working

ADVERTISERS

Sports Outside the Beltway

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #4 – Washington Redskins- OT Trent Williams

The 3rd Oklahoma Sooner in the first four picks

NFL.com writes- Williams is an intense run blocker that played on the left side his senior year but will find a better fit as a right tackle at the next level. He has good size, but could still add quite a bit of bulk after a few years in the NFL. He does a good job of playing over his feet on run blocks which allows him to sustain blocks and redirect with movement. Once he smells blood he will drive opponents into the ground. As a pass blocker he shows good technique but lacks the top lateral range to stay with premier pass rushers coming off the edge.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #3 – Tampa Bay- DT Gerald McCoy

NFL.com writes- McCoy has an excellent combination of size, strength and athleticism for an interior lineman in a 4-3 scheme. He doesn’t have the bulk to fit as a two gap nose tackle at the next level, but is Oklahoma’s most active defender. McCoy possesses outstanding initial quickness to penetrate the line of scrimmage and disrupt the running game as well as pressure the quarterback. He has strong quick hands to control blockers but can improve his consistency in this area. McCoy has the natural strength necessary to hold the point, but is best when stunting. McCoy is one of the top defensive linemen in this year’s draft and is likely to be a high pick that will impact a club in his rookie season.

 

NFL Draft 2010 – Round 1 #1 – St. Louis Rams – QB Sam Bradford

The Rams needed a Quarterback, so they took the best one in the draft.

With Bradford, the biggest question may be his durability.

NFL.com writes- Bradford won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore in 2008 and then decided after his junior year to come out early. He missed most of the season after injuring and then re-injuring his shoulder which required surgery to repair in October of 2009. He has won a lot of games between his years at Oklahoma as well as during high school. He can be extremely accurate in the short to intermediate passing game and will flash the ability to time his throws leading his receivers so that they can catch the ball in stride when going downfield. While he may need a year or two to develop into a starting quarterback, he does have a tremendous upside.

 

2010 NCAA Women’s Tournament Bracket

Here it is-

2010 Women's bracket

Like with the Men’s tournament, I’ll take a shot at making some guesses predictions in the women’s also.

 

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.

 

Are you ready for some bowling? II

No I’m not talking about some middle aged man propelling a ball at some objects at the end of a lane, but the games that climax every college football season. Bowl season officially starts this afternoon, here are the matchups for all the college football fanatics out there.

Note- I gave the shortened name version of all the upcoming games. Also I listed what broadcast network would be televising the game and what time they would be coming on the air. All times are Eastern Standard.

Dec 19

New Mexico- Fresno State vs. Wyoming 4:30 p.m. ESPN
St. Petersburg- Central Florida vs. Rutgers 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 20

R+L Carriers New Orleans- Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee 8:30 p.m. ESPN

Dec 22

MAACO Las Vegas- Oregon State vs. BYU 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 23

Poinsettia- Utah vs. Cal 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 24

Sheraton Hawaii- Nevada vs. SMU 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 26

Little Caesars- Marshall vs. Ohio 1 p.m. ESPN
Meineke- Pitt vs. North Carolina 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Emerald- Boston College vs. USC 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 27

Music City- Kentucky vs. Clemson 8:30 p.m. ESPN

Dec 28

Independence- Texas A&M vs. Georgia 5 p.m. ESPN2

Dec 29

EagleBank- UCLA vs. Temple 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Champs Sports- Miami vs. Wisconsin 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 30

Humanitarian- Bowling Green vs. Idaho 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Holiday- Arizona vs. Nebraska 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec 31

Armed Forces- Houston vs. Air Force Noon ESPN
Sun- Oklahoma vs. Stanford 2 p.m. CBS
Texas- Navy vs. Missouri 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Minnesota vs. Iowa State 6 p.m. NFL Network
Chick-fil-A- Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee 7:30 p.m. ESPN

Jan 1

Outback- Northwestern vs. Auburn 11 a.m. ESPN
Capital One- Penn State vs. LSU 1 p.m. ABC
Gator- West Virginia vs. Florida State 1 p.m. CBS
Rose Bowl- Ohio State vs. Oregon 4:30 p.m. ABC
Sugar- Cincinnati vs. Florida 8:30 p.m. FOX

Jan 2

International- South Florida vs. Northern Illinois Noon ESPN2
Papajohns.com- South Carolina vs. UConn 2 p.m. ESPN
Cotton- Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss 2 p.m. FOX
Liberty- Arkansas vs. East Carolina 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Valero Alamo- Michigan State vs. Texas Tech 9 p.m. ESPN

Jan 4

Fiesta- Boise State vs. TCU 8 p.m. FOX

Jan 5

FedEx Orange- Iowa vs. Georgia Tech 8 p.m. FOX

Jan 6th

GMAC- Central Michigan vs. Troy 7 p.m. ESPN

Jan 7th

BCS National Championship Game- Texas vs. Alabama Jan. 7 8 p.m.

Some random notes on the above 34 games

*- 19 of the 34 games are not scheduled till Dec. 31st or later. I guess college football fanatics are expected to flip channels very quickly on those 3 days(Dec 31-Jan 2) when 15 games are being aired.
*- What a downer must it be for Oregon State players and fans. A few weeks ago they were one win from a Rose Bowl trip. Instead they lost to Oregon and are playing in a minor bowl before Christmas.
*- The NFL network televises a college football game. I guess that’s the cable sports equivalent of the Sci-Fi channel showing wrestling….
*- The bowls are now set where now certain conference finishers are locked into the same bowl games every year. I understand why the current system is done, but I prefer the day when bowl games would have greater variance from year to year. The Peach bowl would usually invite a ACC or SEC school but they could be creative, like when they invited Army and Illinois. Wouldn’t a SEC team against BYU or Wyoming be nice for a change?
*- Bobby Bowden’s farewell game is against the same school(West Virginia) that he left before coming to Florida State. I do know FSU and WV have played at least twice previously in bowls during the Bowden-Florida State era.

 

Former Washington Huskies head coach Jim Owens dead at 82

He also served as athletic director for 9 years. RIP.

Jim Owens, who played at Oklahoma for Bud Wilkinson and coached the University of Washington for 18 seasons, has died at his home Saturday. He was 82.

Washington confirmed Owens’ death.

Owens coached at Washington from 1957 until his retirement in 1974, leading a resurgence in West Coast football. He went 99-82-6 in his nearly two decades as Huskies coach, including three Rose Bowl trips. He also served as athletic director at UW from 1960-69.

His accomplishments at UW were honored in 2003 when the university dedicated a statue of Owens outside one of the entrances to Husky Stadium. But that honor came with protests about his treatment of black players during his time at Washington.

 

NFL Draft 2009 Round 7 #229 – Dallas Cowboys – WR Manuel Johnson

With their 11th and final pick of the draft, the Dallas Cowboys finally take a wide receiver, Oklahoma’s Manuel Johnson.

NFL.com is kind, saying “Johnson has the quickness and speed that teams crave at the wide receiver position. He may have been better than Juaquin Iglesias (Round 3, 99th overall to the Bears) at catching the ball at Oklahoma. Johnson is a small receiver, but he’s got the ability to stick in the NFL.”

Overview

Oklahoma’s offense has so many stars that a solid contributor like Johnson can go unnoticed. While not particularly tall, strong or fast, Johnson’s consistent production over the past three seasons in a complementary role has not gone unnoticed by scouts.

His 42 catches for 714 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008 would have increased if not for a grotesquely dislocated elbow injury suffered against Kansas. Given his tough play on the field and work ethic in practice, it was no surprise when he returned with a brace after missing only one game. Had an arm span of 32 1/2 inches and a hand span of 8 3/4 inches at the combine.

High School

Played quarterback and wide receiver … threw for 48 career touchdowns, ran for 18 scores and caught 17 more… No. 13 wide receiver in the nation (Rivals.com) … No. 16 player Postseason Texas Top 100 (Rivals.com) … No. 21 player in Texas (SuperPrep) … MVP District 13-AAA (2004) … MVP All East Texas (2004) … first team All-State (2004) … Dave Campbell Player of the Year (2004) … first-team All-State (2003) … also a member of the basketball and track and field teams … coached by Jeff Traylor.

Analysis

Positives: More than the sum of his parts. Lanky build with room for additional mass without a significant loss in quickness. At least adequate straight-line speed. Good agility. Can plant his hips and drive out of his breaks to generate separation. Reliable route-runner. Secure hands. Can extend outside of his frame to make the tough catch. Tough. Courageous over the middle. Emerged as a senior and some feel he could be an ascending player. Looks to make a block at the second level. Good locker room presence.

Negatives: Better football player than athlete. May lack upside. Marginal deep speed. Doesn’t make defenders miss in the open field. Production inflated by his role in this explosive offense. Elbow requires a medical check.

Scouts.com has him as the 36th best WR in this draft class.

Overall Football Traits
Production 3 2005-’06: Johnson starts six of the 22 games he appears in catching 46 passes for a total of 548 yards and four touchdowns. 2007: Johnson starts seven of the 14 games he appears in catching 31 passes for a total of 448 yards and four touchdowns and completing his lone pass attempt for 25 yards. 2008: Johnson appears in 13 games catching 42 passes for a total of 714 yards and nine touchdowns.
Height-Weight-Speed 4 Adequate height and top-end speed for the position but marginal bulk.
Durability 3 2006: Sustains a knee injury that keeps him out of the Baylor game. 2008: Dislocates elbow against Kansas. Misses one game and limited in several others. 2009: Does not work out at combine because of a hamstring injury.
Character 3 Majors in Sociology and there have been no off-the-field incidents to our knowledge.
Wide Receiver specific Traits
Separation Skills 4 Makes crisp cuts and runs precise routes but doesn’t show great burst coming out of breaks and going to have a harder time separating from man coverage at the NFL level. Lacks ideal initial quickness and inability to drive corners back allows them to sit on comeback routes. Can get muscled put of routes.
Ball Skills 4 Relatively small hands and drops some passes that should catch. Still has some problems catching passes in stride but appeared to improve in this area as the 2008 season progressed. Does an adequate job of opening hips and can adjust to passes thrown behind him.
Vertical Speed 3 Uses nice hesitation move to avoid contact at the line of scrimmage and shows a second gear when tracking the ball downfield but doesn’t have elite top-end speed.
Run After Catch 3 Fluid turning upfield, reaches top-end speed quickly and shows good vision when gets into space. Adequate not great elusiveness and flashes the ability to make first defender miss but lacks breakaway speed. Isn’t going to pick up many yards after contact. Doesn’t always carry ball in the outside arm, can run with hit at hip level and can put the ball on the ground. (see third quarter of the 2008 Texas game)
Competitiveness and Toughness 2 Not afraid to go over the middle. Willing to throw blocks downfield and tries to spring teammates for long runs but raw technique. Takes poor angles to blocks and doesn’t break down into a sound blocking position when gets to assignments.

 

Oklahoma WR injured in car crash

The accident took place on Friday afternoon.

Oklahoma wide receiver Corey Wilson has been critically injured in a rollover collision on Interstate 35.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the 20-year-old from Carrollton, Texas, was flown in critical condition with head and internal injuries to OU Medical Center after the crash about 1 p.m. Friday near Pauls Valley. A hospital spokesman says Wilson’s family asked that his condition not be released.

The patrol says Wilson was southbound on I-35 when his Chevrolet Trailblazer collided with a pickup, ran off the road and rolled twice, throwing him about 45 feet from the vehicle.

Say a prayer for Corey Wilson and his family.

 

Are you ready for some bowling?

No I’m not talking about some middle aged man propelling a ball at some objects at the end of a lane, but the games that climax every college football season. Bowl season officially starts this Saturday, here are the matchups for all the college football fanatics out there.

Dec 20
Eaglebank Bowl- Wake Forest vs Navy
New Mexico Bowl- Colorado State vs Fresno St
MAGICJACK ST. PETERSBURG BOWL- Memphis vs. South Florida
PIONEER LAS VEGAS BOWL- Brigham Young vs Arizona
Dec 21
R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL- Southern Miss vs. Troy
Dec 23
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL- Boise St vs TCU
Dec 24
SHERATON HAWAII BOWL- Hawaii vs Notre Dame
Dec 26
MOTOR CITY BOWL- Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
Saturday, December 27
MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL- West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Champs Sports Bowl- Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Emerald Bowl- Miami (FL) vs. California
December 28
Independence Bowl- Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL- North Carolina State vs. Rutgers
Valero Alamo Bowl- Missouri vs. No. 23 Northwestern
Tuesday, December 30
ROADY’S HUMANITARIAN BOWL- Maryland vs. Nevada
PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL- Oklahoma State vs. No. 17 Oregon
Texas Bowl- Western Michigan vs. Rice
Wednesday, December 31
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL- Houston vs. Air Force
Sun Bowl- Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY BOWL- Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
Insight Bowl- Kansas vs. Minnesota
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL- LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Thursday, January 1
OUTBACK BOWL- South Carolina vs. Iowa
CAPITAL ONE BOWL- Georgia vs. Michigan State
Gator Bowl- Nebraska vs. Clemson
Rose Bowl- Penn State vs. USC
Fedex Orange Bowl- Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Friday, January 2
Cotton Bowl- Mississippi vs. Texas Tech
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL- Kentucky vs. East Carolina
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL- Utah vs. Alabama
January 3
INTERNATIONAL BOWL- Buffalo vs. Connecticut
January 5
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL- Ohio State vs. Texas
January 6
GMAC Bowl- Ball State vs. Tulsa*
January 8
FEDEX BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME- Florida vs. Oklahoma

That’s 34 games, 68 schools spread over a period of 20 days for those of you keeping score at home. An ample supply of college football for any fanatics out there.

A few notes

*- There are a few bowl games remaining without corporate names in their title. Gator, Sun, Texas, Independence. Were these games unable to find sponsors?
*- Will Oklahoma St. and Oregon combine for 70 pts or more in the Holiday Bowl? This annually has been of the most high scoring affairs.
*- Oh how has the Orange Bowl dropped. A game that featured early triumphs of Joe Paterno led Penn State, Nebraska and Oklahoma in their glory days, the first major bowl appearance of Florida State, and the all time classic 84 battle between Nebraska and Miami, has Cincinnati and Virginia Tech playing this year. I’m sure they are talented football teams, but how many people are drooling to see them play in a prime-time network slot?
*- Arizona and BYU meet in a bowl 30 years after the former left the WAC conference for the higher profile Pac Eight(Now Ten, Arizona State joined also)
*- Vanderbilt makes a rare bowl appearance. Congratulations to Commodore fans, but this is a sign of how bowls are grown way out of proportion. 6-6 college teams get bids. When I was growing up I could remember Florida State going without a bowl in 1978 even though they finished the season 8-3.

It is my humble opinion that bowl season has gotten out of hand. Someone may say what’s the big deal? If someone wants to start a bowl game and there are two schools willing to play in it, does their records matter. A good football isn’t only a contest between stars at big name schools.

All true, but how much public money is spent on these affairs? Many of the teams are state universities who get funded by taxpayers. Then there is the game itself where police have to be taken from other tasks to work the day or night of the game or paid over-time.

With the economic downturn right now, you have to wonder if there will be less bowls in the near future. That would depend on how long a deal a corporate sponsor signed on for. I wonder how many fans of some schools plan to make a bowl trip. Are there 1,000 or more FAU Owls willing to journey from Florida to Michigan in December to watch the team play? Even if I were a Owl fan and had money, I’d stay home.

Enjoy the games.

 
 


Visitors Since Feb. 4, 2003

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