Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1503 of 1503)

One of the more compelling storylines every year at draft time seems to be how New York Jets fans will react when their team makes a selection. Most of the time, the home crowd is left with disappointment and the Jets front office personal is pelted with boos.

So what circus act awaits Jets fans this year? The overall consensus out of New York is that the fans are quickly falling in love with Matt Leinart. The pick seemingly would make a lot of sense considering current quarterback Chad Pennington’s injury woes and the uncertainty surrounding newly acquired Patrick Ramsey from Washington.

But who does the Jets brass like? Well, of course, not Leinart, but Virginia offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Leinart and Ferguson are the two most compelling linchpins at the top part of this draft for the Jets. The Jets love Ferguson and he fills an immediate need.

The question is this: How much do the Jets like Leinart?

The word on the NFL streets is that the Jets are not planning to spend the No. 4 pick on a QB and they’re not smitten with Leinart.

From the outset, both Leinart and Ferguson and highly rated and either one should do very well in New York. But these are the New York Jets and it is almost draft day, so everything is a possibility and nothing is a guarantee.

Although one guarantee might come tonight, when the Jets fans will have their annual nightmare of when their J.E.T.S, JETS! JETS! JETS! drafted Browning Nagle.

ESPN.com’s John Clayton is reporting in his First and 10 column that surprises might await the highly touted quarterback prospects in tomorrows draft.

It appears that the Titans are leaning toward Vince Young, because as Clayton is reporting, they feel he could become a better quarterback than Matt Leinart. Apparently, the Jets are not interested in drafting a quarterback and are rumored to be after Virginia’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

What this means for Leinart and Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler is a potential fall out of the top 10. Although it’s doubtful that Leinart would fall past Oakland at No.7, if the Lions and Cardinals pass on Cutler, it could be a potential repeat of last year when California QB Aaron Rodgers fell all the way to the bottom half of the first round

The Raiders would take Young at No. 7 but there is no guarantee they would take Leinart over safety Michael Huff. The longest fall for Leinart could be to No. 13 in Baltimore. And what about Cutler? If Detroit at No. 9, Arizona at No. 10 and St. Louis at No. 11 pass on him, Cutler could drop to the Vikings at No. 17.

Other interesting notes out of Clayton’s rumor bin is the absolute lack of highly ranked wide receivers as well as what possible trades may occur once the top 10 are selected.

On a side note: Join me, Anthony Stalter right here at www.scoresreport.com tomorrow April 29th and Sunday April 30th for a full two days of NFL draft coverage. I’ll be providing updates on selections, trades and all things draft. So, feel free to post your opinions, comments or any questions you have for me relating to the draft. See you this weekend!

Houston Texans’ general manager Charley Casserly still hasn’t decieded if his team will select Reggie Bush or Mario Williams with the first overall selection in this Saturday’s NFL Draft.

What Casserly has decieded on, however, is that his pick won’t be used on Vince Young.

“We came to the conclusion that to draft a quarterback, whether it be Vince Young, Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler, was not the best thing for this football team,” Casserly said. “The best thing for this football team was to use the first pick in this draft to add a premier player at another position.”

The fact that the Texans won’t give Young, the former Texas Longhorn, a nice homecoming isn’t all that surprising considering the new deal quarterback David Carr signed this offseason. What is somewhat surprising, however, is how Casserly has openly talked about getting out of the number one slot.

Casserly said part of the decision involved contacting other teams to see if they wanted to trade for the top pick.

“Right now we have nobody interested in that first pick, so we have gone ahead and begun negotiations with two players,” Casserly said.

For every NFL analyst and so-called guru who says Bush is a slam-dunk at No.1, might want to start rethinking his or her mock draft. How many teams actively try to get out of a draft slot when they’re sold on a player?

Not too much is guaranteed at this point with the draft a mere two days away. But at least one thing is for certain; Vince Young can stop doing all of those ad pieces saying:

“With the number one selection, the Houston Texans select, Vince Young!”

One of the greatest debates in sports lies in the NFL draft. Even if one were to choose college play over NFL, or vice versa, nobody can argue the fun that takes place before every NFL draft. Who’s going first? Draft for need or draft the best player available? Is Mel Kiper’s hair real?

Nothing is more fun then watching the so-called experts announce their draft strategies. In Michael Smith’s case, he gives the Houston Texans a bit of advice: take N.C. State’s Mario Williams over Reggie Bush.

The Texans should take Williams because he plays the position with more impact, D-end. Good running backs come in all sizes, shapes and rounds. Great pass rushers are rare. That’s why backs don’t get paid what ends do. Look, money talks: The highest franchise and transition numbers (the average salaries of, respectively, the top five and 10 highest-paid players at each position) belong to quarterbacks, followed by ends, linebackers, offensive linemen, wide receivers and then running backs. You might even argue that cornerbacks have more value than running backs. Two years ago, Denver dealt two-time 1,500-yard rusher Clinton Portis (a second-round pick, by the way) to Washington for corner Champ Bailey. Running backs, which have the shortest career span of any position, seem to come and go, often because teams decide to let them. New Texans coach Gary Kubiak knows this, having served as offensive coordinator in Denver, where the system — the same one he’s brought with him to Houston — has produced five different 1,000-yard running backs (and a few yards short of two more last year) in Mike Shanahan’s 11 years as head coach. None of those backs was a first-rounder. So Kubiak should be able to get plenty of production, if not the home runs, out of Domanick Davis (3,195 yards in three seasons), Vernand Morency, or whomever.

Smith makes a strong case that you can find an adequate running back deep in the draft – there are plenty of examples of that. Terrell Davis, Jamal Anderson and even Willie Parker (as mentioned by Smith) have gotten their respective teams to Super Bowls.

Carolina Panther Head Coach John Fox was once criticized for taking an athletic half football, half basketball player by the name of Julius Peppers. Fox was thinking to first solidify his defense, and then get his star later. The move eventually landed Fox and the Panthers in the Super Bowl.

But that’s not to say the Texans will have the same success. And pass on Reggie Bush? Even with the recent allegations against Bush, his athletic ability alone could give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.

Lets hope Michael Smith, err, the Houston Texans’ brass know what they’re doing.