On The Record
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by user Kevinsecaur
Check out my entire blog here.
Recently I've found myself saying things like, "For the record..." and "Let me just say officially that..." quite frequently. I'm not really sure why this is as a) it implies that the rest of the crap I write/say isn't on the record and b) I'm usually content just to say something, have people ignore it and move on with my life. Maybe this penchant for going on the record lately is some sort of outcry to get people to listen. I feel like the boy who cried wolf. "No guys, I know I say ridiculous and outlandish things about sports constantly, but these ridiculous and outlandish things, I really mean."
Anyway, it's time to grade the Cincinnati Bengals 2007 NFL Draft ridiculously, outlandishly and -- of course -- on the record.
Leon Hall
I said it pre-draft and I'll repeat it now. Hall has bust written all over him, and I'm the only one who sees it coming. The guy (along with college teammate Alan Branch) was probably the most overrated player in this year's draft. When I saw him play, I was unimpressed to say the least.
Obviously, Hall got used and abused against Ohio State and USC. Ted Ginn had 8 catches for 104 yards and a TD against Michigan while Dwayne Jarrett lit up Hall for 11 catches, 205 yards and 2 scores. All I've heard the past 3-4 days is, "you can't judge a player by just two games in college," and "if you're against choosing Hall, you can't hang your hat on that argument."
I love this argument; I mean I absolutely love it. How can I possibly think of a rebuttal for "you can't judge him by those two games"? Hmm, let me think on it. WHY THE HELL NOT? Oh, that was a little easier than I thought.
Why the hell can't you judge a player by the only games he played all season against NFL receivers? No no, you have to look at his entire body of work. This logic cracks me up. Well, sure he got absolutely demolished by two NFL receivers (Ginn went 9th overall and Jarrett went in the draft's second round), but you have to look at what he did all season. In that case, you got me. Did you see Hall's performance against Illinois? Wow. And he was a shut-down corner against juggernauts Indiana and Northwestern this past season. Look, I know every player has a bad game now and then, but 205 yards and 2 TDs? Come on. Maybe I'd feel better if he held Ginn in check and gave up a big game to D.J. or vice versa, but unfortunately that isn't the case.
I love how I'm supposed to believe that those two games are not fair indicators of what kind of pro Hall will be. It seems like you'd take how a player fared against two NFL receivers to heart rather than with a grain of salt. It also seems like those two games not only would be fair indicators but would be the best indicators of how Hall projects as a pro corner. Then again, maybe I'm just a complete nutjob.
For the record (see how I snuck it in there again), I think Leon Hall will be a decent rookie CB. Joseph and O'Neal will be the starters and Hall will see a lot of time as the third corner in the nickel. He'll do fine (not great) here because he's covering a team's third best WR. I think Hall will struggle mightily, though, in his second and third seasons in the NFL as he is given more responsibility and asked to do more for the Bengals.
Kenny Irons
1. When you have the 8th ranked offense and the 30th ranked defense in the league and only two Day One draft picks, you HAVE to use them both on the defensive side of the ball. It's an absolute must. Picking a second-string running back is indefensible, and there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.
2. Drafting a running back when you need so much help on D is bad enough. Drafting a back-up running back when you need so much help on D is worse. Drafting an injury-prone, back-up running back when you need so much help on D is ... I give up, I really do.
New York Jets
I can't help but feel like the Jets knew something the Bengals didn't. They traded up in the first round to draft a corner but took Pitt's Darrelle Revis over Hall. Incidentally, they picked just a few spots ahead of the Bengals again in Round 2 and grabbed Michigan LB David Harris. As you can probably tell, I'm not too keen on the Michigan players in this draft, but Harris is one I actually wouldn't have minded snagging in the second round. Maybe the Jets were just guessing (after all, the NFL Draft is one giant crapshoot to begin with) but for some reason, I feel like they were on to something and got the better end of Cincinnati on Saturday. Needless to say, if our picks were Revis and Harris instead of Hall and Oates ... er, I mean Hall and Irons, I'd be a much happier guy.
Reggie Nelson
Even after bashing Hall and complimenting the Jets, the guy I actually wanted the Bengals to choose was still on the board and ripe for the picking at #18. That guy is Florida safety Reggie Nelson.
1. Nelson is a national champion and played at Florida where he was coached by Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier (in spirit only) -- two of Secaur on Sports' favorite coaches.
2. I read a scouting report on Nelson before the draft which read: An outstanding natural athlete...Good speed and quickness with terrific range...A ballhawk and impact playmaker in the secondary...Is very instinctive...Aggressive, physical and a big hitter who plays much bigger than he is...Is more than willing to come up and help support the run...Versatile and may be able to play multiple positions...
The first part of that sounds like exactly what the Bengals need. A big hitter, a ballhawk, terrific range. Sounds like the perfect fit in our secondary and the heir to Dexter Jackson's safety position.
The last part, "versatile and able to play multiple positions," really intrigues me. Sounds to me from various reports that Nelson could have been the Bengals' third safety AND their third corner this season. A future starter at safety who can play corner in the nickel? How often does a guy like this come along?
Also, many Bengal draft defenders are saying the need at corner was more pressing than that at safety, hence the Hall selection. I suppose that's a fair notion but here's my question: then why in the world is Keiwan Ratliff on the roster? Has Cincinnati given up all hope of Ratliff becoming the nickel back ("look at this photograph...")? He's really on the team to do nothing more than fair catch punts? If so, I have to question his worth to this team. Just as many saw the Irons selection as the Bengals giving up on Chris Perry, I saw drafting Leon Hall as admitting Ratliff will never be more than a special teams player.
Ahmad Brooks
Everybody who liked the Bengals draft has been pointing out that Cincy did in fact have a third round draft pick. It was Ahmad Brooks, of course. Not only is this not true but it is, as my boss Mo, pointed out a copout. I referred to it as CYA logic (cover your ass!), which it is. Look, I know Brooks has a ton of potential and many have him peniciled as a starting LB in 2007, but you can't count him as one of this season's draft choices. It's like a tax write-off, you can write it off in 2006 or in 2007 but not both. Brooks counts toward the 2006 roster moves not toward the '07 draft.
(I wrote all of that without even mentioning that Brooks is an extremely sketchy character guy, and we all know how the Bengals have done with those types of guys in the past year-plus. I guess the entire city somehow forgot that Brooks was in the supplemental draft for a reason. Anyway, I'm not sold that Brooks will stay out of trouble and, even if I was, I wouldn't be sold on a guy who's only played 11 career games as the team's starting MLB.)
A few other quick notes:
First, I actually really like the Marvin White pick in the fourth round. Sounds like a solid pick-up all the way around and the team didn't reach at all on this selection.
Secondly, I would rail against the god-awful fifth round back of Nevada QB Jeff Rowe, but what's the point? Sure, picking a guy to be the team's third-string quarterback sounds dumb.
But Kevin, we'll develop him into a back-up.
I'll develop you into a shut-the-hell-up. Anyway, it was an assinine pick, but it's a fifth-rounder. Anyone you take in this round is a project at best, so I'm not overly concerned.
Third, I'll always compare Hall's career to that of Revis and Nelson. I'll also compare him to the two Texas DBs (Michael Griffin and Aaron Ross) who went right after the Bengals took Hall, both of whom I'd rather have than L.H.
Fourth, I would compare Kenny Irons throughout his career to a few different corners, only I'm not sure exactly how you compare a RB and a CB. I will however keep an eye on Chris Houston, who was off the board when Cincy picked in the second; Eric Wright, the corner from UNLV who was off limits for the Bengals because of character issues; Josh Wilson, a CB who was on the board when the Bengals picked in the second but whom I know nothing about; and Usama Young of Kent State who was a third-rounder. My ideal draft would have been Nelson and Houston. Since Houston was off the board, I'd have taken a flier on Young but, again, I'm the nutjob.
Finally, I don't know how anyone can say this draft is better than a C+, and that's if Hall pans out. If Hall is a bust, it turns the grade into a D-. So I'm not at all happy with Cincinnati's draft. Maybe I'm cynical but at least my thoughts are now on the record.
