Boom or bust NFL prospects

There really is a lot of talent in this upcoming draft like offensive linemen Luke Joeckel, Eric Fischer,and Chance Warmack. Also cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive linemen Shariff Floyd, and Dion Jordan. But there is a few players in this draft that I think that will be complete busts that teams really need to avoid.

Alabama running back Eddie Lacy: When I evaluate Lacy he does have some potential but I really do think he will not have success in the NFL. I really thought he should have stayed at Alabama, and maybe he could have one another National Title. But when looking at him, he needs to mature as a player. Also I see that he misses openings when the linemen open them. Also he is not north to south type of runner and is not a major pass blocker. I really do think Lacy will be a bust in the NFL and teams need to either take him off their board or make sure to draft him in the later rounds.

USC Quarterback Matt Barkley: Just watching Matt Barkley control an offense he does not look like a NFL type caliber quarterback to me. First his accuracy worries me, many times at USC he let passes sail way over a wide open receiver. Also he does not have the athleticism a NFL quarterback should have. He is not very accurate throwing on the run, and he really does get pushed around. I just do not see him being a starting quarterback in the NFL. Teams need to avoid taking him in the first 2 rounds and wait till the later rounds.

BYU Defensive End Ziggy Ansah: I watched a lot of tape on Ziggy while he was at BYU and I really was not all that impressed. I saw him giving up on plays and looks tired after a lot of play time. Also he is not the blitzing end that he really needs to be. He does not attack the edge and get in the backfield like he should. Also when he is going against offensive linemen he does not show the strength to over power them and go right past them. He is high on most draft boards boards including mine but watching him more he still has a lot to improve. Also people need to know he was not a stater till his senior season. He is a big risks I think teams should avoid.

West Virginia Wide Receiver Tavon Austin.: In my opinion he is not the top receiver prospect in this draft it is Cordarrelle Patterson. Austin stats were very eye popping this year but the major yards that he got were against some of the worst pass defenses in the country. Austin is only 5'8, I know that we see a lot of smaller slot receivers but he is smaller than all of them and do not see him being a good NFL receiver. Also he is not a good run blocker and is route running needs to improve. Austin to me will not be a successful receiver and teams need to take a netter look at him.

Johnny Manziel to throw out first pitch at Angels-Rangers game

Winning the Heisman Trophy has it's perks. Just ask Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. The guy has been everywhere since being the first freshman to win the bronze, stiff armed trophy.

The Texas Rangers have announced that Manziel will throw out the ceremonial first pitch next Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels.

Manziel continues to live as if there's no tomorrow. To be a college football player with no guarantee of professional stardom, Manziel is nearing rock star status.

Don't hate, congratulate.

Craig Neal gets the New Mexico job

After Steve Alford left for UCLA, the players left behind lobbied for top assistant Craig Neal to get the job. The coaching search didn't last long as Neal was given the job full time. Neal will sign a five-year contract worth $750,000 annually, plus incentives. The deal would make Neal one of the four highest paid coaches in the Mountain West Conference.


Neal was with Alford at Iowa and the past six seasons at New Mexico and was considered a co-architect of the Lobos' resurgence. Neal was a finalist with Brian Gregory a year ago for his alma mater, Georgia Tech.

This will be Neal's first head coaching job in Division I. The Lobos will have a loaded team coming back and will have a good shot to repeat in the Mountain West. The Lobos return key players Tony Snell, Alex Kirk and Mountain West Conference player of the year Kendall Williams. Neal has inherited a good situation now he'll have to keep the momentum trending upward.

"It Girl" of the week: Kim Lee

The "It Girl" of the week is Kim Lee.

Trey Zeigler to transfer from Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh shooting guard Trey Zeigler is once again on the move. Zeigler reportedly will be leaving Pittsburgh after one year.

Zeigler will received a waiver after transferring from Central Michigan and averaged 4.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in his one season for the Panthers. Hardly what anyone expected after a star studded high school career and averaging 15 points for the Chippewas.

“We will assist Trey in finding the best situation for him to reach his goals both academically and athletically,” Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon said in a press release. “He’s a great kid, hard worker and good player. We thank Trey for his contribution to our program over the last year and wish him much success in the future.”

Zeigler's playing time and production took a dive as the year went on. He was brought in to be a scorer off the bench but didn't make an impact during an uneven year. Zeigler was expected to compete for the starting shooting guard position next season.

No word yet to where he will be transferring.

Ole Miss basketball player joins the football team

Martavious Newby, a 6-3, 215 guard on the Ole Miss basketball team, was spotted in shoulder pads and a helmet earlier this week at spring practice. Newby does not really have a basketball frame, and I'm sure Hugh Freeze will be excited to have him. Newby will play linebacker for the Rebels. He also brings SEC Championship experience, in basketball, for whatever that's worth.

“We got to get him acclimated and figure out how to line up,” Freeze said. “He hasn’t been in a single meeting. He wouldn’t know if it was Monday or Thursday if we put him out there right now. Hopefully this spring we can get him in some contact drills and some individual (drills) and see what we think about him, and go from there.”

Newby was offered a scholarship by Freeze when he was at Arkansas State.

“Thought he was really talented, and he is,” Freeze said. “He’s athletic. It’s been a while, so we’ll see how he adjusts to this speed of this league. But he looks the part. He’s built right.”

We'll have to see if he can handle the rigors of an SEC football schedule.

Pass first point guard vs. shoot first point guard

In the NBA today, we have a variety of different point guards. We have shoot first point guards (Derrick Rose), pass first point guards (Rajon Rondo), and a variety of both (Tony Parker).


Some say it is better to have a dominant more of a scoring type of point guard. They say it saves time to get up the court. They can go one on one and score in 10 seconds. However, some say it disrupts the concept of working the ball around. It doesn't seem to affect Rose or Westbrook (However, when Westbrook shoots poorly the Thunder usually play poorly).

Then theirs is the pass first point guards. These guys set up their stars and get players going. These point guards seem to have the most success. Think of all the championship teams in the past. Mario Chalmers, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, Rajon Rondo, Jason Williams, Avery Johnson, Steve Kerr, Kenny Smith, John Paxson, Magic Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, Tom Henderson, Lionel Hollins, Butch Beard, Larry Siegfried, Wali Jones, K.C. Jones, and Bob Cousy are the point guards who won championships (And are pass first point guards). That's about 65-70% of all championship teams had a pass first point guard.

Finally, there are the players who are neither pass first or shoot first point guards. These are players like Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Isiah Thomas, Gus Williams, Walt Frazier, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West. That's 25-30% of all championship teams had a mix (not a pass first, but not a score first) point guard.

I cannot think of one team that had a shoot first point guard and won a championship. Jerry West was the point guard with the highest PPG average who won a championship. He averaged 25.8 PPG, but also led the league in assists. Therefore, you can't say West was a shoot first point guard in 1972.

Who would you rather have, a shoot first point guard, a pass first point guard, or a mix of both. First off, I can exclude shoot first point guards since they have yet to win a championship. In my opinion, I would rather have a pass first point guard. They have won 70% of all championships and you don't need a lot of money for most. You can go out and buy another superstar if you have an average pass first point guard (Derek Fisher).

A pass first point guard will be more valuable than any other point guard some of the time but I'd rather have a point guard that can distribute but know when to take a game over.