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FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:
12 April 2009
Happy Easter Sunday…
QUOTE: “Death teaches us that everything can stop in a moment. When everything ends, all that remains is love. Always keep the flame of hope alive.” ~ Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, at a Mass for the victims of the earthquake in Italy. Here is the article from the New York Times.
THINGS WE LEARNED LAST WEEK IN THE NFL …
1. The Jets are dead serious about making an offer for Miles Austin, the wide receiver from the Cowboys. Austin is a versatile player who can plays in the kicking game and has very good size and speed. The question is: If the Jets make this move, does it take them out of possibly moving up in the first round, and would it take them out of the receiver position? Do you think the Jets can sit at No. 17 and pick who comes to them? As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of drafting wideouts early, but the worst draft for me would be one that had the first two picks come off the wide receiver board. So it’s difficult for me to imagine drafting two receivers in the first two rounds. It might happen, but the Jets seem to have other needs.
2. The Giants admitted they had had enough of dealing with Plaxico Burress, and when a player doesn’t want to help himself, it makes it very hard to help him. John Mara, the team president, speaking to Sirius XM radio’s Chris Russo, made that clear. The Giants have always been a very fair club when dealing with their players. But failing to return the team’s calls was a lack of respect by Plaxico for the people who were in his corner. Burress left them little choice, and the Giants had to make this move to keep their team together.
3. The Rams announced last week that the No. 2 pick in the draft is for sale. I’m sure Nos. 3 and 4 are for sale as well. Nevertheless, who would want to jump up to get this pick? As crazy as the top-10 money has become, if I were with a team that was in the top 10 and had a need at left tackle, it might make me think twice about moving up. Coming out of this draft with a legitimate player like Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe at a very difficult position to find in the NFL would make the draft a success for me. In a bad draft, I always prefer quality to quantity.
4. The Bills will listen to trade offers for two of their players — Jason Peters, their starting left tackle, and Roscoe Parrish, their slot receiver and returner. Both have unique talents, and Peters should be able to command a high price. I strongly doubt the Bills would be able to replace Peters in the draft at No. 12 and doubt even more that moving him would help their team win in 2009. Left tackles are always hard to find, and to trade one never seems to make sense in my world. Parrish is a wild card for me. I’ve always liked his skill level and talent, but it never seems to translate to the football field. Something is missing in his game, and that baffles me. For someone with his talent to score just one touchdown last year is mind boggling. The Bills need to win next season to save the head coach’s job and many other jobs in the organization. Adding more picks for players might look good on paper, but it will not help the coach in 2009.
5. The Lions have not made a decision on whom they’ll draft with the first pick. I tend to think that’s partially true. The Lions want to have the player signed first, so they can’t concede that they’ve finalized their decision. However, I do think the Lions want Matthew Stafford as their No. 1 pick. To admit whom they would select might create a bad position for them in negotiations. Part of this story is true from a practical sense.
THINGS I HEARD AROUND THE NFL LAST WEEK …
1. Trade winds are blowing, and the Cleveland Browns seem to be making the most noise of any team. I hear from more than one NFL team that the Browns have a No. 1 pick on the table for Brady Quinn and are looking for more. However, it appears to the teams that I’ve talked to that the Browns will make the move to trade Quinn. There seem to be two teams very interested. They also will move Braylon Edwards and have at least a No. 1 pick on the table right now. Expect the Browns to have their team reshaped by the time the draft ends.
2. The Browns are really in love with Michael Crabtree at No. 5.
3. The Falcons are seriously considering trading for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez and might even give up their second-round pick to make the deal.
4. Josh Freeman of Kansas State is hot right now for a lot of teams. I had one personnel man tell me that he really believes Freeman will be a top-10 pick. Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Freeman might all be top-10 picks.
5. The Eagles are interested in Buffalo’s Jason Peters, and many teams I talked to seem to think the Bills will trade him.
6. The Saints are making it known they want to draft a bigger back to complement Reggie Bush in their offense. Even though they’d like a safety, they will not turn down a back like Chris “Beanie” Wells when it comes time to make their selection. Adding a big back is something I’ve been harping on for the past 10 months.
7. Torry Holt has not been offered a contract to his liking. He was almost traded to the Titans before he was released, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. The fact he’s 32 years old and didn’t have a typical Torry Holt season in ‘08 is one of the reasons his demands are not being met. My belief is that he will eventually end up with the Titans unless another team steps up and makes a financial commitment. Holt’s market might shrink even further after the draft since most teams are not inclined to sign veterans to big deals. Getting a new deal after the draft is possible, but it might require some luck. The time to strike — if I were his agent – is right now.
8. Byron Leftwich wants to play in Washington and wants to compete for a starting job against Jason Campbell. So far, the ‘Skins have not been willing to make an offer. Leftwich can go back to Pittsburgh as the back-up, but he wants a chance to compete and restore his career. If I were the ‘Skins, I would make the move. What do you have to lose? Competition is a good thing for Campbell.
9. If one of the two offensive tackles (Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe) slips to Seattle at No. 4, the Seahawks would make the move and select either one, as Walter Jones is not a sure thing to be healthy at the start of the season. Seattle values character and will remove many players from its board for that reason. Smith and Monroe meet their character qualifications. But I doubt either player makes it to Seattle at four.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NFL THIS WEEK …
1. The NFL schedule comes out on Tuesday, which always makes for good conversation. I tend to only look at the first month of the season as injuries can take their toll on teams.
2. More talk about which prospects are visiting NFL teams and who’s on the rise and who’s on the decline.
3. A new National Football Post mock draft from me. Since I was called an idiot more times after my last mock than in my entire career at the Hotel, I thought I’d try it again.
4. Trade winds will be blowing much stronger and, in fact, we might actually see one or two trades happen. The Browns aren’t messing around wanting to change their team — they want to make moves.
From ProFootballWeekly.com.
The Way We Hear It — draft edition
Belichick disciples cloud top five; Draft audibles
By Nolan Nawrocki
April 8, 2009
With barely two weeks to go before the draft takes place, most teams have entered final draft meetings to properly set their boards before final character and medical meetings allow the board to bleed, as red strikes are crossed through names, draft cards are flipped upside down or removed altogether.
Virginia OLT Eugene Monroe
Virginia OLT Eugene Monroe
The top of the draft is beginning to shape up, with Matthew Stafford and a pair of blind-side protectors — Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe — all in heavy consideration at the top of the draft and expected to fit into the top five.
However, the presence of new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Browns head coach Eric Mangini — two tight-lipped, guarded Bill Belichick disciples — near the top of the draft order has left observers only guessing at what might happen in the top five, creating as much uncertainty at the top of the draft as ever.
There's a leaguewide perception that Aaron Curry is being prized by the Chiefs at No. 3 because he is such a safe choice. However, the way we hear it, the Chiefs will be in the big-man sweepstakes, with the new regime being driven by the need to draft someone who can protect new QB Matt Cassel and thereby enhance his chance of success.
If Stafford is selected first overall as expected, it would force either Smith or Monroe into the Chiefs’ hands. Monroe played for Al Groh, who worked with Pioli and new K.C. head coach Todd Haley previously in New York with the Jets, and shares a playing history with Chiefs OLT Branden Albert. Reuniting the two would be a very natural fit. If Smith happened to fall, the Chiefs could leave Albert on the left side and kick ORT Damion McIntosh inside to guard, significantly improving the pocket.
The way we hear it, the Browns’ new brass, led by Mangini and GM George Kokinis, who was never responsible for running a draft in Baltimore where he served as director of pro personnel, are still scrambling to figure out what to do with the fifth pick, setting up private workouts with many top prospects on campus, including Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins and Penn State’s Aaron Maybin.
Mangini, who recommended drafting Vernon Gholston a year ago, is also believed to be very intrigued by Texas DE-OLB Brian Orakpo, who physically compares very similarly to the Jets' sixth overall pick a year ago.
However, the Browns have two second-round picks and are expected to be able to land a quality rush LB prospect at No. 36 or No. 50, whereas the CB class is expected to dry out quickly in the first round. The Browns' back seven was a continual issue for former coach Romeo Crennel that GM Phil Savage struggled to address, and Jenkins’ versatility could allow him to help at two positions, moving to safety in nickel situations as he did previously for Ohio State, more so as a junior than as a senior.
The Browns reportedly are also meeting with USC LB Rey Maualuga and Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno, both of whom would be considered reaches at the fifth spot but could not be ruled out with an inexperienced GM at the helm.
Draft audibles
“(Arizona OT) Eben Britton is a lot like (former Bear) John Tait. You might be able to get away with him on the left side for a few years, but he’ll always be best on the right side. He’ll be a 10-year starter in the league.”
“We always say we don’t use numbers when we are scouting. I guess we’ll find out who truly believes it, because (Tennessee DE Robert) Ayers does not have good numbers (measurable or sack production). We have him in the early second round. I could not justify drafting him where we are picking (in the top 15).”
“(Alabama OT) Andre Smith scares me to death. The higher up you have to draft him, the more scary he looks. I’m hoping he is off the board by the time we come up. I don’t want to deal with the owner on him. The one thing about that Alabama program, (Nick) Saban controls those kids, lock and key. The team that drafts him better be ready to babysit.”
“I like (Florida State DE) Everette Brown; I don’t love him. When you can pin his ears back and let him go, he is great, but I wish he played the run better. He’s a bit of a one-trick pony, to me he is.”
“You start to second-guess yourself with all the time we have before the draft. That’s why the fall grades are the best grades. They lose a little impact in the spring when you get caught up in how fast a guy runs and peek at all these pro days. They mean something, but it’s not as important as what you see in the fall.”
“I would draft (USC QB) Matt Sanchez and never look back. He’s got the charisma, the mental makeup, the intelligence and all the physical qualities it takes. Drafting a junior scares me when you look at the failure rate and his 16 starts, but I’d roll the dice. All three quarterbacks will be gone in the top 15. If someone wants (Kansas State QB Josh) Freeman, they are going to have to go up to get him.”
“(LSU DE) Tyson Jackson will be a better pro than college player. You know what you’re getting. He’s always been durable.”
“(Rutgers WR) Kenny Britt — I don’t know about him. I couldn’t draft him in the first round. I don’t know that I’d want him in the second round. He’s big and physically impressive (when you see him in person), but his hands are iffy. I don’t see any RAC (run-after-the-catch ability). He does not create after the catch. I don’t see the value in him, not up at the top.”
12 April 2009
Happy Easter Sunday…
QUOTE: “Death teaches us that everything can stop in a moment. When everything ends, all that remains is love. Always keep the flame of hope alive.” ~ Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, at a Mass for the victims of the earthquake in Italy. Here is the article from the New York Times.
THINGS WE LEARNED LAST WEEK IN THE NFL …
1. The Jets are dead serious about making an offer for Miles Austin, the wide receiver from the Cowboys. Austin is a versatile player who can plays in the kicking game and has very good size and speed. The question is: If the Jets make this move, does it take them out of possibly moving up in the first round, and would it take them out of the receiver position? Do you think the Jets can sit at No. 17 and pick who comes to them? As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of drafting wideouts early, but the worst draft for me would be one that had the first two picks come off the wide receiver board. So it’s difficult for me to imagine drafting two receivers in the first two rounds. It might happen, but the Jets seem to have other needs.
2. The Giants admitted they had had enough of dealing with Plaxico Burress, and when a player doesn’t want to help himself, it makes it very hard to help him. John Mara, the team president, speaking to Sirius XM radio’s Chris Russo, made that clear. The Giants have always been a very fair club when dealing with their players. But failing to return the team’s calls was a lack of respect by Plaxico for the people who were in his corner. Burress left them little choice, and the Giants had to make this move to keep their team together.
3. The Rams announced last week that the No. 2 pick in the draft is for sale. I’m sure Nos. 3 and 4 are for sale as well. Nevertheless, who would want to jump up to get this pick? As crazy as the top-10 money has become, if I were with a team that was in the top 10 and had a need at left tackle, it might make me think twice about moving up. Coming out of this draft with a legitimate player like Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe at a very difficult position to find in the NFL would make the draft a success for me. In a bad draft, I always prefer quality to quantity.
4. The Bills will listen to trade offers for two of their players — Jason Peters, their starting left tackle, and Roscoe Parrish, their slot receiver and returner. Both have unique talents, and Peters should be able to command a high price. I strongly doubt the Bills would be able to replace Peters in the draft at No. 12 and doubt even more that moving him would help their team win in 2009. Left tackles are always hard to find, and to trade one never seems to make sense in my world. Parrish is a wild card for me. I’ve always liked his skill level and talent, but it never seems to translate to the football field. Something is missing in his game, and that baffles me. For someone with his talent to score just one touchdown last year is mind boggling. The Bills need to win next season to save the head coach’s job and many other jobs in the organization. Adding more picks for players might look good on paper, but it will not help the coach in 2009.
5. The Lions have not made a decision on whom they’ll draft with the first pick. I tend to think that’s partially true. The Lions want to have the player signed first, so they can’t concede that they’ve finalized their decision. However, I do think the Lions want Matthew Stafford as their No. 1 pick. To admit whom they would select might create a bad position for them in negotiations. Part of this story is true from a practical sense.
THINGS I HEARD AROUND THE NFL LAST WEEK …
1. Trade winds are blowing, and the Cleveland Browns seem to be making the most noise of any team. I hear from more than one NFL team that the Browns have a No. 1 pick on the table for Brady Quinn and are looking for more. However, it appears to the teams that I’ve talked to that the Browns will make the move to trade Quinn. There seem to be two teams very interested. They also will move Braylon Edwards and have at least a No. 1 pick on the table right now. Expect the Browns to have their team reshaped by the time the draft ends.
2. The Browns are really in love with Michael Crabtree at No. 5.
3. The Falcons are seriously considering trading for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez and might even give up their second-round pick to make the deal.
4. Josh Freeman of Kansas State is hot right now for a lot of teams. I had one personnel man tell me that he really believes Freeman will be a top-10 pick. Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Freeman might all be top-10 picks.
5. The Eagles are interested in Buffalo’s Jason Peters, and many teams I talked to seem to think the Bills will trade him.
6. The Saints are making it known they want to draft a bigger back to complement Reggie Bush in their offense. Even though they’d like a safety, they will not turn down a back like Chris “Beanie” Wells when it comes time to make their selection. Adding a big back is something I’ve been harping on for the past 10 months.
7. Torry Holt has not been offered a contract to his liking. He was almost traded to the Titans before he was released, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. The fact he’s 32 years old and didn’t have a typical Torry Holt season in ‘08 is one of the reasons his demands are not being met. My belief is that he will eventually end up with the Titans unless another team steps up and makes a financial commitment. Holt’s market might shrink even further after the draft since most teams are not inclined to sign veterans to big deals. Getting a new deal after the draft is possible, but it might require some luck. The time to strike — if I were his agent – is right now.
8. Byron Leftwich wants to play in Washington and wants to compete for a starting job against Jason Campbell. So far, the ‘Skins have not been willing to make an offer. Leftwich can go back to Pittsburgh as the back-up, but he wants a chance to compete and restore his career. If I were the ‘Skins, I would make the move. What do you have to lose? Competition is a good thing for Campbell.
9. If one of the two offensive tackles (Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe) slips to Seattle at No. 4, the Seahawks would make the move and select either one, as Walter Jones is not a sure thing to be healthy at the start of the season. Seattle values character and will remove many players from its board for that reason. Smith and Monroe meet their character qualifications. But I doubt either player makes it to Seattle at four.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NFL THIS WEEK …
1. The NFL schedule comes out on Tuesday, which always makes for good conversation. I tend to only look at the first month of the season as injuries can take their toll on teams.
2. More talk about which prospects are visiting NFL teams and who’s on the rise and who’s on the decline.
3. A new National Football Post mock draft from me. Since I was called an idiot more times after my last mock than in my entire career at the Hotel, I thought I’d try it again.
4. Trade winds will be blowing much stronger and, in fact, we might actually see one or two trades happen. The Browns aren’t messing around wanting to change their team — they want to make moves.
From ProFootballWeekly.com.
The Way We Hear It — draft edition
Belichick disciples cloud top five; Draft audibles
By Nolan Nawrocki
April 8, 2009
With barely two weeks to go before the draft takes place, most teams have entered final draft meetings to properly set their boards before final character and medical meetings allow the board to bleed, as red strikes are crossed through names, draft cards are flipped upside down or removed altogether.
Virginia OLT Eugene Monroe
Virginia OLT Eugene Monroe
The top of the draft is beginning to shape up, with Matthew Stafford and a pair of blind-side protectors — Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe — all in heavy consideration at the top of the draft and expected to fit into the top five.
However, the presence of new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Browns head coach Eric Mangini — two tight-lipped, guarded Bill Belichick disciples — near the top of the draft order has left observers only guessing at what might happen in the top five, creating as much uncertainty at the top of the draft as ever.
There's a leaguewide perception that Aaron Curry is being prized by the Chiefs at No. 3 because he is such a safe choice. However, the way we hear it, the Chiefs will be in the big-man sweepstakes, with the new regime being driven by the need to draft someone who can protect new QB Matt Cassel and thereby enhance his chance of success.
If Stafford is selected first overall as expected, it would force either Smith or Monroe into the Chiefs’ hands. Monroe played for Al Groh, who worked with Pioli and new K.C. head coach Todd Haley previously in New York with the Jets, and shares a playing history with Chiefs OLT Branden Albert. Reuniting the two would be a very natural fit. If Smith happened to fall, the Chiefs could leave Albert on the left side and kick ORT Damion McIntosh inside to guard, significantly improving the pocket.
The way we hear it, the Browns’ new brass, led by Mangini and GM George Kokinis, who was never responsible for running a draft in Baltimore where he served as director of pro personnel, are still scrambling to figure out what to do with the fifth pick, setting up private workouts with many top prospects on campus, including Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins and Penn State’s Aaron Maybin.
Mangini, who recommended drafting Vernon Gholston a year ago, is also believed to be very intrigued by Texas DE-OLB Brian Orakpo, who physically compares very similarly to the Jets' sixth overall pick a year ago.
However, the Browns have two second-round picks and are expected to be able to land a quality rush LB prospect at No. 36 or No. 50, whereas the CB class is expected to dry out quickly in the first round. The Browns' back seven was a continual issue for former coach Romeo Crennel that GM Phil Savage struggled to address, and Jenkins’ versatility could allow him to help at two positions, moving to safety in nickel situations as he did previously for Ohio State, more so as a junior than as a senior.
The Browns reportedly are also meeting with USC LB Rey Maualuga and Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno, both of whom would be considered reaches at the fifth spot but could not be ruled out with an inexperienced GM at the helm.
Draft audibles
“(Arizona OT) Eben Britton is a lot like (former Bear) John Tait. You might be able to get away with him on the left side for a few years, but he’ll always be best on the right side. He’ll be a 10-year starter in the league.”
“We always say we don’t use numbers when we are scouting. I guess we’ll find out who truly believes it, because (Tennessee DE Robert) Ayers does not have good numbers (measurable or sack production). We have him in the early second round. I could not justify drafting him where we are picking (in the top 15).”
“(Alabama OT) Andre Smith scares me to death. The higher up you have to draft him, the more scary he looks. I’m hoping he is off the board by the time we come up. I don’t want to deal with the owner on him. The one thing about that Alabama program, (Nick) Saban controls those kids, lock and key. The team that drafts him better be ready to babysit.”
“I like (Florida State DE) Everette Brown; I don’t love him. When you can pin his ears back and let him go, he is great, but I wish he played the run better. He’s a bit of a one-trick pony, to me he is.”
“You start to second-guess yourself with all the time we have before the draft. That’s why the fall grades are the best grades. They lose a little impact in the spring when you get caught up in how fast a guy runs and peek at all these pro days. They mean something, but it’s not as important as what you see in the fall.”
“I would draft (USC QB) Matt Sanchez and never look back. He’s got the charisma, the mental makeup, the intelligence and all the physical qualities it takes. Drafting a junior scares me when you look at the failure rate and his 16 starts, but I’d roll the dice. All three quarterbacks will be gone in the top 15. If someone wants (Kansas State QB Josh) Freeman, they are going to have to go up to get him.”
“(LSU DE) Tyson Jackson will be a better pro than college player. You know what you’re getting. He’s always been durable.”
“(Rutgers WR) Kenny Britt — I don’t know about him. I couldn’t draft him in the first round. I don’t know that I’d want him in the second round. He’s big and physically impressive (when you see him in person), but his hands are iffy. I don’t see any RAC (run-after-the-catch ability). He does not create after the catch. I don’t see the value in him, not up at the top.”
