My thoughts on every pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft

1) Detroit- Mathew Stafford, QB/Georgia

- I can't wait to see him throw a deep one to Calvin Johnson. Whether or not he can play tomorrow doesn't matter because the Lions had to pick him. They could have gone with Jason Smith or Aaron Curry, but Stafford made the most sense. In a perfect world, Stafford shouldn't be seen as the savior of the franchise. Unfortunately, that's just what he's going to be seen as the second he puts his signature on that monstrous contract.

2) St.Louis- Jason Smith, OT/Baylor

- Good to see Mel Kiper Jr. live up to his bet by mentioning ESPN Radio's Jason Smith. Jokes aside, I like this pick. The easiest way to win a football game is to control the line of scrimmage with a solid offensive line and a powerful running game. The Rams, who already have a workhorse in Steven Jackson, took a major step towards doing so by drafting the top rated tackle in the draft. Hopefully Smith helps the Rams stop the game of musical chairs they've been playing on the offensive line the past few seasons.

3) Kansas City- Tyson Jackson, DL/LSU

- Timing is everything! Jackson wasn't necessarily the third best overall player in the draft, but he was the top rated prospect at the critical 3-4 DE position that every team in the AFC West seems to need all of a sudden.

4) Seattle- Aaron Curry, LB/Wake Forest

- Despite allowing Leroy Hill to become a free agent, the Seahawks should still have one of the better linebacker units in the league with Curry learning from former defensive rookie of the year, Lofa Tatupu.

5) New York Jets (from Cleveland)- Mark Sanchez, QB/USC

- I guess Eric Mangini still works for the Jets considering he gave the pick away for a steak dinner (No. 21 Alex Mack) and a couple bags of Lay's potato chips. (Brett Ratliff, Abram Elam, Kenyon Coleman and a 7th round pick) You gotta love Sanchez though if you're a Jets fan.

6) Cincinnati- Andre Smith, OT/Alabama

- Thank the lord the Bengals were smart enough to watch the tapes and put all the other things to the side! Smith might not make the next cover of Men's Health, but all you have to do is watch the films of Smith destroying people on a weekly basis in the SEC over the last three years to see why he's Carson Palmer's new bodyguard.

7) Oakland- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR/Maryland 

- Leave it to the crazy old man in the jump suit to throw a monkey wrench into things!

8) Jacksonville- Eugene Monroe, OT/Virginia

- I'm sure the Jags thought long and hard about Michael Crabtree, but you can't blame them for drafting the best player possible at the position where they obviously needed some immediate help. How is it that Al Groh keeps producing 1st round picks (D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Chris Long) but Virginia is consistently stuck in the middle of the pack in the ACC?

9) Green Bay- B.J. Raji, DT/Boston College

- It's hard to play an effective 3-4 defense without a man in the middle to occupy multiple blockers on every play. Raji, at a disruptive 6'2 and 330, fits the bill. 

10) San Francisco- Michael Crabtree, WR/ Texas Tech

- I love Crabtree as a player. The problem is that Mike Singletary is going to feed the ball to Franks Gore and at last check, the 49ers don't exactly have a difference maker at quarterback to get Crabtree the ball.

11) Buffalo- Aaron Maybin, DE/Penn St.

- All of those "experts" you saw on television during the draft thought the Bills would take TE Brandon Pettigrew.  All those experts were wrong.

12) Denver- Knowshon Moreno, RB/Georgia

- Some people probably think this pick was a reach, but give Josh McDaniels credit for drafting the most complete back in the draft. He's still going to have to turn Kyle Orton into a pro bowler to justify the Cutler debacle, but at least Moreno will slow down the turnstile that has become the Broncos' backfield.

13) Washington- Brian Orakpo, DE/ Texas 

- Hopefully, for the Redskins' sake, this bullish pass rusher is more productive than Malcom Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis were last year. It will be interesting to see if the Redskins put him next to Albert Haynesworth.

14) New Orleans- Malcom Jenkins, CB/Ohio St.

- Considering he might be moved to safety at some point in his career, this smart player would be wise to learn everything he possibly can from free agent acquisition Darren Sharper.

15) Houston- Brian Cushing, LB/USC

- As if a defensive front seven with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and former Cardinal Antonio Smith needed another aggressive and versatile defender to come into the fold.

16) San Diego- Larry English, OLB/Northern Illinois

- The Chargers got one of the better hybrid defensive players in the draft to protect themselves just in case Shawne Merriman doesn't return to form this season or they can't resign him to a long term deal in 2010

17) Tampa Bay- Josh Freeman, QB/Kansas St.

- He might not be ready right now, but he doesn't have to be with Byron Leftwich on the roster. 

18) Denver- Robert Ayers, DL/Tennessee

- McDaniels drafts a guy to play in the trenches in his new 3-4 defense. It's a decent pick, but the Broncos need a lot more work to get their defense where it needs to be.

19) Philadelphia- Jeremy Maclin, WR/ Missouri 

- It's a shame Donovan McNabb had to throw his weight around a little bit just to get the Eagles to get him some help at receiver.  

20) Detroit- Brandon Pettigrew, TE/Oklahoma St.

- Good job Jim Schwartz! Matt Stafford has a wide out to throw deep balls to in Calvin Johnson. He's got a running back to hand it to in Kevin Smith. Now he's got a security blanket in Pettigrew, who was the most complete TE prospect in the draft.

21) Cleveland- Alex Mack, C/California

- Eric Mangini couldn't convince the Jets to let him have Nick Mangold so he drafted who he thought was the best center prospect on the board.

22) Minnesota- Percy Harvin, WR/Florida

- Brad Childress took a chance on the electric play maker who was foolish enough to burn the green stuff before he was tested at the NFL Combine. If he gets things in order he could be a steal, but if he winds up missing games because he's violated the league's substance abuse policy, he'll be a waste of a lot of money.

23) Baltimore- Michael Oher, OT/Ole Miss

- The team that consistently drafts well does it again with a solid offensive lineman.

24) Atlanta- Peria Jerry, DT/Ole Miss

- Jerry, an underrated play maker with a non stop motor, is just what Mike Smith and the Falcons were looking for.

25) Miami- Vontae Davis, CB/Illinois 

- Another guy who will be a steal if plays up to the potential that his athleticism suggests he has.

26) Green Bay- Clay Matthews, OLB/USC

- The forgotten man of USC's vaunted linebacking corps is headed to the land of cheese and brawts to play on the edge in the Packers' new 3-4 defense.

27) Indianapolis- Donald Brown, RB/UConn

- After watching them draft guys like Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai, I think it's safe to say the Colts know what they're doing when it comes to picking running backs in the 1st round.

28) Buffalo- Eric Wood, C/Louisville

- Hard to have an offense these days without a guy to snap the ball to the quarterback. Wood should fit nicely as the Bills try to rearrange their o-line after trading All Pro LT Jason Peters to the Eagles

29) New York Giants- Hakeem Nicks, WR/North Carolina

- The Giants might not have Plaxico Burress anymore, but that hasn't stopped them from trying to build one of the best group of young receivers in the league.

30) Tennessee- Kenny Brit, WR/Rutgers

- I think Brit can play, but can he impress Jeff Fisher enough in training camp to make the Titans throw the ball more than 15-20 times a game?

31) Arizona- Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB/Ohio St.

- The powerful Wells should be the perfect complement to Tim Hightower for the Cardinals' running game.

32) Pittsburgh- Evander "Ziggy"Hood, DT/Missouri

- It's amazing how the Steelers always seem to draft well. Hood is probably the eventual replacement for Casey Hampton. Besides, you've got to love a defensive lineman with named Ziggy.

Switchblades and Brass Nuckles

Can the Nuggets and Hornets and Nuggets just have a street fight and get it over with already? 

The first two games of this series got a little chippy as Denver basically did anything they wanted on their way to a couple of "Mile High" beat downs. As physical as those two games were down the stretch, Game 3 turned into a PG version of one of those late 80's games involving the Detroit Pistons. There were guys getting thrown on the ground. Tyson Chandler apparently wants to be the new Rick Mahorn. Dhantay Jones' constant antagonizing of the Hornets is eerily similar to what Dennis Rodman used to do and James Posey, one of the tougher guy in the league, is constantly falling on the floor as if he's been shot by a sniper.

The Nuggets just squandered a chance to go up 3-0 in the series, but now I'm hoping it last a little longer so I can see somebody get hip tossed into the court side seats underneath one of the baskets.

Thoughts on where we're at so far in every playoff series

Eastern Conference

Cleveland vs. Detroit (Cavs lead 2-0)
*I told you before this series started that this was going to look like a flashback to '91 when MJ and his Bulls retired the Pistons and took control of the Eastern Conference. Unless Isiah, Joe D, Bill Laimbeer and the rest of the Bad Boys are suiting up for Detroit over the next week or so, the Pistons have little to no shot at beating Kings James and the Cavs.

Boston vs. Chicago (1- 1)
*The defending champs are in deep trouble! The Bulls are the equivalent of a hot and fresh steaming pile of "fertilizer" that Boston has stepped into. Unfortunately for the Celtics, they might not be able to clean Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and the rest of the Baby Bulls off of their championship shoes before its too late. I don't know why, but the way the Bulls have been standing up to the Celtics (who have began to try to physically intimidate Chicago) is making me root for them more and more.

Orlando vs. Philadelphia (1-1)
*The Magic will never do any real damage in the playoffs until they stop relying on 3's in the clutch and Dwight Howard's free throw shooting is trustworthy enough to throw the ball to with less than two minutes to go in the game. They should have enough to pull out this series, but as I said before this series started, the athleticism of the 76ers is going to make things interesting.

Atlanta vs. Miami (1-1)
*Dwayne Wade, as great as he is, can't beat the Hawks by himself. The Heat got back in the series with a win on Wednesday, but I'm anxious to see what happens to them if Atlanta decides to show up like they did in Game 1. The Hawks' offense is definitely at its best when Josh Smith is throwing down alley oops from Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson is draining 3's from the Atlanta International Airport, but it's scary to see how good this super athletic bunch can be when they focus on the defensive end.

Western Conference

LA Lakers vs. Utah (Lakers lead 2-0)
*Can we please just call this series right now? Deron Williams(who needs to get out of Salt Lake City) is great and the Jazz have a chance to take Game 3 at home due to the momentum the created at the end of Game 2, but even Jerry Sloan knows his team has no legitimate chance at beating Kobe and his henchmen. Paging Mehmet Okur on line 1!

Denver vs. New Orleans (Denver leads 2-0)
*Call me crazy, but it might be a good idea for the Hornets to find Chauncey Billups in transition. Besides the tear "Mr. Big Shot" is currently on, you know things are going well for Denver because J.R. Smith is hitting those ridiculous step back jumpers and his personal specialty, the unnecessary 3 pointer.

What a difference a year makes? This time last year Chris Paul was camping out in the paint and raising all kinds of hell on the defensive end as the Hornets were deep frying the Mavericks in the 1st round. Isn't it amazing what happens when you have athletic big guys in the paint who can move their feet and a point guard who actually makes Paul work on the defensive end?

San Antonio vs. Dallas (Tied at 1-1)
* I doubt either of these teams are legitimate title contenders this season, but something tells me the winner of Game 3 might ultimately win this series. Memo to Erick Dampier: It's too late to be a tough guy now. You probably should have put Tony Parker on his back sometime in the first half of Game 2 while he was torching you guys for 38 points.

Portland vs. Houston (Tied at 1-1)
*What the hell was I thinking when I picked the Blazers to pick beat the Rockets? Sure Brandon Roy (42 pts) and LaMarcus Aldridge (27 &12) came up big for Blazers in Game 2, but don't you get the feeling Portland is having to give everything they have just to keep their heads above water.? Houston, on the other hand, seems to be right at home in the pressure cooker that is the NBA playoffs.

My top 10 pass rushers of all time

I know we're barely three days into the NBA Playoffs, but all the talk about this weekend's NFL Draft forced me to visit Youtube to scratch my football itch. Considering that I'm a defensive lineman myself and the game has increasingly become more about pressuring the quarterback, I put together my own list of who I think are the top 10 pass rushers of all time.

1) Lawrence Taylor- 132.5 sacks (had 9.5 in 1981, but the league didn't count sacks as a stat until 1982)

- "LT" was an unforgiving combination of strength, athleticism and relentless aggression the league had not yet seen. Taylor changed the way offensive football was played and now every team that runs the 3-4 defense wants to find the second coming of him to put at outside linebacker. Simply put, he is arguably the best defensive player of all time and is undoubtedly the most disruptive defender in NFL history.

"We had to try in some way have a special game plan just for Lawrence Taylor. Now you didn't do that very often in this league but I think he's the one person that we learned the lesson the hard way. We lost ball games"

- Joe Gibbs, former Redskins Head Coach

*Now the list gets interesting. The rest of these guys can probably be put into any order, but this is the way I see it.

2) Derrick Thomas- 126.5 sacks

- "DT", along with Taylor, probably had the best first step of all time coming off the edge. He had an NFL record seven sacks in a game against the Seahawks in 1990 and would have bested that in a game against the Raiders a few years later had defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham not called off the dogs early in the 4th qtr. Probably the first guy I saw turn that little shoulder dip to run underneath offensive tackles or what is now known as "riding the rail" into a science.

3) Reggie White- 198 sacks

- "The Minister of defense" used freakish upper body strength to throw around opposing lineman as if they were grocery bags at your local Wal-Mart. White once tossed Cowboys behemoth/human bulldozer Larry Allen to the side with one arm during one of those memorable games between the Cowboys and Packers in the mid 90's. White was every bit of 310, yet he was more athletic than people give him credit for. Raised all kinds of hell for offenses while he was a member of those devastating Eagles defensive units coordinated by defensive wizard Buddy Ryan. Probably the most complete defensive end of all time.

"Reggie was a man among boys. Reggie White was more like a dump truck with turbo chargers on it! There was nothing you could do to stop what he was doing. "

- Philadelphia Eagles DE Hugh Douglass

4) Bruce Smith- 200 sacks

- Played most of his career as a 3-4 defensive end. (Not the most optimum position for an elite pass rusher) One of the cornerstones of those Buffalo teams in the early 90's that went to four consecutive Super Bowls.

5) Kevin Greene- 160 sacks

- The guy doesn't get the respect he deserves. Epitomizes what it means to "play with your hair on fire". A guy with not necessarily blessed with all the physical tools, but he had a non stop motor and a high football IQ.

6) Michael Strahan- 141.5 sacks

- Right next to Reggie White as arguably the most complete defensive end of all time. Holds the record for most sacks in a season (22.5 in 2001) and just like Bruce Smith, he continued to produced as at a high level in his later years. Strahan played most of, if not all of his career at the left defensive end position where he usually had to deal with tight ends chip blocking him before he even got to the offensive tackles.

7) Warren Sapp- 96.5 sacks

-Just like teams that run the 3-4 defense look for clones of Lawrence Taylor, teams that run the famed "Tampa 2" defense are looking for the next Sapp to play the "3 technique" defensive tackle. Sapp was probably the most disruptive defensive tackle of his time and single handedly changed the requirements teams look for when drafting pass rushing defensive tackles.

8) Charles Haley- 100.5 sacks

- He should be in the Hall of Fame. Say what you want about his unstable mindset, the guy was a winner (the only player with 5 Super Bowl Rings) and could flat out rush the quarterback. He's probably the only guy to physically threaten Jerry Jones and get what he wanted immediately. (A new contract for Emmitt Smith who was holding out at the beginning of the '93 season for the eventual champion Dallas Cowboys) During his time with the 49ers he threatened to kick Steve Young's ass after a loss.

9) John Randle- 137.5 sacks

-One of my personal favorites. He would get mentioned more if it wasn't for Sapp and the fact that he played on Minnesota teams that mostly never lived up to their potential. Another one of those "undersized" defensive tackles who used his cat like quickness and non stop motor to routinely abuse lineman who had him by several inches and multiple pounds. Had 15.5 sacks in 1997 playing defensive tackle! Hard to find a more entertaining player with a microphone on him.

10) Pat Swilling- 107.5 sacks

- It's a shame the Saints could never win a playoff game while Swilling was coupling his speed with the astro turf in the Superdome to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. One of the linchpins of the "Dome Patrol", Swilling piled up 17 sacks in 1991 on his way to being named defensive player of the year.

***I know somebody out there is screaming the name Deacon Jones. By all accounts, Jones would be the all time sack leader if the league kept the stat when he played. (An estimated 226.5) Jones coined the term "sack" and forced the NFL to ban his famous move, the "head slap". I've watched him destory countless offensive lineman with the head slap and plant numerous quarterbacks like they were spring roses on multiple highlight reels. The only reason he's not on the list is because I didn't see him play with my own eyes. Jones, "The Secretary of Defense", is unquestionably one of the best defensive ends of all time.

A look at the matchups in the 1st round of the NBA Playofs

1) Cleveland vs. 8) Detroit

Lebron and the Cavs are on a mission to get back to the Finals and Detroit has looked like a shadow of themselves since Joe Dumars shipped "Mr.Big Shot" to Denver in return for Allen Iverson. If the Pistons aren't careful, this series is going to look like a replay of that series in 1991 when a force of nature named Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls banished the Pistons to the realm of mediocrity and took over as the new gatekeepers of the Eastern Conference.

Prediction: Cavs in 5


2) Boston vs. 7) Chicago

The Celtics probably won't have Kevin Garnett in the playoffs, but Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo should be enough to beat a Bulls team who's still trying to come into their own. While the Celtics should advance, I can't wait to see Derrick Rose and Rondo go at it for a whole series.

Prediction: Celtics in 5 or 6


3) Orlando vs. 6) Philadelphia

The Magic have Dwight Howard. The 76ers don't. The Magic can throw the ball to Dwight Howard in a half court set. The 76ers, to put it nicely, struggle in the half court. Philly's athleticism will make it fun to watch, but the Magic advance to face the Celtics in the next round.

Prediction: Take the Magic in 5 or 6


4) Atlanta vs. 5) Miami

Who knows how this series is going to go? The Hawks took 3 out of 4 from the Heat in the regular season and I think they might have the better team overall. That said, I'm not to comfortable betting against Dwayne Wade given the tear he's been on this season. (So much for him being this generation's version of Penny Hardaway.) Michael Beasley could be the X factor in what could be a very entertaining series. At the very least it will be a red carpet event with rappers like Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne taking in the games from those expensive court side seats.

Prediction: Take the Hawks in 7. I say this knowing that D-Wade is fully capable of going on another ungodly run like he did against the Mavericks in the Finals a few years ago.



1) L.A. Lakers vs. 8) Utah

The Lakers' front line just got bigger (if that's possible) with the return of Andrew Bynum. The Jazz have been in a tailspin since the calendar turned to April. The Lakers have Kobe Bryant. The Jazz don't. I'll give the Jazz a home game before the Lakers put them out of their misery.

Prediction: Lakers in 5


2) Denver vs. 7) New Orleans

The poise and leadership of Chauncey Billups was just what the doctor ordered for the Nuggets. Injuries have caused the Hornets to fall off a little after last year's coming out party against the Mavericks. The jury is still out as to whether or not the Nuggets are for real, but I like them in this series considering they have home court advantage and the health of Tyson Chandler is shaky at best.

Prediction: Nuggets in 7


3) San Antonio vs. 6) Dallas

If the Mavericks were to draw up a first round opponent, it would be the aging Spurs. Tim Duncan, despite what he says, is starting to break down a little. Manu Ginobili (stress fracture) will be watching every game from the pine, and the Mavs are playing their best basketball of the season . The enigmatic Josh Howard will be the difference in this match up as these two bitter rivals will play another epic seven game series.

Prediction: Mavs in 7 *I know Tony Parker gives Jason Kidd fits, but if there was ever a time to get the Spurs early in the playoffs it's now.


4) Portland vs. 5) Houston

It's the team with a budding star (Brandon Roy) that nobody wants to play against the team who apparently doesn't need their star player. (Tracy McGrady) I love the Trail Blazers' depth and athleticism, but I also love the consistent defense of Yao Ming and the Rockets.

Prediction: Blazers in 6. I know the Rockets have been a little underappreciated this season, but you have to score points to win in basketball.

First thoughts on the Cowboys schedule

Finally there's something to write about! After a week full of baseball, (God bless Nick Adenhart, Harry Kalas and Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.) the feeding frenzy that is the playoff race in the Western Conference, and The Masters, I thought I was going to have to break out my college football previews a few months ahead of schedule.

However, thanks to the release of the Cowboys' schedule for 2009, there's something to discuss that is worth my time. So without further a do, here are my initial thoughts on the 2009 schedule for the enigma/soap opera known as the Dallas Cowboys.

9/13 @ Tampa Bay
- The Cowboys should start the season with a win considering the Buccaneers will still be trying to find their way in the defensive system brought in by new defensive coordinator Jim Bates. I like Tampa signing Byron Leftwich, but he's about as stationary as it gets when it comes to QB's and that's not a good thing when DeMarcus Ware is chasing you.

9/20 vs. New York Giants
- Welcome to Jerry World America! The Cowboys play their first regular season home game in Jerry's sparkling new billion dollar baby against the rival Giants. Don't be alarmed if you see a Giants receiver wearing a #17 jersey. It's just the butter fingered male model formally known as Braylon Edwards.

9/28 vs. Carolina
- Should be a great game if Julius Peppers is still a Panther and Jake Delhomme isn't still throwing passes to the other team. This game is for you if you're looking to see some of the best young running backs in the league. (DeAngelo Williams, Johnathan Stewart, Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice)

10/4 @ Denver
- Will the Cowboys defense speed up the clock on what could be a short tenure in Denver for new head coach Josh McDaniels?

10/11 @ Kansas City
- The Chiefs will be better under Todd Haley, but Matt Cassel isn't Tony Romo. Zach Thomas and his former teammates discuss the differences between Bar-B-Que in Kansas City and Dallas at halftime.

10/18 Bye
- It's a little early for a team that should be no worse than 4-1 at this point.

10/25 vs. Atlanta
- Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and the rest of the up and coming Falcons will scare the hell of the Cowboys before Tony Romo and company pull out a thriller at the "Jones Mahal"

11/1 vs. Seattle
- Who knows what kind of shape the Seahawks will be in by this point of the season?

11/8 @ Philadelphia
- Win or lose, I'm waiting to see what great philosopher Tony Romo tries to quote after the game.

11/15 @ Green Bay
- Thank the lord it's not a true night game! It will be interesting to see how improved Aaron Rodgers and the Packers new 3-4 defense will be when America's team comes to Lambeau Field.

11/22 vs. Washington
- The Cowboys come home to host the Redskins in their new digs for the first time.

(December is looming large for this group who has struggled down the stretch in recent years.)

11/26 vs. Oakland (Thanksgiving Day)
- The Cowboys better take advantage of what should be the last game of what has been a manageable schedule up to this point.

12/6 @ New York Giants
- Just another crucial matchup between two teams in the NFC East who don't like each other.

12/13 vs. San Diego
- Philip Rivers shows Tony Romo how to lead a football team. Shawne Merriman and DeMarcus Ware square off in a battle of 05' draft picks. LaDanian comes back to Texas just a few miles away from where he starred at TCU. Wade Phillips and Norv Turner match wits in what should be a slugfest between two of the most physically talented teams in the league.

12/19 @ New Orleans
- Strange things always seem to happen to the Cowboys in the Superdome. Anybody remember what the Saints did to the Cowboys two years ago? 42-17! Fullback Mike Karney is still open in the flats.

12/27 @ Washington
- Is Colt Brennan getting playing time by now for the Redskins? One way or the other, it's going to be a cold night in Landover for somebody.

1/3 vs. Philadelphia
-Is it me or do the Eagles always seem to be the fly in the ointment for the Cowboys late in the season?

Initial thoughts on Monday's happenings in the world of sports

Yesterday definitely wasn't your average Monday in the world of sports. The National Championship game between Michigan St. and North Carolina turned out to be a real snooze fest ( I actually took a nap midway through the 1st half until about six minutes to go in the game), but it was still a pretty busy day in the sports world.

* Opening Day in Majors

-I don't think the Yankees are paying CC Sabathia to put all those extra runners on base, and they sure aren't paying Mark Teixeira to leave a total of five runners on base. Relax Yankees fans! They'll figure it out.

-How 'bout those Texas Rangers! I love those red uniforms. Maybe they'll actually be around come August and September if they can get pitching like they did from Kevin Millwood yesterday.

-Ken Griffey Jr. went deep yesterday in his first game back with the Mariners. I can only imagine what would have been had he and A-Rod stayed in the great northwest

-K-Rod saved his first game as a member of the Mets. Somebody put the Mets in the World Series right now!

* The NBA

-There were no games yesterday, but some team got an early Christmas present when word came down that Manu Ginobili would miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs due to that troublesome right ankle. I can see teams scrambling now to draw the Spurs in the 1st round.

-Can somebody please give the number to the nearest taxi service in L.A. to Clippers F Zach Randolph? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4046405

-Congrats to his airness and the rest of the newly minted Hall of Famers

*The NFL

-Apparently Reggie Williams is trying to model his lukewarm career after former teammate Matt Jones. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4047846

-I'm not going to knock the Buccaneers for giving Kellen Winslow Jr. that fat contract, but I sure would like to know who's going to be throwing the ball to him.

-Jeff Garcia must really love the game to go play for the Raiders.

-I could be wrong, but I thought Samari Rolle said he wanted out of Baltimore. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4047426

Plaxico Burress wins a grievance against his former employer (the Giants) for a million dollars, but he had a little run in with a police officer in Florida last month. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4045389

Larry Johnson wasn't so lucky when it came to his grievance against the Chiefs. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4046548

Earth to L.J.: Be thankful Scott Peoli and Todd Haley haven't sent you packing already and pray that another team takes a chance on you and your excess baggage if they do.

McDaniels' time might run out before he really gets started

The sound you hear coming from the Rocky Mountains is the clock ticking on what could be a very short tenure in Denver for new head coach Josh McDaniels.

If that clock hadn't started when Pat Bowlen hired him, it certainly started when he decided he could win more games with Matt Cassel than he could with Jay Cutler. Throw in the recent trade that sent Cutler to Chicago for a pair of first round picks and that clock might actually be ticking a little faster than normal.

Most head coaches worth anything in the NFL do everything they can to make sure they have a franchise type quarterback to hitch their wagon to when they take over a team. They do not run off the 25 year old Pro Bowler who is on the verge of becoming one of the elite signal callers in the league.

When it comes to describing how McDaniels and the Broncos handled this fiasco, stupid doesn't even begin to do it justice.

I know Mark Schlereth and Trent Dilfer keep telling you how Jay Cutler is nothing more than a big baby with a sense of entitlement, but the bottom line is McDaniels screwed the pooch on this one. He didn't pick one of those players from that wet paper bag disguised as the Broncos defense to get rid of. (I hope he uses those picks on some defensive players.)He picked the the guy who's thrown for more than 9,000 yards and 54 TD's in just two and a half years as a starter.

Schlereth can say what he wants about Cutler, (he basically been calling him a snotty nose punk) but how would he have felt if the Broncos would have attempted to trade his beloved John Elway for Sean Salisbury during his playing days? I'm not saying Cutler is John Elway, but he sure looked like the Broncos best hope under center since Elway decided to hang it up.

Dilfer, who couldn't be Cutler if he was playing the latest edition of Madden, keeps preaching the importance of having a "team". He, of all people, should know the importance of the other 52 guys in uniform when the guy under center is nothing more than a glorified ball boy.

While they both have been using Cutler as target practice since this whole thing started, it doesn't hide the fact McDaniels basically said no to the steak dinner at Ruth's Chris (Cutler) so he could grab a value meal from the drive thru at your favorite fast food chain. (Cassel, Orton and Chris Simms)

As far as Cutler's role in this situation goes, it's understandable he didn't want to speak with his new head coach once the trust between the two of them was broken. That said, he should have answered the phone when the guy who's been signing his hefty paychecks the past three years wanted to talk to him. It doesn't matter at what point Bowlen did or did not get involved, Cutler owed him that much.

The ticking from that clock is getting louder by the minute.

McDaniels, despite the mess he's created, has an unquestionable pedigree as far as X's and O's go. His people skills on the other hand, are going to be up for debate before his time is long in the Mile High City.

Do you think Pat Bowlen asked his new head coach if he actually liked Cutler as his quarterback before he hired him? I'd like to think he did and I imagine McDaniels gave Bowlen some speech about how he would have never left New England if he wasn't for the opportunity to coach Cutler. That all may be true, (Which it probably is.) but Bowlen's spider sense should've kicked in the moment his new coach even floated the idea of sending Cutler to Tampa Bay in a three team deal that would have brought Cassel to Denver.

When the story first broke, McDaniels claimed Denver didn't put Cutler on the trading block. That' s about as truthful as Pacman Jones telling Roger Goodell he went to that strip club just to get something to eat.

The bottom line is, for whatever reason, McDaniels didn't want Cutler and he jumped at the chance to ship him out of town in order to bring in Cassel. Dumb as it might have been, it was even dumber of him to lie to Cutler about it.

Think about it for a second. Do you ever hear of a team with a "franchise" quarterback in this day and age fielding calls for their trigger man if he's not available?

Didn't think so.

If that was the norm in the NFL, we'd hear Tom Brady and Peyton Manning's name being mentioned in trade talks every off season because teams like the Lions and 49ers would forever be trying to get them.

That clock is on full display in the middle of downtown Denver for every Bronco fan to see at this point.

McDaniels run as the new head man in Denver has definitely gotten off to a rocky start, but like any new regime or administration, you have to give it time to see if things are going to work out.

Unfortunately for McDaniels, time might not be on his side.