For the first time in years the Lions are going to go defense first in the NFL draft.  The last time they did they drafted LB Ernie Sims.  It has worked out well so far.  This year it appears that Florida DE Derrick Harvey will be the Lions pick at no. 15.  If Harvey is drafted before the Lions pick, Tennessee LB Jerrod Mayo will be the pick.

  The Lions have signed veterans at CB and S in Brian Kelly and Dwight Smith.  They also traded for Cleveland CB Leigh Bodden.  The Lions biggest defensive needs are at DE and LB.  The Lions need a DE opposite of DeWayne White.  White played very well when he wasn't hurt and made a lot of big plays in 2007.  The Lions need a DE opposite of White to help him out, something Kalimbust Edwards never could do.

  If both Harvey and Mayo and drafted before the Lions get to pick at 15, then it may be one of two RBs.  The Lions released Kevin Jones in the off season so they will be looking at a RB anyway.  The plan may be to wait until the 2nd or 3rd round for a RB.  If the Lions are forced to draft a RB in the first round it will be either Oregon's Jonathan Stewart or Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall.  Mendenhall had a freakish 9 yards per rush last year.

  Next up on Matt Millen's to do list is logic!  The logic that every "football guy" has.  "You win games in the trenches"  Something the Lions have not done since Matt Millen has taken over.  Matt Millen has not drafted an offensive lineman in the first two rounds of any draft since 2001!  That year he drafted LT Jeff Backus and C Dominic Raiola and both have been starters since 2001.  Logic tells me that lineman drafted after the first two rounds is not Millen's expertise and he should refrain from doing it again.

Since the 2002 draft the Lions only have two starters from their 1st and 2nd round picks.  Six of the 12 picks aren't even on the team any more and two aren't even in the league at all!  This is just since 2002.  Two starters from 6 drafts.

Those in the know in football and in most sports know the real deal is that you free agency is used to cover mistakes you have made in the draft.  Well the Lions have made so many mistakes in the draft that the salary cap wouldn't even really allow them to do that.

  As of today the Raiders still hold the number one pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.  The question remains, What are they going to do with that pick?  The Lions are also still holding the number two pick, with plenty of options.

Raiders #1 - They hold the number one pick and are looking for a quarterback.  They could take Calvin Johnson as well.  JaMarcus Russell seems to be the clear cut pick for them though.  However I wouldn't be shocked if they took Brady Quinn either.  If the Raiders trade for a QB before the draft they may take Calvin Johnson or maybe even Adrian Peterson.

Lions #2- If the Raiders don't take Russell the Lions will at number two.  The Lions could even take Calvin Johnson as they have not ruled that out yet.  Tampa may have to trade into the Lions spot to get Johnson because this is the guy they want and need.  Most mock drafts have the Lions taking Brady Quinn and they could do that as well.  It is not likely they take a RB here as they have acquired Tatum Bell from the Broncos and T.J. Duckett.  Joe Thomas could be the guy at number two also.  The Lions could also trade down and then trade down again to gain even more draft picks.

Browns #3- They want and need Adrian Peterson at number three.  They may have to trade with Detroit to get him if someone else wants to move in front of Cleveland to take him.  If Peterson is gone they should take one of the QBs still available.   Charlie Frye does not appear to be the franchise QB they need.  He has looked more like Tim Couch than Bernie Kosar. 

Buccaneers #4- They have a specific need at WR that they could solidify with one pick, Calvin Johnson.  They may have to make a deal with Detroit to get him.  They definatley don't need anymore quarterbacks.  They signed Jeff Garcia, traded for Jake Plummer (retired), played Gratkowski almost all season in 2006, and have Chris Simms.  If Johnson is gone they could trade down.  One partner could be the Vikings who need a QB.

  The Raiders hold the number on pick in front of Detroit.  They have been rumored almost all offseason to be ready to draft Jamarcus Russell.  Not so fast, things may change in the next few days, drastically.  Green Bay is set to trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Oakland for Randy Moss.  Profootballtalk.com reports that Rodgers when contacted by cell phone had been told to not comment on the trade.

  This would change the face of the draft, and here is how. 

1.  The Raiders would pass on Russell if they aquired Rodgers from Green Bay.

2.  Would they then take Calvin Johnson who some think is the best overall player in the draft.  They wouldn't take Joe Thomas the massive tackle from Wisconsin.  Maybe Adrian Peterson would be the pick. 

3. The Raiders could also trade the pick

4.  Then it would be up to the Lions to take Russell (if available) or trade their pick to get more picks.  They already have four picks in the 5th round.  Why not a few more in the early rounds.  They could use the young talent anyway.

5.  Brady Quinn would become and even bigger question Mark.

6.  The Browns could get Adrian Peterson no matter what happens.  Most teams know they are interested and may want to move in front of Cleveland to get him.

7.  Arizona needs Joe Thomas to fall to them with the loss of veteran questionable lineman Leonard Davis to Dallas.  That non signing may be the best move they could have made this off season and the near future as far as overall monotery allocation on the roster.

All of this could be triggered just by one trade.  Both sides have been quiet on the deal.  Moss was reportedly shopped for a first round pick and Green Bay countered with Aaoron Rodgers.  This may not even happen until right before the draft.  Look for it to get done eventually.

  There is so much happening right now in sports.  Free agency starts at 12:01 EST tonight March 2nd, well that would actually be tomorrow morning officially, but who cares you know what I mean.  We have the NHL trade deadline passed and a story yet to come that you will see actually get coverage in an NHL arena of more than a highlight on Sportscenter.  Spring training has also began and steroid winds are blowing yet again.

  So we need to talk, well I need to write and you need to read.  I am going to start with a trade that actually happened in the NFL.  The big surprise to me is that there was actually three players involved in the trade as well.  The Detroit Lions sent Dre Bly and a 6th round draft pick to Denver for Tatum Bell, (T) George Foster, and a 5th round pick.  The winner to me is Denver but Detroit needed to make this deal as well so it works out for both sides very well.  The Broncos now have two very good pro bowl corners on their defense.  The Lions lose Bly but gain another solid RB to team up with injured Kevin Jones who currently is injured with a serious foot injury.  Bly is a very good cover corner but Detroit's defense is now designed to have run stopping CBs instead.  To me Denver gets the better end because they may have the best pair of corners in the game now and the Broncos always fit new RBs in their system and they seem to work every time. Detroit is now clearing out Matt Millen's guys he brought in, to bring in more of them.....uh oh  At least Matt got two players for Dre and will move up a round in the draft as well.  Good trade for both.

  Joey Porter was released by Pittsburgh today making him a free agent.  Joe Horn was released as well.  Most of the better free agents seem to be defensive players.  A team could actually bring in Nate Clements, Ken Hamlin, Joey Porter, Donnie Edwards and Adelius Thomas if they lay out the contracts correctly.  Not really but it does sound like the Washington (racist Indian name) NFL team for 2007!

Brady Quinn, what is the deal here?  He didn't throw at the combine?  He is a quarterback.  Now I read that he isn't going to interview for teams during Notre Dame's pro day.  He was over rated his entire career and now he is costing himself millions of dollars by falling even a few picks in the draft.  Or is he?  Maybe the less he says the better.  Kind of like how a woman knows if she wants to get it on with a guy unless he starts saying a bunch of stupid stuff by talking too much.  Maybe not but he may fall to picks 15-20 by doing this.  That is the difference in millions of dollars in guaranteed money.

  NHL trade deadline had a lower noted trade which involved league tough guy in Todd Bertuzzi to the Detroit Red Wings.  Bert goes to the Wings who are a team he was a former nemesis of.  He had a fued on ice with Chris Chelios.  Bertuzzi clotheslined Chris Chelios in a playoff game and instantly became the bull's-eye on every Detroit fan's dartboard?  Now the two are teamates.  Bert also may help revive a former rivalry.  Remember Bertuzzi is the guy who hit Colorado's Steve Moore from behind and has essentially ended his career.  The NHL may want to get the Wings-Avs rivalry revived because anytime they had these two play the ratings were actually on the ratings.  The Red Wings continue to be the team that gets ratings when they are on but unfortunatly for the NHL, they are the only team anyone ever wants to watch.  They are and have been a great team to watch and have never been afraid to bring in who they thought gave them the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.  Now they bring in a player in Todd Bertuzzi who has played all but seven games this year and had a 17 month suspension from the Moore hit.

Gary Sheffield has a new book coming out and it will cover a lot of things in his life he never talked about before including steroids.  Sheffield met with a Major League Baseball executive Thursday to discuss recent comments by the Detroit slugger on whether he would cooperate with former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's investigations into steroids.  Sheff was quoted in the an Associated Press report saying conflicting things at different times of the week "The (players') association told us this is just a witch hunt," Sheffield told USA Today. "They don't want us to talk to them. This is all about getting Barry Bonds."  Sheffield then told SI.com he would let the union decide whether he would talk with Mitchell's staff.  "I've always been more than willing," Sheffield told SI.com. "I'm not saying they're going to get much out of me, 'cause I don't know nothing."   I believe him when he says it too. He has always been a great player but never in the same place very long.  Sheffield has always been a contract guy.  By that I mean he always made sure he was "getting his."  If MLB was ever concerned about steroids in baseball and the intergrity of the game they would have never let it get this out of hand. 

In all fairness to Matt Millen, and i have been as fair as I can be all season, he now has a chance this year to NOT blow the draft.  To also be fair to Millen, five of the last seven first round draft picks he has made are still on the roster. 

That actually is saying something.  Ok so he blew the QB pick with Harrington, many teams have done that.  Look at he Browns and Bengals and the 1999 draft.  The top three picks were all QBs.  The Browns took Tim Couch number one overall, the Eagles took Donavon Mcnabb number two, and the Bengals took Akili Smith number three overall.  Two of these three not only aren't on their teams anymore, they aren't even in the NFL anymore.

This year the Lions have the number 2 pick and plenty of time to get teams ready to move up and trade.  Matt Millen needs to have personell start leaking who they "want" to draft at number two so other teams feel that if they want a certain player they have to trade up with the Lions.  The Browns could use a RB like Adrian Peterson and have been rumored to be interested in selecting him with their top pick.  Maybe that is the Browns working the angle I just mentioned the Lions need to take though.

Either way this year Matt has options at number two in the draft, however he already had this option once and decided to draft Charles Rogers (all Lions fans wanted him too) the local Michigan State and Saginaw, Michigan kid and we all know how that worked out.

  Ok we still have two more weeks of this season left and I have seen a bunch of mock drafts.  I have even seen the full 7 round mock drafts as well.  It has to stop though.  It is so meaningless right now.  The Championships and Super Bowl haven't even been played yet.  Not to mention free-agency has even started or happened.  At least wait until the combines.

  I don't mind checking them out when it gets a little closer to the draft but this has even permiated to fantasy mock drafts for next year.  It is time to step back, take a time out on mock drafts! 

  If you can't help yourself and must do a mock draft, keep it to the top five or top ten picks only.  This way you don't WASTE to much of your life on something that will NOT happen.   Besides even just in the top ten there are always surprise picks and maybe one trade is made, so you never know and every list is completely subjective anyway.  The fact that fantasy mock drafts have even come out now makes me a little ill.  Usually though the guys doing mock fantasy drafts are in 15 leagues and really have no life at all.  I had two fantasy leaguers and did a poll on FanIQ.com on how many fantasy leagues people are in and the numbers were unreal how many had 4-6 teams.  The best bet is to save you mock draft until the day before the draft when the rumors and you will have a plethera of information that you don't have now.

Matt Millen has way too many options and franchise changing decisions coming up in the next few months to get this right or dead wrong.  They have the number 2 pick in the draft and have been linkt to rumors that would bring Simeon Rice to Detroit if he is cut by Tampa or traded.  He still has one year remaining on his contract with Tampa that is worth $7.25 million.

All the jokes about Millen are the same.  Is he gonna take another WR in the top ten?  Will he take another QB? Although of Millen's last seven first round picks, five of them are still on the team.  Mike Williams, Roy Williams, Kevin Jones, "Hurtin" Ernie Sims and Jeff Backus all played and are still under contract.  The Lions also finished with a whopping 18 players on IR.  So the next few months are going to be critical in the lions future.  The sad thing to me is that Matt Millen is going to be the one calling the shots.  If at least one guy they bring in, make it Marinelli's guy Simeon Rice and some how get rid of Kalimbust Edwards.  And hey Lions, how about we cut down on the number of coachs driving nude through Tim Hortons drive through as well.  What was he (Joe Cullen D-line coach) thinking anyway?  Maybe he just didn't have a place to put his bagels and he was just trying to be more efficient.

What to do with the draft pick though?  They could go with the quarterback Oakland doesn't take either Brady Quinn or Jamarcus Russell.  They could go with Joe Thomas, the tackle from Wisconsin.  Chris Mortenson even said they may take Alan Branch the DT from Michigan.  He was a very good DT for Michigan, but not at number two in the draft.  Calvin Johnson the WR from Georgia Tech is there also. To me this has trade this pick please written all over it.  We will see what happens.  It is still very far away and the coin flip for the 3rd and 4th over pick still hasn't even taken place. 

Don Mexico is Ron's evil twin (click for picture)

 

This weekend the Miami Dolphins will have Marcus vick in town for their first post draft mini camp.  They basically gave him a shot with no strings attached or promises made.  Vick went undrafted last weekend and thinks he is just as good as anyone in the top ten.
He Said in an interview with Michael Smith of ESPN.com of Vince Young "He's great. He'll throw for 300 and run for 200. He's like a taller Michael Vick."

When asked about comparing himself to the other two top quarterbacks taken in the draft last Saturday. 

Marcus Vick versus Matt Leinart: "I'm taking Marcus Vick in this case right here, because it's something about when you have an athlete at the quarterback position it just changes the game."

And Marcus Vick versus Jay Cutler: "I'm taking Marcus Vick once again."

I want to ask him if he has ever heard of Lawrence Phillips.  I actually prefer to think of him as Michael Vick's (Ron Mexico) evil twin.  They both very much look a like as well.  However they are leading very different lives once they made it as the starting quarterback for Virginia Tech.  In fact I remember reading years ago when Marcus was in high school that they were trying to get him into this college summer football camp where most of the blue chip football players go but he either had community service to do or he was in juevenal detention.  Once Marcus was suspended a full season (2004)because of other off the field legal problems.  He also received a speeding ticket and a ticket for driving on a suspended license in Hampton on Dec. 17 while under a “zero tolerance” policy from Virginia Tech.  The policy was implemented when Vick was suspended in 2004. He later came under further scrutiny because of replays of his actions against Elvis Dumervil.  Vick claimed it was accidental, but hurt his cause by claiming to have apologized to Dumervil, the NCAA sacks leader. Dumervil said he received no such apology.

Vick was booted from the team for his behavior on and off the field, he was charged with pulling a gun on three teenagers during an altercation in a McDonald's parking lot.  So of coarse they had to draw the line somewhere.

“I’m gonna show you in the future,” he said. “The teams that don’t pick me, I’m gonna get the chance to play you, and you are going to be sitting up in the box saying, ‘Damn, we should have considered him. We should have taken him. “

I guess he doesnt realize he may never get that chance because of his past.  He only played one full season for the Hokies and part of another in 2003.  All we have to go on is his past, and that is not good.  Playing football at any level is a priveledge not a right.  Even if you are Michael Vick's (evil twin) little brother.  Michael isn't that "great" of a quarterback at this point anyway and he has had some time to develop.

It is time for Marcus to play arena football or Canadian and show that he can stay out of trouble for more thatn his probationary period and that he actually can play football and be a leader on the field.  A quarterback is almost always the leader on the field and he has shown none of any of these qualities.  Here are his career stats.

 

Career Totals	Passing									Rushing
SEASON	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	TD	INT	SACK	RAT	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
2005	177	289	2393	61.2	8.3	17	10	32	143.3	147	380	2.6	6
2003	30	57	475	52.6	8.3	2	5	4	116.7	37	102	2.8	0

  

   This past weekend the football world was entralled in the NFL draft.  Chat rooms and forums were lit up in anticipation of each teams picks and what Detroit was going to do with theirs.  The Detroit Lions have always been the biggest "hot button" in Detroit.  They have only won one playoff game since the 1957 NFL Championship.

     The Detroit Red Wings played game five in their best of seven series against the Edmonton Oilers.  They lost game five and head back to Edmonton facing elimination.  Detroit won the Presidents trophy this season for the best overall record.  However they are in danger of doing it all for not.  Have we seen Steve Yzerman play his last game?  Game six in Tonight in Edmonton at 8pm.

     The Detroit Pistons also had the best record in their respective league.  The also lost on Saturday to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Michael Redd scored 40 in a 20 point win at home against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pistons.  Game four will be played tonight in Milwaukee at 8:30 pm.

     Last but not least the Detroit Tigers swept the suddenly inept Twins out of town yesterday with a 6-0 shutout and outscored the Twins 33-1.  The Tigers had their best April since 1993 which just happens to be the last season that the Tigers had a winning record.  The Pitching has been outstanding and the hitting has been timely.  Both add up to wins and are only 1 1/2 games out of first behind the World Champion White Sox.

     Having said all of that what does the Detroit Sports report decide to run?  You guessed it a Ron Mason spotlight.  Makes sense right?  Have all this action people care about and run a half hour spotlight on Ron Mason, the athletic director for Michigan State University. What a joke.

     This is a long line of blunders they have made at this station.  In an attempt to help them out I have put a short list of things to do to get better ratings and fan support.

1. Check all name pronunciations (before the show)
2. Broadcast from Detroit more than once or twice a year.
3. Here is a an idea, show all of the highlights from the games.  you have a half hour to kill, show me all the Tigers runs, Red Wings goals, and every draft choice.
4. Listen to the fans, like this blog and all who comment on this.  Most fans in Detroit follow all four pro sports, and are very passionate about them.
5. No more spotlights on anyone, I never watch them and have never heard anyone talk about them.

 


Well it turns out that Mario Williams is the man. The Houston Texans today announced that they will select Mario Williams from N.C. State. Charlie Casserly says it is a football decision and they have reached a tentative contract of six years, $54 million.

This is not what most Texans fans ever really wanted. Most want Vince Young from Texas. That is not really what the team needs however. They believe that Mario Williams fits their 4-3 defense perfectly. The Texans already have a 1,000 yard running back and a number one draft pick of David Carr at quarterback.
Reggie Bush may go to New Orleans but they have Deuce McCallister. He would NOT slip past the Jets (who don’t need a quarterback anyway) at number four. The Titans will be taking a quarterback with the number three pick. The Titans are interested in all three top prospects at quarterback.  But will it be Leinart or Young though in Tennessee?

New Mock draft without any trades made in the top ten.  

1. Houston Texans - Mario Williams - DE - N.C. State

2. New Orleans Saints - Reggie Bush - USC

3. Tennessee Titans - Vince Young - Texas

4. New York Jets  -  D'Brickshaw Ferguson - OT - Virginia

5. Green Bay Packers -  A.J. Hawk - OSU

6. San Fransisco 49er's - Vernon Davis - TE - Maryland

7. Oakland Raiders - Michael Huff - DB - Tex

8. Buffalo Bills - Donte Whitmer S - OSU

9. Detroit Lions - Ernie Sims - LB - FSU

10. Arizona Cardinals - Matt Leinart - USC

 

 

(edited after the draft to cover up my terrible mock draft.  Plus a lot of people didnt read this small print and think I am a genius!)

wdfnclick to listen

 

Michael huff was intervied on WDFN sports radio in Detroit  yesterday(4/26).  He has drawn the most attention to Detroit Lions fans and is the player of choice by many as well.  A.J. Hawk is the other player many in Detroit want the Lions to draft as well.  Michael Huff would be a great fit for the Lions due to the losses of Andre Goodman and R.W. McQuarters.  He says he has family in the state and would love to play for the Lions.  This is what any team would want from players they draft.  Players who want to actually  play for them.  It would be a nice fit for him as well with all the other Longhorns on the team.  The Lions will need to find defensive backs, linebackers, and offensive lineman.  This Saturday there may be a lot of action on the trade front in the top 15.  If A.J. Hawk is who they want, the Lions might just have him available too.  It will come down to the Green Bay Packers.  The Packers have serious offensive line needs.  If both Huff and Hawk are both there the Lions will trade down a few picks with a team looking to jump in front of Arizona for Jay Cutler.  If that is the case The Lions may have several offers for the number nine pick.

    Bush will go #1 to the Texans

 

     This year in the 2006 Nfl draft it appears that there are more safe picks in round 1 than in years past.  Even with the top five to ten players there seems to be more stability with some of these players.  Reggie Bush will go number one and Mario Williams will go number two.  That may be the way it goes down but, we may have someone other than the New Orleans Saints picking at two.  New Orleans hold a key piece to the puzzle of what will happen in the top ten. 

      The Vikings and Rams have both expressed interest in Detroits pick at number nine to move ahead of Arizona and take Jay Cutler from Vanderbilt.  Detroit is interested in Michael Huff and that will factor in what they will do with the no.9 pick.  They also like Ernie Sims the LB from Florida State.  He has had five concussions and that will be a risk factor for which ever team drafts him.  The upside is that he is compared to Derrick Brooks from Tampa Bay.

     The Jets are rumored to like Matt Leinart, but D'Brickshaw Ferguson may be the safest pick in the entire draft.  Besides the Jets just traded for Patrick Ramsey and already have Chad Pennington.  They need someone to block for these guys is what they really need.  Look for the Jets to take D'Brickshaw Ferguson with their first round pick.

     The Bills appear to be willing to trade out of number eight but maybe they should take Cutler.  I havent exactly seen a Buffalo quarterback light up the league since Jim Kelly.


     There are some good picks that are available outside the top 10 as well.  However the good news for NFL fans. This draft class appears that it will make an impact on tomorrows NFL for the better.  The question is who will be this years Andre Ware and who will be this years Tom Brady.

 


     According to Jay Glazier at Foxsports.com, Charles Woodson have agreed to terms on a seven-year deal in the $45 million range for Pro Bowl and Heisman Trophy-winning defensive back Charles Woodson.  The Packers have been very quiet in the off-season as far as big name free-agent signings.  Charles Woodson was a Franchise player for the Raiders last year and earned over $10 million.  Woodson was the type of corner that took away almost half the field.  He was known for that at Michigan when he won the Heisman trophy.  This contract is also not yet signed.  It is an incentive laiden contract which in my opinion is not how he should be paid.  He does take away almost half the field (when he does actually play).  Which means, he doesn't get the ball thrown his way as much.  With the contract paying him  $10.5 Million the first year that leave $34.5 million left for the last 6 years.  That averages out to 5.75 per.  Quite a bargain if he works out.  If he doesn't, they can cut him.  There are no guaranteed contracts, only guaranteed bonus money.  But at 5.75 million per year he will work out. The Packers have more room this year and spread out works great for the teams well. If it works it works, at least they tried.  Besides, how will you ever get the fruit if you are afraid to go out on a limb.

 

The 2006 NFL draft has many questions still to be answered and will really only be answered this weekend when it actually takes place.  When looking around the internet you see all kinds of advertising and stories about draft "gurus".  First of all if the were real draft "gurus" they would actually be drafting for one of the 32 NFL teams this weekend.  Really everything is just speculation.  Until the draft and some trades actually happen no ones know who will be drafted after Reggie Bush.  Here is my shot, with trades, at the top 10 picks of the 2006 NFL draft.

2006 Nfl mock draft

1.  Houston Texans - Reggie Bush - RB - University of Southern California

2.  San Fransisco 49ers- Mario Williams - DE -  North Carolina State*

3.  Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart - QB - University of Southern California

4.  Oakland Raiders - Vince Young - QB - Texas**

5. Green Bay Packers - A.J. Hawk - LB - The Ohio State University

6. New Orleans Saints - D'Brickashaw Ferguson -OT - Virginia***

7.  New York Jets - Winston Justice - OT - University of Southern California****

8. Buffalo Bills - Brodrick Bunkley - DT - Florida State    

9.  Detroit Lions - Michael Huff - DB - Texas

10. Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler - Vanderbilt

 

 

*traded the number 6 and 22nd pick

**traded the 7th pick in round one, 7th pick in round 2, and 3rd rounder in 2007

***acquired first round picks from San Fransisco (6,22)

****acquired 3 draft choices from Oakland (7th overall, 2nd rd pick, and 3rd round pick in 2007)