W
WYDD
Guest
The way he puts it about why we won't take Harrington kinda sux, but it's understandable:
John Fox, you're on the clock.
Those are words the new Carolina Panthers coach has been waiting to hear for most of his adult life. In 24 years, his assistant-coaching travelogue has taken Fox from San Diego State to U.S. International to Boise State to Long Beach State to Utah to Kansas to Iowa State to the USFL's L.A. Express to the University of Pittsburgh to the Pittsburgh Steelers to the San Diego Chargers to the Oakland Raiders to the St. Louis Rams and to the New York Giants. Fourteen jobs, never any place longer than five years. And now the ultimate post, the one he wants to keep for a decade or more but the one he knows he won't keep longer than two or three unless he turns things around right quick. And now the ultimate pick, the second of Saturday's first round, when the first selection is predetermined -- Houston is taking quarterback David Carr -- and the pick he needs has to play Opening Day and play big.
Which is why, I believe, he won't take Joey Harrington.
Which is why, I believe, he will take Julius Peppers.
Not that this is any great mystery. Most of us in the draftnik business (and I am only on the fringe because I don't work it as hard as many of my peers) will pencil in Peppers, the 283-pound mass-of-potential pass-rusher, as the Panthers' pick in mock drafts this week. Driving home from work the other night, Fox called me and set out the parameters that he, general manager Marty Hurney and the Richardson family will use to make this selection.
"We've kind of floated all over the place about the pick," Fox said. "Now it's come down to Joey Harrington, Julius Peppers and Quentin Jammer. More than likely, it'll be one of those three. We haven't had any communication with anybody about trading the pick, so we'll probably sit right at two and take one of those players. I've never done this before, obviously, but we need to take a guy, picking second, who we feel will be able to be an impact guy this year."
What must torment Fox is that he wants to build the best long-term team he can, and he knows Harrington might well be a franchise quarterback. But the reason he won't take Harrington -- my words, not his -- is that he knows Harrington might not be a franchise quarterback, too. "I look around the league in recent years and find that lots of the good quarterbacks are with their second or third teams. Aikman, Marino, Elway. That's three who stayed with one team and were great. Seems like 333 have hit it on their second or third team." And the shoulder surgery to starter Chris Weinke, could that affect the pick? "No," he said. "It's the equivalent of a running back getting a knee scope. He'll be ready in plenty of time for training camp."
The Panthers have neither a dominating defensive end nor a shutdown corner. This is a tough call. But I know Fox, mostly from his days as the Giants' defensive coordinator. He knows Michael Strahan, at his peak, was significantly more important to the defense than a corner could have been. He thinks this kid, Peppers, the basketball/football standout, will be something special. "I watched a basketball tape from one of his North Carolina games the other day," he said. "And that joker is aggressive. Real aggressive. He's an intriguing player."
The Panthers might be making a big mistake by passing on Harrington. We all know that. But chances are if they take Harrington and he turns out to be really good within the next three or four years -- because he's not taking Weinke's job this year -- Fox and his current football regime won't be around to run show in Carolina. And that, fans, is how the draft works today.
By the way, now YOU are on the clock, Matt Millen.
John Fox, you're on the clock.
Those are words the new Carolina Panthers coach has been waiting to hear for most of his adult life. In 24 years, his assistant-coaching travelogue has taken Fox from San Diego State to U.S. International to Boise State to Long Beach State to Utah to Kansas to Iowa State to the USFL's L.A. Express to the University of Pittsburgh to the Pittsburgh Steelers to the San Diego Chargers to the Oakland Raiders to the St. Louis Rams and to the New York Giants. Fourteen jobs, never any place longer than five years. And now the ultimate post, the one he wants to keep for a decade or more but the one he knows he won't keep longer than two or three unless he turns things around right quick. And now the ultimate pick, the second of Saturday's first round, when the first selection is predetermined -- Houston is taking quarterback David Carr -- and the pick he needs has to play Opening Day and play big.
Which is why, I believe, he won't take Joey Harrington.
Which is why, I believe, he will take Julius Peppers.
Not that this is any great mystery. Most of us in the draftnik business (and I am only on the fringe because I don't work it as hard as many of my peers) will pencil in Peppers, the 283-pound mass-of-potential pass-rusher, as the Panthers' pick in mock drafts this week. Driving home from work the other night, Fox called me and set out the parameters that he, general manager Marty Hurney and the Richardson family will use to make this selection.
"We've kind of floated all over the place about the pick," Fox said. "Now it's come down to Joey Harrington, Julius Peppers and Quentin Jammer. More than likely, it'll be one of those three. We haven't had any communication with anybody about trading the pick, so we'll probably sit right at two and take one of those players. I've never done this before, obviously, but we need to take a guy, picking second, who we feel will be able to be an impact guy this year."
What must torment Fox is that he wants to build the best long-term team he can, and he knows Harrington might well be a franchise quarterback. But the reason he won't take Harrington -- my words, not his -- is that he knows Harrington might not be a franchise quarterback, too. "I look around the league in recent years and find that lots of the good quarterbacks are with their second or third teams. Aikman, Marino, Elway. That's three who stayed with one team and were great. Seems like 333 have hit it on their second or third team." And the shoulder surgery to starter Chris Weinke, could that affect the pick? "No," he said. "It's the equivalent of a running back getting a knee scope. He'll be ready in plenty of time for training camp."
The Panthers have neither a dominating defensive end nor a shutdown corner. This is a tough call. But I know Fox, mostly from his days as the Giants' defensive coordinator. He knows Michael Strahan, at his peak, was significantly more important to the defense than a corner could have been. He thinks this kid, Peppers, the basketball/football standout, will be something special. "I watched a basketball tape from one of his North Carolina games the other day," he said. "And that joker is aggressive. Real aggressive. He's an intriguing player."
The Panthers might be making a big mistake by passing on Harrington. We all know that. But chances are if they take Harrington and he turns out to be really good within the next three or four years -- because he's not taking Weinke's job this year -- Fox and his current football regime won't be around to run show in Carolina. And that, fans, is how the draft works today.
By the way, now YOU are on the clock, Matt Millen.
