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Congrats SEC you once again bought another championship......

Four finalists named for Heisman Trophy

Will it be the Luck of the Cardinals, or is money really the route of all evil?

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Oregon running back LaMichael James, two of the nation's most high profiled players will meet in the National Championship game next month. both will have to find time between both teams preparation for college footballs most prestigious game to make a pit stop this Saturday in the city where dreams are made.


Newton and James were named finalists for the Heisman Trophy today, and will be joined by Stanford's Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore of Boise State. Newton will be the most publicised player out of the four of them even if he fails to take home the trophy. Newton has brought Auburn the best season they have had to date, and also a BSC National Championship berth but on the flip side it has also brought embarrassment, and scandal to the program.

Newton was "said" to be apart of a play-to-play scandal earlier this season has climbed the slippery slope of critics by putting up video game like numbers with 49 TDs, and shredding SEC defenses with 4,000 passing yards.



Newton is obviously the clear favorite, and should win if it was just strictly about numbers, and how ones team did in the regular season. But, ever sense the whole Reggie Bush drama was uncovered, and he decided to give back this Heisman trophy it makes one think will all Newton's off field issues be in the back of the Heisman trophy voters minds? The few that are apart of the Heisman trust take this award very seriously, and doesn't like the thought of any of the winners being apart of wrong doings.

Even though college football recruiting is a dirty business, and schools break the rules daily I don't believe that someone with his much controversy surrounding him should with this award. Yes, he did put up the numbers, but he also had the supporting cast that got him in the National Championship game.

I believe that Andrew Luck of Stanford demonstrates what the Heisman should stand for


Luck comes from a non traditional powerhouse football school, and has led the Cardinals from a 1-11 season to a 11-1 season in just four years. Stanford's 11 wins overall and eight in the Pac-10 are school records. Luck also broke the Stanford record of 27 touchdown passes in a season which was held held by John Elway and Steve Stenstrom. One can say that Luck is in good company in the stat books at Stanford.
Luck might not be as flashy, and dynamic as Newton but he sure does have the NFL scouts drooling over him and what he could poeteniatlly do at the next level.

The deal breaker I believe is that Luck runs a more balanced offensive attack at Stanford, then Newton does at Auburn.

I am about 99% sure that Newton will be hoisting the trophy on Saturday, as the previous winners did before him. But, when Newton, and Luck's careers are all said and done or even when they both move on to the next level Luck will realize he is the real winner when he is running out on the field every Sunday making millions of dollars, and getting the franchise tag for the team that he is playing for. This is the first year in for as long as I can remeber that NFL teams are excited about the number one pick, and dont want to trade it away. Anyway all Newton will ever amount to is another Troy Smith. Holding a clipboard every Sunday.

The Boys of Summer

Rob Neyer writes a baseball blog for espn, and the stuff that he writes about I always find quite interesting. I can't tell if he knows that he is an idiot, or if he just writes the things he does to get a rise out of his readers?

Being the Yankee fan that I am automatically I go straight to the tab he has for posts that he has done covering the Yankees. Posts that he has done range from Jeter should take a pay cut and move to the outfield, Yankees and their money, and my recent favorite us "New Yorker fans" are just passionate and not smart.

It hurts me that he refereed to us as not intelligent about the sport we all love in New York. I don't know if I am biased but I firmly believe that New York fans are the most intellegent/ passionate fans out there. It's not our fault that we expect alot from out teams. We are known for excellence and we like to keep it that way. Just because we might be a little harder on our players then say our divsion rivals Boston doesn't make us poor sports fans.

HOLY TEBOW?

The start to last nights draft surely had its fair amount of surprises up and down the first round. Nothing was bigger though then Florida's Senior Quarterback Tim Tebow going 25th overall to the Denver Broncos. The Denver Broncos traded 3 picks to the Baltimore Ravens to draft Tebow.

Many scouts and analysts had Clausen going before Tebow for the mere reason that Clausen played in a NFL style offense at Notre Dame. Many people were mind boggled that Denver passed on Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State for Tebow. Bryant would've obviously made more sense for what Denver needed, but Tebow just brings to much to a team to pass up on him. I still have faith that he CAN make it in the NFL as a QB for the one reason that he shows up and he works harder then anyone else on the field. He will be in the film room into the wee hours of the night studying tape to give him that much greater of an edge of the opponent.

I feel comfortable with Tebow going to Denver, and even though the Denver faithful are irate right now with the front office time will show that Tim Tebow is a class act and a quality guy that knows how to win.

GM's Time to Shine.

For the first time ever this years NFL draft will go prime time. This Thursday 255 college football player's dreams will come true as they watch their name come off the famous big board. There are only a hand full of players that will actually travel to New York City where the draft will be held to witness all the action. Typically it is only the projected first rounders that make the trip. One big surprise of the draft so far is that Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen will not be attending the draft. According to a ESPN mock draft he is projected to go number 9 overall to the Buffalo Bills. I personally feel that he might be preparing for the best, but expecting the worse. He doesn't want to have what happened to former Notre Dame standout Brady Quinn happen to him.

There aren't too many surprises I feel throughout the first round mock draft. 2010 will be one of the most quarterback oriented drafts we have seen in a long time! This years draft is showcased by Sam Bradford, quarterback from Oklahoma. He is projected as the number one overall pick to go to the Rams. This pick could make or break the Ram's GM career in Saint Louis. In 2009 Bradford led the Sooners to a National Championship game as a sophomore. He was then defeated by fellow draft classmate Tim Tebow of Florida. There was speculation after that game weather he would forgo his Junior and Senior season to enter the draft? He passed up the millions of guarantee money he would of received to come back for his Junior season with goals to win a National Championship. Little did he know that could potentially be labeled the biggest mistake in his short lived career. In the first game on his Junior season against BYU Bradford sprained his throwing shoulder when he was tackled to the turf on a hard, clean hit by BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson in the closing seconds of the first half. That is when the speculation arose saying what was he thinking passing up the draft when he had already won the Heisman, and led his team to the National Championship game as a Sophomore? He ended up playing in just in one full game before re-injuring his right shoulder on October 17, 2009 in the Red River Rivalry against Texas on the second drive of the game.

It is obvious that Bradford has the talent, and potential to be a NFL QB someday but I don't know if he would be the smartest pick for the Rams. It is common knowledge that the Rams need all the help they can get including a franchise quarterback. I just don't know if using your number one pick to get one will pan out in years to come. More times then not it's not the first round quarterbacks that win Superbowl's and live to have prosperous careers in the NFL it is the typically the 4-6 round quarterbacks that do. It is the Cinderella stories of the draft like Tom Brady who was drafted 199 overall. He has since then lead the New England Patriots to a record of 101-27 (.789) in regular-season and playoff games. which is the best record of any NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl Era. He has also won a totally of 3 Super Bowls.

The Rams best bet would be try and trade the number one pick for more picks in the draft, and then draft a quarterback in the later rounds. There will be plenty of quarterbacks to go around with this being labeled one of the deepest quarterback drafts in years.

Philly Freezing Over?

It's looking a little cold for the New Jersey Devils in Philly right now. The Devils are down 2-1 against the upstart Philadelphia Flyers who needed a prayer from the hockey gods to even get into the playoffs. The Devils lost a heart breaker in game 3 at Philly. If the Devils are going to get bye in this series they have to have their superstars step their game up BIG TIME.

In game 3 Philadelphia managed some how to not give up a shot on goal by Ilya Kovalchuk. Ilya Kovalchuk leads the team this playoffs with five points so far and he had 41 goals and 44 assists this season there is no way no how he shouldn't have had one shot on goal in game 3. Flyers coach Peter Laviolette matched Pronger against Kovalchuk. I guess one could say that the 35 year-old veteran Chris Pronger looked like a 27 year-old that Kovalchuk is. One reason why Philly is leading this series I believe is because of the veteran play by the future hall of famer Chirs Pronger. The Devils Forwards can just only hope that the playoffs either take a wear on his old age, or they need to find away to make things happen.

The Devils catalyst is Zach Parise. He had a stellar first two games, and he even scored a shorthanded goal in game 2. Game three he was just shut down by Phillys D that looks like it will be a force to wrecken with in the playoffs. I have a feeling that the number 2 seeded Devils are thinking that they have their full with Philly in this series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3GEC0GvHe4

Every player has a job on the Devils. Every player is a vital link on this team and they all have to remeber that if they want to live to play another series this year.

Cup

Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins



Zach Parise New Jersey Devils


Alex Ovechkin Washington Capitals




The NHL playoffs are under way and even though each series is only one game in, there have been many surprising upsets.There was the Flyers barley squeaking into the playoffs needing that one extra game against the New York Rangers to get in, and then beating the number 2 seed New Jersey Devils. Ottawa beating the defending Stanley Cup champions. Number one seed in the west San Jose falling to a upstart Colorado team. Or last but certainly east the favored Washington Capitals losing to the canadians.





Chicago opened their quest of a Stanley cup tonight against the hottest team in the league right now the Detroit Red Wings. I still have Chicago winning that series. I believe that Chicago's forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are going to be just too much for them. If your team is the higher seed in the first round of the playoffs more times then not offense SHOULD be enough to get you to the next round. Defense wins championships though still, but having Toews and Kane wont hurt you either. And that's why I have the Blackhawks winning it all because I feel that they have the best balance of defense and offensive play.