1. Royal is making his presence felt in other facets of the game
After hauling in 91 receptions for 980 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie last year, Eddie Royal has largely been a bust in his second year. But he proved Monday night that he could contribute in other areas, especially on special teams. He returned a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter and a 71-yard punt return in the second quarter. As Denver’s offense sputtered in the first half, Royal provided a major spark.

2. The Broncos’ offensive line has been fantastic
Kyle Orton has turned out to be a great fit for Josh McDaniels’ offense, but he owes a lot of his success to his O-line. They’ve protected him like Fort Knox all season and did so again Monday night. Orton had all day to throw and was accurate when his receivers broke free from defenders. The Broncos’ front five continues to be one of the better units in the league.

3. The Chargers’ defense is a mess
One would have thought Ron Rivera would have fixed some of San Diego’s defensive issues during the team’s bye week. But the same problems that the Bolts had heading into the bye were evident again tonight: They couldn’t generate any pressure, they didn’t tackle well and they couldn’t come up with the big stop when they needed it. The Broncos did whatever they wanted offensively in the second half.

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Remember this offseason when Ray Lewis put up a small stink about being disrespected as he attempted to coax a long-term deal out the Ravens? Due to his age (34), Lewis was criticized for demanding too much money and not settling for his market value.

When the dust settled, Lewis agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract that was incentive laden. He then reportedly lost 15 pounds from his last season’s playing weight and looked leaner and quicker in preseason.

In the Ravens’ 31-26 win over the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday, Lewis once again proved that he could still play at an elite level in the NFL. He racked up 12 tackles (10 solo), one QB hit and three tackles for loss. He also saved his best play for his last.

With the Ravens nursing a 31-26 lead with 37 seconds remaining, the Chargers faced a 4th and 2 from Baltimore’s 15-yard line. If they picked up the first down, they would have four cracks at the end zone and have the opportunity to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.

With a hand injury limiting Philip Rivers’ passing ability, San Diego decided to pull its guards and run to the right side with Darren Sproles in efforts to pick up the first down. But Lewis blitzed on the play, slid past the Chargers’ guards and dropped Sproles for a five-yard loss. The San Diego offensive linemen must have figured that Lewis would be chasing Sproles on the play as they moved past him. But he damn near took the handoff for Sproles in the backfield as he read the play perfectly from the start.

This isn’t the same Baltimore defense without Rex Ryan and Bart Scott. But you’d be insane to think that Lewis will allow his team to take a step back now that Ryan is in New York.

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson rolled his ankle in the first quarter of the Chargers’ 24-20 win over the Raiders on Monday night. He returned to the sidelines, but watched as teammate Darren Sproles scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.

Many thought before the year started that LT would be a candidate to rebound this season, although “rebound” is a relative word seeing as how he still rushed for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns in ‘08.

But regardless of his ankle injury, it now it appears that he and Sproles are going to get equal amount of time in the offense. It’s apparent that age has caught up with LT and that Sproles is more of a weapon in the passing game. I assume that San Diego will still split the amount of touches that both backs receive, which means that LT’s 300-carry seasons are over.

As for the game, the Raiders played inspired football and actually looked better than the Bolts for much of the contest. If Richard Seymour is upset about being traded to Oakland, he didn’t show it last night because he lived in San Diego’s backfield.

JaMarcus Russell still has major issues with his accuracy. It’s not that he’s susceptible to throwing a ton of interceptions (although he did throw two last night), it’s just that he misfires badly and usually winds up throwing passes 10 feet over his receivers’ heads. Still, he showed flashes of promise and should have had two touchdown passes to his credit last night instead of just one, but receiver Louis Murphy dropped a pass in the end zone towards halftime. (Although it wasn’t a clean drop; officials called it a touchdown and then overturned the ruling when they saw Murphy didn’t hang onto the ball all the way down to the ground.)

I’m going to channel my inner Peter King and dole out a crap load of quick-hit thoughts on last weekend’s NFL draft, which by the way, was one of the more unpredictable drafts I have ever witnessed.

Below are 65 observations from the 2009 NFL Draft. Why 65? I don’t know – don’t worry about it. Originally I came up with 62, but I know that some people freak out when things aren’t in round numbers, so I added three more. But the number 65 means nothing, so don’t waste time searching for its meaning.

Obviously these are all my opinions and feel free to debate them. But before you do, I already know that it supposedly takes three seasons to fully grade a draft and that no prospect is a sure thing. Again, I’m projecting here – so lighten up and let’s strike up some good debates.

1. Outside of the fact that he’s now a millionaire and could buy a small country, I kind of feel bad for Matthew Stafford. You know some halfwit fan or media member can’t wait to utter the comment, “For $72 million, he should have made that pass.” I hate the fact that money plays such a huge role in sports because when you get down to it, completing a pass, making a catch or kicking a field goal has nothing to do with how many zeros are on your paycheck.

2. I know I’m not saying anything new here, but the rookie salary structure is a joke. When teams don’t even want a top 5 pick anymore because of the financial burden that comes with it, there’s a huge problem.

3. The kid could turn out to be the next Ryan Leaf on the field, but Lion fans have to at least take comfort in the fact that Matthew Stafford is saying all the right things at this point. He did an interview with the NFL Network on Sunday and he talked about how he wants to be a starter right away, but also wants to learn and be patient in his development. From all accounts, he looks like he has a great head on his shoulders.

4. If Tyson Jackson turns out to be the next Richard Seymour like Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli believes, then nobody is going to remember (or care) that he was taken with the third overall pick in a weak draft class.

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As the NFL draft rolls on over the next two days, I’ll post picks, thoughts and stay on top of any rumors that I hear and post them here. Enjoy.

2:55PM ET: Mike Mayock of the NFL Network claims that his “cell phone is blowing up” with reports that the Jets are trying to trade up to No. 2 for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

3:19PM ET: According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins will select Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler at No. 25.

3:22PM ET: The Rams could trade back into the first round for middle linebacker Rey Maualuga according to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.

3:38PM ET: I’m shocked the Chiefs passed on Aaron Curry, but all the pre-draft rumors that said Tyson Jackson would be their pick were obviously dead on. Jackson is the best 3-4 end in the draft and obvious was a commodity.

3:40PM ET: The Browns got exactly what they wanted with this trade. They weren’t in love with anyone at No.5 and managed to trade out. Great move – I wonder what kind of ransom the Browns got.

3:42PM ET: Mike Mayock just made a great point about the Jets trading up to No. 5. What team did they want to get ahead of to go all the way up to No. 5?

3:45PM ET: DE Kenyon Coleman, QB Brett Ratliff, S Abram Elam No. 17 and No. 57. A sleeper in this deal is Elam, who is one of the more promising safeties in the draft.

3:52PM ET: The Bengals select OT Andre Smith – another low character guy for their low-character roster. He is a tremendous talent, but he comes with a ton of baggage.

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This is it – the week NFL draft nuts have been waiting for. Soon enough, prospects will know what cities they’re headed to and draft mock experts everywhere will look like idiots when less than half of their predictions are correct despite spending hours of time researching the picks.

I say it every year – the NFL draft is a crapshoot in terms of trying to make predictions. Nobody knows how high prospects are rated on draft boards around the league except the teams themselves. So while it’s fun to project who will go where, nobody has a clue – not Mike Mayock, not Mel Kiper and certainly not Anthony Stalter. (Did I just refer to myself in the third person? What a joke.)

The following is my third and final mock of the first round. In my previous two mocks, I had some fun by predicting potential trades that could play out, but I won’t do it here. I’m playing this mock “straight up” because predicting trades in the first round is harder to do than predicting what kind of mood Billy Bob Thornton will be in when he sits down to give an interview. Zing!

Some of you will inevitably feel as though that I have teams reaching with their picks. That’s fine, but realize that reaches are going to happen come Saturday because they’re just a part of the draft. If you disagree with any of my picks, go ahead and let me hear about it in the comments section. After all, the NFL draft is a spectacle and it’s supposed to be fun for fans. Enjoy all the action on Saturday and good luck to your favorite team on draft weekend.

(Click here to see Mock Draft Version 1.0 and Mock Draft Version 2.0)

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In my first attempt to project the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, I predicted the Lions to take Georgia’s Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick, Alabama’s offensive tackle Andre Smith to fall out of the top 15 and I also drummed up a potential swap between the Browns and 49ers so that San Fran could land USC signal caller Mark Sanchez.

But to paraphrase that overactor Nicholas Cage in “The Rock”: Gee, kind of a lot has happened since then. Most notably the Bears sending two first round picks to the Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler and the Giants’ release of receiver Plaxico Burress.

Here’s my second attempt at projecting the first round of this month’s draft. As always, feel free to criticize in the comments section, but remember that I’m a human – I have feelings, too, damn it. So be gentle.

(Click here to see Mock Draft Version 1.0)

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Mock 1.0 Projection: Stafford
Nothing in the past couple of weeks has changed my mind about Stafford eventually winding up in Detroit. GM Martin Mayhew reportedly wants to trade this selection because of the financial burden that is bestowed upon having the top overall pick, but other teams don’t want it for the same reason. In the end, Jason Smith (Baylor) and Eugene Monroe (Virginia) are both very good options here, but the Lions were reportedly very impressed with Stafford’s private workout and you know what? They simply need a quarterback.

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Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune expects the Chargers to select a running back in the first round of this month’s NFL draft.

I have said in my first two mock drafts that the Chargers will take Chris “Beanie” Wells from Ohio State. I think that’s the guy. General Manager A.J. Smith was at his Pro Day, and Wells is visiting San Diego next week.

But there is plenty of reason to doubt the Chargers will ultimately choose Wells with the 16th pick.
First, Wells might be gone. Teams in front of the Chargers reportedly are mulling their running back needs. Wells, for instance, has visits and/or workouts scheduled with Seattle (fourth pick), Cleveland (fifth), Cincinnati (sixth) and Denver (12th).

Also, I believe very strongly that Smith is going to work his way back into the second round. And there is a faction in the Chargers’ front office that believes Connecticut’s Donald Brown is the best value for the Chargers. A projected second-round pick, Brown is in San Diego now, a week after Smith attended his Pro Day.

Considering LaDainian Tomlinson restructured his contract in order to stay in San Diego, Darren Sproles was franchised and running back isn’t an immediate need for the Chargers, drafting a back in the first round would seem like an unwise move. But LT proved last year that he’s starting to wear down, Sproles has yet to sign his franchise tender and therefore there is no guarantee that either will be on the roster past 2009. And despite finishing 8-8 last year, the Chargers don’t have a ton of needs to address, so getting their running back of the future in a strong running back draft class makes sense.

The only question becomes, will the Chargers take a back like Beanie Wells in the first round or try to trade back for a prospect like Knowshon Moreno or Donald Brown?

LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers were able to come together on a restructured contract that allows the running back to stay in San Diego.

The deal, which concludes nearly two weeks of contract talks, will also allow Tomlinson to make the $6.725 million he was scheduled to earn this season. That amount was originally in base salary, but has been restructured to be part signing bonus and part salary to help the team create room under the salary cap. Tomlinson’s pay for this season had been a sticking point because his backup, Darren Sproles, is scheduled to make $6.6 million this season as a result of the one-year tender for being designated with the team’s franchise tag.

As part of the deal, Tomlinson also reworked the final two years of the contract to help the Chargers. Tomlinson will reduce his base salaries of $8 million in 2010 and $9.275 million in 2011. Tomlinson will be able to earn the money back in incentives. In addition, some of his contract will be converted to a roster bonus payable in March 2010, forcing the Chargers to have to make an earlier decision on whether to keep him.

“I love San Diego and being a part of this team with my teammates,” said Tomlinson. “My No. 1 priority was to stay here in San Diego. I truly believe this is the place that gives me the best chance to be successful and win a championship. I want to finish the job we started when I got here eight years ago. My heart has always been in San Diego. I couldn’t imagine putting on another uniform.

“I really appreciate the role Dean played throughout this process. He made it work for everyone, and I appreciate his friendship more than he knows.”

Good to see this deal get done. Just because LT didn’t put up LT-like numbers last year, doesn’t mean that he’s done. With a full offseason of rest, he can join Darren Sproles again in San Diego’s backfield next year and hopefully have a bounce back season.

But what I want to know is – where is A.J. Smith in all over this? How big (or small) of a role did he have in re-working this deal?