Peyton Hillis with David Letterman’s Top 10

The legend of Peyton Hillis grew stronger this week as the file cabinet with legs was honored with the cover of the video game franchise “Madden ’12″ after a long voting period by fans. Maybe the good bit of publicity would help the Cleveland sports fans forget that LeBron jerk.

One of the perks on being on the cover of the Madden video game is of course the media circuit you get to go on. Peyton has made the rounds and here ends up giving the Top 10 list for “Perks on Being on the Madden Cover.”

NFL Draft Round 1 Top Winners and Losers

Overall, I felt that the First Round of the NFL Draft was rather mild. There were a few shuffles as teams jockeyed for higher positions and a few surprise picks but overall the First Round was rather uneventful.  The NFL shelved a lot of their usual glitz and glamor for the event as they realized that the world was watching the league that is currently fighting with its players.

Here’s a quick look at some of the winners and losers of last night’s First Round of the NFL Draft.

Winners

4. Carolina Panthers

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Whether you dislike Cam Newton or not or just think he’s an egomaniac headed for being a bust, the fact of the matter is the Panthers are rebuilding and Newton will have a chance to shine or fail on his own.

Carolina needed a superstar to help convince the fans to support the team again.

John Fox had 3 winning seasons in the 9 years he was in Charlotte and for a team that’s only been playing for just over 15 years that’s not O.K. While the Panthers rebuild, which means more struggling seasons, the fanbase at least has a reason to keep an eye on the games.

Newton is a playmaker at heart and like Tebow in Denver, should provide an instant burst of excitement to the team even before he takes a snap.

3. Detroit Lions

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The Lions last year drafted one of the best athletes the NFL has seen in decades with Ndamukong Suh. Now the Lions have added the 314 lbs. Nick Fairley from Auburn to construct the basis of a D-line that could intimidate the pants off any QB next year.

Suh makes the Lions a contender just by suiting up. Fairley makes them just simply dominating.

2. Atlanta Falcons

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The Falcons dominated the NFL last year but took a quick exit out of the playoffs. The organization knew they needed to help out Matt Ryan with some more playmakers and began toying with trading up with Cincinnati to grab A.J. Green or Julio Jones. The Bengals deal fell through at the last minute (as Cincy took Green) but Ohio rivals Cleveland took the offer and traded with Atlanta.

The Falcons grabbed Julio Jones, who is a beast of a receiver, with Cleveland’s pick. It was a ballsy and calculated move that will be debated over the years. In the end a team needs to be brave and make gambles every now and then to make their team a winner. The Falcons are very close right now to a Super Bowl and after months of deliberation they feel Jones was worth the price.

Only time will tell but the potential for Jones to be a future Pro Bowler is extremely high. The Falcons are betting that this year and next year’s draft that Jones can spark them deep into the playoff.  It’s a high price to pay but this is how good teams can sometimes become great.

1. Cleveland Browns

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The Browns were no dummy when it comes to draft day this year. If someone offers you 5 draft picks to change places you take it! You take it!

Whether Julio Jones is the stud Atlanta thinks he is or the next J.J. Stokes, the Browns came out a huge winner with Atlanta’s No. 27 first round this year and ATL’s first-round pick in 2012.

The Browns also acquired the Falcons’ second- and fourth-round picks this year and fourth-round selection in 2012. Good grief! The Browns ended up trading the 27 for 21 and grabbing the best nose tackle in the draft, Phillip Taylor of Baylor.  Overall, a great pickup by the Browns.  Working the draft like this is how bad teams become good.

Losers

4. Reggie Bush

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The Saints actually had a great draft. The moved around after grabbing stud Cameron Jordan on defense to grab Alabama’s Mark Ingram. Their aggressive move to nabbing a starting running back all but signaled the end of Reggie Bush’s dry run in New Orleans.

Bush is talented but not as dominating as he should be and the fact injuries have played such a factor in his short career made the decision to draft a RB that much easier. The huge price tag on Bush’s contract might mean a quick cut before the season starts.

The first person to notice the future was Bush himself. After Bush found out about the Saints trading for the pick to get Ingram he tweeted “It’s been fun in New Orleans.”

3. Baltimore Ravens

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The Ravens hit this part of the list because of their blunder with Chicago in a failed trade. The two were going to swap places (Ravens 26, Bears 29) and the Ravens would pick up the Bears 4th round pick. Some confusion occurred and the

Chicago, picking 29th, and Baltimore, at 26, finalized a trade that would have had them switch slots, with the Ravens getting the Bears’ fourth-round pick in return. Chicago would take Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi, and the Ravens, if Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith was still on the board, would take Smith at 29. With two minutes left in the Ravens’ period, the deal was done. [via SI.com]

Unfortunately, neither team told the league about the trade and nothing happened. Now the Ravens are asking the NFL for compensation. Guess the NFL could give them a free cell phone so that GM Ozzie Newsome can learn how to call in a trade.

2. Minnesota Vikings

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Really? Your QB of the future is going to be Christian Ponder of FSU?  Sigh….That’s a high first round draft pick for a guy most thought was second round material.  It’s crazy to think no one would trade down with the Vikes for this pick before the draft.

Guess they got flustered when the Titans picked up Jake Locker.

Better keep Brett Favre on speed dial.

1. Roger Goodell.

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The Commish is quickly losing support for the league sanctioned lockout as fans, players and now judges are turning against him.  Recently, a judge took away the legality of the lockout and the players will now get paid (for now anyway) and be allowed to workout and report to the facilities.

Meanwhile, the NFL continues to state it can’t open it’s financial books to show anyone the income revenue or justify squirreling away around $1 billion from the players union.   The lockout has threatened the upcoming NFL season and fans are not  happy.

Most can’t understand why one of the most profitable sports in the world is being so greedy.  When the  Commish took to the stage of Radio City Music Hall for the draft here’s how he was greeted by the fans.

The crowd booed Roger Goodell and chanted “Let them play” and “We want Football!” loudly. Somehow, I can’t image Pete Rozelle looking down on this and thinking that Roger has handled this situation very well.

Boooooooo….NFL Draft Day Is Here. Mock Draft Time

It’s here….in a way.

The NFL Draft is going to happen and the players drafted this weekend may or may not get to play this upcoming season. While judges and lawyers debate about whether the money-making NFL will open up its doors next year we can watch the NFL Draft begin.  Round one is Thursday night and continues across the weekend.

The big news tonight is the first round and whether Cam Newton will be drafted #1.  It’s a solid bet he will be and it’s also a solid bet that fans will boo the heck out of NFL Commish Roger Goodell as he announces the picks.

Potential trades aside, here’s a look at our final mock draft for the first round of tonight’s draft as we look at the first 20 picks of Round 1.  Also, check out our previous mock drafts for a larger look at the event.

#1		Carolina Panther
Carolina holds the #1 pick and is trying to rebuild it’s fallen franchise. One of the biggest issues this team faces is at QB and even though Cam Newton might not be the best QB on the market, he’s one of the most marketable. Newton’s physical talents and fanbase, much like Tim Tebow, help his draft stock rise up enough for Carolina to bet he’s not gonna be the next JaMarcus Russell.  PREDICTION : Cam Newton, QB Auburn
#2		Denver Broncos
The Broncos have so many problems it’s almost not funny. A new coach comes into town in the form of John Fox as the team struggles with the tough decision of which QB to start. Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow? Or maybe draft another QB?With all the defensive problems this team has, namely no LB to speak of, the Broncos need to address picking up Alabama’s Marcell Dareus or Von Miller from Texas A&M. I think LB is more of a need here.  PREDICTION : Von Miller, LB Texas A&M
#3		Buffalo Bills
The Bills are one of those teams I could see making a trade for another team to move up into this juicy spot. If not the Bills need to add some muscle on the D-line or get a QB. Grabbing Marcell Dareus here is a great catch unless Cam slips to #3 by some accident. The Bills could use a superstar but I don’t think Cam will last.   PREDICTION : Marcell Dareus, DT Alabama
#4		Cincinnati Bengals
At this point in time I think it’s safe to say the Bengals will be without QB Carson Palmer who stated he will never dress up in the stylish stripes ever again. But maybe the two sides will somehow come together. Who knows? With that uncertainty the Bengals could stretch to grab a QB like Blaine Gabbert or Jake Locker but the temptation to grab a prime WR in the wake of the Ocho/T.O. failure might be too hard to pass up.   PREDICTION : A.J. Green, WR Georgia
#5		Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals fans probably hope to see a franchise QB behind center sometime soon but to nab Patrick Peterson, a top DB out of LSU, would be a terrific fix to their secondary which has lost a lot of talent since their Super Bowl run.   PREDICTION : Patrick Peterson, DB LSU
#6		Cleveland Browns
The Browns are slowly getting on the right track to a winning season. Personally, I think they still need a coaching change but until that happens they will also need some offensive talent to help out their running game. Julio Jones is a monster out of Alabama. I’m real high on him and I believe he will be a prime NFL receiver in the next few years.  Adding a fast receiver to the mix will only help their running game, AKA the Peyton Hillis Machine. Good find for Cleveland if he’s still here. PREDICTION : Julio Jones, WR Alabama
#7		San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are one of those teams needing guidance and leadership to take them to the next level. They have it in new coach Jim Harbaugh and the NFC West is up for grabs if they can get their act together in the next couple of years.  First on the board is a QB. Nothing has hurt this team more than coaching than a lack of a good QB. It’s been a debacle for the Niners and they know it. Harbaugh is an old QB and a great QB coach. I’m betting he pulls the trigger here to try to work his magic. PREDICTION : Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri
#8		Tennessee Titans
The Titans are just a mess and started to clean up last year’s soap opera between coach Jeff Fisher and draft bust Vince Young. Until the lockout is finalized the Titans cannot trade Young but have stated he will not be a QB there anymore. That’s not such a bad thing but that leaves the team relying on the ancient Kerry Collins to guide this team that just a few years ago produced a 2,000+ season from Chris Johnson.  If Gabbert is available here by some chance he would be a good find. However, the Titans need some D-line help. Nick Fairley from Auburn would be a nice fit. PREDICTION : Nick Fairley, DT Auburn
#9		Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have made noise all week about the possibility of moving up in the draft to grab a premier talent. If they don’t they can always stick it out and grab some O-line help.   PREDICTION : Tyron Smith, OL USC
#10		Washington Redskins
The Redskins and coach Mike Shanahan continue to hold onto Albert Haynesworth to prove some kind of point. Maybe, just maybe, the stop the soap opera and trade big Al out of town to move up in the draft. If not they need a ton of help in the secondary with cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon becoming free agents.   PREDICTION : Prince Amukamara, CB Nebraska
#11		Houston Texans
The Texans may move up in the draft as talk centers around a possible trade with teams above being worked out. The #11 spot is a good spot for DE Aldon Smith for the Texans to beef up their line if they stay put.  PREDICTION : Aldon Smith, DE Missouri
#12		Minnesota Vikings
No more Brett and a new coach means new talent is ready to help this team rebound from last year’s embarrassment. Everything went wrong for the Vikings last year and I mean everything. Even their stadium didn’t like them and fell down. Also retiring is some beef on their D-line. Time to address that issue.   PREDICTION : Nick Fairley, DE Auburn
#13		Detroit Lions
The energetic Lions are just a few pieces away from the postseason. Having a QB is crucial as Mr. Glass, AKA Matt Stafford, may be given another year to prove himself. I could see the Lions trading up for Prince Amukamara or grabbing him if by some chance he’s still available. If not Anthony Castonzo is a meaty addition to the O-line   PREDICTION : Anthony Castonzo, OL Boston College
#14		St. Louis Rams
The Rams, like the Lions, are on the verge of something magical. QB Sam Bradford impressed us all last year by taking this franchise almost to the playoffs. DT Corey Liuget or DE Cameron Jordan are both good additions to a D-line that needs to help out more.   PREDICTION : Corey Liuget, DT Illinois
#15		Miami Dolphins
The safe bet says the Dolphins go after the talented Mike Pouncey for their O-line. However, I think we all know the team needs a franchise QB and if Ryan Mallett is available it could be his turn to head up the team. Kind of a stretch for Mallett but keep an eye out for something like that to happen or to have one of the teams from 16-20 to trade up with Miami for Mallett.   PREDICTION : Mike Pouncey, OL Florida
#16		Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags could use some solid D-line help to help put some pressure on division rivals Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub and contain the run game.  The Jags were close to making a name for themselves last year and putting up a better D-line could be the missing piece.   PREDICTION : Ryan Kerrigan, DE Purdue
#17		New England Patriots
The Pats hold two picks this first round, #17 and #28, so don’t put it past them to start trading up and down the board like a crazed monkey.  Should Mike Pouncey be around he would fit in nicely to the Pats scheme.  If not maybe some DE help from Cameron Jordan to help hold down the line.   PREDICTION : Cameron Jordan, DE California
#18		San Diego Chargers
The high-flying Chargers are looking good on O despite injuries and suspensions.  As long as Phil Rivers continues to produce look for the Chargers to beef up their D-line to take the pressure off the offense from having to score 40 points to stay in the game.  PREDICTION : J.J. Watt, DE Wisconsin
#19		New York Giants
OL help here would be a wise pick for the Giants who are slowly fading out of contention in the NFC East.  They still have the talent to produce but need a running game to produce to get going. Anthony Castonzo would be good here but most likely gone.  The top ranking OL left should be taken here. Might be Nate Solder or Gabe Carimi from Wisconsin.  PREDICTION : Nate Solder, OL Colorado
#20		Tampa Bay Bucs
The Bucs have one of the best QBs in the game you probably have never heard of before.  Josh Freeman is set to explode in the NFL next year as the Bucs have become a threat thanks to new coach Raheem Morris. Their D-line needs help here the most with the potential of Da’Quan Bowers being available.  A solid DB or LB wouldn’t hurt here either.  PREDICTION : Da’Quan Bowers, DE Clemson

Browns RB Peyton Hillis Wins Cover of Madden ’12

Who needs a Super Bowl or a playoff win or even a winning season when you can get on the cover of a Madden video game?

All joking aside, it’s nice to see that Cleveland Brown’s RB Peyton Hillis becomes the first Browns player to grace to cover of the popular video game series.

Michael Vick and Hillis were going down to the finals as fans across the world voted which athelete would win the honor. ESPN broadcast Wednesday night the final results of the polling with Hillis taking 66% of the winning votes thanks to a huge drive by Browns fans.

Personally, I think it’s hilarious that they are marketing the game with the PS3 cover art since PlayStation just got so seriously hacked their network has been down for a week and it turns out that almost all of your personal information (if you own a PS3) is out there for hackers to play with including your address, password, credit card and birthdate.

Anyway….I hope they include these moves by Hillis in the game. Can’t wait to try it out…on my new XBox! Sidenote, anyone want to buy a used PS3….

Vick put up a good fight but in the end he couldn’t hold off the Browns fanbase plus I’m sure there are still a lot of people pissed off at him for his past actions. Vick graced the cover about 7 years ago so it’s not like it’s his first time.

Hillis went through the voting by beating out Ravens RB Ray Rice, Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles, Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Green Bay Packers Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

NFL Lockout is Over. Kinda. Sorta. Not Really. Kinda

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) in their case against the NFL, which has ‘locked out’ the players from participating in NFL training, events, and even payment.  In the meantime we all sit here and wonder what the heck will happen this coming season in the NFL.

Will there be an NFL season this year?

The odds are that there will be one but until the NFL officially backs down from their ‘lockout’ stance and realize they will loose more money in the longrun of a lockout we will just have to wait.  One solid bit of good news is that the NFLPA hit a nice victory in Federal court yesterday as a judge ruled the NFL lockout illegal.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lockout Monday with her decision that is wrapped up in this lengthy 89-page document.  Personally, that’s just too long for me to read because all I want to know is if there will be a NFL season next year. For all the details on the legal jargon thankfully the guys at Pro Football Talk have broken down the bits and pieces.

Know your Nelsons. It's JUDGE Nelson, not Judd Nelson

Of course you know the NFL league offices will fight the decision.

But what do judges know? A judge once told me that public intoxication was against the ‘law’ or some silly nonsense. Whatever?

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lockout Monday, siding with the players in their bitter fight with the owners over how to divide the $9 billion business.

The fate of the 2011 season remained in limbo: The NFL responded by filing a notice of appeal questioning whether Nelson exceeded her jurisdiction, seeking relief from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Hours later, the league filed a motion for an expedited stay, meaning it wants Nelson to freeze her ruling to let the appeals process play out. [via ESPN]

Interesting.  The fact of the matter is we are far from done with this situation.  What it might be looking like is the NFL will get back to business and the two sides can spend the next year hammering out the details so we can do this all again next spring.  They might keep the NFL working on the model it did last year and set another deadline for a year from now.

Yuck!

 

 

Pigskin Links Getting Draft Ready

Michael Irvin Gives Motivational Speech to Hurricanes

My alma mater used to be a football powerhouse, an NFL breeding ground. It was a great time to be a Miami Hurricane. Then, all of Butch Davis’s blue-chip recruits left and Larry Coker’s disgraceful recruiting abilities shined through. And our football team hasn’t been the same since. Here, then, is a video of Michael Irvin telling next year’s team something along the lines of, “Hey, you don’t have to suck. It’s O.K. to go to a respectable bowl game once in a while.” The Playmaker and Ray Lewis should tour the country together, they’d kill on the motivational speaking circuit.

Hot Chicks at NBA Games

This was on TV last night during the Bulls – Pacers game. It’s a smokin’ hot Bulls girl fan with an amazing body and the two guys behind her are staring dead at her ass!

Brandon Marshall’s Wife Shanked That Ass!

Authorities said the wife of Brandon Marshall stabbed the Miami Dolphins wide receiver with a kitchen knife, and his agent said Saturday that the player was recovering.

Michi Nogami-Marshall, 26, was arrested Friday evening and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Nogami-Marshall told officers she was defending herself. Marshall had earlier told officers he slipped and fell onto a broken glass vase, but the officers noted that evidence at the scene didn’t substantiate that claim.

NFL Draft 2011: Ranking Every Number One Overall Draft Pick Since 2001

Since 2001, there have been 10 NFL drafts, meaning 10 different teams have had an opportunity to select the next “franchise player” to turn their team around.

The following 10 slides will look at the players drafted, grading them from worst to best. As some of these players have not had much time to prove themselves in the NFL, a few of these rankings will be based solely off of projection for the future.

Bobby Ryan OMG Goal Is Super Epic Awesome

One day, in the near future, your grandchildren will sit down with their young kids and tell them about the story of Bobby Ryan and the epic goal he scored Friday night.

It’s one of those moments you just know will be replayed over and over throughout the years. It’s epic and it’s just that good.

The Economic Concept That Explains Why You Hate Hipsters

In economics, there’s a concept called “barriers to entry”. It describes the costs involved in getting into a particular market. For example, if I wanted to sell weed out the back of my car, I would need to buy the weed, but also an AK-47 and a bail bondsman. Also a car.

This also explains a lot about hipsters, when you stop to think about it.

Jim Tressel, The Lying, Cheating Head Coach That Can’t Get Fired

The Jim Tressel scandal at Ohio State just keeps getting better. Today we find out that Jim Tressel not only knew about the Terrelle Pryor violations, but he actively engaged in a cover-up that involved FBI agents, a slew of texts to Pryor, and not a single word to Ohio State.

The details emerge in all their scummy glory over at SBN’s StoryStream, but the gist of the news is this: from the second he heard about Pryor’s idiotic mistake, Tressel did everything he could to contain the situation from every angle. With the tipster, with Pryor, and even with an FBI agent.

Blow Your Nose, Please

Sweet Jesus, lady! Grab a napkin or something. It looks like a dang snot factory is working OT on this newsreport in which a nice young lady is giving us the scoop. Turns out that there’s just a huge stream of snot flowing out her nose during the report that kinda distracts us.

Homemade Motorized Wheelchair

Falcons Roddy White Says Man Holding Jerseys Hostage

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White had one Hell of a year last season as the Falcons had one of their best seasons ever. Of course, they lost in the first round of the playoffs so in the end it didn’t matter all that much but Roddy threw down some monster numbers last year.

In the offseason it turns out that while Roddy and the other Falcons wait to see if there is a ‘next’ season to redeem themselves, White finds himself issued arrest warrants instead of catching passes.   Turns out that Roddy White says a man that he hired to frame some of his football jerseys took the jerseys instead and now won’t give them back.

Folks.  We have a hostage situation!  Here’s what our crack team of reports believe the situation looks like:

It’s a horrible situation in which I imagine White and a group of hard core FBI agents huddled around the dinning room table.  A call comes in and everyone scrambles for their position.

“Trace the call,” shouts the lead FBI agent Johnson Hornfist.  They miss the trace but later that night a package comes in the mail.  It’s one of the number 4′s from the shoulder of the jersey. It’s been cut off the jersey and shipped to Roddy in a beige envelope.

Or it could go down like this:

Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh obtained an application for an arrest warrant filled out by White in Gwinnett County.

White claims he agreed to pay a man to frame two regular season Falcon game jerseys and his Pro Bowl jersey.

White said the men agreed on a price of $400 for each framed jersey, but now the man is asking White for $10,000 and won’t return the jerseys, according to the document.

The man called Kavanaugh a few hours later and said that he has performed several odd jobs for White in the past and he is owed the $10,000.A judge will hold a hearing and decide if an arrest warrant should be executed next week.
[via WSBTV.com]

Celebrating 420 with Nipple Rings, Cocaine and DUIs

Some football players and coaches are celebrating the unofficial 4/20 holiday in true style. Three different football people are in the news for making trouble on such a glorious day.

No strangers to troubled coaches, the Tampa Bay Bucs sent their second assistant coach to the jails in over a month as assistant to the head coach Jayson Kaiser was arrested for driving with his lights off and he was pulled over. Awesome drinking name!

Kaiser, 37, was pulled over shortly after midnight Wednesday when police spotted him driving with his headlights off. According to police, Kaiser was slurring his speech, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol.

Kaiser reportedly refused to take a field sobriety test or submit to a Breathalyzer test after denying that he had been drinking. Kaiser was being held on $500 bail and his car was impounded.

I’m not sure what ‘assistant to the coach’ actually means but it sounds like a glorified secretary. Fox Sports states they found out that one thing Kaiser does is drive head coach Raheem Morris around to events even though Morris wasn’t out drinking with The Kaiser that night.

Das Drunkenmesiter!

Kaiser wasn’t the only person to get popped recently. Duke University announced today that sophomore linebacker Tyree Glover was channeling his inner-Lawrence Taylor a bit too much and got busted for trafficking cocaine and was also booted from the team.

LT Would Be Proud

Glover marks the fourth player from Cutcliffe’s first full recruiting class in 2009 to find trouble with the law. Looks like Phillip Fulmer taught Cutcliffe well!

According to a release from the school, Glover, a 6-1, 255-pound sophomore from Crescent City, Fla., was dismissed from the team by coach David Cutcliffe on Wednesday “for conduct unbecoming of a member of the program.”

He was being held in the Durham County jail in lieu of $750,000 bond.

The paper quoted police spokesperson Kammie Michael as saying police confiscated 29.6 grams of powder cocaine and 72.4 grams of marijuana. Glover was charged with trafficking in cocaine and possession of marijuana and cocaine with the intent to sell and deliver.

And not to be outdone is Minnesota Vikings Ray Edwards who, for some odd reason, filled up a lady’s texts with near-nude pics of himself. And because he’s an athlete you knew it wouldn’t take long for the media to get hold of them.

Nice Panties

Guess what? He’s got a nipple ring. It’s sad I know that fact now. That will be hard to unlearn.

MediaTakeOut.com spoke with young woman who received SEXTS from NFL player Ray Edwards, a defensive tackle from the Minnesota Vikings. Let’s just say . . . she was very SUSPICIOUS of dude once they were sent.

Madden ’12 Cover Battle Between Vick and Hillis

I can’t imagine the battle for the cover of the Madden ’12 video game coming down between two more opposite people. Over the last month fans of the epic football video game have voted on which NFL player would make the upcoming cover.

There are of course 5 People You Won’t See On The Madden ’12 Cover but for the ones that did make the cut it will come down to this.  Either Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis or former dog fighter Michael Vick will grace the cover of the franchise next season.

Vick, for the record, has already made the cover in 2004 and was also a recipient of the Madden Curse.  He promptly broke his leg and missed most of the season.  He has come a long way to mend his reputation to even be in the running.  Just a few years back, when he was being released from the Federal pen for dog fighting, it seemed a long shot that Vick would even make an NFL roster anytime soon.

Now he is the face of the Philadelphia Eagles and in the running to be pictured on the cover of one of the best selling video game franchises ever.  Not bad but is it enough to win over fans who might not have forgotten that Vick was the man behind this.

If Vick is an NFL star for his freakish talent and ability, than Hillis is almost the opposite. Peyton wasn’t a first round pick and even got traded early on. He’s a hard working machine that barrels over opponents rather than glides around them with quick, Vick-like movies.

The former 7th round pick, who was traded out of Denver by the genius Josh McDaniels (*ha*), found a home in Cleveland and rushed for 11 TDs and over 1,100 yards last year.

He’s a monster and I can only imagine that tackling Hillis is similar to trying to taking down a file cabinet.

In the end if Vick wins he’s earned it.  I don’t think they should allow a player to get the cover twice when there are so many players out there deserving of the credit.  But, c’mon!  Who wouldn’t want to see some of this in their Madden game?

Pigskin Links Start The Week

Ben Roethlisberger Looks At The Man In The Mirror

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is looking in the mirror. He told the Pittsburgh Post–Gazette that he placed the nameplate from his Super Bowl locker below his bathroom mirror so that he has a daily reminder of his loss to the Green Bay Packers.

“The day I got back, I took my nameplate from my locker—‘Ben Roethlisberger, Super Bowl XLV’—and it’s sitting underneath my mirror in my bathroom,” Roethlisberger said. “I want to see that every day. It hurts a lot.”

Jessica Alba’s New Photo Shoot Is Hot

Viral Outbreak: Juggling Drummer

Yeah, yeah, so this guy can juggle three drumsticks while also playing the drums. We’re supposed to be impressed by this? Maybe we are, but it’s nothing to write home about. Now if he was juggling chainsaws while playing the drums…then we’d be excited. Or at least set the drumsticks on fire or something. That would be cool.

Canadians Making F-ing Coffee in Afghanistan

Now, if your fortunate enough to find yourself in ‘Afghanistan‘ (Boom! Did it again) and have not been hit by a stray bullet or RPG, you will appreciate this how to instructional video by the F-in Canadian troops on how to make coffee in ‘Afghanistan‘ (Boom!) under combat conditions. Language is a little bit NSFW but this is war, baby! And coffee needs to be made!

Jets Linebacker Bart Scott Says Patriots Want to Be Like Them

While the New York Jets are the undisputed kings of giving bulletin board material to opposing teams, Bill Belichick usually keeps his Patriots squad in check. That’s why so many eyebrows raised this past season when the Patriots were a bit more outspoken than usual.

Finally, Video Surfaces of the Man Who Set Himself on Fire in a San Francisco Porn Shop

We know you’ve been waiting for it. Click here for the back story. That is all..

6 Horrific Things People Ingest As Aphrodisiacs

I’ll get right to the point here; if you want to get laid by using food, either use lobster or chocolate. Lobster is expensive, and impresses women, either because they are shallow or just appreciate the financial sacrifice you made to give them a nice dinner. Chocolate, on the other hand, is like crack for women. That is not a sexist statement; I have met several men that didn’t like chocolate, but not a single woman or girl. Not one.

Badass! Red Wings Franzen Gets Injured, Stays In Game

The Detroit Red Wings may be without Henrik Zetterberg but they are doing just fine. In the first two games of the NHL Playoffs, the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings have battled it out but Detroit is just too strong for the young Phoenix squad.

Saturday the Red Wings held off Phoenix to win the game 4-3 in which Pavel Datsyuk continued to swing his big balls of steel around the ice and scored once and added two assists in the first period.

McNabb wants to play for the Vikings

A Vikings fan asked ESPN’s Adam Schefter via Twitter who he thinks will be the teams quarterback in 2011 and then Schefter replied with the following tweet.

Puzzle of the Lambs – Epic Meal Time

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