Josh Klingler: Postpone the Draft?
by Josh Klingler
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posted Jun 15 2011 3:20AM
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As I'm typing this we are a just a few short hours before the start of the 2011 NFL Draft. There is no pending court case to stop it, but maybe I will make a late dash to the courthouse. Is it crazy for me to ask Judge Nelson to postpone the draft? (Not that the league would listen) Why have what is right now the only way for teams to improve themselves going into next season take place while all of the other issues are still unresolved?
As of right now, draftees would not be able to sign, work out with their new teams, heck even talk to coaches, so why draft? The only reason .. it's on TV. Television shows it's tremendous pull again. Two major networks, the NFL Network and ESPN are both setting aside three days worth of coverage for seven rounds of a draft. But if you are considering the potential of postponing a season, how hard could it be to postpone a draft?
Without some time to explore free agents, teams do not know exactly what their needs are heading into the draft. They do not know if they can fill a need at offensive line with a veteran or a 5th round pick. Do you make a play at a LB via trade or via the 3rd round? Why put the cart before the horse? TV is why. Couldn't the NFL Network run more of it's Top Ten lists? Couldn't Mel Kiper and Todd McShay just keep yammering about the rearranging of the top 10 prospects for a few more weeks? The answer is yes. So postpone the draft until we know what the rules are going to be. Don't pretend everything is alright by trying to distract us for the next three days. Get a labor deal done then have a draft, no one is going anywhere. (Plus we can watch Michael Scott's last night on The Office unencumbered!)
Maybe TV execs need to get a seat at the mediation table, they seem to wield all of the power.
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