2011 Draft Class QB Rankings

Well here it is folks…the long anticipated (at least by some) 2011 Draft Class QB rankings. It’s no secret that I have developed a man crush on Colin Kaepernick but does that automatically mean that I think he’s the best QB in the draft? Not necessarily. I do think that with the current rankings that the “experts” have right now make Colin one of the best value picks at the position, but that’s another conversation altogether.

It looks like a really good QB class this year. There are a few guys that I believe are starter ready or extremely close. If you’re a fan of a team that needs to draft a QB in the first round you want one of these guys. By “needing to draft one in the first round” I mean that this is the biggest hole on your team.

Seattle and Buffalo do not qualify. It is a hole but it is not the biggest one. There are other more glaring needs at the O-line or on Defense that should have a higher priority. On the other hand, teams like Minnesota and Cincinnati need to draft a guy that can come in this year and compete for the starting spot.

So here it is. My listing, in order, of who I believe should be taken at the QB position during this year’s draft (less than a month away).

Ryan Mallet – the kid makes good reads. On several instances during his college career he made several reads and checked down when necessary. This is a huge difference from a QB that takes his first read and if it isn’t there he takes off running. At some point a QB will need to adjust and move to his 2^nd and 3^rd options. Mallet has shown that he can do that. His arm strength is good and I believe that he is the best QB in this year’s draft. He is starter ready. If you’re Cincy, Minnesota, or Washington and he’s there when your time comes, take him!

Christian Ponder – I actually didn’t want to like this kid. But after watching some film of him I’m impressed. He can play with his back to the defense, and makes decent reads. He does seem to have a tendency to lock in on a receiver and wait for him to uncover but I think you can coach that. I’d like to see him do more of the “see it – believe it – throw it”. He’s close to being starter ready than a lot of the other kids.

Jake Locker – Jake and Christian aren’t far apart in my opinion. Christian is a little more accurate but Jake’s arm is stronger. Jake makes good reads but needs some work on his In the Pocket mobility. Like Ponder he plays well with his back to the defense and is close to being starter ready. If he had been on a better team than the University of Washington (Auburn for example) we would all be talking about him going #1 over-all.

Colin Kaepernick – The numbers that this kid put up in college are insane. 10,098 yards passing. 4,112 yards rushing. 82 passing TD’s and 59 rushing TD’s. He was a 4 year starter and only threw 24 interceptions during that time. He has the strongest arm of any QB coming out this year and he can make every throw. Some believe that his wind up is too long and that may be the reason he slips into the second round. Most of the experts have him in the top 10 but not in the top 5. The question I ask you is simple. If you thought you could get a QB was responsible for 14,210 yards and 141 TD’s in four years in the 2^nd round of this year’s draft would you do it? Of course you would.

Andy Dalton – He’s very accurate, has average arm strength, and given the right system could really excel at the next level. He’s a decent manager of the game and reminds me a lot of Ty Detmer. In this case I mean that as a compliment because I think that Detmer got a lot out of what were (in my opinion) unimpressive physical attributes. The kid is a leader and depending on what system your team is running you’ll be happy with him.

Blaine Gabbert – He’s listed as the #1 QB on just about everyone’s board right now. So why do I list him 6^th? Well, there are a few things that concern me about him. First let’s go over what I like about him. I like the numbers he put up in college and I like his classic throwing motion. I don’t care much for his ability to adjust his reads during a play. And the film I’ve seen suggests that he gets happy feet and runs from non-existent pressure. If you’re not sure what I mean by that, picture a QB that is in no danger of being sacked. He starts to scramble anyway and runs himself into a sack or pressure that if he would have stayed put he’d have been just fine. Arm strength is pretty good but all in all he reminds me of Jake Plummer. This is not a compliment.

Cam Newton – He’s been called an Icon, an Entertainer, and an Athlete. All of these labels may be appropriate. What he isn’t, is much of a QB. I think he’s a good leader. I think that he is very charismatic. But when it comes to hitting the speed out, I’m not seeing it. His college numbers were reminiscent of Isaiah Stanbacks. That’s not meant as an insult or a compliment. It just is what it is. I think if he were able to put on 20 – 30 pounds he’d be a top of the line TE in this year’s draft.

You Can't Stop The Signal

It's called Browncoats: Redemption, and it is a fan made film (endorsed by Whedon and other Firefly bigs) that takes place 3 months after Miranda. I'll post the official synopsis and trailer but all you really need to know is that Firefly lives on and you can own more FF shit.

No power in the verse can stop this!

BROWNCOATS: REDEMPTION takes place three months after the signal is sent out regarding the events on Miranda. Captain Laura Mathews and the crew of Redemption are unintentionally thrown into a situation that some view as the potential catalyst for the second unified rise of the Independents against the Alliance, since Unification Day.

The Alliance is looking for a scapegoat for Miranda, while those unhappy with the Alliance are looking for a rallying cry to take action.

Through all this, a secret about Laura is exposed that shakes to the very core of the crew, threatening to break it up, challenge the trust that she’s earned with the Browncoats, and undo all the efforts she has put into place to keep a sense of peace in her life since the Unification War.

Browncoats: Redemption Trailer 2 from browncoatsmovie on Vimeo.

The Ghost of Jack Kent Cook Lives On.

Ohio man gets a $16.4 million cable bill

By Brett Michael Dykes

You may have heard the story about the man living in a 14x60 trailer who got a $12,864 electric bill, or the Corpus Christie man who was billed $7.7 million by his water company, or the Canadian whose cell phone provider hit him up for $85,000--the list truly goes on and on and on. Now the outrageous bill receivers club has a new member in Daniel DeVirgilio.

Yes, based on the cable bill that DeVirgilio received this week, he's either the king of pay-per-view, or the victim of one of the most extreme computerized billing glitches in the history of computerized billing glitches. Fortunately for him, it looks like it's the latter.

When the Ohio man's attempt to make a payment on his cable bill to Time Warner was rejected, he learned that the company had calculated his past-due amount at more than $16 million.

"All I want to do is watch March Madness," DeVirgilio, whose bill usually runs around $80 a month, told the Dayton Daily News. The paper says DeVirgilio did the math and concluded that he'd have to order 1.6 million on-demand movies or a pay-per-view fight 400,000 times to accumulate $16.4 million in charges. But at least he's maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing.

"Had I known this I would have bought Showtime," DeVirgilio, an engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, told the Daily News. For its part, Time Warner issued a statement apologizing for the error and said that they're "going to work with the customer to get this resolved."

While the dollar amount of DeVirgilio's billing ordeal makes it among the more egregious in recent memory, the kings of all billing mishaps have to be a Texas man and a New Hampshire man in who received quadrillion-dollar credit card bills in 2009. The former, Jon Seale, received notice that he owed a 17-figure sum that totaled almost 2,000 times the national debt: 23 quadrillion, 148 trillion, 855 billion, 308 million, 184 thousand and 500 dollars. The other, Josh Muszynski, was charged 23 quadrillion after buying a pack of cigarettes at a gas station.

I Hate Ryan Leaf...Still!

Found this one on Seattle Sports Net. Take off my colors you D-Bag!

In A Country Not Founded By Prudes...{NSFW}

All things are possible

Oh Igor Blinnikov, you prankster you! A year ago, the Russian man hacked a highway video billboard in Moscow and rigged it so it would broadcast porn. Traffic stopped to a standstill as drivers enjoyed the public peep show. Good one Igor, funnies all around!

Um, not so much. Authorities were not amused and found that Igor pulled off the stunt in his home in a town some 700 miles away from Moscow. According to Blinnikov, he hacked into the server of the advertising agency which controlled the 20x30ft billboard and chose to stream a random video on a random billboard. He admitted to the crime, saying it was a "bad joke".

Turns out officials thought it was a horrible joke because Blinnikov was finally sentenced today and they were not light on him: Igor will serve 18 months in prison for his graphic billboard hack (in addition to 4 1/2 years of prison time from another crime). That's rough, man.



You know I wouldn't leave you hangin tho. Here's a small clip of Igor's handiwork. {NSFW}

Parenthood

Pastries Don't Nag

Ah hubris, how I love thee!

A wife renewing her wedding vows after 10 years of marriage opted for a cake constructed as a 5-foot replica of herself wearing a wedding gown and veil. Chidi Ogbuta, right, and her presumably heavily medicated husband, Innocent (real name, no comment), originally intended to make life-size cakes of both of them but ran out of time. The 5-foot dessert contained 200 eggs and 7.5 liters of amaretto, and weighed 400 pounds. Please let us know if you've seen anything or are planning anything that can out-crazy this.

Clip O' The Week

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. What better way to show it than with this old number?

Isaiah (Zeke) Thomas as seen by Gus Johnson - Baller!

Git it Zeke! GIT IT!

Note From The Commish

Dear NFL Fan,

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players' union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table.

While we are disappointed with the union's actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone.



Yours,
Roger Goodell

I Want My Mommeeee!

I promise you that the next post will be my break down of the QB's coming out this year in the draft. But before we get to that, today is a sad day. Today the NFL Owners and the NFLPA were unable to come to an agreement and as a result, if the Season had to start now there would be NO FOOTBALL.

For those of you that know me you'll recognize this as a sign of the End of Days! Surely the apocolypse is upon us.


There are more ripples from this event than a seismic event in Japan

(Too soon?).

The NFLPA has decertified and the effect of this action is that there will now be the equivalent of a class action suit filed with several of the players against the owners. That's right folks...

MILLIONAIRES ARE SUING BILLIONAIRES.


In truth, I am on the side of the millionaires in this one but lost in all of this is how it affects, us the fans of this great game.

We have no recourse. It has been suggested that if you are a season ticket holder that had to pay a Permanent Seating License (a fancy way of Owners getting more money from the average fan by charging for having the "pleasure" of buying Season Tickets before your neighbor can), you may want to consider filing a suit against the Owners for lost games.


The NFL has come out with a statement on what the ticket refund policy will be should any games be cancelled. Which, while quite nice and lovely, is worth FUCK ALL to those of us who only want to see them do this (apologies for #9).

Clip O' The Week

Even with the new format and sports theme there should still be one constant from the old regime'.

The Admiral is away this week and I miss her terribly. What I really want is for her to be home.

Here's this week's clip

2011 Draft Thoughts

Yesterday was Cam Newton’s Pro Day and the rumor is that there were over 150 NFL officials and 100 members of the press to see Cam the Icon and Entertainer perform. So with the draft about 1 month and a half away I’d like to offer my thoughts on the direction the Seahawks should take this year.

Much has been made of their need at QB. All of the press experts, including Tim Hasselbeck, expect Matt to test the open market this offseason. It’s not a doom and gloom scenario because a lot of times that can lead to getting a deal done faster. The problem I have is that a good percentage of them believe that the number 25 pick should be spent on a QB. And of the group (along with a large group of fans) the name that continues to surface is Jake Locker.

I like Jake. He’s a local boy and I think he’s going to have a good career in the NFL. He’s athletic, smart, and plays with more heart than most of the guys in pads on Sunday. He was a winner despite being part of a really crappy football program at the U of W. But I don’t want him in Seattle at the price of a 1^st round draft pick.

There are a lot of holes on this team. The O-line and Defensive Secondary are chief among them. Heck, I could make a strong case for letting Lofa and Curry go and drafting at that position in the early rounds. But taking Jake, or any other QB at 25, is a mistake.

So here’s what I recommend.

This is a strong DB class and the Hawks desperately need help in that area. For me it’s a toss-up on which spot is a greater need. But the problem is that at 25 the 2 best Corners will be gone already. If by some miracle Peterson (LSU) or Amukamara (Neb) are still available, let’s all be adult enough to not laugh at the other teams as we run to hand our ticket to the podium. Since it’s a safe bet that they will be gone by then the only other name, talent-wise, that warrants a pick at 25 or better is Jimmy Smith (Col). He is a first round talent, and at 6’ 2”, 210 pounds, his size and speed are huge assets. Off the field issues involving drugs and 2 arrests have me worried. The Hawks don’t need the headache so they should pass on this kid and look towards other needs.

The next big need is the O-line. No team had more starting combinations for their front five than Seattle did and it showed. A 7 – 9 finish, an abysmal running game, and an aging QB that felt as if he was under siege all season were the obvious results of a make-shift line who’s only constant was inconsistency.

So at 25 the pick that makes the most sense is an Offensive Tackle. You can address the need at Guard through Free Agency, but getting another good young tackle has to be the focus at that spot. Either Nate Solder (Col) or Anthony Castonzo (BC) would be good selections but the kid I really like is Gabe Carimi. He’s 6’ 7”, 315 pounds and is starter ready at the Right Tackle position. Some teams may want to put him on the left side but I don’t think he could do that on week 1 of the 2011 season.

I know a lot of fans will think that if Seattle is going to take a Tackle at that spot they should consider taking Tyrone Smith out of Southern Cal. Coach Carrol is familiar with him and would know what he was getting up front. I don’t have anything against Tyrone but I think Tom Cable will want to move towards a bigger bodied line-man and at 280 pounds Tyrone is too small for my tastes.

“But what about a QB?” I hear you asking. This QB class is strong enough that you can draft a QB in round 2. Heck, there’s a small possibility that Jake may even drift that far. Doubtful, but not completely out of the question. There is however a kid worth taking with the 25^th pick in round 2. For my money I say take a hard look at Colin Kaepernick (Nev). He’s 6’ 6”, 225 pounds with a canon for an arm. He was a 4 year starter at Nevada and with the exception of a slightly elongated delivery hits every measurable you can imagine. His detractors will say that he has an elongated delivery but if you take a close look at him he may remind you of Josh Freeman out of Tampa.

With Matt at the Helm for 2011 the thought of young Colin competing for the number 2 spot against Clipboard Jesus makes me smile. If Whitehurse is able to win the job that would be fantastic. But I’ve a feeling that Colin can win that spot and by 2012 would be ready to compete for the starting position. At the end of the day we’ll need to turn the page at QB but we’re still at least a year away from doing so.

Lockout With Your Cock Out

It has been said to me that there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations that we are all unaware of. I will happily concede that point. But this seems to be pretty simple for me and at least 150,000 others that signed a petition to Block The Lockout.

I get it. This is about money. Sadly, it always has been. You hear players say it all the time in every sport as they are standing in front of a camera and microphone explaining why they are moving to yet another team despite loving the one they were just on. “It’s a business”, they proclaim.

I get it. We all do. Message received.

But here’s a message from all of us, to you fat cats that call yourselves owners. Figure it the fuck out, and get this thing done. NOW!!
From all I can read the owners are quibbling over 1 Billion dollars which is a shitload of money to all but a handful of people on the planet, but is only 18 percent of the profit they make. That’s right 18 percent of the profit. Making the NFL a 9 Billion dollar profit center for those fortunate enough to call themselves an owner.

Hmmmm…just think. With that kind of money we could all give up hooking for a living.

As I type this the deadline has been extended from last Friday, March 4, to this Friday March 11. This means they have 4 days to get this deal done, extend the deadline (again), or piss off the fans of what has been the greatest sport in the world for the last 4 decades.

He's Baaack!

After taking a HUUUUUGGGGEEEEE break from blogging I’m back. The biggest hurdle I’ve always had is figuring out what to write about. No matter how cynical I am, eventually I get bored with the stupidity that surrounds us all and I turn a blind eye to it.

So after giving it some thought I’ve decided to write about sports. It’s what I love and who knows…if I do this correctly, maybe the Admiral and I can move to Bora Bora one day. Let’s not hold out for that though…