There are only two endings to the Geno Smith story. It’s either sadness or euphoria. You search for the latter – the Jets got a possible franchise-caliber quarterback at an affordable price – but it would be nice if just one Jets decision came without ominous rumblings, built-in doubts, flashing yellow traffic arrows pointing the way to doom. You wish their new quarterback did not chafe at the New York and national media spotlight before his formal introduction. You wish there was any evidence of a nurturing environment.
(via SportsOnEarth.com) , adding: "We don’t have to wonder how the Te’o story ends. It’s over. Ladies and gentlemen, the new inside linebacker of a small-market team. Nothing to see here. And that can be a good thing."
NFL Draft Hangover
3 weeks, 6 days ago
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[Dion] Jordan is a symbol of this draft in one very prominent way; for whatever dreams his athleticism fosters in the hearts of general managers, he hasn't actually played all that great during his time at school....
The Bills need to be all-in with Manuel and use the rest of their draft to shore up holes on the offensive line and at receiver....
I don't think there was really a problem with [Sharrif] Floyd inasmuch as he was just second best on a bunch of draft boards, always very close to being chosen without being the guy until that 23rd pick. Compared to expectations, Floyd was the value pick of the first round. (via Grantland) , who concludes with a prediction about Manti Te'o: "Te'o will be best on a 4-3 team that's thin at middle linebacker, which leaves obvious targets in Cincinnati (37), the New York Giants (49), and Chicago (50)."
The Bills need to be all-in with Manuel and use the rest of their draft to shore up holes on the offensive line and at receiver....
I don't think there was really a problem with [Sharrif] Floyd inasmuch as he was just second best on a bunch of draft boards, always very close to being chosen without being the guy until that 23rd pick. Compared to expectations, Floyd was the value pick of the first round. (via Grantland) , who concludes with a prediction about Manti Te'o: "Te'o will be best on a 4-3 team that's thin at middle linebacker, which leaves obvious targets in Cincinnati (37), the New York Giants (49), and Chicago (50)."
Manti Te'o on Manti Te'o
4 weeks ago
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By the time the N.F.L. Combine ended, Te’o says, “I thought, There, I answered all the questions. It’s over.” He says he started feeling something like normal. “Honestly, I’d say I’m never going to be completely normal,” he says. “Never. It’s still with me now. It’s always going to be something that’s just there all the time, in the back of my head. Every day, in every situation with people—conversations, getting Facebook messages—I’m thinking about all the angles. What does that mean? Wait, stop, who really is this person? What should I be thinking? What should I be doing now?”
(via Vanity Fair)
The NFL Draft's X-Factor: Tavon Austin
4 weeks ago
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What’s most important, though, is that the players’ dynamism mirrors that of the league’s thinking. The increased complexity of NFL defenses has forced coaches to create game plans through which they can dictate terms. It’s the players who don’t fit traditional boxes who make that possible. And when Tavon Austin is the first skill player off the board tonight, it'll be no wonder why.
(via Grantland) , on the versatile West Virginia receiver who has risen up draft charts to become a Top 10 lock.
The Best Story of the NFL Draft
4 weeks ago
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Here is where Lattimore is right now: he is running. He is jumping and squatting and putting pressure on that leg that had been so savagely wrecked. After successful surgery by the famed sports orthopedist James Andrews, Lattimore has spent months upon months rehabilitating that knee. Steps in the pool have given way to moving over land, and a faraway chance has transformed into a focused ambition. Lattimore is going to try football again.
(via Wall Street Journal)
NFL Draft: File This Away
on 27/2/13
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Manti Te'o does not make out of the first round.
(via Twitter)
2012 NFL Draft: Last Word
on 30/4/12
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A couple of things to keep in mind now that the draft is over: No player comes into the NFL a finished product, no matter how successful. The later you go in the draft the more holes, limitations, flaws a player has. Success becomes a function of how he's utilized. In era of sub-packages a lot of players contribute, even if they play 12-15 snaps per game. Often the key is finding/defining a role.
(via Twitter)
2012 NFL Draft: Last Word
on 30/4/12
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Best pick, offense: Amini Silatolu, G-T, Midwestern State, No. 40, Carolina.
Worst pick, offense: Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan St, No. 102, Washington.
Best pick, defense: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall, No. 59, Philadelphia.
Worst pick, defense: The Colts passing on CB Trumaine Johnson.
GM of the weekend (tie): Trent Baalke, San Francisco; Buddy Nix, Buffalo.
Trade-up of the weekend: Dallas moving from 14 to 6 to pick Morris Claiborne. (via SI.com) , with a wide-ranging analysis of the long weekend of the NFL Draft, including insights on the Vikings taking Matt Kalil, the Rams taking Janoris Jenkins, the Seahawks taking Russell Wilson, the Dolphins taking Ryan Tannehill, the 49ers' excellent draft overall and more.
Worst pick, offense: Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan St, No. 102, Washington.
Best pick, defense: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall, No. 59, Philadelphia.
Worst pick, defense: The Colts passing on CB Trumaine Johnson.
GM of the weekend (tie): Trent Baalke, San Francisco; Buddy Nix, Buffalo.
Trade-up of the weekend: Dallas moving from 14 to 6 to pick Morris Claiborne. (via SI.com) , with a wide-ranging analysis of the long weekend of the NFL Draft, including insights on the Vikings taking Matt Kalil, the Rams taking Janoris Jenkins, the Seahawks taking Russell Wilson, the Dolphins taking Ryan Tannehill, the 49ers' excellent draft overall and more.
NFL Draft Winners and Losers
on 29/4/12
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Winners: Rams, Janoris Jenkins, Ben Roethlisberger, Bill Belichick, Colts TE pick Coby Fleener, the Melvin Ingram-Roger Goodell podium handshake.
Losers: Colt McCoy, Kirk Cousins, Saints, Cards OT pick Bobby Massie. (via Yahoo Sports)
How about adding Mr. Irrelevant, Chandler Harnish, to the "Winners" mix? (via Maggie Hendricks, Y! Sports)
The biggest winner? How about Redskins fans? (Check out Judy Battista's analysis of RG3's impact in DC, in today's NYT.)
Losers: Colt McCoy, Kirk Cousins, Saints, Cards OT pick Bobby Massie. (via Yahoo Sports)
How about adding Mr. Irrelevant, Chandler Harnish, to the "Winners" mix? (via Maggie Hendricks, Y! Sports)
The biggest winner? How about Redskins fans? (Check out Judy Battista's analysis of RG3's impact in DC, in today's NYT.)
