Janzen Jackson Dismissed From Vols Football Team

Tennessee Vols safety Janzen Jackson has been dismissed from the Vols football team in what has been an up and down career for the junior.

The reason is not immediately known, but an article on GoVolsXtra cited Tennessee head coach derek Dooley's zero-tolerance policy he has in place for players. Dooley is expected to address the media on the situation after the Vols mock game tonight at Neyland Stadium.

In what was going to be an inexperienced defense to start with, it takes a huge blow with the loss of Jackson. Jackson was regarded as the best player on the defense and could be considered the anchor of the secondary. He missed time in the spring and first session of the summer by unenrolling from school for personal matters. I'm not much for speculating, but it seems like some of the personal matters are still troubling the junior safety.

With that being said, Jackson is not a current member of the Vols football team, so the door is open for somebody else to step up.

[image: utsports.com]

Raiders Take Terrelle Pryor In Third Round

In typical surprising Oakland Raiders fashion, Al Davis and crew didn't fail to amaze by selecting former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the third round of the NFL Supplemental draft today.

Music Video of the Day: The Jayhawks - Waiting For The Sun

The Jayhawks - Waiting For The Sun

Why Tim Tebow Should Start As QB For Broncos

Since the early summer we have been bombarded with reports of why Tim Tebow should not be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. We have numerous accounts of verbal support for Kyle Orton and why he is better than Tebow. But the real question is, why is he better than Tebow?

What has Orton ever done? Sure, he is an adequate quarterback, but he has never been great anywhere he has been. Last season Orton put up very respectable personal numbers with 20 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. He threw for 3,653 yards and had a QB Rating of 87.5. The one thing he was lacking was wins. The Broncos were 3-10 last season, prompting the change from Orton to Tebow for the final three games of the year.

During those final three games, Tebow went 1-2 and threw for five touchdowns and three interceptions. He completed fifty percent of his passes and has a QB Rating of 82.1. Yes, his number weren't great, but the guy was a rookie playing for a horrible team.

Tebow is definitely still very much a work in progress, but the fact of the matter is that he has potential to be a very good quarterback in this league. He needs to improve on his decision making and his passing accuracy will always be criticized. With playing time and experience, Tebow will improve. So if Orton can't bring the wins, there shouldn't be any hesitation to bring Tebow in and let him carry the load as the starter. If Orton can't win now, he is not the answer. It's time to work towards the future and let Tebow show what he can do.

[photo: AP Photo/David Zalubowski]

Music Video of the Day: Burlap To Cashmere - Build A Wall

Burlap To Cashmere - Build A Wall

Eli Manning Is A Top 5 NFL Quarterback

When discussing top quarterbacks in the NFL, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are always on the top of the list. Some will throw Drew Brees in there as third best and Aaron Rodgers, Phillip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and a handful of other guys fight to round out the top five. On ESPN New York 1050 yesterday, Eli Manning, the younger brother of Peyton Manning feels like he is in the same class as Brady.

"I consider myself in that class," Manning said, in response to a question from Kay. "And Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he's a great player and what you've seen with him is he's gotten better every year. He started off winning championships and I think he's a better quarterback now than what he was, in all honesty, when he was winning those championships.

"I think now he's grown up and gotten better every year and that's what I'm trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best."

When looking at the numbers, the younger Manning isn't far off from his statements. He has led the New York Giants to the playoffs four out of his seven seasons as an NFL starter, and winning one Super Bowl. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, making him an elite quarterback. Sure he threw 25 interceptions and that is probably why many shake their head when discussing Manning as a top NFL quarterback.

A few things to think about is that Manning is the quarterback of a very high profile NFL team in the New York Giants. With a big market comes big expectations and little tolerance for mediocrity. Eli Manning has always lived in the shadow of his big brother Peyton Manning. The older Manning has made a name for himself in both college and the NFL and it is a very hefty comparison. They each have their own style and they each are very good in their own rights.

So the answer to the "Is Eli Manning a Top 5 NFL Quarterback" is quite simply, Yes. He has to put up with a knucklhead hard-assed coach in Tom Coughlin and he is consistently one of the best quarterbacks on the field. When Eli Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007, he proved that he was among the best quarterbacks in the league. While he may not be at quite the same level as a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, he should definitely be considered one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL.

Jim Thome Hits Homerun No. 600

For as long as I can remember, Jim Thome has been hitting homeruns. Last night he became just the eighth major league player to ever reach 600 homeruns.

After achieving this feat, it should be a no-brainer that Thome should be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame when his playing days are done. Thome has been great for the game and 600 homeruns is a hell of an accomplishment.

[photo: Duane Burleson/AP Photo]

Is Montario Hardesty Worth A Fantasy Pick

When former University of Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty was drafted by the Cleveland Browns last year, he was on track to make an immediate impact in the young Browns backfield. That was of course until he blew out his knee, prompting another unfortunate knee surgery for Hardesty.

A year removed from surgery, Hardesty is back, but how much of an impact will he make on this Browns team? The Browns find themselves with a somewhat crowded backfield with Peyton Hillis, Brandon Jackson and now a Hardesty.

With a breakout year last year Hillis asserted himself at the top of the Browns depth chart with Jackson safely assuming the role of his backup. Hardesty is just trying to prove that he is healthy, so barring an injury to the top two guys, it's not looking good for Hardesty in terms of playing time.

Hardesty has seen this before and if he stays healthy he will find his way to the field. But this brings up the question of "Is Montario Hardesty worth a fantasy pick", and the answer is no. However, keep an eye on this situation and if he progresses and the other two struggle, he could make his way into the lineup. It's just a matter of how he surgically repaired knees will hold up.

It's Finally Time For Some Football

With five NFL pre-season games tonight, we can finally forget the lockout. It's finally football time and we can move forward. Sure the lockout ended a couple of weeks ago, but until a game is actually played, it is hard to forget.

Sure it's only pre-season, but it's still football. It's the first chance we get to see the NFL players on the field and our first chance to get excited about the 2011 NFL season. With spring workouts being limited, how will the players respond? Will injury totals rise? Will a new team emerge as one of the top in the league? All these questions and more will be answered as the new season unfolds.

It all begins tonight and even though it is only pre-season, it is pretty damn exciting.

Tonight's games:

7:30 p.m. - Jacksonville at New England
7:30 p.m. - Baltimore at Philadelphia
8:00 p.m. - Seattle at San Diego
8:30 p.m. - Denver at Dallas
10:00 p.m. - Arizona at Oakland

Knox Animal SIGG Water Bottle

Thanks to my cousin for this awesome birthday gift!

My Journey Phase 1 Wrapup

On Monday, January 3, I embarked on a journey that was going to change my life forever. Weight lifting has been a big part of my life since college, but it was time to make all my hard work count for something. I was going to take weight lifting to an entire new level. I was going to start the journey of getting ripped. That is how My Journey was born.

My Journey - Phase 1 Goal
I set the goal to get down to 265 lbs. by August 5. I reached 265 lbs a few weeks ago and then decided to keep the weight between 265 - 268 for the time being. The reason for that is because I have decided to add in a weight lifting goal to reach 1000 lbs on the leg press.

In addition to the weight loss goal, I wanted to increase strength. Throughout the slow weight loss process, I gained a lot of strength - proving that you can build muscle while losing fat. I hit personal records on nearly all exercises and I am damn proud of that. Most notably I worked my legs harder than ever before. I am currently squatting 335 lbs. and leg pressing 810 lbs. Both of those numbers have increased dramatically throughout My Journey.

Even though My Journey is really just beginning, I will be posting pictures soon to show my progress so far. I have a long way to go, but I am very happy with how Phase one of the journey went.

Stay tuned for Phase 2 of My Journey...

Music Video of the Day: Band of Horses - Laredo

Band of Horses - Laredo

My Journey: Phase 1 Is Winding Down

With only four days left of My Journey: Phase 1, it's time to reflect on how the past seven months have gone. With the main objective of losing bodyfat, I set a weight goal of 265 lbs. by Friday, August 5. Along with that goal, I have made it a point to lose the weight slowly while getting stronger. Gaining muscle while cutting is not easy work and that is why I decided to document My Journey as best I could.

Over the past eight months I have definitely gotten stronger, while slowly dropping weight. In the beginning of My Journey I weighed around 292 lbs. I have been able to consistently stay below 270 for the last month, so I am definitely pleased with my weight loss to this point. However, I am even more pleased with my strength increases. I have set PRs on nearly every exercise and I have made dramatic increases in leg strength throughout My Journey.

Over these final four days, I am going to be consistent with cardio and diet to do my best to reach my 265 lbs. goal. It's been a fun ride, but this is only the beginning.

Check out my Workout Tracker
Check out my Diet Tracker (rough estimates)