A lot happened in last night’s draft.

Here are some of my thoughts through the first 32 picks…

Let’s Start By Talking About…Jake Locker?: Quick, in a straw poll, how many of you thought I’d be starting off this first round recap by talking about Jake Locker? Unless it was for something like, “Jake Locker wins the award for guy who most definitely shouldn’t have shown up at the Green Room in New York because there was a totally reasonable chance he wouldn’t be selected on Day 1, and then would’ve had to embarrassingly come back on Friday or face public ridicule," then I could buy it. Otherwise, not so much.

Except that’s the thing: Jake Locker didn’t even show up in New York. And you know why? Because even he probably didn’t think he was getting drafted in the first round.

As for the pick itself, here’s my biggest problem: Being the college football nut that I am, as a general rule, I can’t properly evaluate guys heading into the draft. To me, all these guys look so damn good in college that I can’t differentiate the ones who’ll be good as pros, from the ones who won’t be. I just can’t put anyone into the proper context, when I can only view them through the prism of dominant college player.

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With the way the sports world is today, nothing slips through the cracks. There are simply too many blogs, too many radio hosts, too many Around the Horn panelists and too many know it all’s at the barber shop to ever let that happen.

Only, something happened on Monday afternoon, that for once, I feel like not nearly enough people are talking about it. That’s when according to a report by CNBC’s Darren Rovell, former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton signed the largest shoe contract for an incoming rookie in NFL history. While official terms weren’t disclosed, sources told Rovell that the deal was for over a million dollars a year.

No big deal, right? Who cares, right?

Well, I care.

You see, I spend the better part of the fall, every fall, defending the NCAA. Well, not “defending” them per se, since defending the NCAA would be nearly as bad as defending Bernie Madoff, Charlie Sheen, or anyone who enjoys the show The Big Bang Theory. Still, I do defend the NCAA in one regard: Their refusal to pay student-athletes.

 

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I’ll be frank: I didn’t give the Super Bowl my best effort.

What do I mean by that? Well, one of the few downsides of being a sportswriter is that I don’t get to enjoy the games as a fan like most people (Boo-hoo, right?). I usually watch alone, in the quiet of my house, without distraction, in large part so I can hear the announcers, analyze everything and put my own spin on it. I don’t wear jerseys. I don’t drink beer. And I don’t congregate with friends. It’s just how I feel that I do my job best.

So when I say that I didn’t give the Super Bowl my “best effort,” what that really means, is that for once I just let my hair down and had some fun. I took off my sportswriter’s hat, and threw on a fan hat instead. I put away my notebook, my buddy came over, and we drank beers and ate pizza like the rest of you. Granted that much like Christina Aguilera, I’m carrying some extra weight this morning. But still, I had a good time.

Of course what it also means, is that I don’t have any really strong opinions on the game. Because I wasn’t taking notes, or paying particularly close attention, I can’t tell you why the Packers won, why the Steelers lost, or even if Ben Roethlisberger had any food crumbs stuck in his beard. Again, Sunday night was just about having fun, not about being a sports columnist.

The one thing I did notice though, was that in a season where injuries were a major theme, and concussions more commonplace than people making fun of Joe Buck, it seemed like every time I turned around, someone was being taken to the locker room by the trainer, or limping off the field wincing in pain. The fact that two of the Packers most recognizable players- Donald Driver and Charles Woodson- ended the game on the sidelines, only added to the effect.

Which is kind of ironic, isn’t it? That after an excellent Super Bowl where the central theme was “The Packers overcoming injuries to win,” some of the central themes of this upcoming off-season are expected to include, “Lockout,” “owners vs. players,” and “18-game schedule.” And as I stayed up late after Sunday night’s game, thinking, and Googling as much information about the subject as I could, all the blame came back to one person. Roger Goodell.

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It’s Super Bowl week, and you know what that means, right? Like every reporter, journalist, blogger, radio host, ex-player, columnist and lingerie model, I need to have an opinion on the game. After all, isn't forcing our opinions on one and other until everything turns into one big blur, what Super Bowl week is all about?

Well, it isn't here. Which is why I’ve decided that rather than giving you a boring, old, 800 word column on “Why X team is going to win,” I figured, I’d do something better… and give you an article on prop bets! For those of us who don’t have a rooting interest in the game, that ends up being the best part of the Super Bowl anyway. Well, unless Ali Landry comes out with a new Doritos commercial.

So which Super Bowl Prop Bets do I like the most? They’re listed below, and they’re provided by our good friends at BetUS.com (As always, if you do decide to sign-up and place some wagers, be sure to mention AaronTorres-Sports.com for your referral, to get some free, extra gifts).

And one more thing:  The good folks at Coca-Cola just sent a link called, “Coca Cola Cheers.” If you go ahead and click on the link, and give a quick “cheer,” Coca-Cola will donate $1 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Also, if you go ahead and submit a picture, you get a free preview of one of Coke’s ads that are going to run this Super Bowl Sunday. Go ahead and take 30 seconds out of your day. It's for a good cause.

Now, the picks…

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Admit it: Jets fan or not, you were excited for Wednesday's premeire of Hard Knocks. How could you not be?

Rex Ryan. Darrelle Revis. Rex Ryan's stomach. LaDainian Tomlinson applying for his AARP card. If Hard Knocks couldn't get you pumped for football season, nothing could.

Anyway, like I did for the Jersey Shore premiere a few weeks ago, I took it upon myself to keep a running diary for all to enjoy. Was it the most original idea? Of course not, a million writers have done it before me. But was it the best way to capture all the hijinks from Jets camp? I think so.

Regardless, let's pick things up at 10:02, since I missed the first couple minutes after getting lost on the way back from a friend's house.

Enjoy.

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So the NFL Draft is now complete, and like any other sporting event on the calendar, everybody's got an opinion: Who were the winners? Who were the losers? How many gallons of hair gel did Mel Kiper go through this weekend? Why is Jon Gruden so damn happy all the time? Most importantly, is it just me, or does anyone think that Chris Mortensen secretly hates Adam Schefter? Just thinking out loud here.

While I'm not an expert and would never claim to be, I do watch an uncomfortable amount of college football (Anybody watch the San Jose State spring game this weekend? Anybody? Is this thing on?) which in my mind, makes me at least semi-qualified to discuss this past weekend.

And since everyone is giving their opinions anyway, why not share a few of mine, with some closing thoughts on the 2010 NFL Draft.
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I already know what you’re thinking.

“Come on Aaron, another article on Tim Tebow. I need that about as much as Rosie O'Donnell needs a trip to Golden Corral.”

I feel your pain. Believe me. But considering there are roughly 281,722 guys out there with a sports website, blog, podcast or radio show, and considering that I watch more college football than roughly 281,720 of them, I feel like I should speak up. Partly because I can’t remember a single more polarizing player in all my years following the NFL Draft, and don’t know if we’ll ever have one as polarizing again.

So here goes. Here's my very best attempt at an unbiased on the guy:

Looking back on everything, it's weird, because of all the sports I watch (And believe, if there's a ball, a bat, grass, dirt or Erin Andrews, I'm watching), I rarely, rarely remember seeing or hearing about a guy for the first time. Sure I've become a little jaded, but the truth is, that in the world we live in, we usually know the best high school basketball players by their sophomore or junior years of high school and the best baseball players by the time they reach Single A, if not sooner. Football is no different, especially now that college football recruiting is a 365 day a year, hundred million dollar industry (If not more).

Therefore, by the time a guy steps on a college campus or Major League diamond, I feel like I already know him, and have an opinion on him. Whether that's fair or not, I really don't know.

But Tebow was different.
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Like any writer, I've got good days and bad. Sometimes, I wake up, shave, shower and bang out 2500 words, all with enough spare time to grab a lunchtime cocktail afterward (I like those days). Others, I'm groggy, slow, and procrastinate, making myself as valuable to society as Snooki from Jersey Shore.

Also like any writer, my thoughts come to me at all kinds of strange times and in weird places. Laying in bed, walking the dog, showering, whatever. And when those thoughts come, I need a quiet place to write before I lose them, and my motivation to work.

Luckily for me there's a college library right down the street. Now to you, having a college library right next door might not mean much, but to a writer, it's like hitting the lottery: Quiet, open at all kinds of weird hours, with nice girls to look at too. And fortunately, I've even still got a few years before I turn into the creepy old guy hanging out there. Which is a good thing.

Anyway, a few nights ago was one of those times where I needed peace and quiet, and I needed it at a weird time of night. What was supposed to be a quick stopover turned into a seven hour stay, with me finally emerging from the library well after 1 a.m., bleary eyed, slurry speeched and staggering, like I'd just gone 12 rounds with Manny Pacquiao (See what writing does to me?)

Right next to the library is a pretty prominent music school, and as I was walking by I was shocked to hear noise coming from it. I know it's a music school, but come on, it was 1:30 in the morning, and these kids are in college. Didn't they have binge drinking to do or something?

Anyway, by now I bet you're thinking, "Aaron what does any of this have to do with the NFL Combine." I'm getting there.

My point is, that after spending the better part of the last four days on my couch, in my underwear, watching the NFL Combine, I can never again judge anyone for how they choose to use their time. Ever. Whether it's playing the flute at 1:30 in the morning, hanging out at adult bookstores, watching The Big Bang Theory, whatever, nothing was as pathetic as me these past four days. Nothing. I am now officially the last person in the world who can throw stones.

Much like waking up after a long night of drinking and looking through your text log, I'm not exactly sure how I got to this place. To use another analogy, the Combine elicited similar emotion to driving by a car crash, once it caught my eye I couldn't turn away. No matter how bad I wanted to.

But just because the last four days turned into an epic waste of time, doesn't mean that I didn't learn anything. Quite the opposite actually.

So for all of you who didn't have the chance to watch (I know, I know, you had "work responsibilities." Whatever.) I took copious notes. On the pretty and ugly, highs and lows, and bad jokes and bench presses mixed in. This is "The Good, The Bad and The Goofy of the 2010 NFL Combine." Enjoy.

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Ahh Super Bowl Sunday. The big day. When two teams do battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, an NFL champion is crowned and you have a few too many drinks, and end up hitting on your friend’s 15-year-old cousin (Sorry bro, the braces should have been a dead giveaway). Good times. Dare I say, great times.

Of course it’s all fun and games until it’s your turn to host. Then what? What about the food and drink? What about the prop bets and Super Bowl boxes? Where do you even start?

Well luckily for you, I’ve been to a few Super Bowl parties in my day. Good ones, bad ones, forgettable ones, you name it, I’ve seen it all. Well except for the Jets winning the Super Bowl. When that happens, then I’ll have seen it all.

Either way, I’m here to help. Here to give you the answers to all your questions, as well as a few you probably didn’t even think to ask.

I’m here to help you (yes you, you bozo) throw the “Ultimate Super Bowl Party.”

Enjoy

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The text came at 10:03 p.m.

It was from my buddy Matt, and was right to the point: "Wait, Vince Young is a Pro Bowler???"

He sure is Matt. He sure is.

You may remember Young, the Pro Bowler, as a guy who didn't start any of his team's first six games of the season, or throw a pass in any their first four. Not because of a nagging injury, suspension or any kind of drug/PED/sex tape scandal. Nope, VY's team and coaches just thought that Kerry Collins- Kerry freakin' Collins- gave them a better chance to win football games than he did. It took six straight losses to prove otherwise.

And while Vince Young was playing in the Pro Bowl Sunday night, you know who wasn't? Just about everybody else.

The NFL's Offensive (Peyton Manning) and Defensive (Charles Woodson) MVP's didn't play. Neither did the game's most dynamic passer (Drew Brees), feel good story (Kurt Warner) and most polarizing player (the immortal Brett Favre). Tom Brady stayed at home with Giselle. So did Larry Fitzgerald with his volumizing shampoo. Same with Philip Rivers, Patrick Willis and Steven Jackson. Hell, Brian Cushing is a rookie, and even he didn't show up. Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne and Darren Sharper were in the building, but like roughly 70,000 paying customers, they were simply bored spectators.

Look at that list again. No Manning, Favre or Brees. No Brady, Rivers or Freeney. Now ask yourself this question: Is it time we stop this charade, and end the NFL's Pro Bowl?

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