May 7, 2010
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North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
SPORTS
By Jarad Brown And Joshua Meeks
Pundits Rate Recent NFL Draft
Brittany Insley (volleyball) and Trey Drake (basketball) were chosen
NCWC's athletes of the year for 2009-2010. SI photos.
Baseball Team Wins Conference,
Makes Early Tournament Exit
Burlington—The top-seeded Bat
tling Bishop baseball team dropped
its first two games at the 2010 USA
South Conference baseball tourna
ment, falling to 5th-seeded Ferrum by
a 6-2 score on Thursday before drop
ping a 13-7 decision to 4th-seeded
Christopher Newport on Friday.
Junior Zach Alexander was 4-for-7
with a double, homerun, two RBIs,
and two runs scored over the two-
game span, while sophomore Patrick
Laffin went 5-for-9 with his second
homer of the season.
Against Ferrum, the Bishops could
not overcome an early 5-0 deficit en
route to the 6-2 defeat. Laffin was
4-for-4 in the game witha solo blast
in the sixth, while Alexander drove in
NCWC's final run with an RBI-
double in the seventh.
On the mound, junior Andrew Webb
(5-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs
on 11 hits in eight innings of work. He
also struck out four and walked one.
Versus CNU, Wesleyan again fell
behind early, trailing the Captains
9-0 after 3 1/2 innings due to five
costly fielding miscues that led to eight
unearned runs. The Bishops battled
back with a pair of runs in each of the
fourth and fifth innings, highlighted by
a two-run single by Zach Moore.
CNU extended its lead with a four
runs in the seventh, although NCWC
did manage three runs in the ninth
for the 13-7 final. Junior hurler Max
Knowles (3-4) took the loss, giving up
nine runs (one earned) on six hits in 3
2/3 innings pitched.
The Bishops had earned the top
seed by finishing with a 9-3 conference
record. The two tourney losses moved
the team’s overall record to 17-19.
(Article courtesy of Sports Information)
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Barbara DeRatt (volleyball). Bo Jordan (football) and Antti Saari (ten
nis)—pictured here with Dr. Ron Smith—were honored as 2009-2010
student-athletes of the year in recognition of their performance on the
field and in the classroom. .
Spring Semester Intramural Champions
Indoor Soccer - Third World Bailers
Indoor Volleyball - Team Smith
Billiard Doubles - Big & Tall
Table Tennis - Staffan Aim
NCAA Tourney Pick Em - Jasmin Spain
Wii Dodgeball - Julian Mingo Gonzalez
Wii Bowling - Patrick Williams
4-on-4 Men’s Flag Football - Team We Dat
Women’s Flag Football - Old School
5-on-5 Basketball - Stacked
Sand Volleyball - Str8 Rippin
Extramural Tournaments
Bishop/Bulldog Challenge - Terror Squad
JARAD: Ok, so No. I overall pick is
quarterback Sam Bradford fixim Oklahoma.
Think the Rams got it right?
JOSH: 1 think the Rams definitely got it right.
By releasing Bulger, they had no option at
quarterback really. I mean Keith Null was their
starter for the last game of the season, I feel
Bradford showed the arm strength needed at
his pro day to complement one of the most
accurate arms to come out in a while.
JARAD: I like Bradford as a first-round pick.
I'd also have to agree that Null isn't going to
lead the franchise, so they had to go get a quar-
teit)ack. The problem I have is spending the
No. 1 overall pick on a possibility. Bradford's
arm looks good and he was certainly accurate
at Oklahoma, but that doesn't always transfer
to the NFL (Think Ryan Leaf). If they wanted
a quarterback that bad they could have traded
down and still gotten a great signal caller
(Clausen or McCoy) and received value for
their pick. Going No. 1 overall means the $50
million range contract-wise. I hope for the
Rams sake he's worth it.
JOSH: Drafting almost any player is a crap
shoot. It's extremely difficult to go anywhere
else with that kind of money, though, hi the
past you could give that money to a running
back but running backs aren't used the same
way they were in the past. The league is
pass-happy now so you need a guy who can
pull the trigger. I agree that there were other
quarterbacks in the draft but someone has to
go number one. You can't take a defensive
tackle like Suh at one. He may be the best
player in the draft but he alone doesn't impact
the defense the same way a quarterback like
Bradford can impact the offense.
JARAD: The NFL is definitely a pass-happy
league now, and 1 think that's exactly what the
upper brass of the league wants. Three-
hundred yard passing games are fun for fans to
watch and only do positive things for ratings.
Speaking of Ndamukong Suh, the Detroit
Lions couldn't have made a better pick at the
No. 2 spot. Suh is a kid with freakish upper
body strength and enough quickness to hurry
quarterbacks like Bradford. More than that,
Suh shows up in the big games (like the Big
12 Conference championship game where he
made Colt McCoy's Ufe miserable for four
quarters). Add to that the fact that the Lions
also signed free-agent defensive end Kyle
Vandenbosch before the draft and Detroit's
defense is looking rather fierce. With last year's
No. 1 overall pick Matthew Staiford in his
second season, the Lions might actually have a
shot at a playoff run.
JOSH: 1 agree completely. Suh is a monster
and Ihe Lions are definitely on the way up. They
also picked up Jahvid Best, the lightMg-quick
running back out of Cal, later in the first round.
I think we will definitely see the Lions make
strides but I think that a playoff mn may be bleak
with the Packers, Vikings, and the enigma that is
the Chicago Bears all in that division. This may
be the toughest division in football by the end of
the year Green Bay finally got some offensive
line help by drafting Bryan Bulaga at tackle while
the Vikings got a complement to AP by drafting
Heisman finalist Toby Gerhart. The Bears got
value in the later rounds but their draft was
basically Jay Cutler, Julius Peppers, and Chester -
Taylor fm looking at a tough, tough division.
JARAD: I couldn't agree more. With the
McNabb era over in Philadelphia and, and
the Giants deahng with locker-room issues
about trade mmors; the NFC East's reign as
the toughest division in football is over The
Packers have a young and maturing defense led
by former Ohio State Buckeye A.J. Hawk, and
offensively I'm pretty sure ttey have some guy
named Aaron Rodgers who can throw the ball
all over the field, so they're set.
The Vikings did indeed grab Stanford's
Toby Gerhart in the second round with
the 51 st overall pick. He should be a good
complement to former first-round pick Adrian
Peterson who has had his share of Ml security
issues near the end zone. Should the ageless
GOLF from pg 4
The players said they were unable
to play at Ford’s Colony, their home
course, for part of the season as the
facility changed ownership, forcing
the Bishops to find other courses for
practice sessions. But Ford’s is now
open again to Wesleyan team members.
The course’s quality is a main
reason that Coelho hopes to return
next season. But other players expect
to leave. Soini said he will enroll at a
Golf Academy in California. Another
departing player is Idestal, who plans
to enter tournaments back home in
Sweden.
With the players leaving and Coach
Doino returning to basketball, next
season looks uncertain. “It is still pretty
much a mystery,” said freshman Darren
Lau. “I’m not really sure what will
happen. I guess we'll just have to wait
and see.”
Bnst Favre decide to once again don the
purple and gold, then the Vikings might find
themselves in the NFC championship game.
The Bears ars a complete enigma. They went
4-2 in the division last season in the midst
of basically imploding. Theyll get Brian
Uriacher back firom injury and the addition
of former Pro Bowl defensive end Julius
Peppers should make the Bears a defense to
be reckoned wifli.
JOSH: They will have to be a defense to be
reckoned with if they have any hope of being
in games if their offense continues to play so
dreadfiilly. They were 23rd in the league last
year in yards per game after bringing in the
savior. Jay Cutler All the blame can't be put
on Cutler, though. His leading receivers were
Devin Hester and Greg Olson. They didn't ad
dress a receiver in the draft because they gave
away their draft for Cutler last year. We will
see if the defense can carry them this year.
JARAD: They catainly did give away their draft
to snag Cutler last season, and because of that
didn't pick in the first two rounds. Their first pick
came in round three at No. 75 overall where tfiey
selected Major Wright, the safety from Florida
Not a bad bargain in the thind nxind, but I don't
think Wright is going to help prevent Cutler from
having another season of 2&f interceptions,
Tampa Bay selected Oklahoma
defensive tackle Gerald McCoy at the
No, 3 spot followed by the Washington
Redskins taking offensive tackle Trent
Williams at No. 4. Then the Kansas City
Chiefs snagged Termessee safety Eric Berry
at the fifth spot. I like all three picks at those
spots, but the Chiefs might have gotten
the best of the deal with Berry. Here's a
guy who is great in pass coverage, has the
physical and mental toughness to step into
the box for run support, and might be the
most NFL ready, tfianks to being coached
last season by Monty Kiffin, who was the
defensive guru in Tampa Bay for quite
some time.
JOSH: I think Eric Berry was the surest
thing in the draft. He had dominated in the
defensive backfield at Tennessee since he was
a freshman. Many people had him on their
preseason Heisman boards. Many people say
he will be the next Ed Reed and I couldn't
agree more. The man is all over the field and
has great instincts, and with 4.4 speed, you
can definitely see him taking a few back to the
house like Reed.
JARAD: I couldn't agree more. I liked Berry
coming into the draft and I think he's an
absolute steal at the No.5 pick. Some people
question spending that high of a draft pick on
a guy in the defensive secondary, but Berry is
a game changer who will have an immediate
impact for the Chiefs. Okay, so there's the top
five picks; now I’d like to know the biggest
surprise for you fit)m the first round and
biggest disappointment?
JOSH: 1 think most people will want to go with
Trm Tebow to the Broncos at number 25 as the
biggest surprise. I don't buy it, though. When
taking a quarterback in the draft, you never
know what you’re going to get niat's why you
have hidden gems found in late rounds like
Tom Brady was in 2000. So why not take a guy
who can play One thing I hale i«ut the draft
is teams cans way too much about 40 times and
3-cone drills. It seems teams don't pay attention
to on-the-field performance as much.
Which is why Vemon Gholston has been a
bust in New Yorie He was a workout warrior
before the draft but hasn't been the player the
Jets expected. Did you see Tebow play for
four years? He may be the greatest college
foodsall player ever. I agree you don't know if
his release will work in a pro system but you
know he will compete and will make the team
better I have to say the biggest surprise had
to be Tyson Alualu to Jacksonville at 10. He
was rated as an eariy 2nd round pick by most
teams. If you like a guy that much, you take
him. But that was the spot teams were trying
to trade up to. Bolh the Broncos and Dolphins
traded out of 11 and 12 right behind the Jags.
Do you not think they could have gotten out
ofthat spot as well?
JARAD: The Jags completely confused me
at the No. 10 spot. They easily could have
traded out of that position, gotten the guy that
they obviously wanted and a bit more in terms
of an extra pick in a later round. I'm not quite
sure what was said at the Jaguars table before
the No. 10 pick was himed in, but they needed
a voice of reason. The only thing I can figure
is they couldn't get a deal where they felt
comfortable they'd still be able to get Alualu.
Tebow at 25 is the dumbest pick in the
draft. Forget what he did in college. Chris
Weinke won a Heisman Trophy and a
national championship at Florida State.
Ask the Panthers how great he's been in
die NFL. Is Tebow going to probably be a
decent quarterback at the next level? Yes
because of his drive to compete. He's not
worth a first-round pick by any means,
though. In the NFL you can't be a leader
on a team unless you start; there's no scout
team warriors at tiie next level and Tebow
will ride the pine for a minimum of one
season. Colt McCoy is the quarterback with
the most wins in NCAA Diviskxi I history
and he didn't come ofi" the board until the third
round. Denver could have saved the equity
they wasted to trade the 25th pick and grabbed
Telxjw later What was the smartest pick of the
first round for you?
JOSH: I feel like the easiest move of the first
round might have Ijeen Kansas City taking
Eric Berry at the five spot. However, I think
the smartest move of the first round might be
Maurkice Pouncey, the center fk)m Florida
going to the Steelers. Pouncey will make an
immediate impact. Drafted as a center, the 6'5"
304-pound offensive lineman could also be an
upgrade at the Steelers dreadful guard position.
The Steelers may need him to come of age
early to protect whomever is in at quarterback
while Big Ben serves his suspension.
JARAD: That's certainly one of the smarter
picks in the entire draft, much less just the
first round. With Big Ben gone for at least
four games and Charlie Batch as the probable
replacement, the Steelers are going to have
to find a way to mn the ball, something they
failed at for the latter part of last season. With
no Willie Parker in the backfield to change
pace and add speed to their running game, the
Steelers are going to have to rely on Pouncey
to provide blocking for a power attack.
Considering he put up 38 reps at 225 during his
workout at the combine, he should be able to
provide an immediate spark. While the Steelers
provided the best possible player for their cur
rent situation, I have to commend the Oakland
Raiders for taking inside linebacker Rolando
McClain at No. 8 overall. While the pick is a
little high for an inside linebacker, the Raiders
haven't gotten much right in the first round
of recent drafts. They took Jamarcus Russell
No. 1 overall three years ago and he's yet to
produce and is probably on his way out with
the addition of Jason Campbell. McClain isn't
a glamorous pick, but he's a guy who anchored
one of the best defenses in college football last
season at Alabama and will come in and do
exacdy what the Raiders need him to do.
JOSH: I love the McClain pick. He’ll replace
Morrison, who was just a tackling machine.
McClain is the exact same thing. He can fly
across the field and really put a fire on that
side of the ball for Oakland. I see him putting
up over 100 tackles on the season and being
the Defensive Rookie of the Year. I think he is
that special. I think many teams were hoping
he would fall, especially the Giants. He is a
football player in the tmest sense and he will
show that in his rookie year.
JARAD: I'm sure teams like the Giants were
hoping he'd fall, but I couldn't agree mote
about the intangibles this kid brings to the
table. The Raiders had just three defensive
players record at least 100 tackles last season
and with Mclain on the roster that number
should go to at least four He will make a
strong push for Defensive Rookie of the Year
honors next season.
As a quarterback yourself, what do you
make of guys like Jimmy Clausen and Colt
McCoy falling out of the first round? Which
team got the best value for the quarterback they
took? SL Louis (Bradfond), Denver (Tebow),
Carolina (Claasen), or Cleveland (McCoy)?
JOSH: I think the Panthers obviously got the
best value for their pick with getting Clausen
in the 2nd round. He was rated as Mel Kiper's
4th best overall prospect and Carolina snags
him with the 48th overall pick. I actually really
like where everyone went. I think Bradford
was the best quarterback in the draft and right
fully went to the Rams. I personally feel that
Colt will have the best career Jake Delhomme
will start for the Browns this year but it will
allow the team to build while Colt gets ready
to take over the reins. I think the Vikings
should have grabbed him in round one to leam
from Brett Favre. Even if Favre didn't come
back, they have a solid line and great running
game and Colt would have flourished. He is an
absolute steal and the fans in the Dawg Pound
should be thrilled.
JARAD: I like Bradford as the highest picked
QB. Going by the numbers he was the most
impressive of the bunch, and as you've mentioned
drafting any QB is a crapshoot I do have to agree
that Cok \\^l probably enjoy the most successfiil
career. The only knock on him is his arm strength
in getting the ball down the field, but that won't
be a [TOblem in Qeveland. With Mike Holmgren
mnning the front office for the Browns, I fully
expect a West Coast offense which would hide
McCoy's lack of arm strength and spotlight his
decision-making ability. I also agree that the
Panthers probably got the best value. Clausen is
easily the second best quarterback in the draft by
the numbas, and the lathers grabbed him at
47 after the No. 1 quarterback (Bradford) went
They got a bit lucky with the pick as well. They
released Jake Delhomme in the off-season,
which, considering his recent play, was a great
fhove. Had Clausen not fallen in their lap in the
second rourri, though, they'd be left with Matt
Moore as the premiere QB on their roster While
McCoy and Tebow will probably sit a season or
two, Bradford is almost guaranteed to start his
rookie season and Clausen has the tools to take
the job away from Moore in Carolina as a rookie
So we've combed through the best and
worst of the first round, talked about the
QBs, and run through the top five picks.
There’s one final bit to discuss, though;
see NFL pg8