Bleacher Report - Articles by Isaiah Peart

Will Matthew Stafford Be This Year's Matt Leinart?

Isaiah Peart — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:46:45 -0400

Top 10 QB in the NFL Draft. Drafted by a rebuilding team with a big-name receiver. Sharing snaps with a veteran journeyman QB.

Matthew Stafford?

No, Matt Leinart.

The situation Stafford falls into is eerily similar to the same one Leinart fell into after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Everyone knows the deal with Leinart; he got outplayed by Kurt Warner, who doesn't look like he is slowing down anytime soon. Then his work ethic was questioned when everyone couldn't figure out why he wasn't starting over Warner.

Fact of the matter is, Warner is a great QB, and Leinart wasn't ready at the time to take the reins. Not saying he won't ever lead the Cardinals, but he will have to continue to wait until Warner stops succeeding.

Enter Matthew Stafford, first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft to the Detroit Lions. He will be competing with Daunte Culpepper for the starting QB job. Everyone knows at some point Stafford will be starting; the question is when? Will it be from day one, halfway through the season, or a few years down the road?

The latter is very possible, seeing as once upon a time Culpepper was a good QB. Since injuring his knee, Culpepper hasn't put up the big numbers he did when in Minnesota. But was it the knee as much as it was the loss of Randy Moss? The last time Culpepper had a Pro Bowl-worthy season, he was chucking it up to Moss.

Well, now he has Calvin Johnson, and Culpepper is smiling a little more. If Culpepper has a respectable season, Stafford could be looking at riding the pine a little longer than expected. After all, all the pieces are there for Culpepper to do it; now we just have to wait and see if he does.

Who knows what will happen? Culpepper might flop or shine. Maybe Stafford wins the job from the start, or maybe pictures of him in a Jacuzzi surface on the Internet.

One thing is for sure—it's the NFL, which means anything is possible, and either we will love it or hate it.

"Mr. Irrelevant: An Ode To The Underdog"

Isaiah Peart — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:43:04 -0400

His name isn't announced, he doesn't receive a huge contract and he isn't even promised a roster spot. He is "Mr. Irrelevant" the last pick of the NFL Draft. I feel it's time he received his 15 minutes even if it is from a amateur writer.

The award was created in 1976 by Paul Salata an ex-NFL WR. He created the award as a way of recognizing the last man selected. He also created Irrelevant Week, a time where the player and his family are treated to a weekend in the player's honor.

The title was first awarded after the 1976 NFL Draft to Kelvin Kirk a WR picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most recent "winner" was Ryan Succop a kicker picked by the Chiefs. Every "winner" is given the Lowsman Trophy which mimics the Heisman Trophy except the player is fumbling the ball.

These players are usually guys from small schools, didn't have the production, size, skill set or just didn't fall into the "formula" NFL Scouts use to judge talent. That doesn't mean they weren't relevant in college. Last year's "winner" David Vobora was a standout LB for Idaho.

Now contrary to popular belief being picked last does not ensure NFL obscurity. There are a number of players who have had successful careers or contributed to their teams in some way. In fact Mr. Irrelevant 1978 Bill Kenney was selected to a Pro Bowl after setting team records in passing yards and completions. He is the only one to be selected to a Pro Bowl.

They're the underdogs of the draft. They did just enough to be drafted but not enough avoid this "honor". You won't find their names in the history books and you won't hear much from them on ESPN. But the fact of the matter is they were drafted and doesn't that mean something?

Late-Round Rookies Who Can Make an Impact

Isaiah Peart — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:25:56 -0400

Last year many rookies played a big part in their teams success. Whether it was Matt Ryan having one of the best statistical seasons from a rookie quarterback in this decade, Tashard Choice filling in for his 1st round counterpart quite well or Carl Nicks making the Pro Bowl recently rookies have been quite productive. In this article I'm going to show five rookies who may help their team this year.

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