Blah

My plan to live blog the draft from the O's game fell apart much quicker than expected. Not only did I fail to write any posts yesterday but I hadn't even seen the Buc's picks until a few hours ago. But more on the Buc's picks in a bit.

I've never been to Oakland or New Orleans, but Baltimore might be the shadiest city in the country. In how many cities can you see crackheads passed out on the sidewalk on the way to the ball game? Or police who blatantly ignore open container laws to instead harass Pakistani cabbies? I love Camden Yards (and highly recommend catching a game there) but the rest of the city, with the notable exception of the Inner Harbor, is all warehouses and crackheads.

My first reaction when I saw the Bucs draft was surprise. I completely botched that cornerback-in-the-first-two rounds prediction. Davin Joseph was not even on my radar screen. I'm an idiot.

That being written, my second reaction was literally, "Gruden is an idiot." And let me explain why...

What I Don't Like:

The Buc's first two picks

Nothing against Joseph or Jeremy Trueblood, but the Bucs could have added a quality guard in the third or fourth round (Max Jean-Gilles for example). The Joseph pick especially reminds me of Gruden's Janikowski pick from a few years back. Gruden reached to draft a position which was a major weakness for the Raiders when he could have selected a kicker later in the draft. And while Janikowski has worked out for the Raiders he was not worth a first round pick. Joseph will most likely be a good player for the Bucs but a starting guard could have been picked several rounds later.

The 49ers selecting Manny Lawson

I called it, I called it, I called it. My squirrel killer went one pick before the Bucs. Not sure if anyone noticed but Reggie Bush and DeAngelo Williams now play in the NFC South and it wouldn't have hurt to add a stud defensive player for the future this year. The one thing this draft class has is a startling lack of impact defensive players.

What I Liked:

The Alan Zemaitis pick

Good value pick in the fourth round for the Bucs at a position they need help at. Almost all the first and second tier corners were off the board before the Bucs second pick. The Bucs first defensive pick may not make the immidiate impact I had hoped for but Zemaitis is a great choice in the fourth.

The Maurice Stovall pick

Another great value pick for the Bucs at a position of need for Gruden. There may be little difference between Stovall and every other tall, slow receiver Gruden has drafted in the last couple of years but most mocks had Stovall off the board early in the second (Of course all those mocks had Bush going number one). At least Stovall has experienced success in Notre Dame's NFL-like offense.


All in all, this is not a very impressive draft. I would be surprised if any of these guys play in the Pro Bowl. But Gruden and company did fill their most pressing needs, and well...that has to be worth something. I still think Gruden went a little heavy on the offense when so many defensive playmakers were available in this draft. It seems like the Bucs passed on more talented players to instead select character guys.