The Beer Drinker's Diaries

Navy Bound

2007-08-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while and a lot has happened.

Joining the Navy was a big decision on my part, but I know it is for the best and it is going to open up so many doors for me. I am really excited for this opportunity.

I moved back home to save some money, but the eastern shore of MD is starting to wear on me. There is nothing to do around here and I know no one. It just feels like I am in purgatory, which for someone like me is one of the worst feelings in the world. I need to have direction and know where I am going and actually doing something to get there, but right now it is just sitting in a metaphorical lobby with only magazines that I have already read spread out on the coffee table in front of me.

I am just ready to go.

Second Mock Draft

2007-03-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well...what can I say? I am a huge football geek and there have been some legitimate changes going on in the NFL. Here is my second version of the upcoming draft:

1. Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell, I don't care what anyone says, the Raiders need a franchise QB and Russell has much more upside than Brady Quinn does. Unless they trade down (which is a possibility) for someone else's 1st and 2nd and probably 3rd...I can't see them passing on a QB like Russell and continue with Andrew Walter as their only QB option. There is the rumor going around that the Raiders would trade Randy Moss to the Packers for Aaron Rogers and a pick, but I can't see the Pack parting ways with their future QB right now. If that trade does happen then I think the Raiders will absolutely take Calvin Johnson.

2. Detroit Lions - Joe Thomas, They seem pretty set on Kitna being there for at least a year or two. I also think that they are going to bank on some young QB's coming available next year and later in the draft. The Lion's O-Line is terrible and Thomas definitely helps here. Especially now that they traded for Tatum Bell to share time with Kevin Jones.

3. Cleveland Browns - Adrian Peterson, Jamal Lewis only signed a 1 year contract and there is no way that he has enough juice to be the #1 there for more than a year or two AT MOST. There is the possibility of them trying to trade up for JaMarcus Russell, but I don't think Russell will make it out of Oakland.

4. Tampa Bay Buccs - Calvin Johnson, I think it is pretty set in stone that if Oakland doesn't take CJ then he will land in Tampa, which isnt a bad place for him...Tampa has a lot going for them on the offensive side of the ball.

5. Arizona Cardinals - Jamal Anderson, New head coach Ken Whisenhut just came from a team that ran the 3-4...so, it wouldn't surprise me to see a 3-4 come to fruition in AZ. Jamal Anderson has the size that you look for in a DE in the 3-4.

6. Washington Redskins - Gaines Adams, plain and simple: their defense was terrible last year. Now, the 'Skins have an interesting situation. They have a 1st round pick and then nothing again until very late. I know there are rumors floating around that if Brady Quinn is still on the board (which I think he will be) The Vikings or the Texans are willing to pay handsomely for the chance to move up and draft Quinn (more so the Texans to get him before the Vikings). If the Skins are smart they will do this to acquire more picks. Dan Snyder hates building teams with young talent and loves overpaying over-the-hill vets...but if he wants to not have his head on a pike in DC he should consider trading down.

7. Minnesota Vikings - Robert Meachem, I do think there is a possibility of Brady Quinn going here, but I can see the Vikings taking a WR and trying to deal for the Texan's David Carr. The Vikings do need a receiver very badly right now and if they deal their cards right they might be able to get a vet QB somewhere along the lines too. I know that the Texans would like to get Carr out of Houston to free up some cap room.

8. Houston Texans - Brady Quinn, David Carr obviously isn't fitting well in Houston. I think a lot of it has to do with their lack of an o-line and their lack of a running game and oh yea, their lack of receivers. So, why not throw another young and talented QB back behind a weak o-line and let him feel what it's like to be sacked 100 times a season.

9. Miami Dolphins - Ted Ginn Jr, The 'Phins are another team that I really think would be interested in trading up to get Brady Quinn, but if not then they could definitely use Ted Ginn Jr in their return game and as a 3rd WR since they traded Welker to the Pats. The Welker trade gave them another 2nd round pick too, so they could def find some talent on the defensive line in the second round, but Ginn's speed and return-game is becoming a covetted position.

10. Atlanta Falcons - Dwayne Bowe, The Falcons have GOT to get someone who can catch the ball and hang onto the ball. Bowe had a hell of a combine workout and in my opinion he is a better receiver than Dwayne Jarret and Steve Smith. I think the Falcons can hang onto their secondary for one more year and their defense was not their weak side last year. They couldn't hang onto the ball and as a result of that Vick had to run and teams ganged up on Warrick Dunn.

11. San Francisco - Alan Branch, 6'6" 330lbs. I don't think I really need to say much more in regards to how well he will fit in as a DT in the 3-4 scheme.

12. Buffalo Bills - Marshawn Lynch, They traded Willis McGahee and their only looking at Corey Dillon and Chris Brown as a possible replacement. I think Lynch is the type of runner that Dick Jauron can use in a variety of ways. Not too mention that the Bills still have the A-Train as a back-up, which isn't SO bad...

13. St. Louis Rams - Adam Carriker, they need someone who can stop the run and get after the QB. Carriker is a hulk of a D-End and will be able to start immediately.

14. Carolina Panthers - Patrick Willis, Dan Morgan might be done and they need someone to be a monster in the middle of the field. Patrick Willis is, in fact, a monster.

15. Pittsburgh - Jarvis Moss, They let Jerry Porter go and they need someone to step in and provide a good pass rush and run support. Jarvis Moss really upped his status at the combine and the national championship game against Ohio State.

16. Green Bay Packers - Chris Henry, Lynch and Peterson are off the board by now in my opinion and the Pack needs a good runner. I would think that this wont be the only RB taken by the pack in this draft. Chris Henry is 230lbs and ran a sub-4.4 40 yard dash. The other possible RB's for the Pack to look at that I think would be good fits are Michael Bush and Tony Hunt.

17. Jacksonville Jags - LaRon Landry, Deon Grant went to Seattle and Ken Hamlin is available, but I think Jacksonville will look no further than Landry. He play's like a beast out there and is a ball-hawking saftey. He fits in well with the Jag's nasty D.

18. Cincinatti Bengals - Paul Pozluszny, Brian Simmons is out and who knows if Odel Thurman will make it through an entire season without getting arrested or shot at...or something else involving a law-infraction. Poz doesn't seem like a trouble-maker to me and I think he would be a good fit to step into the OLB position mainly because of his stability as a person and a player. I also could see them leaning towards Greg Olsen for a TE.

19. Tennessee Titans - Dwayne Jarrett, The Titans picked up Justin Gage and Brandon Jones seems to be a decent receiver, but they definitely need someone who can be a franchise WR. I don't think Dwayne Jarrett is the best receiver available in the draft, but he has a knack for coming down with the ball and that is something that Vince Young was used to at Texas.

20. New York Giants - Lawrence Timmons, LaVar Arrington busted in NY (weird) and they need a speedy OLB who can get after the QB and stop the run. Timmons is definitely the kind of linebacker that the Giants need.

21. Denver Broncos - Amobi Okoye, This is assuming that Shanahan thinks he can get good pressure out of the rest of his D-Ends. So, my other choice here would be Charles Johnson or Anthony Spencer.

22. Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer, Gregg Ellis is ANCIENT! The other way I see the Cowboys rolling is towards a safety like Brandon Merriweather.

23. Kansas City Chiefs - Steve Smith, Daunte Hall and Eddie Kennison are the only receivers for KC. They need some help here drastically and Steve Smith ran a solid 40, but the thing that scouts like about Smith is his route running ability and sure-hands.

24. New England (From Seattle) - Brandon Merriweather, Rodney Harrison hasn't had a healthy season in two years. The other way I see them going here may be Chris Houston to add depth to their secondary.

25. New York Jets - Greg Olsen, They don't need a runningback and Jericho Cotchery, Laverneus Coles, and Brad Smith seem to be doing well at receivers. The one thing they are lacking is a big time receiving TE. Olsen could be just that.

26. Philadelphia - Buster Davis, Dhani Jones sucks. I dont care what anyone says. I think Trotter has a few more good years left in the tank and Omar Gaither is involved on every play. Buster Davis isn't the exact height you want in a linebacker, but the guy is quick and built like a tank, but more importantly, he makes the tough plays.

27. New Orleans - Aaron Ross, Remember that play that whatshisface missed and resulted in Bernard Berrian making a spectacular catch and getting up AND scoring, which led to the Bears going to the Super Bowl? Yea, I think that The Big Easy finally has an offense and a solid defense, but they need to really sure up their secondary. Aaron Ross is a big physical corner who plays the ball well.

28. New England - Daymeion Hughes, They re-loaded on offense...a lot. So, I think that this draft is going to be primarily focused on defense.

29. Baltimore Ravens - Justin Blaylock, Who knows if Ogden is going to stick it out for one more year and they released vet guard Mulitalo. Blaylock played both guard and tackle at Texas and as far as I am concerned is one of the better offensive linemen available this draft.

30. San Diego - Anthony Gonzalez, They have got to get someone who can create seperation in the receiving game. Vincent Jackson is enormous, but plays terrible position. McCardell is a great receiver, but is in the twilight of his career and Parker is incredibly inconsistent. Gonzalez has wheels, great hands, and is a very good route runner.

31. Chicago Bears - Jon Beason, I had thought that they may look at taking Zack Miller or maybe a Ben Grubbs, but I seriously think that Briggs is going to sit this season out or be traded. If that is the case then the Bears are going to need someone to step in and play the LB position. I think John Beason has a lot of upside as a LB because of his speed.

32. Indianapolis Colts - David Harris, If their defense plays like that ALL year long there won't be much they need to draft. The biggest thing that they need since Cato June left is a LB, but Nick Harper is also out so they might look at CB.

My Own 2007 Mock NFL Draft

2007-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

I have been reading so much hooplah on the 2007 Draft and where everyone predicts everyone will go...etc etc etc.

Well, I agree with some of them and I disagree with a lot of them.

So here is my mock 1st round for this years NFL Draft:

1. OAKLAND RAIDERS - Brady Quinn, QB out of Notre Dame. The Raiders have a talented young defense, so I dont see them addressing anything there in the first couple of rounds. Randy Moss still has game and if Art Shell can get Moss and Jerry Porter to jump on his bandwagon then the Raiders could have a fairly potent offense next year. Though I dont see both Moss and Porter coming to Shell's side, I think that Moss would if given the proper QB to give him the consistent passes that Moss desires. The O-Line is solid as is the running backs with LaMont Jordan. Aaron Brooks is not the answer here for the QB position and Andrew Walter is absolutely TERRIBLE. Brady Quinn would instantly be able to step in and provide a young, talented, smart QB to build a franchise around.

2. DETROIT LIONS - JaMarcus Russell, QB out of LSU. This guy has a cannon for an arm and is a hulk of a man. Russell gets compared to Daunte Culpepper a lot in regards to his physical attributes and arm strength. I think that the Lions have a lot of talent at the receiver position and Russell could be the big arm they need to really stretch the field with Roy and Mike Williams as well as Mike Furrey. Kevin Jones is a very talented running back that has yet to have a full season due to injuries, but rookie Brian Calhoun and Arlen Harris could provide Detroit with a lot of options for running back. The Lion's D is stacked with young players who possess speed and talent. Other than the QB position I feel that all this team needs to be great is chemistry, and that comes down to Rod Marinelli.

3. CLEVELAND BROWNS - Adrian Peterson, RB out of Oklahoma. Cleveland has made it apparent that they are sticking with hometown-hero Charlie Frye at the QB position and in all honesty I think Frye has a lot of potential to be a winner in the NFL. The Brownies did a lot to rebuild their defense last year at the linebacker position and I do see them addressing their D-line and secondary later in the draft, but I think that them having the opportunity to grab Adrian Peterson with the # 3 pick is a must for their offense. Reuben Droughns has had plenty of time to emerge as a solid RB and he just hasn't done so. Peterson is quick to hit the holes and has great vision to go along with his 6'2" 215lb frame. With the Brownies getting their multi-million dollar O-line back and healthy next year Peterson should be able to step right in and have a great rookie year and help the Brownies' struggling rushing offense.

4. TAMPA BAY BUCS - Leon Hall, CB out of Michigan. Tampa has a lot of holes to fill on defense this off-season. Ronde Barber is getting older, Simeon Rice is in the twilight of his career as is Derrick Brooks. They picked up Chris Hovan, but got rid of Booger McFarland. I see them taking Hall because he brings starting capabilities to the Buc's defense. Hall excells in pass coverage as well as being able to come up and stop the run if need be. I think that Hall would flourish under Ronde Barber's wing. I don't expect Tampa to address to much offensive issues this draft, I would expect them to go after a vet WR to aide in the development of Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall.

5. ARIZONA CARDINALS - Joe Thomas, T out of Wisconsin. Zona has a promising offense with Edge, Leinart, Boldin, Fitzgerald, Bryand Johnson, and Leonard Pope. That is a hell of a line-up. What Arizona really needs on offense is a big time lineman to aide the running game. Edge didnt have nearly enough of an impact because of how dismal their o-line is. I expect the Cards to pick up a couple of defensive players later in the draft, but Joe Thomas is the best lineman available and he would be an immediate starter on the Arizona line.

6. WASHINGTON REDSKINS - Gaines Adams, DE out of Clemson. Adams is only 260 lbs and as a DE in the NFL, that isn't all that big. However, Dwight Freeney is only 255 lbs and he is one of the more feared pass-rushers at the DE spot. The Redskins have a lot of work to do and Joe Gibbs really needs to figure out how to get his team of individuals to play like a team and become the elite team that they have the capabilities to be. Gaines Adams brings the speed and work ethic to a very sluggish D-line. The Redskins got hardly any pressure on the QB this past year and that is very very unlike a Greg Williams defense. Adams would be able to give the Redskins that quickness on the D-line that they lack.

7. MINNESOTA VIKINGS - Calvin Johnson, WR out of Georgia Tech. Johnson is 6'5" and 235lbs and runs a 4.35 40-yard dash. He has incredible hands and a 47" verticle jump. He is, by far, the best athlete coming out in this years draft. The Vikings dropped Marcus Robinson this year and their only real WR threat is Troy Williamson, who potentially can be great because of his burner speed, but they have no one other than him who can consistently make plays. I think Johnson combined with Williamson and Travis Taylor will provide the perfect scenario for head coach, Brad Childress, to groom his young QB, Tavarres Jackson into the next Donovan McNabb.

8. HOUSTON TEXANS - Justin Blaylock, T out of Texas. I said it last year and I will say it again, the Texan's biggest downfall was not providing QB David Carr with the proper protection. Bringing in Eric Moulds and Jeb Putzier are great as far as weapons for Carr to throw to, but it means nothing if he can't get the ball off. I hope the Texans don't give up on Carr just yet and they actually put an O-line in front of him because when they do I think the Texans will be able to do some damage. Blaylock is a big and powerful tackle and a huge reason why Texas beat USC two years ago in the National Championship. He is an instant starter in the NFL and will remain injury free most of his career as he has not had any major issues while at college.

9. MIAMI DOLPHINS - Dwayne Jarrett, WR out of USC. At 6'5" and 215lbs, Jarret will give the Fins the height they desperately need in their passing offense. WR's Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, and Wesley Welker are all under six feet in height. I think Culpepper comes back to full-force and anyone remember the last time Culpepper had a 6'5" receiver to throw too? He had one of the best seasons any QB has ever had in the NFL.

10. ATLANTA FALCONS - Jeff Samardzija, WR out of Notre Dame. Everyone thinks that Michael Vick is not that great of a QB, myself included. However, this year he really seemed to try and become a "pass-first" QB, but all of his receivers dropped pretty much every ball that he threw at them. Samardzija brings the height (6'5") and hands (147 receptions, 2200 yards, and 26 TD's in 2 years) to Atlanta, which is exactly what Vick needs. The only receiving threat for the Falc's is TE Alge Crumpler and he can only do so much.

11. SAN FRANCISCO 49'ERs - Alan Branch, DT out of Michigan. Branch is 6'6" and 330 lbs. He would be the perfect fit for the 49er's 3-4 scheme, which allowed 412 points this past season (the worst in the NFL). Branch is great at stopping the run and can provide a lot of penetration in regards to rushing the passer.

12. BUFFALO BILLS - Troy Smith, QB out of OSU. Smith may not have the most "desireable" height that NFL scouts look for in the QB position, but Smith is an accurate passer who is incredibly mobile and always brings his A-Game to the field. Smith plays the best in the biggest games and that intangeable attribute is something very few players have. Not only that but Buffalo loves Ohio State players (Ashton Youboty, Donte Whitner, Nate Clements). JP Losman is too much of a roller-coaster QB and Buffalo has too much talent on the offensive side of the ball to be as unproductive as they have been the past couple of years.

13. ST. LOUIS RAMS - LaRon Landry, S out of LSU. The Ram's need someone to replace Adam Archuletta and they need a solid run-stopping safety who also posseses the ability to make plays on the deep ball. LaRon Landry is that safety and will play alongside Corey Chavous beautifully.

14. CAROLINA PANTHERS - Paul Posluszny, LB out of Penn State. Poz brings a lot to the table as far as understanding the game and is arguably the best LB in this years draft. The Panthers are known for their defense, which is why I think they will take a top LB as their first pick. Dan Morgan has been injured the past two seasons and there are concerns on whether or not he will even return to playing. Poz would be the perfect person to fill that role.

15. PITTSBURGH STEELERS - Reggie Nelson, S out of Florida. The Steelers defense was so up and down last year, but the loss of safety Chris Hope was felt all year long. Adding a hard hitting and ball-hawking safety like Reggie Nelson will allow Troy Polamalu to be able to go back to being the roaming safety that he plays best in.

16. GREEN BAY PACKERS - MarShawn Lynch, RB out of Cal. The Packers are prepared at QB if Favre decides to leave, they have some talent at WR, but I wouldnt be surprised to see them address that later in the draft. The Pack's defense is solid if they can keep everyone healthy, but I think the one obvious spot they need to fill quickly is their running game. A balanced running attack is imperative in the NFL today and Ahman Green is constantly sidelined with injury and really hasnt been productive the past couple of years. Nick Herron showed some signs of life, but is certainly only a situational back and Vernand Morrency is nowhere near a #1. MarShawn Lynch is the perfect choice for Green Bay and because he is leaving early he will provide the Pack with a lot of years.

17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - LaMarr Woodley, DE/OLB out of Michigan. The Jag's defense is their cornerstone and while most people would argue that they are giving up on Leftwich and need a QB, I tend to disagree. I think Del Rio won't give up on Leftwich that easily. I think the Jags need to bring in some veteran receivers on offense to assist Leftwich in the passing game. However, I think that adding a pure pass rusher like LaMarr Woodley will only help this defense in a division where they have to keep Peyton Manning from throwing a thousand TD's per game. You can line Woodley up at DE or at an outside linebacker position. Reminds me a lot of Terrell Suggs for the Baltimore Ravens.

18. CINCINATTI BENGALS - Quinn Pitcock, DT out of OSU. The Bengal's defense needs some serious help with stopping the run as well as getting to the QB. Marvin Lewis seems to not be interested in bringing back Odel Thurman at the LB position, but considering that David Pollack will probably never play again, Lewis doesnt seem to have much of a choice in my opinion. However, I think adding someone like Pitcock on the D-line will really boost the Bengal's defense with stopping the run and Pitcock will take up blockers, which in turn will open up lanes for pass rushers to get through.

19. TENNESEE TITANS - Ted Ginn Jr, WR out of OSU. Ginn is by far the fastest player in the NCAA right now and has the capability of developing into a solid receiver. Definitely fits right into Norm Chow's offense with stretching the field and giving Vince Young another weapon to throw to. Since Brandon Jones emerged as the Titan's #2 and Travis Henry eats up yards on the ground, Ginn would be the perfect "x-factor" in their offense. Someone like a Steve Smith from the Panthers. Or a Bernard Berrian from the Bears. Not too mention the fact that Ginn + PacMan Jones returning kicks and punts is by far the scariest special teams returners the NFL has ever seen.

20. NEW YORK GIANTS - Kenny Irons, RB out of Auburn. Now that Tiki is retiring the Giants are left with a huge blank spot on their offensive roster. Brandon Jacobs is a hulk of a RB that can definitely carry the load on offense, but Tiki provided that homerun threat to the Giants offense because he was an incredible runner with great vision and had very good hands out of the backfield. I think that Irons will provide that quick, home-run threat that the Giants will need to replace.

21. DENVER BRONCOS - Greg Olsen, TE out of Miami. Who knows how long Rod Smith will stick around and Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall are going to be a great tandum for Jay Cutler to throw to, but why not give Cutler a big body to go to in the red-zone and Olsen also has the speed and size to create mismatches for opposing defenses.

22. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (f/trade with Seattle) - Sidney Rice, WR out of South Carolina. This was actually a tough call for me because New England has a lot of holes on defense, but I think the focus of this franchise is on Tom Brady and giving him weapons to throw to. Chad Jackson has a lot of promise and Doug Gabriel could be good as well as Reche Caldwell, but I think that New England needs WR's desperately.

23. DALLAS COWBOYS - Levi Brown, T out of Penn State. A lot of analysts see the Boy's taking a safety in the first round, but I think there will be some quality safeties left in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, which is why I think that the Cowboy's will draft to replenish their aging offensive line. Tony Romo is a fairly mobile QB, but he still needs protection and the Boy's o-line is lacking that ability.

24. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - Antoine Cason, CB out of Arizona. Let's face it, Ty Law isn't going to be around forever and has already lost a step or two and who knows how long the Chiefs are going to be willing to pay his bloated salary. I think that Cason brings is the best CB available at this time of the draft and the Chiefs could use him right away in Nickel and Dime schemes.

25. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - Patrick Willis, LB out of Ole' Miss. Talk about a LB who hunts for the ball and punishes whoever has the ball, then you must be talking about Patrick Willis. The Saints were all ready to take AJ Hawk last year with the 2nd pick until Reggie Bush fell into their laps so, it would be no surprise at all for the Saints to add to their remarkable over-achieving defense. Patrick Willis FTW in the Big Easy.

26. NEW YORK JETS - Alley Broussard, RB out of LSU. There is a lot of contention that Leon Washington will be capable of filling the role of the #1 running back for the JEt's franchise, but I dont think they will feel too comfortable without options. I forsee the Jets dropping power backs Kevan Barlow and Cedric Houston and drafting a much younger powerback such as Alley Broussard. I think that he and Washington could be a great duo to build an offense around.

27. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - HB Blades, LB out of Pittsburgh. I think that Dhani Jones is one of the most overrated linebackers in the NFL and I think he is a weak spot on the Eagle's defense. Omar Gaither is going to be great for them and they need someone else to replace Jones. McCoy is a good special teams player, but I question is capabilities in regards to play recognition. Blades has been a standout linebacker at Pittsburgh his entire career there and has been healthy his entire career also. Andy Reid likes going after hometown players so it wouldnt surprise me whatsover to see him go for someone like HB Blades. Plus with that name, couldnt you see him Trotter and Dawkins getting along very well?

28. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - Tom Zbikowski, S out of Notre Dame. New England has a lot of holes to fill on their aging defense but I think that Zbikowski is that hard-nosed type of player that would fit right in with the rest of thew Patriots. Not too mention that Zbikowski can add a return threat to special teams. I can't see him replacing Rodney Harrison just yet, but Harrison has been plagued with injuries the past two years, I can see Zbikowski being worked in sporatically throughout the season and being a starter beside Harrison at the end of the season.

29. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - Adam Carriker - DE from Nebraska. The Colts need to draft nothing but quality defensive players. Their defense was so ugly this past year that I dont even know where to begin. I would lean towards them going after a linebacker or a safety, but if Bob Sanders stays healthy and their D-Tackles stay healthy then I think that improves their defense ten-fold. Their biggest problem is that their ends are undersized and when both big DT's are out (Corey Simon and Booger MacFarland) they need another DE who can stop the run and get to the QB. Carriker is 290 pounds and moves like a linebacker. The Colts get a steal with Carriker.

30. DA BEARSSS - Drew Stanton, QB out of Michigan State. The reason I suggest this is because of the inconsistency of Rex Grossman. I can never see him being the leader of the Chicago Bears for the long haul. I think Kyle Orton is a great back-up, but lacks the talent to be a true #1. Griese is getting older and no one likes a QB controversie. Stanton brings tremendous mobility and a cannon of an arm to the table. I think behind Brady Quinn and Troy Smith, Stanton is the best all around QB in the draft this year.

31. BALTIMORE RAVENS - Tony Hunt, RB out of Penn State. The Baltimore Raven's pride and joy is their defense. They have tremendous depth at all of the positions on defense so I cant see them taking anyone defensively in the first round. I think that with the acquisition of Steve McNair the Raven's passing offense is going to continue to improve with Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams emerging as the #1 and #2 receivers. However, the running game is what really appears to be the area of focus this off-season. It was only a few years ago that Jamal Lewis joined the ranks of the game's elite by rushing for over 2,000 yards in one season, but since then he has struggled. He seems to be lacking that certain spark that he once had. Maybe it is time for him and Baltimore to part ways, maybe not, but the Ravens need to bring in someone else who can push Lewis for the starting role and eventually become the starting role and I see Tony Hunt being that player. Hunt has great vision and speed for a larger running back (6'1" 225lbs) and I see his type of downhill running being perfect for Baltimore's grinding offense.

32. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS - Steve Smith, WR out of USC OR Robert Meachem, WR out of Tenn. I couldn't really decide in this situation because the Chargers need someone else for Phillip Rivers to throw to besides LT and Antonio Gates. If Meachem comes out then I see the Chargers taking him because of his size (6'3" 210 lbs) and his speed for that size. If Meachem doesnt come out then I can see them going with Steve Smith because he also has good size at 6'1" but posses explosive speed that can stretch defenses downfield.

Middle Class America

2006-10-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

The middle class is a purposeful construct, a buffer keeping the poor from the throats of the rich. The continued destruction of the middle class will result in class warfare, social strife, social revolution in our country, if the trend is not reversed

My thoughts in regards to the above quote:

The quote is right on the money, no pun intended, because the middle class is becoming obsolete. The poor get to be supported by government funding and or get government breaks all the while the rich just keep raking in money. I am not going to throw out the "it's not fair" card because life isn't about fairness or a level playing field, but in this case it really isn't fair. It almost seems more worthwhile to become poor to gain access to all of those wonderful programs that assist low-income families.

A classless society would not be the utopia that everyone desires, but the problem is that our social system is headed towards a serious backlash similar to what happened to the USSR in the late 80's/early 90's; so we are looking at a pretty terrible situation anyway. This may not happen tomorrow, I am not saying that, but I do think that it will happen eventually.

A great point that proves that the middle class is being essentially "squished" by the two other classes is the rising costs of colleges and universities. I know I use this as an example often, but the reason I do is because the rich will always be able to pay for college and the poor will always be able to qualify for government aid and financial aid. However, a vast majority of the middle class falls within that range where they don't really qualify for much at all, but they don't really have the money to outright pay for college either. The problem is that college and universities plug you and your parents into an equation with minimal factors involved and quite literally compute you into a number and if that number is above their minimal financial aid number then you wont qualify for aid; maybe a little, but certainly not enough.

Another example would be the rise of inflated costs vs. the average wage. The wages do not increase with inflation, which makes your money deteriorate more and more with each percent of inflation.

The middle class will eventually cease.

There are things that can be done, but the government is all composed of the rich, so they dont care and arent going to jump to their feet to do anything.

If They Dont Want To Play, GET RID OF THEM!

2006-10-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

I dont know what the deal is with most teams in the NFL today, but it amazes me that these teams feel the need to hang onto players who obviously don't want to be there. Now, I am all for players owning up to the contract that they signed, but I do think that the players deserve the option to leave if they feel that they need to; especially because in the NFL, 99% of the contracts are not guaranteed to any player. How do you think most teams can afford such high payrolls?

I dont think that players should just be able to opt out of playing for a team if the team is no good because I am a believer in that old school leadership. You don't see Brett Favre requesting to be traded from Green Bay and he has hardly ANY team around him whatsoever. He had the worst year of his career last year, but he still went out there every week and gave it his all and I believe that he (as well as Green Bay) are better for it.

Deion Branch was a special case this summer because he wanted to re-work his contract and New England didnt want to re-work his contract, so he chose to opt out until they traded him or re-worked the contract. The squeaky wheel gets the oil and shortly after the season started Branch was traded to Seattle.

My reason for writing this piece is because of the situation in Oakland right now with receivers Jerry Porter and Randy Moss. Let me first start off by saying that Al Davis is a terrible owner and whoever is in charge of player personell and offensive play calling needs to be shot. Why in the world you would bring in Aaron Brooks and expect his inability to make good decisions EVER to make your team better? In fact, Brook's only consistent aspect of being a QB in the NFL is his ability to make ridiculous decisions when pressured that usually ends up in the hands of the opposing defense or if he's lucky, an incomplete pass.

Jerry Porter hasn't played a down all season and now is suspended by Art Shell indefinitely. Jerry Porter requested a trade at the beginning of the season and nothing has come of it yet. So, what does he do? He becomes a problem and causes drama because he wants out! He doesn't want to play in Oakland anymore. What does Oakland do? Nothing. They keep him there and let him become a problem and then fine him and suspend him.

Randy Moss will still play for this team, but they have got to involve him in the game more. Whoever is calling the plays should have three sets of plays.

1. Run plays for Lamont Jordan
2. Pass plays to Randy Moss
3. Run/pass plays to everyone else if need be

That is how they would win ball games, but unfortunately they aren't doing that at all so why should one of the best receivers in the game not be frustrated?

Here is what I think should happen and why.

First of all Randy Moss has been in the league for 9 years and Jerry Porter has been in the league for 7 years. That is a significant piece of their NFL career that they cannot get back and neither of them has won a championship and it doesn't look like the Raiders are going to make a run for the Super Bowl any time soon. If they are lucky they will have 5-6 more years left in the league and that is not a lot of time for an NFL player because they could suffer a career ending injury at any point in practice or in a game.

Oakland - TRADE JERRY PORTER AND TRADE RANDY MOSS.

They could absolutely get at the minimum a 1st round pick for both of those receivers and there are a lot of teams right now that could use a big play receiver (New England, Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco, San Diego, Kansas City, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tennesee, Jacksonville, Baltimore, etc). Out of those teams I mentioned 7 of them are serious playoff contenders and 4 of them are Super Bowl contenders.

The main reason I say trade them both is because you need team unity above all else. Losing game after game is hard enough on a team, but having two of your best players being disruptive and causing preventable drama just brings the team down even more (Look at Philly last year with TO). I am not saying that Porter or Moss are as bad as TO, he is on a level by himself, but I am saying that trading these two guys for two top picks in the draft or maybe another top guy that you can use to replace them is not a bad idea if it will help your stagnate team mesh better. Any team that gets to the playoffs and goes to the Super Bowl is a team that plays well together and has a bond and a unity that is unlike any other. That is when teams can start to really shine and that is what I think one of the biggest problems in Oakland is.

Get rid of Jerry Porter and then get rid of Randy Moss if he wants out. Something has to be done there and there are a lot of other teams out there who are just waiting for someone of their caliber.

New One Soon

2006-10-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of working on a new blog. Please stay tuned...have a few drinks and chill out.

In the meantime, check out The Rev. Fred Phelps here at www.godhatesfags.com

He is, unintentionally, one of the funniest people that I have ever seen/heard/or read about.

What a fucking loon!

VOTE OR DIE

2006-09-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

200 years ago the average "Joe" could just walk around his town, county, and state gathering support from everyone he spoke with and get elected into office. Maybe not the Presidency right away, but it wasn't out of question for people to use such grassroots-esque methods to get their voice heard and gain a following which would vault them into the political arena. Back then being a politician wasn't just a job, but more along the lines of a service. The Framers of our constitution had intended on politicians acting as soldiers do in our military; service to our people and our country. So, what happened to all of that? Why is it now that you can have a career in politics? In reality, what do politicians do? It really all comes down to us as a people coming together for a specific purpose and cause.

The "operators" of our government aim to do one thing and that is keep the status quo. Change is bad in their eyes because the "operator's" eyes change will lead to their demise. They are a bunch of wealthy old white men who keep getting wealthier and wealthier as they stay in office and what is worse is that they don't even get wealthy from being in office! They get wealthy from being CEO's of companies that front money for them to remain in office. When anything looks daunting for them they call on the ultra-conservatives and the Christian Right to come in and preach the word of God through politics and then the whiney liberals shout at them from afar because they are too scared to go toe-to-toe with such a large entity. Hence, why we are only given, essentially, two choices for President each 4 years. the Incumbent and someone from the other party.

The problem exists due to Americans becoming too blind and naive to see that by them making a choice between two people that were CHOSEN for us to choose from really isn't making a choice at all, but rather selecting the lesser of two evils. Sure, third party candidates offer other choices for the Presidency, but in all honesty the only third party candidate to ever substantially take away votes from the Republican and the Democratic candidates was Ross Perot when he ran against Bill Clinton and George Bush (1992). It is almost like the "operator's" are dumbing down the American public. Especially the middle class, which ironically enough, happens to be the majority of America! Weird how that works...

The reason why choosing between just two candidates is bull-shit is because how can that be making a free choice? What if both candidates just suck? One of them will be elected no matter what, right? So, what happens if I want to vote for my roomate? I can, but what is the point? Just looking at this system right now, it is very contradictory to what our constitution alotts us as freedoms and rights. We have the right to vote, but only on who they say we can vote for? How does that make any sense whatsoever? How does that make us a free a democratic society? I believe that is more along the lines of drastically teetering on a Constitutional Monarchy...especially when you have families that are ALL involved in the government (Kennedy's, Bush's, etc.)

The thing that really bothers me is that when it comes time for us to briefly glance at our "choices" (if you want to call them that) we are made to feel like scum if we dont "exercise our right to vote". Campaigns from either party tell us it is our civil duty as American Citizens to go and vote. P-Diddy and a bunch of other celebrities tell us to "Vote or Die" on cable network channels and whatnot. In reality though, if either candidate leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and I choose not to vote for either because I think both of them would make terrible leaders, is that not a vote in itself? I voted to not vote. I am exercising my right to vote by not voting for candidates who I despise and were chosen for me, not by me.

It is all a political ploy. Every bit of it. They seek to only purchase votes and pander to people and make you feel Anti-American if you don't vote. The operators of our once great country have completely bastardized the political system that our terrorist fore-fathers fought and died to achieve.

I say to you all, if you feel that the candidate chosen from the Democratic Party is a loser and you feel that the candidate chosen by the Republican Party is even more of a loser, then I beseech you to exercise your rights and freedoms to be a free-thinker and NOT vote for either of them. That is a choice in itself and that is voting. Don't let political propaganda fool you into thinking that you are Anti-American if you don't exercise your right to vote. They aren't allowing us to fully exercise our rights and they haven't for quite some time, so who is really the Anti-American?

Not voting because you dislike each candidate is making just as much of a statement as voting for either of them. Why vote for someone you dislike slightly less than the other? It isn't worth it and because the operators of our government like to keep things status quo, it isn't like it is going to matter anyway.

Roupes

2006-09-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

My roomate loves Peter Gallagher.

Just wanted to tell you all that.

The Running Quarterback vs. The Pocket Quarterback

2006-09-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Running Quarterback vs. The Passing Quarterback

Sports writers, journalists, scouts, and fans flocked to Virginia Tech when the swift-footed lefty QB took the field each week for the Hokies. They came from all over the land to see the jaw-dropping runs and nail-biting throws this quarterback would make. Who was this QB and why was he so fascinating?

The name: Michael Vick.

Vick is not your prototypical quarterback. Vick is faster than most running backs on any level of the game and boasts a stronger arm than most quarterbacks on any level of the game of football. That is why he was so amazing. Thats why he IS so amazing.

Like anything though, there is a catch.

When Vick was drafted in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, scouts, coaches, and fans alike truly believed that Vick was going to reinvent the position of quarterback. Now, I wouldn't exactly describe Vick's career in the NFL as reinventing the position of the QB, but I would describe his career as a "solidifying example of why mobile quarterback's just don't work past the college level."

Since 2001 Vick has completed just 52% of his passes for approximately 9,000 yards, 51 TD's, and a QB rating of approximately 74.0.

On the other hand...

Since 2001 Tom Brady has completed 61% of his passes for approximately 18,000 yards, 123 TD's, and a QB rating of approximately 88.0. Oh yea, Brady also has three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVP awards to go along with those stats.

Based on those stats alone, what style of QB do you think is more effective in the NFL?

There are many reasons as to why mobile QB's like Vick have a hard time finding success in the NFL. We will start with some obvious reasons that most people probably wouldn't think are very important, but in reality they can really make or break a QB's performance.

SIZE
Vick is 6'0" and 215lbs. The average sized starting QB in the NFL is 6'2" - 6'3" and 225lbs. Those few extra inches and extra weight make a big difference when standing in the pocket and delivering a throw. It is very difficult to have good vision downfield when you are standing behind those big offensive linemen (who average nearly 6'5" in height and some reaching heights of 6'7"). Having the extra weight on you allows you to take a beating when it comes, because let's be honest here, the purpose of those bid d-linemen is to put pressure on the QB when he is attempting to make a pass; and those d-linemen will put pressure on the QB's any way they can. It is a lot easier for a d-linemen to take down a QB who is 215lbs than one who is 230lbs etc.

TALENT LEVEL IS EXPANDED IN THE NFL
Think about the NFL like the very bottom part of a funnel. At the top, or the wider part, of the funnel is your college-level athletes. All 119 teams in the NCAA boast a wide variety of talent at all of the skill positions, but not everyone is as talented or as fast as everyone else. The old saying goes something like "Speed kills" and in college football, that old saying holds up very very well. Vick was able to be a one-man-show at Virginia Tech because a majority of the opponents he faced on a weekly basis were not nearly as fast as him and couldn't hold a light to his athletic capabilities. He could drop back and heave the long ball or take off running and win games with his legs. Essentially, Vick was a running back who had a decent arm.

We have seen countless examples of QB's in college who dominate their opponents because they are such dual threats with their arms and legs, but when they get to the NFL they are lost. As of late a majority of these QB's have been changing positions to the likes of Wide Receiver, Safeties, and running backs. Some of the more notable players in the NFL who have done this are Antwan Randel El who was the QB for Illinois in his college days, but now he catches balls for the Washington Redskins after winning a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a Wide Receiver. Michael Robinson was a wide receiver at Penn State and then switched to QB his junior year and helped Penn State turn around a program that was starving for big offense. Now, Robinson is on the 49er's roster as a running back. Matt Jones, now a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, once heaved balls for Alabama. The list goes on and on.

The main reason, the only reason really, why these hybrid-QB's fail to do much of anything outside of making Head Coaches pull their hair out is because in college a lot of people are fast, but in the NFL absolutely EVERYONE is fast. They can't rely on their escapability anymore because now they have to worry about the 250lb linebacker who can outrun them sideline to sideline every time. Why do you think no one run's the "Option-O" in the NFL anymore, but you see it still being used in college playbooks?

Before anyone looks at me and goes "What about Donovan McNabb? Or Daunte Culpepper?" let me address those two QB's very quickly. Those two QB's came in a few years before Vick started getting hype. They are incredibly mobile and have great escapability, but the main difference is that they quickly realized that the QB's who were winning championships at the pro-level were all great passing QB's. Look at the teams who have won the Super Bowls in the Past 10 years.

1996 - Dallas Cowboys, QB: Troy Aikman (HOFer)
1997 - Green Bay Packers, QB: Brett Favre (HOFer)
1998 - Denver Broncos, QB: John Elway (HOFer)
1999 - Denver Broncos, QB: John Elway (HOFer)
2000 - St. Louis Rams, QB: Kurt Warner (Possible HOFer)
2001 - Baltimore Ravens, QB: Trent Dilfer (Not HOF Material, but good passer nonetheless)
2002 - New England Patriots, QB: Tom Brady (Future HOFer)
2003 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, QB: Brad Johnson (Solid passer)
2004 - New England Patriots, QB: Tom Brady (Future HOFer)
2005 - New England Patriots, QB: Tom Brady (Future HOFer)
2006 - Pittsburgh Steelers, QB: Ben Roethlisberger (Possible Future HOFer)

Not one of those QB's could EVER be considered QB's that were mobile QB's. That's what running backs are for.

The funny thing to me is that NFL coaches and owners are still thinking that mobile QB's in the NFL can work, so they keep drafting them. Other than Vick, how many of them have really done anything as of late? Akili Smith - BUST. Charlie Ward won the Heisman and went to play basketball because he figured he would have a better pro-career there. Quincy Carter - BUST. Adrian McPhereson - BUST. Seneca Wallace - BUST.

I'm not completely saying that mobile QB's are doomed to fail in the NFL, but I will go out on a limb and say that history has proven that pocket QB's are much more effective in the NFL than mobile QB's are. So why do coaches take chances on QB's like Vince Young over Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler? I don't know, I personally wouldn't. However, I do think Vince Young is somewhat of an anomaly though. He has great escapability and a lot of speed, but I also think has has the potential to be a Daunte Culpepper/Donovan McNabb type of player, if he works hard enough to become an efficient passer in the NFL, that is.

So who is the next crop of running back's blessed with arms that coaches will take a chance on? Troy Smith from Ohio State certainly rings a bell, but he is different in that he relies on his passing game first and runs second. He will do well in the NFL. Pat White from West Virginia will probably not do well in the NFL, I see him switching positions to a WR or something of that nature.

QB's like Vick are incredible to watch in action. They are some of the finest athletes around, but being a good athlete does not make one a good NFL QB. I think Vick still has a chance, but he needs to really buckle down and focus on his passing game. He has a lot of weapons around him to throw to; especially now since the Falcons traded for WR Ashley Lelie from the Denver Broncos. Maybe Head Coach Jim Mora's game plan/scheme isn't the best suited for Vick, but that is neither here nor there. I think that Vick will have a decent career, but I can't see him winning a Super Bowl anytime soon. I definitely don't see the position of QB being reinvented to accomodate speedster's with arms. In fact, what I do see in the near future is more mobile QB's turning to other positions at college and being successful on the field because they know how to read defenses better than those who have never played QB.

Explosive athletes are great fun to watch in college and in the NFL, but history has proven over and over again that pocket QB's with patience to stand tall in the pocket and make smart throws are going to win championships in the NFL and put up more consistent and better numbers each year.

2006-08-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

Note To Self...

Driving out to Carlisle at 9:00pm and then driving back the next morning only to do an 8-hour move probably isnt the greatest idea in the world...

Then again, I'm sure most people thought that a majority of Leonardo DaVinci's ideas were not too bright.

What does this tell me?

By my method of reasoning above, driving out to Dickinson and then driving back the next morning before an 8-hour move may not be the greatest idea in the world, but it was fun; so it was worth it.

:-)

2006-08-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

What the hell was I thinking?!

I was just looking back at an old post and i noticed i ended it with a "Good Day To You Rabbit"

I dont know what that means, nor do I remember typing it...weird?

It's kind of funny though.

2006-08-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home...

You know, whenever I get nostalgic about some of the people I went to high school with all I have to do is look at their myspace pages.

Eck.

some of them seriously want to make me vomitt. *Enter excrutiating vomitting noises now*

The only person that i went to high school with that i actually still talk to everynow and then and care about makes me so fucking angry. She constantly makes excuses for those shitty people taking dumps on her all the time. And she lets it go, like they didnt do anything wrong at all. I dont know what the deal is with that, but they have done some shitty things to her, one in particular as of late, and she is constantly like "oh you are such a good friend...i love you...blah blah blah" . fuck that. It gets my blood boiling pretty good.

The funny thing is, she will call me out if i do something. Or if I am a dick to her, she will call me out on it. I am the only one she will do that too.

go figure.

2006-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

One False Move: You Took Me On

Man things are weird. Lately I have just been so bored. I cant quite explain it, or why I have felt this way, but it just seems like everything is just paused for a while.

Maybe not paused, per se...more along the lines of life's remote control has a "slo-mo" button on it and someone hit it...so things are moving slightly forward, but not enough to really make me jump up and down and then look around wondering what happened.

Predictability...sweet predictability....

I dont know if predictability is a word, but i felt that it worked well there, so for all of you English majors out there, go ahead and cringe now and then get over it.

2006-06-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Doylestown Rules.

Lords of Doylestown = Me, Roupes, and Smenis.

However, my job blows and I cant wait to get out of this.

I have learned a lot of things about companies...ones that have too many chiefs and not enough indians fucking suck and you should all stay away from them. No one knows what the other says to anyone else and it is absolutely pointless to try and get a unified answer.

I have invested in Excedrin stock because of it.

That is all for now.

Good day to you rabbit.

2006-05-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, we moved into our new place.

This town is fucking awesome. 33 liquor licenses in a small town...gotta love that.

There are tons of great places to eat, a night life, not too mention that our house is sick.

I am loving this shit.

I will post more stuff sooner than later, especially now that I have the capabilities to do so.

Later ninja's.

2006-03-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am finding it harder and harder to motivate myself to actually get on here and post every so often.

I am just busy, ya know?

Between working 40-60 hours a weekand working on getting our new house (which we signed the lease on today) I havent had much time to do anything really; let alone get on here and blog.

I do miss it though.

It's funny to me because during college I never really felt that I was a pretty decent writer. It wasnt until recently that I figured out that its ok that I am not the greatest writer when it comes to the mechanics of writing. True, it does hold me back somewhat, but on the whole I feel I get my point across very well.

I used to write for a local newspaper as well as my high school newspaper, so anything I write has a "flowery" journalistic quality to it. I feel the need to act as if I am actually sitting down with someone and tell them a story about whatever it is I am writing about.

My two buddies (Roupes and Smenis) decided that we should write a book about college. I know, I know, you are all thinking "hasnt that been done before?"

Yes, and no.

Our book is going to be a little bit different. We are actually in the process of compiling some of the ridiculous stories we have about everything that happened to us while in college. Love, sex, alcohol, drugs, parties, greek life, the school, classes, tests, alcohol...etc.

Roupes came up with the best name so far: "The Liar's Club"

I like it.

I got really inspired to start writing a lot a week ago when I went and saw Kevin Smith speak at The College of New Jersey. He really appealed to me because here was a man from New Jersey who didnt care about what other people thought. He just wanted to write because he enjoyed writing. He wrote Clerks, directed it, and filmed it for less than 28 grand and look at him now. His movies defined a generation in a sense.

2006-03-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

So, Roupes and I are starting a band out here.

Right now we are meeting with some peeps around the area to select band members.

We think we are pretty set on calling ourselves "Listen Leroy" .

We want your suggestions for band name ideas.

2006-03-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

Take me back...

You know, in life there are so many things that allow you to close your eyes and be taken back to a time when you were younger that you probably wouldnt always be able to recall. Whether it is the smell of your grand mom's cookies, the feeling of the sand under your feet, the sound of a song...any of these things can take someone back to a time that has since been lost in our mind's cluttered cabinents.

There is one particular song that is very sentimental to me. "Angel From Montgomery" by John Prine (done by Bonnie Rait) takes me back to the days when I was a young boy and it was just me and my mom. Cause thats all it was for me growing up. I guess my mom was the only real constant for me in my life as I was growing up. I have had lots of people and things come and go in my life, but my mom has always been a permanent figure.

When I hear Bonnie Rait sing this song I can honestly close my eyes and be transported to sitting in the front seat of my mom's car when I was 5 or 6, so she couldnt have been much older than 28. It's nice. And moving.

2006-02-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Boycott Rolling Stone Magazine

Ok, so the Rolling Stone magazing is revered as the number one source for opinions and reviews on pop culture right? So why is it that they constantly do the "100 best albums of all time...100 best singers of all time...100 best guitarists of all time...etc" and when they do it, they fuck it all up?!

Go here and read some of the guitarists they ranked in the top 100...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/?rnd=1139210960722&has-player=unknown

Ok...#1. Jimi Hendrix...ok I can understand that...I don't necessarily agree with that...but I will go with it.

#17. Jack White from the White Stripes...The EDGE from U2 is in the top 50...Kurt Cobain is in the top 15...GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.

Who is writing these lists for the Rolling Stone? a 15 year old kid who hasn't a clue about music whatsoever?! I mean come on.

Jack White, Kurt Cobain, and The EDGE are ranked higher than Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, and Frank Zappa. Hell, I dont even think Stevie Ray Vaughn is on there! Nor is Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani. Larry Coryell isnt listed. Pat Metheny isnt listed. Michael Hedges isnt listed. Al DiMeola isnt listed.

AND MY BOY ZAKK FUCKING WYLDE ISNT LISTED.

I am boycotting the rolling stone magazine and I highly suggest you all do the same. They used to write great reviews and formulate plausible opinions...they have gone way way downhill. They are gross.

Dont read it. Dont buy it. If anything write them a letter telling them how much they suck now.

Fuck you Rolling Stone Magazine.

2006-01-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Man, MTV's "The Real World" didn't prepare me for shit...

so yea, I have been living with roupes for almost a month now. It is really weird to have all of my buddies going back to school and heading back to the day-to-day operations of being a college student and I don't have to go back anymore. It is a huge relief though, I won't lie. I definitely am not going to miss the cram sessions for midterms and papers...all nighters were fun for the hang outs...but that was about it. I do enjoy getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night now.

the hardest part for me has been deciding what to do with my life. There are so many things that I want to do, yet I feel as if I am limited to what I am able to do. I know this isn't really true as my kindergarten teachers used to tell me that I can do "anything" and my options are "unlimited"!!!!! Sometimes I wish those kindergarten teachers would ram that "You can do anything!" bull shit right up their fucking asses. That's crap. You can't do anything, you can only do some things. Wanna know why? You dont have enough time to do anything!!! Haha.

between working fulltime, paying bills, getting married, procreating, buying a house, getting a second mortgage, raising kids, sending those little bastards off to college, retiring, and then dying...you really don't have much time to do much else.

My girlfriend always says that she wishes you could live life backwards. Like be born at 100 years old and know little, and as you get younger you do the processes that you would normally do regularly. That way when you were 40, you will have worked for the better part of 40 years and have a nice house, a nice car, and you would be able to enjoy it! I mean seriously, how pathetic is it to see a 70 year old man doing 35 in a 65 and he has a fucking corvette? Or a Porsche?

I hope I am wealthy enough soon that I can buy those things and actually be young enough to enjoy them.

2006-01-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Going Greek: Part II

I got a few responses in regards to my last post about "Going Greek". I also got a few instant messages from some other readers. One in particular from a girl who is in a sorority at Dickinson College. She reminded me that the biggest problem with greek organizations, as well as any organization really, is that a few people give the entire organization a bad name, which ultimately leads to the words "fraternity", "sorority", and "greek" giving off negative impressions immediately. Another thing that she reminded me of is how some people have aspirations to join other clubs and do other activities, but for some reason once they go greek they sometimes opt out from not participating in much else on campus. The problem with this is that these people are just members of a fraternity or a sorority and nothing else. The Administration and independent students tend to develop an attitude towards these members. Especially when there are several independent students who write for the newspaper, are on student senate, work in the library, play intramural sports, attend diversity seminars, and still manage to keep a solid GPA. I am not going to lie, I can understand why they feel the way they do. They do all of these activities and they look at those greeks who don't do anything but stumble to class hungover, raise hell on the weekends (and rarely get caught), and do moderately well academically.

It is sad that few people give such a large number a bad name, but that is how a lot of things are in the world. You are guilty by association.

2006-01-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Going Greek

When I first went to college I had been looking at all of the possibilities for extra curricular activities. I thought about writing for the college newspaper, as I had done in high school, and I also considered joining the student government. However, going greek had never really crossed my mind as a definite for my choices. Sure, before going to Dickinson I had researched all of the greek organizations, looked at their websites, and even talked with a few of their members before leaving for college. I really had the stereotypical perception that fraternities were just beer chugging meat heads who had oodles of money. To a point, I suppose that aspect of greek life is a plausible one, but after hanging out with members of greek organizations I soon realized that they had something that was incredibly appealing to me. I had suffered a series of injuries that left me unable to play contact sports anymore, so playing football and lacrosse at Dickinson quickly faded and I was left with a feeling of emptiness and aloneness. I had always been a part of a "team" and not being able to be a part of something really bothered me. It wasn't that I felt like I needed to blend into the crowd, but I really have always been part of a group and been a leader in a group. Then I decided to bite the bullit and rush. I rushed during the spring of 2002 and I accepted a bid from Delta Sigma Phi.

After pledging and being initiated into the fraternity, I quickly realized that there was so much more to being greek than just the social aspect. We did philanthropies, many community service events, and of course we did the social events. A lot of people think that most greeks only do philanthropy events and community service events because we have to. To those people, I highly suggest you take a closer look. I am proud to say that during my tenure as an active member of Delta Sigma Phi we raised over $5,000 for the March of Dimes Foundation - March of Dimes helps premature babies - and to know that a prematurely born child is being helped because I, along with my brothers, spent an evening making pancakes for students.

A lot of people ask me why I went greek and what is so great about being in a "frat". Well, everything.

Not only did I make bonds with guys who have become my best friends, but I joined an organization composed of a group of guys from all walks of life. We accepted the traditions and carried the torch during our time and passed it off to the members who we selected and trained in the ways of our fraternity. The biggest reason I joined a fraternity is because being in a greek organization is to be part of something that expands much further than your immediate social surroundings. To be part of a greek organization means to be part of and have a unique bond with every member before us, every member after us, and every member in every other chapter of my fraternity across the entire United States of America. I can go to any other campus with a chapter of my fraternity and be accepted with open arms, without question, solely based on the fact that I am one of them because I am a Delta Sigma Phi. That to me is more cherishable and honorable than any other aspect of greek life. Sure, we drink, we party, we do stupid stuff, but the greatest part of it all is that I am a Delta Sigma Phi until the day I die. That is the greatest part of joining a greek organization.

So, to those who think that being greek means you drink inordinate amounts of alcohol and pay for your friends, I calmly say that you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about and it is best not to judge before knowing. A white man cannot know what it feels like to be a black man. A man cannot know what it is to be a woman. So, how can anyone who isn't greek know what it means to be greek? They can't. If you really want to know what it means to be greek, just ask. Don't judge, don't assume. Just ask.

2006-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

I made the move

Well, I am no longer going to be a Maryland resident. At least not for quite some time. I moved to Hamilton, New Jersey. A good friend of mine, and fraternity brother (Roupes) already had a place up here so I moved in here with him for a few months and then we are going to move across the river into PA...where things are MUCH more affordable.

Not having a job kinda blows...I could collect unemployment, but then I would basically have to shoot myself in the face because people who collect unemployment are pathetic and should kill themselves.

I'll post something better in the near future now that I am actually able to have internet that works well.

PEACE.

Happy New Years.

2005-12-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

New Post Soon, I've been busy....ok, no I havent. But I will post something soon.

2005-12-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

Energy Drinks, Smokes, 3:00 AM, and Oblivion...

I really cannot wait for the days when I don't have to worry about completing a term paper, or study non-stop for a final that I probably won't remember 30 minutes after taking the damn thing...College is almost done for me and I am actually quite happy about it.

I know that in "3 years" I will probably think back to the long, sleepless nights spent sitting in front of a computer screen and become nostalgic, but in truth, college for me was a lot like the timeless slogan for pledging: "The best time of your life you never want to do again."

College was great. I made more lifelong friends than I ever thought possible, I gained a new respect for alcohol and other recreational substances, I learned more about life in four years of being hungover in class than I could have ever learned in grade school. Being hungover in a three-hour seminar class will really build character...haha...yes it will...

Though there are many aspects that I will miss, I truthfully don't think those will ever be able to topple my excitement for starting a career and living on my own. The thought of being able to actually afford something other than Natty Light is quite satisfying. Now, don't get me wrong, Natty Light is just fine, but I would much rather relax to the bold flavor of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or maybe even a whiskey on the rocks if it was a long day at the grind.

I dont know, it really hasn't hit me yet that I am done college, hell done with school for all intents and purposes, but I do plan to go to grad school at some point down the road.

As for now...time to reduce the student loans ten-fold...boy that is something I can't wait to do...(insert cynical look here)

2005-12-05T03:14:00.000-08:00

A capella: A Hope and Prayer for American Idol Rejects...

I have been working for the Events Support office of Dickinson College for approximately four years now. Working for them as a Sound Technician, I have been exposed to a plethora of events that I probably would not have given a second thought otherwise. I have seen Jesse Ventura speak on physical and mental health. I have also helped "run sound" for Good Charlotte, SUM41, Jurrasic 5, and a bunch of other bands. However, though I have "run sound" for many different events that I really enjoyed after the show was over, there is one event that I loathe more than anything. A capella shows. I fucking hate A capella. I don't know, maybe it's the fact that here at Dickinson College the pool of students who can actually sing is severely limited, or maybe it's the fact that a group of people covering a song that was perfectly fine to begin with is a tad bit obnoxious. I mean, there are really good respectable A capella groups like Rock-Apella, but I even good A capella I still cannot bring myself to nod my head and think "wow, that's pretty good!"

Obnoxious Factor #1-
For some reason these "vocalists" think that they know everything about audio production, so I am constantly having to fend off A capell-ists telling me that they need a little more 5K in their monitor speaker, or the low-end in their microphone is a little too much and they need the percussion to bleed through their monitor a little more. I guarantee you that 99% of the so-called vocalists that I have come into contact with have no fucking clue what 5K is in regards to sound.

Obnoxious Factor #2-
They don't ever place the correct people in the correct positions for the song that they are performing. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a rendition of a Rob Thomas song or a Vertical Horizon song that is performed with a soloist who cannot sing, first of all, let alone do justice to the original song. Since they have someone in the back doing the "bops" and "poofs" (which they think is a form of percussion...the last time I checked percussion involved some sort of instrument like a drum...or a tamborine...or a cowbell), why don't they find someone specifically for the "percussion" of an A capella group and make sure that person can actually beat-box somewhat...that could be cool. "Shitty A capella group, featuring Rahzel"

Obnoxious Factor #3
The way they arrange the songs makes no sense whatsoever. Shoops...and wops..and bow wows...and dum dum dums...I guess that is the sound the original song produces...I never really heard it that way, but maybe I am just a retard and have no idea what I am talking about anyway. Nah, that's just stupid, I know I am not a retard. Haha..

Maybe it is just the A capella groups here at Dickinson...maybe it is just because I am that much of a musical enthusiast that I get pissed when a group does injustice to a song...or maybe I just get pissed off when I have to run sound for a bunch of pretentious American Idol wanna-be's. So, in closing, Simon Cowell...those who are utterly terrible and make you cringe...don't worry. There is some college out there offering a shitty A capella group looking for shitty singers to do shitty renditions of shitty songs.

DOWNLOADS OF THE MONTH:
Rickety Rackety - Aesop Rock
It Takes A Seven Nation Army - Apathy
Blood Runs Cold - Jedi Mind Tricks
DARE - Gorillaz

2005-11-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

NFL Draft: 2006...Another QB Sweepstakes??

It can pretty much be assumed that the first pick in the first round is 99% of the time going to be a QB, a RB, or even a WR. Every now and then you get a first pick that comes out of nowhere like Orlando Pace (offensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams), but generally speaking the first pick usually goes to the three positions I mentioned above. This coming NFL draft is going to be no different than the norm, however, I do think that a lot of people are going to be surprised by the first picks. Here is why...

Right now the Houston Texans are in last place with a 1-9 record. I am no psychic, but I can pretty much assure you that they will probably have the first pick in the NFL draft this coming spring. The Teams in contentions for the second and third pick are the Saints, Jets, and the 49er's who are all 2-8. The Packers arent too far off with a 2-7 record. The next worst record after those is the Baltimore Ravens (sigh...tear) with a 3-7 record. Now, lets assume that the NFL Draft order will look like this:

Texans, Jets, Saints, 49ers, Packers, and the Ravens. Those are the top six picks in the NFL Draft...and there are SO many incredible athletes coming out of college this year.

Everyone thinks that the number one pick is going to be Matt Leinart, the QB from USC. But I dont think he will go first. I think that the Texans will take Reggie Bush, RB from USC, as their first pick and the first pick in the NFL Draft. Why? The Texans have David Carr already. He is young, he is going to be a good QB in the NFL and the Texans havent really surrounded Carr with a whole lot of talent offensively. The Texan's number one RB right now, Domanick Davis, is also going to become a free agent at the end of the year. Don't expect the Texans to re-sign him. He has been unproductive and injury prone since they signed him in 2003. I think adding a RB of Reggie Bush's caliber to the Texans will alleviate some of the pressure on Carr and open up their passing game much more.

So, now onto the second pick from the New York Jets. The Jet's franchise invested a lot into Chad Pennington. Pennington had the potential to be one of the better passing QB's in the NFL along with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but Pennington cant seem to shake season ending injuries..he is done. He may not be done entirely, but I can guarantee you that the Jets are going to draft a QB and Matt Leinart is the perfect candidate for the Jet's organization. I would expect the Jets to draft Leinart and start him as a rookie and let him get into the mix of things in the NFL. Leinart will be a solid QB for the Jet's organization.

The Saints are an interesting picture. Aaron Brooks is a roller-coaster QB who always puts up solid numbers at the QB position, and is definitely one of the more mobile QB's in the NFL, but for some reason Brooks lacks that spark that can get the Saint's offense into gear and winning games. Their defense doesnt help matters much either, which is why I think that the Saints could go one of two ways. They could draft another QB who will rid the bench until Brook's contract is up or they could draft a defensive star to regain some sort of defensive control in games. I think the latter is more of a viable option for the Saints. I can sincerely see the New Orleans Saints drafting the defensive end from Penn State, Tamba Hali, or perhaps one of the many sick linebackers coming out this year in the draft like AJ Hawk from Ohio State, Chad Greenway from Iowa, Pierre Woods from Michigan, DeMeco Ryans from Alabama, or maybe even my boy D'Qwell Jackson from Maryland. If they did decide to go with an offensive player I could see them drafting Vince Young from Texas or maybe Omar Jacobs from Bowling Green for a future QB.

Next on my list of predictions is the 49ers. They picked Alex Smith last year, so they dont need another QB. What doesnt this team need though? They have decent linebackers, their secondary is shaky, their best D-Lineman is Bryant Young who has been in the league for 11 seasons now. I definitely can see the 49ers taking a defensive player as their first pick. If they did go with an offensive pick the only two positions I could see them going after are a receiver or a RB. So, maybe Santonio Holmes from Ohio State or Mike Haas from Oregon State for a WR? As far as a RB perhaps DeAngelo Williams from Memphis who is averaging 180 yards per game or Laurence Maroney from Minnesota. I think that those would be their best options, but ultimately I think that the 49ers need to pick a top defensive player.

The Green Bay Packers are probably one of the most respected teams in the NFL, if not the most respected team in the NFL. Favre is one of the best QB's to play the game, which is fantastic for their first round pick of Aaron Rogers last year because he gets to watch and learn from one of the greatest to play the game. The Packer's have receivers in Driver and Walker. They have a RB, Ahman Green, if they can keep him healthy, and they have a good O-Line. If the Packers picked an offensive player it would probably be a RB because of Green being inconsistent with his health. The Packers could take Williams from Memphis, or Maroney from Minnesota, or possibly Adrian Peterson from Oklahoma (though I doubt he will come out because he is only a junior and can definitely make a run for the Heisman next year).

With the sixth pick this year the Baltimore Ravens absolutely need to get a QB with some sort of presence on the field. Boller is a joke and Anthony Wright is a decent back up, but not a starting QB. The Raven's defense is rivaled as one of the best in the NFL and will be next year as well, their offensive line is stacked, their receivers are solid, and their running backs are always a threat. Jamal Lewis is having a terrible year, so that poses some thoughts on whether or not he will return in Baltimore next year, but I doubt the Ravens organization will give away a running back who in 2003 rushed for 2066 yards and 14 TD's. Whenever a team plays the Ravens they look to stop the run because they have no passing threat, so Lewis is going to have a tough time in every game until the Ravens get a passing threat. Ergo, they will draft a QB this year in the Draft. Kellen Clemens from Oregon is a good idea, Tyler Palko from Pitt is a good idea, Reggie McNeal from Texas A&M is a fantastic idea, and so is Brad Smith from Missouri. Being that the Ravens are a power run style of team I think that having a QB with good pocket passing capabilities will suit them a little better which is why I think they will go after someone with pocket presence like Tom Brady and the like. Brady Quinn from Notre Dame looks good...but so did Rick Mirer...so who knows how Quinn could turn out...Drew Olsen from UCLA looks good too. The Ravens will definitely draft a QB this year...they fucking better...haha.

Well folks, thats all I have for now.

Enjoy your spaghetti.

2005-11-16T00:24:00.001-08:00

Time Lines and Goals...Or Wal-Mart's and McDonald's?

So, the Senate recently voted to force the Bush Administration to present progress reports (that will be updated regularly) to Congress so they can establish some sort of "plan" to strategically finish in Iraq and pull our troops out for good. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said that this attachment to the Pentagon's 491 billion dollar spending bill was essentially a vote of "no confidence" in the Bush Administration. Reid also went on to say that, currently, the situation in Iraq is just running around aimlessly because there is no specific goal other than W's "defending freedom and democracy". I think we have accomplished that...maybe.
ARTICLE:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/15/senate.iraq/index.html

I really have to laugh at this. I think that Reid and the rest of Congress is very much deserving of some sort of strategic plan that has a plausible outcome in which our soldiers can return home, but lets be honest here and lets be realistic. We didn't even remove our troops from Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War in the early 90's, what makes us think that our troops are going to be returned home now? That is one of the contributing factors to Islamic fundamentalists hating us so much. They hate us for the obvious reasons: democracy vs. theocracy, capitalism, women's rights, equality for all, etc. But when we left our troops over in the Persian Gulf area AFTER the war was over, that just pissed them off even more. Because now we were bringing our western culture right smack in the middle of their world and we look around at them and ask "What's the problem?"

The fact of the matter is that our troops are not coming home anytime soon. Iraq is going to be the United State's little brother now. Whenever we need oil, we have access to it. Whenever we need allies, we have one. They may not like us all the time, but by us liberating them and essentially installing a pseudo-democratic political system for them, they will have to answer to us. Because like any normal "Big Brother", if the little brother gets snappy, the big brother will kick his ass.

I would like to see our troops return home for good. I would like to see Iraq a free state and unfortunately, I don't think that is going to happen. They will be a free state, but we are going to not allow them to do it on their own because by being the USA, we know best. What amazes me is that the US government doesn't realize that by us providing a crutch for them, they are going to have a tough time functioning on their own when we get bored with them.

I think Carlos Mencia said it best when discussing the War In Iraq: "Iraqi's...You better learn how to say 'Supersize!' Cause we ain't leaving!"

2005-11-16T00:06:00.000-08:00

Football, not Futbal

Well, I know I went on a rant not too long ago about the whole TO situation, and dont you worry, I will touch on him later. As for now I think I would rather talk about some interesting things and some predictions that I have for the rest of the season and into the NFL draft this coming spring.

As any sports analyst will tell you, nothing is really decided till the very end, and that really seems to be the way the NFL is going this year.

AFC

Who knew the Bengals would be tearing things up with a record of 7-2 when last year the only big news about the Bengals was them trading Corey Dillon to the Patriots. The Bengals are definitely going to the post season and it wouldnt surprise me to see them upset the favored powerhouse of the AFC North Division, the Steelers. Though the Bengals are doing well this year, there is no way that they will make it past the Colts in the playoffs...thats even if they get a chance at the Colts.

Speaking of the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts has anyone noticed that their star QB's have really been in the limelight this year? Last year when ever someone mentioned the Steelers it was Ben Roethlisberger, or when someone mentioned the Colts it was Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady for the Patriots. Granted, they are having spectacular seasons...but you wouldn't really know that unless you followed the teams. Roethlisberger will most likely lead the Steelers to the playoffs again, but there is no way they can defeat the Colts. The Patriots currently standing at 5-4 are leading the AFC East (which is no surprise at all considering the other three teams in the division are the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets), but I would be surprised if the Patriots made a run for the Super Bowl again this year. Sorry Tom Brady, Peyton's defense has your number this year. The Colts are phenominal. This is the type of team that you look at on paper and think to yourself "There is no way this team could ever lose to anyone." The real factor for the Colts being 9-0 right now is their defense, and as I called it back in week one, the Colts are going to the Super Bowl, and yes, I do think they will win the Super Bowl.

The other big surprises in the AFC are the Chargers, the Broncos, and the Raiders. If you had asked me to pick the best team out of that bunch I definitely would have put them in order like so: Chargers, Raiders, Broncos. The Broncos QB, Jake Plummer, has had mediocre seasons his entire career, but for some reason Plummer has just gone balls-to-the-wall this season. I also think Mike Shannahan is one of the best head coaches ever for the sole fact that he consistently finds these running backs that no one else would take a chance on and turns them into hall-of-famers with the snap of a finger. Can anyone say Terrell Davis? The Chargers are a team that I definitely would have put money on for being a Super Bowl contender, not that they are totally out of the running just yet, but their record is 5-4 in a division led by the 7-2 Broncos. LT is one of the best, if not the best running back in the NFL and Drew Brees solidified himself last season as a productive young QB. Their defense is solid, their offense is good as well. Where are they falling short? In my opinion I feel that their biggest weakness on offense is their deep threat in the passing game. Keenan McCardell and Eddie Parker are solid receivers, but their leading receiver is their tight end, Antonio Gates. Sure a TE can be the big playmaker for an offense, look at Shannon Sharpe for the Broncos or Jay Novacek for the Cowboys, but any defense going to play the Chargers has two key focuses: 1. Stop LT, 2. Lock up Antonio Gates. If I were the Chargers I would look to deal Phillip Rivers to a team in the NFL for a high draft pick or a big play receiver. I know there are a lot of teams looking for a QB, especially one of Rivers' potential, like the Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Ravens, Lions, Cardinals, Chiefs, and the Brownies. I think the Raider's are probably one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL slightly behind that of the Eagles' season as of now. The Raiders went out and got Randy Moss, though an asshole he is still the most talented Wide Receiver in the game right now. One would think that Moss and Jerry Porter would give vet QB Kerry Collins and ton of opportunity to win games, but sadly Collins doesn't seem to want to win very much and the raiders are a lousy 3-6 in a conference where anything less than 11 wins probably won't get you into the post-season picture. Collins has thrown 6 TD's and 14, COUNT'EM, 14 interceptions. How in the world could you not throw 40 touchdowns in a season with receivers like Moss and Porter? Broncos - playoffs and potential AFC championship game against the Colts. Chargers - strong season end, wild card, nothing more. Raiders - draft a QB and another anchor for the defense, better luck next season.

Moving On....this has turned out to be a longer blog than I thought, but I hope you are enjoying this...I worked hard on it :-)

NFC

I cannot remember the last time the NFC has put up multiple teams with 12 or more wins (by multiple I mean in comparisson to the AFC who usually has 3 or more each year). The obvious favorite going into this season was the Philly Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. The NFC East division (Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants) is always a dogfight and each game is probably more heated than any rival in the AFC. I would compare those games to Yankee- Red Sox games, but more fun to watch on TV. Right now the NFC East leader is separated by 1-2 games at most.

Unfortunately, the Eagles (whom I generally don't really care for but enjoy watching because they are a great team) have had so much inner-turmoil with the whole TO situation that their season was pretty much over before it really even got started. I feel bad for McNabb because he plays his hardest each game while he is obviously hurting, but this just isnt his season. I am still a bit puzzled why their offensive strategy was so focused on big plays and passing the ball a hundred million times per game and running it only a handful of times. It is true that Brian Westbrook is much better out of the backfield as a receiver, but he is still a huge threat as a runner. I thtink that the Eagles picking up Lamar Gordon from the Jags was a good move. Gordon is not a starting RB by any means, but he offers a more 'power-back' style of running, which is good for short yardage plays and running up the middle. Without the deep threat of TO the Eagles are handed two things: 1. Team Unity and less drama, and 2: Unproven receivers Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown. Lewis and Brown are decent receivers and have stepped up to the challenge nicely. Both are so young though, Brown is a rookie, that no one in Philly is sure of what to make of them. However, Philly fans all around are sure hoping that they turn out to be some demonic force that will catch anything McNabb's hefty arm will throw at them. Right now, the Eagle's main offensive threats are Westbrook and TE LJ Smith. LJ Smith is going to be one of the best TE's in the league right up there beside Algae Crumpler and Antonio Gates. I predict that the Eagles will finish last in the NFC, not by much though...maybe 7-9 or 8-8, and they don't have much of a shot at going to the playoffs being that they are 0-3 against their division rivals. If I were the Eagles I would probably bench McNabb for the rest of the season so he can have surgery to fix his sports hernia and be recoverred in time for spring workouts. I would also throw Ryan Moats into the mix. They drafted him, might as well see what he can do! Who knows, maybe he will be good enough to work into the second RB position next year and take the place of the hopeless Correll Buckhalter.

The Cowboys are anchored by their defense. Period. Parcells drafted Ware and Spears and switched his defensive scheme over to a 3-4 as opposed to the 4-3/cover 2 he ran last year. This has done wonders for a team who had a mediocre defense last year. Roy Williams is one of the sickest safties in the game, obviously with respects to Brian Dawkins of the Eagles and Rodney Harrison of the Patriots. I mean, the guy cause the NFL to create a new penalty because of him. Thats pretty bad ass. The Cowboys offense is much more productive this year after acquiring Terry Glenn and Drew Bledsoe...mainly Bledsoe. I feel like Bledsoe is the new Dan Marino. He always puts up good numbers and is a good leader on and off the field, but I cant ever see him winning the big time. I think the Cowboys can make the playoffs as a wild card, but its going to be a tough tough dog fight for them.

I think the New York Giants solidify my claim and belief that the QB position is the position that can really make, or break, a team. Of course you know that, that makes sense right? Well during the Bill's "hey-day" Jim Kelly was a solid QB, but he wasnt great...they made Super Bowl appearances because of Thurman Thomas and their defense. Hell, Mark Rypen from the Redskins in the late 80's/early 90's was never looked at as a hall of famer QB, but he had ridiculous running backs and receivers. BUT, if a team has solid receivers and a ridiculous QB, they are damn tough to beat. End of Story. So, now that Eli Manning has started to come into his own as a stand out QB in the NFL, the Giants are a force to be reckoned with and could quite possibly represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. It would be tough, but definitely feasible.

Shaun Alexander is having the season that every RB in the NFL dreams about and gets a chubby when thinking about it. The Seahawks have only played 9 games and Alexander already has posted 17 TD's. When you have a RB with Alexander's talent and the veteran arm of Matt Hassleback you get a very explosive offense. Alexander does have a tremendous amount of talent and I believe he will be nominated for Canton in the future, but do not forget that RB's are nothing without their offensive line and my friends, the Seahawk's O-line is one of the best in the league.

At the beginning of the season everyone picked the Carolina Panthers as the favorite to win the NFC and go onto the Super Bowl. I was skepticle of this claim and I still am a little skepticle. I know they are a good team offensively and defensively but for some reason the Panthers going all the way just doesnt make a whole lot of sense to me. Delhomme came out of nowhere and has been hooking up with receiver Steve Smith every chance they get. Steve Smith was also putting up good numbers last year...then he got hurt. I don't know about the Panthers going all the way, especially being in the same division with the Falcons and the Buccaneers who are only a game behind the Panthers. I think if the Panthers can keep Smith healthy they have a good shot at the playoffs as well as in the playoffs.

Super Bowl Prediction: Colts win over the Falcons 42-21
NFL MVP: Shaun Alexander
Offensive Player of the Year: Shaun Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Freeney or Brian Urlacher
Rookie of the Year: Kyle Orton or Demarcus Ware

2005-11-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

When Things Are Left Unsaid...

For some reason people sometimes think that just letting something go is the best way to handle situations. Though this may be true in some cases, I feel that telling people exactly what you think and feel about that specific moment is the only way to really deal with it and move on. Maybe it's just me, but I know for a fact that I would rather have someone tell me off and start a possible argument for the sake of dealing with it than not say anything at all. A lot of people think that I am a pretty confrontational person, and to a certain degree they are correct in their assumptions. However, I am a firm believed in brutal honesty...sometimes the truth hurts, but you know what? At least you can always expect an honest answer from me whether you want one or not. Why do I do this? It's simple really. I make it a point to be honest with everyone about everything because then my friends know exactly where I stand on the matter. I don't believe that any of my friends could ever look at a situation and think to themselves "I dont know how Lucky would feel about this." Fuck that, I dont want that to ever happen. I want my friends and relatives to look at a situation and know exactly how I would feel about it.

Do I jeopardize being nice sometimes? Of course, but I don't think that I am a huge asshole or a mean person, I just favor being blunt and to the point. When you are too nice you get walked all over. Why? Because people see you as a target for being a pushover. I cannot tell you how many friends I have who are just too nice sometimes and then they get shit on by the people who they are too nice towards, which causes them to get pissed about it later after the "shitting" has been done. Being shat on can be avoided just by simply saying to yourself "I deserve better than that and they need to respect me for being a nice person by NOT taking advantage of my kindness." When you can do that you will feel much better about yourself and your situation. I guarantee that you won't be shit on anymore.

Do I say things that are sometimes inappropriate? Yes, of course I do. I don't exactly mean to offend someone, but dammit if it comes down to my integrity and self-worth vs. someone's comfort level...I think you know which I value more. If I am telling the truth about something and someone around me gets offended, that isnt exactly my problem. 9 times out of 10 it is their problem for not being able to handle or deal with the truth of the matter.

To all of you out there who might get a chance to read this, do me a favor. Stop letting people walk all over you because you want to save face and be viewed upon as a nice guy. It is possible to be viewed as a nice guy and not be walked all over. Stop giving into people's guilt trips so easily because they made you feel bad for them. Pity never helps anyone with anything. And stop putting other's feelings and comfort above your own, because YOU deserve to feel good about the situation and YOU deserve to be comfortable too. There are such things as happy mediums, but coming to a happy medium sometimes just delays the inevitable: you are still allowing others to push you around and walk all over you.

Just be yourself, be assertive, and don't take shit from someone because you dont want to offend or hurt them. In this day and age you should always be numero-uno and everyone else is secondary. Why? Because you are the only one who knows what is best for you and you are the only one who you can depend on 100% of the time.

Some cool new albums to scope out...

System of A Down - Hypnotize
Thrice - Vheissu
Danger Doom

2005-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Moderate Complaints, Great Hangouts, and Fair Warnings...

Wow, what a great weekend. Well, sorta.

Roupes got out here on Thursday, which was fantastic because I had no idea that terrorism did not occurr on Fridays. So, we went out and got a case of hand-grabbers (10 oz. Bud Lights) and we drank and then went over to Good Year where we hung out witha very mixed crowd of people. On a whole it was a decent hang out, but rumors carried the night into chaos and of course my awful comments created a few beer -clanking - cheers in my direction; which is always nice. At one point Roupes was in the fetal-position outside after one of my comments. I wont get into what my comment/conversation actually was because it really is not as funny when you werent there. My apologies.

Drinking for 8 hours straight by mixing bei ruit beer with Tilt is not a good idea at all. Tilt, I'm not really sure what it is, but from what I gathered after drinking a few of them is that they are basically 2 monsters combined with nearly 7% alcohol...i dont know why because Red Bull Vodkies never did much damage to me (other than the damage it is supposed to inflict), but these damn Tilts messed me up something good. And I dont mean messed me up in the good sense. I was hurting so bad that I got sick multiple times the rest of the night. Not to mention the fact that I passed out from 6:00pm - 11:00pm. Roupes came back to my room around that time and complained of the same ailments.

My advice to you out there in blog world...DO NOT DRINK TILT. GETTING 'TILTED' IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

Ok, thats all I really have for now. I am planning on posting a few things this week, so be sure to check back later this week.

Oh!! Just so you all know the Tampa Bay Buccanneers DID NOT win that game tonight against the skins, though there isnt "conclusive" evidence to show that Mike Alstott didnt get the ball over the goal line, if you really think about it, the elbow that he was carrying the ball with hit the ground first...with the ball clutched to his chest...there is no way he could have extended the ball over the goal line without the ball being visible or knocked free from his hands...WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY THEY SHOULD HAVE OVER-TURNED THE PLAY. Fucking zebras...

2005-11-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Just throwing this out there, but if you want to read some cool shit written by my homies...well, i guess thats ok.

http://eyeofthestorm.blogs.com/eye_of_the_storm/

This blog is updated constantly by a current prof of mine here at Dickinson College. Prof. Sartwell is one of the funniest and interesting profs to interact with here at Dickinson. I highly suggest you read his stuff.

The next two are by two really good friends of mine:

http://tgrevolution.blogspot.com/
If you want to talk shop with someone about politics and current affairs, Smenis is your man.

http://firesidewithroupes.blogspot.com/
I highly suggest you visit this site if you have any puzzling questions or situations. Roupes knows all.

That is all for now.

2005-11-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

TO Who???

It really boggles my mind how someone can be so fucking arrogant. I mean, being confident is one thing...and even being cocky to a certain degree is not that bad. TO is on a WHOLE other level when it comes to arrogance, cockiness, and vanity.

First of all, the fact that he would publically say "He needs to feed his family too" in a city like Philadelphia where the average Joe makes less than $35,000 a year is utterly ridiculous and I am surprised that the citizens of Philly have not mobbed his house yet and run him out of town. Secondly, if he thought that the contract he signed two years ago was a little bogus, why didn't he bring that up then?? Perhaps he didn't think he was worth more money than that at that given moment? I think everyone will agree with me when I say that is HIGHLY unlikely.

Onto more recent events:

TO said during an interview that the Eagles would be better if Brett Favre were their QB instead of Donovan McNabb. He also stated that the Eagles organization lacks "class and integrity" because they didn't make a big deal about him getting his 100th TD reception.

Well Mr. Owens, I have a few things that I would like to say to you. Not that you will read my blog, because I know you and Drew have more important things to deal with...like what NFL organization you plan to fuck up next.

1. Brett Favre is one of the best QB's that has ever played the game. That being said, ANY team that Favre is on is going to be that much better because of his professionalism and pride; both of which you lack severely.
2. McNabb is a completely different QB than Favre is and the Eagle's offense is tailored to him (not to you which I think is the biggest reason you aren't playing well with others...you aren't the star in Philly). McNabb brings so much to the table as QB how can you ever possibly say that bringing in another QB would better the situation? McNabb has been with the Eagle's franchise his entire career...taken them to a number of playoff appearances, NFC Championships, and a Superbowl...but I am sure the front office would trade McNabb in a heartbeat because you think he isn't good enough...get a fucking clue man.
3. Maybe the organization would have celebrated your 100th TD catch if you didn't prance around like a moron every time you score. From the way you act after you score, one would think that you have never scored a TD before. Seriously, a sharpie, pom poms, tearing signs down, dancing, waiting tables, what could the Eagles organization have done as a celebration that you haven't already done for each previous TD? Here is an idea, be a professional toss the ball back to the Umpire, run off to the sidelines, shake McNabb's hand because you couldnt have caught it unless he threw it, and sit your ass down on the bench and root for the special teams and the defense.

I grew up on the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens. So, those are the two teams that I route for. Part of me is happy to see the Eagle's flop around on the field and lose games that they smoked the previous season, but the other part of me feels for them and the fans very much. I knew when the Ravens tried to get TO and he wouldn't go there because he wanted to go to a team that has "Super Bowl capabilities" even though the Ravens have won more Super Bowl's than the Eagles have in the past ten years. TO is such a phenominal athlete and it just bugs me to see someone of his capabilities act like an infant. Right now the Eagles are in last place in the NFC East with a record of 4-4. The NFC East is, by far, the most talented division in the NFL and each year is a dogfight for first place and the talent of TO could be greatly useful to the Eagles, but his drama and attitude is not worth his talent. Not having TO will also allow receivers Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown to step up and make big plays for the Eagles and help them win games. Reggie Brown had a fantastic game against the Redskins this past Sunday night catching 5 passes for 94 yards including their only touch down of the night. Look for the Eagles to turn things around because now they don't have to worry about TO running his mouth on the field.

Good riddance is all I have to say. I feel bad for any team that gets to have his "talent" in their locker room next season, cause it won't be the Eagles.

2005-11-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

Butt Pirates of Africa

So, in case some of you had not noticed the blazing headlines "Pirate Attacks" on CNN a few days ago I will go ahead and fill you in...

Apparently a cruise ship was heading from Egypt down to another area of southern Africa (why people would want to go to Africa in today's day-and-age beats the hell out of me, but...). Anyway, the cruise ship was off the coast of Somalia (a wonderful place to visit during spring I hear) and two heavily armed "pirate ships" decided to attack this cruise ship and plunder it for all its riches. These two "pirate ships" were armed with grenade launchers and assorted machine guns and were only 25 feet in length. I'm sorry, but that is really funny. Two 25-foot boats were going to take over a massive ocean-liner...possible...but stupid. According to CNN the captain attempted to "run one of the ships over" and then when that failed the cruise ship "out ran" the pirate vessels.

The idiocy of this event is by far one of the funnier circumstances I have witnessed in world security. Especially because when I think of a pirate I think of something like this:

Not this:

On a side note: There have been 24 pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia since March of 2005. What does this tell us? DONT FUCKING SAIL OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA!!! Of course these people on the cruise ship probably had no idea about the likes of Black Beard wannabes making people walk the plank for their great grandmother's pearl necklace.

I understand if you don't find the humor in this, but look at it from my perspective. When I first read this I pictured a bunch of Somalians crusing around the Indian Ocean in a huge galley (because pirates used galleys) wearing eye patches and saying "RRRRRrrrrrr" a lot. I mean, come on, if you are going to be classified as a pirate you might as well dress the part.

I wonder if they celebrate and take the day off for "National Talk Like A Pirate Day"

2005-11-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

The True Colors Of Friends and Enemies...

What exactly is a friend? What qualities does a friend portray that makes you think and feel that they really do value the relationship that they have with you? These are questions that everyone should ask themselves about their friends. In life we all are blessed with people that we surround ourselves with and call our friends, but when you really get to the core of the relationship are they a friend?

In my opinion a true friend exemplifies these specific qualities-

1. They are there for you.
2. They don't lie to you.
3. They are considerate of you.
4. They don't put you in awkward situations.
5. They respect you and your beliefs, though they may differ in theirs.

These simple, but important aspects are what make up a true friend.

As I grow older and experience people and being to see them for who they really are I am becoming less and less able to trust people and to respect people. I can't have a friend who I don't respect or trust. Because then it just becomes an awkward situation and as I stated above, a true friend doesn't put you in awkward situations.

People who consider others to be their friends need to seriously examine exactly what their relationship consists of and whether or not that person is worthy of a friendship like that. You can consider yourself lucky if you have one good friend in your lifetime and if you have more than that somewhere along the line you are going to see the true colors of people and this will allow you to determine whether or not they are in fact a friend. Unfortunately society has instilled this sense of urgency to find friends and to become part of something when most people in society have no idea who the hell they really are, let alone who their friends really are.

Find yourself and you will find your friends.

My homies:

2005-11-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

CYBORG ROOMIE EEEEEEKKKKKSSSSSS!!!!

My buddy Neff did this on his computer. Kinda creepy...he likes making pictures of me. I think he might be in love with me.

2005-11-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

If you have not seen The Stephen Colbert Report, I suggest you get off your ass and watch this show.

The shot is basically a by-product of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show on Comedy Central, but the major difference is that Jon Stewart produces a lot of factual information and makes fun of the obviously humorous aspects of the piece. The Stephen Colbert Report, on the other hand, produces less information and much more outrageous claims and offensive humor. I love it.

The first time I had watched this show Stephen Colbert was doing a piece on the passing of Rosa Parks.

This is how he introduced the piece...

"So, Rosa Parks died yesterday...which leads us to the word of the day: OVERRATED"

My jaw, literally, hit the floor. And for those of you who know me know that it is damn near impossible to make me offended. I could not believe that this nerdy guy was saying these things on national television.

Anyway, I highly suggest you go and watch this show. You may not find it funny, but I promise it will make you uncomfortable.

recommended Music Selections:

"The Ghetto Gospel" by Tupac featuring Elton John
"Home" by Marc Broussard
"The Suffering" by Coheed and Cambria

recommended Movie Selections:
"The Amityville Horror (2005)"
"A Love Song For Bobby Long"