It's FSU's fault you didn't get drafted too

I hated Tampa Bay's move to trade up and draft Josh Freeman. I've watched him play plenty of times, and he has great physical tools. His decision making is subpar though, and to me that's much more important than raw physical gifts. I know Raheem Morris had ties to him from his year as Kansas State DC and Freeman seems like a decent enough guy, but that's not a good enough reason to take an unprepared player. Giving up a sixth round pick for the privilege only added to my irritation. The second day picks were better, with Fulton from Illinois probably the best for when he was chosen. I was surprised by the Dolphins taking Vontae Davis, who has talent but is allegedly a bit of a head case. The Pat White move will either be brilliant or a total bust, and we'll know pretty quickly which one it is. I do think they got some useful guys on the second day. Of the three Florida teams, I thought the Jaguars had the best draft. They got two quality tackles, one of whom a lot of people thought was going to be a first rounder and slid into the second. Interesting move to trade away next year's second rounder for a third, though. I know absolutely nothing more than you about CB Derek Cox since he played at William & Mary, but he'd better deliver or that could be a really expensive mistake.

It's become a regular tradition each year. A highly touted high school star realizes he will not be a high draft pick, and places the blame on FSU. This year it's Antone Smith following in the proud tradition of Lorenzo Booker, ignoring the fact that the NFL drafts on talent and not stats. If they thought Antone Smith had NFL wheels, they would have selected him just as they once did Booker. Instead, Smith's a free agent looking to go to someone's camp. Beyond that, exactly what in this decade would indicate to an offensive player that FSU was likely to send him to the league? Smith got what he signed up for, and now he's upset about it.

The idea of the NFL holding a Super Bowl in London is spectacularly awful. I already dislike the fact they play a regular season game there each year, robbing some city's fans of one of their eight shots to see their team play in any given year as well as the businesses in that city of the revenue a game generates. To take an event that generates vastly more economic impact out of the country altogether would be disgraceful. Why should anyone have to wonder if their Super Bowl performance was impacted in any way by jet lag? Imagine the Lions and Browns finally reaching a Super Bowl only for their fans to be told they're out of luck going to the game they've waited their whole lives for if they don't have a passport and roughly seven thousand dollars lying around. There's no way enough owners will vote to approve an idea this stupid.

Sorry to be later than usual getting this up today, but I got back really late from Atlanta after last night's Bruce Springsteen concert. It was the first time I'd gotten to see a full Springsteen show - the one previous time I had was as part of a combo bill with REM and others. The man lived up to his hype and then some. It was a terrific show. Here's a piece of last night's show, with Bruce and the boys doing "Outlaw Pete" off the new album.