IX - SB Nation has added a number of new sites recently. Here's a few you might enjoy checking out. First, there's Football Study Hall, a site devoted to advanced college football statistics. If you love the college game, are interested in the draft, or are a stat geek, you'll enjoy the site. It's quite impressive. For those of you would rather talk about beer than advanced stat metrics, check out Sports Bar Nation, a website devoted to beer, bars, breweries and tailgates. Incredibly, two of the site's authors will get paid to check out some of the best watering holes in the country. Join the conversation if you're a suds lover or want to talk about a local place you particularly like. Then there's Mocking the Draft, a site devoted to nothing but NFL Draft coverage year round. Then, if you're still looking for more analysis and notes about college players set to enter the NFL, you can always reference any one of the dozens college sites on the network.
X - Ed Bouchette continues to share good stories about the 1987 NFL strike.
XIII - The Pittsbugh Power's inaugural season in the Arena Football League is underway and Steelers Lounge provides an entertaining and informative assessment of the 'Pittsburgh Power experience'.
XIV - Steelers.com is now running a Q&A with Steelers owner Art Rooney II. Rooney is not at all shy in his expressing his disappointment and bewilderment about how the players responded to their proposals. In essence, Rooney believes the NFLPA had its mind made up to take this puppy to the courts.
XL - At about this time several years ago, I heard an interview with Jerod Mayo that made me sold on him as a future star and very safe first round pick. Mayo was widely considered a sure thing to go in the first round, but not really much higher than the late teens to mid-20s. During our 2008 BTSC Community Mock Draft, I selected him with Baltimore's pick at No. 8. Turned out that Bill Belichick was also intrigued with Mayo, as the Patriots moved up to nab the former Tennessee Vols star at No. 9. Anyway, I mention that just because I didn't really know anything about Mayo other than that he was a really productive middle linebacker for the Vols. But when I listened to him speak on the radio in the spring of 2008, I was immediately sold on him as a long-term stud at LB for some NFL team. He sounded like an NFL MLB/ILB -- a great communicator, clearly a natural born leader, just the right blend of humility and cockiness.
So, with that in mind, here's a number of NFL Draft prospects radio appearances from this past week or so. I've yet to listen to any myself, but hopefully will have time to so I can hopefully get a pulse on another player or two I feel will make great NFL players for years to come.
- QB Jake Locker with Kevin Calabro on 710 ESPN
- OL Anthony Castanzo on WEEI in Boston
- DT Marcell Dareus with Gambo & Ash on KTAR in Phoenix
- DE Cameron Jordan with Darren Smith on XX 1090 in San Diego
- Steve Sands with Gino on WQAM in Miami (scroll down audio box just a bit to see Sands' interview)
I'll try to pass along a few more each week that I think you all might be interested in.
XLV - ESPN's AFC North blog takes a stab at identifying the top three drafts in the division since 2000. A Steelers class made the top three. Can you guess which one? Agree with the placement?