NFL, Recruiting, and Saban

[DKW 86 7,440]

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20070506...1067/SPORTS0106

CECIL HURT: NFL Draft reveals a lot about Tide

One of the big-buzz stories of last weekend’s National Football League Draft was the slide of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn from a potential No. 3 pick all the way down to the 22nd pick of the Cleveland Browns.

If you didn’t hear about it, that probably means you didn’t pay your cable bill since the ESPN family of network’s covered Quinn’s slippage as though it were a presidential election, asking every guest commentator from Mel Kiper, Jr., to John Clayton what it might mean.

If Quinn had lasted for two more picks, we’d probably have heard Paris Hilton’s opinion on the whole thing as well.

What none of the analysts mentioned, though, was a somewhat tenuous Tuscaloosa connection to the whole saga. It’s something of a stretch, but there is a way in which Quinn’s slide could actually be relevant to -- of all things -- the future of Alabama football.

The connection goes something like this. Once Cleveland passed on Quinn with its No. 3 overall pick (opting for Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas instead), the key to Quinn’s fate was in the hands of the Miami Dolphins (yes, the team formerly coached by Nick Saban, although that’s not the connection.) Conventional wisdom was the Dolphins would take Quinn, but they didn’t. They used the pick on Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr., instead.

Now, it’s becoming more clear as to why the Dolphins made that move.

Trent Green, the free agent quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, has made it clear in the past 24 hours he intends to leave the Chiefs and sign with the Dolphins. And, in terms of Alabama football, that’s where the plot thickens.

In making it clear he wouldn’t stay as part of a three-way quarterbacking situation at Kansas City, Green hinted at a reason. He said that the Chiefs management has made the decision to “stack the deck" in the race between Damon Huard and their younger quarterback -- and here is where we finally get to the payoff. That younger quarterback is Brodie Croyle.

Now, Croyle may or may not win the Chiefs’ starting job this season. But it certainly looks likely that he will be called upon sooner rather than later in Kansas City. If and when it happens, that brings another date into play: December 10, 1984.

Richard Todd started at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in a season-ending game that year. It was the last time that an Alabama graduate started an NFL game at quarterback. (Ironically, Ken Stabler was also on the Saints’ roster that day.) There have been UA quarterbacks in the league since then. Jeff Rutledge had a long stint as a backup, most prominently with the Redskins, and Jay Barker had a cup of coffee with a couple of teams, but neither one started.

Looked at it one way, that’s just the answer to a trivia question. But there might just be another way to look at it.

Football recruiting is a complicated business, and it can’t be boiled down to one or two factors. Furthermore, I’ve never subscribed to the notion you throw tradition out the window, even when you are talking about dealing with teenagers.

But the fact is, as the media becomes ever more pervasive, kids know what they see. What they haven’t seen, in their lifetime, is someone from Alabama playing quarterback in the NFL.

They see a quarterback from Tennessee winning the Super Bowl. They see a quarterback from LSU going No. 1 in the NFL Draft. They see Jason Campbell starting for the Redskins...They see Eli Manning starting for the Giants. They see Grossman making the Super Bowl. Cecil left a ton out of here didnt he? hhhmmm...

Yes, that quarterback was recruited by Saban.

Now, the possibility Brodie Croyle might start some mid-season Chiefs-Cardinals game isn’t going to suddenly send a steady stream of prime prep quarterbacks to Saban’s door. Alabama has a lot of recruiting work to do, and, frankly, it has an offensive image to rebuild.

Consider this staggering statistic: The Crimson Tide has only had two offensive players chosen in the first round in the past 29 years. Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels both went in the first round of the 2000 draft.

Before that, you have to go back to the 1978 draft, when New England took guard Bob Cryder with its first pick and Cleveland chose Ozzie Newsome five picks later, to see an Alabama offensive player go in Round 1.

There are a lot of reasons for that, but it’s an image Saban has to overcome in selling the program to offensive recruits. Seeing Croyle as a starter in Kansas City would only be a miniscule part of the public-perception reversal.

The startling success of Saban’s LSU recruits may do more for Alabama, in the long run . But it’s a reversal that has to start, even if it starts with something small.

[Fmnstr 0]

sigh.

[sogaaufan 27]

At least he admitted up front that it was a stretch.

[quietfan 233]

Was John Hannah a 1st round pick, and if so, what year? Just curious...it's been a while.

[JohnDeere 0]

When John Chavis was recruiting Jason Allen (Muscle Shoals, who would sign with the Vols) and later Jemarcus Ricks (Colbert County); that was one of his main points.

A reported conversation between Chavis and Ricks in the Colbert County fieldhouse after a ballgame:

Chavis: Son, you are good enough to play division one football. Have you given it any thought about where you want to play in college?

Ricks: I want to stay in-state.

Chavis: Whats your plans for after college? You might have the ability to play in the NFL?

Ricks: I haven't thought about after college much. But, I hope one day to make it to the NFL.

Chavis: Well, look there are no NFL teams in Alabama and look at all OUR players that are in the League. If you want to be seen, and have a chance to make it the NFL, UT is the place for you.

So, Cecil Hurt is stretching, but NFL alumni are a lot more sexier to a high school recruit then 'Got 12' t-shirts and houndstooth baseball caps.

[lukeduke 8]

Wow, one quarterback since 1984 starting along with two whole first rounders in the past nearly 30 years. I'm sure every SEC school will probably just bend over and call Saban now before recruiting a kid to make sure he's not gonna pursue them. Obviously, if Saban wants them, he will get them with all of those laurels to rest on. Enjoy it Ben Grubbs, you may be the last Auburn first rounder until 15 years after the reign of Saban.

At what point does the crimson kool aid cause your kidneys to shut down?

[TigerOne 1,152]

it's a scientific fact that global warming is really caused by all the hot air constantly coming out of uat .

the article can sum it up by saying, basically uat quaterbacks have sucked for the last 29 years.

Don't you have to be pretty good to play in the NFL?

[DKW 86 7,440]

Just for fun, how many did we have go in the first round in 2004 Three?

Ronnie, Cadillac, and Jason?

Was John Hannah a 1st round pick, and if so, what year? Just curious...it's been a while.

74-76 maybe?

[AU alum 2]

Was John Hannah a 1st round pick, and if so, what year? Just curious...it's been a while.

4th pick in the draft in 1973 by the Patriots.

[AU alum 2]

Just for fun, how many did we have go in the first round in 2004 Three?

Ronnie, Cadillac, and Jason?

Was John Hannah a 1st round pick, and if so, what year? Just curious...it's been a while.

74-76 maybe?

We had 4: Ronnie, Cadillac, Carlos Rogers (#9) and Jason (#25).

[DKW 86 7,440]

Just for fun, how many did we have go in the first round in 2004 Three?

Ronnie, Cadillac, and Jason?

Was John Hannah a 1st round pick, and if so, what year? Just curious...it's been a while.

74-76 maybe?

We had 4: Ronnie, Cadillac, Carlos Rogers (#9) and Jason (#25).

This is about only Offensive players.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Old Cecil is stretching with this one. He should of saved the ink.

[DKW 86 7,440]

Old Cecil is stretching with this one. He should of saved the ink.

No, that was a great stat in need of a story is what that was. He had to throw Saban in there or no bama fan would read it.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Old Cecil is stretching with this one. He should of saved the ink.

No, that was a great stat in need of a story is what that was. He had to throw Saban in there or no bama fan would read it.

Agree. Cecil just needs to change his name to What If...

[80Tiger 899]

What continues to amaze me that the Alabama media seems to forget that Les Miles and his staff actually did the majority of the coaching of these kids that went from LSU to the NFL in this past draft. Most players get their reps and practice time and therefore coaching when they are in playing rotation or starting. And as a general rule most players don't start until they are juniors and seniors. I am not sure, but were any of these players 4 yrs starters? The point is that the media continues to give credit to Saban for thinking these guys were going to be great players one day. The issue is that every other coach in America thought these were going to be great players one day also. The fact is that Miles and his group coached them up.

What ought to impress people more is when a coach takes an unknown and turns him into a pro (Donterrious Thomas). Thats coaching.