Mad Men NFL Mock Draft Part 1 of 4
1. Kansas City- Luke Joeckel (OT- Texas A&M) This pick is all but locked up, considering the Chief's other tackle is being shopped (most recently to the Dolphins for a 2nd round pick). Joeckel is the real deal and will be on the Chiefs for years to come.
2. Jacksonville- Eric Fisher (OT- Central Michigan) This isn't the sexy pick that everyone may want, BUT it WOULD give us two very good bookend tackles that would rival any tandem in the league. Don't forget, perennial Pro-Bowler, Joe Staley also came from Central Michigan. Recently the Jags GM stated that one of the two players they want will be available here, so I was thinking of identical positions. A lot of people have Dion Jordan here because of the coach's defensive background and desire to incorporate speed at every position, but the hint given earlier in the week rules this out because I don't see the Chiefs drafting Ziggy Ansah.
3. Oakland- Geno Smith (QB- West Virginia) Oakland would have to be excited if Geno Smith made it past the Jags. They have had very little to be happy about at the QB position for quite some time, and this should be the year they crawl out of re-building mode.
4. Philadelphia- Dion Jordan (DE- Oregon) This would be a surprise to some, but Chip Kelly loves speed and endurance. Jordan could play the rush linebacker position or defensive end, plus it would re-unite him with his former coach.
5. Detroit- Dee Milliner (CB- Alabama) Detroit needs to bolster its defense. Not long ago, Cleveland us the #5 pick to draft a guy named Joe Haden. While Milliner isn't the ball hawk that Haden is, he's a very instinctive corner and can tackle better.
6. Cleveland- Jarvis Jones (OLB- Georgia) Jones was a monster for the Bulldogs despite a diagnosis of spinal stenosis that ended Michael Irvin's career early. If his production is anything like it was in college, Jones would be a steal even at #6. Able to play rush linebacker and defensive end. A lot of mock drafts have the Browns trading this pick.
7. Arizona- Ezekiel Ansah (DE- BYU) I really wanted to put Bjoern Werner here, but I believe that Ansah's upside will be too much to overlook. He will need to add some muscle to his frame without losing any quickness, but his endurance from his history in soccer, makes him an every down possibility as a defensive end or rush linebacker.
8. Buffalo- E.J. Manuel (QB- Florida State) I don't like this pick, but I think it's likely that it will happen. All of the remaining QBs have too many questions regarding injury and consistency. Manuel has prototypical size, above average speed and quickness, and a quick release. He is also coming into the NFL during a time that we've seen the success of mobile spread option QBs, and everyone wants to replicate that. With all those positives about Manuel, he needs to improve his ability to make quick decisions, his work ethic, and his ability to read defenses. This is a high-risk/ high-reward pick that could pay dividends, but it will depend on the work that he puts in at the next level.
Prosecution and Pugilism
So my query is: “When did fighting become synonymous with legal representation”? Instead of fighting for me, why can't you navigate the pitfalls and professional loopholes of our legal system? Is it because fighting for me makes me think you're a little more altruistic than you may be? Should I be dredging up images of crawling through the mud and the blood in war-torn 1971 Vietnam? Are lawyers depicted as heroes? In most cases, certainly not. Speaking with many people on the subject, the perception is that these people overcharge and have more hidden fees than a budget airline. I've never been to a boxing exhibition in my life, but I'm certain many people would love to get in the ring with an attorney and put their fighting acumen to the test. However, since the phrase is clearly not going anywhere anytime soon, an amazing promotional campaign could have a tie-in with boxing in the form of a weigh-in sponsorship or a still photo with a sponsored fighter posing with the attorney, perhaps with some novelty boxing gloves with the firm's logo. These are the things we think of in the 'ol Mad Men dream factory. If we had a lawyer vs. contender photo on a Ring Magazine kind of ad, or a sponsored weigh-in (which while brief, is highly publicized), then that attorney would definitely be interacting with their potential clients, and in the process, might humanize themselves a bit.
Football and Philanthropy
It's no secret that most big name receivers and running backs develop an ego. To quell that sort of behavior and provide an incentive to those players who choose to simply hand the ball to the official upon scoring a touchdown, Mularkey makes a charitable contribution to the Ronald McDonald House in the amount of $250. If last Friday's victory over the New Orleans Saints was any indication, Mularkey will have his checkbook open often.
I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the generosity of our kicker, Josh Scobee as well. Now, as in the past, with every successful field goal that Scobee kicks, he donates $250 to Wolfson Children's Hospital through his “Kicks for Kids” charity.
This kind of generosity cannot be overlooked. Not only do we have a competitive team for the first time in recent memory, but there is a sense of pride and professionalism that is absent all too often these days. I'm thoroughly impressed with the team's poise and the emphasis the coaching staff has placed on doing things the right way on and off the field.
Playoffs?! You Kidding Me? Playoffs?
This is a great day for College Football fans. We get our playoffs, and maybe now we can agree on who the best team in the nation is at the end of the year. As of now, we will have the 4-team playoff beginning in the 2014 season, and maybe down the road it can grow to 8 teams, or even 16. The only problem with this is that there needs to be at least a week off in between games, which can deter us from ever getting a larger tournament similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I think 4 is just fine, with 8 being perfect. In the 4-team playoff system, we can sometimes get a mid-major school in there to please everyone.
This change will bring in a ton of money to College Football, on top of pleasing the fans. Networks will bid on the rights to the game soon, which itself will bring in boatloads of money to College Football. For example, ESPN signed a deal with College Football in 2011 for a 4-year contract worth $500 million. That $500 million could be the new price of getting the game on your network for a year. And on top of that, ratings are expected to go up for these games which also brings about the questions of rates for ads during the games. Super Bowl ads have been around $3-4 million per 30 second spot recently, which isn't expected for the new College Football Playoffs, but the prices will be steep.
Although they have made the decision to hold a 4-team playoff, a lot of things still need to be ironed out. Such as, who will be a part of the selection committee. It seems to be headed for a change from what it was in the past for the National Championship game. That was part of the whole reason why we wanted a playoff, because a lot of the fans agreed that the former selection committee didn't do a good job of selecting the right teams. Last year for example, they chose Alabama and LSU. Not only did these two teams already play earlier in the year during the regular season, but they are also in the same conference, the SEC. Now, I know the SEC is a superior conference (and that's coming from someone who graduated from an ACC school), but we don't want to see a rematch from the regular season in the National Championship game, unless the first matchup was a great game. But it wasn't, a final score of 9-6 isn't that exciting. A matchup of their field goal kickers doesn't make for an interesting game. And because of this, the Nielson ratings for the game was 14.0, the third lowest ever for a BCS National Championship game. The new playoff system looks to change that, and will.
Jumpin’ Jehosaphat Jacksonville Jaguars!
I don't fault Jones-Drew one bit for wanting to renegotiate. He's 27. He's in the prime of his career and a franchise player, playing a position with a very short shelf-life. He's the face of the franchise and receiving mediocre pay. Aside from that, Jacksonville could use more marquis players that spend their careers exclusively in Jacksonville, a la the beloved Fred Taylor. Jacksonville could be the new Mecca for runningbacks the way that Penn State markets themselves as Linebacker U or the way my alma mater, Southern Illinois University markets the defensive effort put forth by their tenacious defense on the basketball court as “Floor Burn U”.
Gene Smith, as general manager, is granted an enormous amount of clemency due to the fact that we have a novice owner, and he can leverage his knowledge and experience in his favor. Not only would releasing or trading MOJO result in poor fan reaction and possibly turnout, but it would change the culture of football in Jacksonville, and that's a very dicey thing to do. Without being too heavy-handed with the econometrics, it makes financial sense to give MOJO the contract extension he seeks (around 4 years with elevated salary and some performance incentives should do). You can even include in the contract that he MUST always appear at mini-camp and other optional team activities.
This blog is meant to be two-fold…shedding light on a flawed advertising campaign, and for me, as a 3rd party to parlay my wisdom to the business public and pray to the football Gods that Gene Smith or other top executives within the Jaguar organization read this and elect to alter their perceptions of the current situation facing our beloved Jaguars. Come what may, I will always be a Jags fan to the end.