Why I’m already ready to hate the Chiefs’ draft

by | Apr 25, 2013 | 2013 season, NFL Draft

With the first pick in the Zoneblitz Team Blogger Mock Draft, Arrowhead Addict a week or so ago selected quarterback Geno Smith as the top overall selection.

That pick was mocked by a couple people who commented on the blog. And I’m pretty sure Patrick Allen, the senior editor at Arrowhead Addict, knew his pick wasn’t the correct one when he made it. But I think I understand at least in part why he did it.

The Chiefs have the top pick in the draft this year on the coattails of a terrible 2-14 season. The top pick in the draft is an opportunity to reinvigorate the franchise and the fan base – to give them a reason to believe this season might be different.

But with the draft a mere 10 or so hours away, I am already prepared to hate the Chiefs’ draft. Because in all likelihood, if the media reports that have been coming out over the last couple weeks are true, Kansas City will barely be any better after their first pick than they were after trading for Alex Smith shortly after the offseason started. (more…)

Happy Draft Day: Here’s a collection of mocks

by | Apr 25, 2013 | NFL Draft

As we get ready to wrap up our own mock draft and as the hours count down until the *actual* NFL draft begins, I thought it would be interesting to collect a few of the mock drafts that some of the NFL’s beat reporters have put together. So a handful of them are posted below, with links to the pages where you can read about their rationale.

The one thing that stands out to me after reading these – and after conducting our own – is that this year there is little consensus anywhere about what is going to happen, even at the top of the first round.

I’ve seen people predict as many as 10 trades in the first round alone. So the likelihood is that most of these will end up being even more useless than normal. But mock drafts seem to fascinate football fans and so, for your entertainment, here they are.

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Cousins will do fine in Redskins’ family

by | May 1, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

Why are people feeling sorry for Kirk Cousins? Why do people think his selection by the Washington Redskins was controversial?

The Redskins thought he was a value in the fourth round so they took him. Cousins may be a backup. Or Robert Griffin III could be a flop. Then Washington has a backup plan in place.

Look no further than 1994, the year Washington drafted both Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte to see that it’s not unheard of for the unheralded guy to end up better than the big shot. Or, as a commenter in a National Football League Post column pointed out, the 1971 draft when the Houston Oilers selected both Dan Pastorini and Lynn Dickey. Both had long careers, but Dickey arguably outperformed Pastorini over the long haul after he got his shot with Green Bay. (more…)

Steelers, Patriots, Browns and maybe Vikings among day one winners

by | Apr 27, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

Two of the AFC’s long-time powerhouses got better Thursday night, potentially solidifying their chances of chasing yet another Lombardi Trophy in 2012.

New England, in my eyes, retained its standing as the favorites for a repeat shot at the Super Bowl with their maneuverings. Normally more of a threat to trade down, New England got aggressive and jumped up in trying to fill the defensive deficiencies that dogged the team last season.
In landing defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower, the Patriots are much better on defense than they were when the day started.

Pittsburgh didn’t have to do any wheeling-and-dealing to win the night. As other teams traded up and down before the Steelers’ pick came up, Stanford guard David DeCastro inexplicably dropped into their laps.

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In depth: Indianapolis Colts

by | Jan 10, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

It’s hard to stay completely up to date on every detail of each of the NFL’s 32 teams. So we’ve decided to try and reach out to the blogger community to help provide some insight.

Over the next few weeks we’re going to get in touch with someone who covers each team to get their thoughts on how the 2011 season went, how they see the draft and free agency playing out and what they expect and hope for in 2012.

The plan is to do a post every couple of days in the same order as the draft. As such, we start with the Indianapolis Colts.

Few teams went from penthouse to outhouse as quickly as Indianapolis did, thanks in large part to the neck injuries that afflicted Peyton Manning all season. So was this a one year aberration? Or are there deeper problems the Colts must address before they can think of being competitive again?

We asked Brett Mock, managing editor and head writer at The Colts Authority, for his thoughts on that and much more. Here’s what he had to say:

Zoneblitz: Peyton Manning’s injuries were obviously a large reason for the Colts’ struggles in 2011, but I was stunned by the level to which the team fell apart. What else factored in?

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