Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sox 8-11, let's focus on FOOTBALL!
With the exception of the first pick, I thought the Patriots draft was pretty good – if not very good. Areas of need appeared to be filled with quite talented players that fell in the draft due to reasons that are unlikely to bother the Patriots front office. The more I look, the more I like the TE picks. In Rob Gronkowski, the Pats grabbed one of the top two tight ends in the draft. Can’t argue with that. He had injuries that kept him out of last year, but I have to imagine they are comfortable with his healing process. At 6’6” and 265 lbs, he’s a big cat. He’s “straight-line” speed isn’t great they say, but I don’t think that is a factor. The guy can run, catch and block. Fourth rounder, Aaron Hernandez, is a interesting complement to Gronkowski. He’s not much of a blocker, but a solid player from a big-time school who could be used in the passing attack. He’s “undersized”, but could easily see him in a Dallas Clark type role. Check out this stat summary from ESPN: “2009: (14/14) 68 catches, 850 yards (12.5 avg.), 5 TD; 1 carry, 16 yards; Unanimous First-team All-SEC selection, First-team AP All-American honors, John Mackey Award winner as the nation's top tight end.” Nice. [For the record; Dallas Clark: Height: 6-3 Weight: 252 v. Aaron Hernandez: 6’ 2 ½”, 245]
The Linebacker picks are good too. LB was clearly a need. Cunningham and Spikes appear well-suited for Patriots kind of defense. I like they are big SEC players, and the fact that they played together is even more intriguing to me. They don’t have first round kind of talent, but this is where Belichick’s genius comes into play. He picks solid athletes who might lack a few techniques that would get them to the next level. The knock on Cunningham is that he lacks certain pass rush moves. He has gotten where he is because of great off-the-line, first-step speed. You can be taught technique, but not speed. Spikes was considered among the top inside linebackers in the draft. Some say his “slow 40 time” at the combine caused him to drop. I say, who cares. Scouts note his great instincts and excellent tackle ability. That’s what you need in a 3-4 inside backer. I also love this ESPN quote: “Emotional leader of the defense. Plays game with a chip on his shoulder and teammates follow his lead. Has very good playing experience at the highest level.”
Fourth rounder, Taylor Price is fast with great hands and athleticism. He’s considered a hard worker with a mature attitude. Plus, he’s tall. At greater than six feet, he’s taller than some of our other wide receiver picks over the years. He needs to improve his route running skills as that is particularly important to the Patriots offense (remember Joey Galloway – “It’s not that ----- hard!”).
Oddly, I love the pick of Zoltan! A stud punter! Gotta love it. Widely considered the best punter in the draft, the Pats picked him up in the 5th. Field management is critical in football, and our punting game has been weak the past few years. The guy was a captain at Michigan. Who makes captain as the punter?!? NFL.com summary describes him as follows, “He averaged 44.5 yards in 52 attempts with 0 blocked. Mesko is excellent at dropping the ball inside the twenty yard line to pin opponents deep into their own territory. Mesko has good size and athleticism for the position with above average leg strength. Mesko has been effective in tough weather conditions and shows poise under pressure. He has been solid with his hang time and distance.”
We also picked up some O-line guys. NE has done an excellent job at developing O-line talent. These are cheap options that could easily turn out to be the next Stephen Neal. All this, AND we picked up a second rounder next year. How do we do it?!?
So what’s wrong with Devin McCourty? Nothing. I just don’t get it. You want first rounders to be starters – impact players. Think about all the talented college football players at the multitude of positions – now pick 32. Darius Butler (1st round ’09), Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley (both 2008). We signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden (including a new 5-yr $10 million of guaranteed money contract). Last season, NE was 26th in defense against #1 wide receivers, and were 17th in pass defense in general. We either aren’t good at evaluating CBs or we don’t need anymore. Which is it? McCourty was a stud at Rutgers. Nothing against Rutgers, but it’s hardly OSU. The guy has good ball skills and is apparently a smart player. However, he also looks really lanky. I love how Belichick relies on his network when drafting (almost every player in this draft class played for a Belichick friend. That’s the kind of insider information I love to see); however, I just don’t get this pick. Nevertheless, kudos on the draft as a whole.
The Linebacker picks are good too. LB was clearly a need. Cunningham and Spikes appear well-suited for Patriots kind of defense. I like they are big SEC players, and the fact that they played together is even more intriguing to me. They don’t have first round kind of talent, but this is where Belichick’s genius comes into play. He picks solid athletes who might lack a few techniques that would get them to the next level. The knock on Cunningham is that he lacks certain pass rush moves. He has gotten where he is because of great off-the-line, first-step speed. You can be taught technique, but not speed. Spikes was considered among the top inside linebackers in the draft. Some say his “slow 40 time” at the combine caused him to drop. I say, who cares. Scouts note his great instincts and excellent tackle ability. That’s what you need in a 3-4 inside backer. I also love this ESPN quote: “Emotional leader of the defense. Plays game with a chip on his shoulder and teammates follow his lead. Has very good playing experience at the highest level.”
Fourth rounder, Taylor Price is fast with great hands and athleticism. He’s considered a hard worker with a mature attitude. Plus, he’s tall. At greater than six feet, he’s taller than some of our other wide receiver picks over the years. He needs to improve his route running skills as that is particularly important to the Patriots offense (remember Joey Galloway – “It’s not that ----- hard!”).
Oddly, I love the pick of Zoltan! A stud punter! Gotta love it. Widely considered the best punter in the draft, the Pats picked him up in the 5th. Field management is critical in football, and our punting game has been weak the past few years. The guy was a captain at Michigan. Who makes captain as the punter?!? NFL.com summary describes him as follows, “He averaged 44.5 yards in 52 attempts with 0 blocked. Mesko is excellent at dropping the ball inside the twenty yard line to pin opponents deep into their own territory. Mesko has good size and athleticism for the position with above average leg strength. Mesko has been effective in tough weather conditions and shows poise under pressure. He has been solid with his hang time and distance.”
We also picked up some O-line guys. NE has done an excellent job at developing O-line talent. These are cheap options that could easily turn out to be the next Stephen Neal. All this, AND we picked up a second rounder next year. How do we do it?!?
So what’s wrong with Devin McCourty? Nothing. I just don’t get it. You want first rounders to be starters – impact players. Think about all the talented college football players at the multitude of positions – now pick 32. Darius Butler (1st round ’09), Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley (both 2008). We signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden (including a new 5-yr $10 million of guaranteed money contract). Last season, NE was 26th in defense against #1 wide receivers, and were 17th in pass defense in general. We either aren’t good at evaluating CBs or we don’t need anymore. Which is it? McCourty was a stud at Rutgers. Nothing against Rutgers, but it’s hardly OSU. The guy has good ball skills and is apparently a smart player. However, he also looks really lanky. I love how Belichick relies on his network when drafting (almost every player in this draft class played for a Belichick friend. That’s the kind of insider information I love to see); however, I just don’t get this pick. Nevertheless, kudos on the draft as a whole.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Future President of the United States
At a local bookstore we met Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts and future President of the United States. He was there signing copies of his new book, No Apologies. He was very nice, spoke to each of the kids (including wishing Emily Happy Birthday), and even took a picture with a stuffed gorilla, Gonzo, for Emily's school project. He was great. I wished there was time to actually have a discussion with him, but it was cool just to meet him and get our picture with him.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Rich Avoid Paying Taxes
oh, whoops. Nope, they pay most of it.
Good basic Yahoo.com/Finance article of the disparity in Federal Taxation.
HERE
Good basic Yahoo.com/Finance article of the disparity in Federal Taxation.
HERE
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