Osama Bin Laden Is Dead: Politics In The Post-Bin Laden World

Now that Al Qaeda Head Osama Bin Laden has been laid to rest at sea after the successful excursion to Pakistan by US, Navy Seals, it's time to consider how both American and World politics will be reshaped in the wake of this event of fantastic proportions.

Yes, Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Consider that since September 11, 2001, when Al Qaeda-directed airplane hijacks resulted in four crashes and the destruction of the twin towers of The World Trade Center, America's perceived standing in the World fell both from an economic and from a militaristic perspective. President George W. Bush, who vowed to get Bin Laden "Dead or Alive" seemed more intent on using the fact that he was alive as political fuel for his two terms as President.

Now that President Barack Obama successfully went after and got Bin Laden, there's no longer that political card to play - but thankfully, Obama never did so.

By following through on a campaign promise to go to Pakistan and get Bin Laden, and get out of Iraq, President Obama has firmly cemented his place in World History. He will forever be known as the man who helped bring an end to a reign of terror exacted by Al Qaeda and operatives in the Mid East and bring in a new, more democratic and free way of life.

Obama didn't do this by force, but by pushing along Arab Cultural forces already active. And indeed, the people involved in the formation of the "New Mid East," are certainly no friends of Bin Laden. When Obama saw an opening to take out Osama Bin Laden, he gave the order to do so.

His timing, just right in the middle of the greatest upheaval of Arab regimes in Mid East History, was perfect. While there will always be terrorists and terrorism, the Arab desire for freedom is overtaking those Arabs who would want to destroy any chance for it. And this is great for America.

No, it doesn't mean an end to security lines at airports, and it should not. But it - the changing of regimes and the death of Bin Laden - does mean that we in America can all look at the Mid East with pride and not with trepidation. And hopefully it means better opportunities for American business, particularly in tech, which means more jobs here and in the Mid East, too.

This moment, really this combination of many events happening close together, may also be the catalyst for the easing of credit and the restoration of the American and the World economy. Overnight the Japanese stock index increased after the announcement that Bin Laden was dead. And U.S. Markets, from the Dow Jones Industrial Average to the S&P 500, were all up today.

The bet here is that's just the shape of more good news to come.ma Bin Laden has been laid to rest at sea after the successful excursion to Pakistan by US, Navy Seals, it's time to consider how both American and World politics will be reshaped in the wake of this event of fantastic proportions.

Consider that since September 11, 2001, when Al Qaeda-directed airplane hijacks resulted in four crashes and the destruction of the twin towers of The World Trade Center, America's perceived standing in the World fell both from an economic and from a militaristic perspective. President George W. Bush, who vowed to get Bin Laden "Dead or Alive" seemed more intent on using the fact that he was alive as political fuel for his two terms as President.

Now that President Barack Obama successfully went after and got Bin Laden, there's no longer that political card to play - but thankfully, Obama never did so.

By following through on a campaign promise to go to Pakistan and get Bin Laden, and get out of Iraq, President Obama has firmly cemented his place in World History. He will forever be known as the man who helped bring an end to a reign of terror exacted by Al Qaeda and operatives in the Mid East and bring in a new, more democratic and free way of life.

Obama didn't do this by force, but by pushing along Arab Cultural forces already active. And indeed, the people involved in the formation of the "New Mid East," are certainly no friends of Bin Laden. When Obama saw an opening to take out Osama Bin Laden, he gave the order to do so.

His timing, just right in the middle of the greatest upheaval of Arab regimes in Mid East History, was perfect. While there will always be terrorists and terrorism, the Arab desire for freedom is overtaking those Arabs who would want to destroy any chance for it. And this is great for America.

No, it doesn't mean an end to security lines at airports, and it should not. But it - the changing of regimes and the death of Bin Laden - does mean that we in America can all look at the Mid East with pride and not with trepidation. And hopefully it means better opportunities for American business, particularly in tech, which means more jobs here and in the Mid East, too.

This moment, really this combination of many events happening close together, may also be the catalyst for the easing of credit and the restoration of the American and the World economy. Overnight the Japanese stock index increased after the announcement that Bin Laden was dead. And U.S. Markets, from the Dow Jones Industrial Average to the S&P 500, were all up today.

The bet here is that's just the shape of more good news to come.

Sohaib Athar Was Twitter Witness To US Attack On Bin Ladin

The Twitterverse and now blogosphere is, well, a buzz, or a Twitter (if you like) over the discovery that Sohaib Athar, who describes himself on Twitter @ReallyVirtual as a "IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops," provided a tweet-by-tweet account of the US Navy Seal raid that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

His tweets started April 28th in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with this one:

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).

Then, Mr. Athar became annoyed with the helicopter, and let his Twitter followers know it.

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
Go away helicopter - before I take out my giant swatter :-/

But a bit later, it was clear to Athar something big and "nasty" was up.

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S

Then the "giant fly" was gone...

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
@
@m0hcin all silent after the blast, but a friend heard it 6 km away too... the helicopter is gone too.

A Fast Action Assault

From the read of his Twitter tweets, the entire US attack lasted only a few minutes. The US Navy Seals got out as fast as they got in. But, at the time, Aohaib didn't know what was going on; he could only guess:

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
Since taliban (probably) don't have helicpoters, and since they're saying it was not "ours", so must be a complicated situation #abbottabad

Mr. Athar tweets that the craft was not a spy plane, as it was "too noisy." There was also a copter crash, but from reports it wasn't American; President Obama said there were no Americans harmed in any way.

One thing's for sure about all this, "Abbottabad " certainly found a place on the map of pop culture, as has Sohaib Athar. Mr. Athar has been inundated with emails from the media, and from general people around the World.

ReallyVirtual Sohaib Athar
For the people who are trying to email me to reach me, I simply can't filter out the notifications from the emails :-(

Stay tuned.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead - Credit President Obama

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead. President Barack Obama made the stunning announcement at 11:39 PM EDT Sunday, as this blogger sat in a position of stasis. For almost 10 years, the name Osama Bin Laden had become an indelible part of American Culture, and with an image just equal to that of Adolf Hitler.

The Mastermind of the September 11th 2001 events we call 9-11 and that led to the total destruction of the twin towers of The World Trade Center in New York City was on the run, seemingly forever.

Not any more...

And while the media points to a intelligence gathering process that started back in 2001, the truth is that America's political leaders in charge for much of that time wrongly focused American military resources on Irag, and not Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Now, almost a trillion dollars, and 4,000 lost lives by 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama, just starting what would become his successful presidential run, said that he would end the Iraq War, and go on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden right in Pakistan.

The statement led to a ton of criticism from his major presidential rivals. In a blog post dated Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at Zennie62.com, this blogger pushed-out for distribution what CNN's Ruben Navarrette Jr, wrote:

When Sen. Barack Obama suggested getting out of Iraq and moving "onto the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan," and then pledged, if elected president, to go into Pakistan if our military was in hot pursuit of "high-value terrorist targets" (read: Osama bin Laden), his opponents pounced.


Rudy Giuliani suggested that Obama should be more accommodating of Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Mitt Romney said that Obama was "confused as to who are our friends and who are our enemies." Sen. John McCain called Obama's remarks "kind of typical of his naivete." And Sen. Hillary Clinton said that Obama's foreign policy views were "irresponsible and frankly naive."

Now, fast-forward to 2011 and while Hillary Clinton is now Secretary of State, and Rudy Giuliani is semi-retired (or so it seems) Mitt Romney is talking about running for President, again. And Sen. John McCain doesn't seem to be in the mood of thanking President Obama, issuing this Twitter Tweet:

SenJohnMcCain John McCain
We finally got him, justice has been done. Read my full statement here http://tinyurl.com/3auckey...


Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), made the following statement this evening regarding the announcement made by President Obama that Osama Bin Laden has been killed:


"I am overjoyed that we finally got the world's top terrorist. The world is a better and more just place now that Osama bin Laden is no longer in it. I hope the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks will sleep easier tonight and every night hence knowing that justice has been done. I commend the President and his team, as well as our men and women in uniform and our intelligence professionals, for this superb achievement.


"But while we take heart in the news that Osama bin Laden is dead, we must be mindful that al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies are still lethal and determined enemies, and we must remain vigilant to defeat them."

That's great.  But never forget that it was McCain who wasted no time in saying then-Senator Obama was naive for wanting to go into Pakistan to get Bin Laden.  If McCain were POTUS, and not Obama, this day arguably would never have come. 

And the list of potential GOP Presidential Candidates who don't have the class to thank President Obama includes Sarah Palin and, of course, Mitt Romney, as of this writing.

What Were We Doing In Iraq?

All of this, this modern V-Jay Day, now brings back the question "What were we doing in Iraq?"   It was, indeed, not just the wrong war, but a costly war.   And we wasted years in Iraq while Osama Bin Laden gained enough time and money to have the giant compound in Pakistan constructed to keep him safe.  

Now, a revisiting of what the USA was doing over that time is in order, especially since it's clear Osama Bin Laden was no where near Iraq.

We got him.   In Pakistan.  

Stay tuned. 

Donald Trump Eviscerated On Twitter After White House Correspondents Dinner

Donald Trump's eroding brand name took another massive hit at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner, after the combination of jokes from President Barack Obama and Saturday Night Live Comedian Seth Myers blasted him for his focus on Obama's birth certificate.

Now, Sunday morning on Twitter sees "Seth Myers" as a trending topic, while the Twiterverse eviscerates Trump. If you've not seen the performance by Myers, it's in the video below, and you have to forward to the 12 minute mark to not miss his segment about The Donald.

Here's the video:

Donald Trump is, as one can tell from the photo here, not amused. Trump sat, looking like he was forced to eat a bitter, salty sandwich, because the jokes fired at him were a bitter, salty sandwich.

The joke getting the most play? Seth Myers: "I hear Donald Trump's running for President as a Republican, which is funny, because I thought he was running as a joke."

And on Twitter the Trump hits keep coming:

wajobu wajobu™
@realDonaldTrump We should verify your quals for biz viability before you declare bankruptcy on our nickel...again & again. #birther #mtp

Lippmania Jason Lippman
Never seen such a public shellacking like the one on @realDonaldTrump at #whcd, but he kind of asked for it. @BarackObama @sethmeyers21

talentdiva Adrienne Graham
@realDonaldTrump Pay attention. That's how it's done. You got served by @BarackObama & he didn't even have to hire anyone. Go sit somewhere!

maleah_jrm Maleah
The best part is watching him have to sit there and take it. @BarackObama takes down @RealDonaldTrump Sorkin-style http://goo.gl/36cvi

And there's more here: Donald Trump Blasted On Twitter.

Stay tuned.

2011 NFL Draft Thoughts And Video Interviews - Part One

While this is not the last blog post on the 2011 Nfl Draft, by this space, it's a good idea to start summing up what happened at the NFL's Annual Player Selection Meeting. The idea of segmenting thought into word groups is appropriate, accompanied by YouTube.com/Zennie62 2011 NFL Draft videos that fit them.

Chaos and Controversy

The off-then-on again nature of the National Football League Lockout and the overarching struggle with the NFL Players Association dominated and colored every aspect of the production of The NFL Draft, and made long time draftniks observe that it seemed to put the normally relaxed NFL staff on edge.

Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had to deal with how fans viewed the labor struggle, and constant questions from the media, including this blogger. Goodell handled it all with his customarily smooth intensity. Here, during the NFL Red Carpet, Goodell said he just wants the players to get back to the negotiating table, but seemed to imply getting them to do so was as hard as running against the 1985 Chicago Bears Defense:



And when the NFL Labor Issue wasn't the focus, former Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton was. Cam, for reasons that focus on classic American Cultural issues with outgoing, confident black men, became a polarizing figure. At times, it was hard to figure out if criticism of Newton was based on race issues or very real concerns. It was an issue I talked about to varying degrees with three NFL Draft Media veterans, NFL.com's Vic Cariucci, CBS Sports' Clark Judge, and NFL Network's Steve Mariucci (who provided a more comprehensive view of the quarterback situation beyond Cam Newton), as well as "McLovin" from The Dan Patrick Show:









Frankly, the entire Cam Newton Controversy really altered how I think about the NFL and the media. The criticisms of Newton's intellect and made-up assumptions about his character were all too much like classic ways that black men have been put-down in America.

Coupled with Donald Trump's overzealous focus on President Barack Obama's birth certificate, it seemed like some people and media institutions (like the USA Today) that America gave an iconic spotlight to were degenerating into institutional racists, bent on using the age-old image paint that tries to makes a black person look unAmerican in the case of President Obama and Mr. Trump, and unintelligent and dangerous in the case of Cam Newton and the USA Today.

Even Ryan Mallet, who was heavily hammered for his character issues and an arrogance that's not unlike Eminem at his defiant best, fell in the NFL Draft - fell up to The New England Patriots. Now, Ryan's in position to be the heir-apparent to Tom Brady. I'll bet even Newton's looking at that development with some envy, because at Carolina, the burden's on his shoulders, where Mallet can kick back and learn from the best. Still, Newton's in position to collect a big guaranteed check, and huge endorsement deals, as long as he keeps smiling. Right now, he's just relieved:



Still, I came away feeling a little sorry for Blaine Gabbert, because, while he welcomed the competition, had to feel a little weird being painted as the "white male" alternative to Cam Newton.

Here, in Gabbert, is a young man completely of the 21st Century, with tons of black friends and zero race issues, dealing with American Cultural issues with race mostly possessed by people contaminated by the racist stench of the 20th Century, and old enough to know better. Even as he may have been a kind of pawn in the game, the hype surrounding Gabbert landed him in a great place: Jacksonville. It's just that he wanted to be the number one pick - you could see that in his eyes:



Promise and Faith

Seeing new New York Giants Cornerback and 2011 NFL Draft First Round hire Prince Amakamura meet former New York Giant Tiki Barber, who's returning to the NFL, was interesting because it was just simply two ships passing in the day who had a lot of information of common interest to share. Tiki, a player under Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin, can certainly talk to Prince about how to work with "Coach C" and Prince Amakamura can learn about life as an NFL Player from Barber, and talk about how the college game as changed since Tiki played.



Moreover, Tiki Barber's return to football, while taking a promising path, is still really one big question mark until some NFL team expresses a need for him. This space is rooting for his return to the NFL, if only to add to his already expansive playing resume, but also to regain what seems to be the diminished sheen of his NFL playing career.

Fun Times And People - Next

Former Alabama Defensive Tackle Marcell Daureus is just plain ready to take over the Buffalo Bills Defense, and it shows in this interview below (and this blogger will post an interview with former Auburn and now Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley on Sunday night).



And in this area we have to place new Bengals Wide Receiver AJ Green, Denver Broncos new Linebacker Von Miller, and Green Bay Packers new pass-catcher Randall Cobb, who will bring a "Wild-Cobb" style to the Packers already explosive offense. Cobb's going to be fun to watch up there in the Frozen Tundra.

For more videos, visit Youtube.com/zennie62 and stay tuned for the next installment of this 2011 NFL Draft recap.

Stories Waiting to be Found at Your County’s “Office of the Unclaimed Dead”

What happens when someone dies who has no assets - or friends or relatives - to pay for his burial?

As our society becomes more and more fragmented, and the economic crisis worsens for more and more people, your jurisdiction may be struggling to pay for the disposition of bodies of indigents. Or, perhaps you've had a recent experience yourself with a neighbor or a friend, or even a local homeless person, who died unable to afford a burial. What happens then?

Procedures for pauper's burials vary widely by jurisdiction. It is one of those little-discussed arenas of public health, a topic that often intersects with the deaths of the homeless.

In Florida, counties bear the cost of burying indigents.  But, in Leon County, for instance, friends and relatives may not attend the burial at the Pauper's Cemetery, due to "liability issues," and cremation is not allowed. In Bexar County, Texas,  paupers are entitled to a simple casket, a viewing for up to two hours, burial three to a plot (one to a plot for children), a brief gravesite service, and a granite headstone. Cremation is allowed.

When I was a medical resident here in San Francisco, an Office of  the Unclaimed Dead (literally) handled paupers' burials. Now, the San Francisco Medical Examiner's office handles them.

San Francisco has roughly 250 indigent deaths a year to manage - approximately one a weekday. Richard Vetterli, adminstrator of the Office of the  Chief Medical Examiner, is the person charged with dealing with these cases.

Establishing identity is a crucial first step, Vetterli says. As in most major urban areas, San Francisco's medical examiner investigators use DNA databases and publicity. Most people are conclusively identified fairly quickly. But there are still, even after prolonged and intense efforts, John and Jane Does who remain unidentified, sometimes for years.

Read more...

Disclaimer: Identifiable patients mentioned in this post were not served by R. Jan Gurley in her capacity as a physician at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, nor were they encountered through her position there. The views and opinions expressed by R. Jan Gurley are her own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the City and County of San Francisco; nor does mention of the San Francisco Department of Public Health imply its endorsement.

Photo Credit:  Potters Field image from Bcostin via flickr

Photo Credit:  Tagged body image from Calvin Cropley via flickr

2011 NFL Draft Is History - Chada Ozugwu Is Mr. Irrelevant

2011 NFL Draft. Bill Chachkes and Zennie Abraham at Radio City Music Hall, a photo by zennie62 on Flickr.

As my friend and NFL Draft co-worker (for the 7th Year) Bill Chackhes and me, Zennie Abraham, pack up to leave Radio City Music Hall, Paul Salada has just announced that 254th pick in the 7th Round is to the Houston Texans - Chada Ozugwu DE, from Rice. He's Mr. Irrelevant!

For the 37th year, "Mr. Irrelevant" has been the focus of something called "Mr. Irrelevant Week." According to Mr. Salada, Ozugwu will be feted at "dinners and Disneyland" and everywhere around Newport Beach June 20th to June 24th.

Thanks To The NFL

This is my seventh year and it's been great working with the NFL. For 2012, I've asked Dr. Chackhes to be the Zennie62 NFL Draft Expert. The 2012 team in New York will be centered around him, as I design an approach and build a team for this event that takes better advantage of mobile tech.

Who Had The Best Draft?

As for which team had the best 2011 NFL Draft...

Stay tuned!

2011 NFL Draft - Cal Bears Represent

2011 NFL Draft Cal Bears Represent, a photo by zennie62 on Flickr.

The consistently improving football program at Cal (er, the University of California) is well represented at the 2011 NFL Draft here at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

First, four Golden Bears have been selected thus far: Defensive End Cameron Jordan to the New Orleans Saints in Round One, Running Back Shane Vereen to the New England Patriots in Round Two, Defensive Back Chris Conte to the Chicago Bears in Round Three, and Mike Mohamed, to the Denver Broncos in Round Six.

And while Mohamed's the steal of the draft among Cal players picked, there are other Golden Bears still on the board that will be great additions to the NFL: DL Keith Browner, OL Donovan Edwards, OL Richard Fisher, OL Chris Guarnero, DB Darian Hagan, DL Derrick Hill, LB Jerome Meadows, DB Bryant Nnabuife, OL Marvin Philip, LB Jarred Price, QB Kevin Riley, WR Jeremy Ross, and FB Will Ta'ufo'ou.

Riley recently worked out for San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, but the word on the NFL Draft Floor at Radio City as I write this is that Riley "can't read past the first receiver...And if his legs aren't in the air like a cockroach after getting hit, he's running for his life."

Right now, we're at Pick 246 in Round Seven. Maybe there's hope for Kevin Riley.

Cameron Jordan And Mike Silver

And this Cal Bears blog post would not be complete without a mention of long time NFL sports writer and friend, Yahoo!'s Mike Silver, who first cut his journalist's teeth as a sports writer for The Daily Californian. Now, Mike's famous for getting his best scoops while getting rat-blast-wasted with his NFL news sources.

Mr. Silver's not here, but was mentioned by fellow Yahoo! Sports reporters while the group of media were interviewing Jordan. In a video that will be uploaded Sunday, Jordan jokes about Silver and a kind of Silver-Fest breaks out. Off-camera, Jordan was warned not to drink with Mike, to which he responded "I already did!"

Stay tuned and GO BEARS!

Dallas Cowboys Get Tyron Smith, Steal Carter In 2011 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys went after the big offensive tackle they wanted in USC's Tyron Smith, and got what many see is the steal of the 2011 NFL Draft in LB Bruce Carter from North Carolina. For fans who wanted the Cowboys to go after a quarterback (and let's face it what fan doesn't?), Tony Romo's job is intact, even as fans point to the "need to address the quarterback position."

This space holds that it's a scheme problem at passer, not a talent problem. But this blogger digresses; back to the subject of the Dallas Cowboys and The 2011 NFL Draft.

Much is known about USC's Tyron Smith, the 6-5 307 pound left tackle with a 29-inch vertical leap and a 4.6 40-yard-dash time, who's one of those "set and forget" offensive linemen who will play in the NFL for something like 10 years. Zennie62.com NFL Draft Expert Dr. Bill Chachkes, says "he's a hard worker, who's very motivated to give his best all the time. The issue is how well he pick up what will be his third system in three years. He was with Pete Carroll, then Lane Kiffin, both at USC, and now the Cowboys. Because he came out early, that's three systems in three years."

Here's Smith against Cal last year:



But the talk is about Bruce Carter. At 6-2, 241 pounds, Carter's in the mold of Oakland Raiders Linebacker Rolando McClain, but while two-inches smaller, is just as fast - but some question his hitting ability. As this video of North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech shows, while Carter's not one who clobbers people, he gets to the ball, and in a hurry:



Still, Cowboy fans will be waiting to see Carter lay the wood to a Washington Redskins player.

A Fast RB

In 2011 NFL Draft Rounds Three to Six, the Cowboys took Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray, Missouri St. OT David Arkin, and Buffalo DB Josh Thomas, and East Carolina WR Dwayne Harris, the Cowboys addressed areas of depth concern, but no clear draft steals.

Of course, if DeMarco Murray lives up to his 1,214 yard 2010 effort, this blogger will have to erase that last sentence.

Oakland Raiders Miss QB, Add Beef In Wisniewski In 2011 NFL Draft

New York, NY - For the Oakland Raiders The 2011 NFL Draft may not have provided the bonanza of impact player picks of the 2010 NFL Draft, paced by speedster Jacoby Ford, but the Silver and Black did add beef in two top college lineman prospects: Stefen Wisniewski and Joseph Barksdale.

Stefen Wisniewski, from Penn St., is the nephew of popular Oakland Raiders Legend Steve Wisniewski, and a player Zennie62.com NFL Draft expert Dr. Bill Chachkes says can play "either left or right tackle, but really is best suited as a left tackle." By contrast, Joseph Barksdale, from LSU, is best at the right tackle position.

In between the two linemen, the Raiders added Miami's Demarcus Van Dyke, one of the fastest defensive backs at the 2011 NFL Combine. Here's a video highlight:



And in addition to fast, both Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa are at, or in the case of Mr. Chekwa, over 6-feet tall. Both are also knowns as DBs who can cover and hit - perfect for the Raiders style of play.

Adding Skill People

The Raiders added skill position players in the lower rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft, including Eastern Washington RB Taiwan Jones, Tennessee receiver Denarius Moore, and Miami Tight End Richard Gordon in rounds four, five, and six.

Of those three, Richard Gordon just may be the steal of all Raiders picks for this year thus far. Hammered by injury, his "good blocking but no-catch" rep was almost stuck on him for much of his time in college, but in 2009 he did make six grabs, and then-Miami Head Coach Randy Shannon remarked Gordon was even better in practice.

Looks like the Raiders got a player who's just seeing the upside of his potential.

Stay tuned.

Seattle Seahawks Go For Beef In 2011 NFL Draft

New York, NY - After a largely successful 2010 NFL Draft, the first for new Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks second campaign has the team adding more beef to the squad.

With the 25th pick in the 1st Round, the Hawks took Alabama offensive lineman James Carpenter, who some scouts say can start "immediately" at right tackle. Zennie62.com resident NFL draft expert Dr. Bill Chackhes says "He can play any position on the right side, tackle or guard, but has never played to his left. Seattle may want to convert him to left tackle, which may take time."

After Carpenter, the Seattle Seahawks added Wisconsin Guard John Moffitt, who will compete for a starting job at either right or left tackle. Both Moffitt and Carpenter are well over 300 pounds, and represent Coach Carroll's objective of improving the Seahawks's already punishing ground game.

In rounds Four and Five, the Hawks added a linebacker in Mississippi St.'s K.J. Wrights, and then the first skill position player, Georgia Wide Receiver Kris Durham. Defensive Backs Richard Sherman from Stanford and Mark Legree from Appalachian St. and the effective Nevade Wide Receiver Niles Paul round out the Seahawks's picks in Round Five.  

On Paul, Dr. Chachkes' friend Russ Landy of GM Junior, a scouting service (who's behind us on the NFL Draft Floor) says "Paul has good potential, but struggles to run routes, and is not a flexible as he could be."

No Quarterback?

Many Seattle Seahawks fans were looking for Coach Carroll to pick a quarterback to start their 2011 NFL Draft efforts. But the message sent appears to be that the organization likes it's current group of signal callers, even as veteran Matt Hasselbeck will not be returning to the team for the 2011 Season.

Stay tuned.

2011 NFL Draft - Ryan Mallett To Pats Is Talk Of Internet

As The 2011 NFL Draft comes to a close, (we're in Round Five as this blog post is written) the talk of the event is not Cam Newton to the Carolina Panthers, but former Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett, as he was drafted by the New England Patriots.

Dr. Bill Chachkes, Zennie62.com and Football Reporters Online Editor says that Mallett "Still (has) a great deal of potential, but he's got to learn to be humble behind Tom Brady. The Patriots will have to deal with his character issues."

It's those "character issues" that have caused Ryan Mallett, called "Big Tex" and the holder of the Arkansas school record for completions in a game (87 percent), to fall to the Pats late in the 3rd Round, when many projections had him picked as high at the 1st Round.

Specifically, some have called him "arrogant" and was said to have tested positive for drugs. Moreover the whispers around the NFL Draft floor are that Mallett admitted to the problem. That information was as much confirmed in the Kansas City Star.

But, with all that, Ryan Mallett is confirmed as the Pats new quarterback.

What Mallett brings to the table that makes him a steal for the Pats is perhaps the best pocket-presence and pro-style experience of any  of the 2011 NFL Draft QB Prospects.  Plus, there are throws Mallett made in college that aren't typical at that level of play.   For example, Mallett routinely throws without a hitch-step off play action from the I Formation. And Mallett, who's father is a coach and comes from a football family, is adept at reading defensive coverages, perhaps the best at this in the 2011 NFL Draft.

What happens to Mallett from here is in the hands of the Pats. Indeed, Ryan looks like he's in the best place for his future.