2011 College Football Preview: #25 Clemson Tigers

Clemson was in control. Leading Auburn 17-0 just before the half, the Tigers looked like the team we had been waiting on ever since their placement near the top of the polls prior to 2009. But the '09 squad ended up being smashed in their opener by the eventual national champs, and never recovered. After Kyle Parker received a brutal helmet-to-the-back in the 3rd quarter vs. the eventual national champs, neither did he.

The Tigers went on to drop three straight and seven of their final 11 contests. In essence, the Parker injury and the ensuing fallout served as a microcosm of Clemson football since, well, as long as I can remember. Which is another way of saying that Clemson hasn't won much of anything since the late 80's, despite a superb fan base, a constant influx of talented players and an SEC-like atmosphere in Death Valley. 

But, with an ever-explosive offense and without the burden of such high expectations, 2011 sets up as what could be a brand new chapter in Clemson football. One that is written about exceeding expectations, rather than failing to meet expectations.

Begin Slideshow

Simone Mütherthies Carrie Underwood Rosario Dawson Tricia Helfer Elena Lyons

Flames: Thanks to Bautista nomadic Patterson has found a home

Entering spring training, Corey Patterson was driftwood winding down a river of uncertainty. For the sixth time in as many years, the once cherished Cubs phenom ? recall he was second only to Josh Hamilton in Baseball America's prospect ranks in 2001 ? donned a different jersey, hoping to resuscitate a career on life-support.

Despite his dreadful on-base percentage, impatient eye and hole-filled swing, the Jays, looking to add outfield depth, signed the vagrant to a minor league deal in December. His ability to swipe a bag and defensive versatility offered some value. Still, when camp opened in February, most pegged Patterson would uphold his unflattering "Peppermint" nickname.

However, as the season unfolded, injuries to Scott Podsednik, Rajai Davis and Adam Lind provided the drifter with yet another chance at redemption.

Shockingly, he's taken advantage.

On Tuesday, Patterson added one more hit and run to a monstrous month. Over 117 May at-bats, he tallied a .308 BA with two homers, 16 RBI, 21 runs and four steals, the 10th-best output among outfielders and 17th-best overall. After his nine-hit explosion over two games during the Memorial Day weekend, needy fantasy players couldn't swap spatulas for iPhones fast enough.

Doubters, on the other hand, shrugged off the outburst. After all, this was the same abomination who in 2008 with the Reds posted one of the worst lines by a semi-regular in recent memory (.205-10-34-45-14). To skeptics, Jim Tressel was more trustworthy.

Not long ago, Patterson was a highly sought after power/speed combo. In 2004, his best season as a pro, he accumulated a smorgasbord of stats, totaling a .266-24-72-91-32 line. Even last year in his second tour of duty with the Orioles, he again contributed balanced production netting a .269-8-32-43-21 tally in just 308 at-bats. Extrapolate that data over 550 at-bats (.269-14-57-76-37), and the value difference between him and Angel Pagan was practically negligible.

Despite a .293-12-78-84-21 pace, the 22-percent owned outfielder has attracted few admirers. Baseball's Ted Nugent, Luke Scott, is rostered on more teams. Yes, he still refuses to take walks, but his sharp Ks decline ('10 K%: 24.4; '11: 19.6) and contact increase are positive signs for ongoing success.

Though those advancements are revealing, the real reason for Patterson's turnaround is Jose Bautista. The home run king's presence has served the two-hitter a steady diet of grapefruits. Patterson, understanding pitchers will be more aggressive with him early in at-bats, has mashed when ahead. Eighteen of his 26 RBIs have occurred on pitches after 1-0 counts. Couple that with an 87.5 contact rate on pitches inside the zone, and the career .255 hitter could sustain an average above .270, provided he doesn't fall behind. When buried (after 0-1) he's notched a lowly .159 BA with 31 strikeouts.

John Farrell's aggressive strategy on the basepaths ? the Jays lead the Majors in stolen base attempts ? is another reason to buy. Remember, three times in his career Patterson has swiped at least 32 bags. Given the abundance of green lights he's sure to receive, 30-35 steals isn't out of the question. Throw in his 12-15 home run pop and sound runs production, and at worst he's a fourth OF or UTIL option in 12-team and deeper mixed leagues. By year's end, his overall worth could be identical to Michael Brantley's (50-percent owned), assuming he sticks in the everyday lineup.

When Lind is activated later this week, Patterson's playing time could get complicated. With Rajai Davis locked in center and Bautista holding down duties in right, Lind and Juan Rivera, who are both capable of playing left-field, will need to find at-bats. Considering Patterson is a more reliable glove, Farrell will likely use Rivera as a fourth outfielder/part-time first baseman while toggling Lind between 1B/DH. Bottom line: perennial deadweight Edwin Encarnacion looks to be the odd man out. If CP can continue to lay the lumber, he will be a starting fixture.

Smack dab in the middle of his prime, the well-traveled 30-year-old looks to have finally planted firm roots.

Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 306 at-bats, .270 BA, 9 HR, 49 RBI, 58 R, 18 SB

DISCOUNT DEN
Interesting commodities owned in 25-percent or less of Yahoo! leagues

Tony Campana, ChC, OF (one-percent owned) ? Outside Jose Reyes, Michael Bourn and possibly Terrell Pryor, no one has more wheels than Campana. Thrust into the starting lineup after injuries to Marlon Byrd and Reed Johnson, the baby-faced 22-year-old has taken the job and run with it … literally. A nightmare on the basepaths, he harassed the Astros staff on Memorial Day stealing four bases with ease. Because of his plus defense, slight build and on-field exuberance, an attitude Mike Quade "just loves," he's naturally drawn comparisons to ex-Cub Sam Fuld. Though his physical appearance and style of play is reminiscent of the Tampa outfielder, Campana, in fantasy terms, is Jason Bourgeois revisited, a short-term deep league speed grab with BA upside. Last season at Double-A West Tennessee, the slap specialist took 48 bases while kicking in a .317 BA over 131 games. As Pianowski noted Monday, if you're trying to gain traction in SBs, the very available rookie could net 7-10 steals over the next two weeks. And that could be a conservative estimate.

Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 197 at-bats, .278 BA, 0 HR, 24 RBI, 28 R, 21 SB

Ryan Raburn, Det, 2B/OF (23-percent) ? While Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and surprise sensation Alex Avila have jolted the Rock City, the popular preseason sleeper has barely wailed the whammy bar. Admittedly, he hasn't exactly lived up to my Kelly Johnson of '11 label. However, with Scott Sizemore now shagging balls in Oakland, the toyed with infielder finally has a place to call home. That is, for now. A hideous 36.3 K percentage and propensity for weak fly-outs (0.54 GB/FB) has kept his long-ball potential under wraps, an underwhelming performance Jim Leyland believes is the result of an overly "long swing." If the despondent slugger can tighten the screws, expect him to venture into Flames territory very soon. He is too good a power hitter to flounder the entire season. Keep in mind from 2009-2010, he reached the bleachers once every 20.3 at-bats, a 25-30 HR pace if extrapolated over a full season. Steadily dropped over the past several weeks, Raburn deserves one more chance, particular for managers with a pop need at middle infield.

Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 298 at-bats, .267 BA, 15 HR, 43 RBI, 36 R, 2 SB

Dillon Gee, NYM, SP (eight-percent) ? A new catch phrase sure to grace the front of t-shirts in the Big Apple is also sweeping through deep leagues in Fantasyland; Gees up, batters down. Shades of Rick Reed '97, the mediocre prospect has exceeded expectations so far this season, developing into the Mets' most consistent starter. The youngster credits his relationship with battery-mate Josh Thole who he worked extensively with in the minors for his success. Through seven starts, the backstop's presence has helped Gee record a commendable 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and five wins. Dissecting the scouting report, the righty isn't blessed with overpowering stuff, instead relying on deception to draw weak contact and whiffs. So far, it's worked to perfection. His fastball/change combo has regularly mystified the opposition indicative in his 10.3 swinging strike percentage, 7.09 K/9 and 1.24 GB/FB ratio. He also has benefited from good fortune (.241 BABIP), which arrows to an ERA rise, but given Citi Field's spacious comforts, he is likely to maintain a sub-4.00 ERA over the remainder of the season. If you're a deep-thinking owner in need of back-of-the-rotation stability, you could do far worse than Gee.

Fearless Forecast (rest of season): 137.1 IP, 7 W, 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 109 K

Want to bean Brad in the head? Bring the heat on Twitter @YahooNoise.

--

Images courtesy of US Presswire/Getty

Jessica White Anna Friel Monica Bellucci Minki van der Westhuizen Katharine Towne

Pacquiao involved in minor fender bender, but will still fight tonight

Manny Pacquiao's a guy who thrives on chaos, but even he didn't enjoy this morning's wild ride in Las Vegas just hours before his showdown with Shane Mosley.

"Sources close to Pacquiao tell TMZ he was traveling in a fleet of cars after church today, when one of Manny's security vehicles collided with the car carrying Manny.

We're told Pacquiao is back at his hotel now, where his trainer, Freddie Roach, checked him out. According to our source, Pacquiao is just a little shaken up … but he's okay to go for tonight."

The L.A. Times said a Pacman publicist called the accident a tap.

Las Vegas is fired up for the Pacquiao-Mosley fight. Over 6,000 attended the weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden arena, with several hundred more fans turned away.

Pacman can't go anywhere without being noticed. Freddie Roach told ESPN1100 in Las Vegas that Pacquiao went for a secret run on Thursday at a track on the campus of UNLV and a few hundred fans showed up.

Danica Patrick Josie Maran Leighton Meester Dominique Swain Jamie Chung

Support pours in for legendary Argonauts' coach Cahill

One of the remarkable things about the world of Canadian football is just how small a community it is. Operating with mostly the same teams for over 50 years, everyone either knows almost everyone else directly or knows someone else who knows them. The latest example of that is the incredible outpouring of support for former Toronto Argonauts' coach Leo Cahill in just a couple of days after The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons wrote a column about his health struggles. As Simmons describes, an incredible amount of people have written in from all over North America with words of support for Cahill and fond memories of his tenure with the Argonauts, demonstrating both the importance of the CFL's history and the close-knit community it still has today. There were memorable responses from other CFL legends like Don Matthews and Dave Ridgway, but it may be those from average fans that sum up Cahill's importance best:

But mostly, the responses came from almost every province, from names you wouldn't know, from an older demographic, some from the United States, from those who used to live here and have since moved away, all of them touched in one way or another by the former coach. It's amazing what people remember. They remember what seats they sat in at Exhibition Stadium. My dad and I were in Section J, Row 49. I got notes yesterday from those who sat in L and F and H. We were on the covered side of the stadium. We were the ones laughing whenever it rained.

And so many wrote in about father and son memories and the bond that any sporting situation can bring. If Leo Cahill did anything important in his time with the Argos - and he did lots - then the relationships formed between fathers and daughters and sons has to be near the top of any list.

"Thank you Mr. Cahill for being such an important part of a father and son bonding experience," a fan named Larry Henderson wrote. "My son and I now attend games ... and my son is always reminded of the glory days at CNE Stadium, which was always packed with fans and usually cheering for Leo and the Double Blue. Long live Leo. My dad always said you were the toughest of the Argos."

Cahill's toughness has never been in question, but he is facing significant odds. As Simmons described in his first piece, the 83-year-old Cahill's health challenges are getting worse and worse. Like many of his old teams, though, Cahill is refusing to go down without a fight:

"It's a miracle I'm alive," he answered, as I asked how he was doing. Cahill, the former Argo coach, general manager and Canadian Football League rogue, is 83 years old and struggling. "The doctors didn't think I would live through this," he said. "You know I'm a tough son of a bitch. But what the hell, you've got to fight, right? I'm not going to lie to you, though. It's been a tough go."

Cahill went in for heart surgery in London about a month ago and four hours into what should have been a four-hour operation, the surgeon came out to talk to his son, Terry. The doctor had bad news. Cahill's aorta had ripped during surgery. They were going to try and replace it. They weren't sure if it was going to work or if the patient was going to survive. The surgery ended more than four hours later.

"It was touch and go for a while," said Cahill, who lives in Sarnia, and was operated on at University Hospital in London. "But I'm home now, I'm up and walking around a little. I'm still pretty tired every day. They say it's going to be a slow process. That's what everybody says. I'm a little bit slow in my thinking and a little bit tired in my walking, but what the hell, I just keep plugging away at it."

That kind of incredible effort and determination despite continual setbacks personified Cahill's coaching career. He got his start with the Montreal Alouettes in 1960, working under Perry King, and stayed there until 1964 thanks to the appointment of new coach Jim Trimble. Montreal's loss was Toronto's gain, as Cahill moved west and took over the semipro Toronto Rifles of the Continental Football League. He built them into a powerhouse, then took over the Argonauts just before the 1967 season and immediately made them a force to be reckoned with. The team only went 5-8-1 that year, but they made the playoffs for the first time in six years before losing to Ottawa. They got even better the following year, going 9-5 and making it all the way to the East Final before again falling to the Rough Riders. It's 1969 that provided one of the most notable moments of Cahill's tenure, though; the team went 10-4 in the regular season and advanced to the East Final to again face Russ Jackson's Roughriders. They were favoured to win this time, and took the first leg of the two-game series 22-14 in Toronto. As described in Stephen Drake's excellent book Weird Facts About Canadian Football, that prompted Cahill to be his usual quotable self, with memorable results:

Two days after the first victory over Ottawa, at a luncheon in Toronto, Cahill confidently stated, "It will take an act of God to beat us," and then followed up with another bold statement that the Argos were "physically better than any team in Canada." The press played up the coach's quotes, setting the stage for a grudge-filled match the following week in Ottawa.

The night before Saturday's game, heavy rain combined with a sudden cold snap turned Ottawa's Lansdowne Park into a skating rink. The Ottawa trainers outfitted the Rough Rider players with broomball shoes, while the Argos flopped around in conventional cleats. Led by the brilliant quarterbacking of Russ Jackson, Ottawa totally dominated in a 32-3 romp, winning the two-game series 46-25.

The Riders, their fans and the press weren't shy in throwing Cahill's divinely inspired words back at him. Some said Jackson (pictured above getting a pass away against Toronto's Mike Blum in that game) didn't need a ride to Landsdowne Park that afternoon; he just walked across the ice floes of the Rideau Canal to get to the game. Others said that even if the Twelve Apostles had suited up for the Argos, the outcome would have been the same.

That wasn't the only time Cahill's Argos seemed to have divine providence conspiring against them. They were a memorable bunch in 1970 from a couple of perspectives; they had one of the most talented teams in Canada and were also one of the only teams with plenty of long hair, making them the Canadian sports world's equivalent of rock stars. They turned in a strong regular-season performance, but crashed out of the playoffs in the East semi-final against Montreal. 1971 looked even better, particularly with the addition of standout Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann, and the Argos rolled all the way to the Grey Cup at Vancouver's Empire Stadium, where they took on the underdog Calgary Stampeders in a torrential downpour.

Toronto's offence struggled at first, and they trailed 14-3 at the half, but they stormed back. A "Tricky" Dick Thornton interception put the Boatmen on the Stampeders' 11 late in the game, down by only three points. Cahill opted to play it safe with two straight handoffs to running back Leon McQuay before a potential game-tying field goal attempt. The first one picked up four yards, but McQuay slipped on the second run and fumbled the ball; Calgary recovered and hung on to win. It was all downhill from there for Cahill and the Argonauts, as he feuded with owner John Bassett and general manager John Barrow. His team suffered plenty of crucial injuries and breakdowns and finished 1972 with a 3-11 record, leading to Cahill's dismissal soon afterwards. It says a lot about him and the luck he had that there was plenty of outrage at the time over his firing despite the team's record.

Cahill (pictured at right during his coaching days in an undated photo from the Argonauts' website) went on to a couple of memorable stints in the World League of American Football, and returned to the Argonauts twice more in 1976 and 1986. Things still didn't go his way, though; he helped turn the team around at the start both times, but they again lost a crucial game to Ottawa on a bad fumble in the 1977 East Final and collapsed spectacularly in 1978. His 1980s stint got them back to the Grey Cup in 1987, but they wound up losing 38-36 to the Eskimos on a late field goal. Cahill's 1988 Argonauts were even better, putting up a 14-4 record, but they were upset by Winnipeg in the East final and he was fired soon afterwards, once again brought down by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Sometimes it's too easy to conflate success with winning. Cahill is not currently in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and those looking for a reason to keep him out would probably point to his lack of a Grey Cup ring. It's worth noting that games can turn on the smallest of circumstances, though, as Cahill found out all too well. Especially in the playoffs, when you're matching the best teams against each other, a win isn't necessarily indicative of superiority, but merely how the dice fell on a given day. Cahill built some incredible teams, was a key part of the Argonauts' rise from laughingstocks to national superstars (several times over!), and never gave up fighting despite cruel twists of fate that might have convinced many to pick a different profession.

This is a man who never quit, even when it would have been easy to. You can make a strong case for him as one of the most legendary builders in Canadian football, and hopefully he'll get Hall of Fame consideration in the coming years. Even if he never gets in to the official Hall, though, the incredible outpouring of support for Cahill demonstrates just how important he's been to the game and how fondly he's remembered by many. He might not be in the Hall of Fame in Hamilton yet, but he's already firmly ensconced in the legendary collection of figures kept in many CFL fans' hearts. For a coach who was always a man of the people, that's an awfully notable honour too.

Christina Ricci Missi Pyle Jessica Alba Kylie Bax Diora Baird

Cristiano Ronaldo sets La Liga record with 39th and 40th goals

At the rate he's been scoring this year it almost seemed a certainty and just four minutes into Real Madrid's final match, it happened -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 39th goal of the season for a new La Liga record. (UPDATE: Cristiano added another goal in the 77th minute just to make it an even 40 as Real beat Almeria 8-1.)

With nine goals in his three previous matches, Ronaldo has been scoring at a pace that would normally require a cheat code in order to reach the record previously held by Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez and Athletic Bilbao's black and white hero Telmo Zarra. But now, it's Ronaldo's. And Messi has a new goal to aim for next year.

Here's video of Cristiano's first 38...

Dominique Swain Jamie Chung Alicia Witt Radha Mitchell Melissa Rycroft

A conversation with Kent Ridley on the 2011 CFL draft

With the 2011 CFL draft coming up this Sunday (12:30 p.m. Eastern, TSN), there's plenty of discussion around as to who's going to be selected where. Will Rice tackle Scott Mitchell's top ranking in the latest CFL list lead to Winnipeg taking him first overall, or will they go for a CIS player like Calgary slotback Anthony Parker (pictured above stiff-arming Queen's linebacker Chris Smith during the 2009 Vanier Cup) or St. FX linebacker Henoc Muamba? Will there be first-round trades? How will teams balance the potential of NCAA underclassmen with the chances of losing them to the NFL the way the B.C. Lions lost Danny Watkins this year? Where will Western's Vaughn Martin, currently with the NFL's San Diego Chargers, be drafted? Will anyone take Western linebacker and documentary superstar John Surla? One of the best resources for making sense of the draft is Ridley Scouting's 2011 Draft Guide. For some information on what's going on with this year's version and what this year's draft crop looks like, I spoke to head scout Kent Ridley, who's previously filled us in on the CIS/NCAA divide, scouting and recruiting. Here's what he had to say:

A.B.: How long have you been doing the Draft Guide for? Why'd you decide to take this on?

K.R.: This is our second crack at it. Last year CFLDaily.ca took it on and this year we took it to the next level, from 13 pages to 53.. As to why, well, it's just a result of a serious lack of information out there. Every spring we all look forward to the articles from Duane Forde, but the rest of the media tends to leave the draft alone until we get to May.

A.B.: How much time did it take to pull this year's edition together? What was the toughest part?

K.R.: I like to joke that what you see is the result of 200 hours. It is a big project and trying to gather information on several hundred players before cutting it down to the top 100 takes a lot of time. The toughest aspect was putting together the career stats. Schools report things in very different ways.

A.B.: What do you think of this year's crop of draft prospects in general: strong or weak, top-heavy or deep?

K.R.: The strength is there if you look for it. I guess you could call it position strong, but overall, it's more like a slightly above average draft class. It's perhaps not the deepest draft we've had recently, but I think you could put together a really strong team out of the players available.

A.B.: Are any positions particularly strong this year? Any particularly weak?

K.R.: Kickers are very strong with [Laval's] Chris Milo, [Alberta's] Hugh O'Neill and [Montana's] Brody McKnight all solid placekickers; there's also [Adrian College's] Kevin Allaer as a directional punter out of the NCAA Division III. The running backs drop off after [Calgary's] Matt Walter, but that's not to say we can't get a couple of solid fullbacks/blocking backs out of this class. The receivers are particularly interesting to me and include some good stories; take [Saskatchewan's] Jade Etienne. He had a great season last year, but I'm not sure if he has the overall production that will place him high in the draft. On the other hand, [Harvard's] Marco Iannuzzi doesn't have a lot of overall production either, but his skill as a kick returner could put him in demand. [Concordia's] Liam Mahoney is a great story with a CIS career playing three positions.

A.B.: Something that struck me as interesting with this year's draft is the three top prospects from the University of Calgary (Walter, Parker and Nathan Coehoorn), all players you rank pretty highly. Have you ever seen this kind of talent come out of one school in a draft year? Any thoughts on what Calgary's doing right from a recruiting or talent-development perspective?

K.R.: Just the other day I was looking at the draft from 1986 in which Simon Fraser had 10 players picked (8 round draft with 9 teams - 72 picks, Calgary also had 8 picked that year too). The two more recent examples include 2005, where Laval had 5 players taken in the first 17 picks, and 2000, where UBC had players go first and second overall.

A.B.: As you remark in the guide, quarterback is "the most controversial position in the CFL". Do you think any quarterbacks in this year's crop are worth drafting? Are Canadian quarterbacks getting better? Is there still more that has to be done before we see them catching on at the CFL level?

K.R.: [Ottawa's] Brad Sinopoli should be taken, likely a 3rd or 4th round selection, and there is potential for [Regina's] Marc Mueller to also be taken. Between the CIS running more pro-tyle offenses and the CFL creating their QB intern program, you will see the growth there. What will really be a telltale sign will show up with the 2013 Draft when there are a trio of Canadians playing QB in the NCAA.

A.B.: Speaking of Canadian talent in general, it seems that a lot of Canadian guys are still drafted/used for their special-teams abilities and then as fullbacks or third or fourth receivers instead of featured skill-position guys. Is that a function of talent or training relative to Americans? Do you think that's changing, or are Canadian draft picks still generally limited to certain roles?

K.R.: The major difference as I see it is just with the football mentality that is so different from Canada to the US. It's the reverse of the hockey mentality we carry. The Americans just play more games which leads to more practicing, game planning and generally speaking more time on the field. Going down to Mobile, Alabama and seeing them tailgate for three full days before a college All Star Game (Senior Bowl) really solidifies that. Our schools don't tailgate three hours before a game, let alone drive the RVs into the parking lot a full 90 hours before a game.

A.B.: What's the NCAA/CIS divide looking like for this draft as compared to previous ones? How have the numbers of prospects from each league changed, and what about the numbers of top prospects?

K.R.: We've really watched the CIS count go up in recent years. I would expect to see roughly 32 to 34 CIS players get drafted.

A.B.: You talk about a few theories of drafting in the guide, including team need, best player available and team overall value drafting. Any thoughts on what strategies most CFL teams are most likely to use this year? Are they shifting more to one approach?

K.R.: It will be a mix for most teams throughout the draft. For being a short six-round draft, there are a lot of unique situations that come into play. I expect to see the top five picks to be best player available, followed by a serious section of picks based on team need and finishing the draft with value picks to gain depth.

A.B.: What's the overall state of the draft? Is it becoming more important for teams, or is it still a small part of the offseason?

K.R.: Every team approaches the draft in a different way, but where the draft is really gaining strength is with the fans. I don't feel that the fans are happy to just shut down on a cold afternoon in November and then leave their football love dormant until things get rolling in May or June anymore. They want details, answers, and the chance to speculate during the break. The success the NFL is having with their Path to the Draft shows will eventually roll over into the CFL too. On the other hand as the fans become more knowledgeable the teams will be held accountable a little more for drafting guys that don't perform well at camp, or retire to take a desk job in their field of study. It's not the old days of drafting a dead guy.

Ridley Scouting's 2011 draft guide is available as an instant download in PDF form for just $4.99. Check it out here. You can also follow Kent on Twitter.

Vogue Charlize Theron Eva Mendes Sarah Polley Aisha Tyler

San Francisco 49ers: 5 Bold Predictions for Rookie Aldon Smith in 2011

The San Francisco 49ers are coming into the 2011 NFL season with high hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

They've got a solid nucleus in place and added some fresh new talent through the draft and are expected to continue in free agency. 

A significant part of how far they go next year will depend on the production of first-round draft choice Aldon Smith. 

The team selected him with the seventh overall pick in the draft so obviously they believe in him. 

I'll admit I wasn't a huge supporter of the pick, but nevertheless, here are five bold predictions for Aldon Smith in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

Milla Jovovich Maggie Grace Luján Fernández Charli Baltimore Denise Richards