Classless At The Draft

Why is the NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York every year? After the disrespect that the fans there have showed for the game, it should be moved. Make it rotating around all 32 NFL cities. Why can't this happen? Booing the commissioner? Why? Booing other teams? Why? When Troy Brown got booed when he read the Patriots 2nd round pick, I think he should have flashed his Super Bowl ring. Shut those Jets fans right up. It's a serious sign of disrespect to the sport to boo like that. Way to show class New York.

18 Games? Yes Please!

I love football. I miss football. I live on the couch watching football all days on Sunday during the season. If there are plans, my girlfriend knows to not schedule them during Patriots games.

I understand that it's a violent game. People get injured and it's being discovered that there are long term affects from playing the game.

The NFL wants to add 2 more games to the schedule, making it 18 total. As a compromise they'll take away 2 of the preseason games. Right now there are 20 games total and with the new proposal there will still be 20 games total.

Yes, preseason games are not real football games, they're live action try-outs for back-ups, new schemes, new players, etc..

Those opposed to the 18 games keep citing injury and call the NFL hypocrites for on one hand saying they want to promote player safety and on the other hand wanting two more games that would be two more additional times for players to get hurt.

I fail to see where the hypocrisy lies. Why can't the game be made safer and at the same time add a couple more?

Of course it's about money. That's why the owners own the teams and thats why the players play. Money.

The hypocrisy angle makes no sense. If you make the game safer to play, then the risk of injury in the two additional games is lower. There will always be a risk of injury in football, it's a violent game.

That will never change.

But the players CHOOSE to play the game. They understand the risks. They have always understood the risks. But they still choose to play the game. I know what the risk is when I speed or climb up onto the roof and jump into the pool like I did as a kid. But I chose to take those risks, the consequences are on me.

Football players choose to play this very violent game. They know what can happen and they still choose to play. So they know what can happen when they get older. They are choosing to face those risks.

I know what can happen when go on a construction site. I choose to accept those risks.

So I just don't understand the "more injury" angle. So? They take that risk in the 16 games now. Will 2 more really be tempting fate that much? Probably not. Career ending injuries happen off the field all the time (Robert Edwards). I don't see how 2 more games will really cause that many more injuries ESPECIALLY if you end up making the game safer in the first place.

It seems more of a win/win. Players get two additional games of income. Owners get two additional games of income. Fans get two more games to watch.

One of the things that I love about Football over Hockey, Baseball and Basketball is that Football only has the 16 (18) games. Every single game counts. The Red Sox are 1 and 5 right now but it's not panic time just yet, it's a long season. Not in football. In the NFL, 1 and 5 means you're most likely missing the playoffs, your season is essentially over.

Every game counts.

Two more games won't adversely affect that. It would actually make it more interesting, making the middle of the season more intriguing becuase those two extra games means more teams will have a shot at the playoffs for longer.

Players getting worn out? There's a solution for that that would benefit the league and the fans in the long run.

The solution? Add more players.

Have teams make the decision to play their starters for all 18 games or borrow something from baseball and have the back-ups play a couple games mid-season or near the end. Why wouldn't that work?

The benefit? The back-up QB, for example, gets meaningful playing time which lets him develop a bigger body of work and makes him more interesting to team's looking at him as a potential starter. Matt Flynn got a big payday off 2 games performances. What would have happened if he had had more visible playing time?

The players have more players on the field in more meaningful playing time. Now instead of a back-up being a space filler, the back-up would need to play a couple of games and be good enough to really win. That makes them more valuable and means more money for them and the player's union.

This carries over to every position. That means more players in the League.

For the fans? I can't be the only one that isn't a star-watcher. I don't just watch football to see Brady throwing the ball to Welker. I love watching them, but I love watching football more. I'd still watch every game even if it was Ryan Mallett throwing to Donte Stallworth for two or three games.

And from a Fantasy Football standpoint? Things get infinitely more interesting. Now when drafting you have to take into account that players won't play all the games, instead of just byes, and you wouldn't necessarily know when that would be so would have to plan on it. Fantasy just got more interesting and challenging and fun.

I just can't see a negative to going to 18 games.

Fans get more football and more players to watch.
Owners get more football and more income.
Players get more income, more time off (less injury) with others playing meaningful games, and there are more people playing football.

What's the problem?

NFL Draft: The Biggest Crapshoot In The World

The NFL draft gets alot of attention. Not sure if it's deserving or not. I tend to just randomly check throughout the day (night now) and see who picked when and where and really pay attention to who the Patriots pick.

In the grand scheme of things it's a complete guessing game. No one know what is going to happen when these players play in their first NFL game. There's no way to tell.

Sure a player could be graded high, but if he goes to a crappy team who doesn't know how to use him right, he'll end up sucking and could be considered a bust.

So much about what makes a player good is who they're playing for, who they're playing with, what scheme they are playing under, etc.. That's why there are so many free agents that end up playing better with their new team and so many that end up playing worse.

There is just too much that goes into a player's development that it's impossible to guess how well they will do. So the draft is the world's biggest crapshoot. It's all guesswork and hopes and prayers. Would Tom Brady, a 7th round pick and the 1st or 2nd best QB in the league, be as good if he played for a different team?

That's what makes the draft rehashes such a waste of time. Sure we can look back and see what mistakes were made, but it's pointless to substitute players by looking at what we know now. There's still no gurantee that the player would be as good as they are now.

Mock drafts are funny. So much of it is guesswork and more often then not, even the experts like Mel Kiper, end up being wrong. Very wrong. Predicting who 32 teams will pick? Impossible.

But mocking what their needs are? That's fairly doable.

The Patriots pick 27th and 31st. Their biggest needs are Defensive Line, Linebacker and Cornerback. I'd like to see them trade out of the 27th spot and pick up more 2nd round picks (where I think the best value in the draft usually is) and another 1st for next year. The 31st pick should go DE, then 2nd round should be nothing but CBs.

Last year was very odd. They picked a couple of running backs and tight ends, and they already had Gronkowski and Hernandez. So the drafted TEs were more then likely never going to play. So why bother drafting them?

It was a waste of a draft.

Right now the Pats have 2 1s, 2 2s, 1 3 and 1 4. They should be able to get some good talent with those picks.

I'd like to see one of the 1st be traded and pick up another 2nd for this year. So would be 1 1, 3 2s, 1 3 and 1 4. DE, CB, CB, OL, RB, DE.

That's my hope.

The draft may be a major crapshoot, but at least it provides for a ton of reading material during the offseason.