Draft Day 1 in the books

Well it's over. Day 1 of the NFL Draft has come to an end... and I have to say, it was a weird day.

Lots of strange picks and trades, and some teams didn't even pick today. I can't wait to wake up and watch another 5 rounds tomorrow! Hopefully Denver stops screwing around and starts making some better picks. I doubt it though.... sigh.

Just so you guys know... I really am that big of a football fan. I haven't missed watching or listening to the draft in years. last year I almost did because I was in boot camp, but I got to watch some of it because I was on liberty. Anyways, I will do a final draft round up Monday!

~Ian

First Round Coverage! 32 picks, a bunch of trades, and 3 1/2 hours just for you...

Ok here goes.

1. Detroit Lions
My pick: Matthew Stafford
Chosen: Matt Stafford
Easy choice. I had this one right last night when he signed the contract.

2. St. Louis Rams
My pick: Eugene Monroe
Chosen: Jason Smith
I figured this one might happen. Close choice but I ate this one.

3. Kansas City Chiefs
My pick: Aaron Curry
Chosen: Tyson Jackson
A lot of people saw this one coming, but I still remain unimpressed with Jackson. Bad pick in my opinion.

4. Seattle Seahawks
My pick: Mark Sanchez
Chosen: Aaron Curry
They took the best player available and filled an obvious need. No hard feelings on this choice, but the KC pick really set this one up.

5. New York Jets (traded from Cleveland)
My pick: Michael Crabtree
Chosen: Mark Sanchez
I knew the Jets would go after a QB, considering my choice for them to take Josh Freeman. Good choice, but Is he worth two picks and 3 players? Dunno.

6. Cincinnati Bengals
My pick: Jason Smith
Chosen: Andre Smith
Terrible pick. I think he has severe character issues, and will end up being one of those players with weight troubles and will be a bust. But who knows. i
I think Monroe would have been better here. And what was with him wearing black and everyone else in the room wearing white. WTF? I'm sucking ass with my picks...

7. Oakland Raiders
My pick: Jeremy Maclin
Chosen: Darius Heyward-Bey
What the FUCK. Proof that Al Davis is a fucking tool. Speed over the best receiver in the draft... MORONS. You guys just SCREWED yourselves. Good job.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars
My Pick: B.J. Raji
Chosen: Eugene Monroe
Another team passed on Crabtree, but a solid pick here. Not bad. Crabtree probably won't go till San Fran.

9. Green Bay Packers
My pick: Everette Brown
Chosen: B.J. Raji
Raji was a good choice here. Obviously the best pick for them, because they didn't need a receiver.

10. San Fransisco 49ers
My Pick: Andre Smith
Chosen: Michael Crabtree
Obvious at this point. San Fran LUCKED OUT here. No one saw Crabtree falling to them, but hey... good for SF.

11. Buffalo Bills
My Pick: Michael Oher
Chosen: Aaron Maybin
Surprise. I didn't really see them passing up on Oher here... but they have a chance to get him later in the first round if he is still there.

12. Denver Broncos
My pick: Brian Orakpo
Chosen: Knowshon Moreno
Why? They needed defense and they went running back, of which they already have 6+, 3 brought in during free agency. Passed on a hell of a defender for something they didn't need. Silly. I hope McDaniels picks his game up, otherwise this will not be a good start to his draft career.

13. Washington Redskins
My pick: Aaron Maybin
Chosen: Brian Orakpo
Well.... I guess they picked the best player... someone they thought wouldn't be there. Stupid Broncos...

14. New Orleans Saints
My pick: Malcolm Jenkins
Chosen: Malcolm Jenkins
I got another one right! Hooray! They needed help at DB, and this is a good pick.

15. Houston Texans
My pick: Vontae Davis
Chosen: Brian Cushing
They needed defense and they got it. They need offense too... but I guess take what you can get.

16. San Diego Chargers
My pick: Ray Maualuga
Chosen: Larry English
I don't get what these teams are doing. Oh well... I give up on choosing who will go where. He played for a low end team against low end opponents. I don't see him doing as well as some other linebackers, but hey, he could turn out to be a great player.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Cleveland, from New York Jets)
My pick: Josh Freeman
Chosen: Josh Freeman
I guess I managed to get this one right by fate. I knew when Cleveland traded to this spot, they weren't going after him, but Tampa needed a QB so here you go. Even I get lucky sometimes! Good pick here... but think they could have not traded up to get him. They didn't give up much to get him. I don't really think he is that great, but I guess he will get his shot to prove how good he is.

18. Denver Broncos
My pick: Brian Cushing
Chosen: Robert Ayers
Not impressed with this pick... but they fill a need. I think they could have made a different choice going with a linebacker, but I guess you take what you can get. I just heard their reason behind drafting Moreno (Can't pass up the talent, and can never have enough running backs) and can't say I am terribly impressed. I hope he turns out to be worth the talent they passed up to get him.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland, from Tampa Bay)
My pick: Tyson Jackson
Chosen: Jeremy Maclin
Not a bad pick here. They need help at receiver, and seeing as Moreno was gone, they took a big need. He should help them very well as a returner and eventually as a receiver. Sure the have DeSean Jackson... but you can never have enough speedy talented receivers. Cleveland doesn't seem to want to pick in the first round for some reason... they keep trading!

20. Detroit Lions
My pick: James Laurinaitis
Chosen: Brandon Pettigrew
Weird pick here. I would have gone defense or o-lineman, but they do pick up a good blocking and receiving tight end. He will help out Stafford on two fronts, but I think they still could have chosen something different.

21. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia)
My pick: Knowshon Moreno
Chosen: Alex Mack, C, California
A good pick. They did well trading back and getting him late in the round instead of wasting a high pick on someone they could have gotten later, or a player they didn't really feel they needed. One of the best picks of the round. Well done.

22. Minnesota Vikings
My pick: Percy Harvin
Chosen: Percy Harvin
YAY! Another right pick! They need a receiver, and they need a game breaker. He fills both, and he should be an immediate impact for them, and take some pressure off of Adrian Peterson. They could have gone with a lineman, but I think they made the best pick here, and great pick here.

23. Baltimore Ravens (from New England)
My pick: Clay Matthews
Chosen: Michael Oher
Baltimore's line is getting up there in years so this is a solid pick. He is a great player and has great character, and will definitely be a good or great player in the NFL. Good choice and good call trading up for it.

24. Atlanta Falcons
My pick: Brandon Pettigrew
Chosen: Peria Jerry
I don't know what I was thinking... I guess I forgot they traded for Tony Gonzales. Anywho... Good pick here for them. They needed middle presence on defense, and this guy will help them.

25. Miami Dolphins
My pick: Larry English
Chosen: Vontae Davis
A solid pick. They need presence in their defensive backfield, and this is a player who can make a difference. He will have his work cut out for him in that division...

26. Green Bay Packers (from New England, from Baltimore)
My pick: Darius Heyward-Bey
Chosen: Clay Matthews
You can never have enough good line backers, and they picked a very good one with a lot of upside. Surprised that Maualuga is still waiting to be called, and that the other two LBs he played with went before him, but I don't think he will make it out of the first round. Good choice for GB and they are doing well addressing defense so far.

27. Indianapolis Colts
My pick: Brian Robiskie
Chosen: Donald Brown, RB, Conneticut
I figured them to go for another receiver, partly to make up for Marvin Harrison being released, and partly to just give them another weapon, but they got a good RB here with great pass catching skills. Indy is following the trend of the two back system, so Brown will be a heck of a tandem with Addai. Good choice here, but a bit of a surprise.

28. Buffalo Bills
My pick: Chase Coffman
Chosen: Eric Wood, C, Loisville
Buffalo needs lineman, and here is a good one. 4 year starter, and should be immediate help for the Bills. I think they should have picked up a career tackle with their first pick, but at least they addressed the line here.

29. New York Giants
My pick: Hakeem Nicks
Chosen: Hakeem Nicks
Wow.... I knew this was a toss up between Nicks and Britt, but glad I chose right. This is a big physical receiver who can fill in a big need for NY. I think he will make people forget about Plax. Good job here Giants.

30. Tennessee Titans
My pick: Kenny Britt
Chosen: Kenny Britt
Another good pick for a need. As I said with Nicks, it was a toss up where those two would land between NY and Tennessee. Good route runner, good hands, and should help out a team with severe receiver issues. I think this was one thing that really hurt the Titans, and now they have a receiver that has to ability to get them to the next level.

31. Arizona Cardinals
My pick: Chris "Beanie" Wells
Chosen: Chris "Beanie" Wells
3 in a row! Shocking I know... Anyways, I knew this was coming. Edge is past his prime, and they need a real rushing threat, and Beanie is it. He should have immediate impact, and give Arizona another threat on offense. This is all based on whether or not he can stay healthy...

32. Pittsburgh Steelers
My pick: Darius Butler
Chosen: Ziggy Hood, DT, Missouri
Well.... I guess. I didn't really see this one coming, but I've seen odder (Oakland picking Heyward-Bey). I really didn't think Maualuga would fall out of the first round, but that's how it goes sometimes. The Steelers draft very well, so if they think this is their man for the first round, then he must have been worth the pick.

Roundup:
So I didn't do so hot with my picks. I got 7 out of 32 right... pretty shitty, but I think the shake-ups that happened, (Heyward-Bey at 7 for the Raiders, double trades by the Browns and Patriots), I doubt anyone did well. Odd that Maualuga and Laurinaitis are still on the board after the first round, and two picks into the second, but you really can't pick how some people will choose. Anyways, I think some teams chose very well and really helped themselves out (Green Bay, NY Jets, Lions), some had head scratchers (Denver, Kansas City, San Diego), and some were just plain stupid (Oakland). All in all a pretty standard first round. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my coverage and commentary!

~Ian

My NFL Mock Draft!

Here's my picks for the first round of the NFL Draft, which will be going down at 4 p.m. ET today! Knowing my track record of picking things, this may or may not be very accurate. But let us hope for the best!

And here we go...

1. Detroit Lions pick Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia Bulldogs

2. St. Louis Rams pick Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia Cavaliers

3. Kansas City Chiefs pick Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

4. Seattle Seahawks pick Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

5. Cleveland Browns pick Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

6. Cincinnati Bengals pick Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

7. Oakland Raiders pick Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

8. Jacksonville Jaguars pick B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

9. Green Bay Packers pick Everette Brown, DE/LB, Florida State

10. San Fransisco 49ers pick Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

11. Buffalo Bills pick Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

12. Denver Broncos pick Brian Orakpo, DE/LB, Texas

13. Washington Redskins pick Aaron Maybin, LB, Penn State

14. New Orleans Saints pick Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

15. Houston Texans pick Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

16. San Diego Chargers pick Ray Maualuga, LB, USC

17. New York Jets pick Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

18. Denver Broncos pick Brian Cushing, LB, USC

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

20. Detroit Lions pick James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State

21. Philadelphia Eagles pick Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

22. Minnesota Vikings pick Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

23. New England Patriots pick Clay Matthews, LB, USC

24. Atlanta Falcons pick Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

25. Miami Dolphins pick Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois

26. Baltimore Ravens pick Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

27. Indianapolis Colts pick Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State

28. Buffalo Bills choose Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri

29. New York Giants pick Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

30. Tennessee Titans pick Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

31. Arizona Cardinals pick Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State

32. Pittsburgh Steelers pick Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut

So there you have it... my first round mock draft. Some players who may sneak into the first round include:
LeSean McCoy, RB, Pitt
Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan
Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi
Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia

Watch the draft today or check in with my follow up blog to see how I did!

~Ian

My favorite movie quote

Anyone who knows me, knows I have no faith in religion. I have faith in general, just not in religion. That being said, when I heard this quote in Kingdom of Heaven... I can't tell you much it struck a chord in me. So here you go.

"I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the Will of God. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What God desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart] and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man - or not."

Re-post of "Wolf" in a shoebox

This is a re-post for those who are relatively new in my life or new to the blog and are wondering at the Wolf nickname and Wolf themes. Read it and learn! ~I.T.

Stories of the Wolf: Chapter One.

The Origins

Everyone always says "blank in a nutshell" but I cant fit what I want to talk about in that kinda space. I need something with more room... like a shoebox. We may have to move up to a packing crate soon... but for now lets go with the shoebox.

On my last blog I explained about the origins of the nickname "Wolf". To comparmentalize it I'll give you the Cliffnotes version. Due to my love of Wolves and my habit of wearing wolf t shirts, a friend began calling me Wolf. My other friends began to as well. We also made several connections between myself and a wolf. I stick to a small group. I'm very cunning. I stalk my "prey" and "execute" it with precision and stunning skill. I could go on and on but for the sake of time, lets leave it there. So Wolf was born.

When I was first dubbed Wolf, I kept it within my group of friends. We were always very close guarded with our nicknames and kept them amongst ourselves, but as we got older we were more free with them. Eventually many people knew our nicknames because we went by them while we were causing mass distruction and havoc in high school. We are still famous to this day for some of the stunts we pulled. (another story for another time) So with the expansion of use and for another reason (in memoriam of the friend who gave me the nickname) I chose to tattoo Wolf on my arm.

A recent addition has been made to my Wolf ink.

The tattoo reminds me of all that is important... and it reminds me to always be me. I designed it myself and I wanted it to be like me, unique. I will always be proud of the nickname Wolf and what it represents. I will never forget those who gave me the name and who stand beside me as my friends. To the best friends anyone could ever ask for. Derreck and Bryan, here's to you...

So that is Wolf in a shoebox... more than a little bit... and enough to keep you interested in whats to come. There will be plenty more to come in the Stories of the Wolf. This saga has just begun.

I'm GLOBAL.

To the people of the 30 countries who have visited my blog...

THANK YOU!

Please keep reading and I will keep writing.

It's kind of amazing to know that my words are read around the world...
Kind of humbling too.

Thank you again, and be sure to tell your friends!

~Ian "Wolf" Townsend

Taking a page from a book...

So it's been a bit since I've written. I guess I got on an inspired streak and immediately fell on an uninspired one. Go figure. I guess in my writing life it's either feast or famine.

Anyways, what have I been up to lately you wonder? Well besides the constant work I endure, not much really. I spent 9 days on leave which was very nice. I got to see family and friends and got a brand new tattoo. All in all, it was a pretty good leave period, as leave periods go, but I realized when I got back to my "apartment" that I was more tired than when I left for leave. Lets just say that I, as well as my car, were tired. I put around a thousand miles on my car, and after the trauma that occurred with it, I was rather impressed.

So after the break, I got back to the grind of work, and the funniest thing about the whole time between leave and this past week is the fact that I haven't watched much TV at all. Except for a few assorted viewings when I was on leave, my TV life has been pretty non-existent. Before I went on leave, I watched nothing but movies, and never even used the cable I pay so much for a month. Usually I am one to maximize my buck, but lately I've been pretty "eh" over TV.

I've spent far more time reading and I've been absolutely devouring a new series of books I discovered courtesy of an unread book sitting on my sister's shelf. The series is called "The Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher, and I'm currently on book 7 of the series. I started reading the books last week. These aren't little books either. They all are around the 400 page mark, but I've simply been devouring them. I guess you could say that sometimes I get enthralled in books. Perhaps that's why I have been so lackadaisical with writing lately. Sometimes you have to put down the pen and pick up a book. Anyhow, I think I finally found a few things to write about, and maybe I might just get inspired enough to kick my ass into gear.

That being said, I leave you now with a few random thoughts and observations for your enjoyment and information.

-I found a new band I like called Shinedown. I say new, because they are new to me, but they have been around a bit. Check them out.

-Apparently, at 6'2 and 215, I am overweight according to the Navy. Go figure. The also said I have 19 % body fat, which anyone who knows me will tell you is a fucking joke.

-I seem to be more interested in baseball this year. I have to say that neither of my teams (Rangers and Red Sox) are playing too well. Texas started off strong but faltered as of late. I hope they both wake up. I would like to see a young Ranger team prove people wrong, and a Sox team play up to expectations. Time will tell.

-I was so over the Broncos/McDaniels/Cutler situation. I'm glad it's over, and I think it ended the best way. Not necessarily the right way, but the best way.

-John Madden is gone from broadcasting. That's kind of weird. NFL football isn't the same without him, even with his sometimes overly simplified and silly comments and obsession with the screen pen. "When a receiver catches the ball in the end zone, that's a touchdown." We will miss you John.

-I barely cared about anything basketball related this year. Not really an oddity, just more of a lack of interest in something that doesn't overly interest me.

-Same could be said for hockey, but I do like watching that... just haven't found the time or severe interest in watching. It hasn't been the same since the strike.

-It's funny how Tiger's win at Bay Hill scared everyone in golf. You could see the fear in the other golfer's faces. You could almost feel that Tiger magic on Sunday at the Masters, but he couldn't do it, and the golf world breathed easy again. For this week at least.

-Twitter is addicting. I blame you for getting me involved in that madness. Hold on while I go check what Shaq and Kevin Smith are up to.

-Oh and by the way, shut the fuck up Ashton Kutcher. Your time of relevance has passed. Get over it. Why don't you try acting once in a while. You aren't a half bad actor, when you want to be.

-I think that anyone, and I mean ANYONE should be allowed the freedom to voice their opinions on what goes on in the country they live in. If you have a problem with something, speak up and be heard. More on this coming in another post.

-Rick Perry, you're half of an idiot for suggesting that Texas succeeding from the U.S. is a viable option. On one hand, sure it might work, and on another you look stupid for putting it on the table and like a fool for even broaching the subject. On a related note, if Texas did succeed, I would totally vote for Chuck Norris to be President of Texas. He would roundhouse kick our economy back into shape!

-YOU make me smile. You know who you are.

-I discovered something neat about my car the other day. I can put my key in, turn on the car and take out the key, and the car keeps running. Cool huh?

-I realize I have WAY too many books and movies. Now I'm not complaining, but it will make moving the massive amount of literature and visual entertainment all the more difficult come June.

-On a related note, there are so many books and movies I want. I wish all I had to do was read, watch movies, and play video games. that would be the life. Anyone know a job that consists of those three things, because if you do, hook me up.

-I miss you guys.

I think that's about all I have for now.. More blog posts to follow soon I hope. You can return to your lives now.

~Ian

It may not be Thanksgiving, but...

I was talking to a friend today, and she made me realize something. Despite all that I've been dealing with lately, despite all the things I've had to complain about, I have so much to be thankful for. Hear, for your reading pleasure, is the things I am thankful for.

First and foremost, I am so thankful for my friends and family. Both have evolved over the years, but they have constantly been my rock when the waters of life are raging around me. No matter what's going on, I know that I can pick up the phone and they will be there for me. There are a lot of people who don't have the family and friends I do, and I know I'm the luckiest guy on earth to have those people in my life.

I have a JOB. In this economy, these things are getting hard to come by. On top of having said job, it is a very stable safe job as well. I know, that no matter what happens with the economy, I will have my job. How many people can say that? Let us not forget, I also get to do a job that I enjoy for the most part, and one I picked to do, and wasn't forced to choose. Along with my job, I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and a comfortable bed to sleep in. God, am I thankful for all of that!

Despite all the trouble it has been causing me lately, I have a car that works most of the time. I'm (most of the time) able to get to and from places without relying on others. Sure, for a couple of weeks, I was relying on the good nature of others, but for the most part, I'm independently mobile. Hooray for that!

I have money in my pocket and in a bank account. I didn't always have that. A lot of people still don't. I have plenty of things taking my money, and God knows I have plenty of things I owe on, but I have a steady income, and I know that I'll be able to support myself and not rely on others to help me out, even though if the time arose when I need help, my friends and family will be there for me. It's nice to be financially solvent, and I'm very thankful for that.

I'm thankful I am an American, and I'm very thankful I'm from the great state of Texas!

I'm thankful for all the past experiences I've had that made me who I am.

I'm thankful for all of the people in my life who have effected me in some way, and molded me into me.

I'm thankful to be alive.

I'm thankful for my life as a whole, no matter what has occurred, and what has transpired. It led me to here and I cannot complain about that.

So those are just a few things I am thankful for... a reminder that when times are hard, there is always something to be thankful for in the bleakest of times.

What are you thankful for?

It comes in 3s

I had a good, light-hearted blog in mind (to counteract my last few melodramatic pissed off blogs), but fate intervened. I woke up this morning in a decent mood, ready to start the day and inch one day closer to being on leave. So I walk outside to wait on my ride (explanation on that coming in a moment), and I'm about a hundred feet from the parking lot when I spot my car, and something looks wrong. As I get closer I know something is wrong, and this is what I found.



Talk about a hell of a way to start your day. Anyways, I had to file an incident report, go through a bunch of phone calls, complain and bitch a bit, and then later I realized something. This was just the 3rd thing to go wrong with my car. There's a saying "All things come in 3s". First, my battery died, and it was a PAIN to change it. Next, My transmission shifter cable crapped out, and my car has been stuck in the barracks parking lot for the past two weeks, forcing me to walk or bum rides. Lastly, this incident happened. I dunno if someone was drunk and just pulled an idiot, or someone is a truly bad driver, but they mangled my car.

The worst part of the whole mangling was that they didn't even leave a note with their number and name so I could call them and find out what happened. The car can be fixed, and besides pissing me off to have my personal property damaged, it could have been much worse. The lack of respect to take responsibility for this, and be a fucking coward... that's what made me madder than anything. Someone said I was being stupid for being upset about someone hitting me, and should not care because it's going to be paid for one way or another by me... but how would you feel if someone hit your car and drove away without manning up and taking responsibility? You'd be fucking pissed. I think I was and am justified in being upset.

Alas, there isn't any reason for me to be upset any longer, so I'm gonna let it go. I spent my time upset, but it'll get fixed. It'll buff. My trans cable is getting fixed tomorrow, and soon I will get the bumper and light fixed. Eventually my car will be whole again, and the cycle of 3s can begin again... hopefully further on down the road. I really need a break from fixing my car!

Who knew a new car would be such a pain! Jeez.

~Ian