And the Detroit Lions select: Ernie Sims, Daniel Bullocks, Brian Calhoun

[Gecko]

"Here's the deal...Arizona's Denny Green said that he planned on taking Sims and the only reason they wouldn't was because Leinart fell to them."

That's exactly the thinking we should have went with. We would have taken Sims, but Leinart fell to us.


Did someone really compare Matt Leinart to Joey Harrington above? Okay, so Joey didn't work out. I guess we shouldn't ever draft a highly touted quarterback coming out of college ever again since Joey didn't work out. Good logic!

Leinart won 2 National Championships, won the Heisman trophy, and lost only 2 games in his entire career. I don't think Joey has that resume. Give me a break. I guess we can't draft a highly touted WR again either considering our recent drafts. I guess we shouldn't draft a highly touted offensive lineman either considering our past. According to this brilliant logic, I don't know if there is a position we can draft. Some fans are ridiculous.

I didn't compare them on play but I compared them on personality. The last thing that locker room needed was another pretty boy. That locker room desperatley needs leadership and masculinity which I don't think Leniart is high on. The fans would turn on Leinart the instant he devotes one second to his hollywood career. That plays well in California or maybe New York but not here in Detroit. The fans and locker room will brand him a pussy in the next month.

Secondly, you want me to compare the two as far as QB ability? Here it is....Joey Harrington has a better arm than Leinart could ever dream. Joey Harrington would of put up similar numbers if he had the same OL and Offensive talent that Leinart had.

GO back and watch Joey at Oregon and you will see that ol noodle arm had a cannon compared to Leinart.

It's no secret that Leinart throws balls much like Chad Pennington and though he might be the most NFL ready of the 3 QB's in this draft he also has the least upside.

Don't get too caught up on the QB comparison, since it's just my opinion... the biggest knock on Leinart as a Detroit lion is the pretty boy hollywood angle I mentioned in the first paragraph.

[Black Dynamite]

It's no secret that Leinart throws balls much like Chad Pennington and though he might be the most NFL ready of the 3 QB's in this draft he also has the least upside.

people get sensitive when you tell the truth about leinharts arm. thus i just pretend he can halfway throw hard. but pennington is about right. his arm is a lil stronger than pennington. but not much.

[Gecko]

On the Lions trading Down. Here's one Millen said no to. I like what Millen was demanding. The Jets should of did the trade if they wanted Leinart.


http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/st...p-349704c.html


Deal for Leinart fell short


If Jets had been able to make deal with Lions for No. 9 pick, Matt Leinart would have been displaying Gang Green gear instead. The Jets view left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson as the infrastructure for their offense. And after taking him with the fourth pick, they tried to construct a luxury high-rise around him: Matt Leinart.

Not long after picking Ferguson and passing on Leinart, the Daily News has learned, the Jets were furiously working the phones Saturday trying to move back into the top 10 to get the USC quarterback.

They held serious discussions with the Lions at No. 9, but were unwilling to meet Detroit's price. If GM Mike Tannenbaum had been able to get Leinart to go along with Ferguson, it would have been the the most productive draft day in Jets' history.

Predraft speculation was that the Jets had Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler rated over Leinart, but sources insist the Jets had Leinart listed over Cutler. Leinart was definitely whom the Jets were targeting when negotiating with Detroit.

The Lions were willing to move down to the No. 29 spot, the second of the Jets' two No. 1 picks, which they had acquired in the John Abraham trade. The Jets offered that pick, plus their third-round pick at No. 71, for No. 9, clearly not enough. But when the Lions demanded the Jets' second-round pick (35th) in addition to the first- and third-rounders, talks broke down and the Lions selected linebacker Ernie Sims.

The cost to move up the 20 spots is more than the 29th and 71st picks, and the Jets surely knew that, but their unwillingless to part with the second-rounder didn't leave any room for negotiating. If the Jets had given up those three picks, the Lions would have had to part with a later pick to make things even on the draft value chart all teams use.

At the same time they were talking to the Lions, the Jets called the Cardinals, who were picking 10th. But Arizona had no interest in trading. For good reason, of course. They took Leinart themselves.

The Jets never were interested in taking Leinart with the fourth pick. They felt they couldn't pass up Ferguson, who plays the most important position on the offensive line. But the Jets obviously liked Leinart enough that they tried to double-dip in the top 10.

Even so, passing on Leinart at No. 4 was a mistake. They could have rectified that by making the trade with Detroit. If the Jets had been able to squeeze the Falcons for their own No. 1 pick (15th) in the Abraham trade - they didn't get enough for him - they would have had enough ammunition to pull off the trade with Detroit. Ironically, the Broncos, who wound up with that Atlanta pick in the three-way Abraham deal, moved up from that spot to the Rams' No. 11 spot and took Cutler. The price: a third-round pick, No. 68. The Jets' chances of getting Leinart improved when the Raiders passed on him at No. 7 to take Texas safety Michael Huff, the player the Lions wanted. The Jets never had to worry about Lions GM Matt Millen taking Leinart. Detroit is still having Joey Harrington nightmares. Detroit was the highest team on the board the Jets called. Fifteen years ago, the Jets desperately tried to trade up for Brett Favre. They couldn't get a deal done and Favre went one spot ahead of them to the Falcons. The Jets took Browning Nagle. If Leinart becomes an All-Pro, the Jets will regret passing on him and then not paying enough when they had a second chance.

[Glenn]

Nice find.

To me, that re-affirms that drafting Leinart and then trading him was indeed a viable option for the Lions, but as I said, Millen just wasn't in a solid enough position to be that aggressive.

I just hope that it doesn't come out that they had a deal nearly completed and then just ran out of time on the clock.

[Gecko]

Nice find.

To me, that re-affirms that drafting Leinart and then trading him was indeed a viable option for the Lions, but as I said, Millen just wasn't in a solid enough position to be that aggressive.

I just hope that it doesn't come out that they had a deal nearly completed and then just ran out of time on the clock.

Trading is always a viable option but wouldn't that piece signal that Millen was trying to be aggressive? The Jets weren't offering a fair value for the 9th pick and Millen did the right thing by demanding the 2nd rounder in addition the first and third.

GD, I think this all came down to teams knowing the lions were not going to select a QB with that pick. Millen pulled off a great trade a few years ago when he got Roy and KJ. If the Lions were any threat to taking one of those QB's then maybe someone looks to trade up for them. You hate anyone named Sims is all.

[Glenn]

So if multiple teams all think and are banking on you not taking a QB, then you call their bluff and take the QB with the intent of trading him. That would be being aggressive.

(To be clear, I think what Millen was asking for in the additional 2nd was the right thing, but if they never thought we were going to take Leinart, there isn't as much leverage. As soon as the Lions select Leinart, the Jets may quite possibly have come begging the Lions to take their 2nd, maybe they even get a better deal from a team like Arizona or Denver, at minimum, they could have played them against each other).

[Fool]

And if not, you are stuck with a QB that you only took to look tough in front of other GMs. Now that's a solid reason to make a pick...

[Glenn]

You only go that route if you are 100% convinced that the interest is there, obviously.

Could we have squeezed Arizona if we drafted Lineart and then traded him for #10 (Sims) and another pick? I dunno, but it only took them, what, less than 2 minutes to turn in the Lineart pick? That is a signal that there was value there with Lineart at 9, IMO.

[Fool]

100% convinced? Like they already agreed to a deal and thus there is no need to make the pick to show how much leverage you have? Maybe that's how you do it up there in Canada. But in the US, if you can't make a deal you do what's best for your team. You don't choose guys you don't want just to play drafting tough guy.

[Glenn]

Okay, maybe I'm just looking too hard for reasons to criticize/2nd guess Millen.

I still think they could have/should have traded down from 9 if they were going to take a LB in this draft, that has been my position for a long time now, and nothing changed that this weekend.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Sims is a periennial Pro Bowler.