Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Close the Window -- I Feel a Draft


What is the NFL? The best organized sport there is? The master of self-promotion and hype?
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Why do we ask? Consider how huge the NFL draft has become and starting this year, tomorow night, the draft will be covered in PRIME TIME on ESPN. With the famous words, Kansas City is now on the clock, the ceremony will begin, and in all likelihood, the Chiefs will select QB Sam Bradford. Over the next several hours, there will be a lot of just waiting around for the next team to pick while the world's most notorious blowhard, Chris Berman rattles on about God knows what and then hands off to Mel Kyper who actually does know something and a whole host of ESPN football commentators, some brilliant, some ... well ...
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In anticipation of the big event, fans have been researching, filling out this, filling out that, and creating their own "mock drafts." So who's going to be the 31st pick in the first round. What stud will the New England Patriots pick in the 3rd round. Thus so it goes.
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About the only thing that's relatively certain is who the first handfull of picks will be. All it takes is a team trading up or trading down, passing on a player or moving one way up in the picking order to fill a need and the whole tenative draft projections are shot.
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Additionally, what does it all mean? How earth-shattering is the draft and what makes it worth hour upon hour of listening to Chris Berman laugh at his own silliness?
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This writer is a pretty die-hard Ravens fan, but also likes the Redskins and follows the sport in general. I haven't a clue who the Ravens will pick. Ozzie Newsome's philsophy generally follows get the best fellow available at the time. This fan's humble assessment is the team could use some help in the defensive secondary, beyond that get the toughest most talented guys who fit the Ravens' clubhouse. The Ravens will be buried pretty deep in the draft so predicting who they can pick is not that sure a bet. Once chose, THEN I'll be interested. I'll have some passing interest mainly in how effective Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, their prime division foes do and if their moves make them a more formidable foe. Cleveland has so much work to do but Mike Holmgren running the show could finally show the second coming of the mistake on the lake could be building a decent football team.
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Down I-95 a few miles, the team that plays in Landover needs a lot of work. If Daniel Snyder gives Mike Shanahan the resources and independece to build the team, Redskins fans could have something special in the near future for the first time since Joe Gibbs first left for NASCAR. Donovan McNabb instantly improves their offense dramatically if they have the offensive line that will keep him on his feet. Given the times McNabb has been injured, he could be walking into a slaughterhouse in DC if they don't get the right protection. The Redskins do have an adequate defense. Shanahan will bring the right winning culture to the team.
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So there it is, Right Minded Fellow's 2010 draft forecast. Read it and weap. Tune in ESPN around 11:00 pm tomorrow night. That's when the Ravens might be on the clock. So say the experts. And to all the football pundits, "Everything you know is wrong!!!"

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