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-- The lockout trudges on, as both sides show zero interest in resolving the dispute themselves before the courts deal either the players or the owners a deathblow of unprecedented proportions. We are all now waiting until June 3rd, when the panel of judges renders a decision on the appeal, or something to that effect. Even with the court ruling the lockout can continue, nothing really changes. The forced mediation? It’s a illusionary joke and nothing will come from it.
I’ll admit it: I don’t fully comprehend the legal mumbo jumbo going on here. And I bet the vast majority of both sides fighting this fabricated, pointless war don’t either. The way our justice system works, the losing side gets to appeal the verdict, which means a win isn’t really a win until after an extended period of time. That is wasted time for the hundreds of millions of football fans around the world, which equals wasted opportunities for revenue for both the players and owners.
One of the overriding impressions I’m getting from this whole fiasco is the personal enmity between Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, and the sinking feeling that neither man truly represents the best interests of their respective sides.
Smith continues to not know when to leave well enough alone, completely embarrassing both himself and his position in an interview just before the draft.
Goodell keeps coming across like George H.W. Bush being shocked (shocked!) at the price of milk while jetting all over the country trying to convince “normal” people he felt their plight of higher taxes and sunken stocks; he’s lost credibility and sensibility with just about everyone outside of the football world that I talk with. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it…?
$.02-- Frequent readers know my college football allegiance is Scarlet & Gray all the way. In fact, I’m sitting in a room with an OSU flag and a Buckeye helmet FatHead on the walls as I write this. So it pains me to say it, but enough is enough.
Jim Tressel must be fired. He should have been fired already, when the news broke that he knew about TattooGate long before he claimed he did. This news of improprieties with car dealers is more than enough just cause to drop the axe. Sure, it absolutely goes on just about everywhere; I’ve been to a different Big Ten school where the parking lot where the football staff and some players park, and one particular dealership was freakishly overrepresented with rides that nobody but the head coach should be able to afford, but I digress.
All these dirty revelations about Sweater Vest make me wonder, has this been going on the whole time? I know the program and the Ohio football scene pretty well, and there have always been whispers that there was more than meets the eye to Tressel. I know several former players, both from OSU and Youngstown State, who have told me he’s much more intensely competitive that he lets on. They’ve also told me he is absolutely a straight arrow that wouldn’t risk impropriety, which strains credibility in light of all the recent events. The recruitment of Terrelle Pryor, a complete misfit for Tressel’s buttoned-down style but a perfect fit for both Michigan and Oregon, who were the other final suitors, first made me really wonder what was going on. Thinking back now, maybe we should have questioned more about the whole Maurice Clarett fiasco, or the ability for Alex Boone to consume 30+ beers per day without knowledge.
Now is the perfect time to fire Tressel. It demonstrates the illusion that the university cares about integrity more than success on the football field. That’s a crock of crap, but it’s a necessary evil at this point. Michigan is rebuilding (to be kind), the Big Ten is as weak as it will ever be, and the team is coming off a stirring BCS Bowl victory over a vaunted SEC opponent. Promote Luke Fickell, who is serving as the interim coach already while Tressel serves his suspension, and move on from the mess.
$.03-- Here in Houston, there is great consternation over the impending defensive changes. New Defensive Coordinator Wade Philips has decided that Mario Williams, all 282 pounds of him, will play OLB in his 3-4 defense, with first-round pick JJ Watt lining up at RDE. The team is also widely and unabashedly rumored to be a primary suitor for free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, the top corner on the market. If the numbers I’ve heard discussed (behind the scenes, of course), the Texans will have no problem making him the highest paid defensive player in league history and will not be deterred by a bidding war.
I support chasing Asomugha, but the other two moves looked doomed to me. Williams normally played in the 280-290 range, which is about 30-50 pounds heavier than most OLBs. More to the point, he isn’t a “fast” player; Williams has his greatest success when using his power after his quick (though inconsistent) first step, getting under the pads and using his leg strength. That advantage is negated by playing him in space from a 2-point stance. Meanwhile, Watt is better suited to man the left end, where his bulk and tenacity are strong assets and his lack of quickness and tendency to play tall are not much of an issue.
It is hard for me to preemptively doubt Wade Philips, who is one of the best defensive minds of the last couple of decades, but I don’t think he fully comprehends the cards he’s been dealt.
$.04--5 quickies:
1. OchoCinco falls off a bull. There are so many different ways to go with this one: a black guy at a rodeo, Ocho’s unwavering self-promotion, the foolishness of anyone trying to ride a bull when a perfectly capable horse is available, the foolishness of risks that too many NFL players take in the offseason. Just another reason why the Bengals must let him go.
2. Too bad the Bucs turned down Hard Knocks. I would love to see a summer full of volatile personalities like Kellen Winslow, Mike Williams, LeGarrette Blount and Jeremy Trueblood. Add in the potential for two hardened criminals in the secondary with Tanard Jackson and Aqib Talib (or not, both look to be goners) and it could be one of the most entertaining reality programs ever. I think watching young Josh Freeman try to keep all those egos and hotheads in line would be fascinating. Has there ever been a team with more openly truculent players?
3. If you really love football--the game, not the NFL--then pay close attention to the UFL this summer. The coaching is top-notch, the talent level is decent, and they need your support more than ever. It’s a strong alternative product to the NFL in absentia.
4. Congrats to Eddie George for his election into the College Football Hall of Fame. I was in attendance for two of his greatest games--the Illinois and Washington games in 1995--and he remains the second-best college running back I’ve seen in person, after Barry Sanders. I’ve always admired George’s class and comfort in his own skin.
5. If you don’t think teams have impending deals in place with undrafted free agents and some veteran free agents, your head is deep in the sand. Of course it’s against the rules, but to quote the famous unofficial Raiders mantra, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
$.05-- Because you’ve asked quite a bit…My early top 10 overall prospects for the 2012 draft, assuming there is one. These are not necessarily in order:
1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. Okay, that one is in order.
2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC. Gifted natural talent that puts in the work.
3. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State. Better than Julio Jones at the same point, believe it.
4. Kelechi Osemeli, T, Iowa State. If he played for Ohio State or Iowa, he’d be a contender for the #1 pick.
5. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia. Was arguably the best cover man in the country after Halloween.
6. Billy Winn, DT, Boise State. Dominant, active gap shooter in the mold of Nick Fairley.
7. Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State. Projects as a 3-4 OLB with smooth speed and great closing burst.
8. Matt Kalil, T, USC. Kept Tyron Smith at the less-desirable RT spot, with good reason.
9. Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama. Throwback ILB has better size than former Tide/current Raider Rolando McClain.
10. Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina. Incredibly gifted with sticky hands and the body of an acrobat, but he won’t break 4.55 in the 40.
I’m quietly bullish on Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins, who I think is poised for a monster senior season on the Big Ten’s best offense. I’m also very interested to see how two suspended Buckeyes respond as well: Mike Adams, who finally looked like the best OL recruit in the country last season, and Terrelle Pryor, who has a similar game to Cam Newton but the speed of Michael Vick. Both could wind up in the top 10, both could plummet if they don’t amaze.
