NFL Draft Review

So the annual NFL Draft is complete. Teams are signing un-drafted free agents and fans are looking forward to a new season and new hope. As with every year there are clear winners and clear losers, after what I consider an incredibly strong draft class, and I am going to document them for you. 5 winners and 5 losers. The best of the best and the worst of the worst.

Things weren't always clear and cut, some of the teams that had great first grounds had terrible later rounds, and vice versa. Keep in mind that this is just a quick post draft assessment. There is literally no way for me to predict how each of these teams drafts will look in 5 years. But as of now here are the best and the worst of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Winners:

1. Cincinnati Bengals: so you remember how I said that some teams had bad some bad picks and still won the draft. That perfectly describes what the Cincinnati Bengals did over the 3 days of the draft. Kevin Zeitler is one heck of a player but when you have to trade down and pass up on the opportunity to draft David DeCastro, a once in a decade level guard, you have made a mistake. That aside, the Bengals had the best draft of anyone. Dre Kirkpatrick, Devon Still, Mohamed Sanu are all fantastic players who could go toe to toe with most of the players drafted ahead of them. Particularly Devon Still a top 20 talent, was taken at number 53 overall. Still will start instantly for the Bengals and should go on to contribute for years to come for a talented and young team. Also if Vontaze Burfict can get his act together and prove to be the first round talent we thought he could be, then that could be the steal of the draft.

2.  Philadelphia Eagles: I can't tell if the Eagles got lucky or were just really smart. I thought that Fletcher Cox was going to go in the top 10 of the draft but when he fell the Eagles made there move. And they got their man. Fletcher Cox is a warrior and a stud on the defensive line. He never takes a play off and could go on to be a top 10 DE in the league. On top of that the Eagles picked up Mycal Kendricks LB out of California which fills the weakest position on the talented roster, as well as pairing Vinny Curry with Cox on the defensive line, that could prove an incredible pass rushing duo.

3. St. Louis Rams: The Rams were twice one pick away from being at the very top of this list. Justin Blackmon went at number 5 and Michael Floyd went at number 13, both one spot ahead of St. Louis and preventing them from picking up a first round talent at WR. But despite that the Rams filled every major position of need and did it admirably. Michael Brockers at DT and Brian Quick at WR fit in exactly where they were drafted and should go on to be great talents in the NFL. The other 2 early picks were what sets the Rams apart. Janoris Jenkins in my opinion is on a level of Morris Claiborne, but fell due to off the field issues to the Rams in the second round. Isaiah Pead is an underrated player at RB and fills a need as the backup to aging Steven Jackson and should be able to take the reigns when Jackson is finished.

4. Buffalo Bills: This really comes down to one pick. While I love Stephon Gilmore and love the pick, especially with Tom Brady in the same division, it wasn't the biggest need for the Bills. They really needed to pick up an offensive linemen and passed up on Reilly Rieff and David DeCastro. Fortunately for them though Cordy Glenn, the 3rd best OT in the draft, fell to them at 39th overall. It isn't the sexiest pick but because of it the Bills have filled their biggest need and still got a fantastic CB in the first round with Gilmore.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers: How do the Steelers keep doing this. Just as a certain aspect of their team starts to look weak, they go and revamp things and get right back to the top of the NFL. David DeCastro and Mike Adams are both top 20 talents on the offensive line, especially DeCastro at guard, who could be the best player at his position within the next couple of seasons. Both should start annually for the Steelers and develop into pro bowlers, if that still exists of course, and both have a Steeler mentality. In the 5th round they also picked up Chris Rainey out of Florida. While Rainey has some issues with work ethic he is an unrivaled speed, national champion in track, and could prove to be one of the most versatile players in the NFL.

Losers:

1. Seattle Seahawks: Bruce Irvin. Can I just leave it at that...... no, fine I'll explain more. With their first roud pick the Seahawks took Bruce Irvin out of West Virginia. Now he is a fine player and all but in no way should he have ever gone in the first round. He is a pass rushing linebacker who has the ability to get to the quarterback but cannot do anything else. And even that talent that he has, has been going down hill in productivity the past couple of seasons. His work ethic is lacking and he isn't the most physically gifted player at his position. I just do not understand this pick at all.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: You are going to notice a trend starting on the losers side of things. Most of these selections are based on one draft choice. Yes I know that the whole draft should be looked at but there are certain picks that cannot be overlooked. Taking a punter in the 3rd round is one of those picks. I know the Raiders used to do it under Al Davis and I know that Anger is a great punter but in this day and age there is no reason at all for a team to take a punter so early in the draft. Anger would have most likely been there 2 or 3 rounds later and should not have been taken so high. The Jags wasted a pick here that could have helped pick them up out of the bottom of the NFL.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are literally the antithesis of the Buffalo Bills. Both had a huge need on the offensive line and both passed up on the opportunity to take fantastic players at that position in the first round. The difference between the Chiefs and the Bills is that the Bills made a good pick in the first round and still got an elite linemen later in the draft. The Chiefs didn't. Dontari Poe in the first round could be a good pick, but he is incredibly risky and has nothing to show other than an impressive physical specimen with a huge potential to bust. Jeff Allen isn't a bad lineman but is a bit of a reach in the middle of the second round, especially when you had passed up on Rieff and DeCastro earlier. This could turn out to be overly successful in the long run but for now you cannot over look the risks.

4. Chicago Bears: None of the Bears picks were too glaring, but there wasn't a single great pick out of the bunch either. And for a team that is competing with the Packers and Lions in the NFC North you need to be fantastic. Shea McLellin was a bit of a reach that high in the first round, he is a complete player but he is not prepared to step into a role that big next to Brian Urlacher. Alshon Jeffery has the biggest bust potential of any player in the entire draft, some say he is a steal in the 2nd round, but with his work ethic problems as well as his inconsistent play I cannot picture him as being a capable 2 option in this league. It was a mediocre draft for a mediocre team, and that is enough to land them here.

5. Houston Texans- Stephen Hill, Mohammed Sanu, and Alshon Jeffery were all available when the Texans had their first round pick. And they go with defensive linemen Mercilus out of Illinois. Now don't get me wrong this guy is a great player, but not only does he not fill a need on an already stout defensive line, he isn't a wide receiver. The Texans last season showed that despite all their offensive fire power they need a 2nd option behind Andre Johnson. All three of the guys I mentioned above could have fit into that slot whether it be consistently or not it would have at least proved a temporary fix and put this team over the top. Again I love Posey, but I don't see him as being anything more than a slot receiver in the NFL, and even that will take a lot of development. For a team that had one big need the Texans really blew it.

Pat Summitt steps down

I was never really a fan of Women's Basketball but this is painful to see.

For years I associated the game with the face of Pat Summitt, the greatest coach that any sport shall ever see. She is an inspiration not just to her sport, but to all who strive to achieve their dreams. I'm sure if you are reading this then most likely you are a sports fan and will see the story of Summitt within the next few days so I will spare you those details. Instead I will discuss what Summitt meant to the sport and sports in general.

Back in 1974 basketball was a mans sports, dominated by names like Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabar, no respectable sports network would have ever carried a game played by women, let alone televise it in primetime.

Then Summitt came along. She took over at the University of Tennessee and from the get go created an aura of victory for the Volunteers. Not only that she lit a spark that would turn the game into what it is today. While not directly influencing it's development, while Summitt was in the height of her career the WNBA was founded and gave a chance for young girls everywhere to achieve their dreams of playing professional basketball. It was a godsend and a blessing that could never have happened had it not been for the popularity of Pat.

She won countless national titles, and set record after record, but none of these things define the influence that Summitt had. If you go into any high school gym across America during basketball season you are going to  have a 50-50 shot of running into some pretty talented young women. Basketball is the most popular sports amongst teenage women in America, all thanks to Pat Summitt.

She broke down walls, she destroyed the notion of male dominance in sports, and she helped create a bright future for many talented athletes who may have had nothing before her.

Last month the National Championship game, Baylor vs Notre Dame, was watched by 4.244 million people nationwide, the largest since 2004. 30 years ago, they would have been lucky to have 10,000.

Pat Summitt stepping down is a sad day for me, as it should be for any true sports fan. Her influence can be felt all around the country, and will continue to grow even with her gone.

Watching Tennessee games won't be the same.

Relegation needs to be brought to the United States

At the end of the NFL's season we had two winners, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and the Andrew Luck sweepstakes winner the Indianapolis Colts. In professional American sports this tends to be the case, the worst teams get the best players in the draft or at least a better chance at them. So in the NFL it is common practice to, more or less, lose your games at the end of the season in the hopes that your draft pick will be higher.

Now I'm not saying that teams are throwing games, but this systems seems a little flawed to me. A team is rewarded for not playing as well as the others. The Colts for years will be a high end team again because they had a bad season this past year.

Can someone explain that to me? Like seriously how in the world does that make sense? You could in theory lose all of your games on purpose for 2 or 3 straight years and then dominate the league, that is a horrible system. Yes it is based on the principle of balance and a cycling of teams, but it's just downright stupid.

So I propose we change things up a bit. We should adopt the system of promotion and relegation that they use in England's Premier League.

Now for those of you who aren't familiar, which I assume is most of you let me explain. The Premier League has multiple levels that exist within it, sort of like if the minor leagues in baseball weren't farm teams and were there own franchises. Anyway these levels compete within themselves until positions in the final standings are determined.

Seems pretty similar, but here is where we get to the really interesting part. Once the standings are set, the lower teams in the division are dropped (or relegated) to the next lowest division, and the higher teams are raised (or promoted) into the next highest division. So if a team finishes last in the highest league it will trade places with the team that finished first in the 2nd highest league.

This would end the practice of playing poorly to do well in the draft and force teams to play every game like it was there most important of the season.

I know that there are flaws to this plan. What would happen to the draft? How would the teams remain evenly balanced and newcomers enter into mix for a title? But these are issues for Bud Selig, David Stern, and Roger Goodell to figure out. 

This system will probably never make its way over to the states, but one can always dream.

Why the Redskins should draft Ryan Tannehill over Robert Griffin III

Ok this may sound crazy, but I think that the Washington Redskins should pick Ryan Tannehill over Robert Griffin III.

Before you crucify me hear me out.

Ryan Tannehill is not ready to be an NFL quarterback by any stretch of the imagination, he has not played enough and his accuracy is mediocre at best. On the other hand reigning Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III  is an incredibly accurate quarterback who is an athlete beyond compare in this class of quarterbacks.

And yet, I still think that the Redskins should take Tannehill. But why?

Potential.

It's a scary word when it comes to evaluation, no matter the amount of potential there is no guarantee on a player, especially a QB. But it can also be a godsend, ask Tom Brady, he had a ton of potential but was never appreciated for it and became an after thought in the NFL Draft.

If you look at all the quarterbacks in the draft, excluding Andrew Luck of course, there is no one who has a higher ceiling than the Texas A&M quarterback. RGIII is an incredible player, and comes into the NFL ready to play and be a star, but he doesn't have very much room for growth. He has a very Donavon McNabb style of play, a quarterback who can run but doesn't rely on it and has an underrated ability to throw the ball.

Tannehill reminds me of another hall of fame (assuming McNabb gets in) quarterback. John Elway. Again hold on, take a deep breath, now go look up Elway's college stats, especially during his senior year. The biggest argument against Tannehill is his record in college, 12-7 as a starter, but what was Elway's record? If you said 20-23, you would be correct. Oh and look at his stats, pretty close to Tannehill's, accounting for inflation due to the era they played in.

They play a similar style too. Both are incredibly physical players with the ability to run if needed, but both keep a calm head under pressure and have overly strong arms. These styles are not unique to these two players, JaMarcus Russell for instance had a similar playing style and we all know how that worked out, but the comparisons between Elway and Tannehill cannot be ignored.

Now don't get me wrong, in no way am I saying that Ryan Tannehill will ever play near the level of John Elway. What I am saying is that under Mike Shanahan, who had a pretty good run with Elway too mind you, Tannehill can develop into a top tier quarterback.

I know that it will never happen, and I would probably pick Robert Griffin III with the 2nd overall pick as well, all I am saying is that down the road we could be looking back at this draft and asking why. Why did the Redskins skip on Tannehill? Why did they pick RGIII? Is this footballs Sam Bowie?

I think that RGIII will have a marvelous career so take these things with a grain of salt. But I think that if handled correctly he will be outshone by Ryan Tannehill.

Only time will tell.