well that was awkward

did any of you see todd mcshay and mel kiper flip out a couple of weeks ago when they were brought onto espn to talk about the upcoming nfl draft? no? well, if you dislike mel kiper's snyde demeanor as much as i do, then here you go. a gift from me to you.

but on a serious note (kidding) let's talk about matthew stafford, the supposed future no. 1 draft pick. i have nothing against the guy. in fact, i kind of like him. in interviews, he seems cordial, humble, and ready to give all the lame answers all nfl gm's want to hear ("i'll play whenever, wherever they need me to. it's an honor to even be drafted.") blah blah blah whatever, you would break a golf club over someone's head if they asked you to bulk up and be a tight end. but i digress.

let's look at his stats. increased production year to year, ending with an impressive 25 touchdown to 10 interception, almost 3,500 yard junior season at georgia. not bad, i can see, statistically, why everyone is all up in the kid's grille. but, as ryan leaf always told me, and trust me, we're pals, NEVER RELY ON STATS.

georgia was supposed to win the title last year. anyone remember that? they had most of the tools to do so. a pretty impressive defensive line, a good running game, and an experienced upper classman running the show. there was supposed to be red and black confetti raining down the southern united states. (speaking of georgia, a florida fan told me a great joke, but i'll get to that later.) by all means, i do believe that, despite all the SEC this and SEC that, i begrudgingly agree that it's the elite conference. 3 national titles in how many years? exactly.

anyway, look at the three losses that kept georgia out of contending for anything other than a shiny trophy they could hold with pride on the field, then stash quickly in the janitor's closet when they got back to athens because bowl games mean nothing. ok, ok, a 41-30 loss to 'bama. not bad. not embarassing at all, alabama was playing really tough in the beginning of the season. in fact, they were damn near unbeatable. nothing to hang your head about, one loss doesn't keep you out of the title chase anymore.

but here's where it gets nasty. a 39 point loss to florida at home. oof. no touchdowns, three picks, a 103.81 passer rating. you wonder why they lost so badly, you sit back and stare at the sportscenter highlights in disbelief. then you realize that up until that point, georgia had played no one other than alabama. they only beat vanderbilt by 10 (given, vandy actually went to a freaking bowl game that year.) they only beat south carolina by 7. two losses is two too many for a lot of bcs voters. then the heartbreaking loss to georgia tech to finish off the season that never was. what gives?

i just don't get that feeling about stafford that i did about matt ryan when i saw him heave that prayer against virginia tech, or any of the multitude of fantastic plays that guy made while still dressed up for boston college. matt ryan is something to get excited about. he has the intangibles, he seems like a great leader. he made the atlanta falcons respectable. and although it's not like ryan's stats were ridiculously better than stafford's, you could tell that he was going to be something. everyone could.

so detroit, pass up on the qb. take, maybe, say, a wide receiver? (bahahahaha.) but no seriously, maybe that dude from wake forest, curry, or jason smith from baylor. sometimes the ugly positions are the ones you need to monitor the closest. and like mcshay says, wisely, in that HILARIOUS argument up above, you can't make stafford a franchise quarterback when he isn't. he will be a decent qb, don't get me wrong. but he is not a #1 pick.

oh, and that georgia joke. why does the river near jacksonville flow north? because georgia sucks!
it was a lot funnier if you were there, i swear.