Random Thoughts

by Drew Boylhart 

Jets Vs Patriots 

This year, we have one of the most interesting situations occurring in the 1^st round of this draft.  We have two rival teams drafting one right in front of the other in the first round with basically the same needs.  In the first round, the Jets will pick at the #6 position and the Patriots will pick at 7.   By now, I think everyone who follows football knows of the bad blood between these two coaches and why there is bad blood between them.  I even have my suspicions about the reason the Jets moved up in the first round last year being to make sure they could pick the player they wanted before the Patriots could make a deal to move up and draft that very same player.  Now, I have no real proof of this, but you have to admit — it does add to the intrigue and bad blood between these two teams!  Darrelle Revis (CB Pittsburgh) had to be on the working draft board of the Patriots last year.   The Jets moving up “out of the blue” to draft him before he could be picked by the Bangals may be the reason or, maybe the Jets got wind of a deal that might happen involving the Patriots and decided to pull the trigger, making the deal earlier than they wanted to!  The Jets are they only ones who know for sure and they’re not talking. 

    

So, let’s fast forward to this year.  The Jets run a 3-4 defense — the same as the Patriots do — and both teams need LB’s and CB’s.  The Jets also need a NT, but I would guess that player could be picked up later in free agency, in a trade or perhaps he is on the team right now.  The real first round targets for both teams would be LB’s and CB’s.   By now you all know about Chris Long (DE Virginia) and Vernon Gholston (DE Ohio St).  Both players have OLB skills, but Chris is more of a DE than an OLB.  Vernon really has the athleticism to play DE or OLB.  At least that’s my feelings about the players.  Chris has a good chance as of this writing to be picked as the first player in this draft.  So that leaves Vernon as the next big time possibility for both the Jets and the Patriots to have their eyes on.  Now, let’s just say that Vernon is not taken by the Rams or the Falcons and drops to the Raiders.  And, we can add to this scenario that the Raiders are interested in McFadden or an offensive lineman.  I am asking the fans of the Jets and Patriots:   what would you give up to make a deal with the Raiders to get a shot at drafting Vernon Gholston?  The Chiefs are in front of both of you and if the Raiders do not trade and take McFadden, then you must deal with the Chiefs!  You are on the clock.  Would you trade up or sit right where you are and evaluate trading down?   Remember Jets fans…the possibility of drafting a star player in a position of need is sitting right there in front of you.  But, you will have to trade up that one or two spots to pick him. 

The Patriot fans see a player of need that a team in their division is as hot for as they are.  If you move ahead of the Jets, it’s like hurting them twice because not only do you pick a player you both needed, but now the future of him impacting against the Jets twice a year plus the playoffs is just too much to pass up.   You’re both on the clock.  Do you deal with the Raiders or the Chiefs, what and who do you give up and when do you pull the trigger on a trade?  Being a GM on draft day is much more difficult than you thought, isn’t it?!

Actions or Words 

Matt Ryan (QB Boston College) just had his workout.  We all know that the Kansas City Chiefs sent the most representatives to the workout.  Personally, I think this surprised Herm Edwards and he realized that he might have shown his hand, so to speak.  It is obvious to me that coming out of a workout of a player who has the interest of all the teams in the NFL and only two teams send their GM’s and coaches sends a signal that those two teams have a serious interest in that player.  So tell me this, why would you bother to downgrade what you just saw?  Why would you give your fans the impression that you are about to draft a player at the 5^th pick of this draft who is equal to a player that was picked as the 18^th pick of the 1^st round of the 2000 draft?  If there is a team in front of you that is interested in drafting Matt, don’t you have another player that you would be happy to pick?  This cloak and dagger stuff is a joke!  It’s a joke because Herm Edwards has not done his homework or does not trust his scouts.  Herm is trying to evaluate players with a workout seen by him and is giving it more weight than this kid’s performance on the field and in a game.  If that statement were not the truth, then the whole Chiefs’ entourage would not have been there at the workout!  You should be able to see all that you need to see about Matt from his play on the field, a background check, his marks at Boston College along with interview at the combine.  What more could you have gotten from the workout?  Was arm strength the reason you needed all of the most important decision makers in your front office at Matt’s workout?  Then you come out and do interviews (that you did not have to do) and downplay what you just saw!  What part of this makes any sense to anyone out there? 

It has been reported that Miami has an interest in drafting Matt Ryan along with some other players and have contacted the agents of those players.  Miami sent one person to Matt Ryan’s workout.  Why, you ask?  Because they know all they need to know about Matt Ryan and Bill Parcells did not even go to the combine!  Bill Parcells knows that what he can learn at a workout is nothing more than whether or not the player is in good health.  Bill Parcells does not need to sit down with Matt before the workout to get him to relax or get to know him better.  Parcells does not want to be the kid’s friend or need to have a great relationship with Matt.  Parcells knows that this kid just has to have the necessary talent and maturity to handle the pressure on and off the field at the next level.  A workout in your underwear does not show that! 

As long as Herm Edwards and other coaches feel that they need to interact with a draft pick personally beyond an interview at the combine, these organizations will continue to make big mistakes drafting players for the NFL.  If you can’t tell a kid’s character and maturity level by his play on the field and how he conducts himself by going to classes and getting good marks, then I’m not sure what to say.    If your scouts do not have the information for you to evaluate a player, then I suggest you give them a profile form that addresses those issues so that you are all on the same page.  If you think looking a kid in the eye means you can tell if that kid is good or bad — regardless of their actions on and off the field — then you are sadly mistaken.  Just because a kid does or does not say “Yes, sir” in an interview after you ask him a question has absolutely no bearing on the level of character and maturity that kid has.   Always remember that actions speak louder than words!  Matt’s actions on and off the field speak franchise QB to me and I don’t need a good or bad workout in his shorts to prove to me otherwise.