Wanderbra? No Dummy Wonderlic

Wonderlic as in the "Wonderlic Test". The famous test that Vince Young could care less about. And why not? He was drafted 3rd overall even after it was leaked Young scored a 6. What does that score mean? It means out of 50 questions on the test he got 6 correct. The test isn't multiple choice so he couldn't just pick circle A and get 25% of the questions correct.

They say smart people score in the low 30's. Most NFL QBs score in the high 20's to low 30's. Does anyone ace the test? Why yes. Why yes and that player just so happens to be from the great state of Utah. Mr. Kevin Curtis from Utah St. He scored a 50. While he was with the Rams he caught a TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Haaaaavard man, who scored in the high 40's on his test making that the highest Wonderlic pass in the history of the NFL.

The Wonderlic Test is administered at the NFL scouting combine along with all the other physical testing that gets done. If a player doesn't want to participate in the drills he simply puts on his sweatshirt signifying he won't be involved. We all wonder why Vince Young didn't put the sweatshirt on for the Wonderlic.

In honor of the impending draft we will be administering the test, albeit not full test on this blog. The full test is 50 questions last only 12 minutes. Our football crucible test will be 12 questions long which means participants only have 3 minutes to complete the test. I did round up on the time allowed so get your number 2 pencils and stopwatch out.

In a future edition of Football Crucible the answers will be posted so keep coming back everyday for your chance to find the answers.


Ready Set Go....

1. Assume the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one: 1) true 2) false 3) not certain

The boy plays baseball. All baseball players wear hats. The boy wears a hat.

2. Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will 4 pads cost?

3. How many of the five pairs of items listed below are exact duplicates?

Nieman, K.M. Nieman, K.M
Thomas, G.K. Thomas, C.K.
Hoff, J.P. Hoff, J.P.
Pino, L.R. Pina, L.R.
Warner, T.S. Wanner, T.S.

4. PRESENT RESENT-Do these words
1)have similar meanings 2) have contradictory meanings
3)mean neither the same nor the opposite

5. A train travels 20 feet in 1/5 second. As this speed, how many feet will it travel in three seconds?

6. When rope is selling at $.10 a foot, how many feet can you buy for sixty cents?

7. The ninth month of the year is

1) October 2) January 3) June 4) September 5) May

8. Which number in the following group of numbers represents the smallest amount?

________7__ .8___ 31___ .33____ 2

9. In printing an article of 48,000 words the printer decides to use two sizes of type. Using the larger type, a printed page contains 1,800 words. Using the smaller type, a page contains 2,400 words. The article is allotted 21 full pages in a magazine. How many pages must be in smaller type?

10. Three individuals form a partnership and agree to divide the profits equally. X invests $9,000, Y invests $7,000, Z invests $4,000. If the profits are $4,800, how much less does X receive than if the profits were divided in proportion to the amount invested?

11. Assume the first two statements are true. Is the final one:

1)true 2) false 3) not certain?

Tom greeted Beth. Beth greeted Dawn. Tom did not greet Dawn.

12. A boy is 17 years old and his sister is twice as old. When the boy is 23 years old, what will be the age of his sister?

13. Are Ivanka Trump's boobs

1) God-given real
2) A plastic surgeons masterpiece
3) Digitally enhanced





There you have it Ladies and Gentlemen an expert from the Wonderlic Test. If you can't wait to know how you scored send your humble blog host your answers and he'll send you back your score.

Good luck

P.S.

If 13 is the only question you answered correctly then you can play for the Raiders.






Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt

One Month to go!

Ladies and Gentlemen please give your attention to me.

In one month the fortunes of 32 NFL teams will change at the 2008 NFL draft from the Radio City Music Hall. We can all start the countdown.

In other news the NFL will release its 2008 schedule this Monday! We all know where the first game will be played. We all thought it would in New England 2 months ago but no the Giants took a wrecking ball to that. The first game will be on September 4th at Giants stadium and the rumored opponent will be the Dallas Cowboys. I'm already forecasting a Cowboys win.

More importantly though after Monday I can plan my annual pilgrimage to Invesco Field at Mile High. There will need to be airplane tickets reserved and tickets purchased. All in anticipation for the best sporting event on earth!

Go Broncos!

My heart is where its always been

My head is somewhere in between

As Promised: The Broncos second round draft choice

The second round needs to fill a need for the Broncos. It will weigh heavily on what the Broncos do in the first round. Many believe the Broncos will trade down to get more 2nd and 3rd round picks. (Denver traded their 3rd round pick last year for Marcus Thomas)

Two factors will determine whether the Broncos trade their first round pick. First, what picks they get in return. Second, how good of a player Ryan Harris is. Harris was a third round pick last year. He never really played until the end of the season due to back surgery. The word from Dove Valley is that the Broncos have very high regards for him as a player.

The Left Offensive Tackle position is one of the most important spots on a roster and if Harris is not a top flight tackle they should consider drafting an offensive tackle in the first round. On the right side of the line is Erik Pears. A big body for the Broncos line who struggles with speed rushers that use leverage to get around the corner, for example against San Diego's outside linebackers.

The Broncos biggest need is down the center of the defense. Where the real football players play. Denver would best be served by drafting a Defensive Tackle at this spot. If Pat Sims, 6-2 310 Auburn, is available they should take him. If Sims is off the board Denver should look at a quality Middle Linebacker. In the worst case scenario he would be a good special teams/bench player. Its no secret Denver has struggled tackling in the punt and kick returns. The best two players that might be available are Jerod Mayo, 6-2 235 4.65-40 Tennessee, or Curtis Lofton, 6-0 235 Oklahoma. Either one would make a valuable upgrade to the run defense.

Some suggest that Denver needs to select a speed receiver on the first draft day. Speed receivers are so hit and miss. Right now Denver needs safe reliable picks. With two 4th round selection they can gamble on one and not be too burned if he doesn't produce.

Don't believe what you hear

Don't belive what you see

If you just close your eyes you can feel the enemy

Who should the Broncos Draft?

Successful teams in the NFL know how to draft, period.

Drafting is the most important aspect of a winning team. It supersedes coaching and free agency. Just ask the Cowboys of the mid-90's. Jerr'a Jones claimed 500 people were capable of coaching the Cowboys after his ego booted Jimmy Johnson out the door. They got their coach but their ability to draft left with Johnson and the team started to denigrate until Jerr'a convinced a draft genius to be their coach enter Bill Parcells and the resurrection of the Cowboys.

The Broncos are at a crossroads. They thought they could contend last year but had too many holes to fix. Bad schemes and bad personal lead to a mediocre season. The Broncos did some house cleaning and showed some players and some from the front office the exit door.

The Broncos are suffering from the poor drafting they made between 2003 and 2005. They weren't able to draft role players to fill in the cracks. They were able to smooth things over slightly by making some clever trades in getting Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. Other trades didn't work out with the Browns for instance but they didn't give up anyone of consequence. The problem with trading or getting good players in free agency is that they require lots of $$$. In today's NFL managing the salary cap is right below drafting. Having your money tied up in a few players will tie the whole franchise's hand behind the back. Presently the Oakland Raiders are demonstrating this. They have a lot of money tied to a few players who are not game breakers and that will break them for years to come. Thanks Al!

The cheapest way to run a successful team is to buy your (quality) meat at the meat market known as the NFL draft. They lack experience but they come cheaply especially after the first round. The first round is the most important round. Every team can get a player that contributes to the team. He might not be a game changer but he should fill holes. Every first rounder (with the exception of the QB) should be starting by the 4th game or be a key reserve. A team that misses on first rounders will inconsistent i.e. missing the playoffs and drafting high each year (Detroit Lions).

Who should the Broncos draft in the first round with the 12th overall pick? The Broncos have many holes. Football games are won in the trenches and the Broncos were sub par on both sides of the ball. The results were poor red zone production and atrocious run defense. The Broncos really need a play maker in the defensive tackle position. Unfortunately the top 2 defensive tackles, Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis that are capable of this will be off the board by the time the Broncos are on the clock. My choice would have been Sedrick Ellis from USC. Dorsey got all the press last year but Ellis would have been the nose tackle Denver needs.

This year however has strong crop of first round talent at the Offensive Tackle position. Denver needs a good replacement for Matt Lepsis who never fully recovered from ACL surgery and then retired. Lepsis was beaten with both speed and power. His time was up. Everyone is really high on Jake Long from Michigan. He wouldn't fit into the Broncos left tackle position. He his a good run blocker but he'd be beaten all the time by speed rushers like Shawn Merriman. The next two OTs would work much better for Denver's needs: Ryan Clady from Boise St. or Chris Williams from Vanderbilt.



If both were still on the board when Denver's on the clock I'd take Chris Williams. Ryan Clady is rated higher on most mock drafts but I like Williams over Clady. He doesn't have the same power as Clady but he has much quicker feet. Williams also scored a very high wonderlic test. Offensive linemen need to be smart. An underrated aspect to their position. I question Clady coming from a school like Boise St. He played well against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl but the Sooners don't haven't played a good bowl game in years. Williams went up against the best of the best in the SEC week after week. He should have plenty of tape to show him going up against the best pass rushers in the country. Another plus is that he is the former teammate of Jay Cutler.

Either OT would improve Denver in giving Cutler protection and opening holes for the running game in the red zone. Denver's Achilles last year.

Next post: Denver's second round selection.

One stop down the line

Hope I make it on time

For all the doubters

For all of you who didn't believe I'd form a blog: This one's for you!