I was going to ask our fearless leader or one of his lieutenants to do a draft profile on Chandler Jones. He was my favorite player for my a favorite college team, as he was by far the best performer on a team that started out wildly over-achieving, but ended up wildly under-achieving. Jones and the rest of Syracuse's draft hopefuls (mostly marginal except for Phil Thomas) had their pro day on Thursday. According to reports Jones, who performed well at the combine, improved on his performance in front of representatives from 31 teams. Afterwards, the Giants' rep came up to talk drafting history with Chan (basically that JPP was also a Big East player). The fact that the Giants rep was singled out as approaching Jones, plus the combination of player+ draft profile+ positional value immediately piqued my interest. I could do a draft summary on this guy, I've seen every one of his games at 'Cuse, but I'd like to see an unbiased view. He has athletic bloodlines (brothers Arthur and Jon "Bones"), and is a long, lean, fast player who can bull rush on occasion. He plays the run very well, but needs to diversify his pass rush arsenal. In other words, he exactly fits JR's drafting profile. So, what do you guys think? Would he be a good pick if he's still there at #32?

Still looking for a better name for this series. Today we look at recent pathetic efforts by the Red Bulls and the given rationale for such, as well as a big roster development. We also continue to celebrate the USWNT success. Their cromulent efforts embiggens us all.

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Welcome all to the first posting of a links collection on OnceAMetro. Unfortunately, most of the news related to the Red Bulls right now is melancholy after that dismal performance on Saturday. If anyone has other types of news they'd like me to look for, just post a note in the comments below.  Also, since "Running With The Bulls" is already taken, if anyone has a better name for this series, drop that off as well.

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Looking at the attack for the New York Red Bulls is probably the easiest of all the mid- season reports, which may be why it comes last. After all there are only five members of the team listed as forwards on the roster, and this is the most potent attack we've seen in a few years for our favorite side. The Red Bulls are on pace to score 54 goals (albeit in a 34 game schedule, as opposed to the usual 32). This would make them the third highest scoring side in club history. The normal starting duo in Hans Backe's preferred 4-4-2 has been Thierry Henry and Luke Rodgers, provided both are healthy. Henry is tied for the league lead in goals with eight tallies, and Rodgers is tied for 9th with five. If this projects out to the full season, that would give them at least 16 and 10. Two players with double- digit scores is a feat that has only happened five times in Red Bulls history, and would put them third on the list of combined season scorers behind Adolfo Valencia (16) and Alex Comas (13) in 2000 and Juan Pablo Angel (19) and Jozy Altidore (9) in 2007. For those of you interested in more team history, if Dane Richards picks up on his solid pace and somehow also makes 10 goals they would join only one trio of double digit scorers in team history, behind only Valencia, Comas, and Clint Mathis (10) in 2000.

The team's torrid scoring pace is more remarkable when you consider they started the season by only scoring two goals in their first four games. There was alot of conversation on this site and elsewhere wondering why the offense was stagnating, and if Henry was going to join the long list of washed up foreign stars who had come to RBNY well past their prime to live out a semi-professional retirement, and enjoy the cultural delights of NYC while occasionally breaking a sweat on the pitch. He looked slow, old, and not particularly interested. The big change came in the fourth match against the San Jose Earthquakes, when Backe inserted Luke Rodgers into the starting lineup. The Red Bulls scored three goals, and the offense has clicked fairly well since. Even with the roster shuffling caused by Gold Cup absences, injuries, and red cards, the Red Bulls have not been shut out in the last thirteen regular season games, an astounding streak.

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http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2011/04/backe-red-bulls-dont-need-third-dp

Apparently the Red Bulls are content to sit on an unused DP slot. As Hans Backe says in this article, the team is not looking for a splashy new name, and with the addition of DeRo the team feels like they have built a solid contender with more depth. That's fine and dandy with me, but I feel that the DP could be used in a more productive fashion on one of our own.

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This link is from last last Monday's column by Peter King at si.com.  I'm not sure if it jumps right to the relevant page, but if not the piece is on page 2 of the article.

Dodge defense

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The Giants are reeling at 6-4, and battling a plague of injuries not seen since, oh, 2008. But the season is far from over, and the simple explanation is that a win on this weekend puts us back in a strong position. Here's how...

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I think the above expression is the best way to define the split between the Eli supporters and the Eli haters.  Eli supporters can point to passing stats, overall winning record as a starter, unflappable demeanor, and support of his teammates. Haters point to the passer rating, incredible streak of turnovers, lack of playoff wins other than 2007, and "Eli Manning Face".  But the one thing I always thought people could agree upon was that they were happy to have a SB winning QB leading our team.

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My wife is getting me really good lower sideline tickets for an SU game for my birthday.  I even get to pick the game (no getting shafted on Maine or Colgate. Whoohoo!)  My dilemma is which game? Pitt will probably be a loss, and B.C. is the weekend after Thanksgiving (traveling). So it's narrowed down to Lousiville or UConn. I could use some advice from true fans on which to choose. Pros and cons as I see them:

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Could this year be the last season of the NFL that we have come to know and love for the last 15 years?

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But I know there are some 'Cuse fans like myself over here. This is some sick shit that transcends football. Brinkley was a fighter who carried some atrocious teams on his back.  He battled through devastating injuries and the death of his father, and came back to be, by a rough estimate, 90% of the 'Cuse offense.  If he was 6 foot and 220 he would have been a first day draft pick. Hopefully he can recover and pursue his dream again.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20090711_Shooting_could_delay_Brinkley_s_football_career.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4077093

This may sound bad, but trust me Osi, Tuck, and Kiwi should be licking their chops. I see alot of Bills games up here and Peters is one of the most overrated players in recent history. He may be a little better being his second year back from knee injury, but he plays lazy and he can be beaten easily off the edge.  My brother is a huge Bills fan, and the first text he sent me was "Osi guarranteed at least one blindside hit and fumble next year."

So my wife is watching Dancing with the Stars and she calls me out because "some football guy from the Giants is on". And it's Lawrence Taylor dancing with a seriously smoking hot chick. So of course I sit down to watch. And honestly, he was so timid and nervous looking I started to yell "You broke Theismann's leg! You used to send hookers to the other team's hotel room! Why are you dancing like a pansy?" So my wife tells me to shut up before I wake the kid up, and I leave feeling angry and depressed. The lesson is, never let your heroes grow up and dance on a stupid reality show. Even if it's with a stunningly beautiful woman.