Friday, February 12, 2010
With the NFL draft slowly approaching the "experts" come out with drafts of Mock Drafts to tickle our fancy or maybe to just piss me off. Todd McShay (who I feel like we can all agree is a buffoon who would make a better doorstop than a sports analyst) and many others have both Odrick and Bowman much lower than I would expect because of "off the field issues". This is what bothers me about these idiots. A human being with common sense would see that the infractions that Odrick and Bowman committed, while not trivial, were really nothing so great in magnitude as to worry an NFL team. The New England Patriots drafted Brandon Merriweather (reallllly should have taken Poz!) with their first round pick....the same Brandon Merriweather who took part in the infamous UMiami-FIU slugfest where he did some head-stomping. Navarro Bowman is the kind of guy that I would have babysit for me, and Jared Odrick may have beat the piss out of someone, but whatever. Is that so wrong? Are these guys going to pull a Plaxico Burress and shoot themselves in the leg? NO! But McShay wants to prove to everyone that he knows how to read, and pretend that he knows what he's saying. Bowman is the best outside linebacker in the draft, and if he isn't taken in the first round, it won't be because of his character or any other "issues". Odrick is also a sure thing in the first round. He was not a flashy player, but the fact that the Big Ten coaches named him the defensive player of the year really speaks volumes about how they had to gameplan against him. He demanded double teams and was very effective both against the run and the pass. There has been talk that Minnesota would like to grab him, and the Patriots would also be a likely candidate to take him in the first round.
As for other Penn Staters in the draft, Sean Lee will go anywhere from the second to the fifth round with a lot depending on his performance at the combine. Josh Hull might even get drafted, which would be a great thing to see. He is the definition of a hard worker, and although he will never be a starter in the NFL, he is a kind of guy that can play effectively on special teams for a lot of years, something that many take for granted. Some also criticized Lee for not taking part in the Senior Bowl, but with that game it seems that very few players improve their stock. Tim Tebow for example absolutely ruined his chances of getting drafted with his agonizing performance (ok....I liked it). Andrew Quarless will be an interesting pick as well. He will get drafted, but where? Tough to say at this point, but I could see him going as high as the third round, and who would have imagined this a year ago?
Daryl Clark isn't a guy I see getting drafted in the first three rounds, but there really aren't many capable quarterbacks in the draft, and QB's usually get drafted higher than they should. Some analysts said that Clark had a bad Shrine game performance, but he performed pretty well. I think he will have a career in the NFL for a few years at least. The rest of the Penn State class will most likely sign with a team, but getting drafted might not be in the cards. Jeremy Boone is one of the better punters in the class. AJ Wallace, despite his five stars as a high schooler, had a lackluster career. He's athletic, he's fast, but just not a great football player. Someone might take a chance on him in the seventh round. Lastly, Dennis Landolt. He's a good player, and will get his chance in mini-camp, but I don't see him getting drafted.
All in all there is a lot of talent from PSU in the draft, and I fully expect both Bowman and Odrick to go in the first round. And McShay will still have his stupid job, and next year will roll around and we'll have this same bitch session about his unqualified, talentless ability to analyze sports. I hope he develops an allergy to hair gel.
For those who do not follow the fight game former Nittany Lion national champion Phil Davis scored a decision victory in his UFC debut, moving his record to 5-0. Davis notched a dominating 30-27 win from all judges over UFC veteran and former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann. For those unfamiliar with scoring this means Davis won all three rounds.
Stann is a decorated Marine and an all around tough SOB. He is by no means a top 5 fighter but he has fought and beaten a who's who of mma fighters. This was a very stiff test for Davis. I am very excited at the prospect of Davis's career as he is not your traditional wrestler trying to learn the fight game. Most wrestlers in mma are stout and stiff with their movements. They rely on their ability to take their opponent down and "ground and pound" him in to submission. This is a rather boring fight to watch. Davis, on the other hand, is an extremely athletic guy who was always more comfortable on the mat then on his feet which lends itself well to the jiu-jitsu style grappling necessary in the fight game. He is also very tall and lean for his weight class which should help tremendously in his striking.
Keep an eye on your tv guides for a replay on Spike TV. Congratulations to Phil on which should be a long and promising career. You can also join his facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/philmrwonderful. There is usually a link to some shady Ukranian website where you can watch the fight for free.
