Tex787's NBA Basketball friend's fan blogs

And it’s all over! Following a near eight hour session in which we saw rounds four through seven of the NFL Draft, we can finally put a cap on all these selections and start whipping around the league for analysis and impact. Now, as I don’t know as much about these late-rounders as I did the first two days’ worth of players, I won’t run you through too many opinions on their front. Instead I’ll add in my two cents about the draft presentations and coverage. I’ve got OH so many opinions when it comes to that.

-In one of the more interesting moves of the day, the Washington Redskins drafted Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins early in the fourth round. A perplexing move to some of the draft analysts, this pick sent the ‘net into a mini-tizzy as everyone tried to explain the rationale behind bringing in a competent QB to give Robert Griffin III pressure at his back. Cousins has the makings of a quality back-up in the NFL without ever having held a professional clipboard. Still, he was projected by some to have legitimate starting capability. He’s not going to wow you in any of his tape, but he’s an intelligent thrower who has enough arm strength to make nearly every throw. Let’s not get anything confused though. RG3 is the quarterback of the Redskins. Washington is just taking the Philly approach to things. They’ll draft Cousins, use him as a back-up in case Griffin ever gets hurt (which is likely given his play style) and then use his reputation to get assets back in a trade at some point. I get it.

Continue reading "Notes from Day Three of the NFL Draft"

In the final day of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears continued to stockpile depth at a key defensive position after getting a jump start on days one and two. But they started the day off with a pick on the offensive side of the ball to load another bullet in offensive coordinator Mike Tice’s gun. A gun named Jay Cutler. (How did that metaphor work for everyone? I’m too tired to think it’s anything other than awesome.)

At pick 111 in round number four, GM Phil Emery selected tight end Evan Rodriguez out of Temple. At 6-2 and 244 pounds, Rodriguez was all over the field for the Owls, lining up at tight end, fullback, h-back, and receiver during his college career. In 2011, he racked up 35 receptions and two scores. He’s got 4.58 speed and is a reliable pass catcher, but as with so many tight ends these days he hasn’t excelled as an in-line blocker. He’s view by Chicago as a combo fullback and tight end who can get vertical for Jay’s downfield throws. Emery went on to state that Rodriguez has a chance to compete for a starting role, which could put incumbent fullback Tyler Clutts on the outs. Tice may like Rodriguez’s versatility too much to keep him on the bench behind Clutts.

Continue reading "The Chicago Bears 2012 Draft: Day Three"

Another exciting, fast-paced night of the NFL Draft passed Friday as rounds two and three wrapped up in under four hours. Without any more filibuster, let’s get right to some of the stories that caught my eye.

-The night after taking Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the first overall pick, the Colts come back on Friday and draft Luck’s tight end Coby Fleener. At that point, the Colts had a field stretcher in a league that has gone tight end crazy. But they didn’t stop there, taking Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen at the start of the third. Allen’s more of a complete tight end than Fleener, being able to get on the end of the line and take on defenders. Still, I thought that would be the last pick for a few rounds that the Colt spent on offense. I was wrong, as they got into the end of the third round to take Florida International receiver T.Y. Hilton, who figures to get time in the slot. So I guess that GM Ryan Grigson isn’t concerned about that shittastic defense? Looks like the new Colts are going the same direction as the old Colts. Spend the valuable assets on offense and fill in the gaps with late rounders on defense. I’m puzzled by their draft. The moves will improve their offense certainly, but they needed to get much bigger on defense in order to handle new coach Chuck Pagano’s schemes.

Continue reading "Notes from Day Two of the NFL Draft"

The Chicago Bears' 2012 Draft contiuned Friday night as rounds two and three went on the air. Let's get right into their picks!

Not wanting to wait until their slotted selection at 50 overall, the Chicago Bears traded with the St. Louis Rams at 45, giving up their fifth round pick to take South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery’s 6’3”, 230 pound frame is clearly a plus for what’s been an undersized receiving corps. He had a phenomenal 2010 campaign, but his production sloughed off in 2011. Still, he managed 45 catches and seven TD’s in that “down” year.

Continue reading "The Chicago Bears 2012 Draft: Day Two"

The 2012 NFL Draft may not have been mysterious when it came to the first two picks, but the madness began before the event even started with a mega-trade! The excitement continued throughout the night and I’m here to recap as much as my fingers can manage!

-As advertised, Minnesota didn’t want to stay at number three. Oddly enough, they only moved down one spot to four, trading with Cleveland. The Browns moved up to take Alabama running back Trent Richardson ahead of whoever else might have been calling the Vikings (which was probably Tampa Bay). At first glance I was alright with the idea of ensuring you’d get your man. After seeing the trade details? The ransom was sorta insane. The Browns gave back their first, fourth, fifth, and seventh round picks for what ended up being an insurance trade. Cleveland has a lot of picks in the first few rounds (they had 13 overall), so it’s clear now they’re going for starters and not depth. I’m not crazy about the trade for a running back, but they had a glut of picks to use. For Minnesota, it was brilliant. They got three extra picks by selling a team on moving up one spot and still got their left tackle.

Continue reading "Notes from Round One of the 2012 NFL Draft"

The first 18 picks in Thursday night’s first round of the NFL Draft shook out about as well as Bears GM Phil Emery could have hoped, with the only pass-rusher coming off the board being Melvin Ingram to the Chargers at eighteen.

Instead of ends Whitney Mercilus or Chandler Jones, Shea McClellin was Emery’s pick at nineteen overall. A defensive end out of Boise State, McClellin was projected by most to go later on in the first round, but Chicago deemed him worthy of the pick ahead of the other defensive ends on the board. A versatile front-line defender, McClellin will serve at left defensive end according to Emery. Opposite Julius Peppers, McClellin will see plenty of single blockers which hopefully means more sacks from a defensive line that struggled at times in 2011. McClellin didn’t show impressive strength at the Scouting Combine, but he did show off some good speed in the 40 yard dash. A lot of the terms tossed around were “high-motor” and “active,” which would make him seem akin to Jared Allen’s demeanor and play style. The Bears spent considerable time scouting the farm boy McClellin, bringing him in for a private workout and visiting him at Boise State.

Continue reading "Bears GM Emery Takes Shea McClellin in the First Round"

Every year the first round of the NFL Draft delivers plenty of stories to discuss during the night as we prepare for the next day of analysis. The 2012 installment will be no exception with all sorts of plot lines to watch for as the night progresses. Here’s what could attract your attention as you tune in on Thursday night:

After the lack of intrigue at the first and second picks, Minnesota has been trying to stir up any sort of possible interest in the third overall selection. After tackle Matt Kalil had been penned, there’s been talk of them trying to trade down or even that they’d take corner Morris Claiborne instead. At the end of the day, they’ll likely just stand pat and take a left tackle to protect Christian Ponder. Doesn’t hurt to try I guess.

Continue reading "The 2012 NFL Draft: A First Round Tease"

The 2012 NFL Draft is quickly approaching. On Thursday night, teams across the league will place their futures in the hands of unproven commodities fresh out of college. The Chicago Bears will be among them as they try to rebound from last year’s disappointing stretch run. After picking up solid pieces in free agency, GM Phil Emery will be looking to the draft to fill holes and strengthen core units. Let’s look at some the key positions and likeliest targets for the Bears as they select 19th overall in Thursday night’s opening round of the draft.

As is the typical stance of a Lovie Smith coached Bears squad, the defensive line is clearly Emery’s top priority. After their rumored interest in Mario Williams and confirmed chasing of Jeremy Mincey, it’s evident that Chicago envisions an outside pass rusher as a significant need. If the dominoes fall in line, there are more than a few defensive ends that could be available when they get on the clock. South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram won’t be there for them and he’s not a great scheme fit anyway. Quinton Coples out of North Carolina has moved around the mock drafts as the scouting season rolls along, with some projections giving him a top ten status and others having him falling right into Chicago’s lap. His motor has been put into question but his talent has not. A likelier name to see is Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus, whose speed and ability led him to lead the nation in sacks during his final (and only significant) collegiate season. He doesn’t have a lot of game tape, so Chicago would be relying on Rod Marinelli’s master motivating skills and line technique to craft him into an elite pass rusher (much like JPP with the Giants.) Shea McClellin and Nick Perry have also been mentioned as possibilities.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Bears' Options at 19"

On the same day the Saints were punished by Roger Goodell, the New York Jets attempted to steal the headlines once again by trading for the surprisingly polarizing Tim Tebow. I say surprisingly because it’s shocking that anyone gives this much of a horse’s crap about an obviously inadequate quarterback. I don’t care how hardcore Christian he is. New York sent Denver a fourth and sixth round pick in return for the QB and a seventh round selection. After a snag about contractual obligations was resolved, Tim Tebow was a Jet. Despite my misgivings about Tebow the QB, I still feel the need to discuss the trade because it has some significant downstream consequences and subtext.

Continue reading "Tebow is a New York Jet: Yay or Nay?"

In another day of fast-breaking NFL news, the league office released a statement detailing the punishment for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints, having been investigated and found to have conducted a cash bounty system, were not above the law. Roger Goodell handed down the stiffest of sentences to the guilty parties, the most severe of which were laid on the head coach and defensive coordinator. You can read the entire statement here (and I recommend it, because it’s fantastic and very detailed), but I’ll run down the penalties facing the franchise’s staff and front office. Punishment for the players involved is still forthcoming.

-Organization fined $500,000

-Organization docked second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 drafts

Suspensions (All without pay):

Continue reading "Saints Get Pwned by Goodell for Bounty Program"