USA Today: The lying season: Deception key to teams' draft strategies

[SkinsMaster88]

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-04-24-lying-season-cover_N.htm

The lying season: Deception key to teams' draft strategies

By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY

The World Series of Poker has nothing on the NFL draft.

As the league's 32 teams have nitpicked hundreds of college players eligible for this weekend's draft in New York City, many of the teams also have jockeyed for an edge by trying to conceal their true intentions. The days before the draft are filled with misinformation campaigns, media leaks and smokescreens as teams play what amounts to a high-stakes game of bluffing.

Often, a team's goal is to play down the abilities of a coveted player so that another team, picking earlier in the draft, doesn't snatch him. Some teams feign interest in players they have no intention of taking — even flying them to team headquarters for predraft visits — while virtually ignoring players they want most.

"Every head coach, every GM, everyone involved with any team right now is playing poker," Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards says. "Whatever someone says, it's about half true. That's the way the game is played."

Among the suspected tactics: exaggerating concern about medical reports or other issues. Through media leaks or the NFL grapevine, misleading information can be circulated with the idea of affecting a player's stock to the point he is available later in the draft than expected — and therefore less able to demand a huge contract.

This year, a key question surrounding the draft has been the health of LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. He's being considered for the No. 2 pick overall by the St. Louis Rams, but with millions of dollars at stake in his first pro contract, he has spent weeks trying to dismiss questions about knee and leg injuries he suffered in college.

"Some stuff," Dorsey says, "I just wonder where people get it from."

It all heightens the drama surrounding the NFL draft, which began decades ago as a low-key event to distribute college talent among pro teams and now is a much-hyped, two-day TV event in which fans watch their teams obtain young players they hope will be the building blocks for success.

Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage says of teams' predraft shenanigans: "We've always called it the fog of confusion. From the end of the football season to the draft is a long stretch of time. And there are a lot of different agendas at play."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says misinformation campaigns often are "related to the whole strategy of the draft, and the tactics involved in trying to get guys to move up and down" on the draft board. "To be honest, it's not always clubs. The (players') agents are thinking, 'If I can do this … my guy moves up.' "

Sometimes the rumor mill can go too far, and the unseemly side of the NFL draft emerges: anonymous leaks of damaging — and sometimes false — information about players.

...[Read at link]

The Browns' Savage recalls an impression left by the Washington Redskins' contingent at the University of Miami's pro day workout for NFL teams in 2004, when Savage was personnel director of the Baltimore Ravens. The Redskins had the fifth pick in the draft, when the late safety Sean Taylor and tight end Kellen Winslow II were Miami's two hottest prospects.

Washington's actions, Savage says, now seem like a smokescreen.

"I don't know if it was intentional or not," Savage says, "but the Redskins came in on a private jet, we go out for the workout, Kellen had his workout, and they were leaving while Sean Taylor began his drills. I'm like, 'Oh, the Redskins, they're taking Winslow.' They stood there and studied Winslow intensely, and when it was Taylor's turn they were like, 'See you guys. We've got to get out of here.' "

The Redskins wound up drafting Taylor, whom they evaluated in a private workout.

...More at link

Just some insight with the latest reports that the Redskins heavily involved with Malcolm Kelly, Philip Merling, and Jordy Nelson. You never know what the team's real draft board is.

[kreitmaster]

Interesting, but I really don't think this is a smokescreen. It is possible that they were not impressed by Winslow.

[33]

I'm glad to hear that. Very. I've been of the mind that they have no problems telegraphing their intentions when it comes to the draft.

Winslow thought we were taking him too, btw. He wasn't very happy when we didn't.

The following year we knew we were taking a CB, and everyone and their mother's uncle knew we were taking JC.

My personal belief, although this article would seem to prove me wrong (happily) is that they are of the mindset that they want to talk to guys, and be sure of them before they pick them and pay a bunch of money. In which case they don't care as much if they telegraph because it's super important to them not to get a loser socially. I think that came from taking Taylor. I think the organization was somewhat embarrassed by him in the first year to a year and half he was with us.