It’s that time of the year again. The madness has officially begun and one of the best weekends in sports is underway. We have already witnessed some upsets and stirring action in the first day of the tournament and more exciting basketball is guaranteed to come. March madness, one of the most exciting events in all of sports, is great for so many reasons and here is my list of my 10 favorite parts about the arrival of this thrilling event.
10. The lack of regional restrictions. Unlike other sports, like the NFL, if the game that is shown in your region happens to be a blowout, you will be switched to another competitive game where the last couple of minutes could be a thriller. So when Kentucky or Kansas are on their way to winning by about 30, we can watch a close captivating game.
9. The beginning of the baseball season is right around the corner. The season starts Sunday April 4th, which happens to be the day before the madness ends in the final match on the 5th of April. The beginning of baseball also signifies the change to warmer weather and the feeling of spring in the air, which is certainly most welcome in New York.
8. The NCAA tournament is a great place to see the NBA’s future stars. Recent years have seen players such as Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Chicago’s star guard Derrick Rose, and Oklahoma City’s superstar Kevin Durant shine in the tournament. Curry for example, wasn’t very well known playing for small school Davidson. By the time the tournament came, the casual fan knew him well and his name was put high up on NBA team’s draft boards. It is especially a chance for “one and done” players to show that they are ready to dominate as freshman and that they are capable of making that jump to the NBA after only one year of college ball. This year, players like John Wall, Evan Turner, DeMarcus Cousins, Sherron Collins, Scottie Reynolds, and other great stars will be displaying their talents and NBA fans will dream of drafting one of these players to their team.
7. The passion of the student-athlete. These players aren’t getting paid millions of dollars and don’t get bonuses for advancing further in the tournament. They are playing purely for pride and the love of the game. Yes I know there have been cases of players receiving illegal benefits and gifts when they are being recruited and college sports certainly aren’t clean of corruption. During the tournament, however, it’s all about the players and the game. The exuberance of a team that just hit a game winner or completed an improbable upset is as invigorating as the losing team’s dejection is painful. As you’re watching, you see these players pouring their hearts out and leaving it all on the court and you can’t help but share their emotion. There are ups and downs for the fans just like the players and this exhilarating journey is unique to very few sporting events.
6. Win or go home. Unlike a 7 game playoff series in other sports, you better show up on game day or else you will have a short lived trip to the big dance. One slip up and the journey is over. This also helps all those Cinderella stories come to life and become possible. This format brings excitement to the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl which is shared in march madness.
5. Filling out and following your bracket. Whether you have one bracket or 10 filled out, each game is intensified to see if your bracket can be a winning one. Even if you haven’t seen a single game of college basketball this year, it is likely that you filled out a bracket or know someone who has. The great thing about it, and also the worst depending on how you look at it, is that anyone can win their pool. The knowledge certainly helps but picking teams because of their mascots or uniforms can end up being as successful and knowing the ins and outs of college basketball. This also inevitably leads to bragging rights for the winner and any other prizes, whether it’s money or other wagers that are on the line. Gambling is a huge part of march madness as well and each game that you have on the line will keep you on the edge of your seat yelling at the television when your pick isn’t going your way. The fact that President Obama fills out a bracket each year says it all about how big march madness brackets have become.
4. Who didn’t love the run George Mason made a few years back as an 11 seed making it into the Final Four, that is besides the fans of the teams they beat to get there. Cinderella stories are something that make march madness unique. The tournament is one day old this year and already teams like 14 seed Ohio and 13 seed Murray State knocked of 3 seed Georgetown and 4 seed Vanderbilt respectively. Everyone always roots for the underdog but rarely expects them or witnesses them succeed. It is rare in professional sports where you see a team come out of nowhere to have so much success. For every time a team like the Saints win the Super Bowl or the Marlins win the World Series, there are the Yankees who win it all or are right up there every year. Dreams become reality in the tournament and we are all along for the ride.
3. What better way to end a game than a buzzer beater. Players have become iconic figures and have been a part of the history which makes this tournament truly a spectacle of madness. Whether it’s Christian Laettner’s game winner, or Murray State’s buzzer beater against Vanderbilt yesterday, you share the excitement and enthusiasm of the young players rushing the court in ecstasy and pure jubilation. On the other side, you share the disappointment of a team that had to lose in such heartbreaking fashion. Game winning shots make games incredible and players legendary. They are marked in your memory forever and march madness is home to many of these memories.
2. Coming in at a close second is the greatness that is Gus Johnson. I wish I could have put the play-by-play announcer as every number of my top ten. With calls like, “My name’s Al Harrington, (NY Knicks player) I get buckets,” Johnson brings excitement and enthusiasm to an already thrilling event. I’m pretty sure if I could have somebody narrate my life, it would be the great Gus Johnson. Morgan Freeman is a close second, but I feel that he is a favorite among many people. If you have never heard of Mr. Johnson or heard one of his calls, then shame on you. Just listening makes you feel like you are a part of the game. You feel his emotion and share his excitement. Here is a sample of some of his greatest calls. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2KOhEceNM)
1. The only thing that can beat Gus Johnson are the games themselves, specifically the first weekend. The first 4 days of the tournament are my favorite. 16 games a day for the first 2 days and 8 a day for the last 2, totaling in 48 games in 4 days. Thrilling and unforgettable games from noon to past midnight and 4 games on at a time keep us busy and watching a close game is almost guaranteed. We are going from game to game ticking down the final seconds and seeing buzzer beaters and big shot after big shot. The excitement is endless and this is only the first weekend of exciting action.
March 19, 2010 · Filed under NCAA
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The NCAA tournament starts this Thursday, and the experts have been making their selections publicly for the last 2 days. I am not one of those experts. In fact, my relationship with college basketball is that of an outside observer. I usually can tell you who the #1 team is in the country from December to mid-March, but not much beyond that. To me, college basketball suffers from the inverse problem of college football: The overabundance of a playoff system and large amount of games makes the regular season almost meaningless, while in football the regular season means far too much. Do games from December to February truly matter? But, I do enjoy championship week, so in this past week I’ve watched a good amount of the games. Still, most of my knowledge of college basketball as a whole comes from watching March Madness over the past 15 years. As I watched the bracket come out, I realized that almost everything I know about these teams is based on tournament reputation alone, and a few good players that stand out. As of right now, I can’t name more than 5 to 10 players in the entire tournament. I suspect that I’m not alone.
Millions of people watch March Madness in the same casual way that I do, with limited knowledge, yet strong convictions on what will happen. People are in office pools around the country that feel the exact same way. These hunches aren’t always wrong. In fact, last year I predicted the entire Final Four correctly for the first time. So it’s not impossible. Here are the picks of a total non-expert, and the backwards logic behind some of them.
Midwest
Kansas over Lehigh: Duh.
UNLV over Northern Iowa: I like UNLV’s colors better. I don’t even know what NIU’s colors are, but I’m sure they’re something icky like a vomit-ey yellow. They’ll lose solely because of that, naturally.
Michigan State over New Mexico State: I always pick Michigan State. They’re well coached, and I like their uniforms. It’s worked sometimes, and it hasn’t other times. We’ll see.
Maryland over Houston: Maryland lucks out here. Houston won their Super Bowl by winning their conference title. Expect a letdown.
San Diego State over Tennessee: I always like California teams; they have a breezy attitude and play run-n-gun basketball. I think. Either way, Tennessee chokes a lot. Probably. So I like SDSU.
Georgetown over somebody: I don’t care enough to look…I like Georgetown.
Oklahoma State over Georgia Tech: Again, a clothing mismatch.
Ohio State over UCSB: Duh.
Kansas over UNLV, Michigan State over Maryland, Georgetown over San Diego State, Ohio State over Oklahoma State: No real surprises here, but I like Michigan State for the minor upset.
Kansas over Michigan State: Sorry Spartans, but I can’t pick you again.
Ohio State over Georgetown: This was a really tough one for me. I considered Georgetown as a sleeper, but their 3 seed might have been a little too high for their own good. Was Georgetown really as good as they looked at times in the Big East Tournament, or were they peaking? And is Ohio State as shaky as they seemed in moments during their run to the Big 10 Title? I’ve got to go with Ohio State, only because they’re the more experienced team and have faced lots of adversity already this season.
Kansas over Ohio State: I’m going to go chalk here, despite my leanings not to. Everyone says they’re great this year, despite my inability to name even one of their players. They’re the #1 seed for a reason, prevailing in a tough conference. So I think I have to go with them.
Intermission #1: One of my favorite things about March Madness is picking out ways to abbreviate each team’s name so that it fits on a bracket. What do you do with a school like San Diego State? Do you go ‘SAN’ in capitals? How about just ‘SD’? What about ‘SDS’? Do you get fancy and go ‘SDSU’? That’s always a fun one, for the more daring types. Like a mix and match commercial from Friday’s, the possibilities are endless, and it’s one of the only reasons why it’s less fun to do a March Madness pool online versus on paper.
West
Syracuse over Vermont: Obviously.
Florida State over Gonzaga: It seems like Gonzaga has jumped the shark as a basketball program. They were the underdog that came through for years, and then they started getting too much respect from the NCAA committee. Ever since, they’ve been a team that has been ripe for an annual upset. They’ve become one of the favorites that they used to beat, and now they’re constantly vulnerable. I can’t remember Florida State ever winning a meaningful basketball game. That’s a problem. But I’ll still go with it.
UTEP over Butler: I watched part of the UTEP/Houston game and thought that UTEP had talent, despite losing. I like them to pull the upset here.
Vanderbilt over Murray State: Everyone loves Murray State as a big upset pick. Just to be contrary, I’m going to go against the upset picks and go with Vanderbilt, because they’re a favorite and I figured it would make sense. I know nothing about either team. This has the makings of everyone being right about Murray State and me cursing at myself after the game is over.
Xavier over Minnesota: Minnesota played all week, and might not have the energy to play harder than they did against Ohio State on Sunday. I like the X men, who I always pick against, and am always wrong.
Pittsburgh over Oakland: Duh.
Florida over BYU: They’re a well-run team, and I think they’re due for one upset win, to shut up all of the people that say they don’t belong. I hate Billy Donovan for what he did to my Magic, but I’ll put my prejudices aside.
Kansas State over Northern Texas: Kansas State is good this year! Who knew? Not me. But they’re a 2 seed, and I don’t have the balls to pick against them until at least the Sweet 16.
Syracuse over Florida State: Duh.
Vanderbilt over Butler: I don’t like either team here, but I’ll go with the bigger conference’s team.
Pittsburgh over Xavier: I like Pitt. Why? I’m not sure. But they’re Big East. So I’ll stick with them.
Kansas State over Florida: Because I’m spineless.
Syracuse over Vanderbilt: This seems to be a really easy bracket for Syracuse, a team that I could have seen losing in a heartbeat. But this really looks like a cakewalk.
Pittsburgh over Kansas State: For absolutely no reason. Sorry, K-State fans, but I know nothing about your team at all, so I’ll go with Pitt. Maybe it’ll give the people something to talk about besides Sidney Crosby and some dude on the Pirates that I obviously haven’t heard of but whom my co-host for the podcast, Allen Pines, certainly has.
Syracuse over Pitt: The all- Big East conference final goes to the Cuse. This is a really boring bracket so far, but I haven’t seen anyone that really should upset either Kansas or Syracuse. Also, for anyone interested, the only two players that I can name so far from teams that I’ve mentioned are Grevis Vazquez of Mayland, Evan Turner of Ohio State, and Mark Titus of Ohio State, and I’ve only heard of Titus because I like his blog, clubtrillion.com. That’s a pretty shameful ratio. I’ll now go back to my stupid picks and bow my head in shame.
East
Kentucky over Eastern Tennessee: Obvious.
Texas over Wake Forest: Again, no particular reason why. Texas was in the slightly better conference, and the burnt orange jerseys always look cool. Plus, I think that ‘TX’ is a more entertaining abbreviation to write down than either ‘Wake’ or ‘WF’. That just gets too confusing.
Cornell over Temple: Everyone likes the Big Red this year, and I think this may finally be the year that an Ivy League team gets a win on the big stage.
Wisconsin over Wofford: I have never heard of Wofford in my life. And I don’t think I will again after this game. I always like being introduced to new colleges that are foreign to me via the tournament. It’s always a good time.
Marquette over Washington: I like the Big East teams. My bias is astounding.
New Mexico over Montana: A rare state vs. state matchup, and neither are states that I would think would face off against each other. Pretty cool. I know nothing about either team, but I’m sure New Mexico did something to warrant their 3 seed.
Missouri over Clemson: Clemson seems to always choke in a big spot, and I’ll stick with that flawless logic here.
West Virginia over Morgan State: Of course.
Kentucky over Texas: Come on.
Cornell over Wisconsin: My first double digit team in the Sweet 16! They seem to have a fairly easy road ahead of them, at least to get this far.
Marquette over New Mexico: Really for no reason besides my stunning Big East bias.
West Virginia over Missouri: Ditto.
Kentucky over Cornell: The joyride ends here.
West Virginia over Marquette: They were the better team throughout the season.
Kentucky over West Virginia: This is another marquee game (along with Kansas/Ohio State), and I’ll go with the top seed, again. I apologize to anyone that thought this wouldn’t be the wussiest bracket ever, because it’s looking that way. To be perfectly honest, the two teams that I thought would have the best chance of being knocked off were Syracuse and Duke, but both have relatively easy brackets. It’s looking like it’s going to be a by-the-book bracket most of the way. Sorry.
Intermission #2: I’ve always had a major problem with the way that most brackets are scored. Most pools go by a system in which you get a point if you get a first round game correct, and then is doubled in each subsequent round. So, if you pick the champion correctly, you’d get 32 points. It’s a flawed system because it allows for no risk, and no gutsy predictions. Isn’t half the fun of March Madness trying to pick Cinderella teams and find a diamond in the rough? Don’t you remember George Mason’s magical run to the Final Four in 2006 as much as the champions of recent years, if not moreso? The fun is in finding the next George Mason, and feeling good about yourself when it comes true. All this system does is encourage boring picks. People should be rewarded for taking chances and risking points in order to prove their acumen. I propose this system, which I haven’t invented but have heard about from a few sources and feel like it is the most fair way of going about it. I’ve been railing about this for almost a decade, and the time has come to make it happen. If you pick the #1 seed to win in the first round, you get one point. If you have the balls to pick the #16 seed to win (which clearly I don’t) you should be rewarded with 16 points if it comes through. Obviously, you get nothing if you’re wrong. This would go for all of the matchups, assigning point values to the seed number that each team has. This wouldn’t get people to start picking 15 and 16 seeds, but it would make people think twice about picking all favorites. The numbers would then be multiplied for each round, so if Cornell makes it to the Sweet 16 as I predicted, they’d have 36 points. This rewards intelligence instead of safety, and hunches over boring picks that a monkey could make. I can’t think of a reason why this shouldn’t work. For anyone that feels it involves too much math, almost all brackets are computerized now. So that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s a foolproof plan, and I beg someone to tell me otherwise.
South
Duke over the Play-in winner: Duh. I hate this, though. If a team wins their conference, I believe that they have earned the right to be a part of the real tournament, and not a play-in game. Cut out one of the other big-conference teams and give these teams the moment of glory that they have earned by doing everything they were supposed to do in winning their title. Why are they being penalized for winning their championship and earning their spot in the field of 64? Why are we then rewarding another mediocre team that likely isn’t anything but an also-ran in their conference, anyway? This makes me furious, and will make me even more angry if the tournament expands to 96 teams. Even if it means losing by 40 to Duke, it’s still a spotlight on a small, deserving school, and one that has been earned.
California over Louisville: I’ll pick ONE Big East team to lose. It was getting ridiculous.
Texas A+M over Utah State: This is where I wish my system was in place, because I don’t feel good about Texas A+M at all. But, they’ll probably win, and without an incentive it just isn’t worth it to pick anything but the favorite here. Bummer.
Siena over Purdue: The injuries Purdue has suffered has wrecked them as a team. This one has upset written all over it.
Notre Dame over Old Dominion: I’d be shocked if Notre Dame loses. Needless to say, they’ll lose. I’ve had some success in later rounds, but I’ve always sucked in the first round. This would be a typical game for me to lose.
Baylor over Sam Houston: No issue here.
St. Mary’s over Richmond: No particular reason, but writing ‘STM’ seems more fun than ‘RICH’. So we’ll go with it. Don’t you feel smarter by reading this column?
Villanova over Robert Morris: Easy.
Duke over California: An easy road to the Sweet 16.
Texas A+M over Siena: Because, again, I don’t have the balls to make a really gutsy pick that doesn’t reward me.
Notre Dame over Baylor: I think this works, for even more Big East teams making it far.
Villanova over St. Mary’s: Obvious.
Duke over Texas A+M: Duke really has had such an easy road thus far. It’s ridiculous.
Villanova over Notre Dame: They were the better team throughout the year, and will be here again.
Villanova over Duke: I just don’t think that Duke is that great. Villanova can win here, and I think they will. Jon Scheyer just isn’t scaring the living daylights out of me.
So, that makes my Final Four: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Villanova. Read it and weep, people!
Final Four
Kansas over Syracuse: Everyone says that Kansas is amazing, so I’ll stick with them. Syracuse has had some shaky games, and I think against a great team they’ll lose.
Kentucky over Villanova: The better talent wins here. I don’t think it’s even close. This is John Wall’s game to shine.
Final
Kansas over Kentucky: This game is eerily similar to the game that was played 2 years ago between Kansas and Memphis in the finals, in which Kansas won in overtime. Kentucky has the best player on floor in Wall, as Memphis did with Derrick Rose. The coaches would be the same as well, with Bill Self facing John Calipari. I think the result will be the same. Kansas is the more complete team, and they’d be facing the team with the most individual talent but without the best team chemistry. I see a Kansas repeat, even though John Wall will have a game effort. 78-72, Kansas.
So, those are the picks. Are they informed? Nope. Are they well-researched? Hell no. Do they make sense, in some absurd way? Maybe. But, I am a prototypical picker of an NCAA bracket. A big sports fan, but not one that knows about all of these teams. I play hunches, and I enjoy the tournament as much as any other event throughout the year. It’s a whole lot of fun, and one of the rare events that can be enjoyed without much background knowledge. I can’t wait to see if my stupid picks based on uniform colors and abbreviations pan out, for better or worse. And that’s what makes it a can’t-miss three weeks of basketball.
March 16, 2010 · Filed under NCAA
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So the NFL combine is only days away but chances are, unless you’re a draft enthusiast, that you only know a few big name players taking part. Don’t worry. This article is going to detail the players you should be watching at each position. Let’s start with the offense.
Quarterbacks
The Top Guns:
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma- Some people think that Bradford would have been the number 1 draft choice in 2009 instead of Stafford had he entered the draft last year. This year, his talent is still apparent, yet it might be his health that prevents Bradford from being 2010’s top choice. The most important part of the combine for Bradford wont be on the field. Team doctors will get a chance to perform exams on him and if its determined that his injured shoulder is a cause for concern then it becomes very possible Bradford won’t even be selected in the top 10. (Bradford won’t be participating in on-field drills)
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame- Clausen and Bradford are most likely the only QB’s who will be drafted in the first round this year. Clausen is coming off a fantastic junior year where he completed 68% of his passes for 3,722 yards, 28 TDs and only 4 interceptions. Clausen has the arm and the size (About 6′3, 220) to be an NFL quarterback. He’s also been praised for his toughness, playing through injury and his clutch play. Does he have the maturity, confidence and intelligence to lead an NFL team? That’s what teams are going to try to figure out. (Clausen won’t be participating in on-field drills)
The Question Marks:
Colt McCoy, Texas- There is no question that Colt McCoy was a great college Quarterback. Through his four years as a starter at Texas he averaged 28 touchdown passes a season and had a career completion percentage of 70.3%. Colt is also a great athlete and has the ability to scramble and gain yards on the ground. So what’s the problem? Well, Colt played in the infamous spread offense while at Texas. The spread offense utilizes a lot of short, quick passes which is the reason for Colt’s high completion percentage. The question is does Colt have the arm strength to play in the NFL or is he strictly a system QB who can only thrive in the spread offense? Depending on what some teams may think, Colt could be drafted anywhere from the late first round to the third round.
Tim Tebow, Florida- It’s hard to believe that possibly the best quarterback in the history of college football may not even be a quarterback in the NFL. Tim Tebow has a list of exceptional qualities – strong, athletic, competitive, tough, determined, great leader and even good arm strength. Unfortunately for Tebow, its that long release, poor footwork and minimal experience in a pro-style offense that raises some serious questions for his future as an NFL QB. However, with his athleticism and competitive fire it’s not hard to imagine Tebow having success at another position in the NFL. He is big enough to play other positions as he weighed in at 6′3, 236 at the Senior Bowl. It’ll be interesting to see how fast Tebow runs his 40 yard dash. If he can manage to run it in 4.7 seconds or less then the suggestions that Tebow become an H-back may grow a little louder. (Note: Tebow won’t throw at the combine. Apparently, he has refined his mechanics and will be showing them off at his pro-day in Florida. Stay tuned.)
The Sleeper:
Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan- LeFevour had a great Senior Bowl game as he threw for 97 yards and a TD while adding a rushing TD as well. He really caught my eye with two perfectly thrown deep balls to WR Mardy Gilyard. With good size (6′3, 230), a strong arm, and great athleticism (rushed for 1,122 yards and 19 TD’s his sophomore season) LeFevour is certainly an interesting prospect. However, like McCoy, LeFevour played in a spread offense, spending most of his time in the shotgun. Some may also be concerned about the level of his competition as he played in the MAC conference. However, as his four-time selection to the Academic All-MAC team would suggest, LeFevour is a smart guy but will need time on the bench of an NFL team to develop and grow.
Running Backs
The Next Chris Johnsons?:
C.J. Spiller, Clemson- By most accounts, Spiller is the best running back entering the draft this year. At 5′11, 195, Spiller is very comparable in size and build to Chris Johnson. Two years ago Chris Johnson awed everyone at the combine by running the 40 yard dash in 4.24 seconds. While no one expects Spiller to run that fast, running the 40 in under 4.40 seconds should solidify his expectation of being the first running back selected in 2010. Spiller is also a talented kick returner and reciever. With a good showing at the combine he should be a top 15 pick.
Jahvid Best, California- Personally, my favorite running back in this class, Best, like Johnson, boasts game breaking speed as he should run the 40 in the 4.3 second range. A capable kick returner and reciever, Best is a nightmare in the open field due to his quickness and agility. He’s not going to run through a lot of tackles but with his speed and instant acceleration he was able to pull off a couple of Barry Sanders-like runs in college. Injuries and durability are a concern for Best and it’ll be interesting to see if he really measures in at the 5′10, 195 most web sites list him at.
The Big Guys:
Ryan Mathews, Fresno State- At 5′11, 220, Mathews is the ideal size for an NFL running back. Mathews also shows good explosion for his size and is expected to run the 40 yard dash in the high 4.4’s to low 4.5’s. He averaged 6.6 yards rushing his junior year en route to 1,808 yards rushing and 19 rushing TD’s. He may need some work on pass blocking and receiving, as he only has 19 career receptions, but could still be drafted in the late first round.
Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech- Dwyer is an interesting prospect. He measures in at 6′0, 235, and has good straight-line speed drawing comparisons to Michael Turner. Unlike Best, Dwyer won’t make a lot of people miss with agility and quick cutting ability but he does a great job at breaking tackles and gets great leg drive due to his powerful lower body. His work ethic has been questioned and the fact that he showed up to offseason workouts 15 pounds overweight may indicate weight problems in the future.
Toby Gerhart, Stanford- Gerhart rushed for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns this past season as he was named one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy Award. At 6′1 235, Gerhart possess exceptional power for a running back. He won’t run away from many NFL defenders (he is estimated to run the 40 in 4.6 seconds) but he will run over a fair share. His lack of elite speed and his reconstructed ACL in his left knee will be major concerns for NFL teams. However, his power running and pass blocking abilities will give Gerhart a place in the NFL.
The Little Guy:
Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss- At around 5’9 165, McCluster is nowhere near the prototypical size for an NFL Running Back. Despite his size however, McCluster has shown that he’s a playmaker. It only took him 181 carries to gain 1,169 yards rushing (a 6.5 yards per carry average) while also hauling in 44 catches for 520 yards. If McCluster can show off his speed, hands and versatility at the Combine he could find himself being selected somewhere in the second round.
Wide Recievers
The Go-To Guys:
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma- Bryant appears to be the consensus Number 1 receiver available in the 2010 draft and with good reason. Bryant has good size at 6’2 215 and great hands. Bryant isn’t afraid to get physical with opposing DB’s and can be tough to bring down in the open field. Bryant also does a great job of attacking the ball in the air and shows good concentration when going up for the jump ball. One thing Bryant doesn’t have however, is game-breaking speed. He should perform exceptionally well in pass-catching drills at the combine but it remains to be seen how fast he will run his 40. If he can clock in at 4.50 seconds or less we could see Bryant go in the top 10 picks.
Arrelious Benn, Illinois- Another big, physical receiver, Benn, who weighs in at 6’2 220, draws comparisons to Anquan Boldin, except he’s faster and more athletic. Unfortunately, Benn wasn’t able to fully showcase his talents in college because of the lack of talent at the QB position. In Benn’s best year he only recorded 67 receptions and 3 TD’s, but his physical ability is undeniable. Benn doesn’t have the hands or the ability to win jump balls like Dez Bryant but he should still end up being a first round pick.
Golden Tate, Notre Dame- Smaller than the two guys atop the 2010 wide receiver Draft Class, the 5’11, 195 pound Tate boasts great athleticism and good speed. He had a fantastic junior year tallying 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, Tate must improve his route running to have a successful career in the NFL. Without elite size or speed, it’s imperative that he runs crisp, clean routes in order to get separation. With his intelligence, instincts and athleticism, Tate should be a solid number 2 receiver in the NFL.
Brandon LaFell, L.S.U.- Another big receiver standing 6’3 and weighing 205 pounds, LaFell is very physical and athletic. Like Bryant, LaFell does a great job of attacking the ball at its highest point and winning jump balls. He’s a great blocker and also does a good job fighting off the jam from opposing corners. He only had 57 receptions his senior year, but 11 of them went for touchdowns. If LaFell measures up to his listed height and weight and turns in a good 40 time, he could sneak into the first round.
Damian Williams, U.S.C.- Not nearly as physical as the bigger receivers in this class, the 6’1, 190 pound Williams makes up for it with his soft hands and great route-running ability. Williams isn’t a game-breaking receiver that opposing defensive coordinators have to change game plans in order to contain, but he could fit very nicely with a team looking for a quick, dependable number 2 option.
Tight Ends
The “Rocked Up” Receivers:
Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma- Since I was a little late in getting this article out, Jermaine Gresham has already officially weighed in at the combine. He measured in at 6’5 ¼ and 261 pounds with 35 ¾ inch arms. His arms are actually longer than the vast majority of NFL starting left tackles, which gives him an advantage not only in receiving but also blocking as well. Although Gresham isn’t expected to record an elite time in the 40 yard dash (most likely around 4.70), he is a huge threat as a receiver. Tremendously athletic and versatile, Gresham will create mismatches for most linebackers. Although he needs to work on his blocking, Gresham could be a first round pick this April.
Rob Gronkowski, Arizona- Officially weighed in at 6’6 ¼ and 264 pounds with 34 ¼ inch arms, Gronkowski is another TE with great size and long arms. He played in 10 games his sophomore year (he missed his junior year due to injury) but caught 10 touchdowns that season. Gronkowski is a tremendous athlete at the tight end position but his lack of experience and the fact that he hasn’t been on the field in over a year may scare some teams away from drafting him early. He needs to prove at the combine that he still possesses his athleticism and that he is healthy.
Aaron Hernandez, Florida- Hernandez measured in at 6’2 3/8 and 245 pounds with 32 ¼ inch arms. Significantly smaller than the previous two tight ends, Hernandez probably does not offer much potential as a blocker. He showed his ability as a pass catcher his junior year as he caught 68 passes for 850 yards and 5 TD’s. Most likely his best fit in the NFL would be as an H-Back.
Offensive Linemen
The Bodyguards:
Russell Okung, LT, Oklahoma State- Officially weighed in at the combine at 6’5 ¼ and 307 pounds. In addition to his great size he also has impressively long arms (36 inches), which would put him right among the top of the NFL along starting left tackles. The most impressive things about Okung are his feet and athleticism. He moves more like an athletic tight end rather than an lineman. I was shocked at how smoothly and quickly he moved when pulling to block on run plays. Okung not only reaches the second level, but also dominates and finishes. A great pass blocker, Okung would be the perfect candidate to protect Matt Stafford’s blind side (sorry, I just had to throw that in there).
Anthony Davis, LT, Rutgers- Officially measuring in at 6’5 and 323 pounds, Davis also boasts impressively long 34-inch arms. A fantastic run blocker, Davis can also hold his own in pass protection. Some feel that Anthony Davis is the best tackle in this draft and could even be a top 5 pick. Not as athletic as Okung, Davis would be a great fit for a run-first team.
Bryan Bulaga, LT, Iowa- Bulaga measured in at 6’5 3/8 and 314 pounds at the combine. While that’s great size for a left tackle, scouts were mostly concerned about his arm length. Bulaga’s arms ended up measuring in at 33 ¼ inches, which is not considered elite but will be ‘good enough’. (Scouts and coaches hate to see tackles with arm length less than 33 inches). Bulaga is a physical blocker with great technique. There are questions as to how good of a left tackle Bulaga will be in the NFL and whether he has already reached his peak, meaning he won’t get much better than he already is.
Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- Iupati weighed in at 6’5 1/8 and 331 pounds with a solid 34 ¾ inch arm length. Quite the physical specimen, Iupati is certainly an intimidating presence in the interior of the offensive line. Iupati has fantastic strength and is a great, fluid athlete for a man his size. Iupati is still learning technique and footwork and as Mike Mayock of NFL Network pointed out he has a habit of ‘grabbing’ at defensive lineman, leaving him susceptible to holding calls. Still, don’t be surprised if some team falls in love with his physical ability and drafts him in the top 20 picks, a rare occurrence for a guard.
Bruce Campbell, LT, Maryland- Another physical specimen, Campbell weighed in at 6’6 3/8 and 314 pounds with an incredible 36 ¼ inch arm length. Campbell is a great athlete whose upside is through the roof. He only started 17 career games in college but his rare combination of size and speed may get him drafted in the first half of the first round. It’ll be very interesting to see how many reps he puts up on the bench press and how fast he runs his 40. Only then, will we truly get an idea of how much an ‘athletic freak’ this guy really is.
Coming Monday: Part 2: Players to Watch on Defense
February 26, 2010 · Filed under NCAA, NFL
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It usually starts out with young men, in the best shape of their lives, parading on stage in nothing but their underwear while dozens of other men analyze and critique their physiques. No, I’m not talking about some late night homoerotic special on HBO, I’m actually describing one of the first events of the NFL scouting combine and I assure you only the straightest of straight men watch, understand and enjoy this event. Until recently, when NFL network started airing this event live on television, the NFL scouting combine did not draw much fanfare. Fans are not allowed to attend the event and would have to settle for websites listing the player’s results or possibly an occasional few second clip on ESPN of a particularly riveting athletic performance.
So to the casual, or less knowledgeable fan the scouting combine might not mean much, perhaps due to a lack of understanding of what goes on or why we should care about it. Ironically, to some better-informed fans, the scouting combine is taken with a grain of salt as prospect’s performances can sometimes be drastically overrated. It’s very important to note that excellent performances at the combine DO NOT indicate or predict excellent football careers. The scouting combine serves several purposes. The first is to provide scouts and coaches with accurate heights and weights for all the prospects. It’s not uncommon for a college team to list a defensive end (or any other player for that matter) as standing 6’5 tall and weighing 280 pounds, only to have scouts find out at the combine that he’s really 6’3 and 265.
The second purpose is for teams to get a feel for the prospects through interviews. Each team is only allotted 15 minutes to speak to each player and while that may not seem like a lot, it may give a team a feeling of whether or not they want to bring that player in for a visit at some point down the road for a more extensive interview (each team is only allowed to bring in a certain amount of players for a more in-depth interview. I believe this number is 20.) In these timed 15-minute interviews, teams have been known to ask all types of questions to these prospects. Questions range from college statistical analysis such as “Why did your receptions go down from your junior year to your senior year?” where the interviewing team may look to see if the player throws teammates or coaches under the bus or if he has the maturity to accept responsibility himself. Or, they can get more personal asking things like “Have you ever cheated on your girlfriend?” or “What’s the first thing you’re going to buy with your signing bonus?” There may be many reasons why teams ask these more personal questions but usually teams look for honesty and how prospect’s react when taken off guard.
The third main purpose of the combine is to test the prospects’ intelligence and athletic ability through testing and drills. In order to test for intelligence each prospect takes a timed test called the Wonderlic. The Wonderlic test asks questions completely unrelated to football. For a sample of the Wonderlic test visit here. The athletic testing is the main event of the combine. And the main event of the main event is the 40-yard dash. Quite self-explanatory, prospects start in a 3 point stance and then sprint 40 yards as fast as they can while being timed.
Speed is extremely important in the NFL. If prospects fail to run the 40 yards in a certain amount of time it becomes very possible that the player will not be drafted and have a very difficult time establishing a career in the NFL. For example, most scouts and coaches who see a college cornerback run the 40 yard dash in 4.60 seconds or slower will most likely suggest that he switches his position to safety if he wants any hope of being drafted. Most teams probably wont draft a player to play cornerback who runs that slow unless he proves to be exceptional in several other categories like size, instincts and tackling ability. Even then, the teams willing to draft this prospect will be very limited and probably won’t do so until the 6th or 7th round of the draft, if at all. The magic number for cornerbacks is 4.49. If they can run the 40 in 4.49 or less then they have a good chance of getting drafted relatively high if teams believe they have the talent to go with the speed.
Now, if you’re thinking ahead you may think “Well why the hell should the 40 yard dash have such an impact on positions like defensive and offensive lineman? When in games are they running 40 yards downfield?” For defensive and offensive lineman the 40 yard dash portrays how athletic these players are. Offensive linemen who run under 5.0 seconds are usually considered to have unique athleticism and often times, there are only a couple of offensive linemen who manage that feat every year. However, even more important are something called the 10 and 20 yard splits. When a player runs the 40-yard dash, not only is his time taken after he runs 40 yards, but it is also recorded after he has run 10 and 20 yards as well. These splits are very important for defensive lineman. A defensive lineman may only have to run 40 yards downfield a few plays a game, but every passing play he is sprinting 10 yards to get to that opposing quarterback. A good 10 yard split time could indicate that this prospect has the explosion and quickness necessary to blow by offensive tackles en route to pressuring the QBs.
The same situation holds true for the vertical jump. Offensive lineman will never be called upon to jump in the air to catch the ball or for any other reason really. However, the vertical jump indicates how powerful the prospect’s lower body is, specifically the hips, buttocks and thighs. Why is this important? Well even though offensive lineman boast outrageous bench press numbers and otherworldly upper body strength, its actually their lower body strength that gives them the ability to push and drive defensive lineman out of the way, opening up lanes for their running backs.
The scouting combine is a major part of analyzing these college prospects as NFL teams look to find out as much as possible about these young players. However, it’s important to balance out prospects’ performance at the combine and their performance on the field in college. Every year players get drafted higher than they deserve because of their combine performance (see Darrius Heyward-Bey drafted by Oakland at #7 last year due in large part to running the 40 yard dash in 4.30 seconds) and vice versa. As Storps.com resident NFL Draft expert, look for more articles about the combine in the near future. Stay tuned for articles previewing and reviewing the 2010 Scouting Combine and make sure to check back here for coverage leading all the way up to the NFL Draft.
February 15, 2010 · Filed under NCAA, NFL
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With March Madness a little more than a month away teams are getting down to the nitty-gritty of conference play. This is make or break time for a lot of teams on the bubble and for the teams with auto-bids into the field of 65. As the picture of who is in and who is not becomes clearer, I feel that now is a good time to make some predictions for this year’s NCAA tourney.
The Ones?- The four teams that I think at this point in the season make the best cases for number 1 seeds this year are Kansas as the overall one with Syracuse, Kentucky, and Villanova taking top spots in their respected regions. However, a crucial Big East match up a week before selection Sunday when (5) West Virginia meets at (4) Villanova could throw the number ones off, but I think Nova will pull out the W.
Which Conference will have the most teams in the tourney?
Big East…hands down the best conference right now sporting 5 of the top 25 teams in the country, and 4 of them in the top 10, which are Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh. Also, if Notre Dame and Louisville each make good runs in this last month of the season they could find themselves in the tourney as well. Cincinnati also has an outside shot.
Who will be the biggest bracket buster?
Cornell…that’s right, Cornell,coming out of the Ivy League: 20-3 on the year and 6-0 in conference play…their only losses come to Seton Hall and the two top teams in the country Syracuse and Kansas…and they only lost to Kansas by 5. I expect them to come in at a 12 seed and they could be an 11 if they win out in conference play. I like their chances to move past the first two rounds and turn some heads in the process.
Who is going to be in the Final Four?
So far this season there have been many upsets and surprise teams and the tourney will most likely be the same. That being said the four teams I predict will be there in the end unless they end up in the same bracket would be Syracuse, West Virginia, who by my accounts will take out number 1 Kansas in the Elite 8, Michigan State, and Villanova.
Who is going to take home the title?
In the end the only team left standing will be the…Orangemen of Syracuse. Syracuse in my opinion is the best team of the field. I also believe they will be given a favorable bracket due to all of the great teams in the Big East. You might ask why it is favorable for Syracuse to have so many good teams from their conference in the tourney. It’s because the NCAA has a selection rule that states that the top 3 teams selected from the same conference cannot be in the same region of the tournament. That means that out of the other 9 teams in the top 10 with Syracuse, they potentially will only be in the same bracket as 6 of them and most likely less than that because of the seeding.
February 12, 2010 · Filed under NCAA
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