Many consider " smoke screens" as something well done by NFL teams. I believe that is far from the truth. Consider this day and age. Does anyone honestly believe that other teams are buying the smoke? Only IF they are "smoking. LOL Guys, who have nothing to do with the NFL or teams, see the needs of others, who is out there, and what everyone, OTHER THAN AL DAVIS, is gonna do or hope they can do. This nonsense worked "years ago" but, no more. JMO
Disagree. That stuff works all the time. Teams get nervous and do stupid things, like taking Pat White in the second round or trading up one spot to secure Vern Carey, just because they think somebody else will take that player before them.
Aaron Maybin..... who maybin better off stayin in school and coming out a year later...... to the CFL. Vernon Gholston. Does he count? Did the Vikings throw out disinformation about Mr Weedman?
My whole point is that teams know other team's needs, their draft record, and who they may pick. I believe that they do their homework, and will make the same moves without the smoke and mirrors. Does anyone really believe that if a team tells a reporter they may take this guy, another team changes it's draft board? I don't.
Yeah, teams interviews and works out 100 guys, and some more than others. Based on years of that meaning absolutely nothing, that's gonna change a team's draft board they have been working on for more than a year.
You make a lot of assumptions, such as those teams that know another teams needs are correct, are thinking the same as the gm, the other team will stick to their draft record, and always have, and so on.
you would have to define smoke screens. Teams arent going to target one player only in most cases. For example, a team may be sitting at the 15th spot and have three players they believe will fall to that spot. The GM may have a reporter he trusts somewhat, so he throws him a bone and gives him the third choice on that list of three. Now if the other two players are gone by the time the 15th pick rolled around he will draft that guy. But if the other two are still on the board, he will take one of them instead. Did he lie? Did he mislead? Not really, but he also wasnt completely honest either. Its a game of poker
I think like anything based in this life, nothing is 100%. Hence, why smokescreens work. Even if theres a pattern, if you look closely enough you will find there are anomalies. Those anomalies are what make smokescreens effective.
As mentioned, the draft is a game of Poker. Everyone only has so many chips. If a team's smoke screen gets a rival team to give up picks to move up and secure a specific player, you just weakened your opposition.
