The Minnesota Vikings selected Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Vikings were the target of those Donovan McNabb makes sense stories in the days leading up to the Draft. Scratch Minnesota from the list of McNabb’s new home.
Scratch Carolina, Tennessee and Jacksonville, too. All of them selected rookie quarterbacks with their first round picks.
The still leaves Buffalo, Arizona, San Francisco and Seattle as possibilities. Add Washington to that list. The Redskins did not move up in a try for Jake Locker. Nor did they stay put for a shot at Blaine Gabbert or Ponder.
What gives? Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said a lot of things about McNabb, much of it silly. But coach never, ever said that McNabb will never, ever play in an burgundy and gold uniform again.
We all just assume that because McNabb’s treatment at the hands of the Shanahan strikes us as intolerable. About as intolerable as Jim Zorn having to put up with a consultant out of retirement to call the plays that he (Zorn) designed. Why do people put up with that sort of thing?
Money talks, my friend.
What was Atlanta thinking?
The Falcons traded their 2011 first round (27th overall), second round and fourth round and 2012 first and fourth round draft picks for the Cleveland Browns’ first round pick (sixth overall) and used that pick to snag Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.
Jones projected as a mid-first round selectee but Atlanta was taking no chances. (What? Couldn’t get through to Bruce Allen?) No matter how good Jones plays, he can never live up to what it cost Atlanta to get him.
Mocking Dallas
Redskins Hog Heaven’s Greg Trippiedi selected for the Dallas Cowboys in Bloguin’s Mock Draft. Trippiedi selected OL Tyron Smith in the mock. The real Cowboys selected Tyron Smith in the real Draft. Only one thing to say about that.
Dayam!
How to manage your team’s Draft
If you like those Draft Day trade-down scenarios, study the moves of Bill Belichick who runs a Draft 101 clinic every year. New England enters every Draft with more choices than anyone, it seems. Belichick sets these things up well before Draft Day. This year they traded down for New Orleans second round pick–the Patriots third pick of the round (watch for another trade)–and for the Saints 2012 first round pick.
Belichick is smarter than you, or me, or certain others I could name. He doesn’t trade picks for players. He trades players for picks well before Draft Day. Thus, you never hear of New England trading down for more picks. They already have picks to move down, up or sideways for the optimum flexiblility to reload the team. The owners should have hired Belichick to manage their side of the labor negotiation.
Maybe Denver got it right this time
Mike Shanahan took the hit for the Denver Broncos defensive failures in 2008. Owner Pat Bowlen replaced offense-minded Shanahan with (wait for it)…not-ready-for-prime-time offensive-minded rookie coach.Josh McDaniels who led the Broncos over a cliff –clueless, Jay Cutlerless and 4-12 last season. The Broncos replaced McDaniels with John Fox, maybe not the best coach out there, but seasoned and defense-minded. The first draft pick of the Fox-Elway partership was well regarded OLB Von Miller.
Moves that address your team’s problems. Clever. Should have thought of that two years ago.
What accuracy problem?
All the talk about pass accuracy and lost income by staying at the University of Washington for his senior year turned into pre-Draft vapor for Jake Locker. He was the second quarterback taken in yesterday’s Draft.. The Titans took him with the eighth overall pick.
Best of all, there is no rookie scale in place yet thanks to the labor conflict that might have hurt him. That’s still to come, but now all the negotiating leverage is with the players.
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