In his defense, Matt Millen has been a part of history. As a player, he played on four Super Bowl teams. As a general manager, he presided over the NFL's first 0-16 team. He's been on both sides of the record books.
And besides, is there anyone in recent history who's been more consistent on the NFL draft? He's been overwhelmingly awful, so whatever Millen says, you just do the opposite and you're golden.
There's no one with more in-depth knowledge of first-round wide receiver busts than Millen. He could write a book. I'd buy it. I'd put it right on the shelf right between to my copies of "The Boz" and "The 1$ League: the Rise And Fall Of The USFL."
I'll be blogging the 2009 NFL Draft live at my column over at Examiner.com. It's a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 approach to the draft, I promise you plenty of laughs as the picks start to pile up.
Check it out here, updated live during the first round of the draft all day long today.
Looking Back With Sarcasm: Previous Draft Day Timelines:
2008 NFL Draft (Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco) timeline, click here.
On the same day Jay Cutler announces he didn't actually want to be traded from the Broncos, Denver did it anyway. Denver shipped Cutler to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton, two years worth of first-round picks and a third-round pick.
The Bears edged out teams like the Redskins, Buccaneers, and Lions in their deal for Cutler. Chicago finally gets their franchise quarterback, a young Pro Bowl player who could easily be the best quarterback the Bears have had since a briefly-healthy Jim McMahon.
For the Broncos, this one's a leap of faith. While they were almost a playoff team with Cutler, now they have to hope Orton matures into a good enough quarterback to keep them competitive. In the long term though, Denver's prospects for the next 6-8 years just brightened up considerably. With four first round picks in the next two years, a pair of good drafts could set them up for the long run. It's the kind of setup that Mike Shanahan would have killed to be in.
However, the future is only bright if you survive long enough to enjoy it. New coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders have to survive a deal that cost them a quarterback in the short term and could blow up in their faces.
The Denver Broncos have now decided to trade quarterback Jay Cutler. After a failed attempt to send Cutler away in a deal that would have brought them Matt Cassel, Cutler completely lost trust in the Broncos.
With ESPN's report today that Denver has resigned itself to losing Cutler, let the speculation begin where he'll wind up. The problem with trading Cutler is Denver's quarterback situation without him. Detroit is already jumping at the chance to get him, but what good is the number one pick in the draft to Denver if they don't have a quarterback? Matthew Stafford would be a great fit for the Broncos, but he won't be ready to start for years.
San Francisco should have interest. Minnesota's still not set at quarterback, and needs a quality starter right now to take advantage of Adrian Peterson. USA Today ranked the contenders, also mentioning the Jets, Bucs, and Redskins as most likely to be able to offer what the Broncos need.
It'll be an interesting few weeks leading up to the draft, that's for certain.
Terrell Owens claims he was "blindsided" by his release from the Dallas Cowboys in an interview with a Canadian television channel.
Owens, who was released by the Cowboys and signed with the Buffalo Bills shortly after, said he had been told be Jerry Jones he'd be staying in Dallas.
"You hear all the speculation, and you talk to the owner of the team, and he reassures you, you're not going anywhere and then, out of left-field & you get blindsided," Owens said in the report on ESPN.
Apparently, Owens workout activities don't involve Googling his own name, because "Terrell Owens Cowboys release" has been coming up like "free beer" ever since the Cowboys most recent December collapse.
Owens also said he believed that Jerry Jones meant to keep him on the team and someone changed his mind. Jones had no comment, but did say the move was based in part because of their trade for Roy Williams and their desire to make him their number one receiver.
Over the last six months, the Cowboys have traded with Detroit for Williams and quarterback Jon Kitna. How many pieces of the NFL's first 0-16 team do you really want on your team?
NFL Changes Safety Rules, Turns Players Into Little Girls
The NFL appears to be serious about player safety, possibly to the extent of taking the big hits out of the game. Owners passed four safety proposals Tuesday that will make the game so safe, you may be falling asleep mid-quarter.
Let me start by saying this, I'm a big fan of safety in football, especially when it comes to the quarterback position. Those guys are defenseless back there, and no one wants to watch backup quarterbacks play. For every Matt Cassel waiting to shine, there's a whole handful of guys like...whoever wound up running the Lions and Bengals last year.
However, the big hits and collisions of the game are why the NFL is the overwhelming number one sport in the country. Every time the ball snaps in the NFL, it could be someone's last play. Through injuries and accidents, the sport has an urgency to it that no other sport can match. Every down is a series of collisions and impacts, and let's face it, violence and urgency make for a great spectator sport.
To start with, they've outlawed the "wedge" on kickoff returns. Apparently the way we've been taught since grade school to return kickoffs is too dangerous to continue. If you get more than two people together, it's a penalty. We're a step away from having the return team link hands and play "Red Rover" with the kicking team.
Onside kickoffs have become even weirder, now the kicking team isn't allowed to group players together at all. The mad scrum for the ball on one side or the other is gone.
The NFL has now elevated Hines Ward to cult status, as he now has his own rule about blocking downfield. Ward's blindside hit that gave Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers a broken jaw is now a 15 yard penalty.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that everyone has seen that hit a couple of times. If you saw it on a DVR or Tivo, you backed it up and watched it again. If someone in your house was in the other room, you called them in and watched it yet again. It was a great hit, legal at the time. Now, it's 15 yards.
And the final proposal accepted involves "defenseless receivers," basically giving the center of the field back to the receivers. As I said, I'm a fan of safety but this is starting to get ridiculous. Going over the middle and the dangers involved have been a part of football since the first forward pass. That's why when you talk about a possession receiver, it's a badge of honor when you say they go over the middle. It's supposed to be the most dangerous place on the field.
To me, the guy who defined toughness in the modern era of the NFL was Ronnie Lott. Now, if you look at Ronnie Lott's Hall of Fame induction video, almost every highlight you'll see would cost him fifteen yards and some fines these days.
Jay Cutler Angered By Broncos Dumbass Trade Attempt
The situation between Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos is apparently worse. After the Broncos tried to trade Cutler in a deal for New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, Cutler got wind of the deal and was angry for the Broncos for shopping him. After a meeting between the two sides, Cutler feels like he'll be traded before the draft, although the Broncos are saying he's not going anywhere.
I'll say this, Cutler's protestations of disloyalty don't come off very well. In a league where Brett Favre, Joe Montana, and Emmitt Smith all changed teams at least once, a guy who's only been on a roster for three years doesn't have much room to complain. NFL guys with more awards, more rings, and more "Dancing With The Stars" championships have been dealt, why not Cutler?
On the other hand, I can understand where Cutler might be a bit ticked. The new Broncos coaching staff tried to trade their twenty-five year-old Pro Bowl quarterback for a twenty-six year old with fewer than half his starts, who may not be ready to be the focus of a franchise.
Now that I think about it, it would be like being traded for Jimmy Fallon.
Tack on TO's troubles with quarterback Tony Romo to the long list of personal and personnel problems that have plagued Owens' career. His time in San Francisco ended with him casting doubts on Jeff Garcia's sexuality, then his two weeks technically as a Baltimore Raven resulted in a forced trade to Philly, where the Eagles loved him so much they asked him not to come back halfway through the season.
Dallas is so ready to be done with TO's reported bad influence on the locker room that they're willing to take a salary cap hit of roughly nine million dollars for the season. Cleansing your karma doesn't come cheap, apparently.
Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams, long expected to be either released or traded in the offseason, has apparently had it with waiting for the other shoe to drop in Dallas. His agent, Jordan Woy, has asked the Dallas Cowboys to make a decision on him by the end of today, Tuesday.
Woy has asked for either a trade or for Williams to be released. The trade market for a player who would eventually be released is obviously soft, but by the same token, despite Williams' desires, Dallas is under no obligations to not wait on the best offer, or any offer at this point.
Stay tuned. My best guess is that nothing happens today, if for no other reason than to remind people that things in Dallas move only when Jerry Jones wants them to.
Several NFL teams used their franchise tags on Thursday, giving them much greater power in negotiations with one of their free agent players. Once tagged, the team retains the rights to match any other offer, or receive two first-round draft choices as compensation if they decline to match.
The Carolina Panthers made two significant moves within moments of each other. They signed All-Pro left tackle Jordan Gross to a six-year deal believed to be one of the richest in the league for a lineman. Then with Gross locked up, they turned their attention to defensive end Julius Peppers. Although Peppers has said he wants out of the team, they gave him the franchise tag.
The Houston Texans used their franchise tag for the first time ever, putting it on cornerback Dunta Robinson. The move gives Robinson a one-year salary at $9.957 million in 2009.
The Seahawks used their franchise tag on linebacker Leroy Hill. For Hill, the tag means he'll make a minimum $8.3 million for 2009.
The Titans will keep tight end Bo Scaife, their leading receiver. The franchise tag means Scaife will earn $4.46 million this season.
Oakland didn't need the franchise tag, they resigned All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a three-year contract that's thought to be the richest ever given to a defensive back.
Also, the Indianapolis Colts considered using their tag, but worked out a deal with cornerback Kelvin Hayden. It's a five-year deal worth $43 million. The Colts still will look to resign veterans Dominic Rhodes, Tyjuan Hagler, Hunter Smith.
Carolina panthers defensive end Julius Peppers wants out of town, but he's a bit choosy about where he travels.
According to reports, Peppers wants to limit his destinations to four locations, including Dallas. Two of the other choices are also in the NFC.
Nice of Peppers to be forthcoming with his travel demands. It's always good to know your four-time Pro Bowler doesn't even want to leave the conference, so you run the risk of seeing him in next year's playoffs. That's like your wife leaving you but only moving a few houses away. You know there will be some awkward parties later.
Carolina will probably want a first-round pick for Peppers, which may leave the Cowboys out of the discussion. Dallas gave up their first-rounder last year in part of the trade for Roy Williams. If the Cowboys miss out on Peppers and Williams continues to average less than two catches a game, I fully expect this one to be added to the laundry list of Cowboys fans' complaints against Jerry Jones.
Dallas Cowboys fans frustrated by a dozen years without a playoff win now have a place to vent their anger.
Well, another place in addition to the radio, internet, signs at the games, and drunken phone calls to Valley Ranch, of course. Cowboys fans don't really keep their feelings a secret.
There's a petition at Fire The Cowboys GM.com where Cowboys fans can ask owner and general manager Jerry Jones to... well, fire himself.
There have been plenty of other sites calling for the firing of coaches and general managers before. As soon as your school hires Blackbelt Jones, somebody in a dorm room somewhere puts down the bong and logs onto GoDaddy to register FireBlackbeltJones.com.
However, this is the first time that I can remember a fanbase has mobilized to ask someone to take one for the team and commit seppuku.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Jerry Jones will be unavailable for comment on this one.
Vick is still in federal prison on dogfighting charges, and is scheduled to be released in July. His current contract is worth $45 million dollars, and runs through 2013.
The Falcons offering him up for a trade is like trying to sell old lottery tickets. Perhaps there was a possible value there once, but now, everybody knows they're scratched off and worthless.
At this point, maybe they should package him with the rights to Jamal Anderson. At least the Raiders and Cowboys would be interested.
Game Over For Pacman, Or Some Other Video-Game Pun
The Pacman Jones era is now officially at an end in Dallas. At the very first opportunity to dump him, the Cowboys released Adam Jones to the waiver wire, where once all thirty-one other teams read his name and salary and laugh to themselves, he'll be a free agent.
Although Jones' career is approaching Lawrence Phillips levels of tragic proportions, don't think the Cowboys made too bad of a deal. Thanks to Pacman getting suspended during the year, Dallas rented Pacman for the year for the difference between a fourth roudn pick in 2008 and a fifth round pick in 2009.
Bad choice? Yep. Bad attitude? Certainly. Bad deal? Not too much.
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ESPN has now officially hired Matt Millen as an NFL and college football analyst for next season.
