5 Reasons Why Matt Ryan Will Be a Bust

#1- Lack of Talent at RB

Michael Turner, Jerious Norwood... I don't believe in either. Combine those unproven backs with a rookie QB is means for disaster.

#2- Wack Wide Receivers

Roddy White came on at the end of last year but if history is anything, Atlanta is where receivers go to die. Jorn Horn isn't anything anymore either.

#3- No Alge Crumpler

Why get rid of Michael Vick's security blanket? You know your receivers are not that good and that you're bringing in a rookie, Alge was NEEDED.

#4- Michael Vick

Michael Vick will be out of jail next year and the comparisons will start. If Ryan does not look good the fans will wonder why not let Mike try again?

#5- Terrible Defense

That defense is not going to help them win games. If you can't get off the field, the game is over before Ryan even has a chance to get in sync.

And I didn't even mention their offensive line because I'm a Sam Baker fan.

Archives

Best Draft Classes of 2008

Kansas City Chiefs- Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers

Three impact players that could start as early as the first couple of games next year. Building your lines is the way to a championship and the Chiefs get it. Flowers is also tremendous value in the second round.

Washington Redskins- Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, Fred Davis

They trade completely out of the first and get BOTH receivers with first round grades that fell in the second. Davis was a luxury pick but Jason Campbell will not mind. Tall receivers will make their offense work the way its supposed to.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed, Tony Hills, Dennis Dixon

Mendenhall is a one year wonder but carried a legit first round grade so picking him as a luxury will help Willie Parker a lot and add a lot to the goal line packages. Limas is the tall receiver Ben cried for, and Tony Hills will help fill Faneca's void. Dennis Dixon may be the heir apparent one day.

My Draft = WRONG!

As usual the NFL Draft was completely impossible to predict, and this shows just how stupid it is to argue on forums about people's draft value and such. Just for fun let's see how bad I was.

My correct picks:

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Branden Alberts T UVA

19. Philadelphia Eagles- DeSean Jackson WR Cal

Three. Three correct picks with two in the wrong spot. That is terrible. My other mocks were closer, but oh well. There are a gang of great free agents left and I'll post on those soon.

Final Broncos Mock Draft

I'm glad I waited until the 11th hour to write this, as the Broncos also favored to work in this fashion by trading for DT Dewayne Robertson the next to last day before the draft. The Broncos have a few key needs in this draft such as OT, DT, and RB depending on who you ask and this draft will do it's best to address those concerns.

On to the mockery.......

Round 1 Selection Chris Williams OT Vandy

While I waver daily with this selection, I finally see that it has come down to a handful of options between tackles, receivers, and running backs. The Broncos have a few backs that are serviceable along with an influx of veteran receivers which makes this pick scream "tackle!" at me. I hastily select Williams although he doesn't have a mean streak, but neither does Ryan Harris. Maybe we are going back towards the great Bronco lines of the mid 90's where guys stayed silent and were simply the best at what they do: zone blocking.

Round 2 Selection Dre Moore DT Maryland

In my eyes the trade for Robertson changed nothing here. Moore hasn't played a lot of football and his best days are ahead of him. Thomas' character concerns and Robertson's alleged knee problems makes this a no brainer. The Broncos need to grab a DT on day 1 and Moore is the best value with the most upside at this point.

Round 4 Selections Owen Schmitt FB WVU, Frank Okam DT Texas

As you can see I'm continuing the meat and potatoes trend in this draft with the addition of Owen Schmitt and Frank Okam. A part of me really wants Eddie Royal in Broncos blue but the better value is with the smash-mouth FB the Broncos have never had and another DT to turn what was once a weakness into a strength, similar to the mass drafting of CB and DE we saw in years past.

Round 5 Selections Mike Hart RB Michigan, Darius Reynaud KR WVU

I believe in Mike Hart. Sure his numbers are horrible. Sure he ran behind Jake Long. Sure he is only 5'9. But he has an undeniable spirit to win and he fills right in with my meat and potatoes Broncos. Hart is a guy that wouldn't let Michigan die after suffering a historic loss to 1AA Appalachian State and stayed on the Heisman watch all year because of it. His year culminated with a bowl game which saw him loose multiple fumbles (his only fumbles in like 2 years or something like that) only to comeback mentally tough to finish and get the win.

Reynaud is a guy I've seen terrorize my ECU Pirates one too many times in his college career. He is a game changer and that guy that you seem to never notice until he is in the endzone either from a reverse, a catch, or a kick return. He is bulit like a RB and has the moves of one after the catch. He would develop nicely with Brandon Marshall who plays very similar after the catch and would give coverage teams fits all year long.

Round 6 Selection Pedro Sosa OT Rutgers

I love the linemen from Rutgers and with good reason. They helped Ray Rice put Rutgers on the map with their BCS run last year and this season helped Rice eclipse the 2000 yard mark. Coming from a pro style offense always helps tackles and he will add depth behind Pears and Harris.

Round 7 Selections Mike Dragosavich P ND St, Jamie Silva S BC

Mike Drago is a regional favorite who I know little of. I do know he can kick though and I currently do not know who is the Broncos starting punter. That needs to be changed. Jamie Silva is a prospect we have already spoken too and could end up being a contributor if he makes the squad over Rogers and Cargile.

Cowboys Get Pacman

The Cowboys and Titans finally agreed on a trade for Pacman Jones. The trade is based on a conditional fourth rounder in which Tennessee gets a fourth for the corner now, but would have to give Dallas a fourth if Pacman is not reinstated. Risky trade for the Titans knowing "Make it Rain" Jones' history but fair value considering last year a fourth rounder got you this guy:



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NFL Hat Rule is Racist

This May the NFL will explore adding a new rule called the 'hat rule' which players with longer locks will be asked to tuck it in their helmets. AKA cut it, because if your black and have ever had longer hair you know that's going to be very uncomfortable. Goddell needs to be stopped.

The Redskins are Desperate

The Redskins have offered two teams trade offers to acquire top flight wide receivers in the last 24 hours. First they tried to get Ocho to no avail, so they did the next best thing and knocked on the Cardinals door about Anquan Boldin. Another no.

In this age of draft espionage can we believe that the Redskins are this desperate or are they trying to trick teams they are drafting a receiver high? I think it may be a mix of both ultimately with the Skins landing a receiver sometime on day one.

Archives

Vikings trade 1st to KC, Get Allen

Kansas City will be without the services of star DE Jared Allen but will be two picks richer in Saturday's draft. The Vikings traded a first, third, and swapped sixth round selections with the Chief's to acquire Allen.

Interesting move because now KC has two picks, one at the top and one in the middle of the draft. I almost guarantee they will select Ryan now due to the luxury this creates. New mock soon!

The Bengals Need To Trade CJ Now

As I said in this post, it would behoove the Bengals to go ahead and deal Chad Johnson now. The Redskins offered a first in this years draft and a third which would be a first if incentives are met in 2009. And the Bengals said? No deal.

Idiots!

Yes, Chad Johnson has your franchise by the balls right now and it's not fair. Yes he does not have to get traded but this guy clearly wants out and if he does play he will be a lame duck. Think Randy Moss in Oakland. No one wants that kind of cancerous cell on their team. Both parties would benefit greatly from a clean break.

For the Bengals, they benefit with two first round picks in a very solid draft class. They could take Sedrick Ellis at 9 if he's there and then take a few WRs later, such as James Hardy with the other first rounder and someone like Darius Reynaud or Jordy Nelson sometime later. Cut the cancer before he spreads Marvin, he will kill you locker room.

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Fins Go (Jake) Long

I predicted this in my final two round mock. The Fins will take that guaranteed 30 mil and give it to a guy that only gave up one sack on Chad Henne last year. The beginning to any great turnaround is rebuilding the lines. I wish Mike Shanahan knew that.

Final 2 Round Mock Draft!

1ST ROUND
1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan

They need a lot, but in the end it is about the dolla dolla bills. I've predicted time and time again that Matt Ryan would be this pick and at the end of the day Atlanta or Baltimore could still trade up here and get it done but until then, I think Parcells will invest his $30 mil in a franchise right tackle.

2. St. Louis Rams- Vernon Gholston DE OSU

This pick is going to be torn back and forth between Dorsey, C. Long, and Gholston. I think the Rams would love to have an edge rusher to put with Carriker and Gholston has the most upside of any edge rusher in this draft.

3. Atlanta Falcons- Glenn Dorsey DT LSU

They do need a QB, but with their defense in the sad state it's in the better value is with Dorsey.

4. Oakland Raiders- Sedrick Ellis DT USC


The Raiders simply need to close their eyes and pick a defensive player out of the hat. Tommy Kelly is your starting DT, so it's time to replace Warren Sapp and upgrade the tackle spot.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Branden Albert T UVA

This was Jeff Otah but with another big and strong kid in Alberts skyrocketing his stock in private workouts I think the Chiefs get their guy here.

6. New York Jets- Darren McFadden RB Arkansas

Chris Long is still on the board but their offense is terrible to put it nicely. D Mac and cheese will take over for a super average Thomas Jones and give them the big play threat they are lacking.

7. New England Patriots (from San Francisco 49ers)- Chris Long DE UVA

Stunned that Long fell into their laps the Patriots make their pick and prepare to replace Mike Vrabel with his exact clone.

8. Baltimore Ravens- Ryan Clady OT Boise State

What?! No Matt Ryan?!! Ozzie Newsome has publicly said that Steve McNair's retirement has NOT shifted his draft strategy which tells me this pick is Clady or McKelvin. Mel Kiper looses his marbles right about now.

9. Cincinnati Bengals- Rashard Mendenhall RB UI

Rudi Johnson has become incredibly average, Kenny Watson is alright, and Kenny Irons hasn't played a down yet. Their main need is DT but Balmer is not a top 10 selection.

10. New Orleans Saints- Leodis McKelvin CB Troy

Jason David... why do you have a job?!

11. Buffalo Bills- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB TSU

The logjam at receiver guarantees there will be options later, but you have to grab the most physically talented corner when he falls in your lap and Webster needs help immediately.

12. Denver Broncos- Kentwan Balmer DT UNC


I will put Balmer here as a placeholder. The mastermind needs a DT badly so he has to reach because trading down tips his hand. A RB like Stewart may be a taken as a personal project. Think Maurice Clarett minus the guns and malt liquor.

13. Carolina Panthers- Matt Ryan QB BC

Ryan has had great personal workouts but Carolina will deny deny deny they want a QB until it is read.

14. Chicago Bears- James Hardy WR Indiana

Hardy is a local prospect and a big kid with a lot of upside. Do YOU believe in Brandon Lloyd? Point made.

15. Detroit Lions- Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon

This is a placeholder pick because I do think Denver will trade back in and get Stewart but in the case it does not happen... Tatum Bell is not the answer.

16. Arizona Cardinals- Mike Jenkins CB USF

A physical corner with the speed that Antrel Rolle lacks.

17. Minnesota Vikings- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

He is a top 10 talent but if everyone drafts pretty much on need he will slip right into Minnesota's warm arms.

18. Houston Texans- Chris Williams OT Vandy

They are STILL in search of a franchise take after taking Tony Boselli about a decade ago.

19. Philadelphia Eagles- DeSean Jackson WR Cal

The small guy is apparently the Eagles biggest target in the draft.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Devin Thomas WR Michigan State

And the run on receivers begins. Thomas is a great prospect with one solid year in college.

21. Washington Redskins- Phillip Merling DE Clemson

The injury will heal, and Washington might get the next Trevor Pryce.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland Browns)- Aqib Talib CB Kansas

Has the best resume of the corners in this draft. Too bad he failed that drug test.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Jeff Otah OL Pittsburgh

Not the sexy pick, and not the tall WR that big Ben wants.

24. Tennessee Titans- Limas Sweed WR Texas

Vince needs a big target, why not get his favorite one from college?!

25. Seattle Seahawks- Felix Jones RB Arkansas

All of their RBs have question marks. Felix can get it done as a RB or KR.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Calais Campbell DE The U

Peace to Marcus Stoud, welcome in Campbell.

27. San Diego Chargers- Kenny Phillips S The U

Eric Weddle needs help with McCree in Denver.

28. Dallas Cowboys- Mario Manningham WR Michigan

He does have a few character concerns but Jerry Jones has shown that if you can play he will work with you.

29. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis Colts)- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

Wow. What a 40 time will do to you. Sorry Malcolm.

30. Green Bay Packers- Brandon Flowers CB VT

Their corners are only getting older.

31. New England Patriots


32. New York Giants- Keith Rivers LB USC

This is what happens when we get single digit scores on out wonderlic tests.


2ND ROUND
32. Miami Dolphins- Lawrence Jackson DE USC

33. St. Louis Rams- Gosder Cherilus OT BC

34. Atlanta Falcons (from Oakland Raiders)- Brian Brohm QB Louisville

35. Kansas City Chiefs- Quentin Groves DE Auburn

36. New York Jets- Early Doucet WR LSU

37. Atlanta Falcons- Joe Flacco QB Deleware

38. Baltimore Ravens- Chad Henne QB Michigan

39. San Francisco 49ers- Dan Connor LB PSU

40. New Orleans Saints- Jarod Mayo LB Tenn

41. Buffalo Bills- Jordy Nelson WR KSU

42. Denver Broncos- Sam Baker OT USC

43. Carolina Panthers- Tyrell Johnson S Arkansas St

44. Chicago Bears- Chris Johnson RB ECU

45. Detroit Lions- Curtis Lofton LB Oklahoma

46. Cincinnati Bengals- Trevor Laws DT ND

47. Minnesota Vikings- DaJuan Morgan S NC State

48. Atlanta Falcons (from Houston Texans)- Carl Nicks OT Neb

49. Philadelphia Eagles- Dre Moore DT Maryland

50. Arizona Cardinals- Ray Rice RB Rutgers

51. Washington Redskins- Eddie Royal WR VT

52. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Marcus Harrison DT Arkansas

53. Pittsburgh Steelers- Antoine Cason CB Arizona

54. Tennessee Titans- Pat Sims DT Auburn

55. Seattle Seahawks- Dustin Keller TE Purdue

56. Green Bay Packers (from Cleveland Browns)- John Carlson TE ND

57. Miami Dolphins (from San Diego Chargers)- Justin King CB PSU

58. Jacksonville Jaguars- Reggie Smith S Oklahoma

59. Indianapolis Colts- Erin Henderson LB Maryland

60. Green Bay Packers- Pat Lee CB Auburn

61. Dallas Cowboys- Jamaal Charles RB Texas

62. New England Patriots- Tracy Porter CB Indiana

63. New York Giants- Thomas DeCoud S California

There is no Calvin Johnson in this draft

Tisk, tisk. It seems like every week there is a new #1 wide receiver prospect on the board.

This week it's apparently Michigan State's Devin Thomas. I do not know if Devin earned that spot or if Malcolm Kelly lost it. Kelly's reaction to his 4.7 field turf 4o time looked very bad and some teams slid him down the board a bit for that. Blaming coaches is never a good thing!

I believe Malcolm Kelly is still 1 or 2 in this pool of wide receivers but even though there is no clear cut #1, there are a ton of great late round prospects.

The following receivers should be picked sometime on day 2 and could end up being steals:

• Steve Johnson, Kentucky
• Eddie Royal, Virigina Tech
• Darius Reynaud, WVU
• Dexter Jackson, App State

The Last 10 #1 Overall picks

Just by looking at this list you can see that the draft is a crapshoot at best:

1998 Peyton Manning
1999 Tim Couch

2000 Courtney Brown
2001 Michael Vick

2002 David Carr
2003 Carson Palmer

2004 Eli Manning
2005 Alex Smith

2006 Mario Williams
2007 JaMarcus Russell

Candace Parker

Note: This post has NOTHING to do with the NFL Draft, nor will you care:

Dolphins Open Talks With Jake Long

And so it begins. Miami has started talking numbers with the supposed #1 pick in the draft, OT Jake Long. This article from Yahoo suggests that it may be a tactic to get another player or team to offer them a deal. In my opinion, they are trying to create a market for the #1 pick because no one wants it.

By looking like they have settled on a player, Miami hopes another team (say Atlanta at #2) could offer a nice deal for Miami to move down and take Long later, allowing the other team to take their pick of McFadden, Ryan, Gholston, Long, or Dorsey.

Will Ocho Force The Bengals To Take a WR?

Ocho, ocho. Good ol' cinco. The Bengals flamboyant WR has certainly caused a stir recently, going to ESPN and making comments against his coach and franchise. Chad may not be wrong when he says the Bengals are cheap and uncommitted to winning but he is certainly not going about trying to get traded the right way.

Cincinatti claims that under any circumstances they will not trade Ocho, but should they? I'd say yes. It's been proven time and time again that a great WR will not deliver a championship by himself. And when that WR wants to leave on the next Greyhound, things are worse. The Bengals could quietly end the Chad Johnson Chris Henry AJ Nicholson etc. era, build a team of great character around Carson Palmer and allow him to become the leader he needs to be to get them to the promise land.

A great WR cannot bring you championships alone. But a great QB, with a team of great character and talent at the skill positions will. With that said, the Bengals should trade CJ, grab a couple of WRs in the top of the 3rd & 4th rounds (they found CJ in the 2nd and TJ in the 7th) and draft defense exclusively on the first day.

If I were trying to fix the Bengals that's what I would do. Let CJ walk, he doesn't want to be there anyways and dividing your locker room is not worth it for any WR. Ask the Minnesota Vikings who seem to be doing pretty well now after letting Randy Moss go about 5 summers ago.

NFL.com Predict the Pick Challenge

NFL.com has a new fantasy game in which you pick the 1st round. Winner goes to the Draft next year. You can modify your selections up until the draft (April 26th 2pm). It is based more off the slot the player is selected, and not the team.

Here are some of the rules:

To Participate:

a) Become a registered participant of the Promotion: Visit www.nfl.com/draftgame (the “Fantasy Game Page”) during the Promotion Period and complete and submit the Promotion registration form to obtain a User ID and Password from NFL.com. Registration is free. Once you are a registered participant of the Promotion, you may immediately link to the Fantasy Game page at any time during the Promotion Period by visiting the Fantasy Game Page and submitting your User ID and Password. Limit one (1) registration per participant and per email address for the duration of the Promotion Period. Additional registrations received from any such participant or email address thereafter will be void. The use of script, macro or any other device to automate the registration process is prohibited and all such registrations will be void. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an entrant based on the e-mail address submitted at the time of registration, entry will be awarded to the person named on the applicable registration form (regardless of whether that is the name of the authorized account holder of the email address from which said registration form was submitted), provided such individual is eligible according to these Official Rules.

Participants’ personally identifiable information will only be used in accordance with the National Football League Privacy Policy, as posted on "http://www.nfl.com".

b) Make Your Draft Picks: The object is to select, in order from first pick to last pick, the thirty-one (31) (out of forty-eight (48)) pre-identified prospective NFL players (as determined by Sponsor) who will be picked in first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

To make your selections, follow the instructions provided on the Fantasy Game page to fill and submit your Draft Card with the thirty-one (31) prospects in order of first pick to last pick and also place your guess, in the space indicated, as to how long (in hours and minutes) the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft will take from start to finish, with the start being the naming of the first selection and the finish being the naming of the last selection. The length of the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft will be announced by a representative of the Sponsor at the Draft.

c) Draft Pick Deadline: The deadline for choosing or modifying your round 1 draft picks and selecting the length (in hours and minutes) of the first round is 2:00:00 pm ET on 4/26/08.

Your last selection(s) or modification(s) that are received by 2:00:00 pm ET on 4/26/08 will be considered your entry and used to tabulate your points. All selections must be accepted and acknowledged by the computer servers by the deadline above (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to be considered valid, timely, and eligible.

For the rest CLICK HERE

Kentwan Balmer On Film

That is the video to ECU's game winning drive against UNC this year,a game I attended in person.

You may see Conner Barth in this video as well but more importantly, we get to see Kentwan Balmer in crunchtime. I dont like highlight videos because it only shows the good. Here is a whole drive to digest.

Remember he is #90, the DT furthest away from the camera.

Kevin Smith's Pro Day

Find more videos like this on I'm Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith working out for the scouts at UCF's Pro Day.

Rodgers-Cromartie only has 1 kidney

And the constant evaluation of draft prospects gets weirder and weirder. First it was Glenn Dorsey's "injuries" (which have never kept him out of a game at LSU, mind you) and now it's this.

According to the LA times, the Tennessee State CB only has one kidney due to one failing when he was 8 years old. I don't think anyone thought that one kidney missing hurt his Senior Bowl yet there are some teams that will "wipe him down" the draft board for this.

Maybe Antonio can lend him one?