Clausen Finally Gets Drafted

By Justin Worsley

Much like fellow Notre Dame alumnus Brady Quinn, the highly touted quarterback Jimmy Clausen faced his biggest nightmare in the NFL Draft, a free-fall.

Clausen, who like Quinn, was considered a top-10 player and the second-best quarterback by many scouts. After Denver selected Florida's Tim Tebow with the 25th, overall pick, it was evident that Clausen would still be undrafted at the end of round one.

There was hope, however, that Clausen would be taken early in the second round. Many teams who were selecting early in the second round are in dire need for a quarterback of Clausen's caliber. Clausen continued to drop, however, as Kansas City, Cleveland, Buffalo, Oakland and Arizona passed on the gunslinger until the Carolina Panthers selected Clausen with the 48th overall pick.

Carolina, who did not have a first-round pick, released the franchise's all-time leading passer Jake Delhomme earlier in the month and are currently relying on Matt Moore to lead the team this season. Moore was impressive in little playing time last season, going 4-1 as a starter while throwing for 1,053 yards and 8 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions.

While Clausen is expected to immediately compete for the starting quarterback position, that didn't stop the Panthers from selecting another quarterback in the third round. Appalachain State's Armanti Edwards, the record-setting quarterback in the FCS-division of college football, was selected with the 89th pick of the draft.

The move came as a surprise to many Panthers fans, who saw a glaring need at several other positions. Carolina also traded away next season's second-round draft pick to New England in order to acquire Edwards. Edwards, who also ran for over 4,000 rushing yards in his collegiate career, could be used as the quarterback for the teams wilcat formations.

The Panthers also provided a new target for next season, wide receiver Brandon LaFell, with the 78th pick in the draft.

Lions Draft Aggressively, Improve On Both Sides Of The Ball

By Justin Worsley

For the second consecutive season, the Lions have found a way to earn two first-round draft picks.

Last season, the Lions used the first-overall selection to take franchise quarterback Matt Stafford. Earning Dallas' first-round choice for disappointing wide receiver Roy Williams, the Lions also selected Brandon Pettigrew with the 20th overall pick.

This year, the Lions held the second-overall pick, which was used on Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh gained national attention in the Big XII Conference Championship Game where he decimated the Texas Longhorns' offensive line. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last December.

The Lions needed help at either defensive or offensive tackle, however, it is no secret that head coach Jim Schwartz, a former defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, was eyeing Suh. Schwartz ha developed stars out of defensive tackles in the past, most notably Albert Haynesworth.

The Lions, however, were not content with finishing the night early. In a shocking inner-division trade, the Lions acquired the Minnesota Vikings' 30th overall pick to select California running back Jahvid Best. In return, the Vikings will receive Detroit's second-round draft pick (34th overall) and their seventh-round pick (214th.) The teams will also swap selections in the fourth-round (Minnesota now has the 100th pick and Detroit will select 128th.)

Best was considered one of the best running back in the draft, despite an injury concern, most notably concussions. In the past 12 months, Best has suffered three concussions, including a season-ending concussion while hurdling a defender in order to score a touchdown against Oregon State on November 7.

Both players will make an immediate impact on the Lions. Detroit was unable to move the ball on offense, ranking 24th in rushing yards. The team was even worst at getting to the quarterback, however, only recording 26 sacks, the fourth-worst in the league.

A Shocking First Round As Bradford Goes 1 And Tebow Goes 25

By Matthew Klein

In a shocker in the first round of the draft the Denver Broncos with the 25th overall pick chose Quarterback Tim Tebow from Florida. This made Tebow the 2nd QB taken behind Sam Bradford who went #1 overall. Many people thought that Tebow would not even go first round, some even thought late second early third, but the Broncos took a chance. Jimmy Clausen was thought by many to be the second QB taken, some thought he would go top 10. Well it turns out he was not even chosen in the first round and will have to wait till tommorow.

Followed by Bradford at 2 was Nebraska's big man Ndamukong Suh. This was a no brainer for Detroit as Suh will give them a huge boost at the defensive tackle position and with his size and speed he should get adjusted quick and turn out to be a star in a couple of years. Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams both from Oklahoma followed third and fourth respectivly which made three Sooners selected in the first five

The draft will resume tommorrow at 6 on ESPN. As everyone will be tuned in to see where Clausen and Colt McCoy both end up, as well as waiting for big trades to go down.

Much Action Planned In This Summer’s Theaters

By Justin Worsley
With the release of “Iron Man 2” on May 7, it will officially kick open the door for this Summer’s blockbuster films. The next four months will be jam-packed with enough action and adventure films to make life outside of celluloid boring and delusional. Listed below are the top five must see movies of the Summer:
Must-See Movies:
1. “Iron Man 2”
Release Date: May 7.

Following the 2008 box-office hit, Robert Downey Jr. is back as billionaire Tony Stark, who must cope with a world that knows of his alter ego, Iron Man, and the American government as they press Stark for information on his technology to further advance their military. Stark must also confront two new villains Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Whiplash (Mickey Rourke.) The film returns director Jon Favreau as well as Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, Stan Lee, writer of the “Iron Man” comic-book series, will also have a cameo.
2. “The Expendables”
Release Date: August 13.

This movie will either be brilliant or an awful, run of the mill action film, however, I feel optimistic. Sylvester Stallone, who wrote, directed and stars in the movie actually broke his neck during one of the fight scenes. “The Expendables” is about a group of mercenaries who are sent to South America to overthrow a dictator only to find out upon arrival that they are deceived and there is a traitor among their group. The film stars many of Hollywood’s former and current action stars including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and a special appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film will also be the last screen appearance by Brittany Murphy.
3. “Inception”
Release Date: July 16.

Director Christopher Nolan takes a break from the “Batman” franchise to direct this thriller. Dom Dobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) has the ability to enter the minds of wealthy tycoons and sell their secrets and strategies to bidders. While inside the mind of a major CEO, however, Dobb finds himself trapped as the mind grants a person more power than in reality. Dobb and his teammates need to find a way for him to escape as the CEO attempts to figure out Dobb’s methods for his own use. The film also stars Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
4. “Robin Hood”
Release Date: May 14.

While watching the previews, the newest version of “Robin Hood” looked like a medieval re-make of “Gladiator.” While Ridley Scott is directing and Russell Crowe is starring, this film is nothing like the latter. The story focuses on Robin Hood as he uses his military tactics to liberate his home village from the tyrannical rule of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen.) The original contect of Robin Hood characters past will still be present, so there is expected to plenty of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
5. “Toy Story 3”
Release Date: June 18.

Andy is now grown up and no longer has any use for his toys. So as he goes off to college, Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and the whole crew and donated to Sunnyside Daycare, seen as a retirement resort for the toys. It is soon, discovered, however, that Andy realizes he is missing his toys and the gang must work together to return back to their owner. Along with the reuniting of Tim Allen and Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton joins the cast as the smooth talking Ken doll who falls for a Barbie doll in the movie.
For more information on the upcoming films, including trailers and a calendar for all movies being released this Summer, visit imdb.com.

Redskins Have Added New Face Of Franchise, Looks To Build Team

By Justin Worsley

The Redskins shocked the NFL last month with an inner-division trade to acquire quarterback Donovan McNabb. The team has all the tools now to become a playoff contender, but in order to be successful in a tough NFC East division, the team needs to improve their offensive line.

Chris Samuels, the teams left tackle for the decade, is no longer on the team after injuries forced him into retirement. McNabb has had a share of injuries in his career and if the Redskins would like for him to be successful, drafting a tackle to protect him will be crucial.

Luckily for the Redskins, there are several offensive tackles who merit a top-10 pick in the draft. Oklahoma Stat'es Russell Okung could slide down to here, and is the clear-cut top prospect at the position. If he is unavailable, however, the team could look at Iowa's Brian Bulaga or Maryland's Bruce Campbell.

Any of those three players would immediately start for the Redskins depleted line as they face some of the NFL's best pass rushers in a sack-happy NFC East division.

Tampa Bay Looks To Improve Defensively In Draft

By Justin Worsley

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have always lived by the philosophy that the best offense is a great defense.

After an awful start to last season, the Buccaneers got hot down the late stretch, winning two of their final three games, including a 20-17 overtime victory of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

With the third overall pick in the draft, the Buccaneers could have two great options available at defensive tackle. While Ndamukong Suh is considered by many to be one of the first players selected in the draft, many others feel that Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is the better of the two prospects. Both could be available here.

Also contending with the third-overall selection is offensive tackle Russell Okung, who could protect the blind side of quarterback Josh Freeman and help speed his development.

Trading down could also be an option, but it is unlike as Tampa Bay tends to treasure their first-round picks.

Detroit Showed Signs Of Improvement, But Still Face A Long Road

By Justin Worsley

Though many teams see a 2-14 season as a miserable campaign, the Detroit Lions see it as baby steps to progress.

The Lions, who spent the 2008 season without a single win, are remodeling their franchise, starting with last seasons draft. Under new head coach Jim Schwartz, the Lions used their first-overall pick on quarterback Matt Stafford, the new face of the franchise. The Lions also had the 20th overall pick, used on tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

With the second-overall pick in tonight's draft, there are plenty of options available for Detroit, but more than likely, the draft will be brought down to two players: offensive tackle Russell Okung and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The question is, which pick is better? Both players would fill a big need on both teams, as the Lions surrendered 43 sacks last season and had the league's worst defense.

Detroit has been busy this off-season, acquiring defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and defensive tackle Corey Williams via free agency and trade.

If Okung is drafted, he would become a day-one starter, moving incumbent Jeff Backus into the guard position, where he would thrive as a run blocker. There have also been talks of the Lions trading with the Redskins to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, a former teammate of Vanden Bosch while both were coach by Schwartz in Tennessee.