The Greatest Sad Songs of All Time

The other day, I was listening to music and I started thinking about great sad songs. I decided making a list of some of my favorites would be a pretty cool thing to do. At first, it was going to be a top ten kind of thing, but I had a really hard time narrowing it down. My apologies also go out to Broadway and church music. There are a lot of great downers in those musical traditions, but it was hard enough just narrowing down rock songs. So here is my top twenty. I am not a great music critic, but I am trying. Usually my best descriptions are "it's awesome!" or "it's lame!" and this is a "twenty best" list so they are all, for the most part, songs I like. I also tried to be diverse in my music selections. I believe Eddie Vedder is the only person to appear twice (once as a solo artist and once with Pearl Jam). Please comment to tell me what you think of my list, what songs I missed. Enjoy!

20. Creep by Radiohead

From Radiohead's 1993 album, Pablo Honey, "Creep" is one of their most popular songs. In the song, the singer is expressing his anguish with his life and wishing he was different than he is. "You're so (expletive) special. I wish I was special, but I'm a creep....I don't belong here." is the line that best expresses the mood of the song.

19. Candle in the Wind by Elton John

Elton John made two versions of this song, one about Marilyn Monroe, the other about Princess Diana. The image of living your life like a candle in the wind is an interesting one. It makes people realize how vulnerable we all are, no matter how rich and famous. Regardless of how glamorous your life may seem, you will still encounter problems like other people, but fame puts more pressure on the individual.

18. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) by The White Stripes

This song comes from The White Stripes' 2007 album Icky Thump. In this song, the singer is explaining to someone else, that they are to naive to understand the meaning of love. He says that there is still hope that you can learn, but for now, they are too old to be having these immature perceptions of love.

17. Runaway by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

This song is from their 2009 album It's Blitz! The song begins with a simple, one note at a time, plinking on the piano and builds more and more adding drums, strings and synthesizer as the song progresses. The lyrics are about being depressed and trying to run away from it all. This album as a whole is, in my opinion, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs best work so far.

16. Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

This is a great song for when you are sad or traveling. It expresses both the anticipation of an exciting trip, but also the sadness and uncertainty of leaving loved ones. It also expresses regret of not making the most of the time they had together before he is about to leave. The song also has a sad undertone because Denver died in a plane crash long after the song was written.

15. Society by Eddie Vedder

This song comes from the soundtrack of 2007 film Into the Wild. The movie tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a man who stopped talking to his family, gave away his life away to charity and hitchhiked across the country after graduating from college. He was found dead after trying to live off the land through an Alaskan winter. Vedder's song is about the greed and selfishness of today's society and how people do not always fit in. He says directly to Society, "I hope you're not lonely without me." It is a sad song on its own, but knowing the story for which it was written only adds to it.

14. In the Aeroplane over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

This is the title track from Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 album. I am not sure if this one counts as a sad song, but I always listen to it when I am feeling down. The line "And one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea, but for now we are young. Let us lay n the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see." brings up both positive and morbid images. It reflects the tragic idealistic innocence of The Diary of Anne Frank, which inspired the album.

13. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

One of my favorite Pink Floyd songs, "Wish You Were Here" pretty much explains itself and sets the mood in the title. It reflects the loneliness people feel in the line "We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl."

12. Samson by Regina Spektor

This song comes from Regina Spektor's 2006 album Begin to Hope. This song has a different take on the Biblical story of Samson. The song is sung from point of view of Samson's lover, Delilah. Delilah, according to the Bible, betrayed Samson by cutting his hair (the origin of his strength) allowing him to be captured by the Philistines. In the song, she tries to plead with people that she truly loved Samson. She says that she had no choice but to cut his hair, and the history books and the Bible never mentioned her true love. This song is about the depressing concept that people are not remembered by the love they had for others but instead by their mistakes and shortcomings.

11. Old College Try by The Mountain Goats

I had a hard time deciding on this one because The Mountain Goats have a very impressive collection of sad songs in their repertoire, but I settled on "Old College Try" because a lot of their other sad songs, while depressing and morbid in lyrics, are more upbeat than this one. This song is from their 2002 album Tallahassee. It is about a relationship that is falling apart, but the singer wants to keep trying to patch things up. He realized that there is little hope and that nobody had ever really given them a chance to succeed, but he is willing to stay with her to the end, if she will stay with him.

10. Sad Songs and Waltzes by Willie Nelson

If I were more of a country music fan, there would probably be more than one country song in this list. When the songs are not about tractors or conservative politics, country singers do have a good grip on the human emotions and love and loss. To represent the genre of country, I chose arguably the best country singer (sorry Johnny Cash) ever in Willie Nelson. This song, which was also covered by the band Cake, is about a guy who want to write a song about how is ex cheated on him and broke his heart, but she has "no need to fear it, 'cause no one will hear it. 'Cause sad songs and waltzes aren't selling this year." That is a sad situation. She treats you poorly, and she breaks your heart, but you can't get back at her because nobody want to hear you sing about it.

9. Things Ain't Like They Used To Be by The Black Keys

This song is from The Black Keys' 2008 album Attack & Release. It is a great blues tune that laments on how things have changed and its about time you realize that. The song also features blues singer Jessica Lea Mayfield, who according to her Wikipedia page, specializes in sad songs. The lyrics are not overly sad or depressing without the blues notes and rhythm added, but the complete ensemble is very worthy of this list.

8. Blame it on the Tetons by Modest Mouse

This track comes from Modest Mouse's 2004 album Good News for People Who Love Bad News. "Blame It on the Tetons" contrast from the other tracks on the album because it is slower and quieter. While lead singer Isaac Brock shouts in other tracks, he sings softly in this one. Other tracks contain brass and louder electric guitars, while this one has a violin, an acoustic guitar, piano and bass and the drummer uses brushes instead of sticks. The change in instrumentation helps set the mood. The defining line for me in this song is "Everyone's a building burning with no one to put the fire out." This song is the biggest downer in a mostly negative album.

7. Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

This song scared Harry Chapin. This song scares me. From his 1974 album Verities & Balderdash, this song is about being a parent, but working to hard to get to enjoy it. In all of the major events in his son's life, the father always has "planes to catch and bills to pay". By the end, his son is grown up and he is retired. He wants to spend time with his son, but his son is too busy with work. All his life the son said he wanted to be just like the father, and in the end he did. If I ever become a parent, this song will be stuck in my head for the rest of my life and I will be terrified of ending up like the guy in the song.

6. Crown of Love by Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands and I have been listening to them almost nonstop for about five months now. This track, from the 2004 album Funeral is their saddest sounding song. The singer repeatedly says "if you still want me, please forgive me" and he is trying to retrieve his crown of love while fighting through the pain of loss. If you have not listened to this band, I highly suggest that you give them a chance because they are awesome.

5. Everybody Hurts by REM

This is one of the great songs that recognizes that we all feel bad sometimes. Everybody cries. Everybody hurts, sometimes. Things will not always be right but keep holding on. This is a great song to listen to when you are in a bad mood and need reassurance. No matter the situation, it seems like R.E.M. is always empathetic and ready to listen to your problems when you hear this song. There is another song very similar to this one later in the countdown, so keep reading.

4. Yesterday by The Beatles

When Paul McCartney wrote "Yesterday", the tune and lyrics came so easily to him that he thought it had already been written. He thought he was copying the Rolling Stones because it was so easy to write. As simple as this song may seem, the feeling in it is profound and nearly fifty years later, it still seems relevant. "Why she had to go, I don't know. She wouldn't say. I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday." We all have those days when you feel like you could have done better to make things less painful, but it is too late to change anything now.

3. Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel

This song is the one that I think is similar to the above mentioned "Everybody Hurts". We all go through tough times, but with friends, we can get through it. When you are weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, Art Garfunkel will help you out like a bridge over troubled water. This is a great song by one of the best duets in the history of music. When nobody else is there for you, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel will always be there. Also, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers should be an honorable mention for this list.

2. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam

Number one and number two could be flipped and I would be okay with it. They are both very sad ballads. Pearl Jam comes in at number two with "Last Kiss". This is a song about a guy who lost the love of his life in a car crash. He feels like it was his fault for swerving to avoid a stalled out car. His girlfriend gets the full impact of the crash and she dies in his arms. It is an incredibly tragic turn of events. His only hope for the rest of his life is that he behaves himself well enough to be able to see her again in heaven.

1. Lost Cause by Beck

Like I said before, these last two are very close and about equally brilliantly sad, in my opinion. The number one greatest sad song goes to Beck for his song "Lost Cause". This track is from his 2002 album Sea Change. I cannot effectively describe how great this song is, but I will try. The lines about seeing people he used to know who just pass him by and are indifferent to one another frightens and depresses me. Growing up in a small town, I know what it is like to see people around that you used to know but have not talked to in years. "This town is crazy. Nobody cares." This song hits terribly close to home but is way off at the same time. The other depressing theme of this song is being tired of fighting for a lost cause. I personally know how depressing it is when you work hard at something that nobody else seems to care about. You keep pressing on, but it can be demoralizing to keep trying with no return. You do not always want to accept that it is a futile effort, but eventually it seems that it is a lost cause.

The Bruins are Back!

Their marketing slogan for the 2009-10 season was "Big and Bad are Back" in reference to the "Big Bad Bruins" teams of the 70s and 80s, but for stretches of the season, all the Bruins resembled was the bad part. That all changed following a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in which Boston failed to find the back of the net or stand up for a fallen teammate, two things that the Bruins teams of old were known for. Since that game, the team finished out the regular season playing a much tougher more inspired brand of hockey, even without key players like Marc Savard, Dennis Seidenburg, and Mark Stuart. The Bruins took this new energy and physicality into the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against their division rival Buffalo Sabres.

It was not easy, and it certainly was not pretty, but that has never been the Bruin way. The Bruins represent a city and a fan base that takes pride in toughing it out and embraces being the underdog. These are the same people who dutifully stood by the Red Sox for eighty-six long years between championships. Ever since standing their ground at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, the people of Massachusetts have been defined by their resilience and two-hundred something blizzard filled winters have not kept them from leaving. Just as Bostonians kept coming back to the Sox and Patriots after years of disappointment, they stood by the Bruins in the good times of Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, and Johnny Bucyk, the bad times of Joe Thornton, P.J. Stock, and Andrew Raycroft, and the present times, sometimes brilliant, sometimes pathetic, of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Tuuka Rask. There were times this season where I was frustrated and mad at the team, but sticking with them makes it all the more rewarding when they do play well. This is something fair weather fans will never realize.

It was not until Game 6, the series clinching game, that the Bruins were the first team to score. Buffalo scored first in each of the first five games, but the Bruins kept rallying back. Prior to game six, Boston had the lead for nineteen minutes of the entire series, scoring winning goals in the third period in Games 2 and 3 and winning in sudden death overtime in Game 4. Defense and the phenomenal play of rookie goalie Tuuka Rask kept them in the series.

The defining moment for the series, I believe, was Johnny Boychuk's hit on Matt Ellis in Game 3. Boychuk leveled Ellis on a clean open ice hit that brought the crowd at the TD Garden to their feet. It is not often in hockey that something other than a goal or a fight gets a crowd that excited, but that was one of them. That hit defined the way the Bruins would play throughout the series.

The Bruins kicked it into high gear for this series and everyone on the roster made contributions in the series against Buffalo. Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick, two defensemen who had been playing poorly most of the year, had significantly stepped up their game once the regular season ended. Wideman, the Boston media's whipping boy throughout the season, played very well when the Bruins were behind in games and helped them get back in. A moth ago, I would have been shocked if someone told me that Claude Julien would put Wideman and Hunwick on the ice at the same time in the playoffs, but I would have been even more shocked if someone told me they were playing really well together in the playoffs.

Another player who deserves recognition is Mark Recchi. In this series, Recchi became the third oldest player in history to score in the playoffs at the age of 42. Recchi also made a great hit followed by a pass to a wide open Patrice Bergeron to set up a key goal. He has been playing as well as anybody in the NHL in his advanced years.

Things only seem to be looking up for the Bruins in the future. In the upcoming draft, Boston will be able to select either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin with the second overall pick. Both players have superstar potential, but I am willing to bet they both would rather play for a playoff team right out of the gate like Boston instead of the Edmonton Oilers, who had the league's worst record this season.

In the next round, the B's will play either the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of the infamous game where Matt Cooke took out Marc Savard, or the Philadelphia Flyers in a rematch of this year's Winter Classic. Savard might be ready to play by then, and I hope to see that he gets his personal retribution against Cooke if they play the Penguins. The next series will be tough, but the Bruins are a team that expects it to be tough and they will hopefully play the same brand of hockey they used to defeat the Sabres.

30 Rock Addresses the NBC Late Night Issue

Months ago, NBC was in the news as a result of a controversy involving their 11:30 time slot on week nights. The story of Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien attracted a lot of attention and the network faced bad publicity when O'Brien walked away from the Tonight Show (and Jay took it back). Since then, I have been waiting to see how the sitcom 30 Rock would respond to this situation, and this week I found out.

30 Rock has been parodying the goings on at NBC since the show first aired three years ago and often features actual NBC personalities who work at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. News anchor Brian Williams, talk show host Jimmy Fallon, SNL announcer Don Pardo, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and even Conan O'Brien have appeared on the show before as themselves. A few episodes ago, 30 Rock addressed the sale of NBC by General Electric to Comcast by having NBC sold to the fictional Philadelphia based company "Kabletown".

I was not sure how they would handle the NBC late night issue, with Leno and O'Brien both being referenced as real people on the show in the past, but they nailed it. In the 30 Rock version, NBC Vice President for East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is told by his assistant that they have a "janitor emergency" on their hands. Into Jack's office enters a Kashmiri immigrant janitor named Khonani. Khonani reminds Jack of the promise he made to him five years ago to promote him to 11:30 custodial shift. He had threatened to quit unless he could leave the late night shift for an earlier one. Khonani wants to move up to 11:30 because it is more prestigious and he convinces Jack that the current 11:30 janitor, Subbas, will be willing to step aside because he wants to retire and spend more time on his hobby of "collecting classic car- *cough* *cough* -dboard".

When Jack sat Subbas down, it was clear that Subbas did not want to leave the 11:30 shift. Jack quickly came up with an idea that would keep both janitors happy. He could have Subbas work at 10, as a way of reinventing late night custodial work or "innoventing" as he called it. They shook hands and it seemed as though things would work out and Jack Donaghy would be lauded as a managerial genius.

It was not too long before Khonani realized the problem with the new plan: since Subbas was working at 10 PM, there was no trash to clean up at 11:30. He realizes that his lifelong dream of "hosing the tonight shift" is not worth it if there is no trash to take out. Jack suggests the possibility of letting Khonani and Subbas share the 11:30 shift becuase he does not want anyone to get upset over this janitor emergency. Khonani explains that one of them has to leave and he is willing to do it to protect the integrity of the 11:30 shift. Besides, he will easily be able to get a job "at Fox- *cough* *cough* -woods casino" where his cousin is the head janitor. Khonani quits and Subbas is free to take back 11:30.

This episode made me laugh so hard. It was brilliant the way they made two janitors in the NBC studios a microcosm for the problems that the network has had with its late night talk show hosts recently. Although Conan did not go to Fox (he signed with TBS last week), it is still a brilliant use of referencing the actual situation's people and places without acknowledging that it was anything bigger than a custodial shift.

The Biggest Day in Football between the Super Bowl and Opening Weekend...

It may be the off-season, but this is one of the most important weekends of the year for the National Football League. The NFL Draft will begin on a week night in the prime time slot for the first time in history this year. As each team makes their pick, I will be going through the choices as they happen. Anything can happen and it will be exciting to find out. The first round is tonight, round two is Friday, and the subsequent rounds are this weekend. It should be interesting to see how all this plays out and where college football legend Tim Tebow will go.

#1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, Quarterback Oklahoma

Bradford's 2009 regular season was marred by injury, but his 2008 campaign was phenomenal. Beating out Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy in the Heisman voting, Bradford was expected to go #1 last year before he decided to come back to the Sooners. This is a good, albeit predictable, pick for the Rams, who released Marc Bulger and need a franchise quarterback. It also buys the general manager and coaching staff more time to rebuild before the new ownership decides to bring in new personnel.

#2. Detroit Lions: Ndamakong Suh, Defensive Tackle Nebraska

This is a guy who really improved his draft prospect with the 2009 season. Suh became the first defensive Heisman Trophy finalist since Charles Woodson. The Lions defense improves instantly with this kid and the free agent addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch. The Lions had the #1 pick last year and took quarterback Matthew Stafford. Suh can be a great franchise player that Detroit fans can be excited about like Stafford. They are still rebuilding after the dismal 0-16 season, but the are heading on the right track.

#3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, Defensive Tackle Oklahoma

McCoy said after being selected by the Bucs that he was a huge Warren Sapp fan growing up. He will have to play like him to be worth the money he is making. Great pick by Tampa. He will do a great job anchoring that young and rebuilding defense. There was a lot of debate prior to the draft as to who would be a better draft pick, McCoy or Suh, but both Detroit and Tampa both got good players in this first round.

#4. Washington Redskins: Trent Williams, Offensive Tackle Oklahoma

Williams is a great lineman and he will be important to Washington to protect McNabb. Three of the first four draft picks are Oklahoma Sooners. This really says a lot about how well Bob Stoops recruits and his players do this well in the draft even after a disappointing season.

#5. Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Berry, Safety Tennessee

Berry is arguably the most talented pound for pound player in this draft. At Tennessee, he was compared to Ravens' safety Ed Reed. If he plays like Reed in the NFL, he will be a huge asset to the Chiefs offense. I am a little surprised that Pioli did not go with an offensive lineman to protect Matt Cassell. Berry is the first player in this draft who did not play in the Big 12 Conference.

#6. Seattle Seahawks: Russel Okung, Offensive Tackle Oklahoma State

Many people thought the Redskins would take Okung, but he dropped to Seattle at #7. With Washington selecting Williams, Seattle was happy to take Okung. Pete Carrol is excited to revamp the Seahawks' offense and he will do a good job of protecting Matt Hasselbeck.

#7. Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden, Cornerback Florida

Haden has a lot of potential as a defensive back. At Florida, he had to cover Percy Harvin in practice, so that should have been good preparation for the NFL. Mike Holmgren is an offensive minded coach, but he needed to improve the Browns defense.

#8. Oakland Raiders: Rolando McClain, Linebacker Alabama

Just when everyone thought that the book was out on Al Davis after almost fifty years of running the Raiders, he does something he has never done before: he selected a linebacker in the top ten. McClain is a smart player and he will have to be a leader on a Raiders team that has plenty of talent but lacks discipline and makes stupid mistakes. This is the smartest draft pick the raiders have made in years. McClain is a winner and Nick Saban coached him well as he always does with linebackers. The most un-Davis like pick in recent history, the Raiders seem to be making the right move this time around.

#9. Buffalo Bills: C.J. Spiller, Running Back Clemson

The Buffalo Bills are going for an explosive player to sell jerseys and tickets. Spiller had a very impressive career at Clemson. With all the needs that Buffalo has, I was a little surprised that they took Spiller when they already have Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.

#10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyson Alualu Defensive Tackle California

Many mock drafts had Alualu in the 2nd round. The Jags need to improve their defense and he will help. ESPN is speculating they had to scramble after Spiller was picked by Buffalo. This might be the worst selection in the first round.

#11. San Fransisco 49ers: Anthony Davis, Offensive Tackle Rutgers

The Niners traded up for Denver's #11 pick. Davis has a lot of upside. Much like Michael Oher last year, Davis could be a top five pick next year but he goes in the middle of the first round by going into the draft this year.

#12. San Diego Chargers: Ryan Matthews, Running Back Fresno State

San Diego traded up for Miami's #12 pick. The Chargers needed a running back with the departure of LaDanian Tomlinson. They may have drafted Matthews high, but the Chargers really needed a running back and Spiller was already off the board.

#13. Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Graham, Outside Linebacker Michigan

Philadelphia traded up for Denver's #13 Pick. Graham has great work ethic and shows a lot of effort. He might not be very big, but lack of size has not stopped Dwight Freeney in the NFL.

#14. Seattle Seahawks: Earl Thomas, Safety Texas

Thomas was a star and an emotional leader for the longhorns. He has the potential to be like Troy Polamalu or Brian Dawkins or Rodney Harrison or Ed Reed as a leader from the secondary. Seems like a solid pick again for Pete Carrol and the Seahawks.

#15. New York Giants: Jason Pierre-Paul, Defensive End South Florida

Has a lot of upside, but right now he is a work in progress. He only started eight games in college. Has the potential to be like Osi Umenyiora and this pick might put Osi on the trade block.

#16. Tennessee Titans: Derrick Morgan, Defensive End Georgia Tech

Morgan is considered the best pass rusher in the draft. The Titans need defensive linemen with Kyle Vanden Bosch signing with the Lions. Jeff Fischer does an excellent job of keeping his team consistently competitive and this smart selection reflects that.

#17. San Fransisco 49ers: Mike Iupati, Offensive Guard Idaho

According to ESPN, Iupati needs to work on his pass blocking ability to adjust to the NFL game. In time, however, it is believed that he could be a dominant force in the NFL. The 49ers are using two first round picks on the offensive line. Mike Singletary likes tough physical players on both sides of the ball and this pick reflects that.

#18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Maurkice Pouncey, Center Florida

I am a little surprised that the Steelers did not go for Clausen with Ben Roethlisburger's future with the team in jeopardy. Pouncey is a winner and he knows how to be a leader on a good team. The Steelers expect to be a good team in big games so it is important that they have winning players.

#19. Atlanta Falcons: Sean Weatherspoon, Linebacker Missouri

Weatherspoon is not the biggest linebacker in the world, but he could be a great NFL player because of his speed.

#20. Houston Texans: Kareen Jackson, Cornerback Alabama

The Texans have bolstered their secondary with this pick. Jackson is very talented and disciplined. Playing for the Crimson Tide has taught him how to win as part of a team and that is perhaps the best part of an education from an SEC school.

#21. Cincinnati Bengals: Jermaine Gresham, Tight End Oklahoma

Like Sam Bradford, Gresham missed most of the 2009 season for the Sooners, but still got picked in round one. The Bengals made a good move by adding a tight end and it should add a dimension to their offense that they lacked before.

#22. Denver Broncos: Demaryius Thomas, Wide Reciever Georgia Tech

The Broncos traded up for New England's #22 pick. Thomas is a big physical wide receiver. He still needs work in rout running, but Josh McDaniels is a good coach for a situation like this. McDaniels is a great offensive mind and he will teach Thomas to play in the NFL. Denver needed another receiver with Brandon Marshall going to Miami.

#23. Green Bay Packers: Brian Bulaga, Offensive Tackle Iowa

The Packers needed improvement on the offensive line. Aaron Rodgers played well in trying to replace Brett Favre, but he got sacked way too often. Bulaga will help them improve and he should make it harder for Jared Allen to rack up his sack stats when he plays Green Bay twice a year. Playing in the Big Ten, the cold weather in Green Bay should not bother him the way it would bother a lineman from Florida or Alabama.

#24. Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver Oklahoma State

The Cowboys traded up for New England's #24 pick. It looked like the Pats were setting themselves up to get Bryant, but the Cowboys traded for that pick. Dez Bryant is extremely talented, but maturity is an issue. New England would have been a good place to learn the NFL culture with Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Tory Holt, Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk on the offense, but he will be a Cowboy as a pro the way he was in college.

#25. Denver Broncos: Tim Tebow, Quarterback Florida

The Broncos traded up for Baltimore's #25 pick. Whoa! People were saying he would not be a quarterback in the NFL. People were saying he would not go in the first round. Tim Tebow is all about proving people wrong. Tebow was the most talked about player leading up to the draft. I am shocked that he went before Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy in this draft. I am shocked that Tebow got picked on a team that already had Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn. It seems like Josh McDaniels is really making a point to get good character guys on his team after what happened with Brandon Marshall last season. I am just baffled by this and I really did not see Denver as a place Tebow would go. They got a good player, but not a player they needed and they will have to overpay for him.

#26. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Williams, Defensive Tackle Tennessee

One of the top defensive linemen in all of college football, Williams is filling a need that the Cardinals have had for a few years. With Kurt Warner retired, the Cards will need to play better defense to stay atop the NFC West and in the mix in the hunt for the Super Bowl.

#27. New England Patriots: Devin McCourty, Cornerback Rutgers

The Pats needed help at secondary and they have McCourty. I thought maybe the Pats would take Dez Bryant...I was wrong. I thought maybe the Pats would take Tim Tebow...I was wrong. Bill Belichick's reasoning could be that they need all the defensive backs they can get with Santonio Holmes playing for the Jets and Brandon Marshall playing for the Dolphins. McCourty could also be a valuable addition to the special teams units. Belichick loves players who are versatile and can do more than one thing and that may have factored into the decision.

#28. Miami Dolphins: Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle Penn State

Jared Odrick makes sense for what Miami needs. He is solid and consistent and that is what they need as a nose tackle in their defense. With the Dolphin offense improved through free agency, it makes sense to revamp the defense with the first round of the draft.

#29. New York Jets: Kyle Wilson, Cornerback Boise State

The Jets defense is already very good, but the Jets seem to be following a similar philosophy as the Patriots: there are a lot of great wide receivers in the AFC East, and you can never have enough defensive backs.

#30. Detroit Lions: Jahvid Best, Running Back California

The Lions traded up for Minnesota's #30 pick. The Lions are one of those teams that needs a lot of things to improve and the Vikings are one of those teams that has a pretty complete team. All the Vikes really need is a quarterback for the future (but how far into the future is a huge question mark. Brett Favre could be the MVP in 2020 for all we know) so this trade makes sense. The lions need a running back, but they need many other things.

#31. Indianapolis Colts: Jerry Hughes, Defensive End/Linebacker TCU

The Colts like players like this, athletes who can rush but also have speed and athleticism. Dwight Freeney gets hurt a lot, and his injury hurt them in the Super Bowl, so it seems they are drafting a player similar to Freeney because he will not be there forever.

#32. New Orleans Saints: Patrick Robinson, Cornerback Florida State

The Saints are yet another playoff team taking a defensive back in the first round. The Saints know from their own experience that good defensive back play can be the difference in a Super Bowl. With Darren Sharper still unsigned, it is important for the Saints that they maintain their ability to create takeaways because that was the key to their defensive success.

This was in interesting first round. The drama of the NFL draft really translated well to prime time television. There were many surprises, the biggest being Tim Tebow going to a team that already had two quarterbacks (one of which was already their developmental quarterback of the future) and Jacksonville jumping half a round to overpay a player. Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Toby Gerhart, and many other highly touted college players are still on the board. The NFL has shown yet again why they are the most popular league in North America by attracting all sorts of attention during the middle of the NBA and NHL playoffs and the MLB regular season.