Hello Celebritys

(Picture from GoFrogs.com)

The 2011 NFL Draft is in the books and TCU’s five draft picks were the most picks of any school in the state of Texas for the second time in three years. There was excitement, disappointment, and some surprises, lets break it down.

Andy Dalton, QB- 2^nd Round (35) - Cincinnati Bengals

It was disappointing to see Dalton fall out of the first round, but most were thinking he would go in the second anyways. Dalton has a chance to step in and compete right away with the Carson Palmer situation still in limbo. Andy Dalton was the first TCU quarterback drafted since Busty Underwood in the 13th round by the Buffalo Bills in 1971.

Marcus Cannon, OT- 5^th Round (138) - New England Patriots

Although a lot of experts had him going in the late first or second rounds, Cannon fell to the 5^th round due to being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Cannon should fully recover and be a key piece to the Patriots offensive line. Cannon has great talent and ability, and once he is healthy, watch out. The Patriots got great value with their pick of Cannon.

Jeremy Kerley, WR/KR- 5^th Round (153) - New York Jets

The Jets traded up in the 5^th round with Philadelphia to snag Jeremy Kerley. Kerley was one of just two players in the nation to rank in the top 20 in punt returns (12.9 yards) and kickoff returns (27.7 yards) last season and I expect him to keep the success going in New York. A lot of Jets fans and media seem to see Kerley as a replacement to Brad Smith. Kerley will join former TCU standouts Drew Coleman and LaDainian Tomlinson on the Jets.

Colin Jones, S- 6^th Round (190) – San Francisco 49ers

After Colin’s outstanding pro day I expected him to end up on a team, but I didn’t expect him to get drafted. I guess the 49er scouts that were in attendance were impressed by his sub 4.4 40 time. Colin has a chance to step in and be a contributor on special teams from day one. Once he proves he can handle that, his role could increase.

Malcolm Williams, CB- 7^th Round (219) - New England Patriots

This was the shocker for me. Williams had a good pro day, but him being drafted never even crossed my mind. Williams was a good special teamer for the Frogs, but that’s about all I remember from him. Hopefully the Patriots can develop him into a solid piece for their team.

Now you are probably thinking I left some names off this recap right? Where did Jimmy Young go? Who picked up Jake Kirkpatrick? What about Jason Teague? Well, unfortunately none of those guys were drafted. I am shocked that nobody took a chance on Jimmy Young. The good thing is I see all three of those guys landing on an NFL roster. With the NFL lockout back on, it good be a little while before they know where they are heading, but all of them will get the chances they deserve.

The team ratings for all 32 NFL teams in Madden 11 have been released. Check them out below…

GameStop.com

If you take a look at the chart there aren’t a whole lot of surprises, but I do have beef with a couple of the ratings.

1. How did the Cowboys go down -1? I understand the Flozell is gone and Crayton might be also, but they added Dez Bryant to a team that made it to the playoffs and actually won a game for once. I am not saying they should have gone up five points or anything, but they should have at least stayed an 88 or gone up one point.

2. Did I miss something? Because I don’t see why the Texans deserved to be dropped down -4. Is it because Brian Cushing will be suspended? If that is the case then the Steelers should have dropped more than one point.

3. The New York Jets should have gone up more than +1. Mark Sanchez should be better this year, plus they added Santonio Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jason Taylor who should all make some type of positive impact.

It was announced yesterday that New York (more like New Jersey) will host Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. This is a terrible decision by the NFL. Not only does this change the philosophy of holding the Super Bowl in a warm weather city, it also isn’t fair for the rest of the league.

First, the Super Bowl for the most part is held in warm weather cities. Why is there the sudden need to change that since New York has a new stadium? The weather plays way too much of a factor there. There is a HUGE difference between possible rain in Miami versus a blizzard in New York. What happens if four feet of snow fall Super Bowl weekend and the game can’t be played? Are you going to move the Super Bowl to Monday? Are you going to schedule it on Saturday in case you have to push it back to Sunday? There obviously has to be some sort of backup plan.

Now, I know the average temperature for New York at the beginning of February is around 25-40 degrees, but you also have to remember that the game will be played in the evening which will make it even colder. If the weather is fine, obviously it’s no issue and it will just be cold, but if something drastic happens and the game can’t be played, or the NFL’s biggest game ends 7-3 because everyone was slipping around on snow, people will be upset.

I know what you are thinking, “well Angry One, they play the NFC and AFC Championship games outdoors in bad weather.” Yes, you are right, but it’s not the same. The team that has home field in conference championship games have earned the right to play on their field, in weather conditions they are accustomed to. It is part of having home field advantage in the playoffs. The Super Bowl is the NFL’s biggest game and decides its champion, you don’t want weather conditions playing a factor in who wins.

Not only does it make no sense because of the weather factors, but if I own an NFL team in a cold weather city, I am extremely pissed off right now. If New York can host a Super Bowl then why shouldn’t Philadelphia, Denver, Washington, or Seattle? They all have nice stadiums and I am sure they would love to rake in some of that Super Bowl money for their team and city.

You can’t just bend and adjust the rules for New York. If this is the new standard that the league wants to set, then all NFL cities should have a fair shot at hosting the Super Bowl, not just Southern Cities and sometimes New Jersey…I mean New York.