Christian Ponder: Pros and Cons

As I wrote Thursday, the biggest thing I felt the Minnesota Vikings needed to do in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft was trust their board and pick the best available player.

You can't trust the ability to trade back, because you need a partner to do that.

(Actually, Vikings vice president Rick Spielman told the Fan Radio Network Friday that they called every team picking behind them in the first round, and no one was interested in moving into the 12th spot. So there's that.)

With no one moving up, the Vikings were stuck at No. 12. They had two choices. Either make a pick, or repeat the embarrassment of a few years ago, when they passed on their pick and had to get their selection in as other teams were running to the podium to get picks ahead of the Vikes.

The pick was made on time, and Minnesota chose Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. I tweeted earlier Thursday that I felt he was the No. 2 quarterback in the draft, and I still feel that way. I like his skill set and how it translates to the NFL a lot more than I like the skill set of Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert, two guys picked ahead of Ponder.

That said, there is a downside to the decision by the Vikings, and it's fair to point that out. It's probably not fair to scream, boo, cry, or throw a chair in protest, but it's fair to say that you don't like the pick. I'm not sure I like the pick, even though I like the player.

As far as pros go, there's the idea that the Vikings had little choice. They could have drafted Nick Fairley or Nate Solder and solidified either the defensive or offensive lines, and not gotten a bad value. They could have gotten Prince Amukamara and added depth to the secondary. But it would have come at the price of likely not getting the needed quarterback of the future -- whether it be Ponder or Andy Dalton, a player the Vikings like.

The lack of a third-round pick would have made it virtually impossible for Minnesota to trade back into the first round without mortgaging much of this year's draft and/or part of next year's draft. That wasn't desirable for a team that needs help at as many positions as the Vikings do. If anything, Spielman probably needs to focus on moving down in the second round if he can, so he can re-acquire the third-rounder that some moron traded for Randy Moss.

I understand the fans' negativity, though. Ponder isn't a sexy pick, and it's hard to argue (Spielman intimated this on the radio more than once) that Ponder was in the Vikings' top 12 on their board. That alone makes this a less-than-great pick. The Vikings have too many needs to be reaching off their board for a quarterback. It's an undeniably important position, but Ponder doesn't help the Vikings much if he's flat on his back, and he doesn't help them much if he's constantly running for his life because Bryant McKinnie can't block anymore.

It also pigeonholes the Vikings a bit, in that they have to make a move for a veteran quarterback when free agency and trades begin, perhaps as soon as Monday. The options aren't great, but the Vikings can ill afford to start the season with Joe Webb, Rhett Bomar, and Ponder as their only quarterbacks, and it doesn't seem like anyone really thinks Brett Favre is walking through that door again.

Of course, with Webb and Ponder on the roster (along with the underwhelming Bomar), the door might just be open ...

2011 NFL Draft: Vikings and Packers

Many have asked for my thoughts on the NFL Draft, and now that I've had some time to actually focus on it a bit, I'm ready to throw a few things out there with regard to the Vikings and Packers.

Of course, nothing's easy in the NFL anymore, and there's a chance we won't get through Thursday without a huge bombshell regarding the lockout that is no more but still kind of is.

What if players are allowed to be traded or allowed to enter free agency Thursday? How does that change the draft? Will there still be five quarterbacks taken among the first 12, as some pundits are predicting?

With so much uncertainty, it's hard to get into a ton of detail, but I'll throw a few thoughts out there.

The Vikings should be focused on taking the best available player. They went 6-10 last year, and should be seriously concerned about their secondary, offensive line, defensive interior, wide receiver, and quarterback positions.

The idea of reaching for a second- or third-round value at quarterback -- the highly-respected Rick Gosselin has them taking Andy Dalton in the first round (at least according to Twitter ... the actual mock is behind a pay wall) -- is pure lunacy and a move mainly coming out of panic. I understand the importance of the quarterback position. Every Packer fan does, because we haven't had a bad one since 1991 and therefore have only had two losing seasons since 1991.

Guys like Tyron Smith, Prince Amukamara, Robert Quinn, Da'Quan Bowers, Corey Liuget, and J.J. Watt are better "fits" for the Vikings, because they fill significant needs. They could all be off the board by pick No. 12. They're all good players who could start right away.

But the NFL is a quarterback league, no matter who is on the cover of "Madden '12" (Peyton Hillis). That drives teams to think they need to overvalue quarterbacks, which of course leads us to guys like Alex Smith, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, David Carr, Cade McNown, and a slew of other former first-round quarterbacks who never panned in the NFL, for a variety of reasons.

The league's image is one that is driven by one position. Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger got all the attention before the Super Bowl, and the story coming out was how Rodgers so badly outplayed Roethlisberger and how Rodgers took better care of the ball. Forgotten was the job Green Bay's receivers did, overcoming drops to make big plays, or how guys like Sam Shields, Nick Collins, and Jarrett Bush made huge plays on defense while Charles Woodson was lost to injury.

The draft is no different. Former NFL scout Dave Razzano talked to Yahoo Sports' Mike Silver in a great piece about his "rogue" status at this point (how is this guy not employed in the NFL?). He also talked to Silver about what can drive a lot of the first-round busts you see in the draft.

Teams often reach for a perceived need, rather than selecting the player they’ve rated the highest. First-round picks, in particular, can be impacted by an owner and/or general manager’s desire to fall into line with media projections (and to therefore receive high marks from reporters who offer instant draft grades).

“If you look at the drafts from 2000 to 2007, 44 top-15 picks have busted out,” Razzano says. “Why is that? Well, for one thing, everybody wants to hit a home run. My attitude is this: Stay away from red flags; just take a solid player. The same goes for later in the draft. You know what guys look for in late rounds? Projects, guys with potential. Again, just pick solid guys. They’ll be productive.”

Razzano talked about a falling-out he had with the Rams in 2005, the year Alex Smith was drafted No. 1 overall by San Francisco. The issue stemmed from Razzano's unwillingness to give Smith a high grade, because he simply didn't think Smith could cut it as an NFL starter. He's not perfect, because he also downgraded Rodgers in that draft, but he's pretty sharp and consistent in his philosophy of trusting what you see from a player on tape.

The Vikings need to be smart and trust their draft board. It's eye-opening, but not surprising, to consider that some NFL teams bow to media pressure when it comes to draft picks. It's probably also not a stretch to suggest that the teams doing the bowing are the teams picking high in the draft all the time.

In the end, teams will do well in the draft if they trust their board and pick the player who is the best-rated when they have a turn to pick. Nothing else matters but that board. It's what you spent all those months building, and if you're not going to trust it on the days you need it, what the hell did you waste all that time for?

The Vikings were 6-10 last year. They're full of holes, so they shouldn't be reaching for a positional need. They also shouldn't be focused on just taking the new starting quarterback in the first round. There will be the chance to make trades and sign free agents at some point. There's nothing wrong with getting a guy like Nathan Enderle from Idaho in the third or fourth round and then signing a free agent to start a couple games while he gets acclimated.

Hell, I bet Brett Favre would even consider coming back at some point.

Oh, wait.

The Packers will not focus on positional needs in the first round, even though they have a couple. This shouldn't be a surprise to any fans, because Green Bay hasn't drafted that way since Ted Thompson came aboard, and that's one of the bigger reasons he's been as successful as he's been. The Packers could use some more depth at linebacker, and they need to find more help at defensive end since Cullen Jenkins really isn't expected back. Additional depth at cornerback and on the offensive line would be good.

While a guy like Akeem Ayers would be a great fit on defense, don't expect him to be on the board at No. 32, and don't expect Thompson to load the truck for a team so he can move up. It's not that great a value, I don't think.

Expect Green Bay to make a pick to finish the first round, unless they can find a team that wants to move into that spot for a price. I don't see them moving up any more than I see them reaching for a player of need.

And even if Thompson screws up the draft, we're not even four months into a five-year moratorium on criticism of the organization. Such is the reward for winning the Super Bowl.

'You Wonder Sometimes How Our Government Puts On its Pants in the Morning'

Our latest "Daily Show" video comes from Tuesday's presentation, when Jon Stewart harpooned Congress for a proposed amendment to the Zadroga bill that calls for those applying for 9/11 benefits to be checked first to make sure they aren't terrorists.

Yes, they want to check the 9/11 first responders to make sure they aren't terrorists.

Meanwhile, we continue to hand benefits to tons of other people without checking to make sure they aren't terrorists. It's apparently only the first responders we're worried about.

The Daily Show - Friends Without Benefits - 9/11 Responders
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Great rant, as always.

2011 NFL Draft: Where is the Interest?

I've been cramming over some free time the last few days, because I realized it was NFL Draft week, and I had done virtually no prep since the college football season ended.

Why?

A few reasons ...

• My overall interest is a bit low, largely because I don't think the draft can be top of mind when we still don't know for sure if we're going to have a season that starts on time.
• The UMD hockey season elongated into April, and my focus through the national championship game was on those games and making sure I at least came as close as I could to doing a good job. The draft prep suffered as a result.
• Anytime your favorite team is picking at the end of the first round, it makes everything else a little underwhelming. Don't be looking for the Packers to move up in the first round. If anything, they're more likely to move out of the first round.

It's a team effort.

Anyway, through the run-up to Thursday night's first round, it's come to my attention that the draft just doesn't have the juice it's had in the past.

I don't know if it's all lockout-related, or if it's because we don't have any real clear-cut franchise players in the top five of the draft, or if it's simply a cyclical thing resulting from the NFL and its partners hyping this to the point that everyone realized how stupid it was and got sick of it.

(NOTE: I don't think the draft is stupid, and I think it's still a watchable, newsworthy event. However, people were doing segments on the draft before the NFL playoffs even ended, and that seems a little -- er, a lot -- ridiculous.)

It was bound to happen, especially with this lockout drama. The league has ticked off a lot of its hardcore fans with this garbage, and the players have played a role in it, too.

Fans -- many of whom are experiencing their own economic struggles and still finding ways to buy tickets and merchandise for their favorite team -- don't like watching owners and players fight over a pot of money so big that no one can really fathom how big it really is.

That's not news to anyone, but yet the NFL seems caught off-guard by everything that doesn't go their way.

That alone infuriates me as a fan, because it's a clear sign that fans are being taken for granted by the league. We're not the only ones. The league seems to assume they're going to win every legal battle, and they probably assume that the players will give in and sign a deal on the owners' preferred terms.

The draft ends up suffering. Fans are going to watch, because that's just what they do. But in the end, the casual fans will watch something else Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The NFL is an afterthought to so many, because so many feel the NFL thinks they're an afterthought.

I guess it beats the hell out of thinking you have to work for the fans' support, huh?

Alex Burrows: Canadian Hero, and Other Hockey Notes and Thoughts

Classic Game 7 in Vancouver Tuesday night, as the Blackhawks and Canucks battled for more than 60 minutes to decide who would move into the Western Conference semifinals.

It was one of those nights where it looked like a greasy goal or some sort of fluky bounce would end the affair, so it was actually somewhat refreshing to see it end on a snipe job by Canuck forward Alex Burrows, whose line was so good, even going back to Game 6 in Chicago.

Video via Canucks Hockey Blog.



Good on Vancouver, and good on Roberto Luongo, who was on the verge of becoming the scourge of Canucks hockey if he couldn't keep the Blackhawks from finishing off this 3-0 series comeback.

It was a bit of redemption for Burrows, who had a chance to seal the deal in the third period on a penalty shot. He was stoned by Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who was matching Luongo save for save after Burrows scored early to give Vancouver the lead.

Chicago's effort was tremendous, but Luongo made some huge stops, including one on Patrick Sharp early in overtime. This wasn't a 5-4 game where Luongo was terrible but his team picked him up. He made huge save after huge save, and this game may end up being more significant than just exorcising the Chicago demons. It showed Luongo can play in the big games. There are no "But he was still shaky" excuses about this one. He was good, and he earned the win.

It was a sweet game and a great series ... also a much more entertaining conclusion to the series than Buffalo and Philadelphia were able to produce. In that game, the Flyers raised their game to another level -- just like they did for most of last year's playoffs -- and their opponent simply didn't have anything for them.

That's not a rip on the Sabres, because it's not like they didn't play hard, but the Flyers contested everything, and they were hustling all over the ice at a pace that Buffalo had no chance of matching. The Sabres' depth was attacked by injuries, and the one guy they did get back -- forward Derek Roy -- looked like he was sliding around the ice in a pair of Sorels instead of skating. He wasn't physically ready for this pace, and it was a huge mistake for Buffalo to put him out there.

Blame Ryan Miller all you want, but it should have been 4-0 in the first period. He kept them in the game as long as he could, but he had no help, and he was screened by teammates on at least two of the goals he allowed. That's not effective defensive hockey. Miller wasn't at his best in this series, but let's be honest. The only reason it went seven was Philly's own atrocious goaltending ... atrocious goaltending we can only hope bites them in the second or third round.

Two more Game 7s on Wednesday, and then we're off to a second round that has virtually no chance of being as good as the first round was.

Tuesday was the eighth straight day with at least one overtime game ... that sets an all-time NHL playoff record.

Game 7: Who's Your Hero?

There are two Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Tuesday night. Instead of lame previews that mean nothing, here's an old TSN video of the Top 10 Game 7s in the first round of the playoffs.

Capping it is probably the best Game 7 ever played .. in any sport.



We'll be around Wednesday to recap the night's events, as well as get ready for one or two more Game 7s in the Eastern Conference.

Scott Sandelin Staying Right Where He Is

Easter Sunday was filled with fun, great hockey, and some grilling at the mansion. Hopefully, yours was just as enjoyable, whatever it was you ended up doing.

Easter also marked a historic moment in college hockey, as the newest and biggest startup program in years finally named its coach, after a week full of speculation, rumors, innuendo, and a small amount of actual information.

Penn State is starting hockey in 2012, and Sunday they announced that former Alaska-Fairbanks and Princeton coach Guy Gadowsky will be the man to lead them into a new era of college athletics at the school. Gadowsky -- along with UMD's Scott Sandelin and Wisconsin women's coach Mark Johnson -- were the top candidates, according to various reports.

Here is the straight poop from Happy Valley.

"Guy is the perfect choice for Penn State," said Penn State President Graham Spanier. "He has been immensely successful, is a great motivator, knows how to build programs, and has strong academic values."

"Pursuing success with honor. Building tradition. Achieving excellence. As we launch our hockey program at the Division I level, these are the on and off-ice expectations, and Guy Gadowsky has successfully accomplished these goals and more throughout his career. We welcome Guy and his family to Hockey Valley," said Curley.

"I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Penn State hockey during this transitional period and into Division I," Gadowsky said. "I am truly honored to join Penn State and the spirit, pride, passion, class and professionalism found within its students, staff and alumni. I am humbled by the tremendous gift by the Pegula family and the commitment by Penn State. This is a very exciting time for college hockey and Penn State and our family is thrilled to be joining the Penn State family."

In September 2010, the University announced an $88 million gift from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula, the largest private gift in Penn State's history, which was intended to fund a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose ice arena as well as help to establish an NCAA Division I men's hockey program. In conjunction with the gift, Penn State will establish an NCAA women's hockey program.

"I am very impressed with Guy, his pursuit of the challenge at hand and plans for Penn State hockey, stated Terry Pegula.

"We are thrilled to have successfully courted a coach from such a strong academic institution with the passion, energy and the perfect demeanor for Penn State," commented Joe Battista, Associate Director of Athletics for Ice Arena and Hockey Development. "Guy has outstanding recruiting connections across North America and with USA Hockey and Hockey Canada and has built or revived programs in college and professional hockey."

Appointed to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee through 2013, Gadowsky took over a Princeton program that had won a combined eight games in the two seasons prior to his arrival for the 2004-05 campaign. During his initial five seasons, the Tigers improved their win total each year, topped by a program record 22 victories in 2008-09.

Gadowsky led Princeton to two of its three all-time NCAA Championship berths in the 110 years of the program, in 2008 and 2009.

As a collegiate head coach, Gadowsky has helped develop nine players who have played in the National Hockey League, including three of his former Princeton players who have played in the NHL this season: Mike Moore (San Jose), Darroll Powe (Philadelphia) and Kevin Westgarth (Los Angeles). A 2011 Princeton senior, AHCA second-team All-American Taylor Fedun, signed with the Edmonton Oilers, after the Tigers' season was completed. 

As for Sandelin, the Duluth News Tribune notes that he'll meet again with UMD brass Monday about a contract extension, which seems like a forgone conclusion at this point. Sandelin has one year left on his current deal, and coaches rarely coach the last year of a contract.

Usually, there's a good reason why when they do ... as in, the school doesn't trust that they've got the right guy long-term. There are no such worries at UMD. Sandelin may have been bench boss through some lean years, but the Bulldogs have three straight 20-win seasons, and you may have heard about that national championship they won a couple weeks ago.

With this bit of news, hopefully the offseason can begin now. If there is any UMD news, you can obviously come here for information. But it seems like we can finally settle into a "normal" offseason now, while still floating on air over the national title.

Wisconsin Suffering at Quarterback

I didn't think Wisconsin had the chops to post that "best-case" 11-1 record last year. In the end, I was dead wrong about the Badgers.

They coughed up an early road game against Michigan State, but rebounded nicely to finish 11-1 in the regular season before losing to TCU in the Rose Bowl.

To be blunt, it was a much better season than anyone probably could have expected or asked for, especially given that the injury bug never really left this team.

With Scott Tolzien gone, along with John Clay, Lance Kendricks, and Gabe Carimi, the offense is getting a makeover at spring practice. One of the key pieces of that makeover, however, is quarterback Curt Phillips, who has undergone two ACL surgeries already, and apparently had another procedure recently.

"It shouldn't be anything major, hopefully," Badgers coach Bret Bielema told local reporters following Thursday's practice. "Kind of just deal with the cards after they are there. If it's something they can take care of and clean up, hopefully, he'll be back full-time in June."

It might not be a huge setback, but Phillips was already facing an uphill climb to wrestle the starting job away from Jon Budmayr. With only freshmen on the depth chart, it's key for Phillips to get healthy and stay there, but he may never be the same quarterback again.

Phillips -- more than any potential UW starter since Brooks Bollinger -- really likes to use his athleticism to make plays. Lately, the Badgers have used pocket quarterbacks like Jim Sorgi, John Stocco, and Tolzien to run the offense (the one athlete they had during this recent run was Tyler Donovan, whose competitiveness was greatly appreciated, but Phillips at 100 percent is probably a better athlete).

That's not to say either style of quarterback really gave Wisconsin any more or less success. However, they haven't started a redshirt freshman at quarterback in a long time, and having some experience pushing or backing up Budmayr -- whichever it is -- could be a big thing for his development and the Badgers' chances of having a good season to follow up last year's stellar one.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Nights Whatever I Missed

Some thoughts on NHL playoff hockey:

• Been busy with real job matters and real life matters (nothing serious, I promise, but enough to keep me going and away from the blog a bit). Also trying to recharge batteries a bit after a hectic UMD season, and facing an offseason that hasn't really started yet and won't until we solve the coaching/early departures puzzle for good.
• Anyway, you have to appreciate the gutsy road efforts we've seen in recent days. Boston in Montreal, San Jose in Los Angeles, Washington in New York, Anaheim in Nashville (though there was nothing gutsy about that hit on Martin Erat), and Detroit in Phoenix (though the crowd was split there). Road teams tend to do well in the playoffs for whatever reason, and this year has been no exception to that rule.
• How much did Ilya Bryzgalov lose with his four-game performance against Detroit? It was, as Charles Barkley says, trbl. 17 goals allowed, plenty of softies, and Bryzgalov never was able to make that big, uplifting save, a must when you're giving out soft goals like Halloween candy. The pending free agent played some awful hockey when his team needed him most. That's hardly a way to close out the walk year, is it?
• I don't root for franchise relocation, but if there was ever a situation where it was generally okay, it was in the Phoenix/Winnipeg drama. Yes, plenty of people in Arizona have taken to the sport thanks to that team's presence, and there are some really dedicated fans who will (probably) be out a team at some point this spring/summer. That's sad for those people. But this team never should have left Winnipeg in the first place, and if they're going to move somewhere, let it be to the place they never should have left. I can be okay with that.
• Give Washington a lot of credit. Plenty of grit, effort, and intensity, and while it looked like they were on the verge of folding when the Rangers went up 3-0, they regrouped during the second intermission and came out strong in the third period. They were the better team most of the game, and deserved the result they got. It was also entertaining to see Marian Gaborik assist on the Caps' game-winner. Perhaps that wasn't so entertaining for Ranger fans, who spent most of the game taunting Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau with hilarious chants, including the top dog, a "Can You Hear Us?" blast late in the second period that had me in stitches. So the Rangers might not be that good, but their fans came to play Wednesday night.
• Anyone else on the edge of their seat for a potential San Jose-Detroit rematch in the second round? I'm excited. Oh, and Pittsburgh-Washington looms if there are no upsets in the East. Yeah, that might be enjoyable.

Scott Sandelin to Interview at Penn State

If your head has been under a rock (I've been accused of worse over the years), you might not know that UMD coach Scott Sandelin confirmed to Kevin Pates that he's been contacted about the opening at Penn State, and will likely interview for the gig.

With one year left on his UMD contract, discussions were already underway on a contract extension when this news broke. It's simply not ideal -- or customary, for that matter -- for a Division I coach to work the final year of a contract. It's not ideal because it can make recruiting more difficult. It's not customary because most coaches are either released (perhaps it's a "resignation" or a real resignation) or have their contracts extended before that final year begins.

This is a no-brainer decision for UMD and athletic director Bob Nielson. They want to extend the coach, as UMD is fresh off their first national championship, and you don't want to start the offseason with the bad vibe of losing the head coach who helped make it all possible.

On the other hand, if Penn State -- which is using a large private donation to start their hockey program -- really wants Sandelin, can UMD do anything to stop them from getting what they want?

In the end, this is up to Sandelin and Penn State more than anyone else. However, I know a lot of fans have reached out to me, asking for advice on who they could try to communicate with at UMD.

At the risk of making myself look like a lackey, which I've tried hard to avoid, I figured I'd offer a little bit of advice.

It seems that Nielson understands the value of this coaching staff, but if you'd like to send him an email with your feelings on the subject, his address is rnielson@d.umn.edu.

Chancellor Lendley Black might be the new guy, but he's really impressed me with his enthusiasm for the athletic teams. He was at the Frozen Four, and even donned a blond wig to fit in with the team theme. It was great to see. He can be reached at chan@d.umn.edu.

I don't think I have to say this, but if you're going to write these gentlemen, please be courteous and tactful with your comments. We are lucky to have good people in leadership positions at UMD, and they will respond in kind, either through their words or actions on this issue.

So much for the offseason, huh? :)