As the Jordan commercial suggests, “There are no Cinderellas.” And they are exactly right. Despite their gut-wrenching loss to Kansas in the Midwest regional final, the Davidson Wildcats should have never been labeled as a surprise. The major networks acted as if this team had never experienced big games, calling their game versus Kansas a classic ”David vs Goliath match-up.” Give me a break. As a #10 seed, Bob McKillop’s team was arguably the most battle-tested “mid major” in the country, squaring off (and playing very well) against some of the nation’s elite in North Carolina, Duke and UCLA. How many teams can say that? Not many at all. They were a highly under-rated and an obvious unknown heading into the tournament, but as they showed you these past few weeks, they were for real. So don’t give me this crap that they were a Cinderella, just because of that number slapped in front of their name. They were the ones who scheduled those tough games early on to prepare themselves for a serious run, and with the best pure shooter in the country (I think we can all agree on this one) in Stephen Curry, they were one tough out. Being a Badgers’ fan, I was baffled to see the dismantling of Wisconsin in front of a dominant UW-contingent in Detroit. The reason they lost? For one, they had no point-guard presence, as Trevon Hughes left early in the second half forcing an array of players to bring the ball up. And two, Bo Ryan made absolutely zero adjustments, and for that they were doomed to fail, and deservedly so. But please stop all this talk of how Davidson was never supposed to go this far because in truth, they were ready–with Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin all witnesses.  My only hope is everyone will return to read the title of my post next year, when the Wildcats return every key player from this year’s squad minus Jason Richards and Thomas Sander. 

Packers: Ted Thompson makes his first signing, as he inks LB Brandon Chillar to a 2-year, $5.2 million dollar deal. The Packers were reportedly out of the running for the second tier linebacker just yesterday, but that just goes to show how much the media knows sometimes. If nothing else, Chillar will provide great competition for Brady Poppinga, and special teams help. Personally, I think he will start. The Cardinals were said to be his first choice, but they ran out of cap room after re-signing Larry Fitzgerald.

Bucks: Larry Harris has been relieved of his duties. He will not be offered a new contract, and will be out after June 30, 2008. I thought Harris did a pretty solid job handling this team for his first few years, but injuries and inconsistency doomed him. It should be Herbbie Kohl getting the boot, not Harris.

Brewers: Yovani Gallardo is beginning to throw off the mound for the first time since he had knee surgery, and apparently will be shooting for a mid-April return to the rotation. This is great news. The final two spots in the rotation were up for grabs for a while there, but until Yo returns, there will be three. Sheets and Suppan are locks, but then after that it is still unclear. Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra are both getting work as starters this spring, and may have the best shot to fill-in right now.

Marquette Golden Eagles: The Golden Eagles will start their NCAA run at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon vs. the Kentucky Wildcats, in Anaheim, Calif (on CBS). This will be a battle. The Wildcats are alot tougher than people think, especially after their go-to guy, Patrick Patterson, went down for the season. In the end, though, too many McSteals will lead to a win, 75-66.

Wisconsin Badgers: The Wisconsin Badgers will tip off at 8:40 tomorrow night, against Cal State Fullerton, in Omaha, Neb (on CBS). The Titans’ tallest player is 6′6, so Brian Butch and Marcus Landry should have a field day underneath. Hopefully Bo will be able to give some of the guys an early, as they will need it against the Kansas State/USC winner. The Badgers will roll in this one, 76-59.

On somewhat of a side-note, the nation’s top recruit, Terrelle Pryor, announced his decision to head to Ohio State next year. A bit of a head scratcher. Other Big Ten teams he was considering, Michigan and Penn State, both will have quarterback vacancies next year, while OSU will be returning senior Todd Boeckman. Either way, Wisconsin will be competing against a good athlete two years from now.

When the Badgers’ matchup flashed on the screen yesterday, I was upset. I don’t understand for the life of me why Wisconsin did not get a #2 seed. They did everything they could have done, including a 29-4 record, with both a regular season conference championship and the tourney championship. Couple that with a Duke loss to Clemson in the ACC tournament, and I thought for sure Bo’s Bunch would be destined for the second line. This is just a perfect example of how little respect the Big Ten gets, and how favored the ACC is. Even though Duke may be the better team, the fact that they loss to Clemson, previously unranked, show have merited a #3. Granted Clemson went on an impressive run and probably should have defeated #1 North Carolina, Duke has proved they aren’t at the level of a Kansas or UNC. As far as how in-state teams will do, I like Wisconsin to get past the first two rounds, but unfortunately, they should be upset in the sweet sixteen by Georgetown, purely because UW’s big men can compete with Roy Hibbert.

Other observations from Selection Sunday: Marquette received a pretty tough matchup against a Kentucky squad that has made some noise late in the season, without their star freshman Patrick Patterson. Despite that, I like Marquette to get past them and the #3 rated Stanford Cardinal in the second round. Their plethora of speed at guard will make them tough to run with, and I think Tom Crean’s Golden Eagles have found a rythm again at the ideal time.

Other teams I like to make a run in the Big Dance include Butler, Pittsburgh, Xavier, UCONN, and Clemson, who all have great balance.

Via Rotoworld:
*Free agent LB Brandon Chillar has a Tuesday visit scheduled in Green Bay. Chillar arrived in Arizona last night to meet with the Cardinals, who’d use him inside in their 3-4. He’d push to start on the strong side for the Pack.

*The Packers have expressed a “strong interest” in free agent FB/TE Kris Wilson, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Wilson is an H-back with pass catching ability, but doesn’t do much else well. He’d likely help back up TE Donald Lee and FB Korey Hall in Green Bay.
 
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Also wanted to pass along that Al Davis and the crazy ship he’s running in Oakland continued their free-agent binge, signing Ex-Packer Javon Walker to a 6-year, $55 million deal. Have fun with that one, Mr. Davis. 

I understand it’s obviously a bit of a sad day for Packer Nation. Favre has been the only quarterback I’ve ever known. It will be sad to see him go, but to be honest, I’m also very excited to monitor Aaron Rodgers’ progression. Judging off the Dallas game, in a pressure-packed environment, he performed at a very high level that ought to be intriguing. It should also be interesting to see where Ted goes as far as the market goes for a backup.

Four days in and NFL Free-Agency is hotter than ever. But Ted Thompson’s plan hasn’t changed since the moment he got here. And fans should have no complaints about what they are seeing so far this year. The fact of the matter is 1) this team was 13-3 last year, 2) was one game away from playing in a Super Bowl, and 3) is returning every core player for 2008.  So why the whining? What reason justifies Ted delving into free-agency to make headlines just because he can? It seems unfortunate I have to give this same speech every year, but the attitudes of the green and gold faithful haven’t changed I guess. It’s good that they’re passionate.  But look, we all know that after the initial wave of supposedly “superior” crop is plucked off the heap, solid talent remains to be had, and for a fortune less. And really when you look at it, the numbers between a elite first tier guy and middle second tier guy aren’t all that drastic. To be honest, I have no idea what some teams are thinking. The Raiders. Re-signing DE Tommy Kelly to a seven-year, close to $51 million deal- all for a guy who played a mere seven games last year. Wow. After that deal, Teddy looks like a genius once again for getting Kampman at four for $21 million. Guess what? Ex-Cardinal LB Calvin Pace just got 6 years, $42 million from the Jets. Now anyone care to tell me who that is? When it comes down to it, is Pace really going to outperform Niko Koutouvides, who signed a three-year deal for probably $30 million less? Probably. But are those extra 20, 30, 40 extra tackles worth all that money? Is it worth investing money into a player who has only churned out one good statistical season? I say no. Ted Thompson can and will wait for his chance, believe me. He might not make a big splash, but please, don’t judge prematurely. Wait until after the guy has played out his deal. That’s all I ask.

Rumor Mill: The Packers have apparently contacted former Lions’ LB Boss Bailey’s agent. Exciting stuff (sigh). At 28 years old, Bailey has been a boom or bust guy with injury-problems in his career, hardly the kind of guy I would want to sign in this outrageous market. I’d much rather prefer, LB Brandon Chillar, who was supposed to meet with Arizona either today or tomorrow. The Cardinals have been said to be hot on this guy’s heels, so I’d be shocked if he got to visit Green Bay. The Packers are set to meet with LB/DE tweener Corey Smith tomorrow, and may offer him a contract to be a special teams guy. One guy I still like out there is Colts’ OG Jake Scott. He surprisingly hasn’t drawn much interest up to this point, and would certainly look good in a Green Bay uniform.

As you may or may not know, the 2008 NFL Draft is deep in the very areas the Packers are looking to improve. With the Packers holding their first pick at #30, I think it’s very possible they will trade down, as secondary, offensive and defensive line, running back, and tight-ends are all strong suit in this draft.  The reason is this: Ted Thompson has always made a living off of accumulating picks, and this year, one shouldn’t expect anything different.  In a very low position in the opening round, I think it would be particularly beneficial to the team to trade #30 to a team who has a high pick in the second, perhaps for their second and third.  This would give the Thompson six picks to work with on Day 1, plenty to improve the need areas.  Trade aside, here’s my early estimate of what one could see on the draft weekend:

1st round- Gosder Cherilus- OT- Boston College. Huge 6′7 tackle in Jeff Jagodzinski’s zone-blocking offensive to replace the aging Tauscher/Clifton, and protect Aaron Rodgers for years to come.

2nd round (from CLE)- Tracy Porter- CB- Indiana. A solid corner who racked up 16 INTs in his 4-year career, Porter reminds me of a poor-man’s Charles Woodson with his returning skills. He’s needs to bulk up however.

2nd round- Tavares Gooden- OLB- Miami (Fla). Perfect fit to give Brady Poppinga some competition. He goes here because he is the best player available.

3rd round- Josh Johnson- QB- San Diego. A high riser with great upside. I feel Ted will bring in one QB here and one via free-agency.

4th round- Jermichael Finley- TE- Texas. Gives A-Rodge a big target at 6′5. He was enamored with the Packers at the Combine, so he gets his wish.

5th round- Adarius Bowman- WR- Oklahoma St. Doesn’t have the great speed, but does have decent size.

5th round (proj. comp)-  Chad Rinehart- OG- Northern Iowa. Small school prospect who has some versatility.

7th round- Xavier Omon- RB- NW Missouri St. Another small school guy, but has great size (228 lbs) and could project as a change of pace back for Ryan Grant.

Comments on my first Mock Draft of 2008 are appreciated!

The Golden Eagles put themselves in great position to beat the 10th ranked team in the land Saturday, but costly errors down the stretch, along with a myriad of missed free throws, cost them an important game in the tight Big East race. After leading by four at the break Marquette went on a run, leading by as many as 12 in the second half, but Georgetown wouldn’t give in, making one of their own. Led by seniors Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace’s 20 point efforts, the Hoyas will clinch the title with a win next Saturday against Louisville. After Marquette had sustained a three point cushion late, Wallace raced down court, and as he released his three point shot, Dominic James inscrutably fouled him with 2.8 seconds left, en route to game-tying free throws forcing the eventual overtime. With the devastating loss, Marquette drops to three back of first place Georgetown with only two games remaining, and also snapped its five-game winning streak. They certainly did not deserve to win the way they played in the second half. Shooting 22-36 from the charity stripe ultimately sealed their fate, topped by James’ indecision in the closing seconds, which maakes the loss even tougher to swallow. The team’s seed in the NCAA Tournament isn’t locked yet, but this win could have definitely improved their standing. I think a 5-seed is most realistic at this point, and if they perform well in the Big East tourney, they might sneak in as a #4, but no higher.

Milestone Victory:  In another squeaker today, Mike Krzyzewski’s Dukies, who trailed literally the entire contest versus a scrappy NC State team, pulled it out in the closing minutes to give Coach K his 800th win. The legend is on the verge of passing former-Oklahoma State great Eddie Sutton, who got his 801th win coaching San Francisco a couple weeks back, for fifth place All-Time. In order to pass coach Bobby Knight at the top of the list (902), Krzyzewski would probably have to stick around a minimum of five more seasons, and that’s granted Knight doesn’t return to the coaching ranks.