6 Questions Surrounding the Bears this Offseason

Before I talk about the Bears and their off season I have to ask you one thing. Please keep Japanese people in your prayers and thank God that the LCMS missionaries are ALL okay in Japan and if you have time thank God for how blessed you are that you are safe. That is all.

The Bears. Today's post is very similar to the Mike&Mike off season two-a-days and that is where I got the idea from, but I gave it a little Bears twist by changing the normal question number (5) to 6 for Jay Cutler.


1. Will the Bears sign Plaxico Buress?
When I first heard that there would be thoughts to sign him I was excited because I know he is a great receiver. The problem is that the Bears don't like to have any bad character on their team. They have a clean locker room and they want to keep it that way. The Bears will find a way to sign a big aggressive receiver, but they will not sign Buress because of his character issues and the stupid stuff he does. The Bears are strict on the character thing and so no matter how good the receiver is they won't sign him if he has shown character issues in the past or might in the future. Final answer to this question is no.

2. Will the Lovie Smith Extension Pay Off?
I have contradicted myself about this over and over again. When I first started to post about whether or not he should get an extension I was for him. Then, I read a really well written article about the opposing opinion and that totally switched my opinion. I think this will blow up in the Bears' face. Lovie Smith is a good coach and has been for years, but out of the years he has been with the Bears he has had two good years. After the first good year he dropped. I hope that the team doesn't drop after this good season, but it seems like whenever you give lovie a new contract he has a better year. I know the players like him, but if he doesn't get the job done, you eventually have to get rid of him. I do understand the point that keeping him will keep the Bears rolling, because if you fire the coach it stops the whole team's momentum. My thing is that I don't want what happened to the Vikings this year to happen to the Bears this coming year. My final answer is that I hope so, but I honestly think that it won't pay off.

3. Will Jay Cutler be Better or Worse Next Year?
The injury is the one problem that might slow his progress. He is progressing. You can tell by looking at the beginning of this season and the end that he progressed a lot over the course of the season. When he gets healthy, this off season he can improve even more. I truly believe that he has the talent to be a great quarterback. The problem is that he doesn't have good footwork and sometimes he gets over-confident or under-confident. This off season he can workout three times a week on footwork and improving his football IQ and he will be 100% better. If he does all that during the off season and then goes to training camp with the right footwork and being a little smarter he can focus on timing with receivers and overall teamwork. If he does all that he will be a very good quarterback next year, but the problem is that Jay Cutler will probably never have enough motivation to do all that. I am one of the Bears fans that supports jay cutler, not burns his jersey, so don't get me wrong I like that he is our quarterback. I'm just stating the fact that he doesn't have very much motivation. I still think he will improve, but not as much as he possibly could. Final answer is that he will be better but not a whole lot better.

4. Will the Bears Draft Wisely or Foolishly?
I want to believe that they will be smart in this draft, but judging from the past few years they won't be wise. They aren't going to be foolish, but I don't think they are going to get everything they want and need. Right now they are probably going to get a defensive lineman first, but they really need an offensive lineman more than anything and if they can get their hands on a good receiver that would be a huge plus. I think picking a defensive lineman would be a huge mistake. Right now we have a good line. Yes, they could be improved but the top priority is our offensive lineman. I could be wrong about what they are going to pick. I got the idea that they would sign a defensive lineman from mock drafts and we all know that mock drafts aren't always right. I hope the Bears are very wise in this draft, because it could make a huge impact on the Bears season. My final answer is that they will be somewhere in between wise and foolish.

5. Will there be a Lockout?
There have been ups and downs of this process recently. There was a plus when they agreed on the rookie salary cap. Then, there was an all-out twitter war and things got bad again. Today the NFLPA decided they would not sign a new agreement. This means if there is a lockout the players can sue. The thing that people need to know is that this does not mean there will be a lockout. It means that the NFLPA will take the NFL to court. I think the NFLPA has a good case and all football fans should be hoping that they win. A loss would mean a 99.99% chance of a lockout and would cause major chaos in the NFL. I want NFL football next year. There has never been a year in my whole life where there hasn't been an NFL season and I would like to keep that streak alive. My final answer is reluctantly yes.

6. Are the Bears going Up or Down?
This is the toughest question of them all. My problem is that they had a really good season last year and won a few of those games because they got a little lucky. I do like this team. I think they are going to be a good team. Going up will be hard for them to do so I think they may go down, but not by a lot. It will be hard to win the division again over the Super Bowl champs. The Packers and the Lions are both going to be good teams next year. I don't see the Bears having the same dominance in their division as they did this year, but I think they can make it in through the Wild Card and make a run like the Packers did this year. My final answer is down, but barely and will still be contenders.


I'm going to start adding a new feature to my blog posts and that is the Youtube video of the day.

YouTube Video Of The Day
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Can these black and yellow remixes please stop?

The Bears Draft Needs

We all know that this season did not go as planned, because we ended up losing to the last team we ever wanted to lose to in the NFC Championship game. There were many reasons that we lost, one of the most important was that parts of our team needed major improvement.
The first thing, in my opinion, is that we need a wide receiver that is physical and tall so that Cutler has somebody to throw it up to if he has no better option. Don't get me wrong, I love Knox and he is a great receiver, but he doesn't fight for the ball at all. He has great speed and can catch well, but he doesn't get physical with the cornerback to fight for the ball. This is a must, our offense is struggling without it.
Another thing that we need is offensive linemen. Some people argue that this is more important than receivers and I see their point, but if you have that receiver the offensive line can remain bad, you need that receiver no matter what. Offensive linemen is my number two need for the Bears. The offensive line this year was putrid, especially in the Giants game. Cutler got sacked so many times. I think I saw him on the ground more than I saw him make a good pass to a receiver. They were terrible in that game. After the bye, they got better, but in certain games you could see that they still needed a leader and somebody who was a little bit better. By drafting a linemen they are saying that they want this guy and Jay Cutler to work together for years and become great teammates. That relationship will be important, so you have to find someone who will respect Jay and who has talent. I don't think Jerry Angelo will have a problem with that.
The final need is cornerbacks. I like peanut and bowman, but they aren't as good as they once were. I'm not saying that we should get rid of Tillman and Bowman, but we should draft a new guy, just so that we have a security blanket. This isn't a huge need, but basically all the Bears need is a wide receiver and some offensive linemen.

Wednesday Football Two-A-Days

The ONLY thing worse than having the Super Bowl in bad weather…

… is having to read NFL writers complain and moan about the bad weather.

Seriously, guys, y’all are attending the Super Bowl, all expenses PAID. Get the heck over yourselves and enjoy the first Super Bowl played by what are in essence the two most storied franchises in the game.

Still, I am hearing less whining about Dallas than I did about Atlanta 11 years ago, and Dallas is experiencing a MUCH worse weather situation than Atlanta did in January 2000. Chalk it up to another, “Atlanta never gets a fair shake” moment. (And y’all know we don’t!)

With that being said, playing the Super Bowl in Dallas, or Indianapolis, or New Jersey (that’s right, New York, it’s being played in New Jersey) is stupid and counterproductive to the NFL’s mission of how to handle their Crown Jewel. The Super Bowl is about showing off the NFL’s product to the world, and when you do something like that, you want it to be viewed in the best light possible, both on the field and off of it. To ensure that is the case, the Super Bowl should never be played in the current weather conditions facing Dallas-Fort Worth this week.

The Super Bowl should only be played in the current NFL cities of Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, San Diego, Glendale (Phoenix), and soon, Los Angeles (as soon as Los Angeles builds their new stadium of course). That’s it. Those six cities are the only acceptable cities in which to hold the Super Bowl. All of the cities do well with large events, and five of the six are great cities in which to spend a week before the game (sorry, Tampa, you’re the odd duck out).

The Super Bowl played in a city in an ice storm is bad enough. Imagine what the actual game would be like, how sloppy it would be, or if it would even be played at all due to “public safety concerns,” if it were played in a city going through an ice storm but in a stadium without a roof. Wait a tick, we don’t have to imagine it, as that very scenario could very well be upon us soon enough.

Roger Goodell, end the madness that is cold-weather Super Bowls!

At the very least, it saves us fans from having to read copy from bitter NFL writers who are pissed that they missed their tee times, or gasp, couldn’t even play a round because of the weather.

Get the ESPN cameras ready - it’s Signing Day!

Today is Signing Day all around College Football. Signing Day is akin to NFL Draft Day, and is just as serious, if not more so, to the fans, alumni, and boosters of the College Football teams throughout the nation. During this time of the year much is written about how “wrong” it is for grown men (and women) to obsess over 17 and 18 year-old kids, and where those poor, exploited children decide to play football in college.

And to those who say or print that I have to ask: How is obsessing over Signing Day any more or less “wrong” than all of the people who obsess over where 20, 21, and 22 year old barely-men end up being drafted to teams in the NFL?

Most of the sports media members who disparage College Football fans for “obsessing” over Signing Day are usually NFL writers, or have a background writing for NFL teams. They have no problem feeding the NFL Draft “obsession” their NFL readers have, yet take this hypocritical stance about Signing Day and the football fans who care about it. Like a three or four year difference in the age of the players makes it more “wrong” for fans to be excited for Signing Day as opposed to the NFL Draft.

It could be argued that Signing Day is a much better option for the players than NFL Draft Day. On Signing Day, the players choose where they will be going. On NFL Draft Day, they are told where they are going. On Signing Day, if programs like Alabama or Texas covet a player, that player can choose to join those winning programs. On NFL Draft Day, if the player is one of the most talented college football players in the country, they are picked to join a team like the Buffalo Bills or the Oakland Raiders, teams that are run poorly by their owners and front offices, and are stuck with those loser teams for up to five years in economically depressed cities that their populations are fleeing.

What sounds better? Choosing to live in great college towns like Athens, GA or Austin, TX, or being told you must live in Buffalo, NY? Yes, those players are paid handsomely, but they are consigned to terrible organizations with no chance of winning anything important, and believe it or not, it is actually hard to be on a team that never wins. No matter how much money you’re being paid, you didn’t choose to be on that team in the first place.

So, NFL Fan who doesn’t pay much attention to college football, but obsesses over NFL Draft Day as much as CFB fans obsess over Signing Day, you’re no better and no different. And if you’re reading some idiot writer telling you that you are, he or she is a full of crap hypocrite.

Today in History

On 02 February 1967, the American Basketball Association was founded with former Minneapolis Lakers great George Mikan as Commissioner. While the ultimate purpose of the ABA was to force the NBA to merge with the upstart league (four teams did merge with the NBA: the San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers), the league found a place in the hearts of fans much like the American Football Conference once did.

The ABA was flashy and fun with it’s red, white, and blue ball compared to the staid and conservative NBA. The ABA introduced the three-point line to professional basketball, as well as the Slam Dunk Contest to All-Star Weekend. The ABA also pioneered the idea of regional teams that played home games in different cities of the same regions, like the Carolina Cougars. The league sported exciting stars with cool nicknames like Julius “Dr. J” Erving and George “The Iceman” Gervin, and those stars went on to NBA stardom as well; bringing their “above the rim” style of play with them to the NBA when the ABA folded in 1976.

TV Dinner

Now that football season has wound up and the Super Bowl is upon us, just like it is a good time to catch up on films we missed during the season, so it is a good time to catch up on television shows that we should be watching that we can’t for a variety of reasons, whether they be work-related, or if you’re like me and don’t have any of the premium pay cable channels like HBO or Showtime where many of the great shows are to be found nowadays.

After the Falcons were embarrassed by the Packers last month, I decided to forego watching my daily dose of sports programming for the week as the last thing I wanted to do was be reminded of my team’s obliteration. So I fired up my MacBook and got into my Netflix account to see what was available for InstantWatch, which just may be the greatest internet application of all time. I found that Netflix had the first two seasons of Dexter available to watch on my computer or through my Xbox360 (or a Wii or PS3 if you happen to have those gaming consoles).

I watched the first episode of the first season of Dexter and I was hooked. This show is excellent in so many different ways, from the performances to the writing, which are all superb. But what reeled me in was the perverse sense of humor the show possesses. I love dark comedy. Dark comedy is such a hard concept to pull off that just about no one tries anymore. But in Dexter, they’ve found the magic to make it work.

Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who only kills murderers who happen to escape justice in his city (Miami). He also happens to be a blood spatter expert for the local police department.

That’s all I want to tell you. Any more information than that would totally ruin the experience of finding and experiencing the darkly comic wonders of Dexter on your own.

Rent the first season or watch it on Netflix. You will not be sorry you did so.

Smart Quote

This quote is appropriate, I think, in light of the current struggle to keep freedoms from being taken away by our own Government.

Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.

Ronald Reagan, Gubernatorial Inauguration Speech, 1967.

Hey, Check This Out!

I am a BIG fan of the “re-cut” interwebs meme. This take on whom I believe is the greatest single television character ever makes me laugh every time I watch it. It’s also faux-inspiring, because the video uses the wonderful music from the end of The Shawshank Redemption.

For enjoyment purposes, I present y’all with… George.

Follow me on Twitter at @UGABugKiller.

Bills Win "Other" Lottery Draft

Years ago, when I was a wee lad, I loved the Senior Bowl. I got to see my favorite players from my favorite college team, the University of Maryland, do battle against the best players in the land. Well, times change and these days most of the best college players leave for the NFL before their senior season. While the Senior Bowl may have less talent these days, it still is popular (today's game is sold out) and coaches still scout the Senior Bowl players very heavily.

What does this have to do with an "NFL Draft" you ask? Believe it or not, the NFL holds a lottery to see which two NFL teams' coaching staffs get to coach in the game. That's right, NFL teams are drafted to coach in the Senior Bowl! Basically, the NFL starts at the bottom of the league (in terms of won-loss record) and works its way up. Teams can decline to provide a coaching staff, if they choose.

This year, the two bottom feeders did decline. Neither of these two teams (which the NFL considers worse than the Buffalo Bills) currently have a head coach. And with no head coach the state of the teams' assistant coaches is also in disarray. So when the NFL asked the Bills to coach one of the squads, Head Coach Chan Gailey jumped at the chance.

The NFL decides which team is assigned to which squad. Apparently, the south team is more coveted as scouts believe there is more talent from southern collegiate programs. While most fans assume the NFL coaching staffs are game planning and installing a system for the game (which they are), they actually do much more. In reality, the two Senior Bowl coaching staffs can run their own personal combines.

While preparing for the game the coaches can run drills to test individual players. The coaching staffs can also have players run plays to see how they perform in certain schemes and situations. They can even have them practice in different positions to see if they can handle spots that they didn't play in college. Lastly, the coaching staffs get an enormous amount of time to get to know the players individually. Yessir, nothing like having your own personal mini camp with the best seniors in the land!

The Bills got the coveted south squad. Here's hoping Chan Gailey and his new staff (minus Dave Wannstedt who stayed in Buffalo to evaluate the current Bills roster - poor, poor, Davey Boy) unearth a few finds in the practices leading up to the game. Heaven knows the Bills need all the help they can get!

Tennessee Titans: Pro Bowl and QB Situation

Pro Bowl:
After a disappointing 2010-2011 season, a few Titan's players that had great seasons earned spots on the AFC roster for the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl. Defensive End Jason Babin (1st time Pro Bowler) and Kick/Punt Returner Marc Mariani (1st time Pro Bowler) both were selected, while Running Back Chris Johnson (3rd time Pro Bowler) and Safety Michael Griffin (2nd time Pro Bowler) were both selected as replacements due to injuries. Chris Johnson will replace Jaguar's Running Back Maurice Jones Drew and Michael Griffin will replace Raven's Safety Ed Reed.

Babin and Mariani were both excited about being selected to a Pro Bowl for the first time in their career's. Babin, a seven year NFL veteran, led the all AFC Defensive Ends in sacks with 12.5.

"I always said I wasn't going to go until I got invited," Babin said."It means a lot to me, like I kind of broke into the upper echelon of defensive ends."

Mariani, on the other hand, is one of 4 rookies on this year's Pro Bowl roster. He was selected in the 7th round of the draft out of Montana University, while the other 3 rookie Pro Bowl selections were selected in the 1st round. He won the heart of many Titan's fans this season as he set the franchise record for kickoff return yards in a season with 1,411 yards.

"Just dream big and don't let anybody tell you no." Mariani said. "I always just wanted to be the best that I could be. I'm so competitive I always wanted to do my best almost to the point of being perfect. I just wanted to be at the top. ... I definitely got a lot of work to do to have the success we've had this year. To be standing here is a crazy ride. ... But I would've never had it any other way."


The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii.


QB Situation:
The Titans are already looking forward to next season, and the quarterback situation is a big mystery at this point. Owner, Bud Adams, has already said that Vince Young will not return to the team next season. So the Titans now are searching for a starting quarterback, and have many options. The quarterbacks currently on the roster are long time NFL veteran, Kerry Collins and Rusty Smith, which is going into his second year in the league. They also have the 8th selection in the NFL Draft in April, which they could use on a quarterback if they choose. The other choice would be to trade for a quarterback or sign someone from the Free Agents.





There are several veteran quarterbacks that are either, A. unhappy with their current team, or B. good enough to be a starter, but are currently a back up. Carson Palmer has came out publicly and said that he wants to be traded from Cinncinatti or he will retire and then re-enter the league as a free agent. Kyle Orton is looking as if he has lost his starting job to Tim Tebow in Denver, and the same goes for Kevin Kolb in Philadelphia, as he has lost his starting job to Michael Vick.





My opinion on what the Titans will do:

I believe that the Titans will trade Vince Young to Minnesota for draft pick(s), due to the fact that the coach that helped develop Vince Young, Craig Johnson, is now the Quarterback back's coach for the Vikings. Then I see the Titans trading draft pick(s) for Kevin Kolb during the draft. The reason why I think that it will be Kevin Kolb is simple, Bud Adams is from Houston and has always favored guys from Texas. It doesn't hurt that Kevin Kolb is known as a country boy that loves to fish and hunt. The fans will love him and he will fit right in.

Good News:

There is good news for Titan's fans, ticket prices will not be raised next season according to Bud Adams. This is the second straight year that the Titans have not raised ticket prices.

"I realize things are still difficult out there for our season-ticket holders," Adams said. "There are a number pressures to increase our revenues, but this is not a time to raise prices for our fans."

In 2011-2012 the Titans will host the: Houston Texans. Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Cinncinatti Bengals, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

January Doldrums and Browns News

Well, this is about the time of year where Browns news is slowing down. Everyone is focused on the Super Bowl that's coming up, free agency has yet to start, and the draft is still pretty far away. However, there are still a few headlines worth bringing up.

First of all, the Browns hired Chris Tabor as the new special teams coordinator. He has been an assistant on the Bears special teams staff for the last three years, and is highly thought of by head coach Pat Shurmur. That leaves the offensive coordinator position as the last major open spot on the coaching staff.

Jerry Jones has glowing things to say about his new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan. As Cleveland fans, I'm sure we can all agree that Rob Ryan definitely leaves an impression on a team and a fanbase. I thought it was great to see a guy with so much passion leading our defense. I think he'll do very well in Dallas, especially with the increased amounts of talent they have on defense.

Ben Watson spoke in a chat on ESPN.com about the coaching situation, the Super Bowl, and the labor situation. He believes that stability is a key factor in a team's success. He's also picking the Packers to win the big game.

Speaking more about the draft, Mel Kiper believes the Browns should take either A.J. Green or DE Robert Quinn at #6. Either player would fill a huge need. Quinn is a force as a pass rusher, even though he was forced to sit out a year. A.J. Green would add playmaking ability to our receiving corps.

In completely unrelated news, the Buckeyes have the nation's top-ranked basketball team and punctuated that with a resounding victory over the Purdue Boilermakers last night. Go Bucks!

As always, feel free to weigh in using the comments and stay tuned for more news and analysis. Also, follow me on Twitter @legoman0721.

Jaguars Draft Needs

Today, I'm going to take a swing at trying to help Jags GM Gene draft the right positions in April's coming draft.  I think I hit it out of the ballpark!  Tell me what you think!

If you are a Jaguars fan, and I'm sure you are, you will no doubt agree with me that the most pressing need for the Jaguars is to find someone to get after the QB.  Derrick Harvey has been a huge bust and likely won't be back next year.  Austen Lane and Larry Hart were both drafted last year and combined for only 1.5 sacks.  Not impressive at all!   Aaron Kampan who had 4 sacks before tearing is ACL in week 8 will be headed into his 10th year next season, so D'Anthony Smith, Austen Lane and Larry Hart will have to step their games up before Kampman is gone.  Having said all of that, I don't think DE is the biggest need for this team.

Which spot is crying out for help the most?  CORNERBACK!  The Jaguars CB group looked OFFENSIVE for most of the season.  Derek Cox looked great starting the preseason but after having a very disappointing season opener, Jack Del Rio benched him for 2 games and he did mop up duty in the 3rd game of the season against Indy.  He returned to the starting lineup in week 7 against KC and had a good remaining season.  He now needs some help on the other side of the field.  Rashean Mathis is the biggest weak link this team has.  He whiffs on tackles and is constantly out of place and getting burned.  It became a weekly staple to see him get burned and then turn to the Safety as if it was their fault.  Mathis has not been the same cover Corner since he was injured in 2007 and again in 2008.  He had only one INT the entire year and that came against a backup QB in Dallas.  Jacksonville has to draft a CB in the first round or they risk never catching up with the Colts.

The next pressing need for the Jaguars is a QB.  David Garrard is an average QB and he may never take them to a Championship game or the Super Bowl.  It is now time to draft his replacement.  The Jaguars passed on a starting QB at least twice in last years draft.  No I am not talking about Tim Tebow either.  The Jaguars can't afford to take a pass this year.  Look at what they passed on last April, Colt McCoy!  McCoy is coming right along with a good supporting cast around him.  He is going to be a bonafide star in this league.  This year is chuck full of good looking QB's and one of them needs to be wearing Teal and Black come April.  This is the only time you'll see me make an actual prediction of WHO the Jags will draft.  Let's just say ribbit ribbit.

The third obvious need is in the Linebacking Corps.  Darryl Smith can't carry this group all by himself, he needs help.  This is the time to get that help.  If you want to improve the defense it has to happen here and at this position.  You want to beat the Colts and make Peyton Manning do his punkified self-sack, then get some pressure up the middle and scare the living daylights out of him, which by the way ain't to hard.

Last but not least is on the O-Line, with the most critical position being Center.  Brad Meester is not getting any younger going into his 12th season.  He looked good this year, but it is a young man's game and what better way to help that new QB than to get him his Center at the same time?  Plus having that Iowa farm boy Meester mentoring that rookie Center would be awesome.

I know some of you will say that the Jaguars also need a Safety.  I don't agree with that assessment at this moment.  I would rather see a second CB taken before the Jaguars address the S position and here's why.  I think that SS Courtney Greene and FS Don Carey will improve.  Carey is only going into his 3rd season and he showed improvement game after game.  Greene is also going into his 3rd season and has made some very nice hits.  I haven't seen anyone lay the wood like that since Double D left.  Mike Hamlin came over from Big D and has been serviceable.  I also like Sean Considine, he seems to always be in the right place to make big plays.  He does get beat, but not nearly as bad as Mathis.  Tyron Brackenridge is also a nice pick up from Kansas City.  Looking at the Safeties, Considine is the oldest with 6 years experience.  This is a young group that is only going to get better.  So no, I don't think the Jaguars should waste a pick on a S, unless he's the Best Available Player on the board when they draft.  In GM Gene I Trust, but I'd love it if he took my advice!

Don't forget to post your thoughts below!

What is the Falcons Biggest Draft Need?

The Falcons are a team that was exposed in their game against Green Bay as having many needs to fill in the upcoming draft.

There are many fans and pundits who will tell you they need a true cornerstone left tackle, that Sam Baker is not the answer, and they would be right.

There are many fans and pundits who will tell you they need a speedy wide receiver to complement Roddy White, to use to stretch the field so other teams will stop dropping nine men into the box, and they would be right.

Unfortunately, as right as those people are for those specific needs, the Falcons cannot afford to waste a first round draft pick on the offensive side of the ball. No, the Falcons need to address their defensive deficiencies, and their biggest deficiency on defense that doesn't start with their overly-conservative scheme (a coaching issue) is a defensive end to complement the aging John Abraham. What the Green Bay game proved painfully obvious is that the team needs a much better pass rush, and not just a better pass rush, but a pass rush that can finish the drill when they get to the QB and actually sack him, not wave their arms at him as he slips their grasp.

Fortunately for the Falcons, the solution to these pass-rushing problems has been living 90 minutes northeast of Atlanta for the last few years in Athens, GA. He knows how to come off the edge and sack the QB. His 17 sacks the last two years lead the great and powerful SEC during that time. The solution's name? Georgia Bulldog Justin Houston, who declared for the draft on the very last day possible.

If you click on the link, you'll find Houston's stats, both as a DE (his first 2 years) and as a 3-4 OLB (his last year), and his measurables.

You'll see Justin Houston would be undersized as a 4-3 DE in the NFL, but that he is actually of similar measurables to one of the best DEs in the NFL during the last decade: Dwight Freeney.

In fact, Houston could easily put on another 10 pounds of muscle in the next two months leading up the combine and become the kind of speed-rushing tasmanian devil that Freeney is in the eyes of teams that run the 4-3. He plays with an edge on the field; an intensity that rivals Freeney. Houston grades out as a mid-to-bottom first round player at both DE and 3-4 OLB. He has the talent and desire to go far in the NFL. In fact, with all of the recent upheaval regarding the University of Georgia's strength and conditioning program and how poorly it's been run the last five years or so, it's extremely likely that the best of Justin Houston (like Asher Allen, the one-time Georgia player now Vikings' starting CB, before him) will be seen at the next level, and not in college.

Yes, there are better DE prospects in the draft, but they will all be gone by number 27, the slot the Falcons have fallen into. If they hold firm at that spot, there is a chance they could lose Houston to a 3-4 team in need of an OLB that drafts before them, but if Houston falls to them at 27, they must take him. How many teams the last decade have been kicking themselves for passing on Freeney because he was "too small?" The Falcons cannot afford to pass on Houston because of the fact that he may be undersized. The man doesn't play undersized, he plays strong and fast, even with a deficit in S&C thanks to an era lacking in accountability amongst Mark Richt's coaching staff at UGA.

Don't be shortsighted, GM Thomas Dimitroff. Take Houston at 27 if he's there. You'll be happy you did.

As always, please comment below. Feel free to let me know if I'm right, or the biggest moron to have ever lived. Either way, comments are appreciated and make the discussion more fun (and less one-sided).

You can follow me on twitter at @UGABugKiller.

The Dilemma Of Three

The title of a new movie? Maybe a new book? How about a new TV show? Nope, none of these three (three again?) explain the Dilemma Of Three.

The Dilemma Of Three, as any Buffalo Bills fan knows (yes there really are Bills fans) is what do do with the 3rd pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Instead of being excited about having the highest pick in many years, Bills fans are at each other's throats over what to do with the pick.

Fans, pundits (yes even bloggers), and sports journalists fall into three (there's that number again) camps.

1. The Savior (Franchise Quarterback)

Let's face it, the Bills haven't had a decent QB since Jim Kelly (well, ol Doug Flutie and Drew Bledsoe had a few nice games). All of Buffalo was on the Andrew Luck watch. Andy would come out, head east, and lead the Bills to glory once again. Unfortunately Buffalo had no luck as Andrew decided to stay in sunny California. Additionally, after dumping Captain Checkdown (aka Trent Edwards), Ryan Fitzpatrick was thrust into the starting QB role and did a pretty good job (given the situation).

2. The Defensive Stud (Defensive Lineman or Linebacker)

Hey, you can't get much worse than the Bills defense (unless you compare this year's defense to last year's - it's hard to believe but they actually were worse). The shift from the 4-3 to the 3-4, along with the retirement of Aaron Schoebel and a general lack of talent, made the Bills a laughingstock against the run. Virtually every running back that played the Bills this year had their best game (this includes a few rookies and third stringers that ran like Walter Payton against the hapless Bills D).

3. The Luxury Pick (Best Player Available)

This is the age old NFL wisdom, "take the best player on the board".

All of this is complicated by the many years of futility of lousy Bills high draft picks (Aaron Maybin, John McCargo, James Hardy - ouch, it's too painful to go on).

So what's a team to do? Well, like everybody else I have an opinion and here it is. Draft a stud defensive lineman or linebacker. Draft a beast - an athletic overachiever, a physical specimen with a nasty attitude.

Why? Because the offense showed signs of life. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a serviceable QB, the receiving corps improved, and the O line (with the exception of one OT) is promising. On defense, the secondary is not nearly as shabby as the pathetic defensive line and linebacking corps.

Start with biggest problem (maybe the worst defense in the NFL) and work from there. The Bills have an adequate QB for the near future and cannot afford a luxury pick (not with the current defense). So it has to be a defensive linemen or linebacker. See, its simple!

Oh, for the record, if the Bills draft a defensive back with the 3rd pick, I'm not renewing my season tickets. That should resonate with Bills management!