Guess Who's Back....

....back again. Thatguy's back. Tell your friends.




Its that time of year that we told you we'd be back. With the first rookies in the NFL reporting to camp 3 days from now (Jets fans rejoice) thatguysportsblog is making its comeback.


As we told you some short time ago, we're all set and ready to go for football season. Full bore, full tilt, full time. Just like Bruschi.

What can you expect to see this season?

• The best Fantasy NFL Football analysis in the game.
• The best gambling analysis in the game.
• The smartest and most insightful opinions on the game.
• Reactions to all things NFL and CFB
• A lot of making fun of Peter King
• No ESPY's coverage though

oh and a very, VERY slanted stance on all things football, both college and professional - with a little high school mixed in.


If you love Notre Dame, you won't love this blog. You'll read it, you'll argue with me, but you'll be wrong. SEC fans? You've come to the right place. Patriots fans? likewise. Not so for the Colts, Chargers, or Dolphins though.


You'll see some of the most beautiful women associated with the game of football, like her:

So what's next?

Sit back and enjoy....that's what. Because your favorite blog that nobodies heard of is back.

Check out NFL Training Camp reporting dates for your squad here.

News and Notes

Seeing as how we're basking in the glory of another NFL Draft weekend we'll be ready to tackle the Major League Baseball season starting tomorrow.

I just don't have it in me to go at it right now - and besides, does anybody really care about baseball right now except for those losers who bet baseball moneylines? And in all seriousness, who would do that?

Anyway, there's another thatguysports. Which kind of sucks. I really don't want to give out the web address but I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out what it is. Regardless, his site sucks and this one is legit. I'm 100% starting an e-feud with him. e-feud = ratings.


Check out some of these stories from the last few days:

Ryan Glasper has every right to hate Tom O'Brien.

Fatso still hasn't decided where he's playing next year. He's also telling us for the fifteenth time since March 1 that May is the month he'll decide. Thanks for checking in you toad.

The Panthers screwed up a good draft a little bit today. Why cut Keyshawn now? It takes a LOT for a rookie WR to produce in his first year.


Look, more reasons to hate the Boston media.


Check back tomorrow for some good'ol MLB talk. At least MH will have something to read.

NFL Draft Spectacular: That Guy Sports Mock Draft

Here we go ladies and gentlemen, the 2007 That Guy Sports mock draft. Now, we're not shooting for 100% accuracy for teams and spots, if we get a team right but the spot wrong, we're calling that a win. Team wrong, but spot right, another win.

Onto the draft.

1. Oakland Raiders, Jamarcus Russell
2. Tampa Bay (via trade), Calvin Johnson
3. Cleveland, Brady Quinn
4. Detroit, Gaines Adams
5. Arizona, Joe Thomas
6. Washington, LaRon Landry
7. Minnesota, Adrian Peterson
8. Atlanta, Amobi Okoye
9. Miami, Levi Brown.
10. Houston, Darrelle Revis
11. San Fran, Adam Carriker
12. Buffalo, Patrick Willis
13. St Louis, Jamaal Anderson
14. Carolina, Greg Olson
15. Pittsburgh, Lawrence Timmons
16. Green Bay, Marshawn Lynch
17. Jacksonville, Jarvis Moss
18. Cincinnati, Leon Hall
19. Tennessee, Ted Ginn, Jr
20. Giants, Joe Staley
21. Denver, Alan Branch
22. Dallas, Robert Meachem
23. Kansas City, Dwayne Bowe
24. New England, John Beason
25. Jets, Aaron Ross
26. Philadelphia, Reggie Nelson
27. New Orleans, Justin Harrell
28. New England, Michael Griffin
29. Baltimore, Ryan Kalil
30. San Diego, Steve Smith
31. Chicago, Dwayne Jarrett
32. Indianapolis, Tony Gonzalez


Things that wouldn't surprise us. Adrian Peterson to Browns, Miami trading up for Brady Quinn.
Rams go Leon Hall.
Patriots at 28 go Lorenzo Booker.
Adrian Peterson to Houston.

that's all we have. there's no doubt I forgot about someody good. So hit me with it.

NFL Draft Spectacular: "My guys"

Every sports fan has "his guys." You just have to. Todd Walker for the Red Sox, "my guy." Trot Nixon, NOT "my guy." Eugene Wilson after the Philly Superbowl, "my guy." You get the picture.

Well, here are my guys for the upcoming NFL draft.

John Beck, QB, BYU.
I love everything about this guy. Prepared, can make just about any throw, and he was a GREAT factor in BYU games going over quite often this past season. He's just a solid QB who has Tom Brady written all over him.

Brian Leonard, FB/RB, Rutgers.
Anybody who brings up images of Mike Alstott clearly has to be one of your guys. How can he not be?

LeRon McClain, FB, Alabama.
You knew you weren't going to see this list end without a Tide player on here did you? Well McClain will be the next great lead blocker. He is a stereotype fullback. Block, run for 1 yard, and catch the ball out of the backfield. He can do it all. Punishing is an adjective to describe McClain.

Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina.
Pro-bowl receiver for a long time to come. Good hands and great play making ability.

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State.
See above. Great route runner, tremendous hands, and always plays big in big games. I'd take him over Ted Ginn in a heartbeat.

Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan.
I had him and Joe Thomas on this list until I heard that Joe Thomas is fishing w/ his dad instead of going to the draft but is still letting a camera on the boat. Lame. Staley is legit though. He is down in Daytona w/ his cousin drinking right now. He said so last week on the NFL Sirius channel.

Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska.

Brian Robison, DE, Texas.

Zak DeOssie, ILB, Brown.
Trust me, the next solid Ivy League Linebacker.

Zach Latimer, ILB, Oklahoma.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE!!! YOU TRYING TO LEAD ME ON!??!?!

Latimer.

John Beason, OLB, The U.
Skeet skeet!

Ramzee Robinson, CB, Alabama.
Roll Tide.

Michael Griffin, S, Texas.
Will be able to play Strong, Free, and even Nickel. Plus special teams.


So there you have it. "My guys." Who are yours?

Coming tomorrow.....Mock it up baby!!!.....

NFL Draft Spectacular: Defensive Backfield

In all honesty this is where I am a stud. Just know that going into it.


Cornerbacks

Darrelle Revis, Pitt
Total complete stud. Gretat ball skills and a guy who had few opportunities to make plays b/c teams didn't go at him, but when they did, they paid for it, big time, when he'd convert an INT into a touchdown. Also returned punts.

Aaron Ross, Texas
Size, physicality, speed. Ross has it all. He supports the run very well and obviously played in a high level in college. He's going to be a stud in the NFL.

Leon Hall, Michigan
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the top 3, and Hall is right there. Dwane Jarrett exposed Hall a little in my opinion in the Rose Bowl and he also didn't fare very well against Ohio State. That said, Hall has the size and speed to be a player at the next level.

Eric Wright, UNLV
Talent and skill, but character issues. Enough said. I mean the guy left USC. Who the hell does that???

Chris Houston, Arkansas.
I don't love Houston. SEC isn't really a passing conference, so I question the cover skills of Houston.

Marcus McCauley, Fresno State
Another guy I don't love. He got benched in 2006. That takes a lot. Pat Hill guy though, which usually translates well in the NFL.

Tanard Jackson, Syracuse.
Don't knock the player because of the program. Tanard Jackson can play. It just may not be at corner. He may need to move inside, or get considerably faster.


Sleepers:

Ramzee Robinson, Alabama. Football player. He will be heard from.
David Jones, Wingate. Solely a question of competition.
Corey Graham, UNH.

Busts:
McCauley, Houston



Safety
(One of the deepest positions in this year's draft)

Laron Landry, LSU.
My #1 guy defensive player in the draft. He is a stud. 100% stud. I'd give anything for the Patriots to have a guy like this.

Michael Griffin, Texas.
Only reason I put him above Reggie Nelson is the special teams, punt block skills he has.

Reggie Nelson, Florida.
Another stud.

Eric Weddle, Utah.
Versatile is his middle name. He reminds me of the guy from the Bengals who has the weird last name. He's a holder too.

Aaron Rouse, Va Tech.
No questioning his skills. Needs to be more consistent - classic underachiever.

Brandon Meriweather, The U.
He beat a guy over the head with his own helmet. I'm all set with this guy. Pacman Jones.

John Wendling, Wyoming.
Skilled, athletic and intelligent. He has the Patriots written all over him.

Sabby Piscitelli, Oregon State.
May be a LB, regardless, he's obviously skilled. Just need to find a place for him to play.


Sleepers:

Piscitelli, Wendling.

Gerald Alexander, Boise State . Versatile and incredibly athletic.

Busts:

Meriweather.

NFL Draft Spectacular: Linebackers

The play makers of an attacking defense. And one of my favorite positions.

Inside Linebackers

Patrick Willis, Mississippi
The only thing that concerns me about Willis is that a lot of his plays were made after a gain by the offense. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he played for a poor team and that's more the reason than anything else. That said, he's a sideline to sideline guy who has size and can move.

Originally most mocks had the Patriots landing him but there's really no way he's there when they pick.

Buster Davis, Florida State.
If David Harris didn't play for Michigan I'd have David Harris here. Instead of Greg Olson's disappearing act playing on a lesser team than in the past, Buster Davis elevated his game. He's a great 4-3 MLB.

David Harris, Michigan.
Great run stopper that seemed to have improved on his coverage skills and his speed. Granted he played in an inferior conference in the Big-10, but he's obviously very good at playing against teams that run straight ahead with no real rhyme or reason. He'd be perfect for the AFC North.

Zak DeOssie, Brown.
Smarts, good size and great athletic ability. DeOssie has a ton of upside. I love saying upside.


Bust: HB Blades. I think he sucks. Don't draft him. Undersized.

Sleeper: DeOssie and Justin Durant of Hampton.



Outside Linebacker

Lawrence Timmons, Florida State.
Stud outside guy who can play the edge, get after the qb, or drop into coverage. A complete player who played against very good competition in the ACC. A stud.

John Beason, The U.
Member of the 7th floor crew, the greatest rap group of all time:

"(What's your name?) Big Beast. (What you do?) Skeet skeet. (How you do it?) Bust a nut, aim for her mouthpiece.

I mean how can that guy NOT be a solid player. Regardless, Beason is not a character issue - he's a very good player. Versatile and quick with good size. I love this guy.

Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma.
He flat out makes plays. And you can't coach that.

Stewart Bradley, Nebraska.
Typical 3-4 OLB guy, Bradley is a "worker." He does his job, brings his lunch pail to work, and just gets it done. Nothing flashy, but solid performance.

Paul Posluszny, Penn State.
I am not high on Posluszny. The reality is that he could be the 2nd guy taken and be a horrible player. Injured two years ago, who knows how he'll play when he gets to the NFL. I don't like this kid - but the Patriots may take him which I'll have to be ok with. In Bill I trust.


Bust: Posluszny

Sleeper: Stephen Nicolas, South Florida

NFL Draft Spectacular: Defensive Lineman

The heart and sole of any championship football team is its defense. Except for this year's championship team who won solely because the NFL officials deemed it so. But I digress. Here's a look at the Defensive Lineman and how we at thatguysports have them ranked. By the way, DE is LOADED this year. DT, not so much.

Defensive End

Gaines Adams, Clemson.
Stereotypical 4-3 DE. A monster against the pass who's only knock is that he seemed to be bored at times. Will make an impact immediately (In so far as a DE can when he winds up on a bad team like Adams probably will).

Adam Carriker, Nebraska.
Versatile player, a lot like Richard Seymour of the Patriots. Tall for a DE but with bulk on top of it. Could be a DT as well if called on.

Jarvis Moss, Florida.
For my money, Moss will be the best player in this position of this draft. He's not a classic tweener b/c of his 6'6'' height but would it surprise anybody if he wound up playing the role that a Willie McGinnist or Adalius Thomas fell into?

Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas.
Here's what bothers me about Anderson: I don't really remember him. Jarvis Moss, remembered. Gaines Adams, remembered, but Anderson - not remembered. Maybe that's just my inability to remember things, but I just don't. Thus, he's in the 4th spot.

Anthony Spencer, Purdue.
Classic tweener. Will provide TREMENDOUS value in the late 1st into the 2nd round.

LaMarr Woodley, Michigan.
Another tweener guy. Most Michigan defensive players worry me because of the lack of speed in the Big-10 (see: State, Ohio getting destroyed in the national title game when they finally played some speed). He's "long" not in that way, but in the football way, and he has a "motor."


DE Sleeper

Brian Robison, Texas.

DE Bust

Tim Crowder, Texas.



Defensive Tackle

DT in my opinion is really a 2 man race.

Amobe Okoye, Louisville.
If this is the first time you've heard of him, ESPN is channel 849 on HD in the Boston marketplace, and I suggest you check it out. They do shows about sports. He's a great story, and some have commented that he's almost the Greg Oden of this NFL Draft.

Justin Harrell, Tennessee.
Coming off an injury, Harrell isn't where he could have been if he played all year. That said, I think he'll be a good pick for a team who may not need him to bring his A game immediately.


DT Bust:
Alan Branch, Michigan.
I think he flat out sucks. Classic guy w/ the tools who can't compete on the field.

Sleeper:
Walter Thomas, NW Mississippi Juco
Coach him up and watch a guy who apparently has talent grow and watch him sprout to stardom.

NFL Draft Spectacular: Offensive Lineman

Look, I'm 5 foot nothing and I don't get game tapes sent to me. I have no real idea who has good footwork and who can deliver a blow when pass blocking.

So I don't have a ton of comments on the OL here.

Guys I like - there are two of them at the top of the list.

Joe Staley Central Michigan and Joe Thomas of Wisconsin.

Staley was on Sirius yesterday and he was hilarious. No way he fails in the NFL

Thomas, well...he's a stud and he's going fishing with his father on draft day instead of New York or anything else. That's a stand up guy in my opinion.

That's all for the OL.

OL is all coaching anyways in the NFL. Up this weekend: The Defensive side of the ball. Where I am a borderling GENIUS.

NFL Draft Spectacular: Tight Ends

This position is easy for me to sum up.

There are three top prospects in my view and there are 3 categories for them all.

My rankings:
1) Zach Miller, Arizona State
2) Greg Olson, Miami (Fl)
3) Ben Patrick, Delaware


Patrick is a sleeper, and the bust (in my opinion THE bust for the entire draft) is Greg Olson of Miami.

He went from game-breaker to afterthought when he wasn't surrounded with superstars. Needing decent role players around you is one thing, but Olson only thrived when he had superstars around him. No thanks.

NFL Draft Spectacular: The Runningbacks/Fullbacks

1) Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

As close to a can't miss guy as there is at RB. He's going to be an absolute monster even though Chris Brown was as impressive as Peterson at times in the Big 12 and Peterson runs high like Brown does. Let's look past that, ok?

2) Antonio Pittman, OSU

Can run inside and outside and doesn't dazzle anybody. But is rock-solid. What's the difference between him and Lawrence Maroney? Another Big-10 back who played on a big stage. Always seemed to break a big run when it counted.

3) Brian Leonard, Rutgers

Mike Alstott. Enough said.

4) Marshawn Lynch, Cal

I hate Lynch for the record. He's my pick for "Most likely to celebrate draft day in a strip club VIP room like Pac-Man Jones." Maybe its the dreadlocks, or the fact that he does look JUST LIKE PACMAN JONES.

5) Michael Bush, Louisville

I know, I know...injury prone. But isn't a broken leg a lot different from a "hamstring" guy?

6) Lorenzo Booker

Ok this may have something to do with the fact that he could wind up a Patriot. Why not start the "spin" machine early?


Busts:

Marshawn Lynch, Chris Henry, Arizona (came out early and "raw" isn't something that works in the NFL typically).

Sleeper:

Kolby Smith, Louisville.

Made the loss of Michael Bush tolerable. Which is not an easy thing to do.

What did I miss?

Sorry fans, thatguysports went on a brief hiatus. I think I blacked out for a full week.

What did I miss?

I think the Final Four was meant to end. Can somebody let me know what powerhouse from the Big-10 won? I'm sure the top conference in the land must have had a winner in some sport this year.


What's going on with the NBA? The Celtics obviously keep losing right? I mean there's no way they'd string together a .500 record to make sure they don't sniff Greg Oden in any manner, right?

The Bears traded Lance Briggs by now I'm sure. The last I heard, the Redskins were ready to mortgage their draft and trade them the 6th pick in a loaded draft. I'm sure they took that deal. No way they'd hold on to a guy who legitimately doesn't want to play for them. Especially with that sweet of a trade offer on the table.


Anything else I miss??

Roethilsberger on Roethlisberger: "I'm just extremely overrated."

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ben Roethlisberger refused to say that injuries were the reason he had such a bad year last year.

"Coach Cowher always came to me and asked me how I felt, and I was always
100 percent honest with him. I was always honest with the doctors. Everybody
knows that Pittsburgh has some of the best doctors in the country -- look at my
face for instance," he told the Post-Gazette, referring to the injuries he
sustained in the motorcycle accident. "We have an unbelievable medical staff.
They cleared me and, if they gave me clearance, we never hushed anything."
"No, I don't think anything was rushed. I think I just didn't play well. I
had a bad year. I'm sure [Whisenhunt] had a bad year once in his career,"
Roethlisberger told the newspaper.
"I think that a lot of times, I got
caught being a little too confident and knowing the offense too well and trying
to force things a little too much," he told the Post-Gazette. "I wouldn't change
a thing. I learned from it, it's a learning experience, and you know what, it's
going to make me better."

I've been saying this since mid-season last year. When a Quarterback is playing behind stud Offensive Lineman and a running game that averages 5 ypc and he has to throw between 15 and 20 times a game anybody can put up good numbers.

Roethlisberger is like a bigger version of Joey Harrington. Only with a less-gay name.

The Chicago Bears Fear the Superbowl

That can really be the only explanation I can come up with. They let Ron Rivera go, a guy who many felt was next in line for a great head coaching job. They trade Thomas Jones so they could go with more of a 1 running back system when everybody else is going towards a dual running back system (and winning with it).

They piss off Lance Briggs to the point that it wouldn't surprise anybody if he really didn't play next season.

And now they trade for Adam Archuleta. The same Archuleta who found himself on the bench after signing a lucrative free agent contract.

I know that they didn't trade much for him, but is he even any good anymore? I feel like Archuleta peaked in his 2nd year.

They say they want Archuleta to play closer to the ball, but doesn't Mike Brown do that for the Bears? Archuleta failed alongside another solid Safety in Sean Taylor this year, why would he do any better next year?

Thank God I'm not a Bears fan.

Best Story of the Year

You can have your Superbowls, you can have your March Madness and any other story you want.

I'll take this one. I love Vegas stories. But I love Joey Porter in Las Vegas stories even more.

This is like back in high school when you got into it with your Thanksgiving Day rivals. I wonder of Porter talked trash to Levi Jones about Carson Palmer's knee. Or did Levi Jones talk trash about last year's Steelers team being the worst Superbowl champion of all time.

Either way, I love the fact that these two duked it out at a casino in Vegas.


Thank GOD the Patriots didn't wind up with Porter. Its impossible to root for this guy. Oh and the fact that its another incident for a Bengal player - its reached the point that you can't make this sort of thing up.

Non-Madness Sports News

I think I know what being post-partum is like now. I'm suffering from Post-march madness depression. We'll never have 4 games playing at the same time for a long time. Regardless, here's some non-madness notes.

- This week seemed to be a turning point in the world of the NFL Draft. With more and more free agent signings, teams needs are starting to change. Check out NFLDraftcountdown for their latest Mock. Their links page is another great way to find solid draft coverage. I love the fact that the Raiders have the #1 pick in a draft where the top QB is no lock and the best player is a WR that if they draft him, they'll have no way to get him the ball.

- Roger Clemens still loves the limelight and just can't seem to stay out of the headlines. For the fifth time since pitchers and catchers reported, he is announcing that he has nothing to say. Until May. No kidding you fat toad.

- I'll consider my fantasy draft a success this weekend if I don't get sucked into Eric Bedard like half of humanity did last year. Even if he is starting the Oriole's opener.

- Don't wind up sitting next to a freshman in college's family if you want to avoid a $30k fine.

- Pretty interesting article from the Boston Globe's football notes yesterday.

Pardon me if I don't bleed for the NFL players who retire and don't get their tuition reimbursed under the current program. Here's an idea: Put 50 grand away out of the $10 million signing bonus that you just got to pay for your tuition.

Professional athletes are unbelievable to me.

Here's a novel idea for the NFL: Take the money that you pay for tuition reimbursement and invest the hell out of it. Then use it to fund pensions for pre-AFL/NFL merger players. You know, the guys in the Hall of Fame that get 800 bucks a month from the league?

I think Michael Vick can do without his Va Tech education. I had a buddy who knocked up his girlfriend the summer after his Junior year and had to drop out of school...who's reimbursing his tuition for him to go back to school.

- The iditarod is idiotic.

- Check out ESPN.com's San Diego Chargers draft preview article. I love this stuff.

Here's something you should take into account when you're handicapping next season. When a team's Key Addition reads like this:

Key additions
The biggest addition is head coach Norv Turner, who has his third head
coaching job. While he is generally regarded as a solid offensive coordinator,
Turner's teams in Oakland and Washington underachieved with him as head coach.

Then that's a warning sign for the season. "Underachieved" is an understatement.

-*****BREAKING NEWS*******

Roger Clemens still fat, and still un-decided on future plans. Will make announcement in May. Still.

What are the Buffalo Bills Doing?

Can somebody do a coherence test on Marv Levy? Trading Willis McGahee to the Baltimore Ravens for 2 3rd round picks and a 7th is absolutely idiotic.

Hey Marv, why don't you find a QB and an Offensive Line to help out your offense rather than trading a guy who with those two things will put up absolutely HUGE numbers this year.

Does Marv Levy realize that his team legitimately has nothing right now? Get this:

The Bills, whose remaining running backs are Daimon
Shelton and Shaud Williams, are now in the market for multiple backs. They have shown interest in the Colts' Dominic
Rhodes and the Titans' Chris Brown, and both have visited the team. Former Patriots running back Corey Dillon has not visited Orchard Park, but the Bills are said to be interested.

Um...what? Daimon Shelton, Shaud Williams, and 3 guys who can't hold down a starters job full time are the potential answers for Willis McGahee.

Wow.

I'm convinced I could do a better job than Levy. He has to be senile, no?



Lots of positive feedback on the news and notes post from the other day. Good times!




Duke lost last night. It was awesome. Coach K can't lose enough. I wonder if they'll be a 5 seed or lower in the tourney - if they lost in the first round this year that would be sweet. I don't understand how anybody can like that program.


Does UCLA lose its 1 seed after yesterday? I say yes.


Mike Hampton got hurt yesterday. In related news, the sun is rising today, and will set tonight. And its cold in the northeast in winter. Carl Pavano and Mike Hampton should be forced to return money to the Yankees and Braves. These two are prime examples for why baseball and baseball contracts suck.


I can't wait for Pitt to win the Big East tournament, win a #2 seed, then have a ton of people pick them. Only to realize that they can't score.


The LSU Womens Hoop coach resigned because she was outed as having a relationship with a player. I can't comment on this story until I know if the player is hot. That's obviously very important.




I'd imagine this is going to make it difficult to bond with your teammates.

The paper said junior linebacker Clay Matthews created the group, "White
Nation." Teammates David Buehler, Brian Cushing, Dan Deckas and Dallas Sartz
joined the group.

"This group is not for the faint of heart," read the group's
description, according to the paper. "All members are athletes of Caucasion
(sic) descent. DISCLAIMER: In no way are the following memebers (sic) intolerant
of others, we are just doing our duty of protecting the Arian (sic)
brotherhood."

Ummmm yeah. The "Arian brotherhood" isn't intolerant of others.

News and Notes

Some NFL Signings from the last couple days:

Joe Horn to the Falcons. He'll be a great weapon for Matt Schaub next year. Vick doesn't last week 4. They also signed a DB, Lewis Sanders. I've legitimately never heard of him. He played for Houston and didn't even start. Great signing.

Denver signs "Coveted backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey." I'm not joking. That's how ESPN described him. What is coveted about Patrick Ramsey? That he has a pulse? Is Sage Rosenfels also "coveted" if he becomes a free agent tomorrow?

Backup QB's are like NFL Coaches. Why have a retread behind your starter? Just get a young guy who has a good arm and works hard and mold him into what you want him to be. It worked out well for the Patriots with Brady didn't it?

Farewell to Daniel Graham. I hate the Broncos. Now I have to hate Graham. NFL = Not For Long.

Some early winners and losers from CBS Sportsline. They should have the Patriots first.


Here's a roundup of other moves...including one of my all-avoid team, Patrick Kearney.


Random Thoughts

• ESPN's lead article right now is called "Pacmans Choice." I'm going to go out on a limb and say he chooses the "wrong one."

• Can somebody explain to me how the Big-Televen even threatens the Final 4?

• Why guys could never be good house-wives: I was home all afternoon because we had babysitter issues and instead of the many things I was supposed to do today, I realized when I got home that its March 7th and the Big East tournament was on. Tremendous turn of events.

• Isn't it about time Kobe Bryant stopped slapping people? Who does that? He slaps. Jason Kidd didn't even slap when he knocked the $hit out of his wife. Kobe is the A-Rod of the NBA.

• Can somebody tell Sports Illustrated that I don't need them to comment on social issues? I'd prefer reading about sports. I don't need Peter King to talk about movies, and I certainly don't need SI to have an article about the affect on sports that Global Warming has. Oh wow....in 90 years 4 stadiums in California may be swamped. If those stadiums are still being used in 90 years, anybody going to them should kill themselves.

• Obviously the brackets need to be determined, but right now: Kansas, Texas A&M, Florida, and UCLA are my final 4.
  
  

LINKS

Check out The Big Lead's college hoop awards.

New barstoolsports edition came out today. The cover model is just KIND OF hot. No girls like that at Notre Dame, that's for sure.

Ron Borges is a Hypocrite (Again)

For those readers who are not familiar with the Boston Globe writer Ron Borges, he has a personal vendetta and dislike for all things New England Patriots. The reason's why aren't completely clear, but it has to do with Bill Belichick's dealings with Borges personally, with close friend of Ron Borges' Drew Bledsoe, and just a general dislike between the two.

Borges consistently rips on Belichick, enjoys when the Patriots fail to win a Super Bowl, and many think he gets legitimately angry when something that Belichick and the Patriots do something that works out well.

You may remember during the week leading up to the AFC title game that Borges wrote one thing in the Boston newspaper and another on MSNBC.com. Well, here's round 2 of the Borges hypocrisy game.


From today's Boston Globe:

Long before the free agency period began, strong side linebacker Adalius Thomas
was designated the year's premier catch by many pundits and personnel men.
Perhaps he will prove to be just that, but if history is any predictor, he
should be approached with caution.

Oh those national pundits! Always quick to point to the hot free agent or available player that will be sure to disappoint.

Wait, isn't Ron Borges himself one of those said national pundits? I mean, he does write for MSNBC. Didn't he write this article? And I quote:

There will also be good value available this year, even at what will be the top
of the pay scale. Which players seem most likely to deliver value for their
services? Barring injury, here's one list of likely candidates.
Best
values1. Adalius Thomas, LB: He wants a $18 million signing bonus and will
probably get it, likely from the 49ers. Wherever he goes, the 270-pound Thomas
appears headed toward making an impact.

Apparently until the New England Patriots make that move. Then its a bad one.



At least Borges is consistent. At what point does he become nothing more than a sports writing side-show....a good comedic shtick every now and then?


Read some more anti-Borges chatter on Boston Sports Media Watch.

Adalius Thomas to Patriots?

Adam Schefter was on the Dennis and Callahan morning show this morning in Boston and he mentioned that the Patriots have the inside track to sign Adalius Thomas, and the signing could come in the next 48 hours.

While I love this move for obvious reasons, I can't help but mention that the Patriots really need the help at Inside LB not so much on the outside.

I hope this doesn't cement Mike Vrabel playing inside.

NFL ree Agent All Baggage Team

With Free Agency upon us in the NFL tonight at midnight, taking a look at the top Unrestricted Free Agents is imperative. Why not talk about the guys who you wouldn't want within 100 yards of your team's locker room.

I give you this years UFA "All Baggage" team.

RB Jamal Lewis

Does it get any more baggage filled than clearly and unquestionably losing your manhood in jail? No offense to any former felons who read this blog. But what more can you do than go to the clink, clearly lose whatever edge you had to begin with, and come out 1/2 the man you were. Obviously I can't blame him for it - most men I would imagine come out of jail a lot different than before they went in. But I don't want to hand them the ball 25 times a game either.

DE Dewayne White

I know nothing about him - other than the fact that he had 14 sacks over the last 3 seasons. I don't think thats even good. Why does a team want a guy who's clearly a jag (just another guy)>

RB Ahman Green

See Jamal Lewis, subtract jail, add fragile.

DT Robaire Smith

ESPN describes him as "his performance seems to have hit a plateau the last few seasons." a.k.a. "he is what he is" - Bill Parcells.

WR Donte Stallworth

Sorry, but the reality is that this guy's only really played well when he's had a contract dangling in front of him. I'm not buying into it. He was still a punk in New Orleans.




until the Patriots sign him. Then I'm a believer.

DE Patrick Kearney

If "screaming while on the field" was a statistic, this guy would be in the hall of fame. Even when he played opposite John Abraham for like the 3 games Abraham was healthy for this year (again), he didn't do squat.

He is scary as hell.....of course most guys who are CLEARLY on steroids are.

LB Joey Porter

Sign him and you'll surely get production. You'll get a leader too. You'll get a guy who will give you everything and leave it all on the field.

And you'll also get at least 4 "locker room material" quotes for your opposition, and there's a pretty good chance he gets suspended for at least a game.

CB Fred Smoot

Minnesota Vikings "Love Boat" anyone?


LB Steve Foley

He got shot by a cop after a high speed car chase. I think that's pretty self-explanatory.

WR Joe Horn

If it weren't for Hurricane Katrina, people would still treat Joe Horn as if he was Terrell Owens for the cellphone celebration. But now people think he's a good guy because he got paid to play for the Saints.

I see through it.

Last but certainly not least:

#11. Drewwwwwwww Bledsoe.

Look I am a Bledsoe guy. I really am. But the reality is that some team will bring him in either as a starter for a rookie to be behind, or as a 1A guy to compete for the position, and here's what will happen. He'll have a great training camp. A great pre-season. You'll start him. He'll possibly have a good week 1. Then he'll turn into Drew Bledsoe.

And you'll lose a ton of games.

He's one of the nicest players in the entire league. Of that there is no doubt. But he's not a starter in the NFL anymore.