ESPN has Kiper & McShay, Fan Fanatic Sports counters with Ingram & Garner

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

JIM INGRAM'S MOCK DRAFT

(See Chad Garner's Mock Draft blog below)

Pick	Team	Player	Position
1	Rams	Sam Bradford	QB
2	Lions	Ndamukong Suh	DT
3	Bucs	Gerald McCoy	DT
4	Redskins	Russell Okung	OT
5	Chiefs	Brian Balaga	OT
6	Seahawks	Trent Williams	OT
7	Browns	Eric Berry	S
8	Raiders	Anthony Davis	OT
9	Bills	Jimmy Clausen	QB
10	Jaguars	Earl Thomas	S
11	Broncos	Rolando McClain	LB
12	Dolphins	Derrick Morgan	DE
13	49ers	CJ Spiller	RB
14	Seahawks	Jared Odrick	DT
15	Giants	Brandon Graham	OLB
16	Titans	Jason Pierre-Paul	DE
17	49ers	Joe Haden	CB
18	Steelers	Demaryius Thomas	WR
19	Falcons	Jerry Hughes	OLB
20	Texans	Kareem Jackson	CB
21	Bengals	Dez Bryant	WR
22	Patriots	Sergio Kindle	DE/OLB
23	Packers	Mike Iuputi	G
24	Eagles	Maurkice Pouncey	C
25	Ravens	Taylor Mays	S
26	Cardinals	Dan Williams	DT
27	Cowboys	Bruce Campbell	OT
28	Chargers	Ryan Matthews	RB
29	Jets	Everson Griffin	DE
30	Vikings	Brian Price	DT
31	Colts	Charles Brown	OT
32	Saints	Sean Witherspoon	LB

Chad Garner's Mock Draft

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

CHAD GARNER'S MOCK DRAFT

1. St. Louis – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma – Rams can’t even screw this one up.

2. Detroit – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska – Suh is a dominant force on the D-line.

3. Tampa Bay – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – McCoy should get paid big Bucs.

4. Washington – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State – ‘Skins got McNabb, now need to protect him.

5. Kansas City -- Eric Berry, S, Tennessee – Chiefs always need help on D. Berry could be a superstar.

6. Seattle – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma – Seattle would be wise to address a weak O-line.

7. Cleveland – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State – Bryant will play with a chip on his shoulder.

8. Oakland -- Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame – Al Davis will make another mistake drafting a QB.

9. Buffalo – Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa – Finally, someone who can block for the Bills.

10. Jacksonville – Joe Haden, CB, Florida – No, Jags aren’t drafting Tim Tebow here.

11. Denver – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama – A stud on the inside.

12. Miami – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee – Will be hard to run on the Dolphins.

13. San Francisco – Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas – Kindle’s motor is impressive.

14. Seattle – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson – Pete Carroll loves backs than can run & catch.

15. New York Giants – Mike Iupati, G, Idaho – G-Men get tougher up front in a hurry.

16. Tennessee – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida – Titans desperate for an edge rusher.

17. San Francisco -- Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers – Solid tackles don’t come around often.

18. Pittsburgh – Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida – Steelers like to pound the football.

19. Atlanta – Earl Thomas, S, Texas – Falcons welcome a ball hawks in secondary.

20. Houston – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State – Texans need help at corner.

21. Cincinnati – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma – Carson Palmer finally get a TE that can catch.

22. New England – Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri – Fits Patriot way: Smart, versatile, tough & good tackler.

23. Green Bay – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech – Watch him attack the quarterback.

24. Philadelphia – Kareen Jackson, CB, Alabama – Eagles always looking for value.

25. Baltimore – Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech – Flacco loving all these weapons.

26. Arizona – Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU – Cards get their outside pass rusher.

27. Dallas -- Charles Brown, OT, USC – Not a headline-stealing pick, but a necessary one.

28. San Diego -- Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State – If he falls this far, fans will be “Super Charged”.

29. New York Jets -- Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan – Another toy for Rex Ryan to play with.

30. Minnesota – Taylor Mays, SS, USC – Mays is a hard hitter who will knock you out.

31. Indianapolis -- Jared Odrick, DE/DT, Penn State, -- He’s relentless on the line.

32. New Orleans – Everson Griffen, DE, USC – Last pick in Round 1, consider that a steal.

Patriots have one tough schedule

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The NFL released the entire schedule for the upcoming 2010 season.

I quickly jumped onto patriots.com and got my first view of the Patriots' master schedule.

Here, take a look.

The first thing that comes to mind is are you kidding me?

Chew on this for a moment. The Pats have to play the Jets and Dolphins twice in tough AFC East battles, but also must play solid clubs like the Bengals, Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Steelers, Colts and Packers. So, if I'm counting correctly, New England plays 11 games vs. some of the better teams in the NFL.

Just based on the opponents itself, it seems like the Patriots are going to have a hard time making the playoffs.

An 8-8 season could be a good possibility. Just sayin'.

Yes, I said it.

But we all know you don't win anything on paper.

And in the NFL, we all should know by now that one team will be good and make the playoffs one season and the next they are close to the bottom of the barrel.

Parity in the league keeps things interesting, I guess.

So while I sit here and complain about how tough New England's schedule, maybe it won't be after all.

Either way, the schedule is out and now it's time to start preparing for another long journey in hopes of hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy once again.

It all starts when the Pats host the Bengals at 1 p.m. on September 12.

So Far, So Bad for the Red Sox

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I know we are only a dozen games into the season, but so far the Red Sox have looked average at best.

After ignoring offense and focusing on "run prevention" this off season, the Red Sox have not been good at either.

Case in point, take Mike Cameron. Cameron dropped an easy line drive against the Rays on Saturday, an error which quickly led to 4 unearned runs. Need another example? Look at Marco Scutaro. His throwing error against the Yankees in the opening series helped the Bronx Bombers get out of town with the series win.

Weren't guys like Cameron and Scutaro brought in to solidify the defense? They have done just the opposite. Couldn't have Jason Bay and Alex Gonzalez done just as well?

Outside of John Lackey, the pitching has also been pretty inconsistent. Beckett looked good Friday night, so that is a positive sign, but John Lester has once again been brutal in the month of April.

The bullpen has not been much better. Jonathan Paplebon looks like he has picked up where he left off last year, walking guys and putting runners on base. Okajima seems to always struggle with inherited runners, and Ramon Ramirez has looked nothing like the guy he was last year.

If the Sox are going to get going, it will still have to be with their pitching. The offense will not help out much. Outside of Dustin Pedroia, no one is hitting. Youklis is fine, and Victor Martinez will hit at some point, but after that, does anybody in that line up scare you? The offense reached a low point on Saturday. Bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 11th and you can't get a run home? Yikes.

Plus it doesn't look like the offense will get much better. Forget about the Red Sox getting Adrian Gonzalez anytime soon. Gonzalez is under the Padres control until after the 2011 season. Gonzalez may be moved at the deadline, but he has a very affordable contract for the Padres. Gonzalez is the Padres only star, and they struggle to sell tickets as it is. Why trade your best player until you absolutely must do so?

There is some good news on the horizon for The Nation however. Baltimore is on the schedule next week. After the Red Sox beat up on the Orioles, at least fans can talk themselves back into thinking that this team is a contender.

Here's what I have to say

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Here's what I have to say about 10 topics from around the world of sports. Agree or disagree, it's just important that you have an opinion either way.

And we always love hearing from you, too, so don't be shy about posting your comments!

1. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger makes me sick. If the reports, based on the accounts of the victim and her friends, are true, then this guy should be behind bars (but remember he was never charged). I know I would never let my sons wear a Big Ben jersey, ever. He's not a role model. People in Pittsburgh are even sick of his antics -- actually his night life and frequent screwups. I hope he gets suspended for four games.
2. If the Celtics are going to struggle with the Miami Heat, do you really believe they can win a World Championship? Exactly.
3. I'm still more pumped that the Bruins got the No. 2 pick in the NHL Draft than seeing them beat Buffalo in Game 2 of the playoffs to knot the best-of-7 series at one game apiece. The Bruins don't have a chance in hell to win the Stanley Cup. Lay off the peace pipe if you believe they can.
4. Who will the Patriots take in the first round of the draft? Your guess is as good as mine. Bill Belichick doesn't ever give the media a clue what that organization is going to do. He must be a fantastic poker player.
5. Who's the best hitter in baseball? Albert Pujols. Who's the best pitcher? Tim Lincecum. Go ahead and try to argue with me!
6. I had a friend say, "Varitek is to the Red Sox as Bruschi is to the Patriots." My response, "Don't ever compare Varitek to Bruschi, no comparison. Bruschi never sat the bench, ever!!!"
7. So nice to see Tiger Woods choke last week. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in his mind? It would be quite the show, wouldn't it?
8. When Paul Pierce went down with an injury near the Heat bench with 40 seconds left in Game 1 of the playoffs, I saw something I loved. Kevin Garnett and Big Baby Davis came to his rescue and tried to protect their teammate. Yes, shoves were exchanged between both teams and technical fouls were handed out (Garnett was even ejected for who knows why), but you've got to love the unity the Celts showed. They were trying to protect their own. That's what T-E-A-M is all about.
9. The Red Sox have problems right now. If you were the GM, what would be your first move? Mine would be to trade for a bat quickly (Yo, Adrian!!!).
10. If a kid gets drafted, I say sign and play pro ball. Forget about college, you can always go and get your degree at some point in your life. Playing a professional sport, it might be your only chance. Take the opportunity and run with it.

B's to ride Rask to series win over the Sabres

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

If you're a fan of this website, you're aware of my feelings towards the NHL Playoffs. If not, then I need to remind you the NHL Playoffs are, by far, the best set of playoffs in any professional sport. I love the intensity, I love the story lines, and I certainly love the beards! This year is no different, and if you're a Bruins fans, then you enter the playoffs with a glimmer of hope you didn't have the majority of the 2009-10 season.

What is the most important aspect of playoff hockey? Well, that would be goal tending, or a hot goalie to be more specific. I am well aware of the Sabres all world goaltender, Ryan Miller. I know he's the best goalie in hockey and is having one of his best years. I also know that Tuuka Rask has been flat out better when they go head to head. Rask is 4-1 this season against the Buffalo Sabres with a 1.42 GAA and .954 save percentage. Even without those head to head stats, Rask may be on the verge of being a better all around goalie than Miller. In case you didn't realize it, Rask finished the season with the leagues best goals against average and save percentage.

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't going to be an open round repeat of the Montreal series last year. Both teams aren't prolific goal scorers, and the Bruins defense could be classified as being in shambles. I predict the Bruins will win this series in 6 games. This is going to be a very close series that will see two games go to overtime. Not to put a damper on things, but if the Bruins do win this series, don't expect much else out of them. Ultimately, they don't have the offensive firepower to win 7 games series against the likes of the Capitals and Penguins.

# 2 pick is perfect for the Bruins

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Okay, picture this. It's Tuesday night, 8 pm, and the twins just went down to sleep. I park my but on the couch and tune into the Versus Network to watch the NHL Draft Lottery be unveiled. As I'm sitting there, I had this lump in my gut that the Bruins were destined to be stuck with the 3rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft. To my surprise, and great relief, the Bruins were awarded with the 2nd pick, and I was ecstatic. Yes, the Phil Kessel trade has finally started to pay off.

Contrary to most people, I am happy the Bruins got the 2nd pick and not the first overall. I know it's typically better to have the first pick and be able to make your choice between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. I guess I'm more of a pessimist and realist. Given some of the choices, and signings, Peter Chiarelli has made the past year and a half, I am more than happy to have the choice between these two franchise players removed from the situation. All the Bruins Organization has to do now is wait and see who falls to them.

Personally, I'd love to see the Bruins get Taylor Hall because he's a forward, and not a center like Seguin. Realistically, either player is going to make a huge impact next season and be the next face of the organization. I guess we'll just have to wait until June. Unlike the other teams in the top 5 of the draft, Bruins fans still have playoff hockey to enjoy.