BillsFever
07-10-2003, 12:21 AM
With the annual supplemental draft set to begin on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the only real question is whether someone will burn a pick on Georgia Tech running back Tony Hollings.
To the extent that anyone out there is listening to us (doubtful), our advice is simple -- resist the urge to draft him.
The logic is simple. There just wasn't enough time to fully investigate Hollings' health, or his abilities. He didn't run the 40 during his recent workout (as confirmed by Howard Balzer in the current USA Today SportsWeekly), and Hollings is walking around with a rebuilt ACL. The fact that he declared himself eligible for the supplemental draft relatively late in the game made it hard for teams to check out his knee -- and we suspect that this was not a coincidence.
Besides, tailbacks who can move the chains at the college level always are in plentiful supply during the "real" draft. Because the team that takes Hollings now will be forfeiting the corresponding pick in April 2004, our advice is to hold the pick, and to wait for a guy as to whom there will be a much greater chance to gather the standard pre-draft information.
With all that said, here are the five teams that are, in our opinion, most likely to take a chance on Hollings:
Cowboys: Hollings likely is better right now than any back on the Dallas roster. With the Tuna anxious to put a winner on the field, why not throw a lasso around Hollings in round six or seven, in the hopes that Parcells can turn him into a player?
Redskins: Owner Dan Snyderbrenner likely can't resist the opportunity to add another reputed speed merchant to Ball Coach's arsenal, especially since the 'Skins had a Ditka draft in 2003.
Bears: The folks in Chicago are disenchanted with Anthony Thomas, and coach Dick Jauron could care less about the loss of a 2004 pick -- he won't be there to exercise any of them if the team doesn't make the playoffs. Besides, the Bears will need to establish a strong running game in order to allow quarterback Kordell Stewart to develop some/any confidence at the helm of an offense that hasn't been adapted to his unique skills (and that's the nicest way we can put it).
Bucs: With all signs pointing to Michael Pittman heading for the license plate factory in the not-too-distant future, the Bucs will need all the help they can get in the backfield. And Thomas Jones isn't the answer (unless, of course, the question is "Can you name a running back who really, really sucks?").
Lions: CEO Matt Millen is sufficiently desperate -- and dumb -- to take a chance on Hollings. And, like Jauron, Millen probably won't be around to bemoan the loss of the 2004 draft pick.
(We also think that the Vikings could be interested in Hollings, but we figure that no one in the front office is able to navigate the detailed, intricate, complex process known otherwise as getting the damn pick in.)
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
To the extent that anyone out there is listening to us (doubtful), our advice is simple -- resist the urge to draft him.
The logic is simple. There just wasn't enough time to fully investigate Hollings' health, or his abilities. He didn't run the 40 during his recent workout (as confirmed by Howard Balzer in the current USA Today SportsWeekly), and Hollings is walking around with a rebuilt ACL. The fact that he declared himself eligible for the supplemental draft relatively late in the game made it hard for teams to check out his knee -- and we suspect that this was not a coincidence.
Besides, tailbacks who can move the chains at the college level always are in plentiful supply during the "real" draft. Because the team that takes Hollings now will be forfeiting the corresponding pick in April 2004, our advice is to hold the pick, and to wait for a guy as to whom there will be a much greater chance to gather the standard pre-draft information.
With all that said, here are the five teams that are, in our opinion, most likely to take a chance on Hollings:
Cowboys: Hollings likely is better right now than any back on the Dallas roster. With the Tuna anxious to put a winner on the field, why not throw a lasso around Hollings in round six or seven, in the hopes that Parcells can turn him into a player?
Redskins: Owner Dan Snyderbrenner likely can't resist the opportunity to add another reputed speed merchant to Ball Coach's arsenal, especially since the 'Skins had a Ditka draft in 2003.
Bears: The folks in Chicago are disenchanted with Anthony Thomas, and coach Dick Jauron could care less about the loss of a 2004 pick -- he won't be there to exercise any of them if the team doesn't make the playoffs. Besides, the Bears will need to establish a strong running game in order to allow quarterback Kordell Stewart to develop some/any confidence at the helm of an offense that hasn't been adapted to his unique skills (and that's the nicest way we can put it).
Bucs: With all signs pointing to Michael Pittman heading for the license plate factory in the not-too-distant future, the Bucs will need all the help they can get in the backfield. And Thomas Jones isn't the answer (unless, of course, the question is "Can you name a running back who really, really sucks?").
Lions: CEO Matt Millen is sufficiently desperate -- and dumb -- to take a chance on Hollings. And, like Jauron, Millen probably won't be around to bemoan the loss of the 2004 draft pick.
(We also think that the Vikings could be interested in Hollings, but we figure that no one in the front office is able to navigate the detailed, intricate, complex process known otherwise as getting the damn pick in.)
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm