The NFL Thread 2009

capt. scotty · Apr 26, 2009, 08:07 PM

No idea what to expect, but usually the Steelers find gold in 1 of their 5th-7th round picks. I cant believe we got AQ Shipley in the 7th round :D Call him undersized, say he has alligator arms all you want, but the dude won in highschool and he was a winner at PSU. He's also smart. I have no idea how the #5 rated Center went in the 7th round.

With all the talent the fell into the first half of the 2nd round, I just hope our #1 pans out. We havent missed on a #1 in over a decade, so maybe were due, but the Steelers almost never miss in the 1st round. I dont know much about our picks in the 3rd round either, but they all seemed decent from what Ive heard and all filled the Steelers holes.

I havent really looked at any teams draft overall since I was working today, but based on what I saw, the Giants, Patsies, and Seahawks all had drafts that I thought were very good.

corey · Apr 26, 2009, 08:18 PM

The Titans did pretty well. We needed some receivers and I think we got some pretty good ones. I can't say that I knew a lot about them beforehand, but I've watched their videos and did some reading up on them. We got Nate Washington from your Steelers in the offseason, picked up a WR in Round 1 and got a good TE as well.

Also, it looks like the Bears and 49ers did well in the draft. The 9ers got Crabtree and my boy Glen Coffee from Bama. I know he'll be a backup to Gore, but I think he'll get some playing time with the way that Singletary likes the running game. Also, I think they'll be looking to take some of the load off of Gore since he was injured a good bit last year.

The Bears grabbed a few WRs. It looks like they want to have plenty of people to spread the ball around to since they picked up Cutler.

capt. scotty · Apr 26, 2009, 08:25 PM

You overpaid for Nate (as I figured somebody would), but hopefully has success there.

I dont remember who all the Titans took, but I did see today they took Javon Ringer. Surprised me since theyre stacked at RB, but it I think it was just a 5th rounder.

corey · Apr 26, 2009, 08:33 PM

Titans got WR Kenny Britt from Rutgers in Round One and TE Jared Cook from South Carolina in Round 3. They also got a few DEF players to fill in some holes as well as another receiver in the 6th round or something like that.
I wondered about Ringer as well, but my brother said that it's likely that Lendale White will only be around TN for another year or so. I like him at the goal-line, but Chris Johnson is probably gonna get the bulk of the carries this year. So I guess Ringer will be a good pick. Maybe not for this year, but for next year. I think he'll be good at the goal-line as well, but he'll have more burst than Lendale and could probably be a little more useful.

capt. scotty · Apr 26, 2009, 08:43 PM

I figured it was because they dont plan on keeping LenDale. Ringer isnt big, actually, hes smaller than CJ3 even (5'9'', 200#), but he does run hard.

Britt seems like a solid pick though, and Titans definitely need a potential #1 WR

corey · Apr 26, 2009, 08:51 PM

I didn't really know anything about him before yesterday, but his reel looks good. I've read good things about him as well.

I started pulling for the 49ers last year when Singletary took over. As a kid in the 80s, I was all about the Bears and the 49ers, so I automatically started pulling for the 9ers when a former Bear great took over. With Coffee going to the 9ers this year, that gives me even more reason to keep an eye on them.

EDIT:
I also think that Jerry Jones might be about as batshit crazy as Al Davis.

capt. scotty · Apr 26, 2009, 09:21 PM

9ers draft does look decent. 1st 2 picks should be good, and I like Scott McKillop and Nate Davis in the 5th. Nate Davis could be their starter in a year or 2. You heard it herrre first.

Francois in teh 7th aint bad either

corey · Apr 26, 2009, 09:28 PM

Yeah, they got a couple of defensive players that look promising.

They're saying that Young and Smith are gonna battle it out for starting QB this year and let Davis learn the system. He apparently didn't take too many snaps under center and leaned heavily on the shotgun formation. They're thinking that with some adjustments, he could end up starting in the next 2 years or so. You never know. This is all coming from Eisen and the guys on the NFL Network.

They interviewed Singletary today and he seemed very pleased with the Coffee pick. That's encouraging.

capt. scotty · Apr 26, 2009, 10:13 PM

Wow, now I know how bad the 9ers are because I dont even know who Young is, or at least I cant think of what his 1st name is at the moment :D

Man, just got my first looks at 1 of our 5th round picks, Frank "The Tank" Summers. Dude is a BEAST. He even lead UNLV in receiving TD's last year. Apparently USC recruited him hard to play FB, but he went to UNLV so he could play RB. Just another pick I love.

"The Tank" is just too perfect, but in rememberance of Bettis, I also like "The Short Bus" ;D

corey · Apr 26, 2009, 11:02 PM

That dude's kinda scary.

And yeah, I was happy that the 9ers drafter a QB, even if he won't see any playing time this year.

Ruckus · Apr 28, 2009, 12:13 AM

Well, an interesting offseason for my teams but at least we both acquired QBs, Cutler and Sanchez of course.

I had a question for those in the know and particularly Tracy.

What are your opinions on Michael Oher. I know Ravens fans are pretty excited that they got him so late in the 1st when many thought he might go much earlier.

And if Ewok prances through this thread, he can tell me why Andre Smith is that much better than Oher. Plus I guess Oher will be moved to right tackle so not as big a deal as the other three who will be starting immediately at LT.

capt. scotty · Apr 28, 2009, 12:36 AM

I think 1 reason Oher was expected to go higher was because of people thinking of last year when I think 7 OT's went in the Top 20. To be honest, I dont think I saw 1 mock that had him going in the Top 12. Then you have guys like Heyward-Bey and Moreno going earlier than expected, guys like Orakpo dropping, and a bunch of teams who had bigger needs and Oher falls to 22 (I think thats where he went).

Ewok and Tracy probably know more than me, but Oher is pretty similar to 1 of the Top OT's from last year actually, Ryan Clady. Versatile and has good lateral quickness for an OT. I think Clady actually made the pro bowl last year as a rookie as well. As for Andre Smith, he's more of your prototypical mauler LT. Just look at how different Bama was without him in their bowl game as well (not saying thats the only reason they lost though). I think Smith plays a lot like ex-Raven Jonathan Odgen.

The Oher playing RT and not LT definitely makes a difference too as far as him dropping.

corey · Apr 28, 2009, 05:44 AM

I don't know much about Oher, but headdy nailed it about Smith. The guy means business. I don't remember the numbers, but the Bama O-line gave up very few sacks this year and Smith was a big reason for that.

Ruckus · Apr 28, 2009, 09:01 AM

QuoteI think 1 reason Oher was expected to go higher was because of people thinking of last year when I think 7 OT's went in the Top 20. To be honest, I dont think I saw 1 mock that had him going in the Top 12. Then you have guys like Heyward-Bey and Moreno going earlier than expected, guys like Orakpo dropping, and a bunch of teams who had bigger needs and Oher falls to 22 (I think thats where he went).

Ewok and Tracy probably know more than me, but Oher is pretty similar to 1 of the Top OT's from last year actually, Ryan Clady. Versatile and has good lateral quickness for an OT. I think Clady actually made the pro bowl last year as a rookie as well. As for Andre Smith, he's more of your prototypical mauler LT. Just look at how different Bama was without him in their bowl game as well (not saying thats the only reason they lost though). I think Smith plays a lot like ex-Raven Jonathan Odgen.

The Oher playing RT and not LT definitely makes a difference too as far as him dropping.

Where to start...Have you actually seen Oher play games at Ole Miss or are you reciting info from analysis that we all have access to? I believe Clady did not make the pro bowl but he was 2nd team All Pro (a better honor anyways).

Oher played LT in college but will be moved to RT with the Ravens because they have Jared Gaither already. Not sure why that would make him drop when other teams if they wanted him would have drafted him to play LT.

aMillionDreams · Apr 28, 2009, 11:58 AM

The Bengals did a good job filling positions we had weaknesses in on draft day but three of the seven players they drafted have "off the field issues", including big boy from bama. So much for "changing the culture", huh?

capt. scotty · Apr 28, 2009, 02:10 PM

Quote
QuoteI think 1 reason Oher was expected to go higher was because of people thinking of last year when I think 7 OT's went in the Top 20. To be honest, I dont think I saw 1 mock that had him going in the Top 12. Then you have guys like Heyward-Bey and Moreno going earlier than expected, guys like Orakpo dropping, and a bunch of teams who had bigger needs and Oher falls to 22 (I think thats where he went).

Ewok and Tracy probably know more than me, but Oher is pretty similar to 1 of the Top OT's from last year actually, Ryan Clady. Versatile and has good lateral quickness for an OT. I think Clady actually made the pro bowl last year as a rookie as well. As for Andre Smith, he's more of your prototypical mauler LT. Just look at how different Bama was without him in their bowl game as well (not saying thats the only reason they lost though). I think Smith plays a lot like ex-Raven Jonathan Odgen.

The Oher playing RT and not LT definitely makes a difference too as far as him dropping.

Where to start...Have you actually seen Oher play games at Ole Miss or are you reciting info from analysis that we all have access to? I believe Clady did not make the pro bowl but he was 2nd team All Pro (a better honor anyways).

Oher played LT in college but will be moved to RT with the Ravens because they have Jared Gaither already. Not sure why that would make him drop when other teams if they wanted him would have drafted him to play LT.

I saw Ole Miss play 2, maybe 3 games. 1 of which was the Florida game. And more games than that of Bama.

As I started off saying though, I think the biggest reason he dropped was because of the teams who he potentially could've been drafted by, and their needs. ill start at 13 because he was not going to go Top 12:

13. Redskins - Orakpo was BPA and easy pick. They already have Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen at OT anyway and dont need him.
14. Saints - Took Malcolm Jenkins, and D was their obvious weakness which is substantiated more by them not taking 1 offensive player in the draft. Already have Pro Bowler Jammal Brown at LT as well.
15. Texans - Spent 1st round pick on LT Duane Brown in 2008
16. Chargers - Have 3-year vet Marcus McNeill at LT, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
17. Bucs - TB could've maybe taken him, but many mocks had them taking Josh Freeman here, so it wasnt really a surprise they went that way. Im not familiar with their LT Donald Penn, but he just turned 26 yesterday and has started 16 games each of the last 2 years. They had bigger holes than OT.
18. Broncos - Already took Knowshon, but had many holes on D. Plus, already have aforementioned Ryan Clady at LT and 2 year vet and 3rd round pick Ryan Harris at RT.
19. Eagles - Could've taken an OT, but Maclin slid and was obvious BPA, not to mention McNabb only had 1 decent option with DeSean Jackson. I think this pick gives them 1 of the most dangerous WR duos in the NFL.
20. Lions - Definitely could've taken an LT, but this is Detroit, right? So many holes, so many options. Probably just trying to give Stafford another weapon. Most people don't seem surprised they passed on Oher here, but didn't go for a defensive player.
21. Browns - Already have #1 pick Joe Thomas at LT. Also, Cleveland knew Pittsburgh's #1 choice was C Alex Mack, so do be surprised if that had some influence.
22. Vikings - Have Bryant McKinnie at LT, and judging by ADP's rushing numbers, O-Line doesnt seem like their biggest need. Berrian is overrated, if anything, and that was their only other receiving option besides Shiancoe it seemed. Percy Harvin makes their offense that much more potent.
23. ...Enter Baltimore

So most of those teams either have a very good or elite LT, or had bigger needs. That's why he dropped.

capt. scotty · Apr 30, 2009, 12:31 AM

^^^^Ruckus - that seriously took like a half hour of research, so if you dont put in your 2 cents, i'll be offended ;) ;D

Ruckus · Apr 30, 2009, 12:38 AM

Quote^^^^Ruckus - that seriously took like a half hour of research, so if you dont put in your 2 cents, i'll be offended ;) ;D

Good job man!

When Crabtree fell, that seemed to set off the dominos because I kept hearing that Oher would go to the Bills at 11 after they traded Peters to the Iggles. Problem with your analysis is that the Ravens have a great LT also who is 23. They drafted Oher to play RT as I'm sure some other teams could have done since they all had diesel LTs.

Thanks for the work man. Saved me some time [smiley=beer.gif]

capt. scotty · Apr 30, 2009, 12:49 AM

Quote
Quote^^^^Ruckus - that seriously took like a half hour of research, so if you dont put in your 2 cents, i'll be offended ;) ;D

Good job man!

When Crabtree fell, that seemed to set off the dominos because I kept hearing that Oher would go to the Bills at 11 after they traded Peters to the Iggles. Problem with your analysis is that the Ravens have a great LT also who is 23. They drafted Oher to play RT as I'm sure some other teams could have done since they all had diesel LTs.

Thanks for the work man. Saved me some time [smiley=beer.gif]

Well, I cant remember ever seeing Oher in the Top 12 in a mock, but the Bills scenario makes sense. I went to Penn St, I watched every game this past year, and Maybin is very athletic.

That said, I just had to look up who the Bills picked when you brought that up. In this case, I couldnt believe Buffalo took Maybin on Saturday because to me, he's the prototypical 3-4 pass rush OLB. As far as I know, BUF runs a 4-3, and I think he's very undersized as a 4-3 DE, even if he does have speed (he's faster than Abraham, Freeney, you name it 4-3 DE, but he's so much smaller than guys like that).

As far as what I posted team to team, I didnt list every teams RT, but I listed a few. If I didnt list it, like I said, the team just had bigger holes to fill.

Out of all those teams though, BUF passing on him might be the biggest [size=20]?[/size]. They certainly could've replaced Peters, but after getting T.O. and already having Evans and Lynch, Im assuming they felt their D was the weakness.

And this is total speculation, but maybe Puz wanted another Nittany Lion to shore up that D :)

capt. scotty · Apr 30, 2009, 01:05 AM

Quote

Oher played LT in college but will be moved to RT with the Ravens because they have Jared Gaither already. Not sure why that would make him drop when other teams if they wanted him would have drafted him to play LT.

Quote

They drafted Oher to play RT as I'm sure some other teams could have done since they all had diesel LTs.

So which is it?? ;)

Playing RT as opposed to LT would make him drop because 95% of QB's are right-handed, so the LT protects their blindside.

This is why LT's are coveted, and say a guy who has only played RT or has versatility between OG and OT isnt as coveted.

As I already said, any of those teams who may have needed an RT had bigger needs to fill, and if it was close, it's because it doesn't hurt your squad near as much when you have an average OT guarding your QB's passing-side as opposed to his blindside.