I'll be honest, the title of this post is a little hyperbolic. Quinn wasn't resigned to failure if he ended up with Miami or Minnesota or was Cleveland's first pick. That's not what I'm saying. I guess what I'm saying is that I was prepared to hate Brady Quinn before today. And now... well, I'm pulling for the kid; and I think a lot of people are pulling for him with me.
Quinn was the golden boy before this draft and for those outside of the 10000 mile reach of South Bend fandom, Brady Quinn represents all that is wrong with the world of football ratings. First, he comes from Notre Dame. Notre Dame is like Duke, the Yankees, the Cowboys and the Lakers. If you're a sports fan, you either love or hate those teams. There is no middle ground. But nationwide, there's a bit of a love affair with Notre Dame. It is because of this love affair that some Fighting Irish prospects in the past have been rated higher than they deserved solely because of the name on their jersey (See Rick Mirer). The Irish usually play an ok schedule, but they also play a ton of cream puffs. So when you look at the overall stats of any Notre Dame player, they are usually inflated compared to players from better conferences. Yet every year some Notre Dame player gets taken too early (last year it was Maurice Stovall but the list is endless) and still the following year we get drawn back into to their Siren song because they are Notre Dame. Notre Dame prospects, more than any other school, climb the charts due to their "intangibles" and "coachability" and "poise" and some other some other immeasurable that only Fighting Irish players seem to possess. If these players came out Purdue, they'd be 4th and 5th rounders. Now clearly since Notre Dame is able to recruit better talent than those other schools, it is reasonable to surmise that all things being equal, the Notre Dame players were at one time more highly rated than players from a crappier school, so there is some reason to the rhyme. But by and large, Notre Dame gets way too much love.
The result of all of this irrational love is that Notre Dame isn't the most sympathetic of teams and neither are their players. So being that Brady came into this draft the 4 year starting QB for Notre Dame, and he is a dead ringer for an Abercrombie model and he's not measurably better than any of the quarterbacks after Jamarcus Russell yet was projected to go in the first 6 picks, he wasn't the most sympathetic character coming into the draft. It didn't help that when Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, realized that Quinn was sliding, possibly as far as 9th, he shipped Brady out to the Sports Talk Show circuit in a cheap attempt to create enough fan groundswell from the Browns, Vikings or even Lions to grab him ahead of Miami. It was this straw that broke the camels back for many people who already thought Brady was too highly rated. It's one thing to not be good enough to be a top ten pick but be rated as one. It's a whole 'nother ball game to not be good enough and to go from place to place explaining to fans why you are good enough. That's just pathetic. It was because of this display that there were people, myself included, who were hoping he would slide out of the top ten to show that teams are smarter than that and these cheap PR stunts don't work.
When Minnesota passed on him at 7, I thought "good for them." And I was not alone. EVERYONE I know was hoping Brady would fall. They all had their reasons but it was generally similar sentiment to mine. So it was a little surprising that Brady Quinn became the most sympathetic figure of this or any draft. If you had told me two months ago that he was going in the 20's, I would have thought it unthinkable. If you told me this on Thursday of last week, I would have smacked you right in the scrotum. So it was even more surprising that this fall was the best thing that ever happened to Quinn. Here's why:
1. The Browns fans didn't want him at 3. They recognized he was a reach and they've reached too much. Plus they've done well recently in drafts. Wimbley is a stud, Braylon Edwards can play and if Winslow didn't get in that motorcycle accident, he'd be a top 5 pick. They didn't need to reach for a QB this year, they needed the best player. Most people thought that would be Adrian Peterson, but Joe Thomas is a great pick for them. You can't be upset about it. So Browns fans had to be satisfied that their team actually had a plan and were making strides toward building a decect team (around a very good defense). You figure they would grab a QB in the second round, maybe Stanton, Edwards or Beck and move on conservatively from there. But then Brady starts falling, and falling, and falling. And by midway through the second round, you start to realize that it makes sense for the Browns to move up and grab him. In the 20's, Brady Quinn isn't an overrated reach from an overinflated program, he's a potential star who's inexplicably slid too far and HAS TO BE the best player left on anyone's board, and is only available because no one else needs a QB. At that point, you do what it takes to grab him because someone else will and you'll be stuck with second round QB when you could've grabbed the "2nd best QB" in the draft for a pick next year when the QB crop is no better than this year. So in terms of becoming popular in Cleveland, at 3, Quinn needs to produce and is heavily scrutinized. At 22, the Cleveland Browns fans are ecstatic to have him on their team.
2. For the fan without a stake in the Brady Quinn sweepstakes, it was clear that he was way overrated. No one could explain why he was any more sound than any other QB in the draft. When asked why he was better than Stanton, Edwards or Kolb, the answer was "well, Brady Quinn is more poised and confident and he's a leader and understands the game...." but when you compare the stats and stats against good teams, Quinn looked beyond pedestrian. He looked average. When players are irrationally rated higher than their peers despite the stats or reasoned explanation, those players usually bear more criticism than their peers (see Derek Jeter and Tom Brady). Quinn was one of those guys. I couldn't WAIT for him to fall. I was tweaking my final draft this morning and finished the first round before realizing that I had left Quinn completely out of it. I didn't think he would fall so far, I just liked how the other players fit with the teams in the first round. Since I was trying to predict what teams would actually do, I put Quinn back in knowing he would eventually be picked. So when he started falling, I rejoiced (see my draft commentary). I did so because I figured there was no way Miami would pass up on him. But then Miami made one of the worst first round picks in the history of any sport ever, and Quinn started falling way too far, and he started talking to the reporters, and he made a joke about ordering pizza... you just started feeling bad for him. As much as I wanted NFL GMs to teach him and his agent a lesson, I didn't want to embarrass the kid. Plus, he's not that bad. So then you start pulling for him. Your mindset changes. You go from hoping a team won't take him to wondering who can move up to take him and what team he'd be best for and essentially you start to hope he gets put in a position where he can shine. I've never wanted anything positive for Brady Quinn in my whole life and now I'm hoping that when the Dolphins come to Cleveland on October 14th that he kicks the ever loving shit out of them. And in talking to friends of mine, they felt the same way. Because of his day on Saturday, Brady Quinn has been knocked off his high horse and now people want to see him get back up. It's such a compelling story regardless of whether or not you liked him to begin with that while he may have proved his critics right by falling so far, there are few people who after seeing him fall don't now want to see him do well.
So all-in-all, Brady's fall was the best PR stunt he could have pulled. And the Browns coming back into the first round and grabbing him--almost in disbelief that it would even be possible to get such a player at 22--is storybook stuff. I said in an early post that I have a hard time feeling bad for Brady Quinn, and that's the truth, but I feel a lot differently about him today than I did 4 days ago; and I would wager that I'm not alone.
If it wasn't 15 minutes before the start of the draft, I'd amend K.C.'s pick to include this fella. He's multidimensional, great peripherals and strong character guy ("teammate first").
7:30 - I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Mo closed the game out and the Yanks won 3-1. He isn't dominant (nobody swings and misses anymore), but even his third rate stuff is better than about 3/4 of the closers out there.
7:10 - I can't help myself.... Tim McCarver is telling Joe Buck that the MLB should adopt a mandatory Yoga policy in order to prevent all the pulled hamstrings in the Majors. First, I didn't realize there was this pulled hammy epidemic and second, why the F is Yoga going to help anymore than general stretching? Lastly, McCarver is the last person I would ever expect to promote something like Yoga. He's a curmudgeon if ever there were one.
7:03 - One last post (maybe last), the called third strike on Coco to end the 8th by Bruce Fremming was so far outside it was almost a passed ball.
6:27 - Last post of the day. Belichick is on with Berman right now. He is not exactly the best interview in the world (that may be a wee bit of an understatement). He just says the same thing over and over again. Then he cracks a really bad joke about Berman and nicknames. I'm very glad his job is not to entertain. He is about as exciting as chicken salad. Branch and P squared go 1-2 in the second round and the first round riff raff will likely follow. Paul Posluszny at this spot is fine but Branch is a steal in the second round. If there was ever a question about Branch's motivation, how does getting skipped by every team in the league sound to you for motivation? Branch was a top 8 pick 2 weeks ago.
This has been really long. I'm taking a nap. I'm sure I'll have more to offer tomorrow. Today, I'm spent.
6:22 - Igawa has pitched a 6 inning one-hitter so far (now 2 hitter). He looked good today (I say "looked" because he looks bad in this inning). Then E-Rod comes through with a nice error to start the 7th. Another one of those, April turns to May, the boo birds come back, Heyman writes his first "Trade A-Rod" article for SI.com and it will all feel normal again.
6:18 - How is the theme music for each team at Radio City selected? It's easy for some teams ("New York" for the Giants, "Rocky" for the Eagles) but they were just playing the Cougar for the Colts. If I were a Colts fan, I'd be irate. Is that the song that best represents Indianapolis? If so, that's horrendous. I would be ashamed to be from Indy after that.
6:15 - A-Rod's up with the bases loaded. This should go well. (He popped out).
6:10 - Greg Olsen looks like every asshole I hated in college. He and the Rex Machine should get along nicely.
5:51 - My fantasy bass team shit the bed today. Pete Ponds in particular. Ponds was fifth after yesterday and today he only grabbed three fish and is currently at 40. Thanks, asshole.
5:46 - With Mo unavailable, I don't think the Sox are gonna be able to come back tonight (that joke will never get old).
5:39 - Sox game again, two horrible plays in a row. Lowell, who has been awful in the field this year. Booted a potential double play ball (at least an easy out) and then Abreu gets up with no outs, 2 on and lays down one of the worst bunts I've ever seen. There is no way Torre called for that, unless he's trying to get fired (which may be the case because he also sent Jeter with one out from second and ended a rally with a strikeout and throw out of Jeter). Abreu is batting third for the NEW YORK YANKEES. You don't bunt. And you especially don't bunt when you suck at bunting, which he clearly does.
5:25 - I can't believe how right Michael Smith has been today. Maybe it's just that he's sharing a room with Mark May and Sean Salisbury (Salisbury, by the way, may be the only person on the planet with a bigger hard-on for Calvin Johnson than myself). He said that Jax and Carolina both had the best first round of anybody because they got their guys and got extra picks. Exactly right, Michael. I think that's a no brainer. Michael Smith is much smarter than his creepy and uglier lookalike, Eric Allen (pictured to the left. I told you he looks like an ugly version of Michael Smith.).
5:09 - The Yanks should just not tell Igawa he's gonna start and surprise him with starts every time. He look great coming in after Karstens got pulled with the injury. With all the advance scouting that goes on by teams, maybe this is a new way to combat against the scouts. Don't tell anyone who you're going to start, even the starters. There's no way a team can prepare for all 12 guys in the bullpen everyday. Lastly, someone should tell Igawa that in America, unless you're Jim McMahon, sunglasses are used to block out the sun.
5:07 - And then they go and pick Anthony Spencer. I guess I could've seen New Orleans, Indy or Detroit taking him. 3 picks just seems like a lot to give up.
5:03 - Steve Young is now bitching about the music being played over the PA at Radio City. He is just angry today. Also, Philly just anally violated Dallas with their most recent trade. You have to think that Dallas wants to move up to grab Meachem, but is he really so much more valuable than the guys that would be left at the early second round spot they gave up (8 picks later) to justify giving up 3 picks?
4:53 - Home plate umpire Bruce Fremming is mic'd up in the Sox - Yanks game. I feel like this feature is being way underutilized. I'm sure some hilarious things are said at home plate and by the catchers to players. But Fox only uses it when the umps are doing really mundane things like giving loose balls (ha!) to fans or things like today where Bruce took us on a "ground rules tour" of Yankee stadium. Let's just say it wasn't electrifying. Joe Buck then told us that Fremming was a candidate for the Cubs broadcasting team. After listening to Fremming bore us through the stadium, Fremming in the broadcast booth is the only person who could possibly be worse than Suzy Waldman or the White Sox broadcasters.
4:47 - Whoa! The Pats take Meriweather. That's an interesting pick. He's a low character guy (two major incidents including a hand gun problem) who Belichick feels he can handle. Jeff Fisher probably thought he could deal with PacMan last year, so this is a little risky. They have a ton of veteran leaders on D, so maybe it will work out, but this pick is a little shaky for my tastes.
4:42 - A-Rod just ran away from a flying bat like a 4 year-old girl running from a bee.
4:40 - Apparently the deal between between Dallas and Cleveland was made much easier by the fact that Phil Savage and Jerry Jones share a similar southern drawl. Savage cited the fact that the two of them "talk the same way" as a reason for the smooth transaction. Maybe that explains why he gave up the farm for him. Though I do agree with Savage's line of thinking that if they didn't grab an QB this year, they would likely have to next year and since they were considering taking him third and weren't enamored with next year's crop, why not get a guy you can coach for a year and sculpt even if he isn't going to play. That'd be better than a decent QB in next year's draft.
4:33 - Back to the Sox game, McCarver just told us that Sumo wrestling is the only sport more popular than Baseball in Japan. Who knew?
4:16 - Our long national nightmare is finally over. Brady is going to Cleveland. And thank God. Now Steve Young is comparing Brady Quinn to Dan Marino. He went from overrated to underrated to overrated in a hearbeat. That was a fun ride. And Dallas got Cleveland's No. 1 next year? Whoa. No pressure Brady. I hope you like the weapons already on that team because that's it until 2009.
3:58 - HEY! The Giants made a good pick. I would have taken Eric Wright, but the Giants need so much help in the secondary that you can't fault them if this was the top guy on their board. They probably did not expect him to be here, so they must be pretty pumped. And Jeff Karstens just took one off the knee that looked so painful my knee started to throb. YEEEEEEEEOUCH FORBESY!
3:42 - It is possible that Brady Quinn could fall to Baltimore or even Chicago if Dallas or K.C. doesn't take him. I can't even imagine him falling past Dallas, but it is certainly possible. If he fell out of the first round, do you think he would go out onstage and punch Gene Washington right in the mouth?
3:34 - Justin Harrell to Green Bay and Jarvis Moss to Denver. Love both of these picks. Steve Young hates this pick. He agrees with Keyshawn that it's essentially a slap in the face of Brett Favre to not surround him with talent. Young and Mort are really going at it today. Two times Young has thought the mic was turned off and was heard shouting at someone at the table. He seems awfully ornery today.
3:10 - Ok, I've officially come around on Brady Quinn. He was pretty candid in his most recent interview and seems like a good enough guy. Plus, I really feel bad for this guy, kind of. This whole draft process for Brady has been handled poorly. Let's look at it: He skipped the Senior Bowl, his reps didn't have him participate in the combine other than to bench despite the fact that people had concerns about his attitude and accuracy, he looked ok at pro day but not great and then when his agent realized he was slipping, they whored him out to the sports talk show circuit to promote him as a pretty face begging for a spot. I don't think they'll be using this experience in the next class of "how to market a QB 101". If I'm a player coming out in future drafts (and I'm actually thinking about throwing my hat in the ring next year), I think long and hard about having Tom Condon handle my affairs.
3:06 - Keyshawn has officially derailed. He just said that Green Bay needs to take LSU's Dwayne Bowe in order to help Green Bay move into the next millenium. Yes, Dwayne Bowe should be a star at least through 3010.
3:04 - Rachel Nichols is acting like Uncle Junior Soprano. She just repeated the same story (verbatim) about Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for the second time. Maybe she's contractually required to tell the story once every hour.
3:02 - Brady Quinn is backstage right now receiving a lindy slinger.
2:55 - The Jets trade up for Revis to prevent him from going to the Steelers. They needed a corner so whatever. The ESPN crew felt that they did it to prevent the Pats from moving up to take him. I find the idea that the Pats were going to move up to grab the smallish Revis when there's enough comparable talent at their slot to be a little far-fetched, though I do like the idea that Pats baited the Jets into giving up their first two picks for him. That makes me happy in my pants.
2:32 - If I had been in the room when someone proposed this idea: "Ok, picture this.... giant clear orb full of giant, colored and numbered ping pong balls, screaming studio audience, catch phrase 'pull that triggah!', a guy in a referee uniform speaking with a broken english accent who also has a catch phrase ('No Bingo') and a no name host with a british accent from a relatively succesful show where he wasn't even close to a star--I call it: National Bingo Night! Whaddaya think?" My reaction would have been similar to the woman who sees her nude husband stand up from the tub and do the "Spongebob no pants" thing. Wow indeed. In fact, I may have had security escort them out of the building. That show looks almost as bad as "The Rich List".
2:27 - Marshawn Lynch is fine by me being that I'm a Pats fan. Last year the Bills were a player or two away from competing for a playoff spot. They lose Clements and McGahee, and then pick up Marshawn Lynch (who is described at being "pretty good")? Go right the F ahead. That is a net downgrade, big time. The Bill had to pick up an RB, but after losing Clements and having EVERY CB still on the board, the Bills should have sured up the D-backfield. Maybe they think they can get McCauley or Ross in the second round, but this pick is gross. The Bills are officially out of the playoffs.
2:15 - The Brady Quinn experience just got even more awkward. They had to move him to a special room setup by the commissioner to take him away from the media coverage. I don't know if this makes it better or worse. While it was painful to watch Aaron Rodgers and Leinart slip, at least it was impressive to see them sit through it and take it. By hiding him, they are kind of reinforcing what people thought that Brady is just a good looking dude who can't stand up to the pressure.
2:11 - The fact that Mark May hates Amobi Okoye makes me think that he is going to be one of the best players in the NFL. Mark May is one of the worst talent evaluators in the history of the draft. I would love to see the "small" Okoye line up across from Mark May and beat the ever-loving shit out of him.
2:08 - Two man-crushes down, 4 to go. Houston really lucked out with Okoye falling to them. They have to be ecstatic. They were probably thinking they may be forced to take a run at Branch but this couldn't have worked out better. Their defensive front is starting to shape up with Williams, Okoye, Weaver, Travis Johnson, Ryans and Greenwood.
1:58 - Chris Berman just dropped the bomb of the draft: Brady's girlfriend is named Lindy Slinger. That is unfortunate. Shouldn't she be Rex Grossman's girlfriend? I'm going to stop making fun of the both of them because this is just getting awkward.
1:51 - HOLY SHIT! Ted Ginn? Are you fucking kidding me? I don't think Brady is a top ten pick but didn't they have to take him? Ted Ginn is an injury magnet. He compares favorably to Terry Glenn and Charles Rogers. This is horrible. I actually now feel bad for Brady. Not as bad as I feel for Dolphins fans though. That is one of the worst picks I've ever seen.
1:45 - Jamaal Anderson is gonna end up being a "blah" pick by the Falcons. Pretty athletic, decent motor, whatever. He just wasn't dominant enough to be a top ten pick. If you're gonna take a run at a stud, why not Jarvis Moss? He has much more upside than Anderson does.
1:42 - I enjoy the fact that the players can hear the broadcasters talking about them while they wait to be picked. I wish that were the case in the real games. I would love to see player reactions during the heat of battle when Troy Aikman calls a throw "stupid" or Baldinger carries on about a stupid penalty or missed block. To me, that would be funny.
1:38 - Here's a problem I have with the "Brady doesn't care where he goes" philosophy. If he didn't care, why was he defending himself all week? He was not going any later than Miami anyway, right? So what was he doing going on the talk show circuit? Wouldn't he only do that to explain to people why he should move up? I don't just think that Brady cares where he goes, I think he cares more than anyone.
1:31 - Anyone know anything about Admiralty law? I've got a final on Monday and some of this stuff I'm reading might as well be written in Korean.
1:27 - I love the highlight of the Vikings delaying their pick for 3 picks. That was so bizarre. The best part, in hindsight, is the video of Vikings fans getting all pissed when the pick finally came in with Kevin Williams. Kevin Williams is one of the best D Tackles in the game. Vikings fans are so dumb. So so dumb.
1:22 - If Minnesota doesn't take Brady, this could get really fun. I foresee tears. I don't usually enjoy other people's pain this much, but Brady brought this on himself by politicking all week.
1:20 - Steve Young tells us that Adrian Peterson's nickname is "AD" for "All Day" because he's such a hard worker. Wow, another hard worker in the draft. Will wonders never cease.
1:18 - Skins take Landry. Great pick. Love this guy. This means that Okoye is likely to fall to at least 8 and probably 9. Someone's getting a steal.
1:15 - Keyshawn is not mincing words and is not making a ton of sense. In one lengthy, rambling sentence he tore apart Steve Spurrier's draft, called the Skins old, mentioned that he watched one highlight tape of Landry and said he had great "attention to detail" and was a good player because he planted a quarterback one time. I love Landry more than anyone, but I think he's just better than everyone and great safeties are difference makers. The Skins should know that better than anyone.
1:09 - So far, I have to say that this may be the smartest draft on record. I'm not sold on Gaines Adams and would have taken Okoye if I were the Bucs, but they addressed a need and got the top-rated guy. Not trading up for CJ was a amart decision. Also, the fact that Brady Quinn is sitting there with a mix of hair gel and sweat beads dripping down his face is pretty entertaining. Plus, I really enjoy his get up. Three piece suit sans jacket so only two pieces are showing. Pretty sharp.
1:05 - Michael Smith was right (he's been right all day) and AZ picked Levi Brown. I am so nervous about the Skins pick. They either need to take Okoye or trade down. I can't imagine what else they would do. I have several friends who are almost ready to vomit.
1:02 - Lot o' discussion about the AZ pick. Salisbury is INCENSED at the idea of Levi Brown being a better pro than Joe Thomas. Didn't people say the same thing about D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Marcus McNeil?
12:57 - I am loving the family members on the stage this year. Gaines Adams's family looked like they were coaches at the Pro Bowl. Green hawaaian shirts and khakis.
12:55 - Berman breaks out his first nickname of the draft: "No Gaines" Adams. God help us.
12:52 - Keyshawn just took a verbal dump on Chris Weinke. Keyshawn, in explaining why the Bucs would be ok to add another QB to their roster, "You need QBs, look what happened to us last year. Jake when down and then we had nothing." That's a confidence builder.
12:48 - The analysis about where Brady is going to go has broken down to Jon Gruden loving quarterbacks. Because of Gruden's love of QBs, they will take Brady Quinn even though they are paying 5 guys right now to play the position and are looking at Jake Plummer. The only other problem with this analysis is that Jon Gruden team has never taken a QB in the first round. Other than that, Quinn's a sure thing.
12:40 - This is GREAT! Cleveland takes Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn is not taking it well, plus my mock draft is 100% correct at the moment. Quinn looks like he wants to go up to the podium and grab the hat right out of Goodell's hand. He couldn't really look angrier. The next possible team to take him are the Skins at 6 and they are not likely to do it. Miami, Chicago and maybe Green Bay are teams that could move up into the 6th slot to grab him.
12:35 - Shot of Brady Quinn and his girlfriend and HOLY GOD is she busted (assuming that is his girlfriend he's got his arm around next to him). I had no idea Notre Dame was so bereft of female talent. She is the girlfriend talent equivalent of Brady Quinn. Looks good next to average competition, but when featured against top competition she looks like shit. She is one hour away from servicing Jimmy Clausen. Man, she is just awful.
12:31 - CJ is gone to the Lions and Keyshawn is sure that he's traded because Marinelli loves defensive players. That makes sense. Marinelli likes defensive players, Calvin Johnson is not a defensive player, therefore the Lions will trade him.
12:30 - Russell is gone and CJ should be next. The idea that the Lions can't take Johnson because of their previous draft day WR debacles is absurd. They should take CJ BECAUSE of those problems.
12:10 - I'm not sure if people outside of NY get the Crunch Gyms commercial series, but it's really disturbing. It features a bunch of claymation characters of different sizes and stereotypes doing weird things at Crunch Gyms usually resulting in one of the characters losing a limb or head. Just weird weird stuff. Here's one example.
12:25 - Lions are up, CJ is crying but there's some delay with the Lions pick. He's definitely gone, but he may not end up in Detroit. Trading CJ would be idiotic. The Lions have a need for a wide receiver BECAUSE they screwed up with their receiver picks.
12:15 - Russell is gone and there's a collective sigh of relief from Raider nation. The old man is not completely nuts.
12:08 - I don't really get the Reggie Bush Madden 2008 commercial on two levels: 1. Only one team passed on him, so thanking the "people" that passed on him doesn't really make sense; 2. Why does Madden need to start advertising now? Do you really think people are going to give up on the most popular video game ever and go with ESPN's shitty version or perhaps go retro and get back into Ten Yard Fight? Though, I guess since I'm talking about it, they've done their job. Stupid marketing geniuses....
11:58 - Possible trade in the works for the first pick. Cleveland wants Russell. This would be great for the Browns and is certainly a signal that Oakland is not sold on Russell, because they are morons. They seem to be ok with Brady Quinn or maybe they hope that Detroit passes on CJ and he slips to 3. I'll say this, if that is their hope, they're screwed because if Oakland trades their pick, the 2nd pick will SURELY be CJ whether Detroit takes him or not.
11:45 - I can't get over how much Goodell looks like Ted from the Holiday Inn "Business Guy" commercials. I know I've mentioned it before, but I really think the resemblance is uncanny.
11:30 - Already some serious technical difficulties. Mort sounded like he was reporting from the Snorks hometown of Snorkland (please go to this site if only to listen to the Snorks unbelievably unimaginative theme song "Come along with the Snorks. Play along with the Snorks.... If you could breathe underwater, where would you go?"). Then the camera refused to zoom in on Keyshawn as he was talking, so since Mort was still on camera, he couldn't mess with his mic, which made him very uncomfortable and fidgety. I really hope this is a sign of things to come.
11:10 - Michael Smith reported that the Raiders are going with Jamarcus Russell, but Ed Werder met with Lane Kiffin who denied Smith's report saying that they had not spoken with Russell or his representatives. Michael Smith then came back with a report, citing anonymous sources, that Ed Werder is ugly. Werder then broke the news that Michael Smith smells like shit. It's getting a little chippy in the early going.
I don't care what Charlie says, Brady Quinn is sliding
I've updated the draft since I did it about two weeks ago and want to be as right as possible. Not too many changes, but I do have to come off the Okoye bandwagon a little. He's clearly not going 3, even though he should.
Also, I'll be running a draft blog (very original) and posting throughout the day.
1. Oakland Should take: Jamarcus Russell Will take: Jamarcus Russell This is the easiest call ever. Don't let anyone tell you this isn't going to happen. Al Davis may be crazy, but he hasn't completely lost it yet. This is the only pick for Oakland.
2. Detroit Should take: Trade with Atlanta Will take: Calvin Johnson The possibility of Atlanta moving up will become more apparent as Millen begins to panic about adding a potential bust in Joe Thomas or picking another wide receiver. He will desperately try and trade down and while Rich McKay and Atlanta are posturing very nicely about not wanting Johnson, this trade makes too much sense to go away. At the end of the day, the Lions likely won't consummate a trade before they pick and will pick Johnson so as to buy another hour to trade with Atlanta or just keep the pick and come away with the best player in the draft.
3. Cleveland Should take: Adrian Peterson Will take: Joe Thomas Peterson's injury situation has come into question. I can't see the Browns taking a chance on him.
4. Miami (from Tampa Bay) Should take: Laron Landry Will take: Trade to Miami - Levi Brown Tampa Bay will take a high round pick in next year's draft and a bag of balls for this pick once CJ gets taken. They may trade with Detroit but I think that's highly unlikely. They need far too much help. With Thomas gone and Levi Brown inexplicably moving up the draft board, there is no doubt AZ will scoop him up if he's there. Miami needs this player badly enough and has enough later picks to make the deal.
5. Arizona Should take: Lawrence Timmons Will take: Gaines Adams AZ needs a ton of help all over the place, but they could really use a stud linebacker to play opposite Dansby. Timmons is the man. He's a difference maker. He's better than Willis (who no less than 10 days ago was going to the Pats at 24 but now has moved up into the top 10 after doing nothing). But Gaines Adams will be too flashy for the new blood to pass up. To their credit, AZ knows that the DE position falls off FAST after Carriker and Moss while the LB crew is probably deeper and they MAY be able to steal Beason early in the second round.
6. Washington Should take: Amobi Okoye Will take: Amobi Okoye Since he's now gonna be here, the Skins will take him. F'n fantastic pick. There is a chance that they flirt with Brady Quinn. Please don't take him.
7. Minnesota Should take: Laron Landry Will take: Laron Landry Now, I've got a weird feeling that back of the draft team like Baltimore or Chicago (I really think Green Bay may make a move here... I told you it was a weird feeling) could trade up to this slot and grab Quinn. They'd have to give up some decent talent to do that. But guess what? Chicago has some decent talent to trade (Lance Briggs says hello). This type of trade NEVER happens on draft day, so it'd be highly unlikely (which is why I'm "mentioning" it rather than "predicting" it), but it is food for thought. Landry is the perfect play for Minnesota. He shouldn't have fallen this far with his talent but Minnesota doesn't "need" him enough (though they could use him). Laron Landry is a great call here.
8. Atlanta Should take: trade up with Detroit for CJ Will take: Jarvis Moss This may be a shocker, but it makes sense. Kerney's gone and they need D-Line help. People think Moss is a pure speed rusher, but so was Javon Kearse. Also, Petrino had a speed rushing animal named Elvis Dumervil a couple years ago, and he worked out ok for Denver last year.
9. Buffalo (from Tampa Bay via Miami) Should take: trade with Buffalo - Buffalo takes Adrian Peterson Will take: trade with Buffalo - Buffalo takes Adrian Peterson There's no one at this slot valuable enough for Tampa and Buffalo is going to POUNCE to get in ahead of Houston to grab A Pete. This will leave Tampa with some extra picks this year and some very solid picks for next year. This team is old and it could not be better for them. With Buffalo, A-Pete is the player they want. They'll get him and he could make them a playoff team.
10. Houston Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Aaron Ross This is a tough one. I so want to think they'll take Alan Branch here to sure up that young D-line even more, but they kinda have to take a CB. Leon Hall is way overrated and I think people are picking up on it. I also think the CB crop is a little underrated. McCauley is my favorite CB in the entire draft. Everyone who talks about him says he'll be a steal when he goes. I've never understood why players who receive such universal praise are not selected ahead of those who are universally proclaimed "overrated." Aaron Ross is not a bad choice and will likely be grabbed to make up for the Bush / V Young debacle (to appease the UT fans).
11. Chicago (from San Fran) Should take: Alan Branch Will take: Trade with Chicago - Chicago takes Brady Quinn This would be awesome. I would laugh so hard if Quinn falls out of the top ten and Chicago moves up to take him to battle Rexticles for the starting spot. This would be a very popular choice in Chicago but would mean Lance Briggs is in San Fran.
12. Tampa Bay (from Buffalo via Miami) Should take: Alan Branch Will take: Alan Branch Branch has taken a bit of a beating with all the hype surrounding Okoye but he's still a valuable hole plugger and the Bucs could use one of those. After not getting CJ, they trade because they are aging on D and need help on both sides of the ball. They also know that the real value for wide receivers is in the second and third rounds this year and getting a couple picks in those rounds will be more helpful than reaching for value at the top of the draft.
13. St. Louis Should take: Lawrence Timmons Will take: Leon Hall The Rams need help everywhere on D and would've jumped at the chance to take Branch. With him off the board, they'll take the next best player on their board. It would take a lot for Hall to fall this far down the board and if he does the Rams would be hard-pressed not to grab him. They'll also take a look at Timmons, Willis and the DE riff raff. They would be best served taking the most athletic LB, but Hall will likely be invited to the festivities and you can't let him sit at that table with his mom past 15, it'd just be embarrassing. St. Louis will be happy with this pick.
14. Carolina Should take: Lawrence Timmons Will take: Lawrence Timmons This should be a no brainer for Carolina. Timmons is a superbly athletic and has overachieved for his size. Many mocks have Carolina grabbing TE Greg Olsen but I can't see that happening. Carolina is a playoff team and they're passing game is the least of their problems. They are a pick or two away from regaining their foothold on the South and reaching for a TE will not be particularly helpful.
15. Pittsburgh Should take: Jon Beason Will take: Patrick Willis This pick should take about 10 seconds. Beason is probalby too small and risky for the new blood in Pittsburgh to take on and the CB crop too dangerous.
16. Green Bay Should take: Greg Olsen Will take: Reggie Nelson This is not gonna be a popular pick. EVERYONE thinks they're gonna take Marshawn Lynch but with the NFL's new conduct policy, character counts for a TON in this draft. With Lynch's recent run-in with law enforcement and questionable character, he may get passed by. Plus, I don't think he's all that sweet. TE would be a real solid choice here but the talent of Reggie Nelson on a defense that is lacking in talent is something they won't be able to turn down. They may be able to grab TE Zach Miller in the second round or Antonio Pittman for their running game. They will not be able to find a talent like Nelson deeper in the draft. Lynch is just not worth the risk. Especially for a town like Green Bay.
17. San Francisco (from Jacksonville) Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Trade with San Fran - who will take Jamaal Anderson San Fran moves up to take Anderson. Jacksonville doesn't need to be here and San Fran has a ton of picks. This will be a great trade for both teams.
18. Cincinnati Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Justin Harrell Cincy is bad at selecting defensive players, which is surprising considering Marvin Lewis is the head coach there. They've had great luck with talent on the offensive line and skill positions and are solid at the safety position, but their D-line, linebackers and cornerbacks are amongst the league's worst. Character is going to be a HUGE issue for Cincy in this draft. They can't take Jarvis Moss and will look very hard at Posluszny and Revis but in the end their need at DT will outweigh the other issues. Harrell is climbing many boards and Cincy would be smart to grab him.
19. Tennessee Should take: Robert Meachem Will take: Robert Meachem This is gonna be tricky. Tennessee is on the verge of becoming very good. Two names that will pop up over and over again are Marshawn Lynch and Ted Ginn, Jr., and they will be especially tempted with Ginn, but local boy Meachem is almost assured of becoming great and is too steady to pass up. Ginn has too many "ifs" for a team so close to taking the next step. They will also take a look at Revis as a potential replacement for Pac Man (Revis is a return stud), but Meachem is the target Young needs and he would be a great fit for Norm Chow's offense.
20. NY Giants Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Paul Posluszny This does not make the ribosomes happy. The Giants have been in desperate need of linebacking talent for a little over a decade, maybe longer. There is some decent talent still left on the board and they'd be well advised to take Beason, but Posluszny seems like such a Giant-type pick. They will probably have to look at Revis, who would work very well and SHOULD look at Wright and McCauley, but they'll go the "popular" route and grab P squared.
21. Denver Should take: Jon Beason Will take: Adam Carriker And the rich get richer. The Broncos need a WR and LB more than they do more depth at DE, but Carriker is too good a player to pass up. Bowe makes sense and would be a good fit next to Javon Walker, but Carriker will be the guy.
22. Dallas Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Darrell Revis This is a typical Dallas pick. Revis will take over the return role and help fortify the secondary, but he is not the best pick at this slot for them. They'd be better served with McCauley, maybe Beason and even Anthony Gonzalez. They may take a run at Tony Ugoh, but if Revis slips into this slot they'll probably grab him.
23. Kansas City Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Ted Ginn, Jr. This is my only guarantee on the entire board. If Ted Ginn is available, the Chiefs WILL take him. I would bet almost any amount of money on it. K.C. needs help at wide receiver, there's no doubt about it. They've failed to draft a wideout every year since I can remember. They need a ton of help on the defensive side of the ball too and really should begin working on their defensive secondary, but the draw of Ginn is going to be too great for that franchise to pass up. I can't wait for them to pick him, and I can't wait to laugh.
24. New England Should take: Brian Leonard Will take: Eric Wright I can't be too angry with this pick. Maroney just had serious shoulder surgery and there's no guarantee he's gonna be able to "shoulder" the load (I'm a fucking pun factory). The Jets pick next and have got to have an eye on Leonard. He's a local kid and the Jets are in dire need of some pop in their backfield. Plus, the Eagles are also reportedly eyeing Leonard and pick again before the Pats. Leonard fits the Pats very well, but not as well as Eric Wright does. With Samuels doing all his bitching, the Pats need to gain some leverage and a solid corner is the only way to go. Though I'm not going to cancel the pre-order of my Pats Brian Leonard jersey yet...
25. New York Jets Should take: Marshawn Lynch Will take: Anthony Spencer The Jets are a smart bunch now. They've moved away from their past days of draft day butchery. Another year they may have grabbed a second rate CB like Houston or maybe even taken a run at a tight end like Olsen, but this is not your father's Jets. Spencer is a great pick who can end up at either DE or LB.
26. Philadelphia Should take: Marcus McCauley Will take: Marcus McCauley The Eagles are perhaps the most successful drafting team in the NFL. They have been drafting later in the draft these days and still accumulate great talent through it (at least on the defensive end). This is why I am confident they will grab the best corner "left" in the draft (I think he's the best in all of the draft). McCauley is a big corner and would serve Philly fans well. The Eagles will likely flirt with Brandon Meriweather and will no doubt be tempted by Jamaal Anderson, but they should jump on McCauley and I trust they will do it.
27. New Orleans Should take: Jon Beason Will take: Justin Durant There will be a lot of pressure to take Bowe, even with all the help NO needs on D. There's a chance they will succumb to that pressure. Not that New Orleans doesn't need the wide receiving help. Other than a 7th round pick, they were a rag tag bunch on that receiveing corp. More youth on that offense would help free up Reggie and Brees and Bowe is talented enough to make a huge difference. They need too much help on D and there's too much D in this draft to pass up. Durant will endear himself to that fan group in no time flat. He will turn out to be a steal of the draft.
28. New England Should take: Jon Beason Will take: Ryan Kalil This is just a typical "Patriot" thing to do. They'll either draft Kalil or Olsen here because they can't go through a draft without picking up an interior lineman or a TE. Olsen doesn't fit as well as some other TEs in the past, so O-Line is probably where they'll focus their attention. They will also take a good long look at Jamaal Anderson and probably skip over him.
29. Baltimore Should take: Jon Beason Will take: Justin Blalock I don't think there's a whole lot of discussion here. Ogden may retire and the Ravens have all but signed Blalock. He's about as sure a thing outside of the Chiefs taking Ginn as there is. Blalock is one of those under the radar guys who may move up some boards as we get closer to the draft, but I think he's pretty safe to the Ravens.
30. San Diego Should take: Brandon Meriweather Will take: Dwayne Jarrett This should be a doozy. The Chargers draft well, but they need a wide receiver worth throwing to. As it stands, they do not have one. A big sure-handed guy would work out great for them, Jarrett is at least big. Meriweather makes sense for them but they have to make a run at big-time receiver and Jarrett has that kind of potential.
31. Jacksonville (from San Fran through Chicago) Should take: Brandon Meriweather Will take: Tanard Jackson Jacksonville has a number of picks after the trade with San Fran and will take Tanard Jackson to match up with Darius and put together the fiercest safety combo in the league (ALL 'CUSE COMBO!).
32. Indianapolis Should take: Brandon Meriweather Will take: Michael Griffin This will be a pure character decision. Meriweather is more talented, Griffin is safer on the character side. Plus, Tony Dungy doesn't like gay people. Not that that matters, just thought I'd throw that in.
So there you have it. I'll stick that up against Mel Kiper any day.
That may sound like a large crowd cheering, but it's actually just my voice dubbed over a couple thousand times
My man-crush on Brian Leonard is about a decade old. I shit you not. His brother Nate was a sophomore at Gouverneur High School, a school about a half an hour away from my high school and when I returned from my first year of college, my high school football coach was telling me that this kid (Nate) was going to be unbelievable and a no doubt D1 talent. He then told me that Nate's little brother was supposedly an even better athlete. His brother, Brian, was 12 years old at the time. Nate was supposed to go to Syracuse. For that area of NY, about 2 hours north of Syracuse and an hour south of Ottawa, Canada, Syracuse is our pro franchise. St. Lawrence County bleeds Orange. The problem was that Nate injured himself his senior year and 'Cuse did not have the forsight to see that pulling their support of Nate was going to doom ANY chance at Brian. Rutgers took a chance on Nate, who injured himself again in college, but that shot was good enough for Brian. 3 years later, Brian Leonard is averaging well over 200yds a game, has broken the NY state high school single season scoring record and is being courted by top D1 talent across the country. Due to loyalty to his brother Nate, he goes to Rutgers and the rest is history. Anyhoo, with the draft only a few hours away, I figured I'd offer up some things you may not know about BriLo and where he comes from:
Name: Brian Leonard Nicknames: BriLo, Bri Guy, B, Broseph, Phil Family: Brother - Nate Leonard, Mother's an accountant, Father's a cable guy Hometown: Gouverneur, NY Fun Facts about Gouverneur: 1. Nicknamed "Marble City" due to the production of the famed "Gouverneur Marble" 2. Birthplace of Kinneys Drugs Pharmacy 3. Features a large replica roll of LifeSavers® candy was erected at one end of the narrow triangular strip of land that comprises the municipal park in downtown Gouverneur. The success of the "Candy Mint with the Hole"™ can be attributed to the efforts of Gouverneur native son Edward John Noble who was born in 1882. In 1913, Noble approached LifeSavers® inventor Clarence Crane of Cleveland with an advertising campaign for the mint, but was instead offered an opportunity to buy the failing business for just $2,900. Problems with preserving the flavor in cardboard packages threatened to end the LifeSavers® business. After acquiring the business, Noble devised an easy-to-open foil wrapper that preserved the flavor. As a result, sales of the candy soared. Profits increased sevenfold in the first year, then tripled again in the second year. Within ten years, sales had reached $11.5 million. Years later, Noble acquired the Beechnut Chewing Gum Company and merged its products with LifeSavers®. 4. Host of St. Lawrence County Fair (which once featured Jimmy "Super Fly" Snuka) 5. Held the distintion of highest teen pregnancy rate in America from 1992-1995.
You won't get that type of coverage from the draft experts.
Ever wonder what your team would look like if Mel Kiper were actually God's gift to drafting? What if he were right? What would your team look like? Well we're about to find out.
Below are each team as they would look if Mel's first round mock draft pick was correct (from 2001 to 2006, not coincidentally starting the same year Matt Millen began drafting players). Below that are the Mel's mock drafts for those years. Check out some of these teams! Cleveland Browns fans... yeeesh! I'll have much more to say about the draft later, but what strikes me as most interesting is how shitty he would have made the teams that turned out good like the Eagles, Pats and Bears. I've got more to say about this tomorrow but for now, enjoy what your team could have looked like:
AFC Baltimore Ravens Haloti Ngata Matt Jones (WR) Levi Jones (OT) Maurice Williams (OLB) Jimmy Kennedy (DT) Buffalo Bills Brodrick Bunkley (DT) Lee Evans (WR) Taylor Jacobs (WR) Ryan Sims (DT) Steve Hutchinson (OG) Cincinnati Bengals Donte Whitner (DB) Erasmus James (DE) Chris Gamble (CB) Jeremy Shockey (TE) Carson Palmer (QB)
Cleveland Browns Kamerion Wimbley (DE/OLB) Braylon Edwards (WR) Michigan Roy Williams (WR) Eric Steinbach (OG) William Green (RB) LaDainian Tomlinson (RB)
Denver Broncos Santonio Holmes (WR) Steven Jackson (RB) Jerome McDougle (DE) Edward Reed (CB) Freddie Mitchell (WR)
Houston Texans Reggie Bush (RB) Shawn Merriman (LB) Dunta Robinson (CB) Andre Johnson (WR) David Carr (QB) Indianapolis Colts Travis Johnson (DT) DJ Williams (LB) Troy Palamalu (S) Kris Jenkins (DE) Laurence Maroney (RB)
Jacksonville Jaguars Nick Mangold (C) Kenechi Udeze (DE) Fabian Washington (CB) Wendell Bryant (DT) Byron Leftwich (QB) Andre Carter (DE)
Kansas City Chiefs Johnathan Joseph (CB) Thomas Davis (OLB) Michael Jenkins (WR) Chris Kelsay (DE) Albert Haynesworth (DT) Nate Clements (CB)
Miami Dolphins Antonio Cromartie (CB) Shawn Andrews (OT) Chris Chambers (WR) Ronnie Brown (RB) New England Patriots Marlin Jackson (CB) DeAngelo Williams (RB) Daryl Smith (LB) Kwame Harris (OT) Marcus Tubbs (DT) Ty Warren (DT) Deuce McCallister (RB)
New York Jets Bobby Carpenter (OLB) Johnathan Vilma (LB) D'Brickashaw Ferguson(OT) DeWayne Robertson (DT) Mike Rumph (CB) Richard Seymour (DE/DT)
Oakland Robert Gallery (OT) Ernie Sims (LB) Wayne Hunter (OT) Willis McGahee (RB) Javon Walker (WR) Todd Heap (TE)
Pittsburgh Steelers Lendale White (RB) Heath Miller (TE) Dan Morgan (LB) Phillip Rivers (QB) Larry Johnson (RB) Toniu Fonoti (OG)
San Diego Chargers Winston Justice (OT) Khalif Barnes (OT) Mike Williams (WR) Eli Manning (QB) William Joseph (DT) Mike Williams (OT) Mike Vick (QB) Tennessee Vince Young (QB) Antrel Rolle (CB) Tyrone Calico (WR) Ben Troupe (TE)
NFC Arizona Cardinals Matt Leinart (QB) Cadillac Williams (RB) Larry Fitzgerald (WR) Terrell Suggs (DE) Napolean Harris (LB) Gerard Warren (DT)
Atlanta Falcons Alex Barron (OT) DeAngelo Hall (CB) Ashley Lelie (WR) Justin Smith (DE) Carolina Panthers Jammal Brown (OT) Mercedes Lewis (TE) Rashaun Woods (WR) Jordan Gross (OT) Julius Peppers (DE) Michael Bennett (RB)
Chicago Bears Chad Jackson (WR) Cedric Benson (RB) Tommie Harris (DE) Andre Woolfolk (CB) Kalimba Edwards (DE) Johnathan Sullivan (DT) Koren Robinson (WR)
Dallas Cowboys Manny Lawson (LB) Demarcus Ware (DE) Mark Clayton (WR) Kevin Jones (RB) Quentin Jammer (CB) Terrance Newman (CB)
Detroit Lions Michael Huff (DB) Derrick Johnson (LB) Kellen Winslow (TE) Jamal Reynolds (DE) Charles Rogers (WR) Joey Harrington (QB)
Green Bay Packers Jason Campbell (QB) Jason Babin (DE) AJ Hawk (LB) Rex Grossman (QB) Antonio Bryant (WR) Rod Gardner (WR)
Minnesota Vikings Jason Allen, (CB/S) Jamar Fletcher (CB) Troy Williamson (WR) Will Smith (DE) Marcus Trufant (CB)
New Orleans Saints Reggie Williams (WR) PacMan Jones (CB) Mario Williams (DE/DT) Sammy Davis (CB) Nick Barnett (LB) Willie Middlebrooks (LB)
New York Giants Sinorice Moss (WR) Michael Haynes (DE) Will Allen (CB) Ben Roethlisberger (QB) Donte Stallworth (WR)
Philadelphia Eagles Chad Greenway (LB) Odell Thurman (LB) Vernon Carey (OL) E.J. Henderson (LB) Chad Johnson (WR) OUCH!
San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith (QB) Vernon Davis (TE) Kenyatta Walker (OT) Lito Sheppard (CB) Kyle Boller (QB)
Seattle Seahawks Jimmy Williams (CB) David Terrell (WR) Dan Cody (LB) Darnell Dockett (DT) Kevin Williams DT) Daniel Graham (TE) Fred Smoot (CB)
St. Louis Rams Jay Cutler (QB) CB Marcus Stroud (DT) J.P. Losman (QB) David Pollack (DE) Boss Bailey (LB) Marc Colombo (OT) Damione Lewis (DT)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marcus McNeill (OT) Aaron Rodgers (QB) Michael Clayton (WR) Jeff Backus (OG)
Washington Redskins Andre Gurode (OG) Roddy White (WR) Santana Moss (WR) Sean Taylor (S) Carlos Rogers (CB)
2001 1. San Diego RB, QB, OT Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech 2. Arizona DT, DE, CB Gerard Warren, DT, Florida 3. Cleveland RB, OL, WR LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU 4. Cincinnati DE, OT, CB Leonard Davis, OT, Texas 5. Atlanta WR, OL, DE Justin Smith, DE, Missouri 6. New England RB, DT, OL Deuce McAllister, RB, Mississippi 7. Seattle WR, CB, MLB David Terrell, WR, Michigan 8. BEARS DL, WR, CB Koren Robinson, WR, N.C. State 9. San Francisco RB, DE, OL Kenyatta Walker, OT, Florida 10. Green Bay DT, WR, DE Rod Gardner, WR, Clemson 11. Carolina OL, QB, RB Michael Bennett, RB, Wisconsin 12. Kansas City QB, CB, RB Nate Clements, CB, Ohio State 13. Jacksonville OL, DE Andre Carter, DE, California 14. Buffalo OL, CB, RB Steve Hutchinson, OL, Michigan 15. Washington WR, MLB, OG Santana Moss, WR, Miami 16. Pittsburgh DE, MLB Dan Morgan, MLB, Miami 17. Seattle WR, CB, MLB Fred Smoot, CB, Mississippi State 18. Detroit CB, DE, OL Jamal Reynolds, DE, Florida State 19. N.Y. Jets WR, DL Richard Seymour, DT, Georgia 20. St. Louis DT, OLB, CB Marcus Stroud, DL, Georgia 21. Tampa Bay OT, CB Jeff Backus, OT, Michigan 22. Indianapolis DT, CB Kris Jenkins, DT, Maryland 23. New Orleans FS, CB, LB Willie Middlebrooks, CB, Minnesota 24. Denver DE, CB, WR Freddie Mitchell, WR, UCLA 25. Philadelphia WR, RB, DE Chad Johnson, WR, Oregon State 26. Miami OT, OLB, RB Chris Chambers, WR, Wisconsin 27. Minnesota CB, DE, OT Jamar Fletcher, CB, Wisconsin 28. Oakland OLB, TE Todd Heap, TE, Arizona State 29. St. Louis DE, WR Damione Lewis, DT, Miami 30. N.Y. Giants CB, TE Will Allen, CB, Syracuse 31. Baltimore OL, OLB Maurice Williams, OT, Michigan
2002 1. Houston Texans -- David Carr, QB, Fresno State 2. Carolina Panthers -- *Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina 3. Detroit Lions -- Joey Harrington, QB, Oregon 4. Buffalo Bills -- Ryan Sims, DT, North Carolina 5. San Diego Chargers -- Mike Williams, OT, Texas 6. Dallas Cowboys -- Quentin Jammer, CB, Texas 7. Minnesota Vikings -- Bryant McKinnie, OT, Miami (Fla.) 8. Kansas City Chiefs -- *Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee 9. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Wendell Bryant, DT, Wisconsin 10. Cincinnati Bengals -- *Jeremy Shockey, TE, Miami (Fla.) 11. Indianapolis Colts -- John Henderson, DT, Tennessee 12. Arizona Cardinals -- Napolean Harris, OLB, Northwestern 13. New Orleans Saints -- *Phillip Buchanon, CB, Miami (Fla.) 14. Tennessee Titans -- *Roy Williams, S, Oklahoma 15. New York Giants -- *Donte Stallworth, WR, Tennessee 16. Cleveland Browns -- *William Green, RB, Boston College 17. Atlanta Falcons -- *Ashley Lelie, WR, Hawaii 18. Washington Redskins -- Andre Gurode, OG, Colorado 19. Denver Broncos -- Edward Reed, S, Miami (Fla.) 20. Seattle Seahawks -- Daniel Graham, TE, Colorado 21. Oakland Raiders -- Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse 22. New York Jets -- Mike Rumph, CB, Miami 23. Oakland Raiders -- Javon Walker, WR, Florida State 24. Baltimore Ravens -- Levi Jones, OT, Arizona State 25. New Orleans Saints -- *Charles Grant, DE, Georgia 26. Philadelphia Eagles -- *T.J. Duckett, RB, Michigan State 27. San Francisco 49ers -- *Lito Sheppard, CB, Florida 28. Green Bay Packers -- *Antonio Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh 29. Chicago Bears -- Kalimba Edwards, DE, South Carolina 30. Pittsburgh Steelers -- *Toniu Fonoti, OG, Nebraska 31. St. Louis Rams -- Marc Colombo, OT, Boston College 32. New England Patriots -- Bryan Thomas, DE, Alabama-Birmingham
2003 1. Cincinnati Bengals -- Carson Palmer, QB, USC 2. Detroit Lions -- *Charles Rogers, WR, Michigan State 3. Houston Texans -- *Andre Johnson, WR, Miami-Fla. 4. New York Jets -- *Dewayne Robertson, DT, Kentucky 5. Dallas Cowboys -- Terence Newman, CB, Kansas State 6. Arizona Cardinals -- *Terrell Suggs, DE, Arizona State 7. Minnesota Vikings -- Marcus Trufant, CB, Washington State 8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Byron Leftwich, QB, Marshall 9. Carolina Panthers -- Jordan Gross, OT, Utah 10. Baltimore Ravens -- Jimmy Kennedy, DT, Penn State 11. Seattle Seahawks -- Kevin Williams, DT, Oklahoma State 12. St. Louis Rams -- Boss Bailey, LB, Georgia 13. Chicago Bears (from Jets via Washington) -- *Johnathan Sullivan, DT, Georgia 14. New England Patriots (from Buffalo) -- Ty Warren, DT, Texas A&M 15. San Diego Chargers -- William Joseph, DT, Miami 16. Kansas City Chiefs -- Chris Kelsay, DE, Nebraska 17. New Orleans Saints -- Sammy Davis, CB Texas A&M 18. New Orleans Saints -- (from Miami) -- Nick Barnett, OLB, Oregon State 19. New England Patriots -- *Kwame Harris, OT, Stanford 20. Denver Broncos -- Jerome McDougle, DE, Miami 21. Cleveland Browns -- Eric Steinbach, OL, Iowa 22. Chicago Bears (from Jets) -- Andre Woolfolk, CB, Oklahoma 23. Buffalo Bills (from Atlanta) -- Taylor Jacobs, WR, Florida 24. Indianapolis Colts -- Troy Polamalu, S, USC 25. New York Giants -- Michael Haynes, DE, Penn State 26. San Francisco 49ers -- Kyle Boller, QB, California 27. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State 28. Tennessee Titans -- Tyrone Calico, WR, Middle Tennessee State 29. Green Bay Packers -- *Rex Grossman, QB, Florida 30. Philadelphia Eagles -- E.J. Henderson, LB, Maryland 31. Oakland Raiders -- *Wayne Hunter, OT, Hawaii 32. Oakland Raiders (from Tampa Bay) -- Willis McGahee, RB, Miami
2004 1. San Diego -- Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss 2. Oakland Raides -- Robert Gallery, OT, Iowa 3. Arizona Cardinals -- *Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh 4. New York Giants -- *Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Miami-Ohio 5. Washington Redskins -- *Sean Taylor, S, Miami 6. Detroit Lions -- *Kellen Winslow, TE, Miami 7. Cleveland Browns -- Roy Williams, WR, Texas 8. Atlanta Falcons -- *DeAngelo Hall, CB, Virginia Tech 9. Jacksonville Jaguars -- *Kenechi Udeze, DE, USC 10. Houston Texans -- Dunta Robinson, CB, South Carolina 11. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State 12. New York Jets -- Jonathan Vilma, LB, Miami 13. Buffalo Bills -- Lee Evans, QB, Wisconsin 14. Chicago Bears -- *Tommie Harris, DT, Oklahoma 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- *Michael Clayton, WR, LSU 16. San Francisco 49ers -- *Vince Wilfork, DT, Miami 17. Denver Broncos -- *Steven Jackson, RB, Oregon State 18. New Orleans Saints -- *Reggie Williams, WR, Washington 19. Minnesota Vikings -- Will Smith, DE, Ohio State 20. Miami Dolphins -- *Shawn Andrews, OT, Arkansas 21. New England Patriots (from Baltimore) -- Marcus Tubbs, DT, Texas 22. Dallas Cowboys -- *Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech 23. Seattle Seahawks -- Darnell Dockett, DT, Florida State 24. Cincinnati Bengals -- *Chris Gamble, CB, Ohio State 25. Green Bay -- Jason Babin, DE, Western Michigan 26. St. Louis Rams -- J.P Losman, QB, Tulane 27. Tennessee Titans -- Ben Troupe, TE, Florida 28. Philadelphia Eagles -- Vernon Carey, OL, Miami 29. Indianapolis Colts -- D.J. Williams, LB, Miami 30. Kansas City Chiefs -- Michael Jenkins, WR, Ohio State 31. Carolina Panthers -- Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State 32. New England Patriots -- Daryl Smith, LB, Georgia Tech
2005 1. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith (jr.), QB, Utah 2. Miami Dolphins: Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn 3. Cleveland Browns: Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan 4. Chicago Bears: Cedric Benson, RB, Texas 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Aaron Rodgers (jr.), QB, California 6. Tennessee Titans: Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami 7. Minnesota Vikings (from Oakland): Troy Williamson (jr.), WR, South Carolina 8. Arizona Cardinals: Carnell Williams, RB, Auburn 9. Washington Redskins: Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn 10. Detroit Lions: Derrick Johnson, OLB, Texas 11. Dallas Cowboys: Demarcus Ware, DE/OLB, Troy 12. San Diego Chargers: Mike Williams (jr.), WR, USC 13. Houston Texans: Shawne Merriman, DE/OLB, Maryland 14. Carolina Panthers: Jammal Brown, OT, Oklahoma 15. Kansas City Chiefs: Thomas Davis (jr.), OLB, Georgia 16. New Orleans Saints: Adam Jones (jr.), CB, Georgia 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin 18. Minnesota Vikings: Marcus Spears, DE, LSU 19. St. Louis Rams: David Pollack, DE, Georgia 20. Dallas Cowboys (from Buffalo): Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma 21. Jacksonville Jaguars: Fabian Washington (jr.), CB, Nebraska 22. Baltimore Ravens: Matt Jones, WR, Arkansas 23. Seattle Seahawks: Dan Cody, DE, Oklahoma 24. Green Bay Packers: Jason Campbell 25. Washington Redskins: Roddy White, WR, UAB 26. Oakland Raiders: Justin Miller (jr.), CB, Clemson 27. Atlanta Falcons: Alex Barron, OT, Florida State 28. San Diego Chargers: Khalif Barnes, OT, Washington 29. Indianapolis Colts: Travis Johnson, DT, Florida State 30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Heath Miller (jr.), TE, Virginia 31. Philadelphia Eagles: Odell Thurman (jr.), LB, Georgia 32. New England Patriots: Marlin Jackson, CB, Michigan
2006 1. Houston Reggie Bush, RB* USC 2. New Orleans Mario Williams, DE* NC State 3. Tennessee Vince Young, QB* Texas 4. N.Y. Jets D'Brickashaw Ferguson, T Virginia 5. Green Bay A.J. Hawk, LB Ohio St. 6. San Francisco Vernon Davis, TE* Maryland 7. Oakland Ernie Sims, LB* Florida St. 8. Buffalo Brodrick Bunkley, DT Florida St. 9. Detroit Michael Huff, DB Texas 10. Arizona Matt Leinart, QB USC 11. St. Louis Jay Cutler, QB Vanderbilt 12. Cleveland Kamerion Wimbley, DE/OLB Florida St. 13. Baltimore Haloti Ngata, DT* Oregon 14. Philadelphia Chad Greenway, LB Iowa 15. Denver (from ATL) Santonio Holmes, WR* Ohio St. 16. Miami Antonio Cromartie, CB* Florida St. 17. Minnesota Jason Allen, CB/S Tennessee 18. Dallas Manny Lawson, OLB NC State 19. San Diego Winston Justice, T* USC 20. Kansas City Johnathan Joseph, CB* South Carolina 21. New England DeAngelo Williams, RB Memphis 22. San Francisco(from DEN) Tye Hill, CB Clemson 23. Tampa Bay Marcus McNeill, T Auburn 24. Cincinnati Donte Whitner, DB* Ohio St. 25. N.Y. Giants Sinorice Moss, WR Miami 26. Chicago Chad Jackson, WR* Florida 27. Carolina Marcedes Lewis, TE UCLA 28. Jacksonville Nick Mangold, C Ohio St. 29. N.Y. Jets (from DEN) Bobby Carpenter, OLB Ohio St. 30. Indianapolis Laurence Maroney, RB* Minnesota 31. Seattle Jimmy Williams, CB Virginia Tech 32. Pittsburgh LenDale White, RB* USC
"Right here we'll put a happy little stain...." (Game 2 - World Series)
First, I haven't slept this evening, so I apologize in advance if this doesn't make much sense. So there's breaking news today that Doug Mirabelli told Orioles announcer, Gary Thorne (one of my personal favorite announcers) that Schlling's sock in 2004 wasn't covered in blood. Nope, according to Mirabelli, Schilling painted it. There have been accusations about the famed undergarment being doctored (pun alert!) since the thing went down over two years ago, but never has the media received such a direct quote on the subject. I should let it be known that I would welcome this development as hopefully the true of Game 6 hero (Mark Bellhorn) would finally get his due for hitting the home run to win that game and we could instead call game 6 the "Mark Bellhorn" game. Whether or not you believe it's true, it's times like these that I like to fall back on the old maxim of Ockham's Razor: All things being equal, the simplest answer is usually correct. So let's break this down logically, shall we:
Here is the answer that is most salacious and exciting (and was apparently confirmed by Mirabelli): Curt Schilling, a late 30's pitcher who had already won a world series and doesn't have a lot more to prove and who stunk in a game a week prior and had a legitimate foot injury, was scheduled to pitch in a must-win game 6 at Yankee stadium but was in such pain that he and Dr. Bill Morgan decided to stitch his foot up to prevent something in his foot from creating a more painful situation blah blah blah. So in order to create more drama, Curt Schilling grabbed a can of red paint (readily available in the visiting locker room, or maybe he had a clubhouse attendant get him some paint), painted his sock KNOWING THAT THE FOX WOULD MAKE SUCH A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT and then got everyone else into the whole thing (including Dr. Morgan) to back him up and hold this lie over our heads for the rest of their lives. Even going so far as to agree to have the sock shipped to Cooperstown knowing full well that if the controversy ever arose at a later date technology is perfectly capable of determining the true contents of the stain.
Or, Schilling's sock was stained with blood due to the stitches he got and much more has been made out of it by the media than was necessary; people play injured all the time.
Also, do you think Mirabelli is really going to come out and say this while visiting the Orioles for no reason whatsoever and not think people would make a big deal out of it? Even if it is true, do you really think the truth would come out like this? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Mirabelli may publish a book down the road or something and tell the "True Story of The Sock," and we'll get to the bottom of this, but there's no way he would ever break this with Schilling standing 10 feet away from him everyday.
Lastly, what possible good would it do to paint a sock? I mean, yes, the way things turned out it ended up being a big deal with the Yankees historic choke and the World Series and all that shit, but if he did paint the sock and someone found out about it, wouldn't the risk be greater than the reward? Imagine if this were true. Schilling's character would be smeared for life. He takes his place in the game more serious than anyone. Do you honestly believe he would jeopardize his place in history to create what was essentially a visual excuse for himself in case he pitched poorly? Maybe, but it just seems so absurd.
(UPDATE: According to the little birdies over at SOSH, the sock Thorne--through Mirabelli--is referring to is the one from game 2 of the world series, not game 6 of the ALCS. Basically, the story goes, Schilling was so surprised that the sock got so much attention, he doctored the sock for Game 2 right above his "K ALS" mark on his shoe (as seen above). There was no mark on his cleat in game 6 of the ALCS (as seen below). I believe he may have played up the blood angle and not cleaned it up on purpose, but I have a hard time believing he painted it. You can decide between the two pics though. It's an interesting debate. Not really.)
PICK ME! PAY ATTENTION TO ME! The Brady Quinn experience is off to a pathetic start.
I never thought I'd feel bad for Brady Quinn considering he's about to be a gazillionaire, was worshipped like a God for 4 years and will be Outsports "boner of the year" for the next decade, but after this week, I kinda do. He's whoring himself out to the media like a third party candidate. It's hard to draw a conclusion solely from Quinn's pathetic attempts at stemming the negative tide against him, but it does seem to suggest that even he feels that his peripherals and college performance does not speak for itself. To me, his performance this week says, "Hey, I may not be all that talented, but people think I'm good looking, it'll be easy to market me and even after we lose 14 games this year because I suck, you'll have this good looking guy on your media guide for the next 4 years." Sweet brah! I think a great juxtaposition for this draft is found in how Brady Quinn is handling himself and how Joe Thomas is handling himself. Joe Thomas will spend draft day fishing. Brady Quinn has spent the last week BEGGING people to reconsider his plummeting draft status. He's been on every sports talk show from radio to tv to chats to speeches at local elementary schools. I liken his performance to Howard Dean after he let out his wacky scream in 2004. Quinn's 2006 season was the "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" and now he's doing damage control because no one's impressed. Here's my question, Brady: You haven't played a down of football in 4 months and the last time you played anyone decent (the last couple times, actually), you stunk. If you're so good and deserve to be a top ten pick, what's changed since then? And if you want to distance yourself from that "one bad performance" (even though he NEVER performed well against a good team), wouldn't it inspire more confidence if you just shut the fuck up, sat back and said that you don't need to politick for yourself because your career speaks for itself? Essentially, if you're so good, why do you need to tell everyone about it? Shouldn't they already know?
Maybe it's just me, but Goodell is a dead ringer for the guy who plays "Ted" in the Holiday Inn commercials featuring the "Business Guys". Don't know who I'm talking about? Check it out and judge for yourselves:
"Worldwide netweb..." Oh Ted, will you ever win?
Or....
(Lastly, if anyone knows the actor's name who plays "Ted", I'd really appreciate you sending it to me.)
Shameless Sox, Pats and 'Cuse fan. I consider myself fairly objective but harbor an unhealthy (and unexplainable) loathing for Quin Snyder.
Hit me up at luoldang@yahoo.com if you have something hilarious to say.
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