Got a trifecta of games for you to watch on New Year’s Day. These are big time Bowls with top tier teams playing, which means lots of pro prospects to watch in anticipation of the NFL Draft in 4 months. Also note that Editor Colin has the two Final Four games for you elsewhere on the site. Monday… Read More »
Friday Dec. 29 1PM/ET ESPN BELK BOWL Charlotte, NC WAKE FOREST (7-5) by 3 VS TEXAS A&M (7-5) Another game that finds at least on of the participants in the midst of a head coaching change. The Aggies are now moving into the Jimbo Fisher era. WAKE has gone through their upheaval and this is now HC DAVE… Read More »
INDEPENDENCE BOWL (Shreveport); SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (8-4) vs. FLORIDA STATE (6-6) by 3; 1:30 PM ET; ESPN After a bit of debate about whether FSU’s schedule actually earned them a bowl bid at 6-6, it appears we are ready to play some football. Southern Miss has been a solid mid-major football program for decades now. Without a doubt their… Read More »
We’re getting warmed up for the legit Holiday Bowl schedule, which I happen to think begins Christmas Eve. But for now let’s take a peek at games for this Saturday the 23rd. The overall talent from a Pro Prospect standpoint clearly elevates with this trio of games. Saturday Dec. 23rd NOON/ET ESPN. Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, AL TEXAS TECH… Read More »
DAVID BRIGHT #64 OT STANFORD 6’5/300. I don’t think this guy has gotten the credit he deserves for his all-around play out at LT for the Cardinal. Every time I watch Stanford play he impresses me with his steady work out at LT in both pass-pro and the all important run blocking in the Stanford ground and pound… Read More »
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 »
