Mock Drafts, Lions Coordinators & Ladies
Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 01.23.2009/6:32PM
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The hit list: Mock Drafts, the real draft, Gunther Cunningham, Scott Linehan, Drew Stanton, Rod Marinelli and “ladies:”
Q. Don Banks projects the Lions will take offensive tackle Andre Smith of Alabama with the No. 1 draft pick. On ESPN, Mel Kiper says it’ll be quarterback Matt Stafford of Georgia. Who’s right”
A. “Neither one – yet. And neither one is wrong, either. The draft starts in three months and a week. No NFL team has put so much as one name on its draft bard. That will be done about two weeks before the draft.
“Having said that, Smith and Stafford are good choices, but there will be one or two others by April 25, when the Lions make the first pick.
Mock drafts are as much fun as the real thing because we all can change our minds. In January of 2007, Kiper wrote the following about the Raiders, who had the first pick:
“The Raiders are in need of a franchise quarterback. They had the chance to take a QB in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft (Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler) and passed. Now that the Raiders have locked up the No. 1 pick in the ‘07 draft, Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn should be a lock to land in Oakland. Their offense is one of the worst I have ever seen and they cannot afford to pass on Quinn.”
“However, Kiper mentioned that LSU QB JaMarcus Russell had not yet declared for the draft – he did – and if he declared, he would create a scenario where the Raiders would have a choice of two quarterbacks. The Raiders took Russell. Quinn went to Cleveland at No. 22 – after a trade with Dallas.”
Q. Who would you take between Stafford and Smith?
A. “The real answer is probably neither, but between the two, I’d take Stafford. Smith got suspended from the Sugar Bowl for dealing with an agent, and he’s been overweight. That’s too much of a risk. People I talked to had Sam Bradford of Oklahoma rated over Stafford, but Bradford stayed in school.
“Stafford doesn’t appear to be accurate enough to be a franchise quarterback. Missing on a quarterback sets a team back further than missing on other positions because of the impact on the team – the money and time spent in development.
“As Jim Schwartz said in his introductory press conference, the quarterback is the trump card. If you draft one first overall, he’d better be an ace, and I don’t see an ace in this draft.”
Q. Schwartz hired Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator. In Kansas City, Cunningham’s defense ranked 31st in 2008 – ahead of only the Lions – and ninth in 2007. What was the difference?
A. “Players. In 2008, the Chiefs had 10 sacks, fewest in the league. In 2007 they had 37, tied with the Lions for ninth place. Jared Allen had 15.5 sacks for the Chiefs in 2007, but in ’08 he was traded to Minnesota, where he had 14.5 sacks. The Chiefs lost their best player, and the defense went in the tank.
“Coaches need players – whether it’s Gunther Cunningham or Joe Barry.”
Q. Scott Linehan is the Lions’ new offensive coordinator. What does that mean to the offense in general, and the quarterbacks in particular?
A. “The offense will be better, no matter who runs it. Jim Colletto flopped in his one season as coordinator. He was demoted to line coach after the season.
“On his website Thursday, Drew Stanton wrote that he was at Allen Park on Thursday to visit Schwartz, but the new head coach was busy ‘in an interview with someone who I would love to get here in Detroit, but will remain nameless at this point.’ I assume Stanton meant Linehan, and that he expects to get a fair shot at some playing time.
“Linehan was offensive coordinator in Minnesota when Daunte Culpepper had his three best seasons. That could help Culpepper if he is back in 2009 – but first Culpepper has to make a commitment to get his weight down. He was over 290 pounds last year. That doesn’t show any commitment to playing.”
Q. Rod Marinelli took some heat for referring to three beat writers from Detroit as “ladies” in refusing an interview request at the Senior Bowl. What’s your take?
A. “Too meaningless for comment – unless we put recorders in press rooms and publish every comment we make about people.”
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