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    <title>SB Nation - Dominic Douglas</title>
    <link>http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/10633/Dominic_Douglas</link>
    <description>Stories From Around SB Nation About Dominic Douglas</description>
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      <title>ILB, Dominic Douglas, Mississippi St.</title>
      <guid>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/3/29/805438/ilb-dominic-douglas-missis</guid>
      <author>Jeremy Bolander</author>
      <link>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/3/29/805438/ilb-dominic-douglas-missis</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:28:56 -0000</pubDate>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;a&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/87578/dominic_douglas.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h2&gt;ILB, Dominic Douglas, Mississippi St.&lt;/h2&gt;
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&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#0e0149&quot; colspan=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #f56409;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;At A Glance&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Position 1:&lt;/b&gt; Inside Linebacker&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Height&lt;/b&gt;: 6-1&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Position 2:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Weight:&lt;/b&gt; &amp;nbsp;235&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Class: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt; &amp;nbsp;Senior&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Projected Round: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;CFA&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;40time: &lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;4.78&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#0e0149&quot; colspan=&quot;6&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #f56409;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Combine/Proday Results&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bench Reps: &amp;nbsp;X &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Vertical: &amp;nbsp;X&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;20yd Split: &amp;nbsp;X&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Broad Jump: &amp;nbsp;X&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;10yd Split: &amp;nbsp;X&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;20yd Shuttle: &amp;nbsp;X&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;3 Cone Drill: &amp;nbsp;X&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pros&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Large in the lower body with adequate upper-body development and the frame to add mass.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cons&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Best in the middle, although undersized for the position, as he lacks the lateral quickness to handle coverage responsibilities outside&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Styg's Broncos Fit:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/b&gt;racked up production in college, but won't produce those kinds of numbers in the NFL.&amp;nbsp; But if you dig into this kids game, you see a lot of potential.&amp;nbsp; He isn't the biggest body, but his frame can take more weight, and he already knows how to uncoil and deliver punishing hits.&amp;nbsp; Excellent technique, especially in the lower body.&amp;nbsp; Does a fantastic job of getting and keeping low, and knows how to win battles in the trenches.&amp;nbsp; Needs to learn to trust his strength in taking on blockers, but this isn't much of a knock, because he instead relies on superb hand technique to separate from defenders, and release from blocks.&amp;nbsp; Has a great attitude and can bring leadership to the defense, and to special teams, where he could make an immediate contribution.&amp;nbsp; Not very quick feet, but good hips for his size.&amp;nbsp; He can turn and run enough not to be a liability, and he can drop quickly enough to cover medium downs.&amp;nbsp; Has experience calling the defense from the field.&amp;nbsp; A lot to like here.&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;h3&gt;Around MHR:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Around SBNation:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Highlights:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;* Mississippi State LB Dominic Douglas could be a good UDFA target for someone.&amp;nbsp; He has experience at OLB and ILB.&amp;nbsp; He started both of his seasons at MSU after coming over from JC.&amp;nbsp; Douglas is 6'1, 235.&amp;nbsp; He doesn't have ideal athletic ability, but he's a rugged LB for a guy his size.&amp;nbsp; He will take on blockers and fight to get to the ball.&amp;nbsp; Good tackler.&amp;nbsp; Not much of a playmaker.&amp;nbsp; Had 1 sack, 1 INT, and 2 PDs in his career.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[see more...]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
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    <item>
      <title>2009 NFL Draft--Manning the Middle:  Inside Linebackers, Ranked for Denver</title>
      <guid>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/15/754595/manning-the-middle-inside</guid>
      <author>Jeremy Bolander</author>
      <link>http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/15/754595/manning-the-middle-inside</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:55:29 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/99020/prospect_pages_logo.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/99020/prospect_pages_logo_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Prospect_pages_logo_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br id=&quot;1233623823286&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table class=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;2&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;pane widget freeform_html clearfix&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;sbnwidget&quot; id=&quot;custom3363&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;2009 NFL Draft Coverage-Merry Draftivus!!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;pane-body&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt; Draft Resources &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/11/716640/mhr-draft-order-resource&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2009 NFL Draft Order&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/12/718993/mhr-draft-pick-point-value&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/12/718993/mhr-draft-pick-point-value&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Unofficial 'Point Value' Chart&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/20/759428/know-your-nfl-combine-mhr&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Analyzing Combine Numbers&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mock Draft Database&lt;/b&gt; -&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/pages/mhr-2009-nfl-mock-draft-da&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Round 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Scouting Services&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/21/758779/analyzing-prospects-an-ext&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Analyzing Prospects&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/26/759316/analyzing-defensive-backs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Analyzing Defensive Backs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/24/760007/analyzing-offensive-lineme&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Analyzing Offensive Linemen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/22/759318/analyzing-running-backs-an&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Analyzing Running Backs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/section/mhr-scouting-services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Other Services&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Player Profiles&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/pages/mhr-2009-nfl-mock-draft-da&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; 
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/3/745137/stacking-up-the-pile-defen&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;14 NT/DTs Ranked for Value!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/15/754595/manning-the-middle-inside&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;14 ILBs Ranked for Value!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/26/759485/last-line-of-defense-defen&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;19 DBs Ranked for Value!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/2/25/759487/2009-nfl-draft-off-the-edg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10 3-4 DEs Ranked for Value&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/pages/mhr-2009-nfl-mock-draft-da&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Brian Cushing &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - LB / USC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/16/726132/cb-vontae-davis-illinois&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Vontae Davis &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - CB / Illinois&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/16/726130/cb-malcolm-jenkins-ohio-st&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Malcolm Jenkins&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - CB / Ohio State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720714/ilb-james-laurinaitis-ohio&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;James Laurinaitis - LB / Ohio State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720716/ilb-rey-maualuga-usc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Rey Maulaluga&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - LB / USC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/16/726131/olb-aaron-maybin-penn-stat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Aaron Maybin&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - DE / Penn State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720706/fs-william-moore-missouri&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;William Moore&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - S&amp;nbsp; /&amp;nbsp; Missouri&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720720/rb-knowshon-moreno-georgia&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Knowshon Moreno - RB / Georgia&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720712/dt-bj-raji-boston-college&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;B.J. Raji&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; - DT / Boston College&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/1/14/720721/rb-chris-wells-ohio-state&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Chris 'Beanie' Wells - RB / Ohio State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.milehighreport.com/pages/2009-nfl-draft&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;amp; More!!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
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&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We all know how much help Denver needs on the defensive side of the ball, and ILB where only DJ and Larsen have more than a snowball's chance of remaining on the team, will be a high area of concern.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This draft crop features a host of desirable candidates, a number of tweeners, a few injury risks, and a whole rank of late-round, high-potential standouts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I found it harder to look at ILBs this year across the board, as I ran into more instances of &quot;surrounding talent&quot; questions than I have in the past. &amp;nbsp;It takes some time to separate a LB from the play of the defensive line, and it is particularly hard to separate an ILB from the line play and of his outside helpers. &amp;nbsp;What I do like is there is something for everyone in this class, whether you want a smart, technically oriented LBer or a headhunter with rare explosiveness. &amp;nbsp;But this is an ILB class that tapers off strongly, before hitting a late-round glut of developmental guys with good-to-great instincts and some major pluses, from the kid with tremendous intelligence to the 47 game iron-man.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I like Denver's chances to get what they need at ILB, including their great position for targeting the cream of the crop, and their multiple late-round selections where they have multiple choices with the same kind of upside.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let's check out the rankings:&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3&gt;ILB-Rey Maualuga &amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65294/stars5.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;h3 align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;1st&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Rey Maualuga,&lt;b&gt; USC&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Maualuga's motor is great, but not unheard of, and his sideline-to-sideline speed makes him very versatile, but there are several LBs with good speed. &amp;nbsp;What Maualuga does bring however, is a rare burst of explosiveness when closing on the line. &amp;nbsp;He has the power of a top DT bundled into the frame of an ILB. &amp;nbsp;One drawback is his recklessness, as he seems to sacrifice awareness for explosion, which could lead to gap trouble. &amp;nbsp;His tackling also suffers for this, as he sometimes gets his head down and loses track of his target. &amp;nbsp;As a base formation run stopper he could provide significant upgrade to Denver's defense, and with his average hips but excellent feet, he should be able to contribute in coverage as well. &amp;nbsp;He has a chance to contribute inside on almost any down, which makes him a tremendous value. &amp;nbsp;In fact, the only formation I can think of where he would be the odd man out is a straight base 4-3, where he is responsible for the line calls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-James Laurinaitis &amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65294/stars5.jpg&quot; /&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;1st&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;James Laurinaitis, &lt;b&gt;Ohio State&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;If ever there were an aristocrat of the LB position, James is it. &amp;nbsp;What he brings to the game is an above average LB instinct, with a workmanlike attitude and a dedication to the craft. &amp;nbsp;He uses his hands very well, understands zone coverage and has adequate hips and feet to cover his responsibilities. &amp;nbsp;Where he shines is in the tactical department, baiting QBs, evading offensive blockers. &amp;nbsp;He is excellent at technically defeating blocks and he can contribute in sideline-to-sideline pursuit with his knack for finding the ball and keeping his legs clean. &amp;nbsp;If there is a knock against Laurinaitis, it is that he comes across as a more cerebral MLB and less of a pure athlete. &amp;nbsp;Questions about his ability to adjust to the physicality of the NFL, and what that would mean to his already lackluster production, make him a top prospect to consider, but at five stars, not six.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Darry Beckwith&amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65288/stars3.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;2nd-3rd&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Darry Beckwith, &lt;b&gt;LSU&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;This prospect is all about the &quot;upside&quot;. &amp;nbsp;With only limited exposure to the LB position Beckwith managed to accrue some good production. &amp;nbsp;But unfortunately, beneath the production are a tidal wave of concerns. &amp;nbsp;He was rarely used as a blitzer, and really doesn't have ideal size. &amp;nbsp;He was kept back in zones much of the time, and though his feet are good (he has played RB and WR before) his hips are below-average, and as a result he would often try to take up position in his zone too early. &amp;nbsp;His offensive pedigree is evident in his speed and terrific ball skills but he lacks the physicality sought in a run-stopping ILB. &amp;nbsp;Factor in some character concerns, including a brush with the law, and Beckwith, despite the obvious athleticism, just doesn't bring enough to the Denver Broncos' table. &amp;nbsp;3 stars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Scott McKillop&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65291/stars4.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
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&lt;tbody&gt;
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&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;3rd&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Scott McKillop, &lt;b&gt;Pittsburgh&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;This tenacious and intelligent prospect has a lot about him to like, and reminds one of Denver's own Spencer Larsen. &amp;nbsp;McKillop has tremendous production to go with his intangibles however, and still has upside, having only two very consistent years as a starter under his belt. &amp;nbsp;By far McKillop is primarily an instinctual player, but he has great intelligence, and he shows patience and efficacy in executing MLB duties. &amp;nbsp;Not a tremendously strong player, he tends to wear out opponents rather than overpower them, including being a drag-down type of tackler. &amp;nbsp;But he doesn't shy away from making contact, and he has a rare knack for sniffing out the play. &amp;nbsp;Protects his body well from trash, and keeps his feet in any situation. &amp;nbsp;Where he really shines is situational awareness. &amp;nbsp;When match-ups send him to the slot he knows to get his hands on the receiver early and often, disrupting the routes, and when he is protecting the first down he has a great awareness of the markers and doesn't let routes press to close. &amp;nbsp;If he can show adequate strength at the combine his stock should rise, but any professional program should bring out the best in McKillop, in physicality and adding strength.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Gerald McRath &amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
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&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;3rd-4th&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Gerald McRath, &lt;b&gt;Southern Miss&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;This player has value from a basic versatility standpoint, and he has very surprising numbers, which indicate a high level of production. But when I look at him, I don't see traits that suit Denver well. &amp;nbsp;He lacks strength and explosiveness, and has the build of a defensive back, but poor coverage awareness and tight hips indicate the transition would be a tough one. &amp;nbsp;Has a lot of hustle, which contributes to his production, but doesn't have the speed to compensate for mistakes that take him out of the play. &amp;nbsp;He is a very athletic player, however, and may project better to WLB for some team running a 4-3. &amp;nbsp;He is also a secure tackler, and takes smart angles. &amp;nbsp;In the final analysis McRath would project as a versatile backup and special teams contributor, with enough athleticism to compete for spot duty on the outside of the LB corp. &amp;nbsp;He is worth targeting, but would have to fall pretty far in the draft to warrant being taken as a one-star choice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Dannell Ellerbe&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65288/stars3.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;70&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;4th&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Dannell Ellerbe,&lt;b&gt; Georgia&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;In a 4-3 Dannell projects clearly as a SAM, which can be difficult to find, but he has the tenacity around the line of scrimmage, and the versatility in coverage to play well at LILB and LOLB in a 3-4. &amp;nbsp;He has a good frame and can add another 10 lbs of mass with no sacrifice, and at that higher weight could be an intimidating run-stopping force. &amp;nbsp;Has great hips, and is physical with receivers around the line. &amp;nbsp;Terrific body control, very fluid in motion and has good balance and lateral movement. &amp;nbsp;A recent knee injury makes him a wait-and-see prospect, and past character concerns make a stock-drop very plausible. &amp;nbsp;As a versatile backup, with experience at each LB position, and the ability to drop effectively into coverage, as well as a sure special teams performer, Ellerbe would be a great pickup in the right round. &amp;nbsp;If he checks out medically, three stars will be the going price.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Jason Phillips &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;71&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;4th-5th&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Jason Phillips, &lt;b&gt;TCU&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;Mostly a backup candidate, Phillips does a little of everything, including long-snapping. &amp;nbsp;He is a physical tackler, and an adequate coverage player in zone. &amp;nbsp;He doesn't have the speed or quickness to hang with receivers in man coverage, but he does do a good job of keeping his eyes in the backfield and his awareness up. &amp;nbsp;Can play a little too aggressively, and can expose gaps, and he doesn't have the athleticism or quickness to make up for errors or pursue laterally. &amp;nbsp;He can, however, continue to grow and add bulk, and as a defensive role player and backup, he could have value. &amp;nbsp;If he falls far enough he could be a valuable consideration for immediate special teams contribution, and a handy backup and heir apparent to the long-snapping position. One star.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Worrell Williams &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
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&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;66&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;5th-6th&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Worrell Williams, &lt;b&gt;Cal&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;DJ's little brother is long on athleticism and short on instincts. &amp;nbsp;Legitimate speed, quickness and balance, coupled with experience at multiple LB positions make him worthy of a long look, but outside of more brotherly intrigue on the defense, there doesn't look to be a lot of draw with this pick. &amp;nbsp;He is undersized, not nearly as productive as you would like a pure athlete ILB to be, and he has awareness issues in coverage. &amp;nbsp;One star, mostly for upside.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Antonio Appleby &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65288/stars3.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;69&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;6th&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Antonio Appleby,&lt;b&gt; Virginia&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;This is one of the few late round ILBs that I think has the potential to actually start for Denver. &amp;nbsp;He has terrific size at 6-4, 243, and he played in a primarily 3-4 alignment in college, starting for three years, so the experience is there. &amp;nbsp;He is stout at the point of attack,an excellent wrap-up tackler, though he can sometimes try too hard for the big hit. &amp;nbsp;Against the run he is every bit as effective as Maualuga in the 1st round, but he lacks Rey's explosive first step and pent up power. &amp;nbsp;Appleby's closing speed leaves something to be desired, but he is an experienced and effective blitzer, who knows how to use his hands to stay clean, and doesn't lose a lot of momentum shooting the gap. &amp;nbsp;Tight hips and only marginal feet make him a liability in coverage however, and he doesn't have the quickness to stay with WRs or even most TEs. &amp;nbsp;But this late in the draft his run-plugging ability is a rarity, and he could provide immediate two down help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Jasper Brinkley &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;71&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;7th&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Jasper Brinkley, &lt;b&gt;South Carolina&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;I really love this prospect, and I think Denver should take a long, hard look at him. &amp;nbsp;He is a prototype for the 3-4, at 6'2&quot;, 260lbs, and he brings more than adequate physicality with those measurables. After an early transfer from a military college, he managed amazing production as a sophomore only to lose his entire junior season torn ACL injury. &amp;nbsp;He managed to return partway through the 2008 campaign, but couldn't duplicate his earlier production. &amp;nbsp;He isn't really a coverage backer, but he can drop back, with decent feet. &amp;nbsp;He needs to work on his hand placement and possibly include some explosiveness training in any rehab he does. &amp;nbsp;Watch for his &quot;jump&quot; scores at his pro day to see if he is getting back to his sophomore levels in these areas. &amp;nbsp;At his sophomore levels of production, he could be a three star prospect. &amp;nbsp;As it is he needs to check out medically. &amp;nbsp;One star for a bundle of possibility and potential.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Dominic Douglas &amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65285/stars2.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;40&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;70&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;7th-FA&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Dominic Douglas, &lt;b&gt;Mississippi State&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;racked up production in college, but won't produce those kinds of numbers in the NFL. &amp;nbsp;But if you dig into this kids game, you see a lot of potential. &amp;nbsp;He isn't the biggest body, but his frame can take more weight, and he already knows how to uncoil and deliver punishing hits. &amp;nbsp;Excellent technique, especially in the lower body. &amp;nbsp;Does a fantastic job of getting and keeping low, and knows how to win battles in the trenches. &amp;nbsp;Needs to learn to trust his strength in taking on blockers, but this isn't much of a knock, because he instead relies on superb hand technique to separate from defenders, and release from blocks. &amp;nbsp;Has a great attitude and can bring leadership to the defense, and to special teams, where he could make an immediate contribution. &amp;nbsp;Not very quick feet, but good hips for his size. &amp;nbsp;He can turn and run enough not to be a liability, and he can drop quickly enough to cover medium downs. &amp;nbsp;Has experience calling the defense from the field. &amp;nbsp;A lot to like here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;ILB-Maurice Crum &amp;nbsp;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;41&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;72&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;7th-FA&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Maurice Crum, &lt;b&gt;Notre Dame&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;Sure and steady, great football intelligence, and hallmark leadership define this rare two-time captain for the Irish. &amp;nbsp;There is a pedigree here, as Crum's father was an All-American LB for Florida. &amp;nbsp;He is a solid all-around contributor, he made most of the line calls and defensive adjustments and he has experience at each of the LB spots. &amp;nbsp;He is also quite tough, playing through a chronic back injury, which will need to get cleared medically before a team takes a risk on him. &amp;nbsp;He doesn't quite have an ideal fit, being just undersized enough not to be ideal for stuffing the run inside, yet not quite fast enough to be able to hold his own in coverage on the outside. &amp;nbsp;What coverage ability he does have should be suitable for inside-backing. &amp;nbsp;Not a physical prospect, and hesitates when taking on blockers, including chip-shot RBs. &amp;nbsp;Endurance is questionable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Morris Wooten&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;39&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;69&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;FA&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Morris Wooten,&lt;b&gt; Arizona State&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp; Wooten is a capable inside defender with good build and size. &amp;nbsp;He is a very aggressive player, leaving cut-back lanes open and preferring the hit over the solid wrap-up tackle. &amp;nbsp;Enjoys getting into blocks and discards them violently, and is tenacious in pressuring the pocket. &amp;nbsp;His pass-rushing skills earned him extra reps in nickle passing downs, where he moved to DE in order to pressure the backfield. &amp;nbsp;Questionable coverage skills, but has decent feet. &amp;nbsp;Denver could look at him late for last chance potential at backup ILB.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg1&quot; rowspan=&quot;4&quot;&gt;
&lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; height=&quot;17&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;b&gt;ILB-Daniel Holtzclaw &amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/65282/stars.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot;&gt;
&lt;td width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;41&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; width=&quot;71&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr bgcolor=&quot;#000066&quot; class=&quot;bg2&quot; valign=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;td align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;color: #ff9900;&quot; width=&quot;60&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;FA&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;Daniel Holtzclaw, &lt;b&gt;Eastern Michigan&lt;/b&gt;: &amp;nbsp;MAC attack! &amp;nbsp;Terrific size and stunning durability with 47 straight games at MLB and no injuries. &amp;nbsp;He is very instinctual, looks good mixing it up around the line, and knows his job and the jobs of the layers around him. &amp;nbsp;A hard worker, with a tremendous work ethic, he is a player who did everything he could to help EMU win games. &amp;nbsp;No doubt he would be higher up the list with a few more W's under his belt, but expect him to be one of the first CFAs signed in the hours after the draft.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
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      <title>Alligator Army All-SEC Team</title>
      <guid>http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2008/12/15/694026/alligator-army-all-sec-tea</guid>
      <author>mlmintampa</author>
      <link>http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2008/12/15/694026/alligator-army-all-sec-tea</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:35:25 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;My 2008 All-SEC Team. Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order, left to right. Drop your sarcasm and critique in the comments.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Offense&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;WR:&lt;/b&gt; Percy Harvin, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;OL:&lt;/b&gt; Michael Oher, UM&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;OL:&lt;/b&gt; Mike Pouncey, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;C:&lt;/b&gt; Antoine Caldwell, UA&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;OL:&lt;/b&gt; Andre Smith, UA&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;OL:&lt;/b&gt; Phil Trautwein, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;WR:&lt;/b&gt; Brandon LaFell, LSU&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;RB:&lt;/b&gt; Glen Coffee, UA&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;QB:&lt;/b&gt; Tim Tebow, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;TE:&lt;/b&gt; Aaron Hernandez, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;RB:&lt;/b&gt; Knowshon Moreno, UG&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Defense&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;CB:&lt;/b&gt; Joe Haden, UF&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;DE:&lt;/b&gt; Robert Ayres, UT&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;DT:&lt;/b&gt; Terrence Cody, UA&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;DT:&lt;/b&gt; Sen'Derrick Marks, AU&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;DE:&lt;/b&gt; Jermaine Cunningham, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;CB:&lt;/b&gt; D.J. Moore, VU&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;LB:&lt;/b&gt; Rennie Curran, UG&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;LB:&lt;/b&gt; Dominic Douglas, MS&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;LB:&lt;/b&gt; Brandon Spikes, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;S:&lt;/b&gt; Eric Berry, UT*&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;S:&lt;/b&gt; Ahmad Black, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;* Original post had Berry as a CB, because I wanted three safeties. After realizing that Berry would technically lose my vote (by being listed as a CB), I changed him to S and and entered Joe Haden at CB. However, Rashad Johnson gets dropped. Sorry, Rashad.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Special Teams&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing=&quot;2&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;K:&lt;/b&gt; Josh Shene, UM&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;KR:&lt;/b&gt; Brandon James, UF&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;P:&lt;/b&gt; Jeremy Davis, AR&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;b&gt;PR:&lt;/b&gt; Javier Arenas: UA&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SEC Coach of The Year:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://tennessean.com/article/20081121/SPORTS0602/811210418/1002/SPORTS&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt;&lt;/a&gt; Anywhere else a .500 record would make the seat burn a little under Johnson's rear. But at Vandy, it's a miracle. Vandy started 5-0, was ranked and had Gameday come on campus. Sure, they finished 6-6, but at 4-4 in SEC play, Johnson took Vandy to a level not reached in his players' lifetimes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SEC Player of The Year:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2008/12/7/684169/tim-tebow-s-speech&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tim Tebow, Florida;&lt;/a&gt; &quot;I'm sorry. Extremely sorry. You know, we were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something Florida's never done here. But I promise you one thing; a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. And you will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season. You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season. God Bless.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SEC Defensive Player of The Year:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/sports/ncaafootball/06alabama.html?hp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Terrence Cody, Alabama;&lt;/a&gt; The Crimson Tide was third nationally in total defense because Cody was the textbook example of a nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme. It is a bit of an art to do what Cody did. By taking on blockers and plugging gaps, Cody opened up spots for Bama's ends and linebackers to stop running backs at the line and pressure the quarterback. Cody is a big man, but he is quick enough on his feet to disrupt a play. That combination of speed and size cannot be taught.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SEC Freshman of The Year:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2008/11/25/670651/jeff-demps-ready-for-reven&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Jeffery Demps, Florida;&lt;/a&gt; A.J. Green and Julio Jones are very good players and will be in the coming years. But neither has the world class speed of Demps. When Demps would touch the ball, his body would tense like he was coming out of the starting blocks. The explosion of speed that would follow was not seen anywhere else in college football. Demps ran a 10.01 in the 100-meters this summer in Olympic qualifying and it seemed with pads on and carrying a football, he barely lost a step. Plus, Demps blocked two kicks. You can have Green and Jones. I'll take the Olympic sprinter.&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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    <item>
      <title>UK vs. Mississippi St.: Stats, thoughts, and a prediction</title>
      <guid>http://www.aseaofblue.com/2008/11/1/651252/uk-vs-mississippi-st-stats</guid>
      <author>Ken Howlett</author>
      <link>http://www.aseaofblue.com/2008/11/1/651252/uk-vs-mississippi-st-stats</link>
      <pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 07:48:18 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/16617/btn_football.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;left&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/16617/btn_football_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Btn_football_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/5093/btn_stats.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;left&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/5093/btn_stats_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Btn_stats_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a game UK absolutely must win if they are the least bit interested in reaching seven wins, thus assuring a bowl bid.&amp;nbsp; But, if Kentucky is looking for that extra bit of motivation for their game (otherwise&amp;nbsp;known as a 'must win')&amp;nbsp;at Mississippi State (3-5 overall, 1-3 in the SEC)&amp;nbsp;today, they only need to look at last week's scoreboard, and last year's MSU contest.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There's no need to rehash the&amp;nbsp;63-5&amp;nbsp;&quot;Swamp Stomp.&quot;&amp;nbsp; If a 58 point loss doesn't motivate ya, you can turn&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;your&amp;nbsp;equipment at the Nutter Center.&amp;nbsp;As for last year's UK&amp;nbsp;home loss to MSU (31-14); that game served as the lowest&amp;nbsp;point in the season, because Kentucky lost to a team that they&amp;nbsp;were much&amp;nbsp;better than, and they lost at home.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;nbsp;can best be described as an&amp;nbsp;uninspired effort.&amp;nbsp; Three&amp;nbsp;UK turnovers, along with&amp;nbsp;Bulldog running backs&amp;nbsp;Anthony Dixon and Christian Ducre&amp;nbsp;ensured UK's unexpected demise at the hands of MSU.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For those Kentucky players who participated in both last years MSU debacle and last week's Gator death-dive, this is what you've been waiting for; an opportunity&amp;nbsp;to redeem yourself.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mississippi State's Wins and Losses&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;MSU's wins have come against Southeastern Louisiana (34-10), Vanderbilt (17-14), and Middle Tennessee (31-22).&amp;nbsp; Although they have only those three victories, they have won two of their last three games.&amp;nbsp; MSU has lost to Louisiana Tech (24-14), Auburn (3-2, yes, 3-2), Georgia Tech (38-7), LSU (34-24), and Tennessee (34-3).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mississippi St. Offensive Personnel of Interest&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quarterback Tyson Lee:&lt;/b&gt; 5'11&quot;, 190 lb junior --&amp;nbsp; Lee took over the starting quarterback spot from Wesley Carrol in the LSU game (five games ago), and has played solidly since.&amp;nbsp; On the year, Lee has completed 88 of 141 passes (62.4%)&amp;nbsp;for 858 yards and two touchdowns.&amp;nbsp; Lee came to MSU&amp;nbsp;in January&amp;nbsp;from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, where he was&amp;nbsp;named a&amp;nbsp;JUCO&amp;nbsp;1st Team All-America.&amp;nbsp; In his two year JUCO career he threw for 4,432 yards and 31 touchdowns (he completed over 65% of his passes).&amp;nbsp; The Bulldogs are 2-2 in his four starts, and he has provided the Dogs with a definite upgrade in their passing game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Running back Anthony Dixon:&lt;/b&gt; 6'1&quot;, 238 lb junior -- Dixon is MSU's experienced, workhorse back.&amp;nbsp; In his three year career he has played in 33 games, with 25 starts.&amp;nbsp; This year Dixon has rushed for 599 yards (74.9 yards per game), he averages 4.3 yards per carry.&amp;nbsp; He's also&amp;nbsp;scored&amp;nbsp;six touchdowns.&amp;nbsp; For&amp;nbsp;his career, Dixon has ran&amp;nbsp;for 2,333 yards and 29 touchdowns.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Dixon can also catch the ball; this year he&amp;nbsp;has made eight catches for 49 yards.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Last year, in MSU's upset win over the 'Cats, Dixon rushed 25 times for 75 yards, with a receiving and rushing touchdown.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Running back Christian Ducre:&lt;/b&gt; 6'0&quot;, 227 lb junior -- The Tulane transfer has rushed for 217 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per rush&amp;nbsp;with two touchdowns.&amp;nbsp; Ducre is also the third leading receiver on the MSU squad, catching 13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Last year versus UK Ducre had a huge game: 19 rushes for&amp;nbsp;119 yards and one touchdown (a 34 yard run), which happened to seal the win for the 'Dogs.&amp;nbsp; He also caught five passes for 30 yards.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wide receiver Brandon MCrae:&lt;/b&gt; 6'4&quot;, 205 lb junior -- The Morehead State transfer leads the Bulldogs in receptions (37) and receiving yards with 361.&amp;nbsp; He's also scored two touchdowns.&amp;nbsp; Last year he played in 13 games where he&amp;nbsp;caught two&amp;nbsp;passes for 50 yards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wide receiver Aubrey Bell:&lt;/b&gt; 6'3&quot;, 216 lb senior -- Bell,&amp;nbsp;MSU's second leading receiver, has made 25 catches for 213 yards.&amp;nbsp; For his career Bell has&amp;nbsp;49 catches for 575 yards and one touchdown.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Last year versus UK, Bell made two catches for 25 yards.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wide receiver Co-Eric Riley:&lt;/b&gt; 6'1&quot;, 202 lb senior -- Riley has caught 10 passes for 92 yards this year.&amp;nbsp; In his 20 game career Riley has made 18 catches for 160 yards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mississippi State Defensive Personnel of Interest&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Defensive Back Derek Pegues:&lt;/b&gt; 5'10&quot;, 190 lb senior --&amp;nbsp;Pegues is&amp;nbsp;the Bulldog's Mr.&amp;nbsp;Do-it-all.&amp;nbsp; He not only mans one of the corner back spots, where he has 31 tackles and one interception, but he's also the team's&amp;nbsp;most valuable special teams member:&amp;nbsp;He is&amp;nbsp;MSU's&amp;nbsp;primary kick returner, returning 17 punts for 137 yards (8.1 average), and twenty-three kick-offs for 531 yards (23.1 average).&amp;nbsp; Pegues has 4.4 speed.&amp;nbsp; He was considered one of the top high school players in the nation in 2004.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Linebacker Dominic Douglas:&lt;/b&gt; 6'2&quot;, 235 lb senior -- Douglas leads the 'Dogs defense with 58 tackles and four tackles for loss.&amp;nbsp; In his year-and-a-half career, the JUCO transfer has made 136 tackles,&amp;nbsp;12 tackles for loss, and one sack.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Linebacker K. J. Wright:&lt;/b&gt; 6'3&quot;, 226 lb sophomore -- Wright has 40 tackles, with 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Last year versus UK, Wright made a special teams fumble recovery.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Free safety Keith Fitzhugh:&lt;/b&gt; 5'11&quot;, 205 lb senior -- This year Fitzhugh has made 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, with one sack and two interceptions.&amp;nbsp; For his career Fitzhugh has six interceptions.&amp;nbsp; He is another very quick Bulldog defensive back (4.4 speed).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Defensive tackle Cortez McCraney:&lt;/b&gt; 6'4&quot;, 280 lb senior -- The big man in the middle has made 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.&amp;nbsp; The Memphis transfer started four games last year, making 24 tackles (4.5 tackles for loss).&amp;nbsp; McCraney played only one year of high school ball.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Center J.C. Brignone:&lt;/b&gt; 6'1&quot;, 290 lb sophomore -- Brignone is the reigning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after his performance against Middle Tennessee last week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MSU Stats&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU averages 16.5 points per game, and gives up 22.1 points per game.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU averages 3.4 yards per rush as a team, and allows 4.0 yards per rush.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU only averages 294.9 yards of total offense per game, but they give up only 298.6 total yards per game.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU averages only 36.5 yards per punt.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU converts 36% of their&amp;nbsp;third down tries, but they hold their opponents to only a 33% conversion rate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU is 18-27 (67%)&amp;nbsp;in the red zone,&amp;nbsp;and they've only scored 15 touchdowns (56%) in those 27 red zone visits.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU's opponents are 22-26 (85%)&amp;nbsp;in red zone visits, but they have scored only 14 touchdowns (54%).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU has been outscored 48-37 in the fourth quarter.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MSU place kicker Adam Carlson&amp;nbsp;has made&amp;nbsp;only 6-10 field goal attempts.&amp;nbsp; He's missed from 18, 32, 38, and 39 yards, but he's 3-3 from 40-49 yards (this is what makes coaches go crazy).&amp;nbsp; Carlson also handles the kick-off duties where he has recorded zero touch backs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;UK vs. MSU SEC Statistical Comparison&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;- SEC rank in parenthesis.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Scoring - UK 22.9 ppg (6th), MSU 16.5 ppg (12th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Scoring defense - UK 18.2 ppg (7th), MSU 22.1 ppg (9th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Total offense - UK 317.8 (8th), MSU 294.9 (9th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Total defense - UK 302.6 (8th), MSU 298.6 (7th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rushing offense - UK 125.5 (9th), MSU 120.9 (10th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rushing defense - UK&amp;nbsp;137.4 (10th), MSU 144.5 (11th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pass offense - UK&amp;nbsp;192.2 (7th), MSU 174.0 (8th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pass defense - UK&amp;nbsp;165.2&lt;b&gt; (3rd),&lt;/b&gt; MSU 154.1 &lt;b&gt;(2nd).&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sacks by - UK 19 &lt;b&gt;(2nd),&lt;/b&gt; MSU 12 (t11th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sacks against - UK 7 &lt;b&gt;(1st),&lt;/b&gt; MSU 19 (10th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;3rd Down conversions - UK 30.9% (12th), MSU 36.1 (8th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Opp's 3rd Down conversions - UK 26.1% &lt;b&gt;(3rd),&lt;/b&gt; MSU 33.0% (6th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Turnover margin - UK +7 &lt;b&gt;(2nd),&lt;/b&gt; MSU -4 (8th).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;UK SEC Statistical Leaders&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Receptions per game&lt;/b&gt; - 1. Dicky Lyons 5.5 pg.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Kick-off return average&lt;/b&gt; - 6. Derrick Locke 28.5 pr.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;All-Purpose yardage&lt;/b&gt; - 6. Derrick Locke 116.0 ypg.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Punting&lt;/b&gt; - 1. Tim Masthay 46.0 ypp.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tackles&lt;/b&gt; - t7. Braxton Kelley 8.0 pg, 9. Micah Johnson 7.7 pg.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Interceptions&lt;/b&gt; - t2. Trevard Lindley 4, t2. Marcus McClinton 4.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Final Thoughts&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think Randall Cobb makes the difference today.&amp;nbsp; MSU coach Sylvester Croom should see things today out of Cobb that he hasn't seen on tape; Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips should have in place a number of sets, looks, and plays that&amp;nbsp;we have yet to see this&amp;nbsp;year.&amp;nbsp; With this game serving as Cobb's first college start, I feel something special is about to happen.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If not ... I don't even want to ponder the&amp;nbsp;implications of&amp;nbsp;UK being 5-4 instead of 6-3.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm going optimistic .. UK - 24&amp;nbsp;MSU - 16&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thanks for reading, and Go Cats! beat the 'Dogs.&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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    <item>
      <title>Beauty:  The Vols, For Once, Had It</title>
      <guid>http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2008/10/20/639176/beauty-the-vols-for-once-h</guid>
      <author>Hooper</author>
      <link>http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2008/10/20/639176/beauty-the-vols-for-once-h</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:10:30 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;If you were ever to ask me the most beautiful thing a football team can do with the ball, it is this:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;redText&quot;&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 10) TENNESSEE drive start at 08:10. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 10) Lennon Creer rush for 10 yards to the MS41, 1ST DOWN UT (Cortez McCraney;Sean Ferguson). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 10) Lennon Creer rush for 2 yards to the MS39 (Karlin Brown;Dominic Douglas). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(2nd and 8) Lennon Creer rush for 10 yards to the MS29, 1ST DOWN UT (Zach Smith). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 10) Lennon Creer rush for 4 yards to the MS25 (Tim Bailey). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(2nd and 6) Lennon Creer rush for 4 yards to the MS21 (Zach Smith;Jasper O'Quinn). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(3rd and 2) Timeout Mississippi State, clock 05:26. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(3rd and 2) Lennon Creer rush for 3 yards to the MS18, 1ST DOWN UT (Zach Smith). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 10) Lennon Creer rush for 6 yards to the MS12 (Zach Smith). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(2nd and 4) Timeout Mississippi State, clock 04:47. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(2nd and 4) Lennon Creer rush for 1 yard to the MS11 (Karlin Brown). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(3rd and 3) Timeout Mississippi State, clock 04:38. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(3rd and 3) Lennon Creer rush for 9 yards to the MS2, 1ST DOWN UT (Zach Smith;Dominic Douglas). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 0) Lennon Creer rush for 1 yard to the MS1 (K.J. Wright;Terrell Johnson). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(2nd and 0) Lennon Creer rush for no gain to the MS1 (Terrell Johnson). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(3rd and 0) Lennon Creer rush for 1 yard to the MS0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:39. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(1st and 0) Daniel Lincoln kick attempt good. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;(Taken from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/driveSummary.jsp?expand=22&amp;acadyr=2008&amp;h=694&amp;v=430&amp;date=18-OCT-08&amp;game=200800000069420081018&quot;&gt;play-by-play&lt;/a&gt; at NCAA.com.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Translation:&amp;nbsp; &lt;i&gt;We're running the ball.&amp;nbsp; We're running it straight down the middle.&amp;nbsp; We know it.&amp;nbsp; You know it.&amp;nbsp; You're not stopping it.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That drive was either exclusively up-the-middle running, or it was very close.&amp;nbsp; It lasted nearly 6 minutes, burned up 3 MSU timeouts, while merely covering 51 yards (it could have kept going for more if the end zone hadn't gotten in the way).&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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