Mike Lombardi's Diner Morning News: What the Cuts Mean

National Football Post

QUOTE: “I think continually of those who were truly great.  Who, from the womb, remembered the soul's history...The names of those who in their lives fought for life.  Who wore at their hearts the fire's center.  Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the sun.  And left the vivid air signed with their honor.” —Stephen Spender

 

What did we learn from Tuesday’s cuts?

 

The Rams hated their 2006 draft.

The Rams decided to clean house and get rid of the remaining players from their 2006 draft class.  Falcons-acquire-Tye-Hill.html" target="_blank">Trading former first-round pick Tye Hill and waiving second-round pick Joe Klopfenstein finished off the first day of drafting in 2006. 

Already gone were third-round picks Jon Alston and Dominguez Byrd.  Claude Wroten, the first third-rounder in 2006, battled off-the-field issues before the Rams picked him and has had many since.

Talk about having a non-productive day when they entered the draft room in 2006.  You wonder why the Rams have been so bad for the past three seasons. They have a design problem—and a production problem.  They are the perfect example of a team that’s playing “Battleship Football.”  (FYI, “Battleship Football” is when teams randomly pick players hoping they’re good, not because they fit the scheme or the profile.  The same theory applies to play-calling—randomly calling plays without regard to a strategy.)

I have been killing the Rams for their lack of personnel, but the facts support my harsh critique.  In fact, they’ve been flying under the radar far too long.  Since firing Mike Martz in 2005 when they were 2-3, the Rams have gone on to win 17 games while losing 45.  Much of the blame can be related to the dysfunction in the front office, along with having people pick players who don’t know the NFL, understand the NFL or have a clue what it takes to play in the NFL.

Finally, the Rams have revamped their front office, but the work that lies ahead is immense. It will require time, a comprehensive plan and shrewd evaluations.

 

How did Vernon Gholston end up the sixth pick overall?

I admit I’m obsessed with this subject, but WTF?  How did this player get to be the sixth overall pick in the draft?  No one I talk to or hear from at the Jets will claim responsibility. 

Everyone points in the direction of Cleveland and former head coach Eric Mangini as the main and only culprit.  But since I’m now reading “Legacy of Secrecy” (thanks, Dr. Mike) about the Kennedy assassination, I have my own conspiracy theory on Gholston.

Here goes:

Because no one has claimed this pick (Rex Ryan is a loyal employee on this subject and has tried to put the best spin on it) or seems to understand how it transpired, it must have been Gholston himself.  We know that Gholston was in New York City the day of the draft in 2008.  He could have quietly moved from the green room to the Jets table after the Chiefs picked Glen Dorsey, held the two Jets employees against their will, then written his own name on a card, carried the card to Joel Bussert of the NFL personnel office and proceed to walk up to the stage to shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Then, his very talented agent, Ben Dogra, could have persuaded the Jets to pay huge sums of money to a player they never wanted to avoid the embarrassment of turning in the wrong card.  The crime is committed and the cover-up begins.

Amazing, right?  How else could this have happened?  I know this: The coaches in Houston are hoping the Jets have to start Gholston in the opener.

 

Green Bay is looking for a backup QB.

It’s no secret that Brian Brohm has struggled the last two preseasons, causing concern among the Packers.  There was some talk, internally and externally, about the team claiming Kevin O’Connell from the Patriots on Tuesday, although they never placed a claim.  However, this doesn’t mean the Packers aren’t looking for another quarterback.  In the coming weeks, I’m confident they’ll be searching the market and bringing in players for workouts.

 

The Lions must not like Drew Stanton.

The Lions signed Brooks Bollinger on Tuesday and claimed Kevin O’Connell and now have five quarterbacks on their roster, although they’ll carry only three.  They won’t able to get them ready for extensive use in their game this week, so I suspect the Drew Stanton era is coming to an end.  He may only be on the team right now because he can handle the offense in the final preseason game.

 

Andre Smith’s left foot.

Why does it always seem that the players who hold out are the first ones to get hurt?  This is a major setback for Bengals rookie tackle Andre Smith, who needs as much work as he can possibly handle.  Now, a broken bone in his left foot puts him in the training room.  If Smith can condition, one positive might be that he can get himself in shape.

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