Of those options, I like Dez Bryant at No. 12. He's the best combo of need and potential on that list.
Tim, if you could put an athlete or a sportscaster or writer in your avatar, who would you pick? And in your view, are the Jets really ready to make a couple of yr run to the AFCE title? And do the Bills take a run at Vick or Thigpen? And will Roscoe Parrish be kept?
I'm not saying this to be a shill. I'm not that kind of guy. But there's so much information on the ESPN draft page ... http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft I realize a lot of the content is subscriber-based, but many of the features are free. My favorite part (I use it a lot when researching for stories) is the draft search engine. You can search teams and years in so many ways, including by position or the player's high school. http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/history?year=-1&round=-1&award=1 Beyond that, I'm a big Draft Insider fan. http://www.draftinsider.net/
Sanchez could go either way, but I think he has the mental makeup that will allow him to maximize his abilities. That said, I see him similarly to Chad Henne -- a franchise quarterback who will handle the position admirably for many years, but not a superstar.
1) Bo Jackson 2) Absolutely 3) Maybe Vick, not Thigpen. ... Hard to say about Parrish. A whole new coaching staff will make that call, but it's encouraging for him that he can start off with a clean slate.
on a more serious note, you recently wrote an article saying the Jets were favored in the AFC East. Sorry, dont see it. Teams improve or get worse in the offseason. Miami and New England have draft choices and arent hampered by the free agency penalties imposed this year on final four teams. Meanwhile the Jets are going to lose key players and have minimal options of replacing them. The Jets are the one team in the AFC East thats almost guaranteed to get worse next year
"Parcells doesnt draft WR early" "Parcells doesnt take CBs early" "Parcells doenst take OTs early" And yet we've taken Long, Davis and Smith in the past two drafts.
As far as the CBA issues: who do you think will blink first? I believe the owners have all the leverage. They'll get paid whether there is a season in 2011 or not. Plus the players' time to earn is short. There are plenty of 60 year owners but few players past 35. I think if things get ugly it'll be much easier for the players to lose faith in Smith because he's new. Whereas, at least Upshaw had a track record to point to when things got shaky. So I wonder; just how committed are the players themselves.
Tim, have you checked out UniversalDraft.com yet? I'd like to know what you think if so, if not, you should. I expect it to become a serious contender for draft site info and prognostication in the next few years. Of course we're a little biased here on this subject because the three owners/writers are our own members and draft "gurus" we call them. But they are good, VERY good, which you already know if you've checked out their work on the site.
You "don't see it"? You can disagree that the Jets won't be the team to beat. But not being able to understand why other people would think the Jets are on the rise, especially with the people I quoted, is disconcerting.
I agree with you. The owners do have serious leverage, and I think they're willing to sit out an entire season to prove their point, a la the NHL. In fact, the NFL hired Bob Batterman, the labor attorney who orchestrated the NHL's season-long lockout, for the battle.
How would a lockout affect the franchises at the lower end of the revenue spectrum? Would they be able to survive it? Lets remember that the NHL lockout was an absolute disaster for the NHL overall, and I dont think there were any winners. MLB's season off was also a disaster for that sport. The owners may hold power over the players, but they are playing with fire in a big way. I cant believe this is even a possibility frankly, does nobody ever learn?
I just went there at your suggestion. It looks clean and the design is sharp. I'll be sure to follow it. Thanks for the heads up.
I disagree that the NHL lockout was a disaster. I covered it then, and I thought the NHL handled it the right way. Losing a season had a cleansing effect. There was no rush to throw a season together for the sake of playoff revenue or continuity. The NHL emerged from the lockout a stronger business with a more entertaining product, and the players got richer after the initial rollback. It eventually was a win-win for both sides, in my mind. The losers were the fans for that season. Now, if you want to talk about the NHL's approach to television ... THAT has been a disaster. To answer your original question, the smaller-market teams will be fine. The NFL worked a clause into its broadcast deal that guarantees them revenue even if they don't play. And don't forget expenses go away during a lockout. True, there's no money coming in through the box office, but you don't have to pay your players and gameday workers or open your stadiums. The only expenses are day-to-day operations and the salaries of your front office people.
I will say the 1 thing the NFL may have going for them in this regard is that the NBA is also potentially facing a lockout soon as well. That would remove the biggest competition when the leagues do eventually resume. I just think its rediculous that owners with this much money and players that make this much money cant get a deal done and get on with it. Absolutely 0 consideration given to the fanbase imo, and while many may disagree, its hard to forgive this kind of thing for myself. I dont give a rats ***, I just want my football on sundays.
Tim, im sure im speaking on behalf of all the memebrs of this site, glad to have you back Who do you think are potential trade baits on our roster? Due to age/schematics or whatever else that it might be.
I think: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/ is great for looking up info on drafts that have already happened. You can sort by year, rd, pro team, position, and college conference. I haven't checked out espn's search, but profootballreference usually gets it done for me.
Hey Tim, do these rumors on Dansby and the Dolphins have any legs or is it the typical nonsense that gets tossed around this time of year? Thanks!
There is alot of speculation on Dez Bryant, with people saying that he could possibly be next T.O attitude wise, complaining about not getting the ball, him not being focused...etc. Is there any legit truth to those rumors, or it just smokescreen and scout politics?
by dont see it I meant I disagree not that I dont see your reasons. I gave my reasons for why I dont feel the Jets are going to be atop the AFC East but I guess you "dont see it" I was just trying to get you to expand on why you think the Jets will improve enough to hold off the Patriots and Dolphins who are in better position to improve with their draft picks then the Jets are
I wrote a whole article on it, which is the article you're referring to. So I can only assume you read it. All of the reasoning is in there. http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/10573/jets-in-better-super-bowl-shape-than-pats
The concerns are legit, but probably not enough to eclipse his talent. A team will take a chance on him and be confident they can correct his attitude by getting him into the program and hopefully finding a mentor in the locker room. Syracuse receiver Mike Williams is another one who could be a headache.
Dansby himself put the Dolphins on his short list, and the Dolphins have a need at that position. This thing has Charlize Theron legs. Maybe the Dolphins get outbid, but there's something there.
Hey Tim,thanks for answering my last question. In your opinion what receiver in the upcoming draft has the best upside besides Dez Bryant?
I'd like to piggyback on that and ask specifically what the skinny on Denaryius Thomas (sp?) is. Also, "Charlize Theron legs."
Tim, any inside scoop to whom we are talking? Lets see if you can bring something to us that club level hasn't found out yet
Tim, so far our front office seems to be showing all of the interest in the free agent WR market that they might show in a fresh turd sandwich. Do you have any insight as to why they weren't interested in Boldin, and don't seem to have any interest in Marshall? What might their other plans for WR in free agency be, if any?
The Dolphins don't believe receivers are worth the going market value and refuse to pay, whether it be in the form of draft picks (in a trade) or big dollars (free agency). They commit to core positions, and receivers aren't one of those positions in their book.
No real inside scoop aside from what's been out there. But there will be plenty to write about in the coming days.
Not that I'm a trained scout, but I like Arrelious Benn from Illinois and have heard good things about him, even though he had a bad combine workout. He and Demaryius Bryant of Georgia Tech (take your pick) are second and third behind Bryant. A lot of people look at Thomas and see the embodiment of a No. 1 receiver with his combination of size and speed.
Great piece on Yeremiah, Tim. For those who live and die by the numbers, that is impressive. Yeremiah is solid. The ONLY knock on him is that he gives up the play in front of him, and goes for the tackle, vs trying to at least bat it down.
I blame that on Universal Draft....hahha #5 DeMaryius Thomas Missouri Rd2 6'3'' 229 4.59 http://www.universaldraft.com/position-rankings/2010/wide-receivers/ CK, Boom, Con have him listed @ Missouri...sorry...
Tim, I can understand what you are saying, however most articles that I read regarding the trading of Marshall usually have us listed as a possible destination for him. Is there any truth to that? or are just being mentioned due to the fact that we need a True number one? Knowing the history is there any chance that we can land Marshall? Thank you for taking your time to answer these question here for us.
Steve, Thomas is a big body, good hands, will go up and get the ball outside of his frame. He's strong and tough to bring down in the open field, possessing one of the best stiff arms in college football. He's also played out of a triple option attack for the past two seasons and he has become a dominant run blocker. For a team that still runs the Wildcat, this is very important. He would immediately become the best blocking wideout on the roster. There are however questions about his speed. Pre the broken foot there were reports - unverified - that he was running in the 4.38 area. That's not a speed that shows up on tape. He struggles to gain any sort of seperation down the field. He has a lot of upside, but you'd like to see him be a bit more consistent in getting open.
