Because Everyone Else Does It...

Count me among the thousands of football wonks out there who think they can predict the first round of the NFL Draft. It's an exercise in futility to be sure, but what the hell, I'll take a shot.

I'll spare you my analysis because that would make for a seriously long-winded piece. But keep in mind that the picks I've made do not reflect trades that I think will happen.

So without further ado, here goes nothing.

1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long - OT - Michigan

2. St. Louis Rams - Chris Long - DE - Virginia

3. Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan - QB - Boston College

4. Oakland Raiders - Darren McFadden - RB - Arkansas



5. Kansas City Chiefs - Glenn Dorsey - DT - LSU

6. New York Jets - Vernon Gholston - DE - Ohio State


7. New England Patriots - Brandon Albert - OG - Virginia

8. Baltimore Ravens - Leodis McKelvin - CB - Troy

9. Cincinnati Bengals - Keith Rivers - LB - USC

10. New Orleans Saints - Sedrick Ellis - DE - USC

11. Buffalo Bills - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie - CB - Tennessee State

12. Denver Broncos - Derrick Harvey - DE - Florida

13. Carolina Panthers - Reshard Mendenhall - RB - Illinois

14. Chicago Bears - Ryan Clady - OT - Boise State

15. Detroit Lions - Jeff Otah - OT - Pittsburgh

16. Arizona Cardinals - Aqib Talib - CB - Kansas



17. Kansas City Chiefs - Chris Williams - OT - Vanderbilt

18. Houston Texans - Kentwan Balmer - DT - North Carolina

19. Philadelphia Eagles - Devin Thomas - WR - Michigan State

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jerod Mayo - LB - Tennessee

21. Washington Redskins - Kenny Phillips - S - Miami

22. Dallas Cowboys - Limas Sweed - WR - Texas

23. Pittsburgh Steelers - Phillip Merling - DE - Clemson

24. Tennessee Titans - Malcolm Kelly - WR - Oklahoma

25. Seattle Seahawks - Gosder Cherilus - OT - Boston College

26. Jacksonville Jaguars - Lawrence Jackson - DE - USC

27. San Diego Chargers - Jonathan Stewart - RB - Oregon

28. Dallas Cowboys - Felix Jones - RB - Arkansas

29. San Francisco 49ers - DeSean Jackson - WR - California



30. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Flowers - CB - Virginia Tech

31. New York Giants - Dan Connor - LB - Penn State


That's it, that's the list. I'll be back on Monday to make fun of myself for being so wrong about these picks. Hey at least I'll get number one right.

Player Haters

Here's the scenario. You're a good looking, successful bachelor with some time off from your daily grind and you want to spend some quality time with your woman in Mexico. Sounds nice huh?

Now imagine that your woman just happens to be Jessica Simpson. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

Well if your name happens to be Tony Romo and you're the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys you can make that dream come true and make all of us regular dudes Cowboy-blue with envy.

That's exactly what Romo did during the Cowboys off week and instead of getting love from every male with a pulse, Romo is instead being questioned for shifting his focus away from football to hang out poolside with one of the hottest women on the planet.

I know fans and media types want their athletic heroes to be all sports all the time, but I have news for you people, they're regular people just like us. Who are we to say a guy can't take a few days to relax and enjoy the company of a mega-hottie like Simpson?

Kudos to the Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips for giving his guys a little time away from what has been a grueling regular season to clear their heads and come back refreshed for a playoff run.

Of course people are going to bash Phillips and Romo should the Giants upset the Cowboys this weekend, but even if they do I don't think letting his guys get away from football for a while will be the reason.

These guys are professionals, the best at what they do, who spend the bulk of their lives preparing to play the game of football both during the season and in the off-season. No, if they lose it'll be because the Giants played better on that day, not because Tony Romo happens to date someone hotter and more famous than you do.

When you and I take advantage of our vacation days no one questions our ability to do our jobs upon our return. Why do we seem to think it's OK to bash these guys for not eating, drinking and sleeping football 24/7?

There has to be something more newsworthy going on than what "Tonessica" are doing in their free time. Perhaps people want to have something to blame a potential loss on, but trust me when I tell you that it's not just coach/player-speak when they tell you it's all about who executes on Sunday.

So Cowboys fans and all the Terry Bradshaw's of the world can rest their little player-hating heads, Romo will be just fine(not as fine as Jessica, of course) and he and the Cowboys will be ready to play come Sunday.