This contract is ridiculous. Haynesworth is a great player, a great player but 100 million dollar potential?

The Washington Redskins signed Haynesworth this morning, the first day he was eligible to talk with other teams and this thing went fast and why wouldn’t it. The Redskins shelled out 154 million between Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall and it had better work. With our nations economy in shambles these type of contracts are getting looked at by a number of people with wondering eyes. I wont’ fault Haynesworth for taking what is offered but I will fault the Redskins for what they’ve done. They’ve upped the value of a player and a position and paid money they didn’t have to pay to get the man. The season ticket holders, who are loyal Redskins fans, will be a mixed bunch. Some will be ecstatic as they look to the future of an already solid defense with the best defensive lineman in the game. Others for sure will wonder why they signed him for so much over the bar and how it just comes out of their pockets in the end.

The kicker in the deal to me is that Haynesworth will receive 41 million guaranteed dollars from this regardless of how he plays. He receives 32 million of those guarantees within the first 12-13 months of the contract. That is ridiculous.

Haynesworth and Hall had better get the Redskins to the playoffs or the Redskins will have to spend another 150 million next free agency to try again. Enjoy the season ticket increase Redskin fans and I sincerely hope it is worth it.

I love watching the combine and the attitudes of the players here. The top picks have all been so schooled on what they will be tested on that it is a science to watch.

Today I focused on watching Vontae Davis from Illinois. If you’ll remember, a few years ago his brother Vernon was in the combine and lit the place up. His performance there was legendary and got him drafted in the first round by the 49ers but he’s yet to live up to his billing that day. What is amazing is that Vontae Davis is an incredible athlete who was a 3 year starter for Illinois. He caught Joe McKnight easily from behind in the Rose Bowl a few years ago and that really opened some eyes about how fast the kid really is. While most players benefit from a good performance at the combine, Davis situation is different. Because his brother performed well at the combine and hasn’t done so well in the NFL, the speculation is that teams are afraid that little brother will do the same thing. Vontae ran the fastest 40 time at 4.43 and had the most reps of any Db at 225 by putting that weight up 25 times. He’s an amazing athlete and football player who I had the pleasure to watch for the past 3 years as a legit Illini fan. He’s a first round pick who would go higher if he were not related to Vernon Davis. Sad.

As I watch the combine I realize that nobody in here has pads and that contact isn’t involved and I think that really misses the boat. Nowhere watching this can see what really makes these players good. Sure we can tell who is fast and who is strong but not who has good football sense unless you see them play the game against the best. I couldn’t care less about a guy who can run a 60 yard shuttle in 12 seconds if he can’t tackle someone or read a coverage.

The combine has turned into deciding who would be decent at special teams and that’s it because there is no way you can tell who would be a good football player at a track meet.

How in the crud does Bradford know if he made the right decision? He’s 21 years old and apparently hasn’t learned how good decisions are judged…by time and consequences. When I was 21 I made the decision to get married and so far so good but I wouldn’t know in 1 month what would happen 15 years later and Bradford doesn’t know that yet. I believe he is just trying to convince himself that he made the right choice because he may have a ton of regret. Look at all the what ifs:

1. What if he gets hurt? Sure he’ll have a giant insurance policy but not giant enough to cover what he’d received as a signing bonus alone as a top 3 pick in this draft.

2. What if the rookie contracts are changed? I know the players have a collective bargaining agreement and all but things can and do happen all the time that arne’t planned for. Last year Jake Long got over 20 mill in guaranteed money and more than half the players were furious at this because he got money for never being in the league at all and hadn’t proven himself.

3. What if Oklahoma isn’t as good? Sure they are projected to be a top 5 team again but anything can happen. If they lose 2-3 games and are out of the national championship discussion then what was the point of coming back. Do you come back to the team to set records or graduate or what?

I don’t see it yet and I can’t judge the decision yet because nothing has happened yet to base this off of. For all we know Bradford could come back to Oklahoma and get better and take them to a National title. He could get another Heisman trophy and end up the top pick in the coming draft. I hope it does for his sake. The last time this happened was Matt Leinart and he’s still riding the pine in Arizona when if he would’ve come out he would’ve been questionably the top pick of the draft instead of Alex Smith.

Point is we just don’t know yet. What is ‘good’ anyway? Good is relative to each person so I wish Sam nothing but the best.

I love getting ready for the NFL draft and seeing who the Bears can screw up on this year. Of course they didn’t last year getting Forte but any year that they may draft a QB is a disaster in the making.

This season isn’t the deepest among QB discussions and what makes that even more interesting is that Sam Bradford, Heisman winner, decided not to declare and remain in school. I’m still not sure on that one but to each his own.

Here’s the breakdown of the top 5 rated QB’s heading into the NFL draft right now:

1. Matthew Stafford: Projected top 5 pick from the University of Georgia. 6*3 240 pounds. Good athlete with a great arm.

2. Mark Sanchez: Projected top 10 pick from USC. 6*3, 225 pounds. Played with great players at USC for a coach that has been able to produce some good pros. His coach at USC didn’t want to come out but you can’t blame the kid. He’s a top 10 pick this year and a top 10 pick next year so this is a wash to me. Sure, another year of college could help him but he’s not going to be starting next year anyway.

3. Josh Freeman: Projected last first rounder from Kansas St. 6*6 245 pounds. Scouts love his size and arm strength. Will benefit from being drafted by a team that probably won’t need him to play right away.

4. Nate Davis: Projected 3rd-4th round from Ball St. 6*2 220 pounds. Scouts love his leadership skills. Led his team to a near undefeated season and showed that he could play in the league. With Davis going this late in the draft it shows how weak the QB position is this year.

5. Rhett Bomar: Projected late rounder: Sam Houston St college. We’ve all heard of this guy as he was the QB at Oklahoma prior to Sam Bradford. Bomar got in some trouble and admitted to it and took his game to a smaller school where he could star. Bomar shows all the tools that would make a good pro but the book is out on him due to the competition he played with and against. He will need to show well in the combine but he could move up.

He’s really done this time. No coming back. No 1 month straight of what is going to happen with Brett Favre. No more watching one of the best play the game anymore. I’m sad to see him go.

Do you think Brett regrets not retiring last season? I do. I think he regrets it and wishes he would’ve quit as a Packer. I think the players seemingly turning on him sort of sealed the deal for him and that’s one of the reasons he is leaving. I predicted a few months ago he would retire if we found out the injury was legit and it was. The Jets are better off without him and Favre is better off without the Jets.

I’m happy this came out today so now we can quit talking about A-Rod being on steroids and talk about a player who faced adversities, trials, pressures and handled those problems with honesty and pride unlike A-Rod. Let’s remember Favre for all the great things he did for football and for his teams and for the player/person he was while we were able to watch him.

Is it feasible to say that Roethlisberger is already a hall of fame qb? He has 2 rings and QB’s that win titles usually get in the Hall despite average careers. I don’t have to give examples here because we’ve seen what Super Bowl success does for a player looking to get in the Hall. My favorite example is Lynn Swann. I love talking about Lynn Swann because the guy doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame based on his stats. Go look them up….Never once did Swann have a 900 yard receiving season. Well, maybe he was a great kick returner? No, not really. He returned punts for a while. Maybe he had a long career? No, he retired after 8.5 seasons and was done by 30. There is nothing spectacular about the career of Lynn Swann that makes him a Hall of Fame player EXCEPT his Super Bowl career. In the big game, Lynn Swann will go down as one of the best wide receivers ever and that’s what got him in the Hall. Statistically there are 100 or more wide receivers that won’t make the Hall that are better than Swann, but not in the Super Bowl. Go compare the careers of John Stallworth and Lynn Swann and tell me based on stats who was the better receiver. Stallworth got in years after Swann did.

Is Big Ben the same way? He’s not a great qb stat wise and probably won’t ever be. He plays in a city and for a coach that likes to run the ball so Ben won’t wow you with his numbers. He’ll wow you with wins and leadership however. He’ll wow you when he reveals his 2 rings and he’s 25 years old. If Ben has a decent next 10 years with a few more shots at a title he will be a Hall of Fame player despite not putting up incredible numbers. That’s the way the Hall works and I’m against it but I’m always open to argument.

People always want to know how they can jump higher and while I believe jumping in a lot of cases is genetic, I know of 3 products that work and I’m proud to cover those with you today. While these appear as if they are only for basketball many people use them to increase overall athleticism and that’s why I’ve posted this today.

1. Jump Attack: Program by Tim Grover who trained Michael Jordan for years. Grover developed a program that has proven successful time and time again and has been on our best seller list for a long time. The plan can add 6 to 14 inches to your vertical leap in 12 weeks, and is based on exercise science and a unique sequence of explosiveness training. Many athletes have used the program and others continue to use it today. Many call it the Bible for increasing your jumping ability and maxing out your body’s potential.

2. Strength Shoes: I’ve talked about these a number of times and these shoes work if used. There are plenty of people out there who talk of how these shoes helped them personally and I’m one of them. These shoes helped me in a number of areas including speed and quickness. I love these and can’t speak highly enough about them. The key to making them work is to use them. It sounds funny, but when you mix these with hard work you will see results.

3. Jumpsoles: Jumpsoles work the same way Strength Shoes do but have some advantage and disadvantages when compared to the Strength Shoe. The Jumpsoles simply attach to the shoes you are currently wearing. They are less expensive so if you want to save 40 dollars you can. However, others like the Strength Shoes because they are solidly built and the sole and shoe are attached. They also like the fact that the shoe is built just for that purpose. I found it to be the preference of each person because both will get solid results if used.

I’ve included a few videos that you can see that may go into a little more detail on how the products can best be utilized.

STRENGTH SHOE VIDEO

JUMPSOLES VIDEO

I love Feb. 4th because Illinois gets to restock and Ron Zook always seems to bring in some exciting players. As fans, we never truly know what we are going to get but we sure like seeing stars next to each players name that is coming to the school that we love.

I love the drama of the day more than anything because you learn who you can count on and who you can’t. If I am recruiting a kid that has stuck with his commitment from day 1 then I have some extra respect for him as opposed to the kid who leads schools on only to sign elsewhere on signing day. I know they are 18 years old and have the right to change their mind and I’ve heard that one thousand times, but in reality I also have seen kids stick by their word and do what they say they will do and it says volumes about them as people.

These kids today signed LOI”S saying they will attend certain universities and that’s all great but very soon they will go from celebrities to just 1 person on an 85 man team. 1 person out of 85 who was also one of the best players in their high school. 1 person out of 85 who wants to play just as bad as they do and will do just as much to get that time. What kind of kid do I want to recruit? I want the kid who knows all this and doesn’t care about it. I want the kid who comes in and practices tough from day 1 to earn his playing time instead of getting his playing time because he picked a certain hat one day. I want the kid who will just be coached and realize he is part of something bigger. I want the kids who sent their faxes in 1st this morning because it meant keeping their word because those kids are the ones you can count on when the game is tight.

I love Feb. 4th.

That was a great Super Bowl and you could feel the country pulling for the Cardinals but it just wasn’t to be. Pittsburgh gave up all momentum only to steal it back in the last drive. Santonio Holmes may not be the greatest role model for our children, but he’s a great great football player and he showed it on the biggest stage of them all.

The Cards should have won the game. The Cards should have won. I’ve said it to myself over and over and over and it is painful and I’m not a Cards fan really. I’m a Cub fan so naturally I cheer for the underdog in most cases, but that game seemed like a good versus type scenario. My wife doesn’t even watch football but couldn’t turn the channel at the end of the game. It’s the most sports she’s talked with me in years if you don’t count apologies for the Cubs seasons. I gained an ever stronger respect for Kurt Warner. He put up 350 yards against a great defense with only a few mistakes thrown in. The most costly being the interception returned for a touchdown at the end of the 1st half. The Cards showed heart by coming back and never gave up even though most of the country did. Our super bowl party ended up being 3 people by mid 3rd quarter. Everyone bailed.

In the end the Steelers showed why they are Super Bowl champs by coming back like they did, but I can’t help but think the wrong team won.