Monday Mania - NFL Pre-Draft Open House

Posted by HyperLithium

April 20, 2009

nfl_draft_article2 THE draft is upon us. This weekend will be the NFL draft and I thought we needed to have at least some mention of it here. No, this isn’t going to be a crazy article filled with my “all-knowing” predictions like these once a year gophers. Instead, I’m just going to have a little bit of an open forum here to share thoughts on what I think SHOULD happen and what will probably happen.

The Lions will be … The Lions
There has been a ridiculous amount of speculation about the first pick that the Lions hold. First, I think it’s a real tough spot to be in anymore. The next deal that gets worked out with the players union really needs to address rookie signings and put a cap on their numbers similar to the NBA. GeneUpshaw was very much against that but that does not mean it would be wrong or bad. Aside from the money factor the Lions need to address a lot of problems and obviously can’t do that with one pick. Matthew Stafford is the “money pick” here and that’s probably the stupid mistake the Lions will make.

I’m not saying that Detroit couldn’t use a QB but I DO think whoever goes to Detroit will spend 3 years as a starter and be pretty much done with their careerala David Carr. Car went to the Houston Texans who had a “hole.” That’s right, the Texans skipped on the “line” thing that most teams did and instead just inserted a hole that would snap the ball to Carr and watch him get demolished. The hole was so big, in fact, it was said you could have Oprah Winfrey riding a Polar Bear through it and gotten a sack on Carr. That kid was ruined from playing with a terrible franchise (at the time) and might have really amounted to something with another team. Detroit would be much better served with Aaron Curry who is an amazing LB prospect and a high character player. Being a LB allows you to step on the field and be effective much sooner without the possible burn out that a QB can suffer.

Buffalo is F*$#@(! Retarded
I think it’s time to just pack up the team and move them to Canada. Where are the Buffalo fans? C’mon, I want your take on this. Buffalo has done very little good this off-season to help the team and it just got worse. No, I don’t want to hear the bullshit about signing TO. Signing TO was much more about selling tickets than getting more “W’s.” However, when you sign aWR that you expect to be throwing the ball to alot you need to have a solid offensive line, especially with a young QB. Today, the Bills decided to let go of their anchor, Jason Peters because of a contract issue. Left tackle is a tough position to fill in the NFL and when you get a good one you pay them and you pay them well. Peters will now be lining up for the Philadelphia Eagles next season in exchange for the #28th overall pick in the draft. There is no way the Bills fill that void with a draft pick and they will regret it when they are moving to Montreal.

Dallas will make trades
This really isn’t “news” since Jerry Jones is always wheeling and dealing but don’t be surprised if the Cowboys end up with a couple 2nd round picks or work their way back into the first round. Dallas has 11 picks this year and there’s no way they’re taking 11 people in the draft. Not only do the Cowboys not need 11 new guys but they don’t have anywhere near the cap room for it. As of today they still need to resignDeMarcus Ware and a couple of their restricted free agents need to take their tenders. Ware will probably get about $60 million with a lotgauranteed. Look for Dallas to draft around 7 or 8 players this year.

Draft will PWN Mel Kiper Jr.
Last year, Kiper couldn’t have been more wrong. Kiper managed to get 8 correct picks in the first round. The draft is a really tough thing to guess at so I applaud Kiper for being able to step up and take his shot but there is a problem. Kiper could be wrong and I’d forget totally about it if he wasn’t such a whack job on the air. He is crazy obnoxious to listen to and, even while getting blasted on his mock draft, firmly believes he knows all. Sure, it could be just a front since it’s his job but at the same time show somefrickin’ humility. 8 picks out of 32 doesn’t warrant the “in your face” caliber of Kiper’s picks.

It will only take 8 games…
For the media to label someone as a “bust.” While these kids are racking in millions of dollars it is still unfair for the media to put them on “the hot seat” halfway through their first NFL season. A lot of guys come in slow and then have a solid season followed by a breakout year and others set the world on fire for awhile to be relegated to the bench later. I don’t think even 3 years is enough to label someone a bust andafter that there’s a lot more that needs to be factored in. David Carr is an excellent example. He didn’t work out in Houston but very, very few players ever could have. If Stafford is taken first and starts for the Lions he is going to be highly reported on. He will also be unfairly criticized. Also, I don’t think Matt Ryan will be “Matty Ice” this year like he was last year so watch for the media to turn on him. Ryan will have another solid season but not quite as good as last year so I expect to see a fair stream of “Sophomore Slump” BS spewing.

I bid you all happy draft watching/tracking and certainly hope all of your teams fair far worse than mine. Muahahahah!

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