More Draft Grades and More Mel Zaniness (3 of 3)

Jets
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: C+
The Jets plugged their biggest need with Revis, but they gave up a TON to do it. They moved up eleven spots and gave up three picks. Now it's clear they LOVE Revis, but was he really worth giving up three picks when they needed so much help? That remains to be seen but they really shouldn't have given up two more for David Harris after that. That seemed excessive. They only got 4 players out of this draft, did not improve offensively and still lack depth on defense. I don't understand this draft considering how close this team was to making a run last year and how they were positioned in the draft before the draft day trades. They could have used their first three picks (a 1st and two 2nd's) on Beason, Eric Wright and the best WR or even Tank Tyler at DT.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: After Mel's freak out regarding D'Brickashaw Ferguson last year (Kiper said about the Jets potential selection of D'Brick, “I just don’t understand why they would take D’Brickashaw Ferguson, an offensive tackle, with the fourth pick in my mock draft when they have far greater needs than help on the offensive line. Ferguson will be a solid pro, but this mock draft mistake by the Jets is just another in a long line of draft errors made by the organization. As sad as it is, I can’t say I’m surprised I made them make a bad pick in my mock draft.”), Mel was ready to kiss and make up. So giving them a B was kind of predictable despite the fact that they wasted mulitple opportunities. Mel says that he had Harris going in the first half of the first round in his mock draft, which is true but he wasn't in ANY of his prior mocks and NEVER made "the Big Board". It' not like Mel was all over this guy. Harris isn't a bad pick by any stretch, it just blows me away that a team with as many problems defensively and a desperate need at WR filled two spots in this draft and got a B from Melbert.

Oakland
Mel's Grade: C+
Smittblog Grade: A
Other than the Zach Miller reach (my favorite TE in the draft but a guy who should have gone in the third), I loved their first 6 picks. The Miller pick should have been Justin Blalock or Tony Ugoh. For a team who gave up the most sacks in the league last year, taking a shot at yet another run at a TE was kinda embarrassing. That being said, they needed offensive help and they scored big time. Getting Michael Bush with the 100th pick in the draft is OUTSTANDING value. Maybe the best pick of the entire draft. Mario Henderson was a solid pick as was Higgins, especially in the third. I REALLY liked the Quentin Moses pick. He is a freakish talent and Oakland needs to replenish the talent on the D-Line. All-in-all, a great draft.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel has nothing bad to say about this draft. He said that he would have taken Charles Johnson over Moses, but he still didn't think Moses was a bad pick. When you get the best QB, a first round talent RB, a top DE, a top OT and a talented WR, what the hell else would you want that? If he thought they should have taken Ugoh, and that was their one bad pick, then how could the grade be so low? They needed so much help that taken some risks is worth it. It's not as though a good draft was going to make the Raiders a playoff team. What they needed to do was grab some solid players and then take some shots on injured or talented players who slipped for reasons other than skill. Jamarcus alone is worth a B+. It makes very little sense to me that they could get such a bad grade from Mel.

Eagles
Mel's Grade: C-
Smittblog Grade: Z-
This draft was bad on a biblical scale. Even if it were true that Kevin Kolb was the second best QB prospect in the entire draft and was on par with Russell in terms of athletic ability (in some imaginary fantasy world), taking him in the second round with what became their first pick in the draft AFTER TRADING WITH their DIVISION RIVAL still would have been the worst pick in the draft. This offseason, the Eagles re-signed their back-up QB, AJ Feeley, AND signed Kelly Holcomb. Both players have started at this level and are above-average backup QBs. They didn't need a backup QB and they didn't need to draft "the next starting Eagle QB" in this draft. I could forgive them for picking up Kevin Kolb with either the 57th or 87th picks, but they NEED linebackers, DTs, CBs, and A FUCKING WIDE RECEIVER! Are you kidding me? Was Andy Reid paying attention last year when Donte Stallworth and Donnie were hooking up week after week for big plays before Donnie's knee injury? THAT IS WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A TOP WR TALENT. What the fuck, guy. But almost worse than the first round trade that netted them Kolb was the rest of the draft. They took a pretty big risk with Abiamiri, they got nothing in Brent Celek, very little in Bradley and absolutely nothing in Ilaoa. Then they take Barksdale from f'n U of Albany for cripes sake. I can't make any sense out of this draft. I kinda like the Tony Hunt pick, but I just can't get over how they started this draft. It blew their whole draft for me.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel's grade was a little high considering how awful he thought the Kolb pick was. Mel is VERY protective of his QB grades and the reason he was pissed about the Kolb pick wasn't because it was a QB, but because it wasn't Stanton, Edwards or Beck. What I really don't get is how he gave them the same grade he gave Giants, Texans, Skins and Titans. Those drafts weren't that bad. I don't think there's any question that this was the worst draft of any team in the league, he should have made it more clear in his grade.

Steelers
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: B
Loved their Timmons pick and the Woodley pick. Those were kind of mistake free selections. I probably would have been more corner or receiver conscious and made a trade or two because it was talent they needed in this draft, not depth. Basically, I think they made some safe picks but didn't do anything notable or praiseworthy. Plus, they drafted a punter from Baylor. When you draft a punter from the worst program in the country, that can't be good.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel felt the same way I did about the draft. Good picks all across the board but nothing to write home about, yet he gave them his "second best" grade of the draft. I don't have any real qualms with his grade if he was more consistent in giving it. It's just that he gave the Falcons and Panthers a B and they had great drafts. B seems like the right grade to me because the Steelers draft was better than average.

Rams
Mel's Grade: C+
Smittblog Grade: A-
I gotta tell you, I REALLY like this draft. Carriker was a guy they couldn't have thought was going to be on the board when they picked. They could have gone for either Revis or Hall but Carriker might have had the best "motor" in the entire draft. I'm generally not a "motor" guy but when you match it with speed, talent and size, that's not a bad a combo. But let's cut to the chase, these guys got the steal of the draft in B-Lo in the second round. I don't think this is necessarily the best fit for him, but it may help him out that he has absolutely no pressure since he's on an offense already very capable without him. But what I really liked about this draft were the late round picks of the OT from Georgia, Shackleford, and DT Keith Jackson from Arkansas. Shackleford has great size and came from a terrific O-line program while Keith Jackson was an absolute menace in college. He's a little short for a DT at 6'0", but I don't see that affecting his role as a playmaker on the D-Line. He's got the football gene (son of TE Keith Jackson) and I think he can overcome his average measurables.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel didn't love the Wade pick and it seemed as though he wanted the Rams to grab Revis or Hall, but it's hard for me to believe that he dropped them down for not grabbing him. He loved the Leonard pick and seemed to like the late round picks. I'm really confused about the low grade he gave them. It would be nice if he actually suggested what he thought they should do.

Chargers
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: B-
The Craig Davis pick was a little strange considering Gonzalez, Jarrett and Smith were all still on the board. They needed the surest handed wide receiver left on the board and maybe they think Davis is the guy. Rivers needs some toys in the passing game and I don't think Davis will grab enough attention. I REALLY like the Weddle pick. In a great draft for safeties, Weddle was a guy who stood up with almost any of the prospects. The only reason he wasn't talked about with the likes of Landry and Nelson was because he isn't all that big or all that fast. Since when did being a safety require 4.3 speed? Since never. That's when (take that!). I really think they needed a top corner so I don't think they did great. It wasn't horrible though, so if Davis becomes a starter, they did their job.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel's grade made sense again. He was lukewarm on Davis, kinda liked Weddle and liked the shot they took with Legedu Naanee (awesome name). He didn't really love any other pick and didn't hate any picks. That equals a C. Well that makes sense Mel. If you'd stuck to that script, I wouldn't be bitching so much, Melton.

Niners
Mel's Grade: B+
Smittblog Grade: B-
I wasn't really high on Patrick Willis so I didn't love the first pick. I thought they should have gone for a DE like Carriker or Moss. B.Y. is getting up in years and they need some help on that line. Taking an LB wasn't a bad pick, I just thought they could have done better. Joe Staley seems like a good pick and I like that they were aggressive and moved up to get him, but giving up next year's first is kind of a big deal. Presently, they don't have a first rounder next year and I (though I may be alone) don't think they have a shot of making the playoffs next year. Or at least not a good shot. One thing to keep in mind is that neither Willis or Staley are from decent programs. Taking a shot on one great player from a crappy program is one thing, but to use your first two picks on those types of players is a risky proposition considering they had to give up a first rounder next year. Plus, you know who the last first rounder from Mississippi was? Eli Manning. And we all know how that worked out (here's a hint: not very well).

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel thought San Fran had the best draft of any team in the league. They took his favorite player Joe Staley. They took his favorite defensive player Patrick Willis. And they filled some serious needs in taking both of those guys. He even liked that they took Thomas Clayton in the 6th round as a backup to Frank Gore. He legitimately loved this draft. If he were running the Niners, I think he would have drafted the exact same way. So, my only question is: WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T HE GIVE THEM AN A? Mel's got to lighten up.

Seahawks
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: C-
There is absolutely nothing to be excited about in this draft for Seattle. They didn't have a first round pick so it wasn't like they were big factors, but they didn't really do anything after that either. I thought they should at least grab a backup QB somewhere in the draft so they wouldn't be forced to play Seneca Wallace in the event Hasselbeck goes down. Instead they just kinda added depth. That's fine, I guess, it just isn't very remarkable.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel and I again agreed on this one. He like liked the Wilson pick and kinda like the D-line pick for depth, but just came away unimpressed overall. The Seahawks are vanilla and everyone seems to know it.

Bucs
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: A-
I liked the Bucs draft. They didn't waste the draft running after Calvin Johnson and they instead just grabbed the best guy on their board. Then they got one of the top tackles in the draft, Aaron Sears. Piscitelli was a reach in the second but they made up for it with their third and fourth round picks. They probably had the best middle of the draft of any team. Great value there. They got a ton younger on D and picked up some O-line depth. Maybe they should have grabbed a WR somewhere in the draft but maybe they're comfortable with Clayton, Galloway and Stovall, and the rest of those guys. This was a great draft for next year and beyond next year.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel also like this draft for Tampa, and gave them a C. I'm sick of his shit.

Titans
Mel's Grade: C-
Smittblog Grade: B+
They needed some help all over the offense and D backfield, so they drafted one of the best safeties in the draft and then took three WRs. Not too shabby. Sure there were plenty of good WRs available when they picked in the first, but they definitely had a need in the defensive backfield and Griffin fills that need. Then they just filled the roster with WRs. That seems pretty good to me. Everybody hated the Chris Henry rb pick from Arizona. Other than the Ted Ginn and Kolb picks, Chris Henry was the most universally disliked pick in the draft. I don't know shit about Henry other than he didn't do anything in the Pac Ten and he was a combine freak. They needed an RB and got the fastest one in the draft in the second round. That seems ok to me. Other than those skill position picks, they didn't do anything to warrant a bad or great grade, but I liked their initial picks and strategy overall. So that's a B+ for me.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel was not impressed with the Griffin pick at all. He thought Meachem was a no brainer and essentially a "must pick." He was pissed because they didn't give Vince Young the help he needed, even though they picked up 3 wide receivers in the draft of varying skill sets. They took an RB in the second round and added depth at all their other need positions. How is that not helping Young out? Apparently the only thing the Titans needed to do in this draft was grab Robert Meachem and then trade the rest of their picks for funny money at Flashdancers. Mel, sometimes I just don't get you.


Mel's Grade: C-
Smittblog Grade: A-
The Skins didn't screw up this draft, so that's a B right there. They didn't make some outrageous trade and they didn't lose any picks for next year's draft. Pretty impressive. Plus, they got the best defensive player in the draft. Landry and Sean Taylor are going to be an absolute force. They are going to make posters with those two standing side by side with sunglasses on and come up with some ridiculous nickname for them. And I will own that poster even though I'm not a huge fan of the skins. It will just be a funny poster to own. You know? They don't make posters like that anymore. Only Fatheads. But I digress.... Suffice it to say, I like Landry. But that's not the end of it, not even close. HB Blades was the best linebacker in the country last year. He reminds me so much of Zach Thomas it's disgusting. A little undersized but even his dumps reek of football. He defines football player. Blades has started for Pitt since he stepped foot on campus. He was a three-time first team Big East selection, Big East defensive player of the year last year and if that's not impressive, he was first team All-American last year. So when a guy is that productive in college and doesn't run a sub 4.5, inevitably he'll get overlooked, fall to some lucky team and end up making the pro bowl for 10 straight seasons. It's funny how average players in college are good if they can run fast but dominant college players are bad if they aren't the fastest guys out there. How does that work exactly? So anyway, that is why I love HB Blades (he's also one of those "Blades").

Analysis of Mel's Grade: This seemed like an easy C grade for Mel so I'm a little surprised he put the minus on it. I don't think he liked the Jordan Palmer selection and views that as a wasted pick. I just think that Landry is so good he kind of saves the fact that they didn't have that many picks. I can't fault Mel too badly here because they didn't need Landry and they didn't address some needs like CB and D-Line, but they didn't have that many picks and they got some GREAT players. I liked it.

Let's nip this in the bud

Is the baseball cap the most eye-catching part of this picture?
So this photo was in the Post today and is featured on TMZ.com and has created a bit of a stir, but Brady has been a Yanks fan for some time. It's fairly common knowledge that he used to wear a Yankees cap in the Pats lockerroom before someone (read: Belichick) told him to take it off. In 2005, when asked on Boston's crazy fanguy radio station, WEEI, what baseball jersey he would buy for his son (ironically, a question that he now actually has to think about), "Derek Jeter's. I like how Derek Jeter does a lot of things." He's been a Yankees fan for awhile and people in Boston have known this for some time (though they likely denied it), and they still love the bastard. He is bulletproof. He could take a dump on Larry Bird while wearing a Colts Jersey and giving A-Rod a handjob and still New England would love him.

Pronk v. Pronk

Robert Amesbury's "Big Fish Devours Little Fish". I am very cultured.
As you may know, Cleveland's Travis Hafner is nicknamed "Pronk". You've also likely heard that his nickname was given to him by former teammate Bill Selby during spring training of 2003 when people would sometimes refer to him as "The Project" and other times "Donkey" for the way he looked when running the bases. But did you know that Pronk is also a style of Dutch art? And did you also know that Hafner shares more in common with the style of art than either donkeys or projects? Bet you didn't, did ya now?

Pronk-Art is described as:

On Pronk

"Now feels like a good time to pick a word or phrase, something short, and go after it, using the available equipment of intellectual retrieval, to see where we get." -Nicholson Baker, The Size of Thoughts

And for a description of Pronk art:

In Antwerp de Heem also began to paint his celebrated abundant displays on carpet-covered tables piled high with ornate silver platters and baskets of huge, expensive fruit, and glistening lobsters. These works are usually embellished with exquisite trappings, precious metal vessels, and delicate glassware. An outstanding very large, early one at the Louvre was in the collection of Louis XIV before 1683. The Dutch call lavish still-lifes of this type 'pronk stilleven' (pronk means sumptuous or ostentatious). The term is traditionally used to categorize overt displays of magnificent banquets and luxury items painted from the mid- to the late decades of the century.

"Sumptuous and ostentatious" eh? That is probably how Anderson Cooper would describe both "Pronks" (HEY-O!). Also, both are on display this week: Pronk can be seen at: Boston Sculptors Gallery, 486 Harrison Ave., through May 20. 617-482-7781, bostonsculptors.com, Jacobs Field and Camden Yards.

Maybe we aren't giving Indians fans enough credit for creating the most deep and creative nickname for any player in the history of sport. Or maybe we know exactly the level of depth and sophistication with which Indians fans relate art to their favorite players:

More Draft Grades and More Mel Zaniness (2 of 3)

The only report card tougher than Mel's
Continued...
Broncos
Mel's Grade: B-
Smittblog Grade: B+
I have a HUGE hard-on for Jarvis Moss. The Broncos were apparently really looking for the top DE talent on the board. It seemed that, much like myself, they recognized that his name was Jarvis Moss. So they traded up and grabbed him. Great pick in my mind. They even got an uber-talented kid in Marcus Thomas who just needs to keep his nose clean. They have a strong history with guys like that. Didn't they grab an RB a couple years ago out of the Big Ten with character issues? I hear he's tearing up the league in D-Block. They needed an LB and probably should have grabbed a WR, but Moss and then Crowder fill a need that they REALLY felt they needed to fill. They traded up again to grab Ryan Harris, which seems like a solid pick. They just kinda did right. They really aren't lacking all that many players, so grabbing two of the top ten DEs seems like a good idea.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel pretty much felt the way I did about this, but he gave them a surprisingly high mark considering they didn't really address any other needs outside of D-line. Mel's been all over the place. I would kinda like to know who Denver thought was going to take Moss ahead of them. The trade kinda seemed unnecessary. Mel says that Moss has the chance to get 10-12 sacks in the Broncos system. Huh? How does a guy capable of 10-12 sacks, in any system, get ranked behind 3 other DEs? If those guys were in the Denver system, would they get 15 sacks? Would Gaines Adams break the single-season sack record if he were in Denver? I'm not feeling you here, Mel.

Lions
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: A-
The Lions got the best player in the draft, and one of the best prospects ever to be in the draft. They had missed on so many WRs in the past that this became a need for them. Well they didn't screw it up. Beautiful pick. Every fan in the nation is jealous that the Lions have this guy. Then they grab my favorite QB in all of the draft, Drew Stanton. Stanton is a frickin player. He's tough as nails and has a laser-rocket arm. If anyone other than John L. Smith coached that team, Stanton would have been a Heisman contender last year. They will love this guy in Detroit. They then got one of the more underrated players in the draft in Alama-Francis from Hawaii. The guy is such a good athlete scouts didn't know if he projected as a TE, DE, OG or LB. He's a freak of a talent. They didn't grab a corner capable of starting, which is odd and they didn't grab much O-line help. They could have done better but when you take take the best available at your first 3 slots AND those guys fill needs, that is not bad. And did I mention that Calvin Johson is a stud?

Analysis of Mel's Grade: How do you give these guys a C and give the Cowboys a B? Detroit got the best player in the draft. Mel LOVED CJ and he thought Detroit should take him. Mel is very sour on Stanton but is high on Edwards and Beck, YET HE HAS STANTON RATED HIGHER THAN BOTH OF THEM! Analyzing Mel's draft is exasperating. He also says that 4th rounder Manny Ramirez (I'm changing Manuel Ramirez's name for him) is going to be a starting Guard in the NFl. You get a starting guard in the 4th round, the best player in the draft, the third rated QB in the draft, a freakish DE and somehow that is worse than the Cowboys drafting a QB they plan on turning into a WR and not getting any corner help. Let's explain this again... the Lions are not one pick away, they are a bunch.... AND THIS DRAFT HELPED THEM. The Cowboys WERE one pick away, AND THEY FUCKED IT UP.

Packers
Mel's Grade: C+
Smittblog Grade: B
This is a tough grade to give out. Especially for people who see the Packers as a team that needs to simply build their offense around Favre and he will lead them to the playoffs. I'm sorry, you could give Favre LT, Chad Johnson, Gates and Wes Welker (who is universally loved for some reason) and the Packers wouldn't finish above .500. They are not that good. They need to rebuild. The Packers need defensive help in the worst way. They gave up the 7th most points in the league last year and while much of that was due to Favre lobbing the ball to the other team, a major reason was that their defense was shitty. Harrell is a great pick. You can NEVER have enough D-line help. They then got a VERY underrated back in the Brandon Jackson (one of those universally loved players who never never broke the "big board" for no good reason) and picked up a solid TE replacement for Bubba Franks in Rutgers product Clark Harris. I don't really understand why they didn't take a single cornerback when their pass defense is one of the worst in the NFL, but maybe they just aren't concerned about it.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel really thought the Pack should help out the O, so his grade seems to fit pretty well. He liked Brandon Jackson, which is probably the only reason they got a C+. Mel would have had them take Meachem, then trade up for Jarrett, then trade all of next year's draft for Sydney Rice. Since Mel and I differ philosophically about this, I can't fault his analysis, just his sanity.


Texans
Mel's Grade: C-
Smittblog Grade: A-
I'll freely admit that this probably isn't my most rational grade, but I really think Okoye is one of the top 5 players in this draft and for the Texans to steal him at 10 is a joke. Their D-line right now is young, big and UBER talented. People really underrate Mario Williams because he isn't Reggie Bush or Javon Kearse, but you just wait, the kid is going to be a force. The Texans also grabbed a big and fast WR in Jacoby Jones who has talent coming out of his ass. I really liked their late round lineman picks (especially Kasey Studdard of Texas, a first-team All Big Ten Guard who people rate very low even though all he's ever done is produce) and got good value with Bennett at corner in the 4th. Brandon Harrison is my favorite pick though. He's a free wheeling safety from Stanford who is always around the ball. The only reason he graded low is because of his 40 time, which shouldn't affect his productivity in the least. Maybe the Texans should have tried to trade up and grab good corner value in the second round, but they did very well with their picks.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel HATED Okoye at 10. Even though he was clearly the best player left on the board and EVEN THOUGH Houston DESPERATELY NEEDED D HELP and EVEN THOUGH the corners that Mel wanted them to grab would have been a reach at this slot, Mel didn't like Okoye. Ok Mel, I can live with that. But Mel says that Houston didn't help Shaub out, but on the next pick they had, a third rounder due to the Schaub deal, they took a big, strong, fast WR. What the fuck did you want them to do? They do need a lot of O-line help and a great corner or safety to help out Dunta Robinson, but in the 3rd, Jones was easily the best value for their needs. Mel let the Okoye pick define their whole draft. He didn't like it, and like a petulant child he found reason to hate every other pick. Idiot.


Colts
Mel's Grade: B-
Smittblog Grade: A
Wow. Now this is a fucking draft. Their first 4 picks must've left every team other than the Chargers and Pats sending their scouts out for the '08 draft because no one else really has a chance in the AFC (and hence the NFL because the NFC doesn't field a single competitive team). They get Gonzalez, easily the most underrated player in the draft and a PERFECT replacement for Stokley. THEN, after Tony Ugoh inexplicable falls out of the first round and continues falling in the second round they move up to grab him (giving up their 1st rounder next year, which will likely be the 30th pick). THEN, they get Daymeion Hughes from Cal. You may remember Hughes from such awards as Pac Ten Defensive Player of The Year in 2006. That's decent recognition. The kid is a playmaker. So three great picks... AND THEN THEY GET PITCOCK FROM OSU! That kid is a run stuffing specialist who puts out more effort than any D lineman taken before or after him. He fell because of his "measurables," despite his outstanding senior year. I also like Clint Sessions from Pitt but he was more gravy than anything after those first four. Outstanding run of picks for the champs.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel raves about the Colts draft (saying that the Texans should use it as an example. Yes, a great of example of how to get a B- on Mel's draft card), yet he gives them such a weak grade. The only bad thing Mel had to say about their entire draft was that safety Brannon Condren was a reach in the fourth round. The Colts may have needed a safety earlier than the Troy State kid, but I don't think you can possibly say because they didn't get him that they had a bad draft. Their draft was fricking terrific, and this coming from a guy who hates the Colts.

Jaguars
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: A-
The Jags wanted Reggie Nelson, they traded back with Denver and still got him. They then got one of my favorite players in the draft in Justin Durant. I think that kid is going to light it up in the NFL. I also really like the WR pick of Mike Walker from Central Florida and DT Derek Landri in the 5th. Those were terrific value picks to offer some serious depth at some need positions. Since Jax didn't really need to do anything other than grow up (and grab a safety), this draft was a huge success. The only reason I didn't give them an A+ was because they drafted a punter in the 4th round. That's absurdly high for a punter. I guess when you don't really need anyone, you can kind of just F around.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: In my mind, Jax could have drafted bags of shit and still gotten a B. They really could have just taken huge risks in this draft and done very well. Instead, they addressed their biggest need with a great playmaker, grabbed a potential stud LB from in Durant and then just kinda addressed some depth needs and special teams help. Mel actually seemed to like this draft. Again, he didn't really suggest that they should have done something different. He just was luke warm about what they did. I don't get it.

Chiefs
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: B+
I am so surprised by how good the Chiefs draft was. They whiffed big time by not picking an O-lineman early with Shields and Roaf gone, but maybe they think Kelvin Sampson will be healthy and they don't need one. I can't BELIEVE they grabbed a WR in the first round and his name wasn't Ted Ginn. That really blows me away. What a great pick he was. They then went ahead and grabbed not one but two of the top five DTs in the draft to plug up their horrendous run D. They didn't have enough picks to deal with all of their holes but they upgraded SIGNIFICANTLY on D and O. Even the Kolby Smith RB pick was good. He stepped in for Michael Bush and nary missed a beat last year. He's a hardnosed runner and if he can get enough carries and KC shits the bed next year, they could trade Larry Johnson for a king's ransom in the offseason. The only real problem I have with this draft is if they had known that they could get Tank Tyler in the third they could've taken a top corner like MacCauley in the 2nd. That would have been an A draft. My grade is probably a little low because I know that Bowe will be underused and that KC will implode this year under Herm, who is easily the worst coach in the NFL.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel didn't have much to say about KC's draft. In his final mock he had them taking DT Justin Harrell and he had Bowe as the 23rd best player in the draft. So it would seem that getting two of the top 5 DTs AND Dwayne Bowe would fit with his idea of what he thought they should do. Judging from his comments, it seems that what he most upset about was the selection of kicker Justin Medlock. Says Mel: "Justin Medlock is a good place-kicker, but I would have taken Mason Crosby." There's your "C" apparently.

Dolphins
Mel's Grade: C
Smittblog Grade: D-
Holy shit this was a bad draft. They were a sure fire F until the picked the Center Satele from Hawaii and Kelvin Smith from the 'Cuse. Satele was their only good pick. and I'm saying that even though I LOVE Lorenzo Booker on the right team. People forget that Booker was probably the most highly recruited running back EVER to come out of high school. He played on some horrible FSU teams and shined whenever he could. Booker makes no sense on Miami. He should have gone to the Giants or Seattle or some other team that needed a change of pace guy out of the backfield. I really think he has the potential to shine and Miami is not the place for him. I don't want to get too far into this as the Ginn pick has been addressed ad nauseum but I don't think they did their self any good service by grabbing John Beck. If you watch his highlight tapes, his receivers were so wide open that his completion percentage (almost 70%) is low compared to what a good QB would have done against that competition. It also doesn't help that he's 25 (and a mormon), so they had better hope he gets good quick. What a stupid, stupid draft this was.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel gave them the same grade as the Lions and Jags, and gave them a BETTER grade than the Texans. Well of course. It's not like the passed on the future of their franchise for a guy who will NEVER PLAY A DOWN IN THE NFL BECAUSE HE HAS A LISFRANC INJURY. I can't even explain how bad a pick this was. There was a chance that Ginn would slip out of the first round because of his injury. After this pick, the starting place should have been an F- considering the NEEDED a QB more than any other position. But then to not take a defensive player until the fourth round and not take an O-tackle the entire draft? What the fuck were they thinking? I have no idea how Mel justified giving them a C. Mel said John Beck helped Miami "salvage their quarterback situation." Right. You'll convince me of that right after you convince me that Mormon "prophet" Joseph Smith wasn't a con man and criminal.

Vikings
Mel's Grade: B+
Smittblog Grade: A-
Vikings fans must be so psyched right now. Their team just got really young and exciting. Top RB in the draft, underrated STUD WR in Sydney Rice, Tarvaris running the show (he defines excitement if nothing else) and they stole McCauley with the 72nd pick when he was a borderline first rounder. It would be really cool to be a fan of this team after this draft. I loved what they did. My only gripe is they got a little WR happy and should have gone for a little more O-line or D-back depth.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel was a little overly excited for the Vikings considering where he had people ranked. I know he's not a fan of Tarvaris Jackson so I'm a little surprised he wasn't more upset about skipping Quinn but he also fell back in love with Peterson after the draft, which is nice. Minnesota didn't exactly "need" an RB, but they got a stud. Mel's grade doesn't really match up with where he had these players graded but it was just nice to see him say something even remotely positive about this draft.

Patriots
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: C-
By trading their first round pick for next year's, the Pats were kinda saying that they don't need to get younger this year, which is a complete lie. They needed to get younger at LB, CB, Safety and could have used some help with O-line depth. Instead they grab the immensely talented but troubled Meriweather (with the gun charges and stomping history in the FIU brawl) and really get only two other players who may make an impact: USC's Lua in the 7th was a very solid pick and my personal favorite (and future favorite Pats jersey) Justin Hairston from D 1AA Central Connecticut College. This guy was out of control on the 1AA level. He had 4 games over 200 yards and a 300 yard game. He reminds people of Brian Westbrook, and that's never a bad thing. My low grade also stems from the fact that I don't like the Moss trade. I know they only gave up a 4th round pick to get him, but it's like befriending the really successful hothead broker from work with the absurd expense account and have him join your already solid group of friends. Sure he has the potential to add to the collective good times of your friends and could get you guys tickets to things and into places you never imagined going to, but he also has the potential to pass along his coke habit and get the otherwise reputable guys arrested for accessory in the murder of half a dozen tranny hookers. He's too combustible to take such a risk.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: This is such a cop out grade. Mel did not like this draft by the Pats at all and didn't love the Moss pick. He just respected the value of the 4th round pick for Moss and the first rounder next year they got from San Fran. Considering he hated every other pick, that's not good enough to justify a B grade.

Saints
Mel's Grade: B-
Smittblog Grade: C
I thought all that New Orleans needed was some D-backfield help and some linebacking youth. I kind of missed the need for a WR with Horn gone, but I thought they had some decent WR depth. Maybe I was wrong but considering that there was some decent depth in the second round for WRs and only the top 3 corners were off the board when they picked at 27, I would have gone corner there. That may just be splitting hairs though. What I really didn't like was the Pittman selection and the Young & Alleman picks in the 3rd round. I would never have given up that late second rounder to Detroit with so much need in the d backfield. And then to take Antonia Pittman over a need like LB in the 4th just doesn't make any sense to me.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel liked the Meacham pick because he was the best available player. I won't discuss just how hypocritical this argument by Mel is considering what he's said about other teams, but let's just say that he has not applied this reasoning over the entire draft. He didn't really like the Young pick, was suspect on the Jones and Mitchell picks but thought there was value in Alleman and Bushrod (I will likely own this jersey by the time my fantasy draft rolls around). He also really didn't have a problem with the Pittman pick because it provides depth in the backfield. Because they didn't need depth anywhere else at the top of the fourth round, eh?

Giants
Mel's Grade: C-
Smittblog Grade: B
I am kind of blown away that they didn't grab an LB other than Zak Deossie (who for the life of me I thought was the son of former WWF wrestler "The Million Dollar Man" until I realized that that was Ted Debiase. I'm dead serious.). Ross was a very good pick in the first round and Steve Smith was another great pick. Amani Toomer isn't going to be able to point out first downs forever. If I were The Giants, I would have packaged some picks to move up to the front of the third and picked up Buster Davis or McCauley, but this was Reese's first draft and you knew he wasn't going to do anything that risky. The Jay Alford pick is a little weird but not even close to as sketchy as the TE in the 5th. What the hell was that about? In the fifth you can still get great interior line depth or a small school flier on a corner. You take a projected backup TE? Weak.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel's grade here stems SOLELY from his unwavering and uncontrollable hard-on for CENTRAL MICHIGAN'S tackle Joe Staley. His love for Staley blinded him from the fact that pocket protection was not even CLOSE to the top need of the Giants (that would be the secondary). And not only does he love Joe Staley but he acts as though replacing Luke Petitgout is like replacing Anthony Munoz. Hey Mel, Petitgout was not that good. You could tape a ham sandwich on top of a Weeble and he'd do a better job protecting the pocket than Petitgout did. Sure I think the Giants need some OT depth, but did you see their secondary? They were the worst in the NFL. Ross was a great pick and I'm even convinced that Koets (the 6th rounder from Oregon St.) could step in and start for the Giants. The biggest miss by the Giants was at LB and Mel doesn't even mention that in his review of their picks. Mel's grade and review of the Giants was the most clear indication that he can't stand it when people don't listen to him because he feels marginalized. I think he thought he'd have more of an effect over new GM Jerry Reese. Maybe he had more of an impact over Accorsi. This was a grudge grade by Mel. Very professional.

More Draft Grades and More Mel Zaniness (1 of 3)

Mel does not get a gold star for his effort. He was the Miami Dolphins of Draft Graders.
I'm starting to feel bad about picking on Mel, but since my lightly read posts aren't really going to affect his legacy and he makes money doing a job I would do for a per diem of yogurt and a firm handshake, I don't feel too badly about it. For the purpose of completeness, I am offering my draft grades. My grades will be based on what each team did WITH THE PICKS THEY HAD! Just because Seattle didn't have a first round pick doesn't mean they automatically get a C or below. This evaluation will take into account what teams acquired in terms of picks and what they gave up to get picks as well as the actual picks made. I will then compare my grade to Mel Kiper's grade. AND I will contrast Mel's grade with his published opinions about players and teams prior to the draft to see if he sticks to his pre-draft guns, so to speak. You'll see what I'm getting at when I do it. Lastly, I'm sorry I'm putting this out in 3 parts. It is way too time consuming to get through all in one shot. I hope to have it all out tonight.

Cardinals
Mel's Grade: B-
Smittblog Grade: A
My grade stems from the FACT that AZ had Levi Brown rated higher than Joe Thomas (much to Sean Salisbury's dismay) and got him. They then got the second best DT in the draft in Alan Branch who INEXPLICABLY fell to the second round. I love Buster Davis (I'm partial to FSU players for some reason), Steve Breaston was an ANIMAL in college and should help out significantly with the punt return game and Ben Patrick was rated by some as the 3rd best TE in the draft! They didn't make a bad pick. Sure I think they should've grabbed Eric Wright in the second over Davis because they need the help, but Davis is such a good pick and has so much upside you can't fault

Analysis of Mel's Grade: His grade makes no sense to me. In January, Alan Branch was rated 8th (and projected to go 6th). The only knock on him--at the time--was that he was lacking technique. Now Mel says that Branch is an "underachieving defensive tackle." How did he underachieve after not playing another game? Mel had AZ taking a D-lineman in the 3rd AND had linebacker Jon Beason in the 2nd. Instead, they got Branch in the second and with Beason gone got the best remaining Linebacker with Davis. They filled needs AND got a player who slipped for no good reason. I would have like to see them grab a corner but safeties and corners were at a premium in this draft (it really was the "draft of the safeties" this year), so they would have had to reach for a guy. Patrick was a STEAL in the 7th round.

Falcons
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: B+
I'm not as high on the Falcons draft as everyone else but I do think they did a VERY good job at addressing needs. I would have liked to have seen them grab a WR and safety (their two most glaring needs) but they got some great players. I'm not as high on Anderson, but he created a big buzz and some people had him higher than Gaines Adams. I really didn't like Houston but getting him at 41 is fine. Blalock was a very solid pick as was David Irons who should have gone in the first 2 rounds, but the best pick, in my mind, was Stephen Nicholas. He played for South Florida (an up and coming program in the Big East, seriously) and he dominated. He was a first team Big East performer and the only better linebacker I witnessed play college ball all year was HB Blades (we'll get to him). He's one of those guys that people are going to say "he didn't score well, but man can he play." No safety and no WR (Laurent Robinson isn't good enough) grades them down.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: B was Mel's top grade (he's like the professors at Swarthmore), so you may as well give them an A. Mel thought they needed an O-tackle, so they got Blalock. They needed a corner, he had them taking Wright but they took Houston (who was already picked in Mel's mock so must've been better) and stole Irons and Nicholas. The only questionable pick is Anderson and he's kind of a "remains to be seen" type of guy. They needed to get a DE in the draft, so I'm not sure what Mel's complaining about. They did exactly as he asked.

Ravens
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: C+
This was kind of an "eh" draft for me. They needed some O-line help and needed a "tweener" type of OG/OT to play guard for a year and move over to tackle when Ogden retires. Grubbs may be that guy though he seems more like a potentially great guard. I would have like to see them go linebacker, QB or WR at some point, and they really never did. They lost Adalius Thomas and while Ray Lewis is still playing at a high level, he is not going to get younger. And are they really satisfied with having Boller as their starter for the future? With McNair, they are always a stiff breeze away from a broken hip. Troy Smith is likely not the answer. With all the noise about moving up to grab Brady Quinn, it surprises me that they didn't take a run at Trent Edwards. He was there in the third and they passed on him TWICE for a return man and backup guard. That just seems odd.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: A little high all things considered. I don't think the Ravens draft compares at all with Atlanta's or Arizona's. I think he just liked it because he had Grubbs going to Balto. What else about this draft is good? And here is one of my big pet peeves about Kiper: He says that Prescott Burgess, OLB - Michigan, selected in the 6th round and rated as the 17th best OLB in the draft, should have a solid career at linebacker. Really? If so, why was he the last OLB taken and why were 16 others rated ahead of him? Does this mean that the players taken ahead of him are Pro Bowlers? What a bullshit throw away line. I hate you Mel Kiper.

Bills
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: D-
Not a grade I like to give out, though it is likely that you'll see it again. They took TWO of my top 7 most overrated players in P squared and Lynch (a Smittblog record), and didn't take the risk they should have to get A-Pete after he fell past Cleveland and AZ. How could they not go for A-Pete at 6 with the Skins ITCHING to move out of that slot and Minnesota picking behind them? And THEN, how do they go the entire draft without picking a corner after you lose Clements? The only saving grace was the Trent Edwards pick. Edwards can already beat Losman in a spelling bee and should offer competition at the QB slot that will hopefully drive one of them to make the next step.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel's take was spot on considering what he believed. After Willis was taken, the drop off for RBs was much greater than LBs. Grabbing Lynch was the best play. Mel also likes Posluszny, so the fact that the Bills were able to grab him must've looked great in his eyes even though they had to trade up to do it.

Panthers
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: A+
Carolina's first 4 picks were out of this world. They wanted Beason, traded down, and still got him. Then, with the pick they got from the Jets, they take Dwayne Jarrett who's biggest flaw was that he came in on the heels of Mike Williams. They then take the best interior lineman in the entire draft in Ryan Kalil and follow that up by stealing DE Charles Johnson. Johnson has been rumored to go in the first round (a quality shared by EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIR FIRST 4 PICKS!). The rest was gravy. They could've used some DB help, but you really can't fault them for what they did.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: This was a doozy. Mel starts by saying, "I'm not enamored with Jon Beason." Yeah, he only had him going in the first round of almost every mock draft he did and had him graded as high as Timmons (whom he described as a great pick 10 picks earlier). If you don't like Beason, SAY IT BEFORE THE FUCKING DRAFT! Beason is great, idiot. Then grabbing Kalil and Jarrett in the second? Holy crap! They got the guy they wanted, and snuck Jarrett out of the whole deal and then Johnson landed in their lap. How is this a B? What else did you want them to do?

Bears
Mel's Grade: B (sensing a theme?)
Smittblog Grade: C-
Greg Olsen seems to make sense, though I would have traded half my team and my first born to move up and take Quinn, just because it would be HILARIOUS to see Quinn and the Sex Cannon (Kudos to KSK for the nickname) battle it out. A total smug off. Bazuin sucks but I really like Garrett Wolfe because he will be a fan favorite and those fans will pressure him to get touches over Benson, which will piss Benson off and likely lead to some funny comments. Benson seems like a hothead. Basically, the only thing that saved this draft from being a D from me is the potential comedy that could ensue when Garrett Wolfe outworks Cedric Benson.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel says Dan Bazuin is a "perfect fit" for the the Bears. I find that interesting because when Bazuin was selected, there were still better DE prospects on the board (a lot of them in fact). So I guess the Bears system requires crappy players. They got no other starters in the draft other than Olsen and they're stuck with the Rexticle. How is this draft as good as Carolina's? It really doesn't make sense. The saving grace of Mel's grade was his note about Trumaine McBride: "Cornerback Trumaine McBride is a marginal prospect." Well ok then.

Bengals
Mel's Grade: C+
Smittblog Grade: B-
Cincy got lucky that Hall fell to them. He's not only one of the top 5 corners in the draft but he's a very high character kid. CB was probably their biggest need. Taking Kenny Irons was interesting. Rudi Johnson is a steady guy and getting some depth behind him was a pretty solid idea. They needed some D-line help and didn't really get it. They drafted Toeina but he's horrendous and could have done better if they hadn't grabbed a safety in the 4th. Hall was such a good pick that it kind of overshadows everything else that they did.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: Mel was pretty much right with this one. I think he began to fall off the Hall bandwagon and because of that didn't give enough credit to the fact that Cincy was in NO WAY getting Hall without moving up yet stole him anyway. Other than that, no real complaints about what he had to say.

Browns
Mel's Grade: B+
Smittblog Grade: A
Sure they got Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn (another two from my all overrated team, a Smittblog record (tie)), and that's great. But to grab Eric Wright, the best corner in the entire draft? Outfuckingstanding. They may have even stolen a pick with McDonald in the 5th for cripes sake. I would liked to have seen them take a DT to help Washington, but they did grab a couple DEs and Pittman in particular has potential to actually make the team and play.

Analysis of Mel's Grade: What would it take for someone to get an A from Mel? I mean really. Mel originally had Brady Quinn atop his "Big Board" before the underclassmen came out and it was revealed that Russell can throw a ball while sitting down. Joe Thomas was second on that same big board and was the second overall rated player on Mel's board. Mel has also been quoted as saying that Eric Wright may be better than Hall or Revis. So if all of that is true and all of those were need areas, what didn't they do? I know they gave up a No. 1 for Brady, but they got a guy they thought was a top 3 pick anyway. Throw em a bone, Melvin.

Cowboys
Mel's Grade: B
Smittblog Grade: D
Ummmm.... what exactly did the Cowboys do well. Spencer is apparently a decent pick, but he can't be that good. He went to Purdue for Christ's sake. They didn't take anyone else of note except for a backup tackle from BC and a quarterback named Isaiah who is going to be a WR. I'm so confused. This draft was bad. I don't care about the pick next year. We need to get to Mel here.

Analysis of Mel's Grade; I know they got a good pick next year and still got the first round pick they wanted, but they gave up a ton to get back into the first round. They didn't get a corner. They didn't get a WR. And they didn't get a QB. I have no idea how the Cowboys draft (Spencer and a first rounder next year) compares favorably to the Browns (Quinn, Wright and Thomas). Mel gave them the same grade. How are they in any way equal?

Should The MLB Look Into McCarver's Yoga Policy?

I think Manny's hammy would snap just looking at that photo.
I got a big chuckle this weekend when during the Sox-Yanks game, Tim McCarver suggested that the MLB should institute a mandatory yoga policy in order to deal with the mounting hamstring injury epidemic (mentioned in an earlier post). But McCarver may get the last laugh. After last night's hammy pull by the young phenom (at least he looked like a phenom last night), Phil Hughes, I did a little research and found that 12 players are currently either day-to-day or on the DL due to hamstring injuries and over 25 players have had to sit out for some period of time this year due to hamstring injuries. The hamstring injury may be reaching epidemic levels. With the escalation in the amount of injuries, it would seem that something should be done to combat the epidemic. Maybe Yoga is the answer. As long as I don't have to watch Bartolo Colon perform the Downward-Facing Dog, I'm cool with it.

Ok, I can't take much more of this

Unlike NBA referees, race is not an issue for these guys.

The New York Times is reporting today that when you put a bunch of white referees together, they call more fouls against black players than an all-black crew (and, conversetly, that all-black crews call more fouls on white guys). Are we really doing this repressed racial bias jive again? What's next? WNBA players make less than NBA players because they are women?

Fortunately, a deeper look at the information reveals that the study is a bit flawed.

I think I should be clear that the people that came up with this study are bright guys (Wharton Professor and Cornell Grad Student) and the third parties who evaluated it are also bright (Harvard, Yale and Ca-State Graduate studies Profs). So I'm not calling these people stupid in the same way I would Pete Prisco both fat and stupid. I am just saying that their study doesn't reveal anything.

The study looked at NBA referee calls from 1991 to 2004 and came to the conclusion:

"that players who were similar in all ways except skin color drew foul calls at a rate difference of up to 4 ½ percent depending on the racial composition of an N.B.A. game’s three-person referee crew."

They then went on to conclude that the difference is large enough that:

"the probability of a team winning is noticeably affected by the racial composition of the refereeing crew assigned to the game.”

Really? 4.5% has a "noticeable" effect? Let's delve into this claim a little more deeply....

First, on the noticeable effect side, let's concede that white refs call 4.5% more fouls on black players than black refs. Now, an average NBA game has around 40-45 (depending on the teams playing) fouls called during the game. I'll use the higher number of 45. An average NBA game is decided by around 9pts. Then, while black players constitute 83% of the NBA population, let's even assume that for this argument all the players on team A are black and all the players on team B are white. If the increase is 4.5% with a white crew and black players, the MAXIMUM effect on the game would be 3 extra fouls called per game called against the black team (and that's a LIBERAL statistical reading. It's much closer to 2 extra fouls a game). Unless all those fouls are shooting fouls on 3 pointers, the effect on the game is that the game is closer but ends the same way. So the effect on the game argument doesn't fly with me. Two extra fouls per game doesn't make a significant difference, even if the study is true.

Lastly, aren't we getting tired of these race related statistical arguments. Here's a statistic for you: The NBA is 83% African-American. However, teams with African-American GMs feature rosters in which 90% are African-American. Does that mean that African-American GMs are racially biased? And what about Joe Dumars? Detroit only had three white players and he TRADED two of them (Darko and Arroyo) for a black player (Kelvin Cato) and a draft pick... and they will probably take a black player with a the draft pick they got! Isn't that clearly racial bias? If that argument is absurd, why isn't the referee bias argument? It's just all so stupid.

Why do we use benign statistics to prove the unprovable? I will never understand it.

Draft Grade Breakdown

That's Yahoo.com's Jason Cole carrying a man on his hindquarters and donning the understated Keith Hernandezesque cockbroom on his upper lip.
In my never ending quest to saturate the blogosphere with useless info from the draft pundancy, I'm offering the draft grades for five of the "top" draft graders (I would have found more but NFL.com apparently doesn't grade drafts and no one else was really reputable). Kiper is obviously on here but so is Fox Sports' (via MSN.com) Jeff "The Czar" Czarnecki, Hall of Fame balloteer Dr. Z.(no word on the flaming red head's grades), the up and coming (and one of my favorites) Jason Cole (pictured above) from Yahoo.com and the incomparable fat idiot, Pete Prisco (Prisco is my least favorite football analyst on the the entire planet. He is not qualified to hold down any job other than love stain coordinator at the fucking Jersey Turnpike rest stop in Rahway. The guy doesn't know his ass from a hole in a donut, literally. So naturally I wanted to see what he had to day on the matter. He once claimed that Eli Manning was a top 5 quarterback in the league.... and he wasn't talking about the CFL.) of cbs.sportsline.com. So here they are all. There is some consensus, but there are some grades discrepancies that are really absurd. Check out Miami and why I like the people I do (Cole) and hate the people I do (Prisco).

Kiper, Mel – Talent scout for Jesus
Pete Prisco – CBS Sportsline
Jeff “The Czar” Czarnecki – Fox Sports
Jason Cole (who?) – Yahoo.com
Dr. Z. – SI.com

Cardinals
Kiper: B-
The Czar: B+
Prisco: B+
Yahoo: B-
Dr. Z: B+

Falcons
Kiper: B
The Czar: A+
Prisco: A
Yahoo: A
Dr. Z: B+

Ravens
Kiper: B
The Czar: C-
Prisco: C
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: B-

Bills
Kiper: B
The Czar: A
Prisco: C
Yahoo: B+
Dr. Z: B-

Sex Panthers
Kiper: B
The Czar: A
Prisco: B+
Yahoo: B+
Dr. Z: B

Bears
Kiper: B
The Czar: C
Prisco: C
Yahoo: C
Dr. Z: D

Bengals
Kiper: C+
The Czar: C
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: C
Dr. Z: C

Browns
Kiper: B+
Prisco: A+
Yahoo: A-
Dr. Z: A

Boys (Cowboys)
Kiper:: B
The Czar: C
Prisco: B
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: C

Broncos
Kiper: B-
The Czar: D
Prisco: B
Yahoo: B-
Dr. Z: D-

Millens (Lions)
Kiper: C
Prisco: B-
The Czar: A-
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: B-

Favres (Packers)
Kiper: C+
The Czar: C
Prisco: B
Yahoo: C-
Dr. Z: C+

Texans
Kiper: C-
The Czar: C-
Prisco: C+
Yahoo: B+
Dr. Z: D+

Champs (Colts)
Kiper: B-
Prisco: B+.
The Czar: B
Yahoo: C+
Dr. Z: B/B+

Jags
Kiper: C
The Czar: B-
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: B-
Dr. Z: C

Chiefs
Kiper: C
The Czar: C-
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: B-
Dr. Z: C

Ugh (Dolphins)
Kiper: C
The Czar: C-
Prisco: B
Yahoo: D
Dr. Z: B-

Vikes
Kiper: B+
The Czar: B-
Prisco: B
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: B

’08-‘10 Champs (Pats)
Kiper: B
The Czar: B
Prisco: A
Yahoo: A+
Dr. Z: Incomplete

Aints (Saints)
Kiper: B-
The Czar: B-
Prisco: B
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: C

Fighting Elis (Giants)
Kiper: C-
The Czar: B+
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: C
Dr. Z: B-

Limp Wrists (Jets)
Kiper: B
The Czar: B+
Prisco: C
Yahoo: C
Dr. Z: B+

Raiders
Kiper: C+
The Czar: A
Prisco: B+
Yahoo: A
Dr. Z: B+

Has Beens (Eagles)
Kiper: C-
The Czar: C
Prisco : C
Yahoo: D
Dr. Z: D

Never Will Bes (Steelers)
Kiper: B
The Czar: B
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: B-


Bri Guy’s Team (Rams)
Kiper: C+
The Czar: B
Prisco: B-
Yahoo: B-
Dr. Z: B-

Disappointments (Chargers)
Kiper:: C
The Czar: B
Prisco: C
Yahoo: C+
Dr. Z: C+

Preseason Darlings (49ers)
Kiper: B+
The Czar: A+
Prisco: A
Yahoo: A
Dr. Z: B+

Seahawks
Kiper: C
The Czar: D
Prisco: D
Yahoo: D+
Dr. Z: C-

Yikes (Bucs)
Kiper: C
The Czar: A-
Prisco: A
Yahoo: B
Dr. Z: B

Future (Titans)
Kiper: C-
The Czar: C
Prisco: C
Yahoo: D
Dr. Z: D-

Finally (Skins)
Kiper: C-
The Czar: C
Prisco: D.
Yahoo: D+
Dr. Z: D

What the F?

Randy Moss is now a Patriot. Oh. Sweet.
(**UPDATE: WOW. This has to go up front. You want to read a holier than thou piece of tripe from the most sanctimonious prick in the writing biz? Take a load of Shaughnessy's rip of the Moss deal.. What I wrote earlier today (seen below) is not exactly an endorsement, but Shaughnessy clearly has something firmly implanted in his ass about this.**)

No. No no no! What the hell are you guys doing, Pioli and Belichick? Were you guys not paying attention with the whole T.O. situation? Philly was supposed to be a place full of veteran leadership where T.O. would toe the line. How'd that work out? This type of behavior from the front office has been going on for awhile. The Pats have had such success "doing it the 'Patriots way'" that they feel they don't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. They think that these players will just recognize that the Pats are all business and will just shell their troubled personalities out of respect to the almighty Patriot tradition. They took a risk with Corey Dillon, and while that kinda worked out, Dillon was not exactly an outstanding lockerroom guy. He just didn't complaing as much as he did in Cincy so it seemed like he was being a good guy. Now they take police blotter regular Brandon Meriweather and the "chronically" (PUN!) troubled Randy Moss. Sure they didn't give up much to get him, but is it really worth it? I couldn't hate this move anymore than I do. The only thing positive to come out of this will be the ferocity with which Shaughnessy and Ryan rip him apart in the Globe. That should be fun.

Isn't it April?

Torre canned before May? Maybe these are your father's Yankees.
Chris McKendry just reported on SportsCenter that Joe Torre's fate will be decided after today's game against the Red Sox and the game itself will determine whether Joe stays or goes. I'm assuming she's referring to multiple reports (including this one) about George being pissed that the Yanks are in last place and Torre's job status being questionable. This is the most categorical ultimatum I'd heard on the matter. No pressure Joe.

I'm assuming this is all just overblown media hype, but there is certainly some element of truth to it because Cashman came rushing to his defense today as did some of his players (My favorite was this quote by Jeter: “The Boss should be upset; we haven’t played well. In terms of Mr. T., he’s not the one out there playing. He is in no way responsible for how we’ve been playing.” Mr. T? If there was any good to come out of this, it is that new nickname for Torre.).

If it is true, this is ludicrous. I like Joe Torre. Always have. Not only does he seem like a good guy, but his players love him. I think in more than most sports, the job of the baseball manager is dealing emotionally with your players. And no one has had a tougher job with that than Torre. He's had to deal with bad trades, players who have inexplicably blown up (Knoblauch, Kevin Brown, A-Rod), constant media circus surrounding your players' personal lives and having the boss hover over his every move. And he's supposed to win a championship every year in the interim. Another reason I like Torre is for more selfish reasons. Being a Sox fan, I like that he's become increasingly reliant on a few bullpen guys and ends up wearing them out before September. And since Cashman doesn't get him any starters who can go late in the game, Joe gets burned in October when you NEED to have guys in your bullpen you can count on due to the shorter leashes for your starters. If anything, the pressure to win in April and May from Steinbrenner is the reason for Torre overusing his bullpen because he knows that George has an itchy trigger finger. It doesn't seem fair for Joe to get blamed for that. For my money, this is Cashman's problem more than Torre's anyway. If they had a reliable starter (even one more in that rotation), overuse of the bullpen wouldn't be nearly as big a problem.

Lastly, the thing that would make me most sad about Torre getting canned today is that he has earned the right to go out on his own terms. It would be a shame to see his unceremonious departure from a team he has come to define. Manager's get too much credit and too much criticism as it is. With that in mind, another thing to consider is: who is going to replace him? Rookie manager Don Mattingly? Are you going to raid the broadcast booth and get Joe Girardi? I'm not sure Girardi would accept. He's loyal to Torre and he's already shown that he's not cool with taking a ton of shit from ownership. Are they going to make a run at Dusty Baker or Bobby Valentine? There's nowhere to go here. If George wants to make a change, maybe that change should be for him not to overreact this time when he clearly doesn't realize what's wrong with this team.

(UPDATE: Torre may have just sealed his fate by pulling Wang (HA!) after 84 pitches, which was followed up by Proctor giving up a run the very next inning. I'm pulling for you, Broseph, but that may not have been "the move."
**Wang was hurt, so now I look like an asshole. Thanks, Gamecast.)