Wellness

[Spurt]

On 5/6/2014 sidsmom said:

Ohhhhh, a Ticket spin-off!! Ok guys....I'll leave you to your programming, but....the Ticket add so much humor to their programming, it even makes me listen...for a little bit! That's why I listen throughout the day....I mean...how many times can you talking about Johnny Football? The Ticket has a song parody...that what we're about. Love it. Good luck, guys! Happy Draft!

Hi sidsmom.....well I may just tune in the week the Cowboys play the Redskins just to see what the opposition is saying....

[Spurt]

On 5/7/2014 gardenman said:

And the draft is getting closer! Today is pretty much the last day for any player trades involving first round picks to possibly take place. After today getting a player to a physician to pass a physical before the trade is finalized would be tricky. Even today we're getting kind of borderline on timing.

Still lots of speculation on teams moving up or down. A player who's in a bit of a free-fall right now is LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. He had a diluted drug test during the NFL combine. A diluted test result can come from a guy drinking a ton of water before the test to hide drug usage. Mettenberger and his athletic trainer have said he was having severe cramping issues leading up to the combine and had been drinking more to alleviate the cramping. That could be accepted by some teams, but he also now has a back issue, spondylolysis, that's gotten the attention of teams. I'm thinking Zach may go from a potential first round guy (before the torn ACL) to a guy who may slide all the way through the draft and end up being undrafted. He's got the talent to be a good NFL quarterback, but the other issues may just scare teams away from him.

GARDENMAN,

Im just hearing rumors about how Chip would love to get Manziel, fits perfect with "his system".....hmmmm But also Im hearing (from the so called "experts")...how "London's Team", the Jags, are talking Manziel---they need something to fill sits in Jax.....

Im also hearing rumors how the Browns may forgo the QBs are there and try to work out a deal with the Redskins to get Cousins....but Bruce Allen says there have been NO CALLS regarding Cousins....but ya never know!

Redskins GM is also saying it will be BEST AVAILABLE PLAYER rather than draft for need, and its more about looking where the roster is going to be in 2015 and 2016 as well...and unlikely the team would move up to get someone.

Pitt tackle, Aaron Donald's stock continues to climb....

Jets wanna move up.....

Gotta vent a bit---okay who's the idiot that scheduled Game 2 of my Spurs in the NBA Playoffs the same time as the draft---- Looks like I will be recording the game and watching it later----too much drama awaits this first round of NFL Draft....and Im NOT happy about this at all....

[gardenman]

And it's finally draft day!!!! Yeah! After only 2,312,792 mock drafts it's finally time for the real one. Finally!

I'm pretty sure the first pick tonight will be Jadeveon Clowney. I'm not sure who will pick him, but he should be the first pick. He strikes me as a Reggie White type of player who every team has to account for, and even then they can't always stop him. The kid's that good. He's a difference maker and those guys don't come along all that often. He could still implode, but if you've got confidence in your defensive staff and you don't have massive pressing needs elsewhere, it's not necessarily a bad move to make an RGIII type trade to move up and get Clowney. For a good team, surrendering their first round picks for the next three years to get Clowney might be a pretty good investment. If they're a good team those picks would likely be late first round picks and those picks are a bit more hit and miss. Trading three late first round picks to get a guy like Clowney isn't a bad idea. He could instantly improve any defense in the league and there aren't a lot of guys who can do that.

There seem to be more rumors of Johnny Manziel dropping and the Cowboys snatching him up at sixteen. That could be entertaining. Jerry Jones has said they won't take Manziel, but what GM's say and what they do are often completely different. JJ could be hoping the Browns believe him and let Manziel by so the Cowboys can grab him at sixteen. Manziel has reportedly made it known he'd prefer not to play for the Jaguars. (Bad idea Johnny.) I still think the Cowboys need to focus on defense, but JJ is a bit of a showman, so who knows what he'll do.

Ha Ha Clinton Dix has reportedly told the Eagles that he really wants to play for them and wants them to trade up to get him. That type of statement could make him fall a bit if teams are concerned about how willing he is to play for them. The Eagles may not have to trade up to get him. He could end up falling to them at 22. The Eagles should know the kid well since our offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz came from Alabama and were both around the kid a ton. (Reports from those two guys are probably why the Eagles took Alabama's Dee Milliner off the board in last year's draft despite a need for a cornerback.) Their intimate knowledge of SEC players can really help narrow the field of potential draftees. I'm pretty sure any team tempted by Ha Ha will be talking to him today to find out how motivated he'd be to play for them. Football's probably 70% physical and 30% mental. If a guy isn't mentally willing to play for your team, you're better off without him. Ha Ha seems more than mentally willing to play for the Eagles which is likely to make other teams take a bit of a step back from the kid.

No player trades have apparently taken place, but it is possible that players have been flown around and taken physicals for other teams in the event/likelihood of a trade. I haven't seen any reports of a guy being seen where he shouldn't be, but any such movement would likely be done quietly anyway.

Expect lots of rumors to be flying around all day today as we near the draft. I'm not sure anyone knows who anyone else will be taking this year which makes the whole process kind of interesting.

If I had to guess on who the Eagles would pick, my best guess would be Ha Ha if he falls that far and/or the Eagles trade up, or Marqise Lee if Ha Ha is gone. Chip Kelly described Marqise Lee as the best wide receiver he'd ever seen after one of Oregon's games against USC. With Matt Barkley already here and contributing what he knows about Marqise Lee the Eagles should have plenty of information on the kid. If he's on the board when the Eagles pick, and the Eagles let him pass, then there's likely some issue he has that we don't know about but they do. I'd love to see the Eagles move up to get Clowney, but the odds of Houston taking later first round picks is pretty slim. He would get the attention of the NFC East quarterbacks though.

It should be a fun night tonight. My money is still on the quarterbacks dropping in the draft and offensive linemen going quicker than anticipated. I expect a run on certain positions early with linemen on both sides going quickly and wide receivers perhaps dropping a bit. Cornerbacks are likely to go early too. It should be a fun night of draft watching.

[gardenman]

The rumors about the Cowboys wanting Manziel apparently inspired the Giants to say that they'd take a long look at Manziel if he was there at twelve when they pick. (Yeah, sure. They have five quarterbacks already, I'm pretty sure they don't need a sixth.) The Giants are apparently hoping to get the Cowboys to waste a few picks to move up ahead of the Giants but I don't see that happening. The Cowboys then leaked out that Manziel wasn't even their top rated quarterback. I'd be stunned if either of those teams picked Manziel, but we'll see.

[Spurt]

On 5/8/2014 gardenman said:

The rumors about the Cowboys wanting Manziel apparently inspired the Giants to say that they'd take a long look at Manziel if he was there at twelve when they pick. (Yeah, sure. They have five quarterbacks already, I'm pretty sure they don't need a sixth.) The Giants are apparently hoping to get the Cowboys to waste a few picks to move up ahead of the Giants but I don't see that happening. The Cowboys then leaked out that Manziel wasn't even their top rated quarterback. I'd be stunned if either of those teams picked Manziel, but we'll see.

.....the NFC East rivalry extends to the front offices too......

Jerry would be a fool to take Manziel when they have so many need particularly on defense.....

So what channel ya watching GARDENMAN----ESPN or NFL Network.......

I just hope the Redskinss Do NOT take BORLAND tommorrow!

Did you hear about the trade Texans want to make a trade with Pats for Ryan Mallet ....who olayed for Coach Bill O'Brien......if this goes down will make it more interesting....

[gardenman]

SPURT. I'll be watching ESPN (I won't give Comcast the extra bucks for the NFL Network) and I'll also be watching the Eagles' website, listening to a local sports talk radio station and following things on Twitter and online.

A trade for Ryan Mallett makes sense for both teams. The Texans get a somewhat proven starter, the Pats don't have to worry about keeping Mallett who will want some pretty big money to stay as a backup. It's a win for both teams.

I still wouldn't rule out the Eagles pulling off a trade with the Dolphins for Dion Jordan. That still makes a lot of sense to me for both teams.

[gardenman]

It would be kind of a neat practical joke to pull on NFL GM's to have a top prospect come out for the introduction (now going on live on ESPN) on crutches, an eye patch, and a cast on one arm. His phone would start ringing off the hook as every GM tried to figure out what had happened to him.

[gardenman]

We're halfway through the first round and the quarterbacks are dropping. Only Bortles was picked so far by the Jags. The Cowboys had a shot at Manziel but opted for Zach Martin the offensive guard instead.

[gardenman]

And round one ended up with Johnny Manziel going off the board at 22 to the Browns after they traded up to get the Eagles' pick and gave us their first round pick and one of their third round picks.

The Eagles chose Marcus Smith the outside linebacker from Louisville, much to the dismay of the talk radio crowd in Philly who were all screaming for a wide receiver. Marcus Smith is an interesting pick. He's 6' 3" and around 250 lbs. He's got a long reach (34" arms) and lots of upside. He was among the most highly recruited kids coming out of high school (supposedly rated as the 39th best high school athlete by some) and went to Louisville as a quarterback. There he found himself behind two seniors and a few other talented young quarterbacks and after having a poor showing passing the ball, the Louisville coaching staff suggested he move to defense. He agreed.

As a freshman he was pretty unimpressive on defense starting the first game and then spending the rest of the year as a reserve. In 2011 he started five games as a defensive end and had 12 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. In 2012 he started every game and had 29 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks, but also 2 batted balls, 1 interception and two forced fumbles. In 2013 he took off and had 42 tackles, 18.5 tackles for a loss, 14.5 sacks, 3 passes batted down, 4 forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

His lack of production in his junior year is why he wasn't a high first round pick. In his senior year he was second in the nation in sacks with 14.5, so he was effective enough to be a high first round pick (Clowney had 3 and Khalil Mack had 10.5.) He's effective against the run and can drop back into pass coverage. He's a good all around outside linebacker who's best days are likely still ahead of him. He lacks the hype of some of the other players, but if he can put up similar numbers in the NFL he''ll be a star.

Chip and Howie Roseman (the Eagles GM) have said they aren't so much looking at where a player is today as where he'll be two or three years from now. I'm thinking that looking to the future is what made Smith the easy pick for them. I'm pretty sure they think he still has some room to grow and improve. With limited defensive experience and snaps he managed to play extremely well in his senior year, excel in the Senior Bowl, have a great pro day and work his way into the bottom of the first round of the draft. He fills a need for the Eagles and if he continues to grow and improve he could be a star and the steal of the draft. I think it was a good pick.

Today we have the second and third rounds of the draft. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Eagles grab a QB (Aaron Murray still feels right to me) with one of our third round picks if he's there. (That will really set the talk radio crowd off.) I wouldn't be shocked to see us come out of the draft with no new wide receivers. If there's a guy there they love then maybe they'll take one, but I still don't see the huge need there that many of the more vocal reporters apparently see. We lost Avant and Jackson, but we're getting back Maclin and Benn from the IR, so we lost two, gained two, and have a lot of young guys already on the roster who might be ready to step up.

It's a shame the Cowboys passed on Johnny Manziel. That would have imploded the Internet. I was pretty sure the Giants were bluffing about having any interest in Manziel with five quarterbacks already on their roster, but the Cowboys could use a young gun. I guess JJ was a little nervous about the chaos that would bring down upon the Cowboys. The Zack Martin pick was a nice safe pick for the Cowboys. I really thought they'd go defense, but Martin was too valuable a guy to ignore. I thought the Giants would probably grab him instead of the Cowboys. The Giants took Odell Beckham instead which is an odd pick as he's kind of a Victor Cruz clone. As a rule you'd prefer variety in receivers, but two Cruz type receivers aren't bad.

Rounds two and three come up tonight and the Eagles will be busy with three picks. It should be a fun night.

[teganslaw]

The Colts have a draft pick in the second round. I have no idea what they are going to do.

The Texans took Clowney; I figured he would be the first pick. The Colts play the Texans twice a year, so it will be interesting to see how the Texans have improved since last season. I have a feeling that the they will be a tough team this coming season.

I was surprised to see Watkins going to Buffalo. Good choice for them.

Jerry Jones like to put on a good show, getting everyone's hopes up about Manziel. Then they get Martin instead. Leave it to Jones for surprises.