It's NFL Draft Week! Here are some football thoughts that have been pounding through the Flea Flicker mind recently.
The New England Patriots. The only drama that I like in football is the drama that drives every football game. I really can't stomach the drama that's often manufactured outside of the games. Many hate the Patriots. I get that. Success builds love, hatred, envy, jealousy, whatever. Ridiculous success simply intensifies those feelings. In the nearly two full decades with the trinity of Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady the Patriots have had ridiculous success. Five Super Bowl wins. Eight Super Bowl appearances. If they celebrated their successes as the Indianapolis Colts do the Patriots would have banners raised for nearly each of the last 17 seasons. Ridiculous success. Football is a game, an interest, a passion for most of us. It's a business for those that actually do it. It's their job. There's tension, disagreements, confrontations in every job. Unlike most businesses this one plays out on an international stage for anyone even remotely interested to follow. It's click bait for those with a sick fascination in such things. The Patriots drama is really no different than that found with most teams. It's especially common with teams that have experienced ridiculous success. Green Bay Packers players hated playing for Vince Lombardi. Five titles made it work. The Cleveland Browns played in Championship games from 1946-55 but Otto Graham wanted to call his own plays. Paul Brown wouldn't allow that. Again, winning made the relationship work. Buddy Parker quit on the Detroit Lions on the eve of the 1957 season because be could no longer manage his players. For whatever reason Weeb Ewbank had a problem with Alan Ameche. Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw barely even had a professional relationship. Al Davis and Marcus Allen? What's truly astonishing about the Patriots is that it took 17 years for their drama to show.
Well, that ended up running a little longer than I'd intended. It's Draft Week! That's fun. It's a helluva lot more fun than the media coverage of the Patriots.
The draft evaluation of UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen has gone beyond ridiculous. He's a bright, inquisitive kid. In what world can that possibly be a negative? Only in an NFL world led by old-school, backward-looking antiques. One thing that seemed to skip the attention of apparently everyone was that just as team decision-makers and talking heads were criticizing Rosen for questioning his coaches about play concepts and designs they were praising that very same quality in Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. That's actually the thing that bothers me about these player evaluations. When a scout, analyst, wannabe draftnik doesn't like a player they'll often use whatever "knock" is convenient. Questioning coaches is a negative for Rosen but a positive for Barkley. Running back "A" is slow to the hole but running back "B" is patient. Or this back makes defenders miss but that back is afraid of contact. Many player evaluations are more about pushing that analyst's narrative than the player's actual talent and potential. Rosen might be a challenging player for a coach but it can be, or should be, a good challenge. If approached in the proper manner it's a relationship in which player and coach will be better for it. And, as a result, the team will be better for it.
Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame receiver Raymond Berry said that he had developed 88 moves to get by a defender. With his legendary preparation in mind it's tough to doubt that total. It does raise the question. Did he use them all?
Thoughts of Berry's preparation routines reminded me of the story of Stefon Diggs' first training camp with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He was spotted at night, alone on a Mankato State practice field, running routes. Over and over and over.
It's Draft Week!
Last year the Vikings had no first round pick. It sure felt like they got a first round pick when they were able to land running back Dalvin Cook in the second round. He was a top-10 talent that fell to the second round because of off the field concerns. Those were concerns that seemed to melt away if a team actually took the time to talk to Cook. Fortunately the Vikings did. I can't wait to see Dalvin Cook back on the football field. He's a special talent.
We're on to this draft. Here's the Flea Flicker Top-10 players in the 2018 NFL Draft
1. Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3. Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
4. Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
5. Derwin James, S, Florida State
6. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
7. Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
8. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
9. Vita Vea, DT, Washington
10. Sam Darnold, QB, USC
The funny thing about ranking the players is that the actual draft never matches those rankings. First of all, rankings are subjective. Second of all, team needs change things. Third of all, position value changes things. Guards don't get first pick consideration so Nelson, despite being great and quite possibly the safest pick in the draft, could go anywhere from the second pick to the bottom of the top-10. Fourth of all (and perhaps most importantly), quarterbacks change everything.
With all of that in mind, here's how I see the first ten picks of the 2018 NFL Draft. I don't dabble in draft trade predictions. That's for lunatics.
1. Cleveland Browns-Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. New York Giants-Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3. New York Jets-Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
4. Cleveland Browns-Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
5. Denver Broncos-Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
6. Indianapolis Colts-Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Derwin James, S, Florida State
8. Chicago Bears-Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
9. San Francisco 49ers-Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
10. Oakland Raiders-Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
Of those, the pick that felt the most iffy for me was the Broncos selection of Mayfield. If I were to predict a draft day trade, which I won't because I'm not a frickin lunatic, I'd start there.
It's Draft Week!
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