Please Close The Window, You're Letting In A Draft

I don’t really want to write about the draft. But I feel I have to. You can go back two posts ago, or several posts during the regular season, to see that I can’t stand the NFL Draft and the hype surrounding it.

Now my friends have said that the reason I don’t like the draft is that the Redskins have traded away their first round picks until 2011. Touché. There might be some truth to that. But odds are that only five to seven of the first round selections this year will amount to anything resembling a pro-bowler. Really, when you consider that Priest Holmes was an undrafted free agent in the same draft that Darrell Russell was the number two pick overall, why should I care what happens this weekend. Here is a list of some players that wouldn’t even be drafted today:

Johnny Unitas: 1955, Round 9, Pick 102
Ken Houston: 1967, Round 9, Pick 214
Jackie Smith: 1963, Round 10, Pick 123
Roger Staubach: 1964, Round 10, Pick 123
Deacon Jones: 1961, Round 14, Pick 186
Bart Starr: 1956, Round 17, Pick 200
Raymond Berry: 1954, Round 20, Pick 232
“Night Train” Lane: 1952, undrafted
Warren Moon: 1984, undrafted

What do all those guys have in common? They all have busts in Canton. You can find a good player in any round, and in some cases, after the draft is over. The first round means basically nothing. Zip. Nada. Consider that the NFL Draft, in one form or another, has been held since 1936. Only 11 of the 70 of the #1 overall selections currently reside in the Hall (and that of all the #1 selections still playing, only Peyton Manning appears to be headed for Canton). So counting Manning, that’s a 17% clip.

The #2 pick fares no better, with only 10 players in, or in my opinion, heading to the Hall after their career is over (Not counting Joe Namath, who shouldn’t be in the Hall. One game does not make a career. The stats don’t lie: 50.1% completion rate and 173 TD’s compared with 220 INT’s. Why Namath is in and Art Monk, who held most of the important NFL receiving records until some dude named Jerry Rice came along, is out is beyond my comprehension. But I digress from my stated purpose of making fun of the draft. Seriously, stop reading the parentheses and move on to the next paragraph.).

So what do all these scouts, draft gurus, insiders and mock draft geeks know? Absolutely nothing. Sure Mel Kiper has nice hair and pretties up the television, but I certainly don’t want him deciding the future of my favorite team. Which is why I prefer my favorite team to exchange draft picks for restricted free agents. At least that way, you know what you’re getting instead of rolling the proverbial dice in the NFL crapshoot.

Anyway, other than Reggie Bush, this appears to be one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory (another reason I’m glad the Redskins got something better for their picks). So I’ll take a stab at the first 15 pick projection. I will predict where I think the players will actually go, then I’ll tell you if that pick is actually any good. Which is what no one is talking about. Sure the Raiders could draft Vince Young. But should they? My contempt for the draft will only allow me to make the first 15 selections before you and I both become bored with the subject.

1. Houston Texans: Reggie Bush, Southern Cal
If the Texans don’t select Bush, they’re crazy. They might as well fold up so the NFL can finally give another franchise to Los Angeles. Bush is head-and-shoulders above any other player in this draft. Sure the Texans need some offensive linemen, and as we’ve seen in Buffalo and Detroit, great position players do not mask bad offensive line play. But there is a glut of second and third round worthy linemen in this draft. Plus, there will be plenty of linemen on the free agent market in 2007. The Texans should draft Bush here, draft for offensive line depth in the next two rounds, then sign a big name offensive lineman on the free agent market next season. In two years, assuming David Carr survives his yearly beatings, the Texans will be respectable. But not if Dominick Davis is their running back.
If the Texans make this pick, the Predictor grade is: A+


Hopefully Houston won't overthink their selection, and take the draft's best player in over five seasons.

2. New Orleans Saints: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia
The Saints desperately need offensive linemen. More so than Houston. They have Drew Brees. They have Joe Horn. They’ll have Deuce McAllister coming back. Now give those weapons a chance to succeed. The defense is adequate, so there is no need to take overrated Mario Williams. Plus, you can always pick up defensive studs in the later rounds. I think cooler heads will prevail in the Bayou, and Ferguson dons the black and gold.
If the Saints make this pick, the Predictor grade is: A

3. Tennessee Titans: Matt Leinart, Southern Cal
Two words: Norm Chow
Three more words: Aging Steve McNair
Nine final words: Draft Vince Young, and prepare to suffer the consequences
If the Titans make this pick, the Predictor grade is: B+ (you’ll see why in a minute)

4. New York Jets: Mario Williams, NC State
Personally, I don’t see what the deal is with Mario Williams. He’ll be a good NFL player, but not spectacular. Here is where hype and potential in workouts will cost a team with several other talented players on the board. I want a proven player this high in the draft, and Williams wasn’t anything special at State. I watched him for the past three years during the ACC season. In the past 24 games, he has only recorded a sack in 11 of them. Not what I would want in the #4 overall pick. But the Jets already have two mediocre quarterbacks (Pennington and Ramsey) and they don’t need to draft another one. Williams is the only pick that makes sense. Here’s an idea. Curtis Martin isn’t going to last much longer. How ‘bout drafting DeAngelo Williams or Laurence Maroney? I know that it’s a bit high, but it makes more sense than a reach pick like M.Williams. Heck, trade down eight or nine spots and do it. The Swampland brain trust isn’t that bright.
If the Jets make this pick, the Predictor grade is: C

5. Green Bay Packers: A.J. Hawk, Ohio State
Don’t have much to say about Hawk. Seems like a safe pick at #5. The Packers should release Brett “All me, all offseason” Farve and draft Jay Cutler instead of relying on Aaron Rodgers to be their next QB. But they won’t.
If the Packers make this pick, the Predictor grade is: B-

6. San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis, Maryland
Here is the first of consecutive big bust picks. Vernon Davis is the most over-hyped, overrated player in the draft this season. First, you never take a tight end in the Top 10. Never. A good tight end can be found in any round. A good tight end in the draft won’t vault your team to the playoffs like a good lineman or quarterback can. Look at the Chargers and Chiefs. They have the best two tight ends in the game, and neither team made the playoffs last season. Heck, the Redskins played the entire 2005 season without an NFL caliber tight end (Chris Cooley is an H-back/Fullback) and made the postseason. Tight ends are not the missing piece of the puzzle, especially for a 4-12 team. Second, Davis is the Lee Flowers Paper Champion of the 2006 Draft. No player is better in workouts and practice and training sessions than Davis. But he disappears in games. As a Maryland graduate, and someone who broadcasted Maryland football for two seasons, I’ve seen the real Davis. The one who will make three or four amazing catches one week, then not even show up the next three. Forget taking plays off. He takes entire games off. And the only major advantage he had in college was his size. That won’t be the case in the NFL, where he will be strictly above average in terms of bulk. Unfortunately, the 49ers will be able to draft Davis here. This is an organization that thought Alex Smith was a #1 overall pick. Davis must seem like a Hall of Famer to the 9ers. From here on out, Davis is going to be my poster child for why the draft is all hype and not important. Here is a player that will get drafted in the top 10 based on potential alone. He hasn’t proven anything during his college
days. Please San Francisco, take Winston Justice. Or consider the Alex Smith experiment over and take Cutler. Heck, take Young. Don't take Davis here. Don’t do this to yourselves. No, don’t put Davis’ name on that card, I’m warning you…
If the 49ers make this pick, the Predictor grade is: D-

7. Oakland Raiders: Vince Young, Texas
Speaking of stupid, right on cue its time for the Raiders to make their annual mistake. Don’t be surprised if Al Davis tries to select Reggie Bush, only to be told by Paul Tagliabue that he can’t select a player that has already been drafted. Al Davis will then sue the NFL. While the paperwork is being filed, he’ll make 2006 Draft mistake #2 by drafting Young. Some think Young will go earlier, but I think that Wonderlic test will come back to haunt Young and knock him down a bit. Young is a slightly better version of Phillip Rivers. His throwing motion is terrible. His arm strength, which for some reason has been praised, needs to really be questioned. His decision-making is average. And his speed, in terms of the NFL, is only somewhat above normal. The decision-making and poor throwing motion worry me the most. He will never be a proto-typical passer, nor does he have the speed and athletic ability (in the NFL at least) to be another Michael Vick. Add in the fact that he’ll be drafted by the Raiders, and Young’s days in the NFL may be limited.
If the Raiders make this pick, the Predictor grade is: D

8. Buffalo Bills: Brodrick Bunkley, Florida State
If the Bills were smart, they’d draft Winston Justice and start rebuilding that awful offensive line. Unfortunately, the Bills are being run by 87 year-old Ralph Wilson, who is too busy complaining about the Redskins, and 80-something Marv Levy, who is too busy trying to find Jim Kelly and Andre Reed. Like the Jets, they’ll make a huge mistake taking an above-average defensive lineman instead of a franchise offensive tackle.
If the Bills make this pick, the Predictor grade is: D+

9. Detroit Lions: Sinorice Moss, Miami
As per NFL Rule 11, Section 2a, the Lions must select a wide receiver. Matt Millen continues his goal of somehow instituting a 6-receiver set. Clearly the Lions have needs to fill at the reciever position. Forget improving at quarterback, running back, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker and defensive secondary...the Lions need more receivers! No, in all seriousness…


All right Detroit, we all get it. You love the receivers. You can stop it now. It's not funny anymore. Stop being an embarassment for the league.

9. Detroit Lions: Winston Justice, Southern Cal
If Justice somehow slips by the Jets and the Bills, the Lions would be crazy to pass on him. I think, for the first time in years, that common sense will prevail in this embarrassment of a franchise. Seeing as Millen is still in charge, this is a big assumption on my part. Word is that Detroit is hoping to select safety Michael Huff. He’ll be around, but if Justice is hanging around too, he’ll fill a bigger need for Detroit than Huff does. Still, I’m sure it will be hard for the Lions to pass on Moss or Santorio Holmes. Even if they make the Justice selection, you can still rest assured the Lions will find some way to screw up his development. It’s the Lions, it’s what they do.
If the Lions make this pick, the Predictor grade is: A-

10. Arizona Cardinals: Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt
Not many have Cutler being sent to the desert. But as of now the three Cardinals quarterbacks are Kurt Warner, John Navarre and Rohan Davey. Trust me, the Cards need a quarterback. And with both franchise offensive tackles off the board, I think there is a good chance that Denny Green selects Cutler. Cutler, in my opinion, is the best quarterback in the draft. I’ve been saying for two years, much longer than that stooge Kiper or any of these other draft mockers, that Cutler would be the steal of this draft. Unlike most, I’ve actually seen him play in college. Forget the workouts and potential, this kid can flat out throw and he has proven it in actual game play. He’s got a better arm than Leinart. If the Titans were smart, they’d draft the hometown kid and let other teams worry about Leinart and Young. But that’s not going to happen. The Cards need to take Cutler, sit him on the bench behind Warner for a year, then unleash him in 2007 with Edge, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald as his offensive weapons. I’m hoping Cutler goes to Arizona and proves me right.
If the Cardinals make this pick, the Predictor grade is: A+

11. St. Louis Rams: Michael Huff, Texas
If common sense rules the three picks before St. Louis, then Michael Huff conveniently slips to the Rams. After losing Adam Archuleta, and after having one of the worst secondaries in the league last season, the Rams will be desperate for help in the defensive backfield. I don’t think much of Huff or most other Texas players (see Williams, Ricky), but he has the potential to be a solid NFL starter.
If the Rams make this pick, the Predictor grade is: B

12. Cleveland Browns: Haloti Ngata, Oregon
To be honest, I have never seen Ngata play nor do his stats look that impressive. But everyone seems to think he is worth of a top 10 pick. I don’t, but if he is as good as advertised, then the Browns need to take him. Their defensive line is in shambles.
If the Browns make this pick, the Predictor grade is: B-

13. Baltimore Ravens: Jimmy Williams, Virginia Tech
Word is the Ravens are looking for a corner. I think offensive line, quarterback, running back and receiver are more pressing issues for this team. As well as finding a new head coach. Instead the Ravens take the best overall corner in the draft, but it won’t help them score points in 2006.
If the Ravens make this pick, the Predictor grade is: C+

14. Philadelphia Eagles: Chad Jackson, Florida
Now I’m assuming that with the 14th pick, Andy Reid and company won’t do something dumb like draft for depth in the first round…which is the modus operandi of the Eagles in recent seasons. They seem to be lacking a decent wide receiver after they released their number one guy. His name escapes me at the moment. Anyway, they won’t find a decent receiver in this draft. Jackson is nothing special, and Florida receivers have a poor track record.
If the Eagles make this pick, the Predictor grade is: C-

15. Denver Broncos: Santonio Holmes, Ohio State
Like I said above, this draft does not have many decent receivers. Holmes, along with Jackson, may not be in the NFL in five seasons. Holmes has neither size nor speed, but Denver is infatuated with him. So Holmes is the pick. By the way, the best receiver in the draft is Sinorice Moss. Maybe he’ll fall to the Redskins.
If the Broncos make this pick, the Predictor grade is: D+

There it is. After the 15th pick, it’s anybody’s guess to what teams are going to do. As for the Redskins, who’ve upgraded their team more than any other organization in the NFL could possibly hope to do in the draft, they have to wait for the 53rd pick. A linebacker would be nice. So would some depth along the offensive and defensive lines. Thomas Howard from UTEP and Rocky McIntosh from Miami should both be available for linebackers. Guards David Joseph of Oklahoma or Max Jean-Gilles of Georgia could both be available as well and would be solid selections. Tight end Leonard Pope of Georgia may be around as well. Pope is the best tight end in the draft. He is much better than Vernon Davis. Of course, if Sinorice Moss slips this far down, I would love to see the Skins draft him and put him next to his brother. My guess is it will be Howard, McIntosh or Jean-Gilles. Howard and McIntosh would both get the opportunity to compete for the starting outside linebacker job. Jean-Gilles would be a steal and would be a security blanket for the Skins if Randy Thomas’ broken leg doesn’t heal properly. Hopefully the Skins won’t be hesitant in future seasons to continue to trade their draft picks for young and proven free agents.

Pete Prisco Is A Small, Skinny Idiot

The first post in a several-part series examining the Redskins offseason.

It’s the start of a new season, but some things never change. Like the media hatred towards the Washington Redskins. The media hates Dan Snyder. They hate the fact that he spends more money than anyone else in the league. They hate the fact he’s a young man who has done more in 10 years than most of these writers could accomplish in a three lifetimes. And they hate the fact that Snyder has joined the “old white males” club, and unlike so many other owners, refuses to talk to the mainstream sports media because he knows that whatever he says will be turned against him in some way.

When Snyder gave millions to Steve Spurrier, the media blasted him. Why would you spend so much money on an unproven college coach, they asked. And when the Spurrier era didn’t work out, and Snyder went out and got himself one of the top three coaches to ever set foot on a sideline, the media blasted him again. Why bring back Joe Gibbs? The game has passed him by. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

When Snyder poured millions into Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and Jeff George five years ago, the media blasted him again. Not because the three players were all over the hill, but because he spent so much money. But when those three old fogies didn’t work out, the mainstream acted like they knew those players would fail all along (even though many of them picked the Redskins to win the Super Bowl in 2000). So the sports writers criticized Snyder for getting old, “fantasy football” type players and not listening to his “football people” in the organization.

Snyder, for his part, wised up. He went out and spent millions again. But this time, he listened to his football people. He listened to the coaching staff. He went out and got several, solid young players that were just beginning to enter the prime of their career. He did everything the media said he should have done five years ago. So after a busy and productive March, you’d expect the media to finally come around. He’s hired a proven coach, with a proven coaching staff. He’s signed young and talented players. He’s got youth, speed and experience on each side of the ball. Surely now, the sports media must recognize that Snyder is quickly learning how to become one of the game’s best owners.

So it should come as no surprise that the media is blasting Snyder and the Redskins again. Here is a quick summary of what writers and broadcasters are saying.

“He’s spent too much money again. I don’t know how he managed to spend all that money under the salary cap. Maybe the Redskins are cheating!”

“Why are the Skins trading away all their draft picks? You can’t buy a championship in the NFL. You need to build through the draft.”

“Snyder spent so much money on Antwaan Randle-El. There’s no way he can be a number two receiver in the NFL.”

“Why would the Redskins trade for Brandon Lloyd? Even the 49ers were trying to get rid of him. He’s a problem waiting to happen.”

“They still can’t win with Mark Brunell. When does Jason Campbell take over?”

“The Redskins can’t possibly win enough games in the NFC East. The Giants, Cowboys and Eagles all improved and the Redskins just wasted their money. “

These ridiculous comments have come from every major organization. ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated and just about every columnist from coast to coast have weighed in. They just don’t want to see Snyder succeed. They have too much invested in seeing him fail.

All these above statements come with a bit of hidden irony. All teams in the NFL have problems. There is no perfect team anymore. Yet, the media ignores the problems of most of the other teams and focuses on the positives. But when it comes to the Redskins, and the Oakland Fightin’ Al Davises, the media loves to hate. Let’s go through all these questions and so-called problems for the Redskins.

The first complaint came from Peter King of SI and Pete Shithead Prisco (his actual full name) of CBS. Prisco started it by claiming before the start of free agency that the Redskins would be forced to field a team with 20 rookies on the roster. Which, of course, is just insane. Even if the CBA didn’t go through and the salary cap was around $94 million, the Skins wouldn’t have had to field a team with more than six or seven rookies on the roster. I guess 20 rookies is just wishful thinking from Shithead.

Peter King, who has made a career of single-handedly keeping Art Monk out of the Hall of Fame, took Prisco’s idea and ran with it. He crunched the numbers using that new math we keep hearing about and came to the conclusion that there was no way, even after the CBA agreement, that the Skins could sign all these players and still be under the salary cap. Nevermind the fact that the Redskins invented the position of “capologist” to run the team’s salary cap and have one of the best economics teams in the business in their front office. Nope, according the King, the Redskins must have cheated to get under the cap.

This is one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever heard. This isn’t the NCAA. You can’t get away with recruiting violations in the NFL. There are hundreds of people in the NFL front office that examine each and every contract that is signed. They go over all 32 teams salary situation over and over again to make sure that nothing illegal is done. If Snyder cheated, the NFL would have found out about it immediately. King and Prisco are the leading queen and queen of the Hate Snyder Club.

Next complaint: The Redskins aren’t building through the draft, they’re trying to buy a championship. Good. I hate the NFL draft. I hate all the hype that surrounds the NFL draft. I hate all these people that spend hours examining every single player and ranking all these players and doing all these mock drafts. It’s the biggest waste of time. The fact is, only 25% or so of the players drafted will amount to decent NFL players. What I hate even more are the people who pay attention to high school players and rank them in similar ways. Especially all these “insiders” and scouts that treat high schoolers like pieces of meat. These insiders that can rattle off the names of several high name recruits are absolute scum. They shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the game. My policy: until a college player does something worthwhile in the pros, I don’t care about him. Prove to me you belong. I don’t care about potential. The same policy goes double for college sports. I don’t care about high school athletes. Until they do something in college, it’s not worth my time to even learn their name. And anyone that actually thinks that televising high school games is a good idea should be sent to Nepal.

So the Redskins traded away their draft picks to get free agents. So what? They’ve signed Randle-El, Lloyd, Adam Archuleta and Andre Carter. Now unless you somehow have four of the top 10 picks, how are you possibly going to do better than that in the NFL draft? You can’t. The Redskins are getting PROVEN players. Could Reggie Bush be the next Barry Sanders? Sure. Could he be the next Ki-Jana Carter? More likely. Could Vernon Davis be the next Antonio Gates? Possibly. Odds are he’ll be out of the NFL in the next five years. With free agents, especially young free agents, you know what you are getting. They are a proven commodity. They may be a bit more expensive than draft picks, but they’re usually worth it. The Redskins improved themselves more by using draft picks to get free agents than they ever would using draft picks to take risks in the draft crapshoot.

Then there is the Antwaan Randle-El problem. Most critics, especially Shithead, are saying that there is no way that Randle-El can be a number two receiver in the NFL. The Redskins spent all that money on a specialist that couldn’t catch more than 40 balls with the Steelers. Funny, I remember the same things being said about Santana Moss last year. Especially from Shithead. How did that work out? Didn’t he make the Pro Bowl?

Look, could Randle-El be a major disappointment? Yeah, he could be exactly what most writers expect him to be. Or maybe the Steelers didn’t use him correctly. Just like the Jets never used Moss correctly. The Steelers offense was built around running the ball 35 times a game. And the Steelers had Hines Ward to throw to. There just weren’t enough opportunities for Randle-El to get 50-60 catches. And the opportunity won’t be there in Washington either. But the Redskins needed somebody, anybody, to get the pressure off of Moss and Clinton Portis. And that’s exactly what Randle-El will do. His presence won’t allow other teams to double Moss and still put eight in the box to stop Portis. If they do, Randle-El is definitely good enough to cause problems. And he adds an added benefit for the Redskins in the return game, which is something the Redskins struggled with last year. And if he can be a consistent, dangerous return guy, that would fill a big hole in the Redskins game. You can’t tell me that special teams aren’t a big part of a typical NFL game. Even if Randle-El is a bust…

The Redskins traded for Brandon Lloyd. But critics rallied against that trade as well. Here is a young receiver, who excelled on one of the NFL’s worst teams, and has shown the potential, on the NFL level, to become one of the NFL’s premier receivers. But he had some problems with 49ers management. He’s already labeled as a “headache.”

My question is: who could blame him? He was stuck on the 49ers. He wants to win. I’m surprised he didn’t act worse than he actually did. He needed a fresh start on a team that plays at a NFL caliber level. Not a team that should have been sent to Mexico permanently. By the way, isn’t Terrell Owens considered a “headache?” I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t he had some problems with management? But when the Cowboys sign him, to a ridiculously large contract, all of a sudden they’re Super Bowl contenders. I’m not comparing T.O. to Lloyd. T.O. is obviously better right now. But he’s also a bigger problem child complete with his own three-ring media circus. Yet, according to the sports media, the Cowboys got much better and the Redskins got worse by trading for Lloyd. There’s some irony for you.

Then there are the comments about Brunell and the Redskins not being able to compete in the NFC East, which is the best division in football. Again, the irony is that the media figures that the Cowboys have improved vastly and are now the favorites in the division and even in the conference. Isn’t Drew Bledsoe their quarterback? Bledsoe and Brunell are basically the same age. They’re both older quarterbacks with a history of injuries. But Brunell is much more mobile than Bledsoe, even at his advanced age. Brunell has three terrific receivers to throw to, a tight end/fullback in Chris Cooley who should have made the Pro Bowl last year, Pro-bowl running back Clinton Portis and one of the best offensive lines in football. Bledsoe has Owens, a decent back in Marion Barber and…and, um…hmm…did I mention Owens? But apparently, if you listen to Shithead and friends, you might as well hand the Lombardi Trophy to Dallas and reserve a place in the NFC East cellar for the Skins. Make any sense to you? Me neither.

And the media wants the Redskins to get Jason Campbell into the mix. While I would love to see what Campbell can do because the Redskins defensive players says he kills them in practice, now is not the time. This isn’t a rebuilding year. The Redskins goal should be nothing less than the Super Bowl this year. Forget just making the playoffs. Campbell could be amazing. But how did Eli Manning, Chris Simms and Rex Grossman do in their first playoff games last year? I’ll take my chances with Brunell this season. If he gets hurt, then by all means, get the kid ready. Until then, Brunell is the choice. This isn’t the season to fool around with a young, unproven quarterback. Plus, with all the new weapons, Brunell won’t have to spend half the game running backwards waiting for Taylor Jacobs and James Thrash to get open. He’ll actually have open, talented receivers to throw to this season.

The hatred towards Snyder and the Skins is unbelievable. Shithead came out with his April Power Rankings, and had the Skins 14th. The Giants, Cowboys and Eagles, minus T.O. or any other offensive weapons, ahead of Washington. Now I don’t know why Shithead felt the need to produce Power Rankings in April with several key free agents still on the market and with the draft several weeks away. But can anyone, even the most anti-Redskins fans (that means you Baltimore residents…get a life already and get used to the Ratbirds posting .500 records), honestly think that at this moment, right now, the Redskins got worse in the last two months? Got worse to the point where they are now last place in the NFC East? If you do, then you’re just as nuts as Prisco. And you can see Shithead’s bias by reading his comments on each team (I won’t link his page because I don’t want that garbage associated with my page, but you should be able to find it easily on the CBS page if you are so inclined). He went out of his way to say something nice about almost every other NFL team, even the 32nd ranked 49ers. But he slammed the Redskins. By the way, at this point last year, the Redskins were 29th in Shithead’s rankings. Again I’ll ask, how did that work out?

The only thing that can stop the Redskins in 2006-07 are the Redskins themselves. Themselves and injuries. They are that good (I’m going to examine their schedule very shortly on this page). The one legit problem facing the Redskins that NO ONE is talking about is lack of depth. Especially among the offensive and defensive lines. You can’t plan around injuries, but you can get depth as a security blanket. So far this offseason, the Redskins haven’t done that. Don’t be surprised that if the Redskins suffer a rash of injuries this year, the media will be chest-beating and yelling “I told you so” at every possible opportunity they have. Even if the Redskins downfall has nothing to do with all the criticism levied upon Snyder and the team. They just hate the Redskins that much.

2006 NCAA Tournament: Championship Game

#3 Florida Gators (32-6) vs.
#2 UCLA Bruins (29-6)
National Championship Game
RCA Dome – Indianapolis, IN

Enough with all the people saying this is one of the best tournaments of all time. ENOUGH. When you looked at all the possible options at the beginning of the season, or even the beginning of the tournament, there were tons of intriguing championship matchups to choose from. UConn-Duke, UConn-Texas, Villanova-Gonzaga, Memphis-Boston College, etc… Way down near the bottom of the list was UCLA-Florida. I’m sorry to be a killjoy, but with all the potential games to pick from, this would be something like number 293 on my chart.

One could make the argument that this was one of the worst tournaments of all time. Sure it was unpredictable, and that’s always good for some early excitement. But does anyone really want to see a Final Four with UCLA, Florida, Mason and LSU? I know I didn’t. Heck, it almost makes me wish Duke was still around so I’d have someone to really root against. Almost…

Off the top of my head I could name six or seven tournaments in the last decade that were just as unpredictable and much more entertaining than this one. Let’s look at last year for example. You had your shocking upsets (Vermont over Syracuse, West Virginia over Wake), your overtime thrillers (WVU-Wake again, Illinois beating Arizona) and terrific Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games (UNC getting challenged by Wisconsin and Villanova, Illinois escaping past Arizona, Louisville nipping WVU). What 2005 had over 2006 was a Final Four that was actually compelling. It comprised of the two odds-on-favorites (UNC and Illinois) and the two hottest teams playing their best basketball (Louisville and Michigan State). Big time players, big time coaches and captivating story lines.

In 2006, after you get past the whole George Mason story line, the rest of the tournament is kind of blah. Sure there were plenty of close games. But there are close games every single year. With the exception of the UConn regional games, and the UCLA-Gonzaga game, most of these other close games were ugly, defensive and dull (Villanova-BC, Florida-G’town, Memphis-UCLA, etc…). Unlike 2005, when four great and nearly perfect teams made the Final Four, 2006 had four good, but severely flawed teams make the Final Four. In 2005, it was a case of good teams being beaten by great teams, who were in turn beaten by even better teams. In 2006, the tournament became a war of attrition. Whichever team managed not to stink the joint up more than their opponent moved on.

So why should the average fan watch on Monday? To see UCLA go for their 12th national title? Boring. To see Billy Greaseball try to shed his label of tournament choking dog (that story line has been played out, see Jim Calhoun 1999, Gary Williams 2001-02, Roy Williams 2002-05)? To see Jordan Farmar battle Joakim Noah for most revolting Division 1 player of the year (I smell another Scarlett Johansson picture coming up to cancel out all the ugly)? To see if either team can break 65 points? This contest isn’t going to be interesting enough for me to watch, and I’m a college basketball fanatic. If I may not watch, do you think the Average Joe Blow is going to watch? For some reason, I see low ratings in CBS’ future.

Florida will enter itself into one of my favorite trivia questions if they can win. The question being name the schools that have won a D-1 championship in both football and men’s basketball. Currently there are six: California, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Syracuse. UCLA could also make an argument to be included in that group. They won a share of the mythical football title in 1954 (Remember those mythical titles? Before you complain about the BCS, realize that it is about 100 times better than the old system). The Bruins were given the final number one ranking in the UPI poll (the older version of the coaches poll). However, the NCAA, which doesn’t recognize any official national champions in football before 1998, tends to accept the AP poll number one as the champion. Ohio State was the top ranked team in the AP poll that year. So the total stands at six. Florida, which won it’s football title in 1996, will try to become number seven with a win.

As for the game itself, it will probably be a low-scoring affair that will combine high-intensity defense with plenty of unforced turnovers to create one of the most unwatchable championship games since the monstrosity that Duke and Arizona played in 2001. Noah will probably dominate the paint for the 25 minutes he plays (other than Glen Davis, no player in the tournament is in worse shape than Noah). Although Noah may have some trouble. One of the tournament’s most pleasant surprises is the play of Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute. He and Ryan Hollins aren’t pushovers, but they shouldn’t be able to outplay Noah and Al Horford.

The backcourt probably favors UCLA. Arron Afflalo will be hard to guard, especially when he creates off the dribble. Noah, Horford and Adrian Moss looked completely helpless when Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler tried to drive to the hoop. Does Donovan teach help defense? I also wouldn’t expect Lee Humphrey and Corey Brewer to each score 19 against UCLA’s defense. Especially Humphrey, who has scored in double-digits only twice in the last eight games for Florida.

Like I expected last night, Ben Howland used a zone for the majority of the game (although I assumed he would use a 2-3, but he used a matchup zone instead). Look for more of that. A matchup zone would create some problems for Noah, and would also allow UCLA to defend the perimeter much better than Mason did. Donovan will probably come out with his traditional NBA man-to-man defense. You know, the one where his players have the option of playing defense or not…it will be up to them. The lineups for both teams are pretty even, but the coaching matchup should favor UCLA.

So, what should you, the average fan do during this game. Since I’m assuming most of you are Maryland fans, go find your tape of 2002 championship game and plug it in the tape deck around 8:30. Watch that instead. And for the few of you who don’t care about Maryland, I’m sure you have a tape of your favorite team winning some big game. By the time you fast-forward through commercials and the halftime show, you should be able to catch the last 10 minutes or so of this game. And hey, if you squint really hard at that Maryland-Indiana game, you may actually believe that you are watching it all unfold live. Even though you’d be watching a repeat, it’s still better than what the 2006 tournament final has to offer.
Pick: UCLA 67, Florida 59