Holy Comments Blogman, Entrecard Strikes Again!

Notice anything different when you are leaving comments? You now have the ability to rate comments thanks to the partnership between SezWho and Entrecard. Pow! Plus, if you're an Entrecard member, you'll also get the added bonus of receiving credits each time you leave a relevant comment. Zap! All you need to do is sign up with SezWho to get started, and if you run your own blog, sign it up with Entrecard if you haven't already done so. The process takes about 5 minutes total, and you'll be receiving more comments and better quality of traffic immediately. Boof!

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Mock Draft: 2008 Election

We here at NE Patriots Draft are Patriots of our country first, and we encourage everyone to vote in the upcoming election this November. Along with most big events, we have to predict what is going to happen--we really can't help ourselves. Please do not misconstrue our projection as endorsement of either candidate, this is merely our thoughts on how the citizens of each state will vote. Here is a state-by-state look at how we think things will turn out in the 2008 Presidential Election:

Check out more projections at 3BlueDudes.com

<p><strong>><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/'>Electoral College Prediction Map</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the general election. Use the map to experiment with winning combinations of states. Save your prediction and send it to friends.</p>


We see Obama carrying the majority of the swing states east of the Rockies, and overall an Obama landslide victory. McCain will really have to shore up or drum up support in Florida and some other heavily populated eastern states if he wants to have a legitimate shot come November.

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NFL: Where Are They Now?

In between the NBA Finals and the start of NFL training camp is a good time to catch up with old friends and acquaintances. There are always those guys that captivate the world for a week, a month, or a year, and then they are gone. Here is a quick update on what these former NFL players are up to now.

Peter Warrick - After spending some disappointing years with the Bengals and other NFL temas, Warrick made his way to the Las Vegas Gladiators of the AFL. He then moved up north and signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, who have now released him. He now owns an Applebees.

David Boston - The poster child for not bulking up too much signed with the Toronto Argonauts after not finding a contractin the NFL. He caught two receptions for 16 yards in his first game before opting for season-ending surgery on his foot.

Ahmad Carroll - One of the worst cornerbacks ever, Carroll was signed as a restricted free-agent by the Jaguars after some disappointing years with the Packers. The Jags released him after some run-ins with the law, and he now gets lit up playing for the AFL's Orlando Predators.

Brad Banks - The runner-up to Carson Palmer in Heisman balloting didn't get drafted after his incredible senior season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He signed with the Redskins briefly, before kicking around the CFL with three different teams, most recently the Montreal Alouettes.

Onterrio Smith - Famous for making the Whizzinator famous, he has been out of football since 2005. He signed briefly with the Winnipeg Bombers of the CFL in 2006 but only lasted three days. Smith was arrested on DUI and other charges this May.

Tony Mandarich - Mandarich is having fun. He currently runs the Mandarich Photography Studio, which is part of the Mandarich Media Group. Watch for the Mullet Channel coming to a satellite dish near you.

Ryan Leaf - While due to his status as the biggest bust ever Leaf hasn't exactly been out of the media spotlight, he is leading a productive life. He is currently the QB coach for West Texas A&M (Div. II).

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OJ Mayo's NBA All-Food Team

Check out the NFL All-Food Team as well!

As OJ Mayo has now made his way on to the Memphis Grizzlies, the jokes about his name have already started. The Grizzlies' practices have already been called the "Mayo Clinic" and if OJ ever makes a last-second shot, I'm sure there will be a "Miracle Whip" headline or two.

OJ now joins these fine players to make up the NBA All-Food Team:

Starters
PG - Kyle Lowry - Memphis - Lowry's salt tastes great on steak.
SG - OJ Mayo - Memphis - Let's lay off the OJ jokes for now.
SF - Brandon Bass - Dallas - If he was Chilean, he would be a delicacy.
PF - Brian Cook - Orlando - He really brings the whole team together.
C - Eddy Curry - New York - Spicy.

Reserves
PG - Fat Lever - Retired - He likes this team too much.
SG - Von Wafer - Portland - We like the strawberry ones best.
SG - Morris Almond - Utah - He's very healthy.
PF - Carlos Boozer - Utah - I guess it's more of a drink...
C - Manute Bol - Retired - I'd take a bowl of something.

Feel free to add any additions to the NBA All-Food Team in the comments below!

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2008 NBA Mock Draft

NBA Mock Draft Round 1
Updated 6/26 including trades

Were Listed in the DCProSports NBA Mock Draft Database

Because hey, we're Celtics fans too!

1. Chicago -Derrick Rose - PG - Memphis (FR)
Rose and Del Negro will get along real well, he might be the next version of Chris Paul.

2. Miami - OJ Mayo - SG - USC (FR)
Miami will pick Mayo and trade him, but to whom and for what? I think I hear the Knicks on the phone...

3. Minnesota - Michael Beasley - SF - Kansas St. (FR)
Yeah, the T-wolves need a lot of help, but another inside presence would be a start.

4. Seattle - Jerryd Bayless - PG - Arizona (FR)
A solid pick to team up with Durant. They should be great... in Oklahoma.

5. Memphis - FR)Brook Lopez - C - Stanford (SO)
I think they will trade out of this pick, as they may be scared of Mayo and they already have a PG or six. Lopez might be tempting though.

6. New York- Danilo Gallinari - SF - Italy
Gallinari is another strong pick to follow up with David Lee.

7. LA Clippers - Nicolas Batum - SG - France
Batum is one of those guys that gets overlooked, but I don't think he will be. Aren't Euros more expensive than dollars? Sterling might think twice...

8. Milwaukee - Anthony Randolph - SF - LSU (FR)
Good range and athleticism would help the lack of both by Bogut.

9. Charlotte - Eric Gordon - SG - Indiana (FR)
A steal at nine, he can sink the shots that Wallace can't.

10. New Jersey - Robin Lopez - C - Stanford (SO)
Good rebounding and shot-blocking makes a nice compliment for the Nets at center.

11. Indiana - DeAndre Jordan - C - Texas A&M (FR)
Just as long as he can't fight.

12. Sacramento - Russell Westbrook - PG - UCLA (SO)
Can you draft a referee? The Maloofs should think about it.

13. Portland - Darrell Arthur - PF - Kansas (SO)
Yawn.

14. Golden St. - Javale McGee - C - Nevada (SO)
Seems like a Don Nelson guy.

15. Phoenix - Kosta Koufos - C - OSU (FR)
We all know they'll sell this pick anyway.

16. Philadelphia - Kevin Love - PF - UCLA (FR)
Philadelphia would love this kid. He should eat cheesesteaks during timeouts.

17. Toronto - Donte Greene - SF - Syracuse (FR)
Bosh needs a buddy and Greene, although green, could help in a year or two.

18. Washington - C. Douglas-Roberts - SF - Memphis (JR)
CDR has a good all-around game that will compliment Arenas. No word on his japanese cooking skills however.

19. Cleveland - Alexis Ajinca - C- France
20. Denver - Courtney Lee - SG - Western Kentucky (SR)
21. New Jersey - Jason Thompson - PF - Rider (SR)
22. Orlando - Joe Alexander - SF - WVU (JR)
23. Utah - Roy Hibbert - C - Georgetown (SR)
24. Seattle - Serge Ibaka - PF - Congo
25. Houston - DJ Augustin - PG - Texas (SO)
26. San Antonio - Brandon Rush - SF - Kansas (JR)
27. Portland - Kyle Weaver - SG - WSU (SR) (acquired from New Orleans)
28. Memphis - Ryan Anderson - PF - Cal (SO)
29. Detroit - Mario Chalmers - PG - Kansas (JR)
30. Boston - Bill Walker - PF - Kansas St. (SR)

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Game 1 Preview: Celtics vs NFL

After taking out the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Celtics move on to the Intersport Finals, taking on the NFL, who swept the WNBA to reach the finals. Let's take a look at the lineups:

PG - Rajon Rondo / Ronald Curry
SG - Ray Allen / Champ Bailey
SF - Paul Pierce / Terrell Owens
PF - Kevin Garnett / Antonio Gates
C - Kendrick Perkins / Julius Peppers

The Celtics have a big advantage at the PG spot with Rondo having outstanding quickness, while the former NC player Curry has had multiple injury issues the last few years. Defensive savant Champ Bailey should be able to deny the ball from Ray Allen, who absolutely killed the Lakers, while Pierce and Owens should light the scoreboards ablaze. Gates and Peppers have their hands full dealing with Garnett, who will get the double-team quite often. Gates and Peppers will have to use their superior strength to offset Garnett's touch.

The reserves, who lit the Lakers up in the deciding Game Six of the NBA Finals, will also factor in heavily:

PG - Eddie House / Antonio Cromartie
SG - James Posey / ---
SF - Tony Allen / Tony Gonzalez / Randy Moss
PF - Leon Powe / Matt Jones
C - Glen Davis / Vince Wilfork

Cromartie needs to be able to fill in well for Bailey as a defensive stopper, as House and Posey can ignite the Celtics at a moments notice. Gonzalez, Moss, and Jones all bring great hops to bring in rebounds and each has the requisite skill to score against the Celtics. Each will be a defensive liability on the court, and with regards to Moss and Jones, don't expect any blocks at all. Wilfork and Davis should be fun to watch as they bang inside.

Coaching also will play an important role in the series. Doc Rivers has his players buying in to playing defense and putting the team before the man. Coach Mike Ditka is doing the same with the NFL'ers, although his T's are starting to wear thin on the league office. Let's hope he tones it down.

Prediction: The line is starting with the Celtics giving up 38 points. Unlike the Lakers, we think the NFL will cover.

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Dufresne, Party of Two

I came upon the, um, interesting website called Tin Foil On my Head, which is dedicated to stringing along the Spygate debacle with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Evidently Colin Cowherd, the "Schrutebag" who takes down Sports Blogs for fun, challenged his loyal listener(s) to create the site in response to the NFL conspiracy theories being floated around. The fact that there are websites like this springing up isn't shocking or really all that interesting. What's interesting is this little graphic found on their site:

Call off the search party guys - the Dufresnes have been found - we all knew that Coward actually did have some fans, and evidently they congregate at this aptly named site, so we can officially stop looking for them. Colin is "clearly the definition of the world class"? My god I hope these guys are playing a joke on poor Colly.

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Bill Plaschke is a Tool

We at NE Patriots Draft have made it a point to keep "Spygate" where it belongs, the past, so please bear with us for a moment. We have a beef to settle:

Yo Momma!
Bringing up "Spygate" has become the Sports Media equivalent of saying "yo momma". When a media-hack can't think of something funny or insightful to say, that's what they bring up. Have a small issue like Nick Kaczur's unfortunate opiod dependence? Well, let's blow it out of proportion and link it with "Spygate". Why aren't they relating it to Brett Favre?

Tipping Point
The tipping point for us came during pre-game festivities on Sportscenter for the NBA Finals where they had Bob Ryan and Bill Plaschke on discussing the humorous bet proposal between the two mayors. Plaschke, however, became disoriented and thought he was on the set of "Around the Horn". He acted like a complete lunatic, degrading the Patriots at every chance and laying his hands on Ryan on two occasions. Ryan, staying professional, tried to redirect the conversation and thankfully (maybe) refrained from punching the utter D.B. Plaschke in the face. Talk about the Celtics and Lakers! It's the Finals of the Decade! You don't need to supplement the drama!

The Future
Can Bob Ley do something about this? Is TMQ not the most biased man on the planet as I thought? I think I'm going to start tuning in to the Best Damn Sports Show for my straight sports news and information needs.

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Sports Blog Job Opportunities

Looking for a job at a Sports Blog? Want to help create or promote some of the great content that you read? Need to fill a position at your blog? Click on over to the Sports Blog Job Board, created by The Sports Dollar.

Right now you can list jobs for 50% of the normal price if you use the following code "nepats", as always, searching and applying for jobs is totally free.

NE Patriots Draft has a marketing assistant job currently open (performance pay available) that you can apply for there.

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Time Right for NFL Early Entry?

With the rash of recruiting scandals involving Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo at the forefront of the national consciousness, it is time for us again to revisit why we make some aspiring NFL players jump through the hoops at the college level. Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams both found out the hard way that the NFL is as tough in the courtroom as they are in between the white lines, but should the fresh Commish take a fresh look at this situation?

The NFL purports that they are keeping the quality of play higher by not allowing players that haven't completed three years out of High School. Most teenagers aren't ready for the physicality on Sundays, but the Texans' Amobi Okoye showed that it is possible to excel at so young an age. Smart teams won't draft players that aren't ready to play.

One way around the problem of quality of play would be to grant each team a 54th roster spot, while keeping the active roster at 45. That would allow for each team to keep another "project player" if they so wish., with out the risk of floating them on the wire before signing them to the practice squad.

In order to keep the NFLPA and the NFL owners happy, there would need to be some salary restrictions on these players. Perhaps there would be a lower league minimum for those players that wouldn't meet the current age requirements.

The increased freedom would be beneficial to the University set and to the NFL set alike. Colleges would be able to put more focus on academics and less emphasis on babysitting athletes that only wish to jump from the NCAA to the NFL. The NFL would get to groom prospects in a pro-system while keeping them out of trouble with the presence of a professional support staff and veteran leadership.

One might ask, if it isn't broke, why are we fixing it? The question we ask is, what if the NFL was even better?

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Drago: I Will Break (dance) You

Welcome to Mike Dragosavich, the odds-on favorite for most jerseys ever sold by a punter. Not only can he punt, tackle, and dance, he can also clean up after the game. Provided that the UDFA Dragosavich can beat out the weak-legged but steady Chris Hanson, and the once retired Hulk Hogan, he could easily become one of the most popular punters to ever play the game. Drago, as mentioned earlier, has an odd 3-step technique that Belichick may try to change. It would be playing with fire to give NFL athletes that extra half-second to get to his feet, even though as we can see in the video, his feet are pretty quick.

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NE Patriots Draft Going to Opening Day!

NE Patriots Draft would like to thank the good folks at BleacherReport.com for sending us to the Opening Day game of our choice this fall. Any guesses where we'll be going?

Our articles, Top 5 Games to Play During the NFL Draft, won the NFL Draft Challenge, as the most read article between April 16th and April 30th. Sean Crowe at BostonSportsRants finished second with a much better article, although making fun of the Raiders is kind of easy. Thanks to any of you all that helped make this possible.

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Mocking the Mocks

Check out The Huddle Report's mock draft scores list. This is a list of nearly all the major mocks from the web. Robby Esch of THR, and Ricky Dimon of FFL Toolbox were the winners at 45 points. NE Patriots Draft took a very respectable 4th place with 43 points, just two points off the leader. Yeah us! Last year's winner, Clark Judge from CBS Sportsline, finished 12th, tied with multiple-time winner Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. Other notables:

• Scott Wright - 17th (39 points)
• Mel Kiper Jr. - 27th (37 points)
• Dr. Z , SI.com - 36th (36 points)
• Todd McShay - 56th (34 points)
• Mike Mayock - 56th (34 points)
• NFL Draft Scout - 95th (25 points)

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2008 NBA Mock Draft Round 2

Round 1

Under Construction - Check Back Soon

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Saturday Linkfest

• Does it seem like Raiders Fans are taking over the world? This guy thinks so. Found on Bleacher Report



• Here's a link for you Hawkeye fans: the Iowa Sports Guy takes a look at the Kinnick Stadium experience. Found on Ballhype

• Think I'm full of crap? See what all the other Mock Draft's are saying at HailRedskins. Found on this Website
  

• Stephen Curry is good. Read just how good in this Trib piece. Found on the Chicago Tribune

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NFL Draft: Mock Draft 2033

2033 NFL Mock Draft -
Picks 1-5

By Sir Mel Kiper III

1. Toronto Bills - Bill Brady-Bundchen - QB - Michigan

Bill follows his father's footsteps into the AFC East and will try and bring a championship to the Canadian people who have waited patiently for the last 21 years. Senator Brady is exptected to be on hand for the NFL Draft Ceremony.

2. Chicago Bears-- Virgil Highsmith - QB - UCLA

This highly-touted QB will finally be the savior the Bears have seen searching for after six-time MVP and five-time Superbowl champ Rex Grossman retired.

3. Denver Broncos - John, Bobby, Calvin, JoJo and Derek Henry - RB's - Tennessee

A combo pick, the Henry boys really produce like their father, but they all have different running styles due to their different mothers. Mike Shanahan will continue to frustrate fantasy owners by splitting their time equally.

4. New England Patriots -Kareem-Abdul Simmons - WR - Holy Cross

Not since the days of Randy Moss have the Patriots been so excited about a wideout. The trash-talking Simmons, son of Milwaukee Bucks GM Bill Simmons, left Patriot league foes in his dust during his three years at the Cross.

5. Dallas Cowboys - Reggie McFlash - RB - Arkansas

Owner Jerry Jones got a special waiver from Commissioner Vick to trade away his whole draft and nine starters to get McFlash. Jones' dream is now complete to have a roster made up entirely of former Razorbacks.

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Pre-Season TV Commentator Rankings

This is not an all-inclusive list, merely some of the more interesting and polarizing figures in the NFL commentary business, and the official NE Patriots Draft take on the them.

The Great

Dick Vermeil - Coach Vermeil brings a certain gravitas to any game he graces. Like a fine wine, he just gets better with age. Please come back Dick. Please. I'll tend the grapes for you, just come back.

Cris Collinsworth - Collinswoth can come off as arrogant at times, but his analysis is the best in the game. Pointing out coverages and correctly explaining who made the mistake are right in his wheelhouse. He would be #1 if he wasn't paired with such a dolt.

The Good

Gus Johnson - Gus instantly brings a game to the next level. His analysis and calls are middle of the road, but if the game gets close, and Gus' voice gets higher, I start getting goose bumps.

Ron Jaworksi - When paired with the right people, Ron can take it to the next level. Paired with who he is now, being placed here is kind.

Tony Boselli - It's rare to get a guy from the trenches that can talk so well about all aspects of the game.

Phil Simms - I think I might be the only one, but I really like his PhilOsophy comments and analysis of the game. His game has dropped a bit in the last few season, but he is still a solid commodity for CBS.

The Bad

Jim Nantz – His voice annoys the heck out of me. End of story.

Troy Aikman – Troy gets downgraded for his partner here. He offers some good analysis and insight, but he just doesn’t have enough panache to overpower the machine that is Joe Buck.

Joe Buck - Joe Buck. Joe Buck. Buck, Joe. That is all I hear when I'm watching a game done by this baseball announcer. He just doesn't get our sport yet, and overpowers Troy Aikman.

MNF Team - PTI was old a couple of years ago, but Tony Kornheiser still thinks he's hilarious. Mike Tirico seems lost, trying to muddle between the good but misplaced analysis of Jaworski and the incoherent analogies and pop culture references of Tony Kornheiser. See ya later knuckleheads.

John Madden – Boom! Tough actin’ Tinactin! Captain Obvious is still heading up the booth on Sunday Night Football for NBC. His mastery of the mundane and misuse of the telestrator is legendary. What happened here, is that NE Patriots Draft didn’t like John Madden, and they put him under the Bad header. Boom!

The Bryant Gumbel

Bryant Gumbel - Not only did Al Gore invent the internet, he also plays for the San Francisco 49'ers. I don't have the space to list all the gaffes and mistakes that drag Cris Collinsworth down on the NFL network in this off-season, let alone this article.

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