A rough draft

Rippers weigh in on trade shenanigans, Shanahan and more

Without prelims, let's get right into the draft questions. Three references to the Minnesota-Baltimore trade that died aborning, and why are people mad at me about the way this worked out? OK, why is my namesake, Paul of Rochester, N.Y., angry? I didn't say the Vikes are responsible for Baltimore's failure to get Leftwich. I just speculated on the Ravens being mad at Minnesota for diddling around while the Vikings should have been closing the deal. And the Ravens are mad at them. So what's the gripe with me?

Thanks to Daniel of Stillwater, Minn., for putting this thing in perspective. The Vikes lost two lower draft choices, but the Ravens lost a QB, so despite how many other good players they got, their draft will still be a what-if, should Leftwich turn out to be a superstar.

To Steve of Washington: I don't care how the TV guys rated Leftwich against Boller, I talked to the Ravens people before the draft and Leftwich was their much-preferred QB. I only know what people tell me.

Vinnie of Hollywood, Fla., takes a major rip at Denver coach Mike Shanahan, beginning with this year's draft. Well, I didn't much like it, either. That's why I gave it a C-. Vinnie said Shanahan's drafts are usually weak. I'd put it a different way. They're kind of strange. He seems to get better players lower down than he does with his No. 1 choice. Brian Griese, for instance, was a third-round pick in the year that the top pick went for Marcus Nash. Clinton Portis was a second rounder last season; Ashley Lelie was No. 1. And don't forget that in Shanahan's first drafting year with the Raiders, 1995, during which he was minus the first three rounds, Terrell Davis was a sixth rounder and Byron Chamberlain came in the seventh. I think Shanahan is a good game planner, but I don't like some of his personnel decisions, i.e., Leon Lett and Chester McGlockton a couple of years ago. Finally, Vinnie says Shanahan should be a coordinator and not a GM. Well, he wields a lot of power, but technically he's not the GM. That job belongs to Ted Sundquist. I wouldn't be that tough on Shanahan. Give him another year or so. He has my personal guarantee.

More Denver, this time from Jorge of Mexico City. Do I think Mike Anderson is a better RB than Olandis Gary? Not better, different. Power versus slash. I think the Broncos like Anderson better because of Gary's injury history. To answer question No. 2: I am not a great fan of Argentinian wines, but I agree with you that Malbec is their most successful grape. Say, did you ever eat in a little Swiss restaurant right off the Reforma called Chez Henri? We discovered it during the '68 Olympics and ate there practically every night thereafter. I've told people many times that I consider Mexico City one of the world's great cities for restaurants -- better, for instance, than, shhh, Rome (gasps of astonishment).

Here come the Redskins fans, some in a good mood, some looking for trouble, which is my middle name, just like Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op. Let's start with the kind of ripper I've missed for the last few months ("Dr.? Doctor of what? You seem like a complete moron to me," etc.), Mike of L.A. How could I give the Redskins' draft a D, before I factored in Laveranues Coles? I gave it a D because it looked like a one-player draft, Taylor Jacobs, and he didn't answer any crying need. The other two guys didn't impress me. Coles lifted the draft to a B-. You say the other pickups should have been factored in. Perhaps, but with all the trading of draft choices that they did, it got too complicated. As for Trung Canidate, I don't much like him. I've already written, however, that I thought they've had a terrific offseason.

Joe of Virginia Beach, Va., likes the Skins' set of wideouts and thinks the team will make its mark in the NFC East this season. Wants to know what I think. I kind of like their offense, if the QB comes through, but I'm not sure about the defense. The Giants and Eagles are playoff hardened. I'd like the Cowboys better if I had some kind of a reading on their quarterback, but I think Parcells will have them playing at a higher level. I just re-read this paragraph and I see that I've supplied absolutely nothing you didn't already know. Sorry. I'm still tired from all that draft stuff I wrote.

Dan of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., finds three potential pass-catch combos just waiting to burst forth, Palmer to Washington in Cincy, Carr to Johnson in Houston, Harrington to Rogers in Detroit. It's all on the come, of course, but I think the Carr-Johnson combination will eventually be the most productive. As to which one will produce the most wins, I can't call it. Too many other factors involved, such as the rest of the team.

Damien, a "rabid Packers fan" from Seattle, is unhappy with the C- I awarded the Pack and said they had very little ammo with which to trade up for Rex Grossman -- if that is, indeed, whom they wanted. I don't know how much they wanted him -- as I wrote, they wouldn't talk to me -- but if the Packers were really nuts about him, they could have gotten it done, since they only had to move seven spots. All my information came from friends of friends and guys who talked to their scouts, etc. Leading the draft board with Nick Barnett doesn't thrill me. Now watch the guy go to the Pro Bowl, and people will be cutting out my words and sending them to me for all eternity. Just to show he's a sport, Damien ends his e-mail with a wine reference -- to Grgich Hills in Rutherford, N.J. I like the place -- and their Cabernets. You can always come in off the street and get a nice tasting, and perhaps Mike Grgich himself will be around to walk you through it. He is, incidentally, a cousin of former 49ers guard Visco Grgich.

Another Packers question, this time from a fellow Dr. Z, Scott Zimmerman of Menomonie, Wisc. He doesn't understand why I gave the Pack the grade I did, then went on to say nice things about their draftees. If you check it out, you'll see that I mentioned only three players, with a little background on each, without flatly saying they were really good players -- although they might prove to be some day. I liked the way Scott ended his missive -- "How does a regular guy like you get to live with a stunner like the Flaming Redhead?" Scott, you are being kind. I know that you really wanted to write, "How does a tired old warhorse like you ...?" etc. How did I get so lucky indeed? I don't want to give the story away, because it's long and complicated, but it all started at the NFL meetings in Phoenix eight years ago -- and ended with a trip to the rocky, wind-swept coastline of Mendocino, Calif.

Josh of Santa Clara, Calif., feels that the Cardinals' draft (and their trade at the top of it) was a disaster. I didn't like it, either, but we can't really get too nuts with our criticism until we see how these guys do under fire and ... oh, hell, you're right, of course. Their draft was pretty weak. And the trade made no sense at all to me.

Nate of Rochester, N.Y., thinks that the Bills can cover the loss of Peerless Price with Josh Reed. Well, yeah, if he shows real improvement. But look at it this way: They've weakened themselves in two spots, the No. 2 wideout, with Reed replacing Price, and the No. 3 position, with someone to be named later replacing Reed.

Jimmy of Bloomfield, N.J., feels that I should have factored in Jon Gruden as the No. 1 draft choice when evaluating Tampa Bay's board. Perhaps. It gets complicated. You're kidding, right? Oh, you're not. You know something, Jimbo ... it took me 14 hours, counting research, to do this piece, and by the time I got down to the Tampa Bay position I was so weary that I couldn't come up with a meaningful decision on how Gruden would have affected the grade. And besides, I happen to believe that the terrific staff of Tampa Bay assistants deserves just as much credit as the head coach does.

Luis of Dracut, Mass., a guy with the heart and stamina to finally get through after many reject notices, wonders about a resolution to the Carr-Henson situation in Houston. Also, who is the better prospect? Right now I'd say Carr, but I remember something Weeb Ewbank, one of pro football's most astute coaches when it came to dealing with QBs, once said, "If you have two quarterbacks of approximately the same age and ability, you're going to have a controversy." Thanks for your kind words, incidentally, and your offer of a bottle of your home brew. Sure I'm interested. Send it to Sports Illustrated, and if they don't drink it up, someone might actually get it to me.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman covers the NFL for the magazine and SI.com. His "Inside Football" column and Mailbag appear weekly on SI.com. To send a question to Dr. Z, click here.

 

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