When the magic number is an illusion
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Cowboys Currently Sit With The Number 8 Pick In 2010 NFL Draft
The latest calculations which take team record and strength of schedule into account have determined the current 2010 NFL draft order through week 13. As it stands now, the Dallas Cowboys would hold the eighth overall pick in the first-round following their win over the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to this week, Dallas had the number six spot.
The current top five in order is Carolina, Detroit, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Arizona. Just falling short of the top five are Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers at pick 6 and 7, respectively. Up next are our Dallas Cowboys with the Redskins and Titans rounding out the top ten.
As Dallas has improved under interim coach Jason Garrett, their draft position has begun to slide away from the top. At pick six just last week, the Cowboys sat in prime position to pick up one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s class — Patrick Peterson of LSU or Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara. Now it seems that Dallas will have to look at other options.
With the top corners likely off of the board at this point Dallas would be forced to address other needs. Does that mean offensive line? How about defensive line or even a potential franchise quarterback?
Where Dallas sits now, the best value would be at defensive line with a guy like Marcell Dareus or Da’Quan Bowers — perhaps North Carolina’s Robert Quinn would still be available.
Dallas would need to win a few more games to end the season and pick around the middle of the first-round to get good value at offensive line. If they pick around the middle of the round, a guy like Anthony Castonzo from Boston College, Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin, or Colorado’s Nate Solder would be excellent choices.
Outside of defensive line, cornerback, and offensive line, there is another position that would provide interesting scenarios. Dallas could have a shot at the likes of Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker, or Cam Newton when they are on the clock. Could Dallas pull the trigger on one of these potential franchise quarterbacks and groom them under Romo for a few years like Green Bay did with Aaron Rodgers?
Mallett would be the most intriguing quarterback outside of Andrew Luck, but I could see some outcry from the fanbase if Jerry Jones was to go for a signal-caller.
What would you think if the team took a quarterback in the first-round and what do you think is the best option where the Cowboys currently sit in the draft order? Sound off in the comments section!
Browns Make a Number of Moves, Waive QB Brett Ratliff Again
The Browns made a number of moves on Tuesday, which included waiving quarterback Brett Ratliff for the second time this season. And to think, I was this close to betting my life savings (which isn’t much) on him being the Browns’ quarterback of the future.
Here are some other moves the Browns made:
- Signed defensive back Eric King
- Signed kick returner Clifton Smith
- Placed offensive lineman Billy Yates on injured reserve
And the saddest move of all…
- Officially waived punter Dave Zastudil
As a fellow Ohio University alum, the news of Zastudil’s release comes as particularly disheartening news. Both King and Smith were signed as insurance while Josh Cribbs and Sheldon Brown recover from injuries.
Why all the fuss about being world number one?
To much fanfare, Lee Westwood has ended the 281-week reign of Tiger Woods as golf’s world number one yet the fact the Briton has not won a major raises a couple of questions — Do rankings reward consistency rather than great achievement? And how much do they really matter?
According to former world number one and six-times major winner Nick Faldo, the answer is not as much as the big tournaments.
“It’s interesting how times have changed, how you can get to be number one without winning a major,” Faldo said. “I never understood the points scoring system, even in my day.
“But I wanted to be number one. It is a nice one to win. But majors are the one, because you have to go and win them and finish them off.”
There is a similar situation in women’s tennis where Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki is the year-end number one without a grand slam to her name. The 20-year-old last month dethroned American Serena Williams, who has not played since winning her 13th grand slam title at Wimbledon in July.
With such obvious talents as 14-times major winner Tiger and Serena it seems bizarre that golf and tennis set such importance on the vagaries of a ranking system, when other sports set less store by them.
Spain top the FIFA soccer rankings, yet you are unlikely to see them tagged as world number one in the media or referred to as such by fans. Rightly, the World Cup win is considered their ultimate achievement.
The All Blacks head the rugby world rankings and have a history of consistently doing so in the run up to a World Cup. Yet in the build-up to next year’s tournament in New Zealand they will undoubtedly come under the spotlight again for only having won the title once, the inaugural edition in 1987.
There is some interest in the test cricket team rankings, currently headed by India, but less so in the lists for batsman, bowler and all-rounder. Most sports fans could make an educated guess at the top batsman — Sachin Tendulkar, acknowledged as one of greatest of all time, but surprisingly he made number one spot last month for the first time since August 2002.
Cycling’s world number one is not Tour de France winner and one of the sport’s biggest names, Alberto Contador, but fellow Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez, who had a consistent season and rode in twice as many ranking races as his compatriot.
Perhaps Serena had it right when, after being toppled as women’s tennis number one by grand slam-less Russian Dinara Safina in April 2009, she told reporters. ”We all know who the real number one is. Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”
PHOTO: Tiger Woods of the U.S. walks on the third hole during an exhibition golf match with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa in Yokohama, south of Tokyo November 1, 2010. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Number of males getting off to Ines Sainz up 43% on Media Day
Since a middle-aged, unapolgetically horny sportswirter has yet to capture a good shot of Sainz’s ass, it can be found here, here, here, and here. Or if you can get your hands on Under Armour guy’s cell phone, shoot us…
The Sports Hernia Blog