Archive for April, 2010

I recently received an e-mail asking me to spread the word about some viral marketing videos featuring Joe Montana.  I appreciate it when others reach out, so yes, I’m pleased to spread a little viral marketing campaign.  Not only are the videos cool because it features somebody getting nailed in the head with the football, but it’s JOE MONTANA!

Apparently the videos are for Sketchers, but the video doesn’t even feature the Sketchers logo, so this has me thinking, are these videos just an intro to something bigger? Quite intriguing. Feel free to comment.

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The sports book makers are liking the Denver Broncos less and less these days. First the Broncos give up a franchise QB in Jay Cutler for a good-but-not-franchise QB in Kyle Orton. That seemed to work out well until the second half of the season where the Broncos looked totally lost. Now the sports betting community has to watch WR Brandon Marshall shipped to Miami for a second round draft pick in the 2010 draft and a second round pick in the 2011 draft.

In order to get the trade done the Dolphins had to agree to give Marshall the richest WR contract in the history of the league. Marshall gets a 4 year deal that totals $47.5 million with $24 million being guaranteed. That is more than Arizona superstar Larry Fitzgerald.

Was it the right move? The Broncos actually did pretty well. They got rid of a locker room cancer and troubled kid in Marshall for the chance to draft his replacement this year and next year. The Dolphins get another target for QB Chad Henne to throw to, and added in with Miami’s already potent ground attack this could make the Dolphins a problem for teams in the AFC East.

There was another big trade in the NFL during the off-season that will have long term effects on two divisional rivals. The Philadelphia Eagles traded QB Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins for a second round pick in the 2010 draft, and a third or fourth round pick in the 2011 draft.

This trade by the Eagles is almost a disrespecting of McNabb. The Eagles thought so little of McNabb’s talents that they had no problem trading him to a division rival. McNabb has a lot to prove …

Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington from Philadelphia for a second and fourth-round pick, and some thought that new coach Mike Shanahan would pick a quarterback to replace Jason Campbell, who to be fair, has been battered behind an awful offensive line. Now, the Redskins can take a lineman, likely Russell Okung from Oklahoma State. They also have some trade bait in Campbell, and there are a number of teams looking for a quarterback, like St. Louis. Many think the Rams will select Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in New York on April 22^nd, but his rival from Texas, Colt McCoy, also had a great pro day, and then there’s also Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, considered by many to be the most pro-ready of the three. Sports betting odds figure it’s going to be a close race to see who will be picked first of the trio, or at least Bradford and Clausen.

So, what happens? St. Louis says that the release of Marc Bulger wasn’t a sign that they were going to draft a quarterback, but who are they going to turn the offense over to, Kyle Boller? A.J. Feeley? They would almost be better served to try and work out a trade for Campbell, who is an experienced quarterback, and they could go for their other needs, which is pretty much everything outside of running back with Steven Jackson. If they put a rookie quarterback behind that line, like Matt Stafford in Detroit, you could be leading a pivot into a dangerous situation, and we know how banged up Stafford was at the end of the year. They could trade Campbell to another team and get a pick from them (probably not a …

National Football League executives are focused on the upcoming league draft beginning on April 22^nd. It is fully documented how one poor selection in the top round has the potential to setback a franchise for years, and this year, the most pressure will be on the St. Louis Rams, who own the first overall pick after finishing the 2009-10 season with the worst record in football.

The Rams have a variety of areas where they could use an upgrade on both sides of the ball, which makes the decision at the top that much more difficult. NFL observers have called for the selection of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford to become the face of the franchise in St. Louis with the top selection, however Bradford missed all of last season with injuries, and his narrow frame and short stature could limit him in his transition to the league. The Rams may be much better off selecting a sure thing with the number one pick, which either of the top defensive tackles available in the draft are just that. Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh is a massive hard-working interior lineman that can collapse the pocket, and never quits, while Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy has Pro Bowl-caliber and may be a better all-around defensive tackle than Suh for team’s looking for someone who can get after the quarterback.

The Detroit Lions own the second pick in the draft, and with a franchise quarterback already in place in Matt Stafford, head coach Jim Schwartz, a former defensive line coach with the Tennessee Titans, could select whichever of the defensive tackles are available to shore up their defensive interior. Should the Lions decide to make a move to help protect Stafford, Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung is …