This draft is looking weak on the offensive side. But I still expect the McFraddens and Brohms to be off the board well before Brennan.
I don't think the offensive side is that weak. This draft is loaded with great running backs plus you have guys like Jake Long, Sam Baker, and Chad Henne
I'm gonna have to disagree. The only thing that works in favor for the Falcons is pretty easy schedule IMO. But other than that, I think the team tanks completely. I agree that the key to their success was a good running game, but they lost their biggest asset in the running game. When teams were preparing to play the Falcons, you were preparing for Vick. Dunn and Norwood are good backs, but now teams can stack 8 guys in the box and concentrate soley on them and not have to worry about play action, QB draws, etc... As far as Harrington goes, I think there is a reason why he's on his 3rd team in 6 seasons. The defense looks good, but no receivers plus a QB who has thrown 77 INTs to 75 TDS is a disaster waiting to happen IMO.
I agree. Harrington is nowhere near as quick, mobile or agile as Vick. With Vick the Falcons could run on any and every play but now that is not possible.
Even if he is only 6'1", there are plenty of QBs that have succeeded at that size. If he's really 6'3", you can't even use his size against him. It's not like he's Doug Flutie.
Like tulexan posted, I don't think this draft will be weak offensively at all. QBs: Brohm, Brennan, Woodson, Henne RBs: McFadden, Slaton, Stewart WRs: D. Jackson, Sweed, Doucet, Bowman, Manningham TE: Bennett (possibly), Carlson OL: Long, Baker, Hills If all of these guys produce like they should next season, this could actually be one of the better offensive classes we've seen in a while.
I agree that NFL teams overrate height, I'm just talking about whether or not he will be considered a number 1 pick, not whether or not he will be successful. And for the record, Flutie would have been a successful NFL QB for the entirety of his career (and not just the last few years) had teams given him the chance. THe guy was awesome.
Exactly, the RB class alone is going to be something really special. Darren McFadden (Arkansas) Steve Slaton (West Virginia) James Davis (Clemson) Mike Hart (Michigan) Ray Rice (Rutgers) Justin Forsett (Cal) Jonathan Stewert (Oregon) Branden Ore (Virginia Tech) Felix Jones (Arkansas) Jamaal Charles (Texas)
Fifth round draft pick and Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith is very interested in the results of this thread.
Hey now, m_cable, you know I've got to chime in here and defend my Hawaii Warriors whenever I get a chance, including probably the greatest Rainbow quarterback of my lifetime. Anyway, there's no way I could fathom any team taking him #1 simply because of the massive historical precedent against him. Hell, even if I was a GM, there's no way I would be willing to risk my job and my future on drafting the next bust at QB. There's no question in my mind, however, that he deserves to be a first round pick, though I expect he'll slide to the early-mid second on d-day. Of course the system helps him. You'll get lots of opportunities to watch the beautiful Hawaii offense in motion this year, with three ESPN nationally televised games, plus hopefully a BCS bowl. To answer some questions about the Hawaii run-and-shoot offense, they start 2 wide receivers, 2 slot receivers, and a running back in the shotgun. It's a system based heavily on having a quarterback go through his progression of reads and get the ball to his receivers in space so they can run extensively after the catch. The deep ball doesn't play a huge factor. As far as I can remember, Coach June Jones doesn't have a single tight end on the entire roster. In 2006, Nate Ilaoa and Reagan Mauia were the two backs and were both NFL draftees; Ilaoa is a svelte 248, Mauia is a slender 298. Run to pass selection is around 30/70; the numbers are somewhat deceiving because the shovel pass is a staple of the offense; it's the equivalent of play-action in a run-centric offense. The Rainbows also run the option a few times per game, which is why Colt was the second leading rusher on the team. So what does this all mean? Obviously, there will be a huge adjustment period when he gets to the league. Taking snaps under center, utilizing the currently in-vogue 2 TE pro-sets, and play-action will all be pretty new. Still, you can't teach toughness, accuracy and pocket presence, three traits that are going to allow Brennan to succeed. Chad Pennington seems like a pretty apt comparison, only I doubt Colt will ever get to be as good at the play-action fake as Pennington. Still, if he stays healthy, I see no reason why he can't reach the same heights. Finally as an aside, I'd like give acknowledgment to Michigan State, Mississippi State, and every other BCS school that dodged the Warriors this year; don't whine and criticize Hawaii's schedule when you ran away with your tails between your legs, and broke contracts. In the last few years, Hawaii has proven that under June Jones, it it every bit as tough as the "middle-members" of the big six conferences, and Aloha Stadium has turned into one of the most difficult places to play in the nation. 13-0. The journey starts Sept 1st.
