April 10th Mock with Explanations!

A lot of people over at Broncomania have been hyper-sensitive about my non cookie cutter mocks for a while now. Therefore in this mock I'm going to break down the selections and what I'm thinking as I make them. This is also my first mock since Denver acquired the Bears #18 overall selection for Jay Cutler.

Without further adieu... the mockness.

1. Detroit - Matt Stafford, QB Georgia
$40 mil to the #1 pick this year. The NFL has got to slot rookie salaries. Besides that, the Lions need to move on from 0-16 and the kid actually wants to be a Lion.

2. St. Louis - Jason Smith OT, Baylor
Orlando Pace is taking his shaky knees to Chicago to attempt to block for The Player. Smith grades out as the top tackle, but I think they may grab Monroe because he has a higher perceived ceiling as a franchise type LT. Either way, a tackle is a good pick here.

3. Kansas City - Aaron Curry LB, Wake Forest
This sucks for KC. They'd like to build a 3-4 and Curry doesn't really give you the best bang for the buck here. He is though the highest rated defender so he will be paid as such.

4. Seattle - Eugene Monroe OT, Virgina
I believe he and Andre Smith are the best tackle prospects in this draft. Monroe, the former TE, the best LT prospect and Smith the best RT. Seattle needs to replace Walter Jones so Monroe is their guy.

5. Cleveland - Michael Crabtree WR, Texas Tech
Depending on if Stallworth goes to jail and if the Giants pony up the picks for Braylon this pick could change. Either way Derek Anderson (sorry Brady!) has to throw to someone who will.. CATCH THE BALL.

6. Cincinnati - Brian Orakpo, DE Texas
Cinci has needs all across the board. Grabbing the best pass rusher in the draft won't hurt one bit.

7. Oakland - Jeremy Maclin WR, Missouri
If Orakpo is still on the board pencil him in here, but since he's not I think Al goes with Maclin. You know Al is enamored with size and speed. Maclin has elite speed and will team up with Javon Walker and Ashley Lelie to give Jef.... Jamarcus Russell some targets this year.

8. Jacksonville - Andre Smith OT, Alabama
After securing the services of 3 time Pro Bowler Tra Thomas, their rebuilding of the offensive line becomes complete after grabbing the best RT in the draft.

9. Green Bay - BJ Raji DT, Boston College
With so many teams switching to 3-4, Raji is going to be a wanted man. If he lasts this long its a no brainer.

10. San Francisco - Aaron Maybin DE, PSU
Aaron Maybin is the second best pure pass rusher in this draft. Coach Singletary just can't play with people that can't rush the passer. JUST CANT DO IT!

11. Buffalo - Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
Look for a trade with Washington here. I'll explain in 2 picks...

12. Denver - Tyson Jackson DE, LSU
McDaniels needs pieces that are going to help him win now. Jackson is one of those pieces.

13. Washington - Mark Sanchez, QB USC
This is a placeholder pick. He is going to Washington, but definately somewhere in the 8-11 range. They lost the Jay Cutler sweeps and won't let Denver screw them out of landing a franchise QB again.

14. New Orleans - Knowshon Moreno RB, Georgia
Dear Reggie Bush: please start learning how to hit the football holes hard. Thanks. Yes, Im hating..shut up.. lol...

15. Houston - Rey Maualuga LB, USC
They will take a defender, but will they pay him? How many Houston defenders want a new deal this offseason? I lost count. Seriously.

16. San Diego - Brian Cushing LB, USC
Shawne Merriman is coming back but it won't hurt to add a versitaile local defender next to him. His great pro day plants him in the middle of the first. Either here or a few picks higher in my opinion.

17. NY Jets - Darrius Heyward-Bey WR, Maryland
Speedy receiver in the Coles mold.

18. Denver (Chicago) - Everette Brown DE, Florida State
Everette will come in and give them another young LB to go with Williams and co.

19. Tampa Bay - Peria Jerry DT, Ole Miss
Chris Hovan can't play forever.

20. Detroit (Dallas) - Michael Oher OT, Ole Miss
Draft the QB, then insure that selection here.

21. Philadelphia - Donald Brown RB, UConn
Surprise? Not really. Donald has housing speed and is an actual RB, not a WR playing RB like Westbrook. I love Westbrok but how long are you going to gimmick your offense and keep getting him hurt?

22. Minnesota - Kenny Britt, WR Rutgers
Fast, tall, WR who may be a little too into himself from what the rumors say. Remind you of anyone that played for Minnesota before? Naaaah...

23. New England - James Laurinatis, LB Ohio State
Mike Vrabel v2.0. The Animal might not have the game to be a tight end on the goal line, but he is one of the only legit ILB prospects in this draft.

24. Atlanta - Vontae Davis CB, Illinois
Foxworth was their best CB last year and he cashed in with Baltimore. You got to get off the field quickly to put the ball in Ryan and Turner's hands. Vontae can help do that and grades out higher than Foxworth out of college.

25. Miami - Darius Butler, CB UConn
Andre Goodman is a Denver Bronco. Someone has to step in.

26. Baltimore - Clay Matthews LB, USC
Clay is a self made player that can learn from a hall of fame LB in Ray Lewis. You saw how much it helped Bart.

27. Indianapolis - Hakeem Nicks WR, UNC
He compares to a Reggie Wayne type WR. Why not let him learn from Wayne himself?

28. Philadelphia (Carolina) - Malcolm Jenkins, DB Ohio State
Brian Dawkins is gone. Lito Shepphard is gone.

29. NY Giants - Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio St.
Plax is gone. Hixon can't catch and Steve Smith gets zero seperation. I like Robiskie, the son of a pro, to keep his nose out of trouble and to step in as the receiver they need right now.

30. Tennessee - Percy Harvin WR, Florida
Chris Johnson can't do it all. Once Vince wins his job back, who is he going to throw to? Take some pressure off and let Percy carry the rock however you can get it to him.

31. Arizona - Beanie Wells RB, Ohio State
Yeah.... he's down here because of injury concern.

32. Pittsburgh - Eben Britton OT, Arizona
Could be Max Unger or Eric Wood here. Either way help Ben out.

Giants Cut Plax. Terrible Move.

The Giants have officaly divorced their starting wide receiver Plaxico Burress. While Plax is in a very tough legal position, I do not feel that the Giants thought this one through.

Here are the facts. For one, if Plax cuts a deal this week and does 30-60 days in jail, he will still get out in time for the end of camp and the entire pre season. A great receiver like Plax doesn't need to do much but get his legs under him during mini camp anyways.

Two, who in the blue hell is Eli going to throw to? I know Steve Smith caught a lot of balls last year but they were all 7 yard comeback routes. Hixon has the speed but no hands, and Sinorice and Manningham can't crack the lineup. Their wide receiver lineup sucks. And that's me trying to be polite.

The Giants don't need to resign Plaxico Burress, they must. Where are you going to find a 6'5 game changing receiver? They don't grow on trees. My advice to them is to tell Plax to do the time, resign him to a incentive-laden deal and draft Kenny Britt to eventually be that #2 receiver aside Burress. Of course all bets are off if they can swing a deal for Braylon Edwards but I simply don't see that happening. For the sake of Eli Manning you got to get Plax in the fold next year.

Why the Broncos Made Out Like Bandits

It's no secret by now that I love the Jay Cutler trade as a Bronco fan. Getting a malcontent off your roster is always a good thing, but when you get PAID in the process it becomes a great thing.

For one, Jay Cutler is a good quarterback. I'll give him that. But a great quarterback? Not so fast my friend. His 3,000 passing yards were inflated by Mike Shanahan's fake spread offense, and throwing to Brandon Marshall & Eddie Royal makes life easier. Combine that with Jay's inability to take blame after critical mistakes and you start piecing together a recipe for disaster.

On the Broncos side, they will be much better off without Jay Cutler. He and Bus Cook will not be missed in Dove Valley. Also look at the fact that he was traded for not one, not two, but three players! Including a starting quarterback in return. Kyle Orton does not pass the eye test but he does the one thing Jay Cutler could never do. Win football games. The two first round players the Broncos will be able to draft will make the team much better in the long run as well. And if just one of the three players Cutler was traded for becomes a Pro Bowler this trade becomes down right criminal.

The Bears get a great arm. I won't deny that. Jay Cutler's game as a QB has little to no flaws other than his Plummer-like decision making. The only thing that will hold him back is his weak mental fortitude. The Bears are already Christening him as the franchise's savior, yet they have a very old defense and no legit players on offense other than Matt Forte to pair with Cutler. Cutler has never posted a winning record in his career. How will all the losing and all the pressure effect him? If it's anything like his era as a Bronco look for drama to ensue once Cutler starts becoming accountable for the teams lack of success, deservingly or not.

Broncos Trade Jay Cutler to Chicago

The Broncos and Bears went dealin' today. Here's the breakdown.

The Bears receive:

• An arm stronger than Elway's, and an ego bigger than Kanye's
• A 5th round pick

The Broncos receive:

• Mushin Muhammad's old punching bag
• 2 first round picks
• a 3rd round pick

I'd say that the Broncos make out like bandits here. The picks will help build the defense for years to come, and they can now drop Kan-Jay from their MyCircle.

CONFIRMED: Broncos to Trade Cutler

Ladies and gentlemen, as quickly as it began the Jay Cutler era in Denver is officially over. As reported per Pat Bowlen himself the Broncos are looking to deal their third year Quarterback.

McJay Gate lays its fair share of blame on both sides. Don't get me wrong. But I put the blame on Mr. Cutler and his agent Mr. Cook. You simply cannot ignore Pat Bowlen's calls. Ignoring McDaniels' text is one thing, but if the man who signs millions of dollars worth of checks in your name leaves you as much as a tweet on twitter, you better respond with the quickness.

As said by my favorite sports blogger, Robert Littal, "He is under contract with the Denver Broncos they can shop him every day to the beginning of the season and he would still be responsible for being the best quarterback on the field because that is what a true professional does."

Jay Cutler is full of pride and ego. He seemed to think that he was above the organization due to the platform Mike Shanahan put him on, only for Josh McDaniels to cut him down like a Drill Instructor on the first day of bootcamp. Can't take the fear that he will replace you if you stink it up? Play somewhere else.

Too bad that place will be Detroit.

See on on the flipside, 6.

Is Jay Cutler on his way out?

I think the phones are buzzing secretly but no team really has what it takes to complete a deal.

Detroit has the best picks, but signing the #1 overall pick is not something we are trying to do. And Stafford is essentially starting over, which McDaniels cannot afford to do unless he and X really believe that Stafford is going to show something that will make signing him worth it... so no. At least not for the #1 overall selection. Maybe #20, and some other picks, including a future 1st.

The Bucs and the Jets both don't have a QB to give us in return. Their picks are both below ours. Dealing without a third team probably means we get ripped off. Or end up with a bunch of picks, which is not what McDaniels really wants.

Cleveland is the snag in this IMO. The biggest snag is that if the Jets want Cutler, they need to workout a deal with Eric Mangini. Oh, the irony. They were spotted making good at the owners meetings so you never know. Mangini and crew would have to look on tape and decide if they really want Quinn in the fold. I'm assuming not.

In my opinion, the Lions will sign Stafford before the draft thus making Tampa and New York the most likely spots to trade Cutler. Neither team has upgraded at the QB spot and Jay's on the market. The only snag once again.. is Mangini. Does he want to trade Quinn? Is he willing to give the Jets a bailout? Time will tell.

March Broncos Mock Draft

So this mock is just for fun. I'm going to try to mock the Patriot way in the mind of Josh McDaniels... for what that's worth to you. I'll use our signings as inspiration for which holes I'll try to plug. For the sake of convenience I'll ignore the Cutler/Hillis/Torian/Scheffler trade talks.


1. BJ Raji, NT Boston College.
I believe that from what we are learning a full blown 3-4 conversion won't happen quite yet. We simply don't have the personnel for it. Thus, we must use our highest picks on rookies that can come in and contribute in a rotating scheme. This immediately counts out any of the "lightweight" college DE's at the 12 spot, as we can get those players later and cheaper. Ronnie Fields is not exactly a starter and the DT spot is not filled out completely. Raji will be able to rotate in and out and be the full time NT down the road.


2. Clint Sintim, DE UVA.
I don't see the Broncos taking a real 3-4 DE first day even if Tyson Jackson falls because we have guys that can fulfill those duties in Kenny Peterson, Carlton Powell, and Marcus Thomas. A real rush-backer is needed to get in the mix with Dumervil and Moss incase they can't translate to falling back in coverage.


3. Juaquin Iglesias WR, OU
Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney may be our starting wide receivers for almost half the season. Yeah... that scares no one. Eddie will play the slot role when Marshall returns and there are concerns about Stokely's concussion history. If he gets another, is he done? I also see an offensive guy like Josh grabbing a WR high simply because he wants to. You know he loved Moss/Stallworth/Welker/Gaffney and will look to have that kind of lineup here.


4. Domonique Johnson CB, Jackson State
The Patriots have always had that knock for finding serviceable corners late in the draft. That said, an aging Champ Bailey may retire with another team's jersey on. The Patriot way is to "get by" as far as corners go. Nature of the business.


5. Worrell Williams, LB Cal
Larsen and DJ should be the starting ILBs. Depth is needed. He will be like another Darrell Reid ST/plug in LB.


5. AQ Shipley C, PSU
Weigmann can't play forever.


6. Zach Potter DE, Nebraska
Could be camp fodder, could be cheap depth. Could take Tim Crowder's roster spot.


7. Pierre Banks, SS App. State
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzdu1gByB8
'nuff said.


7. Chase Daniel, QB Missouri
Why not?

New Mock Draft! March 22

One month until the draft, and things are beginning to shake out a little more:



1. Detroit - Jason Smith OT, Baylor

2. St. Louis - Eugene Monroe OT, Virgina

3. Kansas City - Michael Crabtree WR, Texas Tech

4. Seattle - Aaron Curry LB, Wake Forest

5. Cleveland - Beanie Wells RB, Ohio State

6. Cincinnati - Jeremy Maclin WR, Missouri

7. Oakland - Andre Smith OT, Alabama

8. Jacksonville - Knowshon Moreno RB, Georgia

9. Green Bay - BJ Raji DT, Boston College

10. San Francisco - Matthew Stafford QB, Georgia

11. Buffalo - Brandon Pettigrew TE, Oklahoma State

12. Denver - Brian Orakpo DE, Texas

13. Washington - Rey Maualuga LB, USC

14. New Orleans - Everette Brown LB/DE, Florida State

15. Houston - Malcolm Jenkins, DB Ohio State

16. San Diego - Tyson Jackson DE, LSU

17. NY Jets - Mark Sanchez QB, USC

18. Chicago - Darrius Heyward-Bey WR, Maryland

19. Tampa Bay - Peria Jerry DT, Ole Miss

20. Detroit (Dallas) - Michael Oher OT, Ole Miss

21. Philadelphia - Kenny Britt, WR Rutgers

22. Minnesota - Alex Mack C/OG, Cal

23. New England - Aaron Maybin LB/DE, Penn State

24. Atlanta - Vontae Davis CB, Illinois

25. Miami - Jarius Byrd, CB Oregon

26. Baltimore - Clay Matthews LB, USC

27. Indianapolis - Hakeem Nicks WR, UNC

28. Philadelphia (Carolina) - Eben Britton OT, Arizona

29. NY Giants - Larry English LB/DE, Northern Illinois

30. Tennessee - Percy Harvin WR, Florida

31. Arizona - LeSean McCoy RB, Pitt

32. Pittsburgh - Max Unger OL, Oregon


Just Missed:
Larry English OLB, NIU
James Laurinaitis LB, Ohio State
Ron Brace DT, Boston College
Alphonso SMith, CB Wake Forest

Scott Hastings Calls Jay Cutler a Little B****

Wow. Just. Wow.

The full audio of Hastings comments on Jay Cutler. Denver Nuggets TV analyst Scott Hastings stops by the Dan Patrick radio show to talk about the Jay Cutler controversy, calling Cutler a "little b****."

Jay Cutler or Kurt Warner?

Breakdown:

In my opinion, there are a lot of Kurt Warner's in the league but Kurt has what many consider to be a hall of fame resume'. He's never had the best arm, or even a great turnover ratio for that matter. However he has proven time and time again that he is a very clutch player who gives you every chance to win in the 4th, no matter how many times he turned it over in the first 3 quarters. You can say what you want about the teams he inherited, but many average to above average quarterbacks have inherited great teams and only Kurt Warner has the kind of resume' he has. He along with our own Craig Morton are the only two players to lead two teams to the championship game in NFL history.

Jay Cutler has what many believe to be is the best arm in the NFL right now. At only 25, he doesn't have a great career resume yet (17-20) and hasn't even led his team to a playoff game which the player he replaced (Jake Plummer) did a season before he was drafted. Jay's upsides are obvious in his youth and his physical tools. It's been well documented how well of an athlete Cutler is, including his eye popping combine numbers in 2006. Jay's turnover ratio is average at best (25-18 in 2008) however it is his career winning percentage that is the big question mark for me. 11-35 in college, 17-20 in the Pros. Yes Vanderbilt was overmatched in the SEC, but they have a much better record in the 3 years without (16-25) Jay than with him (9-25). There is something to be said about this. Is he a career loser?

The Hard Part

In comparing these two quarterbacks, the intangibles are the thing that jumps off the page at me. Kurt and Jay both turn it over more than you would like, and both have posted average seasons as NFL starters.

However when you compare their situations you see that both have played with stellar offenses, but only Kurt has been able to turn it into positive winning seasons with routine Superbowl, not just playoff appearances. Yes, Jay has time to accomplish these things but will he?

To me the difference between these quarterbacks relies in attitude. Kurt Warner is a generally positive person mostly due to his faith. Jay Cutler has shown in the last few weeks that he is a man of great (maybe too much) pride and when you throw in the way he interacts with the media (mostly negatively) you cannot paint the same positive picture for Jay Cutler the MAN as you can Kurt Warner the MAN.

In the end of this lengthy analysis it is apparent that Jay Cutler is as talented if not more physically talented than Kurt Warner. But I have great concern over Jay's attitude, especially at the quarterback position. A guy like Kurt Warner has taken great offenses with marginal defenses to Superbowls, Jay Cutler can't even get his guys into the playoffs. He may have the best arm under 30 in football, but if he can't get his guys to win is he really worth it?

Who would you rather have right now?