Tinderbox: NFL Mediation, and the Draft

Well, the one eventuality I didn’t prepare myself for was the one that occurred: Judge Nelson decided to take a couple of weeks to mull it over. Meanwhile, she urged both parties to continue talks in hope of reaching a settlement. As you all likely saw, the NFL invited the players to return to the FMCS and resume collective bargaining under federal mediator George Cohen; the players—who, no longer unionized, can’t collectively bargain—invited the NFL to negotiate a settlement presided by Judge Nelson herself.

After some po-tay-to/po-tah-to back and forth, Judge Nelson will host a conference call today to settle the issue of where and how mediation will occur. I applaud the league for offering written assurances that these talks will in no way be used against the players as the lawsuit goes forward. It’s a clear sign that both sides truly want an agreement. I also applaud Judge Nelson for giving the sides another chance to settle it like grownups, before she gets out the wooden spoon and starts paddling heinies.

Among many more important things, I worried that government shutdown would prevent federal mediation. However, Gabe Feldman, director of Tulane's Sports Law program, says George Cohen would be available to mediate even in event the Republicans and Democrats prove even harder to bring together than the NFL and NFLPA*.

The Net Rat deconstructed the idea that Lions should draft an offensive tackle 13th overall. He goes point-by-point: the Lions’ line was quite good at pass protection, none of the available tackles will be an immediate upgrade, a rookie may not be as ready as Fox or Hilliard, and it’s unlikely that only one of Backus, Cherilus, Fox, Hilliard, and Ugoh will be able to play at a high level this year. I agree with all of this.

Here’s what the case for an OT (and, for that matter, a DE) boils down to: there will surely be a couple of very good ones available when the Lions pick. Year after year, the Lions have passed on taking an OT with truly elite size and athleticism, because they had more pressing needs elsewhere. Time after time, Lions fans decried the wasted opportunity . . . now, one may fall in their lap.

I believe the situation is perfect for a guy like Colorado’s Nate Solder. He possesses that magically rare combination of huge frame (6’-8”, 319) and incredible athleticism—but he needs time to develop bulk and technique. If he were a little more developed, and a careerlong OT instead of a converted TE, he’d likely not make it out of the top five. Instead, he’s a project with the potential to not only replace Backus in a few years, but be the kind of elite blindside guardian Lions fans have craved ever since Lomas Brown.

Don't get this twisted; I'm not saying the Lions NEED to draft an offensive tackle, or even Solder specifically. I’m saying Backus’ consecutive-start streak, Gosder Cherilus’ knee, and Jason Fox’s development, are things the Lions can’t bet on beyond 2011. There is a need for a long-term solution, and—if everything goes to plan—the Lions  won’t be drafting high enough to net an OT with Solder’s tools for a long, long time.

One last bit of business: I have to take time out to plug my friends over at Sideline Scouting. They’re a bunch of fanatical fans, like me, who’ve been putting their nose to the grindstone and churning out excellent draft guides year after year. The 2011 edition of Sideline Scouting’s draft preview is 391 pages, over 32 megabytes, and just $5.00. I love their work, I use their guide extensively as a reference, every year, and I recommend you do so, too.

Technorati Tags: nfl,nfl mediation,nfl lockout,jeff backus,nate solder,gosder cherilus

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Three Cups Deep: Senior Bowl Recap & Results

For those of you who weren’t following my obsessive Tweeting on Saturday evening, but are interested in what went down during the Senior Bowl practices and game, I’ve got you covered. I put up a quick post earlier with some site names, but here are the links to the practice reports and game recaps you need:

• Scout.com’s Senior Bowl reports. This is a premium site, but I’ve been relying on the Scout.com staff’s Senior Bowl stuff for years. Comprehensive and accurate, as always.
• Michael Schottey, of the Bleacher Report, was at the Senior Bowl along with some of the rest of the B/R folk. Mr. Schottey isn’t just a football dude who was there, though—he’s very well versed in player evaluation. That link takes you B/R’s collective Senior Bowl articles, and there’s lots of good stuff there. 
• Wes Bunting, of the National Football Post, is a trained scout and very good writer; his stuff is mandatory reading.
• The guys from Sideline Scouting work their tails off, and it shows. I had their draft guide last year, and I was glad I did. Their Senior Bowl coverage didn’t disappoint, so go read it.
• Fellow Big Lead Sports site DraftZoo was in Mobile as well, and their head dude Hunter Ansley put up some really excellent practice recaps.

My own impressions? The game was a textbook example of what the game of football is really about: line play. When you have subpar quarterback play, and no offensive chemistry or familiarity, the coaches’ bag of tricks is emptied. In an All-Star game like this, the coaches can’t hide their quarterbacks’ limitations, and they can’t manufacture pass rush with exotic schemes (typically forbidden). Both phases of the game become about talent and execution in the trenches. The North was dominated by the South on both sides of the line, especially in the first half.

At least on Saturday, at least to my eyes, the best lineman on the field was Alabama OT James Carpenter. At 6'-4 3/4", 313, Carpenter's pass protection gave the southern quarterbacks plenty of time to throw. I was hoping to see the bigger Northern DEs like Ryan Kerrigan flash speed to go with their size, but Carpenter easily handled them. He also showed power in the run game and good athleticism.

I was also hoping to see MSU linebacker Greg Jones make a big impact, but he didn’t. Part of it was the South’s reliance on delays and draws in the run game; there weren’t a lot of opportunities for Jones to simply flow to the ball carrier and make the tackle. Further, Jones played (as far as I saw) entirely in the middle; I don’t see him as an MLB in the pros.

Stanford safety Richard Sherman really caught my eye. He’s nearly 6’-3”, played the run with physicality, and made a great adjustment to picked off a deep ball (called back for defensive offsides). He looked to be playing with fire out there, and having fun in the process.

One guy you’re likely to hear your fellow Lions fans drooling over is UNC corner Kendric Burney.  He made a lot of plays in the game after impressing all week. Despite his size, he plays with a lot of toughness and shows good instincts. Unfortunately, due to his size (and his lack of blazing deep speed), Burney is unlikely to be an immediate #2 corner except in a Tampa 2. He definitely played his best when the ball was in front of him; he could be an excellent #3 guy. Actually, his combination of (small) size, physicality, instincts, playmaking, and limitations remind me a lot of Alphonso Smith. He’s a player, but I don’t see him as a fit for the Lions.

Finally, keep an eye on Cal DE Cameron Jordan. After hearing folks rave about his practices all week, saying how much he stood out and how much money he was making himself, Jordan was mostly invisible in the game. This reminded me a lot of B.J. Raji, who entered Mobile as a late first/early second guy with upside and character issues, and left Mobile as a lock for the top ten, even though he didn't make an impact in the game. As Gandalf said about Gollum, I think Cameron Jordan has some part to play yet, for good or for ill.

Technorati Tags: nfl,nfl draft,senior bowl,michael schottey,draftzoo,sideline scouting,james carpenter,ryan kerrigan,greg jones,richard sherman,kendrick burney,cameron jordan

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