Duke Lacrosse: On The Eve of Greatness

I am convinced there was a rape, yes, sir
-Mike Nifong quote made to an MSNBC reporter in March 2006

With such condemnatory statements as the one above (more Mike Nifong quotes below), Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong led the public’s rush to judgment in assuming the guilt of three members of the Duke Lacrosse team (taken from the North Carolina State Bar’s official complaint against Mike Nifong, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2006/1228062bar1.html). Things have settled down on campus and I’ve been trying hard not to think about this whole ordeal. But with the Duke Lacrosse team making it to the national championship game tomorrow, I feel it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the media circus that has become the Duke Lacrosse Case.

I lived in Few Quad last year, located directly across from Duke Chapel in the heart of campus, so I was situated right in the middle of this whole fiasco. For a span of a couple of months whenever I had to take the short trek from my dorm room to the library or to class, I had to walk through reporters, sets, camera crews, and media trucks (with gigantic satellites). I felt like a mouse in a maze. I remember having to navigate my way through more than a dozen media trucks in the Brian Center parking lot on my way to class. I remember flipping through the channels and wondering to myself whether I could find anything other than the Duke Lacrosse case on television. I remember flipping to CNN and seeing Jesse Longoria, Duke’s Student Government President at the time, doing an interview with Larry King. Usually whenever there is a huge news event featured on most of the major channels (ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC), ESPN is my solace. I know I can always tune in to ESPN to get away from everything. But even that was taken away from me. Every time I flipped to ESPN, George Smith was reporting live at Duke about the case.

I also remember being scared. I was scared when Duke sent out an email telling us that there had been a crime against a Duke student off of East Campus by a Durham resident in wake of the incident. I was also terrified when Duke sent emails to all students warning us to be careful because the Black Panthers were rallying on, or very close to, campus.

I remember the circus that was the media (including the student paper, local, and national papers). I remember many members of the media, Nancy Grace especially comes to mind, assuming guilt. It felt like K.C. Johnson, a history professor and blogger, was the only unbiased person out there that was taking the time to really analyze the situation (http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/)

When the three players accused of the rape were announced, it really hit close to home. One of the accused players’ girlfriends lived right across the hall from me. I remember the absolute shock that rose in me when I saw on t.v. the face of a guy who I must have walked by a hundred times in the hall outside my dorm room.

Like many people here at Duke, I have a lot of anger about how everything was handled and the way this issue exploded with the media. Duke’s reputation unquestionably took a huge hit because of it. That’s why I am so proud of what the team did yesterday. If you haven’t heard, the Duke Lacrosse team defeated Cornell 12-11 yesterday in the national semifinals.

I was pretty nervous early on when we were down 3-2 but then we exploded. We scored 8 goals in a row and during that period our defense, especially goalie Dan Loftus, really clamped down on Cornell’s offense (which has the nation’s no.1 scoring offense). But Loftus tweaked his ankle and Cornell charged back, eventually evening the game at 11 with 17 seconds left. At that point I was pretty much freaking out. In my mind I was about to concede victory when we suddenly won the face-off and got the ball deep into Cornell territory. Zack Greer scored the game winner with 3 seconds left. 3 seconds left! The game was over if we had gone to overtime, Cornell had all the momentum scoring 8 out of the last 9 goals. You have to wonder if the big man in the sky had something to do with that miracle goal with 3 seconds left in regulation.

This whole season has been about redemption, and with that last goal, Duke is at the precipice of an accomplishment that was unthinkable only a year ago. I am getting the feeling that everyone out there, even all the Duke haters, are rooting for Duke to win tomorrow. Here are some of the comments left on ESPN’s lacrosse message board yesterday:

“…that duke game was extremely entertaining and fun to watch...I hate Duke everything but I find myself cheering for Duke LAX...strange... bring it home Dukies.”

“I know....I’ve been an N.C. State fan all my life and graduated from N.C state but being a lax player from charlotte and playing for 7 years, I hope Duke pulls it out in the national championship because they deserve it for all they have been through the past year and a half.”

“I'm a Maryland fan so I despise Duke and all its teams but I'm rooting for their lax team after all that garbage they went through the past year.”-If a Maryland fan’s rooting for us, you know the people are behind Duke.

Another part of this Duke-Johns Hopkins game that might be overlooked is that this is a huge rematch. Duke lost to Johns-Hopkins in the 2005 National Championship game in a 9-8 come-from-behind thriller. Now they have a chance to avenge that loss and show the world what their made of. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I’d probably trade a national championship in basketball for a win tomorrow (did I just say that?). Regardless, I hope this shows the world the character of every member of the Duke Lacrosse team. They could have felt sorry for themselves and come up with excuses, but they banded together and used what happened as motivation. I hope Duke wins tomorrow, only if it can ease their suffering. Regardless, going through this ordeal has really brought all the players together. As Zack Greer said after the win yesterday, "we're 41 brothers on the field."

I wouldn’t bet against Duke tomorrow.

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A Few Mike Nifong Quotes

“I would like to think that somebody [not involved in the attack] has the human decency to call up and say, ‘What am I doing covering up for a bunch of hooligans.’”
-Mike Nifong quote made to a reporter for the Raleigh News and Observer in April 2006

“there are three people who went into the bathroom with the young lady, and whether the other people there knew what was going on at the time, they do now and have not come forward. And if they would have spoken up at the time, this may never have happened.”
-Mike Nifong Quote made to The New York Times in March 2006

“I am satisfied that she was sexually assaulted at this residence.”
-Mike Nifong Quote made to a reporter for the Raleigh News and Observer

“…one would wonder why one needs an attorney if one was not charged and had not done anything wrong.”
-Mike Nifong quote made to ESPN reporter George Smith in March 2006

24 and Sports: More similar than you think

Let me preface this blog entry by proudly stating my love and affection for 24. I love everything about 24. I’ve watched every second of every episode of every season of 24, multiple times, and absolutely loved it. If I had to pick a person (real or fictional) as my hero, it would be Jack Bauer in a landslide. Heck, I’m even seriously considering naming my future son Jack Bauer, which reminds me of a pretty funny dinner conversation I had a couple of months ago. I was eating dinner with a couple of my friends when I said I was going to name my first born son (sometime in the very, very distant future) Jack Bauer (semi-jokingly). Two of my friends immediately proposed me a bet: $20,000 a man that I wouldn’t name my first born son Jack Bauer. I got them to up the ante to a $100,000 together but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. A $100,000 is a lot of money and I know I probably should have done it, at least financially, but I just couldn’t do it. I could imagine making the bet and then having to explain to my future wife in an emergency room somewhere that we would have to pay a 100 grand if we named our son anything other than Jack Bauer. I’m guessing that probably wouldn’t go over too well. I was still really close to pulling the trigger (and this was a serious thing, we were going to go to have a contract written by a lawyer), but I couldn’t do it when my roommate said that he would effectually be “buying the naming rights to my son.” That really made me mad. But I should have done it, what would you have done (see poll below)?

Would you name your first-born son Jack Bauer for a $100,000?
	Yes
	No
pollcode.com free polls

I digress, anyways, considering how much I am into 24, I hope you take me seriously when I say that 24’s season finale (season 6) brought to an end the most horrific season of 24 in history. The second half of the last episode was soap opera-esque. I don’t care about Jack or anybody else’s emotions or mental state, I just want to see JB in action. The whole season we were forced to watch boring scenes with Cloey and Morris or bear witness to totally irrelevant and ridiculous White House drama. This season, more than any other, 24 focused less on action scenes with Jack. I think the 24 writers get paid enough to think up fresh ideas (how many times is Jack going to break into a freaking consulate?). The point is all the viewers want to see is my main man JB in action scenes being the baddest man on the planet. That is the only thing that makes 24 the hit series that it has become. Enough venting because the worst season of 24 is still a hundred times better than anything else on television. I was thinking about where 24 will go from here and I have a feeling that the show will see some radical changes next season. Bill and Karen are retiring, Chloe is pregnant and she and Morris could both choose to leave CTU, and Doyle is blind (albeit in one eye). Regardless, I think we are at the end of another epoch of 24. I feel like seasons 1-3 were linked together by some underlying story lines (Jack and his daughter’s relationship, President Palmer) as were seasons 4-6 (Jack and Audrey). We’re ready for a new storyline.

You’re probably wondering about now why I’m writing so extensively about 24 in a sports blog, but it’s all connected (or at least I like to think it is). I was thinking about 24 after I watching an NBA game the other night and I drew a lot of similarities between the show and sports. It really is like watching a basketball or football game, it sure does get me jacked. I was thinking a lot about the characters and about real life sports stars that personify some of the characters. Here is a list I put together of real life sports star versions of a few of 24’s characters:

Chloe = Curt Schilling

Chloe and Curt Schilling are both extremely talented in their respective fields. Chloe is a master computer programmer/satellite monitor/attack scripting star. Curt Schilling has a rocket fastball and a hair-splitting curveball. They are also both extremely talented at putting their foot in their mouth (http://38pitches.com/2007/05/09/public-apology/#more-81).

Morris = A-Rod

Morris is flat out as good as it gets in terms of computer engineering, surveillance, tracking, field communication, and nuclear deactivation technologies. A-Rod is widely regarded as the best player in baseball. Although both men have world-class talent, they have failed to come through when it really matters. For Morris, his downfall was when he activated the nuclear programming device for Fayed. For A-Rod, it has been his poor hitting in the post-season. Another similarity between the two is that in addition to failing, they both have to live in the shadow of a team member who always outshines them in the clutch. For Morris it’s Milo (gave his life to CTU), for A-rod it’s Jeter (Mr. Clutch in the postseason).

Nadia = Kobe Bryant

Kobe and Shaq we’re one of the best duos in NBA history, winning 3 NBA titles together. But when the Lakers had to pick a superstar, they went with Kobe. Kobe thought winning would be easy but he has struggled immensely without Shaq and made a lot of mistakes that really cost his team (Phoenix series last year). Likewise, when Bill Buchanan was forced to resign as director of CTU, Nadia was chosen to be his replacement. As acting director of CTU, Nadia’s newfound power went to her head and she also made many mistakes during critical times (the chip exchange with Jack’s dad). Although both made critical errors, Kobe and Nadia acknowledged their mistakes (Kobe reconciled with Phil, Nadia ended up allowing Jack and Bill to fly in to save Jack’s nephew).

Bill Buchanan = Peyton Manning

Bill Buchanan is the master, the commander, the leader of CTU Los Angeles. Peyton Manning fills a similar role for the Colts offense. Both men have to make important decisions in the clutch (for Bill it’s in an office deciding a battle plan to thwart an imminent terrorist attack, for Peyton it’s in the pocket deciding whether to hit Dallas Clark on a hitch or to throw a bomb to Marvin before the blitz hits him). Both men have achieved success on the highest levels and are true character guys.

Jack Bauer = Tiger Woods

Jack Bauer is the face of 24, Tiger Woods is the face of golf. People only care about 24 when Jack is in action, people only care about golf when Tiger is playing. They both have their vices, Jack has a tendency to be insubordinate, Tiger sprays his driver. Jack does whatever he has to do to be the best, including going under cover in Mexico and becoming a drug addict (season 3), while Tiger has done tough things as well (completely changing his swing twice). They both have that 'it' factor in the clutch. When a bomb is about to explode, or when you are on the back nine on sunday, Jack and Tiger are at their best.

10 Random Thoughts

1. Duke Lacrosse baby! Let’s win it all this weekend at the final four. I know Cornell is undefeated, but let’s give it to them. This is redemption.

2. The NCAA better grant our seniors’ request for another year of eligibility. They were the victims of a maniacal investigation and deserve an extra year.

3. It really made me upset that 24 didn’t move to the silent clock when Milo died but they did it when Jack was feeling emotional. That’s just wrong.

4. Everyone needs to get off of Lebron’s back. If Donyell had made the open 3 at the end of game 1 then everyone would have been singing his praises.

5. The refs for game 2 should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs. Rip fouled Lebron about five times on that play. If you’re going to call a foul at the beginning of a game you have to call it at the end.

6. Federer is going to take down Nadal and win the French Open this time, I guarantee it.

7. Michael Vick is getting off without any punishment after the water bottle incident and now the dog fighting ring. The Falcons must be really starting to regret trading Schaub.

8. The Rocket looked terrible in his Double AA start yesterday, he better make another minor league start.

9. What if the Bulls trade the no.9 pick, Gordon, and Nocioni for Gasol? The Bulls would be the class of the east.

10. The Spurs Dynasty is official.

MLB First Quarter Awards

The first quarter of the MLB season has just wrapped up. That means it’s time to dish out first quarter awards:

NL MVP

Candidates:

J.J. Hardy (MIL-SS)
AVG: .312 OBP: .358 RBI: 39 HR: 9 SB: 0 Hits: 54 Runs: 28

Matt Holliday (Col-OF)
AVG: .351 OBP: .391 RBI: 32 HR: 8 SB: 2 Hits: 59 Runs: 24

Carlos Lee (Hou-OF)
AVG: .317 OBP: .348 RBI: 39 HR: 9 SB: 2 Hits: 51 Runs: 23

Derek Lee (ChC-1B)
AVG: .390 OBP: .463 RBI: 21 HR: 2 SB: 2 Hits: 55 Runs: 24

Hanley Ramirez (FLA-SS)
AVG: .342 OBP: .418 RBI: 8 HR: 5 SB: 15 Hits: 55 Runs: 38

Jose Reyes (NYM-SS)
AVG: .335 OBP: .407 RBI: 23 HR: 2 SB: 23 Hits: 58 Runs: 36

Winner: Jose Reyes

Hardy is undoubtedly the league’s most improved player, having bumped up his average up from .242 to .312 since last year. It’s tough splitting hairs between Reyes and Hardy but I have to go with Reyes here. The 23 stolen bases are what clinch it and it doesn’t hurt that in the last ten games the Mets are 8-2 compared to the Brewers 4-6.

AL MVP

Candidates:

Vladimir Guerrero (LAA-OF)
AVG: .341 OBP: .450 RBI: 37 HR: 10 SB: 1 Hits: 47 Runs: 23

Torii Hunter
AVG: .318 OBP: .346 RBI: 33 HR: 9 SB: 8 Hits: 48 Runs: 26

Derek Jeter
AVG: .367 OBP: .445 RBI: 21 HR: 2 SB: 4 Hits: 58 Runs: 25

Magglio Ordonez (Det-OF)
AVG: .342 OBP: .428 RBI: 38 HR: 9 SB: 0 Hits: 51 Runs: 33

David Oritz (Bos-1B)
AVG: .306 OBP: .424 RBI: 33 HR: 9 SB: 0 Hits: 45 Runs: 27

Alex Rodriguez (NYY-3B)
AVG: .310 OBP: .391 RBI: 39 HR: 15 SB: 3 Hits: 48 Runs: 35

Winner: Alex Rodriguez

A month ago this would have been a no-brainer but A-Rod seems to be mired in a May slump. Still, arguably the most impressive offensive month in the history of major league baseball is enough to nab A-Rod the MVP. Watch out for Ortiz to make a serious run at the award if the Red Sox keep up their hot start.

NL Cy Young

Candidates:

Francisco Cordero (Mil)
Wins: 0 ERA: 0.50 K: 25 K/BB: 3.57 WHIP: 0.67 SV: 16

Tim Hudson (Atl)
Wins: 5 ERA: 1.77 K: 43 K/BB: 3.31 WHIP: 0.92 SV: 0

Jake Peavy (SD)
Wins: 5 ERA: 1.64 K: 71 K/BB: 3.94 WHIP: 0.99 SV: 0

Winner: Jake Peavy

This guy doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Peavy had a four-week stretch (April 25th to May 11th) where he recorded double-digit strikeouts, including a 16 K two-hitter against the D-backs. If Peavy and Hudson stumble and Cole Hamels doesn’t continue his recent dominance, watch out for Cordero being in line to nab the award. After all, he’s only on pace for 64 saves.

AL Cy Young

Candidates:

Josh Beckett
Wins: 7 ERA: 2.66 K: 47 K/BB: 3.92 WHIP: 1.03 SV: 0

Dan Haren (Oak)
Wins: 3 ERA: 1.64 K: 48 K/BB: 3.43 WHIP: 0.96 SV: 0

John Lackey
Wins: 6 ERA: 2.43 K: 54 K/BB: 3.86 WHIP: 1.25 SV: 0

Winner: Dan Haren

A week ago this award would have been Beckett’s, but with a current stint on the DL it’s hard to ignore what Dan Haren has been able to accomplish so far this season. You’re probably wondering where Johan Santana is on this list but he hasn’t had a great first quarter (albeit over 60 K’s). Watch out for Johan to get his ERA down and nab another Cy Young.

10 Predictions

Cubs win NL Central
Roger Clemens’ ERA over 3.70
Yankees miss playoffs
Nationals finish with worst record
Johan Santana wins AL Cy Young
Dice-K wins 17 games
David Ortiz wins AL MVP
Bonds hits 756 on July 1st at home against the D-backs
Mets-Red Sox World Series
Joe Torre fired after season

Suns-Spurs Suspensions

If the Phoenix Suns end up losing this series it will be because of two technicalities. Nash couldn’t finish Game 1 because of the ‘Magic Johnson blood rule’ and now the Suns have lost Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for Game 5. Duncan is already wrecking havoc on the Suns and without Stoudemire or Diaw available, he will certainly wear down Kurt Thomas and dominate the paint. Watch out for a 40/20 game from Duncan tonight.

David Stern was matter of fact when Dan Patrick interviewed him this morning. When Patrick suggested that Horry’s play would decide the series, Stern said “It's being decided because two Phoenix Suns who knew about the rule, forgot about, couldn't control themselves or had coaches who couldn't control them.” That statement really angers me. What is deciding this series, and the eventual NBA Champion, is an archaic rule. The rule shouldn’t be iron clad; the league should evaluate each situation individually. Neither Amare Stoudemire nor Boris Diaw were actually involved in the altercation, they just impulsively jumped up to defend their two-time MVP after he took a vicious hit. In a series where Steve Nash has already endured the bloody nose and an elbow to the groin from Bruce Bowen, it’s easy to see why his teammates would be especially protective of him. I wonder if this situation would have occurred if the league had suspended Bruce Bowen. Although I disagree with the rule, the NBA had to make it because of the precedent they had set. I just hope that the rule will be changed this summer.

However, what people don’t realize is that there is another piece of tape that incriminates Tim Duncan. Francisco Ellison was dunking the ball when he fell, flipped, and hit the floor on top of James Jones. Tim Duncan left the bench and was within the three point line when Bruce Bowen went to bring Timmy back to the bench. It could be argued that Tim Duncan deserves to be suspended (I guess the excuse the NBA League Office is using is that the play wasn’t an “altercation”). This is what Jalen Rose had to say about the suspension and Tim Duncan rushing the court on ESPN’s first take:



I hope the Suns win tonight. Because if they don’t, this series is over and we’ll all have to see the Spurs win their 4th championship, which means DYNASTY.

NFL Draft Thoughts

What a long, crazy draft. Some thoughts:

Best Picks of the Draft

Adrian Peterson (1st round, 7th overall)
Strength, speed, vision, you name it, this kid has everything. I think he is already one of the 10 best running backs in the league.

Greg Olsen (1st round, 31st overall)
Tall (6 foot 6), built (254 lbs), and speedy (4.51 40 time). There isn’t a doubt in my mind Greg Olsen will become a dynamic tight end in the NFL. Just for comparison, Dwayne Jarrett is two inches shorter (6-4), 35 pounds lighter (219 lbs), and has a slower 40 time (4.62).

Paul Posluszny (2nd round, 34th overall)
I’m shocked he fell out of the 1st round. The Bills were seriously considering taking the two-time Bednarik Award winner (given annually to the nation’s best defensive player), in the first round. I think a lot of teams are going to regret passing on him.

Ryan Kalil (2nd round, 59th overall)
There is no reason the best center in the draft should fall all the way to no.59. An instant starter for the Panthers, Kalil will become a perennial pro-bowler.

Buster Davis (3rd round, 69th overall)
A lot of teams passed on Buster because of his size (or lack thereof), but watch for him to become a superstar (a la London Fletcher).

Michael Bush (4th round, 100th overall)
A surefire first round pick if he had stayed healthy, the Raiders nabbing Michael Bush in the 4th round is absolute theft. The Raiders are stocked at running back and will let Bush take as much time as he needs to heel and get back to a 100%. A great pick.

Worst Picks of the Draft

Amobi Okoye (1st round, 10th overall)
Okoye is undersized and I don’t like drafting on potential. I find it unacceptable that the Texans didn’t draft an offensive lineman here. They easily could have moved down and taken Joe Staley later in the first round. The Texans again avoid filling their greatest need. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long year for Matt Schaub.

Michael Griffin (1st round, 19th overall)
Talk about a reach, Griffin was a late first round pick in almost all mock drafts and the Titans reach to take him at no.19. Honestly, I think this is the worst pick of the first round, maybe the whole draft. How do the Titans not take a wide receiver here? Vince Young is a developing player and he just lost one of his best receivers in Drew Bennett, and a dynamite back in Travis Henry. How do the Titans pass up Robert Meachem (6’2, 2.39 40 time)? Griffin will be a solid defensive player but not taking an offensive player here will set back Vince Young’s development.

Craig Davis (1st round, 30th overall)
A.J. Smith, you’ve proven you know your stuff, but this pick really makes me scratch my head. No one, and I mean NO ONE, had Craig Davis going in the first round. Even if Davis is your guy, you could have moved down all the way to the middle of the second round and still selected him. The Chargers will regret passing on Dwayne Jarrett.

Kevin Kolb (2nd round, 36th overall)
With their first pick in the draft, the Eagles take a quarterback? This is a terrible, terrible pick, in so many ways. The Eagles could have given Donovan an offensive weapon with this pick but instead, they select a player that won’t pay any dividends on the field for years to come. Terrible pick.

Teams with the best drafts

Buffalo Bills
Off-season departures of RB Willis McGahee and LB London Fletcher created huge voids at running back and linebacker. RB Marshawn Lynch and LB Paul Posluszny are tremendous picks and fill areas of great need.

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers had an unbelievable draft. Swapping picks with the Jets gave the Panthers four first day draft picks. LB Jon Beason could be an immediate starter and fills an important need due to Dan Morgan’s long history of concussions. The Panthers filled their second round with Trojans, selecting USC WR Dwayne Jarrett and C Ryan Kalil. Both players will be instant starters. The Panthers’ best pick of the draft might end up being DE Charles Johnson.

San Francisco 49ers
Patrick Willis will solidify the 49ers linebacking crew and will become a perennial pro bowler. I think the 49ers also made a great move trading up for OT Joe Staley, an area of great need for the 49ers. The 49ers’ best move of the draft was trading their 4th round pick for WR Darrell Jackson, a surefire no.1 wide receiver. Watch out for the 49ers offense next season. The combination of QB Alex Smith, RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis, and WR Darrel Jackson may make the 49ers one of the league’s most dynamic offenses.

Teams with the worst drafts

Houston Texans
The Texans needed to get help on the offensive line or at cornerback early in the draft and they didn’t get it done. I think Okoye is overrated and they filled the rest of their draft with mediocre talent.

Philadelphia Eagles
Although I really like the Eagles’ third round selection of power back, RB Tony Hunt, nothing can justify the Eagles taking a quarterback with the 36th pick in the draft. The Eagles have a small window to make a run at a championship and they drafted a player that won’t help them for years to come.

Tennessee Titans
The Titans had a huge hole at wide receiver and they passed up on a potential superstar and hometown hero in Robert Meachem. RB Chris Henry was also a huge reach in the second round and all the wide receivers the Titans drafted in later rounds are mediocre. With a terrible draft and off-season (not to mention the Madden Curse set to wreck havoc on Vince Young next season), look for the Titans to struggle next year.

Teams that will most regret not addressing urgent needs

New York Giants
Although CB Aaron Ross and WR Steve Smith are tremendous picks, you have to wonder how the Giants passed up OT Joe Staley with the departure of starter Luke Petigout in the off-season. The Giants had an equally desperate need at linebacker.

Indianapolis Colts
I think Anthony Gonzalez fits the Colts offense perfectly and that Tony Ugoh is a solid addition to the Colts’ offensive line. However, after losing both starting cornerbacks, LB Cato June, and needing a lot of help at defensive line, the Colts may have made a tremendous mistake not choosing to address their defense needs. With their chief playoff foe, the New England Patriots, re-tooling their offensive weaponry, look for the gaping holes in the Colts defense to prevent a repeat trip to the Super Bowl.

Mystery Team

Cleveland Browns
There has to be a reason 21 teams passed on Brady Quinn. Everyone has been complimenting Browns’ GM, Phil Savage, on trading up for Brady Quinn, but will Browns fans be happy if Brady struggles mightily and the Cowboys take their likely top 10 pick in next year’s draft? This could also be a great move. People forget that for much of the year Brady Quinn was considered the consensus overall no.1 pick in the draft. What impresses me is the kid’s strength and attitude. Only time will tell on this one.

Best Trades of the Draft

1. New England snags Randy Moss for a 4th round pick
2. Carolina Panthers swap first round picks with the Jets and are able to nab the best center in the draft, Ryan Kalil, with the extra pick in the 2nd round.
3. Dallas Cowboys trade the Browns the no.22 pick in the first round for a second rounder and the Browns’ first rounder in next year’s draft (more than likely a top 10 pick)
4. 49ers get Darrel Jackson for only a 4th round pick.

The 2nd Round Quarterback

Why do teams take quarterbacks in the second round? It seems like most of the quarterbacks in the NFL were either first round picks or fell through the cracks and were drafted in later rounds or even went undrafted. Scouts spend a significant amount of time analyzing top-tier quarterbacks’ abilities. If those abilities don’t warrant a first round pick, why waste a second rounder on a quarterback? I would much rather take a quarterback later in the draft whose skills might not have been adequately assessed. Let’s take a look at all of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL (2 QB’s listed where starter un-assumed).

Arizona Cardinals- Matt Leinhart- 2006 Round 1, #10 overall
Atlanta Falcons- Michael Vick- 2001 Round 1, #1 overall
Baltimore Ravens- Steve McNair- 1995 Round 1, #3 overall
Buffalo Bills- J.P. Losman- 2004 Round 1 #22 overall
Carolina Panthers- Jake Delhomme- Undrafted (Signed with Saints in 1998)
- David Carr- 2002 Round 1, #1 overall
Chicago Bears- Rex Grossman- 2003 Round 1, #22 overall
Cincinnati Bengals- Carson Palmer- 2003 Round 1, #1 overall
Cleveland Browns- Charlie Frye- 2005 Round 3, #67 overall
- Brady Quinn- 2007 Round 1, #22 overall
Dallas Cowboys- Tony Romo- Undrafted (Signed with Cowboys in 2003)
Detroit Lions- Jon Kitna- Undrafted (Signed with Seahawks in 1997)
Denver Broncos- Jay Cutler- 2006 Round 1, #11 overall
Houston Texans- Matt Schaub- 2004 Round 3, #90 overall
Green Bay Packers- Brett Favre- 1991 Round 2, #33 overall
Indianapolis Colts- Peyton Manning- 1998 Round 1, #1 overall
Jacksonville Jaguars- Byron Leftwhich- 2003 Round 1, #7 overall
Minnesota Vikings- Tavaris Jackson- 2006 Round 2, #64 overall
New Orleans Saints- Drew Brees- 2001 Round 2, #32 overall
New York Giants- Eli Manning- 2004 Round 1, #1 overall
Miami Dolphins- Daunte Culpepper- 1999 Round 1, #11 overall
New England Patriots- Tom Brady- 2000 Round 6, #199 overall
Philadelphia Eagles- Donovan McNabb- 1999 Round 1, #2 overall
San Francisco 49ers- Alex Smith- 2005 Round 1, #1 overall
New York Jets- Chad Pennington- 2000 Round 1, #18 overall
Oakland Raiders- Jamarcus Russell- 2007 Round 1, #1 overall
Pittsburgh Steelers- Ben Roethlisberger- 2004 Round 1, #11 overall
Seattle Seahawks- Matt Hassleback- 1998 Round 6, # 187 overall
St. Louis Rams- Marc Bulger- 2000 Round 6, # 168 overall
San Diego Chargers- Phillip River- 2004 Round 1, #4 overall
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Chris Simms- 2003 Round 3, #97 overall
- Jeff Garcia- Undrafted (Signed with 49ers in 1999)
Tennessee Titans- Vince Young- 2006 Round 1, #3 overall
Washington Redskins- Jason Campbell- 2005 Round 1, #25 overall

Summary:
1st round picks: 21/34= 61.8%
2nd round picks: 3/34= 8.8%
3rd round picks: 3/34= 8.8%
4th round picks: 0/34= 0%
5th round picks: 0/34= 0%
6th round picks: 3/34= 8.8%
7th round picks: 0/34= 0%
Undrafted: 4/34=11.8%

21 of the quarterbacks were 1st round picks, 4 went undrafted, and only 3 were 2nd rounders. Of course there are always exceptions (Brett Favre, Drew Brees), but in general, quarterbacks selected in second round aren’t likely to pan out. You have to question the Dolphins, Eagles, and the Lions using second round picks on quarterbacks. The Dolphins could have taken Brady Quinn in the first round and then taken a Dwayne Jarrett in the second round. The Eagles had no reason taking Kolb. They could have added Jarrett or selected Tony Ugoh for the offensive line. Out of these three second round picks, I think Drew Stanton will end up the best of the three. But with so many dynamic defensive players on the board, you really have to question taking a quarterback in the second round.

Predictions

Offensive Rookie of the Year- Calvin Johnson (WR), Detroit Lions
Defensive Rookie of the Year- Patrick Willis (LB), San Francisco 49ers