NFL Offseason Discussion

[Dorian Thompson]

What good is drafting him to sell tickets if he doesn't start? If you're drafting on celebrity status instead of talent, is that going to win games? That sounds like a perilous precedent to me. You always draft the player who'll do the most to help your team. You can't do anything else. Winning puts people in the seats in any town that values its franchise. Perhaps Jacksonville isn't an ideal pro football environment with Miami and Tampa to the South. If winning didn't put them in the seats, seeing Teebow on the bench isn't going to be a panacea.

Sounds to me like it's time to get the hell out of dodge and out to LA. They're starving for a football franchise.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

If anybody thought McDaniels drafted Tebow with the possibility of using him at another position, think again....

Tebow will be a quarterback

-- Many people have many ideas for Tim Tebow in the NFL.
Some believe he'll be a fine H-back because of his sturdy stature and hard running style. Others think he'd be a terrific special teams player because of his desire for the game.
Coach Josh McDaniels doesn't envision any of those roles for Tebow, the player he traded three picks to Baltimore for and for whom he staked his reputation as a coach on.
"He's a quarterback," McDaniels said Saturday afternoon after wrapping up his second draft as Denver's coach. "He's a quarterback. That's all he's going to do."......

He gave up three picks in the belief Tebow could win the starting job. He's risking his reputation, indeed. Yikes. I would not be a happy camper if I were the Broncos brass.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Part of me thinks that McD intended something similar to this the entire time.... trading as far down in the draft as possible while still having first round-quality players available that filled his needs, while in the process acquiring a small fortune in additional picks. Then turning around and spending his newly acquired fortune on a second first-round pick for an experimental player. So in the end, Denver gets out of the deal a reciever that has been compared favorably to Marshall and a quarterback that nearly didn't cost Denver anything except other team's lower picks. While I would have prefered that he filled a bigger need, it is some consolation that Denver didn't pay anything that wasn't actually theirs in the first place for Tebow.

 

[Aragorn]

Tebow holding up a Ryan Leaf jersey makes no sense. He's not a prototypical QB drafted at the very beginning of the first round that has every team drooling after him, and he doesn't have Ryan Leaf's mental problems that did him in.

If Tebow's a first round QB bust, that would put him on par with the likes of Jim Druckenmiller, Patrick Ramsey or maybe even Cade McNown (though McNown was a major reach when he was drafted), not of the Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Heath Shuler, Joey Harrington, Tim Couch, Kelly Stouffer category.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

But the thing is, they all had warning that Tebow doesn't have the tools necessary to be a pro quarterback, but McDaniels drafted him anyway--basically because Tebow's a nice guy who walks on water like Jesus did and has strong Christian beliefs. If Tebow doesn't pan out, McDaniels is going to be the one getting crucified for trading away the other picks that could have been used to strengthen the team at other positions. You draft a project in the third round, not in the first.

 

[Aragorn]

^ Which is everything opposite of Ryan Leaf. The cartoon is wrong. Ryan Leaf was not a reach, but he turned out to be a head case. Tebow is a reach, but he's not going to self-destruct.

If Tebow is a first round reach and bust, that makes him a Darrius Heyward-Bey. Ryan Leaf is going down in history as the worst top-of-the-draft first round bust ever.

 

[The Great Meech]

...In fairness, he might tie with JaMarcus Russell.

 

[Danny99]

As a Lions fan, I demand Joey Harrington be given consideration as well! He should win something!

 

[archeryguy1701]

...In fairness, he might tie with JaMarcus Russell.

Well now, that's not really fair to Tebow. There's always the potential that Tebow will show as much skill as Russell, but all indications are that Tebow is at least a likeable guy. Russell, on the other hand, gives shit-heads an unfairly bad rep.

 

[Skywalker]

As a Lions fan, I demand Joey Harrington be given consideration as well! He should win something!

I dunno. At least Harrington seemed like he tried, even if he did completely suck. Russell clearly doesn't give a crap.

 

[Aragorn]

...In fairness, he might tie with JaMarcus Russell.

Well now, that's not really fair to Tebow. There's always the potential that Tebow will show as much skill as Russell, but all indications are that Tebow is at least a likeable guy. Russell, on the other hand, gives shit-heads an unfairly bad rep.

I think the Russell comment was in response to my Ryan Leaf "biggest draft bust ever" statement.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Breaking: JaMarcus Russell is Fat

Don't know how accurate this is, but a funny story nevertheless.

 

[Aragorn]

ESPN is reporting that Oakland cutting Russell is inevitable.

 

[Sheep]

ESPN is reporting that Oakland cutting Russell is inevitable.

I'd be surprised if Oakland cut JaWalrus anytime soon. They need him to earn his pay somehow. If he's really approaching 300 lbs. maybe he can be a special teams blocker or something.

 

[Scout101]

Not as big a deal as in baseball, though. If they cut him, they lose the bonus money paid, but don't have to KEEP paying him. Makes getting rid of a mistake much easier, although still painful. Seeing as how the Patriots have Oakland's #1 pick next year, I hope they play him every game, though

 

[SmoothieX]

Seeing as how the Patriots have Oakland's #1 pick next year, I hope they play him every game, though

A top 5 pick would be sweet next year. That trade might work out after all.

 

[Pegaritaville]

Looks like Brett Favre is going to need surgery on his ankle if he wants to play this year. That could increase the chances he'll retire (again). Maybe the Vikings should have drafted a QB afterall.

 

[Sheep]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/06/SPH31DAK2K.DTL

Raiders cut Russell.

So does JaWalrus officially top Ryan Leaf as biggest QB bust of all-time?

 

[Aragorn]

Well the Chargers did have to trade up to draft Leaf. And Russell probably did have more overall good games than Leaf. They were both cut after three years. One QB was a head case and the other was Garfield.

 

[Sheep]

Well the Chargers did have to trade up to draft Leaf. And Russell probably did have more overall good games than Leaf. They were both cut after three years. One QB was a head case and the other was Garfield.

One big equalizer in the biggest bust of all-time race is that Russell was paid four times more than Leaf.