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2010 NFL Draft Grades
DEBATE
Are you ready for this?? Russ Sheeler and
Aaron DeMange are about to embark on a journey that will create a few
laughs and even more tears. The premise is simple. We will pick popular
topics and debate them. With the 2010 Draft now complete it only makes
sense to start out debating NFL Draft Grades. (which is almost
ridiculous to do because all players should be given 3 years
before a grade is slapped on them) Feel free to contact us with your thoughts on each of our debates!
We will be starting out with Draft Grades &
Projected 2010 Records; specifically the NFC East. In the days to come
we will add the AFC East, and so on.
Aaron's argument - Jerry Jones got his man. Dez Bryant will be a great pro and he falls all the way into the 20's of the Draft. What a steal. He will also drastically improve the punt team. Sean Lee is also a great pickup as he will replace Keith Brooking in 2011. They needed to upgrade the OL and did not so I understand Sheeler's "D" grade, but they were able to nab Akawasi Owusu-Ansah who will will add immediate help to the Safety position. Dallas will get a LT here soon as Jared Gaither seems like the logical choice so Jerry Jones get an "A" from me!! Russ' argument - In terms of drafting Dez Bryant I'm constantly reminded of other flawed character players like Mike Williams and Maurice Clarett who also sat out a year before entering the draft, how are their careers? The point is simple Jerry Jones got his man! Remember TO was his man too! Let's face it - Dallas has higher needs than WR, especially when you already have Roy Williams and Miles Austin as formidable WRs. When you look at the tape from the their last game it wasn't the lack of catching that caused the Boys to lose it was the porous OL and poor play of the LT. With the release of their best offensive lineman, I wonder how that pick really helped their team. They did address their need with drafting Sean Lee and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, but come on Aaron, Dallas was best when guys like Jimmy Johnson were making the player personal decisions not Jerry Jones! Aaron's rebuttal - Roy Williams is TERRIBLE. They do not have a #1 WR. Austin is a GREAT #2 WR. The OL is young and will be better than what people think. Yes, they need a LT and I bet you they get Gaithers very soon. Dallas wins the division.. NO BRAINER.! Russ' rebuttal - All I ever hear is this talk about a #1 WR, and I'm wondering what are the requirements to being #1 WR? How do you consider a Bryant a #1 WR when he was suspended for an entire year due to poor decision leading to serious character flaws? I think the bottom line is when you have a non-football person making football decisions you end up with bad drafts, if you need more proof look at all the post Parcell drafts 2007-2010, not many of those players are productive (3/26 by my count). The Cowboys needs this past draft were DB, OL (G and T), LB and S, they drafted a WR, LB, CB, S, OT, CB, and a DT! Jerry Jones needs to let the football people handle the football operations and Jones needs to only be the OWNER! He's a great promoter and innovator stick to those talents. *** Now it is time to debate the "Projected" 2010 Records. Division winner seems like a solid choice of debate considering DeMange has Philly holding down the 3rd place spot in the East as Sheeler is positive the Eagles win the division!! Aaron's argument - Plain and simple the Eagles will not win the division because Kevin Kolb is not a leader. Yet. The defense is solid (always is) but Westbrook is gone and with a new QB in town it will take some time for this team to gel. Why Dallas? Why NOT? They finally won a December playoff game in 09 and there is no where to go but up! Dallas will win the division (easily) and is my pick to win the NFC. Russ' argument - The organic nature of the Eagles offense does not warrant a true leader. For years McNabb was labeled a lack luster "leader" and if you forgot when Jeff Garcia was their QB, the offense still moved the ball and he has never been know for his leadership skills! Their offense is solid with good playmaking WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin; LeSean McCoy did a great job in his rookie season when replacing the oft injured Brian Westbrook. Losing Sheldon Brown was almost addition by subtraction (unhappy with contract) and having 13 picks in this years past draft was a definite help to the defense; Brandon Graham will be a stud and Nate Allen may be a diamond in the rough in this year's draft. Don't forget the additions of Ernie Sims, Mike Bell and little known Alex Hall. Lastly, let's not forget the most important factor in choosing the division leader, COACHING. Bum's son has only won one, yes one, playoff game in six chances. I can't see Bum's son leading the team of egos to another divisional title or winning more than 8 games with their schedule. The Eagles win the division with 10 wins. Aaron's rebuttal - No rebuttal needed. No matter what the fans thought of McNabb he was a winner and he was the reason they won the games they won. They TAKE A HUGE STEP BACK YEAR. Russ' rebuttal - If we are talking about leadership from a QB and questioning the leadership skills of Kolb, then why aren't we talking about the problems Romo has with leading the Cowboys. In fact I'm not sure if he’s the third best QB in the division. Behind McNabb and Manning it is very hard to say Romo is next, I know how naive that sounds because Kolb hasn't had a chance to actually be a starting QB but Tony Romo? Romo's poor decisions making skills and enormous blunders when the game is one the line gives me no reason to believe the Cowboys can win a close game let alone a Divisional Crown. WINNER - AARON DEMANGE *********************************************
Aaron's argument - The Bills are not improving their team and showed this by their actions during the NFL Draft. The 2 biggest question marks are on offense at QB and OT. Depending on who you talk to the Bills need 2 OT's!! They waited until Round 5 to select one. Pathetic. And the QB position is worse than the situation in Cleveland... Oh and they wasted a Top 10 pick on a RB... don't they already have 2 pretty good ones of those??? Again, pathetic. Russ' argument - The Bills draft may raise some eyes considering they have so many glaring needs offensively. The issue faced by the Bills is the dilemma faced with Marshawn Lynch; I do believe his days as a Bill (if not as a player) are numbered due to his inability to stay out of trouble. I believe one of the pillars leading the Bills towards tremendous success in the 1990s was having Thurman Thomas as their do everything back, with C. J. Spiller they have possibly found another “do everything” back. I believe the secondary unit in Buffalo can easily be considered top ten and with the transition to the 3-4 scheme they have found a 5 technique and DT in Troup and Carrington. They have 11 offensive linemen already on the roster and the addition of both Wang and Calloway has added needed depth. The Bills didn’t hit a homerun this year, but have added players that can make the team better in the future. Aaron's rebuttal - The Bills needed to get GREAT PLAYERS at 2 positions in this years Draft - QB and OT. Buffalo waited too long to address these positions. Taking Spiller is a nice "wow" factor pick and maybe Marshawn will be gone this offseason but this team is not a playoff team and so they should not be taking best available player with so many needs. Spiller could be a Percy Harvin for Buffalo but who is going to get him the ball???? Russ' rebuttal - I cannot argue with the fact that the Bills did not draft a solid QB or OT on our board but they did draft good players. Spiller, Troup and Carrington will be solid players for the Bills from day one. In next year’s prospective NFL Draft with quarterback prospects such as Locker and Luck just to name the top two I think the Bills passing on the flawed Clausen, Tebow and McCoy makes sense. There is still talk of Michael Vick ending up in Buffalo so the need for a QB for 2010 isn’t as pressing as an offensive tackle, but again they have 13 linemen on roster now and might have found a good tackle in Wang without the tremendous monetary commitment a high draft pick demands. There problem will not be stopping people it will be scoring but you cannot address all needs in one draft, this year will certainly be a long one for Bills fans. *** Now it is time to debate the "Projected" 2010 Records. We agree on the East projected finishes but we do disagree on 1 key item. Sheeler believes Miami will make the playoffs at 10-6. DeMange realizes the division is tough and Miami has no QB and 2 aging RB's... DEBATE: Aaron's argument - Chad Henne is not a playoff QB. Have teams with bad QB's made the playoffs? Sure.. but they had stellar defenses. Miami's defense is average. Brandon Marshall is a huge upgrade but beyond the Wildcat this team is below average. Russ' argument - Miami is below average?! I don’t think so Aaron they now have a pass attack to go along with the number 4 overall running offense. Henne has only been a starter for one year and I think he has the tools to be a serviceable QB. He has a good offensive line anchored by Jake Long and a great running game; in addition he has good instincts and I’d rate him higher than Sanchez! Their draft this year was great and fills a ton of needs defensively! I see the Dolphins challenging the Pats and Jets this year for the divisional title and will win a Wild Card birth in this years Playoffs. Aaron's rebuttal - Ronnie Brown is barely on 1 leg coming off surgery and 29 years old. Ricky Williams is 32. The Wildcat will not be as potent this year. Chad Henne will have a better year due to Brandon Marshall but no way they finish above .500. with the team in Henne's hands. There is rarely a 3 way race for a divisional title so because the Pats and Jets have far superior teams, the Dolphins fall even farther down the list on my 2010 Power Rankings. Russ' rebuttal - The one thing I cannot argue with you is the age of both Williams and Brown, in addition I cannot say Brown is not a definite health risk, however Ricky Williams is not your traditional 32 year old player, for starters he has not had the reps or carries most 32 year olds have so he plays more like a 28 year old. Secondly there are two teams in this division who share the same philosophies in terms of playing football, the Pats and the Dolphins and I’m certain a Bill Parcells team will compete like no other. A devotion to the simplicities of the game tells me that the Dolphins will be good this year. He has built a team centered around great play in the trenches and Henne while still unproven, should still be considered as good as Sanchez. In his first full season at QB he had a passer rating of 75.2, completing a shade over 60% of his passes and had 12 TDs to go along with 14 INTs. Not bad for a first year starter without a #1 receiver. In contrast Sanchez had a rating of 63, completing 58% and 12 TDs with 20 INTs and a #1 WR with a great running game; you tell me which first year starter you would rather have? WINNER - AARON DEMANGE *********************************************
Aaron's argument - The Cardinals had a fantastic Draft. Dan Williams fell into their laps. Every 3-4 team needs a stud NT and the Cardinals did not even have to trade up to acquire Williams. ILB is a huge need with Karlos Dansby gone and they filled that void early as well with Darryl Washington who some had listed as a 1st Round talent. They addressed the QB position with a 5th Round steal of John Skelton and they still have Leinart and newly acquired Derek Anderson on the roster. The Cardinals get an "A" in my book. Russ' argument -The Cardinals had a decent draft but still missed out on some key positions; most importantly QB. John Skelton equals Derek Anderson so he is not a great find. He makes me worry being overly confident in his arm strength which can lead to a ton of turnovers. I think the Cards got their holes filled on defense by drafting both Williams and Washington. I think the only negatives with their draft is that they did not draft a needed guard, thankfully they filled that need with the addition of Alan Faneca. In addition, the drafting of another slot receiver in Roberts leaving a glaring hole opposite Fitzgerald I don’t feel Breaston or Roberts can come close to filling the shoes Boldin left, and an obvious need. *** Now it is time to debate the "Projected" 2010 Records. We will stay with Arizona and discuss DeMange placing the Birds at 3rd in the division and Russell keeping them on top! DEBATE: Aaron's argument - No way the Cardinals win the division without Kurt Warner. Period. They had a great Draft but until I see Matt Leinart become a leader I cannot just give him the division. The 49ers are a sleeper team this year and with the NFC West the weakest competition in the NFC they should have an easy road clinching the division. I also have Seattle above Arizona because this could be a year where Hasselbeck stays healthy and if he does I believe they finish better than Arizona. The Cardinals have huge holes at LB, S, and QB after losing franchise stars to Free Agency so my confidence in this team is minimal. Russ' argument - I don’t disagree with you on the Niners at all, but I know the Cardinals have something they haven’t had since their resurgence: Beanie Wells! The Cardinals will start this season by pounding the ball up the throats of their opponents. You are going to hear a lot of plays that begin with the phrase “Leinart turns and gives the ball to Wells…”, and I see nothing wrong with the new commitment to the running game. In addition to the new ?ball control" offense their defense should be pretty good too! Granted the loss of Dansby on the defensive side hurts, but they filled that need with younger players through the draft. Leinart won’t be asked to win games like Warner was; Leinart is going to be asked to manage the games where I think he can be fairly successful! Aaron's rebuttal - I could not disagree more. Beanie Wells will not be healthy all year. Building an offense around him is scary. Hightower is a "ok" compliment RB and will probably share the load with Beanie to avoid pushing the overrated Buckeye star. I do agree that this team will be a run first team without Warner and that is by FORCE not choice. They would much rather stick to what they have done for years and throw the ball around the field to Fitzgerald. They will not score 28+ points a game (like in recent seasons) so the defense will be asked to step up and play better. Even in this weak division I see a huge decline for Arizona. Russ' rebuttal - The Cards will be a good team in 2010, because when Whisenhunt was at Pittsburgh they were a running team and won the Super Bowl in 2005! In the past couple years he coached his team to their talent level; when you have two stud receivers in Boldin and Fitzgerald why don’t you make the commitment to airing it out!? Now with a questionable QB and the departure of Boldin the Cards can return to what traditionalists call real football and play it between the tackles. Wells is a budding star in the making; he has the rare mixture of speed, power, and agility. I predict him to have a breakout year in 2010. The Cards will stop opposing offenses then run the ball down the opponent’s throats where Leinart will feel like he did back in his USC days and drop bombs over the defense to Fitzgerald and Breaston. WINNER - AARON DEMANGE *********************************************
Aaron's argument - Two words: Jason Campbell. The Raiders have talent. The OL is weak but improved now with the Draft and now the Raiders have a QB. The missing link. We know Oakland can run the ball (even with a poor OL and poor QB play they were able to run the ball) so if the defense can hold up and stay healthy the Raiders could push for a .500 record in this AVERAGE AFC West division. Russ' argument - Oakland on paper looks much improved, but if Jason Campbell is the “missing link” I will be very surprised. Oakland has not rebounded from the John Gruden debacle and they have had 5 coaches since his release! I think Al Davis has done a lot of good for not only the Raiders but the NFL, but his past couple of drafts as well as his search for a competent head coach have resulted in failures! The Raiders made a great choice in Rolondo McClain and Bruce Campbell has tremendous up sight, but this year’s Raiders will have yet another year below .500 and will not find success anytime in the near future. Aaron's rebuttal - Last year the Raiders won 5 games with Arena Football QB's behind center. JaMarcus Russell and Charlie Frye are terrible. Bruce Gradkowski is average but Jason Campbell is so much better. I have the Raiders winning 7-9 games by default because they FINALLY have an above average VETERAN quarterback to lead the team Russ' rebuttal - Looking at Oakland’s difficult schedule, I can’t see them beating the Chargers at all, the Chiefs and Broncos could split leaving them with 2 wins within the division. Looking at their games against the NFC West I only see the Raiders beating the Rams, leading to win number 3, resulting in a record of 3-8. In their final five games: @ Pittsburgh, Miami, Indianapolis, Seattle, and @ Jacksonville; the only games if can see them possibly winning are against Jacksonville and Seattle, finalizing their record at 5-11. I’m not saying they are a worse team than last year, as they have made a tremendous effort at improving though their draft and the addition of Campbell, but Jason Campbell cannot help them prevail over an extremely difficult schedule. Bottom line the Raiders are drastically improved over last season but due to their tremendously difficult schedule I can’t see them winning more than 5 games! WINNER - AARON DEMANGE |
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