Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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$.01--One of the drawbacks of being involved in the draft process and covering the league as a whole is that it?s very difficult to root passionately for or against anyone or any team. Yet I will have no qualms about openly rooting against Texans LB Brian Cushing after how he has handled his suspension for testing positive for PEDs.
It is one thing to be upset when you get caught cheating and to issue the standard MLB-player denial that ?I don?t understand how that substance got in my body?. Everyone knows that?s a crock of crap, but by now we?re pretty much immune to it, accept it, and move on. But to take the direction that Cushing consciously chose, to intimate that he suffered under fear of non-existent cancer and belittled everyone who has ever suffered from cancer, that?s absolutely despicable. Now he?s moved onto the ?I?m a genetic freak? gambit, which is actually somewhat plausible in Cushing?s case but no less reprehensible. It?s akin to saying ?God made me better than everyone else?, not exactly a humble or penitent attitude consistent with sincerity of apology. Way to offend both cancer patients and anyone not blessed with your incredible physique, Brian! Want to take a shot at paraplegics and pregnant women next?
There is a fine but definite line between being a good person caught cheating and being a cheater. Even a falsely accused cheater might show some signs of sorrow or enmity, but in a respectable or professional manner. Brian Cushing instead chooses to mock cancer patients and essentially claim he is a superior eugenic dream with zero signs of shame or regret. It won?t be difficult to root against him once his suspension is over.
$.02--JaMarcus Russell continues to have trouble finding anyone who will throw his career a life preserver. Granted, that preserver would have to be able to support a (allegedly) 300-pounder with a poor work ethic and a fat bank account, but it?s hard to believe that the #1 overall pick 3 years ago can?t find one team to give him a chance.
Contrast that with Adam ?Pacman? Jones, a convict and multiple-time offender of the league?s behavior policy. Jones recently signed with the Bengals, and the Cowboys had no problem signing him a couple years ago despite a judge calling him a ?one man crime wave?. Jones didn?t exactly impress on the field in Dallas, getting demoted for poor coverage and generally showing an inability to play within the framework of a team defensive scheme. Yet he continues to get chances, while Russell--who has never run afoul of the law and two seasons ago had a better December QB rating than Jay Cutler--can?t get a sniff.
There is a message here, one that I?m not sure I like. You can be a one man crime wave and a not-very-good player and still get opportunity after opportunity, but you cannot be (rightly) perceived as lazy or apathetic even if you?re a good person and have shown some real successful skills. Give us your cheaters, your juicers, your rapists, your convicts, but we have no interest in a 25-year old former #1 overall pick because he?s fat and under-motivated. That?s not exactly a sterling or encouraging message the NFL is sending to young people, even though I do agree that apathy is a cardinal sin for athletes.
The next few cents fall under ?The more I think about...? umbrella. Insert that phrase at the beginning of the next five cents.
$.03--...the Jets, the more I think it?s not going to end pretty. They are certainly a legit Super Bowl contender this year, but I don?t see any way Rex Ryan can sustain this style successfully for longer than about 25 more games. Much like his father Buddy, the initial bombastic, hyper-charged, carefree persona wears real thin real quickly and is not capable of managing disappointing outcomes. Jets fans had better hope this team reaches full potential this year, because the crash is likely to be very hard.
$.04--...the teams that should be considered draft winners, the more I really like what Scott Pioli did with the Chiefs. Their first two picks, Eric Berry and Dexter McCluster, give the Chiefs much-needed playmakers on both sides of the ball. The later round picks are where I think Pioli really thrived--I think both 3rd rounders and both 5th rounders can become upgraded starters by the start of 2011. Tony Moeaki and Jon Asamoah both carry injury risk but considerable talent, and I liked both Cameron Sheffield and Kendrick Lewis as late-round sleepers heading into the draft. Don?t get me wrong, there are still some major holes on the roster, but this draft was a very good first step towards getting this franchise back to respectability.
$.05--...the teams that should be considered draft losers, the more I think of the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Morgan was a strong choice in Round One, but the rest of their draft strikes me as ?they took this guy at least a round early?. They have struck gold with questionable picks in the past, and they might have this year with Myron Rolle (the one later-round pick that wasn?t a reach), but Damian Williams, Rennie Curran, and Alterraun Verner (their 3rd and 4th rounders) all seem like poor choices compared to other players still on the board.
$.06--...the Denver Broncos, the more I respect Josh McDaniels. I don?t necessarily think it?s going to work, but I admire his confidence in his system and abilities as a coach and developer of talent. He quickly ascertained who was in his corner and dispatched those that weren?t without qualms or regret, and drafted players that he trusts will fit with his vision. All great coaches have that clarity of vision and belief in their ability, and McDaniels has it too. I?m not at all sold he has the horses to race with, but once he gets them, look out!
$.07--...Donovan McNabb, I wonder why so many people think he?s at the very end of his career, yet everyone believes Peyton Manning has a half-dozen great years left. Manning is 8 months older than McNabb and is perhaps the most unathletic-looking physical specimen this side of JaMarcus Russell, yet it?s this universal given that he?ll remain the greatest QB of the last 25 years until he?s 40. McNabb has had his injuries to be sure, but he also has a better playoff winning percentage (9-7 to Manning?s 9-9) and more mobility to avoid the big hit. It?s not like the Colts OL is getting better, either. McNabb deserves more long-term optimism than he?s getting these days.
$.08--Non-sports thought of the week: RIP Ronnie James Dio, lead singer of the eponymous band as well as Black Sabbath and Rainbow. Dio died Sunday of stomach cancer at age 67, but he never stopped rocking with his distinctive style and powerful voice. If you?re lucky enough to be heading to Rock on the Range in Columbus this weekend, raise some devil horns in honor of their progenitor when Killswitch Engage does their awesome cover of Holy Diver. I?ve heard a couple other bands are working up Dio or Rainbow covers as well, a great tribute to a great figure in the history of rock.
$.09--I root for the Cleveland Cavaliers more than any other pro sports team, so this past week was tough for me. Now it?s open season for speculation on the future of LeBron James and the Cavs franchise itself. I couldn?t tell you where Lebron will wind up, but I?m honest enough to tell you that upfront. I?m already exhausted by all the know-it-alls claiming they know any more than anyone else what is going to happen. I?ll say this though: LeBron lost a lot of luster in my eyes for how he has handled himself during the last two playoff seasons. I still would greatly prefer he stays in Cleveland, but I am no longer convinced that LeBron will ever be the ringleader of a multi-championship dynasty. I do know this though--Mike Brown will never win anything as a head coach.
$.10--Lots of feedback has rolled in regarding last week?s column, where I laid out my prophecy of the college football conference shuffling. There are two common refrains: What happens to the Big East, a conference built on basketball, and is it really worth it of Notre Dame to stay independent?
Regarding the Big East: look at who is left--Syracuse and Connecticut. Georgetown, St. Johns, Providence, Marquette and Villanova will remain in basketball, and that?s still a pretty formidable conference. Add Temple--which would love to make the jump from its temporary misfit marriage to the MAC--and perhaps Richmond and/or Xavier, and the Big East remains an elite hoops conference, enough so that it makes the downgrade in football palatable. Top to bottom that is a great basketball conference with a major presence in the one area of the country where basketball is bigger than football. Just for kicks, Notre Dame could remain in basketball too.
Ah, the Fighting Irish. Even though they would conceivably make more money moving to the Big Ten, I find Brian Kelly?s rationale about remaining independent convincing. Fold the Irish into the Big Ten and the lucrative rivalry games with USC, Stanford, and Navy are likely done, as is the freshly rekindled war with Miami. They?re not ready to compete with the physical athletes that Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, and Wisconsin annually field in football, and Notre Dame is a minor player in most non-revenue sports where the conference is strong: volleyball, swimming, women?s basketball. The Irish might have a strong season here and there, but they lack the resources and facilities to compete with the Big Ten in those non-major sports.
They would also lose the BCS guarantee, which is the only hope they have of making the BCS because they are no better than the 5th best football program in the Big Ten, a cold hard truth that isn?t going to change quickly even with a master coach like Kelly at the helm. Notre Dame doesn?t need the Big Ten and might actually be harmed by finally acquiescing and joining.
Jeff Risdon is RealGM's senior football writer and can be reached at jeff.risdon@RealGM.com.
