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It is the Monday after the NFL Draft, and I don't know about you, but I need a bath...Why you ask? Well, I live in Cleveland...And after this draft, it really fucking stinks in here!
There is this thing in Cleveland when everyone gets their hopes up when the Draft rolls around...Sadly, since 1999 the Browns have had a lot more misses then hits...In April Browns fans are blindly optimistic, lead by the Cleveland media that is more often than not blindly swinging on the nuts of the team, and believing everything they say to be gospel...There are very few who are willing to criticize the team on draft weekend, and those who do, like me, get shouted down....
Example: When the Browns took Notre Dame Safety Jamoris Slaughter in the 6th round, I voiced my displeasure with this move...You know I love ND, and I like Slaughter, but kid played 3 games, and tore his Achilles last year....The year before he missed most the season after a shoulder injury...He was only in the draft because the NCAA disallowed a second medical redshirt...Yes, he's a big hitter...But he's a small guy, just under 6 ft. and 195 pounds...So of course it was tweeted at me that in 39 games he made 98 tackles...Big fucking deal...Former ND safety, now Vikings safety made 93 tackles in one season...Another ND Safety, Zeke Motta, taken in the 7th round by the Falcons made 77 tackles this year...Why the fuck wouldn't you take the heavy hitter that he is, instead of the guy who has been hurt the last two seasons?
Another asshole tweeted at me, "You know it's the 6th round?" Yeah dick face...I also know there are better players and players who aren't hurt out there! Everyone at 92.3 the Fan are fucking idiots, who just got the rights top air the Browns games this season, so they're all afraid to be fucking honest...
Then they start tweeting that Mike Mayock was raving about the Browns getting Slaughter...Well no shit...He gets one of his paychecks doing color for Notre Dame games...He's not gonna blast a ND guy...Fucking tools!
The Browns first round pick, Barkevious Mingo, DE from LSU...Fine pick there...They had no 2nd round pick...They gave that up when they took Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft last year...Fine...Kid has skills...3rd round they took CB, Leon McFadden from San Diego St....WTF! Kid is 5-9...I like my corners a little taller...Kid ran a 4.5 40...I like my corners faster, especially if they are short...Kid was projected as a 6th rounder....Of fucking course he was! Then they show a quick video of him...The clip showed him getting beat by a WR 4-5 inches taller and if the QB could hadn't overthrown it, it's a TD...
No worries, the Browns have more picks...Wait, they traded a 4th and 5th to the Dolphins for Devone Bess...Okay, so adding him, plus the recent acquisition of David Nelson, the Browns are okay at WR...Then they traded another 4th round pick to Pittsburgh for their 4th round pick next year...Then they traded another 5th round pick to the Colts for their 5th round pick next year...Okay, so they are already throwing in the towel on this year's draft...Got it...
In the 7th round they drafted two guys, one DE and one OL, both from division 2 schools...Listen, no offense to D-2 guys, but if you wanted them, you probably could have signed them as rookie free agents...The DE has a great history of getting busted for selling dope to undercover police...TWICE! Great pick...Then the Browns went and signed Notre Dame C/G Braxston Cave...(Finally a smart move)...They also locked up Bess for 3 years...
The media kept saying this draft was weak...Light in star players...So maybe be smart and load up on depth...Like the Patriots who traded out of the 1st round (29 overall) for a 2,3,4,and 7th round picks...Oh, and they made a trade Jeff Demps and a 7 for LaGarrette Blount...The depth they added...2 WR, OLB, ILB, CB, S, and DE...3 players, all on Defense from Rutgers...I guess Bill liked something he saw from the Scarlet Knights D...
All I know for sure, is a couple months back I talked about me and my sports fandom being free agents when it comes to the NFL and MLB, because the Browns and Indians make me sick...I gave my baseball fandom to The Nationals with an eye on the Orioles and Pirates...In the NFL I talked about the Seahawks and Patriots...Yeah, sticking with that...The Browns proved me right this weekend...All I had to see was what the Bengals and Steelers, and Ravens were doing in the draft...Ravens looking to fill holes and maintain...Steelers and Bengals looking to get better...And they both did...The Browns look like they are maintaining...Only problem is, no one should want to maintain when you are a perennial loser!
-Other Draft news...Matt Barkley proved something I've known for awhile...USC QB's are overrated...4th round to Philly...Ouch...Which of their 4 QB's will stay and which will go?
Geno Smith doesn't go in the 1st round, which is hilarious since both ESPN and NFL network filled their promo shit with him...Lucky guy then goes to the Jets...Clearly the Jets wanted to lead the league in drama again...6 QB's now...Including the hack, Mark Sanchez, and the media darling Tim Tebow, now adding Smith who has already shown what a twat he is by tweeting his smarmy feelings to scouts and draft "experts"...Kid is going to flop...Especially going to that environment...
What I watched of the draft I watched on the NFL Network...ESPN is awful...I can't stand Berman, Gruden, and Kiper...How is it old Mel keeps his job...All this guy does is analyze players for the draft, and he is religiously wrong...Mayock is a douche, but he's right a lot more than the dopes on ESPN....
But then the NFL Network guys got on my nerves when they wouldn't shut up about Manti Te'o...People, you want to know why he slipped? Watch the National Championship game again...Missed tackle after missed tackle...Found himself out of position to make plays for the first time all year...On the biggest stage...With a cloud of lies hanging over his head about a fake, dead girlfriend...It's not the girlfriend shit...It's not even the slow 40 time...It's that game, and how he got owned...I knew he'd get drafted...There is too much potential there not too...But 1st round...No way...hey, lucky for him, he's going to San Diego...Wasn't his girl in the Hospital there!?!
-The NHL playoffs will get started this week...My NY Rangers are playing well and seem to have it all together at the right time...They'll start off with The Washington Capitals...Hopefully they roll right through them...Rick Nash finally gets to take his game to the Playoffs...Looking to see him shine...I'm feeling so confident that I have excepted a bet friendly blogging bet on this series with SunTzu4m!
Chicago is the favorite out West, but they open up with the Minnesota Wild who have been a pain in their ass this year...The Wild have invested a lot this year...They want to win now...Should be an interesting goaltending battle between The Wild's Backstrom and The Blackhawks' Crawford...Both teams have firepower, so it will come down to which goalie can steal a game or two.
-This coming Saturday we have the Kentucky Derby...I love Derby day...We get the kids together and all pick horses...The kids have done well the last few years...Always a good time...Maybe I'll give them a couple Mint Juleps...Make it easier to take their money!
Have a week...
The Beeze
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The 2013 edition of the NFL draft produced immense numbers of surprises, but most of them were of the negative variety. The first round really told the whole story. The later rounds just tied up some loose ends.
It wasn't the most dazzling first round, but it sure wasn't predictable either. While last season's top two picks were cast in stone long before the draft, this season's were both offensive tackles. The team picking first, Kansas City, ate the entire clock making a decision. Were they entertaining trade offers? This year it doesn't seem likely.
Was this really the year of the irresistible offensive lineman (6 OTs, 2 OGs and 1 C), or is that just a barometer that tells you NFL evaluators had decided by consensus that this year was a skill desert? One clue might come from New England. Always known for trading down, Bill Belichick dumped the 29th pick to the Vikings for four lower picks (including their 2nd rounder). With the Patriots ranked #1 on Cold, Hard Football Facts' Offensive Hog Index, it's no mystery what he would have done with the #1 pick. He might not have gotten more for it, either. It was a great trade for New England as the Vikings chose to continue their rebuilding program via the first round with 3 high picks. Now, all they have to do is sign them somehow. There's not much question what the mastermind of New England thought of the draft pool, despite seemingly strong needs for both a wideout and DB from a first round that produced a number of both. It's possible he had one or two targets that were snapped up. That would explain the late trade. But it tells you clearly that this draft had a very short --- maybe nonexistent --- elite list.
Is this really the age of the read-option 'athletic' quarterback? Or even of the young quarterback, period? Tell that to Geno Smith, the Brady Quinn of 2013. The first round was stunningly void of QBs --- well, except for E.J. Manuel, the DE-sized signal caller from FSU. No one considered him first-round material, let alone #16. Leave it to Buffalo. But, disregarding that coup, you could almost see the snubs coming with the mad flurry of quarterback dealing that dominated free-agency news. Everyone seemed to want an old pro. Or even just a pro. Anybody but a draftee. The Patriots got peppered with offers for Ryan Mallett even during the draft, with every QB but Manuel still available. You have to wonder if Barkley and Jones are kicking themselves for staying in school. Both wound up in a year when they weren't snowed under by phenoms, and it still didn't help. In the 1-year big picture, theirs were the most shocking falls.
In a shorter timeframe, Geno Smith's flame wasn't the only one to flicker. Manti Te'o, despite a great comment on NFLN as the Bears prepared for the 20th pick ("Will it be Hawaii 2-0 with Te'o?") was left in the lurch too, this despite everyone feeling he'd be a predictable cure for defense-first Chicago's case of Urlacheritis. But da Bears, like so many others, went with an OT in Kyle Long, another member of Howie's tribe. In their case it was probably a good choice. Their playoff chances are directly linked to a vertical Jay Cutler. Maybe they're getting the idea. It's taken painful proof.
The Cowboys got in on the festivities by trading their #18 pick to the Niners for the 31st pick plus a third-rounder. With that pick they took... a center? Wisconsin's Frederick may prove an NFL mainstay for all we know, but the Boys seemed to have pressing needs elsewhere. The Niners, meanwhile, addressed a free-agency hole in the secondary with highly regarded LSU safety Eric Reid. The Niners came in with an absurd 13 picks.
The Rams were another winner, it seems, filling the hole left by Amendola with explosive Tavon Austin from UWV, then grabbing Georgia's Ogletree to bolster a defense that already led the NFL in sacks. They already have a team that can play with anybody in the NFCW (4-1-1 last season). Now they need to learn how to beat somebody else. Might be coming. SF and Seattle may not be running away with the division after all. The RG3 trade bonanza is paying off.
Finally, the Jets are worth mentioning. Aren't they always? With a mystery offense (as in "What offense??"), they signed Alabama CB Milliner to replace the departed Revis with #9, then took Missouri DT Richardson with #13. Good players, but fans may already be googling when the last 0-0 tie took place.
The most interesting angle to all this is still the quarterback situation. This was supposed to be the nexus of the coming-out party for the read option. Colleges are going to it in droves. Big fast players with good arms are easier to find than classic field generals, and in high school and college it works. The media have been hyping it to death. Yet is it a trend, or were Cam Newton, RG3 and Colin Kaepernick just so good at the entirety of the position that they made it seem that way? Granted, this draft had no Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin, but lots of drafts don't have Lucks or Griffins. Maybe the league saturated itself in a quarterback drafting frenzy over the past few seasons? Maybe the league is having second thoughts about the great revolution at the position? Maybe all of the above? Maybe none? What to think.
And again, what about Matt Barkley and Landry Jones? Toss in Ryan Nassib? As alluded before, the first two were among the elite a year ago, almost certain first rounders even with Luck and Griffin owning the top spots. Their motivations for staying in school are unknown, but if either had anything to do with edging higher in the first round amid diluted competition, it wasn't a good career move. As of the end of the third round, neither was taken. Neither was Nassib, who by the end of 2012 was considered the top pocket passer in the draft.
Smith and Te'o, both first round mystery orphans, went in the second round, Te'o to a likely productive career in San Diego where he's already being compared to Junior Seau (SD has a fixation with the South Pacific). That may be a reach, but his situation looks worlds better than that of Smith who, despite the media hype, not only remains a question mark in terms of his NFL capabilities (see Pat White) but also finds himself in a 'competition' with Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, David Garrard, and Greg McElroy. At least that's the current word from the Jets, who gave Mark Sanchez a huge contract and then proceeded, instead of looking for new weapons to help their highly paid veteran of two AFCC games, to give him four 'competitors'.
It could be argued that Jones and Barkley have their less-than-scintillating senior campaigns to blame for their respective falls from grace, and it makes sense. Barkley's tossing his embattled coach under the bus couldn't have helped his cause, even though he was probably right. Or have Sanchez and Leinart poisoned USC's reputation as a pro quarterback factory? Perhaps Nassib, out of Syracuse, was considered too much of a reach. And Manuel's first round selection is something of a throwaway aberration in any analysis.
Still, the only two QBs selected in the first three rounds were not pure pocket passers. The three biggest such entrants went unchosen at all. It could be argued that run-option is still gaining steam. But if so, it's not much steam. The fourth round saw teams jump at the remaining fallen first-rounders, and at bargain prices.
It seems most likely that the lack of general respect for this year's QB crop along with (1) the saturation of the position in the last few drafts and (2) doubt among the front offices as to the fate of the rule book have combined to produce a perfect storm that swept this year's QB class out to sea. Will the league make running QBs fair game in the open field, eliminating the slide and the sideline liberties? Or will it make them even more untouchable? One false move could nearly obsolete an entire class of quarterbacks. Of course, a few false moves in the false name of either 'player safety' or 'excitement' could obsolete the entire game as we know it. My take? We already can watch Canadian football if we want to.
Speaking of player safety, there's one more factor in why this largely became a hawg draft. Injuries have skyrocketed in recent years. The big guys take the biggest pounding. Depth is a must. You can only carry so many skill players, especially quarterbacks. It's not like it wasn't an offensive draft. But this year the linemen, the real core of any offense, got their due.
The final factor in analyzing the form of this year's draft can be seen in the quarterback pattern. Teams went haywire pre-draft soaking up loose veteran QBs. With some exceptions, most franchises may have sensed a talent glut at a number of positions throughout the league, and an unexciting draft class may have suffered the consequences. Or maybe it was all perfectly normal. Despite this supposed new age of football, it certainly looked like a draft from long ago. In a more stable era, linemen and linebackers were frequently the top dogs of a draft. Skill players, and especially quarterbacks, were regarded with very critical eyes. Except for the occasional Namath, most were drafted as possible backup/apprentices if at all. Even Norm Van Brocklin was drafted to back up Bob Waterfield. Perhaps the last few years were the aberration, not this one?
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Were/are you happy with how your NFL Team drafted?
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The new sports spectacular that is the NFL brings us the draft this week - woohoo! It is the annual ritual of creating hope for the hopeless and young millionaires out of young men who have never played a down in the NFL.
(Speaking of millionaires, isn't great to know our Congress can get money to help them get out of DC for the air traffic controllers but no so much for a lot of other things that don't impact them? As a frequent flier, I am glad the air traffic controllers are back, but it seems like not a very fair situation to me.)
The NFL Draft has become one of the staples of the spring sports calendar but I really can't see why so many follow this with the focus of an NFL General Manager. After the first 5 or 10 guys, or even the first round, does anyone know who any of these guys are? OK, well maybe Mel Kiper does, but who is he? Actually, I give Mel credit for creating his own cottege industry. He started it years ago by publishing his annual breakdown of college talent and when ESPN got into the act, Mel somehow got on TV. You can see why they only put him on once a year - he has a face better suited for radio. I admit to tracking the Redskins picks over the years because generally they have been in the top 5 or 10...and then they previously picked so poorly, it had entertainment value. But for people following picks in Round 7, I recommend they seek professional counseling - or better yet, go outside and play catch or hit a golf ball - do something.
So the Chiefs and everyone else fairly well focused on linemen in the first round. Not too much celebrity power in that! Manti Te'o and Geno Smith did not go until Round 2. Maybe that was a little bit of a story, but I thought Te'o was crushed by Alabama - it reminded me of Heath Shuler who was mauled in the Sugar Bowl but still got drafted #1 by the Redskins...after his cup of coffee in the NFL, he ended up where? you guessed it - Congress! The cycle is complete.
The Redskins drafted sensibly with a CB and a TE...fine by me. I am sure they are fine young men and I hope they help the team...we shall see what happens. How did your team do? Any major observations? Any Jets fans out there - how do you feel about Geno Smith taking over for the perpetually over-rated Mark Sanchez on the perpetually over-hyped Jets. (Really, is there any team that gets more undeserving coverage than the Jets? After Joe Namath, what have they ever really done other than always get picked to do something and then lose? They have a blow-hard coach and a below average talent team. Thanks ESPN).
NHL Playoff Time has Finally Arrived!
In about a week and a half, we are going to start to see the first of 8 line ups to shake hands as the first round of the NHL playoffs will be drawing to a close. In the East we have the 8 teams...Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington & Montreal as the top 4 seeds and then Toronto, both New York Teams and Ottawa to round out the field. I feel fairly confident Boston & Pittsburgh will be in round 2 no matter who they play. A Toronto - Montreal match up would be fun just from a nostalgia situation and I guess I am a closet Leaf fan so I hope they would win that series. It would seem like the Capitals have good momentum, and I will still pick them to eek through to round 2 because I love what Adam Oates has done as a coach...but after 35 years of playoff heartbreak, I am well-prepared for the opposite outcome.
In the West, will Columbus get in and force out either Minnesota or end the Red Wings run of 21 years of playoff appearances? Whoever gets in is rewarded with a series with the Blackhawks - go luck with that. Anaheim, Vancouver and St. Louis round out the top 4 in the West and they will be going up against LA, San Jose and then two of the three aforementioned teams. Again, it would be hard to believe Chicago and Anaheim won't push through into the second round, although I will be watching how Bruce Boudreau does with Anaheim. He really struggled coaching in the playoffs in DC. I like Bruce, so I hope he does well. Beyond that, the other two California teams would seem to be dangerous foes - San Jose and the defending champ Kings are my picks to rounds out the west.
Bryce Harper at 20... Maybe the Best 20 Year Old Ever
Do yourself a favor and watch a couple of Nationals games or at least catch a few of Bryce Harper's at bats. This kid is really something special. The kid is 20 years old and here is his April line:
AVG: .363
HR: 8
RBI: 16
OBP: .440
SLG: .750
Those are almost unbelievable...consider he was hitting .400 in Spring Training. He is the closest thing to The Natural that I have ever seen and I am lucky enough to see him play every night. I am going to the game tomorrow and since Dan Haren is pitching, the Nats are going to have to hit to get a win. I hope to see a little more of the Bryce Harper Legend just like I did on Opening Day. The kid plays ball with passion - I love it!
I am really going to have to be on my toes next week as I will be reporting from Ireland. A traveler has to go where a traveler has to go. And a Top of the Mornin' to You, Laddy!
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Did you watch the 1st round of the NFL Draft?
Will you be watching again on Friday night?
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