BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 56: BLUE DEVIL

WE ARE BEGINNING TO REACH THE END OF THE PLANNED PICKUPS FROM THE BLACK FRIDAY SALE. I HAD TO MAKE SOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CHOICES ON CARDS FOR A FAVORITE PLAYER AND A FAVORITE SET. TO AVOID MAKING DECISIONS, I WAS ENTERING IN DOZENS OF PLAYER AND ACTOR NAMES INTO THE SEARCH BAR TO SEE WHAT WOULD COME UP. THIS CARD CAUGHT MY EYE AND I HAD A DOUBLE TAKE WHEN I LOOKED CLOSER

2022-23 CHRONICLES DRAFT PICKS  A.J. GRIFFIN DONRUSS RATED ROOKIE BLUE PARALLEL

DUE TO VARIOUS PROCRASTINATIONS THIS CARD IS BEING POSTED EITHER RIGHT BEFORE OR RIGHT AFTER THE 2023 NBA DRAFT SO IT'S APPROPRIATE WE HAVE A CHRONICLES DRAFT PICK CARD TODAY. I HAVE NOT PICKED UP MANY PACKS OF BASKETBALL CARDS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS SO MY COLLECTION OF CURRENT HAWKS PLAYERS IS KINDA SKIMPY. I CHECKED OUT COMC'S OFFERINGS FOR MOST OF THE HAWKS' RECENT DRAFT PICKS AND STUMBLED ACROSS THIS AJ GRIFFIN CHRONICLES DONRUSS CARD. THIS WAS WHEN CHRONICLES DRAFT PICKS WAS PRETTY NEW AND THERE WASN'T A TON OF THEM LISTED. FOR COMPARISON A JALEN JOHNSON FLEER METAL ROOKIE I WAS CONCIDERING HAD DOZENS OF COPIES AVAILABLE, WHILE THIS DONRUSS CARD HAD JUST TWO. THOSE TWO CAUGHT MY EYE BECAUSE THEY BOTH LOOKED A LITTLE DIFFERENT. ONE HAD NUMBERS, THE OTHER HAD DIFFERENT NUMBERS. THEY WERE BOTH LISTED AS A BASE CARD BUT WERE SERIAL NUMBERED, ONE TO 199 AND THE OTHER TO 99. THIS WAS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF MY CHRONICLES OBSESSION SO I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT SO I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. I DID KNOW THAT 99 IS LOVER THAN 199 WHICH IS LOWER THAN HOWEVER MANY DOZENS OF METAL JALEN JOHNSON CARDS ARE OUT THERE SO AJ WENT INTO MY CART. TURNS OUT IT'S A BLUE FOIL PARALLEL WHICH IS VERY APPROPRIATE FOR A DUKE PLAYER. GRIFFIN ALSO TURNED OUT TO BE A PRETTY DANG GOOD PLAYER AND HELPED TAKE THE STING OUT OF THE DUMB KEVIN HUERTER TRADE 

THERE'S STILL TONS OF THAT SKYBOX METAL ROOKIE OF JALEN ON COMC SO MAYBE HE'LL END UP IN THIS YEAR'S BLACK FRIDAY CART. I'VE BEEN PURPOSEFULLY HOLDING OFF ON BUYING CARDS OF HAWKS PLAYERS NOT NAMES TRAE RECENTLY SINCE HALF THE TEAM IS ON THE TRADE BLOCK AT THE MOMENT. THANKFULLY THE TEAM STINKS AT THE MOMENT SO I CAN GET ROOKIE CARDS FOR THE REST OF THE TEAM FOR UNDER A BUCK AND SOMETIMES TWO FOR A DOLLAR ONLINE. I'M QUITE EXCITED FOR THIS YEAR'S DRAFT DUE TO ALL THE TRADE RUMORS FLOATING AROUND AND THE FACT THAT THE HAWKS ARE ON THEIR BEST DRAFT RUN PRETTY MUCH EVER. TRAE'S A SUPERSTAR, AND COLLINS, HUNTER, OKONGWU JALEN AND AJ ARE ALL DECENT PLAYERS. AFTER YEARS AND YEARS OF ROY MARBLES AND DOUG EDWARDSES AND ED GRAYS AND ROSHOWN MCLEODS AND DERMARR JOHNSONS AND JOSH CHILDRESSES AND SHELDEN WILLIAMSES IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE DRAFT PICKS WORK OUT. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ANYONE IN THIS YEARS' DRAFT CLASS AND WILL NOT PRETEND TO KNOW SO I PLAN ON JUST BEING HAPPY WITH WHOEVER THE HAWKS PICK UP. I CAN'T LIE THOUGH, I'D LOVE IT IF THEY WERE ABLE TO SELECT GRADEY DICK FOR NO OTHER REASON THAT I WANT TO HEAR HIS NAME CALLED ON EVERY GAME BROADCAST

BOUGHT A PACK OF CARDS AT TARGET LIKE A DUMBASS

 SO APPARENTLY WALMART AND TARGET HAVE PACKS OF CARDS AGAIN NOW THAT THE FLIPPERS ARE ALL STARVING TO DEATH IN JOE BIDEN'S ECONOMY. I DID A LIL SHOPPING OVER THE WEEKEND* AND SNOOPED IN THE CARD AISLE HOPING TO FIND JUST ONE RACK PACK OF ALLEN & GINTER BUT FAILED MISERABLY. I FOUND SOME ARCHIVES BLASTERS ($25 NOW?? 😭) AND ONE BLASTER OF CHRONICLES BUT THAT WAS IT FOR THE BASEBALL. ALSO FOUND PRO SET FOOTBALL WHICH MADE ME WONDER WHAT DECADE IT WAS, A BUNCH OF HOCKEY I DON'T CARE ABOUT AND A METRIC CRAPLOAD OF PANINI DRAFT PICK BASKETBALL STUFF. NO DONRUSS BASKETBALL, NOT EVEN HOOPS, JUST DRAFT PICK. I PASSED AT WALMART BUT WHEN I WAS AT TARGET THE NEXT DAY I WAS DETERMINED TO TREAT MYSELF TO SOME KIND OF GODDAMN PACK BECAUSE I DESERVED IT

WHILE AT TARGET I CAME TO THE REALIZATION THAT I AM IN IN FACT AN ELDERLY NOW BECAUSE I HAD THE SAME PANIC TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE PRICE OF ANYTHING THAT I HAVE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK THE ROKU. DEAR GOD ALL I WANT IS MY NETWORK STATIONS AND HANDFUL OF UHF CHANNELS AND A BOX OF TOPPS PACKS WITH 35 CENTS PRINTED RIGHT ON THE BOX AGAIN. FOR REALS, EVERY PRICE TAG HAS A DIFFERENT TOTAL AND NOTHING IS HANGING UNDER THEIR OWN PRICE TAG. THANKFULLY I AM AN EXPERIENCED TARGET SCROUNGER AND KNOW THAT HIDING SOMEWHERE  IN THE AISLES IS A PRICE CHECKER

WHEN I SHOWED UP THERE WAS A DUDE ALREADY THERE SEARCHING SOME PACKS. I RESPECTED THE HUSTLE AND GAVE HIM A WIDE BERTH BUT HE FLED ANYWAY WHEN HE RECOGNIZED MY COLLECTOR POWER. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO BUY SO I GRABBED A LITTLE SELECTION OF EVERYTHING: MATCH ATTAX SOCCER PACK, MATCH ATTAX TIN, 30 CARD PACK OF CHRONICLES DRAFT PICKS, BLASTER OF ARCHIVES. I ALREADY MENTIONED THE BLASTER PRICE OF 25 BUX WHICH WAS THE SAME FOR THE CHRONICLES BLASTER. A PACK OF MATCH ATTAX IS THREE BUCKS, AFFORABLE BUT BORING. THE TIN WAS TEN. IT HAD A SPECIAL NEON PURPLE CARD INSIDE BUT BEING A SET OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYERS THERE WUOLD BE NO ARSENAL CARDS TO BE FOUND. THE FAT PACK OF BASKETBALL WAS FIFTEEN BUCKS!!! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO CARDS??? I WAS DISSATISFIED WITH THESE CHOICES AND WENT BACK TO THE CARD AISLE TO FIND SOME ALTERNATIVES

WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE AISLE, CARD SEARCHER DUDE WAS BACK WITH A HANDFUL OF PACKS AND ONCE AGAIN FLED WITH HIS TRASURES. GODSPEED MY DUDE I HOPE YOU FOUND SOME GOOD STUFF. UNLESS YOU'RE JUST GOING TO FLIP THEM IMMEDIATELY, THEN MAY YOU TRIP IN THE PARKING LOT AND BOUNCE THEM ALL OFF THE CURB INTO A PUDDLE. SECOND TRIP TO THE PRICER INCLUDED A 15 CARD PACK OF THE CHRONICLES DRAFT PICKS, THE AFOREMENTIONED CHRONICLES BLASTER AND A WILDCARD - A STARTER DECK OF MAGIC BOOSTERS WITH A CUTE DEVIL GIRL ON THE FRONT. THE MAGIC DECK WAS $10.19, AN ODD PRICE BUT THE GAME CARDS SEEM TO HAVE SLIGHTLY ODDBALL PRICES FOR SOME REASON. THE 15 CARD PACK WAS ONLY $6.99. I DIDN'T UNDERTAND WHY IT WAS CHEAPER PER CARD FOR 15 CARDS THAN IT WAS FOR 30 FOR THE SAME PRODUCT. THE TWO PACKS HAVE DIFFERENT RETAIL INSERTS, BUT THE 15 CARD PACK HAS A REVOLUTION CARD WHILE THE 30 CARD PACK HAS 4 SCORE CARDS. EXTRA FANCY REVOLUTION SEEMS BETTER THAN PLAIN KANE SCORE BUT THAT'S JUST ME. I WAS REALLY TEMPED BY THE MAGIC CARDS AND MIGHT HAVE GONE FOR IT IF IT WAS A LITTLE CHEAPER THAN THE HOOPS BUT IN THE END I WENT WITH THE PACK OF CHRONICLES BASKETBALL DRAFT PICKS

THIS IS THE FIRST CHRONICLES PACK I'VE EVER OPENED BUT I'VE HAD FANTASTIC LUCK PICKING OUT SINGLES FROM QUARTER BOXES THIS YEAR. THIS BASKETBALL SET IS EITHER WAAAAAAAY OVERPRODUCED OR SUPER UNPOULAR BECAUSE THERE IS A TON OF THIS STUFF EVERYWHERE. MAYBE A BIT OF BOTH, I'M NOT TOO CERTAIN ABOUT THIS DRAFT CLASS AND THE FACT THE SECOND OVERALL PICK GOT HURT AND IS OUT FOR THE YEAR AIN'T HELPING. I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT, I JUST CARE THAT AJ GRIFFIN SOMEHOW FELL TO THE HAWKS AND IS PLAYING VERY WELL FOR A 19 YEAR OLD ROOKIE. ODDS ARE PRETTY GOOD THERE'S AN AJ CARD IN HERE RIGHT? UNLESS BUDDY PACK SEARCHED ALL OF THEM 

NOT A BAD START AT ALL TO THE PACK WITH STEPH IN THE DAVIDSON UNI. BEING THE FIRST CARD IN THE PACK IT'S A LITTLE BEAT UP, BUT THEMS THE BREAKS WITH RETAIL LOOSIES. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT BRAND LUMINANCE IS BUT YOU'D THINK IT WOULD BE A BIT MORE FLASHY. THIS LOOKS LIKE THE BLANDEST FLEER ULTRA SET HAD A BABY WITH UPPER DECK FIRST EDITION. SADLY THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST COMMON DESIGN IN THE PACK BUT IT LOOKS WAY BETTER THAN THE CHRONICLES BASE CARDS I USUALLY SEE IN THE DIME BOXES

NOW DONRUSS I LIKE. THIS IS THE BASKETBALL SET I'VE BOUGHT THE MOST PACKS OF IN THE PAST DECADE. THE GOOFY BORDERS WITH BRIGHT COLORS PLEASES MY LIZARD BRAIN AND THE RATED ROOKIE AND OLD-SCHOOL DONRUSS LOGOS ARE JUST DIVINE. PLUS THE BORDERS ARE COLOR APPROPRIATE FOR THE TEAM, A NICE LITTLE DETAIL. HERE'S WHERE I ADMIT I HAVE NO IDEA WHO MOST OF THESE PLAYERS ARE. THIS IS A DRAFT PICK SET SO WE'LL REALLY KNOW WHICH OF THEM ARE ANY GOOD IN 4 YEARS. TARI EASON LOOKS LIKE HE'S GETTING SOME PLAYING TIME ON A TERRIBLE TEAM. NOT BAD BUT NOT A BIG NAME STAR EITHER. I APPRECIATE THE ROLE PLAYERS THOUGH SO WE'LL WAIT AND SEE HOW HE DEVELOPS

WAS SURPRISED AT THE ROOKIE CARD LOGO ON JEREMY SOCHAN'S CARD UNTIL I REMEMBER THAT, NO, THAT IS NOT A STEPH CURRY ROOKIE CARD UP THERE. OH WELL. LOOKS LIKE JEREMY IS IN THE SAME BOAT AS TARI, GETTING DECENT MINUTES ON A TERRIBLE TEAM

HERE'S THAT CHRONICLES BASE CARD DESIGN I WAS TALKING ABOUT. NOT TERRIBLE I GUESS, BUT STILL SOMEWHAT GENERIC. NICE TO SEE SOME SEC REPRESENTATION IN THE PACK BUT TYTY WASHINGTON JR HAS ONLY PLAYED A COUPLE GAMES WITH THE ROCKETS AS I WRITE THIS AND APPEARS TO BE PLAYING IN THE G-LEAGUE THIS SEASON

I THOUGHT JADEN HARDY WAS ONE OF THE FEW NAMES I RECOGNIZED FROM THIS DRAFT UNTIL I REALIZED NO, THAT'S JADEN IVEY. THIS JADEN IS ALSO SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE G-LEAGUE WITH OCCASIONAL CALL-UPS TO THE MAVERICKS

MORE BEAUTIFUL DONRUSS WITH A SECOND JEREMY SOCHAN CARD. I GUESS I'LL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON HIS PROGRESS THIS YEAR

WELP. JEREMY SOCHAN HOT PACK. I GUESS THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR WITH A SET DESIGNED LIKE THIS ONE IS WHERE THERE ARE LIKE 500 CARDS BUT ONLY 25 PLAYERS. THIS BRAND IS PANINI ESSENTIALS AND IS THE KIND OF STUFF I LIKE TO SEE FROM CHRONICLES. I HAVE A FEELING THESE KIND OF CARDS ARE MUCH EASIER TO PULL IN HOBBY PACKS

NO IDEA WHO CHRISTIAN BRAUN IS BUT I HAVE HEARD OF KANSAS AT LEAST. THIS IS A DREADED PARALLEL CARD, AND CHRONICLES ARE COMPLETELY INFESTED WITH THEM IF MY QUARTER BOX PICKUPS ARE ANYTHING TO GO BY. CHRISTIAN ISN'T GETTING MANY MINUTES BUT THE NUGGETS ARE A REALLY GOOD TEAM AND HE'S NOT STUCK IN THE DREADED G-LEAGUE REVOLVING DOOR SO THAT'S A GOOD SIGN

AWWWWW YEAAAAH. SUPER SHINY PAOLO BANCHERO REVOLUTION CARD. OTHER THAN GETTING AN AUTOGRAPH, PULLING A RETAIL EXCLUSIVE SHINY PARALLEL CARD OF THE NUMBER ONE OVERALL PICK IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST WIN I COULD HAVE EXPECTED FROM THIS PACK. A QUICK EBAY SEARCH SHOWS I DID PRETTY WELL VALUE WISE WHICH IS NICE. BUT I'M REALLY HAPPY BECAUSE THIS IS THE GUY DEJOUNTE MURRAY GOT IN SOME BEEF WITH AT THE SUMMER LEAGUE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. OH AND PAOLO'S PLAYING REALLY WELL, HE MIGHT END UP BEING THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

THAT'S IT FOR THE INSERTS, BACK TO BASE CARDS. MALAKI BRANHAM IS A TEAMMATE OF JEREMY'S SO LOOKS LIKE THIS IS ACTUALLY A SAN ANTONIO SPURS HOT PACK I HAVE NO COMMENT ON OHIO STATE UNTIL AFTER THE PEACH BOWL ALTHOUGH THAT MIGHT BE OVER BY THE TIME THIS POST GOES LIVE

MOAR SEC! JABARI SMITH JR WAS THE THIRD OVERALL PICK AND IS DOING PRETTY DAMN GOOD FOR A NINETEEN YEAR OLD SO FAR. I LIKE HAVING ROOKIE CARDS OF DECENT PLAYER SO LET'S CALL THIS A WIN

SAW THIS CARD AND GOT CONFUSED THAT NIKOLA JOKIć LOST SO MUCH WEIGHT. NO NO, THAT'S JOVIć. HE IS GETTING SOME TIME WITH THE MIAMI HEAT WHO THANKFULLY STINK WORSE THAN THE HAWKS THIS YEAR NEVERMIND, HAWKS BEEN STINKING IT UP IN DECEMBER. NIKOLA IS FROM LEICESTER WHICH SURPRISED ME A LITTLE BIT

KEEGAN MURRAY WAS A SURPRISE NUMBER FOUR OVERALL PICK BY THE KINGS THAT ALLOWED JASON IVEY TO DROP TO THE PISTONS. KEEGAN'S DOING REALLY WELL THIS YEAR BUT PERHAPS NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS IVEY. I'M REALLY REALLY ROOTING FOR THE KINGS TO FINALLY GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER AND MAKE THE PLAYOFFS SO THE HAWKS GET THEIR DRAFT PICK AND DON'T END UP GIVING AWAY KEVIN HUERTER FOR MAGIC BEANS. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU K-VON

LAST DRAFT PICK CARD IN THE DRAFT IS E.J. LIDDELL WHO SADLY TORE HIS ACL IN A SUMMER LEAGUE GAME AGAINST THE HAWKS AND IS PROBABLY OUT FOR THE SEASON. THAT IS A VERY BAD BREAK FOR A SECOND ROUND PICK AND I HOPE HE BOUNCES BACK

FIRST CARD IN THE PACK IS AN MVP WINNING NBA CHAMPION AND THE LAST CARD IS A GUY WHO MIGHT DO BOTH THIS YEAR. GOING TO BE COMPLETELY REAL WITH YOU ALL, THE EXCITEMENT I HAD FOR THE HAWKS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR HAS DISSIPATED AS THEY HAVE ONCE AGAIN SQUANDERED THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON WITH SOME TERRIBLE LOSSES ONLY TO END UP WITH HALF THE TEAM HURT AND IN A HOLE. THIS IS BECOMING A PATTERN AND I'M GETTING SOME ATLANTA FALCON FLASHBACKS WHICH IS ODD SINCE I'M A LIFELONG STEELERS FAN. I'M SORTA AT THE POINT WHERE I'M HOPING THE HAWKS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS AND CAUSE SOME EXTREME CHAOS BUT I'M ALSO ROOTING FOR THE CELTICS TO GO ALL THE WAY AND GET AL HORFORD HIS RING. IF THIS MAKES ME A TURNCOAT, SO BE IT. THERE'S ONLY SO MANY FIFTEEN POINT LEADS GETTING COMPLETELY BLOWN A MAN CAN WATCH BEFORE SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE

SO I FOOLISHLY BOUGHT A PACK OF CARDS BUT IT WORKED OUT OK EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T PULL THAT AJ GRIFFIN CARD I WANTED. WILL I DO IT AGAIN? MAYBE. IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE A BETTER VALUE IF I POACHED THE SHINY INSERTS I LIKE OUT OF A QUARTER OR EVEN FIFTY CENT BOX BUT ACTUALLY FINDING THAT BOX WITH THEM IN IT WILL PROVE TO BE A LITTLE TRICKY, ESPECIALLY WITH CARDS WITH THE DREADED RC LOGO ON THEM. I GOT SOME GOOD ENTERTAINMENT OUT OF THIS PACK AND A REALLY NICE ROOKIE CARD SO DUMBASSES CAN WIN SOMETIMES

*THE WEEKEND LIKE THREE WEEKS AGO. THE TWELVE DAYS OF CARDMAS LAUNCHED BEFORE I FINISHED WRITING THIS POST. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF FINISHED POSTS IN THE QUEUE NOW SO I PROBABLY WON'T FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AGAIN UNTIL AT LEAST FEBRUARY

A little Draft Day Ditty

Bryce Harper don't wanna get drafted

He don't wanna go...


Scott Boras wants him in the free market...


Oh no no


(feeling a bit odd this week, folks. bear with me)

By Jove, there appears to be a draft on the telly tonight

The American Handegg Confederation moved their drafting festivities to Prime Time on Thursday in an insidious attempt to ensure absolutely no one is productive at work tomorrow. I personally don't care because I've been listening to the Braves get mangled once again by the Phillies. However, I cannot pass up this opportunity to post what may very well be the most utterly fantastic football card from the 1960's. Did Charlie Finley own the Raiders too?

NBA Draft

Ok, the shock has worn off so it's time to get back to sports stuff.

The NBA draft is going on right now. I've missed the first few picks and I don't really care to be honest. The only pick I care about is #19 to the Hawks. Now traditionally, draft day in Atlanta is when the Hawks do something horrifically stupid and ruin their franchise for the next few years. The've done pretty well with Josh Smith and Al Horford recently though so the mood isn't as dismal in Atlanta as it usually is. The Hawks' beat writer seems to think a point guard is in our future, but the Hawks are also enamoured with a big white guy. "Hawks Draft" and "Big White Guy" go together much like nitro and glycerin. Boom goes the draft board. No matter what happens though we did get one needed piece:

Picking up a guy who can score for Acie Law and Cripple Claxton is a helluva move.

The Pick:

Jeff Teague - point guard, Wake Forest.

Whew. I can go to bed happy now.

My Annual Late April Panic Attack, AKA The NFL Draft

The Falcons' draft history has been, shall we say, less than stellar. A lot like their entire history, really. The funny thing is last year the face of the franchise got thrown in a federal pen, the coach ran away in the dead of night and the entire team collapsed, and it might not even be the worst season in franchise history. I've been purposefully avoiding talking about the Falcons' moves this offseason because until we see what happens in the draft there's no way to evaluate them. Overall, I like the direction. New coach, new GM, and the general purging of the roster is probably what needs to happen at this point even though the Dunn and Crumpler cuts hurt bad.

The Turner signing was a good one. He's a solid running back without too much mileage on him and he complements Jerious Norwood well. The Deangelo Hall trade was also good. D-Hall is a top corner, but he's too expensive for a team building from the ground up. I'll take the pick. I would prefer if Joey Harrington is not on the opening day roster. The Jason Elam signing bewilders me. I know the kicking position has been a disaster since we let Jay Feely walk but... why sign Elam? He's not that much younger than Morton Andersen! Everything really hinges on the draft though. The Falcons have been drafting fairly badly for a few years now and the trend has to be reversed.

I got a big disappointment when the Dolphins signed Jake Long this week. I was hoping that somehow he would end up falling to #3. It wasn't likely, but hey, you never know. The Falcons have completely ignored their offensive line for a decade and now it is a complete disaster. Michael Vick made it look better than it was with his Houdini act, but with a normal QB it's just terrible. That dream is dead, so now I'm focused on the other side of the line. Glenn Dorsey is a beast on defense and our defenseive line is only a little bit better than the offensive line. Put Glenn in the middle of John Abraham and Jamaal Anderson and they could do some damage. Unfortunately, the Rams started putting the squeeze to Atlanta before the ink on Long's contract was dry. Want Dorsey? Move up in the draft. As much as I want Dorsey, I do not want them to spend more than one pick on him. There are too many holes at too many positions and I'd rather have two starters instead of one. Moving down and stockpiling picks would be great, if anyone out there wanted to move up. No one seriously thinks we'll pick McFadden anymore now that we signed Turner and Matt Ryan isn't a 'must have' franchise quarterback. Actually Matt Ryan is what this post is all about.

If the Falcons take Matt Ryan #3 I'm done with them. This team has ignored their foundations for years now and picking a quarterback with the third pick is the absolute last thing they need right now. The defense is a wreck, the offensive line is non existent so why in the world would you pick a player who won't even start and give him a massive signing bonus to boot? You don't buy a new souped up engine for your car when the CHASSIS is missing! Get a lineman with that first pick or trade back with anyone who will give you a pick or two. The Falcons have three second round picks and Brohm, Flacco and Henne will be waiting there. The Falcons can get a good quarterback, they don't need to do it with their #1 pick.

Matt Ryan might be a great quarterback in the NFL. He will not be a great quarterback with the Falcons. It just won't happen. Here's what will go down. Falcons pick Ryan. Atlanta rejoices. We have our savior! Lots of jerseys and tickets are sold. Game 1: Harrington is starting. Harrington stinks. Around game three the fans are frothing at the mouth for Ryan. Eventually, he's put in there and he gets massacred. No line, remember? Two years from now his development is somewhere in between Akili Smith and Jay Cutler. Guess who's out of jail? Guess what quarterback controversy we have now? I can't handle that shit and I'm not going to suffer through it all AGAIN. The Falcons pick Ryan, I'm a die-hard Titans fan until the Falcons prove that they have their act together and go to the playoffs two years in a row. I've had almost 30 years of torment from this team and there's a team one state north with a winning program, a great coach and #83, my favorite player. I don't need the heartbreak anymore and Matt Ryan will not change this franchise's fortunes.