2014 NFL Draft 1st Round Hardcore Live Blog

No time for a big lead up today. The draft is two weeks later than usual, and to get ready for this blog, I started five minutes after 8. This is going great already.

8:10 Before the first pick is made, I am tasked with a diaper change. I can tell already, this will be a draft for the ages.

8:15 Diaper change is a complete success. Molly and Michelle head out for a bike ride. DE, Jadeveon Clowney is selected first overall by the Texans. He cries tears of joy, which is cool. No jokes there. It's cool when the guy you draft seems that happy to be there.

8:17 St. Louis is taking their time. This is a pick many believed would be dealt. As a Bills fan, I hope they go OL. I don't want the Bills to pick a fat guy first, so the more that are off the board at number nine, the happier I'll be. That might be the extent of my actual football talk.

Hey, with all the talk of the players entry music, I missed Clowney's. I'll assume he went with "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys.

8:21 Currently my War Room is going with ESPN. I think in the past I tend to stick with NFL Network. I might change to the NFL network during this commercial. I did. NFL network has less cartoon characters and acquitted murderers.

8:25 YES! The Rams drafted a fat guy, Tackle, Greg Robinson. He seems nice too. Nice long hug for mom. Gotta like guys that love their momma. He's got a pretty sick bow tie too. I'll predict now that bow ties might be the big winner tonight. Except maybe Marshall Faulk's; his is a little ridiculous. Greg Robinson sounds a little like Shaq. Maybe that's a big guy thing. Can't speak in long sentences. Body too busy working to keep giant man upright.

8:30 This just in the Jags HAVE a War Room. I like that their owner looks kinda like Super Mario. They make the first "surprise" pick of the night selecting QB, Blake Bortles. Mike Mayock actually nailed this pick, so I'll give credit where it's due. This has to be seen as good news for the Bills, who I'm sure have no intention of going QB.

8:34 BILLS TRADE UP! If this isn't Watkins or Evans I might be pissed.

The newest Buffalo Bill

8:37 WR, Sammy Watkins it is! I gotta figure Stevie Johnson is out sooner than later. They gave Cleveland a lot to get Watkins so they must believe in him. I'm pumped. It's all on EJ Manuel now.

Now what am I going to do with my time? I imagine I get delirious earlier in this draft than normal.

8:43 Big moment for Buffalo, NY and the University at Buffalo. LB, Khalil Mack becomes the earliest draft pick in UB's history by a mile. I feel a little bad that he went to Oakland, but I'm a Bills fan so who am I to talk.

I realize Mack had "Happy" as his walk on music because I heard about that ahead of time. That said, they are really keeping the music quiet. Any thought that someone's choice of song might be a story seems out the window, since it is barely audible on TV.

8:47 My ladies are back, so hopefully I'll have some silliness to pass along soon. This draft blog has been too football related for my own good.

8:52 The Falcons select the second fat guy, Tackle, Jake Matthews. Even if the Bills hadn't traded up, I might have liked the look they have right now. The next pick, Tampa's, will be very telling as to what might have been. No regrets though. It's nice the GM shows balls and confidence. Apparently Whaley said in a presser that they expect to make the playoffs now. Good.

8:59 Well there it is. The Bills would've needed to move up to get one of the guys I really wanted, as WR, Mike Evans goes to the Bucs. That seemed like a sure thing when they traded Mike Williams to the Bills.

Cleveland trades with Minnesota to move up one pick (the pick the just got from Buffalo). I wonder if they go QB here fearing Minnesota might take their guy.

9:04 Welp...Johnny Football is officially getting the "reaction after every pick" treatment right now. Cleveland drafts the first player in the secondary, CB, Justin Gilbert.

9:10 The Vikings select LB, Anthony Barr. I have nothing insightful or funny to say about that. It's not the least sexy position ever, but if I am AD, I'd be wondering if they ever plan on letting me play with anyone.

9:13 Barry Sanders announces the Lions draft pick, TE, Eric Ebron. Not surprisingly, Twitter, is way ahead of the TV networks. I guess I should get off of there if I want to enjoy this at all.

9:22 Tennessee drafts Tackle, Taylor Lewan. I'm sure that will put them over the top. I'm so glad my team didn't pick an offensive lineman tonight. Drafting an offensive lineman is like getting socks on Christmas. Sure you need them, but you can only get so excited about socks.

This draft is starting to feel like socks to me. I want Johnny Football to keep slipping until he loses his shit and starts flipping tables or something. Where is Joe Namath? He's always good for a nice uncomfortable moment.

9:27 It's really starting to feel like Dairy Queen o'clock. It's the winning-est tradition of my draft recap career.

9:31 The Giants pick WR, Odell Beckham. I totally nailed a bed time story with Molly. It was about rabbits taking over Sesame Street. Turns out they were Big Bird's, and he is just a negligent pet owner. They marched in a pride parade or something at the end. I dunno, I was reading but only half paying attention.

9:35 The Rams select DT, Aaron Donald. They are a team that is getting good at a tough time. They could be really really solid next year and still finish 8-8 because their division is totally brutal. Who would've ever thought that about the NFC West?

9:39 DQ time. Hopefully nothing awesome happens. BRB sports-fans.

10:10 Quick recap... The Bears take CB, Kyle Fuller. The Steelers select LB, Ryan Shazier. The Cowboys take not Johnny Manziel, Tackle, Zack Martin. The Ravens pick LB, CJ Mosely and the Jets take Safety, Calvin Pryor. So I'm guessing my peanut buster parfait was the sexiest pick of that group.

10:17 Michelle is doing actual schoolwork and thus not making any draft-related comments I can make fun of. The Dolphins select Tackle, Ja'waun James. That has to be exciting to have to draft a fat guy because your other fat guy was bullying another one of your fat guys.

Steve must be excited, the Saints have traded up. Any way they go QB of the future here? My guess is no.

10:22 The Saints have selected WR, Brandin Cooks. I heard of him about two hours ago, but that doesn't mean anything negative about him. Seems like the right move for a team built to win now. They aren't exactly hurting in the size department with Colston and Graham.

10:34 A guy named Ha Ha Clinton-Dix a safety, just got drafted by the Packers. He wore a bright red suit jacket that makes him look like a movie usher. The NFL guys seem to think that he has "swag". I guess with a name like Ha Ha, you learn to live outside the box.

10:41 Browns move up, this has to be Manziel, right?

10:42 Sure enough, QB, Johnny Manziel is selected 22nd overall by the Browns, who have had a pretty awesome draft.

This blog needed more pictures. I google'd "random picture".

10:52 I'm sure DE, Dee Ford is a good player, but when he was selected by the Chiefs, I've never heard such a non-reaction from the crowd. I guess that's what you get following JFF. Does anyone care about the rest of the draft? I'm hoping the bills trade their second and third to move back into the first round to take a fat guy or giant TE. Get it all done in one day. If they hypothetically did something like that, do they still send people to radio city to sit around?

10:58 The Bengals select CB, Darqueze Denard. Weeeee.

11:03 The Chargers select CB, Jason Verrett.

11:08 Did I miss the troops during my DQ run?

11:09 The Eagles pick is not a crowd-pleaser. Fans pretend to be excited to be drafting LB Marcus Smith.

11:12 I think I might hate the draft. It's all build up with little payoff. About the most exciting thing that could happen DID, with the Bills this year, and as a whole I am still bored by the draft. I watch it like I watch something like the Oscars. I haven't seen most of the movies, but I feel like I need to watch in case something culturally significant happens. But at least at the oscars I know 90% of the people on stage. Now I am supposed to get excited about the Arizona Cardinals pick? Okay.

11:15 The Cardinals take Safety Deone Bucannon, yes!!!!

11:20 The Panthers quickly select WR, Kelvin Benjamin, as they decided playing without any WRs would probably be bad.

11:23 The Patriots select DT Dominique Easley, not surprisingly, it is seen as a BRILLIANT pick.

11:28 "They could use a 5 technique" -Mike Mayock with regards to the 49ers upcoming pick. Yeah, I was thinking exactly the same thing.

11:30 49ers select Safety, Jimmie Ward. I have resorted to twitter rather than waiting for TV because I could not care less at this point.

11:34 The Broncos select CB, Bradley Roby. Thank god this is almost over.

Whoa, some pretty crazy lightning and thunder (why don't we say it like this? It makes more sense chronologically) in the 716.

11:39 The Seahawks close out round one with...oh fuck me they traded the pick. Thanks for nothing Seahawks. Vikings get the pick. It has to be a QB. For Adrian Peterson, I hope it is a QB. Mayock suggests they'd have to admit Ponder was a mistake two years ago. Really?

11:44 QB, Teddy Bridgewater is the last pick of the first round. Good for the Vikings. Good for Teddy. I like that move.

Thank god this is over. Nothing I said was funny this year. Read this thread for people more creative than myself: http://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/25339n/2014_nfl_draft/

Superbowl. Goodnight.

2013 NFL Draft 1st Round Hardcore Live Blog

Here we are again, the most exciting day of the football off-season! The NFL draft. Every team in the league gets together to select some young studs to propel them from pretender to contender, and contender to Super Bowl champion. Yes, even the Bills and Chiefs and Browns and Raiders and Cardinals allegedly attempt to field teams that will win games. Weird, right?

Umm... I've been drinking wine already, so this might get interesting. I have yet to get DQ, so there is always that to look forward to as well.

If you haven't spent time with my blog before, let me get you up to speed. Here is a link to last year's draft coverage. If you don't feel like reading that, and why would you, here's the deal. My "War Room" consists of myself, my wife Michelle, my one year old, Molly, and my dogs. It's pretty much the worst War Room ever. That, combined with my total lack of college football knowledge all adds to the wonderment and that is my blog. Strap the F in.

There is a fun emotional roller coaster that happens every year during the draft coverage. Michelle complains from the get-go, as I try to extol the virtues of the draft. My interest fades pretty fast however, probably because my suck-ass team always picks so early. I illustrated my feelings in a super cool chart:

(click to enlarge)

Are you as ready as I am?

7:57 I am going with the NFL Network if that matters. I'm sure there won't be a wardrobe malfunction or an F-bomb or anything on either network, so what's the diff I always say. Finished my second glass of wine, and will put that to bed for the night. It's almost time to get down to business.

8:02 With all the uncertainty I'm going to predict Abe Vigoda goes #1 overall.

I actually typed "random celebrity" into Google images and ol' Abe was the first guy to come up. That must be nice for him.

8:06 It officially took Joe Namath one second to make everyone uncomfortable. Except people who like uncomfortable things, they were probably high-fiving.

Joe stops without doing anything too ridiculous and KC is officially on the clock.

8:08 Michelle arrives in the War Room after giving Molly a bath. She immediately notices the NFL Network panel again sitting "White-Black-White-Black-White". Brilliant.

8:14 Chiefs take almost all of the allotted time and find no trade partners. I'm already bored. This is the unsexiest draft class ever. I'm not saying there won't be superstars picked today and tomorrow, but I can't get too excited about franchise linemen. The newest member of Kansas City is Tackle, Eric Fisher, a guy who will now get paid very well to push other fat guys. Wee...

8:19 The Jags are taking their sweet time too. It's almost like no one wants to make picks this year. I'm sure there is another fat guy that pushes fat guys at a level that far exceeds most other fat guys that Jacksonville can pay a gajillion dollars. I can hardly contain my excitement.

The Jags owner kind of looks like Super Mario. I like that. I hope his fat guy is worth every penny.

They select Tackle, Luke Joeckel. I predict a Chiefs/Jags AFC Championship.

8:31 It's "Weekend at Bernies" at the Raiders table. I find it a little crude that they are making an Al Davis puppet field calls.

8:32 I'm being told that's actually his brother. I could've sworn that was a dead guy.

The not dead guy trades the pick to Miami. Hopefully they can get a fat guy they like too.

8:34 As a Bills fan, I'd love to hate on Miami here - they selected DE Dion Jordan - but it has to be fun to be a fan of theirs this year. The Eagles must be pissed about that pick as they (and their coach Chip Kelly) have supposedly been interested in him.


8:42 The Eagles will now make their pick and pretend that whoever they take was the guy they wanted all along. The select T Lane Johnson, another giant person. I really don't know how to comment on linemen. His family looks nice.

"Guy's guys" in Eagles jersey's intently discuss the pick and there is probably a lot of grunting. I'm sure it's painfully annoying to anyone within ear shot.

8:51 The Lions select DE Ezekiel Ansah. The NFL Network showed a dork Lions fan in the crowd that looked on the verge of tears. If I didn't love football I'd hate it.

8:55 The Browns select the guy with the coolest name in the draft, DE Barkevious Mingo. So far it's been all about protecting the QB or knocking him down. I apologize for not making any ridiculous statements regarding this pick.

9:01 The Cardinals draft the first fat guy that doesn't play at the end of the line, G Jonathan Cooper. I would suck as a GM, because I would never draft a guard. Not in the first round anyway. It's just such a boring pick. Of course the crowd shot from Arizona shows their fans going nuts, presumably because they all appreciate the subtle intricacies of pass protection.

Mike Mayock just talked about Cooper's "natural bending skills". I'm sure Jonathan's parents are proud.

The Bills trade their pick to the Rams. Good. They have a lot of needs, and none "worth" the 8 pick. Good on you Buddy Nix.

9:09 The Rams move up to select WR Tavon Austin, they must have been worried the Jets would be interested. I'm glad the Bills didn't end up with him. Just too many other needs to get a gimmick, project guy. That said, it'll be cool to see Sam Bradford with an actual weapon.

9:17 Molly is being cranky which is making my War Room a bit tense. She hates the draft more than her mother.

The Jets select CB Dee Milliner. I'm never sure how I feel about letting a superstar at a position walk just to draft their replacement really high. I mean, the hope for this guy is that he turns into Revis, right? Why not just keep Revis. Some lady fans of the Jets REALLY hate this pick for some reason.

9:21 More on the Bills trade. They move back eight spots in the first. Add a second. Move WAY up in the third and add a seventh. All by trading a pick they didn't want to make. Again, good move Buddy, don't screw up the picks!

9:24 First view of the troops. He wants to draft a fat guy too. Maybe I'm too much of a Fantasy Football fan to be objective. Waiting for the Titans pick.

9:26 The military guy gets his wish and G Chance Warmack gets picked. America.

Molly is still awake which is totally screwing my chances of getting Dairy Queen. My draft blogging moral might be at an all time low.

9:33 My draft viewing has moved online, as the Sprout network takes over the big TV. The Chargers select Thomas the Tank Engine with the 11th pick. I am now watching the online B team at NFL.com while wearing ear buds. Michelle is too busy with Molly to make stupid comments, not that I'd hear them anyway. Everything sucks.

San Diego actually takes another fat guy T D.J. Fluker.

9:39 The Raiders select CB D.J. Hayden. I have nothing funny to say. Lack of Dairy Queen is pissing me off. I'm looking up foster homes for Molly.

9:41 The stupid doody-head Jets pick next. I just remembered I have to get up at 5am tomorrow. This night keeps getting better.

9:47 Why can't the NFL.com online team include Scott Hansen? He's dreamy.

The Jets fans again sound disappointed in their pick of DT Sheldon Richardson. Hearing sad Jets fans always makes me a bit happy. AND I just realized DQ is open until 11 in April. This night might not be a total loss yet!

9:50 The Panthers immediately, I mean seconds later, pick after the Jets, which should make NY fans extra happy. And they draft a guy at the same position, DT Star Lotulelei. Take that stupid Jets.

I'm sorry, that's the last I will speak negatively about the Jets in this blog. Probably.

9:55 I somehow glossed over the fact that the last guy's name is Star. That's awesome. He teared up at home which made him an instant favorite of Michelle's. Hard not to like a guy that appreciates the gravity of what just happened. Good for him.

9:59 Steve's Saints select S Kenny Vaccaro. Steve must be torn. He hates Texas, and was pulling for Jarvis Jones. It'll be interesting to see if he can talk himself into liking this.

10:02 I thought with no QBs taken yet, the Bills might try to take move back again, but their pick came in pretty quick. For a draft I've already referred to as "unsexy" this is one of the most interesting Bills picks in a long time.

10:05 For the first time in team history, the Bills use their first pick on a QB. E.J. Manuel
becomes the first QB picked in the draft. I don't know much about him, I just can't wait to see him. Don't screw around with Kolb. Let the kid play. Now get him a receiver.

10:09 I can't claim to know anything about this kid, but I loved his interview. Another kid that gets it. Hopefully he can bring it to the field. It's on Doug Marrone now. Make this kid work. This city is ready for him to be a hero, I hope he is too.

10:13 The Steelers select LB Jarvis Jones. Seems about right with Harrison leaving.

The 49ers move up in a trade with Dallas, selecting S Eric Reid.

I'm still processing the Bills pick.

10:21 Giants select another big man in Tackle Justin Pugh. I'm warn out and distracted by the Monday Morning QBs on Facebook. Molly is now sleeping, but still no DQ in sight.

10:29 The only thing I am overly interested in now is where Te'o gets drafted. He is probably somewhere on the phone with a fake person breathing a disappointed sigh that the Bears passed on him and took a fat guy, G Kyle Long.

10:33 Still waiting for the Bengals pick to be announced, and behind them the Falcons have traded up. The Bengals get the first TE off the board, Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert. The Bengals offense can be pretty solid if they can get anything out of the run game. It's pretty easy to tell I'm running out of steam when I start writing actual sports opinions. Please forgive me.

10:39 I still have to get through ten of these? Brutal. DQ is officially out. I'll go get stuff from the freezer like a caveman after this Falcon pick. They select CB Desmond Trufant. And I gotta say, as much as I like to pick on Mike Mayock, he has been pretty well on tonight. Even with the Bills pick of Manuel. I dig the NFL Network.

10:45 Troops!

10:56 While I was eating my ice cream, DT Sharrif Floyd (Vikings), DE Bjoern Werner (Colts), and CB Xavier Rhodes (Vikings) were selected. I regret nothing.

Snoring from Michelle's side of the couch.

Packers pick is in but not announced, Texans on the clock.

11:02 Packers select DE Datone Jones. I'm bored with this draft and will draft days of the week:
1. Saturday
2. Friday
3. Sunday
4. Thursday
5. Monday
6. Tuesday
7. Wednesday

11:09 The Texans draft WR DeAndre Hopkins. I will now draft original 8 crayon box colors:
1. Blue
2. Green
3. Red
4. Black
5. Brown
6. Purple
7. Orange
8. Yellow

11:14 The Broncos are on the clock and I think it's safe to say they won't be drafting a WR. The Broncos select DT Sylvester Williams. What is the over/under on number of times Mike Mayock says "stout"? I will now draft board games in my closet:
1. Lords of Waterdeep
2. Libertalia
3. Small World
4. The Resistance
5. 7 Wonders
6. Settlers
7. Ticket to Ride

11:21 The Patriots are cheating again and made the Vikings trade away the rest of their draft to get NE's 29th overall pick. Damn Patriots. How do they do it?

11:30 The Vikings traded all those picks to draft WR Cordarrelle Patterson and for the ability to take naps while the other teams pick players. I will now draft fingers:
1. Thumb
2. Pointer
3. Middle
4. Pinky
5. Ring

11:34 Three stupid picks left and the NFL seems to try to be taking this thing to midnight. I'm so gassed at this point, I'm almost talking myself into wanting the Bills to pick that dummy, Te'o, in the second round.

The Rams select LB Alec Ogletree. Cowboys pick is in. Actually, so have the champs, Baltimore. Geno Smith goes undrafted.

11:41 This part is brutal. The picks are in, make them. I'm not saying rush it, but let the kids have their moment, and move along. They finally announce the Cowboys pick C Travis Frederick.

11:44 They actually take my advice and come back pretty quickly with the Ravens pick, S Matt Elam.

That's it. I will now reflect for a year on why I get excited for the draft. Three and a half hours. Three and a half hours of watching guys I know almost nothing about. For what? Thanks for reading. 

Behind the Moves

As I write, the Los Angeles Kings are about three hours from taking the ice with the chance to win the Stanley Cup with a record of 16-2 and to become one of the best playoff teams in the history of the NHL.

Way back in October I picked the Kings to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup playoffs and face off against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres failed to make the playoffs and the Kings sputtered through most of the regular season.

The Sabres made some changes at the deadline on the ice, but GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff kept their jobs. They Sabres looked destined to make the playoffs when they chased Capitals goalie Branden Holtby and defeated the Capitals in Washington late in the regular season. In the end, it wasn't enough and the Sabres fell just short of what would have been a historic late season march to the playoffs.

Kings general manager Dean Lombardi also made several changes during the season that helped the King qualify for the playoffs and overcome the dead-stick-syndrome that plagued them for much of the regular season.

• Just before Christmas the Kings fired head coach Terry Murray and replaced him with Darryl Sutter
• At the trade deadline the Kings traded Jack Johnson and their first round pick in 2012 or 2013 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jeff Carter. Since that trade, the Kings are 27-7-3
• In February, the Kings called up Jordan Nolan and Dwight King from Manchester (AHL). Nolan and King have played key roles for the Kings in the post season solidifying their fourth line and providing the depth needed for Sutter to roll four lines and keep the team fresh

If the Kings can win one of the next four games, Jonathan Quick will likely be named the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy and Dustin Brown will go get the Cup from Garry Bettman. Anze Kopitar will be remembered for his breathtaking overtime goal in game one and Mike Richards and Carter will be discussed as the guys who were banished from Philadelphia before being reunited in L.A. and leading the Kings to the Cup. Murray is sure to be given a ton of credit for waking up the Kings sticks and leading a historic run through the NHL playoffs. 

Dean Lombardi won't mind, but he probably won't get the credit that he deserves for making the in-season adjustments needed to lead the Kings where they have never been before. Lombardi is not a finalist for the NHL General Manager of the Year award. 

One spot where Lombardi is sure to receive the proper recognition is at http://www.nhlgms.com. The website is dedicated to selling a great new book called, "Behind the Moves: NHL General Managers Tell How Winners are Built." 

The book is a gorgeous hard cover book that arrived at Sports-Caster's headquarters numbered and autographed by former Rangers GM, Neil Smith. The book was put together by Jason Farris and the forward is written by Maple Leafs GM, Brian Burke. 

The book is full of information about many of the 175 men who have served as general managers of an NHL team. The book is loaded with anecdotes, stats, charts, pictures, and quotes from the men behind the moves. 

The book was put together with an incredible attention to detail. Pictures of Stanley Cup rings grace its pages, and the stories are not only told with words but with pictures, stats and charts. Turn to the section dedicated to Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis and find a detailed chart on how Gillis built last season's Stanley Cup finalists. 

I was shocked to learn how few have actually served as NHL general managers. The Buffalo Sabres have only had six general managers in their existence that dates back to 1970. The Carolina Hurricanes have only had one general manager in their brief history. Maybe the most shocking: The Boston Bruins, an original six NHL franchise, have had only EIGHT general managers. 

The book would serve as a beautiful conversation piece on any coffee table and almost seems too precious to touch. Every time I flip through the pages of the book, I wash my hands and handle it with the care of a new born baby. 

There is a section of the book that is dedicated to explaining the lingo used by an NHL GM. "UP" is used to describe a player who's contract is set to expire and "a dog" is a player that is of ordinary ability. 

The book explains the unwritten rules that govern the league's general managers. For example, general managers are expected to return the phone calls of other general managers immediately. 

The history of the National Hockey League has been told through the eyes of players, and coaches, and officials in countless pieces of literature released in the last seventy-five years. "Behind the Moves" gives us the unique opportunity to learn about the league through the eyes of the the GM. 

The book is beautiful and put together with class in a way that is synonymous with the class and dignity that NHL GM's have always conducted their business with. 

If you want a copy of the book or are looking for more information, please visit http://www.nhlgms.com. 

2012 NFL Draft 1st Round Hardcore Live Blog

If you are new to my blog - and if you aren't me then you are - let me start by telling you I did a live blog of the draft last year (here). That blog contained in depth, hard hitting analysis of the prospects and how they fit into the schemes of their new teams. And if that is what you are here for, you will be sorely disappointed. In actuality, the blog contained equal parts football, Dairy Queen, and my wife's (usually unintentionally) funny comments. But I'll try to mix in actual sports content now and then.

My war room again contains myself, my dogs, and my wife, but now is also graced by the presence of my daughter, Molly. She however, is less than three months old and I expect her input to be only slightly more valuable than mine. I just hope, in a repeat from last year, I end the night with a Blizzard in my hand.

The draft last year reminded me a bit of a Mitch Hedberg joke about comedy;

As a comedian, you have to start the show strong and you have to end the show strong. Those are the two key elements. You can't be like pancakes... all exciting at first, but then by the end you're f****n' sick of em.

Right now, I am super pumped for the draft. Maybe it's because my team (the Bills) won the offseason. Maybe it's the culmination of weeks, even months, of speculation. Maybe it's because we get to see extended coverage of Mel Kiper's Conan O'Brien-esque, gravity defying hair. Maybe because it's the day we get to see the classy Jets fans boo everyone because they are sad they have a stupid, red-headed step child of a team (I need an English major to tell me how not to use commas and parenthesis so much). Bottom line is, the glitz and excitement of the NFL has roped me in again. But I'm sure by the end of the night the draft will be pancakes.

I haven't even added my first time-stamp yet, and my wife is complaining about the draft already. She added "You aren't allowed to quote me until 8pm." I almost forgot how awesome my war room was. I'll see everyone at eight.

7:50 So apparently about a half hour ago the Browns traded up to the third spot with the Vikings. Interesting. They must've been worried another team would've moved into the spot to take (presumably) Richardson. It begins...

8:03 Draft is about to start, and I already have my DQ. I went with the Peanut Buster Parfait this year. I only fear that the draft may have peaked early. Colts are on the clock.

8:05 In a surprise move, the Colts select "Hacksaw" Jim Dugan. Oh wait, they took Andrew Luck.

8:10 RGIII is the pick for the 'Skins. NFL Network round table keeps talking about how quickly things are moving. These picks were known for months and it still took the teams over 5 minutes to get them in. Their definition of quick is odd.

8:15 Supposedly the Browns pick was in basically the second after the Redskins. That said, RGIII has just reached the stage. This makes the Oscars seem speedy. In other news, Trent Richardson looks like a superhero. Actually, he makes superheros look weak. This guy is a freak.

8:21 The Browns take Trent Richardson, who really looks like he could run through a tree. The Vikings pick is also in, which means we should know it in about ten minutes. Tampa Bay has also made their pick. Maybe I was wrong about the speed of the draft. It's just the announcing that is slow.

8:27 Scratch that, TB traded with Jacksonville who is on the clock. Minnesota's pick is finally announced and it's Matt Kalil. I apologize for criticizing the speed. This is almost too fast. I don't even have time to post dumb comments about Michelle.

8:32 Commercial break. Molly got her nails cut by Michelle. My war room is one of the greatest in all of sports. I'm glad the Bills didn't trade to get Kalil. I like a few guys they can get at 10, and they need the second rounder. Jacksonville selects Justin Blackmon. Maybe Blaine Gabbert will not be afraid to throw a ball more than eight yards now.

So far everything is going exactly as the experts predicted (other than the trades). Speaking of which, the Cowboys trade up to get the sixth overall pick. This could be bad for the Bills who are said to be very high on safety, Mark Barron. With all the trades being made to move up only one or two spots, it's pretty clear there were more teams willing to move up than people expected. St. Louis is their trading partner who gets Dallas' 1st (14 overall) and 2nd this year.

8:39 Bills management may have breathed a sigh of relief. Dallas selects Morris Claiborne. Michelle just asked me if you "have to get invited to the Columbine?" Wow.

In other news, the Senators are going to need a miracle to avoid elimination. 2-0 is a huge whole against the Rangers.

8:44 Michelle once again notes the the NFL Network sat their analysts White-Black-White-Black-White. She has a Rainman-like level of attention to detail. Mark Barron goes off the board to Tampa Bay. Bummer. I hope the Bills can still land Gilmore.

8:47 It's been pointed out that the Senators had made the game 2-1 before my post. I suck at multitasking.

8:48 Bills are on the clock. Still awaiting the announcement from the Dolphins and Carolina. Time to see if Tannehill get's picked here or has to awkwardly wait around like Aaron Rogers. What ever happened to him?

8:51 Michelle thinks she's hilarious and suggests it'd be cool if the Dolphins actually selected a dolphin. She had high hopes for Flipper. The Dolphins instead go with Ryan Tannehill, which is should prove to be a better pick since almost no football games are played underwater.

8:55 Carolina pick is in, but has yet to be announced. Same with the Bills, so they weren't able to trade back as they may have liked. I'm still thinking the pick is Stephon Gilmore. Carolina goes with Luke Kuechly and not the DT Cox that all the experts had them taking. It's really the experts' first miss tho, so I can't beat them up too much. There have to be some disappointed Bills fans as Kuechly's name was a popular one on sports talk callers' minds. The Bills supposedly are still very high on last year's pick Kelvin Sheppard, so it may not have been a direction they were going anyway.

9:00 Bills select Stephon Gilmore. Holy Crap! I got something right? How did that happen?!?! Anyway, I'm glad they didn't "settle" for Reiff or Floyd. Buddy Nix has proven to be a pretty honest guy and has always expressed how much he valued DBs.

9:07 The Chiefs take the COMBINE superstar Dontari Poe. Maybe the first surprise of the draft. Eagles are supposedly trying to trade with Seahawks to pick Cox. Michelle likes Poe's "blingy" watch, but not his hair. I'm sure the Chiefs are rethinking the pick.

9:12 The Eagles do trade their 4th and 6th to the Seahawks to move into their spot. The Eagles select Fletcher Cox, as expected. Twitter and Michelle explode with mature comments containing "Cox".

9:20 Larry Fitzgerald is a happy camper. The Cardinals select Micheal Floyd. Fitz will like having a real number two, and Floyd couldn't have a classier guy to learn from. I don't know much about Floyd, but I like anyone's chances learning from Fitz. All class.

9:30 As long as this pick the Rams make isn't a bust, you have to love what they've done with this draft. They've stockpiled picks, some that will be very early, in the RGIII trade. I don't expect them to be much better next year, but they should have tons of tools to rebuild. Watch for them in two or three years. Actually, the NFC West division, which has been a bit of a punchline could be pretty formidable as the Rams and Cards improve.

My war room is probably the only one that is currently having "naked time". Michelle and I are clothed, but apparently this is something good for babies. I'll have to take Michelle's word for it.

The Rams take DT Micheal Brocker.

As I finished typing that the Seahawks take DE Bruce Irvin.

The stupid Jets are on the clock.

9:40 The Jets take a pass rusher in DE Quinton Coples. "Naked time" is not surprisingly interrupted by urination. The dogs seem confused.

9:49 Bengals use the 1st they stole in the Carson Palmer trade to select Dre Kirkpatrick. If he stays healthy, Palmer will have a chance to throw passes to Kirkpatrick when they play each other in week 12.

9:55 The Chargers select Melvin Ingram. Molly is having so much fun she went to sleep. My DQ is starting to wear off.

The Rangers held on to win their game seven, and the Devils look like they are going to do the same. In a playoff that I predicted so poorly, I at least got these last two correct. I'll try to do better in the second round.

10:03 Something of a run on DE's as the Bears select Shea McClellin, a player who cheated in college by playing on a blue field.

The Patriots in an un-Patriots like move, have traded to move up to the Bengals second first round pick slot. The Titans pick is in and waiting to be announced.

10:07 Apparently everyone has places to go. WR Kendall Wright is selected by the Titans. The Patriots and Browns also have their picks in. Just announce them already!!!! I wonder how many viewers drop out after their team picks.

10:11 The Patriots selected Chandler Jones. The Browns then select 28 year old rookie Brandon Weeden.

10:14 TROOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USA!USA!USA! NFL Network chooses "Proud to be an American" as a good time to go to commercial.

10:22 Mr. Madden 13 announces the Lions selection of Riley Reiff. I knew the experts that thought he should go to the Bills were way off. The Bills don't "reach". He probably went about where he should based on my very limited knowledge.

The Steelers selected David Duchovny. That's awesome because I really like the X-Files.

I guess the guys name is actually David DeCastro. I think Mulder was the better pick here.

10:24 The Patriots move up again... What is this, bizarro world!?!? They select another defensive player in LB Dont'a Hightower.

10:28 The Texans select DE Whitney Mercilus. I officially don't care anymore. It'd be funny if I just stopped writing at this point, but I won't. Probably.

10:52 The Bengals take Kevin Zeitler. The Packers select Nick Perry. The Vikings draft Harrison Smith. The 49ers choose A.J. Jenkins. And the draft has sucked every ounce of my giving a shit.

10:57 The Bucs trade back into the first round to take Doug Martin. I knew a kid through soccer named Doug Martin, but he was a white kid, so I'm pretty sure it's not the same guy.

11:05 So we're down to it. The last pick of the draft. I am yawning with excitement. The Giants take RB David Wilson.

Well, I guess that was quick. That's a win for the NFL. It's a loss for my ADD, since I was still basically bored by the 12th pick. Michelle was significantly less entertaining this year, which I guess is good from her point of view.

Thanks for reading.

Sunday with The Sports-Casters

The definitive live blog for all things football on 11/13/11.

Saturday Night:


It's still about twenty hours until the first football's are kicked nine-yards into the end zone for the first of many touchbacks across the country. Yet, here I am typing, erasing, deleting, typing, striking out, and fighting for the best way to introduce you to this new weekly feature that will be the driving force for a budding partnership between The Sports-Casters and Pro Player Insiders.

Honestly, I am making it much harder on myself that it actually is. I want the partnership to be a success so here I sit trying tp force out the 200 most profound words I have ever written. It isn't even Sunday yet. Perfectionists everywhere are nodding their heads and giggling out of the side of their mouths thankful that it isn't them this time. Well, I'm done fighting and ready to explain what the rest of this currently blank screen is going to turn into.

The idea is this. I watch football every week for about twelve straight hours. I watch it at home with my dog Colston as I pace back and forth with my Super Bowl XLIV commemorative football in my hands. I have a beautiful 52 inch screen just inches away from a 40 inch screen that's just inches away from a 24 inch iMac that I use to monitor the Red Zone Channel. On the biggest of screens, I watch my beloved New Orleans Saints. I have calmed a bit since Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton Manning and made me the fan of the Super Bowl Champions, but I still am the type of fan that wears his heart on his sleeve ready to slam my commemorative football if frustration dares to rear its ugly head on Sunday. On the smaller screen, I usually monitor whatever game I think is best. The smaller television, you could say, is reserved for the game of the week.

Tomorrow, instead of watching with just Colston, I am inviting all of you to stop by and watch the games with me. If you are a fan of the podcast, you have probably followed our blog, and maybe even have stopped by for a live blog in the past. I will update the blog every few minutes with an observation and react to the various story lines as they play out at stadiums around the country. I might give fantasy advise, complain about the Saints, debate controversial play calls and referee decisions, while being a good host and reacting to your comments to the blog or any questions you might ask on Twitter or Facebook.

Before I sign off for the night to eat dinner with the nervous Miss Caster, (she doesn't mind when I have friend over, but she does get nervous when all of the listeners and now all of the readers at Pro Player Insiders pack our house) we should set the table for tomorrow and list some of the week ten story lines that we will be following during the live blog.

Week 10 at a Glance:

• Bills vs. Cowboys: Can the Bills get up off the matt after being punched in the mouth by the Jets last week? Can the Cowboys keep pace with the Giants in the NFC East? Will DeMarco Murray continue to run for almost 9-yards per carry? 
• Titans vs. Panthers: After showing signs of life last week, can Chris Johnson still be Chris Johnson? Can the Titans beat an emerging Panthers team on the road? If not, Houston can just about start resting starters for the playoffs, right? What will Cam Newton do tomorrow to leave us all breathless? 
• Texans vs. Buccaneers: With Gerald McCoy gone for the season, can the Bucs stop the run? Arian Foster and Ben Tate have both rushed for over 100-yards in consecutive weeks and the Texans will be sure to see how the middle of the Bucs D stands up without McCoy. Will Andre Johnson play? If he does, how does that hamstring look? Serious question, is it possible while we weren't looking the Texans have gotten healthy and emerged as the best team in the AFC?
• Jaguars vs. Colts: If the Colts are to win a game this season at home against the 2-6 Jaguars might be their best chance. Can the Colts do enough on defense to slow down MJD and force Blaine Gabbert to beat them? Can Curtis Painter/Dan Orlovsky/Kerry Collins get the ball downfield to the talented Reggie Wayne or Pierre Garcon? 
• Cardinals vs. Eagles: The Eagles loss to the Bears on Monday night has left their season on life support. Can they pick themselves up? Will the deadly Patrick Peterson score another touchdown? 
• Saints vs. Falcons: The winner of this game will likely win the NFC South. The Saints were a missed field goal away from winning in Atlanta last year and it haunted them for the rest of the season. How will the Falcons try to stop Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles? Will Drew Brees extend his steak of games with a touchdown pass to 37 and pass Brett Favre for the second longest streak in NFL history? The Saints struggle against opposing tight ends, will they have an answer for Tony Gonzalez? 
• Rams vs. Browns: Is Sam Bradford healthy? Can he lead the Rams to some victories down the stretch? Can the Browns do anything to make Tony Rizzo happy? If a tree falls near Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday at 1:30 will anyone be around to hear it? 
• Redskins vs. Dolphins: Can Reggie Bush continue his hot streak? Will the Redskins ever win a game again? Can I make that tree joke for consecutive games? How does J-Lo feel about the short Kardashian nuptials poor play of the Dolphins this season?
• Broncos vs. Chiefs: This might be the most interesting game between a 4-4 team coming off a 28-point loss at home against a previously winless team and a 3-5 team with a starting QB that has yet to complete 15 passes in a game this season. The AFC West could easily be won by a 7-9 team this year. Can the Broncos win at Arrowhead and force a three-way tie for second place at 4-5? Can the Chiefs tie the Raiders for first place at 5-4? What will Tim Tebow do this week? Will Von Miller or Jon Baldwin be the best rookie on the field? This game being so dam interesting is so unique to the NFL. 
• Steelers vs. Bengals: Can the Steelers bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to the Ravens last week? Can the Bengals prove to everyone that they are for real? Is Andy Dalton ready for a defense as good as the Steelers? What game breaking wide receiver, Mike Wallace or AJ Green, will make more game breaking plays? Is this the best game of the week? Is Rashard Mendenhall alive? With injuries to Jermaine Gresham and Donald Lee will the Bengals have a healthy tight end? 
• Ravens vs. Seahawks: Can the Ravens avoid the Steelers hangover and make the long flight to Seattle ready to play the Seahawks? The Ravens put so much into the Steelers game last week that a west coast trip to Seattle could be the last thing most of the players had in mind. Can they avoid the letdown? 
• Lions vs. Bears: The Lions have lost two of their last three games and will still be without Jahvid Best. Best rushed for 163-yards the last time the Bears and Lions played. Do the Lions have a healthy back that can make a play against the Bears defense? Can anyone stop Calvin Johnson? The Bears give up a ton of yards and catches to tight ends, could this be a career day for Brandon Pettigrew? Can Matt Forte run against Suh? Is the loser of this game in danger of missing the playoffs? 
• Giants vs. 49ers: The winner of this game will walk away as the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs and will have the inside track at the second bye week. Who will be the better former first-overall pick, Eli Manning or Alex Smith? If Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks both miss another game will the Giants be able to find enough offense against the punishing 49ers defense to win on the road? 

That is all for tonight. A few links to keep in mind for tomorrow if you are interested in following the live blog. 

• Feel free to ask questions on twitter by following @sports_casters.
• Don't be afraid to leave a comment or a question right on this page in the comment section. 
• If you would like to listen to The Sports-Casters podcast Episode 50 with Dave Dameshek, Mike Tirico, and Kerry J. Byrne you can follow this link. 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON:

Waiting patiently...

3 More Things

MLB Playoffs, Stanley Cup Prediction, The Sports-Casters

1. It has been quite a while since I have blogged and since the show has been moving quickly. It seems like we just don't have enough time to cover all that is going on in the world of sports. The podcasts have been especially packed. Last week, we talked with McLovin from the Dan Patrick Show about the struggling Eagles. We talked to Tim Layden about his book, Sports Illustrated on the iPad, and his time at the track and field world championships in Daegu, Korea. Last, we started previewing the 2011 NHL season with the Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski. We will continue to preview the season with over the course of the next month.

This Tuesday is episode 46 and it might be our best show yet. Gregg Easterbrook from ESPN's Page 2 writes a weekly column called, Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Like Don and I, Mr. Easterbrook is from Buffalo, New York. Also from Buffalo is actor/comedian/producer/media everything Nick Bakay. Nick is new to twitter and was very kind in setting up his appearance on the show. We will also talk to Matt Crossman of The Sporting News. Matt worked extensively on the annual list of top sports markets in the country. The Sporting News is also undergoing some changes in distribution of the magazine and it will be interesting to see what he thinks about the magazines future. Look for EP46 of The Sports-Casters on Tuesday evening.

2. The Major League Baseball playoffs have been nothing if not dramatic. Yankees captain Derek Jeter just missed a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that would have given the Yankees the lead in game five of their Division series against the Tigers. Instead, A-Rod shit the bit in the seventh inning and then made the last out of the game and the last out of the season for the second consecutive year. Tonight, the Brewers rode a walk off single in the tenth inning to their first appearance in the NLCS (They played in the ALCS in 1982). After the dramatic game in Milwaukee, the Phillies and their 102 regular season wins were eliminated by Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals. Carpenter was brilliant pitching eight innings and allowing only three hits. Ryan Howard (like the before mentioned A-Rod) also made his team's final out for the second consecutive season. As bad as that may have hurt Howard, the injury to his achilles could be a pain that continues to ale Phillies fans for years to come.

The baseball has been great, but I can't help but dislike the short five game series in the opening round of the playoffs. It seems like a team like the Phillies isn't given enough advantage for being the best team over the course of a 162 game season. The Phillies finished 12 games better than the Cardinals who didn't even earn a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season. The best of seven series would be more fair than the current format.

I am looking forward to the upcoming ALCS and NLCS. I will take the Rangers over the Tigers in six games and the Brewers over the Cardinals in seven. One last thing about baseball, remember in July at the all-star game when Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run to give the National League a victory and home field advantage in the World Series? Well, Fielder and the Brewers are only four wins away from the World Series starting in Milwaukee where they were an incredible 57-24 during the regular season. That all-star game home run could turn in to one of the biggest in the games history.

3. As I mentioned earlier, we started previewing the upcoming NHL season last week when the Puck Daddy joined us on the podcast. We will continue to talk about the upcoming season in the coming weeks with Jon Buccigross, Katie Baker, and some of the smartest hockey minds in the media. We will also be doing some athletes spotlight podcasts with players from NCAA Hockey, the AHL, and hopefully the NHL.

In the meantime I wanted to get some predictions for the 2011 season on paper.

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams
Buffalo Sabres (Northeast Champions)
Pittsburgh Penguins (Atlantic Champions)
Washington Capitals (Southeast Champions)
Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadians
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers

Eastern Conference Champions- Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference Playoff Teams
Vancouver Canucks (Northwest Champions)
Chicago Blackhawaks (Central Champions)
Los Angelas Kings (Pacific Champions)
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Calgary Flames

Western Conference Champions- Los Angelas Kings

Stanley Cup Finals- The Buffalo Sabers over the Los Angelas Kings in five games.

Last thing, I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S today and it wouldn't have been possible without the innovation of Steve Jobs. I have mentioned many times on this blog and on the podcast how much I enjoy the products that Apple makes. Steve Jobs was an incredible innovator and he will be missed. Rest in peace, Steve.

32 Things: A Preview of the 2011 NFL Season

Previewing the NFL Season: 1 Thing at a Time

If you are a fan of the show (and my guess is that you are if you're reading this), you know that we open each show with a segment called, "3Things." The segment gives Don and I a chance to recap the week in sports and discuss the moments, controversies and oddities from the last seven days. When I decided that the blog needed a special NFL preview post I figured it would work best if it was a print version of the podcast. So, what comes next is 32Things, one for each team in the NFL. Let's do it...

Team: Green Bay Packers Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Aaron Rogers Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Randall Cobb

1.) The bullseye is squarely on the backs of all 53 Green Bay Packer players. The Packers have gone from the hunter, as a sixth seed that won three road games before beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl, to the hunted as the team that has achieved what all of the other teams in the league set off to do. As a Saints fan, I watched how hard it is to be that team that everyone is trying to catch up to. The Packers won the Super Bowl last year without Jermichael Finley, but he is back and ready to create headaches for defensive coordinators everywhere. I don't think the Packers will repeat, but they might be the best equipped to do so since the Patriots earlier in the decade. (Projected Record: 15-1)

Team: New England Patriots Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Tom Brady Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Stevan Ridley

2.) I am very excited to watch, "Bill Belichick: A Football Life." The show is a two part documentary that will air on the NFL Network on September 15 and September 22. Belichick agreed to spend the entire 2009 football season wired for sound. If you are like me you feel like you know very little about the polarizing Belichick. Sports Programing like HBO's 24/7, Showtime's series about the 49ers and other behind the scenes type shows have given us insight we have never had before. I expect this show to be no different. (Projected Record: 14-2)

Team: Steelers Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Rashard Mendenhall Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Marcus Gilbert


3.) Last offseason was a zoo in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger was suspended for four games by the Commish and the Steelers season was in doubt before it started. In the end, the Steelers made another trip to the Super Bowl and without a late fumble by Mendenhall they might have won it. This offseason was much quieter. I expect much of the same from the Steelers this year. The Ravens will challenge them for the division and Cleveland is better. Despite that, the Steelers play the Bengals twice, the 49er, Rams, Cardinals, Colts (on 9/25 long before a potential Manning return), Jaguars, and Seahawks. If the Steelers defeat the Ravens on Sunday I will expect them to be 7-0 heading into a two game stretch against New England and Baltimore. (Projected Record: 13-3)


Team: New Orleans Saints Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Drew Brees Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Mark Ingram


4.) Anyone who listens to the show knows that I am a die hard Saints fan. I am sure, for that reason, anything that I write here will be taken with a grain of salt by most of you. The truth is, I am as critical of my team as anyone. I ditched my Saints blindfold years ago. I am always honest when it comes to the Saints. My expectation this season is another trip to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees is the best or second best QB in the NFC and he is surrounded by weapons. The defense is going to struggle early as they adjust to a ton of offseason changes. If the defense can get going and be around the lower top third in the NFC the Saints could be impossible to beat. I fully expect the season to come down to one game. Can the Saints beat the Packers in the NFC Championship? Maybe (Projected Record: 14-2)


Team: Jets Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Santonio Holmes Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Muhammad Wilkerson


5.) I can't be the only person who missed spending the summer with the New York Jets on HBO's Hard Knocks. At one point my withdrawals got so bad that I was just walking around the house mumbling "let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack." It got ugly. The Jets have gotten within a game of the Super Bowl in the last two seasons before falling in the AFC Championship Game. The Jets need to get better on offense to expect to beat Pittsburgh or New England in January. Plaxico Burress has replaced Braylon Edwards but I don't see that as any kind of massive upgrade. If the Jets are going to improve on offense than Mark Sanchez has to take the next step and Shonn Greene needs to establish himself as an every down back. (Projected Record: 11-5)


Team: Baltimore Ravens Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Ray Rice Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Jimmy Smith


6.) The Ravens have made a few subtle moves in the offseason that I think will make their team much better than last year. First, the Ravens made a great trade for Lee Evans. Evans was rotting away in Buffalo and never seemed to click with the Bills ivy league QB. Joe Flacco throws and outstanding deep ball and Lee Evans is capable of getting deep and catching them. This allows Anquan Boldin to catch the ball closer to the line of scrimmage and rack up yards after the catch. A better passing game means more room for the mega talented Ray Rice and less pressure on Joe Flacco. Next, the Ravens picked Bryant McKinney off the scrap heap, prohibit him from eating cheeseburgers, and moved Michael Oher back to RT where he was dominate in his rookie season. Last, the Ravens signed Matt Birk to play center. Sure Matt Birk is in his 14th season, but I guarantee this is the last time you think about, read about, or talk about Birk the rest of the season. That is exactly what you want from your center. I predict big things from the Ravens this session and I can't wait to watch them battle it out with the Steelers. (Projected Record: 13-3) 


Team: Atlanta Falcons Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Roddy White Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Julio Jones


7.) The Falcons paid a shit ton to acquire Julio Jones in the draft. I have been following Jones since he was a 17-year old senior playing high school ball in Alabama. Jones was a 5-star all world recruit that had narrowed his decision for college down to Oklahoma or Alabama. Ultimately, he broke my heart and decided to ball at home with Nick Saban and ended up winning a National Championship. Jones is the real deal, sure the Falcons paid a King's ransom to team him up with Roddy White and Harry Douglas in an attempt to created the greatest show on turf part two, but if it works out no one is ever going to miss those draft picks. (Projected Record: 12-4)


Team: Philadelphia Eagles Most Coveted Fantasy Player: M. Vick Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Casey Matthews


8.) The Eagles spend the entire abbreviated offseason attempting to sign every free agent with a pulse. They succeeded. The Eagles added Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin, Ronnie Brown, and Steve Smith. The Eagles also got good news when strangely ill Jeremy Maclin started to feel better and was cleared of leukemia. The Eagles have surrounded Vick with tons of talent. LeSean McCoy is a multi-demensional threat. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Mackin, and Steve Smith should spread defenses all over the field. There is still something that just doesn't feel right about the Eagles to me. I can feel the eyes of every Eagles fan reading this rolling right now but when was the last time that the big winner in the offseason was the big winner in the regular season. Didn't the Eagles attempt what the Redskins have been trying to do for the entire time that Dan Snyder has owned the team? Has it ever worked? Personally, I wouldn't have traded Kevin Kolb. (Projected Record: 10-6)


Team: San Diego Chargers  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: VJack  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget


9.) We spent a lot of time talking about the Chargers with Sports Illustrated senior writer Jim Trotter on the last episode of The Sports-Casters. One thing I noticed about the Chargers roster is that they are loaded with veterans all over the field. It seems like the clock might be ticking. The Chargers has been progressively worse each season under Norv Turner. It will be nice to enter this season with Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil on the field and not holding out like last season. The Chargers were number 1 on offense and number 1 on defense last season before awful special teams and a poor September kept them from extending their streak of AFC West division titles. If Bob Sanders can stay healthy all season he could be the steal of the offseason and the extra piece that the Chargers have been missing. Does anyone think that can happen?(Projected Record: 10-6) 


Team: Indianapolis Colts  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Reggie Wayne  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget


10.) Life without Peyton Manning has slapped the Colts and all of their fans across the face this week. Its almost impossible to picture the Colts without Manning under center. A few year ago, Tom Brady was injured during the first game of the Patriots season. Some how they were able to plug in Matt Cassel, go 11-5, and make the playoffs. I don't think the Colts have a Matt Cassel on their roster. In fact, I know they don't. They will attempt to go to battle with Kerry Collins who isn't a completely awful player. I think the Colts will rally around themselves and do the best that they can but without Payton Manning this team just isn't built for success. At least the city of Indianapolis gets to host the Super Bowl in February. (Projected Record: 7-9)


Team: San Diego Chargers  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: VJack  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget