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Yankees Win 27th World Title

Photo – Yankee Hideki Matsui

The New York Yankees won their 27th world championship with a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in game six of the 2009 World Series. Veteran Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 seizing that elusive title — the most in all of sports. It marked a title in their first season at the new Yankee Stadium just as they did in their inaugural campaign in the original Yankee Stadium in 1923. It was the Yankees first world title since 2000 and their first WS appearance since 2003.
Hideki Matsui’s 6 RBI’s on his first three at-bats pushed New York to 7-1 lead, they never surrendered. With a 2-run HR, a 2-run single and a 2-run double, slugger Matsui gave the Yankees all they needed to insure their 27th championship.
Matsui won the Series MVP award for his heroics that began when he powered a quick rout of old foe Pedro Martinez. When Yankee longtime bullpen stopper Mariano Rivera got the final outs, it was celebration time in the Bronx for sports greatest team of all-time.
One season, one World Series crown — the team’s first since winning three straight titles from 1998-2000.

DraftInsiders.com and ProFootballDraftNetwork.com
will be collaborating on a weekly article posted mid week during the college football regular season to review the prior weeks most notable performances from a NFL Draft 2010 perspective.

NFL Draft 2010 Prospects - Week 8
Frank Coyle - www.draftinsiders.com
Draft Insiders’ Digest –19th Season

Jimmy Clausen - Fast Rising Prospect
Photo - QB Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame

QB Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame
Talented junior passer has played brilliantly often this season, showing coolness and playmaking ability in weekly pressure situations. Clausen shows fast developing skills for this demanding position. He displays the talent to make all the throws with fine accuracy and timing, in addition to going through his progressions quickly. This prospect has the package NFL head coaches look for in a top flight starting QB, though there are certainly questions related to his readiness for the pro game. He has improved his accuracy in the intermediate game and the ability to pick up secondary receivers well with few mistakes for a young prospect. Though he is having a breakout season, he needs further development in all areas of lay. He will be tempted to consider entering the NFL Draft 2010, though his overall level of development would benefit from working with HC Charlie Weis for another season.

DE Jerry Hughes – Senior - Texas Christian
Explosive edge rusher has displayed impact ability over his MWC career and had another strong effort vs BYU in a key matchup. Hughes had only 4 tackles, but it did include 1 TFL with 1 sack and 1 FF. He commanded double team blocking throughout the huge TCU win. Over this season, he has 10.5 TFL with 9 sacks and 35 tackles and has been a major difference maker for this undefeated club. He relies on a very quick first step and good hand technique to separate from blockers with the upfield speed to sack the QB. He has the frame to fill out further to be an every down pro defender at end, though he also has the mobility to also play up in the 3-4 scheme. His ability to apply pressure off the edge will earn him invites to both the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine All-star classics this postseason.

RB C.J. Spiller – Senior - Clemson
Clemson running back/kick returner set a school record for all-purpose yards with 310 yards as the Tigers defeated ACC-rival and 10th -ranked Miami, 40-37, in overtime. For the game, Spiller had 81 yards rushing (14 carries), 104 yards receiving (6 catches) and 125 kickoff return yards. He scored two TDs – a 56-yard reception and a 90-yard kickoff return. He is a versatile major playmaker with the power to run inside and the speed and quickness to be very dangerous on the perimeter or return game. His versatility to fill so many roles will earn him a high grade in this running back class. He is a difference maker as a kickoff returner.

WR Terrance Toliver – Junior - LSU
Smooth junior receiver has been instrumental in the Tigers passing offense this season. He is a fast rising highly rated prospect who flashes impact ability at times despite some erratic QB play. He combines very good size, speed, agility and hands along with a fine level of development that will make him highly valuable for the pro game. He displays a well developed skill set for the position that has allowed him to make an impact at times over this season. He could be one of the top junior playmakers in this draft class with a consistent strong finish and he decides to turn pro.

LB Jesse Smith – Senior - Iowa St
Savvy senior linebacker recorded a game-high 12 tackles (7 solo), including two TFLs, as the Cyclones upset Big 12-rival Nebraska, 9-7. Smith also forced a fumble, broke up a pass, and made one interception as Iowa St earned its 1st win in Lincoln since 1977. He is a smart undersized Mike backer who flows nicely to the ball and finishes with sure tackling. Though not considered a highly regarded prospect he has been productive in many areas that should earn him a niche in the NFL game.

Denis Krusos - Editor
Pro Football Draft Network
www.profootballdraftnetwork.com

TE Andrew Quarless, Senior, Penn State
Quarless only caught 2 passes in Penn State’s 35-10 win at Michigan, but they were for 91 yards. He displayed excellent speed on his 60-yard touchdown catch and run shortly before the 1st half. Quarless is not the typical Penn State blocking tight end that does not run particularly well. He can run and get down the field and catch the ball. Quarless is a good-sized target (6’5” and 254 lbs) and continues to work on improving his blocking. He has 23 receptions for 315 yards (13.7 per) and a touchdown in 8 games this season.

RB Noel Devine, Junior, West Virginia
The West Virginia junior running back exploded against Connecticut for 178 yards on 23 carries (7.7 per). His 56-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter helped clinch the 28-24 win over an emotional Huskies team. Devine went outside and used his terrific speed to make big plays. He possesses great balance and is tough to knock off his feet with his low center of gravity. Devine added a 13-yard reception against Connecticut and can catch the ball. He is one of college football’s most exciting players and will garner significant interest in the 2010 NFL Draft should he choose to declare early.

LB Daryl Washington, Senior, TCU
TCU remained undefeated with a resounding 38-7 victory at BYU. The Horned Frogs’ defense was too quick and fast for QB Max Hall and the BYU offense. Washington had 9 tackles and snagged an interception (his 2nd of the season). Washington’s speed fits well in TCU’s 4-2-5 defense and he has the range to cover backs and tight ends in pass coverage. He is undersized for an NFL linebacker, but packs a wallop for his size. BYU gained only 110 yards on the ground (3.0 per carry) and Hall finished 18-28 for 162 yards (5.8 per attempt) with 1 touchdown pass. Washington’s athleticism and versatility should make him an attractive special teams contributor at the next level.

LB Navorro Bowman, Junior, Penn State
Penn State’s defense dismantled Michigan in a 35-10 rout. Bowman has rounded into form after returning recently from a groin injury. He led Penn State with 11 tackles (1 tackle for loss) and also had an interception, a fumble recovery and a sack. The Wolverines were held to a season-low in yards gained (250) and points scored. Bowman plays with tremendous speed, instincts and aggressiveness. It is extremely difficult to run outside on Bowman and he does not shy away from taking on blocks. He is a do-everything linebacker with a very bright future. PFDN considers Bowman to be the Nittany Lions’ best player the past two years. Bowman is a junior, but he is expected to graduate in December. He should be a 1st round draft choice should he decide to enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

QB Tony Pike, Senior, Cincinnati
Pike did not play in the Bearcats’ 41-10 rout of Louisville. Pike had surgery (2nd straight year) on his left (non-throwing) forearm. He had a plate inserted in the same forearm last year and it was dislodged on a sack against South Florida. Zach Collaros, a sophomore, stepped right in and completed 15 passes in 17 attempts for 253 yards (14.9 yards per attempt), 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Pike is tall, but skinny and NFL teams have to be concerned about how much punishment he could take in the pocket. Cincinnati’s head coach, Brian Kelly, has done a masterful job since taking over the program in December of 2006. His offense did not miss a beat with Pike on the sideline. This will cause many to wonder how much of Pike’s success stems from Brian Kelly’s imaginative offense.

Payton & Buchanan Award Watch Lists

Photo – Walter Payton – Bears

Frank Coyle and Draft Insiders prides itself on scouting small college talent and has a long history of ranking pro prospects from the lower level as top quality starting NFL players. QBs Joe Flacco and Tony Romo are two starting NFL passers that DraftInsiders.com ranked exceptionally high after little national publicity over their college careers. Flacco was on our Senior Bowl recommended list entering his senior season while at Delaware University. He was a prospect we scouted in person at many games and practices and said he had the best arm of the Class of 2007 that included top pick Matt Ryan. Romo was our top small college prospect coming out of Eastern Illinois in the NFL Draft 2003. We ranked him as a starting NFL passer and right behind top pick Rex Grossman. Other small college pro prospects we ranked very high entering the NFL recently are cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, wideout Vincent Jackson and tight end Kevin Boss. We annually publish dozens of small college scouting reports in our annual Yearbook and again with a special section in our Update Report related to the best small college future pro players.

The latest editions of the revised Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan Award watch lists have been announced. The Payton Award, now in its 23rd year, is given to the most outstanding player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Armanti Edwards of Appalachian St is again represented on the list after winning the 2008 Payton Award. The Buchanan Award is in its 15th year and is given to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Payton Award Watch List.
The 20 players on the updated List include:

QB Pat Devlin - Delaware University
QB Armanti Edwards - Appalachian St
RB Chris Evans - Samford
RB William Ford - South Carolina St
QB Pat Grace - Northern Iowa
QB Cameron Higgins - Weber St
WR Terrell Hudgins - Elon
RB Deji Karim - Southern Illinois
QB Bryant Lee - Southern
RB David McCarty - Albany
RB Tony Nelson - Massachusetts
QB Matt Nichols - Eastern Washington
RB Todd Pendland - McNeese St
QB Ryan Perrilloux - Jacksonville St
QB Curtis Pulley - Florida A&M
QB Dominic Randolph - Holy Cross
RB Chase Reynolds - Montana
WR Andre Roberts - Citadel
RB David Sinisi - Monmouth University
RB Trevyn Smith - Weber St

Buck Buchanan Award Watch List

DE Christian Anthony - Grambling St
DE Danny Batten - South Dakota St
DE Dane Fletcher - Montana St
Safety Charles Graves - Delaware University
DE Larry Hart - Central Arkansas
LB Brandin Jordan - Southern Illinois
DE Tim Knicky - Stephen F. Austin
DE Austen Lane - Murray St
Safety Mark LeGree - Appalachian St
DE Jeremy Maddox - Alabama A&M
Safety Jeromy Miles - Massachusetts
DE Arthur Moats - James Madison
CB Josh Morris - Weber St
LB Osayi Osunde - Villanova
CB Justin Rogers - Richmond
DE James Ruffin - Northern Iowa
DT Mychal Savage - Youngstown St
LB J.C. Sherritt - Eastern Washington
DE Adrian Tracy - William & Mary
Safety Terrell Whitehead - Norfolk St

The watch list will be revised again in early November, and again before the final ballot is announced. The original list consisted of a total of 20 candidates that were announced earlier during the summer. Voting for these awards is from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts that will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual FCS Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, TN., the night before the NCAA Division I championship title game. The Walter Payton Award, the Eddie Robinson Award (top FCS Coach) and Buck Buchanan Award (top FCS Defensive Player) will be presented that night.

Suh #1 Prospect – Draft Insiders

Photo – DT Nda Suh - Nebraska

At the midway of the college football season, he rank pro prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft 2010 regardless of class. This year Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska is #1 overall pro prospect after several dominant performances over the first half of the season.

DT Ndamukong Suh - 6’4” 300 lbs. - Nebraska
Powerful senior defensive tackle was a dominant inside force and had a great game Thursday night vs Missouri. He is a constant presence in the middle who forces the double team regularly. During the Missouri game, he had a sack, an interception and a forced fumble while totaling 6 tackles despite special attention most of the game. He has an explosive burst that combined with his exceptional functional strength and mobility that allows him to be a consistent disruptive inside force. In September '09, he was our #1 prospect on our Senior Bowl Watch list and his final performance has justified that elite rating. I rank Suh higher than Glenn Dorsey, Tommie Harris or Amobi Okoye at a similar stage of their college careers. Each of those prospects became very high draft selections and key NFL starters over their early careers.

We will have more scouting details on Suh and many other pro prospects in our October newsletter out later this month. I will also have exclusive interviews with key people on this elite prospect that will be part of the October Newsletter this month.

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NFL Power Rankings – Week 4

Photo – Aaron Rodgers - Packers

Rank / Team

1. New York Giants (4-0)
The Giants are a talented and deep club that will make a run at the NFL title.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Colts are running on all cylinders now.

3. New England Patriots (3-1)
Patriots are coming off an impressive victory over the Ravens.

4 Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
Ravens lost a tough game with Patriots and have the hot Bengals coming to town.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Eagles well rested after bye week and look to McNabb to make a run at the NFC East title.

6. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
The Vikings’ will ride Brett Favre’s heroics and momemtum to top of NFC.

7. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
The Saints are riding Drew Brees hot hand to the top spot in the NFC South.

8. New York Jets (3-1)
Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez found out about the other side of the NFL vs Saints.

9. Chicago Bears (3-1)
Da Bears saw the real Jay Cutler last week.

10. Denver Broncos (4-0)
The Broncos are doing it with sound football but face a very tough stretch over the next few weeks.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Steelers woke up vs Chargers on Sunday night.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
The Bengals are a different club with Carson Palmer directing this offense.

13. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
The 49ers drilled the Rams and are a club that is starting to believe in itself.

14. San Diego Chargers (2-2)
Chargers looked terrible vs Steelers and get a bye week to get it right vs AFC West foes on deck.

15. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
Packers get a bye week to recover from loss to former GB great Brett Favre on Monday night.

16. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Falcons go to San Fran for important NFC matchup.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Cowboys came up short vs Denver and travel to KC for a surprisingly key game.

18. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Cardinals are coming off a bye and face a key matchup at home vs Houston.

19. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
Dolphins get into the victory column and welcome the Jets to south Florida in pivotal East matchup.

20. Washington Redskins (2-2)
Skins got a much needed win over Tampa and need to get some momentum over the next few weeks.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Jags won their second in a road and face a struggling Seattle team this week.

22. Houston Texans (2-2)
Texans played their best game in over a year vs the Raiders.

23. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
Seahawks face a critical contest with Jacksonville coming to town this week.

24. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
Bills looked awful vs Dolphins and face a poor Cleveland team at home that becomes a must win situation.

25. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
Titans face the Colts offensive buzzsaw this week and another lose may lead to some wholesale changes.

26. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
Panthers face a pivotal early game with the Skins coming to town Sunday.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
The Raiders were crushed by Houston and face the G Men on Sunday.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
Chiefs giving a good effort but lack the talent and experience to turn it into wins now.

29. Cleveland Browns (0-4)
Browns lost a tough one to the Bengals in overtime.

30. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
The Rams are a nightmare.

31. Detroit Lions (1-3)
Lions back on the beam with lose to Da Bears.

32. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4)
Tampa Bay is reminiscent of the expansion Bucs of the ‘70s.

Giants Hold NFL’s Top Ranking

Photo - Peyton Manning - Colts

Rank Team

1. New York Giants (3-0)
The G Men have matured and learned how to win in tough NFC East.

2. Indianapolis Colts (3-0)
Colts are capable of running the first half schedule.

3. New England Patriots (2-1)
Patriots get a strong AFC challenge with Ravens at home this week.

4 Baltimore Ravens (3-0)
Ravens have an offense now that can assist their tough defense and challenge in the AFC.

5. San Diego Chargers (2-1)
Chargers are this good and could prove to be the best in the conference by season’s end.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Eagles get a bye week to get McNabb healthy to make run at the NFC East title.

7. New York Jets (3-0)
Jets are looking to ride hot rookie QB Mark Sanchez to the AFC postseason.

8. Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
The Vikings’ are looking to ride Brett Favre’s heroics in key matchup with Packers at home Monday night.

9. New Orleans Saints (3-0)
The Saints clash with the Jets at home in a battle of unbeatens.

10. Chicago Bears (2-1)
Da Bears are looking to build an early lead in the tough NFC Central.

11. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
Packers face former GB great Brett Favre in Minnesota in a pivotal early NFC Central clash.

12. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Falcons get an early bye prior to a long stretch of NFC opponents.

13. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
Cowboys came up big with Monday night home victory in new setting.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)
Steelers need to regroup quickly with San Diego coming to town this week.

15. Denver Broncos (3-0)
The Broncos have won vs soft early schedule but face a very tough stretch the next two months.

16. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
The Bengals are off to a good start, but go on the road for two AFC North matchups.

17. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Cardinals get a much needed early bye to regroup and get Kurt Warner healthy.

18. San Francisco 49ers (2-1)
The 49ers lost an unforgiveable game on the last play on Brett Favre’s heroics.

19. Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Seahawks get a tough road assignment with the Colts up next.

20. Miami Dolphins (0-3)
Dolphins are much better than their record, but not according to the Tuna.

21. Washington Redskins (1-2)
Skins lost to the Lions and every job on the club is on the line especially HC Jim Zorn.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
Jags get a key win over Houston and face a stretch of winnable games over the next few months.

23. Houston Texans (1-2)
Texans still don’t know how to win with the game on the line.

24. Buffalo Bills (1-2)
Bills don’t know how to win close games that has their rebuilding program totally stalled.

25. Tennessee Titans (0-3)
Titans better get well quickly with tough stretch of games coming up.

26. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
Panthers have dug themselves a huge hole in the early season.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-2)
The Raiders look terrible again and face a very difficult stretch over the next 5 games.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Chiefs face some painful growing pains this season.

29. St. Louis Rams (0-3)
Rams might be lucky to win 6 games this season.

30. Cleveland Browns (0-3)
Browns are facing a huge rebuilding process.

31. Detroit Lions (1-2)
Lions Win!!! Lions Win!!! Car Rebates for everyone.

32. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-3)
The Bucs are a total mess. It probably gets very ugly after winning 9 games last season.