1) CLEMSON 12-1 One slip when their QB got hurt has been forgotten with dominant play in November. Best all-around team in the country, especially on the defensive side of the ball. 2) OKLAHOMA 12-1 One early slip and a Defense which has problems against teams that pass as well their own Offense. But their Offense is just… Read More »
BRIAN ALLEN OC #65 MICHIGAN STATE 6’2/305 Being a solid college player does not necessarily mean the pro game is in a player’s future. Size, athleticism, etc. often end up derailing pro aspirations for dozens of solid players each season. And then there are the guys who play well in college, don’t quite measure up athletically, and yet… Read More »
Major upsets abound every week in College Football these days. Limited scholarships, graduate transfers, injuries and more all make things dizzier at the top of the ladder than ever before. So here here are the latest rankings as we are down to the final 2-3 weeks of the regular season. 1) ALABAMA 10-0 They aren’t exactly kicking butts… Read More »
SATURDAY NOV. 11 Noon/ET FOX MICHIGAN STATE (7-2) @ OHIO STATE (7-2) by 7 These are the two most surprising teams in the big Ten this season to my eyes. I have no idea how the Spartans have compiled their record, with a very young and relatively inexperienced roster. Usually by this time of year URBAN MEYER has… Read More »
MARCEL ATEMAN WR #3 OKLAHOMA STATE 6’3/220 The number one wideout for the Cowboys is clearly JAMES WASHINGTON. But Okie State also has a full stable of thoroughbred wideouts for Mason Rudolph to throw to. For my money the clear No. 2 is MARCEL ATEMAN, who is having a great season after missing all of 2016 to a… Read More »
This weekend’s games will lead to the first official NCAA FBS rankings next week. Recent history and the odds in general say we will witness a couple more upsets this weekend which will make the committees work even more challenging. I will follow up this week’s game action with a Top 15 ranking list which I hope to… Read More »
MARK ANDREWS #81 TE 6’4/254 OKLAHOMA JR ANDREWS has made his mark for the Sooners as a very athletic receiver in a big boy body, ever since his true frosh season in 2014. He is a two-time, all Big 12 1st teamer. This season, with the graduation of WESTBROOK/LEWIS at WR he has become Baker Mayfield’s top target.… Read More »
#20 OREN BURKS OB VANDERBILT 6’3/230. You have to be a real Draftnik to really know much about BURKS, but I highly recommend you watch him in action for the Commodores as the season progresses. BURKS has toiled in relative obscurity but has been a significant factor in making the Vandy team competitive in the tough SEC. He’s… Read More »
So let’s get down to the meat of things. The 10 teams below look to me to be the legit 10+ win teams who are going to deserve to head to the NFL Play-Offs come January 2018. The way injuries are mounting after less than two weeks of Training Camp makes me more than a bit uneasy however.… Read More »
Time to carry on with the remainder of my middle-of the pack, mediocre teams for 2017. But just an editorial note to start out. More injuries in Camps like TANNEHILL in Miami could cause some of these rankings to be altered drastically by September. And so it goes. 16) Miami DOLPHINS. Speaking of the Dolphins here there are.… Read More »
As I start to detail the middle of the pack for the 2017 NFL season I do want to make note that I feel like there is very little separation right now between the next 12 teams coming up in my rankings list. Indeed every one of them could end up with 8-8 records. But history indicates that… Read More »
To the surprise of many associated with the NFL a power play took place in Kansas City this week and ANDY REID won the battle by convincing Owner Clark Hunt that either he or GM JOHN DORSEY had to go, and that he (Reid) was clearly the more important man to keep. Mark this down as the first… Read More »
OK, I have been waiting and pondering the 2017 Draft for over a month now. I refuse to give grades any longer, and have already proclaimed to you the teams I feel failed to do what they needed to in April. I even declared the winners of the URFA scramble. But I cannot postpone the inevitable forever. I… Read More »
Every year just about every team in the NFL has a Rookie Free Agent or two who makes their 53-man roster. And in addition, about half the Practice Squad roster for most teams is also comprised of Undrafted Rookie Free Agents (URFA). So, especially in the long run, URFA have an even better chance to make an NFL… Read More »
I don’t give out Draft grades any more, but I am not afraid to single out teams that I feel have outdone themselves in the Draft Process. That can be both on a pro and/or con basis. And today I’d like to mention 3 teams that I feel had highly questionable Draft efforts this year. It will also… Read More »
Been seeing a lot of nay-saying in post Draft-land. I would like to remind all that with 7-8 Draft Picks per team, on average it is quite unrealistic to expect bad teams to turn it around based on a single Draft effort. The impact last season of ELLIOTT/PRESCOTT was unprecedented in my 50-plus years of watching pro football.… Read More »
Nope not doing team Draft grades. Not yet, actually not ever. But if you pay attention over there next month or so you can probably figure who’s work I admire and which fan bases are in for disappointment come next September. My first kudos go out to the BROWNS organization. I am not saying that they got everything… Read More »
Please understand that the following article is meant in no way to be an indictment of the NFL Combine. Consider it a few after-the-fact observations of the process and some of it’s flaws, both intended and circumstantial. This year’s Combine had an official list of 330 invitees. This year’s Draft had 253 Picks in it. If you bother… Read More »
Colin has already presented you with multiple numbers to digest from the Draft last weekend, so I will try my best to avoid duplicating too much in this brief article. As most of you know by now, I am a big fan and proponent of our annual January Star Games, as Colin likes to refer to them. The… Read More »
A RB named LYNCH is in the house and I am ready to do one last Mock for Alternative America’s Team. With a healthy DEREK CARR at the helm another good Draft from the McKenzie twins would almost certainly make this team a serious Super Bowl contender in 2017. So let’s help those guys do some talent adding… Read More »
This may be a very telling year for the ‘Skins in the Draft. With the team parting ways with Scott McCloughan the Draft process is pretty much back in the hands of Bruce Allen, son of the late/great Trader George. Some interesting personnel decisions have already been made this year, including the continued lack of financial commitment to… Read More »
1) MYLES GARRETT/DE TEXAS A&M 2) LEONARD FOURNETTE/RB LSU 3) JAMAL ADAMS/S LSU 4) SOLOMON THOMAS/DE STANFORD 5) JOE MIXON/RB OKLAHOMA 6) MALIK HOOKER/S OHIO STATE 7) MIKE WILLIAMS/WR CLEMSON 8) CHRIS McCAFFERY/RB STNAFORD 9) JONATHAN ALEN/DL ALABAMA 10) MITCH TRUBISKY/QB UNC 11) COREY DAVIS/WR W. MICHIGAN 12) OJ HOWARD/TE ALABAMA 13) DEREK BARNETT/DE TENNESSEE 14) OHN ROSS/WR… Read More »
There is a challenge ahead for the COWBOYS for 2017. They need to prove that the 2016 regular season was not a mirage, and the team is back on track to being a perennial participant in the Play-Offs. They have lots of work to do in the 2017 Draft so here is my attempt to help them out.… Read More »
Just in case someone out there missed it, this team is in total rebuild mode, no matter what DA Bears house mouthpieces tell you. Spin it anyway you want, but when a team just cuts loose players like CUTLER & JEFFERY & others, they are starting that roster over. So, let’s help give them some more new blood… Read More »
Thanks to DAN SHONKA at Ourlads.com for providing the following info that appeared in their annual Draft Guide, which was mailed out last week to smart subscribers. It’s a list of throwing velocity from the top QB prospects. The throwing was done at the February COMBINE in Indy. I have also now included Wonderlic scorers as provided by… Read More »
