With Nate taking the week off, I thought I would take a break from politics to write about what is truly important; the first round of the NFL Draft. As a Browns fan, this annual extravaganza is usual the most exciting football event on my calendar. This year is no exception, but I will play expert and share my thoughts on the round...after all, Mel Kiper Jr. does it every year, and I have played more football than him.
Best Pick: Sam Bradford QB, St. Louis Rams...This seems obvious, but many teams choke when picking this high. The Rams showed courage by staying with the pick, and Bradford is a true number one talent who fills an obvious need for the rebuilding Rams.
Worst Pick: Tim Tebow QB, Denver Broncos...This is not an attack on Tebow, but he is a three year project at QB who may never be able to fix his debilitating mechanics. The Broncos have a young 4,000 yard passer in Kyle Orton, and traded for a former 1st round pick in Brady Quinn. This is a case of the hype getting the best of a young coach.
Best Value Pick: Bryan Bulaga OT, Green Bay Packers...This guy is a consensus top 15 talent (most mocks had him going in the top 10) who the Packers get at 23. He fills a need with Tauscher and Clifton getting old. I did consider Dez Bryant, but the Cowboys gave up big value to move up three spaces and grab a guy with character concerns.
Worst Value Pick: Tyson Alualu DE, Jacksonville Jaguars...Unlike Tebow, Alualu probably had a high 2nd to low 1st round grade, so he belongs; he just doesn't belong at 10. The Jaguars could have moved back without fear and received extra picks, but instead they proved why the team continues to struggle.
Gutsiest Pick: Dez Bryant WR, Dallas Cowboys...This kid fills a glaring need for the Cowboys and has top 5 talent. The Cowboys made an aggressive move to get a kid that will likely be boom or bust.
Biggest Impact Round: San Fransisco 49ers...The 49ers drafted two potential Pro-Bowl lineman in Anthony Davis (who will probably go to left tackle with Staley moving to right tackle) and Mike Iupati. Iupati has been called the best guard prospect in the draft since Steve Hutchinson, and if he has that kind of impact, Frank Gore will be a happy running back indeed.
The Jackass Media Moment: The NFL Network announcing the picks before the Commissioner gets to the podium. This whole notion of reporters and there miserable "scoops" and "exclusives" is ridiculous. Let the process play out and leave weasels and parasites like Adam Schefter home.
Sports is so much more fun than politics....
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I will second your opinion of this year's NFL first round draft. With just a couple of minor exceptions. I think that Jerry Jones thrives on players with problems, that is if they have talent. So, he couldn't help himself. It's like me and an open buffet. It's going down. On the other end of the character issue, isn't it great that a person whose character can not be questioned be given a chance to show that if you work hard and be a role model, you can be rewarded. I think, the pressure isn't on the Broncos, but on Tim Tebo himself. If, no, when he becomes a success this will set a better example than what the kids are seeing now in the likes of Big Ben. Oh, by the way, Mike and Mike pointed out that the Commisioner played the Big Ben situation perfect. Did we forget about him for a while last night. If he would have suspended him last week, maybe more teams would have been ready for a deal for him. Yesterday, all of the deal makers weren't ready to start over and make new deals. Roger is smart...and in Primetime, wow.
ReplyDeleteMichael - Maybe you should stick to Politics!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteBradford I think has more difficulty medically than anyone knows. I look for him to have an injury shortened career, possibly not even making it through the rookie year.
Tim Tebow is a winner, sometimes winning on sheer guts and character. This is a good kid. I look for him to be a winner no matter what it takes.
Fair enough Hank! In my defense, I would point out that I didn't exclude the possibility of Tebow succeeding. My point was that his selection in round 1 (when he clearly has a late 2 or early 3 grade) was poor; developmental QB's are usually not selected (and therefore paid) in the first round. You pick and pay players based on grade...teams weren't mistaken when they passed on Tom Brady until round six, they just didn't have enough on him to pick him earlier. Make no mistake; Tebow is a project. He has a slow release and terrible footwork (you don't permanently correct years of mechanics in two months); both would be liabilities that would overwhelm his "will to win". People that win like Tebow and have good character are not as rare as his supporters would have you believe...Colt McCoy and Tony Pike are just two examples of QB's whose talent/record profile on Tebow's level. The kid also played on a squad that was typically head and shoulders above their competition in talent...note the other two Gators chosen ahead of him in round one. I wish him luck, but I stand by my opinion that this was a poor pick based on hype and a desire to reward a very nice young man.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, there are so many neanderthals, let's hear it for the nice young men!! I hope he does well. Make up for some of the Pac Man's and Leonard Little's of the world.
ReplyDeletePeyton Manning's foot work, by the way, was one of his larger question marks coming in. He still has a tendency to dance around in the pocket.
Every time someone brings up the fact that Tebow is a good character guy and a hard worker usually just ends up insulting everyone else by making the implication that they DON'T work hard or have good character. Tebow is not and will not be the only person putting in hard work. But that is pretty much all that the scouts and the analysts can latch on to when it comes to him, otherwise he would never go so high.
ReplyDeleteBut McDaniels wants to turn the Broncos into HIS team so he went and shipped off everyone and will refill with what he likes. Tebow may be a project, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is up there competing with Orton and Quinn (my opinion of both of those QBs is incredibly low as it is) or if they put him in any special offensive sets.
This thread is the longest in the history of the blog...so I will add 2 cents more. Perception is tainted reality....and this is rarely on better display than when talking about quarterbacks...NFL or otherwise. I can't tell you how many Dads I had come up to me in ten years of coaching and ask me if their 12-15 year olds were going to be running "the West Coast offense"...as if the Dads had any clue what that meant, or that any QB outside of perhaps 2 dozen on the NFL level could actually run it. QB is a position that has, perhaps, the steepest learning curve in sports....the only way you make it manageable is by lengthening the time allowed to travel the curve. Montana, Aikman, Manning (Peyton), Manning (Eli), Bradshaw, Namath...most QBs get their heads handed to them early in their careers when they start right away. Guys like Brady, Favre, Brees, and Hasselback took time behind the seens to learn. Lets not forget Warner and Romo either. Jason Campbell has played for 8 offensive coordinators, and last year had a lame duck head coach, two different OC's, a pedestrian running game, lackluster receivers...oh and by the way he threw 20 TD's and went for over 3,500 yards with a rating over 85. But the Redskins needed a new QB....perception is tainted reality. My Browns got Colt McCoy, an accurate and technically sound QB who happens to be the WINNINGEST QB IN NCAA HISTORY. He went in the third round and the big character guy who wins, wins, wins was taken by the Broncos in round one. Perception. Why is Tebow a high character guy anyway? Is he better than Bradford or McCoy or Tony Pike because he was home-schooled and is an evangelical? The Broncos just became the microcosm of the NFL's QB debate; Orton has won everywhere he has played with whatever support the team could give him...he won more games the year the Bears went to the Super Bowl than their erstwhile starter. Orton threw for 3800 yards, 21 TDs, and a rating of 86.8...but the Broncos need a new QB. Perception. Brady Quinn IS Jimmy Clausen; a Charlie Weiss-schooled QB with a good record and big numbers at Notre Dame...he was a first round pick. Perception. Tim Tebow has TERRIBLE mechanics...I was touched by Hank's attempt to bring Peyton manning's happy feet into the discussion, but the connection just isn't there. Anyone who has ever coached or played that position can see that the kids feet are glued to the ground...he has no concept of pocket movement, no demonstrated ability to read defensive positioning and throw to windows rather than receivers, and his release can be clocked with a sundial. His skill set, in fact, is remarkably like Byron Leftwich... a high character guy who once led the Thundering Herd of Marshall on a game-winning TD drive, in the playoffs, on a broken ankle. Despite the perception....Leftwich has not had a good career. For these reasons, it is my perception that Tebow was the worst pick of the first round; of course it is motivated kids like him that love to make guys like me eat crow. More power to him!
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteAs a graduate and lifelong fan of Marshall University, I think you may be having your Byron story a bit confused.
The moment which everyone remembers him was when he has his foot torn up by an Akron Zips linebacker. At the time Marshall was undefeated and Akron was winless. This was just regular season (there were no playoffs, since Marshall was a IA team just like every other major program).
Also, he was able to lead them to a touchdown drive, but what most people don't remember is that it wasn't enough and that Marshall still lost the game.
It is my opinion that that game is the primary reason why Byron's pro career was as unremarkable as it has been. He made himself a legend but in the process kept himself in the game long enough to allow those Akron players (and also players from subsequent teams) to tee off on that injured leg, and believe me they aimed for it every single time. After that Akron game he was never the same QB. And sadly, Marshall has never had another QB who has come close to matching the quality of Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.
Just goes to show you. Politics - Schmolitics!!! When the IMPORTANT stuff is on the table, we get involved!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the correction! Hank...Amen!
ReplyDelete