NFL Update!
Through out the semester I wrote on my blog to show my extensive knowledge on not just sports as a whole but the NFL specifically. I was able to keep up with this blog because it was about something that I am truly passionate about. Being that the NFL is one of my favorite sports I was able to find current news happening each week and write an in depth post.

I started with the NFC and AFC Championship games, I then moved on to the Super bowl giving my opinion on both and breaking down the match ups. I successfully predicted that the New Orleans Saints to win the Super bowl. After the Super bowl I covered the NFL combine, showing my readers what happened each day and what players had success that improved their draft projection. Players like Jahvid Best, CJ Spiller, and Taylor Mays shined through at the NFL Combine.

Then I moved on to the NFL Draft. I gave my predictions on who my team the Arizona Cardinals were going to select, along with my mock draft predictions. The draft was a mixed bag for me as I was able to get 6 out of the top ten picks but after that I wasn’t nearly as successful.

As the semester came to a close I focused on the aftermath of the draft. Dissecting the Arizona Cardinals draft, analyzing the players they choose and how they are going to fit with the Cardinals next year. I finished with analyzing how the NFC West would pan out next year. With all biases being aside I feel that the Arizona Cardinals have the most complete team and will win the division next year!

I learned a lot from this blog and I feel it will help me going forward as a journalist. As the semester went along I got better at incorporating creative writing and all the other things we learned in this class. Thank you all for reading my blog through out this semester and I hope you continue to follow my blog!

NFL Update!
The 2010 NFL Draft has come and gone and now teams are getting ready for the new season. Each team selected the players they thought would give them the best chance for success in the upcoming season. With training camp fast approaching teams players and coaches are starting to get ready for the new season fast approaching. Now with this post I want to focus on my teams division the NFC West and how I think it will play out in the upcoming season.

Last year the NFC west was considered one of the worst if not the worst division in football. This year the league should be much more competitive. Since the Cardinals lost Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, and Carlos Dansby three huge pieces that the Cardinals relied on heavily last year.

The Seattle Seahawks had arguably the best draft in the NFL. They were able to get a stud safety in Earl Thomas someone who can help with the run and excel in the passing game. The Seahawks also Russell Okung an offensive lineman who will help keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy by protecting his blind side. They also traded fro running backs Lendale White and Leon Washington, which gives them a thunder and lightening combination in the back field.

The Forty Niners had a successful draft as well as they picked up offensive lineman Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati to help protect quarterback Alex Smith. They also picked up stud safety Taylor Mays, who will be a beast against the run and provide highlight hits in the secondary.

Then in my opinion the St. Louis Rams did not do much after selecting quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams are week at wide receiver, have an old offensive line and a bad defense which all points to Sam Bradford having hard year as a rookie.
This division should be a three horse race this upcoming year.

Putting all biases aside I still think that the Arizona Cardinals have the most complete team in the NFC West. So I believe the Cardinals will win the division and go 10 and 6. The Seahawks will come in second with a record of 8 and 8 behind an rejuvenated offense behind good play from their quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and their talented back field of Leon Washington. The 49niners will come in third but will be limited with Alex Smith at quarterback and because they don’t have any real playmakers at wide receiver. They will finish at a decent 7 and 9! Lastly the woeful Rams will struggle again this year with no one on offense to make plays besides Stephen Jackson. Not to mention their bad defense, so they will finish a terrible 4 and 12!

NFL Update!
The first round of the NFL Draft is a very exciting and action packed. We tune in to watch our favorite teams select the best college players in the country. All NFL fans know that it is vital for success to make the right selection in the first round because these are the best players and the ones who can make huge impacts their first years. Now I’m not saying that players in the later rounds can’t do the same but it is much more likely that the first round players are the most NFL ready.

The first round had many suspected picks but also a couple surprises. With this post I will reveal all the picks that I thought were very significant both good and bad. First I thought the Detroit Lions made the right decision in taking Ndamukong Suh and not trading down or taking Gerald McCoy. The reason being that Suh is a very strong run stopping force that has the athletic ability to get in the back field and be disruptive. He will be a perennial pro bowler for many years.

Second I thought that the Seattle Seahawks did a great job in pick Russell Okung the offensive tackle out of Oklahoma St. Okung is a nasty and tough run blocker that puts defensive players on their ass! He should be able to start day one for the Seahawks at left tackle.

Third the Cincinnati Bengals scored when Jermaine Gresham was still on the board for them at pick number 21. Gresham is an athletic freak that will stretch the defense down field. He has great size, speed, and soft hands that make him a quarterbacks dream. Two or three years from now he has the potential to be one of the best tight ends in the games.

At the same time there were a few picks in the first round that either were not good fits for the certain team or was an extreme reach that was not worth the money. First I thought the Jacksonville Jaguars with the number 10 pick of Tyson Alualu a defensive tackle out of the University of California was a huge reach. Mel Kiper ranked him as the 10th best defensive lineman in the draft a draft analyst for ESPN. There were many defensive lineman still on the board that were ranked much high as pro prospects. Like Jason Pierre Paul, Everson Griffen, Derrick Morgan, Dan Williams, ect.

The second questionable pick in the first round in my opinion was Demaryius Thomas a wide receiver from Georgia Tech. Thomas was picked by the Denver Broncos at pick number 22. The Broncos traded up from pick 24 to pick 22 with the New England Patriots because they felt he would be taken if they didn’t make their move. It was a ridiculous move because the best receiver in this years draft Dez Bryant was still on the board. Thomas lack ideal size and isn’t a polished route runner. Todd McShay and Mel Kiper both of which are respected draft analysts for ESPN predicted Thomas as second or third round prospect.

The 2010 NFL Draft was very successful and raked in viewers like never before. Now teams will be starting mini camps and OTA’s soon to get ready for the up coming season.

NFL Update!
The 2010 NFL draft has come and gone with a flair for the dramatic. Like every year the best college pro prospects coming out of college had their lives changed by being selected in the NFL Draft. The first round of the NFL Draft is one of the most popular sporting programs today, and this year was no different. When players get selected in the first round they sign multi million dollar contracts and have a chance to be a starter in their first year.

The NFL Draft is the main way teams look to improve their team. Teams that have the worst years get to pick at the top of the next years draft. The reason being it gives them a great chance of selecting player that will turn into a superstar in the NFL. Every year I make sure I sit down on the couch and tune in to see how my team improves.

In the 2010 NFL Draft the Arizona Cardinals wanted to focus on the defensive front seven. With the 26th overall pick in the first round the Cardinals selected defensive tackle Dan Williams from the University of Tennessee. He will have a great chance to play right away because he brings physical force that will help them stop the run and take up double teams. Dan also brings some ability to get to the passer because of his good hands.

In the second round the Cardinals choose linebacker Daryl Washington out of TCU. Washington is very quick and a sure tackler in the open field. He can run sideline to sideline and is great against the run. On tape he has shown the lack of ability to cover tight ends and running backs because his awareness problems and lack of physical size. But I think he will become a stud at linebacker for many years. Both of our first two pick have a chance to have great contribution next year.

In rounds 3-7 the Cardinals focused on more on defense and skill positions on offense. In this order we selected Andre Roberst a wide receiver out of citadel, Obrien Schofield out side linebacker out of the University of Wisconsin, John Skelton a quarterback out of Fordham University, Jorrick Calvin a cornerback out of Troy University, and Jim Dray a tight end out of the University of Stanford. All these players will give us depth for the future and players that have a chance to start on special teams. Overall I thought that the Cardinals had a very successful draft by addressing their needs in the front seven on defense!

NFL Update!
Well since we are only four days away from the start of the draft teams have either decided who they want to pick are down to two or three players that they feel would fit best with their team. Now my teams the Arizona Cardinals are a totally different team this year compared to last year. We traded our second best receiver away in Anquan Boldin and lost our Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement. We also did a swap in linebackers with the Miami Dolphins. We lost Carlos Dansby to free agency, and he was signed up by the Dolphins. Then we signed their star linebacker Joey Porter through free agency as well. With the changes to our team in the off-season it is very important that we have a successful draft if we want to win our division for the third year in a row!

Matt Leinart Will is taking over as our quarterback. I feel good that Matt will step in and have immediate success in our offense. Now the loss of Anquan Boldin hurts our offense a great deal, but coach Wisenhunt is confident that Steve Breaston is ready to step in and take Boldin’s spot as our number two receiver. That then means that Early Ducet will have to be our starting third receiver this year. The team is confident he will be a lot like Boldin. The reason being is because he is quick, strong and runs like a running back, and has good hands just like Anquan Boldin.

Now in the draft we have the 26th overall pick, and we need to find an absolute star that can help are team right away. The two biggest areas of need are offensive line and a fast playmaker in the front seven of our defense. I think the Cardinals are leaning toward taking a defensive slash linebacker combo that is fast and can get to the quarterback. There are three players that fir this mold. Jason Pierre-Paul, Jerry Hughes, and Everson Griffen are all that type of player with freakish athletic ability. My choice here would be to go with Everson Griffen because he has the most upside because he is so athletic and fast. I think he would come in and really rush the quarterback, which is something we desperately need!

I will be back on Wednesday to announce my final mock draft before the draft starts on Thursday night! Thanks again for reading my blog.

NFL Update!
With the draft approaching so fast the Rams are on the clock first. They have a huge dilemma on their hands of whether to pick a franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen, or go with a stud defensive lineman in Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh that will anchor their defensive line for many years to come!

The quarterback is the most important position in football and there for any team that wants to have success in the NFL must find a franchise quarterback that can take them to the promise land. The St Louis Rams just released their starting quarterback Mark Bulger. That means the Rams need to pick a quarterback to run their team. But in recent years taking quarterbacks in the lottery has either bang or bust with no in between. Last year Mark Sanchez and Mathew Stafford were both selected in the first five picks. They both went on to have success and make their teams better than they were the previous year. Most widely known Mark Sanchez the quarterback of the New York Jets, he lead his team all the way to the AFC championship game where he threw two key touchdown passes in a close loss to the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning the best quarterback in the NFL.

Now when deciding who they like better Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford they have to look long and hard to find out which fits their offensive system better. The Rams seem to be leaning with Sam Bradford because of his great accuracy, underrated arm strength, and good leadership skills. The two things that worry the Rams about Sam are his durability issues and lack of playing under center at Oklahoma. They don’t like Clausen as much because they are worried about his lack of maturity, leadership skills in the huddle, and game savvy. They know he has all the physical tools but the mental side of the game is lacking with Jimmy Clausen.

Now if the Rams decide they don’t want to take a quarterback because of the risks then either Suh or McCoy is great safe pick for them. The reason being that both of them are considered physical freaks with high motors. Additionally they both have great showings at their pro days and at the NFL combine. Either on of them would provide a great force in the middle of their defensive line and give them a player that could rely on for the next 10 to 15 years down the road.

Now I believe that Clausen is the pick here because of his great accuracy, arm strength, and the fact that he played three years in a pro style offense under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. But all signs point to the Rams taking quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in this years draft!

NFL Update!
I’m back for the second time today, partly because I have had a busy week and have not done a post in while and because after talking about Matt Leinart’s future and how I felt he would do. As the draft approaches the Cardinals are working hard to prepare for the draft so they can make the right picks and make their team better!

The places that the Cardinals need help are offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback. The Cardinals have suffered many injuries on the offensive line and since Matt Leinart is left-handed the right tackle position becomes very important since that is Matt’s blind side. The Cardinals are looking to find a offensive lineman that can fill that role, and someone like Anthony Davis an offensive tackle out of Rutgers.

They also need a line backer to replace Carlos Dansby their do everything inside linebacker that was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent this offseason. We need some one to compliment Joey Porter that can rush the passer, and the perfect fit would be Jerry Huges at linebacker defensive end combo that can really rush the passer.

A cornerback to go on the other side of Rogers Cromartie would really help sore up their secondary. Someone like Kyle Wilson out of Boise St. would be a great fit for the Cardinals. Kyle Wilson has decent speed but is very tough and has good ball skills. He has also shown the ability to help against the run because he is a sure tackler.

In conclusion I think my team should take Kyle Wilson with our first round pick because our secondary has been prone on getting lit up by elite quarterbacks. For example the wild card game this year against the Packers, Aaron Rodgers threw for over four hundred yards and 4 touchdowns! That’s is just one of many games this past season were our secondary looked terrible and with the addition of Kyle Wilson I believe we would become much better at defending the pass!

NFL Update!
As the draft fast approaches teams are making their last draft preparations! As a huge football fan I am very excited and cannot wait until Thursday April, 22nd. My favorite NFLL team is the Arizona Cardinals, and I am very optimistic about our chances to make the playoffs this upcoming year.

Some people believe that Matt Leinart the new quarterback of the Cardinals is not the right man for the job. In my opinion that could not be further from the truth. When Matt has been given time to play consistently he has shown he can make all throws and be a franchise quarterback in the NFL!

Before Matt broke his collarbone in his second season and then consequently lost his job to Kurt Warner her showed his skills in his rookie season. During his rookie season Matt played 12 games throwing for 2547 yards with 56.8 percent completion percentage. Matt also threw for 11 TD’s and 12 Interceptions. His stats may not look great but they were better than any rookie quarterback that year and he showed great skills for reading defenses, leadership, and all the physical tools you would want. But as I said the next year he got hurt and was out for the year and then ended up loosing his job to Kurt Warner. Then for the 2008 and 2009 seasons he sat on the bench. But that taught Matt patience and showed him that he needed to work harder if he wanted to be successful in the NFL.

Since the quarterback position is the most important one in the NFL Matt needs to step up this season if he wants his team to make the playoffs this year. I am very confident that he well get the job done and cement himself as the starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals for many years to come!