Lions fans' Super Bowl is this Saturday and Sunday. Some brief thoughts on the upcoming festivities:
- One of the great things about the draft is the obscene amount of irresponsible speculation that leads up to it. Name me another sport where the amateur draft gets this much coverage. Most of the time, this is a good thing. But it seems as though the more time is spent dissecting prospects and their attributes, the more ridiculous the opinions become. Merril Hoge suggested on SportsCenter 2 weeks ago that neither Leinart nor Young were worthy of a first round pick - Leinart because of his perceived lack of arm strength, and Young because of his delivery and lack of time under center. Suffice it to say that this is ludicrous. Young may or may not be the next Michael Vick, but Leinart will be in the Pro Bowl in four years. Which brings me to my next point:
- Anybody who passes on Leinart will be sorry. I can see how the Texans could come to the conclusion that they should take Reggie Bush - speedy blah shifty blah Gale Sayers blah blah. For a moment, let's forget the inevitability of Bush spending the majority of his seven year career on the injured list. One very important fact makes Leinart the right pick in this situation: The gap in talent between the best and worst starting QB in the NFL is much bigger than that for running backs. The Pro-Bowler you drafted in the 7th round is much more likely to lining up seven yards in the backfield than under center. That being said...
- I don't envy the position that the Saints are in. I still feel as though Leinart would be the right choice, but he wouldn't contribute on that team for at least a year or two. If you believe that Mario Williams is the next Julius Peppers, I can see how you'd justify selecting him with the second pick, especially considering the historical inaptitude of the Saints' defense. Hell, I might even consider A.J. Hawk. Let's not forget though, that the 2 best seasons of Brees' career came with top 5 pick right on his heels on the depth chart.
- Part of me hates to say this, but the best case scenario for Detroit would be for Hawk to drop to them at #9, although it won't happen. I think there's some truth to the Spielman comparisons.
- The consensus seems to be that Huff will be the guy when Millen and company are on the clock, and this seems to be a good thing. Ever since the "Ty Law rules" were put into effect a few seasons ago, we've seen a shift in the nature of NFL secondaries. Gone are the days of the shutdown corner. In this day and age, your Pro Bowl CBs are the intelligent guys who understand the intricacies of the zone defense, and have the agility to quickly close the seams in the zone when the ball is in the air, and make a solid tackle. Sorry kids, but Charles Woodson is not headed to Honolulu anytime soon.
- As a result of this trend, we're seeing the emergence of versatile safeties. Guys like Williams, Reed, and Polamalu are as likely to return an INT 90 yards as they are to separate you from your cranium. (To the Batcave!) Part of this trend is probably related to the increased athleticism of TEs, but that's another story. Some are saying that Huff has the speed and hips to play CB as well, which is great. Especially considering that all the king's horses and all the king's men are still working on Fernando Bryant.
- Anybody baffled by Michigan's 7-5 season should look to this year's draft for reasons why. The only guy who's a lock to go on day one is one of the biggest underachievers in school history. Avant is a solid if unspectacular possession receiver (Future social worker. Respect.) and there's the two meh O lineman that will go on day 2, if at all. No Braylon. No Perry. No Hutchinson. See what I mean?
- I would not be surprised (disgusted maybe, but not surprised) to see the Lions take a QB in the first round.
- With all of the OSU guys being drafted (especially on defense), why are the Buckeyes in the National Championship discussion? Is Troy Smith actually that good?
- Vince Young analogy: Drafting him in the top 10 is like doubling down on 12.
