When A Good Notion Turns Into A Symptom Of Mental Retardation

So this guy wrote a column talking about how dumb it is for an untested rookie like Mario Williams to be making as much money as a proven Super Bowl MVP like Tom Brady. He makes a good point. His solution: Abolish the NFL Draft. What?!?

This is the guy who's brainchild this is. Berry Tramel. Berry Tramel? Is that right? Did he misspell his own name? Look at him! He's a dope! I'm not gonna bother arguing an idiotic suggestion from a guy who looks like the vulture on those old Warner Brother cartoons. I feel bad even legitimizing this moronic concept with a rebuttal but I'm hoping I'm not the only one who thinks his idea is stupid. (According to 80% of the people on this web site, I am relieved to find I am not alone.)

He brings up that the draft was invented to bring parity to the league. Parity, by the way, is the backbone of the National Football League. The NFL, by the way, is the most popular sporting event in the country. The guys who run it kinda know a thing or two about what they're doing. So, if they believe they have a good way of incorporating hundreds of new players into their league, they might be on to something.

That kind of cash will be reserved for guys who have sacked Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb, not Charlie Whitehurst and Marcus Vick.

It makes my job easier when he types up examples that show how brain dead he is. Whitehurst was a third round draft pick and will make close to the league minimum. Marcus Vick will probably not even get an NFL contract. Corky, you might want to look this kind of stuff up before you put it in black and white and make yourself look um, I'm running out of synonyms for "stupid."

Quarterback Matt Leinart was the likely No. 1 pick in 2005 but decided to return to USC. He slipped to 10th in this draft and will make at least $10 million less because of it. But is Leinart a worse quarterback this year than he was last? No. Is Leinart less valuable to the Cardinals than he would have been to the 49ers a year ago? No.

Actually he is, Zippy. The 49ers needed a quarterback desperately last year. Still do. The Cardinals have a starting QB already. That means that he is less valuable. There are some quirks in the draft but that's a product of the team's decision makers, not the NFL Draft.

But this sets up a good point that JoJo gets close to, but jump away from when you start approaching reality. Only about the top ten picks made crazy cash. So, all 32 franchises should alter the orderly selection process and replace it with free agent chaos for the other 250 players whould be chosen? I think that's drowning the baby in the bath water, then setting the bathroom on fire. Then throwing the tub out of the window.

The answer is as simple as merely tweaking the current system. Install a rookie cap like the NBA has and you ensure that the top few players in a draft aren't paid more than battle-tested commodities.

This article was brought to my attention by a local sports talk show host who wholeheartedly supported this theory and that's why I will never make it in this business. I cannot back a poorly-conceived plan simply to drive people to call in. I cannot stand for something I know is the product of someone who has a learning disability.

I copied the entire article so you can just click below to read the idiocy. I'd put the link up but the paper makes you register and it's not worth it for this.

"According to the map we've only gone 4 inches."