Martin Luther King Jr's Last Speech

Prophetic words.

Sports Illustrated NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts -- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

A lot could change in Indy between now and April. By the time the Colts are called to the podium they'll know about Peyton Manning's future and will either draft Luck or trade the pick. Luck could end up in a tough spot. He'll say the right things, but he wants to play right away, so co-existing with Manning would be difficult. If Manning leaves, Luck will face huge expectations and be surrounded by very little talent.

2. Cleveland Browns -- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (Trade with St. Louis)

The Rams don't need a quarterback, but with a manageable price tag for rookies because of the salary slotting system, they'll get calls from Cleveland, Miami and Washington about moving up to land Griffin. After last season's draft-day trade with the Falcons, the Browns have an extra first-rounder and can put together the best package. Griffin may have more tools than Luck, but Luck is more valuable because he ran a pro system at Stanford. Griffin completed 72.4 percent of his passes, a dazzling number even in the defensively challenged Big 12.

3. Minnesota Vikings -- Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Vikings GM Rick Spielman told quarterback Christian Ponder they wouldn't draft someone to compete with him. Instead, they'll try to beef up a line that allowed 49 sacks last season. Kalil didn't let up a sack at USC last season and he has the bloodlines -- his brother Ryan is a Pro Bowl center on the Panthers.

4. St. Louis Rams -- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (Trade with Cleveland)

Blackmon may not run a blazing 40, but neither did Larry Fitzgerald or Jerry Rice. Blackmon's dominant performance in the Fiesta Bowl put to rest any notion he benefits from Oklahoma State's wide-open offense.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU#

The Bucs need someone who can make a play on defense. They've already tried drafting D-linemen high, and the players they've taken have shown promise but can't stay healthy. Claiborne is the top shut-down corner in the draft.

6. Washington Redskins -- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama#

The Redskins need a quarterback, but may be forced to turn to free agency because the right signal-caller won't be available at this spot. Instead, they'll draft the best player available. The Redskins' strength is their defense, which ranked 13th in the NFL last season, but adding the big, physical Kirkpatrick in the secondary could make life even easier for their talented pass-rushers.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Devon Still, DT, Penn State

Everything depends on who the Jaguars hire at head coach and what systems they run. We'll give them the best available talent for right now.

8. Carolina Panthers* -- Michael Brockers, DT, LSU#

The Panthers have needs all over their defense and would benefit greatly by improving in the middle of the line. Brockers, a redshirt sophomore, will be the best prospect from LSU's outstanding defensive line if he declares himself eligible for the draft in the coming days.

9. Miami Dolphins* -- Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina

Lots of questions still remain about what systems the Dolphins will be using next season, given their unsettled coaching situation. Brown is the best 4-3 outside linebacker in the draft and would help take some pressure off Cameron Wake.

10. Buffalo Bills -- Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Coples disappointed some scouts this season, but the Bills need more pressure up front and Coples has a lot of natural talent. The big question with Coples is attitude. He'll have to prove he wants it in pre-draft interviews.

11. Kansas City Chiefs* -- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Chiefs need to infuse their offensive line with attitude, and Reiff plays nasty. He fits every stereotype of an Iowa lineman in a good way.

12. Seattle Seahawks* -- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

The former college wide receiver will shine during the pre-draft process. He has athletic ability and the brains to wow teams in interviews. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has to be smarting that Matt Barkley returned to USC, but will still go quarterback to develop someone behind Tarvaris Jackson.

13. Arizona Cardinals -- Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

The Cardinals want to see their investment in quarterback Kevin Kolb pay off and will try to bolster the offensive line. Expect them to let veteran offensive tackle Levi Brown go in the offseason.

14. Dallas Cowboys -- David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

The Cowboys need help in the defensive secondary, but may not be in a good spot to get an elite cornerback here and will go with the best player available.

15. Philadelphia Eagles -- Luke Kuelchy, LB, Boston College

Andy Reid doesn't draft linebackers, but the need is so glaring now, Eagles fans may revolt. It's been long enough for them to get over drafting Mike Mamula back in 1995.

16. New York Jets -- Mark Barron, S, Alabama

The Jets defense took a step back this season, in part because safety Jim Leonhard was hurt. Even if Leonhard is back, they need to strengthen the secondary, and Barron can help at multiple positions.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders) -- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama#

Teams don't draft running backs in the first round as much any more, but Richardson is a pretty safe bet. He's short, but exceptionally strong. Richardson went to Escambia High School in Florida, alma mater of Emmitt Smith, and the Bengals will hope he joins quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green in a Smith-Troy Aikman-Michael Irvin type of triumvirate.

18. San Diego Chargers -- Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama

The Chargers are still looking for an explosive pass-rusher. There's some doubt about whether Upshaw can play standing up, but he may be worth the risk.

19. Chicago Bears -- Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

The NFL seems to have trouble evaluating Notre Dame products, but Floyd fits the mold of the tall, fast receiver the Bears need.

20. Tennessee Titans -- Nick Perry, DE, USC

The Titans ranked 31st in the NFL with just 28 sacks last season. Perry had 9.5 sacks as a junior and could move up in the draft process as teams study his work at USC.

21. Cincinnati Bengals -- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

The lasting image of the Bengals' playoff loss to the Texans is Pacman Jones getting juked out of his shoes by Andre Johnson. Cincy needs a cornerback to solidify a secondary that still needs to replace Jonathan Joseph.

22. St. Louis Rams -- Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama (Trade with Cleveland Browns, from Atlanta Falcons)

If the Rams go offense early, they will try to improve their 22nd-ranked defense. Jenkins has some character questions, but teams have to be willing to take risks to find quality cover guys in today's NFL.

23. Detroit Lions -- Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

The Lions could also turn to Jenkins, but Dennard is a lot tougher. The 5-foot-10 cornerback doesn't back down, even though there is a real fear he'll struggle against tall receivers.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

Nose tackle Casey Hampton is 34 and will likely have knee surgery. The 6-5, 350-pound Poe is cut out of the same mold and should be a strong force in the middle of a 3-4 line.

25. Denver Broncos -- Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

Tight ends are usually a great aid to quarterbacks who struggle with accuracy. Allen won the Mackey Award for the nation's top tight end and could quickly become Tim Tebow's best friend.

26. New York Giants -- Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama#

Hightower showed his versatility in the BCS title game and will fill a need on the Giants' defense. They could also look for depth in the secondary.

27. Houston Texans -- Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

The Texans are looking for a tall, fast receiver and the 6-2 Sanu will add a needed dimension to a productive offense. Sanu had 115 catches last season, and could move up if he comes up with a dazzling 40.

28. New England Patriots (From New Orleans Saints) -- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

The Patriots are never predictable, but you have to figure they'll go pretty heavy on defense in this draft. They've seemed hesitant to take a pass-rusher, but they need to improve in that area. Scouts are waiting to see how Ingram runs to see where he'll be slotted. New England could also look at Clemson DE Andre Branch here.

29. Baltimore Ravens -- Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

The Ravens could have multiple needs on the offensive line depending on how their offseason goes. Osemele is listed at 347 pounds and could thrive in a system that has had success developing offensive linemen. They also could try to land a receiver, possibly LSU's Rueben Randle.

30. San Francisco 49ers -- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The explosive receiver deserves a lot of credit for Griffin's Heisman. His ability to make plays after the catch would be a huge addition to the Niners' ho-hum offense.

31. New England Patriots -- Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech

Hosley had nine interceptions in 2010, but was banged up last season and took a step back. The Pats have been using converted offensive players in their secondary and need bodies.

32. Green Bay Packers -- Fletcher Cox, DE, Mississippi State

The Packers weren't able to replace Cullen Jenkins this season and no one could get to the quarterback other than Clay Matthews. Cox was a first-team All-SEC performer with five sacks last season.

Common - Raw (How You Like It)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVcH10EpyM&feature=player_embedded

Tech's biggest misfires of 2011

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/29/techs-biggest-misfires-of-2011/

NFL All-Garrett Team

1st Team
Offense
QB - Aaron Rodgers
HB - Lesean McCoy
FB - Vonte Leach
WR - Calvin Johnson
WR - Victor Cruz
TE - Rob Gronkowski
T - Jason Peters
G - Logan Mankins
C - Maurkice Pouncey
G - Brian Waters
T - Joe Thomas

Defense
DE - Jared Allen
DE - Jason Babin
DT - Vince Wilfork
DT - Ndamukong Suh
LB - Demarcus Ware
LB - London Fletcher
LB - Terrell Suggs
CB - Darrelle Revis
CB - Charles Woodson

S - Jarius Byrd

S - Eric Weddle

AP All-America Team 2011

All-American Team

A look back on my potential breakout players of 2011

There are still a few weeks left in the NFL season, but to humor myself I took the time to look at players I said would have a breakout year.  Here are the players and the original comments I made earlier:


Stevie Johnson (Buffalo Bills):  After a great end to his 2010 and the departure of Lee Evans to the Ravens now he is the #1 guy.  However he could see more double coverage if the Bills don't establish a viable #2 receiver to go with him.
Well the whole Bills offense had a breakthrough season.  His teammate Fred Jackson truly had the breakout season until he got hurt.  Stevie Johnson didn't have a bad season, but I expected more off the chart numbers.

Steve Breaston (Kansas City Chiefs):  Being reunited with his old coach in Todd Haley could be beneficial for Breaston.  He was hurt most of last year so he will be looking to bounce back with a more productive 2011 campaign.
The whole Chiefs team was a disappointment.  Numerous injuries to key players were probably a cause to the Chiefs anemic offense.  All the injuries did give a shot to running back Battle.  But he isn't who I picked to have a breakout year.

CJ Spiller (Buffalo Bills):  Hopefully Chan Gailey knows what to do with him and maybe he can have more chances in the offense.
Well with Fred Jackson hurt now Spiller gets a chance.  We'll see at the end of the year.

Rashad Jennings (Jacksonville Jaguars):  MJD will probably get less touches this year to help get him through the season healthy.  Which means Jennings will get more opportunities.
Fail.  No other comments are necessary.

John Beck (Washington Redskins):  I'm just kidding but it's possible.
Another absolute fail.  What was I smoking?

Early Doucet (Arizona Cardinals):  With a new QB and Larry Fitzgerald attracting double coverage he will get his chance.
Had a decent year.  This year was a struggle for everyone on the Cardinals team.  

Tim Hightower (Washington Redskins):  Mike Shanahan maybe overrated as a QB guru, but his system seems to be very running back friendly.
I did get it somewhat right with Hightower.  He was having a great season until he had an injury that took him out for the year.  Which led the way for another player to have a breakout season.  (Roy Helu)