The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

I’ll cop to not being much of a draft expert. I pay good money (not really) to have a Draft Guru on staff, and I think we’d all be more comfortable if he was handling the Draft Thread. Alas, Kiper hired him on as a Special Consultant and he is no longer available.

For what it’s worth, here’s how I see the Ravens‘ day going:

They would like to get Matt Ryan in the first round, but he’s not going to slip past the Falcons, the Chiefs, and the Jets. Ozzie won’t mortgage the rest of the draft just to get Ryan, so they’ll pick “best available” at #8. There’s an outside chance that ends up being Vernon Gholston, which would satisfy everyone, but I think it’ll be Sedrick Ellis. Either way they’ll be fine.

There’s also a chance that they trade out of #8 and stockpile picks, but I’m not sure I see that happening.

The QB need will be filled in the second round, where the Ravens will hope and pray that Delaware’s Joe Flacco is still available. Failing that they’ll look for Michigan’s Chad Henne. I think Brian Brohm’s stock has dropped a little, so I don’t think they’ll look his way unless the other two are gone.

I also think we’ll see the ‘Skins try pretty hard to move their first-round pick in exchange for a talented, game-ready wideout. I’ve heard Roy Williams‘ name tossed around. Don’t be surprised if the ‘Skins end up being major players today.

But, like I said, what do I know?

I’d like to see everyone else’s predictions in the comments. Also, consider this the “as it goes” open thread for all picks today and tomorrow.

Ed. note: this is the Loss Column’s official 2008 mock NFL draft, courtesy of quasi-regular contributor Chris. Enjoy.

1. Dolphins – RB - Darren McFadden – Arkansas. Miami would love to trade down, but no one will be desperate enough to bite. After shopping the pick around to no avail, they go BPA. Run D-MC is being touted as an Adrian Pederson clone and is, by default, this draft’s “playmaker”. Don’t assume having Ronnie Brown puts Miami out of the running for McFadden. The two-back system trend doesn’t look to be waning and the two of them would be a fearsome (albeit, expensive) backfield. Miami can fill in their myriad D/O-line gaps in the later rounds. McFadden puts asses in the oft vacant seats at Pro Robbie Stadium. DT Glenn Dorsey seems to be the popular choice here but he’s not a prototypical lineman for the (Parcells) Dolphins system and there are concerns about his suspect ankles.

2. Rams - OT - Jake Long – Michigan. Orlando Pace may be balking on retirement, but if he’s not gone this year, he’s gone next year. The Rams go pragmatic in a draft filled with question marks and take the one (pretty much) sure thing in Jake Long.

3. Falcons – DT – Glenn Dorsey – LSU. The Falcons would and should be able to trade down here, amass picks, and still get their QB. But who is so desirable at this spot that a team will hand over picks to jump up? The QBs in this draft are a huge gamble at #3. Falcons swallow their pride and go BPA.

4. Raiders – DE - Chris Long – Virginia. Al Davis keeps it in the family and makes the feel-good pick here. He would have liked to have Darren Mac in the backfield with JaMarcus Russell, but drafting the son of a Raider legend who looks primed to follow in daddy’s footsteps is a no-brainer…IF McFadden is gone.

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A few quick, non-Super Bowl items (scroll down one post for the football fun):

First, congratulations to Darrell Green and (finally) Art Monk on getting elected to the football Hall of Fame. The Redskins are a team in terrible, terrible turmoil. Daniel Snyder has systematically dismantled all of the Joe Gibbs goodwill by botching the search for his replacement, and there is a growing fear of Dark Times in Landover. Green and Monk represent a link to some truly great teams, and a truly great brand of football. You couldn’t find two more deserving guys.

Second, the Terps are on a hell of a roll right now and are slowly but surely crafting an unlikely case for NCAA Tournament inclusion. Today’s road win over Georgia Tech puts them at 4-3 in the ACC with games against Boston College and NC State coming up before a rematch against Duke.

If they go 8-8 in conference play — a very realistic scenario — they’ll end up at 18-13 overall. That’s got bubble written all over it, but a 9-7, 19-12 finish should stamp their ticket. Notwithstanding their performance in the ACC tournament, of course, which might very well be make-or-break.

Third, I know there’s not a lot of interest in the Wizards or Capitals around here, but both teams are playing extremely well right now. I see no reason at the moment why they can’t both make the playoffs. You have to admit that’d be fun.

Say it ain’t so: the Redskins are reportedly giving Jim Fassel serious consideration for their head coaching vacancy. For those of you with a distaste for our neighbors to the south, rejoice.

It’s true that Fassel has a Super Bowl appearance and a Coach of the Year award on his resume. It’s also true that he’s 58-53-1 as a head coach. But I remember his time here in Baltimore, where he always struck me as a guy whose best days were behind him.

The Steelers and the Ravens got it right by going with young coaches who inspire. Every team in the league has talent, and good coordinators and position coaches can refine that talent. The head coach needs to lead above all else, and nothing about Jim Fassel’s history suggests to me that he’s a capable, inspiring leader. He’s Hillary Clinton, and the NFL is fast becoming a Barack Obama league.

Which reminds me: I think the Ravens nailed it with John Harbaugh. This looks like a fantastic hire, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and Mike Tomlin duke it out for the next several years.

Sad (for me, anyway) news out of Washington as Joe Gibbs has retired — again — as coach and president of the Redskins.

Say what you will about Gibbs and the Skins but this much is true: the man is a class act. The NFL could use about 30 more coaches just like him.

This has to throw a monkey wrench into the Ravens‘ own search for a new coach. Any candidate on the Ravens list who also gets contacted by Washington will no doubt give the Skins top priority.

Meanwhile, and as pointed out in the comments, trade talks for Erik Bedard appear to be heating up. Rosenthal is usually pretty reliable on this stuff, so I’m encouraged. Any deal that includes Adam Jones as a starting point is an exciting one.

I have to admit it was kind of nice to take a break from speculating who will be the next Ravens coach and watch football this weekend with a fresh perspective.

For the record I think Brian Billick is an excellent coach, however, I’m glad to see him go. It’s time for a change, and change should begin at the top. I wish we would have kept Rex Ryan, but I am also interested in seeing who our next coach may bring along to head the defense.

Who will be the next coach? I would have said Bill Cowher, but he looked pretty comfy in his announcer’s chair on Sunday. I pick Mike Singletary as a front-runner for the job, as much as it kills me to say it.

Enough about the Ravens, though. It’s playoff time.

I love the playoffs. It’s put-up-or-shut-up time and you really get to see what these teams are made of. And since the Ravens didn’t make it, I get to pick who to root for with an objective perspective.

I went two for four with my picks this weekend, but I got the important two. I picked Jacksonville would roll on Pittsburgh and I am so happy they did. It was great catharsis watching Ben Roethlisberger choke in his own building. It was almost as sweet as watching the Redskins lose. Yes, I know, they were playing for Sean Taylor, but it is the Redskins and I am a Ravens fan, so Gibbs and company can deal with it.

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And then there were eight…

The Steelers and Redskins — much to the delight of the local populace — failed to put it together on Saturday in losses to the Jaguars and Seahwaks. Then earlier today the red-hot Giants toppled the Bucs while the Chargers under Norv Turner — Norv! — did something they haven’t done in over ten years: win a playoff game.

As all of this went down, the Ravens continued to widen their search for a new head coach. I think Brian is the wrong Schottenheimer, but what do I know? Maybe an offensive coordinator with a less-than-stellar record is just the kind of reverse mojo this team needs.

Next weekend’s NFL matchups look like this:

Seahawks at Packers Saturday at 4:30
Jaguars at Patriots Saturday at 8
Chargers at Colts Sunday at 1
Giants at Cowboys Sunday at 4:30

I’m going with Packers, Patriots, Chargers, and Giants.

Finally, remember that Dakar Rally I mentioned in the last Sports Latitudes post? The organizers canceled it due to terrorism concerns. This bums me out for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being that I hate it when fear wins. That’s not to say I necessarily think cancellation was the wrong decision. It’s just a damn shame is all.

(photo by Peter Diana at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Two games today (Redskins at Seattle, Jacksonville at the Steelers) and two more tomorrow (the Giants at Tampa Bay, Titans at Chargers). Belly up to the TV and enjoy…then let us know what you think.