OFF THE TOP OF MY BALD HEAD
Barry Warner: Draft week is one of my favorite times of the year
Apr 24, 2018, 6:00 am
Over the course of my colorful career, I have scouted and sat in draft meetings for Hall of Famers Paul Brown, George Halas, Al Davis and Ron Wolf.
It has been both a privilege and honor to have learned from these icons.
One of my favorite times of the year is the annual crap shoot known as the NFL Draft. The first common draft after the merger was March 14-15, 1967. The NFL and AFL agreed to 17 rounds.
My boss, Oiler GM Don Klosterman, had me concentrate on many of the small black schools. This caused some racist remarks towards me by the redneck assistant coaches, who laughed at my reports on Lem Barney and Willie Lanier.
Don rewarded me by allowing me to pick rounds six and nine.
In the sixth, we selected linebacker Pete Barnes from Southern University. He had a 10-year NFL career.
In the ninth round, with pick 214, it took me one second to turn in the card in with the name of Ken Houston, a defensive back from Prairie View.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Class of 1986.
Mid-March was a perfect time of the year. While there was not a combine, there was still plenty of time to discover talent. While scouting for the Bears, George Halas told me “You’re either a damn football player or you’re not.” Papa Bear felt that anyone can pick the top 60 college players.
His directive was to find raw athletes, guys who can be coached up.
But with the new marketing strategies since then the NFL gets free publicity. They don’t want the draft during the opening of the baseball season, nor do they want to compete with the Masters. By the end of April, fans are salivating for the three days.
JerryWorld, the home of this year’s draft and telethon, will have sections for all 32 franchises. They expect upwards of 250,000 fans over the three days.
Halas was so right about the gut feeling backed up by film. Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, scouts lugged their 8 mm projectors from campus to campus.
In part because of technology and the millions that are at stake, teams today claim additional time is important.
I’m not buying that, in fact it’s pure bull (bleep). Scouts and personnel folks spend more time looking at flaws than natural ability. It’s good that scouts were not looking at smoke shows like Beyoncé, Gisele Bundchen or Kendall Jenner as prospects.
It was so refreshing Friday when Texans’ GM Brian Gaine spoke to the media for nearly thirty minutes. Unlike the condescending Rick Smith McNair, Gaines’s approach was down to the earth, giving solid insight to changes that have been made.
Because of trades involving Deshaun Watson and Brock Osweiler, the Texans have four picks -- Nos. 68, 80, 98 and 103 -- in the first four rounds and eight overall, starting Friday night.
This is the first time in team history they have gone into a draft without a No. 1 pick, but there are no complaints since Watson has become their franchise quarterback.
History will be made Thursday night, after the booing of Roger Goodell, when the names of either safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, linebacker Rashaan Evans and defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne are called. It will make it ten consecutive years with an Alabama player in the first round.
The Tide will still be some ways away from the all-time record: Miami had 14 consecutive drafts with a first-round pick, from 1995 to 2008.
If Cleveland takes USC’s Sam Darnold with the first pick, the Trojans will have set a record. Prior first overall picks were tackle Ron Yary to the Vikings in 1968, running back O.J. Simpson to the Bills in 1969, running back Ricky Bell to the Buccaneers in 1977, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to the Jets in 1996, and quarterback Carson Palmer to the Bengals in 2003.
What do Jamarcus (Purple Drank) Russell, Charles Rogers, (taken one spot before Andre Johnson), Johnny Manziel, Aaron Curry, Baylor’s RG III, Baylor tackle and Jason Smith, Vince Young and another Longhorn Cedric Benson all have in common? The same can be stated with Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon, Mark Sanchez and his USC teammate Mike Williams.
They are just a few major busts in the last 15 drafts.
It cost their NFL team millions, but the inability to count on their development set back their franchises 2-3 years if they are lucky.
This is yet another example of a Vegas crapshoot, without the skyscraper hotels and hookers.
Late Saturday afternoon, all 32 coaches and GM’s will parrot the same phrase, they could not believe that so and so was still there on the board.”
The fun begins for me, talking to my sources with several teams to see where Texans players were rated. In the year JJ Watt was drafted, Denver had him ranked the 31st player on their board. Their scouts felt he spent too much time on the ground in college.
It is fascinating to see the disparity from team to team.
We will find out three seasons from now all it all shakes out.
Chirp!
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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