Official NFL Off-season Thread

it is impossible to over-draft joe flacco.

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i've never had cucumbers. or pickles.

and how does one even get game tape? o.o

i don't think i've ever had cucumbers either. but pickles are cool in my book. i'm not even sure what that saying means, but i heard it on That 70s Show, which has become my go-to TV show as of late

anyway... for regular game broadcasts, I just load up my DVR during the regular season, and for bigger games like the BCS title game, you can usually find them in their entirety on various torrent sites. but regular TV broadcasts are limited in how much you can evaluate and learn, because you're only really getting a full-on glimpse of the trenches on each snap. WR route running, DB coverage, LB range... none of those things are readily visible with conventional broadcast coverage.

getting actual coaches tape is a lot more difficult, and i've only had success in doing it a few times. coaches tape is usually shot from an aerial perspective far behind the RB, so you get the whole spectrum of all 22 players on the field. its pretty sweet. obviously its a pain in the ass to find because its for a coaching staff's evaluation of their own team's performance, so they don't like the possibility of an opposing team getting hold of it. I have a friend on another message board that actually teaches people how to properly evaluate football prospects, and he's respected enough that he can usually personally request a specific tape and someone from the school will mail him a physical copy of it. he's pretty strict with them, but i've convinced him to convert a few of them onto his CPU and upload them before.

I should just start sending out random feelers on teams' message boards and see if people will send me tapes for a small fee or none at all. but I generally hate the postal service and i don't own a VCR, so eh. i live in the digital age dammit, everything should be readily available on the youtubes as far as i'm concerned



presumably they'd like to add a premiere linebacker or a premiere cover corner. there's a lot of the latter but not a whole lot of the former in this draft. maybe they fall in love with a guy like Keith Rivers... smart, productive, big-school linebacker that played the weak side in college but could easily make the transition to ILB in the 3-4. really athletic, sideline-to-sideline playmaker. not really the type thats gonna rush the line and blow up blocks, but he can make plays in coverage and get to the edges to stop the run. beyond Rivers, I don't think there's any LB worth taking in the top-10.

there's a few CBs that could make sense at their pick. South Florida's Mike Jenkins is a guy you don't really hear a lot about, but is universally liked by just about everyone i've read or talked to. he's a long, lean, athletic CB. long armed guy who likes to be physical at the line of scrimmage, and would excel in a bump-and-run cover scheme like Chicago's or Baltimore's. he was a three year starter that was on the field since his Freshman year and has kick return ability.

my biggest concern with Jenkins is his composure and confidence. I know that sounds like a weird complaint, but those are two very critical traits for a CB. Jenkins didn't get beat often--especially in his Senior year--but when he did, he'd let his guard down and start to give up plays in bunches. Corners need to have a short memory. he's the type of guy who gets rattled by a 10-yard completion and ends up trying to over-compensate and gets exploited for a drive or two. its not for lack of ability, so there's reason to believe that he could get better in this area.

while Jenkins is a quiet prospect with a solidified draft status, Troy's Leodis McKelvin is one of those loud "sleeper" guys that is getting talked straight up draft boards. all it takes is one reputable source to say "hey, anyone see that kid that plays for Troy? he's pretty good." and that gets a domino effect going with every pro scout and every arm-chair scout(like myself) going back and trying to see as much of him as possible. sometimes these guys turn out to just be "pretty good," and sometimes they are impressive enough to warrant the rise in notoriety. McKelvin lives up to the hype on film, and he lived up to the hype at the Senior Bowl.

is he a guy you take at #7? I don't know. there are coaching staffs and scouting departments that will immediately dismiss top-10 status solely because of where he plays. and there are other teams that will value him for how he plays and not the helmet he wore in college, which was the case when Dallas took DeMarcus Ware out of Troy a few years ago. he was explosive, he fit their scheme, and they bit the bullet and took him. and, thus far, its paid off.

beyond that, I suppose they'd be tempted if a guy like McFadden fell right into their lap(which he won't). but Kool-Aid Maroney was coming on before the Super Bowl, so I don't think RB is a real pressing need. Belichick and Pioli are prone to surprises on draft day(see: Logan Mankins), so who the hell knows. maybe they trade down a few spots and grab Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall. or maybe they fall in love with the crazy pass rushing skills of Ohio State DE/OLB Vernon Gholston, and take him.

such is the luxury of having a top-10 pick following an 18-1 season. you could pretty much piss the pick away and no one would really even notice.

Britanny Spears has a better chance getting onto the cover of "Great Mom Mag" than Atlanta does getting to the playoffs. It is the truth...sorry.

Still awaiting the Pro Bowl though...hehe...

Dude....I am a diehard Steelers fan. But there is nothing wrong with supporting the lesser of two evils being the Giants and the Pats. Jeez dude...wish you would lay off me about that.

Cheering AGAINST a team is kind of pathetic... Unless you have money on the line.

Thats fine.

The Super Bowl is over, you mean to tell me you are STILL rooting for the Giants?

I dont think so

Wait, are you telling me the Falcons are bad?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!

If it has to do with your team getting further, then yes. Otherwise, I guess I don't really see the point. I wasn't cheering against the Giants in the Superbowl just because they're in the Cowboys' division.