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A Message to Georgia QB Matt Stafford regarding the NFL Draft. 

Matt, one week from today you're going to be in New York for the NFL Draft as player and I as media .  Many people expect The Detroit Lions, holding the first pick in the player selection event, to make you the number one pick. I've got some advice for you:

Don't let 'em.

Matt Stafford (photo from Google Images)

Matt, the Detroit Lions are an organization of rich tradition, but a history of failure. The Lions have never reached the Super Bowl and playoff appearances have been few and far between.  And the ownership has focused more on hiring personalities than building a winning organization. You won't win there. 

Why? 

Take a look at the NFL coaches who have won.  All have one thing in common: they're known for systems.

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers was known for one play, the Power Sweep, which the Packers ran to perfection winning Super Bowl's I and II. 

Chuck Noll was the four-time Super Bowl winning coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers who's system consisted of a trap-based running game and aggressive pass-blocking on offense and on defense the "4-3 Stack Overset" alignment. That was the basis for the Tampa Defense that was created by Coach Tony Dungy, who was a Steelers assistant.

Coach Dungy took that Tampa Defense to the Indianapolis Colts where he was reunited with his old college coach and now offensive coordinator Tom Moore, who installed a unique spread offense, and that team set NFL records for wins and playoff appearances, and won a Super Bowl. 

I could go on, and on.  Tom Landry was the father of the 4-3 Defense and "zone" pass coverage with the New York Giants in the 50s, then refined the concept, creating the "Flex Defense" as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys where he won two Super Bowls.

Coach Bill Walsh is the father of the West Coast Offense and won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers (and indirectly two more, as his system was still used after he left), and for good measure A Pac 10-Championship at Stanford. 

You getting the picture, Matt? 

Jim Schwartz as Lions' head coach and Scott Linehan as its offensive coordinator are not known for a system that works.  Name an NFL Quarterback that Linehan developed into a Super Bowl winner? 

None.

While Linehan is known as a coach who's pass-patterns Urban Meyer used for his spread offenses at Utah and Florida, it's Meyer who won with a new total offense he created, and not Linehan. 

Coach Linehan recently said they find the players and then make the plays for them, which means he's got no idea what he's going to do. 

Don't go to Detroit, Matt.  You won't win there.

So where should you go? 

Denver, where Head Coach Josh McDaniels has a proven, modern offensive system. And New England, where Bill Belichick has the best situational offense in the NFL.  You can learn of Tom Brady.  But if you go to Detroit, don't say I didn't warn you.  But if Linehan reveals his system as a result of this little attack of mine, maybe things will change. 

We'll see.

Good luck.

FOR USE AS DESIRED-From NFLMedia.com
4/13/09

MOST SINCE ’96! – NINE TOP PROSPECTS TO ATTEND NFL DRAFT

Nine top prospects will attend Day 1 of the 2009 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25, the NFL announced today.

This year’s group of nine college standouts – the most players in attendance at an NFL Draft since 1996 – includes the following invitees: Texas Tech WR MICHAEL CRABTREE, Wake Forest LB AARON CURRY, USC LB BRIAN CUSHING, Kansas State QB JOSH FREEMAN, Virginia T EUGENE MONROE, Mississippi T MICHAEL OHER, Texas DE BRIAN ORAKPO, Baylor T JASON SMITH and Georgia QB MATTHEW STAFFORD.

Two states with rich football traditions – Texas and New Jersey – will have strong representation at this year’s draft, as four Texans and two New Jersey natives will be at Radio City. Crabtree, Smith and Stafford hail from the Dallas area, while Orakpo grew up in Houston. Cushing (Park Ridge) and Monroe (Plainfield) were both raised in New Jersey.

Monroe may be an incoming rookie, but he’s already an NFL Draft “veteran.” Former Virginia teammate CHRIS LONG, who was selected No. 2 overall by St. Louis in 2008, invited Monroe to be one of his guests at Radio City last year.

2009 NFL DRAFT FACTS & FIGURES

WHAT:
74th Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting.


WHERE:
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, New York City (Between 50th and 51st Streets).


WHEN:
4:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 25 (Rounds 1-2).

10:00 AM ET, Sunday, April 26 (Rounds 3-7).



The first two rounds will conclude on Saturday by approximately 10:00 PM ET. In 2008, the first round consumed three hours and 30 minutes and the second, two hours and 23 minutes. The draft will resume on Sunday at 10:00 AM ET for the final five rounds, ending at approximately 6:30 PM ET. Rounds 3 through 7 took eight hours and 33 minutes in 2008.


DRAFTING:
Representatives of the 32 NFL clubs by telephone communication with their general managers, coaches and scouts.


ROUNDS:
Seven Rounds – Rounds 1 and 2 on Saturday, April 25; and Rounds 3 through 7 on Sunday, April 26.



There will be 256 selections, including 32 compensatory choices that have been awarded to 16 teams that suffered a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year.



The following 32 compensatory choices will supplement the 224 regular choices in the seven rounds – Round 3: New England, 33; Cincinnati, 34; Chicago, 35; New York Giants, 36. Round 4: San Diego, 33; San Diego, 34; Tennessee, 35; Indianapolis 36. Round 5: Pittsburgh, 33; New England, 34; San Francisco, 35; Dallas, 36; Tennessee, 37. Round 6: Tennessee, 33; New England, 34; Dallas, 35; Cincinnati, 36. Round 7: Tennessee, 33; Washington, 34; San Francisco, 35; Seattle, 36; Chicago, 37; Seattle, 38; Seattle, 39; Cincinnati, 40; Jacksonville, 41; Chicago, 42; Cincinnati, 43; Jacksonville, 44; Arizona, 45; Detroit, 46; Kansas City, 47.



Denver (Nos. 12 and 18), Detroit (Nos. 1 and 20) and Philadelphia (Nos. 21 and 28) have two selections each in the first round. Carolina, Chicago and Dallas do not have first-round picks. All other teams have one first-round selection.


TIME LIMITS:
Round 1: 10 minutes per selection. Round 2: Seven minutes per selection. Rounds 3 through 7: Five minutes per selection.


PLAYERS AT DRAFT:
The following players will be at the draft at Radio City on Saturday: Texas Tech WR MICHAEL CRABTREE, Wake Forest LB AARON CURRY, USC LB BRIAN CUSHING, Kansas State QB JOSH FREEMAN, Virginia T EUGENE MONROE, Mississippi T MICHAEL OHER, Texas DE BRIAN ORAKPO, Baylor T JASON SMITH and Georgia QB MATTHEW STAFFORD.


TELEVISION:
NFL Network and ESPN/ESPN 2 will televise the draft on both days.


INTERNET:
Exclusive coverage and behind-the-scenes features on NFL.com and team websites for draft weekend will include: Streaming video of NFL Network's draft coverage both Saturday and Sunday on NFL.com/LIVE; "Draft Tracker" with real-time selection information as well as exclusive pick-by-pick analysis from NFL.com's experts; video-on-demand content featuring the nine college players in New York; exclusive interactive features, including “Fan War Rooms” where fans can discuss their favorite team's picks, chats with NFL.com's analysts, "NFL Predict The Pick" game and a "Fan Ballot" that allows fans to grade their team’s picks; and in-depth coverage from each team website.

Pat White's 2009 NFL COMBINE Workout as a QB