By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

I am happy with my Alma mater Maryland’s selection of Randy Edsall as its head coach. Edsall had success at UConn with developing decent talent, in College Park he will be able to work a better recruiting base. Coach Friedgen left him with good talent to start with and the return of defensive coordinator Don Brown is a big bonus. As for Mike Leach, I am now not shocked he wasn’t the choice. Nobody else has really looked at him and with violations just imposed on Texas tech and with his pending lawsuits, he was a risk. Plus if he won quickly at Maryland, would he have stayed long term? I am doubting that, and would guess he would have jumped to the next big time program offer he got. Best of luck to Ralph Friedgen, and thank you for bringing the program back. We sucked when I was there under Mark Duffner, as I can remember bailing at halftime every Saturday to go back to the tailgate in the parking lot.
It was great to see the caps win the 2011 winter classic at Heinz Field. Although I had to rewatch the game on NHL network since I was particularly out commission by New Year’s night. Sid the kid getting crushed was solid also. Only to top it were the Pens failing to shake hands afterwards. I do hope we get them again come playoff time.

I watched the ESPN documentary on Tim Tebow’s prep for the draft and I hope he becomes a solid NFL qb. I promise I won’t do a Thom Brennaman BCS title game speech about meeting Tim Tebow’s makes you a better man though. It was funny to see Todd Mcshay wrong throughout the show on Tebow. Mcshay blows and I hope Mike Shanahan doesn’t read any of his reports on prospects. That one was for you Kingston.
For all 8 of you who read my past blogs, I talked about my fantasy football arch rival, the Matzie. To no surprise we met in the finals.  I took a 33 point lead into Monday night, but he had Ron Mexico, Lesean McCoy and David Akers. Figured I was cooked, but my dream season culminated with a 1.8 point victory and being crowned champion of the Joe Kelly league once again. Matzie was pissed and since has disappeared on Canton.

Huge playoff battles this weekend. All four are rematches highlighted by the AFC rivalry games. Pittsburgh and Baltimore is always close as I expect a big play from a future hall of famer like Lewis, Polamalu, Reed or Ward to be the difference. I am going with Ray Ray to make it in a 17-14 ravens win helped by a big Suisham miss at some point.

I think the pats handle the jets again. I can’t see Rex Ryan winning a super bowl because I think he is a fool. It won’t be 45-3 but something like 27-13 pats. Brady is playing too well. I think he ended the MVP debate in weeks 16 and 17.

Yesterday’s announcement that the Broncos extended Kyle Orton for another season was both a bit surprising and exactly the right thing to do. It was surprising because Denver had brought in quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow this offseason, and invested some significant resources to do so. In addition, the hype surrounding Tebow made it seem as though this would be Orton’s last year in Denver. At the same time it was the right thing to do, because Orton is by far the team’s best quarterback, and Tebow will need some time to develop.

Tim Tebow may be the future of the Franchise, and I really do think he will reach that level, but right now playing him would be detrimental to both him and the team. This is a quarterback who is completely changing his mechanics, and learning a completely different style of football (not to mention rookie quarterbacks notoriously struggle ex. Mark Sanchez). Tebow will need time to work out all the kinks and become an NFL caliber quarterback, and this deal gives him a two year window to do so. Now I think the Broncos will develop Tebow packages where he can be a bit of a weapon, and get some real game time. I also think that maybe later in the year if the Broncos are out of it, maybe Tebow comes in relief for a half or even a start. In fact, that would be the ideal way to bring him along to ensure he isn’t rushed too early.

While the fans might not really understand it, the Broncos made a great move with the extension. One it keeps their quarterback happy, and two it gives them a lot of options for next year. If for some reason Tebow puts it all together in one year, than Orton could be traded with a very marketable 1- year 9 million dollar deal. The same could be said if Quinn shows enough to be a starting quarterback, but I wouldn’t bet on that.

Orton threw for 3,800 yards last season and kept the Broncos offense competitive all year. While they lost Brandon Marshall this offseason, they did bring in a couple impressive rookies to help take his place. Orton gives this team the best chance for a playoff run, and proved himself last year. While it seems odd and shocking Orton is a top 15 quarterback in this league, and quite the bargain compared to former Josh McDaniels protege Matt Cassel. I’ve criticized the Broncos for a lot of things over the past couple of seasons, but this was one move they got right.

College Football: No more upsets, Return of the Stars

Just two weeks after seven top 25 teams got upset in a single weekend, this past weekend saw only one team, the Auburn Tigers, get knocked off by a weaker opponent. A number of other top 25 teams went down to the wire, but only Arkansas was able to pull off the upset. That might have more to do with the fact that preseason polls artificially prop up teams that don’t deserve to be ranked so high. Now we are seeing a top 25 made up of the 25 best teams and not just the 25 most popular teams. As conference play progresses I have little doubt that we will see weeks with multiple upsets, but I doubt we will have another week this season with as many as seven or as few as one.

Yesterday the last two Heisman Trophy winners, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford returned to action after suffering serious injuries. Tebow didn’t miss a game due to a bye week, but was a game time decision last night against the 4th ranked LSU Tigers. Tebow was efficient and did enough for the Gators to pull out a win on the road, but he didn’t seem like he was 100%. Bradford on the other hand hadn’t played since week one, had a big game yesterday in his return. He was off on some throws, and wasn’t nearly as efficient as he usually is, but he still threw for almost 400 yards (it was against Baylor so keep that in mind). I think within one more week both Bradford and Tebow will be back to mid-season form and lighting up scoreboards at will.

Baseball: Dodgers sweep the Heavily Favored Cards

So did people underestimate the Dodgers or just overestimate the Cardinals, because their series didn’t play out like anyone expected. I understand that at the end of the day Vincent Padilla and Randy Wolf, are still Vincent Padilla and Randy Wolf, but both pitched great for the Dodgers this year. The Dodgers were the best team in baseball the first half of the season, and that was while Manny was suspended and before Padilla, Jon Garland, Jim Thome, George Sherrill and Ronnie Belliard were on the roster. No team strengthened their pitching depth and bench more than the Dodgers did at the trade deadline. Those moves came up big in this series, Sherrill pitched in every game, Belliard had a big hit in game two, and Padilla pitched seven strong innings yesterday. Yeah the Dodgers weren’t playing their best baseball when the season ended, and they definitely weren’t the hottest team as the playoffs began, but they were the best team 1-25 on their roster can match up with any other team, and they showed that this series.

By contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

The Florida Gators head into Tiger Stadium on Saturday to take on SEC rival LSU. This game, as ranking indicates, has major BCS implications, and the winner will undoubtedly be in the center of the national title picture.

The Gators, though, have big worries, and they come in the form of Tim Tebow’s health. Tebow suffered a concussion in a 41-7 win over Kentucky two weeks ago, and he is a game-time decision for Saturday’s match-up. If Tebow can’t go, the offense should be in good hands with Sophomore QB John Brantley. He’s a talented young quarterback, and he has played well in spot duty.

LSU is coming off a big win at Georgia last week, and coupled with their national ranking, their confidence is as high as can be. Les Miles has his young team playing at a peak level, and they’ve found a way to win ugly. LSU still ranks at the bottom of the SEC statistically, so there is some doubt as to how well this team will play against the ultra-talented Gators.

With or without Tebow, Florida is the superior team. The Gators may have the best defense in the country led by junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap and senior linebacker Brandon Spikes. They have the ability to completely shut down LSU’s marginal offensive attack. Brantley is good enough to guide the offense and manage the game, and that probably isn’t giving him enough credit. Brantley hasn’t been tested, but he has the ability to give Florida more of a vertical passing game than Tebow. Brantley, like the Gators’ entire roster, is very talented, so it would come at no surprise if Florida scores a lot of points against their top SEC rival.

When it comes down to it, LSU is a tough team, and their 5-0 record is an indicator of that, but they are not the fourth-best team in the nation, and they are not on the same level as Florida. They don’t have the size, speed or experience that the Gators posess. With or without Tebow, Florida wins this game. Final score: Florida 28 LSU 10

Yankee Bowl?: The New York Yankees announced the formation of the “Yankee Bowl” yesterday. Which will pit the 4th place finisher of the Big East against the 7th place team in the Big 12, or potentially Notre Dame if they don’t have a better bowl offer. The game will be played at Yankee Stadium starting in Dec. 2010. If approved by the NCAA (which lets be honest isn’t going to turn down the New York market or the Yankees) the “_____” Yankee Bowl (can’t wait to see who will be the corporate sponsor here), will represent the 35 post season bowl game in college football. I love the idea for two main reasons. One it brings to mind the nostalgia of a time when football and baseball shared stadiums, and it will be interesting to see how they reconfigure Yankee Stadium for the game. The other reason I like the idea, is I’m in the group of people that don’t mind all the bowl games in December/January. Look I want to see the BCS scrapped and replaced with a playoff system as much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all the various bowls to do it. Its a topic for a longer post, but taking the top 8, 12, or 16 teams and separating them out in a playoff to determine the National Champion, should have no impact on all the other bowl games out there. Already these bowl games have no impact on the National Championship and are for league and team pride, which I see nothing wrong with. We still have the NIT and other postseason basketball tournaments that have no impact on the NCAA tournament. I like having a number of bowl games to watch around the holidays, why because I enjoy watching football. Also these bowl games are crucial to a number of programs survival. Plenty of teams really don’t have National Title hopes, but they do have a chance to get a moderate bowl, and that money allows them to recruit better, build a program, and maybe one day be an elite program.

Injuries piling up: Baylor sophomore QB Robert Griffin is now out for the year with a knee injury. Griffin is a dual-threat quarterback that made the Bears a team with upset potential against the big boys in the Big-12. Senior cornerback Walter Thurmond will miss the rest of Oregon’s season with a knee injury as well. Thurmond was the Ducks best defensive player, and one of the best defensive backs in the nation. He was a dangerous return man as well, already returning one punt this season for a touchdown. The Ducks will need some help in the defensive backfield with Washington and USC coming up on the schedule. Speaking of USC their freshman defensive end (sack machine) Nick Perry, who leads the Pac-10 in sacks will likely miss Saturday’s game against the California Golden Bears. Its a huge game for USC on Saturday, if Perry can’t go they will need to find someone else to generate pressure in the Golden Bears backfield. USC’s senior running back Stafon Johnson is communicating after surgery yesterday to repair this throat after a serious weightlifting accident on Monday. Johnson’s playing days at USC are done, but the fact that he is alive and well, and should make a full recovery after the injury that he had, is a great blessing for him, his family and all of USC football.

Heisman Quarterbacks, Coming Back: The last two Heisman winners, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford should be making their return to the gridiron soon enough. Bradford who has been out since week one, could play in this week’s match up against Miami. He will almost assuredly be back the following week when the Sooners begin their conference schedule against Baylor. Personally I’d give the redshirt freshman Landry Jones a chance to see what he can do against Miami, and have Bradford there in case things go sour quickly. Don’t rush your star QB back when you still have your whole season ahead of you. As for Tebow, he won’t miss any games since Florida is off this week. But it sounds like it was a pretty serious concussion if he is still dealing with headaches and prohibited from watching game film. The Gators face a major challenge in two weeks against LSU, and will need Tebow at 100% to stay undefeated.

It might be September but it is never too early to start looking at next April’s draft. I’ll post a weekly mock draft, based on team needs. Since its still early in the season I’ll base my draft order on last year’s. As we get deeper into the season, I’ll start basing it on actual standings.

* denotes underclassmen

1. Detroit Lions: Gerald McCoy DT*

I don’t think the Lions will be picking first again, but if they are I can’t see them passing up a talent like McCoy. McCoy is a difference maker along the interior and would be the perfect compliment next to Grady Jackson. The Lions focused on offense last year in the first round, so this year they should target defensive players. While their defensive tackles are improved with Jackson in the middle, they need to add another force in the middle. Detroit could go a number of directions here, with Offensive tackle and defensive end the next two likely choices.

2. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford QB*

Last year the Rams added their LT, now the Rams need to add someone for him to block for. Marc Bulger’s time in St. Louis is all but over, and the Rams will be quite lucky to replace him with Sam Bradford. Bradford is the best quarterback in the country despite being injured in week one against BYU. Bradford will rejuvenate the Rams offense, and could bring them back to the glory days of ten years ago.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Russell Okung OT

Safety Eric Berry is the best player on the board right now, but I have a feeling the Chiefs will play it safe here and go with the best OT on the board. Okung will get some competition for that spot, but right now he is the best OT in the nation. Okung is a powerful blocker that is equally talented in run and pass blocking. Kansas City could use some help up front and Okung should give Cassell the kind of protection that he needs.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Eric Berry S *

The Seahawks would have wanted either Bradford or Okung, but with them off the board they will gladly take Berry the best player in this draft. Berry is a ball hawk in the mold of Ed Reed or Bob Sanders. He will fill a big need on defense, and be a cornerstone for Seattle to build around. With two first round picks the Seahawks can ignore their bigger needs on offense and draft the best available player here. Quarterback, running back and offensive tackle are all positions that need addressed as well.

5. Cleveland Browns: Jahvid Best RB*

This is a tough pick for the Browns, they have any number of needs but the three positions that there are plenty of top-10 talent available are, offensive tackle (Joe Thomas), defensive tackle (Shaun Rodgers), and quarterback (Quinn/Anderson) the Browns seem set at. Now Quinn has not looked impressive so far, but I think they will give him one more year after this to prove himself. Maybe they draft a quarterback in the 2nd or 3rd round, but I don’t see them spending a top 5 pick on a QB. The Browns could go after S Taylor Mays here, but running back is the bigger need right now. Best isn’t a top 5 player in the country, and probably is a stretch to say he’s worthy of a top 10 pick, but the Browns running game is so awful they need to upgrade here. Even if that means a bit of an overdraft. Best will give them a playmaker and weapon on offense, but I don’t see him as an every down running back.

6. Cincinnati Bengals: Ndamukong Suh DT

Bengals are another team that could go a number of directions here. They need a running back, but with Best off the board no one is good enough to even over draft at this point. They could use a safety but Mays is a SS and Roy Williams has been working out so far. They need another offensive tackle, but the Bengals aren’t the type of team to spend top-10 money on bookend tackles. I think they grab Suh here, which is an absolute great value. Suh is a force in the middle, which should give Odom even more freedom from his defensive end spot. Suh is a prototypical nosetackle that should occupy a number of blockers to free up the Bengals talented linebacking corps to make plays.

7. Oakland Raiders: Taylor Mays S

The Raiders would have drafted Mays last year at the 7th spot had he entered the draft, so they will be quite happy to take him here this time around. He hits like a linebacker and runs like a corner back, making him one of the best physical specimens in this draft. He doesn’t have great ball skills, leaving some to wonder if he’s more like Roy Williams rather than Sean Taylor. I think there is a big of a risk with Mays, i’m not sold that he is the next Polamalu just because he went to USC (that line of thinking didn’t work out to well for the Raiders when they drafted Bing a few years ago). I would not be shocked if his ultimate position is outside linebacker given his speed and strength. The Raiders will draft him as a safety and he should be an upgrade there, but be wary of considering him a savior.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tim Tebow QB

I’m not sold on Tim Tebow as a quarterback or as a 1st round pick. I think he does a lot of things well, and good things always seem to happen when the ball is in his hand, but its tough to project him as a top-10 pick. While I don’t want to deny the natural talent and leadership that he possesses, I also can’t deny that his success screams “system quarterback”. No one has ever seen what he can do under center in a pro style formation, and until you do see that drafting him early in the 1st round is a major risk. Given all of that I believe the hype I think the Jaguars will take the risk and sign the local hero to market him to their fans. It might not be the smartest pick on the field, but it probably will be at the box office.

9. Green Bay Packers: Trent Williams OT

Its very likely the Packers won’t have a top-10 pick, but regardless of where they pick offensive tackle should be their top priority. It’s simple if they can keep Aaron Rodgers upright they have a chance to win, when he spends most of the afternoon on his back or running for his life, they get upset by the Bengals. Green Bay desperately needs a help along the line so Williams will fill a major void in Wisconsin. If they can’t get good value at OT look for them to turn their attention on the defensive side of the ball.

10. San Fransisco 49ers: Jevan Snead QB*

The 49ers got screwed this year with the Michael Crabtree holdout. Hopefully for their sake they will be able to trade his rights before the draft and maybe get at least a 2nd round pick out of the fiasco. This year I think San Fransisco will target a signal caller to give Singletary a quarterback to build around. Shaun Hill has been nice but he’s taken the 49ers as far as his arm will allow. He is solid enough where he can stick around another year and let Snead learn from the sidelines. Snead is a quality prospect, and I wouldn’t knock him too much for his performance against South Carolina. I think he’ll bounce back and show that he is a Franchise talent.

11. Buffalo Bills: Brian Bulaga OT*

When your bookend tackles are Demetrius Bell and Jonathan Scott offensive line help is a must in the first round. The Bills might have needs on defense or at wide reciever, but they just can’t afford to pass up Bulaga at this point. Bulaga would be best suited to start out at RT and move over to the blindside after a couple of years, but I don’t think Buffalo can wait, and will stick him in their opening day line up at LT. Bulaga is a mauler though and should be able to handle the tougher position with ease.

12. Seattle Seahawks (from the Broncos): C. J. Spiller RB

Quarterback is a STONG possibility here Hasselbeck is near the end of his career and Wallace isn’t the heir apparent, but I think Seattle goes in a different direction here. The NFC West is a poachable division and if the Seahawks add another playmaker they could make a pretty good run if Hasselbeck stays healthy. Julius Jones has been solid so far this year, but he needs another back to compliment him and that back’s name isn’t Edgerrin James. Spiller would be a nice upgrade at running back, and give Seattle a ground attack that can keep the chains moving.

13. Washington Redskins: Colt McCoy QB

Their is little doubt in my mind that Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell are out in Washington after this year. Offensive tackle is a priority as well, but I think they will look for their franchise signal caller in the first round. Jimmy Clausen is an option here as well, but I’d like to see if he can keep up his early success as the competition gets tougher, and with his top receiver out for the year. McCoy worries me given his lack of arm strength, but I think he is a leader and a winner overall, and is worth the risk. He reminds me of Mark Brunell (Jaguars years, not his time with the Skins) as a quarterback with a weaker arm, but his leadership and athleticism wins through in the end.

14. New Orleans Saints: Sean Weatherspoon LB

The Saints have one of the best offenses in the league, now they need to build a defense that is comparable. There are more talented defensive linemen available, but the Saints biggest need is at linebacker. Weatherspoon is always around the football, and unlike many college linebackers he his a complete player, that has the ability to drop back into coverage. New Orleans will likely address their defensive line and secondary in the next two rounds.

15. Houston Texans: Carlos Dunlap DE*

Dunlap has the physical talent to be the best defensive player in the country, he just hasn’t shown it so far on the football field. He is a Mario Williams clone at defensive end, and bookending him with Williams should jump start a pass rush that has disappeared this season. The Antonio Smith signing has been a bust so far, even if he starts producing I don’t see the Texans letting Dunlap fall any further in the draft. Even though it would be yet another 1st round pick used on the defensive line, the Texans need to start putting more pressure on the quarterback, and Dunlap fits the bill perfectly.

16. San Diego Chargers: Terrence Cody DT

Cody is a monster in the middle and a pure nose tackle prospect. He needs to be blocked by at least two players and clogs up the interior with the best of them. He is a perfect fit for San Diego, as good as the Chargers defense is they don’t really have a quality NT. Drafting Cody will allow their linebackers to get more freedom to get after the quarterback.