working

ADVERTISERS

Sports Outside the Beltway

NFL Draft 2011 Round 1 #15 Miami Dolphins C Mike Pouncey

Will my Dolphins pick or trade. I think they will trade down.

They don’t trade

NFL.com says-

Pouncey is arguably this class’ top interior offensive line prospect. He has outstanding football IQ and the ability to become a pro-bowl starter at guard or center. Has great feet needed to mirror pass rushers and pull down the line. Uses his hands well when battling in pass protection. Shows his understanding of the game when recognizing blitzers and effectively combo blocking with teammates. Plays with passion and aggressiveness and has the work-ethic to continue to improve. Defensive tackles with more size and strength than Pouncey can be his kryptonite but there aren’t many holes in this guy’s game. A first round prospect.

 

Florida Gator Coach Urban Meyer to step down

He did the same thing a year ago but came back for the 2010 NCAA Football season. From ESPN-

Urban Meyer is stepping down as football coach at Florida, the school’s athletic director announced Wednesday.

“I fully grasp the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field,” Meyer said.

“I will profoundly miss coming to campus every day to coach this team, but I will always be a Gator at heart,” he said.

A news conference was scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Meyer will coach his last game for Florida in the Outback Bowl against Penn State on January 1st in Tampa.

The Gators, who won two national championships and two Southeastern Conference titles under Meyer, had a disappointing season in 2010, going 7-5 (4-4 SEC).

Meyer has been a three-time national coach of the year. 2010 was a frustrating year for Meyer(as it was for almost all of Florida college football). I suspect Meyer is real this time around in quitting but I expect him to return some day.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 3 #11- Chicago- S Major Wright

The first selection of the draft for Bears.

NFL.com writes- Pick Analysis: The Bears have struggled at safety over the past few years, and the selection of Major Wright is an attempt to finally shore up the spot. He has solid overall skills, and gives Chicago a steady presence in the middle of the field. Given the team’s preference for playing two-deep coverage, Wright’s consistent play is a welcome addition.

Overview

Wright has good size, strength and toughness for the safety position. He is an instinctive defender that fills the alley quickly versus the run. He is a good open field tackler and can be physical to deliver a big hit. Wright reads route progressions well and is solid leveraging the ball in zone coverage’s. He can be inconsistent to shed blockers and will need to improve in this phase of his game at the next level. Wright doesn’t have great speed or agility which may limit his ability to be effective in zone coverage. Wright is a good football player that wins with toughness, instincts and technique but may lack the pure athleticism to break into a starting roll at the next level.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #25- Denver(From Baltimore)- QB Tim Tebow

I don’t think Tebow is going to be a top level NFL Quarterback. Denver, who recently acquired Brady Quinn, will be looking for another Quarterback draft within 3 years. IMHO.

NFL.com writes- Pick Analysis: Josh McDaniels continues to place himself in the midst of controversy with his draft day decisions. By selecting Tim Tebow, the Broncos opted to bypass on Jimmy Clausen in favor of a quarterback more adept at running a spread offense. While critics will talk about Tebow’s quirky mechanics and throwing motion, his character profile is in line with McDaniels’ desire to create a strong locker room rooted in team-first principles. In addition, the presence of Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn ensures that Tebow will have the opportunity to fully develop as a passer before he takes the field in a season or two.

Overview

Tebow is arguably one of the best college quarterbacks of all time. He has won a lot of games over the years as he is a perfect fit for Urban Meyer’s offensive system. He will need a lot of retraining when he gets to an NFL camp as he plays out of the shotgun formation and will need a lot of work on dropping from center and setting up in the pocket while reading coverage schemes. He has a strong arm but his accuracy has been inconsistent over the years as he often ends up throwing the ball when on the move. He is not generally real quick to pull the trigger once he decides where he wants to throw the ball.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #18- Pittsburgh- C Maurkice Pouncey

A center in the first round. Something not seen too often.

NFL.com writes-

Pouncey is a versatile lineman that has lined up at both center and guard. He is a squatty, quick-footed athlete that can roll his hips to redirect and adjust to movement or sink his hips to hunker down against a powerful bull rush by big nose tackles. He is quick with his first step after the snap and quick to get a fit with his hands but will let his weight get too far forward at times. Pouncey had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in May of 2009 and durability could become a concern down the road. He should be quick to see the playing field thanks to his versatility.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #7- Cleveland- CB Joe Haden

NFL.com writes- Haden has had an outstanding career for the Gators as their most active defender in their secondary during that time. Haden is an excellent combination of size, strength and athleticism. He has great foot quickness, balance and agility to maintain proper body positioning in coverage. Haden has excellent hips to open turn and run with receivers as well as burst to stay in his opponent’s hip pocket. Haden is a solid run support defender on the perimeter but can be inconsistent being physical. He understands route progressions but doesn’t always react quickly as plays unfold. Haden can be too aggressive with the ball in the air at times but shows very good ball skills which make him a great playmaker. Haden is one of the top cornerbacks in the 2010 draft and should go early on day one.

 

2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament- March 18th

This post will remain at the top of the blog for the rest of today. To see newer posts, scroll down.

As results come in today, I will update this post. I’ll also include any related tournament news here.

1st result- Old Dominion defeats Notre Dame 51-50
1st overtime game- BYU beats Florida 99-92 in double OT
Close call- #2 seed Villanova beats Robert Morris 73-70 in overtime.
First big upset- #13 Murray State beats Vanderbilt 66-65
Baylor beats Sam Houston St. 68-59
Kansas State beats North Texas State 82-62
St. Mary’s beats Richmond 80-71
Butler beats UTEP 77-59
Kentucky beats East Tennessee St. 100-71
Ohio beats Georgetown 97-83
Washington beats Marquette 80-78
Northern Iowa beats UNLV 69-66
#1 Kansas beats Lehigh 90-74
New Mexico beats Montana 62-57
Wake Forest beats Texas 81-80

 

2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball predictions

Here are my selections-

2010 predictions1

2010 predictions2

So you heard it here first. Duke and Ohio State in the finals.

Note- Starting tomorrow I will have a sticky post at the top of the blog featuring that day’s results. Feel free to make your own predictions in the comment.

 

2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket

Well here it is-

2010 bracket

I don’t have to say. Later in the week, I’ll take a shot at predicting the outcome.

 

2010 NFL Draft to include record tying 53 non-seniors

The 2008 NFL Draft also saw the same amount of under classmen. In 2009 the total was 46. From AP-

The expected heavy influx of non-seniors applying for this year’s NFL draft did not happen despite looming labor unrest in the league.

Although a record-tying 53 players declared for early entry, that number released Tuesday by the NFL was short of most projections.

“I think that the colleges have really done a good job of telling these young men how it is to their advantage to stay in school,” said NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt, who helped build the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. “I thought there would be more and I was surprised.”

Six All-Americans did apply for the draft: defensive backs Eric Berry of Tennessee and Joe Haden of Florida; defensive end Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech; tight end Aaron Hernandez of Florida; linebacker Rolando McClain of Alabama; and wide receiver Golden Tate of Notre Dame.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, also declared for April’s draft, along with Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead; Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen; Southern California running back Joe McKnight; Cal running back Jahvid Best; Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap; and Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman.

Fresno State tailback Ryan Mathews, the nation’s leading rusher, applied. So did tackles Bryan Bulaga of Iowa and Anthony Davis of Rutgers, who are projected to go high in the draft.

I remember when Herschel Walker came out of school(U of Georgia) early and all the controversy it caused. A Herschel Walker today wouldn’t risk a potential big payday in the NFL either.

What I don’t get is how some experts expected the total of non-seniors to be around 100 or a 100% increase from last year. Maybe I’ll find an article that list the college players who stuck it out. A free college education should be valued. One day your sports playing days will end and what will you do for money then? Look at Bernie Kosar who left the University of Miami early for the NFL. Right now he is bankruptcy court.

The entire list of college underclassman declaring for this year’s NFL draft is below the fold.

 
 


Visitors Since Feb. 4, 2003

All original content copyright 2003-2008 by OTB Media. All rights reserved.