Come Saturday NFL execs will gather in war rooms around the country to begin their annual talent search in hopes of finding the next franchise player.  Some analysts will be right with their draft predictions, while others' predictions will turn out to be completely inaccurate.  No one knows for sure who will make it at the pro level and who will not.  However, there is one player, who more than any other in the upcoming draft, that has experienced stock up's and down's more reminscent of a fat kid on a trampoline.

Of course we all know who I am referring to. 

 Vince Young has gone from being the highest touted quarterback prospect to dropping all the way into the teens on some draft boards.  He has impressed scouts with his unparalleled athleticism, and then made them second guess him with his low standardized test  scores.  The question for most everyone that has considered drafting him is: Are the complexities of an NFL's offense going to be too much for Young to learn?  Scouts have questioned his throwing mechanics and ability to be effective against much quicker, smarter, and stronger defenders than he ever had to face at the collegiate level.

The solution.  Let Vince be Vince.  Of course defensive coordinators are going to throw everything they can at him.  They will use many different blitz and coverage packages to confuse him.  Vince Young has never played against what he is up against in this league.  But on the contrary I offer this.  The NFL has never seen a player like Vince Young.  Its like the way defensive coordinators spend countless extra hours devising a gameplan when the Atlanta Falcons are on the schedule.  Vince Young  is like Vick, except better.   Everything about his game goes against what NFL scouts are used to.  He is a different breed of player.  He is a player that if put in the right system could thrive in the NFL. 

He may not have the accuracy of a Peyton Manning or intelligence of a Tom Brady.  He does however have one thing that can not be taught by any coach, heart.  That, and he comes into the NFL as the most athletic and versatile player at his postion that the game has ever seen.  That right, i said EVER.  Although he is like Mike Vick he also is very much not.  He merits no comparison.  His rare combination of size, arm strength, and sheer athleticism is unmatched by any other signal caller in the league.  

What Vince might lack in "learning potential" he makes up for in his ability to stay calm and cool in pressure situations.  Situations that he will face on a weekly basis in the NFL.  There has never been so much uncertainty about a quarterback coming out of college.  If he fails then no one will be suprised.  However, if he changes the face of the quarterback position he will be remembered long after he hangs up his cleats.

What he will accomplish at the pro level is still left to unfold.  If an offense molds to fit his abilities he will almost certainly make an impact.  If he is thrown into a new system and must learn to adapt he might fail, or he might not.  Either way he has nothing to lose.  When your parents told you that you didn't have to prove anything to anyone they were right.  Vince doesn't have to prove anything to his detractors.  He doesn't have to go out and make an immediate impact on whatever team drafts him or be the guy that changes the way the quarterback position is played.

He just needs to be Vince.                                                    

With the verdict out on Ricky Williams' appeal all i can say is that he is a fool.  What a complete waste of talent!  The man can't seem to learn his lesson about laying off the weed.  The NFL has given him more than enough chances to come clean and he has only defied them each time by continuing to violate the substance abuse policy.

I was so excited to pick Ricky first in my fantasy draft 2 years ago only to seem him retire a few weeks later so he could go smoke some grass.  As if he hadn't already tip-toed the line when he came back into the league last year he decided that he'd rather get high and jeopardize his career than come clean and concentrate on football.  Its a shame that a player who possesses so much talent has this end up happening.  Ricky had the potential to come back this year and prove to everyone that he was still the #1 back in Miami.  A year off in football can be good and bad.  Good in the sense that he could use the year rehab his image and condition himself to be ready for the 2007 season.  Bad in the sense that he will probably use that year to do drugs and possibly end up getting kicked out of league for good if the NFL wises up and decides to not give him any more chances.

Either way Ricky Williams is a fool.  He might come back in 2007 and put up numbers reminiscent of the Ricky we know. However, I have lost all faith in his ability to come clean and just go out and play football.  Im sure that he will do nothing to prove my assumption wrong.

As you all know i am a fairly new blogger here on Foxsports.  I feel that there is a certain brotherhood (and sisterhood) here among the bloggers.  In the few weeks that i have been here writing I have definitely seen how everyone critiques eachother, sometimes in a critical manner, but almost always respectfully.  I enjoy reading all of you guys' writing and  I respect all of your knowledge about that of which you write.  Likewise, I am definitely very glad to be able to come here and post my opinions on things that i want to say.  I am very open to criticism on my writing as long as you aren't rude or demeaning.  I sometimes tend to have sharp opinions on things that some people might be offended by.  I am not trying to make anyone mad at me and if something that i say really chaps your a$$ just let me know and I will either edit or delete that blog if i have to.  I look forward to reading all of your blogs and giving you my opinions.  Anyway, even though i have been here for a few weeks already i would like to formally introduce myself.  My name is Cody and as my about me says i am from San Antonio.  My dream would be to have any job involved with sports, as they are my passion.  Even if that doesn't end up the case im glad i can come somewhere like here and make my opinions known.  Thanks for your comments so far and i will continue to love hearing from you guys in the future! 

Ladies and Gentleman of the Jury.

Let the evidence show that on the night of          Barry Bonds robbed the game's most legendary player of his ultimate record.  The defendant used illegal performance enhancing drugs to accomplish this feat.  Thereby, this record should be immediately erased from the books as well as his single season HR record of 73,  being that he was using these illegal substances at that point in time also. 

The defendant not only used these drugs but then proceeded to lie about taking them.  Baseball fans worldwide have been cheated by this man.  He has taken what was once a pure and fair game and turned it into one full of lies and deceit.  If this record is allowed to stand, it will forever tarnish the storied past of this great sport.

So now what do we do?  Simple.  This man has no place in this sport.  One must examine the evidence and use their common sense.  Not long ago another man was banned from this sport for lying and cheating.  Now can you people sit here today and allow the same exact thing to go on and do nothing?  If we dont act now we will open the door for others to go down the same path.  Others who know that they can get away with it.  Is this something that we as the fans of this sport want to let happen?    So now i pose the question to you people.  Should this liar and cheat's records be allowed to surpass those of men who righfully earned them?  The truth is painfully obvious here.  We all know the answer.  Lets make sure that our children, and their children don't grow up in a society that caters to those who lie and cheat.  Please let the integrity of this game and of those who play it remain intact. 

Thank you.

If people didn't realize what the Spurs are capable of before tonight, they certainly do after tonight's game 1 annihilation of the Kings.

After dropping two during the regular season to Detroit most people wrote the Spurs off as being able to beat Detroit in a 7 game series.  All i have heard leading up to the playoffs is that the Pistons can not be beat.  But as Jules in Pulp Fiction put it, "Allow me to retort!"

Let me throw in some key factors that i feel like many people outside of San Antonio may not realize.  The first of which being that no team must play back to back games in the playoffs.   Now for a team like the Spurs, who have been hindered much of the season by injury, this is a significant advantage for them.  If i have my numbers correct, which they should be, the Spurs are a mere 6-10 in those games this year.  That stat seems hardly impressive.  But here is one that is impressive.  They are 57-9 excluding those back to backs.  Now one can't help but notice that the Spurs, when rested, are a good team.  A very good team.

Now lets take a look at the two matchups of the Spurs and Pistons this season.  First and foremost, these two teams have not met since January 12.  Therefore one can not even begin to say the Spurs team that played on that date is what it is today.  During the last few years the Spurs have been known to not really start "gelling" as a team until around the time of the Rodeo road trip.  This of course is in the month of February long after the last time they met the Pistons.  With that in mind let me throw in a couple of factors that i thought played an important part in the Spurs losses to the Pistons.

1.  Manu Ginobili did not start in either game.  In fact he didnt even dress for one of those games.  During the other one he was still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered and was not at 100%.  Im not trying to play the injury card as justification for them losing.  Im simply stating a factor.  Do with it what you will.  Nevertheless, the Spurs without Ginobili usually would be able to make adjustments.  However with a team like the Pistons they must have Ginobili in the lineup.  His ability to create mismatch problems for the Pistons and put up 15-20 points is crucial for the Spurs.

2.  Nazr Mohammed played less than 23 minutes combined in both games.  Why Pop didnt play him more i have no clue.  Believe me i was scratching my head over that one.  The point is that the Pistons had 52 more rebounds in the 2 matchups.  Nazr, who is one of their best rebounders and is undoubtedly their biggest monster on the offensive glass was riding the bench most of the 2 games. 

3.  The Spurs bench was highly ineffective in both games.  Michael Finley, who will be coming of the bench in the playoffs had a grand total of 3 points in 2 games.  3 points!!!  In their last meeting the bench had a total of 26 points.  Put Manu as a starter and Finley on the bench for that game and that point total drops to 10.  Thats not a misprint, 10 points.  The lack of the bench to give the starters any help at all proved to be the Spurs downfall.

There are so many things that played into the Spurs two losses that one must take into account before they immediately draw the conclusion that the Pistons are a far superior basketball team.  The Spurs took most of the season to get everyone healthy and find their chemistry as a team.  Now that the playoffs are upon us Pop has them in a position to to make a run at the Finals again.

I know Detroit is good.  They very well could be the best team in basketball.  And it is still way too early to start saying that these teams will even meet one another in the finals.  We aren't even out of the first round yet!  What i would like to achieve by writing this blog is to let my fellow bloggers in on a little insight from the team that many people aren't giving a chance.  Just please dont write them off yet.