Happens this weekend. Jack will be peeling his corneas off the tv screen sometime Sunday night.

On a related note, go HERE for some good old fashioned Ryan Leaf bashing on the 10 year anniversary of him being drafted at the #2 spot by San Diego.

I prefer the NFL Select.

What can I say? I'm a low-carb sort of guy.

Well, the NFL Draft was this past weekend, so naturally I absorbed an insane amount of it. The Steelers entered the weekend as defending division champions, but with the Browns breathing down their necks as they both went 10-6 last year. The Browns had traded away their picks in the first three rounds for various things: their first round pick was sold on Draft weekend last year to get them Brady Quinn. Their second and third round picks were sent packing this spring for a pair of defensive tackles to bolster what was an atrocious defensive line. The Browns apparently feel that the division is weak, and that with their now dangerous offense they should strike while the iron is hot, so they've decided to trade draft picks for players who will help them this season. The Steelers followed their usual pattern of building through the draft, and it seems to have landed them a bananza, with a very highly rated running back, Rashard Mendenhall, falling to them at pick #23. He's been described as a bigger, faster Edgerrin James. Apparently his receiving skills are extremely impressive, leading some to say he could be split out wide as a receiver in some formations. In the second round the Steelers landed a receiver who was considered a first round talent, but fell because of a ligament injury in his wrist that caused him to miss most of the '07 college season. Limas Sweed is the big receiver, at 6'3.5", that the Steelers have been missing since Plaxico Burress left for New York. To the Steelers advantage, Limas is stronger and faster than Plax was, and is considered a great run blocker, and he also lacks Plax's sometimes distracting attitude. Limas is also known for his "driven" work ethic. In the third round the Steelers may have gotten another steal, a trash talking linebacker, Bruce Davis, who some feel is in the mold of former Steelers star Joey Porter. Right now it's questionable how many of these players will have a measured impact this coming season, but Mendenhall is likely to be a force from day one, as the transition for running backs to the NFL is generally considered to be smoother than for most other positions. The posters on the Browns board I sometimes visit were extremely familiar with both Mendenhall and Sweed, and their anguish over the Steelers picking up these players was quite satisfying. Anyway, the Steelers play in Cleveland week 2, and the hype for this game amongst the fans of the two teams is already becoming palpable. It's gonna be fun!

Sounds interesting. I'll be able to watch the games from my roof, now.

Well, er, almost.

Anyway, Jack, all rivalry stuff aside, do you think, with the Browns' momentum from last year and the (hopefully) good choices during the draft, that they will do even better than last year? By which, I mean, of course, that they will be Super Bowl Champions?








What I really mean is, can they fix the mistakes they made last year that cost them the playoffs and still keep the momentum?

What's that up in the sky?

A bird?

A plane?

Nope. Just some pigs flying.

Well, the Browns offense is still going to be stacked. Joe Thomas, their rookie left tackle last season (who managed to make the Pro Bowl), should be even better in his second year. Their quarterback may have gotten himself overrated last year because of the incredible offense around him, and he also made it to the Pro Bowl, though some wondered whether he deserved it, and he did suck it up in that game if that counts for anything. Still, it was only his second year in the league, I believe, and his first as a starter: he should be improved going into this season. Their defense was ranked 30th in the league last year, but the two defensive linemen they traded for should definitely help, starting by improving their horrible run defense. I think they do have a couple of decent linebackers to boot, and a corner they drafted last year may be an asset now. I believe they have at least one pretty good safety, too. Unfortunately, they traded away their best veteran corner in one of those deals to acquire D-linemen. The Steelers and Browns both have extremely difficult schedules, playing both the AFC South and the NFC East, so that's not going to help either one of them, but the Steelers do have the division winner's schedule, so they play New England and San Diego, while Cleveland gets to substitute the two second place teams in those divisions, which I think are Buffalo and Denver: that's definitely an advantage for the Browns if they are going to win the North this year, and that may be the only way to get into the playoffs from the North, since the schedule may make any wild card teams from the division unlikely.

So, in short, I think the Browns will challenge the Steelers for the division, and have a shot at the playoffs. Whether or not they can continue their momentum, I do not know: the Steelers' top two draftees from a year ago will now be entering the defensive lineup, and Mendenhall will bring the pounding force back to their running game, so I still think the Steelers will retain the advantage in head-to-head matchups.

Thurston McQ wrote:What's that up in the sky?

A bird?

A plane?

Nope. Just some pigs flying.

Fuck you, Thursty.






I mean it!











No, I don't.

Jack's Sorrow wrote:Well, the Browns offense is still going to be stacked.

So, in short, I think the Browns will challenge the Steelers for the division, and have a shot at the playoffs. ... I still think the Steelers will retain the advantage in head-to-head matchups.

Fair enough. Either way, it looks like it'll be an entertaining season.

Dats my g' right dur gonna bring dat wood!!!l! http://youtube.com/watch?v=A1ihXpZ6mlw