One of the many days you all have been waiting for from me. My NFL draft preview spectacular. Now, I am no Mel Kiper Jr. I have not followed these players since high school and I do not sport a pompadour. But I do watch a shit load of football. Mostly I am going to talk about the quarterback position.

Many of the NFL draft prognosticators have Vince Young and Matt Leinart going in the top 5. There is nothing unusual about this. Both of these quarterbacks were Heisman Trophy finalists and were the starting signal callers for the two teams in the national championship game. Quarterback is considered the most important position on a football team so when one wins the national title (Young) and one not only wins a national title, but also a Heisman trophy as well as finish with a 37-2 career record (Leinart), there is a good chance of an overreaction.

I have seen a ton of quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 in my life. Players like McNabb, Culpepper, Vick, and Peyton Manning were all drafted in the top 10. All are successful, but they have never won any Super Bowls. With that said, these are all players you would not mind having on your team. Players like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, and Cade McNown have also been drafted in the top 10. All were here today, gone tomorrow, never to be heard from again, and are obviously players you do not want on your team. But then you have legends like Tom Brady and Brett Favre who were not even drafted in the top 210. I think you get the point. It’s sort of crap shoot. Well, not exactly. What I am saying is that general managers, coaches, and team owners must evaluate talent and not worry so much about what a kid did in college. Most of the time when a college quarterback wins a lot, it is in large part because of the talent around him.

Back to Leinart and Young. Leinart is the thrower and Young is the runner. Despite their college success, Merrill Hoge says these two are not even worthy of a first round pick let alone a top 5 pick. Many people may think he is out of his mind, but I don’t and I have listed the reasons why. I could list more. Do Rick Mirer and Danny Wuerffel ring a bell? Vince played in a one read system, meaning when the play is called, there is one place the ball is supposed to go. Basically he did not have to read defenses. I would say because of this, there is no way he could play in the league, but Chris Simms (a 3rd round pick and starting Tampa Bay quarterback) played in the same system. Vince is being so hughly touted because of POTENTIAL. The guy is 6 foot 5 inches, 240 pounds, runs a 4.6 forty, and can heave it about 65 yards in the air. All great attributes, but football is played on the field in pads. Not in a weight room or on the track. And certainly not in shorts and a red jersey that designates you as a quarterback. I had potential at one time. Now I write blogs about sports betting.

Matt Leinart’s upside is considered not as high as Young’s but he is widely considered as more ready to step in and play now. Matt Leinart played in more of a pro style offense, but he also had the future number 1 overall pick, Reggie Bush, playing in his backfield. I know how I feel about Vince Young. He played in a spread offense (a lot of shotgun and 3 and 4 wide receiver sets) and he ran that sort of veer option offense (also from the shotgun), which just does not happen in the NFL. I am unsure about Leinart though. I know I am getting pretty technical now and this blog is getting awfully lengthy.

In a nutshell I think Leinart is a better quarterback, but Vince Young has the potential to be a better quarterback, but who really knows until they get out on the field. People say that if there is no one open, Vince can break down the defense with his running ability.

With that said I think the best quarterback to come out of this draft is a guy by the name of Omar Jacobs from Bowling Green. Bowling Green is a college that hails from the MAC (Mid American Conference). The MAC has yielded such quarterbacks as Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich, and Chad Pennington in the recent past. Omar is 6 foot 4 inches, 225 pounds, and can run. He was oft injured this past season and maybe that is why he is not getting any publicity, but in the 2004 season he threw 41 touchdowns and 4 picks. That is over a 10 to 1 ratio!!!! Are you serious!!?

Also look for Bruce Gradkowski from Toledo (also a MAC school) to be drafted. I don’t know how good he will be, but he was definitely a solid college player.

But remember you heard it here first, Omar Jacobs. Here’s the deal:

NBA PLayoffs: 6-4-2 record
WASHINGTON(-3) over cleveland
san antonio (-2.5) over SACRAMENTO

MLB:
PHILLS over pirates
astros over REDS
rocks over MARLINS
CARDS over nats
dodgers over PADRES
GIANTS over d backs
ORIOLES over mariners
TIGERS over twins
blue jays over YANKS
red sox over D RAYS
athletics over ROYALS
WHITE SOX over angels

HOME TEAMS IN CAPS
Happy Betting!!