Tag Archive for 'NFL Draft'

Random Thoughts

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on May 1, 2008
in Other
. 3 Comments

First I would like to apologize for not writing anything in over a week.  I was on the shelf with a hand injury.  My status has been upgraded to questionable this week.  Not a chance I am sitting out.  I was brainstorming ideas earlier today, and I had so many different ones, that I decided to hold off on them and just write a bunch of random thoughts I’ve had in the world of sports, and possibly more.  Wow!  That was a run on sentence if I have ever seen one.  Screw it, I was not an English major.  Of course, I had no major what so ever.  And now…deep thoughts by Anthony Iafolla…

 At least the Hawks and Sixers made their first round series against the Celts and Pistons somewhat interesting.  I was definitely surprised to see the Hawks step up in games 3 and 4. 

I love Charles Barkley!  He is more entertaining to watch on TNT than most of what is on television these days.  I think Ernie Johnson might snap one day, but until then…Give me as many Barkley rants as you can.  Priceless!

Flopping in the NBA must go.  That Kirilenko flop and subsequent foul call at the end of Game 2 was ridiculous.  We might be getting to the point where it becomes like a soccer game.  I am waiting to see a stretcher come out on the court when a player flops and acts like he was shot. 

Good job by the Denver Nuggets!  Way to make the Lakers earn their first round playoff win.  Seriously guys, you are allowed to put a hand in the face of a jump shooter. 

Can it be any more obvious what David Stern wants?  Lakers and Celtics finals.  Ratings through the roof.  He cost the Suns their series against the Spurs last year, but there was no way he was going to suspend Garnett for shoving an official.  Do you think Allen Iverson  would have gotten away with that? 

Speaking of the Suns…I was way off on my prediction.  Nope.  They are not going to be playing in the NBA Finals.  I would like a mulligan.  Actually, I will just say that I felt the winner of that series was coming out of the West.  The Spurs keep on winning. 

Maybe Larry brown jumped back into the coaching pool too soon.  With the Mavs, possibly the Suns and other teams in need of a coach he jumped at the Charlotte job.  Now he is working for MJ.  Greatest player ever, possibly worst ever at building a team. 

Hubie Brown scares me.  He looks like a character out of a horror movie.  A zombie movie to be more precise. 

Every time I hear Marv Albert call a game, I can’t  help but think of the infamous biting incident. 

Good to see teams like the Orioles and Rays playing good baseball.  Even if it will not result in anything by the end of the season. 

Anybody else noticed how it seems like the average velocity of pitchers is down?…I wonder how that could be.  It wasn’t just the hitters juicing it up folks.

 I love the NFL Draft, but I was getting close to losing my mind if I had to watch anymore analysis from Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay and all the NFL Live guys.  Literally they talked about the draft for 3 months straight.  It was the same crap!  Really?…Darren McFadden has off the field concerns?  Where have I heard that?  Oh man!  The Falcons need a quarterback?  I didn’t know.  Oh wait.  I did.  Because you told me that the last 97 days!  Enough. 

I hope Roger Goodell reinstates Pacman Jones so I can enjoy seeing the Cowboys implode and watch Jerry Jones’ face melt even more. 

If Jerry Jones and Joan Rivers had a child, would that child be able to move its face?

 LeBron James is nowhere near Michael Jordan.  He carried the Cavs against the Pistons last year and had one of the greatest fourth quarters in playoff history, but many times when the game comes down to one shot in Lebron’s hands, that shot clangs off the rim. 

Reality TV sucks!  (Sorry Joelle)  I was flipping through the channels today, and I came across some show on MTV with these guys who are all vying to go out with one girl.  I sat there and watched for about 30 seconds thinking…”Are these people serious?”  Not to mention they can never live it down.  I have never seen people acting like bigger douchebags crammed into such a short period of time. 

Looks like we will not be getting anything resembling a playoff in college football anytime soon.  Too much money the way it is set up now.  Plus, watching a crappy Illinois team go against USC was so much better than USC against Georgia would have been. 

Gotta love Josh Howard!  You can’t make this stuff up.  I actually think he should try smoking weed during the season since he claims he does not.  His performance this year sure seemed like he was stoned.  Maybe he would play better high.  Kind of like when people say “I drive better when I’m drunk.”…And by the way, where is Sam Perkins?  Because he can get Josh Howard the good stuff. 

Listening to baseball on the radio on a beautiful sunny day when its announced by the Vin Scully’s and Harry Kalas’ of the world is better than watching it on TV.  Painting the picture like the old-timers did is a lost art form. 

I cannot believe David Stern wants to expand the NBA into Europe.  To me, this might be the worst idea he has ever had. 

Bold prediction: Chris Long will be a hall of famer just like his father. 

I have more random thoughts but I need to go ice my hand.  I could go on and on, but I would not subject you to that.  Thanks for reading this jumbled mess of a column

NFL Draft Busts: Blame the GM, Not the Player

Published
by
Chris Iafolla
on April 19, 2008
in NFL
. 0 Comments

As the NFL draft rapidly approaches, the onslaught of typical draft columns has picked up steam.  From Todd McShay to Mel Kiper, the NFL Draft machine is in full swing.  And with that machine comes a barrage of columns highlighting the all-time worst draft busts.  I’m not here to add to those columns, but rather to take a look from a different angle.

The majority of draft bust articles focus on the player-laying the blame at the feet of the person that was drafted.  But shouldn’t we be blaming the person doing the drafting?  Sure, a player bears the brunt of the responsibility to perform on the field, but the expectations that a player is saddled with as a result of their draft position falls squarely on the shoulders of the GM.  Instead of focusing on the player, we should be highly critical of the GM that thought it was prudent to select the player in that position.

As an Eagles fan, the prime example that comes to mind is Mike Mamula.  Mamula came into the NFL draft combine as an unheralded defensive end from Boston College.  After putting up eye-popping combine numbers, he skyrocketed up draft boards.  Ray Rhodes immediately fell in love with Mamula-trading away the Eagles first and second round picks to move up and grab him with the 7th pick.  Mamula was largely a disappointment.  But to be fair, he did have two seasons with 8.5 sacks and finished his career with 31.5 sacks.  Not numbers that warrant his draft pick, but not horrible either.  So again I ask, is it Mike Mamula’s fault that he never lived up to expectations or Ray Rhodes’ for jumping up in the draft to take him at that spot?

I’d contend that the blame should be place on Ray Rhodes-not Mike Mamula.

I am by no means suggesting that a player does not have some responsibility to play to the best of his abilities.  But every article written about drafts past focuses on the player as the true bust.  But in reality, their talent never warranted the expectations they carried around.  For Mamula, had he been drafted in the 3rd or 4th round where his talent suggested he should be taken, we might be talking about him as a bargain.

It’s time we hold the GMs accountable for their draft miscues and not just the players.

Darren McFadden is Not the Best Running Back in the Draft

Published
by
Chris Iafolla
on March 7, 2008
in NFL
. 0 Comments

Throw out the 4.3 40-yard dash. Throw out the prototypical running back size. In fact, throw out all his combine numbers-Darren McFadden is not the best running back in this draft.

I firmly believe that it is more important to watch how a player dominates a game than if he dominates a game. Does he play the game intelligently? Does he make his teammates better? Does he possess a drive superior to his counterparts? Or, is he just a man playing amongst a bunch of boys?

Every so often, there comes along an athlete so superior that he can dominate a game based solely on his athletic prowess. Darren McFadden was that athlete in college. When he gets to the NFL, he won’t be able to rely solely on his speed. To be a top-shelf back in the NFL, speed is only one portion of the complex equation. And while McFadden seemingly posses all of the attributes, it warrants closer consideration. Was McFadden’s dominance merely a product of his athletic prowess, or does he also possess the innate abilities required to succeed at the next level?

As you probably have figured out by now, I believe Darren McFadden has succeeded based on athletic prowess alone. Watch his tape closely. He runs far too high, which will inevitably get him punished in the NFL. His upper body is incredibly strong, but his legs are not powerful. He has moderate patience for his position, but often reverts to relying on his speed to outrun defenders. This won’t suffice in the NFL.

I think Darren McFadden will be a productive player in the NFL-but that production won’t warrant the first pick in the NFL draft. In fact, I think his teammate at Arkansas, Felix Jones, will wind up the better NFL running back.