A Minnesota team makes logical trades

Let's review.. in the past year, the Minnesota sports teams have made the following trades (in every case, the listed trade is their most recent notable trade)

Minnesota Vikings - Added Randy Moss for a third round pick. Moss was quickly dumped, the coach fired, the team moved to Los Angeles.

Minnesota Twins - JJ Hardy sent to Baltimore exchange for Jim Hoey and someone other pitcher. JJ Hardy is the best pitcher involved in this deal.

Minnesota Timberwolves - As someone on Twitter put it, the Wolves traded Jonny Flynn and the 20th pick for Brad Miller and nothing. Or as I put it... Here!

Well, fortunately, the state has 4 chances to make good trades. Last night at the NHL draft, the Wild did just that it appears. They had one solidly tradable asset in Brent Burns, the good two way defenseman who was the Wild's all star representative last year. He was in a contract year, and thanks to some large contracts, he may not have fit in the team's plans going forward.
Additionally, the Wild were egregiously overmatched on the offensive end last year. The team simply didn't score any goals, and don't have any young scorers coming any time soon.Taking these factors into account, Brent Burns was traded to San Jose in exchange for the guy pictured above, Devin Setoguchi, a college player from Boston College and another 1st round pick. They also gave up a second rounder in next years draft. That is a solid use of resources, frankly.
Later in the draft (today) they traded up to take Mario Lucia, son of Gophers' Coach Don and the best Minnesotan in the draft. The next pick they had was used on Eden Prarie's Nick Seeler. They have added talent and in the deeper portion of the draft are setting out to ad local players, which is good for PR. The Wild patched a glaring hole and added prospects in the process. It's nice to see a front offense do something that can be universally applauded for a change.

The 2011 Victoria Times Mock Draft

I don't plan to spend a lot of time on each pick, maybe none on some of them, but here it is, the Victoria Times mock draft for the draft coming this evening.

1 Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn - I definitely do not agree with this pick, but I guess with a new coach and a terrible team, you always take a QB.

2 Denver Broncos - Marcell Dareus, DE, Alabama

3 Buffalo Bills - Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M - There is some disagreement on the matter of the 2nd and 3rd picks, but I'm not so sure. Dareus has been the best player on the boards for a while and I can't see the Broncos passing him up.

4 Cincinnati Bengals - AJ Green, WR, Georgia

5 Arizona Cardinals - Nick Fairley, DE, Auburn - The Cardinals defense was atrocious last year, and they could address the pass rush that weakened when Karlos Dansby left by adding Fairley.

6 Cleveland Browns - Patrick Patterson, CB, LSU - How would anyone pass on the Browns with Patterson AND Joe Haden in the secondary?

7 San Francisco 49ers - Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina - The 49ers need a more dynamic offense, and they will certainly draft a QB, but I don't think they can do that this early in the draft.

8 Tennessee Titans - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska - AFC South teams are STILL trying to get secondary depth to defend the Colts

9 Dallas Cowboys - Cameron Jordan, DE, California - The Cowboys could take pressure off of their secondary with a more effective pass rush

10 Washington Redskins - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri - Ah yes, the Redskins, always reliable for a terrible QB in the draft. I think Gabbert is going to be a disaster in the NFL, and being picked by the Redskins only confirms it.

11 Houston Texans - Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri

12 Minnesota Vikings - Jake Locker, QB, Washington - The Vikings need an offensive line and a QB. A big, mobile QB sort of allays the need for a good OL. Sort of.

13 Detroit Lions - Tyron Smith, OT, USC - The Lions apparently really want a CB, but it is really in their best interest to get a top offensive tackle. It's for the best.

14 St. Louis Rams - Julio Jones, WR, Alabama - Dream scenario for the Rams

15 Miami Dolphins - Maurkice Pouncey, OG Florida

16 Jacksonville Jaguars - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue - And this ends the draft for Purdue fans

17 New England Patriots - Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple

18 San Diego Chargers - Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois

19 New York Giants - Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College

20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin - One of the biggest tumblers in the draft so far for me. Sorry, JJ Watt

21 Kansas City Chiefs - Nate Solder, OT Colorado

22 Indianapolis Colts - Gabe Carimi OT, Wisconsin - The Colts really need some help on the line. There is only about 1 other worthwhile pick at this point, so I went with Carimi

23 Philadelphia Eagles - Jimmy Smith CB, Colorado

24 New Orleans Saints - Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina

25 Seattle Seahawks - Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State- Much like the Bucs and Josh Freeman, I think the Seahawks will add a QB as a surprise pick in the first round tonight

26 Baltimore Ravens - Da'Quan Bowers DE, Clemson - Bowers has outslipped JJ Watt, mostly because of a bad postseason.

27 Atlanta Falcons - Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa - I think this pick will be traded

28 New England Patriots - Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas - Total cop out. I say this pick will DEFINITELY be traded and will be done so for a team looking for a QB, likely Mallett. The Seahawks-Ponder pick will provide to be especially frightening.

29 Chicago Bears - Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State

30 New York Jets - Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

31 Pittsburgh Steelers - Cameron Heyward, DE Ohio State

32, Green Bay Packers - Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama - What a tumble for Ingram, but what a coup for the Packers who really had issues at the position last year.

So that's it. I expect to get 1/3 of the picks right. Wouldn't it be fun if I got them all though?

What will the Vikings find in their basket?

Hey, did you like that? It was a combination of a football headline AND a reference to the fact that today is Easter. The draft is coming up on Thursday, or at least the first round of the draft is on thursday in the comically prolonged, now made for TV event. One of the most interesting teams this year will be the Vikings, who above all else will be looking to add a quarterback. I would talk about the Colts, but there is only so much you can say about offensive tackles. There are several, and one of them will go to Indy in the first round. They are a fairly boring specimen when it comes to talking draft and draft strategy.  A quarterback can entirely affect the way a team runs their offense.
Now, I posed the question above as though it were a question. I am about 75% sure that the Vikings will be looking at Jake Locker when they make their 12th pick this year, an idea that has been bandied about quite frequently this offseason. Instead, I want to run through the top 7 prospects and figure out just who is the best fit, in my mind, for the Vikings.According to Walter Football, the top 7 are:
Cam Newton, Auburn
Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
Locker from Washington
Christian Ponder, Florida State
Andy Dalton, TCU
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

This is a little tough, because unlike last year, Brad Childress is gone, so we can't work with what he wanted with a quarterback. If he was still in town, I would say the QB will be Kaepernick. Now, with Joe Webb in town already, there is no need for mobility, which is the strongest part of the game for Newton, Locker and Kaepernick. We can probably eliminate Gabbert as well, simply because he won't be around by the time it is the Viking's pick.
That leaves us with Ponder, Dalton and Mallett. The Vikings will operate a system in which they run first and pass second. A bg arm isn't a great need, especially when the top receiver will likely be Percy Harvin, with short passes being the primary airial threat. Mallett wouldn't really thrive in such a system.
That leaves us with Ponder and Dalton. Now, I think it comes down to what you want more. I think Ponder is an excellent game manager, while Dalton has a slightly stronger arm. They both played in offensive systems where the ground game was a major component of the game. I think either would be a decent fit in the Viking's system, but I am inclined to say that Ponder will be the better pro sometime down the road, but for me when picking between him and Dalton, it's more a gut instinct.
Also, I mean, it's Easter. How can I not pick the Christian?

The trouble with this year's draft

I should say the good thing about this draft, if you were talking about draft mockers. The NFL lockout means that there will be no trading players for picks and no pre-draft deal making. The first overall pick will be up in the air until the pick is made, and the Panthers, who otherwise might have dealt the pick for more players or picks, are more than likely stuck with it. For the mock drafters, they can make their mocks knowing that the teams are more than likely going to pick where they are slotted.
Of course, this is bad news for some teams. With regards to the three teams that the Victoria Times has a vested interest in, the 49ers, Colts and Vikings, the Vikings look the worst off with the draft set up as it is this year.
The 49ers are drafting near the top of the draft, which is good for their prospects for two reasons. First, it means that there are still a lot of good players to select. Second, this means that the 49ers weren't good last year, and they have a lot of holes to fill. Even if desired players are taken, there is likely to be a good player available in a position of need.
The Colts will be looking for an offensive lineman early and perhaps often in this draft. Fortunately for Indianapolis, last year, as well as this year, were deep in the offensive tackle department, so not only are there plenty of good tackles available, most teams that needed one last year already have one, and the Colts should have their pick, even late in the first round.
The Vikings need one thing more than any other. They need a quarterback rather desperately. This year isn't terribly deep in signal callers, having little elite talent. People are high on Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert, but I'm not sure anyone expects either to be elite QBs like they did Matthew Stafford or Sam Bradford. Nevertheless, they will both be gone by the time the Vikings pick. Typically, they might try to trade down, because there are a few QBs at a second tier, like Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker, Colin Kaeprnick and my personal favorite, Christian Ponder, but many of THESE quarterbacks will be off the board in the late first and early second round, meaning the Vikings might not end up with a franchise quarterback then either. So what do the Vikings do? They are limited to either reaching for someone like Jake Locker and taking him way too early, or taking someone talented but less useful in the hopes that someone they like is still there in the second round, unless, of course, they can engineer a trade based exclusively on draft picks.
I don't care for the Vikings, as you all know, but even I have to admit that Minnesota is in an unenviably sticky spot. What will they do?

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the 2003 draft

The Timberwolves, for all intents and purposes, did a horrendous job with the 2003 draft. I am no NBA fan, but I know this to be true. They drafted Ndudi Ebi and Rick Rickert. It doesn't get much worse than that. This was also the draft before the Wolves made it to the Western Conference finals, so that's pretty good, and it didn't seem like it phased the Wolves too much.
Of course, 2003 was probably one of the best drafts in NBA history, so it definitely looks bad in retrospect. Perhaps that is why the Wolves have their hand constantly dipping back in the 2003 draft. After the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Wolves have now had a stake in the career of the top 5 picks in the 2003 draft.

 - The #2 pick, Darko Milicic is currently on the Wolves roster.

 - The Wolves were involved in the three team deal that saw Carmelo Anthony, the #3 pick, get dealt to New York. They acquired Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry, cash and a draft pick.

- The Wolves were a vital component in the assembly of the super team involving #1 Lebron James, #4 Chris Bosh and #5 Dwyane Wade. They accepted Michael Beasley as the Heat cleared cap space for a couple of 2nd rounders.

 Chris Kaman? You're next.

I guess I will analyze some drafts: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers had a great first pick, I guess. They sort of lucked into it, and I think Jimmy Clausen is an insufferable sack of douche, but hey, they got a highly rated quarterback with a 2nd round pick. Maybe the Matt Moore era won't be so long lived, but I think everyone would be excited if it isn't and Clausen is rocking a clipboard for many years. He was highly touted coming out of high school, but never excelled really in college. Mel Kiper talked him up as a prospect because he was coached by Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. Well that's good, because Charlie didn't really coach anyone else. Will he succeed? Well, it's certainly the right environment for him, there in Carolina, with a few good offensive players around him.
In Brandon Lafell, the Panthers also managed to nab another tool to go along with Steve Smith. If it weren't for Clausen, Matt Moore would be pretty happy with this pick. Smith has been lacking a receiving partner for years, ever since Mushin Muhammed left for Chicago. Too bad the Panthers couldn't get him back. LaFell was a good pick.
The Panthers also drafted Armanti Edwards and David Gettis as receivers, just in case Lafell doesn't work out. Of course, Edwards is more a wildcat QB/WR which NOBODY ELSE WANTED in this draft, and they probably could have nabbed him in about the 7th round. Of course, that's when they picked Tony Pike, another real QB, in case Clausen fails, I guess. They did a lot of double drafting, these Panthers, for not picking until the 2nd round.
On a different, but very similar note, they drafted three cornerbacks in the 7th round, Jordan Pugh, RJ Stanford and Robert McLain. They plan on running the half dollar defense against the Saints,I guess, with 8 DBs and three linemen.
Good thing, then, that the Panthers picked  Eric Norwood and Greg Hardy, two good defensive end, pass rusher types. One of these guys will replace Julius Peppers, and I daresay they will do a good job. Norwood could well be a stand up rush guy with Hardy being more of a down linemen. These guys are going to be valuable, and were good picks by the Panthers.
Overall, I would say the Panthers did good to make a big splash with their first pick. They really had no choice. The rest of the draft on the other hand suggested to me that the Panthers don't really have much of a true plan. Lafell, Norwood and Hardy are the most likely, I think, to make a good impact.

I guess I will analyze some drafts: Indianapolis Colts

After going offense offense offense last year, the Colts did something that they have needed to do for years: Pick stout linebackers. I was ecstatic watching the draft, even if they picked players that weren't generally tabbed as the best available at their position.
Jerry Hughes, their first pick is a good stand up pass rusher. He was more of an outside line backer at TCU, which is something I think the Colts could use. They never blitz, the Colts, so perhaps this will indicate a change in philosophy and take some pressure off the coverage line backers, like Gary Brackett, who is tough to watch sometimes.
Pat Angerer, besides having an awesome name, is one of the best run stuffing linebackers in the draft, again filling one of the team's greatest needs. I am looking forward to Angerer shoring up the defense and making me more comfortable in late game situations.
Kevin Thomas has a perfect name for someone that will play in Indiana. He also plays a great position, corner back, where the Colts were ravaged by injury last year, and replaces some of the guys lost to free agency, like Marlin Jackson.
Jacques McLendon will eventually replace some of the older linemen for the Colts, I imagine, but there is nobody yet tabbed to take over for Jeff Saturday and his beautiful eyes.
Brody Eldrige was the second tight end at Oklahoma, and now will be the second tight end for the Colts for however long Dallas Clark is in town.
Ricardo Matthews, Kavell Conner and Ray Fisher, 7th round picks,will all supply more depth to the various components of the Colts defense, which is undersized and prone to injury. Not a bad strategy.
In the end, I was pleased with the draft, but I am surprised that the only offensive players selected were a backup guard and a backup tight end. Still, depth and competition for our defense is going to make the team stronger and a more legitimate threat to return to the Super Bowl.

I guess I will analyze some drafts: Minnesota Vikings

I have had a surprisingly high number of people ask me what I thought of the Vikings draft. I am not a big Vikings fan, but I am always looking for something to write about, so I am going to go ahead and analyze a few teams' drafts, but only teams that are of note around here at the Times. First the Vikings, followed by the Colts, Panthers and maybe the 49ers.
Chris Cook, their first pick in the draft is fraught with flaws, but is a position of need, and is a bigger corner, which will help against big receivers like Calvin Johnson. He had all sorts of problems though, a major leg injury, a year missed due to academic ineligibility... This could end up not working out, and Jamarca Sanford could end up as the top corner on the team in a few years.
Toby Gerhart is a fine pick. Again, he filled a need position, but the fact they traded up for him when in fact they likely could have traded down for him is surprising. He needs to be a better pass catcher than bruiser, as he is expected to fill the role of third down back rather than the workhorse.
Everson Griffen is probably the best pick in the draft. He was a first round talent, but managed to slip all the way to the 4th round. He will provide defensive line depth, especially if Ray Edwards decides to skip town for greener pastures.
Chris Degeare was all right I think they needed a more blue chip type of offensive lineman to patch holes created by free agency.
Nathan Triplett and Ryan d'Imperio were good picks, simply because with EJ Henderson coming off a major injury and Ben Leber and Chad Greenway approaching free agency, depth was needed.
Joe Webb would have been an OK pick if they wanted him for quarterback, but they don't. I don't care if Favre throws a fit, the Vikings NEED a quarterback to develop for when he's gone.
Mickey Shuler: I guess another tight end can't hurt. What, they only have three right?

All in all, it was an OK draft for the Vikes, marked more by who they didn't take than by who they did. They probably could have gone with a more reliable CB and at least one real QB, but otherwise, I think Vikings fans should be mostly ambivalent. This was not a make or break draft, for sure.

Players I'm rooting for

The internet is so negative, and the country has just become such a cynical place, I have decided to tell you some new draftees that I like simply because they are good kids, or are people that I otherwise want to succeed in the NFL and in life.

Colt McCoy (Browns): By far the most engaging and genuine quarterbacks of the top 4. I like his personality and hope the city of Cleveland does too.

Tim Tebow (Broncos): People hate Tim Tebow not because of the man but because of the media saturation. I am one of those people that tired of the constant ESPN coddling him, but if you listen to him in interviews, you realize that he is a really good guy, if a little earnest.

Dexter McLuster (Chiefs): He was just so much fun to watch in college. I wish he had gone somewhere more in the media spotlight than Kansas City. I think if anyone ends up like Chris Johnson, it will be McLuster.
Ndamakong Suh (Lions): Has already said he is donating 2 and a half million to charity, and was far more articulate yet soft spoken than any of the other first round draftees. Pretty much the opposite of Warren Sapp.

Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers): Eminently more likable than his former Oklahoma teammate Sam Bradford. He also planned charitable activities, and was supposed to spend today at an Oklahoma City homeless shelter. He was similarly articulate, something you don't expect from a defensive tackle (see: Tony Siragusa) and was the first truly emotional player from the draft. He also had a little flair that tells me he will be in the spotlight for all the right reasons.

Eric Berry (Chiefs): I've never seen someone so arbitrarily excited to be a member of a football team. He was on the phone with someone from the Kansas City exclaiming "I'm going to be a Chief!" before the pick was announced. That sort of enthusiasm gets me every time. I wish I could be drafted.

Dez Bryant (Cowboys): Jon Gruden said that nobody was going to work harder than just about every  other prospect out there. I believe it about Dez Bryant, simply because of what he has overcome. I didn't even realize he was an academic all American last season, which is stunning given his background and frankly his interviews. Not only do I want him to succeed, I will be sorely disappointed if Dez gets in trouble off the field.

Jahvid Best (Lions): He is overcoming some concussion problems, but when healthy, Best was the most explosive running back in the draft. He could have been a top 10 pick without the head injuries. I hope he can can stay healthy, because if he can he will be so much fun to watch.

Myron Rolle (Titans): Myron Rolle is a Rhodes scholar. He took advantage of the free education at Florida State, and took challenging classes, did well in them, and ended up taking a year off to go to Oxford after he graduated from Florida State. When his playing days are over, he hopes to be a doctor. He slipped in the draft because people worried about his dedication to the game, but frankly I hope he is successful in life in whatever vocation he tries for. What a great ambassador for athletes everywhere.

Dan LeFevour (Bears): LeFevour seemed to play Purdue 6 times or so in his college career, either during the regular season or in the Motor City Bowl, and he always impressed and frightened me. After hearing him interviewed, I found him to be a lot more well spoken and intelligent than I would have ever expected. I suspect that he will be a starter a lot sooner than anyone thinks.
That draft was fun.

Well, that didn't go as expected

This is one reason that the draft is so compelling, and it's that it is so impossible to predict. I love envisioning a player now wearing the uniform of his new team, and you can't do that until it actually happens. As much as you watch and follow the college and pro game, you never know what's going to happen. If you look at my mock draft from the other day, you will see what I mean. I got FIVE picks right in the first round. Of 32. Ouch.

Pick #168 Oakland Raiders - Megan McLain, SS, U of Buffalo

The Raiders continued to draft players that were off the radar of other teams, drafting Megan McLain, a 5'6 senior out of the University of Buffalo. The Raiders claim she is a strong safety.
"I never even played football before!" the giddy new Raider said, "but when Mr. Davis said that they liked my speed, I was like, OK!"
McLain won the MAC championship this year in the women's 100m dash. When asked how she felt about the position the Raiders were assigning her to, she said, "SS. Is that short stop?"

The Draft starts at 3pm this year

In previous years, the NFL Draft always started at 11AM. It was a spectacular day of just talking about football and the new players entering the league. It tended to take about 6 hours. Now, they chopped 5 minutes per pick in the first round and have dropped a whole round from day one. As a result, the shorter day 1 draft coverage will start 4 hours later than usual. I can only imagine this will mean more time for a 17 hour pregame show.
Maybe there are some other uses for the delay.

- Berman thinks of more witty puns for "B.J. Raji" that are not racist.
- The extra delay will work Kiper up into even more of a fervor.
- Todd McShay can put the final touches on round 7 of his Mock Draft.
- The Lions get to wait an extra 4 hours before completely blowing the draft.
- The Vikings get 4 more hours to convince themselves that they do not need a quarterback
- Sal Paolantonio gets to spend more time with his Philadelphia concubines.
- Chris Mortenson will report and retract 15 more stories.
- Matthew Stafford insists that he is no better than the third pick.
- Jets fans get too drunk to boo.
- The world realizes that they have a little crush on Sage Steele, the quiet girl who was always there when you needed her.
- Brett Favre unretires

The Lions are on the clock!

The Travesty of the NFL.com Mock Draft

Hey! The NFL Draft is coming up on Saturday! It should be about 16 kinds of fun, from someone saying how happy they are to be playing with the Cardinals, or someone wearing a tailored suit and playing with his cell phone as the last guy in the green room (looking at you, Matt Ryan!). There is no shortage of previews of this, the greatest non-event in all of sports. You can't throw a stick without hitting a mock draft.
NFL.com put together what should have been the best NFL previews. They assembled the beat writers for all the teams and had them pick for their teams and chronical those picks. Great idea, right? Well, no.
See, instead of having these lowly beat writers write up their picks in a nifty, easy to read article, they went ahead and taped them talking into a microphone. I can't remember the last time someone asked for Judd Zulgad to make more on camera appearances. But that's not even the main issue here.
First off, watching videos at work is generally frowned upon. So is surfing the net, but guess what, corporate America, everyone does it! The internet, however, doesn't have sound on every thing written, as does, say, a video. So, with most of America doing most of their internet browsing while at work (I keep my posts short so you can get those expense reports taken care of), nobody can look at this nifty little feature of yours.
Let's say, though, that Joe Sports Fan wants to get the opinion of Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald. They see that he thinks that, at that position the Panthers should pick Ryan Clady from Boise State. What?! Ryan Clady could be available at 13? How did that happen? What did the nincompoop for the Bills pick?! Let me hurry and click the link and watch another ad for Hummers and then watch him tell me all about the Bills needs and then finally make his pick. But what about the Broncos? Ad. Needs. You know what, screw it. I don't care. Why would anyone want to sit around for the 2 hours it would take to get through all those videos? The picks aren't anywhere that's easily available, and nobody is going to care within 4 hours of the first pick anyways. Why go through the trouble?
Frankly, this was probably the most well informed mock of them all, but if a mock draft is posted and nobody has the patience to listen to it, is it really valuable?