USC's Ellison ready to prove himself all over again

Bill Cizek
Daily Breeze

Preparations for USC's football season begin in earnest today as fall practice commences. And while mind-numbing drills might be the order much of the day, Kevin Ellison will delight in them as if he was playing on a carpet of dollar bills.

Ellison, you see, now has a profound sense of appreciation for being on the field and playing the game he loves. When we last saw him, Ellison was in civilian clothes at the Rose Bowl, watching transfixed as Vince Young ran with abandon through a secondary he used to patrol.

Ellison remembers being in a state of shock as he saw Texas' Young sprint away with USC's bid for an unprecedented third straight national championship and what would have been the first for the then-true freshman safety.

"I remember standing on the benches to see over the players. I wasn't moving too much, just taking it all in," Ellison said. "It was not a great feeling; it was a bad feeling."

The former Redondo High star and Daily Breeze Player of the Year was in street clothes that day because of a left knee injury suffered while helping the Trojans extend that national title bid.

Late in the fourth game of the season, with Arizona State driving for a potential go-ahead score, Ellison intercepted a tipped pass only to slam knees with a teammate and suffer a season-ending injury -- stretched ligaments and a fractured tibia in the knee. He was a hero, but a fallen one.

So it was that Ellison had to watch the Rose Bowl and wonder what he might have been able to do to help the Trojans make history. When Texas horned in on that quest, the pain in Ellison's knee paled to that in his heart.

"It was tough to be a part of that; it was hard to see that happen," he said. "But it wasn't just the Rose Bowl. It was difficult just watching all the games. But when you're winning games, it's not as bad as when you're losing and not being able to help the team."

All that frustration vanishes at practice's first whistle today for Ellison, who says his left knee has been 100 percent for about a month.

"I can't wait," the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder said. "I'm gonna have fun. I can't wait to get back with the team. I've never sat out before."

Ellison, once the understudy to All-American Darnell Bing, is slated to be the starting strong safety in a young and mostly inexperienced secondary. But after his injury stole what promised to be a breakout freshman season, he's taking nothing for granted.

"Nothing set in stone," said Ellison, who seems more mature than his 19 years after graduating from Redondo in January of his senior year of high school to enroll at USC early last year.

"I've not played since last fall and have got to prove myself every time I step on the field. I can't relax and say, 'I'm there; I made it.' I feel I have everything to prove and I'm working for it right now."

He laughed at the suggestion he could return as a tailback -- where USC is also young and inexperienced with untested Chauncey Washington (South Torrance High) as the probable starter -- though Ellison rushed for 3,063 yards and 47 touchdowns his last two years at Redondo.

"Naw, they ruled it out after high school," he said with a chuckle. "It was a coaches' decision. I'm fine with that, very fine with that."

Ellison cherishes the responsibility and variety of playing strong safety.

"Because you can see everything in front of you," he said. "Plays develop and you anticipate and read the quarterback. You line up in the box like a linebacker or you play back. You blitz, you cover tight ends ... and you're the last line of defense."

Ellison will team with junior free safety Josh Pinkard and a combination of cornerbacks Terrell Thomas (junior), Kevin Thomas (sophomore) and Cary Harris (sophomore) in USC's starting secondary. Only Pinkard has significant experience, though Terrell Thomas started two games before an injury ended his season last year.

Coach Pete Carroll, a former defensive back himself, said no one should be fooled just because his secondary is a little green.

"This is the biggest, fastest secondary we have had," he said at Pac-10 media day. "Ellison played well as a freshman, and we think he'll make big plays for us. ... I think this is going to be a fantastic secondary for us."

Said Ellison: "We have a chance to be a really good secondary. Yeah, were inexperienced, not a lot of us have really played a lot. But we feel we're intelligent and great athletes, and once we get out there and prepare, we have a chance to be really good."

Yes, it's all about getting on the field for Ellison after last season, carpet of dollar bills or no.

"It showed me how much I love playing and not to take anything for granted," he said. "It was tough watching every play. I love football with a passion. I gotta be out there."

A look at USC in 2006: The Offense

Dwayne Jarrett 2005 Orange Bowl

So I finally picked up my first Steele CFB Review. WOW! That’s a lot of information.

The first thing that jumps out is that he has SC going 12-0 in 5 out of his 7 power rankings. Interesting.

I’m not so sure that’s realistic. As I have said in the past SC has lost too much talent on the offense. Without a lot of big game experience I’m worried about the chemistry with all these new faces. There is no doubt that Pete Carroll has the gift of landing big time recruits. And he is legendary at motivating people to perform with his “if you’re good enough, you’ll start” philosophy that has produced some exciting players to watch over the years. These are my thoughts. Note: Any references to stats are Steele’s.

Today The Offense:

Is JDB’s back ready to take the day in and day out pounding that he would receive as the teams #1 starter? If not there is no doubt that Mark Sanchez has the talent but he lacks the game experience as well. If Booty’s back is suspect that would move Sanchez to #1 which would mean 3rd stringer McDonald would have to get his chops up to be available to step in at a moments notice.
Last years Offensive line was probably the best in the country. They gave up 17 sacks (3.5%) and primed the running game with a punishing 6 yards per carry. This years offensive line has only 2 starters returning, C Ryan Kalil and LT Sam Baker. Obviously the O line will not be as dominant as last years but they should be a solid unit and will get the job done. With LG Jeff Byers returning from a hip injury he will add some game experience and help shore up the backside. RG Chilo Rachal will start on the right side and his significant playing time last year will also provide some stability. RT will either be Kyle Williams or Charles Brown. TE Fred Davis had moderate contributions last year and has some big shoes to fill with the loss of Dominque Byrd.
The running back situation will be the most intriguing to watch. Now that Washington is academically eligible we should finally see just how good he is. Hershel Dennis is out with an ACL tear and I feel we will never see him in a Trojan uniform again. Desmond Reed is still a question with his torn knee ligaments that he suffered in last years ND game. SR Ryan Powdrell will also see some action as will Michael Coleman. Incoming freshman RB’s Emmanuel Moody and CJ Gable will put Coach Carroll’s philosophy to the test.
Provided that Booty settles into Sarkisian and Kiffin’s scheme and he has the time to throw the receiving corps will be something to watch. Jarrett is the lynch pin of the receivers. His size makes him a big target and he uses his size to get the advantage on those who cover. The two plays that stand out for me were the 4th and 9 play against ND and his TD catch in the 4th qtr. of the Rose Bowl where he gets up high on 2 Longhorn defenders. He’s a special player. Steve Smith is returning for his senior season. After having a great game against OU in the 2005 Orange Bowl he lived in Jarrett’s shadow last year and had about the same year as he had in 2004. He needs to have a big year if wants to go high in next years draft. SR Chris McFoy had a better year in 2004 than he did in 2005 and will see some action. Is Patrick Turner the next Jarrett? We will find out this year, as his playing duties will increase. He has got the size and the talent and he had a decent year as a freshman but he needs to concentrate more on hanging on to the ball, he had a number of drops last year. Of the 5 incoming freshman receivers Vidal Hazelton is sure to shine provided he keeps his grades up. He too will test Carroll’s philosophy.
There is definitely some potential here to stay near the top in polls in the coming season. I don’t think they will go undefeated but I do think they will win the Pac-10. I am concerned about the first game against Arkansas. Coming off the Rose Bowl loss and team chemistry will be the challenge for the first game. Other games that concern me are Arizona on 9/23 and Cal on 11/18.

Tomorrow the Defense.

UPDATE 6/28/06: I'll work on the defense over the weekend

Steve Smith: the forgotten link in the chain of great QBs

Maybe it is because his last name is Smith or maybe it is because he hails from a place called Grand Blanc. Whatever the reason, Steve Smith (starting QB from 1981-1983) is often completely overlooked in discussions about great Michigan quaterbacks of the modern era despite the fact that he had a rather stellar career. U of M was 26-10 during his three years as a starter and he led the Wolverines to a Rose Bowl (Big 10 Champion), a Sugar Bowl, and a Bluebonnet Bowl.

Smith was Bo's last great "running-offense" oriented QB. By 1985, when Jim Harbaugh was the starting QB, Bo's offense had been re-tooled to a more modern NFL-style passing offense as opposed to his old option-style offense that he ran with Rick Leach as his starter. In fact, with the new offense, Harbaugh led the nation in passing efficiency in 1985. However, Smith operated under a much different system. Although he was a decent passer, he was also employed as a primary ball carrier as is evidenced by the fact that that he is #24 on Michigan's career rushing yardage leaders.

Although Smith is not widely hailed as one of Michigan's elite QB's his statistics compare favorably with those of the greatest U of M QB (and my favorite player) of all-time Rick Leach. As you will certainly recall, Leach was a 4-year starter from 1975-1978. Leach led Michigan to three consecutive Big Ten Championships and, consequently, to three consecutive Rose Bowl Game appearances as well as an Orange Bowl game appearance. U of M was an astounding 38-8-2 during Leach's four years as a starter.

Here are the passing statistics for the two:

Leach: 250/537 46.6% 4,284 yds. 48 tds. 35 int.

Smith 324/648 50.0% 4,860 yds. 42 tds. 32 int.

The passing statistics are fairly close. Smith stacks up well. Now for the rushing statistics:

Leach: 487 att. 2,176 yds. 4.5 yds./att. 34 tds.

Smith: 329 att. 1,736 yds. 5.3 yds./att. 31 tds.

Again, Smith's statistics hold up well in a comparison against those of Rick "The Peach" Leach. The bottom line is that Smith deserves to be mentioned among the elite U of M quarterbacks of the modern era. Most conversations about U of M being "Quarterback U" start with Jim Harbaugh and proceed with the litany of NFL bound QBs including Elvis Grbac, Todd Collins, Scott Dreisbach, Brian Griese, Tom Brady, Drew Henson and John Navarre. Then some old school traditionalists throw in Rick Leach's name for his stand-out accomplishments and John Wangler for delivering Bo his first Rose Bowl win. Steve Smith earned the right to have his name mentioned in that conversation as well. Go Blue!

The Casting Call, Part II

This is the long delayed, second half of my Casting Call: The actors that would play your favorite SEC Coaches in a made for TV movie.

Check out The SEC West Coaches here.

SEC EAST


Thomas Wilson (Back To The Future's Biff Tannan) as Urban Meyer (Florida)

Both are hardasses that we thought could do no wrong. Their tightly cropped hair never wavering as they ruthlessly yell, point and bark orders.

Quickly, these men worked to claim the prize. The SEC East/Marty's Mom was thought to be in jeopardy! Then, somehow, we realized...these guys bark is much worse than their bite.

Once we figured them out, sadly, they were relegated to boo-hoo for themselves while all covered in feces (literal and metaphorical).


Urban's Secret Weapon


After this first installment, we don't need a time machine to know that they will be back to try and rain on our parade again some time in the near future. These men are stubborn and won't give up without a fight!

But, will they end up all covered in crap again?


If these are any indication, Urban should age like a fine wine.


Steve Carell (of The 40 Year Old Virgin) as Mark Richt (Georgia)



Other than a few early brain farts, these guys are extremely likeable. The kind of guy that any Mom would wants their daughter to bring home.

They're both just your average, wholesome, Leave It To Beaver-esque, white guys. They aren't fat, they don't have big ears, and they don't have an alcoholic past. They're not banging the secretary, they would never be caught dead in at The Cheetah, and they're not known to fly off the handle. They don't ruffle any feathers and, for the most part, they treat people with respect. Ok, they're a little too likeable.

In a nut shell, they're damn boring.

This Is Deep South Football for Pete's sake! Give me something to work with here!

I even went as far as to ask Tennessee and Florida fans (Georgia's Most Hated Rivals, mind you) for some scathing gossip or angle to "hate on" Richt. If anybody has the goods on Marky Mark it's his SEC East Rivals, right?

Nope. Nadda. Everybody loves the guy.

He's damn near untouchable.

One Florida fan offered, "He has twin sisters if that helps any..."

While a fun fact, it's not exactly what I was looking for. Then, a UT fan even made allusions to Richt's Divinity.

"According to the Davinci Code he had a wife and children on the side"

So much for the whole Virgin thing.



Harvey Keitel as Rich Brooks (Kentucky)



Rich Brooks used to do some quality work, just like our friend Harvey. Unfortunately, as of late, they've both found that it's kinda difficult to craft a masterpiece working with pure human waste.

Brooks spent damn near two decades of his life slaving away to make The University of Oregon respectable (as respectable as a non-USC Pac-10 team can be), and he even led the Ducks to The Rose Bowl.

Yeah,it's all been down hill from there.

A couple of years with The St Louis Rams, a couple years with The Falcons, Yadda Yadda, Blah, Blah, he's out of the game for a few years.

Ah, Retirement...

Then... The University of Kentucky comes calling...

HANG UP, COACH! Hang Up!

Why Coach Brooks ever put down the crossword and picked up that call, we may never know.

Talk about your lose-lose situations. You know it's bad when the guy you're replacing left for The Baylor Bears!

Geez, even Bear Bryant couldn't take the heat in Lexington.

What the hell? Brooks thinks he's f'n Better Than The Bear?

What?!?

whoa...Sorry about that. I've been living in "The Heart of Dixie" a little too long I guess...

Anyway, both men seem to live in a constant state of intestinal discomfort which is prominently displayed in their facial expressions. It appears that either the sun is perpetually in their eyes, or this afternoon's chimmichangas are getting unruly. Possibly both...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that taking the top job in Kentucky Football is kinda like eating spicy Mexican food on a hot, sunny day. The results are uncomfortable, stanky, and extremely unprofessional.



Robert Patrick (T-1000) as Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)



When I was a young lad, I was forbade to watch R-rated movies. My ultra conservative Mother made this very clear, and though I didn't understand the reasons, I obeyed. Unless I was a out of the house. Then all was fair game.

It was one such night, at my Catholic Cousin's home in Tullahoma, TN, when I first witnessed T2 in all it's cinematic glory. I then realized what my Mother was trying to shelter me from:

Unadulterated evil, violence and harsh language were as natural as breathing!

As great as it seemed, I knew it was wrong, and I realized just how ruthless and freaky movies can be. I mean, that T-1000 was just a walking nightmare!

A heartless killing machine that will do anything to win...

Then It hit me...

how could I have been so blind?

My Mom should have been more worried about me watching Steve Spurrier's brand of Florida Football than these silly R rated movies!

Starting early in the 90s, fear had a new face, and a visor.

A foe that, despite his slight physical appearance, routinely brought tough guys/Defensive Coordinators to their knees.

Spurrier came out of nowhere to quickly become a thing of legend. He regularly concurred the SEC East, and made the rest of us look like fight scene extras from a Jackie Chan movie.

Once you think you had him pegged, he would just morph, shift gears and run one through your gut. Gruesome, I know.

Before you even knew what hit you...Wham! It's over. It was a real ugly scene for a while.

Then, when we finally think we've seen the last of this SOB (NFL/frozen with chilled nitrogen), he reunited and went straight back to whooping ass!


For that poor player's sake, I hope that's chilled nitrogen



Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9-11) as Philip Fulmer (Tennessee)

One Man is the most hated figure in Southeastern Conference Football. The other man is the most hated political figure in The Deep South.

However, neither man has seen their respective equipment since The Kennedy Assassination.

That's right, they are huge, chunky fatasses! It doesn't get much more spot on than this, folks. No detailed explanation needed.

This one is a deal breaker. If we can't get Michael Moore on board, this film is off!

Close your eyes and imagine tons-of-fun, Michael Moore walking the sidelines in a big orange moomoo windbreaker and a block "T" hat yelling at players...

Perfection!

He's just big boned

Steve Martin as Bobby Johnson (Vanderbilt)

Much like Rich Brooks/Harvey Keitel, these two haven't had much to work with lately, but to their credit, they keep trying.

Like a threat of military action from The French Government, nobody really takes these guys seriously. Vandy doesn't even have an athletic department, and Martin hasn't made a palatable movie since "The Father of the Bride."

In true hopeless, Steve Martin fashion, in 2005 Johnson and Vandy were poised to make it to their first bowl game since The Civil War...

but they f'ed it up by losing to Middle Tennessee State University. Boooo!

Yes, MTSU. B.J. beats Tennessee in Knoxville and loses to Middle Tennessee at home.

What a jerk!

Click here for the SEC West Coaches

It's no secret that I've been hugely disappointed with ESPN's performance over the past few years, and to me nothing reflects the network's inanity more than the ESPY awards. Even with Will Ferrell there, just a total waste of time. PLease, please stop having this show! It's ridiculous!

Stunned.

In the car this morning, I flipped from the CD player over the radio at about 7:42, just in time to catch the morning show on ESPN 1000 coming back from break. Usually it's the national show, but today, I believe in anticipation of the weekend Cubs/Sox series, it was local.

Coming back from break, the guys introduced Barry Alvarez, on the phone from Madison. This seemed like something of a strange interview choice; it's not exactly college football season at this point, and anyway Alvarez, while a coaching legend, is no longer the coach at Wisconsin. The reason soon became clear, however, as the hosts mentioned "the loss of a member of the Big Ten coaching fraternity."

My mind considered the possibilities. Did Paterno die? He's pretty old. That would certainly have been big news. But I was entirely unprepared for the impending answer, four syllables that flew out of the speakers like a punch to the gut.

Randy Walker.

I didn't have the same level of experience with him that others did, particularly some of my former WNUR cohorts. Rudnik's post brought me to the verge of tears, and I'm not a big crier when it comes to this sort of thing. He says it better than I could, certainly, thanks to his personal experience. And I'm sure it helps that a lot of said experience came during what will remain as Walker's banner year with the Cats, 2000, the year Tim Long and Damien Anderson had us dancing and hugging and yelling in the studio during the Wisconsin game (my first ever work for WNUR), the year of Pearl's quote (after Wisconsin) and Mittelstadt's yelp (after "Victory Right" against Minnesota) and the Michigan game and everything else. Nemo's post is a lot shorter, but it's good as well.

As for me... I just have a hard time believing it. Because of the nature of the job, Walker seemed to coach under the constant threat of the axe, or at least various calls for it; never mind that, while he never made a Rose Bowl, Walker was the most consistently successful Northwestern coach in at least 50 years. At any rate, I don't think any of us thought he'd leave us this way - in the summer, two months before the new season, not long after signing a four-year extension, felled by an apparent heart attack at 52.

After a wild year last season, featuring outstanding offense and equally weak defense, there was no question that Walker should stay, not like after a 3-9 year in 2002 (his only really bad one after his first year, when it was still Barnett's guys). Even with player losses, Walker made you feel like you had a puncher's chance; even in 2000, Northwestern was never the most talented team in the conference under his leadership, but they were nearly always competitive and sometimes quite dangerous indeed. It's sad to think that, come August 31, someone else will don the headset - probably Jerry Brown or someone else from within the current staff - and it's one of life's truly twisted coincidences that Northwestern's first game this season is a game at Miami-Ohio, which would have been Walker's first game there since leaving to join Northwestern after the 1998 season.

As Rudnik says, the best tribute to Coach Walker would be a winning season, or at least a very competitive one, despite the departure of Brett Basanez and a lot of untested talent at the quarterback position. I hope they can do it. Randy Walker may not have brought a national title to Evanston, but he brought everything else a football coach possibly can - and it would mean so much for the most recent group of his players to win for him. Even if they don't, though, it won't be a disappointment as long as they play how he would have wanted - if they play hard, and they play right, they'll have done their jobs. The only disappointment is that Randy Walker didn't get more time to keep doing his.

2006: The Crossroads

According to many liberals, the 2004 presidential election was a major crossroads for the United States. A crossroads that resulted in my seeing American Dreamzzzzzzzzzzzz, which was slightly worse than Lucky Number Slevin, something at the time I thought to be an impossibility, back to the point. The crossroads. Hunter S. Thompson killed himself because at the 2004 crossroads, the American people stood up and chose God over "well, at least he's not Bush."

Next Saturday, the New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets franchise will have reached a similar point. At least for one fan. (Me) And, should they go in one direction, I will no longer bleed gang green.

The Jets own the fourth pick in next week's draft. They have made it very clear they are not going to sacrifice their whole draft to trade up and take Reggie Bush. So, assuming the Texans take Bush, in some order the draft will go Bush to the Texans, Mario Williams/ D'Brickashaw Ferguson to the Saints and Vince Young/Matt Leinart to the Titans. That will leave the Jets at pick four, looking at whichever two players the Saints and Titans don't take, A.J Hawk, Vernon Davis and Jay Cutler. Let me give you my own uneducated quick breakdown of each possible player.

Mario Williams: A physical freak of a DE, he never put up great numbers in college but has shot up the draft charts with his unbelievable workouts. (Doesn't this sound just like Dewayne Robertson, who two years ago the Jets traded two first round picks to get and who has with the exception of a couple flashes been an overall disappointment? Also, can Williams be 25 picks better than the #29 pick they traded Pro Bowl DE John Abraham for?)

D'Brickashaw Ferguson: By all accounts, the next great OT. (Just a quick reminder, the Jets owned the first pick in the draft the year Orlando Pace came out of college and the Jets traded down to take James Farrior and a bunch of crap. Pace went on to be a top OT for years, Farrior was released by the Jets only to become a pro bowler on the super bowl champion Steelers.)

Matt Leinart: The best college QB ever, the safe QB pick, the only question seems to be if his arm is good enough to operate in the wind.

Vince Young: The riskiest QB, also the one with the highest ceiling. I've heard many detractors point to his Wonderlic test and also say with Young's rare skill set, it will be tough because you will have to have two offenses, one for your normal QB and one designed for Young. How this is a flaw I don't know. Young presents you with an opportunity to completely reinvent the game. More on Vince later.

AJ Hawk: Going to be a very good linebacker. With what Scouts Inc. referred to as the least-talented roster in the NFL, it doesn't make much sense to me for the Jets to choose a linebacker with Vilma, Hobson and Barton.

Vernon Davis: Another physical freak, this one at tight end, Davis runs a 4.38 40, bench presses 225 pounds 1000 times or so, can jump over a building, yada, yada, yada. The Jets traded last year's first round pick for TE Doug Jolley in another brilliant draft day move. This resulted in Jolley backing up longtime backup Chris Baker for most of the year. Baker ended up being a very solid pass catching tight end and put up good numbers despite having Lord Voldemort and Brooks Bollinger throwing to him. But, in a draft stocked with good tight ends, I don't think the Jets can justify taking Davis 4, when they could get Dominique Byrd, Marcedes Lewis or Leonard Pope at 35.

Finally, Jay Cutler: I will not participate in the Jay Cutler era. Having been through two stints with Lord V., the Leon Hess, going to die soon, "I'm replacing Pete Carroll with Rich Kotite because I want to win now" which resulted in the Jets going 4-28 era, I don't know how much more I can take. I even, almost enjoyed, the Herman Edwards era of "We play to win the game. So, why would you want a coach who is in charge of the offense, the defense, or the special teams? In fact, why would you be concerned that I become the first head coach to hire someone else to make time management and game decisions?" An era that finished off with a meaningless victory over the Bills moving the Jets down from pick three to pick four. Do you have more respect for the Clippers who tanked their season to get an easier draw and therefore a better chance in the playoffs or for the Jets players who won a meaningless game with only negative implications going to the winner...especially considering that Herm toook off for the Chiefs this off-season?

But, back to Jay. Cutler went to Vanderbilt where he shined on a mediocre team only to breakthrough in the minds of scouts in the senior bowl (where Leinart and Young didn't show) and in his workouts. Cutler, although known to sometimes force it and make bad decisions, has the strongest arm of the three QBs and many are jumping on the bandwagon that Cutler has some Marino or Favre in that gunslinging arm of his. Hmm, great arm and bad decisions. That's right folks, get ready for more of the cringe, hands to the helmet, "I thought we were wearing red jerseys" Vinny Testerverde face! Strong arm, small program, no wins. Doesn't this sound like Kyle Boller a few years ago who skyrocketed up the draft boards because he could throw a ball through the uprights on his knee from midfield? Or like Patrick Ramsay who didn't materialize, who the Jets already traded for this off-season?

The Jets sent owner Woody Johnson, GM Mike Tenenbaum and new coach Eric Mangini to wine, dine and workout Cutler. They sent only Tenenbaum and Mangini to drill Leinart and only Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to interview Vince Young. Unless this is one giant smokescreen, the Jets made it quite clear they are highest on Cutler...because with his Godsend of an arm, he can navigate the ball through the howling winds of the Meadowlands. NOOOOOOO! To this I say No! If the Jets select Cutler ahead of either of the two Rose Bowl participants, I will renounce them. I repeat, I will not participate in the Jay Cutler era. If it turns out I'm wrong and Cutler leads them to glory, I won't watch. The Jets and I will take a few years off from each other.

To put some things in perspective, you have to understand what the celestial ramifications are if the Jets take Cutler. In 1983, the Jets selected QB Ken O'Brien with the twenty-fourth pick in the draft...three picks later all-time passing leader Dan Marino went to the Dolphins. In 1985, the Jets had the tenth pick and took wide receiver Al Toon...six picks before the San Francisco 49ers selected all-time receiving leader Jerry Rice. In 1990, with the second pick in the draft the Jets selected all-time flop RB Blair Thomas...fifteen picks later all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith went to the Dallas Cowboys.

Yes, that's right. The Jets selected QB Ken O'Brien, WR Al Toon and RB Blair Thomas in front of the all-time leaders in passing yards, receiving yards and rushing yards. If the Jets select Cutler in front of Vince Young or Leinart, go straight to Vegas and bet the ranch on whomever they pass up breaking every record known to man.

I have a feeling the Jets will end up with D'Brickashaw. In which case, I'll be happy we have a stud OL, although I'll wonder what we're paying him to protect. Defense may win championships, but on offense, it doesn't matter if your QB never gets sacked if he can't throw. It doesn't matter if there are gaping holes for your running back if he runs the 40 in 6 seconds like Curtis Martin now does. With Pennington/Ramsay, Grandpa Martin and Coles/McCairen how are the Jets going to get first downs?

If the Jets are, as so many claim, the least-talented roster in the NFL, they aren't going to be good for a while. It doesn't matter if they strike it rich with all five of their picks in the first three rounds, players take a while to get adjusted to the NFL. And, why not take Young? Yes, it may take him a couple years to learn how to play QB in the NFL but when he does, lookout.

Young's detractors will point to his Rose Bowl victory and say the USC defense was suspect and look to throw that performance out the window. Fine. Why not look at what Young did in game two against an Ohio St. defense that might have four first round picks? He completed 62% of his passes, for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Oh yeah, most importantly he got the W. Or if that's not enough, allow me to point you to the 38-37 box score of the 2004 Rose Bowl against what many considered to be the finest defense in college football that year, the Michigan Wolverines. Sure four of five of Young's touchdowns came through running the ball but so what? He's not like Michael Vick, who operates best with a run-first mentality. Young looks for the open guy and then beats you with his legs.

And, speaking of athletic QBs, they may not have a super bowl victory, but guys who are as physically freakish as Young, have never been bad either. Ahem, Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb. (Which reminds me, I know "character" is important or whatever, but if some team doesn't take a flyer on Marcus Vick in the sixth round, the NFL is crazy. Sure, Marcus is a dick, but he's also a Vick. He's slightly slower and less agile than Michael, but he has a better, more accurate arm. Don't you think the Falcons would trade some of Michael's agility for some more accuracy? And, didn't Michael go #1 overall?) I don't know much about football, definitely not on the technical level of a Mangini or Tenenbaum, but I do know that Vince Young is a winner. And, I'd much rather have that than a guy who went 2-10 as a sophomore, 2-9 as a junior and 5-6 as a senior.

The NFL Draft starts this Saturday at noon. The Jets will probably be on the clock at around 12:40. If the Jets select Cutler, his 9-25 record the past three years, and his strong arm over Vince's singlehanded national championship, 3/4 arm angle and unlimited potential, I will take eight shots and be plastered by 1. Then, I'll proceed to go on an all-night drinking binge, probably wake up next to a half-eaten salami sandwich, and go directly to Ebay to purchase both chasers for my next hangover and a brand spanking new Chad Johnson Bengals jersey.