imb

Unless something crazy happens, he's just going to be a volume chucker that doesn't defend, can't pass enough for a point guard and can't shoot well enough to be a 2.

Careless with the ball, doesn't defend and his mid-range game is worse than people thought it would be. The problem is that he's not like a Lebron James, where his size covers up a lot of his faults. The more I think about it, the more I like Gilbert Arenas as a comp for him, but he's not near the shooter that Gilbert is, at least not right now.

Mayo won't go until 7-10 anyway, so you'll still have a shot at him. Let me think up some comps real quick Beasley - Chris Webber Rose - Gilbert Arenas without the gunner mentality Gordon - Mitch Richmond Mayo - Larry Hughes

sounds like a blog to me which means I don't believe it

welcome, brian!

It's hard to say until we see if Joba can start. Obviously, if they both hit their ceilings (or come close to it), but Joba stays in the 'pen and Buchholz is a starter, then Buchholz wins. Right now, I'd say Buchholz. They both started in the minors (albeit just 15 times for Joba), and Buchholz had better results while pitching more.

His medical report was so bad that it scared off a bunch of teams and he was only able to get a 1-year deal with a $1 million base. This kind of garbage can probably be put to rest now.

Here's my first mock draft. I'm happier with parts than I am with others, but with 100 days or whatever until the actual draft, there's time to sort some of this out. 1. Miami Dolphins – Glenn Dorsey DT, LSU He comes in a little banged up, but the Dolphins have a lot of holes to fill, so why not start with the middle? With former Dallas offensive line coach Tony Sparano taking over as the head guy, there might be a push for Jake Long. 2. St. Louis Rams – Jake Long OT, Michigan The Rams drafted Alex Barron in 2005 and planned on him eventually succeeding Orlando Pace. That didn’t work out as planned, so now they’ll go after Long. That sound you hear is Steven Jackson’s fantasy owners rejoicing. 3. Oakland Raiders – Chris Long DE, Virginia This pick is a little wonky, as technically it could still belong to either Oakland or Atlanta. Darren McFadden is the best player available, but with Justin Fargas in tow, I don’t think Al Davis will go after him, opting instead for the son of former Raider great Howie Long. 4. Kansas City Chiefs – Ryan Clady OT, Boise State Kansas City will end up with either the fourth or fifth pick in the draft. No matter of the arrangement of the third, fourth and fifth picks, I believe the teams will all end up with the same players, regardless. The Chiefs could opt to go with McFadden at this point, since Larry Johnson has a lot of miles on his legs, but with a lot of money going his way, they will go with Clady. When Will Shields retired, so did the Chiefs dominance on the offensive line – from 2002-2006 they finished in the top 10 in the NFL in total rushing yards four times, in 2007, they finished in last. 5. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB, Boston College The Falcons get their pick of the QB litter, and end up with Ryan. He’s a big (220 lbs) tall (6-5) QB in the mold of Tom Brady, and while he’s had his trouble with interceptions, he’s regarded as more of a Brady style leader. Atlanta will likely sit Ryan during 2008, perhaps using him like Oakland did with JaMarcus Russell did this season, with an eye towards 2009. Had Bobby Petrino stuck around, the pick would likely be Louisville’s Brian Brohm, and depending on combines and who ends up in Atlanta as far as management goes, he still could be. 6. New York Jets – Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas Last year, Adrian Peterson fell to No. 7, went to a team with an established running back, and won the Associated Press’ NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Flash forward to 2008, and the same thing might happen here. Obviously, the Jets already have Thomas Jones in their backfield, but he isn’t the franchise back that McFadden will be. With many teams turning towards a two-back system – not to mention McFadden being the best player on the draft board – the Jets get a ton of value here. 7. New England Patriots - Vernon Gholston DE, Ohio State The Patriots, despite the spygate scandal and other assorted sins, are still loved by the football gods, go undefeated in the regular season – and end up with a top 10 pick! They could go with either a cornerback or linebacker here, and while I think ultimately they will trade this selection, I have them picking Gholston. He came to OSU as a linebacker before being moved to DE, but has the athleticism to play LB at the next level. 8. Baltimore Ravens – Brian Brohm QB, Louisville The Ravens desperately need a QB. Kyle Boller isn’t the answer and neither is Troy Smith. They need help at WR as well, but no wideout is worthy of a pick this high, so they go with Brohm, a guy who would have been a first-rounder a year ago, had he come out of school early. 9. Cincinnati Bengals – Sedrick Ellis DT, USC The Bengals need help, well, basically everywhere on defense. Luckily for them, only three defenders have come off the board so far. Like Miami, they opt to start in the middle, selecting Ellis out of USC. He’s not as big as Dorsey, but is almost his equal as a playmaker. 10. New Orleans Saints – Mike Jenkins CB, South Florida Again, here’s another team that needs help at just about every defensive position. The Saints allowed almost 4,000 yards passing last season, so it’s no surprise that they start at CB. Jenkins, at 6-0, 197, has all of the physical tools and should start right away in New Orleans’ beleaguered secondary. A linebacker, like Keith Rivers or Dan Connor, or safety Kenny Phillips could also be a pick here. 11. Buffalo Bills – Kenny Phillips FS, Miami Just how hard is it to draft defense, anyway? The Bills were 29th against the pass and 25th against the rush in 2007, so guess which side of the ball they’ll be focusing on? I don’t think that I’m breaking news when I say that Jim Leonhard is not the answer at FS for the Bills, so they take Phillips, the premier safety in this years’ draft class. 12. Denver Broncos – Keith Rivers OLB, USC Rivers is a quick, strong LB that has been a playmaker since he stepped on the field as a freshman at USC. He’ll probably be stuck on the weakside until he gains a little more weight, but he and MLB DJ Williams will absolutely terrorize opposing teams with their speed. 13. Carolina Panthers - Calais Campbell DE, Miami Probably the most freakish athlete in the draft, Campbell is a DE in the mold of the Houston Texans’ Mario Williams. He’s rawer than Williams, but physically all the tools are there. He disappointed in 2007 after a breakout 2006, but strong workouts should push him back towards the top of the draft. 14. Chicago Bears – Andre Woodson QB, Kentucky Realistically, I expect the Bears to trade down and select either Jeff Otah, Sam Baker or Gosder Cherilus to strengthen their offensive line. If they stay at No. 14, though, they almost have to draft a QB. With Ryan and Brohm off the board, that leaves them with Woodson, who, despite prototypical size and skills, has had questions pop up about a slow release. 15. Detroit Lions - Leodis McKelvin CB, Troy The Lions need a CB, and at the moment, there isn’t much separating the guys remaining at this position. McKelvin has good size and speed, is incredibly athletic and doubles as an excellent return man. 16. Arizona Cardinals – Jonathon Stewart RB, Oregon Stewart undeservedly flew under the radar in 2007, despite playing on a national title contender and putting up fantastic numbers. With Dennis Dixon off the field in the Ducks’ bowl game against USF, he grabbed opportunity by the throat and ran for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Blessed with amazing speed for his size, he should blow up come workout time, and Arizona will draft him to split time with, and eventually take over for, Edgerrin James. 17. Minnesota Vikings - Derrick Harvey DE, Florida The Vikings have to get help for their pass defense, and decide to pick a pass-rusher to do so. Harvey played well in 2007 despite being the main man on the Gators’ defensive line. A CB like Aqib Talib or Justin King is also an option here. 18. Houston Texans – Rashard Mendenhall RB, Illinois The Texans need a running back and with McFadden and Stewart gone, they luck out now that Mendenhall is skipping his senior season with the Illini. Mendenhall is a big, strong back that shined in his first season as a starter, helping lead Illinois to the Rose Bowl. 19. Philadelphia Eagles – Desean Jackson WR, Cal They want a left tackle, but with none of those left, they take Jackson. He may not necessarily be the best pass-catching wide receiver available, but with the recent focus on the return game – something he excels at – he makes an attractive pick. 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jeff Otah OT, Pittsburgh Otah is a giant at 6-7, 340 and gives the Bucs’ someone that they can pencil in on the offensive line for the next few years. 21. Washington Redskins – Sam Baker OT, USC Not as big as Otah, Baker, a four year starter at USC, falls to Washington. He disappointed in 2007, but that was likely due to a hamstring injury. Before the year he was regarded as possibly a top-10 talent, so this could end up being a steal, particularly if he can add some weight to his frame. 22. Dallas Cowboys – Limas Sweed WR, Texas Sweed sat out part of 2007 with an injury, but that doesn’t concern Dallas, which will eventually need a replacement for Terrell Owens or Terry Glenn. Sweed is physically reminiscent of former Longhorn Roy Williams, although he lacks Williams’ top end speed. The Cowboys might also go for Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly or Arkansas running back Felix Jones here. 23. Pittsburgh Steelers – Dan Connor OLB, Penn State Connor plays a lot like last years’ Penn State LB draftee Paul Posluszny, who fell to the second round due to injury concerns. Connor could probably stand to add a little weight, but that should come in time. Can possibly slot in the inside should be add size. 24. Tennessee Titans – Malcolm Kelly, WR Oklahoma The Titans desperately need someone to catch passes, and with Jackson and Sweed off the board, they take Kelly. Much like Sweed, the only thing Kelly lacks is 4.4 speed, but he makes up for that with the best set of hands in the draft, which he’ll need to catch QB Vince Young’s wobbly passes. 25. Seattle Seahawks – Fred Davis, TE USC Originally the plan was to draft Jonathon Stewart here, but after his performance in the Sun Bowl, he’ll be long gone at this point. They could use help on the offensive line as well, so they might go with Cherilus, but with no starting TE to speak of on their roster, I think they’ll take Davis here. Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett is also an option. 26. New York Giants – Gosder Cherilus OT, Boston College Cherilus is a four year starter at BC that could possibly slot into LT at some point in his career. Not as big as Otah, but big enough. The Giants could also look to pick Kansas CB Aqib Talib here. 27. Jacksonville Jaguars – Mario Manningham WR, Michigan Manningham isn’t big, just 175 pounds, but is extremely fast and gives the Jaguars the speed option they need at WR. A safety like OU’s Reggie Smith could also be the pick here. 28. San Diego Chargers – Frank Okam DT, Texas The Chargers don’t have a lot of needs, per se, but they could use a big tackle to take over for Jamal Williams in the middle of their 3-4 defense. Okam has as much upside as any DT in the draft, and if the Chargers feel like he can handle nose tackle duties, he’ll be the pick here. 29. Dallas Cowboys – Felix Jones RB, Arkansas With Julius Jones hitting free agency, and owner Jerry Jones’ love of former Razorbacks, the Cowboys use their second first round pick on the explosive Jones. He’ll give them the homerun threat they need next to Marion Barber III and he also doubles as a return specialist. 30. San Francisco 49ers – Early Doucet WR, LSU The Niners need as much help at WR as anyone in the draft. Too bad they traded their first rounder to New England! This pick comes via Indianapolis, and with all the major wide receivers already picked, they end up taking Groves. He’s a little small-ish for a DE, but he has a motor and makes plays. He played with an injury during much of 2007 that slowed him down. LSU WR Early Doucet, or even OSU WR Adarius Bowman are options here, thought I don’t expect them to take Bowman after the Rashaun Woods debacle. 31. Green Bay Packers – Aqib Talib CB, Kansas The Packers will eventually need a CB to replace Charles Woodson or Al Harris, so they take Talib, who had a great game in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. OU’s Reggie Smith could also go at this spot. 32. Miami Dolphins – Philip Merling DE, Clemson Ok, I know that technically this is actually a second round pick, but with New England forfeiting their first rounder in the spygate scandal, I’m going to pretend that the Dolphins get two first rounders. Hey, for a team that won just one game in 2007, they need all the help they can get. They take Merling here, who any other year would be a first round pick, more than likely. There’s just too much depth at DE this year.

definitely dallas

time to institute the platoon pitching system. Lefty heavy lineup? Start Marshall. Righty heavy? Start Lieber (or just kill him and start someone that isn't ancient and terrible).

Zbikowski screams "Archuleta" to me. And I'm talking about the present day Archuleta. I like Zbi, though. More as a boxer than a football player.

I know I'm late on this, but I can spit the diff between DMac and AD out real quick. DMac and AD are both upper body strong, but AD is a lot stronger in the lower body. DMac is a touch faster in terms of straightaway speed, but AD is a better cutter. Much better actually, his vision is leagues ahead of DMac. They both accelerate like they're shot out of a cannon. I want to keep saying DMac. Anyway, DMac is going to be really good, but he's a touch light for a 25 carry back, not that there will be too many of them in the next few years, anyway.

Despite the subjectiveness of "best outfield arm", the article is about 2007 performance. He had the same number of baserunner kills as Francoeur, in less opportunities, but if you say so. Are you actually saying you agree that Cuddyer had the best RF arm in baseball last year? Are you actually able to type out words but not read them? Please, elucidate for me what you believe I misunderstood. I was trying to clarify that he really agreed with this nonsense. Did you read the article? It's not about who has the biggest "gun" or whatever. It would be like if some random scrub hit .380 last year over 700 at bats, then showed up at the top of a "Best Hitters 2007" list. Sure, he's probably not the best hitter, but in the past year, he produced the most (or whatever).

Maybe it's because it was like 8 years ago, but I don't remember, even though I knew then that I wouldn't be a big Bush fan (that's what she said), feeling the kind of dread about GW that I do about Huckabee. He doesn't really have a chance, does he?

we filled the spots easily last year. everyone also thought that it would be turned into a league last year, too.

what are they doing out signing baseball players when kids are going missing literally every second?

How could anyone believe that original stat was true in the first place, anyway?

i can't believe this limited reaction to the opportunity to spend two months drafting a team for no reason

Despite the subjectiveness of "best outfield arm", the article is about 2007 performance. He had the same number of baserunner kills as Francoeur, in less opportunities, but if you say so. Are you actually saying you agree that Cuddyer had the best RF arm in baseball last year? Are you actually able to type out words but not read them?

guys whatever there are children DYING right now. think of the children, down with roberts.

so no league then?

So this is or isnt getting made into a league? If it is, count me in.

i'd like to see all emoticons erased, actually.

Buerhle could have gotten them 2-3 cornerstone prospects alone. that's insane. or you and i have different definitions of "cornerstone." May I suggest you look at some of the offers the Orioles are considering for Bedard and tell me the White Sox couldn't get the same offer (or better) for Buerhle. why would they get a better offer for buerhle? i haven't seen any offers for bedard that include 2-3 cornerstone prospects. feel free to throw a few at me. The rumors that I have seen have mentioned these names: Seattle: Adam Jones, Jeff Clement, Wladamir Balentin, Young Chin-Chen,Tillman, Sherrill Cincinati: Joey Votto, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto Dodgers: Kemp, Broxton, Kershaw, Meloan,Hu, LaRoche, McDonald Mets: Gomez, Heilman, Humber I think you can find a package there that would include 2-3 cornerstone prospects. Buerhle is a better pitcher than Bedard and would probably bring in a few more interested teams. Did you get into Yeti's stash again?

bet you guys didnt know the winning prize was dance lessons with devin hester did you