|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 25, 2013 9:04:03 GMT -5
I grew up watching the NFL draft at the age of 7 years old. If there's one thing about NYC it's that they always make for a good crowd. Particularly Jets fans whom always came across to me like a combination of Baba Booey and Michael Bolton from Office Space. The type of people you love to bust their balls and see fail to get that perfect measured response.
Maybe someday ESPN and the NFLN will realize that is where the entertainment value is in the draft...the fans and their reactions. The suspense of what the pick is going to be until the commissioner announces it. I know that I can literally never get enough of watching that video. But today we see nothing like that because they insist on showing the reactions from the player's family first before the announcement and the crowd has a lukewarm reaction to it.
Anyway...this is the first time since '99 that I haven't compiled a mock draft. I've been too busy with work, the blog, Pro Golf Synopsis, my own game and my own life.
I generally think that this is a weak class as well and the teams seem to know it. I'm thinking that my Cowboys will go after guard Jonathan Cooper in the first round and a safety in round two, maybe Eric Reid out of LSU. I would love to see them stockpile picks, but I don't think it will happen.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 9:38:08 GMT -5
I can't believe the advantage the 49ers have! They are loaded as a team and have the most picks in this draft. The rich get richer!
I don't want Geno Smith at #4 for my blessed Eagles. We need depth on the O-Line (and a pass rusher).
Fla Fla Flo-hi (a/k/a Ba Ba Boey) is a perfect description. However, the Jets shoot themselves in the foot. They are stepchildren in NYC. Get over it.
This is when the entertainment world really misses Al Davis!
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 25, 2013 11:40:39 GMT -5
I think the issue for the Niners is that this appears to be a lousy draft class. The advantage is that they can use the picks to get something out of it. However, they would probably be better off trying to stockpile picks for next year.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 14:04:48 GMT -5
Richie -
I believe the draft is deep this year in quality. I wouldn't call this a lousy draft class. There aren't any top shelf QBs, but there are a plethora of very good offensive and defensive lineman for several rounds.
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 14:05:52 GMT -5
Gary should have been banned from baseball after this throw!
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 25, 2013 14:25:00 GMT -5
He's a Mets fan....what did you expect?  3JACK |
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 15:08:21 GMT -5
Only John Wall has thrown a worse pitch in public IMO. I expect Fla Fla Flo Hi to screw up given those chompers of his. Not John Wall.
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 18:39:17 GMT -5
Richie - I have to say it. Eagles will win the SuperBowl this year.  |
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 25, 2013 20:34:06 GMT -5
Told ya! All we needed was a good lineman. Game over. NFC East is ours. Vick only needs to play 5-6 games at most.
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 26, 2013 8:53:42 GMT -5
Dallas went after the Best Beard Available.
'Championship!'
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Apr 27, 2013 9:22:34 GMT -5
My thoughts on the Cowboys' draft so far:
First, I believe that with the rookie salary cap in place a team is best off trying to stockpile 1st rounders. I still believe in stockpiling picks...but unlike the past the rookie cap makes the financial risk of taking a first rounder much, much less severe. To me, the winners so far have been the Vikings who correctly grabbed three 1st rounders when they could. Now, whether they work out or not is up the coaching and some luck. But, from a strategic standpoint..excellent job. That's why I laugh at the Pats fans thinking the Vikings got fleeced. Who cares that you picked up some later round picks? Particularly in a weak draft. The odds of a 1st rounder panning out are far greater than a 3rd or 4th rounder.
To the Pats credit, they seem to be playing by the old salary cap rules just like the other 30 teams in the league.
For Dallas, the 2 parts of the game that have been suspect for over the past 10 years has been their pass defense and O-Line. Every time you think those two parts are turning the corner for Dallas...they have a big letdown in a game. Opposing teams will just keep throwing and throwing and scorch the secondary eventually and open the floodgates for that to happen. Or they opposing defenses will blitz, blitz and blitz and eventually it will work.
I think the main reasons for this is the lack of quality safety play from the defense and the suspect center play on the O-Line.
While it's a simple way to look at it...the fact is that the center touches the ball every snap and if he's not on point he can hold the entire offense hostage. Al Johnson never panned out due to a bad knee injury. Andre Gurode was talented and had some good years...but, he was good for 2-3 awful games each year and that didn't include his shotgun snap problems. Plus, he never made the line calls.
The latter to me is a huge problem. We combatted that with having left guard Kyle Kosier make the line calls. But, when he got hurt we started making Romo do more of the line calls and I think it completely throws the offense out of sync.
Not surprisingly, ESPN never mentioned the fact that when Phil Costa played 2 games last year...we ran buckwild in both games. We went from the worst running team in the league to the best; just by having Costa in the game. And one of those games was against the Ravens, in Baltimore.
So, I can see why we wanted the center position turned around...particularly since we used SIX different centers in 2012 (injuries). I think now with Frederick, Costa and Kevin Kowalski all healthy...and Frederick and Costa can play guard (many think they are better guards than centers); we can really find our best combination of starting guards and center.
The only thing about the draft for me is that I'm a stickler for picking players at the right spot. Reaching for players is bad strategy. I don't really care if the player becomes a HoF'er. If you make a big reach that wasn't needed, then you employed poor strategy.
It sounds like Frederick was a late 2nd rounder for the most part and I have to dock the Cowboys for that pick since they probably could have taken him in the mid-2nd round.
I really don't like the Escobar pick. The Cowboys have never shown me that they can effectively run a 2-TE system. I will say that Fasano was a Parcells pick and Escobar is far more athletic and versatile. And as far as *skills* go, he has much more receiving skills than Bennett. Still, they had James Hanna, a legit 4.4 speed guy who can line up out wide. I think Escobar was a 2nd round pick. But, I just think that the Patriots have shown how you do this....get a superstart TE and then draft a secondary TE in the 4th round. Instead, we keep going after secondary TE's in the 2nd round. Not to mention that even Witten was not drafted until the 3rd round.
The other thing that killed Dallas this past year is that they could not get Miles Austin to consistently beat single coverage while Dez was being doubled. He had hamstring issues, again. Still, you start to feel that he's slowing down and likely going to be released after this season. You can't be quite sure of it. So I like the Terrance Williams pick. He looks like a guy that could be a quality #2 WR.
It didn't surprise me that they waited on a safety. If you look at Kiffin's drafts with the Bucs, he only took one safety before the 3rd round...Sabby Piscatelli....who didn't work out. He then drafted Tanard Jackson in the 4th round. He simply waits to draft safeties in the 3rd-5th round.
While his defense seems to revolve around safety play, he also seems to be the type of coach that feels he can find the right safety for him in the later rounds and that his scheme makes safeties look better than they are. Well, let's hope so.
I am intrigued by the Wilcox pick...a guy who has switched positions something like 4 times (playing offense as well). This kinda scares me of the Bruce Thornton pick made by Parcells a few years ago (a former WR for UGA who played CB his senior season and was drafted as a CB and was a bust).
For me, they are too high on Barry Church returning well and he's a guy that's never proved anything. And they are also relying on Matt Johnson being some sort of god and he has yet to play a meaningful down of football. I see Wilcox as a special teams guy for now.
Overall, I'd give this draft a D. If Frederick and Escobar work out, then I would probably raise it to a C- unless Escobar really provides something to the offense that I can't see and then I would probably give it a C+.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Apr 27, 2013 19:16:12 GMT -5
Richie -
Until Jerry Jones fires his GM (i.e., himself) there won't be any consistent drafting strategy by Dallas. I think the Vikings killed it and getting first round picks are key now more than ever.
You make a good point about the two TE set in Dallas. It doesn't work for certain teams, but if I were coaching it would be a staple in the Red Zone.
Dallas wants the run to set up the past in my mind and they need depth on the O Line. It just always seems like Dallas is treading water and not going forward. That's the one thing about the Patriots that I like. They always keep changing players/strategy and still execute well.
49ers vs. Denver in the SuperBowl this year.
|
|
