Bratarvaris Could Cost Minnesota Vikings the Super Bowl, Again

“Bratarvaris” is the man-crush between Vikings head coach Brad Childress and his quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.  Just like “Brangelina” is the love shared by movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. 

 

Childress and Pitt have more in common than just their name.  Both play in a senseless tragedy.  A tragedy is defined as a drama in which the main character is brought to ruin as a consequence of a tragic flaw.

 

In the movie Troy, Brad Pitt plays Achilles, a Greek hero who slaughters countless warriors in defense of King Menelaus’ love for his Queen Helen (“Melen”).

 

Achilles was semi-immortal.  Only his heel was vulnerable.  His pride allowed Paris to kill him with a poisoned arrow into his heel.  The term “Achilles’ heel” has come to mean a person’s principal weakness.

 

Perhaps, pride is the principal weakness of Vikings head coach Brad Childress.  Most can’t understand why a successful NFL coach would allow himself to go down with an undeveloped quarterback.

 

In 1999, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Andy Reid as head coach.  Reid selected Donavan McNabb as his franchise quarterback with the second overall pick in the draft.  Reid hired Childress as quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator. 

 

Childress helped develop McNabb into a star NFL quarterback.  McNabb led the Eagles to four straight NFC championship games from 2001 to 2005. 

 

In January 2006, Childress was hired as head coach by the Vikings.  The team has improved each year from 6-10 in 2006 to 8-8 in 2007 and 10-6 with a division championship in 2008.  

 

But the team was “one and done” in the playoffs this year, largely due to a flat performance by Tarvaris Jackson against the Eagles.

 

In April 2006, Childress drafted Jackson as his franchise quarterback.  They traded up to get him in round two even though he was projected to go in round three.  He was the fifth quarterback taken, even though most publications didn’t even rate him in the top 10.  

 

Childress took great pride in secretly discovering this “diamond in the rough” out of nowhere Alabama State.  He called Jackson a “flatline guy.”  Perhaps, this was a Freudian slip since flatline means clinically dead.

 

Childress also takes great pride in developing quarterbacks.  Before the draft, he said he was interested in finding a “developmental guy” and a raw talent he could teach a system.

 

Childress claimed “What I see with Tarvaris Jackson is a guy that’s a piece of clay….You’re talking about a guy that never had a coach there as a quarterback coach.  So what can he do with coaching?” 

 

Is the win-now NFL really the place to start trying to coach a quarterback?

 

In April 2007, Childress was fortunate to have running back Adrian Peterson fall to him in the draft.  But “All Day” was actually a double-edged sword.  While he improved the team, he has also enabled Childress to continue playing Jackson.

 

Childress proudly calls his version of the West Coast Offense the kick-ass offense (KAO).  But the offense is mediocre;  rated 23rd in 2006, 13th in 2007 and 17th in 2008 out of 32 teams.  His players are getting their asses kicked. 

 

Jackson often hangs his receivers out to dry with his erratic passing.  Sidney Rice injured his knee last year when he went up for a jump ball.  With little passing game, Childress smashes poor Peterson into defenses loading the box.

 

Childress clearly only has eyes for Jackson and his old flame McNabb.  Kurt Warner and Jeff Garcia are too old, Jay Cutler is too immature, Matt Hasselbeck is damaged goods and Matt Cassel is too expensive. 

 

After Brett Favre was released yesterday by the Jets , ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reported the Vikings had not shown any interest.

 

Childress only wants to drag home straw men to compete with his beloved Jackson; Brooks Bollinger, Kelly Holcomb, Gus Frerotte, and Sage Rosenfels.  Childress brags about journeymen Rosenfels as a “young Gus Frerotte” like the Bears brag about pro bowler Jay Cutler as a young Brett Favre.

 

Rosenfels is a career backup.  He was a backup at Houston.  He was brought in by Childress as a backup.  They gave Houston backup type compensation in the form of a fourth round draft pick.  He received back up pay.  And he is rated as only solid backup potential. 

 

The Vikings West Coast Offense needs a quarterback that can hit receivers in stride with quick lasers in tight coverage so they can run for yards after the catch.  Jackson is too inaccurate, while Sage Rosenfels and John David Booty lack the arm strength. 

 

Moreover, former Vikings wide receiver Chris Carter explains the team also needs a developed quarterback who can read defenses, handle the blitz, and lead the team in the clutch at the end of a crucial playoff games.

 

Like Steve Young says, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league.  The Vikings are too good to waste another year carrying only neophyte quarterbacks.  Brett Favre is probably the only hope left.

 

Most Vikings fans want Favre, but to those that don’t, Paul Allen and Mark Rosen made a good point on KFAN radio.  They claimed if the Vikings get Favre they become the Super Bowl favorites in Vegas.  These people put their money where their mouth is.

 

Childress has said that he reads what the fans say but only his opinion is important.  However, Childress obviously came under great pressure after Jackson lost the first two games last year because he replaced Jackson with Frerotte.

 

Quarterbacks like Brett Favre are too proud to risk rejection by begging for a job.  It is just amazing that Childress, as well as Packers GM Ted Thompson and Jets coach Rex Ryan before him, never bother to aggressively pursue Favre.

 

This senseless tragedy will continue until Vikings fans complain about the lack of a developed quarterback, threaten to stop buying season tickets, and pull support for the stadium. 

Here is the Vikings web site, where you can leave comments; http://www.vikings.com/Index.aspx

Why Brett Favre And Fitzgerald Is Closer Than You Think For The Vikings

Just a day or two ago the New York Jets officially released him, yep Brett Favre.

Favre was granted his release, so IF he decided to return, he would be able to go wherever he wanted to. Last season the Vikings were one of the major players in the Favre trade, but Green Bay would not let the Vikings get him.

No way he would come back, right? I mean he tailed off last season and he said he just wanted to be released to retire in Green and Yellow.

No way he would want to be in an offense that has the league’s best running back, a deep threat in Berrian, a team that used its second pick on a 6’ 8” monster at right tackle just to compliment Hutchinson and McKinnie, and used its first pick on an explosive playmaker that is Percy Harvin.

Hmm, we will see how this plays out in the next few weeks.

Oh yeah, a plane from Minnesota just happened to stop by the gigantic town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a large chunk of the day. The way I see it, that plane was either a really BIG coincidence, or the Vikings are seriously trying to get Brett Favre in a purple jersey.

It is only speculation at this point, but I’m almost positive someone in the Vikings organization sent that plane down there for a reason. Whether or not some of us fans think Brett can still play, someone in the front office appears to think so.

Brett did not finish strong last year, but then again in 2006 he looked like a guy who had spent a few too many years in the league. Then in 2007, he would have been a serious contestant for the MVP, had some guy named Brady not just broken the record for most touchdowns in a season, and kind of led his team to a 17-0 regular season. Someone in the Vikings front office has some explaining to do.

Also

Vikings Land Fitzgerald!…sort of

The Vikings got a wide receiver who just happened to be a ball boy for them when he was a little kid. Well unfortunately it was not Larry Fitzgerald, but it his little brother.

According to sources, Marcus Fitzgerald was invited to try out for the team this weekend. The funny thing is, this comes just days after the Eagles did the same thing with Anquan Boldin’s brother. Apparently everyone is looking for talent from the family tree, or just people with Eagle ties such as Mr. Childress.

Visit Viking Vigil at www.vikingvigil.com for more updates

Big Ten Classic: Ohio State Vs. Purdue in 2002

It’s 2 AM CST. and my baby son is crying, keeping me awake.  So I’m out here holding him and I decided to check out the Big Ten channel.  What do I know, but the 2002 Ohio State vs. Purdue game is on.  So I start watching Kyle Orton.  To my amazement he is playing exactly how he played for Chicago. 

I really like this one play they do.  They have five wide receivers out wide and no running back beside the quarterback who is in a shotgun formation.  One of receivers is really a TE who is split out about four yards wide. 

Anyway, they know Ohio is going to blitz so Ohio State is basically man vs. man or it might be a cover one defense.  The point is they send everyone out long and have one guy run a short in route that is reminiscent of what Ron Turner had to do so Kyle would throw the ball to one of our wide receivers. 

Since this guy is all by himself, because they’re waiting for Kyle to bomb, it’s an easy throw.  If this guy was covered he’d throw the ball away.  Exactly what he did in Chicago.

I always wondered why we had Hester run a deep route while Lloyd or Davis would run a short in route.  Because that’s the only way Kyle would throw to a wide receiver.  Also, after watching this game, I now know why Forte led the team in receptions.  Orton checked down in college play after play. 

The funny thing is, I think the Purdue coach knew this would happen, which is why at half the time they didn’t even put a running back out there.  They made sure he couldn’t check it down.  Well, at least the Broncos can use that information now.

He just over threw a guy on a short hitch route.  Wow, it’s just like him.  Anyway, I’m only writing this, barely staying awake, because as I watch this film it is painfully obvious that he cannot throw. 

He now just under threw a slant in route and the ball didn’t even get to the receivers’ feet.

Why did we even draft this guy?  At least Ron Turner doesn’t have to figure out how to get Kyle to throw the ball to a receiver anymore.

As I said that Purdue just had a huge reception.  I was thinking that it couldn’t have been Kyle.  He doesn’t throw into coverage like that.  They took out Orton and put in Kirsch.  I guess they felt that Kyle wasn’t exactly the guy either.  I can’t say I blame them.

Blowing Smoke: A Look at The 2009 Draft and The NFL Smokscreen-Part One

Well the draft has come and gone and a new crop of NFL talent prepares for its first snaps of a new season. Let’s take a moment to look back at to what led us to the this point.

The NFL draft is supposedly an intense game of cat and mouse with some elements of a poker world series match. Before the draft, teams are jockeying for position, disguising their moves, and trying to throw off every team as to what their true intentions are.

While it all sounds like a large conspiracy from the outside, teams invest millions of dollars in security groups and private investigators. They leak information to the media and hold their plans tight to their chest.

The main tool of the NFL organizations is the smokescreen. Many teams employ these to either push or pull draft picks to them. It can also be an effective way to get teams to trade up or down if done properly.

A smokescreen is defined by fans and the media as a comment, reaction, or statement declaring an interest in a subject or player that turns out to be false or meant as a distraction from the actual subject matter.

So, do smokescreens work?  Well, after studying the draft for the past three years from a media perspective, they do. This can be seen  in how often the mock drafts produced by both players and analysts change between the combine and the draft.

Do the smokescreens work at an NFL front office level? I would argue that they are maybe 50 percent effective. While some teams are pulled by a smokescreen to trade, there are equally as many teams that don’t take the bait and just do what they have to.

There were some examples from this year’s draft, after the media found out some secrets from behind the scenes and various other reports. The Eagles, fearing a trade up by the Giants to grab WR Jeremy Maclin, jumped up to 19 to get said receiver.

The Buccaneer’s jumped up to get QB Josh Freeman, following speculation that the Broncos wanted to nab the K-State signal caller. The Browns and Seahawks both said that they wanted QB Mark Sanchez, which prompted the Jets to jump up to No. 5 to take him.

On the other side of the equation, you have the Patriots, a team notoriously quiet on draft day. They rarely release  statements or comments. The Ravens and the Colts also follow this formula.

The above teams usually trade back or stay put on draft day. Do they make every pick correctly? No, but these teams seem to set themselves up for success.

As for smokescreens being effective on an NFL level, some teams just don’t play the game well enough. This year, one of these teams was the Saints.

Prior to the draft they fooled a lot of people into mocking RB Chris Wells into their place. The comments fooled both of ESPN’s draft experts, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper.

While Kiper and McShay kept flip flopping on the pick, as the draft grew closer they eventually landed on the true selection. Did this smokescreen work? Maybe, maybe not, as we have no way of knowing what trade offers were made and what teams called in.

As for seeing if they’re effective from a fans point of view, I personally find most smokescreens to be poorly constructed and easy to see through. After just listening to the comments made by the coaches and GMs, one could see where and what direction the teams were trying to go for.

In the next article, we will go into further depth and take a look at various teams and their smokescreens (or lack thereof).

2009 NFL Draft: First Round Sleepers and Busts

By The Redshirt Senior.

 

Watching Mel Kiper, Chris Berman, and the rest of the ESPN crew dissect prospects, one thing was abundantly clear; apparently The Señior knows nothing about football.

Somehow Graham Harrell torches every defense that has the gall to step on the field, yet he doesn’t even get drafted?

The draft was full of decisions both puzzling (Javon Ringer didn’t get picked until the fifth round?) and certifiably insane (Ohio University’s Mike Mitchell in the second round?).

But there’s no more debatable ground than the first round, so let’s take a look at the first 32 picks through the eyes of someone who doesn’t care about potential, just what these guys did when they were the heroes of Saturdays’ past.

1. Lions—Matthew Stafford, QB (Georgia)

The guy has always had an elite arm but was there anything Stafford did as a Bulldog that made you think he deserved a six-year, $78 million contract? Stafford never took UGA to the next level and never put the team on his back.

2. Rams—Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)

Smith may be the most overachieving converted tight end in history. He became one of the better linemen in the Big 12, but would you have ranked him ahead of Oklahoma’s Phil Loadholt or Duke Robinson?

There’s nothing worse than these combine wonders who see their stock rise while players who had better college careers drop. Speaking of which ….

Full article >>>

Philadelphia Eagles’ Strongest Draft Since ’02

Back in 2002, the Eagles selected Brian Westbrook with the 91st pick in the NFL draft.

The “Wizard of Westbrook” was drafted after the birds had already snagged Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, and Sheldon Brown, respectively.

Seven years later, the Eagles have struck gold again.

After Knowshon Moreno was selected with the 12th pick by the Denver Broncos, the ideal choice was no longer on the board.

While Donald Brown (Uconn) and Beanie Wells (Ohio St.) would have both been available for the birds at pick 21, there was a dynamic wide receiver hanging around that had no earthly business being left at 19. Perhaps fearing that the lowly Lions would draft their guy, the Eagles traded up two spots and selected Jeremy Maclin.

Make no mistake, the Eagles had no intention of drafting a wide receiver in the first round. The glaring need was at running back and Andy Reid, Tom Heckert & Co. are typically hesitant to use any early round picks on wide-outs.

The strong production of DeSean Jackson as a rookie may have played a role in their decison to draft Maclin, but the simple fact is that exceptional talent fell right into the birds nest.

After crazy old Al Davis shocked some and reinforced Bay Area common knowledge by drafting Darrius Heyward-Bey based purely on speed, Niner fans laughed their way up the Crabtree and the Maclin slide commenced (the Texans may truly regret passing up the chance to line up Maclin on the other side of Andre Johnson).

The Eagles wisely shredded the script and instantly improved their offense, making it more explosive and dangerous.

Maclin averaged 10.9 yards per touch in his two seasons at Missouri. In other words, every time he touched the ball from scrimmage, he gained the equivalent of a first down. He had 102 pass receptions last season and averaged 7.4 yards on rushing attempts the past two years. Toss in his kick returns and he was the NCAA leader in all-purpose yards in both 2007 and 2008 (info compliments of Ray Didinger).

While Maclin was a great choice, the Eagles still had to address their need at running back.

Once again, luck rolled right down Broad Street. LeSean McCoy, widely regarded as one of the top five RB’s available and projected by many experts to go early in the second round, was still there for the birds at 53. The fact that they grabbed McCoy in the second round made the Maclin pick all the more brilliant.

For the first time in recent memory, the Eagles spent their first three picks on skill positions. In the third round, they selected tight end Cornelius Ingram, whom many experts thought could have been a late first/early second rounder had he not suffered an ACL injury. If his recovery goes well, we could be talking about three straight steals, all at skill spots on the football field and brand new weapons for Donovan McNabb.

Perhaps the craftiest moves of the Eagles’ 2009 Draft involved two veteran players.

Trading for OT Jason Peters was unquestionably a great move, considering the departure of Tra Thomas and the Pro Bowl-caliber Peters.

Combined with the addition of Stacy Andrews and the return of Shawn Andrews (not to mention the benefits towards the mental health of Shawn that the two moves will hopefully have, something that no doubt was considered before pulling the trigger), the Eagles could have one of the top three or four offensive lines in all of football.

Don’t underestimate the impact of the Ellis Hobbs move, either. In 2007, the New England Patriots went undefeated in the regular season, eventually losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. Who were the Pats starting corner backs that year? Oh yeah, that’s right—Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs.

The two stellar secondary players are now reunited in Philly. If the Eagles can somehow squash the beef with Sheldon Brown, they will have one of the best CB trios in the NFL.

My guess is Sheldon will quit bitching once the season starts and get down to business. If Sean Jones can live up to his contract and Quentin Mikell maintains the level of play he performed at last season, look out.

After coming within one game of the Super Bowl in 2008, the Eagles improved their team tremendously on draft day.

Philadelphia Eagles’ Return Policy: Remember Game One in 2007?

In 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom in the fifth round to be their kick returner. Unfortunately, Bloom was injured for the season and the possibility of having the best returner since Brian Mitchell was put on hold.

In 2007, after much anticipation, Bloom was healthy, but ended up being released before the regular season begun. The crazy part was, he was part of the final cut, without a legitimate returner to replace him.

Andy Reid decided that he would give the ultra-talented Greg Lewis a chance. He also brought back safety J.R. Reed to help out, as well.

In case you don’t remember, that decision caused disaster as soon as the Eagles regular season started in Green Bay. Both Lewis and Reed fumbled punts that immediately resulted in low Green Bay scores, and ultimately lost the game, which sparked an 8-8 season.

Reid quickly addressed the situation by re-signing the most exciting two-yard return man in NFL history, Reno Mahe. Obviously, there was no confidence in the special team’s ability to obtain decent field position on returns.

In response, the Eagles drafted wide receiver DeSean Jackson and safety Quinten Demps in 2008. Both players gave the special team a spark not seen since 2002. The downside is Demps and Jackson are expected to eventually move on to primarily play the positions they were drafted for. 

Learning from his mistakes, Andy Reid seems determined to ensure that 2007 doesn’t happen again during his tenure.

Here’s a look at players acquired this 2009 offseason that, according to scouts, are very competent return men:

• Jeremy Maclin WR: First round draft pick
• Victor Harris CB: Fifth round draft pick
• Brandon Robinson WR: Sixth round draft pick
• Courtney Robinson CB: Undrafted rookie
• Marcus Thigpen RB/WR: Undrafted rookie
• Ellis Hobbs CB: Acquired via trade

These acquisitions give the Eagles a total of eight players going into training camp, who are dangerous return men. Four of those players (Jackson, Demps, Maclin, and Hobbs) are pretty much a lock to make the 53-man final roster. The other four players’ fate may be determined by their return ability.

As 2007 pointed out, that decision can make a huge difference between wins and losses.

Franchise Moves: Revisiting the Steve Hutchinson Debacle

Tim Ruskell’s recent controversial handling of his linebacking corps has brought back memories of his worst move as the Seattle Seahawks’ president: failing to use the franchise tag on All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson in 2006.

Ruskell’s decision to remove the $8.3 million franchise tag from linebacker Leroy Hill last weekend has some scratching their heads, but it’s not as big of a “he did what?!?” as when Ruskell chose to use the transition tag instead of the franchise tag on Hutch three years ago.

The Hill move was motivated by the same ideal that led Ruskell to not use the tag on Hutch: Ruskell doesn’t want to start negotiations that high. He’s right about Hill’s value, but he was quite wrong about Hutch.

 

Ruskell made his first mistake in not placing the $6.98 million franchise tag on Hutchinson, and his second in allowing other teams to drive the market for the three-time Pro Bowl player. The franchise tag would have cost the Seahawks only about $600,000 more than the transition tag, and it would have guaranteed them two first-round picks from any team that signed Hutchinson.

Instead, Ruskell used the less-restrictive transition tag on Hutch, asking the guard to bring any offer to the Seahawks before signing an offer sheet. But Hutch was annoyed that the Seahawks had not shown enough interest to re-sign him before he became a free agent, so when the Minnesota Vikings offered $49 million over seven years, he took it.

The deal included a “poison-pill” provision that Hutch had to have the highest average annual salary of any offensive lineman on his team (Minnesota or Seattle) in 2006, or his entire seven-year deal would have to be guaranteed. The clause took effect on the date he signed the offer sheet.

Hutch knew about the clause and decided simply, “If they can’t match, they can’t match.”

The problem for Seattle was that Walter Jones was the team’s highest-paid lineman ($7.5 million). So the Hawks modified Jones’ deal, adding a voidable eighth year at $1 million to drop the average yearly value to $6.69 million.

Then, in a hearing with special master Stephen Burbank, they tried to argue that the guarantee stipulation should not take effect until they had matched.

But Burbank ruled in favor of the Vikings and the union, meaning the reworked Jones deal came too late and the Seahawks’ only choice—as it had been all along—was to guarantee the $49 million. The Seahawks decided not to.

Instead, the same day the Seahawks lost the arbitration hearing, they signed linebacker Julian Peterson to a seven-year deal worth $54 million—the kind of money they didn’t think Hutch was worth.

Now it is three years later, and the Seahawks decided last month that Peterson had served his purpose and was no longer worth the money they gave him in 2006, so they traded him to Detroit (which fortunately stepped in before Ruskell simply cut Peterson).

Meanwhile, Hutchinson has been named to the All-Pro team in all three of his seasons in Minnesota, and it’s looking more and more like it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to guarantee the $49 million.

Crazy, you say? Well, the Lions just guaranteed $42 million to a guy who hasn’t done anything in the NFL—first overall pick Matthew Stafford.

Meanwhile, Hutch is a four-time All-Pro in the prime of his career. If he plays two more seasons like the past three, it certainly can be argued that the ‘Hawks should have called the Vikings’ bluff and guaranteed the entire sum.

Of course, that is hindsight, and no NFL team back then would have promised that much money to a player of a game in which guys drop like flies every season.

But one fact remains: Ruskell made a mistake by not using the franchise tag on Steve Hutchinson in 2006.

It’s a fact we’re all reminded of in the wake of Peterson’s sudden departure and Hill’s sudden transition from franchise player to free agent.

Drafting a QB With the No. 1 Overall Pick—By the Numbers

Now that we’ve had a little bit of time to digest the 2009 NFL Draft, we can, unless you root for the Raiders, likely find something good in what our squads accomplished over those seven rounds.

Listening to the “big sports network” and its draft prognosticator with his helmet hair (I heard his wife cuts it) dueling the new, young, draft expert guy breaking down the stances of offensive tackles for weeks on end became redundant and annoying.

Now that the draft is over, we’re left with more questions than answers — and I kind of miss ‘helmet hair’.

For now, let’s focus statistically — on the likelihood of Matthew Stafford leading the Lions out of the toilet.

Dreadful Detroit finally figured out Matt Millen’s front office acumen resembled Andre Smith’s at the combine — if the combine lasted eight years.

So in comes a new administration, and the drafting of a quarterback.

For the 17th time in the last 40 years a QB was taken with the first pick. Stafford could be the next Troy Aikman (1989), or the next Jeff George (1990), or, even worse, the next Michael Vick (2001). What are his hobbies? Has he been properly vetted?

In the 73 prior drafts, only three guys selected first went on to Rookie of the Year honors, none of them QBs. 12 overall number-ones earned Hall of Fame busts in Canton — Terry Bradshaw (1970), John Elway (1983), and Aikman, the three QB’s to achieve the honor.

Okay, accolades are nice, but what about some titles?

We can debate the merits of Stafford (38 on the Wonderlic), but this next stat alone explains why, historically, the risk is taken on a QB.

We know not all QBs selected first pan out, but in the past 40 years seven of the 16 signal-callers chosen first overall possess a total of 14 Super Bowl rings:

Terry Bradshaw 4
Jim Plunkett 2
Elway 2
Aikman 3
Drew Bledsoe 1
Peyton Manning 1
Eli Manning 1

I should point out Bledsoe (1993) wasn’t the starter for New England’s 2001 Super Bowl win, and Plunkett (1971) won his two in 1980 and 1983 for the Raiders, not the Pats — the team that drafted him.

Of the nine QBs without rings, Steve Bartkowski (1975), the ageless Vinny Testeverde (1987), Vick the football player, and Carson Palmer (2003) can’t be called outright failures. Vick the human being might be another story. Maybe Vick the construction worker will succeed.

This leaves George — the guy who still he thinks he should be on a roster, Tim Couch (1999), David Carr (2002), and Alex Smith (2005), not necessarily in that order, as the four biggest QB flops of the top overall pick-variety during the Super Bowl era. I’ll reserve judgment one more season on JaMarcus Russell (2007), but I think we know his destiny.

The Colts picked first the most times, a total of six, drafting both ends of the QB spectrum, twice — Elway and Peyton Manning (1998), and also George Shaw (1955) and George.

Obviously the quarterback position is important, but you don’t necessarily need a guy putting up Tom Brady ‘07-like numbers to win. Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Doug Williams hold Super Bowl rings. Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Warren Moon do not.

Will Detroit’s Stafford be like Dallas’ Aikman — the beginning of something big, a potential dynasty? And, yes, as Bill Belichick has proven you might have to cheat (Spygate), but dynasties are possible in this salary cap-era of the league. Or will it be pointed at, like Mike Nolan drafting Smith for the 49ers, as the reason the Jim Schwartz regime fails in Hockeytown?

With history as the barometer, teams have a decent chance (43.75/56.25) if simply playing the odds of going all the way with a QB taken first overall.

All I know for sure is that in about a year, Sam Bradford will replace Stafford as the NFL’s top paid signal-caller (without ever having to take a snap), and most likely be the next QB taken first overall — provided we’re not all wiped out by swine flu.

LISTEN ON SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING – Tune into Patrick Mauro’s Sports Overnight America Weekend (http://www.sportsbyline.com/bios/mauro.htm) 10:06 pm-1 am, west coast time. Call (800) 878-7529 to call the show.

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Evaluating the Eagle’s Offseason, Part I: Departures

After the NFL draft every year, fans and media alike like to evaluate the selections.  Whether it’s their favorite team or the entire team, it’s every sports fanatic’s goal to assess their team’s potential.

While I’m one of hundreds who have expressed their opinion about the Eagles highly successful draft, the climatic last weekend in April is far from the only part of the offseason(which begins after the last game).

Now that the offseason is unofficially coming to an end, I’d like to evaluate focus on the other segments that will help shape the roster that travels to Lehigh in late July.

 

Part I: Player Departures

One of the hardest things to do is say goodbye to those you’ve grown to love.  Unfortunately, the harsh business side of the NFL makes it a necessary evil.  How did the Eagles handle it this year?

Brian Dawkins, FS (Denver Broncos)

Nobody, I mean NOBODY wanted to see Dawkins go. Nobody will ever fully replace him either. But, all things eventually come to an end.  How Dawkins tenure ended was a problem to me. 

I’m not mad at Denver’s offer, nor am I mad at Dawk for taking it.  I think the Pro Bowl free safety should’ve never made it to free agency to begin with. 

Grade: D-

The Eagles weren’t prepared to lose Dawk, and the fans definitely didn’t think his time in Philly would be done. They were lucky they signed Sean Jones, but who plays where in the secondary is the question. 

William “Tra” Thomas, LT(Jacksonville Jaguars)

I’m probably in the minority when it comes to Tra’s departure.  I thought it was past his time to depart, and his back issues concerned me.  Therefore, it was time to move on at left tackle, as far as I’m concerned.  My problem with losing him was, like with Dawkins, there was no concrete back-up plan. 

I’m pretty sure everyone was pro-Jordan Gross, but so was the Carolina Panthers. 

Grade: B

This could’ve been an “F,” but the trade for Pro Bowler Jason Peters was enough to make you say “Tra who?” 

Correll Buckhalter, HB (Denver Broncos)

Buck isn’t going to find a starting role in Denver.  They signed two others and drafted Knowshon Moreno with the No. 12 pick!

Regardless of what the Broncos do, letting Buckhalter is one of the best moves the Eagles could’ve made.  Having two 30-something backs as the one-two punch of your running game is a recipe for failure.  I’m glad to see the Eagles depart from that philosophy.

Grade-A+

This departure, along with the Broncos taking Moreno with the No. 12 pick, prompted the Eagles to draft Shady McCoy who is pretty the future of the Eagles ground game.

Jon Runyan, RT(unsigned)

I would’ve loved for Runyan to return for at least one more year.  His leadership and durability will be missed. Unfortunately, micro-fracture surgeries are difficult to recover from.  Especially for a 35-year-old playing a position that requires constant knee-bending. 

Grade: A

The Eagles couldn’t afford to wait and see how Runyan rehabs.

L.J. Smith-TE (Baltimore Ravens)

How this guy was franchised for the 2008 season, I’ll never know.  Smith is very athletic, but his football IQ is horrendous (so are his hands come to think of it…). 

Grade: A++

His departure actually came a year late.  In 2008, the Eagles’ determination to start him was a business move because of the tag placed on him.  That actually got in the way of Brent Celek’s progress more than anything else.  Glad we don’t have to worry about that any more.

Sean Considine-SS (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Thought to be an improvement in coverage over Michael Lewis, Considine seemed to have never recovered from a shoulder injury a couple years ago. He ended up being replaced by Quinten Mikell and used mainly on special teams.

Grade: A

Special teamers are always replaceable, and Considine still considers himself a starter.  He’ll get his chance as a Jaguar, while the Eagles move on wiith Mikell and Sean Jones.

Greg Lewis-WR (New England Patriots)

In my opinion, Lewis’s role with the Eagles had as much an impact as mine.  Between the dropped passes, undefined routes and stupid penalties, Lewis was one of the biggest liabilities on the roster.  I’m so glad Bill Belichick saw a lot in him. 

Grade-A++

I just wanted Greg Lewis gone! The fact that the birds got a fifth-round pick in return was a pleasant surprise.

Lito Sheppard-CB (New York Jets)

I loved Lito’s game-changing ability (especially against the Cowboys).  It’s a shame that his production was limited due to nagging injuries. After requesting a trade in 2008, he ended up behind Joselio Hanson (yes him!) on the depth chart. 

Grade: Incomplete

The Eagles should’ve traded him to the Saints last year for a second-round pick, but they declined.  They ended up getting a fifth rounder this year (used on TE Cornelius Ingram) from the Jets. 

His real value will be determined by his production in 2009.  That will determine the conditional 2010 pick also included in the trade.

Overall: B

The Eagles decided to move on and let go of five reserve players they ran out of use for, two ancient tackles, and an aging legend. Watching Dawkins press conference in Denver is still hard to digest, but his departure was going to happen sooner or later.

Next….Veteran Additions

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