Charley Chaplain; the return of

-- All the draft talk in recent weeks seems to be centered around the QB position, but two names I haven't heard mentioned at all but who I really like are Armanti Edwards and Daryll Clark. Edwards is coming from the Appalachian State Moutaineers, as the only QB in NCAA history to throw for over 10,000 yards and rush for another 4,000 in his career. And this is why I don't get the NFL sometimes. There are all kinds of arguments you can make about systems and the quality of the opposition, but man, 10,000 yards passing and 4,000 rushing. That's pretty special right there! Projections seem to be anywhere between the 4th and 6th rounds. That's a nice 4th round pick if you ask me. Clark meanwhile draws my attention through one simple record; 22 wins, 4 losses, with 43 career touchdown passes at Penn State. Another projected low rounder. Possibly another really good QB of the future. -- Sticking with the draft and there's emerging evidence that the Lions could go for an OT with the second pick overall, with Russell Okung the most likely candidate being touted. The Lions have already acquired one DT in free agency and are looking at another, so it's possible they are laying the groundwork for a move away from Suh or McCoy. To put it mildly this would completely screw most draft boards. The Bucs' would still take one of the big 2 DT, but then the Redskins are likely to stick with an offensive player and so on down the draft till maybe we get to the point where Suh or McCoy, whichever is left, ends up outside of the top ten. Just goes to show how crazy the draft can be sometimes, as a potential top 2 pick a month ago could now fall right down the board. -- Yesterday I had a moan about Charley Casserly. Today, I'd like to have another moan. He basically went on air and without a shred of irony said that he believes Tebow is not worth being taken beyond the fourth round. Just...... ugh. Fool, is all I can think of right now. -- And talking of Lord Tebow, Florida had it's pro day yesterday. By all accounts, Joe Haden clocked a much quicker 40 time in front of the assembled scouts and his draft stock has possibly risen from a top 25 to being a top 15. Isn't that nice. It's amazing in a league where drafting the right players and paying them the right cash is so important, that a 40 yard sprint time can have such an impact. Keep in mind that scouts don't even care about official times, they base their judgements on a time they keep with their own watches, that completely fail to factor in their personal reaction speeds, which for the start and finish can equate to anything between 3/10ths of a second, up to a whole half second. It's just madness, ludicrous, folly of the highest order. The same of which could be said about Tebows new mechanics. Everyone was ranting and raving about him, saying that the new motion was much quicker and more compact. I'll give you the compact bit. But quicker? No. What all the slobbering coaches and scouts in attendance seem to have not noticed is that Tebow may not have been swinging his arm about as much, but he still paused halfway when the ball was retracted. And I'm not talking about the static drills, I'm talking about while he was throwing to receivers. He was cocking his arm back, pausing, then releasing. The trouble, as many lesser beings like myself (when compared to the elite of NFL scouts) have guessed is that Tebow has spent his entire career in a certain rhythm. He sees a player get open, starts his motion and releases the ball according to an instinctive internal clock, just like every other QB in the history of football. So even though the motion has been "shortened", the internal clock is still working to the old time scale, hence the slight pause. It was only quicker in a very artificial, cosmetic way. So will his timing get quicker? Possibly, over time (hehe). Was it an issue in the first place? Only if you were looking for an extreme reason to b%*ch about Tebow and justify why he shouldn't be taken in the first round where he belongs. -- Derek Anderson has landed with the Cardinals. It's going to be interesting to see whether he can find his old form with a better receiving corps (the first hints will be reports from the Cardinals training camps that he's out playing Leinart). I've always been intrigued as to just how much of an effect a good group of receivers has on a QB. Now we may get a living, working experiment. -- Rex Grossman has been picked up by the Washington Redskins. My guess is they want insurance so they can go and grab an OT in the first round with the fourth pick overall and then grab a QB in the early stages of the second round. I often have trouble reminding myself that Grossman is only 29 and not 40, as I have a habit of picturing him in my head (no offense Rex). And I like Grossman. He's inconsistent to say the least, but there is talent there just waiting to be drawn out. And if Bret Favre can learn to not be so much of a gunslinger then I'm sure Grossman can curb his enthusiasm for the deep ball a little. Maybe being in Shanahans WCO will do him the world of good. Either that, or drive him nuts. Have a great day everyone.