Four Downs with Stock & Doc
by Ben Stockwell and Paul Hopkins
28/3/2008
 
This week, has Al Davis finally done good?! Will we see improvement from the Panthers and Seahawks offences this season and is Chris Long the best in 2008?
 
The Oakland Raiders have made a great move by acquiring DeAngelo Hall for a 2nd round pick (and a 5th round pick in 2009).
 
STOCK – FACT ! – Hall is an elite level cornerback for a scheme designed around man coverage as the Raiders run. He was wasted, undervalued and mismatched in the Falcons scheme so this is good business for both parties. The Raiders now have two top tier corners for their man scheme that will take the pressure off their pass rush by sticking longer with the receivers. Consider that the Raiders got an elite level corner who is only 24 years old (the same age as some rookies) for a 2nd round draft choice, that is better value than they could get by keeping the pick. Then for Falcons they get a 2nd round pick for a corner who within their scheme wasn't worth the money he wanted and also isn't the bet fit, his penchant for looking into the backfield and gambling doesn't work well in a zone scheme so they can upgrade the position within their scheme and get an immediate impact from another first day selection, or give them the ammunition to move back up into the first round for Brian Brohm or Joe Flacco. A definite win-win trade.
 
DOC – FACT ! – Al Davis in masterstroke! Yep, it's true. Amazingly he's done well for once. Hall might be far from an ideal person to have around, but this is Oakland; a personality disorder is a pre-requisite not a deterrent. He's far better than they would have got with that second rounder, particularly with the relatively sharp drop-off at CB in this year's draft – which should come to an end with Dallas' picks. Team him up with Asomugha and the Raiders secondary is immediately upgraded. A smart move that also suits the Falcons in their rebuilding. For once a great move by two teams!! How rare!!
 
The additions of DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad will make the Panthers a strong contender in the NFC this season.
 
STOCK – FICTION ! – Muhsin Muhammad will do nothing, he was pretty ineffectual for the Bears and isn't going into any better a QB situation in Carolina if Delhomme can't stay healthy. He's nothing like the player he once was and to be quite frank it is a wasteful signing that says more of what the Panthers think about Dwayne Jarrett than it does about Muhammad's skills at this late stage of his career. If Hackett can stay healthy (which he has proven he can't thus far in his career) then it is an incredibly shrewd signing and he'll be a good foil for Steve Smith, but he's still not the big body posession receiver that a small receiver like Smith needs. Neither of these is also the power back that the Panthers have had whenever they've been a successful threat in the NFC, neither is a guy like Stephen Davis was for their Superbowl team to pound out the hard yards and let DeAngelo Williams go nuts on defences. They'll probably be improved, but it won't help if they don't improve their QB situation behind Delhomme, don't improve their running game and don't continue to get younger in the front seven.
 
DOC – FACT ! – They're better than the two no-names they did have and let go. They have to be better. They're not going to become contenders for the reasons you rightly give but even if Muhsin is near to drawing his pension he's better than they had. Plus I think you're being harsh on him, simply because he was playing with Rex Grossman!! Randy Moss or T.O. would struggle with that clown throwing you the ball. Hackett is an excellent pick-up and the Panthers receiving corps is certainly better. If Jarrett actually does manage to fulfil anything like his potential – I know but run with me here! – then in the relatively weak NFC, they immediately move towards the playoff spots. They weren't exactly a million miles away this year despite their pretty crap record and lack of a reasonable QB for virtually the whole season. They'd get crucified in the AFC, but this is the NFC where one division is won by default, another is all a flux after Favre's retirement and another changes on a yearly basis. Only the East seems to have some stability.
 
Seattle's running game will be much improved this season with the addition of Julius Jones and TJ Duckett.
 
STOCK – FICTION ! – Julius Jones is no better than Maurice Morris and in fact I think he's an inferior tailback, he's far too inconsistent hitting the hole and he won't be the upgrade they think he is. As for TJ Duckett, he's a big body and I like him for the occassional change of pace/power to pound the defence for a drive or two in the fourth quarter, but he is very limited. Both of these backs are very limited and don't help this team a great deal in my opinion. There is certainly some credence to the new trend that a featured back is not the basis of a successful NFL running game these days, but in fact running back by committee is the new in vogue thing. However, what you need, is a committee of guys that you can put in for any situation, not an assortment of pigeon holed players that do different things. These backs are far too one dimensional and will merely tip the hand of the play calling from the Seahawks offence. Pack the line against Duckett, maintain your gap assignments at the second level against Jones, these two signings won't put Seattle over the top.
 
DOC – FACT ! – Anything is a step up over what soft Shaun Alexander was serving up. I'm far from being Julius Jones' number one fan but there's something about this that says he's going to do something in Seattle. Duckett is a tub of lard battering ram which really every team needs, and they actually make a decent tandem in that division. If they get Jones out in open field, which Dallas never really did, then you are taking advantage of his speed, plus the magnetic pull of him towards the back of Marc Colombo's jersey will now be broken.
 
Chris Long is the best player in the 2008 NFL Draft.
 
STOCK – FACT ! – And as a University of Maryland fan saying that about a Virginia Cavalier that is hard to say, but it's true. He has better measurables than you'd expect to look at him but he is just an outstanding football player. He is strong at the point of attack, he rushes the passer well and he has a motor that simply does not stop. Factor in that he can play defensive end in a 3-4 defence, defensive end in a 4-3 defence and is being lined up to also play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defence and you have one of the most complete defenders to emerge from the college ranks in quite some time. I'm not sure there is a valid question mark over him, there doesn't even seem to be a question mark over him being a jack of all trades but a master of none. He's the best prospect but also the best “football player” and I think it is extremely rare that you can assign those two monikers to the same player in a draft class.
 
DOC – Completely agree – very definite FACT ! here. Everything you say is true, and then you can add in his football smarts, coming from his strong family bloodlines in the sport. He is going to be an absolute monster of a player, and one that will rightly go with the first pick in the draft. The Dolphins won't get a bundle that will make it worth their while and I doubt that Bill Parcells will give a damn. Long is precisely the kind of player he looks to draft. He is tough, he is intelligent, he has good bloodlines in football, and on top of that he'll fit into Parcells defence first scheme. I don't think anyone is going to give up that much to get him, although as you say, he is the most complete player for quite some time, so it would actually make sense for once! He's actually someone I'd happily give up two first round picks for!