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Wednesday TIME: US | UK WEATHER: US | UK THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE ONLINE Back Issues WHAT'S ON Diary Dates SPORTS Features & Blogs FEATURES Politics blog THE NEIGHBORHOOD "Life in the UK" American Groups Essential Contacts Money Education Driving Property |
PREVIOUS SPORTS • Sideline: Yes, Non–Conference Games DO Count • NCAA Preview 2009 • Sideline: Time For The Talking To Stop • Sideline: In Memory of Air McNair • Sideline: Will Goodell Hand Out Hard Time? • Sideline: Marshall's Not Joshing • NFL Draft: No Rush To Judgment • NFL Draft Analysis 2009 (Part 2) • Sideline: NFL Draft Thoughts (Part 2) • Sideline: NFL Draft Thoughts • Sideline: Will Play For Food • Sideline: Wonderlic Scores • Sideline: Manning and Sanchez • Sideline: 2010 Leagues Sci–fi, or Fantasy? / March Madness • Sideline: Break Out The Brackets • Sideline: LaDainian Tomlinson On The Record • Sideline: The Incredible Sulk Continues • Sideline: Guildford Heat Fired Up • Sideline: Super Bowl thoughts from the Valley of the Sun • Sideline: I know I came in here for something • Sideline: College Football National Signing Day • Sideline: 27 Points — 27 Super Bowl thoughts • Sideline: An Epic QB Matchup? • Sideline: Appreciating Arizona for What They Were • Sideline: NFL Divisional Weekend Preview • Sideline: Bowl Season Hangover • Sideline: Six weeks Later • Sideline: Wildcard Weekend Preview • Sideline: Santa's Sackings • Sideline: A Weis Decision ...for Now • Sideline: Eye on the Ticker • Sideline: Lions — An Anagram of Losin • Sideline: Ready for the Turkey • Sideline: Making it to the Big Dance • Sideline: Brighter Days Ahead for Chargers? • Sideline: Unnecessary Hits To The Pocket / Upset: BYU • Sideline: Romo's Pause / Seattle Seahawks • Sideline: Weekend Prep: Red River and More • Sideline: College Football's 'Crossroads' Weekend • Sideline: Gramatical Error • Sideline: Turning The Page • Sideline: So Cal 'Quizzed • Sideline: 3rd Tuesday Panic / Forté Yard Dash • Sideline: Two and Oh; Oh and Two • Sideline: No More NCAAffeine • Sideline: Week 1 College Football • Sideline: How To Spell Heisman / Chad Ocho Cinco • Sideline: A Second Slice • Sideline: The Favre story STILL won't go away • Sideline: Olympic Notes / Ricky's Still Relevant • Sideline: Committee Meetings • Sideline: Let the QB Battles Begin • Sideline: Slinging The Slinger — More Favre • Interview: Clint Dempsey • Sideline: Welcome to the 2008 season • Sideline: Plus One • 2008 NFL Draft Review • Sideline: Draft: The Morning After • Sideline: Draft: Thinking the Unthinkable • Sideline: Draft: Ready For The Long Haul • Sideline: Sofa–bound Sport • Sideline: Post–Winter Wonderland • Sideline: Six Impossible Things • Sideline: Brady's Misdirection Play • Sideline: Colorful Language • Sideline: Let the Romo–bashing begin • Sideline: Bowl Bites: The Wrap • Sideline: All About The Coaches • Sideline: Bowl Bites 3 • Sideline: Bowl Bites 2 • Sideline: Bowl Bites 1 • Sideline: Coach Situations Vacant • Sideline: For Some, The Playoffs Are Now • Sideline: A Certain Lack Of Welcome • Sideline: Unrelated Notes • Sideline: Two Thanksgiving thoughts • Sideline: Halftime: NFC • Sideline: Halftime: AFC • Sideline: London / A Tale of Two Chads / Intimidation • Sideline: Damp Squib / Other London Notes • Sideline: Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em / Dolphins – The Aftermath • Sideline: The Dolphins Did What? • Sideline: Notes on the Defenses • Sideline: Habits to be Broken • Sideline: Overtime • Sideline: This Week's Starters • Sideline: USF: Covering The Spread / Fantastic Football • Sideline: Grossman: The Final Act? / McNabb, the Epilogue • Sideline: Eagles QB in Slight Controversy • Sideline: Leftwich's Parting Gift / Boos cruise • Sideline: Notre Dame M.I.A. • Sideline: Looking Beyond NFL Wk. 1 • Sideline: Best Hope For Heisman • Sideline: Coaching Hot Seats / AP Poll Feeling ’Appy • Sideline: The NFL’s Prime Cuts • Sideline: Michigan Falls to Killer Apps • Sideline: Look Out Couch / The Taint's On You, Bud |
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SPORTS AFC EAST 2009 DRAFT Richard L Gale examines the long and short of the AFC East: Patriots long, Jets short! Buffalo Bills Adjusted Draft Grade B–
Critical Analysis • The Bills' draft class is already splitting opinion because, if Terrell Owens is looking for a team about to make a breakthrough, this draft doesn't work alongside that. This is an investment draft, a projection draft, a 'wait–until–TO–is–old' draft. But, in that context, its not a bad one. Shawn Nelson could be a real good tight end down the road, Andy Levitre is an adaptable lineman who could become a starter at guard after a college career at tackle, and Nic Harris is the furthest along of several safeties in this draft trying to convert to LB. Levitre might have been taken a little early, Nelson later than worth, and considering some conversion involved, Harris about right, so no criticisms for draft strategy in the middle. • At the top, Aaron Maybin is a top pass rusher, matching need, but again time and patience will complete the story, as Maybin was a starter for only his (admittedly outstanding) senior season when he played at 225 lbs. He bulked up to almost 250 for the combine, but didn't carry it well, so there are reasons to believe that last year's explosion onto the college scene is not going to translate to instant success at the next level. • Whether the Bills could have done better than Eric Wood with a late first round pick is open to debate. So let's debate it: No. He's probably the dullest pick in the whole first round. But that's okay, because with all this 'develop–me' talent headed for Buffalo, a player who can contribute at an adequate level, anywhere inside, right now is going to add to an offense that requires a credible running game to create opportunities for Edwards–to–Owens or Edwards–to–Evans. Wood is a low–key selection who will work just fine while Dominic Rhodes subs for Marshawn Lynch. They should have taken him in the second round instead, but a sound player is still a sound player. • Jairus Byrd is a smooth ballhawk with the mind of a receiver, but the work ethic of a safety, and who knows when to go for the interception and when to slap the ball away. Nic Harris spent most of his senior season playing middle linebacker, but also played at free safety and outside linebacker at Oklahoma, so its fair to assume he's be a special teams ace at the very least, and the linebacker most likely to be on the field for 3rd and long. • There are five future starters here, which would make this a good draft, if only that future were a little closer — remember there's two firsts and two seconds in this crop, 4 of the first 51 picks, so 'good' was the minimum acceptable grade. Miami Dolphins Adjusted Draft Grade C
Critical Analysis • The Dolphins had many convinced by draft day that they were going for an outside pass rusher, so come the weekend, they mostly ignored that. I never bought Bill Parcells' bluff, believing all along that he would take a corner and then a receiver — the two positions deep enough that it hardly mattered the selection order. The Dolphins brain–trust outthought me too, taking two corners and a quarterback before they took their first receivers. In doing so, I'm not sure they didn't outthink themselves along the way. • It's quite possible that in Sean Smith and Vontae Davis, the Dolphins landed two starting corners of the future. Smith has the build (6–3, 215) to play up against the likes of Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. Davis has the speed and cockiness to match up against those same receivers. For this year, however, T.O. and Moss will probably beat them like a drum, exploiting a lack of position experience and discipline respectively. The pass rush at the other end of the play will be crucial, and that's what the Dolphins didn't enhance. Instead, between those selections, the Dolphins took a quarterback. At least I think they did. • Pat White was seized upon by some as a receiver conversion, which the athletic West Virginia product didn't much humor at the combine or at pro days, successful displaying the arm strength to remain a quarterback. If anybody thought the 'wildcat' offense was going to be a one–year wonder in Miami, White's elusive running ability suggests they might take it to a whole new level. The Dolphins also added California QB Nate Longshore as a free agent, allowing them to cut ties with 3rd–string QB John Beck. • The true receivers would be Turner and Hartline. I have to admit, these selections underwhelmed me considering some of the big and small possession receivers that had been there in the second round. Turner is big (6–5, 223), can stretch well with his big frame, and is big. Hartline at least runs crisp routes and catches well, but may not separate at this level. (Did I mention how very big Turner he is?). 3rd and 4th round picks could have been spent more creatively. Also in the receiving mix, TE John Nalbone, but both he and offensive lineman Andrew Gardner seemed to be a round early off the board. • Over all, the Dolphins seemed a little behind the 8–ball in this draft. I'm convinced that they were looking at DE Everette Brown as a second–round steal before the Panthers traded in one space ahead of them to steal him. If that scenario has any truth to it, this Dolphins draft turned from clever to average at that moment. New England Patriots Adjusted Draft Grade B
Critical Analysis • The Patriots clearly enjoy themselves on draft weekend, seeing how many players they can land, and trading more often than most other teams. This year, the Patriots built up a stockpile by trading first down and then out of the 1st round, yet still selecting four players in the first 58 picks. They'll have four players from the first two rounds next year too, and spent a 2010 5th during draft week to bring in ex–Buccaneers TE Alex Smith. We haven't eve starter evaluating the players they selected, and already the Patriots are ahead. • One of their big needs was secondary help, where a starting corner, back up corner and potential starting safety were all desirable. The Patriots made a trade to gain two 5th round picks by sending Ellis Hobbs to the Eagles, and New England began their 12–player haul by taking Patrick Chung, a safety who's been atop some strong safety boards long enough that he was forgotten until the 34th pick. The usual down–valuing of safeties means the Patriots get a safe, sensible tackler who will do no harm by being inserted into the starting lineup early. In that same round they added Darius Butler, an athletic cover corner who would have been an easy first round selection if he weighed more than 185 lbs. • The Patriots brought some more bodies in for line consideration, including tall German tackle Sebastian Vollmer (a developmental project that probably wasn't on anybody else's radar in the second round), two late guards, and the long–snapping specialist. According to value, the Patriots may have ended up with quantity rather than quality here (though Ingram is a stand–out at his craft). • The Patriots also became a little obsessive about defensive tackles, selecting three. Brace is a nose tackle who doesn't dominate, but effectively soaks up enough attention to provide others with opportunity (at Boston College, BJ Raji). After he was taken, Pryor and Richard seemed a little superfluous, and surely one of them must fall by the wayside (odds: Pryor). • Two offensive additions to keep an eye on: WR Brandon Tate, an elusive return specialist who could be an evasive receiver in the open field, and undrafted QB Brian Hoyer of Michigan State, whose touch and short–game accuracy have to be mentioned when we're talking about New England. • New England also took a worker of an outside linebacker in McKenzie, but needed an inside linebacker and perhaps a edge rusher. Fortunately for the Patriots, they remain a destination of choice for free agents, so whatever's missing they will probably find. All the same, McKenzie was another player taken a bit early — as much as the Patriots may be geniuses when it comes to the value of the draft–day slots, their evaluation of player value looked a little shaky beyond those first three picks. New York Jets Adjusted Draft Grade B –
Critical Analysis • The Jets didn't give themselves much of a draft, but made a great trade to get up and take Sanchez, selling off some players they didn't want any more and a second round pick to get to the fifth overall. After the debacle that was the Favre dalliance — Favre arrives, Pennington wins the division for the Dolphins, Favre's arm gets tired, Coach gets fired, Favre leaves — Sanchez is their selling point, their brave new world. Just don't expect the good times to roll anytime soon. Sanchez was inexperienced at the college level, and a great supporting cast gave him a good win–loss. Sanchez is a charismatic individual, and he'll be a worthy starter, but after the Pac–10, the level of competition in the AFC East could be as shocking to him as it would be to any small school product. And you know, the weather gets cold in New York. Expect a very difficult year. • Shonn Greene also started for only one season in college, but it was a heck of a year, 1,850 yards with a 6 yard average. He is very tough looking back at 5–10, 227 lbs, but had acedemic issues, doesn't have much to bring except as a ball carrier, and is no big–play threat. Consider him fresh legs for Thomas Jones. The Jets added a guard, Matt Slauson, as they sought to firm up the running game, and then... their draft was over. • The Jets could have used a receiver –at present they're relying on a massive breakout by Chansi Stuckey — but didn't even add anybody of note from the ranks of the undrafted. The best of the UDFAs instead include: fullback Brandon Southerland of Georgia, who would have been draftworthy if not for injuries as a Senior; Rutgers DL Jamaal Westerman; South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook, and Nebraska DE Zach Potter. As incumbent FB Tony Richardson will be 38 this coming season, and depth for defensive end was on the wish list, Southerland and Potter have a good chance of sticking around. |
