jackrussell
Last of the Duke Street Kings
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by Bud Shaw/Plain Dealer Columnist Wednesday April 22, 2009, 8:20 PM
Eric Mangini's first draft pick will be his signature.
Do you really see him picking the guy who said this:
"I'm working for greatness. I strive for greatness. I'm going to give everybody greatness."
Or this?
"I am a complete football player. If anybody wonders about me, I'm a complete football player. I can say it twice. You can't do no better."
A guy of whom this was also said?
"He thinks he should get the ball on every snap. . . . He's not selfish. He's not going to be mad if he doesn't get the ball -- as long as we're having success."
So long as they're having success? Well, now, that's big of him.
The last quote was Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell on Michael Crabtree. The first two were King Crab himself.
Let me get this straight.
The Browns might trade Braylon Edwards, a 2007 Pro Bowl receiver, in part because he drops passes but also because he thinks so highly of himself he's going to want to get paid handsomely at the end of his contract? (Uh, isn't that what top teams do -- pay their good players, provided they have good seasons?)
Then to fill the Edwards gap, they would draft a guy who has caught the ball on the college level, but whom -- according to reports in the Wednesday's Plain Dealer and in Pro Football Weekly -- has alienated people with his attitude.
One of those people is said to be Mangini. You can only hope that if the head coach really did start off leaning in the direction of Crabtree -- or any receiver for that matter -- that it's true he's no longer interested in making him the No.¤5 overall pick in the draft.
I've said it before. But I guess, like Crabtree, I can say it twice. I'm a complete believer after watching this forlorn franchise since 1999 that you can't do better in 2009 than drafting a difference maker on defense, as long as he's passed the character sniff test and isn't injury prone.
Not that mistakes can't be made on defense, too, but defense is what this organization doesn't have and needs. By comparison, it has Edwards under contract. It has Brady Quinn.
Mangini wants to play the 3-4 defense. We've seen that system here before without a playmaker in it.
Just this past season, we saw how the lack of talent elsewhere on defense blunted even the great season turned in by Shaun Rogers. To make a real difference, Rogers had to go over to special teams and block field-goal tries.
Just about any scenario you can imagine Saturday afternoon makes more sense than trading Braylon Edwards for another Braylon Edwards.
Eric Mangini's first draft pick will be his signature.
Do you really see him picking the guy who said this:
"I'm working for greatness. I strive for greatness. I'm going to give everybody greatness."
Or this?
"I am a complete football player. If anybody wonders about me, I'm a complete football player. I can say it twice. You can't do no better."
A guy of whom this was also said?
"He thinks he should get the ball on every snap. . . . He's not selfish. He's not going to be mad if he doesn't get the ball -- as long as we're having success."
So long as they're having success? Well, now, that's big of him.
The last quote was Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell on Michael Crabtree. The first two were King Crab himself.
Let me get this straight.
The Browns might trade Braylon Edwards, a 2007 Pro Bowl receiver, in part because he drops passes but also because he thinks so highly of himself he's going to want to get paid handsomely at the end of his contract? (Uh, isn't that what top teams do -- pay their good players, provided they have good seasons?)
Then to fill the Edwards gap, they would draft a guy who has caught the ball on the college level, but whom -- according to reports in the Wednesday's Plain Dealer and in Pro Football Weekly -- has alienated people with his attitude.
One of those people is said to be Mangini. You can only hope that if the head coach really did start off leaning in the direction of Crabtree -- or any receiver for that matter -- that it's true he's no longer interested in making him the No.¤5 overall pick in the draft.
I've said it before. But I guess, like Crabtree, I can say it twice. I'm a complete believer after watching this forlorn franchise since 1999 that you can't do better in 2009 than drafting a difference maker on defense, as long as he's passed the character sniff test and isn't injury prone.
Not that mistakes can't be made on defense, too, but defense is what this organization doesn't have and needs. By comparison, it has Edwards under contract. It has Brady Quinn.
Mangini wants to play the 3-4 defense. We've seen that system here before without a playmaker in it.
Just this past season, we saw how the lack of talent elsewhere on defense blunted even the great season turned in by Shaun Rogers. To make a real difference, Rogers had to go over to special teams and block field-goal tries.
Just about any scenario you can imagine Saturday afternoon makes more sense than trading Braylon Edwards for another Braylon Edwards.
