Every summer, I start to think about NCAA two-zero-fill-in-the-blank, and Madden two-zero-fill-in-the-blank. This year will be NCAA 2010, and Madden 2010, and given that both of my teams should be good (Georgia Tech and the Falcons), I feel a little more excited than most.

[Falcons Message Board]

James Harrison went from an undrafted player to this year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He won a Super Bowl. He just got a big contract extension. And now he’s snubbing Barrack Obama’s invitation to the White House. His reason? He would’ve invited the Cardinals had they won.

“I don’t feel the need to go, actually,” Harrison told Pittsburgh station WTAE-TV. “I don’t feel like it’s that big a deal to me.”

Harrison doesn’t believe the invitation is all that special, saying if the Steelers hadn’t beaten the Cardinals 27-23 with a last-minute rally, “He [Obama] would have invited Arizona.”

Problem is, if Obama invited the Cardinals, he’d have to invite everyone. And the market is doing bad enough as is; the last thing we need is for the Lions’ luck to rub off on some of the top financial advisors.

[ESPN]

I’m not somebody that really cares about draft grades the day after a draft — how many times have these so-called “experts” been wrong in the past? — but since NFL is officially over, and since we’re stuck with a few boring NBA series right now and 145 more MLB games, I figure I may as well milk this post for what it’s worth.

It’s the last time we’ll be discussing the NFL until a Bengals player gets arrested in the offseason.

How’d your team do over the weekend? I’ve got lots of different opinions from lots of different people. Click here and you can see how Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline rates the picks; click here to see how Larry Weisman, writer for USA Today, breaks down all seven rounds. Clifton Brown, writer for Sporting News Today, has his take here; for Yahoo! Sports, go here.

I’d give you Todd McShay or Mel Kiper, Jr., but they’re douche bags and charge you $39.95 a year for their services — if I could charge everyone $39.95 to be completely wrong about how a player will turn out, I would. McShay isn’t that bad, but Kiper’s looked like a weatherman with some of his recent predictions.

Enjoy the grades. They mean nothing. At the end of the day, Calvin Johnson has to catch Matthew Stafford’s passes, and DHB wasn’t a stretch by Oakland until he officially busts in Oakland. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m counting down to September. Fall, you couldn’t get here soon enough.

ESPN has a nice little piece on each team’s strength of schedule for 2009. It also notes that if you went from worst to first in the NFC South, then you’re pretty much screwed (see: Falcons, who have the fourth hardest schedule this year, with opponents’ records being a combined 150-105).

An interesting note: The Cardinals, who made the Super Bowl, have the 27th hardest schedule, or sixth easiest next year; the Minnesota Vikings, who won their division and played a first round playoff game at home, have the second easiest schedule. The Patriots, who missed the playoffs, have the third easiest schedule.

You can see all teams here. With the addition of Jay Cutler, and with the easiest schedule in the NFL, it looks as if the Bears might have an easy ride to the playoffs next year.

[ESPN]

As we all know, Anquan Boldin is unhappy with the Arizona Cardinals. No one’s really sure why he’s unhappy, except the fact that he got over 1,000 yards receiving last year on a team that went to the Super Bowl, but the bottom line is he’s unhappy.

And where would he like to go? Well, other than somewhere other than somewhere that isn’t the locker room after your team wins the NFC Championship, he’d like to go to Miami, as Pro Football Talk reports.

Boldin is from there, played his college ball at Florida State, and apparently wants Chad Pennington’s noodle arm to be what’s responsible for finding him deep moving forward.

[Pro Football Talk]
[Fan IQ]

I’ve noted many times that the NFL Combine is the most overrated event in sports when it comes to gauging talent, yet every year I get caught up in what a guy runs or what a guy jumps or what a guy throws (combine studs that probably went a bit high: JaMarcus Russell, Donte Stallworth, and just last year, Vernon Gholston).

That said, via The Big Lead, here’s some guys that impressed, and some guys that didn’t. A couple of notables on my end, from what I’ve seen on NFL Network:

Pat White, QB/WR: He ran an unofficial time of 4.49 in the 40, and then it was adjusted to a 4.55. He also jumped a solid nine feet in the broad jump, which is real important once you’re actually in the game. I know I often see guys stand in place, squat, and leap as far forward as possible. Like I said: Great gauge at talent.

Darius Heyward-Bey, WR: This guy was being talked about as a second rounder, but after running a 4.3 flat, he’s probably going to end up cracking the top 15. Michael Crabtree is still “the guy” when it comes to receivers, but Heyward-Bey is sure creeping up.

Derrick Anderson, WR: This is the guy that I think will be a solid NFL player — probably a good number two receiver — but his 4.58 40 will have schools not paying attention to whether or not he can run a route and catch the ball, and just say he’s too slow to play.

Beanie Wells, RB: I can’t tell if a 4.59 40 is good or bad for him. On one side, it’s slower than most strong safeties. But he’s 235 pounds, and at that size, how fast do you want him to run?

[The Big Lead]
Getting Listy With The Combine

Is it a fumble? Isn’t it a fumble? I dunno. But it probably should’ve been reviewed. All year long, we’re force fed ten minutes reviews for plays that don’t need to be reviewed, and then in the biggest game of the year, with it being the final play — minus the kneel down — of the game, we get this. And think about something else: If that was reviewed and ruled an incomplete pass, James Harrison had the 15 yard personal foul for celebrating. Suddenly, Kurt Warner is on the 30 yard line, and very capable of throwing a thirty yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin. Just a thought. Good game…. not the best ever, but a good game (I think last year’s game was better, and I’d take Titans/Rams, too).

It’s official: 27-23, the Steelers win it. Ben Roethlisberger led them on a last minute drive, complete a pass in the corner of the end zone to Santonio Holmes to take the lead. Arizona moved the ball up to Pittsburgh’s 45, but Kurt Warner had a questionable fumble — I thought it was a forward pass — that was never reviewed. I said heads, over, Cards (+7). My parlay hit. Cograts to the Steelers.

The Cards just won the toss. It was the 12th year in a row that the NFC has won the toss, and Al Michael said it’s something like 2000-1 odds. My “fun” parlay before the game was heads, Cards (+7), and the over. I’ve got one of the three thus far.

It’s Super Bowl time. We’re about ten minutes from kickoff, and the spread is still Pittsburgh (-7). Last year the Pats were -9 against the sixth rated team in the NFC. If the sixth ranked team in the NFC could beat a team that was 18-0 going into the game I’m pretty convinced that the Cards can beat Pitt. I’m not saying they will, but take the gift seven and look for an upset (oh, and some good Bud Light commercials).