2004 NFL Draft

By Tom Waterman

Now almost six years removed from the now infamous 2004 NFL Draft that featured one of the most prominent Quarterback classes of all-time. We are all now faced with the question of which one of those quarterbacks is the best. Here is a quick recap of the players.

Drafted with the first pick overall was Eli Manning out of the University of Mississippi. As we all remember, Manning was subsequently traded to the New York Giants mere hours after being selected by the San Diego Chargers. So far in his career, Manning has led the New York Giants to two NFC East titles, a Super Bowl victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, and to four consecutive (possibly soon to be five) playoff appearances.

Along with the success of his team, Manning has continued to improve each year in the league and now regarded by most as one of the top quarterbacks in the league.

Eli Manning Career Stats:

124 Touchdowns

85 Interceptions

56.7% completion percentage

79.3 QB rating

50-35 as a starter

Drafted with the fourth pick that year was Philip Rivers out of North Carolina State University. Rivers, who was originally drafted by the New York Giants, was ultimately traded to the Chargers for Eli Manning and is now in his fourth season as the starter for the San Diego Chargers. He has led his team to two AFC championship appearances, and has also had four consecutive seasons with at least 20 touchdowns and 3,000 yards passing.

Philip Rivers Career Stats:

103 Touchdowns

45 Interceptions

62.9% completion percentage

95.3 QB rating

44-18 as a starter

Not to be forgotten, also drafted with the tenth pick that year was Ben Roethlisberger out of the University of Miami Ohio. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl Rings with Steelers and quarterbacked the first playoff team to win three consecutive road playoff games in route to winning the Super Bowl.

Ben Roethlisberger Career Stats:

123 Touchdowns

80 Interceptions

63.4% completion percentage

91.6 QB rating

Regardless of what you value more, team success or individual statistics. People all are of a differing opinion of which quarterback is better. Either way, this QB class of 2004 will certainly go down as one of the best of all time. So which quarterback would you want on your team?

NFL MVP Poll Question

NFL Poll Question

College Football Bowl Predictions

Here are my bowl predictions.

Date/time (all ET)   -   Bowl  -   Matchup
Sat., Dec. 19  2:30 p.m.   -    New Mexico   -   Wyoming vs. Fresno State
O/U – 55 —– Frenso, Over
Sat., Dec. 19 8 p.m.  –   St. Petersburg   -    Rutgers vs. Central Florida
O/U – 44.5 —– Rutgers, Under
Sun., Dec. 20 8 p.m. -  New Orleans  -   Middle Tennessee vs. Southern Mississippi
O/U – 58 —– Southern Miss, Under
Tue., Dec. 22 8 p.m. -  Las Vegas   -    Brigham Young vs. Oregon State
O/U – 60.5 —— OSU, Over
Wed., Dec. 23 8 p.m.  –  Poinsettia   -   Utah vs. California
O/U – 53 —— Utah, Over
Thu., Dec. 24 8 p.m. -  Hawaii  -  SMU vs. Nevada
O/U – 73 —– Nevada, Under
Sat., Dec. 26 1 p.m.  –  Little Caesars   -  Ohio vs. Marshall
O/U – 49.5 —– Ohio, Under
Sat., Dec. 26 4 p.m.  -  Meineke Car Care    -    North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh
O/U – 44.5 —– UNC, Over
Sat., Dec. 26 8:30 p.m.  -  Emerald  -   Southern California vs. Boston College
O/U – 44.5 —– USC, Over
Sun., Dec. 27 8 p.m.  -  Music City  -    Kentucky vs. Clemson
O/U – 52.5 —– Clemson, Over
Mon., Dec. 28 5 p.m. -  Independence   -  Georgia vs. Texas A&M
O/U – 64.5 —– Georgia, Under
Tue., Dec. 29 4:30 p.m.   -  EagleBank   -   Temple vs. UCLA
O/U – 46.5 —– UCLA, Under
Tue., Dec. 29 8 p.m. -  Champs Sports  -  Miami (Fla.) vs. Wisconsin
O/U – 57.5 —– Miami, Under
Wed., Dec. 30 4:30 p.m.  -    Humanitarian  -  Idaho vs. Bowling Green
O/U – 68 —– Idaho, Under
Wed., Dec. 30 8 p.m.  –  Holiday  -  Arizona vs. Nebraska
O/U – 40 —– Nebraska, Under
Thu., Dec. 31 Noon  -  Armed Forces  -  Air Force vs. Houston
O/U – 62 —– Houston, Over
Thu., Dec. 31 Noon  -   Sun  -   Stanford vs. Oklahoma
O/U – 56.5 —– Stanford, Over
Thu., Dec. 31 2:30 p.m.  Texas   Missouri vs. Navy
O/U – 52.5 —– Mizzou, Over
Thu., Dec. 31 6 p.m. -  Insight  –  Minnesota vs. Iowa State
O/U – 48.5 —– Minnesota, Under
Thu., Dec. 31 7:30 p.m.  -  Chick-Fil-A   -  Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
O/U – 49.5 —– VT, Under
Fri., Jan. 1 11 a.m.  -  Outback  -  Northwestern vs. Auburn
O/U – 54.5 —– Auburn, Under
Fri., Jan. 1 1 p.m.  –  Capital One  -   Penn State vs. LSU
O/U – 44 —– Penn State, Over
Fri., Jan. 1 1 p.m.  -  Gator  -  Florida State vs. West Virginia
O/U – 60.5 —– FSU, Under
Fri., Jan. 1 5 p.m.  –   Rose   -  Ohio State vs. Oregon
O/U – 51.5 —– Oregon, Over
Fri., Jan. 1 8:30 p.m.   -   Sugar -  Florida vs. Cincinnati
O/U – 57 —– Florida, Over
Sat., Jan. 2 Noon  -  International  -  South Florida vs. Northern Illinois
O/U – 50 —– USF, Under
Sat., Jan. 2 2 p.m.  –  Papajohns.com  -  South Carolina vs. Connecticut
O/U – 51.5 —– USC, Under
Sat., Jan. 2 2 p.m.  -  Cotton  -  Mississippi vs. Oklahoma State
O/U – 50.5 —– Mississippi, Over
Sat., Jan. 2 5:30 p.m.   -  Liberty  –  East Carolina vs. Arkansas
O/U – 63.5 —– Arkansas, Over
Sat., Jan. 2 9 p.m.  -   Alamo  -  Michigan State vs. Texas Tech
O/U – 60.5 —– TTU, Over
Mon., Jan. 4 8 p.m.  -   Fiesta  -  TCU vs. Boise State
O/U – 55 —– TCU, Under
Tue., Jan. 5 8 p.m.  -  Orange   -   Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
O/U – 51 —– Georgia Tech, Under
Wed., Jan. 6 7 p.m.  -  GMAC   -   Troy vs. Central Michigan
O/U – 63.5 —– Central Michigan, Under
Thu., Jan. 7 8 p.m.  -  BCS title game  -  Alabama vs. Texas
O/U – 45 —– Alabama, Under

Upset Special: Florida State over West Virginia

Best Games: East Carolina vs. Arkansas, Oregon vs. Ohio State

Worst Game: USF vs. Northern Illinois

Tom Waterman

WSOE Sports

swaterman@elon.edu

4th and 15 from 11/12/2009

This week on 4th and 15, Christian Binder and Sean Dolan went head to head discussing all the hot topics in the world of sports including college players getting arrested, managerial changes in Major League Baseball and look ahead to this weekend’s NFL games.

Be sure to listen to their show every Thursday afternoon from 4:15 to 5:00 PM on WSOE 89.3 FM

Tom Waterman

WSOE Sports

Elon continues to roll with a 42-17 victory over Western Carolina

In what turned out to be a historic day for Elon Wide Receiver Terrell Hudgins, the Elon University Phoenix improved 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Southern Conference with a 42-17 victory over Western Carolina.  The Phoenix were led by the strong running duo of Brandon Newsome and Jamal Shuman, who combined for 230 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, and by their stifling defense.  However, the biggest story coming out of this game was Terrell Hudgins and his continued onslaught on the NCAA record books. Today, Hudgins surpassed NFL Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice to become the Division I all-time leader in receiving yards.  This win for the Phoenix sets up a Southern Conference showdown with rival Appalachian State in Rhodes Stadium next weekend that will determine the winner of the Southern Conference. The game will televised by Fox Sports South at 3:00 PM.

Tom Waterman

WSOE Sports

4th and 15 from 11/4/2009

This week on 4th and 15, Christian Binder and Sean Dolan went head to head discussing all the hot topics in the world of sports including the World Series and Major League Baseball Free Agency, along with a few of the week’s top NFL games. Here are a few of the highlights from this week’s show.

Be sure to listen to their show every Thursday afternoon from 4:15 to 5:00 PM on WSOE 89.3 FM

Elon starts the season with a convincing victory

In what proved to be a great start to the 2009 Football Season, the Elon Phoenix (1-0, 0-0) defeated the Davidson Wildcats (0-1, 0-0) by the score of 56-0.  The Phoenix were led by an outstanding performance by Quarterback Scott Riddle who accounted for five touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing) in the game.  Also standing out for Elon was Wide Receiver Terrell Hudgins, who continued his assault on the record books with 7 catches for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Davidson offense was unable to put together anything offensively against the aggressive Elon defense that recorded 6 sacks along with providing constant pressure throughout the game.  Along with their inability to have any sustained offense, they also were unable to stop the Elon air and ground game that had Jamal Shuman record over 100 yards rushing, and had Scott Riddle have more then 300 yards passing.

Both teams will begin conference play respectively next week as Davidson will play Lenoir-Rhyne, while Elon travels to Presbyterian.

Tom Waterman

swaterman@elon.edu

NBA: Which team has improved itself the most?

By Tom Waterman, WSOE Sports

In an off-season where multiple big name stars including Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace have all changed teams and will be suiting up for legitimate championship contenders.  This begs the question which teams have had the best off-season?

Starting off the Eastern Conference with the defending Conference Champs, the Orlando Magic have certainly addressed their biggest need; their need for an explosive wing player who can create his own shot.  Their acquisition of Vince Carter provides them with just that.  Also, by matching the offer sheet for backup center Marcin Gortat along with the additions of forwards Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes provide ample depth and scoring off the bench to survive the rigors of the Eastern Conference and contend with the powerhouses of the Western Conference.

Another Eastern Conference team that has made a few moves this off-season is the Boston Celtics. However, none may be more important then the healthy return of Kevin Garnett, whose injury late in the season decimated the Celtics and their chances for a repeat.  The return of Garnett along with the addition of Rasheed Wallace gives the Celtics plenty of firepower to get back to the finals.

O'Neal, 37, will enter his 19th season with his 5th team, the Cavaliers. Courtesy of: sikids.com

No off-season acquisition was larger, especially in the literal sense, then the Cleveland Cavaliers addition of Shaquille O’Neal to a lineup that desperately needed some help in the paint. While adding Shaq five years ago would have automatically turned your team into the favorite for the title, he is not the player he was five years ago and that is why I still rank the Cavs a step behind both the Magic and the Celtics.

Over in the Western Conference, one team has clearly improved themselves the most and that is the San Antonio Spurs.  The Spurs acquired forward Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and drafted DeJuan Blair and Jack McClinton, all who will provide even more depth to a team that all ready has Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

The Spurs aren’t the only team in the Western Conference that has been busy though.  The Dallas Mavericks were able to re-sign point guard Jason Kidd and also acquire forward Shawn Marion in a four-team trade this off-season.  Unfortunately for the Mavericks their search for a starting center was halted when the Magic matched the offer sheet for Gortat, but the Mavs still should not be overlooked.

That brings us to the defending champs who replaced a solid player in Trevor Ariza with arguably the league’s toughest defender in Ron Artest.  Artest will certainly bring a new level of tenacity to a team that already has the lethal inside outside combination of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. 

As tough as it is to pick against the defending champs, I have to say that as of today my very, very early pick for the NBA Finals is the Orlando Magic and the San Antonio Spurs. 

Contact Information:
Tom Waterman
WSOE Sports
swaterman@elon.edu

NBA: Draft Predictions

By Tom Waterman, WSOE Sports 

With Thursday’s NBA Draft offering the opportunity for many teams to get the elusive superstar player they have been missing. I decided throw my hat in the ring and do my own last minute mock draft. 

1.  Los Angeles Clippers- Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
- Griffin is the consensus number one pick by everyone, and will immediately provide frontcourt stability for the Clippers with his strong rebounding and scoring ability. 

2.  Memphis Grizzlies- Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut
- While his offensive game may never reach the level of a former Connecticut great, Emeka Okafor, Thabeet should be a strong defender immediately and should continue to get better offensively.  Bottom line is that he has too much upside and size to pass up. 

3. Oklahoma City Thunder- Ricky Rubio, Spain
-  Many people, including myself are still skeptical of Rubio and what exactly he will project to be in the NBA. Personally, I don’t think he will ever be like Steve Nash, but he will certainly be solid player in the NBA. Unfortunately you don’t draft just solid players number three overall. 

4.  Sacramento Kings- Tyreke Evans, Memphis
-  Evans has a ton of upside as both a scorer and as a primary ball handler. Also, Evans should be able to contribute immediately for a Kings team that desperately needs playmakers.

5.  Minnesota Timberwolves (Acquired from the Wizards) – James Harden, Arizona State
- Harden is a tremendous shooter and would fit perfectly with T-Wolves who would love to spread the floor and allow their two big men Al Jefferson and Kevin Love to operate in the paint. 

6. Minnesota Timberwolves- Brandon Jennings, Playing in Italy
- With Tyreke Evans already off the board, I see this pick coming down to a trio of guards with Johnny Flynn, Stephen Curry and Jennings. The T-Wolves know they are still a few years away and will draft Jennings who could develop into what Stephon Marbury once was for them. 

7.  Golden State Warriors- Jordan Hill, Arizona
-  I really like Hill’s size and his rebounding ability, and he should fit really well with the Warriors and their young nucleus of talent. 

8.  New York Knicks- Demar DeRozan, USC
- Everyone thinks the Knicks are going to take a point guard. They probably will, but they don’t need one…because Chris Duhon averaged 11 points and 7.2 assists per game last year at the point.  DeRozan a very talented wing player would be a much better fit for the Knicks, possibly in a Shawn Marion type role for them. 

9.  Toronto Raptors- Stephen Curry, Davidson
-  I don’t see Stephen Curry being able to handle the point in the NBA, but with that being said I still think he can be an effective two-guard due to his basketball I.Q. and his jump shot.  

10.  Milwaukee Bucks- Johnny Flynn, Syracuse
-   With the Bucks trading Richard Jefferson this week, I know they would have loved to select DeRozan, Johnny Flynn is a good backup choice as he will fill the need of a scoring point guard that has been vacant since Mo Williams left. 

11.  New Jersey Nets- Earl Clark, Louisville
- The Nets are continuing to add talented big men after landing Robin Lopez in last year’s draft. 

12.  Charlotte Bobcats- Gerald Henderson, Duke
- This might be a hard selection for Michael Jordan considering he would have to pick a “dookie”, however Henderson is the right choice for a team I see making the playoffs this year. 

13.  Indiana Pacers- Jrue Holiday, UCLA
- Unlike in previous years where the Pacers have been rather conservative with their draft selections, I see the Pacers picking a player who probably won’t contribute immediately but has a good amount of upside.   

14.  Phoenix Suns- James Johnson, Wake Forest
- Johnson would be a great value pick here for the Suns who are clearly entering a rebuilding stage after losing top notch players such as Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson, and are now discussing trading Shaquille O’Neal.

Those are my lottery predictions for Thursday’s draft, but those are certainly subject to change if a trade were to occur that would cause a domino effect on the draft and thus make my mock draft useless. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Contact Information:
Tom Waterman
WSOE Sports
swaterman@elon.edu