I’ve been extremely busy lately so I haven’t had as much time to write, but I have wanted to weigh in on a few topics before the week is over and hopefully I can come through with a column for tomorrow. Let’s be random…
Did I hear that correctly? Appartently the Golden State Warriors turned down a trade that would have netted them O.J. Mayo and Nasheen Thabeet for Monta Ellis…craziness
There are a lot of interesting rumblings coming out of the 2010 Draft/Combine. Tim Tebow is working on changing his throwing motion. This is one of the more intriguing stories of the draft. It is easy to root for Tebow because of his faith and his character but I just don’t see him being an effective NFL quarterback. NFL defenses are too fast, too smart and too powerful for a guy who dominated the college ranks with those same traits. His passing ability is very suspect because of that long wind-up release. The transformation that he’s attempting will be very difficult as he has thrown with the same motion for the last 20 years. Some people try to compare Tebow to Vince Young, but VY has demonstrated the tools and ability to excel on the NFL level. Young does everything Tebow does, but way better. This should be an interesting development and I’m sure there are GMs and teams out there that can make this marriage work, but I would stay away from this guy for the most part.
Free Agency is upon us and there are some pretty sexy story lines surfacing as the off-season progresses. Julius Peppers will be the hottest free agent on the market despite being 30 years old and having questionable work ethic. Peppers seems to be a bit selfish as he is looking for the biggest pay day and he doesn’t play the run very well. Under the right conditions, Peppers could be a defensive MVP. I’m not sure those conditions exist right now however. Many people are speculating that Peppers would go to the Patriots, but I don’t see the economics being there, and the Patriots have a lack of leadership on the defensive side of the ball…Peppers won’t help. I’d be more inclined to see Peppers as a Jet or Charger. These teams have shown promise for years to come and Peppers could be the missing piece for each team. I also wouldn’t write off the New Orleans Saints. This is a team that thrived off of turnovers this past season and Peppers is a turnover specialist. I think he would be a good fit in their hybrid defensive packages that Greg Williams’ deploys.
Although it’s looking more and more unlikely with the signing of Matt Jones and the tryout of Adam Jones, I would be thrilled to see T.O. in Cincinnati. It makes sense from so many standpoints. Clearly, Cincy is in need of receiving threats and T.O. wants to go to a team with a proven quarterback and Super Bowl aspirations. Although it would be difficult to harness the personalities of both a T.O. and an Ocho Cinco, it couldn’t be but so bad for one year. Marvin Lewis does a great job of handling explosive veteran personalities and it wouldn’t be much different with T.O. in the fold. They still need a tight end, but that can be addressed in the draft. T.O. would be a luxury.
It’s funny how far some people fall in just a couple of years in the NFL. In 2007 Antonio Cromartie was an All-Pro cornerback and an MVP candidate. Two undisciplined, injury-plagued seasons later, and this guy is in the NFL dog house. Not just the Chargers’ dog house, the NFL DOG HOUSE. He has put a lot of garbage on film and teams are recognizing it. There is some speculation that the Cowboys might trade Tashard Choice for Cromartie, but I would hope Jerry Jones isn’t that crazy. Most experts say the deal won’t work because the Cowboys already have enough good corners, but you can never have enough good DBs. But this dude just isn’t worth it. Despite running a sub 4.4 40 yard dash and having freakishly long arms, this guy can’t even concentrate on football with all the mess he’s got going on off the field. He’s had some previous run-ins with the law, but most recently it has been reported that he owes over $25,000 in child support. He has 7 children by 6 different women…and he’s only 25! And I may be mistaken but I’m pretty sure that his myspace nickname is “Crimetime”. Wow! Clearly this gentleman has a lot of growing up to do, and I personally hope he can get it together before his career is over.
Check back in later this week for a multitude of topics including labor peace and Brett Favre.
Keywords: Antonio Cromartie, Golden State Warriors, Julius Peppers, Monta Ellis, Nasheen Thabeet, O.J. Mayo, Tashard Choice, Terrell Owens
