Category: NFL Draft (Page 73 of 102)

      Offseason Blueprint: Detroit Lions

      February 9, 2009 /

      Notable Free Agents: Dan Orlovsky, QB, Rudi Johnson, RB; Jason Hanson, K; Shaun Cody, DT; Paris Lenon, LB.

      Projected 2009 Cap Space: $26,000,000

      Draft Order: 1

      Top Needs: A team doesn’t go 0-16 by accident. The Lions have major holes to fill at every position although offensive line, linebacker, quarterback and secondary are arguably their biggest needs.

      Offseason Outlook: Where do I start? This team is such an utter mess that it’s going to take new GM Martin Mayhew at least 2-3 years to rebuild the roster. And that’s assuming most of his moves pan out.

      Even though it would be a long, slow process, Mayhew’s best approach would be to blow up the entire roster and start over. The two biggest problems with the Matt Millen era is that it lacked direction and he couldn’t spot talent if it fell from the sky and dropped in his lap. What Mayhew needs to do is build from the inside out and it all starts with the offensive line.

      Many will argue that the Lions need a franchise starting quarterback first and foremost, but without an offensive line it won’t matter who they have under center. That’s why drafting Virginia’s Eugene Monroe with the first overall pick might be Detroit’s best move. Monroe is the type of player that could anchor the Lions’ offensive line for years to come and considering the team has a decent amount of cap space, Detroit could get a piece or two in free agency to help rebuild the offensive line as well. (Although the top available linemen – Matt Birk, Mike Goff, Mark Tauscher – are all over the age of 30.)

      Even though it would pain most Lion fans to watch either Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton take another snap under center, the fact is that the other options aren’t that great either. The Patriots seem content to hang onto Matt Cassel and even if they weren’t, it would take multiple draft picks (multiple draft picks the Lions need to help rebuild the roster) and mucho dinero to acquire him from New England. And unless Jeff Garcia (already a failed experiment in Detroit), Rex Grossman or Kyle Boller gets your motor running, the unrestricted free agent market isn’t too promising either. In fact, the Lions’ best option at quarterback next year might still be on the roster in Jon Kitna. He was too happy with the way the team placed him on IR with a back injury midway through the season last year, but the coaching regime that made that decision isn’t in Detroit anymore. He could essentially be a solid stopgap at quarterback so the Lions could address the offensive line and defense this offseason.

      Of course, the Lions could draft Georgia’s Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick, but again, if they have no line to protect him, he could wind up being another Joey Harrington. It all comes down to what Mayhew and the Detroit scouting team thinks about Stafford. If they believe he’s a franchise-type quarterback, then he’ll be in Honolulu blue next year. But if he’s not very high on their boards, then they need to address other areas and maybe Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy or another quarterback prospect will be available next year.

      In terms of addressing their defense, the Lions could go any direction they want. They could throw big money at any one of the top free agents (Julius Peppers, Terrell Suggs, Nnamdi Asomugha, Karlos Dansby, etc.) and then draft the best available in April. Or they could choose to rebuild the roster with bargain-type free agents that fit into new head coach Jim Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham’s scheme. Either way, there are a plethora of solid defensive players in both free agency and the draft, so there should be no excuse for Mayhew not to address that side of the ball this offseason. (Of course, he still has to convince free agents to come to Detroit, which won’t be any small task.)

      Lions fans have every reason not to be optimistic that good things are on the horizon. But the good thing is that the Matt Millen era is over and now Mayhew will have an opportunity to implode the roster and start over. And despite the overall lack of talent, Mayhew does have a franchise player in Calvin Johnson to build the offense around. Hopefully he can build off his first move (wisely dumping receiver Roy Williams for multiple draft picks) as Lions’ GM and right a sinking ship.

      NFL, NFL Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Ohio State OT Alex Boone arrested after police shoot him with stun gun

      February 3, 2009 /

      Apparently Ohio State offensive tackle and NFL draft prospect Alex Boone has some issues to work out after being arrested on Sunday night for everything from jumping up on car hoods to yanking on a tow truck cable.

      Alex BooneOhio State offensive lineman Alex Boone was arrested after being subdued with a Taser during an alleged drunken tirade.

      When they arrived, the 6-foot-8, 312-pound tackle had been jumping on car hoods, yanking on a tow truck cable and trying to break a window, said sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

      Boone ran away from deputies and was found hiding underneath a patio, authorities said. Boone was combative and uncooperative and had to be taken down with a stun gun, Amormino said.

      “He was yelling obscenities at deputies and had a strong smell of alcohol,” Amormino said. “His blood-alcohol level was at least three times the legal amount.”

      Boone was taken to a hospital and then to a jail medical ward, where he remained. He had not been booked yet.

      Boone, who was selected All-Big Ten this year, could be selected in the NFL draft in April. He just went from being a fifth or sixth rounder to being undrafted. I hope the drinks were worth it.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Michael Crabtree won’t run the 40 at the combine

      February 2, 2009 /

      According to Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune, Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree won’t run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine later this month, but will run it at his Pro Day.

      Michael CrabtreeCrabtree, who recently announced he’s entering this year’s draft, is working out with Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson and receiving advice from Irvin and Deion Sanders as he prepares for the combine and his pro day. Crabtree will not run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but will run at his Pro Day.

      This won’t hurt Crabtree’s stock because it couldn’t get much higher. He’s easily the best receiver available and he’s arguably the best player in the entire draft. A lot of early mock draft projections have the Seahawks taking him with the fourth overall pick, which wouldn’t be a surprise although in Greg Knapp’s West Coast Offense, receivers are required to run block a lot of the time. If Seattle does select him, they better make sure he doesn’t mind getting under defenders’ pads frequently or else they will eventually have a frustrated receiver on their hands.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Doyel: Carroll’s actions at Sanchez’s press conference were just

      January 19, 2009 /

      Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com is claiming that he’s the only one who didn’t think that USC head coach Pete Carroll was being a jerk at Mark Sanchez’s press conference last week, in which the Trojan quarterback declared himself eligible for the NFL draft.

      Pete Carroll & Mark SanchezAnd then he did it, even after Carroll advised him not to. So Carroll spoke about that at the press conference, and everyone heard one thing. They heard Carroll making an ass of himself.

      Me, I heard something else. I heard Carroll being fed up. Carroll knew Sanchez had initially been leaning toward staying. Carroll knew that he then told Sanchez, based on conversations with NFL people — and Carroll knows NFL people; he once was head coach of the Jets and Patriots — that Sanchez’s pro career would be better served with one more year of college. And still Sanchez turned pro early.

      So who got to Sanchez? Between the lines of that awkward press conference, that’s the question I heard. I heard Carroll wondering who it was that got to his player. Carroll has seen it before, with scumbags getting close to Reggie Bush and even O.J. Mayo on the basketball side of campus. Carroll knows the scumbags are still out there. So was it a scumbag this time? Or was it a family member? An agent? A girl? It was someone, and Carroll’s mad as hell at that person, as well as being mad as hell at Sanchez for listening.

      So Carroll went into the press conference and delivered a message.

      Here’s the thing. Carroll is one of the smoothest coaches in college sports. He knows how to act, and he knows what to say. He knows that everything he says and does will be dissected. And still he walked into that press conference, with plenty of time to prepare, and did what he did, and said what he said.

      You think that was an accident? You think he lost control? You think his entire performance wasn’t planned?

      I think it was intentional. I think it was premeditated. So I didn’t hear Pete Carroll being a shortsighted jerk. I heard Pete Carroll being fed up with the real shortsighted jerk in this scenario. I just wish I knew who that shortsighted jerk is.

      Mark Sanchez knows who it is. Maybe someday, if his NFL career isn’t everything it could have been, he’ll get mad at that shortsighted jerk himself. Even if that shortsighted jerk is someone in his own family, maybe even himself.

      So according to Doyel, Carroll has a master plan to prove his point and that’s why he was a calculated jerk at Sanchez’s presser? Either way, that still makes Carroll egotistical.

      If everyone follows and writes about Carroll’s every more, than word would have spread (quickly, might I add) that he wasn’t in favor of Sanchez leaving early. He still could have done the professional thing and sat by as Sanchez made the biggest announcement of his life. Carroll still could have privately voiced his displeasure with Sanchez’s decision and made his point that way.

      It’s nice that Doyel wants to play devil’s advocate in this situation and while he makes strong points, it still doesn’t excuse the way Carroll acted. Again, word would have spread whether or not Carroll was behind the decision or not. He didn’t have to go through all of that at the presser to prove his point.

      Related Content:

      Pete Carroll slightly peeved about Mark Sanchez’s decision to turn pro

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Tucker: Entering draft is best move for college players

      January 15, 2009 /

      The deadline for underclassmen to decide whether or not to turn pro is today and Ross Tucker of SI.com has advice for all of those players on the fence about whether or not to return to school: go pro and never look back.

      Mark SanchezFootball is a collision sport that takes a toll on one’s body, whether it be in the NFL or in college. Therefore, every player’s time in the game is finite, no matter how genetically gifted they may be. At some point the body is going to break down. When that time comes, each player will have the opportunity to reflect on his career and decide whether or not he maximized his earning potential. Any top prospect who returns to school, especially those who would have been taken in the first two rounds, is playing an entire season for which they could have been getting paid. That list currently includes Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy, USC’s Taylor Mays and a few others projected as first-day picks if they had entered the draft.

      The other rebuttal to my premise concerns education. A player who leaves school early likely leaves without his degree. I thought this was a grave tragedy when I was a youngster. Man, was I naïve. To be clear, I am a huge proponent of education. I chose to attend Princeton because I recognized it was a unique learning opportunity. I would recommend that any player find a way to get his degree so he has something to fall back on when his playing days are over. But you can always go back to school. Besides, most of those who stay for their final year of eligibility drop out of school before the second semester, either to prepare for the Combine or individual workouts or both.

      Much of the compensation for NFL players, especially those not fortunate enough to be drafted in the first round, is based upon tenure. A player’s league minimum goes up virtually every season. More importantly, the benefits players receive are based entirely upon years of service. Beginning with a player’s fourth season, every year entitles that player to another contribution into his annuity, 401k, severance and pension. Every year makes a significant difference.

      I wonder how much of Tucker’s opinions stem from the poor economy. Because you used to hear pundits say, “If you’re good enough, the money will always be there. So stay in school as long as you can and enjoy the ride.” If we weren’t in economic hell right now would he still be instructing young players to, “get it while they can”?

      He makes great points in his article. If a player’s stock is high and he grades out well, then they should enter the draft, make millions of dollars and hopefully go on to have a great career. Strike while the iron’s hot. Mark Sanchez (who is still deciding but is leaning towards entering the draft) and Shonn Greene are two prime examples of players in this year’s draft who are leaving while their stock is high.

      But one thing Tucker isn’t factoring into the decision, and something that must be hard for a young player, is the experience they get from being in school. They only get so many years of eligibility and then their college career is over – forever. It’s hard to pass on experiences in life, even when millions of dollars are staring you in the face. The bottom line is that it’s a tough decision and you can’t blame a kid for going either way with their decision.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑