Posted by Taz:
Since I am still trying to learn enough about the Redskins roster (and I really need to study for finals), I'm doing the lazy thing and posting some Redskin links reviewing the draft.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/04/draft_review.html - Not the most uplifting thing, so don't read if you want to feel good about the draft.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20316-Washington-Redskins-2008-Draft-Review-did-They-Win-or-Lose--280408 - Good pick-by-pick analysis.
http://www.hogshaven.com/2008/4/27/462013/2008-redskins-draft-recap - Has a bunch of stuff, but when I tried to open up the links, it opened it about 27,000 times. So open those links at your peril.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
2009 Mock Draft Up Already?
Posted by Taz:
One would think that Todd McShay of ESPN can at least take more than 24 hours off from draft analysis; instead of hanging out with his family and friends, he did a mock draft for 2009. Maybe it's the fact that he has no time to see family or friends that makes him so angry when Mel Kiper questions his mock draft.
One would think that Todd McShay of ESPN can at least take more than 24 hours off from draft analysis; instead of hanging out with his family and friends, he did a mock draft for 2009. Maybe it's the fact that he has no time to see family or friends that makes him so angry when Mel Kiper questions his mock draft.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Post Draft Links I Find Amusing
Posted by Taz
MJD on the good and bad of the draft.
Maybe the reason I have trouble winning at fantasy football in the last 3 years is because I am not planning out my 2008 Fantasy picks a week before the 2008 NFL Draft.
Martellus Bennett is already talking about Romo’s girl (scroll down to find it). I find it amusing the Cowboys called him the next day to tell him to shut his mouth. This makes me ask 2 questions. 1) When TO talked about Jessica Simpson on the radio, did the Cowboys call him as well? Or did they not say a word, fearing that TO would go on some sort of rant that involved questioning Romo’s manhood while doing situps in Wade Phillips' driveway? 2) Does Romo have that much pull in the organization that he wants no one to talk about Jessica? And if so, does this mean that come training camp, Martellus is going to get the crap hazed out of him by Dallas’ starting O-Line?
The Jets show us how to take the bargaining power away from a player complaining about his contract. And all it costs is 2 roster spots, a second and fourth round pick, millions in new contracts, and a ton of locker room disharmony. Matt Mosley’s two cents.
Apparently ProFootballTalk’s concern that USC players may possibly be too soft because they like the SoCal lifestyle was not a concern to those spending the money of their billionaire bosses.
MJD on the good and bad of the draft.
Maybe the reason I have trouble winning at fantasy football in the last 3 years is because I am not planning out my 2008 Fantasy picks a week before the 2008 NFL Draft.
Martellus Bennett is already talking about Romo’s girl (scroll down to find it). I find it amusing the Cowboys called him the next day to tell him to shut his mouth. This makes me ask 2 questions. 1) When TO talked about Jessica Simpson on the radio, did the Cowboys call him as well? Or did they not say a word, fearing that TO would go on some sort of rant that involved questioning Romo’s manhood while doing situps in Wade Phillips' driveway? 2) Does Romo have that much pull in the organization that he wants no one to talk about Jessica? And if so, does this mean that come training camp, Martellus is going to get the crap hazed out of him by Dallas’ starting O-Line?
The Jets show us how to take the bargaining power away from a player complaining about his contract. And all it costs is 2 roster spots, a second and fourth round pick, millions in new contracts, and a ton of locker room disharmony. Matt Mosley’s two cents.
Apparently ProFootballTalk’s concern that USC players may possibly be too soft because they like the SoCal lifestyle was not a concern to those spending the money of their billionaire bosses.
COWBOYS - Quick Review of the Draft and Giants/Eagles bashing
Posted by Taz:
So by now, you have read the whinefest below by Chris and Alli about how the Cowboys draft sucked. If these were Redskin fans, who had a great draft, then I could understand. But these are the Eagles and Giants talking. Their drafts were nothing special. They seem to ignore that numerous experts seem to think our draft was pretty good. John Clayton says we were a Day 1 winner, and the Giants were a Day 1 loser because they are too stupid to realize that the Saints aren’t going to trade too much for the overemotional bitchfest known as Jeremy Shockey. Tony Pauline of SI says that Mike Jenkins was a steal while he calls the Eagle’s 3rd round pick for the positionless Brian Smith a reach. Charles Robinson at Yahoo! gave us higher grades than both their teams (including comparing this year’s Eagles draft to their worthless 2006 draft class). Clifton Brown of the Sporting News also graded us higher than the Giants and Eagles. Mel Kiper gave us the highest grades in the division. What does he know? He only spends 364 days a year evaluating talent. And look at this…Eagles writer Paul Domowitch gave us higher grades than the Giants (he has to give a decent grade to the Eagles otherwise the citizens of Philadelphia will probably hunt him down and throw cheesesteaks at him).
I don’t know about you, but that is positive notes from ESPN, the Sporting News, Yahoo!, and Sports Illustrated. Apparently, Alli and Chris are so homerish, they have to bash my team because they can't really be happy about their crappy drafts.
Let me tell you what I think about their drafts (I’ll discuss the Redskins in a separate Redskins only post)
Eagles – Apparently someone forgot to tell Andy Reid that size might matter in the NFL. Their first three picks were all undersized at their position, including Desean Jackson, this year’s winner of the Reggie Bush “I look fast because I can outrun college players” bust award. They also spent a pick on a CB who will not play next season because he is injured and has a couple of legal issues. Moreover, they have Lito Sheppard still dangling out there as trade bait. They seem to be offering him to everyone for legit players, and everyone keeps turning them down. Does this say something? Alli thinks he is a great trade asset, but who wants to send a #1 receiver for a chronically injured player who is angling for a contract extension? My main question is outside of Desean, who is a starter coming out of this draft? I will give them props for fleecing Carolina. Next year’s draft may look better, and this year’s may develop down the road. But right now, it doesn’t seem like a great draft.
Giants – Their draft was well, blah. They filled some needs in the first two rounds, and added depth on defense. Plus they gambled on Manningham. Their draft wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The bigger issue is that they failed to get rid of Shockey. As much of a pain in the ass he is in general, you think he is going to be happy that he wasn’t traded? He’s probably heard enough about how addition by his subtraction from the team helped Eli become a non-s***ty QB. So he is probably pissed and will cause an even bigger headache.
Ok, enough bashing of those two teams. Let me discuss Dallas now.
1) I think people are annoyed about the Felix Jones trade because we did not take the better player overall. But I think that misses the bigger point. We made this pick because of the ability for Felix to bring a skill set badly needed to the team. Has anyone seen our return unit lately? Exactly. Our special teams suck, and we need some help. Jones should contribute there immediately. What about providing a compliment to Barber’s punishing running style? Jones can do that as well. You can line up Jones in the slot…that adds versatility as well. What I am saying is this: who cares if the other guy rushes for more yards. I want players who will add another dimension to this team. Felix Jones will do that to this team; Mendenhall will be good, but will only help out on 10-15 plays when Barber is on the bench. Jones will make more of an impact for this team, both in what he can do when he is on the field, and with playing time. Moreover, I think the Tashard Chance pick gives us a great backup if Barber gets injured or Drew Rosenhaus convinces his client that the best way to get money is to throw a fit and not show up to camp.
2) I like that we drafted two corners. I love the Jenkins pick, and I heard the other corner we got was supposed to be a late 2nd rounder that we found in the 5th. I feel much better about corner this year than last. Hopefully it allows us to fix some of our glaring secondary problems.
3) The only pick I didn’t really like was the DE/OLB in the 6th round, but it is the 6th, so what can you do?
4) I like the Bennett TE pick because it is like the Jones pick – he gives us flexibility to do different things. He can block, line up as a receiver, or play TE. So we can put so many more formations and movement on the field. I like this draft because it gave us that in Jones and Bennett.
Overall, I think this draft went very well for Dallas. While we did not fill every need, we did fill several and ended up with an extra 3rd and 4th for next year.
So by now, you have read the whinefest below by Chris and Alli about how the Cowboys draft sucked. If these were Redskin fans, who had a great draft, then I could understand. But these are the Eagles and Giants talking. Their drafts were nothing special. They seem to ignore that numerous experts seem to think our draft was pretty good. John Clayton says we were a Day 1 winner, and the Giants were a Day 1 loser because they are too stupid to realize that the Saints aren’t going to trade too much for the overemotional bitchfest known as Jeremy Shockey. Tony Pauline of SI says that Mike Jenkins was a steal while he calls the Eagle’s 3rd round pick for the positionless Brian Smith a reach. Charles Robinson at Yahoo! gave us higher grades than both their teams (including comparing this year’s Eagles draft to their worthless 2006 draft class). Clifton Brown of the Sporting News also graded us higher than the Giants and Eagles. Mel Kiper gave us the highest grades in the division. What does he know? He only spends 364 days a year evaluating talent. And look at this…Eagles writer Paul Domowitch gave us higher grades than the Giants (he has to give a decent grade to the Eagles otherwise the citizens of Philadelphia will probably hunt him down and throw cheesesteaks at him).
I don’t know about you, but that is positive notes from ESPN, the Sporting News, Yahoo!, and Sports Illustrated. Apparently, Alli and Chris are so homerish, they have to bash my team because they can't really be happy about their crappy drafts.
Let me tell you what I think about their drafts (I’ll discuss the Redskins in a separate Redskins only post)
Eagles – Apparently someone forgot to tell Andy Reid that size might matter in the NFL. Their first three picks were all undersized at their position, including Desean Jackson, this year’s winner of the Reggie Bush “I look fast because I can outrun college players” bust award. They also spent a pick on a CB who will not play next season because he is injured and has a couple of legal issues. Moreover, they have Lito Sheppard still dangling out there as trade bait. They seem to be offering him to everyone for legit players, and everyone keeps turning them down. Does this say something? Alli thinks he is a great trade asset, but who wants to send a #1 receiver for a chronically injured player who is angling for a contract extension? My main question is outside of Desean, who is a starter coming out of this draft? I will give them props for fleecing Carolina. Next year’s draft may look better, and this year’s may develop down the road. But right now, it doesn’t seem like a great draft.
Giants – Their draft was well, blah. They filled some needs in the first two rounds, and added depth on defense. Plus they gambled on Manningham. Their draft wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The bigger issue is that they failed to get rid of Shockey. As much of a pain in the ass he is in general, you think he is going to be happy that he wasn’t traded? He’s probably heard enough about how addition by his subtraction from the team helped Eli become a non-s***ty QB. So he is probably pissed and will cause an even bigger headache.
Ok, enough bashing of those two teams. Let me discuss Dallas now.
1) I think people are annoyed about the Felix Jones trade because we did not take the better player overall. But I think that misses the bigger point. We made this pick because of the ability for Felix to bring a skill set badly needed to the team. Has anyone seen our return unit lately? Exactly. Our special teams suck, and we need some help. Jones should contribute there immediately. What about providing a compliment to Barber’s punishing running style? Jones can do that as well. You can line up Jones in the slot…that adds versatility as well. What I am saying is this: who cares if the other guy rushes for more yards. I want players who will add another dimension to this team. Felix Jones will do that to this team; Mendenhall will be good, but will only help out on 10-15 plays when Barber is on the bench. Jones will make more of an impact for this team, both in what he can do when he is on the field, and with playing time. Moreover, I think the Tashard Chance pick gives us a great backup if Barber gets injured or Drew Rosenhaus convinces his client that the best way to get money is to throw a fit and not show up to camp.
2) I like that we drafted two corners. I love the Jenkins pick, and I heard the other corner we got was supposed to be a late 2nd rounder that we found in the 5th. I feel much better about corner this year than last. Hopefully it allows us to fix some of our glaring secondary problems.
3) The only pick I didn’t really like was the DE/OLB in the 6th round, but it is the 6th, so what can you do?
4) I like the Bennett TE pick because it is like the Jones pick – he gives us flexibility to do different things. He can block, line up as a receiver, or play TE. So we can put so many more formations and movement on the field. I like this draft because it gave us that in Jones and Bennett.
Overall, I think this draft went very well for Dallas. While we did not fill every need, we did fill several and ended up with an extra 3rd and 4th for next year.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
COWBOYS - Glimpse of Dallas' War Room
Posted by Taz:
Take a somewhat edited look at Dallas' war room here. I am assuming that Dallas' war room does not have some sort of techno music constantly playing in the background, mainly because I don't see Jerry allowing it. But then again, who knows what type of music Jerry likes in the background. I always imagined they would be playing Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" in a constant loop while he stands on a tall podium at the center of the room while making superfluous dramatic gestures.
What I find amusing is the random cheering once a pick is announced. Is that also mandated by Jerry, or do people get so excited that the Cowboys exercised their right to get the rights to an employee? I wonder if people do this in other jobs. Like for example, when Ernst and Young hires accountants coming right out of (fill in the blank Ivy League Business school), does their hiring committee start clapping when they make the final decision? What about when someone hires a bus driver? Or cafeteria worker?
Take a somewhat edited look at Dallas' war room here. I am assuming that Dallas' war room does not have some sort of techno music constantly playing in the background, mainly because I don't see Jerry allowing it. But then again, who knows what type of music Jerry likes in the background. I always imagined they would be playing Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" in a constant loop while he stands on a tall podium at the center of the room while making superfluous dramatic gestures.
What I find amusing is the random cheering once a pick is announced. Is that also mandated by Jerry, or do people get so excited that the Cowboys exercised their right to get the rights to an employee? I wonder if people do this in other jobs. Like for example, when Ernst and Young hires accountants coming right out of (fill in the blank Ivy League Business school), does their hiring committee start clapping when they make the final decision? What about when someone hires a bus driver? Or cafeteria worker?
EAGLES - Post-Draft Thoughts, NFC East Grades
Posted by Alli
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Well, the 2008 draft is now over, and Mel Kiper has already run off to start compiling his 2009 predictions. Only time will tell what kind of impact these new guys will have on the team. However, despite some of my earlier gripes, and the trade-downs that made sure I didn't get to witness an Eagles pick for almost 5 hours, I'm generally pretty optimistic about these draft picks. Here are a few quick thoughts:
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1) O-Line - My biggest concern - aside from the whole #1 WR thing - was the o-line; despite failing to address this in the first 3 rounds, the Birds picked up 3 OLs in rounds 4-7. What remains to be seen is whether any of them will be the next Runyan or Tra Thomas- we need quality over quantity here. 7th round OT King Dunlap apparently had some problems throughout his senior year that lowered his draft value. The other 2 OL picks are listed as guards, but 4th rounder Michael McGlynn has decent tackle experience, so it should be interesting to see whether these guys are worthy of eventually joining Shawn Andrews in maintaining what has consistently been one of the NFL's best offensive lines.
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2) DeSean Jackson (pictured above) - Unlike my friend Bob, I'm not yet running out to grab a DeSean Jackson jersey (which, to be fair, I could use considering the miserable shape of my well-worn Westbrook and McNabb jerseys); nevertheless, I can't help but get excited about this pint-sized little guy. I also can't help but constantly think of fun new words to describe his height impairment (I apologize to any midgets I have or will continue to offend, including Chris who ironically is a "Giants" fan...just kidding, Chris isn't THAT short...). ESPN Scouts Inc. takes note of Jackson's size and his need to improve his route-running, but they also acknowledge his ability to stretch the field which is certainly something the Eagles could use. Plus, I hardly need to stress the importance of the Eagles finding a return man. Jackson has ridiculous speed and explosiveness... is it too soon to use his name in the same sentence as Devin Hester's?
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3) Lito Sheppard - He still hasn't been traded. On a related note, neither has Chad Johnson. To reiterate, I'm not opposed to keeping Sheppard- I believe he's one of the top CBs in the league when healthy. HOWEVER... he has not been healthy in the past 3 seasons, and he is not happy with his current contract, so if the Eagles were to keep him (assuming they do not agree to rework his contract, which they won't) he wouldn't be a happy camper. Of course, the fact that he hasn't been traded yet suggests that the Eagles haven't gotten any decent offers, meaning Sheppard's value is not as high as he (and the Eagles) think, so maybe he can be humbled into complacency. One other thing to consider, before I shut up about the Chad Johnson thing for the time being- the Eagles obtained an additional 2009 1st round pick from the Panthers via their 1st round trade-down; is it possible that the Eagles are thinking about packaging that pick with Sheppard (or other '09 picks) for a trade? Just a thought.
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4) Lorenzo Booker - The Eagles traded a 4th round pick to Miami for RB Booker. Is this the end of Tony Hunt? Or Buckhalter? Even though Booker is not a big, short-yardage RB like Hunt, the Eagles didn't seem too inclined to use Hunt last year which makes me wonder if they're not crazy about him. I think he's got some nice potential, but as a Penn State alum I may be biased. He was drafted to give us that much-needed bulldozer of a 3rd and short/goal-line back, yet was rarely utilized. Don't get me wrong, Westbrook has done an impressive job of somersaulting over the pile in those short yardage situations, but considering he's getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 touches a game you'd think Andy and Marty would have thrown Hunt out there more often. I actually thought Buckhalter did a solid job last year after missing 2 entire seasons before that, but he didn't get a lot of playing time either. It might have something to do with his total inability to block, as was shown during the first Giants disaster/game.
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NFC East Grades:
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Skins: Yeah, they drafted 3 receivers as their first 3 picks (2 WRs and a TE) but I like this decision. TE Chris Cooley and RBs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts were seemingly the only ones who could catch the ball this season (particularly in the endzone) so they definitely needed some fresh WRs. Yes Randle El, we're so impressed that you played QB in college and can throw the ball once in awhile, but why don't you catch something for a change? Anyway, 2nd round WRs Devin Thomas (Mich St) and Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma) should be great additions, and 2nd round TE pick Fred Davis (USC) should be a good back-up to Cooley. Grade: A-
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Eagles: They didn't get the big-name 1st round pick I was hoping for after trading out, but I can't be too upset considering that 1st round pick they got for next year. I also like the DeSean Jackson pick despite my earlier concerns about drafting a WR too high. The Eagles seem very excited about the Trevor Laws pick up, and he should be a good addition to the DT rotation. And they addressed DE and OL, but did they wait too long? Grade: B+
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Giants: Mel Kiper thought Arkansas State's Tyrell Johnson was the best safety in the draft, but I like their Kenny Phillips (Miami) pick-up in the 1st round and it was definitely the position they most needed to address. And despite Mario Manningham's character concerns, he was still a good deal in the 3rd round. Will he be a problem off-the-field? I'm not sure whether USC's Terrell Thomas was the best CB available at the end of the 2nd round, but he's got good size. Grade: B
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Cowboys: RB Felix Jones should be a good back-up to Marion Barber, although I agree with Taz that Mendenhall would have been a better pick. Jones appears to be yet another Cowboys RB who can't carry the workload himself, but he'll be a good number 2 for now. I like their decision to trade up a few spots to pick up CB Mike Jenkins, and his ability to play safety is a bonus considering how crappy Roy Williams is, no matter how many Pro Bowls he goes to. ESPN says that TE Martellus Bennett was a great value pick in the late 2nd round, but I'm not sure whether I agree with their decision to use this pick on a TE even though they did trade Anthony Fasano. Grade: B
REDSKINS - A Cowboy fan blogging on behalf of your team???
Posted by Taz:
So for now, I am doing double duty as the Redskins blogger. I know, I know – you probably think I am the most unqualified person you can find to blog on the Redskins. And that may be true, but on this blog I am the most qualified by default. Chris can’t do it because he spends all his free time writing a short novel’s worth on the Giants (see below only if you have 15 minutes to kill). Alli can’t do it because she only cares about other teams to the extent she can make fun of them. Right now, all her energy is focused on complaining about the Eagles' draft (why do they trade picks for the future? It's not like they have no holes that a 1st rounder could not fix). And did you see that I just used 3 negatives in one sentence? I really shoud be posting as little as possible. But unfortunetly, all 6 of you readers will be stuck reading my inane posts until our Redskins guy grows a pair and starts posting.
This whole “blogging on behalf of the Redskins” thing is somewhat weird. Not just because I am a Cowboys fan, but because I truly do not know that much about the Redskins. Doing this actually makes me realize how little I know about the NFL. I mean, I can pretty much name the whole roster of the Cowboys and discuss them at length. I once named half of the Seahawks offense in a vain effort to impress a girl (she ended up hooking up with a former roommate, something I did not find out until the next morning when she appeared in my room partially dressed in his clothing, but that's really neither here nor there). And I know that Drew Brees is from Austin, TX because in high school I watched his team of rich white boys destroy my high school team of rich white boys in the Texas state football quarterfinals.
What I realize is that my NFL knowledge is selective. I know a bunch about some things, but not a bunch about most things. So I look at this as an opportunity to learn about another team.
In case if you are wondering – here is what I know about the Redskins: 1) Dan Snyder seems to find a way to ruin a proud franchise; 2) at this point in this career, Joe Gibbs seems to be better at owning a racing team than coaching foobtall; and 3) the Redskins have some good players.
I mean, if any team in the NFC East seems to be overlooked these days, it is the Redskins. The Eagles have had a recent run of success before last year’s debacle of a season (note I am defining “run of success” as losing in 3 NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl – something expected for the one team in the NFC East that doesn’t have a Super Bowl win when the rest of the division has at least 3 Super Bowls on their resume). The Cowboys had a 13-3 season plus Jessica Simpson to get everyone’s attention before their usual playoff flameout. And the Giants somehow won a Super Bowl with a ton of DEs and a QB who finally jumped from the “liability on offense” level into the “bus driver” category.
But there is some talent on this Skins team. Jason Campbell looks better every time I see him. The defense is pretty solid, and there are some offensive weapons that are pretty good (Portis/Betts and Cooley). There certainly are issues (age of many of the starters, the long-term effects of Sean Taylor’s tragic death), but they are a team that could do some damage in the NFC East and the NFL as a whole.
I think the rest of the NFC may overlook them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this team gets 10 or 11 wins. Here are a few things I think will be key issues next year:
1) Jim Zorn – besides the fact that his name sounds like an imitation Bond supervillain, there are a couple of legitimate questions. First, he has never been a coordinator, only a QB coach. How will this work out? Second, how will Jason Campbell adapt to the West Coast offense?
2) Receivers – it took until week 10 for a Redskins WR to get a touchdown. Will Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly solve this problem?
3) Dan Snyder – can he keep his paws off the team enough to let his football guys do what he pays them the big bucks for?
So for now, I am doing double duty as the Redskins blogger. I know, I know – you probably think I am the most unqualified person you can find to blog on the Redskins. And that may be true, but on this blog I am the most qualified by default. Chris can’t do it because he spends all his free time writing a short novel’s worth on the Giants (see below only if you have 15 minutes to kill). Alli can’t do it because she only cares about other teams to the extent she can make fun of them. Right now, all her energy is focused on complaining about the Eagles' draft (why do they trade picks for the future? It's not like they have no holes that a 1st rounder could not fix). And did you see that I just used 3 negatives in one sentence? I really shoud be posting as little as possible. But unfortunetly, all 6 of you readers will be stuck reading my inane posts until our Redskins guy grows a pair and starts posting.
This whole “blogging on behalf of the Redskins” thing is somewhat weird. Not just because I am a Cowboys fan, but because I truly do not know that much about the Redskins. Doing this actually makes me realize how little I know about the NFL. I mean, I can pretty much name the whole roster of the Cowboys and discuss them at length. I once named half of the Seahawks offense in a vain effort to impress a girl (she ended up hooking up with a former roommate, something I did not find out until the next morning when she appeared in my room partially dressed in his clothing, but that's really neither here nor there). And I know that Drew Brees is from Austin, TX because in high school I watched his team of rich white boys destroy my high school team of rich white boys in the Texas state football quarterfinals.
What I realize is that my NFL knowledge is selective. I know a bunch about some things, but not a bunch about most things. So I look at this as an opportunity to learn about another team.
In case if you are wondering – here is what I know about the Redskins: 1) Dan Snyder seems to find a way to ruin a proud franchise; 2) at this point in this career, Joe Gibbs seems to be better at owning a racing team than coaching foobtall; and 3) the Redskins have some good players.
I mean, if any team in the NFC East seems to be overlooked these days, it is the Redskins. The Eagles have had a recent run of success before last year’s debacle of a season (note I am defining “run of success” as losing in 3 NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl – something expected for the one team in the NFC East that doesn’t have a Super Bowl win when the rest of the division has at least 3 Super Bowls on their resume). The Cowboys had a 13-3 season plus Jessica Simpson to get everyone’s attention before their usual playoff flameout. And the Giants somehow won a Super Bowl with a ton of DEs and a QB who finally jumped from the “liability on offense” level into the “bus driver” category.
But there is some talent on this Skins team. Jason Campbell looks better every time I see him. The defense is pretty solid, and there are some offensive weapons that are pretty good (Portis/Betts and Cooley). There certainly are issues (age of many of the starters, the long-term effects of Sean Taylor’s tragic death), but they are a team that could do some damage in the NFC East and the NFL as a whole.
I think the rest of the NFC may overlook them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this team gets 10 or 11 wins. Here are a few things I think will be key issues next year:
1) Jim Zorn – besides the fact that his name sounds like an imitation Bond supervillain, there are a couple of legitimate questions. First, he has never been a coordinator, only a QB coach. How will this work out? Second, how will Jason Campbell adapt to the West Coast offense?
2) Receivers – it took until week 10 for a Redskins WR to get a touchdown. Will Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly solve this problem?
3) Dan Snyder – can he keep his paws off the team enough to let his football guys do what he pays them the big bucks for?
GIANTS - Comments on NFC East Day 1 picks
This was a very enjoyable draft. I loved watching the faces of my Eagles and Cowboys fan roommates, which were filled with disbelief and confusion over their teams draft pick.
Washington Redskins (the one NFC East team for which I didn't get to gauge a fan's reaction)
They may have had the best draft day of all the NFC East teams, as they traded down and got additional picks and still got to address one of their biggest needs, WR, with Devin Thomas out of Michigan State, who is considered to be one of the best WR in the draft. ((Mel Kiper's Top 5 by position) and (Scout's Inc. Position Rankings)) In fact, he was the second WR drafted, after the Rams' odd pick of WR Donnie Avery, who many thought was a huge reach. Scout's Inc. Round 2 Analysis saying biggest reach and Fox Sports stating no one saw Avery as the first receiver picked.
The Redskins used the rest of their Day 1 picks to pick a TE, Fred Davis out of USC, and a WR, Malcolm Kelly, out of Oklahoma. So the Redskins picked up two of the top WRs in the draft and picked up a solid TE, I guess to back up Chris Cooley. This should help the Redskins' biggest weakness, their offense, though I think they do need to address their defense at some point, which they did not do till the 4th Round. Mel Kiper also felt it was a good move for the Skins to address their offense and give their young quarterback some weapons, a move that the Titans did not make for Vince Young. Mel Kiper's Good Calls and Bad Calls.
Although I respect Kiper and like to look at his analysis, I think his draft grades for NFL teams are suspect. I think he gives bad rankings if a team goes against the grain or doesn't do what he thought they should do. For example, Mel Kiper gave the Giants a C- last year, 2007 Mel Kiper's Draft Grades, which is now seen as a great draft. However, most of the "experts" did not believe the Giants made good picks last year, again because these experts wanted the Giants to do something else (2007 Consensus Draft Grades). I feel like many times they don't look at the players they pick, but instead emphasize that it was something different then the expert liked or they felt they should have picked value over need. Not to mention this year, in which Mel Kiper did not give a team drafting a cornerback in the first round any higher than a B. This does not make sense to me, I understand questioning some of the first round CB picks and saying some were a reach or that there were better players available, but not giving one CB pick over a B? Especially considering that teams like the Cowboys and Bills were in desperate need of CBs, and the ones they got were among the best in the draft.
Dallas Cowboys:
My Cowboys fan roommate, Taz, whined about several moves. First, he thought they should've drafted Rashard Mendenhall over Felix Jones, although many scouts thought this was a good pick, as Jones is a speed back who will be a good complement to Marion Barber. John Clayton's Day One Winners and Losers and ESPN's Draft Tracker, Kiper giving the Jones pick an A and the Mendenhall pick a B. I think that when you have a chance to pick a quality RB who can be an every down back, he is the better pick. I think it is better to pick the quality every down back over a guy who will only be a speed back/3rd down back. This is because if Marion Barber ever gets hurt - and given his style of running, this is a strong possibility - Jones will not be able to step in and take over. Taz fears that Felix Jones will be another Julius Jones, namely, a RB that runs a few yards and falls over the second there is any kind of contact. I for one see a distinct probability that this could happen, and he just happens to have the same last name as Julius(though this probably means nothing). Even though RB was a need for them as they got rid of Julius Jones and another running back, I think they should have looked to their defense first. But with two 1st round draft picks, the Cowboys had the luxury of picking both an offensive and defensive player in the 1st.
The Cowboys' second pick was to trade up and make sure they could get CB Mike Jenkins. This was one of the Cowboys biggest needs and Mike Jenkins was seen as one of the best cornerbacks in the draft. (Scout's Inc. has him as #2 CB in the draft) This was a good pick for them. Unfortunately this pick did not fulfill my Wish that the Cowboys ignore their defense. Amusingly, he apparently also has character issues, adding to a locker room of other nutjobs, such as Tank Johnson, T.O., and Pacman Jones. Although John Clayton seems to like the Pacman trade, I think it was a bad move. There is no question he is a very good cornerback, but this is a guy who cannot stay out of trouble. Here is a guy waiting to be reinstated and I don't think he is capable of staying out of trouble, so he will not be worth it for the Cowboys. They fulfilled my Wish.
Their last Day 1 pick was for Marellus Bennett, TE out of Texas A&M. This had to be one of the funniest moments of the draft. Just yesterday, Taz went on a rant about the Cowboys move before the draft of trading Akin Ayodele and TE Anthony Fasano for a 4th round pick from the Dolphins. He thought this trade was terrible as 2 years ago the Cowboys traded up to get Fasano in the second round and then went on to trade him for only a fourth round pick; once again they picked up another TE in the 2nd Round, and he will only be a backup to Jason Witten anyway, not to mention the presence of TO, who demands a certain number of passes a game, and the other Cowboys WR in the mix.
Again, they addressed their offense with 2 out of their 3 day one picks- I like it.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles picks were another source of draft day fun for me, especially seeing the increasingly depressed look on Alli's face. After trading their 1st round pick in 2007, Alli pleaded that they do anything but trade down again. And what happened? The Eagles once again traded down. Although this was a great trade in terms of value for the Eagles, Eagles Draft Day, getting the Panthers' 2nd and 4th round picks this year and a 1st round pick next year, I dont think it was a good move- neither did Alli apparently. First, they were in need of an OT, especially with Winston Justice as their current tackle of the future who recently got schooled by Osi Umeniyora, soJeff Otah would have been a big help. Also, with McNabb not getting any younger and Kevin Kolb unlikely to do much in the future (though I may be wrong on this), I think you need to worry about your team now, and not keep pushing away your 1st round picks.
Then came the 2nd round, where the Eagles once again traded down several spots. This happened right after a "they better not trade down again" from Alli. They did this to upgrade from a 5th to a 4th round pick this year. They just gave up all picks until the 47th pick, and I think lost the chance to really strengthen their team. I do think their actual picks were good in DT Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson. Of course, Alli did not like Trevor Laws because "Defensive Tackle is not a 'sexy' pick", but he was a guy I was hoping the Giants might look at. DeSean Jackson is a speedy receiver from Cal, but is very small and weak, and I could easily see this being a bust, but for now it looks like a solid pick.
I will analyze the Giants draft in its entirety after the draft is complete.
Washington Redskins (the one NFC East team for which I didn't get to gauge a fan's reaction)
They may have had the best draft day of all the NFC East teams, as they traded down and got additional picks and still got to address one of their biggest needs, WR, with Devin Thomas out of Michigan State, who is considered to be one of the best WR in the draft. ((Mel Kiper's Top 5 by position) and (Scout's Inc. Position Rankings)) In fact, he was the second WR drafted, after the Rams' odd pick of WR Donnie Avery, who many thought was a huge reach. Scout's Inc. Round 2 Analysis saying biggest reach and Fox Sports stating no one saw Avery as the first receiver picked.
The Redskins used the rest of their Day 1 picks to pick a TE, Fred Davis out of USC, and a WR, Malcolm Kelly, out of Oklahoma. So the Redskins picked up two of the top WRs in the draft and picked up a solid TE, I guess to back up Chris Cooley. This should help the Redskins' biggest weakness, their offense, though I think they do need to address their defense at some point, which they did not do till the 4th Round. Mel Kiper also felt it was a good move for the Skins to address their offense and give their young quarterback some weapons, a move that the Titans did not make for Vince Young. Mel Kiper's Good Calls and Bad Calls.
Although I respect Kiper and like to look at his analysis, I think his draft grades for NFL teams are suspect. I think he gives bad rankings if a team goes against the grain or doesn't do what he thought they should do. For example, Mel Kiper gave the Giants a C- last year, 2007 Mel Kiper's Draft Grades, which is now seen as a great draft. However, most of the "experts" did not believe the Giants made good picks last year, again because these experts wanted the Giants to do something else (2007 Consensus Draft Grades). I feel like many times they don't look at the players they pick, but instead emphasize that it was something different then the expert liked or they felt they should have picked value over need. Not to mention this year, in which Mel Kiper did not give a team drafting a cornerback in the first round any higher than a B. This does not make sense to me, I understand questioning some of the first round CB picks and saying some were a reach or that there were better players available, but not giving one CB pick over a B? Especially considering that teams like the Cowboys and Bills were in desperate need of CBs, and the ones they got were among the best in the draft.
Dallas Cowboys:
My Cowboys fan roommate, Taz, whined about several moves. First, he thought they should've drafted Rashard Mendenhall over Felix Jones, although many scouts thought this was a good pick, as Jones is a speed back who will be a good complement to Marion Barber. John Clayton's Day One Winners and Losers and ESPN's Draft Tracker, Kiper giving the Jones pick an A and the Mendenhall pick a B. I think that when you have a chance to pick a quality RB who can be an every down back, he is the better pick. I think it is better to pick the quality every down back over a guy who will only be a speed back/3rd down back. This is because if Marion Barber ever gets hurt - and given his style of running, this is a strong possibility - Jones will not be able to step in and take over. Taz fears that Felix Jones will be another Julius Jones, namely, a RB that runs a few yards and falls over the second there is any kind of contact. I for one see a distinct probability that this could happen, and he just happens to have the same last name as Julius(though this probably means nothing). Even though RB was a need for them as they got rid of Julius Jones and another running back, I think they should have looked to their defense first. But with two 1st round draft picks, the Cowboys had the luxury of picking both an offensive and defensive player in the 1st.
The Cowboys' second pick was to trade up and make sure they could get CB Mike Jenkins. This was one of the Cowboys biggest needs and Mike Jenkins was seen as one of the best cornerbacks in the draft. (Scout's Inc. has him as #2 CB in the draft) This was a good pick for them. Unfortunately this pick did not fulfill my Wish that the Cowboys ignore their defense. Amusingly, he apparently also has character issues, adding to a locker room of other nutjobs, such as Tank Johnson, T.O., and Pacman Jones. Although John Clayton seems to like the Pacman trade, I think it was a bad move. There is no question he is a very good cornerback, but this is a guy who cannot stay out of trouble. Here is a guy waiting to be reinstated and I don't think he is capable of staying out of trouble, so he will not be worth it for the Cowboys. They fulfilled my Wish.
Their last Day 1 pick was for Marellus Bennett, TE out of Texas A&M. This had to be one of the funniest moments of the draft. Just yesterday, Taz went on a rant about the Cowboys move before the draft of trading Akin Ayodele and TE Anthony Fasano for a 4th round pick from the Dolphins. He thought this trade was terrible as 2 years ago the Cowboys traded up to get Fasano in the second round and then went on to trade him for only a fourth round pick; once again they picked up another TE in the 2nd Round, and he will only be a backup to Jason Witten anyway, not to mention the presence of TO, who demands a certain number of passes a game, and the other Cowboys WR in the mix.
Again, they addressed their offense with 2 out of their 3 day one picks- I like it.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles picks were another source of draft day fun for me, especially seeing the increasingly depressed look on Alli's face. After trading their 1st round pick in 2007, Alli pleaded that they do anything but trade down again. And what happened? The Eagles once again traded down. Although this was a great trade in terms of value for the Eagles, Eagles Draft Day, getting the Panthers' 2nd and 4th round picks this year and a 1st round pick next year, I dont think it was a good move- neither did Alli apparently. First, they were in need of an OT, especially with Winston Justice as their current tackle of the future who recently got schooled by Osi Umeniyora, soJeff Otah would have been a big help. Also, with McNabb not getting any younger and Kevin Kolb unlikely to do much in the future (though I may be wrong on this), I think you need to worry about your team now, and not keep pushing away your 1st round picks.
Then came the 2nd round, where the Eagles once again traded down several spots. This happened right after a "they better not trade down again" from Alli. They did this to upgrade from a 5th to a 4th round pick this year. They just gave up all picks until the 47th pick, and I think lost the chance to really strengthen their team. I do think their actual picks were good in DT Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson. Of course, Alli did not like Trevor Laws because "Defensive Tackle is not a 'sexy' pick", but he was a guy I was hoping the Giants might look at. DeSean Jackson is a speedy receiver from Cal, but is very small and weak, and I could easily see this being a bust, but for now it looks like a solid pick.
I will analyze the Giants draft in its entirety after the draft is complete.
REDSKINS - Quick Update
Posted by Taz:
We are supposed to be suckering in a Redskins blogger soon (unlike Alli and I, he is studying for finals). So to fill the void, I will post a Redskins analysis of the draft. Then all of you can make fun of a Cowboys homer trying to pretend to be a Redskins homer.
We are supposed to be suckering in a Redskins blogger soon (unlike Alli and I, he is studying for finals). So to fill the void, I will post a Redskins analysis of the draft. Then all of you can make fun of a Cowboys homer trying to pretend to be a Redskins homer.
COWBOYS - Day 2 Update
Posted by Taz
So now that we have completed about eight billion trades to stockpile 2009 picks (anyone thinking that we are going to throw a 1st and two 3rds for a WR?), and I spent about 3 hours in anticipation about what we are going to pick, we finally made a pick for a......
Running Back.
Didn't we just draft one of these yesterday?
Despite my confusion (and the fact that Alli and Chris made fun of me for it again), I'm fine with this, because it's not like there is any position that we really need to replace (you can gripe about Roy Williams, or the #2 WR spot, but we aren't finding the replacement in the 4th round anyways). We also have only one RB on the roster who has not been the starter in the NFL and is represented by Drew "I think I am Jerry Maguire" Rosenhaus, who will probably find a way to cause a problem in these negotiations for a long-term contract.
The only problem I have is the fact that we have two rookies (one who had a knee injury last year) backing up Barber. I know that RBs are quick to adapt to the NFL level, but you never know about rookies.
So now that we have completed about eight billion trades to stockpile 2009 picks (anyone thinking that we are going to throw a 1st and two 3rds for a WR?), and I spent about 3 hours in anticipation about what we are going to pick, we finally made a pick for a......
Running Back.
Didn't we just draft one of these yesterday?
Despite my confusion (and the fact that Alli and Chris made fun of me for it again), I'm fine with this, because it's not like there is any position that we really need to replace (you can gripe about Roy Williams, or the #2 WR spot, but we aren't finding the replacement in the 4th round anyways). We also have only one RB on the roster who has not been the starter in the NFL and is represented by Drew "I think I am Jerry Maguire" Rosenhaus, who will probably find a way to cause a problem in these negotiations for a long-term contract.
The only problem I have is the fact that we have two rookies (one who had a knee injury last year) backing up Barber. I know that RBs are quick to adapt to the NFL level, but you never know about rookies.
EAGLES - Draft Day 2 (comments & complaints)
Posted by Alli
The 3rd round is underway, although it somehow seems less prestigious now that it's been lumped with 4 thru 7 on day 2. Nevertheless, the Birds have about 120 picks in these 5 rounds so it's important that they make some good decisions and fill in their various gaps. And some of us (i.e. me) might still be secretly hoping that we decide to throw a chunk of those picks into a package with, say, an injury-prone CB that we can't seem to unload on another team, and magically trade for an elite WR. Hey, it could happen. Surely the Bengals will come to their senses eventually, considering Ocho Cinco's inspiring dedication to whining incessantly.
Anyway, since the Eagles seem to have given up on acquiring an OT anytime soon, I'm looking for a defensive back... preferably a safety but the pickins are slim there (sure, we could have picked S Tyrell Johnson in the 2nd round, but the Birds seem to have a recent propensity for trading down when exactly what they need is left on the board... seems like a wise strategy.) I was thinking maybe a CB, but in the spirit of never choosing what I was actually hoping for, the Eagles took DE Bryan Smith from McNeese State. Fair enough though, we could always use another DE, especially after finally getting rid of the decreasingly productive Kearse. I don't have the slightest clue where in the world McNeese State is, or if it's an actual college or just an online degree program, but I'll trust the Eagles' judgment here for the time being. Sure, they drafted DE Victor Abiamiri in the 2nd round last year and I've yet to see any sign of life there, but they also drafted Trent Cole so I'll call it even for now.
I'll update/complain more in the 4th.
Update: 12:23 p.m.
I guess I should have been more specific when I asked for an OT from Pittsburgh. But on the plus side, we did finally get a much-needed tackle, right after I decided the Eagles weren't going to draft one this year. Shows how much I know. Anyway, I'm going to hope that Pitt had a monster o-line last year and that Mike McGlynn is somewhere in the remote vicinity of Jeff Otah-level talent. At this point, anyone better than Justice is OK in my book.
Update: 1:02 p.m.
And there's our safety, UTEP's Quintin Demps. I don't know a whole lot about Demps, but I do know that we needed a safety so we'll see how he pans out.
On an unrelated note, Chris has been unbearably homerish this afternoon in his glorification of Eli Manning. I'm sure I'm not alone here in my ongoing agony over the fact that I had to witness Eli Manning winning a Super Bowl, something I didn't think I'd ever have to see in my lifetime. Surely god hates me, because this remains the only feasible explanation. Even 3 months later, every time I make a jab about Eli, Chris can always throw his being Super Bowl MVP back in my face. It doesn't matter that Eli only performed well about 25% of the time last year, or that he'll probably suck the rest of his career- he still has the same number of Super Bowl victories as Peyton. Do you ever get the feeling that Peyton is secretly really pissed about the Giants' win?
OK another Eagles pick coming up, I'll update shortly.
The 3rd round is underway, although it somehow seems less prestigious now that it's been lumped with 4 thru 7 on day 2. Nevertheless, the Birds have about 120 picks in these 5 rounds so it's important that they make some good decisions and fill in their various gaps. And some of us (i.e. me) might still be secretly hoping that we decide to throw a chunk of those picks into a package with, say, an injury-prone CB that we can't seem to unload on another team, and magically trade for an elite WR. Hey, it could happen. Surely the Bengals will come to their senses eventually, considering Ocho Cinco's inspiring dedication to whining incessantly.
Anyway, since the Eagles seem to have given up on acquiring an OT anytime soon, I'm looking for a defensive back... preferably a safety but the pickins are slim there (sure, we could have picked S Tyrell Johnson in the 2nd round, but the Birds seem to have a recent propensity for trading down when exactly what they need is left on the board... seems like a wise strategy.) I was thinking maybe a CB, but in the spirit of never choosing what I was actually hoping for, the Eagles took DE Bryan Smith from McNeese State. Fair enough though, we could always use another DE, especially after finally getting rid of the decreasingly productive Kearse. I don't have the slightest clue where in the world McNeese State is, or if it's an actual college or just an online degree program, but I'll trust the Eagles' judgment here for the time being. Sure, they drafted DE Victor Abiamiri in the 2nd round last year and I've yet to see any sign of life there, but they also drafted Trent Cole so I'll call it even for now.
I'll update/complain more in the 4th.
Update: 12:23 p.m.
I guess I should have been more specific when I asked for an OT from Pittsburgh. But on the plus side, we did finally get a much-needed tackle, right after I decided the Eagles weren't going to draft one this year. Shows how much I know. Anyway, I'm going to hope that Pitt had a monster o-line last year and that Mike McGlynn is somewhere in the remote vicinity of Jeff Otah-level talent. At this point, anyone better than Justice is OK in my book.
Update: 1:02 p.m.
And there's our safety, UTEP's Quintin Demps. I don't know a whole lot about Demps, but I do know that we needed a safety so we'll see how he pans out.
On an unrelated note, Chris has been unbearably homerish this afternoon in his glorification of Eli Manning. I'm sure I'm not alone here in my ongoing agony over the fact that I had to witness Eli Manning winning a Super Bowl, something I didn't think I'd ever have to see in my lifetime. Surely god hates me, because this remains the only feasible explanation. Even 3 months later, every time I make a jab about Eli, Chris can always throw his being Super Bowl MVP back in my face. It doesn't matter that Eli only performed well about 25% of the time last year, or that he'll probably suck the rest of his career- he still has the same number of Super Bowl victories as Peyton. Do you ever get the feeling that Peyton is secretly really pissed about the Giants' win?
OK another Eagles pick coming up, I'll update shortly.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
COWBOYS - Thoughts on Day 1
Posted by Taz
So day one of the draft has come and gone, and I just spend the last 6 hours watching the NFL Draft. While this year's draft is much shorter than last year's, it still feels like ages between Cowboy picks. So here are my thoughts.
Pick #22 - Felix Jones
About 90% of mock drafts in the last month seemed to have us picking him. So either all these people had enough smarts to figure it out, or it was one of the worst kept secrets in the draft. Apparently, even though it was absolutly no suprise, I still found it amusing that he fell into our laps. That either means 1) that it was so obvious that people did not believe it would actually happen, or 2) no one tried to get him early because no one wanted him that high. Hopefully, it is the former (and I wouldn't be suprised with all the overthinking that happens before the draft).
At first I was annoyed about this pick because I really wanted Rashard Mendenhall. But then I realized that this fits better for us. It gives us a change of pace back and a person who can do returns. So I'm decently pleased with this pick, despite my earlier whining.
Pick #25 - Mike Jenkins
When I realized he was available (around pick 20, when I realized that everyone and their mother was going to ignore every other position so they could reach for offensive linemen), I got really excited. More corners mean we can move Anthony Henry to saftey and Roy Williams to the bench. But then after 22, I was worried that he wasn't going to make it. Lucky for us, we were able to trade up for the 25 pick by giving Seattle the rights to two guys they probably will cut in training camp.
This guy was projected to go really high, so the fact that we were able to get him at 25 was exciting. He was the corner I wanted (at least until I found out that Rogers-Cromartie was missing a kidney), so the fact that we pulled this off was great.
Round 2 - Martellus Bennett
If you read my previous posts, you know my view on the Fasano pick from 2006. I remember screaming at the television, then calling my friends and bitching about it for days. Then a couple of writers started mentioning that the Cowboys would start using two tight end sets as the base set, which would make the second tight end a necessity, and not a wasted pick. So I conned myself into thinking this whole scheme would work decently. I didn't need it to be the greatest NFL innovation ever, but just enough to be worth the second round pick. I think last week's trade of Fasano tells you how sucessful this pick was.
So as you can guess, I went off the deep end when they announced this pick. Chris and Alli pointed and laughed and me for this pick. I would have pointed and laughed at myself if I wasn't a Cowboys fan. I thought the team was just trying to screw with us Cowboy fans.
After a cooling off period and a bit of internet research, I feel a bit better about this pick. First, it looks like Mr. Bennett is a bit more versatile than Fasano. While he is not the most athletic person ever (though he did play college basketball for two years), he looks to be a decently good pass catcher. Plus he can be lined up all over the place, and not just off the line. So this pick may not suck, but ask me later, after I see this guy play.
What I would like to see tommorrow:
1) More trading down by the Eagles - it makes Alli go nuts
2) Draft another CB. I just want to make sure we can at defend in our dime scheme without having to rely on either Mr. Strip Club or the 90 pound Alan Ball being our 4th corner.
3) Draft a QB in the lower rounds - we definetly need to start developing a decent backup to Romo.
4) No more tight ends! One is enough for one draft, especially when we only have 3 picks left.
5) I would like Early Doucet if we take a WR, but I dont see him falling to us.
So day one of the draft has come and gone, and I just spend the last 6 hours watching the NFL Draft. While this year's draft is much shorter than last year's, it still feels like ages between Cowboy picks. So here are my thoughts.
Pick #22 - Felix Jones
About 90% of mock drafts in the last month seemed to have us picking him. So either all these people had enough smarts to figure it out, or it was one of the worst kept secrets in the draft. Apparently, even though it was absolutly no suprise, I still found it amusing that he fell into our laps. That either means 1) that it was so obvious that people did not believe it would actually happen, or 2) no one tried to get him early because no one wanted him that high. Hopefully, it is the former (and I wouldn't be suprised with all the overthinking that happens before the draft).
At first I was annoyed about this pick because I really wanted Rashard Mendenhall. But then I realized that this fits better for us. It gives us a change of pace back and a person who can do returns. So I'm decently pleased with this pick, despite my earlier whining.
Pick #25 - Mike Jenkins
When I realized he was available (around pick 20, when I realized that everyone and their mother was going to ignore every other position so they could reach for offensive linemen), I got really excited. More corners mean we can move Anthony Henry to saftey and Roy Williams to the bench. But then after 22, I was worried that he wasn't going to make it. Lucky for us, we were able to trade up for the 25 pick by giving Seattle the rights to two guys they probably will cut in training camp.
This guy was projected to go really high, so the fact that we were able to get him at 25 was exciting. He was the corner I wanted (at least until I found out that Rogers-Cromartie was missing a kidney), so the fact that we pulled this off was great.
Round 2 - Martellus Bennett
If you read my previous posts, you know my view on the Fasano pick from 2006. I remember screaming at the television, then calling my friends and bitching about it for days. Then a couple of writers started mentioning that the Cowboys would start using two tight end sets as the base set, which would make the second tight end a necessity, and not a wasted pick. So I conned myself into thinking this whole scheme would work decently. I didn't need it to be the greatest NFL innovation ever, but just enough to be worth the second round pick. I think last week's trade of Fasano tells you how sucessful this pick was.
So as you can guess, I went off the deep end when they announced this pick. Chris and Alli pointed and laughed and me for this pick. I would have pointed and laughed at myself if I wasn't a Cowboys fan. I thought the team was just trying to screw with us Cowboy fans.
After a cooling off period and a bit of internet research, I feel a bit better about this pick. First, it looks like Mr. Bennett is a bit more versatile than Fasano. While he is not the most athletic person ever (though he did play college basketball for two years), he looks to be a decently good pass catcher. Plus he can be lined up all over the place, and not just off the line. So this pick may not suck, but ask me later, after I see this guy play.
What I would like to see tommorrow:
1) More trading down by the Eagles - it makes Alli go nuts
2) Draft another CB. I just want to make sure we can at defend in our dime scheme without having to rely on either Mr. Strip Club or the 90 pound Alan Ball being our 4th corner.
3) Draft a QB in the lower rounds - we definetly need to start developing a decent backup to Romo.
4) No more tight ends! One is enough for one draft, especially when we only have 3 picks left.
5) I would like Early Doucet if we take a WR, but I dont see him falling to us.
EAGLES - Draft Day Has Arrived
Posted by Alli
Well here it is... Draft Day 2008, or as we like to call it in our apartment, Christmas. But instead of a new iPod, the top of my wishlist includes 340 pounds of Pittsburghian offensive tackle. Hopefully Santa doesn't disappoint this year.
Quite a few drafts have us picking WRs Devin Thomas (Mich St) or Limas Sweed (Texas). Growing up an Oklahoma fan, I'm inherently skeptical of Longhorn product Sweed, but my concern about such a pick goes beyond that. Frankly, I don't trust the Eagles' ability to draft a WR, particularly in the first round. Freddie Mitchell, anyone? And I'm still not sure how well Reggie Brown (2nd round, 04) will ultimately pan out. The most productive Eagles WRs over the past several years (T.O., Kevin Curtis, Stallworth in the 12 minutes that he was healthy) have all been acquired as vets, via trades or free agency, and so I'm not inclined to start trusting our luck in drafting a WR this year with the 19th overall pick (or higher if we trade up). So I'd like to see the Birds wait till at least the 2nd of 3rd rounds to draft a WR- but still keeping my fingers crossed for an unexpected mid-draft Chad/Roy/Anquan Boldin trade.
I'll update this post throughout the draft with my thoughts and cynical commentary.
Update: 5:23 p.m.
We traded out of the 1st round? Again? I've been waiting patiently for over 2 hours to see who we pick, but the Eagles apparently enjoy inflicting mental anguish. With Jeff Otah on the board, we handed him off to Carolina. OK, so we got a lot out of the trade (Carolina's 2nd and 4th and next year's 1st round) but... seriously? Runyon and Tra Thomas are each approximately 87 years old... but oh yeah, we've also got... Winston Justice. Oh sweet Jesus we're f*cked. Let's hope the Eagles address this ASAP.
And then there's still the Lito mystery... where will he end up? Any interesting trade packages in the making?
Update: 8:04 p.m.
And they traded down again! Those sneaky bastards! But, after driving me within an inch of my sanity, the Eagles finally made 2 picks. I was lamenting right before the picks how I really really would prefer not to see them pick up a DT here- I mean, surely after drafting Patterson and Bunkley in 05 and 06, the Eagles wouldn't draft another DT this early? And the Eagles select... Trevor Laws? Who the f is that? Another DT, good god was that necessary?
But then the Eagles somewhat made up for this by picking up a 1st round-caliber WR in DeSean Jackson. Despite being 3 foot 9 and medically classfied as "hobbit", the guy appears to have some serious speed. And we are in desperate need of a good return man. As a quick memory refresher, we had Jeremy Bloom whom we sunk 2 entire offseasons into developing before promptly cutting him without bothering to secure a marginally non-crappy backup, and then proceeded to use 2 guys who had never returned a punt in their lives who then fumbled 2 punts that single-handedly cost us the Packers game. So this is a nice addition, even if he does weigh less than Karen Carpenter.
Well here it is... Draft Day 2008, or as we like to call it in our apartment, Christmas. But instead of a new iPod, the top of my wishlist includes 340 pounds of Pittsburghian offensive tackle. Hopefully Santa doesn't disappoint this year.
Quite a few drafts have us picking WRs Devin Thomas (Mich St) or Limas Sweed (Texas). Growing up an Oklahoma fan, I'm inherently skeptical of Longhorn product Sweed, but my concern about such a pick goes beyond that. Frankly, I don't trust the Eagles' ability to draft a WR, particularly in the first round. Freddie Mitchell, anyone? And I'm still not sure how well Reggie Brown (2nd round, 04) will ultimately pan out. The most productive Eagles WRs over the past several years (T.O., Kevin Curtis, Stallworth in the 12 minutes that he was healthy) have all been acquired as vets, via trades or free agency, and so I'm not inclined to start trusting our luck in drafting a WR this year with the 19th overall pick (or higher if we trade up). So I'd like to see the Birds wait till at least the 2nd of 3rd rounds to draft a WR- but still keeping my fingers crossed for an unexpected mid-draft Chad/Roy/Anquan Boldin trade.
I'll update this post throughout the draft with my thoughts and cynical commentary.
Update: 5:23 p.m.
We traded out of the 1st round? Again? I've been waiting patiently for over 2 hours to see who we pick, but the Eagles apparently enjoy inflicting mental anguish. With Jeff Otah on the board, we handed him off to Carolina. OK, so we got a lot out of the trade (Carolina's 2nd and 4th and next year's 1st round) but... seriously? Runyon and Tra Thomas are each approximately 87 years old... but oh yeah, we've also got... Winston Justice. Oh sweet Jesus we're f*cked. Let's hope the Eagles address this ASAP.
And then there's still the Lito mystery... where will he end up? Any interesting trade packages in the making?
Update: 8:04 p.m.
And they traded down again! Those sneaky bastards! But, after driving me within an inch of my sanity, the Eagles finally made 2 picks. I was lamenting right before the picks how I really really would prefer not to see them pick up a DT here- I mean, surely after drafting Patterson and Bunkley in 05 and 06, the Eagles wouldn't draft another DT this early? And the Eagles select... Trevor Laws? Who the f is that? Another DT, good god was that necessary?
But then the Eagles somewhat made up for this by picking up a 1st round-caliber WR in DeSean Jackson. Despite being 3 foot 9 and medically classfied as "hobbit", the guy appears to have some serious speed. And we are in desperate need of a good return man. As a quick memory refresher, we had Jeremy Bloom whom we sunk 2 entire offseasons into developing before promptly cutting him without bothering to secure a marginally non-crappy backup, and then proceeded to use 2 guys who had never returned a punt in their lives who then fumbled 2 punts that single-handedly cost us the Packers game. So this is a nice addition, even if he does weigh less than Karen Carpenter.
COWBOYS - Dallas trying to trade for McFadden!
As per the Philly Daily News. And yes, we checked with our source on this one and it is true (FYI - we actually have a source. It's one source, but hey, it's better than nothing).
COWBOYS - Starting LB + 2006 2nd round pick = 2008 Fourth Rounder
See here. Another reminder that we completely blew the 2006 draft (anyone remember Skyler Green)?
On a random note, I seem to be hating a bit too much today (see the post below). Hopefully I'll be satisfied with us drafting a player that I probably don't know a thing about and have to wait three years before I truely know if he is a bust or not.
On a random note, I seem to be hating a bit too much today (see the post below). Hopefully I'll be satisfied with us drafting a player that I probably don't know a thing about and have to wait three years before I truely know if he is a bust or not.
COWBOYS - Dale Hanson still bitter about being fired for being a s***ty announcer
See the video here. In case if you are wondering, Dale hates on everything related to the Cowboys. As he mentions in the video, he was fired by Jerry Jones as team's radio color analyst, and if you ever see anything he writes or discusses involving the Cowboys, in involves a lot of Cowboy hating.
Despite all the hate, I do agree with some of the things stated in the rant. It is obvious that Jerry Jones is not worried about character. It is also obvious about the hypocracy of the treatment of Pac-Man by fans (ie, we want him to play for our team, but would not hire him ourselves). My main problem with the rant (besides the lame-ass laugh track in the background) is how Dale throws in Senator McCarthy and Bin Laden comparisons. he makes it seem like the world is going to end because the Cowboys sign an irresponsible idiot to play CB. Guess what Dale? This is football, not something more serious. Pac-Man is a dumbass, and there is no doubt about that. And he certainly has caused harm to individuals (see the "making it rain" incident). But he is not a man bent on destroying western civilization as we know it, or some idiot Senator on a dumbass crusade against communism. Allowing Pac-Man to play football or allowing the Cowboys sign players with criminal charges is not going to destroy America. I love football, but I also realize there are more important things in the world, and this idoitic comparisons by mediots just shows how wrapped up their are in their own world.
Despite all the hate, I do agree with some of the things stated in the rant. It is obvious that Jerry Jones is not worried about character. It is also obvious about the hypocracy of the treatment of Pac-Man by fans (ie, we want him to play for our team, but would not hire him ourselves). My main problem with the rant (besides the lame-ass laugh track in the background) is how Dale throws in Senator McCarthy and Bin Laden comparisons. he makes it seem like the world is going to end because the Cowboys sign an irresponsible idiot to play CB. Guess what Dale? This is football, not something more serious. Pac-Man is a dumbass, and there is no doubt about that. And he certainly has caused harm to individuals (see the "making it rain" incident). But he is not a man bent on destroying western civilization as we know it, or some idiot Senator on a dumbass crusade against communism. Allowing Pac-Man to play football or allowing the Cowboys sign players with criminal charges is not going to destroy America. I love football, but I also realize there are more important things in the world, and this idoitic comparisons by mediots just shows how wrapped up their are in their own world.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Links I Find Amusing
Posted by Taz
Here are some more random weblinks to somewhat distract you from going to BSPN and reading their 39 mock drafts (none of which will be correct).
Great article on all sorts of factors that will cause your favorite team to ignore common sense during the draft.
This bothers me just because the last troubled NFL player to get help from Jim Brown was Maurice Clarett. And what did that do for him? Now he is hanging out in federal prison because he had to buy a bunch of illegal weapons to protect himself from the Israeli mafia (and no I did not make this up – see this).
Ever wondered what would happen if Matt Millen was drafting for every team?
Despite the fact that Brett Favre retired, he will not go away. Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2
Video of Drew Rosenhaus, whining like a little girl. Watch him plea with the Bengals to release his client because their “relationship is not working.” Note how Mr. Rosenhaus ignores that fact that the relationship is not working because Chad Johnson is throwing a temper tantrum. Despite the fact that Mr. Rosenhaus went to the #12 ranked law school in the nation, he apparently did not learn that when you sign a contract, you cannot get out of it by whining like a little bitch about how your client is unhappy.
Here are some more random weblinks to somewhat distract you from going to BSPN and reading their 39 mock drafts (none of which will be correct).
Great article on all sorts of factors that will cause your favorite team to ignore common sense during the draft.
This bothers me just because the last troubled NFL player to get help from Jim Brown was Maurice Clarett. And what did that do for him? Now he is hanging out in federal prison because he had to buy a bunch of illegal weapons to protect himself from the Israeli mafia (and no I did not make this up – see this).
Ever wondered what would happen if Matt Millen was drafting for every team?
Despite the fact that Brett Favre retired, he will not go away. Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2
Video of Drew Rosenhaus, whining like a little girl. Watch him plea with the Bengals to release his client because their “relationship is not working.” Note how Mr. Rosenhaus ignores that fact that the relationship is not working because Chad Johnson is throwing a temper tantrum. Despite the fact that Mr. Rosenhaus went to the #12 ranked law school in the nation, he apparently did not learn that when you sign a contract, you cannot get out of it by whining like a little bitch about how your client is unhappy.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
COWBOYS - We Signed Pac-Man for a 4th?
Posted by Taz
As you all probably saw in this story, we now own the rights to a suspended cornerback. Fourth rounder and another pick based on performance. While this trade isn't what I wanted (scroll down - I wanted to give up nothing more than a 5th), I can live with this. The question isn't if Pac-Man will do something stupid, but when he will get suspended. If we can get two good years out of him, I consider the trade a success. But realistically, I see him getting suspended before Thanksgiving.
UPDATE: Is this new information going to make this trade look really dumb, or did the Cowboys (and the NFL) already know this?
As you all probably saw in this story, we now own the rights to a suspended cornerback. Fourth rounder and another pick based on performance. While this trade isn't what I wanted (scroll down - I wanted to give up nothing more than a 5th), I can live with this. The question isn't if Pac-Man will do something stupid, but when he will get suspended. If we can get two good years out of him, I consider the trade a success. But realistically, I see him getting suspended before Thanksgiving.
UPDATE: Is this new information going to make this trade look really dumb, or did the Cowboys (and the NFL) already know this?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
GIANTS - What My Rivals Should Do (or what I wish they would)
Posted by Chris
Going into this season I have a lot of hope in the Giants. I feel like both the offense and defense were really clicking at the end of last season. On offense, Eli Manning started to play really well and maybe is on his way to being the franchise quarterback I always believed he was, plus Carr now gives us a good backup. We have 2 great running backs (Bradshaw and Jacobs) and Ward will be returning from injury giving us a good 1, 2, 3 punch. Hedgecock is a solid fullback. Not to mention Burress, who is playing like a top 5-10 receiver, Toomer, a very good possession receiver, Shockey and Boss, good receiving tight ends, and Steve Smith who has begun to develop. We just need Sinorice Moss to become a quality fourth receiver.
I was one of the few Giants fans or anyone for that matter who still believed in Eli Manning, which led to me getting tons of crap from my Homer roommates. But I remember the day of Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Danny Kannell, and even though he was a huge upgrade from the latter 3, Kerry Collins. Eli, even when he was playing poorly was better than all 3 (plenty of scoring, and 3 straight playoff appearances). But now he is really showing what he can do.
I don't even need to get into the defense which played phenomenally in the playoffs, and were the major reason we won the Super Bowl. All we lost was Reggie Torbor, a solid backup LB. We also lost Gibril Wilson, a good safety, but frankly there are only a handful of safeties in the league (Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, the late Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, Bob Sanders, and a few others) that really make a difference. Gibril Wilson was not one of them. I mean, Roy Williams made the Pro Bowl, and frankly his pass coverage ability was a huge liability for the Cowboys. My point is basically that Wilson is replaceable. We also lost Mitchell who as a good starter, but we do have others like Gerris Wilkinson, Kiwanuka, and a draft pick that could replace him. So besides Strahan's possible retirement, our defense will be just as good if not better next year.
I am not going to get into who we should draft because frankly, I lack the knowledge on each of the college players listed in mock drafts to speak intelligently for the Giants. The main guys I have seen are Jerod Mayo (if he falls to us), Kenny Phillips, Tyrell Johnson, Dan Connor, and others. You can go to another blog, Giants 101, where Rich O'Callaghan's latest post states that the Giants should pick Tyrell Johnson over Phillips and possibly even consider trading down. Sean O'Sullivan is the only one I have seen suggest Reggie Smith. Or you could go to ESPN's Safety Rankings , which ranks Phillips over Johnson (Connor is an ILB and not ranked against Mayo). Or you could go to Mel Kiper's and Todd McShay's Side by Side Mock Drafts, where they have picked Tyrell Johnson and Kenny Phillips respectively. Or there's Nfl.com's Vic Carucci , who has the Giants selecting Jerod Mayo (though I don't believe this draft because I don't think Keith Rivers will get picked 30, or Mayo 31), and Nfl.Com's Kirwan , who has us picking Kenny Phillips, or Sportsnation, Sports Nation vs. Kiper and McShay, who has us picking Dan Connor.
My point is that I can't add much to the debate; I haven't watched film or seen these people play. So I will not decide which Pick the Giants should make (I just hope they pick a Safety or LB), or mock analysts (too much) who decide what the Giants need. I think making a pick adds nothing, and I also trust Jerry Reese, who had all but one draft pick play in the Super Bowl (7 of 8), 4 of which who were serious contributors (Bradshaw, Boss, Smith, and Ross). I won't be one of those bloggers (there are tons for every team) who think they know better than these "experts" and post how Kiper or McShay are idiots and they know better because they saw a few games or film of a few players. Of course they get things wrong, but I bet if any of these bloggers or posters in ESPN.com's comment area had to make the amount of picks these guys make, they would be just as wrong, if not more so. The key is they bring support to their arguments and put in the necessary research. I will not be one of those people. I respect the "experts" and I believe that they offer valuable insight.
So after my long rants, I will go on to my point: my Top 10 list (in no particular order) of what stupid mistakes I hope the NFC East Rivals make:
1) The Redskins do what they have done every year: throw lots of money at over-priced free agents, even though year-after-year it hasn't done jack.
2) The Eagles draft another Quarterback.
3) The Cowboys waste a high draft pick to get Pacman Jones (who will hopefully not be reinstated till at least mid-season), and then have a locker room with Tank Johnson, T.O., and Pacman Jones; exactly the kind of locker room I want!
4) The Redskins give up on their franchise quarterback, Jason Campbell; he may not be that good, but when you don't have a set quarterback, things do not work out well.
5) The Eagles trade Donovan McNabb (he is a very good quarterback and they would be foolish to get rid of him).
6) The Cowboys keep letting Jessica Simpson (or fill-in-the-blank high-profile Romo girlfriend), come to the stadium with camera shots of her twice a quarter.
7) The Cowboys add more firepower to their offense and ignore their main weakness, their crappy defense
8) The Eagles don't draft a WR, a position where they're in desperate need of a #1.
9) The Cowboys don't draft a WR. I know this contradicts #7, but I think they need to address this at some point later in the draft, as T.O. is getting old (in more ways than one), Glenn never returned to form after injury, and Crayton is a #3 receiver at best.
10) The Patriots let their team get older and older, especially on defense. I know the Patriots are not an NFC East Rival, but I dislike them as much, if not more, than the other East Rivals. As a Yankee fan in Boston, I obtained a real dislike for Boston sports, especially New England, where most fans are not true fans as they only rely on the Pats to feel good when the Sox were not good, and whom they expect to win. It is trull obnoxious. My dislike increases when the Red Sox play and the traffic around Kenmore Square (vehicular, pedestrian, not to mention the crowded T) becomes unbearable.
Going into this season I have a lot of hope in the Giants. I feel like both the offense and defense were really clicking at the end of last season. On offense, Eli Manning started to play really well and maybe is on his way to being the franchise quarterback I always believed he was, plus Carr now gives us a good backup. We have 2 great running backs (Bradshaw and Jacobs) and Ward will be returning from injury giving us a good 1, 2, 3 punch. Hedgecock is a solid fullback. Not to mention Burress, who is playing like a top 5-10 receiver, Toomer, a very good possession receiver, Shockey and Boss, good receiving tight ends, and Steve Smith who has begun to develop. We just need Sinorice Moss to become a quality fourth receiver.
I was one of the few Giants fans or anyone for that matter who still believed in Eli Manning, which led to me getting tons of crap from my Homer roommates. But I remember the day of Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Danny Kannell, and even though he was a huge upgrade from the latter 3, Kerry Collins. Eli, even when he was playing poorly was better than all 3 (plenty of scoring, and 3 straight playoff appearances). But now he is really showing what he can do.
I don't even need to get into the defense which played phenomenally in the playoffs, and were the major reason we won the Super Bowl. All we lost was Reggie Torbor, a solid backup LB. We also lost Gibril Wilson, a good safety, but frankly there are only a handful of safeties in the league (Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, the late Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, Bob Sanders, and a few others) that really make a difference. Gibril Wilson was not one of them. I mean, Roy Williams made the Pro Bowl, and frankly his pass coverage ability was a huge liability for the Cowboys. My point is basically that Wilson is replaceable. We also lost Mitchell who as a good starter, but we do have others like Gerris Wilkinson, Kiwanuka, and a draft pick that could replace him. So besides Strahan's possible retirement, our defense will be just as good if not better next year.
I am not going to get into who we should draft because frankly, I lack the knowledge on each of the college players listed in mock drafts to speak intelligently for the Giants. The main guys I have seen are Jerod Mayo (if he falls to us), Kenny Phillips, Tyrell Johnson, Dan Connor, and others. You can go to another blog, Giants 101, where Rich O'Callaghan's latest post states that the Giants should pick Tyrell Johnson over Phillips and possibly even consider trading down. Sean O'Sullivan is the only one I have seen suggest Reggie Smith. Or you could go to ESPN's Safety Rankings , which ranks Phillips over Johnson (Connor is an ILB and not ranked against Mayo). Or you could go to Mel Kiper's and Todd McShay's Side by Side Mock Drafts, where they have picked Tyrell Johnson and Kenny Phillips respectively. Or there's Nfl.com's Vic Carucci , who has the Giants selecting Jerod Mayo (though I don't believe this draft because I don't think Keith Rivers will get picked 30, or Mayo 31), and Nfl.Com's Kirwan , who has us picking Kenny Phillips, or Sportsnation, Sports Nation vs. Kiper and McShay, who has us picking Dan Connor.
My point is that I can't add much to the debate; I haven't watched film or seen these people play. So I will not decide which Pick the Giants should make (I just hope they pick a Safety or LB), or mock analysts (too much) who decide what the Giants need. I think making a pick adds nothing, and I also trust Jerry Reese, who had all but one draft pick play in the Super Bowl (7 of 8), 4 of which who were serious contributors (Bradshaw, Boss, Smith, and Ross). I won't be one of those bloggers (there are tons for every team) who think they know better than these "experts" and post how Kiper or McShay are idiots and they know better because they saw a few games or film of a few players. Of course they get things wrong, but I bet if any of these bloggers or posters in ESPN.com's comment area had to make the amount of picks these guys make, they would be just as wrong, if not more so. The key is they bring support to their arguments and put in the necessary research. I will not be one of those people. I respect the "experts" and I believe that they offer valuable insight.
So after my long rants, I will go on to my point: my Top 10 list (in no particular order) of what stupid mistakes I hope the NFC East Rivals make:
1) The Redskins do what they have done every year: throw lots of money at over-priced free agents, even though year-after-year it hasn't done jack.
2) The Eagles draft another Quarterback.
3) The Cowboys waste a high draft pick to get Pacman Jones (who will hopefully not be reinstated till at least mid-season), and then have a locker room with Tank Johnson, T.O., and Pacman Jones; exactly the kind of locker room I want!
4) The Redskins give up on their franchise quarterback, Jason Campbell; he may not be that good, but when you don't have a set quarterback, things do not work out well.
5) The Eagles trade Donovan McNabb (he is a very good quarterback and they would be foolish to get rid of him).
6) The Cowboys keep letting Jessica Simpson (or fill-in-the-blank high-profile Romo girlfriend), come to the stadium with camera shots of her twice a quarter.
7) The Cowboys add more firepower to their offense and ignore their main weakness, their crappy defense
8) The Eagles don't draft a WR, a position where they're in desperate need of a #1.
9) The Cowboys don't draft a WR. I know this contradicts #7, but I think they need to address this at some point later in the draft, as T.O. is getting old (in more ways than one), Glenn never returned to form after injury, and Crayton is a #3 receiver at best.
10) The Patriots let their team get older and older, especially on defense. I know the Patriots are not an NFC East Rival, but I dislike them as much, if not more, than the other East Rivals. As a Yankee fan in Boston, I obtained a real dislike for Boston sports, especially New England, where most fans are not true fans as they only rely on the Pats to feel good when the Sox were not good, and whom they expect to win. It is trull obnoxious. My dislike increases when the Red Sox play and the traffic around Kenmore Square (vehicular, pedestrian, not to mention the crowded T) becomes unbearable.
Links I Find Amusing
Posted by Taz
Michael Silver explains why in three years, there will be a 70% chance you will be disappointed with your first round pick.
Keeping the above article in mind, does it then make sense to trade the NFL’s sack leader for a first rounder and something else?
Why do people think stuff like this is socially acceptable?
It seems like Sal Paolantonio’s new book (excerpted here, here, and here) involves a bunch of hating.
Apparently teams other than the Texans do not need their draft picks to make progress.
Michael Silver explains why in three years, there will be a 70% chance you will be disappointed with your first round pick.
Keeping the above article in mind, does it then make sense to trade the NFL’s sack leader for a first rounder and something else?
Why do people think stuff like this is socially acceptable?
It seems like Sal Paolantonio’s new book (excerpted here, here, and here) involves a bunch of hating.
Apparently teams other than the Texans do not need their draft picks to make progress.
EAGLES - *85* Things I'd Like to See From the Eagles on Draft Day (actually, just 3)
Posted by Alli
You’d think after all the T.O. shenanigans, all the times we had to see Drew Rosenhaus’ weasely little mug sprawled across the TV whining about how his client needs more money, and the entire season it took the Birds to recover from the ongoing train-wreck known as Terrell Owens, that there’d be no way I’d be receptive to a Chad Johnson trade. And yet, here I am, silently praying that Andy & co are secretly working on some Lito Sheppard-esque package to dangle in front of the Bengals between now and the draft.
First, to be clear, it’s not that I want to get rid of Lito. I fully recognize that Lito, Asante and Dawk would make a beast of a secondary. However, aside from Lito’s nagging injury concerns, I think we have a bigger hole to plug. I’ve spent the last couple of months trying to convince myself that, now that McNabb is fully recovered and L.J. Smith is back and Kevin Curtis is doing better and Reggie Brown occasionally doesn’t suck and if Westbrook stays healthy, that maybe those guys can get the job done on offense. Riiiiiight. Just can’t get those images of the 2007 season and the god-awful red zone performance out of my head. I’ve been trying to believe the crap that the Eagles keep feeding us that they’ve already got the guys they need on offense to make it back to the playoffs. But I can’t seem to ignore that pesky little voice in my head wondering whether Ray Charles could have done a better job finding the end zone than McNabb in recent games. Or that Christopher Reeve-sans-wheelchair could have run more impressive routes than Reggie Brown or Greg Lewis. Whether it’s the fault of the QB or the receiving corps or both, the Eagles receivers can’t catch jack inside the 20, and we all know how much that sucked to watch last year.
Maybe I’ve just convinced myself that, despite occasionally running his mouth and taping “Ocho Cinco” onto his jersey, Chad Johnson is still not nearly the breed of pain-in-the-ass that T.O. is. Or maybe I just think it’s worth the risk given the current state of affairs. Regardless, Chad is essentially worthless to the Bengals at this point, and because Cincy’s defense is nothing short of horrendous (with the secondary being an entirely new stratum of monstrosity), I see an ideal trade opportunity for both squads. The future suddenly looks glorious with a solid number one receiver on the roster. Westbrook already demands double-coverage; add a healthy McNabb, Johnson, Curtis, L.J. Smith (and OK even Reggie) to the mix and you’ve got yourself a nearly unstoppable offense.
And oh yeah, as for the actual draft… For the love of god, I pray the Birds don’t try their luck with a 1st round WR that may or may not ever pan out. Yes, I realize that if they don’t pick up a veteran, they absolutely need to draft a WR somewhere along the line. No, I do not want that to be in the first round. Yes, I know that the Eagles need some major help in the return game. No, once again I do not want that to be in the first round. Very obviously, we DO need an offensive tackle, and we need one now. Runyan and Tra/William/Tra Thomas have been invaluable and yet it’s no secret that they’re getting old. And if you watched the first Giants game last season, you’d rather see Todd Pinkston come back to Philly and play tackle than possibly think about throwing Winston Justice in the starting spot anytime in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, I wholeheartedly agree with the Delco Times that the Eagles should consider trading up for a top-10 to 12 spot in the first round to go after a top o-lineman. After all, as good as the offense can be, the Birds can’t allow them to be hamstringed in coming years by failing to shore up an aging and banged-up o-line.
And finally, there are the safety concerns. Dawkins swears he’ll be as tough as ever this season, but his injuries are a major source of unease. And then there’s the strong safety spot, where we’ve learned that Sean Considine will never be more than par. Quintin Mikell and J.R. Reed did a great job of filling in last season but the fact remains that the Eagles NEEEEEED to pick up a safety. So maybe Andy & co couldn’t foresee so many safeties going so quickly in the first round last year, but they absolutely cannot neglect to draft a safety by the end of the first day this year. And I don’t care what happens, if the Eagles trade down in the first round to the benefit of the Cowboys or any other stupid NFC East team again this season, I’m going to gouge my eyes out. Long story short: GET A FRIGGIN SAFETY, AND GET ONE EARLY.
And there you have it… here’s hoping for no more Kevin Kolb caliber surprises in 2008.
COWBOYS - 5 Things I Don't Want to See on Draft Day
Posted by Taz
So any moron can write about what a team should pick up with their draft picks. In fact, pick a sports website, and they will be going off about who should pick what. I prefer the opposite. I’d rather tell you what I do not want. I don’t do this in some lame attempt to be different. I do this to keep my sanity. See, if I did what every other Cowboys fan did, and obsessively fixate on a player, I would be disappointed when we picked someone else. Like you know, in 2004 when we decided to ignore drafting Steven Jackson, and ended up with Julius Jones. Or two years ago, when I hoped we would not use one of our first two picks on a tight end. Lo and behold, we ended up with Anthony Fasano. Apparently it’s too much to hope that your team will not spend their second round pick to back up your starting pro bowl tight end.
So instead of being disappointed we didn’t end up with (fill in name of player from your undergrad school that will be a bust in the NFL), I just want to be thankful that we don’t do something so dumb in the draft, that I get made fun of by my anti-Cowboy friends.
So here are my five things I do not want to happen on draft day:
1) We draft a linebacker in round one
It’s not the fact that we spent our last 3 first round picks and a second round pick on linebackers. It’s not the fact that of those four players, three are backups. It’s not the fact that now everyone views Carpenter as the player that is included in every idiotic trade idea by people who post on message boards. You know…we offer Carpenter and a sixth rounder for Anquan Boldin, Chad Johnson, Jason Taylor, the rights to Brett Farve when he unretires, etc. (I never understand these people – if we think that Carpenter sucks, why would NFL personnel people think he is great. Do these people think that the only people who watch games in the NFL are them and not GMs of other teams)? It also isn’t the fact that in the last three years we have signed 2 linebackers to be starters, and converted Greg Ellis to OLB. It definitely is not the fact that the majority of the league would trade their linebacking corps for ours. Or the fact that we have more pressing needs (like having a backup running back who wasn’t on the practice squad last year, or last’s years 7th rounder as our #3 corner).
It’s the fact that if we pick a linebacker, it will mean that the Giants don’t get that player. This means that I will have to hear Chris whine about not getting a linebacker in round one. This whining will increase when the Giants look at their board, realize their best player on it is Joe Flacco (you know, the guy who had to transfer from Pitt because he was stuck behind a player best known for this), and not care that he will be spending the majority of his Giant’s career holding a clipboard and keeping Jared Lorenzen from stealing all the post game food spread in their locker room. I know this because it was exactly like last year, when I had to hear Alli whine about the fact that instead of ending up with a safety in round one, they ended up with Kevin Kolb. In fact, Alli still complains about it, and I want to avoid having to hear the same from Chris.
2) Trading up for McFadden
You do not want to know how afraid I am of trading up in this draft. It’s one thing if we trade up about 3-4 picks and lose a 4th rounder in the process. It’s another when we package both our first rounders and a pick next year to move to the 9 spot so we can pick up McFadden. Don’t get me wrong; I would love to have him. But I would also love to have Tony Gonzales backing up Witten, or love having Romo backing up Brady. It’s a freaking luxury; something that is stupid to go after when we can use the exact same picks to fill our holes.
This whole trading up thing also bothers me for more than just being a luxury. First, we are going to be subjected to trillions of articles written by Mediots and posts by idiot bloggers like myself. Second, we have a bunch of key players to extend such as Newman, Barber, Canty, etc. And then there is DeMarcus Ware, who is going to cost so much to extend, it is not funny. Adding a huge contract in the draft doesn’t help this, something the Mediots will point out. Third, how much playing time is he getting? Who is sitting when the game is on the line, Pro Bowler Marion Barber, or top 10 draft pick McFadden? Do you really want to have BSPN’s talking heads debate this on Sportscenter three times a week for the entire season? Fourth, by using our top two picks to fill a luxury, we do not fill actual needs. What’s the use of having McFadden when we have to spend the second half of games watching Sam Hurd and Miles Austin drop pass after pass because our 3rd corner gave up 3 touchdowns in the first half and we can’t throw to TO and Witten because they are each double covered? Then we will end up with tons of articles by Mediots talking about how useless the McFadden trade was.
Actually, I think this bothers me for one reason – my quality of life is going to suffer if every time I turn on the TV, I have to hear Woody Paige, Jim Rome, Skip Bayless, Steven A. Smith, or some other loud-talking BSPN moron screaming at the top of their lungs about how they are right. Note how much I detest the fact BSPN analysts seem to think that yelling makes their idiotic point more valid, and the fact that BSPN seems to think that yelling is a perfectly acceptable form of journalism.
3) Try to get a Bengals Receiver
Yeah, I don’t want Chad Johnson. I understand having TO and Chad on the same team works great in fantasy, but in real life I don’t see that happening. If we ended up with Randy Moss opposite TO, at least he only takes off plays when things don’t go his way. If we had Chad, either him or TO would be perpetually throwing childish tantrums in the media while the other was complaining that Romo was only targeting him only 68% of the time. Plus the amount of money we would have to throw at Chad would probably somehow bite us in the ass when we have to resign Barber, Newman, or Ware.
I don’t want Chris Henry. It’s not the fact that he is a one man crime wave (as declared by the Ohio Judiciary), or the fact that he apparently doesn’t have a clue how much of a moron he is. It’s the fact that he once was arrested while wearing his own jersey. Wearing your own jersey? What the hell is up with that? Did he run out of clothing that day? Or did he want to make sure people knew that he was on the Bengals, somehow forgetting that any person with $400.00 to spare and who can navigate here on the internet can do the exact same thing?
4) Show footage of the Cowboy’s draft room during the draft
Every time they show a live shot of the draft room, you see Jerry Jones right in the middle of the camera in the middle of a long monologue to a group of his underlings. Do you think I want to see this? Hell no! I don’t want to be reminded that the man running the Cowboys is the same guy who once traded two first round picks for Joey Galloway. And picked Quincy Carter in the second round. And signed Ryan Leaf to be our starting quarterback. And does more commercials than any other Cowboys player. I don’t want to remember that the only way to remove him as GM is to charge him with some sort of tax fraud, insider trading, or something else that has a long jail sentence under the federal sentencing guidelines. I want to at least maintain the fiction that somewhat credible football people are having some input into who we draft.
5) Trade anything above a 5th round pick for Pac Man Jones
The fact is that the amount of leverage we have here is about as much as you can get. The player in question has done so many dumb things, that he is a public relations nightmare. The team has publicly vowed to get rid of him. The only person bidding for his services are the Cowboys. Heck, Pac Man won’t even apply for reinstatement until after he gets traded - so the Titans cannot even play him if they wanted.
The Cowboys keep saying that this will not affect their draft strategy and that he is a luxury. This should mean that the Cowboys should say “we are offering nothing more than a 5th, and if you don’t like it, why don’t you trade him to someone else? Oh wait, no one wants him, and the moment you cut him, he is signing with Dallas anyways.” Frankly, I am afraid that because these trade talks have been going on for a while and because they are so public, Jerry has convinced himself that he has to have Pac Man, and decide that it’s ok to trade a 3rd and a 2009 conditional pick.
I’m not only going to be pissed if we overpay for Pac Man, the fact is if we overvalue his services in a way that makes us pay too much compensation for him, we will start relying on him too much. And just wait until December, when he finds a way to do something stupid in front of another strip club and Goodell kicks him out of the league. I feel that it is only a matter of time.
So any moron can write about what a team should pick up with their draft picks. In fact, pick a sports website, and they will be going off about who should pick what. I prefer the opposite. I’d rather tell you what I do not want. I don’t do this in some lame attempt to be different. I do this to keep my sanity. See, if I did what every other Cowboys fan did, and obsessively fixate on a player, I would be disappointed when we picked someone else. Like you know, in 2004 when we decided to ignore drafting Steven Jackson, and ended up with Julius Jones. Or two years ago, when I hoped we would not use one of our first two picks on a tight end. Lo and behold, we ended up with Anthony Fasano. Apparently it’s too much to hope that your team will not spend their second round pick to back up your starting pro bowl tight end.
So instead of being disappointed we didn’t end up with (fill in name of player from your undergrad school that will be a bust in the NFL), I just want to be thankful that we don’t do something so dumb in the draft, that I get made fun of by my anti-Cowboy friends.
So here are my five things I do not want to happen on draft day:
1) We draft a linebacker in round one
It’s not the fact that we spent our last 3 first round picks and a second round pick on linebackers. It’s not the fact that of those four players, three are backups. It’s not the fact that now everyone views Carpenter as the player that is included in every idiotic trade idea by people who post on message boards. You know…we offer Carpenter and a sixth rounder for Anquan Boldin, Chad Johnson, Jason Taylor, the rights to Brett Farve when he unretires, etc. (I never understand these people – if we think that Carpenter sucks, why would NFL personnel people think he is great. Do these people think that the only people who watch games in the NFL are them and not GMs of other teams)? It also isn’t the fact that in the last three years we have signed 2 linebackers to be starters, and converted Greg Ellis to OLB. It definitely is not the fact that the majority of the league would trade their linebacking corps for ours. Or the fact that we have more pressing needs (like having a backup running back who wasn’t on the practice squad last year, or last’s years 7th rounder as our #3 corner).
It’s the fact that if we pick a linebacker, it will mean that the Giants don’t get that player. This means that I will have to hear Chris whine about not getting a linebacker in round one. This whining will increase when the Giants look at their board, realize their best player on it is Joe Flacco (you know, the guy who had to transfer from Pitt because he was stuck behind a player best known for this), and not care that he will be spending the majority of his Giant’s career holding a clipboard and keeping Jared Lorenzen from stealing all the post game food spread in their locker room. I know this because it was exactly like last year, when I had to hear Alli whine about the fact that instead of ending up with a safety in round one, they ended up with Kevin Kolb. In fact, Alli still complains about it, and I want to avoid having to hear the same from Chris.
2) Trading up for McFadden
You do not want to know how afraid I am of trading up in this draft. It’s one thing if we trade up about 3-4 picks and lose a 4th rounder in the process. It’s another when we package both our first rounders and a pick next year to move to the 9 spot so we can pick up McFadden. Don’t get me wrong; I would love to have him. But I would also love to have Tony Gonzales backing up Witten, or love having Romo backing up Brady. It’s a freaking luxury; something that is stupid to go after when we can use the exact same picks to fill our holes.
This whole trading up thing also bothers me for more than just being a luxury. First, we are going to be subjected to trillions of articles written by Mediots and posts by idiot bloggers like myself. Second, we have a bunch of key players to extend such as Newman, Barber, Canty, etc. And then there is DeMarcus Ware, who is going to cost so much to extend, it is not funny. Adding a huge contract in the draft doesn’t help this, something the Mediots will point out. Third, how much playing time is he getting? Who is sitting when the game is on the line, Pro Bowler Marion Barber, or top 10 draft pick McFadden? Do you really want to have BSPN’s talking heads debate this on Sportscenter three times a week for the entire season? Fourth, by using our top two picks to fill a luxury, we do not fill actual needs. What’s the use of having McFadden when we have to spend the second half of games watching Sam Hurd and Miles Austin drop pass after pass because our 3rd corner gave up 3 touchdowns in the first half and we can’t throw to TO and Witten because they are each double covered? Then we will end up with tons of articles by Mediots talking about how useless the McFadden trade was.
Actually, I think this bothers me for one reason – my quality of life is going to suffer if every time I turn on the TV, I have to hear Woody Paige, Jim Rome, Skip Bayless, Steven A. Smith, or some other loud-talking BSPN moron screaming at the top of their lungs about how they are right. Note how much I detest the fact BSPN analysts seem to think that yelling makes their idiotic point more valid, and the fact that BSPN seems to think that yelling is a perfectly acceptable form of journalism.
3) Try to get a Bengals Receiver
Yeah, I don’t want Chad Johnson. I understand having TO and Chad on the same team works great in fantasy, but in real life I don’t see that happening. If we ended up with Randy Moss opposite TO, at least he only takes off plays when things don’t go his way. If we had Chad, either him or TO would be perpetually throwing childish tantrums in the media while the other was complaining that Romo was only targeting him only 68% of the time. Plus the amount of money we would have to throw at Chad would probably somehow bite us in the ass when we have to resign Barber, Newman, or Ware.
I don’t want Chris Henry. It’s not the fact that he is a one man crime wave (as declared by the Ohio Judiciary), or the fact that he apparently doesn’t have a clue how much of a moron he is. It’s the fact that he once was arrested while wearing his own jersey. Wearing your own jersey? What the hell is up with that? Did he run out of clothing that day? Or did he want to make sure people knew that he was on the Bengals, somehow forgetting that any person with $400.00 to spare and who can navigate here on the internet can do the exact same thing?
4) Show footage of the Cowboy’s draft room during the draft
Every time they show a live shot of the draft room, you see Jerry Jones right in the middle of the camera in the middle of a long monologue to a group of his underlings. Do you think I want to see this? Hell no! I don’t want to be reminded that the man running the Cowboys is the same guy who once traded two first round picks for Joey Galloway. And picked Quincy Carter in the second round. And signed Ryan Leaf to be our starting quarterback. And does more commercials than any other Cowboys player. I don’t want to remember that the only way to remove him as GM is to charge him with some sort of tax fraud, insider trading, or something else that has a long jail sentence under the federal sentencing guidelines. I want to at least maintain the fiction that somewhat credible football people are having some input into who we draft.
5) Trade anything above a 5th round pick for Pac Man Jones
The fact is that the amount of leverage we have here is about as much as you can get. The player in question has done so many dumb things, that he is a public relations nightmare. The team has publicly vowed to get rid of him. The only person bidding for his services are the Cowboys. Heck, Pac Man won’t even apply for reinstatement until after he gets traded - so the Titans cannot even play him if they wanted.
The Cowboys keep saying that this will not affect their draft strategy and that he is a luxury. This should mean that the Cowboys should say “we are offering nothing more than a 5th, and if you don’t like it, why don’t you trade him to someone else? Oh wait, no one wants him, and the moment you cut him, he is signing with Dallas anyways.” Frankly, I am afraid that because these trade talks have been going on for a while and because they are so public, Jerry has convinced himself that he has to have Pac Man, and decide that it’s ok to trade a 3rd and a 2009 conditional pick.
I’m not only going to be pissed if we overpay for Pac Man, the fact is if we overvalue his services in a way that makes us pay too much compensation for him, we will start relying on him too much. And just wait until December, when he finds a way to do something stupid in front of another strip club and Goodell kicks him out of the league. I feel that it is only a matter of time.
Welcome
Posted by Taz
Welcome everyone. This is the first post of our new blog, NFC East Homers. The idea is that we are going to have 4 bloggers (one for each NFC East team). Right now we are still in the process of bouncing off ideas and figuring out how we will be writing this blog. So hopefully we will be ready for the 2008 Football Season. Keep checking back to see more posts - we will be posting several items each week.
Welcome everyone. This is the first post of our new blog, NFC East Homers. The idea is that we are going to have 4 bloggers (one for each NFC East team). Right now we are still in the process of bouncing off ideas and figuring out how we will be writing this blog. So hopefully we will be ready for the 2008 Football Season. Keep checking back to see more posts - we will be posting several items each week.
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