Skinning Them Alive

RG3 might just find himself a
seat in the Oval Office.

The Washington Redskins are ready to find their next franchise quarterback.

They may have completed that search on Friday.

According to FoxSports.com, the Redskins have agreed in principle to send three first-round draft picks and another second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the No. 2 overall in April's upcoming NFL Draft.

However, nothing is official as the league's new year doesn't start until Tuesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. ET, meaning the deal still needs to be signed off and processed by the league office.

Washington is expected to select either Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III. Basically taking whomever the Indianapolis Colts choose not to add with the No. 1 pick.

All signs point to the Colts drafting Luck, leaving the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner for the taking.

Griffin had a fantastic collegiate career at Baylor, but impressed many with his athletic ability and raw talent at the combine. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, which is the fastest time for a quarterback since Michael Vick ran a 4.25 in 2001.

If in fact Washington does select Griffin, he will try and follow in the footsteps of another African-American Redskin quarterback.

In 1987, Doug Williams was responsible for leading the Skins to their second of three Super Bowl titles. Becoming the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, Williams was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

He routed the John Elway-led Denver Broncos, throwing a Super Bowl record four touchdowns passes in a single quarter, winning Super Bowl XXII, 42-10.

As for the Rams, they are one of the few teams in the NFL that believe they have their quarterback of the future after drafting Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma with the No. 1 overall pick in 2010. St. Louis and newly hired head coach, Jeff Fisher, are focused on winning and giving Bradford some offensive firepower and Oklahoma State's wide receiver Justin Blackmon could be just that.

The Rams last made the postseason in 2004 while Washington saw action in the 2007 playoffs. Both are hoping this deal can bring them back to the promise land.

'RG3' looks to be heading to our nation's capital and might just launch his own presidential campaign.

Super Mario Loses Some Fire Power

Williams won't be needing his helmet the rest
of the 2011 campaign. 

Just when many thought the injury to Indianapolis' Peyton Manning, who led the Colts to a division title seven out of the last eight years, would open the door for the Houston Texans to take hold of the AFC South, the injury bug is back.

The Texans have lost outside linebacker Mario Williams for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in their 25-20 loss to the emotionally driven Oakland Raiders Sunday.

Williams was injured after sacking Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell late in the first quarter. The injury couldn't have come at a worse time after their superstar wide receiver Andre Johnson was injured just a week prior.

Johnson sustained a right hamstring injury in their Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but has yet to play since, having to undergo a minor procedure to help repair his hamstring, putting his status for their Week 6 game in Baltimore in doubt.

As for Williams, who changed positions this spring from defensive end to outside linebacker to accommodate newly hired defensive coordinator Wade Phillip's 3-4 defensive scheme, was just starting to flourish in the new system. The 26-year-old linebacker had recorded 5 sacks through the team's first five games and had forced a fumble.

Williams has been placed on injured reserve and is said to be undergoing surgery sometime next week.

The injury to Williams leaves a gapping hole at the linebacker position for head coach Gary Kubiak with him now having to rely of his eight-year defensive end out of Oklahoma State, Antonio Smith, and linebacker Brian Cushing, to carry much of the defensive load.

Williams played his college ball at North Carolina State and was selected with the first overall pick by Houston in the 2006 NFL Draft, surprising many when they elected not to take collegiate star Reggie Bush out of the University of Southern California.

It looked like a terrible move out of the gate when Williams struggled mightily in his first year in the NFL. In the 16 games Williams played in '06, he only recorded 4.5 sacks with 47 tackles, 35 were solo.

In 2007 that all changed. Williams became a defensive force and had monster season recording a career-high 14 sacks with 59 tackles, forcing two fumbles and recovering one of them and returning it for a touchdown. His 14 sacks ranked third in the NFL that season, but he was snubbed of his first career Pro Bowl when he obviously deserved to play in Hawaii.

2008 might have been his best season overall when he forced a career-high four fumbles and totaled 12 sacks. Those numbers were good enough to have himself selected for his first career Pro Bowl and then again in 2009.

His 2010 season was hampered by a sports hernia, causing him to miss three games during the regular season, but his numbers were still impressive. Williams recorded 8.5 sacks in his limited action, giving him his fourth-straight season of nine sacks or more.

Johnson hasn't played since Week 4 & probably
will not play Sunday against the Ravens.

Despite Bush winning a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints two years ago, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins this offseason after the Saints didn't think his productivity matched his pay. On the other hand Williams has turned into one of the games best defensive players and has played all six seasons with Houston, but that might no longer be the case come this offseason.

Williams is a free agent at seasons end, putting himself and the Texans organization in a tough situation. You can bet they most certainly want him back, but at the right price.

For now Houston must continue on with what they have and set their sights on their first division title in the franchise's brief history.

They are currently tied for first-place in the AFC South with the 3-2 Tennessee Titans while the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) and Indianapolis Colts (0-5) are starting to plan for next season. They will need their Pro Bowled filled offense of quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster, who is currently dealing with a hip issue and was injured to start the season, and Johnson to stay healthy and lead the way if this is the year they are to make the postseason.

Williams will have to sit watch, wondering if he has played his last game as a member of the Houston Texans.

Raider Nation Moans Loss Of Commander-In-Chief

Davis was hard-nosed, but he knew what it
took to be a winner.

Saturday marked a truly sad day for the National Football League along with Raider Nation with the unexpected passing of their legendary owner, Al Davis.

Davis, 82, died peacefully in his Oakland home, the team said. But the cause of death has yet to be determined and released to the public.

With the passing of one of the most important figures in sports history, we now have time to reflect on what a remarkable life it really was.

Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Davis began his coaching career working for several different colleges, highlighted by his time as the offensive line coach for the University of Southern California. He worked his way up the ranks and finally had his talent and hard work noticed by an AFL team, the Los Angeles Chargers, who would eventually become what we know now today as the San Diego Chargers.

In 1960, he was hired as the Chargers assistant coach and held that position until the end of the 1962 season.

He would be wooed by the Oakland Raiders and quickly be named their head coach and general manager in 1963, brining his newly learned vertical and West Coast offense up North. That is when he become the leader of the silver and black, a position he would never relinquish. It was then he would assume an image that would define him for nearly a half century.

His first year on the job he would be named the AFL Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 10-4 record.

Three years deep into his coaching career, Davis decided it was time for a new project and was named the AFL's Commissioner in 1966, making the league immensely more popular and essentially got it on the map. Despite knowing the merger between the NFL and AFL was inevitable, he resigned as commissioner and instead bought owner's stake in the Raiders.

While Davis may have been against the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, he was an instrumental part to making that possible with the way he boosted the AFL.

The Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship, giving them a chance to play in only the second Super Bowl in history. Oakland was outplayed by Vince Lombardi's defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, losing 33-14. Oakland would lose back-to-back AFL Championships the following two seasons, having to wait almost a decade to get back to the big game.

Prior to the merger, Davis named his homegrown linebackers coach, John Madden, as the team's sixth head coach. Following his employment in 1969, Madden would rapidly make a name for himself after bringing home six division titles over a ten year coaching span.

In 1972, Davis would assume principal ownership of the team and remain their general manager. A position he held all the way up until his death.

It would be in 1976 that Davis and Co. would capture their first AFC Championship and return to the Super Bowl. The Raiders trounced the Minnesota Vikings at the Rose Bowl in Super Bowl XI, 32-14 for their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Madden. left and Davis both brought home
Oakland first Super Bowl title.

That would be the only Super Bowl title in Madden's career as he opted for retirement following the 1978 season, but that was just the beginning for Davis.

After hiring the first Latino head coach in NFL history, Tom Flores, Davis, who is also responsible for hiring the first African American head coach of the modern era, Art Shell in 1989, got his team back to the Super Bowl in 1980. There they dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

Then in 1982, Davis abruptly moved the team down south to Los Angeles.

In only the team's second year in Los Angeles, the Raiders were in another Super Bowl. This time they would face the Washington Redskins, but it yielded the same results. Los Angeles bulled through Washington which at the time the biggest point differential in Super Bowl history, 38-9.

Davis decided to move the team back to Oakland in 1995, where they still reside today.

Just like every man's success there is bound to be his share of failures and there was plenty of that during the iconic owner's tenure. In 1980, Davis angered his own fan base when he traded away Super Bowl winning quarterback Ken Stabler to the Houston Oilers. He is the one also responsible for Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen playing the final five years of his career for the division rival Kansas City Chiefs.

Prior to the 1998 season, Davis in what was a questionable move at the time hired a 34-year-old head coach by the name of Jon Gruden.  But he silenced his critics as it turned out to be a brilliant move with Gruden developing into one of the games premiere head coaches. It didn't last long, at least in Oakland.

In what could be the worse move under his tenure, Davis promptly decided to trade Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2001-02 season. In the deal the Raiders received Tampa Bay's 2002 and 2003 first-round draft picks along with their 2002 and 2004 second-round draft picks and $8 million cash.

This would be a move that would forever haunt Davis and his franchise.

Oakland met their former head coach and Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, the last Super Bowl appearance of Davis' career. There they would stomped by a Hall of Fame type defense and lose 48-21, giving Gruden the revenge he always deserved.

Following that Super Bowl loss, the Raiders would reel off eight straight losing seasons and never allowing Davis see his team back atop the NFL.

Three of those seasons where due to the poor and inconsistent play of former NFL quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was drafted by Davis with the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Many believe it was the worst pick in the draft's seventy-five year history.

During Davis' tenure with the Raiders, they accumulated 411-312-11 record during the regular season. Those 411 wins are second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys since 1963. His postseason record consisted of a 25-18 mark with three Super Bowl rings to show for it. Oakland also was able to capture 16 division titles and four AFC Championships under his watch.

Davis was often seen wearing
 his trademark white jumpsuit.

Davis will always been one of the most controversial and misunderstood sports figures of his generation. His thick Brooklyn accent, slicked backed hair, dark rectangular rimmed glasses with the chain woven around his neck, and his all white jumpsuit will the images many remember him by, but his legacy is far more different.

The man was a winner and an opportunist. He turned a sub par franchise into one of the most recognizable in the world, whether they are beloved are not is a different story.

He was an innovator and visionary of the game. His sometimes unconventional ways will always go undervalued and misconstrued.

When nobody else was willing to take a chance on you, he would.

He leaves behind an unfillable legacy and shoes with a lifetime of achievements. The NFL might quite never be the same.

The 1992 Hall of Fame inductee achieved every level of success in the game and his understanding and passion for football go unmatched. His "Just Win Baby" attitude will forever live in Raider lore without there being any question who really bled silver and black.

Davis was truly committed to excellence.

Hometown Hero

Brown could impact the Bolts
greatly in 2011.

The San Diego Chargers had five picks in the first three rounds of this year's NFL draft and have taken a chance on a wide receiver out of San Diego State University with one of them.

Vincent Brown was selected with 82nd overall pick in the third-round Friday night. The news comes as excitement to Brown being a California native himself.

Brown attended Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California from 2003-07.

He was an immediate success on the gridiron for the Cougars playing varsity football three of his four years. During those three seasons Brown accumulated 88 receptions, 1327 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

His junior season saw him catch a career-high five touchdowns in one season.

Even though Brown did not find the end zone as much his senior season, it was his best season statistically catching 36 passes for 557 yards in seven games, averaging 15.47 yards per catch.

Brown also showed he could rush the ball during his tenure at Rancho Cucamonga carrying the rock 11 times for 50 yards and a score.

Brown was heavily recruited by the Aztecs during his senior season and eventually decided to officially become a member of the Mountain West Conference.

The 22-year-old has an extremely productive career in San Diego, gathering 209 receptions for 3,110 yards and 23 touchdowns. Unlike most college athletes in the NCAA today, Brown chose to stay at school and receive his degree before declaring for the NFL Draft. Brown made his senior season worth while by posting career-highs in almost every major offensive category, including receptions (69), yards (1,352), touchdowns (10), average yards per catch (19.6) and longest reception (90 yards).

The knock on Brown heading into the draft was his size and lack of explosive ability.

Brown is an undersized wide receiver compared to his soon-to-be piers in the NFL. Brown stands at  5-foot-11 and 184 pounds which could pose a problem for him being able to come over the top of NFL secondaries, but Brown's ability to make space between himself and the defender is what sets him apart from most.

He is an excellent and efficient route runner, something Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers looks for.

Brown possesses the same typer of skills as New England Patriot wide receiver Wes Welker. Like Brown, Welker is significantly undersized for the NFL at 5-foot-9, but has found enormous success at the next level.

Welker has more receptions than any other receiver in the NFL the last four seasons with 432. Welker's 123 receptions in 2009 is a Patriot franchise record and might have been more if not for tearing his ACL the final game of the regular season.

Brown will be most successful underneath in the NFL, something Welker has made famous in recent years.

The Chargers saw many injuries to their team in 2010, none more than at the wide receiver position, with that also came the the hold out of star receiver, Vincent Jackson. Brown will add depth to Norv Turner's offense next season and provide a vital option for Rivers throughout the year.

Whatever the future may hold for Brown, you can be sure he will continue to work hard and excel at the next level like he has everywhere else. I am sure I speak for a lot of when I say, we are proud of you, Go get 'em V.J.

With the First Pick...

Newton was the third quarterback taken
first overall in as many years.

Radio City Music Hall held the 76th annual National Football League Draft Thursday night for the sixth consecutive year with most eyes locked onto the Carolina Panthers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was received with an abundance of boos stepping to the podium for the first time, setting the stage for an exciting yet hostile night in New York City.

In light of all the labor agreement issues between the owners and players, the fans let it be know how they felt chanting, "We want football".

But the show must go on as Carolina was on the clock.

"With the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select, Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn,"Goodell stated. That was the pick everyone was so anxiously awaiting without very much surprise in the result. Now, the question will be asked, did the Panthers make a good decision by drafting the kid from College Park, Georgia?

If history tells us anything Newton will be yet another first overall pick that never quite lives up to the hype.

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, there has been 17 quarterbacks taken with the first overall pick, 18 if you count Newton. Only three of them have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Peyton and Eli Manning were taken with the first overall pick in their respective drafts and look to be headed towards Canton.

With the 17 quarterbacks taken, that have actually taken a snap in the NFL, they have combined for 13 Super Bowl rings, which may seem like a lot, but not when they come from only six players on the list.

Terry Bradshaw help orchestrate the Pittsburgh Steelers to four in 1970s. John Elway was a late bloomer, leading the Broncos to early Super Bowl appearances in the 1987 and '89, but came up short both times. He would have to wait ten years later to get back to the big game winning first in 1997 and then again in 1998.

Troy Aikman was the signal caller for three Super Bowl champions in the mid 90s for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. That is nine of the 13 rings belonging to three players, coincidently those are the therein the Hall of Fame.

The Manning brothers hold two of the final four Super Bowl rings and in part are the reason why they will eventually end up with a plaque in Ohio, along with their eye popping numbers.

Oakland's Jim Plunkett is the only other quarterback taken first in the draft to hold a Super Bowl ring, in fact Plunkett has the remaining two. Despite Plunkett never being named to a Pro Bowl, he is the only quarterback in NFL history to have multiple Super Bowl wins as a starter and not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Plunkett is also the last quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy and win a Super Bowl during their career, Newton will look to end that curse in the near future after winning the prestigious trophy in 2010.

In the last decade a quarterback has been taken first overall eight out of the last 10 drafts, more than any other decade since the draft began in 1936. Only three of those quarterbacks have made the Pro Bowl since being drafted combining for seven appearances in Hawaii. Four of those seven coming from Philadelphia's Michael Vick. Even though Vick has been successful on the field, his issues off the field have been well publicized.

Vick missed the entire 2007 and '08 season serving his 23 month prison sentence, but was reinstated to the league in 2009 and is coming off a Pro Bowl season. Carson Palmer and Eli Manning are the other players to make the Pro Bowl in that time period.

How can the name JaMarcus Russell, who was taken first overall in '07 by the Oakland Raiders out of LSU, not be mentioned. Along with Ryan Leaf, even though he was the second pick in the '98 draft, Russell qualifies as one of the biggest draft busts the game has ever seen.

As for Detroit's Matthew Stafford and St. Louis' Sam Bradford the sample size is much to small to predict if they will continue to have success in the NFL long-term. If Stafford can avoid another shoulder injury and Bradford continues to build off his impressive rookie campaign, where he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, the future looks bright for both.

Newton's overall body of work is a piece of art and has been incredible to watch early on. The question is can all the skills he possesses translate to becoming a great NFL quarterback? Nobody is questioning the physical ability and tools he has shown with a 6-foot-6, 250-pound build. All that being said Newton only started one year in the NCAA and is coming from a spread offense at Auburn under head coach Gene Chizik.

Many adjustments are waiting in the wings for Newton if he intends to succeed. His character has even come into question with his off the field issues after being suspended by Florida for stealing a laptop. Most recently, Newton was suspected by the NCAA of violating recruiting rules, which later he was cleared of and was charged to his father.

Assuming the Panthers are able to sign Newton it almost assures the end of the Jimmy Clausen experiment in Carolina before it even got started. Clausen was selected in the second-round with the 48th overall pick in last year's draft out of Notre Dame by Carolina.

He was believed by many to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the '10 draft class.

Clausen played in 13 games during his rookie season, where he threw for 1,558 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions with a dismal 58.4 quarterback rating. With Newton the new face in town, Clausen might be on his way out.

In their first and only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history by Carolina back in 2004, they showed a first-round quarterback is not needed to come seconds away from a championship. Super Bowl XXXVIII showcased two quarterbacks, who were not highly recruited coming out of college.

Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was the starter under center for Super Sunday and he went undrafted in '97 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Delhomme threw for three touchdowns and 323 yards in a losing effort to the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was the opposing quarterback in that Super Bowl, and his story has been well told.

Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft being selected in the sixth-round out of Michigan. Brady has gone on to win three Super Bowl rings, two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards and cemented himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

The history of the NFL shows that taking a quarterback first overall is almost set to backfire, but there those exceptions and is what keeps teams coming back for more no matter how many times they fail.

Having a franchise quarterback seems to be the number one ingredient in constructing the right recipe to a championship contender.

The Panthers have not thought any different by taking Newton. Is he that guy?

Only time will tell.

Just Another First-Round Bust

Gholston is one of the biggest 1st Round busts
in recent memory.

The New York Jets have released former first-round draft pick Vernon Gholston.

After three years of disappointment the Jets decided to give up on the former Ohio State Buckeye standout. Taken with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, the Jets had high hopes for Gholston.

Gholston was one of the best defensive players in his two full seasons in the NCAA.

In his first year as a starter, Gholston broken his hand and was forced to redshirt, but returning the next year, he was a force on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded 47 total tackles and sacking the quarterback eight times as a linebacker for head coach Jim Tressel.

That same year with the help of Gholston, the Buckeyes would finish 12-0, 8-0 in the Big Ten, claiming a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.

The Buckeyes would be embarrassed in Glendale, Arizona with the defense struggling, including Gholston, giving up 41 points to the Florida Gators.

In 2007, Gholston became even more of a presence of the field for the Buckeyes recording 14 sacks and winning the top defensive player honor in the Big Ten. After losing in the National Championship Game for the second straight year to an SEC opponent, Gholston declared for the NFL draft, where he had so much promise, or so we thought.

As we know now, Gholston has turned into yet another first-round bust, only recording 42 total tackles in his three seasons with the Jets. Gholston never recorded a forced fumble, interception or sack during that time. The former Buckeye was said to have an agreement in his 2010 contract that if he were to either record just one, sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, or an interception, he would have earned a $9 million bonus.

If that was not enough motivation for him than nothing ever will.

Still only 24, Gholston will probably draw interest from other teams because of his physical tools, but they have yet to translate onto the gridiron every Sunday. A prime example why the owners do not want to give first-round draft picks so much guaranteed money. Gholston signed a five-year $32 million rookie contract with $21 million guaranteed.

That is roughly $2 million per tackle in his short three-year career. Well worth it, just ask the Jets.