I love game week.

09.01.10 Pac-10 Football Podcast

(Right click save as to download for ipod use)

Click on this to view or just enter “odds WSU wins Rose Bowl” to see what google says. H/T Figjam

Right now I feel very comfortable arguing that if the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Sounders played a game on the same day in Seattle, the Sounders would outdraw the Mariners by 10,000 fans*.  The Sounders, after all, average about 36,000 a game at Qwest Field, while the Mariners sit at 27,000, a number that is inflated by the early season attendance numbers and that will go down with every remaining home game this season. Name me another city in America where a fledgling soccer team is more of a draw than a Major League Baseball franchise.  I can’t think of one.

The reason for all this, in my opinion, is very simple: The Mariners do not care about winning.  It simply isn’t that important in the overall scheme of things for the franchise.  Do they like winning?  Yes.  Would they prefer to win?  Yes.  Are they going to go out of their way to put together a winning ball club?  No.  If it so happens that the team is good, that’s great.  If not, no big deal.  So long as “the experience of Safeco field,” continues to be a social success, the organization is satisfied.  It seems plain to me, a sports fan, that the #1 priority in the Mariners organization is not winning the sport in which they compete.  So I’ll go watch the Sounders.

I realize it’s hard to write this without coming off as sarcastic, but it’s how I feel about the state of Mariners franchise.  I don’t think they care that much about where the team sits in the standings.  What matters is that the sushi at Safeco is good, the boat race on the video screen comes off well, and the many tourists visiting the Park are having a good time (Ichiro!).    These priorities are all geared towards providing Mariners’ fans with an enjoyable ballpark experience, which is nice, but it largely misses the point of the whole endeavor. As a result, the organization is mess, and most of the baseball lifers that come through the Mariner system get spit out the other side burned out of a program that doesn’t putting winning first.

I think back, on the weekend of his retirement from the sport, on Lou Piniella and the emotion and passion with which he used to manage the Mariners.  He didn’t care about being politically correct, didn’t hide his disdain for losing, and when things didn’t go his way – he went nuts.  Rightly so.  He wanted to win.  He cared about nothing else.  It burned him to lose at anything and he wasn’t going to stand for any perceived slight or misjudgment that was going to jeopardize his quest for victory.  It’s sad to me that Lou is remembered in Seattle largely for his emotional outbursts, and not necessarily his commitment to competitive excellence.  It has always been my opinion that a major factor in Lou’s leaving Seattle was his realization that he was just the guy the fans loved to see run around on the field and throw bases around on occasion.  Many of the fans loved Lou because he was part of the show.  Lou loved baseball, however, and was out there on the field because he was genuinely upset with the proceedings, not because the dancing groundskeepers had the night off and it was his turn to perform.

Ultimately, as the Mariners’ franchise has courted the casual fan, the fan who likes BBQ, the blooper reel, and the pomp and circumstance of Safeco, they have lost me.  I just like sports.  I’m not opposed to nice venues, not bothered by video montages, and not too good to enjoy the food, but I simply cannot stand the ambivalence and lack of passion displayed by the team.  If they don’t care, I don’t care.  I’ll go to Qwest and watch the Sounders, in a wave of green supporters chanting in unison for a team that shows up to win (and, when things aren’t going well – changes its personnel to get back into things).  I’ll go watch the Seahawks, hapless as they are talent wise right now, because I know that Pete Carroll and his coaches give a damn and are doing everything in power to make it right.

What I won’t do, is pay to go watch a team that doesn’t care.  Watch a “superstar” who sits complacently out in right field night in and night out, content to be the main attraction for a large number of fans who have no idea what is going on with the team or the game itself.  Watch management shuffle talent back and forth from the minor leagues, while development seems to be stalled out. While it may be a pleasant evening to go hang out at Safeco, it isn’t winning baseball.

This season will draw to a close marking the Mariners amongst the worst franchises in the Major Leagues.  They have to hire a new manager and need to fill talent deficiencies at numerous positions.  None of these issues will be addressed properly, however, unless the mentality of the organization is drastically altered.  Unless winning is made the priority.  Until it is, however, the Mariners will remain a rec-league program playing in a Major League sport.  For those fans who go for the ambiance, things will still be great.  For those of us who want to win, we will have to look elsewhere.

*Barring the Yankees or Red Sox being in town and skewing that number with their own fans, whose support is so great that its actually probably easier and perhaps cheaper for them to come watch their teams at Safeco.

Unfortunately for Cornhusker nation the upset didn’t happen, as Texas hit a last second field goal and advanced to the BCS National Championship.

As we enter 2010 though, there’s renewed optimism in Lincoln. Can the beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers go over 10 regular season wins?

Last year really did mark the return of glory for this once proud program, as second year coach Bo Pelini led the Cornhuskers to a 10-4 record and a Big XII North title. Now they are looking to make that next step into the national elite.

When you talk Nebraska, things begin on the defense, where Pelini put together one of the game’s best units last year. Nebraska ranked No. 2 in college football in scoring defense (allowing just 11.2 points per game, second to only Alabama) and No. 9 in total defense, with opponents gaining just under 285 yards per game. While All-American defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is now gone to the NFL, there is still plenty of talent on this unit.

The star of the group is redshirt junior Jared Crick, who played alongside Suh last year to form one of the fiercest front lines in college football. How Crick is able to play without the massive Suh next to him will be key. Three linebackers return, and maybe just importantly Prince Amukamara, a potential All-American at cornerback. Even without Suh, this defense will still be one of the best in the college football betting game.

As for this offense, it is most definitely still a work in progress. Last year’s quarterback Zac Lee is back, but even partway through fall camp hasn’t earned the starting gig for this year. Taylor Martinez and Cody Green are hot on Lee’s tail, after the incumbent ended last season completing just 58 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Roy Helu does return at running back, after rushing for 1,147 yards last year.

Finally, let’s evaluate this Nebraska schedule. Looking at it, there’s no reason to suspect that they shouldn’t comfortably reach eight wins, but getting to 10 may prove difficult. They open with two winnable home games, before traveling to Washington, in a very tough, inter-sectional matchup. The Cornhuskers toughest conference games are both at home (Texas and Missouri), but they do have to travel to Texas A&M. Traditional rival Oklahoma is not on their schedule this year.

Check out Bobby’s 2009-2010 stats for Banca Tercas Teramo here.

This upcoming season UW’s Bobby Jones will play for Sutor Montegranaro in Lega A (same league) where he will be teammates with Clemson’s Sharrod Ford and Villanova’s Allan Ray.

Sutor Montegranaro finished 6th of 15 last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs. His former team finished 12th and didn’t make the playoffs.

Not only have we gotten pretty good participation in our past soccer fantasy leagues, but people are having a really fun time. Want proof? Here are some testimonials from past participants.

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Join today! Details and hot babe pics below the jump:

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League: “EPL Fantasy Explosion!”
Password: “poop”
Link: http://premierfantasy.soccernet.espn.go.com

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Constable Echelon: “If Kavario Middleton doesn’t show up next season looking like a man…which he has not…you know he’s looked like a guy with a lot of talent, but still kind of, maybe, doughy, and still kind of looking like a kid…if he doesn’t look like an NFL tight end next year, I’m going to be very disappointed…”

Fig Jam: “I don’t think he’d play if he did that…”

Not waiting until fall camp, Sark has seen what he was going to see, and Kavario Middleton has been dismissed from the UW football team. Middleton now joins fellow talented not-quite Craig Chambers as a fixture in future “What if he cared?” debates regarding Washington football.

First off, I’m not mad at Craig Chambers and Kavario Middleton. Kavario Middleton signed during a 4-9 season, and debuted for the disastrous 0-12 team. He signed on for a loser. Craig Chambers actually signed before we started losing, as a member of Neuheisel’s final class before he was fired for…whatever it was. Chambers was never coached by Neuheisel and instead endured Keith Gilbertson and then one year of Tyrone Willingham before leaving for a level of competition that aligned with the level of effort he was willing to put in – Montana. Chambers arrived at a directionless program, and wasn’t wired to put his head down and bust his ass in the hopes that everyone else would do the same in a complete vacuum of leadership.

The point is, you can’t make people who don’t want to work, work. It is nobody’s obligation to realize their potential, and it is to be applauded in the rare cases that people do. Fair play to both. They are both average, but by definition so are most. (Shame about that god-given ability though.)

This also got me thinking about another highly touted recruit – Anthony Boyles, and his progression from perceived malcontent to budding contributor after a position change.

This is a good breakdown of three ways a career can develop when a highly touted player doesn’t initially pan out. Under the feckless Gilby-Willingham regimes, Craig Chambers was allowed to play because he was clearly talented, and ultimately showed himself the door. Surely people took him aside and told him how good he could be, but those people changed from year to year. No programmical rudder. He had to let himself go. Noble, actually.

Kavario Middleton did Washington a favor by signing with us. He could have written his ticket for an established winner. Unfortunately before the ink was dry on his letter of intent he had just about given what he was willing to give to the program. Unlike Chambers in the era of dundering coaches, Sark took Middleton aside and explicitly told him what was expected. When Middleton proved unable to comply, he was dismissed. Terrible to lose a talent, but fantastic in terms of establishing a “We could give a shit who the internet said you were” level of accountability.

In contrast, Anthony Boyles licked his wounds, accepted that he had a better chance to crack the depth at db, and went to work to earn himself playing time. He is the type of Husky we need.

And that is how you take three quasi-related things and create a positive arc out of a negative news day. Boom.

So why, I must ask, do I continue to see you on Television, and read quotes you give during interviews, where you are incessantly ranting and raving about the injustice done to USC by the NCAA?  How does that relate to your job as Seahawks head coach? I’m going to be honest here and just let you know that I don’t think it does.  As a Seahawk fan,  I don’t care about USC’s sanctions.  If you think that USC was railroaded by the NCAA that’s fine – just keep it to yourself.   Your job and your focus at this point has nothing to do with that.

Additionally, I have to tell you that it makes you look like a child to go on television and whine about how everyone was out to get your Trojans and how the NCAA had an agenda in bringing you down.  This, coming from the guy who suddenly and mysteriously left the top 10 program where he was making millions and living in LA, to take the head coaching position of a NFL franchise in the Pacific Northwest that could be one of the leagues’ 5 worst teams.  Do you think that the sporting fans of the world are so dumb that they don’t realize that you saw this NCAA sledgehammer coming and chose to abandon ship rather than take it like a man?  No – we all get that.  You took the easy way out and washed your hands of the NCAA by jumping to the NFL.  Good for you.  Now focus on the NFL.

You know Pete, when I think back on your tenure at USC it seems to me that you never really cared about the NCAA or fortune of the rest of the college football world.  You and your boys were out there having a good time, beating the crap out of people and then going out in LA to mix it up with the stars.  Nothing else mattered.  Your tenure at USC was like one long episode of Entourage.  I don’t seem to remember you being the compassionate type Pete when you were taking it UW and WSU and everyone else in the Pac 10, running up the score whenever you could so that your 4th string 5 star recruit running backs could get some touches.  So why do you now think that the UW and WSU fanbase (ie – the Seattle Seahawk fanbase) gives a damn about the sanctions that USC got hit with for CHEATING, while you were the head coach? Here’s a hint: we don’t care.  Not at all.  So as the new Seattle Seahawk coach, you shouldn’t care either.  In fact, you’re being paid an absurd amount of money not to care, so act accordingly.

Michael Bradley can change directions like no other.

We’re talking a lot about Donovan, but what about Dempsey, who comes to play every day?

That Algerian captain and his “who, me?” face deserved to get sent off.

Speaking of Algeria, they didn’t look like they wanted to score. Plus they had no hot babes in the stands.

I thought Gomez played well. For all intents and purposes, he had an assist.

Edu can match anyone in the world physically but still has some maturing to do.

I haven’t seen Feilhaber play that well in a while, but he still suffers lapses on defense. He doesn’t even look around for marks when he jogs back on defense.

I was really worried about Jay Demerit’s eyes before the World Cup. That seems silly now.

We didn’t lose much putting Bornstein into the game, for Gooch. Tough to say, but Gooch isn’t ready yet.

Bob Bradley’s odd mannerisms are becoming endearing. He also really looks like Michael.

John Harkes…hmmm. I’ll take Ally McCoist, thanks.

Speaking of announcers, Steve McMenamin is outstanding with his silly accent.

2002: Torsten Frings’ handball
Woulda coulda shoulda. America’s run in the World Cup ends in the quarterfinals, but video replays show the Germany midfielder clearly handled the ball on the goal line.

2006: Claudio Reyna’s unlucky break
America’s skipper is uncharacteristically caught flat-footed against Ghana, leading to a goal and an injury.

2006: Oguchi Onyewu’s phantom penalty/red card
Four years on, Onyewu’s red card and the subsequent penalty on this play still defy explanation.

2010: The goal that wasn’t
Maurice Edu’s seemingly good goal against Slovenia was disallowed by the referee.

2010: The goal that wasn’t, part II
Once again, the match referee ruled out a good goal on a questionable call. This time, Clint Dempsey had one taken away.

Hopefully this is a sign of the pendulum swinging the other way.

Not under the reign of Larry Scott.

The mere threat of adding power teams like Texas and Oklahoma to the country’s first football “super-conference” was enough for the NCAA to mete out some serious punishment to USC in the wake of the Reggie Bush allegations that surfaced in 2006.

These girls might have played women's tennis.

It’s been long known that the Trojans play fast and loose with the recruiting rules, in football and in basketball. It’s so delicious that they are finally being punished for them, even if that snake Pete Carroll, the man who presided over them, will likely escape punishment.

It is interesting, though, that the two-year postseason ban coincides with the first season of the proposed Pac-16. This would set up a possible conference title game between USC and Texas, with the winner going on to the National Championship game. Wouldn’t that be a spectacle?

As Aaron Rodgers noted in his Twitter, he is looking forward to receiving his 2004 Pac-10 Championship ring.
First Oregon’s Heisman candidate gets himself kicked off the team, now this. The gods – They shine up on us this week!

In conclusion: Whipple sucks.

Here are our standings so far:

Flawson – 10
B. Martinez -10
Fig Jam – 10
skdub – 8
Colwell – 8
Pooh – 7
LS-DubC – 1

Congrats to everyone who scored in this fantastic week of death!

http://hotdogandfriends.com/2010/01/04/death-pool-2010

League Name: The Winners Circle

Password: poop

http://worldfantasy.soccernet.espn.go.com

I first noticed this discord last year during the Sounders inaugural campaign in Seattle as a MLS franchise.  It was a fantastic setting at Qwest field as the Sounders welcomed in several of the largest club teams in the world, took the MLS by storm, and immediately became renown as the mecca of American soccer.  ESPN analysts and European club managers alike marveled at the Seattle soccer scene as teams like Barcelona and Chelsea played to Sounders green crowds exceeding 60,000 at Qwest field.  The stadium itself, already known to be one of the loudest in the NFL, proved that it’s dual sport design had been implemented to perfection and that it is an incredible venue to watch a great soccer match.

So, after having attended several Sounders games at Qwest, both “friendly” games against Barcelona and Chelsea and then a few MLS games as well, I found myself discussing the Sounders amongst friends during an August trip to Las Vegas.  It was there, amidst the lights and constant noise of the Las Vegas desert that the first anti-Sounders rhetoric was brought to my attention.  After mentioning my enjoyment of one of the Sounders games, a friend and absolute die hard Sonic fan (so diehard in fact that this individual now roots for the OKC Thunder because he still loves the franchise so much), erupted,  ”If I hear one more person tell me about the Sounders….”  After a brief back and forth regarding his disdain for discussion on all things Sounders, it quickly became apparent that his anger was not really with the Sounders franchise itself, but directed more at the Seattle fanbase of the team that was so quick to adopt the team.

It appears to me that there was a feeling of betrayal towards the Seattle fans.  An insinuation of, “so you can be passionate and involved in this team but couldn’t be bothered to do the same for the Sonics?”  It is confounding for Sonic fans to hear Seattle proclaimed to be a supportive and enthusiastic city towards a new sports franchise so soon after having heard those same media outlets eulogize the cities’ appetite for professional basketball.

Beyond that, there seems to be a feeling that the Sounders may have been the beneficiary of unintended good timing.  Fresh off having the Sonics ripped out of the city by its roots, the Sounders arrived in the MLS and immediately captured a sports fanbase desperate to prove itself worthy.  The last few years of the Sonics was a horrid and tragic experience for any sports fan, regardless of the sport.  The management intentionally made the team bad, removed any member of the organization who identified with the city, made absurd demands for a new facility that to this day do not pass the laugh test, and just generally made the whole experience miserable for everyone.  Then, when management sought to move the franchise – they cited back to the barren  wasteland that they had created as a key factor necessitating the move.  It was a joke.  The result of all this, both good and bad, was that the vigor and enthusiasm with which the Sounders fans adopted the team was astounding.  The Sounders seem to have stumbled onto something special, to have tapped a rich vein of devoted followers who seamlessly joined with the Sounders’ longtime USL fans to form the preeminent cheering section in the MLS – the Emerald City Supporters (or “ECS”).

To be sure not all Sonic fans are anti-Sounders.  Far from it.  A large number of Sounders fans are SuperSonic refugees.  They are fans of the city of Seattle and throughout the course of their lifetime have cheered (and likely jeered at times) the local Seattle sports teams.   But there are certainly still those for whom the pain of losing the Sonics is too real.  They cannot stand to see the Sounders, bathed in the glitter and fanfare of Qwest Field, enjoying the success and devotion that was once reserved for their SuperSonics.  For these individuals the Sounders success is viewed through bitter memory.  They do not hate soccer or necessarily the Sounders themselves, but the hatred they foster for David Stern and Clay Bennett overcomes their ability to enjoy what the Sounders have brought.

That anger is only exacerbated when hearing others (like myself) talk of the Sounders and of the enjoyment of the Sounders games.  It is the embodiment of everything they once argued for on behalf of the Supersonics (devotion, passion, enjoyment) taking form in a different sport at a different venue.  In a way, the masses at Qwest field only validate what these fans once argued to an NBA commissioner who wasn’t interested and wasn’t listening.  The Sounders have proved these fans correct and with each  game the  possibilities of what could have been echoes across Elliott Bay back towards Key Arena.

In the end, my conversation with my friend in Vegas ended with a acknowledgement that it  wasn’t soccer or the Sounders that was the problem, but also with the defiant statement that he wished I would have had such an attitude towards the Sonics “when it mattered.”  We then moved on to discuss the ridiculous young roster that the Sonics had put together (one of the side benefits of destroying the team in Seattle was that it yielded an incredible crop of high draft pick superstar talent that is now on display in OKC) and the possibility of championships for that team if it were to stay together.  I believe that as time goes on and the Sounders continue to grow within the city that eventually there will be no residual resentment against them, but that there will always be those who wonder, “what if.”  Hopefully, once the league is out of the clutches of its minuscule commissioner, common sense will return to the NBA front office and the Seattle SuperSonics will be restored.

In the meantime, I, along with many others, will enjoy the good in the Seattle sports scene and participate in the excitement that the Sounders have brought (I’d also note that the ECS support section faces away from Safeco field, which at this stage is most assuredly a “good” thing).

The obvious problem that the Mariners have is that they have no offense.  Going into Tuesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays the Mariners had not hit a homerun in over a week.  As a team they trail Paul Konerko (by 3) in homeruns for the season.  That is beyond sad.  On multiple occasions the M’s have put runners in scoring position or even loaded up the bases and have been unable to generate any kind of timely hitting.  In their last 5 losses they have scored 7 total runs.  So, basically, that’s the problem.  They can’t hit and there isn’t much in the way of hope that they will find a big bat somewhere on the roster or in the minors.

However, taking the offense and putting it aside, I’m not satisfied with solely blaming the bats right now.  As a team, the Mariners look discombobulated and disinterested.  They are committing costly errors, suffering past balls, and just generally playing like losers.  Their eyes are down, their shoulders are slumped, and nobody is willing to show the least bit of emotion to vent their frustration.  The tension is written all over their faces in the dugout.  Now, for me, the casual fan, emotion is not the problem.  I’m more than willing to fly off the handle and start throwing people under the bus whenever it suits me.  Perhaps that means I wouldn’t make it on a major league roster.  Oh well.

The real breaking point for me was on Sunday.  After Doug Fister threw 8 shutout innings against the Texas Rangers, only using 100 pitches to do it, the M’s manager Don Wakamatsu chose to pull Fister to allow the closer, David Aardsma to pitch the 9th.  This, despite the fact that Aardsma had already blown a few saves this season and is not pitching the way that a closer should (ie – getting ahead in the count).  But, be that as it may, He was given the ball for the 9th inning to try and secure the W and avoid an embarrassing home sweep against a team within the division.   Aardsma walked the first hitter, and after having done that, he was allowed to face the next batter.  At that point, I lost it.  How inept does a Mariner’s player have to be before they are no longer allowed to be on the field? In my humble opinion, Wakamatsu made an incredible error leaving Aardsma in that game.  The rest, of course, is history.  Aardsma gave up the tying run and the Rangers won the game in extra innings thanks in part to the 2 past balls that Mariner’s catcher Rob Johnson allowed.

I fully understand that being a MLB manager is a hard gig (actually I don’t understand that at all – it seems simple as hell, but I’m sure that’s just because I don’t get it and not because it really is that easy).  You are dealing with a lot of egos and players who are mentally fragile.  However, what the hell is the problem with yanking a player who isn’t doing his job?  What’s the issue with that?  If I’m managing the Mariners and we are in a 1-0 game after a fantastic effort by my starter, and I’m looking to avoid a home sweep to the Texas Rangers, there’s no way I’m letting the closer go in and blow the game after I’ve watched him do it several times in the past 2 weeks.  No chance.  The rest of the team deserves my best effort as manager and I owe it to them to do what’s best for the squad.  Accordingly, when Aardsma walked that first batter in the 9th, I would have walked out of the dugout and up on the pitcher’s mound and told him, “can’t walk batters right now.”  And then I would have taken the ball from him and went to the pen. Message sent.  We are not going to lose games because guys aren’t doing their job.  We are going to win games.  I didn’t have to yell or scream or get in a player’s face to make clear that as a team, we’re going to play the game to win.

I don’t see anything wrong with doing that.  Aardsma can’t complain.  He knows as the closer that it’s unacceptable to walk batters late in the game.  That’s not news to him.  And if he’s upset with Wakamatsu for going to get him in a situation like that then it’s just too bad.  He isn’t being publicly called out or made a fool, he’s just being shown that if you don’t do your job, the team will find someone who will.  And that’s appropriate isn’t it?  That’s what should be done.

Instead, however, the Mariners aren’t doing those types of things.  They are grinding it out one loss at a time.  They are making errors, playing sloppy, and the only repercussions so far have been that Eric Byrnes has been released and Matt Tuiasosopo has been sent back down to Tacoma so that he”can play everyday.”  To me these moves are a fairly impotent response.  Byrnes was obviously not a major league talent anymore and his .092 batting average was just pathetic.  The fact that he was on the roster for opening day is more surprising (perhaps disturbing) than the fact that he was released so early in the season.  And Tui is still a young player that the franchise is attempting to develop.  Sending him down to Tacoma under the guise that it’s so he can play everyday is just a cover-up.  The real reason is because he looks awful fielding the shortstop position and the franchise needs to find a place to put him.  So, sorry but the moves the team has made don’t impress me.  Those moves don’t win games.

What I’d like to see the next time the Mariners take the lead in a game (and it won’t be tonight as the Mariners have 3 errors, 1 past ball, 1 wild pitch and have scored 1 run against the Devil Rays, headed into the 9th inning), is that they actually try to win it.  And if they begin to waiver, I’d like to see some leadership from a few players and/or the manager in the form of someone stepping up and taking control.  Not allowing the team to fail.

The season is young and the Mariners are no farther out of first place than one would expect from a team of their caliber.  However, unless and until someone on that roster chooses to give a damn, and proves it through their play on the diamond, it’s looking to be a long and frustrating affair.

(If I had any concept of who owned this team I would think about writing a letter.  As it is, I probably just won’t go watch them)

I’ve heard that Mr. Thomas has cover-corner skills. What I haven’t heard talked about yet is how Mr. Thomas’ ability to cover one-on-one will free Pete Carroll to be more adventurous on defense. Seattle struggled to pressure the quarterback in 2009–having a safety who can shut down a wide receiver will allow for some exotic blitz packages. So while we didn’t pull the trigger on the defensive end some were hoping for, we did address that need by making us a smidgen more able to rush the passer.

For what’s it worth, I thought the New York Jets had the best first round. Grabbing Kyle Wilson with the 29th pick, they further strengthened their already formidable pass defense to abet Revis and Cromartie and added an electric kick returner. For a team that’s almost ready to challenge for the Super Bowl under Rex Ryan , that’s more than you could  expect with that pick.

BULLET POINT: OPTIONS! The way I see it, the Hawks have four options.

1. Package the picks and move up to grab Ndamukong Suh
2. Keep the picks and get some brutes (offensive/defensive linemen would be preferable)
3. Keep the picks and go sexy (C.J. Spiller, Jimmy Clausen, etc.)
4. Package the picks and move down to the late 1st (you could get 3-4 solid NFL starters with #6 and #14).

Of those, I advocate the fourth option. Maybe I’m a risk-averse person, but the boom/bust rate of mid-to-high 1st rounders seems to high to me. Logistically it would be hard to work out, but the Seahawks are going to be such a shitburger in 2010 and have so many holes to fill, this is then most practical method to start rebuilding.

If you want people to start buying tickets, put a competitive team out there.  Draft picks are the best and cheapest option to do so. Which leads me to…

BULLET POINT: STUPID!! The Charlie Whitehurst deal gets stupider and stupider the closer to the draft we get. If so many teams wanted him, why was he not the backup in San Diego? Why did we have to give up so much for him? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but if the organization picks a QB at any point in the draft I’m going to burn down Qwest Field.

BULLET POINT: FINALLY!!! Does it seem like the sports media has been covering the draft for approximately two months? It’s ridiculous. Glad it will be finally over soon.

BULLET POINT: NON-SEQUITUR!!!! Colin Cowherd is the best sports radio personality alive. Love his program.

What does everyone think? Excited about Thursday’s primetime draft? Think the Hawks are going to screw the pooch? Confident in Pete Carroll’s ability to lead men older than 25 years old? LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!