Bleacher Report - Articles by Marty Z

NFL Draft: Finding a Home for Colt Brennan

Marty Z — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:28:53 -0400

The NFL draft is a crazy process, and players move up and down draft boards like a child on a pogo stick. However, never has one player drawn rave reviews by some and been chastised so much by others such as this player.

He's a household name to many, but very unpopular with the fans who don't want their team to waste a pick on this loser. He has been mentioned as high as the second round, or maybe he could go undrafted.

He is the most scutinized player in the draft that nobody wants, yet everyone has him some mock draft - going to practically every team. It's crazy! Welcome to the life that is Colt Brennan.

The last time the world saw the University of Hawaii star QB Colt Brennan, he was getting pummelled by the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. Since then, he has been through one hell of a roller coaster ride.

First came the Senior Bowl, where he weighed in at 185 pounds and showed less than adequate footwork running plays from center under the watchful eyes of San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Word was that he was constantly berated and town down by the coaching staff. NFL Network video of a few Brennan workouts showed Brennan having trouble with the deeper throws which severely hurt his value in the draft.

However, there are rumors that the coaches think he would be a good fit for the 49ers. As it turns out, that during those sessions during the Senior Bowl, Brennan tore his labrum, which caused some soreness in his hips. This led to a dead leg and some difficulty throwing the deep ball.

At the end after the week of practice in AL, Brennan was chosen as team captain ahead of the other star QBs Ainge and Woodson. However, during the game, Brennan had an unspectacular day leading many to question the lack of competition that he faced during his career.

Next came the NFL combine, where the first news to come out was that Brennan was reported as being a "jackass" by a Chicago writer who spoke to a scout from an NFL team. During the week at the combine, Brennan weighed in at 208 pounds.

He then endured a battery of questions regarding his past "arrest" in Colorado, the stigma of being a system QB, and the health related issues during his senior season which included a severe ankle sprain, and a concussion or two.

Finally, during the workouts, Brennan was the only quarterback to have a 100-percent throwing session receiving a perfect grade on the passing drills (two drops by the WRs were credited as completions because he had hit them right in the numbers).

Unfortunately for Brennan, there were less than 25 media members who watched his throwing session, so little was reported in the media about his successful day.

The third stop was his University of Hawaii pro day in California where he didn't throw as accurately because many of his recievers were gimpy and came up lame in their routes. During the pro day, it was reported that Brennan needed surgery to repair the partial tear in his hip and wouldn't run the 40-yard dash, further dropping his stock value.

Then to top of the afternoon, Brennan weighed in at 218 pounds, and questions circulated regarding the how the 30 + pound weight gained was achieved and where it was a healthy weight gain.

Now we are only one week away from the NFL Draft, and Brennan is probably the biggest name question mark in the entire draft. He may go as high as the second round, but may also drop completely down to the sixth round as well - or maybe even undrafted according to some pundits.

After doing a little research, I found something absolutely amazing. Different mock drafts have every team picking Brennan somewhere in the third to sixth rounds.

it seems 20 of the 32 teams in the NFL has their team selecting Brennan in some round of mock draft, but nobody seems to say that they want to take him. Fans don't want him, scouts say they don't think he will pan out, yet all these teams are being speculated as teams of interest who have them in a draft mock up.

Some of these teams include the Patriots, Eagles, Redskins, Jaguars, Bears, Packers, 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, Panthers, and a host of others. So don't be surprised to hear on Sunday morning that your team just picked Colt Brennan. Unbelievable!

If Colt goes in the fourth round or later, he will be a steal. He will be one of the two or three QB out of this draft that will make it in the NFL even though he is rated behind the John Booty's, Josh Johnson's and Denis Dixon's of the world. So with that, here is where I think Brennan would fit perfectly and where he will end up.

Although there are absolutely no reports that they are interested in him, I think Colt Brennan will become a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, and it would be the best fit. Jon Gruden loves his QBs, and he will use his third round pick to draft the Hawaii QB.

Break down Brennan and he will remind you of another Gruden coached QB, Rich Gannon. The word on Gannon when the Raiders signed him to a large free-agent contract was that he was mobile, competitive, a fiery leader, and very accurate; but didn't have a strong arm and threw passes at three-quarters to sidearm to some of his underneath receivers. That's just about what the scouting report has on Brennan as well.

The Bucs current starting QB is Jeff Garcia, who will be 39 soon, and will only have another year or two in the league. Garcia is also mobile, undersized, and someone who has to "load up" to throw the deep ball. Just like Brennan.

Brennan will be the perfect fit for the Bucs and Gruden's offense, with the perfect time (one or two years) to groom him. Don't be surprised to hear Brennan's name called when the Bucs pick in the third round...just remember where you heard it first!

Oakland Raiders: Al Davis Still Calls the Shots on Draft Day

Marty Z — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:27:19 -0400

You were formerly the co-offensive coordinator of the most dominant college team in the country, and headed that teams scouting and recuiting efforts to bring in the best high school players in the country. You know college players!

Now, you work for someone twice your age, says you have the authority to make decisions, and then when you make one that he doesn't agree with, overrules you and asks you to forfeit a $4million salary. You think your knowledge of the game matters, but it doesn't to the boss. Welcome to the life that is 32 year old Lane Kiffin - current head coach of the Oakland Raiders. His headache is as big as the culmulative headaches of the entire Oakland Fan Base.

Your team holds the 4th pick in the upcoming draft, and recently spend about a billion dollars signing (or re-signing) a ton of free agents to add some quality players, and I use the word "quality" very very loosely. Javon Walker & Tommy Kely coming off season ending injuries got cash thrown their way. Super Bowl Champ Wilson was signed to shore up the secondary, and this year's 2nd round pick was offered up for a headcase, Hall, who can't seem to fit in with any coach. Thanks Al!

The NFL Draft is merely 1 week away, so where do you turn? You need a strong pass rushing end - Chris Long might be available. You need a D tackle - Glenn Dorsey might drop down. You need O-linemen, but Jake Long looks like he might go #1 to Miami, but there is Brandon Albert who the Chiefs are IN LOVE WITH and pick just behind you at #5, so Uncle Al may just do the unthinkable and take him just to shove it up KC's butt. You don't need a RB, but looks like the best skill position player in this draft, McFadden, might just fall into your lap.

DMac might be a nice addition to pair with JaMarcus, or having Howie's son to carry the new Raider torch would be a dream come true. Don't bet on any of this happening. If you know Al Davis, you have got to know to expect the unexpected. This is how he will further infuriate the Raider Nation and Coach Kiffin in the process. Here is how the Draft weekend will unfold for the Raiders:

He tries to initiate a trade for the fourth overall pick to the Cinccinati Bengals for Chad Johnson and their 2nd round pick. They pass.

Rather than selecting DMac who ran a 4.33 40 at the combine, Al turn his attention to the fastest player at the combine, RB Chris Johnson from East Carolina who ran the 40 in a blazing 4.24 sec. Al falls in love with speed, and he has a ton of it. Al saw Johnson run over the Boise St. Broncos in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve and has bee enamoured with him ever since. Al says : "Speed Kills!" Over on the NFL Network, former Raider exec Mike Lombardi says "I knew that's who he was going to pick!"

Draft Sunday, news reports that Lane Kiffin has agreed to sign his resignation letter saying he'd rather give up $4million than spend another day in Oakland.

Later in the day, with the 4th round, Al selects 5-11 180lbs WR Donnie Avery out of Houston who by the way, ran a 4.29 40 yard dash. NFL Networks Lombardi says "See, I told you!"

Monday morning, Raiders announce the appointment of James Lofton as head coach of the Oakland Raiders! Mr. Loftton, welcome back to the Silver & Black!

Whither the Little Guy?: How Hawaii Set College Football Back 20 Years

Marty Z — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:27:17 -0500

Did Hawaii deserve a BCS berth?

Yes.

But their loss in the Sugar Bowl set college football back 20 years.

Once upon a time, it was Tulane that went undefeated from a small conference. After the BCS was formed, Utah was the little guy who broke down the barrier. Then it was Boise State, in last year's amazing Fiesta Bowl.

Finally, it seemed the little guys were getting the respect they deserved.

This year, the Hawaii Warriors had their shot. Count me as one of the many who thought the little team from the islands would win a high-scoring Sugar Bowl against Georgia.

I was wrong.

It wasn't so much the fact that UH lost to UGA—it was the nature of the game: uncompetitive, unexciting, un-everything. The Warriors were flat out bad.

And like it or not, it will take more than an undefeated season for the "little guys" to overcome what happened on Tuesday.

For the last decade, the little guys fought their way into the spotlight—and in one game, all that effort went for naught. The voters will now second-guess every little guy with a great record unless they have a win or two against top-quality teams.

Hawaii wasn't prepared for Georgia. They've played SEC and BCS conference teams before, and never looked so bad.

I still believe Colt Brennan and his WR corps are among the best in college football. However, the UH O-line was overmatched—even Tom Brady or Peyton Manning wouldn't have been successful playing behind them.

The difference between this UH team and last year's squad is three departed NFL-caliber O-linemen. Both first-year Warrior starters were manhandled up front.

In my Sugar Bowl preview, I said Marcus Howard would get to Brennan—and he did. Frequently.

My unofficial count had Howard getting nine hits on Brennan, with three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a TD. He was a monster.

As far as the other Tuesday games—USC thumped Illinois, Mizzou clobbered Arkansas, and Michigan won a nail-biter over Florida. Those victories, and the feelings of joy experienced by the winners, are the reason I believe we'll never see a playoff in college football.

A bowl win is a joyous occassion—no matter what happened in the rest of the season. In a playoff scenario, only one team ends up joyous. Everyone else goes home a loser.

For that reason alone—to say nothing of money or politics—the coaches, school presidents, and conference officials will never let a playoff happen.

New Year's Day 2008—mark it down as the day college football took a step into the past. Everything new just turned old again.