We all know that is no what happened. The Jets lost a key free agent in Braylon Edwards and replaced him with Plaxico Burress. A lateral move at best. The ground and pound game disappeared, and Mark Sanchez was asked to win too many games with his arm.

I wrote here before the season even started:

Here is a secret: The New York Jets quietly got a lot worse this offseason. You cannot replace a stud like Braylon Edwards with a slower, older, receiver fresh out the joint. You cannot rely on rookies on your defensive line. You cannot rely on Mark Sanchez and a bunch of receivers he pretty much JUST met.

And pretty much all of that has come back to hurt the Jets this year. They can still make the playoffs, but like 4 different teams have to lose. It looks like Rex will be hitting the couch early this year. “Cant Wait?”

I don’t want to sound like I’m piling on the Jets. They have just been very disappointing for the level they played at two years ago. Maybe a good draft is what the doctor ordered…

YoungRob put together a Jets mock draft with his picks.

Check it out below:

1	Jets		Floyd, Michael WR from Notre Dame
2	Jets		Garcia, Stephen QB from South Carolina
3	Jets		McCoy, Greg CB from TCU
4	Jets		Lewis, Travis OLB from Oklahoma

New head coach Jim Harbaugh brought an attitude of “getting stuff done” and toughness that this organization so badly needed.  The defense has played lights out, and has only allowed ONE running back to score a rushing touchdown against them all season (Marshawn Lynch).  Yes, that is an NFL record by the way.

New additions to the team Carlos Rogers and rookie Aldon Smith have made a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball.  Offensively the 49ers are still managed by former #1 overall NFL Draft pick Alex Smith and anchored by the strong running game of Frank Gore.  Much like the Denver Broncos, this team is handcuffed by their quarterback but the defense does more than enough to keep the game winnable.

So what will the 49ers do in the 2012 NFL Draft?

YoungRob put together this mock draft for the Niners.

Check it out below:

1	49ers		Griffin, Robert QB from Baylor
2	49ers		James, LaMichael RB from Oregon
3	49ers		Jenkins, Brandon DE from Florida State
4	49ers		Hightower, Dont’a ILB from Alabama
5	49ers		Dennard, Alfonzo CB from Nebraska
6	49ers		Potter, Nate OT from Boise State
7	49ers		Brown, Zach OLB from North Carolina

As with many people who love sports, I love to get into a good debate from time to time.  We all do.  I think that was the reason Twitter and message boards were created to a certain degree.  How else would you get to argue with complete strangers all over the country?  Of course when it comes down to the NFL Draft, you can argue right here at MDHQ.

But when it comes to predictions such as who is going to win this weekend the Colts or Jaguars, or who will win the 2012 Democratic nomination you can use this site for all that.  Predictsthat.com let’s you predict any event for the world to see.  Other users on the site can “thumbs down” or “thumbs up” your thoughts as well.  The site even keeps track of how many you get right.

Here is my prediction that the Colts will lose to the Jaguars this weekend and get the #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

All in all I think it’s a pretty cool site.  If there was a way they could incorporate some kind of way of giving away prizes to the people with the best records or something, that would be awesome.

Foles is a hotly debated subject back and forward between many draft fans. The thing is, Foles could easily go in the 3rd round in the 2012 draft. However if Barkley, Griffin III, and Jones all stay in school then Foles could also easily go in the middle of the first round. Yes, the opinions on Foles range that far and wide.

What are my thoughts on this?

I believe that Foles will go somewhere in the top 55 picks. That puts him around the 18-20 spot in the second round. As a Broncos fan it does concern me that some believe that Foles could go in the middle of the first round because for some strange reason I believe John Elway is dying to draft Nick Foles. From eveything that I’ve read the Broncos seem really interested in Foles. Then again, they were also really interested in Cam Newton and you see how that panned out.

What is Foles’ value as a pro?

As you may know I do not like “scouting reports” because for the most part they are wrong. I will just tell you my opinion on Foles from the limited action I got to see of him.

To me he is a classic drop back passer. He isn’t going to run around the field like the “new wave” of QB’s. Foles is going to sit back comfortable in the pocket. Sometimes maybe a little too comfortable if you ask me. At 6’4 he is a huge target for defenders and he has a tendency to lock on to his primary target and wait for him to get open.

I am not sure if that is a product of Arizona’s scheme, or if Foles simply doesn’t like to look for his second and third options. Either way that is a very correctable problem. Mechanically he is very sound, and a near 70% passer. Though it was in the Pac 12, that accuracy is nothing to sneeze at. That may be the main reason the Broncos are so interested.

So where will Foles go in the draft?

All in all, I believe he goes in the top half of the second round. I think a team like Seattle or Kansas City that may not necessarily want to spend a top 10 pick on a QB will take him in the second round and develop him behind a veteran.

Tim Tebow is a second team Pro Bowl alternate.

At least the world will not end in 2012.  Tim Tebow has not been named as a starter in the 2011 Pro Bowl.  However Bronco rookie sack artist Von Miller has.  Well deserved for Miller, and Tebow will probably make it as well because at least two of the starting quarterbacks probably won’t end up suiting up in the game.

DENVER – Three Denver Broncos are headed to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii on Jan 29. Elvis Dumervil, Champ Bailey and Von Miller will play at Aloha Stadium at the end of the month. Willis McGahee, Ryan Clady, and Brian Dawkins were named first-team alternates. Tim Tebow, Britton Colquitt and Matt Prater are second-team alternates.

Source: 9News

Tebow fans let me make this easy on you.  This is not an opprotunity to say “told you so.” It will only make you all look more foolish than you already do.  Remember: Vince Young made TWO Pro Bowls. It means nothing in the long run.

#Tebowtime

Last week the Colts did the near impossible and beat the Texans.  With that win, they became the first team in NFL history with 10 losses to beat a team with 10 wins.  All this with Peyton Manning on the sidelines in his Brett Favre Wranglers.

As we stand now the Vikings played their way out of the Luck sweepstakes with a win at Washington.  That leaves the final standings with the Rams and Colts tied with 2 wins each.  If both teams win next week, the Colts get Luck.  If both teams lose, the Colts get Luck.  But if the Colts win and the Rams lose, then the draft gets real interesting.

Do the Rams take Luck?  Do they trade the pick? Does a team come out the blue with a king’s ransom?

This is going to get really good. Come on Rams… lets make this interesting…

Could it be? Andrew Luck in a Rams Uniform?

The Colts unlikely win over the Houston Texans has their win total now at two wins.  That is tied with the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams for worse in the league.  The Colts hold the tiebreaker among the three teams, but if they win next week and the Vikings or Rams or both lose, the Colts could see themselves sliding all the way down to the third pick.

Here are a few quick draft scenarios and how they could play out:

1. St. Louis- Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. Indianapolis- Ryan Kalil OT USC
3. Minnesota- Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State

1. Minnesota- Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. St. Louis- Morris Claiborne CB LSU
3. Indianapolis- Ryan Kalil OT USC

Of course there are thousands of scenarios that could happen but if the Colts don’t have the #1 pick they may have to take another player such as Ryan Kalil or Justin Blackmon as a consolation prize.

Being under the sanctions hasn’t allowed him to get a full “college football experience” and I believe he is returning for that reason.  This isn’t a Matt Leinart situation where the guy is returning to hang out with the boys.

Barkley put on a press conference where he delivered a short speech.  When he announced he would be leading the 2012 Trojans the band broke out into the school’s fight song on que to a thunderous applause.  You could tell that it means a lot to him to be the one take this team into the new era out of the sanctions.

In 2013, Barkley will probably be projected as a top three pick alongside Tyler Bray, and Tyrann Mathieu.

In order to be eligible Dayne will have to enroll in a graduate program that is not offered at Notre Dame per NCAA rules. This is the same process that Russell Wilson used to get into Wisconsin.

I believe that this is a great move to get the Kansas program started on the right foot with coach Weiss. He will have a guy in there that already knows the offense, giving him a year to prep whatever QBs he recruits behind Crist.

The University of North Carolina on Tuesday declared Dwight Jones, the Tar Heels leading receiver, ineligible for the Independence Bowl after Jones allowed his name and image to be used to promote a party in Burlington, his hometown.

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from allowing their name or image to be used to promote an off-campus business or for-profit entity. Jones committed a secondary NCAA violation when he allowed his name and image to promote a birthday party in his honor on New Year’s Eve.

UNC has applied to the NCAA for Jones’ reinstatement. Jones apologized in a statement and said the party has been canceled.

Source: Charlotte Observer

I can see where the issue is. The NCAA doesn’t like the fact that Jones’ is going to make money off his OWN IMAGE. But the thing is, if his athletic duties are fulfilled isn’t this a moot point? This isn’t like a Sophomore doing this then coming back in the fall. This is a Senior celebrating after his final game.

December 26th is Dwight Jones’ final day as a collegiate football player.

The party is December 31st.

Problem?

I don’t see one either.