Nfl 2011

[R_of_G]

With the lockout at least temporarily lifted and the first round of the draft in the books, thought it was time to start the NFL 2011 thread. I suppose if the lockout comes back we can have a mod lock this thread.

So how did your team do in the first round of the draft?

I have to believe Marnold is as guardedly optimistic as a Lions fan can be this time of year. I never thought Fairley would still be on the board when Detroit picked. I have to believe him going to a team with Suh and Vandenbosch is going to be an enormous boost for Fairley. With some other teams, he may have experienced a ton of pressure to be an immediate megastar impact player. Now he won’t even be expected to be the best on his team at his position. Whatever else Detroit will do this season, they sure will put a ton of pressure on QBs. I heard Jay Cutler sustained a knee injury just considering playing Suh/Vandenbosch/Fairley twice a year.

Now, talk about not expecting a player to still be on the board, I haven’t been this excited about a Jets number one pick in many years. Muhamad Wilkerson is a beast at DT that can excel in both the pass rush and run defensive schemes. I have to thank all the teams ahead of the Jets that made some, well, interesting decisions last night which allowed Wilkerson to fall all the way to #30 (he was pegged by most to be gone in the first half of the round).

My pick for most questionable move last night goes to Atlanta. Not a knock on Julio Jones. I think the guy has the potential to be an immediate impact WR, especially on the Falcons with Ryan as QB. However, I think the price Atlanta paid for him was far too steep (five picks over the next two years). Obviously Atlanta thinks they are a player away from a championship and decided to put all their eggs in Jones’ basket. I guess they didn’t watch their own film from the playoffs last year. They didn’t get beaten silly by Green Bay because they can’t score. They got beaten because they can’t play defense. I don’t see how Jones and a loss of five picks helps there.

New Orleans has to be considered a winner of the first round as well getting not only Cameron Jordan but Mark Ingram as well. I guess Reggie Bush's health and inconsistency will cease to matter in New Orleans. Now they have a Heisman winner who got to keep his trophy.

 

[Eric]

Good call. I've been somewhat interested in this, even though I didn't watch the draft and only know select players in it.

So how did your team do in the first round of the draft?

If I have a team, I suppose it's the Eagles. They got a 27-year-old OG who is supposed to be pretty good. We'll see. It's all kind of a crapshoot, but I think the 'grading' of OL picks is very difficult. I will say this much: I thought offensive line was the biggest need for the Eagles, particularly right guard and right tackle. Some would say DL, CB, or LB was more critical, but I disagree.

I'm going to be curious what happens after the draft -- like if the Eagles pull a trade of Kolb for an already-selected player, a la the NBA. It seems like kind of a longshot, and the Eagles may end up being idiots for not dealing Kolb when they could have, but it adds to the curiosity of this offseason.

I have to believe Marnold is as guardedly optimistic as a Lions fan can be this time of year. I never thought Fairley would still be on the board when Detroit picked. I have to believe him going to a team with Suh and Vandenbosch is going to be an enormous boost for Fairley. With some other teams, he may have experienced a ton of pressure to be an immediate megastar impact player. Now he won’t even be expected to be the best on his team at his position. Whatever else Detroit will do this season, they sure will put a ton of pressure on QBs. I heard Jay Cutler sustained a knee injury just considering playing Suh/Vandenbosch/Fairley twice a year.

I've heard Fairley compared to Haynesworth, and most people seem to be sour on him, viewing him as an underachiever in waiting. We'll see. I guess if he gets the whole chip on his shoulder thing, it could work, but he seems like a contract-year performer to me. Hopefully for Marnold's sake, he ends up as a good deal for the Lions.

My pick for most questionable move last night goes to Atlanta. Not a knock on Julio Jones. I think the guy has the potential to be an immediate impact WR, especially on the Falcons with Ryan as QB. However, I think the price Atlanta paid for him was far too steep (five picks over the next two years). Obviously Atlanta thinks they are a player away from a championship and decided to put all their eggs in Jones’ basket. I guess they didn’t watch their own film from the playoffs last year. They didn’t get beaten silly by Green Bay because they can’t score. They got beaten because they can’t play defense. I don’t see how Jones and a loss of five picks helps there.

Yup, totally agree on Atlanta's defense. They're predictable and not that great right now. Jones might help, and I actually like him a lot from what I've seen and read, but probably not the greatest area of need. Not having watched the draft, I'm not sure of the details -- what were the picks ATL had to give up for this trade?

New Orleans has to be considered a winner of the first round as well getting not only Cameron Jordan but Mark Ingram as well. I guess Reggie Bush's health and inconsistency will cease to matter in New Orleans. Now they have a Heisman winner who got to keep his trophy.

I agree. It seemed like a good pick to me. Is that Jordan guy supposed to be any good? He's a lineman of some sort IIRC.

--

Off of the immediate topics mentioned, I'm kind of amazed that nobody has picked the Bowers guy from Clemson. He seems to be crazy good, and has one knee injury that all doctors have cleared. NFL teams must know something that I don't, because I never thought he'd fall out of the first round. He's like top-10 material easy if he's healthy.

Also, crazy order of QBs selected, huh? Who do you think will be the best of the bunch? My vote is...NOT Cam Newton. I think the best value in the first round QB-wise was probably Gabbert. I'm somewhat amused that Ryan Mallet is still hanging around somewhere.

 

[R_of_G]

If I have a team, I suppose it's the Eagles. They got a 27-year-old OG who is supposed to be pretty good. We'll see. It's all kind of a crapshoot, but I think the 'grading' of OL picks is very difficult. I will say this much: I thought offensive line was the biggest need for the Eagles, particularly right guard and right tackle. Some would say DL, CB, or LB was more critical, but I disagree.

I'm going to be curious what happens after the draft -- like if the Eagles pull a trade of Kolb for an already-selected player, a la the NBA. It seems like kind of a longshot, and the Eagles may end up being idiots for not dealing Kolb when they could have, but it adds to the curiosity of this offseason.

Agree completely on the Eagles' needs. I think they made the right pick in their spot last night.

Remember, I was the one last season saying the Eagles needed to strike while the iron was hot with Kolb. The labor situation is a shame because last night could have been a lot more interesting. With all the teams seemingly desperate for a QB reaching the way they did, it seems to me at least one of them would have been happier with Kolb than what they got. Not to say they won't get him at some point, but who knows now.

I've heard Fairley compared to Haynesworth, and most people seem to be sour on him, viewing him as an underachiever in waiting. We'll see. I guess if he gets the whole chip on his shoulder thing, it could work, but he seems like a contract-year performer to me. Hopefully for Marnold's sake, he ends up as a good deal for the Lions.

Heard that too but it seems it's much more on Haynesworth than anything Fairley did or didn't do.

We've talked before about how the right situation might make all the difference for a young player. I think Detroit is ideal for him because like I said, he won't carry the massive expectations he would have had he gone earlier to a team with no other talent on the line.

I compare it to Gerald McCoy with the Bucs last season. I love the kid and I think it was a great pick but there are so many Bucs fans who see nothing more than that he was picked #3 and therefore he must be Warren Sapp great or better (ignoring the fact that he recorded the same number of sacks as Sapp in his rookie year). I could have seen the same happen to Fairley in say Carolina or Arizona. Instead, he gets to play along side Suh and Vandenbosch and well, you can't double team all three of them so Fairley may have some early successes which will help build his confidence.

Yup, totally agree on Atlanta's defense. They're predictable and not that great right now. Jones might help, and I actually like him a lot from what I've seen and read, but probably not the greatest area of need. Not having watched the draft, I'm not sure of the details -- what were the picks ATL had to give up for this trade?

Cleveland got this year's 1st, 2nd and 4th as well as a 1st and 4th next year. Honestly, I'd have to put Cleveland on my list as 1st round winners for this year. They got five guys with their #1 pick. On a team with so many needs at so many positions, it can only help to get more bodies into camp.

I see Atlanta as the New York Knicks of the NFC. They'll attempt to outscore everyone without playing defense. Look how that worked out for the Knicks.

Also, crazy order of QBs selected, huh? Who do you think will be the best of the bunch? My vote is...NOT Cam Newton. I think the best value in the first round QB-wise was probably Gabbert. I'm somewhat amused that Ryan Mallet is still hanging around somewhere.

I don't see Newton as the first, second or third best prospect. Honestly, my pick for best pro-prospect hasn't been drafted yet. I honestly think Andy Dalton is better than all of them. Gabbert has accuracy issues past 20 yards. Locker has accuracy issues at any distance. Ponder is inconsistent. With coaching, who knows what some of these guys may become (we all know the Tom Brady 6th round story) but i think the Titans and the Vikes reached big time taking Locker and Ponder 8th and 12th respectively with so much defensive talent still out there. With running backs like Johnson and Peterson, one would think Tennessee and Minnesota wouldn't be so desperate for a franchise QB right this second.

As for Bowers, I don't get it either. There must be more to it than the knee injury.

 

[Eric]

I heard on the radio this morning that Minnesota would have preferred to get Ponder at the end of the first round, but they don't have a 3rd rounder, so it was going to be hard for them to move back in at the end of the round. Apparently Ponder was the guy they wanted, and they weren't sure they could trade back and get him, so they went for it.

All of that is to say that I agree it was a reach for Minnesota, but stories like that help me to understand why that sort of thing happened.

Also, my perspective on draft reaches has changed recently. I remember when Cincinnati took Levi Jones pretty high in the draft, like maybe 10th overall or something. People thought that was too high. I *think* Levi Jones has been a productive, reliable offensive tackle for the Bengals since they drafted him. Maybe not Walter Jones, but good nonetheless.

Same goes for some of the people drafted too high. If they are busts, then any position is too high, right? But if they stick with the team and are consistent starters, then I don't think anything outside of maybe the top 5 is so horrible as a pick. It's all subjective as to how high is too high, but I don't think about draft reaches the same way I used to. Really, the worst part about a reach is that the team may have been able to get a better player at that point in the draft.

 

[marnold]

I have to believe Marnold is as guardedly optimistic as a Lions fan can be this time of year. I never thought Fairley would still be on the board when Detroit picked. I have to believe him going to a team with Suh and Vandenbosch is going to be an enormous boost for Fairley. With some other teams, he may have experienced a ton of pressure to be an immediate megastar impact player. Now he won’t even be expected to be the best on his team at his position. Whatever else Detroit will do this season, they sure will put a ton of pressure on QBs. I heard Jay Cutler sustained a knee injury just considering playing Suh/Vandenbosch/Fairley twice a year.

We Lions fans know not to get our hopes up. The old adage is that games are won or lost on the line. If that's the case, Detroit's D-line looks as nasty or nastier than anybody else's in the league. With guys like Cutler and Rodgers in the division, you need to apply tons of pressure. The good news is that they should be able to get that pressure without blitzing which automatically makes your defensive backs better. Having said that, it'd would be nice to have at least one NFL-caliber CB before the season starts.

I don't think that the Lions make this pick without Vanden Bosch on the roster. He is that veteran leadership that you need. He leads by example and by words. Plus Suh has the makings of being that kind of leader too. The only thing that could make Suh more deadly than he was last year is if offensive lines have no idea where he is coming from on any given play. The Lions also have Corey Williams, Cliff Avril, and up-and-coming Sammie Hill on the line. It has the makings of the best Lions D-line since the infamous Fearsome Foursome (and yes, the Lions were called that before the Rams) starring Alex Karras in the 60s.

Once again, not getting my hopes up, but I am looking into getting a Suh jersey

 

[kidsmoke]

I heard Jay Cutler sustained a knee injury just considering playing Suh/Vandenbosch/Fairley twice a year.

LOL!!! I'm stealing this! Sorry, that is too good not to inflame my Chicago friends with!

 

[piebaldpython]

Yeah, the IGGLES got some needed OL help. That said, I didn't follow the draft. The Flyers and Phillies dominate most sports thoughts because they're either in the play-offs or winning.

 

[R_of_G]

I heard on the radio this morning that Minnesota would have preferred to get Ponder at the end of the first round, but they don't have a 3rd rounder, so it was going to be hard for them to move back in at the end of the round. Apparently Ponder was the guy they wanted, and they weren't sure they could trade back and get him, so they went for it.

I'm not sure they couldn't have just traded that 12 pick to someone later in the first round (in the 20's someplace) and gotten a 4th or 5th thrown in with it. I can't imagine Ponder wouldn't have still been there at 20-something. Had the Vikes not taken him at 12, I'm pretty sure he'd still be undrafted heading into the second round.

I think reaching with QBs is a little more dangerous than with other positions, particularly when you take someone that early in the draft ahead of all projections. Now, right or wrong, Ponder is going to be looked at as a franchise QB and the pressure will be on the Vikes to play him. That rarely turns out to be a great idea. Gabbert, for instance, is in a better situation because Jacksonville has Garard who can start for at least another year at a solid level so Gabbert can spend his time watching film and learning the offense while Ponder will likely start right away and spend much of his time running for his life since he'll see the Lions, Packers and Bears twice each.

We Lions fans know not to get our hopes up. The old adage is that games are won or lost on the line. If that's the case, Detroit's D-line looks as nasty or nastier than anybody else's in the league. With guys like Cutler and Rodgers in the division, you need to apply tons of pressure. The good news is that they should be able to get that pressure without blitzing which automatically makes your defensive backs better. Having said that, it'd would be nice to have at least one NFL-caliber CB before the season starts.

I don't think that the Lions make this pick without Vanden Bosch on the roster. He is that veteran leadership that you need. He leads by example and by words. Plus Suh has the makings of being that kind of leader too. The only thing that could make Suh more deadly than he was last year is if offensive lines have no idea where he is coming from on any given play. The Lions also have Corey Williams, Cliff Avril, and up-and-coming Sammie Hill on the line. It has the makings of the best Lions D-line since the infamous Fearsome Foursome (and yes, the Lions were called that before the Rams) starring Alex Karras in the 60s.

Once again, not getting my hopes up, but I am looking into getting a Suh jersey

Believe me, as a Jets fan I know all about not getting my hopes up until games are being played.

I think the Lions can get some good secondary help in the later rounds this weekend. Or once free agency begins they can enter the Nnamdi Asamougha sweepstakes. No telling what the price will be for him, but like I thought about Revis last year, for a CB of that quality, not sure there is too high a price to pay as he shuts down half the field.

LOL!!! I'm stealing this! Sorry, that is too good not to inflame my Chicago friends with!

First one's free.

 

[Eric]

No telling what the price will be for him, but like I thought about Revis last year, for a CB of that quality, not sure there is too high a price to pay as he shuts down half the field.

The dangerous part (and a tool of agents everywhere) is when the same, accurate hyperbole gets extended to lesser players. Deion, Darrell Green, Champ Bailey, and (possibly) Revis don't come along every year, but people keep using those flowery terms for any good CB sometimes.

 

[R_of_G]

The dangerous part (and a tool of agents everywhere) is when the same, accurate hyperbole gets extended to lesser players. Deion, Darrell Green, Champ Bailey, and (possibly) Revis don't come along every year, but people keep using those flowery terms for any good CB sometimes.

No doubt. It's a conversation my dad and I revisit pretty much every year around this time.

It's as if the talking heads at ESPN and NFL Network simply don't trust us fans to be intelligent enough to judge a prospective player on his own merits. Instead they feel they need to tell you that "this kid is the next _________________." How about just letting him be the first Patrick Peterson, or Von Miller, or whoever.

Oh and btw, was just watching NFL Live. According to Adam Schefter, Da'Quan Bowers' knee injury is believed to be more significant than we might have thought. Schefter says most teams believe he has an issue with looseness with two ligaments which will likely require suregery within the next four years, possibly sooner given the grueling nature of the position he plays. Some team will surely take a chance on him, but I suspect it might be a good team that can afford to have him out of the lineup at some point down the line.

One more draft note, and this is me in my obnoxious fact-checking mode. Last night following the pick of Ponder, ESPN's Chris Mortensen posted a twitter message that said Ponder is only the 3rd QB from the ACC to be drafted in the top 20 picks, the other two being Matt Ryan (BC) and Philip Rivers (UNC). I immediately realized how obviously wrong this is and wrote to him to suggest that he forgot Michael Vick who went to Virginia Tech in the ACC and was drafted first overall. He never corrected the mistake so I've been obnoxiously sending him more messages asking when he's going to issue a correction. I know it's immature of me, but these ESPN talking heads have made themselves the show for too long now and quite frankly, he's a journalist and they're a news outlet so like it or not, they're job is to get the facts straight or issue corrections. Maybe I'm just bored.

 

[Eric]

One more draft note, and this is me in my obnoxious fact-checking mode. Last night following the pick of Ponder, ESPN's Chris Mortensen posted a twitter message that said Ponder is only the 3rd QB from the ACC to be drafted in the top 20 picks, the other two being Matt Ryan (BC) and Philip Rivers (UNC). I immediately realized how obviously wrong this is and wrote to him to suggest that he forgot Michael Vick who went to Virginia Tech in the ACC and was drafted first overall. He never corrected the mistake so I've been obnoxiously sending him more messages asking when he's going to issue a correction. I know it's immature of me, but these ESPN talking heads have made themselves the show for too long now and quite frankly, he's a journalist and they're a news outlet so like it or not, they're job is to get the facts straight or issue corrections. Maybe I'm just bored.

Interesting. BTW, Rivers is from NC State, not UNC.

 

[R_of_G]

Interesting. BTW, Rivers is from NC State, not UNC.

I knew that and typed it wrong anyway. Unlike Mr. Mortensen, I shall acknowledge my mistake and thank you for noticing it.

 

[R_of_G]

So how about my Bucs?

Looks like they're going to rival the Lions for intimidating QBs. A lot of Bucs fans were down on Gerald McCoy last year because they expected him to step on the field and be Warren Sapp. What they didn't notice while pointing out his lack of sacks was that he draws a double-team on every single down he plays. That means someone else is unblocked. Add Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers to the mix and well, you can't double team all three of them.

I'm obviously concerned about Bowers' knee problems, but I have to believe the Bucs staff knows what it's doing.

 

[Beerman]

New Orleans has to be considered a winner of the first round as well getting not only Cameron Jordan but Mark Ingram as well. I guess Reggie Bush's health and inconsistency will cease to matter in New Orleans. Now they have a Heisman winner who got to keep his trophy.

Heard about Reggie's tweet? "It's been fun New Orleans." Then he said it was a comment about the Hornets losing to the Lakers. Yeah, right! The fact is, we (Saints) really don't need a running back but Bush would be great as a receiver but not at $11 million. I think if they can make a deal and pad it with incentives, he might stay. Who else wants to pay him what he was making for the little his done. Still, I like the fact that he's still a play maker.
I also agree with the comments that Atlanta's pick is questionable. And I think Caroline made a mistake with Cam Newton. I personally think he's a great athlete but not a smart quarterback and will need much time to get him up to NFL speed. Might make a better back.

Maybe I'm biased but I think we have the toughest division with the chance of all 4 teams in our division making the playoffs.

 

[Eric]

I have not been following too closely today, but looking at the Eagles' draft, it looks like they focused on areas of need: offensive line, linebackers, and secondary, with some random filler picks (K, RB, FB) sprinkled in. They only position they really ignored is defensive line. I don't like to predict the success of a draft until at least a couple of years in, but I will say that the Eagles seemed to be focused on a few areas, which is better than a scattershot approach.

 

[Commodore 64]

We won't know until after the 2012 season how well the Browns drafted.

 

[Eric]

We won't know until after the 2012 season how well the Browns drafted.

I guess you could say that for most teams. Are you specifically referring to the fact that Cleveland traded away their early pick for a bunch of future picks?

 

[Commodore 64]

Are you specifically referring to the fact that Cleveland traded away their early pick for a bunch of future picks?

Yeah, that's what I was alluding to.

 

[marnold]

I thought that was a good trade. The Browns aren't one player away. While the draft is, in many cases, a crapshoot, more picks give you more of a chance to be right and more of a chance to survive if you are wrong. See Patriots, New England. In most cases, the Lions' Mayhew likes to get those extra picks too wherever they might be. I did hear, though, that they tried to move up to draft Patrick Peterson but it didn't happen. The so-called experts have given the Lions very high marks for their draft, but I've heard this song before.

 

[R_of_G]

I thought it was a very smart move for the Browns, not sold on it for the Falcons. They need defense more than another stud receiver. I don't doubt Jones' talent, just whether or not he was right player for a team that can win right now. Browns did the smart thing in that situation.

 

[Eric]

The so-called experts have given the Lions very high marks for their draft, but I've heard this song before.

Yeah, it seems like people have been praising the drafts of the Bengals, Lions, and Seahawks for years and years, but not much changes. At least not at the pace that an awesome draft every year would dictate.

To me, that proves that the draft truly is a crapshoot, even after the players are drafted. Teams that draft well just get lucky.

 

[R_of_G]

Yeah, it seems like people have been praising the drafts of the Bengals, Lions, and Seahawks for years and years, but not much changes. At least not at the pace that an awesome draft every year would dictate.

To me, that proves that the draft truly is a crapshoot, even after the players are drafted. Teams that draft well just get lucky.

Luck is certainly a factor. Nobody, no matter their talent level or potential or whatever word you want to use is guaranteed success at the next level.

So much of it seems to be a matter of pairing up the right players with the right coaching staff. I think in some cases this is why you see guys that look like busts the first few years suddenly break out when they get to their second team in their careers.

 

[Eric]

So much of it seems to be a matter of pairing up the right players with the right coaching staff. I think in some cases this is why you see guys that look like busts the first few years suddenly break out when they get to their second team in their careers.

I'd agree with that. I also think plain ol' circumstance has a lot to do with it.

If you follow the NBA at all, a perfect example is Rajon Rondo. He was on his way to obscurity, an average guard who was buried on the depth chart in Phoenix and didn't have much prospect of playing time. But package him as a throw-in on a trade just to make the number of players match up, set him up with all-star talent, thin the point-guard situation in Boston to where he's the only one left, and within a few years, he's one of the best point guards in the NBA.

Largely, it probably ends up being about situation. That's just sort of how the world works too, but pro sports are a microcosm of it.

 

[marnold]

Case in point would be Joey Harrington. I don't think he ever would have lived up to where he was drafted, but he never had a chance with the Lions. Millen got rid of everyone on the roster he didn't like, forgetting that they'd need someone, anyway. He had multiple offensive coordinators with multiple schemes and new terminology. They had little resembling a line and little talent at the skill positions. Plus add the pressure of opening the new stadium and all. He had no chance of being successful. He, at best, would have been a middling QB, but as it was he was a huge bust.

 

[R_of_G]

Both of your examples are perfect.

For me it always comes to the "Big 3" of drafts the Jets missed out on big time.Every Jets' fan (or Jets' hater for that matter) knows the list; Ken O'Brien instead of Dan Marino, Blair Thomas instead of Emmit Smith and Al Toon instead of Jerry Rice.

Now, in fairness, prior to the concussions, Al Toon was widely considered one of the best receivers in the game but that just plays into the question more.

Let's say the Jets took Rice. Would he have suffered the same hits that led to Toon's early retirement?

Would Marino have fared as well with the Jets as he did in Miami?

O'Brien was a solid QB when he played well but he was inconsistent. Perhaps in Miami with better pass protection and Duper and Clayton to throw it to he'd have been a superstar.

To this day I can't get my mind around the idea that the Jets could have had Emmit Smith but would he have been that Emmit Smith in NY? The Dallas teams he played for had offensive linemen like nothing the Jets had. The Jets didn't have Aikman or Irvin either.

So yeah, there's no way to put a number on how valuable circumstance is to a young player's development.

Ps. The Jets also passed on Warren Sapp for "character issues" and opted for Kyle Brady. Brady went on to be competely average while Sapp went on to be the most dominant DT of his era and win a championship with the Bucs while not getting in any off the field trouble (until his career was over at least).

Also, while I loved Keyshawn Johnson, the Jets could have taken Simeon Rice first overall that year. If wishes were horses everyone would ride.

 

[Eric]

Also, while I loved Keyshawn Johnson, the Jets could have taken Simeon Rice first overall that year. If wishes were horses everyone would ride.

Are you sure that would have been any better? Didn't they both end up in Tampa anyway? At least Meshawn helped his original team win a little bit. I seem to recall Rice not living up to expectations in 'zona.

 

[R_of_G]

Are you sure that would have been any better? Didn't they both end up in Tampa anyway? At least Meshawn helped his original team win a little bit. I seem to recall Rice not living up to expectations in 'zona.

They did both wind up in Tampa, and, paired with Sapp, Rice more than lived up to expectations. So a Jets' fan with historical perspective can't help but wonder had we taken Sapp instead of Brady and then taken Rice how much better could we have been. Brings us back to the original point. What made the Sapp/Rice combo work was Monte Kiffin (and Brooks and Lynch didn't hurth either). It's all about circumstance. It's why I thin Ryan Mallet won the lottery with his draft position. We'll see what Bellichick makes out of him.

 

[piebaldpython]

Blair Thomas instead of Emmit Smith. .

Blair Thomas is a Philly boy....went to Penn State....and was SUPPOSED to be the next big thing. I work with his half-sister and when he was tearing it up in HS and Penn State, we'd talk about how hard he trained, etc. Maybe the pressure of playing in NYC got to him? Dunno. I haven't had the nerve to ask how he's doing or what he's doing.

Our desks used to be fairly close to each other way back in the day. We're on different floors now, so I rarely see her over the past 15 years.

 

[R_of_G]

Exactly. At the time the Jets drafted Thomas it seemed like a good idea. I lived in NJ then so I had seen more of Thomas than Smith. Who knows what Thomas could have achieved elsewhere?

Also, thanks to Vernon Gholston, nobody can ever do worse now than second biggest Jets bust, though there are plenty of people who were bigger disappointments for Jets fans than Thomas.

 

[Eric]

Exactly. At the time the Jets drafted Thomas it seemed like a good idea. I lived in NJ then so I had seen more of Thomas than Smith. Who knows what Thomas could have achieved elsewhere?

You could take pride in the fact that Blair Thomas comes from a long line of disappointing NFL running backs who played at Penn State: Ki-Jana Carter, D.J. Dozier, Curtis Enis, etc. I think you can count the successful ones on one hand: Curt Warner, Larry Johnson (kind of), um...anybody else?

Also, thanks to Vernon Gholston, nobody can ever do worse now than second biggest Jets bust, though there are plenty of people who were bigger disappointments for Jets fans than Thomas.

Yeah, I suppose most teams have at least one person like that, huh? The Eagles essentially invented the Gholston category of workout warrior with their pick of the legendary Mike Mamula.