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The NFL can be unpredictable, to say the very least. As much as we prepare for our drafts and the upcoming season, there is no doubt that a few odd and seemingly improbable scenarios will alter the fantasy football landscape. NFL.com's Dave Dameshek, NFL.com senior editor Craig Ellenport, associate editor Adam Rank and I broke out our thinking caps in an attempt to predict the unpredictable with five bold, maybe outlandish (and in some cases even a little crazy) prognostications as we inch closer and closer to the 2011 campaign.

Dameshek
1. The Packers will score every time their offense gets the ball. Last season went pretty well for Aaron Rodgers and his pals, and that was without Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant. Grant will combine with James Starks to create the "thunder and lightning" dynamic, but look for Starks to be the more valuable fantasy choice. Finley, meanwhile, will be a top-three tight end. Greg Jennings will continue to thrive as well. Oh, yeah, and then there's Rodgers (aka the NFL's best quarterback in both fantasy and reality). Like I said ... Every. Single. Time.
2. Shonn Greene is getting ready to bust out for fantasy owners. Greene was last seen in the second half of the AFC title game running past and/or over the Steel Curtain, as the Jets almost overcame a three-touchdown deficit at Heinz Field. And if offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had given the ball to Greene on 4th-and-goal at the 1 yard line instead of LaDainian "Tiptoe" Tomlinson, the Jets might have won. After seven months to lament, Schottenheimer isn't like to make the same mistake again. In other words, Greene will be the main man in green this season.

3. Ben Roethlisberger will put up big numbers moving forward. Prior to the 2010 season, Art Rooney II decreed that the Steelers should return to their pound-it-on-the-ground roots. There are two reasons why that won't happen, though: One, the secondary is going to be lousy at best. That'll put Big Ben in position to play catch-up quite a bit; Two, Rashard Mendenhall still drops the football too often to be a reliable workhorse. So while the Steelers may not be a great team on the field, your fantasy team will be if you've got Roethlisberger under center.

4. Matt Cassel will emerge into a top-10 fantasy quarterback. No need to worry that Cassel will be working with his fourth coordinator in four seasons -- this is his third season with the true architect of the Chiefs offense, Todd Haley. Cassel will also have an improved supporting cast. Dwayne Bowe is a top-tier wideout, Tony Moeaki had a nice rookie season, Dexter McCluster could see a bigger role and Jonathan Baldwin will be a poor man's version of Randy Moss. Plus, it always helps when a quarterback can lean on his running game. Speaking of which ...

5. Jamaal Charles will be the top fantasy running back. Please note: I didn't merely say he'll be a top fantasy running back, I said he'll be the top fantasy running back. That being said, I can understand why you'd have a tough time picking him ahead of Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson. Fair enough, but don't leave him on the board in favor of Arian Foster or Maurice Jones-Drew. Unless, of course, you're playing in my league. Then I'd prefer that you do leave him on the board so I can snatch him up and reap the statistical rewards.

Ellenport
1. Kevin Kolb will be a non-factor in fantasy land. Poor Kolb. There has been so much speculation on where he'll go when the lockout finally ends, as if he will be somebody's savior. Well, he wasn't the savior for the Eagles, was he? And they had plenty of weapons and a coach in Andy Reid who likes to toss the rock. So even if he gets traded to the Arizona Cardinals, there is no reason to think he's going to light it up. With limited time to get comfortable with Larry Fitzgerald, don't expect numbers worthy enough to make Kolb a viable No. 1 quarterback.

2. LeSean McCoy will be the top running back. McCoy is the real deal. He was fourth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage last season, and he slashed his way to several 50-plus yard runs down the stretch. That's when defenses finally started paying more attention to Michael Vick, thus opening things up for McCoy. Reid is not too old to learn new tricks, and he must realize that he has a bona fide star at running back -- a guy who should force him to stop throwing as much and let the running game carry the load. If that happens, McCoy will break out.

3. Tony Romo will become a fantasy stud. He's baaack! Romo passed for 4,483 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2009, so there's no reason to think he can't bounce back from last year's injury and have another big year. Oh, and consider this -- those 2009 numbers were produced pre-Dez Bryant. Romo will have a ton of weapons, a head coach in Jason Garrett who loves to pass first, and a schedule that includes likely high-scoring games against division-rivals like the Eagles and Giants. All the ingredients are in place for Romo to finish with a monster stat line.

4. Shonn Greene will explode for the J-E-T-S. Don't take my word for it -- that's precisely what Schottenheimer said about his third-year running back. I know fantasy owners were extremely disappointed when experts (including me) predicted big things for Greene last season. But I will give him one more shot. And here's an important fact -- Schottenheimer also praised Greene's improved pass protection, the skill that keeps running backs on the field more often. I say he rushes for 1,600 yards and at least 10 touchdowns.

5. The Detroit Lions will be a top five defense. Don't get me wrong -- you still can't draft any defense too early. But the Lions will be a steal late. Coach Jim Schwartz already is looking for fan input to give his front four a nickname. While there is improvement needed in the back seven, that front line -- Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley on the inside, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril outside -- will do plenty of damage. Expect lots of sacks, and, since they play Jay Cutler twice, a good share of picks and turnovers as well.

Fabiano
1. Arian Foster will score close to 100 fewer fantasy points. Foster led all players in fantasy points last season, scoring an incredible 325.80 points on NFL.com on the strength of his 2,218 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns. Unfortunately, I don't see any chance that he'll come close to repeating those numbers again. Let's put it this way -- Peterson put up nearly 100 fewer fantasy points than Foster last season, and he still had a nice statistical campaign. I'm not saying Foster will be a bust, but he's going to come back to earth.

It has been a special year in sports for former Oklahoma Sooners athletes. Before Blake Griffin won the NBA Rookie of the Year award on Wednesday, Sam Bradford won the NFL Rookie of the Year honors after leading the St. Louis Rams back into contention.
Two Oklahoma Sooners winning the best rookie honors in the two biggest sports in the nation is pretty impressive to say the least. Both men were taken with the first picks in their respective drafts and both men have proven to be ready to step up to the next level.
Blake Griffin became an NBA All-Star in his rookie season, something not done since Yao Ming. He is the first unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year since David Robinson. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk title.
Sam Bradford took over as the starting quarterback of the St. Louis Rams and led them to more wins then they accumulated in the previous three years combined. Bradford also broke Peyton Manning’s rookie record for attempts and completions.
With both the NFL and NBA on the verge of lockouts that endanger the 2011 seasons of both sports, Oklahoma Sooners fans might not get the chance to see their home-town favorites in action next year but, when they do return, the Sooners know they can lay claim to the future of their respective sports.Sam Bradford will only get better as time goes on and the St. Louis Rams begin to surround him with some actual receiving talent. Blake Griffin plays on one of the worst teams in the NBA but has proven that, despite that distinction, he remains one of the most talented players in the NBA.
With Adrian Peterson added in, Oklahoma Sooners fans have three of the best players in major league sports that they can call their own. It’s nice to be a Sooner right about now.

In a game where the Orlando Magics had to win to keep their season alive the Hawks played like a team on a journey and took a 84-81 victory after JJ Reddrick missed a 3 pointer that would of sent the game into overtime. So for the first time in Years the Magics will not make it to the second round of the Playoffs and just to think this Magics team just made it to the NBA finals in 2008-2009.  I’m sure this will stir up talks about hiring a new coach soon. The Magics All-Star Center played a great series and had another great year which might go down as his best year number wise to date. Howard will be a restricted free-agent soon and I’m sure a lot of trams will be interested! So in the Eastern Conference the it will be the Hawks vs Bulls and the Celtics vs Heats.an out in the Western Conference the Lakers took care of the Hornets on the road 98-80 powered by solid games from Bynum, Gasol and Bryant. The Lakers will take on the Mavericks in the second round after last nights win in Portland 103-96 which was a close series despite Dallas 4-2 series win shows. Tonight’s only game will be the Spurs vs Grizzles in Game 6. The Spurs will try to force a Game 7 and the Grizzles will be looking to end things in front of their home crowd, so with that alone this game should be exciting. The Spurs vs Grizzles will be shown on ESPN at 9:00pm as the Thunder awaits the winner of this series.

With Yao Ming gone and a big shot blocker needed to fill the void in the paint, the Houston Rockets will stay local and draft Tristan Thompson out of the University of Texas.  Thompson is a freshman who had a decent first season, posting average numbers of 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.  The rebounding numbers are pretty impressive considering how he’s only 6’8″ and 225 pounds.
Yet, Thompson’s athleticism cannot be denied.  He has a strong vertical leap and long arms.  He averaged 2.4 blocks per game as a freshman!
He may be Canadian, but Thompson will continue his legacy in Texas and if all goes well, become a state legend.  He will lead the Rockets to the glory that Yao should have, and the team will be flying high again.

What does Todd McShay see as being the most likely scenario for the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL Draft?
The Packers appear to be loaded at every spot on the field, but the one position that the Super Bowl Champs could use, is a starting outside linebacker, opposite of Clay Matthews.
Todd McShay believes that the Packers will get their outside linebacker with the No. 32 pick in the first round. He has Green Bay selecting UCLA LB Akeem Ayers.
“Ayers could provide some versatility with his ability to flash as a pass-rusher, drop into coverage and also play some inside if needed.”
The former UCLA standout is so attractive to NFL teams because he is a superior athlete who excels in both pass rushing and pass coverage situations.
At 6’4″, 255 pounds, the Packers could move Ayers around between inside and outside linebacker, and he already possesses the necessary skill level to make an immediate impact at the next level.
I like this pick for Green Bay. But whether Ayers will be available with that final pick in the first round remains to be seen.
Guess we will find out come draft day.

The Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens have both lost their most recent games. Both teams, at this point, still have leads in their respective series although both will be under some pressure on Thursday night.
The Canucks missed their chance to sweep Chicago in game 4 and if Vancouver don’t defeat the Blackhawks in game five then the series will switch back to the United Center. Game five will come from Roger’s Arena on Thursday night at 7pm PT (10pm ET) and television coverage will be available with CBC/RDS and VERSUS.
Boston and Montreal will play on Thursday as well in a game that will come from downtown Montreal. The Habs still have a 2-1 series lead and they need to win on Thursday to keep their home ice advantage.
Game time from the Bell Center will be at 7pm ET and television coverage will be available with CBC/RDS or VERSUS.

I feel like Steve Martin in “The Jerk” yelling, “The new phone books are here!” The new phone books are here!”
The NFL schedule came out, and the league does still have a sense of humor. Michael Vick and the Eagles head to Atlanta in Week 2 and, yes, Jay Cutler and Da Bears are coming to Denver in Week 15. That should be a fun reception for Jay.
But will it happen?
The owners locked out the players March 12, and both sides are in court-ordered mediation. But there is no motivation for either side to move quickly here. The owners won’t feel any pain until August when, if the status quo is maintained, they start to lose money on canceled preseason games. The players won’t feel it in their wallets until September when they would get their paychecks.
If we get to either of these points without a settlement, we’re likely looking at losing regular season games.
Another important fact here is that the first Sunday of the season is the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. It behooves neither side for the NFL to be idle on that day. That looks terrible.
In fact, if you open your labor-history textbooks, baseball nearly had a strike in 2002, and one of contributing factors to a settlement was that both sides of the divide decided that having America’s pastime on the shelf on the one-year anniversary of the attacks was not the wisest course.
Here’s hoping that we’ve got football come fall, and with that, some schedule highlights:
• For the Broncos fan in your life, well, Week 1 is the back end of the Monday Night Football doubleheader, and it’s the Raiders in Denver. Commence to enjoy. The Broncos’ other prime time appearance is a Thursday nighter in November when the Jets come to town. Which Jets show up is another question? The ones who went to the AFC Championship or the ones who got smacked by New England during the regular season? While the Jets are hard to figure. Rex Ryan ought to be good for some laughs.
• Will anyone else think it’s a coincidence if Cutler comes up gimpy at halftime during his return? Yes, that’s a complete cheap shot. I’m sorry. Sort of. Not really.
• Mark November on the calendar: The Broncos play three divisional road games in four weeks — at Oakland, at Kansas City, home for the Jets and at San Diego.
• The Dallas Cowboys are on prime time five times, not including their traditional Thanksgiving Day game. Bad, NFL.
• The Minnesota Vikings open at San Diego. I only mention this because I will only believe that Brett Favre is truly retired if he is not playing in this game.
• Toughest schedule by the 2010 record of opponents goes to … Carolina? That ain’t right. Ouch.
• Easiest schedule? Arizona. That sounds right.
• By the way, the NFL wised up and did not have the Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers play on Monday Night Football again. My San Francisco partisanship is well-known, but that’s been a dog of a game the last few years on prime time.
• Brrr: Bears at Packers Christmas night at Lambeau.
• Worst Monday Night Football game: Week 14, Rams at Seahawks. Hopefully, one of these teams will be over .500. (Steelers at Niners the next week isn’t far behind. Yeesh. Jim Harbaugh’s going to be wishing he’s back at Stanford by that point.)
• Best MNF game: Giants at Saints, Week 12.
• Worst Sunday Night game: Week 6, Vikings at Bears. Does NBC think Favre is coming out of retirement? Take the under on this game.
• Best Sunday Night game: Many good choices, but it’s Ravens at Steelers in Week 9. Take the under in this game, too.

The Kevin Kolb show in Philadelphia is dangerously close to coming to an end. The would be starter is number two on the depth chart behind one of the stars during the 2010 NFL season.
Kolb was fantastic during his stint as starter last season. He still could not hold a candle to what Michael Vick gives the Philadelphia Eagles with sheer talent, speed and creativity.
That is not to say that Kevin Kolb is not worthy of being the man somewhere else. He has proved time and again that he is ready to helm an offense in the NFL, just not with the Eagles. That makes trading him the most pressing need of the Eagles.
MUST READ: 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Matt Miller’s Two Full Rounds with Analysis and Team Needs
Other teams are well aware of their qualm and will be bidding at below market value. That may make trading Kolb problematic. The Eagles back-up has resigned himself to the fact that next season could begin with still with Philadelphia.
Gregg Rosenthal of NBC Sports quotes Kevin Kolb on this specific issue.
I’ll go to work as a backup if that happens. That’ll be my job.  That’s a possibility.  I hope it doesn’t happen.
Spoken like a true leader. Kolb has spent most of the offseason fishing and throwing. All he can do is bide his time and wait. The hope is that some team comes calling for his arm.
There is no shortage of teams with needs at quarterback. A talent like his will be in high demand. It would be a shame to see him waste away another season on the bench. I think every fan, including the Eagles, want nothing bu the best for Kevin Kolb.
The best is a shiny new gig with another team. The NFL will be much better off if that happens.

There was not much that could be taken from a rain-soaked Blue White game on Saturday as Penn State wrapped up their spring practice schedule, but let’s take what were able to witness in a half of football and see if we can hand out any grades. With the game being called just two minutes in to the second half there may be some positions receiving an incomplete for the spring game.
Be warned that the weather played a major role in the performance of some of these players so take these grades with that in mind. It was not a day that had weather allowing for a truly fair assessment. For the purposes of these grades we will just be comparing the players at each position against each other, rather than individually because the shortness of the game and the weather conditions do not allow for a proper grading.

The Atlanta Hawks have had another successful regular season that has earned the franchise another trip to the NBA playoffs.

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But making the playoffs for the Hawks has become the norm in recent years for the city of Atlanta. The Hawks have been building its team for more than a few seasons now, and it is time for this group to prove its status in the league and make a run in the playoffs.
The Hawks couldn’t have asked for a better first-round matchup in their playoff Grim Reaper and division foe Orlando Magic.
In last year’s playoffs, it was one of the worst four-game pure beat downs in NBA history. Orlando defeated Atlanta by a combined total of more 100 points, including by a total of 44 points in the two home games at “The Highlight Factory”.
Losing is one thing. It’s a game. There is always going to be a winner and loser, and sometimes, it just is not your time. But to lose the way the Hawks did was embarrassing. The team, players and coaches appeared to just give up on the court and in front of their home crowd. Change was no longer an option, it was a must.
Former head coach Mike Woodson was relieved of his position after bringing Atlanta from a doormat in the NBA, to a legitimate playoff team. While he and the Hawks were having the success that many thought the team was capable of, it just was not enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Larry Drew, Woodson’s assistant, was promoted to succeed him, and the Hawks retained their All-Star and franchise player Joe Johnson with a six-year deal worth $119 million.

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It was the same team and coaching staff for much of the season, until February when the Hawks traded veteran point guard Mike Bibby to the Washington Wizards for a younger veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich.
Now is the time for the Atlanta Hawks to act like their fellow Atlanta sports team the Atlanta Falcons and “Rise Up.” It is time to begin the next chapter in the franchise’s history with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hawks took the season series against the Orlando Magic 3-1 and have the formula to the equation—beating the Magic in the playoffs and then making their run.
Here’s how the Hawks will accomplish this goal.