While this is not the last blog post on the 2011 Nfl Draft, by this space, it's a good idea to start summing up what happened at the NFL's Annual Player Selection Meeting. The idea of segmenting thought into word groups is appropriate, accompanied by YouTube.com/Zennie62 2011 NFL Draft videos that fit them.
Chaos and Controversy
The off-then-on again nature of the National Football League Lockout and the overarching struggle with the NFL Players Association dominated and colored every aspect of the production of The NFL Draft, and made long time draftniks observe that it seemed to put the normally relaxed NFL staff on edge.
Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had to deal with how fans viewed the labor struggle, and constant questions from the media, including this blogger. Goodell handled it all with his customarily smooth intensity. Here, during the NFL Red Carpet, Goodell said he just wants the players to get back to the negotiating table, but seemed to imply getting them to do so was as hard as running against the 1985 Chicago Bears Defense:
And when the NFL Labor Issue wasn't the focus, former Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton was. Cam, for reasons that focus on classic American Cultural issues with outgoing, confident black men, became a polarizing figure. At times, it was hard to figure out if criticism of Newton was based on race issues or very real concerns. It was an issue I talked about to varying degrees with three NFL Draft Media veterans, NFL.com's Vic Cariucci, CBS Sports' Clark Judge, and NFL Network's Steve Mariucci (who provided a more comprehensive view of the quarterback situation beyond Cam Newton), as well as "McLovin" from The Dan Patrick Show:
Frankly, the entire Cam Newton Controversy really altered how I think about the NFL and the media. The criticisms of Newton's intellect and made-up assumptions about his character were all too much like classic ways that black men have been put-down in America.
Coupled with Donald Trump's overzealous focus on President Barack Obama's birth certificate, it seemed like some people and media institutions (like the USA Today) that America gave an iconic spotlight to were degenerating into institutional racists, bent on using the age-old image paint that tries to makes a black person look unAmerican in the case of President Obama and Mr. Trump, and unintelligent and dangerous in the case of Cam Newton and the USA Today.
Even Ryan Mallet, who was heavily hammered for his character issues and an arrogance that's not unlike Eminem at his defiant best, fell in the NFL Draft - fell up to The New England Patriots. Now, Ryan's in position to be the heir-apparent to Tom Brady. I'll bet even Newton's looking at that development with some envy, because at Carolina, the burden's on his shoulders, where Mallet can kick back and learn from the best. Still, Newton's in position to collect a big guaranteed check, and huge endorsement deals, as long as he keeps smiling. Right now, he's just relieved:
Still, I came away feeling a little sorry for Blaine Gabbert, because, while he welcomed the competition, had to feel a little weird being painted as the "white male" alternative to Cam Newton.
Here, in Gabbert, is a young man completely of the 21st Century, with tons of black friends and zero race issues, dealing with American Cultural issues with race mostly possessed by people contaminated by the racist stench of the 20th Century, and old enough to know better. Even as he may have been a kind of pawn in the game, the hype surrounding Gabbert landed him in a great place: Jacksonville. It's just that he wanted to be the number one pick - you could see that in his eyes:
Promise and Faith
Seeing new New York Giants Cornerback and 2011 NFL Draft First Round hire Prince Amakamura meet former New York Giant Tiki Barber, who's returning to the NFL, was interesting because it was just simply two ships passing in the day who had a lot of information of common interest to share. Tiki, a player under Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin, can certainly talk to Prince about how to work with "Coach C" and Prince Amakamura can learn about life as an NFL Player from Barber, and talk about how the college game as changed since Tiki played.
Moreover, Tiki Barber's return to football, while taking a promising path, is still really one big question mark until some NFL team expresses a need for him. This space is rooting for his return to the NFL, if only to add to his already expansive playing resume, but also to regain what seems to be the diminished sheen of his NFL playing career.
Fun Times And People - Next
Former Alabama Defensive Tackle Marcell Daureus is just plain ready to take over the Buffalo Bills Defense, and it shows in this interview below (and this blogger will post an interview with former Auburn and now Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley on Sunday night).
And in this area we have to place new Bengals Wide Receiver AJ Green, Denver Broncos new Linebacker Von Miller, and Green Bay Packers new pass-catcher Randall Cobb, who will bring a "Wild-Cobb" style to the Packers already explosive offense. Cobb's going to be fun to watch up there in the Frozen Tundra.
For more videos, visit Youtube.com/zennie62 and stay tuned for the next installment of this 2011 NFL Draft recap.
Chaos and Controversy
The off-then-on again nature of the National Football League Lockout and the overarching struggle with the NFL Players Association dominated and colored every aspect of the production of The NFL Draft, and made long time draftniks observe that it seemed to put the normally relaxed NFL staff on edge.
Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had to deal with how fans viewed the labor struggle, and constant questions from the media, including this blogger. Goodell handled it all with his customarily smooth intensity. Here, during the NFL Red Carpet, Goodell said he just wants the players to get back to the negotiating table, but seemed to imply getting them to do so was as hard as running against the 1985 Chicago Bears Defense:
And when the NFL Labor Issue wasn't the focus, former Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton was. Cam, for reasons that focus on classic American Cultural issues with outgoing, confident black men, became a polarizing figure. At times, it was hard to figure out if criticism of Newton was based on race issues or very real concerns. It was an issue I talked about to varying degrees with three NFL Draft Media veterans, NFL.com's Vic Cariucci, CBS Sports' Clark Judge, and NFL Network's Steve Mariucci (who provided a more comprehensive view of the quarterback situation beyond Cam Newton), as well as "McLovin" from The Dan Patrick Show:
Frankly, the entire Cam Newton Controversy really altered how I think about the NFL and the media. The criticisms of Newton's intellect and made-up assumptions about his character were all too much like classic ways that black men have been put-down in America.
Coupled with Donald Trump's overzealous focus on President Barack Obama's birth certificate, it seemed like some people and media institutions (like the USA Today) that America gave an iconic spotlight to were degenerating into institutional racists, bent on using the age-old image paint that tries to makes a black person look unAmerican in the case of President Obama and Mr. Trump, and unintelligent and dangerous in the case of Cam Newton and the USA Today.
Even Ryan Mallet, who was heavily hammered for his character issues and an arrogance that's not unlike Eminem at his defiant best, fell in the NFL Draft - fell up to The New England Patriots. Now, Ryan's in position to be the heir-apparent to Tom Brady. I'll bet even Newton's looking at that development with some envy, because at Carolina, the burden's on his shoulders, where Mallet can kick back and learn from the best. Still, Newton's in position to collect a big guaranteed check, and huge endorsement deals, as long as he keeps smiling. Right now, he's just relieved:
Still, I came away feeling a little sorry for Blaine Gabbert, because, while he welcomed the competition, had to feel a little weird being painted as the "white male" alternative to Cam Newton.
Here, in Gabbert, is a young man completely of the 21st Century, with tons of black friends and zero race issues, dealing with American Cultural issues with race mostly possessed by people contaminated by the racist stench of the 20th Century, and old enough to know better. Even as he may have been a kind of pawn in the game, the hype surrounding Gabbert landed him in a great place: Jacksonville. It's just that he wanted to be the number one pick - you could see that in his eyes:
Promise and Faith
Seeing new New York Giants Cornerback and 2011 NFL Draft First Round hire Prince Amakamura meet former New York Giant Tiki Barber, who's returning to the NFL, was interesting because it was just simply two ships passing in the day who had a lot of information of common interest to share. Tiki, a player under Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin, can certainly talk to Prince about how to work with "Coach C" and Prince Amakamura can learn about life as an NFL Player from Barber, and talk about how the college game as changed since Tiki played.
Moreover, Tiki Barber's return to football, while taking a promising path, is still really one big question mark until some NFL team expresses a need for him. This space is rooting for his return to the NFL, if only to add to his already expansive playing resume, but also to regain what seems to be the diminished sheen of his NFL playing career.
Fun Times And People - Next
Former Alabama Defensive Tackle Marcell Daureus is just plain ready to take over the Buffalo Bills Defense, and it shows in this interview below (and this blogger will post an interview with former Auburn and now Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley on Sunday night).
And in this area we have to place new Bengals Wide Receiver AJ Green, Denver Broncos new Linebacker Von Miller, and Green Bay Packers new pass-catcher Randall Cobb, who will bring a "Wild-Cobb" style to the Packers already explosive offense. Cobb's going to be fun to watch up there in the Frozen Tundra.
For more videos, visit Youtube.com/zennie62 and stay tuned for the next installment of this 2011 NFL Draft recap.
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