NFL Draft Wrapup

Lets look back at my predictions and see how they turned out:

• Three of the first 10 picks of the second round will be traded. - 2 of the top 10 were traded and 3 of the top 15. Close but not quite.
• Terrance Cody will be taken in those first 10 picks, as will Jimmy Clausen - Blew this one fairly badly. Clausen slipped to 48th and Mt. Cody all the way to 57th. However, I do think both of these players found one of the very few teams that they can immediately contribute to.
• Sergio Kindle is falling for a reason and that freefall will continue. Rumor is it is a medical condition. I look for him in the 45-55 range now. - Wrong again, he went 43. What a fall from grace for a player that had been talked about as a top 10 prospect as early as 2 weeks before the draft. Although I guess the fall of Everson Griffen was more spectacular.
• All of the top tier corner backs were taken off the board in the first round. The second round will not see more than 1 corner (Chris Cook?) Almost nailed this one. Chris Cook went 34 to the Vikings and Javier Arenas went 50 to the chiefs. The corollary of this prediction was a glut of CBs taken in the third, which also happened.
• Taylor Mays will continue to slide. Hes an amazing athlete but an average football player All the way to the 49ers at 49. Even his head coach in college passed on him 3 times!
• Jacksonville will have the chance to draft a solid player (like Sean Lee) that makes a lot of sense, but will instead bewilder everyone and go for Donald Butler, for no particular reason. Jacksonville traded their pick, prediction null.
• The Undead from the Raiders will draft Bruce Campbell and consider it the steal of the draft. Oh how I nailed this one. Expect I thought it would be in the second round, not the fourth!!! I honestly think teams shied away from Campbell BECAUSE the Raiders were so interested. If the Raiders like him, he must be terrible.

As far as the saints draft goes, I was extremely pleased.

1 (32) - Patrick Robinson CB - A surprise pick by the Saints, but it was good value and with Jerry Hughes being picked just before them I think he qualifies as B(Defensive)PA. There are 2 positions in the NFL that you can never have enough talent at, those are LT and CB.

2 (64) - Charlie Brown LT - Speaking of stockpiling talent at a key position, Charlie Brown slips to the Saints. I could not be more pleased with this pick. Brown is a known finesse pass blocker that likes to get outside on screens and is very mobile. He is an absolute perfect fit for the Saints and is a steal. It also spells the end of Jammal Brown, which was necessary. Overpaying for 29 year old players is not how to build a franchise, trading them away to desperate teams for solid draft picks though isn't too bad.

3 (95) - Jimmy Graham TE - My favourite pick of the draft, bar none. An absolute physical specimen, Graham has all the tools to be the most dominate TE in the NFL. Super high praise that he probably won't live up to, but I'm going to enjoy watching him try. Read this piece for a little perspective: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-grahamtoughness040810 . I could very well be in the market for a Graham 80 Jersey next time I'm feeling particularly rich.

4 (123) - Al Woods DT - A very pedestrian college career that I'd like to attribute to terrible coaches and a lazy system. Al Woods now has Bill Johnson and Greg Williams to show him hows its done and he may very well blossom under their tutelage. At the very least, those two know what they're doing and wouldn't take him (little less trade up) unless they saw a future for him.

5 (158) - Matt Tennant C - The Saints desperately needed interior offensive line help, they have pro-bowlers in all three positions but no depth, Tennant is that depth for the next season or two and then he is the replacement for Goodwin. An interior line of Nicks - Tennant - Evans projects as one of the best in the NFL. With Stitch on the right side at a very affordable long term contract and Charlie Brown and Bushrod fighting for playing time on the left, the offensive line looks all pro.

7 (239) - Sean Canfield QB - Sean Payton has been itching for QB to develop and he finally feels rich enough to spend a pick on one. Good for him, he deserves it. Plus, players that the Saints might have targetted here (Gaellete, Colemon) signed with the SB champions anyways as UDFA.

Overall, this draft was clearly that of a rich team looking to get richer. They stuck to their BPA philosophy, drafted potential and probably got 4 long term starters out of it. This is how drafting is suppose to be done.

Round 2/3 Predictions

After an extremely exciting first round I offer the following predictions for the second and third:

• Three of the first 10 picks of the second round will be traded.
• Terrance Cody will be taken in those first 10 picks, as will Jimmy Clausen
• Sergio Kindle is falling for a reason and that freefall will continue. Rumor is it is a medical condition. I look for him in the 45-55 range now.
• All of the top tier corner backs were taken off the board in the first round. The second round will not see more than 1 corner (Chris Cook?)
• Taylor Mays will continue to slide. Hes an amazing athlete but an average football player
• Jacksonville will have the chance to draft a solid player (like Sean Lee) that makes a lot of sense, but will instead bewilder everyone and go for Donald Butler, for no particular reason.
• The Undead from the Raiders will draft Bruce Campbell and consider it the steal of the draft.

Round One of the NFL Draft

I would be completely amiss if the first mention doesn't go the the Denver Broncos who may have pulled a coup tonight or crippled their franchise for a half decade. Maneuvering through a myriad of trades they ultimated snagged D. Thomas WR and T. Tebow QB. In doing so they get a guy who is untimed in the 40 and position drills and a QB who many feel that belonged 1-3 rounds lower. Controversial for sure, but also extremely ballsy, they are placing the fate of their franchise on these two young men and if it works out for them, the potential is there for one of the most dominate QB-WR combinations in the NFL.

Next let me mock Jacksonville. This franchise will be moved within 3 years, tonight confirms they are too incompetent to own a team down there.

Most importantly the Saints. Patrick Robinson is a fast, physical, instinctive corner, he may even line up opposite Jabari Greer and push Porter inside, where he fits more naturally as a nickel. The pick isn't a terrible one but at first look its not at a position of need. With Kindle there I am surprised they didn't opt for an SLB and above average pass rusher.

What Robinson does give is the flexibility to push Jenkins to safety to replace sharper and a quality returner. This likely means that Roby will be out of a job next season.

Overall, I like the BPA approach and the defensive pick, but they absolutely must upgrade their front seven tomorrow or this draft will be a disappointment.

The *Cost* of Crime

Crime is typically punished in our society in one of two ways. For small crimes there is typically a fine, probation on the outside. As the severity of the crime escalates, prison sentences are introduced and escalated. There is occasional overlap between the two by typically they are well separated.

The cost of this is having an active police force, a detective squad, district attorneys, correction officers and the necessary related infrastructure: police stations, court houses and prisons. This is all very expensive and should be at least partially paid by the persecutors instead of the victims (read: tax payers).

For this reason alone, we should levy massive fines against the guilty.

But those reasons are not alone. The cost of crime is inexorable much greater. Any bodily harm caused (which I dare say is frequently, and one of the major reasons we have laws) has a large cost on the healthcare system. Surgery is expensive, care is expensive, medication is expensive and the government (erm, victims) pay for all of it. Half way homes are expensive, parole officers are expensive, security systems are expensive.

Lets stop charging the victims for the cost of crime committed against them.

Photographs I wish I Took

There are a lot of them, but right now that list is topped by:

http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/perm/iceland/eyafallajokull_20100416-en.html

Truly fantastic work.

Rush Limbaugh - The Embodiment of Bigotry

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/17/limbaugh-volcano/

A man with 15 million daily listeners suggests that the volcanic eruptions in Iceland are a sign from God that he is displeased with American health care reform... Let that sink in. http://i.imgur.com/U7UY1.jpg

In geological times, volcanic eruptions on Iceland are frequent and expected. I would think that the beginning of the apocalypse or a direct sign of anger from God would be more, erm, direct and dramatic? Hell, He might have even caused a natural disaster in the offending country, not a peaceful nation several thousand kilometers away, with a fallout that is effecting Europe not America. How obscenely vain is it to believe that a natural disaster on the other side of the globe is God caring about your political climate. If he truly sent signs in that manner, I would expect them to be reserved for truly special occasions; like acts of slavery and genocide.

Despite the logical in fallacies, the most amazing aspect of this is that he actually thinks health care reform is a bad thing. That God would be AGAINST providing basic care and services to the poor and needy. After all, his only son only hang out with the rich cool dudes and stepped on the fingers of the poor any chance he got; Charity was not his way.

My rational mind cannot comprehend thinking of Mr. Limbaugh as a source of authority or guidance on anything. It is my sincere hope that his viewers tune in as if his is a comedy or freak show, for that is the only merit I believe it has.

How much Damage can the Church Sustain?

I could go on a terrific rant about what has transpired in the last couple of years, but I feel it would be a waste of time. Unless you purposefully hide from the news you know what it going on. Unless you're morally bankrupt you know whats wrong with it.

The real question is, in this digital age, how much damage will the catholic church take, how much credibility will it lose with the masses? The devote will never abandon faith for systemic child molestation, but they can certainly change allegiances.