven't won a road game (0-7).  The one bright spot is the NFL draft in two weeks.  Easily in my Top Five of sporting events for the year.  I'll be posting a mock draft in the next week that you can feel free to applaud, criticize or simply skip over until I write something with substance.  It's your call. 

My guess is that these two paragraphs have left you unfulfilled (as planned) and I have no idea if you'll actually return, but if you can give John Lackey your attention every fifth day, I hope you can give this blog a try as well.  I can guarantee a better ERA than 9.82.