Tonight is quite a night to be a sports fan. For me, a Chicago sports fan, this is probably the most packed evening in recent memory as both the Bulls AND Blackhawks play their respective playoff games as well as mediocre Cubs and White Sox baseball on the side. But that's not all! For those that are just sports fans in general, there's also three other NHL playoff game, two other NBA playoff games not a sports fan? There's the comedies on NBC, "Fringe," "The Mentalist," the medical soaps on ABC, a repeat of last night's "South Park" (if Comedy Central doesn't wuss out of replaying it after not repeating it last night at 11) and much more. Basically, if you own a TV tonight, you will be rewarded.
But you know what? F@&%. THOSE. S#%@$. Why? Because for the first time ever, the NFL Draft, the time of the year where all of the teams in the league chooses which available former college players they want on their team, will be broadcasted tonight. In PRIIIIMEEETIIIIMEEE! And you know what, it's alright with me.
After all, it takes ten minutes to make a team pick, so it's not like you have to spend the entire evening watching ESPN's terrible coverage of it. It's the most important day of the NFL offseason, so people will tune it despite the other options they have tonight. Finally, who cares about the NHL and NBA palyoffs? Unless your team is playing a playoff game tonight, it's not must see TV since, you know, it's only the FIRST ROUND of the NHL/NBA playoffs, and it's only game threes in most of the series playing today. You only get one day to find out who your team selects in the first round.
Finally, if it's such a bad idea for the NFL to promote the first round of the draft on Thursday nights, then why does it seem like coverage of it is bigger than ever. I mean, NFL Network had a six hour and twenty five minute pregame show before this whole thing began. More publications and Internet sites seem to have made more mock drafts then ever before. ESPN, bless their hearts, started their coverage of the draft since 9 a.m./ET. So, it's sort of like this made the speculation bigger.
That's really all I have to say in this. I thought of doing a mock draft, but I decided not to. It's not because that I don't want to, but because I only know, like, fifteen people where in previous years I would know at least forty. But while I'm still here, I do believe that this draft will conclude with:
1. Sam Bradford to St. Louis
2. Ndamukong Suh to Detroit
3. Gerald McCoy to Tampa Bay
4. Washington trades down for a OT in the middle of the first round
5. Eric Berry to Cleveland
6. Jimmy Claufsen to the Bills
7. Ben Roethlesberger stays in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers will draft a QB eitherway
8. Tim Tebow will be taken in the late first round
9. Dez Bryant will go to Seattle
10. I kind of mentioned this earlier, but I'll repeat: NFL Network's coverage will surpass ESPN by a mile
11. Jets fans, despite their busy offseason already, will still have their pick booed by the fans
So does the NFL look arrogant for doing this? Yes. But fans of the NFL will watch eitherway, so that's that. So enjoy the draft, and I'll see you with my offseason recap the week before the Hall of Fame game.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
UPDATE (04/23): Now that the first round is over, I've thought of another reason: seeing players that were supposed to be selected as a high draft pick not being picked in the first round at all and having a day to take that dissapointment in, not a few hours. I'm thinking of you, Jimmy Claussen!
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 for his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
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