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With John Herrera standing to his right dressed in black and appearing not unlike an undertaker, Lane Kiffin sat down at the podium for Sunday's postgame news conference.
Baltimore wants Flacco to be their QB of the future. But the Ravens feel they have no choice but to start him now because Boller and Smith are unavailable. Wrong!
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May is traditionally the slowest month of the year for the NFL. For some of us, that is a very good thing. Between recovering from the NFL Draft, shots of Cabo Wabo on Cinco de Mayo, the onset of beach volleyball season, Mother’s Day, the NBA playoffs (Go Cavs!), and the little slice of local banality called Tulip Time, I barely have time to play any PS2, let alone devote hours of attention to NFL minutiae.
But just because it’s the slow season does not mean nothing of importance or interest happens…
$.01--I’ve never been a fan of his, but far too many people are rushing to judgment on embattled Bears' RB Cedric Benson in his scrap with the law. Apparently “boating while black” is reasonable cause in some parts, and that might be all Benson is guilty of. I can’t help but think that if a more successful, popular player like Brian Westbrook or Thomas Jones were in the same situation, the media wouldn’t be so ready to toss him overboard. At the very least, Benson should be given equal opportunity to publicly defend and explain himself. I’ve seen his mugshot and heard the condescending reporting about Benson “resisting arrest”, but very few are talking about how he’s been “randomly” inspected each of the last 6 times he’s boated in that locale, or how his mother was on board the boat, or how another nearby watercraft dumped 3 cases worth of empty beer cans overboard while the police boat motored right by. At least the Bears haven’t jumped to conclusions yet.
$.02--It’s the time of year where pundits like myself start to formulate predictions for the upcoming season. One team in particular is really troubling me with even a rough draft of expectations, and that is the San Diego Chargers. On paper they have perhaps the best team in the AFC, certainly in the AFC West (which looks like the NFL’s weakest division). But pretty much all their key players are either coming off major injury or surgery, and more than a few of them are at the point in their careers where recovery isn’t a given. Also not a given is that Antonio Gates, LT, or several other aging cogs can maintain Pro Bowl caliber of play that is required for the Chargers to win a playoff game or two. While I wouldn’t argue with anyone making the case that San Diego is a legit Super Bowl contender, I also wouldn’t discount the possibility they are the surprise plummeter in 2008, a la the 07 Bears or the 06 Buccaneers.
$.03--The NFL is toying with the idea of turning the NFL Draft into a traveling road show, with a new host each year instead of holding it in NYC. It’s a good idea, but the early clubhouse leader for hosting 2009 is not the right venue. Los Angeles is widely rumored as the likely site for next year’s draft. The same Los Angeles with no current NFL teams and two former teams that found significantly greener pastures elsewhere. The same LA where polls consistently show that a majority of even the most fervent NFL fans don’t want a team. My humble proposal: since we know which team gets the #1 overall pick before the Super Bowl, why not let that team host the draft? No team has more weighing on that draft, and the local fan base probably needs a bone thrown their way for their loyalty and hard-earned dollars. I think I can safely speak for most fans in “flyover” country--I’d make the roadie to Cincy or Atlanta (the early clubhouse leaders for the 2009 #1 overall pick), but no way am I heading to New York or LA for a weekend of $400 hotel rooms, unspeakably awful traffic and pollution, and either overly self-aggrandizing (New York) or apathetic (LA) fans.
$.04--Speaking of that 2009 draft, my extraordinarily early Top 10 overall prospects for that draft…
1. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
2. Beanie Wells, RB, Ohio State*
3. Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
4. Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
5. Michael Oher, T, Ole Miss
6. James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
7. George Selvie, DE, South Florida*
8. Fili Moala, DT, USC
9. Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois*
10. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech*
* denotes underclassmen. I know that’s irresponsible at this juncture, but we all know 90% of the top eligible underclassmen declare early.
$.05--That above list is half comprised of Buckeyes and Trojans, and there are some prominent others on both squads (Alex Boone, Brian Cushing, Matt Sanchez, Brian Robiskie) who will also pop up in lots of early 1st round mocks. Those two teams meet Sept. 13 in LA in perhaps the biggest must-see regular season college football game for draftniks (or anyone else) in years. If the Trojans survive their opener at Virginia and the Buckeyes can hold off Troy the following week (neither are gimmies), the winner of that game should remain #1 in the BCS standings until their conference rivalry finales. But I’m a little contrarian on one point: I think the loser of this game is in better national title shape than the winner, because their loss will come earlier and to a highly ranked team. The winner will probably get tripped up later in the year by a lower-rated school (think Illinois or Arizona) and will wind up lower in the BCS ratings. Further proof of just how messed up the current college football national championship truly is.
$.06-- I sincerely hope that with the release of the Matt Walsh tapes, we can end the Spygate saga once and for all. It’s a minor violation that at least 20 other teams would be guilty of as well, and it offers scant competitive advantage. It’s common practice in America today to try and bring down the dominating front-runner, especially when (like the Patriots) said front-runner is so smug and defiantly obtuse. Bottom line: if this was the Lions or Texans, the story would have been over in a day. And you can bet your next mortgage payment there was a run on DVD shredders near NFL training facilities in the last couple of days.
$.07--A little shameless lobbying to the Hall of Fame nominating committee on behalf of one of my football heroes, Clay Matthews. I think his brother Bruce summed up Clay’s long and distinguished career in his own induction speech last summer. Clay wasn’t the best pass rushing OLB of his time, but he was in the top grouping whenever Bud Carson asked him to fill that role. He wasn’t the best LB in coverage, but he was in the argument for over a decade. He wasn’t the toughest run stuffer in his time, but you’d be hard-pressed to find 5 guys better than him in the 1980s. In short, he was arguably the best all-around player at his position from 1983-93. He is the prototype for the current wave of OLB/DE hybrids that populate 3-4 defenses, arguably the sexiest defensive position in the game today. He was a consummate leader and professional, and his durability at that demanding physical position rivals Favre or Ripken’s Iron Man status. He never made a Super Bowl (thanks John Elway), but if last year is any indication that might not be the deal-breaker it has been in the past. He belongs in the Hall, and soon.
$.08--It still really gets my blood boiling that the Titans were allowed to trade Pacman Jones while he’s still suspended. Again, I do not blame GM Mike Reinfeldt for making the deal, or Cowboys owner/GM/God Jerry Jones for the same. It’s within the rules of the league, and that’s the problem. Jones has yet to be reinstated from his indefinite suspension, which means he is ineligible to play in games or even show up at any NFL facilities. Why on earth would any team be allowed to trade him and get anything back, or trade for him before he is cleared to play? Players on suspension for substance abuse issues are not allowed to be anywhere near the transaction section in the sports pages, but a guy involved in more crime-related incidents than most people in your state penitentiary is free to get dealt. Way to send a message that inciting a riot at a strip club that results in a man being paralyzed isn’t as bad as Shaun Rogers getting bad advice from his GNC salesperson, Mr. Goodell!
$.09--Loyal reader J.D. from Buffalo took it upon himself to tally up my final mock draft and compare it to prominent others, and I’m puffing my chest way out! Using the admittedly antiquated draft slot value chart, J.D. scored accuracy of player and slot regardless of team, giving half credit for being 1 slot off and quarter credit for 2 slots off over the first two rounds. I whipped Todd McShay by nearly 7,000 points, Sporting News by 8,300, SI.com by 5,600, Rivals.com (that’s Yahoo) by 8,650, and Mel Kiper by 3,800--in just the first round. I’m trusting J.D.’s math on all this; the only math I took after 11th grade was statistics my freshman year of college, taught by a Vietnamese TA who spoke exactly 9 words of English. Two drafts ago I correctly predicted 30 of the first 42 slots, 8 more than my nearest competitor. I don’t really mean to gloat (okay, I’m lying), but people pay upwards of $10 apiece to buy draft guides from all those sources, and I give it away for less compensation than Russ Lande makes every week for publishing absolutely inaccurate garbage. Did I mention I have on-camera and on-air experience and an actual degree related to football?
$.10--Two very smart moves: RB Dominic Rhodes reuniting with the Colts and the Browns rewarding GM Phil Savage with a 3-year extension. Rhodes returns after an issue-laden year in exile in Oakland, and he provides the Colts with some between-the-tackles power running they missed last year. He knows the offense, Peyton Manning trusts him, and he came relatively cheap. Savage has completely transformed the Browns from expansion doldrums into a legit AFC contender with a flurry of savvy moves, not the least of which is showing patience in Coach Romeo Crennel. He’s not perfect, but compared to predecessors Butch Davis and Dwight Clark, Savage is Bill Belichick to their Richie Kotite and Mike Riley.
Remember your mom on Mother’s Day!
Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com
