GTA IV

When the biggest game of the year comes out, I usually check it out. That's what happened today when Grand Theft Auto IV hit the shelves. I put about 4 hours into it and it is damn good. The story is great, the characters memorable and the missions so far have been varied. I ended up going with the 360 version because it will have exclusive downloadable content and also because XBox Live is so much better than the rival Playstation Network. I am anxious to get back to it, but it will probably be a little while. It is absolutely for mature gamers only. The language itself is off the charts, not to mention the violence, so wait until the little ones hit the sack before you fire this puppy up. Overall it's just an extremely well-made game. Personally I kinda miss the lighter atmosphere of Bully, but that's probably just me. Anyway, big thumbs up for GTA IV.

To read some more about the game, head over to GTSM where Scott Burress has posted some nice impressions. I'll be posting some more impressions myself as I (slowly) make my way through the game.

Grading the Rams' draft

Overall I like the Rams' draft. Long is a good, safe pick and though lots of folks (including me, initially) ripped on the Rams for taking Avery in the 2nd, O-coordinator Al Saunders was behind the pick because he says he is the best fit for the system. Plus he has been compared to Isaac Bruce coming out of college. That's A-OK with me. The Rams were extremely unimpressed with the top rated receivers, so they followed their convictions.

I also think WR Keenan Burton out of Kentucky will be a fine player as well. I think Avery is the 3rd receiver and Burton will be the 4th. That's good value.

The Rams also beefed up the OL, which was a problem last year because of so many injuries. They think John Greco out of Toledo can challenge Alex Barron for the RT job. And he is versatile and can fill in anywhere when needed. Roy Schuening from Oregon State is also a good prospect. The Rams added some much needed depth to the O-line.

CB Justin King from Penn St. seems awfully raw to me. He reminds me of last year's 3rd round pick Jonathan Wade. He is a great athlete but is not a natural tackler or defender. We'll have to see how he pans out.

Overall, I'd give the Rams a solid B for this draft.

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

My beloved wife Barb turned 38 today. I am sure she has had more pleasant birthdays; the little guy in her womb has been wreaking havoc on her comfort level. We're having family over tonight to celebrate Barb's special day, so that should be fun.

Barb, you are my best friend, an ideal wife and a terrific mother. You make my life better each and every day. I truly appreciate all you do for our family. I hope you get feeling better soon. I know how much of a struggle this pregnancy has been for you. Hopefully the little bugger will be worth all of the trouble!

You have my eternal love and gratitude.

Happy birthday!
Jim

Running blog for 2008 NFL draft

1:24 PM (all times Central) - Rumors abound that Baltimore wants to move up to #2 in order to take QB Matt Ryan ahead of Atlanta. Supposedly standout Baltimore DE Terrell Suggs may be offered to the Rams, in addition to the Ravens' first pick, which is #8 overall. Now adding to the intrigue is that Atlanta may wish to prevent Baltimore from moving up by trading with the Rams. That would only drop the Rams to the #3 overall pick and would still leave Chris Long and Glenn Dorsey on the board. Both of those scenarios are very tempting.

1:42 PM - NFL Network now reports that the Baltimore/St. Louis trade talks are dead. Expect Chris Long to be the Rams pick at #2.

2:02 PM - We are under way! Hey, I thought this was supposed to start at 2:00! The Dolphins' pick of Jake Long is official. The Rams are on the clock!

2:11 PM - It's Chris Long. Not a surprise after all the rumblings of late. Long is the safer player, while Dorsey is the more spectacular. The Rams went conservative and I'm fine with that. Welcome to St. Louis, Chris!

2:18 PM - Atlanta thinks long-term, passing on Glenn Dorsey to take Boston College QB Matt Ryan. How far will Dorsey fall? The wild-card Raiders are on the clock now.

2:27 PM - The Raiders select RB Darren McFadden, thoroughly pissing off all of the Jets fans in attendance. They wanted D-Mac badly.

2:34 PM - Glenn Dorsey goes to the Kansas City Chiefs. At #5, that is one heckuva bargain. The Chiefs have a lot of picks in the draft this year and just may be able to make a move in the AFC West. Now the Jets fans are going bonkers as their beloved team is on the clock.

2:44 PM - Jets fans get a nice consolation prize in DE/LB Vernon Gholston. The guy is an unequaled physical specimen who should have lots of success getting to the passer.

2:50 PM - I can't tell you how nice it is to have the NFL Network and not have to listen to the buffoons over at ESPN. I am sure Chris Berman has been "predicting" the picks just before they are announced. What a clown.

2:50 PM - New England trades their #7 overall pick to New Orleans for their #10 pick. With that pick the Saints select DT Sedrick Ellis out of U.S.C. He is a terrific player who should instantly help the middle of that N.O. defensive line. Baltimore is now on the clock and is supposedly exploring trading down as well.

2:54 PM - Baltimore DOES trade down, to #10 with Jacksonville. The Jaguars are looking to improve on D and may be targeting a DE.

3:00 PM - With the 8th pick in the draft, the Jaguars take DE Derrick Harvey from Florida. Nice pick nice move by Jacksonville to move up and get their man. I had Harvey going a bit later, but then again I don't get paid for my opinion. Cincinnati is up next and they have to be pissed. They were really hoping to get Sedrick Ellis, but New Orleans traded up and took him first.

3:07 PM - The Bengals rebound nicely (in my opinion anyway) by selecting LB Keith Rivers from USC. I think he's the best LB in the draft. So while the Bengals did not get their main man, they still got one heck of a football player. The cheating Patriots are up next.

3:12 PM - Lunch break!!!

3:40 PM - While I was away:
-The Patriots too K Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo. Probably the 2nd best LB behind Keith Rivers. Nice pick.
-The Bills took CB Leodis McKelvin at #11.
-The Broncos took OT Ryan Clady from Boise St. He's well thought of and a good value here.
-The Panthers got a tough runner in Cal's Jonathan Stewart.
-The Bears got a nice OT in Vanderbilt's Chris Williams.

3:45 PM - The Chiefs traded up to the #15 spot and took OT Branden Albert. Wow, the Chiefs have really done some good work here early in the day. Getting Dorsey was a great stroke of luck, and now they address their OL problems by getting a terrific player after trading up.

3:53 PM - The Arizona Cardinals took Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a CB. Good pick which addresses a real need on the team.

3:56 PM Matt Millen does it again. The Lions select OT Gosder Cherilus from Boston College. Seems like a reach here. He is probably a first-round talent but could have been had later in the round. Perhaps the Lions tried to make a trade back and simply couldn't. And if Cherilus is the top guy left on their board, I guess it's an okay pick. But they left some good RBs on the board. Surprised Rashard Mendenhall, RB from Illinois is still on the board. I would think that he'll be chosen soon.

4:01 PM - The Ravens have traded back up to the #18 pick, ostensibly to get a QB.

4:04 PM - Yep, the Ravens select QB Joe Flacco out of Delaware. It's a reach, IMO. Great arm, but he is going to need lots of polish.

4:13 PM - The Panthers take OT Jeff Otah. Yawn.

4:16 PM - Holy crap! The Panthers gave up an awful lot (including next year's 1st round pick) to move up and get Otah. I don't get that at all. If I am a Carolina fan, I am questioning the Panthers' brain trust in a big way right now.

4:20 PM - Another surprise as Tampa Bay takes noted reefer-man Aqib Talib at #20. He tested positive for marijuana at least once in college. Great talent, but you have to hope he can stay clean in the NFL if you root for the Bucs.

4:30 PM - The Falcons traded up with the Redskins in order to draft OT Sam Baker from USC. They got Matt Ryan earlier, now they (hopefully) got someone to protect Ryan's blind side. I like this pick.

4:37 PM - The Cowboys take Felix Jones with the #22 pick. Like Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, he is an Arkansas Razorback. Not a surprise pick at all here, even though I think Mendenhall may be the better pro.

4:43 PM - Wow, a real curveball here. Pittsburgh takes Rashard Mendenhall out of Illinois, perhaps because the top offensive line prospects are gone. He'll fit right in with the Steelers' power running game, but the Steelers' don't really need a RB. I guess they are buying into the modern theory that you need 2 good RBs to carry the load.

4:50 PM - The Tennessee Titans spend their first round pick on East Carolina RB Chris Johnson. I would have thought they would go receiver to give QB Vince Young some help. Marshall Faulk loves the pick and notes that Johnson is also a heck of a return man.

4:59 PM - The Cowboys traded up to #25 (from #28), so they must have their sights set on someone. The Seahawks are their trading partner, so they movie back a few spots. With the #25 pick, Dallas selects CB Mike Jenkins. Wow, their secondary is looking tough, as long as Pacman Jones can stay out of prison.

5:04 PM - Houston surprises some people by taking OT Duane Brown from Virginia Tech. Mike Mayock on the NFL Network says he had Brown listed as a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick.

5:09 PM - Boo! The Chargers take CB Antoine Cason from Arizona. He was a guy that I was hoping the Rams might be able to land. Nice selection for the Chargers.

5:11 PM - Despite my pining for Antoine Cason, who the Chargers just nabbed, the Rams look to be in good shape in the 2nd round. Not a single WR has been picked yet, and the Rams will have some good ones to choose from. Looking forward to seeing which way they go.

5:15 PM - Seattle selects USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson with their pick. Meh.

5:19 PM - Rams arch rival San Francisco takes DT Kentwan Balmer from North Carolina. The last few drafts see the 'Niners trying to really stack that defense.

5:26 PM - Jets fans go wild as they have traded back into the 1st round. Green Bay makes the deal with them. With the pick, the Jets take TE Dustin Keller out of Purdue. He's very athletic and should help the Jets as a pass catcher. The Super Bowl champion Giants are on the clock.

5:35 PM - The Giants take Miami S Kenny Phillips. The first round is over and the Rams are set up beautifully to take the receiver of their choice in round 2!

5:39 PM - Miami gets great value by taking DE Phillip Merling to start round 2. He has first round talent but dropped a bit because he suffered a sports hernia injury a while back.

5:40 PM - The Rams are on the clock!

5:43 PM - The Rams pull off their usual 2nd round shocker by taking University of Houston WR Donnie Avery. He is a super-fast guy, but considered very raw. There were many more polished receivers available. I can't believe they passed on DeSean Jackson or Limas Sweed. UGH!!!


Well, that wraps up my coverage of the 1st round of the draft. It was pretty wild, with lots of trades and some real surprises. I am happy with the Chris Long pick, but the selection of Donnie Avery with their #2 pick - particularly when he probably would have been available in the 3rd round - is a disappointment. I'll have more on the draft later.

It's finally here!

Draft day is upon us! Latest word out of St. Louis (via Bernie Miklasz) is that the while the Rams are leaning towards taking DE Chris Long at #2 overall, they really would like to trade out of the #2 spot. He also states that it is possible that the Rams could draft a player for someone else and then trade that player. I think if Dorsey is the pick at #2, that might mean that a trade is indeed coming.

I will begin the continuous draft blog once the first round gets underway.

Draft tidbits

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that although LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey is the #1 rated player on the Rams board and has been the odds-on favorite to be the Rams' pick, there is growing momentum within the organization to go with DE Chris Long. The article is here.
Although I would be fine with either player, I have been leaning towards Dorsey as of late. I do think he's the best player in the draft and will likely have a bigger impact than Long will. Long fills more of an immediate need for the Rams, but Dorsey could make the interior defensive line something really special. Teams would be hard pressed to run to the inside on the Rams if Dorsey is anchoring the middle.

In other news, it looks like I may in fact have the NFL Network in time for the draft! I have had Charter Cable for ages, but earlier this month one of their employees apparently made a clerical error when reporting a cable box as being stolen or lost. It looks like they made a mistake (probably just one number mistyped) and entered our box's number. That in turn led them to shut off our digital cable without a moments notice. I called and asked it to be turned back on, but they wanted me to run the box out to one of their outlets so they could verify the number. I said that I wasn't going to do that, as it was their mistake. They then offered to send someone out to verify the number, but not at any convenience to us. So my wife called up Dish Network and they are coming out today to install a satellite dish for us. This whole turn of events is great, because Charter did not carry the NFL Network, but Dish Network does. If they get it hooked up today then I will be able to watch the NFL Network's in-depth draft coverage and won't have to rely on ESPN's less-than-stellar coverage. Having the choice of watching the draft without ESPN goofball Chris Berman is just too good to be true. Let's just hope the install goes okay.

Also I want to remind everyone that I am planning on having a running blog of the first round of the draft tomorrow. I will also do a bit on the 2nd round, especially when the Rams pick. Stop by if you get a chance!

GTSM mock NFL draft

Rudy (a GTSM regular) and I put together our predictions for the NFL draft on Saturday. It took quite a while to put all of the pieces into place. Of course, one surprising pick could make either (or both) of our mocks come crumbling down around us. But it was fun to see what we came up with and compare. Rudy really knows his stuff and it's a real pleasure to talk football with him.

You can find the mock drafts here.