Stopa Talks Sports

NFL Draft Predictions

2008-04-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Round 1 Predictions:
I really am usually excited for the NFL draft but thanks to the Miami Dolphins it is a little less exciting due to them signing Jake Long already. I mean couldn't they have at least kept it quiet till the Saturday? At least the Cowboys have two first round picks and Darren McFadden and Chris Long are still on the board. I am excited to see where they go because I think those two are the best athletes on the board EASILY.

Lets get down to my picks. Post your thoughts and hopefully I am correct on some of these!

1 Dolphins - Jake Long - OL - Michigan
2 Rams - Glenn Dorsey - DT - LSU
3 Falcons - Matt Ryan - QB - Boston College
4 Raiders - Chris Long - DE - Virginia
5 Chiefs - Vernon Gholston - DE - Ohio State
6 Jets - Darren McFadden - RB - Arkansas
7 Patriots - Leddis McKelvin - CB - Troy
8 Ravens - Ryan Clady - OL - Boise State
9 Bengals - Sedrick Ellis - DT - USC
10 Saints - Aqib Talib - CB - Kansas
11 Bills - Devin Thomas - WR - Michigan State
12 Broncos - Keith Rivers - LB - USC
13 Panthers - Kentwan - DT - North Carolina
14 Bears - Branden Albert - OL - Virginia
15 Lions - Rashard Mendenhall - RB - Illinois
16 Cardinals - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie - CB - Tennessee State
17 Chiefs - Chris Williams - OL - Vanderbilt
18 Texans - Johnathan Stewart - RB -
19 Eagles - Macolm Kelly - WR - Oklahoma
20 Buccaneers - Mike Jenkins - CB - USF
21 Redskins - Philip Merling - DE - Clemson
22 Cowboys - Felix Jones - RB - Arkansas
23 Steelers - Jeff Otah - OL - Pittsburgh
24 Titans - DeSean Jackson - WR - Cal
25 Seahawks - Fred Lewis - TE - USC
26 Jaguars - Calais Campbell - DE - Miami
27 Chargers - Dan Connor - LB - Penn State
28 Cowboys - Limas Sweed - WR - Texas
29 49ers From Colts - Gosder Cherilus - OL - Boston College
30 Packers - Brandon Flowers - CB - Virginia Tech
31 Patriots - VOID - good job guys!
32 Giants - Jerod Mayo - LB - Tennessee

Guys I am Watching For:

After the first round I am only interested in most of the 2nd and parts of the 3rd.... But here is the Top 5 players that would keep me watching after the 1st round! (in order)

1) Ray Rice - RB - Rutgers - I have seen him play numerous times and this guy is just a workhorse. He can run up the middle or to the outside and he can catch and even block for the qb..... Think Maurice Jones Drew but better. I think he will end up on either the Bears or the Jets.

2) Joe Flacco - QB - Delaware - Another talented player that I have seen play and came away impressed. This guy is tall and he can throw the ball with the best of them. I say the Ravens or the Chiefs will take him.

3) James Hardy - WR - Indiana - This guy has had some off the field issues but I think he finally is getting himself together. He is tall and athletic and just like Antonio Gates he played basketball first in college. I know the perfect team that will help him.... the Dallas Cowboys. BOOK IT!

4) Jeremy Zuttah - OL - Rutgers - Yea I know another Rutgers player... what can I say! In all seriousness I watched Jeremy opens holes that my fat ass could run threw. After a while I knew why Ray Rice was so efficient at running the ball between the tackles. This guy is big and he is quick. I say the Panthers or the Steelers will pick this guy!

5) Xavier Adibi - LB - Virginia Tech - This guy was a 1st round pick easy at the beginning of this season and from that till now its like he fell of the face of the earth. I followed him for the longest time and I think he is talented.... he is fast and he tackles really well so don't be surprised if you hear his name in the NFL. The Lions or the Jets will pick him up.

Honorable Mentions - Eric Foster - DT - Rutgers, Pedro Sosa - OL - Rutgers, Kevin Smith - RB - UCF. Steve Slaton - RB - WVU, Martin Rucker - TE - Missouri, Antoine Cason - CB - Arizona, Tom Zbikowski - S - Notre Dame.

Wide Receiver Overdose:

Coming into this season I had DeSean Jackson as the Number 1 Wide Receiver coming into this draft and boy was I wrong. I really like Devin Thomas and James Hardy and I think there size and playmaking skills will really make them a good NFL Pro. DeSean Jackson just reminds me of another Sidney Rice for some reason and he is short and will probably end up just being a good Kick/Punt Returner. Granted Steve Smith and Santana Moss have helped the case of short WR's that are very good but I just don't think DeSean is one of them.

Another really good WR to watch out for is Dexter Jackson. This guy played Division 3 ball but do NOT let that fool you. He has the speed, size, hands and the competitive spirit to really make him the next Colston.

When I look at how much talent is at the Wide Receiver position this draft I was amazed. Some players are not going to be as good as they were in College but some players will be drafted by the correct team and they will do very well. Look at the 2005 Draft... you have the Browns taking the best Wide Receiver on the board in Braylon Edwards and man he did NOT disappoint. He has lived up to his hype and he is now a main part of the rebuilding Browns team. But then look about 5 picks down where the Vikings took Troy Williamson or 2 more picks after that when the Lions took Mike Williams. Both of those guys just flopped in the pros because either they were just "college" players or because they were just not in the right system.

I just wanted to throw out some names of Wide Receivers that I followed in College Football and who I am surprised is ranked so low because of the stockpile in the WR category this Draft.

So here is my Top 10 Wide Receivers that could have been draft higher if the talent wasn't as good:

10) William Franklin - Missouri
9) Adrius Bowman - Oklahoma State
8) Dorien Bryant - Purdue
7) Ryan Grice-Mullen - Hawaii
6) Jordy Nelson - Kansas State
5) Devone Bess - Hawaii
4) Mario Urrutia - Louisville
3) Todd Blythe - Iowa State
2) Earl Bennett - Vanderbilt
1) Jabari Auther - Akron

Mostly half of the players I listed come from a heavy passing system so looking at the list it does not surprise me that most of these players are just not ranked higher on scouts list. Most of these guys are under 6 foot or not as fast but they were thrown the ball so much in college they just produced. Jordy Nelson and Adrius Bowman will easily get drafted but they would have been a lot higher if the talent was not as good. They both have the size and speed to make it as a starting WR and I think they will just give them the right team. I am a big fan of Todd Blythe, he is Big, catches well in traffic and can run, he reminds me of Matt Jones a lot but we all know what happened to him in the pros. All the Hawaii receivers were overrated in college because they were in such a heavy passing system that it made Colt Brennan even look impressive. They have some talent but look for them not to do that well in the NFL.

The First 3 Months in JuJitSu

2008-04-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

I been watching the UFC a while ago but I just started really appreciating the sport a couple of months ago when Roger Huerta was going against Clay Guida. This fight was amazing, both fighters had such a passion for the sport and a determination to win that they didn't hold anything back. Watching this fight all I could really do was appreciate, but I wanted to love the sport, I wanted to feel the same thing that all the fighters do. Yes I know it is hard work and no I will probably be no where close to the shape and the athleticism that most of these athletes are at but how many individuals can be?

I started taking JuJitSu classes about 3 months ago at Ricardo Almeida Academy, which is located right around the corner from my house. The academy is amazing for several aspects, first of all the hospitality and the respect is amazing. Everyone is positive, respectful, and they train hard but the most impressive is that they are safe. This was a big worry from me coming into the academy, I am some 300 pound dude that is so out of shape that my mom could run circles around me. I still remember the first time I put on the Gi, WOW was it heavy.... OK OK so it was 3 months ago but it seems like so long ago but I still had to run and train in this heavy and thick robe looking thing. My girlfriend and mom call my Gi a "Cute little uniform", it drives me nuts..... they just wish they were as cool as me.

For the past few months I have been watching and learning everything that MMA has to offer. I have strayed away from just watching the UFC. I watch the WEC, IFL, EliteXC and even the small venues in AC. On April 19th I will be going to Atlantic City to see Battle Cage Xtreme IV which four of the fighters will be coming from the academy I go to, Ricardo Almeida Academy. I also have just heard that Ultimate Fighter will be graced by Dante Rivera's presence who is also a Ricardo Almeida student. Talking about all this really just helps me bring up my point which is that you have no clue about the intensity, dedication and hard work each individual puts into his/her training until you see them training. I thought it was going to be somewhat of a breeze to do... throw your leg over and put a guy in a triangle or a arm bar, put all my weight on someone and dominate them on top. It wasn't easy at all! I have people half my size making me look foolish on the mat. The only thing some people in the my beginners classes cannot do is hip toss me, but I mean come on how many 155 pounders can really hip toss a 300 pound guy.

Since I started in January I have increased my energy level, lost a little of my stomach and gained more muscle. I have also started caring more about my health since I can not do everything as easily as everyone else in my class. I want to get better and I really appreciate all the time and energy the coaches and students have given me. I will update when I have more interesting things to talk about.

Predictions for the 2008 Baseball season!

2008-04-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Alright lets get this rolling.... it is now April and that means that it is now baseball season. I will predict what teams will make the playoffs and maybe a surprise team of the year. That will be followed by a break down of what players will be getting certain awards and then finally my Top 10 Sleepers this season. Enjoy!

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Mariners
Wild Card: Yankees
Sleeper: Rays
Busts: Tigers

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Padres
Wild Card: Diamondbacks
Sleeper: Reds
Busts: Rockies

Playoffs:

Red Sox over Indians
Yankees over Mariners

Mets over Diamondback
Cubs over Padres

Red Sox over Yankees
Mets over Cubs

Red Sox over Mets in 6

Awards

MVP
AL: Manny Ramirez
NL: David Wright

Cy Young
AL: Erik Bedard
NL: Johan Santana

Rookie of the Year
AL: Evan Longoria
NL: Johnny Cueto

Surprises of 2008

Top 10 Sleepers
Clayton Kershaw - In June this is the guy I want to keep my eye on in the NL. This guy is going to be a strikeout artist and he will attempt to bring the Dodgers to the playoffs but they finish 3rd in the division. He will be another dominate pitcher in what is probably the best pitching division in baseball.

Ryan Church - Church will be in RF for the monstrous Met's lineup which is every hitters dream. It doesn't hurt that this kid can hit and will hit around a 300 with about 25 homeruns and 80 RBIs.

Austin Kearns - A lot of people are saying the Zimmerman and Milledge will get the most from the move to the new stadium but it will be Austin Kearns. This guy has 30 homerun potential and will be batting around a young but decent lineup. Look for him to go 280 30 90 this season.

Joe Saunders - With all the injuries to the Angels rotation Saunders will finally get to show his stuff for more then just a start here and there. He will keep the ball in the park and will stay in the every day rotation for the rest of the year.

Conor Jackson - Tony Clark is gone... he has hit the gym over the off season and he will be hitting more power and keeping his average up.

Johnny Cueto - This guy is going to dominate the NL Central so badly the Reds will be in the playoff race for the first time in years. He will be a future ace and he is my pick for NL ROY.

Aaron Rowand - His value decreased after moving to that pathetic thing the Giants call a lineup but he hits the gaps for power and he will have speed in front of him so expect pretty good numbers.

Carlos Villanueva - Yes Carlos will have a better year then Yovani Gallardo. You heard it here first, I don't know if anyone else is saying this but I haven't heard anyone predicting this bold statement. He will have a good ERA and WHIP with over 150 strikeouts and over 10 wins.

Yunel Escobar - This guy can not only play up to 4 position but he has enough talent that the Braves felt comfortable enough to let Renteria just walk away. Yunel has a lot of upside and while he won't give you amazing numbers he will start and he will give you a nice average and a lot of runs batting in front of Chipper and Teixeira.

Joakim Soria - This guy is lights out and he is going to be part of the surprising Royals team this season. He has a great strike out ratio and will have a really low era and whip. My predictions is that he will have around 40 saves, around 85 strikeouts and 2.36 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

Other potential sleepers: Dioner Navarro, Evan Longoria, Joey Votto, Lastings Milledge, Matt Garza, Carlos Marmol, Colby Rasmus, Philip Hughes, Michael Bourn and Kosuke Fukudome .