Blue & White Roundtable — The Draft

Happy Wednesday Thursday, everyone! It’s a belated version of B&W Roundtable today, since I was a little preoccupied with work yesterday. Black Shoe Diaries provided this week’s questions. The Nittany Line posted his thoughts yesterday. A blogger for a semi-popular Pennsylvania news website will probably be stealing our responses, posting them under his own name in about 45 minutes, and not give anyone credit for it.

(Seriously, we’re watching you. Either try to make it a little less obvious, or start linking to the sites you’re pilfering content from.)

Five Penn State players were taken in the NFL draft this weekend. Which player fell into the best situation?

Truth be told, they all fell into pretty good situations. Levi Brown’s new team might not be the best in the world, but he went about five picks higher than most people projected he would, and made a few extra million dollars in the process. Paul Posluszny fills an immediate need in Buffalo, where he’ll be treated like a god of linebacking. Jay Alford’s third round selection by the Giants was certainly a surprise and he may face some lofty expectations, but he gets to play for his favorite childhood team. Good deal. Even Tim Shaw, selected by Carolina in the late rounds, is in a position where he can get on the field quickly.

Of course, as an Eagles fan, I can’t adequately describe how happy I am to have Tony Hunt on the team. I’ve written it a million times — Hunt is the most criminally underappreciated Penn State running back of the past 20 years. Congratulations to all the guys.

Watching Brady Quinn sit through the excruciatingly long first round of the draft was the biggest story of the day. Do you feel sorry for him or did your face hurt from grinning so much by the time the Browns drafted him?

I felt bad for him, but really, he had to know it was a possibility. Sure, there were plenty of teams who could’ve taken Quinn, but he simply wasn’t the #2 quarterback on everyone’s draft board. In that sense, he was setting himself up for an Aaron Rodgers Moment.

The whole Green Room concept at the draft is ridiculous, anyway. Sit around for an average of three hours, for what? To hold up a jersey next to Roger Goodell? Watching Brady Quinn squirm was compelling, but on average, watching the players celebrate with their families makes for much better television.

Along the lines of Brady Quinn, now we have to listen to the Bucknuts say they told us so about Ted Ginn Jr. being a top ten pick. Is it possible we’re wrong and Ginn will be a great player in the NFL? Or will he rank up there with the greatest first round busts of all time?

I honestly don’t know what to tell you when it comes to Ted Ginn. He’s fast as hell, but not a good receiver. I’m sorry, he’s not. Unless he gets some serious coaching in Miami, he’s going to struggle because NFL cornerbacks are slightly better than Northwestern cornerbacks.

Ohio State fans can’t seem to grasp why Penn State fans are down on Ted Ginn. Here’s why:

2006: 2 catches, 15 yards
2005: 3 catches, 40 yards (27 of those 40 yards against PSU’s prevent defense on OSU’s last drive.)
2004: 2 catches, 23 yards

He ran a punt back for a TD in the 2004 game, but that’s not exactly a huge deal against Penn State’s special teams during The Dark Years.

So yeah, forgive us if we’re not impressed.

Apparently some Penn State players were arrested last week or something. Did you hear about this? Some people say the last remnants of the Grand Experiment are fading and Penn State’s glory days as a model football program are over. Has Paterno lost control of the program?

To say that Paterno has lost control of the program might be a bit strong. It’s clear that today’s football players don’t fear authority as much as they used to. Also, the environment in State College (and really, Centre County as a whole) translates into news being generated everytime a Penn State player gets a parking ticket. So when these types of incidents are publicized to such a ridiculous degree (and yes, I include myself in that process), the coaches and authorities are compelled to address the situation with the type of aggression that leads to year-long suspensions and felony charges.

Of course, at the end of the day, the players were wrong for assembling a posse and staking out the apartment party. None of this is even an issue if one guy steps in and stops the group from entering the apartment.

Many people in the message boards are suggesting the District Attorney is on a witch hunt to prosecute a high profile case. From what you’ve read of the police report, are the players charged to date getting a fair investigation?

I can’t say it’s unfair, put it that way. I’ll wait until the transcripts of the preliminary hearing come out. That’s when we’ll get more information on exactly who did what. As someone who works in that profession, I hesitate to accuse the District Attorney’s Office of any improprieties. However, I remember how they treated the Scott Paxson case, and I can’t say I particularly blame some rabid Penn State fans for fearing this may be a similar crapfest (if not worse). I think the serious nature of the charges is throwing everyone into a tizzy. No jury in the nation would actually convict Justin King of criminal trespass.

However, once again, none of this is a problem if one guy steps in and stops the group from entering the apartment. All of this other garbage — whining about the allegedly vengeful D.A., the poor, persecuted football players, the punks who started the altercation in the first place, and the 2007 season coming to a crashing halt four months before it begins — is a total non-issue if cooler heads prevailed that night.

How did your favorite NFL team do in the Draft?

I talked about the Kevin Kolb selection a few days ago, and I’m obviously thrilled that the Eagles drafted Tony Hunt. I have absolutely zero beef with the Victor Abiamiri pick in the 2nd round, because the Eagles always seem to have depth and injury issues at defensive end. The linebacker from Nebraska, Stewart Bradley, is intriguing because of his size and possible ability to bulk up into another defensive end. For now, he’s a “Sam” linebacker.

The back end of the draft was filled with projects. C.J. Gaddis seems to be eventual replacement for Brian Dawkins if he develops into the type of player NFLDraftScout.com envisions:

“He hits with a thud and uses that great leaping ability to not only intercept and deflect passes, but his timing is very good, getting the elevation to excel as a kick blocker … Put him at cornerback and he will struggle … Show patience and let him develop at safety, you will have a force who hits like a linebacker.

Cincinnati tight end Brent Celek doesn’t particularly impress me, but neither do current Philly backups Matt Schobel and Todd Bartrum. In fact, Celek’s long-snapping ability might spell the end for Bartrum in Philadelphia.

Rashad Barksdale started playing football during his senior year at Albany and immediately earned the starting cornerback job. That means something, though I don’t know what. Could be a diamond in the rough. The Eagles turned Roderick Hood and Joselio Hanson into adequate defensive backs. This kid has much more athletic ability. I particularly liked the “Compares To” section of Barksdale’s profile:

Compares To: Al Harris, Green Bay — Barksdale is bigger than Harris, but both can really put good pop behind their hits … Barksdale is still raw in his technique, but he has excellent quickness and is really a blank slate with no bad habits due to his limited experience … He is going to need patient coaching, but it is obvious that the athletic talent is there.

Al Harris? Can we count on Barksdale for two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties every Sunday, too?

As for the Eagles’ seventh round pick, it’s hard not to pull for a guy like Nasti Nate Ilaoa to make the team for comedy’s sake. A 5′8″ 248-pound Hawaiian guy with surprising quickness? Bye, bye, Reno Mahe?

Lightning Round

What is your least favorite sport?

Keeping it limited to major sports, I’d go with professional basketball. Regular season NBA games are the worst. They make golf and tennis seem compelling by comparison. However, I have to say that the Golden State / Dallas series has been incredible.

The NCAA’s ban on text messaging recruits: Good thing or bad thing?

Good thing, although recruiting is so inherently dirty that coaches will just set up Myspace and Facebook accounts, or finally give up on the half-assed measures and start stalking the kids in-person.

Finish this sentence: Charlie Weis is so fat…

…he needs a lifeguard for his pudding bowl.

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