Round 1 - Ryan Clady - OT - Boise State - 6′6" 310-320 lbs.

With the retirement of Matt Lepsis, the Broncos need a new left tackle, and who better to fill that void than a guy who’s been wearing an orange and blue Bronco uniform for the past three years?
By all accounts, this guy has great feet, superior athleticism, and is the perfect fit for Denver’s zone blocking scheme.

Color me orange and blue skeptical. I’m not entirely sold on this guy. Take a look at this video:

Sure, he looks great dominating the defensive ends from Utah State, but I have my doubts that he’s going to be an immediate contributor. According to Mike Shanahan, "He’ll start at left offensive tackle the day he comes in." I tend to believe Shanahan, but that doesn’t mean Clady won’t get bull rushed into the backfield and have plenty of false start penalties. Clady entered the draft as a redshirt junior after three years of playing in the WAC and before that he was a defensive tackle in high school. Also, with a score of 13 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test I once again have to question Clady’s ability to contribute right away. A score of 13 indicates that he’s not very bright, OR that he just doesn’t give a shit. Your call, but neither is a trait one looks for in a left tackle. Offensive linemen normally excel at the Wonderlic, and this year’s class is no exception:

Jake Long - 26
Jeff Otah - 28
Sam Baker - 27
Chris Williams - 32

Test results stolen from here.

While Clady may have "unlimited upside", I wouldn’t pencil him in for the Pro-Bowl just yet.

Round 2 - Eddie Royal - WR - Virginia Tech - 40 time 4.3xx

Good speed, good hands, good football player, but I think drafting Royal in the second round was a bit of a reach. I understand what Denver was thinking when they targeted Royal. After getting torched for two touchdowns by Devin Hester last year, the Broncos suddenly felt the need to get some of that magic for their own team. However, his stats hardly justify the high draft pick. Here’s a little quiz. Complete the following sentence:

Royal the 3rd leading receiver

A) in the nation.
B) in the ACC.
C) for Virginia Tech

The answer is C. As a punt returner Royal was 10th in the nation last year, so he’s obviously no Devin Hester. He’s a solid player who will eventually replace Brandon Stokley in the slot.

Round 4 - Kory Lichtensteiger -C/OG- Bowling Green 6′2" 298 lbs.

Obviously the Broncos were focused on shoring up the offensive line. By all accounts, Lichtensteiger was one of the top interior linemen available in the draft and he should add some depth in that area for Denver. A four year starter at Bowling Green, he was only flagged for four penalties in 3,243 snaps. Compare that to the Broncos #1 draft pick, who once picked up four flags in one game vs. Washington.

Round 4 - Jack Williams - CB - Kent State - 40 yd 4.3 - 4.4 seconds 
5′9" 186 lbs.

I didn’t realize the Broncos needed another cornerback. With Williams decent size and great athleticism, he appears to have the ability to be a contributor in nickel and dime situations, or if the Broncos lose a CB to injury.

Round 5 - Ryan Torain - RB - Arizona St. - 6′1" 220 lbs - 40 yard: 4.5 - 4.6

I’ve seen this movie before. Denver will turn this guy into the next Mike Anderson. He’s a straight ahead runner that’s not too shifty and is coming off a foot injury that limited him to six games last year at ASU. According to SI, he picks up the blitz well and is a solid blocker. That’s usually one of the things that keeps rookies off the field, but if this guy can block and he is recovered from injury, he might be a solid contributor.

Round 5 - Carlton Powell - DT - Virginia Tech - 6′2" 292 lbs.

What have we here? A run stuffer? This may be too little too late. I remember big number 99 from his days at Virginia Tech, but take a peek at what they are saying over at nfldraftcountdown:

Weaknesses:
Does not have great bulk…Plays with poor leverage…Is not very mobile and lacks great range…Does not use his hands well…Is not real tough or physical…Not very explosive…Lacks a burst to close..Gets manhandled at times..Average production.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Still, this is typical Broncos. Just like the time they signed the entire Browns D-line, I’m sure the coaches think they can get the most out of this player.

Round 6- Spencer Larsen - OLB - Arizona - 6′ 1" 239 lbs.

Is there honestly room in the NFL for another guy named Spencer?
Anyone remember Spencer for Hire? AOL is streaming full episodes of Spencer for Hire. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes, and of special note is the 80’s soft porn quality of the shower scene. This TV show belongs in the 1985 time capsule. Back to football.

Spencer Larsen is a bit older than most at age 24, but he’s a Mormon tackling machine that led the Pac-10 in tackles last year. He’s quick, explosive and smart enough to diagnose and blow up your weak offensive playbook. Is he enough of an athlete to play in the NFL? Will he be able to cover anybody in pass coverage? From all reports he’s a good character guy that knocks footballs loose, knows where to be on the field and is an all around solid football player. It’s like I always say, "You can’t have too many tackling machines on your roster."  

Round 7 - Josh Barrett - S - Arizona St. - 6′2" 223 lbs.

He’s coming off an injury riddled SR season at ASU. He’s actually one of the top rated safeties in the draft, but I’m guessing he’s a bit of a risk due to injuries and some spotty performances in college. My understanding is that some of his problems included relationship issues with the coaching staff, and the fact that he never gave the proverbial 110% in any of his games. Looks like another one of those guys with great "upside" that needs an attitude adjustment.

Round 7 - Peyton Hillis - FB - Arkansas 6’1” 240 lbs.

One of the best fullbacks in college last year. I have no idea how he slipped this far in the draft. He blocks well, runs well, and he can catch the football out of the backfield. Perhaps with all the talent Arkansas had in the backfield last year, he was simply overlooked. Judge for yourself:

I’ll wager he can protect Cutler better than say, Selvin Young.

Solid draft for the Broncos. While I don’t think they drafted any game changing superstars, I’d say they did a solid job of shoring up some holes in their roster while drafting people that will actually contribute this year.

Anyone remember the 2007 Denver Broncos? They finished the season a disappointing 7 wins and 9 losses, coupled with a dismal 5-11 record vs. the spread. The OVER was a winning bet in 11 of the 16 Bronco games and the vaunted Bronco Swiss cheese defense may have played some small part, but that was last year. Since then, the proud Bronco organization has refocused, retooled, and is primed for another run at the playoffs. In this edition of the Broncos Report I’ll take you behind the scenes, inside the transaction list, and we’ll catch up on all the hilarity that is the Broncos off-season.

December 5, 2007 - The Broncos release big DT Sam Adams. While Adams does look surprised about his release, I don’t think anyone else was shocked. In six games last year, Adams recorded only five solo tackles. The Broncos desperately needed run stuffing support up the middle, and it was obvious that Adams was not the answer.

Moving along….

December 8, 2007 - WR Brandon Stokley signs a three year extension. Solid. The Broncos slot receiver position is filled. If you plan on making the Bronco’s roster at this year’s training camp, you might consider trying out for some position other than the slot receiver. Then again, will this guy stay healthy?

December 13, 2007 - LB Jamie Winborn signs a two year contract extension. Winborn projects to be the backup outside linebacker behind D.J. Williams and Boss Bailey.

December 18, 2007 - Punter Todd Sauerbrun is released, while Paul Ernster is signed as the new punter.  Sauerbrun had an incident with a cab driver that resulted in some assault charges. The taxi driver claimed his was hit in the back of the head by Souerbrun over the $8.35 fare.

I doubt the Bronco fans are sad to see this guy leave town. I think most of them remember Sauerbrun’s role in the 34-37 OT loss to the bears last year, which included a Hester punt return for a TD, a Sauerbrun to Hester kickoff return for a TD and a blocked punt. Personally, I see those errors as the fault of the entire special teams unit, but since Sauerbrun was the kicker in all three of those screw-ups…. The replacement punter may be a better citizen off the field, but certainly does not represent an upgrade for the Broncos special teams. Sauerbrun was one of the best.

December 26, 2007 - New punter Paul Ernster is waived. DOH!

December 28, 2007 - Punter Sam Paulescu is signed.

January 1, 2008 - Matt Lepsis retires. He’s been a fixture at left tackle for the Broncos since 1998. If you have a few minutes, check out his bio at DenverBroncos.com The man had an incredible career for someone not even drafted by the NFL.

January 8, 2008 - Defensive coordinator Jim Bates resigns. Well, that was a failed experiment. I thought the Broncos defense was fine before they brought in Bates, but apparently I wasn’t the only person to think that. Now that Bates is gone, the Broncos have decided to go back to the old defensive coordinator, Bob Slowik. Technically, Slowik was the defensive coordinator last year, but Jim Bates was “in charge” of the defense. You figure it out. Slowik has been with the Broncos since 2005 as a secondary coach. If I had Champ Bailey and John Lynch in my secondary I might look like a great secondary coach too. If you didn’t trust Slowik to run the defense last year, why does he get control now? Color me skeptical, but Champ Bailey thinks this is a good move.

January 17, 2008 - The Dinger leaves for Tennessee. Heimerdinger runs a west coast type of offense, but with a bit more vertical passing game. I think he’s a great fit for the Titans, and the last time the Dinger was in Tennessee, his offenses were a success. Now that the Broncos have said goodby to the Dinger and Kubiak, what’s going to become of the offense? They’ll be fine, as the new offensive coordinator is former Broncos linebacker Rick Dennison. I expect plenty of offensive blitzing next year.

February 21, 2008 - Travis Henry restructures his contract with the Broncos. Four games into the 2007 season, Henry was leading the NFL in rushing, but then everything fell apart. In addition to stories breaking about Henry fathering children all across the country the story broke that he failed a drug test and would be suspended for a year. Henry appealed the suspension, coach Shanahan backed up Henry’s claim that he hadn’t smoked any herb, and the NFL fined Shanahan $25,000 for his public remarks. Henry ended up winning his appeal and passing a hair follicle test. Henry never returned to early season form because of injuries, but apparently he understands that Denver is a good place to raise children for running backs. Henry gave up all of his $6 million bonus to stay in Denver. Terms of the new deal are undisclosed.

February 29, 2008 - Ian Gold and Javon Walker are released. Whoa. Wait just a second. You can’t just release Javon Walker. Isn’t he a valuable player? Wouldn’t it be best to trade a guy like that? What’s that? He was due a $5.4 million roster bonus? I see.
Ian Gold was due a roster bonus of $1 million, so the Broncos thought they might as well kick him to the curb as well. This opens up a spot for D.J. Williams to move back to the weak side, which seems to suit him better.

March 1, 2008 - Denver signs WR Keary Colbert. According to Wikipedia, “On March 1, 2008 he signed with the Denver Broncos to a three-year, $7.2 million contract, including a $2.5 million signing bonus.”
At this point, Colbert projects to be the #2 WR across from Brandon Marshall.

March 3, 2008 - The Broncos further complicate the job of the person responsible for the pronunciation guide by signing linebacker Niko Koutouvides. After backing up Lofa Tatupu in Seattle, Nike may finally get his chance to shine.

March 3, 2008 - DT Marcus Thomas is a passenger in a pickup truck in Clay county Florida and the driver gets pulled over by police. As luck would have it, the center console of the pickup truck contains weed, some blow, (trace amounts) and of course, a gun. Marcus was arrested, but thankfully the charges were dropped. What I found most interesting about the whole story is that the sports agent for Marcus Thomas is none other than his high school coach.

March 6, 2008 - Brother of DB Champ Bailey, Boss Bailey, is signed by the Broncos. For anyone confused about all these linebacker, I think what we’ll end up seeing is Koutouvides as the middle linebacker, D.J. Williams on the weak side, and Bailey on the strong side. Got it?

March 8, 2008 - The Broncos sign two players to bolster the safety position, Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel. This move adds some support for the un-retired John Lynch who will be back for another year.

March 12, 2008 - GM Ted Sundquist is fired after 16 years in the Broncos organization. He has since not been picked up by any other NFL organization. There’s been some speculation that he might leave football altogether and return to his former line of work in bobsledding. As a member of the 1984-1988 U.S. National Bobsled Team he was adored by millions. Women would throw themselves at Sundquist, but as Mike Shanahan’s puppet, not so much.

March 13, 2008 - The Broncos sign free agent WR Edell Shepherd. My only guess here is that the organization thought Shepherd might be able to help out with return duties. Shepherd was out of football last year so I’m not quite sure what to make of this signing.

March 20, 2008 - In an apparent cost cutting move, the Broncos organization fires dismisses “eight employees not directly involved in football operations….”  While this development doesn’t have much meaning to the casual fan, the loyal Broncos fans seem to be up in arms about the decision. Let Plummer Play! made some outstanding points and is suggested reading on this topic.

March 20, 2008 - The Broncos sign center and ex-Chief Casey Wiegmann. This move provides great depth behind Tom Nalen.

March 21, 2008 - Jason Elam signs with the Falcons after 15 seasons in Denver. The Falcons are obviously thrilled with their new 38 year old kicker, who is replacing 47 year old Morten Andersen. The youth movement in Atlanta continues. Elam may very well be a Hall of Fame kicker, and while the Broncos may not be able to replace him with a more accurate kicker, their kickoffs should be better.

March 23, 2008 - Star WR Brandon Marshall puts his arm through a television set and tears an artery, some nerves, etc. How could this happen?  He says he slipped on a fast food wrapper. In a text message to NFL.com Mr. Marshall explains it all:

“I want to thank everybody for their concerns and let everyone know that I’m okay. It’s funny because I pride myself on YAC (yards after catch) and being one of the toughest players to take down once I have the ball in my hands.”

“So for the next couple of days I’m going to take the time to build my confidence back up after allowing that McDonalds bag to take me down and send me through the entertainment center.”

March 24, 2008 - The Brandon Marshall story changes a bit, and we learn he was wrestling with his brother at the time of the accident. The press vilifies Marshall to an extent, so he responds to the criticisms in this interview.  The interview is about 25 minutes long, but provides plenty of insight into what kind of person Marshall is, despite the DUI charge and and some other off the field troubles.

Stay tuned for Part 2 - The Broncos Draft.

Technorati Tags: NFL,Broncos,Denver,Football,Brandon Marshall,Jason Elam

Who is this new #87 for Carolina? He looks suspiciously like another #87 that used to be a Panther. You know, that Muhammad guy. Wait, isn’t #87 TE Jeff King?

You might remember #87 Jeff King from last year’s Panthers, but that’s highly unlikely unless you fit into one of two categories:
1)You follow the Panthers
2) Your fantasy football league uses a bizarre lineup featuring two starting tight ends every week.

Jeff King has an uphill battle distinguishing himself from the pack of athletes also named Jeff King.

This message has been approved by Jeff King.
The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time- #69 Jeff King

Will the real Jeff King please stand up?

This is for my cousin Don. Anyone remember Jeff King from the Pirates? He’s on fire!

Maybe he’s not on fire. Anyone own this Jeff King card? What is that stuff at the bottom of the card? Water damage? Cherry Kool-Aid? Is it supposed to look like that?

I caught 46 passes last year for 406 yards.

I also scored two touchdowns.

Jeff King had a good season last year. Here he is frolicking near the goal line. I have no idea if this play ended in a touchdown, or if he was merely signaling “incomplete”. This particular Jeff King has the distinction of actually catching a touchdown pass from Chris Weinke. That’s a very select group. As far as expectations for next year, he might be due for a breakout season in 2008, but he won’t be wearing #87.

Is Muhsin washed up? He will be 35 years old when he suits up for the Panthers this year. I’m pretty sure 35 is the land of diminishing skills. Maybe he can teach Dwayne Jarrett to run routes.

Former #1 overall selection David Carr was cut by the Panthers this week. At first I was sad, then cried a little bit. Who’s going to back up Jake Delhomme? It will be interesting to see which teams are desperate to give Carr another chance. His story reminds me of Tim Couch in that there were great expectations from the team that drafted him, and some limited success, but now he’s just damaged goods.

The plan was to write some more about the Lions today, but I found a picture that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter.

Technorati Tags: NFL, Panthers, Muhsin, Mushin, Muhammad, Mohammad, Carr, Jeff King

The Detroit Lions have the worst ownership and management group in the NFL. Well, at least I think they do. Can anyone think of a team with a worse front office? Does any other fan base have a motto similar to this, “Detroit Lions - Rebuilding since 1957″ ?

The Lions offense was middle of the pack in 2007, while the Lions defense can best be described as abominable, alarming, appalling, atrocious, awful, bad, creepy, dire, distressing, fearful, frightening, frightful, frozen, ghastly, god-awful, grievous, grim, grody, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrific, icky, lousy, mean, monstrous, rotten, shameful, shocking, shuddersome, spooky, terrible, terrific, tragic, tremendous, wicked or yucky. The Lions organization knew that something had to change. So naturally, they fired offensive coordinator Mike Martz, because everyone knows the best cure for a hangover is ripping out all your hair.

Martz has a new gig in San Francisco, which in turn led to a job coaching at the Senior Bowl. Mike Martz wired for sound.
My favorite part of that video is Martz working with Hawaii QB Colt Brennan. Apparently,  an entire college career spent operating out of the shotgun formation has rendered Brenann ill equipped for the art of drop back passing.  

As a replacement for Martz, the Lions promoted offensive line coach Jim Colletto.  Why promote the offensive line  coach? The Lions offense under Martz was just too complex for the stupid Lions players to grasp, so the new mantra is K.I.S.S., or Keep It Simple, Stupid. The offensive line coach turned coordinator will speak plainly and on a level that the players will understand. I present Colletto Exhibit A from the Detroit Free Press:

“I just think, in my own opinion, there was a little more than this group of players can handle, and the misconception that because these are professional football players they can handle loads of information. If you watch the games this weekend and this past weekend I’d advise the fans, sit down and chart how many different kind of running plays you see, and the game doesn’t change, whether it’s Pop Warner or the NFL. When the game starts it’s chaos, and there’s an old coach that I used to work with back at UCLA said, when the ball is snapped you’ll hardly know my name, and there’s a lot of truth in that. The guys, the more these players can repeat the same things over and over and over, and it’s a game of execution and getting good players to make good plays. I think we just had so many things that they didn’t feel comfortable with; we never could hang our hat on anything.”

Ok, let’s review. If I sit down and chart the games from a couple weeks and I’ll see that running plays don’t change whether it’s Pop Warner or the NFL? If that’s the case, then what’s the problem? You’re players can’t handle the Pop Warner plays? “When the game starts it’s chaos” and “when the ball is snapped you’ll hardly know my name”. What? Your players won’t be able to remember “Colletto” once the game starts? Can they just call you Coach or something?

The Lions are spinning the coaching change by saying they are hoping to establish a solid ground game in 2008.Colletto promises to run the football more frequently than Martz did, which is a promise that ANY offensive coordinator can confidently boast about. Martz never bought into the philosophy that a team needs to establish a solid running attack first, and why would he? The Lions keep spending #1 draft picks on wide receivers, what are we supposed think?

I present Colletto Exhibit B:

“I’ve learned over a long haul you can only block them so long. Sometimes you don’t block them at all and running backs turn plays into great plays and we need to have backs, back there that can make some plays, when maybe something isn’t there and that’ll be something were going to look at, I’m sure.”

Now that’s brilliant. You need to find a running back other than Kevin Jones, because Jones doesn’t have the magic necessary to make great plays when none of the Lions block their man. I suggest giving Barry Sanders a call. He honestly was the perfect Lions running back.

I present Colletto Exhibit C:

On the red zone offense, and the lack of the “jump ball” play called for Calvin Johnson:

You’re going to have that play. You just got one of your plays in the playbook because that will be one of them. In football, in terms of coach’s lingo, football is a situational game, and were going to spend the offseason, when we get into those OTA practices and early part of training camp and we’re going to spend a ton of time in third downs and inside the 20 yard line, and coming out of our own end zone, and there are situations in football that win or lose games, and we’re going to spend a lot of time in those circumstances.

Crystal clear. I’m sure your players are going to be so relieved to transition from Martz’s overly complex system to the Yogi Berra offense.

I grabbed this tidbit from researching Colletta’s days as a coach with the Ravens. This Colletta Exhibit D comes from Joe Platania at the Press Box:

During training camp, one of his unorthodox trademark drills was to take a piece of string and use it to teach footwork and lateral movement, a must in today’s speed- and quickness-oriented game.

However, the sight of 300-plus pounders moving around with string between their legs proved to be a spectacle that was more hilarious than anything else.

I can only hope Colletta continues the tradition of the string drill.  More on the Lions later.

Thankfully, someone at "Inside the NFL" must have signed a DNR years ago. Rather than put the show on life support, HBO decided to simply pull the plug. After 31 years of quality highlights and banal commentary, football fans are outraged (see the commments after the article) at the loss of an old friend. Where can the fans turn to for the razor sharp insights of Chris Carter? Sure, Costas, Collinsworth, King and Marino will still be on network TV, but Chris Carter is unemployed as a TV personality. You shouldn’t cry though. Carter still writes for Yahoo Sports and he will still be around to help you set your fantasy lineup.

I will admit to thinking "Inside the NFL" was a great show many years ago, and I looked forward to it every week. Here is a long, but interesting article that takes you inside "Inside the NFL". However, with so many sources of information and commentary these days, the show has lost almost all of the luster it once had. There’s also something to be said for hiring a cast that has so many other obligations. Were they dedicated to this show? Was Dan Marino striving for excellence, trying to reach new heights? Was any of the broadcast really "inside" information or insight? Given that HBO is not advertiser supported, "Inside the NFL" had the ability to tackle difficult subjects and offer opinions out of the mainstream. Since that’s not what was happening, I can’t say I’ll miss "Inside the NFL".

This was one of the best renditions of the national anthem I’ve ever heard. I do not watch American Idol and had never heard of Jordin Sparks before the Super Bowl. However, I think it’s safe to predict that she will end up having more than fifteen minutes of fame. This version is a bit on the Disney side, but overall I was impressed by Miss Sparks. Obviously the audio quality of youtube videos isn’t the greatest, but you get the idea.

The pessimism was running rampant at my house. We all thought the Patriots would end up winning no matter how poorly they played for most of the game.

This is what I will remember about the game for years to come:

1) Toomer delivering a blow to the defender’s face mask, catching the Manning prayer along the sideline and dragging his feet in the field of play. How was that not called offensive pass interference?  Nice work by Toomer, but a horrible no call by the refs. Then again, it was nice to see someone besides Moss get away with that junk.

2) Eli pulling a Houdini and escaping from the grasp of 35 Patriot defensive linemen, only to heave up another prayer that was answered with a circus catch by David Tyree. That was an impossible catch. Great stuff. Thankfully there was no "in the grasp" whistle.

3) The Giants defense was gassed late in the fourth quarter with the Patriots knocking on the door. The Giants decide to cover Moss one on one near the goal line. Brilliant. The defender falls down and Brady throws a dart to Moss for the go ahead touchdown. What exactly was that touchdown celebration? Moses parting the red sea? Fox showed it again and again, but I still don’t get it. I thought the Giants were finished at that point.

4) Troy Aikman’s assessment of the first half. He was saying that Giant fans had to be pretty happy with everything through two quarters of play. The Giants played much better than the Patriots, but were still losing at halftime. What Giant fan was happy with that? I was forced to pause for a minute and yell at Aikman before going to the kitchen for another beer.

5) Bill Bellichick challenging that there were 12 Giants on the field during the Patriot’s punt. I always wanted coaches to have the ability to challenge obvious penalties that weren’t called, but that’s not what I had in mind. Then the Patriots drive stalls and they don’t let Gostkowski attempt the FG? I thought the next play was going to be a TD lob to Moss. Thankfully they did not convert on fourth down.

6) The Brady sack on the last Patriots drive. He was absolutely crushed and that play felt like the end, even though there was still a chance for the Patriots.

7) Bill Belichick jogging off the field with time left on the clock. That was unrivaled douchbaggery, and I doubt I’ll ever see the likes of it again.

8 ) Fumble!!!! The Giants screw up the handoff, and a Patriot falls on the loose ball. I see Rodney Harrison jumping and celebrating the change of possession. Cue Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend." It looked like a Patriot had the ball for a second, then rolled over and was trying to get up or something and the ball was taken away from him. The ball didn’t squirt out and it wasn’t rolling around, but I guess there was no whistle, and the ball went back to the Giants. At the time, I think a steady stream of F-bombs were coming out of my mouth. I thought the Giants were giving the game away.

9) I had money on the Patriots, but was so excited about the prospect of a Giant victory that I didn’t care. Betting seems to suck some of the joy out of being a sports fan. On this night, the game was what mattered most. Goodbye football season. We’ll do it again next year.

Super Bowl 42 features an undefeated team vs. a team that’s been playing over it’s head. What the Giants have done in the playoffs has been remarkable, but the streak ends Sunday. Give the Patriots a couple of weeks to prepare and you’re not going to beat them with Eli to Plexiglass. What else will work for the Giants?

I checked Wagerline, and the Giants backers lead the Patriots 60% to 40% (as of this writing). At Carib it’s 57.5% Patriots to 42.5% Giants. So much for the consensus, for all you contrarians.

I love the defensive line of the Giants, and I’d like nothing more than for Brady to get sacked eleventy billion times, but I doubt that will happen. Brady should bounce back from a couple of sub-par performances (for him) and torch the Giant secondary for about four touchdowns. Eli has been able to raise his game in the playoffs and avoid the turnovers and stupid mistakes, but I think the Patriots will be able to trick him into a few. What the Giants have changed in the playoffs is the routes they run. What they’ve been doing is running more curls and hooks and while the passes have been completed, they aren’t getting any Yakkity YAC. What I think will happen is the Patriots jump these routes and a few Giant turnovers.  Did anyone watch the regular season? Who do you think led the NFL in picks?

When these teams last met, the Giants gave them a great game, and I fully respect what happened in that game. In fact, I think that was one of the most entertaining and memorable games in the NFL this year. The Giants could not improve their playoff position, yet they gave it their all. I wouldn’t say the Patriots did the same, but when push came to shove, the Patriots showed they could do what they wanted. The Pats were also missing quite a few players in that game. I think back to the dropped bomb by Moss that was followed by the TD bomb to Moss. Unreal. In the last match up the Patriots only punted four times. The Patriots might punt more than four times this time, but they will still cover.

Civic duty calls. I’ll be voting in the Florida Republican primary today, and I’ll be casting my vote for Ron Paul. While both Ron Paul and myself have long since been classified as coo coo for cocoa puffs, I counter that we are actually the sane ones in an otherwise crazy country. So far, I’ve deflected attacks from people who claim Ron Paul is the candidate of David Duke and the Klan. I cannot deny that claim. Paul is the most libertarian of the remaining candidates, and would protect the right to free speech, even if it’s speech that most Americans cannot bear to hear. The Klan still has a right to assemble and discuss whatever looney ideas pop into their heads. Americans should have the right to burn the flag, hate gays, and have lesbian parades if they want. I’m sorry, but that’s free speech and that’s America. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m sure that closing down the department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, FEMA, and other federal government offices sounds extreme to some, but sounds perfectly acceptable to me. After watching the President’s State of the Union address, I’m more convinced than ever that America needs sweeping reforms.

Every problem facing this country can apparently be solved by throwing money at it. The U.S. economy is in trouble! Quick, throw some money at it! Give everyone a $600 Band-Aid.

Listen to the other candidates for President. What is their plan for dealing with Pakistan in the future? All of them say the same thing, "I think we need to put together an aid package." Apparently money solves all problems, and we have unlimited money. The Federal Reserve will simply print some more.

Irish Rocker Bono recently visited the White House, asking Bush for additional AIDS relief funds for Africa. Sure, we can do that. $15 billion? $30 billion? Good thing we’ve solved all of our own problems and can now attack those problems facing the rest of the world. 

The United States has a slight immigration problem. What should we do about it? I’m not sure, but I’m open to discussion on the topic. However, I think there’s one issue that seems to be a bit more important. What about terrorism? I thought that after 911, America was going to focus on keeping the nation safe. The Federal Government created another useless organization called the Department of Homeland Security. What exactly are they doing? Wouldn’t step ONE of "homeland security" be to secure the borders? 

Now that Dennis Kucinich has dropped out, there’s only one candidate left that’s not supported by corporate money, and his name is Ron Paul. If you’d like the country to continue to be run by corporations, then vote for whoever else you want. They are all the same hogs eating from the same trough.

Today I will cast my worthless vote for a candidate that cannot possibly win, but unless people actually begin to vote their conscience, nothing will ever change. I hate the bandwagon fans in sports, and it’s totally inexcusable to be a bandwagon fan for a politician. I’m sure it makes you happy to vote for a winner, but not at the expense of having America be the losing team.

Has anyone spoken with Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, or Antonio Gates? Is the cold New England weather soothing to their injuries? Is it like having an ice pack on your knee, but without the added bulk? With both squads at full strength on a neutral field, I’d still take the Patriots minus a touchdown or two. If you throw Billy Volek into the equation and move the game to Foxboro, then I lean to the Patriots with even more of my money. The Charger pass rush isn’t that great. I don’t think the success of the Giants can’t be duplicated by San Diego. I think if the Chargers sell out on the blitzes, they’ll be chasing New England slot receivers into the end zone. The New England defense should be able to contain San Diego’s running game, and the new found long passing game of the Chargers will disappear into the winds of New England.

Here we have Billy Volek and Philip Rivers waiting for their turn at the Galaga machine. Shawn Merriman rigged it so the players don’t need quarters. On Friday, Rivers petitioned the NFL to see if they will allow him to wear the red, non-contact jersey in the AFC Championship game on the grounds that if he gets hurt the game won’t be worth watching. The NFL refused to hear arguments on the matter, but the referees have been warned to protect the quarterbacks at all costs. So banish all those thoughts of taking out Tom Brady’s knees. Things have been pretty loose in Charger camp, which is a good sign for New England backers. The Chargers are in “We’re just happy to be here” mode, despite whatever press clippings you’ve read.  In addition to the used Galaga game, there’s been reports of coach Norv Turner walking around all week in a Lawrence Maroney wig.

I’m sorry that I don’t have any pictures to back that up,  but here’s one from Maroney’s old Myspace page to give you an idea what that looks like. Ok, here’s Maroney:  

and here’s Norv:   Anyone have any Photoshop skills that can put these two images together?