NFL Week 4 Thread

My overall point was that enough "can't miss" guys have flamed out, and enough would-be busts have excelled that I'm inclined to give a pass to teams that pass on guys like Rodgers, and quarterbacks in general.

No matter where they're taken, QBs are almost always high-risk, high-reward.

 

Bush obviously never lived up to the hype, and Mario Williams was the better player, but Bush was exactly the right pick for the Saints in that draft. Coming off the 2005 season that was nightmarish in every way imaginable, on the field and off, the boost he gave to that franchise cannot be understated. His selection invigorated Saints fans in a way I haven't seen before or since.

 

I thought Drew Brees saved New Orleans.

 

But that's kind of the beauty of the NFL Draft -- so many positions to draft for and different needs on different teams. So the No. 1 pick comes down to two players: Smith or Rodgers. But that doesn't mean that once Smith goes No. 1 Rodgers goes No. 2.

Can anyone every imagine a scenario in the NBA where someone who was considered a possible No. 1 pick a week before the draft isn't picked until No. 24?

 

Not taking Marino is not really cringeworthy, unless you were the Chiefs who took Blackledge, who was the only true bust. Elway and Kelly were Hall of Famers. O'Brien, as much as Jets fans weep, had some really good seasons and made the Pro Bowl a couple of times with an offensive line that was as leaky as a 100-year-old pipe. Eason wasn't great, but he did take the Patriots to a Super Bowl, albeit with a lot of help.

 

I would note, also, that the selection of Rodgers came in Ted Thompson's first draft after replacing Mike Sherman as GM. Sherman, of course, was also the coach and was coming off three straight division titles and four straight playoff appearances.

Thompson uses the 24th pick on Rodgers, meaning the 2005 Packers got absolutely no help from their first-round pick. Then Javon Walker -- coming off a monster 2004 season -- tears his ACL in the season opener. That 2005 season was also the year Thompson refused to spend big money to retain guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle. The new guys signed to play guard don't pan out, Ahman Green suffers a quad-tendon tear and the offense goes in the shitter. The Packers finish 4-12, and Sherman, one year removed from four straight playoff appearances, is canned and replaced by QB guru Mike McCarthy, who supposedly had a lot of input on choosing Smith over Rodgers a year earlier as the 49ers OC.

 

You're really going to argue that O'Brien and Eason were OK in the light of Marino being available?

 

They were OK. They weren't busts, like Blackledge was.

Plus, how well would Marino have done with the Jets' offensive line? While he would have had Walker and Toon to throw to, he couldn't move a lick even in his prime. Looking up the offensive line stats from 1984-86 (O'Brien's best years), the Dolphins gave up 14, 19 and 17 sacks in those three seasons. The Jets gave up 52, 62, and 45. Now, some of that was because O'Brien tended to hold the ball too long, and Marino would have been helped by his quick release. But he would have needed it with that offensive line.

Marino had the better career, no question about it. But O'Brien wasn't exactly Ryan Leaf.

 

Marino played a huge role in those low sack totals. He had that quick release, but he also made quick decisions. He trusted his arm and his accuracy so much that he was happy to force a ball into coverage rather than throw it away or take a sack.

 

News flash -- Michael Irvin is an idiot.

 

Tom Jackson, and most of America agrees.

 

All right -- enough looking back to 2005. This is even more spectacular -- a look back to exactly one year ago.

The day we buried Patriots QB Tom Brady - NFL

The Boston Globe declared "everything should be on the table" for the Patriots -- including trading Brady -- and that the "end game" between star quarterback and franchise had "become apparent."

Rodney Harrison stated that Brady looked "scared to death" in the pocket. Colin Cowherd cracked that Brady was "softer than a down comforter." Pro Football Focus declared: "we've seen the best of Brady, and the only question remaining is how steep the drop off will be." Donovan McNabb suggested Jimmy Garoppolo might be more effective, and that Brady might have played his final year in New England. The Sporting News hinted that it was time for the Patriots to mull an exit strategy.

And yes, the biggest megaphone of them all had its say. ESPN showed as much skepticism regarding Brady's future as any outlet. Maybe more.

Viewers woke up to Stephen A. Smith saying the Patriots were "in a world of trouble," while his "First Take" co-host, Skip Bayless, took a jab at Brady.

Ray Lewis asked if we should "feel sorry" for Brady. Right after the game, Trent Dilfer called the Patriots a "weak team" -- a phrase repeated into the next day and beyond.