Teams picking first earned it
NEW YORK – The top dozen teams making picks in today’s NFL draft earned that right by being bad. And not just during the 2006 season.
Many of them got their spots near the top of the draft by also having instability over a bunch of seasons. Take away Tampa Bay, choosing fourth this year, and you have 11 clubs with very little, if any, stability in the front office.
And while the Buccaneers won a Super Bowl under Jon Gruden after the 2002 season and still have him as head coach, they’ve also gone through several changes off the field, most notably losing general manager Rich McKay to Atlanta. McKay and former coach Tony Dungy put together much of the roster that won that NFL title, too.
Still, the Bucs are a model of continuity compared to the other teams who will go on the clock early at Radio City Music Hall. For instance:
“Oakland has had four head coaches since Gruden left for Tampa in 2002. Sure, owner Al Davis still runs the shop, but he’s given little indication he’s keeping up with the game lately.
“Cleveland, which returned to the NFL with an expansion team in 1999, seems to have a permanent reservation on a high pick. The Browns have had flux everywhere, from the highest executive positions to the assistant coaches’ assistants. When they choose third today, it will be the fifth time since their resurrection that the Browns have owned one of the first three selections, and the sixth time they’ve picked in the top six – with a variety of people making the choices.
“Detroit GM Matt Millen has had a stranglehold on his job despite an NFL-worst 24-72 record since he took charge in 2001. He’s working with his third coach, Rod Marinelli, who went 3-13 in his debut season.
LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the odds-on favorite to be the top pick by the Raiders, brings a high level of confidence to the pros. He believes he will lead a turnaround wherever he winds up.
“I’m a playmaker,” Russell said. “I go on the field in every situation as if every play is the same and I have to make a play and put my teammates in positions to make plays.
“You’ve got to be the same. If you take the game for granted, it will hurt you in the long run.”