So I haven’t blogged in a while. I apologize. Moving on.

The NFL Draft is this weekend, but before I try and pretend like I know who the Niners and Raiders will be drafting, let me just say that I’ve never understood the reason for taking offensive tackles early in the first round.

It’s a safe pick, sure. Chances are, if you draft an offensive tackle early in the first, he’ll do what you ask of him, unless he’s Robert Gallery. But offensive tackle is not a skill position like quarterback, running back or wide receiver. I’ve never been an NFL coach, but I would imagine it’d be much easier to turn a decent offensive tackle into a good or even great offensive tackle than it would be to do the same with a QB.

So why do teams draft tackles so high? The St. Louis Rams are planning on taking some tackle from Baylor with the second pick. Safe? Sure. Boring? Yes!
It’s an extremely important position, don’t get me wrong. But if you have a top 10 pick, wouldn’t it be wise to draft a player who has a skill set that can’t possibly be taught to him by an NFL coach? That maybe is naturally gifted and has attributes that simply cannot be passed down to him by a mentor?

A strong offensive line is important. But it’s not something that can’t be attained through the later rounds.

Below is an excerpt from a Q&A called “Coach’s Corner,” where staff writer Josh Koehn and former Gavilan football coach Bob Garcia talk about all things football. The full discussion is at GarlicSports.com.
Josh Koehn: It was one of those games (the Super Bowl) where it was pretty slow for three quarters and then the fourth quarter was a pretty epic finish.
Bob Garcia: I think both teams had their opportunities to win. I think it came down to a couple guys making big plays. I think that receiver from Pittsburgh—
JK: Santonio Holmes.
BG: Holmes, he did a great job. But, then again, the quarterback had to get the ball there (on the last touchdown) and there were three guys there. … I always thought Pittsburgh, because of their defense – hey, that interception before the half. If somebody stops him it’s over. It’s still only a three-point ballgame, but right there that’s a 14-point turnover.

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I wasn’t stunned that such a large majority of www.freelancenews.com readers chose the Arizona Cardinals over the Tampa Rays in the recent online poll asking which team’s feat was more impressive. It makes sense for a few reasons that more than 80 percent of the participants chose the Card’s – it’s football season so it’s top of mind, there’s an inevitable West-Coast bias and baseball isn’t nearly as popular anymore as America’s favorite sport.
Because the question is framed against both franchise’s murky histories, it makes sense to consider the past. And it’s the Cardinals’ dismal history that stands as the lone argument in favor of their run being more impressive than Tampa’s last fall, because Arizona’s franchise simply has a longer legacy of losing.
While the Rays have a fairly bleak history of their own – the financially-strapped team had not finished .500 before 2008 since the franchise’s first year in 1996 – it is just 13 seasons so that argument definitely goes to the Cardinals. But it ends there.
First of all, consider the body of each team’s work throughout their respective seasons. Consider the Rays’ consistency in baseball’s hardest and otherwise highest-paying division. Consider they finished in first place at 97-65, the Major League’s best record, and had to contend with the Yankees and Red Sox throughout the season. Most of all, consider the point from where this team suddenly rose just this year with almost nobody recognizable on their opening-day roster.
Now, consider that the Cardinals played in, by far, the weakest division in the NFL this season and may have missed the playoffs entirely if not for that NFC West competition. Consider they were expected to be pretty good this year and had several super stars on the team going in – including two potential, future Hall-of-Famers in Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. And consider the much higher level of parody in football that allows almost anybody to win a Super Bowl these days as long as they can squeak into the playoffs. That just doesn’t exist in baseball, where a foundation for greatness usually takes longer to establish.

It’ll be interesting to see how the San Benito High boys basketball team responds tonight at home to Salinas.

The youthful Haybalers were battling all season with the narrow loss — they were 2-4 in games decided by two points or less — and it seemed all they needed was a spark in order to turn things around.

Last Thursday, San Benito defeated Alisal — at Alisal, no less — 60-52. The Trojans were in second place in the TCAL and were 15-4 overall at the time.
It was a big win for the ‘Balers not only because it was their first victory in the TCAL this season, snapping a six-game losing streak, but it just may have provided that much needed spark the team needs in the second half of the season, that spark that will turn things around.
We’ll see tonight how the team responds. Tip-off is at 7.

I’ve narrowed down the likeliest of Super Bowl MVP winners to five players – Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger, Larry Fitzgerald, Edgerrin James and Troy Polamalu.
That also gives away that I’m picturing a close game, with Pittsburgh having the slight edge. And that slight edge also comes back to my choice for MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, Polamalu.
I don’t see either quarterback playing flawless football against those two defensive backfields, both of which are exceptional as of late. Expect big plays from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the Cards’ side and Polamalu for the Steelers. So if that holds, take out the big-name quarterbacks from the equation – both will have at least an interception and less-than-mindblowing stats.
Of course, Fitzgerald, the hottest player in the NFL right now, has potential to make big, game-changing plays. The problem is, for the most part he needs Warner playing well to have opportunities for a monster game, and that’s not happening against the best defense in the league.
That leaves my two finalists for MVP – the reborn but determined and gritty James, and Polamalu. The Steelers safety gets the nod for me because he’s the most competitive and one of the most talented players in the league – he might be the fastest guy on the field next Sunday – and he always finds himself in the right place for big plays at the right time. Plus, I think the Steelers will pull it out, largely because of his play.
Expect a touchdown or two from James and decent rushing numbers, but with at least an interception and another game-changing play in the mix, I’m predicting Polamalu wins the MVP honor for 2009.