NFL Supplemental Draft

[Vintage]

"I didn't know what I was taking. I thought it was a vitamin."

 

[Danny White]

What is a thug to some of you? Is a young black athlete that has gotten in some trouble? just curious not trying to stir the pot I see this word thrown around alot. White kids and other kids of other races get in trouble ALL the time but I don't see people calling certain ones thugs

Say hello to K-Fed:

 

[silverbear]

Brooks really does not look like all that - he is good- maybe very good- but no real jump in ability to what we already have.

Sorry, that's a remarkably stupid thing to say, and the clearest possible indication that you don't know *** you're talking about, that you're going strictly off of his troubled junior season...

Well, go back and look at his first two years there, and you'll see quite a different story:

Brooks led the Cavs in tackling each of his first two seasons, despite playing with any number of NFL-caliber defensive players...

In 25 games played, he had 207 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 26 quarterback hurries, 2 interceptions and 10 passes defensed...

Ahmad was one of three finalists for the Butkus Award in 2004-- as a SOPHOMORE... he was a first team all-American in the Sporting News voting, second team in the AP... he was first team all-ACC...

As a SOPHOMORE...

He was the USA Today national defensive player of the year, coming out of high school...

Of course, all of this happened when he was HEALTHY... as a junior, he got hurt in either the first or second game of the season, and was done for the year after game six...

The only linebacker the Cowboys have on their roster who was even CLOSE to as productive coming out of college is Bobby Carpenter...

He was so fast, the Cavs even used him to RETURN KICKOFFS...

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

No thanks...

When Groh announced Brooks' dismissal, he cited "focus, commitment and dependability" as things vital to building a team

 

[silverbear]

what you said above is what I have been saying the whole time...he is a trouble maker...he got kicked out of school for drugs and who knows what else...he is and has been fat and out of shape...he just isnt worth the risk IMO

I told you already, I'm done arguing this with you... no sense talking to a closed mind...

 

[burmafrd]

Frankly, he IS NO BIG JUMP from what we have in Ware, Burnett, Carpenter.
Just not worth the hassle.

 

[Vintage]

Silverbear, what pick would you give up for Brooks?

Because essentially, we'd be giving that up for a backup. With the contract given to Ayodele, he's a starter for quite some time.

Unless you are hoping Brooks would be groomed to take over Bradie James (and then we let Bradie go)

 

[silverbear]

For the record, I kinda garbled the events of Ahmad's junior season my own self, and I'd like to set the record straight... I went looking, and found some things that refreshed my memories... this quote come from the Fantasy Football Toolbox website, and it sums up the events of his final season:

Brooks had surgery on his right knee last March, a setback that caused him to miss spring practice and much of training camp.His long-awaited 2005 debut came in U.Va.'s fourth game, but knee, ankle and back problems plagued Brooks all season. He was out of shape and made only 27 tackles in his six games

Brooks got hurt in the spring, and didn't get well enough to get back on the field until the 4th game... I was, however, correct in saying he never got healthy at any point last year...

Which means that he didn't get fat, out of shape, because of laziness, but rather because his knee wouldn't let him work out... then during the season, he suffered injuries to his ankle and back as well...

Also, FF Toolbox gives us some other rather interesting facts about this situation:

the senior-to-be had a face-to-face meeting with head coach Al Groh and AD Craig Littlepage last Friday (February 25th, 2006), where his future with the program was discussed..

IOW, this was NOT a unilateral decision by Groh, as some in here have suggested... which might explain why, though he had to dismiss Ahmad from the team, Groh still supports him... this would tend to support my belief that this decision was forced on Al by his superiors...

Our source informed us that Brooks has once again tested positive for an illegal substance, although the levels of his test where such that both Brooks and his advisors/supporters are stating that it could have occured from merely being around second hand smoke...

This is exactly what I said earlier in this thread... if there's any truth to this at all, it casts a whole new light on his "drug problem"...

Joe Schad, of ESPN.com, reports Virginia head coach Al Groh has dismissed LB Ahmad Brooks along with DE Vince Redd and CB Tony Franklin from the football team.

This goes to the heart of something else I said earlier, that the Cavs take a hard line approach to anybody who steps out of line...

Brooks has indicated that he will finish out the semester at Virginia but has not yet commented on his immediate football future.

IOW, Ahmad was kicked off the TEAM, but he wasn't kicked out of SCHOOL... how very strange, for such a "troublemaker"...

 

[silverbear]

Did ... did ... did you just use the "it was just second hand smoke" defense? Isn't that the defense EVERYONE who fails a pee test uses? Are you his agent?

Just repeating what I read, bud, and even then, I freely acknowledged it might just be alibi-ing by his people... but there ARE reports that his failed drug test was for trace amounts of THC, which COULD happen if you were at a party...

This was before his incidents that led to his dismissal this winter. Rumors are that he's failed a drug test in January that led to the original rumors that he was going to be dismissed. He had a heart to heart talk with Groh, and Groh let him back on the team. Then he failed another pee test in March which led to him being kicked off the team for good.

That seems to be pretty close to accurate, IR... he HAS had a problem with the weed before, he was put on probation in 2003 for a pot bust...

Al Groh is everybit as bad of a linebackerophile as Parcells is. He wouldn't let his star player, at his most beloved position, walk unless things were really beyond the pont of hope.

The point you seem to miss is that it's entirely possible, indeed likely, that Groh did not make that call... in all likelihood, that was AD Craig Littlepage (who used to be a basketball coach there, not that that's relevant to anything)...

What is it that Parcells said about the type of players he hates when he released Derek Ross ... he hates the type of players where "its always something" that keeps them from performing. Today its a failed drug test. Next week its a personal issue. The next week after that its a weight issue. The next day its a nagging injury. Ahmad proved to be the quintessential "Its always something" player at Viriginia.

If Groh gives Parcells a good report, Bill will have no problem contemplating taking a chance on him... if he doesn't, then Bill won't touch him...

Which suits me just fine, actually... if the guy's a "head" case, I don't want him on the team, either... but there are things surrounding this situation that lead me to wonder if he's as bad as some in here are making him out to be...

 

[silverbear]

Silverbear, what pick would you give up for Brooks?

I wouldn't go any higher than a 4th, and frankly, I'm reasonably certain that won't get the job done...

Because essentially, we'd be giving that up for a backup. With the contract given to Ayodele, he's a starter for quite some time.

Unless you are hoping Brooks would be groomed to take over Bradie James (and then we let Bradie go)

If Brooks played like the player he was his freshman and sophomore year, he'd be starting at one of the ILB positions within a year or two...

 

[DLCassidy]

Bet some team will give up their 3rd rounder for him (if not earlier)...

That's fine. I'm pretty confident it won't be us.

And what if what his people said at the time is true, and he just ingested some smoke second-hand at a party?? First time I ever got high, I didn't even realize it happened to me (I was at a concert, the lights went down and the blazin' started, soon there was a haze over the hall)...

 

[Vintage]

When is the Supplemental Draft?

 

[silverbear]

Frankly, he IS NO BIG JUMP from what we have in Ware, Burnett, Carpenter.
Just not worth the hassle.

Ware is an outside backer strictly, so that comparison is bogus... Carpenter and Burnett are natural outside backers too, though a lot of folks think they could hold up just fine if they were moved inside... even if Burnett could make that transition, though, it's ridiculous to say he's better than Brooks was, comparing their college stats...

Brooks' numbers were as good as, if not slightly better than, Carpenter's... and if we had a chance to get our hands on another linebacker as good as Bobby, you bet I'd be all in favor of doing so...

 

[silverbear]

When is the Supplemental Draft?

July 13th...

 

[silverbear]

That's fine. I'm pretty confident it won't be us.

Not if he goes that high... but if Groh gives a sufficiently favorable scouting report, I would not be surprised at all to see the Boys put in some kind of second day bid on him...

 

[Vintage]

Question is, how much resources do we invest in our LB's.

Ware and Carpenter are 1st round picks.
Ayodele was brought over with a nice size contract in Free Agency.
Bradie is a 4th rounder and a FA after this year.
Burnett was a 2nd rounder.
Singleton is still around and isn't cheap.
Boiman was signed in free agency.

Would we really use another pick on a LB'er?

We have holes on the OL, need a young QB, young WR, possibly a FS (depending on Watkins/Davis), could use a CB to groom as an eventual starter in the next couple of years....

 

[silverbear]

Question is, how much resources do we invest in our LB's.

Ware and Carpenter are 1st round picks.
Ayodele was brought over with a nice size contract in Free Agency.
Bradie is a 4th rounder and a FA after this year.
Burnett was a 2nd rounder.
Singleton is still around and isn't cheap.
Boiman was signed in free agency.

Would we really use another pick on a LB'er?

We have holes on the OL, need a young QB, young WR, possibly a FS (depending on Watkins/Davis), could use a CB to groom as an eventual starter in the next couple of years....

Bottom line, I think our linebacking corps is improved, but I also think that in the 3-4, you can never have enough quality linebacking... if Brooks is as good as his play his freshman and sophomore years suggested, then he'd be a useful piece to the puzzle...

But just to be clear, I'm not gonna be all devastated if the Boys don't make a run at Ahmad Brooks... I just jumped into this fray because some people were gettin' WAY too carried away with the Brooks bashing, calling him a "thug" and such...

 

[Vintage]

I wouldn't mind adding him either, for the right price.

I just don't know what that would be.

He has unreal athleticism, great size and speed, and could be a monster inside for us at ILB (if we let Bradie go).

But that being said, Bradie did fine for us last year too.

If its an upgrade at a reasonable price; I am for it.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

What is a thug to some of you? Is a young black athlete that has gotten in some trouble? just curious not trying to stir the pot I see this word thrown around alot. White kids and other kids of other races get in trouble ALL the time but I don't see people calling certain ones thugs

black kids are thugs, white people are punks

idk

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Having attended a few parties down in Charlottesville in a younger day, I can personally testify that weed is present at all of them

so it was 2nd hand smoke for you? :laugh1: