In a meritocracy like the NFL few players get a free ride

My case and point Mario Chalmers is begging to play like the player Riley saw last year when he traded for him. If Allen Iverson was in South Beach, sure the arena would be full, but then after this season it would be empty all over again because Miami wouldnt have had blossomed its Point Guard of the future (Chalmers). Riley is a pure genious, no one else would have had the guts like he did to pass on a future Hall of Famer like Iverson. We all know how he loves vets (he signed and traded for many in the summer of 2005 on route to Miamis first NBA Championship.) But this time around, Riley was thinking of something he hasnt thought about before He was thinking about the future (2010). If this was two years ago, I would see Riley picking up Iverson because of Rileys Win Now attitude.

Thankfully, Riley has learned his lesson in the 2007-2008 NBA Season and is ready to build for the future instead of the now.. ALLEGAN, Mich., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Perrigo Company (Nasdaq:PRGO; TASE) today announced that Perrigo Chairman and CEO Joseph C. Papa willpresent at the 27th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January12, at 10:00 a.m (PT) at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.Perrigo Company is a leading global healthcare supplier that develops,manufactures and distributes OTC and prescription pharmaceuticals, nutritionalproducts, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and consumer products.TheCompany is the world's largest manufacturer of OTC pharmaceutical products forthe store brand market.The Company's primary markets and locations ofmanufacturing facilities are the United States, Israel, Mexico and the UnitedKingdom.

Visit Perrigo on the Internet ( http://).SOURCEPerrigo CompanyArthur J. Shannon, Vice President, Investor Relations and Communication,1-269-686-1709, , or Daniel B. Willard, Manager,Investor Relations and Communication, 1-269-686-1597, ;both of Perrigo Company. In the NFL more than just about any other sport, the draft can make or break a franchise. Rookies in the league are required to learn on the job and, right from the beginning, are expected to contribute.The draft is about talent and thinking toward the future, but with more and more money riding on draft picks, there's pressure right away to perform. As has been seen again and again, sometimes that pressure gets to young players.In a meritocracy like the NFL, few players get a free ride. Even though the top drafted players are already collecting a king's ransom, many have already begun earning their keep with stellar performances this year.With that, let's look at the ten rookies making the most of their rookie campaigns and how important they have been to their teams.Percy Harvin, WR/KR, Minnesota VikingsHarvin has been as good as advertised in his first year in Minnesota.

The kid just makes plays for his team.He likely already has the rookie of the year award sewn up, barring a stunning final month from some of the other candidates, but it's worth going into what he's done so far.Through 11 games he already has 693 yards from scrimmage, third among rookies. You can also add to that his 924 return yards, giving him the most aggregate yards of any rookie.But more than just racking up real estate, he's already managed seven touchdowns (five receiving, two on returns) with nearly 30 yards per return on average, tops in the league, also giving him the league lead for yards per touch.All told, Harvin is just an offensive machine He's a big play waiting to happen. He's not the best receiver or the best kick returner in the league, but his combination of talent and penchant for making a big play whenever needed makes him the no-question answer for rookie of the year, currently.Brian Orakpo, OLB/DE, Washington RedskinsThe way Harvin makes big plays on offense, Orakpo does on defense. He broke the rookie franchise sack record in Washington by the second week of November and keeps getting better.He's already got seven sacks on the year to go along with six QB hits and eight pressures, according to Pro Football Focus . (They also credit him with nine sacks, but he officially has seven.)He's managed that despite only rushing the passer on 212 snaps.Sure, playing next to Albert Haynesworth and Andre Carter will get you some pretty sweet matchups when you're rushing the passer, but Orakpo is not a dog off his leash.He's a much more versatile player and his coverage skills, while still developing, have allowed the Redskins to use him in pass coverage on another 132 snaps.You win as a rookie by being versatile and stepping in to help your team wherever possible.