NFL Draft 07: Why some positions require more proof than others

That's right people, we are a month out from the nerdfest that is the NFL Draft. Being that the pupose of my draft previews are to tell you what to look for, I'll begin by telling you what to look for. You may be asking yourself, "How does this particular player come out of nowhere, while other players have to compile a large body of work ?" A great question indeed. Some positions (OL ,RB and QB) are looked at by NFL scouts only if the player has a good history (2 years starting, and 3 or 4 playing) because a) they take longer to develop as in QB and OL and b) the scouts want to know the player's injury history (RB), and a longer body of work allows them to be more certain. Now to the players that come out of nowhere, many times JUCOs and often times pass rushers or cover corners. Look at the case of Arkansas DE Jamaal Anderson, (before the season thought of as only the 50th best DE in the nation, now thought to be 2nd only to Clemson's Gaines Adams in this year's class) or Syracuse CB Tanard Jackson (again thought to be maybe the 55th best corner in the nation, and now thought to be a 2nd round pick) as it seems that these guys really only had to have one outstanding season before being so highly thought of. The reasoning is this: Those positions are critical, one on one matchup type of positions where coaches can see how Anderson matches up against a top tier OT like Tennessee's Arron Sears or UGA's Daniel Inman or how Jackson holds up against WVA WR Brandon Myles or Louisville's dynamic playmaker Mario Urritia by simply watching these 50 play matchups. In other words, if you have a devastating first step or blazing speed and leaping ability, it is evident right away. So with the "quick twitch" guys you better pay attention as they can rise quickly, whereas the developmental guys need to play early (at least as a sophomore) and often as NFL scouts love the 4 year starter at o-line.
Coming soon: CM's top 100 players in the 2007 Draft

King Abdullah: I want to fight you

And then there's this: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, is openly aligning himself with Hamas and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while distancing from the U.S., as he ducked out of a White House dinner last week to be held in his honor. I'm tired of calling these guys our allies, when they really aren't. Most of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11th attacks were Saudi nationals, not to mention that OBL is one as well. The Arabs that come over here refuse to assimilate (it's my understanding that numerous Arabs working in the towers on Sept. 11th called in sick that day), while the ones over there support terrorist activities and seem to get a pass when their countrymen engage in these acts. While rank and file Americans are held accountable for every act of our government, theses Saudi nationals are brushed off as some sort of lunatic fringe, and the Saudi "government" continues to operate under our umbrella of protection. These people are full of glee when Americans die, and I'm sick of their crap. Our politics allow them to play politics in order to save face among their Arab bretheren with thier constant backstabbing. Enough is enough, already.

Loose Change: Not the way I would have gone

Now this: Word came down yesterday that Dallas Maverick owner and head of Magnolia Pictures Mark Cuban is in talks to distribute the controversial film Loose Change, a slightly different account of the events of Sept. 11th 2001.The film, narrated by Charlie Sheen (me thinks that speaks for itself) suggests that the U.S. government orchestrated the 911 attacks in order to justify the ongoing war in Iraq. Cuban has stated that he does not believe the theory, but that by bringing it to the forefront, it can be exposed and dissected, and ultimately disproven. Cuban has raised a ton of money, and donated a ton of his own as well, to the families of those killed in the attack. That in and of itself doesn't give him a pass on this one, however. I believe that there are other ways to make money, and certainly other ways to generate buzz. The media explosion of the new millenium has given a forum for many alternative viewpoints, and some are just reckless. I'm going to continue to watch and root for the Mavericks, as the film is not titled Loose Change, presented by the Dallas Mavericks. Does Cubes have the right to release the film? Yes. Should he? I say absolutely not. Supposedly we have the right to burn the American flag, but I'm in no hurry to exercise that right. I appreciate what Cuban has done for the franchise, but I don't care for many of the movies he chooses to distribute, and this is one he should have stayed away from. If the claim in the movie is true, then execute every government figure involved, but please get some real evidence, not wild ass conjecture.

CM's 2007 College Football Top 10

That's right folks, it's that time again, ol' CM's much anticipated CFB top 10, complete wif comments:
1. USC - Senior QB, experienced OL, stable of young runners, and the best LB corps in the nation make this a fairly easy choice
2. Michigan - lost a ton on defense, but Hart and Henne help a lot
3. West Virginia - White and Slaton excite me and WVU fans; Could this be your 2008 #1?
4. Texas - Okam on D and McCoy, Sweed and Charles on offense make the Horns the favorites in the Big 12
5. LSU - This will be considered high by some with Russell leaving but Doucet, Broussard and Flynn on O and 8 returning on D are good enough for me
6. Arkansas - With the Mustain (QB) situation up in the air this may be considered high also, but Felix Jones and Darren McFadden will make whoever plays QB better
7. Louisville - O,O and more O as the Birds have an impressive trio with QB Brohm, RB Allen and the best WR in the nation in Mario Urrutia
8. Virginia Tech - Speedster Eddie Royal on O, and a great set of LBs in Hall and Adibi make the Hokies the ACC favorites in '07
9. Tennessee - This will please Fred Thompson as QB Erik Ainge is a senior and paired with RB Arian Foster gives the Vols a potent attack
10. Florida State - great, big WRs in Carr and Fagg and the defense is ready to step forward this season led by outstanding CBs in Bryant and Carter

There you have it, later than usual for me but earlier than most publications. We'll see how it all shakes out.

Toilet tidal wave

Those that know me, know I am fascinated with the tsunami, or the massive tidal wave. Moreso for the overwhelming power (size and speed) than the destruction and loss of human life. This one is off the chain, tho'. The other day in the Gaza strip (www.brietbart.com) a tidal wave of raw sewage killed four people as a septic tank burst. Drowning in sewage is well below average. What makes this worse is that the boys over at Hamas blame economic sanctions for the lack of a properly developed infrastructure. Here's a tip for ol' Hamas: Stop with the terrorism angle and we'll help you with your waste management.

"We're getting the band back together 2"

Today is the 10 year anniversary of ol' Marshall Applewhite and those "Heaven's Gate" morons. You remember the scene: Those cats in the purple moo moos wif de black Nike sneakers, lying dead in their beds, after ingesting a vodka and poison cocktail, waiting for the Hale Bopp comet to scoop them up and take them to paradise. Two things immediately bring this plan into question: First, that comet is looking for something to slam into, not paradise; Second, why would any self respecting comet pick up a bunch of purple clad hitchhikers led by a cotton topped pedophile? Some plans need to be orchestrated a lil' bit better.

The world still sucks after all

Well, well. Look at this. it turns out at least 1/2 of my little feel good story "Every now and then you get some GOOD news", turned out to be a hoax. Apparently, the two lil' tramps from Terrell, Tx., weren't abducted after all, but just missed curfew, so going to the "we were kidnapped" card, and involving local law enforcement was the best way to salvage the situation. Well done. Hey, small town hookers: Don't come to Dallas and get tricked out of your panties, miss curfew, and then start a statewide search, just to avoid your old man's wrath. Stay in Terrell, as I'm sure there are many lil' a-holes willing to talk your pants down, and you won't have to miss curfew.

This Texan likes this New Yorker

Why was nothing said when Bill Clinton fired 93 U.S. Attorneys when he took office? I realize 43 (GW Bush) is kinda hard to defend these days, as his presidency has been, well, dubious, shall we say, but these subpoenas are a waste of time. Why does he catch so much flack for not listening to his subordinates (i.e. the generals on the ground in Iraq), when his job title includes commander in chief of the armed forces? It's justified when we question the ports deal, or him ignoring immigration, or his many media slip ups. I've said this many times: If I had been given a better Democratic alternative, I would have voted for the guy in '04. It doesn't really matter anyway, cuz dude (43) will be gone in '08 anyway. I'd like to take this opportunity to throw my support behind Rudy in 2008. It has nothing to do with his Italian heritage, it has everything to do with his well reasoned approach to governing. He doesn't overthink things like liberals do, nor does he over simplify thing as some right wingers do. I'm not saying that there is a middle ground on every issue, only that some issues are simple (defense, immigration) and some are more complicated (abortion and gay marriage for example). A cat like Rudy would give every issue its proper due.

Every now and then, you get some GOOD news

Man, this is good news. In a world where miscreants prey on the naive, the young, and women, we often hear of people disappearing for a few days and then turning up dead. Well, this week we had not one but two missing persons incidents in which the outcome was glorious instead of tragic. First, a Boy Scout went missing in the Georgia woods and was miraculously found 4 days later. On the local front, two young ladies (17 and 20) went to a Dallas area movie theater on Saturday afternoon, then a friend of theirs recieved a frantic cellphone call for help around 4am.This was the only clue, and seemed to be a harbinger of the inevitable. Well, today the young girls were found, albeit assaulted and 150 miles from home, and they were still alive. When I saw the news dis mornin', I was overcome with one thought: God is good, holmes. It was the exact same thought I had this past November 15th when my truck flipped 5 times due to a wet road, 45 mile an hour winds and my love of speeding. I crawled out of the back window, and escaped with only a cracked clavicle, yet another concussion to add to my growing collection, and a slightly separated shoulder. Looking at the wreckage, I knew I had caught a break, as did every motorist who arrived on the scene had told me. Not only did I, my two youngest sons did as well, by not being with me at the time. Good lookin' out God, as incidents of this nature help a sometimes devilish cat like me keep the faith.

Nostradamus Maximus

Ahhh, yes. Whilest we were away, one of the great predictions of our time came to pass. That's right, the Crassiest of Maximus was proven to be the final word in college football yet again as the Florida Gators were crowned national champs in 2007. In and of itself maybe not that hard to call, but when it is done 2 years in advance (January 17th, 2005) it deserves mention. I had made it a tradition to select my college football top 10 the day after all eligible players declared for the NFL draft, along with a hint as to next year's champ, but blogger and my crappy computer stymied my efforts for 2007. If you go over to The Jammy (Jan 16th or 17th, 2006) and look at my 2006 Top 10, you'll see that along wif my Flada pick, I mentioned LSU as my preseason #1 for 2007. Then QB Jamarcus Russell declared for the NFL draft, dealing a big blow to that prediction. Or does it? LSU has the extremely Irish Matt Flynn, a strong armed Texan, and dual threat Ryan Perriloux to battle for the QB job, so we'll see how that works out. Try to fight through the apathy sports fans as my 2007 College Football Top 10 is right around tha cona', y'all.

2 down 1 to go

We've gotten the "God like" the Steve-o up and going, so you know that means more apostrophe laced dookie posts, now all that's left to do is get the desert wino up and going so he can crush 43.

"We're getting the band back together"

Damn right, the boys at the Jammy are back, albeit on the deuce, if you will. We hope to inspire hatred, controversy and maybe even a tinge of apathy. Thanks for your support, and above all, keep readin' ! If you need a refresher, check out the archives at: www.thejammy.blogspot.com .