I’m doing this a bit early today because I want to get a look at the NFL Combine.

This is the first time I’ve actually watched the combine live, I’ve only ever seen recaps and whatnot, and it’s pretty cool.

Everyone is watching the same people: Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Neither of them are participating in throwing drills, so obviously their other skills are going to be put under a microscope. 

The quarterback discussion has almost been beaten to death already, still weeks away from the draft, but I’ll talk about it anyway.

Despite the fact that RGIII had the fastest 40 yard dash time (at 4.38), Andrew Luck clocked a solid 4.59, and what they were discussing is that Andrew Luck just has the size and athleticism that you want in your quarterback. “He’s a big dude,” one of the announcers said. 6’4”, 235, fast, and controlled. 

In terms of talent, both quarterbacks have everything you could ask for. But something about Luck puts him ahead of everyone else. The “x factor” (yeah like that singing show). Luck’s got it, and that’s what’s going to make a difference in the NFL. 

All of them aside, someone who I’m interested in is Kellen Moore. I remember someone saying to me once that he’s going to be the “surprise” quarterback that you don’t expect to do well, but he will. The only reason I’m going to disagree with that, is because he’s just a small kid. I didn’t realize it until I was watching him just now, and unfortunately, I think he’s just too small. I would like to see him do well, I think he has potential, but his size will definitely hurt him.

*Something that was just reported as I was writing this was that Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State is indeed throwing, when it had been questionable in the beginning of the day. I like him, but he is 28 years old, and that hurts him on draft day big time.

*also posted on my other blog.

The New York Knicks continue to show that they are a team to be taken seriously by taking down last year’s champions, the Dallas Mavericks, 104-97 at Madison Square Garden. Knicks point guard (and Harvard grad) Jeremy Lin had 28 points, 14 assists, and 5 steals, proving that all the hype around ‘Linsanity’ is for real. After a dissapointing loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday, Lin bounced right back into the game, proving that he is not only positive on the court, but off as well. 

In addition, new Knick JR Smith (who only arrived in NY last night) was put in almost right away, starting his first New York game with 15 points, (his first 3 shots, all sunk, were 3 pointers) and 2 assists in 30 minutes of playing time. Carmelo Anthony is expect back for their next game against the Nets, and with the chemistry of this team building the way it has, it’s looking more and more like the Knicks will be a force to be reckoned with. 

More NY Highlights;

• AJ Burnett is officially no longer a Yankee. 
• NY Rangers are currently tied with Colombus Bluejackets in the 2nd period. The Rangers are currently #1 in the league. 

*also posted on my other blog*

Eli deserved it. After all this stuff that’s been going on with his brother, he’s just proven to everyone that he is his own person, and does not belong in Peyton’s shadow. I loved his response to the question: “So how did it feel winning at your brother’s home stadium?” to which he replied “It feels good to win no matter where you are.”

Well said. 

Peyton Manning has offically been cleared to resume his NFL career. However, that leaves even more things up in the air for the Colts family. 

From what I can tell, Jim Irsay has acknowledged the fact that the Colts franchise has to move on. As much as I disagreed with the firing of Coach Caldwell, it’s a sad and true fact. Maybe not even next season, but very soon. So with that in mind, I’ve listed some of the Colt’s most likely options:

1. Sack your old quarterback and replace him with “once in a generation” new talent.
2. Use your new one as trade fodder to fill the other empty holes in your team and keep your old one.
3. Keep both of them and have a nice game of Obi-Wan Kanobi and Anakin Skywalker (only hoping that Luck doesn’t turn into Darth Vader). 
4. Get rid of both of them and use all of your money and trade picks to get a more balanced team, even if that means a 2nd or 3rd round QB, but also better chances at spreading more decent talent throughout the team. While this is the least likely option, it is definitely plausible and something they’ve probably thought about. After all, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have shown us, you don’t have to be #1 to be spectacular.

I had mentioned in an earlier post of mine that my personal feeling is if Manning is healthy enough, he’s staying with the Colts. But honestly, that was before Manning was 100% cleared to play. Now, I’m not so sure. After all, money is also a big factor here. The Colts are not going to blow 50 million dollars on 2 quarterbacks when there are other places the team needs work. As much as I loved my Star Wars reference, it’s not very likely (although it would make a killer commercial). 

So let’s do some roleplaying. If you were Jim Irsay, what would YOU do?

I’ll admit it straight up: I love Mel Kiper. I’m still a bit new when it comes to the draft, but to me, he tells it like it is. His “Big Board” draft layout is no exception. 

As many of you have probably gathered, I am all for Andrew Luck and not for Robert Griffin III. I still stand by my opinion that Luck deserved the Heisman over RG3, but that’s another topic entirely. Regardless of that, both are exactly where they should be. I’ve seen a few other drafts have RG3 as high as #2 (some even saying Indy should take him over Luck), and that to me just blows my mind. Numbers and stats are just one thing. NFL-readiness is something different, and that is something very solid that Luck has over RG3.

Quarterbacks aside, I have to admit I’m a bit shocked at Justin Blackmon’s drop, considering he was #3 at one point in time (circa OSU’s Fiesta Bowl victory). Although I can’t argue with Trent Richardson’s placement, who I believe will have a great rookie year. Maybe it’s just because I’m much more partial to (and interested in) the offense than the defense that I put Blackmon over Claiborne. 

Either way, I’m excited for the draft, and you’ll hear more from me about that as it draws near.

I’m currently watching the back and forth between the Pro Bowl in Hawaii and the superbowl interviews back in Indy, and something Tony Dungy (whom I normally disagree with) said was very relevant. 

“If Manning is healthy, he’s playing for the Colts. If he’s not, he’s going to retire.”

I 100% agree with that statement. I can tell right away that Peyton Manning is not looking to make the same kind of mistake that Brett Farve made. Manning is not going to another team; he’s a franchise quarterback, and he’s going to retire with the same team that he made, and that made him. I hope for all the best for Peyton Manning, but as of right now, it’s not looking too good. 

Everything about it was just so…juvenile. 

See, this is the kind of thing they’re supposed to teach you in school. CHECK YOUR SOURCES. I’m in college and they’re already shoving this down our throats. It completely blows my mind that you can be such a large news source and be so ignorant of your information.

Here’s the real story:

Spokesman Says Joe Paterno’s condition “serious.”

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, who’s ready for some NFL football playoffs?

BCS source says “Playoffs ‘get done’ as part of new contract.”

OH YOU DON’T SAY?

After Alabama’s sloppy defeat over LSU, the BCS is finally starting to realize that something other than these ridiculous bowl games needs to happen. I mean, we’re getting to the point where whoever pays the most money gets a bowl game named after them. I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely didn’t know what Belk was before they had their own bowl game.

Needless to say, I’m not even surprised this was the way it ended. We had MULTIPLE record-breaking bowl games (not even BCS games), and messy play throughout the entire season. It’s just like anything else in life: something astronomically bad has to happen before everyone realizes something needs to change. Now, this year’s national championship isn’t something we could label “astronomically bad” in the real world, but in the world of sports, anyone who is not a Tide fan would readily agree that something is horribly wrong here. 

Let’s only hope that the BCS committee gets their act together soon to save coaches and teams the embarrassment and unfairness that most of them faced this year. Good luck, and may the force be with you.