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Is Bill Belichick Even Smarter Than We Already Think He Is?

The 2011 NFL Draft barely is over and thoughts already are turning to the 2012 NFL Draft. In particular, the destination of Andrew Luck is going to be a hot topic of conversation.

That conversation took an unexpected turn on ESPN when, prompted by a reader question, Adam Schefter theorized the Patriots could be working angles in the conference room about how to obtain Luck in next year's draft.

Since the Patriots are highly unlikely to end up with the first overall pick in the draft, they will have to trade up. With the haul the Patriots have gotten in recent years, and their constant drive to keep acquiring picks, not only would the Patriots have the ammo to move up, they would not be hurt deeply by losing a bunch of picks next year.

From ESPN.com:

What if a team that recently invested heavily in a quarterback, such as Carolina, comes up with the No. 1 overall pick? Would the Panthers turn their backs on Newton and pick Luck? I think they would have to. I think anyone picking No. 1 next year, no matter who it is, has to take Luck. But for the sake of argument, let's play out this hypothetical. New England can go to the team with the No. 1 pick next year -- if it is set at quarterback -- and say, We'll give you two No. 1 picks this year, two No. 2 picks this year and one No. 1 pick next year. Would a team that has another quarterback be willing to deal the rights to Luck for five premier draft picks? My guess is no. But it doesn't mean New England couldn't try to set itself up for the next dozen years once Brady retires. It could be a very interesting storyline at next year's draft.

This story qualifies as a mind-blower. Not only is it plausible from a pure stock and trade standpoint, Bill Belichick is one of the few football guys savvy and gutsy enough to pull it off.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

If Carolina still flops in 2011 (which is very possible), but is not ready to give up on Cam Newton, then the No. 1 overall pick goes up for bidding, and Belichick most likely will be one of the few guys with the ammo to be the highest bidder.

Think of all the depth Belichick has acquired in the last few years, and we have not even seen what his draft haul this year will produce. If Belichick ends up with Luck and then a handful of low picks, it is not going to matter.

This is a great thought and something to chew on over the summer until real football starts.

To the main questions, though: Do I think it will happen? No.

Can it happen?

Definitely. Anything is possible.

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Every NFL team has regrets later on when it comes to the NFL Draft whether they admit it or not.

For example, every team with a need who passed up on Clay Matthews in 2009 (including the Cleveland Browns, THREE Times) probably kicked themselves every time Matthews destroyed their quarterback.

The Carolina Panthers will be second-guessed for the next few years because they had the first pick in the draft, and if Cam Newton is not an immediate success, they passed up every other quality player in the draft in favor of taking a huge risk with Newton.

The Detroit Lions took Nick Fairley, but they left Jimmy Smith and Prince Amukamara on the board when corner was a position of need.

The Cleveland Browns drafted Phil Taylor but left Cameron Heyward, Cameron Jordan and Muhammad Wilkerson on the board.

The New York Giants probably could have better utilized their first-round pick on an offensive lineman like Anthony Castonzo or Gabe Carimi, and the Kansas City Chiefs reached for Jonathan Baldwin.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

The Chiefs could have drafted a Randall Cobb or Titus Young, who look more explosive than Baldwin does, but wide receivers are difficult to grade out at the end of the day.

We will find out who was right and who was wrong over the course of the next three years.

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Marcell Dareus Looks Like The Real Thing

Looking down the list of first-round draft picks, there are a lot of defensive picks. While the quality of the quarterback talent will be debated, there is no debate this draft was loaded with great talent on defense.

There are five guys, though, who stand out and seem like locks to have an impact their rookie season.

The number one guy is the first guy off the board to Denver, Marcell Dareus. Dareus has the size, speed and dedication you want to see out of a first-round pick. Dareus is going to be terrorizing quarterbacks and running backs for the next decade at least.

Right behind him is Von Miller, who will re-energize the Arizona Cardinals' defense. Miller is the kind of player who senses where the ball is and will be involved in a lot of plays this year.

Patrick Peterson is an immediate game-changer, and opposing quarterbacks are going to learn to respect his skills very early in the season.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

J.J. Watt is the defensive end who stands out to me as the pass rusher who will be making the most highlight reels in the coming year. He has a nose for the quarterback and will be hard to defend.

Finally, I see Cory Liuget as having the kind of impact for the St. Louis Rams as Ndamukong Suh has had for the Detroit Lions. Liuget is the real thing and the Rams will be very happy he fell into their lap.

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Tony Romo Preparing For Another Run At The U.S. Open

Tony Romo is a bit of controversial figure in Dallas because the Cowboys have failed to make a Super Bowl while he has been a starter, but the potential always has been there.

Romo's failures in the postseason get highlighted by his main offseason activity of trying to play in the U.S. Open of Golf.

The Open takes place in June, with the qualifiers in the weeks leading up to it. These all happen in the offseason, and usually do not conflict with the Cowboys OTAs or minicamps. However, the fact Romo spends so much of the offseason pursuing his golf dream have caused many fans to question his passion for football.

When you do not have a Lombardi Trophy to your credit, these arguments get brought up, fair or not.

From Profootballtalk.com:

On May 9, Romo will hit the links for a preliminary round, the first step toward his dream of qualifying for this year’s U.S. Open, which takes place June 16-19.

With a lockout on, Romo should be free of the usual criticism, but then you look around and see Colt McCoy and Drew Brees organizing team workouts and drills. Unless Romo is doing the same between golf outings, it would be fair to subject him to the usual round of criticism.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

To be completely fair, Romo withdrew from a qualifying event last year when a weather delay forced it into conflict with a Cowboy activity.

A lot of football players enjoy golf in the offseason, but few have pursued it as passionately as Romo has the last few years.

If Romo wants to play in the U.S. Open, then he should try if his schedule allows it. But if this pursuit conflicts with his football career, than he is in the wrong.

That is a judgment call only the Cowboys front office truly can make, and with the lockout, they really have no say in the matter this year.

Plus, if the lockout is on through May and June, who really cares what Romo does with his time?

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Simms Faces Up To A Year In Jail If Convicted

Chris Simms is using one of the oldest excuses in the book while on trial for allegedly driving while high: His friends were smoking, not him.

Simms was pulled over last year at a sobriety checkpoint where the police allege he looked like a "zombie" and was "slurring his words."

Simms claims friends in the car were smoking marijuana and that he told them to stop prior to being pulled over.

Simms tested negative for alcohol but refused to take a urine test.

This case is going to come down to the word of the police officer versus Simms. Whatever your opinion on the case, the courts generally rule in favor of the police when it comes down to one person's word over another.

Besides, the "my friend did it" defense seems pretty weak. This is not to say it is not true, but it is weak. It also shows a lack of judgment on his part.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

I had friends who smoked various substances, legal or otherwise, when I was in high school and college. None of them were allowed to smoke in my car or my residence. That was a rule I strictly enforced, and I was a broke college student, not a rich athlete.

Only one "friend" I knew ever broke that rule and he was promptly kicked out of my house and I never spoke to him again because of the level of disrespect he showed. I did not care if he smoked marijuana, that was his business. I did care that he did not have enough respect for me to respect the rules of my house.

Simms may need to choose better friends, because if his story is true, there is not much anyone can do about it at this point. Simms should have said "no smoking in my car," but he did not, so now he is in this situation.

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McCoy Reports His Shoulder Is Healthy

Despite having a new head coach who also is the offensive coordinator, the Cleveland Browns did manage to get their new playbook out to their starting quarterback, unlike the Miami Dolphins.

Colt McCoy got to see the new playbook prior to the lockout, a move that cost the Browns $50,000 but could be money well spent if it gives them a leg up in the 2011 season.

McCoy began gathering his teammates to hold workouts to stay sharp during the lockout.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"We have a new coach and a new system and I'm really the only one that has that much clue about what's going on," said McCoy. "I've spent a lot of time in the playbook, so it was important for us to get together and study. It was a lot mental. We spent a lot of time understanding the basic foundation of what goes on in the West Coast. It's a lot different from what we ran last year."

The Browns know they have to work harder than other teams in the league because of how far behind they will be once training camps open. There is a whole new coaching staff and a bunch of new players.

The Browns are putting the franchise in the hands of McCoy, and this is an exciting thing. McCoy showed last year he has the skills to be successful in the NFL. The only question is his size and if he can take the pounding week-after-week.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

As long as McCoy can keep getting back up from hits, the Browns will have their franchise quarterback. McCoy reported his shoulder finally is 100 percent from the injury sustained in the National Championship Game in 2010.

He got that injury from a Marcell Dareus hit, and Dareus now is a member of the Buffalo Bills.

With a healthy McCoy and better coaching, the Browns hopefully will be a much better team in 2011.

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Donte Whitner Reportedly Wants Out Of Buffalo

The Buffalo Bills drafted Aaron Williams plus two other defensive backs, and that means somebody could lose their job. According to General Manager Buddy Nix, Donte Whitner is the guy not coming back.

Whitner cleaned his locker out early and avoided the media at the end of the season, and now Nix said he believes Whitner does not want to come back.

Whitner makes a lot of tackles, but he only had one interception in 2010 and only five total in his career. You would like to see more than that from a first-round draft pick.

Whitner is from Cleveland, so he has no local ties keeping him to Buffalo. But he also has not lived up to his first-round draft slot and can not expect to get a premium contract elsewhere in the league.

The NFL is a big league, and Whitner will end up somewhere, but it looks like his time in Buffalo is over.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Whitner was tendered prior to the lockout with a one-year contract, but until there is a new CBA, it is unclear what Whitner will do or where he will play.

With three rookies, though, the Bills are saying they are moving on, and they will do it with or without Whitner.

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Herzlich's Health Problems Create A Draft Problem In Two Leagues

The UFL held its draft on Monday, and Mark Herzlich was drafted 51st overall. The UFL draft only was 52 players deep, but Herzlich is considered high risk.

The UFL drafted from the pool of players who went undrafted in the NFL, and Herzlich was one of them. Herzlich is a cancer survivor, and all 32 NFL teams felt he was too big a health risk to use a draft pick on.

Ordinarily, Herzlich would have signed a free agent contract by now, but with the lockout in full effect, that can not happen.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

The UFL is an option, but because of Herzlich's unique situation, even the UFL was reluctant to draft him.

From Profootballtalk.com:

He likely didn’t go higher because the five UFL teams realize that Herzlich will be more inclined to sign a free-agent contract with an NFL team, once the lockout is lifted, either judicially or otherwise.

Herzlich can play, and whichever team he ends up signing with will end up with a steal.

As for the UFL, those players stand to gain a lot by showing up and playing, especially if the lockout continues into the summer. With no other football on, the players can get more exposure, and playing well, even in the UFL, can do wonders down the road.

Dolphins Have A New Offense, But Apparently No Plays

The Miami Dolphins are in a tailspin and the season has not even begun yet. With a narrow window in which to get the playbook out to the players, the Dolphins ended up distributing nothing.

The Dolphins have done a lot of questionable things lately. They pushed out Bill Parcells, left Head Coach Tony Sparano hanging out in the wind while they openly courted Jim Harbaugh and then hired Brian Daboll as the new offensive coordinator.

Daboll spent two years as the OC in Cleveland, and the Browns had one of the worst offenses in the league. While the talent was not elite, and there were a bunch of different quarterbacks behind center, the level of ineptitude from the sidelines certainly did not help the situation.

Daboll had no offensive philosophy anyone with any football acumen could discern and he could not react to the flow of a game or adapt to the other team's moves. Once his original plan started to fail, he had no fallback and the Browns hardly ever scored as a result.

If it were not for Peyton Hillis, the Browns could have set records for offensive futility.

So the Dolphins thought it would be a great idea to hire him, and he has rewarded them by not having a playbook ready.

From Profootballtalk.com:

According to Andrew Carter of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins didn’t distribute new offensive playbooks.  Per Carter, coach Tony Sparano said there wasn't enough time for new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to distribute the playbooks.

Sorry, but that’s not good enough.  Teams had to realize that there was a chance Judge Susan Nelson would lift the lockout — and that there also was a chance that the doors would open for a brief period of time before the legal process permitted them to slam shut again.  Thus, every team should have been ready to take full advantage of the window of opportunity to get playbooks in the hands of players.

To me, this is classic Daboll. The guy just does not "get it," and he never will. He seems to skate through the NFL with no track record of success, but everyone likes him.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds



The Dolphins are in for a long year because no one will know what the offense is going to look like until the day before the season starts at this point, and even then you can expect to see no real direction.

Daboll likes running the ball between the tackles, no matter how the defense is set up, and then throwing three-yard out routes on third-and-seven.

This is not an exaggeration. Daboll plays for the field goal.

Apologies to Dolphins fans in the year to come, it is going to be a long year.

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Pat Devlin One Of The Bigger Unclaimed Players

The UFL is going ahead with their 2011 season whether the NFL does or not. In fact, the absence of an offseason program is good news for the UFL.

With the lockout, and the NFL franchises unable to sign any undrafted free agents today, the UFL is taking advantage of the situation. Their draft begins today.

From Profootballtalk.com:

The UFL is banking on the Eighth Circuit Court in St. Louis implementing a full stay of the lockout injunction. If the stay is not granted, Mueller, Glanville, and their competitors will have little chance of signing rookies who went undrafted by the NFL but were selected by the UFL.

The catch is that any player signing with the UFL will be bound into a contract, according to Breer, and unable to job-jump into the NFL. So players like Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin, and West Virginia running back Noel Devine would be taking quite the risk by signing with the less desirable football league.

With so much uncertainty, a lot of these players may decide any paycheck is better than no paycheck.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

If the NFL lockout extends into the summer and affects training camps and the beginning of the season, that is when the UFL will be playing their games and that is when these players all can be seen.

The players could just sign a one-year contract and hope for the best. Looking good in any league is a good audition for the NFL.

There will be a lot of undrafted players who end up in the UFL because they know they will be starters over there while their chances of being starters in the NFL this year are slim at best.

Once the court decisions are made, things will become clearer. Until then, speculation rules, and the UFL will draft whoever they are able to draft.

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Study Reveals Brain Damage From Concussions

Former Bears player Dave Duerson committed suicide recently, asking in his note to have his brain studied to determine if it had suffered damage from multiple concussions.

The answer to that question was released today, and the answer was a "yes," something that comes as a surprise to no one at this point.

From Profootballtalk.com:

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy announced its findings this morning at the request of the Duerson family.

After playing seven years with the Bears, one with the Giants and three with the Cardinals, Duerson retired and at first had success in the restaurant business but began to have physical and mental problems in his 40s, and his businesses failed. He suspected that repeated blows to the head on the football field may have led to the difficulties he had later in life.

Duerson was a good player, and the circumstances of his death are tragic. That being said, there now is some good that came out of this terrible situation. With "hard" evidence of concussion damage, there is less wiggle room for players who still have not bought into the concussion problem.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Players like James Harrison, who revel in destroying their opponents, brag about knocking people into next week and then complaining about being punished for it later now can be shown the brain of a man who played the game and suffered because of it.

The game constantly is evolving, and the technology has evolved with it. Aaron Rodgers credited a new kind of helmet from saving him from a concussion late last season.

It may be time for that helmet to become required head gear moving forward.

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With Tim Tebow, Orton Brings Good Trade Value To Denver

John Elway may have done his job prior to the draft a little too well. With all the talk about the Broncos drafting a quarterback because neither Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow were seen as the future of the franchise, now there is talk Orton may be on his way out.

The Broncos did not select a quarterback, therefore they now have to make a decision with Orton and Tebow. Tebow showed promise in his handful of starts at the end of last season, but Orton also looked good prior to being injured.

From ESPN.com:

However, the longer the lockout extends, the higher the odds are that Orton stays in Denver. If second-year quarterback Tim Tebow doesn’t get ample offseason work, the Broncos could be tempted to begin the season with Orton as the starter. Still, because Orton’s contract ends after this season, the Broncos might be swayed to trade him while they can get a decent return for him. Here are a few teams that may be interested in Orton because they didn’t address quarterback in the draft.

The Broncos may have tipped their hand while throwing up smokescreens prior to the draft.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

If the Broncos did not take a quarterback in the draft, it means they are happy with what they have at the moment.

Currently, the Broncos depth chart reads Orton, Tebow and Brady Quinn. Quinn is a perfectly capable backup, meaning if Orton is traded to bring maximum value back to the Denver organization, you still have two first-round draft picks on your roster.

A third quarterback can be added anywhere, anytime, so this is the least of the Broncos concerns.

What the Broncos are hoping is they get the most out of both quarterbacks and bring a championship to Denver. If that means one of them has to go, then so be it.

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Dez Bryant Continues His Run Of Bad Decision-Making

The NFL was open for business for one day last week, and during that time Dez Bryant was suppose to go to the Dallas Cowboys’ facility and meet with Owner Jerry Jones.

That never happened.

Bryant, who got sued by several Dallas-area jewelers for unpaid bills and was tossed out of a Dallas-area mall in the last few months, failed to show for a meeting Jones already had announced would happen.

This also meant team doctors could not examine his ankle and get a first-hand look at how it is healing.

From The Star Telegram:

Dez no-showed. And although Jerry tried to alibi for Bryant on Friday, let's be clear here. Dez out-and-out punked Jerry by no-showing.

"I was out of town, in New York for the draft, and just got back," said Bryant's local adviser, David Wells, on Saturday. "I've got a lot of calls on it, but I truly don't know what happened."

Bryant had red flags prior to the 2010 NFL Draft, but the Cowboys are an organization who feels confident they can handle big egos.

What the Cowboys did not count on was a player who is so immature he frustrates everyone who tries to help him to the point where a lot of them already have given up or cut ties.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Bryant’s teammates wanted to sit down and have a talk with him, but that has yet to happen.

I am cynical when it comes to Bryant. It seems to me he has the mentality of a four-year old, and if that is something he has not matured out of by this point in his life, then it probably is not ever going to happen.

The Cowboys are stuck now because Bryant is an incredible talent on the field who seems impossible to deal with off the field.

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Ryan Mallett Will Not Be The Star In New England

Ryan Mallett apparently was not well-liked around the NFL. He sank all the way into the third round before Bill Belichick decided he could use a backup quarterback to develop.

As I said previously today, Mallett's stock dropped once team-after-team met with him and characterized him as having a million-dollar arm and a 10-cent head. With the Patriots, there is no doubt who the starter is and where Mallett stands in the pecking order.

No one will be chanting Mallett's name in the stands if Brady throws a pick, and no one in the locker room will be lobbying for Mallett to get more playing time.

Under Belichick, Mallett will get some much-needed time to mature and learn the pro game.

It is the best situation Mallett could have found himself in. Mallett will be under no pressure to be the guy and he will have no expectations on him other than to practice hard and learn the game.

If Mallett's attitude is terrible, he will not last long, and there obviously are few other teams that interested in obtaining his services at this point.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Mallett said he would reward whichever team was "smart enough to draft him," while Tom Brady said he intends to play another 10 years.

While this makes training camp more interesting, unless Mallett proves he can be the backup quarterback, the drama ends on Week One when Tom Brady takes the field.

Should Brady be injured and Mallett gets some starts, that is when we find out if Mallett has learned anything, or if Belichick will be looking through the draft next year for another possible successor to Brady.

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Newton Says He Is Capable Of Learning Quickly

Cam Newton began his public relations campaign this week to combat the belief he will not be able to learn a pro-style offense at Carolina.

Newton appeared on ESPN's Mike and Mike In The Morning on Monday and said he took offense to criticisms online and on TV about his ability to transition into the pro game.

From ProFootballTalk.com:

Specifically, Newton said, he’s bothered by people saying that his Auburn career was aided because “our offense is so simplistic,” and that he can’t handle an NFL offense, which requires players to practically learn a new language in order to call the plays.

“You can’t fault me for not having a lengthy play at Auburn,” Newton said. “There was a lot of success we had at Auburn without any lengthy plays.”

This is not a good sign for Carolina Panthers fans.

Newton may sound like he is confident when he says it is not “his fault” about the simplistic offense at Auburn, but he conveniently ignores the fact he now must shoulder the burden of learning a whole new way of running an offense that is 10 times as complex as what he had been running.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Newton made a lot of plays with his feet, and no matter how much he will try and adapt his game in Carolina, his first instincts always will be to tuck the ball in and make the play himself.

Newton said he has the playbook and is studying it right now. That is a good thing but it only is one piece of the process.

Newton now must hope the lockout ends sooner rather than later and get back on the practice field and show the coaches he is a fast learner.

If Newton shows up to camp and still can not call or understand a pro-style play, the Panthers are in very deep trouble.