4.22.10 2:23 pm by Alex
There are only a few hours between us and the always highly anticipated NFL Draft. For a Baltimore sports fan like myself, the Ravens’ day at the draft will be a well-needed distraction from the atrocity that is the 2010 Baltimore Orioles, and I’m sure many football fans from otherwise-struggling sports towns feel the same way. Since the end of the NFL season, every eligible player has been analyzed, examined, scouted and worked-out again and again. Draft experts like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (or is it Todd Kiper and Mel McShay? From this point on, and in all The Sports Geeks posts in the future, they’ll be referred to as the McKipers to take care of any confusion), have been all over everyone’s TVs, computers and radios touting the players they like and arguing over the differences in their mock drafts. Speaking of which, I did a little comparison of these mock drafts vs. the actual results, and they’re pretty much useless once you get past the top 10.
Among the most disputed and featured discussions in the pre-draft frenzy is the quarterbacks. This year, the draft features 4 QBs that have been at the center of attention for the better part of their college careers. The quarterback’s of any draft class have their differences, but this is a particularly diverse group:
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma – Projected to be the first overall pick. 50 TDs, 8 INTs in 2008. Some injury concerns after missing most of 2009 season.
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame – Arguably the most NFL-ready coming from an offensive system more closely related to that of most NFL teams. Possible arrogance/personality issues. Has had a few negative off-field incidents.
Colt McCoy, Texas – 4-year started at Texas. Heisman runner-up. Won more games than any NCAA QB Ever. But, took most snaps from shotgun. Arm strength concerns.
Tim Tebow, Florida - 3-year starter at Florida. 2 National Championships. 1 Heisman. Crazy stats, but all in non-NFL Urban Meyer offensive system. Next Alex Smith? Hopefully not.
All four of these guys will likely get drafted in the first few rounds, but chances are, more than one of them will end up on the bench or out of the league before too long, and the crazy part is, even with all the college statistic, 40 times and Wonderlic tests, there’s really no way to know which one will end up riding the pine, which one will never get a real chance, which one will have a 14-year career with 6 different teams, and which one will be a 9-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Fame candidate.
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4.05.10 11:16 am by Brian
Here at The Sports Geeks, it isn’t all just sporting news and analysis; we like to touch on how sports play a role in other aspects of daily life as well. For this article, I’m taking a look at EA Sports’ Madden NFL video game franchise and a potential opportunity for this year’s demo to help teach fans about this year’s new playoff overtime rules.
Edit: Thanks go out to PastaPadre, a leader in the sports video game community, for mentioning this story in his April 13th, 2010 write-up on the Madden NFL 11 demo.
In the video game business, few games are as sure a sale as EA Sports’ yearly incarnation of the Madden NFL series. Since an exclusivity deal was struck between the NFL and EA Sports in December of 2004, the series has been the only officially-licensed video game representation of the league. While this move angered fans of the NFL 2K Sports series of football games, sales of Madden NFL have not shown any signs of slowing down; such is the safety of being the only licensed product on the market.
With the introduction of the current console generation, the Madden NFL team has put out a downloadable game demo on the online services for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 before the retail release of the full title for the past few versions of their title. Some might argue the necessity of such a demo—given that consumers surely know from year-to-year whether or not they’ll be making a purchase—but in some ways the demo has come to serve the role of a “teaser,” satisfying the appetites of gamers waiting for the new iteration of the game as the season approaches.
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2.08.10 6:20 pm by Alex
Well, it’s over. Football season is over. Can I hibernate until September? It’s the day after Super Bowl XLIV, so let the over-analysis begin:
- I’m going to assume that all of you saw the game. If not, you’re one of about 20 people who didn’t. Go watch the highlights.
- The onside kick to start the second half was the gutsiest call I’ve ever seen. Who does that?!? Although the game was close at the half, the Saints hadn’t been able to get into the endzone, and it seemed as though the Colts could take off at any moment and leave New Orleans in the dust. All year long, Peyton Manning & Co. had been doing some of their best work on the last drive of the first half (ask the Ravens and Jets) and on long drives to start the second half. The Saints were able to manage the game in a way that kept the Colts from taking advantage of such possessions, which was huge in keeping the game close until Drew Brees fully ascended into god mode.
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11.12.09 11:32 pm by Alex and Pat
Alex and Pat go through this week’s NFL matchups, make their picks and answer your fantasy questions.
Be sure to send us your fantasy questions or your predictions for this week’s top fantasy performers (QB, RB, WR, TE) if you think you have what it takes: podcast@thesportsgeeks.com and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/thesportsgeeks. We’re listed on iTunes so click here and subscribe. Thanks for listening!
Current Standings:
Game Picks: Alex (7-6 this week),(88-41 overall) – Pat (7-6),(89-40)
Fantasy Picks: Alex (0-4),(3-33) – Pat (1-3),(4-32)
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8.05.09 2:28 pm by Alex
With the NFL season fast approaching, now’s as good a time as any to see who the favorites to win it all are. For Sunday’s question of the week, I asked for our Twitter followers’ Super Bowl picks for this coming season. Here’s a graph of the response:
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