Senior Bowl Shakeup
Posted: January 27, 2006 @ 10:53 am
The Senior Bowl has done its annual job of shaking up the draft order. It’s provided us with some high rising names, like Manny Lawson, Kamerion Wimbley and perhaps, Gabe Watson.
The most significant change may be at the top of the draft board, where Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler threatens to crash Matt Leinart’s and Vince Young’s exclusive QB party . ESPN’s Chris Mortensen started the push with an article quoting scouts saying they considered Cutler the best QB in this year’s crop and might try to poor mouth him in the hope that he would fall to their team. (subscription only)
Word on Cutler has definitely spread; today come stories that the Titans and Jets who pick third and fourth respectively, are strongly considering the Vanderbilt QB.
The Titans rumors make some sense. They are in the market for a young QB, with veteran Steve McNair nearing the end of his career. Even with the respected backup Billy Volek on their roster, the Titans were considered strong candiates to draft Leinart, whom Titans’ OC Norm Chow coached at USC or Young, whom McNair mentors. Tennessee got an added scouting edge because their coaches run the North squad, so Chow has gotten a week to oversee Cutler. He can now make a personal comparison of him with Leinart, at the very least.
The Jets interest is based on Chad Pennington’s injured shoulder. He’s coming off his second shoulder surgery in two seasons and his future remains in doubt. The article linked claims the Jets might consider Cutler if they trade down, possibly into the 10-15 range, but that’s wishful thinking in my book. The Cardinals sit at 10 and need a QB. Several rumors have Dennis Green inquiring about his old QB Duante Culpepper. He’s got an aging Kurt Warner and would jump at the chance to improve the position.
Then, there are the Dolphins. They’ve been linked with Cutler in most mock drafts, but the idea that Cutler would slide to 16 seems less likely by the day. If Miami really wants him, they’ll have to strongly consider trading up.
Which means the Jets might have stand pat and pick a QB at four if they want to be assured of getting one. Two years ago, Philip Rivers was the golden boy of Senior Bowl week. Scouts were divided on his prospects, with some rating him a top five prospect and others rating him a top 25 pick at best. His buzz rocketed him from the 20-25 range to the top of the draft, where he became part of the Eli Manning bungle. In the meantime Oakland, Arizona, Washington and Cleveland, four teams who either drafted a QB in ‘05, or signed an expensive free agent in the ‘04/’05 period, passed on Ben Roethlisberger. While his college coach told anybody who would listen he was the best prepared QB in the draft, he was not picked until Pittsburgh gleefull scooped him up at pick 11.
Cutler appears ready to make the next Rivers-like leap. With three teams needing QBs at spots two through four and with Houston’s new HC Gary Kubiak declaring his faith in David Carr the top four spots seem set, at least to me.
We’ll see Reggie Bush holding a Texans jersey on draft day. The Saints, Titans and Jets will then take the Leinart, Young, Cutler trio in some order. (Imagine the marketing prospects for “Broadway Vince.”) The Packers, picking fifth, might waffle a little, but will probably go with A.J. Hawk, the guy they’ve been linked to for a while. OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson and DE Mario Williams will go to the 49ers and Raiders at six and seven, especially if the 49ers win the coin flip between those two teams for the right to pick sixth. If the Packers go for a rusher and pick Williams, the LB-poor Raiders will gladly accept Hawk. The order might differ slightly, but those three should form the next tier of round one.
The intrigue will begin with the Bills at pick eight.
In other offseason news:
– Rumors continue to waft out of Miami that the Dolphins will pursue Terrell Owens. If this is the case, then we should also expect Miami to accelerate their attempts to move RB Ricky Williams. A team with Ricky and T.O. on it would self-combust.
J.J. Taylor’s excellent Senior Bowl blog continues to pump out the crumbs. Among them:
– Dallas spoke briefly to Texas OT Jonathan Scott;
– LT Flozell Adams has been offering advice to Scott, according to the collegian’s father;
– Andre Gurode’s agents says he will talk to Dallas but also test the market.
Read the whole thing.
– You think the Parcells/Belichick folks aren’t tight-knit? New Jets coach Eric Mangini a former Belichick assistant, is prepared to hire former Parcells guys Richie Anderson and Bryan Cox to serve as his running backs and linebackers coaches.
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Tenn still seems to be the most logical place for young given his ties to McNair. Payton would seem to be more in the mood for a conventional QB then Young so he probably goes for Leinart.
This whole Cutler thing seems to be the typical over reaction to someone that most scouts had not seen much of untill now. However, anything that pushes good prospects farther down towards us is a good thing.
I still doubt we go OL in the first;
more likely FS or LB- probably LB.
Ricky Williams for TO trade would make sense for both…..Eagles get a between the tackles rb with risk of a permanent suspension if his urine does not have the right chemistry…..and Miami gets a WR with risk of another team chemistry breakdown…..but Saban seems like a non nonsense coach….and i don’t see anybody paying TO other than on an incentive package……imagine what he does with a better qb. Could keep the Pats honest in one of the weaker divisions in the NFL……didn’t philly fans want ricky over mcnabb anyway…..i say give em what they want……they deserve it!!! they got what they deserved out of TO…..now maybe ricky ticky smokin some sticky can help them light it up.
Vince Young should pull an Eli and demand to go to the Jets.
Hello Cowboy Fans,
Raf:
Given the needs of Dallas do you feel we should draft with the 1st round pick an: OT Safety or Linebacker. Also do you think we should pick position needed most or by best player at position.
And last do you think BP will trade down out of 1st round to pick up extra picks. Maybe an extra 2nd & 3rd ?
Please let me know what you think.
I think they trade down, but not out of the 1st all togather. Im thinking BP wants another LB. But as long as they address one of the 3 positions you listed then i’ll be pleased. I think it really depends on how we hit the market come March 1st.
Don’t discount the local hero stuff regarding Cutler and the Titans. Just as everyone was saying the Texans would feel the heat to draft Young, if Cutler lights it up ala Philip Rivers in the Senior Bowl the pressure will be on in Tennessee to go with the hometown guy over Young. By April, Young’s Rose Bowl tour de force will be a bit of a fading memory to most people outside the state of Texas, while the momentum and Brett Favre comparisons will be heaped on Cutler by the mischievious media looking to drum up draft day drama.
Ricky Williams could become the currency the Dolphins need to move up and grab Cutler if he makes it past the Titans/Jets pick. The Dolphins could package Williams, their #16 pick, and a later rounder to possibly move up ahead of the Lions in a trade with teams like the Packers, 49ers, Raiders, and Bills that have recently added new QB’s. How ironic would it be if the man who was largely responsible for the Dolphins getting Ronnie Brown so early last year, and Mike Ditka traded so many draft picks for years ago turns out the be the Dolphins ticket to a new QB.
As for T.O., I don’t know why Saban would do that when he has a #1 receiver with Chris Chambers. I could absolutely see Mike Shanahan taking the bait on T.O. Shanahan is a great coach, but he has made some of the strangest and worst personnel moves as GM. Dale Carter, Maurice Clarett, the entire Browns D-Line, and Jake the Mistake just to name a few.
It depends on who is there and someone always falls and someone is always picked higher than expected. I think the first three picks are going to be OLB, FS, and OT. I think we will pick another thin DE to play OLB in the second round maybe. I think BP and JJ are going to try to get another 2nd round pick.
Redskins may have a little DB uncertainty now that the prosecutors in Miami have added two more charges to Sean Taylor’s indictment on felony aggravated assault. If convicted (BIG IF, I am sure), he could face up to 46 years in prison instead of the 14 years he was potentially looking at.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5281688
The trial starts March 20th. I wonder if there will be closure on this issue before the draft? He’ll probably get off the hook anyway (like all these guys seem to), but if it is up in the air on draft day I wonder if the Skins have to use a pick on a safety?
Sterling,
Ricky Williams value is little if not none. Look at what teams were offering for Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James last year. Do you really think teams would have any value for Williams? He is definately not moving them up into the top 5. I doubt it if Miami can package he and their #1 to move into the top 10.
Rafael,
Do you think the NFL network is going to air the combine? Last year they had an on demand draft preview and had about 10 minute clips of each player that participated in Indianapolis. .. They would be smart to air it in its entirety. Probably get some of their best ratings.
Eric R:
You are probably right about Rickey Williams’ value, but I thought the same thing last year about another eccentric and unpredictable player with discriminating taste in what he puts in his pipe. He ended up fetching a lot more than I would have guessed. Not saying it will happen, but you never know.
I’m figuring that Dallas would do better without Drafting OLineman, they would be loads better if they take by assault the Patriots, Tom Ashworth has been mentioned alot by me and by Rafael, but Steve Neal is also slated to become available. Both count for 9 seasons of experience and will be under 30 for next season and of most importance both are pretty good pass protectors and run blockers.
A case can be made out of Larry Allen walking out of Dallas due cap reasons and Steve Neal getting in.
As I’m pointing out, Dallas should go out in FA to sign Tom Ashworth, Steve Neal, the kicker that becomes available out of Vinatieri, Longwell, Vanderjagt and Josh Brown, Jabar Gaffney and Jonathan Wells. Answering all the questions at OLine, Kicker, young receiver and FB.
In the Draft look for Dallas to address OLB with the 1st Rounder and FS with the 2nd, there’s lots of depth at FS that’s why I’m getting off the Chris Hope bandwagon, Daniel Bullocks and Pat Watkins sound like real deals. With the other picks Dallas would look to upgrade the depth with the top player on the board at the time of the pick.
Chandus:
How about Anthony Smith the Safety from Syracuse? He has had a great week in Senior Bowl practice and is a former recruit of Pasqualoni’s. He could be around in the later rounds.
When it comes our turn.. I like to see picking the best athlete available (since we have so many holes to fill) rather than picking for need.. If our past track record is any indication, we have failed miserably when we passed on some great players to pick for need. Just my take.
I say we address the o-line and kicker in free agency, and draft LB, FS, and WR or another pass-catching TE or FB. Just my .02
onepaniolo-I’m on board with ya. No reason to draft O-line when they won’t contribute for a couple years. LB, FS and WR can start this year.
Everyone keeps talking about FS. What about Charles Woodson playing there for us? .. Listen, the guy has a new coach AGAIN, has been a part of two lousy teams in Oakland, and loves the spot light. Not to mention he is almost certain to get released. .. Many people think that he won’t sign to be a S, but take a look around the league .. Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Troy Polumula, Roy Williams, etc. are glamourizing that position. .. Don’t know about you, but I’d love to see him with a star on his helmet.
Dallas can then use Glover and/or Ellis to move up in the first two rounds and draft Greenway / Carpenter and Watson. This is what our starting defense would look like for the next few years:
Canty - Watson - Spears
Ware - James - Burnett - Carpenter or Greenway
Newman - Henry - Williams - Woodson
Can you imagine that!!
EricR,
Haven’t you raised this before? Here’s why Woodson won’t happen, at least not for many, many years:
1. He played at CB for $10M last year. Say what you want about wanting a spotlight and getting away from the mess in Oakland, but do you really think he’s going to take a major pay cut to come to Dallas?
2. The Cowboys gave big money to Anthony Henry last year and have contracts coming up for Roy Williams and Terence Newman. Resigning them won’t come cheaply. They might give a modest deal to a veteran FS, in the neighborhood of 2-3 million per AT THE MOST.
You really think Woodson will take a 70% pay cut? What makes you think he will, when so many teams are looking for starting CBs? Have you noticed what CBs have drawn in free agency the last two years? The money rivals QBs. Woodson won’t move to FS until he’s dragged there kicking and screaming.
There will be good value players like Corey Chavous and Lance Schulters available. I’d much rather go with them.
BTW, every one of those guys you mentioned, save Reed, is a SS and all four are on their first contracts. Even with their “glamour” they’re still not making CB money.
Rafael,
We should have the cap room this year, right? I won’t say Woodson will except a 70% pay cut, but he has to know that he was grossly overpaid last year, and he won’t get that type of contract again.
Moving him to FS, may come down to him considering how much he values success. First of all, he is not the corner he once was, mostly because the rule changes have effected his bump and run style of play. In this era of the NFL though, Woodson is a perfect fit at FS. He can smoother the newest version of TEs (ala Antonio Gates & Tony Gonzalez), plus he plays well in space. Woodson is the type of player that will keep offenses in front of him and still make plays. He may not be a top tier CB anymore, but he can be at safety (IMHO).
Now I am not saying sign him to a huge contract, and of course a lot depends on him, but if his dollar amount fits our cap for the next two years, then get him in here.
Do you think he is going to get top dollar for playing CB? I don’t see that at all. Maybe I am wrong or maybe he’ll get a big deal from a bad team. Another question is, if Reed were a FA, who do you think would ink the bigger deal? I believe Reed would, despite the position he plays. Now Woodson could probably go to a bad team and play corner for $6-7 million a year, but I don’t see that happening. He strikes me as a player tired of loosing. I see him playing safety or CB for a good team for about $4-6 mill a year. So why not Dallas?
Eric R:
I admire the spirit with which your Woodson idea is coming from since he’s a phenomenal talent, but I can’t see it happening. Asking a guy to switch positions like that is a really big deal to a lot of players, especially when there is millions of dollars involved.
Look at Ellis acting like he is now about his playing time because his true position is really in a 4-3, not in a 3-4 defense. Add money into the equation and you get a disgruntled guy, like Ellis appears to be at the moment. Now just imagine if they had moved him to OLB back in training camp like you were suggesting at the time. Not too many guys are willing to switch positions for less money, especially when they are former Heisman trophy winners and top 5 first round picks. I think Woodson went to the Pro Bowl as a CB at least a few times too.
That is also why I think Greenway or Carpenter would ultimately be a much better pick this year than Lawson or Wimbley, even though they know they are probably going to have to switch positions to play in the NFL anyway. It’s just too much learning to play a new position, and you never know if they will ever get it. Ware is an exception, luckily.
Check out this article about the Texans players lobbying for a switch to the 4-3 defense, it is illustrative of what I am saying:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3561047.html
I am sure Parcells and JJ will find a good FS either through FA or the draft.
Sterling,
You may be right, and Woodson won’t switch positions, but it doesn’t hurt to TRY to convince him otherwise. I have repeatedly said that its a long shot, but it he is definately worth courting. .. The same thing with Ellis, it wouldn’t have hurt to TRY him at OLB. The way I saw it was, the Cowboys had enough bodies up front for the D-line, and Ellis was a better “football player” than Singleton. Obviously part of that was true, as Ellis’ time diminished at the end of the season due to Parcells getting younger players in at DE. The “better football player” thing? Well, San Diego uses Steve Foley and Pittburgh Clark Haggins, neither one of these guys has superior athletic skills to Ellis. Just thought for the number of bodies emerging at defensive line, that it was worth a shot to see if Ellis can help out at LB, a position thatwas paper thin. He might have done well, and saved himself some playing time, but it never happened. … Getting back to Woodson, how much would it hurt to call him in for an interview to see if he is willing to play FS? No one can predict how a person will react to such a request. I think Rafael and I disagree on how Woodson will respond, as Raf tinks he will want to play CB for the big bucks, and I think he may be willing to change positions if its for a competative team because he is simply tired of loosing. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to TRY.
Eric R,
This resembles the Ty Law-to-the-Cowboys arguments of a year ago. It just isn’t going to happen. The Cowboys aren’t going to get into a bidding war for someone to play safety, as long as any other team still thinks he can play corner. They would lose that one every time, even if they got the player!
Eric R,
Having re-read your latest comment, I am even more puzzled. Do you really expect Charles Woodson to switch positions AND take a pay cut, just to play for the Cowboys, because the Cowboys are ‘a competitive team’?
There are 12 other teams in the NFL, who actually made the playoffs in 2005, who would have a better argument than we do. If just one of them thinks that Woodson would be a good cornerback for them, where does your argument go?
Mr. Bill,
There is no arguement taking place here. If you think the Cowboys should simply not show any interest in players because they think there are too many teams bidding for his services then why court any player. If no one wanted the player, I doubt he is worth “bidding” for. All I am saying is to bring him in, talk with him, and see if you’re close in your ideas for him. If Woodson wants more money or insists on playing CB, then move on to plan B.
I am not saying he should switch positions for the Cowboys. Woodson may be better suited to play safety period, thus enhancing his value to any team, not just the Boys. Woodson was a CB that locked onto his player and then made a play on the ball, but the new rules discourage this aggressive play. He can though play physical with the newest hybrid TEs and also play in space and make plays by reading quarterbacks, and has the speed to get back and over in coverage. His skills, including being a good tackler, call for a switch to FS. Some players do look at this move as a demotion, but others just look at it as a new opportunity to excel. Charles played with Rod Woodson, who made the same move I am suggesting. … I don’t know what Woodson will say, but its worth an effort to give him a call and see what he is looking for. A phone call can’t hurt.
Eric R,
It never hurts to talk to a player. But, that’s not usually how it works. The first contact is with the player’s agent, to find out where the player stands with regard to salary, position changes, team fit, etc. If there is some interest generated by those initial contacts, the player comes in to talk. If not, nobody wastes any further time. If Woodson has any interest in doing what you suggest, he will come in for a visit, otherwise, you will hear nothing about him from the Cowboys.
Regardless of that, what I’m saying is that, in my opinion, it is a complete waste of time to pine for Charles Woodson. Of course, it’s not my time, except when I have to wade through these things in this blog.
As for Rod Woodson, he didn’t make the change until he was 34, and had been in the league for 12 years. The Steelers wanted him to switch. He wouldn’t. So they dropped him. The 49ers wanted him to switch. He wouldn’t, which is why he only stayed there one year. The Ravens wanted him to switch. He still refused. Not until Billick became head coach in Rod’s second year with that team was Woodson persuaded to change to safety.
Charles Woodson will be 30 next October and has been in the NFL for 8 seasons. Those 4 years make a lot of difference in a player’s abilities and outlook.