FREE CONCERTS ACROSS THE FIVE BOROUGHS

SummerStage is now offering shows at 18 parks across the five boroughs of New York, completely free of charge. Take a look at the full schedule below.

Mainstage, Central Park
Tuesday, June 07: Night at The Caravanserai Tales of Wonder featuring: Yo-Yo Ma, The Silk Road Ensemble, Silkroad Connect Students and Friends (concert)
Saturday, June 11: Blue Note Jazz Festival: Medeski Martin & Wood / Josh Roseman & The King Froopy Allstars / Jim Black's AlasNoAxis (concert)
Friday, June 17: Istanbulive III: Sounds of Civilizations Zulfu Livaneli / maNga and special guests (concert)
Sunday, June 19: 9th Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil NY: Mart'nália (concert); Screening: "ELZA" (film)
Tuesday, June 21: Fête De La Musique: Ben L'Oncle Soul (concert); Screening: "Gainsbourg and His Girls" (film)
Wednesday, June 22: Reggie Watts / Natasha Leggero (word)
Saturday, June 25: Lee Fields & The Expressions / Fitz & The Tantrums / Andreya Triana / Rich Medina (concert)
Sunday, June 26: Hugh Masekela / Freshlyground / Somi (concert)
Tuesday, June 28: The Moth, hosted by Andy Borowitz, with stories by Pam Grier, and other special guests (word)
Wednesday, June 29: Comedy Central Park starring Jim Gaffigan with special guest John Pinette (comedy)
Saturday, July 02: "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" Roy Ayers and The Jazz Mafia Symphony plus special guests (concert)
Sunday, July 03: RAM / Group Doueh / Baloji / GlobeSonic Sound System (concert)
Wednesday, July 06: Jarabe de Palo / Ely Guerra / Novalima / Mr. Pauer (concert)
Saturday, July 09: ChocQuibTown / Rita Indiana / Ursula 1000 / Que Bajo?! (concert)
Monday, July 11: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)
Friday, July 15: Armitage Gone! Dance and special musical guest Vijay Iyer with Dance Grand Moultrie (dance)
Saturday, July 16: Armitage Gone! Dance and special musical guest Vijay Iyer with Dance Grand Moultrie (dance)
Sunday, July 17: Pink Martini (concert)
Saturday, July 23: Keigwin + Company with Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn (dance)
Sunday, July 24: Marcelo D2 / Pitty / DJ Nuts (concert)
Wednesday, July 27: Wanda Jackson / Imelda May (concert)
Saturday, July 30: Forces of Nature Dance Theatre with Cecilia Marta Dance Company (dance)
Sunday, July 31: Yemen Blues / Watcha Clan / Shabate / Awesome Tapes from Africa (concert)
Saturday, August 06: Shelebration! A Tribute to the Works of Shel Silverstein, produced by Hal Willner (concert, poetry)
Sunday, August 07: Friendly Fires / The Naked And Famous / Cults (concert)
Wednesday, August 10: Joe Bataan / Johnny Colón / DJ Turmix (concert); Screening: "We Like It Like That - The Story of Latin Boogaloo" (film)
Saturday, August 13: Henry Santos (concert)
Sunday, August 14: Gospel Explosion featuring Donald Lawrence and special guests, hosted By Hezekiah Walker (concert)
Wednesday, August 17: Sangre By Mando Alvardo Directed by Jerry Ruiz (theater)
Saturday, August 20: Tiken Jah Fakoly / Meta and the Cornerstones / Los Rakas (concert)
Sunday, August 21: Rakim, EPMD and Funkmaster Flex (concert)
Sunday, August 28: Jagged Edge / Avant / Melanie Fiona (concert)

Betsy Head Memorial Playground
Tuesday, June 07: "Salute to Hip-Hop" featuring EPMD / Funkmaster Flex (concert)
Wednesday, June 08: Special Ed (concert)
Thursday, June 09: B.T. Express / Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez (concert)

Herbert Von King Park
Friday, June 10: Passion of Tap (dance)
Saturday, June 11: Shlank Squad, Elite Force and Ladies of Hip-Hop with MAWU (dance)
Tuesday, June 14: Tye Tribett (concert)
Wednesday, June 15: Nice and Smooth and The Awesome 2 (concert)
Thursday, June 16: Jon B / Olivia (concert)
Friday, June 17: Indomitable: James Brown Featuring Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber and Brandon Victor Dixon (theater)
Saturday, June 18: "Indomitable: James Brown" featuring Burnt Sugar / The Arkestra Chamber / Brandon Victor Dixon (theater)

Red Hook Park
Tuesday, June 21: Talib Kweli (concert)
Wednesday, June 22: Ozomatli (concert)
Thursday, June 23: We Are Scientists / Milagres (concert)
Friday, June 24: Reggie Watts / DJ Stormin' Norman (concert)
Saturday, June 25: Dance Grand Moultrie with Malcolm Low/ Formal Structure Inc. (dance)

Soundview Park
Tuesday, June 28: "Salute to Hip-Hop" featuring Funkmaster Flex and special guests (concert)
Wednesday, June 29: Larry Harlow and Latin Legends Band (concert)
Thursday, June 30: Hector Tricoche / Chris Alfinez (concert)

St. Mary's Park
Friday, July 01: Pasión y Arte with On Tap (dance)
Saturday, July 02: OPUS Dance Theater with Dance IQUAIL! (dance)
Tuesday, July 05: Lavoe All Stars Cantando Renzo Padilla / 8 y Más (concert)
Wednesday, July 06: Tony Vega (concert)
Thursday, July 07: Ray Sepulveda / Chris Alfinez (concert)
Friday, July 08: "Sangre" By Mando Alvardo, Directed by Jerry Ruiz, Adapted from Blood Wedding By Federico García Lorca (theater)
Saturday, July 09: "Sangre" By Mando Alvardo, Directed by Jerry Ruiz, Adapted from Blood Wedding By Federico García Lorca (theater)

Crotona Park
Tuesday, July 12: Slick Rick / DJ Brucie B (concert)
Wednesday, July 13: Xcstacy (concert)
Friday, July 15: "Sangre" By Mando Alvardo, Directed by Jerry Ruiz, Adapted from Blood Wedding By Federico García Lorca (theater)
Saturday, July 16: "Sangre" By Mando Alvardo, Directed by Jerry Ruiz, Adapted from Blood Wedding By Federico García Lorca (theater)
Sunday, July 17: The Manhattans / Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez (concert)
Tuesday, July 19: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)

Brooklyn Bridge Park
Wednesday, July 13: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)

Queensbridge Park
Tuesday, July 19: Kool Moe Dee (concert)
Wednesday, July 20: Harold Melvin's Blue Notes / Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez (concert)
Thursday, July 21: "Salute to Hip-Hop" featuring Funkmaster Flex and special guests (concert)
Friday, July 22: Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn / Waheed Works (dance)

Clove Lakes Park
Thursday, July 21: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)

Springfield Park
Tuesday, July 26: Queens Donell Jones / Olivia (concert)
Wednesday, July 27: Hezekiah Walker (concert)
Thursday, July 28: Chrisette Michele (concert)
Friday, July 29: "Tunde's Trumpet" By Chisa Hutchinson, Directed By Kristin Horton (musical theater)
Saturday, July 30: "Tunde's Trumpet" By Chisa Hutchinson, Directed By Kristin Horton (musical theater)

Socrates Sculpture Park
Tuesday, July 26: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)

Jackie Robinson Park
Thursday, July 28: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (concert)

Tappen Park
Tuesday, August 02: Sugarhill Gang (concert)
Wednesday, August 03: The Budos Band (concert)
Thursday, August 04: Andy Cooney (concert)

Marcus Garvey Park
Friday, August 05: "Henry V" By William Shakespeare (theater)
Saturday, August 06: "Henry V" By William Shakespeare (theater)
Sunday, August 07: "Tunde's Trumpet" By Chisa Hutchinson, Directed By Kristin Horton (musical theater)
Monday, August 08: "Tunde's Trumpet" By Chisa Hutchinson, Directed By Kristin Horton (musical theater)
Tuesday, August 09: "Salute to Hip-Hop" featuring Rob Base / Funkmaster Flex (concert)
Wednesday, August 10: Vashawn Mitchell (concert)
Thursday, August 11: Ryan Leslie (concert)
Friday, August 12: Forces of Nature Dance Theatre / THE DASH Ensemble (dance)
Saturday, August 13: Cecilia Marta Dance Company with Francine E. Ott / The Walk (dance)
Saturday, August 27: The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival featuring Toots Thielemans / James Carter / Tia Fuller / Cecile McLorin Salvant (concert)

Highbridge Park
Tuesday, August 16: Bachata Heightz (concert)
Wednesday, August 17: Henry Santos (concert)
Thursday, August 18: Andy Andy (concert)

East River Park
Friday, August 19: dre.dance / WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company (dance)
Saturday, August 20: Step Afrika! / Border Crossing Collective
Tuesday, August 23: Tito Rojas (concert)
Wednesday, August 24: The Cold Crush Brothers (concert)
Thursday, August 25: Wavves (concert)
Saturday, August 27: "Henry V" By William Shakespeare (theater)
Sunday, August 28: "Henry V" By William Shakespeare (theater)
Monday, August 29: "Henry V" By William Shakespeare (theater)
Tuesday, August 30: "Oedipus Rex" By Sophocles (theater)
Wednesday, August 31: "Seven Against Thebes" By Aeschylus (theater)
Thursday, September 1: "Oedipus Rex" (theater)
Friday, September 2: "Seven Against Thebes" By Aeschylus (theater)

Tompkins Square Park
Sunday, August 28: The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival featuring Archie Shepp Quartet / Madeleine Peyroux / Ali Jackson / The Gerald Clayton Trio (concert)

Browsing SB Nation, I came across this grading of the Dallas Cowboys draft history in the 2000's. This one particular site, coldhardfootballfacts.com, used the grading system from one of our favorite sources, pro-football-reference.com, to grade the drafts of each NFL team over the last decade.

Not surprisingly, the evidence backed the consensus opinion that New England killed the draft for the stretch, earning Valedictorian honors(A). Other teams well-known for their draft prowess, Baltimore, San Diego and the NY Giants (A-) were named teacher's pets.

Dallas fell in to the category of Solid Students, 10th overall, with the following breakdown:

Dallas (B)

Pro Bowlers: 10 (3rd)

Draftees Active in 2010: 42 (t-9th)

Players with 50+ Career AV: 4 (t-6th)

Players with 20+ Career AV: 15 (t-20th)

Best Pick: TE Jason Witten (3rd round, 2003)

Worst Pick: LB Bobby Carpenter (No. 18 overall, 2006)

 

Summary: Jerry Jones doesn’t lack an eye for talent, but he’s always been short the one or two players needed to break through. Although the Cowboys had more pressing needs in the secondary in the 2011 draft, the selection of tackle Tryon Smith at No. 9 overall reflected a less obvious failure from the past decade of drafts: the Cowboys didn’t draft a lineman in the first round in all of the 2000s, and only one of the 15 OLs they did pick made a Pro Bowl (Andre Gurode).

More...

 

I think the growing consensus is that Pro Bowl nominations should rarely be considered by itself as a measure of player success. I think the 'Draftees Active in 2010' is a direct result of a philosophy I had considered about five years ago... the league has so much faith in Bill Parcells track record, that his players tend to get more opportunities on various teams. Maybe I'll research that someday this off season.

But Dallas is #6 in terms of finding players that produce a great amount and show longevity (Career Approximate Value [AV] of 50+). When you throw in the UDFA stud QB Tony Romo clocking in with a Career AV of 59, Dallas would be in a tie for second.

Where Dallas falls behind is in the solid starter category (Career AV 20+). They only rank tied for 20th in that field. WR Miles Austin, another UDFA, obviously doesn't qualify for the draft evaluation, but he has accumulated a Career AV score of 21 in the last two seasons alone. His continued ascension seems like something we can hang our hats on.

I think this wide-lens view of the team is why so many people like PFR's Career AV stat; doesn't it seem to agree with the eye test? Dallas has the top end stars to compete with the rest of the league, but the middle tier hasn't been quality enough to take the prize.

A sobering thought... so far Dez Bryant is the only draftee in the last two hauls (before 2011 of course) that has a Career AV over 3, clocking in at 7 despite his injury and drama-plagued rookie campaign. Not all is lost for those classes though. Hope exists in knowing that before Austins' 21 total in two years, he had a Career AV of 5 for the first three years of his career. Maybe one of the other draft picks will make us feel like we struck gold in the next year or two. Cross your fingers.

For a greater breakdown of the Cowboys previous drafts compared to the league, check out rabblerousr's pre-draft primer, part II here.

NOTES: Other NFC East Team Grades (Redskins didn't rank, HA!)

Hat Tip to BGN member JoshuaR for the FanShot that brought me to this review.

Audible draft recaps of the league by divisions

1. AFC WEST - Broncos, KC, Raiders, Chargers
Posted 03 May 2011 - 04:41 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol56a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - TE Julius Thomas has high upside but the Broncos offense could limit his production, did San Diego make a mistake in drafting RB Jordan Todman, the Chiefs will start Jonathan Baldwin opposite Dwayne Bowe, Oakland has a great sleeper WR in Denarius Moore, plus more!
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2. NFC NORTH - Vikings, Packers, Lions, Bears
Posted 03 May 2011 - 05:11 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol59a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - the Packers crush the draft, the Lions adding quality and potential superstars, did the Bears do enough to help them keep up with Green Bay, what to make of the Vikings draft, plus more!
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3. AFC North - Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Ravens
Posted 03 May 2011 - 05:10 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol58a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - why Greg Little could star from day one for the Browns, the new look Bengals with WR A.J. Green and QB Andy Dalton, Baltimore adds youth and speed to the WR corps with Torrey Smith, the Steelers add the son of Ironhead, plus more!

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4. AFC EAST - Bills, Pats, Jets, Phins
Posted 04 May 2011 - 06:56 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol60a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - why Johnny White could be a great pick for the Bills, the Dolphins new lead back Daniel Thomas, Bilal Powell as the replacement to LaDainian Tomlinson, Ryan Mallett boom or bust, plus more!

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5. NFC EAST - Boys, Skins, Eagles, Giants
Posted 04 May 2011 - 07:01 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol61a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - the Redskins poor draft, Jerry Jones being smart with his picks, why Dion Lewis is a great fit, DaRel Scott as a great dynasty sleeper with the Giants, plus more!

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6. AFC SOUTH - Colts, Texans, Jags, Titans
Posted Yesterday, 03:50 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol62a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - the Texans have a solid draft, Delone Carter as the lead back for the Colts, did the Titans do the right thing when picking Locker, Gabbert as the Jaguars QB of the future, plus more!

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7. NFC SOUTH - Falcons, Bucs, Saints, Panthers
Posted Yesterday, 03:52 PM
http://podcast.footb...2011-Vol63a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - did the Falcons give up too much for WR Julio Jones, why Mark Ingram is a great pick for the Saints, Cam Newton could be a Ben Roethlisberger type of QB, the Bucs have a great draft, plus more!

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My draft grades of each team to compare/contrast against Sig and Cecil

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=591165

1. CAROLINA PANTHERS B-
2. DENVER BRONCOS A
3. BUFFALO BILLS A
4. CINCINNATI BENGALS A+
5. ARIZONA CARDINALS A+
6. ATLANTA FALCONS B
7. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS A
8. TENNESSEE TITANS B+
9. DALLAS COWBOYS B-
10. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS B-
11. HOUSTON TEXANS B+
12. MINNESOTA VIKINGS B-
13. DETROIT LIONS A
14. ST. LOUIS RAMS B+
15. MIAMI DOLPHINS C+
16. WASHINGTON REDSKINS A+
17. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS D+
18. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS B-
19. NEW YORK GIANTS A
20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS A+
21. CLEVELAND BROWNS B
22. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS B
23. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES C+
24. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS B
25. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS C+
26. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS B-
27. BALTIMORE RAVENS A-
28. CHICAGO BEARS B
29. NEW YORK JETS B-
30. PITTSBURGH STEELERS B-
31. GREEN BAY PACKERS B
32. OAKLAND RAIDERS B-

The ones that we disagree on the most is Washington and New England.

I went into detail I my thread on my reasoning for giving the Pats such a low grade so go to the link if you're interested in that dialogue but per the Skins this is how I see this draft.

First they probably had their eye on a particular QB, possibly Locker but he went early. Gabbert fell to them but they didn’t like him and got an opportunity to trade down. Its possible that they were thinking that they could pick up Ponder at the 16 spot but he went early however I believe they reaped a windfall because I’m sky-high on Ryan Kerrigan.

The boys didn’t rip into Kerrigan but they said he wasn’t athletic and I strongly disagree on that remark. His combine numbers are off the charts. His production in college is at the top of all pass rushers. He can come off the edge and in addition to getting pressure he causes turnovers with many forced fumbles. The vision of him coming off the weak side with Orakpo coming off the strong-side sets the table for him to clean up.

Also I like Hankerson and the boys don’t like him. My reasoning is very simple, he’s big with HUGE HANDS. Largest from this draft class. He can catch and he has the body to block out the defender. The boys make some good points on the specifics of his game. They do hours and hours of film study and talk to people and get to meet the prospects.

I just follow the game and really am into the draft and the long-term stats of players who do and don’t make it. Statistically if you take a long-term view of the draft you will find that very few make a big splash after the top third of the second round, the talent falls off a cliff at that point.

If you look at my thread the very first criteria I use to make my grades is TALENT because that is the point of the draft, to acquire more and better talent than your competition. I gave out higher grades based on potential talent and concentrated on the top-two rounds based on long-term draft analysis.

I don’t do hours and hours of film study, I don’t have contacts, I don’t meet prospects or attend all-star games or pro day workouts or go to the combine and I don’t get too wrapped up in later round prospects do to the long term draft analysis shows a small percentage of later round prospects make a big splash.

Many have stated that drafts can’t be analyzed for at least three years so I’ll take a look at the draft from three years ago, the 2009 draft and we can look at who did or didn’t make it. I think that will provide some context and with the lockout at this time of the year when it typically enters the slow season it will give fodder to keep people’s interest up and it will be eye opening for many who don’t go back to look at past drafts.

In celebration of the Diversity in YA Fiction Tour, enter to win a copy of two, randomly selected books by participating authors!

Join the authors this month in San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, Cambridge and New York. See schedule and details!

To enter the giveaway, comment here or email me (scroll and click envelope) and type "Diversity" in the subject line. Deadline: midnight CST May 27. Note: author-sponsored; U.S. entries only.

Cynsational Giveaway Reminder

Enter to win a signed copy of The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones (Delacorte, 2010). First prize: a hardcover copy. Second and third prize: paperback copies. To enter the giveaway, comment at this link or email me (scroll and click envelope) and type "Owl Keeper" in the subject line. Deadline: midnight CST May 27. Note: Author sponsored; U.S./Canada entries only. See also Christine on Writing Scary But Not Too Scary for Tweens.

More News & Giveaways

An Address and a Map Discovering Your Genius as a Writer by Tim Wynne-Jones from The Writers' League of Texas. Peek: "...I’m talking about the genius that each of us possesses to some degree: a natural ability or capacity or quality of mind; the special endowments which fit each of us for our work."

Children's Choice Book Awards Announced (PDF) from The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child A Reader, and the CBC Foundation. Rick Riordan was named author of the year, and David Wiesner was named illustrator of the year. See the complete list of winners.

JanePeddicord.com Space Blog: Where Kids Question the Cosmos. Peek: "SpaceBlog is place for kids to ask questions, to exchange ideas, and always to discover more about space. Of course, educators, parents, and space enthusiasts of all ages are welcome to join in, too!" Learn more about Jane Ann Peddicord.

Author Interview: Tim Tingle by Marie Penny at The Hub from YALSA. Peek: "My mentor, the Choctaw tribal storyteller Charley Jones says, 'tell the stories', but make sure the origin is acknowledged. The Choctaw tribe is very open, you don’t have to be Choctaw to tell the story, but you must respect the tribal origins." Source: American Indians in Children's Literature.

Lee B. Hopkins Poetry Award Teaching Toolbox: teacher guides and book trailers for the LBH award books.

The Interminable Agency Clause by Victoria Strauss from Writer Beware. Peek: "...language inserted into an author-agency agreement whereby the agency claims the right to remain the agent of record not just for the duration of any contracts it negotiates, but for the life of copyright." See also On Agency Agreements by Jennifer Laughran from Jennifer Represents...

Spaghetti Agents by Nathan Bransford. Peek: "They sign up a bunch of writers even when they're unsure about a project, they throw the manuscripts at publishers, and they see what sticks." See also Nathan on Separating Confidence from Self-Doubt.

Book Talking and Preparing for Focus Meeting by Little, Brown editor Alvina Ling from Blue Rose Girls. Peek: "....because I only have between 1 and 2 minutes to present each title, the presentation needs to be really tight. I want to touch on the summary of the book...."

Castellucci Joins 'Los Angeles Review of Books' as YA and Children's Editor by Wendy Werris from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "'So few venues review YA and teen books regularly, and even then it’s usually bestsellers and known authors, so this is an opportunity to assign reviews to the quieter books and older titles,' Castellucci says."

From Publishers Marketplace: "Nikki Loftin’s debut novel The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, pitched as Coraline meets Hansel and Gretel, about a young girl whose seemingly delightful new school hides frightening secrets, to Laura Arnold at Razorbill, in a two-book deal, for publication in Summer 2012, by Suzie Townsend at Fineprint Literary Management (World)." Congratulations, Nikki!

Twitter Tutorial: The Long Version by Lynne Kelly from Will Write for Cake. Peek: "It's not okay to pitch your novel or query an agent or editor via Twitter, but following them is a great way to find out what's going on in the publishing industry and with their own work...."

Attention New Yorkers: anticipated budget cuts in NYC would effectively shut down many libraries, reduce hours and staff. Please stop by your local library or click to your local library website to sign a petition to save the libraries. See Queens Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and New York Public Library.

Pay-It-Forward ARC Giveaway Contest from Dawn Metcalf. Enter to win advanced reader copies of Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando and Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (both Dutton, 2011). Deadline: May 7. See more information.

Career Planning: Who, Me? by Kristi Holl from Writer's First Aid. Peek: "...making a writing budget–the nuts and bolts of figuring out how much income you need, where it’s going to come from (all possible sources,) and what to do to get it. You’ll want to study this too." Note: Kristi references Chip MacGregor's excellent post Strategic Planning for Writers, but her pep talk/insights/summary are worth considering, too.

Author Advances: How Much You'll Get and When by Author/Agent Mandy Hubbard. Peek: "If you sell a book to one of the big six publishers, and it's a single book deal, and it's something deemed more quiet or literary, you may see $7,500-$10,000. if it has a bigger commercial hook, but still seems a little risky, you may get $15,000." Note: keep in mind that authors also make money from royalties, sub rights sales, public speaking, etc.

Career Insurance: Five Ways to Sell Your Next Book Before Its Written by Roni Loren from Fiction Groupie. Note: emphasis on series writing. Peek: "Unless you're writing the next blockbuster of the century, one book does not a career make. One book is just the gun going off at the starter gate." Source: QueryTracker.netBlog.

2011 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards from Mitali Perkins. The younger children's category winner is Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Claire A. Nivola (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), and the older children's category winner is A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park (Clarion). See honor books. Note: "Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award honors books published in the U.S. during the previous year that engage children in thinking about peace, justice, world community, and/or equality of the sexes and all races. The books also must meet conventional standards of literary and artistic excellence."

From Publishers Marketplace: "Brian Yansky's Fighting Alien Nation, the sequel to Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences, which continues the story of the survivors of an alien invasion, again to Candlewick, with Kaylan Adair to edit, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world English). Congratulations, Brian!

For Writers: Race and Science Fiction and Fantasy by Mary Anne Mohanraj from Whatever. Peek: "...it’s easy to be paralyzed by that fear, to retreat back to only writing characters who are just like you, or so vague that they can’t possibly be mistaken for anyone real. But again — that makes for bad fiction. If you’re going to write well, you have to get past those fears." See also Your Process of Creating Characters Across Culture or Class from Mitali Perkins from Mitali's Fire Escape.

Point of View in Picture Books in Celebration of National Picture Book Writing Week from Paula Yoo from Write Like You Mean It. Peek: "Look at picture books that are written from different points of view. Compare a picture book written in first person versus third person limited. What are the differences?"

"Birthing a Book: Revelations about the Publishing Process," the transcript of a chat with Bonny Becker from the Institute of Children's Literature.

I Live in the Middle of Nowhere. How Can I Promote My Book? by Kristina Springer from Author2Author. Peek: "...it's hard to get a book faced out at the book store for more than a couple of months. So what can I do?"

Hunger Mountain Critique Auction

Hunger Mountain Critique Auction: Bid for a chance to win critiques from authors, illustrators, and agents from picture books to YA and beyond. See details on:

• 50-page YA manuscript critique with author Holly Cupala;
• illustrator's portfolio critique with Julian Hector;
• picture book critique with agent Jill Corcoran;
• full childrens/YA manuscript critique with agent Elena Mechlin; 50-page middle grade/YA manuscript critique with author Sara Zarr;
• picture book/poetry for children critique with Janet Wong;
• 30-page middle grade/YA critique with agent Joan Slattery;
• newly listed 50-page middle grade critique with agent Erin Murphy;
• 50-page middle grade/YA critique with agent Ammi-Joan Paquette;
• children's/middle grade/Y​A critique with agent Emily Van Beek;
• YA novel (20-page) or poem/story critique with author G. Neri;
• 50-page children's literature critique with author Sara Pennypacker.

Note: Hunger Mountain is the Vermont College of Fine Arts Journal of the Arts, featuring an in-depth focus on children's-YA literature.

Cynsational Screening Room

Check out the book trailer for Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010).



Edit Letter Fun: Butcher or Coddler? from lynnekelly2000.



More Personally

This week I turned in my revision of my upcoming YA Gothic fantasy novel, which will be the next fully prose addition to the Tantalize series.

To the left, we see Bashi in the guet room, helping to guard the manuscript as I read through it, tweaking text.

To the right, we see Leo, lounging on Greg's copy of the draft in the parlor. Greg, the kitties, and I read the manuscript out loud to catch typos, missing words, and other minor issues. I'm especially include to skip right over two-letter words like "to," "of," "on," and "so."

See also Official Writer Cat Bios.

I'm pleased to announce that actress Kim Mai Guest will be reading as the character Quincie P. Morris for the audio edition of Blessed for Listening Library/Random House.

Kim Mai also performed as Quincie in the audio production of Tantalize (Listening Library, 2008).

Reminder: all blurb requests must come from editors or agents. Never authors. No exceptions.

Tantalize Reviewed by Anna from Troublingly Good Teen Lit. Peek: "This book could help teens who find themselves with more responsibility than they can handle, or whose parents/guardians are absent. It could also help teens who feel they may have a drinking problem."

Holler Loudly Reviewed by Becca Huttman from South Sound Book Review Council. Peek: "This is a cute story that is just fun. It has lots of action, adventure and fun illustrations."

Holler Loudly Reviewed by GAHome2Mom from Loving Heart Designs. Peek: "...a wonderfully humorous book to share with any young child."

Check out the Holler Loudly Teacher Guides by Shannon Morgan for PreK, Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2!

Personal Links of the Week:

• The Beginning: Or As Nike Advertises: Just Do It from Bethany Hegedus
• Possibly the Best Thing About My Job from Jennifer Ziegler
• The Right Word from Brian Yansky
• Look for the "No" to Find the "Yes" by Lindsey Lane from The Meandering Lane
• Interesting Stats on Librarians by Naomi Bates from YA Books and More
• Look for Susan Salzman Raab's latest "To Market" column, "Social Media: Time Well Spent - and Time Consuming" in the May/June 2011 SCBWI Bulletin.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith at Wikipedia

Cynsational Events

Diversity in YA Fiction: Austin Tour Stop 7:30 p.m. May 9 at BookPeople. Featuring authors With authors Bethany Hegedus, Malinda Lo, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Cindy Pon, Dia Reeves, and Jo Whittemore, and moderated by Varian Johnson.

Chris Barton will be signing Can I See Your ID? True Stories of False Identities, illustrated by Paul Hoppe (Dial, 2011) at 7 p.m. May 14 at BookPeople in Austin. See discussion guide. See also Chris on Unbridled Silliness and Carefully Researched Truth-telling.

The Chills and Thrills Book Tour will be stopping at 2 p.m. May 15 at BookPeople. Turn out for authors Mari Mancusi, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Jordan Dane, Lara Chapman, Jennifer Archer, and Tracy Deebs.

The First Annual BooksmART Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 11 as part of Arts & Letters Live from the Dallas Museum of Art. Peek: "Come spend the day with authors, illustrators, musicians and actors, and enjoy talks, workshops, gallery tours, and entertainment, designed to appeal to every member of the family and every age group." Featured children's-YA book creators include Rick Riordan, Norton Juster, Laurie Halse Anderson, David Wiesner, Jerry Pinkney, Gene Luen Yang, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Duncan Tonatiuh, Antonio Sacre, Joe McDermott, Jan Bozarth, and Ann Marie Newman.

Authors Jennifer Ziegler and Cynthia Leitich Smith will speak to YA readers at 2 p.m. June 18 at Bee Cave Public Library in Bee Cave, Texas. Mark your calendars for book talk and pizza!

Austin Bat Cave Offers YA Writing Workshop with Margo Rabb from May 31 to July 5. See more information.

Making the Cowboys final roster this year may prove a little more difficult than it has been in the last few years. Part of it has to do with Garrett aiming to have players compete for their jobs:

"What we’re trying to do on our offensive line and throughout our team is to create competition," Garrett said in the post draft press conference. "We want to bring good football players in and we want guys to earn their job."

The other part is a simple numbers game. The Cowboys currently have not released anyone from the 53-man roster, have nine players on their future/reserve squad, another nine players on injured reserve and just drafted eight more players.

Last year, the Cowboys brought in 18 undrafted free agents. If they were to go for the same number this year, the total number of players competing for the 2011 53-man roster could be 97, and with a couple of free agent acquisitions and perhaps trades, there could be more than 100 players on the Cowboys' offseason roster.

The NFL roster limit for each team is 80 players under contract. In a normal offseason, the Cowboys would reach that limit at the beginning of training camp, when traditionally most or all of that year's rookies sign their contracts. In the third week of the preseason, NFL roster rules require teams to cut down the roster to 75 players, and prior to the start of the NFL regular season, teams must cut further players to reach the roster limit of 53 players.

CBA or no CBA, whenever the league opens for business again, teams will be gunning to restock their rosters via free agency. Also, don't discount trades. With teams less willing to trade their draft picks, we could see a rise in the number of trades this year. But regardless of how teams go about it, the roster rules will kick in again at some point. And if you buy into the theory that competition is good because it brings out the best in a player, and that intensified competition draws out the best talent, then a large roster offseason roster size could result in many new faces on the 2011 Cowboys roster.

In March last year, Jerry Jones said that he expected "ten to eleven new Cowboys" on the 2010 roster, and he was spot on. Eleven new faces graced the opening day roster: six of the seven draft picks made the roster (CB Jamar Wall did not), four UDFAs made the final 53 (Gronkowski, Costa, McCray, Church) as well as one former first round pick who played in his first and only game on opening day, Alex Barron.

How many new faces will be on the Cowboys roster this year?

Personally, I think I'm going to choose Swarovski over Strass. I tend to favor their intricate site lines over the simplistic nature of the glass... wait, not that kind of Crystal Ball? Oh, we're looking into the future! With the 2011 draft now history, the draftnik contingent of the sports world is already looking ahead to next year's crop of amateur entrants.  These exercises are more than futile, especially without any of the free agents on the roster; we know that will eventually happen and holes will be filled.

Forecasting Dallas' needs are pretty simple for these types of things. You look at what you thought Dallas needed heading into the 2011 draft, see what they missed, and then check the 2012 forecasts and plug them in. With our atrocious pass defense during the 2010 season and not drafting a secondary player until Buffalo's Josh Thomas in the fifth round, you can imagine where everyone thinks Dallas will go with the selection. Also included in these 2012 early mocks, are where people that specialize in draft knowledge, forecast where Dallas will end up after the 2011 season.

In reality, we should just look at these exercises to start to get familiar with the rising juniors and sophomores that we should track over the next college football season.

Draft prognostication has become it's own sport, really. The actual draft is the culminating event the 'masses' tune into.

That's what I tweeted yesterday afternoon to budding draft superstar Shawn Zobel of Draftheadquarters.com, to which he wholeheartedly agreed. During Bill Parcells special on ESPN, he noted how scouts are already compiling data on the thousands of prospects that could be eligible for 2012. Follow the jump for the predictions on the Cowboys.

Just because I can, I'm going to start with the picks made by people that have a positive outlook on Dallas' 2011 chances.

Playoffs Baby!

Msn.foxsports.com's Peter Schrager:

Dallas rank 29th (lose NFC Championship game)

29. Dallas Cowboys — Andre Branch, DE, Clemson: Welcome back to the playoffs, Cowboys. With a healthy Tony Romo, Dallas makes it back to the postseason, beating the Saints in a divisional-round shootout, only to fall to the Packers up in Lambeau Field in the NFC championship game. With the defensive line needing a young talent up front, Jerry Jones and company grab Branch, the 6-5, 260-pound talent out of Clemson.

Cbssports.com's Chad Reuter:

Dallas ranks 26th

26. Dallas Cowboys *Robert Lester, FS, Alabama
Dallas might still be looking for a free safety next April, and Lester's height, speed and ability to find the ball in the air should strike owner Jerry Jones as a high-impact pick at a typically low-priority position in the first round.

Walterfootball.com:

22.  Dallas Cowboys: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama 
The Cowboys ignored the rush linebacker position in the 2011 NFL Draft, so they're going to give Anthony Spencer another chance. If Spencer disappoints yet again, he'll need to be replaced. A projected rush linebacker at the next level, the 260-pound Courtney Upshaw notched 14.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2010.

ESPN's Todd McShay:

#21 Dallas Cowboys Cliff Harris*, CB, Oregon

2010 record: 6-10 | DE, S, CB, ILB, C

http://podcast.footballguys.com/2011/Footballguys-Audible-2011-Vol61a.mp3

In This Episode: Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom recap the 2011 NFL Draft. Topics Include - the Redskins poor draft, Jerry Jones being smart with his picks, why Dion Lewis is a great fit, DaRel Scott as a great dynasty sleeper with the Giants, plus more!

enjoy!

subscribe to The Audible on Itunes, it's free!
Follow The Audible on Twitter!

Republicans are unhappy with the present crop of candidates for the White House. Over last weekend, while overshadowed by bigger news, Republicans gathered at an NRA event, a Heritage Foundation event, an AFP event, and a few other gatherings. Grassroots activists lamented together about the current crop.

Certainly each candidate has their acolytes, but largely the field is uninspiring. Republicans are on the verge of a self-fulfilling prophecy that their nominee will suck and not beat Barack Obama.

For all the Republicans and Democrats either lamenting or celebrating the invulnerability of Barack Obama, I am reminded more and more of 1991. In fact, I venture to say that 2011 is to Republicans as 1991 was to Democrats.

And as it was, it remains “The Economy, Stupid.”

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush had over 90% approval ratings after successfully winning the Gulf War and driving Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

Democrats, in turn, became largely convinced that Bush could not be beaten. The put up a smattering of candidates. The guy everyone wanted, Mario Cuomo, refused to run (Mike Pence and Chris Christie should take note).

Once and future Governor of California Jerry Brown entered he field. Senators Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, Tom Harkin of Iowa and former Senator Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts also got in. Governor Douglas Wilder of Virginia threw his hat in the ring as well, along with a few other lesser knowns.

There was also a governor from Arkansas no one took that seriously named Bill Clinton.

Clinton was pretty unknown, his claim to fame being a speech at a prior year’s convention Democratic convention that went on and on and on. As soon as he got out of the gate, a woman named Gennifer Flowers came out of the wood work. She’d be followed by Paula Jones.

And yet . . . the Clinton message was simple. He made it through the primary as a centrist and pounded on George H. W. Bush as out of touch. His message was the economy.

He won.

Big name Republicans are again this year sitting it out. Chris Christie is nowhere. Mike Pence, the guy a lot of grassroots conservatives wanted to run, will run for Governor of Indiana.

This is the winter of discontent for Republicans. But that is not really a bad thing. It is, after all, the economy, Stupid.

As today's NFL headlines and BTB stories suggest, the player of today is capable of reaching out to the public whenever they see fit. Not only are news media more ready than ever to grab a quote and put it in the next day's paper, but these things often circulate the web long before the ink dries. News sites, blogs and such snap up these opportunities. The players themselves, are now able to speak directly to the fans via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. You can gain a lot of insight into the behind the scenes of the current and former Cowboys players, especially for pop psychologists with too much time on their hands like myself.

For instance, before the lockout was lifted, I had a good sense that a certain player missing from yesterday's Romo-workouts had been 'off the grid' based on tweets to and from others that wouldn't make sense if they were in regular communications with their teammates.  I look at the tweets of the free agents that are in the most limbo because of the lockout and see motivational messages and faith-based tweets continuously. I see that Martellus Bennett is engaged, and still hilarious. For all the flak given him by the media, including myself, Martellus seems like a really good dude based on his numerous tweets.

Did you know Martellus follows BTB on Twitter? Bennett, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo are all followers, as well as five-time Super Bowl champion and Cowboy legend Charles Haley. As O.C.C. wrote back in February, some players like Gerald Sensabaugh keep track of our stories and retweet the links.

I also get a chance to see Tyron Smith's first interaction with his new teammates, Bennett, Choice, Teddy Williams, etc. etc.

Make the jump for more Social Media goodness...

It's also interesting to see what big names follow the NFL and it's players. I know President Barack Obama is said to be a Bears fan, but keeps up on the latest Cowboys news. I have a master plan to get him to become a BTB member :)

If you are new to these types of social media I would advise that you avoid the mistake of holding 'tweets' and 'status updates' against these young men. These social media conventions are intended to, first and foremost, be a person's opportunity to communicate digitally with friends. You'll often times see language and humor that the players wouldn't use in front of the camera. Normally, most guys are on good behavior.

I myself rejected the Twitter movement for a long time, but have finally succumbed. If you care to follow my musings on the Cowboys, the NFL, and sports and life in general, feel free to follow me @KDP10For10. You can of course follow BTB, @BloggingTheBoys.  Here's what I could gather as far as twitter accounts of our new players, and the A listing of the ones I was already following. If you can locate any of the players that I couldn't find, let me know in the comments and I'll add them to the main post. Enjoy.

Draft Picks:

Tyron Smith - @TySmith77

.bbpBox65462618076364800 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1304436748/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

 

Bruce Carter - doesn't exist (yet)

DeMarco Murray - @DeMarcoMurray

David Arkin - doesn't exist (yet)

Josh Thomas - doesn't exist (yet)

Dwayne Harris - @D_Harris17 (currently must be approved to follow)

Shaun Chapas - doesn't exist

Bill Nagy - doesn't exist

Current Cowboys:

Dez Bryant @Dez_88

Felix Jones - @felixjones28

Jason Witten - @JasonWitten

Orlando Scandrick - @oscandrick32

Steven Bowen - @Stevebo72

Barry Church - @BarryChurch42

Tashard Choice - @tchoice23

Martellus Bennett - @Martellus80

Kevin Ogletree - @KOforPrez

Marcus Spears - @mspear96

Miles Austin - @MilesAustinIII

Jesse Holley - @Mr4thandLong

Marion Barber - @24marionbarber

Jason Hatcher - @hatcher97

Sam Young - @bigyoungin76

Chris Gronkowski - @ChrisGronkowski

Gerald Sensabaugh - @GSensabaugh

Brandon Williams - @bwill59

Alan Ball - @TheRealAlanBall

Marc Colombo - @marccolombo

Leonard Davis -  @LeonardDavis70

Free Reign Band - @freereignband

Terence Newman - @terencenewman41 (barely any tweets, not followed by other teammates, suspect)

Bryan McCann - @bmac929

Jerry Jones - @realjerryjones

Danny McCray - @dannydmac44

Manny Johnson - @manueljohnson

Josh Brent - @jbrent92

Andrew Sendejo - @asendejo

Stephen McGee - @StephenMcGee07

Martin Rucker - @RuckerSouthSide

Lonyae Miller - @yeezy35

Teddy Williams - @Teddy_Williams

Alex Daniels - @AlexDaniels4

Former Players

Charles Haley - @CharlesHaley94

Troy Aikman - @Troy_Aikman

Emmitt Smith - @EmmittSmith22

Michael Irvin - @michaelirvin88 (inactive)

Darren Woodson - @darrenwoodson28

Ohhh he's finally back! Director Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky) has finally emerged on Twitter of all places with an official, verified account - @CameronCrowe. He's currently in the middle of direct an adaptation of Benjamin Mee's book We Bought a Zoo, starring quite a fantastic cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit and Thomas Haden Church. Crowe tweeted out some photos recently (tipped via SlashFilm) including a from-the-side shot of the cast on set and the animals. He also tweeted an early teaser for his Pearl Jam doc. Check 'em out below! "Matt, Stephanie [Szostak], Colin [Ford] and Maggie [Elizabeth Jones]. The Mee Family. Zoo Shoot Day # 1" Left photo: "First day, this lion wheeled around, lifting his leg and peed on me," Crowe said via Twitter. Right photo: "Matt Damon, and a large Grizzly named Bart. Zoo Shoot Day # 53" from Crowe ...

 

Congrats to all the 2011 Tony nominees! On Tuesday, May 3, the American Theatre Wing announced the full slate of 2011 Tony Award nominees. Leading the charge was the musical The Book of Mormon, with 14 nominations. The critically acclaimed The Scottsboro Boys—which closed on Broadway in December, but is currently conducting a “pledge drive” to get the money to re-open—followed with 12 nominations. Also revealed at the ceremony was this year’s recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. More Tony coverage, reaction from the nominees and number crunching after the jump.

In addition to The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys, the nominees for Best Musical include Catch Me If You Can and Sister Act. Best Revival of a Musical is slim pickings this year with only two entries (Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), which earned nine and eight nominations, respectively. But even more surprising is that the Wing’s nominating committee passed over Daniel Radcliffe—star of the musical, and of the Harry Potter film franchise—for a nomination in the Best Performance of a Leading Actor in a Musical category.

Best play nominees were split between the Brits and the Americans. Import productions of Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth (originally at the Royal Court Theatre) and War Horse by Nick Stafford (originally the National Theatre of Great Britain) will go up against Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and The Motherf**ker with the Hat, by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

On the technical side of things, the Wing has honored a host of different productions, with The Book of Mormon again leading the pack with four nominations (one in each technical category, Best Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Design for a Musical), but it was also paced by Anything Goes. A big surprise in the Scenic Design award was The Scottsboro Boys, whose very simple set (a few chairs) by Beowulf Boritt was nonetheless nominated for Best Scenic Design. Here at Stage Directions we’re also very pleased that Cricket Myers (along with Acme Sound Partners) was nominated for Best Sound Design for a Play for her work on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. You can here her talking about her design here. (http://www.stage-directions.com/current-issue/61-sound-design/3270-video-of-the-the-cricket-myers-interview.html#bengal)

Shortly after the nominees were announced Playbill and BroadwayWorld.com immediately started calling the nominees for their reactions. You can read Playbill’s coverage here (http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150450-Broadway-Reacts-We-Talk-to-2011-Tony-Award-Nominees), and BroadwayWorld’s here (http://broadwayworld.com/article/2011-Tony-Award-Nominee-Reactions-Updating-LIVE-20110503)

The New York Times has complete coverage of the nominations here (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/live-blogging-the-tony-award-nominations-3/). And while they tackle who got snubbed here (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/the-tony-nominations-who-got-snubbed-2/) Ben Brantley writes that they got it right this year (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/this-time-the-tonys-grow-up-and-get-it-right/).

And over at the Chicago Tribune Chris Jones has the reaction from the Lookingglass Theatre crowd on their win (http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2011/05/lookingglass-theatre-wins-2011-regional-tony-award-chicago.html)

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Nominations for the 2011 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play
Good People
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
Jerusalem
Author: Jez Butterworth
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Royal Court Theatre Productions, Beverly Bartner/Alice Tulchin, Dede Harris/Rupert Gavin, Broadway Across America, Jon B. Platt, 1001 Nights/Stephanie P. McClelland, Carole L. Haber/Richard Willis, Jacki Barlia Florin/Adam Blanshay
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Public Theater Productions, Oskar Eustis, Joey Parnes, Labyrinth Theater Company, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez, Danny Feldman, Fabula Media Partners LLC, Jean Doumanian, Ruth Hendel, Carl Moellenberg, Jon B. Platt, Tulchin Bartner/Jamie deRoy
War Horse
Author: Nick Stafford
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, National Theatre of Great Britain, Nicholas Hytner, Nick Starr, Bob Boyett, War Horse LP

Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Producers: Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Important Musicals LLC, Stephanie P. McClelland, Kevin Morris, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson
Catch Me If You Can
Producers: Margo Lion, Hal Luftig, Stacey Mindich, Yasuhiro Kawana, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, The Rialto Group, The Araca Group, Michael Watt, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Pittsburgh CLO, Elizabeth Williams, Johnny Roscoe Productions/Van Dean, Fakston Productions/Solshay Productions, Patty Baker/Richard Winkler, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Warren Trepp, Remmel T. Dickinson, Paula Herold/Kate Lear, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, Rainerio J. Reyes, Rodney Rigby, Loraine Boyle, Amuse Inc., Joseph & Matthew Deitch/Cathy Chernoff, Joan Stein/Jon Murray, The 5th Avenue Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys
Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Jacki Barlia Florin, Janet Pailet/Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Nederlander Presentations, Inc./The Shubert Organization, Beechwood Entertainment, Broadway Across America, Mark Zimmerman, Adam Blanshay/R2D2 Productions, Rick Danzansky/Barry Tatelman, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Allen Spivak/Jerry Frankel, Bard Theatricals/Probo Productions/Randy Donaldson, Catherine Schreiber/Michael Palitz/Patti Laskawy, Vineyard Theatre
Sister Act
Producers: Whoopi Goldberg & Stage Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Disney Theatrical Productions

Best Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex Timbers
The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
David Thompson
Sister Act
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander and Fred Ebb
Sister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Best Revival of a Play
Arcadia
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Roger Berlind, Stephanie P. McClelland, Scott M. Delman, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Disney Theatrical Group, Robert G. Bartner, Olympus Theatricals, Douglas Smith, Janine Safer Whitney
The Importance of Being Earnest
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
The Merchant of Venice
Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Debbie Bisno & Eva Price, Amy Nederlander, Jonathan First, Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Merritt Forrest Baer, The Araca Group, Broadway Across America, Joseph & Matthew Deitch, JK Productions, Terry Allen Kramer, Cathy Chernoff/Jay & Cindy Gutterman, Mallory Factor/Cheryl Lachowicz, Joey Parnes, The Shubert Organization
The Normal Heart
Producers: Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind, Martian Entertainment, Gregory Rae, Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser

Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Producers: Broadway Across America, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, Candy Spelling, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Hilary A. Williams, Jen Namoff/Fakston Productions, Two Left Feet Productions/Power Arts, Hop Theatricals, LLC/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz, Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Barlia Florin-Adam Blanshay/Arlene Scanlan/TBS Service

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon

Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

*     *     *

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler

Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts

Tony Nominations by Production
The Book of Mormon - 14
The Scottsboro Boys - 12
Anything Goes - 9
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - 8
The Merchant of Venice - 7
Jerusalem - 6
The Motherf**ker with the Hat - 6
The Normal Heart - 5
Sister Act - 5
War Horse - 5
Catch Me If You Can - 4
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - 3
The Importance of Being Earnest - 3
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - 3
Arcadia - 2
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - 2
Born Yesterday - 2
Brief Encounter - 2
Good People - 2
La Bête - 2
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - 2
Baby It's You! - 1
Driving Miss Daisy - 1
The House of Blue Leaves - 1
Lombardi - 1
The People in the Picture - 1

For more info on the Tonys, please visit www.TonyAwards.com

 

Let's take a spin around the web and see what's what in the world of the Dallas Cowboys. You know, other than that silly little draft thingy.

-- All-Pro tight end Jason Witten felt the same way most of us fans did when the NFL shut its doors again on Friday... teased. The open for business, closed for business yo-yo has he, Tony Romo and Bradie James scrambling to re-organize the player-led workouts we've spoken about.

"It’s tough because it was almost like the first day of school," Witten said. "You go in and everybody’s so excited and anxious to get started. Personally you do know how important this time is and for that to get taken away, it’s a bit of a tease because you felt it was about to get started and the writing was on the wall. Now you go back to the old system of getting locked out."

Witten is among a handful of veteran players, including Tony Romo and Bradie James, who will organize practices.

"We’re going to have to discuss it again because it’s changed in the last couple of days," Witten said. "We’ve got to do the work whether there’s a lockout or not. We can’t go the next two months and not have on-the-field activities. We’re going to rally to together and put the work on so when training camp comes we’ll be a better team."

-espn.com

More..

-- We might get a litmus test of the annual silly debate over Tony Romo's golfing hobby. It appears that Romo will once again attempt to qualify for the US Open. Is he going to schedule the non-organized team activities around the practice tee times? [DMN.com]

-- Owner Jerry Jones is still cautiously optimistic about playing football in 2011. From ESPN's Todd Archer:

"I didn’t build that stadium not to have football out there," Jones said. "If I knew I was going to spend my life in courtrooms and controversies over contracts and doing all of those things and that’s where I spent all of my time, then I’d be doing something else … Here’s where I am: I do think we’re going to be playing football. I think the process we’re going through will get us there and we’ll be a lot healthier then we’ve ever been and what we want to have for the National Football League is in the best interest ultimately of the players and ultimately doing better financially than they would do if we don’t make these changes."

-- Lost amidst the Tyron Smith euphoria and Bruce Carter/Demarco Murray head scratching, was that Jerry Jones and Dez Bryant were supposed to meet on Friday.  That meeting did not take place, and it's still a little unclear whether their schedules didn't match, there was a miscommunication, or Dez blew off Jerry. From ESPN.com:

The Cowboys owner said he became too busy with the draft and labor issues and couldn't clear his schedule to speak with Bryant. Yet Jones defended Bryant for not being at Valley Ranch. At least 20 players visited the complex to work out Friday, a group which included Tony Romo, Kevin Ogletree, Andrew Sendejo and the bulk of the offensive line.

"We had the good communication that I wanted to have," Jones said regarding his Thursday night conversation with Bryant. "It would have been redundant, that's why we did talk. We had a real good talk yesterday and that's where I like to leave it."

I'm undecided on what I can glean from this, but I firmly remember the Thursday statement that they were planning on meeting in person.

And because I just can't resist the draft talk... we'll leave tidbits with this nugget.

-- Norm Hitzges recently interviewed former Cowboys assistant and current University of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis about newly drafted linebacker Bruce Carter. As transcribed by Bob Sturm, here are some interesting tidbits.

in high school coming out - this will give you an indication of what kind of athlete - in high school he was a safety and a Quarterback... Bruce is one of those unique rare linebackers that you never have to take out of the game. He can play Sam, he can play Mike, He can play Will and he can play in all of your nickel packages. Because he has great speed and great ability to cover. He can blitz and he can come off the edge.

If true, sold.

-- Funny twitter exchange between two Cowboys last night, in regards to the NBA playoffs. Orlando Scandrick and Barry Church were attempting to execute a wager:

 

.bbpBox65240109120880640 {background:url(http://a0.twimg.com/profile_background_images/149087316/Orlando_scandrick.jpg) #000000;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

 

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Turns out Church should've made the bet, the Lakers lost in the final minute to a Dallas Mavericks comeback.

New England Code Camp 15 is this Saturday!  Code Camp is a free day filled with technical (no marketing fluff) sessions given by and for the area developer community.

    New England Code Camp 15:
    Developers in the Streets! 
    Saturday, May 7th
    8:30 AM to 6:40 PM (Doors at 8 AM)
    Microsoft, 201 Jones Road (6th Floor), Waltham, MA

    Register at http://codecamp15.eventbrite.com 
    
    Details at http://TheDevCommunity.org

It’s a Saturday very well spent!

CC15 Contributors

Thanks to the contributing companies for supporting this event!

• Lunch is being provided by Telerik
  
• Morning coffee & doughnuts provided by Wintellect
  

• …and venue courtesy of Microsoft

CC15 Speakers

Thanks also to the 30 speakers volunteering their time and expertise to share with the community!

Andy Beaulieu Chris Bowen John Bowen SB Chatterjee Ben Day John Garland Richard Hale Shaw Tom Haslam Patrick Hynds Sunil Kadimdiwan Justin Kohlhepp Slava Kokaev Jesse Liberty Steve Maier Todd Mancini

Igor Moochnick Andrew Novick Jim O’Neil Varsham Papikian Steve Resnick Joe Stagner Jerry Sun Pat Tormey Frederic Torres Mike Walsh Dileepa Wijayanayake Bill Wilder Maura Wilder Joan Wortman Frank Wu

The (Draft) Schedule

CC15 will feature 40 sessions in 6 rooms! The draft session grid is below. There will be printouts of the schedule and session descriptions for you at registration.

TheDevCommunity.org will be the definitive source for the schedule and details, so please check there for the latest.

(Click to expand)

Please consider this a preview – chances are this schedule will change, but hopefully not terribly much.  Again, see http://TheDevCommunity.org for updates (the schedule will be posted there later tonight).

Social Media

Finally, please tag any Code Camp 15 social media creations with #necc15.

See you at Camp!

-Chris

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON -- Dustin Pedroia fouled off nine pitches in a 13-pitch at-bat against Jered Weaver before lining a go-ahead, two-run single that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-5 on Monday night.

The loss was Weaver's first of the season. Weaver (6-1), who was scratched Sunday due to a stomach virus, gave up three runs, six hits, struck out six and walked one over six innings.

Weaver failed to become the first pitcher since 1891 to go 7-0 by May 2 or sooner. Sadie McMahon of the Baltimore Orioles from the American Association was the last to open 7-0 by the second day of May.

Adrian Gonzalez had a three-run double, and Clay Buchholz (2-3) pitched 62/3 solid innings for the win.

YANKEES 5, TIGERS 3

DETROIT -- Nick Swisher hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth off closer Jose Valverde, and New York handed Detroit its seventh straight defeat.

The Tigers rallied from a 3-0 deficit, tying it in the seventh on Alex Avila's second solo home run of the night, but the Yankees broke through in their last at-bat against Valverde (2-1). With runners on first and second and one out, Swisher singled up the middle and Mark Teixeira scored from second with a slide. Alex Rodriguez added another run when he scored from third on a passed ball by Avila.

Joba Chamberlain (2-0) got the win by pitching a scoreless eighth, and Mariano Rivera worked a perfect ninth for his 11th save.

WHITE SOX 6, ORIOLES 2

CHICAGO -- Paul Konerko homered twice and Mark Buehrle pitched 62/3 scoreless innings to help Chicago snap a five-game slide.

Konerko hit a two-run home run and a solo shot for the White Sox, who won only their fourth in 19 games to avoid a four-game sweep.

Juan Pierre had an RBI single, and Alex Rios added a solo homer to help the White Sox end a seven-game home skid with their first win at U.S. Cellular Field since April 12.

Buehrle (2-3) scattered eight hits, walked four and struck out four.

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (1-4) allowed four runs on five hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked two, remaining winless since Opening Day.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 4 (10)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Hideki Matsui hit the first pitch of the 10th inning from Darren Oliver into the right-field seats to lift the Athletics.

Grant Balfour (2-1) walked three batters in the top of the 10th to load the bases for pinch-hitter Yorvit Torrealba, who struck out swinging on the right-hander's 30th pitch.

Josh Willingham hit a tying home run leading off the eighth against Texas reliever Arthur Rhodes, and the A's took three of four from the reigning AL champions.

Matsui's shot against Oliver (1-3) was just the third of the season for the designated hitter and Oakland's first walkoff homer of 2011.

Texas has lost six of eight and 12 of 19 following a 9-1 start.

NATIONALS 2, GIANTS 0

WASHINGTON -- Tom Gorzelanny allowed only three hits in eight sharp innings against a struggling San Francisco lineup, and Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in runs for Washington.

Gorzelanny (1-2) hadn't lasted eight innings in a game since Aug. 12, 2007, when he threw a shutout for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Giants.

Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six chances, closing out a game that took just 2 hours, 2 minutes -- the fastest nine-inning game in the majors this season, according to STATS LLC.

Madison Bumgarner (0-5) retired Washington's first 12 batters and didn't allow an earned run but wound up with the loss because of two unearned runs in the seventh, his last inning. He allowed four hits.

The World Series champions were shut out for the third time in their last six games, including twice during this series, when Washington took three of four.

San Francisco has lost eight of its last 11, scoring 23 runs in that span.

DODGERS 5, CUBS 2

LOS ANGELES -- Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 28 games with an infield single that capped a three-run fifth inning for Los Angeles.

Clayton Kershaw (3-3) pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and eight hits, including Alfonso Soriano's major league-leading 11th homer leading off the seventh. The 23-year-old left-hander struck out four and did not walk a batter for the first time in seven starts this season.

Vicente Padilla pitched a perfect eighth, and Jonathan Broxton did likewise in the ninth for his sixth save in seven attempts.

Ethier, halfway to the record 56-game streak Joe DiMaggio had in 1941, is three games shy of the Dodgers' franchise record, set by Willie Davis in 1969.

James Russell (1-4) gave up five runs -- four earned -- and six hits over 42/3 innings for the Cubs.

MARLINS 6, CARDINALS 5

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Stanton hit a tying home run in the fifth inning and tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth to lift Florida.

Gaby Sanchez ended Kyle Lohse's 22-inning scoreless inning streak with his first grand slam, also Florida's major league-leading third of the year. Edward Mujica (3-1) allowed a walk in two scoreless innings, and Leo Nunez finished for his 10th save in 10 tries after the Cardinals put two men on in the ninth.

The Marlins improved to 18-9 -- the franchise's best start -- and are tied with the Phillies for the NL East lead.

Mitchell Boggs (0-2) allowed Stanton's triple in the eighth to take the loss.

BRAVES 6, BREWERS 2

ATLANTA -- Alex Gonzalez hit a three-run double to give Atlanta the lead, and the Braves finally solved Yovani Gallardo in beating Milwaukee.

David Ross homered in the third inning before the Braves chased Gallardo (2-2) in the sixth. Gonzalez cleared the bases with his double before scoring on a single by Nate McLouth.

Gallardo began the day 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in five career starts against Atlanta, including a two-hit shutout in a 1-0 win April 5 at Milwaukee. The four runs he allowed in the sixth matched his total over 371/3 innings in his first five starts against the Braves.

Jair Jurrjens (3-0) gave up two runs and seven hits with no walks in 72/3 innings.

PIRATES 4, PADRES 3

SAN DIEGO -- Garrett Jones and Chris Snyder each hit a two-run homer in the first inning to back James McDonald and help Pittsburgh snap a nine-game skid against San Diego.

The Pirates, who hadn't beaten the Padres since 2009, have won four of six overall -- including consecutive games for the first time since April 17-18.

The Padres, coming off two straight wins at Dodger Stadium, still haven't won three straight games this season. San Diego had the tying run on third base with two outs in the ninth before Will Venable hit into a force.

McDonald (2-2) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, struck out five and walked one. Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth for his ninth save in as many chances.

Aaron Harang (4-2) went five innings, allowing four runs and five hits, with four strikeouts and two walks.

There is one thing that stood out to me from the Cowboys 2011 draft that has very little to do with the actual players selected, but has much more to do with the overall direction this team is taking: the coaching change appears to have much more far-reaching consequences than many Cowboys fans, myself included, would have thought.

Psychologically, most of us are averse to change, particularly sudden, dramatic changes. We much prefer a gradual change relative to the previous state, as it gives us a measure of continuity which psychologically many people find comforting.

So naturally, our assumption was that there was going to be a measure of continuity with the promotion of Garrett to head coach. A few coaching changes, sure. Release a couple of players, no doubt. Get some help in free agency, yes, please. But not wholesale changes, no, sir. Of course Garrett would try to optimize the Cowboys, but not change them. After all, Garrett was part of the previous system for four years, right?

A large part of the rationale for this train of thought is the fact that Garrett was promoted internally - and in the middle of the season - so the expectation was that a few tweaks here and a few choice changes there would get the Cowboys back on track. You know, a couple of practices in full pads, a dress code for trips to away games, doing things "The Cowboy Way", things like that.

But think of the coaching change this way: if the Cowboys had brought in Sean Payton or Norv Turner or another offensive minded coach, there probably would have been significant changes in Dallas. Why should it be any different under Garrett? Just because we've grown comfortable with the notion of some measure of continuity under Garrett doesn't mean that that's what's going to happen.

Ask yourself this: are you still operating under the impression that the Cowboys are basically the same Phillips-designed team but Garrett-optimized? Then, like me, you probably expected the Cowboys to draft a top defensive lineman and never, ever even waste a thought on a running back in the first five rounds. Or have you already fully embraced the change to a new head coaching regime that is going to fundamentally change the way this team operates?  

The draft was the clearest indication so far that there may be a number of significant and fundamental changes afoot at Valley Ranch. On a team with significant holes at defensive end and in the secondary, six of eight picks were offensive players. Three were offensive linemen.

This tells me that Garrett and the Cowboys plan to win games not on the strength of their defense, but based on the play of their offense. The Cowboys will rely on a big play, attacking offense that has the strength, speed and the "Right Kind Of Guys" to look an opponent in the eye and say, "We Will Outscore You" - and to deliver on that promise, more often than not.

Of course, the Cowboys will be active in free agency once that resumes. Stephen & Jerry Jones as well as Garrett said as much in their recent press conference and the holes in the roster tell me the same thing. But if you're looking for some big-name signings on the defensive side of the ball, you might be in for another surprise.

That might have been Wade's way of addressing the issues on the team, but I don't think it's unrealistic to expect that under Garrett, the defensive philosophy will change. And the blueprint for the defense we can expect might just have been the one established by former DC Paul Pasqualoni: much less blitzing, a lot more coverage, surgically applied pressure instead of Wade's throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-them, all-or-nothing pass rush. The defense's role under Coach Garrett: get the ball back to the offense, because "We Will Outscore You".

Under Wade Phillips, the Cowboys' defensive philosophy had been all about getting pressure on the passer up front - and preventing the big play in the secondary. As a result, the Phillips defenses have traditionally been weak in generating interceptions. That changed dramatically when Paul Pasqualoni took over the defense last year. In the eight games under Coach P, the Cowboys suddenly led the league in interceptions, to the tune of almost two INTs per game!

	2008	2009		2010 Games 1-8	2010 Games 9-16
Interceptions	8	11		5	15
NFL Rank	30th	26th		T25th	1st

For what it’s worth, the last time the Cowboys led the league in interceptions (albeit for the full season, not just eight games) was in 1981. This is a profound and highly under-appreciated strategic departure from the Wade-era defense that the Cowboys put on the field.

The fact that an atrocious 2010 Cowboys defense was able to lead the league in interceptions over the span of eight games last year (and came in 7th for the total season) suggests that the fairly weak interception totals over the last couple of years may have been due more to scheme than to the quality of the players in the secondary.

Of course, these interceptions did not come without a price. Coach P significantly reduced the number of blitzes, opting for only three or four man fronts to bring the pressure in an effort to shore up the secondary. The strategy worked in that it generated a lot of interceptions, but less pressure up front also resulted in the Cowboys giving up almost as many points (204) in eight games under Pasqualoni as they did under Phillips (232). That is what Rob Ryan has been tasked to fix. But his primary task is to get the ball back into the hands of the offense. That’s where Garrett will most likely be planning on winning games, because "We Will Outscore You".

With the anticipation of the draft last week, one super-big story that seemed lost in the shuffle was the actions that the NCAA finally seems to be taking to reign in control over the bowl games. It was announced that college football's governing body would place a three-year moratorium on new bowl games and would look at revamping the certification process of all bowls. What could have motivated the mouse to roar is anyone's guess, but the best bets for an impetus with them are usually money and congressional oversight.

This issue was moved to the forefront of the agenda after the trouble with the Fiesta Bowl, which is in danger of losing it's status as a BCS bowl after it's president resigned in March. Improper expenses and questionable write-offs were found to have been charged to the bowl foundation, including reimbursement for employees' political campaign contributions. How this bowl (or any other one for that matter) keeps it's 501(3)(c) tax-exempt status is way beyond my finance degree knowledge and understanding.

That a bowl game is run like a local fiefdom should be no surprise to anyone, but these allegations are serious and could possibly result in criminal charges. I feel that the NCAA is right to examine the Fiesta Bowl, even if there does seem to be a glaring conflict of interest with the fact that some of the NCAA decision makers have been treated to various events by Fiesta Bowl officials. Glendale may be north of the border, but things like this reek of banana republic shenanigans. I suspect just a scare job from the NCAA, with no real consequences.

If it was up to some Auburn fans, leaving tumbleweeds blowing through Glendale would be a pretty simple choice, given the spartan hospitality found at the BCS title game back in January. Already, a movement is afoot to replace the Fiesta on the BCS roles with the Cotton Bowl. That is a change I think I could get behind and besides, who's going to bet against Jerry Jones, college football's closest thing to Donald Trump? If the Cotton Bowl did supplant the Fiesta, you'd still have two BCS Bowls east of the Mississippi and two west of it. The only loser in that equation would actually be Mississippi, Ole Miss, who would no longer get the Cotton Bowl bone thrown at them once a decade or so.

But while the Fiesta holds on, perhaps the biggest news to come out of all this is the moratorium on new bowl games for at least three years. What took you so long, NCAA? You got bowl games multiplying like Appalachian share-cropper families the past decade or so and these country cousins are about as radiant. I laid it out at the beginning of the year what you should do to reign in this infestation of johnny-come-lately bowl games so I recommend that link as required reading before they start. Crappy bowl games are diluting our college football product nationally and that's a fact before you even start diving into all the questionable financial practices and patronizing you're likely to find with some.

And what exactly is this bowl re-certification revamping the NCAA is supposed to be doing? Details are scarce, but already, all 35 bowls except for three have been granted certification and had their licenses renewed through the 2013 season. Only the Fiesta, the Insight Bowl (which also is played in Glendale) and the TicketCity Bowl (played in Dallas at JerryWorld) are still pending. They should know their fate within a month.

Why the NCAA is attempting to re-assert some measure of control over one of it's most valuable assets is still a mystery. While they run the post-season in all it's other sports, including lower division football, the NCAA just sets up a few guidelines and then lets the bows run themselves--a $270 million venture that many are starting to view as the wild west. Maybe the want control in an attempt to begin the implementation of a playoff, maybe they just want a cut of the action. If they know what's good for the sport, they'll start to throw some of these dirtbag bowls out on their ears as soon as possible by implementing some minimum standards other than TV contracts. We'll see.

© fanblogs.com

View the original post or comment on NCAA Looking to Get a Handle on Bowl Games...

Carol, Cloris and Eve - now that would be a groovy dinner party worth attending. These three lovely ladies received the most votes out of the 180 cast in last week's contest. Here are the final results:

Carol Burnett 36
Cloris Leachman 22
Eve Arden 20
Joanna Lumley 17
Channing Tatum 17
Ann-Margret 16
Ella Fitzgerald 14
Michelle Pfeiffer 9
Celeste Holm 6
Penélope Cruz 5
Al Pacino 5
Uma Thurman 4
Jill Clayburgh 3
Carolyn Jones 3
Jerry Seinfeld 3
Sandy Dennis 0

And now here are this week's contenders. So which three of these past/present celebrities (whose birthdays are this week) would you invite to your dinner party? You can vote for your favorites below.

Christine Baranski
The actress (in the above pic) turns 59 today (May 2).


Lance Bass
The singer turns 32 on May 4.

Anne Baxter
The actress would have been 88 on May 7.

David Beckham
The English footballer turns 36 today (May 2).

Henry Cavill
The actor turns 28 on May 5.

George Clooney
The actor turns 50 on May 6.

Gary Cooper
The actor was born on May 7, 1901.

Ann B. Davis
The actress turns 85 on May 5.

Lesley Gore
The singer turns 65 today (May 2).

Keith Haring
The artist would have been 53 on May 4.

Audrey Hepburn
The actress would have been 82 on May 4.

Ricky Nelson
The singer would have been 71 on May 8.

Robin Strasser
The actress turns 66 on May 7.

Toni Tennille
The singer turns 68 on May 8.

Orson Welles
The actor/director would have been 96 on May 6.

Tammy Wynette
The singer would have been 69 on May 5.


















Which 3 of these past/present celebrities (whose birthdays are this week) would you invite to your dinner party?Market Research

Early Sunday morning, we looked at the initial draft grades for the Cowboys, which were somewhere in the B to C+ region.

The DMN's Rick Gosselin, widely recognized Master Of The Mock Draft, graded the Cowboys ahead of the other NFC East teams. The Cowboys got a B, the Eagles, Giants and Redskins all got a C. But those grades are not shared by all observers.

Overall, the consensus seems to be that Cowboys made questionable 2nd and 3rd round picks, the Eagles went for quantity over quality, the Giants didn't address some obvious needs and the Redskins are still looking for a quarterback. After the break, we look at what the grades for the NFC East teams look like and what the draft pundits are saying about the NFC East teams

Picks	Cowboys	Eagles	Giants	Redskins
Draft Picks	9. Tyron Smith, OT, USC 40. Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina 71. DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma 110. David Arkin, OG, Missouri State 143. Josh Thomas, CB, Buffalo 176. Dwayne Harris, WR, E. Carolina 220. Shaun Chapas, FB, Georgia 252. Bill Nagy, OC/G, Wisconsin	23. Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor 54. Jaiquawn Jarrett, S, Temple 90. Curtis Marsh, CB, Utah State 116. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon 120. Alex Henery, K, Nebraska 149. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh 161. J. Vandervelde, OG/C, Iowa 191. Jason Kelce, OC, Cincinnati 193. Brian Rolle, LB, Ohio State 237. Greg Lloyd, LB, UConn 240. Stanley Havili, FB, USC	19. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska 52. Marvin Austin, DT, N. Carolina. 83. Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy 117. James Brewer, OT, Indiana 185. Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State 198. Tyler Sash, S, Iowa 202. Jacquian Williams, LB, S. Florida 221. Da'Rel Scott, RB, Maryland	16. Ryan Kerrigan, LB, Purdue 41. Jarvis Jenkins, DE, Clemson 79. Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami 105. Roy Helu, RB, Nebraska 146. DeJon Gomes, S, Nebraska 155. Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska 177. Evan Royster, RB, Penn State 178. Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU 213. B. Thompson, CB, Boise State 217. Maurice Hurt, OG, Florida 224. Markus White, LB, Florida State 253. Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia
Grades	Cowboys	Eagles	Giants	Redskins
Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News	B	C	C	C
	The Cowboys had a superb third day of this draft	The Eagles had the best fifth round	The New York Giants had the best sixth round, coming away with a pair of All-Big Ten defenders.	When the new quarterback arrives in Washington, he will have a slew of new weapons. But who is he and when does he get to D.C.?
Mel Kiper, ESPN	B-	C+	B-	C+
	Dallas got good value later, but never took a player that seemed like a steal at the position	This feels like last year. I look at the Philly board and think, "Well, they got a lot of guys."	They got some serious value with their first two picks. But I do wonder if the Giants waited a little too long to gain any help along the offensive line	The Skins added players at pretty much every need outside of quarterback. Fair enough. I just don't think impact will be significant.
Charean Williams, Star- Telegram	B	B	B+	C+
	The Cowboys didn't get a DE or a S, arguably their two biggest needs.	The Eagles' first three players were drafted higher than most analysts had them going.	The Giants drafted talent over need. But they didn't get help where they needed it -- in the offensive line and at outside linebacker -- until the third day.	They didn't get a QB and could have John Beck as their starter in 2011.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports	B-	B	A	B
	They added a starter in tackle Tyron Smith and then filled in some holes, though I think they could have gone in another direction when they picked Murray.	The Eagles always seem to do a good job in the draft. This year was no different. The key might be second-round safety Jaiquawn Jarrett.	I love that they got a premier cover player in Amukamara. Second-round pick Marvin Austin has first-round talent and could be a steal.	I'd give them a better grade if they picked a quarterback, but they made some nice moves with all the trades and ended up with some good football players
Adam Caplan, Fox sports	C+	B-	B	B
	They failed to address their weaknesses at safety and cornerback.	The Eagles were able to secure at least three future starters with their first three selections	Amukamara was a great value where they got him. And Austin and Jernigan should contribute right away	The Redskins added a lot of selections as the draft progressed, and they made the most out of them by addressing several needs
NBCSports/ Rotoworld	B-	B	B	A-
	The Cowboys got fine value with their first two picks, and acquiring the best left tackle in any draft as "late" as No. 9 overall is a coup.	When you have 11 draft picks, you typically come out looking pretty good	The Giants let Boston College tackle Anthony Castonzo slip right through their fingers.	The only reason Mike Shanahan's club doesn't get a full "A" is because it didn't pick up a quarterback.
John Dove, Mocking The Draft	B-	C+	A	C
	The Cowboys grade is a little low because I think they could have went a different direction with the Carter and Murray picks	This was a very solid draft with few wow selections	The Giants added four players that have the potential to make an immediate impact	Who is going to play quarterback for the Redskins?
SBNation.com	B	B-	B	B
	The team got great value in the fifth and sixth rounds, where they took cornerback Josh Thomas and receiver Dwayne Harris, respectively	This probably strikes most as a rather underwhelming draft class, but it's something the Eagles needed	Jerry Reese is one of the more underrated drafters in the league, and once again, he found solid value throughout the Giants' eight picks	The Redskins did well to pick up a bunch of additional picks so as to address their overall depth, as well

• Israel Gutierrez of The Miami Herald: "LeBron James is as big of a target as they come, literally and figuratively, so he was not only welcoming of the change of pace that saw Wade become option No. 1 against Boston, but he took advantage of the situation Sunday. Part of what makes James great is his all-around ability. So even though he did launch a few jumpers that would normally be considered ill-advised, James restrained himself on the offense. He expended some of that extra energy blocking a pair of Celtics shots, the more impressive being a first-quarter chase down of a streaking Rajon Rondo. He also managed a couple of steals. And that’s not even including the solid defense at all five positions at some point. ... It’s not necessarily a less-is-more approach, because all of those “other things” are just as important to the Heat’s success as his scoring would be. But it is a new approach against these Celtics. One that doesn’t include continuously banging his head against a wall of defenders and still coming out defeated. It’s very possible James will find a way to put up spectacular scoring numbers in a game or two this series. But if Sunday’s Game 1 was any indication, James won’t attempt to score for glory’s sake. He’s open to adjustments, for winning’s sake."
• Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "It was hell. As expected. It was thrown shoulders. It was errant elbows. It was the Heat's James Jones shouting to one referee, 'HE HEAD-BUTTED ME!' and Boston's Kevin Garnett shouting to another ref a minute later, 'DID YOU SEE THAT KICK?' It was flagrant fouls and screaming expletives and, ultimately, climactically, Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce in a freight-train collision along the baseline that sent tremors through AmericanAirlines Arena. And it was just Game 1. The way to survive is to hold yourself together. 'That's what we did,' Wade said after the Heat's 99-90 win. It's what Boston didn't do. What Pierce, specifically, didn't. That's a twist on this relationship from earlier this year. That's what was so revealing about this game. This time, it was the veteran Celtics, the champion Celtics, the Celtics who love the bully pulpit, whose mind went squish. 'We didn't handle it well,' Boston coach Doc River said of the in-game emotion. ... Sunday showed the Heat of November isn't the Heat of May. They have hiccups at times. But they also are capable of assembling a day that can win on the scoreboard and get in opponents' mind. Until Sunday, Boston was the king of that. 'As the series progresses, I think it will get more physical,' Bosh said. 'It is Game 1.' And what a game. Collisions. Elbows. Taunts. Exactly as advertised. The difference was the Heat stood up to big brother this time."
• Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe: "It ... cannot ... happen. The Celtics are supposed to be the composed veterans. The Heat are supposed to be the young bucks, the fragile frauds who need to be schooled in how it’s done in the playoffs. So how come Paul Pierce picked up two technical fouls and got himself ejected midway through the fourth quarter of yesterday’s 99-90 Game 1 loss to the Hype Masters of Miami? We don’t know Pierce’s explanation because the captain was nowhere to be found in the losers’ locker room. A team publicist said he would be available to comment today. Not good enough. You want to be a champion? You want to be talked about the same as Russell and Bird and Havlicek and Cooz? Stick around and take your medicine like a man after you act like a stupid tough guy on the court. We thought we were over this stuff with Pierce. He is 33 years old. He’s been in the NBA since 1998. He was MVP of the Finals in 2008, for gosh sakes. What’s the excuse for losing his cool twice in the fourth quarter of a game against a team that’s always waiting to choke if you can keep things close?"
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "Of all the words that will be spent describing the Celtics Game 1 loss to the Heat yesterday, one stands brightest in the Florida sun: Deserved. As in they got what was coming to them. The Celtics knew exactly what it would take for them to beat the Heat. They also knew what would lead to a defeat. And somewhere along the line, they chose the latter. If it had just been a matter of missing shots and having the Heatians win the hand-to-shot combat, the 99-90 loss could be understood. Things like this do happen in a playoff series. But the Celtics knew better, and they played as if they didn’t. When you are as allegedly wise as the Bostonians and you’re playing against a team that can out-run and out-jump you, composure is king. It is incumbent that you play to your brains. But yesterday the Celtics were stuck in the cerebral mud, as their younger foe frolicked around the Port of Miami."
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: "There's a dry-erase board mounted near the back entrance to the Oklahoma City Arena. A question was written on it Sunday, especially for the playoffs. 'How much does a human heart weigh?' it said. My guess would be about 12 Grizzlies. Thirty-six hours earlier, the Grizzlies had been walking down South Main in Memphis, high-fiving throngs of besotted fans, celebrating Friday night's emotional Game 6 win over the San Antonio Spurs. So there wasn't a chance they'd be ready to play Oklahoma City at noon Sunday. There is resilient and then there is just nutty. Except, there they were, 21/2 hours after tipoff, quietly congratulating one another after a resounding 114-101 victory. Question: If the Grizzlies can handle the Thunder this deftly, think it's time we put them in charge of Mid-South weather generally? This was ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean incredibly impressive. It's one thing to steal Game 1 from the Spurs when you've been tanking, er, resting, for a few days to prepare for it. It's another thing to come into this building on 36 hours rest and flat demolish the league's darlings."
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: "Rain swamped the Memorial Marathon. Cold struck the Arts Festival. The Grizzlies punched the Thunder in the gut. Bad MayDay in Oklahoma City. But the marathon finished. The arts festival was on its last day. The Thunder has to wrestle the Grizzlies at least three more times. The Boomers had better toughen up. That's what beat the Thunder 114-101 Sunday. Memphis toughness. The Grizzlies were tougher than OKC. Tougher with the ball. Tougher on defense. Tougher at the rim. 'We didn't have any energy,' Kevin Durant said. 'They played harder than us. They fought harder than us. It's a long series. We gotta come out with more fight the next game.' Mandatory, I'd say, if the Thunder wants to avoid a four-game sweep. 'They were more physical than us, from bigs to small,' said Kendrick Perkins, words that pained the Thunder enforcer to say."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: "Just two short seasons ago, the Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies finished with the exact same 24-58 record. Back then, both teams had accumulated extra future first-round picks and had or were positioning themselves for substantial cap space and you could have argued the Wolves' future looked brighter. Today, the Grizzlies just beat Oklahoma City (winners of just 23 games that 2008-09 season) in the opening game of the playoffs' second round. ... The Grizz are missing Gay's smooth 20 points a game, but as crazy as it sounds to say, they just might be grittier and more playoff tough without him. Have a Coach of the Year candidate in Hollins, who should have gotten more votes for the award than he did? He has gotten more out of Randolph than anyone could have hoped and has molded this team even without Gay. And they paid up. While the Wolves have the league's third lowest payroll, the Grizz have signed Gay to an $80 million-plus contract extension, Randolph to $65 million-ish deal and Conley to a $45 million extension. And Gasol and Mayo will be looking for their paydays, too, although it's likely the Grizzlies will trade Mayo, as they tried to do at the trade deadline, because they can't afford to re-sign everybody. Remember when these two teams were side-by-side in the race toward the future? Not any longer."
• Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Tom Thibodeau has said over and over this season that he doesn’t care about personal acclaim. He would have been well served by carrying a recording of himself saying, 'I don’t care about the NBA coach of the year award.’ But he’s a big reason the Bulls won 62 games in the regular season, the most in the league. He has his players prepared. Always. One of the fallacies about today’s NBA is that it has become more about strategy. There are no secrets on the basketball floor, the way there are on a football field. In Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls didn’t surprise the Indiana Pacers with a new wrinkle from which the Pacers could never recover. It’s not like that. It’s not like the NFL. What Thibodeau did this season was to get his team to play hard, especially on defense. Always. It was less about what he was telling them and more about their believing it. Winning helps in getting the message across. Thibs passed on the tendencies he saw on film. His players listened. That’s the difficult part for any coach. There’s nothing mystical here. He’s no Big Chief Triangle, as Jeff Van Gundy once derisively referred to Zen master Phil Jackson and the cultlike fascination with the triangle offense. There’s just a rookie head coach standing on the sideline for every minute of every single game, hoarsely yelling out instructions on every single pass of the ball. It’s an approach that could get very old on a losing team, but this isn’t one of those teams, is it?"
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "There's a lot for Drew to think about as he decides on his starters for the Eastern Conference semifinals. The first issue is point guard, where starter Kirk Hinrich isn't expected to play during the best-of-seven series. Jeff Teague could take Hinrich's place since he's best suited to defend Chicago's Derrick Rose. Drew said he's also considering starting veteran Jamal Crawford, who hasn't started a game in his two seasons for Atlanta. Drew and predecessor Mike Woodson have favored Crawford's scoring off the bench. ... Crawford would provide considerably more scoring punch from the start than Teague. With Crawford in the starting lineup the Bulls would have to account for five capable scorers on the floor at the same time. But Crawford usually is an indifferent defender as he focuses on scoring. That could cause problems for the Hawks against Rose. ... Drew said he hadn't ruled out a big lineup that most likely would include Zaza Pachulia at center. In that alignment, center Al Horford and power forward Josh Smith would shift over, and Marvin Williams would come off the bench. Pachulia is a good match against Chicago's Joakim Noah."
• Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: " Beat L-A? History tells us that it's never been done. Not in this month, this league, these playoffs. Twenty-three years ago, though, we thought that, if nothing else, the law of averages was on the Dallas Mavericks' side. The Mavericks had Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and Sam Perkins. They had the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, Roy Tarpley. They even had a real center, James Donaldson. Sooner or later, the thinking went back in 1988, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was going to retire, the Mavs were going to figure out a way to stifle Magic Johnson, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss was going to run out of leisure suits and blondes on each arm. The Lakers' dynasty would be over. Or so we all thought. The casts have changed -- and then some -- but the Mavericks' playoff frustrations against the Lakers resume anew tonight in Los Angeles. Beat L-A? The Vegas oddsmakers say the Mavericks can't do it. Los Angeles has the ultimate playoff weapon -- Kobe Bryant, with or without his apparently injured ankle. The Mavericks have, well, all that history. The Miami thing and all. Mavericks optimists see the two games that Los Angeles lost in its opening-round series against New Orleans, and they see a crack in the Lakers' platinum veneer. Maybe. But who on the Mavericks gets to play the role of Chris Paul?"
• Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "Now, introducing the Lakers' newest archrival … The Dallas Mavericks? If you can't recall the rivalry's great moments, you'd have to be 23 to have been alive for the last one. That was the teams' last playoff meeting … in the 1988 Western Conference finals. It took the Lakers seven games to beat the Mavericks, not that it was like playing the Celtics. The Mavericks' Mark Aguirre kept going to the Lakers' locker room after games to see Magic Johnson, until Coach Pat Riley had him barred. The Dallas owner was kindly Don Carter, who wore his cowboy hat sitting courtside, may have even slept in it and helped build a championship team, just in the wrong city. Before the 1986 draft, the Lakers, who had just lost to Houston's Twin Towers -- Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson -- agreed to trade James Worthy for Aguirre and rising 7-footer Roy Tarpley. Owner Jerry Buss pulled the trigger, personally, assuming General Manager Jerry West would be OK with it. When West wasn't, and in a big way, Buss asked Carter to let him out of the deal, saying he might lose his GM. Carter, whose duty -- to tell his secretary to say he was unavailable forever -- was clear, instead said no problem. Otherwise, there goes Showtime with the Lakers and Celtics tied at three titles each in the '80s. The Lakers went on to win two more in 1987 and 1988. Aguirre's career cratered. Tarpley's was truncated by drug problems."
• Jeff Miller of The Orange County Register: "Matt Barnes reminded everyone about the '07 playoff upset, noting that the Warriors had 'laid out the blueprint on how to beat Dallas.' Then Barnes typed: 'PUNK'EM.' So is that what we're in for tonight? A good, old-fashioned Maverick punking? Another episode of Terry playing two-hand touch with Blake's kidneys? Another round of Barnes sport-coating Stotts? We can only hope, at least for the sake of generating interest. Hey, we're not advocating bad-boy basketball. We say play hard but play right. But we're also saying even the suggestion of antagonism is more titillating than anything Aaron Gray will ever do. So now it's Lakers and Mavericks for the first time in the postseason since David Robinson was the No. 1 pick and the Clippers were coached by Gene Shue. Yeah, it was that long ago. It was so long ago, in fact, that these teams had something of a budding playoff rivalry going. The Lakers and Mavericks met in the postseason three times in five years in the 1980s. We said something of a budding rivalry. The Lakers won all of those series. They'll win this one, too. But with Cuban, Terry and, don't forget J.J. Barea (a shorter, more annoying version of Sasha Vujacic), this should be entertaining. Now, if only the Mavericks could find a way to avoid playing the actual games."
• Randy Youngman of The Orange County Register: "Monday is Decision Day --- and Deadline Day --- for the Sacramento Kings. The Maloof family, which has owned a controlling interest in the Kings since 1999, has until 2 p.m. Monday (Pacific time) to file an application with the NBA and formally make known its intentions to move the franchise to Anaheim in time for the 2011-12 season. Reached late Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said the family still was talking about its options and would not announce a decision until Monday. ... It has been a long, drawn-out process, with the relocation deadline already extended twice -- from March 1 to April 18, at the request of the Maloofs, and then two more weeks after the NBA Board of Governors meetings in New York. There are hundreds of pages of documents from Anaheim's proposed agreement waiting for signatures. Monday is Deadline Day."
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Over the course of the season, the Bobcats were better with Stephen Jackson than without him. They were 4-11 when he didn't play; you think that's a coincidence? This is something subtler, and I'm sure it's on the minds of both the coaches and the front office: Jackson is the best scorer in the franchise's history. Expensive as he was, he's earned his salary and then some, not only with his skills, but also with his passion. Still, here's the problem: When the ball hits Jackson's hands, it often stops. There's no swing from side-to-side, which is the only way you wear out an opposing defense. When Jackson is on - that night in Atlanta was spectacular - he's one of the 20 best players in the league. But as the last five games of the season illustrated (and, granted, they were 2-3 in those games) the ball movement was notably better in his absence. Nobody forced shots, nobody held the ball - 50.7 percent is not an insignificant number. I hope Jackson saw this, because at 33 he should adjust. He told the media, the coaches and the front office the day after the season that he doesn't want to leave. Translation: 'This isn't Golden State, and I'd like to see how this remake plays out.' Great. He makes $9.25 million next season and $10 million the following season. That's a lot of money, guaranteed, and it will be reasonable for management to expect some evolution. Brevin Knight and Derek Anderson did a lot for this franchise at the tail end of their careers by setting a standard for professionalism. That means mentoring, leading and not impeding the kind of ball movement we saw late this season. I know Jackson's heart is in the right place. I also know he's basketball-savvy. He should be able to adapt."
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "There was a bit of good news for the Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment recently. The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theater were the top-two venues in the Midwest in terms of ticket sales and attendance in 2010 -- a solid year for PS&E. Which gives credence to the optimism PS&E president Alan Ostfield displayed April 8 -- the day it was announced that Los Angeles-based financier Tom Gores had reached a formal agreement with Karen Davidson to purchase the Pistons. The deal is on track to close by the end of the month. But a common perception for the Pistons and PS&E is that things are headed downhill because the Pistons are coming off three consecutive losing seasons and trying to attract an apathetic fan base. But Ostfield said last week that these things went in cycles, and considering the struggles on the court and the woeful state economy, prospects were bound to improve. 'Obviously the team struggled, but these things happen and this stuff goes through stages,' Ostfield said."

It is never fair to evaluate drafts before players are given a chance to prove themselves in the NFL, as too many uncontrolled variables can affect the development of talent, and even the most talented players can fail if the structure is not in place for them to succeed. Furthermore, toughness, intelligence and competitiveness can take players a lot further than any amount of natural talent and cannot immediately be measured, as the sixth-round selection of Tom Brady would attest.

Nonetheless, there is an art to understanding the value of talent, how to manipulate a draft board and build through the draft. And those who understand the value of talent generally produce the strongest drafts.

PFW's research has shown that the average draft produces two starters in any given year. Ideally, those starters will be produced from the first two rounds, where the financial commitments are greatest.

Irrelevant of whether they come from the first round or the seventh round, however, it is very realistic to expect every team to produce two starters and a player who minimally can contribute heavily in nickel situations. PFW uses a sliding scale included below to grade each draft, with two starters being the standard benchmark all teams minimally should be able to attain in any given year.

Picks that were traded and veteran acquisitions acquired last year were taken into consideration where teams were without selections. Future picks were also weighed.

4 projected starters: A (Outstanding)
3 projected starters: B (Good)
2 projected starters: C (Average)
1 projected starter: D (Questionable)
0 projected starters: F (Poor)

An additional quarter point was awarded to teams who wisely manipulated the draft board and acquired future picks; for teams who drafted very soundly in the first two rounds where the greatest financial premium exists; for those who filled pressing needs; for the addition of elite, impact performers; for those who found ways to upgrade special teams, especially with late picks; and for those who likely filled five roster spots, with sixth- and seventh-round picks not expected to make solid rosters.

Also taken into consideration was the competitive-balance penalty that perennial winners regularly face, as they are slotted at the bottom of the round and not as well positioned to acquire elite talent.

The risk of picks, considering medical, mental and character questions, also was considered and weighed into grades, as was the drafting of projections who might have a steeper learning curve and include more overall risk to make it in the NFL. A half-point was subtracted for teams who drafted daringly relative to value of the pick.

Lastly, the ability to match talent to schemes and coaching staffs was weighed.

NFC
Arizona Cardinals
With plans to add a veteran quarterback, Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves did not address the team's most glaring QB need, instead choosing to follow a value-based approach with the selection of CB Patrick Peterson. The Cardinals also filled other needs at tight end, outside linebacker and by revamping the backfield. The competitiveness of their first two picks — Peterson and RB Ryan Williams — stands out, and both players should step into starting jobs immediately, with Peterson's game-breaking return ability adding a big plus on special teams. TE Rob Housler filled a glaring, stretch-the-seam element missing on the roster. OLB Sam Acho has eventual starter potential and was a very safe fourth-round selection who will add character to the locker room. FB Anthony Sherman could take over as Williams' lead blocker and help on special-teams coverage. Landing LB Quan Sturdivant in the sixth round was a solid value pick. DE David Carter and WR DeMarco Sampson have developmental potential. Williams' injury history is concerning, but collectively, the Cardinals easily could land three starters from this draft with minimal risk.
Grade: B-plus

Atlanta Falcons
After finishing atop the NFC standings, the Falcons sought a difference-making offensive playmaker and were bold about landing him, jumping a whopping 21 spots into the top 10 to secure WR Julio Jones, who could make an immediate impact and give the offense the much-needed balance it was lacking. GM Thomas Dimitroff paid a heavy price, dealing next year's first- and fourth-round picks to Cleveland, along with the Falcons' first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year. In theory, the Falcons dealt the equivalent of three solid starters to net one impact performer this year, and the trade will be judged in large part by whether Jones can stay healthy and push the Falcons over the hump in the playoffs. They also addressed some key need areas at linebacker and running back with the addition of Akeem Dent and Jacquizz Rodgers, two very productive, determined players who fit the locker-room leader mold that Dimitroff has done an excellent job identifying. P-PK Matt Bosher is a jack-of-all trades who can replace Michael Koenen. And OG Andrew Jackson and DE Cliff Matthews have potential to become solid contributors. The Falcons paid a steep price in mortgaging the future for Jones, and the net result does not translate well in PFW's formula, but the Falcons deserve credit for landing a premium player at a key position of need, upgrading special teams and landing six players who can make the roster. The aggressive approach could turn out to be the right one for the Falcons this year, but they put a lot of eggs into this year's basket and detracted considerable long-term ammunition that penalizes a strong crop of talent.
Grade: C-plus

Carolina Panthers
GM Marty Hurney has been one of the best in the draft at nailing first-round picks, but he took much more risk than usual with the selection of Cam Newton, forcing offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski to redesign the offense and perhaps creating an unhealthy competition between two entitled quarterbacks in Newton and Jimmy Clausen. The decision to couple a new head coach (Ron Rivera) with a new franchise quarterback was logical, and Newton has potential to make a more immediate impact than any other quarterback in the draft, with the capability to become an impact performer. Hurney's decision ultimately will be judged by Newton's development and the sustainability of the spark he can bring to the offense. The Panthers were without a second-round pick, dealt last year for Armanti Edwards, and they are still waiting for the light to come on for him. He made zero impact last season while transitioning to the slot. DT Terrell McClain and CB Brandon Hogan both possess starting-caliber traits, but also came with some risk. For where they were drafted, the risk might well meet the reward. NT Sione Fua and WR Kealoha Pilares can become solid contributors. The Panthers have had a knack for adding OL depth late in the draft, and C-OG Zack Williams and OT Lee Ziemba have developmental potential. LB Lawrence Wilson could help on special teams. The Panthers addressed key needs, and Rivera's ability to deal with prima donnas makes the high risk that defines this draft more tolerable. However, for a team drafting so highly, the Panthers' draft was dangerously volatile.
Grade: B-minus

Chicago Bears
With heavy influence from a strong-willed coaching staff featuring three former head coaches, GM Jerry Angelo addressed his two biggest needs at left tackle and defensive tackle with the selection of Gabe Carimi and Stephen Paea. The Bears aggressively moved up nine spots to land Paea, sacrificing the fourth-round pick that initially had been dangled in a trade gone bad with Baltimore. Neither Carimi nor Paea is flashy, but they are both sound, high-character talents capable of contributing readily. At California, FS Chris Conte wore the same No. 17 jersey that John Lynch once donned at Stanford and is not as big, strong or physical as Lynch but Angelo can hope he becomes a similar type of player. Mike Martz will get the opportunity to upgrade his backup quarterback situation with Nathan Enderle, a smart, heavy-footed, analytical pocket passer. West Virginia LB J.T. Thomas will have to fight for a roster spot. The Bears surrendered their seventh-round pick to select RB Harvey Unga in last year's supplemental draft. The Bears deserve credit for making sound selections in the first two rounds and manipulating the draft, even if they spurned the Ravens. They did a solid job filling needs.
Grade: B

Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones lined the roster with some very explosive, athletic talent with his first three picks — OT Tyron Smith, OLB Bruce Carter and RB DeMarco Murray — and the selection of Smith filled a primary need at tackle. All three, however, have durability concerns, as Smith was off some draft boards for medical reasons, Carter will be forced to begin the season on the PUP list and Murray never has been able to stay healthy. OG David Arkin, CB Josh Thomas and WR Dwayne Harris were all solid value picks who could carve out niches. Murray and Harris have potential to help in the return game. The seventh-round pick sacrificed for Illinois NT Josh Brent in the supplemental draft has turned out to be worth it. With the pick the Cowboys received from San Diego for WR Patrick Crayton, they selected FB Shaun Chapas, who also could help on special teams and contend for a job. C Bill Nagy has developmental potential. With a very deep roster, the Cowboys can afford to take more chances on medical risks, and they managed to add explosion to the roster. However, their early picks involved risk. As has been characteristic of their drafts, Rounds 4-7 appear to be strongest part of their draft. 
Grade: B-minus

Detroit Lions
The Lions sought explosive talent with their first three picks and landed plenty of it in DT Nick Fairley, WR Titus Young and RB Mikel Leshoure. However, all three enter the league with character and maturity concerns, possess boom-or-bust potential and will have to be managed closely. Fairley has potential to become an impact performer, and Young and Leshoure could provide a spark to the offense. Young's slight frame will be more susceptible to injury in the pros, and at a position where competitiveness and instincts are of primary importance, Leshoure does not grade out highly in those areas. The Lions swapped picks with the Seahawks and sacrificed their fourth-round pick to move up 18 spots and land Leshoure in the second round. They also acquired DE Lawrence Jackson from Seattle before last season for a sixth-round pick. Doug Hogue could fill a LB need and fits Jim Schwartz's defense well, but his injury history is concerning. OT Johnny Culbreath has athletic talent to make the roster but could be very challenged by the playbook. Collectively, the draft has a strong hit-or-miss element that could make a difference early but might leave the Lions with little in the long term.
Grade: C

Green Bay Packers
Packers GM Ted Thompson is one of the most underrated evaluators in the league, quietly spending as much time on the scouting trails as any other GM. He has a very good feel for identifying value throughout the draft and identifying scheme fits, which he masterfully plucked throughout the draft. His top two picks, OT Derek Sherrod and WR Randall Cobb, were both very safe selections that filled positions of need but also brought value. RB Alex Green might have been drafted early, but he fits Mike McCarthy's ground game very well. New Mexico State CB Davon House has the raw physical traits to be molded and fits Dom Capers' defense very well. Thompson made several trades from Rounds 5-7, and landed six character players with developmental potential in TE D.J. Williams, OG Caleb Schlauderaff, LB D.J. Smith, DE Ricky Elmore, TE Ryan Taylor and DE Lawrence Guy. Drafting at the bottom of the round might make it more difficult for this class to have heavy impact on a deep roster, but Thompson sought talent that could fill niche roles and drafted very well in the first two rounds.
Grade: B-minus

Minnesota Vikings
If there is a stigma attached to Rick Spielman's evaluation career, it is that he has struggled to correct the quarterback position, and Spielman opened up more potential criticism with the selection of Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick. Intangibly, Ponder grades out very highly and he was a fast riser in the draft process, but questions still remain about his decision making and long-term durability. Although he fits well in Bill Musgrave's offense and addresses a primary area of need, selecting him so highly could turn out to be a considerable reach that defines Spielman's new control in the Leslie Frazier era. TE Kyle Rudolph was a safe selection in the second round. The Vikings dealt their third-round pick to New England for Randy Moss's short-lived tenure. DT Christian Ballard could turn out to be a steal in the fourth round if he matures. CBs Brandon Burton and Mistral Raymond could both fit into Frazier's defense well as press corners, and OT DeMarcus Love and C Brandon Fusco could provide depth on the offensive line. LB Ross Homan could turn out to be a solid special-teams performer, and DE D'Aundre Reed and WR Stephen Burton have developmental potential. Collectively, the Vikings added 10 players who could challenge for roster spots and did a very good job of matching talent to their schemes and coaches. The draft could produce several starters, but the Moss trade amounted to nothing and the very early selection of Ponder defied value logic.
Grade: C

New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis did a very good job of recognizing value in the draft, filling a primary position of need at left defensive end with the selection of Cameron Jordan. After the division champion Falcons made a splash trade for Julio Jones, the Saints made a run for a Tide talent of their own, dealing their second-round pick and next year's first to New England to land Mark Ingram, the every-down back Payton has been searching for. As part of the deal for sending Jammal Brown to Washington, the Saints gave up their fifth-round pick but landed an additional third that they used on SLB Martez Wilson, who has first-round physical traits and should benefit from the hard coaching of Joe Vitt. If CB Johnny Patrick can be kept in line, he can turn out to be a solid contributor for a late third-round pick. The Saints gave up their fourth-round pick to trade up for C Matt Tennant in last year's draft, although he has yet to make much of an impact. They dealt their sixth-round pick to New England for TE David Thomas, who was a solid addition when healthy. The Saints recognized value in the seventh round with the selection of injury-prone DE Greg Romeus and LB Nate Bussey, who could factor readily on special teams. The loss of next year's first-round pick coupled with the departure of a Pro Bowl left tackle offset what was a very solid draft that addressed key areas of need for the Saints. 
Grade: B

New York Giants
GM Jerry Reese did a fine job of recognizing value throughout the draft, securing free-falling CB Prince Amukamara at the 19th pick. He could contend for playing time readily. DT Marvin Austin possessed first-round physical tools and with the hard coaching of D-line coach Robert Nunn, will be pushed harder than he ever has been before. WR Jerrel Jernigan could help in the slot and add value to the return game. OT James Brewer adds depth to the offensive line and will benefit from the tutelage of Pat Flaherty. The Giants dealt their fifth-round pick to Minnesota for backup QB Sage Rosenfels and PR Darius Reynaud, two solid additions to the roster last season. The final two rounds brought four players — LB Greg Jones, SS Tyler Sash, LB Jacquian Williams and RB Da'Rel Scott — who can help on special teams. Scott has explosive return ability and offers a home-run threat as a change-of-pace back if he can stay healthy in a limited role. The Giants could easily come away with three starters from this draft, took calculated risks matching talent to their coaches and upgraded their special teams. They deserve extra credit for recognizing value throughout the draft and adding some solid veterans in exchange for very little.
Grade: A

Philadelphia Eagles
Andy Reid and GM Howie Roseman filled one of their most pressing needs on the offensive line with the selection of Danny Watkins and continued to fill holes on the roster with their 11 picks. S Jaiquawn Jarrett was selected earlier than expected in a week safety class, but has eventual starter potential as a box safety. Curtis Marsh is a raw developmental talent who adds much needed size to the CB position. With a talented roster, special teams became a focus in the final four rounds, with the addition of MLB Casey Matthews, PK Alex Henery — who potentially could be David Akers' replacement — OLB Brian Rolle and LB Greg Lloyd. Landing Dion Lewis in the fifth round was a solid value, and he could carve out a niche as a third-down back. OG Julian Vandervelde and C Jason Kelce have developmental potential. FB Stanley Havili could struggle to make the roster. The Eagles did a fine job of addressing all of their needs throughout the draft, but sought out too much undersized talent from Rounds 4-7 and seemingly continue to get smaller and in turn more injury-prone, which has been a problem in November and December. The concentration on special teams is a plus, but they did reach for needs on all three of their top picks. Nonetheless, the draft should produce three starters and add some solid niche, role players. It was not a flashy draft, but it was solid.
Grade: C-plus

San Francisco 49ers

GM Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh filled three key needs with their top picks, landing the cleanest pass rusher in the draft with the most upside (Aldon Smith) and a up-and-coming quarterback (Colin Kaepernick) with all the physical and mental traits to blossom under the tutelage of one of the finest QB mentors in football. The Niners aggressively moved up to land Kaepernick, dealing away their second- and fourth-round picks. Concerns about Chris Culliver's durability raised flags about his ability to survive at safety, but he fits well as a corner in press coverage. Landing RB Kendall Hunter in the fourth round was a steal, and WR Ronald Johnson brought solid value in the slot in the sixth. Two converted, small-school left tackles — Daniel Kilgore and Mike Person — could bring depth to the interior of the offensive line. The Niners' final three picks — S Colin Jones, FB Bruce Miller and CB Curtis Holcomb — all could help upgrade special teams and have the warrior-type temperament desired by the new regime to fill out the bottom of the roster. The greatest criticism of the Niners' 10-pick draft haul is that it involves too much positional projection from top to bottom. However, with a strong, technical coaching staff in tow, the Niners can be justified taking additional risk on raw talent. Manipulating the draft to land value, fill needs and line the roster with special-teams standouts were all pluses.
Grade: B-plus

Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider might have reached for talent more than any other team in the NFC, beginning with the first-round selection of OT James Carpenter. They ignored their quarterback need with a veteran likely to return, instead choosing to address a glaring need on the offensive line with the addition of Carpenter and lunchpail OG John Moffitt, both of whom could plug in as scrappy starters. LBs K.J. Wright, selected with a pick acquired from New England for Deion Branch, and Malcolm Smith have developmental potential, and CBs Richard Sherman [drafted with the pick dealt to Baltimore for Josh Wilson] and Byron Maxwell both have the size and press skills desired for Pete Carroll's defense. FS Mark LeGree can provide depth in the secondary. WR Kris Durham was a late riser who could contribute as a possession receiver. Pep Levingston could add depth inside or outside on the defensive line. The Seahawks could land several starters and contributors from this draft and drafted well for their schemes. However, the production lost from dealing Branch and Wilson — who were not great scheme fits in Seattle — detracts from a nondescript crop in a draft marked by reaches.
Grade: C-minus

St. Louis Rams
Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney addressed all of their major needs — perhaps with the exception of running back — including an upgrade of edge speed with the addition of DE Robert Quinn. Medical concerns pushed him down the board, but he fits well in Spagnuolo's defense and could replace the aging James Hall. Sam Bradford was given three very reliable receiving targets in Rounds 2-4 in TE Lance Kendricks and WRs Austin Pettis and Greg Salas, all of whom could factor readily in Josh McDaniels' offense and can open up the passing game. The Rams continued adding depth and special-teams talent in Rounds 5-7 with the addition of Jermale Hines, CB Mikail Baker, LB Jabara Williams and FS Jonathan Nelson — intriguing developmental talents capable of earning roster spots. Hines and Nelson, who both have eventual starter potential, were acquired in a deal down with Atlanta. Although it rolled the dice on Quinn's medical history with their top pick, the Rams' brass continually recognized value throughout the draft and upgraded its roster with contributing talent. The Rams easily could come away with three starters, potentially five, and upgraded special teams.
Grade: A

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
GM Mark Dominik took as much medical risk as any team in the draft with the selection of the Buccaneers' top two picks, DEs Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers. However, for all the risk, the Bucs also potentially landed as much value in the first two rounds as any team, while addressing a very pressing area of need. If Bowers can recover from knee surgery, he can become an impact performer, and Clayborn is very solid in his own right. LB Mason Foster has eventual starter potential and could help on special teams. TEs Luke Stocker and Daniel Hardy could both find roles blocking and receiving, respectively. S-CB Ahmad Black is a great fit for Raheem Morris' defense with Ronde Barber-like traits, and CB Anthony Gaitor could be a very solid final-round addition. RB Allen Bradford fits Greg Olson's ground game well. Dominik did a very solid job of landing instinctive, scheme-specific football players throughout the draft while targeting needs on every level of the defense. He also acquired DE Alex McGee and a sixth-round pick from the Chiefs for a fifth-rounder. 
Grade: B

Washington Redskins

Despite being fleeced by the Eagles last year in the trade for Donovan McNabb, GM Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan converted seven picks into 12 by trading down several times and were able to infuse some youth into an aging roster. OLB Ryan Kerrigan was a very safe first-round selection, but the Redskins reached for DE Jarvis Jenkins, who will project to end in Jim Haslett's odd front. Exchanging a third-round pick with New Orleans for a fifth in return for OT Jammal Brown proved to be well worth it. WRs Leonard Hankerson (third round), Niles Paul (fifth round) both fit Shanahan's offense well and could contribute readily, with Paul having potential to contribute on special teams. WR Aldrick Robinson (sixth round) also could find a role. The Redskins sacrificed their fourth-round pick as part of the deal for McNabb last season, which proved to be troublesome. RBs Roy Helu (fourth round) and Evan Royster (sixth round) are both well-suited for Shanahan's zone ground game. S DeJon Gomes and CB Brandyn Thompson will need to make it on special teams. OG Maurice Hurt could provide depth on the line. Their final two of four seventh-round picks — OLB Markus White and NT Chris Neild — have a chance to earn roles. Uncharacteristically of the Vinny Cerrato-Dan Snyder era, Shanahan and Allen showed more appreciation for building through the draft this year, manipulated it well, and did a very good job identifying talent that can thrive in their schemes. The addition of a disgruntled quarterback offsets the landing of a very solid offensive tackle on the trade front. The Redskins could easily come away with three starters, perhaps more in time, and plugged holes on an old roster.
Grade: B

There’s no doubt that part of the intrigue of the Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat is based on the tremendous star power, specifically the “Big 3” on Boston (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen) and on Miami (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh).

The Celtics and Heat combined to have seven all-stars this season. Boston had Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rajon Rondo; Miami had James, Wade and Bosh. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this will be the just the eighth series in playoff history in which seven or more All-Stars from that season will take the floor. (This excludes cases when teams had All-Stars who didn’t play in the series for whatever reason.) The record is eight All-Stars in a series, set in the 1962 NBA Finals between the Celtics (Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn) and Lakers (Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Frank Selvy, Rudy LaRusso).

The last playoff series with at least seven All-Stars participating was the 1983 NBA Finals, when the 76ers’ All-Star quartet of MVP Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney swept the Lakers’ All-Star trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes.

Just looking at All-Star appearances this season might understate this series' actual star power, which is based on some of these players’ tremendous career accomplishments. The Heat and Celtics’ current rosters have combined for an astounding 80 All-Star selections.

Not only that, but they’ve combined to earn 45 All-NBA Team selections, including 18 on the All-NBA 1st Team. If you look at win shares from Basketball-Reference.com -- a statistic that estimates how many wins a player accounted for in a given season or over the course of his career -- the players on these teams have combined for more than 1,500 regular-season win shares and nearly 150 postseason win shares entering this series.

Although most of these contributions come from the Celtics’ roster, most would agree that the Heat currently have more stars in their relative primes than Boston.

If you look at the players with the most regular season win shares since James, Wade, and Bosh came into the league in 2003-04, the Heat have the players who rank first (James), seventh (Wade) and 14th (Bosh). The Celtics have the players ranked third (Garnett), 11th (Pierce) and 15th (Allen). So, six of the top 15 players over the last eight seasons, by this metric, will be facing off in this series.

In all, there are 12 current or former All-Stars in this series, six on each team, for a combined 80 All-Star selections. How historic is this type of battle of All-Stars in a playoff series? Depending on who actually plays (i.e. if O'Neal doesn’t play, the combined number of All-Star selections would dip significantly), it could be among the most historic ever.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the most combined All-Star selections by players participating in a given postseason series is 63, which was the total for the Cavaliers-Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinals last year. The second-most combined All-Star selections among players participating in a given series was 61, which came in the 1973 NBA Finals between the Knicks (led by Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, and Dave DeBusschere) and the Lakers (led by Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain).

No matter how you look at it, this Eastern Conference Semifinals series will be one of the most star-studded postseason series in NBA history. Whether the quality of play within the series matches the hype surrounding it remains to be seen.

Kansas City Star

Garrett on Draft Picks and Defense ESPN IRVING, Texas -- As the final picks of the seventh round started to go off the board Saturday, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones had a giant cigar in his mouth. The man known for his draft-day wheeling and dealing since joining the ... For first time since 1962, Cowboys spend only 2 picks on defenseDallas Morning News (blog) Cowboys to look to free agency to help defenseBellingham Herald Dallas Cowboys: Rob Ryan should make a differenceNewsOK.com (blog) Blogging The Boys (blog) all 440 news articles »

[Dave] - We now continue a tradition that is both fun and absurd, and that's grading the Cowboys draft immediately after it's over. Yeah, it's absurd, but so what? We all like to spout opinions, so we'll go ahead and do it. KD kicks it off below.

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[KD] - The 2011 NFL Draft has reached its conclusion, and there are now eight new Dallas Cowboys that will be making their way to training camp, whenever that is. At the midway point of the draft, the conclusion of Day Two, KD posed the questions 'what just happened, what comes next?' Well, now we know what came next for the brain trust of the Dallas Cowboys.

We all know that drafts cannot truly be graded until 3-4 years down the line. The patient fan understands that, yet we all feel the need to qualify the new evidence we've been presented. Even knowing it isn't in proper context, which is okay as well.  Let's take a look at how we, the BTB writers, snap to judgements about the 2011 draft haul.

KD's Draft Grade: B+ (88.3%)

Welcome to Jason Garrett's team. This was a draft that instilled the vision JG has for this offense. The defense wasn't really addressed though, with no D line picks in a draft regarded as being deep there. I'd imagine free agency is the plan for the secondary, and that's how I would have done it. I love the Tyron Smith pick. Wish we could have traded back and still got him, but who knows if that was in the realm of possibilities, so great job getting a talent that meets a huge need. BPAPN #1 on the Boys board no doubt about it.

I've mocked Bruce Carter to the Cowboys and was told that he wouldn't be available in the fourth. You guys were right obviously.  DeMarco Murray grew on me overnight as I took stock of what it means. I think new head coach Jason Garrett is churning the position and both Marion Barber's and Tashard Choice's days could be numbered in Big D. I would have preferred going in a different direction with the 3rd rounder. I love the  Arkin pick for guard in the fourth. I wasn't familiar with Josh Thomas the corner, but reading up on him seems that he projects as an Orlando Scandrick type. Dwayne Harris is an interesting pick to add to the slot receiver competition and is considered a value according to a lot of boards.  I like the seventh round pick of a Wisconsin lineman that lost his position due to injury and their quality stock of linemen.

OCC's Draft Grade: A-

[OCC] I said early on that I wanted two things from this draft: football playing dudes and more of a meat-and-potatoes approach. I think I got both. This draft gets an A- in my book.

Garrett (and make no mistake, this was Garrett running the show today) got some good football players with the right work ethic, the right attitude and the right skills. Tough, hard-playing and hard-hitting guys. No reaches, no splashes on flashy players.

We got athletic linemen. We got skill players who can be real playmakers. We got team captains. We got conference MVPs. And we got two players in the second and third round with first round talent: as late as Nov. 20, 2010, cbssports.com ranked Bruce Carter the No. 6 prospect in the Nation, DeMarco Murray followed at No. 10.   

I like this draft and where it’s taking us. I like how the roster is evolving with these picks. I do not like the Murray pick from a strategy point of view, and would have preferred to take a running back much later in the draft, mostly because I personally am much higher on Jones and Choice than the coaches seem to be. I understand the reasoning behind the move (as Carl Shelton wrote: "That position needed a serious upgrade. Barber is done, Choice is below average and Felix is injury prone"), but the fact that the Cowboys once again drafted a full-time RB probably means that my assessment of the Cowboys RBs is off.

I love the idea of getting a real fullback. Personally, I would have preferred Hynoski, but to be fair, that’s just because I’ve seen four minutes worth of youtube highlights on Hynoski, and have only started looking for film on Chapas in the last couple of minutes.

Now, the Cowboys didn’t address all their needs in this draft, and I didn’t expect them to. But the draft was just Part I of Garrett’s plan to get the Cowboys back into contention. Part II starts whenever free agency begins. Garrett was interviewed on ESPN today, and said that the Cowboys were looking to get a specific type of player, "coachable, football player" types. This should bode very well for Part II of Garrett's plan.

Dave's Draft Grade: B-

[Dave] - In grading a draft, I always start the team with a C grade, that's the baseline. You move up or down from that. As mentioned above, this was Jason Garrett's draft. We went in thinking a lot about defense and the needs there, but Garrett had plans for his offense and executed them. I guess the Cowboys will be addressing the defense in free agency. They must also feel that Rob Ryan's tutelage and schemes can turn around the defense from last year's disaster.

I'm on board with the Tyron Smith pick fully, this was a great marriage of value and need. The top tackle in the draft at #9 works for me. This was the right pick.

The Bruce Carter pick could turn out to be a big steal. The guy has the talent, if he recovers from the knee injury, and he should, the Cowboys could come away looking very smart on that, especially post-Keith Brooking in 2012 and maybe post-Bradie James.

The DeMarco Murray pick wasn't my favorite. I understand what Garrett is trying to do, he wants a back who can catch, and one who is an athlete that can do a lot of things. I just think they could have waited and got a back later. Unless they think he's going to be a feature back at some point, this might have been a high price.

The small-school parade that followed has me a little nervous. David Arkin was a guy thought to go much later, and the Cowboys might have waited unless they knew someone else was hot on his trail. But I do like beefing up the interior line. Josh Thomas is an interesting pick at CB, he's athletic and aggressive, but he probably can't become more than a situational-player with his size. Dwayne Harris was very productive in college, so I love that, but we'll have to see if he can make his mark in the slot, doesn't look like he has the size or speed for the outside on a regualr basis.

A fullback! Guys who have followed the blog for a while know how much I like fullbacks, but I didn't expect the pick since John Phillips will return and Chris Gronkowski already on the roster. If Shaun Chapas can lay the wood in blocking, maybe I'll love this pick. Bill Nagy is a solid late-round choice.

Jason Garrett is re-making the offense in his image, or rather the early 90s Cowboys image, and Jerry Jones gave him the room to do it. I would have like to seen a little more attention paid to the defense, so I didn't walk away totally satisfied. Still, a solid B- grade.

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There is no doubt the lockout had a sizable impact on the 2011 NFL Draft. It forced a lot of teams to draft needs instead of best player available. As such, some teams got to sit back and pick off top players.

Other teams were able to maneuver around with trades and maximize value.

Baltimore Ravens
This is a strong class for the Ravens. Their biggest need was easily cornerback and the team added a starter in Jimmy Smith and a developmental nickel corner in Chykie Brown. Baltimore also had to add speed at wide receiver and did so with Torrey Smith. They filled out the draft with good scheme fits like tackle Jah Reid and defensive end Pernell McPhee.

Detroit Lions
The Lions only had five draft picks, but they really hit on their first three with DT Nick Fairley, WR Titus Young and RB Mikel Leshoure. Each should see considerable playing time as a rookie. Fairley is scary on their line next Ndamukong Suh. Leshoure could be the starting running back next season. It's surprising the team didn't address its glaring needs at cornerback and offensive tackle, though. Their fifth-round pick could have been used on one of those positions.

Green Bay Packers
In the first five rounds of the draft, the only questionable pick the Packers made was Hawaii running back Alex Green in the third round. Every other pick – OT Derek Sherrod, WR Randall Cobb, CB Davon House and TE D.J. Williams – was rated in my top 80 players. The Super Bowl champions are showing how they developed the best roster in the NFL. The trouble may be finding playing time for all this talent.

Houston Texans
Everyone knew Houston needed to transform its defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 with this draft. They did a really nice job of filling needs. Their first three picks – DE J.J. Watt, OLB Brooks Reed, CB Brandon Harris – could all be rookie starters. Corner Rashad Carmichael was a good depth pick in the fourth. T.J. Yates is a good developmental quarterback with decent tools.

Indianapolis Colts
If there is one team that showed they want to win right now, it's the Indianapolis Colts. The team found the two offensive linemen it needs in Anthony Castonzo and Benjamin Ijalana and a scheme perfect defensive tackle in Drake Nevis. Delone Carter should get a lot of carries at running back if his health holds up.

Kansas City Chiefs
As I mentioned, this is potentially a boom or bust draft for the Chiefs. Kansas City made some good trades and picked talent. But there is plenty of questions about on-field work ethic with WR Jon Baldwin, OLB Justin Houston, DE Allen Bailey and DT Jerrell Powe. Best case scenario, they'll be difference makers. The Chiefs did a good job filling needs with high upside.

Minnesota Vikings
What the? With Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick? That's right. I'm hanging my 2011 draft hat on Ponder developing into a good quarterback. After that, the Vikings made a lot of excellent choices. Kyle Rudolph was a first-round player before injury. Christian Ballard could be really good on that d-line, Brandon Burton is the cornerback they needed and center Brandon Fusco is a nice scheme fit find in the sixth round.

New Orleans Saints
The Saints may have given up a lot in order to get back into the first round to get running back Mark Ingram, but it was a smart move. He should make a big impact on their offense. Cameron Jordan could do the same thing with the defense. Martez Wilson is a good developmental linebacker with a high ceiling thanks to his athleticism. Johnny Patrick should start as a fine nickel cornerback.

New York Giants
New York general manager Jerry Reese got to sit back in the draft and wait for talent to fall to him. He didn't make trades and didn't need to. He got a steal with cornerback Prince Amukamara in the first round and defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the second round. Jerrel Jernigan is a playmaker and a good fit for their offense. James Brewer is a big, tough blocker. Greg Jones and Tyler Sash were wildly productive college players and the leaders of their teams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa came into the draft needing a pass rush. They certainly added it with ends Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers. They continued to add solid, scheme-based picks in Mason Foster and Ahmad Black. They also got a fourth-round steal in tight end Luke Stocker. He could be this year's Tony Moeaki.

Thought we were done here at BTSC pumping out the content throughout the entire three days of the 2011 NFL Draft? Thank again! Many thanks to Big Jay for putting together a mock draft for round two based on what happened Thursday night in the opening round. I like that he's included trades in this mock. I too expect there to be a number of trades in round two as teams wrangle for position to ensure they get those guys they have high on their boards.

Let's use this thread as our open thread for the second round as well.

-Michael B. -

********

Round Two

***TRADE***

New England gets picks 37, 59

Cleveland gets pick 33

33. Cleveland Browns (From New England Patriots via Carolina Panthers) – Da’Quan Bowers DE, Clemson

New England is going to trade this pick to someone. Cleveland was willing to trade up for Phil Taylor but they still need more D-lineman, particularly at DE. Bowers is a first round talent who slips because of injury concerns. This is a steep price to pay but New England always seems to get these kinds of deals and Cleveland is playing with house money after getting Atlanta’s second rounder.

34. Buffalo Bills – Benjamin Ijalana OG/OT, Villanova

I’ve been giving the Bills a QB here for a while now but I’m starting to think that they are serious when they say they have confidence in Ryan Fitzpatrick going forward. If that’s true they need to find him some protection.

 

35. Cincinnati Bengals – Andy Dalton QB, TCU

The Bengals need to plan for the future after Carson Palmer, which could be the 2011 season if Palmer gets his way. Previously I’ve had Ryan Mallett going here but Dalton is a much better fit for Jay Gruden’s West Coast offense. Plus, apparently Gruden is in love with Dalton.

 

36. Denver Broncos – Stephen Paea DT, Oregon State

Denver passed on Marcell Dareus to take Von Miller, who I love, but who absolutely does not fit their defense. Heading into the second round they simply have to address the DT position.

 

37. New England Patriots (via Cleveland Browns) – Akeem Ayers OLB, UCLA

The rich keep getting richer. New England could’ve taken Ayers at pick 33 but instead they trade back and still get him. Ayers is a perfect fit for Belichick’s defense and N.E. must upgrade their pass-rush.

 

38. Arizona Cardinals – Brooks Reed DE/OLB, Arizona

The Cardinals have to upgrade their pass-rush. It’s ridiculous to have an aging Joey Porter and Clack Haggans at OLB.

 

39. Tennessee Titans – Marvin Austin DT, North Carolina

Austin is a top talent who falls because of character concerns. I’m sure Tennessee gave serious consideration to drafting Nick Fairley so why wouldn’t they take Austin here?

 

40. Dallas Cowboys – Rahim Moore FS, UCLA

Alan Ball was terrible last year and Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent. Dallas probably needs a CB more but Jerry Jones doesn’t think so, and of course what Jerry says is what goes.

 

41. Washington Redskins – Colin Kaepernick QB, Nevada

Washington can’t be serious about Rex Grossman as their starting QB.

 

42. Houston Texans – Aaron Williams CB/FS, Texas

With no NT’s available, this pick will come down to the BPA at CB or Safety. Houston cut FS Eugene Wilson. Williams could play either position.

 

43. Minnesota Vikings – Kyle Rudolph TE, Notre Dame

New quarterback’s are usually accompanied by new weapons and Minnesota has been looking at TE’s throughout the draft process.

 

44. Detroit Lions – Brandon Harris CB, Miami

For some reason the Lions passed on Prince Amukamara in the first round. Harris would be a great fit for their defense as well as for their drafting philosophy of taking the BPA.

 

45. San Francisco 49ers – Randall Cobb WR, Kentucky

The 49ers are apparently going to stick with Alex Smith at QB, at least for Harbaugh’s first season. If they do, they’ll need to add some weapons to the offense to aide Smith.    

 

46. Denver Broncos (via Miami Dolphins) – Mikel Leshoure RB, Illinois

When Knowshon Moreno is hurt, which is a lot, and out of the line up Denver’s ground game is non-existent. Plus new Head Coach John Fox likes to use a multiple-back system.

***TRADE***

St. Louis gets picks 63, 128, 162

Pittsburgh gets pick 47

47. Pittsburgh Steelers (via St. Louis Rams) – Ras-I Dowling CB, Virginia

Pittsburgh opted to stay put in the first round, making the unsexy but solid pick of Cameron Heyward at DE. Arguably the Steelers biggest need is at CB, especially if they fail to resign Ike Taylor. Dowling is the last of the second tier CB’s and the drop off to the next tier is a steep one. If not for an injury-plagued final season at Virginia he probably would’ve been a first round pick. He’s a perfect fit for the Steelers defensive scheme as well as for the front office as he is a high-character guy. If the Steelers are going to trade up at any point in the draft it’ll need to be in the second round for a CB.

 

48. Oakland Raiders – Stefen Wisniewski OC/OG, Penn State

I’ve jokingly mocked the biggest and fastest players to Oakland in my mock drafts because owner Al Davis is obsessed with those attributes. But all joking aside Wisniewski makes perfect sense if he’s available. His Uncle Steve "The Wis" Wisniewski was a multi-year Pro bowler for the Raiders and now serves as their assistant offensive line coach, and Oakland needs help all along the offensive line. Last year’s starting OC Samson Satele is a free agent. In addition to that LG Robert Gallery is a free agent as well.

 

49. Washington Redskins (via Jacksonville Jaguars) – Torrey Smith WR, Maryland

Santana Moss is a free agent and Washington has nothing else at WR.

 

50. San Diego Chargers – Martez Wilson ILB, Illinois

All of San Diego’s ILB’s are free agents. 

 

51. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Allen Bailey DE, Miami

The Bucs make back-to-back picks at DE like they did last year with DT.  

 

52. New York Giants –Ryan William RB, Virginia Tech

Ahmad Bradshaw can’t stay healthy for an entire season.  

 

53. Indianapolis Colts – Rodney Hudson OG/OC, Florida State

Indy continues to upgrade its offensive line

***TRADE***

Philly gets picks 68, 100

Buffalo gets pick 54

54. Buffalo Bills (via Philadelphia Eagles) – Sam Acho DE/OLB, Texas

Buffalo miss out on Von Miller in the first round but jump ahead of the chiefs and Patriots to get the best available pass-rushing OLB.     

 

55. Kansas City Chiefs – James Brewer OT, Indiana

K.C. wanted Nate Solder in the first round. They need an upgrade at RT.

 

56. New England Patriots (via New Orleans Saints) – Will Rackley OG, Lehigh

New England continues to upgrade its offensive line. Stephen Neal retired and Logan Mankins wants to be traded.   

 

57. Seattle Seahawks – Ryan Mallett QB, Arkansas

Matt Hasselbeck is a 35 year old free agent and Charlie Whitehurst is a career clipboard-holder. Pete Carroll has never had a problem getting players with character concerns before.

 

58. Baltimore Ravens – Justin Houston DE/OLB, UGA

Baltimore loves taking the BPA. They could use an upgrade at OLB opposite of Terrell Suggs and by taking Jimmy Smith in the first round it apparent that they aren’t afraid of character concerns.   

 

59. New England Patriots (from Cleveland Browns via Atlanta Falcons) – Jerrel Jernigan WR, Troy

New England needs someone who can burn the top off of the coverage. 

***TRADE***

New England gets picks 86, 2012 second rounder

Kansas City gets pick 60

60. Kansas City Chiefs (via New England Patriots) – Jabaal Sheard DE/OLB, Pittsburgh

The Chiefs jump ahead of the Chargers to get a pass-rusher to pair with Tamba Hali.

 

61. San Diego Chargers (via New York Jets) – Marcus Gilbert OT, Florida

The Chargers have needed an upgrade over Jeremy Clary at RT for years. 

 

62. Chicago Bears – Orlando Franklin OG, Miami

Chicago has issues all along the offensive line. 

 

63. St. Louis Rams (via Pittsburgh Steelers) – Leonard Hankerson WR, Miami

St. Louis lacks a legitimate number one WR.

 

64. Green Bay Packers – Jarvis Jenkins DT/DE, Clemson

Cullen Jenkins is a free agent and Johnny Jolly can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

Our continuing series looking at the Top 10 Biggest Draft Busts Of The Jerry Jones Era rolls on with #8. The guidelines - Must have been drafted during Jerry Jones' era (1989 - present), needs to be a player chosen in the 1st or 2nd round. Anybody below that is excused for sucking. It's not a list of the worst players, but a list of the worst value to the team, based on lack of contributions and when they were drafted. Also, certain intangibles can be thrown into the mix.

8. Alexander Wright (1990, 2nd round, #26, WR, Auburn)

This pick can be summed up in two words, blinding speed. Wright had the speed, and the Cowboys were blinded by it. They spent a second round pick on a guy who started (depending on whose stats you believe) six or seven games in a little over two season with the Cowboys. By his third year, Dallas shipped him off to the one place where speed still blinds, the Oakland Raiders. Wright had one mediocre season with Oakland in '93, and that was it.

rabblerousr: With this pick, Jimmy Johnson learned that, in the NFL, unlike college, pure speed doesn't mean diddly. He was traded two years later.

-------------------------------------------------

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The decision has been made. Apparently. Brandon Knight's mother has told Jerry Tipton that her son has made his decision but it is not for her to announce. Speculation is rampant that the decisions of both Knight and Jones will be announced today. If Kentucky holds a press conference, that is probably not a good thing. If they release a press release as with Doron Lamb, the probability is that they will stay. At least one person, Seth Davis thinks that the fact there is no news on the Kentucky freshmen yet could be god news for Kentucky fans. Seth Davis had these comments: Two other probable freshmen lottery picks, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones of Kentucky, are still mulling over their decisions. The fact that they have not yet announced their intentions (the deadline for doing so is Sunday) indicates that one, if not both, could also return. We know that Doron Lamb is nreturning to Kentucky next season now, but Gary Parrish seems to think that it may take the ret...

We're almost at the high point of draft season, that wonderful time of the year when hope springs eternal and everybody suddenly becomes an expert in player evaluation and selection.

One of the joys of draft season is that everybody can have an opinion, and nowadays anyone can publish one. It's the time of year when any random internet dude knows more than our coaches and scouts. Combined.

You've pored over college rosters, you've scoured all available scouting reports and even occasionally dabbled in mock drafts in an attempt to figure out what the Cowboys draft strategy could look like, because you never know, that one mock draft you're reading may just be the one that has it all figured out. But at the end, they're all just opinions. After the break, my thoughts on other people's thoughts about what the Cowboys and other teams may be thinking.

Here are my totally random musings about the draft.

- Why on earth would the Cowboys start taking an offensive lineman in the first round? They haven't done it in the last 30 years, so why should they start now? Remember your mock drafts from last year? Remember how you had offensive line and safety as the top priorities? So much for that. The Cowboys ranked 7th in yards and points on offense last year - with a 38-year-old backup quarterback leading the charge! - but their defense ranked 23rd in yards and 31st in points allowed. I would be very, very surprised if the Cowboys take an offensive lineman with their first pick. Pleasantly surprised, perhaps, but surprised nonetheless.

- Hitching your horse to the next best cart. Ever since the last draft, I've had my eye on Robert Quinn, hoping and praying that he would end up a Cowboy, somehow. Especially after I heard repeated comparisons to DeMarcus Ware and I started watching tape of the guy. But that changed at the end of October, when I started to realize just how ineffective the Cowboys D-line had become in generating pressure. For a while my pet cat was Cameron Jordan (and for a brief period when it looked like we would end up drafting in the top five, I harbored uncouth thoughts about Marcell Dareus), but by the end of November, BTB member Lissyyyyy had alerted me to a dude called J.J. Watt. These are the first three recorded mentions of Watt on BTB, all by Lissyyyyy:

Oct. 28, 2011: "Another badger who I really really like is JJ Watt. He would make an excellent 3-4 end."
Nov. 28, 2011: "JJ Watt just had an awesome forced fumble. He is a tall guy 6-6, but plays close to the ground and has long arms. Prototypical 3-4 DE. Hope he comes out this year."
Nov. 28, 2011: "JJ Watt keeps on making plays."

I stayed on the Watt bandwagon for a long time, and watched him climb higher and higher on many draft boards. I briefly hitched my horse to the Von Miller cart, but that ended quickly when I realized Miller wasn't going to drop far enough. I had steadfastly refused the temptation of the Prince Amukamara bandwagon, and when the Tyron Smith train started gaining steam I made sure I kept a safe distance to that juggernaut. 

Over the last couple of weeks I've been oscillating between J.J. Watt, Cameron Jordan and my most recent pet cat, the late-rising Aldon Smith. I would also be very pleased with either Anthony Castonzo or Gabe Carimi. I found it very interesting to observe these changes in my preferences, which were not based on any detailed film study, analysis of college stats or scouting reports but instead were formed on anecdotal evidence like youtube snippets, a media mention here and a comment there that combined to create a totally subjective picture of a player in my mind.

Boy, do I hope the Cowboys do a better job of this than I do.

- Mel Kiper sounds off on Tyron Smith. In an ESPN film segment (watch it here) Mel Kiper was asked who, besides quarterbacks, he thought was the most overrated prospect that will still be taken in the first round. Here's what he said:

"I’m going to go with Tyron Smith, OT, USC, for this reason: I have him up there in the 10, 9 area, but if you’re picking 10 or 9 you ought to get somebody normally in your top five or six. If you look at Smith, he’s got a lot of potential. Is he a right tackle? A left tackle? You’d like to see him play that LT spot."

"Can he maintain his weight at 305/310 as well? He’s got enormous potential, but if you’re picking 9, get somebody in your top five or six. If you’re looking at Dallas: move back. Smith would be more of a pick that would make sense in the middle of the first round. Then if you’re picking, say, 14th and you get a guy at 9 or 10, you’ll feel really good about it."

"I think these offensive tackles are being pushed up a little bit because they have to go. Everybody’s looking for a left tackle in the NFL, but in a normal year these would have been mid-first rounders, they’re almost like being pushed up a little bit, Smith, even Anthony Castonzo from Boston College, because you’ve got to have these guys in the pass happy NFL."

Mel Kiper is no Rick Gosselin, but to quote one veteran NFL scout who preferred to stay anonymous:

"People in the league respect Kiper.  He is not a true scout but he does work at it.  A lot of his info he gets from connections in the league, and over the years he has made quite a few."

Gosselin's first mock has Smith going to the Cowboys and I'm more inclined to trust Gosselin. But I'm still scratching my head on Tyron Smith. The funny thing is, there doesn't seem to be any middle ground with this guy. He's either the best tackle in the draft or the most overrated. The highest potential or the least experience. You're either Pro-Smith or Anti-Smith, but there's very little in between. When in doubt, trust your board.

- Welcome visitors. Brent Sobleski from draftinsider.net tweeted yesterday that LSU's Patrick Peterson is visiting with the Cowboys later this week. And according to the National Football Post, Robert Quinn also has a visit scheduled with the Cowboys.

I thought we had a pretty good handle on who had been to Valley Ranch in our Cowboys Pre-Draft Visit Tracker, but it appears that either the Cowboys have found a way around the 30-player limit or I'll have to painstakingly rework that list because somebody has been feeding me false information. I already have my suspicions who the media guy with the sloppy research habits could be ...

- Beware the Redskins. If players like Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley or Julio Jones slip out of the top eight, there's a reasonable chance a couple of teams could be interested in moving up to grab one of those players. The Cowboys have let it be known that they are open to trading down. If I'm the Redskins - who have no 3rd or 4th round pick - I'm calling every team and telling them I'll offer a much better deal for my No. 10 pick than the other team will get for the Cowboys' No. 9 pick.

"What? That snake-oil salesman Jerry Jones wants a 2nd rounder for his No. 9 pick? Here, I'll give you my No. 10 pick for just your 3rd and 4th rounders."

- Trade down and then trade up again. The reason I like the trade-down option is not because it gives us an extra pick per se, but because the Cowboys could use that pick to trade back up into the first. There are many scenarios that could work, but here's one: The Cowboys trade their 9th (1350) for the Rams 14th and 78th (1300). With the 14th, they take their pick of whoever is atop their draft board, Watt, Jordan, Aldon Smith, Castonzo, perhaps even Tyron Smith if he's still around.

I hear that the the Seahawks are desperate to trade down and the Cowboys could package their own 40th and the Rams 78th (700) to move into Seattle's 25th spot (720) where Aaron Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson, Cameron Heyward, Danny Watkins, Stefen Wisniewski and perhaps even Gabe Carimi could still be waiting.

Any combination of these names would be a great haul.

Or imagine this trade: San Diego 18 + 61 + 82 (1372) for Dallas 9 + 176 (1372). The Cowboys pick their player at 18, package their two 2nd rounders 40 + 61 (792) in a trade up for the Colts’ 22nd pick (780) and snap up either Gabe Carimi or Jimmy Smith from right under the Eagles’ nose.

I shudder in delightful anticipation.

- Gabbert? I'll freely admit that I'm not very knowledgeable about college football, but how come I didn't see a single game last year featuring a QB who some believe will be the number one pick this year? I saw Andrew Luck games, I saw Cam Newton games, I saw Ryan Mallett games, I saw Andy Dalton once and I think I saw one Christian Ponder game, though I'm not sure anymore. But I didn't see a single Missouri game. In fact, I don't think I'd ever heard Gabbert's name until he declared at the beginning of January and started creeping up mock draft boards.

I understand that Gabbert was a junior who hadn't declared yet, but so were Andrew Luck and Janoris Jenkins, neither of whom had declared either, and both already were regulars in the top ten of early mock drafts from which Gabbert was conspicuously absent. Three months later - and not a single Missouri game played since then - Gabbert is a consensus top five pick. How weird is that?

There you go folks, those are my random, off-the-wall musings as I try to make sense of all the he-said-she-said all around me.

Nueva York.- El Festival de Cine de Tribeca abre hoy su décima edición con el estreno del documental de Cameron Crowe "The Union" y un concierto del británico Elton John, protagonista de esa cinta con la leyenda del rock Leon Russell.

La atención de la apertura del festival neoyorquino ha recaído así sobre la colaboración firmada entre Elton John y Leon Russell para crear el álbum "The Union" y que tan bien ha reflejado en la cinta homónima el director de cintas como "Jerry Maguire" (1996) o "Vanilla Sky" (2001).

"Es el homenaje de un icono del pop a una prolífica pero poco apreciada leyenda musical, Leon Russell", indicaron los organizadores de la muestra.

La cinta narra el proceso de composición y elaboración del álbum que Elton John grabó con quien fuera su ídolo al inicio de su carrera.

Tras el estreno mundial de la cinta, que podría tener lugar al aire libre, Elton John tiene previsto ofrecer un concierto gratuito con la música de una película cuyo rodaje se inició en noviembre de 2009 y duró un año.

El festival abraza así la música en la apertura de una edición especial por tratarse de la décima, una cifra que también recuerda a Nueva York que hace una década sufrieron la peor catástrofe de su historia: los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001 contra las Torres Gemelas.

Fue la voluntad de animar a sus habitantes y revitalizar el sur de Manhattan, donde se alzaba el World Trade Center, lo que llevó al actor Robert De Niro y otras personalidades a inventarse un festival que llenara el barrio de Tribeca de cine.

Con ese objetivo, los organizadores han preparado para este año una inauguración "fuera de lo común para la muestra", pues se ha programado, por "primera vez en la historia del festival", como un evento comunitario, gratuito y abierto al público.

El escenario es el complejo del World Financial Center, un espacio que sufrió numerosos desperfectos en los atentados del 11-S.

Además, el festival, que se prolonga hasta el 1 de mayo, está de enhorabuena porque este año se ha batido el récord de cintas presentadas -5.624-, de las que se mostrarán un centenar firmadas por directores de más de 30 países.

Entre las seleccionadas está "Blackthorn", dirigida por el español Mateo Gil -guionista de Alejandro Amenábar- y protagonizada por Eduardo Noriega y Sam Shepard. Es un western que retoma la historia del forajido Butch Cassidy y que compite en la sección a concurso.

"Blackthorn" se enfrentará a la mexicana "Paraísos artificiales", de Yulene Olaizola, que narra el encuentro entre un hombre y una adicta a la heroína que se intenta desintoxicar.

En la sección a concurso dedicada a los documentales está "Give Up Tomorrow", de Michael Collins, sobre el español Paco Larrañaga, condenado a muerte en Filipinas por el secuestro, violación y asesinato en 1997 de dos hermanas. En 2006 le fue conmutada la pena por la de cadena perpetua y después fue trasladado a España.

Fuera de concurso están "Carne de neón", thriller del español Paco Cabezas, protagonizado por Mario Casas, Angela Molina y Darío Grandinetti, que se mostrará dentro de la sección Cinemania, dedicada al cine contemporáneo de género.

Fuera de concurso se presenta la coproducción entre Chile y Argentina "Mi último round", escrita y dirigida por Julio Jorquera, que relata la historia de un boxeador que se enamora de otro hombre y ambos deciden abandonar su tierra natal y emprender una vida en común en Santiago de Chile.

El festival también tendrá su espacio para los rostros conocidos de Hollywood, como Orlando Bloom ("The Good Doctor"), Eva Mendes y Keira Knightley ("Last Night"), Kathleen Turner ("The Perfect Family"), Ryan Philippe ("The Bang Bang Club"), Toni Colette ("Jesus Henry Christ"), Abigail Breslin ("Janie Jones") o Don Cheadle ("The Guard").

Monfils, Almagro

into 3rd round

at Barcelona Open

BARCELONA, Spain -- Gael Monfils rallied to beat Robin Haase in three sets and Nicolas Almagro defeated Pablo Andujar in second-round matches at the Barcelona Open on Tuesday.

The seventh-seeded Monfils won 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in his second tournament since being sidelined for nearly three months because of a wrist injury.

Almagro, seeded eighth, won 7-5, 7-6 (1) to improve to 16-2 on clay this season and move within one victory of breaking into the top 10 for the first time.

Fourth-ranked Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych pulled out of the event earlier Tuesday. Murray, seeded second behind Rafael Nadal, was bothered by an elbow injury. Berdych, seeded fifth, left with a stomach virus.

In the opening round, Milos Raonic beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-2 in only his second clay tournament after debuting at Monte Carlo last week.

Richard Gasquet rallied to beat Juan Ignacio Chela 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4, and former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-2 in his first match since the U.S. Open. The Spaniard had been recovering from wrist and knee surgeries in October.

Safina defeats Craybas at Grand Prix Sar in Morocco

FEZ, Morocco -- Dinara Safina routed American Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-0 Tuesday at the Grand Prix Sar in Morocco.

Safina struggled with her first serve, landing only 38 percent. But she converted five of her seven break points to wrap up the victory in 51 minutes.

Safina will play either eighth-seeded Alize Cornet of France or Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic. Cornet was leading 6-3, 5-3 when their match was suspended by darkness.

Top-seeded Aravane Rezai of France rallied to beat Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Other first-round winners at the clay-court tournament included Lalami, Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, Anastasia Pivovareva of Russia, Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium and Alberta Brianti of Italy.

Russia's Chakvetadze retires after falliing

ill in Stuttgart

STUTTGART, Germany -- Anna Chakvetadze of Russia became ill and had to retire from her first-round match at the Porsche Grand Prix on Tuesday, the third straight tournament she's had to quit because of dizzy spells.

Chakvetadze, a former top-10 player who had to qualify for the event, also retired from tournaments in Dubai and Indian Wells. Chakvetadze had a strong start before retiring at 6-1, 5-7, 4-4 against Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia.

Kucova will play the top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who had a bye into the second round.

Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki also advanced to the second round.

Knight apologizes

for statement

toward Kentucky

NEW YORK -- Bob Knight has apologized to Kentucky and coach John Calipari after claiming that several of the Wildcats' players did not attend spring semester classes last year.

The Hall of Fame coach and college basketball analyst for ESPN blasted Calipari's habit of recruiting players who spend just a year on campus before bolting for the NBA during a speaking engagement in Indiana last weekend.

Knight said in a brief statement released by ESPN on Tuesday: "My overall point is that 'one-and-dones' are not healthy for college basketball. I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize."

The Wildcats went 35-3 during the 2009-10 season, after which freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton left school for the NBA.

Kentucky G

Doron Lamb

returning to school

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky freshman Doron Lamb is not "one-and-done."

The 6-foot-4 guard announced Tuesday he will return for his sophomore season. Lamb averaged 12.3 points and shot 48 percent from 3-point range for the Wildcats while helping them to their first Final Four appearance in 13 years. He scored a then-school freshman record 32 points in a victory over Winthrop in December, a mark later broken by teammate Terrence Jones.

Lamb said the tough loss to Connecticut in the national semifinals and the addition of another top recruiting class next fall are the main reasons he decided to not enter the NBA draft.

Kansas F

Thomas Robinson cited for battery

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas forward Thomas Robinson has been cited with misdemeanor battery after a fight at a nightclub, the latest headache for the Jayhawks.

Lawrence city prosecutor Jerry Little said Tuesday that Robinson is accused of being involved in an altercation outside the club April 10.

He said officers served Robinson with the ticket on Monday.

By wire sources

BY JON KRAWCZYNSKI | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Carl Eller emerged from a 7-hour mediation session between the NFL and its locked-out players and let out a big sigh.

"Tough day," he said.

When a Hall of Fame defensive end and one of the most feared players of his generation gives that kind of evaluation, it's safe to say that the negotiations between the owners and the players aren't getting any easier.

The two sides resumed their court-ordered talks on Tuesday after a three-day break, with no sign that an agreement is any closer. The lockout is in its second month and a federal judge is expected to decide soon on the players' request to halt the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay, Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy and owners Pat Bowlen of Denver and Jerry Richardson of Carolina on the NFL side on Tuesday.

Named plaintiffs Ben Leber, Mike Vrabel and Eller represented the group of current, former and future players who are asking for the injunction on the lockout and have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league.

All declined comment at the end of the long day of negotiation. The two sides will meet again this morning in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan.

The talks are the latest step in the contentious fight over a new collective bargaining agreement. Sixteen days of mediated talks in Washington fell short, resulting in a class-action antitrust lawsuit filed by the players against the NFL and the owners' decision to lock out the players after they disbanded their union.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson said at a hearing on April 6 that she would rule "in a couple of weeks" on the players' request to lift the lockout. Today will be exactly two weeks from the hearing.

With Nelson's decision looming, some have wondered how eager either side would be to negotiate a settlement given that the ruling on the injunction could swing the leverage to one side or the other.

But Michael Hausfeld, an attorney representing retired players, said on Tuesday morning that both sides are committed to the mediation sessions.

"This is no charade. This is no illusion. This is going to come to a resolution either by the parties compromising or agreeing or by a judgment," Hausfeld said. "And even with a judgment, many times there is then a discussion as to how to compromise the judgment so there is not a winner-take-all situation.

"This takes time. The court is doing everything within its power to get the parties to realize that."

DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players' trade association, did not attend the session on Tuesday due to a family emergency and neither did lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler.

When discussions concluded on Friday, Boylan assigned some weekend homework. Hausfeld walked into the federal courthouse on Tuesday with a document that he estimated at about 100 pages responding to the questions Boylan asked them to answer.

"What this mediation is about, what the dispute is about, is the structure of the game and the relationship between the rookies, the active players, the retirees, with each other and the league," Hausfeld said. "Those are fundamental."

Nelson ordered the talks, which lasted 13 hours over two days last week.

Players including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning filed the request for the injunction along with the antitrust claim. The lawsuit has been combined with two other similar claims from retirees, former players and rookies-to-be, with Eller the lead plaintiff in that group.

The prospects of Nelson's ruling giving one side leverage could influence the mediation, Hausfeld said.

GIANTS-REDSKINS,

COWBOYS-JETS

TO PLAY ON SEPT. 11

NEW YORK -- The New York Giants will visit the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11, marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

With the NFL and its locked-out players mired in negotiations over a new labor agreement, the league Tuesday announced its 2011-12 schedule -- assuming the season starts on time.

The regular season kicks off Thursday night, Sept. 8, when the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 23, the fifth consecutive year the NFL has played a regular-season game in London.

The first Sunday features several high-profile games, including Indianapolis at Houston and Atlanta at Chicago. But much of the national focus will be on Washington and New York, the two cities most affected by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

We're moving on to our list of draft busts in the Jerry Jones era. We limited this list to guys drafted in the 1st and 2nd rounds only. Those are true busts; you expect the guys taken in those rounds to be solid contributors. The higher you were drafted in those rounds, the bigger the bust. If you went on to play for another team and managed some stats, we graded that as mitigating circumstances and gave you a little credit. We also threw in intangibles when appropriate. It's by no means a perfect list, but we took a shot anyway.

10. Kavika Pittman (1996, 2^nd round, #37, DE, McNeese State) 

At pick #37 in the 2nd round, Kavika Pittman was practically a first round pick. In fact, he was the Cowboys first pick in the '96 draft. Pittman spent four years in Dallas, and started for two. In his best year, he had 6 sacks and 37 tackles. Basically he was a non-factor. He did go on to play for Denver for a couple of years and had a seven sack season there, but sadly, the Cowboys wasted their pick.

------------------------------------------------

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Correctly predict the first 32 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft and you’ll win
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Enjoy Responsibly ©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO. ©2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. No Purchase Necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents (except CA) 21+. Contest begins 12AM CDT on 4/1 and ends 5:59:59PM CDT on 4/28. See Official Rules for complete details. Void where prohibited.

-- The NFL has allowed team and player to gather in the same non-courthouse/mediation room for the first time. Cowboys coaches and players participated in the team's seventh annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party on Sunday night. [espn.com] Of course, not to break any rules- there was absolutely no football discussed at the event, wink wink. Head coach Jason Garrett confirmed the no-funny business edict following with this quote:

"We'll talk about the bread and the water,"

Good thing for the Cowboys Executive Chef a lot of the ingredients for the bread were in attendance. DeMarcus Ware, the defensive beast yeast who rises to all occasions, hosted the event at the Gaylord Texan Resort. Also in attendance was offensive power flour Jason Witten, as well as Andre Gurode, Stephen McGee, Phil Costa, L.P. Ladouceur and David Buehler. Assistant coaches Rob Ryan, Wade Wilson, Wes Phillips, John Garrett, Brian Baker and Joe DeCamillis were all spotted hovering around the oven.

Said Ware:

"I'm ready to play," Ware said. "Everybody is going to be ready because you never know when [the lockout is going to end]. It's going to come, and then it's going to be time to play."

Follow the jump for more actual football talk from the event...

-- Fortunately, Clarence E. Hill, Jr. was there and talked to some of the players and coaches. He shares his info in this article. A couple of nuggets:

* Several players are getting together for strength and conditioning at Southlake Carroll High School under the direction of former assistant strength coach Todd Devers. That group includes Jason Witten, David Buehler, Marc Colombo and Chris Gronkowski among others.

* According to coach Jason Garrett, the Cowboys have not made a decision on what they are going to do with the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft. They are still gauging interest from teams about a possible move down to pick up extra picks.

Garrett said nothing should be read into the fact that he went to the USC Pro Day to scout tackle Tyron Smith up close and personal. He said many of the other tackles worked out at the combine. Smith didn't work out so the trip worked out with his schedule and it gave him a chance to do his due diligence by getting a look at the workout.

-- ESPN's Todd Archer caught up to Jason Witten at the event, and broached the subject of retribution from upper management over the CBA talks. Archer posed the question if the tough talk has irreparable damage on the relationship with owner Jerry Jones.

"I’m sure some guys on the executive committee have seen some of that or heard some have that," Witten said. "They might have different feelings … but I’ve never looked at it that way and I’m sure DeMarcus and Bradie are the same way."

"I’m extremely loyal and appreciative of the Jones family and what they’ve given me," Witten said. "That’s a different situation because of where we play and how involved they are in the program. You love playing for them … I think we all understand it’s a business."

-- Archer also has a story where Witten states the team will begin offseason workouts in the next few weeks.

Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said the leaders are in the process of putting together the sessions, adding, “Tony [Romo] is doing a good job leading that up. It’s been an important part of what we’re doing.”

-- Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant is apparently starting to do the necessary thing to put all the recent bad press behind him. Reports came out over the weekend that Bryant has reached an undisclosed settlement with the jeweler that was suing him for $246,000.

-- Dallas Cowboys receiver Troy Bergeron, the first NFL player that signed on to the AFL during the lockout, continues to light up the league. This past weekened he had 11 catches for 117 yards. [dallasnews.com] Bergeron is currently the leagues leading scorer.

Former ESPN NFC East blogger and current Fox Sports Southwest writer Matt Mosley appeared on the Ben and Skin Show on KESN-FM 103.3 yesterday to discuss what he has been hearing out of Valley Ranch about the Cowboys’ draft plans. Mosley told Ben and Skin that if the Cowboys can trade trade down from No. 9, they will. Claiming ‘multiple conversations’ he had yesterday, Mosley is convinced the Cowboys don’t see much difference between Tyron Smith and other OTs like Anthony Castonzo and particularly Nate Solder, who the Cowboys apparently think is an even better athlete than Doug Free.

In the interview and in his article on Fox Sports Southwest, Mosley narrows down the list of potential candidates for the Cowboys’ top pick this year to Solder, J.J. Watt and Prince Amukamara, with Cameron Jordan just slightly behind those three. In an interesting side note, Wade Phillips appears to be getting some of the blame for the recent bad drafts, while Garrett is getting "rave reviews" so far. Truth, revisionist history, spin control? Take your pick.

Is all of this an elaborate smokescreen by the Cowboys and Mosley just the unsuspecting messenger, or is there meat to this story? We’ll find out for sure in nine days. Until then you can read a full transcript of the interview after the break or listen to a recording here.

[Hat tip to Scottmaui for the Fanshot]

Ben & Skin: What whispers are you hearing about what the Cowboys want to do at No. 9?

Matt Mosley: "They want to trade down, and I think there are so many people that need a big-play wide receiver, need one of these quarterbacks. And so I think there's some thought from the Cowboys that if one of these guys starts slipping - whether it's Blaine Gabbert, whether it's Julio Jones sitting there at No. 9 from Alabama - that there's going to be some interest from teams wanting to come rolling up there into that top 10. I think the Cowboys would be content to move down off of that pick."

"I was convinced, and I led the Tyron Smith movement and I appreciate you guys supporting that. [Jason Garrett] went to USC, spent time on the campus with the kid, every mock drafter in America has Tyron Smith [going to the Cowboys]."

"What I’m telling you today, you’re the first to hear this, is that that will soon change. This could be the Cowboys trying to put down a smokescreen, saying they don’t want Tyron Smith, but after multiple conversations yesterday, I am convinced that the Cowboys don't think there's that much difference between, say, Castonzo, the offensive tackle and then Nate Solder, the offensive tackle out of Colorado. They think that Tyron Smith and those two tackles are right there pretty close together."

"I guess what I’m telling you is that as of about seven o’clock last night, I’ve sort of started backing of my "Tyron Smith to the Cowboys at No. 9."

"I think it's time to start thinking about some of these other names, including this J.J. Watt from Wisconsin. I get the sense that the Cowboys could take him at defensive end and never look back. And they feel like he'll be a great player in the league for the next 10-12 years."

Q: Is this more about them falling out of love with Tyron Smith, or is it about wanting to trade down or is it about wanting to take a defensive tackle or end?

A: "If you look back over history, how many top ten picks have the Cowboys spent on an offensive lineman or an offensive tackle specifically? I don’t think this is them falling out of love him as much as them saying: "Listen, we know what a great offensive lineman looks like, because there are some of the same scouts on this staff that found Larry Allen." I just don’t think they think Tyron Smith has that kind of feeling. I know Larry Allen is a Hall Of Famer, but a lot of us have been convinced Tyron Smith is by far the most special offensive lineman in this draft. I don't think the Cowboys are there. The Cowboys are still very open to getting some other players, including – when I was talking to someone within the organization last night - Prince Amukamara from Nebraska, who a lot of people have dismissed, and a lot of people have him going 13 to the Detroit Lions, he's still in play for the Cowboys."

"And that’s not a name, for whatever reason – and I may have let Randy influenece me on this, Randy just thinks that Prince A is a no-go and isn’t a guy you should be thinking about at No. 9 – the Cowboys have not shut the door on Prince A at all."

Q: Do you think the Cowboys are definitely willing to trade down?

A: "If they can, they will.[…] They would not be opposed to going all the way down to like 17 or 18. […] If they could still get the player they want at No. 9, the guy on their board, and get him at 15 or 16, then I think it makes sense to try and move down. If they get all the way down to 17 or 18, the names would be like in that Nate Solder range, the offensive tackle from Colorado. They think he is, from what I can tell, they like him. They think he's a better athlete than Doug Free. Now is he going to be the player that Doug Free appears to be? I don't know. But they do think that Nate Solder probably has the capacity to start for 10 years in the league."

Q: Does it make sense for a team that defines drafting ineptitude to get cute in the draft?

A: "[...] Some of the problem was Wade in that. Wade would come in, not really visit with the scouts a whole lot, and then just like: "Hey, I like this guy. I like this [Jason] Williams guy. I like what he does." And he would kind of fall in love with these guys. We always paint this picture of Jerry never trusting Wade and not letting him do anything but from the way I hear it, Jason Williams, that was a total Wade pick. Wade loved this guy."

"So what I think is encouraging is that I think Garrett is going to really let the scouts do their work. Listen to them. […] He’s getting rave reviews."

Our continuing series looking at the Top 10 Biggest Draft Busts Of The Jerry Jones Era rolls on with #9. The guidelines - Must have been drafted during Jerry Jones' era (1989 - present), needs to be a player chosen in the 1st or 2nd round. Anybody below that is excused for sucking. It's not a list of the worst players, but a list of the worst value to the team, based on lack of contributions and when they were drafted. Also, certain intangibles can be thrown into the mix.

9. Sherman Williams (1995, 2nd round, #46, RB, Alabama)

The Dallas Cowboys 1995 draft was a disaster. It was the "backups" draft, and even the backups weren't good. Sherman Williams was a star out of Alabama. The Cowboys were looking for help for Emmitt Smith, someone to carry a little of the load. What they got was a guy who started three games total for Dallas, that's excusable running behind Smith, but his production all around was sub-par. He was fumble-prone and his preparation was always in question. Then the drug issues surfaced.

OCC: A bust because the star running back from Alabama only started in three games and managed only 3.8 YPA in his four years in the NFL and was later convicted of supplying as much as 1,000 pounds (!!!) of marijuana to his native Mobile area

------------------------------------------------

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The tornado that carved through North Carolina's capital killed four children, shuttered a university for the rest of the spring semester and felled the signature trees in the metropolis known as the "City of Oaks."

June White searches through what is left of Moore's Family Care Home in Colerain, N.C., Monday, April 18, 2011 after a tornado ripped through the area Saturday.

A lady inspectrs her home and car in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 17, 2011. Homes and businesses were badly damaged Saturday by a severe storm system that whipped across North Carolina, bringing flash floods, hail and reports of tornadoes from the western hills to the streets of Raleigh. In the Lee County town of Sanford, a Lowe's store was smashed by the storm. "The Lowe's Home Improvement has been flattened," said Monica Elliott, who works at the nearby Brick City Grill. "It's totally destroyed."

Mackayla Jones comforts a dog with a broken leg in Askewville, N.C., Sunday, April 17, 2011 after a tornado moved through the area Saturday. Rescue crews searched for survivors in wind-blasted landscapes Sunday in North Carolina, the state hardest hit by a storm system that spawned dozens of tornadoes from Oklahoma to Virginia and left dozens dead.

A doll hangs in a bush at a home in Colerain, N.C., Monday, April 18, 2011 after a tornado ripped through the area Saturday.

A man inspects damage to his sister's car in Askewville, N.C., Sunday, April 17, 2011 after a tornado hit the area on Satruday.

A man inspects damage to his sister's car in Askewville, N.C., Sunday, April 17, 2011 after a tornado struck Saturday.

Stan Joyner, left, and Jen Zezza take a break among the wreckage after searching for items in Christine Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Jen Zezza helps look for items in friend Christine Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

A volunteer helps look for items in Christine Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

People stand in front of the home of Christine Rechenberg as other homes were spared from tornado damage in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Saturdays tornado damaged many homes in northeast Raleigh, N.C. are shown on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Martin Evans, second from left, shows the damage the tornado did to his home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Christine Rechenberg, left, and Jen Zezza take a break to eat lunch on the front steps of Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Ceara Rechenberg, 9, looks among the wreckage of her tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

The tornado damaged many homes in northeast Raleigh, N.C. are shown on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Mailman Jerry Richardson maneuvers around debris during while delivering mail in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid.

Stan Joyner, left, and Jen Zezza climb up the wreckage after searching for items in Christine Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Jen Zezza helps look for items in friend Christine Rechenberg's tornado-destroyed home in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Martin Evans surveys the damge to his roof-less house on in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Maureen Williams and John Burns move a section of a fallen tree to the curb in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid.

Homeowners inspect the damage to their homes in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

Neighbors search for belongings at Christine Rechenberg's home, in northeast Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward) MANDATORY CREDIT

J.D. Anderson secures temporary patches to a roof in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Cleanup was on going as the whole neighborhood was littered and homes damaged with trees felled from Saturday's tornado. From remote rural communities to the state's second-largest city, thousands of residents hit by the most active tornado outbreak recorded in North Carolina's history were clearing away rubble and debris, repairing power lines and facing a recovery that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Tuesday requested a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties, which would open up federal aid.

Emma Morris, right, comforts June White at Moore's Family Care Home in Colerain, N.C., Monday, April 18, 2011 after a tornado ripped through the area Saturday.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Jerry Jones has taken a seat at the NFL mediation table.

Dallas Cowboys owner takes part in court-ordered negotiations

Source: [b]AP[/b]

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The NFL and its players resumed court-ordered mediation Tuesday with a federal judge's decision expected soon on a request to immediately halt a lockout now in its second month.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined the NFL's contingen...

According to a story from NFL.com Wire Reports, former head honcho Bill Parcells is done for good.

"I'm done," he told reporters Monday on a conference call regarding his New England Patriots Hall of Fame nomination. "... I think I'm going to leave the NFL to someone else right now."

Parcells, most recently the executive Vice President of the Miami Dolphins, was the Cowboys head coach and main decision maker from 2003-2006. He had previously won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, been to another with the New England Patriots and also coached the New York Jets. In his first season in Dallas, he led a Cowboys team coming off of three successive 5-11 campaigns to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. More amazing, he did this with quarterback Quincy Carter and his 71.4 passer rating as his field general. Even though Parcells was a 3-4 guru, when he took over the team he knew that the team didn't have the personnel to move to his preferred scheme. He retained Mike Zimmer as the defensive coordinator and the two defensive minds constructed a scheme that led the league in least yards allowed.

On the offensive side of the ball, Parcells and coordinator Sean Payton started their tenure by finding a little known quarterback prospect from Eastern Illinois named Tony Romo. Payton, who was allowed to come over to join Parcells after having his play calling duties stripped away in New York by Jim Fassell, was the first in the new wave of BP coaching disciples. In this current stint, he has spawned Payton, Tony Sporano of the Dolphins, and Todd Haley of Kansas City. He also helped start the careers of Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Al Groh, Chris Palmer and Eric Mangini.

That first Parcells draft netted Terrence Newman (1st, 5th overall) Jason Witten (3rd, 69th overall) and Bradie James (4th, 103th overall) in addition to Tony Romo's free agent signing. He also signed former players Richie Anderson and Terry Glenn, one of my favorite Cowboys of recent lore.

Follow the jump for more...

Parcells then led the transition to the 3-4 defense, one which Jerry Jones later would come out and say he was sticking with for the foreseeable future. Jones was a man of his word and hired 3-4 guru Wade Phillips in 2007 as the head coach.

During training camp before the 2004 season, Parcells shocked the world and released Quincy Carter. It was allegedly over a failed team-administered drug test, a policy forbidden by the league. Some say that this release paved the way for Tony Romo's place on the roster, however in hindsight you'd have to think that Romo could have beaten out Chad Hutchinson.

Parcells teams missed the playoffs in 2004, and again in 2005 but this time by only one game. In those years, Parcells brought in Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, Keyshawn Johnson, Jason Ferguson, and other ex-players to mix in with his draft picks. Having full control over personnel matters, Parcells had spent three seasons molding the Cowboys with a mix of "Parcells-Guys" vets and young players. He changed the culture of the franchise that had been long suffering since the Michael Irvin injury and gave renewed hope to the fanbase. With the team on the cusp of the playoffs again, it appeared that Jerry Jones decided to go for broke; a move that may have led to the early departure of Parcells.

It is said that Jones hated not being in full control of all things Cowboys, and it appears that free agency 2006 was the tipping point. Jones signed wideout Terrell Owens, a move not exactly blessed by Parcells. BP famously called Owens "the player" for the entire season they spent together in Big D. This led to the release of Keyshawn Johnson, a former #1 overall draft pick of Parcells with the Jets. Parcells followed this undermining with one of the worst drafts in recent Cowboys history. Famous bust Bobby Carpenter in the first round led many to wonder if Parcells was using other tools to build his big board, in lieu of player talent.

During the season, in Week 7 against the Giants, Parcells forklifted the statuesque Drew Bledsoe from the lineup and inserted his quarterback project Tony Romo. Romo would lead the team to a victory in his first start against Carolina, and then forward to the playoffs.

Parcells final game as coach of the Cowboys came against the Seattle Seahawks in the 'tournament' as he often referred to the postseason. His famous stubbornness seemed to come home to roost, as he refused to attack a depleted Seahawks secondary that had to reach out to the insurance industry for replacements. Former Cowboy Pete Hunter was pulled off the scrap heap to start at safety for Seattle due to injuries, but the Cowboys inexplicably never adjusted their game plan to take advantage of the situation. We all know the other transgressions of that game.

All in all though, I think most Cowboys fans are thankful for the time that Parcells had in Dallas. His press conferences were comedy hours, and after four years of Phillips pressers, growing in their legendary status. Take a look below at the roster transitions, "churn" as he would call it, and see how he affected change in the organization. An NFL without Bill Parcells is a lesser NFL, in my humble opinion.

table.tableizer-table {border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;} .tableizer-table td {padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc;} .tableizer-table th {background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold;}

2003	2004	2005	2006
terence newman	julius jones	demarcus ware	bobby carpenter
al johnson	jacob rogers	marcus spears	anthony fasano
jason witten	stephen peterman	kevin burnett	jason hatcher
bradie james	bruce thornton	marion barber	skyler green
bj tucker	sean ryan	chris canty	pat watkins
zuriel smith	nathan jones	justin beriault	montavious stanley
justin bates	patrick crayton	rob petitti	paul mcquistan
tony romo	jacques reeves	jay ratliff	ej whitley
richie anderson	mat mcbriar	LP Ladoucceur	shaun suisham
terry glenn	vinny testaverde	marco rivera	kyle kosier
dan campbell	drew henson	scott fujita
al singleton	eddie george	anthony henry
	keyshawn johnson	aaron glenn
	quincy morgan	marc colombo
		jason ferguson
		drew bledsoe
		peerless price

Rookies highlighted in yellow. If you notice anyone I missed let me know.

Poll

What do you think of Parcells time in Dallas?

• Best thing to happen to the club since Jimmy Johnson's hiring.
• Very appreciative of what he did for the franchise, but he didn't win anything at all.
• Overrated tenure, but better than the guys before him.
• He was a shell of himself, a wasted four years that kept me mired in a state of depression.

  59 votes | Results

New York's blubbing bloggers fall for this horsey transfer from the National Theatre, but critics find some strings attached

So if a theatre critic walked into a Broadway bar, and the barman asked: "Why the long face?", it would be fair to assume that said pint-puller was not a man of culture. Long faces are very much in vogue on Broadway right now. Pop down to the Lincoln Center on West 65th, for instance, and it seems you'll find little else. There are several long faces on stage, and hundreds more in the audience.

All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that War Horse (the puppet-filled play that's wowed London audiences since 2007) transferred to Broadway last week, and is making New Yorkers weep like there's some sort of highly contagious tear-duct infection doing the rounds on the Upper West Side. And don't just take my word for it. Here's the horse's mouth: "I wept silently yet uncontrollably," writes blogger Lisa Lindblad. "I am not capable of emotional distance in the face of an animal's pain nor an animal's love. I was distraught. And, so, I made it through until intermission and then left. Reluctantly, sadly, but self-protectively."

Very wise, Lisa. Indeed, other audience members should probably have followed your lead. "At one point," reports Melissa Whitworth in the Telegraph, "an elderly woman was so overcome that she fainted and had to be carried out by three audience members and attended to by paramedics in the lobby."

Golly. It seems Stateside audiences have fallen for the story of Albert (the Devon farmboy who goes searching for his beloved dobbin, Joey, on the battlefields of the first world war) every bit as fervently as we Brits – and none more so than Alan Miller, who blogs at A Seat on the Aisle. "[War Horse] is a story of honour and deceit, of man's humanity and inhumanity to his fellow man, of children and adults, of mothers, fathers and sons, of envy and petty rivalries, of bravery and cowardice, of the horror and futility of war – in sum, of everything that makes man what he is, for better or for worse," wrote Miller. Before disappearing into an oxygen tank for several days.

But what about the critics? Well, they adore the life-like puppets, that's for sure. "They are simply extraordinary creations," says Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune, who especially loves the way they "seem to pulse in the very air – breathing, churning and always teaching us, or maybe just reminding us, that the world never stands still and that all you can do is find your love and not get mowed down by the big guns". What Chris said, says the New York Daily News's Jerry Dziemianowicz, in slightly less purplish words. "The work by puppet designers Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler is exquisite," Dziemianowicz writes. "They bring Joey and Topthorn, a fellow war horse, and other animals so authentically to life you believe you're seeing the real deal."

But according to New York Magazine's Scott Brown, it's the brilliance of the puppetry that highlights the show's flaws. "This horse is alert and alive," says Brown of Joey. "[S]o much so, we realise only slowly that the script he's dragging is neither."

Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal was even less impressed. "The fundamental flaw of War Horse," writes Teachout, "is that Nick Stafford, who wrote the script 'in association '… with South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, has taken a book that was written for children [by Michael Morpurgo] and tried to give it the expressive weight of a play for adults." Not surprisingly, Teachout concludes, "Morpurgo's plot can't stand the strain." As a result, argues the New York Times's Ben Brantley, the acting is affected. "The characters are drawn in the broad strokes you associate with children's literature," writes Brantley. Brown concurs: "The more horselike the puppet became, the more puppetlike I found the human actors."

The thing that most jarred with our critics was the play's – ***SPOILER ALERT*** – ending. Much of War House is explicitly critical of the horrors of conflict, but, says Bloomberg's Jeremy Gerard, its finish blunts any pacifist message. "The climax, which is overwrought and even a bit silly, never is in doubt," says Gerard, "ultimately robbing the play of deeper emotional involvement." Perhaps. But try telling that to Lisa Lindblad, who never even saw it.

Do say: I cried and cried and cried and cried and cried and cried.

Don't say: Like flogging a dead horse.

The reviews reviewed: Puppets great. Ending sad.

Broncos may open at home on Monday night | All Things Broncos — Denver Broncos news, stats, analysis — The Denver Post
Here’s the situation: The Broncos’ 2 p.m. home starts conflict on week 1 Sundays with CBS’ (the AFC’s network) coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tourney. So there was little Howard Katz and company could do but send the Broncos on the road for week 1. The Broncos have gone 3-3 in their last six road/season openers: Losing at Miami and St. Louis, winning at Buffalo (Toro! Toro!), Oakland (DeAngelo Hall meets Eddie Royal) and Cincinnati ("Stokley! Woooow!"), and losing at Jacksonville.

Elway is putting in the hours for the Broncos | ProFootballTalk
Bottom line? Elway got his current job based on what he did as a player and what he means to the Broncos organization. Unlike Marino, however, Elway has embraced the position — and he’s working as hard as he would have been if he’d worked his way into the job via years in lower-level NFL positions. Whether he can pull it all together and make the Broncos competitive again remains to be seen. So far, the signs are encouraging.

Broncos open lines of communication with season-ticket holders - The Denver Post
Call it an unexpected fringe benefit for Broncos fans who signed up for 2011 season tickets despite the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing NFL labor dispute. The Broncos are conducting three conference calls exclusively for their season-ticket holders with the likes of John Elway, John Fox, Brian Xanders and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

WR Edmond Gates to visit the Broncos | National Football Post
Abilene Christian wide receiver Edmond Gates visits the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation. He has previously visited the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings

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NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
Illinois linebacker Martez Wilson is knocked by scouts for his lack of instincts, but Stats proprietary X-info reveals that if he lacks instincts, he’s overcome it pretty well. According to a study of defenders in Big Ten games, Wilson led the conference in "impact tackles," which are defined as tackles made for gains of two yards of less, including sacks. Wilson had 56 impact tackles, or nine more than J.J. Watt, 12 more than Ryan Kerrigan, 13 more than Corey Liuget, 24 more than Greg Jones and 28 more than Adrian Clayborn.

Is there such a thing as owning too many sports franchises? | National Football Post
The question, no doubt, has been on the minds of sports fans around the world. Can Stan Kroenke manage a burgeoning sports empire with the attention and resources necessary to ensure all have an opportunity to compete at the highest level.

Inside the film room: the RB position | National Football Post
Let’s continue our film breakdown series and move on to the running back position. My notes on what to look for when you are grading NFL prospects on tape.

ProFootballWeekly.com - A simple request
Margie Hicks' request seemed simple enough: Could I help her obtain her late brother's jersey from the Philadelphia Eagles? Blenda Gay wore No. 68 during the two seasons he lined up at defensive end for the club. Having that jersey could bring a little peace to Margie's 80-year-old mother, Evelyn. "My brother was my mother's first born and she has not only been through the loss of a child, but a grandchild and so many unanswered questions," Margie explained.

2010 Dolphins: What the Film Revealed - NYTimes.com
Here’s what happened: the rest of the league figured out how to stop the Wildcat (usually it has something to do with crashing your cornerbacks inside). And so the Dolphins’ rushing attack – headlined by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, two savvy but inexplosive backs – became average. Chad Henne shouldered too much of the blame for the offense’s malaise. True, Henne was not as accurate as he was in ’09. And it didn’t help that his mistakes tended to snowball. But when Henne was unshackled from offensive coordinator Dan Henning’s unimaginative ball control system, he wasn’t bad. Miami had a much livelier receiving arsenal than critics realized. Brandon Marshall was a true No. 1; the surprisingly fluid Brian Hartline was a capable No. 2; Davone Bess was a beacon of fundamentals in the slot; and tight end Anthony Fasano regained his receiving confidence, especially down the seams.

NFL.com news: Hasselbeck knows his Seahawks future depends on CBA, draft
"I would put myself in the same boat as probably 500 other guys," Hasselbeck told The Boston Globe for a story in Sunday's editions. "It's kind of hard to do a deal without knowing what the rules of the game are, and so most of us free agents were just kind of sitting in a holding pattern until this new CBA comes down. And we all knew it was going to be that. "There's maybe a handful of guys that were going to definitely get done before the lockout began, and I truly thought that I would be one of those guys potentially, because of my desire to stay and everything (the Seahawks) had told me. But it didn't happen, and that's OK. I'm not upset about anything. I understand it's kind of a weird year and it's a hard year to forecast."

NFL DRAFT

Draft advice for Jerry Jones, if he'll just listen
With Bill Parcells, assistant coaches were assigned to watch film on players, but they had little say in the ultimate decision. Folks familiar with the process under Phillips said that assistant coaches had too much access to the draft room. There wasn't a clear line of authority between the scouts and coaches, which may have led to highly questionable picks, such as linebacker Jason Williams out of Western Illinois in 2009’s third round.

Source refutes report about Phil Taylor's feet | National Football Post
Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor's feet checked out fine at the NFL scouting combine medical recheck, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation. The source refuted a CBS Sports report that Taylor has been red-flagged due to having bones growing together in his feet that could cause significant pain for the big defensive lineman. "No team has an issue with him," the source said.

NFL LOCKOUT

Mediation not expected to hit paydirt | ProFootballTalk
More importantly, Magistrate Judge Boylan and Judge Nelson need to realize that the two sides aren’t truly taking the mediation seriously, and they need to order that all parties attend and participate — each of the 10 named plaintiffs and each of the 32 owners. They may not like it. But the judges shouldn’t care, and neither should the fans. The players and the owners currently are playing Russian roulette with the interests of the game, all in the name of getting more for themselves. The fans who have yet to lose interest should be very pissed about that.

2011 NFL Mock Draft Gets Three of Four Experts to Agree on Tyron Smith as the Pick for the Dallas Cowboys in NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys are a prime target to trade out at No. 9.

Despite a terrible start to the season last year, the Cowboys actually have a lot of talent on their roster and are a player or two away from competing for the NFC East crown.

Their secondary desperately needs a playmaker, especially at safety, but the first round is not the place for that.

Offensive tackle is the next possible position, along with defensive end, a position that is often overlooked for their team needs.

Mel Kiper Jr.: Tyron Smith

A number of times this year, I've noted how Dallas might look to trade down. After all, picking in the top 10 of this draft wasn't likely to allow them to get full value if they targeted an offensive tackle, something many wish Jerry Jones would have done in 2010. Well, in Smith, they have the option of taking a player who projects as a future blindside tackle, and he's in a perfect spot in terms of value, having risen all the way to No. 9 on the Big Board. It's a need pick, and a player who could help Dallas in short order.

Rob Rang: Prince Amukamara

Dallas could use help on the offensive line, but their weakest point on the line is right tackle, and teams rarely are willing to invest a top-10 pick to fill that position. Cornerback is also an area of concern, especially considering the passing attacks by the Eagles and Giants in the NFC East division and Amukamara is the best player available. He's also a good schematic fit for the Cowboys and would be a welcome addition to a locker room that has, at times, struggled with accountability.

 

MUST READ: Most Intimidating Player in History of Each NFL Franchise

 

Pat Kirwan: Tyron Smith

Smith has been climbing up draft boards since the combine and his pro day. As USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said to me last week, “Ty is just too good to stay in school, and he hasn’t even reached his full potential.”

Jeff Risdon: Tyron Smith

I can see them taking JJ Watt or Cam Jordan here, but the Cowboys are one of the more transparent draft teams and they've not hidden their admiration for the Trojan right tackle.

My pick: Tyron Smith

The Cowboys strike me as one of the most intriguing picks in the entire draft. I really think Da'Quan Bowers has to be in play at this pick, especially if there is the slightest chance of him returning to full strength.

At 280 pounds, with his speed and strength, I think he has every bit of ability to play defensive end in a 3-4, which is also why Cameron Jordan and J.J. Watt have to be considered here.

Smith is a special talent though, and is the only tackle in this draft with a real chance to be an elite franchise protector.

There are a lot of other really good players at the position, but Smith's athleticism, upside and talent are something to be excited about.

Kirwan's quote of Kiffin says a lot, especially coming from a guy who did in the NFL for so long.

Let's take a look back at the week that was in the Cowboys world. These links should give you the picture of everything you need to be caught up on.

Friday

-- Mediation continues on day 2 in the Lockout hearings. [mysanantonio.com]

Thursday

-- The good news that Joe Theismann and Matt Millen won't be returning to the NFL Network broadcast is actually great news. Mike Mayock coming aboard is better. Throw Gus Johnson into the mix? You just went from least favorite to top tier broadcast team. [Sportsillustrated.com]

-- All hail #9, Romo's ninth in NFL jersey sales. [espn.com]

-- An in-depth overview of the Cowboys failings on defense. [The Sports Xchange]

-- The Cowboys were one of 27 teams to check out the Pro Day of Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones, #8 RB on Wes Bunting's big board. [dallasnews.com]

-- Jerry Jones isn't among the defendants present in US District Court for the Lockout hearings. [nbcdfw.com]

-- Andre Gurode says that teammates have already reached out to Dez Byrant to help him recognize the silliness of his actions. [nbcdfw.com]

-- Ever wonder what happened to Mike Vanderjagt? Me neither, but he's coaching now. [dallasnews.com]

-- UCLA Safety Rahim Moore is confident in his ability to help our secondary should Dallas select him. [mysanantonio.com]

More...

Wednesday

-- Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara made his way in for a visit to Valley Ranch. He's #30 out of 30 allowed visits.  [Star-Telegram]

-- The announcement of the preseason schedule gave us the insight that training camp would not be split between locations this season.  [Star Telegram]

-- The Associated Press has uncovered documents that the league's proposal for a rookie wage scale would limit contract to five years and decrease the money spent on first rounders by $300 million from last year. [mysanantonio.com]

-- BTB took the Internet's first shot at grading the 2010 leaked Cowboys draft board in this installment of Ask BTB.

Tuesday

-- The Cowboys preseason schedule is released. [BTB]

-- A comprehensive round up of all mock drafts and who they give to Dallas. [BTB]

-- Tony Romo's team won the Adams Pro-Scratch. [espn.com]

-- For those of you looking ahead to possible missed games, Toronto is getting a new Lingerie Football League team. [thestar.com]

-- OCC looks at how the advanced metric SackSEER could predict the top edge rushers in the 2011 draft. [BTB]

Monday

-- Federal Judge Nelson order mediation for the week for the two sides in the lockout hearings. [BTB]

-- Hudson Houck with a testimonial of Garrett's status as a winner. [Star-Telegram]

-- Keith Brooking guarantees fans the Big D will be back in the Cowboys. [nbcdfw.com]

During every draft, General Managers face the question of drafting for need versus drafting the best player available.  Although the offensive line seems to be the biggest need for the New York Giants, General Manager Jerry Reese may look towards the theory of selecting the best player available for each round which could equal many surprise picks in this year's draft. 

That means all those players mentioned in various mock drafts you might have already read, could slip right by New York in favor of a player you never thought would be lining up for the Big Blue for the 2011 NFL season. 

With that in mind, here are five sleeper picks the Giants could make this upcoming draft.

1. Justin Houston

Can you ever have enough pass rushers?  With Mathias Kiwanuka a free agent, Osi Umenyiora being shopped for trades last year, and the Oklahoma State product showing up at 270 pounds at the draft, the Giants could make the move for another pass rusher and surprise draftniks everywhere.  

Houston's newfound weight gain along with his ability to maintain his speed and athleticism will allow him to remain a playmaker off the edge in the 4-3 defense.  He showed good strength to take on bullish offensive linemen, and along with Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck could give the Giants a young three-man pass rushing attack.  Do I think it will happen?  No.  But have I been shocked before? Of course.

2. Drake Nevis

The Giants selected Linval Joseph in last year's draft, signed Chris Canty to a huge deal as a free agent two years ago and have been said to be intent on keeping Barry Cofied.  However, they seemed to miss former defensive tackle, Fred Robbins' pass rushing ability from the inside of the line and Nevis could fill that role. 

The LSU graduate is an explosive pass rusher and can put pressure on the quarterback in the pocket.   His quickness is what will allow him to succeed in the NFL, but his 6'0" height and 300-pound weight is going to make it difficult for him to stop the run. If Joseph can fulfill the role of run-stuffer, Nevis might just be an option in the middle rounds of the draft.

3. Greg Jones

The Michigan State thumper seems almost tailored for the 3-4 defense, but that hasn't stopped the Giants before (see Clint Sintim).  Current starter at middle linebacker, Jon Goff, is clearly a two-down linebacker and must work on his cover skills over the offseason in order to have a long stay on the starting unit.  Jones also has to work on his cover skills, but was clearly a better sideline-to-sideline linebacker in college.

At 6' 0," Jones sometimes has problems at the point of attack, but his speed should make up for that.  Although the New York coaching staff has continued to back Goff and rave about last year's fourth round pick, Phillip Dillard, they could easily end up selecting Jones and giving him a chance to supplant both in the near future.

4. Kelvin Sheppard

Sheppard would likely have not been on the Giants' draft chart last year as he doesn't have the physical talents and potential their actual picks do.  Instead, his intangibles and awareness when reading the opponents' offensive plays is what will allow him succeed in the NFL. Sheppard may never have the career Syracuse linebacker, Martez Wilson, has, but he could quickly become part of the linebacker rotation with his high IQ and his ability to locate the ball.

At LSU, Sheppard was the unquestionable captain for LSU and was a model of consistency day in and day out.  He will likely never be a great playmaker, but he could easily be an eight to ten year starter in the NFL for his career.

5. Ras-I Dowling

The Giants have four cornerbacks who deserve playing time during the season; those being Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Aaron Ross, and Bruce Johnson.  However, Ras-I Dowling has been shooting up draft boards and could even make his way into the first round by the end of April.   

At almost 6'2 with 4.4 wheels, the Virginia alumn has as much upside as anyone in the draft.  His high backpedal and bad tackling angles are worries, but he has a reputation as a hard worker and his ball skills and ability to explode upon impact in run support is what will have teams salivating. 

With Jerry Reese surprising fans and "experts" everywhere by selecting Pierre-Paul, Joseph, Chad Jones, and Dillard in the first four rounds, he proved he was not going for need, but rather upside.  With starters entrenched at most positions on the team, he can easily do so once again or go against last year's grain and look for players that can automatically contribute, but may never become stars.  Either way he will surely be making some picks that will put some mock drafts to shame.

Our continuing series looking at the Top 10 Biggest Draft Successes Of The Jerry Jones Era rolls on with #1. The guidelines - Must have been drafted during Jerry Jones' era (1989 - present), and generally needs to be a player chosen in the 3rd round or later. Anybody above that was expected to succeed. It's not a list of the best players, but a list of the best value to the team, based on contributions and when they were drafted. Also, certain intangibles can be thrown into the mix.

1. Jay Ratliff (2005, 7th round, #224, DT, Auburn)

Jason Ferguson's injury at the beginning of the 2007 season might be one of the best things to happen to the Cowboys recently. That's when Jay Ratliff took over at NT, and he hasn't looked back since. We're putting Jay at the top of our list because of how good he has been, how good we think he'll continue to be, and because he was drafted all the way down in the 7th round.

Since the Rat took over in 2007, he's been to the Pro Bowl three out of four years. He plays a position that is rarely known for sacks because a 3-4 NT is constantly double-teamed, yet he's already accumulated 25 sacks. He's relentless in the middle, with one of the quickest first steps you'll ever see on a big man. He's also durable, he has only missed one game since taking over as the starter.

What was once an afterthought in the 2005 draft - a guy taken way down in the 7th round and initially was playing DE -  is now being recognized as one of the best NTs in the league. Jay Ratliff has gone from unknown to star. And he still has some years left to raise his stat totals, and show his dominance.

Congrats Jay.

Miscellaneous stats: Has 12 passes defensed in his career. He's forced four fumbles, and has recovered 12 fumbles so far.

OCC: Of the 1,499 NFL players drafted in the seventh round since 1989, only two made the All Pro Team, Jay Ratliff was one of them. Similarly, 7th round picks drafted since 1989 have gone to the Pro Bowl a combined six times. Ratliff accounts for three of those Pro Bowl nods.

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Owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett said this week that they hope to re-sign both Sensabaugh and Kosier. "They are good players that can help...