Lt. Dan's Revenge

Isn't Orakpo supposed to be "great" too as a top 5-10 pick at defensive end? You would think if that was true it would have been much more evenly matched between the two than it was.

That's absolutely terrible. 22 years old. Not to mention the two other innocent lives that were lost. Whoever was driving that van should be put behind bars for life. Without hesitation.

I agree. I would LOVE it if we somehow landed Raji with our first pick, which got me thinking.....Every trade scenario I've scene has us trading down, but would Raji be worth trading up for if it becomes possible? Jacksonville has been rumored to be looking to trade the 8th pick and move down in the draft, and if Raji is still available after the first 7 picks are made, then it should be something to at least consider. Just throwing it out there....

No doubt about that. In fact, I think there's a chance we can see him consistently challenging Tiger in two or three years. He is still so young though at age 19 and I think he has some growing up to do, particularly involving his short game, that will prevent him from winning a major at this time. Would be nice to see him in contention on Sunday though.

1. Can't argue that he's been on the injury report quite often, but I don't think there is anything to suggest that any of his past injuries are going to chronically affect him in the NFL. 2. He wasn't asked to utilize his pass rushing skills all that much in college because of the ridiculous amount of talent that the USC defense had. Their front four handled that just fine and allowed their linebackers to roam free and attack the ball carrier/play the pass more frequently. That doesn't mean Cushing doesn't have the ability to really get after the passer when asked to, as he showed in games like the 2007 Rose Bowl when he had 2 1/2 sacks and was named MVP after the game. IMO, he will be able to get after the quarterback in the NFL. 3. I like Clay Matthews as well and think he will be a solid, but not spectacular, pro. 4. Matthews name has been brought up right alongside Cushing, so if you like him I don't really know how you can knock Cushing for it. All of the rumors have been denied by all parties involved, as well as Pete Carroll and the USC staff, so I don't consider that a negative on either player until something is confirmed.

I liked your first choice better. McIlroy is still a little raw...

Touche. Him and Nick Watney are my sleepers.

There are a number of really good NFL players that were oft-injured prior to coming into the league. Adrian Peterson comes to mind immediately. A sprained left ankle, bruised shoulder and broken hand are not chronic injuries and shouldn't be things that continue to creep up on a player. I see your concern, but a player having multiple injuries in high school and college doesn't mean its going to be the same story in the NFL.

Tiger. And I hope that it somehow shakes out to being him and Mickelson as the final pairing. I would pay to watch Phil pull an Al Davis and crap his pants while Tiger stares down a 20 foot putt for the win on the 72nd hole Sunday .

Really good post. I agree with you on Orakpo, I don't think he ends up as the best defensive end coming out of the draft when all is said and done, although he will likely be the first selected. He is a bit of a workout warrior IMO. Also was invisible against Ohio St. in their bowl game. Pettigrew also threw him around on multiple occasions when Texas played Ok. State this past year. I'm a little higher on Maybin as an NFL player than most, but his small body of work still scares me, and taking him at #11 would be QUITE a risk. I think he is going to need a little time to development, which I am not really interested in. Give him 2-3 years though, and he could become a Robert Mathis-type pass rusher. I think Everette Brown is going to be a really good defensive end in this league. He will provide a team with this most pass rush sooner than any of the other ends in this draft. He will be able to get by NFL tackles. Ayers is my second favorite, not far behind Brown. Although his sack numbers don't show it, he can really get after the quarterback while recognizing and playing the run equally well if not better. If we stay at our current draft slot and take a defensive end, my hope is that it is one of those two guys.

Why no love for Cushing? I think he is going to be the best linebacker of the class besides Curry. He'll be an impact player in this league for many years IMO.

Hope you have yourself a great trip, and good luck of course! I'm not a huge fan of blackjack switch, but I may play a little when I'm there if I'm not hitting on the regular tables. In switch it seems like you either win big or get absolutely killed, and the latter seems more common. I've heard good things about Pure. The Pure club that just opened on Chippewa is really nice too. In the complex that used to be Level. Went there last Thursday night for the first time and was actually drinking with Whitner for a while, he was a really cool guy. Down to earth as hell. Took a shot of patron with him .

I'm beginning to think that trading Peters might not be a bad idea either, but I just wish I had a better idea of what we can actually get in return for him in order to form a stronger opinion on it. If it really is multiple early round picks as has been suggested by many, then it should really be explored.

Personally, I think the best solution to our offensive line needs is playing Hangartner at left guard and drafting a center. I love Unger, but I also think that Mack, Wood, and Jonathon Luigs from Arkansas are all going to be good ones in this league. It is a much deeper draft at the center position than at guard. Granted, this isn't taking the Peters situation into account, but one has to assume that it will either be him or a 1st round draft pick that we receive for him in a trade (Andre Smith, Michael Oher, William Beatty, etc) that will be starting at LT. Although Kris Chambers is waiting in the wings, but I'm REALLY hoping that isn't the route they go if they choose to trade Peters.

Appreciate you taking the time to write that all up, a ton of good tips that will help a ton. I was wondering where the most money to be won was as far as poker rooms go, and meant to identify that specifically, but you answered that question. I still might make my way into the Bellagio room though, sometimes it is easier to play against good players than tourists who have little idea of whats going on, aren't afraid to drop a quick G, and will therefore call with ANYTHING. That can get a little unpredictable and leaves bluffing almost out of the question at times. Thanks to everyone else too, keep 'em coming. I want to maximize my stay there as much as possible and this is a huge help!

Or any tight end for that matter? We need to draft a tight end in the first 1-3 rounds IMO. Unless your sold on one of the two Dereks. I sure as hell am not.

Love it. Replace Eric Wood with Max Unger, who I think is going to prove to be the best center in the class bar none, and sign me up!

Good point. My only question would be how would Blockbuster's management ever be able to compete with all of the pirating of DVD's that goes on in today's era due to the internet? That had to be a huge factor in their decline. People LOVE free. They don't like lines, "sold out" signs, or late fees. Blockbuster had no answer for the DVD burner, just like it didn't manage itself into a Net Flix type company. One was unaviodable, the other was their misjudgement.

That was my first thought, almost verbatim. Another victim of the internet.

You're right, it's a much better concept of a post, but the content is a bit of a joke...JMO.

Why does that just sound like really good advice for some reason? Haha, thanks. Thanks for all of the advice, that's gonna help a lot. I NEVER play slots, almost all blacjack as far as table games go. Might sit in the poker room for at least a few hours though as well. I'm actually looking into staying at Planet Hollywood, have heard nothing but good things. I'm going to try to scam at least a few free drink tickets at each sportsbook for sure. By the way, hope you hit Carolina hard last night man!

Wow. This is starting to become borderline-ridiculous.

I didn't think it was THAT slow of a Tuesday...

Finally making my first trip to Las Vegas in May. Been looking forward to this for a longggg time . I'm sure many of you are veterans of the Vegas scene, and wanted to see if you have any tips/advice on things (and/or women) to do, places to see/eat, good bars/clubs, best casino sportsbooks, etc. Keep in mind that me and the friends I am going with are all in our early-20's, so we're not about to go there and sit at a slot at the Golden Nugget for 7 hours lol. Any advice would be excellent, thanks in advance!

First of all, I have no idea what deperation is, and therefore cannot comment on that. However, if you're talking about desperation, that isn't something I see the move as. Just because a team that hasn't had a recent track record of success signs a big-name player doesn't mean that the move was made simply out of desperation. If Ralph and the Bills FO was acting out of pure desperation during the T.O. signing, they probably would also be desperate enough to fire Jauron and spend to the cap. Neither of which they are done. It is more likely that the Bills saw a guy that is still a VERY productive receiver in this league, by any scale, become available and be willing to accept the idea of a one-year contract, knowing that Owens has a great track record in his first year on new teams and is going to be looking for another big pay day after this year. Tons of incentive for him to perform well and put up big numbers, which will translate into us being a much effecient and dynamic offensive team, particularly in the red zone. This is/was not a "desperate" move on the Bills part, it was a smart move. Stop falling into Mort's trap.