Comments on East Coast Bias: 2009 NFL Draft Order after Week 16

Brien, I saw what you mean about Tenn. They cannot...

2008-12-28T00:15:32.733-05:00

Brien, I saw what you mean about Tenn. They cannot pick better than 29th though, actually. If the Giants win and Tennessee loses this week, the Giants presently own a one-game SOS "disadvantage". I fixed everything else assuming the playoffs go according to seed.

Nikhil, it unfortunately does play a part because ...

2008-12-27T23:23:12.791-05:00

Nikhil, it unfortunately does play a part because the Lions have NO quarterback in the wings. On the other hand, with Kevin Jones and Calvin Johnson, you'd probably want to take a shot at it.

Yeah, Brien, you're right. I'm fixing it now. The ...

2008-12-27T23:22:00.647-05:00

Yeah, Brien, you're right. I'm fixing it now. The official rule is:

For teams that make the playoffs, ties are broken by the order in which teams lost in the playoffs. If teams lost in the same round, strength of schedule is applied.

So the Titans could be locked in at 30, depending on their result and the Giants' game. Otherwise, we'll have to see when those teams exit.

So here's an interesting question. Let's say you'r...

2008-12-27T23:04:24.758-05:00

So here's an interesting question. Let's say you're Georgia QB Matt Stafford. The mock drafts have you, as a junior, possibly going #1this year. Do you a) stay in school so you don't get drafted by the Lions, a team that might be winless for the season after tomorrow, or b) pull an Eli Manning or Eric Lindros (hockey, for those who don't know) and essentially demand a trade by saying you will not sign with them under any circumstances, or c) leave school and look at it as an opportunity to be a Troy Aikman or Peyton Manning or Donovan McNabb. In other words, your team blows during your rookie season but gradually gets better, and eventually you play late into the playoffs.

What I'm asking is this.........Does the possibility of Stafford going to the Lions play any part in his decision to leave or stay at Georgia?

Jason, I think you have some of the playoff rankin...

2008-12-27T22:01:53.899-05:00

Jason, I think you have some of the playoff rankings wrong. The 31 an 32 picks do go to the two Super Bowl teams, but I think if the Titans lose in their first playoff game they'll still pick #30 because playoff exit only matters for same-record tiebreakers.

So picks 21-30 are mis-labeled. We have an idea where the playoff teams will pick, except that the two Super Bowl teams get #31 and #32, and that ties are broken by playoff exit.

Also, I think that even if Arizona wins this weekend (to be 9-7), they'll pick before New England (with 10 wins) provided the Cardinals don't make the playoffs. Similarly, some of the other playoff teams could end up picking before non-playoff teams with higher records.

Yeah, I meant it more facetiously. As a Wizards/Bu...

2008-12-26T23:01:17.615-05:00

Yeah, I meant it more facetiously. As a Wizards/Bullets fan (to the extent I care about the NBA), I hate the NBAlottery as well

No way. I hate the lottery, even though it has mor...

2008-12-26T22:36:14.382-05:00

No way. I hate the lottery, even though it has more impact in the NBA where one player can make you a decade-long playoff team.

Plus, the NFL salary cap effectively destroys the team that continually has top-five picks. Let 'em rot.

In the spirit of making suggestions, I think it wo...

2008-12-26T22:23:36.202-05:00

In the spirit of making suggestions, I think it would be kind of neat if the NFL did a NBA type lottery. Televise it live during pregame of the Super Bowl. I would say halftime but that would mean Jason couldn't have his smoking break.
Instead of a player or former player representing the teams like they do in the NBA, each team has one cheerleader being the "representative". Dallas could even send 2.
Just like the NBA, there would be a lottery for picks 1-3, and then reseed the rest based on record.
This way, the Lions could get screwed again. The Redskins would "win the lottery" and then give Washington pro sports another Kwame Brown or Heath Shuler.