1 Carolina Panthers- QB Cam Newton, Auburn

The Panthers get a big, athletic quarterback to lead their team next season.

2. Denver Broncos- DT Marcell Dareus, Alabama

Denver strengthens up the interior defensive line with Marcell Dareus.

3. Buffalo Bills- OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M

No quarterback for Buffalo here. They’re going to go with the pass rusher out of Texas A&M to add a big boost to the defense.

4. Cincinnati Bengals- WR A.J. Green, Georgia

Cincy won’t pass up the best wide receiver prospect in the draft. He will replace either T.O. or Chad Johnson, whichever one leaves first.

5. Arizona Cardinals- QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri

Arizona won’t pass on a franchise quarterback here. They can’t afford to have John Skelton starting for them next season.

6. Cleveland Browns- WR Julio Jones, Alabama

Cleveland brings in a new number one wideout to give Colt McCoy a dangerous weapon.

7. San Francisco 49ers- CB Patrick Peterson, Louisiana State

The 49ers add a great talent to their secondary in Patrick Peterson.

8. Tennessee Titans- QB Jake Locker, Washington

This would be a surprise pick, but I think the Titans organization likes him enough to take him here.

9. Dallas Cowboys- OT Tyron Smith, Southern California

Dallas gives Romo more protection with Smith who will ultimately replace Marc Columbo.

10. Washington Redskins- OLB Robert Quinn, North Carolina

Quinn is a great player who will be a big upgrade at outside linebacker for Washington.

11. Houston Texans- CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska

Houston needs a shut-down corner to improve their sub-par secondary.

12. Minnesota Vikings- DT Cameron Jordan, California

Minnesota has to find a replacement for Pat Williams and apparently they are very high on Cameron Jordan.

13. Detroit Lions- CB Jimmy Smith, Colorado

The Lions seem interested in selecting a cornerback and Smith would be a huge improvement to their secondary.

14. St. Louis Rams- DT Nick Fairley, Auburn

If he somehow fell this far, then there is no doubt that St. Louis would gladly take him.

15. Miami Dolphins- RB Mark Ingram, Alabama

Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown aren’t the players that they used to be. It’s time to find a long-term solution at running back.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars- DE Aldon Smith, Missouri

Smith would be a great fit in the Jaguars defense and would be a steal here.

17. New England Patriots- DE J.J. Watt, Wisconsin

Watt fits perfectly in a 3-4 defense and was an absolute beast for the Badgers last season.

18. San Diego Chargers- DT Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple

The Chargers need to shore up the defensive line and that’s what they’ll do in selecting Wilkerson.

19. New York Giants- OG Mike Pouncey, Florida

If Pouncey were to fall to the Giants, then I’m sure they would take him. They need offensive line help badly and Pouncey would be a starter for a long time.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DE Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue

Kerrigan fits well in Tampa Bay’s defense and is one of the best pass rushers in the draft.

21. Kansas City Chiefs- OT Anthony Castonzo, Boston College

Branden Albert doesn’t seem like the starter at left tackle. The Chiefs must find a true left tackle to protect QB Matt Cassel.

22. Indianapolis Colts- OT Nate Solder, Colorado

The Colts need to keep Manning off his back and they did a terrible job of doing that last season. Solder is a great all-around lineman and would be a big steal here.

23. Philadelphia Eagles- DT Corey Liuget, Illinois

The Eagles are most likely going to go with defense here and Liuget is a big 300 lbs. defensive tackle and would be a steal to get him this late in the first round.

24. New Orleans Saints- DT Marvin Austin, North Carolina

Austin is a guy who has been moving up on draft boards and I think New Orleans will surprise a lot of people and take him at 24.

25. Seattle Seahawks- OT Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State

Seattle really needs to find a long-term fix at tackle and Sherrod will be just that.

26. Baltimore Ravens- OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin

Michael Oher struggled at left tackle last year so I think they’ll bring in Carimi to battle for that spot or to start at right tackle if they have enough faith in Oher protecting Flacco’s blind side.

27. Atlanta Falcons- WR Torrey Smith, Maryland

Atlanta is interested in bringing in a deep threat like Smith who can stretch the field.

28. New England Patriots- OLB Justin Houston, Georgia

New England adds another young talent on their defense here.

29. Chicago Bears- DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson

The Bears steal Bowers here and save him from his free fall, adding a fantastic player when he’s healthy.

30. New York Jets- NT Phil Taylor, Baylor

Phil Taylor will replace Kris Jenkins at nose tackle although it will be a bit of a reach.

31. Pittsburgh Steelers- CB Aaron Williams, Texas

Aaron Williams will be a huge boost to the Steelers secondary. Ike Taylor is set to become a free agent and Bryant McFadden isn’t a true starting corner by any means. Cornerback must be addressed in the first round.

32. Green Bay Packers- DT Christian Ballard, Iowa

Green Bay will go with the best available player and I believe that will be Christian Ballad over Adrian Clayborn.

Please leave any comments or questions you have for me. 

Results of the Raw Draft held on Monday Night Raw:

John Cena to Smackdown!!

Rey Mysterio to Raw!!

Randy Orton to Smackdown!!

Mark Henry to Smackdown!!

Sin Cara to Smackdown!!

Big Show to Raw!!

Alberto del Rio to Raw!!

John Cena went back to Raw!!

The supplemental draft was held on Tuesday on WWE.com here are the results from the supplemental draft:

To Raw:

Jack Swagger

Beth Phoenix

Chris Masters

Curt Hawkins

Drew McIntyre

JTG

Kelly Kelly

Kofi Kingston

Tyler Reks

To Smackdown:

Daniel Bryan

Alex Riley

Great Khali & Ranjin Singh

Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso

Tamina

Ted DiBiase

Shamus

Natalya

Alicia Fox

Tyson Kidd

Yoshi Tatsu

William Regal

Some of the biggest names in WWE made the move in this past Monday’s Raw draft. Cena and Orton to Smackdown and Big Show and Mysterio to Raw. But the biggest move might have been Alberto del Rio moving to Raw. This is a sure sign that the WWE has bigger plans for him. He could be the next big superstar. Cena going to Smackdown then back to Raw was done purely for excitement. Remember Raw is still the “A” show.

Great heel turn by Mark Henry. No one seen it coming.

Jim Ross took a Michael Cole’s tooth into his fist according to JR. He is in a lot of pain.

Awesome Kongs WWE ring name is Kharma.

WWE is going out of the Country with trips to Mexico, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Beligum, Switzerland, Portgual, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

Kurt Angle has been sentenced for reckless driving. He received a year’s probation, some fines and a 10 day jail sentence which was suspended.

Jeff Hardy drug possession charges were postponed again after his lawyer asked for time to have a drug treatment assessment done. On September 11, 2009 Jeff was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, after a search of his house yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.  

Still time to vote for best announcer. JR is in the lead....

Hey Gabbers. I like to say that as a Buckeyes fan, I'm not as douchy as some of my ilk. I admit we have flaws. I watched with the same stunned expression when Tressel held his press conference some weeks ago and told the world that he didn't know about Tattoo-Gate. Then he quickly told us that he knew about it, but didn't know who to tell despite having been OSU's head coach for about a decade.

Point blank, Tressel has been lying for some time now. I know that and more transgressions just keep coming to light. At first, however, I didn't see any way OSU would fire the guy. Simply put, he won. He had a rough time on the big stage, but the guy could win in the Big Ten (most of the time). If anything made us happy, it was that he could beat Michigan. He beat Carr and he beat Rich Rod. Heck, he ran Rich Rod out of Ann Arbor, which may actually be a blessing in disguise for Michigan. When Tressel stepped up from Youngstown State, I can remember how happy my dad was. We got rid of John Cooper, aka Michigan's punching bag. We had a chance now. We got early returns and strong ones. We got a national championships and dominated the Big Ten.

Unfortunately, sometimes things can fall apart. Things are falling apart in Columbus now. The fines and penalties being levied against Tressel are just strengthening the public outcry to let him go. I didn't think OSU would let him go, but I don't see a lot of reasons for them to keep the guy now.

SIMPLY PUT: IT'S TIME FOR THE VEST TO BE PUT AWAY.

The worst part about the whole thing is that the greed of the system, OSU athletics, a couple of players and Tressel himself may end up costing the young men that are truly in Columbus to play for the Scarlet and Grey. These are the guys that will be hurt by the post-season bans and scholarship losses. Tressel will probably get another chance, though probably not on the big stage. I can see him coaching D2 again, once the customary ban on his being able to coach is lifted. Pryor will be drafted, though not on the first day. I don't think Pryor will be much of a qb on the next level. He just can't make the throws. The rest will truly suffer.

OSU needs to come to their senses, cut ties with Tressel, and start the coaching search ASAP. Unfortunately, a coaching search at this stage is going to be limited and will be hard to pull off. ESPN has started the rumor mill by stating that OSU may go after Urban Meyer, who has his roots coaching in Ohio with Bowling Green before moving on to Utah and eventually Florida. I don't know who they'll get, but one wonders how long until the system gets to the next coach.

Moving on to idiots in the NFL, looks like Albert Haynesworth is tired of all the headlines going to the labor negotiations, so he decided to throw in a sexual assault charge. Apparently, Haynesworth copped a feel on his waitress at a hotel restaurant in D.C. Whether he did it or not, this is another unwelcome blow to his reputation and just in time for a season which many figure will see Haynesworth in the familiar position of free agency.

Rex Ryan is releasing a new book in which he holds nothing back about former Jets and his favorite target: Tom Brady. He had some interesting comments on Wes Welker too. Ryan has every right to be upset with Welker after making light of Ryan's leaked personal preferences. Welker, however, ran into the Ryans at the Pro Bowl and apologized to both. Welker also wished Ryan luck after losing in the quarters.

"He came up to me and said, 'That was an unbelievable coaching job. You deserve it and I hope you win the whole thing.' He really said that," Ryan wrote. "And I could tell he was sincere." 

Finally, a recent report in the New York Times shows that many D1 colleges and universities are padding the numbers of women to comply with title nine. A common tactic is to pad the roster's of women's teams adding women who never played, keeping women who have quit on the official roster, and even listing male practice players as women. Some schools even trim the rosters of men's teams to make the numbers more equal. Duke and new women's basketball national champion Texas A&M were among the schools caught distorting figures.

This would certainly piss me off if I had a daughter and it already does in many ways. Sure, we may pick some fun at women's sports, but women deserve the right to play whatever sport they wish. We had a girl who kicked for our varsity team this year. I was glad she got the chance to attempt a few field goals and extra points. Give more opportunity, we have seen that girls can catch up to guys. Hopefully they will get the chance in sports.

Read the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/sports/26titleix.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

We had a lot of big anniversaries lately. The Civil War is officially 150 years old. Last week many celebrated at Fort Sumter where the first shots were fired. As a history buff, I've been excited by this and the Free Press running full page features on the Civil War on Michigan.

Also, John James Auduban would be 226 if he were still alive. I always enjoy the work of Audubon and am something of an amateur birder. With that, I wish you all a good weekend. i leave you, as always, with your word of the week.

backseat browser, noun

On August 6, 2011, the long journey of Chris Hanburger's gridiron legacy finds it's rightful immortality in the Pro Football Hall of Fame forever. He only had to look in his own family to find a presenter, his son Chris Hanburger.

Hanburger, who retired in 1978, had been ignored for decades by the voters even though his nine Pro Bowls were the most in Washington Redskins history. He had redefined the weak outside linebacker position by using high intelligence, amazing athleticism, and a non-stop will to do whatever it took to help his team win.

Some of my regular readers know I have a series of articles, Crazy Canton Cuts, that is dedicated to gridiron greats not yet inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When I first started my series, the first player I profiled was Washington Redskins legend Chris Hanburger. Not only was I astonished and irked by not his exclusion, but how he was ignored yearly in the vote. 

I decided to try to find a way to get him his overdue respect. The year was 2008 and I quickly found several fans who agreed with me. I also found several of his peers, the people who know best, agreed with me. Most all were willing to give me a quote or write a letter in support of Hanburger's induction.

This includes several Dallas Cowboys legends like Roger Staubach, Mike Ditka, Tony Liscio, Preston Pearson, and Hill. Men who were the Redskins hated enemy, where gallons of blood were spilt in anger. These men still live the rivalry years after retirement, but respect Hanburger enough to have helped him get inducted.

Hall of Famers like Joe Gibbs, Sonny Jurgensen, Dave Wilcox, Raymond Berry, Larry Csonka, Charlie Sanders, Joe DeLamielluere, and Jackie Smith, along with several other gridiron greats, also provided letters or quotes in hopes it helped Hanburger get into Canton. Those quotes can be found at http://crazycantoncuts.blogspot.com/2011/02/chris-hanburger-of-washington-redskins.html

I was interviewed for an article on the Washington Times by legendary sportswriter David Elfin in 2008. Elfin was raised in the District of Columbia are and was a true Redskins fan. In fact, Elfin led the charge to get Art Monk, a great Redskins wide receiver, finally inducted just a few years ago. Having him as an ally in my mission proved to be immeasurable.

Nicknamed "The Hangman", Hanburger was the first linebacker in NFL history who could beat you by blitzing or covering a pass. Former Pro Bowl running back Calvin Hill told me how he use to marvel at the athleticism Hanburger possessed.

Hill said Hanburger frequently jumped over him with ease during a blitz, was strong, and was surely the fastest linebacker in the NFL in his era. Hanburger, who was named First Team All-Pro four times, retired with an NFL record for the most fumble recoveries were returned for touchdowns.

Saint Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith battled Hanburger twice a year for many seasons. He called Hanburger the poster boy of the modern day weak side linebacker. "Linebackers were big strong guys, not very mobile and geared more to stopping the running game" before Hanburger revolutionized the position.

He weighed about 220 lbs much of his career, but was said to near 200 by the time he retired in 1978. His lack of weight did not prevent him from being stout against the run nor unstoppable when charging in on a blitz.

But his athleticism wasn't what made him special. His intelligence put him over most every player in the league. He played in an era where the coaches weren't barking into a microphone to a headset in a helmet of a player, telling them what to do step by step.

The captain of the Redskins defense, he knew over 300 audibles and Hall of Fame head coach George Allen demanded more. Allen was a defensive guru that would spend hours in the film room with Hanburger and the defense.

As former Redskins safety Rickie Harris put it, "You had to not only know your responsibilities, you had to know the exact location and responsibilities of the other 10 guys on defense. He was the smartest player I ever played with."

Some theorize his journey into Canton took so long because he was a team player who preferred to differ to his teammates rather than accept any personal glories. He would do his job and go straight home to his wife and kids instead of hanging around talking to reporters.

All of the former Redskins players and coaches I talked to said he was a serious man of no nonsense. Reporters perhaps thought he was grouchy, but Hanburger's only mission was to help the team win then go home to his loved ones.

Talking to his son, Chris Jr., it seems his dad has been enjoying his retirement years amongst family. Now he is being pulled out of his comfort zone to give a speech in Canton, which will probably encompass how great his teammates, coaches, and opponents were, then having to be interviewed on television during the Hall of Fame Game.

His family is most likely more ecstatic to see this long overdue honor happen more than Hanburger, though his son suspects deep down his father is appreciate and happy. Redskins Nation is celebrating, because they know the importance Hanburger holds. Older fans might be especially happy, yet most have told their offspring of the greatness of Chris Hanburger.

It was nice to finally see the voters realize it as well. In my research, I had talked to a few other than Elfin. One senior voter did not even know what position Hanburger played, even though the Pro Bowl was an earned honor in those days.

Your peers, the ones who truly know who was the best of the best, voted you in as opposed to the fan vote now that seems to cheer on the loudmouths best known for antics over actual gridiron play.

The game was regional back then. The technology did not allow for the immense coverage it has today. A voter would be lucky to see a player on an opposing team, from another division, once a year.

If that player was in another conference, it would be a blessing to catch him at least once. It was as if the only voters who knew of Hanburger's greatness had to cover teams in the NFC East, where the Redskins play.

His nine Pro Bowls were tied with the great Maxie Baughan as the most by an uninducted player for many years. Now that Hanburger is in, hopefully Baughan will soon follow instead of having to hold the mantle as the most disrespected NFL legend while more seasons pass by.

The ever reserved Hangman will quietly thank everyone as he deflects attention from himself as he gives a speech. Typical actions witnessed by Redskins fans for over 14 seasons.

Yet he will also find comfort by seeing Jurgensen, Sam Huff, Charlie Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, and Ken Houston. Former teammates who probably will be joined by more ex-Redskins.

A family member told me one of the most relaxed times she saw him was at a Redskins reunion years ago. Hanburger milled around with other Redskins and talked, smiling and joking.

Yes, August 6, 2011 will be a very special day for the Redskins family. It will also be for the Hanburger family in ways we could not understand.

As his son gets closer to that day, hoping to do a great job that will make everyone proud, his dad will beam with pride. That moment very well could be the highlight of his weekend, because family has always come first.

But soon the spotlight will shine on the greatness of Chris Hanburger. The Hangman will hear the roar of the crowd again, even if he might rather be home instead.

Though I am happy my mission was successful and that the voters agreed with me and a long list of NFL legends, a part of me wants to apologize to Mr. Hanburger for pulling him out of his comfort zone. Even if it is for the greatest honor that can be bestowed onto a football player.

 

Well, here we are again at the crossroad of the week. Another Wednesday and another opportunity to share a few deep thoughts. I won't waste much time today as there is so much meat to chew on this week's sports bone.

I have learned from Beeze that it is always good to find a way to add some "color" to my blog. When I can add a pretty face and tie in two sports at the same time it is a "winner"!

Assuming that we have an NFL season later this year, Tony LaRussa will have a reason to catch a few Oakland Raider games. Why would Tony be interested in watching Raider games you ask? Well, because his daughter Bianca was selected as a Raiderette last week. Congrats Bianca, we will definitely be watching!

In a related story, Al Davis is not dead...he just appears to be so...I  hope someone else is making those draft picks for the Raiders.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6424198 

I hope you take the time to watch this link to Mike and Mike. The discussion is regarding adding a wild card team to each league. Specifically, Mike and Mike speak to Tim Lincecum's comments against changing the current playoff format. I am personally for adding a wild card slot for each league, but I understand that there are legitimate reasons against the move. Even if you are against another wild card spot, I feel certain that you will agree that Tim's arguments are weak...as Big Mike said so succinctly...really Tim??

I think the next story qualifies for a "wanna get away" moment. A Brewers fan named Robin decided to make a sign and go to the Brewers game last Friday evening. Of course beside being a stud at the plate, Braun recently signed an extension that will make him a Brewer until 2020. Young, rich and single is a combination that is bound to draw many offers. Well, Robin's sign not only proposed marriage to Braun, but also included her phone number. To make matters worse, she was interviewed and as her number was clearly evident, she began to receive shall we say "many" calls and texts. In fact, she got so many calls that she finally had to put her phone on airplane mode...

But the story did not end there:

"The great twist in the story is that Braun — who has a girlfriend — got wind of the sign after the game and actually tried to call Robin's phone (video here). Alas, her voicemail box was full and Braun couldn't even leave a message with an answer to the proposal.

"I guess it wasn't meant to be," said the reigning NL Player of the Week.

Braun can certainly keep trying, though, because an attempt to call the number on Monday afternoon revealed that the fan hadn't yet switched to a new one (which is why we've placed the old ball-and-glove logo over the last four digits)."

I am not sure, but I bet I know what the answer will be...

With the NFL draft approaching, I thought that it would be appropriate to discuss the player evaluation process. If you are like me, you are left scratching your head each year with the way that some teams draft. Each team obviously has a different system in judging talent. You may also be scratching your head and trying to figure out who the hell the guy in the Cardinal hat is. This guy is called the "Rogue Scout" and his name is Dave Razzano. He has worked as a scout for the past 20 years and has worked for a several different teams. What got my attention regarding Razzono is that he does not pay particular attention to the "measurables". I will include the link to this article, but this is of particular interest to me. Here is a snippet:

"Razzano has some definite ideas about how and why teams make so many mistakes on draft day. He’s not a big fan of the increasing tendency of talent evaluators to rely on measurables. Said Razzano: “Height, weight, speed, strength – guys fall in love with the numbers, and then coaches justify the lack of [collegiate] production by saying, ‘It was the scheme,’ or ‘He wasn’t coached right.’ The bottom line is, you have to trust the tape.” 

My friend Carl Spackler always talks about how some guys are just "football players". This is exactly Razzano's thought as well. What better way to judge talent than to watch them play football? Makes sense to me...

Razzano watches tape and looks for the "excitement meter" to tell him if a guy can play or not. The Ram's GM was high on  Alex Smith and Razzano was not. The discussion became very heated and one of the other scouts had to "bear-hug" Razzano to keep him from getting personally involved with the GM. Razzano's services were not retained...and Smith has played just as Razzano predicted. Welker was one of this rogue scouts sleeper's as is Jake Locker this year. If you enjoy reading what goes on behind the scenes...check out this link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_rogue_scout_enjoys_label_042511

 

That's all that I have for today, but I will leave you a bit of Jack Handey to get you through the rest of the week.( I have to say, that this is one of my favorite Handey's deep thoughts)...

"Don't ever get your speedometer confused with your clock, like I did once, because the faster you go, the later you think you are."
 

"One good thing about Hell, at least, is you can probably pee wherever you want to."
 

Thanks for stopping by and as always... comments are welcome...