Various questions I get asked
“im not sold on these other qbs..bradford is overrated and clausen is a punk wouldnt surprise me if clausen went to pro day in a white limo” (From Twitter)
And if he does, does that make him a bad quarterback? As long as he follows the law, doesn’t get suspended, and doesn’t get into fights with teammates/team official, I don’t care what a player does with his free time as long as he’s 100% football when necessary, games/practice/film study. He’s had an amazing year, in a pro style offense, at age 20, with about half the talent that Tebow/McCoy/Bradford (in 2008) had around them, despite playing through a foot injury. The only major concerns with Clausen are that he could be a one year wonder. He had a horrible sophomore year before his amazing junior year, but I really did see a changed quarterback from 2008 to 2009 in terms of his on the field maturity and decision making so I think he could be changed for good. The other concern is that he didn’t win a lot of close games. All of Notre Dame’s losses were by 7 or fewer points so while Clausen played amazing, if he had played just a little bit better when it mattered, his 4th quarter stats were a bit lower, his team could have been 8-4 or 9-3. However, I’m not going to make mountains out of molehills with those. Clausen is still a very capable NFL quarterback.
“Where’s LT going?” (From anonymous)
Depends on how much he wants to play. He says he wants to win a Super Bowl, but if playing time is an issue for him as well his options could be limited, and by limited I mean very limited. New England is the only place that makes sense given those two necessary qualifications. If he doesn’t mind being a #2 guy, his options widen up. Philadelphia, who just released Brian Westbrook, could make sense. LT can still pass block and pass catch well, which seems to be all Andy Reid cares about in a back, and he could also be that goal short yardage guy they need. However, I’m not sure the Eagles would swap out one old vet for another, Westbrook for LT. I don’t know how much of an upgrade LT would be over Westbrook and you don’t just release Westbrook, a face of the franchise, unless you want to get younger at the position or upgrade the position and I’m not sure LT does either. Other interesting possibilities, Pittsburgh (Willie Parker is a free agent and sucked all last year), Houston (not necessarily a contender per se, but they’re on the rise and need running back help, also LT is from Texas), and Minnesota (imagine Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and LT on the same field, a marketer’s dream).
“What do you think the chances are of the Bucs getting Berry? I hope they do.” (From emailer)
Berry makes some sense there with Head Coach Raheem Morris being a former defensive backs coach, but I’d only do that if both McCoy and Suh were off the board. Those two guys fill so much of a bigger need, play positions that rank higher in terms of positional value, and are overall better prospects (slightly). Even if both are off the board, Berry is a risk because of his position. There’s a reason no one has taken a safety in the top 3 since 1991. If you take a safety in the top 3 and he doesn’t become a perennial Pro Bowler, you wasted a pick. I love Berry’s talent and upside, but if he’s even just an above average player (great not excellent), he’s not worth that pick, and you look foolish. There are plenty of great safeties in the league, but the excellent ones, the elite ones, guys like Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed, are the rare ones and those are the ones that really change a defense and take them to the next level. If the Bucs take Berry at 3, they better hope he becomes that type of player and not an Adrian Wilson or Kerry Rhodes (great, but not excellent).
“Who are your draft sleepers?” (From Twitter)
Depends what you mean by that. If you mean sleepers by players I have rated higher than other people, Damian Williams of USC is the first one on my mind. Solid consistent hands, excellent route running, NFL ready, knows how to get open and makes all of the catches, quietly had a 1000 yard year this year with a freshman quarterback in a pro style offense, good height, lacks elite strength and speed, but he also has a very humble nature (part of the reason for the lack of hype). He’s everything you could want out of a future #1 option. He’s the most NFL ready wide receiver in this draft class. The Seahawks and Pete Carroll, who has experience with Williams at USC, should consider him at 14. He’s my top wide receiver and, by comparison, I couldn’t even vote for him as top receiver on ESPN because he wasn’t one of the ten choices. Other guys, Rafael Priest of TCU, Bill Stull of Pittsburgh, Jermaine Cunningham of Florida, and Mike Neal of Purdue, are all guys I have rated significantly higher than most places.
If you mean guys who could shoot up draft boards and go higher than you think, you have to look at small school guys who are getting their first national attention this week at the combine. Jared Veldheer is the name that sticks out. Tiny school playing for Division II Hillsdale, but hasn’t missed all start in his entire career, 4 year starter, and I think, though the numbers might not be accurate, that he gave up a grand total of like one or two sacks in his career at Hillsdale. He’s got elite NFL size, 6-8 or 6-9 and 325 pounds. I’ve never seen him play because of his small school, and I don’t think most NFL scouts have either, and I have him currently penciled in late in the 3rd to Dallas, but once he shows himself on a national stage on the combine, he could be an early 2nd rounder. If what I’ve heard of him is true, he could be very dominant in drills and he’s reportedly a physical freak who could run a 5.02-5.08 40 at the combine at 6-9 325. Al Davis will literally shit his diaper if that happens.
Send me an email
Football Fan Spot 