NFL Draft Round 1 Reactions

The first round of the NFL Draft is complete, and sadly we didn't have anything nearly as entertaining as last year Laremy Tunsil debacle.

Remember this?

       Despite a noticeable lack of parent sabotage, social media hackings, and way-too-intense bong rips, there was still plenty to take away from this years first 32 picks, even without Bill Belichick involved. Let's get to it. 

Cleveland plays it by the book

     Cleveland followed conventional wisdom and picked DE Myles Garrett, the consensus best player available, with the #1 overall pick. It would have been typical for them to totally overthink this, and do something amazingly dumb like trade down to draft Deshone Kizer as a franchise QB. Part of me was hoping they would do something like that; the other part of me was expecting them to. Way to not totally Browns this one up, Cleveland. 

What the fuck are the Bears doing?  

       Chicago came into this offseason with nothing but ??? at QB. They gave Mike Glennon a staggeringly stupid 3-year, $45 million deal to answer those questions. Tonight they found themselves in a draft with 2 QB choices and just one team ahead of them, so what did they do? Give away 3 picks to move up 1 spot, of course! Oh yeah, and then they passed on the guy who played in back-to-back national championship games in favor of the guy who just changed his name because it rhymed with "bitch". 

Jacksonville Splurges on the Wrong RB

      The Jaguars were in an interesting spot. Despite being bad enough to have a top-5 pick, Jacksonville's roster isn't utterly bereft of talent, unlike the other teams in this range. Their biggest needs are on the offensive line and at QB, where we have PLENTY of evidence that Blake Bortles is not the answer. Unfortunately, there aren't any good offensive linemen in this class, and no surefire QB pick. So the Jaguars used their #4 spot to grab LSU RB Leonard Fournette, trying to replicate the success that Dallas had with their Ezekiel Elliot pick at #4 last year. Unfortunately, the Jaguars don't have the best offensive line in over a decade, and I'm on record calling Fournette very overrated. Oh yeah, and Jacksonville also signed RB Chris Ivory to a 5 year, $32 million deal last season. Waste of a pick. 

Funny every time

Run of Receivers 

 

Picks 5-9 saw the 4 top pass catchers in this draft come off the board:

-Corey Davis went to the Titans, which I think is an excellent move. A dynamic wide receiver was their biggest need on offense, and Davis is going to be a MONSTER. Buckle up, Marcus Mariota: you're officially out of excuses. 

-Mike Williams to the Chargers. This looks like a decent fit, as Rivers loves throwing to big bodied, physical, jump-ball receivers like Williams. I just think the Chargers had bigger needs elsewhere, and will regret passing on some of the defensive studs that were available (they should have taken safety Malik Hooker).

-You're damn right I'm calling Christian McCaffrey a receiver. He worked out a lot on the outside during the draft process, and I expect the Panthers will use him out of the slot a ton. This is a great fit of skill set and scheme, and Cam Newton will finally have a wideout who is more than fast. 

-John Ross and his combine-record 4.2 second 40 time are going to Cincinnati to play opposite AJ Green. Think he might get the chance to outrun some single coverage? Only if he can stay healthy.

A cairn, or Ted Ginn's hands? You decide.

Two Big QB Trades

       Things got wild around the 10 spot! The Chiefs gave Buffalo a 2017 3rd rounder and a 2018 1st rounder for the right to swap picks, moving up 17 places to take QB Patrick Maholmes. There were a ton of pre-draft rumors about KC's interest in Maholmes, and the move signals they are finally ready to begin the process of moving on from Alex Smith. Still, Maholmes won't be ready to play right away, and I'm not sure the Chiefs needed to get all the way up to 10 to get their man, especially with Watson still on the board. They were obviously afraid that Cleveland/Houston/Denver (maybe?) were all in the market for a signla caller, but I don't think any of those teams were very interested in Maholmes. Regardless, a 1st and a 3rd is a HUGE price to pay for a project QB. 

       Everyone knew the Texans were looking for a QB, and once the Chiefs made their move it really put the pressure on the Houston brain trust. After years of outstanding defense being completely wasted by awful passers, the Texans will now turn things over to Clemson star Deshaun Watson. Watson turned the ball over way too much in college, and I have doubts that he will be accurate enough to succeed in the NFL, but I also think he's the best QB prospect in this draft. The Texans gave up their first round pick next year in the deal, but this was a no-brainer move. Watson throwing to DeAndre Hopkins will be exciting at the very least, and he came at a cheaper price than Maholmes. Good move for the Texans. 

Sad Brocketlauncher

A Bunch of Logical Picks on Defense

Sometimes, the characteristics of a pick determine the identity of a franchise. Other times, the identity of a franchise determines the characteristics of a pick. We got a bunch of the second kind in the middle of the first round:

-Arizona took linebacker Haasan Reddick, a great athlete who doesn't fit neatly into one position. The Cardinals have a whole defense full of these guys, and Reddick will fit right in playing both linebacker and safety in their hybrid scheme.

-The Eagles took DE Derek Barnett, a guy with an outstanding motor and great college production despite lacking elite natural athleticism. Does that sound like Philly?

-The Colts took S Malik Hooker,  one of my favorite players in this entire draft. Still, it is just incredibly Colts to look at a roster that hasn't been able to defend the run for years, and then go draft a safety whose negatives section is all about how he can't tackle. But hey, at least they didn't take another 5'9" slot receiver. Progress!

-Baltimore took CB Marlon Humphrey. His father was a star football player, he went to Alabama, his measurables are exactly what you look for in a corner, and all he needs is good coaching to teach him proper technique? Sounds like a classic Ozzie Newsome pick! I'm sure he will develop, in classic Baltimore fashion, into a solid contributor and horrible person. 

-The Redskins take DE Jonathan Allen, a tremendously talented pass rusher who tore the labrum in both of his shoulders during college, and now has freaking ARTHRITIS in both of them. Dan Snyder has never been afraid to make high-risk, high-reward moves, and this is certainly another one. 

We believe ALL murderer deserve a second chance

The Bucs are Loading up for Jameis

   Credit where credit is due: Tampa Bay realized that J-Boo needs more weapons than Mike Evans in order to thrive, so they went out and got some. First they signed free agent deep threat/aspiring gang member Desean "Jaccpot" Jackson to play across from Evans. Now they have drafted Alabama TE OJ Howard, who might be the best offensive player in this entire class. At 6'6 250 lbs, he runs a 4.51 40 yard dash. He's bigger than most linebackers, as fast as a running back, has amazing hands, and can block too. Basically, he's Black Gronk. The only knock on him is that some scouts don't think he is "competitive enough", which sounds like the kind of thing you say because you can't just leave a pool of cum on your evaluation sheet. This guy should have been a top 10 pick.   

The Giants Miss an Opportunity

     Quick, what do the Giants need most? If you answered anything but a running game, you haven't watched a single Giants game in the last two seasons. They had two excellent running backs to choose from in Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara, and instead selected... Evan Engram, a receiving tight end who struggles to block in the run game. Maybe the Giants think they can get one of the running backs tomorrow, or maybe they have their eye on a different back in a later round. Still, there are a ton of tight ends in this draft, and Big Blue didn't do anything to address their weaknesses with this pick. 

The Browns Get Frisky Late

     With 2 first picks and 11 overall, Cleveland was always going to be a major player in this draft, but they made even bigger splashes than people were expecting on day 1. After picking #1 and dealing the 12th overall pick to Houston, Cleveland took positionless superathlete Jabril Peppers with the 25th pick. Then they shipped a 4th rounder to the Packers to move up from 33 to 29 and grab TE David Njoku.  Both players are incredibly athletic, potential game changers, but both are somewhat raw. Taking the athletic talent and figuring it out later reflects the sabermetrics, Moneyball style approach that Paul DePodesta was hired for,  but it's definitely risky. Turned gifted yet unrefined athletes into productive NFL players requires quality coaching and sound organizational structure, neither of which have been associated with Cleveland for the last 3 decades or so.  

The Patriots Draft Brandin Cooks with the 32nd pick

Most teams use a first round pick on a receiver hoping they turn into young Pro Bowler. Belichick does it knowing Cooks already is one.   

The Dark Lord reigns supreme

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Red Sox Recap: Headhunting

It was actually closer than this makes it look

      Before we get to the actual games this week, I have to address the controversy in Baltimore over the weekend. On Friday, Orioles superstud Manny Machado took out Dustin Pedroia with a spikes up slide into Petey's leg. 

Missed the base there dickhead

   Dustin was injured on the play, and hasn't returned to the field since. He is day-to-day pending further evaluation in Boston. Pedroia said after the game that he didn't have a problem with what Machado did, and also, "I've turned the best double play in the Major Leagues for 11 years. I don't need the fuckin rule" to protect middle infielders. Petey is the man.

   Two days later, Matt Barnes threw a 97 MPH fastball at Machado's earhole. Manny was obviously pissed, and TV cameras caught Pedroia apologizing to Machado from the Red Sox dugout, saying he didn't ask for the pitch. Afterwards, Barnes got suspended 4 games for his clear attempt to assassinate one of the best players in MLB. Honestly, I thought that Machado's slide was dirty and merited a response. It was late in a game the Orioles were already winning, and clearly spikes up into Petey's leg. I have no problem with drilling him, but you can't wait two days and then try to kill the guy with a freaking missile at his domepiece. Put one in his ribs in his next at-bat after the slide and move on like responsible adults. Now, on to the....

Results

Rays 3-4 Red Sox                                               Red Sox 0-2 Orioles

Red Sox 8-7 Blue Jays                                       Red Sox 2-4 Orioles

Red Sox 0-3 Blue Jays                                       Red Sox 6-2 Orioles

Red Sox 4-1 Blue Jays                                                                        

Week: 4-3

Season: 11-8, 2 GB in the East

      The Sox started off the week strong, winning the finale against the Rays and taking 2 of 3 in Canada. The Blue Jays finished that series with a record of 3-12, but they aren't going to be terrible like this all season. They have too much talent to not get going at some point, so its important to beat them up now while they're struggling. The series finale on Thursday was particularly exciting, as Chris Sale dominated yet again with 8.0 innings, 0 runs and 13 Ks. The Sox scored the first run of the game in the top of the 9th, only to see Kimbrel give up a homer to the first batter he faced in the bottom half. Luckily, Mookie Betts saved the day in the 10th with a 3 run double, and the Sox avoided wasting another Sale gem. Sale now has a 0.91 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 29 innings. Little tidbit for you: 19 of those Ks have been on his slider, making it an absolutely elite finishing pitch. In general, the Sox got solid starting pitching out of the entire rotation this week... except for Steven Wright, who couldn't get out of the 4th inning without giving up multiple homers, again. He looks like the obvious choice to ax when/if David Price returns. 

Still don't see the Pedro comp though

   On the flip side, Boston had a major offensive slump towards the end of the week. They were shut out in the 2nd game in Toronto, and didn't score until the 9th of the finale. Then they got shut out and only managed 2 runs in the losses against Baltimore. These random slumps are going to happen to even the best offenses, so it was nice to see them break out with 3 HR against Kevin Gausman on Sunday. Pablo Sandoval currently leads the team in bombs with 3, so it would be nice to see some of our actually good players changing that in the near future. 

Hero of the Week

     Mookie Betts will be a regular feature in this space. He led the team with 8 RBI this week, hit two jacks, and added a game winning hit for good measure. He did strike out 3 times, bringing his season total to... 3. He's the best player in one of the best lineups in baseball. 

Honorable Mention: Andrew Benintendi 

The youngest Killer B hit .429 this week, raising his numbers on the season to .347/.415/.829. He's also a 22 year old rookie.

Goat of the Week

     Gotta be Matt Barnes. In addition to his bullshit with Machado, Barnes gave up 4 runs in 2.2 innings of terrible relief pitching this week. At least he won't be fucking up any of the next 4 games while he sits in the corner of shame. 

Dishonorable Mention: Steven Wright 

At this point, it seems like Wright can't even take a shit without it going long on him. 

Looking Ahead

Red Sox host the Yankees for 3 and then the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs will be in town over the weekend. Huuuuge week for the boys, with the first look at the young New York team and then a chance to take on the best. 3-3 is probably a fair expectation.   

Red Sox Recap: Home Run Derby

Population: Red Sox Opponents

Results

Orioles 1-8 Red Sox                                                       Rays 10-5 Red Sox                    

Orioles 12-5 Red Sox                                                        Rays 1-2 Red Sox

Pirates 3-4 Red Sox                                                        Rays 5-7 Red Sox

4-2 record for the boys this week. Solid showings against teams they should beat, with the offense performing much better overall. This makes sense, as most of the starting lineup was actually playing instead of vomiting all over the clubhouse. 

      The best part of this week was the Red Sox demonstrating resilience and an ability to win in a variety of ways. In the makeup game against the Pirates on Wednesday, Chad Kuhl absolutely shut down the Sox for 7 innings, giving Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead through 7. Boston got into the bullpen and rallied back for 3 runs in the 8th, with HanRam and Xander Bogaerts providing the key hits. On Saturday, Chris Sale was lights out once again, but the bats were quiet despite facing the Rays bullpen for the entire game after Odorizzi pulled a muscle in the 2nd inning. Baseball is a weird game, and that will happen sometimes, but it was great to see the bottom of the lineup scratch out the winning run in the 7th. On Sunday, the Sox got multi-hit days from 6 different players, scoring consistently throughout the game to win a wild, back-and-forth affair. This week they won a blowout, a comeback, a pitchers duel, and a see-saw game. That's the kind of flexibility that can do serious damage in the playoffs.

Hero of the Week: Mitch Moreland

Wonderful tee shot, Mr. Moreland!

        

       When the Sox signed Moreland in the offseason, I expected outstanding defense but below average offensive production compared to other first basemen. He's made a big dent in proving me wrong this week, going 9-21 (is hitting .428 good?) with 4 doubles and a homer. If he can return to his 2015 levels of production, when he hit .278 with 23 HR, that will go a long way towards making the Red Sox lineup the best in the AL. 

Honorable Mention: Chris Sale 

Sale turned in another brilliant start this week, striking out 12 Rays over 7 innings of 1 run ball. His starts are quickly becoming appointment viewing, and he's singlehandedly driving up the price of K sign stock in Boston. Take notes, David Price: this is what a high profile acquisition Ace is supposed look like. 

Goat of the Week: Steven Wright

Has that ball landed yet?

     Steven Wright made one start this week. He got four Orioles hitters out, and gave up four home runs. I am on the record as saying that knuckleballers results are mostly luck; they throw the knuckleball at the plate and hope for the best. Sometimes, they string a bunch of good luck together and win the Cy Young (RA Dickey) or make the All-Star team (2016 Wright). Sometimes you give up 8 runs in an inning. I fear that we're due for a lot more of this Steven Wright than the one we saw last season. 

Honorable Mention: Rick  Porcello

     Rick made a damn good push for this dubious honor, as he also gave up 4 homers and 8 runs to the Rays, but he at least made it into the 5th inning. For those of you keeping score at home, Boston pitchers allowed 12 home runs in 6 games this week. Let's work on that shall we?

Looking Ahead

        Patriots Day game at 11:30 AM on Monday, then hitting the road for a 6 game road trip: 3 in Toronto then 3 in Baltimore. The Blue Jays are off to the worst start in franchise history and the Orioles are the Orioles. Let's shoot for 6-1, 4-3 at the worst. 

Red Sox Recap: Fits and Starts

Results

Pirates 3-5 Red Sox                                                              Red Sox 1-4 Tigers 

Pirates 0-3 Red Sox (11 innings)                                          Red Sox 7-5 Tigers

Red Sox 5-6 Tigers                                                              Red Sox 1-2 Tigers

         The Red Sox started the season with a rough week, going 3-3 against the Pirates and Tigers. Obviously, those results aren't exactly what you're looking for to start the season, but it's actually not bad all things considered. 

     With David Price and Drew Pomeranz starting the year on the Disabled List and a brutal April schedule, a slow start was always a real possibility, but things really got out of hand this week. First, an outbreak of flu took out Mitch Moreland, Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Andrew Benintendi, Brock Holt, Joe Kelly, and Robbie Ross Jr. Then, Xander Bogaerts and Matt Barnes went on the bereavement list in order to travel to Aruba for a funeral. As if missing almost the entire starting lineup and half the bullpen wasn't enough, Jackie Baseball went down on Saturday with a very scary looking, non-contact injury while rounding first base. He's been diagnosed with a sprained knee ligament and placed on the 10-day DL. Hopefully he's not out too long, but with that kind of injury I don't expect to see him back on the field for a couple of weeks at least. The Red Sox will miss his production in the lineup and his defense in centerfield, but I might miss his name most of all; "The Killer Bs" doesn't work nearly as well with Chris Young playing in the outfield.

Even with all the built in excuses, it still hurts to lose some of those games in Detroit. They wasted a huge 5 run, 8th inning comeback in the first game of the series, and then threw away a phenomenal Chris Sale effort in the series finale. John Farrell left Sale in the game too long, allowing him to give up 2 runs in the 8th before going to the bullpen, but I'm actually going to give him a pass this time. His options in the bullpen were pretty limited between illness and injury, and there's something to be said for giving your new ace the opportunity to get out of trouble. However, Farrell has a history of poor in-game management, and mistakes like this are going to put him on veeeery thin ice if the team struggles.   

Hero of the Week 

Chris Sale has been every bit the ace the Sox paid for. In two starts this week, he threw 17.2 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits with 17 strikeouts. He didn't get a win because the Red Sox didn't hit a lick in either game, but that's not on Sale. I can't wait to watch this guy dominate hitters for the rest of the season. 

Honorable Mention: Sandy Leon

The Sox catcher is red hot to start the season, going 7-16 with both a bunt  single and a walk-off 3 run bomb. He looks like he's on a mission to prove last season wasn't a fluke, which would make an already stacked lineup truly ridiculous.

Goat of the Week

Dr. Laurence Ronan is the Medical Director and Head Team Internist for the Boston Red Sox. Judging by the above picture, which I pulled off of his Vitals doctor profile, he's also a legendary boozehound. I know the flu is a tricky little bastard, but you just can't let the entire lineup get hit with it at once. We've known about infectious diseases for a couple centuries now, come on Larry. Be better. 

  Looking Ahead

The Sox will be in Boston all week. They have 3 with the Orioles, the makeup game for the rainout with the Pirates, and then 4 with Tampa Bay. Baltimore should be a good test, but these are all very winnable games. An early 8 game homestand against mediocre competition is a great chance to get some Ws in an otherwise very difficult month. Anything worse than 5-3 will be a disappointment.  

That's all for this week. Remember to follow us on twitter @TheOutsidersPod, like the Facebook page, and keep an eye out for new podcasts, articles, and who knows maybe even an actual website!

Optimistic and Pessimistic Views of the 2017 Red Sox

Gotta love that logo

Opening Day is upon us, so what better time to talk about what we can expect to see this year? Let's get to it.