The long preseason is finally coming to an end and the Arizona Cardinals are left with a QB dilemma.  The former hot shot QB from USC, Matt Leinart, is just not working out in the Phoenix and he has been demoted to second string while rumors whirl of the Cards looking to trade him out of town.

The Cards last final preseason matchup gave Leinart a chance to showcase his goods for either a chance to be the starter again or for a decent trade.  The team even debuted their new Black Jersey to help Matt look as sharp as he could.

I’m usually not a fan of the gimmicky black jersey switch for teams.  Mainly because it’s been so run into the ground over the years on about every level of sports.  And it could always be worse.  Like the Seahawks lime green disaster.  That’s just nasty.

It's like a Skittle exploded

But, I will have to admit that the Cardinals black jerseys do look sharp.  Not good enough to make Leinart look like an NFL starting QB but Matt did look stylish on his 3 and outs.

Check out the first drive of Leinart to see how he did:

Ouch! Nothing like a three-and-out to really impress those teams looking to trade for you. I particularly like the sack right after the announcers state his Heisman credentials.

The good news for Cards fans is that if you like the Cardinals Black Jerseys you will get a couple more chances to see them.  This version counts as the teams alternative jersey and can be worn once in the preseason and twice in the regular.

Welcome to the NFL, Ndamukong Suh. And welcome to Roger Goodell’s dog house.

Ndamukong Suh tackles Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme with a wicked facemask followed by a totally unnecessary takedown which might make Dick Butkus blush.  Or Albert Haynesworth.

Suh grabbed the facemask to stop Delhomme but got a little carried away and then tried to rip the head off of the QB. That headhunting technique works well in the WWE but here that will get you a penalty and most likely a fine from the Commissioner.

Delhomme was not injured on the play and continued the game. Suh was only flagged with one penalty but should’ve gotten 2 and possibly the boot from the game.

We don’t really know her name but it’s safe to say at the moment ‘Hot Colts Fan In Short Shorts’ will suffice.  Or maybe Peyton’s #1 fan.

The Colts traveled to the Buffalo’s 2nd home in Toronto to play a preseason game awhile back and prove that two countries don’t care about preseason games.  What a shock. A lot of fuss was made when thousands of tickets were left unsold to the preseason event in Toronto.

The game was uneventful for the most part (exclusive game footage here) but over the last few days a video has been circulating showing a rather pretty young lady in a Peyton Manning jersey and short shorts dancing during a break. Looks like the Colts brought their own Cheerleaders. Hat tip to Fanhouse for the video.

Edit: Correction. This is the Colts #1 fan. The Hot Chick in the Short Shorts is just a gorgeous #2

It’s an offbeat news story but it does go to show you the vast appeal of the Brett Favre drama.

For the last few years football fans have put up with the antics of Brett Favre in the offseason.  He retires.  He doesn’t. He misses camp and in a heartfelt moment he honors his teammates by showing up before the regular season.

Well, Stephen Colbert doesn’t take kindly to Favre playing with our emotions.  He even has the broken broom stick to poke in his eye to prove it.

Why does he do it? Why does Favre pander to the media and demand all this attention?

Ohhhh…..maybe that’s a good idea.  Favre is onto something here.

I think Colbert may have found a way to get the attention he so rightfully deserves.  Maybe it’s time to retire and think about the future….

It may take some time getting used to, but Calvin Coolidge Senior High School football players are quickly coming around to their new leader, Coach Randolph. It’s not that this coach is strict or demanding. It’s because Coach Randolph, who joined the team in March, is a woman.

Natalie Randolph is one of the nation’s only female head coach of a high school varsity football team. She stood out among the more than 15 applicants, who include former N.F.L. players, Pop Warner coaches and even a retired Army general, because she promised to help the players in the classroom as much as on the field.

Calvin Coolidge Senior High School consistently battles academic records that are less than stellar and Randolph brings to the table structure and discipline.

But, she is not just a great teacher. This coach is also a great athlete. The 5′ 5″ Randolph was a track star in high school and even played six seasons with the D.C. Divas, a professional team in the Independent Women’s Football League.

Randolph is just as persistent on the football field. She often leads running drills, and rarely yells. Bob Headen, who worked with Randolph when she was the receivers coach at H. D. Woodson, a nearby high school, said her coaching style worked.

“She’s harder on the players than I am,” Headen, one of her assistants, said. “Once when we had players running their mouth, I went to deal with them and she said, ‘No, I got them.’ Then she did her thing.”

Randolph is tough, but players still appreciate the novelty of having a woman in charge. During one practice last month, the junior cornerback Raynard Ware chanted, “Wildcats!” He was referring to the 1986 film in which Goldie Hawn played a coach of an inner-city football team. Other players have asked her if they could call her Mom. [via]

The Pac-10 will be getting plenty of airtime this fall as the national television schedule for football, which includes 38 games to be televised by Fox Sports Net, ESPN/ABC and Versus, was released.  USC and Oregon will get the bulk of the load but it is nice to see the networks mix it up with some of the rest of the conference.

ESPN-ABC announced a number of additions to its broadcast schedule today, which means there will be 24 games involving conference teams televised in 2010. The ESPN/ABC schedule is listed below but you can check out a bigger schedule with the FSN and VS. games at Oregon Live.

2010 Pac-10 Schedule as of May 11

2010 NFL Mock Draft

The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night as the league expands their annual event into prime time television with 3 days of action.  Round 1 will be held Thursday, round 2-3 on Friday, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday on the NFL Network and ESPN as well as cell phones on the Verizon network.

The new, extended format of the draft may change the system.  Teams will now be able to evaluate the first round and then work out trades and deals overnight for the upcoming rounds.

We can hope for the usual amount of drama including some surprise picks and the occasional trade.  For the most part, we here at the Pigskin Doctors feel confident that the first round of picks will unfold in a similar way to our Mock Draft.

1	St. Louis Rams Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma The Rams need a lot of help across the board but with the release of vet Marc Bulger, this pick is a lock.
2	Detroit Lions Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska I love the explosiveness of Suh to edge out McCoy for this pick.  He’s strong and fast for a man of his size and will be a huge upgrade to the Lions D-line.
3	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma The Bucs need help on their D-line.  OK.  They need help everywhere but this is a glaring hole that can be filled by the huge McCoy.
4	Washington Redskins Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State The ‘Skins traded for McNabb which kicks the need for a QB to the later rounds or even next year.  The O-line needs help and with Okung, Bulaga, and Williams in the mix it is a perfect opportunity to grab someone to guard McNabb.  Also look for Williams to be tapped for this pick for a squad that allowed 46 sacks in 2009,.
5	Kansas City Chiefs Eric Berry, S, Tennessee Berry is the best available player here and a stellar defensive talent that you don’t get a chance on too often.  An O-lineman would be a solid choice but Berry’s a future All-Pro who can help nail down that Chief secondary.
6	Seattle Seahawks Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa The ‘Hawks need to come out of this draft with a metric ton of linemen for both sides of the ball.  Their O-line is one of the worst in the league and with another pick at #14 they can afford to pick someone like Berry here if he’s available and grab a lineman a few picks later.
7	Cleveland Browns Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma Mike Holmgren is now in charge and his mantra of picking the best available player might land Williams in Cleveland. Plus, with the lack of a solid QB the Browns will need a lot of help.
8	Oakland Raiders Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland It’s the Raiders. Who knows what they are going to do….
9	Buffalo Bills Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame The Bills could use a solid offensive lineman here but the lure of adding a QB might be too hard to overlook.  Clausen is a wild card in this draft. He’s not healthy and there are questions about his leadership. If the Bills or Jags don’t bite on him, look for Clausen to tumble pretty far down the draft board.
10	Jacksonville Jaguars Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech Look to Morgan as a strong pass rusher who can put some heat on opponents.
11	Denver Broncos Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama The Broncos lost Brandon Marshall and could go after a WR like Dez Bryant if they wanted to deal with another troubled player.  McClain is one of the best linebackers in the draft and would be a welcome addition to the squad.
12	Miami Dolphins Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee The Dolphins added Brandon Marshall to their receivers squad to fix that issue.  Their next big need is to fill in their D-line.  Jason Taylor signed with the Jets and Williams will add some talent to their aging line.
13	San Francisco 49ers Joe Haden, CB, FLorida The first of 2 picks for SF could help bring some speed to the 49ers secondary.
14	Seattle Seahawks C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson The D-line could use some help here but Spiller is a huge talent that could open up the offense for the ‘Hawks.
15	New York Giants Everson Griffen, DE, USC Griffen can help bring some depth, speed and power from the outside and add some youth to a D-line that has a habit of getting injured.
16	Tennessee Titans Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU Hughes has great strength and pass rush ability that will help Keith Bullock who is getting old.
17	San Francisco 49ers Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers Davis is a huge addition to an O-line that could use the help in pass protection.
18	Pittsburgh Steelers Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida The versatile Pouncey will be an assist to a porous O-line that gave up too many sacks last year.  And with their QB problem (Big Ben suspend 6 games) they will need a little extra protection for their backups.
19	Atlanta Falcons Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida Pierre-Paul is a huge question mark in the draft.  He’s an unproven talent with great potential but would be a great addition to an aging D-line.
20	Houston Texans Earl Thomas, FS, Texas Size may be an issue with Thomas but he should be able to contribute at CB if the need calls for it.  The Texans could use a strong playmaker in their secondary if they want to make a move to beat the Colts this year.
21	Cincinnati Bengals Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State The Bengals are showing the age at WR with Chad Ochocinco slowing down. Signing Antonio Bryant helps but the addition of Bryant to the Bengals adds an instant deep threat to the team.
22	New England Patriots Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan Graham adds a great pass rush ability to the Patriots to a linebacking crew that needs to pressure opposing QB’s more.
23	Green Bay Packers Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas The addition of Kindle on the outside will complement the Pack tremendously.
24	Philadelphia Eagles Taylor Mays, S, USC Brian Dawkins is gone and the Eagles could use a replacement.
25	Baltimore Ravens Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma Todd Heap has battled injuries through his career and with the addition of Boldin to the WR crew the Ravens could use a solid TE for blocking as well as a Red Zone option.
26	Arizona Cardinals Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri Weatherspoon may end up being taken earlier as his draft stock rises.  The Cards lost a lot of talent in the offseason and could use a solid LB to keep the defense improve.
27	Dallas Cowboys Charles Brown, OT, USC The offense collapsed against Minnesota in the playoffs last year and the Cowboys let Flozell Adams go.  Brown would be a great addition to a squad that needs to improve.
28	San Diego Chargers Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State Sproles is the man and LT is out.  Mathews adds some speed and power to take the inside running game and let Sproles do his thing.
29	New York Jets Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama The Jets have added so much talent in the off season that they should stay very competitive this year.  Mount Cody is my sleeper pick this year and he is a huge stopper in the middle and would be a great addition to Rex Ryan’s defense.
30	Minnesota Vikings Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State Wilson will be a great addition to the Vikings secondary which is getting old.
31	Indianapolis Colts Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana Saffold is a great addition to Manning’s line which needs to add a little more protection and help with the run game.
32	New Orleans Saints Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State The Saints need a little help on the D-line to take some pressure off the offense.  They’ve added Alex Brown from the Bears and an additional talent like Odrick will help tremendously.

Ndamukong Suh (see Draft preview) is as fast as he is strong and that makes him a monster force. 

ESPN’s Sports Science proved his power recently as they measured the different components of Suh’s game including his start, his speed, and his hits. They determined that Suh hits an opponent with over 3200 pounds of force.

The speed plays a huge factor in Suh’s game as he is able to launch himself with great speed. For a man his size, 6′ 4″ and over 300 lbs., he can start off like a sprinter to build up power. His explosion off the line is only matched by the explosion when he meets his target.

That 3200 pounds of force is the highest ESPN’s Sports Science has ever recorded. And that includes measurements of Ray Lewis and Kris Jenkins.

Suh is regarded by many as one of the top defensive players available in the 2010 NFL Draft alongside Gerald McCoy. It seems as if the St. Louis Rams will go after QB Sam Bradford with the #1 pick which leaves the next 2 picks destined to be where Suh resides. And I’m sure Suh has already sent a copy of this tape to all the teams.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes in now a Jet. The 26-year-old Super Bowl MVP was traded for a fifth-round pick after coming off a 1,248-yard season.

Holmes may be best known for the game winning TD catch in Super Bowl XLIII (video below). His stretched out reception helped Pittsburgh end the Arizona Cardinals bid to win their first Super Bowl. He was also the Steelers first round pick in 2006 and despite his on-the-field performance, it is clear that management was tired of his distractions.

In the last few years, Holmes has been arrested several times for assault, domestic violence, and drug possession and when you pile up all the distractions that Holmes has caused you can see why Pitt only got a 5th rounder in exchange.

Holmes will be a gamble for New York. Should he keep clean and play without distractions he will be a monster force for the Jets who are still in need of a playmaker receiver after trading for another troubled receiver, Braylon Edwards, who has yet to be a huge force in his short time in New York. Both guys have huge potential but neither seem to be able to get their act together.

Holmes is currently facing a lawsuit in Florida, where he has been accused of throwing a glass at a woman’s face at an Orlando nightclub and trade comes just after the NFL decided that Holmes could get a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

This week the Steelers will also learn whether troubled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will face charges of sexual assault.

Santonio Holmes Game Winning Touchdown Super Bowl 43. Steelers 27 Cardinals 23

That was fast.

The Washington Redskins officially welcomed new QB Donovan McNabb to Redskin park today and after a little compromise from a current Redskin player they were able to offer the new Donovan McNabb #5 jersey for sale at the NFL Shop.

Turns out current ‘Skin QB Colt Brennan holds the rights to #5.  Without much hesitation, the former University of Hawaii talent will switch to his old UH #15 jersey and allow McNabb to keep his #5.

And today, this guy to the right was spotted at the Washington Nationals game today by the D.C. Sports Blog.   They also point out that no Redskin has been in the top 10 of the NFL in jersey sales since at least 2001.

My guess would be that LaVar Arrington holds that distinction.  Hmmm….any Redskins fan know that one?