Senior Bowl Winners

The North beat the South 31-13 with a great defensive effort. Brandon Graham and outside linebacker/defensive end prospect from the university of Michigan was dominating. He continually put pressure on the quarterback. accumulating 2 sacks and 1 fumble. Other stars on the North defense were Will Witherspoon from Missouri. He played very well at linebacker stopping the run. Jared Odrick(Penn St) Played very strong at defensive tackle. Odrick penetrated the line very well, making plays behind the line of scrimmage. On the south side I thought Dan Williams(Tennessee) was a beast on the D-line. he looked like an unmovable force all game. He will be a great nose tackle in the NFL. Williams is a sure first rounder after his performance. He was double teamed all day and still was shutting down the run. Terrence Cody(Alabama) played very well next to him. On the offensive side of the ball Mardy Gilyard shined with a 105 yard 1 touchdown performance at wide receiver. The Citadel's Andre Roberts put on a strong performance as well. He caught 2 passes for 45 yards. Tulane's Jeremy Williams led the south with 6 catches for 82 yards.Williams ran a reverse for 28 yards also. The top runners were Lonye Miller(Fresno St.) and Legarrette Blount(Oregon) for the north. On the the south side, Ben Tate(Auburn) led the way. The only quarterbacks that showed me anything were Zac Robinson(Oklahoma St.) and Dan Lefevour(Central Michigan). Both need work become starters in the NFL with accuracy with the long ball. I liked the way Robinson threw the ball. Off all the quarterbacks that played in this game he was most impressive. On a lower note, Tim Tebow didn't look right. My 2 year old daughter has better throwing mechanics. Mike Iupati from Idaho was a little disappointing. I had seen him play once this season and he dominated. But he had a tougher time with Dan Williams. But so did everyone. So I give him a pass. Iapati is at his best when pulling and leading the charge on a run or screen. Eric Norwood(South Carolina) didn't do alot to jump out at me. Norwood was very quiet at linebacker for the south.

Senior Bowl week

Practice for the Senior Bowl starts today. This is a big game for many players. It brings all the nations best seniors together to compete. Many players from smaller schools get the chance to shine against top talent. Vladimir Ducasse from the University of Massachusetts is one of those prospects. Ducasse is a massive left tackle at 6' 5'' 330 pounds. With a good Senior Bowl and combine he could find himself going late in the first round. Other smaller school guys include Joique Bell from Wayne State. Bell was the division II player of the year. He rushed for 2,084 yards and 29 touchdowns. He leaves Wayne state with 100 scores and 8,055 all purpose yards. Andre Roberts from the Citadel is a Wide receiver who also has kick return skills. Roberts finishes his career at Citadel with 285 receptions and 3,743 yards receiving. It's not just the small school guys who have something to prove. Names like Tim Tebow and George Selvie have a lot of pressure to perform this week. Tebow is one of the greatest college quarterbacks in history. But many scouts and media don't think he has the mechanics to make it in the NFL. A year ago the same questions surrounded Pat White. He landed in the second round because he had a tremendous week passing the ball during senior bowl practices and in the game. Selvie is a defensive end from South Florida. Before last season he was considered a first round pick. After two sub par season's Selvie has found himself as a mid to late round prospect. He could move up boards with a good showing this week and at the combine. I watched the East - West game this past weekend. Jamar Wall out of Texas Tech really impressed me. He showed great coverage ability as a corner. He could find himself as the second corner off the boards. Player's like Wall will take advantage of their opportunities and make some money for themselves while other will lose it.

Early draft looks

With the senior bowl coming up and the NFL combine just a month away. What will the Patriots be looking for in the draft? To me they need to go defense. I'd love to see them trade up to Jacksonville's spot at 11 and grab Rolondo McClain if he is still on the boards. The inside Linebacker out of Alabama In my opinion is top 5 talent. If they elect to stay I think players like Eric Norwood(South Carolina), Sergio Kindle, Joe Pawelek(Baylor) are guys they should give looks. Norwood and Pawelek are guys who have been extremely successful in their college careers. Both were stand out from freshman year on. I believe if both have solid combines and pro days they will end up in the first round. Kindle was a Defensive end at Texas. He will have to be a linebacker in the 3-4. But gives them the option of a speed rusher on third downs as a lineman. If the right wide receiver was available it could be an intriguing move for the Pats. With Moss not getting any younger and Welker out with a knee injury, Brady will need some weapons. A guy like Golden Tate or Arrelious Benn could be a nice addition. Benn is a bigger receiver at 6'2 220 with all the talent in the world. He didn't have super star number because of Illinois inconsistent quarterback play. Benn is also a good returner on special teams. Golden Tate is a tremendous play maker. He is very quick with exceptional hands. He would be a nice complement on the other side of Moss. The pats need a runningback under 30 not named Maroney. If they elect to move down the boards, Georgia Tech's Jonathon Dwyer is a guy that could find himself late first early second round. He reminds me a lot of the Dolphins Ronnie Brown. He has good size at 6'0 230 lbs. Dwyer has solid speed, however is not a home run threat. Another Back that really intrigues me is Keith Toston from Oklahoma State. Toston is a complete back who can run, catch and block. he has good size at 6'0 214 lbs. He could be a great find in the second round. I am not a C.J. Spiller guy. He only totaled 4 games over 100 yards this season and his average yards per game was in the 80's. I don't believe he is worth a first round pick. He is not a guy that will be able to handle 20 carries a game. Ben Tate out of Auburn is another back who could really help himself in the coming months. Tate is another bigger back at 5'11 218 lbs. He can run 4.40 40, but is a between the tackles downhill runner. I will have my early mock draft out soon after the combine.

Time for change?

Could it be that there is a time for a head coaching change in New England? After a season of terrible play calling and losing players emotionally is the game is passing Belichick by? The thing that set off an alarm to me was defensive coordinator Dean Pees leaving. He cited health issues as the reason. A week later he is now rumored to be going to Denver with Josh McDaniels. That makes me think that things are not good at Gillette. Is Bill Belichick making this a place where players and coaches don't want to come or stay anymore? Are we seeing the fall of a dynasty before our eyes? Look at the offense this year. It was basically the same personnel on offense as 2007 with no flavor and they floundered many times. Will Pepper Johnson get his shot at being defensive coordinator? This to me is the tell tale sign. If he bolts, it tells me things are not being handled correctly and change is in order. The Patriots like to bring up coaches from within their own system. i.e. McDaniels, Pees, Mangini. Is the pressure of a falling dynasty getting to the once dominant coach? Or could it be arrogance? Something has got to give. This is an important offseason. The can reload and make this a tough team again with the right moves. But it could be that the players on the team have lost that championship mojo.

Time to re-tool

The Patriots got their asses handed to them today in foxboro. The first play from scrimmage was a long Ray Rice run and that said it all. They didn't come out ready t0 play and it showed. The 24-0 score at the end of the first quarter showed the of lack of toughness and leadership on defense. They are missing that Rodney Harrison or Ray Lewis type player. A Teddy bruschi that knows where to be at all times making clutch plays. The offense was terrible today as well. The only guy who played hard was Kevin Faulk. Tom Brady made some terrible decisions leading to 3 interceptions. It's time to start getting some of those guys like Bobby Hamilton, Joe Andruzzi or Mike Vrabel. These players came in and played tough. Laying the ground work for a dynasty along with guys who were already on the team. The free agents that have been brought in have lacked a toughness. I am sick of hearing Branden Meriweather is a budding superstar. He will never be a Rodney harrison in run support or Ed Reed in coverage. He's a B+ that needs other playmakers around him. This draft and off season will be very important if New England wants to go into the playoffs next year. Otherwise expect more of this. Adailius Thomas needs to go. Jerod Mayo needs some other players around him like Meriweather. He is a good, not great linebacker. Let's get Julius Peppers in here. He can get some pressure on the QB. There are some good players in this free agent class. Time to dump some of the garbage.

PLAYOFFS!

well let's take a shot at picking the playoffs. My preseason Superbowl pick was New England Over Philadelphia.

AFC Wild Card

Jets 17
Bengals 21

New England 31
Ravens 21

NFC Wild Card

Eagles 24
Dallas 20

Packers 38
Cardinals 14


AFC Divisional Round

Patriots 24
Charger 28

Bengals 14
Colts 31

NFL Divisional round

Eagles 28
Saints 24

Packers 21
Vikings 28

AFC Championship

Chargers 24
Colts 21

NFC Championship

Eagles 10
Vikings 31


SUPERBOWL

Chargers 17
Vikings 21

The Vikings were on a downward spiral as the season was ending. Week 17 they destroyed the Giants who had all but given up. I think that win gives them the confidence and swagger they need to make a run at the Superbowl. It's all about Favre keeping his ego and Int's in check. A Peterson first approach should make this well rounded team, NFL Champions.

Final Move

The Boston Red Sox made what is most likely their final move of the post season. Signing Adrian Beltre to a one year deal with an option. He brings excellent defense. But this is just another side step move. They have a great defense in the infield. They Needed some Power. Adrian Beltre will not hit 30 home runs. There is this fantasy that he is such a better hitter away from Seattle. But he will never be the guy he was in 2004. I expect 20 home runs from him. Hopefully he stays healthy. He had an injury plagued season in 2009. So this says to me that Adrian Gonzalez is out of the picture. I guess this really is a bridge year. Hey they have great starting pitching. They didn't give up any big prospects. So there is good from this off season. They will be a playoff team. But I don't see them as a World Series team. At this point, that's what matters most in Boston.

A total loss

What a joke of a coaching decision for Bill Belichick to play Wes Welker. There was really nothing to gain, except for the third seed in the playoffs. Welker should have never played in that game and look. He will not be back in 2010. It looked like an ACL. Edelman stepped up and played well. He is not Wes Welker. Tom Brady was in and out of the game. Then when the game is on the line they pulled him. At that point leave him in the game. try to score and bring some momentum heading into the playoffs. This was the worst display of player management i have ever seen. You got the most productive player on the team injured for no reason and put others at risk. The Patriot apologists are already saying is they left Brady in to work with Edelman. Brady works with the receivers ever week in practice and extra after practice. They've played in games before. Nothing made sense and the loss of Welker will be the nail in the coffin for a championship.

A restful week 17

The Patriots head to Houston for the final game of the regular season. With many players banged up it is a good chance to get some much needed rest for the players. Coach Belichick has said Tom Brady will start. I think getting the starters some work is fine. But at the end of the game they should all be on the sidelines. Welker and Moss don't need to play in my opinion. Welker brings intensity every week. Moss is banged up. Getting Brady a few reps in the first half to keep sharp is fine. I think the defensive back should play the entire game. This is a good chance to get them work against Andre Johnson who is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. They need all the work they can get. If Wilfork and Warren play they should see limited time. No need for them to be on the field all game. I fully expect them to lose this game. Houston has everything to play for. This is a tune up for next week for the Pats and a chance for rest.