Rick Spielman and the 40 Time at Indy

There is a great column on ESPN Insider by former Dolphin GM Rick Spielman on the Combine and what scouts and medical personnel look for in Indy.

Here is the URL, but I think you need to pay for this premium content:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/insider/columns/story?columnist=spielman_rick

Below are a few of the more interesting quotes:

When I was with the Miami Dolphins, we would hold a specific combine meeting with everyone who would be attending to go over each player on our board and identify specific things we needed to find out about them.

Of all the tests and evaluations performed at the combine, [medical evaluation] might have the biggest influence on whether a team will draft a player, regardless of
how he grades out as a football player. Teams will take players off their draft board if the doctors decide it is not worth the medical risk to draft the player.

Some people might wonder what scouts possibly can evaluate when a player stands alone on a stage in just his shorts. ... Some teams will go as far as identifying tattoos that could be gang related.

Spielman also spouts the usual stuff about thinking every player should run the 40 at the combine, and that fast players are fast and slow players are slow and blah blah blah. This is the one-way street stuff that galls me.

First off, NFL scouts put SO much value in the 40 time that a player can hurt his draft status incredibly by turning in a slow time. A player can enhance his status by ripping it up in the 40. There are many examples of the 40 time being a determining factor.

And the funny thing is, much like my college GPA, which I don't mention in polite company, NOBODY ever, EVER brings up a 40 time for 98 percent of the guys in the NFL again. If you can play, you can play.

(Of course, I get sucked into the 40-time thing more than I would like to. It is pretty impressive when you hear some of the 40 times of some of those guys, such as Samie Parker of Oregon or Bethel Johnson out of Texas A&M, who each seemed to have about a 4.28 40.)

Pat Kirwan wrote a column in 2004 regarding the 40 time, and I found it online.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/7095858

In it, he sort of advocates finding players who are great college players and who look very athletic in every phase of the game, but who blow their 40 times. His two examples are Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin, who had bad 40 times and were docked in the draft, and turned out to be NFL players. I don't think players should be upgraded because of bad work in Indy, of course. I think it was Bill Walsh who said that Bill Walsh's genius in drafting players was that he only really looked at what players did in college games as the indication of what they could do, not their size or 40 times or arm strenghth or anything else.

Here are some quotes from the Kirwan piece:

As one prominent agent said to me this week when I asked him if his top clients were working out in Indy, he said 'no, and for two big reasons: Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin'. Both of those young players last year felt they had to do everything at the combine so they participated and they ran slow. Their draft status was damaged in the eyes of club officials with the slow times.

Why take a slow player when you can take a fast player? Maybe because the "slower" player is a better football player? Davis ran a 4.62, which is a bit too slow for an elite running back. Boldin ran an awful 4.72, which is snails pace for a wide receiver. Of course, both players went on to have excellent rookie seasons in the NFL. Davis ran for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns as the top rookie running back in the league for Houston and Boldin caught 101 passes for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns. Their football production far outweighed their 40-yard times, but Davis was drafted in the fourth round and Boldin went in the second round.

All I can think about if I were running a personnel department right now is to tell my staff, 'go find the Domanick Davis and Anquan Boldin of this draft.'

I took a look at the All-Rookie team and a number of rookies who excelled this past season that were drafted no higher than the fourth round to find the common thread as to why they were drafted lower than where they actually performed.

Panthers cornerback Ricky Manning started in the Super Bowl. After he won the starting job, his team went 6-1 on the road. He was drafted in the fourth round and he ran a slow 40 (4.53) at the combine. He ran faster later in the spring but was ranked anywhere between eighth and 12th on most cornerback lists. One college scout admitted his combine 40 time was a factor.

There is a great opportunity waiting for the people responsible for a team's draft to look at combine results differently and find those special players most teams will be downgrading this week because of a less-than-stellar performance.

As one of smartest football friends I have in the NFL said to me this week, 'there is a competitive edge to be gained from changing the way I use the results of the combine. I hope after all these years I can try different ways of using the information we gather in Indianapolis'.

Shootin' the Brees: I'd Take Pennington

There are reports that the Jets are going to cut Chad Pennington because of his huge salary. Here's the math:

The team is about $26 million over the cap and needs to come to an agreement with Pennington before the start of free agency March 3.

Pennington's agent, Tom Condon, reportedly rejected a deal that would have reduced the quarterback's base salary from $9 million to $1 million.

The Jets started renegotiating with the franchise quarterback last week, hoping to slash his base pay to make his contract more salary-cap friendly.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=At2nGObED3qKvpTMq_Mtkl5DubYF?slug=ap-jets-pennington&prov=ap&type=lgns

And the Chargers are going to let Drew Brees go in free agency, supposedly.

San Diego general manager A. J. Smith said Monday the team has declined to designate Brees as its franchise or transition player.

If the Chargers had slapped either of the tags on Brees, he would be guaranteed nearly $10 million in a one-year salary next season. That's too rich for the Chargers, considering Brees was injured in the team's season finale, tearing the labrum in his throwing shoulder while trying to recover a fumble.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-chargers-brees&prov=ap&type=lgns

So two young quarterbacks, two bad shoulders. You are a NFL team. Which quarterback do you go for?

I like Drew Brees. Thought he was a heckuva QB out of Purdue. Thought the Dolphins should have picked him at the end of the first round in 2001, when, instead, they took Jamar Fletcher, the cornerback from Wisconsin (my brother-in-law, Dave-o, a huge Dolphin fan, almost had a cow, a whole steer, when the Dolphins announced that pick).

But, for my money, I would take Pennington on the open market. When healthy, I think Pennington is a better player. If they are both hurt, they are just hurt. But if they are both healthy, Pennington, in my mind, is the much better quarterback. Here are the numbers:

Brees
Season Team G QBRat Comp Att Pct Yds Y/G Y/A TD Int

2001-02 San Diego 1 94.8 15 27 55.6 221 221.0 8.2 1 0
2002-03 San Diego 16 76.9 320 526 60.8 3284 205.3 6.2 17 16
2003-04 San Diego 11 67.5 205 356 57.6 2108 191.6 5.9 11 15
2004-05 San Diego 15 104.8 262 400 65.5 3159 210.6 7.9 27 7
2005-06 San Diego 16 89.2 323 500 64.6 3576 223.5 7.2 24 15
Career 59 84.9 1125 1809 62.2 12348 209.3 6.8 80 53

Pennington
2000-01 NY Jets 2 127.1 2 5 40.0 67 33.5 13.4 1 0
2001-02 NY Jets 2 79.6 10 20 50.0 92 46.0 4.6 1 0
2002-03 NY Jets 15 104.2 275 399 68.9 3120 208.0 7.8 22 6
2003-04 NY Jets 10 82.9 189 297 63.6 2139 213.9 7.2 13 12
2004-05 NY Jets 13 91.0 242 370 65.4 2673 205.6 7.2 16 9
2005-06 NY Jets 3 70.9 49 83 59.0 530 176.7 6.4 2 3
Career 45 92.1 767 1174 65.3 8621 191.6 7.3 55 30

I lot of what I like about Chad Pennington is from his 2002 season, which was a long time ago. But to me, his best is better than Brees's best. And Pennington's worst isn't that much worse than Brees's worst. I would be willing to gamble on Pennington coming back and being great again.

A team is going to have to shell out a great deal of money for Drew Brees. A team will have to load Pennington's contract with a bunch of incentives. The better deal is Chad Pennington.

Maybe Reggie Bush to the Texans Isn't a Slam Dunk

According to Peter King, the Texans aren't sold on Reggie Bush. Or at least that is what Charlie Casserly, the Houston GM, has told King. or at least that is the Texans negotiating ploy.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArIekHCA5jRE6Lhg6ZPN9H5DubYF?slug=cnnsi-firstthingsfirs&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns

"There's been no guarantee that we'll take Bush,'' Casserly told me. "We're wide
open. We're wide open for trades for the pick. The way I see it, here are our
options. Keep David Carr and take Reggie Bush. Keep David Carr and draft Vince
Young. Take Vince Young and see what we can get in trade for David Carr. And
trade down. We're going to visit with people at Indianapolis and take our time.
Nothing will get done, I wouldn't think, until the week before the
draft.''

I think it is a little better to just go with the flow on this and see if you can get a talent like Bush wrapped up before the draft. I also don't want to hear the bull about Bush being durable enough. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Peter King says: "My biggest question about Bush has been -- and continues to be
-- this: Can he be an every-down player in the NFL? This is a guy who rushed
more than 20 times twice in a three-year USC career, and who, playing at around
198 pounds, will have massive durability questions in the
NFL."

"It's the same question we're asking ourselves internally,
quite frankly,'' said Casserly. "He didn't do it in college, and you don't know
if he can do it in the NFL."

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. I hope you are just blowing smoke up someone's bloomers. I think the guy is Cadillac Williams, only better. I think he is Clinton Portis, only faster. I think he is Marshall Faulk. Reggie Bush is about Marshall Faulk. And with the way that teams pass the ball, Bush doesn't have to carry it 20 times a game between the tackles every game. Just some games. And Bush has always looked plenty tough to me.


Let's take a look at the top running backs in the NFL draft for the last several years.

2005

Ronnie Brown, No. 2 overall, Miami: Looked pretty damned good his rookie year. Split carries with Ricky Williams toward middle and end of year. Hopefully didn't split brownies with Williams.

Cedric Benson, No. 4, Chicago: Held out. Couldn't win starting job from former No. 7 overall pick Thomas Jones.

Carnell Cadillac Williams, No. 5, Tampa Bay: Was the top rookie running back last season, and won several honors as offensive rookie of the year.

J.J. Arrington, No. 44, Arizona: Was it JJ's lack of burst or an offense-wide problem with Arizona not being able to run the ball? Arrington didn't look very good his rookie year.

2004

Steven Jackson, No. 24, Rams: Was good enough to take Marshall Faulk's starting job away. With the Rams moving away from a pass-drunk offense, Jackson may move to being a top NFL running back. Big and fast, Jackson needs to continue working on his game.

Chris Perry, No. 26, Cincinnati: Was slated as a second-rounder. Missed most of his rookie year with an injury, but was productive as a sophomore as a third-down back. Showed a surprising burst.

Kevin Jones, No. 30, Detroit: Looked better as a rookie than last year, though he had to battle some injury woes as a sophomore. May be getting the ball a lot as the Lions move away from the San Fran West Coast offense.

Tatum Bell, No. 41, Denver: Is a part-time starter. Very, very fast, and looks like he can be productive in the Denver system.

Julius Jones, No. 43, Dallas: There are times that Julius looks like the best back in this class. He is powerfully built, can read his blockers, and shows a nice burst with some breakaway speed.


2003

Willis McGahee, No. 23, Buffalo: Sat out a redshirt year as a rookie because of injury. There are times that McGahee looks like a top-5 back in the NFL. There are times that he doesn't. Has all the tools, and still may put them together.

Larry Johnson, No. 27, Kansas City: Looked a little like a bust after his first season and a half. There was some talk about KC giving up on him and moving on before last year. I'll be they are glad they didn't. Had one of the best half a seasons in football history the last half of 2005. He gained 1,351 yards in the last nine games of the season, with 16 rushing touchdowns. He is one of the top three backs in football right now.

Ernie Stautner, NFL Tough Guy

Ernie Stautner died this past week.

I remember him best as the defensive coach for Tom Landry, but I also know that he was a defensive tackle for the Steelers in the 1950s and a Hall of Famer. When I was younger, it was always my impression that he was HUGE.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Reading some of the obits, it seems that he was a precursor to one of my favorite playes, Tim Krumrie.

Here are some obits with some great quotes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/sports/football/17stautner.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

At 6-foot-1 and about 235 pounds, he was small for his position, even in that
era, but he was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl nine times and was voted to the
N.F.L.'s All-Star team four times.

Jim Parker, the Hall of Fame offensive guard who died last July, as once saying of Stautner: "That man ain't human. He's too strong to be human. He's the toughest guy in the league to play against because he keeps coming headfirst. Swinging those forearms wears you down. That animal used to stick his head in my belly and drive me into the backfield so hard that when I picked myself up and looked around, there was a path chopped through the field like the farmer had run a plow over it."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/021706dnspostautner.323f3346.html

"He was from an era where football was built and was one of the toughest guys
I've ever known," former Cowboys safety Cliff Harris said. "In those early days
of football, there was no such thing as illegal roughness, and Ernie had broken
noses and broken knuckles, and everything was fair. I think that people have
forgotten about that era, but they laid the foundation of where football is
today, and he was one of those pillars."

Bob Lilly was in his
sixth season when Stautner joined Landry's staff as a defensive line coach in
1966. He knew Stautner as a tough-nosed player from his days with the Steelers
and saw it again as a coach.

"We're hitting the two-man sled, and we're supposed to hit it with our forearms, and Ernie says, 'You guys are hitting it like a bunch of girls. Let me show you how to hit it,' " Lilly recalled. "He comes up and almost knocked it over. By the third time, he hit this steel plate with his knuckle and broke his hand. He got our attention from
that point on."

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/steelerslive/s_424869.html

And, because he demonstrated a blue-collar work ethic (no doubt developed in his native Germany), he was a favorite of the long-suffering Steelers fans.

"Ernie's physical and relentless style of play helped the Steelers earn a reputation for being one of the NFL's toughest teams in the 1950s," Rooney said, mindful that the Steelers were 16-9-3 in Stautner's final two seasons, which included a playoff berth in 1962. "He was undersized for his position, but his strength and power were among his greatest assets."

"He was kind of the backbone of our Doomsday defenses," said Gil Brandt, the vice president of player personnel with the Cowboys from 1960-89. "He kind of coached like he played. He was a hard-working, hard-trying individual who had a lot of patience in developing young players. He was easy-going and well-liked. The thing with him was that he made everybody feel at home."

http://news.steelers.com/article/62905/

"The team in the 1950s was a lot better than anybody knew," said Rooney. "They played well. They didn't win championships, but some of that was because of injuries. Our reputation for being a tough team started a little bit before Ernie, but not to the extent that he would take it to.

"When people thought of the Steelers in the 1950s, they thought of Ernie Stautner."

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=7438BC7C-C1BA-E12C-07CE962FB46D1FDB

Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells remembered having to coach against those Stautner defenses when he was first making his way in the NFL.

"He was the first one to bring all eight," recalled Parcells, referring to the numbers of guys at the line of scrimmage and rushing the quarterback - a forerunner to what Buddy Ryan began doing with the Bears. "He was tough."

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=269853&Category=17

Lilly, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle, said that as soon as Stautner arrived, he demanded that his players pay attention to the little things in practice. “He said, ‘You guys hit that two-man sled like a bunch of girls.’ What he did was he put his right hand in a fist and came up and hit that sled as hard as he could, and he was stout,” Lilly said. “He hit it two or three times, and we were wide-eyed.

“There’s a half-inch metal plate behind that pad, and he hit that pad with his middle knuckle and broke a bone in his hand. He hit it again, and blood started squirting out,” Lilly said. “Boy, I can tell you he had our attention from then on.”

Rating the New Head Coach Hires: The First Time Coaches

Rating the New Head Coach Hires: The First Time Coaches :

B Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
I give the Saints a B for getting Payton. He is a respected quarterback guru (who will probably get a chance to show what he can do with Matt Leinert) and a fine offensive mind. He seems to have all the tools to be a big-time head coach, and he reminds me a little of John Gruden. He has a chance to turn around a struggling organization. He is probably about even with Jim Haslett.

C+ Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
Kubiak reminds me of Mike Shanahan. Both the good and the bad. Kubiak seems highly organized, he has run one of the best offenses in the NFL for more than a decade in Denver with all sorts of players, and he is ready to be a head coach. And he seems to know how to run the ball. He was a player in the league, which neither helps nor hurts. Denver has had it share of below par quarterbacking ever since No. 7 left town, so it willbe interesting to see what Kubiak can do with David Carr. Reggie Bush will help. I do like Dom Capers, but, geez, Dom, get an offensive line, would ya?

C Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
OK, this is just me. There is something aboutMarinelli that just says "football coach" to me. Whether he is a svelte Abe Gibron, who also sort of said "football coach" to me, is another matter. Idon't think you need to have been a coordinator before taking a head job. I do think it helps. I don't think you need to have a head coach at a lower level before taking a lead job. I do think it helps. I think Detroit is a mess of a situation and it may not matter who the head coach is there, they may not be able to be successful. Is Marinelli a step up from DickJauron? Probably not, but I think Jauron needed to go, because of the interim status thing. Is Marinelli astep up from Mariucci? No.

C- Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams
Maybe I'm biased, but I thought that much of what Minnesota accomplished under Linehan's tenure as the offensive coordinator was due to Randy Moss tilting the field and Dante Culpepper being a fairly fast 255-pound quarterback with a big arm and running skills. I was never really impressed with the Vikes' consistency on offense. But they did score. Linehan did a pretty impressive job with Miami's offense last year. But the Fish were coming off the Ricky fiasco, got Ronnie Brown, and got Ricky back. Linehan has some pretty impressive college credentials as well. Is Linehan an upgrade over Martz? As a offensive mind, no, but as head coach, maybe.

D+ Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings
I have to admit that I was never a big fan of Philadelphia's offense, but it IS productive. Childress is given credit for much of Donavan McNabb's success. Maybe rightly so. And, if that is the case, then he has a lot to work with in Culpepper. I thinkDante's decision skills aren't as good as McNabb's, so there will be some problem there in adopting a pass-first West Coast offense that depends on a high completion percentage. Childress is a step up from Mike Tice, if for no other reason than it was time for Tice to go. I'm not overly impressed with Childress and think he's about Mike Mularkey. There were probably better candidates available.

F Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
I think Mike McCarthy isn't even Mike Mularkey. When Andy Reid was hired as the Philadelphia coach, I gave that an F-, so you never know. But I think McCarthy wasn't even close to the best candidate available. I don't think he's ready. And I think he's come some spotty work in the past. He was the QB coach for Brett Favre for one season in which Favre threw for 4,000 yards. He was an offensive coordinator for New Orleans for five years. He had Jeff Blake, who did him proud for a year. And Aaron Brooks. Not all that great. Last year, he was the OC for the 49ers, where he oversaw the rapid development of Alex Smith. He is not an upgrade from Mike Sherman.

Eric Mangini, New York Jets F-
What is this about? I was going to make some derogatory comment about Mangini being Phil Bengtson, but Bengtson was much better prepared to be a head coach and actually deserved the job. I'm sorry. There is nothing about this guy that says "outstanding" to me. He took over a defense that was No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004 and drove it to No. 17 in 2005. Now I know there were injuries and whatever, and those are just numbers, but why give this kid the job? I think that what Ted Cottrell did in his career is far more impressive. I think Norm Chow deserved a shot more. And I will tell you this, there is nothing about Mangini that says "step up from Herm Edwards." Definite stop down. Eric, you are welcome. By my giving you an "F-", you will now go out and make everyone forget Don Shula, who was 33 when hewas hired by the Colts in 1963, replacing one of my favorite coaches of all time, Weeb Ewbank.

Rating the NFL Coaching Hires: The Veteran Coaches

Rating the new head coach hires

A+ Art Shell, Oakland Raiders
The last hire of the year was the best. This will turnout to be one of those situations where the Bears hadto settle for Lovie Smith or Notre Dame had to settlefor Charlie Weis. Shell is the right man for the job. Art knows exactly how to be a head coach. He knows exactly how to coach the Raiders. There was only one person for this job, and it was Art. Bobby Petrino was not as good a fit for this job. Neither was KenWhisenhunt. This needed to be Art's job. Great hire byAl Davis, even if he was sorta forced into it.

A- Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills
Jauron is a fine football coach, and he has shown the ability to be a successful head coach somewhat in the NFL. He will have about the same level of talent atBuffalo that he had in Chicago several years ago. And he will have one of the same problems: a young quarterback who may not be an NFL starter with veteran ability sitting on the bench. In Chicago, Jauron had Cade McNown, who was forced into a starting role for a playoff team and failed miserably, while Jim Miller had the support of the team. In Buffalo, Jauron islooking at JP Losman, while Kelly Holcombe may have the support of the team. But, long-term, I look forJauron to succeed.

B+ Herm Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
Boy did the Chiefs want Herm. With Al Saunders sitting there, Carl Peterson went out and got Herm. And I think that's a plus. Also, he was a good to very good head coach for the Jets for most of his tenure there. I actually think he did OK last year, all things considered. How would Tony Dungy have done with Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi hurt and out in week two or three? I would have like to see Al Saunders get a shot, but the Herm hire was a pretty good one.

Gridiron Grit: Top Ten List of Bears QBs that Make Me Chuckle

I was saddened to hear of Jack Concannon's death the other day. In fact, there were two great columns about him that, if you haven't read, you should. One is by Bob Ryan, who discusses Concannon's BC career, and the other is from Frank Fitzpatrick of the Inquirer, who discusses Concannon's Eagles stint.

Here are the links.

http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/11/30/concannons_career_was_a_highlight_reel/

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/football/nfl/philadelphia_eagles/13297071.htm

Anyway, he is on my list of quarterbacks for the Bears that conjure up a team that would run the ball and run the ball and run the ball. Hit you hard. Make you pay. And lose.

The Bears sort of had a rep for years as a team that you could beat, but who would beat you up physically. And part of the reason was that the Chicago QBs were, to put it politely, not as good as the average NFL quarterback.

So here is my list of Bear QBs from the Sixties and Seventies that make me chuckle.

1. Bob Avellini
2. Kent Nix
3. Bobby Douglass
4. Mike Phipps
5. Gary Huff
6. Rudy Bukich
7. John Huarte
8. Jack Concannon
9. Virgil Carter (LOVED him as a Bengal, however. Actually met him once or twice. Nice guy.)
10. Vince Evans

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays

The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays

Which is the right digital camera for the holidays? This is the question. And I went looking for the answer. And for me, it seems that the answer is the Canon PowerShot A520.

The first question that I asked was, do I want a digital camera? I asked my wife if we were ready to go digital, and she said, "No." So, of course, I am getting a digital camera. All the cool kids have one.

As I was going along the buying a digital camera path, I had to answer the No. 1 question, which was: What do I want my digital camera to do? The answer for me is that I want it to replace my film point-and-shoot that I bought for $80 about three years ago.

Really, what I want is point-and-shoot capability. I want to be able to dump photos, which would be nice because my youngest, who is 5 years old, loves to take pictures but is not very good at it. Stinks, really.

So, how many megapixels do I want? You would think this would be an easy question to answer, but it's not. The bottom line is, you want at least 3.2 megapixels, but 4.0 is probably a lot better. But, any more than that (and that means 5.0 and more), and you start getting a diminishing return that hurts you in the fact that it takes more space to store all of your pixels. Most of the photos I am going to take will have a minimum of editing and cropping. So, bottom line, it seems, is that 4.0 is the best bet for me.

Wow. That really narrows down the whole digital camera game. Now, question No. 2: How much do I want to spend?

Here the answer is sort of tricky as well. I want to spend the least amount of money to get a pretty dang good 4.0 megapixel digital camera that I'll be happy with. OK. That really doesn't narrow it down all that much.

So, we do a little more research.

On Shopping.com, I am able to limit my list results to digitals cameras with at least 4.0 megapixels. Then I sort by price. I get 600 results starting at $99. So I know that I am probably going to spend at least, say, $120 or so. So, 600 results.

Let's get cracking on that research.

One of the best starting points for a free consumer-research website is http://www.consumersearch.com/ This site compiles the results of other websites that do research, and presents it into one neat package. The quick and easy
answer is that the top two sites like the PowerShot A520.

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=4#davecams

The PCWorld.com list of the best point-and-shoot doesn't include the A520, but does have it's A510 3.2-megapixel little brother. The other cameras on the list cost more than I want to spend.

So, that's it. I am going with the A520. And there we are.

Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Eleven

Here are my picks for Week Eleven. If you are gambling with these, good luck to you.

16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh)
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis)
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle)
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver)
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England)
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants)
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee)
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay)
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis)
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland)
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina)
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota)
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City)
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland)
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego)
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas)

16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh) NOTE: In my newspaper, this line was off, but I looked for the line online and found Pittsburgh -4. That's what I'm going with. I am confident that the Ravens will cover this, win this game outright, and then have their problems. This has all the makings of a big upset. I'm putting all my points on the Ravens.

15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis) The Bengals are six point home dogs. Indy won their last really big regular-season game of the year last week, beating the Pats at New England. I think that the Bengals at least cover, if not win outright.

14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle) Am I alone in liking Ken Dorsey? Maybe. Anyway, San Francisco is not that bad, at least I don't think. And I don't know if Seattle is that good, yet, or not. But this has the appearances of a forget-it game to the 'Hawks, and I think that the Niners cover.

13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver) OK, so here's the thing. I continue to not believe in the Broncos, and I continue to believe in Herm Edwards. Am I nuts? Well. Am I? ANSWER ME!

12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England) The Saints never do anything they are supposed to do. They are supposed to get crushed this Sunday at Foxboro. They of course
will make it a close game. They have the receivers to do it.

11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants) I hate to say this, but here it goes: I think Donovan McNabb's injury will help the Eagles for one week. I think it'll force the Eagles to do some different things on offense, which will be beneficial.

10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee) The Jags have found an answer for Fred Taylor's injury-prone ways: Greg Jones. They had been dependant on Taylor to be healthy. But now, they can still run the ball without him. Tennessee comes up short in trying to win this one.

9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay) Chris Simms had a good game last week, so I'm betting on him struggling on the road at Atlanta. And I think Atlanta will be able to run against the Tampa D.

8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis) Can Arizona cover? That's the question here. With this many points, all the Cards need to do is load up against the run. And the Arizona wideouts should have some open space against the Rams secondary.

7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland) I like the Dolphins running game more than the Browns'. It is a close call, so I'm going with the points.

6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina) The only reason I'm picking the Bears is that they are home dogs. It'll be cold in Chicago, and the Bears will be used to the weather. If they can stop Steve Smith, and I think they can, the Bears win.

5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota) Boy, the Pack is beat up. But with the addition of Samdon Gado, GB has a running game. That should be enough to cover against the Vikes, unless Green Bay has a complete special teams meltdown against Minnesota, ala the Gints.

4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City) Houston is coming around. They are a touchdown home dog, and KC isn't that great on the road. Texans win outright.

3 at Washington -6 (Oakland) I think that this could be a close low-scoring game, but Oakland has had some troubles against the run.

2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego) Buffalo should be able to contain LT and keep it within eleven, unless JP Losman has a terrible game.

1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas) I am putting all of my point on Joey Harrington being able to keep it close against Dallas. The Cow Pokes didn't really look all that good against a struggling Iggles club.

Disappointing Bengals; So Many, So Little Time

There is an interesting list of disappointing Bengals at this website:

http://unabatedsports.blogspot.com/

I added my two cents:

Travis Dorsch, neither a kicker nor a punter, drafted in the fourth round in 2002. Drafted after him was ave Zastudil, who is a fine punter for Baltimore.

Matt Schobel, a tight end who cost the Bengals two picks in 2002, the third and the fifth, which they used to trade up to the top of the third to get him. He is an OK player, but the best blocking TE in that draft, Randy McMichael (out of Georgia, no less) turned out the be the best pass-catching TE in the draft. Drafted in the fourth round. Schobel is not bad, but I guess they don't think he is good enough in blocking to be a starting tight end. Of course, they felt they need to trade up because they screwed up so much the year before, drafting ...

Sean Brewer. Third round TE out of San Jose State in 2001, who was not on anyone's draft list. No one's. He surprised everyone. There were some better TEs available. Shad Meier. Brandon Manumaleuna. Our own lovable Tony Stewart.

Curtis Keaton, RB. Now, he was only a fourth-round pick in 2000. But Na'il Diggs out of Ohio State was still on the board, and that would have been a great pick.

Craig Yeast, WR, fourth rounder in 1999, out of Kentucky. I think he might have been the all-time leader in receptions in the SEC at one point. Yeast played and/or plays in Canada. Brandon Stokely was taken in the same round the same year.

Artrell Hawkins, CB, second round pick in 1998. This was a terrible pick. Hawkins was projected lower, maybe fifth. He was too small, and not a terribly fast smallish CB. The next three picks were Patrick Surtain, Brian Kelly, and Samari Rolle.

Jevon Langford, DE, fourth round 1996. Very next pick, Jon Runyan. Next DEs taken, Chris Sullivan and Sean Moran.

Jeff Cothran, FB, first pick, third round, 1994. He couldn't block very well. And that's about all FBs do anymore. He was a better pick than ...

Steve Shine, LB, third round, 1994, out of Northwestern. Next linebacker taken, Jason Gilden, by the Stillers, no less. Drives me nuts.

Ty Parten, DT, third round, 1993. Next DT taken, Gilbert Brown.

Bob Dahl, G, Notre Dame, third round, 1991, who started for the Browns for several years. Kevin Donnalley was just a few picks later.

Bernard Clark, MLB, out of "The U". DeMond Winston and Jeroy Robinson were still available.

Kerry Owens, 1989, LB, fourth round. Pittsburgh selects Jerrol Williams, LB, the very next LB picked that draft. Drives me nuts.

Rob Woods, 1989, T, fourth round. Jeff Uhlenhake was the next OL picked.

Rickey Dixon, 1988, fifth player taken overall in the first round. Next two players picked: Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe. Next DBs were Terry McDaniel and EricAllen.

Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Ten

Where the heck have I been? Anyway, I'm back, and with my picks.

14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis)
13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina)
12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta)
11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago)
10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville)
9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington)
8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City)
7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas)
6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle)
5 New England -3 (at Miami)
4 at Oakland +3 (Denver)
3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland)
2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants)
1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit)

14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis) Houston has had about as bad a first half as you can have. And Indy has dominated in the first half. But ... 18 points? Damn. That's a lot of points. Take the points. Give the Texans 14 of your confidence points.

13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina) Again with the points. The Jets aren't that bad, especially on defense, are they? I think they stay closer in this one than that.

12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta) Points points points. At least the Pack has No. 4, and goes a long way in my book. And they have been playing better on defense. Take the points.

11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago) This has been one of the most generous points weeks in my memory. Can Chicago score 20? That means that San Fran gets a fluke TD and covers. Take the points.

10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville) Hell, I know Baltimore is playing poorly, and that the two best defensive players in the NFL are in civvies, but, hell, they can stay within seven at Jacksonville, I would think. Take the points.

9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington) OK. I'm done with the points. Tampa Bay has looked like poop on a stick, but they will bounce back at home agin the down and up and down Skins. The D will stuff the Skins.

8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City) I think the Bills are poised for a good second half, and it will start at home against the Chiefs, who will have a tough time getting up for this week after last week's game.

7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas) Iggles out to prove that they are better off without B.O. than with him.

6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle) I think that the Rams still consider themselves a contender in the NFC West and will need this game to continue to contend. Even if they don't win, they will cover.

5 New England -3 (at Miami) New England is not happy. They smoke Dolphin.

4 at Oakland +3 (Denver) Oakland is a home dawg agin the Broncos. I see them winning outright. Jake Plummer throws seven INTs to prove that he's not as mistake-free as the boys at ESPN and CBS say he is.

3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland) I had a hard time picking this game. I think the Stillers are the best team in football, but without Ben Roethlisberger, they are less good. Giving up eight points was tough. And Romeo is doing a heckuva job there in the Mistake. A three pointer for me, and I give it to the Stillers.

2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants) I still don't believe in the Gints. I know they are better than the Vikes, but by nine and a half at home? Maybe. I don't know. So I am taking the points, but for only two confidence points.

1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit) Imagine being the production assistant for this one, making 16 a year and having to travel to work 18 hours on this. One point. Take the points. What's the point?

thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat

Gridiron Grit: The 110th Victory Bell Game

Looking for information for tonight's big Miami-UC matchup (on ESPN2, 7:00 Eastern), I Google the Victory Bell, and after the initial nonsense, I found the wiki definition for it: The UCLA-USC game!

No, no, no.

The Miami RedHawks play the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 110th time, and this is the true Victory Bell game. Miami and Cincy first played this game with an oblate spheroid in 1888. Miami holds the lead 58-44-7.

Many of the Cincinnati fans stole the Harrison Hall bell in the 1890s, thus starting the playing for the bell. The bell went to the victor for the next 30 or so years, until it disappeared in the 1930s. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is in Miami's Alumni Center.

The current bell is a replica and is given to the winner for the year. It is half white, with the Miami victory years painted in red, and half black, with the Bearcats victory years painted in red.

So I went in and made a few changes to the Victory Bell entry in Wiki. I wonder if they'll live on.

thankyouverymuch,

Old Cleat

Gridiron Grit: Old Cleat Will Start Donovan McNabb

Prolate Spheroid Notes: Sounds like McNabb is going to start.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArRvSmacTcyFUMFWLYA8gHo5nYcB?slug=ap-eagles-mcnabb&prov=ap&type=lgns

Gridiron Grit: Suds Game Two Preview; Underdawgs against WeBad

Coming off a tough loss last week to the Rrrrs, the Suds are facing another tough game this weekend against WeBad. WeBad is leading the South Division of the BenFL along with the Rrrs, each with a record of 1-0. The Suds and Wimpy are tagging along at 0-1. WeBad is second in the league in scoring, garnering an impressive 157 points last week. The Suds were able to put up only 100 points. Go Suds!

Below is the starting lineup for the Suds (note: the second team mentioned is the team that individual is playing against):

McNabb, Donovan QB PHI SF
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA @NYJ
Taylor, Fred RB JAC @IND
Evans, Lee WR BUF @TB
Moss, Randy WR OAK KC
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI DET
Gates, Antonio TE SD @DEN
Vinatieri, Adam K NE @CAR
Ravens, DST DST BAL @TEN

And the starting lineup for WeBad is:

Plummer, Jake QB DEN SD
Jones, Kevin RB DET @CHI
McAllister, Deuce RB NO NYG
Branch, Deion WR NE @CAR
Jackson, Darrell WR SEA ATL
Smith, Steve WR CAR NE
Heap, Todd TE BAL @TEN
Lindell, Rian K BUF @TB
Lions, DST DST DET @CHI

The backups for the Suds are:

Boller, Kyle QB BAL @TEN
Warner, Kurt QB ARI STL
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG @NO
Jones, Greg RB JAC @IND
Shipp, Marcel RB ARI STL
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE @GB
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL @SEA
Troupe, Ben TE TEN BAL
Nugent, Mike K NYJ MIA
Seahawks, DST DST SEA ATL

While the backups for WeBad are:

Brees, Drew QB SD @DEN
Losman, J.P. QB BUF @TB
Chatman, Jesse RB MIA @NYJ
Davis, Stephen RB CAR NE
Taylor, Chester RB BAL @TEN
Coles, Laveranues WR NYJ MIA
Stallworth, Donte' WR NO NYG
Miller, Heath TE PIT @HOU
Rackers, Neil K ARI STL
Falcons, DST DST ATL @SEA

Prolate Spheroid Notes: Suds GM and head coach Old Cleat had a difficult time deciding whether to start Donovan McNabb or Kurt Warner, since Donovan is listed as questionable with a bruised chest, in the sternum area. McNabb insists that he'll play. Kurt Warner may be the choice later on in the week. Kyle Boller is out with, I think, an ability problem, so he is not even available. The preview gives a slight edge to WeBad 159-143 (actually, that isn't really "slight"). Old Cleat is looking for a breakout game from Ronnie Brown or Lee Evans. Dang, anybody would be nice. And, as always, Go SUDS!

thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat

Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Two

Exactly one-half of the NFL teams are out of the playoff race. These teams now need to scratch their ways back in.

That's the mentality of the NFL. I love it.

At least that's what the menality of all of the teams that are 0-1 should be.

Here are my picks with the spread with confidence points for week two.

16 PHI -13.5 (sf)
15 CHI +1.5 (det)
14 mia +6 (NYJ)
13 SEA -1 (atl)
12 min +3 (CIN)
11 OAK +1.5 (kc)
10 HOU +6 (pit)
9 bal -3.5 (TEN)
8 AZ -1 (stl)
7 IND -9 (jax)
6 ne -3 (CAR)
5 GB -6.5 (cle)
4 DEN -3 (sd)
3 DAL -6 (was)
2 TB -2.5 (buf)
1 no +3 (NYG)

16 PHI -13.5 (sf) I think that the Philly 11 will charge back and crush the 49ers, without or (and it seems likely) with McNabb. The Eagles will bounce back from their performance on Monday night and look like a Super Bowl team again.

15 CHI +1.5 (det) The Bears. Or, as they say around here, Da Bearss. Kyle Orton looked comfortable. The Bears running game stunk up the joint. And, apparantly, they can't line up properly. But, this week the Bears will unleash Cedric the Entertainer Benson and Thomas Me and Mrs. Jones and run over the Lions.

14 mia +6 (NYJ) The Fish are for real. And Chad Pennington is not playing well. Welcome to the NFL. It is a thin line or a season between a 2-14 record and a playoff run.

13 SEA -1 (atl) Falcons played well on Monday night, but they fly to SeaTac and lay an egg. The Seahawks will not try to force the ball to TO seven times in a row in the fourth quarter, mostly because he will be in Philly.

12 min +3 (CIN) Carson Palmer looked good when he got warmed up. But the Vikings will look at that run defense and their own lackluster performance last Sunday, and they will run run, Rudolph, and beat the Bengals on the road.

11 OAK +1.5 (kc) Oakland looked OK against the Pats, and they seem to have found a running back, and they are a home dog against their hated rivals, and they've had 10 days to prepare for this game. The Raiders win outright.

10 HOU +6 (pit) Willie Parker. I love stories like Willie Parker. Not really a starter in college, but a 100-yard rusher in the NFL. The edge Houston has in this game is that Dom Capers knows the Pittsburgh defense a little bit and can attack it, and he knows that he has to shut down the Steeler running attack. Of course, everybody knows that but nobody DOES that. Still the Texans cover.

9 bal -3.5 (TEN) Baltimore's defense rebounds in a big way. I also like Anthony Wright better than Kyle Boller. I think the Ravens will start to roll.

8 AZ -1 (stl) I thought that these teams would play well last week. Wrong. So I need to pick one. I am going with Denny Green's Cards. They just seem to have the potential to be a very good team. The Rams. You know, I just don't really know.

7 IND -9 (jax) Nine points to the Colts offense at home shouldn't be a problem. And the Indy D looks to be improved over last year.

6 ne -3 (CAR) I like Carolina, and I wanted to take them as home dogs. Plus, New England has a few issues on defense that they haven't had in the past. But, the Pats do win games. And Bill Belichick has 10 days to prepare his club for this game.

5 GB -6.5 (cle) Losing Javon Walker hurts, but I think Brett Favre will rebound in a big way from last week's Detroit game. Cleveland was up and down last week at home, but they are on the road for this one.

4 DEN -3 (sd) Both teams were disappointed by last week's performances. I think Denver will bounce back at home, though. And San Diego has some issues, if you
ask me. I'm not a big believer.

3 DAL -6 (was) 1992 Apple Cup. The Washington Huskies were 9-1 and headed to the Rose Bowl. Washington State, led by Drew Bledsoe, pulls the upset in the blizzard 42-23. Two quarterbacks in that game, Bledsoe for the Cougars and Mark Brunell for the Huskies, are starting this game. I'm going for Bledsoe again. If only Phillip Bobo was a Cowboy.

2. TB -2.5 (buf) I think the Buccs are in for a good season. I like them to cover at home against the Bills. I would also like to state for the record that JP Losman, regularly criticized here at Old Cleat, had a great first game. Not sold, but he looked pretty good. Still going with the Buccos.

1. no +3 (NYG) I am picking the Saints until they lose. They are playing with a sense of purpose.


thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat

Gate

One of my best memories is, for my 40th birthday, my lovely and talented (and did I mention "lovely?") wife took me to New Orleans for three days, pretty much at the beginning of the week.

The beginning of this week was before the start of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. In the middle of this adventure, I saw in the paper that Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was playing a free little gig at the Louisiana Music Factory, a record shop in the quarter. Thrilled, I grabbed her and went down to the show.

He was awesome. He was a virtuoso. He played an acoustic guitar and was there with a piano player. Gate had it going.

In the middle of the gig, he decided to play fiddle, but he didn't bring one. So he told one of the record shop employees to go next door to the music instrument shop and borrow one. "Tell 'em it's for me," he said, because he was Gate and that was good enough.

The employee came back with a junior model, because it was all they had on hand that was strung. Well, Gate tuned it up, and let fly on some Cajun tune. Just great.

I always swore that I was going to see Gate every time he came to Chicago, and he came back several times. But, you know, the job and the kids and I'm tired and there's a game on.

I messed up. I'll miss ya, Gate.

thankyouverymuch,

Old Cleat

That's So Raven: Suds Drop Game One to Rrrs, 110-100

Raven defense played nevermore, nevermore.

The Suds lost to the Rrrrs in Game One of the season, 110-100. There were several disappointing performances in the opener, but none were worse than the Ravens defense and special teams getting shut out by the Colts offense and special teams.

"This is not what I expected from the Ravens," said Old Cleat, head coach and general manager of the Suds. "We selected them as the first defense taken, and we expected consistent scoring with a few brilliant games thrown in."

Going into the game, the Suds knew they would have their hands full trying to match up with LaDainian Tomlinson, and that didn't happen. But the Suds had enough balanced scoring to off-set LT. And, in fact, LaMont Jordan of the Raiders garnered 16 points to LT's 14, really helping the Rrrrs and hurting the Suds.

"We felt good about Randy Moss's 34 points on Thursday night," Old Cleat said, "but Torry Holt just about matched that with 29. So we didn't get an advantage there. And we were proud of Ben Troupe, who stepped in for a suspended Antonio Gates and picked up 15 points.

"But the Rrrrs had the Bills defense get them 16 points, and the Ravens defense got us zippo, and that was the difference in the game."

Below is the box score:


Rrrrs
B. Favre QB 201 PaYd, -1 RuYd, 2 PaInt, -1 RuReYd, 200 PaRuYd 4
L. Tomlinson RB 72 RuYd, 72 RuReYd, 72 PaRuYd, RuTD (2) 14
L. Jordan RB 70 RuYd, 110 RuReYd, 70 PaRuYd, 40 ReYd, 5 Recpt 16
T. Holt WR 125 RuReYd, 125 ReYd, 10 Recpt 29
A. Bryant WR 65 RuReYd, 65 ReYd, 5 Recpt 11
R. Williams WR 13 RuReYd, 13 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
A. Crumpler TE 54 RuReYd, 54 ReYd, 4 Recpt 11
M. Vanderjagt K 3 XP, FG (20) 6
D. Bills DST 7 PA, 5 SACK, 120 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 38 TK 16
Total 110

Suds
D. McNabb QB 257 PaYd, PaInt, 257 PaRuYd, PaTD (9) 15
F. Taylor RB 76 RuYd, 90 RuReYd, 76 PaRuYd, 14 ReYd, 2 Recpt 10
R. Brown RB 57 RuYd, 61 RuReYd, 57 PaRuYd, 4 ReYd, Recpt 6
M. Muhammad WR 59 RuReYd, 59 ReYd, 6 Recpt 11
R. Moss WR ReTD (73), 130 RuReYd, 130 ReYd, 5 Recpt 34
B. Edwards WR 16 RuReYd, 16 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
B. Troupe TE ReTD (1), 28 RuReYd, 28 ReYd, 4 Recpt 15
A. Vinatieri K 3 XP, FG (26) 6
D. Ravens DST 24 PA, 340 YDS, 50 TK 0
Total 100

And here are the reserves for the teams:

Rrrrs
A. Smith QB 0
D. Carr QB 70 PaYd, 40 RuYd, 3 PaInt, 40 RuReYd, 110 PaRuYd, RuTD (1) 7
J. Bettis RB 0
L. Toefield RB 4 RuYd, 4 RuReYd, 4 PaRuYd 0
L. Suggs RB 0
T. Calico WR 2 RuReYd, 2 ReYd, 2 Recpt 2
K. Colbert WR 11 RuReYd, 11 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
D. Jolley TE 18 RuReYd, 18 ReYd, 2 Recpt 4
J. Wilkins K XP, 4 FG (30,41,33,41) 15
D. Buccaneers DST 13 PA, 3 SACK, 248 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 50 TK 11
Total 42

Suds
K. Warner QB 264 PaYd, 11 RuYd, PaInt, 11 RuReYd, 275 PaRuYd, PaTD (1) 16
K. Boller QB 141 PaYd, 2 RuYd, PaInt, 2 RuReYd, 143 PaRuYd 3
M. Shipp RB 10 RuYd, 15 RuReYd, 10 PaRuYd, 5 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
G. Jones RB 10 RuReYd, 10 ReYd, Recpt 2
B. Jacobs RB 39 RuYd, 39 RuReYd, 39 PaRuYd, RuTD (5) 10
L. Evans WR -10 RuYd, 58 RuReYd, -10 PaRuYd, 68 ReYd, 3 Recpt 9
M. Jenkins WR 80 RuReYd, 80 ReYd, 3 Recpt 11
A. Gates TE 0
M. Nugent K XP 1
D. Seahawks DST 26 PA, 3 SACK, 362 YDS, 61 TK 3
Total 58

Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Suds have already announced two lineup changes. Tight end Antonio Gates is starting for Ben Troupe, who had a nice game in game one but who is a team player and understands that the object is to win the Erin Bowl. Also, Braylon Edwards will not start for the Suds until he starts for the Browns, and, apparently, he doesn't start for the Browns. So, Old Cleat has put Lee Evans of the Bills in as the third wideout for next week's game against We Bad. We Bad scored 157 points in week one, led by Steve Smith's 35 points, Deion Branch's 25 points, and Deuce McAllister's 22 points. The Suds will need to buckle the old chinstraps a little tighter this week. And, as always, Go SUDS!

thankyouverymuch,

Old Cleat

Gridiron Grit: Picks with the spread and confidence points for week one

Below are my picks with confidence points, 16 to 1, for week one of the NFL season, with the point spread I found Thursday morning.

16 PIT -7 (ten)
15 MIA +5 (den)
14 hou +4.5 (BUF)
13 BAL +3 (ind)
12 NE - 7.5 (oak)
11 gb +3 (DET)
10 stl -5.5 (SF)
9 CAR -7 (no)
8 CLE +3.5 (cin)
7 dal +4.5 (SD)
6 ATL +1.5 (phi)
5 KC -3 (nyg)
4 tb +6 (MIN)
3 chi +6 (WAS)
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj)
1 JAX -3 (sea)

16 PIT -7 (ten) When it's all said and done, I think Pittsburgh is ready for another playoff run. And I think that the Titans are too young to handle this week one pressure of going into Pittsburgh and winning. I think Pittsburgh, even without their top two running backs, takes it to the Titans by at least 10 points.

15 MIA +5 (den) The Nick Saban era begins. The Dolphins have a quarterback, they have a running back, and the Fish are pretty close back to where they were a couple of years ago. Denver has been an up and down team for the past few seasons, and I expect that trend to continue. Giving five points on the road for week one is too much to ask. Fish cover if not win outright in a close one.

14 hou +4.5 (BUF) The Texans got younger and faster on defense this year. Buffalo got younger and faster on offense (at least I think JP Losman can outrun Drew Bledsoe). The Texans slowly (I mean SLOWLY) get better and better, and I think they could have a good year. The Bills may have done what they needed to do for the franchise by starting Losman, but in the early part of the season, they will have to pay. Low-scoring game.

13 BAL +3 (ind) Baltimore won't be a home dawg many times this season. There are few defenses that can slow the Indy attack, but the Ravens D is one of them. The Raven huge offensive line can wear down a big, bad defense. The Colts are a little little and will wilt in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will win outright.

12 NE -7.5 (oak) New England has lost both inside linebackers and its two top coordinators. The Pats may have some problems adjusting early on, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Oakland gained Randy Moss, who will tilt the field toward him, opening things up for Jerry Porter. Also, the Raiders got a tough running back in LaMont Jordon to boost their running game. So, I see the Pats just blowing out the Raiders in the Thursday night game.

11 gb +3 (DET) I am not convinced that the Lions are ready. By the second half of the year, Detroit may be a team to reckon with. But early one, Green Bay is the better team. The Pack go to Motown and stop the Lions.

10 stl -5.5 (SF) It is fun time in old St. Looey again. The Rams have the old stuff back. They will be puttin' up some points. And I don't think that the Niners will be able to keep up with the scoring. But we may get to see Alex Smith mop up.

9 CAR -7 (no) This would have been my call without the catastrophe. The Saints are just dealing with too much stuff right now, and Carolina looks to be a pretty tough team. Of course, there COULD be a monumental effort by the New Orleans Eleven for the old home town, which would make me stand up and cheer.

8 CLE +3.5 (cin) Cincy has had early-season struggles the last 64 years, and I don't see this year being different. The Browns can play Cincinnati, and they will be able to keep it close. I just don't see taking Cincy as a road favorite for a game one of the season.

7 dal +4.5 (SD) I will say this now: I believe San Diego was a bit of a fluke last year, and the Chargers are really a 7-9 or an 8-8 team. The Cowboys and the Chargers are about equal, if you ask me. Dallas gets the points, and gets my pick as the upset winner in this game.

6 ATL +1.5 (phi) The Eagles will win a lot of games this year. But I think the Falcons at home on Monday Night will rise up and upset the discordant Iggles. It's a long season, but for some reason, I think I like the Falcons in this one.

5 KC -3 (nyg) Kansas City at home is a better team than the Giants on the road. I think the Chiefs added enough to the defense to make them a pretty good team. The Giants may have some good road wins this year, but this ain't one of them.

4 tb +6 (MIN) I think this will be a close game and that the Bucs will cover. It'll be interesting if the Vikes offense can succeed without Moss and their top 17 tailbacks. Is that? . . . I think Dave Osbourne is lining up behind Culpepper.

3 chi +6 (WAS) The Bears will either win this game or lose this game 2-0. Either way, they will cover.

2 AZ +2.5 (nyj) Kurt Warner running Denny Green's offense with those wideouts should be fun to watch. Cardinals win home opener, or at least lose it by one or two points.

1 JAX -3 (sea) I like Seattle. I hate Seattle. They are a young contending team. They are a soft bassackwards team lucky to be in a weak division. The offense is explosive. The offense is sloppy. Whatever. I'm taking the Leftwiches.

thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat

Gridiron Grit: Suds Game One Preview; Tough Contest against the Rrrrs

The Opening Game of the BenFL's season starts Thursday night, with the Suds taking on RickB's "Rrrrs". The Rrrrs have a solid lineup top to bottom, and it looks like it'll be a close game.

As of now, here is what the Suds' starting lineup looks like:

McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Ravens, DST DST BAL

And here is the Rrrrs starting lineup:

Favre, Brett QB GB
Jordan, LaMont RB OAK
Tomlinson, LaDainian RB SD
Holt, Torry WR STL
Williams, Roy WR DET
Bryant, Antonio WR CLE
Crumpler, Alge TE ATL
Vanderjagt, Mike K IND
Bills, DST DST BUF

The Rrrrs drafted LaDainian Tomlinson with the first overall pick in the draft, so he's the guy that has to come through for them.

Below are the players on the Suds bench:

Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Shipp, Marcel RB
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA

While the pine-riders for the Rrrrs include:

Carr, David QB HOU
Smith, Alex D. QB SF
Bettis, Jerome RB PIT
Suggs, Lee RB CLE
Toefield, LaBrandon RB JAC
Calico, Tyrone WR TEN
Colbert, Keary WR CAR
Jolley, Doug TE NYJ
Wilkins, Jeff K STL
Buccaneers, DST DST TB

Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Rrrrs had the first pick in the first round, while the Suds had the last pick, the 12th in the first round. The Rrrrs picked LaBrandon Toefield from Jacksonville after the Suds picked Greg Jones. If Fred Taylor gets hurt, and some say he's prone to injury, one or the other will become the primary back in Jacksonville. The Suds are without the services of tight end Antonio Gates, who has to sit for a game because of a one-game penalty imposed by the league for holding out during the preseason. Go SUDS.

thankyouverymuch,

Old Cleat

Suds Nab McNabb 12th Overall; Like TO, I Love Donovan

The BenFL has had their draft. Ben11 on SportsLine is a football league that we've had for about 12 years now. I am the general manager and head coach of the Suds (named after the professional slow pitch softball team in Cincinnati in the 1970s). We've never won the stupid thing, though that happens (ask the Bengals).

My draft strategy has always been to get great running backs and get a top tight end. Then I looked to getting better defenses and kickers. Lastly, I wanted to fill out the roster with well-picked quarterbacks and wide receivers. That has never worked.

This year, I decided to make a change. There are 12 teams in the BenFL, and I had the 12th pick in the draft. I chose Donovan McNabb first overall, because I've been disappointed with my quarterback play over the past dozen years. He has a chance to score the Suds some serious points. With the 13th pick, I took the first wide receiver in the draft, Randy Moss. He isn't much of a team player, but he can certainly help us relax after the game.

By the time the draft got back around to me, pick 36, many of the good backs were gone. I took Ronnie Brown, the rookie for Miami. I hope he's as good as they say he is. Pick 37 went to Antonio Gates from San Diego. Tony Gonzalez, my tight end for the last several years, was already gone.

Pick 59 garnered the Suds Fred Taylor. All things considered, we should be thrilled that we got Fred Taylor with pick 59. If he can stay healthy, he could be the steal of the draft. Pick 60 got me Mushin Muhammad from Da Bearss. The Suds were the first team to pick a defense, going with Baltimore, and a kicker, going with Adam Vinatieri.

All of the picks by the Suds are below. And, as always, Go SUDS.

McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Ravens, DST DST BAL
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Shipp, Marcel RB
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA

thankyouverymuch,

Old Cleat