Cut and Dry Sports

New England Patriots Mock Draft

2012-02-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

27th Overall - Mohamed Sanu
Wide Reciever: Rutgers - 6'2 215lbs

Analysis: There are very few guys left at this point of the draft that I would truly want us to draft as a 1st round pick. Throw in the fact that I believe wide receiver may be an equal need when compared with defensive back, and I've come to the conclusion that Mohamad Sanu is our guy. With the uncertainty of Deion Branch return, his age, Welkers contract status and the fact that no other wide receiver had more then 15 catches means we're simply going to need an outside presence entering next year. Sanu is a trendy guy on the forum which are usually the type of guys I try to avoid in mocks, but his upside is just to good to pass up. We haven't had a physical presence at the outside receiver position since David Givens, and Sanu would troll Givens on his best day.

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31st Overall - Andre Branch
Defensive End/Outside Linebacker - 6'5 260lbs

Analysis: I think we're very lucky to land Branch at this point of the draft, especially since we were able to draft a player 4 picks earlier to fill another big need. Branch is also intriguing because of his ability to play down on a 4 man line, or convert to a pass rushing OLB. I'm sure this is something Belichick will continue to put a lot of emphasis on (versatility) If we do decide to stick with the 4-3 base look, I feel like we need to find a pass rusher with either 27 or 31. WR and DE or OLB (depending) seems to make the most sense for our 1st round picks.

TRADE: 48th Overall and 2013(5th) for 40th Overall.

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40th Overall - Chase Minnifield
Cornerback: Virginia Tech - 6'0 185lbs

Analysis: Ohhhh buddy, Minnifield is one my main targets for this draft! Baller, baller, baller. I believe Minnifield could end up being better the Chris Cook and Ras-I Dowling. He's very good in virtually all aspects of man and zone coverage. Beyond that, he is a tremendous tackler for an average to smaller sized cornerback. He has long arms and above average ball skills while leaping in the air. I love everything about the kid. Throw in the fact that he can return kicks and punts, and we've got a winner here! Chase is a play maker in the purest form of the word. If you have seen him play at Virginia you'll know what I'm talking about.

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63rd Overall - Kendall Reyes
Defensive Tackle : Connecticut 6'4 300lbs

Analysis: Kendall Reyes would be an interesting pick this late in the 2nd round. We're lucky to get him here but thanks to the deep group of defensive tackles, he should fall to us. More of a stout run defender then a pass rusher from the inside. He has the frame to easily add more muscle, something he's been doing his entire time at Connecticut. He's extremely strong and a wrap up sure tackler from the DT position. He's been a captain for two years with the Huskies and by all accounts is a great locker room guy.

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94th Overall - The Tommy Streeter Experience
Wide Receiver : Miami 6'4 215lbs

Analysis: Streeter is the second piece of my offensive puzzle for this draft. I'm am slowing coming around to the idea that this team needs an injection of size, speed and play making ability outside the hash marks. Especially during this season, I thought the tight ends and Welker are running a train on the NFL, and they did. But why the heck should we stop there with regards to a match up nightmare offense? Adding Sanu and Streeter to a group like Gronkowski, Hernandez and Welker? #Forgetaboutit. Streeter is raw, really raw. But you can't deny the game changing ability Streeter could bring to this team. I do believe that he should have stayed at Miami for another year to improve on the often overlooked aspects of being a pro WR. But he didn't, and this late in the draft, he still has great value. I am done trying to guess what BB will do, after taking 2 TEs in 2010, and 2RBs and a QB last year, all in the first 100 picks or so of both drafts. That's why I don't think it's impossible that a guy like Streeter is picked around here creating a duo of young wide receivers on this team.

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4th Round - Coryell Judie
Cornerback to Free Safety convert : 5'11 195lbs

Analysis: I don't know who excites me more. Judie or Minnifield! No question Chase Minnifield is the more polished of the two players, Coryell Judie doesn't have near the division 1 experience that Minnifield does, but that doesn't mean he doesn't possess elite college ability. He does. I'll explain for those who aren't familiar. Judie has played cornerback at Texas A&M, and done so very well in his limited time there. I like him as a nickel corner back, or possible free safety at the next level. He's got the range and athletic ability you look for in a safety but doesn't lack physicality that some cornerbacks his size do. There will be some coaching done here, common with any young defensive back. His limited playing time at a high level may lead some to question his ability. The icing on the cake is what Judie can bring to our kick and punt return game. Say good bye to Woodhead and Edelman and hello to Coryell Judie. In his first full season at A&M he returned 20 kicks for 605 yards (30yards per) and 2 TDs.

Mike Milbury Charged with Assault

2011-12-16T22:07:00.001-04:00

News today of charges against CBC commentator Mike Milbury has the hockey world talking. When I had first saw this headline I was convinced Milbury finally flew of the handle and popped P.J Stock or Elliot Friedman. In reality, Milbury allegedly engaged in a physical confrontation with a 12 year old boy who was involved an on ice altercation with his son. Milbury is also being charged with threats to commit a crime. I gather that is legal jargon for Milbury telling the 12 year old kid that he was going to get more then a piece of his mind. The incident took place in Brookline Massachusetts where Milburys son was playing peewee hockey. This type of thing sadly goes on at rinks all across North America, I've seen it first hand. But Milbury, as a public figure, and employee of CBC as well as VERSUS has to realize that even if he verbally assaulted the kid (forget whatever physical confrontation may, or may not have happened) he must have enough sense to realize that his employers aren't going to stand for it. So was rinsing out a 12 year old kid who was arguing with your son really worth it Mike? Gee, you sure got the better of him.

CBC has already announced that Milbury will no longer be apart of their Hockey Night in Canada broadcast going forward, as one would suspect when an individual conducts himself in this manner. Milbury has shown himself to be a bit of a hot head on HNIC broadcasts, so I can't say that this comes as a huge surprise to me. Milbury denies these allegations, but witnesses at the rink where the assault took place on December 9th say that Milbury ran onto the ice during a fight between his son, and the player who was allegedly assaulted by Milbury, where Milbury proceeded to "shake" the opposing player. Milbury claims he merely "intervened". I can't pass judgment as Milbury has the right to be innocent until proven otherwise. However, if he so much as grabbed and shook the 12 year old in question, he likely in that moment committed his last act involving the hockey world. On ice, behind a bench, or in front of a camera.

California Dreaming

2011-12-14T22:39:00.001-04:00

On June 25th, 2009 the Los Angeles Clippers took the first step toward turning around their troubled NBA franchise by drafting the University of Oklahoma star power forward, Blake Griffin.Wednesday December 14th will go down in Los Angeles Clipper history as the day this much maligned franchise took a leap towards relevance and potential greatness by putting together a blockbuster trade to secure the services of NBA All Star and all world point guard, Chris Paul. In this trade, the Clippers sent starting center, Chris Kaman, shooting guard Eric Gordon, small forward and 2010 1st round pick Al-Farouq Aminu and a 2012 1st round draft pick. A huge price to pay, however the potential return makes it worth it in more ways then just on the basketball court. By trading for Chris Paul the Clippers finally have two center pieces to build their team around. They have done a much better job over the last three years drafting and obtaining talented players, which put them in position to make this a reality. Lets not understate the significance of this pairing and the outcome it will have for this franchise. You can make very strong arguments that the Clippers now possess the leagues best point guard and power forward. The Clippers!? What planet am I on?

What really leaves me scratching my head is how it's taken this organization so long to put something like this together. Heck, even something less formidable then this. The Clippers have been snake bitten by horrible scouting, drafting and management for decades. Every major sport in North America has teams that suffer through long dry spells, or even ineptitude. But the Clippers were likely one of the last of this breed. The Cleveland Brown and Pittsburgh Pirates may be the new basement dwellers of the sports world, but even the Pirates have made huge strides this past season with regards to shaking that losing stigma. Chris Paul instantly changes the course of this franchise. On, and off the court. The impact a player like Paul will have in a market such as Los Angeles will be tsunami like. The number 3 Chris Paul jersey will only be trumped in volume by the number 24 Lakers jersey. You won't have an empty seat at a Clippers home game for the next 10 years. Forget what a move like this will do for the locker room there. NBA players now have another Los Angeles market team to gravitate towards when considering who to play for during free agency.

The point guard position closely parallels the quarterback of football. Your primary responsibility is to distribute the basketball putting your team in the best position to score. The effect Paul will have playing point guard for the Clippers will be immense. Players like Caron Butler, Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes will all be key contributors when on the floor with Paul. As for Griffin who has already emerged at a top 10 overall player in the league, you better be showing up on the defensive end of the floor every single night because it's going to take complete team defense to defend this kind of inside/outside attack that a Paul-Griffin partnership will create!

For those who believe this trade was bad for the Clippers I ask of you this. How did the Clippers perform last season with that core? 32-50 is the answer, a 39% winning percentage. 3rd last in the West and 14 games out of a playoff spot. Would the growth of Gordon and Aminu have made up those 14 wins to even have a chance at sneaking into the playoffs? Unlikely in my opinion, possible? Maybe. This move however completely changes the complection of the team for the better. The Hornets never had less then 37 wins with Paul running their back-court, in 07/08 the Hornets won 56 games, a feat Clippers fans have only dreamt about in their Californian homes. It turns out with news in weeks past about a potential Paul trade to the Lakers that he too, was California dreaming. Luckily for Clippers fans, their dreams have finally come true.

I'm Experiencing Concussion-like Symptoms

2011-12-10T02:14:00.002-04:00

For the last two months I feel like I've been watching the worst horror movie of all time, looped, strapped to a metal chair. That, or I've been watching the Sheriff Shanahan version of the National Hockey League. You know the type of horror movie I am talking about, right? Painfully predictable from the first five minutes onward. As the camera pans towards the bathroom mirror you see the reflection of the lead female character, the camera shifts downward from the mirror, for just a moment, only to return with a ghostly figure now standing over her left shoulder. Lots of sudden noises, running around a dark house, locking yourself in rooms with only one entry/exit. ( Don't open that closet lady! WHY would you do that! ) Predictable, maybe entertaining the first time, but it grows old pretty darn quick. I have reached that point with the new Vice President of Player Safety. I know what's coming long before it happens.

The National Hockey League has dedicated itself to improving player safety on the ice, specifically, with the hope of eliminating malicious head contact. (head-shots) Hockey players at all levels have dealt with the results of illegal, or dirty body checks for years. There's no place in our game for hits that target an opposing players head or neck. During the 1990's, hits from behind were drawing a lot negative attention, so much so that Minor hockey here in Canada went as far to sow STOP sign patches on the backs of player jerseys. I don't think we'll ever see STOP decals on the side of player helmets anytime soon, but I suppose you never know. There's no question that what Sidney Crosby went through dealing with his concussion over the last year has positively influenced the league and it's players with regard to concussion awareness, and more specifically, it has casted a very bright light on hits that target the head. However, there is a major difference in my opinion, between a targeted "head shot" and any head contact made during a body check. A player using his elbow to contact a player in the head during a check is what the league needs to be cracking down on. Example, Matt Cookes now infamous hit to the head of Marc Savard.

Marc Savard's career appears to be over because of this hit. There have been several examples of hits very similar to this that have taken place since the beginning of the 2011 season under the watchful eye, (sometimes cross eyed), of Brandan Shanahan. Here is where we are running into a growing problem. The league is now suspending players for hits which NO PENALTY is called, and based on whether or not the player who receives the hit, was injured or not. First of all, if the on ice official does not call a penalty (elbowing, charging, boarding, etc ) then how can we argue that the hit is suspendable? We are now resorting to Brendan Shanahan sitting in an office watching the replay in super slow motion to determined whether or not something illegal took place during the hit? Some cases are a little murky, others don't take much of a magnifying glass to see that all that happened in reality, was someone got rocked. No one will ever be able to completely eliminate all contact to the head in the game of hockey, it's just not possible without removing hitting from the game. The fact is, when a player is hit hard chances are his head is going to receive some of that force. Whether it be his neck whipping into a player who has hit him, his head contacting the boards, or his head hitting the ice after the hit is delivered. If a player delivers a clean body check that subsequently results in the other players head contacting his shoulder, where's the foul? The head received contact, but it's not a head shot. What happens when Andy Sutton hits Jeff Skinner? I will tell you, Skinners head is going to be contacted with almost 100% certainty given the difference in size between the players. When a player has just completed the act of shooting, and is then hit, given the lowered position of his body, chances are the player delivering the hit will make head contact. If the check is legal however, ( no elbow, wasn't a charge didn't leap up into the player to deliver the hit.) No foul has occurred. This would be an example of that.

A thing of beauty! Which Fistric was wrongly suspended 3 games for. Fistric delivered a completely clean body check, elbow was down, lead with his shoulder and finished the check. Nino Niederreiter has an obligation to protect himself on the ice, something he did not do. Nino attempted to make a play along the boards to advance the puck, in doing so he left himself wide open to be closed off along the boards, he actually waffles just as he gets to Fistric, clearly then aware that a hit would be delivered. Fistric the far more physical of the two was merely the brick wall in this collision. So Shanahan determines that Fistric launches himself because his feet left the ice for all of 0.5 seconds. ( Something that I am willing to be takes place on a good number of hits delivered at the NHL level ) The reality is, when contact is made Fistric still has his skates on the ice. When you slow a video down to 25% of it's real speed, sure you can say "Hey look! his feet left the ice for what is a fraction of a second, he "launched". It's just not the case. So this justify's a 3 game suspension..

This however, is only a 1 game suspension.

So Leino clearly shoots his elbow out striking Matt Read in the head, can't really say it was anything but intentional. As I said, a 1 game suspension for Leino. Here's Shanahans explanation.

Shanahan actually states, " Even though we view this not as an intentional check, but rather one player stealing the puck from another ". Flabbergasted. Shanahan also mentioned that he took into account the fact that Read was not injured on the play. So if he was? Say seriously concussed, it would then be a 3-4 game suspension? More? How does the result of the hit have any baring on whether or not the ACTION of the player is suspendable or not?

Are we scratching our heads yet. Let's take a look at a hit that is apparently completely legal.

Anyone care to try and explain that one for me? Shanahan gave it his best shot in one of his now patented face time videos but those videos now more closely resemble someone speaking an 8th century Mandarin language than a Vice President giving an explanation.

Here's a list of the suspended players this year, and how many games they received. (Linked to www.hockeysfuture.com ) I challenge you to watch these yourself and put them in order of worst (most illegal) to the least illegal offense (less suspendable, or not at all) Then see if the numbers of games handed out match up correctly with your list, or look more like the Matrix binary code.

2011 NHL Suspensions

The underlying problem here is consistency. I could probably live with Shanahan if he was even slightly resembling rational thought when handing down his verdicts. I have yet to see it. He apparently has the ability to determine what a player is thinking, fractions of seconds before the receiving or delivering of these hits. His computer at the NHL offices must have some type of Professor Xavier style telepathy device built into his slow motion controls. Impressive. Like I said initially, I can see these suspensions coming a mile away, the predictability of it is laughable. If a player is hit hard, and doesn't bounce back up, chances are the Sheriff Shanny signal will be illuminated over Gotham City in no time. However, my hope is, that much like the ending of a horrible horror movie, this Sheriff will eventually end up getting axed as well.

The above picture clearly shows.

No head contact, (Millers helmet flying off his HEAD was a camera trick)
Lucic clearly did not extend his arms targeting the head area.
Miller wasn't seriously hurt, and did not miss 3 weeks with a concussion

Result = No suspension.

My head hurts.

A Cliche' title about Lions

2011-09-06T15:24:00.001-03:00

Every year in the NFL there are teams that are expected to “blow up”. This year is no different. Most peoples hot ticket teams. Meaning teams that will greatly surpass last season’s results are the Chargers, Eagles, Texans and the Lions. Huh? The Lions? You heard me, the Lions. Now here’s my beef. I have a go big or go home attitude with sports predictions which means, if you think the Lions are truly going to break out this year, back it up. I am hearing analysts drool over this Lions team, and in the next breath, predict 7 or 8 wins for them. Really? Do people forget that this was a 6-10 football team without their star QB and starting running back who was on fire to start the year. Something’s not adding up. This is a team that scored more touchdowns last year then the Bears and Jets, two teams that were in their respective conference championship games. The ground work is there.

Which brings me back to my point; if you think a team can break out, back it up! Don’t waffle when challenged and resort to chalking the lonely Lions up to another sub-500 season. I believe this team is heading towards a double digit win season, for the first time since, well, any Barry Sanders fans out there? That’s right, 10 WINS. This is a team that literally has only one hole left, that being the defensive secondary. Everywhere else, this is how I see the Lions.

Quarterback – Just like his Lions, this is Stafford’s year. Don’t give me the injury story. The kid got rocked a few times; he’s not made of glass. His touchdown total should be in the 27-30 range and will pass for 3500+ yards. Yes please. I expect his completion percentage to still float around 58-59% and to probably throw 14-16 interceptions, room for improvement. But most are conservatively forecast a less eye opening year for Matty Stafford, usually because of his injury risk. I don’t buy that, any player in this league could go down for an extended period of time taking the shots he did the last few years.

Runningback – Javid Best is in a similar situation to Stafford. Needs to stay on the field. If he does however, he could have a Brian Westbrook like impact on the Lions offense. One of the leagues best pass catching running backs has yet to truly showcase his abilities. Jerome Harrison and Maurice Morris are also manning this back field, which I believe should be enough to maintain decent balance in what will surely be a pass first offense.

Wide Receiver/Tight End – Stacked. That’s all there is too it. Calvin Johnson will be considered the leagues best WR by years end, and he is complimented nicely by Nate Burelson and rookie Titus Young, both of which are being slept on to the nth degree this year. Throw in Brandon Pettigrew who I believe could enter top 5 TE discussions this year and Stafford has all the pieces he needs to excel.

Finally, you’ve got the defense. Which won’t be ranked in the top 5, or even 10, but should be just good enough for the Lions to get by. I believe they’re going to turn the ball over a ton! Especially with the pass rush they’re going to field. Ndamukong Suh is the leagues best defensive player, sorry Ware, Polumalu and Julius Peppers. No one changes the game on defense like Suh does. When you put Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nick Fairly on that line with him, you might as well turn out the lights and go home. The Lions are here to stay and a legitimate playoff team.

2011 Patriots Mock Draft

2011-02-02T19:37:00.000-04:00

TRADE:

Patriots Trade
- [1st rd] 17th overall (950)
- [5th rd] 156th overall (30)

Eagles Trade
- [1st rd] 23rd overall (760)
- [3rd rd] 87th overall (155)

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23rd Overall - Justin Houston, OLB - Georgia

Height - 6'3
Weight - 258lbs
Reason - Justin Houston appears to have it all as a 3-4 rush linebacker. It's well known that I am a Von Miller supporter, however due to his stock rising almost daily, the opportunity to draft him likely won't be there. Belichick has done a great job the last 2 season compiling picks for this draft, he's probably not going give up some of our extra picks to move up 8-10 spots needed to draft Von Miller. Justin Houston however, is still a terrific linebacker prospect. He's got the size, speed and strength combination you look for in a 3-4 OLB. The SEC trend continues this year for Bill Belichick with the selection of an SEC All-American.

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28th Overall - Quinton Carter, FS - Oklahoma

Height - 6'1
Weight - 211lbs
Reason - I have talked about the uncertainty regarding the safety position at times this year. The fact that we have 2 high round draft picks at the position doesn't stop me from thinking Belichick won't use a high selection on the position this April. All 3 safeties in our rotation this season ( Meriweather, Chung and Sanders ) all have pit-falls to their games, at times, Meriweather has looked god-awful, Chung started out of the gates hot, but then came crashing down to earth and while Sanders is steady, rarely making a big mistake, but rarely making the big play ( with the exception of THE pick this year, and a few others ) he isn't an NFL starter in my opinion. Quinton Carter, as the cliche goes, is a Patriot kind of guy. Smart, instinctive, hard working etc. He appears to have all the athleticism of Brandon Meriweather, but also the ability to tackle the opposing offensive player he's pursuing. A great necessity of any safety if you ask me... ( Don't tell BM that though )

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33rd Overall - Stefen Wisniewski, C - Penn State

Height - 6'3
Weight - 306lbs
Reason - Dan Koppen sucks.

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60th Overall - Ahmad Black, SS - Florida

Height - 5'9
Weight - 183lbs
Reason - If this were reality, I would be so thrilled with these Carter and Black picks! They're not necessarily picks for 2011, ( well Carter would be ) but rather 2 years from now and where this team will be at safety. Page and McGowan the 4 and 5 guys on the roster are both free agents this off-season, Meriweather and Sanders contracts are both up following next season. BB may bring Sanders back, but I cannot see Meriweather in a Patriots uniform beyond next season. He's a "multiple" probowler after all.... I think the contract someone else will throw at him will be the deciding factor. A team like the Jaguars who are still searching for a safety may be a potential suitor.

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74th Overall - Kendall Hunter, RB - Oklahoma State

Height - 5'8
Weight - 197lbs
Reason - Right now, I'm 95% sure the Patriots will draft a runningback at some point during this draft. I've mocked Jacquizz Rodgers to the Patriots, and still really like what he can bring to our team. I decided to go with Kendall Hunter here in the interest of going in another direction. Hunter is a back that can do it all. Not amazing at any one thing, but very good at everything. He fights for every single yard, and despite his shorter stature, he can pound it up between the tackles with power. In my opinion he's a much more talented BJGE, better hands, better in protection and more capable of breaking the long run.

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87th Overall - Andy Dalton, QB - TCU

Height - 6'2
Weight - 213lbs
Reason - Dalton fits this offense very well. The offense at TCU was run a lot out of the shotgun, but the more I see of Dalton, the more I believe he'll have no issues transitioning to more snaps under center. The short to medium passing game was definitely his strength at TCU. In my opinion, he's the closest thing to Tom Brady in this draft, which is why I'm targeting him (and Ricky Stanzi ) as guys that we may take in the mid-late rounds of this draft.

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92th Overall - Jarvis Jenkins, DE - Clemson

Height - 6'4
Weight - 309lbs
Reason - I am flirting with the idea that DE may not be as big a need as a lot of us ( myself included ) may have though. With Ty Warren returning, we're looking at Mike Wright, Gerard Warren, Brandon Deaderick and Myron Pryor as depth at that position. I have mocked Cameron Jordan and Adrian Clayborn as possibilities for DE's, but I am leaning away from that being necessary early in the draft. I think BB can wait until the mid rounds to select a guy like Jenkins who can earn his spot as a back-up for now and possibly battle his way into a starting spot a few years down the road.

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4th Round - Denarius Moore, WR - Tennessee

Height - 6'1
Weight - 195lbs
Reason - Moore is a few years away from being an NFL ready WR. A luxury I believe we have right now. He is a play maker on the outside who gets down field in the passing game. Has terrific leaping ability and locates the ball in the air extremely well. He's raw and still unpolished but has a ton of potential to develop into a serious threat at the NFL level.

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6th Round - David Arkin, OG - Missouri State

Height - 6'5
Weight - 302lbs
Reason - Classic obscure BB pick, but don't be fooled. Arkin is a legit pro OL prospect. There is no question in my mind that we need depth/prospects at the offensive line position and Arkin is a guy known for playing smash-mouth football. He is a bull in the run-block game and and finishes on every single play.

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Draft Summary

QB - 1
RB - 1
WR - 1
G - 1
C - 1

DE - 1
OLB - 1
S - 2

NHL Gets it right with All-Star game.

2011-01-19T14:21:00.001-04:00

Over the past twenty years professional sports have moved further and further away from backyard rinks, wide open farm fields and empty concrete parking lots that house a lone beat off basketball hoop. The trend has been, sports becoming more professional. This is somewhat natural as they are after all, businesses. Sports entertainment has become a billion dollar industry, and lost in labour disputes, collective bargaining agreements, network television contracts and multimillion dollar endorsement deals is why we all began playing sports; for the fun. Organizations like the National Football League, Major League Baseball, The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey Association are big business, in every sense of the word. The bottom line (dollar) is what is sadly most important to the men and women in charge. Because of this, many strict rules and regulations are put on the men and women who play these sports professionally. Dress codes in the NBA now and more “tame” touchdown celebrations in the NFL are two widely known examples. The NFL now often coined the “No Fun League” because of it. The world of professional sports has become more and more serious with each passing year, moving further away from the root of our passion to be involved with them; Enjoyment, fun, excitement.

One of these four leagues actually got something right this time around. The National Hockey League will be holding its annual All-Star game on January 30^th. For the 1^st time, the teams will be selected the same way in which they would have been when these men were children on their community ponds. Two captains, alternating picks until all players have been selected: a draft so to speak. Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings are the two players chosen to do the honours. The fans got to vote all the eligible players into the game itself, but Staal and Lidstrom will decide who suits up for who’s team. An exercise that will be very refreshing and I am sure, entertaining. In the past the NHL has done the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference Format, as well as North America versus the World. But this idea, who’s ever it was will surely be a slam dunk. It brings men who seem untouchable because of their fame, back to the roots of the game. The fan can watch and relate to what’s going on. Seeing that will remind us that the game they play on television every night, for millions of dollars, is the same one we all play on ponds in our backyards with younger brothers.

NFL Prospect Profile

2011-01-18T11:40:00.000-04:00

Prospect #2.

Meet, Randall Cobb.

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Randall Cobb

Player - Randall Cobb
Height - 5'11
Weight - 190lbs
Position - Wide Receiver
College - Kentucky
Class - Junior
Born - Alcoa, Tennessee

Career Statistics
2008 - 21 rec, 197 yards 2 TD's || 79 att, 316 yards, 7 TD's
2009 - 39 rec, 447 yards 4 TD's || 94 att, 577 yards. 10 TD's
2010 - 84 rec, 1017 yards 7 TD's || 55 att, 424 yards, 5 TD's

Accolades:
- SEC All-Freshman Team 2008
- SEC First Team 2009
- 1st team All American 2010 ( all purpose )

Where he fits in New England
- I should change this title too " where he doesn't fit in NE " in the interest of saving time. Cobb can pretty well line up at every spot on offensive, ( not along the offensive line ) literally. Don't pigeon hold yourself to the idea that Cobb is Welker, Edelman 3.0 He's not. He has the ability to play outside, inside and in the backfield. The definition of a match up nightmare. He is the same height and weight as Santonio Holmes, and poses similar speed. Cobb plays a lot faster and harder then his combine numbers may indicate next month. He passes my "eye test". Played a significant amount of QB at Kentucky, most out of the wild cat. The possibility for play creation with the ball in his hands as a passer/runner are very intriguing. As far as where belichick would play him, I doubt he'd see many carries as a traditional RB. He'd be deployed similarly to Woodhead in the backfield but most snaps would be as a WR. He and Woodhead flanking Brady in the shot-gun makes the offensive coordinator in my tingle.

NFL comparison - Percy Harvin

Upside
- Route running
- Versatility
- YAC
- Blocks well
- Elusiveness
- Has literally all of the intangibles.

Improvement needed in his straight line speed, hands are better then average but not elite.

SEC Randall Cobb Profile Video

Randall Cobb Highlights

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Scouting - Player Profile

2011-01-14T19:08:00.003-04:00

With College football now wrapped up, I am ramping up my draft work.Over the next several months I will be posting several college prospect profiles. The NFL draft comes in late April and hopefully this will be a resource for you learning a little bit about some players you may have not got a chance to watch during this college season!

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Joe Lefeged

Player - Joe Lefeged
Height - 6'0
Weight - 205lbs
Position - Safety
College - Rutgers
Class - Senior
Born - Germantown, Maryland

Career Statistics
2007 - 38 Tkls, 3 sacks
2008 - 72 Tkls, 1 sack
2009 - 35 Tkls, 1 sack, 1 ff, 1 int
2010 - 84 Tkls, 2 sacks, 4 ff's, 1 int

Accolades:
- 2007 Freshman All Big East
- 2007 Freshman All American Honorable mention
- 2010 All Big East 2nd Team
- 2010 Jim Thorpe Award Semi Finalist
- 2010 Rutgers team captain

Where he fits in New England
Safety is very quietly creeping into a legitimate team need in my opinion. We've had some big plays made by our safeties over the course of this year, Chung played lights out in the early half of the season, Sanders has made several huge interceptions. However, Meriweather has underwhelmed in coverage all season, Chung has not been able to stay healthy, and despite being a decent contributor this year, the jury still appears out on James Sanders. Especially in this forum. Enter; Joe Lefeged. Rutgers 4 year Senior and defensive leader this past season. Other then Jared Page, we do not have very much depth at the position. That said, Lefeged will not be a "Depth" selection. This guy will be a force on Sundays for many years.

Upside :
Lefeged is not going to be the leagues biggest or fastest Safety. But he has the ability to be one of the better ones. He is an absolutely field maven similar to the style of Pat Chung. He has terrific range despite what would be considered average speed to a safety. He is a better tackler the Chung was coming out of Oregon and equal to him in his ability to make plays. He is an extremely solid player physically that finishes his tackles very well. During his junior and senior seasons he totally 5 forced fumbles and 2 blocked punts. Tenacious to say the very least. Lefeged is a special teams stand out and RU, something highly valued by Bill Belichick, he's been an excellent return man during his collegiate career, he owns a 26.6 KR average and as a senior returned kicks 38 times for 948 yards. The other big intangible for being a Patriot is your ability to be a leader, something Joe Lefeged embraced this past season after being named a team Captain.

Lefeged quote on being a leader -

Joe Lefeged wrote:

" I’m a leader on this football team now,” Lefeged said. “How I approach that will be a mixture of a lot of guys I played with, going back to guys who were on the 2006 team. If I have to be vocal I will, but I don’t think you always have to be that way. Devin McCourty was a great leader, and he didn’t say a lot. He led by example."

Lefeged and former teammate Devin McCourty

Cut and Dry Fantasy Football Magazine

2010-07-22T19:17:00.002-03:00

Page III : Cover Story - Year of the Breakout!

It goes without saying that there are breakout players each and every year, however, this season is going to produce more under the radar fantasy studs then any year I remember in recent history. The elite of the league seem to be shrinking in numbers, at every position. This has lead to the talent pool in the middle rounds being saturated. There isn't as big a drop off from say the 6th ranked wide receiver, to the 12th ranked wide receiver as there was at one time. This doesn't mean you can just roll the dice and come up with doubles every pick. But if you are diligent you can win your league during the draft between rounds 7 and 12. In this feature we will cover who we believe are the top 5 breakout candidates in the NFL. When selecting these 5 players I've looked at the potential ceiling these players could realistically have. A player that I believe will go from 3 TD's to 9 TD's would obviously be a prime candidate. Some of these players may not go to the probowl this year, but their level of improvement will warrant them being selected much higher then you will find them in your generic fantasy football magazine.

5. Alex Smith (QB ) San Fransisco 49ers
ESPN Ranking ( 23 ) Cut and Dry Ranking ( 14 )
2009 - 18td 12int, 2350 yards.
2010 - 25td 14int, 3045 yards. (proj)
- Start by ripping up any ESPN draft kit material you may have, because their player rankings are absolutely nonsensical! With Smith ranked at 23rd among QB's they then have QB's 14th-22nd throwing fewer touchdowns then him. Head scratching, I know. They also ranked the highly unproven Kevin Kolb at 12 while throwing just 20 touchdowns, oddly, the same amount they have given Smith. You can make an argument, a very good one, that Smith actually has a better supporting cast around him in Crabtree, Morgan, Vernon Davis and Gore. Without even looking at the Eagle and 49er schedules, give me Smiths opponents. This is exibit A on why drafters should never blindly follow a 3rd party big board. Do your own work, or let me do it for you!, and watch the rewards roll in all season long! So realize that Smith will be sitting there for a while and grab him as your back up quarterback in the middle rounds. If you're in a two QB league, this will really benefit you and you should target Smith a bit earlier to ensure you are rewarded with a quality number 2 QB.

4. Mohamed Massaquoi ( WR ) Cleveland Browns
ESPN Ranking (56 ) Cut and Dry Ranking ( 36 )
2009 - 34-624-3 18.4avg
2010 - 58-962-7 16.6avg(proj)
- Nothing is sexy about picking any Cleveland Brown early in this years draft. Outside of selecting one of their potential sleeper RB's Harrison or Hardesty, Massaquoi is the only other fantasy viable player. It can be hard at times to use the old " someone needs to catch the ball there " argument, but it rings true. Brian Robiske and Joshua Cribbs are the other two options in the passing game, but neither have the potential upside of a Mohammad Massaquoi. Only two players averaged more per catch last year then Massaquoi so he's shown he has the ability to get down field and make big plays. With a years experience under his belt I would expect his TD numbers to double, and for him to see sizable increases in catches and yards. The Browns won't light the world on fire by any means, but if you draft lots of RB depth early, and wait on WR's, and are looking for a number 3 guy, Massaquoi is him.

3. Brandon Jacobs ( RB ) New York Giants
ESPN Ranking (24) Cut and Dry Ranking ( 16 )
2009 224-835-5 3.7avg
2010 - 289-1205-10 4.2avg(proj)
- One year removed from 15 touchdowns, granted, it was one bad year, isn't enough for me to write off Brandon Jacobs who was on the path to become the NFL's next touchdown machine at runningback. Jacobs will continue to be the Giants main scoring threat on the ground, even while splitting carries with Ahmad Bradshaw. It's clear who the redzone RB will continue to be. I'm viewing Jacobs 09 campaign as a mere bump in the road, and personal motivation to bounce back in a big way this year. Grabbing him as your 2nd or 3rd RB is absolutely robbery judged on where he is being selected in most drafts. Buy with confidence this year.

2. Pierre Garcon ( WR ) Indianapolis Colts
ESPN Ranking ( 26 ) Cut and Dry Ranking ( 14 )
2009 - 47-765-4 16.3avg
2010 - 72-1094-8 15.1avg(proj)
- Draft now or forever hold your peace. If you don't get Garcon on your roster this year, then you're going to miss out. There is no question in my mind that he will be to Reggie Wayne, what Wayne was to Marvin Harrison. These two will both be 1000 yard WR's this year, and this season could be the last time Wayne out performs Garcon statistically. Garcon is a pure blooded play maker, when he gets the ball in his hands, and that's exactly where it ends up every time Manning throws his way, he is a threat to go all the way. I warn you now, if you plan on waiting on him as long as the standard draft rankings suggest you should, you will regret it. He will be an elite number 2 receiver for any fantasy team.

1. Hakeem Nicks ( WR ) New York Giants
ESPN Ranking ( 25 ) Cut and Dry Ranking ( 9 )
2009 - 47-790-6 16.8avg
2010 - 78-1272-10 16.3(proj)
- The NFL is not ready for Hakeem Nicks, it's that simple. This is not a 2nd year production increase prediction. This is a guarantee that Nicks will be a top 10 WR after this year concludes. Steve Smith is, and will not be the number 1 WR in the big apple. Nicks is that man and will see the number of times he's targeted increase greatly. His rookie performance was in just 14 games. Dictate the draft, don't let it dictate to you! This expression rings loudly true with a player like Hakeem Nicks. He will be a top 30 overall fantasy contributor this year making him a keeper worthy player for the 2011 season. Don't say we didn't let you know ahead of time!

Break out player of the year - Hakeem Nicks ( New York Giants )

Page IV :CP's top 25 Fantasy Big Board

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I am of the believe that league drafts are won in the middle-late rounds, but this doesn't do justice to just how important the first 2 rounds of a draft really are. Not everyone has the ability, knowledge, or even plain luck to hit on a runningback in the 8th round, or a wide receiver in the 10th round. So if you miss, or bust with your 1st or 2nd round pick, it could dramatically set back your entire season. Just ask Steven Jackson owners that drafted SJ 2nd overall after his 2006 season. He dropped from 13 TD's to 5 TD's, rushed for 1000 yards instead of 1500 and worst of all went from 90 receptions and 800 yards to 38 receptions and 271 yards. To win your league in 2007 that year you would have needed Tom Brady after missing on Jackson and not having a selection again until 19th overall. This is just one example. The point is, do everything you can to make the smartest determination for who will produce for you, sometimes injuries happen and you just can't predict it. But often, you can see declines comings for multiple reasons. Remember, the big boards that you draft with THIS year, are often slanted towards what happened LAST year. Not this big board, here are your top 25 overall players for 2010.

Rankings done with standard scoring applied. ( + .5ppr )

1. Adrian Peterson : RB - Minnestoa Vikings ^
- Touchdowns, and consistency give Peterson the edge for me over Johnson. Peterson is an absolutely beast with the ball and only looks better as each year goes bye, he is truly only entering his prime now. Look for a touchdown per game average with 1700 yards.

2. Chris Johnson : RB - Tennessee Titans
- Lightning never strikes twice. I'll be blunt, I don't think CJ2K can do it again, 2000 yards that is. Johnson scored 4 less touchdowns then AP while rushing for about 700 more yards, that doesn't quite add up too me. I would expect his touchdowns to stay about the same while his per game yardage drops by about 25 yards, leaving him with around 1600 for the season.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew : RB - Jacksonville Jaguars
- If Jack Del Rio ever gives MJD consistent carries, he will be the best back in the NFL, in both games versus the Titans last year, he totaled 14 carries, 7 per game!? The crazy thing was he rushed for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns on those 14 carries! Consistency is the name of the game. He and Peterson are in a league of their own when it comes to finding the endzone.

4. Frank Gore : RB - San Fransisco 49ers
- I believe the 49ers could be in contention for a 1st round playoff bye this year, I think they'll be that good. Frank Gore is the center piece of that offense, and when healthy is among the leagues elite. The 49ers beefed up an already good offensive line by selecting Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. Scary. Gore missed 3 games last year and still had 1110 yards and 10 touchdowns. Did I mention he caught 50 balls, scoring on 3 of those?

5. Ray Rice : RB - Baltimore Ravens
- Lighting up the NFL doesn't do justice to what Ray Rice did last year. He averaged a ridiculous 5.3 yards per carry which is rare in today's NFL if you get 250 carries and your names not Chris Johnson. I hear arguments for Rice not being worth a top 5 pick because he's not a touchdown machine, true, McGahee is on the roster still, and should steal a few touchdowns away. But when you rack up over 2000 yards of total offense and are on one of the best teams in the National Football League, does it really matter?

6. Rashard Mendenhall : RB - Pittsburgh Steelers ^
- Buckle up folks, because we're going to see a lot of Rashard Mendenhall this season. With Ben out for the 1st part of the season this year Mendenhall will be leaned on to provide the scoring on offense. He rushed for 1100 yards and 7 touchdowns last year on a limited number of carries, 242. He will be heavily leaned on this year likely seeing the rock in his bread basket over 300 times.

7. Steven Jackson : RB - St.Louis Rams
- Would someone like to tell me how Steven Jackson managed to rush for 1400 yards last year? On a team that finished last in the NFL. Sure he only scored 4 times, but the man can only do so much. The Rams have no where to go but up from here. Jackson is the offense, even with Bradford there this year, expect SJ's catches to bounce up by about 20 as well. The check down should be Sam's best friend this year.

8. Peyton Manning : QB - Indianapolis Colts ^
- Sleeper alert!! Did you get a laugh out of that? Let me tell you why it's true. Over the past 3 years, Peyton Mannings pass attempts, and completions are going in one direction. Up, up and up! That will continue this season. Expect 400 completions and over 600 attempts! Indianapolis does not having the running game they had even a few years ago when Addai and Rhodes were carrying the ball for them. The offensive line has also suffered with the retirement of Tarik Glenn. Jeff Saturday is the next shoe to drop. We won't see 2004 Peyton, but he'll be somewhere in between there and last years numbers. Worthy of a top 10 pick once the first 7 runningbacks are selected.

9. Michael Turner : RB - Atlanta Falcons
- I believe the Falcons are evolving, Matt Ryans development is right on schedule and he is poised to take the next step this season. He and Roddy White are going to be a border line top 5 QB-WR combo after this year. This will lead to never again seeing 370 carries from Michael Turner like we did in 2008! Forget about that player. He's gone. That said Turner is still the number 1 threat on the ground, and has the potential to score 10 times. But his 1700 yard days are over. Expect about 1250 and 11 or 12 touchdowns this year, still a number one RB, but not the elite option some thought he could be after 2008.

10. Andre Johnson : WR - Houston Texans
- There is no better, more complete WR in the game right now then Andre Johnson. He is an absolutely lock for 100-1400-10. You can't under-rate that kind of production out of a wide receiver who often have tendencies to fluctuations in their production. Matt Schaub has came into his own the last 2 seasons and Andre has benefited. (clearly goes both ways) Johnson could truly break out this year and score 14-16 times this season. Draft with total confidence.

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11. Chris "Beanie" Wells : RB - Arizona Cardinals ^
- Forget the post-Kurt Warner talk, and rumors of a slight shift in philosophy to a more run based attack, Wells is flat out primed to break out. A power back with the speed and foot quickness to not only be a great redzone RB, but also between the 20's. Hightower will still see action on some passing downs, 3rd and long etc. But Wells could have a Brandon Jacobs 2008 type impact this year. Double digit + touchdowns are in his sights.

12. Aaron Rodgers : QB - Green Bay Packers
- If the Packers solve their offensive line problems, Aaron Rodgers has the ability to be the best quarterback in the league today. They just need him on his feet obviously. Despite the rediculous amount of sacks he took like year, and constantly making plays under pressure, Rodgers threw more touchdowns then Tom Brady, Matt Schaub and Phillip Rivers. If you take into account his rushing ability, which you need to. He's a no brainer here behind Peyton Manning.

13. Ryan Grant : RB - Green Bay Packers
- So undervalued by most rankings. Grant does nothing flashy, nothing great, but everything really well. His 1250 yards, 11 touchdowns and 25 pass receptions should not be over looked. He is the option at RB for the Packers, something that is rare now in the NFL. The offense around him is great, which can be very comforting. If you're selecting early in the 2nd round you could easily end up with a killer RB tandem of Steven Jackson and Ryan Grant.

14. Roddy White : WR - Atlanta Falcons
- Roddy White is my Ryan Grant of wide receivers. He gets it done, without the superstar hype that many others receive. He is Ryan's guy, goes without saying. When you have the potential to catch 90 passes and score double digit touchdowns, I think you deserve a little more respect then White is getting.

15. Randy Moss : WR - New England Patriots
- Ladies and gentlemen. Buy high. Don't let Randy moss make it past pick 15 in your draft. Moss is entering the final year of his contract, which will likely be, his final contract period. We've seen the result of a motivated Randy Moss. He has scored at least 11 touchdowns every year he has played in New England, and that year was with Matt Cassel in 2008. Brady and Moss should both see improvement in their play this year. The Patriot offense has reloaded with the additions of two 3rd rd WR's, Tory Holt and 2 rookie pass catching tight ends. Gone are the days of Moss seeing umbrella coverage over the top on every single play. The field should open up for him a lot this year.

16 Miles Austin : WR - Dallas Cowboys ^
- Believe the hype. Because Miles will show this year that it's truly not hype at all. The Dallas Cowboys have one of the most potent offenses in the league, Austin is now the feature piece of that. After not producing much in the first few weeks of the season Miles absolutely exploded against the Chiefs in week 5. The best thing about Austins game is his nose for the goal line. He scored 11 times last year, and there is no reason to think he will not do it again this year. The chemistry between he and Romo is very evident.

17. Drew Brees : QB - New Orleans Saints
- I believe we may be looking at a bit of a hangover for the Saints this year, it's somewhat cliche to say after a superbowl win, but it's not questionable that every team will see the Saints coming from a while away this year, that means Brees is going to have to work that much harder. I believe he will. But a slight decline in production is likely to occur this year. 32tds and 16ints will still make him the 3rd best quarterback on this list, so don't fear, draft him as your number one QB late in the 2nd round when the value at WR and RB has thinned out.

18. Larry Fitzgerald : WR - Arizona Cardinals v
- One of the puzzles of this years fantasy football season is what will happen with Larry in the desert. No more Warner, and many have concerns that Leinart or Anderson aren't going to provide the same quality play that Warner did. Boldin is now in Baltimore as well, but it shouldn't hurt Larry to much, as Steve Breaston and Early Doucet will provide adequate targets on the field to keep most double teams off Larry's side of the field. He only had 1000 yards last year, and his per catch average was 11.3, I don't expect that number to improve with Lienart throwing the ball. 75-950-12 could be in Fitzgeralds future this year, still very good, but Andre Johnson, Roddy White and even Miles Austin should be considered as options first.

19. Knowshon Moreno : RB - Denver Broncos
- Moreno had a very quiet year in terms of fantasy hype, which is surprising because he had 900 yards and 7 touchdowns. He's without question the best runningback available at this point of the draft, and with serious keeper potential, you should be very pleased about it. Denver has other options at RB, but no one close to Moreno's pedigree. He will rush for over 1250 yards this year, and should improve his receiving numbers to about 50 catches, up from 28 last year.

20. Reggie Wayne : WR - Indianapolis Colts
- Reggie has proven to be a model of consistency in the NFL. However, I see a few red flags this year in Wayne still being a top 3-4 fantasy wide receiver. First of all, is the Pierre Garcon effect. As we saw late last year, and especially in the playoffs. Clark and Wayne have some new competition for favorite toy in the Colts sandbox now. Garcon made big plays down the stretch with Peyton making him look like a Chris Carter-Terrell Owens hybrid. Wayne also averaged just 12.6 per catch, his lowest output since 2003. Also, when excluding his rookie season when he did not score at all, he only averages 8 touchdowns per year. Seeing that he has never had back to back double digit touchdown season, and is now 31, I don't see him surpassing his numbers from last year.

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21. Jonathan Stewart : RB - Carolina Panthers ^
- Over DeAngelo Williams?! Yup! Roll reversal coming this year in Carolina! I think this will be Stewart's year to set the tone for the running game and offense in general, with Williams coming off the bench to spell him and add a change of pace in the other direction! These guys are both killer, and you truly can't go wrong. If it were possible, get both! But that will be difficult as they are both rated around the same area. Stewart will rush for more yards this year, and score more touchdowns, I have him going before Williams.

22. Sidney Rice : WR - Minnesota Vikings
- I remember loving Rice coming out of the University of South Carolina, he was as raw as they come, and still very young. I thought he had the ability to produce right away, but that obviously took a few years. But he's here folks. The next Randy Moss in terms of unearthly physical ability! Favre needs to come back ( which he will ) for this ranking to hold up, but post Favre, the Vikings need a running mate for Rice. A 1st round QB should be in their future next April. Rice will produce similar numbers with the possibility of scoring 10-12 td's this year rather then 8.

23. Brandon Marshall : WR - Miami Dolphins
- Marhsall should make Chad Henne a border line top 10-12 quarterback this year. His skill ranks him neck and neck with any wide receiver you can think of. He gets under rated because he doesn't have Manning, Brady, Schaub or Romo throwing to him like other WR's ahead of him have. But that won't stop him. With defense's worried about stopping the bone crushing Dolphin running attack Marshall should have his way with many defensive backs this season. 100 catches again this year is very imaginable. He will also be the teams number 1 redzone threat through the air, so the sky is really the limit for Marshall, he can be as good as he wants to be.

24. Hakeem Nicks : WR - New York Giants ^
- Our breakout player of the year just cracks the top 25. The potential around Nicks was outlined earlier in this edition. But we don't mind reiterating! When you catch 47 passes for 700 yards, on a team that wanted to run the ball, and had another WR catch over 100 passes, you've had yourself one hell of a year. What's that? You were a rookie as well?! Yikes. You have to be really not paying attention to what Nicks did on the field last year to miss his ability being that of a future probowl receiver in this league. Again, no praise or payment is necessary, we'll just accept thank you's come late December!

25. Shonn Greene : RB - Shonn Grenne v
- Many projects seem to be over valuing Shonn Greene in our eyes. Going from 500 yards last year, too 1200 and double digits touchdowns isn't exactly a cake walk. He carried the load, one year in college where he ran wild over opponents carrying 300 times. But thus far in the NFL has career the ball 20 times a total of zero times. With Tomlinson joining him in New York we think they're going to be a very effective combo, but are a bit more conservative in our projections of his individual production. He has no pass catching ability, and will rely on touchdowns for production, which is apparently what LT was brought in for as well. We will have to see how it all shakes out, we like him here at 25 overall though, and see a 950 yard, 8 touchdown season for Greene.

Letter to the readers
This concludes the first edition of the magazine, we introduced you too what fantasy football is all about, provided you with some draft strategies to help the rookie and veteran players maneuver through their drafts and profiled the different personalities that you will surely run into during your time playing fantasy football. Finally we have concluded with our top 25 big board that we hope gives you a good base for helping you select the best players for you in the early rounds of your drafts. Look forward to our next edition which will be released sometime in August when training camps and the pre-season are in full swing!

Thank you for reading.
Tim Stephenson

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2010-07-21T00:01:00.001-03:00

Page II : Draft Strategies:Understanding your opponents intentions
How to better understand draft trends, your opponents and stay one step ahead of the pack!

What I'm going to cover here will not be a skill likely acquired during your first draft, or even your first full year of fantasy football. It will come much easier with experience in fantasy football. What makes these skills exceptionally hard is that fact that most leagues you'll likely join, you will not know your opponents personally. Outside of a league with local friends or co-workers that you take part in, but generally, this will not be the case.

Part 1 : Understanding the trends and flow of a fantasy football draft

A trend, defined as, The general direction in which something tends to move. Very much an intrical part of a fantasy draft. Understanding the trends taking place in your draft could very well lead to your success or failure in the draft. Being aware of not only who your opponents are selecting, but the position of that player as well as when they select them can give you the upper hand in understanding their approach to the draft. Again, I will reiterate that doing this successfully in a league where you do not know any of the other players personally can be challenging, but certainly not impossible. I will first focus on the quarterback position.

Scenario. We have reached the 4th round of your 10 team draft. You selected 3rd overall meaning you have used picks 3, 18, 23 and are about to select at 38th overall, the 37th pick is on the clock. Here is your roster thus far.

QB -
RB - Ray Rice (BAL)
RB - Ryan Grant (GB)
WR - Miles Austin (DAL)
WR -
WR -
TE -
K -
DEF/ST -

Selection 37 is made, Phillip Rivers, QB, San Diego making him the 6th quarterback selected thus far. The quarterbacks taken so far include, Rodgers, Brees, Manning (Peyton), Brady and Schaub. Looking at your roster you have a need for 2 more WR's, a QB and TE. You are now on the clock, twice in the next 6 picks, here at 38, and then 43rd overall in the next round. Here is where understanding the draft trend is important, and we're faced with 2 scenarios. You need to be aware of who the 2 teams drafting around you at 39 and 40 have selected already, they also then pick at 41, and 42 before you select again.

This is all centered on the quarterback for clarity. You are without one and have to go down to the 7th best available quarterback on your big board to make your selection, it's Tony Romo. The question is, jump the gun and take him at 38? Or risk waiting til 43? Here's the thing, you need not risk it, because you can know what the right decision will be by having paid attention to who the players around you have been selecting. With Manning being selected at 19 by one, and Brady going 20th to the other, you need not worry about Tony Romo being picked in the next 4 spots and can safely select the best WR on your board, which happens to be Marques Colston. If it were reverse, and those two players didn't have QB's, and you take Colston at 38 trying to wait on Romo, only to have Romo and Brett Favre selected by them, you now have Jay Cutler or Donovan McNabb staring you in the face. So by simply being aware of this, your roster can go from championship material, to middle of the pack.

Marques Colston and Tony Romo
or
Marques Colston and Jay Cutler

Bottom line is, try to dictate the draft, don't let it dictate to you. You want to have the ability to CHOOSE Tony Romo, you do not want to be forced to select Jay Cutler. It's a simple practice but can often be over looked by using what the much maligned draft method ( in my opinion ), the best player available technique. The only time which I would advise you to select like this, is in the very 1st round, and the later rounds of the draft when all of your starting spots have been filled.

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Part 2 : Criminal Minds : Profiling your opponents

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I'm about to get all Jason Giddian on you here in a minute, so lets explain what I'm about to outline. In fantasy football you often have a wide ranging cast of personalities and characters in your league, being, not every owner is going to be a generic drafter following the order of a big board supplied by your Fantasy Football site. You need to have the ability to "read" in a sense, the mentality of your opponents during the draft. Can you give yourself that little edge of knowing the tendencies or habits of an opponent purely by the following... The way they speak/act/interact with other members, are they cocky?, do they compliment others on good selections, and often elaborate on why?, do they have an NFL team name in their own? These may seem small or trivial, but what seem like casual comments or behavior can really tip you off on what type of animal you're dealing with. What type of animal... hmmm.

Cut and Dry Fantasy Football player profiles!

The Lion : Your fantasy football veteran. This player is not going to make ill-informed decisions, and he's not going to deviate to far from what would be considered a conventional drafting style. In the 1st two rounds he'll go RB, RB likely followed by the best available QB instantly setting himself up nicely for the rest of the draft. The Lion after that point will draft bye need too fill out the roster, but once he has his WR's you better watch your sleepers because the Lion is going to draft for UPSIDE. This is the guy that drafted Frank Gore in the 7th round after the 2005 season, or Ray Rice last year in the 14th round. He'll shy away from a player like Antonio Bryant or Lee Evans in favor of a high ceiling player like Mike Wallace or Robert Meachem. So be watchful after the first 6-7 rounds of these players that are rated 10-15 spots lower then were the draft is, because a Lion will not hesitate to scoop them up!

The Hyena : The good thing about the Hyena is he will not take long to let himself be known. This is the guy that will be chatting it up in your draft application and likely already predicting a championship coming his way before the 1st pick is ever made. The Hyena ultimately has two potential outcomes in the league. I call it the Ricky Bobby effect. If you're not first, you're last! If they Hyena misses out on a top 5 pick overall, he'll likely draft somewhat erratically, again, this will be the easiest player to profile. This year, after Frank Gore goes at 4 ( generally ) or Ray Rice, the Hyena is the guy that will select Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers. If he can't have the best RB, he'll have the next most valuable thing, the best quarterback. He likely will not stop there. If he happened to be picking 10th, therefore picking 11th as well, you can bank on seeing this, 10-Andre Johnson, 11-Randy Moss or 10-Larry Fitzgerald, 11-Reggie Wayne. Once you have this guy pegged, you want to keep an eye on players you may be targeting that have "names", stars, even guys that may be past their prime. The Hyena see's Ladanian Tomlinson, flashes back too 2004, and will pounce! If you were a Shonn Greene owner, or liked LT in general for his TD potential this year, be mindful. You will find it hard using conventional logic with the Hyena, he may have already selected a QB so you let one slide by you, hoping to get him coming back the other way, and sure enough, even with Peyton Manning on his roster, the Hyena selects Matt Schaub purely to hold him ransom on the rest of the league! Approach with caution fantasy footballers! Like I said, this erratic behavior could land him with Justin Forsett and Thomas Jones as his two starting running backs, but they can have the stars align for them sometimes and field a QB, WR core that looks like this,

QB - Rodgers
WR - Fitzgerald
WR - Ocho Cinco
WR - Greg Jennings

All in all, you want to let the Hyena do it's thing, and hopefully it doesn't throw a wrench in what you're trying to accomplish, 8 times out of 10 he will be chasing his own shadow the entire draft and end up a cellar dweller comes years end.

The Elephant: Old reliable. The elephant is pretty close to the opposite of the Hyena, but he's certainly not a Lion. The elephant cares about safety, and reliability more then anything else! Curtis Martin or Fred Taylor would be the Elephants 1999 fantasy RB dream tandem. You know exactly, what you'll get from them, 1100 yards and 7 or 8 touchdowns. Never to much more, and never less. When faced with the choice between Hines Ward and Mike Wallace this year. the Elephant won't think twice and select Ward. He sleeps well at night because of this. You can use his concern for safety to fairly accurately predict what positions he will target, and when, after a few rounds. His roster will likely be completely filled out before he drives into his bench players, this could extend into a TE, Defense and back up quarterback before he begins taking reserves at the RB-WR skill positions.

The Water Buffalo: Confused? Don't be, you will know this player as, "the homer!". Ever watch the nature channel? discovery channel? CP has, and do you know what he never see's? Water Buffalo at the lake, by themselves. Doesn't happen. These guys only feel safe when they're surrounded by their own kind. They won't be troubled with all that Hyena/Lion foolishness, they're loyal to the Water Buffalo way. Ever see this happen?

With the 30th and 31st selections, The D-Town Pride selects Matt Stafford and Javid Best.

You watch as your chat logged fills up with token "LOL'z!" We're obviously talking about fans that target the home town players. Now, a true Water Buffalo is rare, and if you run into one, chances are they're not going to challenge for your league, as even the entire Colts or Saints offensives wouldn't compete with a true fantasy line up. What you need to be diligent about is other players allegiances! If you're in a league with Giants Squash Eagles and you're targeting Ahmad Bradshaw and Mario Manningham in the mid-late round, you NEED to be conscious of this guy. If you think Bradshaw is the RB in NY by week 5 this year, chances are the Giant fan may have the same feeling. Not to mention, as a fan in general he'll likely favor him over a comparable player.

Great white buffalo...
Great white buffalo....
Great white buffalo......

2010-07-19T00:20:00.000-03:00

Cut and Dry : Fantasy Football Magazine

Year of the breakout!
By : Tim Stephenson

July.17th, 2010
CDFFM : Edition 1.

Profiling the leagues fantasy relevant players for the purpose of better preparing our readers for their upcoming fantasy football drafts. A well prepared drafter, is a championship contender! With the tips, knowledge and strategies presented in this edition, we will give readers the ability to not only draft well, but manage well. We want you to be just as successful in December, as we'll help you be this summer.

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Page I : What is fantasy football?
[Intended for members new to fantasy football]

So you're ready to take the leap. You're friends have been playing fantasy football for years, leaving you scratching your head over such scenarios as a Cowboys fan hoping for Eli Manning to eclipse 300 yards this week! You may have asked questions like, "How can you be cheering for Frank Gore and Steven Jackson in the Rams-49ers game?! " Well, lets make this picture crystal clear for you! Fantasy football works as follows. You will begin by selecting a website that you would like to use for your league, you may create a league, or join one that someone else has previously created. The most common websites available are,

www.nfl.com
www.espn.com
www.yahoo.com
www.fleaflicker.com

You may want to visit each site first, if you do not have working knowledge of their fantasy football templates. Most hardcore players are divided on which is truly the best, I can tell you that I personally use fleaflicker for the 6 year league I run, and have had no problems with it during this time. I have also used ESPN extensively, which I would also recommend. Each site has it's perks.

After you've made your selection, you will then join a league ( I will continue to speak as though you have selected to join a league rather then creating one, for clarity purposes. ). Most league will consist of 10 players, 9 and yourself. Size can vary anywhere from 6-20 players per league. But 10 and 12 man leagues are by far the most commonly used. The two main factors you want to look for when selecting a league would be, when the live draft is happening, because if you can't make that time or date, you probably don't want to join that particular league. The other is the league scoring/settings. This covers things like, how many points you will receive when your quarterback, runningback or wide receiver scores a touchdown, if your league awards 1 point for a player catching a pass, refereed to as a PPR league, point per reception or roster requirements such as starting two quarterbacks instead of one, or using defensive players as well. For example, a common roster may look like this,

QB -
RB -
RB -
WR -
WR -
TE -
DEF/ST -
K -

BE -
BE -
BE -
BE -

BE spots are for your bench or back up players. So you've done all this, and you're ready to complete your draft. When you enter your live draft application, you will find out which position you will be drafting in, the draft order. Anywhere from 1-10 if your league has the standard 10 players. Most drafts are what we call snake drafts, what this means is if you draft 10th in the first round, or last, you will pick first in the next round, 11th overall? Understand? So your selections would be as follows 10th, 11th, 30th, 31st, 50th, 51st, etc

Once your team is selected you will be able to select your starting roster for week 1 of the season, your best players you can put in each spot to hopefully score more points then your week 1 opponent. Like real NFL football, each week, you will play someone else in your league, pitting their players up against yours, using the real results of the NFL games to determine the winner. Most basic scoring rewards 6 points for a touchdown just like in the NFL. Yardage is usually awarded on a 1 point per 10 yard ratio. So if your runningback gains 100 yards, and has 1 touchdown, he's just earned you 16 points towards your total score! It's that easy. Again, you should become very sure of your leagues scoring format prior to drafting as it should affect the type of players to want to select earlier in the draft. A ppr league for examples makes wide receivers much more valuable then a standard league does! You will play 12-13 of these regular season match ups during the league amassing a record, 8-5, 2-11, or 12-1 if you follow the advice that will be laid out later in this magazine! The regular season will culminate with your league playoffs being played in weeks 14 and 15, with the championship game usually decided in week 16 of the regular season! Now you're ready to start your fantasy football journey, tread carefully from here though, you are about to enter a brotherhood that makes the Illuminati look like the cabbage patch kids.

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Cut and Dry : Fantasy Football Magazine!

2010-07-18T03:15:00.000-03:00

So I was feeling ambitious this summer and decided I would start my own online Fantasy Football Magazine. I am a regular contributor to a NFL football forum called, Footballsfuture.com ( Linked at the top of the main page ) and I posted the first edition of my magazine project there. However I would feel just wrong if I were to not share it here as well, being this is my home base and all! So over the next fews weeks, I will post the different features of the magazine up in sections for the Cut and Dry readers.

My inspiration for doing this came while in a grocery store line up with my girlfriend. I grabbed a Fantasy Football magazine featuring Ray Rice on the cover off the news stand, and gave it a browse. I use to purchase such publications in the past for my own enjoyment, yes I like reading pages of statistics for fun, but I gave up on them a few years ago. I did so for one simple reason, because writers of 90% of these football magazines do nothing to entice or pursued the reader that he or she is getting an original, well thought out point of view on all the players featured in the magazine. You go to these magazines because you want to know what Ray Rice is going to do this season, statistically speaking. When you find him and check, you see that he is projected to record the same statistics are he did the previous season, within 10% up, or down... without fail. Standing there with my girlfriend I turn to her and say something along the lines of, " Do you want to see how psychic I am? " I'm pretty sure I got a minor eye roll in return, but being the wonderful girlfriend she is, she obliged to my child like request. I told her I would find Randy Moss in the wide receiver rankings, and predict within one, how many touchdowns the writer of the magazine projected he would get for this year! Being a stat freak, I knew Moss had 13 last year. So I told her the number for this year would be 12. Flipped a few pages, found him, and proclaimed that I was absolutely right, proving I was in fact, an amazing psychic! ( She was not impressed ). But I wasn't done there, I explained to her that these writer do nothing close to what they claim to be doing, "projecting" they simply enter numbers within 10% of last years total, and call it a day in most cases. I told her I would bet the next 10 players following Moss would all have equal too, or less touchdowns then last season. With complete thrill washing over her, I began to rhyme off numbers. 12 last year, 12 this year, 10 last year, 9 this year, 11 last year 10 this year, 14 last year 13 this year... I was successful 6 or 7 times in a row before the magazine "prognosticator" finally had a player achieving more touchdowns then he had in the previous season. Disgusted that people paid 10 dollars for this kind of material, I went home sick to my stomach knowing that a better job could be done. Bottom line is, most of these writers, write to not be wrong, rather then writing to be right! Yes you put yourself out there when making a projection, but as a reader, I want that. If you're basically going to tell me generally speaking, most things are equal with relation to last year, I don't need your magazine.

The look on my girlfriends face after all of this further proved to me I was on to something, she looked just as sick as I felt! Surely from the realization that football fans were being ripped off, not from the realization that she had been dating a 14 year old sport nerd for 18 months now! None the less, I knew what had to be done, so I did it. I hope you enjoy each feature that I will be posting, 5 parts in all!

Also! I quick point of interest! Our Indianapolis staff writer, Jamie Preston, will be returning soon with his take on the upcoming Indianapolis Colt season, be sure to check back for that!

Tim.

Knock Knock, Who's there?

2010-07-16T15:14:00.002-03:00

"A Raptor and Cavalier"
- " A Raptor and Cavalier who?"
" No not who, but rather where..."
- " Okay, where? "

" South Beach Florida! Obviously "

Where else would you find a Raptor and Cavalier in the summer of 2010. Painfully obvious that I'm speaking of the newly formed Miami Trice. Chris Bosh, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade. The NBA has been taken by storm! Some feel slighted, Cleveland. Others, not surprised, Toronto, they are after all totally use to losing their star players at some point in there primes. ( McGrady and Carter ) I however, as a sports fan, am extremely excited! I'm sure most share that sentiment! Being a loyal fan of the Boston Celtics, I can not make arguments that the maneuvering that took place during free agency this year was in some way, colluded, or conspired in anyway. The Celtics made this model of a big 3 after all, when they shipped everyone out of town, along with several current and future first round picks, to Seattle and Minnesota to secure the services of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. We know what happened there. Twelve months later, we all knew that, "Anything is possible!" Most NBA fans are penciling in the Heat to achieve the same feat come next June, they do have a much younger, and more individually talented trio then the Celtics did, that I agree with. However, championship teams are built, not bought. The Celtics built their's, players like Rajon Rondo, James Posey and Kendrick Perkins played big rolls for the team that playoff season. Time will tell if Miami can surround their big 3, with the right pieces.

The one thing the Heat do have going for them, is Pat Riley, one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time. He has been there before, 6 championships actually, and it looks like he will be there again. This is the element of the big 3, that really makes them the big 4. You always here Phil Jackson's name mentioned right after Kobe's in Los Angeles. "Kobe and Phil". Riley could the X factor for the Miami Heat this season, he'll have more tools then he's had since his days with the Lakers in the 80's.Regardless of the eventual outcome of this NBA season, one thing we can all look forward to, is the Hollywood side show, that has now become the Miami Heat. Basketball fans will be glued to their television sets come October when the Heat tip off for the first time. If the NBA knows what they're doing, and I'm sure David Stern does, that game will either be, Cavs vs Heat, Celtics vs Heat, or god forbid, because the earth as we know it would likely implode from the hype, Lakers vs Heat. Buckle up planet earth, this is now Miami's planet, we all just live on it.

Colts vs Ravens : Divisonal Playoff Match Up

2010-01-17T19:56:00.002-04:00

Cut and Dry sports has expanded! We would like to welcome Jamie Preston to our staff. Moving forward he will be our Indianapolis Colts correspondent! Look forward to contributions especially with the Colts in the thick of another Superbowl run! Enjoy!

Colts 20 - Ravens 3
Colts are AFC Title bound!
"If you're looking for take-out, the Colts defense delivers!"

-by Jamie Preston

When a person thinks of the Indianapolis Colts they automatically think of a high powered pass offense, with a quarterback that can see the game better than anyone, a star WR Reggie Wayne, and no doubt #44 TE Dallas Clark. But it’s all the different weapons of the Indianapolis Colts that make them so hard to prepare for. We could talk about the offense of the Colts all day, but today let’s talk about the other side of the ball. One of the most over-looked defenses in the league.

The Indianapolis Colts defense is run a lot like I run my own defense in Madden, and that’s speed - kills. It’s a “bend but don’t break” defense that relies heavily on sneaky turnovers and consistency. This type of defense is lean and fast so it’s most criticized by its size disadvantage against a tough running game. This defence can give up yards but it’s cheap on points. In a scenario like the Colts, they only gave up the eighth fewest points in the league this season. This defense works best when you can jump to an early lead and manage the clock, again the Colts fair nicely with Manning and the gang; in fact this defense fits to a tee.

The Colts – Ravens game was a prime example of this defence in action. It just seemed like as soon as the Ravens would get the ball moving their drive would get sabotaged resulting in no points. Jerraud Powers and Antoine Bethea had a pair of picks, also Hayden and Brock with forced fumbles; it seemed once the Ravens had marched down the field their offense looked tired and sloppy. This is when the leaner, quicker defence we talked about earlier would turn the ball over. Before the Ravens knew it Manning had put up 20 points on the board and the game was nearing the end. The Ravens Net yards were 270, the Colts 275. However the Ravens only scored on a field goal that they were even lucky to get as the play before was a pick 99/100 times. Indianapolis always comes with the fire in offensive play but tonight it was the defence that stole the show. Next stop, AFC title game.

NFL Draft : Player Previews

2010-01-16T01:52:00.002-04:00

Something to look forward to over the next 4 months will be my scouting reports on some of the players I feel will be big time contributors in the NFL. I do not plan on giving run of the mill scouting reports on guys like Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, Russell Okung, Eric Berry etc because lets face it, you are going to read those everywhere, and this site will hopefully be a place that you can rely on for something a little less stale. Granted, there are a couple blue chip prospects that I will profile, either because I have hopes of the Patriots drafting them, or in one mans case, he hails from my favorite college football program. That man being, Ndamukong Suh. So be sure to check back at least once a week to stay up to date on my Cut and Dry prospects!

First up, will be one of those players I eluded to, that I pray will end up in red, white and blue come April. Jerry Hughes of Texas Christian University. Maybe not a hardcore NCAA football fan? Haven't heard of him, you will get a complete run down in my report.

Thanks for reading!
Tim.

A lesson in failure : By Gilbert Arenas

2010-01-13T00:11:00.004-04:00

I will not turn this into any anti-gun rant, nor will I give Mr Arenas any more face time then he deserves. For those of you who may not be completely up to date in the goings on of the National Basketball Association. Mr Arenas recently decided it was a good idea to bring not one, not two, but three hand guns into his place of work, yes, the Washington Wizards locker room. Arenas had an unsettled gambling debt owed to him by a fellow teammate, yes, teammate. A sure fire indication that the Wizards may not be the most cohesive team came when Arenas placed his three hand guns in front of his teammates locker and left a note requesting him to choose one. I don't think he meant as a piece of locker room decor, but rather a piece that he would like Arenas to familiarize himself with in a non team building kind of way. *Face palm*

Where this story really blows ones mind, is in the mental well being of a 27 year old man, a so called professional that thought something like this would not make national front pages. A gun. In your locker room? Not hidden, but arrogantly, maliciously, and idiotically displayed for all to see. Way to go Gilbert, I mean it's not like we would ever find those, what do you call them again? Reporters! Strolling around your locker room right. Pure genius. Mr. Arenas is known to most hardcore hoops fans, by his nic name, which I can only imagine now, was self given. "Agent Zero", do I really need to drop a punch line on you here? You can fill in your own. I will say this in closing. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, likely had a moment of zen sitting in his office as this charade unfolded over the last few weeks. It probably wasn't what he envisioned for his NBA marketing campaign, but it rang true now more then ever, sadly.

The NBA. Where amazing happens. ( Amazingly stupid )

Evolve, don't change!

2010-01-12T00:59:00.009-04:00

That's a word that I'm sure is already making fans of the New England Patriots sick to their stomachs, change. After what was an embarrassing performance this past Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens in their AFC wild card game, the Patriots are entering into a somewhat unfamiliar position, ( for the Belichick era anyway ), it's a position of necessary change. Unlike the post 2004 superbowl period, in which they were forced to replaced their hot commodity offensive and defensive coordinators ( Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis ) due to both being offered other head coaching positions, the Patriots and coach Belichick find themselves hopefully, doing some inner reflection. Will we find him locked in a temple of his choosing, neck locked back looking to the sky for answers? Most likely not. Not exactly Bills style. However, he does need to begin to question whether or not his coaching and management decisions have been what's best for the team. The none signing of Asante Samual, the trading of Richard Seymour and inclusion of Mike Vrabel in the Matt Cassel deal all come to mind for me. Each of these decisions, have come with great consequences, consequences that Bill Belichick obviously thought he could avoid, or at the very least, quell.

It appears he may have failed to do that. Offensively, the Patriots must evolve, in my opinion that will require removing Bill O'Brien from his position as offensive coordinator and play caller. With Josh McDaniels departing for Denver last year New England was left without an offensive coaching personality. They never really decide who they were this year. O'Briens play calling was at times more predictable then a sure to come CSI Miami one liner delivered flawlessly by David Caruso as the hit CBS show begins. When you inherit an offense that broke every single offensive record imaginable in 2007, and cannot come close to duplicating the results, when not much has changed, fingers will be pointed at you. It may be a bit of a raw deal for O'Brien, but when you are in charge of an offense containing Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the expectations demand that you succeed! We will see over the next several weeks if Coach Belichick decides it's time to revamp the teams offense from a coaching perspective. On defense, the responsibility obviously falls on Belichick. Dean Peas is his coordinator, but he's running a Belichick scheme. Gone is the personnel Belichick needs to run his 3-4 defense, evident by the amount of 4 man fronts used by the team this year. Also gone, are Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, and the before mentioned Seymour and Vrabel who were shipped of in trades. Some of the parts are already in place. Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren are anchors on defense, along with Jerod Mayo who is a bright young star at middle linebacker, however, the talent is not around them, nor is the team as deep as it once was. When Warren and Wilfork went down with injuries this year, Belichick had no choice to turn to much less experienced players. The team needed to get young, but with that, they lost their leadership, their heart, and their desire to truly be what became know as a "Belichick defense". That defense being one that played with an edge, could make the big stop on 3rd and 1 and that collectively played above their individual potential. In 2009, the Patriots defense was made up of individuals, it's my hope, that in 2010, we once again field a team defense, a unit of 1. The 2001 superbowl champions entered that game against the greatest show on turf as a team, together, the 2010 Patriots need to enter this coming season the same way, otherwise, their result will be exactly the same next January. I hope not.
Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.

2009 Canadian World Juniors.

2008-12-17T21:26:00.006-04:00

This years Canadian World Junior squad is very different from some star studded teams that have been put on the ice during Hockey Canada's recent spree of dominance over the last decade. They return just four players from last years gold medal winning team. John Tavares, the most high profile of the four, Zach Boychuk, P.K Subban, and Thomas Hickey. Tavares and Boychuk will be relied heavily on to produce a lot of the teams offense this winter and production is one thing you can count on with regards to Mr.Tavares. Tavares is the 2nd youngest player on the team next to Windsor Spitfire defensemen Ryan Ellis. He is however, a leader on the team and will be leaned on not just for point production, but for his leadership and ability to make others around him on the ice raise their games to his level. With such an unproven team internationally speaking, he will need to just do that. Which begs the question, who will step up for this team so that Tavares and Boychuk don't carry the full load of offensive production on their shoulders. Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitman is the WHL's leading scorer and would be the logical person to step into that roll. Sonne has 55 points in just 34 games with the Hitman this season and could make for a terrific powerplay partner for Tavaras. Inevitably, someone, likely multiple players, will rise to the occasion, as players of years past have done.

As we have come to expect that, is there any doubt that Chet Pickard, the apparent front runner for the roll of starting goaltender will end up standing on his head and single handily winning the team a few games leading up to the medal run? I don't believe so. This team is one of Canada's more pint size groups in recent memory, only 4 players top the 200 pound mark on offense, and they weight in at 203,202,201, and 200. So size upfront is simply not there. The average size of a team Canada forward is actually 5'11 186 pounds. Will it be a huge issue? It depends really. Can a team that's built on purely speed dominate the tournament like years passed? They can, yes. Despite their size, this is a team I still see as being able to play physical.

Packed Scotia Center crowds in Ottawa will give these players every push they need to play bigger then they are. Which truly is the reason why Hockey Canada has had so much success at this tournament. Us. You and I. That's why these young men travel the globe each Christmas, to be away from their families. To play for you and I, and the love for this game we share with them. As a young man who shares his birthday with the first puck drop of this tournament every year that I can remember: 24 of them come next week. I have, like many others I'm sure, received the hope of that feeling you get watching these young men get golden symbols of our love for Hockey, dropped around their necks each year. It is the one Birthday, Christmas and New years present I can count on, each, and every year!

Go Team CANADA!

Lifestyle of the rich and the fortunate.

2008-09-15T20:42:00.003-03:00

Matt Cassel and Paris Hilton. Upon first glance you may not think the two are similar, but do they share more in common then you may think? Absolutely they do. Now lets make this clear, this is in no way centered around Ms.Hilton, she is but a mere tool in my quest to shed some light on who Matt Cassel is. The relationship between these two is this. Inheritance. Paris, the daughter of Richard Hilton ( Hilton Hotels ) reaps the benefits of the hard work of her family before her, namely her grandfather, Barron Hilton. Paris walked into life with everything she could ever want, laid out before her. That as we know, remained consistent into her adult years. Matt Cassel, is in a very similar situation. His inheritance? How about an football team coming off a 16-0 regular season that is completely loaded at almost every position on the field. Matt has the luxury of a Randy Moss ( Lamborghini in Paris's case ) Wes Welker ( Paris's Bentley, I'm guessing she probably has one ) and one of the best offensive lines in football ( Lets say the equivalent to Paris's upscale New York apartment )

I'm betting you've probably had it with the Hilton talk, so I'll assume you see what I'm getting at. Matt Cassel, although not as talented as his predisesor, Tom Brady, still with all that he is surrounded by, he can succeed in the NFL. He's given tools that most other quarterbacks in the league don't have at their disposals. After not starting a single game at the University of Southern California where he attended college, and obviously not starting with the Patriots who drafted him in the 7th round of the 2005 NFL draft, Tom Brady tears his ACL and MCL in the first game of the 2008 season, and Cassel walks right into one of the most high profile starting positions in all of sports with unlimited possibilities. How he will fair this year is to be determined, but thus far. His team has won both of their games, and he's yet to make a mistake, greatly propped up by the talent of those surrounding him. But unlike Paris Hilton, Matt Cassel has worked virtually his whole life to prepared for this very moment, so lets given him some credit! I don't believe Paris has worked a whole day in her life for....I don't think Paris has worked a whole day in her life...? No punch line.