Cedric Benson Arrested for Assault

Months after wrapping up his career best season and reviving what little career he had left, Cedric Benson is back in hot water. After the boating DUI you'd think he'd lay off the drinks some (allegedly). I guess he can blame it on the al-al-al-alcohol!

Cedric Benson has been arrested and charged with assault for an altercation at a bar on May 30, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Officials say that Benson got into a fight around 1:50 a.m. with an unknown person inside a bar in Austin, Texas. He allegedly was being escorted out of the bar when he punched a bar employee in the face and then the affidavit says Benson spit blood from his injured lip at an employee. This surely won't help Benson get that new contract that he's looking for, and you can be certain he'll be hearing from the league office. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted of the Class A misdemeanor.

Source: Austin American-Statesman

LaDainian Tomlinson Lost His Damn Mind

San Diego Chargers 2001-2010.

NJ Jets 2010- .

Those are the tattoos that LaDainian Tomlinson have blazed on his calves to remind him of his storied NFL career. While LT has already taken his seat at the table of the NFL's greatest backs, most believe that he is at the end of his career. LT obviously knows something that we don't.

Getting the logo of the new team you just signed to tattooed on you before final cuts are made? Confident I might say. But saying that the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl?

That's plain crazy LT.

Either way, I'm still excited to see Hard Knocks with the New York Divas, I mean Jets.

Giants Rookie Safety Chad Jones Injures Leg in Accident

As everyone knows by now, Giants rookie safety Chad Jones was in a horrific car accident on Friday. He suffered an open fracture of the tibia and fibula in the accident. Thanks to some very careful surgery Chad will likely walk again and may even attempt a comeback. That is great news considering amputation was an early option in his treatment.

Get well soon Chad!

NBA Mock Draft: Last Minute!

1. Washington - John Wall PG Kentucky
   
2. Philly - Evan Turner PG Ohio State
   
3. New Jersey - Derrick Favors PF Georgia Tech
   
4. Minnesota - Wes Johnson SF Syracuse
   
5. Sacramento - DeMarcus Cousins PF Kentucky
6. Golden State - Ekpe Udoh PF Baylor
7. Detroit - Greg Monroe PF Georgetown
8. LA Clippers - Al-Farouq Aminu SF Wake Forest
9. Utah - Cole Aldrich C Kansas
10. Indiana - Gordon Hayward SF Butler
11. New Orleans - Luke Babbitt SF Nevada
12. Memphis - Ed Davis PF North Carolina
13. Toronto - Patrick Patterson PF Kentucky
14. Houston - Daniel Orton PF Kentucky
15. Milwaukee - Paul George SF Fresno State
16. Minnesota - Xavier Henry SG Kansas
17. Washington - James Anderson SG Oklahoma State
18. Oklahoma City - Avery Bradley SG Texas
19. Boston - Eric Bledsoe SG Kentucky
20. San Antonio - Elliot Williams Sg Memphis
21. Oklahoma City - Craigs Brackins PF Iowa State
22. Portland - Larry Sanders PF VCU
23. Minnesota - Kevin Seraphin PF France
24. Atlanta - Devin Ebanks SF West Virginia
25. Memphis - Hassan Whiteside C Marshall
26. Oklahoma City - Tibor Pleiss C Germany
27. New Jersey - Gani Lawal PF Georgia Tech
28. Memphis - Damion James SF Texas
29. Orlando - Dominique Jones SG South Florida
    
30. Washington - Jordon Crawford SG Xavier
    

Jeremiah Masoli to the NFL Draft?

Jeremiah Masouli is possibly on his way to the NFL.

The disgraced former Oregon Duck QB, has been rumored to be applying to the NFL's supplemental draft.

I feel that Masouli is a teriffic player and it would behove a team with a shaky situation at quarterback to at least give this kid a look. Sure he made some bad decisions in college (allegedly being involved in the theft of a laptop) but we all have one or two skeleton's in our closet.

In my humble, non-expert opnion a team with strong leadership like the 49ers should bring on Masouli to see what he's got. Could you imagine if he got in trouble with Mike Singletary?

Harvey Unga Enters Supplemental Draft

Finally some NFL Draft news in the midst of summer.

Former BYU FB, Harvey Unga has decided to enter the NFL's supplemental draft. He is a very interesting player who can play traditional fullback and also catch the ball coming out the backfield. He compares very favorable to Brian Lenoard who is currently with the Bengals.

Unga will likely be a 5th round selection.

Brian Stull of ESPN 101 St. Louis reports that the Rams, Dolphins, and Chiefs are all "very interested" in supplemental draft prospect Harvey Unga.

Chris Johnson Tweets: I Want a New Contract

Titans running back Chris Johnson wants a new contract and has let everyone on Twitter know about it. He published a few tweets that read "I feel like Darrelle Revis, at least they are offering him something" and "how can you expect players to give their all and put their bodies on the line when you are not willing to give them what they deserve."

I've already written an article that explains my position. CJ deserves to be paid. Adrian Peterson makes far more than him. But the problem here isn't Chris, Adrian, the Titans, twitter, or any of that mess.

It's the collective bargaining agreement and the 30% rule. Even if the Titans want to help Chris out they cannot pay him more than 30% of what he is making now unless they want to give him the money as an upfront bonus. That is extremely risky for the team to give a lump sum upfront. No one wants to get "Jamarcused" or "Haynesworthed".

In my opinion, if players like Darrelle Revis, Elvis Dumervil, and Chris Johnson want to see real change their efforts would be better served going at the players union, and not their teams.

Lebron James: Burning Down the Building on His Way Out

Houston.... I mean Cleveland, you have a problem.

As free agency looms and the three ring circus begins to setup around Lebron James the Cavaliers' superstar forward is becoming the teams number one problem. Yes it is almost blasphemy to a Cavaliers fan to even think that Lebron could be a problem. However to this outsider it seems that two things remains clear.

The Cavaliers have almost no leverage in keeping Lebron.

If Lebron is leaving, he is going to burn the building down on his way out.

I'm not going to elaborate on the leverage principle. We all know the theories that surround why Lebron could leave. They haven't found the coach fit for a king. Character issues surround key role player Delonte West. Perennial playoff underachievers Mo Williams and Antwaan Jamison are the best the Cavaliers have around Lebron right now, and then there is that question of what to do with Shaq.

What is more interesting to me is how passive Lebron has been to the organization. There have been rumors that he expressed discontent with GM "The Great" Danny Ferry and head coach Mike Brown. Both were relieved of their duties so all should be well right?

Wrong.

Lebron is making no indication that he even cares what is going on with the organization. Thanks to his passiveness, the Cavaliers just missed out on a chance to sign Tom Izzo as their new head coach.

I can only image the frustration Cavaliers fans must have right now. How can you be happy with the silence from the Lebron camp? How can you be happy with the constant images of Yankee hats and Lebrons fascination with "being like Mike?"

I'm not saying that Lebron won't decide to stay. I'm not even saying that it would be a good thing if he left. I am just pointing out that by not making any indication that he cares about the current state of the franchise he rebuilt, Lebron is possibly doing more harm than good right now.

Texas Saves Big XII From Disbanding

I have held off blogging about the conference realignment because I really didn't want to speak on it until things fully settled. Well today is that day. In the 11th hour Texas agreed to Stay in the Big XII, which is going to save the conference from completely disbanding. With Texas staying put, the new 10 team Big XII (how ironic) will be void of just Colorado and Nebraska. Colorado defected to the Pac 10 (now with 11 teams, none of these names no longer make sense) and Nebraska is now in the Big Ten.

Texas A&M is rumored to be heading to the SEC but as of this post that is simply a rumor. Texas A&M is also rumored to have turned down a offer to join the PAC 10.

Here is where we officially stand with all this conference mess:

Nebraska will begin play in the Big 10 in 2011.

Boise St will begin play in the MWC in 2011.

Colorado will begin play in the Pac 10 in 2012.

A lot of fuss over the last few weeks over nothing in my opinion. Texas stays and get their TV network and boosted revenues. Nebraska gets from out of Texas' shadow. Colorado moves to a weak Pac 10 conference they can compete in. Everyone's happy and the college Presidents are going out to Coldstone Creamery to celebrate shortly after this post.

Brady Quinn Out In Denver Already?

Either Josh McDaniels is the smartest man in the room, or the McDaniels haters were right all along. Rumor is from Dove Valley that the Broncos have come to a conclusion in their quarterback merry-go-round, and that decision won't bode well for newly acquired Brady Quinn.

Yes, that Brady Quinn that McDaniels was interested in trading Jay Cutler for last year. Yes, that Brady Quinn that McDaniels traded Peyton Hillis for. Yes, that Brady Quinn who has been splitting reps with Kyle Orton.

ESPN.com reports that the Broncos have decided to carry just two active quarterbacks during the regular season and Brady Quinn is likely the odd man out.

Our View: Kyle Orton is the clear starter and first-round pick Tim Tebow has impressed coach Josh McDaniels with his versatility, so that doesn't leave any room for Quinn. Tebow will likely be used for situational work, while Orton takes the majority of the snaps, making Quinn interesting trade bait if this situation comes to fruition

Last season Quinn finished with a QB rating of 67.2 with a 53% completion rate, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Needless to say it wouldn't be the end of the world if he is cut but Broncos fans would love to see if a change of scenery would help Brady any. It would be quite the buzz kill if he didn't even make it out of training camp as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Is Josh McDaniels a quarterback genius? Does he know something we don't? It seems like he believes that Tim Tebow as a lone backup is going to be sufficient. Many around the game believe that Tebow cannot even play the position effectively as a professional. That is another article for another day, but I'll just say that I am not surprised at all by this rumor. You have to assume that Pat Bowlen, one of the non-billionaire NFL owners, would like to put his prized pony from Florida out there sooner than later.

We'll see if this potential huge transaction happens...

USC Loses 30 Scholarships

The fall of Troy.

After the internal NCAA investigation determined that USC broke the rules regarding student athletes, USC got hit with a two year bowl ban and lost 30 scholarships. The primary reason behind the investigations was the eligibility of Reggie Bush. During Bush's time at USC he received "improper benefits" which included cash, a car, and other things.

All I can say is that karma is coming back to bite Lane Kiffin. He should have stayed at Tennessee. Oh well. Good luck trying to slide your way into another head coaching job next year.

Raiders Fans: We Want T.O.

A couple of days ago I wrote an article titled "Who Should Sign Terrell Owens." The article was syndicated on Bleacher Report and received a lot of positive feedback. One thing that struck me was how badly Oakland Raiders fans wanted Terrell Owens on their team.

In past years things would have been quite the opposite. For most of Owens' career the media successfully cast him as villain. Fans would literally protest at the thought of bringing Owens to their team. On the 49ers, Owens divided the locker room against Jeff Garcia who oddly was ousted from the Raiders in favor for Jamarcus Russell in his last NFL spot.

On the Eagles he was ousted in favor of Donovan McNabb after only returning from breaking his leg in three weeks to put up an all-time great Super Bowl performance. Owens next stop included the Cowboys who scapegoated Owens after they failed to meet expectations. Finally, he spent an uneventful year in Buffalo and still put up five touchdowns with Ryan Fitzpatrick as his primary Quarterback... and he didn't even make a peep about it.

Raiders fans could have a point. There is no leadership in their receiving corps. Tim Brown is not walking back through that door. Jerry Rice might, but you might not want to see what he has to offer at this age. T.O. would give the Raiders a true #1 target and allow speedster Darius Heyward-Bey to operate as a third receiver.

Will Al Davis bring in T.o.? There is not immediate indication he will, but Raider fans would love for it to happen.

Stephen Ross says the Miami Dolphins will be in the Super Bowl this season

Yes, Im being lazy today and not actually typing up the story but here is a short video from Brian Noe (subscribe to him on Youtube... NOW) on the Dolphins crazy, crazy owner.

Who Should Sign Terrell Owens?

Terrell Owens is still unemployed.

In this economy that wouldn't be such a shocking statement if it wasn't for the fact that Terrell Owens is arguably the greatest wide receiver of all time. (Yes, I said it!)

After spending a horrible year with the Buffalo Bills where Terrell Owens grabbed 5 touchdowns to add to his career achievements he wasn't resigned and opted to leave to find greener pastures. The problem is... there is no market for the 36 year old receiver.

Cincinnati was interested, but they did not opt to sign him. Baltimore filled their receiver hole with Donte Stallworth and Anquan Boldin. Tampa Bay drafted Arrelious Benn in the second round.

So who should grab Owens? Many are saying the Oakland Raiders. T.O. is a great tutor for young receivers and the Raiders seemingly sign everyone but it wouldn't be a good fit. So where should he go? New England.

That's right. New England. Wes Welker is out for an unknown amount of games and Randy Moss at this age isn't going to be enough to take over games like he did in 2007. They just signed Torry Holt, so they are interested in a veteran, but after last season I'm inclined to say that Holt should just retire (and get that awful looking finger fixed). T.O. gives them a tough receiver who is strong enough to take the short passes and get more after the catch.

T.O. would also be on his best behavior as it would be his last chance for a ring in his Hall of Fame career. To me, Terrell Owens would be a great addition to the Patriots.

Tebow Struggles at Practice

Is it too early to say he won't make it? Of course. But for the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow fans these reports cannot bode confidence in the first round pick.

Early in practice he missed receiver Alric Arnett, then a couple plays later threw way behind tight end Riar Geer. He had a pass tipped at the line that was intended to tight end Richard Quinn. A few plays later he missed badly to Quinn on a pass that hit the ground before it got to him. Tebow himself singled out another bad pass - a crossing route to open receiver Patrick Honeycutt that was behind Honeycutt and too low, and hit the ground.

Colorado Springs Gazette

We still have a long way to go before preseason where Tebow will likely be thrust into the NFL spotlight more than any other player in history as a rookie. If he struggles in the preseason then maybe the critics have a very valid point. However we will not know the answers to any of the questions until live game action.

The season cannot get here soon enough.

Darrelle Revis in Contract Dispute

We've seen Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson, Tom Bray, Reggie Wayne, and now Darrelle Revis go into contract disputes this summer. The stars of the NFL are really beginning to make me wonder. Is this the last big money grab before the new CBA gets finalized? I don't know.

But what I do know is that Darrelle Revis is on his island by himself right now.

Darrelle left Jets OTAs over a contract dispute. According to ESPN:

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is holding out from Thursday's offseason training activity while in talks with the team to rework his contract, according to a league source.

I expect them to pay him and get him back into camp sometime later this summer.

On a related note, who else can't wait for Hardknocks: NY Jets?!!!

UFL Draft Notables Include Tons of Former Denver Broncos

This past week the UFL held its annual draft. Teams Omaha, Hartford, Sacramento, Florida, and Las Vegas drafted former NFL and collegiate players. Omaha held the first pick, as they are the expansion franchise in this leagues second season.

I'm going to spare you a ton of time and Goggling that you really don't want to do anyways (someone's got to do it) here are the notables that were drafted into the UFL this week. You may recognize a few of these player. Or you may recognize none. I guess that's why its the UFL.

Omaha selected the most NFL notables. In round 2 former Cardinals defensive end Chike Okeafor was drafted with the first pick by Ohmaha. Then former Eagles OT Shawn Andrews went in round 3 also to Omaha. In round 5 Omaha selected another guy I recognize, Kenny Peterson the former Broncos DE (and former high school teammate of coach Josh McDaniels!) Ronald Curry the WR/QB out of UNC went to Omaha just one round later. They selected another former Bronco, Nate Webster, in the ninth round. To round the draft out Omaha selected former Bronco safety Nick Ferguson with the very last selection in the draft.

The only other notable player drafted was defensive back Tony Parrish, formerly of the 49ers. He went in the ninth round to team Las Vegas.

It's interesting that no notable former NFL quarterbacks or runningbacks went in this draft. Maybe those guys feel as though they can get back into the league rather than settle for the UFL. I'm personally glad to see many former Denver Broncos accept this opportunity to keep playing and I cannot wait to see team Omaha in action!

Broncos Release Brandstater

Well I guess it's official now. The Tebow era is about to start in Denver. Although its unofficial, rumors are that the Broncos are going to release last year's third stringer Tom Brandstater from his contract today.

According to BroncoTalk:

Six weeks after the Denver Broncos selected quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Broncos shallowed their quarterback pool Friday by releasing backup Tom Brandstater, per multiple reports.

I'm kind of sad because I think Tom has talent that just needs to be refined some. He looked good in preseason and he will undoubtedly bounce back with another team. Maybe even in the division (remember who said it first!)

ESPN #2 QB Braxton Miller Chooses Ohio State

ESPN150's number two overall quarterback, Baxton Miller has chosen to play his college ball at The Ohio State University.

For those not familiar with Braxton, he is an option quarterback from Ohio. There is no surprise that he would choose tOSU. What the question is now is will he play as a freshman or will he wait for Terrell Pryor to leave before he see's the field?

Greg Cosell says Tim Tebow will Fail

Greg Cosell, some guy who produces a show called NFL Highlights (no, I have no idea who he really is) is making waves on the net right now. A story on Profootballtalk has been posted with Mr. Cosell making some not so nice comments about Timmy.

"On film, there is very little in Tebow's game that projects well at this point to the NFL," Cosell tells Ross Tucker in an interview at SI.com. "I could never draft a quarterback in the first round who does not show on tape the skill set and physical attributes that are demanded in the NFL."

Cosell says that as a passer, Tebow simply isn't on an NFL level.

"Number one, he has questionable and limited arm strength with a slow and ponderous delivery," Cosell said. "Number two, in college he did not throw with timing or anticipation because the offense that he was in did not require it. In the NFL, there are certain throws in certain situations that necessitate that the ball is delivered before his receiver makes his break. He wasn't asked to do that at Florida."

He also goes on to break down Tebow's pocket movement and foot speed, two things that Tebow struggled with at the Senior Bowl. In Timmy's defense, people said a lot of similar things about Steve Young and he came out alright. Then again he had time to develop in the USFL and then again on the bench behind Montana. Tebow probably will have to play as early as next year. It is going to be very interesting to see who's right about the great Tebow debate.

For the record, I personally think Tebow will find his niche in the league as a gadget player but not a quarterback.

Response to Tim Tebow Supporters Pt. 3

After getting a shoutout on Westwood's blog by Michael Roberts for my articles on my coverage on the Tebow debate, the comments started to pour in. And just like with every Tebow article, the comments contain more hyperbole and hype than that of any athlete than I've ever seen.

And this ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't want my favorite team the Broncos to touch this guy with a ten foot pole. Do we really need these crazed people who thump their rhetoric and broken logic (amongst other things) wearing Broncos colors?

Just look at this fantabolous logic from "JP" (Jake is that you? lol):

All be it he is not alone with his character, I can guarantee that his devotion to his faith and to charity is unmatched by ANYONE in the NFL... just check how many community service hours he logged while being a full time student and while being one of, if not the best college football player of all time!!!! truth... swallow it!!!

Really? Tebow is the best Christain in the NFL? So I'm supposed to ignore the fact that Warrick Dunn built homes for single mothers EVERY YEAR he was in the league? I'm supposed to ignore the fact that Vince Young is mentoring and stepping in as a father figure for Steve McNair's children with NO expectation or obligation to do so? According to JP a few trips to a remote jail in the Philippines cancels all that out and gives the crown of "MAN OF THE CENTURY" to Timmy.

But it gets better, JP comes back with another long-winded festive comment.

really....he is the only player ever to finish in the top four of the heisman voting 3 times.. and he does hold a sugar bowl record for both passing yards and total yards... and he did go 3-0 in bcs games and he has 2 national titles.. not 1.. yes he did not start.. but he did account for 2 touchdowns in that national championship game against ohio st. and you wont find a single knowledgeable fan of college football that believes the florida gators would have won a national title that year without tim tebow... he delivered time and time again that season and they won a multitude of games by single digits that were a direct result of third down conversions and touchdowns by tebow.. check your stats and see if any of those guys you mentioned had more td's than tebow for career... they didnt.. how bout passing efficiency better than tebow... they didnt... how bout td to int ratio. they didnt. how bout yards/completion..they didnt... get off your hatorade horse and own up to the facts.. we were blessed to have witnessed one of the most dominant players in history!!!! if you dont believe that then i would love to embarass you in a live debate!!!!

Once again I can throw Vince Young right back in your face. Vince Young's Texas teams depended on him as much as if not more than Tebow. And yes, Vince won his ring as a starter, not a goaline fullback..... err... I mean "freshman backup Quarterback."

I don't drink but I think I'm going to toast a cold one the day Tebow is cut or traded and we weed some of these types of "fans" away from the Broncos family.