With Philadelphia-born Shariff Floyd atop the draft board, and both the Eagles and Andy Reid picking in the top four, the 2013 draft will have a distinct Philly flavor right from the outset.  And, like a South Philly steak lathered with cheese and onions, this draft is loaded with juice in the middle, with the first round peppered with solid talent, though the top ten features few sexy, cant’ miss quarterback or running back prospects.  In fact, you won’t find any first round RBs, and only one QB, along with no Tavon Austin, Jarvis Jones, Manti Te’o, Alec Ogletree, or Desmond Trufant.  But, you will find meaty prospects like Jamar Taylor, Larry Warford, Travis Kelce, and Da’Rick Rogers.  Like the waters down the Jersey shore, this draft runs deep, with more than a few surprises up top, if you just know where to look.

1.Kansas City  -  Keep Reading…

While other schools selected animals, colors, or historical figures as nicknames and mascots for their sporting teams, California University of PA aligned itself with Vulcan, the Roman blacksmith of the gods, who created armor for various deities and heroes, and constructed the thunderbolts of Jupiter.  And, perhaps no Cal player better exemplifies the strength, toughness, and steely resolve of Vulcan more than safety Rontez Miles.  Although Miles will enter the NFL draft as one of the most decorated players in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference history, as a four-time All PSAC-West selection, back to back Defensive Player Of The Year, and two-time Division II All American, his journey has been laced with struggle, disappointment, and challenge.  However, while he refuses to be defined by his past, he also recognizes how it has shaped his character, stating “where I’m from made me who I am today.”  Refusing to be the nail, Miles, Keep Reading…

With God as my witness, I have a confession to make.  Regarding the atrocities committed at Penn State, the subsequent cover up, and the aftermath, I am guilty.  Maybe not to the extent that Joe Paterno, the athletic department administrators, and Jerry Sandusky are guilty, but I have blood on my hands.  I didn’t fully grasp my own complicity in the crimes until I returned for a football game this Fall.  There, amid the pomp and the pageantry, my mind kept drifting back in time, and the guilt began gnawing at me like a rat’s tooth on bone.

Remember when the days were long,

And rolled beneath the deep blue sky.

We didn’t have a care in the world,

With mommy and daddy standing by.

                                                                Don Henley

I entered Penn State in the Autumn of 1986, the year Keep Reading…

A Civil War Between Aaron Mellette & Demetrius McCray

Click Here For Video Of The Match-up

On a crisp late autumn afternoon, in a scene much like the ones played out a century and a half before, on battlefields throughout the North and South, two armies emerged from tunnels at opposite ends of Rhodes Stadium for a Southern Conference showdown.  The November 19, 2011 matchup of Appalachian State versus Elon University was not only a rivalry game between two North Carolina schools, just 130 miles apart, tucked tightly into what had been the cradle of the Civil War, but also an epic battle between two of the FCS’s finest players, Elon wide receiver, Aaron Mellette, and Appalachian State cornerback, Demetrius McCray.

It was a war waged on the Carolina plain all afternoon, in a series of small skirmishes and bigger battles, with McCray matched up Keep Reading…

Before this gets any further, no, he’s not Barry Sanders.  Despite the similar build, identical number, and rhyming last names, Tim Flanders lacks Sanders’ explosiveness, breakaway speed, and lower body power.  Still, that doesn’t keep the Sam Houston State fanbase and players from calling Flanders “Clark Kent,” for his mild mannered off-field demeanor, coupled with his superhuman efforts between the sidelines.  Recognized by teammates as the most humble player on the squad, Flanders routinely plays the part of the superhero who needs no medal, thanks, or adulation.  Without fanfare, he was the Southland Conference’s 2011 Player Of The Year, and second team All American, while setting conference single season records for rushing yards (1644), points (144), and touchdowns (24).

Faster than a speeding bullet could aptly describe Sam Houston State’s meteoric rise up the FCS ranks since Flanders’ arrival in the East Texas Piney Woods.  The Bearkats, who enjoyed Keep Reading…