Dedhed
04-29-2008, 05:11 AM
As I look back on the weekend that was consumed by the NFL draft, I wonder if I've learned anything. Either about myself, or the team that I love to follow. After a little consideration I think there are a couple of things that I can take from the experience.
The first thing I'll take from the weekend is humility. I went into the weekend thinking that I knew a thing or two about the players that were available, and fancied myself a knowledgable armchair draft guru because I've sifted through many of the scouting websites out there. As I sat there listening to names of players I've never heard of come of the board in the third round I began to see that the knowledge you can gain about these players from youtube and nfldraftcountdown is almost insignificant compared to paid professionals who are on the raod all year long watching these players in person, and then spending hour upon hour watching full game tapes in slow motion and stop-action.
A professional scout probably learns more about Ryan Clady before lunch than I have been able to learn in an entire off-season from my living room. As GM of the Broncos I would have been thrilled to get Josh Barrett and Wesley Woodyard, but I would have spent a 4th and a 5th rounder on them. Then I watch as every team in the league passes on them multiple times and we get both players for a grand total of a 7th round pick. I fall in love with youtube clips and then get angry as I watch the Broncos pass on a guy and I think "what am I missing here"? Well the answer to that is that I'm missing more information than I could probably ever realize unless I paked up the bus and became a scout myself.
I learned something about the Denver Broncos and Mike Shanahan this weekend also. I learned that they're tired of underachieving soft-tails in orange and blue. The over-riding attribute of every player taken in this draft is that they love to play football, and play the game with passion and heart. It's an age old adage, but one that is still often overlooked in an era where stopwatches and yard sticks can blind you.
The Broncos have lacked heart in recent memory. They flat out gave up in a few games last year, and that speaks directly to the character of the players on the field. The Broncos have gone a long way this off-season towards putting some heart back in that uniform, and I for one could not be happier about it. I don't care if there are teams out there who came away with more talent or more potential than the Broncos did. The Broncos added more heart and passion for the game this weekend than any other franchise in football, and I think in the long run that could be a greater upgrade for this franchise than all the talent in the world.
It takes heart to sit on the practice squad and scout team every day and still work to make yourself and those around you better. It takes heart to be nothing more than a special teamer and still give everything you have during those few seconds you get to see the field. It takes heart to win tough football games and Championships; well the Broncos got some heart this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing it on the field on Sundays.
The first thing I'll take from the weekend is humility. I went into the weekend thinking that I knew a thing or two about the players that were available, and fancied myself a knowledgable armchair draft guru because I've sifted through many of the scouting websites out there. As I sat there listening to names of players I've never heard of come of the board in the third round I began to see that the knowledge you can gain about these players from youtube and nfldraftcountdown is almost insignificant compared to paid professionals who are on the raod all year long watching these players in person, and then spending hour upon hour watching full game tapes in slow motion and stop-action.
A professional scout probably learns more about Ryan Clady before lunch than I have been able to learn in an entire off-season from my living room. As GM of the Broncos I would have been thrilled to get Josh Barrett and Wesley Woodyard, but I would have spent a 4th and a 5th rounder on them. Then I watch as every team in the league passes on them multiple times and we get both players for a grand total of a 7th round pick. I fall in love with youtube clips and then get angry as I watch the Broncos pass on a guy and I think "what am I missing here"? Well the answer to that is that I'm missing more information than I could probably ever realize unless I paked up the bus and became a scout myself.
I learned something about the Denver Broncos and Mike Shanahan this weekend also. I learned that they're tired of underachieving soft-tails in orange and blue. The over-riding attribute of every player taken in this draft is that they love to play football, and play the game with passion and heart. It's an age old adage, but one that is still often overlooked in an era where stopwatches and yard sticks can blind you.
The Broncos have lacked heart in recent memory. They flat out gave up in a few games last year, and that speaks directly to the character of the players on the field. The Broncos have gone a long way this off-season towards putting some heart back in that uniform, and I for one could not be happier about it. I don't care if there are teams out there who came away with more talent or more potential than the Broncos did. The Broncos added more heart and passion for the game this weekend than any other franchise in football, and I think in the long run that could be a greater upgrade for this franchise than all the talent in the world.
It takes heart to sit on the practice squad and scout team every day and still work to make yourself and those around you better. It takes heart to be nothing more than a special teamer and still give everything you have during those few seconds you get to see the field. It takes heart to win tough football games and Championships; well the Broncos got some heart this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing it on the field on Sundays.