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Channing
04-28-2007, 02:05 PM
I am happy with the Falcons pick of Jamaal Anderson. He is more a speedrusher and will make more plays than Okoye who is more of a big guy. My personal grading system (which is fairly unreliable) had them graded very similarly. I was very much hoping Peterson would fall one more pick. How do others think their teams faired? are fairing?

wilson
04-28-2007, 02:28 PM
I am happy with the Falcons pick of Jamaal Anderson.

Though I knew there was absolutely zero chance of it happening, I was honestly sitting on the couch hoping the Falcons would pick Brady Quinn. The more time goes by, the more of a piece of trash I think Michael Vick is.
Of course I want to see how the dog fighting investigation plays out, but the evidence sounds pretty damning. As evidenced by my avatar, I'm of the opinion that that sort of thing is just not OK, ever. Even if Vick had no knowledge of the activities on his property (doubtful, if you ask me), he's at best an idiot for not keeping better tabs on stuff like that.
Fair or not, the people in his circle (certainly those on his "payroll") are part of his public countenance. He is, no pun intended, really in the doghouse right now as far as I'm concerned. Depending on how things shake out, I really might be in the market for a new NFL team.
Sorry to kind of hijack the thread...as for Jamaal Anderson, I think he's a good pick for the Falcons. Not all that exciting, but he can hopefully help fill the considerable hole left behind by Patrick Kerney. Offense, though, looks like it will still be an issue...I don't think Joe Horn is a panacea, and I'm not especially optimistic about yet another new offensive system.

Channing
04-28-2007, 04:07 PM
Man . . . I hope Brady Quinn brought his parachute . . .

ehdg
04-28-2007, 07:04 PM
I think the Cleveland Browns really made out in the draft today. They got Joe Thomas the big Tackle out of Wisconsin with the 3rd pic to help thier offensive line and then are able to trade with the Dallas Cowboys and get Brady Quinn. They did the right thing for thier team. They got 2 of the top 5 players on their board which is amazing. Also by taking Joe Thomas first they did the right thing for Brady. This way he'll have some pretty good protection and won't be picking himself up off the grass as often. Phil Savage and the Browns so far look like big winners in this year's draft. Still don't understand how and why the Dolphins chose to pass on Brady Quinn!

Channing
04-28-2007, 08:45 PM
I think the Falcons did very well in the second round. I am glad they managed to avoid drafting another wr, and stuck with needs. I was a little surprised by taking a CB in the second round, as I thought Jimmy Williams was supposed to have a lot of upside. I guess he is going to stick to the NB position as there is talk about this kid from Ark (I forget his name) starting. I guess we have gone from the Va Tech Falcons to the Arkansas Falcons.

Also happy we did something on the O-Line!

tecumseh
04-28-2007, 09:52 PM
Vick I fear may be the worst thing that ever happened to the Falcons. You invest so much into that position and if it does not work out it is like you have wasted a few years and with Vick it will be quite a few.

Channing
04-28-2007, 11:08 PM
I think the Falcons did very well in the second round. I am glad they managed to avoid drafting another wr, and stuck with needs. I was a little surprised by taking a CB in the second round, as I thought Jimmy Williams was supposed to have a lot of upside. I guess he is going to stick to the NB position as there is talk about this kid from Ark (I forget his name) starting. I guess we have gone from the Va Tech Falcons to the Arkansas Falcons.

Also happy we did something on the O-Line!

I was just informed there are some rumblings about making Jimmy Williams a safety given his size. Also, the fact we play NO twice a year with their 3 wide means we need extra CBs.

PS - please excuse my glut of postings, i am in finals period and looking for ways to procrastinate!:D

johnb
04-29-2007, 07:04 AM
I think the Cleveland Browns really made out in the draft today. They got Joe Thomas the big Tackle out of Wisconsin

As opposed to Joe Thomas, that pesky 5'8" 146 pound offensive tackle out of WI?

:)

Did you read the recent Sports Illustrated article about him. Not only is he a a good player, but he sounded like a great guy to have in the locker room.

Olympic Fan
04-29-2007, 11:51 AM
I think the free-fall of Brady Quinn was the most interesting aspect of draft day.

I had a few thoughts, if you don't mind -- I think Quinn was a product of the ESPN hype machine. His fall was a big story because ESPN had invested so much in him -- even raising the phony debate over whether Russell or Quinn was the best quarterback available.

Actually, the real debate should have been where Quinn belonged in the Beck-Kolb-Edwards mix. If anything, he went way too early, not surprisingly late.

That's not to say he isn't a prospect, he is ... but all the commentators building him into a future star or making him a sure thing first-rounder -- anybody remember the predictions that Ron Powlus would be a two-time Heisman winner? He's the Notre Dame quarterback ... a handsome guy with a knockout girlfriend ... but is he really a stud prospect?

Quinn has average arm strength, average size and average mobility. He has below average accuracy -- a problem a number of ESPN commentators tried to write off by suggesting that when he gets in the NFL, the coaches can improve his accuracy. Excuse me, wasn't he coached for the last two years by Charlie Weis, a successful NFL offensive coordinator, with a pro QB coach in Peter Vass (now at Duke)? If they couldn't improve his accuracy, I wouldn't be too optimistic about it suddenly improving now.

Accuracy is probably the second-most important quality in an NFL quarterback and Quinn is at the bottom of the Beck-Kolb-Edwards list in that area. The No. 1 quality -- as Steve Young mentioned -- is decision making and that's an area where Quinn MIGHT excel. We'll have to see ... there were times in his two seasons under Weis when he did seem to make good decisions. But there was a disturbing trend -- when Notre Dame played the top teams, as opposed to the Armys and Stanfords and UNCs that they physically overmatched -- Quinn did not look nearly as sharp. He appeared flustered by pressure and his already subpar accuracy got even worse.

Again, I'm not saying I wouldn't have drafted him. But I wouldn't have drafted him in the first round. If he turns out to be Bernie Kosar (the best scenario), then the Browns look smart and the Dolphins (and I) are idiots. But if he turns out to be Heath Shuler (the likely scenario in my mind), then the Browns are going to regret trading up him.

Oh well, at least they got a pretty good fisherman to play left tackle.

Channing
04-29-2007, 12:04 PM
i found it interesting when i saw a replay of the dolphins draft party that Cam Cameron kept saying "we got a great punt returner." I never heard him say we got a great receiver. While I realize Devon Hester was unbelievably valuable last year, i dont think that can justify drafting a punt returner in the top ten. I was under the assumption that Dolphins were hoping Ted Ginn turns into a Steve Simth sort - excel at punt returning for a year or two, and then become a lights out reciever.

bhd28
04-29-2007, 02:07 PM
No kidding... when he plays a team with a good defense he has stats like this: 24 for 41 for 228 yards 1TD and 3 picks. Yikes!

Wait... that was Russell playing against Florida (perhaps the only team LSU played this year with more talent... although LSU did stil have 2 first round recievers this year, so maybe Florida's talent wasn't better than LSU's). Hmm... maybe it isn't all that easy to beat teams and put up great numbers against a team with similar to superior talent. Russell did have a great game against ND, though... I forget... how many first round picks did their defense have? Their team as a whole?

Personally, I think most quarterbacks are 'overrated' and would be WAY better off not having to start for a couple of years after being drafted... only a VERY few can come in and be successful early.

To me it is isn't worth it to predict whether Russell will be a stud and Quinn a bust or vice versa. Guys who spend a lot more time and effort any of us do are wrong more than half the time... so we can guess all we want, but that is all we are doing.

It is funny, but every team feels like winners after draft day. That is the fun part for the fans. Then teams who grade out as the best tomorrow often find out in a couple of years that they ended up not doing nearly as well as everyone thought. That said, it doesn't keep draft weekend from being the great hope for teams every year... which is actually great in my opinion. Fun stuff all around... as it should be. :)

rthomas
04-29-2007, 08:01 PM
I think the free-fall of Brady Quinn was the most interesting aspect of draft day.

I had a few thoughts, if you don't mind -- I think Quinn was a product of the ESPN hype machine.

Dude, the whole NFL draft thing is hype. That is ALL we have heard about for weeks. I have a student who watched the whole thing. The whole thing. The whole thing. The whole thing. to see who the Packers got. The whole thing.

It's ESPN, they hype what they show. Nothing else is important.

mkirsh
04-30-2007, 08:42 AM
It is funny, but every team feels like winners after draft day.


Not Redskins fans.

kexman
04-30-2007, 11:04 PM
I'm not commenting on Quinn, but will leave it to the experts that he was the 22nd best player in the draft. Although this was a need I can not understand why Cleveland would trade your #1 next year (being cleveland potentially top 10) and your #2 round pick for the #22 pick in this draft. Seems like robbery to me unless next years draft is terrible. I guess they feel that they needed a QB, but it seems like swapping 1st round picks would have been more than fair?

SoCalDukeFan
04-30-2007, 11:31 PM
They have 3 QBs on the team and use their first pick on a QB from Houston.

Maybe he will be great.

JasonEvans
05-01-2007, 08:59 AM
They have 3 QBs on the team and use their first pick on a QB from Houston.

Maybe he will be great.

Huh? Aside from McNabb they've got a bunch of career backups on the roster. We've seen the past couple years that McNabb is injury prone. If he goes down, you are looking at career backups like Feeley and Detmer or maybe Kelly Holcomb as your starting QB. The Eagles have high aspirations every year. I have a hard time seeing any of the current McNabb backups as starters on legit contenders.

Plus, the Eagles have no young, developing QBs on their roster. McNabb uis on the other side of 30 at this point. Many folks think it takes a couple seasons to develop a youngster into a QB at the NFL level. So, the Eagles take a youngster who they hope to develop into McNabb's replacement in 2-3 years.

I fail to see why that was such a bad move. Sure, they could have probably helped the 2007 Eagles more with a different draft pick, but I think this selection will be a great pick when we look back upon it in 2009.

Look, the Falcons took Matt Schaub in the 3rd round in 2004 draft with Michael Vick very much in place for the long haul. They developed Schaub though and used him as a backup a couple times when Vick got hurt. This season, they turned that mid-3rd rounder into 2 early 2nd round picks and moved up in the first round. That's a great return on investment if you ask me.

-Jason "hard to argue with the Eagles front office-- they make good moves" Evans

dkbaseball
05-01-2007, 05:21 PM
And from now on I will trust my own eyes more than the hype machine. Quinn doesn't throw the ball, he shot puts it. Marginal prospect, IMO. Russell, OTOH, has the strongest arm I've ever seen. Maybe not as much zip on the fastball as Favre on the 30-yarder, but just incredible range. Maybe I'm not remembering well. Back in the day there used to be reports that Bill Wade and Rudy Vuckovich (I believe) could throw the ball 100 yards, and Russell claims his max is about 84 yards. Still, I've never seen anybody throw it 60 yards so easily as Russell, and doing it easily rolling out to either side. Also, I think his competitiveness is underrated. He was a legendary high school player in Alabama, dating back to his freshman year. He truly believes he's going to get it done at crunch time, and that is an invaluable asset.

SoCalDukeFan
05-01-2007, 05:49 PM
Jason

I agree that the Eagles generally make some pretty good moves.

So I guess I am more questioning than arguing.

Do you know anyone besides the Eagles who rated Kolb as the 3rd best quarterback in the draft? I really know very little about him.

Was he taken if McNabb goes down this year because the Eagles have high aspirations or was he taken for the long haul? My guess it is the long haul and the pick has almost to do with the upcoming season. The Eagles gave AJ Feeley a new contract and he will be backup if McNabb goes down. I doubt if Kolb will get enough playing time to be traded for a higher pick.

Kolb may be a future all pro. He could easily be better than Quinn. I just found it to be an odd pick and one that does little for the upcoming season.

Of course, the best draft move the Eagles have made, maybe ever, was when they took McNabb over Ricky Williams. I had no problem with that one but maybe Eagles' fans did.

SoCal

ehdg
05-01-2007, 08:23 PM
Wouldn't the Eagles have been better served though picking a WR over Kolb. Heck Robert Meachum a speedy WR and not trading that pick to Dallas. Heck I'm pretty shocked they where willing to trade with a division rival at all.

bhd28
05-01-2007, 09:39 PM
Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of either Quinn or Russell. I don't think Russell is the top player in the draft, though. It is great he can throw 80+ yards, but give me the top 10 QBs in the last 25 years with a real cannon. Favre and Elway, for sure, but who else?