Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford 
It’s now pretty apparent that Peyton Manning won’t be back with the Colts next year. That was pretty much obvious for about a month, but it’s been confirmed.

We know this pick will Andrew Luck, but the question is where will Manning go, and can he even play? The favorites seem to be Miami, Washington and Arizona, but I have to believe that he’ll want to sign with a team that has the cap room to bring on his entire entourage (Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and possibly Pierre Garcon and Robert Mathis).

 Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor 
TRADE!!! As I initially wrote about a month ago, I’ve never predicted a trade in my mocks prior to this because deals seldom occurred in the top five. With the new CBA, however, there’s a much greater chance that a transaction like this could happen.

I had the Redskins moving up here in a previous update, but I think the Browns are the favorite to do this for three reasons. First, Peyton Manning is more likely to go to Washington than Cleveland. The Browns have no shot at him, but still might need to move up for Griffin so Seattle or Miami doesn’t. Second, Cleveland has more ammunition to move up to No. 2 because of its two first-round picks. And third, I think St. Louis would much rather move down to No. 4 than No. 6 because it will still be able to land either Matt Kalil or Justin Blackmon with the fourth pick.

•  Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC 
  This really is as much of a no-brainer as Andrew Luck to the Colts. If Matt Kalil is on the board, the Vikings won’t spend two minutes handing in their draft card. Of course, I won’t be happy about this because I won’t have enough time to write stupid things in my live draft blog.Kalil is the best non-quarterback in this class, and Minnesota has a major need at left tackle, where the pedestrian Charlie Johnson has sucked all year. The Vikings absolutely need to make sure Christian Ponder is well protected.

  *** OTHER 2012 NFL DRAFT POSSIBILITIES: ***

  1. Justin Blackmon, WR – In the event that the Rams can’t trade their pick and Matt Kalil is not available, I believe the Vikings would take Justin Blackmon. Of course, they could move this selection themselves…

  2. Riley Reiff, OT – Thanks to perhaps all of the gamma rays he’s been in contact with, the Sun Tan Man slotted Riley Reiff to the Vikings in his recent mock draft, so I suppose I should list this as a possibility. After all, Minnesota might be stupid, and could pass on a superior talent, instead opting to reach for a need.

•  St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State 
  As noted earlier, the Rams would love to move down to No. 4 because they’ll still be able to land either Matt Kalil or Justin Blackmon. The former is off the board, so the Oklahoma State wideout is the choice.St. Louis has a huge need for a receiver. It brought in Brandon Lloyd for a fourth-round pick – a trade that would end up poorly for both teams involved – but Lloyd told the media that he plans on following Josh McDaniels this offseason. The Patriots hired McDaniels, so I suppose that means they’re getting Lloyd as well.

  Some may have Morris Claiborne here if the Rams move down to No. 4, but with the two prospects being about even, I suspect that they’ll go with the bigger need. Besides, I believe St. Louis will be able to sign Cortland Finnegan this offseason, as the Tennessee corner may want to reunite with his former head coach.

  *** OTHER 2012 NFL DRAFT POSSIBILITIES: ***

  1. Robert Griffin, QB – Some mocks have Robert Griffin slipping to this spot, but I don’t see how that can possibly happen, given how many teams need quarterbacks. Griffin is a stud, and the Browns would be completely insane to pass up on him.

   

    

•  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU 
  All indications are that the Buccaneers will definitely consider a cornerback in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Aqib Talib could be going to jail, while Ronde Barber will probably retire this offseason. The corner position is a dire need for Tampa.Morris Claiborne is easily the top talent available, save for Trent Richardson, so this is an easy selection for the Buccaneers.

  *** OTHER 2012 NFL DRAFT POSSIBILITIES: ***

  1. Trent Richardson, RB – It’s a close call between Claiborne and Richardson, but the former fills a bigger need. It would not surprise me if the Buccaneers picked the latter, however, considering how completely clueless LeGarrette Blount is in the passing game.

•  Washington Redskins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa 
  This selection is very difficult to predict right now because we don’t know how the Redskins will handle the quarterback position in free agency. If they don’t sign Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn, they’ll have to either trade up for Robert Griffin or move down Ryan Tannehill. I had Tannehill in this spot in a previous update.This mock update will assume that Washington will be able to land Manning or Flynn. If that happens, the Redskins will be able to use this selection on an offensive lineman to make sure their new quarterback stays healthy.

  Right tackle Jammal Brown may not be back in 2012. He has no more guaranteed money left on his $27.5 million contract, and Mike Shanahan was quoted as saying that Brown’s future depends on his ability to return to 100 percent in the offseason. Considering that Brown has always been hurt throughout his career, Washington will be looking for a new right tackle.

  I’m not forcing a right tackle here, by the way. Riley Reiff is the second-best player available behind Trent Richardson. The Alabama running back is a stud, but Shanahan doesn’t like spending first-round picks on that position. Besides, taking Richardson doesn’t fill a need anyway.

•  Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford 
  Most mocks have Quinton Coples here. I did three weeks ago. After thinking about it though, Coples doesn’t seem like the type of player that Gene Smith would want on his team. Coples’ effort as a senior was pretty lacking, and Smith is all about securing high-character guys. Besides, Smith needs to use this selection to help his beleaguered quarterback.Smith is taking a homoclitic approach to Blaine Gabbert, so he’ll be willing to do everything in his power to make sure his young signal-caller succeeds. That means finding weapons and adding blockers. Both are equally paramount because Gabbert completely falls apart at the first hint of pressure, even closing his eyes on occasion when attempting a pass. It’s pretty pathetic.

  The right side of the offensive line didn’t hold up for the Jaguars last year because right tackle Guy Whimper is a sieve. He’s a free agent anyway, and Jacksonville’s only alternative is someone named Cameron Bradfield. Bradfield did a decent job in two starts as a rookie, but was an undrafted free agent in 2011, so he can’t exactly be counted on with Smith’s job potentially on the line.

•  Miami Dolphins: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina 
  Mocking Quinton Coples to the Dolphins didn’t make much sense three weeks ago, but new head coach Joe Philbin announced that he wants to convert this defense to a 4-3. That’s a very strange move, given that Miami’s stop unit wasn’t the problem last year. I already thought the Philbin hire was a curious one to begin with, given the horrible event that just occurred in his life; his illogical moves make my belief stronger.At any rate, the Dolphins need a pass-rusher across from Cameron Wake regardless of whether they’re running the 4-3 or 3-4. The only difference is that Coples becomes a perfect complement to Wake in the former formation.

  Caveat emptor on Coples, by the way. The effort wasn’t always there when he was a senior, and the only times he looked good in the Senior Bowl was when he was matched up against guards Kelechi Osemele and Senio Kelemte. Tackles Mike Adams and Mitchell Schwartz completely stonewalled him. I wouldn’t touch Coples with a top-12 pick, but there’s no doubt that he’ll likely be chosen in the top 10.

   

•  Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU 
  I listed Michael Brockers in this mock draft for the first time three weeks ago, and I had him going way too late. Brockers is a stud who has a great chance of being a top 9-14 pick. He’s the best player available on the consensus board outside of Trent Richardson and maybe Luke Kuechly.The Panthers have a huge need in the interior of their defensive line. They spent a pair of third-round picks last year on defensive tackles Sione Fua and Terrell McClain. Fua wasn’t that bad as a rookie, but McClain was awful, constantly getting abused against the run. Adding an immense talent like Brockers would allow Fua and McClain to rotate next to him depending on the situation.
•  Buffalo Bills: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina 
  This is a slight reach, but we’ve seen the Bills do crazy things on Draft Day before. One thing this front office has been infamous of is telegraphing its picks. Chan Gailey repeatedly mentioned acquiring a running back prior to the 2010 NFL Draft, and sure enough, he picked C.J. Spiller despite having Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson on the roster.Gailey has recently harped about not being able to get to the quarterback, and it’s easy to understand why. No one on the team finished with more than 5.5 sacks on the year.

  Melvin Ingram is currently the top pass-rusher available in the wake of dominant Senior Bowl practices. He’s a bit short for a 4-3 scheme (6-1) and his arms are like twigs, but he has elite explosion. The Bills are officially sticking with the 4-3, so he makes more sense than Courtney Upshaw.

•  Kansas City Chiefs: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama 
  Jamaal Charles will be back next year, but the Chiefs have never been convinced that he can carry the load. That’s even a more unreasonable expectation in 2012 given that he’s coming off a torn ACL.Trent Richardson is by far the top player available. He would give Kansas City the top one-two punch at running back in the NFL.

  For Chief fans who want a tackle or something else over Richardson, let me remind you of Arizona’s 2007 NFL Draft. The Cardinals had a very slight need at running back (as much as Kansas City needs one), and Adrian Peterson was on the board at No. 5. They instead opted to take an inferior talent who filled a much bigger need. Five years later, I’m sure Arizona would rather have Peterson over Levi Brown.

  Richardson is the best running back prospect since Peterson. Taking him here is the right move because you don’t choose a Levi Brown over an Adrian Peterson.

•  Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still, DE/DT, Penn State 
  The Seahawks finished in the bottom 10 in sacks. A lacking pass rush, both on the exterior and interior, is their greatest issue, outside of the quarterback position. Devon Still had a fantastic 2011 campaign and is the top consensus player on the board, so this pick makes a ton of sense.I’m moving away from mocking a signal-caller after slotting Ryan Tannehill here for the past month. The pick could happen, but I don’t think Pete Carroll would consider Tannehill as a safe bet for an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson.
  
  
•  Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, G, Stanford 
  The Cardinals will be paying a ton of money to a quarterback next season, whether it’s Kevin Kolb or Peyton Manning. Thus, they’ll have to make sure their investment is protected.This is normally really early for a guard, but David DeCastro is the top prospect at the position since Steve Hutchinson. He would be an enormous upgrade for Arizona’s pedestrian offensive front.

  Pick change; previously Luke Kuechly, ILB 

•  Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama 
  I’ve always had reservations about putting Janoris Jenkins in the first round because of his multiple arrests, but he seems to have turned his life around. He hasn’t gotten into trouble at North Alabama, and he even recently told the media that he doesn’t even hang around people who smoke weed anymore. It seems that as with Phil Taylor, getting kicked out of school served as a wake-up call for Jenkins.If the Cowboys are content about Jenkins’ character, they’ll take him at No. 14. Their secondary is an abomination, so multiple upgrades will need to be found this offseason. Jenkins is easily one of the most talented players in this class.

  Pick change; previously David DeCastro, G 

•  Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College 
  I know, I know, Andy Reid doesn’t draft linebackers in the first round. But people said the same thing about Jerry Jones and offensive tackles prior to this past April.Reid will be fired if he doesn’t make the playoffs next year. He’ll be desperate and may adjust his drafting strategy. Besides, Luke Kuechly is the best player available. He would provide an enormous instant upgrade in the linebacking corps.

  If the Eagles sign Stephen Tulloch via free agency, as rumored, I’ll switch this selection back to a receiver.

  Pick change; previously Kendall Wright, WR/KR 

•  New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama 
  The Jets need to improve their pass rush so Rex Ryan doesn’t have to call blitzes every single down. Rush linebacker Bryan Thomas tore his Achilles tendon earlier in the year, so this position has become even more dire for New York.Courtney Upshaw, MVP of the alleged national championship, already has experience in the 3-4, so I’m sure Rex Ryan likes that.

—– Source - http://walterfootball.com/draft2012.php

Ryan Fitzpatrick and the new-look, resilient, win-in-the-clutch Buffalo Bills are showing they’re for real after producing their second consecutive stunning comeback victory — this time against their AFC East nemesis, the New England Patriots.

Bills fans are stunned.  Patriots fans can’t believe it. Get used to it, folks. Football is back in Buffalo, writes James Walker. Blog

Penalties and spotty play were just as costly for New England as quarterback Tom Brady’s four picks, writes Mike Reiss.

It’s ‘back to the drawing board’ for the New England Patriots’ undermanned, beleaguered defensive unit, writes Chris Forsberg. Story

Rian Lindell hit a 28-yard field goal as time expired to cap a 34-31 win over the Patriots in which the Bills overcame a 21-0 second-quarter deficit and snapped a 15-game losing streak against New England.

It was a win for the new generation of Bills, who don’t know any better. And the victory was particularly cherished by senior members such as linebacker Chris Kelsay, one of four Buffalo players still on hand since the team’s last victory over New England, in the 2003 season opener.

“It’s the biggest win of my career. I can’t think of any bigger,” Kelsay said. “To beat these guys at home, in front of our fans, with the way they’re behind us despite being down early, it’s huge. I’ll never forget it.”

Former Bills lineman Ruben Brown hugged Buffalo players as they ran up the tunnel. Running back Fred Jackson ran around the field carrying a Bills flag. And stadium workers took no chances, first guarding the goal posts before lowering them on their own before fans got any ideas.

It was that kind of euphoric win for a team attempting to turn around a dreadful past in which it has gone 11 seasons without making the playoffs.

The Bills (3-0) won courtesy of yet another Fitzpatrick-led rally. And it was reminiscent of what the Bills did in a 38-35 win over Oakland a week earlier, when they scored touchdowns on their final five possessions to overcome a 21-3 deficit.
Fitzpatrick went 27 of 40 for 369 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson once again provided a spark with 72 yards rushing and a touchdown, and 87 yards receiving, including a 38-yard catch that set up Lindell’s decisive kick.

It All Falls Down

The Patriots looked golden for the first 24 minutes Sunday. But NFL teams play 60 minutes and eventually the Bills jumped on New England’s mistakes.

The Patriots (2-1) had a 10-game regular-season winning streak snapped and suddenly find themselves looking up in the standings at Buffalo. Aside from their 15-game win streak, third longest in NFL history for one franchise against another, the Pats had won 20 of the past 21 over the Bills.

“Obviously, it was a disappointing loss for us today,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ve just got to do a better job.”

Wes Welker had 16 catches for a franchise record 217 yards and two scores, and Rob Gronkowski also scored twice. Tom Brady went 30 of 45 for 386 yards and four scores for New England, but uncharacteristically unraveled.

Despite setting a league record for most yards passing over a three-game stretch, Brady matched a career worst with four interceptions. That included Drayton Florence’s 27-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:22 left that came 14 seconds after Jackson tied the game at 24 with a 1-yard plunge.

“We played a good football team and made too many mistakes,” said Brady, whose four interceptions against Buffalo matched the number he had all of last season. “It’s never easy. … We had too many turnovers, too many penalties that allowed them to get some easy plays. … I just wish we would have made a few less mistakes.”

Dating to 1950, the Bills became the only team to overcome deficits of at least 18 points to win in consecutive weeks, according to STATS LLC. In fact, only five teams had previously won twice in one season when trailing by 18 or more points.

The last team to do so: the Patriots in 1996.

The game wasn’t decided until the final four minutes, and after Brady led the Patriots back to tie the score at 31 on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Welker — on fourth-and-goal, no less.

Tom Brady had been virtually unstoppable when throwing the ball deep this season, but without injured tight end Aaron Hernandez on Sunday, he had difficulty.

Back marched the Bills, who got the ball back with 3:25 left.

Fitzpatrick needed only three plays to get the Bills into scoring position.

Facing first-and-10 at the Patriots 39, Fitzpatrick hit Jackson on a short crossing pattern over the middle. Jackson broke loose and was attempting to dive into the end zone before being tackled from behind by Devin McCourty.

Officials initially ruled Jackson had scored before having it overturned on video review.

That wound up an advantage to the Bills, who ran down the clock by kneeling. The Patriots ran out of timeouts — and composure as an unsportmanlike conduct penalty against Vince Wilfork gave Buffalo another set of downs at the 1.

All it took was Lindell to line up and hit a chip shot with the crowd cheering and standing on its feet.

“That’s the loudest I’ve ever heard it in here,” Lindell said. “Certainly they’ve been the team to beat. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
Stevie Johnson had eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown for Buffalo. Tight end Scott Chandler also scored on a 3-yard catch.

Game notes
Brady has 1,326 yards passing in three games to eclipse the mark of 1,257 set in 2006 by New Orleans QB Drew Brees. It was also Brady’s 37th 300-yard career game, moving him into ninth place, one ahead of John Elway. … This marked the fourth time and first since 1992 that Buffalo’s opened a season scoring 30 points in each of its first three games. … The Patriots extended their franchise-record streak to 11 games of scoring 30 points or more, three short of matching the NFL record set by the St. Louis Rams in 1999-2000.

Reggie Bush’s dream may be fading quickly. Since late July, when the Dolphins pulled off the trade to get Bush from the New Orleans Saints, the talk had consistently been about Bush getting a chance to prove that he’s an every-down back and not just some hybrid specialty player. That talk was still strong before the Dolphins played the Houston Texans on Sunday. … [On Sunday, Bush gained] a grand total of 21 yards. In two games, Bush has 17 carries for 56 yards, which is pretty much in line with his career numbers. Considering rookie Daniel Thomas had 107 yards on 18 carries in his debut Sunday, you can understand why Bush’s time as the fulltime back is probably over only seconds after it started.

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Can’t get enough old school Mike….

Kev goes nuts….

It appears Kyle Orton might be taking his talents to South Beach.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Eagles are expected to trade Kevin Kolb to Arizona. The Broncos had been talking to the Cardinals and Dolphins about Orton. So, it seems the Orton-Dolphins trade talk will heat up. The Dolphins and Orton have reportedly begun contract talks.  

That would mean the start of the Tim Tebow era in Denver. Tebow could have an interesting new mentor in Denver. Cleveland cut Jake Delhomme. He played for new Denver coach John Fox in Carolina and the two remain close. Delhomme could help Tebow immensely.

Meanwhile, the Broncos traded receiver Jabar Gaffney to Washington for backup defensive end Jeremy Jarmon. Gaffney was effective last season, but he was a favorite of former coach Josh McDaniels. The Broncos were ready to move away from him.

The Broncos are planning to bring in St. Louis right end Daniel Fells on Friday in an attempt to sign him.

I hear San Diego and inside linebacker Kevin Burnett are still discussing a deal and his return is not necessarily a slam dunk. Miami could emerge as a suitor.

In a slam dunk, former Oakland guard Robert Gallery is headed to Seattle. This was as predictable as Oakland taking Stefen Wisniewski in the second round of the draft. Gallery reunites with former Oakland head coach Tom Cable. The two are very close. Gallery announced earlier in the offseason he would not return. He was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2004 draft. He was not good as a tackle, but he developed into a solid guard under Cable.

Though a spokesman for Comcast-Spectacor wouldn’t comment beyond confirming the franchise was discussing a sale, it may not be long before it’s under new ownership. The [76ers] likely will be sold to a group led by Joshua Harris, a director at Apollo Global Management LLC, in the next few business days, two people familiar with the negotiations said. Harris will pay about $280 million, according to one of the people, who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the sale publicly. Harris co-founded Apollo Management in 1990, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and a master’s degree from the Harvard Business School. Apollo went public in March.