Is Alex Smith, the former #1 overall pick, a draft day bust? I believe just by asking the question you almost have to lean towards an inevitable yes. As I watched the Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks I can’t help but notice that Alex Smith has yet to live up to his lofty draft status. Smith, who is in his 3rd pro year, doesn’t at all look as confident or as polished as say Carson Palmer did in his 3rd year. Yes, Carson Palmer had and still has some pretty awesome weapons to work with in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh along with RB Rudi Johnson. Palmer also had an established O-Line with Levi Jones and Willie Anderson anchoring the book ends. But can you honestly say that Alex Smith even remotely resembles Carson Palmer in any way? I doubt it. Even Eli Manning looks and most of the time plays like a franchise quarterback. Alex Smith just doesn’t seem to have it and he looks as if he will go the way of David Carr and Tim Couch.
The first of many things I saw during the Seahawk game were Smith’s eyes looked like a deer in head lights. Smith seems to have that same look of a rookie in his 3rd year. I just don’t see the fire and the passion you need from a franchise QB. A great contrast was last night when you saw the difference between Matt Hasselback and Alex Smith. You could see the fire and leadership in Hasselback; he was the complete opposite of Alex Smith. While Alex Smith looked scared and timid, Matt Hasselback looked confident and commanding.
Alex Smith’s next flaw is his touch. He basically has none. Yes he can throw intermediate throws, but his deep ball is horrific. There was a play where I think it was Darrell Jackson had gotten behind Kelly Jennings and safety Brian Russell. Jackson was wide open all Alex Smith had to do was stand in the pocket set his feet and get some air under the ball. Instead Alex Smith felt some inside pressure from the DT’s and the blitz, and instead of standing tall and taking a hit while delivering the ball right, he got rid of it before he got hit and the ball was overthrown by a mile. That play right there is all I need to see from a quarterback to see if he can play in the NFL. NFL quarterbacks have to be able to take a hit while completing a pass. It’s a must; it’s just the nature of the game.
Also Alex Smith on at least 3 occasions had trouble delivering the ball with accuracy and velocity on the move. This was one of Smith’s positives when he was drafted. Remember? His mobility and ability to throw on the run was something he was supposedly very good at. Something he could do and Aaron Rogers couldn’t do.
His throwing mechanics are also still an issue. I don’t know if it’s because of the system he originates from, but it is obviously still a problem. His footwork has still not developed and he is looking more and more like a spread offense bust. You can see that when he releases the ball his feet just aren’t set right and the ball comes out with no consistency. The ball either sails are is way short and drops right in front of the receiver’s feet. If Alex Smith’s mechanics aren’t rectified by now will they ever be? I highly doubt it.
I don’t know if it’s because Alex Smith plays on a bad team, but it certainly doesn’t help his case that he can’t produce for his Pro-Bowl RB in Frank Gore and his potentially lethal TE in Vernon Davis. So he does have some pretty decent weapons to say the least. But in reality weapons don’t really matter. Payton Manning wasn’t exactly surrounded by All-Pro players when he entered the league, Carson Palmer would have succeeded regardless of what team he would have went too, and Eli Manning, like I said earlier, is showing signs of becoming a franchise QB who will lead the Giants for the next decade. But Alex Smith just doesn’t resemble these three. Smith just doesn’t seem to have the intangibles to succeed in the league of leagues. I just wonder how long it will take before the 49ers front office and coaching staff see it. Hopefully they correct before Alex Smith ruins the franchise the way Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, David Carr and Tim Couch all did to their respective teams. Or maybe he’ll do what those five didn’t do, erase the doubt of fans alike and become what he was picked to be, a franchise QB.
I have to ask. Why do so many people still hate Mario? I can't understand this. I was thinking about that today, and I was saying to myself that the St.Louis Rams would chop off their arms to make sure they would lose every game to get him in the draft. Same goes for the Dolphins. I just don't understand why poeple hate Mario Williams so much. I love the dude, I root for him every play and I can see the difference between his rookie year and his second year. Why can't other people?
Mario Williams was the #1 player on Bill Parcells' 2006 Draft Board and I'm quite sure that if he was on the Cowboys' board he was on others. But when the Texans take him they all say that Mario is an automatic bust and that he won't ever live up to his draft status. But it was almost asured that Mario would have went to New Orleans with the 2nd pick. So how does being the #2 pick differ from the #1 pick? I mean really? It seems like when Mario was taken with the #1 overall, people took it so personal and they took it like a slap in the face. Why? These people (NFL front offices) are in these jobs for a reason. They forget more then any of us will ever know. If you people are such draft guru's why are you posting mock drafts in some "nobody cares" forum on some second rate website? It's mind numbing.
But you people know that Mario Williams was a mistake? Please. I assume these two guys would have fared better in Houston and have done better so far?
Vince Young 2007 season: 33rd ranked QB in passer rating.
But some how because the Titans are 6-2 Vince Young gets a pass. I would argue that the Titans are winning in spite of Vince Young's horrific performance thus far. Their defense and running game have been elite while Vince Young has been in the cellar consistently.
Reggie Bush 2007 season: Not even the starter untill Duece McCallister went down.
Reggie Bush also gets a pass becuase some how he isn't a prototype NFL RB. He's considered a hybrid, not a RB, a hybrid. Gimme a break. Have you ever heard of anything more pathetic. People know he can never carry the work load so they make an excuse for him and call him a hybrid. Adrian Peterson is a playmaker, but he's a RB first. Bush gets a pass because people know he isn't a pure RB, but they make excuses for his size, strength and ability to carry the load. What a bunch of ####. I wouldn't take him over Peterson and I wouldn't even take him over Darren McFadden, but some how the Texans were completely retarded by not taking him.
I guess Bush and Young are franchise stalwarts who are far and wide better than Mario. Gimme a break. Mario's stat line is 23 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 defensive TD. Not bad considering he's playing on one of the youngest defenses in the league. Not bad considering that the offense can't stay on the field and the defense can't get off, not bad considering that Petey ####gins could be the worst starting CB in all of professional football, not bad considering that the two starting safeties are both no names, 1 was drafted in the 6th round by the Colts and cut and the other was an undrafted free agent signed by the Ravens then signed with the Giants then CUT, not bad considering that everyone behind Mario besides Dunta Robinson and DeMeco Ryans are completely useless and wouldn't start on 90% of the NFL teams in the league. But some how Mario Williams is the one to blame, some how Mario Willims is the player that should win games all by himself. What a bunch of total ####.
I understand that he needs to pick his game up and play with more passion, but he's been ultra consistent this year. He never gets hurt and he plays with great explosion and atheticism. Coach Gary Kubiack has been pleased with Mario performance more than any other player including the beloved DeMeco and Dunta. And we all know that if Kubiak doesn't like whats going on with a player he doesn't have any problem sharing it with the media and the fans. David Carr anyone?
So in essence I think we owe it to Mario just like we owe to other top draft picks to let them adjust and get totally acclimated to the NFL and the lifestyle of playing football as a career. Just like we allow Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, Alex Smith, Matt Leinart, Michael Huff, A.J. Hawk and many many others. To dump on Mario Williams because it's the popular thing to do seems sort of lame and kind of a cop out, especially if you've never watched him play and are going by what some TV analyst says.
I don't care what anyone says, the kind of #### Palmer has had to put up with this year and last makes him the best in the NFL. Name one QB who puts up the kind of #### Palmer does and I'll show you a liar.
I'm not gonna spit out stats, I don't need too, Palmer is better than Romo, Garcia, Favre, Hasselback, Eli, and whoever else is having good years. And yes Palmer is better than Manning and Brady. So there I said it. I'm so tired of Palmer getting overlooked because he plays on a horrific team. Manning has undying respect from his players and Brady has the ultimate team. What does Palmer have? Chad Johnson and T.J. What else? Levi sucks, Willie's hurt, Henry is an ####, and Rudi is finally breaking down. And don't even get me started on the defense. They couldn't stop my 90 year-old Greek grandmother who can't speak English. The defense has looked worse than wet toilet paper. So tell me again why Palmer isn't mentioned with the top 2 anymore?
He's my hero, he stands up for himself doesn't let ego maniacs run him and he's not afraid to take the game into his own hands because the coaching staff has their heads so far up their a$s their picking #### out of their teeth. It's amazing how a guy can go from being on his way to the Hall to not even being mentioned as a top QB. Did you know that Palmer, even with a 2-4 record, can still go to the Pro-Bowl? I mean that's freakin amazing.
Look I'm not saying he doesn't need to pick his game up, but what I'm saying is that Palmer went from top 3 to underrated. How? He's easily the most talented and the most strong willed QB in the league given the circumstances. Nobody plays with a group of malcontents like he does. Carson Palmer is the best QB in the league. Period.
Coach Green built this offense on putting up 30 to 35 points a game. Sort of like his Vikes in the late '90's. He built this offense on scoring with quick strikes and down field bombs. But what I saw on Monday was a disgrace. Even Edge was a part of a high powered O in Indy. It's amazing that a coach who was supposed to be pretty smart offensively made a very talented group look so college and mediocre.
The run, run, run, run and run some more offense was a slap in the Cards fans faces. Everyone konws that when the Cards play they are an high powered offensive team. Yeah their O-Line is weak so what. They didn't seem to have trouble putting up points last year, and Russ Grimm was supposed to fix the Line anyway. What we saw was a total lack of use in the Cards' main weapons; Boldin and Fitzgerald.
I also don't want to hear about how the 49ers defense was all that great either. They are a solid defense but if you compared tham to the Cards offense in terms of talent the Cardinals win everytime. It's just a matter of how you use the talent. Mike Nolan uses his defensive talent perfect, while Ken Whisenhunt uses his offensive talent poorly.
We'll see if Whisenhunt makes the adjustments to allow this offense to take flight. If he doesn't and the Cards have another loosing season he will be looked at as a failure especially if the Cards aren't around 7-9 or 8-8. This team has the talent and the ability to be a playoff contender. If the Packers can go 8-8 like last year or the Redskins and Bucs can go to the playoffs in '05 then the Cards can make a run at the divisional title.
My boy was a one man wrecking crew on Sunday. Super Mario racked up 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery for a......that's right biaaaaaatch......a 40 yard TD.
Mario was so dominant that by the end of the game the Chiefs were not just doubling him off the snap but even using chips and TE's to try to control him with the double. And also there were even a few times during running plays that he was being TRIPLED. Yeah, that's right, tripled poeple. Herm Edwards knew that Mario is a different level than other defensive lineman and that to at least have a chance the Chiefs would have to control him. They didn't.
During the 1rst quarter he switched from the right to the left and went up against Kyle Turley. As the ball was snapped Mario got off the line like Howitzer and charged Turley. Mario hit Turley so hard that he looked as if he were doing jumping jacks going backwords in the middle of a play. Needless to say that was the last time Turley went up against Mario one-on-one again.
Mario Williams was a total terror in yesterday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was chasing plays down from behind and getting constant pressure on the quarterback. He was also being moved from left to right all game giving Huard a difficult time trying to fing him. He in essence was a total beast who was uncontrolled by anyone yesterday. Mario showed his dominance against yes, a lowly Chiefs team, but non the less was a NFL team. He showed yesterday why the Texans drafted him with the 2006 #1 overall pick and he showed what a domianant defensive force can do to win the game and what a player can do to get his team fired up.
Mario will be a Pro-Bowl player and this isn't coming from some lame who just watched yesterday's game, this is someone who has been watching Mario since his soph.days at NC State. He has the ability to be great and this year WILL BE his breakout year into becoming a Pro-Bowl player.
As I page through the new NFL preview mags and the many, many NFL websites I can’t help but feel something special in the air this year. Most of the time I’ve said this in all previous years, but this year seems different and the excitement is almost to a boiling point within me. The stories and the drama that will make up this years NFL season will be like a super reality series that will come to a volcanic climax on Super Bowl Sunday eight months from now. But when the season unfolds on September 6th in Indianapolis when the Saints take on the Colts we as the typical football fan will be in utter bliss. This year more than ever will be some of the most interesting and intriguing plots and sub-plots the NFL and their respective fans will have ever seen. Every team except Oakland, who should be picking in the top five of the 2008 NFL Draft, will have an appealing story line. And even they have an interesting plot going into the ’07 season.
One of the more interesting, actually probably the most fascinating stories that will be followed this year will be the play of the New England Patriots. With the huge free agent signings of Adalius Thomas and Donte Stallworth along with the subsequent trade for Wes Welker that cost the Pats 2007 2nd and 7th round draft choices. Not to mention the Pats only having one pick on the first day of the draft that landed them Brandon Meriweather, the troubled safety from the U. And easily one of the most immense stories of the past few years was the gigantic draft day deal that sent Randy Moss to the Patriots for a 4th round pick. This consequently could be the most important and the most closely watched stories of the entire year. How could you not be completely fascinated with the New England Patriots this year? This story line will yield how Bill Belichick can rope in the wild and ego eccentric Moss, who could quite be the most talented wide out to ever put on the pads, but not necessarily the hardest working. Most non-Moss fans will say that the Pats sold their soul for another run at the Super Bowl and that Moss is going to be Moss no matter where he goes because he’s going to bring himself along. But to the entire nay Sayers against Moss apparently Belichick, Tom Brady and even Brett Favre all think he is something special or they wouldn’t have made such a fuss to garner him. And as far as I’m concerned Belichick, Brady and Favre all carry a little more weight than any fan or any NFL analyst. But I regress. The story of the 2007 New England Patriots is going to be a highly watched one even more so than the Dallas Cowboys of last year, because unlike Dallas, New England actually has an excellent chance of winning their forth championship in the past six seasons.
The Patriots aren’t the only team that has a story line raising eyebrows this coming season. The San Diego Chargers who probably have the best all around team on paper even have questions that must be answered. Can Norv Turner who has failed at his last two coaching jobs, Washington and Oakland, succeed in San Diego? Will LaDainian Tomilinson add to his MVP performance of 2006 with another MVP showing? What about the departure of Donnie Edwards? Will the Chargers be affected by the absence of Edwards or will Matt Whilhelm be able to take over and the defense not miss a beat? Also, what about Philip Rivers? Will Rivers be the quarterback that we all saw at the beginning of the 2006 season or will he be the QB we saw struggle at the end of last year? Will Shawn Merriman repeat as the sack leader in only his third year after missing time to substance suspension? Lastly, what about rookie Eric Weddle? The safety from Utah was the most coveted player the Chargers drafted giving up multiple picks this year and next year, will he be the safety the Chargers have been in so desperate need of or will the Chargers be regretting the fact that they didn’t sign a veteran during the off-season? These questions and more will be answered this upcoming season.
The Chargers and the Patriots along with the Indianapolis Colts all have the best chance of taking home the crown, but the teams to watch will be the teams challenging for the other three playoff spots in the AFC. Will the Jets be able to build on last years amazing turn around? Will Chad Pennington be able to survive another full sixteen game schedule? What about Thomas Jones? Will he be able to carry the rushing work load that Eric Mangini will install and more importantly succeed?
The Baltimore Ravens were two games away from the Super Bowl last year. Will they be able to get over that hump this year with aging players Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, and Steve McNair? And how much does the aging Raven defense have left? Will they be able to duplicate their success this year and be one of the stingiest defenses in the league? Will Willis McGahee live up to his title of being the best running back in the league behind the Raven offensive line, or will he flop and be just as much of a distraction this year as he was last year when he played in Buffalo?
Will the Cincinnati Bengals ever live up to the hype? Will Carson Palmer be able to propel his team over the good mark and turn them into elite? Will Willie Anderson continue to be the standard for offensive right tackles at his age? Will Andrew Whitworth be able to fill the massive shoes left by OG Eric Steinbach? Will the defense ever get it? Will Justin Smith finally live up to his lofty 4th overall draft selection and produce like a franchise defensive end? How well will Leon Hall play in his rookie year? Will Jonathan Joseph along with Leon Hall be the new Antoine Winfield and Nate Clements? Will David Pollack ever be able to come back from his horrendous neck injury he suffered in week 1 of last year? And speaking of linebackers how well will Ahmad Brooks do as the starting MLB? Will Brooks be the star everyone says he can be? Will Ahmad Brooks be able to be the leader of the Bengal defense that Coach Marvin Lewis so desperately needs?
What about the Denver Broncos? Will they be able to completely forget about the wasted year that was 2006? Will Coach Mike Shanahan ever be able to return to the promise land with a QB not named John Elway? Will Jay Cutler live up the expectations of being the next great gunslinger, a la Brett Favre? How will the rushing attack be once Travis Henry becomes familiar with the Bronco kind of running style? Will Travis Henry be the missing piece they haven’t had since the loss of Clinton Portis? Will the offensive line hold up for one more run at Super Sunday? How will the defense react to the loss of long time leader Al Wilson? Will D.J. Williams be able to take over the Mike duties with the tenacity that Wilson did? How much does superman John #### have left? Will Dre Bly be content with being the number 2 corner, or will his ego and mouth be more trouble than its worth?
The Chiefs are another team at a cross roads and their story line will be interesting from the stand point of how will Herm Edwards react to not having Trent Green? Or how will Larry Johnson hold up to another pounding that Herm will inflict on him by having Larry carry the ball 400 plus times? Will the Chiefs’ secondary with 10 plus year veterans Ty Law and Patrick Surtain be able to play up to their high standards and the live up to the fans’ expectations? Will Jared Allen and Tambi Hali become one of the best young defensive end duos in the NFL? Does Tony Gonzalez have another Pro-Bowl year in him or will the constant focus of the defense give way to the decline of the aging superstar? Can Damon Huard be legit QB, or is Kansas City just buying more time for Brodie Croyle? Will MLB Donnie Edwards resurrect his career in Kansas City as a WLB? But most importantly can the Kansas City Chiefs finally break into the playoffs after a 5 year drought and will Herm Edwards be the coach that everyone expects him to be? Or will the Kansas City stop on the Herm Edwards express be yet another failure and more evidence that Edwards isn’t NFL coaching material.
What about the other AFC teams that is on the cusp of playoff contenders? Are the Pittsburg Steelers, a team that is only two years removed from being Super Bowl champs, back to there 2005 form or are they back to the drawing board? Is Big Ben Rothlisberger back to his Super Bowl, Pro Bowl form or is the quarterback that led the league in interceptions last year the guy behind center? What about the new regime? Will Mike Tomlin be able to have the more than ten years of success and respectability that Bill Cowher demanded? Will Willie Parker be able to duplicate the Pro-Bowl form of last year or will the Pittsburg brass be regretting not taking a bruising tail back in this past April’s draft? What does the future hold for the Pittsburg defense? Will they stay the same using a multiple 3-4 base defense? Or will they now incorporate Tomlin’s base 4-3 scheme into their repertoire? What will the future hold for first ballot Hall of Fame, All-World guard Alan Faneca at the end of the 2007 season? Are the Pittsburg Steelers building from square one or will they pick up were they left off after their improbable run to the Super Bowl in the 2005 season?
If there was ever a team that could duplicate a repeat of a championship it would have to be the Indianapolis Colts. Can they do it? Can Peyton Manning do the unthinkable and follow up his Super Bowl MVP with another run to Super Sunday? Can Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne be as reliable as ever and provide Manning with one of the most consistent receiving duo in the league? Can Joseph Addai be the running back everyone in Indy thinks he can be? Can Addai fill the huge void left by Edgerrin James and be the primary back? Will the defensive line ever be able to be a force against the run or will the run defense be the Achilles for the Colts’ defense? But most importantly will Peyton only win one champion?
The Jaguars, once a team on the ascension, have been struggling with a QB controversy the past year and are at the end of the line with former top 10 draft pick Byron Leftwich. Will the 2007 season be Byron’s last year in Jacksonville? Will his backup, David Garrard, be the quarterback of the future? If not Garrard or Leftwich where does this team turn? They passed on Brady Quinn in this past April’s draft and I truly don’t believe that the Jags will be bad enough to pick atop the 2008 NFL Draft to get a shot at top QB prospect Brian Brohm. The good news on offense is that the Jags have two quality running backs in 9 year veteran Fred Taylor and second year man Maurice Jones-Drew. You can’t really talk about the backs without asking the question of can Fred Taylor stay healthy for the full year? If he can’t can Maurice Jones-Drew be the feature back? Will Jones-Drew be able to carry the ball 20-25 times a game like Taylor? Another major
Impact player that needs to come back from his injury last year is Greg Jones. Jones, one of coach Jack Del-Rio’s favorite go to guys, has to be the player he was before his season ending injury. Can he be that player? Can the receiving corps live up to their lofty expectations? Can Reggie Williams build off of a solid 2006 and finally become that impact player that Jacksonville envisioned when drafting him with their 2004 top 10 pick? Will Matt Jones be able to finally learn the nuances of the wide receiver position? Will Matt Jones be more of an offensive down the field threat instead just a big red zone target? Although there are many questions on the Jags offense, the defense is more than capable of playing at a high level and shutting down opposing offenses. The only questions I can even think of is there a DE on this team that can consistently get after the quarterback? Can Reggie Hayward be that guy? Or is he just another high priced free agent bust? And can FS Reggie Nelson take over for fan favorite, Deon Grant? The defense is more than playoff and Super Bowl worthy, but the real question for the Jags is can there offense finally come together and lead this team into contention?
The Tennessee Titans were one of the Cinderella stories of the 2006 season and Vince Young solidified himself as the next big thing. Will the off the field issues of Pac-Man Jones still be a distraction or is this team finally through with their former top 10 pick? Will the absence of Travis Henry be the subtraction that most limits the Titans? Can LenDale White ever recapture that amazing potential we all saw during his days at USC? Can anyone of the Titans’ receivers stand out this year? Or will Young be left by himself to repeat his death defying performances of last season? Can Albert Hanynesworth ever be the guy the Titans envisioned him being when they selected him in the 1rst round? And most importantly can the Titans build on last year or will they regress to the misery that is the land of the bottom feeders?
Buffalo has been on the fence the last couple of season bordering on mediocrity and solid. Can this prove different with J.P. Losman at the helms? Or will Losman just be another non-factor? Can he live up to his success of last years unthinkable 8 wins? Will Marshawn #### be able to replace Willis McGahee or we #### be another Cal disappointment along the lines of J.J. Arrington and Aaron Rogers? Can the Bills defense ever get back to the stingy days of early this century? Can John McCargo become the beastly DT that Marv Levey thinks he can be? Will Paul Posluszny become the force that the Bills need in their LB corps? Also will Posluszny make the teams that passed on him regret it with his excellent instincts and nasty style of play? And can Ko Simpson and Donte Whitner build on last year’s chemistry to become the best young safety duo in the NFL?
The Cleveland Browns have had one of the better off-season builds of all 32 teams. The 2007 NFL Draft could go down as the draft that put the Browns on the map the same as the ’96 NFL Draft did with the Baltimore Ravens when they selected Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. Cleveland selected the behemoth OLT Joe Thomas with the 3rd overall selection and then went onto pull of one the biggest moves in the off-season by trading back into the 1rst round and selecting home town boy Brady Quinn. Can Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas do for Cleveland the way Ogden and Lewis did for Baltimore? And when will Brady Quinn get the call to start? Can Quinn shake the stigma of not being able to handle the pressure situations? As for the rest of the Browns can they ever become a winning franchise or will this be another year of bad luck and disappointment? Will this be Romeo Crenel’s last year? Will he be the one former Bill Belichik protégé that doesn’t succeed? Can Kamerion Wimbley build on his impressive rookie campaign? Will the Browns cornerbacks ever be able to stop anyone? Will Sean Jones be able to take the next step to the Pro-Bowl? And will Brodney Pool ever live up to his 2nd round billing? How much does the former Louisville 1rst rounder Ted Washington have left in the tank in his 17th year? Will Cleveland’s two most talented players, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow II, take the next step to super stardom and live up to the fans’ expectations?
The Houston Texans are finally through the David Carr era and are now entering the Matt Schaub age. Will Gary Kubiack and Matt Schaub have that powerful relationship that other great coach and quarterbacks have had such as Brady and Belichik, Elway and Shanahan, Montana and Walsh and Favre and Holmgren? Will the addition of Ahman Green give some energy and excitement to an anemic running game? Will Andre Johnson be by himself again or will one of the young receivers step up and take the #2 job? Can Jerome Mathis return to his Pro-Bowl form of returning kicks? Will Jacoby Jones be able to handle the jump from lowly Lane College to the NFL? The defense seems to be the most important part of the success to the Houston Texans organization if you take how they’ve been drafting into account. Will this defense be the backbone of the Texans? Can the defensive line made of almost entirely of 1rst round draft picks live up to the high expectations? Will Amobi Okoye be able to handle the strength and power of the interior at such a young age? Or will his learning curve take longer than expected? Can Jason Babin build of a strong 2006 season and break the 10 sack mark? Was DeMeco Ryans’ rookie season a fluke are will he be the next great NFL MLB? Can he sustain a high level of play in his 2nd year or will he be plagued by the dreaded sophomore slump? Can Dunte Robinson reach the elite level of other press corners or will he be just another solid NFL CB? What will happen with the Texans two safety spots? Can these two positions be strength or will it once again be the Achilles of the defense? And most importantly for the Houston Texans success, can Mario Williams quiet the nay Sayers? Will he be able to prove to everyone that the Texans made the right choice by taking him with the #1 overall pick in 2006? Can he break into the elite company of Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney and Jason Taylor? And will the Texan fans finally embrace him as one of their own?
What about the Miami Dolphins? Can Cam Cameron turn this once glorious franchise around and out of the gutter? Or will they forever be in the dire portion of substandard teams? Can they make a run while Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor; the teams’ only Hall of Fame players are still productive? And really how much does Zach Thomas, in his 12th year, and Jason Taylor, in his 11th year, has left in the tank? Will Trent Green be able to bring his efficacy and leadership to the Dolphins? Can Ronnie Brown make the jump to becoming one of the top backs in the league? Will he ever justify his #2 overall pick status? Can Chris Chambers recapture his 2005 form when he was one of the more dangerous receiving threats in the game? What about the Dolphins secondary? Can the corner backs with stand a full season of being one of the weaker units in the league? Will the safeties be a revolving door or will there be consistency with them? Can Jason Allen live up to his 1rst round billing or is he just another Nick Saban picked bust? Will Joey Porter be able recapture his Steelers form or was the Pittsburg organization justified in letting him go? Can the O-Line block somebody and begin to be a cohesive unit? Will Ted Ginn Jr. be a star in the making? Or was he figment of huge draft hype? Can he be a playmaker or were the fans that booed his selection right? Will the passing on Brady Quinn begin to haunt this team starting this year? Will the Miami Dolphins be selecting in the top 5 of the 2008 NFL Draft?
The Oakland Raiders were easily the worst team last year and could’ve quite possibly been one of the worst teams in the history of the league, or at least in the salary cap era. Will this team be on the ascension or will they be, once again, the worst team in the NFL? Can this team win more than 5 games this year? Who will be their starting quarterback? Will Dunte Culpepper be able to revive his once super star career? Can Joey Porter play by the rules or will this be his last chance in Oakland? Will Mike Williams ever be able to live up to his top 10 overall pick? Can he become the receiver so many thought he could be under his old offensive coordinator at USC? And speaking of coaching, will Lane Kiffin make Al Davis look like a genius are like an old kook? Is Robert Gallery a bust? Remember he was drafted in the Eli Manning draft and we don’t consider Manning a bust. So I’ll repeat, is Robert Gallery a bust? Can he live up to the huge expectations of the Raider fans and Oakland front office? And will the O-Line have some sort of organization to it this year or will they be once again the worst in the NFL? Can LaMont Jordan be the back Al David wants or will he be another high priced FA bust? As for the defense the Raiders were ranked as one of the top units in the league, can they do it again? How long can Warren Sapp play at such a high level? Can Gerard Warren be a brick wall defender or he reverts back to his bust days in Cleveland? Can Fabian Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha become one of the elite CB tandems in the NFL? Will Asomugha build on his unbelievable performance of 2006 and finally make the Pro-Bowl in 2007? Can Kirk Morrison crack the elite status of his own? Will Morrison be recognized as one of the true up and comers of the MLB position in the NFL? What about Thomas Howard? Howard could quite possible be the most athletic and fastest OLB in the entire league, can he become an elite LB? And will Michael Huff live up to his top 10 pick status? Can Huff break into the level of other great safeties like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Sean Taylor, Brian Dawkins, Roy Williams and Adrian Wilson? And will Huff fortify the Raider secondary to assemble one of the best secondaries in the NFL?
These and other inquiries will all be answered come the end of January. But more important than all of these questions and their subsequent answers is us the fan. This year will be a special year for the fan because the NFL is bigger than ever. The popularity of the sport has grown into a magnificent beast that will even take a regular season game overseas. Of all the leagues the NFL, even more than the MLB, is the league that I’m the most proud of being a citizen of the United States. Every year I cherish this first week of football because I know that the next 5 months will be action packed and more exciting than all the other sports put together. We as the fans can’t wait for these questions to be answered and we can’t wait for the next batch of questions. So in closing all I can say is, “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?”
In terms of the NFL scouting services could the USC starting LB corp be the best ever? Keith Rivers would have been a 1rst rounder had he come out this year. Sorry Carolina, Pittsburg, and Buffalo (P. Posluszny 2nd round) fans but Keith Rivers is better than all 3 of your LB choices, but he really isn't why I'm posting this. Rivers we all know about, actually any draftnik has known about Rivers since his soph. year 2 seasons ago, the other two future superstars are Brian Cushing and the baddest MLB the NCAA has seen since Brian Urlacher, Rey Maualuga.
Can there be or was there a better LB unit that played together in terms of all three being selected in the 1rst round of the NFL Draft? I doubt it.
Like I said, Rivers we all know about, but Brian Cushing could be the next big 3-4 LB that comes out of college. He certainly can rush the passer as we saw last year with more blitzing responsibility, but he can also cover like a typical 4-3 LB. Brian Cushing is going to be what Bobby Carpenter was supposed to be in Dallas. Cushing at 6-4 245lbs is the perfect strong side 3-4 LB. He can play the run and rush the passer along with having to play in coverage. San Fransico could certainly use him opposite Manny Lawson on the strong side. Also Miami, New England, and now that Arizona is using 3-4 looks would all love to have Cushing manning the strong side. He has 4.6 speed and pretty smooth hips for a big white boy with great size. And coming from a winning program, you can't teach leadership and confidence like he has.
My favorite LB though on the USC defense is hands down is MLB Rey Maualuga. There isn't a nastier player in all of college. Nobody and I mean nobody plays with fiery passion and pure aggression that Maualuga plays with. He plays like a certain San Diego player by the name of Shawn Merriman. Shawn plays with an utter disregard for destruction and chaos. And so does Rey. Maualuga plays to hurt someone and when you see him play you can see that pure hatred for the opposing team. Also not to mention that he is probably the most athletic LB at his position in the entire nation. Maualuga can run in the high 4.5's at 6'1 250lbs. along with being able to have the ability to cover running backs and tight ends and he also adds the up-the-middle pass rush that Ray Lewis uses. Maualuga also has the leadership qualities that most his age just don't aquire without experience. He seems to have been born with it and as a true junior has certainly showed it. With that said there is a small amount of anger control issues he has to be able to control off the field. Let's just say he isn't one to back down from a fight. I'll just leave it at that.
I seriously can't think of a better three to have as your starting linebacking corp. All three of these guys is a potential superstar at the NFL level. And all three will be a 1rst round pick. I don't even think the great Miami U. teams had all three starting linebackers go in the same 1rst round. If you have a chance to actually sit down and watch the Trojans this year and watch them please pay attention to the LB corp. Now there will be other linebackers who will get more publicity than Rey, Brian, and Keith such as James Laurinaitis and Dan Conner but know this niether of them is better than Maualuga or Rivers, maybe Cushing, but only because he's more of a 3-4 OLB. I know it's hard to notice them while watching USC especially with all the hype and question marks that will be around the offense this year, but trust me these guys will wow you. So sit back and watch the fireworks.
Is it just me or are the Detroit Lions making sure they are set for the eventual early departure of Rob Marinelli. It seems to me that Matt Millan is setting up Marinelli to take the fall if the Lions don’t make a significant improvement in 2007. Rob Marinelli is known as a defensive, hard nosed coaching mind that is more o####eneral than a NFL coach. And if a track record counts for anything it looks to me as if Millan will have no qualms about giving Rob Marinelli the pink slip in favor of keeping Mike Martz around.
This upcoming season will likely unfold like this, the Detroit Lions will win no more than 6 games at absolute best and in all honesty that would be making a vast improvement compared to last years fiasco. But to the Detroit Lion fans 6 wins won’t be enough to keep the boo birds and paper bags from coming out to Ford Field and the fans this year more than any other year will demand a change. Most likely the fans will want the head of Matt Millan on a plate, but if past track records are taken into account the fans won’t get that. What will happen is that Rob Marinelli will take the fall just as Mariucci did before him and Matt Millan will escape firing buy the skin of his teeth……again.
If all this should happen and obviously this is pure speculation, the next coach that will be looked at to take the Lions gig would already be under employment by the organization. That person would be Mike Martz. Mike Martz could be setting up a coup as we speak now that he has legitimate offensive weapons to scheme for. With the drafting of Calvin Johnson and quarterback Drew Stanton in this past Saturday’s draft the offensive coordinator is making his move for more power. As we all know the offensive schemes of last years Detroit Lions was based totally around the mind of Mike Martz. Without Martz the system would have been worse than the defense in terms of productivity. Jon Kitna had a career year last year in terms of statistics, and their best offensive playmaker, Roy Williams, also had a career year which ended him up in Hawaii for the first time. The front office also made some big personnel moves by adding offensive right tackle George Foster and adding a punishing big back in T.J. Duckett. The signing of former St. Louis Rams and Georg Foster says more about where this team is going than anything else. With that signing Matt Millan was following the success of what Martz had in St. Louis. In St. Louis Martz had two 1rst round tackles in Orlando Pace and Alex Barron as he now has in Detroit with George Foster and Jeff Backus. The signing and then the success of Mike Furrey also says a lot about what kind of players can succeed in Mike Martz’ system. Another one of Mike Martz’ disciples, Kevin Curtis, was a highly touted free agent, but ended up singing with Philadelphia. But the attempt at the Curtis acquisition speaks volumes of how much confidence Matt Millan has in Mike Martz and his past accomplishments.
In the NFL, defense might win championships but as we all know offense sells tickets. And believe me when I say this, Mike Martz knows how to sell tickets. He once was the ring leader of “the Greatest Show on Turf.” During that time in St. Louis he was considered a master mind, mad scientist of offensive schemes. If you look at some of the past contenders in the last 5 or 6 years you will see that offensive teams have succeeded and sold more tickets than defensive minded teams. Just look at the success of a few teams like Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, Minnesota (1998-2003) and Kansas City (with #### Vermeil) compared to the defensive teams like Buffalo, Miami, New York Jets, Jacksonville, and Washington (except 2006). All of these teams were based solely on scoring more than their opponent. And all of these teams are widely successful in terms of generating funds and profits. Of the five teams I mentioned two are past Super Bowl winners, with St. Louis going to two Super Bowls and three NFC championship games. And who was the offensive mind behind all three St. Louis teams? That’s right, Mike Martz. He might have left St. Louis on bad terms and he might have left the defense in even worse shape, but he still sold tickets. Did you know last year was the first year that a Rams home game wasn’t sold out? That never happened with Martz. Now, I’m not saying that Scott Linehan isn’t a solid coach, but Mike Martz is a proven winner of a Super Bowl as a coordinator and a NFC Championship as a coach.
Take a look at what Mike Martz has to work with in Detroit. First of all he has that veteran presence in Jon Kitna which Martz absolutely loves. But now Martz has Drew Stanton which will now be his new project he can tinker with and mold into his QB of the future, not Marinelli. Martz, in the newly drafted stud Calvin Johnson, now has his two wide-outs just as he did in St. Louis with Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce. His running back situation is a little cloudy, but Martz has confidence in Kevin Jones to succeed in his system. Jones is a very good all around back. Kevin possesses not only the ability to run between the tackles but also has the ability to catch passes and make plays out of the back field just as Mike Martz likes. If he can stay healthy Jones will have no option but to succeed. Martz’ offensive line needs a little work, but with the signing of George Foster that gives him a decent to solid option at the right tackle spot on the o-line. And never mind the tight end spot, because as we all know Martz doesn’t need no stinkin’ tight end.
Okay, I know this is pure speculation, but you can never count out Mike Martz. Everyone knows that Martz loathes being an offensive coordinator and wants more than anything to be a head coach again. I truly believe that his next gig will be the head coach of the Detroit Lions, and I definitely don’t think that is a bad thing for the Detroit fans though. Mike Martz can make you relevant again in terms of offense, he can turn offensive stars into superstars and good players into great players. He can devise game plans that can be very entertaining to the average fan. He might not have a clue on what to do with a base 4-3 or how to stop the run, but damn it he can score 30 routinely. In short Martz can sell tickets and as we all know selling tickets would be considered a success to the Ford family and their adopted son Matt Millan. Martz can only be a background figure for so long before being the main character, this could be his year to break through and steal the coaching job from Rob Marinelli.
Randy Moss being dealt to the New England Patriots literally made me cry, I’m dead serious, there were actually tears. When I was sitting in front of the plasma and the ESPN draft day crew announced the Randy Moss was heading to the East Coast to play on Tom Brady’s offense I was so ecstatic. I probably called about ten people just to yell on the phone to all my buddies about the transaction. I swear, I think I’m on about 5 or 6 call blocks from my boys. All kidding aside though, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing on Sunday when I heard the news. Moss is now on the fast track to the Hall.
On the 2nd day of the NFL Draft Randy Moss was traded for a 4th round pick to the New England Patriots. I wrote in another post that I believed that Cleveland had stolen the 2007 draft. The Browns did in terms of actually drafting 2 top 5 prospects in the 1rst round. But New England literally ripped off Randy Moss from Oakland. Yes, I know Randy Moss had become even a bigger malcontent in Oakland than he was in Minnesota, but let’s take a look at what Oakland has to work with without Moss.
Oakland’s first problem going into the 2008 season all starts up front. As much as I love Zach Miller, the TE from Arizona State, he’s a TIGHT END not an offensive lineman. Passing on Ryan Kalil, Tony Ugoh, Aaron Sears, and Justin Blalock in my opinion was their biggest mistake of the draft. They did draft Mario Henderson, the offensive tackle out of Florida State, but the 6’6 305 lbs. tackle isn’t exactly a huge addition to the fledgling o-line. For a team the suffered one of the most embarrassing seasons at the expense of the offensive lineman, you’d think that the o-line corps would be addressed with several draft picks. But typical Al Davis, who chooses sexy over practical, took Johnnie Lee Higgins (99th overall) who was one of the fastest wide receivers in the 2007 draft. Davis also drafted Michael Bush (100th overall), running back out of Louisville, who was coming into the draft with one of the biggest question marks because of his gigantic leg injury. Michael Bush dropped further than anybody even with his potential because of the major concerns over his broken leg. This injury wasn’t the same kind of injury Willis McGhee suffered and came off of, but worse because rods and screws are involved. Bush may never play football again yet Davis used the 1rst pick of day 2 on him.
The draft picks made by the Oakland Raiders didn’t improve the overall talent of the offense. And the offense is where the talent needed the most improving. Using draft picks on a tight end, 2 wide receivers, a running back, a full back and just one OT is just unacceptable. And with 4 other draft picks the Raiders took 2 defensive ends, a corner back and a safety to go along with one of the best pass defenses going into the 2008 season. Why? That part of their defense is solid, if the Raiders were going to go defense, they should have picked up a run stuffer like Tank Tyler, not an underachieving pass rusher like Quenten Moses. But that wasn’t the biggest duh moment of the draft. That came with this blunder, the trade of Randy Moss to the Patriots for a nothing 4th round pick. Already suffering a total lack of playmakers the Raiders sold their only playmaking receiver for tidally winks.
My main point was that I don’t care what happens with the Oakland Raiders, even though I do root for them, I only care about what’s in store for the future of one of the greatest talents at WR this game has ever seen. I believe that it’s pretty easy to answer. Hall of Fame. Randy Moss is now, finally after being subjected to that purgatory in Oakland, on the fast track to greatness. Randy Moss will finally be playing with a competent quarterback, which he has never had. Even with a young Dante Culpepper, Moss never had that total trust in his quarterback like he’ll now have with Tom Brady. Culpepper doesn’t demand the same kind of respect that Tom Brady does. Culpepper doesn’t have the same kind of winner’s swagger that Tom Brady has. And Dante Culpepper doesn’t have the same kind of ability that Tom Brady has. All of these things are what Randy Moss has been craving for since he’s entered the league. There is one thing you have to respect about Randy Moss, even if you don’t like him, you still have to respect him for being all about the “W”. Randy Moss wants to win more than improving his stats, Moss wants to win more than being liked by his teammates, he wants to win more than being liked by the fans, and he wants to win more than being liked by his coaches and front office. If there was ever a person who fully understood the notion that winning cures everything it was Randy.
In all honestly I don’t have to explain the ways in which the Patriots are better than the Raiders. I don’t have to sit here and explain to you how the running game, offensive line, wide receivers, defense, and coaching staff are head and shoulders above the Oakland Raiders. But what I will say is that as happy as Randy Moss is going to play for a perennial powerhouse such as the New England Patriots, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are just as excited. Congratulations Patriots fans you guys are in for a very wild ride that will probably end with Moss hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
What happened this past weekend? What happened to the comparisons to Tom Brady and the label of the most NFL ready quarterback? What happened with Miami praying to the football gods that a certain someone falls in their lap? In essence what the hell happened with one of the most hyped Notre Dame quarterbacks this league has ever seen?
Well this is what happened. It was around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28th 2007 and the Cleveland Browns were on the clock for the 3rd overall draft pick. Simply put, the Browns pass on the Charlie Weiss’ protégé for a Wisconsin offensive left tackle named Joe Thomas. So on to the next team who is looking for a formidable quarterback. As for the next picks; Tampa Bay, Arizona and Washington they weren’t interested in spending their 1rst round pick on a quarterback. Minnesota on the other hand is relying on a 2006 2nd round pick out of Alabama State, Tarvaris Jackson. But Minnesota had luck of their own when Adrian Peterson fell to them at the 7th pick, so their 1rst pick of the draft was a pretty simple one. They simply took one of the most talented and most athletic players in the entire draft and probably the best pure running back to come out of college in the past decade in Peterson. So Minnesota was the second team who chose not to take the Notre Dame alum. Atlanta was next at 8, and obviously they have Michael Vick, so they weren’t interested. But old reliable was on the clock next with the 9th overall pick. Miami had been in the same boat as Oakland, Detroit, and Cleveland. They all need a starting franchise quarterback who will be the face of the organization for the next ten years. So Miami was not only a given but, they were incredibly lucky they didn’t have to move up to grab him. But then comes the first curveball of the draft. Miami passed on Quinn. WHAT?! Was the reaction of every expert, fan and analyst Mel Kiper of ESPN was absolutely stunned at the Dolphins and then started to berate them because of their obvious blunder. When the camera panned over to Brady Quinn a picture was worth a thousand words when we saw his reaction the minute Miami passed on him for Ted Ginn Jr. “Wow that was unexpected.”
So now what? Now what is the next move for a quarterback who is obviously dropping faster than a fat kid doing a belly flop? In an unprecedented move by Roger Goodell, the commissioner moved Brady and the rest of his family to an undisclosed room at Radio City Music Hall to shield him and his family from the prying eye of the media and the fans. It worked, not even ESPN or the NFL Network could get to him whenever they please. It was looking bleak for the Heisman Trophy candidate. Until the commissioner had announced another trade, where the Dallas Cowboys were to give up their 1rst round pick (22nd overall) for the Browns’ 2nd round pick (35th overall). Finally the wait was over and the so called “most NFL ready quarterback was off the board” and just in time too, because hadn’t the Browns moved up the Kansas City Chiefs would have certainly made the pick on Brady Quinn.
So was Cleveland the winner of the draft? Five years from now do you think we’ll be saying that the Cleveland Browns stole the 2007 NFL Draft? I certainly do, well at least for right now. Let’s just take a look at what happened from afar. Their 1rst pick was an excellent one, with the selection of a franchise left tackle. That pick was a no brainer. But as for their second 1rst round pick, the #22nd pick, I believe the front office absolutely played the game the way it was supposed to be played. Some television analysts have commented on Scott Pioli pulling this same thing in Baltimore with Ozzie Newsome for Kyle Boller. But if you think about it, when Kyle Boller was coming out of college there wasn’t anywhere near the admiration for him as there was for Brady Quinn. Nobody called Kyle Boller a top 3 pick, nor dared to call him the 1rst pick overall. But with Quinn the Cleveland Browns got two top 5 picks in terms of value. How in the hell couldn’t Cleveland do that? Some fans and analysts have been saying the Browns gave up too much, because let’s be honest the Browns aren’t exactly playoff contenders, especially being in that division with Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburg. Well that’s true but there is no guarantee that the Browns would have a shot at Chad Henne and to be as real as possible the Browns aren’t going to have another top 3 pick to have a shot the #1 QB next year, Brian Brohm. So in essence the Cleveland Browns took the gamble and bet on Quinn and Joe Thomas for their next two draft classes. And you know what? The Browns did great. Think about what they did. Washington gave up a 1rst round pick when they moved up to select Jason Campbell. The Buffalo Bills gave up a 1rst round draft pick when they moved up to select J.P. Losman, and Baltimore, like I mentioned before, gave up a 1rst round draft pick to move up to get Kyle Boller. I don’t know about you, but none of those three have nor had the same kind of ability or potential that Brady Quinn has. That is why Cleveland did the right thing. I know Dallas is praying to the football gods that Cleveland goes 0-16 so they can get a shot at Darren McFadden, but in reality that isn’t going to happen. So, Dog Pound, live it up. You guys stole the 2007 NFL Draft, and you didn’t have to do it by selecting Troy Smith.
The Texans may have had one of the best consecutive defensive drafts this side of the millennium. People obviously outside of Houston absolutely despise Charlie Casserly because many believe he was the ring leader behind the Mario Williams pick. But if you, the reader, take the time out, register and read some of the threads and posts in the Houston Texans official website you’ll find out how real Texan fans feel about Mario. The short story, we love him. As much as I would like to counter any argument and explain how great Mario will be, this years draft is just half about him. The 2007 NFL Draft for the Texan fans is more about our new team badass; Amobi Okoye.
At 6’2 305 lbs. the 19 year-old Amobi Okoye has quickly become one of the most intriguing prospects the league has seen. Before his senior season this past year Okoye was literally a speck on the NFL prospect radar. No one knew nor cared who he was. The only thing that even made him interesting was that he was a 19 year-old senior. Other than that Amobi was seen as a nobody. But then came his senior season and like any other true football player looking to turn scout heads and raise GM eyebrows he busted onto the seen with a new attitude and competitiveness. Amobi put extremely high numbers up for a 19 year-old kid, not a man yet, a kid. Okoye set a high standard during the 2006 season posting career bests in tackles (55), sacks (8), tackles for loss (15) and forced fumbles (3). With these outstanding stats coupled with his incredibly high ceiling for potential scouts surely took notice of this ####ian native.
After the 2006 NCAA season Amobi Okoye was being heralded as a top 25 pick, but still behind Alan Branch, #1 ranked DT. Then the pre-draft schedule and workouts where scouts, general managers, and coaches could get a chance to poke and prod the athletes started. This was the time where Amobi Okoye was going to distinguish himself from the rest of the defensive tackle competition…….And he did. He started his massive assault on the DT field at the Senior Bowl where he continuously dominated offensive lineman, not only in one on one drills, but during full pad scrimmages and then during the Senior Bowl game itself. Amobi Okoye was now moving himself up into the top 15 range and quickly making a case for himself as the top DT in the 2007 draft. The next scheduled event where he could show off his extreme athletic ability would the NFL Combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is where he would show off his strength, agility and most importantly his explosiveness. During his combine workouts he once again impressed scouts, general managers, and coach’s alike running a 5.07 40 yard dash. He also showed his explosiveness during his sprint with 1.81 10-yard and 2.96 20-yard increments along with his 30 inch vertical and 9-foot-3 broad jump. His agility was no joke either with a time of 7.46 in the 3 cone drill. Not to mention his 29x225lbs. bench press. He really showed his athletic ability along with his strength and he had wonderful interviews with teams that showed his maturity and great character. His Louisville Pro-Day also showed very good numbers with a sub 5.00 40, 4.97. Amobi also upped his bench press total with 33x225lbs. But more importantly during all of these workouts and pre-draft events Okoye showed his personality. Amobi showed his maturity beyond his years and I believe that is what impressed coaches the most. Think about it this way. Going into the off-season workouts most analysis had Alan Branch as the number 1 DT, but Amobi Okoye took advantage of all of these face to face times with NFL front office people while Alan Branch disappointed workout after workout and interview after interview. Once the dust had settled Amobi had positioned himself as the #1 ranked DT.
When the Houston Texans were on the clock on Saturday for their 1rst round pick I was praying that the they would take Amobi instead of taking Alan Branch. I was literally praying on my hands and knees. This draft pick was the single most important pick not for the Texans or the Houston fans, but for Mario Williams. This pick was going to signify how the Texans felt about the Mario Williams pick. The 10th overall pick was going to be either be a focal point of the defense or be a focal point of the offense and since Adrian Peterson didn’t fall to the #10 spot Amobi Okoye was the perfect fir for them. Amobi Okoye and Mario Williams are going to be one of the most dominating defensive sides of the line there is in the entire NFL. The kind of athletic ability these two defensive players own is unbelievable and almost inconceivable. The only other team that has 2 dominating players in a 4-3 scheme with that much ability is Carolina with Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins. This combo is as important to the Texan defense the way Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp were for the Tampa Bay Bucs defense. Amobi Okoye has the ability to not only play in the one gap system but he also has the potential to occupy two blockers and let Mario Williams face a single offensive lineman. This combo may not produce as much in this upcoming year because of the youth factor that’s involved with Okoye, but the following seasons the two, Mario and Amobi, will be a combo to be reckoned with. Both have incredible speed and burst off the line, and both have incredible athletic prowess.
The offensive line needed help but neither Joe Thomas nor Levi Brown was within range for the Texans to take. The next best thing was to build around their all world talent Mario Williams and they did with a phenom 19 year-old Amobi Okoye. I, as a Texan fan am seriously happy with this pick. I wished we’d have had a 2nd round pick, but with our 1rst round pick being so good I’m confident the Texan front office has done the right thing for this organization. Great pick Texan front office, great decision, just watch people, Okoye and Mario are going to be Pro-Bowl mainstays for years to come.
Will Alex Smith suffer the same fate David Carr suffered in Houston? Will the 49ers franchise head honcho’s build around Smith? Or will the front office neglect him just as the Texans did with Carr? Who will the 49ers draft in this upcoming April’s draft? Will they add more defense to this year’s big free agent signings are will they draft players that will grow, help and progress along with Alex Smith’s career? What will the future hold for the University of Utah product?
These are the questions that I’ve been asking myself in the last few months. Especially seeing what has happened to my beloved Carr and the correlations between him and Alex Smith. I’ll start out with a few similarities that I’ve seen with Carr and Smith. First is obvious. They both are from small programs, Utah and Fresno Sate. Both of those schools are not exactly NFL pipelines especially for #1 overall picks. Second comparison is that both are incredibly mobile capable of breaking off 10 or 15 yard gains. Carr and Smith also share a very good understanding for the game and they both are very intelligent. They both don’t have a tremendously strong arm, but they can make every NFL throw. And they also have the accuracy to succeed in the league too. And finally they both have that good boy attitude that makes them very likable in the media and among their teammates. There characters were never a question when being interviewed by the Texans or the 49ers during their respective draft combines and workouts.
Well, I spoke about the positives the two shares, but what about the negatives that Carr and Smith have. As I said before their good ol’ boy attitude is not exactly a great thing in the rough and tumble ego heavy NFL. What I mean is that they are both quiet family orientated guys. Will Alex Smith hold up when being criticized heavily? Obviously one of David Carr main down falls was that he had a tremendous time trying to thrive under the pressure of the media and horrid treatment he started to receive in the final games of the 2005 season. Next, when you talk about Alex Smith or David Carr you will never find any knowledgeable fan say that they are a pure franchise QB. They both are quarterbacks who need their franchises to surround them with offensive talent for them to succeed. They will never be mistaken for Carson Palmer, Payton Manning, Donovan McNabb, or Tom Brady. All of whom can succeed with minimal talent around them.
David Carr could’ve succeeded in Houston had the organization provided him the talent and veterans he deserved. Only selecting 1 offensive player with the 1rst round pick in five years isn’t exactly installing confidence in the David Carr run offense. After the selection of Andre Johnson the Texans managed to pass on plenty of offensive talent. None of which was more shocking than in 2005 when the Texans passed on offensive tackles Jammal Brown and Alex Barron and selected a one year wonder in defensive tackle Travis Johnson. Even in free agency I bet you can’t name one offensive significant signing that the Texans made during that time. I’m not saying that David Carr didn’t regress during the past two seasons or that he could’ve gone deep, or he stared down his receivers a little too much, but most of the blame is on the shoulders of the GM Charlie Casserly and the last coaching staff. We as NFL fans literally watched a QB with an enormous amount of potential totally and completely waste right before our eyes. It was quite horrifying to watch if you were a fan of David Carr.
As for Alex Smith the comparisons aren’t that far off when talking about the 49ers organization. The 49ers have now for the past five years been a laughing stock right along with the Houston Texans. And the media sure didn’t let up until the end of the 2006 season. But as you probably already know after the Houston Texans first two seasons they looked to be on the right track too. But now look where we are at……starting all over again. Before Mike Nolan was the 49ers coach in 2005 the San Francisco front office had been making horribly bad personnel decisions. Drafting guys like Reggie McGrew, Mike Rumph, Kwame Harris, and Rashaun Woods. None of whom except Harris is still with the team. But since Mike Nolan came in he made sure that the draft is how he would build the franchise. And after taking Alex Smith they made sure to take the 2nd best guard in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Michigan, David Baas. The 49er organization also found a 3rd round steal in RB Frank Gore who in 2006 was one of the best backs in the entire NFL. With the first four picks in 2005 the 49ers drafted offense to go along with Alex Smith. In the 2006 NFL Draft the 49ers again drafted 3 out of 4 of their first 4 choices on offense, adding a playmaking TE in Vernon Davis and a WR in Brandon Williams. Can you see where I’m going with this? The 9ers also have signed veteran offensive lineman. In the 2005 free agent singing period they netted offensive tackle Jonas Jennings away from Buffalo. And in 2006 they signed guard Larry Allen the All-World, Hall of Famer away from Dallas and also signing a very capable and solid WR in Antonio Bryant. Not to mention also in 2006 they traded for QB Trent Dilfer to backup and mentor Smith. They are building around Alex Smith surrounding him the talent to succeed in the NFL. And in the upcoming 2007 draft I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers would draft wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett or Ted Ginn Jr. Two of the most highly touted and productive wide receivers in college to also go along with their 2005 #1 pick.
The way the 49ers have been fortifying their team with offensive talent is how you build around a young QB. This is where the Texan organization failed David Carr. As a matter of fact the 49ers literally turned a laughing stock into a playoff contender in just two seasons. Had the Texans GM and coaches made sure to build around Carr instea
