Talent is Talent

It's always fun watching the playoffs, and this weekend's games should be especially compelling. People who aren't into football as much as some of us are sometimes wonder why we take such an interest in the draft. Well, the simple answer is, that's how you build teams.

One example: With the 35th pick of the 2011 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Andy Dalton. With the very next pick, the San Francisco 49ers selected quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Do you think the Bengals would pick Dalton over Kaepernick today? The Bengals seem to have most of the pieces in place to still be playing this weekend — if Andy Dalton hadn't played so brutally in their home playoff loss to San Diego. The Bengals need a quarterback who can take advantage of all that talent around him and lift the team to the next level. In time, Dalton may do that. He hasn't done it yet.

Of course, it didn't help Dalton that his coaches (offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who was just named head coach of the Redskins, and Marvin Lewis) had him. absurdly, throwing the ball 51 times in extremely windy, cold, rainy conditions; nor did it help Dalton that Giovanni Bernard fumbled the ball in the red zone.

Still, Dalton has yet to win a playoff game, and Kaepernick's been to the Super Bowl already and is on the verge of going again this year.  Do you think Cincinnati fans aren't wondering how Kaepernick would look throwing to A.J. Green, Mohammed Sanu,Tyler Eiffert, etc.?  But for the Bengals, Dalton was the safer choice, and look where it's got them. Home. Meanwhile, Kaepernick and the Niners will be getting busy against the Seahawks.

Where the chips fall
By the way, with the 31st in the 2011 draft, the Steelers selected defensive end Cameron Heyward, and he looks like an emerging force on the defensive line.

Like so many other Steeler fans, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are always on the lookout for that next developmental quarterback who can be groomed as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger, and step in and play well if and when called upon. And, no, Landry Jones does not appear to be that guy.

At the time, in April 2011, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls liked the idea of Kaepernick playing for the Steelers and had him pegged, potentially, as that guy, if the Steelers could somehow snag him (even as high as the second round). His draft stock had been rising, and we'd been paying attention. He was no secret. Before the draft started on April 28, 2011, here's what we wrote to close out our final draft-preview. The following paragraphs are an excerpt from that draft-day post:

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We suspect the Steelers will target three positions in the first three rounds -- cornerback, defensive line and offensive line — but, of course, it all depends how the chips fall. There are any number of guys we'd love to see in a Steelers' uniform next year ... even Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would LOVE for the Steelers to somehow grab Kaepernick, but we don't see it happening. He is likely to be drafted early to mid-second round. Just a feeling the guy not only has a ton of legitimate NFL-quality talent, but he also seems to have his head screwed on straight, since he says things like ...

"I feel like I’m a good person. I'm not going to put myself in a bad position or the team in a bad position with things I do off the field. That's what you look for when you're looking for a leader. Is this person responsible and mature enough to realize no matter what as a quarterback you are face of that franchise and you need to carry yourself a certain way? Certain things you can’t get away with."

Sounds like Kaepernick gets it. 

Ka-ching!

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is about to cash in big-time, in the wake of being named Super Bowl MVP and on the verge of a new contract. In any case, Flacco will get paid a lot of money this year and well into the future -- in the neighborhood of $20 million a year, which is a very nice neighborhood, indeed.

The silver lining here for Steeler fans is that Flacco's new contract will seriously complicate Baltimore's salary cap framework for paying other players.

Jacoby Jones could just as well have been named Super Bowl MVP as Flacco.  Jones's 109-yard kickoff return for a TD to start the second half was the nail in the coffin, and his 56-yard catch, jump-to-his-feet, spin-pirouette, dipsey-doodle scramble into the end zone just before the first half ended made San Francisco's mouthy backup cornerback Chris Culliver look stupid and foolish, which only confirmed the impression Culliver created for himself earlier in the week.

Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith was holding, clutching, grabbing Michael Crabtree well beyond the five-yard zone for which such hands-on contact is allowed, but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have no problem with the no-flag non-call.

We do have a problem with the 49ers' play-calling on that final four-down sequence at the end of the game. It was flawed, to say the least. The formations and plays called from the sideline didn't give Colin Kaepernick the best chance to use his legs and make the sorts of dynamic runs or throws he is capable of making.

Kaepernick is, duh, exciting.

Stanford TE Zach Ertz

The Ravens' tandem of Dennis Pitta and Ed Hickson at tight end makes us wonder if it wouldn't make sense for the Steelers -- even with all their other needs -- to consider drafting Stanford tight end Zach Ertz (6'6", 252) with the team's No. 1 choice at No. 17 overall, especially considering the multiple serious knee injuries Heath Miller suffered at the end of the season.  Nobody knows what Miller's recovery time will be, or if he will be the same player (a great one) when he returns. We'll learn more about Ertz and other draft prospects at the NFL Combine later this month.

This is not to write off Miler.  It's just to suggest that the it would nice (prudent and sensible) for the Steelers to have a legitimate duo-threat at tight, like the Ravens (Pitta and Hickson), the 49ers (Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker) and the Patriots (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez).

Randy Moss was a no-show. He's done.

The NFL Combine begins Feb. 23.  Stay tuned. It's time to start giving serious thought to the NFL Draft in April, as well as roster cuts and possible free agent signings.  It's early, but it's later than you think.