Please use other door

21-32

21.Cincinatti Bengals- David Wilson RB Virginia tech

The Bengals also need a better defensive line, but improving their running game comes second to improving the secondary. David Wilson is a good sized strong and quick back who knows what he is doing with the ball in his hands. He’s averaged more than 5 yards per carry in his career at Tech. This is a good add for the Bengals who need to replace a waste of space Cedric Benson.

22. Cleveland Browns - Kendall Wright WR Baylor

The Browns use their second pick in the first round to pair up old friends from Baylor. This pick will completely revitalize a broken offense. This is a huge chance for the Browns to turn around a franchise that has been an embarrassment since it was reinstated. Wright is a burner and Griffin throws the best deep ball in the draft. 

23. Detroit Lions - Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska

The Lions had trouble stopping the prolific passing teams they faced, and they lost in the playoffs to the Saints. To stop that from happening again they take the fourth best corner on the board. Alfonzo Dennard is one of the best corners in a deep class of corners. 

24. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jonathan Martin OT Ohio State

The Steelers had trouble last year protecting Roethlisberger and he is truly the franchise. Also the Steelers have a new offensive coordinator who might want to run the ball a little more and Jonathan Martin has the size that can help push the offensive line.

25. Denver Broncos - Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State

Michigan State had one of the best defenses in the Big 10 the past few seasons due to the success of their ability to stop the run and get to the quarterback thanks to Jerel Worthy. The Broncos have guaranteed Tebow the starting job at least for now, so I don’t see first round money on a new quarterback. Worthy helps to put pressure on the quarterback with Von Miller.

26. Houston Texans - Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina

Alshon Jeffery was a preseason top five pick and the number one receiver coming into this season. However, a lack of a sure quarterback and game changing speed held Jeffery back. The Texans have had problems at wide receiver every single season due to the injury problems of Andre Johnson. Alshon Jeffery has sure hands and great size. 

27. New England Patriots - Dontari Poe DT Memphis

There is no question that the Patriots had a historically bad defense this past season, and one of their biggest problems was forcing their young corners to defend for entirely too long due to a lack of pressure. The only player who got to the quarterback this season was Vince Wilfork. With the help of another big man inside, like Poe, maybe the Patriots can win the big one.

28. Green Bay Packers - Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State

The Packers have the same needs as the Patriots, so that’s basically all I have to say about this selection.

29. Baltimore Ravens - Dont’a Hightower LB Alabama

Everyone knows the skill of players from Alabama and Hightower was one of the leaders for that defense. If Hightower falls this far in the first round, the Ravens will jump all over this one. Ray Lewis may not say he is one foot into retirement, but he has one foot into retirement and the Ravens need a successor. Hightower can be the successor. 

30. San Francisco 49ers - Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers

He is the prototypical number one receiver. He has great size, good speed, and strong hands. The 49ers need someone opposite crabtree with better speed and better size than Crabtree. It was evident in the playoffs last season that the only real weapon in the 49er passing game is Vernon Davis and they should not waste time to take a receiver in the later rounds. Sanu is the answer.

31. New England Patriots - Whitney Mercilus OLB/DE Illinois

This follows the same reasoning for the prior Patriot pick. They need to get to the quarterback, and since Mercilus is also an outside linebacker he can play both the 4-3 or 3-4 depending on their choice this upcoming season.

32. New York Giants - Zach Brown OLB North Carolina

The New York football giants need help in just a few areas: guard, linebacker, and defensive back. I think one of the best players available here is Zach Brown and he fills one of the needs for the Giants. 

Well that’s it

Picks 11- 20

Sorry I forgot a day, my faithful 3 followers. Anyways here we go with another installment of the first round.

11. Kansas City Chiefs - Riely Reiff OT, Iowa
Reiff is the best offensive tackle remaining on the board. The Chiefs need some help on the offensive line, to help defend Matt Castle and Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs could also go for Trent Richardson here as an insurance policy for Jamaal Charles or as a thunder and lightning thing here. But they need help up front more than anything else.

12. Seattle Seahawks -Devon Still DT, Penn State

Playing with the Seahawks in Madden made me realize that the Seahawks have trouble getting pressure up front or truly stopping the run aside from Brandon Mebane. They also have an under performing Clemons on the outside. So a pass rusher up the middle will greatly improve their chances in an improving division.

13. Arizona Cardinals - Trent Richardson RB, Alabama

Alright so this one might shock some people with Beanie Wells doing an above average job last year, rushing for over 1000 yards and a decent 4 yards per carry, however he has injury issues and doesn’t seem to be the back they had hoped for a few years ago. Trent Richardson is the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson and I just don’t see him sliding past 13. The Cardinals if not needing a whole new running back, need some diversity in the backfield. As we have seen, the NFL is a two back league and the Cardinals only have one.

14. Dallas Cowboys - Dre Kirkpatrick CB, Alabama

Two members of the rolling tide team back to back. It’s no mystery that the Cowboys need help in their secondary and Kirkpatrick is the best corner other than Morris Claiborne in this class, and with the lack of strong cover corners in free agency this is the best option. You may even see Jerry Jones attempt to move into the top ten if they think Claiborne is that much better than Kirkpatrick.

15. Philadelphia Eagles - Luke Kuechly MLB, Boston College

Another non surprise in the NFC East. The Eagles struggled shutting teams down in the fourth because of their lack of run stopping ability early in the season. The linebacking core progressed as the season went on but this was the area of biggest concern throughout and Kuechly is maybe the best middle linebacker I have seen since Patrick Willis out of Ole Miss. Acheiving more than twenty tackles in more than one game is no fluke. Kuechly is a stud.

16. New York Jets - Mark Barron SS,  Alabama

Another good defensive team that needs help in the back end. The jets enjoy disguising and executing exotic blitz packages because of the ability of their cover corners. However, they were unable to do that successfully this past season because of the inability of their safeties to make big plays or even cover consistently. Mark Barron comes from that Alabama defense that didn’t allow hardly any big plays.

17. Cincinatti Bengals - Janoris Jenkins CB, North Alabama

The Bengals are running out of corners and if they don’t find a decent one in free agency they will be out of options. Jenkins is a former lock down corner in the SEC who wanted to go the supplemental draft then transferred to North Alabama. He shuts down opposing wide receivers and has decent size for the position. He is fast and very athletic. He and Dre Kirkpatrick are about even at the number two slot at cornerback in the draft and this is a good spot to take him at 17.

18. San Diego Chargers - Nick Perry DE, USC

The Chargers haven’t had anyone hit an opposing quarterback since Shawne Merriman left a few years ago after his steroid scandal. Nick Perry is a solid top ten talent that has great size and athletic ability. If the Bills don’t take him at 10, he will most likely slide to the Chargers who are grateful to take him at 18.

19. Chicago Bears -Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame

Of course the Bears need a receiver and this pick will probably change after the combine mainly depending on Alshon Jeffery’s 40 time. Jeffery is the best big hands, aside from Blackmon, and that’s what the Bears need. Some would say that the Bears would go Kendall Wright here but they don’t need another burner, they need a big guy and Floyd is a big guy who still has some speed. Cutler needs a sure handed big man that he can throw the ball up to and assume he will come down with it.

20. Tennessee Titans - Cordy Glenn OG, Georgia

The Titans were 31st on the ground last year. So with that we can either blame Chris Johnson or the line. I choose to blame the line. To build that up they are going to take a guard who can create running lanes and pass protect. Cordy Glenn is that kind of guy. Good choice here at 20.

Time for struc D again. More either later tonight or tomorrow. 

Mock draft version 1

First off, congratulations is owed to the giants for a remarkable run to another title in four years. However, the 49ers should have won. I’m still bitter Kyle Williams. Anyways, on to the most important part of the NFL offseason, the draft. The only thing during the spring semester that gets more coverage than Lebron James on a daily basis is the draft so here we go.

1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

Obviously Andrew Luck is the most highly recruited player since, well ever. The Colts struggled last year with the loss of Peyton Manning and the lack of anything at quarterback. It’s time for the Colts to wipe their hands clean of Peyton and start everything over. Peyton is 35 and is coming off a number of neck surgeries. What the Colts need to do here is have a big celebration for the greatest Colt in history and send him packing with a goodie bag from the party. Hopefully for Peyton and for the NFL he still has 3 or 4 years in him to lead another team to the playoffs and maybe even another Super Bowl title. 

With that being said, Andrew Luck is the new start that the Colts need and the perfect time for someone like him. He is Peyton all over again. A new player to build a franchise around.

2. Cleveland Browns - Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

Yeah a trade is going to happen. The Browns have been trying diligently to make young Colt the franchise, but he just isn’t the quarterback for that team. RG3 brings athleticism with arguably the best deep ball in the draft. Plus, the Rams really don’t have a need for a quarterback at this point and realize other teams do. This is a trade in which both teams will most likely benefit. The only other team that could offer the Rams anything worth trading for, are the Redskins but the Rams still need help and a talent in the top 5 so I don’t see that happening.

3.  Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT USC

Kalil is the second best player in this draft class and the Vikings have young investments behind the offensive line on every play and need to protect them. Last year’s first round pick in Christian Ponder needs protection to show that he really was worthy of a first round pick. The only other thing that could happen at this pick is Justin Blackmon, if the Rams don’t trade back. Staying at number 2, the Rams would then take Kalil and then the Vikings would be forced to choose between another quarterback and Justin Blackmon. Justin Blackmon would be the choice there.

4. St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR OkState

The Rams would have loved for the Vikings to pass on Kalil and help that horrible offensive line, however they also need help at wide receiver more than anyone in the league. Adding the best receiver of this class to help Bradford is key for the young quarterback’s development. Blackmon has great size and strong hands. He is also a terror to bring down in the open field. The only downside, he is really goofy looking.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

What a surprise another year and another LSU defensive back in the top of the first round. This school breeds star defensive players and the Buccaneers have an old corner and a corner with on and off the field issues. I speak of Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib respectively. Morris Claiborne is a lock down man defender and has great ball skills. The only other player the Bucs could take at this spot would be Trent Richardson. Richardson is a better, stronger, faster, smarter version of LeGarratte Blount. Blount is a tad slow but makes people pay when in contact. Richardson is the same size and looks for contact but can also out run dbs in the open field. Look for Richardson here if they don’t address their defensive back concerns.

6. Washington Redskins - David DeCastro, OG Stanford

DeCastro watched Andrew Luck’s back and kept his jersey clean the past few seasons and did a wonderful job. The Redskins, I believe are looking for a proven quarterback with Shanahan running the system. They will either go after Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn. If they can’t land either one of these players, then maybe they package a huge amount of picks for that number 2 spot and RG3. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina

Coples is an athletic freak and the Jaguars need some athleticism to bring excitement to this stadium. Coples is much akin to Mario Williams or Julius Peppers coming out of college. His size and speed make him much like JPP or Aldon Smith and could have an immediate impact on this young struggling defense. Yes the Jaguars have a large need at the wide receiver position as well, but I don’t see any other receivers with talent deserving of the number 7 spot.

8. Carolina Panthers - Michael Brockers, DT LSU

The Panthers had success last season with the all smiles all the time Cam Newton, but were unable to hold any team they were facing within striking distance. They were unable to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks or stop the run up the middle. A large and powerful defensive end like Michael Brockers is just the player they need to start holding opposing teams under 28 points a game. 

9. Miami Dolphins - Courtney Upshaw, DE Alabama

Another team with an up and coming offense but a struggling defense. They have youth in the back end but age up front. Adding a young talented defensive end like Courtney Upshaw can help create the one two punch with Cameron Wake that they have been searching for. This kind of pressure on the quarterback will help in a division with Tom Brady who lives on cool presence in the pocket. 

10. Buffalo Bills - Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina

The third defensive player from the SEC. What a surprise right. The Bills need help defensively up front and Ingram is fast and gets to the quarterback almost instantly. However, he is a bit small. Offensive linemen in the NFL are quicker and stronger than in the SEC where defense is king. However, his speed is so outstanding he should be able to add a decent amount of pressure to the quarterback until he bulks up and at that point he will be an absolute force.

The next ten will come tomorrow. Time for Structural Dynamics class.

Back on the Grind

So it has been a long hiatus, thank you Aerospace engineering department. Anyways this was probably the worst NFL season to be on hiatus with all the fun and exciting changes that occurred. Not really. It was just as dramatic and hyped as any year and this year it actually lived up to the drama and hype that was necessary. Let’s skip over the regular season for sake of time and the first week of playoff action, also for the sake of time and my already tired writing muscles. 

To break down this little “back into the writing action” article of sorts I’ll start with my synopsis on the divisional round of action along with my feelings on the one and only Tebow, then I will move forward to the more pressing matters such as playoff predictions and award predictions from the regular season.

 Tebow…
Yeah he gets an ellipses and not a colon because I believe he is an incomplete football player. So here is how I look at the guy: Good person yes, good leader sure, but still an absolutely horrendous NFL quarterback. The man has no business being a starter on an NFL squad. His throwing motion, which makes me want to vomit every single time I watch it, lacks the fundamentals that should be taught in peewee league football. Purely from a statistical standpoint Tebow is nowhere up to NFL standards. The average completion percentage in the NFL over the past 9 seasons was 59.4%. Our beloved Tebow was a meager 46.5%. The average passer rating in that time was roughly 80. Tebow managed a rating of 72.9 in a pass happy NFL. The only positive I give Tebow is his ability to escape and hold on to the football. However, this positive is only created because of his inability to throw the ball accurately from pocket. Tebow upon hiking the ball proceeds immediately to scramble and run in circles like a chicken with his head cutoff. Some of you might say at this point, “well hes a good christian and he knows how to win”. And to you I say, his defense knows how to win, I know how to win, and a priest and the pope are good christians but does that mean they have the right to start on an NFL team? No they don’t. Tebow never had business playing the quarterback position from the start. He had no business being drafted in the first round, and he had no business ever starting for the Broncos. Right now he could have become a large 6’3” linebacker  who could command the defense for any team, instead he had to be stubborn and ruin what could have been a Brian Urlacher-esque career. However, I don’t put the fault entirely on Tebow. I put the fault on his coaches along the way who started this man at the quarterback position and fostered his love for the position. Some fault that I put on Tebow is that he isn’t truly trying his hardest. If he were trying his hardest he wouldn’t have that backwards throwing motion that has gotten him into trouble his entire career. Well that’s all I have to say about that (yeah Forest Gump reference).

Divisional playoffs:

Moral of the story in the divisional round, the better defense prevails, unless you have Tebow, which in that case the team without Tebow prevails. Anyways the divisional round showcased what I thought was the best game of this NFL season, the 49ers and Saints. If you haven’t seen it I suggest that you go back and watch it. We also witnessed the upsetting of the NFL’s most popular team at this point, the Green Bay Packers. Their offense looked  inept and the defense looked mediocre at best. Where was the intensity, where was the passion. The number one seed in the NFL playoffs and the best team in the league should not be dropping passes left and right, and missing tackles on every single play. A poor showing in the NFL on any week and any team can beat you. And T.J. Yates’s poor play on Sunday afternoon sent the Texans home packing. The Texans may have had one of the best shows of defense in this playoff tournament so far but no amazing defense can make up for that many interceptions by a rookie quarterback. Some of Yates’s mistakes could have been blamed on poor communication or a lack of effort on the receivers’s parts but most of the mistakes were Yates’s persistent staring down receivers. No mater at what level you play football it is a cardinal sin as a quarterback to get locked on to one receiver. Every time Yates locked on to a receiver, Ed Reed came swooping in and stole another one. Yeah he’s a rookie but he played in college and he knows better.

Championship round.

49ers vs Giants.
This game, according to the most recent weather reports, appears to be a mud fest and a game controlled in the trenches(not that any game isn’t controlled in the trenches). 

The Giants are hot, most likely the hottest team in the NFL. The team is throwing the ball around and the defense is getting to the quarterback, just as they always do this time of the year. The key to the Giants success is their yards after catch. Victor Cruz has been one of the most dynamic play makers in the NFL this season due to his ability to separate quickly then make plays after the catch. If the short and intermediate passing game is working then the Giants have a good chance to get back into the title game. However that isn’t all the Giants need to make a super bowl dream come true. They need to control the clock and get the 49ers off the field on third downs. The 49ers don’t make mistakes like the Packers did last week. This game is going to be won on third downs and in clock management. 

The 49ers control games on defense. They are fundamentally sound and control the clock. The key for the 49ers just as for the Giants is to control the clock and keep Eli Manning and the Giants’s offense off the field. As stated, the 49ers have a run stopping defense which forces the opponents into long third down situations. This run stopping trend needs to continue against the Giants. If Eli manning and the Giants are in 3rd and 8 or 3rd and 9 all day the 49ers won’t have to put 36 points up to advance to the Super Bowl. Last week we saw the heroics of Alex Smith and Vernon Davis. This week, however, the Giants have the pass rush to stop the passing threat of Alex Smith and Vernon Davis. For that reason, the 49ers offensive line needs to play their best game of the season against the best defensive line they will see. The Giants have the ability to get to the quarterback or get in the backfield with only 4 down linemen. Look for the 49ers to use play action pass after developing the run game to alleviate the pressure Alex Smith will see.

Prediction:
49ers narrowly beat the Giants in another thriller in the bay area. The 49ers defense contains the Giants big play threats and keeps hold of the game. 24-21 49ers.  

As for that other game being playing on the other side of the United States. 

The Patriots and Ravens are another case of strength vs strength and also weakness vs weakness. Since we know the prowess of the Ravens defense and the proficiency of Tom Brady and his tight ends, that aspect of the game will be a relative wash. As for the battle of weakness vs weakness that is where the game will be won. The Ravens offense has struggled in recent weeks and at times too much pressure was put on Joe Flacco. The key to this game will be limiting the opportunities for Flacco to make mistakes. The Patriot’s defense thrives on the idea of bend but don’t break. And when I mean bend, they bend historically. The Patriots and well Packers were historically terrible defensively. If the Ravens want to win this game, they will need to hand the ball to their little bowling ball at least 25 times. If Ray Rice has the ball that many times they will control the clock and keep Tom Brady off the field. This is also the key for the Patriots to win this game. They need to force the game into the hands of Joe Flacco, force the Ravens into 3rd down and long situations in which Flacco will be forced to throw the ball. 

Predition: 
I think Ray Rice has the capability in this game to touch to ball around 35 times. If that happens the Ravens are marching to their first Super Bowl in a while. With that being said Rice will end the game with over 200 all purpose yards and three touchdowns to his name. Ravens win by a touchdown in a relatively low scoring game.

23-16 Ravens. 

rumblin and tumblin

So first thing, why do the Giants have to make my heart stop every time they play. This lack or run support is nearly historic, and as of late the pitching has let up a little and has accounted for these two losses in the three games against the Padres in San Francisco. Not a big deal though, the Giants are still in first place and seem to stay there at least until the all star break. 

Second thing

, Disney world is coming up soon and I am surprisingly excited. I haven’t been before and I am more excited to go to this than anything I can remember. 

NBA Playoffs second round

Eastern Conference:

8 Memphis vs 4 Thunder

Memphis pulled off the upset against the aging Spurs and stunned the basketball world. The key to their upset: Size and speed underneath. San Antonio didn’t have anyone to guard both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph consistently through 48 minutes every game. However, the Thunder do have the size and speed to deal with Memphis. The addition of Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder was probably the most influential trade in the season. Yes more important than the Carmelo Anthony trade. Perkins adds size underneath to body up against someone like Zach Randolph, and Serge Ibaka can hold his own against Marc Gasol. Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook are going to need to play within themselves this series. If Westbrook starts heaving threes like he did occasionally against the Nuggets the Grizzlies will take advantage and score quickly in transition like they did against the Spurs. Westbrook is going to need to let this series come to him. Durant will continue to average over 30 points but Westbrook’s production will drop significantly with guards like OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, and Sam Young switching off on him every thirty seconds. 

Prediction: OKC goes to its first conference championship game after a long 7 game series with the Grizzlies. 

2 Lakers vs 3 Dallas

The Lakers had trouble guarding the speed of Chris Paul in their opening match up of these playoffs and the Mavericks had trouble guarding Lamarcus Aldridge in their opening round series. Look for the two coaches to try and reuse the same tactics that New Orleans and Portland used in their first round match ups. With that being said, expect to see a lot of slashing by quick guard, JJ Barea. But the Mavericks have an even bigger problem than the Lakers with dealing with small guards. The Mavericks have to  deal with Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum(if he stays healthy), and Pau Gasol. The Mavericks had trouble dealing with one big man, now they have to face three. This is where the Mavericks are going to fall apart. Dirk and Kobe will draw even every night and match each other point for point, but the big men for LA will outscore the big men for Dallas over and over again. 

Lakers win in 6 due to the presence of their front line.

Eastern Conference:
1 Bulls vs 5 Atlanta

I didn’t expect Atlanta to beat the Magic due to their lack of size in the front court, but apparently you can make up a lack of size if the other team only has one player. The Bulls have more than one player, and even if they did only have one player that one player is named Derrick Rose who is faster and better than anyone on the Atlanta team. Atlanta is going to struggle just as Indiana did to guard Derrick Rose when he slashes to the basket. Hawks players will end up in foul trouble early and bench players will be on the floor for too long. I don’t think the Hawks stand a chance in this one. The Bulls are led by the MVP and Rose can turn it on at any time he wants and just blow by half of the Atlanta team in just one step.

Bulls win in 5 after Tom Thibodeau wins his coach of the year and D Rose gets his MVP trophy.

2 Heat vs 3 Celtics
The best series of the second round and maybe even the best series of the playoffs. The Heat and Celtics have played four times this season and the Celtics hold the season advantage going 3-1 against the Heat, but I don’t really count the first game because the Heat barely knew their new teammate’s names. In the games the Celtics won, they forced Dwayne Wade to shoot jump shots and drive into a crowded lane and take bad shots or turn the ball over. Wade knows that he has struggled to play against the Celtics this season but with that mind set he can’t continue to force shots against a smart defensive team. The Celtics have been here before and know how to shut down teams late in the game and especially in the post season. However, the Heat have Lebron James. When Lebron is on top of every aspect of his game, the Heat are unbeatable. Lately Lebron have been out of control and dominating games like he knows how to. The other man of the new big three, Chris Bosh, was the player who picked up his game against the Celtics. He shot 55% against the Celtics and limited his turnovers. If Chris Bosh can do the same as he has done in the last two matchup against the green men from Boston then the pressure is put back on the Celtics to perform. The Celtics are going to turn to Rajon Rondo in this game, as the Heat don’t have anyone to matchup against him. Rondo is one of the best point guards in the game and has elevated his game in the playoffs. If he can average a double double in this series I don’t see how the Heat can advance.

Prediction:
Rajon Rondo does not average a double double, the Heat win in 7. 

15

Mike Pouncey. Miami did address a need at center and offensive line. They could have taken a jump at Mark Ingram here but this is a smart pick for an offensive lineman. When teams start to take risks for flashy athletic players they forget that teams are built from the inside out.