2nd Annual MLB Over/Under Predictions

"Shooting lines for people to believe in."

March is a wildly underrated month in the sports year I'm figuring out, and the reason it's so underrated (at least as far as I'm concerned) is that in March, there really is no resolution to anything, and yet how you do in March speaks volumes about what may come in the future. The NBA and NHL are both making their final playoff pushes, NFL higher-ups are busy traveling across the nation trying to figure out who they will take in April's draft, college hoops is busy crowning conference champions and, eventually, fielding the Final Four which resumes...in April. Finally...baseball. Spring training is in full swing for a season that starts in, yup, April. However, with spring training, you can catch a glimpse of the faces that may be dominating this sport in the next five to ten years. This year is no exception. As we get closer to Opening Day (which of course is Yankees/Sox...so cliche), let's take a look at each team's chances this year, as well as if the expectations being put on them are in any way reasonable.

(Not only do I want to dedicate this column to my uncle, for which all of my works have been for, but also for Nomar Garciaparra, who retired today after signing his last contract with the Red Sox. Garciaparra was one of the first players I ever saw that made me question the possibilities that one player's impact could have. Not only was he outstanding on the field during his run in Boston ('96-'04), but he captured the collective imaginations of an entire fan base...and at that point, with that whole "curse" thing still lingering, that was not the easiest thing to accomplish. He is the greatest shortstop to ever play in Boston, and was the initial building block for what we now know as Red Sox Nation. We salute you #5.)

All over/unders are provided by Bookmaker.com

AL East
New York Yankees, 103-59 (94.5): Well, I probably couldn't have been more wrong about the Yankees as I was last year. Say what you will about biasedness, but I really thought they would play the entire season like they did in April and parts of May. But, oddly enough, they banded together like, dare I say, the 2004 Sox, and went on a five-month rampage en route to a title. It puzzles me why the O/U is so low. I guess this is an indication of what Vegas believes the Sox can do this year. Also, the Rays, who won the division title in '08, slipped big time last year. Not really sure, but I'm not ready to bet against this team w/ Granderson and a half-decent Javier Vazquez. Over.

Boston Red Sox, 95-67 (94): This may be a bit elongated in comparison to the other team breakdowns, but bare with me.

The Sox did not find an answer to Jason Bay's departure. This puzzles me. They had the resources to re-sign Bay, who, you really can't deny, was working in Boston. Experts label him as an average fielder...am I wrong, or did he play the wall really well all things considered? Nowadays, you absolutely need a solid 1-7 if you want to contend in this division...right now I'm seeing 1-5 (Jacoby, Pedroia, Ortiz (I'm a believer), Youkilis, V-Mart) working in a fairly nice unison, but 6-9 (Beltre, Drew, Cameron, Scutaro)? I can't help but feel overwhelmingly scared in any really big spot, which tends to crop up a lot playing the Yankees and D-Rays 36 times a year. These guys feel like transition guys...you know...like they're here this year, and yet I'm feeling like three of them will be gone in 2011 (J.D. will still be going strong).

You can interpret this in two ways. Either we're really buying into believing that this lineup will be able to withstand the test of an entire season, or, is this the lineup that we're looking at for three months, and then come July, when teams will be looking to unload talent for salary room and prospects knowing that they're finished this year...you know this is my desperate hope that they get Adrian Gonzalez and make their 1-6 at least nearly invincible. So, while watching the first three months, focus on the Sox, but definitely keep a decent eye on how the Padres do as well. Sure Jed Hoyer, the Pads' GM, is probably still pissed he isn't GM'ing the Sox still (he was the co-replacement during Theo's hiatus), but at some point, he'll have to realize that Gonzalez will be hitting the east coast at some point, and if he wants any compensation for that move, the window on that is closing, so if the right group of prospects is put together (which they have), it definitely could happen.

I have a hard time with the John Lackey contract. I think he's a really good pitcher. I think that whoever they were going to have at the #2 spot this year would not be as talented at he is right now. However, why must the Sox continue to recant on their promise to not going nuts year-wise with free agent contracts? The whole "no five-year deal to anyone" promise actually works, and yet the organization continues to be somewhat desperate to make a splash knowing what is on the line. We just ask for quality...it doesn't really matter at the end of the day how much you spend so long as you have a group of players who fans can like watching, and who will be excited to watch on TV and in person. They have the resources to make it happen, and yet I'm not getting it from anyone they've acquired (although I've always wanted Cameron, but I'll get to that in a little bit).

Lackey is the contract that stands out to me because of its length and value. I'm sorry if that's the way I see it, and I may be completely wrong about it, and if I am, I will be willing to admit that, just as I did about the Yankees. Doing this half in my head, but mostly on my computer calculator, Lackey is due to make $16.5 million a year in this deal. Tim Linceum got $11.5 million/per for two years...is this like a "Freaky Friday" kind of thing? Like they each should have got the others' contract? In any event, a 32 year-old pitcher getting five years? I mean he's really going to have to go nuts. It seems like we wanted to make a huge splash to overturn what happened last year, and it didn't really work out that way.

Okay, positives...young pitching. We have plenty, which you rarely get to say. The Sox can willingly call up a top prospect to pitch an inning, or spot-start whenever they need it. Lester, Buchholz...I'm starting to understand why they didn't trade Clay for Saltalamacchia. He can develop into a 200-inning guy over time, much like what David Price has become.

Papelbon is a rock, and you just have to believe me on this one. He's done too much for anyone to ever question if he has lost it. If you want a guy coming in in the 9th in these current times, you want him, Rivera, or Soria. That's pretty much the list of the "shut-down" closers as it stands right now (love Brian Wilson, Joe Nathan's gone for the year). Then, add Daniel Bard...you are at least looking at a top-two 1-2 eighth-to-ninth guys (Phil Hughes/Rivera has it right now...although they want to split them up like they did with Joba...to which I say by all means New York, make one of your strengths a weakness). I like the bullpen a lot.

I love Mike Cameron, but I don't love how they are utilizing him right now. Again, it comes back to not bringing back Bay or signing Matt Holliday. This move that Jacoby is making from center to left puzzles me. It seems like Cameron is almost in a Karl Malone-like situation where he will likely retire at the end of next year, and is hopeful that he can win a title in that final year. All his answers seem to tell me that he's starting in center this year, and then Jacoby will go back to center after he leaves...my question is why is Jacoby the one to concede his position? Shouldn't Cameron be a.) happy to be here, and b.) willing to adjust to whatever position the Sox need him in? I think Cameron needs to be a 100-game guy right now...yes, a fourth outfielder, but an outfielder who has the potential to play all three outfield positions, which is something they now do not have. If anything, Cameron in left, Jacoby in center. Cameron is a great fielder, but Jacoby has done so much, and you can almost see the disappointment on him. It is an honor to play left for the Sox, but Ellsbury had his spot in center sealed up for two years, and now Mike Cameron can just take it away? Even Cameron in his prime did not do enough to justify Jacoby switching positions. That situation puzzles me.

On the whole, I remain totally hands-off about buying into this team. This is a team loaded with acquisitions you will not see next year, so therefore, it's hard for me to get emotionally involved with parts of this team when I want to embrace them as a whole. They need to do something big before the season gets out. Otherwise, I'm honestly bracing for third. Sorry to continue the pessimism, but they haven't given me a reason not to be. Under.

Tampa Bay Rays, 84-78 (89): Tampa has a ton invested in their farm system, and what separates them from the rest of the league is that they have produced more major league-ready talent in the last five years than anyone else. Injuries, and lack of a clear-cut closer, killed them last year. I can't expect to believe that will happen again injury-wise, and Soriano, while not being overwhelming, nevertheless represents some kind of stability. Tampa makes the move into the second best team in the East this year. Over.

Toronto Blue Jays, 75-87 (71): After the Halladay trade, and getting rid of J.P. Riccardi, the Jays have downgraded themselves to the worst team in the East by far. Their one really good pitching prospect they had coming up (Brandon League) is gone. Alex Rios getting waived was curious. I know 20/20 guys allegedly grow on trees now, but Rios was actually a guy you could build around, and I believe Toronto failed to realize that. Under.

Baltimore Orioles, 64-98 (72.5): Despite being in a loaded division, the O's will make a decent amount of noise this year, so much so that they may actually have a 50/50 split in fans when they play the Sox at Camden (it's 80/20 Sox fans currently). With Roberts, Markakis, Adam Jones, Nolan Reinhold, and Matt Wieters, Baltimore has a nice, young nucleus to continue to build off of. Pitching will of course still be an issue. They brought in Mike Gonzalez to close...not saying that answers their needs in terms of closing games, but it's a step in the right direction. The tipping point could be Brian Matusz. If he has a breakout year, they could ride that momentum into next year and beyond with him as their ace. Really, really like the makeup of this team, but their pitching inevitably will kill them...they'll still be close to .500 though. Over.

AL Central
Minnesota, 87-76 (82): So apparently everyone in this division is supposed to finish either .500 or under, and that rarely happens. The Twins won this division last year in the 163rd game against Detroit, and they were looking good until they went up against the Yanks, but that happened to everyone, so what can you do? Joe Nathan's injury will kill them unless Jon Rauch or someone else steps up and shows the ability to close games. Otherwise, you're looking at Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker as your co-aces that they will try and ride out as long as they possibly can. The J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson signings puzzle me considering that I have more confidence in an Alexi Casilla/Brendan Harris duo. They do have the best 1-2 DH combo in baseball (Kubel & Thome)...too bad you can only start one. Under.

Detroit Tigers, 86-77 (81): A team that you could conceivably have at winning 90 games or 70. These are always the most fun teams to watch though...especially if they end up being good. We've heard about Max Scherzer for a long time, but I keep thinking that Edwin Jackson was actually halfway decent, and letting him walk for a still-unknown is a big gamble. Detroit will benefit from a Verlander/Porcello 1-2 at the top of their rotation...one of the best in baseball in my opinion. Austin Jackson is really going to have to live up to the hype...not sure about that. Love the Damon pickup. He still as something left, plus he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Love Inge, love Cabrera in any state, and I think Scott Sizemore has a really nice year as a rookie. Again, could go a number of different directions, but for now, I'm choosing to be optimistic. Over.

Chicago White Sox, 79-83 (82): I'm thinking this is the team to beat in this division. Sure, Jake Peavy isn't quite at elite level anymore, but he's a great guy to start a series with, and you really do need that guy who can at least be thought of as a #1. You're looking at a solid 1-4 in their rotation (Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Floyd). Also, check out that bullpen. J.J Putz? Scott Linebrink? They have quietly put together a tremendous bridge to get to Bobby Jenks. Here's the biggest fantasy tip I can give you this year: Gordon Beckham is right now listed as a third baseman, but will start the year at second, so he'll be eligible at both after about two weeks. Beckham is my breakout candidate this season. He's a must-have for me (already made him a keeper in my fantasy league...sorry guys). Over.

Cleveland Indians, 65-97 (73): I pretty much accepted that it was going to be doom and gloom for the Tribe last year, and unfortunately, that's pretty much what happened. The good news is that it can't get much worse. The pitching staff is still pretty much in disarray. Love Masterson, but I think he's still a guy you want pitching long innings out of the 'pen. Not to say he will never start ever (he obviously will), but I'm not sure if he's ready for the kind of workload he will undertake this year. One of the most underrated outfields in the game (LaPorta, Sizemore, Shin Soo-Choo), but this is still a developing team. Carlos Santana will get his chance behind the plate to take over for V-Mart's absence eventually (and yes, his name is Carlos Santana...I saw you double-taking). Under.

Kansas City, 65-97 (71): So much for KC busting out. Hey, it looked good for the first two months, then the injuries piled up, and what ended up happening was that it was the Zack Grienke show for one game, and the nobody cares show for the other four, and while it should never be like that, no matter how bad a team may be, that's the way it really felt to an outside observer. Mike Aviles disappointed in his sophomore campaign, and now he is relegated to being a super-utility guy in his third year. Alex Gordon has looked great when he's been healthy...the question now is will he ever be healthy for an entire season? I like the Podsednik and Rick Ankiel signings, and as long as Soria remains healthy, they have enough pitching to make a nice jump in wins. Over.

AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 97-65 (84): I'm pretty sure before every season, the guys in charge of the over/unders get deneuralized by that Men In Black transmitter, and forget everything that happened not only in the last year with the Halos, but also who they acquired in the off-season. Scott Kazmir is their #4...their #4! I love their two big additions (Matsui at DH, Fernando Rodney to be their 7th inning guy). Call me baffled, but I don't understand how they don't win 90 again. Over.

Texas Rangers, 87-75 (83): This will all come down to pitching, as it always does with the Rangers. They simply do not have enough of it. They have some nice pieces already in place with Feldman and Holland in the rotation, and Neftali Feliz becoming the latest 100 MPH phenom relief pitcher. However, they can score runs at will, and in this division, if you put up five runs a game, you can get to 90 wins. Over.

Seattle Mariners, 85-77 (83): The M's are one of the teams I will be watching very closely this year. No way can you touch a 1-2 of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. This is possibly the best tandem since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling teamed up in Arizona. They are that good. If Erik Bedard gets even close to being healthy, they will be lights out. They have no power in their lineup though. You want to talk about small ball. They will be a hit-and-run team all year long, and if they do in fact play that way, you also cannot beat the 1-2 of Ichiro and Chone Figgins to table-set. If they can get a big bat before the deadline, the M's could be the AL sleeper this year. Over.

Oakland Athletics, 75-87 (78): Ben Sheets went from not pitching for anyone to being the ace of a team...let me reiterate the fact that Ben Sheets did not throw one pitch...not one...all of last year, and he is now the ace in Oakland. Ummm, yeah. Under.

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies, 93-69 (92): I thought the Phillies were going to be the second-place team in the East, which was just about right before they traded for Cliff Lee, and things really took off. That's the tough part about this. You cannot account for what a team will do during the season in terms of trades. The Phillies were an above average team before they got Lee, who turned them into a powerhouse again. Not paying Lee will end up really hurting him. You can tell in interviews that, while he likes playing for the M's thus far, he really wanted to stay in Philly and pitch out his good years there (because of their proximity to winning another championship now and in the future). Philly decided that Halladay was worth the investment...I just don't know how much longer he can pitch complete games, even in the NL. They have the best lineup in baseball, but the pitching could be their downfall. Again, I'm thinking they regress. Under.

Florida Marlins, 87-75 (81): Ricky Nolasco was awful last year, they got nothing out of Cameron Maybin, and this team still won 87 games...that's impressive. When you talk about Josh Johnson, you are talking about a force. Here's a guy who has already lived up to the hype that surrounded him, and yet he can still get better. Uggla and Ramirez make up the best 2B/SS tandem in the game (sorry Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins). Still, I can't in good conscience believe that the Marlins can replicate the success they had last year. Under.

Atlanta Braves, 86-76 (86.5): This is a fascinating team as well. They shouldn't be good, and yet they continue to turn out above-.500 seasons. The face of the franchise is up for grabs now that Chipper Jones is officially on the back nine of his career...or the 19th hole of his career, depending on where you're standing. You need to know three names on the Braves. Jair Jurrjens, who was so impressive last year that he is the ace this year, Tommy Hanson, who is the best pitching prospect in baseball, and Jason Heyward, the best overall prospect in baseball, who will become the everyday right fielder before the All-Star break. I like some of the pieces involved, but like the Sox, it's hard for me to embrace all of it (3/4 of their infield (I really like Yunel Escobar though), and their entire bullpen (Billy Wagner is closing for them now). Under.

New York Mets, 70-92 (81): I can't even imagine what it must be like to be a Mets fan. 70-92? I thought they would win at least 90 last year...what happened? I think what happened was that Jose Reyes is the heart and soul of this team, and without him, they looked lost. Now it appears that with his thyroid problem, he'll be done for this season as well. I continue to suspend reality based on my thinking that Johan will turn it around, that J-Bay will light it up, that Beltran will stay healthy and hold the form he showed while he was in the lineup last year, that David Wright will pull out another 30/30-like season...baseball needs the Mets to be good. Over.

Washington Nationals, 59-103 (72): Believe it or not, the Nats have other players besides Stephen Strasburg...I know I was shocked too. No, but really, the Nats are making some tremendous strides since they moved to DC. They were actually in the running for Mark Teixeira two years ago...when did you ever think the Nationals would be in on a major free agent? Ryan Zimmerman is going to have another huge season, and besides him, they have a bunch of wild cards (Elijah Dukes, Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan, Adam Dunn) who may pan out for them. All the focus will be on the rotation. As soon as Jason Marquis, John Lannan, and Scott Olsen struggle, it will only beg the question of how patient the Nats and their fans can be with Strasburg in the minors. Their bullpen will struggle as well, which will add to the need to get Drew Storen up as well. This team remains a year away, but Strasburg will get there at some point...that's going to be some exciting stuff. Under.

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals, 91-71 (88): The Cards stayed status quo this offseason, which is completely acceptable considering they won 91 games and their division. However, I bet their fans kind of wish they did something. They won a championship in '06, which only makes that fan base hungrier for more (any really good baseball city is like this after being deprived of a championship for a long time...Boston and Philly come to mind). I think Pujols gets them to 80 just by him being in the lineup. Wainwright and Carpenter are both tremendous, and the noise that they have made since the season ended was re-signing Matt Holliday...that was a smart move. Over.

Chicago Cubs, 83-78 (83): Much like the Mets, it's almost frustrating how bad the Cubs have become. They should be a perennial 90-win team who should have the Cardinals and Brewers nipping at their heels. Now, they are looking up at both of those two teams, and may find themselves heading into a fourth place finish. I'm not sold on anyone outside of Derrek Lee, and unless a move is made, they will be stuck in neutral this season. Under.

Milwaukee Brewers, 80-82 (80.5): I will be really shocked if the Brewers don't win 90 games this season. I'm thinking it's going to start out Cards/Brewers and end Cards/Brewers. The only question there is is whether or not they can win enough games to assure themselves of a wild card birth. The NL is wide open this year, and you don't need the best rotation to win. Braun and Fielder are the Manny/Papi combo of baseball now, and they have two real good young infielders in Casey McGehee and Alcides Escobar (big-time fantasy sleeper). Gallardo is an ace...you can only hope this doesn't turn into a Zack Grienke-like situation here. Over.

Cincinnati Reds, 78-84 (78): This is a team that can change everything. They potentially could be that good. No one has the young bats like the Reds have (Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs). In addition, Brandon Phillips continues to be solid. Also, call me crazy, but I really like the O.C./Scott Rolen combo on the left side of the infield. The Harang/Bronson/Cueto/Homer Bailey combo could all put up 18 wins or 18 losses...none of it would surprise me. The big wild card is Aroldis Chapman. Cincinnati has to be in the bottom five locations I'm thinking a Cuban defect will land...and this is a guy you actually look like you may want to keep...the anti-Jose Contreras if you will. If he can get 150 innings in, the Reds could play spoiler to the Cards or Brewers hopes of the wild card. Over.

Houston Astros, 74-88 (77): I'm thinking this is the year that the Astros finally descend to the bottom of the Central. What exactly happened here? It's like they bring Carlos Lee on board, and stand pat in terms of free agents for three years? I thought giving him $100 million would set them back...apparently it really set them back. Under.

Pittsburgh Pirates, 62-99 (71): The Bucs are a team you can pull for because I see them perhaps getting some fans in the seats this year, much like the O's. Lots and lots of potential in the outfield with Lastings Milledge (who had one of the more schizo-seasons in recent memory), McCutchen, and Garrett Jones. They could be really good, or fail miserably. With Pedro Alvarez on the way, they may have a decent amount of pop in the lineup. Ryan Doumit is probably the most underrated catcher in baseball. Their pitching is suspect, but you have to come to expect that given the track record of Pirates' young pitchers blowing their arms out before they even get a chance to get situated. Over.

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers, 95-67 (84): The Dodgers are extremely close to going Chicago Cubs on us and completely falling apart, and judging by the O/U figure, the word is out. A dominant outfield featuring a past-his-prime, but still amazingly effective Manny Ramirez, the best centerfielder in the game in Matt Kemp (by the way, that should be Jacoby's title...not like I'm bitter or anything), and Andre Ethier, who continues to fly under the collective radar. Clayton Kershaw is about as good as you can get in terms of a young ace...he's Tim Lincecum light for me. Billingsley is a solid #2, and with Broxton closing games, they're good with a lead. The rest of their bullpen is totally suspect, and their infield causes even more questions to come up. I believe this year could get bad, especially since there are three teams right on the Dodgers' heels. Under.

Colorado Rockies, 92-70 (83): You were surprised the Rockies won 92 right? Tell me I'm not the only one who didn't see this happening. What happened was the Rocks got really good about two years before it was conceivable that they would be 90-win good. Their offense is so spread out. Tulowitzki is their best bat, but the drop-off after that is not big at all. The starting pitching staff is solid for the NL, and, surprisingly enough, they have one of the deepest bullpens in all of baseball. Over.

San Francisco Giants, 88-74 (83): Here is my darkhorse. I'm looking up and down this lineup and through the pitching staff, and they seemingly have everything they need to win. Pablo Sandoval may contend for a batting title this year after a rookie campaign that saw him put up a .330-25-90 season. They possess a top-five 1-5 pitching rotation, with Madison Bumgarner, a guy who would likely be at least a #2 on most teams, in the #5 slot. I again have to emphasize that I love Brian Wilson. A guy named Brian Wilson throwing for a California team...it makes a lot of sense. The best catching prospect in Buster Posey will see a little time this year, but his impact will be felt more in 2011. They have solid hitting, solid defense, utility guys, deep starting rotation, reliable closer...the chief concern I have is the bridge to get to Wilson, but other than that, you're looking at a team built for the postseason. Over.

San Diego Padres, 75-87 (71): The Padres' fans will likely be taken hostage this year by the ongoing Adrian Gonzalez saga. I know I will sound biased when I say this, but they have got to trade him sooner rather than later, just as a way to get on with it. Kyle Blanks may have a nice semi-breakout year this season, and Heath Bell has been impressive in his short stint as the Padres' closer...other than that though, there really isn't a whole lot to say about the Pads. Under.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 70-92 (82): As indicated with a O/U at 82, the D-Backs are in line for a gigantic bounce-back that may land them atop of the NL West. Much like the Mariners, if their 1-2-3 stays healthy (Brandon Webb is the key in this health equation), they could be the best in baseball. The offense can flat-out hit. Justin Upton is following the Evan Longoria career path of blowing up, signing a big contract, and continuing to blow up...at least that's how I think it will go down. Miguel Montero has himself situated to have a monster year behind the plate. Add in the Chris Young/Conor Jackson/Mark Reynolds combination, and they are looking at at least four 25-homer guys. Qualls is solid in the 9th...D-Backs/Rockies/Giants/Brewers/Cardinals for three playoff spots...should be a wild ride this year. Over.

So there's a somewhat concise baseball preview there. I came in over .500 last year in terms of predictions, so I'm hopeful I can continue the positive momentum into this season. Hopefully I can get a fantasy baseball article up soon, as I really think I have a good grasp on things much like I did last year (eight teams, did not finish worse than 3rd). Next up though will be my first annual March Madness Dossier, which will break things down in terms of potential runs, sleepers, busts, and everything you'll need to over-analyze your brackets and finish in the middle of the pack in your pool (certain things you probably don't want to write or say aloud would include the last sentence). Anyway, I hope everyone stays relatively dry for the St. Patty's Day Parade in Southie, and everyone has a great week...I know I will. Peace.

~Mell-o

2010 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

"And when we rock up on the mic, we rock the mic right."

So nothing like saying you're going to be writing (or at least attempting) to write more...and then take another two months off. However, after watching the combine over the weekend, I was inspired to get back and write my first draft column of the year.

As if the draft was important enough already, this, at least in my opinion, is the most important draft for the Pats in the last decade. While most of the concerns facing the Pats appear on the defensive side of the ball, I actually have them taking three offensive players in the second round. Because of the fact that such a league-wide premium will be placed on athletically-gifted defensive players, I suspect that really talented offensive playmakers (Aaron Hernandez and Dexter McCluster come to mind) will start to slide on draft boards. Even if the Pats go a different route, they need to cash in this year. My confidence is already at an all-time low in terms of the Pats' ability to draft impact players after the first round (because, let's face it, it's not really that hard to draft in the first round...the odds of being the Lions every year is really tough). Seriously though, if they can't get it together this year...I mean when does it end? Will they really trade into next year again? Sure, there exists a chance that a rookie salary cap will be in place by then, but why continue to let all these potential game-changers slip by when all the pieces are in place this year? (There also exists the possibility that there will be a work stoppage in 2011 if the players and owners can't get together over the rookie cap and revenue sharing). Anyway, this is my pleading and urging of the entire Patriot organization to please get their sh...err, stuff together this year. It also doesn't hurt to listen to pundits (maybe not so much me...I mean if they want to listen, that's great...I'm not expecting it to I guess any degree though) because, believe it or not, they actually know what they're talking about because they all have miles of film on every single prospect coming out, so taking a listen to "experts" and their take on prospects is not the worst idea here.

Okay, now that my undying biasedness is out of the way, we can get down to the actual draft itself. First, let's break down the prospects in terms of position values. This list is basically determined by what I saw at the combine, my opinions in terms of potential value, and what others are saying regarding this subject.

Quarterbacks:

1. Jimmy Clausen, 6'3, 223, Notre Dame
   
2. Sam Bradford, 6'4 223, Oklahoma
3. Tim Tebow, 6'3, 245, Florida
4. Tony Pike, 6'6, 210, Cincinnati
5. Colt McCoy, 6'2, 210, Texas
6. Dan LeFevour, 6'3, 238, Central Michigan
7. Daryll Clark, 6'3, 232, Penn State
8. Thaddeus Lewis, 6'1, 215, Duke
9. John Skelton, 6'5, 258, Fordham
10. Jevan Snead, 6'3, 220, Ole Miss

Running Backs:

1. C.J. Spiller, 5'11, 195, Clemson
2. Jonathan Dwyer, 6'0, 235, Georgia Tech
3. Ryan Matthews, 5'11, 220, Fresno State
4. Jahvid Best, 5'10, 195, California
5. Dexter McCluster, 5'9, 170, Ole Miss
6. Toby Gerhart, 6'1, 235, Stanford
7. LeGarrette Blount, 6'2, 240, Oregon
8. Montario Hardesty, 6'0, 215, Tennessee
9. Charles Scott, 6'0, 234, LSU
10. Joe McKnight, 6'0, 190, Southern Cal

Fullbacks:

1. Manase Tonga, 6'0, 238, BYU
   
2. Rashawn Jackson, 6'1, 245, Virginia
3. John Conner, 5'11, 240, Kentucky
4. Jack Corcoran, 6'1, 230, Rutgers
5. Cory Jackson, 6'1, 245, Maryland

Wide Receivers:

1. Dez Bryant, 6'2, 220, Oklahoma State
2. Golden Tate, 5'11, 195, Notre Dame
3. Arrelious Benn, 6'2, 220, Illinois
4. Damian Williams, 6'1, 195, Southern Cal
5. Brandon LaFell, 6'3, 206, LSU
6. Jordan Shipley, 6'0, 190, Texas
7. Mardy Gilyard, 6'1, 187, Cincinnati
8. Jacoby Ford, 5'10, 185, Clemson
9. DeMaryius Thomas, 6''3, 229, Georgia Tech
10. Eric Decker, 6'2, 215, Minnesota

Tight Ends:

1. Aaron Hernandez, 6'2, 250, Florida
2. Jermaine Gresham, 6'6, 258, Oklahoma
3. Jimmy Graham, 6'8, 260, Miami
4. Ed Dickson, 6'5, 243, Oregon
   
5. Dennis Pitta, 6'5, 247, BYU
6. Rob Gronkowski, 6'6, 265, Arizona
7. Anthony McCoy, 6'5, 250, Southern Cal
8. Jeron Mastrud, 6'6, 253, Kansas State
9. Dorin Dickerson, 6'2, 230, Pittsburgh
10. Michael Hoomanawanui, 6'5, 270, Illinois

Offensive Tackles:

1. Anthony Davis, 6'6, 325, Rutgers
2. Russell Okung, 6'5, 300, Oklahoma State
3. Bruce Campbell, 6'7, 310, Maryland
4. Bryan Bulaga, 6'6, 312, Iowa
5. Trent Williams, 6'5, 318, Oklahoma
6. Charles Brown, 6'6, 285, Southern Cal
7. Vladimir Ducasse, 6'5, 330, UMass
8. Jared Veldheer, 6'9, 321, Hillsdale
9. Selvish Capers, 6'5, 298, West Virginia
10. Marshall Newhouse, 6'4, 320, TCU

Offensive Guards:

1. Mike Iupati, 6'6, 330, Idaho
2. Rodger Saffold, 6'5, 306, Indiana
3. Jon Asamoah, 6'5, 315, Illinois
4. John Jerry, 6'6, 335, Ole Miss
5. Shawn Lauvao, 6'3, 305, Arizona State
6. Mike Johnson, 6'6, 305, Alabama
7. Sergio Render, 6'3, 313, Virginia Tech
8. Mike Johnson, 6'6, 305, Alabama
9. Zane Beadles, 6'4, 305, Utah
10. Mitch Petrus, 6'4, 315, Arkansas

Centers:

1. Maurkice Pouncey, 6'5, 318, Florida
2. Matt Tennant, 6'4, 291, Boston College
3. Eric Olsen, 6'5, 305, Notre Dame
4. J.D. Walton, 6'3, 305, Baylor
5. Ted Larsen, 6'2, 300, North Carolina State

Defensive Ends:

1. Derrick Morgan, 6'4, 272, Georgia Tech
2. Jason Pierre-Paul, 6'6, 260, South Florida
   
3. Carlos Dunlap, 6'6, 290, Florida
4. Brandon Graham, 6'2, 263, Michigan
5. Jerry Hughes, 6'3, 257, TCU
6. Ricky Sapp, 6'5, 240, Clemson
7. Greg Hardy, 6'5, 275, Ole Miss
8. Corey Wootton, 6'7, 280, Northwestern
9. Koa Misi, 6'3, 263, Utah
10. George Selvie, 6'4, 250, South Florida

Defensive Tackles:

1. Ndamukong Suh, 6'4, 300, Nebraska
2. Gerald McCoy, 6'4, 297, Oklahoma
3. Dan Williams, 6'3, 327, Tennessee
4. Brian Price, 6'2, 300, UCLA
5. Terrence Cody, 6'5, 365, Alabama
6. Jared Odrick, 6'5, 296, Penn State
7. Geno Atkins, 6'1, 290, Georgia
8. Lamarr Houston, 6'2, 300, Texas
9. Arthur Jones, 6'4, 293, Syracuse
10. Tyson Alualu, 6'3, 290, California

Outside Linebackers:

1. Sergio Kindle, 6'4, 255, Texas
2. Eric Norwood, 6'1, 252, South Carolina
3. Sean Weatherspoon, 6'2, 245, Missouri
4. Navorro Bowman, 6'1, 232, Penn State
5. Thaddeus Gibson, 6'2, 240, Ohio State
6. Rennie Curran, 5'11, 225, Georgia
   
7. Sean Lee, 6'2, 236, Penn State
8. Cameron Sheffield, 6'2, 249, Troy
9. Dekoda Watson, 6'2, 226, Florida State
10. Justin Cole, 6'3, 240, San Jose State

Inside Linebackers:

1. Rolando McClain, 6'4, 258, Alabama
2. Brandon Spikes, 6'3, 258, Florida
3. Daryl Washington, 6'3, 234, TCU
4. Darryl Sharpton, 6'0, 235, Miami
5. Pat Angerer, 6'1, 235, Iowa
6. Ryan D'Imperio, 6'3, 245, Rutgers
7. Micah Johnson, 6'2, 258, Kentucky
8. Donald Butler, 6'2, 235, Washington
9. Jama Chaney, 6'1, 240, Mississippi State
10. Joe Pawelek, 6'2, 240, Baylor

Cornerbacks:

1. Joe Haden, 5'11, 190, Florida
2. Kyle Wilson, 5'10, 186, Boise State
3. Patrick Robinson, 5'11, 194, Florida State
4. Brandon Ghee, 6'0, 190, Wake Forest
5. Perrish Cox, 6'0, 198, Oklahoma State
6. Devin McCourty, 5'11, 190, Rutgers
7. Javier Arenas, 5'9, 198, Alabama
   
8. Myron Lewis, 6'2, 205, Vanderbilt
9. Chris Cook, 6'2, 210, Virginia
10. Kareem Jackson, 5'11, 192, Alabama

Safeties:

1. Eric Berry, 5'11, 203, Tennessee
2. Earl Thomas, 5'10, 197, Texas
3. Taylor Mays, 6'3, 230, Southern Cal
4. Morgan Burnett, 6'1, 210, Georgia Tech
5. Nate Allen, 6'2, 206, South Florida
6. Myron Rolle, 6'2, 223, Florida State
   
7. Kam Chancellor, 6'4, 230, Virginia Tech
8. Chad Jones, 6'3, 231, LSU
9. Larry Asante, 6'1, 215, Nebraska
10. Rashad Jones, 6'2, 215, Georgia

Kickers & Punters:

1. Leigh Tiffin (K), 6'2, 212, Alabama
2. Brett Swenson (K), 5'8, 185, Michigan State
3. Zoltan Mesko (P), 6'5, 231, Michigan
   
4. Robert Malone (P), 6'2, 215, Fresno State
5. Aaron Pettrey (K), 6'2, 199, Ohio State

So, now that we've broken down each position, let's get right into the mock draft itself. Due to the three second-rounders the Pats possess, I've decided to expand my mock to two rounds entirely based on the fact that the bulk of how we will judge the Pats' draft will come in the second round rather than what they do at #22 (by the way, this is the same way we will judge the '09 Draft for Bill & Co., and right now...not looking too good) Of course none of this will pan out, and in hindsight, one would say a complete waste of time...but this is what I do. So, here comes the first installment...

Round One:

1. St. Louis- Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma- If the Rams do pass on a QB again, I won't be as curious about as I have been for the last two drafts, when they let Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez slip on by. I think Bradford's good...but franchise savior/resurrector? I'm not so sure about that. Here's my thing: If they take Bradford here, or even Jimmy Cluasen here, it will be an indication that they're willing to admit they f'd up. This is a team that needs everything, and taking a QB would be considered a reach. If they want the best player available, they have to go Suh or Gerald McCoy here. However, I think they concede to the fact that they are starved for that "franchise" QB, and they may buckle this year.
2. Detroit- Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- In my opinion, the Lions are in the best position they could have possibly been in here. They already took a QB last year, so basically, they can't miss here. If they're going defense, they will have at least two "franchise" guys available from a group of Suh, McCoy, and Eric Berry. The Rams are going to be at the point of almost being tortured by who they pick, or if they can possibly trade down (which I don't think is a possibility now), while the Lions will have basically all of their options open to them...that is of course if they trade down and take Dez Bryant, which I am secretly hoping for.
3. Tampa Bay- Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma- The Bucs are really hoping that all the hype about Bradford going #1 is true, as they have the most to benefit if a QB goes #1. They will take the tackle that the Lions pass on if that all plays out.
   
4. Washington- Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame- The 'Skins need to trade down here, pick up some picks, and avoid this entire QB situation altogether. However, they're going to stick and stay because, again, this is a draft where the talent is fairly evenly spread out, and you can get a Pro-Bowler in the middle of the first round without having to trade their entire draft to move up. As the days progress, J-Camp's favorability seems to be decreasing...this tends to happen when you have a young QB try and master like eight different offenses in his first five years. They should pick Anthony Davis here and really look to get that offensive line locked down because Jansen and Samuels cannot stay healthy. As of right now though, I think Shanahan will opt for a QB that he can mold to his system.
5. Kansas City- Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers- While probably not being the best "all-around" tackle in the draft (see: next pick), Davis' raw athletic abilities and potential upside have sky-rocketed him from a high second-to-late first to a top five pick. KC needs everything, but conventional wisdom suggests that Pioli will build from the trenches, then proceed outward (drafted DT Tyson Jackson #3 last year).
   
6. Seattle- Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- This could potentially be a transition spot if Berry and Okung are still available, much like how it was last year when the Jets traded up to #6 to take Mark Sanchez. Seattle is also sitting pretty right now with two picks in the top 15 (this of course assuming they do not trade one of them, most likely #14, to get Brandon Marshall). If they stick and stay though, Okung is a guy that can be of the Walter Jones All-Pro like variety, so when Jones does step down, they will have someone who is ready to take over (Okung actually considers Jones his hero and even wears his number...thanks NFL Network).
   
7. Cleveland- Eric Berry, S, Tennessee- While receiver may be the easy pick here, I find that it will be excruciatingly difficult for Holmgren to pass on arguably the surest thing of this entire draft.
   
8. Oakland- Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland- I am real close to guaranteeing this happens. Campbell is a workout warrior, he'll be here at #8, Al Davis is drafting...need I say more?
   
9. Buffalo- Brian Bulaga, OT, Iowa- The Bills find themselves needing everything, but it never hurts to try and get that franchise left tackle, and this year, in case you were unaware, is the year to do it. Four tackles in the top 10 is not inconceivable at all.
   
10. Jacksonville- Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida- Wasn't this suppose to be George Selvie's name and not Pierre-Paul's? My what difference a year makes. Pierre-Paul has shown limitless upside and is a gifted pass-rusher, much like what Selvie was last year, but injuries and an emerging line partner left Selvie in the dust, and put Pierre-Paul into the top 10, and potentially, the top 5.
    
11. Denver (from CHI (Cutler))- Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State- I am assuming the Broncos will find a trading partner for Brandon Marshall, thus leaving a gaping hole at #1 receiver, a spot I'm not sure Eddie Royal is ready to assume. Bryant was a top 5 pick all along, but questions about his character and his mid-season suspension hurt his draft stock (oh by the way, if you don't want your character questioned, don't hang out with Deion Sanders before the draft...even if Deion just works you out, you're probably going to be labeled as "talented, but with some character edge"...I don't think it's necessarily right, but it is what it is). If the Broncos are unable to unload Marshall, 1.) that sucks for them because both sides of that equation hate each other, and 2.) Rolando McClain from 'Bama becomes almost a mortal lock here to play beside D.J. Williams.
    
12. Miami- Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- With Karlos Dansby in place (really not looking forward to seeing him twice a year), the Dolphins are looking for a true nose tackle to put in the middle of their 3-4. Williams is a run-stop tackle while Suh and McCoy, while certainly being able to help defend the run, are more of the QB pressure persuasion.
    
13. San Francisco- Joe Haden, CB, Florida- The Niners could be the beneficiaries of a slow 40 time turned in my Haden (mostly due to his form which was pointed out by, yup, you guessed it, Deion Sanders). Haden actually possesses 4.4 speed, but it's 4.4 "game speed" as opposed to "combine speed" (I differentiate the two because guys in the combine sometimes run with their heads down for aerodynamic purposes to shave some tenths off their times...to which I say when can you ever run with your head down in the NFL?). In this year's draft, Haden is by far and away the best corner, and correct me if I'm wrong, but Mike Singletary "wants winners." Hopefully a shut-down corner from Florida is enough.
    
14. Seattle (from DEN (Alphonso Smith))- Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech- During this process of evaluating talent, there are certain guys that you really like, and then there are certain guys you love...I love Derrick Morgan. This is my plea right now. If Seattle still has #14 by draft day, and Morgan is still available, the Pats absolutely need to trade up and get him. If they allegedly made an offer for Julius Peppers, here's a chance to get a guy who is of the same mold, but nine years younger, and most likely playing with a chip on his shoulder considering he probably should be going somewhere closer to the top 5. I'm thinking the #22 and one of those second-rounders will get the job done. I'm telling you right now...this guy...this guy you don't want to miss out on.
    
15. New York Giants- Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama- Like Morgan, McClain should probably be going a lot higher than this (and very well might), but for now, the G-Men will get their middle linebacker for the next ten years. Berry, Morgan, and McClain are incapable of missing in my opinion.
    
16. Tennessee- Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida- The "wild card" of the first round goes to a team that specializes in wild cards (VY, Chris Johnson, LenDale to name three). Dunlap's potential and skills have taken a back seat to his off-the-field debacles, and if the Titans can get him on the up and up, he may start to fill out like another D-End they took from Florida (Kearse).
    
17. San Francisco (from CAR (Everette Brown))- Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- Williams will benefit from the elite tackles all going in the top 10. Normally, he's a high second-rounder, but based on need and availability, Williams now slips into the middle of the first round. The Niners are much like the Seahawks in having two picks, having needs at multiple positions, and perhaps looking to move down to acquire more picks.
    
18. Pittsburgh- Earl Thomas, S, Texas- It's looking more and more like Ryan Clark won't be back, leaving a hole at strong safety next to Polamalu. I know Taylor Mays' 40 time may have propelled him to the #2 safety behind Berry. However, two safeties from Southern Cal in the same lineup? Has that ever been done? I'm thinking no, and I'm not sure if it will start here. Thomas, skill-wise, has a better game right now than Mays, so if the Steelers go by an all-around game, which they normally do, they'll take Thomas here.
    
19. Atlanta- Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas- With Dunta Robinson in the fold, the Falcons won't be in the market for a corner anymore. This leaves outside linebacker, or really anyone who can put pressure on the quarterback, as their #1 need. Kindle will be a bargain this late.
    
20. Houston- C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- Ugh. This makes me think about Steve Slaton. While he wasn't Matt Forte-bad, he wasn't worth all the hype I gave him. After that whole situation melted down on Gary Kubiak, he was left with Ryan Moats as his starter...good luck making the playoffs with that. Even if Slaton returns to his starting role, I'm almost positive they will want some kind of insurance in case he doesn't work out...again. Also, Spiller will be an instant contributor to the return game, so it's not as though he will go to waste if Slaton does happen to come back into favor. One final note: Has anyone drafted better than the Texans over the last five years? They continue to improve every single year, and are getting guys they can immediately plug in and make sound contributions.
    
21. Cincinnati- Taylor Mays, S, Southern Cal- The Bengals' starting safeties right now are Chris Crocker and Roy Williams...so I'm thinking that may be an area of concern. I know they keep spending high picks on defense, but I guess they're going to keep having to do that because they continually strike out on all of these picks (think of them as the bizarro Texans).
    
22. New England- Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan- The only reason I have Graham here is because Graham seems to be the "flavor of the week" pick. I'm not totally convinced that he's the guy...maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not "wowed" by Graham, and generally, if you're spending a first round pick, you would like to be at least somewhat bowled over. He ran a 4.72 at the Combine, then strained his hamstring, meaning he won't participate at Michigan's Pro Day, leaving something to be wanted there. He certainly has a bit of explosiveness, but hey, call me biased...no way is he better than Eric Norwood. If it's not an outside linebacker/defensive end here, then why not Tim Tebow? Why even take a chance and have him get scooped up in the beginning of the second round? I have to tell you, I am completely comfortable with Tebow here. You have to start thinking about the future now, rather than waiting until it avalanches on you (see: last year's Patriots' defense).
    
23. Green Bay- Charles Brown, OT, Southern Cal- Brown is the last of the remaining "okay to draft in the first round" tackles. Their two big needs are O-Tackle and corner, and with the Packers' preference for tall corners, I feel like they will side towards getting a big guy up front to protect Aaron Rodgers.
    
24. Philadelphia- Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri- The Eagles need help either at defensive end or linebacker, and I'm almost positive they address one of those needs here. Also, Weatherspoon is kind of a vocal guy in the huddle, something I also suspect the Eagles may be looking at.
    
25. Baltimore- Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma- After acquiring Anquan Boldin, it makes perfect sense for the Ravens to continue to bolster their offense. Gresham, before the injury to his knee, was considered a top 15 guy. The reason I have Hernandez ranked higher than him is because right now, if you're asking me who will have the most immediate impact, and who will have the longer career, I have to say Hernandez. I never like guys coming into the league after basically missing an entire year of football...sometimes it works I guess (Robert Meachem).
    
26. Arizona- Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU- With Karlos Dansby off to Miami, and Antrel Rolle going to glorious East Rutherford (Miami or Jersey...decisions, decisions), this opens the possibilities up even more so than before. Of course they have to go defense after getting shalacked in two consecutive playoff games. Hughes comes in with as much talent as anyone, but went overlooked at TCU. Really he should be in the first half of the first round, and the Cards will be getting a steal here at #26.
    
27. Dallas- Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- In terms of the best interior offensive linemen in the draft, I have gone back and forth on Iupati and Maurkice Pouncey numerous times. I have Iupati a little bit ahead right now based on his ability to step in right away, whereas Pouncey may be a bit of a developmental guy (he may take less than a year to develop though). The Cowboys clearly need to improve their line, especially their guards.
    
28. San Diego- Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State- Like the Iupati/Pouncey debate, I have been back and forth on this pick a number of times as well. Yes, the Chargers did use a 1st and 3rd round tender on Darren Sproles, meaning he will be back, but even so, Sproles is not an every-down back. So, now the argument becomes who is #2 in terms of running backs in this draft? I say Matthews has a slight edge after his combine performance. All things considered, Dwyer is probably the better runner, but I think the Chargers are in need of a dynamic runner to at least attempt to make up for some of LT's production.
    
29. New York Jets- Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame- The Jets attempted to bolster their receiving core by trading for Braylon Edwards last year, which returned mixed results. Tate showed what he is capable at the Combine, and could be a really nice addition to Sanchez's arsenal.
    
30. Minnesota- Brian Price, DT, UCLA- The Vikings are potentially going to lose either Pat or Kevin Williams either this year or next year, so the conventional wisdom would suggest that they get someone in there now that they can mold when the day the Williams' get split up. An interesting thought here though...quarterback? That may not be that far-fetched in regards to bringing a guy who will not have to start right away that you can mold to your specific offense.
    
31. Indianapolis- Maurkice Pouncey, C/OG, Florida- The Colts will always be in the market for improving their line, despite having some solid pieces already in tact (Diem, Saturday). I think their run protection leaves something to be desired though, so I won't be surprised to see them take the guard that Dallas passes on here.
    
32. New Orleans- Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina- This is one of those picks that I am going to really be cringing about (Norwood, Morgan, Tebow, Shipley, Hernandez to name five). It really is a perfect fit though. It's tough to break down the needs of a Super Bowl champ, but if I have to pick one, outside linebacker is it. Scott Fujita's future with the club is in limbo, and Norwood will be great no matter where he goes (especially in Foxboro...ESPECIALLY IN FOXBORO!).
    

Round Two:

33. St Louis- Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois
34. Detroit- Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
35. Tampa Bay- Damian Williams, WR, Southern Cal
36. Kansas City- Brandon Spikes, ILB, Florida
37. Washington- Rodger Saffold, OG/OT, Indiana
38. Cleveland- Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson
39. Oakland- Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
40. Seattle- Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
41. Buffalo- Terrance Cody, DT, Alabama
42. Tampa Bay (compensation for Gaines Adams (R.I.P.))- Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest
43. Miami- Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss
44. New England (from Jacksonville (Derek Cox))- Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
45. Denver- Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern
46. New York Giants- Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech
47. New England (from TEN (Jared Cook))- Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas
48. Carolina- Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
49. San Francisco- Vladimir DeCasse, OT/OG, UMass
50. Kansas City (compensation for Tony Gonzalez)- Jared Odrick, DT/DE, Penn State
51. Houston- Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State
52. Pittsburgh- Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
53. New England- Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
54. Cincinnati- Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami
55. Philadelphia- Nate Allen, S, South Florida
56. Green Bay- Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss
57. Baltimore- Jared Veldheer, OT, Hillside
58. Arizona- Daryl Washington, ILB, TCU
59. Dallas- Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama
60. San Diego- Jon Asamoah, OG, Illinois
61. New York Jets- Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
62. Minnesota- Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
63. Indianapolis- Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt
64. New Orleans- Navorro Bowman, OLB, Penn State

So there is my first, and I'm really hoping not the last installment of the mock draft. In the coming days, be on the look out for my March Madness Dossier and my second annual MLB over/unders columns coming out in the next few days. Until next time, take care everyone. Peace.

~Mell-o

The Hiatus Killer

"Just to get it all out, what's in my head."

And a good day to you's. Sure, it only took six months or so for me to write a column. I have to be totally honest with you, I am exhausted from working, and it seems like that and my wanting to kind of check out the scenery as it were has taken away from my writing, which was a huge part of my life for like three years. In any event, I'm going to do what I can to update this a lot more frequently, because I'm feeling like this is a kind of time capsule for me. It's funny to look back at everything I was thinking about in like '06. Some of it I really like, and some of it I'm kind of wishing I could do-over. In any event, it's nice to take it all in, and also, I'm almost at an annoying level of sports talk with literally everyone I meet, so maybe if I displace some of that here, I won't have to trouble complete strangers with my opinions about John Lackey.

Well you have to start with the NFL. In case your reading this at any other point in time, the divisional phase of the playoffs just ended with a "shocker" in San Diego, with those exceedingly pesky Jets taking out the Bolts 17-14. I say shocker in quotes (and also throwing up air quotes...just because) because if you break it on down, is this really that surprising? Sure, the Chargers were on an absolute tear, but the Jets were, on the low, playing equally as impressive. After their loss to the Pats (let's face it, they had absolutely no chance of winning at Foxboro given their first encounter), NY won six of seven heading into this game, including two drubbings of Cincy. Also, consider this: #1 defense, #1 run attack...I'm pretty sure these kind of things went overlooked when everyone (including myself) penciled in SD for not only the AFC Championship game, but the Super Bowl as well. The problem was this: San Diego did the same thing...again. Ugh. San Diego is on an early 2000s Indy-like run of dominating in the regular season consistently. and yet finding absolutely no one to step up outside of Philip Rivers (say anything you want about that guy, after the '08 AFC Championship game where he basically played on one leg, that guy is a warrior and a big-time player). What is it about those green and white uni's that shakes Nate Kaeding so much? Twice?...Really?...Yabba habba.

Okay, let's talk about the winners though. Yes, I know...it's the Jets. People of the red, white, and blue (and occasionally silver) persuasion are not suppose to go on about this team...so, sorry in advance...but I really really like the way this team is built. It all starts at the top with Rex Ryan. I love this guy, I don't even care if it's wrong. You need that kind of coach in Jersey. He is seemingly fearless (except about Peyton Manning, which could be an issue), he's almost goofy in his postgame press conferences, he's enstilling an old-school type of play/attitude/demeanor...he's simply good for the game. The league has been dying for some kind of enigmatic coach, especially when you consider the other new coaches that have graced us with their presence (oh Jim Caldwell...it's never good when most NFL fans think you're not actually coaching your own team). Ryan also made the genius move of trimming the Jets' playbook for the Sanchise (or is it Sanchize?...just trying to cover my tracks there), i.e. run the s___ out of the ball. They had three above average RB's to start, then there was the question of Shonn Greene's playing time at the beginning of the season, then Leon Washington got hurt...all of a sudden, it wasn't so much of an issue. Consider this as well: Has one player ever played with a continuous chip on his shoulder longer than Thomas Jones? It comes to a point when you honestly wonder what a guy has to do to get any kind of attention/love/respect? He's had five straight 1,000 yard seasons (and the year before that string, he rushed for 946), he simply looks frightening, and has not shown really any signs of letting down. Still though, he remains sort of in limbo not only in his public perception (that being he should be an RB you bring up within the first five-to-six names instead of not bringing him up altogether), but even on his own team, where he has basically lost his starting job to a rookie (a very...very good rookie at that) despite running for a career-high 1402 yards this year. This has always kind of puzzled me...kind of like the opposite of what Donovan McNabb has going on (Jones has always had the local respect, but not national, whereas McNabb is loved by everyone outside a 100-mile radius of the Yuengling factory...inside...not so much). Also, despite having three Pro-Bowlers on the left side of the line, is there any more under-appreciated line than the Jets? They are one of a very few teams that can put their five guys in the trenches, and they have almost assured themselves the best possible five linemen they could have possibly had by now. They drafted Mangold, D'Brick, and Brandon Moore, signed Faneca and Woody...I mean maybe you could argue about right guard and Moore, but that's such a sound unit.

The thing I like most, and that I've always like the most about the Jets has been the phenomenon known as "Revis Island." There has yet to be any receiver that Darelle Revis can't defend. Big guys (Jackson today), little guys (Steve Smith)...it's just domination. How much are the Jets not looking forward to the time when Revis becomes a free agent (likely two years away)? The best two shut-down guys that I ever saw was Champ Bailey and Prime Time in his prime...time...Revis is hands down better...hands down better than both of them. He's in his third year. How is that even possible? For one man to literally blanket every great receiver that plays this game at a professional level, with many of them being the elite at what they do? Just phenomenal stuff. A Wayne/Revis matchup is intriguing to me. I don't believe Wayne will be able to overcome Revis, which sets up two possibilities: The Colts go a bunch to Dallas Clark, or the Colts don't go a bunch to Dallas Clark...and they get knocked the freak out (Dallas Clark will have a big game I guess is the main bullet point there). In any event, isn't it fascinating that all these prolific college return men are translating very well at the next level (Revis, DeSean Jackson, Devin Hester, Charles Woodson, Reggie Bush, Ted Ginn (it's coming...hey, any time you have two 100-yard returns in the same game in the NFL, you make the list), and, of course, WW83)

(Quick sidenote: After the injury...basically "the day the music died" for me, I set my microwave timer to :83 and sat just staring off into space, completely numb and devoid of any emotions...that is the kind of effect that guy has on me when he plays football, and I guarantee I was not the only one to feel like that.)

So the Jets get the Colts...probably the starters this time, next Sunday. You know, here's the thing for me about the Colts. It has become painfully obvious to myself that I just have Yankee-like hatred for the Colts...I think the reason now more than anything is that they bring out the worst in really good teams. When I say they, I mean Peyton. Look, I know that they have a very good team...a great team at that. Wayne is probably the #3 receiver (Fitzy, Andre Johnson) in the league right now, and they have Freeney and Mathis and all that good stuff...but it all comes back to Peyton. In the history of this great league, one man has not been able to control all aspects of a game the way Manning does. Can't help but think about the Pats this year (boy I'm really on a roll here...first the Welker injury, now the 4th and 2...so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you the story of a guy named David Tyree!). The ambitiousness and, ultimately, the downfall of the Pats' season all happened because of the mistrust of a defense to stop Manning from driving 70 yards and scoring a TD, the Pats elect to try and end the game before it ever gets to that point, and we all know how that went.

(Sidenote: I have not written any opinion about this, and sorry to be three months late to the party. In the aftermath, it was revealed that the numbers favored Belichick's decision. The numbers, however, do not factor these two factors in:

1. The offense was abysmal in terms of their cohessiveness and momentum heading into that 4th and 2 play
2. I'm fairly certain Peyton Manning did not factor into most of the data these "numbers" showed...kind of an important detail there.

Sure, the defense wasn't playing that well...but were they that bad? That's just a frightening proposition to comprehend. A Patriot defense not being good enough to stop a team from driving 70 yards with 1:30 left in the game with a 6-point lead. Sorry if I'm harping on this way late, but there is the chance that was the end of the Patriot dynasty...I knew it would happen someday...but did it really have to happen now? I wasn't ready!!!)

I made a comment late last week that there was an exceptionally good chance the Colts' D could throw up a shutout. The reason I believed this was definitely a multi-pronged approach. First, the Ravens played exceptional at Foxboro, only Flacco was awful. Baltimore was able to expose the Pats' woeful run defense (okay, the more I'm thinking about the defense...maybe he made the right call...I'm 70/30 right now). Also, the Pats had to prepare for Flacco and the run, while the Colts, after seeing what happened a week ago, knew that if they continued to load up on the run and make Flacco (whose hip was a big question mark throughout the week as well) beat them, they would be in really good shape. What is frustrating about what happened with the Ravens is that they actually were not doing bad at all on the ground (4.6 yards per carry for the team, Rice at a 5.2 clip), and yet they made Flacco win the game for them. That is not a good equation for a young QB in the playoffs, and I'm thinking Baltimore should know this...you know...considering they did the exact same thing last year!

• Flacco's attempts in playoff wins: 23, 22, 10
• Flacco's attempts in playoff losses: 30, 35

I know, once you're down, the inflection would be to throw more, thus stopping the clock and gaining more yards per down...but does that actually work? Do we have any evidence that passing the ball when you're down 17-3 at halftime works? Especially with a guy who, while being good at what he does, should not be put in the position of having to win a game...in fact, I'm going to go ahead and say this: With the exception of one guy (Brady), no QB in his first three years should ever be asked to win a playoff game on his own. Brady made it happen, but Brady's Brady. Flacco's good...he's not Brady. Knowing this, how do you not pound the crap out of the ball, take the crowd out of the game (nothing shuts a crowd up like a ground game that continues to chomp out first downs), and, probably most important, keep Manning off the field? See what I mean though? That's what so frustrating about the Colts. I think they're good, but let's be serious here. They could have easily lost five, six, even seven games (Jags and Texans both times, Ravens the first time, Pats, Niners, maybe even the Broncos to a degree), yet time after time, teams out-thought themselves because of the Manning factor, at least that's what I've convinced myself as to why they are outsmarting themselves. If you can somehow just forget about him and play your game, the Colts are beatable. I will say this: If the Rex Ryan that I've come to know and basically loves shows up at that game, and he doesn't beat himself up too much about Manning, I'm thinking they can win that game (oh by the way, if I don't get to this at some point: Saints -3.5, Jets +7...I know it's faux pas and very Brandon Lang ("Two For The Money") of me to be making picks not only not the day of or day before the games, but right after this round of the playoffs just ended, but I feel like I have a somewhat clear head right now, and gathering in everything I've seen, I really just want to pick them now before my head gets completely inundated with every single stupid little detail about each game...I swear I flip-flopped on Baltimore/Indy like nine times (ultimately choosing Indy...luckily)). However, the Jets cannot go away from the run game. If they make Sanchez win that game, it's all over. I think the way Flacco struggled against Indy should be telling to Ryan, at least you would hope he takes that away. Think about it: the Jets and the Ravens aren't really that different. They're both good in the trenches, both have dynamic run attacks that can go three deep if need be, both have above average defenses with playmakers included (it's one thing to have a good defense...it's a completely different thing when you have a good defense plus at least one guy who can change everything about a game's momentum...I think you have it in Ed Reed and Revis). So, Baltimore getting crushed was hopefully a wake-up call for the Jets, and though a rookie QB has never run the tables to get into the Super Bowl, we are in a time and place where things that we never thought were possible seem to be happening at a regular rate (did you see "Avatar" coming?...Whoa.) I'm a believer...also, it's not a night game (Manning is prime time guy), so I'm thinking the Jets have a real shot here (also, wouldn't it be way too easy to market a Colts/Saints or Colts/Vikings Super Bowl?...sometimes you have to think about these things).

Speaking of horrible, fairly easy games to see coming...there was the rest of this last playoff weekend, where the home teams won in a combined 99-20 demolition of our other Wild Card weekend winners. Is it possible that New Orleans has the most authentic home field advantage going? (The reason for the "authentic" is you could justify Indy throughout the Peyton years, and you could also justify that it was completely made up due to the RCA Dome pumping crowd noise through their PA...you could). They look tremendous, and the reason I'm liking them this week is that, don't get me wrong, the Brett Favre-Dome Experience experiment is enthralling, but I'm thinking Dallas' secondary was getting bailed out a bunch by their front seven, especially their two ends (Spencer and Ware) who were doing their best Strahan-Umenyiora/Umenyoira-Tuck impression over the Cowboys' recent surge. Don't get me wrong, I like Newman (mostly as a return guy though) and Jenkins is up-and-coming, but the Cowboys' ability to rush the pass was mostly thwarted by the Vikings' line (I mean really all you need are three Pro-Bowlers on the blind side...that's all), and that was really keying their success against some top-of-the-line QBs (I'm thinking Brees and McNabb there...sorry J-Camp).

(Sorry, I have to go back to Favre...was this the most elaborate way to skirt around the edges and end up exactly where you wanted to be the whole time plan ever executed in major sports history? Sure, Elway chose the Yankees over the Colts, Manning held out on the Chargers and went to the Giants (by the way, why is this not happened other than just the once...think about it...what is to stop someone at any point in the draft to simply say "if you draft me, I'm not playing for you...ever, ever), but Favre decided instead of retiring and coming back with the Vikes a year later, he would allow the Pack to trade him to the Jets, play the year out, retire again, hold everyone in suspense (for literally the third off-season in a row), then go to the team he wanted to go the whole time (you know, because it's inside and it's not, you know, outside in Green Bay or Jersey.)

So, I'm going Jets/Saints, and I'm thinking I'm not losing any money here (because gambling is wrong...especially if you pick losers...tease the Indy/NYJ over to 48 and the Jets to +16.5, it pays .5556/to 1, meaning if you wagered $100, you would win $55.56...again, not like any of this is relevant...stay in school). I have Rex Ryan fever...just full-blown (which coincidentally picked up right after my Bruce Gradkowski outbreak was halted by common sense and a torn ACL). Also, how often am I going to have a man-crush for any New York-related player like the one I have with Revis? The Saints' D takes a ton of chances, which works out nicely if you are going up against a gun-slinger QB. However, that being said, for any kind of monetary value, I'm just not overly huge about it, because the whole "taking chances" thing is a two-way street (I know it's insanely obvious, but I figured I had to mention the cons of the Saints as well), and Favre has been unreal indoors. However, they play with AstroTurf up in Minny, whereas the Saints are of the FieldTurf persuasion. If you have ever played on both surfaces (or even just walked on them), you know there is a huge difference. Give me the Saints...cautiously.

The NBA is at an absolute fascinating time in its history right now (yes, I am arguing the '09-
'10 season is historic before the All-Star break...bear with me). For the first time since Bird/Magic, you have two guys playing at their best who could both crack the top 10 players of all-time list when all is said and done (it can be argued that Kobe may be on "the back nine" of his career, but the numbers and the wins and the constant game-winners say otherwise, and LeBron may have not even hit his stride yet (a ridiculously scary proposition), but for the sake of this argument, let's just say they're both playing on an insanely high level), you have the highest "second tier" talent level probably since the early 90s (Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Pippen, O'Neal, LJ, Kemp, Drexler, and now 'Melo, Wade, Duncan, CP3, Howard, Nash, Nowitzki, Rondo (yup, he's cracked this list), Garnett, Pierce, Durant, Bosh...and the last name should be Josh Smith, but for some God-forsaken reason, he has not been able to become a superstar...come on Josh Smith, we still need you). You have the most bizarre home court advantages, which look like this:

1. Memphis
2. Portland
   
3. Milwaukee
4. Sacramento
5. L.A. (I'm thinking more Lakers here...sorry Blake Griffin-less Clippers)

Three perennial "sucky" teams have cracked the top 5 in homecourt? How is this possible? One of the reasons, and I know I'm going to sound so incredibly conservative in saying this, is the NBA's draft policy. Notice how the one year of college is really giving these guys some foundation in terms of their talents translating into NBA success. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with the rule (I don't, and there's really not a whole lot of convincing me you can do to say otherwise), but I have to admit, I'm feeling like these players are really making a bigger difference because they had to go to school. Sure, Brandon Jennings circumvented that by playing in Europe for a year, but even so, he was playing "professional" basketball (gotta quote that), and I'm thinking the whole Europe thing may have aided in the maturity of Jennings as a man and as a player. The ROY race has really opened up, and now you have guys like Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, and, as if he wasn't scary enough playing for Pitt, how about DeJuan Blair? Oh man, that guy is money baby! Talk about man-crushes...he had a 20-20 game as a rookie! (The last rookie 20-20: Tim Duncan in '97). How did the Spurs get him? I mean seriously, how lucky can one team get in the draft? (Of the last decade +2 years, name anyone who has put together a team with guys like Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Blair and not only drafted them, but kept them all together...stunning). In any event, I think the point I'm trying to make is that the busts on high schoolers are all over. Not to say there won't be busts, but teams now really can have a feel for how a player responds to top-flite talent on national TV (most of the time), in front of a packed house (ditto), and the pressures they face come March (yet another ditto). It stands to reason that these bad teams are really taking advantage, and the league has gotten stronger across the board because of it (I swear the Nets will get it together...some say it takes time and development, others say coaching, I say it takes a Wall if you catch my drift...and they have got to move to Brooklyn and have Jay-Z stay involved...I mean, what hasn't worked out for Jay-Z?).

The NBA also seems to be making the right moves lately. In addition to the draft rule, they are now running a lot more triple and quadruple headers, which really works out on days like Christmas and MLK Day (I believe it was an XMas quintuple header actually), and they are having the All-Star game not on the Mavs' home floor, but in Cowboys Stadium...again, a very sly, somewhat risky, and yet calculated move (the league is getting more and more popular, meaning that they can actually do this in a football stadium, and probably get 70,000 people to show up...it's not inconceivable, which makes it a good call I think). See, what's fascinating to me is that the two leagues that were thought to be cellar-dwellers in the grand scheme of professional sports (the NBA and the NHL) are now actually making the right moves in order to bump interest/exposure/revenues and the three that are on top (NFL, MLB, NASCAR) seem to be slipping. First, the NFL has made some really, really peculiar moves over the last year or so that could have some short-term ramifications that are not of the positive variety (this is known in English as "they f___ed up). Of course, I have to start with the draft, because it is so near and dear to my heart. One of my dreams as a sports fan was to take the train from Boston to Penn Station and watch the first day of the draft, which used to run from Noon on Saturday until...I don't know, really, really late. Now, it's like Lollapalooza, except with no Jane's Addiction, and far suckier to be quite honest. The first round is on a Thursday night, 2 & 3 are on Friday, then Saturday is 4-7 with coverage starting at 10:00 in the morning. Should the first three rounds just simply be changed to "the ones that matter?" How much more can you trivialize the last four rounds? Honestly, I wish they would do it at a more ridiculous time so at least I can make it into an event (seriously, you wouldn't be up for an NFL Draft party at 2 A.M. on a Saturday? I'm thinking the amount of time that would take (4 hours?) would be the perfect capper to an all-nighter...imagine, Mr. Irrelavent being announced as the sun rises from the east...could it get much better than that?).

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, they decide to abandon the Pro Bowl altogether and turn it into a "hopefully the guy I want to see play isn't playing in the Super Bowl" game. I mean imagine if the Colts and Saints both make the Super Bowl. How could Jim Caldwell or Sean Payton let Manning and Brees play in that game? (Well, someone would whisper into Caldwell's ear that it's not a good idea). If the Vikes go, no Percy Harvin or Sidney Rice for you. (Rice is officially in the top five in terms of best receivers in the NFL...I mean he just needed someone competent back there throwing to him. I mean it's almost undeniable to not mention him in the Andre Johnson/Reggie Wayne/Fitz/Welker category, and yes, Wes overtook C. Johnson (both of them), Moss, and Steve Smith...I think Rice and Brandon Marshall are in this weird kind of place where if you told me one of them broke the all-time single season receiving yards record, I wouldn't think twice, and yet I can't put them in the top 3 yet...interesting). With the Jets...Revis! No!!! Oh come on now. NFL, how dare you deprive me of Darelle Revis against Larry Fitzgerald?! That would be absolute amazing (and simply sintilating). But alas, they need the money, because, you know, they only took in about $6 billion this year (this is based on the $6.54B mark they hit in '07...I know times are tough, so I'm thinking a $540 million dip is more than fair). Seriously, I don't care what the ratings are or who would/wouldn't sponsor the game, or whatever the reason was...you cannot take that game from Hawaii and have it on before the Super Bowl. It simply just should not even be tampered with. Again, I don't know of all the details between the Hawaiian state officials and the NFL, but come on now. The NFL could have easily been fine with losing money on the game and still make out more than well once the bottom line hits. Is nothing sacred anymore?

Top 5 Sacred Things The NFL Will Mess With (for lack of a better term) Before I Die:

1. Relocate the Hall of Fame from Canton to New York or Los Angeles: Okay, this one I can see happening in twenty years or less. If you think about it, it makes total sense. Sure, they have always talked about going to Canton, but I have to say that Canton, on a whole, is not like Cooperstown. Little kids that are being bred to be sports fans are not dreaming about going to Canton one day...in fact, I don't even know if they dream about Cooperstown anymore, but I can guarantee if they are dreaming of one of those places, it's Cooperstown (ironically, I passed up a chance to go to Hawaii to go to Cooperstown with my Dad...so if the NFL put the Pro Bowl in Cooperstown, I may be in a bit of a bind).
2. An NFL team in Europe: It almost seems like an inevitability. Here's how this situation plays out with me: If you want one game a year over there, fine. Two? Okay, a little tougher to swallow, but if you can figure out how to do it in multiple countries (something like, gasp, the NHL is doing!), then maybe, but there is talk about either relocating a team or creating an expansion team in London. See, now you've gone too far. We all know inherently when we have taken things too far (or else you're insane...sweet...thanks for reading). I defy you to find two people that find this to be a good idea. One could be an abberation, but two? I may have to do further research if you get two. Otherwise, I would totally consider just boycotting the league. I love the Pats, but if they put a franchise in Europe, that might be it for me.
3. End Zone Celebrations: They've already got rid of it in the college game, which features younger, less mature guys who absolutely have more to celebrate about (they're young, they're getting constantly laid, and this may be the absolute pinnacle of their sports careers/lives) than guys in the NFL. They've already clamped down on excessive/premeditated celebrations (best in order: TO's sharpie, Chad Johnson and everything that happened in the 30 seconds after he scored, Joe Horn's cell phone, Pac-Man Jones sliding down the field goal anchor post like it was a stripper pole (a move much more understood after All-Star Weekend in Vegas)), so it seems as though it's going to be a matter of time before the league says "you know, all this dancing could lead to chaos...damn kids with your rock music, and...and your stripper poles."
4. The "Hard" Salary Cap: This is what makes the NFL great. It's what made the Pats' dominance so incomprehensible. The fact that there is a maximum amount that each team can spend, and there are absolutely no exceptions. If Dallas wanted to get Adrian Peterson, and subsequently, they could make like $100 million and be Super Bowl contenders, it would not matter (although it would be hilarious to see Dallas mortgage their franchise to get a running back from Minnesota, where the Vikings did basically the exact same thing in '89 with Herschel Walker, which fueled the 90s Cowboys dynasty). Next year is looking like it will be uncapped...it's going to be very interesting to see how many of these "big contracts" will be hitting the market, and when they do, what kind of initial cash windfall they will receive. I'm about 95% positive that Daniel Snyder is going to offer $100 million to Ray Lewis and Randy Moss...just think about it...ah, ah...yeah you can see it.
5. The Challenge Flag: I'm thinking the challenge flag (the red one), is going to get replaced by some kind of buzzer or electronic gadget. The reason I put so much emphasis on this particular subject is that nothing else can make an otherwise genius-like individual (or so you hope) look like a complete jackass. First of all, the different places coaches keep the flag is a really fascinating and bizarre trip (for example, Belichick's is in his right sock...oh he has pockets). So you have the whole retrieving of the flag aspect, which is great (especially when they forget it, which has happened...I'm almost sure that's happened), but by far my favorite part is the few seconds right before they are going to throw it. Here you have a guy whose career may depend on him throwing the flag, challenging a call, and saving his job, and yet he has to hear the word from upstairs about whether or not that's a smart move. Wouldn't you love to be the guy on the horn with the coach? I mean, sure, it, at times, would be a somewhat stressful job...but I mean...don't we already do that anyway? All I need is a comfy chair, a six-pack, an end table, and coasters, especially if it's a wood table (I too respect wood), and I could absolutely do as good of a job, if not better than these nitwits running the show. I wouldn't even have to quit my job. One day a week? That'll work. Anyway, back to the coaches. So they're waiting and waiting, and of course, this is going to lead to the pump fakes, the "I'm going to do it...I swear I'm going to do it!!!" pump fakes, then the screaming starts ("oh for the love of God say yes!...I can't hold it any more!...it's burning a hole through my hand!"), finally, there are three scenarios that play out from this: 1.) Coach throws the flag, knew he would the whole time, got the word from upstairs, everyone's on the same page...you know, if the challenge doesn't work out, the coach is mad, but he at least went with his gut and the guys upstairs, so everyone goes down with the ship, 2.) Coach throws the flag, but clearly, he is doing it somewhat abbrasively and against his will. However, they hired the guy talking to the coach to watch the replay and tell him whether or not to throw it. Therefore, if the coach holds onto the flag when everyone is telling him to throw it, then the coach has isolated himself from the rest of his staff, almost being like a "I know you want me to throw it, but...ummm...screw you guys, you can't tell me what to do because I'm your boss" kind of statement. So when they tell you to throw it, 99% of the time you have to throw it. But when the coach does it against his will, it's great because they throw it down in such obvious disgust. No floating arc, no form, it's more like a "I hate you guys, I don't want to do this, I want another Capri Sun" type of flailing wrist snap so the flag's trajectory goes straight down, and 3.) Coach doesn't throw the flag, although he wanted to, but the guys upstairs didn't think so/didn't have enough time/looks at the play. The poor coach is basically doing as I described earlier with the pump fakes, losing his mind, and yet cannot go rogue because it will get found out if he went against the replay advisors, especially in this day and age. In any event, it's high drama, and it would be a shame to strip away some of the mortal signs of a coach (that reminds me, someone please check if Jim Caldwell is breathing...I'm sorry to keep picking on him, but it's so easy).

Throw in the NFL's on-going labor issues (which every league has, but the timing of this one couldn't be worse), and with the labor issues comes the uncapped year (anyone making over $10 million who is not a QB could absolutely be sent packing)...it's a mess. Major League Baseball...well...you know how that's going. They are just getting shalacked by the karma police, and there seems to be no end in sight until everyone is outted for doing whatever kind of PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) they did. NASCAR decided to move a lot of its races over to ESPN. Again, this is an example of doing everything shamelessly for money. NASCAR is almost unwatchable without Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and DW on the call, with Chris Myers (who I'm convinced is kept alive by machines when doing NFL games) and Jeff Hammond in the Hollywood Hotel, and Dick Berggren and his derby hat on Pit Road. That's the formula that helped bring NASCAR to the height of its popularity (to say that they were the #1 reason is ludacrous because #1 was the passing of the torch, in the most unfortunate of circumstances, from one Earnhardt to another, but to say that NASCAR on FOX and their unique coverage had no impact is equally as ludacrous). So, stock up on the NBA and the NHL, and stock down on the rest. Tsk tsk.

I think I'm going to devote an entire article to the Sox...needless to say this could be the absolute most critical I've been about a Sox offseason in quite some time. So, I almost feel like I need to space it out a little bit. Anyway, good to be back. Hope everyone is hanging in there. It's tough sometimes, and I know this, but just know that you're not alone in this. Take care. Peace.

~Mell-o