2010 NFL Draft Mailbag

NFL Draft Mailbag Notes: Note that the e-mails I received have been italicized and left mostly unedited. My responses follow them.

1/5/10

2010 NFL Draft E-mails – Jimmy Clausen Injury



  • From Blake H.:

    ESPN is reporting that Jimmy Clausen will have toe surgery that will sideline him 2-3 months. How will this change his draft stock?


    –> Believe it or not, this could actually help Jimmy Clausen’s stock. Check out these two quotes from an ESPN report:

    “It’s a testament to him that he played with this type of injury. How he managed is beyond me. I can only imagine what he’ll be like when he’s fixed.”

    “This will help him. The fact that he played through that just shows his toughness and love [for] the game, and more importantly, his commitment to his teammates.”

    So much for the “lack of intangibles” that Todd McShay talked about.

    I never understood what that meant anyway. How can you know what a guy’s intangibles are if you’ve never been in the locker room with him? Could you imagine if this was applied to the real world? What if a boss fired one of his employees and said, “Hey, you do great work, but your intangibles are a bit down, so I’m going to have to let you go?”

    Pretty ridiculous and ignorant if you ask me. But then again, I’m not an Eric Berry type of player.





  • From Todd R.:

    I couldn’t disagree with you more on your Rams pick of Clausen. Two writers who for the STL Post Dispatch have almost confirmed the Rams want Suh. Devaney has almost come out and said that they want to take Suh.

    Too many questions about Clausen’s arm strength, you have a coach who made his bones on defense. I think it’s a lot more likely the Rams go with Suh in the first round and take a QB with the first pick of the second round.


    –> The Lions front office and the Detroit media were doing the same thing last year with Andre Smith, then Aaron Curry, then Jason Smith. The pick absolutely has to be Jimmy Clausen. There’s like a 90-percent bust rate for 2nd-round quarterbacks, and defensive tackles don’t lead teams to Super Bowls. Going Suh-Pike or Suh-Snead would be a horrific mistake that would set the Rams back five years.



  • From Stephan B.:

    I’d love Suh to get past the Rams, but I get a feeling Spagnuolo and his defensive background (and his love for DTs) will make Suh the selection.


    –> That’s actually a misconception.

    Usually, defensive-minded coaches pick offensive players and vice versa. Defensive coaches usually think they can fix their defense with lesser players, and vice versa. You look at Jim Scwartz, Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, etc. – all defensive guys – they all took a QB with their first pick in their first year.





  • From Don V.:

    The morning after that record setting performance by Tim Tebow last night in the Sugar Bowl, I got to thinking: The perfect guy for Mangini and the west coast offense of Mike Holmgren is Tim Tebow. Mangini loves those high character, tough, coachable players.

    This is assuming that Holmgren elects to keep Mangini, and I believe he will because Mangini will play the good soldier to the general. He has to realize that he must tow the company line if he ever wants to coach in the NFL again. Plus, he will be judged a hypocrite for not following the team first philosophy that he preaches.

    How about Tebow to the Browns?


    –> I don’t think Tim Tebow would be a great fit for the West Coast offense. Tebow has a lot of upside, but accuracy is not his greatest strength. Plus, to be fully effective in the WCO, he’d have to sit on the bench for a year or two because Urban Meyer foolishly kept him in that goofy offense where he didn’t have to make reads.

    Like Vince Young, Tebow can be successful in the NFL, but I just don’t see him as a WCO quarterback.



  • From Craig C.:

    Why is everybody so down on Brady Quinn? He has not even played a full season and people all ready pegged him to be a bust. He came out the same time Russel did with the Raiders and at least he has played a few seasons. I think people need to put into consideration Quinn is not a deep threat and that’s why he was so good with Notre Dame. He loves tight ends and short passes.

    He is in the wrong system now but I believe when Holmgren comes in and puts in the West Coast offense, Quinn will shine in this system. I like your pick of Eric Berry but am confused why everybody bashes Quinn for the short time he has played. What maybe 16 games he played?


    –> I’ve watched every start Brady Quinn has made this year except for one (Vikings game in Week 1). He’s not good. His downfield accuracy is downright depressing. Every shot he takes downfield sails out of bounds, and he’s often too scared to make deep throws because of that. He can’t stretch defenses, and every offense he plays in will always be limited. He’s basically a more famous version of Trent Edwards.



    2011 NFL Draft Mailbag Archive:

    2011 NFL Draft Mailbag Home
    Post-Round 1 E-mail - April 29
    Hate Mail Volume 7 - April 10
    Crackhead Mail Volume 2 - April 10
    Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 5 - April 10
    Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 5 - April 10
    Hate Mail Volume 6 - April 3
    Crackhead Mail - April 3
    Trade and Prospect Speculation - April 3
    Hate Mail Volume 5 - March 28
    Cam Newton Mailbag - March 28
    Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 4 - March 28
    Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 4 - March 28
    Hate Mail Volume 4 - March 13
    Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 3 - March 13
    Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 3 - March 13
    Random Questions and Comments - March 7
    Hate Mail Volume 3 - March 7
    Combine Questions and Comments - March 7
    Combine Hate Mail - March 7
    Hate Mail Volume 2 - Feb. 22
    Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 2 - Feb. 22
    Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 2 - Feb. 22
    Quarterbacks - Feb. 15
    Hate Mail - Feb. 15
    Random AFC Questions and Comments - Feb. 15
    Random NFC Questions and Comments - Feb. 15






    NFL Picks - Nov. 28


    2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 27


    NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 25


    Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4