What a crazy 1st day in the NFL Draft! Trades, odd picks, odd decisions and sliding players across the board. Naturally, I have an opinion about lots of things that happened during the draft.
1. $cam Newton is yuck. I'm glad I am not a Panthers fan. Between this and last year they have drafted 2 QB's in the 1st 2 rounds.
2. Very pumped the Bills took Marcel Dareus. He's a big time DT for their 3-4 defense.
3. I really like AJ Green, and I feel horrible for him that he is now a Bengal.
4. Falcons clearly going to try to sign veteran FA's for their D and outscore people with the offense. A king's ransom for Julio Jones, a great WR, but that many picks?
5. The Titans don't like pure QB's.. Vince Young and now Jake Locker? This isn't Madden 2012.
6. Aldon Smith at 7? Reeeeeeeeeeach.
7. Ecstatic for JJ Watt and Gabe Carimi. The Texans have a love for Wisconsin Badgers, apparently. Going to cheer for Gabe.. even though he's a Bear.
8. There is no way Peyton Hillis hasn't used enhancers of some sort. He looks like a pretty boy, too. Not what I expected or hoped for.
9. Jon Gruden is extremely annoying.. not a fan of him using "We're talking about lockouts.. this kid is a LOCKDOWN corner" not once.. but 2x in reference to Jimmy Smith. Good one, Jon.
10. Boomer didn't want to be outdone and made some awful segways of his own.. including using Gruden's "Who dat" comment to... "Who dat on the clock? The Bears." WOW.
11. No wonder the Vikings wanted to trade down, I wouldn't have wanted to draft Christian Ponder at 12 either.
12. I don't want to play the Lions next year. Those DT's are nasty.
13. Did the Giants get the steal of the first round with The Prince at 19?
14. Holmgren looked like a genius trading from 6 to accumulate tons of picks.. but then lost a 3rd to move up 6 spots to get Phil Taylor? Coulda stayed at 27 and gotten a good player. Does Taylor even fit the 4-3?
15. Danny Watkins is almost older than I am.
16. James Carpenter and Jon Baldwin? Yikes. Baldwin is laughable in the 1st round. James Hardy 2.0. Doesn't have the drive or the hips to make an NFL impact.
17. Jimmy Smith went to a dream situation in the Ravens locker room. What a place to be an elite defender.
18. I wanted Da'Quan Bowers but wonder what his knee is really like. Derek Sherrod is going to be a good pick for the Packers and can learn this year before probably starting in year 2. Hard to believe the options they still had at the 32nd pick and good patience to stay put.
19. Friday should be a fun day also with some big time players obviously still available. I think this is a pretty deep draft and should continue to help fill needs.
20. The Bills could go OLB or TE, Kyle Rudolph in round 2. I think the Cardinals take a QB. The Packers will let the draft fall to them but have to consider a bigger interior OL.
21. I never thought I'd say.. more Mel Kiper, JR but Boomer and Gruden are lost.
Showing posts with label Packers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Packers. Show all posts
April 29, 2011
April 28, 2011
Packers Only Mock Draft
A little late but I like to pretend I'm a GM on occasion. Sometimes, I like to pretend I'm better than TT. I based these off cbssports.com rankings, so they will be off.. but it's a place to start. Bills and Cardinals to follow then more draft talk throughout the weekend.
32: Martez Wilson -- OLB-- Illinois. I nearly went with Williams again, but Wilson is an athletic freak that plays with a lot of hustle (dumb though). He could create havoc off the edge for Green Bay.
64: Chimdi Chekwa -- CB-- OSU. Didn't go with Young since I didn't get my CB in round 1. No real interior linemen anywhere near on the board, so I went with another fast corner that can be groomed to replace Woodson when he moves to safety or could be the #4 this year.
96: Niles Paul--WR--Nebraska. Big and 4.45 speed; the former Badgers recruit that I drove around for 2 days will join me in Green Bay. I hate HATE James Jones and want him gone soon, here is a replacement and another body in that awful kick return game.
129: Roy Helu--RB--Nebraska. Change of pace back in case (hopefully) Brandon Jackson is gone soon. He adds a little bit more burst than Grant and Starks provide.
131: John Moffitt-C/G--Wisconsin. Knowing he was available I could pass on Tim Barmes the pick before and try to get another weapon. Moffitt apparently isn't fast but he's smart and aggressive. Plus, he's really funny and likes the state.
163: Derek Newton--OT--Arkansas State. May be taking a bit of a risk in passing QB, Greg McElroy, but OT is a position that I need to fill. Newton needs a year or two to develop, and that's all he'll get so I hope he's solid.
197: David Carter-DT-UCLA. Eh, not excited about my selection at this spot.
204: Jermale Hines-S-OSU. Love me some OSU DB's
233: Scotty Tolzein! -QB- U-DUB.
So, I have an OLB, CB, WR, RB, C/G, OT, DT, S and a QB. Mostly major school guys, not many "swing" players that the Packers like. I have some speed off the edge, speed at CB, a replacement for James Jones, a Brandon Jackson replacement, a tough interior OL, some dudes at DT/OT, a mix-up safety and a really smart clipboard holding QB.
I'm the new Ted Thompson.
32: Martez Wilson -- OLB-- Illinois. I nearly went with Williams again, but Wilson is an athletic freak that plays with a lot of hustle (dumb though). He could create havoc off the edge for Green Bay.
64: Chimdi Chekwa -- CB-- OSU. Didn't go with Young since I didn't get my CB in round 1. No real interior linemen anywhere near on the board, so I went with another fast corner that can be groomed to replace Woodson when he moves to safety or could be the #4 this year.
96: Niles Paul--WR--Nebraska. Big and 4.45 speed; the former Badgers recruit that I drove around for 2 days will join me in Green Bay. I hate HATE James Jones and want him gone soon, here is a replacement and another body in that awful kick return game.
129: Roy Helu--RB--Nebraska. Change of pace back in case (hopefully) Brandon Jackson is gone soon. He adds a little bit more burst than Grant and Starks provide.
131: John Moffitt-C/G--Wisconsin. Knowing he was available I could pass on Tim Barmes the pick before and try to get another weapon. Moffitt apparently isn't fast but he's smart and aggressive. Plus, he's really funny and likes the state.
163: Derek Newton--OT--Arkansas State. May be taking a bit of a risk in passing QB, Greg McElroy, but OT is a position that I need to fill. Newton needs a year or two to develop, and that's all he'll get so I hope he's solid.
197: David Carter-DT-UCLA. Eh, not excited about my selection at this spot.
204: Jermale Hines-S-OSU. Love me some OSU DB's
233: Scotty Tolzein! -QB- U-DUB.
So, I have an OLB, CB, WR, RB, C/G, OT, DT, S and a QB. Mostly major school guys, not many "swing" players that the Packers like. I have some speed off the edge, speed at CB, a replacement for James Jones, a Brandon Jackson replacement, a tough interior OL, some dudes at DT/OT, a mix-up safety and a really smart clipboard holding QB.
I'm the new Ted Thompson.
February 6, 2011
Well... we made it to State
Middle school sports in Illinois are actually.. impressive. I'm an Illinois basher, living here and being from Wisconsin with deep Packers, Brewers and Badgers ties certainly isn't easy. But, middle school sports do have a leg up in this state for one simple reason.. state playoffs. Most or all (??) middle school sports have state competition and basketball has the whole she-bang: regionals, sectionals and state games.
The middle school I coach at has put together a recent string of state teams in girl's basketball. In the late 1990's the middle school boys team made it a few times followed up with 2000 and 2002 high school (IHSA) championships. The current sophomores in high school won the 7th grade boys 3A state title. The current freshman made a state appearance last year, and now, you can add this year's 7th graders to the list.
Sadly, when we got there things didn't go well. Our opponent was dare I say... en fuego. It didn't help that we couldn't hit sand if we fell off a camel. When the first half was over we had mustered 10 points and they only had... 28. We MADE 2 field goal attempts, thankfully nobody charted how many we missed. We also managed 6 free throws, not bad... until you consider we shot 17 of them! We had multiple, MULTIPLE misses from inside 3 feet. Frustrating. The 2nd half didn't get much better as we'd manage a little run to get it down to 12ish points and then have a weak foul against an AND 1 play, or we'd leave a shooter open and they'd hit a 3 ball.
It was a frustrating game, and one thing that was hard for me the previous years and early this season was to not get sarcastic during the games. At times, I'd get so frustrated with them when they'd baffle me with their decisions. Yesterday, I could see it wasn't because of a lack of effort.. they were just nervous, rattled and up against a buzzsaw. The effort was intense, and I made sure all 14 kids got to be a part of that game for several minutes. (It helps when the game is decided early) I continued to coach through the mistakes and through all of our frustrations reminding them of the little things.. jump stops in the lane, a pass fake, or to be aggressive and take a shot when you're 1 foot from the hoop.
Despite getting run up by 22 (27-49) I was proud of my kids. The thing that sticks out into my mind the most.. is that we're down 22 points with 8 seconds left, a shot goes up and the rebound bumbles off some hands to go out of bounds; one of my players dove full extension into the wall to try to save the ball. That honestly, blew my mind. I was in awe and admiration of that player's effort and intensity. I always tried to coach them in practice and games to play hard, regardless of score... winning or losing. I wouldn't have traded that 2 seconds for a win (hmmm... really??). That play meant a lot to me, more than the kids know.
I could see some of them really get better as the season went along. I reminded them in the locker room, after the game, that this is just 7th grade. It's great to have their name on our middle school gym's wall, it's great to experience that level of competition and to enjoy that stage, but what about the taste of defeat? What about being crushed by 22? Were they happy just to be there one time? Are they going to work hard this summer to get a return trip and a win? What about going into high school? I challenged them to challenge each other; I hope they push each other to be a great team and to not slack off. I brought up names familiar to them.. and to me during my little pep talk, so called "jerks" but winners like Kobe, Jordan and Bird. I told them stories I'd heard about the 3 of them, and how they challenged themselves to work harder than anybody else.. and when they had teammates that didn't work that hard, how they'd challenge their teammates. Sometimes, it's okay to be a "jerk" and to challenge your teammates. Push yourself then push others. That's how we'll get back to state next year.
The middle school I coach at has put together a recent string of state teams in girl's basketball. In the late 1990's the middle school boys team made it a few times followed up with 2000 and 2002 high school (IHSA) championships. The current sophomores in high school won the 7th grade boys 3A state title. The current freshman made a state appearance last year, and now, you can add this year's 7th graders to the list.
Sadly, when we got there things didn't go well. Our opponent was dare I say... en fuego. It didn't help that we couldn't hit sand if we fell off a camel. When the first half was over we had mustered 10 points and they only had... 28. We MADE 2 field goal attempts, thankfully nobody charted how many we missed. We also managed 6 free throws, not bad... until you consider we shot 17 of them! We had multiple, MULTIPLE misses from inside 3 feet. Frustrating. The 2nd half didn't get much better as we'd manage a little run to get it down to 12ish points and then have a weak foul against an AND 1 play, or we'd leave a shooter open and they'd hit a 3 ball.
It was a frustrating game, and one thing that was hard for me the previous years and early this season was to not get sarcastic during the games. At times, I'd get so frustrated with them when they'd baffle me with their decisions. Yesterday, I could see it wasn't because of a lack of effort.. they were just nervous, rattled and up against a buzzsaw. The effort was intense, and I made sure all 14 kids got to be a part of that game for several minutes. (It helps when the game is decided early) I continued to coach through the mistakes and through all of our frustrations reminding them of the little things.. jump stops in the lane, a pass fake, or to be aggressive and take a shot when you're 1 foot from the hoop.
Despite getting run up by 22 (27-49) I was proud of my kids. The thing that sticks out into my mind the most.. is that we're down 22 points with 8 seconds left, a shot goes up and the rebound bumbles off some hands to go out of bounds; one of my players dove full extension into the wall to try to save the ball. That honestly, blew my mind. I was in awe and admiration of that player's effort and intensity. I always tried to coach them in practice and games to play hard, regardless of score... winning or losing. I wouldn't have traded that 2 seconds for a win (hmmm... really??). That play meant a lot to me, more than the kids know.
I could see some of them really get better as the season went along. I reminded them in the locker room, after the game, that this is just 7th grade. It's great to have their name on our middle school gym's wall, it's great to experience that level of competition and to enjoy that stage, but what about the taste of defeat? What about being crushed by 22? Were they happy just to be there one time? Are they going to work hard this summer to get a return trip and a win? What about going into high school? I challenged them to challenge each other; I hope they push each other to be a great team and to not slack off. I brought up names familiar to them.. and to me during my little pep talk, so called "jerks" but winners like Kobe, Jordan and Bird. I told them stories I'd heard about the 3 of them, and how they challenged themselves to work harder than anybody else.. and when they had teammates that didn't work that hard, how they'd challenge their teammates. Sometimes, it's okay to be a "jerk" and to challenge your teammates. Push yourself then push others. That's how we'll get back to state next year.
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