April 28th, 2009 9:37pm PST
TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK
Making the Grades
My Take on how some teams did….
I am not a big proponent to give out grades and I’m sure if you’ve been following the coverage of the NFL draft before and after, you’ve seen plenty of folks offering their thoughts. Well, I will do the same but rather than place a grade I will just offer my thoughts….
TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK
Making the Grades
My Take on how some teams did….
I am not a big proponent to give out grades and I’m sure if you’ve been following the coverage of the NFL draft before and after, you’ve seen plenty of folks offering their thoughts. Well, I will do the same but rather than place a grade I will just offer my thoughts….
Good….
One of the few teams that made a big impression for me on draft day was the Philadelphia Eagles. Just as many of the analyst noted, of which I agree, you have to consider their off-the-field move in conjunction with their picks. Through free agency the Eagles addressed some of their concerns along the offensive line (traded for Jason Peters, signed Stacey Andrews) and used the draft to add playmaking ability to their offense. With the addition of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin to the receiving corp, the Eagles may have added that extra weapon Donovan McNabb will need to soar in 2009. The Eagles also added some help for the running game with the pick of LeSean McCoy, which along with Lorenzo Booker should provide some relief for Brian Westbrook. Their recent acquisition of Ellis Hobbs (via trade) from New England adds to an already pretty good secondary. There’s little doubt that the Eagles came out of the weekend looking like a team that just got a little better. Only time will tell how much.
Another team that I have to note as having a solid draft, with just their first two picks was the Green Bay Packers. The Pack selected B.J. Raji (Boston College) and LB-Clay Matthews in the first round and potentially added a couple of players that could conceivably start in 2009. Let’s face it the Packers problem last season was not on the offense, so these two early picks made great sense. I do however, very much like the addition of another big offensive lineman (T.J. Lang/Eastern Michigan) and a 6’4” bruising fullback to open holes for Ryan Grant in 2009. Overall I thought the Packers did a nice job addressing some serious needs on the defensive side and just got a little better after the weekend draft.
Fair….
This team is one that I had mixed reviews on following the NFL’s annual two-day event, the Detroit Lions. They were in a very tough position this year with the top overall pick. It’s always a stretch to think a rookie quarterback can come in and lift a franchise his first year. They are definitely not trying to sell rookie Matthew Stafford as their savior in the Motor City, but he bring many tools and skills he’ll need to blossom in this league. Their second pick in my opinion seemed like a smart choice grabbing tight end Brandon Pettigrew. With Megatron on the outside and Pettigrew over the middle Stafford has a couple of big targets to go to. The team has a long way to go, but even their third, fourth, and fifth picks (CB-Louis Delmas, LB-DeAndre Levy, WR-Derrick Williams) were solid selections that add depth and can easily contribute on special teams. The Lions may have actually done a little better than fair, but with such a long road to travel lets not start spinning too much yarn.
Ugly….
It’s always difficult to really judge how a team did in the draft, especially when they won’t play their first game for several more months. So to say a team did poor is often left to scrutiny and objection, but if you look at the Dallas Cowboys how could you say otherwise. There’s no question the loss of T.O. will have some impact on the offense, but truly one player did not make this team, one that was a favorite to win the Super Bowl just a year ago. Considering the offseason moves this team made, many felt some of those were for the good, so surely this team did not get worse. It still has that same talent level that many felt was good enough last season. So if you have the talent now what would you be looking for in the draft? That’s what I did not understand and could not make sense. A team seemingly just a few components away from being championship caliber would do better packaging picks to move up and grab elite talent that could make an impact now. Drafting some many players, so much later in the draft you have to wonder how many will actually make the team and if they do will any play? While I’ll leave sorting that out to Wade and company, I have to offer my thoughts and say this was a poor draft for America’s team.
Are you kidding me?....
Sure I could jump on the bandwagon and rip into the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis like so many have already done, so why do it? I’m sure if you’ve been watching ESPN or the NFL Network you’ve already heard the critics blast Davis for his questionable selections. In fairness, while I might be the first to say the same when it comes to taking Darius Heyward-Bey at number seven, I will also be the first to say to Josh McDaniels “Are you kidding me?” Did you not see the memo, did you forget your crib notes (the Denver Broncos need defense), or did you have brain meltdown the morning of the draft? There’s no question that Knowshon Moreno is a great talent, but will he have the same impact as a playmaker in the middle of the defense? For McDaniels sake I certainly hope so, because like myself I’m sure many in the Colorado state were certain the pick was going to be defense.
One of the few teams that made a big impression for me on draft day was the Philadelphia Eagles. Just as many of the analyst noted, of which I agree, you have to consider their off-the-field move in conjunction with their picks. Through free agency the Eagles addressed some of their concerns along the offensive line (traded for Jason Peters, signed Stacey Andrews) and used the draft to add playmaking ability to their offense. With the addition of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin to the receiving corp, the Eagles may have added that extra weapon Donovan McNabb will need to soar in 2009. The Eagles also added some help for the running game with the pick of LeSean McCoy, which along with Lorenzo Booker should provide some relief for Brian Westbrook. Their recent acquisition of Ellis Hobbs (via trade) from New England adds to an already pretty good secondary. There’s little doubt that the Eagles came out of the weekend looking like a team that just got a little better. Only time will tell how much.
Another team that I have to note as having a solid draft, with just their first two picks was the Green Bay Packers. The Pack selected B.J. Raji (Boston College) and LB-Clay Matthews in the first round and potentially added a couple of players that could conceivably start in 2009. Let’s face it the Packers problem last season was not on the offense, so these two early picks made great sense. I do however, very much like the addition of another big offensive lineman (T.J. Lang/Eastern Michigan) and a 6’4” bruising fullback to open holes for Ryan Grant in 2009. Overall I thought the Packers did a nice job addressing some serious needs on the defensive side and just got a little better after the weekend draft.
Fair….
This team is one that I had mixed reviews on following the NFL’s annual two-day event, the Detroit Lions. They were in a very tough position this year with the top overall pick. It’s always a stretch to think a rookie quarterback can come in and lift a franchise his first year. They are definitely not trying to sell rookie Matthew Stafford as their savior in the Motor City, but he bring many tools and skills he’ll need to blossom in this league. Their second pick in my opinion seemed like a smart choice grabbing tight end Brandon Pettigrew. With Megatron on the outside and Pettigrew over the middle Stafford has a couple of big targets to go to. The team has a long way to go, but even their third, fourth, and fifth picks (CB-Louis Delmas, LB-DeAndre Levy, WR-Derrick Williams) were solid selections that add depth and can easily contribute on special teams. The Lions may have actually done a little better than fair, but with such a long road to travel lets not start spinning too much yarn.
Ugly….
It’s always difficult to really judge how a team did in the draft, especially when they won’t play their first game for several more months. So to say a team did poor is often left to scrutiny and objection, but if you look at the Dallas Cowboys how could you say otherwise. There’s no question the loss of T.O. will have some impact on the offense, but truly one player did not make this team, one that was a favorite to win the Super Bowl just a year ago. Considering the offseason moves this team made, many felt some of those were for the good, so surely this team did not get worse. It still has that same talent level that many felt was good enough last season. So if you have the talent now what would you be looking for in the draft? That’s what I did not understand and could not make sense. A team seemingly just a few components away from being championship caliber would do better packaging picks to move up and grab elite talent that could make an impact now. Drafting some many players, so much later in the draft you have to wonder how many will actually make the team and if they do will any play? While I’ll leave sorting that out to Wade and company, I have to offer my thoughts and say this was a poor draft for America’s team.
Are you kidding me?....
Sure I could jump on the bandwagon and rip into the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis like so many have already done, so why do it? I’m sure if you’ve been watching ESPN or the NFL Network you’ve already heard the critics blast Davis for his questionable selections. In fairness, while I might be the first to say the same when it comes to taking Darius Heyward-Bey at number seven, I will also be the first to say to Josh McDaniels “Are you kidding me?” Did you not see the memo, did you forget your crib notes (the Denver Broncos need defense), or did you have brain meltdown the morning of the draft? There’s no question that Knowshon Moreno is a great talent, but will he have the same impact as a playmaker in the middle of the defense? For McDaniels sake I certainly hope so, because like myself I’m sure many in the Colorado state were certain the pick was going to be defense.
Just like all teams, regardless if we agree or understand only time will tell the real sense of the pick and who the real winners are. These were just a few of the teams that jumped out at me on draft day and made the biggest impressions. Check back next Tuesday for more “Making the Grades” as I continue to offer my thoughts on how some of the other teams did in the draft.
Check back every Tuesday for more “Tuesday (Football) Talk”
Check back every Tuesday for more “Tuesday (Football) Talk”
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