Image: Newscom

Only Bradford isn’t having quite the same season as Tebow and McCoy are having. In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if he wasn’t REALLY naughty when he was a kid, and this is some kind of karmic joke. Bradford got hurt early in the season, and after missing a number of games, he came back…only to be quickly hurt again.

So, on Wednesday Dr. James Andrews of Alabama will perform surgery on Bradford’s shoulder. That surgery will end his season and his career in college football. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s dead in the water, however. Bradford still intends to enter the NFL draft, and personally, I don’t think that his changes of being drafted are bad.

Ok, so there’s Tebow. You can’t deny that teams want him. He’s nearly a household name and only has gotten better with age. There’s McCoy as well, and a number of other quarterbacks that will be hoping for a big NFL check in the future. Bradford will be out of shape, though he’ll be able to work out for scouts after healing for four to six months. That puts him right on the edge of being able to participate in the combine and have a personal day to work out for NFL personnel at Oklahoma on his own.

Top ten potential? That’s wishful thinking. First round? Probably not. First day? Unlikely.

But someone will pick up this kid if they’re smart. He’s got tons of potential yet to be realized, and could some day be a great starter in the NFL.

Do you think Bradford will be drafted?

Post from: EveryJoe

Sam Bradford’s Draft Potential

It is my hope that players, friends, and family members can remember Howard in the happy times. Image: Newscom.

As of now, the police have not made any arrests, and they’re asking that any students who might have pictures or videos of the fight to come forward. While there are suspects, and the Howard family is confident that the person responsible will be brought to justice, this is an especially hard pill for everyone to swallow because Howard was actually working hard to get away from violence. Howard was from a rougher area of Miami, and was thriving at college. Friends say that he was the type of person everyone loved and was very outgoing and friendly.

The show must go on, but this weekend, players at Connecticut will were a sticker wearing Howard’s number (#6). In addition, one of Howard’s high school friends, Chris Chancellor, now plays for Clemson and got permission to wear #6 at their next game to honor Howard.

Post from: EveryJoe

Players to Honor Jasper Howard

Apparently, Kindle was texting while driving, and when looking at a message, he lost control of his car and crashed into an apartment building in Austin. The crash caused just under $9000 worth of damage, but no one was hurt. Sources say that after the crash, he pushed his car out of the building and drove home.

Sergio Kindle, Image:Newscom

That’s not against the law in Texas, apparently. He hit a stationary object and didn’t hurt anyone, so he’s only required to file a report, which he did (or will be doing soon, according to his lawyer). His insurance will likely cover the damage, but he’s also offered to pay for it out of pocket.

Kindle was checked by team doctors after the accident and was suffering from a concussion, but they concluded that he didn’t have to go to the hospital. Spokesman John Biano says that he told coaches the next day about the accident. This isn’t the first time he’s had trouble on the road – in 2007, he was suspended for three games for drunk driving.

Moral of the story? Don’t text while you drive, kids. It’s stupid, dangerous, and potentialy lethal. Kindle got lucky he wasn’t hurt more and didn’t hurt someone else.

Post from: EveryJoe

Texting in Texas Leads to Crash

wikimedia

Fortunately, I had a spotter to help me out once the bar got stuck two inches off my chest.  Anytime you think you might need a spotter, play it safe and get one.  Trust me, this is coming from a guy that’s been turned back on the bench more than once.

Not having a spotter can result in:

• injury
• embarrassment

I don’t have a third bullet point for you, but the first two should be enough to deter you from lifting without someone watching over you.  Fortunately the times I have gotten stuck, it hasn’t been with massive weight.  I tend to push my last reps pretty hard so I’ve only gotten stuck with weight I could wiggle off.

Post from: EveryJoe

Power Outage: When Spotters Are Necessary

Woods was a defensive back who played for Baylor. Originally from Dallas, Woods was paralyzed from the neck down when he fractured his neck making a tackle at practice one day. This happened when he was just 19, back in 1979.

Since then, Woods has become a part of Baylor’s athletic family. The same year he was injured, former Baylor coach Grant Teaff set up a trust fund that went towards helping Woods purchase a wheel-chair accessible home in Dallas. Later, the school, along with former teammates raised additional money to help pay for a van with a wheelchair lift, a larger and more accessible house, and more.

Image via Baylor.edu.

Post from: EveryJoe

RIP Kyle Woods

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” he added. “There is a lot of history there, and something like this, which is a storm in a teacup, isn’t going to affect that. I’ve got the utmost trust in Michael. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been dealt with, we have parked it, and now we move on.”

Thank God. Mainly, because it enabled us to get to the real crux of the matter – what is Fred up to at the moment following the latest surgery on his ankle?

“I’ve been watching a lot of TV recently, something I don’t get to do very often. Things like Cash in the Attic, Bargain Hunt, oh and Dora the Explorer.”

For those not in the know:

Dora The Explorer is designed to engage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Online, your kids can join Dora and her band of animal friends as she journeys through the Spooky Forest, Crocodile Lake, and other exciting places. It’s on these quests that Dora faces problems and needs your child’s help. Dora can’t continue her adventure without your child’s input. The series is designed to actively encourage pre-schoolers in a play along adventure. Dora The Explorer builds on Nick Jr’s promise to ‘Play, Laugh and Learn.’ Each day Dora and her monkey companion Boots go on a high stakes journey – a quest filled with funny friends, puzzling problems and an arch villain fox.

Ah, bless you, Freddie. Enjoy your time off.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fred starts home schooling

Perhaps some time off will be good for Flintoff – there’s no question he has been worked in to the ground over the last few months – but with the cricket season in full swing, it could have come at a better time.

Ironically, this may secure a place for Andrew Strauss in the test side – with Flintoff unfit and Vaughan ever a worry about picking up a new injury, you can’t really have your third-in-line skipper on the sidelines.

Post from: EveryJoe

Flintoff out

One wonders if this is a blessing in disguise. Well, not necessarily even in disguise – just a flat-out blessing. New coach Peter Moores has already said he would play Vaughan in the tests as captain but this latest (in a long line) injury has forced a much needed change in the England line up. Andrew Strauss looks destined to get another chance as skipper with Paul Collingwood his deputy. Vaughan should get fit and play county cricket and not automatically earn a place in the side. Get him scoring runs consistently and then have him back in the side. Not before.

Post from: EveryJoe

Vaughan to miss… some more cricket

Yep, business as usual.

Post from: EveryJoe

World Cup settles down a bit

“Yeh, Ravi Bopara has a slightly tight hamstring… oh, and a wasp landed on Kevin Pieterson, and stung him, which he quickly flicked off on to Paul Collingwood, which stung him as well.”

Frightening stuff. Let’s hope neither of them suffer from anaphylaxis, especially considering England’s first match of the group stages of the World Cup is also their most important. Never fear, though, England captain and PR-spin guru Michael Vaughan has some words of wisdom for his team and all anxious supporters:

[talking of New Zealand] “They are always there or thereabouts come semi-final time. We know it’s a tough game for us on Friday but, as we showed in Australia, if we turn up and play we can certainly beat them.”

So all England need to do is remember to get on the bus in the morning and everything ought to be cushdy.

* I’m not sure that James Anderson has ever been referred to as Little, he is after all over 6ft tall. But he is commonly referred to as Jimmy, and it’s a moniker which cannot approrpriately be used without an adjective. Such presumptions most probably come from the nursery rhyme “Little Jack Horner”. Ergo, the real question is not “Will JA be fit to play on Friday?”, but instead, “Does JA often eat Christmas Pie, and if so, is he convinced of his own goodness?” If I ever get a chance to interview him, I’ll be sure to ask.

Post from: EveryJoe

Friendly fire in the England camp