High Mark

The 3-4 is the 5-2. The LBs just line up on the LOS and are called "ends" even though they arent nessecarily in a 3 point stance. In fact Ive never seen all 5 "lineman" with their hands down.

Dont forget Andrew Lukc from Stanford. He is going to be good.

Great now we will reach for a guy cause he is buddys with the coach. So whats that all GT players except for this one guy from Indiana?

Lets be honest, we would draft Selvish Capers, you know the 4th round talent when a top 5 talent is on the board, ie Maybin>Orakpo

Thats what I said last year!

I have been saying it all year, Bulaga is ready to go, very good technique, and is a mauler. thats what i want. Be very weary of Davis and WIlliams.

I say give canada every pre season game for the next billion years and give us back our regular season AFC east rivalry game back!

Well I was wrong, ND didnt play Airforce this year, but they did play Western Michigan and Tulsa!!!! Flordia took on: Tennessee Kentucky LSU Mississippi State Arkansas Georgia South Carolina Florida State Alabama Cincinnati Who was the best team ND played this year? Pitt in early Oct? Maybe Stanford in late Sept? One could say Utah, but they didnt even play in a bowl game - because the team elected not to. Murderous it was! Now how did you put it... "nice job making up bullsh--."

I was so angry the Steelers nabbed big ben. he was my draft crush that year. When we traded up for JP "who" Losman I was so furious. WHY WOULDNT YOU TRADE UP FOR BEN! I would trade up depending on how far we have to do it. IMO, there is McCoy(DT), Suh, Okung, Bradford, and Bulaga, I wouldnt consider trading up for him unless that list is very very thin - meaning one of the other guys wouldnt fall to us. If they are all long gone then yes, we need to get value at a need position, so make the trade. I predict he goes #1 overall though. I wouldnt give that much up.

Ah Derick Fine.... the TE no one wanted to Bills to draft...

Tebow had the PERFECCT skill set for the O Florida runs. Its a skill set that will have to be severely tweaked if he is to succeed in the NFL NDs murderous schedule? Army, Navy, Air Force, Washington..... Sure isnt the SEC schedule Tebow played against.

Build some commercial real state around the stadium, and rent them out. Instant revenue!

As far as Orakpo goes, can I say "I told you so" yet? And the credibility of this is not very good. He has Loadholt going before Volmer...

Posted Dec. 29, 2009 Junior Quarterbacks - Jimmy Clausen I bet you never thought in the past month that Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen is one of the most underappreciated quarterback prospects in the history of the NFL Draft. But after reading this blog entry, you just might change your mind. First, I am going to tell you why you might not like Clausen, and let's be real here, there is a lot of bias against him. Some criticism is warranted, but a lot isn't. Notre Dame is the most hated football program in America, period. They are the Duke of the gridiron. Automatically, you hate Clausen because he went to Notre Dame, just like you hated J.J. Reddick because he went to Duke. If you want to make an analysis as objective and professional as possible, then you need to cut the crap and get over the Notre Dame hate if you have it - and a lot of that is out there. Think about it: if you put Sanchez on Notre Dame and Jimmy Clausen at USC, then Sanchez is the hated prospect and Clausen is the beloved underclassman. Maybe you don't like Clausen because of the blond, spiky hair, or the limo appearance he had when he was a senior in high school to declare for Notre Dame. These aren't "low profile" characteristics and automatically, you might have disliked him. For whatever reasons you're down on Clausen, please put them in the back seat and have an open mind when reading this blog entry. Clausen just amassed one of the most impressive junior seasons among pro-style quarterbacks in the past 10-20 years. Let's remember that Clausen had a very bad offensive line this year for Notre Dame. Sure, he had good weapons, but the running game was poor and receivers Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph missed significant action (eight games missed total between them). When Floyd went out, Clausen stepped up. With a bum turf toe, he didn't play at all in the second half and led the team to a game-winning drive to beat Purdue. The following week, he posted 422 passing yards against Washington. Over the next three games (USC, Boston College, Washinton State), Clausen threw for 774 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Clausen is a huge reason for Golden Tate's big season as well. While Tate is a talented player, he couldn't have done it without Clausen's extremely high level of accuracy. Numerous times, Clausen played through pain this season. He led his team in games in crunch time, and was without a doubt the most clutch quarterback in the nation this year. Criticizing Clausen because he had talent around him is a very poor argument. It isn't like Clausen was putting up just above average statistics - he dominated opponents. He showed a very high football IQ and rarely forced the ball in coverage. Did he throw some balls up for grabs? Sure, but Peyton Manning does the same thing occasionally to Reggie Wayne. Drew Brees lofts the ball up for Marques Colston in the red zone. Philip Rivers relies on Vincent Jackson. Quarterbacks can't do it all by themselves. One statistic that can't be discussed enough is Clausen's 7:1 touchdown-intercpetion ratio, which is absolutely unheard of among junior quarterbacks in pro-style offenses. This is just ridiculous. It doesn't happen and it isn't supposed to happen. Give the man some credit where credit is due. The bottom line is Clausen certainly needs to be looked at as one of, if not the most polished junior quarterback prospect in the history of the NFL Draft. I didn't say the BEST junior quarterback prospects because he doesn't have the physical skill, but he is certainly one of the most NFL-ready. Analyze the statistics of a select group of quarterbacks in the spreadsheet below; all of these stats were taken from each quarterback's junior season. Aside from Matthew Stafford (I'm including him because I had him No. 1 overall on my big board), these highly thought-of quarterbacks that have gone on to outstanding success in the NFL. Clausen simply blows everyone out of the water. His touchdown-interception ratio puts Peyton Manning's 1996 season to shame. His completion percentage is a good five points ahead of Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. Clausen threw six less interceptions than EVERYONE. Clausen's ranks across the board: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st. I just don't understand how someone like Todd McShay can say Clausen is a second-round talent when you consider how his statistics compare to some of the NFL's current greats. I'm not a fan of just analyzing statistics, and my evaluation of Clausen really doesn't have very much to do with them. All I am doing is putting his season into perspective. The perspective proves that Clausen is worthy of much more respect than I feel like he is getting at the moment. We will probably never see a better junior season ever again. Charlie Weis leaving the college game means that there is one less West Coast offense in the NCAA. Over the next 10 years, I fear that nearly all snaps are going to be taken out of shotgun and NFL front offices are going to be throwing darts and evaluating prospects based on physical tools only since the schemes are so easy to execute. Clausen isn't executing an easy scheme - he is executing the toughest scheme on the national stage. Every week the camera is on him, and every week he delivered. If Notre Dame's defense was just above average, this team would have won 10 games. If you don't like Clausen because he is cocky, then that is fine. I just hope you are consistent and also say Rivers is a bad NFL quarterback because he is cocky - because a slightly confident leader can't win games in the NFL, right? Maybe if Philip Rivers went to Notre Dame... --- There is a graphic here that I cannot copy over, compares his stats to current NFL QBs like Manning/Rivers/etc. Cluasens stats blow theirs away.

Good point. We throw away draft picks all the time with the sh*t we draft. Might as well throw them away in a trade rather than on Maybins and Whitners and Youbotys and Ellises and McCargos and Losmans.... McShay is no better at scouting players than ieatcrayonz. I dont know the history on the Walterfootball guy, but he cant be much worse than McShay.

Okung and Bulaga are the only left Tackles I think. Davis could be very good on the right side, and Williams scares me anywhere. Ciron black may be a good late round pick to slide inside to G, but his height and size may hurt him.

I dont wanna trade Lynch but I want Gehart on this team more than anyone. He is going to be such a dominant player IMO. I dont believe he is off the board on day one tho, because I think he will be just another RB whiff by the NFL, ie Frank Gore/Marion Barber/Tashard Choice/Shone Green

Now I didnt see too mcuh of Clausen this past season, but from what I did see he was much improved from his soph season. Here is one guys take on Clausen jr year. http://walterfootball.com/mattblog091229.php Now I like him more than Bradford thats for sure, but I think its all moot because both wont be around when we draft. Anyways, once the workouts and combine are all done, I wouldnt be suprised to see him rise to #1 on the big board.

BTW, the title of this thread is very confusing. McShay rights a good article about the draft? Sorry but that is impossible.

Yea McShay says he is "maxed out" What the hell makes him think that? Clausen blew donkey nuts his first two seasons. He was down right pitiful. Then he comes out and has a very very good junior season and is all of a sudden "maxed out" If he never improved in college sure I could see that, but a guy would took a huge bound forward in terms of progession is labled maxed out? Great, now I will have to hear all the other 3rd grade weanies regurgitating that sentence for the next 3 years. Besides, he already can make every throw in the book. Its not like they are making the field longer or wider. John Elway must have been maxed out too when he was coming into the league. Peyton Manning was maxed out after 3 years in the league. Same with Drew Brees. None of them ever got any better.... ever. Clausen doesnt have to get any better in many of the physical aspects. The notion he is maxed out is laughable.

But when standing next to McShay, he looks like a draft day GOD. PS I remember when both these guys where ripping on Mayock for having Matt Ryan ranked #1 on the big board. they had him in the late teens or twentys. McShay even saying he was a 2nd round guy. Friggin idiots.

I believe that Okung is a lock down, stand alone guy. Reminds me of Joe Thomas actually. Not a run game bruiser but a great pass blocker. He wont make it out of the top 5. Im still liking Bulaga, he can handle the bull rushers and maul in the run game.

I always have said Davis was only a RT, and that Bulaga was more of a RT but could play left. I think he is a very good pass blocker but not the best. What he gives up in pass protection he makes up for in his run blocking. He would be a multi PB RT though thats for sure. Davis and/or T. Williams will be around for us in round 2. And yea Campbell basically blows.

Great point. But the point of the article is just because you need a QB, and draft one high, doesnt mean you have that cat and your problem is solved, ie, JP Losman.