Apr

30

McShay’s Winners And Losers in the 2008 NFL Draft

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Apr

30

Could Former Hawks RB Alexander Be on the Bengals Radar?

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Alexander

While the Bengals seem to have a solid pair of running backs in Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry, there may be room for more, as the team may take a look at bringing in former Seahawk RB Shaun Alexander.  Jim Steiner, the agent for Alexander, told the Cincy Enquirer in an email - “Making calls to teams. Bengals are on our list!”

Now who really knows the interest level on the part of the Bengals, but Alexander if he can get healthy and back to form is going to help some team in 2008.  He has run for 9.429 yards in his career, and despite turning 31 on August 30th he appears to be ready to move on and continue his career elsewhere.

Other teams that may be in the mix for Alexander could be the Cardinals, Colts, Eagles, and Lions.  If Cincy is serious though about Alexander, he would give that offense an extra boost should he get near his MVP form of 2005.

Apr

30

Favre’s Former Teammate Says He Wants to Play Again

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Favre

While we have heard time and time again Brett Favre say the same thing about “being able to play,” but “not sure about wanting to play,” more and more evidence is coming out that points to #4 being back on the field at somepoint in 2008.  Now one of Favre’s former teammates is coming out and saying that the QB wants to be back on the field in green.  That former teammate is safety Leroy Butler, who was on the Packers Super Bowl team with Favre back in 1996.

Butler spoke to WTMJ in Milwaukee, and came out with a pretty interesting take on Brett playing again.  “Brett wants to play,” Butler said.  “Now the tough part now is can he take it back?  I don’t know if he can or not, that means he might have to go to another team, and the teams that need quarterbacks are the ones in our division.  So Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, not to mention how bout throwing a wrench in there when they’re doing his jersey - ‘I ain’t retiring’.”

One thing you can for sure forget about is Favre coming back, and playing for another NFC North team.  The last thing you are ever going to see if Favre in a Bears, Vikings or Lions jersey.  The only way that Favre will be back in the league is if he’s wearing green, and that’s due to both parties wanting it to be that way.  So while the Pack continues to look to the future with Aaron Rodgers, and now Brian Brohm, who they drafted this weekend, the QB spot is going to look a lot different for the Packers in 2008.  Who knows though - in the end, it may very well be back to being the same, at least if you listen to Butler.

Apr

30

New Redskins Toys Gives the Team Plenty of Options

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Thomas

A couple of young Redskin wide outs are looking to have big impacts once the 2008 season kicks off.  Those two WR’s are draft picks Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly, both of whom landed in the Skins lap over the weekend at the NFL Draft.  New coach Jim Zorn wants to run plenty of 3 and 4 wide out sets, and Thomas and Kelly are going to have plenty of balls thrown their way from QB Jason Campbell.  What happens from there is anyones guess.

“We’re all coming in together,” said Kelly a news conferences. “We were all kind of the guy at our universities, now we’re all kind of pups again, and we know where we stand. We know we have to come in here and compete and push each other. We’re going to push each other to get better. Definitely.”

Many felt there was no way that the team would be able to get both Thomas and Kelly, but with the lack of wide outs taken early, the team was able to do enough to make sure both players landed in the Nations Capital.  Now the question will be which one shines and fits in better overall with the team.  Whatever the case may be, Zorn likes the look of the team with his new toys.

“It gives us a tremendous amount of flexibility,” Zorn said. “It gives us depth, and if we do have somebody that gets nicked up, we won’t lose anything with the firepower that we can put on the field.  I’m excited about the ability to change personnel groups, that’s what I think I’m most excited about, because that’s what aids this particular style of offense — personnel groups and changing them. We’ll be able to utilize certain guys for certain situations.”

Apr

30

Bears and Other Teams with QB Issues to Keep an Eye on the Bucs

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Simms

It might not take very long for the Bears to realize that Rex Grossman and/or Kyle Orton is not the answer at QB, and if that happens, or if it happens early enough, the team may turn to Tampa Bay for a possible QB alternative.  The Bucs will be one of those teams that a lot of teams look at for QB’s, as they currently have no less than seven on the roster after the weekend draft, and plan on bringing five into camp from reports around the league.

So who would the Bears or another QB-starved team be able to get their hands on in August or early in the season?  How about Chris Simms, Luke McCown or Bruce Gradkowski?  It’s likely if the Bucs want to keep the young core of QB’s they have picked up over the last year or so, they would have to move one of not more of those QB’s.  Simms seems to be the one to keep an eye on, as if he can prove he’s healthy, he would be the most sought-after one of the group.

As fro McCown and Gradkowski, the nice thing is if they are on the market, they come with experience, as each have started enough games to be given looks around the league.  So for the Bears and others, keep a close eye on the Bucs QB battles come mini-camps and training camp.

Apr

29

2009 NFL Mock Draft from ESPN’s Draft Analyst Todd McShay

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Get An Early Inside Look At Next Year’s Mock Draft That Includes Florida’s Sensational QB Tim Tebow, Two Offensive Playmakers From The Georgia Bulldogs Squad, And Of Course Lots Of USC & LSU Standouts.  Read The Article:  2009 Mock Draft

Apr

29

Don’t Bet on Early Draft Picks Meaning Early Success

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The 2008 NFL Draft is in the books, and while rookies around the league will make an impact, it has not changed the landscape in the odds to win the Super Bowl, as the Pats remain the heavy favorite in that regard at 5/8. Some of the higher draft picks that should have the biggest impact have not changed odds on their teams, and have not made ticket holders make plans to have to spend extra cash on their teams once the NFL Playoff Schedule is out.

If you check the NFL Playoff Brackets from a year ago, you’ll see that those teams were mostly in the bottom of the draft, with only New England having a high pick, and that was from a deal with the Niners from a year ago. So when it comes to sports betting 101, don’t get too caught up with players like Long, McFadden and Ryan - the bottom line is they are still on teams that will likley be watching the playoffs from home in 2009.

Apr

28

Expected Saints Deal for Shockey Doesn’t Get Done

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Shockey

The deal that a lot of people thought was going to done did not on draft day, as the Saints and Giants were unable to pull a deal off for tight end Jeremy Shockey.  It was a deal that was talked about a lot leading up to draft day, and many thought it was going to go down early in the draft.  The deal was supposed to include a second-round pick going to the Giants from New Orleans, but reports say that the Giants wanted more, and that’s when the deal broke down.

“There was a lot of talk but very little activity,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.  Could the deal still get done?  Probably not, considering the thing the Giants wanted were draft picks, and now that the draft is done and gone, the Giants will likely keep their tight end and go into the season with he and second-year TE Kevin Boss.  As for the Saints, they will keep the looking for tight ends, but who knows if they will find one the quality of Shockey.

Apr

28

Raiders Say So Long to Rhodes Two Days After Drafting McFadden

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Rhodes

Two years ago Dominic Rhodes rushed for over 100 yards vs the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl for the eventual champion Colts. Now, he’s out of a job.  After just one lackluster season in Oakland, the Raiders dumped Rhodes just two days after drafting Arkansas stud back Darren McFadden.

The Raiders are more than stacked at the RB spot, as they have McFadden, re-signed Justin Fargas, and often unhappy but still on the roster anyway LaMont Jordan.  Rhodes ran into trouble right away in Oakland after signing his free agent deal, as he was suspended the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

He then didn’t do much once he was able to make it on the field, as he ran for just 302 yards in 10 games.  He did show a spark the last two games of the year though as he ran for 237 yards, but it was not enough to keep a roster spot with Oakland.  In 2001 with the Colts he had his best season, which was also his rookie year, rushing for 1,104 yards.

There are a couple of teams that are likely to take a look at Rhodes, such as the Bengals, Eagles, Lions, Jets and Cardinals.

Apr

28

The Greatest Draft Pick of All-Time

Filed Under 2008 NFL Draft, NFL | 4 Comments

The NFL Player Selection Meeting - The Draft. The off-season gridiron event that keeps fans buzzing about football at a time the NBA is in playoff action and the Boys of Summer take to the fields.

Beyond all the analysis and predictions, there seems to be a particular area of critique - The Great Busts of the Draft. Cautionary reminders for teams and fans both how detrimental a single selection can be for a franchise.

It’s an easy topic because there have been so many players, from college superstars or combine phenoms to talented players out-of-place in a system or injury-plagued — its too easy a topic.

The true beauty of the draft is when a team can make a single pick’s value, the player and other deals, pay-off in a legendary and genius way, And yes, luck and timing help a lot also.

It’s not only a question of “WHO” is the greatest player ever drafted, but for this critique, “WHAT” was the greatest draft pick ever made: A draft pick that’s value carried well beyond a single day in April or the following seasons of pigskin play.

Fundamental logic arrives at a simple and obvious conclusion: The Greatest Draft Pick of All-Time would be The Greatest Professional Football Player of All-Time - Syracuse fullback Jim Brown, selected in November 1956 (The first four rounds were held then, followed in April by the rest of the selection rounds).

The Browns actually “settled” for the versatile college athlete at No. 6 of the first round after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected QB Len Dawson at No. 5. The Packers had two picks that off-season, No. 1 and 4, drafting Paul Hornung and Ron Kramer.

Brown retired to Hollywood and the great value of that pick ended in 1965.

Others may cite the 1955 9th round selection of Johnny Unitas, the father of legendary quarterbacks, but that “pick” extinguished its bloodline when he was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in camp; or the following year (1956), when a 17th round pick of the Green Bay Packers became the modern era’s first superstar quarterback - Bart Starr - thanks to the arrival of a guy named Vince Lombardi three years later.

But let’s keep this to the modern era of the Draft, beginning in 1967 when the merger between the NFL and AFL was well underway, as exemplified by a single, common draft between the two leagues. No longer was there a competition for college talent, thus only one professional football team would have rights to a player.

Ask John Elway and he might well say the Broncos’ sixth round selection in 1995, Georgia running back Terrell Davis (196th overall), who many credit for getting the franchise its two Super Bowl victories.

Today’s football fanatic need not look too far back (2000) to find the 6th Round selection of Michigan quarterback Tom Brady (199th overall) to make their case. Certainly, that pick is still paying dividends for the Boston-area team.

In the 1976 Draft, the Dallas Cowboys had amassed 22 picks in the 17-Round Draft, including two 2nd round and three 3rd round selections. Using their own pick in the third (87th overall), the team selected its second wide receiver of the round, Cal-Riverside’s Michael McColly Johnson.

The Greatest Draft Selection in NFL History - Butch Johnson.

It’s not a flippant remark. Butch Johnson was the team’s star return man on kickoffs his first three years (79 for 1832 yards, 23.2 avg.) until moving permanently to the receiving corps.; he was only the second player to score a touchdown in consecutive Super Bowls (XII and XII) [Jim Kiick was the first in VII and VIII]. But Butch was never the featured receiver with Drew Pearson and Tony Hill on the roster. He had his best year in 1981 with 41 receptions for 552 yards and 5 touchdowns (In 1983, he caught 41 passes for 561 yards).

Before the 1984 season, Butch was traded to the Houston Oilers, but for various reasons was cut and signed with the Denver Broncos for his final two seasons in the league. But Butch’s value was still with the Cowboys, in the form of a 1985 fifth round selection via Houston.

The Oilers’ pick was second overall in the fifth round, and Dallas, having missed the playoffs (1984) for the first time since 1974, rolled the dice, using the 114th pick overall for former Georgia running back and current New Jersey Generals’ and USFL star Herschel Walker.

Ah, now you understand …

The USFL won its court case against the NFL … to the tune of $1 (trebled to $3 because of the legal circumstances), and its victory died a quiet death. Walker joined the NFL and the Cowboys after the legendary verdict, sharing the backfield at times with Tony Dorsett and Timmy Newsome, Herschel had solid seasons in 1986 (12 rushing TDs) and 1987 (891 yards rushing). Dorsett moved on to the Broncos in 1988, and Walker responded with 361 carries for 1514 yards in a miserable 3-13 campaign.

The following season, the Cowboys were in full rebuilding mode with rookie quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh, and chose to reload as well. Vikings’ General Manager Mike Lynn snookered Jerry Jones’ new regime in Dallas by acquiring the missing piece for the Minnesota franchise - Herschel Walker.

One of the most infamous trades in league history was made possible with a 1976 draft selection. Now you know the rest of the story, but let’s lay it out nonetheless.

On October 12, 1989, head coach Jimmy Johnson lost Walker and welcomed five players: RB Darrin Nelson, DE Alex Stewart, DB Isaac Holt, and linebackers Jesse Solomon and David Howard.

But that wasn’t all. Dallas received conditional 1st and 2nd Round draft picks in 1990 and 1991, and a 1st Round pick (and a conditional 3rd round pick) in 1992. Essentially, an 11-for-1 deal.

Nelson was not happy, and an ugly series of transactions took place before the dust officially settled, and Nelson returned to Minnesota via Dallas via San Diego. The Cowboys wheeled and dealed those players and draft picks for the next three drafts. The 1992 Draft officially ended the bookkeeping-end of the deal, and in May, the Vikings waived Hershel Walker, who had become little more than a special teams players in the Minnesota system.

But the bloodline of that 1976 draft pick was still very much alive on the Cowboys’ roster.

You don’t want to know the gory details of all the transactions following that day in October 1989 (including some wild deals with Bill Parcells’ New England Patriots). Ultimately, the Cowboys’ 1992 roster was comprised of RB Emmitt Smith, DT Russell Maryland, S Darren Woodson and cornerbacks Kevin Smith and Clayton Holmes.

The selection of Butch Johnson in the third round of the 1976 Draft ended with three Super Bowls victories almost 20 years later, and in the form of the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

That’s value. And that’s why Michael McColly Johnson is the greatest draft pick in NFL history.

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