oochymp

I'd like to see how many second round picks they've made in that span, if they can turn each first round pick into a first (future) and a second, then yes, it is worth it EDIT: ok, it was really easy to look that up, so here you go, the Patriots have made 15 2nd round picks since 2000 including three last year and four in 2009, for comparison I'll use the Steelers to match the original post, the Steelers have made 9 2nd round picks since 2000 with no more than one in any given year, so the real value they're getting is in the second round picks they stockpile

I was thinking the same thing, jail time for this just doesn't make sense, I'm a firm believer in letting the punishment fit the crime, and in this case community service in a local animal shelter would be the best way to hopefully help him figure out why what he did was really stupid the no trial part, our judicial system is founded on the principle of innocent until proven guilty, even if the trial is little more than a formality because of the evidence available, someone still has to prove that the person in question did something deserving of capital punishment

ESPN just said that report is incorrect, and since I've yet to see it confirmed by any other news outlet I'm inclined to doubt the Rotoworld report

the weird thing is that I've heard the stat thrown around that he completed 70% of passes outside of the pocket, if he's accurate outside the pocket it'll only take a little bit of coaching to get him accurate inside the pocket, it's a lot easier to teach it that way than the other way around, I really like this pick

and the Colts play Houston week one, so he gets to start against Mario Williams, good luck with that

Clearly the best pick of the draft was Jake Locker at #8 I'm kidding of course, it could turn out really well, but we won't know for at least 3-4 years In all honesty, I think the Skins had one of the best first rounds, getting an extra pick and then still getting the guy they probably wanted to begin with is definitely a good move, and Kerrigan should turn into a stud across from Orakpo

just got back from work so I'm catching up on what's happened, a few comments: I really like the Locker pick, the guy would have been #1 hands down last year and I think he can become a very good Roethlisberger type QB and really fits into what I think a Munchak coached team will look like, it may have been a reach to take him at 8, but the last time I thought we made a bit of a reach we got Chris Johnson, and that one has worked out pretty well, so I'm good with it. it's crazy to see Fairley go to the Lions, putting him next to Ndamokung Suh is just nasty

great improvement over the garbage they've been wearing the last few years, I like the classic look

Brady

Troy, this is a tough one, because I really think a case can be made that Rodgers is the best QB in the league, and in such a QB driven league that's gotta count for something, but Troy IMO is hands down the best defensive player in the game right now, I honestly can't even think of who else could be in the conversation, it seems like every time you watch a Steelers game Polamalu is on the ball on every play, so he gets my vote for #1

kinda funny, the 1,2,3 and 5 seeds advance in both conferences

true, forgot Favre was on there, in the wrong jersey no less

yeah, I definitely think if Pouncey falls to 25 the Steelers will be lighting everyone's phones up

I'll be pissed if we trade up for Mallet, but I'll also be shocked if seven QBs are taken in the first round

damn right, wasn't Brees the first white player on a Madden cover?

I went with the Texans for a lot of the reasons that have been mentioned, though if Stafon Johnson turns into the complement to CJ that I think he can then I think the Titans will have it hands down

One of the most annoying things about debating these sorts of lists is that everyone treats their opinions as facts. No matter how widely agreed upon any order in the rankings may be (or how strongly you feel about the accuracy of said order) it is still nothing more than a widely (or strongly) held opinion. You can bring up as many stats as you want, but even if you bring up enough stats to convince someone that player A is better than player B, you haven't established that as a fact, you've merely changed one person's opinion of those two players' relative skills. Player rankings are far too objective for there to really be any fact in the debate.

if we take any QB over Fairley I will be beyond pissed

well played, sir as for the game in question, I think what's bothersome is the realism of going through the process of raising and training your dog to fight, games like GTA are so over the top that most sane people wouldn't think it shows something to be duplicated in real life

you realize these are composite rankings, right? Eight bloggers submit a ranking and they essentially average them, that's how you get ties

I'm posting this topic to make everyone aware that I will be resigning from my position as a Global Moderator. I'm starting Law School this fall and I don't think I will be able to maintain my current level of activity on the forums. I am also going to be going back to Philmont for my fifth summer on staff, so I will once again be disappearing in mid-May not to resurface until August. As such, I feel it's appropriate for me to resign. I have had a great time here over the last five years or so and I hope to maintain some activity, I just know I won't be able to maintain enough to justify a position on staff. My resignation will be effective April 30 and I will be leaving for Philmont on May 12. Upper staff is currently considering a replacement but has not yet come to a decision, a general announcement will be made once that decision is made. For anyone wondering, I do still plan to participate in a fantasy football league in the fall, but I hope someone else can step up to commish the ESPN league. If anyone is interested in doing that just let me know, I've pretty much been re-creating the league every year so handing over the commish responsibilities won't take much.

Troy and Aaron

SI has a great article about the ruling: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/04/25/judge.lifts.lockout.ap/index.html?eref=sihp the most interesting line I think is a quote from Judge Nelson at the bottom of the article: "This particular employment dispute is far from a purely private argument over compensation." That opens the door for the courts to do a lot more without concern of setting a new precedent for future labor issues in other businesses.

if there's a first rounder next year and a second rounder to move back into the first round, it's not going to be a very high second round pick, granted next year's picks don't have as much value as they typically would because of the litigation, but that's still a really steep price

have you been out there? And F4E, if you'd like to take over the ESPN league that'd be great, everyone would finally get the 4 point passing td they want just hold a spot for me