News-o-rama

Lots of news around the sports world, and who better to bring them to you than legendary anchorman from The Simpsons, Kent Brockman.

Chiefs Trade for Cassel, Vrabel

So the Chiefs get QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel from the Patriots, thus ending any speculation that they might take Mark Sanchez with the third pick in the NFL Draft. The Patriots receive the Chiefs 2nd round pick (34th overall) for the two players, which seems a little low considering the players involved. Seeing that the Browns get a 2nd and a future 5th for a oft-hurt tight end, and then seeing the Patriots settle for this offer from the Chiefs. Normally shrewd in their offseason tactics, the Patriots come off as a little sympathetic to their former VP of Football Ops and new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli. I might be a little sympathetic to him as well, seeing as how his quarterback situation consists of a player who is the only player to have ever been drafted out of Coastal Carolina (Tyler Thigpen), a guy who looks like less impressive in a jersey than Samuel L. Jackson doing tricep pull downs in the gym in SWAT (Damon Huard), and a guy who's best accomplishment in the league so far has been bringing his wife of HBO's Hard Knocks, Brodie Croyle. (Wife pictured here)

The thing is, I am not that sold on Matt Cassel. The thing that scares me is what happens when he goes from having the tutelage of Josh McDaniels, throwing to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Kevin Faulk, possibly the best at their respective positions at catching the ball, and playing behind a solid offensive line, to playing for the Chiefs who have a rising, yet still unproven #1 in Dwayne Bowe, a stone hands RB in Larry Johnson, and a 2nd receiver named Mark Bradley (cue up student section cheer: WHO CARES!). If anyone has watched a NE game, you realize that their offense consists of short pass after short pass to Faulk or Welker, middle of the road running play with either a mediocre white back they are trying to keep alive in the NFL (Heath Evans, Kyle Eckel) or one of their other running backs that may or may not be the same person (Lamont Jordan, Laurence Maroney, Lamont Jordan, BenJarvis Green-Ellis), and a long pass of some sort to Moss. Very simple, yet very effective game plan. If new coach Todd Haley recognizes that this is what made Cassel successful, then my questions about him will disappear. If he tries to make him Kurt Warner, one of the most accurate down-the-field passers in the NFL, than Cassel may be in trouble. KC does not have the protection that will be consistent enough to let Cassel stand tall and throw, which will turn him into David Carr being sacked 834 times in his first year with the Texans.

The jury is still out for me, as I think Cassel may turn out to be more Scott Mitchell than Brett Favre.

So where does this all leave Mark Sanchez in regards to his draft position? San Francisco seems to be the most likely landing spot at #10, but they still have Alex Smith's huge contract and they may be okay with Shaun Hill as their QB. Mike Singletary would certainly like to get another defensive player to compliment Patrick Willis, but Sanchez may be too hard to pass up here. Houston could be a possibility at #15, with them just trading Sage Rosenfels and Matt Schaub being as fragile as Tracy McGrady's vagina. If he falls to Chicago at #18, I don't think he slides any more. If the Bears really think that fat-faced Kyle Orton is their QB for the next five years, than they have another thing coming.

Officials officially suck

The state of refereeing (a funny word to say) is probably at an all-time low in college basketball right now. Anyone who watches any Big Ten game featuring Ed Hightower and his dance show after every call knows that Big 10 officiating is a bigger joke than Turtle not only scoring Jamie Lynn Sigler on the show Entourage, but also scoring her in REAL LIFE! Is this the biggest dating upset since Lorraine Baines fell for George McFly in Back to the Future? Anyways, the notion that the home team should "expect" to get some calls just because they are the home team is asinine to me. The more asinine part about this is the acceptance it has gained in the coaching and media community. It is almost as if coaches are comfortable getting bent over and violated like Tobias Beecher. The boiling point on the officiating for me came when I saw the following highlight on Sportscenter from the Duke/VT game ...

Scheyer not only changes his pivot foot about 4 times, he moves about 4 feet laterally on the court WITHOUT TAKING A DRIBBLE! I realize Duke players can get away with a lot of things, but this is getting ridiculous. Coach K must have gone all Jenna Jameson on the officials before the game if he gets this call. I only hope that Michigan does not get royally screwed by the officials in their final two crucial road games against Wisconsin and Minnesota. If I see Ed Hightower in the stripes for either, I may just go into a depression that hasn't been seen since Dirk Diggler post-porn career in Boogie Nights.

That's all for today, Go Blue, and NRTTS.

Coach Deuce