Now for something completely different...

I know this is a football blog, but I need to get this out of my system.

I'm a huge Red Wings fan. I love hockey, and I love the Red Wings. And after reading what I'm about to write, you'll probably just say "He's a bitter Red Wings fan. He's just mad they lost." And I would say "Fair enough." I am mad they lost. I know they can win. Especially at home.

But here's what I want to say: Congrats to the Penguins...except Crosby and Malkin. Why do I say that? Several reasons. Crosby and Malkin did not show the level of leadership they should have, and this is probably more true of Crosby than Malkin. Malkin showed up offensively (at least in assists) and defensively. Crosby was almost a non-factor. For all of the hype surrounding this guy he was awfully quiet against the Wings. Why? Because the Wings are good. No offense to the Caps, but they are by no means anywhere close defensively to the Wings.

(This is probably one of my favorite pictures of Malkin and Crosby. "What? They aren't praising us?")

However, I think Crosby and Malkin showed very little class, and I've lost a lot of respect for them. Malkin was cross checking, hitting people with the butt of his stick, instigating fights, and other things. Crosby showed very little sportsmanship. At the end of Game 1 he hit Kirk Maltby with his stick as he was heading to the bench.

As I said earlier, congrats to the rest of the Pens. Guys like Jordan Staal, Maxine Talbot, Marc Andre-Fleury, and the guys on the Pens that aren't "the second coming". They made the big plays that made the difference in this series. They have my respect.

Cut the guy some slack...

...he's paid his debt, or is at least working on it.

Yes, what Micheal Vick did was terrible and he was rightfully punished. I say he should be considered for reinstatement. He's a great player and I think with some work and the right organization Vick could be back to or near his previous status.

Don't think he should be allowed back in? Let's take a look at one of the NFL's recent troublemakers: Adam "Pacman" Jones. He has continually been in trouble for being associated with multiple shootings at strip clubs and parties and what not. And he still gets back in. I'm not saying he shot the person himself, but he's still being associated with those who are. And that's violence directed towards people.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs. Seriously. But a dog in no way has the same amount of value as a person. He wasn't convicted for manslaughter, he wasn't convicted for murder or shooting someone.

Again, what he did was terrible. And he's served his time in prison and is getting ready to be on probation for a couple more years. Vick's also taking a construction job at $10 an hour. On top of that, Vick requested a meeting with the president of the Humane Society of the United States to discuss starting a program aimed at educating urban youth about dogfighting and eradicating the problem. He requested. That says change to me.

Give the guy another chance.

My Two Cents on the Draft

The draft is mostly speculation anyway. I mean, do we REALLY know how good any of these players are going to be in the NFL? There are different systems and rules and attitudes in the NFL then there are in college. Just the way it is. Not that I'm doubting anybody, but as exciting as draft day was the season is going to be even better, especially when those rookies and players nobody expected to make a difference, do.

As many of you know, I'm a Colts fan. So, I thought I would share my thoughts on how Polian and his team did on the greatest day of the offseason.

Pick 1: Donald Brown. Hopefully he'll be able to

provide the spark and intensity that was missing from the running game last year. I guess he was the nation's leading rusher last year and nobody picked him up before the Colts.

Pick 2: Fili Moala. Yes. I support this. Whole-heartedly. This is the position that the Colts really needed to fill. If Moala (and Taylor, who I'll get to later) can be effective inside,

this defense line will be a very impressive one.

Pick 3: Jerraud Powers. From his stats, he seems like a fairly small guy. But, that's what the Colts defense is like. Undersized, but fast. Hopefully he fits that description.

Pick 4: Austin Collie. I'm pretty sure everyone knew the Colts would pick a receiver at some point in the draft thanks to the departure of Marvin Harrison. I haven't heard much about this guy, but that's the way Polian works. He may not be the guy everyone is looking at, but Polian knows the system and how to find quality players for Peyton to throw to.

Pick 5: Terrance Taylor. I'm always happy when a team drafts someone out of Michigan (I'm also a U of M fan). If I remember this guy right, he's a pretty big boy who should definitely help with the run defense.

Pick 6: Curtis Painter. What? A QB? Why? I know Manning is going to be around forever, but really? Sorgi has barely seen any playing time, why do we need another QB? Oh well. I guess they know something I don't.

Pick 7: Patrick McAfee. After Hunter Smith left for Washington, we need someone to fill in. I don't know how easy or hard it would be to make a place kicker a punter. Maybe he already knows how to punt. Either way. Hunter Smith also did some holding. HEY. Maybe that's why they drafted Painter.

Pick 8: Jaimie Thomas. I support protecting Peyton Manning. And perhaps helping create space for the running game.

So there you have it. My draft analysis.

~Jared

Lions 2.0?

So the Detroit Lions released a new logo today. And I have to say I like it. Honestly, the logo confused me when I was younger. I had a hard time differentiating between where the head and the leg came together. But the white spaces had a lot and gives the logo more definition.

My question is will this "newness" be translated into the other aspect of the team? If nothing changes, this logo becomes irrelevant and hypocritical.

The Detroit Lions have never been a major competitor in any capacity. The mindset of this organization has never been to win a Super Bowl. This team was essentially a marketing ploy to football fans in Michigan and the Detroit area.

The Lions have the biggest struggle ahead of them. To me, and I'm sure to others, this season is the season to prove that they are serious about what their doing and that they deserve to be in the NFL.

If they do as bad as they did last year, I vote we demote them to the AFL. Just sayin'.

Seahawks in Control

The Seattle Seahawks have the 4th overall pick in this years draft and that gives them complete control over a lot of team's future. For many months it has been said that the Seahawks will take WR Michael Crabtree, regardless of the key signing of T.J. Houshmandzadeh. I am beginning to think otherwise. 

Believe it or not Matt Hasselbeck is NOT the youngest QB in the league and his athleticism is on the decline. This opens a new door for Seattle. Whether Mark Sanchez is the best QB in the draft or not is still up for debate by many experts but I will tell you he is not. He is 2nd behind Stafford but this might not mean that he will go mid to late first round, he could go find himself moving north and wind up being the 4th overall player selected in 2009. 

If Mark Sanchez is selected 4th this could drastically change the draft boards. There are countless teams with QB needs ranging from Denver, Tampa Bay and Oakland to the Jets, San Francisco and possibly even Cleveland. This messes up a slew of possibilities for these teams, but this does help the outlook for 3 guys: Josh Freeman, Rhett Bomar and Pat White. Expect Josh Freeman to go mid-1st round and end up having the potential to start for a team with a huge chance at winning.

The Seattle Seahawks have to critically think through their pick this year because it could alter the future of many teams but more importantly it will alter the future of theirs. 

More Colts stuff...

Just so everyone's in the loop, there are two people contributing to this blog. Jared and Zachy B.  Zachy B wrote that last post. This is Jared.

Now, I'm a Colts fan. Even though I grew up in Michigan. Probably no surprised I dropped the Lions faster than you can say "0 and 16". 

And before you assume that I'm going to argue with Zachy B (who's a Cardinals fan), don't. I agree. Joseph Addai was not the same running back he was the first two seasons he was in Indy. He spent way too much time in the backfield. I was most impressed with him when he caught a pass for and took it 50 some yards. I don't remember what game, but your RB highlight should not be 1 PASS. 

Either way, my point in this entry is that the Colts have other issues besi

des running back that I think should be addressed before they give up on Addai. The Colts have several other running backs, like Chad Simpson and Micheal Hart, who could provide some rushing offense. 

The Colts weakness has almost always been their defense. However, their pass defense ranked in the top ten in the league last year. So I don't feel like they need to mess with the secondary too much.

It's the run defense that has always been the bigger issue. That's why I feel like DT and LB need to be their focus. They need some solid, tough guys to fill in the middle. Gary Brackett has been a staple in the MLB position for years, but he isn't going to last forever. And he needs some help from the outside guys too. Clint Session has got a lot of speed, and seems to be a very intense player, but I noticed in the San Diego playoff game that he didn't really wrap up people. And the Colts lost Keiaho to free agency. If they can find one or two more guys who have the speed to fit the system and the ability to tackle, they'd be a lot better off.

And DT is something that's been missing since 2005. That's the year they had Corey Simons and McFarland playing in the middle. That's also the year they had one of the best defenses in the league and ended with a 14 and 2 record. If they can find a couple of guys to play in the middle and fill in some of those running lanes, it could make a huge difference. 

The Truth about the Colts

The truth is they are a great team, a great team with great problems. The most overbearing of all of these problems is Joseph Addai. The word overrated does not do justice to how over valued he truly is. The Colts rank in the top 5 probably even the top 3 best ran organizations in the league. They are perennial Playoff contenders and have one of the best (if not the best) coaching staffs in the league. In my opinion the loss of the great Tony Dungy will not hamper the Colts ability to remain a good team. I say good because they are good not great. The reason is simple, Joseph Addai.

I can't help but wonder if Joseph Addai had played better against the Chargers in the playoffs if it would have been an Indianapolis and Arizona Super Bowl. The problem of Joseph Addai is too large to ignore. When he was drafted he was compared to Barry Sanders because of his stutter stepping in the backfield and then his burst to get out of the backfield, but there is a difference, Barry Sanders was productive. Addai is a one hit wonder and can be traded to benefit the future of the franchise. 

This upcoming draft class is heaven for teams that need a RB. The Colts need to look at Lesean McCoy or Beanie Wells in the early rounds and Rashad Jennings in later rounds. This is an opportunity for the Colts to win a Super Bowl once again and get Peyton Manning his well deserved rings.