Pre-Draft Thoughts

As we all wait for the most exciting selection meeting EVER, I have a few ideas rattling around my noodle. Lucky you, you get to read them, after this annoying little Interfeed speed bump...

WHY THE NFL DRAFT SUCKS

I know that there are always plenty of trades, and that makes things juicy for geeks like us and confusing for people like my dad. But rarely does anyone move at the very top of the show anymore, and that's a damned shame. The reason is that you have to pay top-ten picks an obscene and undetermined amount of money. Smart teams (the ones that actually win games and draft late in the first round) hate to shell out big bucks to unproven talent. Dumb teams (the ones that hold a seemingly permanent seat in the first dozen selections) would be better off with an array of good picks as opposed to one premium gamble--a gamble that often backfires.

The solution, friends, is a rookie salary cap. The NBA has one, and it works great. Every team, and every kid hoping to get drafted, knows exactly what each spot is worth. Clubs can build their budgets around that number, and if necessary trade up or trade down with exact dollar figures in mind. No one holds out, no one has to calculate the difference between a quarterback drafted at No. 1 versus, say, a linebacker taken there.

Plus, fuck rookies. Why should they have any leverage at all? There's nothing wrong with taking a kid who has a unique skill and making him a millionaire, but why should Kellen Winslow be the highest-paid tight end in the history of the league before playing a game? Again, going back to the NBA: Rookies there make plenty of coin, but the huge green comes with the second contract. Professional athletes actually earning their salaries by playing professional sports? Brilliant!

If that were in place this year, the Lions could trade down for multiple picks with ease. And teams that are legitimately one player away could move up--while paying a price--to roll the dice. But with cost certainty and no chance of a holdout, the wheeling and dealing could commence.

WHY TAKING A QUARTERBACK WITH THE NO. 1 PICK IS DUMB

For some reason, I was listening to the sports talk yesterday. And for some reason, Maurice Jones-Drew was sports talking. Turns out MJD is a pretty serious draftnik, and he said that if he were a GM, he'd never select a QB first overall, or even in the first round. The pint-sized dynamo, himself a steal in Round 2 in 2006, would only take a behemoth from the O-Line or D-Line.

His reasoning was twofold. First off, the game is won and lost in the trenches, everyone's heard that. Secondly, though, a big ugly who's not as good as advertised on draft day can still contribute to a team, while QBs who fail to match their hype are simply busts. Bad tackles can become passable guards, bad defensive ends can find a spot in a rotation (cough, Jarvis Moss). But a bad signal-caller can only hold a clipboard or get cut.

Look no further than Robert Gallery. He was a can't miss left tackle coming out of Iowa in 2004. The Raiders took him second overall and, well, he missed. A year later the other Bay Area team committed a similar whiff, as the Niners snagged Alex Smith. Now Alex Smith and Robert gallery are both lousy, and in hindsight neither should have been allowed anywhere near the top of the first round.

Difference is, Alex Smith will most likely spend the 2009 season and beyond doing something other than playing football. Robert Gallery, meanwhile, will start on an NFL offensive line for the sixth straight season. He's been moved to right guard, where he's extremely overpaid and no threat to make a Pro Bowl. But he can still play somewhere. After all, every team needs a warm body to block for extra points, and Alex Smith can't exactly fill that role.

Well played, Maurice.

NO ONE IN THE WORLD HAS MORE PRESSURE UPON HIM TODAY THAN:

Uh, that would be Josh McDaniels. Coach Doogie has, in four short months, replaced a Hall of Fame coach, given pinks slips to most of a defense, run a star QB out of town and wrested nearly all the authority in the franchise from an owner who vowed to make his next coach stick to X's and O's, not dabble in personnel.

Most rookie coaches have a bit of a honeymoon. If things don't go so well out of the gate, they can always lean on the excuse that they had to impose their system on the last guy's players. Well, almost every fingerprint Mike Shanahan left on this club has been washed clean. This is Doogie's baby, and with ten picks in the next two days, he'll either knock this draft out of the park or crash like the Hindenburg. There will be no middle ground.

A FINAL WORD ON TONY GONZALEZ

I'm sort of thinking that Kansas City wins more games than do the Falcons in '09.
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Jesus Effing Christ

Another day, another round of ludicrous stories about what's fast becoming the most comically disastrous franchise in the NFL. These are your Denver Broncos, courtesy of ESPN's Bill Williamson.

Pat Bowlen says he's old and can't remember if he had conversations with Bus Cook. It's becoming a pretty competitive race for who's the least intelligent person in this whole drama: Bowlen, Bus, Jay Cutler, Josh McDaniels, Cutler's dad, Williamson, or anyone who strongly takes the side of one of these jackholes.

At least Bronco fans can count on the new blood, the free agent class, right? Well, one possible starting running back is wrapped up in a drug trial. Let's just hope he's impregnated fewer than a dozen women. Any reason we can't find out about these things before handing out eight-figure contracts?

My favorite part about Buckhalter's alleged weed peddler is that he was popped with several hundred vials of dope. I've, um, been around the business end of a Michael Phelps respirator once or twice, and I may have even witnessed a sale of cannabis (for medical purposes only). I've never seen grass in a vial. This drug dealer must be a vial vile criminal indeed.
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Monday Miscellany: Bee to tha' Mizz-arsh

Denver Bronco Godsend Brandon Marshall was arrested on Sunday for a fight with his fiancee. ESPN is reporting that the charges for disorderly conduct have been dismissed, but that doesn't change the fact that this was Marshall's fourth arrest in the last three years. Folks are speculating that the commissioner/league will still look into the matter, and there're even suspension-related topics being slung about, some even have the words year-long attached to them. Ultimately though, this is really dumb. Why? Well, the House of Georges has become accustomed to certain specifics being tied to arrests of Chief and Bronco players, and frankly, when said specifics don't appear, we're left scratching our heads, looking for the answer to this question: What's missing from this big picture?

Well, for starters...



...if you're gonna get arrested for a domestic dispute in Atlanta, everyone knows that there'd better be a burning mansion involved.



And to make it picture perfect, throw in a sassy female rapper, too. But if you can't make that happen, please, please



make sure there's plenty of booze,



and at least one firearm in the mix. If you find that too tall an order, bare minimum, you've got to at least have one of these near the scene:



Finally, and this is like double-secret last resort: If none of the above are available to your arrest, it is mandatory that you at least expectorate on, or very near an officer of the law, warranting the placement of one of these to your face:



Now get out there and get arrested the right way. And as always, you stay classy HoG athletes.
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Meet The New Boss

I fell back into one of my old habits this morning. No, I didn't trade a handjob for crack or bet the mortgage on a bum fight. I went down to the newstand and purchased a dead-tree version of the Denver Post. I had two pressing needs at the time--I had to take a crap and I had to absorb the conventional wisdom on Coach Doogie. Instead of lugging the laptop to the john, I dropped four bits on the Post and then dropped the deuce.

While I "log on," as the kids say, to both Denver dailies' websites quite often for the news about my home state and my football team, it's actually rare that I buy them in print anymore. In the week or so since I'd picked up a Post, it has undergone a pretty radical transformation. The paper is tiny, made up of only three sections. The former A and B news sections are consolidated along with the Business slice. Sports is still pretty beefy and a standalone section, while all of the various features make up the third insert of the newspaper.

Why does this matter on the day we all await an official announcement of the Broncos' next head coach? Because the way we follow our teams is changing, people. You know this already, of course. It's a scientific fact that reading the House of Georges is the most cutting-edge form of media consumption available to human life, and it will even get you laid. Well, that and veterinary sedatives.

Those who gripe about Coach Doogie's age and relative inexperience are missing one important fact. We sports fans will view McDaniels through a much different prism than we did Shanny, simply because of the times. When Shanahan was hired, we read about it in the paper and watched it on the evening news. We didn't rush to our blogs and crank out posts. Even if he's inept at every facet of NFL coaching, Josh McDaniels is aware of modern communication. Hopefully he'll handle the pressure put on him by it (and, oh by the way, not be inept).

At the very least, the new boss should pass over one of Shanahan's most annoying quirks--his utter disdain for fantasy football. I know it doesn't matter to you, Coach, and I'm even on board with platooning RBs. But you have to acknowledge that approximately 106 per cent of your fan base plays fantasy, at least act like you care.

And hey, sports fans, if you want even more insight on the pitched battle between new media and old, check this out. Sure, it's crafted by the Libertarians, a selfish and pasty race. But it manages to both bag on Jason Whitlock and exalt Nate Silver, so there's that.
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Thursday Theatrics: Larry Johnson Suspended

The InterNets, TalkRadios, etc. are reporting that Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been suspended for one game (this Sunday's home match against the undefeated Tennessee Titans) for team misconduct. The violation allegedly has nothing to do with the "simple-assault" charge levied against him earlier in the week, but is an in-house suspension supposedly related to missing either practice, team meetings, or both.

This is awesome. The assault charge, the non-trade of Tony Gonzalez, and The Kansas City Star's interview with team owner Clark Hunt have officially made this club look like a joke. Actually, there's nothing stunning in the interview. Hunt answered each question as any front-office cat would in mid-season status; no owner's going to shake the foundation of (in this case an already shaky) his team and split the squad like plate tectonics. It is, nonetheless, awesome that all of this has transpired in a three-day period. Swell, swell times.

Bright side? I guess we'll see how Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles fare against a real tough run defense.
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Sleeping With the Enemy: Week Three, Chiefs @ Falcons

It's time once again for another episode of "Sleeping With the Enemy," and this week we're coming out you from the Household of our very own Old No. 7. He's not very happy to be hosting the wife and I, and he's even grumpier that I'm using his computer to write about the Chiefs. Thus, I've snuck around and made myself scarce, and am left to hammer out this post and get it published early.After an impressive season-opener in New England, and the most embarrassing game in NFL history in week two's loss to Lane Kiffin's Raiders, the Chiefs are again on the road, and look to get win number one at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Gerald from Bleacher Report was kind enough to join us this week, and you can find samples of his high-quality writings about the dirty birds over at Flying High. Our conversation about this Chiefs-Falcons matchup, after the jump.

Bankmeister: I'll be honest from the get-go: I know very little about the Falcons, and if it weren't for fantasy football, the Vick trials, and the AFC West transactions with Atlanta in the off-season, I probably wouldn't know anything. I do pay some attention to the draft, but not much beyond my own team. Obviously Matt Ryan went to Atlanta, but how, in your opinion did the Falcons fare otherwise this past April?

Gerald: The Falcons had a very good draft if you look at the overall picture of what the team needed. Many fans were just dying to add Glenn Dorsey to the roster but this team needed a QB in the very worst way. Besides Ryan, OT Sam Baker from USC filled a need and so far has done very well for a rookie thrown right into the mix. The Falcons added some depth at LB, DE, CB, and WR. Many of the new faces have already been in the starting lineup and have had to grow up quickly. Post draft I would rate the Falcons as a B+ but as anyone knows it takes at least 2 full seasons before the jury is completely in on any draft.

B: Tell me about the 53-man roster. Ryan being a rookie will have its ups and downs I'm sure, but he's got Michael Jenkins and Roddy White to throw to, so that's a plus. A backfield with Jerious Norwood and Michael Turner sounds pretty threatening. What, in your estimation, are the strengths and weaknesses of this club?

G: Running back is certainly a position of strength right now. Despite last Sunday's setback in Tampa, this running back tandem can run over almost any team right now. Once the OL improves there will be no stopping them. Speaking of OL, that would be an area of great concern for the Falcons. Last week Sam Baker went down with an injury (he's back this week) and there was a noticeable reduction in pass protection and run production. So far the starters have been a capable bunch but once one of them goes down, their stability and their production drops signifigantly. WR is quickly becomming a strength with White, Jenkins, and second year player Laurent Robinson. The DL has a true beast in John Abraham but on the other side is Jamaal Anderson who has not proved that he is worth last years #8 overall pick. Our CB's are tiny but so far have handled the big boys pretty well. So if I were to pin it down to a single strength and a single weakness, I'd go RB and OL.

B: Regarding fan impression, how do the Falcons faithful view this club in the aftermath of Mike Vick's situation and Bobby Petrino bailing? I heard an unfounded rumor that ticket sales were not good at all, and that there may even be some flailing overall enthusiasm for this team, from its fans.

G: The Falcon faithful are just that, faithful. Sadly their numbers are few and far between. The majority of the fans that go to the home games are fair weathered fans who rise on fall with the teams win/loss record. The departure of Mike Vick had thousands of "fans" returning their tickets. Atlanta sports teams have always had a history of fickle fans. For years it was the excuse that Atlanta was a transient city and with so many transplants the home teams had trouble drawing fans. The truth is that Atlanta sportsfans will come when you win and there hasn't been much winning in Atlanta for years. The real fans are very excited about the teams' new GM (Thomas Dimitroff from the Patriots), Coach (Mike Smith from the Jags), and all the new faces. The general consensus is that this team finally has a top level front office in place and with that the team will achieve the success that has eluded them for so many years.

B: The off-season was an interesting one for Atlanta and the AFC West. The Broncos sent over Domonique Foxworth, and Jason Elam was nabbed as well. DeAngelo Hall was allegedly unhappy, and now he's a Raider. And the Chiefs nabbed Demorrio Williams via free-agency. All of these moves are interesting considering it happened to be prior to the season the NFC South plays the AFC West. Do you think each of these moves were good ones for the organization? I mean, certainly the Falcons front office does, but how about fans and media?

G: The new front office certainly took no time to in cleaning house and creating their own blueprint for winning. If they felt you didnt fit the new mold or had questionable character, you were'nt going to be part of the new Falcons. DeAngelo Hall and his antics would no longer be tolerated. Based on how he played against Denver two weeks ago, it was a great move.

Williams is a good young player whom the Falcons probably wanted to keep, but not at what KC was offering. So far the fans have had few problems with the offseason moves. Sure it took time to swallow and digest but as things progress I think the fans are seeing the big picture rather than just a single season. No one likes to say goodbye to players who helped shape the past. Guys like Warrick Dunn and Alge Crumpler were marquee players on this team but all good things come to an end and it was time for them and this team to move forward. As far as the media...they have never been one to like anything the Falcons do and the fans have learned to tune them out years ago.

<B: How about the departure of Alge Crumpler affect the offense? And how will the defense hold up through 17 weeks. They gave up 20+ points in weeks one and two, but that might be par for the course. Clearly Mike Smith is a defensive-minded head coach, and he has an awesome defensive phenom assistant in former Chief Emmitt Thomas. Brian VanGorder is the mystery in the mix as far as I'm concerned. Is three too many defensive minds working for a common goal, or is it the perfect mix?

G: With the new offense run by Mike Mularkey, the emphasis on the tight end will be as more of a blocker. Crumpler, while being a great player, was as successful as he was in Atlanta due mainly to Michael Vick. He was Vick's favorite target and many feel that was because Vick had difficulty reading the defense and used Crumpler soley as his primary target even when the play called for him to be the safety valve.

B: This weekend's game could actually be a sleeper. I imagine that the Chief (or anybody) could play worse football than they did last Sunday against Oakland. They've had trouble stopping the run, and they'll certainly have their hands full with Turner. How do you see this matchup panning out?

G: The Falcons are coming off a big loss and the arrest of team leader Lawyer Milloy on a DUI charge. Matt Ryan was harrassed all day last week and got his official "Welcome to the NFL, Rookie" game out of the way. I expect the Falcons to respond big this week. Coach Mike Smith will have this team inspired and fired up. Watch for the run game to be established early and often given KC's history over the past two weeks. Expect Matt Ryan to be more of a complimentary factor rather than in the spotlight. Mike Mularkey will continue to earn his nickname of "Inspector Gadget" by incorporating several unique and dazzling plays into the mix. Dont expect a large crowd or the noise to be a factor in anyway. Despite last weeks adversity and lack of a large home crowd the Falcons should run wild over the Chiefs: Falcons 27 Chiefs 13.

B: Excellent analysis, and an interesting score prediction, Gerald. I think, given that the Atlanta offensive line is, as you estimated, the weakness, that that could be a bit generous to give the Chiefs 13 points given that they managed 10 in week one, and a mere eight last Sunday. Nevertheless, I'm hoping beyond hope that Tyler Thigpen acts like he's been in a football game before when the Chiefs offense takes the field. He couldn't have looked more lost than he did at home versus the Raiders, and if I were in the KC front office, I'd be looking to cut him if he repeats that performance in Georgia. I will, however, play the homer card, and predict a Chiefs win. And, heck, since you gave them 13, I'll raise you a point, and say that the visiting squad takes the victory, 14-10.

Either way, the House is grateful to have had you over as a guest. Come back and visit us again sometime.

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