As much as it may seem like I'm mean for thinking it, I'm glad this list has had a little bit on controversy. Many didn't agree with me leaving off Philip Rivers (not drafted by the Chargers), Jamal Williams (supplemental draft pick) or Antonio Gates (not drafted at all). Others didn't like that LaDainian Tomlinson, arguably the greatest Chargers player of all time, came in as the #3 greatest draft success of recent memory for the Bolts.

These are all valid points and things that I struggled with in making this list. However, I stick by my top 10 and am happy to finally announce to you all who is number one. But first, because this is being posted about a week later than it was supposed to be, a free shout out to Bud Light! "Bud Light, it's the only beer that my mom will drink!" (Editor's note: Any jokes about my mom in the comments will get you immediately and permanently banned)

The rules of my selections stated that players drafted in 1994 or sooner were the only ones eligible. Lucky for Rodney Harrison that I picked that year, otherwise he would not have made the cut and would not have been the #1 draft success of the San Diego Chargers.

The biggest reason Harrison is up this high is not that he was a great player, which he was, but is that the Bolts found such a great player in the middle of the 5th round. This was no A.J. Smith "best draft ever" either. The team lucked into Harrison. Here's how that draft went for San Diego:

Isaac Davis, G Arkansas
Vaughn Parker, G UCLA
Andre Coleman, WR Kansas State
Willie Clark, CB Notre Dame
Aaron Lang, TE New Mexico State
Rodney Harrison, SS Western Illinois
Darren Krein, DE Miami (FL)
Tony Vinson, RB Towson
Zane Beehn, Kentucky

Outside of Parker and Harrison, do you recognize any of those names? Me neither. I can't imagine the team was picking Rodney and saying "This guy's a future Hall of Famer who will help turn this team around when paired with Junior Seau." The only other player picked in Harrison's round with any kind of success was the Packers' selection of Dorsey Levens.

Much of Harrison's Hall of Fame resume will center on him winning two Super Bowls (and almost a third) with the New England Patriots after being released by the Chargers. In San Diego's defense, Harrison's last two seasons were disappointing (especially in terms of coverage) and they needed to get younger/cheaper quickly. Before being released, though, Harrison built a resume that easily makes him the best Safety in Chargers history.

Here's his stats from his time in blue and gold: 123 games (97 starts), 759 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 26 INTs, 21 defended passes, 8 forced fumbles, 2 touchdowns. That makes up for about two-thirds of his career totals, which makes sense considering he played 9 of his 15 seasons with the Chargers. He made the Pro Bowl twice, both times with San Diego.

When a team uses a top 5 pick on a player, their range of expectation in somewhere between "Superstar for a long time" to "average starter". When they're picking guys like Shaun Phillips in the 4th round or Rodney Harrison in the 5th, the range of realistic expectation is somewhere between "average starter" and "washout". When a team can take one of these guys and turn them into a Pro Bowler, or 7+ seasons of them being a top 3 player at their position, that's about as good a value as you're going to get from a draft pick. That's why the choice could not have been anyone but Rodney Harrison.

 

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There’s an entire blog cottage industry devoted to NFL players comparing the Steelers organization with the Redskins organization in radio interviews. Ryan Clark did it. Antwaan Randle El did it. And now Willie Parker — who had the shortest tenure in Washington of the three — has done it, with the strongest language yet.

During an appearance on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan Wednesday morning, Parker — who was briefly with the Redskins last summer — said he wants to be back in Pittsburgh, and then elaborated why.

Read full article >>

Again, we have the 2011 NFL Draft to occupy our attention, but let's round off the top ten draft 'successes' and 'busts' of the Kevin Colbert era with a quick shoutout to who I believe is deserving of the top spot -- shutdown cornerback Ike Taylor, taken in the fourth round of the 2003 Draft.

Even though Taylor has never made a Pro Bowl, been named to an All Pro team, and only has a modest 11 interception in 91 career starts, the Louisiana Lafayette product has been the team's best lockdown corner on several league-leading defenses.

Taylor has been remarkably durable for the Steelers, which is no surprise when you read about his ridiculously intense offseason workout regiments back home in Louisiana each summer. Taylor has appeared in all 96 of the team's regular season games since 2005, not starting in only seven, five of which came in '06 when he was benched by Bill Cowher for reasons that I'm still not too sure about.

Here are the Steelers final DVOA Rankings against the pass since 2005 when Taylor became a full time starter. Rather than using traditional metrics, it makes more sense to use Football Outsiders' primary metric for the simple fact that teams throw more against the Steelers because of how futile it is to try to run the ball:

2005: 5th

2006: 14th

2007: 7th

2008: 1st

2009: 14th

2010: 2nd

Hopefully Taylor has not played his last down in a Steelers uniform. It's quite possible that he has, and if so, I can't say I'd blame him for wanting to chase a huge pay day before entering the final stages of his career. As much as Steeler Nation wants him back, I don't think anybody would hold it against him were he to part ways with the Steelers after eight outstanding seasons with the black and gold.

To conldue, I wonder if the 'always rational and level-headed' Mark Madden might want to have a mulligan in this 2003 article in which he boldly proclaimed that Taylor was the worst pick in Steelers franchise history!

Taylor was a tailback at Louisiana-Lafayette in 2001, making the team as a walk-on. Taylor's draft profile on NFL.com says he did not play in 2000 because he "concentrated on academics." Before that, he was a Prop 48. Before that, he was dumb. Probably still is.

Probably not dumb enough to pick himself in the fourth round, though. This pick makes no sense. On a scale of one to 10, Ourlads Scouting Service gave Taylor a one. They projected him to be drafted when hell froze over.

But Taylor is a Steeler. I guarantee he will make the team. Taylor could lose a leg at rookie camp, have a lobotomy at minicamp and develop a heroin habit at training camp, and he would make the Steelers. When a team makes a bad draft choice, cutting him right away fairly screams the club's stupidity in all-too-short order.

Whoops.

Go Ike! Please come back in '11 and beyond to finish your career where you started it! Go Steelers!

Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Successes'

No. 2: DE Brett Keisel, 7th Round, 2002

No. 3: LB LaMarr Woodley, 2nd Round, 2007

No. 4: LB Clark Haggans, 5th Round, 2000

No. 5: WR Mike Wallace, 3rd Round, 2009

No. 6: OT Willie Colon, 4th Round, 2006

No. 7: LB Larry Foote, 4th Round, 2002

No. 8: OG Chris Kemoeatu, 6th Round, 2005

No. 9: OT Marvel Smith, 2nd Round, 2000

No. 10: WR Antonio Brown,  6th Round, 2010

Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Busts'

No. 2: OG Kraig Urbik, 3rd Round, 2009

No. 3: LB Alonzo Jackson, 2nd Round, 2003

No. 4: DT Kendrick Clancy, 3rd Round, 2000

No. 5: WR Willie Reid, 3rd Round, 2006

No. 6: WR Limas Sweed, 2nd Round, 2008 

No. 7: OLB Bruce Davis, 3rd Round, 2008

No. 8: OLB Thaddeus Gibson, 4th Round, 2010

No. 9:  WR Plaxico Burress, 1st Round, 2000

No. 10: OG Kendall Simmons, 1st Round, 2002

**********

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With the 2011 NFL Draft underway, let's not spend too much more time on these final selections in the top ten draft 'successes' and 'busts' of the Kevin Colbert era. But a little over three and a half hours before the start of the second round, there's time to catch our breath with a look at the No. 1 and the top 2 successes in the past eleven years.

I went back and forth several times about who should merit inclusion at the top spot. Should it be Ike Taylor, the fourth round corner taken in 2004, or Brett Keisel, the seventh round defensive end from Brigham Young? Ultimately I am giving Taylor the nod for reasons I'll also comment on in the next post.

As for Keisel, what can you say other than the ultimate value pick of Colbert's tenure. How often do you find important contributors and locker room gold in the seventh round? Not too often. Keisel spent three seasons trying to make his mark however he could on special teams. By 2005, he began being rotated in on defense somewhat regularly. In 2006, he became a full-time starter opposite Aaron Smith, and made the most of the well-earned opportunity, recording 5.5 sacks. Somewhat remarkably, Keisel's best two seasons have arguably been in '09 and '10 when he was 31 and 32 years of age. Even though he didn't match his '06 sack totals in either campaign, he was extremely productive, particularly this past season when he took an interception 79 yards to the house for a score, defended 7 other passes, and forced two fumbles. Keisel's name finally got mentioned by the national media for his fine efforts and gnarly beard. He was elected to his first Pro Bowl.

**********

Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Successes'

No. 3: LaMarr Woodley, 2nd Round, 2007

No. 4: LB Clark Haggans, 5th Round, 2000

No. 5: WR Mike Wallace, 3rd Round, 2009

No. 6: OT Willie Colon, 4th Round, 2006

No. 7: LB Larry Foote, 4th Round, 2002

No. 8: OG Chris Kemoeatu, 6th Round, 2005

No. 9: OT Marvel Smith, 2nd Round, 2000

No. 10: WR Antonio Brown,  6th Round, 2010

Kevin Colbert's Top 10 Draft 'Busts'

No. 2: OG Kraig Urbik, 3rd Round, 2009

No. 3: LB Alonzo Jackson, 2nd Round, 2003

No. 4: DT Kendrick Clancy, 3rd Round, 2000

No. 5: WR Willie Reid, 3rd Round, 2006

No. 6: WR Limas Sweed, 2nd Round, 2008 

No. 7: OLB Bruce Davis, 3rd Round, 2008

No. 8: OLB Thaddeus Gibson, 4th Round, 2010

No. 9:  WR Plaxico Burress, 1st Round, 2000

No. 10: OG Kendall Simmons, 1st Round, 2002

 

**********

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GREENSKY BLUEGRASS, PIMPS OF JOYTIME, GARY CLARK JR, CIVIL TWILIGHT,
REVEREND PEYTON'S BIG DAMN BAND, J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS

Greensky Bluegrass

Bonnaroo have announced the following artists as performers on the Cafe stages during the weekend. Look for the Bonnaroo schedule announcement in the coming weeks.

Aaron "Woody" Wood
Apache Relay
Aunt Martha
The Band of Heathens
The Beautiful Girls-Mat McHugh Solo & Acoustic
The Black Box Revelation
Bobby Long
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels
Chancellor Warhol
Chris Harford and the Band of Changes
Civil Twilight
Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons
Cristina Black
The David Mayfield Parade
Deas Vail
Fences
Fine Peduncle
Gary Clark Jr.
Givers
Greensky Bluegrass
HANNI EL KHATIB
Hesta Prynn
Infantree
J. Roddy Walston & The Business
Jamie McLean Band
JEFF the brotherhood
Kevin Hammond
Kopecky Family Band
Lauren Shera
Lionize
MiniBoonen
Miss Willie Brown
The Parkington Sisters
The Pimps of Joytime
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
River City Extension
Rotary Downs
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside
Shahidah Omar
tristen
Walk the Moon
The White Buffalo

The article of the day award goes to Larry Holder at cbssports.com. Based on recent draft history, he suggests there might be some magic around the no. 24 overall pick. He thinks the Saints might be in prime pouncing position for an impact player.

The No. 24 overall selection arguably has been the shrewdest and, in turn, the most productive pick of the first round or any other round in the past decade. Sure, not every pick turned into the second coming of Johnny Unitas or even Johnny Appleseed (here's looking at you, Ahmed Plummer and Willie Middlebrooks). But some of the players drafted 24th overall are a who's who of the NFL:

2000: CB Ahmed Plummer, Niners
2001: DB Willie Middlebrooks, Broncos
2002: S Ed Reed, Ravens
2003: TE Dallas Clark, Colts
2004: RB Steven Jackson, Rams
2005: QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2006: CB Johnathan Joseph, Bengals
2007: S Brandon Meriweather, Patriots
2008: RB Chris Johnson, Titans
2009: DT Peria Jerry, Falcons
2010: WR Dez Bryant, Cowboys

Me likey this optimistic article. I wasn't aware that this spot in past drafts had been so fruitful. Let's hope the no. 24 overall selection continues to yield great results. Onto the links and tweets.

 

TWEETS:

 

SAINTS:

2011 regular-season schedule coming soon - NFC South Blog - ESPN

The word in NFL circles is that the 2011 regular-season schedule is coming soon. It won’t be Friday. We’d already know because the league

Roaf Recaps 1993 Draft Experience

Drew Brees says he takes his role representing NFL players 'very seriously' | NOLA.com
New Orleans Saints quarterback is one of 10 named plaintiffs in antitrust lawsuit against NFL

Brees "Hopeful" on Lockout Dispute | FrontBurner
NFL quarterback Drew Brees says he's hopeful about an end to the lockout that's threatening the league's 2011 schedule. I'm always hopeful, Brees said in

New Orleans Saints reader comment: Archie Manning was years ahead of his time | NOLA.com
He's best QB to never get into NFL Hall of Fame

 

2011 NFL DRAFT:

moosedenied " Blog Archive " So, what if the Saints miss the Mark?
"*SPOILER ALERT!* No matter who the Saints end up drafting 13 days from now, it's all but a certainty that by the end of the weekend I'll have figured out some way to convince myself that it was a great pick. And then I'll try to convince you. Fair warning."

Saints in perfect spot to land impact player in draft - NFL - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
Super Bowl champion to first-round flameout -- New Orleans' fall was stunning. It's back to the draft for help, and the Saints are in great position. No. 24 has proven to be a gold mine of talent, Larry Holder says.

New Orleans Saints Kicking The Tires On A Few LSU Players " Who Dat Dish | A New Orleans Saints Blog

Saints Nation: New Orleans An Unlikely Destination for Mark Ingram | April

Akeem Ayers visiting the Titans | National Football Post
Akeem Ayers visiting the Titans

NFL Draft: 10 best and worst of the New Orleans Saints -- No. 5 worst pick | NOLA.com
Continuing series leading up to this year's draft

Jaguars.com mock draft: 24. Saints
It’s Friday, with the weekend ahead of us and the New Orleans Saints on the clock. The Saints are a team out of the Jaguars’ division, from the other conference, which may have been reasons there wasn’t a tremendous amount of passion among the readers for this selection. And then there’s that other realistic factor: The final selections of the first round? They’re just, plain hard to pick.

 

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

NFL talks end without much progress | NOLA.com
Talks will resume on Monday

Day 2 of mediation begins in NFL, players dispute | Saints | 2theadvocate.com — Baton Rouge, LA

Reviewing film of the NFC South chat - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Lots of great questions in Friday’s NFC South chat. Plenty of questions about the Carolina Panthers and what they do with the No. 1 overall pick

Young Bucs have a chip on their shoulder | ProFootballTalk
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quietly and quickly have developed a quality team.  And they're a little bit pissed that folks generally haven't noticed that yet. Scott Reynold of PewterReport.

Mediation resumes in NFL, players dispute | NOLA.com
Sides meet for first time since March 11

Around the NFC South - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Time for a quick stroll through the NFC South headlines. Georgia linebacker Akeem Dent worked out for the Falcons on Thursday.

A big honor this afternoon for CBS News “Sunday Morning” correspondent Bill Geist. He got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His son, MSNBC anchor Willie Geist spoke at the dedication ceremony. (The honor was mentioned this morning on “Way Too Early,” with Peter Alexander filling in.)

Bill Geist is being honored for his 25 years of entertaining and informing TV viewers.

In addition to Willie Geist, his sister Libby Geist, a two-time Peabody-award winning producer (take that Willie!) at ESPN Films was also there; also Geist’s CBS colleagues EVP and Chief Communications Officer Gil Schwartz, Geist’s producer Amy Rosner and “Sunday Morning” EP Rand Morrison. Geist’s CBS colleagues back in New York are able to watch the ceremony on an in-house channel.

“I wasn’t sure how I felt about getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” said Geist after the ceremony. “It’s really cool!”

Willie Geist added, “We’re all thrilled for my dad. He’s always viewed himself as the Clark Gable of off-beat news. Now it’s official. He’s a star.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Here are Rounds 4-7 in Big Jay's most recent complete, seven round mock draft for BTSC. Many thanks to him for the hard work. Curious to see what folks think of these next four picks, and the fourth iteration of his seven-round mock in general. - Michael B. -

Rounds 1-3

****************

Round 4

98. Carolina Panthers - Jurrell Casey DT, USC

Carolina will need to double-dip at DT

 

99. Seattle Seahawks (From New England via Denver) - Deunta Williams S, UNC

Seattle continues to upgrade the secondary.

 

100. Buffalo Bills - Jordan Cameron TE, USC

Buffalo's new QB will need a better safety-valve than Shawn Nelson.

 

101. Cincinnati Bengals - Pernell McPhee DE, Mississippi State

Antwan Odom is always hurt.

 

102. Cleveland Browns - K.J. Wright OLB, Mississippi State

The Browns lack any traditional 4-3 OLB's.

 

103. Arizona Cardinals - Jason Pinkston OT, Pittsburgh

The Cardinals will be forced to double and maybe even triple dip on Offensive Linemen prospects because they have one of the worst lines in the NFL.

 

104. Philadelphia Eagles (via Washington Redskins) - Greg Jones LB, Michigan State

Ernie Sims was terrible in coverage last season at WLB.

 

105. Houston Texans - Rashad Carmichael CB, Virginia Tech

Houston needs someone to pair with 2010 rookie Kareem Jackson.

 

106. Minnesota Vikings - Terrance Toliver WR, LSU

Sidney rice will need to be replaced if he leaves in free agency.

 

107. Detroit Lions - Nate Irving LB, North Carolina State

Detroit will need to address both OLB positions.

 

108. San Francisco 49ers - Lawrence Guy DE/DT, Arizona State

S.F. could use an upgrade over Isaac Sopoaga.

 

109. Tennessee Titans - Shiloh Keo SS, Idaho

Chris Hope is no longer worth the 6mill he'll be paid for the 2011 season.

 

110. Dallas Cowboys - Derek Newton OG/OT, Arkansas State

Kyle Kosier is a 32-year-old free agent.

 

111. Miami Dolphins - Vincent Brown WR, San Diego State

If they can't replace Chad Henne they can at least give him some more weapons.

 

112. St. Louis Rams - Joe Lefeged S, Rutgers

St. Louis needs to replace O.J. Atogwe.

 

113. Oakland Raiders - Ryan Bartholomew OC, Syracuse

Samson Satele is a free agent and Bartholomew is a combine warrior.

 

114. Jacksonville Jaguars - Jaiquawn Jarrett S, Temple

Don Carey is an awful Free Safety.

 

115. San Francisco 49ers (via San Diego Chargers) - Owen Marecic FB, Stanford

Coach Harbaugh gets one of his favorite players.

 

116. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jalil Brown CB, Colorado

Aqib Talib may be going to prison and Rhonde Barber isn't getting any younger.

 

117. New York Giants - Casey Matthews ILB, Oregon

The Giants could use an upgrade at every Linebacker position.

 

118. Kansas City Chiefs - Tim Barnes OC, Missouri

Casey Wiegmann will be 38 years old this season.

 

119. Indianapolis Colts - Darius Morris OT/OG, Temple

Indy needs an upgrade over Ryan Diem at RT and over Mike Pollack at RG.

 

120. Philadelphia Eagles - Shareece Wright CB, USC

Philly needs two CB's to replace Ellis Hobbs and relegate Dimitri Patterson to the Nickel position.

 

121. Jacksonville Jaguars (via New Orleans Saints) - Ross Homan OLB, Ohio State

Justin Durant is a free agent.

 

122. Buffalo Bills (via Seattle Seahawks) - Sione Fua DT, Stanford

Buffalo has nothing on the D-line except for Kyle Williams.

 

123. Baltimore Ravens - Curtis Marsh CB, Utah State

The Ravens may double-dip at CB with three pending free agents at the position.

 

124. Atlanta Falcons - Andrew Jackson OG, Fresno State

Justin Blalock and Harvey Dahl are both free agents and it will probably be too expensive to resign both of them.

 

125. New England Patriots - DeMarcus Van Dyke CB, Miami

The Pats could use an upgrade over Kyle Arrington.

 

126. New York Jets - Kenrick Ellis NT, Hampton

The Jets have a lot of age issues on the D-line.

 

127. Chicago Bears - Austin Pettis WR, Boise State

Chicago lacks a legitimate number one WR.

 

128. Pittsburgh Steelers - Stephen Burton WR, West Texas A&M

This pick is likely to garner a lot of chatter from those of you in Steelers Nation but if you really think about it it'll make some sense. Recently the Steelers have made a habit of taking speedy WR's in the middle rounds. Mike Wallace, Emanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown are all examples of this. So you ask, "Why would they take another one when they've already got enough on the roster?" Well this will most likely be Hines Ward's final go-around, it would be shocking if Limas Sweed made it out of the preseason, and A.R.L. will probably be cut as well. Burton had a phenomenal Pro Day, running a 4.38 40-time with a 1.46 10-yard split at 6'1", 224lbs. which is very Mike Wallace-like and he represents a greater value than any of the available OG's or CB's.

 

129. Green Bay Packers - DeMarco Murray RB, Oklahoma

James Starks has injury issues, Brandon Jackson is a free agent, and Ryan Grant is in the final year of his contract and has injury issues of his own as well.

 

130. (Compensatory pick) Tennessee Titans - Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh

Jason Babin is a 31 year old free agent who is likely seeking a big contract.

 

131. (Compensatory pick) Green Bay Packers - Dwayne Harris WR/KR, East Carolina

Donald Driver may retire after finally winning a Super Bowl and James Jones is a free agent.

 

****************

 

Round 5

 

132. Carolina Panthers - Lance Kendricks TE, Wisconsin

Carolina signed Jeremy Shockey but he's an injury-prone short-term solution at TE.

 

133. Buffalo Bills - Bruce Miller DE/OLB, Central Florida

Aaron Maybin has the look for a bust and needs to be replaced.

 

134. Cincinnati Bengals - Robert Sands SS, West Virginia

Robert Sands is a good fit for Cincy's defense.

 

135. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via Denver Broncos) - Kendall Hunter RB, Oklahoma State

With LeGarrette Blount as the starting RB Tampa needs a cheaper back-up and third-down back than pending free agent Cadillac Williams.

 

136. Arizona Cardinals - Greg Salas WR, Hawaii

Steve Breaston and Early Doucet are both injury-prone free agents, and Larry Fitzgerald will be a free agent next year.

 

137. Cleveland Browns - Terrell McClain DT, South Florida

Cleveland cut both Shaun Rogers and Kenyon Coleman.

 

138. Houston Texans - Thomas Keiser DE/OLB, Stanford

Houston needs two OLB's for their conversion to a 3-4 defense.

 

139. Minnesota Vikings - Richard Sherman CB/FS, Stanford

Antoine Winfield is 34 years old and Cedric Griffin has injury issues.

 

140. Kansas City Chiefs (via Detroit Lions) - Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho

K.C. will need a solid back-up for Matt Cassell and Enderle has the potential to start somewhere down the line.

 

141. San Francisco 49ers - Chimdi Chekwa CB, Ohio State

They drafted one CB to replace Nate Clements now they take another one to replace the inconsistent Shawntae Spencer.

 

142. Tennessee Titans - Lee Ziemba OG, Auburn

Leroy Harris is a free agent that needs to be replaced anyway.

 

143. Dallas Cowboys - Niles Paul WR, Nebraska

Roy Williams is an expensive 3rd WR.

 

144. Washington Redskins - Roy Helu RB, Nebraska

Mike Shanahan loves to use multiple RB's.

 

145. St. Louis Rams - Ian Williams NT, Notre Dame

Gary Gibson needs to be replaced.

 

146. Miami Dolphins - Kendric Burney CB, North Carolina

Miami needs and upgrade at Nickel CB over Bennie Sapp.

 

147. Jacksonville Jaguars - Eric Hagg S, Nebraska

The Jags need to replace both starting Safeties.

 

148. Oakland Raiders - Virgil Green TE, Nevada

Unless Zach Miller gets the franchise tag he won't be back next year.

 

149. Philadelphia Eagles (via San Diego Chargers) - Jacquizz Rodgers RB, Oregon State

Jerome Harrison is a free agent.

 

150. Minnesota Vikings (via New York Giants) - Julius Thomas TE, Portland State

Visanthe Shiancoe will be a free agent next year and was terrible in 2010.

 

151. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Colin McCarthy LB, Miami

Both Barrett Rudd and Quincy Black are free agents so the Bucs may take two Linebackers.

 

152. Indianapolis Colts - Cedric Thornton DE/DT, Southern Arkansas

Indy could use an upgrade over Fili Moala and especially Daniel Muir.

 

153. Philadelphia Eagles - Ricky Stanzi QB, Iowa

With Kevin Kolb as good as traded Andy Reid will need another young QB to groom for the future.

 

154. Detroit Lions (via Kansas City Chiefs) - Delone Carter RB, Syracuse

Detroit lacks a power RB.

 

155. Washington Redskins (via New Orleans Saints) - Chris Neild NT, West Virginia

Washington will most likely part ways with Albert Haynesworth.

 

156. Seattle Seahawks - Justin Boren OG, Ohio State

Seattle has a huge hole at RG.

 

157. Seattle Seahawks (via Baltimore Ravens) - Derek Hall OT, Stanford

Sean Locklear is a free agent.

 

158. Atlanta Falcons - Cliff Matthews DE, South Carolina

John Abraham will be 33 years old this season.

 

159. New England Patriots - Mario Harvey ILB, Marshall

New England lacks playmakers at the Linebacker position.

 

160. Chicago Bears - Lawrence Wilson OLB, UConn

Pisa Tinoisamoa is a 30 year old free agent.

 

161. New York Jets - Josh Davis OT, UGA

The Jets cut Damien Woody.

 

162. Pittsburgh Steelers - Derrick Locke RB, Kentucky

Mewelde Moore is a 29 year old free agent who is clearly on the decline. Locke is a big playmaker who can take it to the house any time he touches the ball.

 

163. Green Bay Packers - Anthony Gray NT, Southern Miss

The Packers could use defensive line depth with Johnny Jolly in constant trouble and Cullen Jenkins a free agent.

 

164. (Compensatory pick) Baltimore Ravens - Buster Skrine CB, UT-Chattanooga

The Ravens may double-dip at CB with three pending free agents at the position.

 

165. (Compensatory pick) Baltimore Ravens - Mark Herzlich ILB, Boston College

Baltimore needs some competition with Jameel McClain and an heir to Ray Lewis at ILB. Herzlich still needs time to regain his form after coming back from cancer but is a high character guy and worth the chance at the end of the 5th round.

 

****************

Round 6

 

166. Carolina Panthers - Jeremy Kerley WR, TCU

Carolina's WR corps has been a mess for some time now.

 

167. Cincinnati Bengals - Scott Lutrus ILB, UConn

Dhani Jones is a 33 year old free agent.

 

168. Cleveland Browns (via Denver Broncos) - Ugo Chinasa DE, Oklahoma State

Cleveland needs multiple D-linemen for their conversion to the 4-3 defense.

 

169. Buffalo Bills - Willie Smith OT, East Carolina

Buffalo needs an upgrade at RT.

 

170. Cleveland Browns - Jarriel King OT, South Carolina

The Browns cut John St. Clair and Tony Pashos was just as bad at RT.

 

171. Arizona Cardinals - Noel Devine RB, West Virginia

Arizona could use a home run hitter at RB.

 

172. Minnesota Vikings - Jermale Hines SS, Ohio State

Husain Abdullah is a free agent.

 

173. Seattle Seahawks (via Detroit Lions) - Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama

Matt Hasselbeck and J.P. Losman are both free agents.

 

174. San Francisco 49ers - Chris Culliver FS/KR, South Carolina

Dashon Goldson is a free agent.

 

175. Tennessee Titans - Kris O'Dowd OC, USC

Eugene Amano needs to be replaced.

 

176. Dallas Cowboys - Jeron Johnson SS, Boise State

Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent.

 

177. Washington Redskins - Chykie Brown CB, Texas

Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon are both free agents.

 

178. Houston Texans - Ronald Johnson WR, USC

Jacoby Jones is a free agent.

 

179. Miami Dolphins - Chris Rucker FS, Michigan State

Chris Clemons needs to be replaced badly.

 

180. St. Louis Rams - D.J. Williams TE, Arkansas

St. Louis needs to add as many weapons as possible for Sam Bradford to succeed.

 

181. Oakland Raiders - Mario Fannin RB, Auburn

Michael Bush is a free agent.

 

182. Jacksonville Jaguars - Kyle Hix OT, Texas

Jacksonville has no depth at OT after cutting Jordan Black.

 

183. San Diego Chargers - Tori Gurley WR, South Carolina

San Diego loves tall, big-bodied WR's.

 

184. Detroit Lions (from Philadelphia Eagles via Tampa Bay) - J.T. Thomas OLB, West Virginia

Detroit will need to take two OLB's with Zack Follett coming off of a bad injury.

 

185. New York Giants - Cecil Shorts WR, Mount Union

Steve Smith is a free agent with a knee injury.

 

186. Philadelphia Eagles - Henry Hynoski FB, Pittsburgh

Leonard Weaver has a serious knee injury.

 

187. Kansas City Chiefs - Alex Green RB, Hawaii

K.C. needs a cheaper alternative at power RB than the 33 year old Thomas Jones.

 

188. Indianapolis Colts - Dion Lewis RB, Pittsburgh

Joseph Addai is a 28 year old free agent.

 

189. Denver Broncos (from New England Patriots via New Orleans) - Chris White ILB, Mississippi State

Aside from D.J. Williams Denver doesn't have much at Linebacker.

 

190. San Francisco 49ers (via Seattle Seahawks) - Denarius Moore WR, Tennessee

Ted Ginn needs to be replaced at WR.

 

191. Baltimore Ravens - Zach Hurd OT/OG, UConn

Marshall Yanda and Chris Chester are both free agents.

 

192. Atlanta Falcons - Jerrard Tarrant S, Georgia Tech

William Moore was terrible last season.

 

193. New England Patriots - David Arkin OG, Missouri State

Logan Mankins was franchised but will probably be traded at some point.

 

194. New York Jets - Rick Elmore DE/OLB, Arizona

The Jets really need to upgrade their pass-rush personnel.

 

195. Chicago Bears - Pierre Allen DE, Nebraska

Chicago lacks depth behind Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije.

 

196. Pittsburgh Steelers - Alex Henery K, Nebraska

Shaun Suisham is average at best. In addition to being the top Kicker in this draft class Alex Henery is also a great Punter, so given that Daniel Sepulveda has already torn the ACL in his knee three times that added skill may come in handy.

 

197. Green Bay Packers - Cheta Ozougwu DE/OLB, Rice

G.B. lacks depth at OLB.

 

198. (Compensatory pick) New York Giants - Brandon Fusco OG/OC, Slippery Rock

Rich Seubert is 32 years old, recovering from knee surgery, and will be a free agent next offseason.

 

199. (Compensatory pick) Kansas City Chiefs - Mike Mohamed ILB, Cal

Mike Vrabel needs to be replaced.

 

200. (Compensatory pick) Minnesota Vikings - Alex Linnenkohl OC/OG, Oregon State

Anthony Herrera and John Sullivan both need to be replaced.

 

201. (Compensatory pick) San Diego Chargers - DeAndre Brown WR, Southern Miss

San Diego loves tall, big-bodied WR's like 6'6", 228lbs DeAndre Brown. Vincent Jackson was franchised but will probably be traded, and both Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee are free agents.

 

202. (Compensatory pick) New York Giants - Rob Housler TE, Florida Atlantic

Kevin Boss is a free agent.

 

203. (Compensatory pick) Carolina Panthers - Taiwan Jones RB, Eastern Washington

Carolina will need someone to compliment Jonathan Stewart if they don't retain DeAngelo Williams.

 

****************

Round 7

 

204. Green Bay Packers (via Carolina Panthers) - Kai Forbath K, UCLA

Mason Crosby is a free agent and has never lived up to the hype he had coming into the league.

 

205. Denver Broncos - Devon Torrence CB, Ohio State

Perrish Cox may be going to prison.

 

206. Buffalo Bills - Darvin Adams WR, Auburn

The Bills may release Lee Evans.

 

207. Cincinnati Bengals - Steve Schilling OG, Michigan

Cincy plans on playing Andre Smith at LG but that's not going to work out.

 

208. New York Jets (via Arizona Cardinals) - Brandon Hogan CB, West Virginia

The Jets will probably not resign Antonio Cromartie unless he's willing to take a discount.

 

209. Seattle Seahawks (via Cleveland Browns) - DeMarco Sampson WR, San Diego State

Sampson is a bit of a project but offers a lot of potential as a number one WR.

 

210. San Francisco 49ers (via Detroit Lions) - Greg Lloyd ILB, Connecticut

Takeo Spikes is 34 years old.

 

211. San Francisco 49ers - Steven Friday DE/OLB, Virginia Tech

BPA, San Fran needs to upgrade its pass-rush.

 

212. Tennessee Titans - Aldrick Robinson WR, SMU

If the Titans we willing to sign Randy Moss they must have a need for a vertical threat.

 

Dallas Cowboys - Forfeited due to 7th round pick in the 2010 supplemental draft

 

213. Washington Redskins - Stanley Havili FB, USC

They could use an upgrade over Mike Sellers.

 

214. Houston Texans - Chas Henry P, Florida

Matt Turk is 43 years old.

 

215. Minnesota Vikings - Sealver Siliga DT, Utah

Pat Williams will probably retire.

 

216. St. Louis Rams - Darren Evans RB, Virginia Tech

The Rams need to find someone to ease the burden of Steven Jackson.

 

217. Miami Dolphins - Rob McGill OT, Louisiana Tech

Miami lacks O-line depth.

 

218. Miami Dolphins (via Jacksonville Jaguars) - Jeremy Beal DE/OLB, Oklahoma

Koa Misi was very inconsistent last season.

 

219. Oakland Raiders - Chris Conte S, Cal

Michael Huff is a free agent.

 

220. Dallas Cowboys (via San Diego Chargers) - Stevan Ridley RB, LSU

Dallas may cut ties with Marion Barber.

 

221. New York Giants - Brandon Bair DE/DT, Oregon

Mathias Kiwanuka and Barry Cofield are both free agents, and the Giants love to stockpile D-linemen.

 

222. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ryan Winterswyk DE, Boise State

Tampa Bay will need to double-dip at DE.

 

223. Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan Whalen WR, Stanford

The Chiefs have nothing at WR aside from Dwayne Bowe.

 

224. Indianapolis Colts - Dane Sanzenbacher WR, Ohio State

Indy has several issues at WR.

 

225. Baltimore Ravens (via Philadelphia Eagles) - Anthony Allen RB/FB, Georgia Tech

Le'Ron McClain is a free agent.

 

226. New Orleans Saints - Ahmad Black S, Florida

The Saints could use an upgrade over Roman Harper.

 

227. Seattle Seahawks - Cortez Allen CB, Citadel

Seattle lacks secondary depth.

 

228. Baltimore Ravens - Elijah Joseph LB, Temple

Baltimore can always use more pass-rushers.

 

229. Atlanta Falcons - Eric Gordon OLB, Michigan State

Stephen Nicholas is a free agent.

 

230. Atlanta Falcons (via New England Patriots) - Markus White DE, Florida State

BPA, Atlanta could use some D-line depth.

 

Chicago Bears - Forfeited due to 7th round pick in the 2010 supplemental draft

 

Detroit Lions (via New York Jets) - Forfeited due to tampering charges

 

231. Pittsburgh Steelers - Frank Kearse NT, Alabama A&M

I have to admit I don't know anything about Frank Kearse except for the fact that the Steelers are just about the only team that showed up for his pro day and liked what they saw. He's 6'4", 315lbs, runs a 5.30 40 time, and did 22 reps on the bench press.

 

232. Green Bay Packers - Mike Person OT, Montana State

G.B. needs O-line depth.

 

233. (Compensatory pick) San Diego Chargers - Doug Hogue LB, Syracuse

San Diego has no depth at Linebacker and could definitely use some help on Special Teams.

 

234. (Compensatory pick) Miami Dolphins - Zane Taylor OC, Utah

Miami needs O-line depth.

 

235. (Compensatory pick) Minnesota Vikings - Brian Rolle OLB, Ohio State

Ben Leber is a 32 year old free agent.

 

236. (Compensatory pick) Philadelphia Eagles - Karl Klug DE, Iowa

Brandon Graham tore his ACL and may not be ready to play by the start of the 2011 season.

 

237. (Compensatory pick) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Justin Rogers CB, Richmond

If Aqib Talib goes to jail and/or is suspended T.B. will need CB depth.

 

238. (Compensatory pick) San Francisco 49ers - Da'Rel Scott RB, Maryland

Brian Westbrook is a 31 year old free agent.

 

239. (Compensatory pick) Philadelphia Eagles - Tray Allen OT, Texas

Winston Justice got beat down by Clay Matthews.

 

240. (Compensatory pick) Oakland Raiders - Richard Lapham OT, Boston College

Langston Walker is a free agent.

 

241. (Compensatory pick) Seattle Seahawks - Martin Parker DT, Richmond

Brandon Mebane and Junior Siavii are free agents.

 

242. (Compensatory pick) New Orleans Saints - Adrian Moten OLB, Maryland

Danny Clark is a 34 year old free agent.

 

243. (Compensatory pick) Carolina Panthers - Korey Lindsey CB, Southern Illinois

Richard Marshall is a free agent.

 

244. (Compensatory pick) Buffalo Bills - Kevin Rutland CB, Missouri

Drayton Florence is a free agent.

 

245. (Compensatory pick) Cincinnati Bengals - Mario Butler S/CB, Georgia Tech

Almost all of the Safeties from Cincy's 2010 roster are free agents.

 

246. (Compensatory pick) Denver Broncos - Jabara Williams OLB, Stephen F. Austin

Aside from D.J. Williams Denver doesn't have much at Linebacker.

 

247. (Compensatory pick) Cleveland Browns - Ladi Ajiboye DT, South Carolina

The Browns need multiple D-linemen for their conversion to the 4-3 defense.

 

248. (Compensatory pick) Arizona Cardinals - Justin Trattou DE/OLB, Florida

Joey Porter and Clark Haggans need to be replaced.

 

249. (Compensatory pick) San Francisco 49ers - Terron Sanders NT, Florida

Aubrayo Franklin is a 31 year old free agent. He'll probably resign but S.F. needs depth behind him.

 

250. (Compensatory pick) Tennessee Titans - Jonas Mouton OLB, Michigan

Will Witherspoon wasn't very good last season.

 

251. (Compensatory pick) Dallas Cowboys - Mike Blanc DE/DT, Auburn

Marcus Spears, Jason Hatcher, and Stephen Bowen are free agents.

 

252. (Compensatory pick) Washington Redskins - Julian Vandervelde OG, Iowa

With the exception of Trent Williams at LT the Redskins need an upgrade at every O-linemen position.

 

253. (Compensatory pick) Houston Texans - Javes Lewis S/CB, Oregon

Bernard Pollard needs to be replaced.

 

 

s

Overview: There is no shortage of star power coming from the 24th overall pick. The defending Super Bowl MVP was selected at that spot, as well two of the best running backs the league has to offer. It doesn't end there, as PFW found some of the league's top talent came from the No. 24 spot, which is held by the Saints this year:

2010: Cowboys select Oklahoma St. WR Dez Bryant
Bryant looks like an elite receiver and already has shown signs of becoming just that. Immaturity is a concern, along with off-the-field issues, but he is more talented than WR Miles Austin and adds explosiveness in the return game.

2009: Falcons select Mississippi DT Peria Jerry
Jerry missed most of the 2009 season with a leg injury and wasn't completely healthy in '10, although he did play in every game. He hasn't been overly impressive when on the field but there is still hope that he can turn things around.

2008: Titans select East Carolina RB Chris Johnson
One of the greatest picks in recent years, Johnson was a steal with the No. 24 pick. As one of the fastest backs in the league, Johnson has made the Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league and rushed for more than 2,000 yards, with 11 consecutive games of more than 100 yards, in '09.

2007: Patriots select Miami (Fla.) DB Brandon Meriweather
A two-time Pro Bowler, Meriweather has excelled at playing over the top and making hard hits. He has 12 interceptions in the past three seasons and is considered the best safety in the Patriots' organization. That said, an off-the-field incident this offseason might have made his standing with the team tenuous.

2006: Bengals select South Carolina CB Johnathan Joseph
Joseph's career has been hampered by injuries, but he has been a good cover corner when given the chance on the field. Joseph is inconsistent at times, but seems to have a nose for the ball, making nine interceptions in the past two seasons.

2005: Packers select California QB Aaron Rodgers
Last year's Super Bowl MVP is playing as well as any quarterback in the league coming off a brilliant playoff run. He narrowly missed throwing for 4,000 yards for the third consecutive season in 2010, and has done nothing but impress since taking over for Brett Favre.

2004: Rams select Oregon State RB Steven Jackson
The Rams' career rushing leader has been the total package throughout his time in St. Louis. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards every season since '05, has been named to three Pro Bowls and is an excellent receiving option out of the backfield.

2003: Colts select Iowa TE Dallas Clark
As one of the NFL's most prolific pass-catching tight ends, Clark has been a staple in Indianapolis since the day he arrived. His best season came in '09, when he caught 100-1,106-10 at the age of 30. Injuries have been an issue, however, and his absence after suffering a season-ending hand/wrist injury in ’10 severely hampered the Colts' offense.

2002: Ravens select Miami (Fla.) SS Ed Reed
Reed is one of the best safeties to ever play the game. The seven-time Pro Bowler has been making an impact since Day One and has shown no signs of slowing down. He has 54 career interceptions, eight of which came in an injury-shortened ’10 season in which he only played the last 10 games.

2001: Broncos select Minnesota CB Willie Middlebrooks
Middlebrooks made two starts in his career and never developed into an effective player. After spending four seasons with the Broncos, Middlebrooks played with the 49ers for a year before calling it quits.

Oklahoma tax preparer pleads guilty in Kansas to filing false federal income ... fox4kc.com By AP WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 65-year-old tax preparer from Oklahoma has pleaded guilty in Kansas to filing false income tax returns to the federal government. The US Attorney's office in Wichita said Friday that Willie Clark, of Arkmore, ... and more »

JOE

Nintendo 3DS: A new realm to gaming Campus Times By Willie Clark · Published on March 31, 2011 12:16 AM · Arts & Entertainment, Reviews The aqua blue Nintendo 3DS system, now available, is the first gaming device to utilize glasses-free 3d technology. Courtesy of Kotaku.com Oh, 3-D. We have such a ... SSFIV Nintendo 3DS development like 'a path full of thorns'Computerandvideogames.com News: UK Retailers Discuss 3DS SalesN-Europe Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition ReviewJOE Gaming Union -Vooks.Net all 25 news articles »

Your local Holyrood candidates have been confirmed - here's the list

Nominations closed on Tuesday at 4pm for the Scottish parliamentary elections on 5 May.

The candidates for the Edinburgh constituencies are as follows:

Edinburgh Eastern

Ewan Aitken, Scottish Labour Party and The Co-operative Party
Cameron Buchanan, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Kenny MacAskill, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Martin Veart, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Edinburgh Central

Marco Biagi, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour Party
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Iain McGill, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Edinburgh Eastern

Edinburgh Northern and Leith

Malcolm Chisholm, Scottish Labour Party
Dan Farthing, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Sheila Catriona Dorothy Low, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Edinburgh Pentlands

Simon James Clark, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Ricky Henderson, Scottish Labour Party
Gordon MacDonald, Scottish National Party (SNP)
David William McLetchie, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party

Edinburgh Southern

Gavin Brown, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Jim Eadie, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Paul Godzik, Scottish Labour Party and The Co-operative Party
Mike Pringle, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Edinburgh Western

Lesley Hinds, Scottish Labour Party and The Co-operative Party
Colin Keir, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Gordon John Lindhurst, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Margaret Joy Smith, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Lothian list

Candidates for the Lothians region have also been confirmed.

ALL SCOTLAND PENSIONERS PARTY - Scottish Senior Citizens Party
Alex Lawson; David Lawson; Morag Thompson; Anna Kerr; Tommi Kerr

BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY
David Orr; Leanne Tracy Marshall; Kevin William Doyle; James Alexander Main

SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN PARTY "PROCLAIMING CHRIST'S LORDSHIP" - Christians Together
Abimbola Olusola Kadara; Mbuli Malanga Aime Lombaya; Bridget Johnson Mosanya; David Peter Rodney Hews

SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN PEOPLES ALLIANCE
Michael Thomas McGlynn

SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE AND UNIONIST PARTY
David McLetchie; Gavin Brown; Cameron Buchanan; Gordon Lindhurst; Iain Mcgill; Scott Douglas; Christopher Donnelly; Andrew Hardie; Sheila Low

SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY - Alison Johnstone for MSP
Alison Johnston; Steve Burgess; Maggie Chapman; Peter Andrew McColl; Shonagh McEwan; Adam Ramsay; Kate Joester

SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY
Sarah Boyack; Kezia Dugdale; Neil Findlay; Ann Henderson; Jalal Chaudry; Simon MacFadyen; James Ashe

SCOTTISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Margaret Joy Smith; Alexander Geoffrey Cole-Hamilton; Gordon Ferguson Mackenzie; John Loughton; Jacqueline Dianne Bell; Daniel Marisco Farthing; Ian James Younger

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP) - Alex Salmond for First Minister
Kenny MacAskill; Fiona Hyslop; Shirley-Anne Somerville; Angela Constance; George Kerevan; Colin Beattie; Alex Orr; Bill Wilson; Gordon MacDonald; Calum Cashley; Jim Eadie; Alasdair Rankin

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY - Independent Socialist Scotland
Colin Fox; Catriona Grant; Laura Bennison; Andrew McPake; Alistair Hendry; Barbara Scott

SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY - David Don Jacobsen; Michael Lynch; Linda Sheridan; Barbara Ann Bryan

SOLIDARITY – SCOTLAND'S SOCIALIST MOVEMENT - SOLIDARITY
Patricia Joan Smith; Ian Drummond; Vanesa Fuertes; Willie Black; Jack Fraser; Shirley Margaret Gibb; Anne Edmonds; Adrian Stuart Cannon

THE LIBERAL PARTY - Liberal Party - Against Coalition Cut Backs
John Hein

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY (UKIP)
Otto Inglis; Gordon Norrie; Alistair Forrest; Gavin Clark; Alastair MacIntyre

Independents
Mev Brown
David John Hogg
Margo MacDonald
Ken O'Neill

Sensational Middleweight prospect Joe 'Belfast Banger' Hillerby is set for his first home town fight this coming Saturday, on the Graham Earl promoted 'Fists of Fury' event, headlined by WBU Lightweight World Champion Willie Limond, at the King's Hall in Belfast.

Hillerby, who debuted in October 2010, has made quite an impact on the scene. No surprise really, after all he is an all action heavy hitter with a knockout finish, as proved on his debut against Gavin Putney, which lasted just 43 seconds!

His second fight, against super tough Ryan Clark, lasted the full course and turned out to be one of the most action packed fights of the night at Graham Earl's excellent 'Capital Punishment' event at York Hall in London back in January.

My apologies for the delay in getting Rounds 4-7 of big_jay's most recent complete seven round mock draft out the door. You can view Rounds 1-3 here. -Michael B. -

*************

Previous 2011 BTSC Seven Round Mock Drafts

• Post-Combine Seven Round Mock (Rounds 1-3; Rounds 4-7)
• Pre-Combine Seven Round Mock DraftRound 4:

*************

 

Round 4

 

97. Carolina Panthers - Will Rackley OG, Lehigh

Carolina has a huge hole at RG.

 

98. Seattle Seahawks (From New England via Denver) - Robert Sands SS, West Virginia

Seattle continues to upgrade the secondary.

 

99. Buffalo Bills - Dontay Moch DE/OLB, Nevada

Buffalo needs to upgrade its pass-rush.

 

100. Cincinnati Bengals - DeMarco Murray RB, Oklahoma

If Cincy doesn't resign Cedric Benson they will need someone to carry the load.

 

101. Cleveland Browns - K.J. Wright OLB, Mississippi State

The Browns lack any traditional 4-3 OLB's.

102. Arizona Cardinals - Jason Pinkston OT, Pittsburgh

The Cardinals will be forced to double and maybe even triple dip on Offensive Linemen prospects because they have one of the worst lines in the NFL.

 

103. Philadelphia Eagles (via Washington Redskins) - Shiloh Keo SS, Idaho

Quintin Mikell is a free agent.

 

104. Houston Texans - Deunta Williams FS, UNC

Houston released Eugene Wilson.

 

105. Minnesota Vikings - DeMarcus Love OG, Arkansas

Anthony Herrera is terrible at RG.

 

106. Detroit Lions - Delone Carter RB, Syracuse

Detroit lacks a power RB.

 

107. San Francisco 49ers - Lawrence Guy DE/DT, Arizona State

S.F. could use an upgrade over Isaac Sopoaga.

 

108. Tennessee Titans - Greg Jones ILB, Michigan State

The Titans will most likely not resign Stephen Tulloch.

 

109. Dallas Cowboys - Cedric Thornton DE/DT, Southern Arkansas

The Cowboys need an upgrade over Igor Olshansky.

 

110. Miami Dolphins - Vincent Brown WR, San Diego State

If they can't replace Chad Henne they can at least give him some more weapons.

 

111. St. Louis Rams - Kendall Hunter RB, Oklahoma State

St. Louis needs a change of pace RB to share the load with Steven Jackson.

 

112. Oakland Raiders - Ryan Bartholomew OC, Syracuse

Samson Satele is a free agent and Bartholomew is a combine warrior.

 

113. Jacksonville Jaguars - Joe Lefeged S, Rutgers

Don Carey is an awful Free Safety.

 

114. San Francisco 49ers (via San Diego Chargers) - Owen Marecic FB, Stanford

Coach Harbaugh gets one of his favorite players.

 

115. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Greg Romeus DE, Pittsburgh

Tampa took a DE in the first round and now they fill the other side. Romeus has injury issues but was once considered a top pick and is worth the value here.

 

116. New York Giants - Casey Matthews ILB, Oregon

The Giants could use an upgrade at every Linebacker position.

 

117. Kansas City Chiefs - Tim Barnes OC, Missouri

Casey Wiegmann will be 38 years old this season.

 

118. Indianapolis Colts - Darius Morris OT/OG, Temple

Indy needs an upgrade over Ryan Diem at RT and over Mike Pollack at RG.

 

119. Philadelphia Eagles - Ross Homan OLB, Ohio State

Ernie Sims is a free agent.

 

120. Jacksonville Jaguars (via New Orleans Saints) - Jaiquawn Jarrett S, Temple

The Jags need help at both Safety positions.

 

121. Buffalo Bills (via Seattle Seahawks) - Sione Fua DT, Stanford

Buffalo has nothing on the D-line except for Kyle Williams.

 

122. Baltimore Ravens - Curtis Marsh CB, Utah State

The Ravens may double-dip at CB with three pending free agents at the position.

 

123. Atlanta Falcons - Jacquizz Rodgers RB, Oregon State

BPA, Matt Ryan could always use more weapons.

 

124. New England Patriots - Buster Skrine CB UT-Chattanooga

The Pats could use an upgrade over Kyle Arrington.

 

125. New York Jets - Terrance Toliver WR, LSU

The Jets will most likely not resign Braylon Edwards.

 

126. Chicago Bears - Andrew Jackson OG, Fresno State

Chicago continues to overhaul their O-line.

 

 

127. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jalil Brown CB, Colorado

Ike Taylor is a free agent and may not take a hometown discount, Willie Gay is a free agent that the Steelers should let walk, and Bryant McFadden is injury-prone and can't cover anyone.

 

128. Green Bay Packers - Edmund Gates WR, Abilene Christian

Donald Driver may retire after finally winning a Super Bowl and James Jones is a free agent.

******************

5th Round

 

129. Carolina Panthers - Greg Little WR, North Carolina

Carolina needs a solid number one WR.

 

130. Buffalo Bills - D.J. Williams TE, Arkansas

Buffalo needs an upgrade over Shawn Nelson.

 

131. Cincinnati Bengals - Pernell McPhee DE, Mississippi State

Antwan Odom is always hurt.

 

132. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via Denver Broncos) - Derrick Locke RB, Kentucky

With LeGarrette Blount as the starting RB Tampa needs a cheaper third-down back than pending free agent Cadillac Williams.

 

133. Arizona Cardinals - Bruce Miller DE/OLB, Central Florida

Arizona will need to double-dip at rush linebacker because it's time to cut ties with Joey Porter and Clark Haggans.

 

134. Cleveland Browns - Marcus Gilchrist CB, Clemson

Eric Wright underachieved last season.

 

135. Houston Texans - Thomas Keiser DE/OLB, Stanford

Houston needs two OLB's for their conversion to a 3-4 defense.

 

136. Minnesota Vikings - Richard Sherman CB/FS, Stanford

Antoine Winfield is 34 years old and Cedric Griffin has injury issues.

 

137. Kansas City Chiefs (via Detroit Lions) - Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho

K.C. will need a solid back-up for Matt Cassell and Enderle has the potential to start somewhere down the line.

 

138. San Francisco 49ers - Chimdi Chekwa CB, Ohio State

They drafted one CB to replace Nate Clements now they take another one to replace the inconsistent Shawntae Spencer.

 

139. Tennessee Titans - Ian Williams NT, Notre Dame

Tennessee needs a big run-stuffing DT.

 

140. Dallas Cowboys - Lee Ziemba OG, Auburn

Kyle Kosier is a 32 year old free agent.

 

141. Washington Redskins - Jarriel King OT, South Carolina

Jammal Brown is a free agent.

 

142. St. Louis Rams - Eric Hagg S, Nebraska

St. Louis needs to replace O.J. Atogwe.

 

143. Miami Dolphins - Kendric Burney CB, North Carolina

Miami needs and upgrade at Nickel CB over Bennie Sapp.

 

144. Jacksonville Jaguars - Nate Irving LB, North Carolina State

Justin Durant is a free agent.

 

145. Oakland Raiders - Virgil Green TE, Nevada

Unless Zach Miller gets the franchise tag he won't be back next year.

 

146. Philadelphia Eagles (via San Diego Chargers) - Jah Reid OT, Central Florida

Philly needs an upgrade at RT over Winston Justice.

 

147. Minnesota Vikings (via New York Giants) - Kenrick Ellis NT, Hampton

They need a replacement for Pat Williams.

 

148. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Lawrence Wilson OLB, UConn

Both Barrett Rudd and Quincy Black are free agents so the Bucs may take two Linebackers.

 

149. Indianapolis Colts - Terrell McClain DT, South Florida

Indy could use an upgrade over Fili Moala and especially Daniel Muir.

 

150. Philadelphia Eagles - Ricky Stanzi QB, Iowa

With Kevin Kolb as good as traded Andy Reid will need another young QB to groom for the future.

 

151. Detroit Lions (via Kansas City Chiefs) - Colin McCarthy LB, Miami

Detroit released Julian Peterson.

 

152. Washington Redskins (via New Orleans Saints) - Chris Neild NT, West Virginia

Washington will most likely part ways with Albert Haynesworth.

 

153. Seattle Seahawks - Cliff Matthews DE, South Carolina

Raheem Brock is a free agent.

 

154. Seattle Seahawks (via Baltimore Ravens) - Derek Hall OT, Stanford

Sean Locklear is a free agent.

 

155. Atlanta Falcons - Dwayne Harris WR/KR, East Carolina

Atlanta needs as many weapons as possible for Matt Ryan.

 

156. New England Patriots - Greg Salas WR, Hawaii

BPA, by this point New England has filled any and all perceived needs.

 

157. Chicago Bears - Stephen Burton WR, West Texas A&M

Chicago lacks a true number one WR. Burton had an awesome pro day and could be the late-round sleeper steal of the draft.

 

158. New York Jets - Josh Davis OT, UGA

The Jets cut Damien Woody.

 

159. Pittsburgh Steelers - Dion Lewis RB, Pittsburgh

After taking a CB with two picks, and grabbing an O-lineman as well, the Steelers have effectively filled their biggest need. While at first glance the Steelers appear to be set at RB with Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac "Red zone" Redman they still lack a dependable pass-catching option on third down. Mewelde Moore used to fill that void but he's a 29 year old free agent and didn't look at that good last year. Dion Lewis is compact yet powerful with soft hands and enough strength to be an effective pass-blocker.

 

160. Green Bay Packers - Cheta Ozougwu DE/OLB, Rice

The Packers could use some competition with Frank Zombo and Erik Walden at the OLB spot opposite of Clay Matthews.

 

**********************

Round 6

 

161. Carolina Panthers - Rob Housler TE, Florida Atlantic

They signed Jeremy Shockey but he's an old, injury-plagued short-term solution.

 

162. Cincinnati Bengals - Jermale Hines SS, Ohio State

Roy Williams is a liability in coverage.

 

163. Cleveland Browns (via Denver Broncos) - Ugo Chinasa DE, Oklahoma State

Cleveland needs multiple D-linemen for their conversion to the 4-3 defense.

 

164. Buffalo Bills - Willie Smith OT, East Carolina

Buffalo needs an upgrade at RT.

 

165. Cleveland Browns - Justin Boren OG, Ohio State

Pork Chop Womack is a free agent and needs to be replaced anyway.

 

166. Arizona Cardinals - Niles Paul WR, Nebraska

Steve Breaston is an injury-prone free agent.

 

167. Minnesota Vikings - Tori Gurley WR, South Carolina

Sidney Rice is a free agent and Bernard Berrian is awful.

 

168. Seattle Seahawks (via Detroit Lions) - Jeremy Kerley WR, TCU

Seattle is short one WR.

 

169. San Francisco 49ers - Chris Rucker FS, Michigan State

Dashon Goldson is a free agent.

 

170. Tennessee Titans - Kris O'Dowd OC, USC

Eugene Amano needs to be replaced.

 

171. Dallas Cowboys - Jeron Johnson SS, Boise State

Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent.

 

172. Washington Redskins - Chykie Brown CB, Texas

Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon are both free agents.

 

173. Houston Texans - Ronald Johnson WR, USC

Jacoby Jones is a free agent.

 

174. Miami Dolphins - Alex Linnenkohl OC, Oregon State

Miami needs to upgrade their interior offensive line.

 

175. St. Louis Rams - Chris Conte S, Cal

St. Louis needs a replacement over James Butler and Craig Dahl at SS.

 

176. Oakland Raiders - Mario Fannin RB, Auburn

Michael Bush is a free agent.

 

177. Jacksonville Jaguars - Kyle Hix OT, Texas

Jacksonville has no depth at OT after cutting Jordan Black.

 

178. San Diego Chargers - DeAndre Brown WR, Southern Miss

San Diego loves tall, big-bodied WR's like 6'6", 228lbs DeAndre Brown.

 

179. Detroit Lions (from Philadelphia Eagles via Tampa Bay) - Mark Herzlich OLB, Boston College

Detroit will need to take two OLB's with Zack Follett coming off of a bad injury.

 

180. New York Giants - Cecil Shorts WR, Mount Union

Steve Smith is a free agent with a knee injury.

 

181. Philadelphia Eagles - Henry Hynoski FB, Pittsburgh

Leonard Weaver has a serious knee injury.

 

182. Kansas City Chiefs - Jeremy Beal DE/OLB, Oklahoma

Mike Vrabel needs to be replaced.

 

183. Indianapolis Colts - Jeff Maehl WR, Oregon

Indy has a lot of injury issues at WR.

 

184. Denver Broncos (from New England Patriots via New Orleans) - Lance Kendricks TE, Wisconsin

Josh McDaniels screwed Denver when he traded away Tony Scheffler.

 

185. San Francisco 49ers (via Seattle Seahawks) - Roy Helu RB, Nebraska

Brian Westbrook is a 31 year old free agent with an injury history.

 

186. Baltimore Ravens - Zach Hurd OT/OG, UConn

Marshall Yanda and Chris Chester are both free agents.

 

187. Atlanta Falcons - David Arkin OG, Missouri State

Justin Blalock and Harvey Dahl are both free agents.

 

188. New England Patriots - Josh Bynes ILB, Auburn

With every need seemingly filled by now New England will go with the BPA and add depth to their linebacking corps.

 

189. New York Jets - Anthony Gray NT, Southern Miss

The Jets released Kris Jenkins.

 

190. Chicago Bears - Pierre Allen DE, Nebraska

Chicago lacks depth behind Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije.

 

191. Pittsburgh Steelers - Frank Kearse NT, Alabama A&M

I have to admit I don't know anything about Frank Kearse except for the fact that the Steelers are just about the only team that showed up for his pro day and liked what they saw. He's 6'4", 315lbs, runs a 5.30 40 time, and did 22 reps on the bench press. Previously I had Nebraska Kicker Alex Henery going here but with the rule change recently implemented which changes the starting point of Kick-offs to the 35-yard line it just diminishes the needs for a strong-legged kicker somewhat.

 

192. Green Bay Packers - Scott Lutrus ILB, UConn

If G.B. releases Nick Barnett they'll need depth at ILB.

 

**********************

 

Round 7

 

193. Green Bay Packers (via Carolina Panthers) - Kai Forbath K, UCLA

Mason Crosby is a free agent and has never lived up to the hype he had coming into the league.

 

194. Denver Broncos - Devon Torrence CB, Ohio State

Perrish Cox may be going to prison.

 

195. Buffalo Bills - Darvin Adams WR, Auburn

The Bills may release Lee Evans.

 

196. Cincinnati Bengals - Alex Henery K, Nebraska

Mike Nugent was terrible this past season.

 

197. New York Jets (via Arizona Cardinals) - Justin Rogers CB/KR, Richmond

The Jets will probably not resign Antonio Cromartie unless he's willing to take a discount.

 

198. Seattle Seahawks (via Cleveland Browns) - Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama

Matt Hasselbeck and J.P. Losman are both free agents.

 

199. San Francisco 49ers (via Detroit Lions) - Greg Lloyd ILB, Connecticut

Takeo Spikes is 34 years old.

 

200. San Francisco 49ers - Aldrick Robinson WR, SMU

Ted Ginn is a terrible slot receiver.

 

201. Tennessee Titans - Julius Thomas TE, Portland State

Bo Scaife is a 30 year old free agent.

 

202. Dallas Cowboys - Forfeited due to 7th round pick in the 2010 supplemental draft

 

203. Washington Redskins - Stanley Havili FB, USC

They could use an upgrade over Mike Sellers.

 

204. Houston Texans - Chas Henry P, Florida

Matt Turk is 43 years old.

 

 

205. Minnesota Vikings - Jordan Cameron TE, USC

Visanthe Shiancoe was terrible this past season and is in the final year of his contract. Cameron has lots of potential, plus it would be amusing to see two rookies playing on the same team with the same name, only reversed.

 

206. St. Louis Rams - Steve Schilling OG, Michigan

Adam Goldberg needs to be replaced at RG.

 

207. Miami Dolphins - Darren Evans RB, Virginia Tech

BPA, it's possible that Rickey Williams and Ronnie Brown could both be gone in 2011.

 

208. Miami Dolphins (via Jacksonville Jaguars) - Chris Culliver FS, South Carolina

Chris Clemons needs to be replaced badly.

 

209. Oakland Raiders - Denarius Moore WR, Tennessee

Why not? Moore ran a 4.37 40 at the combine.

 

210. Dallas Cowboys (via San Diego Chargers) - Sealver Siliga DE/DT, Utah

Dallas needs D-line depth.

 

211. New York Giants - Brandon Bair DE/DT, Oregon

Mathias Kiwanuka and Barry Cofield are both free agents, and the Giants love to stockpile D-linemen.

 

212. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Brandon Fusco OC, Slippery Rock

Jeff Faine has an injury history.

 

213. Kansas City Chiefs - Mario Harvey ILB, Marshall

An upgrade over Jovan Belcher at ILB.

 

214. Indianapolis Colts - Rick Elmore DE, Arizona

BPA, Indy loves stock-piling DE's.

 

215. Baltimore Ravens (via Philadelphia Eagles) - Anthony Allen RB/FB, Georgia Tech

Le'Ron McClain is a free agent.

 

216. New Orleans Saints - Rob McGill OT, Louisiana Tech

The Saints need an upgrade over Jon Stinchcomb.

 

217. Seattle Seahawks - Korey Lindsey CB, Southern Illinois

Seattle lacks secondary depth.

 

218. Baltimore Ravens - Mike Mohamed ILB, Cal

Baltimore needs some competition with Jameel McClain at ILB. As an added bonus Mohamed has experience in a 3-4 defense.

 

219. Atlanta Falcons - Ryan Winterswyk DE, Boise State

John Abraham is 33 years old.

 

220. Atlanta Falcons (via New England Patriots) - J.T. Thomas OLB, West Virginia

Stephen Nicholas is a free agent.

 

221. Chicago Bears - Forfeited due to 7th round pick in the 2010 supplemental draft

 

222. Detroit Lions (via New York Jets) - Forfeited due to tampering charges

 

223. Pittsburgh Steelers - Steven Friday DE/OLB, Virginia Tech

Before every Steelers fan starts going crazy and ranting about how "we have so many linebackers on the roster already that we had to cut Thaddeus Gibson who was a fourth round pick!" please remember that this is the second to last pick in the entire draft. It has almost nothing to do with filling a need but rather taking the best available talent. Plus it seems as though the Steelers take at least one linebacker in the draft every year. Friday is a great athlete and I would have loved to have put him earlier in my mock but I just didn't have room anywhere. In reality he'll probably go somewhere in the sixth round.

 

224. Green Bay Packers - Ryan Whalen WR, Stanford

Much like the Steelers, the Packers will go BPA here. Donald Driver may retire and James Jones is a free agent.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve started a thread focusing on albums that would be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their release. It takes quite a bit of work to compile the list in this form but, I figured that it’s worth it. Since I had a bit of time over the holidays, I thought that I’d work on the list for 1971/2011. (I'm sure that there are many more that could be on the list but, this is a pretty good representation. Any corrections are certainly welcome. Feel free to mention additions to the list.) Once again, it was another good year for new releases. Three of The Beatles had releases. John had Imagine, Paul had Ram (and Wild Life with Wings) and George issued a set with his Concert for Bangladesh. ELO released their debut and ELP and Yes issued a pair of albums each. Traffic issued a pair as well with The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Welcome to the Canteen. There were some nice live albums, too. The Allman Brothers released their At Fillmore East and Humble Pie put out their Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore. There were also a pair of Hendrix posthumous releases (Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge). Some big sellers in the form of Jethro Tull’s Aqualing, Led Zeppelin’s fourth LP, The Who’s Who’s Next and Carole King’s Tapestry also hit the shelves. Joni Mitchell released Blue, David Bowie issued Hunky Dory and Van Morrison had Tupelo Honey. Pink Floyd issued an album of new material (Meddle) as well as a compilation (Relics). The same for The Rolling Stones with Sticky Fingers and Hot Rocks. So much good stuff! I’ll let the list speak for itself... *Record Albums Released in 1971* (note that release dates in North American and Europe may vary) A The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East Amboy Dukes - Survival of the Fittest (Live) Amon Düül II - Tanz der Lemminge Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden April Wine - April Wine Atomic Rooster - In Hearing of Atomic Rooster Brian Auger - Oblivion Express Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing B Badfinger - Straight Up Joan Baez - Blessed Are... The Band - Cahoots Bang - Bang Barclay James Harvest - Once Again Count Basie - Afrique Count Basie - Have a Nice Day Shirley Bassey - Something Else The Beach Boys - Surf's Up The Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready Bee Gees - Trafalgar Chuck Berry - San Francisco Dues Birth Control - Operation Black Oak Arkansas - Black Oak Arkansas Black Sabbath - Master of Reality Black Widow - Black Widow Carla Bley & Paul Haines - Escalator over the Hill Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 Blue Cheer - Oh! Pleasant Hope Booker T & the MG's - Melting Pot David Bowie - Hunky Dory Bread - Manna Edgar Broughton Band - Edgar Broughton Band James Brown - Hot Pants James Brown - Sho Is Funky Down Here James Brown - Super Bad Jack Bruce - Harmony Row Jack Bruce - Things We Like Budgie - Budgie Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon - Guilty! The Byrds - Byrdmaniax The Byrds - Farther Along C Cactus -One Way...Or Another Cactus - Restrictions John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax Can - Tago Mago Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Mirror Man (material recorded in 1967) Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink Carpenters - Carpenters Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Johnny Cash - Little Fauss and Big Halsy Johnny Cash - Man in Black Johnny Cash - The Man, The World, His Music Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis - Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis Sing Hank Williams Ray Charles - Volcanic Action of My Soul Chase - Chase Chicago - Chicago at Carnegie Hall Chicago - Chicago III The Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People Gene Clark - White Light Jimmy Cliff - Another Cycle Cluster - Cluster Bruce Cockburn - High Winds, White Sky Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate Ornette Coleman - Twins John Coltrane - Sun Ship (recorded 1965) Judy Collins - Living Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses Colosseum - Colosseum Live Rita Coolidge - Nice Feelin' Rita Coolidge - Rita Coolidge Alice Cooper - Killer Alice Cooper - Love It to Death Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 2 Crazy Horse - Crazy Horse Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 4 Way Street David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name King Curtis - Live at Fillmore West Curved Air - Second Album D Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson Miles Davis - Live-Evil Deep Purple - Fireball Delaney & Bonnie - Motel Shot Sandy Denny - The North Star Grassman and the Ravens John Denver - Poems, Prayers and Promises Neil Diamond - Stones Bo Diddley - Another Dimension Dion DiMucci - You're Not Alone Dr. John - The Sun, Moon & Herbs Donovan - H.M.S. Donovan The Doobie Brothers - The Doobie Brothers The Doors - L.A. Woman The Doors - Other Voices Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. Ii E Earth, Wind & Fire - Earth, Wind & Fire Egg - The Polite Force Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra (aka No Answer) Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition John Entwistle - Smash Your Head Against the Wall F Faces - A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse Faces - Long Player Fairport Convention - Angel Delight Family -Fearless Faust - Faust The 5th Dimension - Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes Ella Fitzgerald - Ella à Nice Roberta Flack - Quiet Fire Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head Fleetwood Mac - Future Games The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers Focus - Moving Waves Aretha Franklin - Aretha Live at Fillmore West Aretha Franklin - Aretha's Greatest Hits Free - Free Live! Funkadelic - Maggot Brain G Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson Rory Gallagher - Deuce Rory Gallagher - Rory Gallagher Marvin Gaye - What's Going On The J. Geils Band - The Morning After Genesis - Nursery Cryme Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste Golden Earring - Seven Tears Grand Funk Railroad - E Pluribus Funk Grand Funk Railroad - Survival Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead (live) Grateful Dead - Historic Dead Live 1966 Al Green - Al Green Gets Next to You Grin - Grin Gordon Lightfoot - Summer Side of Life Groundhogs - Split The Guess Who - So Long, Bannatyne H Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Country Tom T. Hall - In Search of a Song Peter Hammill - Fool's Mate John Hammond - Source Point Roy Harper - Stormcock George Harrison and Friends - The Concert for Bangladesh Richie Havens - Alarm Clock Hawkwind - In Search of Space Isaac Hayes - Black Moses Isaac Hayes - Shaft Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow Bridge Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks - Where's the Money? The Hollies - Distant Light Honey Cone - Soulful Tapestry Honey Cone - Sweet Replies John Lee Hooker - Goin' Down Highway 51 John Lee Hooker - Mad Man Blues John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat - Hooker 'n Heat Hot Tuna - First Pull Up, Then Pull Down Howlin' Wolf - The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions Humble Pie - Performance Rockin' the Fillmore Humble Pie - Rock On I If - If 3 Incredible String Band - Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air J The Jackson 5 - Goin' Back to Indiana The Jackson 5 - Greatest Hits The Jackson 5 - Maybe Tomorrow Jade Warrior - Jade Warrior Jade Warrior - Released James Gang - James Gang Live in Concert James Gang - Thirds Jefferson Airplane - Bark Waylon Jennings - The Taker/Tulsa Jethro Tull - Aqualung Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor Elton John - 11-17-70 (aka 17-11-70) Elton John - Madman Across the Water Tom Jones - Tom Jones Sings She's a Lady Janis Joplin - Pearl Joy of Cooking - Closer to the Ground Joy of Cooking - Joy of Cooking K B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail Carole King - Music Carole King - Tapestry King Crimson - Islands The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies The Kinks - Percy Kluster - Eruption (live) Kluster - Zwei-Osterei Kris Kristofferson - The Silver Tongued Devil and I Fela Kuti - Live! (with Ginger Baker) Fela Kuti - Why Black Man Dey Suffer? L The Last Poets - This is Madness Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV John Lennon - Imagine Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne Little Feat - Little Feat Jon Lord - Gemini Suite M Taj Mahal - Happy Just To Be Like I Am Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame The Mamas & the Papas - People Like Us Man -Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Revolution II John Martyn - Bless the Weather Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! Curtis Mayfield - Roots Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney - Ram MC5 - High Time Don McLean - American Pie Melanie - Gather Me Melanie - The Good Book Steve Miller Band - Rock Love Mr. Fox - The Gypsy Joni Mitchell - Blue The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey Mott the Hoople - Brain Capers Mott the Hoople - Wildlife Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride The Move - Message from the Country Mungo Jerry - Electronically Tested Mungo Jerry - You Don't Have to Be in the Army Anne Murray - Talk It Over in the Morning N Graham Nash - Songs for Beginners Nazareth - Nazareth Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band - Rudy the Fifth Willie Nelson - Yesterday's Wine Randy Newman - Randy Newman Live New Riders of the Purple Sage - New Riders of the Purple Sage Olivia Newton-John - If Not for You The Nice - Elegy Harry Nilsson - Aerial Pandemonium Ballet Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson Harry Nilsson - The Point! Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle O Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand Yoko Ono - Fly Le Orme - Collage Osibisa - Osibisa Osibisa - Woyaya Gilbert O'Sullivan - Himself P Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card The Partridge Family - Shopping Bag The Partridge Family - Sound Magazine The Partridge Family - Up to Date Pentangle - Reflection Pink Floyd - Meddle Pink Floyd - Relics Poco - Deliverin' Poco - From the Inside Elvis Presley - C'mon Everybody Elvis Presley - Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas Elvis Presley - Love Letters from Elvis Elvis Presley - You'll Never Walk Alone John Prine - John Prine Procol Harum - Broken Barricades Q Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver R Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt The Rascals - Peaceful World The Rascals - Search and Nearness Renaissance - Illusion REO Speedwagon - REO Speedwagon Emitt Rhodes - The American Dream Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - One Dozen Roses The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964-1971 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Diana Ross - Surrender Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren Leon Russell - Leon Russell and the Shelter People Mitch Ryder - Detroit S Buffy Sainte-Marie - She Used to Want to Be a Ballerina Pharoah Sanders - Thembi Mongo Santamaria - Afro Roots Santana - Santana III Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs & Band Boz Scaggs - Moments Carly Simon - Anticipation Carly Simon - Carly Simon Frank Sinatra - Sinatra & Company Sir Lord Baltimore - Sir Lord Baltimore Skid Row - 34 Hours Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On Soft Machine - Fourth Sparks (as Halfnelson) - Halfnelson Spirogyra - St. Radigunds Jimmie Spheeris - Isle of View Status Quo - Dog of Two Head Steeleye Span - Please to See the King Steeleye Span - Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills 2 Stoney & Meat Loaf - Stoney & Meatloaf Barbra Streisand - Barbra Joan Streisand Barbra Streisand - Stoney End The Stylistics - The Stylistics Sun Ra - Pictures of Infinity Supertramp - Indelibly Stamped Sweet - Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be T James Taylor - James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine (recorded ‘66-'67) James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon Kate Taylor - Sister Kate Livingston Taylor - Liv The Temptations - Sky's the Limit Ten Years After - A Space in Time Thin Lizzy - Thin Lizzy Three Dog Night - Golden Bisquits Three Dog Night - Harmony Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Traffic - Welcome to the Canteen (live) T.Rex - Electric Warrior U UFO - UFO 2: Flying Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself Uriah Heep - Salisbury V Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts W War - All Day Music War - War Dionne Warwick - The Dionne Warwicke Story Muddy Waters - They Call Me Muddy Waters Weather Report - Weather Report Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy The Who - Who's Next Andy Williams - Love Story Wings - Wild Life Edgar Winter - Edgar Winter's White Trash Johnny Winter and - Live Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage Bill Withers - Just as I Am Stevie Wonder - Where I'm Coming From Link Wray - Link Wray Y Yes - Fragile Yes - The Yes Album Z Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Fillmore East, June 1971 Frank Zappa - 200 Motels Soundtrack ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album

El Asefa Estudiantes derrotó sin problemas a un flojo Chorale Roane (87-60), pero tuvo que esperar, en unos minutos agónicos, a que la Benetton Bwin se impusiera al PAOK (77-69) y así conseguir el billete para el 'Last 16'. El capitán del equipo madrileño, 'Pancho Jasen' fue el jugador más destacado con 18 puntos.

El conjunto estudiantil, consciente de que sólo le valía una victoria si quería seguir vivo en Europa, empezó muy serio el partido y pronto consiguió una importante ventaja (11-2), con siete puntos de un Caner-Medley muy enchufado en el inicio. A partir de ese momento la responsabilidad ofensiva la tomó 'Pancho' Jasen que con sus nueve puntos colaboró en que los colegiales prácticamente duplicaran el tanteo de sus rivales al finalizar el primer cuarto (24-12).

Los de Luis Casimiro seguían dominando el encuentro con claridad y un triple de Daniel Clark, a mitad del segundo cuarto, puso la máxima ventaja para los del Ramiro (40-24). Tras esto, los franceses recortaron peligrosamente la diferencia (43-39), pero en un buen arreón final del Estudiantes, anotaron los últimos cinco puntos y dejaron el partido con un 48-39 cuando se llegó al descanso.

Las cosas siguieron tranquilas para el Estudiantes tras el intermedio, alcanzando una nueva máxima diferencia al finalizar el tercer acto (69-51). Josh Asselin, que aún no había anotado, fue el hombre más activo de los colegiales en este cuarto consiguiendo nada menos que 14 puntos.

Con el partido sentenciado, los aficionados estudiantiles estaban más pendientes de si la Benetton estaba ganando, que en esos momentos lo hacía por la mínima. El encuentro en Vistalegre finalizó con un aplastante 87-60, el Estudiantes había cumplido su parte. Finalmente el conjunto italiano también ganó (77-69) y le dio a los de Luis Casimiro la segunda plaza del grupo y el consiguiente pase al 'Last 16'.

MACHADA SEVILLANA

Un gran Cajasol cumplió con creces su objetivo de ganar por más de cinco puntos y se impuso a domicilio al Hapoel Jerusalén (70-84), que no había perdido aún en su cancha, logrando así la clasificación para el 'Last 16' y dejando a los israelíes fuera de la competición. Bullock, Urtasun y Kirksay fueron clave en la victoria cajista.

Salida en tromba del Cajasol que, gracias a su acierto en el tiro y en el rebote y a los dos robos de balón de Kirksay, empezó a escaparse en el marcador (5-16). Los sevillanos seguían desplegando un gran juego y un triple al final del primer cuarto de Willie Solomon maquilló la desventaja de los locales (11-24). Louis Bullock, con 10 puntos, era el jugador cajista más destacado.

El equipo israelí empezó a despertar en el segundo cuarto liderado por Jason Rich y Yuval Naimy que anotaron en este periodo siete y ocho puntos respectivamente. Pero sobre todo la reacción del Hapoel se dio en los minutos finales en los que endosó a los de Joan Plaza un parcial de 12-2, terminando el cuarto con un 37-43 para los sevillanos.

Tras los minutos de descanso, el Cajasol pudo frenar la reacción israelí e incluso logró aumentar en ocho su ventaja al finalizar el tercer cuarto (54-62), gracias, en parte, a la gran labor de Kirksay que ya sumaba 15 puntos.

El conjunto cajista iba cumpliendo sus expectativas, ya que necesitaba ganar por más de cuatro, y un espectacular parcial de 0-11 al comienzo del último periodo, con dos triples de Urtasun, dejó prácticamente resuelto el partido y el pase al 'Last 16' de los sevillanos. Así fue, porque el encuentro acabó con 70-84 y se consumó la clasificación de los de Joan Plaza que parecía misión casi imposible al comienzo de la jornada.

As the second quarter opens in Boise for the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl, Northern Illinois appears to have shrugged off any rust that clung to both units in their opening series. And it's all Chandler Harnish on this latest drive. The junior QB hits Nathan Palmer down the left-hand side for a 15-yard gain, rips off a 24-yard rush, and then bursts through the middle of the Bulldogs' line for a 28-yard touchdown run. Michael Cklamovski makes the extra point this time, and the Huskies pull ahead, 13-7.

Fresno State picks up another three-and-out, and Harnish tarnishes (sorry) the Huskies' next series with a fumble, but manages to recover it himself. Northern Illinois is reduced to a 45-yard field goal and a mere 16-7 lead. The Bulldogs keep pace perfectly, with Ryan Colburn providing a matching fumble and self-recovery on third down deep in Huskies territory, and Kevin Goessling's kick pulls the Bulldogs back within a touchdown of NIU's lead.

The next drive, the Huskies get right. Harnish rushes the ball himself or passes on every play, and connects with Willie Clark and Martel Moore for 14- and 21-yard gains before hitting the outstandingly-named Kyle Skarb with a 22-yard touchdown strike.

Ryan Colburn passes on five straight plays to get the Bulldogs within field goal range to end the half, but Goessling misses a 43-yarder as the clock expires. At halftime, Northern Illinois leads Fresno State, 23-10.

Connect with Northern Illinois fans in our live game discussion thread.

"M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!"

The chant started early in the fourth quarter in a small section of orange-and-blue diehards behind the Knicks bench. By the time Amar'e Stoudemire made two foul shots with 1:20 remaining in the game to give the Knicks a 97-92 lead and give himself 34 points, the chanting had become a boisterous and assertive roar, drowning out the booing of the Wizards faithful.

With 45.9 seconds left, Stoudemire emphatically blocked a layup attempt by John Wall, and the Phone Booth underwent a Clark Kent-like transformation, into Madison Square Garden South. When Stoudemire made two foul shots with 13.4 seconds to give himself 36 points and a place in Knicks history, the "M-V-P!" chants were deafening, and they followed him clear off the court and into the Knicks locker room.

Having an arena overrun with visiting fans praising their own players is often seen as the low point for any organization. During the 2006-07 season, both MSG and the TD Garden were overrun with, horror of horrors, purple-and-gold-clad Lakers fans singing the praises of Kobe Bryant. While the Celtics won the title the very next season, it took a little longer for the Knicks to put the shoe on the other foot.

But they've finally made it fit, and Friday night, the ball came to Washington.

The signs began early, about 90 minutes before the game, when reporters made their way onto the court for Flip Saunders's media availability to find the head coach talking with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and the world's most prominent Knicks fan, film director Spike Lee. Lee sat next to Leonsis by the Wizards bench for the rest of the night, rising along with his orange-and-blue bretheren to applaud every big Knick play. At one point, after a Danilo Gallinari three-pointer in the second half, Lee appeared to give the universal hand symbol for "bellissimo" or "that's a spicy meat-a-ball."  

Now a moment to editorialize: Leonsis may be sincere in his desires neither to market visiting players nor to visiting fans. But he opens himself up to charges of hypocrisy when the following happens: 

1. He is joined at courtside by an opposing fan, albeit a rareified sort of fan, as opposed to one of the Bullets/Wizards alumni who were honored at halftime, in an occasion that got polite applause from a distracted crowd and was quickly forgotten.

2. The announced crowd was 18,542, the largest this season (more than even the 17,803 announced at the November 2 home opener), a total that was swelled by the thousands of Knicks fans in attendace and one that says a lot about where this team currently ranks in the hierarchy of D.C. sports fans' attention span, even with John Wall on the roster. 

I frankly don't care who Leonsis sells tickets to, but he made his own bed here, and frankly, it's one thing to make pronouncements and quite another to let Spike Lee sit next to him instead of, say, Fred Carter or Bobby Dandridge. It is Leonsis's building, after all, and Spike Lee has to sit wherever Ted puts him.

Then there was the game itself, which essentially turned on this question: would Amare Stoudemire continue his fantastic play? He did, becoming only the second player in Knicks history (after Willie Naulls in 1962) to score at least 30 points in seven straight games. Clyde Frazier never did it. Neither did Earl Monroe, Bernard King, or Patrick Ewing. Just Willie and Amar'e.

And speaking of Clyde Frazier, the legend himself was in the building, doing color commentary on Knicks' MSG telecast, anxious, no doubt, to get a look at this new kid named Wall. When I caught up with Frazier in the Verizon Center hallway after the game to ask about Wall, he sounded slightly disappointed, and you couldn't blame him. Wall scored just eight points and dished just six assists on 4-14 shooting.

"He seemed to be lacking in confidence," Frazier said. "He wasn't showing much inclination to show that flash and go at the Knicks defense. Once he gets healthy, he'll be fine, because he's exactly the kind of player [the Wizards] need, a guy who can attack and score and distribute with style."

Wall's left foot has given him trouble for much of the season, and he injured a different part of the foot in Wednesday night's loss against Sacramento. Early in Friday night's game, he settled too often for midrange jump shots, most of which clanked harmlessly off the rim.

"The thing about John is, he struggles when he misses shots," Flip Saunders said after the game, "because he gets frustrated and lets it affect his game.

"He's a young player, he's only 20 years old," Saunders continued. "It's going to take some time. Every night is a learning process."

"It's really tough," Wall said. "I feel like at times I can't go as fast as I want to, or finish at the basket, or do something that I'm used to doing. It's tough becase I don't have the same ability. I still have the ability to do certain things but not all of the stuff that I've done before.

"I think I should still be able to make [shots]. I'm not blaming it entirely on my health."

A couple hours after the game, Wall tweeted: "Did not play good or like myself tonight...Gotta get my confidence back, find my game and be the leader for my team that we need!"

Where his health and gun shyness didn't deny Wall Friday night, Amar'e Stoudemire did. But as the Knick fans who roared at the rejection could have told Wall, the road from afterthought to main attraction in the NBA is a very short one indeed.

We write in support of Michael Chessum's article (Today is our 1968 moment, 9 December). There is widespread anger over the government's higher education reforms because they represent the final transformation of our education system from a public into a private good. What we are witnessing is just the latest and sharpest manifestation of the remorseless process of commercialisation of our lives that creates insecurity, anxiety and sheer exhaustion because it piles all the pressure of coping on us as individuals.

Since the 1980s universities and schools have been steadily marketised, and pupils and students commodified. This instrumentalism is such a narrow view of what it means to be human and to be educated. That is why campaigns like UK Uncut, which links corporate tax avoidance to the rebalancing of our depleted public finances, are critical both morally and practically.

Students don't have to be told that we are all in it together. They know it. The students know that education maintenance allowance is critical for young people from low-income families who now attend FE colleges and that cleaners on their campuses should be paid a living wage. The political class may choose to forget, but we don't, that it was the greed of the banks and the free market regime handed to them by our politicians that tipped the nation's finances into crisis.

We start from the belief that education cannot just be a debt trap on a learn-to-earn treadmill that we never get off as the retirement age is extended. Education in our good society is a universal public good which all must explore to reach their fullest potential. It is about the protection and extension of a precious public realm where we know each other not as consumers and competitors but as citizens and co-operators. What is happening is wrong and we must say so in every legal and peaceful way we can – in parliament, in the media, in the all sites of education and on the streets.

Neal Lawson Chair of Compass

Brendan Barber General secretary of TUC

Aaron Porter President of NUS

Sally Hunt General secretary of UCU

Christine Blower General secretary of NUT

Len McCluskey Unite general secretary designate

Tony Woodley Joint general secretary of Unite

Dave Prentis General secretary of Unison

SOAS Occupation

King's College Occupation

Tremough Occupation

Save EMA Campaign

Caroline Lucas Green party MP for Brighton Pavilion

Jon Cruddas Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham

Councillor Sam Tarry Chair of Young Labour

Professor Richard Grayson Goldsmiths, University of London, and former Liberal Democrat candidate

Gavin Hayes General secretary, Compass

Joe Cox Campaigns organiser, Compass

Cat Smith Chair of Compass Youth

Lisa Nandy Labour MP for Wigan

Eric Illsley Labour MP for Barnsley Central

Bill Esterson Labour MP for Sefton Central

Katy Clark Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran

Cllr Rupert Read Green party

Cllr Willie Sullivan Labour party

Sian Berry Former Green candidate for London mayor

Adam Ramsay No Shock Doctrine for Britain

Zita Holbourne Joint chair, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts

Lee Jasper Joint chair, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts

Richard Murphy Tax Research LLP

Clifford Singer False Economy

Sunny Hundal Editor, Liberal Conspiracy:

Howard Reed Director, Landman Economics

Martin Dore General secretary, Socialist Educational Association

Anthony Barnett Founder, openDemocracy

Dr Alan Finlayson Swansea University

Jonathan Glennie Research fellow, Overseas Development Institute

Dr Jeremy Gilbert UEL

Prof Ruth Lister Loughborough University

Prof Stefano Harney QMUL

Prof Martin Parker Warwick Business School

Prof Malcolm Sawyer University of Leeds

Prof Prem Sikka University of Essex

Prof Peter Case UWE

Prof Gregor Gall University of Hertfordshire

Prof Christine Cooper University of Strathclyde

Svetlana Cicmil UWE

Fabian Frenzel UWE

Dr Steffen Boehm University of Essex

Dr Paul Warde UEA

Dr Lee Marsden UEA

Prof Howard Stevenson University of Lincoln

Prof Michael Fielding Institute of Education

Dr David Toke University of Birmingham

Yiannis Gabriel University of Bath

Prof George Irvin SOAS

Armin Beverungen UWE

Dr David Cunningham University of Westminster

Stevphen Shukaitis University of Essex

Kevin Brehony Royal Holloway

Gabrielle Ivinson Cardiff University

Dr Michael Collins UCL

Pat Devine University of Manchester

Dr Joe Street Northumbria University

Judith Suissa Institute of Education

Jonathan Perraton University of Sheffield

Jo Brewis University of Leicester

Stephen Dunne University of Leicester

Jo Grady University of Leicester

Dr Marie Lall Institute of Education

Anoop Bhogal University of Leicester

Stuart White Jesus College, Oxford

Dr Chris Grocott University of Birmingham

Mark Perryman University of Brighton

Prof David Parker University of Leeds

Prof Ken Spours Institute of Education

Chris Edwards UEA

Nicola Pratt University of Warwick

Dr David Harvie University of Leicester

Dr Priyamvada Gopal University of Cambridge

Michael Edwards UCL

Dr Ben Little Middlesex University

Hugh Willmott Cardiff Business School

Dr Gareth Stockey University of Nottingham

Prof William Outhwaite University of Newcastle

Matthew McGregor Student officer, Sheffield University 2001-02

Prof Simon Lilley University of Leicester

Katherine Corbett Middlesex University SU arts and education chair

Dr A Kemp-Welch UEA

Graham Lane Former chair of LGA education committee

Prof Robert Hampson

Prof Sally Tomlinson

David Ritter

Laurie Penny

Anne Coddington

Rebecca Hickman

Martin Yarnit

Byron Taylor

Nick Dearden

Victor Anderson

Rosemary Bechler

Dan Taubman

• Our first-hand experience with Muslim students has taught us that interest rates play a significant role in access to higher education. This is grounded in teachings in the Islamic faith, where interest (riba) itself is prohibited. Previous research by Universities UK highlighted that Muslim students are more likely than many other groups to be debt averse, and are less likely to take out a student loan if they do undertake a course of higher education.

Today there are many Muslim students that avoid student loans entirely. Many others accept the current student loan structure on the understanding that the interest rate is indexed at the rate of inflation, and as such it does not constitute "real" interest. Should the interest rate on a student loan rise above the rate of inflation, as the government proposes, we fear that there could be severe implications on the participation of Muslim students in higher education.

The encouragement of Muslim participation in higher education is crucial in the current climate. Access to education is among the most constructive and enduring ways of promoting social cohesion and integration, but to do so we must foster an environment of education for all. We commend those that are standing by their promise to vote against a rise in fees; but note that many Liberal Democrat MPs are losing support from students and risk losing significant support from Muslim communities that hold this issue dear to them.

Usman Ali Vice-president higher education, NUS, Nabil Ahmed President, Federation of Student Islamic Societies, Farooq Murad Secretary-general, Muslim Council of Britain, Yasmin Qureshi MP, Zareen Ahmed Brit Writers Awards

• Phil Willis (Letters, 8 November) repeats the Lib Dems' rather desperate justification for increased tuition fees: that the proposed system is more progressive than the existing one. This is patent nonsense. The fees will be paid by graduates whose future income rises above a certain level. It is therefore a tax on the future incomes of university graduates. Fair enough, but by partially exempting some of these taxpayers on the grounds that their parents are less well-off than others is completely arbitrary. Should Duncan Bannatyne pay a lower rate of income tax than Richard Branson because his parents weren't as well-off?

What is more, since half of the reduction for students from less well-off families is to be funded by universities, this element will have to be recovered (within the permitted limits) by increasing the general rate of tuition fees. Thus, students who don't qualify for the discounts will also have to pay a share of their classmates' fees for them. Thus the cost of educating the children of poorer families is borne not by the taxpayer in general, but by an arbitrary subgroup of taxpayers who happen to be university graduates themselves.

I can't remember a more unfair taxation proposal than this.

Vaughan Davies

North Frodingham, East Yorkshire

• So David Cameron has been saying that "the existing system gave universities no real incentive to improve, since they received much of their money from central government" (Cameron and Clegg in final push before key fees vote, 9 December). A principle he and Clegg Minor will now presumably extend to the rest of the education system? And to healthcare? And to the police? And to the armed forces? All of which receive much of their money from central government. And all of which are therefore due to be turned into bands of mercenaries for hire. Floreat Etona.

Pete Ruhemann

Reading

Anyone feel good about that win? Probably not. The Suns locker room certainly wasn't a jubilant, happy place. This team acted like they understood very well that the way they played tonight, especially on the defensive end, isn't good enough to beat many teams.

The Clippers are talented but young team and they played the night before. Even so, they closed a 25 point first quarter lead down to within 4 points in the third quarter. The Clips out-scored the Suns 27-18 in the fourth -- that's winning time and the Suns held on but didn't feel good about it.

"We had opportunities to step on them in the second quarter and we just didn't do it," Steve Nash said.

On the positive side of things, Jason Richardson shot the ball very well tonight, 12-19 and 5-8 from three which gave him 29 points. Channing Frye's defense and overall level of play continues to improve. He's scoring inside more and playing with energy and effort in the paint. He finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds but those numbers don't do justice to what he has been giving the team this season.

Hedo Turkoglu only played 15 minutes and didn't score. He was frustrated with picking up two quick fouls and then sitting for a long time and not being able to get into the flow of the game. When he did get back in he picked up two more. He mostly blamed himself for the fouls and seemed disappointed that he wasn't able to help the team more.

Nash (15 pts, 10 ast, 5 reb) and Grant Hill (12 points, 5 ast, 5 reb) were their usual solid, veteran selves and Warrick continues to be very impressive off the bench. He finished with 25 points and 6 rebounds and most importantly he got to the free throw line and hit 13 of 14. 

Here's a lot more from Nash, Childress and Dudley talking about why the bench unit is struggling and what they can do about it:

Phoenix Suns Bench Unit Not Getting It Done, And They Know It - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
Their sub-par play has shown up in the blown leads over the last two games against the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers. In both games the Suns had tremendous first quarters only to see the bench come in and let the lead slip away which gave their opponents confidence that they could get back in the games. 

The point there being, the Suns are small and have disadvantages. They can't afford not to have their bench bringing the hustle to each game. They seem to be down on themselves and in a slump.  They need to get out of it.

Post game audio:

• Dudley postgame 112610
• Josh Childress postgame 112610
• Hedo Turkoglu postgame 112610
• Nash postgame 112610

Bonus quote:

Steve Nash talking about Dragic and what he's seeing and telling his young understudy.

"I think sometimes he gets caught not taking care of little details and it puts him in a bad position so I try to talk to him in that respect. I think he's one of our best players so it's going to be good when he fights through this; he'll be better for it and make our team a lot better."

SNB AZ Recap:

Phoenix Suns Not Impressive In Win Over Los Angeles Clippers, 116-108 - SB Nation Arizona
Fortunately, the Clippers were not nearly as good as the Chicago Bulls and couldn't take advantage of the Suns lapse and in the end Phoenix won the game 116-108. It was still a disappointing loss for the Suns who should have been able to put a tired three-win team away but couldn't.

Game Notes

1^st Qtr

• Clippers first attack they go at Frye in the pain with Jordan. It worked
• Suns getting wide open looks in the paint by moving without the ball. Clips defense horrible
• JRich all 9 Suns points. Timeout Clips
• Not really sure why the Clips aren't running plays for Blake (yet)
• Clips try and post up Blake on Frye. Hill blitzes and forces the turnover. They are not going to give Blake space
• Blake posts up Hedo and turns baseline before help can come
• 2^nd foul on Hedo. Tough call. Warrick in
• JRich w/ another three
• Another fast break layup for Suns off turnover off double team on Blake. 24-8
• Clips 5 turnovers. Suns 0
• Thinking I might have my first half time ice cream tonight
• Ducks up 20-19 on UofA. No way the Wildcats win this game
• Another three for JRich. 29-10
• JRich missed an open three in transition. That's news. He's now 3-4 from three
• Clippers have their heads down. Suns bench needs to blow this game open...33-13 with 3:00 to go in the 1^st so I guess it's already blown open. Still, they need to blow it more. Dragic about to check in
• Brian Cook is in the game...I guess Jarron Collins is worse option?
• 42-19. Earl Clark time yet?

2^nd Qtr

• Would it be a jinx if I start writing my recap now?
• Earl Time!! Barron that is
• Oregon Ducks up 27-19. Only a matter of time
• There you go, Earl. Nice hustle play from the big guy to retain possession
• Suns taking advantage of Clips switching. Run a quick screen to create the mismatch and then attack the post. That time was Josh Childress on a smaller guard
• Good decision by Dudley to not force anything on the drive and then let Goran drive and kick back to him for the open corner three
• 49-29, 8:22
• Not thrilled w/ defensive intensity by Suns bench. Gomes getting wide open looks and nailing them. Cook as well
• Earl Barron is not a very physical player. Would like to see him bump guys coming through the lane much harder. He's just giving them love taps
• 34-22, Oregon
• Blake back in, scores right over Warrick
• Suns going w/ small line up. Hedo, Warrick, Josh, Dudley, Dragic
• 53-36, 5:59
• Warrick doing his thing in the post. I have to say that he's been far better than I expected. More consistent and more of an inside player than advertised. He plays hard and tougher than his size indicates
• Gentry leaving Dragic on the court w/ the starters as he said he would
• Nash coming back in now w/ 3:20. 59-45. Suns offense has been fine, defense has let up
• 4 pts, 8 reb for Blake. Clips 4-9 from three and shooting 55% from the field. Suns 6-11 from three and 53.8% from the field. DEFENSE
• JRich torched Gomes on that back cut to the rim
• Blake w/ the face up bank shot ala Tim Duncan. Went to the bank a second time but was denied
• Dragic -8 in his 10:34 stint. Wanted to see that unit do more, especially on D
• Sick, Blake. Sick
• Clips move the ball around and end up with a Gomes 17 foot turn around fadeaway
• Suns starters playing better D than the bench. I think we have to start talking more about Channing Frye's defense
• 67-51, half. Ice cream time. brb

3^rd Qtr

• 52.% shooting for the Clips. That's not acceptable. They were 8-19 in the 1^st qtr and 13-21 in the 2^nd.
• Good news, the Clips only had 1 OReb and 24 points in the paint
• 67-57. Way to blow the lead. Ugh
• Nice. Dude just won $7,777 by hitting a three-point shot!
• You can see the Clippers confidence increasing...damn it
• Second time out for Gentry in the quarter. 73-66. He's pissed. Me too
• Kiss Cam
• Frye turned down an open three which lead to a 24 sec violation. Clips hit a three in response. Lead down to 4
• Who is Willie Warren and why does he have 5 points in this game?
• Clips not attacking the offensive glass at all. They just shoot and retreat
• Nice job by Warrick attacking Gordon in the post and getting past the help defense as well
• Frye's three puts Suns back up 14
• Nash's three puts Suns back up 17. That was fast
• Damn, Cook is on fire tonight. That one at least was contested
• JRich misses at least one easy layup per game. I think it's in his contract
• Suns back up 18, 98-80. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal - blowing a big lead and then getting it back - but the way the Suns have been playing they really needed to stomp on the Clips throats early when they had then on the ropes
• I am not sure there's any one person to blame, but in general the bench is lacking that energetic spark. More minutes? Tired from this stretch of schedule - 8^th game in 14 days? Whatever it is, it's not pretty.
• 98-81

4^th Qtr

• Cook now has 16 points. That really shouldn't happen
• Earl Barron in and misses an open 17fter. That's his shot though, has to take it. He's got the Blake Griffin assignment
• 98-84, 10:42
• Good job by Goran to get the ball to Channing in the post on the switch
• Nice cut by Goran and nice pass from Warrick
• Better job by the bench this time. Not great, but better
• Goran looks tired, but still attacking aggressively and getting hammered. Missed another two FTs though
• Can't leave Frye on an island against Griffin in the post
• Crowd gives Suns a hand for two OReb in a row
• Warrick tries to dunk on Griffin but he would have none of that. Met him at the rim with an rejection
• Time out Suns, 106-96. 4:52. Nash, Hill and JRich surely coming back in now. Clips have had their big guns on the floor all quarter. They are young but they have to be getting tired
• Childress really isn't giving the team much right now. 15 min, 0 points, 2 reb. Dudley better but not much - 9 pts, 1 reb, 22 min. Dragic 18 min, 9 pts, 4 ast, 5 reb. Suns - 15 with him on the floor
• Nash air balled a three w/ Blake backed off him giving space but Suns make two hustle plays to get extra possessions...scratch that, 24 sec violation but effort was nice
• Brian Cook fouled out! Never thought I would be happy to say that.
• Nice D by Frye on Griffin that time. Suns up 110-99, 2:23
• Warrick takes a beating in the paint. Literally, people just beat on him like a drum
• Well, that's one way to stop Blake. Bear hug on the catch. Effective, but not sustainable
• Gordon rams into Hill, send him flying and draws the foul. That kid is strong
• 24 sec violation as Nash dancing around in the paint too long. Poor clock awareness, Scott Howard says in my head
• 112-103, 1:20
• Fake noise FTW!
• Gordon hits a wide open three
• Frye hits a two. Game over

British Airways has gone into profit and its shares have surged under Willie Walsh – but his biggest challenges lie ahead

It has been a disharmonious week for British Airways boss Willie Walsh, and for once, squabbles with trade unions aren't wholly to blame. The Irishman has just returned from his first visit to Moscow, where Oneworld alliance airline executives were given a bizarre musical serenade on a tour of the Kremlin.

"You know the way you expect certain surprises in a new place? Well, one thing I did not expect was a bagpipe band playing 'We Will Rock You' at the Kremlin," says Walsh, who was in Russia to mark the entry of a new airline, S7 Airlines, into the Oneworld network. "It was fascinating."

Alliances, and airline co-operation more generally, are on Walsh's mind. A quick-witted, fast-talking former Aer Lingus pilot with a reputation for ruthlessness, the 49-year-old BA chief reckons the days of standalone national flag carriers are numbered. The clock is ticking down to the end of British Airways' 91 years of independence – on 29 November, dual shareholder meetings will be convened in London and Madrid at which investors are expected to rubber-stamp a £4.5bn merger between BA and Spain's Iberia.

"In future there will be less government ownership, and government support, of airlines," says Walsh. "How many countries will have their own identifiable flag-carrier brand? It really depends on how strong those brands are, particularly outside their home markets."

BA and Iberia will survive as brands within a parent company, International Airlines Group, once the deal is completed in January. Walsh will be chief executive, with Iberia's boss, Antonio Vázquez, as non-executive chairman. Although ostensibly a merger of equals, the tie-up will leave BA investors with 55% of the combined group, which will be based in London but registered for tax purposes in Spain.

"We've been getting a lot closer to Iberia, we've looked at their cost base," says Walsh, who suggests there are skills BA can learn from Iberia in website sales, information technology and engine maintenance: "They've adapted very well in recent times to low-cost airlines coming into Spain. They've been able to do some things we haven't been able to – they've managed to sell through their website better than us in their home market."

The rationale for the deal, in part, is geography – Iberia can offer strong connections to Latin America, an emerging market where BA's flight network is thin. Annual cost savings from the tie-up could reach €400m (£350m). And Walsh suggests that for BA, standing alone was becoming untenable.

Aggravated

"If you look at the questions shareholders have raised with us over the years, it's often been: 'Why haven't you been participating in consolidation?'," he says, rattling off a list of mergers among rivals – Delta and Northwest Airlines, United and Continental, Air France and KLM, plus Lufthansa's successive unions with Swiss, BMI, Austrian and Brussels Airlines. "Our competitors have moved ahead of us in terms of size. There's even been potential talk of an Alitalia/Air France/KLM merger."

After two years of losses aggravated by strikes, volcanic ash and security alerts, BA returned to the black with a £158m profit for the six months to September. But it's been choppy on the home front. It has faced vigorous short-haul price competition from low-cost carriers. Its biggest British rival, easyJet, last week set out plans to snare more of BA's customers with premium fares allowing business travellers to pay for flexibility, speedy boarding and, possibly, prime seats. Walsh is unexpectedly aggressive in his scorn for the efforts of easyJet's new boss, former Guardian Media Group chief Carolyn McCall.

Shocks

"Their operational performance is appalling. She's got a huge challenge that will be very difficult to overcome," he says, citing a much-quoted statistic that easyJet's miserable punctuality of 48% at Gatwick during June was worse than Air Zimbabwe's performance.

"It's one thing setting out a strategy for the future but to get there, you've got to address your current problems. You either fix problems over time or you can spend an awful lot of money fixing them quickly," says Walsh. "I suspect they're trying to do the latter, which might suggest it's only a temporary fix. They can make a quick improvement but it's another thing to sustain it over the long term."

Perhaps Walsh's biggest challenge has been a poisonous, seemingly endlessly simmering dispute with unions over staffing reductions, pay, perks and working conditions. Hopes for an end to that saga crumbled last week when Unite opted not to put a potential peace deal to a vote following vigorous opposition from its members. A branch representing some 10,000 flight attendants, the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association, declined to support the offer, effectively forcing the two sides back to the drawing board.

"I'm disappointed because cabin crew deserve the right and opportunity to have a say," Walsh says, keen to spin the deal's demise as a bust-up within Unite. "This demonstrates again that the issue that exists is an intra-union issue which is being played out more in the public domain than it has been in the past."

Unlike his emollient predecessor, Sir Rod Eddington, Walsh has an uncompromising style and has proved willing to confront unions head-on, with decidedly mixed results. Union sources attest that his public affability quickly transforms into a "dead-eyed stare" across the negotiating table. In days gone by, running Aer Lingus, he acquired the unflattering sobriquet "Slasher Walsh".

In the Square Mile, though, the BA boss is increasingly popular. BA's shares have surged by 46% this year, aided by the Iberia deal, the conclusion of an alliance with American Airlines and Walsh's cost-cutting efforts. Aviation analysts at RBS recently said: "BA has made immense progress this year on structural issues: Iberia, American [Airlines], pension, crew costs."

The tie-up with Iberia has been broadly applauded. But unpleasant shocks are never far away in aviation. The latest unsettling drama was last month's Yemeni bomb threat in which explosives were found in cargo on flights in Dubai and at East Midlands airport. In a spectacularly unfortunate piece of timing, it was uncovered three days after BA's chairman, Martin Broughton, had demanded a rethink of "redundant" security measures, complaining of Britain "kowtowing" to US demands for checks on shoes and laptops.

Walsh defends his chairman's comments, saying it's still the case that security tends to be far too reactive, simply based on the uncovered threat rather than on intelligence about future attacks: "Having a process that constantly deals with the past is not necessarily the best way to deal with security. I think most people would agree that if you started off afresh from scratch today, the security checks we have wouldn't necessarily be the ones you'd design."

Still, there's been one piece of good news for BA this week: Prince William's engagement to Kate Middleton. She has come under intense scrutiny by social commentators for the royal bride's supposed background as a "commoner". Her parents met while both working in decidedly unregal positions at BA – he was a flight dispatcher, she was a stewardess. In a sense, therefore, it's a royal wedding sired by British Airways.

"Is it really?" Walsh asks. So does he expect a royal wedding invitation? "Maybe I should. I wasn't expecting one until you told me that. But I've met Prince William on several occasions and he's a very pleasant guy."

Editor of the Lady Rachel Johnson and writer and broadcaster Alex Clark debate whether we should be excited about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

YES – Rachel Johnson, editor of the Lady

Sorry, but I'm really struggling to see who and what the royal wedding of the decade is not good for. It's good for everyone. Forgive my excitement, but it's win win win win win, for the monarchy, the Tories, blue dresses, English couturiers, media tarts, the press, TV, purveyors of tat: but before we go there, let us speak of love.

When a nice young man in full possession of his faculties, if not all his hair, gets down on one knee and proposes to his girlfriend of eight years, it's definitely a good day for love and marriage. Mark my words, all over Britain, Mrs Bennets will be giving men who are taking the best years of their daughters' lives and still haven't popped the question very meaningful looks.

It's good for the UK and especially London – possibly even better than the Olympics – in that the infrastructure is centrally located, fully staffed, and was ready to go hundreds of years ago. The capital will suck into its greedy maw millions who want to see what this country does best: a show-stopping, note-perfect, tear-jerking ceremonial occasion requiring the participation of thousands of uniformed servicemen, cheering crowds, bunting, policemen, crowned heads of Europe, golden carriages, glass slippers, satellite trucks and Dimblebys.

London will also be bursting with the sort of folk who cut out pictures of minor royals and paste them in scrapbooks during Songs of Praise, 600,000 of whom came last time, including the young David Cameron. Indeed one of the odder/madder claims of last week – apart from the shock news that Prince William calls Michael Middleton "Dad", which raises the worrying question, what does he call Prince Charles? Sir? Your Royal Highness? Maybe a royal equerry might put us out of our misery – was that the young David slept rough on the Mall before the last big royal wedding in 1981.

Moving on from that disturbing image, estimates are already flooding in that the economy will benefit from a bridal uplift as people shell out £620m for key rings, loving cups, mugs etc commemorating the nuptials of a smiley, normal young man and his slinky tumble-haired hottie. The advertisements for the tat are set to do wonders for the coffers of our newspapers, some of which are already offering a "special coin for William and Kate"(ed's note: surely this amounts to lese-majesty? We are all under firm instructions to call her Catherine, especially on tea towels etc, but perhaps it's a bit better than Big Willie and Babykins).

It's already a bonanza on Twitter (the microblogger @DianainHeaven has instantly scored a book deal), and for the chattering classes and newspapers. This will be manna from heaven for the Express, which can finally stop writing about Diana, and Private Eye is presumably already preparing a hankies-out saga on the Princess of Party Pieces to be penned by Dame Sylvie Krin. I was in one studio last week (actually, several) and Eve Pollard told me she'd been hired by a US TV station to broadcast live from Buckingham Palace for eight straight hours the day of the engagement. So, yah, it's good for everyone – we're all making a Royal Mint. Oh – flashbulb moment. I've just worked out whom it may not be so good for. Kate. She's given up eight years of her roaring 20s already and she will spend the rest of her life in admittedly regal, but still Fritzl-style, captivity, working for the Firm.

My joy really is unconfined for them both, and Kate will make the most beautiful bride and Queen – but most women I know wouldn't swap with her for all the tea in China.

NO – Alex Clark, writer and broadcaster

Weddings: it could be that I'm not wild about them because I was never a bridesmaid as a child or because I've never had one myself. But I like to think there's something beyond repressed narcissistic resentment that makes me quail at the sight of a gold-embossed card – not to mention the assorted gift lists, travel directions and digests of local B&Bs; that usually accompany it. Call it catastrophic thinking, but when I look at a wedding invitation, what I actually see is a whole load of stress that will gradually but insidiously infect every single party involved.

So, even though I do not count Prince William and Kate Middleton among my close personal friends – let's be honest, we don't even tweet each other – I fear for them as they begin the tortuous journey towards their Big Day. Normal people simply have to cope with impertinent questions and unsolicited advice from their nearest and dearest, culminating in an almighty row over a seating plan, a rogue cousin or a fascinator that leaves them marching to the church tight-lipped, tearful and sleepless. These poor kids have to cope with the entire country scrutinising their every altar-ward step and throwing in their two-penn'orth. Face it, Wills'n'Kate: what you have just announced is a six-month (at least) festival for busybodies.

In this case, only a very tiny proportion of us will be receiving a summons to attend, and might therefore be expected to mind our own beeswax. Alas, the combination of 24-hour rolling news and a country teetering on the brink of horrendous hardship may well sharpen our teeth. It's already entirely apparent that the powers-that-be are delighted with the prospect of a right royal celebration to take our minds off our woes, which, as they should surely be aware, is like a red rag to a bull; if Cameron and co imagine that people are tossing aside their anxiety-inducing bank statements to start planning a street party, they are liable to be disappointed. Far more likely that we'll be perusing the guest list with an eagle eye and wondering whether all those foreign heads of state could make do with a running finger buffet.

With your average nuptials, the busybodying – which can range from a raised eyebrow over the bride's dress to a professed dislike of salmon terrine to outright speculation about the likely length of the marriage itself – is a subtle form of revenge exacted in direct proportion to the amount of inconvenience and financial pain personally suffered. If, for example, you have had to travel several hundred miles to stay in a weird hostelry ("Keith and Moira will treat you exactly like house-guests – and do leave room for their smashing breakfast!"), gussy yourself up in uncomfortable clothes and then make conversation with a deaf, rightwing aunt, you are more likely to predict it'll all be over in a year. But do not imagine for one moment that commentators and commoners alike will not find an ingenious way to transpose small-scale interference to the public arena.

And that may be at the root of my dislike of weddings: they bring out the very worst in us at the precise moment that we're called upon to celebrate all that is good and loyal and true in human relations. If I were William or Kate, I'd be sorely tempted to deal a savage blow to protocol and make a clandestine booking at the Elvis Presley chapel in downtown Las Vegas. Leave the footmen to return the unwanted cappuccino machines to John Lewis.

There are three ways to deliver a statement. You can write one, voice one in a speech or go out and beat the Patriots.

We are once again on the eve of another HUGE Colts-Patriots showdown and if there was ever a week to deliver a loud empathic statement this is it. No need for twitter or locker room proclamations. The Colts just need to get healthy, go about their business and do it on the field. They know this weekend is their chance to continue their recent dominance in the series and make it 6 wins in the last 7 tries. They also know it won't be easy.

 Some things in sports never change. Lebron always come up short in the playoffs, the Yankees always steal your favorite player, you're reminded that hockey is played in June and then ask why and even with all the parity, the Patriots always manage to be the class of the AFC. Yet unlike the previous seasons we spoiled fans are accustomed to (in four of the past five seasons the Colts have been undefeated entering the game with records of 7-0 or better) there is much more than bragging rights and pride at stake in this week 11 matchup.

 At 6-3 the Colts are barely outpacing the rest of the league making this game more important than previous years (that doesn't feel possible). A win and the Colts are back in the driver's seat in terms of returning to the playoffs and even securing a bye. A loss and the Colts are suddenly thrown into a frenetic dogfight with half a dozen teams scraping and clawing for the 2 wildcard spots. 

 Considering all the injuries the Colts have battled, 6-3 is very commendable. Factor in that the Colts lost one of those games on a 59-yard (insert curse word you screamed here) FG and had the ball and a minute remaining on the clock to beat the Eagles (try and find an Eagles fan that wasn't panicking) and 6-3 is almost unlucky.

Still, the Patriots will present the toughest challenge the Colts have seen all season, which in some regards seems a little strange this year. The Pats don't have Ochocino or Terrell Owens. They don't have a Chris Johnson nor do they have a Dallas Clark (dare I say Jacob Tamme). In fact, I bet a passive football fan would be hard pressed to name more than six starters total and that is being generous. Rather, the Patriots' success is defined by what they don't have: attention-grabbing, me-first divas. Granted they have Justin Beiber wannabe Tom Brady and yes, like Peyton Manning, he makes his receivers and running backs better. But the real reason they win is because everyone buys into the system. Like the Colts, the Patriots success, especially of late, is due to their no nonsense attitude espoused by Bill Belichick. Gone are the flamboyant personalities that Colts fans used to hate. Big time players such as Rodney Harrison, Corey Dillion, Willie McGinest and Randy Moss no longer define the Pats identity. Instead, a bunch of late round draft picks and castoffs have propelled the Pats to a tie for the league's best record.

 Without marquee players to key on and stop, game planning can be a nightmare. With so many fresh faces, defenses cant rely on known tendencies and habits to stop players. Nor will shutting down one player suffice. Facing the Patriots fundamentals - a real problem for the Colts defense this season - are the key. The Colts defense was phenomenal last week seizing on miscues and jumping on turnovers. Such an effort won't cut it this week because the Patriots won't give anything away. Turnovers of course will be added bonuses but shedding blocks, taking proper angles to the ball and wrapping up (or at least holding on) will determine the outcome of this game. Melvin Bullit's famous 4^th down hit needs to be the inspiration for how to play. Break quickly to be ball, square up and hit them immediately. No over pursuit, no blocked out of the play on screens and no allowing 5 yard routes to turn into 30 yard gains.

 Nobody - including Wes Welker - really scares you on paper but they all do their job. It's like going up against a team of office bureaucrats. A team that is boring to watch but they excel at the minor details and can make your life miserable if you don't have your forms filled out perfectly. Dot the I's and cross the T's. Fundamentals not just hustle and heart will be required.

 Offensively, its becoming pretty clear that injuries will determine the pace of play and decision making of Peyton Manning. If the Colts are healthy (at least healthier) the Colts offense should hum. While the Patriots play a 3-4 base defense that has traditionally given Manning fits, the defense is a collection of mostly first and second year players who are still inexperienced and a year or two away from their full potentials. In the run-up to the game, how many times have we already heard commentators on ESPN and other networks dish speculation or insight that Devin McCourty "has the chance to be the next Darrelle Revis" or Patrick Chung "will be an elite safety in the future for years to come."

 Thankfully for the Colts, the game is in 3 days not 2012. Peyton can worry about how to beat that soon-to-be phenomenal secondary next March, but right now it's a guarantee that he is picking apart the weaknesses of a secondary that currently ranks an atrocious 30^th in the league in pass coverage. In fact last year Wayne had 10 catches, 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. As great as Reggie is, don't expect such results again, but if Collie and Tamme can both suit up, Colts fans might be treated to the offensive fireworks we are accustomed to.

 Its hard picking against a record 121 wins over the last decade, but then again the Pats have 120 in the same time span. In a series where the last 4 games have all been decided by 4 points or fewer and the last 10 meetings are evenly split, the game will come down to coaching, fundamentals and health. Sunday is not just another game. Sunday sets the course for the rest of the season.  Sunday is time to go into Foxboro and make a statement.

Colts 26 - Pats 24. 

Poll

Are the Colts healthy enough to go into Foxboro and win?

• Yes, Peyton and the Colts can overcome them
• No, the injury bug bit us too hard this year
• Can't make excuses. This game won't be about the injuries

  81 votes | Results

It is officially midseason, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have defied the expectations of many and stand at 6-2 and first place in the AFC North pending Sunday night's game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field. Not many teams could have withstood the adversity that comes with having your franchise quarterback suspended for the first four games of the season, but the Steelers have. What follows is a look back at the season so far, with evaluations of each position as well as coaching.

 

Quarterback: B-

It was hard to settle on a grade for this position, given that there have been three different starters so far this season. The Steelers began the season with Dennis Dixon under center. There was talk around the time of the draft in some circles that the Steelers should trade Ben Roethlisberger and groom Dixon as the quarterback of the future.

Thank God the team didn't listen. In his two starts, he showed a lot of inconsistency and poor decision making. The play of the defense was the only reason the Steelers won those games. When Charlie Batch came in, he did what was expected of him; in other words he managed the game. He looked impressive against Tampa Bay, but was mediocre against Tennessee and Baltimore.

As for Ben Roethlisberger, it is clear to me that he is not up to full speed yet. However, I am confident he will get there as the season goes on.

 

Running Backs: B+

The Steelers rank 13th in the league in rushing, but starter Rashard Mendenhall has performed very well to this point. Since the return of Roethlisberger, the offense has utilized the passing game more with its main weapon back. In those first four games though, Mendenhall was invaluable. The running game could be better. The team lacks a second option at running back. Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore have not offered much so far. Perhaps rookie Jonathan Dwyer could step up?

The other issue is the absence of a fullback. When they need a fullback, they have used TE David Johnson and OL Doug Legursky, but a more permanent fix is needed at this position. The success of the running game with FB Dan Kreider in the recent past is a good example of why this should have been taken care of in the offseason.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: A

Obviously, everyone knew that if Hines Ward was coming back for another season he would perform, and he has for the most part. Any anxiety over the departure of Santonio Holmes has been put to rest by the continued blossoming of Mike Wallace, who looks like a star in the making, and rookie Emmannuel Sanders' contributions have been promising.

The re-signing of Antwaan Randle El is looking good at this point too, with his decent contributions and what he can bring in terms of gadget plays, such as the touchdown pass he threw Monday night against the Bengals. Heath Miller has not made much of a mark so far in the passing game this season, but he still could redeem himself for that fumble against New Orleans. And besides, nobody has ever mistaken him for Antonio Gates or Dallas Clark.

 

Offensive Line: A-

The offensive line has to be given a high mark so far for two reasons. First of all, the choice to draft Maurkice Pouncey in the first round is looking better and better by the day. By all accounts, he is playing far beyond the level that a typical rookie center would play at.

Secondly, the line has been ravaged by injury. Before the season, starting T Willie Colon was lost for the year. T Max Starks was placed on IR this week. Trai Essex has missed time and Flozell Adams has been bothered by some injuries. Despite this, they have performed admirably, and it seems like new OL coach Sean Kugler may have something to do with that. The greatest testament for the success of the offensive line so far: Ben Roethlisberger has only been sacked seven times in four games.

 

Defensive Line: A

The loss of DE Aaron Smith for much of the season will hurt, but this unit has a lot to be proud of. They have been dominant against the run, holding Ray Rice to 20 yards and Chris Johnson to 34. Obviously the whole defense contributed, but the defensive line plays an important part. Backups Chris Hoke, Ziggy Hood and Nick Eason have stepped up all season when called upon, which makes the loss of Smith a bit easier to take.

 

Linebackers: A+

When was the last time the linebacking unit of the Steelers got a lesser grade? Lamarr Woodley, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons and James Harrison, along with backups Larry Foote, Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester are a formidable force on both defense and special teams. They have made big plays in every game, and should continue to do so.

 

Defensive Backs: C

Even with Troy Polamalu back, the secondary is still the defense's Achilles heel. The loss to New Orleans was one thing, same with the close game with Miami. Monday night's game against the Bengals was a near epic meltdown, though. In the fourth quarter, Carson Palmer was completing passes at will. It had the looks and feel of one of the many late game disasters that sunk the 2009 season. Sunday night's game against Tom Brady and the Patriots will test this unit greatly.

 

Special Teams: C

A low grade, but let me explain. Yes, the kickoff and punt return coverage has not been the fiasco it was last season. In fact, they have only allowed a few big returns and none of those for touchdowns. Yes, Daniel Sepulveda continues to be probably the most worthwhile fourth-rounder spent on a punter ever.

The problem this season with special teams has been Jeff Reed. So far this season, he has been very inconsistent, and has been missing kicks that observers of the team have come to expect him to make. In a contract year, this performance is highly unusual. The bottom line is the team needs Reed to improve as the season goes on.

 

Coaching: A+

Mike Tomlin has erased all doubt in his abilities as head coach with his performance this season. His handling of the Ben Roethlisberger suspension could not have been better. Nobody expected the Steelers to go 3-1 without Roethlisberger. He is tied with Tom Coughlin for second place in Coach Approval Ratings at 88 percent.

Of course, Tomlin's staff plays a role in this. Having Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator is a huge advantage. Bruce Arians is not nearly the idiot that many Steeler fans make him out to be, and the new hires for Special Teams Coach and Offensive Line Coach appear to be working out nicely.

 

The Steelers could be without another starting tackle after Monday night's injury to OLT Max Starks.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Starks has a serious neck injury and consulted with doctors late Tuesday to determine if surgery is required.

Starks left the game with "stingers" in his neck. He returned but then left for good. An MRI showed it was more serious than a stinger.

Starks, a seventh-year veteran, has been the starter at left tackle the past three seasons. The Steelers lost starting ORT Willie Colon to an injury in June.  

Steelers CB Ryan Clark tweeted late Tuesday, "Prayers and thoughts with Max Starks. He's going to be missed. Injuries are a terrible part of this game."

The way we see it

This would be a real tough blow for the Steelers. OT Jonathan Scott, who filled in at times when Starks was banged up earlier this season, will likely take his place. Scott has experience, with 15 career starts over four seasons, and he has played in all eight games this season with one start. With Flozell Adams starting at ORT, the Steelers will be essentially starting two backups at the tackle position the rest of the way. OG Trai Essex has battled injuries this season, and rookie C Maurkice Pouncey got dinged up on Monday. The Steelers, an AFC favorite, have the Jets, Ravens and Browns left on their schedule still, all teams with a solid pass rush.

Nashville's Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, the Lower Broadway institution where folks like Willie Nelson played, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special show Sunday at the nearby Ryman with Kris Kristofferson, Mel Tillis and Jamey Johnson among performing. Terri Clark, Little Jimmy Dickens, Colt Ford, Randy Houser, Mark Chesnutt, Lorrie Morgan,...

From NFL.com

NYJ
Kellen Clemens QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Jeff Cumberland TE Inactive
Marcus Dixon DE Inactive
Vladimir Ducasse T Inactive
Jarron Gilbert DT Inactive
Matt Kroul DT Inactive
Joe McKnight RB Inactive
Jamaal Westerman LB Inactive

DET
Jahvid Best RB Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Aaron Brown RB Inactive
C.C. Brown SS Inactive
Isaiah Ekejiuba LB Inactive
Jason Fox T Inactive
Shaun Hill QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Lawrence Jackson DE Inactive
Calvin Johnson WR Active A fantasy must-start in all formats.
Brandon Pettigrew TE Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Kevin Smith RB Active Will take a back seat to Jahvid Best in the offense but is cleared to play.
Matthew Stafford QB Active Safe fantasy start.
Cody Wallace C Inactive
Willie Young DE Inactive

MIA
Patrick Brown T Inactive
Clifton Geathers DE Inactive
Reshad Jones DB Inactive
Marlon Moore WR Inactive
Lydon Murtha T Inactive
Nate Ness CB Inactive
Tyler Thigpen QB Inactive Third quarterback.

BAL
Lamar Divens DT Inactive
Dannell Ellerbe ILB Inactive
Ken Hamlin DB Inactive
Arthur Jones DT Inactive
Scott Kooistra T Inactive
Brandon McKinney DE Inactive
Dennis Pitta TE Inactive
Donte' Stallworth WR Active NFL Network's Jason La Canfora is reporting that Stallworth will play today, but his fantasy value still remains in deeper leagues.
Tom Zbikowski FS Inactive

NE
Deion Branch WR Active Safe fantasy start this week against the Browns.
Pat Chung FS Inactive
Mark LeVoir T Inactive
Kyle Love DT Inactive
Rich Ohrnberger G Inactive
Jarrad Page DB Inactive
Taylor Price WR Inactive
Fred Taylor RB Inactive BenJarvus Green-Ellis will continue to get the most carries out of the backfield.
Ryan Wendell C Inactive

CLE
Thomas Clayton RB Inactive
Jake Delhomme QB Inactive Rookie Colt McCoy will get the start this week.
Jayme Mitchell DE Inactive
Alex Smith TE Inactive
John St. Clair T Inactive
Steve Vallos OT Inactive
Seneca Wallace QB Inactive Colt McCoy will get the start this week.
Demetrius Williams WR Inactive

SD
Kris Dielman G Inactive
Malcom Floyd WR Inactive Will not play, Patrick Crayton will see the majority of targets for San Diego.
Antonio Gates TE Inactive Will not play in Week 9, Randy McMichael will take his place in the offense.
Nate Kaeding K Inactive
Randy McMichael TE Active Should be a solid replacement for Antonio Gates.
Legedu Naanee WR Inactive Listed as the third quarterback.
Brandon Siler ILB Inactive
Darrell Stuckey DB Inactive
Cam Thomas DT Inactive

HOU
Xavier Adibi OLB Inactive
Owen Daniels TE Inactive Joel Dreessen will take his place in the offense.
Dorin Dickerson WR Inactive
Andre Johnson WR Active Fantasy must-start in all formats.
Matt Leinart QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Jesse Nading DE Inactive
Karl Paymah DB Inactive
Malcolm Sheppard DT Inactive
Kasey Studdard G Inactive

CHI
Kahlil Bell RB Inactive
Zack Bowman CB Inactive
Desmond Clark TE Inactive
Caleb Hanie QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Marcus Harrison DT Inactive
Craig Steltz DB Inactive
Edwin Williams G Inactive
Corey Wootton DE Inactive

BUF
Levi Brown QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Alex Carrington DE Inactive
Andra Davis ILB Inactive
Aaron Maybin OLB Inactive
John McCargo DT Inactive
Terrence McGee CB Inactive
Shawne Merriman OLB Inactive
Ed Wang T Inactive

ARI
Steve Breaston WR Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Ben Claxton C Inactive
Early Doucet WR Active Safe to start this week.
Clark Haggans OLB Inactive
A.J. Jefferson CB Inactive
Max Komar WR Inactive
John Skelton QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Reggie Walker LB Inactive
Matt Ware DB Inactive
Gabe Watson NT Inactive
Beanie Wells RB Active Safe fantasy start this week.

MIN
Chris DeGeare G Inactive
Brett Favre QB Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Letroy Guion DT Inactive
Percy Harvin WR Active NFL Network's Michael Lombardi is reporting that Harvin is expected to play. Should be a safe fantasy start.
Erin Henderson OLB Inactive
Tyrell Johnson SS Inactive
Frank Walker CB Inactive
Joe Webb QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Albert Young RB Inactive

TB
Rudy Carpenter QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Jeff Faine C Inactive
Earnest Graham FB Inactive Breakout star LeGarrette Blount should continue to get the bulk of the carries.
Myron Lewis DB Inactive
Alex Magee DE Inactive
Ryan Sims DE Inactive
Sammie Stroughter WR Inactive
Jeremy Trueblood T Inactive

ATL
Dominique Franks DB Inactive
Mike Johnson G Inactive
Trey Lewis DT Inactive
Justin Peelle TE Inactive
Garrett Reynolds T Inactive
Dunta Robinson CB Active NFL Network's Steve Wyche is reporting that Robinson will start.
Lawrence Sidbury DE Inactive
Sean Weatherspoon OLB Inactive
John Parker Wilson QB Inactive Third quarterback.

NO
Charles Brown T Inactive
Reggie Bush RB Inactive Chris Ivory, Ladell Betts and Julius Jones will split the carries.
Marques Colston WR Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar OLB Inactive
Junior Galette DE Inactive
Tory Humphrey TE Inactive
Chris Ivory RB Active Safe fantasy start this week.
Pierson Prioleau SS Inactive
Patrick Robinson CB Inactive
Pierre Thomas RB Inactive Chris Ivory, Ladell Betts and Julius Jones will continue to split the carries.

CAR
Armanti Edwards WR Inactive
Andre Neblett DT Inactive
Jeff Otah T Inactive
Tony Pike QB Inactive Third quarterback.
Devin Thomas WR Inactive
Jason Williams LB Inactive
DeAngelo Williams RB Inactive Jonathan Stewart will start and see the majority of carries.
C.J. Wilson DB Inactive

Sorry, this image could not be loaded. Click here to refresh. Rodney Crowell, left, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, John T. Van Zandt, and Nancy Griffith pay tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt at the "Austin City Limits" studio in 1997.

The City of San Francisco and every Giants fan across the globe got a chance to Celebrate with the team on Wednesday, as the Giants returned to San Francisco and celebrated their first ever World Series tittle with a ticker tape Parade through the city.

It was certainly a spectacle, as tens of thousands (possibly even hundreds) flooded the streets of San Francisco to watch the 2010 Champs stroll through downtown on Cable cars with parade tape reigning down from above! It was a fitting way to end what was a memorable run by the Giants here in 2010, and I think I speak for all Giants fans when I say, I could really get used to this. The feeling is still sort of sinking in for me, but I've had this perma-smile on my face ever since Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz with that nasty cutter in on the hands. The Giants outplayed every team they faced in the playoffs, and they absolutely deserved the trophy. As most players made a point of saying in the post-series interview, this Giants' ballclub really was the definition of a professional "team". They played well together, they pulled for each other, there were no ego's involved and everybody had one goal in mind. When Pablo Sandoval lost his 3rd base job in the playoffs, he didn't pout, or whine or cop an attitude, rather he kept the big picture in mind and focused on any possible way he could help this team win a championship. Because of that mindset, the Giants seemed to have someone new coming through each win, especially in the playoffs, and you could tell by watching this team, that they believed in themselves.

Just look at all the different guys they had come through in October. Cody Ross was really the MVP offensively for the hole playoffs for the Giants. First, he put the Giants in the NLCS with a huge game 4 vs. Atlanta in the DS by putting the Giants on the board with a solo homer in the 6th before getting the eventual game-winning, RBI single in the top of the 7th. Then he started off with a bang in game in the NLCS with 2 big home runs off Roy Halladay and gave Tim Lincecum enough support to beat Halladay in that big game 1 victory in Philly. Ross stayed steady throughout the hole postseason and finished with a .295 average and a 1.076 OPS to go along with 5 jacks and 10 RBI, both of which led the Giants during the playoffs. Then there was Freddy Sanchez, and his 4-hit, 3-double performance in game 1 of the Series off Cliff Lee, as he was a huge part of that game 1 win. Juan Uribe was huge as well, with his most memorable playoff moment coming when he drove in the NLCS clinching run against the Phillies. Ohh yeah, then there was that shortstop named Renteria we all know what kind of impact he ended up having this October/November. Yeah, he was overpaid during his time here in San Francisco, but I don't think we'll ever hear anyone complaining about that deal again in these parts, as that one swing of his earned him every last penny of that deal in Giants fan's mind's.

Then there was the pitching; Madison Bumngarner (2-0, 2.18 era in 20.2 IP), Tim Lincecum (4-1, 2.43 era, 43 k's in 37 IP) and Matt Cain (2-0, 0.00 era, 1.60 BAA in 20.1 IP) were all brilliant and Jonathan Sanchez was a huge part of that series win over Atlanta with a big win. The bullpen started out a little slow against Atlanta, but after that, they buckled down and got the job done. Set-up man Javier Lopez, who was acquired from Pittsburgh during before the deadline, was arguably the most important arm (outside of that crazy closer) and I'm not quite sure the Giants cruise through Philly without him. He was Ryan Howard and Chase Utley's nightmare, then had success vs. Josh Hamilton in the Series. Santiago Cassilla and Jeremy Affeldt each had some big moments and were key in the pen's success as well. The big story in the Giants pen though centered around "The Beard" and I think Brian Wilson became a great closer in this postseason (and I don't use that term lightly). He occasionally made things interesting, but the dude was basically perfect in October (and the one day in November). He gave up 1 hit in game 2 vs. Atlanta after coming in with no outs during the 8th with the bases and almost got through it without surrendering the lead. Even though that particular blown save really wasn't his fault, it still went on record, and I think that kind of fired him up. After that, Wilson was nails, going 9.2 strong innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out 13, capped off by the memorable inside cutter that got Nelson Cruz swinging and put the Giants on top of the world.

Another special part about this World Series win for San Francisco, was that all the players and management really made a point to dedicate this championship to the great Giants' players over their tenure in San Francisco. From guys like Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, all the way up to J.T. Snow, Barry Bonds, Will Clark, Jeff Kent, Rod Beck, Rob Nen, Kirk Rueter, Noah Lowry, Russ Ortiz, Matt Williams, Robby Thompson, Rich Aurillia and many, many more. There were many great ballplayers who dawned a Giants uni for multiple seasons who just couldn't quite reach their ultimate goal. To a lot of Giants fans, it felt like all of those guys just win the World Series too, and I'm sure in some ways those guys felt some since of victory as well. I thought that was really cool... Now, like Buster Posey said at the Parade celebration, let's enjoy this for a couple of weeks, they prepare to do it all over again next year, as I'm sure we can all get use to this!

Giants Notes: Well, normally at this time, I'd be talking hot stove and be eagerly waiting for some Giants news, but I'd much rather keep talking on-field baseball throughout October like I did and that was really a treat. However, the games are now done, and the business part is already taking place as the Giants declined World Series MVP Edgar Renteria's $9.5 million option for 2011. That comes as no surprise as Edgar isn't even sure that he'll be returning in 2011 and if he does, it will likely be in a back-up role. The Giants also have some key decisions coming up with some other free agents, and we'll start getting into that in our next post.

Tony Gutierrez Associated Press Giants ace Tim Lincecum proudly hoists the World Series championship trophy at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. He allowed one run and struck out 10 in eight innings to outduel Cliff Lee.

ARLINGTON, Texas – When the third strike was caught and the ultimate game of the ultimate season was over, there was joy, exultation and relief.

The San Francisco Giants raced onto the field on a luminous Monday night in Texas and jumped on each other in a scene of pure elation.

A team no one picked to win the Western Division of the National League now stood atop professional baseball as World Series champions of 2010. The Giants celebrated as they completed a clinical dismantling of the favored Texas Rangers by a score of 3-1 to win the World Series, four games to one.

In 53 seasons of baseball in San Francisco, this was the first Giants championship.

It was also the first title for this franchise since 1954, when it was still based in New York – an end to a 56-year drought of futility, the third-longest in baseball.

"This erases a lot of bad memories," said Peter Magowan, the former Giants managing partner and current part owner.

As he spoke, Magowan had tears in his eyes and champagne dripping from his brand-new Giants 2010 World Champions cap.

Around him crashed a wave of champagne, beer and other spirits, which flowed with a ferocity of pent-up emotions suddenly finding a release when Giants closer Brian Wilson struck out Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz swinging to end it.

"At that moment, I jumped so high in the air," said Giants left fielder Cody Ross, a hero of the Giants postseason.

The Giants' secret to success? There were so many heroes, a different one every game from September onward.

On Monday, it was Edgar Enrique Rentería, a 35-year-old shortstop from Barranquilla, Colombia, who came to bat in the top of the seventh after the Giants had just suffered a major downer.

With runners on second and third and one out, Pat Burrell, the Giants' designated hitter, struck out for the second time in the game (one of his 11 Series strikeouts) – after being rested the night before in a desperate effort to get his stroke back.

Up stepped Rentería, who had told teammate Andres Torres that he was going to hit a home run.

And then he did – a 397-foot blast off Rangers ace Cliff Lee. The Giants' dugout exploded. A boisterous contingent of Giants fans went wild as their team took a 3-0 lead.

"I got confidence in me, but I was only joking like I'm going to hit it out," Rentería said. "But it went out."

It was Rentería's second career World Series thrill, the first being his game-winning hit in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series when he was a Florida Marlin.

"It's unbelievable," said the soft-spoken shortstop, who was named Most Valuable Player of this World Series.

As always, the foundation for the Giants was pitching, as it was again Monday night, when ace Tim Lincecum further cemented his massive status by striking out 10, allowing only three hits and one Ranger run in eight innings.

Lincecum traded zeros with Lee for six taut innings.

The Giants ace made only one mistake, a slider that Cruz hit over the left field fence for the only Ranger run in the seventh.

Coming into Monday's game, the Giants had a commanding 3-1 Series lead and the knowledge that if they faltered, they still had two home games to get one win.

They played as they always did this fall – with an urgency to finish this for themselves and everyone who loves the Giants.

Old hands like the great Juan Marichal, the 73-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher of the 1960s, were here. So was 1970s alum Tito Fuentes, 1980s standout Will Clark and J.T. Snow – who played on the 2002 team that agonizingly lost the World Series in seven games.

Giants clubhouse man Mike Murphy, who has worked for the team since its first San Francisco season in 1958, was beaming. He said he would call Willie Mays, the greatest of all Giants players, and he did.

"I just want to let you now we're world champions together," Murphy said into his cell phone. At 79, Mays has been ill of late. Giants legend Willie McCovey is 72 and frail. Orlando Cepeda is 73 and Gaylord Perry is 72 – both Hall of Famers.

Those men were great and are revered, but as San Francisco Giants, they all fell short of what this Giants team has done.

The alums here Monday night spilled onto the field after most of the crowd had gone home, but with an orange-and-black-clad cheering section still massed wildly behind the Giants dugout.

Old Giants snapped photos with new ones. That famous Will Clark cackle could be heard again. Fuentes said he choked up at the end. Marichal looked like a proud grandpa.

"I hope the Giants legends feel they can share this with us," said Giants catcher Buster Posey.

They did – everyone did.

When the Giants let their traveling fans onto the field, the picture of jubilation was complete. The trophy was theirs. The long wait was over.

It's an old franchise, but it's a new champion – the San Francisco Giants.

Finally!

Marcos Breton

Clockwise, from top left: Actress Mischa Barton, polo star Nacho Figueras, stylist Rachel Zoe with Figueras's wife and former model Delfina Blaquier, actress Brittany Snow, the action on the field. There are few things Angelenos will admit to knowing nothing about, and as a local L.A. girl, I can confidently say that polo is one of them. That didn't seem to matter last Sunday, however, at Will Rogers Historic Park, where the first annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic L.A. transpired on a field that once hosted players such as Spencer Tracy, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, and Will Rogers himself. It was quite the party. Underneath a luxurious white tent, guests floated around in 20s-inspired garb, Veuve Clicquot champagne in hand, while Ralph Lauren model and Black Watch team captain Nacho Figueras ("the David Beckham of polo," and the second-most handsome man in the world, as determined by V.F. readers) welcomed people to the event. When I asked him what advice he had for a first-time polo watcher, he laughed, “I think you’re going to find that you like it right away. Polo is a fun outdoor thing, with the horses running around and you just go and watch the game and enjoy the people and have a good time. It’s a whole experience.” Guests inside the V.I.P. tent had clearly dressed with polo in mind, but with the refined yet effortless style that's native to L.A., a place where your sunglasses are as important as your shoes. There were flapper-inspired headpieces, large sun hats, and flowers in women's hair; stripes, polka dots, and blazers galore—think preppy meets Gatsby. Actress Minnie Driver looked stunning in a strapless belted floral dress and red pumps. Actress Mischa Barton arrived in a black flowy flapper dress, complete with wavy retro hair. D.J. Tony Okungbowa (of The Ellen DeGeneres Show) controlled the playlist with laidback, Sunday-perfect tunes. Other celebs included Über-stylist Rachel Zoe and her husband, Rodger Berman, Sex and the City's Willie Garson, actress Brittany Snow, musician Cisco Adler, actor Jesse Williams, and even astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

It was a marriage made somewhere other than heaven: The Lizard King and the Homecoming Queen, together for the first and last time at The Broadmoor Hotel. The Doors' somewhat reluctant performance at a Colorado College homecoming dance has become the stuff of local legend, and deservedly so. The affair took place on Oct. 21, 1967, less than three months after Jim Morrison and Co. climbed to No. 1 on the pop charts with "Light My Fire." But when Doug Brown booked the show the previous spring, in his capacity as president of the Blue Key Men's Honor Society, he'd never even heard of the Doors. Brown had called an L.A. booking agency after seeing its number printed on a since-forgotten band's promo photo. The agent gave him the names of a few acts that were available the Doors and Quicksilver Messenger Service are the ones he remembers and asked how much money he had to spend. Brown had $3,000, and was told the Doors would be his best bet. The agent quickly fired off a telegram of confirmation and mailed out a contract in order to make sure the college wouldn't back out of the agreement. "He probably thought he had some sucker from Kansas, and I felt like I'd just sold my soul," recalls Brown, "because I'd never dealt with that kind of money, ever. And the Doors weren't on anybody's radar." The summer of '67 changed all that. By September, the band was getting itself banned from the Ed Sullivan Show for singing, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" during network prime time. (The Doors had promised the host that they'd change the forbidden lyric, but Morrison managed to forget.) That same month, the Doors' management began calling, looking to get out of the contract. click to enlarge Brown, who's now in the financial services industry in California, jokes that, in light of current events, he might have been better off sticking with concert promotion. "Their rate had gone up to like $50,000 a night, which would be a quarter of a million or so today, and we had the Doors for $3,000 for two hours," says Brown. "We couldn't get The Broadmoor's International Center, so we ended up having it in the main ballroom." On the night of the show, Brown says, Morrison headed straight to the hotel's convenience shop for a six-pack and fifth of whiskey: "They were not in a good mood, and you could tell they wanted to be someplace else that night. But they stuck to their contract, and they gave a dark and wonderful performance." Despite the band's phenomenal success, Brown says ticket sales got off to such a slow start that they ended up making the unprecedented (and unsanctioned) decision to sell them to area high school students. The strategy resulted in a packed house. So much so, in fact, that the college's current assistant VP for advancement, Diane Benninghoff, recalls being driven to drink. "When I got there, my sense was that it had been pretty much crashed by the whole community," says Benninghoff. "And because it was not my custom to be anyplace on time, the place was really just packed. So we stayed for a little while and then we went to the [Broadmoor's] Golden Bee. "I mean, yeah, it was the Doors and they were a big deal, but you know, let's go drink at the Golden Bee. I don't know. I'm not quite one of those people who says, 'I was at Woodstock' and wasn't. I really was at this dance, but not for very long." And how did the homecoming queen feel about all this? "It meant very little to me," recalls Gillian Royes, who's now a journalism professor at University of the Virgin Islands. "Because I was from Jamaica and, to my disappointment, they didn't sound anything like Bob Marley." click to enlarge Then and now The Doors homecoming dance is just one part of a hidden history of Colorado Springs concerts hidden, at least, to those of us who weren't around back then. It's also a reminder of how much times have changed: Elton John, still a major concert draw, may be playing his only Colorado date at the World Arena this weekend, but the venue's year-round schedule hockey, Christian music fests, anthropomorphic animals on ice skates suggests the difficulty that a mid-sized market normally faces when it comes to attracting major touring artists. Compare today's concert calendar to that of the Cotton Club, a rhythm & blues venue run by the late Fannie Mae Duncan, who hosted artists like Ray Charles, Chuck Berry and James Brown & the Flames regularly. Or the City Auditorium in its heyday. At the height of the British invasion, it lured hit-makers like the Animals, the Yardbirds, Peter & Gordon and Them (featuring a hit song called "Gloria" and a very young Van Morrison singing it). Now virtually vacant, the historic mid-sized venue also presented Eddie Cochran, Wanda Jackson and Buffalo Springfield with Steve Stills but without Neil Young, who'd left the band a couple weeks earlier as well as Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. And while these days the living members of the Grateful Dead don't get closer than Red Rocks or the Pepsi Center, the mother of all jam bands actually played at Reed's Ranch, where they rambled through songs like "Slewfoot" and "Morning Dew." This was back in the summer of '69, a month before their Woodstock appearance. Reminiscences of the show can still be found on Grateful Dead message boards, including an account of the band being kicked out of the Ramada Inn after founding member Ronald "Pigpen" McKernan had an altercation with a recalcitrant cigarette machine. "Reed's Ranch was actually an inside rodeo barn out there off Centennial, by what's now Mountain Shadows," says Steve Schmitt, a high school student at the time who now restores and sells jukeboxes and other memorabilia through his company, Now & Then. "It had a really small stage, and it was actually inside a rodeo barn, so it kind of smelled like horses and cattle." click to enlarge Of course, this was a Grateful Dead show: "Yeah, there was a lot of pot smoking. This was outside the city limits, so it wasn't like the Springs police were there." Schmitt, whose collecting career began the moment he climbed onstage to claim the Peter & Gordon album he won at their City Auditorium show, also managed to witness local appearances by the Who and the Doors, as well as the second night of Jefferson Airplane's 1967 shows at The Broadmoor's International Center. The Broadmoor even played host to Elton John, albeit at a much more recent show that was private and very much unknown to the public: "It was a solo show a few years ago and it was pretty amazing," says Broadmoor entertainment director Ken Miller of the pop icon's concert for an audience of fewer than a thousand. "I think it was for Toyota or Lexus or one of those car companies. "Yeah, we get everybody," adds Miller, a musician who has himself played the venue for 26 years. "We've had Glenn Frey, we've had Michael Martin Murphey, I mean, you just name it. Huey Lewis & the News was here last year. But on those things, it's all closed to the public, all corporate." While The Broadmoor's long list of private appearances ranges from singing cowboy John Wayne to stardust cowboy Elton John, public performances by top-selling artists started tapering off as a burgeoning record industry began turning its back on smaller markets. There were still booking coups, but none quite so historic: Back when the Replacements were still on Minneapolis' Twin/Tone label, the fresh-scrubbed and no doubt inebriated band played a CC campus venue called Benny's Basement. Neil Young would eventually make his way to the World Arena. And just this past year, the Pikes Peak Center hosted ZZ Top and Wilco. Many also have fond memories of 32 Bleu, located where the Thirsty Parrot is now, which brought in Michael Franti, Ziggy Marley, Cracker and Rufus Wainwright. (A few weeks ago, Joe Bonamassa told the crowd at the Pikes Peak Center that he once played 32 Bleu for an audience of eight.) Of course, it's impossible to know how or even if today's concert scene will be remembered decades from now. Through the passage of time, nostalgia and selective memory have a way of coloring memories, and Benninghoff speculates that folks may someday be amazed to hear that an artist like Abigail Washburn once played on her school's campus. Plus, there's nothing to say that some of the acts who play clubs like the Black Sheep, the Rocket Room or Kinfolks won't someday go on to become box office heavyweights, or at least die in sufficiently dramatic ways to become legendary. The kids were alright In the latter category, Morrison and Pigpen aren't the only artists who've come through town en route to untimely meetings with their maker. In 1965, Jimi Hendrix then known as James Hendrix played the City Auditorium as the already-show-stopping guitarist for Little Richard. Local DJ Steve Scott, who emceed the show, remembers the bandleader being pissed that Hendrix was getting so much attention. And then there's Keith Moon, the dedicated follower of drugs, drink and other fashionable excesses who drummed so brilliantly for the Who. On Bob Yeazel's Web site, the guitarist for Denver band Sugarloaf recalls opening their show at the Springs' long-defunct Kelker Junction, which he describes as an "airplane hangar type club," and watching Pete Townshend "smashing his Gibson SG guitar to pieces while chewing gum." Sean Anglum, a rabid concertgoer in those days, says the Who touched down at Colorado Springs Airport and landed on the front page of the local paper, with a picture of them stepping down from the plane. He also recalls sneaking into the show. click to enlarge The Who miss the Springs turnoff. "I was underage by about a year, so I just slipped in as they were bringing equipment in," says Anglum, who now manages public relations and special events for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. "I kind of mingled with a few people I knew and stayed in the shadows until the show started." It was August of '68, a year after the Who's American breakthrough single, "I Can See for Miles," and a year before their rock opera, Tommy. Already a dedicated Anglophile, Anglum was disappointed that the Who didn't play early originals like "The Kids are Alright," but pleased that "they were still pretty mod." "I think it was [John] Entwistle who was wearing a Union Jack suit jacket that night, and I remember me and my friends thinking that was cooler than cool. They did play some R&B; stuff, some covers and 'Young Man Blues,' and I specifically remember that they played 'Magic Bus' and it went on forever." Anglum would later go on to book shows himself at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where he recalls paying comedian Steve Martin $100 to open for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. But his favorite shows were still back in the glory days of the City Auditorium, the top two being Buffalo Springfield and the Yardbirds, who had just brought Jeff Beck into the band: "His picking hand was in a cast," says Anglum, "but he could still play." Luck of the rich Steve Scott, who's been called the Dick Clark of Colorado Springs, was a well-known DJ for KYSN (aka Kissin'), the local AM station that he says "just about owned the market" back in the late '60s. His first formative musical experiences, he remembers, were at the Cotton Club on West Colorado Avenue. "I used to go down there when I was a kid, and she would let me in," says Scott. "I didn't drink, but I always wanted to see the musicians. They'd bring in James Brown & the Flames, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner, Bobby Bland they'd come through here a couple times a year all through the '60s." Scott started doing live KYSN remotes from the City Auditorium, first as a DJ, then with bands from Denver, and ultimately emceeing a run of national touring acts. "Tony Spicola, a promoter in Pueblo who ended up owning KDZA, started what they called the Swing Dings," recalls the veteran disc jockey, who continues to spin locally as the proprietor of Steve Scott Mobile Music. "I've still got a contract for Ike and Tina Turner they played with the four-piece Kings of Rhythm Band, three Ikettes and a road manager, for $900 flat. It was at the City Auditorium around 1965, and it was a great show. But it was unbelievable that you could buy bands for that price that were that good." Asked about some of the other venue's shows, Scott recalls Little Richard as "very laid-back, reserved and soft-spoken in the dressing room, but a crazed wild man onstage." Johnny Cash, he says, was less of a wild man. And unlike his infamous 1965 appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, Cash's local appearance did not end with him systematically smashing all the venue's footlights. "No, I think he was sober at the time," says Scott with a laugh. Scott's other fond memories include a 1968 Everly Brothers show: "It was at the old Penrose Stadium, and they drove them in convertibles out of the rodeo chute under color spotlights. There was also a place up north called the Krazy Kat that brought in the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Ventures." Other popular venues included Club Go-Go, the Lady Bug and the Hullabaloo, which was licensed by the television music show of the same name. "And, naturally, The Broadmoor," says Scott. "With the luck of the rich, they got both the Doors and the Jefferson Airplane when they were at the top off the charts. And they didn't even like rock 'n roll." Beyond the Beatles So what are the chances that Colorado Springs could undergo another concert renaissance? In Scott's view, too much has changed both culturally and financially over the intervening decades. "To me, a lot of those bands were the beginning of rock 'n roll, the real heyday of all the psychedelic and British bands and Motown and '70s disco. But the music business has changed a lot. Artists now mainly make their living off concerts and less from record sales, because of the Internet and the diminished role of record companies. They're so expensive to buy now for a medium market, and Denver's only 65 miles away." Those economics have led to a trickle-down effect, one that continues to have an undeniable impact on today's concert industry. "The ticket prices have gone from a dollar and two and three dollars to these tickets that are $80, $150, $200," says Scott. "It's like sports; the cost of the tickets have priced a lot of people out of it. A lot of average people can't really take in concerts anymore." Anglum, who's still an active music fan with tickets already in hand for Bruce Springsteen and Steve Stills shows up in Denver, figures Colorado Springs "will always be that stopping-off place for bands between two big gigs." But he, too, points out that concert ticket prices have pretty much skyrocketed: "I remember Swing Dings, with the Beau Brummels and bands like that, were four or five bucks not very much, but for a teenager back then, that was a good couple weeks of mowing lawns. "And the first concert I ever saw was when I was 12 and my sister took me to see the Beatles up north at Red Rocks. It was a total din of screaming, even when they were just bringing the equipment out on stage, but it was incredible. And the Beatles were only six dollars and 60 cents." bill@csindy.com A Springs whodunit What follows is a selection of local highlights from the late '60s. (Note: Months are given where the specific date is unknown. Thanks to Steve Schmitt and friends, who compiled the list from which the following is drawn.) Feb. 14: Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, featuring the Coasters, the Newbeats, et al, City Auditorium May 23: The Ventures, with Danny Cox, Krazy Kat Oct. 16: Glen Campbell, with the Tinkers, City Auditorium Nov. 24: Freddy Cannon, City Auditorium Dec. 9: Ike & Tina Turner Revue, City Auditorium April 1: The Animals, City Auditorium Aug. 3: The Standells, with the Soul and the Countdowns, City Auditorium Aug. 28: Everly Brothers, with the Boenzee Cryque, the Monacles and the Trolls, Penrose Stadium September: Tommy James & the Shondells, with the Teardrops and the Soul, venue unknown Dec. 23: Beau Brummels, with the Soul and the Avengers, City Auditorium Dec. 31: The Music Machine, with the Striders, the Westminsters and Take 5 Inc., City Auditorium June 9: Buffalo Springfield, with the Birmingham Balloon Company, City Auditorium July 19: The Yardbirds, City Auditorium July 27-29: Jefferson Airplane, with the New World Blues Dictionary, The Broadmoor International Center (two shows on the 29th) Aug. 23: Paul Revere & the Raiders, City Auditorium Oct. 21: The Doors, with the Broadway Shell and Muse Band, The Broadmoor Ballroom Oct. 26: Them (with Van Morrison), with the Birmingham Balloon Company, Maysville Crossing and the Time System, City Auditorium March: Strawberry Alarm Clock, with Gallery, Strange Daze and the Half Doesn't, City Auditorium July: Bob Seger System, Kelker Junction Aug. 17: Judy Collins, The Broadmoor International Center Aug. 18: The Who, with the Beast and Noble & the Matadors, Kelker Junction Dec. 27, Fever Tree, the Apple May 18: Steve Miller Band, with the Frantics, Reed's Ranch June 7: Blue Cheer, with High John, Kelker Junction July 3: Grateful Dead, with Zephyr and Holden Caulfield, Reed's Ranch (Note: Concert didn't start until after midnight; the Dead started playing at 4 a.m.) Aug. 9: Vanilla Fudge, City Auditorium

Filed under: Concert News, Country News

Kris Kristofferson, Randy Houser, Terri Clark, Mel Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, the Grascals, Ronnie McDowell and Joanna Smith will pay musical tribute to Nashville's Tootsie's Orchid Lounge at the bar's 50th Anniversary Celebration November 7, with a special event across the alley at the Ryman Auditorium.

The iconic honky-tonk, located on Music City's Lower Broadway, is known for its famous clientele such as Patsy Cline, Roger Miller and Waylon Jennings, and has been the starting point for numerous singer-songwriters including Willie Nelson, who received his first songwriting gig after singing at Tootsie's.

Kris, Mel and Terri will co-host the evening which honors Tootsie's founder Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess, who bought the building in 1960 and made it into a Nashville institution. Little Jimmy Dickens is also scheduled to make a special presentation at the event.

(h/t David of VideoCafe)

This Week with Christiane Amanpour notes the passings of gospel singer Albertina Walker, Korean defector Hwang Jang Yop, singer Solomon Burke. In addition, the Pentagon released the names of twelve service members killed in Afghanistan.

US Army SSG Willie J Harley, Jr, 48, Aiken, SC
US Army SPC Luther W Rabon, Jr, 32, Lexington, SC
US Marines SGT Anthony D Matteoni, 22, Union City, MI
US Army SFC Lance H Vogeler, 29, Frederick, MD
US Army SPC Joseph T Prentler, 20, Fenwick, MI
US Army SGT Brian J Pedro, 27, Rosamond, CA
US Air Force SrA Daniel J Johnson, 23, Schiller Park, IL
US Army PFC Cody A Board, 19, McKinney, TX
US Army SGT Karl A Campbell, 34, Chiefland, FL
US Army PFC Ryane G Clark, 22, New London, MN
US Marines LCpl Scott A Lynch 22, Greenwood Lake, NY
US Marines Cpl Stephen C Sockalosky, 21, Cordele, GA

According to iCasualties, the total number of allied service members killed in Iraq stands at 4,743; in Afghanistan, 2,144. During this same period, Iraq Body Count lists 52 Iraqi civilians killed.

 

So close. It has taken a few days for the sting to wear off but most of the Steelers fans I encounter are basically on the same page; to be 3-1 at this stage of the season is pretty sweet. Yeah, 4-0 would have been much better and we came about as close you can to getting there without actually getting there. But a month ago who wouldn’t have taken 3-1 with a big grin on his or her face?

 

The quarter pole and the Bye week is a logical time to take a breath and take stock of where we stand in the grand scheme of the season. But as we all know this year we have something extra to contemplate. In a very real sense we will be starting over next week. Think of September 12^th as Opening Day for Steelers Lite (without Ben), and October 17^th 

as Opening Day for the Steelers (with Ben). At this stage of the season certain questions have been answered to a certain extent, others are still outstanding. But this time we have a few more that refer to the return of Ben and the effect on the team’s performance that will only begin to be answered when we take the field against the Browns. What we know now is that this is a very good football team that can go deep into the playoffs if they maintain the current quality of play and avoid devastating personnel losses. Presumably in most, if not all scenarios having Ben rejoin the club improves the team significantly and greatly enhances its prospects going forward. Let me be more specific.

Tomlin. The head coach comes away a big winner in his leadership and handling of a tricky and somewhat unique situation. How good Tomlin is as a head coach will not be more fully understood until he accumulates a greater body of work. But from where I stand the surprising (to most) success of this year’s squad is directly related to his strategic approach to winning football, and his unyielding execution of that philosophy. The circumstances of this season have been such that no one would have blamed this team for a mediocre to poor early performance. That was, in fact, the expectation from virtually everyone, certainly everyone outside of Steeler Nation. But, almost in anticipation of the situation, this coach has been preaching from day one that the expectations of performance do not change regardless of who has to do the performing. I’m not sure that the team would have bought into the approach so completely if it had only been emphasized as a response to this particular situation. At no point did this team falter in confidence or give any indication that the situation was ‘unfair’. They adapted and did it so well that they and we were sincerely disappointed when they fell just short of perfection for the first four games. Incredible.It is in the areas of vision and setting the proper tone for peak performance that Tomlin is at his strongest. His weaknesses are usually at the tactical level where his relative lack of experience has betrayed him on occasion. But he rarely repeats mistakes. Control has also been an issue in the past. There has been precious little discussion of the degree of difficulty involved in coming into a situation that has been recently successful and experienced little turnover in players or staff and have to sell a new style of leadership. But it is clearly becoming his team now.

 

Kugler and Everest. The new guys seem to doing fine so far. Perhaps the best indication of how things are going is that the usually unceasing negative critiques of the offensive line has slowed to a trickle here at BTSC. Trai Essex is the current favorite for a one way ticket to Anywhere-But –Here. Otherwise the first unit is playing well even though there has been a 60 percent turnover in personnel from last year. Coach K has also arranged for a rotation where the backups have been getting game reps with no apparent degradation of performance. The ensemble should certainly improve as Pouncey, Adams and Legursky become more familiar with the offense and each other. With the exception of the erratic kicking of Jeff Reed, special teams has improved across the board, even to the depth of Reed’s kick offs. Generally speaking it has turned from definite liability to at least a sometime asset.

 

While on the subject of coaches; here is one person’s tribute to Defensive Line Coach John Mitchell. For the first four games the second line of Eason, Hoke and Hood have performed with little drop off from starters Hampton, Keisel and Smith. Mitchell, as well as Linebacker Coach Keith Butler toll in the considerable shadow of Dick LeBeau.  Every once and a while they deserve a little bit of light.

 

Quarterbacks. Interestingly enough we find the quarterback situation just as muddled today as it was last spring. Who, for example, do we jettison now? Let us be clear about one thing. If Ben isn’t going anywhere then understand that this is a franchise quarterback, the professional football equivalent of a hydrogen bomb. None of the three backups can fully replace Ben. If they could they wouldn’t be backups, at least not for long. What we need is the football equivalent of a short to medium reliever. Who would be best for that role? Not Dixon. He’s young and has no reason to believe that he can’t lead his own team. I’m sure Buffalo would love to have him. He also is developing a reputation concerning durability issues. He looks frail and will that knee ever be fully healthy? Byron would be a great choice but only if he has given up on the dream of leading his own team. Unless Ben suffers a catastrophic injury or stumbles again in his personal life, the starter position is his until the wheels come off the wagon. When will that be; 5, 7, 10 more years? The backup would be a great job. Relative high prestige, great salary, little physical wear and tear, and probably great job opportunities when your career is done if you play your cards right. You just have to pack away that ego. Think Gary Kubiak or Charlie Batch. As we have discovered, Charlie is still pretty good at the job. Yeah, he’s fragile, but not nearly as much as people claimed (nearly three games and still in one piece), with nine years as a backup common sense tells you that the physical toll on his body is less than what would be expected of a 35 year old NFLer. Nonetheless, its close to time for him. Winning this past Sunday would have been the perfect Swan Song for Charlie. But I would not blame him for wanting to be part of another run for a ring or two. Ultimately, the story would have its most satisfying ending with him being in a high level management position with the club; say, player development or evaluation. He would be strong at community relations as well. It will be interesting to see how all this works out.

 

Receivers. The big question here was how much would we feel the loss of Santonio. I would say that the answer looks like not much if at all. Mike Wallace is turning out to be what we hoped he would be, even with our anemic early season passing game. Hines is still Hines. The big secret about ARE is that the Skins tried to use him as a #1 or 2 receiver.  He’s never been that kind of guy. At #3 he’s well placed. And as we have seen thus far is still a very capable receiver in the right placement. Brown and Sanders look to be capable of giving us what was lost with Holmes, but they are currently victims of the numbers game. Brown can’t get into a game other than through special teams, Sanders can’t get a hat. Frustrating, but this is a good thing.

 

Running backs. As the Pittsburgh dailies have been harping on over the past couple of days, the return of Ben should be a windfall for Mendenhall, given that defenses can’t simply stack up to stop him. I would take it a step further. Now is the time to run that Pony offense and give them two backs to worry about at the same time. Regardless, this could be a Pro Bowl year for Rashard unless Ben and/or BA do some serious backsliding.

 

Players of note.

Willie Gay. Were it not for the late touchdown for the Ravens, much more would be made of two great plays made by Gay on third and fourth down during the goal line stand. He has earned the right to be referred to as ‘Big Play Willie Gay’ once again.

 

Brett Keisel. Lost in the disappointment of last year’s team was the leap in play by Keisel who now is playing on the level of linemates Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton.

 

ARE. He’s been making tough receptions since preseason. And while many would rather see Brown or Sanders in that position, El is demonstrating that he can be just as clutch as Hines Ward. He brings incredible leadership intangibles to the table as well. Finally, it remains to be seen if BA, now that Ben is back, might dust off some of the gadget plays that proved so effective when Wisenhunt was the OC. If so, watch out.

 

Ryan Clark. The next player after James Harrison that most deserves the title of Cold Blooded Assassin. Knocked McClain out of the game on Sunday and hit a receiver so hard that a certain reception fell incomplete. Receivers are getting in the habit of short arming passes that are thrown in the vicinity of Clark.

 

Maurkice Pouncey. The kid has gotten so good that I forget he’s in the game now.

Lawrence Timmons. He’s everywhere. And he’s gonna get better and better.

There has been just under five months since the last time the Canucks played a game that counted. During the offseason, GM Mike Gillis had a mandate to analyze the team’s strengths and weaknesses, then bolster those problem areas.

There will be some roster moves to generate more wiggle room under the salary cap, but by the season opener vs the LA Kings on Saturday October 9th, the Canucks lineup should look like this:

Forwards

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Mikael Samuelsson

Mason Raymond - Ryan Kesler - Raffi Torres

Jannik Hansen - Manny Malhotra - Peter Schaefer

Guillaume Desbiens - Alexandre Bolduc - Tanner Glass

Defence

Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa

Alexander Edler - Christian Ehrhoff

Keith Ballard - Andrew Alberts

Goalies

Roberto Luongo

Cory Schneider

Notable Injuries: Sami Salo (ACL), Alex Burrows (shoulder)

Compare that to the last meaningful game played at GM Place (now renamed Rogers Place) back on May 11^th, as the Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of the second round.

Forwards

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin – Mikael Samuelsson

Mason Raymond - Ryan Kesler – Alex Burrows

Pavol Demitra – Kyle Wellwood – Michael Grabner

Jannik Hansen – Ryan Johnson – Steve Bernier

Defence

Sami Salo - Kevin Bieksa

Alexander Edler - Christian Ehrhoff

Shane O’Brien - Andrew Alberts

Goalies

Roberto Luongo

Andrew Raycroft

Notable Injuries: Willie Mitchell (concussion)

The top six forwards are largely intact, with the only changes being Samuelsson playing with the Sedin twins (which happened frequently last year) and Torres filling in for Alex Burrows as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

The bottom six forwards are where the biggest amount of changes occurred. Mike Gillis identified that the Canucks were too soft and easy to play against, and tried to bring in grit and size for the bottom six.

Hansen is the only holdover from that May 11^th team, as the other five players have all been replaced.

Wellwood (5’10” 181 lbs) vs Malhotra (6’2” 220 lbs)

The addition of Malhotra is of particular signifigance, as the third line now has a physical center (4” taller and 40 lbs heavier than Wellwood) with good faceoff skills (62.5% last year).

This should allow the third line to be used as a traditional shutdown line, rather than the secondary scoring line it was last season, thereby freeing up Kesler’s line for more offensive duties. Kesler is a Selke candidate, but using your second line as a checking line is sometimes counter productive, especially in the playoffs when spreading the scoring around is crucial.

 

Demitra (6’ 200 lbs) vs Schaefer (6’ 187 lbs)

Technically Schaefer is a bit smaller than Demitra, but Schaefer brings far more grit and physical play than the Slovakian playmaker. Demitra is a soft, skilled playmaker whose best games in Vancouver during his two year tenure unfortunately happened at the Olympics, not when playing for the Canucks. Schaefer is a PK specialist whose job is make it a rough night for the other team, and he has plenty of incentive after being out of the NHL the last two seasons.

 

Grabner (6’1” 188 lbs) vs Glass (6’1” 207 lbs)

Grabner is a skilled, soft sniper who doesn’t go into the high traffic areas. Glass is a hard working gritty winger who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves (15 fights last season) and who led the Canucks forwards in hits during the regular season last year, despite playing only 67 games. Giving Glass a fulltime roster spots was one of the easier decisions for Mike Gillis during the rebuild of the bottom six forwards.

 

Johnson (6’1” 199 lbs) vs Bolduc (6’1” 197 lbs)

Ryan Johnson is the forward whose departure hurts the most.  He was an excellent PK and faceoff specialist, and was always one of the NHL leaders in blocked shots. However, he was also continually injured because of this playstyle. Over his tenure with the Canucks, I think it was probably 25% of the time that he was actually healthy, and he was great then. But the other 75% of the time he was playing with nagging, persistent injuries that seriously hampered his playing ability.

Replacing Johnson with Bolduc is pretty much a wash in terms of size, but the Canucks hope Bolduc will be in the lineup, and healthy, more consistently than Johnson.

 

Bernier (6’2” 216 lbs) vs Desbiens (6’2” 210 lbs)

Steve Bernier was the player with the most size amongst the departed, but he did use it, averaging almost two his a game over the regular season (105 hits in 59 games). But he was a fourth liner being paid $2,000,000 for potential that rarely materialized, despite getting powerplay time with the Sedins on a regular basis.

Desbiens will bring that physical element to the Canucks fourth line, and as an added bonus over Bernier, he is also willing to drop the gloves. (11 fights with the Manitoba Moose last season). That could be important in the regular season, as Darcy Hordichuk (traded to Florida) and Rick Rypien (injured to start the season) will not be available for the season opener. Desbiens can score (40 goals over the last 2 AHL seasons), but he knows he needs to focus on being physical to stay in the NHL.

On defence, Shane O’Brien was traded to Nashville and Sami Salo is out with an ACL injury suffered during offseason training. Salo isn’t expected back until Christmas at the earliest. O’Brien’s departure wasn’t due to injury, as he essentially made himself expendable by both publically arguing with management over his tenure as a Canuck, as well as being outplayed by Andrew Alberts in the preseason. Which is really too bad, as I thought he was a good player who could be even better if he controlled himself on ice (bad penalties) and off ice (conditioning issues to put it delicately).

To replace these two defencemen, Mike Gillis brought in Keith Ballard (5’11” 208 lbs) and Dan Hamhuis (6’2” 205 lbs), a pair of durable defencemen who can play top four minutes in all situations. The Canucks may not be able to boast a Norris trophy candidate, but they do have a pretty good defence group which should be even better once Salo returns.

In goal, Luongo is still the starter, but Schneider is now the backup, replacing Raycroft. This is an important change, as Mike Gillis has a vested interest in playing Schneider as much as possible for backup in order to boost his trade value. A former AHL goalie of the year and NCAA star, Schneider has payed his dues and now needs some NHL experience to prove himself.  Fewer starts should mean a more rested Luongo come playoff time if all goes according to plan.

Other changes in goal, albeit off ice, occurred with the departure of part time goalie coach Ian Clark, who has been replaced by a full time goalie coach in Rollie Melanson. Luongo also relinquished the captaincy, which is a good move. That was a unnecessary distraction to a player whose game is 90% mental. These changes should help Luongo rebound from a subpar season last year.

Are these changes enough to see the Canucks win another division title?

Yes, but a successful defence of the Northwest Division has more to do with the quality of the other four teams than it does about the Canucks.

Are these changes enough to see the Canucks advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the ’94 run?

Hopefully.

Mike Gillis has addressed the key issues (grit amongst bottom six forwards, durability of the defense and shoring up Luongo’s game) that led to the playoff collapse last season. But we won’t know for sure until the playoffs actually roll around in April.

The season opener on October 9^th vs the LA Kings is not only the start of the Canucks’ 40^th anniversary celebrations, it is also the first of 82 tests for the new look team.

Harnish sharp, Northern Illinois routs Akron 50-14 AKRON, Ohio ? Chandler Harnish passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns as Northern Illinois routed Akron 50-14 on Saturday night in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. Harnish, who was 16-for-20, hit Willie Clark with a 7-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, when the Huskies (3-2, 1-0) ... Read more »».

Alright, Bruce Arians. Yeah, I said it, did the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, like nails were being run across a chalkboard? No? Well, maybe this isn't your post.

I have most likely come across as an Arians supporter. I am. Why? Because, regardless of what you think about his philosophy, under his cooridinating, our record is 33-17. We have won one Superbowl, we have finished first, first, second, and are currently (extremely early, but still) first in our division. Please, read this last paragraph aloud, especially the last two lines. It's true.

I will never claim Bruce Arians is solely, or even majorly, responsible for that record. It would be a lie. I'm not a liar. Some guys named Dick LeBeau, Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, oh and these guys too, all had something to do with it. That could be my main point there, but I'll drag it on, if for nothing else, excitement for the reader. (You're welcome.)

     Look at this little jewel I found. Thanks www.jhuccp.org.

Bruce Arians offense has finished (in yards and points rank of 32 teams) 17th in yards, 19th in points (2007); 22nd in yards, 20th in points (2008); 7th in yards, 12 in points (2009). This season, we are far from those numbers, and there are reasons why. We know most of them, we've seen it ourselves these last two weeks.

For a guy implementing a new offense, as Bruce did in 2007, for his team to finish near middle of the pack, isn't really that bad. We won our division, and, perhaps if it weren't for some devastating injuries (Willie Parker, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark) that team could have made a deep playoff run. If it weren't for a bad angle of pursuit on David Garrard from the tiniest of predator men, we could have at least won a playoff game.

Side note, this game was especially painful for me, as I quit a job I had for about 6 years to watch this game when they wouldn't give me one night off. I mean, my God... One. Night. ... I digress.

That season, we threw the ball 442 times. We ran the ball 511 times. In contrast, our opponents threw the ball 536 times, and ran it 361. You can say that's because we were in the lead, and teams were trying to catch up, thus the difference. You're right.

But his numbers slumped in his second year? Indeed they did.

In an attempt, one could only assume, to bolster the running attack (Not our offense, a run ning attack?), the Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall in the first round. Willie Parker, who just the December prior had suffered a broken leg to end his season late in our campaign, still was thought to be the starter, although questions loomed about his leg injury and how he'd bounce back. Rashard Mendenhall, an insurance policy brought in to help run the ball, suffered a shoulder injury that would end his season just four weeks in. Willie Parker, despite fewer touches early preseason, did bounce back, having a "What broken leg?" game to start the season against Houston, but he too was lost in the fourth week that year and Mewelde Moore came in. Mewelde rushed for 588 yards that season on four starts while also appearing in most games. As a team, the Steelers rushed for 1690 yards, 500 yards less than the year before. That was, of course sans a healthy Parker, with out the young spell back who was expected to aid the running game, and with a runningback, who, with all due respect to Mewelde who played great for us that season, is a far less dynamic runner than Rashard (now... possibly then) or Willie (prior to the leg).

So, if a good (no, not good, I don't want to anger the anti-Arians people) competent coach coaches to his team's strengths, I would say looking at the runningback situation (with no Rashard, a tentative Willie, and featuring Mewelde Moore as the lead act... yikes) I hope you've got a good quarterback. Oh... wait, we do have a good quarterback?! Well, let him throw it... right?

Ben had thrown for 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions the year prior. This season (2008), the team's passing numbers jumped to 506 attempts, up from the 442 the year before. We ran the ball 460 times, down from the 511 the year before. Again, for reference sake, our opponents threw the ball 533 times and ran it 390 times.

This could rationally be explained by the team's runningback issues, and of course the fact we have a premier talent passing the rock. I mean... it could, right?

Oh yeah. And we won the Superbowl. Niiice.

Last seaon was rough. Hopes were high. Really high. Repeat high. But, objectively, despite the Superbowl win, some questions could have been asked.

What of our runningback situation? The season before should have raised that question, but when your looking at Tiffany in February, it's easy to overlook those things. Rashard was a question mark, some fans had already written him off as a bust. Injured, from reports somewhat lazy, benched for a game for lack of preparedness the week leading up to it... not good news. Willie Parker looked rough at times the year before. The Willie burst seemed gone, he had seemingly lost the ability to hit  the holes. He was another question mark. Mewelde was everyone's darling that offseason, his fill in performences had helped up get to the promise land, but Mewelde was never a great runner. He was good, well rounded, and a veteran. A great player to have, but not a foundation for your ground game. Isaac Redman Fever was sweeping Steeler Nation, much like the British Invasion swept the US years before. I caught Steelchamps!!! singing "I Want to Hold Isaac's Hand", at one point, I hummed a long, but just a little. He was an unproven, asthmatic, out of NFL shape D-II player who was "lucky"; to be in the NFL according to some. Lots of ???'s, very few !!!'s, in there, right?

But we still had Ben. And a great group of wide receivers. Some said our best ever, although I think that was a little overboard myself. Hines, Santonio, some guy from 60 minutes (not him... him), Heath, Spaeth (haha), I think Limas was still a factor... somewhat maybe... but, you follow?

Going into the season, if you looked at the roster, a case could be made that more passing was called for. In fact, with as many question marks at the HB spot, and as many playmakers in receiver roles, and a quarterback that had won 2 Superbowls heading in to the prime of his career... you could make the case that not getting them the ball though the air was not in the team's best interest. Ol' Juicy Brucey thought just that.

So we did. Be threw the ball 506 times (536 as a team). By far the most in Ben's career, twice as many as the year he won his first championship. His second most passes attempted? I'm glad I intimated at you asking. Well, that was back when Whisenhunt and Co. still played "Steeler Football"; way back in ot six. That year, playing "Steeler Football" we ran the ball 469 times, and threw it 523.

Remember back when Whisenhuntused to just play "SteelerFootball"?Jeez I miss those days.

Also, by the by, Ben had his worst statistical season in 2006, in both completion percentage and interceptions. And the Steelers went 7-8, en route to no playoffs. Throwing it that many times under Arians three seasons later, Ben had his best career year in completion percentage and yards, he also established a career low in interception percentage (interceptions over attempts) Just saying, wasn't all that bad.

BUT WE DIDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?! You cry out in anger. No we did not. You got me there. But putting that squarely on Arians would be like me giving him full credit for his solid record with the Black and Gold. It wouldn't be fair, and it would be a lie.

But what about bad Bruce Arians? Oh... he exists. He exists in our nightmares, much like Freddie Kruger. Only, we don't have to sleep to be in his world or for him to come out into ours. He shows up every Sunday, or at least he has.

3rd and 1... Whatcha gonna do?

In the redzone... Who you gonna call?

Fill in the blank... ________________, you may as well have a legit gripe as well. I'm not going to deny the man has faults as a coordinator. But too much blame gets hurled his way, in my opinion.

Our esteemed historian, great wordsmith, and by the way, published author (cough "From Black to Gold belongs on every bookshelf in Steeler Nation" - Rocky Bleir cough), MaryRose put it much, much, much better than I could in this great piece from not too long ago.

1)  On third down or fourth down, with one or two yards to gain, we must run the football.  When we bring in that empty set and the defense knows we're passing, four things can happen and three of them are bad.  An interception is the worst, a sack is almost as bad, and even an imcompletion means we have to either punt or turn the ball over.  Rashard is a big boy.  Give him the football.  If we can't gain a stinking yard we don't deserve to win, but my guess is we will.

2)  Give the defense a break.  Slinging it too much, even when it works and especially when it doesn't, keeps putting the defense back on the field.  They are a proud but aging unit that needs a 10-minute break now and then.  Use some clock.  Mix in some screen passes.  Mendy might be great with those.  Who knows, by the fourth quarter maybe our defense might not be so tired and might not keep collapsing.  Tone and Hines and young Wallace won't mind.  Ask them if they would rather have another Lombardi or better statistics?  They'll give you the right answer.

3)  We play in the AFC North.  We have no domes.  The weather is often bad, the wind is often blowing, precipitation is often falling and the field is often a mess.  Take note of that.  Design your game plan around an offense that can least be affected by the elements.  We have to run the ball when we have to run the ball, if that makes sense.  Make sure both your personnel and game plan are prepared to do that. 

4)  Ben cannot be sacked another 50 times.  He is a walking time bomb ready to implode on any play.  There are a hundred million reasons why he needs to be protected.  Ever notice how Peyton's jersey doesn't need washed after playing in a mud bowl?  We need to treat our guy with the same respect.  Yes, he needs to make plays, and yes, part of his total effectiveness is improvising and making plays.  We need to allow for some of that, but not to the extent we currently allow.  You can't give a BB gun to your son and then let him run wild in the back yard without giving him some restrictions.  We need organized mayhem, if you'll pardon the oxymoron.  There's a fine line between letting Ben be Ben and letting Ben be General Custer.  Find it.

Perhaps it was this open letter, or The Rooney's swift and decisive public kick in the ass that helped spur this change. Much like Wayne Brady, The Rooney's, um, escort-broker (?) hand is strong. And Bruce needed a smack, just a light one, to let him know who the boss was, and how the boss wanted things done.

Two of these four fatal flaws have (so far) been improved on, two cannot be proven either way as of yet. It is very early, but Bruce has gotten better this year. Perhaps the emergence of a quality runner in Rashard helped get his chakras aligned again. Maybe the short yardage confidence that lacked in years past is brought back by Isaac Redman. Everytime you say, write, or even think Redman, thank Arians by the way. With out Bruce, we have no Isaac. Fact.

So please, just try and gain a touch or perspective when we talk about Bruce. Complaints are justified only by those who levy them, so if you feel the need to scream "WHAT THE bleep, YOU bleeping MORON!!!" at your TV from time to time on Sunday, just like I do, know who you're blaming.

For every Bruce Arians out there, there is a, well, Browns OC, Raiders OC, Rams OC, Bills OC, Lions OC, and several others who do, actually, finish at or near the bottom of the rankings year in and year out (no disrespect guys). Bruce deserves some, if not a lot, of the heat he has gotten in the past, but give the guy a break, we haven't been that bad with him at the helm. That's all I'm really saying.

(Can someone please put up that picture of Ben and Charlie, where Bruce pops up like a creeper from behind the two... Johnny? I love that thing.)

Vetrea Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family
House of Worship
Heavenly Spirit Music 2010
http://www.vetreaslackruffin.com/

Vetrea (pron. VEE-tree-ah) Slack Ruffin & the Ruffin Family is a mother-daughter trio who combine the sweet traditional harmonies of the Simmons-Akers Trio with the sassiness of the Clark Sisters and the Anointed Pace Sisters. The result is nothing less than extraordinary. This gospel group from Huntsville, Alabama is splendid and deserves much greater attention.

On their album, House of Worship, the Ruffin trio (the daughters are Lacretia and Angel) use their COGIC music experience to transform even the most uncomplicated praise and worship songs into something special.  Just listen to the third track, “The Place I Need You,” and you will know that this group is trained, talented and the real deal.

The outstanding selection on the album is also the current single, “That’s Why I Call His Name.” Here the ladies trade their Clark Sisters sound for an Afro-Caribbean gospel style that I haven’t heard since Arise’s “Arise Medley” two years ago. At the end of the song, one of Vetrea’s grandchildren begs them not to stop singing. She says aloud what we are thinking.

“Victorious, More than a Conqueror” is a fine example of the trio’s clear-as-a-bell harmonies, while “God Is Good” shows they are equally capable of delivering a handclapping, full-throttle church song.  On “Lord, I Wanna Thank You," the Ruffins handle quartet with the same confidence, with Thomas Holman, Sr. providing an authentic shouting lead.

The ladies tag on a hymn to the conclusion of “Lord I Need You,” forming an ending so heartwarming and pure, it takes your breath away.

A celebrity sighting: gospel promoter Ms. Willie McClendon has a speaking role on “Fill This Place.”

Singer-songwriter Vetrea is no newcomer to gospel music.  Years ago, her mother formed The Slack Family Singers, a traditional gospel group, when the family was based in the St. Louis area.  Vetrea is active in the COGIC church, and serves as First Lady of Forge Temple COGIC in Birmingham (husband Dr. Paul B. Ruffin contributes a sermon to the project).  Clearly the Slack musical gene has traveled down through the generations.

To the many individual contributors who provided the financial support for House of Worship – they are listed on the inside jacket – your investment was well worth it.

Five of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “That’s Why I Call His Name,” “God Is Good,” “The Place I Need You.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Class of 2011 preliminary nominees named


113 nominees, not including Hanburger and Richter:

QB:
Ken Anderson
Jim Plunkett
Phil Simms
Doug Williams

RB:
Ottis Anderson
Jerome Bettis
Larry Centers
Roger Craig
Terrell Davis
Marshall Faulk
Eddie George
Curtis Martin
Brian Mitchell (also KR/PR)
Gerald Riggs
Herschel Walker
Ricky Watters

WR:
Tim Brown (also KR)
Cris Carter
Gary Clark
Henry Ellard (also PR)
Herman Moore
Stanley Morgan
Mike Quick
Andre Reed
Jimmy Smith
J.T Smith (also PR)

TE:
Mark Bavaro
Todd Christensen
Ben Coates
Russ Francis
Brent Jones
Shannon Sharpe
Frank Wycheck

OL:
Bruce Armstrong, T
Tony Boselli, T
Lomas Brown, T
Jim Covert, T
Dermontti Dawson, C
Jay Hilgenberg, C
Chris Hinton, G/T
Kent Hull, C
Joe Jacoby, T
Mike Kenn, T
Jim Lachey, T
Willie Roaf, T
Steve Wisniewski, G

DL:
Al "Bubba" Baker, DE
Dave Butz, DE/DT
Ray Childress, DT/DE
Richard Dent, DE
Chris Doleman, DE/LB
Charles Haley, DE/LB
Ed “Too Tall” Jones, DE
Cortez Kennedy, DT
Joe Klecko, DE/DT/NT
Dexter Manley, DE
Charles Mann, DE
Fred Smerlas, NT

LB:
Cornelius Bennett
Kevin Greene (also DE)
Ken Harvey
Clay Matthews
Karl Mecklenburg
Sam Mills
Darryl Talley

DB:
Eric Allen, CB
Steve Atwater, S
Bill Bates, S (also ST)
Joey Browner, S
LeRoy Butler, S
Kenny Easley, S
Lester Hayes, CB
Albert Lewis, CB
Frank Minnifield, CB
Deion Sanders, CB (also KR/PR)
Donnie Shell, S
Aeneas Williams, CB/S
Darren Woodson, S
Louis Wright, CB

Specialists (in addition to those flagged above):
Gary Anderson, K
Ray Guy, P
Nick Lowery, K
Reggie Roby, P
Steve Tasker, ST/WR

Coaches:
Bud Carson
Don Coryell
Tom Flores
Jimmy Johnson
Chuck Knox
Buddy Parker
Dan Reeves
Clark Shaughnessy
Dick Vermeil

Contributors:
K.S. "Bud" Adams, Jr., Owner
Bobby Beathard, Administrator
Leo Carlin, Administrator
Jack Kent Cooke, Owner
Otho Davis, Athletic Trainer
Ed DeBartolo, Jr., Owner
Ron Gibbs, Official
Ole Haugsrud, Owner
Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, Administrator
Art McNally, Official Art Modell, Owner
Bill Nunn, Administrator
Joe Robbie, Owner
Art Rooney, Jr. Administrator
Caroll Rosenbloom, Owner
Ed Sabol, NFL Films
Steve Sabol, NFL Films
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner
Ron Wolf, Administrator
George Young, Administrator

So, who will be the 25 modern-era semifinalists? the 15 modern-era finalists? the inductees?

I think Deion and Marshall Faulk are locks to be inducted. Haven't had time to project the rest.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

BALTIMORE - Reserve/injured: C David Hale (back); OT Ramon Harewood (knee); OT Stefan Rodgers (ankle); NT Kelly Talavou (knee). Reserve/physically unable to perform: S Ed Reed (neck). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: CB Cary Williams (two games, personal conduct policy). Traded: LB Antwan Barnes to Eagles for a seventh-round pick in the 2011 draft. Contracts terminated: CB Travis Fisher; PK Shayne Graham; WR Demetrius Williams. Placed on waivers: TE Davon Drew; CB K.J. Gerard; WR Justin Harper; CB Chris Hawkins; S Brad Jones; DE Bryan Mattison; DE Albert McClellan; TE Joe Reitz; WR Eron Riley; QB Troy Smith; RB Curtis Steele; OT Devin Tyler.

BUFFALO - Reserve/suspended by commissioner: TE Shawn Nelson (four games, substance abuse policy). Contract terminated: OT Kirk Chambers. Placed on waivers: C Sean Allen; RB Andre' Anderson; RB Joique Bell; QB Levi Brown; DT Rashaad Duncan; RB Rodney Ferguson; OG Christian Gaddis; TE Andrew George; WR James Hardy; OT Nick Hennessey; WR Chad Jackson; CB Ellis Lankster; OT Andre Ramsey; WR Naaman Roosevelt; CB Lydell Sargeant; TE Derek Schouman (injured/knee); RB Chad Simpson; OT Jason Watkins; LB Donovan Woods.

CINCINNATI - Contracts terminated: DT Orien Harris; LB Abdul Hodge; WR Matt Jones; PK Dave Rayner. Placed on waivers: WR Dezmon Briscoe; TE Chase Coffman; RB Cordera Eason (injury settlement); S Kyries Hebert; TE Darius Hill; OG Otis Hudson; RB James Johnson; OT Gabriel Manns; DE Clinton McDonald; S Jeromy Miles; CB Rico Murray; WR Maurice Purify (injury settlement); LB Vincent Rey; OT Chris Rodgers; CB Johnny Sears; OT Isaac Sowells; FB Joe Tronzo; FB Fui Vakapuna (injured/shoulder); S Marvin White.

CLEVELAND - Passed physical: NT Shaun Rogers. Contracts terminated: WR Bobby Engram; OT Scott Kooistra; DE C.J. Mosley (failed physical). Placed on waivers: S Larry Asante; CB Chris Chancellor; OG Paul Fanaika; DE Clifton Geathers; NT Travis Ivey; RB Chris Jennings; CB Brandon McDonald; DT Swanson Miller; OG Pat Murray; QB Brett Ratliff; DE Brian Sanford; S DeAngelo Smith.

DENVER - Reserve/injured: LB Elvis Dumervil (chest); WR Brandon Stokley (groin). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: RB LenDale White (four games, substance abuse policy). Reserve/military: DE Ben Garland. Traded: CB Alphonso Smith and an undisclosed draft pick to Lions for TE Dan Gronkowski and an undisclosed draft pick. Contracts terminated: DE Jarvis Green; LB Darrell Reid (failed physical). Placed on waivers: LB Kevin Alexander; TE Marquez Branson; WR Britt Davis; TE Riar Geer; S Kyle McCarthy; OG Seth Olsen; DE Jeff Stehle; LB Worrell Williams.

HOUSTON - Reserve/injured: PK Kris Brown (foot); WR Andrew Davis (hip); TE Anthony Hill (knee). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: LB Brian Cushing (four games, performance-enhancing drugs policy). Roster addition: RB Derrick Ward (released by Buccaneers 8/31). Contracts terminated: CB Jacques Reeves; C Chris White. Placed on waivers: QB John David Booty; FB Jack Corcoran; TE Derek Fine (injured/ knee); LB Isaiah Greenhouse; C Brett Helms; RB Chris Henry; RB Jeremiah Johnson (injured/toe); OT Steve Maneri; CB Mark Parson; LB Will Patterson (injury settlement); OT Cole Pemberton; S Nick Polk; DT Deljuan Robinson; DT Malcolm Sheppard; OT Adam Stenavich; WR Derrick Townsel; DE Mitch Unrein; WR Bobby Williams; CB Torri Williams.

INDIANAPOLIS - Traded: undisclosed draft pick to Redskins for CB Justin Tryon. Contract terminated: OT Adam Terry. Placed on waivers: DE Ervin Baldwin; QB Tom Brandstater; DE John Chick; TE Colin Cloherty (injured); DT Marlon Favorite; CB Ray Fisher; WR Samuel Giguere; CB Danny Gorrer; S Ashton Hall; KR Brandon James; RB Javarris James; CB Terrail Lambert; OT Chris Marinelli; C Adrian Martinez; S Mike Newton; RB Allen Patrick; CB Glenn Sharpe (injured); S Terrell Skinner; WR Taj Smith (injured/hamstring)); LB Vuna Tuihalakama; WR Blair White; OT James Williams (injured).

JACKSONVILLE - Reserve/injured: LB Kyle Bosworth (hamstring). Contracts terminated: DT Atiyyah Ellison; OG Kynan Forney; LB Tony Gilbert; LB Teddy Lehman; CB Scott Starks; WR Ernest Wilford; WR Troy Williamson; LB Rod Wilson. Placed on waivers: S Gerald Alexander; OT Daniel Baldridge; LB Alvin Bowen; TE Mike Caussin; DT Walter Curry; WR Clarence Denmark; QB Trevor Harris; FB Chad Kackert; WR John Matthews; DE Jeremy Navarre; DT Ko Quaye; RB Kolby Smith; C Bradley Vierling.

KANSAS CITY - Reserve/injured: CB Maurice Leggett (head/neck); WR Jerheme Urban. Traded: S Jarrad Page to Patriots for an undisclosed draft pick. Contract terminated: OT Ikechuku Ndukwe. Placed on waivers: TE Leroy Banks; OT Colin Brown; NT Garrett Brown; DT Dion Gales; DT Bobby Greenwood; WR Rich Gunnell; OG Darryl Harris; LB David Herron; C Lemuel Jeanpierre; DT Derek Lokey; S DaJuan Morgan; QB Tyler Palko; CB Ricky Price; CB Mike Richardson; LB John Russell; C Dan Santucci; WR Verran Tucker; LB Pierre Walters; RB Javarris Williams.

MIAMI - Traded: sixth-round pick in 2011 draft to Cowboys for OT Pat McQuistan and an undisclosed draft pick. Contracts terminated: TE David Martin; DT Montavious Stanley. Placed on waivers: S Jonathan Amaya; DE Ryan Baker; DE Lionel Dotson; OG Ray Feinga; LB J.D. Folsom; OT Andrew Gardner; OG Andrew Hartline; CB Kevin Hobbs; FB Rolly Lumbala; LB Chris McCoy; S Nate Ness; WR Julius Pruitt; LB Austin Spitler; OG Donald Thomas; WR Patrick Turner; LB Erik Walden; CB Ross Weaver; QB Pat White.

NEW ENGLAND - Reserve/injured: S Brandon McGowan (chest). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: OG Quinn Ojinnaka (one game, personal conduct policy). Traded: undisclosed 2012 draft pick to Eagles for LB Tracy White; undisclosed draft pick to Chiefs for S Jarrad Page. Contracts terminated: WR Sam Aiken; LB Eric Alexander; LB Derrick Burgess; RB Chris Taylor; LB Pierre Woods. Placed on waivers: S Sergio Brown; OT George Bussey (injured/knee); TE Carson Butler; RB Thomas Clayton; WR Buddy Farnham; WR Darnell Jenkins; C Ted Larsen; TE Rob Myers; OG Rich Ohrnberger; WR Rod Owens; QB Zac Robinson; S Ross Ventrone; OT Thomas Welch; LB Thomas Williams; CB DeAngelo Williams.

N.Y. JETS - Reserve/suspended by commissioner: WR Santonio Holmes (four games, substance abuse policy). Placed on waivers: S Emanuel Cook; FB Jason Davis; OG Marlon Davis (from reserve/injured/quad); C Robby Felix; S Keith Fitzhugh; LB Ricky Foley; WR Brooks Foster (injury settlement); OT Dan Gay; LB Tim Knicky; DE Jason Lamb; LB Boris Lee; LB Joshua Mauga; LB Cory Reamer; LB Brashton Satele; CB Bo Smith; DT Ty Steinkuhler; OG Charlie Tanner (injury settlement); WR Larry Taylor; OG Chet Teofilo; NT Martin Tevaseu; OT Michael Turkovich; CB Donovan Warren.

OAKLAND - Reserve/suspended by commissioner: FB Luke Lawton (four games, performance-enhancing drugs policy). Contracts terminated: WR Shaun Bodiford; DT Chris Cooper; NT William Joseph; C Chris Morris; TE John Owens. Placed on waivers: S Jerome Boyd; QB Colt Brennan; S Stevie Brown; DE Alex Daniels (injured); DE Greyson Gunheim; DT Kellen Heard; LB David Nixon; LB Slade Norris; OG Alex Parsons; CB Joe Porter; DE Jay Richardson (injured/knee); OG Brandon Rodd; CB Joey Thomas (injured); FB Manase Tonga; PK Swayze Waters; WR Todd Watkins.

PITTSBURGH - Reserve/suspended by commissioner: QB Ben Roethlisberger (four games, personal conduct policy). Contracts terminated: C Justin Hartwig; TE Sean McHugh; LB Matt Stewart. Placed on waivers: LB Patrick Bailey; TE Eugene Bright; OG Dorian Brooks; CB Joe Burnett; S Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith; WR Tyler Grisham; DT Ra'Shon Harris; OT Kyle Jolly; WR Stefan Logan; WR Brandon London; DT Steve McClendon; DT Scott Paxson; RB Frank Summers; S Justin Thornton; OG Kraig Urbik; RB Justin Vincent; LB Renauld Williams (injured/knee); DE Doug Worthington.

SAN DIEGO - Reserve/suspended by commissioner (from reserve/veteran FA asked to re-sign): WR Vincent Jackson (three games, personal conduct policy). Traded: conditional pick in 2011 draft to Cowboys for WR Patrick Crayton. Contracts terminated: WR Josh Reed; CB Nathan Vasher. Placed on waivers: WR Seyi Ajirotutu; OT Brady Bond; RB Curtis Brinkley; TE Richie Brockel (injured/shoulder); QB Jonathan Crompton; TE Dedric Epps; WR Richard Goodman; OG Jeff Hansen; DT Derrick Jones; FB Billy Latsko; C Ryan McDonald; RB Shawnbrey McNeal; LB Mike Nixon (injury settlement); PK Nick Novak; P Glenn Pakulak; OT Nic Richmond; CB Traye Simmons; OG Cameron Stephenson; S Quinton Teal; WR Jeremy Williams; LB Kion Wilson.

TENNESSEE - Reserve/physically unable to perform: LB David Thornton (shoulder). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: LB Gerald Mcrath (four games, performance-enhancing drugs policy). Contracts terminated: DE Raheem Brock; RB Sam Gado; CB Tye Hill; RB Alvin Pearman; TE Sean Ryan; QB Chris Simms. Placed on waivers: LB Eric Bakhtiari; FB Jed Collins; WR Dominique Edison; LB Chris Harrington; DT David Howard; OT Nick Howell; DT Joe Joseph; C Kevin Matthews; OT Nevin McCaskill; TE Steve Pfahler; S Myron Rolle; OT Michael Toudouze; LB Patrick Trahan; WR Paul Williams.

 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

ARIZONA - Contract terminated: QB Matt Leinart. Placed on waivers: LB Cody Brown; LB Chris Johnson (injured); DE Dean Muhtadi (from reserve/injured/calf); RB Alfonso Smith (injured).

ATLANTA - Reserve/suspended: DT Jonathan Babineaux (one game, personal conduct policy); LB Robert James (four games, substance abuse policy). Contracts terminated: T Dan Klecko; C Brett Romberg. Placed on waivers: TE Robbie Agnone; WR Troy Bergeron; S Eric Brock; WR Tim Buckley; S Rafael Bush; CB Dominique Daniels; WR Brandyn Harvey (injured); CB Chevis Jackson; LB Weston Johnson; DE Maurice Lucas; RB Dimitri Nance; C Blake Schlueter; DE Emmanuel Stephens; WR Andy Strickland; OT Jose Valdez; WR Ryan Wolfe; LB Bear Woods; TE Keith Zinger.

CAROLINA - Reserve/injured: OG C.J. Davis (head); S Aaron Francisco (hamstring); OG Duke Robinson (knee). Contracts terminated: DE Eric Moore; OT Rob Petitti. Placed on waivers: QB Hunter Cantwell; OG Andrew Crummey; LB Quinton Culberson; WR Trent Guy; OG Ray Hisatake; DT Corvey Irvin; LB Mortty Ivy; FB Rashawn Jackson; WR Kenneth Moore; TE Jamie Petrowski (injured/head); RB Dantrell Savage; CB R.J. Stanford; NT Tank Tyler; RB Josh Vaughan; LB Sean Ware; CB C.J. Wilson; CB Brian Witherspoon.

CHICAGO - Contract terminated: TE Richard Angulo. Placed on waivers: S Al Afalava; WR Freddie Barnes; OG Josh Beekman; CB Cornelius Brown; DT Jarron Gilbert; OT Levi Horn; WR Juaquin Iglesias; QB Dan LeFevour; LB Kevin Malast; OT James Marten; WR Greg Mathews; S Quentin Scott; LB Tim Shaw; LB Kelvin Smith; CB Woodny Turenne (injured/ribs); DE Barry Turner; C Tim Walter; S Aaron Webster; FB Eddie Williams; OG Edwin Williams; DT Mick Williams.

DALLAS - Traded: OT Pat McQuistan, undisclosed draft pick to Dolphins for a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft; WR Patrick Crayton to Chargers for a conditional pick in the 2011 draft. Contracts terminated: CB Cletis Gordon; NT Junior Siavii. Placed on waivers: OT Will Barker; OG Travis Bright; DE Marcus Dixon; RB Herb Donaldson; TE DajLeon Farr; WR Jesse Holley; LB Curtis Johnson; WR Manuel Johnson; CB Bryan McCann; RB Lonyae Miller; LB Steve Octavien; TE Jason Pociask; TE Martin Rucker; DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen; DE Brandon Sharpe; OT Mike Tepper; CB Jamar Wall; CB Teddy Williams.

DETROIT - Reserve/injured: CB T.J. Rushing. Traded: TE Dan Gronkowski and an undisclosed draft pick to the Broncos for CB Alphonso Smith and an undisclosed draft pick. Contracts terminated: CB Dre' Bly; DE Bryan Copeland (from reserve/injured/knee); LB Vinny Ciurciu; WR Brian Clark OT Jon Jansen; CB Eric King; S Ko Simpson; CB Dante Wesley. Placed on waivers: LB Korey Bosworth (injured/leg); DT Rob Callaway; LB Caleb Campbell; DT Landon Cohen; RB De De Dorsey; OG Noah Frankliin; C Dan Gerberry; PK Steven Hauschka; S Jonathan Hefney; OT Cliff Louis; WR Michael Moore; CB Paul Pratt; WR Tim Toone; CB Jahi Word-Daniels (injury settlement).

GREEN BAY - Reserve/injured: CB Will Blackmon (knee). Placed on waivers: OT Allen Barbre (injured/back); P Chris Bryan; OT Chris Campbell; WR Jason Chery; S D.J. Clark; OG Evan Dietrich-Smith; WR Charles Dillon; LB Rob Francois; OT Breno Giacomini; QB Graham Harrell; LB Spencer Havner; LB Alex Joseph; S Anthony Levine; RB Kregg Lumpkin; LB Cyril Obiozor; FB Quinn Porter (injury settlement); LB Maurice Simpkins; DE Ronald Talley; DT Anthony Toribio; WR Chastin West; WR Patrick Williams; DE Jarius Wynn.

MINNESOTA - Traded: WR Darius Reynaud and QB Sage Rosenfels to Giants for a fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft. Passed physical: CB Cedric Griffin. Contracts terminated: TE Garrett Mills; DE Mike Montgomery; WR Javon Walker. Placed on waivers: S Colt Anderson; OG Thomas Austin; OG Adrian Battles; WR Taye Biddle; WR Freddie Brown; OT Patrick Brown; OT Chris Clark; FB Ryan D'Imperio; WR Marquis Hamilton; RB Ian Johnson; DT Tremaine Johnson; PK Rhys Lloyd; WR Logan Payne; OT Drew Radovich; S Marcus Sherels; LB Nate Triplett; CB DeAndre Wright.

NEW ORLEANS - Reserve/injured: LB Jonathan Casillas (foot). Reserve/physically unable to perform: LB Clint Ingram (knee); S Darren Sharper (knee). Contracts terminated: RB Ladell Betts; NT Kendrick Clancy; FB Zak Keasey; C Nick Leckey; DE Bobby McCray; FB Jason McKie; OG Terrence Metcalf; QB Patrick Ramsey. Placed on waivers: WR Montez Billings; OG Brandon Carter; LB Harry Coleman; OT Na'Shan Goddard; CB Reggie Jones; TE Tyler Lorenzen; DT Jermey Parnell; DT DeMario Pressley; DT Jay Ross; S Chip Vaughn; DT Al Woods.

N.Y. GIANTS - Traded: fifth-round pick in 2011 draft to Vikings for WR Darius Reynaud and QB Sage Rosenfels. Contracts terminated: S John Busing; WR Derek Hagan; OT Guy Whimper. Placed on waivers: DT Jay Alford; OG Jacob Bender; QB Rhett Bomar; RB Andrew Brown; CB Courtney Brown (injured/ankle); WR Tim Brown; TE Scott Chandler; DT Nate Collins; C Jim Cordle; LB Alex Hall (injured); DT Dwayne Hendricks; DE Tommie Hill; RB Gartrell Johnson; LB Jerome Johnson; OG Dennis Landolt; S Matt O'Hanlon; TE Bear Pascoe; QB Dominic Randolph; S Sha'reff Rashad; OT Herb Taylor; S Seth Williams.

PHILADELPHIA - Traded: LB Tracy White and an undisclosed draft pick to Patriots for an undisclosed 2012 draft pick; seventh-round pick in 2011 draft to Ravens for LB Antwan Barnes. Contracts terminated: OG Max Jean-Gilles; WR Kelley Washington. Placed on waivers: S Quintin Demps; WR Chad Hall; S Victor Harris; TE Cornelius Ingram; DE Eric Moncur; WR Jordan Norwood; DT Jeff Owens; C Dallas Reynolds; C A.Q. Shipley; OT Fenuki Tupou.

ST. LOUIS - Reserve/injured: S Kevin Payne (knee); OT Eric Young (knee). Contracts terminated: DE Victor Adeyanju; CB Quincy Butler; LB Bobby Carpenter; TE Darcy Johnson. Placed on waivers: WR Danario Alexander; OG Roger Allen; LB Devin Bishop; LB Cardia Jackson; S Brett Johnson; CB Marquis Johnson; WR Jordan Kent; C Tim Mattran; OT Ryan McKee; WR Brandon McRae; C Drew Miller; TE Dennis Morris; QB Keith Null; RB Chris Ogbonnaya; DT E.J. Reid; CB Antonie Thompson.

SAN FRANCISCO - Reserve/injured: LB Matt Wilhelm. Contracts terminated: TE Tony Curtis; CB Karl Paymah; RB Michael Robinson. Placed on waivers: PK Shane Andrus; LB Mike Balogun; QB Jarrett Brown; FB Jehuu Caulcrick; LB Bruce Davis; OG Brian De La Puente; TE Joe Jon Finley; WR Bobby Guillory; WR Jason Hill; WR Kevin Jurovich; OT Matt Kopa; LB Keaton Kristick; S Chris Maragos; FB Brit Miller; DT Khalif Mitchell; DE Will Tukuafu; DE Derek Walker; C Cody Wallace.

SEATTLE - Reserve/injured: OT Ray Willis (knee). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: LB LeRoy Hill (one game, substance abuse policy). Contracts terminated: DT Amon Gordon; LB Tyjuan Hagler; WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh; WR Brandon Jones; DT Jonathan Lewis (injury settlement); QB J.P. Losman; WR Ruvell Martin; DE James Wyche. Placed on waivers: S Jamar Adams; CB Marcus Brown; C Jeff Byers; OG Mitch Erickson; CB Cord Parks; LB Joe Pawelek; OT Jacob Phillips; DT Quinn Pitcock; RB Louis Rankin; DE Nick Reed (injury settlement); DE Robert Rose; OT Joe Toledo; TE Nick Tow-Arnett.

TAMPA BAY - Reserve/injured: OT Demar Dotson (knee). Reserve/suspended by commissioner: CB Aqib Talib (one game, personal conduct policy). Contract terminated: WR Michael Clayton. Placed on waivers: CB Brandon Anderson; CB Vince Anderson; RB Carlos Brown; C Jonathan Compas (injured); OG Marc Dile; OT Xavier Fulton; DE George Johnson; TE Jeron Mastrud; LB Rico McCoy; DT Dre Moore; NT Carlton Powell; TE Ryan Purvis; C Donovan Raiola; CB Derrick Roberson; LB Lee Robinson; DE James Ruffin; QB Jevan Snead; FB Rendrick Taylor; CB Trae Williams.

WASHINGTON - Traded: CB Justin Tryon to Colts for an undisclosed draft pick. Contracts terminated: S Tyronne Carter; FB Carey Davis; NT Howard Green; RB Willie Parker; DE Darrion Scott; WR Bobby Wade. Placed on waivers: WR Terrence Austin; QB Richard Bartel; OT Selvish Capers; C Erik Cook; LB Curtis Gatewood; LB Robert Henson (injured/knee); WR Shay Hodge; DE Rob Jackson; OT Clint Oldenburg (injured/ankle); OG Chad Rinehart; CB Ramzee Robinson; OT William Robinson; S Russell Anderson; RB Ryan Torain; TE Lee Vickers.

 

The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

• "The Eagles are going to have a hard time keeping Michael Vick off the football field. (Kevin) Kolb was OK (in the preseason). The other guy is getting it back. He's got his burst back. He looked like the Vick of old. I see why they did not want to get rid of him (after the off-field incident this summer)."

• "The hardest position to fill in free agency is wide receiver. There have been so many bad misses, even when you throw in the trades that have been made. What's really difficult to project is how a receiver is going to adjust to a new offense and how they will be used."

• "What made Bill Belichick's defenses so great 4-to-8 years ago — there were eight guys on those defenses that knew exactly where the ball was going after it was snapped and the offense took one step. That is what made (Tedy) Bruschi and those linemen so good. Ty Law, Otis Smith, Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Rodney Harrison — if you (measured) their physical talent, it was not great. ­Bruschi was, what — 6-1, 240 and ran a 4.9 — that is not impressive. What is impressive was on 3rd-and-8, when Peyton (Manning) drops to pass and a tight end comes across the field at six yards. Eighty-five percent of the linebackers in this league would jump the crosser in front of them. With New England, it never happened. They just knew where the ball was going. If you took the mental football IQ of those (Patriots) defenses, it was off the charts. It had to be so fun to coach."

• "Teams have done a better job of locking up their own talent. There used to be much better players available in free agency — smart veterans who no longer have what they used to. Now it's getting harder to find those guys because they are getting paid more. You cannot let good players out of the building for nothing."

• "Why should Washington be making the most money when they had to take a loan from the NFL to build their stadium? I could understand why Jerry Jones is upset when he is marketing his (butt) off while Bill Bidwill is not, but there were a lot of owners that built franchises in smaller markets before the game really blew up because they knew and understood the NFL was set up to protect them (in the way of revenue sharing). How long has it been since Washington has fielded a winning football team, and yet they still produce the most revenue? What you have now is a big gap in cash on hand — Cincinnati may have $5 million in the bank while Washington has $35 million. It's getting to be like baseball where the gap keeps getting bigger and bigger. Roger (Goodell) needs to figure out how to close that gap and get 32 owners to agree on it. Jacksonville has had a better team than Washington the past five years, but the amount of money the Redskins have made, compared to Jacksonville, is astronomical. New owners say that is the way it is. Old owners say, 'No, no, no — that is not how the league was set up. We're only as good as the weakest link.' "

• "Take (No.) 18 (Peyton Manning) out of the equation and the Colts are lucky to win four games. They cannot run the ball to save their lives. (GM Bill) Polian put it mildly when he said their line underperformed in the Super Bowl. (The offensive line) is dumpy-bodied and underpowered. They have some skill talent around ­Manning. Dallas Clark is good. Reggie Wayne can play. Austin Collie is solid for the role they ask him to play. Joseph Addai is good. They have skill talent, but that line is weak at best, and the defense is awful."

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

After one of the most boring offseason in years, it's finally just a few days till the season opener.  Donovan McNabb being traded to the Redskins, Terrell Owens signing with the Bengals, and a number of big-name holdouts headline this offseason.  Oh yeah, and Brett Favre took over ESPN waiting till mid-August to make his decision to return again.

In this first edition of NFL Power Rankings a quick statement will be given about each team's offseason and/or season preview. 

Warning: Your team may be made fun of.  If you can't take it: tough.

1. New Orleans Saints – Offensive weapons Lance Moore, Reggie Bush, and Jeremy Shockey missed a total of 14 games due to injury last season and Drew Brees still led the league in touchdown tosses.  One word: terrifying.

2. Indianapolis Colts – Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, and Anthony Gonzalez make up the deepest receiving core in the league for Peyton Manning.  Don’t expect any kind of offensive drop off in 2010.

3. Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings were the most talented team in the league last season, but like in the past, couldn’t make it to the big dance.  They could very easily become the team to beat again with the return of Brett Favre and a five month prescription for Adrian Peterson’s fumblitis.

4. Baltimore Ravens – When Joe Flacco was in need of some serious offensive firepower, they traded for Anquan Boldin, and drafted Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  When the defense needed an injection of youth, they drafted Sergio Kindle, Terrance Cody, and Arthur Jones.  Can you say perfect offseason?

5. New York Jets – The additions of Antonio Cromartie, Santonio Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jason Taylor headline their offseason, but the return of All-Pro nose tackle Kris Jenkins and another year of experience for Mark Sanchez take this team to another level.  The championship quest could all be for not if Revis Island is taken off the map.

6. Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers finally has a franchise left tackle to protect his blind side.  Al Harris is back to form one of the best cornerback tandems in the league with Charles Woodson.  The Packers are a top Super Bowl contender.

7. Dallas Cowboys – Jerry Jones believes he drafted Randy Moss v2 in Dez Bryant.  In a stacked NFC East, this team is the most stacked.  Anything less than a Super Bowl victory for the Cowboys is a huge disappointment with February home field advantage.

8. New England Patriots – The Pats who won their division title six out of the last seven years will have to battle to maintain dominance with the Jets star-studded roster.  Wes Welker obviously isn’t ready to give up AFC East supremacy as he will most likely start week one after tearing his ACL late in 2009.

9. San Diego Chargers – LaDainian Tomlinson out, Ryan Matthews in.  Philip Rivers only big-name down field weapon will be Antonio Gates if Vincent Jackson is traded.  Will Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee, and now Patrick Crayton be enough if that’s the case?

10. Houston Texans – This could be the Texans' year.  How many times have you heard that before?  They have plenty of big names, but that last playoff spot has managed to elude them without fail.  As long as Matt Schaub can stay on his feet they have a great chance to be playing in January.

11. Philadelphia Eagles – If your rivals can’t defeat you, give them your franchise quarterback and tell them to try again.  In all seriousness, losing long time team leaders Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and Brian Westbrook in just two years can’t be good for the young locker room.

12. New York Giants – It’s crazy how they went from a beastly running team with no receivers to a having three solid receivers with a shaky running game.  Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham form one of the best receiving trio’s in the league.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers – Trading the team’s number one wide receiver for pennies and the suspension of the franchise quarterback is most likely not what Mike Tomlin had in mind entering the offseason.  It wouldn’t be as bad if two division rivals weren’t quickly on the rise.

14. Tennessee Titans – Chris Johnson is the definition of explosive and Vince Young looks more composed in the pocket than ever, but if the Titans don’t fix their secondary, they won’t stand a chance against high flying offenses in the Cowboys, Chargers, and the Colts and Texans twice each.

15. Cincinnati Bengals – The whole thug nation creation is hilarious and a major head-shaker at the same time, but if the Bangles hit big on each of their gambles they could be title contenders.  If nothing else, Ochocinco and T.O. should provide some amazing touchdown celebrations.

16. San Francisco 49ers – With Arizona depleted, and Seattle and St. Louis rebuilding, it’s finally the year the 49ers return to the playoffs.  A head coach’s demeanor rubs off on his players, and Mike Singletary has the mindset and focus of a winner.

17. Carolina Panthers – The last Smash and Dash left standing; DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart form the best backfield duo in the league.  Don’t tell Steve Smith the Panthers have a running offense as he is primed for a break out year.  Smith has 378 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the final four games in which Matt Moore was the starting quarterback.

18. Miami Dolphins – They finally have a good receiving core after trading for Brandon Marshall and trading away Ted Ginn.  The addition of Karlos Dansby and the development of Vontae Davis and Sean Smith should solidify the defense.  Minus the Bills, the AFC East is one the rise.

19. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan’s third year in the league must be a breakout one if the Falcons wish to earn one of the NFC’s coveted Wild Card spots.  Michael Turner at full health will help open up opposing secondary’s for Ryan.  Their defense has been less than stellar in the past, but the front office has really added talent to that side of the ball the last two off seasons.

20. Washington Redskins – Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Willie Parker make up the Washed-up Redskins running back core in 2010.  The brilliant trade for Donovan McNabb makes the Redskins better and the Eagles worse.  The biggest question mark is how Albert Haynesworth and friends, if you can call them that, and if Haynes worth even starts, can adjust to playing in a 3-4 defense.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars – Hold on, I’m still trying to catch my breath over laughing my head off over their draft class.  TYSON ALUALA!  Talk about pulling an Al Davis. Speaking of Al Davis, if the Jaguars don’t start selling tickets they’ll be Davis’s new neighbors in Los Angeles.

22. Arizona Cardinals – When your future Hall of Fame quarterback, and the heart and soul of the offense and defense leave in one offseason, somebody better step up.  Saying Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, and Karlos Dansby will be missed this season is a massive understatement.

23. Oakland Raiders - All of a sudden the joke of the NFL has a quarterback that can get the ball to all its track stars. The defense isn’t looking too bad either.  Second place in the AFC West is theirs to lose.

24. Chicago Bears – They may possess the most explosive trio of receivers in the league in Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu, and Devin Hester.  If those three improve and Matt Forte can produce even remotely close to his 2008 campaign, the Bears offensive could be good.  The return of Brian Urlacher doesn’t hurt either.

25. Denver Broncos – A team that finished the season on a 2-8 collapse traded away reception machine Brandon Marshall, and lost all-world pass rusher Elvis Dumervil for the season to injury.  For the offense to absorb the blow and bounce back, Knowshon Moreno must have a breakout season, or Tim Tebow….never mind.

26. Detroit Lions – They are just one or two years away from being legit contenders.  Yes, those 0-16 Lions have some serious potential.  Matt Stafford to Calvin Johnson could be a top quarterback-receiver combo for the next decade.

27. Kansas City Chiefs – They selected the most talented player in the draft in Eric Berry who will be a top center field safety for a long time.  The offense has potential to be explosive with Jamal Charles and Dexter McCluster.

28. Seattle Seahawks – Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, and Golden Tate were part of the league’s best draft class, but Seattle doesn’t have the talent to compete for a playoff spot just yet.  Taylor Mays will have two chances to take out everyone on Seattle’s offense as revenge against Pete Carroll.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs added a ton of talent to their interior defensive line and receiving core through this year’s draft.  Look for Sean Jones to be one of the steals of free agency as he recorded 14 interceptions in his three years prior to a down year in Philadelphia.

30. St. Louis Rams – Poor Sam Bradford.  Hopefully he can survive this season with a beaten up offensive line and no one even close to resembling a number one receiver.   If he can for just one year without his confidence or body being crushed there are four superstar receivers in next year’s draft.

31. Cleveland Browns – Guess who’s paying a 35 year old quarterback who threw eight touchdowns to eighteen interceptions last season seven million dollars this year?  Jake Delhomme is a thief.  Talk about money management, and the team’s best player Josh Cribbs had to practically demand a trade to get paid.

32. Buffalo Bills – C.J. Spiller better not only be the offenses one bright spot, but become a human highlight reel if he prefers the city off Buffalo to Toronto.  If not, he can just take the season off and watch the front office’s decision to not upgrade the quarterback position backfire in their faces.

Pat Fitzmaurice, a winner of the FantasyPros Top 5 Accuracy Award, offers up his third and final draft board of the preseason, with comments at the end of each position.

QUARTERBACKS

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2. Peyton Manning, Colts
3. Drew Brees, Saints
4. Tom Brady, Patriots
5. Tony Romo, Cowboys
6. Matt Schaub, Texans
7. Eli Manning, Giants
8. Philip Rivers, Chargers
9. Jay Cutler, Bears
10. Matt Ryan, Falcons
11. Brett Favre, Vikings
12. Joe Flacco, Ravens
13. Kevin Kolb, Eagles
14. Donovan McNabb, Redskins
15. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
16. Vince Young, Titans
17. Carson Palmer, Bengals
18. Matthew Stafford, Lions
19. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers
20. Chad Henne, Dolphins
21. Alex Smith, 49ers
22. David Garrard, Jaguars
23. Kyle Orton, Broncos
24. Matt Cassel, Chiefs
25. Mark Sanchez, Jets
26. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks
27. Matt Moore, Panthers
28. Jason Campbell, Raiders
29. Sam Bradford, Rams
30. Jake Delhomme, Browns
31. Trent Edwards, Bills
32. Derek Anderson, Cardinals
33. Matt Leinart, Cardinals
34. Byron Leftwich, Steelers
35. Michael Vick, Eagles
36. Jon Kitna, Cowboys
37. Dan Orlovsky, Texans
38. Seneca Wallace, Browns
39. Josh Johnson, Buccaneers
40. Charlie Whitehurst, Seahawks
41. Dennis Dixon, Steelers
42. Billy Volek, Chargers
43. Kerry Collins, Titans
44. Brodie Croyle, Chiefs
45. Luke McCown, Jaguars
46. Tim Tebow, Broncos
47. Jimmy Clausen, Panthers
48. Caleb Hanie, Bears
49. Chris Redman, Falcons
50. Matt Flynn, Packers
51. Bruce Gradkowski, Raiders
52. Brian Hoyer, Patriots
53. Marc Bulger, Ravens
54. Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings
55. Patrick Ramsey, Saints
56. Rex Grossman, Redskins
57. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills
58. A.J. Feeley, Rams
59. J.T. O'Sullivan, Bengals
60. Shaun Hill, Lions
61. Brady Quinn, Broncos
62. Mark Brunell, Jets
63. Nate Davis, 49ers
64. Chase Daniel, Saints
65. David Carr, 49ers
66. Rhett Bomar, Giants
67. Todd Collins, Bears
68. Sage Rosenfels, Vikings
69. Curtis Painter, Colts
70. Troy Smith, Ravens
71. Kellen Clemens, Jets

Significant changes

— Aaron Rodgers moves into the top spot ahead of Peyton Manning. The safer play is Manning, but Rodgers has looked sensational in the preseason and looks capable of putting up outrageous numbers. He's also getting rid of the ball more quickly than he did last season, which bodes well for his health.

— Philip Rivers falls two spots to No. 8, thanks to the stalemates between the Chargers and two of Rivers' key supporting players, WR Vincent Jackson and OLT Marcus McNeill. It's asking a lot of a franchise quarterback to perform like a franchise quarterback without his best receiver and his respected blind-side protector.

— The Cardinals' QB situation is a mess. Matt Leinart is on shaky ground, and he may end up as a game of musical quarterbacks with Derek Anderson. Arizona is not the place to find your backup quarterback.

 

RUNNING BACKS

1. Ray Rice, Ravens
2. Chris Johnson, Titans
3. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
5. Frank Gore, 49ers
6. Michael Turner, Falcons
7. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
8. Steven Jackson, Rams
9. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers
10. Ryan Mathews, Chargers
11. Jahvid Best, Lions
12. Shonn Greene, Jets
13. Ryan Grant, Packers
14. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
15. Matt Forté, Bears
16. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
17. Cedric Benson, Bengals
18. Joseph Addai, Colts
19. Arian Foster, Texans
20. Pierre Thomas, Saints
21. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers
22. C.J. Spiller, Bills
23. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
24. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos
25. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants
26. Beanie Wells, Cardinals
27. Reggie Bush, Saints
28. Clinton Portis, Redskins
29. Marion Barber, Cowboys
30. Felix Jones, Cowboys
31. Ricky Williams, Dolphins
32. Justin Forsett, Seahawks
33. Jerome Harrison, Browns
34. Tim Hightower, Cardinals
35. Michael Bush, Raiders
36. Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers
37. Darren McFadden, Raiders
38. Laurence Maroney, Patriots
39. Brandon Jacobs, Giants
40. Bernard Scott, Bengals
41. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jets
42. Thomas Jones, Chiefs
43. Donald Brown, Colts
44. Montario Hardesty, Browns
45. Kareem Huggins, Buccaneers
46. Tashard Choice, Cowboys
47. Leon Washington, Seahawks
48. Chester Taylor, Bears
49. Steve Slaton, Texans
50. Darren Sproles, Chargers
51. Willis McGahee, Ravens
52. Fred Taylor, Patriots
53. Fred Jackson, Bills
54. Sammy Morris, Patriots
55. Jason Snelling, Falcons
56. Correll Buckhalter, Broncos
57. Javon Ringer, Titans
58. Ryan Torain, Redskins
59. Toby Gerhart, Vikings
60. Kevin Smith, Lions
61. Mike Bell, Eagles
62. Julius Jones, Seahawks
63. Kevin Faulk, Patriots
64. Brandon Jackson, Packers
65. Jeremiah Johnson, Texans
66. Brian Westbrook, 49ers
67. Keiland Williams, Redskins
68. Rashad Jennings, Jaguars
69. Peyton Hillis, Browns
70. Marshawn Lynch, Bills
71. LenDale White, Broncos
72. Anthony Dixon, 49ers
73. Jerious Norwood, Falcons
74. Kenneth Darby, Rams
75. Ladell Betts, Saints
76. Larry Johnson, Redskins
77. Le'Ron McClain, Ravens
78. Patrick Cobbs, Dolphins
79. Isaac Redman, Steelers
80. Mewelde Moore, Steelers
81. Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers
82. Tyrell Sutton, Panthers
83. Chris Ivory, Saints
84. LeGarrette Blount, Titans
85. James Davis, Browns
86. Andre Brown, Giants
87. Jackie Battle, Chiefs
88. Lance Ball, Broncos
89. Chris Ogbonnaya, Rams
90. Joe McKnight, Jets
91. Albert Young, Vikings
92. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots
93. Willie Parker, Redskins
94. Earnest Graham, Buccaneers

Significant changes

— Jahvid Best is my big mover, climbing all the way to No. 11. This kid looks like the real thing. Roster him with confidence.

— Shonn Greene drops two spots to No. 12, based largely on the surprising friskiness that LaDainian Tomlinson has shown in the preseason. Tomlinson, who looks like he'll play a significant role in the Jets' offense (or at least more significant than I'd initially envisioned), moves up to No. 41.

— Bothered by nagging injuries last season, Matt Forté is showing his rookie form again, and it's now clear that he'll take a lot more snaps than Chester Taylor once the regular season begins. Forté will rack up yardage; the only question is his TD potential. I'm bullish, and I'm vaulting him all the way up to No. 15.

— With rookie Ben Tate out for the year and Steve Slaton battling a toe injury, Arian Foster moves into the top 20, settling at No. 19. Foster has shown in the preseason that he's capable of being a leading man.

— I'm nervous about Jonathan Stewart's slow-healing Achilles injury, so I'm dropping him to No. 21 and advising that you let someone else in your league worry about his health this season. DeAngelo Williams was already a top-10 running back on my board and doesn't move up any further, but let's just say that his current ranking seems like slightly less of a stretch than it did two weeks ago.

— Beanie Wells drops to No. 26, and I won't have him on any of my teams. With the Cardinals' QB situation so shaky, this probably won't be the year that Wells takes the big step up that some are anticipating. And let's not forget that the underrated Tim Hightower is still very much in the picture.

— Reggie Bush was ranked way too low on my last board. In fact, it's not inconceivable that he could outperform teammate Pierre Thomas this year. I've moved Bush from No. 40 to No. 27.

— Kareem Huggins is one of my favorite sleepers. I have him at No. 45. He has big-play speed and could become a stud if anything happens to the oft-injured Cadillac Williams, especially now that Derrick Ward has been cut.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Andre Johnson, Texans
2. Miles Austin, Cowboys
3. Roddy White, Falcons
4. Calvin Johnson, Lions
5. Randy Moss, Patriots
6. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
7. Reggie Wayne, Colts
8. DeSean Jackson, Eagles
9. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins
10. Greg Jennings, Packers
11. Steve Smith, Giants
12. Steve Smith, Panthers
13. Marques Colston, Saints
14. Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars
15. Anquan Boldin, Ravens
16. Wes Welker, Patriots
17. Mike Wallace, Steelers
18. Pierre Garcon, Colts
19. Hines Ward, Steelers
20. Santana Moss, Redskins
21. Hakeem Nicks, Giants
22. Johnny Knox, Bears
23. Michael Crabtree, 49ers
24. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
25. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals
26. Donald Driver, Packers
27. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
28. Devin Hester, Bears
29. Percy Harvin, Vikings
30. Terrell Owens, Bengals
31. Lee Evans, Bills
32. Robert Meachem, Saints
33. Vincent Jackson, Chargers
34. Mike Williams, Buccaneers
35. Steve Breaston, Cardinals
36. Malcom Floyd, Chargers
37. Derrick Mason, Ravens
38. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks
39. Devin Aromashodu, Bears
40. Devery Henderson, Saints
41. Bernard Berrian, Vikings
42. Dez Bryant, Cowboys
43. Braylon Edwards, Jets
44. Nate Burleson, Lions
45. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets
46. Jacoby Jones, Texans
47. Eddie Royal, Broncos
48. Santonio Holmes, Jets
49. Julian Edelman, Patriots
50. Jabar Gaffney, Broncos
51. Mohamed Massaquoi, Browns
52. Kenny Britt, Titans
53. James Jones, Packers
54. Laurent Robinson, Rams
55. Lance Moore, Saints
56. Early Doucet, Cardinals
57. Legedu Naanee, Chargers
58. Chris Chambers, Chiefs
59. Nate Washington, Titans
60. Roy Williams, Cowboys
61. Mike Thomas, Jaguars
62. Sidney Rice, Vikings
63. Brian Hartline, Dolphins
64. Dexter McCluster, Chiefs*
65. Sammy Stroughter, Buccaneers
66. Mario Manningham, Giants
67. Austin Collie, Colts
68. Louis Murphy, Raiders
69. Josh Morgan, 49ers
70. Jason Avant, Eagles
71. Harry Douglas, Falcons
72. Kevin Walter, Texans
73. Greg Camarillo, Vikings
74. Justin Gage, Titans
75. Anthony Gonzalez, Colts
76. Mike Williams, Seahawks
77. Danny Amendola, Rams
78. Michael Jenkins, Falcons
79. Davone Bess, Dolphins
80. Brandon Tate, Patriots
81. Golden Tate, Seahawks
82. Deion Branch, Seahawks
83. Jordy Nelson, Packers
84. Steve Johnson, Bills
85. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys
86. Dwayne Jarrett, Panthers
87. Brandon LaFell, Panthers
88. Mark Clayton, Ravens
89. Brian Robiskie, Browns
90. Joshua Cribbs, Browns
91. Mardy Gilyard, Rams
92. Keenan Burton, Rams
93. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders
94. Chaz Schilens, Raiders
95. Anthony Armstrong, Redskins
96. Eric Decker, Broncos
97. Jordan Shipley, Bengals
98. Emmanuel Sanders, Steelers
99. Riley Cooper, Eagles
100. Ted Ginn Jr., 49ers
101. Javon Walker, Vikings
102. Andre Caldwell, Bengals
103. Ramses Barden, Giants
104. Joey Galloway, Redskins
105. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos

Significant changes

— I realize it's only the preseason, but Mike Wallace keeps making one big play after another. I love the guy, and I'm moving him from No. 20 to No. 17, ahead of elder-statesman teammate Hines Ward.

— With Sidney Rice expected to miss at least half of the regular season with a hip injury, Bernard Berrian's fantasy value gets a jolt of life. Rice falls to No. 62, and Berrian moves up to No. 41. The Vikings traded for Greg Camarillo, who could be surprisingly productive. Camarillo is at No. 73 on the board, and former Brett Favre cohort Javon Walker, another recent acquisition for Minnesota, joins the rankings (just barely) at No. 101.

— Buccaneers rookie Mike Williams looks like a potential star. I have him at No. 34, but don't feel obligated to grab him that early in your draft; it's unlikely that any of your competitors have him rated as a top-50 receiver.

— It's hard to sort out the Seattle receivers beyond de facto go-to guy T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Deion Branch figures to be the other starter, but his fantasy prospects are uninspiring. Golden Tate has upside, but because he's done little to excite thus far, I'm scaling back expectations and dropping him way down to No. 81. I don't see him having much of an impact this season. A guy who might be worth taking late in larger leagues is Mike Williams (yes, another guy named Mike Williams), the former USC star plucked off the scrap heap by his former college coach, Pete Carroll. Thomas debuts on the board at No. 76.

 

TIGHT ENDS

1. Antonio Gates, Chargers
2. Jermichael Finley, Packers
3. Dallas Clark, Colts
4. Vernon Davis, 49ers
5. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
6. Jason Witten, Cowboys
7. Brent Celek, Eagles
8. Chris Cooley, Redskins
9. Zach Miller, Raiders
10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings
11. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers
12. Heath Miller, Steelers
13. John Carlson, Seahawks
14. Owen Daniels, Texans
15. Todd Heap, Ravens
16. Dustin Keller, Jets
17. Jeremy Shockey, Saints
18. Fred Davis, Redskins
19. Greg Olsen, Bears
20. Tony Scheffler, Lions
21. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
22. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
23. Kevin Boss, Giants
24. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
25. Jared Cook, Titans
26. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
27. Anthony Fasano, Dolphins
28. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions
29. Bo Scaife, Titans
30. Daniel Fells, Rams
31. Dante Rosario, Panthers
32. Gary Barnidge, Panthers
33. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs
34. Ben Watson, Browns
35. Marquez Branson, Broncos
36. Daniel Graham, Broncos
37. Donald Lee, Packers
38. Jimmy Graham, Saints
39. Martellus Bennett, Cowboys
40. Shawn Nelson, Bills

Significant changes

— Chris Cooley moves from No. 13 to No. 8. On the earlier draft boards, I had hedged on Cooley, waiting to see how he looked in his return from an ankle injury. He's looked sharp in the preseason, and Donovan McNabb appears to love throwing to him.

— I like both of the Patriots' rookie tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Finally, the Pats appear to have tight ends with the receiving skills to open up new avenues in the passing game. Gronkowski was drafted higher, but I think Hernandez will end up posting the better receiving numbers. I've moved Hernandez up to No. 22.

 

PLACEKICKERS

1. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
2. Garrett Hartley, Saints
3. David Akers, Eagles
4. Nate Kaeding, Chargers
5. Ryan Longwell, Vikings
6. Matt Bryant, Falcons
7. Mason Crosby, Packers
8. Dan Carpenter, Dolphins
9. Shayne Graham, Ravens
10. Nick Folk, Jets
11. Rob Bironas, Titans
12. Lawrence Tynes, Giants
13. Joe Nedney, 49ers
14. Robbie Gould, Bears
15. David Buehler, Cowboys
16. Adam Vinatieri, Colts
17. Jeff Reed, Steelers
18. Graham Gano, Redskins
19. Bengals kicker
20. Olindo Mare, Seahawks
21. Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders
22. Texans kicker
23. Connor Barth, Buccaneers
24. Ryan Succop, Chiefs
25. Josh Scobee, Jaguars
26. Rian Lindell, Bills
27. Jay Feely, Cardinals
28. Matt Prater, Broncos
29. John Kasay, Panthers
30. Phil Dawson, Browns
31. Josh Brown, Rams
32. Jason Hanson, Lions

Significant changes

None.

 

DEFENSES

1. New York Jets
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Miami Dolphins
9. New Orleans Saints
10. Chicago Bears
11. San Diego Chargers
12. New England Patriots
13. Oakland Raiders
14. Indianapolis Colts
15. Cincinnati Bengals
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. Tennessee Titans
18. Houston Texans
19. New York Giants
20. San Francisco 49ers
21. Kansas City Chiefs
22. Carolina Panthers
23. Washington Redskins
24. Cleveland Browns
25. Seattle Seahawks
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
27. Arizona Cardinals
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Detroit Lions
31. Denver Broncos
32. St. Louis Rams

Significant changes

— The Ravens fall from No. 2 to No. 6. Baltimore's front seven is still elite, but that secondary has problems.

 

Watch for Pat Fitzmaurice's Week One fantasy player rankings next Tuesday.

The Northern Illinois Huskies finished off the 2009 season with a sour taste in their mouth, as they fell big time to USF in the International Bowl. The Huskies wound up finishing second in the MAC West Division at 5-3 and were 7-6 overall.

This year, the Huskies enter into the third season under head coach Jerry Kill. They are hoping to make some big strides with 15 starters back from last year. To help you get a better idea of what the Huskies will look like this season, here is a quick breakdown of what they will send to the field on both offense and defense, plus my prediction on where they will finish the year in the MAC.

Offense:

The Huskies look to be strong on offense this season behind junior quarterback Chandler Harnish, who if healthy should be one of the top quarterbacks in the MAC this season. In 2009, Harnish put some pretty solid numbers, completing 64 percent of his attempts for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns in just nine starts.

A big reason I believe that Harnish will put up better numbers in 2010, is the fact that the Huskies return senior running back Chad Spann, who rushed for 1,036 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2009. Spann finished fourth in rushing last year in the MAC, and he has a great shot at competing for the rushing title this season.

The Huskies also have some talent back at wide receiver this season, as they bring back starters Landon Cox and Nathan Palmer. Cox led the Huskies with 45 catches for 535 yards and four scores a year ago. Also expected to be a big part of the offense at the receiver position is sophomore Martel Moore and junior Willie Clark.

The Huskies will have to find two new starters on the offensive line, as they must replace both the left guard spot and the center positions this fall. They do bring back both starting tackles, so they shouldn’t take a huge hit up front. The two new starters must produce early if the Huskies are going to surprise some teams early on.

Defense:

With eight starters back on the defensive side of the football, the Huskies are going to look to make some nice strides on this side of the ball in 2010. Up front they return sophomore defensive end Sean Progar and senior defensive tackle DJ Pirkle. Progar really came on strong in his sophomore season, grabbing six sacks, and will be counted on for even more of a pass rush this season.

Northern Illinois will bring back both starting outside linebackers this season. Senior Alex Kube and junior Pat Schiller both finished in the top five in tackles last season. The new addition to the unit will be sophomore middle linebacker Devon Butler, who impressed the coaches with his play last season as a freshman.

In the secondary the Huskies will have all four starters back from the 2009 season, and this unit figures to make some big improvements this year. Senior corners Chris Smith and Patrick George will give the Huskies one of the best starting corner duos in the conference this season. I also look for a big season out of junior free safety Tracy Wilson, who led the Huskies with 93 tackles last season.

MAC West Prediction – 1st: I am calling for the Huskies to take home the West title this season. They will be a legit threat to take home the conference championship as well. The Huskies have a ton of weapons on both sides of the ball. I think they could end up finishing the 2010 season with 8-9 wins.

For a complete look at how the conference will play out this season, check out our 2010 MAC predictions.

If you are planning on betting the college football odds this season, be sure to stop back each week for our expert college football picks.