NFL Draft Fun

The NFL Draft kicks off in New York City on April 28 and extends through April 30 on ESPN and the NFL Network.  Who will be picked first?  Which quarterback has the fastest 40-yard dash time?  Who will be a "bust" and fail to meet his draft day expectations?  Not to mention, how can they even hold a Draft when the NFL is in the middle of a lockout?  I saw a headline today in New York that said: "Football is back!"  Well, kind of.

No one will strap on a helmet or shoulder pads at the NFL Draft, and the lockout will continue to hang over the league into the foreseeable future until there is a resolution reached between the owners and the players association (The NFL was ordered by a federal judge to resume football activities because its lockout was deemed to be illegal), so why is the Draft a prime-time event on ESPN and why does it get hours of coverage every day from the end of the college season?  Well, because no one knows if you, the "experts", or even the teams making the draft selections are right or wrong.  It's impossible during these three days to know whether Cam Newton or Andy Dalton will be a better NFL quarterback?  Even a year from now, it will be difficult to determine if a draft pick is successful.  198 players were drafted before Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft only to become one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all-time.  By the time the Draft actually takes place in late April, any sports fan will have seen more highlights of a star player's college games than during the actual season, and any sports fan will have an opinion as to whether the player will help their favorite NFL team or not.  On draft day, everyone is an "expert".

Tom Brady has used his low draft pick status
to motivate him to be one of the best NFL QBs.

The NFL Draft has grown in popularity as reality TV, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media have overtaken our society and put these players and their game highlights in our homes.  But can you imagine if fans could text who their favorite team should pick...just like American Idol?  Now we're getting somewhere.  That would be some must-see TV!  A player's fate would not rest in the hands of a greedy owner ready to potentially lock him out in the coming years, or in a General Manager who happened to watch the player work out on a good (or a bad) day.  In fact, General Managers would probably do well for themselves and their job security if they turned the Draft decisions over to their fans because there would be no second-guessers if the player flopped, and the fans would take on an unprecedented level of pride if the player was successful.  Wouldn't it be awesome to see 6-foot, 300-pound lineman waving at the camera and flashing fingers to all their fans at home?

Simon Cowell - future NFL General Manager?  I'd vote for that.

Quick Hits #5

Chicks Dig the Long Ball:   The New York Yankees have set a club record with 27 home runs in their first 14 games.  They have 6 different players that have at least 4 home runs each. That's an impressive achievement given the storied history of the club - their nickname is not the Bronx Bombers for nothing!

Jorge Posada has contributed to the Yankees record start by
slugging 4 home runs from the DH slot.

The 2011 version of the Bombers is on pace to hit 310-315 home runs this year.  Somewhere the Feds who worked on the Barry Bonds steroids perjury case are gathering evidence and conducting depositions.  Come on, everyone deserves a second chance.

Sixth Man of the Year - An E! True Hollywood Story:  Lamar Odom, who is married to reality-TV "star" Khloe Kardashian, was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Tuesday, which is the award given to the best player who is not quite good enough to be one of the 150 starters in the league.  The only requirement to win the award is that a player must come in off the bench as a reserve more games than he starts.  Odom started 35 games and entered off the bench in 47 games.  I've never understood the reason why the NBA has this award.  In my opinion, Odom should have won this award last year when he finished sixth in the voting for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are taking Hollywood and the NBA by storm.
Odom's "unbreakable" season earned him the honor as the NBA 6th Man.

But Lamar Kardashian is enjoying yet another moment in the spotlight...when asked what he planned to get for his teammates as a thank you gift after Bryant handed out expensive watches to the team following his MVP award, he responded, "Maybe I'll get them a bottle of me and Khloe's fragrance ("Unbreakable")."  I have two observations from Lamar's comments: 1) Apparently correct English not a requirement for winning the award and 2) What he really should do is give watches to just the Laker starters for being better than him so he could be considered for the award to begin with.


Imagine the April Awesomeness?!:  Can you imagine if the NBA playoffs was a little bit more like March Madness?!  Like I wrote about here, the NBA playoffs just don't have the same excitement level that other playoff formats do.  If the NBA playoffs were like the NCAA tournament, then these would be the second round games based upon the results of the first game of each series:  Chicago vs. Atlanta, Miami vs. Boston, Memphis vs. Oklahoma City, and New Orleans vs. Dallas.  The Lakers, Spurs, and Magic would all be out!  The Memphis Grizzlies would have a huge fan following, insane media coverage, and Zach Randolph jerseys would be flying off the shelves!  Don't worry, they'll lose to the Spurs in 5.  Sorry, Memphis, but the only basketball team that has a shot to play for a Championship anytime soon is the University of Memphis.


Put it on the Calendar:  In one of the biggest demonstrations of optimism we have seen in a long time, the NFL released its 2011 schedule today as if one of the ugliest and dirtiest lockouts in recent history was not well into its second month.  The marquee games of the opening weekend, which will fall on Sunday, September 11, will feature the New York Giants visiting the Washington Redskins, two teams from the two cities that were most significantly impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011.

September 11, 2011 could be a memorable day for the USA and the NFL if
the owners and the players can end the lockout so the NFL season can start on time.

The New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at home in New York (New Jersey).  The always outspoken Jets head coach, Rex Ryan, said this of the significance of opening the season at home on 9/11: "The stadium is going to be full of emotion, not only the people from the area but in the entire country.  The fact that it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11, that's where the focus should be."  Well put, Coach.  Let's just hope your players and owners can put aside their greed and hatred towards one another in order for it to actually happen and let the nation enjoy it.