1How good of a fit is Bryan Kehl with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants?

• DICKSON: There's some opportunity there, as the Giants' two starting outside linebackers left for free agency. Kehl will have to learn the 4-3 scheme of the Giants. He's got to prove he can be tough at the point of attack and that he can defend the passing game one-on-one, two things he wasn't asked to do much of at BYU. But Kehl is a good athlete and a hard worker. I see him playing special teams and earning his way into some real playing time by the end of the year.

• FRANCHUK: Geez, can a Cougar get some middle ground? John Beck gets his big chance, and he's stuck with the worst team in pro football (Miami). Kehl has to try and find his niche on the best team. I've always thought, however, that it's better to try and stick with a winner than the opposite. The struggles of Beck and former Utah standout Alex Smith, now with the 49ers, at least back up my theory a little.

2What about Kelly Poppinga in Miami?

• DICKSON: Hey, Franchuk could have probably played linebacker at Miami last year. That once-proud franchise was pitiful on both sides of the ball last season. The Big Tuna is making all kinds of moves to get things going in Fish Town, which basically means all jobs are open. Poppinga, like his brother Brady with the Green Bay Packers, is fearless and will get his opportunity to play.

By the way: How do you think John Beck was feeling during the draft? After all the speculation that the Dolphins needed to get a quarterback, Miami locks up the draft's best offensive linemen, Jake Long, as the No. 1 pick. As Beck composes his thank-you note to Bill Parcells, the Dolphins grab Michigan quarterback Chad Henne in the second round. (Sound of Beck scratching out what he wrote on the thank you card.)

• FRANCHUK: I was a little surprised Poppinga didn't get picked (say that five times fast). His brother's scratched out a nice career with Green Bay thus far, and Poppinga showed skill this past year as a leader and playmaker. But free agency is a good deal because he could choose where he felt more comfortable. Probably realizing he'd only have to beat out someone of my caliber, Miami had to be tempting. By the way, I have to echo Dickson's comments about Beck. If the Dolphins were so sure about John, they wouldn't have provided competition for him through the draft -- they would have found another way to help him or the team. Oh, well. He has done OK under adversity before.

3What are the odds of BYU losing Trent Plaisted and/or Lee Cummard to the NBA Draft?

• DICKSON: I predict when the Cougars tip off the 2008-09 season, No. 44 and No. 30 will be in the lineup. Call it 85 percent sure. Certainly Plaisted's raw talent will be attractive to NBA teams, but I don't see him as a first round draft pick, so another year in school would be advised. Cummard is a nice player with good skills but lacks the strength and speed to impress at the workouts enough to get drafted. But it's a good chance for Plaisted and Cummard to compete against other top players.

• FRANCHUK: With so many guys considering the next level, I'm finding it harder and harder for Plaisted to find a spot. But all it takes is one GM or coach or scout to find a player alluring. That's what makes the next few weeks so fascinating. There's been talk about both guys leaning toward playing in Europe, but coach Dave Rose insists that has never been discussed with his two juniors. Meaning, it's either the NBA or Cougar.

4What's up with the BYU baseball team?

• DICKSON: Air Force? BYU dropped two of three to Air Force?

(Stunned silence, followed by a grimace).

It's been a disappointing year for Vance Law and the Cougars, who usually compete pretty favorably in the MWC. There's a lack of quality pitching, which seems to be the main problem. But hey, they've got one of the nicest ballparks in the league, so they got that going for them. But 17-26 (6-9 in MWC play) isn't acceptable.

• FRANCHUK: They had some players check out the major league draft, and the in-and-out of missions never helps baseball. But c'mon ... Air Force? That's three losses in the last few years to the Falcons, which aren't exactly a diamond juggernaut.

5Do all the injuries at quarterback for UCLA mean BYU will cruise when the two teams meet on Sept. 13?

• DICKSON: As much as some BYU fans like to hate on Ben Olson, you've got to feel for the kid. He just can't stay healthy. He's out six to eight weeks now and that puts him behind for fall. The Bruins lost the spring starter at QB, Patrick Cowan, for the whole 2008 season.

I'm more interested in this "skip a spring practice" thing that's apparently a tradition at UCLA. The players suddenly took off and ditched practice last week. It happened in front of a bunch of recruits, too.

I'm not sure if I'm making more of this that I should, but WHAAAAAAAAAT?

Can you imagine something like that flying with Bronco Mendenhall? He'd rather play with walk-ons and members of the training staff than allow his guys to skip out on practice as a tradition.

Hey UCLA. How about winning as a tradition? That'd be a good one.

• FRANCHUK: No injury to UCLA's offense rules that team out of a game with the Cougars. Remember, that last meeting at the Las Vegas Bowl came down to defense. Maybe if Bruin defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker tears up his knee, gets amnesia and all game footage is destroyed ... then the Cougars are a lock.