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Nick Fairley: NFL Draft’s No. 1 After BCS National Championship Game?

January 11, 2011   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

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Nick Fairley lived up to his reputation in the BCS National Championship Game, that’s for sure.

The defensive tackle had a standout game as Oregon was seemingly unable to block him. He finished with five tackles (three for loss), a sack and a forced fumble, and was part of a key fourth-and-1 goal-line stop late in the third quarter that saved a touchdown. But while Fairley has become known as a force, he’s also become known as a dirty player, and validated those accusations with a shove to LaMichael James’ head that earned a 15-yard personal foul flag.

Still, with Andrew Luck opting to return to Stanford, the No. 1 spot in the NFL draft is wide open, and Fairley was considered a possible candidate even before dominating on college football’s biggest stage.

Did Fairley become the projected No. 1 pick with his performance? He does come with concerns.

 

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2010 NFL Mock Draft, Fans’ Pick Edition: No. 32 – New Orleans Saints

April 17, 2010   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

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Sean PaytonThe voice of the fan matters here at FanHouse, so you are going to collectively stage your own 2010 NFL Mock Draft. Let us know whom the Saints should take with the No. 32 pick –You’re on the clock.

What strange territory for the Saints — picking 32nd overall with few glaring weaknesses to fill. So strange, in fact, that I highly doubt the team stays in that spot.

You hear talk about how enviable it is to be the Rams on draft day, as picking first on the second day gives them a night to re-organize their board and listen to trade offers from teams who covet a player and are willing to deal picks to ensure they get the guy they want. But that same phenomenon benefits the Saints; if a team is worried someone will leapfrog them into the Rams’ 33rd pick, the natural inclination will be to move to 32nd and go home on Day 1 without the stress.

A deep draft benefits any Saints’ decision to trade down especially if the first round plays out as it has in our Fan Mock Draft; with few clear-cut impact players at positions of need (especially at tight end and safety), the team can feel safe moving back 10 or so picks and getting a comparable talent to go with an extra pick or two.

 

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NHL Experts’ 2010 Playoff Predictions

April 14, 2010   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

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Either this playoff field is top-heavy or we’re just getting boring in our old age. Our experts for the most part avoided going out on limbs in predicting this postseason.

Aside from a couple of people supporting the Kings, Bruins and Senators, we like the top seeds and teams that have dominated all season long. Nobody sees Montreal ousting Washington; as a matter of fact, we all have Washington playing in the Finals. Who actually hoists the Cup is a subject of some diversity, as our seven experts selected a total of four teams to win it all in June.

Check out all of our predictions below.

 

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NHL Trade Deadline Tracker

February 28, 2010   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

The NHL trade deadline is set for Wednesday, March 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Below is a list of every trade in the league in the 2010 calendar year. Check back through the deadline for any new movement.

A trade freeze has been in place since Feb. 12 due to the the participation of NHL players in the Winter Olympics. The NHL regular season resumed and the trade freeze ended on Monday, March 1.

 

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Saints Fans Welcome Champs Home

February 08, 2010   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

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NEW ORLEANS — Why wait until Tuesday for a parade? After all, you can create an impromptu one with two simple ingredients — a mass of people lining each side of the street and moving vehicles.

And so New Orleans Saints fans gathered on Veterans Memorial Boulevard by the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, waiting for the team to fly back from Miami in order to give them a champion’s welcome. Though the tradition is nothing new; Saints fans have lined this same stretch of road to greet the team after every road game this season.

For a mile and a half, bodies lined the street, nulling any other traffic. Some partied through the night and made it to the airport early in the morning to get a good spot, even though the team didn’t arrive until about 3 p.m. On an overpass above the road, drivers turned a highway into a parking lot, getting out of their cars and standing on the overpass in order to look down on the action.

 

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New Orleans Celebrates Its Super Saints

February 07, 2010   Tom Mantzouranis   No comments

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NEW ORLEANS — They didn’t need to wait until the clock hit 0:00.

When Tracy Porter took off with a Peyton Manning pass meant for Reggie Wayne, pushing the Saints‘ lead to 31-17 with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter of this year’s Super Bowl, the city of New Orleans took off, too, to a state of euphoria and overwhelming emotion.

There was an initial surge of joy in the Bourbon Street bar I watched the game in — people leaping into each other’s arms, falling over, jumping up and down with no concern for what happened to the contents of their cups. And then, after a minute, everybody looked at the scoreboard and the moment sunk in. The mood turned from festive to reflective.

That’s when a twenty-something guy in an LSU T-shirt made eye contact with me and broke down.

 

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