Apparently Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens is one of the many people that take exception to the various scandals that have plagued the NFL in the last few years. While doing an interview with a Baltimore radio station, Harbaugh was asked his thoughts on the Saints' bounty program and reportedly said that he felt that the Super Bowls for both the Saints and Patriots were tainted by the cheating scandals.
Naturally, ESPN needed to milk this story for all it's worth, and had Tedy Bruschi, a former Patriot embroiled in the controversy to respond. Bruschi's response was that the Patriots had done all in their power to prove that they were championship teams, and that the scandal did not mean that they did not have championship caliber teams.
I think Bruschi is missing the entire point of Harbaugh's comments. In saying that the championships are stained, or somehow have asterisks attached to them, Harbaugh is not saying that the teams weren't talented. I would argue that he is completely willing to accept that the Patriots and Saints had teams capable of winning multiple Super Bowls, but his point is that they didn't do it properly.
The example of Pete Rose is telling. No semi-rational human being could possibly keep Rose out of the Hall of Fame for his statistics. No one even argues that. What they argue is that he has radically dishonored the game of baseball.
Bruschi's response is like repeating the chorus of Pete Rose's baseball statistics as though there were still someone that needed to be convinced of his numbers. It doesn't matter if you have championship quality. No one is denying the work that was put in for the Saints and Patriots to win their championships. What they are questioning is the integrity of an organization that seeks to find ways around the rules, rather than within them, to win championships.
May 1, 2012
April 27, 2012
Risk/Reward
When I first heard that the Chiefs had selected Dontari Poe as their 1st round draft pick last night. I was terribly disappointed. I agreed with all the critics that a talented workout freak that had underperformed in college against mediocre (at best) talent was not worth the number 11 pick in the draft. At #11, you should still have near-lock picks available. And for the Chiefs last night, one was even available in David DeCastro, the guard from Stanford.
I think there are two great reasons why the Chiefs didn't actually lose on this pick. First, the new draft salary structure from the new collective bargaining agreement means we're paying WAY less for Poe than we would have a few years ago. I know many Kansas City fans are tired of being tied to a defensive lineman's fate, as was the case with Ryan Sims, and until recently with Tyson Jackson. First, the Chiefs quite intelligently restructured Tyson Jackson's contract to reflect his lack of production compared to his enormous salary as the #3 pick under the old draft salary program. This was huge, and during what will probably be a contract year for Jackson, you can certainly expect him to be putting forth effort this year. But most importantly, choosing Dontari Poe as the hopeful Haloti Ngata or Vince Wilfork of the Midwest is a risk much easier to take when your franchise's entire financial future is not hanging in the balance. It is a risk much more logically taken when defensive linemen have vastly improved their formerly pedestrian production under the current head coach as well.
The other reason the Poe pick makes a lot of sense is the depth at offensive guard in the draft. It seems as though almost unanimously draft gurus are saying that the Chiefs should have picked DeCastro rather than Poe. I completely agree with them that DeCastro is a sure starter from day 1, but I think the much more glaring need for the Chiefs is at nose tackle. The argument will almost certainly be made that this draft is equally deep at defensive tackle as it is at guard, but that argument ignores the fact that nearly every defensive tackle prospect, except for Poe, was a 4-3 technique tackle, rather than a nose tackle. And in my opinion, they were all glaringly fit for the 4-3 scheme, rather than the Chiefs' 3-4 scheme. Do the Chiefs need to upgrade the guard position of Ryan Lilja? Certainly, but our run defense and ability to remove the quarterback's ability to step up and throw in the pocket on EVERY down was a much more glaring need. Add to that, that prospects like Kelechi Osemele, Cordy Glenn (who also may be able to transition to tackle if we lost Branden Albert), Amini Silatolu, or even Peter Konz, the center from Wisconsin will most likely be available when the Chiefs pick 10th in the second round this evening, and I think the Poe pick is the better choice.
The comparison of this pick to the Tyson Jackson pick that began the Pioli era is unfair and inaccurate. Yes, it is a potential reach for a position of need. But the similarities end there. There isn't nearly as much of our future success tied to Poe's success, our future has not been mortgaged to sign him, and we are still able to get a starting prospect at guard without trading up. The Chiefs scored big two years ago in landing Eric Berry and Jon Asamoah, and I think time will prove them right in selecting Poe and a guard in the second round.
I think there are two great reasons why the Chiefs didn't actually lose on this pick. First, the new draft salary structure from the new collective bargaining agreement means we're paying WAY less for Poe than we would have a few years ago. I know many Kansas City fans are tired of being tied to a defensive lineman's fate, as was the case with Ryan Sims, and until recently with Tyson Jackson. First, the Chiefs quite intelligently restructured Tyson Jackson's contract to reflect his lack of production compared to his enormous salary as the #3 pick under the old draft salary program. This was huge, and during what will probably be a contract year for Jackson, you can certainly expect him to be putting forth effort this year. But most importantly, choosing Dontari Poe as the hopeful Haloti Ngata or Vince Wilfork of the Midwest is a risk much easier to take when your franchise's entire financial future is not hanging in the balance. It is a risk much more logically taken when defensive linemen have vastly improved their formerly pedestrian production under the current head coach as well.
The other reason the Poe pick makes a lot of sense is the depth at offensive guard in the draft. It seems as though almost unanimously draft gurus are saying that the Chiefs should have picked DeCastro rather than Poe. I completely agree with them that DeCastro is a sure starter from day 1, but I think the much more glaring need for the Chiefs is at nose tackle. The argument will almost certainly be made that this draft is equally deep at defensive tackle as it is at guard, but that argument ignores the fact that nearly every defensive tackle prospect, except for Poe, was a 4-3 technique tackle, rather than a nose tackle. And in my opinion, they were all glaringly fit for the 4-3 scheme, rather than the Chiefs' 3-4 scheme. Do the Chiefs need to upgrade the guard position of Ryan Lilja? Certainly, but our run defense and ability to remove the quarterback's ability to step up and throw in the pocket on EVERY down was a much more glaring need. Add to that, that prospects like Kelechi Osemele, Cordy Glenn (who also may be able to transition to tackle if we lost Branden Albert), Amini Silatolu, or even Peter Konz, the center from Wisconsin will most likely be available when the Chiefs pick 10th in the second round this evening, and I think the Poe pick is the better choice.
The comparison of this pick to the Tyson Jackson pick that began the Pioli era is unfair and inaccurate. Yes, it is a potential reach for a position of need. But the similarities end there. There isn't nearly as much of our future success tied to Poe's success, our future has not been mortgaged to sign him, and we are still able to get a starting prospect at guard without trading up. The Chiefs scored big two years ago in landing Eric Berry and Jon Asamoah, and I think time will prove them right in selecting Poe and a guard in the second round.
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