Draft Grades- The NFL Chick Version

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Draft weekend has come and gone. By now, you've probably watched or read every possible breakdown of how teams fared with the draft. Of course, I'm The NFL Chick, so folks have been asking me my opinion and how I thought my teams and others did when it came to the draft. I decided to add my own twist and categorized them in groups of how well they did. With all of the analysis you guys and gals received this weekend, the last thing you need is another in-depth look at how teams did.


Hope you enjoy, here's my thoughts on this weekend's draft:


The Hive Fivers
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Seattle- Seattle made out like a fat rat in Pete Carroll's first NFL draft at the Seahawks coach. Not only did they draft OT Russell Okung and SS Earl Thomas in the 1st round, but they also traded for Leon Washington and LenDale White. Seattle had one of, if not THE best drafts of all the teams.
Bold
Cincinnati- For the 2nd year in a row, Cincy has really shown off in the draft. The Bengals needed a TE badly and got the the top TE in Jermaine Gresham. But their next picks only got better. Carlos Dunlap, Jordan Shipley and Carlos Ghee are all very good picks. Great job by the Bengals front office

St. Louis- I thought the Rams had one of the more complete drafts. Say what you want about Bradford, but I think this guy will be a very good NFL QB. Add Saffold and Mardy Gilyard in the mix and the Rams had a very decent draft and filled a lot of holes on their roster.



The Job Well Dones
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Cleveland- This was the 1st draft during the Holmgren era, and he did a very good job. Getting Haden was a good pick, but the dark horse pick was Colt McCoy. I thought that McCoy was the 2nd best QB coming out of this draft behind Bradford. If McCoy works out well, this may be the steal of the 2010 Draft

Dallas- Getting Dez Bryant is what has folks attention, but I think drafting Akwasi Owusu-Ansah should get the brink of the excitement. I think this kid will be a very durable player for Dallas in the years to come.

Detroit- Two words: Ndamukong. Suh. *drops mic*


Kansas City- Loved the Eric Berry pick, but the Dexter McCluster pick is just as big to me. I watched him in a few Ole Miss games and I think he has what it takes to cause havoc in the AFC West. Javier Arenas was a very good pick up for them as well. I think the Chiefs watch nothing but SEC football, their Top 3 picks all came from there.

Arizona- Dan Williams and Daryl Washington fill immediate needs that the Cardinals had on defense. It helped soften the blow to losing Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle.



OMG I Can't Believe It
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Oakland- For the first time in a LONG time.. I can say that the Raiders had a very good draft. Rolando McClain and Lamarr Houston were very good pick ups, not to mention getting Bruce Campbell in the 4th round. And getting QB Jason Campbell from Washington for a 4th round pick in 2012 is like buying an entertainment center and no making payments for 2 years, interest free.

Baltimore- Coming in the draft, the Ravens were without their 3rd and 4th round picks, from the Boldin trade. But Ozzie and Co pulled a highway robbery on the Broncos, who traded to their 25th overall spot for QB Tim Tebow. The Ravens received the Broncos 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks and did very well in this draft. Most analysts think that LB Sergio Kindle in the 2nd was a steal.


Ehhh....... Nothing To See, Business As Usual
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New England- The Pats picked up 2 of the best TEs in the draft (in my opinion) in Gronkowski and Hernandez. They also came out of the weekend with 2 1st rounders and 2 2nd rounders for 2011. Say what you want about Belichick, but he is genius at what he does

Indianapolis- Bill Polian drafted at every position that was a need on this team. He had a very solid draft.

NY Jets- The Kyle Wilson pick was very good. I'm wondering if he will try and take Cromartie's spot by the 2nd half of the season..Who am I kidding, Cromartie has too many damn kids to feed to give up his advancement... I mean, his starting job.

Tampa Bay- Getting Gerald McCoy was a huge void filler for the Bucs. Tampa got it right.



The WTFs
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Buffalo- HELLLLLO!!!! You need a QB!!!! There was McCoy, Pike.. hell even Jason Campbell was traded.. am I missing something here?! You also need O-line help yet that went ignored until the later rounds.

Carolina- You drafted 3 QBs in the draft, including Clausen and Tony Pike...... I know you need a QB, but c'mon son............

Pittsburgh- I liked the Pouncey pick. He can help booster up the offensive line. But ummm, how many LBs do you really need?? Three is a bit much.

Washington- How do you get a 4th rounder in 2012 for QB Jason Campbell??? According to the Mayans, we won't even be here by then!

Tennessee- You just gave away LenDale White to Seattle for some Pop Rocks and a ShamWow.


LMAOOOO Really, I Mean... Really?!
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Denver- Giving up WAY too much for Tim Tebow, a guy that may not even see the field until 2 years from now, unless it's a wildcat formation. A major risk and Josh McDaniels is really sending the Broncos to NFL Hell. Now if Tebow actually works out... I'll look like a pure dumbass. But until then, I'll wait...........

Jacksonville- First Matt Jones, now this. The Jags could have waited with their pick in Tyson Alualu. They could have traded down and received more picks while still getting their man.

San Diego- It's hard for me to laugh at AJ Smith, because I think he's a TOP 5 GM. But I think it's safe to say he was reaching when he moved up to the 12th spot for Ryan Mathews. You got punked on that one, Chargers!



And The Rest............ (Nothing bad to say, just nothing to say.....)

Houston
Green Bay
Minnesota- The Vikings didn't have many holes, but plugged the ones they did, minus the QB position
Miami- Bill Parcells produced an effective draft for the Dolphins. No complaints here
NY Giants- I like the Pierre-Paul pick, especially for a team that seems they may get rid of Osi
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Chicago- No 1st and 2nd rounders due to the Cutler deal......


Athletes + Social Networking = Not A Good Look

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By now, we all know that Ten Ginn, Jr has been traded to San Francisco, in light of the Marshall-to-Miami trade. Trades happen all the time. In the past 2 Sundays, we have seen Donovan McNabb become a Redskin and Santonio Holmes become a Jet. It's a part of the game. But what ISN'T part of the game is Ginn's backlash at a fan.


As reported by Black Sports Online, Ginn responded to a fan on Twitter who had some smart words for him on his way out of Miami. Ginn responded to the tweet with an extremely vulgar comment, one that you will have to go to BSO to see for yourself. It was unacceptable, uncalled for and unprofessional, to say the least.


Ginn hasn't been the only victim of being extremely vocal on Twitter. Larry Johnson went on a rampage, arguing back and forth with fans as well as talking smack about his head coach (he was later released from the Chiefs), and Santonio Holmes went off on a fan who was critical of him regarding his alleged drink throwing incident by saying the following:

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Holmes has recently claimed his Twitter account was hacked during this particular situation. Yeah, okay.............. Holmes, Johnson and Ginn are only a handful of players who have misused the purpose of social networking.

I'm a fan of social networking overall. It's a great networking tool, a good way to re-connect with friends and also an innovative way to meet people with common interests. But for athletes, this may be one avenue they want to avoid. Yes, they are still common folk like us and have the same interests. But what they aren't are regular people, and they'd be foolish to think so. With gossip sites like TMZ targeting athletes more and more (see Tiger Woods), it's becoming more evident that NFL players are no different than Hollywood celebrities.

In the past, I was all for players being on Twitter. It was a way for players to connect with fans and get to see their off-the-field persona. But as of late, there have been instances that show this may not be as good an idea as originally thought. Whether players want to be, they ARE role models to thousands of kids and are put on pedestals by those who buy game tickets. While majority of the NFL players on Twitter have done a great job at using the site properly, there's always the few instances that ultimately stick out to the public. I'm a firm believer in freedom of speech. But I also believe in people choosing their battles. Every comment does not warrant a response. Being a football star and cursing fans out on a social networking site is NOT a good look for the player, their team or for the league they play in.

What happens from here will be interesting. Whether Goodell will try to fully ban players from Twitter may be far fetched, but in the long run it may be the only option if we continue to see outbursts, such as Ginn's tweets this past week. Smarten up guys... your social networking lives are trailing thin ice.




What The NFL Schedule Means To You

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Football lovers, fanatics and fiends.... it's April! And two great NFL events happen in April (and NO I am not referring to the McNabb trade as one of them). Yes, I am talking about the NFL Draft and the release of the NFL schedule.


This is one of the most exciting times of the offseason. It's the time we start looking at who we play, when we play them, as well as our draft picks and counting down the days to training camp. If you live and breathe football, this is a month of good fortune.


With the release of the 2010 schedule coming out soon (blog sites and message board have been saying it will be released the end of the week or the beginning of next week, before the NFL Draft), there are a few things hardcore fans go through every single year. You know you're an NFL when you do one or all of the following things listed below:



Play The "Win-Loss" Game


Every year when the schedule comes out, I take a look at it for a few minutes and play the guesstimate game. I guess how many wins and losses the Ravens will have in the upcoming season. Now, usually I'm wrong as hell. Only a few times have I been close to being right (2006 is the last season that comes to mind, when I predicted they would be 12-4.... they were 13-3). But nevertheless, it's something I do. The way you determine wins and losses can be as simple as thinking you're better/worse than your opponent. Or it could mean you get real technical and factor in injuries and the schedule during a certain stretch. In any event, you do this and share your predictions with friends or message boards and compare. I don't know who came up with this idea. But it keeps people going until the NFL Draft the following week.



Potential Away Game Locations
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If you're like me, you love going to away games. It's a 2-for-1 deal in my opinion. You get to take a weekend getaway out-of-town and you get to see your favorite team play in the process. Many of you already have vacation time set aside strictly for away games, all you need is the NFL schedule to come out so you can put in the time with your employer. Travel agencies and airlines pry on this date as well, as they know the interest peaks in certain cities during the NFL season, so football packages and flight inflation occur right after the schedule is released. I won't lie.. I'm waiting on the schedule release so I can confirm my arrangements for a potential away game as we speak. There is nothing like going to an away game and proudly displaying your teams colors in another team's stadium.


Plan Parties/Getaways Around Must-See Games
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I don't make this stuff up, y'all. Yes, people actually to plan their actual life around the NFL season. If you think I'm lying, then think again. I've come across people who tried to change wedding plans, birthday parties and even some vacations due to a football game. If you're a Cowboys fan and you know they play the Redskins on October 22nd, you steer clear of any special events on that date, just so you can post up and watch watch your team play. One year, I planned my son's birthday party during the first week of the NFL season. Worst mistake of my life. People brought in handheld TVs and radios and didn't pay their kids any mind, they were so into the game. If anyone says this sounds absurd, they're probably right. Now if anyone says this doesn't happen, then they are either naive as hell or they are a liar.

To my fellow NFL friends, the schedule will be out soon. You will be free to plan all of your birthday gatherings, anniversaries, events, vacations and predictions when we finally know who our favorite team plays and when they play them. Are you ready for some football???? I sure am. Bring on the schedule!!!!

Did The Steelers Make The Right Decision??

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When word got out late last night that Steelers WR Santonio Holmes had been traded to the NY Jets for a 5th round draft pick, I was floored. Not just because of the low price, but also because of who it was. Holmes is a Super Bowl MVP and has been a great asset to the Steelers since being drafted out of Ohio State. For him to be traded for a draft pick that may not even make the roster seems as crazy, if not more, than McNabb's big trade a week earlier. But looking past the Holmes trade, it's safe to say that the Steelers organization may have enough- and they are using Holmes as an example.


The Rooney family and the Steelers seemed to be fed up with its key players. Holmes is currently under investigation for an alleged assault incident in FL, and has just been informed that he will serve a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Holmes also was arrested for marijuana possession and was involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006. This was enough for the Steelers front office to send Holmes to the Jets for very little.

The Steelers are reportedly also looking into disciplining QB Ben Roethlisberger for his previous sexual assault cases. While he has not been charged for either incident, his poor judgement and bad decisions have been enough to keep the Steelers in a light they choose not to be a part of
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While a decision from the DA's office will come today about Ben's fate on his current case, it has been indicated over the weekend that he will NOT be charged for any wrongdoing. Still, that's not enough for the Rooney family, who are looking to taking matters in their own hands and possibly reprimanding him for the previous incidents. Roethlisberger is meeting with NFL commission Roger Goodell in the near future, also about his incidents.

For decades, the Steelers have been proud to be looked upon as one of the most well-run organizations in the league.The Holmes and Roethlisberger stories being highlight stories of the NFL offseason is the last thing the Rooney family wants or needs, especially from a team that is looking to redeem themselves and make 2010 a rebound year with another playoff run. To the average fan, coach or even owner, Holmes' trade value was laughable, considering the fact that he has made some great catches in his career (as a Ravens fan, I will never forget the reversed TD call in 2008). But to the Rooney family, they were looking to get rid of a bad apple at any cost, even if that meant releasing them (which was another possibility had they not traded him). It also doesn't hurt that they have an emerging star at WR, in Mike Wallace. His playing for the 2009 made it that much easier for the Steelers to cut their ties with the disgruntled Holmes

Did the Steelers making the right decisions?? Until we find out what happens to Roethlisberger, that's to be determined. But so far, I can't say they haven't.

A Different Perspective Of The McNabb Trade

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On Sunday, when I got word that the Eagles traded QB Donovan McNabb to the Redskins, I was just as surprised as anyone else. A Pro Bowl and playoff QB, going down the street to his division rival, for peanuts. None of this made sense... and still doesn't. But is this trade as crazy as it seems?! My initial thought on Sunday was yes, this trade was ridiculously stupid. But after letting my thoughts regroup and taking the emotions out of it, maybe it's not as bad as we think.

It's safe to say that Andy Reid is a good head coach and has a good eye for offensive talent. Since drafted McNabb in the 1999 NFL Draft, Philly has been blessed with having a pretty consistent, high powered offense for much of Reid's and McNabb's tenure. That includes dealing with injuries to Westbrook and Buckhalter as well as working with busts like Freddie "Fred Ex" Mitchell. But Reid is a smarter guy than we give credit for. He's put some thought into this and seems comfortable in this huge decision.

First, there's the age and injury factor. It's no secret that McNabb has been labeled an "injury prone" QB throughout much of his career. The fact that McNabb has only played in 4 full seasons (not counting his rookie season), shows that his longevity is at question. McNabb is only 33 years old, which isn't old for a QB. But before you go mentioning Iron Man Brett Favre, let's be clear... we're talking about IR McNabb. One has to wonder how much longer will his body hold up. Can McNabb still play for an entire season?? Will his health continue to decline as he gets older (McNabb will be 34 in November)?? Is it really a good idea to give him another big pay day, when he may not last past week 6? If Reid couldn't answer the following questions with certainty, then maybe trading McNabb while he still had value was smart, after all.

The other angle of this is the Kolb Factor. The Eagles were high on backup QB Kevin Kolb when they drafted him out of Houston in the 2007 Draft. From the time he was drafted, it was almost if the McNabb Trade Watch had unofficially started. Kolb hasn't played in many games in his short NFL career, and most remember him from his devastating INT in the Ravens game, in which Ed Reed broke his own record.

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But do we REALLY know what Kolb is about?? Should the Reed INT be the defining factor of his career? Apparantly, Reid doesn't think so. Kolb had a near-perfect performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2009 season, throwing for over 300 yards for 2 TDs. And while most will argue that it was Chiefs, who was a bad team at the time of victory, others will say that Kolb showed that he has the tools to be the next Aaron Rodgers. And with a young receiving group in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and TE Brent Celek, it's safe to say that Reid wants his young QB to grow with his receivers, so they can make beautiful music and sweet TDs for years to come.

Lastly is the Fan Factor. While I don't think McNabb's trade was hardly influenced by the fans, it's still should be noted that McNabb's biggest critics came from his own fan base. Who can forget the swarm of boos that rang out after McNabb was drafted in '99? Philly treated McNabb like an ugly stepchild at times, and felt no remorse in doing so.
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I'd find it hard to believe that many fans are crying a river to the news of McNabb's departure, other than the fact that he now has a chance at redemption twice a year against them. But Philly is a tough crowd, and McNabb was never fully accepted in the city of Brotherly Love.

Maybe Reid sees a vision that we have yet to see. McNabb is going to a Washington squad in need of a QB that can effectively run a West Coast offense, which he can do. But they also have major holes on the offensive line as well as a group of aging RBs in Willie Parker, Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson, who have a hard time in staying healthy. McNabb has always been known as a mobile QB, but there is only so much one can do. McNabb physically paid for it time and time again in Philly. Maybe it was time to move on. Time to give the young guy Kolb a chance to prove himself.

I leave with this final food for thought. Bill Belichick did the same thing, in trading QB Drew Bledsoe to division rival Buffalo, after winning SB XXXVI with Tom Brady. While the circumstances were somewhat \ different, the overall picture is eerily similar. An older, injury prone QB gets traded to his division rival for the young guy on the bench. We know how the Brady story turned out, 3 SB rings later. Maybe Reid thinks Kolb is the new Brady......
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Or maybe this trade is as crazy as it really seems.