Kyle Orton – Diamond in the Rough

Kyle Orton could turn out to be the single most influential new addition to a team this off-season if the Bronco’s look to trade him once the lockout is lifted. With Denver taking Tim Tebow with the 25th pick in last years draft and starting him the final 3 games, it seems as though the window in Denver for Orton is beginning to close. An established veteran now of 5 years, Orton is an experienced NFL quarterback who has started 33 games for the Chicago Bears and 27 games for the Denver Broncos with a respectable 32-30 win loss record. With 62 career starts at the still young age of 28, Orton may provide the most attractive combination of youth, consistency and production available at the quarterback position. Orton has shown a steady increase over the last three seasons by throwing 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions for 2,972 yards in 2008 and increasing to 21 touchdowns to 12 interceptions for 3,802 yards in 2009 and last season, 20 touchdowns to 9 interceptions for 3,653 yards in only 13 games due to injury.

2011 NFL Draft Results

Pick # NFL Team NFL Draft Pick
1 CAR Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2 DEN Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
3 BUF Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
4 CIN A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5 ARI Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6 ATL Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
7 SF Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
8 TEN Jake Locker, QB, Washington
9 DAL Tyron Smith, OT, USC
10 JAX Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
11 HOU J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
12 MIN Christian Ponder, QB, Florida St.
13 DET Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
14 STL Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
15 MIA Mike Pouncey, OL, Florida
16 WAS Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
17 NE Nate Solder, OL, Colorado
18 SD Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
19 NYG Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
20 TB Adrian Clayborn, DL, Iowa
21 CLE Phil Taylor, DL, Baylor
22 IND Anthony Castonzo, OL, Boston College
23 PHI Danny Watkins, OL, Baylor
24 NO Cameron Jordan, DE, California
25 SEA James Carpenter, OL, Alabama
26 KC Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
27 BAL Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
28 NO Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
29 CHI Gabe Carimi, OL, Wisconsin
30 NYJ Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
31 PIT Cameron Heyward, DT, Ohio St.
32 GB Derek Sherrod, OL, Mississippi St.

Pick a Quarterback

With the Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks & Arizona Cardinals skipping on a signal caller in the draft, it has devoted fans pulling their hair out over who will quarterback their teams going into the 2011 NFL season. Once trades can be made & free agents signed, three high profile quarterbacks lead the list of potential suitors:

• Donovan McNabb, (who is most likely to be released by Washington once the lockout is lifted)
• Matt Hasselbeck, (who turned down Seattle’s only offer pre-lockout and likely won’t re-sign with them)
• & Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia’s 2007 2nd round pick and most desirable amongst the bunch)

Based on rumors, league sources & inside information, here’s how things might turn out..

With very minimal physical wear & tear having only 7 career starts and at the tender age of 26, the Eagles’ 2007 second round pick Kevin Kolb is the most sought after quarterback in the NFL. Washington, Seattle, & Arizona will all be targeting Kolb first once the lockout is lifted. Look for Kolb to land in Arizona where the opportunity to play with Larry Fitzgerald will be too tempting. Landing Kolb is also a must for the Cardinals with Fitzgerald entering the final year of his contract and won’t re-sign and extension without stability at the quarterback position. The flashes of brilliance showed by Kolb under the tutelage of quarterback guru Andy Reid might be enough to entice Fitzgerald to give Arizona another chance to fix their quarterback woes. Seattle is also highly interested in Kolb- they pursued him in the 2010 offseason but are unlikely to give up the first round pick Philadelphia will demand for Kolb. Seattle’s GM John Schneider believes too strongly in building through the draft to give up a first round pick.

Hasselbeck who turns 36 on September 25th is the oldest of the high profile signal callers likely to be available once the lockout is lifted. Pre-lockout, Hasselbeck turned down a contract extension offer (terms undisclosed) that Seattle thought was extremely generous. The Seahawks definitely won’t improve the offer or likely put it back on the table meaning Hasselbeck’s days in Seattle are numbered. The most likely suitor for Hasselbeck is in Tennessee where he’d be reunited with GM Mike Reinfeldt and serve as a mentor to Jake Locker, the Titan’s first round pick.

Where Donovan McNabb ends up in all this is where things start to get tricky. He had strong ties to the Vikings pre-lockout and would have been a great fit for a team that is ready to strongly compete for a championship. With Minnesota shockingly taking Florida State’s Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the draft they seem to be going in a younger direction than earlier anticipated and all signs are pointing to Ponder being the front-runner for the starting role in 2011. This leads McNabb to San Francisco. The 49er’s took a talented bu extremely raw quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, in the second round of the draft with no delusions that the Nevada quarterback would be ready to take the reigns as early as 2011. Enter Donovan McNabb. Kaepernick’s game greatly resembles that of McNabb’s in his early years in Philadelphia and he would greatly benefit from sitting behind McNabb for a season or two and gradually being integrated into the offense. The Miami Dolphins, who also missed at the quarterback position in the draft is also a possible landing spot for McNabb but is unlikely.

Black Boss

Brewed by: BOSS Browar Witnica S.A., Poland
Style: Baltic Porter
Availability: Year Round
Alcohol by Volume: 9.4% ABV

I love this beer. I’m a huge fan of baltic porters and Black Boss is the reason why. Black Boss is a big beer with a big kick. It pours out extremely dark in color, almost black and has a chocolatey, coffee-y, dark fruit with raisin taste. I first discovered Black Boss at a package store in New Britain, CT where it is imported by Arkollc, also in New Britain. I was surprised at how good Black Boss was being it was one of the cheaper baltic porters running between $1.50 and $1.75 per pint. At 9.4% ABV it was one of the stronger baltic porters I found and it packed one hell of a punch. For those of you out there who haven’t tried a porter, I suggest Black Boss is the one to start with as it tastes great, kicks your ass and is extremely reasonable in price. Overall Rating: 9

Mortal Kombat

Style: 1-4 player Fighting
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Netherrealm Studios
ESRB ( Rating): M

This game is awesome. This is the Mortal Kombat I’ve been waiting forever for. This game took all the elements that made Mortal Kombat iconic and made it even better. The graphics are the best in the franchise. Even the backgrounds have cutting-edge detail and the characters themselves look so real that the fatalities actually made me cringe. The classic 2-dimensional plane has been brought back and so have all the Mortal Kombat contestants. Every character I can remember from the franchise makes an appearance. Many new upgrades have been made to the game such as powerful “x-ray” moves that shatter spines and fracture skulls, multiple new fatalities for each character and a slew of crazy match types found in challenge mode (a tower of 300 objective-based levels.) There is also a story mode which forces you into the role of different characters and like the challenge mode, offers a lengthy experience with plenty of action….. and blood. The multiplayer tag team gameplay is outstanding; you can even call in your partner to aid on special moves. For gamers experienced in the Mortal Kombat franchise, most combos and special moves can be done with your eyes closed as most have stayed the same. I loved this about the game as it enabled me to easily teach the controls to gamers new to the franchise. I’m really having a blast playing Mortal Kombat and recommend it to not only fans of the franchise but someone looking for a kick-ass fighting game. Overall Rating: 9.5

Smuttynose Baltic Porter

Brewed By: Smuttynose Brewing Company Portsmouth, NH
Style: Baltic Porter
Availability: Year-Round
Alcohol by Volume: 9% ABV

I have nothing but good things to say about this beer. In fact, it’s actually my favorite baltic porter. This porter pours very dark, almost black. It bursts with chocolate and coffee flavors and aromas and has an almost perfect malt/hop balance. One gripe I do have with this beer is it’s availability. I have only been able to find it at the larger, established (warehouse-type) liquor stores. It has been extremely difficult to find at smaller (mom and pop) stores. At around $6 for 22 oz. it’s a little on the expensive side but well worth it for, in my opinion, the best baltic porter out there. I highly recommend this beer to anyone, regardless of their beer style preference. Overall Score: 10

Fight Night Champion Fights to the Top!

 

Fight Night Champion

Style: 1-2 player Sports

Publisher: EA Sports

Developer: EA Canada

ESRB ( Rating): M

After a long wait for boxing fans EA finally released the long anticipated Fight Night Champion. It proved worth the wait by delivering the best boxing game in the franchise to date. The graphics and facial animations for all the boxers are breathtaking. The voicework for Fight Night Champion is also well done with the announcers doing a flawless job conveying story points, strategy and the suspense of the fight. The controls are also simplified and a breeze to work with without losing playability. The new champion mode really impressed me the most. In this new addition the story begins with the main character(being you) getting clocked in the head and knocked out. When you come to, you realize this isn’t a regular old boxing match. You’re actually laying on the floor in the middle of the state penitentiary. I won’t ruin the story by telling you any more but I will say what I’ve said so far is just the beginning. New punches were also added to Fight Night such as signature punches from star fighters Manny Pacquiao & Mike Tyson. With over 50 boxers to choose from, Fight Night Champion offers the biggest variety of fighters to date.  EA really delivered a gem in Fight Night Champion and is a must for any boxing fan.

S Jerrard Tarrant – Georgia Tech

Tarrant only played free safety for one season after switching from cornerback; he’s dangerous with his hands and on the run, as he’s returned two of his five career interceptions for touchdowns. He will compete right away to be the primary punt returner as a rookie. While teams will probably consider Tarrant at the end of the second to third round he has the potential to be drafter earlier. The only thing holding him back is an off-field incident from 2008 when he was arrested for rape(the charge was later dropped.) Tarrant has soft hands and skills to make plays on the ball in the air and shows nice vision in downhill running. He also is almost impossible to tackle in open space. He has only average size for an NFL safety. He’s an agressive player but not a big hitter in run support near the line of scrimmage. As stated earlier, Tarrant has little experience at free safety and due to major character concerns he will probably not be drafted as high as he is rated.

S Ahmad Black – Florida

“Too small & too slow” Black has heard those 5 words more times in his career more than he cares to remember. At 5’9 190lbs, the safety continues to prove his doubters wrong after a stellar career at Florida where he finished first in the SEC and sixth nationally among active player with 13 interceptions. Black saw little action as a freshman and was switched to quarterback where then coach Urban Meyer told him he was too slow. During the BCS national championship game against Oklahoma Black came up with an interception during the 4th quarter that preserved Florida’s 24-14 win; Black went across the middle and ripped the ball out of Sooner receiver Juaquin Iglesias’ hands. It was his seventh interception of the season which tied for tops in the nation. Two years later Black came up big for the Gators again in the Outback Bowl against Penn State recording six tackles and two interceptions. His second interception of that game sealed the victory for Florida as he raced 80 yards down the sideline for a touchdown with 55 seconds remaining. He is an impact defender against the run and in coverage and is quick, agressive and a violent tackler. He read the quarterbacks eyes as well as anyone in the country and always seems to come up with the play in big games. Lacks ideal height which makes for a poor matchup in deep coverage and occasionally gets beaten due to keeping his eyes in the backfield too long. He has the talent to make plays in all areas in the next level but for him to become an NFL starter he must improve his focus. Overall, I see Black as a top prospect that if given the opportunity will excel at the next level regardless of his size.

S Rahim Moore – UCLA

Moore has a feel for reading quarterbacks and is often making plays where the ball is thrown. Moore led the NCAA with 10 interceptions in 2009 and has excellent closing ability on plays in front of him as a zone defender. He’s effective in man coverage against a tight end, running back or slot receiver and has outstanding coverage skills and instincts as well as awareness and anticipation skills. Moore is a little light for the position, lacks elite speed and doesn’t have return value for special teams so he will need to prove that he can intercept the ball as well as he did in 2009 to convince scouts to warrant him a late first to second round pick.