Browns get Delhomme

The Cleveland Browns signed Jake Delhomme to a two-year deal that will reportedly pay him $7 million in 2010. Because the Panthers released him, they still owe him $12.7 million, so he'll actually make $19.7 million in 2010, according to ESPN.com. That may be too much money for a 35-year-old man who people say is declining. But for the Browns, he could be the one to lead them to the play-offs for the first time since 2007.

To make room for Delhomme, the Browns traded Brady Quinn to Denver for a 2011 sixth-round draft pick and running back Peyton Hillis. This trade is not great in my opinion, because the Browns have a running back in Jerome Harrison that has proven he can get it done and some analysts predict they will pick a running back from UConn in the third round. Losing Brady Quinn isn't the end of the world because he wasn't performing well. Besides, reportedly the Browns may be looking to draft a quarterback in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. That would leave Delhomme putting his experience to use at the end of his career while a rookie gets some experience before Delhomme's retirement.

Mike Holmgren is certainly shaking things up. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out in the 2010 NFL season.

--Photo credit: Flickr/Willamor Media

Combine 2010

The best players entering the draft work out at The Combine so that they can be higher draft picks and to improve their game. The NFL Combine is three days long. The players bench press, do catching drills, passing drills, vertical leap, horizontal leap, and the 40-yard dash. Stand-outs this year in the 40-yard dash include Jacoby Ford from Clemson who ran a 4.28; Jahvid Best from California who ran a 4.33; and C.J. Spiller from Clemson, who ran a 4.35.
Out of this group, I think the most complete player is Spiller. He scored a touchdown in every single game last season. In the whole season, he scored a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, a kick-off return touchdown, and a punt return touchdown. What can't he do? The other two, in my mind, are late second, early third round draft picks because even though they're fast, they are not all around players. Best has some injury problems, which could keep him out of the first round. He and Spiller both were stand-out running backs in college. Ford was a stand-out wide receiver at Clemson and also the best receiver. He won't go in the first round because there are better and taller receivers like Brandon Lafell of LSU.

Turning six

LeBron James might be a 6'8" 25-year-old, but he's still turning six... the number six, that is. James' number is still 23, for now, but James wants to change his number to six in honor of Michael Jordan, who also wore 23-- a number James thinks should be retired.
In a November 12 interview with TNT, LeBron, who grew up "idolizing" Jordan, said, "No guy in the NBA should ever wear 23."
Number 6 is also James' Olympic number.

Ohno vs. Phelps

Apolo Ohno earned his seventh career Olympic medal on Saturday, February 20, when he won bronze in the short track speed skating 1000 meter. He and Michael Phelps, who is another American Olympian, have both won the most medals for their respective season Olympics. Phelps shattered many records, including one of his own, when he won 8 gold medals the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing.
Even though America isn't always the best in the winter Olympics, Apolo Ohno has made it seem that way, and there may be a lot of kids who end up wanting to participate in winter sports because of him. He also hasn't gotten in trouble like Michael Phelps, who was caught smoking pot after the games, which made some people really mad. These two athletes are two of the greatest American Olympians of all time.

--Correction: Apolo Ohno's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this article.

Lighting the torch

On All-Star weekend, Steve Nash beat Deren Williams in the skills challenge. Williams had and still has the record of the best time in the Taco Bell skills challenge. Nash was one the lucky citizens to light the Olympic Torch. This is a guy to watch. Even though he is near the end of his career at age 36, Nash is still among the top point guards in the NBA. He has been a Western Conference All-Star multiple times and NBA MVP twice. He is surely a Hall of Fame candidate, but those who watch him play hope he does not go away any time soon.

1st time the charm?

The Saints and the Colts battled in the big one[Super Bowl]. The Saints were big underdogs. Most of the U.S. was rooting for the Saints because they had never won the Super Bowl and because Hurricane Katrina happened just a couple of years ago and really hurt that city. But most people still thought the Colts would win.

The Colts got up early 10-0. If the Saints won, this would be a tie for the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Could they do it? Let's find out.

One of the biggest plays in the game was when the Colts were supposed to get the ball first in the second half and, instead, the Saints did an on-side kick and recovered. The score was 6-10, and they scored on that drive, putting them in the lead at 13-10 with a touchdown screen thrown by Brees to Pierre Thomas. The Colts answered with some powerful running by Joseph Addai to regain the lead, 17-13.

When the Saints got the ball back, they went down the field, but got held to just 3 points. The Colts would drive down the field and try a 51-yard field goal, but Matt Stover missed, and the Saints would take over.

This gave the Saints momentum and the Saints would go down the field and hit Jeremy Shockey on a two-yard pass play in the end zone. Peyton Manning would have another chance. He wasn't doing terrible until Tracey Porter jumped in front of a quick slant route, picked off the ball and ran it back 74 yards for a touchdown. Peyton Manning really shouldn't have thrown that ball. On the next drive, also the final drive for the Colts, on fourth down, Peyton Manning threw to Reggie Wayne again, picking on Tracey Porter, but Wayne dropped it. It sealed the deal, and the underdogs won big.

Without Tracey Porter, the Saints probably would not be Super Bowl champions; he picked off two big-name quarterbacks in Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. Arguably, he should have been the Super Bowl MVP, an honor that went to Drew Brees. The Who Dat nation started Mardi Gras early this year.

Peyton Manning was frustrated and did not shake anybody's hand after the game. A couple of days after the game, he apologized during an interview. He did say he should have congratulated Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and everyone else.

It turns out, for the Saints, first time is the charm.

Super Bowl Sunday Weather Watch

If weather in Virginia keeps up like it has, we could have no power. I'm reporting live from Charlottesville's sportswatching headquarters-- or, as it's better known, the C'ville Pigsty-- where snow is falling everywhere, kids are throwing snowballs, and a deck tent has just collapsed (yup, that's it in the photo). There's about a foot of snow on the ground and trees falling. The most worrying thing has been the loss of cable here at headquarters. It came back on for 15 minutes, but then disappeared again.

This is the worst time possible for a blizzard because, as we all know, tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. I have had one comment from sportsfan Joel in Richmond that says you should get a small TV that could plug into a car and cram 8 people in to watch it. This theory could work, unless trees keep on falling on Sunday. Nobody wants to be hit by a tree in a car. I mean, seriously.

A generator is the way to go, and we are in luck here at the Pigsty because we have one and we're ready to use it. Yee-haw, Super Bowl Sunday, here we come!