Thank goodness for the NFL draft

I’m not going to beat around the bush
here. I love Al Davis. For years, the owner
of the Oakland Raiders has had my affection.
Obviously, I’m not a Raiders fan. If
I were, I’d be saying exactly the opposite.
However, I like Davis a lot, because he
keeps me entertained during the season and
constantly on my toes during the draft.
Sure, Darren McFadden can be considered
easily the top-overall player among
those selected for this past weekend’s draft.

Sure, McFadden is a big-time performer
with a lot of potential. But Davis’ selection
of the Arkansas running back made me – of
all things – giggle. In selecting McFadden,
Davis seemed to have overlooked some
things.

For starters, Oakland already has
enough running backs on the roster to
field a basketball team, including last
year’s 1,000-yard rusher Justin Fargas,
who averaged almost five yards per carry.
Secondly, if Davis is going to spend time
on offense, maybe he should take a look
at his oft-injured receiving corps. Lastly,
perhaps Davis should have noticed his
team spent a lot of the season playing from
behind. Maybe it’s something other than
the offense that’s messed up.

At the end of the day, McFadden is going
to turn out to be a fine player in the NFL.
He probably will rush for more than 1,000
yards in a season within three years and
have a chance at a Pro Bowl. But for one
day, at least, he made me giggle.

On another note, I’ve had a number of
people ask me recently about my feelings
regarding the Dolphins selecting Jake Long,
an offensive lineman, as the top-overall
pick. The questioner always means it in
a way that points towards Miami wasting
the top pick (and millions of dollars) on a
non-skill position. So what’s my answer?
I’m completely fine with it. For years under
head coach Mike Shanahan, the Denver
Broncos have had constant 1,000-yard
rushers consistently. Some of the players
that have eclipsed this mark under his
watch include “all-stars” Olandis Gary
and Mike Anderson. Others include true
all-stars such as Terrell Davis. No matter
who touches the ball, what has been the
key to their success? The offensive line!
The Dolphins’ offensive line has been a
weak link for several years now, and last
season, it did nothing but get worse-just
like the rest of the team.

With a team that needs rebuilding on
both sides of the ball, you have to start
with the groundwork. A good offensive
line is the key to a good and productive
offense.

Long will come in and play right away
and will be key to the re-building of a
once-proud team. Yes, the Fins could have
started on the defensive side of the ball and
taken Chris Long as Jason Taylor’s eventual
replacement as leader of the D-line, but
with the quarterback situation still up in
the air, someone has to run protection.
Furthermore, those Broncos teams didn’t
fare so poorly-now did they?