Carolina Panthers First Round

The Carolina Panthers drafted powerful running back Jonathan Stewart from Oregon with the 13th pick in round one. Stewart is big and powerful at 5-10, 233 pounds and I was ecstatic about having a player with the upside of Stewart but I had my doubts about the pick. "How is Stewart's turf toe coming along? I also wondered aloud "Don't we need an O lineman and DE more?"

Both answers came within a few minutes. ESPN reported that Stewart said he will be available for training camp which made the pick look more responsible. The Panthers then responded by trading up to get Philadelphia's number 19 pick in the first round. They used that pick on Jeff Otah, OL from Pittsburgh. This is the guy I had the Panthers choosing in my questionable mock draft that I posted last week. He is huge at 6-6, 340 pounds and could make our offensive line one of the best in team history. 

The question is did we pay too much? Carolina had to give the Eagles their 2nd and 4th round pick this year as well as our first round pick in the 2009 draft.“You never want to give that up,” general manager Marty Hurney told the Charlotte Observer. “But that says a lot about how we feel about Jeffrey Otah. The two players together, I think, really help us toward our goal, of the personality and character. They are two very physical players.”

I saw John Kasay yesterday and I asked him how he felt about the picks. He didn't give up much but he did tell me that Stewart is who the Panthers wanted all along. That is encouraging. John Fox is known for loving the power running game and we have struggled to find one since Stephan Davis left. I also heard that Carolina had Otah high on their draft board and felt he was important enough to trade up to get and has great upside. These guys better pan out or this may be the last season for Fox-Hurney.

Larry Brown to Charlotte?

Larry Brown is now on the market.

He stepped down as Vice President of the Philadelphia 76ers this week. This comes as a surprise to me for a few reasons. Those same Sixers are in the middle of a first round playoff series with heavy weight Detroit and the series is even at one game a piece. It seems like an awkward time to resign from an organization that is making its way up out of the cellar, where it has been since Allen Iverson left. 

Could it mean he is in talks with another team about another job?

Maybe. I do not believe Larry Brown would resign as the Vice President of the 76ers unless he had an idea of where he was going. Just last week Brown said that there is a chance that he would be back in coaching either in college or the NBA. There are not many coaching jobs available in the NBA and as far as I can tell, not many coaches on the hot seat either. The Knicks are looking for a new coach but we all know how that went the first time around. Plus, I am not even sure anyone would willing coach that team right now. 

One coach that is on the hot seat is first year coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats finished with 32 wins in a season which the playoffs were expected. If vincent is dropped I do not think there would be much surprise even though he was not the only factor that contributed to the disappointing season. Brown has connections here as well. He was once the coach of the Carolina Cougars ABA team which played in Charlotte as well as other North Carolina towns from 1969-1974. He attended the University of North Carolina as well, and we all know a certain Tarheel that runs the Bobcats. Yes, that guy named Jordan. Brown's mother also lives in Charlotte and he has a home in town. 

Another possible scenario could be Stanford for Brown.

No word has yet been said about why Brown ditched Philadelphia or where he may end up, but it is an interesting scenario to think about.

My 2008 NFL Mock Draft

All About The Longs

 1.) Miami Dolphins- Jake Long, T-Michigan

2) St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE-Virginia



3) Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan, QB-Boston College


4) Oakland Raiders- Glenn Dorsey, DT-LSU


5) Kansas City Chiefs- Ryan Clady, T-Boise State



6) New York Jets- 
Darren McFadden, RB-Arkansas

7) New England Patriots- Vernon Gholston, DE-Ohio State

8) Baltimore Ravens- Aqib Talib, CB-Kansas



9) Cincinnati Bengals- Sedrick Ellis, DT-USC

10) New Orleans Saints- Michael Jenkins, CB-South Florida

11) Buffalo Bills-Limas Sweed, WR-Texas



12) Denver Broncos- Keith Rivers, OLB-USC

13) Carolina Panthers- Jeff Otah, T-Pittsburgh



14) Chicago Bears- Rashard Mendenhall, RB-Illinois



15) Detroit Lions-Derrick Harvey, DE-Florida


16) Arizona Cardinals- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB-Tennessee State

17) Minnesota Vikings- Devon Thomas, WR-Michigan State

18) Houston Texans- Chris Williams, OT-Vanderbilt

19) Philadelphia Eagles- DeSean Jackson, WR-California



20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Chad Henne, QB-Michigan.

21) Washington Redskins- Phillip Merling, DE-Clemson

22) Dallas Cowboys-Jonathan Stewart, RB-Oregon





23) Pittsburgh Steelers-Michael Oher, T-Ole Miss


24) Tennessee Titans-Malcolm Kelly,WR-Oklahoma

25) Seattle Seahawks- Kentwan Balmer, DE- North Carolina

26) Jacksonville Jaguars- Calais Campbell, DE-Miami


27) San Diego Chargers-Pat Sims, DT-Auburn



28) Dallas Cowboys-  Early Doucet, WR-LSU



29) San Francisco 49ers (from Indy)-James Hardy, WR-Indiana



30) Green Bay Packers- Leodis McKelvin, CB-Troy

31) New England Patriots-Forfeited (CHEATERS!)

32) New York Giants- Kenny Phillips, S-Miami

Let me know what you think!

 

NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs start on Saturday. I am excited about it. I wish my Bobcats had risen to the occasion and made the playoffs but they didn't and once again the phrase "there is always next year" comes up again. But when I look at the match-ups for the first round I can not help but become intrigued. As John Delong said "this is the best playoff scenario in 10, 12, 15 years". I have to agree. 

The West is better than maybe any conference has ever been in any sport. With series such as Phoenix/San Antonio and New Orleans/Dallas, the first round is now as great as the later rounds usually are. Kobe has gotten over his selfish demands and the Lakers have become the team to beat in my opinion. Denver has their hands full. If I had to guess I would say that most of these series go to seven games.

The East is not as impressive but the games should be just as great. The East is top heavy. Series such as Atlanta and Boston are bound to be 4 gammers. Boston beat Atlanta all three times they met this season by double digits. On the other hand the Wizards and Cavaliers series should be excited. Gilbert Arenas called out the Cavs and he got them. Will he be able to stop them or will Lebron take his team to the second round? Another thing that I was wondering is if the Cavs lose will James leave? 

I am asking you guys who do you think will win some of the big series? Do you want to see a team like San Antonio win for what seams like the tenth year in a row or would you love for a Cinderella like Denver or Phiadelphia to pull it out? (Wouldn't a Denver/Phila final be interesting with AI now playing for Denver). Let me know what you guys think. 

Chris Johnson

Everybody needs to watch out with this guy. He is a beast and if you have overlooked him prepare to be surprised. He ruled East Carolina for the past 4 years and is going to be a force in the NFL. Whoever gets him is going to get a steal if he drops to the second round. He ran a 4.24 40 for crying out loud. And did everyone see his performance against Boise State? He had over 400 all purpose yards against a top 25 team! I have a feeling his speed and talent will make him a name we will all know in the future. Along with David Garrard and Andrea Allison, he will put ECU on the map. I really hope the Panthers grab him. We need a tough big back more than a medium size speed guy but he would instantly make our return game unstoppable and he can be a great first down back when Deangelo is hurt or needs a rest. What do you guys think of him and where do you think he will go?

A thought on the Carolina Panthers

I love the thought of D.J. Hacket coming to the Panthers. He will take a lot of pressure off of Smith and having Moose as a 3rd receiver will make us one of the best receiving corp in the country. I hope Jarret gets his act together. He could be a great third receiver or return guy assuming he is sober. I am really excited about this upcoming year. Jake Delhomme is a great QB when healthy and I expect him to make a full recovery. We also cut many of our problem players and hopefully the new kids on the block can all contribute. What do you guys see the Panthers doing in the upcoming draft?I think we need an offensive and defensive lineman more than anything else. It may not be the sexy pick but it could help this team for a decade unlike a running back. Leave me your opinions and thoughts.

Charlotte Bobcats

Tonight is the last Bobcats game. The Sixers are coming to town for a layup game before the playoffs start. I am really disappointed for more reasons than one. First of all this is the last game of the season and I am going to miss the heart that the Bobcats play with and the entertainment a good NBA game provides when the team you care about is playing. The team has underachieved even though they have an above average squad in my opinion. It has been a rough four years even though we were the most successful 3 year franchise and only one team, the Orlando Magic, made the playoffs within four years of their inaugural season. We have a talented team and the future looks bright for the product on the floor. Why is this teams record not better? Why are Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace not leading this team to the playoffs?

Reason 1. 
We have a lame duck owner and team president. Bob Johnson is never at the games. More than that, he never goes to work. He blames the city for the financial loss this team has gone through and he does nothing to try and win fans. Michael Jordan is not much better. It seems like he cares more about playing golf in a charity event in Utah or partying in the Caribbean. He comes to games ever so often, but for some reason he does not want the casual fan to know he is around. This baffles me. If I owned or operated a team, I would be in the stands every game I could and talk to the average person. I would want to know what the guy sitting in section 215 thinks of the product and how he thinks we could do better.

Reason 2. The Bobcats have made horrible business decisions that may have set this organization back five years. C-SET and Time Warner Cable have made it nearly impossible for the Bobcats to get a serious fan base so far. Fox Sports South will be a huge upgrade for this team next season assuming it is not too late. Speaking of Time Warner Cable, the naming right to the arena were practically given away for Johnson and the Bobcats to get out of a binding TV deal that restricts how many people see the team. More than anything, the price of tickets (65-140 for lower bowl seats) and the price of food (7 dollars for a pan pizza) is driving away the average fan and the middle to low income families. When the prices are to high and the fans feel cheated they don't show. When the stands are full the players are energized and motivated and they feel loved. That has not happened with this team yet.

Reason 3.
Sam Vincent is a rookie head coach. Some bad decisions have been made by Vincent. He seems to be a talented coach and he has a smart head on his shoulder but he needs time to learn the league and to adapt. I believe Vincent used McInnis too often and Felton needed more time at point guard. He will finally get it but it may have come two seasons too late. He finally is getting the hang of things in this league and I hope that Michael Jordan does not cut ties with a coach that has potential.

Reason 4.
Attendance is down. Charlotte finished in the bottom fourth of the league in attendance. Why? See reasons one and two.

Hopefully bob Johnson will and the rest of the front office will get their act together or Johnson will sell the team because this is a grat city that deserves a winner and an owner that cares.