05/2/08
Although the Olympics did not occur Sunday, a person flipping through the channels and coming across ESPN might have thought they were.
A crowd of fans chanting “U.S.A.” was present, but it was not for American athletes competing in Olympic events. It was for a military football player trying to fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.
Caleb Campbell played linebacker and safety at West Point.
If you glance at his game film, you will find a player enjoying himself while flying around the field to make plays.
His tackling skills are above average, and an NFL team would be smart to take a chance on him.
His presence at the NFL Draft Sunday really was a sight to see. Campbell showed up in full military uniform and openly discussed his career, both on the football field and in the service.
The diehard fans present took notice and united. In addition to chanting “U.S.A.,” they chanted his name, and it was neat to see fans with different jerseys and hats joining together to root for a common cause.
Later, the Lions selected Campbell. The crowd’s chants grew even louder as he actually made another appearance at the ESPN stand inside Radio City Music Hall.
This, along with several other incidents, made day two of the draft actually worth watching.
It was definitely the most interesting second day coverage ever.
Usually, the show will interview coaches or personnel of teams that are not even close (time-wise) to selecting a player during the weekend.
Obviously, if the team’s turn were coming up, all its attention would go toward picking a player.
So, when New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was being interviewed and the Saints traded up to make a pick during the conversation, an unusual situation occurred.
The analysts asked Payton about the pick, and he openly stated the team was selecting a Michigan receiver.
It would have been really sweet had he not known of his own team’s intentions.
Overall, the weekend process was as interesting as ever for the NFL fan.
Offensive linemen went like crazy, proving that teams know blockers are essential to properly fixing a bad offense – also known as a “Spaghetti-O.”
Team draft grades are already available on media sites, which makes me wonder, can people see into the future via crystal ball?
No one can truly evaluate a draft class until at least a few years down the road when players have had a chance to prove their worth.
That is like judging a student based on his or her GPA, and everyone knows that is irrelevant. Wait a minute…