2009 Draft Wrap -- Jerry Mac

[Tió Nook Nook]

http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2009/04/26/2009-draft-wrap/#more-4913

The bottom line

The Raiders got bad draft grades primarily because they’ve been a bad team for six years and have made a lot of questionable personnel decisions (duh) during that span.

If Bill Belichick or the Ozzie Newsome had made the same picks, they’d be viewed in an entirely different light because of their recent track records.

Cable sold the Raiders choices with confidence and resolve. He doesn’t care what the media thinks, and it always amazes me more experienced coaches don’t adopt the same philosophy.

If the Raiders go 10-6, next year’s draft stories will recount how they proved everyone wrong and give them some credibility for 2010. Cable will be declared a genius, the man who “changed” Al Davis.

If the Raiders go 6-10, Heyward-Bey is a non-factor and Michael Crabtree catches 70 passes for 1,000 yards in San Francisco, while Mike Mitchell is a special teams gunner and nothing more, Cable will probably be labeled as Al’s puppet even if it was a joint effort.

It’s not that complicated.

Either way, it will serve Cable well to keep his public approach as steady as he has since Davis went to the overhead projector.

Posted the more interesting piece of the article here.

[East Bay King]

Let me be real clear. We don't know what these draft picks have to offer. We do know that the same people who are bashing them are the same people who told us Matt Lienart, Vince Young, Ryan Leif, and Reggie Bush were can't miss superstars. The truth is we just don't know. We needed WR's, S, and O-Lineman, and that's what we got through the draft and early free agency. Nobody mentions or shows the game winning catch that Crabcakes dropped against Oklahoma State in 07. He's now had surgery before even playing a down. He also didn't want to be a Raider. I'm moving on. Jaworski didn't see anything that made him nervous about DHB on film, and he watches as much of it as anyone. The best move Al has made yet is to get Garcia. He's someone who gives it all, makes things happen and won't be afraid to be a leader. Rise above the haters. Either your in or your out. There's still time to jump on someone else's bandwagon if your just a frontrunner.

[TAPE]

Let me be real clear. We don't know what these draft picks have to offer. We do know that the same people who are bashing them are the same people who told us Matt Lienart, Vince Young, Ryan Leif, and Reggie Bush were can't miss superstars. The truth is we just don't know. We needed WR's, S, and O-Lineman, and that's what we got through the draft and early free agency. Nobody mentions or shows the game winning catch that Crabcakes dropped against Oklahoma State in 07. He's now had surgery before even playing a down. He also didn't want to be a Raider. I'm moving on. Jaworski didn't see anything that made him nervous about DHB on film, and he watches as much of it as anyone. The best move Al has made yet is to get Garcia. He's someone who gives it all, makes things happen and won't be afraid to be a leader. Rise above the haters. Either your in or your out. There's still time to jump on someone else's bandwagon if your just a frontrunner.

and Jaworski breaks down film better than anyone I have seen...

I may be in the minority, but I truly enjoy watching Jaws break film down.

[East Bay King]

He just should have watched a little more of that regular season game against the Raiders and his Eagles in 1980. That way he wouldn't have thrown him 3 picks. Pride and Poise forever.

[Poke]

Let me be real clear. We don't know what these draft picks have to offer. We do know that the same people who are bashing them are the same people who told us Matt Lienart, Vince Young, Ryan Leif, and Reggie Bush were can't miss superstars. The truth is we just don't know. We needed WR's, S, and O-Lineman, and that's what we got through the draft and early free agency. Nobody mentions or shows the game winning catch that Crabcakes dropped against Oklahoma State in 07. He's now had surgery before even playing a down. He also didn't want to be a Raider. I'm moving on. Jaworski didn't see anything that made him nervous about DHB on film, and he watches as much of it as anyone. The best move Al has made yet is to get Garcia. He's someone who gives it all, makes things happen and won't be afraid to be a leader. Rise above the haters. Either your in or your out. There's still time to jump on someone else's bandwagon if your just a frontrunner.

Incredible. The dude is the best WR in all of college football and you call him crabcakes.

Heres my thing. He pick for position and you pick the best for the position you need. Michael CrabTREE was the best WR in all of college football, period. DHB was honorable mention all conference in the god damn ACC.

Its like going to a bar when you haven't had sex for a year and you have 2 chicks looking right at you that are horny ass hell and willing to spin on your tip until you are dry. One is Halle Berry and the other is Whoopie Goldberg. And because you liked how Whoopie looked in a dress in the movie "Ghost" over the way Halle rocked the low do in "Boomerage", you choose to have sex with Whoopie over Halle. Its damn near retarded.

If Crabtree balls out in SF us Raider fans that live in the EAST BAY won't hear the end of it from these 49er homos. And Al will be a laughing stock again. So all you people justifying this stupid ass #7 pick go ahead. I hate the shit and threw a muffin at the TV when it was called. STUPID PICK!

[Don]

I KNOW you didnt throw a muffin at the 1080p, pimp! BLASPHEMY!!

[Poke]

I KNOW you didnt throw a muffin at the 1080p, pimp! BLASPHEMY!!

Aw hell now not my Bravia. We was at the Hilton in Oakland. Some complamentry muffins. Tasted like ass anyways. Soon as they called the picked damn near all the Raider fans in there either cussed, spit, hit their wife, or something. Me I just chalked the muff at the tv got in the Monte Carlo and bounced. Then I laughed when Ro called me and told me they picked some safety from OHIO. I said Ohio St? He said no....OHIO. I didn't even pay attention to any of the draft after that. Better things in life to do. :?

[Sonny Cheeba]

Aw hell now not my Bravia. We was at the Hilton in Oakland. Some complamentry muffins. Tasted like ass anyways. Soon as they called the picked damn near all the Raider fans in there either cussed, spit, hit their wife, or something. Me I just chalked the muff at the tv got in the Monte Carlo and bounced. Then I laughed when Ro called me and told me they picked some safety from OHIO. I said Ohio St? He said no....OHIO. I didn't even pay attention to any of the draft after that. Better things in life to do. :?
LMAO! Yeah like I was telling you the power went out due to a fuckin mini tornado like 2 mins before our pick. After waiting and holding out for 1 hour I peeped the BatPhone to see who we picked.....and I laughed. I was with a whiners fan (who's actually cool as hell) and he was fuckin doing cartwheels and shit. Then after the Ohio pick I was like FUCK THIS, the power was back on and I went to the tittie bar to peep some neatly trimmed beavers. I needed that shit to take my mind off the draft. lol :2guns

[☠♏ž ჭεĭծեყ ☠]

incredible. The dude is the best wr in all of college football and you call him crabcakes.

Heres my thing. He pick for position and you pick the best for the position you need. Michael crabtree was the best wr in all of college football, period. Dhb was honorable mention all conference in the god damn acc.

Its like going to a bar when you haven't had sex for a year and you have 2 chicks looking right at you that are horny ass hell and willing to spin on your tip until you are dry. One is halle berry and the other is whoopie goldberg. And because you liked how whoopie looked in a dress in the movie "ghost" over the way halle rocked the low do in "boomerage", you choose to have sex with whoopie over halle. Its damn near retarded.

If crabtree balls out in sf us raider fans that live in the east bay won't hear the end of it from these 49er homos. And al will be a laughing stock again. So all you people justifying this stupid ass #7 pick go ahead. I hate the shit and threw a muffin at the tv when it was called. Stupid pick!

good point we do want the best player but what good would he really do us if he didn't want to be on our team anyhow?? Don't you think he wouldn't be tryin his best and just do what he has to do to get his money?? It's like bein in a relationship.. How would that work if only one person had their whole heart in it?? I'm not tryin to justify our pick i was just as shocked as you but i will wait til i see him on the field in silver and black to judge what he is worth.. Until then it doesn't really matter who was the best in college.. Who knows crabtree might fall off and dhb might pass him up..i know i would be more motivated to be the best after all that bashing dhb got

[Poke]

good point we do want the best player but what good would he really do us if he didn't want to be on our team anyhow?? Don't you think he wouldn't be tryin his best and just do what he has to do to get his money?? It's like bein in a relationship.. How would that work if only one person had their whole heart in it?? I'm not tryin to justify our pick i was just as shocked as you but i will wait til i see him on the field in silver and black to judge what he is worth.. Until then it doesn't really matter who was the best in college.. Who knows crabtree might fall off and dhb might pass him up..i know i would be more motivated to be the best after all that bashing dhb got

Good point.

Who knows crabtree might fall off and dhb might pass him up.

Heres to hope!

[☠♏ž ჭεĭծեყ ☠]

Good point.

Who knows crabtree might fall off and dhb might pass him up.

Heres to hope!

:laugh: SMARTASS

[Doyers y Esleigher]

I agree that Crabtree not wanting to be a Raider makes me not want him, but Monroe and Raji were right there and would have filled larger needs.

[☠♏ž ჭεĭծեყ ☠]

Ya but we got what we got and it might be good for us that everyone is bagging on him gettin picked over everyone else because then maybe it will motivate him to be the best who knows!! We just have to wait to see what he brings to the field

[BigPrimo]

Incredible. The dude is the best WR in all of college football and you call him crabcakes.

Heres my thing. He pick for position and you pick the best for the position you need. Michael CrabTREE was the best WR in all of college football, period. DHB was honorable mention all conference in the god damn ACC.

Its like going to a bar when you haven't had sex for a year and you have 2 chicks looking right at you that are horny ass hell and willing to spin on your tip until you are dry. One is Halle Berry and the other is Whoopie Goldberg. And because you liked how Whoopie looked in a dress in the movie "Ghost" over the way Halle rocked the low do in "Boomerage", you choose to have sex with Whoopie over Halle. Its damn near retarded.

If Crabtree balls out in SF us Raider fans that live in the EAST BAY won't hear the end of it from these 49er homos. And Al will be a laughing stock again. So all you people justifying this stupid ass #7 pick go ahead. I hate the shit and threw a muffin at the TV when it was called. STUPID PICK!

I Dunno Poke, HAlle BErry been throw alot of dudes so that honey pot might not be all that but WHoopie on the other hand i know aint been ran threw like that so that kitty kat might just be nice and juicy. Im just saying cuzo!!!!

[Don]

^^ I just earled up in my mouth a lil bit Mig..I bet Whoopis pandoocha smell like patchouli oil and got sand and shit up in it.

[Miklo]

Incredible. The dude is the best WR in all of college football and you call him crabcakes.

Heres my thing. He pick for position and you pick the best for the position you need. Michael CrabTREE was the best WR in all of college football, period. DHB was honorable mention all conference in the god damn ACC.

Its like going to a bar when you haven't had sex for a year and you have 2 chicks looking right at you that are horny ass hell and willing to spin on your tip until you are dry. One is Halle Berry and the other is Whoopie Goldberg. And because you liked how Whoopie looked in a dress in the movie "Ghost" over the way Halle rocked the low do in "Boomerage", you choose to have sex with Whoopie over Halle. Its damn near retarded.

If Crabtree balls out in SF us Raider fans that live in the EAST BAY won't hear the end of it from these 49er homos. And Al will be a laughing stock again. So all you people justifying this stupid ass #7 pick go ahead. I hate the shit and threw a muffin at the TV when it was called. STUPID PICK!

Don't tell me you never called Mike Williams a name when he was with the Raiders. He was the best receiver in college football, too. How'd he end up doing in the NFL?

Point is, what you did in college doesn't mean shit when you get to the NFL. I don't think I need to go through every player that was an all-star in college, only to bust in the NFL - we all know several of them.

It's just like Jaws said - DHB was the pick because he fit our style of offense better. We don't throw little bubble screens 10 times a game in 5-WR sets.

I don't give a shit about college production, and this to me is an even more extreme case where college production should be thrown out the window - Crabtree comes from a spread offense (Texas Tech) where he was the focal point every single game, and DHB comes from a pro-style offense with no QB, no other WR, and no running game. It's not apples to oranges, it's apples to fuckin' dildos. The point is, neither guy has played a down in the NFL yet. Why not wait 4 months?

[Doyers y Esleigher]

Maryland did, in fact, have a running game last year. They had a back with 1100 yards! This was an 8-5 team that won a bowl game.

College production is important when it comes to things you can measure. If a guy has issues catching the football in college, why would that change in the NFL when throws come faster and you're covered by much better DB's that hit harder?

[Miklo]

Maryland did, in fact, have a running game last year. They had a back with 1100 yards! This was an 8-5 team that won a bowl game.

College production is important when it comes to things you can measure. If a guy has issues catching the football in college, why would that change in the NFL when throws come faster and you're covered by much better DB's that hit harder?

And the 2 seasons before that they never had a guy with more than 815 yards.

I still have yet to see any evidence of issues catching the ball. And you could ask a lot of receivers and I'm sure many would tell you a tight, hard spiral is easier to catch than a big, slow lob.

I saw DHB play in one game, and didn't see any problems catching the ball. I have heard some football analysts say that he has "inconsistent" hands, but have yet to see it firsthand for myself. Like I said, it's more important what he does in the NFL, so I'll wait until I see inconsistent hands in the NFL before I judge him based on a couple drops in college.

[BigPrimo]

^^ I just earled up in my mouth a lil bit Mig..I bet Whoopis pandoocha smell like patchouli oil and got sand and shit up in it.

hahaha i kinda threw up in the mouth myself while writing that hahaha but you never know!!!! Ugly girls are an "untapped source" man!!! JUst cause they but ugly dont mean that COOCOOTRAIN aint good, lol!!!

[Sonny Cheeba]

Don't tell me you never called Mike Williams a name when he was with the Raiders. He was the best receiver in college football, too. How'd he end up doing in the NFL?

Point is, what you did in college doesn't mean shit when you get to the NFL. I don't think I need to go through every player that was an all-star in college, only to bust in the NFL - we all know several of them.

It's just like Jaws said - DHB was the pick because he fit our style of offense better. We don't throw little bubble screens 10 times a game in 5-WR sets.

I don't give a shit about college production, and this to me is an even more extreme case where college production should be thrown out the window - Crabtree comes from a spread offense (Texas Tech) where he was the focal point every single game, and DHB comes from a pro-style offense with no QB, no other WR, and no running game. It's not apples to oranges, it's apples to fuckin' dildos. The point is, neither guy has played a down in the NFL yet. Why not wait 4 months?
You can't use Mike Williams as an argument, he sat out a full year of college ball before entering the draft and his work ethic was a huge qestion mark to begin with. Wasn't he like 240 lbs when he made his way to Oakland? And sure none of these guys have played a down in the big leagues yet, but wouldn't you rather take the guy that dominated his games played vs. the guy that had poor production despite being the most talented guy on the field, offense AND defense (except when they played WF and Curry was on the other side).

Yeah, Crabtree played in a spread offense.....you think TT is the only program to run it? Damn near half the teams in college football run a spread offense and nobody has ever dominated at the WR position like Crabtree. 2x Biletnikoff award winner, first and only ever to do so. Graham Harrell didn't even get drafted, it's not like teams were drooling over the guy Crabtree caught passes from.

[Miklo]

You can't use Mike Williams as an argument, he sat out a full year of college ball before entering the draft and his work ethic was a huge qestion mark to begin with. Wasn't he like 240 lbs when he made his way to Oakland? And sure none of these guys have played a down in the big leagues yet, but wouldn't you rather take the guy that dominated his games played vs. the guy that had poor production despite being the most talented guy on the field, offense AND defense (except when they played WF and Curry was on the other side).

Yeah, Crabtree played in a spread offense.....you think TT is the only program to run it? Damn near half the teams in college football run a spread offense and nobody has ever dominated at the WR position like Crabtree. 2x Biletnikoff award winner, first and only ever to do so. Graham Harrell didn't even get drafted, it's not like teams were drooling over the guy Crabtree caught passes from.

I don't know about you, but after watching some DHB, I fully believe he could have had very similar stats to Crabtree's had they been in each other's respective situations. I have 100% faith that DHB could make all those 2-yard catches and run those screens to perfection.

Nobody drafted Graham Harrell, but he does throw a hell of a screen!

How about this: You and I can name the QB at TT off the top of our heads...can we name the QB from Maryland?

I looked up his stats, for shits and giggles...his name is Chris Turner, BTW. He was 214-374 (57.2%) for 2,516 yards (8.2 YA) and 13 TD's, with 11 INT's.

Graham Harrell, in the same amount of games (13), was 442-626 (70.6%) for 5,111 yards, 45 TD's and 9 INT's.

Chris Turner threw a TD, on average, every 16.5 completions, and a pick every 19.5 completions. Graham Harrell threw a TD every 9.8 completions, and a pick every 49 completions.

You can say what you want about the type of offense, the WR talent, etc. but these stats tell me something important: One QB is WAY better than the other! You can't deny that Graham Harrell is at least a decent QB, and Chris Turner is pretty shitty.

DHB had 42 catches, accounting for 19.6% of his QB's completions. Crabtree had 97 catches, accounting for 22% of his QB's completions. Obviously, the spread offense utilizes a lot of screens and such, and no one is going to argue that Crabtree isn't a great screen runner. But then DHB's 609 receiving yards account for 24.2% of his QB's yardage, while Crabtree's 1165 yards accounts for 22.8% of his.

How about the 2nd receiver on each team? Well, on Maryland, the number 2 guy had 29 catches, accounting for 13.6% of Turner's completions. The number 2 guy on TT had 76 catches, accounting for 17.2% of Harrell's. These percentages may seem relatively close, but when you look at the sheer difference in volume the difference is pretty reflective.

DHB may have been the most talented player on the field, but so was Crabtree; the difference was that the difference between talent level's was a lot bigger for Maryland than it was for TT. Their numbers, percentage-wise aren't really that different; as a matter of fact, DHB accounted for a higher percentage of his QB's yardage than did Crabtree, and also had a higher YPC. If you compare that with the fact that Crabtree was in the spread, geared towards WR's and passing, it's difficult to be that productive in that sort of environment, but it looks like DHB did a pretty good job. Extrapolate that; imagine DHB playing in a spread offense, in place of Crabtree. His stats would be better, wouldn't they?

Which is why I don't think college stats tell the whole story.

[Sonny Cheeba]

Well that is a very thourough breakdown I'll give you credit for that. It still doesn't change the fact that for the 2nd time in 4 drafts we took someone 7th overall because of their 40 time.

[Miklo]

Well that is a very thourough breakdown I'll give you credit for that. It still doesn't change the fact that for the 2nd time in 4 drafts we took someone 7th overall because of their 40 time.

I won't argue with you there, but he does have talent.

Instead of being surrounded by so many great players his deficiencies were hidden, he was surrounded by crappy players (including/especially a QB) that possibly hindered his production.

[Raiderfunk]

and Jaworski breaks down film better than anyone I have seen...

I may be in the minority, but I truly enjoy watching Jaws break film down.

I used to always watch NFL matchup...I really miss that show...he needs to come to NFL Network...he's losing credibility at ESPN

[TAPE]

I used to always watch NFL matchup...I really miss that show...he needs to come to NFL Network...he's losing credibility at ESPN

that Edge NFL matchup show...... man, watching Ron break down film was a thing of beauty.

[The Man]

You can't use Mike Williams as an argument, he sat out a full year of college ball before entering the draft and his work ethic was a huge qestion mark to begin with. Wasn't he like 240 lbs when he made his way to Oakland? And sure none of these guys have played a down in the big leagues yet, but wouldn't you rather take the guy that dominated his games played vs. the guy that had poor production despite being the most talented guy on the field, offense AND defense (except when they played WF and Curry was on the other side).

Yeah, Crabtree played in a spread offense.....you think TT is the only program to run it? Damn near half the teams in college football run a spread offense and nobody has ever dominated at the WR position like Crabtree. 2x Biletnikoff award winner, first and only ever to do so. Graham Harrell didn't even get drafted, it's not like teams were drooling over the guy Crabtree caught passes from.

I have come to grips with the DHB pick, but that is an interesting point. And Crabtree was also up against some of the best colleges with better DB's and he still killed it.
I will also point out that I'm happy too see no one paying out on DHB, just the decision to draft him. No need to dog him when we haven't seen him and everyone seems be agree with that.

[Raiderfunk]

I have come to grips with the DHB pick, but that is an interesting point. And Crabtree was also up against some of the best colleges with better DB's and he still killed it.
I will also point out that I'm happy too see no one paying out on DHB, just the decision to draft him. No need to dog him when we haven't seen him and everyone seems be agree with that.

well...remember...DHB had a great game against wake forest...who just so happens to have alphonso smith and chip vaughn...and he raped them.

Chip was thought so highly that Denver gave up a first round pick to trade up in the 2nd to pick them and chip was projected as high as the 2nd round and was picked in the 3rd.....so he did have some competition. He'll be going up against Nnamdi every day...so hopefully he nuts up...I'm confident he will...

[Miklo]

I have come to grips with the DHB pick, but that is an interesting point. And Crabtree was also up against some of the best colleges with better DB's and he still killed it.
I will also point out that I'm happy too see no one paying out on DHB, just the decision to draft him. No need to dog him when we haven't seen him and everyone seems be agree with that.

Now that part I disagree with. Firstly, they ran a spread offense at TT, which gets the WR's in lots of mismatch situations. Secondly, the only good defenses they played against last season were Texas and Mississippi, neither of which were anywhere near the top 20 in pass defense. Texas had young, inexperienced corners, and Mississippi shut him down anyways, besides his 1 TD catch, although he wasn't playing 100%. TT played against 5 ranked teams last season, and none of them were in the top 20 in pass defense or points against.

If you take into account the system and the lack of top defenses, you can make the case that DHB faced tougher competition, in terms of being in a pro-style offense without much help, facing double teams, and playing against a few solid defenses, namely WF (who had a great CB and Safety), against whom DHB dominated.

[The Man]

You guys sure cut me down! And probably rightfully so now that I think about it. Whilst Crab may have faced overall better D's, that does not always include his matchup. DHB did talk about always getting double teamed in one of his interviews so I guess my point is moot. Very happy to read those arguments as it shows DHB is a much better receiver than at least I previously thought.
Next time I will do a little more research before throwing a comment out there.

[TAPE]

good breakdown Khy.

One thing I would like to add is the comparison of Crabtree ot Fitzgerald...

you CANNOT make this comparison at all..... Fitzgerald did not have the inflated stats that Crabtree did... Fitzgeralds production was from mostly one on one matchups.

I don't think Crabtree is going to be the kind of receiver that you can line up one on one and forget about him all day in the pros. That is something Fitzgerald can do all day.

Crabtree is going to require a creative offense to get him open underneath. And like Maclin, Crabtree didn't run the full route tree in his offense.

DHB did in fact run much more intricate routes than Crabtree and Maclin. He does need polish on his route running. But he has ran all the routes.

DHB will be a guy that will terrorize an isolated matchup in this league IMO

[Raiderfunk]

good breakdown Khy.

One thing I would like to add is the comparison of Crabtree ot Fitzgerald...

you CANNOT make this comparison at all..... Fitzgerald did not have the inflated stats that Crabtree did... Fitzgeralds production was from mostly one on one matchups.

I don't think Crabtree is going to be the kind of receiver that you can line up one on one and forget about him all day in the pros. That is something Fitzgerald can do all day.

Crabtree is going to require a creative offense to get him open underneath. And like Maclin, Crabtree didn't run the full route tree in his offense.

DHB did in fact run much more intricate routes than Crabtree and Maclin. He does need polish on his route running. But he has ran all the routes.

DHB will be a guy that will terrorize an isolated matchup in this league IMO

I just re-listened to the interview moving the chains did with him...wow...crabtree really did not know what the nfl route tree was...I mean he had no clue what even the terminology meant. He is the second coming of Michael Irvin though...I totally believe that...he's going over the middle...hopefully san fran will get someone that can throw him the ball...

[Miklo]

I just re-listened to the interview moving the chains did with him...wow...crabtree really did not know what the nfl route tree was...I mean he had no clue what even the terminology meant. He is the second coming of Michael Irvin though...I totally believe that...he's going over the middle...hopefully san fran will get someone that can throw him the ball...

Hopefully not!