The Dugout - May 14
Jadeveon Clowney (espn.com)
2014 NFL Draft
So, the draft was held, and some stuff happened. Cleveland were very busy, but came out with what looks a decent haul, highlighted by QB Johnny Manziel at 22 overall. He’s a boom or bust type player, but with the potential to be the franchise guy that the Browns have been looking for since about a thousand years ago. Or maybe it just seems that long. With Josh Gordon in a lil trouble, not drafting a wide receiver could become an issue though.
Money Manziel (Frank Franklin II)
Jadaveon Clowney went first. He had to. Easily the best athlete in the draft and now has the potential to play on the other end of a defensive line that already has JJ Watt. Ouch. When you have one elite pass rusher, teams can usually combat that. When you have two? Well, that’s stretching any offensive line thin. And having a consistently damaging pass rush is going to give opposition QBs less time to make decisions, lessening the margin of error, and improving the chances of the rest of the defence to make plays too. Everyone will be better for it. You can make the argument that a QB would have been better suited, and they could have traded down, but I’m a big fan of maximising strengths instead of plastering the cracks. Ask Andrew Luck which option he’d prefer to face twice a year.
Blake Bortles. Jacksonville Jaguars. Yeah, maybe not the best value for a third overall pick, but he definitely fills a necessary void for the Jags. They’ve had the worst return from QBs the past few years. They had to do this. Keep in mind that they also added some offensive line help plus Marquise Lee at WR, a goddamn steal at 39th.
The Buffalo Bills made a splash in trading up in that deal with Cleveland. The pair swapped picks, plus Cleveland got Buffalo’s 2015 first and fourth rounders. A hefty sum. In return, Buffalo were able to draft Sammy Watkins, the WR many believed to be the biggest offensive playmaker in this draft class, certainly for his position. We’ve seen with a number of teams just what a difference a star wideout can be. Watkins could be one of the best, and if so, the trade was a bargain.
Lots of WRs were taken. 33 overall (second only to CBs - 36). This is pretty predictable given how most teams are building towards a pass first offensive strategy. The two main exceptions to that are San Francisco and Seattle, arguably the two most successful team of the last couple seasons.
2014 NFL Draft Top 10 Picks:
- Jadaveon Clowney – DE (Houston Texans)
- Greg Robinson – OT (St Louis Rams)
- Blake Bortles – QB (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Sammy Watkins – WR (Buffalo Bills)
- Khalil Mack – LB (Oakland Raiders)
- Jake Matthews – OT (Atlanta Falcons)
- Mike Evans – WR (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Justin Gilbert – CB (Cleveland Browns)
- Anthony Barr – LB (Minnesota Vikings)
- Eric Ebron – TE (Detroit Lions)
Talk About A Lucky Day
Tackling the Big Issues on the Way to Tackling the QB
Michael Sam, drafted 249th overall by the St Louis Rams. I have to talk about it, don’t I? Usually guys drafted so low don’t mean much, but Sam is the first openly gay athlete drafted in the NFL. It happened.
I’ve seen people comparing this to Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier, but it’s really not the same thing. You can hide your sexuality. You shouldn’t have to but you can. So, clearly there must have been other gay players in the history of the game, they just never came out. Congrats to the Rams organisation, and also to Sam for all of the courage shown. In this day and age, it’s not like they were ever going to get anything but praise for drafting the guy, but it’s definitely a media distraction that teams would rather avoid. That’s unfair to Sam, but it is the burden he chose and is willing to carry in order to be who he is.
How much did his draft stock suffer? Maybe a little. Though this guy was never going to be a high prospect. Late fourth round at the very best. Coming eight selections from the end is surprising to those who have watched him play for Missou, though not really for those seeing the bigger picture. Seventh rounders have a really minimal impact statistically. He’s not even close to a guarantee to make the team. Michael Sam will have to prove that those who underrated him or avoided him were mistaken, something that he has vowed to do. He’s a well-spoken and intelligent guy. And most importantly, he’s made it clear that he’s not trying to exploit his publicity, that he’s focussed 100% on football and everything else is irrelevant when it comes to his abilities on the field. As it should be. And anything is always possible. After all, Tom Brady didn’t go until the sixth round. Tony Romo was undrafted. Don’t be shocked if he’s cut before the final roster is decided. Either way his NFL career will be a historic one. I hope he's able to add a few sacks to it.
Best of luck, champ.
Kevin Durant’s Career Shot Chart
Steven Adams Getting the Job Done
Hey, What’s Up?
Quote of the Week
Good Week:
- Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies) – He’s hitting at .462 for the month of May so far! Still leading the majors in batting average (by a long way) and tied for first in the NL for homers (11), Tulo’s definitely the early MVP favourite. And under his influence, the Rockies have the third best record in the National League.
- Indiana Pacers – Look, I mean they’ve been Bad Week candidates for so long, I gotta give credit where it’s due. A spot of fishing was all it took to mend the bridges between Paul George and Roy Hibbert, and things were immediately better. I’m still hoping Washington take the series because, hey, Marcin Gortat, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Professor Miller and Nene all on the same team, but full credit to Indy for finding that mojo.
- Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) & Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) – The most competitive series of the NBA Playoffs so far has been highlighted by the two best point guards in the league never married to Eva Longoria. Paul got the best of Steph Curry by pushing the limits defensively, but Westbrook is a badass mother who don’t take no crap outta nobody. And he scored 38 in game 5. It’s been an incredible duel throughout. And hopefully a rivalry that we’ll get to see for a few more years to come.
Bad Week:
- Jose Fernandez (Miami Marlins) – Another MLB pitching ace gone down with an elbow injury. There were 19 such cases last year. There have already been 18 this year. Not sure if it’s coincidence or something more, but any pitcher’s better off in the pen than on the DL. Sort it out, someone.
- Doc Rivers (LA Clippers) – By his own admission, he was pissed. The culprits were the refs in game 5 between the Clippers and Thunder, when a horrendous call went against LAC. To be fair, in the same play Reggie Jackson was clearly fouled but fouls are non-reviewable. Some Utilitarian ethics from the NBA officials? Doc was honest enough to admit that the refs by no means are to blame for his team blowing an 8 point lead with 40 seconds to play.
- Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns) – As alluded to earlier, Gordon has himself in some hot water. The 23 year old receiver had one of the great seasons in recent memory last year with 1646 yards in just 14 games. The 14 games were because he missed the first two after testing positive for marijuana and hey guess what he just did again? Tested positive for marijuana. For the third time. That could mean up to an entire seasons suspension, and this as the Browns finally draft a half decent QB. Guts, bro.
Player of the Week:
LeBron James (Miami Heat) – In a career of dominating performances, what he did this week must rank near the top. He dropped 49 points on Brooklyn, a career postseason high for himself and the Heat, on the way to taking game 4. 16 of 24 shooting. There’s really not much you can do when he plays that well. The scariest thing is he always looks like he’s got more in the tank.
Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):
June 27 - NBA Draft Held
July 16 - MLB All Star Game
September 5 - NFL Regular Season Begins