The Rams stun the Saints and get out of the winless circle

The St. Louis Rams got their first win of the season yesterday against the mighty New Orleans Saints.  Maybe the Rams were motivated after the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series.  Maybe the Saints just took the winless Rams for granted.  Whatever it was, St. Louis looked like a real solid NFL team.  Seriously.  The defense sacked New Orleans QB Drew Brees six times.  The offense scored four touchdowns and even converted on fourth down – twice.  The outcome was a 31 – 21 whipping that made St. Louis cry for joy and New Orleans cry for mercy.

The saying is, “anything can happen on any given Sunday.”  The Rams are at the bottom of the league.  They drafted QB Sam Bradford with their first pick last year.  He is supposed to be the bright star in their future, but just like the end of his college days he is out with an injury.  New Orleans on the other hand is leading the NFC South with a great veteran quarterback.  They won the Super Bowl in 2010.  They are one of the elite groups in the NFL.  The Rams taking out the Saints, explains the point of the saying.

There are two winless teams left in the league.  The Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins.  The Colts will host the Atlanta Falcons next week while the Dolphins will travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs.  Let’s see if they can finally get a game in the win column.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

The Rams Are On The Clock, Just Not First

The NFL Draft starts on Thursday.  This primetime event will make some college players dreams come true and mark the beginning of a new era for teams.  For months, NFL personnel have studied the players.  They watched the tapes, measured physical skills, conducted background checks and interviewed everyone from the player’s past.  Now it is time for them to make a selection.  Who will go in the first round?  Who will be the Number 1 Overall Pick?

It has been an interesting draft season.  Neither one of the top prospects at the quarterback position, Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen, threw at the Combine.  At the Senior Bowl, we saw a disappointing performance by Tim Tebow, one of the best college quarterbacks, that led to him changing his throwing technique.  He did not throw at the Combine, but really impressed scouts at his Pro Day. 

It’s crazy that I am even mentioning Tebow in a discussion about the first round of the draft.  He will most likely not get drafted until the second round (at the earliest), but the guy is a marketing machine, so I have to keep you in the loop.  Ticket sales for the Senior Bowl increased by 5,000 after he announced that he would participate.  He already has a deal with Nike and is on the cover of EA Sports’ college football game.  Even the NFL invited him to Radio City Hall for the first night of the draft.  (This is unheard of for a player with his draft stock.)  Will teams place more value on his image or his skill?

OK, last week I said that the Redskins would trade Jason Campbell to the Rams.  If this trade happens on Wednesday evening, everyone is shocked and here is how the first round of the NFL Draft goes.

1.     Washington Redskins (from Rams) – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. 

Snyder and Shanahan like McNabb, but they know that he only has a few more years.  They prepare for the future with a young quarterback. 

2. Detroit Lions - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State

4.     St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame.

Billy Devaney knew that he needed a quarterback.  He got Jason Campbell to go out there immediately and got a great deal on his future starting QB.

5. Kansas City Chiefs—Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

6. Seattle Seahawks—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

7. Cleveland Browns- Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

8. Oakland Raiders—Earl Thomas, S, Texas

9. Buffalo Bills – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

10. Jacksonville Jaguars—Joe Haden, CB, Florida

11. Denver Broncos—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

12. Miami Dolphins—Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

13. San Francisco 49ers—Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

14. Seattle Seahawks—C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

15. New York Giants—Everson Griffen, DE, USC

16. Tennessee Titans—Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida

17. San Francisco 49ers—Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa

18. Pittsburgh Steelers—Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho

19. Atlanta Falcons—Brandon Graham, OLB/DE, Michigan

20. Houston Texans—Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

21. Cincinnati Bengals—Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State

22. New England Patriots—Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers

23. Green Bay Packers—Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma

24. Philadelphia Eagles—Taylor Mays, S, USC

25. Baltimore Ravens—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

 26. Arizona Cardinals—Sergio Kindle, OLB/DE, Texas

27. Dallas Cowboys—Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State

28. San Diego Chargers—Sean Witherspoon, OLB, Missouri

29. New York Jets—Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers

30. Minnesota Vikings—Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama

31. Indianapolis Colts—Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU

32. New Orleans Saints—Jahvid Best, RB, Cal

As for Tebow, he will go in Round 2 or Round 3 to a team with an established quarterback like the Patriots or Steelers.  At the end of the day, this is a sports competition, not a congeniality contest.  So skills win.

The NFL will release the full 2010 schedule tonight at 7 p.m.   Check out your team schedule at nfl.com.

Ciao!

Heels &  Helmets

Working It Out at The Combine

The Combine is just about over.  Grades are not in for the players yet, but here are a few quick notes to get you in on the conversation this week.


1. No QB Showdown - The top prospects at the quarterback position are Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen.  Neither one them were able to throw because of injuries, so we did not get to compare the best. 
2. McCoy and McCoy - Colt McCoy is a quarterback from Texas.  He is a great athlete, but there is some concern about his height.  Gerald McCoy is a defensive tackle from Oklahoma.  Although he was shown up in the bench press drill, he is still a top prospect at his position.  Pending what the Rams value, he could be the No. 1 overall draft pick.  
3. Clemson had the fastest 40s - The drill that everyone talks about is the "40."  Two of the top 4 fastest times came from Clemson University players.  The top performers were: Jacoby Ford (Clemson Wide Receiver) at 4.28; Trindon Holliday (LSU Return Specialist) at 4.34; Jahvid Best (California Running Back) at 4.35 and C.J. Spiller (Clemson Running Back) at 4.35.
4. Tebow - Tim Tebow has been a standout college quarterback.  However, he had a disappointing performance at the Senior Bowl in January and decided not to throw during the combine.  Everyone questions whether he has the right throwing technique for the NFL.  So, he has been working on it and will unveil his "new technique" at Florida's Pro Day in a couple of weeks.  I don't think that it was a good idea not to throw, but from a PR standpoint, I think that it is great.  It keeps the attention on him and everyone is going to be talking about Tebow until the debut of his new throw.  

If a player was not invited to the NFL Combine,  their dream of playing professional football is not over.  They still have another chance to impress NFL teams at their school's "Pro Day."  This is similar to the combine, but not as intense.  However, it allows general managers, coaches and scouts to see players workout in person.  It is also a chance for players to demonstrate adjustments or improvements following the Senior Bowl and Combine.  The pro day tour starts after the combine on March 3.  Visit the College Pro Day Schedule to see when NFL teams are visiting your favorite college.


Now... How is work going on your 2010 Season?  As you know, I went to work on my 2010 Season last week.  Just like the NFL season starts with workouts at the Combine, I started my season off with strength and weight training from BetterFitness BetterHealth.  Pete Leibman was great!  We reviewed my fitness and nutrition goals for this season.  He developed a personal training plan that will help me have more energy, strength, endurance and muscle.  He also taught me exercises that are effective and do not require spending thousands of dollars on equipment.  The best part about it is he came to my house!  This is perfect for those of you who are concerned about working out in front of others.  


It was a tough workout!  I'm not happy about the pain that I feel.  But, no pain, no gain.  And I'm making it a great 2010!  Plus, someone has already challenged me to a 5K.  I think he is letting the heels in me fool him, but I'll be ready.  See you at the finish line...


Ciao!

Heels & Helmets