2011 First Round Draft Opinions

Well the first round of the 2011 draft is over and as always there are a few surprises.  Here are my snapshot opinions of the first round.

- The Titans are reaching with Jake Locker at 8 even though I had heard rumors that they were looking at him with that pick.  Jake Locker is a shorter and smarter version of Cam Newton and what I mean by that is that he looks to run first, has not shown that he is a pocket passer.  At least Cam Newton won ball games wherever he went, it took a full coaching staff change for Locker to produce his first winning year.  Never mind the fact that the Titans were given the gift of Blaine Gabbert falling this far, who is by far the safest pick at quarterback in this draft.  For some reason certain teams still feel the need to gamble and prove that they know better than everybody else.

- I think the Falcons trading up to pick Julio Jones showed balls and I love the pick.  Jones is going to produce early for this franchise and even more important is that he loves to run block, which is essential if you are going to Atlanta, who at times still play offense like it is 1982.

- A.J. Green is a fine pick at #4 as I think he is a polished receiver with a good head on his shoulders.  That being said I am not sure what the Bengals are thinking picking him in this spot considering they don't have a quarterback.  If they think changing their wide receiver corps is going to make Carson Palmer see the light and stay in Cincy, well I would like to have to whatever they are smoking.  Palmer wants to leave because he can't stand the organization and no draft picks are going to change his mind.  He has been there and knows what goes on there and if I am the Bengals I am trading up with NE and taking Andy Dalton ASAP.

- Giants are given a gift with Prince Amukamara falling all the way to #19.  End of story.

- Detroit is going to win at least 8 games this year.  Nick Fairley is a huge value pick and any comparison to Warren Sapp is going to be magnified as they now both dropped in their respective drafts for off the field issues.  Fairley is known to be lazy but head coach Jim Schwartz has had Albert Haynesworth and will know how to deal with him if there are issues.  Ndamukong Suh will also be there to whip in to shape, just in case.  Good luck blocking these guys NFC North.  Just a side note, notice who Green Bay picked with the 32nd pick, an offensive tackle.  Ted Thompson gets it.

-  Surprised to see Da'quan Bowers still on the board as well as Brandon Harris.  Jimmy Smith was a huge value pick at 27 for the Ravens.

-  My last point will be on the quarterbacks going so quickly it almost made me feel like a fantasy football draft when everybody starts picking a certain position earlier than expected so there will be a run on a position, which is exactly what happened with 4 quarterbacks going in the first 12 picks.  This makes it all the more surprising that Andy Dalton is still up there.  The funniest part is that besides Gabbert, I am not sure any of them deserve a first round grade including Newton, but at least he can sell some seats.

Mel Kiper was Missing Bigger Point

New England is fine with this guy

Recently Mel Kiper wrote an article for ESPN about drafting a quarterback to replace incumbent starters.  It starts out talking about how the Packers made the right move as they selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick of the 2005 draft as an heir apparent to Brett Favre.  He then goes on to put the issue in a current day voice and then rates the urgency level.  The point of this blog isn't to go toe to toe with his ratings but merely to point out the fact that it was a much smarter and easier move for the Packers because it was such great value and Brett Favre is a bit of a head case.  I have been a Brett Favre backer, but we need to call a spade a spade and he has not been that reliable for the past forever seasons.  For those of you who remember this draft, Aaron Rodgers was originally the quarterback who was supposed to go first overall, not Alex Smith, who eventually did to the San Fransisco 49ers.   I don't think it was a big stretch to take a quarterback who was originally valued as the number one pick and you have a 35 year old quarterback who can't make up his mind on whether he is going to play on a day to day basis.  In my eyes that was a slam dunk pick no matter how you cut it and it seemed to work out for them.
You can not put this same test to quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as they are very happy where they are and have at least 3 or 4 more good if not great years, maybe more in Brady's case.  If you want to draft a quarterback later on that is fine, especially if he is a good value at that spot.  Right now, these teams need to take advantage of what they have and find the best players available as both of these teams are Super Bowl favorites year in and year out.  So I apologize to Mr. Kiper, who did state that these teams shouldn't do it early, but I will go a step further and state that the idea shouldn't even enter their mind.
In case you wanted to read the article here is the link:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/insider/columns/story?columnist=kiper_jr_mel&id=6362093

Newton to go #1, Really?

Listen, I get it.  He is a big, athletic, charming and even good looking.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I am talking about Cam Newton.  There is a potential for tremendous upside, but aren't there enough character questions about this guy to not make him the number one overall pick.  Now, I am not stating that he is terrible and should not be drafted, but there are enough question marks that should drop him down in the draft to a lower first round pick.
I find it funny that every major analyst has him behind Blaine Gabbert for quarterbacks and somewhere in the teens as overall talent, yet he will most likely be the number one pick come draft night.  Good luck Carolina, as you are taking a chance considering you already wasted a second round pick(Jimmy Clausen) last year on a quarterback, who will probably be sent packing if Newton is picked.  Why not go and pick up an almost sure defensive guy, which there are a few out there, and get a veteran quarterback and have Clausen back up for the time being.  Another major problem was watching Julius Peppers go bye-bye last year and the Panthers need something to fill that void as well.  In my eyes, this is Marty Hurney, the Carolina GM making the decision and not the sensible coach Ron Rivera.  The NFL has become all about business and this is about putting fans in the seats, which to me seems the only reason to draft Newton first overall.  He could be great, but there are too many question marks to make him number one.

Please Don't Give in Elway

Mr. John Elway

Now that John Elway is considered management for the Denver Broncos, a team that he made competitive for the whole time he was there, he is in the middle of a dilemma right off the bat.  The public is clamoring to keep Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback as he was able to rattle off a couple of good starts at the end of the season as well as a very nice run for a touchdown.  Full disclosure, I am a fan of Tebow and truly wish him the best of luck as he is the epitome of what a football player should be.  He only cares about winning, works as hard as he can and he cares about his teammates.  That being said, I still have not seen anything from him that shows me is an NFL quarterback.  Now I am not saying that Kyle Orton is Elway reincarnated but I would still take my chances with him until it has been proven without a doubt that Tebow is better.  Orton still makes the better throws and decisions and right now you are better off bringing Tebow off the bench for certain packages, that I am still not sure he is capable of running outside of the 2 yard line.  In my opinion Mr. Elway, you are better off going with your gut, as you have mentioned that you think Orton is still the better option, then caving to fan pressure.  You are as close to a living God as there is in Denver, it will be hard to stay mad at you so don't worry about it.  Go with the gut, much like you did in your playing days!

Blaine Gabbert Update

Blaine Gabbert, the quarterback from Missouri who Mike Mayock has as the first quarterback coming off the board in next month's NFL draft, had his NFL pro day yesterday.  It seems from all opinions that he did not disappoint.  The strange this was that the Carolina Panthers did not have anybody attend the pro day.  Even if you are not interested wouldn't you at least show up and see what the hype is all about.  You pretty much go to all of these other pro days in which there are no possible number one picks, but you don't show up here.  I am calling bulls**t on this one and it must be some kind of game they are playing.  The only way you don't take a quarterback is if you feel good about the one you have, which I don't think they are sold on Jimmy Clausen, or you know the rookie wage scale is going to change dramatically.  The reason for the second point is that the way things are now, the first overall pick is too expensive to take a shot at any other position besides quarterback, in my opinion anyway.  If they now change what the rookies are getting paid, you can draft basically any position with the first pick and not feel the weight of the world on it.  You can miss and it won't set you back for a long time.  That being said, I am still calling bulls**t on the Panthers not showing up, it just doesn't make much sense.
On a personal note, if you noticed that there have not been as many blog postings, first off I appreciate it, secondly it is because I really don't want to blog about the current lockout proceedings and all of that garbage.  Once I start hearing more about football things, I will push forth with my wisdom.

Cam Newton to the Bengals would be Legendary

2010 Heisman Winner and future
possible punch line, Cam Newton

If you have read my blog before you would understand the title right off the bat as I am constant berating the Bengal organization and have also previously mentioned my thoughts that Cam Newton is being drafted too high.  In Mel Kiper's latest mock draft, he has the Bengals drafting him at the 4th spot.  I don't put a ton of emphasis on these guys mock draft besides Mike Mayock's but this one struck because of the joke factor.  If the Bengals were ever to draft Newton, you might as well put him in the Jamarcus Russell/Ryan Leaf category.  Cam Newton needs to be drafted lower and to a team that would not need him to play right away.  This is not the guy you would want to see fail because I think he would go in the tank fairly quickly because of his ego.  This kid has never failed as he has played 2 years of college ball where he won the Junior College national championship in 2009 and this past season brought Auburn to the national championship and won.
Don't get me wrong there would be plenty of material for me if he does go there but I truly want to see what this kid can do in the future when brought into the league properly.  Oh on a quick side note, Mel Kiper has Blaine Gabbert going number one in the draft.  Once again, I don't put a ton of stock into these mock drafts but somebody(me) mentioned that he would go number one long before any of these draft experts, so if it happens expect a little bit of boasting since I don't have any of the connections or experience these guys do.

I am in 100% Agreement with Carson Palmer

Chad Ocho-Johnson can talk all he wants about how the media should be killing Carson Palmer like they crucified him, but it is a much different scenario.  Carson Palmer, who I won't really back up his football playing lately, has tried to help steer the organization down the right path.  He has never really come out and bashed the Bengal organization, notoriously cheap and a constant punchline for yours truly, or its head coach Marvin Lewis, who for some reason still has a job despited being known for his defensive coaching skills and giving up way too many points during his tenure.  Now, Palmer has simply come out and said enough is enough, let me move on .  The Bengals organization, who in my opinion should let him go, have stated that they will not trade him.  Why not?  You aren't winning with him and nothing else has really changed, why not just blow everything up and start over?  The perfect scenario would have been to fire Lewis and hire a John Fox type, trade Palmer and get younger through the draft and, oh yeah stop being a bunch of cheap pricks and hire more scouts and a general manager.  Maybe then you wouldn't have to rely on thugs and criminals falling in the draft and crossing your fingers hoping it works out.  Peace I'm out.