I remember she used to be great.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/04/30/SPGOCPI1JJ1.DTL
Raiders got one pick right, but not much else
Nancy Gay
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Raiders drafted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell No. 1 overall, but rookie coach Lane Kiffin -- getting his first taste of true NFL gamesmanship -- did little after that to distinguish himself running a draft board against the experienced big boys.
Two trades did little or nothing to help the team. We learned this much: Kiffin essentially told the NFL he didn't have what it took, be it patience, skills or the stomach, to motivate and coach Randy Moss.
So Kiffin did what we saw coming. He allowed a Super Bowl-proven winner, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, to pilfer the former All-Pro player, who essentially has been on ice the past two seasons for nothing more than second-day draft pick.
And how about that Day 1 deal with Detroit? You have to love that, too. The Raiders picked up two players, quarterback Josh McCown (NFL record as a starter: 9-12 in five seasons) and an overweight, bad-attitude wide receiver in Mike Williams.
They gave up a fourth-round pick for two players the Lions were about to cut anyway. And McCown can't be thrilled about this -- in 2006, he told his agent he'd rather be one of a dozen or so backup quarterbacks in Detroit than sign as a free agent in Oakland.
Down the road, the 49ers gave the Raiders a look at how a draft should be run. They get an "A" for foresight, effort and creativity, drafting a high-character, playmaking inside linebacker, Patrick Willis, in the first round. They made the bold move of grabbing a franchise offensive tackle, Joe Staley, with a trade for a late-first-round pick. Their other picks were sound and filled specific needs.
Coach Mike Nolan and personnel executive Scot McCloughan also completed a timely trade to get Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson in the fold, in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Nolan and his staff nabbed players with great speed, such as wide receiver Jason Hill (4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash), and added depth to their developing 3-4 scheme with defensive tackles Ray McDonald and Joe Cohen (who probably will convert to end) and linebacker/defensive end Jay Moore.
They took a late chance on a player with character issues, Texas cornerback Tarell Brown, because they got good intelligence on him: Former 49ers assistant Larry Mac Duff, now UT's assistant head coach, assured Nolan that Brown's family influences caused his problems. Mac Duff personally vouched for kid, who should thrive under Nolan's tight control.
Couple all this with a helluva free-agent haul, and it's a good day to be a 49ers fan.
Raiders fans have every right to feel a little uneasy right now.
Russell should be a superstar. But will he have the targets and the protection to really be successful any time soon? We know this: He won't have Moss.
Russell said over and over Saturday how thrilled he was to play on the same team with Moss. Now the franchise quarterback will throw deep to Doug Gabriel. A player, coincidentally, whom Belichick cut last season.
Right. Doug Gabriel and only Doug Gabriel.
There's your vertical threat.
Sure, Moss lost his passion because of all the losing in Oakland. Tough to blame him. He was injured much of 2005, and more than a few players checked out mentally last season while the Raiders wallowed in a 2-14 record. And you know it had to gnaw at Al Davis, letting a proven playmaker get away for nothing after paying him millions and giving up so much to get him.
Sunday's dumping of Moss overshadowed the rest of the Raiders' draft performance, which was extremely mediocre considering the team had so many needs.
The Raiders should have made the move to grab Staley. They needed to upgrade an offensive line that surrendered an NFL-high 72 sacks in 2006. Instead, they drafted a slow, pass-catching tight end (Zach Miller), an underachieving defensive end (Quentin Moses) and two more wide receivers they don't need.
I thought they needed some after trading Moss. Isn't that what you just suggested?
Other than selecting Russell, what did Kiffin get right?
Picking Louisville running back Michael Bush with the 100th overall selection. A 1,143-yard rusher in 2005 who had an NCAA-record 23 touchdowns, Bush broke his leg in the opening game of last season and required two surgeries and a titanium rod to repair the damage.
Bush has been cleared medically and the Raiders got a break when he was still on the board when Day 2 began. Bush's arrival should put Justin Fargas on notice.
Looking across the NFL, let's take a random look at some of the best and the worst draft moves:
Thumbs up
-- Browns: Cleveland GM Phil Savage cost Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn about $16-$18 million in bonus money by picking him 22nd overall (through a trade) rather than third. But the Browns got the best offensive lineman in the draft, Joe Thomas, with that third pick. And Savage needs to personally thank the Dolphins for passing on Quinn with the ninth overall pick.
-- Buffalo: Drafting former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch at No. 12 was a surprise, but a good move for a Bills' team looking for an every-down back to replace Willis McGahee. Buffalo also grabbed Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, a four-year starter, in the second round and stole Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards in the third round.
-- Cowboys: Owner Jerry Jones loves to deal on draft day and he pulled a coup, getting the Browns' second-rounder and a No. 1 in 2008 to move down four spots. Then the Cowboys drafted a pass-rushing defensive end, Purdue's Anthony Spencer, to fit their 3-4 scheme.
Thumbs down
-- Dolphins: Considering all the questions at quarterback -- will that Trent Green trade ever happen? Will Daunte Culpepper ever be healthy? -- Miami coach Cam Cameron was rightfully booed for passing on Quinn. Ted Ginn Jr. is a speedy receiver and a good return man, but will he stay healthy?
-- Packers: After months of floating bogus Moss rumors, Green Bay didn't complete the giveaway deal to land him Sunday. Their loss. The Packers also didn't get Lynch to replace Ahman Green. Then they drafted a defensive tackle, Justin Harrell, they didn't really need. Their fans aren't very happy right now.
-- Broncos: What has gotten into coach Mike Shanahan? He traded up four spots in the first round with the Jaguars to get a player, Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss, who probably would have been there at No. 21. Plus, Moss was suspended a game in college for marijuana use. And after all the warnings from Commissioner Roger Goodell about picking bad character players, the Broncos traded three picks and drafted one of the most troubled players on the board, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, who was kicked off Florida's national championship team for multiple offenses.
On the fence
-- Patriots: Landing Moss was brilliant; there is little risk here. But rumors that Belichick might be looking to bolt after this season sure bear fruit when you look at his win-at-all-costs first-round choice, free safety Brandon Meriweather, whose stock fell because of accusations of firing a gun at an assailant and his role as instigator in the Miami-Florida International brawl.
E-mail Nancy Gay at [email protected].
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/04/30/SPGOCPI1JJ1.DTL
Raiders got one pick right, but not much else
Nancy Gay
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Raiders drafted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell No. 1 overall, but rookie coach Lane Kiffin -- getting his first taste of true NFL gamesmanship -- did little after that to distinguish himself running a draft board against the experienced big boys.
Two trades did little or nothing to help the team. We learned this much: Kiffin essentially told the NFL he didn't have what it took, be it patience, skills or the stomach, to motivate and coach Randy Moss.
So Kiffin did what we saw coming. He allowed a Super Bowl-proven winner, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, to pilfer the former All-Pro player, who essentially has been on ice the past two seasons for nothing more than second-day draft pick.
And how about that Day 1 deal with Detroit? You have to love that, too. The Raiders picked up two players, quarterback Josh McCown (NFL record as a starter: 9-12 in five seasons) and an overweight, bad-attitude wide receiver in Mike Williams.
They gave up a fourth-round pick for two players the Lions were about to cut anyway. And McCown can't be thrilled about this -- in 2006, he told his agent he'd rather be one of a dozen or so backup quarterbacks in Detroit than sign as a free agent in Oakland.
Down the road, the 49ers gave the Raiders a look at how a draft should be run. They get an "A" for foresight, effort and creativity, drafting a high-character, playmaking inside linebacker, Patrick Willis, in the first round. They made the bold move of grabbing a franchise offensive tackle, Joe Staley, with a trade for a late-first-round pick. Their other picks were sound and filled specific needs.
Coach Mike Nolan and personnel executive Scot McCloughan also completed a timely trade to get Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson in the fold, in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Nolan and his staff nabbed players with great speed, such as wide receiver Jason Hill (4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash), and added depth to their developing 3-4 scheme with defensive tackles Ray McDonald and Joe Cohen (who probably will convert to end) and linebacker/defensive end Jay Moore.
They took a late chance on a player with character issues, Texas cornerback Tarell Brown, because they got good intelligence on him: Former 49ers assistant Larry Mac Duff, now UT's assistant head coach, assured Nolan that Brown's family influences caused his problems. Mac Duff personally vouched for kid, who should thrive under Nolan's tight control.
Couple all this with a helluva free-agent haul, and it's a good day to be a 49ers fan.
Raiders fans have every right to feel a little uneasy right now.
Russell should be a superstar. But will he have the targets and the protection to really be successful any time soon? We know this: He won't have Moss.
Russell said over and over Saturday how thrilled he was to play on the same team with Moss. Now the franchise quarterback will throw deep to Doug Gabriel. A player, coincidentally, whom Belichick cut last season.
Right. Doug Gabriel and only Doug Gabriel.
There's your vertical threat.
Sure, Moss lost his passion because of all the losing in Oakland. Tough to blame him. He was injured much of 2005, and more than a few players checked out mentally last season while the Raiders wallowed in a 2-14 record. And you know it had to gnaw at Al Davis, letting a proven playmaker get away for nothing after paying him millions and giving up so much to get him.
Sunday's dumping of Moss overshadowed the rest of the Raiders' draft performance, which was extremely mediocre considering the team had so many needs.
The Raiders should have made the move to grab Staley. They needed to upgrade an offensive line that surrendered an NFL-high 72 sacks in 2006. Instead, they drafted a slow, pass-catching tight end (Zach Miller), an underachieving defensive end (Quentin Moses) and two more wide receivers they don't need.
I thought they needed some after trading Moss. Isn't that what you just suggested?
Other than selecting Russell, what did Kiffin get right?
Picking Louisville running back Michael Bush with the 100th overall selection. A 1,143-yard rusher in 2005 who had an NCAA-record 23 touchdowns, Bush broke his leg in the opening game of last season and required two surgeries and a titanium rod to repair the damage.
Bush has been cleared medically and the Raiders got a break when he was still on the board when Day 2 began. Bush's arrival should put Justin Fargas on notice.
Looking across the NFL, let's take a random look at some of the best and the worst draft moves:
Thumbs up
-- Browns: Cleveland GM Phil Savage cost Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn about $16-$18 million in bonus money by picking him 22nd overall (through a trade) rather than third. But the Browns got the best offensive lineman in the draft, Joe Thomas, with that third pick. And Savage needs to personally thank the Dolphins for passing on Quinn with the ninth overall pick.
-- Buffalo: Drafting former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch at No. 12 was a surprise, but a good move for a Bills' team looking for an every-down back to replace Willis McGahee. Buffalo also grabbed Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, a four-year starter, in the second round and stole Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards in the third round.
-- Cowboys: Owner Jerry Jones loves to deal on draft day and he pulled a coup, getting the Browns' second-rounder and a No. 1 in 2008 to move down four spots. Then the Cowboys drafted a pass-rushing defensive end, Purdue's Anthony Spencer, to fit their 3-4 scheme.
Thumbs down
-- Dolphins: Considering all the questions at quarterback -- will that Trent Green trade ever happen? Will Daunte Culpepper ever be healthy? -- Miami coach Cam Cameron was rightfully booed for passing on Quinn. Ted Ginn Jr. is a speedy receiver and a good return man, but will he stay healthy?
-- Packers: After months of floating bogus Moss rumors, Green Bay didn't complete the giveaway deal to land him Sunday. Their loss. The Packers also didn't get Lynch to replace Ahman Green. Then they drafted a defensive tackle, Justin Harrell, they didn't really need. Their fans aren't very happy right now.
-- Broncos: What has gotten into coach Mike Shanahan? He traded up four spots in the first round with the Jaguars to get a player, Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss, who probably would have been there at No. 21. Plus, Moss was suspended a game in college for marijuana use. And after all the warnings from Commissioner Roger Goodell about picking bad character players, the Broncos traded three picks and drafted one of the most troubled players on the board, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, who was kicked off Florida's national championship team for multiple offenses.
On the fence
-- Patriots: Landing Moss was brilliant; there is little risk here. But rumors that Belichick might be looking to bolt after this season sure bear fruit when you look at his win-at-all-costs first-round choice, free safety Brandon Meriweather, whose stock fell because of accusations of firing a gun at an assailant and his role as instigator in the Miami-Florida International brawl.
E-mail Nancy Gay at [email protected].
except Kat of course.....
