First things first So, the Houston Texans defied logic and took someone besides Vince Young. And yet, they also managed to not take Reggie Bush? Look, we're the first to admit that this blog has enjoyed, perhaps more than is reasonable or fair, USC's off-field troubles since the Rose Bowl. And yet, despite watching the joy that accompanies watching the pompous squirm, even we can't deny that passing up on Reggie Bush (if you've decided not to take a quarterback) is indefensible. So the Texans fucked up twice. First, by sticking with Carr at the expense of the wildly popular Young. Then, after deciding on Carr, fucking up by passing on Bush. Whatever his college eligibility, the guy was a better pick than Mario Williams.
What To Make Of THAT Guy? And what about Leinart? Here's the thing... I like him in that he's, like, the anti-Christopher Hitchens. When you get down to it, he's pretty damn unpretentious, not especially elitest (despite his reputation), and probably a lot of fun to date. And yet, at the end of the day, he just sort of seems like a hyper-glorified character from Laguna Beach or Entourage. Can you really rally behind the uber-Plastic Man? He may be tough to hate, but he's tough to love, too; and while we're at it, it's tough to see him grinding through the toughest parts of the NFL slog. I mean, really, at what point does someone with so much Hollywood mojo going for him just wake up, look in the mirror, and wonder, "Jesus, why am I doing this?" Fact is, Matt's a star already; he doesn't need the NFL in the same way that, say, Ryan Leaf did, or Vince Young does. It's almost a luxury for Matt. And in a league as grueling as the NFL, how much do you really want to bet on a guy that could, one day, just say, "Fuck it. I don't need this"? It's certainly a lot different than someone whose entire definition of success is directly tied in to the League. Just a thought.
As is, Leinart could have done a lot worse than Arizona. He'll get a chance to succeed in nice weather surrounded by some legit talent. If he doesn't make it in Phoenix, forget the fork. We'll know he's done.
Oh. Shit. Cedric! Lost in the Vince Young and Michael Huff hype was the fact that Cedric Griffin was a damn fine prospect himself. I wish I'd gotten more of it on record, but I was so preoccupied with Vince's fate, as well as the USC meltdown, that I didn't get in on record as much as I wanted, but those who talked to me extensively about this draft knew that I wondered why Ced Griffin didn't get more attention. As it turns out, he just didn't get much -media- attention. NFL teams saw his value: the man is a ferocious hitter with excellent ball attacking instincts and reasonable cover skills. He has a zero percent chance of being a shut-down cover guy, but he can be a solid regular; certainly a strong dime package insert. Kudos to the Minnesota Vikings for seeing Ced's talents.
The Wright Stuff Rod Wright -finally- got drafted in the seventh round of the draft by Nick Saban's Miami Dolphins. Pretty pathetic for a guy with 1st - 2nd round talent. His reputation as a guy that coasts on his natural abilities and hasn't worked to improve much over the past four years cost him lots of money and means he'll have to really work hard to earn a roster spot. I think he's got it in him, but Saban and the Dolphins won't be handing it to him. I'll honestly be rooting for him to take a step forward; he could have been a dominant college tackle. It never happened. He should watch Casey Hampton play and take notes.
Final Words on Vince Now that this whole draft saga is behind us, a few final words on our beloved Vince Young. I'll keep it short and simple. Vince, we love you. Houston, we hate you. Tennessee, we're watching you closely. Fischer and Chow: learn to love and use Vince. If you don't want to, move on. It's his team now. There are thousands of new Titans fans. We're watching closely and will root for Vince and the team with fervor. Take advantage of this remarkable opportunity. You can make us fans for life.
Just a few words for the wise...
--PB--