Well, 19 days until the start of the draft and we don't know much more than we did on February 6th. But that shouldn't keep us from making stuff up, so let's get to it.... Okey doke, even though I've voiced my displeasure on several occasions about taking LenDale White with the 32nd pick (or worse, with a pick higher than 32, meaning that the Steelers actually gave up something to move up and grab him), people are still intrigued by him (and I've also gotten a couple of emails saying as much). Like GlennW mentions, I don't think White's stock is dropping as far as people seem to think. NFL Network's Adam Schefter reported last week that more than one team told White that no matter what happened at his Pro Day, they would draft him, and apparently it'll be somewhere between 15 and 25-ish. Or at least before 32.
And let me say that I don't think White is the next coming of Lawrence Phillips. I just think that he has a history of half-assing it on occasion, and I'm not sure if he's good enough on a consistent basis to overlook something like that if you're the Steelers . I'm sure we'll be having another LenDale White discussion next week some time, so I don't consider the issue closed; in fact, I suspect it'll be wide open until his name is called on draft day.
... In other draft-related rumor news, Jim Russell has a nice article on SteelCityInsider (it's $$, but definitely worth it) about the potential draftees visiting the South Side. So guess who's coming to dinner? Chad Jackson. That's right, the same dude who'll probably be the first WR off the board will make a visit to Pittsburgh. Now I don't know if this means the Steelers are giving serious consideration to moving up, or if, as Russell suggests, Jackson might be slipping to later in the first round. According to Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com, who Russell links to in his column, Jackson, "offers great upside, but he needs to mature, as the feeling is the Florida staff isn't all that sad to see him go."
Huh. I really don't know what to make of that. My first thought is, "Alrighty, Jackson could be the next Plax." Except that I actually liked Plax and was sorry to see him go. Oh right. Followed by this thought: "Well, it doesn't matter because he'll be long gone before 32, and probably 22, so the Steelers -- and by extension, me -- won't have to worry about it."
[Quick aside -- here's what I wrote about Jackson after the February Combine:
"Chad Jackson, who's listed at 6'1", 200 lbs., ran a 4.32-forty. Before the Combine he was anywhere from a first to third round pick. After his super sprint, he was a first-rounder. I hope the Steelers don't have a chance to take this guy. I don't like it when players shoot up draft boards because they run fast in shorts. He might be the fastest person in the stadium, but if he can't beat press coverage, or -- gasp! -- catch, who cares? Plus, he's a Florida Gator, and they're track record with NFL QBs ain't too hot."]Of course, I will worry about it because, well, what else am I going to do in the meantime? Okay, here's a related question: If Chad Jackson and LenDale White are both around at 32 (or even 25 and the Steelers could trade up to draft either of them), who would you want? Much like the Best TE Available or Sinorice Moss question, these two players are your only choices. I'll take Jackson, but only if he's at 32 (which he won't be, but whatever). But you already knew that.
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Here are some other random rumors flying around in the days and weeks before the draft:
... Apparently Jason Allen's hip could be an issue. According to NFLDraftScout.com (yes, another $$ site), his stock is slipping. (Remember, before the Combine teams didn't know what to make of him because he'd been out with the hip injury since the fifth game of the college season? Then, after he busted out a sub 4.4-forty there was a lot of "he's going in the first round" talk.)
I, of course was pimping Allen early last month, but I'd have to temper my excitement if the dude had to play on crutches. I know, I know, Heath Miller spent most of last spring recovering from an abdominal injury, but I think recovering from a muscle strain is a little different than getting a hip replaced (yeah, I don't think Allen will need his hip replaced, but I'm hyperbolizing for effect here, which I guess is what it means to hyperbolizing -- disregarding for the moment that I just made that word up).
... As promised -- and a week earlier than planned -- more LenDale White news. Again from NFLDraftScout.com, two NFL sources felt that White laid such a big turd at USC's Pro Day that he probably now won't be a first round pick. Okay, I give up.
... USC S Darnell Bing has his draft diary posted on FoxSports. Interestingly, he reports that scouts told him he ran between a 4.4 and 4.5-forty even though last week the initial reports had him in the 4.53-4.63 range. Although if I'm being honest, I don't care about 40 times. Seriously, after reading this article about how arbitrary the whole process is, how can anybody put too much stock in one number, unless a WR runs something like a 7.4-forty? And not only that, how often is a guy running 40 yards in a straight line on a football field anyway? I've got a crapload of data that I hope to look at in the next few weeks (but I probably won't get to it before the draft ... that would make too much sense) looking at which Combine numbers best translate to success in the NFL. If I had to guess, the 40-yard dash ain't one of them. We'll see.
Anyway, FoxSports has Pittsburgh taking Bing at 32. That seems kinda high, but hey, I have just as much access to the Steelers' draft plans as you so I could be way off. I mean, how many people saw Troy Edwards coming? (If your hand is raised, lower it to head-level and then slap yourself because you're not telling the truth. Next thing you'll say is that you picked George Mason to make it to the Final Four, and Bronson -- or Brandon ... up to you -- Arroyo would hit a home run in his first at bat of the season.) Interestingly, this same mock draft has LenDale White going to the Broncos with the 22nd pick (the one the Redskins gave up in 2005 to get Jason Campbell).
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Mark sent along an interesting email last week, and since it's AFC North-related, now seems like as good a time as any to talk about it. I'll reprint part of it here:
"... The biggest potential impact on the whole division: Air McNair to the Ratbirds, I mean Ravens... His acquisition, in my humble opinion, would put that seditious team in a bona-fide position to seriously challenge our Steelboys (and maybe the Bungles) for division supremacy this year, depending on his ability to stay healthy. (Remember, he has demonstrated a willingness to play hurt in the past when his team's had a chance to win)Good question. Here's my thoughts on the Ravens acquiring McNair: It won't matter. Take a look at their schedule: @TB, OAK, @CLE, SD, @DEN, CAR, @NO, CIN, @TEN, ATL, PIT, @CIN, KC, CLE, @PIT, BUF.
Think about it...the Titan's are leaning heavily towards drafting Matt Leinart (for the USC/Norm Chow Reunion), have locked him out of their facilities, looking to free up cap space... bottom line, I'd be somewhat surprised if it doesn't happen. I guess we all could hope that Billick (with his high opinion of himself as a QB guru) could try to go after Harrington (and create a spirited competition with his protege Kyle), but I believe he has used up all his collateral regarding that angle with ownership...don't you think?"
Without McNair, I can see the Ravens winning maybe four games: OAK, CLE, BUF, @NO. With McNair? I'll throw in @TEN. There's no question McNair would be a zillion times better than Boller, but that's the tip of the Iceberg of Problems for Baltimore. Their offensive line is in shambles, their defense is getting old and Ray Lewis wants to be the first NFL player to sign a billion dollar contract. The running game is a mess (and old), and only the WR/TE positions are set. Let me put it this way, if the Ravens had Tom Brady as their 2006 starter, who thinks they'd win eight games? Not me.
(Okay, maybe I'm being to hard on Baltimore and their absolutely dreadful 2005 season is clouding my judgement. If anybody thinks this team will be competitive in 2006 I'm all ears. I just can't see how that'll happen barring some "Miracle" type, well, miracle.)
Either way, thanks to Mark for the email. Good stuff.
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Alright, a couple more things:
... Thanks for the article ideas last week. Randy Steele had a really good idea, although I don't think I'll be able to use it for the book because PFP 2006 is more general in scope. Still, I love hearing people's brush with fame.
(I'm the guy who lived in L.A. with my buddy one summer because I wanted to gawk at famous people live and in person. Here's how that worked out: I didn't see one movie star, super model, or even a key grip for that matter; in fact, the closest I came to spotting a famous person was when I passed Cobi Jones in his convertable BMW in Laurel Canyon. Sweet.)
So if you've got any stories to tell, uh, tell them. You can either send me an email or leave a comment and maybe I'll put them all together in one big post (probably right after I post the next Offseason Round File -- which at this rate should be some time before the start of the 2007 season). GlennW gets it started.
... Hoagie raises a question that I've thought about on more than one occasion since I started this site:
"Is the fact that most people come here for the Steelers and are more interested and reading Steelers commentary over Red Sox commentary an actual indication that, the highly underrated by the national media Steeler Nation, is actually stronger than, the often praised by the national media, Red Sox Nation?"Yeah, my buddy Des -- a Red Sox fan -- would (and did) disagree and I remember having this discussion last year. But I think the real issue is this: there are a lot of Red Sox blogs on the internets, but I don't know of too many Steelers blogs. Other than Honest Wagner, which also covers the Pirates, I don't know of any other Steelers blog that has been around for at least a year and is regularly updated. Back to Hoagie's point: I plan on actually talking more about the Red Sox as the season progresses (and especially after the draft is over; seriously, there is absolutely nothing to talk about Steelers-wise once the draft concludes and until training camp starts. And no, typically June 1st cuts don't strike me as worth talking about), and am even throwing around the idea of having a Tuesday Night Baseball thingy, where I'll plan on watching and writing about the Red Sox, pitch by painful pitch, every Tuesday night. We'll see.
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