2009 NFL Draft Journal

14:50 -- The suspense is over, Matt Stafford has officially been taken by Detroit. The GM mentioned he liked such things as his field presence, his arm strength, and how he conducts himself in social atmospheres (?). Stafford's a wild card -- I can't determine if he's the real deal or his value was inflated by a weak draft. (Elsewhere in Norman, OK, Sam Bradford takes a HUGE sigh of relief. He just draft-dodged the Lions for next year since they've plugged the QB gap.)

15:00 -- Start of the 2009 NFL Draft. Just cracked the first beer. Sorry Boomer, as you announce the official sponsor of the draft as Coors Light, I glance at the MGD in my hand.

15:05 -- The Stafford announcement is made to a plethora of boos. Erin Andrews pulls him aside and mentions his desire for a challenge. I'd call resurrecting a team from 0-16 is more than just a challenge. Until Detroit bulks up the offensive line, they are setting Stafford up for failure.

15:15 -- St. Louis takes OT Jason Smith second and I like this pick. Some experts thought they should take Mark Sanchez, but they've already committed buckets of money to Bulger and decided to give him more room to work with. Ask Robert Griffin about Smith's talents, as he played a major role in keeping Baylor's offense productive.

15:24 -- Kansas City takes Tyson Jackson, a defensive end out of LSU. I didn't watch LSU much last year so I don't know much about him. Instead I'll compliment ESPN for assigning Erin Andrews to the draft. The woman is a goddess: beautiful, intelligent, and can talk sports with the best of them. She's the best thing about Thursday night college football.

15:32 -- Aaron Curry falls to Seattle to fill the void at outside linebacker. He's not very big, but he's quick to rush passes.

15:42 -- The hometown Jets take Sanchez at the five spot, resulting in mixed emotions in the crowd. Some love it, some hate it, and I'm somewhere in the middle. The Jets needed a quarterback and Sanchez comes from a big market area, but he's untested, took advantage of a superb USC line, and, like Stafford, looks better than he would in other drafts. Only time will tell...

15:50 -- Andre Smith to Cinci is a great pick. I'm still waiting on Carson Palmer's breakout season so bulking up the O-line can't hurt.

15:58 -- The first shocker of the draft comes courtesy of Oakland. They take WR Darrius Heywood-Bey over Michael Crabtree. They needed a wideout and must have been scared off by Crabtree's leg/speed/height. His stock fell fast at the NFL Combine after it was revealed Texas Tech listed him two inches too tall and he ran a slower 40m than most. I think he'll be a steal if he falls out of the top ten.

16:13 -- Andrews comments that Crabtree's table was relieved he didn't go to Oakland. Can't blame him, but he's hoping to go to Green Bay...

16:14 -- And he didn't. The Packers evidently didn't feel the need for an upgrade on offense. B.J. Raji is only the second defensive player selected thus far.

16:18 -- Bottom of the fourth, St. Louis strikes first off a Khalil Greene RBI double. I could write an entire post about how the internet and live gamecasts have made this world a better place.

16:21 -- The 49ers wisen up and draft Crabtree. Eighty-six percent of the online nation think it's the right move, the most supported pick all day. He'll significantly help their anemic offense, commanding double teams as a potential long threat. Even if he's a shade slower than the defense, he's a playmaker who reads passes well. Keep an eye on this guy.

16:32 -- Denver takes Knowshon Moreno and Washington takes Brian Orakpo with the 12th and 13th picks. I like the latter more, but Moreno might surprise; after trading Cutler, most thought the Broncos would take a QB. Dallas is going to be down this year and who knows what Eagles team will show up, so Washington takes an NFL-ready defensive end who can help their push for the playoffs.

16:39 -- Cubs are on the board, but still trail 3-1. Cubs-Cards have played four games, all down to the wire. Taking center stage in the best division in the NL, this 2009 rivalry may be one of the most pertinent in sports.

16:46 -- Now that we've reached the second-tier players of this draft, I take a moment to imagine how good next year's draft will be. It's no coincidence that the day after Bradford announced his intent to return to Oklahoma, Sanchez declared for the draft.

17:08 -- Just got back from making a beer run down the street to the trusty neighborhood gas station. Twelve packs of Miller High Life on sale? Allow me to revert back to my college sophmore year...

17:12 -- Somebody finally gambled on Josh Freeman. I've heard more than once he might be the sleeper in this draft.

17:23 -- Not sure why Jeremy Maclin fell this far. He was favored as a potential top ten talent, with Woody Paige strongly endorsing him on Around the Horn yesterday as the must-have offensive player in the draft. He'll fit in well at Phillie.

17:27 -- Albert Pujols just hit a grand slam. I challenge you to convince me he's not the best player in the majors.

17:28 -- Still undecided on Percy Harvin, I just saw him go to a division rival in Minnesota. Not entirely impressed, still he has yet to hit his ceiling. I'd be interested in the opinion of a particular Vikings fan (cough *Cale* cough).

17:52 -- ESPN aired another trailer for the new Star Trek movie. I've never seen an entire Star Trek movie and couldn't really get into any of the 17 tv shows, but it looks good. However, J.J. Abrams is hit or miss. Lost = Awesome, Cloverfield = Motion Sickness. If nothing else, I'll go see if Spock cuts anybody's head off using telekinesis.

18:00 -- Cardinals win, move four games ahead of the Cubs and claim the best record in baseball.

18:27 -- The first round ends 3.5 hours later. Notable late round picks include #26 OLB Clay Matthews (Green Bay needs improvement to the line if Aaron Rodgers is going to flourish), #29 WR Hakeem Nicks (provides another speedy target for Eli Manning), and #31 RB Beanie Wells (may become one of the biggest flops of this first round).

18:33 -- Feeling better about the Bears forfeiting their early round picks for Jay Cutler. We're set at QB for the next 10 years and there wasn't anybody in this draft they simply had to have. I'll let you know where I plan to have the post Super Bowl party.

March Madness Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Recap

The Final Four is set. No Big XII teams, one Big Eleven team. Obama could still potentially beat all of us except Rickers. The chalkboard bracket is winning. Well, son of a bitch...

The updated standings:

For the record:

-The winners of the Sweet Sixteen were Armbrecht and Kassel with 6/8 correct.

-The winners of the Elite Eight were Beyer, Kelly, and Alberty with 2/4 correct.

-Slik Rick and Armbrecht both have the most points possible remaining as the only brackets with their champions still alive.

-The only bracket to get a region completely correct was Beyer (the South).

-The only brackets to predict the lowest seeded Final Four participant, #3 Villanova, were Kelly and JWill.

-The top four finishes are all up for grabs, while everyone lower has no more PPR.

-Of the eight possible championship game scenarios: three outcomes result in Armbrecht winning (UConn def. UNC, UConn def. Vill, Vill def. UConn), three outcomes result in Beyer winning (MSU def. UNC, MSU def. Vill, Vill def. MSU), and two outcomes result in Rickers winning (UNC def. UConn, UNC def. MSU).