Were people always this into football/the draft?

[albionmoonlight]

So I go to the main Saints message board and, not having any more current season football about which to talk, the threads have turned toward the Senior Bowl.

Specifically, there are lots and lots of in depth discussion about who we are interviewing at the Senior Bowl, and who we should be interviewing at the Senior Bowl instead.

And talk--both this year and last (the first two where I was really paying attention)--is not at all limited to the first round or the first day. Fans are openly discussing what players we should pick up in the 6th and 7th rounds as project players or in hopes that they become the next Tom Brady or Marquis Colston.

I remember football used to be you watched the games. I am young enough that I always remember the draft being an "event," but even that was really just seeing who the first few picks were, and seeing what position your team drafted in the first round.

Fast forward to now, and people are having long discussions about practices at the Senior Bowl. Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

So, is this deep, deep interest in the minutia of roster building new, or is it something that I am just becoming aware of? Has the combination of Mel Kiper and the internet created a monster, or has the monster always been there and Mel and the internet just brought it to light?

[spleen1015]

It is the internet's fault.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Has the combination of Mel Kiper and the internet created a monster, or has the monster always been there and Mel and the internet just brought it to light?

Neither? Well, at least not exactly.

The ingredients for the monster have been around for quite a while I think, but it took the internet to provide enough access to information for the monster to take shape.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I like this topic. For me, the draft event is relatively insignificant. I mean, obviously, teams are building for the future, but I'm more interested in actual football games than this other stuff. After the Broncos drafted Jay Cutler last year, I really didn't care how he did in preseason or in practice. I didn't care about his contract or how well he learned the playbook.

You know when I started caring about Jay Cutler? The moment he took the field in a regular-season game. This is the first-round draft pick. This is the "quarterback of the future" in Denver. I'm supposed to care about his progress, right? Sorry, I just don't really think about somebody who's not on the field.

Now, if I don't really care about that guy, I sure don't care about someone who hasn't even signed a contract or even been drafted by a team yet. It's just not my thing.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And I have an almost equal & opposite reaction to Pumpy's. I find draft day more interesting than at least 90% of the actual games, because I'm more interested in the outcome for various college players that I've followed for 3-4 years than I am about the generic teams that they'll be playing for in the future.
To a large extent draft day closes the book as it were on the majority of these players for me.

[Oilers9911]

I agree with Jon. I find the draft/free agency to be more interesting than the games themselves. I am probably alone in this but I found myself unable to get excited about the NFL this year but when draft day comes along i'll be watching. But for God sakes please cut down from 15 minutes between picks. Those talking heads like Berman etc are hard enough to take let alone for 15 minutes between picks.

[Honolulu_Blue]

As a Lions' fan, I love the draft. It's our Super Bowl. Best day of the year. The moment the Lions take the field in a regular-season game the season is pretty much over and it's time to start thinking about next year's draft.

[JonInMiddleGA]

... and it's time to start thinking about next year's wide receiver.

Fixed that for ya ;)

[RPI-Fan]

...

Fast forward to now, and people are having long discussions about practices at the Senior Bowl. Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

...

Brilliant!

[sabotai]

Am I in the minority in that I love watching football games AND love following/watching the draft?

[rkmsuf]

Am I in the minority in that I love watching football games AND love following/watching the draft?

no. team building and drafting are at a premium in the NFL. To me if you are an NFL fan you are a fan of the process to some degree and always have been. The fact that information is far easier to get now only enhances the interest in young talent.

[Dutch]

Brilliant!

Practice...not the game. Not the game....practice. :)

[RedKingGold]

I love everything about football. The NFL has p'wned me.

[Noble_Platypus]

I have watched every pick of every draft since 1990. I always felt the only thing better than the draft was if my Colts got to the Superbowl, so this is a great year for me.

[st.cronin]

I have watched every pick of every draft since 1990.

Wow.

[Subby]

I love everything about football. The NFL has p'wned me.
Word.

The NFL Network is like crack...

[Pumpy Tudors]

lol subby shoves the nfl network up his ass

[Young Drachma]

I don't like football's draft because after it's over, you literally wanna see the guy's suit up and play tomorrow.

In basketball, I kinda enjoy all the hype and speculation, because they're so often wrong.

[Axxon]

I think it's just that until this season it was better football than they could see locally. ;)

[Noble_Platypus]

Actually, I am kinda pissed off that the draft has become so popular. I liked it better when they would actually speculate about the picks and then talk about guys after they were picked. Now they bounce around and talk to 50 different people like Torry Holt who doesnt even know the nam,es of the guys he is talking about ( Rudy White and Dante Pepper instead of Roddy White and Culpepper) and they go 5-6 picks before they actually acknowledge there is a draft going on. Last year they did a whole special picece on Marcus Vick, and that stupid fuck didnt even get drafted. Plus Chris Berman gives away every single pick before the commish goes to the podium. It was funny 1 time 10 years ago, I wish he would shut the fuck up. I can see there being a day real soon where I watch the picks on an internet site because ESPN cares more about entertaining people than the draft.

[Passacaglia]

Actually, I am kinda pissed off that the draft has become so popular. I liked it better when they would actually speculate about the picks and then talk about guys after they were picked. Now they bounce around and talk to 50 different people like Torry Holt who doesnt even know the nam,es of the guys he is talking about ( Rudy White and Dante Pepper instead of Roddy White and Culpepper) and they go 5-6 picks before they actually acknowledge there is a draft going on. Last year they did a whole special picece on Marcus Vick, and that stupid fuck didnt even get drafted. Plus Chris Berman gives away every single pick before the commish goes to the podium. It was funny 1 time 10 years ago, I wish he would shut the fuck up. I can see there being a day real soon where I watch the picks on an internet site because ESPN cares more about entertaining people than the draft.

I agree with all this. I usually avoid all that by playing TCY during the draft, and only keeping both eyes on the TV when a pick is about to be made, or there's somewhat interesting talk going on. I manage to get a lot of TCY in, which is fine with me.

[14ers]

Who is excited that this years combine will be televised?


Me!
Me!
Me!

[Vinatieri for Prez]

This year? I watched the combines on the NFLN the last 2 seasons. Where have you been?

[Ragone]

the day they pull berman off tv will be a national holiday for me

[Pumpy Tudors]

I might watch pieces of the combine just because it's a relatively new television event. As I mentioned, I don't really have any interest in the individual players, but I'd like to see these athletes doing something besides standing at a podium holding up a jersey for a team that they don't officially play for yet.

[Ryche]

I'm sure my wife and I will be going to the Vikings draft party again this year. It's kind of funny that she actually gets into it as well, although she doesn't watch any college football.

[BishopMVP]

Fast forward to now, and people are having long discussions about practices at the Senior Bowl. Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

So, is this deep, deep interest in the minutia of roster building new, or is it something that I am just becoming aware of? Has the combination of Mel Kiper and the internet created a monster, or has the monster always been there and Mel and the internet just brought it to light?Internet started it, the past couple of years of the NFL network televising SR Bowl practices/the combine only accelerated it for the diehards. (And random people like me, because for some reason the NFL network was available in the dorms at UMass.)

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just realized that I have read reports on Senior Bowl practices every day this week and I have no idea when the game is being played. I assume it's tomorrow, but I have no idea what time.

I went to check it on ESPN.com and got pulled into some Mel Kiper article projecting what round (or thereabouts) every player in the Senior Bowl will be drafted.

[Vince]

I've always been interested in the draft, but it was usually more of a casual interest. I'd look up who the 49ers picked, check them out, and be done with it. Since joining FOF Multiplayer leagues, I have been WAY more into the NFL draft. Not exactly sure why, as I don't expect to learn anything there...

[DougWyatt]

As a Lions' fan, I love the draft. It's our Super Bowl. Best day of the year. The moment the Lions take the field in a regular-season game the season is pretty much over and it's time to start thinking about next year's draft.


Yep, yep, yep. Although, as of late I've realized it really doesn't matter who we take. As soon as they put on the H Blue, they suck. It's actually starting to take the enjoyment out of the draft as well :(

[duff88]

NHL Draft > NFL Draft :D

I don't want to hijack the thread, but honnestly, the NFL Draft is pretty exciting but the NHL Draft is simply one of the greatest events of the year.

1. Players play in leagues all around the world; it's much tougher to gauge their talent since they rarely ever play against each other. QMJHL, OHL, WHL, NCAA, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and even lesser countries like Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland combine to bring talent to the table and make the job of a scout that much harder.

2. Players are 17-18 on Draft Day which means they still haven't reached their full potential yet.

3. Players don't have to sign a professional contract immediately so the team can lead them to the NHL by guiding them through their development.

4. The Draft is less predictable since most team use the BPA (Best Player Available) strategy instead of drafting by position like in the NFL.

Just think about this year's NHL Draft. It's just wide open; no superstars but likely a couple of future impact players. I see this as having as many as 12 players (Some are far fetched though) who have a chance at being drafted first overall: Alexei Cherepanov, Pat Kane, Sam Gagner, Jakub Voracek, James Van Riemsdyk, Logan Couture, Kyle Turris, Karl Alzner, Keaton Ellerby, Nick Petrecki, John Blum and Angelo Esposito. It's going to be amazing!