Participating in draft combines and separate workouts in front of scouts is a great way to boost or denote a college athlete?s status for the NFL Draft. Often when a great athlete has a serious injury towards the end of the season, NFL teams are scared to take any sort of chance. A high round draft pick is very valuable to the future of any NFL franchise, and team personnel want gems that are ready.

For Andrew Walter he is in a tough predicament. He had a remarkable four-year career as ASU?s quarterback, and set countless Pac-10 records. In fact, he threw 85 touchdowns, which is huge considering the quarterbacks that have come and gone in the Pac-10. The bad for Walters came in the Vitalis Sun Bowl in which he severely separated his shoulder, and was forced to rush through a rigorous rehabilitation program.

A serious shoulder injury like Walters is definitely something to take notice of. Since he?ll always be throwing with that arm, the chances of it reoccurring are highly. It?s like a baseball pitcher, any nagging arm injuries usually harm them later in their careers. The key for Walter?s though is not to rush his recovery or it will subject him to a short NFL career.

On Wednesday though, Walter did the unthinkable in doing a full thirty-minute workout in front of scouts. He knew he needed to give them a little taste that he still can play, and that?s exactly what he did. He admitted at only being around eighty five percent, but factor his forty times in and everything went great. His forties speed was clocked in around 4.8 and shocked a lot of scouts. For his size at 6?6 and 230 pounds, he?ll be in the upper echelon with the likes of Daunte Culpepper for sizeable quarterbacks.

During his career at ASU, Walter?s biggest asset was throwing the deep ball. There are probably more than a few teams out there that think they?ll be able to get away with letting Walter slide on their draft board. Flashback to a few years ago when Willis McGahee was hurt in the Fiesta Bowl, but still went in the first round by the Buffalo Bills. Some teams like to draft for risk, and Walter?s is just that.

With the type of performances in stats he put up in his career, he is worthy of being a first day choice. That likely won?t happen, but expect him to be a high day two draft pick. The extra experience Walters has under his belt is going to help him a lot down the road in the NFL. Not many quarterbacks get four full years to develop and reign like he did. He is a gutsy player that should be able to stick around the NFL for a while.

Other countries look at America as a privileged country, but also as a society filled with laziness. People sleep until noon, and talk about doing things that deep down they know they aren?t going to accomplish because they aren?t motivated. It?s just the nature of the environment Americans are raised in. We put things off until the last minute, and when we want something we want instant access. That?s the sole reason why fast food and video games continue to rise in big numbers every year.

There is nothing wrong with a little fun with the fellows laying back and relaxing to a fun filled football video game. Heck, ESPN and other sports channels have done specials on how athletes spend the majority of their free time playing video games against each other. Who can forget how former first round draft pick in John Avery, formerly of the Miami Dolphins was rumored to have lost focus due to his constant video game play? It?s an automatic edition to add a Playstation 2 or Xbox to an athlete?s crazed out vehicle.

Soon there will be a new diagnosis for video game fanatics. Now with Xbox Live and Playstation online that has added to even more countless hours pressing buttons and coming down with sore thumbs. EA Sports John Madden?s game has even started a nationwide tournament that gives $50,000 dollars to the winner. There are many people that train for that tournament like a boxer would for a high profiled pay per view bout.

Throughout it all there are only three football video games worth looking at. NFL Street 2, ESPN 2K5, and of course Madden 2005. Which one is the best?

NFL Street added the element of an arcade style that NFL Blitz did a horrible job of trying to accomplish. NFL Street put in the right ingredients to make it one of the most surprising games of last year. It?s just a different angle of play, but yet maintains a style that keeps it compelling. We will have to see how long their run will continue. Obviously that can?t keep adding a number to each edition. It is made by EA Sports though, so they will decide what they want to do based on continuous sales.

ESPN first started off with sports games a few years ago, and looked like a joke in the making. Then they teamed up with sega sports, and added their Sportscenter style to make it compete with Madden. Their idea to sell the game at $19.99 made it an instant choice over Madden for cheap buyers. The game play is a little shaky, but the special features make it very close to topping Madden. The halftime shows, and Sportscenter highlights of the rest of the week?s action is unreal for a video game.

Still, the number one game is Madden. The maneuvering of the athletes and the playbooks are just too realistic. The things you can do with an athlete are exactly the same as in real life, and you can even endure a rigorous training camp to improve on that. Their sales definitely struggled with ESPN?s sales pitch in the way. After being near $50 in August, the game dropped to $19.99 in December 2004. Madden really hasn?t had any serious competition in football games since the early days with Sega, and now they?ll have to watch their backs. A following will always be behind the game though, so it should stay a classic for years to come.

By Zack Cimini

If Saturday?s wild card festivities are a future indicator of the next four weeks, than the NFL?s ratings will shoot through the roof. There is nothing better than climatic finishes to engage an audience with a movie script type ending. Maybe there is a secret payoff amongst the NFL organization and its players. How else can the playoffs continue to be an incredible outcome year in and year out? Is this the WWE where a team is forced to succumb after pulling in attention. Obviously that?s not the case, it?s the competitive atmosphere of unity that pulls a magnetic force of equality amongst every team. Saturday?s epic stage showcases that every player has tremendous heart and a devoted edge to win. When a professional athlete is crying over a loss in the wild card round, it shows the boy in a man that?s been trying to accomplish that championship dream. Forgo any early thoughts of a bummer NFC, every team is blossoming at the right time. Every powerhouse NFL team is susceptible to a loss at this point. Let?s take a look at Sunday?s wild card matchups.

Denver vs. Indianapolis
Bag this as quickly as a grocery, because Denver stands no chance like bread in a plastic bag. Put the line up on an automatic bet, because Manning is going to pick a part the Broncos secondary like an orchestrated festival. The fiddle of Jake Plummer?s strings will be tested to the ultimate capacity of Mike Shanahan?s patience. A blowout will result in the demise of Plummer?s chances next season, but a respectable outing will only delay that. Plummer can?t take responsibility for a whole team and doesn?t display the leadership roles that enable a capable leader to carry a playoff team. Eventually he will hurt his team, and that is just a fact. On the flipside, Manning has paid his dues and is ready for the lime light. The process of elimination is an automatic transition that will involve the Colts vs. the Steelers or Patriots.

Minnesota vs. Green Bay
The Packers will try to become the second team this weekend to defeat a team for the third time this season. If it happens the probability will be close, as the first two meetings were decided by a field goal. Defense will be the key, as each team will be able to dictate what they want to do. Offensively won?t be a problem because each possesses too much talent for the defense to stop. The question is which quarterback will make the mistake that costs their team. Brett Favre and Daunte Culpepper both have tendencies to make costly decisions on a frequent basis. The serine fact is that when they?re on they can be the most dangerous field coordinators in the game, but when they?re off they can be an immediate castoff of quarterback survivors. Which quarterback wants it the most?

Scratch off the records, and erase the negativity that is being brought up by the media. Wild card weekend in the NFL, is one of the most exciting weekends in football. St. Louis and Seattle don?t give a damn that they have the worst winning percentage combined to face each other in a playoff game. They just know that they have an equal opportunity, as the other five teams do in their conference to get to the Super Bowl. Playoff life is going to be yanked away from eleven of the twelve teams, but until then no professional athlete is going to give up that goal. Let?s take a look at Saturday?s matchups.

St. Louis vs. Seattle
St. Louis surely has Seattle?s number, but both of the games they played were early in the season. Their first matchup was a blown game by Seattle that they lost in overtime, and week ten?s loss by Seattle looked like the Seahawks would falter into the Pacific Ocean. Both teams have had the same problem all season, and that?s poor game planning with horrendous defense. Game planning shouldn?t be a problem since both teams know each other, but defense will continue to be a problem. That?s why the team that does win, better shape up for round two. Vick or McNabb will tear up these defenses, and both teams possess capable defenses to hold either from getting over 20 points.

It boils down to which team will effectively run the football better, because that will ultimately lead to two to three big plays for the passing game. The Rams have the attack to do it, but will Mike Martz decide to throw the ball 45 times instead. Mike Holmgren knows that Shaun Alexander is a difference maker no matter the situation, and there is no doubt that he?ll get 25 carries. Also don?t forget Koren Robinson is back, even though Holmgren or the Seahawks organization is emphatic about it.

Key Fact: The Rams have been in the playoffs every year since 1999. Will their veteran leadership be key, or is a transformation needed.

NY Jets at San Diego
Quick advancement in the NFL is no better displayed example than this years San Diego Chargers. Their subsequent quick turnover was a combination of player development at the right time, a great coach, and key additions to the defense. This team has the most potential of any wild card team to do some damage, because they have mismatches to throw at any team. On the flipside they?re also amongst the youngest teams, which could show weakness in a playoff atmosphere. Playing at home usually helps that cause, even if they get off to a slow first quarter.

Another good sign for the Chargers is that the Jets aren?t a serious offensive threat, which will keep them in the game even if they play sloppy through the first three quarters. Still, if the Jets can control the ground game and keep the ball out of the Chargers offense it could throw off the patience of Drew Brees. A lot of quarterbacks tend to feel pressured to do something quickly, rather than realizing there is still plenty of time left. One mishap will be gobbled up by the Jets, and could be the quick demise of a great year by the Chargers.

Key Fact: Chad Pennington hasn?t won a big game all season long.

By Zack Cimini

Revenge is the ultimate goal when a team is bounced out from contention. While the off-season is slowly going by, that team can only think about the last time when they were on the field. For the Denver Broncos their 2003 season ended in a 41-10 loss at Indianapolis. A loss is going to happen to eleven out of the twelve playoff teams, which usually leads to NFL schedule makers configuring games around that. They want to promote an early hype for hardcore football fans to get them fired up in April.

Irony often plays itself in the NFL. Nonetheless the Broncos will need to play the game of their life or this weekend?s matchup against the Colts is going to be a repetitive dejavu magician act. Many would think the pressure is on quarterback Peyton Manning, but no playoff quarterback is feeling more heat than Jake Plummer. He was inconsistent during many stretches during the season, and Mike Shanahan may be ready to pull the plug on the Plummer project.

Plummer plays his best under pressure, so it?ll be interesting to see how well he starts the Broncos in the first quarter. There is no doubt he?ll need to use his arm more than he has if the Broncos are going to win. The problem with that is Plummer still hasn?t shaken his Arizona mistakes of throwing interceptions. If there is solid coverage he?d rather take a chance, than scramble or throw the football away. It?d be okay if the chances were on more deep balls to Ashley Lelie or Rod Smith, but eighty percent of the time they are short passes.

His ability to read short zone coverages is a strong weakness that Tony Dungy will be ready to expose. On the other hand, Plummer can throw a great deep ball and would likely have been benched by now if it weren?t for his big plays. Right when the Broncos look offensively challenge, Plummer boosts their poor output by padding his stats with a big play. A bad performance will leave the Broncos in a tough situation. In March 2003, they signed Plummer through 2009, which basically means they?re stuck with his contract unless they can trade him.

On the other side of the field, Manning has all elements for a quarterback. He?ll throw the short pass if needed, and pick apart the secondary for deep plays with the Colts train like play action. A scared team often trash talks and that?s exactly what the Broncos are doing. Trying to get into the Colts heads isn?t going to work, because they?ve done it all season long. How in the world can you call a team?s receivers weak, when they have three 1,000 yard receivers? Get on the field and prove that their season was a fluke by shutting down their receivers, and then you can talk.

Many people think the Seahawks and Rams game will be the ugliest of the weekend, but this matchup gets my vote.

By Zack Cimini

Any obvious football fan has seen that Julius Jones is going to be a top fifteen back in this league in the immediate future. In two weeks he has almost already accomplished the stats that Eddie George has combined for this year. He is a young explosive back, that will only get better as the Cowboys quarterback situation does.

Bill Parcell?s got into Julius Jones head earlier in the season, and he took it very seriously during his time off with an injury. For Parcell?s to give Jones the starting job back immediately when he was healthy, shows how much talent Parcell?s sees in the youngster. This is twice that Parcell?s has shown a different attitude in the way he directs his players. In the summer when Antonio Bryant threw a towel at Parcells, it would?ve been an automatic given for Bryant to be cut. But Parcells only put Bryant in his doghouse, because he knew how much talent Bryant has. Even though he ended up trading Bryant for Quincy Morgan, it is besides the point.

In fantasy football drafts during the summer, Jones was picked in many leagues. But any player that is out for a length of the year is often cut by an owner. If you didn?t pick him up off of waivers last week, than you?ve lost out on any slim opportunity. He should be a big payoff towards the fantasy football playoffs.