The Post Mortem

What doesn�t make sense out of the whole NFL draft is why would Brady Quinn show up when he was told by the Cleveland Browns that they weren�t going to pick him? Because after watching what Aaron Rodgers, and to some extent Matt Leinart, previously went through, sitting on a fishing boat doesn't seem like a bad alternative.

So instead of being one of the top picks in the draft, Quinn was whisked away like he was Anne Frank, with the NFL hiding him in the attic. Guys opting not to be there could be a trend in the near future.

Of course, fans were upset that Quinn was not on camera. Not so much to see the anguish on his face, but to check out his girlfriend siting next to him.

Here are some notes from the draft. Sorry, THN is not equipped with a scrolling feature because that is probably the only way most of you can read right about now.

• Gene Washington tipped the Raiders move back to Southern California by calling the team the Los Angeles Raiders to start Sunday's round four. If there is ever an NFL team in LA again, it is going to be the Raiders.

• Keyshawn Johnson on commentary wasn�t brutal. But he was kind of amusing when he said that Dwayne Jarrett, �Reminds me of me.� Except that Keyshawn pointed out that he was much faster than Jarrett and that is why he went with the first overall pick. Is anybody else hoping that Jarrett beats out Key for a starting spot this year in Carolina?

• Quinn was thinking out loud about the teams that could possibly draft him as he was sliding, and he mentioned Kansas City. First-year starter Brodie Croyle was probably thrilled to hear that. But Quinn should have mentioned the New York Giants, who desperately need a starting quarterback.

• Did the Cowboys just not want to participate this year? They were like that guy that does his fantasy draft over the phone instead of in-person. You could just see Mrs. Jones brow-beating her husband to hurry up because they had lunch plans, so Jerry just traded all of his picks so he could run to the Corner Bakery. Not that you can blame them, the draft is too long. Especially when Greg Olsen was parading around in a Bears hat while the Chargers were still on the clock. They need to find a way to speed this thing up, even though it is free advertising. They could knock this thing out in a day.
  

• Randy Moss only worth a fourth-round pick? Unbelievable. Great move for the Patriots. The disgruntled one will make a huge impact on the Patriots. Brandon Meriweather was another great pick. Damn it, New England is going to be really good next year.

HEADLINES THREE YEARS FROM NOW

Heard this on the radio over the weekend and thought this would be a cool idea to steal. But here are the headlines you will be reading three years from now on this draft.

Chargers Still Smarting Over Passing on Jarrett, Smith. Still can�t believe that A.J. Smith passed on the USC receivers for some dude who was a second-team All-SEC guy. And why were people ignoring USC players anyway? Does Mike Williams mean that every player out of USC is going to be a bust?

Raiders Set to Draft Quarterback With First Pick. Something about JaMarcus Russell screams great talent, but a likely bust. The comparisons to Vince Young would be more apt if the Raiders had Norm Chow and Jeff Fisher.

Matt Millen Looking at Wide Receiver. Come on, that was obvious. But not as obvious as�

Bengals Leon Hall Arrested. You had to see that coming.

Raiders Lament Not Taking Thomas, Quinn. The Raiders could have pulled off the same thing the Browns did, ending up with the lineman they sorely need, and a quarterback. Quinn will likely have a better pro career than Russell.

Moving on�

• The Warriors/Mavericks series is great fun. But you have to imagine that Dallas will rally back the same way the Suns did against the Lakers last year. Still, a first-round upset of the best team in the league would make for some great theater. And Avery Johnson the Marty Schottenheimer of the NBA.

• The Angels should stay out of Chicago. Reggie Willits was called out for leaving too soon on a sacrifice fly (although TV evidence disputes that). But that is the kind of thing that happens when Kelvim Escobar pitches in Chicago.

AND FINALLY

Somebody should let Curt Schilling know that it makes him look more guilty when he protests too much. The best way to handle it would be to have taken the high road. But Schilling mistook that for �high horse.�