The QBs of the 2007 NFL Draft: The Worst Single Position of Any NFL Draft Class Ever?

We are now more than 2 1/2 years into the NFL careers of the players who were drafted in 2007.

If you scroll down the list of first round draftees, several names will jump out at you of players who have already carved out solid beginnings to their careers.

In a few cases, some of the first round draftees from 2007 have proven to be franchise cornerstones worthy of high picks: Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Darrelle Revis, Ted Ginn Jr, to name a few.

In other cases, however, the players drafted in 2007 have proven to be worth far less than what their draft position might suggest. This is no more evident than with respect to the two QBs drafted in the first round in 2007: JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn.

My goodness, what wasted first round picks those two are proving to be.

And amazingly, Russell and Quinn are not alone. Several other QBs were taken in 2007, none of whom have amounted to much of anything. Let’s review the carnage.

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Week 11 Injury Status Updates for Benson, Turner, Orton, Bush, and More

It’s Friday, so let’s run down the latest news on the most pertinent injuries affecting the Week 11 fantasy football landscape.

Week 11 Injury Status: Running Backs

Everyone knows by now that Brian Westbrook is out for this week and maybe many more weeks. Here is the news on the other injured running backs.

Cedric Benson Week 11 Injury Status Update: The surprise fantasy stud of 2009 still has not practiced this week and it is looking more and more like he will be out against Oakland on Sunday. This stinks for Benson owners because the Raiders are terrible against the run.

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In Memory of Stefanie Spielman & In Support of Her Cause

I am sitting here right now both humbled and saddened as I type this post, having just heard the news of Stefanie Spielman’s passing and then spending a good part of my early morning reading up on her story.

There were a variety of options for morning posts today, but everything else seemed woefully insignificant when stacked up against the story of Stefanie Spielman.

If you are unfamiliar with Stefanie, she was the wife of Ohio State legend Chris Spielman. She was also a woman who spent more than decade of her life dedicated to leading the fight against breast cancer and to helping improve the lives of those who were living with the disease and their families.

Unfortunately, breast cancer claimed the life of Stefanie Spielman yesterday. She was 42 years old.

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Seriously, How the Hell Could Things Get Any Worse in Cleveland?

A couple of things struck me recently regarding how bad things are in 2009 for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.

Anyone who has watched a game this season knows just how bad the team is, but a few things have happened this week that go beyond the offensive offensive numbers (repetition intended) and the record to truly illustrate what a putrid season this has become.

First off, there may be no bigger indictment of the sorry state of the Browns than this: the Detroit Lions, a team that went 0-16 a year ago and has won only one game this year, is a 3.5 point favorite over the Browns this weekend.

But wait…there’s more.

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Thanksgiving Day Football TV Schedule: NFL and College Football

Today is the third Thursday in November, which means one thing and one thing only to me and many of you reading this: we are now officially one week away from the greatest meal of the year.

We are also one week away from a day when it is generally accepted in most households that the TV will be tuned to football all day long.

And, of course, we’re one week away from being able to share a wonderful day with friends and family and let them know that we are thankful for their presence in our lives.

But you don’t need our help with that. You’re here for one thing and one thing only: the Thanksgiving Day TV schedule for the NFL and college football games that will accompany our turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and eventual food coma.

Let’s get right to it.

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Zack Greinke Named AL Cy Young Award Winner

On the same day that one Kansas City athlete found out that he won’t be playing for a month or so, another Kansas City athlete found out that his return from the brink of career disaster has officially come full circle.

Royals hurler Zack Greinke was named the AL Cy Young Award winner today, beating out Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia, and Roy Halladay.

Curiously, Jose Contreras did not receive any votes.

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Breaking News: Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe Suspended For Using Performance Enhancing Drugs

Via KCChiefsBlog.com, Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe has been suspended for using performance enhancing drugs.

His suspension will reportedly begin immediately.

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Josh Cribbs Injury Update: Possible Concussion, Released from Hospital

The Browns got their asses handed to them again last night in another embarrassing offensive performance that culminated in a 16-0 shutout.

But nothing the offense did (or didn’t do) could match the collective fear and frustration felt when Josh Cribbs needlessly went down on the last play of the game and then had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

Let’s forget for a moment how asinine it was for the team to run a “hook and ladder” play with the game out of reach and get to the important stuff: this morning’s Josh Cribbs injury update.

The latest Cribbs injury update, according to the Plain-Dealer, is that Cribbs was taken to the hospital immediately after last night’s game and is being evaluated for a concussion.

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NFL Week 11 Picks, Point Spreads, TV Schedule, and Announcer Lineup

BAM! Now that’s what I call a comeback.

After two straight sub-.500 weeks that had me one more really bad week away from the .500 line for the year, I dominated in Week 10. After a 12-3 record picking against the spread, I am now up to 78-58 on the year, which is a very solid 57% success rate.

With how zany and unpredictable the NFL is, and considering the fact that I pick these games based on gut instinct at the beginning of the week, I will take that all day long.

But there is no time to revel in past glory. It’s already Tuesday morning and another week of NFL football starts in less than 72 hours on Thursday night.

As always, here is your TV schedule, announcer lineup, and spread picks for each game.

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College Football TV Schedule and Point Spreads – Week 12 (November 21st)

Getting a jump start on next week’s college football TV schedule and point spread post because I don’t want to have to worry about it tomorrow night. Peyton v Brady will have my attention.

Anyway, the schedule is not filled with marquee matchups (Ohio State-Michigan is the headliner, if that tells you anything) but certainly could still be a pivotal week in the overall landscape of the season if any of the top teams stumble.

All will be favored by double digits though, so don’t hold your breath.

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice and Projections

I knew that if I stuck with Jamaal Charles long enough that he would come through for me; and come through he did. Not that it should be all that surprising, but Charles carved up the Raiders’ D for 100+ yards and a touchdown.

The question now becomes whether or not Charles is a must-start on a go forward basis. Most weeks he may be, but you certainly have to wonder about him this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule.

I’ll tell you one guy I wouldn’t question in Week 11: Ricky Williams. He should be a guy you’re playing most weeks anyway, but with Ronnie Brown’s status in doubt for Thursday night, Ricky’s value skyrockets.

As I try to do every week, I’ll make my best attempt to steer you in the right direction about Charles, Williams, and a host of other players. That’s what this post is all about, so let’s get to it.

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Quick Site Update

Hey everyone. If you visited the site tonight you may have noticed a few hiccups for a short time and you may now notice a few posts missing. Nothing to worry about, we were just doing some server and database maintenance.

So my apologies for any delays, especially if you’re here looking for the college football and NFL TV schedules that we usually have posted by now. I’m working on them as we speak, and you’ll have them by tomorrow.

Have a great night all.

Packers, McCarthy Lay an Egg in Firing Longtime Employee Mike Wood

For the Green Bay Packers and coach (for now) Mike McCarthy, this is starting to feel like one of those star-crossed seasons that teams and coaches have during which things just seem to go wrong at every turn.

A story in yesterday’s Journal-Sentinel provides yet another example, and honestly doesn’t make a damn bit of sense from the Packers’ perspective.

A longtime Packers employee, Mike Wood, was fired by the Packers because McCarthy claimed that Wood told him not to “lay an egg” a couple of days before the epic Packers-Vikings game at Lambeau. Wood claims that he said nothing of the sort and merely told the coach to have the team ready to “kick some butt.”

I wonder why the hell it even matters, especially in relation to the employment of a loyal, 22-year employee.

Of course, this is the same coach who famously pushed for another longtime Packers employee to leave…but I digress.

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Crean & Crimson 2.0 Tips Off Tonight!

Certain days just have a different, more exciting feel about them, and every year this is one of those days for me.

Another season of Hoosier hoops tips off tonight.

Tom Crean and his young, talented team take the Assembly Hall floor tonight against Howard. The Big Ten Network is carrying the game, which will tip off at 8:00 ET. (FYI, find out all IU basketball viewing info at our 2009-10 IU basketball TV schedule).

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More Reaction to Jamal Lewis’ Theory For Browns Croppy Play in 2009

No folks, that’s not a type there in title. Croppy is the intended word.

And the beautiful photoshop work featured in this post is the fruit on our own Ryan Russell’s labor of Browns love, in response to the most colorful and nonsensical figurative part of Jamal Lewis’ pre-practice rant about Eric Mangini earlier today.

Via the OBR:

“If you look at this like it’s a farm, we (the players) are just the crops. We’re just the crops. We’re just the crops. You’ve got to take care of your crops. You’ve got to nurture them. And if you don’t, when it comes harvest time, your crop isn’t going to be any good.”

Full size picture (Eric Mangini included!) after the jump.

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