Breaking Down the Trades

In two separate trades on Sunday, the Bay Area said goodbye to one veteran wide receiver and hello to another. Let's break both trades down:

Oakland sends WR Randy Moss to New England for the 110th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft (CB, John Bowie, Cincinnati)

If #1 pick QB JaMarcus Russell arrived in Oakland thinking he'd be tossing 60-yard bombs to Randy Moss, that thought was quickly dashed Saturday evening when the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders re-ignited trade talks for the talented, but expensive and often enigmatic receiver.

Even before the 2006 season ended, there where whispers that Oakland would trade Randy Moss, with the most talked about landing spot being the scene of his infamous "mooning" incident, the Green Bay Packers. Even Brett Favre was lobbying hard for the team to add Moss.

It wasn't meant to be.

New England was a team that was periodically mentioned as being interested in Moss, but when they signed Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington, traded for Wes Welker and expected Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and former 2nd round pick Chad Jackson back for the 2007, it appeared that Moss wasn't apart of their '07 plans.

That wasn't meant to be, either.

When Day One of the draft was over, the Patriots got on the phone with the Raiders, Randy Moss was administered a physical and a deal was complete. Randy Moss was now a New England Patriot.

So why would New England, who already had a bevy of WRs in it's stable, want to add a 30-year old player who has had run-ins with teammates, the league office, the law and freely admitted to smoking marijuana and taking plays off?

He's very good, that's why.

While many point to New England as a team built around high-character players who, despite not being as physically gifted as others, find success by believing in a superior system, it's not entirely the case. While New England does have many players who fit this mold (Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Troy Brown, Tom Brady, and a few others), they've always been able to mix in the right amount of "high-talent/low-character" players along the way. Corey Dillon, anyone?

The addition of Moss makes sense for 3 reasons:

1. He was willing to slash his salary by perhaps up to 67%. Scheduled to earn $9M+ in 2007, Moss will have a base salary of just $3M, which could rise to $5M with incentives. There's no bonus money involved, no roster bonus, and New England is off scot-free if Moss displays any turdish behavior.

2. Moss is motivated. He went to Oakland to win (seriously, he thought they'd win), and in his two years there, the Raiders went 6-26, fired a pair of coaches and went through four quarterbacks. At 30 years old, and two seasons removed from playing on a playoff contender, he recognizes that coming to New England is a way for him to show the league that he's the best WR of this generation, and perhaps complete his resume with a Super Bowl ring.

3. It only cost a 4th round pick.

If I'm a Patriots fan, I'm extremely happy right now. You just added an extraordinarily talented and motivated wide receiver whose presence makes you the "team to beat" in the NFL. Not the AFC, or even the AFC East, but the entire NFL.

Seattle Trades WR Darrell Jackson to the San Francisco 49ers for a 4th round pick, the 124th overall selection (OG, Mansfield Wrotto, Georgia Tech)

Friday night, ESPN.com's Michael Smith reported that the Seahawks and 49ers were close to a deal that would've sent 7-year veteran WR Darrell Jackson to division rival San Francisco for a 4th round pick. Jackson was under contract for the next 3 years, at a reasonable price, and had been the Seahawks most productive receiver in the Mike Holmgren Era. So why would Seattle be willing to send him to a team inside the division for a lowly 4th round pick?
Glad you asked.

1. Jackson wasn't happy with his contract in Seattle. While I expect many to point to the contracts signed by Deion Branch and Nate Burleson, the truth of the matter is Jackson wasn't happy long before those were signed. Jackson contends that former Seahawks shot-caller Bob Whitsitt made contractual promises to Jackson, but reneged. (Whitsitt, despite no longer associated with the team, flatly denies this)

When current boss Tim Ruskell arrived in 2005, Jackson's representatives approached him about making good on those same promises. Ruskell resisted, which lead to Jackson skipping the "voluntary" off-season training sessions and mini-camps.

The addition of Nate Burleson and then Deion Branch merely exasperated the situation.

2. Health. During the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl run, Darrell Jackson missed 10 games with surgery to repair cartilage in his knee. Last year, Jackson missed most of training camp and the final 3 games of the regular season with turf toe, and was largely absent in the playoff games against Dallas and Chicago.

At 29 years old, and having had multiple knee surgeries, it's unlikely Jackson will play, and as importantly practice, with the team over a 16-game season and the playoffs. Gil Haskell, the Seahawks offensive coordinator, identified the lack of practice time as something that hurt the offense, which went from 2nd in 2005 to 18th in the NFL in 2006.

3. Depth. Seattle has Deion Branch and Nate Burleson signed for the long-term. Veteran wide receiver Bobby Engram signed a two-year contract extension, and the team is very high on 4th year WR DJ Hackett, a restricted free agent the team expects to lock up for the long-term. With four receivers currently on the roster, Jackson was simply expendable.

Did Seattle and Oakland Receive Fair Value?

At this time last year, Denver acquired WR Javon Walker for a 2nd round pick and Ashley Lelie was dealt by the Broncos to Atlanta for a 3rd round pick. One week into the season, Seattle traded a 1st round pick to New England for Deion Branch.

So why would two talented players command 4th round picks? A few reasons:

Last year, the WR pool in the draft was paper thin. Only one WR (Santonio Holmes) was drafted in the 1st round. Only nine receivers were drafted on day one, and of them, only one (Greg Jennings) did anything as a rookie. The draft's most productive WR was Marques Colston, who was drafted as a tight end out of Hofstra by the Saints in the 7th round.

This year, the best player in the draft was a wide receiver. As many as five WRs were given legitimate first round grades, and six were selected in the first round. Sixteen wide receivers were selected on Day 1, and over 30 went between the two days. There was an influx of talent at the position in this year's draft, so teams were not as willing to part with a high draft pick for an expensive veteran at a position where gems can often be unearthed in the drafts later rounds.

Seattle's decision to trade a 1st round pick for Branch shouldn't even factor into this argument. When Seattle traded that pick, they had every reason to expect their 1st round pick to be in the 28-32 range. They were coming off a Super Bowl season, and despite not having Steve Hutchinson, they expected to at least win 11-12 games and get back to the Super Bowl.

They also needed a WR since Jackson missed most of '05 and the '06 training camp, Bobby Engram was 33 years old, DJ Hackett was still a question mark, Nate Burleson was struggling to learn the offense, tight end Jerramy Stevens was expected to miss the first 6 weeks of the season with a knee injury and their best receiving threat out of the backfield was the 34-year old fullback.

When the opportunity to trade for a WR, and former Super Bowl MVP, entering the prime of his career, Seattle jumped at the opportunity. Parting with the 1st round pick was a necessary evil, since the Jets were offering their 2nd round pick (which, let's face it Jets fans, was expected to be in the 33-38 range) for Branch. It's also important to note that New England didn't have to trade Branch, and Seattle opted to avoid bidding against 31 other teams for his services as a free agent this off-season. They needed him, had the cap room to pay him a fair contract (NE was offering similar per year dollars), and didn't view the price to acquire him to be a roadblock.

Final Word

After giving these trades much thought, I believe all four teams have a reason to be pleased with themselves.

Oakland isn't about to contend for a playoff spot, so why pay a player who doesn't want to be there nearly $10M to be a distraction? You may have only got a 4th round pick for him, but this is one less thing new head coach Lane Kiffin will have to deal with.

New England should be happy that they acquired a player of Moss' immense talent for 25 cents on the dollar, and getting him to slash his salary by nearly $7M.

San Francisco should be happy because they theoretically weakened a division rival, while at the same time acquiring a veteran weapon for Alex Smith.

Seattle should be happy because they dealt a player who didn't want to be there anymore. The cap savings was minimal ($500K), but this now means that Tim Ruskell has a WR corps full of sure-handed wide receivers that are happily signed for the long-term, and a pair of rookies with high ceilings.

49ers Acquire WR Darrell Jackson

The San Francisco 49ers have acquired WR Darrell Jackson from the Seattle Seahawks for a 4th round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the 124th selection overall.

Jackson has missed time in each of the past two seasons with injuries, including 10 games during the 2005 season.

Moss to New England

The New England Patriots have acquired WR Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders for a 4th round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the 110th selection overall.

The trade is contingent upon Moss passing a physical, which is reportedly currently being administered in Foxborough at the moment.

1st Round Wrap-Up

FOX Sports' Peter Shrager successfully matched 4 players to the correct team, and one additional player to the correct spot in the draft.

ESPN's Todd McShay successfully matched 6 players to the correct team.

Yours truly matched 7 players to the correct team.

Gonzalez Brings His Bubble to the Bubble

Former Ohio State Buckeye Anthony Gonzalez sleeps in an oxygen tent. The Indianapolis Colts play in a dome.

Sounds like a match made in heaven.

Bolts Take WR Craig Davis

Mac's Instant Analysis: I don't put a lot of stock in the term "reach", but even I can't deny that my initial response to this selection is that it was a major league reach by AJ Smith. He's a good WR, but I don't think he's a "1st Round" wideout.

Olsen To the Bears?

San Diego is still on the clock, but the NFLN just showed an image of a smiling Greg Olsen, a TE out of Miami, putting on a Chicago Bears draft day hat.

Interesting, to say the least, but with Antonio Gates making Pro Bowls as the Chargers tight end, it's safe for the Bears to assume he'll be their pick.

Meanwhile, we're hitting the part of the Draft Day coverage where both ESPN and the NFLN are paying some bills. We've already missed the Baltimore Ravens selection of Ben Grubbs on the NFLN, and we'll likely miss a lot of picks in round 2 and 3 as both networks devote segment after segment to arguing about the 1st round.

There used to be a time when the talking heads would analyze every pick, but the emphasis has unfortunately shifted round 1 only.

Ravens Get Grubbs

The Baltimore Ravens have used the 29th pick in the NFL Draft to select former Auburn Tiger, Ben Grubbs.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Grubbs is the top interior lineman in the draft, and he'll be leading the way for Willis McGahee on Day 1.

49ers Trade Back Into Round 1

The 49ers have acquired the 28th pick of the draft from the New England Patriots, and used that pick on Central Michigan OT Joe Staley. San Francisco is sending the Patriots their 1st round pick in 2008 and a 4th round pick this year, the 110th selection overall.

Saints Grab Meachem

After "losing" Joe Horn this off-season, the Saints have used their 1st round pick on Tennessee WR Robert Meachem.

Mac's Instant Analysis: I had Meachem as the 2nd best WR in the draft, so getting him now represents good value for the Saints. Yes, the defense needs improvement, but they're an offensive club right now and Meachem provides instant relief to Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister and Drew Brees.

Dallas Trades Up, Drafts DE Spencer

Dallas sent their 2nd, 3rd and 5th round picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 26th pick of the draft, and used that pick to draft DE Anthony Spencer from Purdue University.

Deion Sanders is ripping the pick, so it must be good. He thinks they needed to address the back end of the defense. He makes a good point, but Spencer is a versatile DE/LB that new HC Wade Phillips could use like Shawne Merriman when Phillips was coordinating the Chargers defense.

New England Drafts Brandon Meriweather

With the 1st round pick the New England Patriots acquired for WR Deion Branch, the Patriots selected safety Brandon Meriweather from the University of Miami.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Meriweather is the 4th best safety in the draft, but the main selling point to the Patriots is this: He's young. New England's defense is old, particularly in the back seven. Meriweather injects some youth into a group that is likely to lose Rodney Harrison in a year or two.

Carolina is up next, and TE Greg Olsen is still available. Many mock drafts, including mine, had the Panthers choosing him with the 14th pick.

Chiefs Select WR Dwayne Bowe

I had the Chiefs taking Bowe in all my earlier mock drafts. Until Will Shields retired, and I felt the Chiefs would be better served addressing the offensive line, and I switched the pick to Central Michigan OT Joe Staley.

Turns out, my initial instinct was right.

Bowe is a solid pick, though, and he gives the Chiefs a big, physical WR who isn't shy about getting involved in the running game as a blocker.

Cleveland Moves Up to Grab Brady Quinn

Wow.

First of all, I have to give credit to Adam Schefter for reporting that the Browns were attempting to trade for the pick to get Brady Quinn.

The Browns traded the 36th pick overall this year, and their 1st round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, to the Dallas Cowboys for the 22nd pick and they used it on Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn.

Mac's Instant Analysis: What a great move by both teams. Cleveland has landed the best LT in the draft, Joe Thomas, and the 2nd best QB in the draft, Brady Quinn.

Meanwhile, Dallas has picked up a valuable pick (36th pick is still pretty high) and what will likely be a Top 10 pick in 2008.

Jags Take Nelson

The Jacksonville Jaguars have chosen Reggie Nelson with the 21st pick in 2007 NFL Draft.

Mac's Instant Analysis: I thought Nelson was the 2nd best safety in the draft, and trading down to get the guy the Jags wanted all along is a coup for a front office that needed some good news.

Nelson is the 9th consecutive defensive player chosen in the draft, and the 4th consecutive defensive back.

Giants Select CB Aaron Ross

Adam Schefter was right when he predicted that once a cornerback went off the board, a slew of them would soon follow.

We're 20 picks into the draft, and two of the last three picks play that position.

Bengals, Titans Make Picks

Ran out for a few minutes of sunshine and fresh air, and I missed the Bengals and Titans picks. I thought they were locks. The Bengals would take high-character guy and linebacker Paul Posluzny from Penn State, and the Titans would give reigning Rookie of the Year Vince Young a homegrown receiving threat in Robert Meachem from Tennessee.

And I was wrong on both counts.

The Bengals chose CB Leon Hall, who was slated to go much, much higher than 18th. Cincinnati needed a cornerback, and Hall is one of the top two in the draft.

Tennessee went with a safety, Michael Griffin from the University of Texas.

Solid picks, both.

Denver Moves Up and Take

Denver has acquired the 17th pick overall from the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Broncos 1st (21), 3rd (88) and 6th (198) round picks.

And they used that pick to acquire Jarvis Moss, defensive end from Florida. I had Moss going to the Broncos with the 21st pick, so I'm taking credit for calling it correctly. I'm not 5-17 in this draft, which has me flirting with a winning percentage the NBA version of Rick Pitino would be envious of. Once the Bengals select Paul Posluzny, I'll be at that magical .333 mark.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Love this pick. I think when all is said and done, Moss is going to be remembered as the best pass-rusher in this draft class.

Packers Tab DT Justin Harrell

With Marshawn Lynch heading to Buffalo, Ted Thompson, the GM of the Green Bay Packers, opted to shift gears and go defense with the Packers 1st round pick by selected former Tennessee DT Justin Harrell.

Mac's Instant Analysis: I thought that maybe Green Bay would add Miami TE Greg Olsen or Tennessee WR Robert Meachem, but there are few DTs in the draft as good as Justin Harrell, and there are a TE (or two) Green Bay could take in round 2, and there are plenty of RBs and WRs Green Bay can get later.

A bit of surprise to see Harrell go this high, but he's a 6-4, 300-pound tackle who at times dominated in the best college football conference in the nation.

Steelers Select Timmons

As I predicted, the Pittsburgh Steelers have used the 15th pick to select Florida State linebacker Lawrence Timmons.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Joey Porter is gone, and new HC Mike Tomlin is going to slowly incorporate the 4-3 scheme into the Steelers' traditional 3-4 defense. Lawrence Timmons is a good 'backer for Tomlin to revamp the defense around.

Jets Select CB Darrelle Revis

As the NFLN's Mike Mayock predicted, the Jets have traded up to the 14th spot to jump in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers so that they could select CB Darrelle Revis.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Great pick by the Jets, who desperately needed a CB. Hank Poteat has been penciled in as a starter opposite Andre Dyson, and former 2nd round pick Justin Miller is more of a return man than CB at this point. Revis will start from day one, and is the sort of guy that Mangini loves. He's fast, he's physical and he's smart.

Jets Trade Up...

With the draft in New York, it's always fun to hear the crowd when the Jets do something...like trading up in the 1st round.

The details are:

Carolina trades their 1st (14th) and 6th (199) round picks to the Jets in exchange for the Jets' 1st round pick (25), as well as the Jets 2nd (59th) and 5th (164th) round picks.

Rams Select DE Adam Carriker

Mac's Instant Analysis: Smart, safe and good pick by the St. Louis Rams. Carriker is a versatile defensive lineman, who has the speed to rush the passer from the edge and the size to stuff the run inside.

Buffalo Takes Lynch

The Buffalo Bills have drafted RB Marshawn Lynch from Cal.

Mac's Instant Analysis: A solid pick, but I felt they needed to address the defense with this pick. Lynch is a good back, though. He's a solid runner, and is very good out of the backfield. He's the ideal back for this offense.

Whatchu Takin' Bout Willis?

The San Francisco 49ers have selected former Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis with the 11th pick of the draft.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Willis was the best linebacker in the draft, possessing the speed and athleticism of a guy who could go to multiple Pro Bowls in his rookie contract.

I had Willis going to San Francisco, so I'm now 3-11 in my mock draft. Todd McShay is currently 3-11, as well, and FOX's Peter Shrager is 2-11. See, you don't have to be an expert....

Texans Snag DT Amobi Okoye

Mac's Instant Analysis: Whenever you can get a 19-year old kid, who is still growing, who can already dominate a game, you take him. Houston now has three first rounders on the defensive line (Travis Johnson, Mario Williams) and a solid 2nd round LB Demeco Ryans. With Gary Kubiak running the offense, Houston may be poised to make a run at the Jaguars for 2nd place in the AFC South.

Miami Takes Quinn...err, I mean GINN

The Miami Dolphins have made the first bold move of the NFL Draft, passing on potential franchise QB Brady Quinn to take Ohio State athlete Ted Ginn, Jr.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Ginn is a tremendous athlete who'll improve the Dolphins return game, but he's not worth the 10th pick in the draft. Miami had an opportunity to take a franchise QB, something the organization has lacked since Dan Marino retired...and they blew it. This was a brutally bad pick.

Atlanta Picks DE Jamaal Anderson

Mac's Instant Analysis: After Patrick Kerney voided the final two years of his contract, defensive end became a high priority in this draft. Anderson gives the Falcons a young, athletic, defensive end who is solid against the run and provides excellent pressure off the edge.

Minnesota Takes RB Adrian Peterson

Even though Peterson has Alex Bannister's collarbone, the Vikings have made him the 7th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Solid pick. With Chester Taylor currently atop the depth chart, Peterson doesn't have to step in and carry the ball 350 times this year. It won't be long until he will, though.

'Skins Draft LSU Safety LaRon Landry

In a bit of surprising move, the Washington Redskins have drafted former LSU safety LaRon Landry. Now the Redskins can take the rest of the day off. Is there a NASCAR race today or something?

Mac's Instant Analysis: Landry is the draft's best safety prospect, and is known to be not only a hard-hitter, but also a solid tackler. There is, as Seahawks fans can attest, a difference. Now paired with Sean Taylor, it's a good thing Todd Pinkston isn't on the Eagles anymore.

Washington Post: Darrell Jackson-to-San Francisco A Done Deal

Mark Maske of the Washington Post is calling the rumored trade of Darrell Jackson to the San Francisco 49ers for a 4th round pick a "done deal". Pending, of course, Jackson passes a physical this morning.

Wouldn't Jackson having to take, and pass, a physical preclude the deal from being "done"? Hey, what do I know?

Arizona Cardinals Select OT Levi Brown

Mac's Instant Analysis: Addressing the offensive line was priority #1 for the Cardinals, especially with Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm on board. I do think this was a solid pick, but it's ultimately too high for Brown to go. He's not as good as Joe Thomas and I don't see multiple Pro Bowls in Brown's future. That's something you'd expect out of any player taken with a Top 5 pick.

The Washington Redskins are on the clock, and I think they're going to trade down to add some picks. They don't have another pick until tomorrow, and with Brady Quinn and Adrian Peterson still on the board, one team may give up a few picks to move up and grab one of them.

If they do pick, I have them grabbing Amobi Okoye, the 19-year old DT from Louisville. Washington needs help up front on defense, and Okoye or Arkansas DE Jamaal Anderson would provide instant relief.

Tampa Bay Selects DE Gaines Adams

Mac's Instant Analysis: Tampa Bay pined after Calvin Johnson, but ultimately couldn't do enough to move up to get him. So they "settle" for DE Gaines Adams, this drafts best defensive player. Very safe move, as the Bucs have been getting ancient on that side of the ball.

Browns Select LT Joe Thomas

And I'm 1-3 in my mock draft.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Thomas is a solid pass-protecting left tackle, and if anyone watched any of the Cleveland Browns games last year, you understand why Cleveland opted to choose him over QB Brady Quinn.

The Detroit Lions select...

Another wide receiver!

Before everyone cracks the obvious "Matt Millen drafts another WR" jokes, they have to remember this: Calvin Johnson is the best player in this draft.

This was a great pick for the Lions. Comparing Johnson to the likes of Mike Williams and Charles Rogers is ludicrous, and Johnson and Roy Williams arguably form the most lethal WR duo in the NFL.

No Surprise: Russell is the #1 Pick of the Draft

The Oakland Raiders have made QB JaMarcus Russell the #1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Mac's Instant Analysis: Very smart move by the Oakland Raiders, which pains me to write. He's a solid QB with proven leadership ability. Now, Mr. Davis, go get him an offensive line.

Detroit is on the clock. Here comes the Calvin Johnson pick.

Russell is Oakland's Pick

ESPN, as well as various other news outlets, are reporting this morning that Al Davis has made his decision, and the top pick of this year's draft will be former LSU QB JaMarcus Russell.

Michael Smith authored that article, and within it, he divulges that the Cleveland Browns are expecting to choose Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas instead of Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn, and that the Vikings will also pass on the Golden Domer with pick 7.

This means that the Miami Dolphins could be fortuitous enough to land the prized QB prospect with the 9th pick. If they pass on him (doubtful, since he'd have to be the highest rated player still on their draft board), Quinn could make an Aaron Rodgers-like free-fall through the 1st round.

Houston has Matt Schaub and San Francisco has Alex Smith. JP Losman hasn't inspired the greater Buffalo area, so it's possible that if Quinn were to be around, Marv Levy would pull the trigger. If not, St. Louis is rumored to be interested in BYU QB John Beck. Certainly Quinn would pique their interest.

As much as I'm envious of Michael Smith's Rolodex, I'm sticking with my original thought that Cleveland is taking Brady Quinn.

Jackson to 49ers?

ESPN.com's Michael Smith is reporting that the Seattle Seahawks are close to shipping disgruntled WR Darrell Jackson south to the division rival San Francisco 49ers for a 4th round pick, specifically the 124th selection in this weekend's draft.

While it's hardly unheard of for inter-division trades to occur (just this off-season, the Miami Dolphins traded WR/KR Wes Welker to the New England Patriots for 2nd and 7th round picks), the gap has closed between San Francisco and Seattle to the point where this would appear to be an unwise manuever on the part of Seahawks' President Tim Ruskell.

On a side note, after sporadic updates lately, this page will updated frequently during tomorrow's draft.

Mac's Massive Mock!

Last year, I undertook the endeavor of mocking all 7 rounds and 255 selections of the 2006 NFL Draft. I got about 7 of them right, which exceeded the number of Canadian quarters Rob Schneider had collected in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.

So in the spirit of that colossal failure, I'll be linking to the 7-round mocks of ESPN's Todd McShay (the inspiration behind my own mock draft) and FOX Sports.com's Peter Schrager.

When it's all over with, we'll see how a complete like me did in comparison with two experts from big-boy media outlets.

Round 1

1. Oakland - QB, JaMarcus Russell, LSU - Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson is the best player in the draft, but the Raiders need a franchise QB. Russell is their guy.
2. Detroit - DE, Gaines Adams, Clemson - I don't think that the Lions will hold onto this pick. I see them trading down and taking Adams at pick 4.
3. Cleveland - QB, Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - Romeo Crennel likely received good scouting reports on Quinn from ND head coach Charlie Weis, who worked with Crennel in NE. Adrian Peterson is tempting, but that collarbone injury will have him plummeting on Saturday.
4. Tampa Bay - WR, Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech - The best player in the draft won't fall to #4. They'll move up to grab him.
5. Arizona - LT, Joe Thomas, Wisconsin - Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt know that all those skill position players out there aren't effective without a good line. Thomas instantly improves the offense.
6. Washington - DT, Amobi Okoye, Louisville - The youngest player in the draft goes to the team that needs the most help on the defensive line.
7. Minnesota - RB, Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma - Chester Taylor wore down at the end of 2006, a sign that he might not be the long-term answer at the position. Peterson provides security.
8. Atlanta (fr. Houston) - S, LaRon Landry, LSU - Best. Player. Available.
9. Miami - OT, Levi Brown, Penn State - New HC Cam Cameron gets a stud left tackle in his first draft.
10. Houston (fr. Atlanta) - CB, Leon Hall, Michigan - When you've got Peyton Manning and Vince Young in your division, you need good corners. Now the Texans have two.
11. San Francisco - LB, Patrick Willis, Mississippi - Mike Nolan loves Willis, who'll immediately be a leader, and difference maker, on a team on the rise.
12. Buffalo - DT, Alan Branch, Michigan - Octogenarian Marv Levy chose John McCargo in the 1st round last year, and Branch would be a good player to pair him with for the next 5 years.
13. St. Louis - DE, Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas - St. Louis has to improve on defense, and getting a pass-rushing DE to pair with Leonard Little is a no-brainer.
14. Carolina - TE, Greg Olsen, Miami - Honestly, I'm not that impressed by him and I don't think a TE is worth a pick this high. But, all the other mock drafts seem to think Carolina will scoop him up, so this is a chance for me to hit on a pick.
15. Pittsburgh - LB, Lawrence Timmons, Florida State - Joey Porter is long gone, and Timmons is the dynamic linebacker new coach Mike Tomlin can have some fun with.
16. Green Bay - RB, Marshawn Lynch, Cal - Ahman Green and Samkon Gado are long gone, and Lynch is the running/receiving threat out of the backfield the Packers need.
17. Jacksonville - DE, Adam Carriker, Nebraska - Versatile and athletic, Carriker strikes me as a Del Rio-type of guy. (What that means, I have no idea)
18. Cincinnati - LB, Paul Posluzny, Penn State - The Bengals are under the microscope, so they'll play it safe with a solid player, on and off the field.
19. Tennessee - WR, Robert Meachem, Tennessee - Vince Young needs some weapons, and GM Mike Reinfeldt plays the homer card with his first NFL draft pick.
20. NY Giants - CB, Darrelle Revis, Pittsburgh - 2nd best CB in the draft to a team that desperately needs one.
21. Denver - DE/LB, Jarvis Moss, Florida - Denver missed out on Patrick Kerney. Adding Moss is a fine consolation.
22. Dallas - CB, Aaron Ross, Texas - Improving the secondary is a high priority for the Cowboys, who used free agency to address the safety position.
23. Kansas City - OT, Joe Staley, Central Michigan - The Chiefs have lost Willie Roaf and Will Shields in the past two off-seasons. After years of neglecting offensive line depth, the Chiefs have to start injecting youth to the line.
24. New England (fr. Seattle) - LB, David Harris, Michigan - None of the 4 starting linebackers for the Patriots are under 30.
25. NY Jets - DE/LB, Anthony Spencer, Purdue - An absolute beast of a pass-rusher, Spencer gives Mangini a roving 'backer similar to how Belichick used Willie McGinest.
26. Philadelphia - S, Michael Griffin, Texas - Brian Dawkins isn't going to play forever.
27. New Orleans - WR, Ted Ginn, Ohio State - in the I know Saints fans would love to add a DB, but Ginn is too talented to for Payton to ignore. With Joe Horn moving on, Ginn steps in and gives the Saints offense two explosive weapons in the passing, running and return game.
28. New England - S, Reggie Nelson, Florida - Belichick loves SEC guys, and Nelson is the young, ball-hawking safety the team needs.
29. Baltimore - OG, Ben Grubbs, Auburn - Edwin Mulitalo is gone, and getting younger on the line is a priority. Grubbs will be paving the way for Willis McGahee for a long time.
30. San Diego - WR, Dwayne Bowe, LSU - Contrary to popular opinion, LT and Antonio Gates can't do it all every year.
31. Chicago - DT, Justin Harrell, Tennessee - Between Tank Johnson's incarceration, and the departure of Alfonso Boone and Ian Scott, the biggest need in Chicago is for a DT.
32. Indianapolis - CB, Chris Houston, Arkansas - Last year's starters, Jason David and Nick Harper, both left. Houston is the best of the available CBs.

Round 2

33. Oakland - G/T, Justin Blalock, Texas
34. Detroit - QB, Trent Edwards, Stanford
35. Tampa Bay - DE, Charles Johnson, Georgia
36. Cleveland - CB, Marcus McCauley, Fresno State
37. Chicago - WR, Dwayne Jarrett, USC
38. Arizona - LB, Jon Beason, Miami
39. Atlanta - DE/LB, Lamarr Woodley, Michigan
40. Miami - CB, Eric Wright, UNLV
41. Minnesota - WR, Steve Smith, USC
42. San Francisco - OT, Tony Ugoh, Arkansas
43. Buffalo - RB, Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
44. Atlanta - RB, Brian Leonard, Rutgers
45. Carolina - S, Brandon Meriweather, Miami
46. Pittsburgh - G/T, Arron Sears, Tennessee
47. Green Bay - TE, Zach Miller, Arizona State
48. Jacksonville - S, Eric Weddle, Utah
49. Cincinnati - DB, Tanard, Jackson, Syracuse
50. Tennessee - C, Ryan Kalil, USC
51. NY Giants - LB, Stewart Bradley, Nebraska
52. St. Louis - QB, John Beck, BYU
53. Dallas - WR, Sidney Rice, South Carolina
54. Kansas City - DT, Tank Tyler, NC State
55. Seattle - DE, Tim Crowder, Texas
56. Denver - WR, Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio State
57. Philadelphia - RB, Kenny Irons, Auburn
58. New Orleans - CB, Jonathan Wade, Tennessee
59. NY Jets -WR, Jason Hill, Washington State
60. Miami - QB, Drew Stanton, Michigan State
61. Baltimore - DE/LB, Quentin Moses, Georgia
62. San Diego - LB, Justin Durant, Hampton
63. NY Jets - CB, Daymeion Hughes, Cal
64. Tampa Bay - DT, Turk McBride, Tennessee

Round 3

65. Oakland - DT, Brandon Mebane, Cal
66. Detroit - LB, Brandon Siler, Florida
67. Cleveland - RB, Brandon Jackson, Nebraska
68. Tampa Bay - CB, Fred Bennett, South Carolina
69. Arizona - DL, Ray McDonald, Florida
70. Denver - OT, James Marten, Boston College
71. Miami - WR, Craig Davis, LSU
72. Minnesota - S, Josh Wilson, Maryland
73. Houston - WR, Aundrae Allison, East Carolina
74. Buffalo - LB, Stephen Nicholas, South Florida
75. Atlanta - OT, Doug Free, Northern Illinois
76. San Francisco - DE, Ikaika Alma-Francis, Hawai'i
77. Pittsburgh - DE, Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame
78. Green Bay - S, Sabby Piscatelli, Oregon State
79. Jacksonville - LB, Tim Shaw, Penn State
80. Tennessee - DE, Brian Robison, Texas
81. NY Giants - OL, Marshal Yanda, Iowa
82. St. Louis - WR, David Clowney, Virginia Tech
83. Carolina - DT, Paul Soliai, Utah
84. Kansas City - RB, Chris Henry, Arizona
85. Seattle - OG, Josh Beekman, Boston College
86. Denver - RB, Lorenzo Booker, Florida State
87. Dallas - OT, Ryan Harris, Notre Dame
88. New Orleans - LB, Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma
89. NY Jets - WR, Jacoby Jones, Lane College
90. Philadelphia - CB, Usama Young, Kent State
91. New England - LB, Quincy Black, New Mexico
92. Buffalo - TE, Ben Patrick, Delaware
93. San Diego - LB, Buster Davis, Florida State
94. Chicago - WR, Laurent Robinson, Illinois State
95. Indianapolis - DT, Ryan McBean, Oklahoma State
96. San Diego (COMP) - S, Aaron Rouse, Virginia Tech
97. San Francisco (COMP) - FB, Le'Ron McClain, Alabama
98. Indianapolis (COMP) - RB, Michael Bush, Louisville
99. Oakland (COMP) - WR, Yamon Figurs, Kansas State

Round 4

100. Oakland - CB, Kenny Scott, Georgia Tech
101. Detroit - C/G, Samson Satele, Hawai'i
102. Tampa Bay - S, Josh Gattis, Wake Forest
103. Cleveland - DE, Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan
104. San Francisco - G, Manuel Ramirez, Texas Tech
105. Arizona - LB, Michael Okwo, Stanford
106. Minnesota - LB, Rory Johnson, Mississippi
107. Houston - S, John Wendling, Wyoming
108. Miami - DT, Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State
109. Atlanta - OT, Mario Henderson, Florida State
110. San Francisco - WR, Paul Williams, Fresno State
111. Buffalo - CB, Anthony Arline, Baylor
112. Green Bay - OG, Andy Alleman, Akron
113. Jacksonville - OG, Mansfield Wrotto, Georgia Tech
114. Cincinnati - C/G, Leroy Harris, NC State
115. Tennessee - RB, Darius Walker, Notre Dame
116. NY Giants - PK, Mason Crosby, Colorado
117. St. Louis - DT, Marcus Thomas, Florida
118. Carolina - LB, Anthony Waters, Clemson
119. Pittsburgh, S, Gerald Alexander, Boise State
120. Seattle - TE, Scott Chandler, Iowa
121. Atlanta - QB, Kevin Kolb, Houston
122. Dallas - LB, HB Blades, Pittsburgh
123. New Orleans - DE, Baraka Atkins, Miami
124. San Francisco - DT, Derek Landri, Notre Dame
125. New Orleans - TE, Martrez Milner, Georgia
126. New Orleans - DT, Walter Thomas, NW Mississippi JC
127. New England - CB, Travarous Bain, Hampton
128. Tennessee - CB, Brandon McDonald, Memphis
129. San Diego - OT, Brandon Frye, Virginia Tech
130. Chicago - LB, Antwan Barnes, FIU
131. Indianapolis - LB, Tony Taylor, Georgia
132. Pittsburgh (COMP) - TE, Matt Spaeth, Minnesota
133. Atlanta (COMP) - CB, Tarell Brown, Texas
134. Baltimore (COMP) - CB, Ryan Smith, Florida
135. San Francisco (COMP) - S, Michael Johnson, Florida
136. Indianapolis (COMP) - CB, David Irons, Auburn
137. Baltimore (COMP) - WR, Courtney Taylor, Auburn

Round 5

138. Oakland - TE, Michael Allan, Whitworth College
139. Detroit - C, Doug Datish, Ohio State
140. Cleveland - WR, Chris Davis, Florida State
141. Tampa Bay - OT, Allen Barbre, Missouri Southern State
142. Arizona - CB, CJ Gaddis, Clemson
143. Washington - S, Marvin White, TCU
144. Houston - DT, Kareem Brown, Miami
145. Detroit - WR, Johnnie Lee Higgins, UTEP
146. Minnesota - DE, Jay Moore, Nebraska
147. San Francisco - RB, Dwayne Wright, Fresno State
148. Kansas City - CB/RS, Tim Mixon, Cal
149. Atlanta - PK, Justin Medlock, UCLA
150. Jacksonville - CB, Courtney Brown, Cal Poly
151. Cincinnati - OT, Adam Koets, Oregon State
152. Tennessee - DT, Jay Alford, Penn State
153. NY Giants - DT, Kelly Talavou, Utah
154. Detroit - CB, DeAndre Jackson, Iowa State
155. Carolina - WR, Mike Walker, Central Florida
156. Pittsburgh - QB, Troy Smith, Ohio State
157. Green Bay - LB, Dallas Sartz, USC
158. Detroit - S, Eric Frampton, Washington State
159. Dallas - DE, Chase Pittman, LSU
160. Kansas City - WR, Dallas Baker, Florida
161. Seattle - DT, Matt Teoania, Oregon
162. Philadelphia - LB, Desmond Bishop, Cal
163. New Orleans - QB, Jared Zabransky, Boise State
164. NY Jets - OG, Tim Duckworth, Auburn
165. Oakland - LB, Nate Harris, Louisville
166. Baltimore - OT, Julius Wilson, UAB
167. San Diego - DB, Dashon Goldson, Washington
168. Chicago - OG, Dan Santucci, Notre Dame
169. Indianapolis - WR, Steve Breaston, Michigan
170. Pittsburgh (COMP) - WR, Rhema McKnight, Notre Dame
171. New England (COMP) - P, Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor
172. San Diego (COMP) - OG, Cameron Stephenson, Rutgers
173. Indianapolis (COMP) - QB, Jeff Rowe, Nevada
174. Baltimore (COMP) - FB, Corey Anderson, Tennessee

Round 6

175. Oakland - RB, Tyrone Moss, Miami
176. Denver - S, Kevin Payne, UL-Monroe
177. NY Jets - TE, Kevin Boss, Western Oregon
178. Cleveland - S, Brandon Harrison, Stanford
179. Washington - DE, Xavier Jackson, Missouri
180. New England - DL, Clifton Ryan, Michigan State
181. Miami - LB, Kelvin Smith, Syracuse
182. Minnesota - DT, Ola Dagunduro, Nebraska
183. Houston - OT, Jermod Bushrod, Towson
184. Buffalo - LB, Juwan Simpson, Alabama
185. Atlanta - DT, Jeremy Clark, Alabama
186. San Francisco - TE, Dante Rosario, Oregon
187. Cincinnati - WR, Roy Hall, Ohio State
188. Tennessee - LB, Prescott Burgess, Michigan
189. NY Giants - WR, Joel Filani, Texas Tech
190. St. Louis - LB, Justin Hickman, UCLA
191. Carolina - S, Daren Stone, Maine
192. Pittsburgh - RB, Ken Darby, Alabama
193. Green Bay - DT, Antonio Johnson, Mississippi State
194. Jacksonville - P, Adam Podlesh, Maryland
195. Kansas City - C, Dan Mozes, West Virginia
196. Kansas City - QB, Matt Moore, Oregon State
197. Seattle - CB, CJ Wilson, Baylor
198. Denver - RB, Kolby Smith, Louisville
199. New Orleans - OT, Chase Johnson, Wyoming
200. Dallas - DT, Louis Leonard, Fresno State
201. Philadelphia - TE, Clark Harris, Rutgers
202. New England - RB, Ahmad Bradshaw, West Virginia
203. Baltimore - QB, Jordan Palmer, UTEP
204. Tennessee - OG, Tala Esera, Hawai'i
205. Washington - LB, KaMichael Hall, Georgia Tech
206. Tennessee - OT, Corey Hilliard, Oklahoma State
207. Baltimore (COMP) - S, Brandon Sharp, Louisville
208. New England (COMP) - TE/FB, Derek Schouman, Boise State
209. New England (COMP) - OT, Mike Otto, Purdue
210. Seattle (COMP) - TE, Jonny Harline, BYU

Round 7

211. Oakland - WR, James Jones, San Jose State
212. Dallas - S, Craig Dahl, North Dakota State
213. Cleveland - OT, Elliot Vallejo, UC-Davis
214. Tampa Bay - RB, Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
215. Arizona - DE, Victor Degrate, Oklahoma State
216. Washington - OG, Mike Jones, Iowa
217. Minnesota - C, Emoka Lucas, Oregon
218. Houston - RB, Selvin Young, Texas
219. Miami - TE, Joe Newton, Oregon State
220. New Orleans - CB, Michael Coe, Alabama State
221. Chicago - RB, Alonzo Coleman, Hampton
222. Buffalo - WR, Mike Ball, New Hampshire
223. Tennessee - QB, Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh
224. NY Giants - DE, Mkristo Bruce, Washington State
225. Miami - C/G, Uche Nwaneri, Purdue
226. Carolina - OT, Jacob Bender, Wyoming
227. Pittsburgh - DT, David Patterson, Ohio State
228. Green Bay - WR/RS, Ryne Robinson, Miami (OH)
229. Jacksonville - DT, Brent Curvey, Iowa State
230. Cincinnati - WR, Jemalle Cornelius, Florida
231. Kansas City - FB, Jason Snelling, Virginia
232. Seattle - LB, Jon Abbate, Wake Forest
233. Denver - CB, Reggie Lewis, Florida
234. Dallas - PK, Nick Folk, Arizona
235. Green Bay - LB, Sam Olajubutu, Arkansas
236. Philadelphia - DE, Joe Cohen, Florida
237. Dallas - LB, Melvin Mitchell, Tennessee
238. Miami - LB, Clint Sessions, Pittsburgh
239. Buffalo - DE, Antwan Applewhite, San Diego State
240. San Diego - RB, Ramonce Taylor, Texas
241. Chicago - S, Nedu Ndukwe, Notre Dame
242. Indianapolis - OT, Stephon Heyer, Maryland
243. Green Bay (COMP) - FB, Jackie Battle, Houston
244. Atlanta (COMP) - LB, Zach Diles, Kansas State
245. Tampa Bay (COMP) - C, Scott Stephenson, Iowa State
246. Tampa Bay (COMP) - WR/RS, Brandon Myles, West Virginia
247. New England (COMP) - RS, Syndric Steptoe, Arizona
248. St. Louis (COMP) - OG, Nathan Bennett, Clemson
249. St. Louis (COMP) - S, JD Nelson, Oregon
250. NY Giants (COMP) - OG, Kasey Studdard, Texas
251. Jacksonville (COMP) - WR, D'Juan Woods, Oklahoma State
252. Jacksonville (COMP) - OT, Dane Upesera, Hawai'i
253. Cincinnati (COMP) - S, Brandon Mitchell, Ohio State
254. Oakland (COMP) - DE, CJ Ah You, Oklahoma
255. Detroit (COMP) - RB, Jon Cornish, Kansas

Peter King: Teams concerned about lack of talent in 1st round

With the NFL draft less than two weeks away, Peter King checks in this morning with a column that raises question marks about just about everyone in the NFL draft.

King reports that aside from the draft's only "sure thing", Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson, there isn't a player in this draft that doesn't come without a question mark. King even questions whether or not Joe Thomas, the All-American offensive tackle from Wisconsin, is rated so highly because of a weak offensive line class.

King's column raises a very interesting question: Is this a good year to not have a 1st round pick? If there are only 18 players with 1st round grades (as one personnel man is quoted in King's article), and teams in the middle and late first round will be looking to trade down (as another exec predicts), teams are going to pick players higher, and pay more money, for players that aren't as talented in years past.

To me, as a Seahawks fan (and a huge fan of the Deion Branch trade), this makes me feel a lot better about my team not making a pick before 6pm on Saturday, April 28th.

New Look, New Mock

Finally got around to updating the appearance of the site. I've also finally gotten around to creating mock draft version 2.o for the 2007 NFL Draft.

Mock Draft 2.0

Round 1
1. Oakland Raiders - QB, JaMarcus Russell, LSU
2. Detroit Lions - QB, Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
3. Cleveland Browns - RB, Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - WR, Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
5. Arizona Cardinals - LT, Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
6. Washington Redskins - DE, Gaines Adams, Clemson
7. Minnesota Vikings - DT, Amobi Okoye, Louisville
8. Atlanta Falcons - S, LaRon Landry, LSU
9. Miami Dolphins - OT, Levi Brown, Penn State
10. Houston Texans - CB, Leon Hall, Michigan
11. San Francisco 49ers - DE, Adam Carriker, Nebraska
12. Buffalo Bills - LB, Patrick Willis, Mississippi
13. St. Louis Rams - DE, Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas
14. Carolina Panthers - TE, Greg Olsen, Miami
15. Pittsburgh Steelers - LB, Lawrence Timmons, Florida State
16. Green Bay Packers - RB, Marshawn Lynch, Cal
17. Jacksonville Jaguars - DE, Jarvis Moss, Florida
18. Cincinnati Bengals - LB, Paul Posluzny, Penn State
19. Tennesee Titans - WR, Robert Meachem, Tennessee
20. New York Giants - OT, Joe Staley, Central Michigan
21. Denver Broncos - DT, Alan Branch, Michigan
22. Dallas Cowboys - CB, Darelle Revis, Pittsburgh
23. Kansas City Chiefs - WR, Ted Ginn, Ohio State
24. New England Patriots - S, Reggie Nelson, Florida
25. New York Jets - CB, Aaron Ross, Texas
26. Philadelphia Eagles - WR, Dwayne Jarrett, USC
27. New Orleans Saints - CB, Chris Houston, Arkansas
28. New England Patriots - LB, Jon Beason, Miami
29. Baltimore Ravens - OG, Ben Grubbs, Auburn
30. San Diego Chargers - WR, Dwayne Bowe, LSU
31. Chicago Bears - DT, Justin Harrell, Tennessee
32. Indianapolis Colts - CB, Eric Wright, UNLV

Round 2
33. Oakland Raiders - OT, Tony Ugoh, Arkansas
34. Detroit Lions - DE, Anthony Spencer, Purdue
35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - S, Brandon Meriweather, Miami
36. Cleveland Browns - CB, Marcus McCauley, Fresno State
37. Chicago Bears - OG, Arron Sears, Tennessee
38. Arizona Cardinals - S, Michael Griffin, Texas
39. Atlanta Falcons - DE, Charles Johnson, Georgia
40. Miami Dolphins - QB, Trent Edwards, Stanford
41. Minnesota Vikings - WR, Steve Smith, USC
42. San Francisco 49ers - WR, Sidney Rice, South Carolina
43. Buffalo Bills - RB, Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
44. Atlanta Falcons - FB, Brian Leonard, Rutgers
45. Carolina Panthers - ILB, David Harris, Michigan
46. Pittsburgh Steelers - OG, Justin Blalock, Texas
47. Green Bay Packers - TE, Zach Miller, Arizona State
48. Jacksonville Jaguars - CB, Jonathan Wade, Tennessee
49. Cincinnati Bengals - DL, Ray McDonald, Florida
50. Tennessee Titans - C, Ryan Kalil, USC
51. New York Giants - OT, James Marten, Boston College
52. St. Louis Rams - LB, Brandon Siler, Florida
53. Dallas Cowboys - WR, Craig Davis, LSU
54. Kansas City Chiefs - DT, Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State
55. Seattle Seahawks - DT, Tank Tyler, NC State
56. Denver Broncos - DE, Tim Crowder, Texas
57. Philadelphia Eagles - S, Eric Weddle, Utah
58. New Orleans Saints - DE/LB, Lamarr Woodley, Michigan
59. New York Jets - DE, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Hawai'i
60. Miami Dolphins - WR, Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio State
61. Baltimore Ravens - DE, Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame
62. San Diego Chargers - S, Aaron Rouse, Virginia Tech
63. New York Jets - WR, Jason Hill, Washington State
64. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - CB, Daymeion Hughes, Cal

This mock is like all the others you'll see out there. They are best guesses, and are not to be taken too seriously. (Unless I'm right, of course.)

NFL Suspends Pacman; Henry

Roger Goodell made his first attempt at disciplining an NFL player for off-field conduct a spectacular one.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, who has been involved in various off-field incidents since being drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft, has been suspended for the 2007 NFL season.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, Jones' former teammate at the University of West Virginia, has been suspended for the first 8 games of the 2007 NFL season. Since entering the NFL, Henry has been arrested multiple times, including one incident where he was arrested while wearing his own Bengals jersey.

Tribe Series Moved to Milwaukee

Snow wiped out the Cleveland Indians 4-game home opening series against the Seattle Mariners in Jacob's Field. With the playing field/stadium uncertain to be ready for their Tribe's 3-game series with the Los Angeles Angels, Major League Baseball has moved the series to Milwaukee's Miller Park, an indoor stadium.

Ironically, the home game scenes in the movie Major League, which was set in Cleveland and featured the misfit cast of the Cleveland Indians, were filmed in Milwaukee.

Tomase: Pats Control Samuel's Fate

John (Popper) Tomase of the Boston Herald chimes in today with a laughable article about how the New England Patriots hold all the leverage over disgruntled franchise CB Asante Samuel. As a guy who writes about the NFL and other sports as hobby, I always love it when a guy/gal who gets paid to write about this stuff for a major newspaper or website is completely wrong every step of the way.

The article is linked above, but I'll include what Tomase wrote followed by what the reality is.

Samuel made headlines last week with extensive comments to the NFL Network detailing his displeasure at being franchised by the Pats, who have yet to offer what he considers a suitable longterm contract. Samuel stopped just short of demanding a trade, but implied time is running out.
“We have a difference of opinion in my value,” Samuel said. “They think I’m worth one price and the other teams think I’m worth a lot more. If a long-term deal can’t be done at fair numbers for me and New England, then I want to be traded.”

If only it were that simple, because, quite simply, the Patriots are in the driver’s seat, and deep down, Samuel must know it.

This is where it gets really good.

Samuel stands to quadruple the roughly $2 million he has earned in his career if he plays for the one-year franchise tender of $7.79 million. When push comes to shove, it’s hard to believe a player who has spoken so ceaselessly of doing right by his family would leave that money on the table.

If Samuel wasn't franchised, and was allowed to hit the open market, he would've received a long-term contract offer that contained over $15M in guaranteed money on DAY ONE. Instead, he was franchised and if a long-term deal cannot be reached (reports indicate the Pats and Samuel are over $4M a year apart), he'll be forced to accept that one-year tender of $7.79M.

If a long-term deal cannot be struck, Samuel basically has two options - hold out or play for the one-year tender. If he goes the former route, he could sit until Week 10 so as not to lose a year of free agency, but at the cost of $14,000 a day in fines. By the time he took the field he’d be roughly $1.5 million poorer. That’s almost as much as he has made since entering the league.

Samuel has three options, not two:

1. Hold out for the entire season (not going to happen)
2. Play for the one-year tender
3. Report in Week 10, gain a year of service, and become a free agent again in 2008.

Tomase mentions that Samuel can be fined up to $14K per day. He's dead wrong. NFL teams can fine players under contract up to $14K for each day they fail to report once training camp begins, but here's what Tomase doesn't realize: As long as that franchise tender remains unsigned, Asante Samuel isn't under contract to the New England Patriots. They don't have that hammer to hold over his head, and this is a huge element to Tomase's assertion that the Patriots have the leverage in this situation, because he argues that holding out until Week 10 would cost Samuel almost as much as he's earned in his career.

In fact, the opposite is true. As long as the one-year tender is unsigned, the Patriots need to keep that $7.79M (or the pro-rated amount depending on when Samuel signs it) in salary cap room available.

And even then, he’d need to have one whale of a final six games to convince a rival club to pay him the Nate Clements (eight years, $80 million) or Dre Bly (five years, $33 million) money he seeks, with roughly $20 million in guarantees.

The highest-profile player to sit out and ultimately get his money was Seahawks wide receiver Joey Galloway, who missed the first eight games of 1999, returned to catch 22 passes, and was then traded to the Cowboys for two first-round picks. He received a $42 million contract that turned out to be disastrous, blowing out his knee in 2000 and never reaching 1,000 yards in Dallas.

Samuel doesn't need to have a whale of a final 6 games to get a contract with 8 figures of guaranteed money. Aside from playing well, the only thing he needs to do is avoid a serious injury, which is easier to accomplish when you play 10 less games in the regular season. How smart would Samuel be if he played for the one-year tender, reported before Week 1, and blew out his knee in Week 3?

Galloway wasn't a disaster, either. The Dallas Cowboys were. His first year was washed out by injury (another reason to get that guaranteed money), but his second and third years in Dallas, his QBs were Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Clint Stoerner and Chad Hutchinson. Tomase doesn't mention that Joey Galloway is still regarded as one of the fastest WRs in the NFL and has amassed over 1,000 yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in each of the last two seasons.


Samuel went on the offensive last Wednesday, but his comments were ill-timed. With Daisuke Matsuzaka making his major league debut for the Red Sox [team stats] the very next day, the Samuel story disintegrated like a Metro on the Orange Line.
Now the weekend is over and Samuel’s outburst is already old news.

It's old news, but you've chosen to kick off your week with this story, thus giving it life.

Deion Branch, the last Patriots holdout, did a better job of managing his message. There’s a perception that Samuel will follow the Branch blueprint out of town and into the waiting arms of a huge contract. The only problem with that is it assumes the Patriots learned nothing from last summer, when they misread Branch’s market, allowed the receiver to negotiate with other clubs, believing he wouldn’t find a suitor, and were ultimately burned.

Even then, they still landed a first-round pick for their troubles.
The Patriots [team stats] underestimated Branch’s resolve, a mistake they presumably will not repeat. They assumed he’d cave before joining the ranks of the unemployed, but Branch had relatively little to lose. Unlike Samuel, he was only due to make around $1 million.

Again, Tomase doesn't get it. Deion Branch had a lot more to lose than Samuel does. Branch had no leverage as he was under contract, and every day he wasn't in camp was money out of his own pocket. Money that he couldn't really afford to part with.

Samuel's situation is similar, but since he's not under contract, he can afford to wait them out until early November, still collect nearly $4M in pro-rated salary and be an unrestricted free agent in 2008.
The Patriots, meanwhile, found themselves barren at wideout, a deficiency that did not bite them until the AFC Championship Game. Time remains to address the cornerback position through either the draft or a trade before they’re left high and dry this time around, though the odds of replacing Samuel with a player of his caliber are slim.
All of this said, the sides could still work out an extension and render all of the above moot. If that happens, it may be portrayed as a victory for Samuel, but more likely any deal will be on the Patriots’ terms.
They’re firmly in control of this situation, and both sides know it.

John Tomase is either a complete idiot, really smart, or a mixture of the two. He obviously has no grasp on how free agency in the NFL works, so the only thing I can deduce is that he's attempting to curry favor within the Patriots front office by writing a fiction-based story that calls Samuel a fool for testing the Patriots' brass.

Whenever a beat writer editorializes like this, he/she is taking a big risk. The beat writer is supposed to cover his/her team objectively, and Tomase has treaded into some dangerous waters today. Then again, if this bites him on the ass (you have no idea how many players and agents read the papers) Tomase could always go write for www.patriots.com.

Brewers' Fans Know How to Tailgate

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an Opening Day 2007 photo gallery, and contained this gem within:




You're looking at a 12-person beer bong. Only in Milwaukee....

Baseball Notes - April 3rd, 2007

The first Monday in April is usually one of the best sports days in the whole year. The NCAA holds their National Championship game and it's the real Opening Day in Major League Baseball. I still prefer the first Sunday that NFL games actually count, but it's close. Real close.

AROD Booed in Top of 1st

If you were in a "When Will Yankee Stadium Erupt in a Chorus of Boos for AROD" pool, and had 10 minutes into the season, you would've cleaned up yesterday. Top of the 1st inning, AROD overran a foul pop which immediately drew the ire of the crowd. AROD more than made up for it at the plate, going 2-5 with a 2-run HR that put the game out of reach.

Hey, AROD is a terrible defensive third baseman. But the guy can hit, and in a season where he can opt out of his contract and make even more money (yes, it's possible) in a more relaxed environment, he's going to tear the cover off the ball this year. I'm thinking .320 with 45 HRs and 130 RBIs for him this year, which is the main reason I picked the Yankees to win the AL East this year. Even Carl Pavano's performance yesterday (4.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 walks, 4 ER) wasn't enough to beat the Yankees, who got 4 2/3 of scoreless relief from the 'pen.

Lidge Is In Mid-Season Form

Maybe using Brad Lidge as a set-up man would be the best role for him. Houston gets a stellar outing from Roy Oswalt (7.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 K's) and lead 2-1 heading into the 9th. Lidge makes Adam LaRoche look foolish, Ronny Paulino breaks his bat on a nasty slider and grounds out weakly to short, and then Xavier Nady hits a bomb on the first pitch he sees. Lidge then gives up a double to Jose Bautista, walks Ryan Doumit and gets bailed out by Adam Everett, who made a run-saving catch on a flare hit into short left.

Maybe his mechanics are off a bit, but there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with his stuff. He looked great against LaRoche and Paulino. Maybe the excited crowd on Opening Day, standing loudly ready to celebrate the win, got to Lidge and in his mind, he wasn't facing Nady anymore, but was instead staring at Albert Pujols. Either way, I don't think he has the mental makeup to close anymore.

Dan Wheeler, come on down!

This Just In...

Felix Hernandez, the 20-year phenom for the Seattle Mariners, is pretty good.

8 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks and 12 K's (including the hard-to-whiff Jason Kendall three times) and more importantly, no runs allowed, in the M's 4-0 win over their 2006 nemesis, the Oakland A's.

Hernandez was dominant from the start. Oakland managed to squeeze in a few weak groundballs in between Hernandez strikeouts until Shannon Stewart singled to left in the 4th inning. The only threat Oakland managed was in the 6th inning. A's rookie Travis Buck drilled a double off the centerfield wall to lead off the inning, and was sacrificed over to third by Mark Ellis. Hernandez then struck out Kendall and Stewart to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Bobby Crosby's 2nd error of the game lead to a sac fly by Raul Ibanez and a 3-run HR by Richie Sexson that sealed the deal for Seattle.

Felix became the 1st pitcher to post 12 strikeouts and no earned runs in an Opening Day game in 40 years, and if he keeps it up, he'll be in contention for the Cy Young, no matter what the M's record is.

The Day/Night Ahead

San Diego and San Francisco, the two teams who haven't played yet, get their series started at 405pm (ET) today, with Padres' ace Jake Peavy going up against the Giants' $126M man, Barry Zito.

The game I'll try to stay up and watch will be the Oakland-Seattle game. I'm interested in seeing how many people show up at Safeco Field since:

a.) It's not Opening Day
b.) Felix Hernandez isn't pitching

The place was sold out yesterday, but I'm guessing plenty of great seats are available for tonight's match-up. Are you listening, Howard Lincoln?

NFL Announces 2007 Preseason Schedule

The China Bowl may be postponed until 2009, but the NFL has announced the full slate of games for August.

The nationally televised games are:

August 5th - New Orleans vs. Pittsburgh, from Canton, OH - 8pm (NFLN)
August 9th - Indianapolis at Dallas - 8pm (FOX)
August 10th - Buffalo at New Orleans - 8pm (CBS)
August 11th - Washington at Tennessee - 8pm (NFLN)
August 12th - Seattle at San Diego - 8pm (NBC)
August 13th - Denver at San Francisco - 8pm (ESPN)
August 16th - Miami at Kansas City - 8pm (ESPN)
August 17th - Minnesota at NY Jets - 8pm (FOX)
August 18th - San Diego at St. Louis - 8pm (CBS)
August 19th - NY Giants at Baltimore - 8pm (NBC)
August 20th - Chicago at Indianapolis - 8pm (ESPN)
August 23rd - Jacksonville at Green Bay - 8pm (FOX)
August 24th - New England at Carolina - 8pm (CBS)
August 26th - Philadelphia at Pittsburgh - 8pm (NBC)
August 27th - Cincinnati at Atlanta - 8pm (ESPN)

The full schedule can be found here.

'Hawks/Pats China Exhibition Cancelled

According to SI.com's Peter King, the NFL will be canceling the proposed exhibition game in Beijing, China between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on August 9th, 2007.

King's article, as well as this one by Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle-PI, indicate that the NFL does not think the Chinese are ready to host the game, and that both the Seahawks and Patriots are having problems preparing for the games due to postponed trips the clubs were attempting to make to plan for the game.

Opening Day

Major League Baseball got off to its start last night with the New York Mets spoiling the home-opener for the defending World Series champs St. Louis Cardinals with a 6-1 win.

The real Opening Day starts today with 13 games on the docket, and the first game of the year always features the best pitching match-ups. Today, the schedule has:

-Toronto's ace Roy Halladay going up against the defending American League champ Detroit Tigers, who counter with Jeremy Bonderman.

- 2007 is the 10th Anniversary of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and in an attempt to perhaps finished above 5th place for just the 2nd time in their history, the Rays are tossing Scott Kazmir against the Evil Empire. The Yankees rotation is without Chien-Ming Wang (hamstring) and Andy Pettitte (back spasms), so Opening Day duties fall to the much-maligned Carl Pavano, who hasn't pitched since June 27th, 2005 because of a variety of injuries he's since signing a 4-year, $39.95M contract after the 2004 season.

- Florida sends the "D-Train", Dontrelle Willis, to the hill against Washington's ace John Patterson. Let's see if the young Marlins can avoid sophomore slumps.

- For the first time in the Bobby Cox era, the Braves failed to make the playoffs. They'll send John "-nyCakes" Smoltz to the mound against Philadelphia's Brett Myers.

- Cleveland received the mother of all scares last week when a Reed Johnson line-drive ricocheted off the left wrist of Indians' ace CC Sabathia. The x-rays were negative, and the big fella is ready to go on Opening Day against the White Sox. Chicago will start Cuban octogenarian Jose Contreras.

- Despite giving Jason Schmidt over $15M per year, the Dodgers start the season with Derek Lowe on the mound. Milwaukee is going with Ben Sheets, a pitcher they'll need to keep healthy if they want to make a run at the wide-open NL Central.

- ESPN's Buster Olney thinks the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano are on the brink of a 5-year, $85M deal, and he'll get the nod today against Aaron Harang and the Cincinnati Reds.

- Last year's NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb gets the ball for the new-look Diamondbacks when they venture into the thin air of Denver. Aaron Cook goes for the Rockies.

- Blogger extraordinaire Curt Schilling starts for the Red Sox in Kansas City, where he'll meet the Royals' $55 Million Dollar Man, Gil...Meche. That number still baffles me.

- In 2006, the A's owned the Seattle Mariners, so they'll likely feel confident heading into Safeco today. The Mariners have a reason to feel confident, and his name is Felix Hernandez.

- Johan Santana's attempt for a Cy Young 3-peat starts at home against the Orioles. Baltimore is going to need stellar starting pitching if they want to compete with the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays, and it all starts with Erik Bedard.

- I picked Roy Oswalt for the NL Cy Young, and he'll take the mound against Zach Duke and the Pirates.

- With Bartolo Colon rehabbing an injury in the minors, so John Lackey gets the ball in the day's nightcap. It's Texas Rangers' manager Ron Washington's debut, and he's given Opening Day honors to Kevin Millwood.