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!

Will Virginia fans see the Super Bowl?

With the Super Bowl three days away, most fans already know where they're going to watch the game. Most Virginians will be staying in Virginia and are planning to watch the game with family and friends. It may not be such a good thing that it has to be on this particular Sunday. Central Virginia is expected to have 10-18" of snow on the ground with ice. This means that there may be a power outage in Virginia. People who want to go somewhere else to watch may have a hard time getting there unless they have four-wheel drive, but even if they can get out of their own driveways, they may find restaurants closed or without power. It's a worst case scenario, granted, but for any fans with their hearts set on watching the Saints and Colts battle to the death, it's a horrifying one.

I suggest, if you have a generator to power your refrigerator, you disconnect it and plug it into the TV. Spoiled food is a far better fate than spoiled football.

Laker Legend

Kobe Bryant is now a Laker Legend. He has scored the most points in team history, after a 44-point game against Memphis. His highest point total is 81 points in a game. He has passed five great Los Angeles Lakers; two of them are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West. Bryant, West, and Abdul-Jabbar are the top three scorers in Lakers history. Even though Bryant is averaging less points and less assists per game than Jerry West, he is still known as the greatest Laker of all time. His 81-point game is the second highest scoring total in a game, topped only by Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, who had 100 in a game. Do you like apples? How 'bout them apples?!

Warner retires!!

Kurt Warner retired on Friday after 12 seasons starting in the pros. He has been to two Super Bowls in the last decade, winning 1. In his 12 years, he has passed for over 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only two NFL quarterbacks to throw for 100 TDs & 14,000 yards for two different teams (St. Louis and Arizona).He is 38 years old and has a 65.5 completion in his 124 game career.

Teammates say he is a first ballot hall of fame quarterback, no doubt. They say they look up to him as great leader on and off the field.
Do you think he is a hall of famer?

Play-off year?

This year, the Browns did not have a very good season. They did go out with four straight wins though. Next season, I believe they will make it. They have a new president in Mike Holmgren, who has worked with three big name quarterbacks: Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Brett Favre. I believe, if he stays long enough, Brady Quinn will become a big name quarterback.

The Browns also have the seventh pick in the 2010 NFL draft. If they draft Joe Haden, then they won't have to use a wide receiver at safety. Mike Furrey is a good slot receiver, but right now he can't show that because he's playing safety. They also have great special teams with Joshua Cribbs and Jerome Harrison to back him up at kick-off and punt returner. They also have improved on both offense and defense. On the offensive side, they have Jerome Harrison, who had a 286-yard game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, which is third all-time in rushing yards behind Jamal Lewis with 295 yards against the Browns and Adrian Peterson with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers. The wide receivers like Muhammed Massaquoi and Chanci Stuckey are both getting better. On the defensive side, they have Shaun Rogers in the middle and Kamerion Wimbley on the outside to bring pressure. If they draft Joe Haden, they will have two good cornerbacks.

All of this could lead to a Cleveland Browns post-season in 2010. I think they'll make it. Do you?

New retirement watch?

Last week, every NFL fan was focused on whether Brett Favre would retire or not. Now, everybody's talking about Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals. Warner is a great quarterback and a Hall of Fame quarterback. With the Saint Louis Rams, he was the first NFL MVP to win a Super Bowl in the same year. At 38, he needs to retire, but not for the same reasons that Brett Favre should. He has had up to five concussions. After he saw Anquan Boldin get smashed in one of last year's games against Seattle, he should know the risks. He is still a great quarterback, but can't risk being injured again.He can throw the ball quickly, but unlike Favre, he is not always on target. Just like Favre, if he retires now, he will go out on a high note. Let's say he has a bad season if he returns; he goes out on a low note. He has the best chance of getting into the Hall of Fame if he retires now.

Do you think he should retire?

Won by one

The Dallas Mavericks played the Milwaukee Bucks last night. The final three seconds kept fans on the edge of their seats with the Mavericks up one. They were trying to waste the rest of the clock, but the ball got stolen by the Bucks. Immediately, they called time-out. With three seconds left, they inbounded the ball. They ran up the court and took a shot. Almost every Dallas Mavericks player was surrounding the ball. The Bucks took an off-balance shot and... brick! Off-the-rim it went. The whole Mavericks team ran on to the court and celebrated. The Bucks could have won, but didn't. The key player in the Mavericks' win was power forward/center Dirk Nowitzki, who had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Even though the Bucks lost, Andrew Bogut had a big game with 32 points and 9 rebounds.

Did the Saints really win?

While the Saints are going to the Super Bowl, they may not have earned it. The huge stat in this game is that the Saints only had one turnover and the Vikings had five. The Saints got pressure on Brett Favre all day. He was never sacked, but he was hit more than 10 times. He was getting pressured, and the Vikings were shooting themselves in the foot. Near the end of the game, the Vikings had the ball on the 33-- in field goal range for Ryan Longwell. But instead of kicking the field goal and winning the game, they decided to run one more play. That play turned out to be a penalty for 12 men in the huddle. Then, they had to run another play because they were out of field goal range on the 38 yard line. When they started the play, Brett Favre was being pressured yet again. He rolled out right and threw across his body. This pass was intercepted by Tracey Porter, and this ended regulation. In OT, the Saints had won the toss. They drove down the field and kicked a field goal to win 31-28. A big play on this drive was a 1-yard rush by Pierre Thomas on 4th and 1. They measured, and sure enough, he had it.

Even though the Saints are in the Super Bowl, the Vikings were killing themselves with all the penalties and turnovers. The Saints didn't score many points off of turnovers, but the Vikings couldn't score with all the mistakes they made. They could have-- and should have-- won.

Shooting Showdown

Last night, LeBron James and D-Wade faced off in Miami. Both went for thirty-two points but LeBron James is now in first place scoring with 29.9 points per game. James had 9 rebounds as well. Wade however, had 5 assists and 3 steals. In the final seconds of last night's game, Wade had the ball with LeBron guarding him. James was playing tight coverage and Wade just had to shoot; James contested. The shot was not blocked, but Wade's shot was off. The Cavs won 92-91.

NBA Free Agents Class '10

LeBron James is just one of many to be a free agent in 2010. According to Hoopsworld.com, he, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh are three superstars who are signed through 2011 but have the option of leaving for another team this year. LeBron James is looking at the New York Knicks if he becomes a free agent and doesn't sign with the Cavaliers to extend his contract. Chris Bosh may be looking at the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets. Dwayne Wade may resign with the Heat. But he might sign with the Chicago Bulls.

LeBron James is scoring at ease, averaging 29.9 points per game and 7.9 assists per game with 7.2 rebounds per game. Dwayne Wade is a real shooter, averaging 27 points, 6.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Chris Bosh is a rebounding machine with 11.1 per game, along with an impressive 23.9 points and 2.1 assists per game.

I think LeBron James is a better fit in Cleveland than he would be in New York because he's from Ohio and he has chemistry with his teammates on the Cavs. Wade might like Chicago better because he can't keep on being a great player if he has nobody who can control the ball and get it to him. There's nobody in Miami who can do this. In Chicago, they have Derrick Rose who can score but can also pass it. I think it would be better for Bosh to go to Houston because they need someone in the paint who's big and great at rebounding. They lost their best big man in Yao Ming to injuries and need a younger player. Bosh is ready to go to a new team for new opportunities.

Should Favre retire?

Should Brett Favre retire? Brett Favre came back for another shot at the Super Bowl, and he almost got there. Even though this was his best year statistically, he still should retire because eventually he will lose his composure, his accuracy, his strength, and his awareness. If he retires now, he will have gone out on a high note. But who knows? If he did play one more year and did not play well, he would have gone off on a low note. Don't get me wrong, he's a great quarterback. But after a while, you just have to step away from the game. I think the only reason he would come back is because it wouldn't be nice to have your last throw in the NFL be picked off, especially when he only threw 7 interceptions the whole regular season. He is a Hall of Fame quarterback though, so people will always remember him as a great quarterback. He has set almost every major passing record including most touchdown passes, even though he also has one of the worst records, most interceptions. Favre said his return is "highly unlikely."

Do you think he should retire?