(Editor’s Note: The Sports Agent Corner is our periodic Q&A with Dallas-based sports agent Gary Glick of Synergy Sports, Inc. Learn more about Gary and see his list of past and present clients at the Synergy Sports website.)

MSF: Give us an update on your players currently on NFL rosters.

Gary Glick: Interesting year so far.  We had several that were released and several doing well.  One of the ones to watch is Mike Adams at Arizona (#27).  He is small at 5’8” but has been very effective on special teams and is a very sure tackler.

MSF: How does the beginning of the UFL influence your  landscape? Is this a place where you are going to actively direct your clients who cannot make it on an NFL roster right now? Is the UFL immediately on par, better than, worse than the CFL?

Gary Glick: I was unsure about the UFL until I started talking with some of the coaching staff. In particular, I have gotten to know and have a lot of respect for Coach Fassel. It doesn’t appear that the UFL is trying to compete with the NFL.  In fact, in some instances, it looks like a place for players as well as coaches who would like another opportunity in the NFL.  I have placed several players so far and watched the games. It’s a good brand of football and I hope it takes off.

The UFL and CFL have their pros and cons.  The CFL is widely scouted by the NFL teams but is an 18-game season.  Also, once a player enters a contract, they cannot break the contract even if an NFL wants them. Along those lines, most CFL teams try to have the player sign a two-year deal.  That would lock the player out of the NFL for a significant time.

The UFL is new and currently only has a six-game season, so players are free to try for the NFL much quicker than they would if they were in the CFL.

On the other hand, the CFL is more established than the UFL. I guess time will tell the success of the UFL and the players who choose to participate.

MSF: Regarding the Dez Bryant story, there has been speculation that Deion Sanders might be working as a de facto “runner” for Eugene Parker.  I know that you cannot comment on the specifics, but can you at least describe to our readers what a “runner” is and what the NCAA’s rules are to prevent “runners” and agents from getting close to college athletes.

Gary Glick: In general, “runners” work for agencies and are usually persons who will attend games and work behind the scenes to meet players for the agencies.  It’s a way to bend (break) the rules as to when an agenct may make contact with a player.  It’s widespread and really places agencies on uneven playing fields, especially if the person serving in the “runner” capacity is a famous athlete.

I am not saying Deion is doing this but it does raise eyebrows when Deion was involved with the Crabtree decision to choose Eugene Parker as his agent and now offers training to another highly sought after prospect in Dez Bryant.  Not coincidentally, Eugene Parker was Deion’s agent so there is a natural connection.

MSF: In your experience, speaking generally, have you seen former NFL players use their stature and “cred” to cozy up to athletes with the implicit or explicit goal of “handing” them to specified agents? Is this typically something they are compensated for, either over- or under-the-table?

Gary Glick: Yes to both.  It’s a very common practice for agents’ clients to use their stature to recruit athletes-especially at their alma mater.

MSF: One of the most disappointing developments of the college football season so far has been the injuries to Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham, both of whom would have been top 10 picks had they come out prior to this season.  What would you have advised them to do last year? Do you think their injury problems this year will prompt players currently on the fence to go pro? Do you think it should?

Gary Glick: It’s easy in retrospect.  Honestly, I would have advised Bradford to come out.  He was a lock to be the 1^st overall pick.  As we can see, there is a huge injury risk in returning.  That’s not to say that he still won’t be recognized as the best QB in the country (in my opinion he is) but we will have to see what longer range effects his injury will have.

Gresham, on the other hand, is a TE, and although he is widely thought to be the best TE in the country, there was no guarantee as to where he would have been drafted.  I would have advised him to give it serious thought but do what he felt he should do.

I am fairly high on players getting their education and developing in college unless the player will be a top 5 or 10 pick.  It seems like every year players who should stay in do just the opposite and come out and, vice versa, those that probably should come out choose to stay in (see Matt Leinert).

Just a couple of weeks ago it appeared like a realistic possibility that Michael Crabtree could sit out the entire 2009 seasons and re-enter the 2010 draft in one of the most ill-advised decisions ever.

Now, as we head into Week 7, Michael Crabtree is a starting WR in the NFL.

Amazing how quickly things change, huh?

Crabtree got into camp just as the 49ers were entering their bye week and has had two weeks to acclimate himself to the offense, to his teammates, and to life in the NFL. No-nonsense coach Mike Singletary apparently believes that Crabtree has acclimated himself quite well, considering he has reportedly pegged Crabtree to start over Josh Morgan this Sunday when the 49ers play Houston.

Now that Singletary has made his decision, fantasy football owners have their own decision to make: start or sit Michael Crabtree in Week 7?

The answer is an easy one for me: sit him. And there are a number of reasons why.

First, Crabtree is a rookie WR. Even highly talented, highly drafted rookie WRs with the benefit of a full training camp and six games under their belt are risky plays in Week 7 of their rookie year. In most cases with rookie WRs, there is a high degree of volatility from week to week.

Crabtree is certainly highly talented and was highly drafted, but he’s had only two weeks of practice and certainly can only know a fraction of the San Francisco offense. This limits his potential for a breakout performance in his debut.

Second, San Francisco isn’t a good passing team anyway. If this was the Colts or the Cardinals, and we knew the ball would be in the air 35-40 times, maybe you consider Crabtree. But this is the 49ers, a team that ranks 28th in the league with only 160.8 passing yards per game. QB Shaun Hill has thrown only five TD passes this year and only one of those went to a WR (Josh Morgan).

In all, San Francisco’s top two wideouts have caught only 26 balls on the season for less than 400 yards. That’s not a very big pie for Crabtree to attempt to get a piece of in his first week. Obviosuly the 49ers hope that Crabtree will make their offense more dynamic, but do you really think it will happen in his first week?

The third reason why you want to sit Michael Crabtree this week is that Frank Gore is back. Gore is the 49ers workhorse and should get the bulk of the offensive touches on Sunday. This is a run-first, run-second team and Crabtree will be nothing more than a complement to a ball control, smash-mouth gameplan.

Now, if you have Crabtree and your lineup is decimated with bye weeks and injuries, there are reasons for guarded optimism about Crabtree’s potential in Week 7.

Houston is a high scoring team, which means that San Francisco will probably have to get into the mid-20s to win the game; this could necessitate more passing than usual. If S.F. does decide to pass more, the Texans are only 19th in the league against the pass, giving up 226.8 yards passing per game and 6 TDs.

It’s not much, but starting Crabtree this Sunday if you’re in a bind probably may not be a complete lost cause.

Regardless, while I think Crabtree could have some value in the right matchups as we move forward, don’t blindly throw him out there this week if you have other proven options. I have a feeling that Mike Singletary won’t mind Crabtree having a rude awakening in his first NFL start, knowing that it might be an immediate step back that could help the WR take a few helpful steps forward a little quicker in 2009.

And a rude awakening is what I expect for Crabtree this week.

Michael Crabtree Week 7 projection: 2 rec, 27 yards, 0 TDs

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* – Michael Crabtree photo credit: Bay Area Sports Guy

Starting a new semi-regular feature: TSTICAMW (aka Today’s Statement I Couldn’t Agree More With). 

The premise is simple. All day long I stumble upon blog posts and stories relevant to our readers here at MSF. When I find something that I really agree with — something that, in fact, I could not agree more with — I will post it under the heading TSICAMW.

And today’s TSICAMW comes from the good folks at Pro Football Talk, who provided their take this morning on the smoke that is beginning to build around Deion Sanders’ relationship with Eugene Parker and how that might or might not be influencing the “mentoring” that Primetime is doing for players like Michael Crabtree, Dez Bryant, and Noel Devine.

And you know what they say about “where there’s smoke…”

Here is the statement and a link:

Deion ducks Crabtree, Bryant questions — (PFT)

When it comes to college players and those entering the NFL, Deion has been operating largely under the cover of daylight for a while.  Now that his role has been noticed and obvious questions are being asked, he’s running for cover.

And so we come back to what we’ve been saying all week — the NFL needs to press Sanders, not in a studio with Rich Eisen but in a conference room with Jeff Pash, regarding Deion’s knowledge of the apparent tampering with Crabtree, Deion’s business relationship (if any) with agent Eugene Parker, and Deion’s interactions with any and all college players whom he is “mentoring.”  

Robert Littal has a good take on this issue over as BSO as well, and one that sums up how I feel about this story.

There is something fishy going on here. Whether it’s fishy because of the Sanders-Parker connection, or fishy because of other self-interests of Sanders, his relationships with these players are not passing the sniff test to me — and admittedly far-removed observer.

But for the NCAA to suspend Dez Bryant, there had to be a little more going on than “dinner at Deion’s” and then Bryant fibbing about it. 

We definitely have not heard the last of this story and I could not agree more that both the NFL and the NCAA need to get to the bottom of what is going on. Maybe everything is on the up-and-up and there have just been some misunderstandings. Either way, it behooves both entities to find out for sure.

(And, just for grins, while searching for an appropriate picture of Deion for this post, I stumbled upon this article taking Deion to task for a column he wrote about Michael Vick a few years back. Entertaining and spot-on.)

1. 49ers Barking Up the Right (Crab) Tree

Finally, early on Wednesday morning, the 49ers and first round draft pick Michael Crabtree agreed to a deal that will get the WR on the field. The deal was worth $32 million over 6 years with $17 million guaranteed and up to $8 million in additional incentives.

If Crabtree makes the Pro Bowl in two of his first five years, the contract is void after 5 years.

I’ll Tell You This:

I’ve been begging the 49ers for weeks to just get this deal done, and now they have.

The team is already 3-1 without Crabtree and have been my NFC dark-horse since the beginning of the season. Now with Crabtree inked and Gore coming back to the line-up soon, this team moves officially into my “Contender” category.

2. Jets Acquire Braylon Edwards

How do you respond to a big loss against New Orleans, as well as mass media criticism of your rookie QB?

You go out and trade for a troubled, yet amazing WR.

The trade sent Edwards to the Jets in exchange for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik, a conditional 3^{rd pick in the 2010 draft, and a 5th round pick in the 2010 draft.}

I’ll Tell You This:

Edwards has been somewhat ineffective for the last year and a half in Cleveland.

After his assault on a friend of LeBron James, Browns’ coach Eric Mangini had to make a move.

This is a great move for both teams.

Mangini gets two more picks to build his team from, and gets rid of a “bad apple”.

The Jets get a very good player, who is excited about a fresh start, and may just turn things around with a new team, and a winning team. (See Randy Moss, New England Patriots)

3. The One Game Playoff Heard Round the World

It took twelve innings, and several ties and lead changes, but Minnesota would cap off what started as a seven game deficit to the Tigers with a  walk off single to win in the bottom of the 12^th inning.

I’ll Tell You This:

I have been down on baseball this year, partly because my Cubs have sucked, but mostly because I feel like this may have been the most boring season in baseball I can remember in a while.

That being said, this may have been one of the most exciting games I have seen in a while.

Congratulations to the Minnesota Twins, and good luck against the beast of the AL, the Yankees.

4. The Playoffs Begin

The MLB Playoffs started yesterday with matchups between The Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies, the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, and today the Angels will face off against the Boston Red Sox.

I’ll Tell You This:

Here are my predictions for the entire MLB Playoffs:

Division Series

Philly will beat Colorado in five games.

New York will sweep the tired Twins.

The Dodgers will upset the Cardinals in 5 games.

The Red Sox will beat the Angels in 4.

NLCS/ALCS

The Phillies will defeat the Dodgers in 6 games.

The Yankees will defeat the Red Sox in 7 games

World Series Predicion

The New York Yankees will defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games

5. You Tell Me This:

With future Hall of Fame QB’s in the league right now to the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Favre:

You Tell Me This:

1. Who do you think is the best quarterback in the NFL?
2. Who do you think is the best quarterback of all time?

Please leave your comment in the comments section I would love to hear what you have to say!

That’s all for this week kids!!! We’ll see you next week!

Word has broken this morning courtesy of — who else? — Adam Schefter of ESPN that Michael Crabtree and the San Francisco 49ers have agreed on a contract that will get the rookie WR on the field after a months long holdout.

According to Schefter, the basic details of Crabtree’s contract with the 49ers include that it is a six-year deal that Crabtree can void to five should he meet certain performance benchmarks. And as observed by PFT, Schefter has characterized the Crabtree-49ers contract as a “win-win” for both side.

Considering that the crux Crabtree’s holdout has revolved around wanting to be paid more than Darrius Heyward-Bey, I certainly hope — for the 49ers sake — that said performance benchmarks are not in any way associated with Crabtree outperforming DHB. The Raiders rookie has a whopping two catches for 36 yards on the season.

Obviously Crabtree’s contract with the 49ers will not include anything specifically mentioning another player, but these two guys will undoubtedly be tied together for the balance of their careers. Even though most people think Crabtree was being foolish and megalomaniacal in demanding #7 money when he was picked 10th, the Raiders are quite possibly the only franchise that would have selected Heyward-Bey over Crabtree. 

Take one look at Crabtree’s ridiculous accomplishments while at Texas Tech and you see why so many people think, despite his obvious diva qualities, Crabtree could be a great receiver at the NFL level.

He certainly is going to play for the right coach. As Mike Singletary proved with Vernon Davis last year, he’s not going to put up with any B.S. That is exactly what Crabtree needs, and he (ostensibly) provides the pass catching skills that the 49ers need to ultimately become more on offense than just the Frank Gore Show.

This is going to continue to be one of the NFL’s most intriguing teams for the remainder of the season.

Here is the list of Top 20 selling NFL jerseys, courtesy of Darren Rovell’s SportsBiz, via Shutdown Corner:

1. Brett Favre, Vikings
2. Jay Cutler, Bears
3. Troy Polamalu, Steelers
4. Michael Vick, Eagles
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
6. Tony Romo, Cowboys
7. Mark Sanchez, Jets
8. Tom Brady, Patriots
9. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
10. Eli Manning, Giants
11. Terrell Owens, Bills
12. Peyton Manning, Colts
13. Hines Ward, Steelers
14. LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers
15. Jason Witten, Cowboys
16. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
17. Joe Flacco, Ravens
18. Matt Ryan, Falcons
19. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
20. Michael Crabtree, 49ers

The most startling fact is this, as explained by MJD: Vick has only been with the Eagles for 14 days, yet he is 4th in jersey sales over the past five months. Amazing.

And really, I suppose that we can’t be too surprised about Favre topping the list. Many of his old Green Bay fans will buy a jersey wherever he plays, and the entire Minnesota fan base is salivating at finally having a QB with some positive winning experience as a starter. Forget that he’s 40 and over the hill and probably won’t make it through the season healthy.

(In fact, he might not make it out of the preseason. Just caught on ESPN that Favre apparently thinks he may have another ready-made excuse if he stinks this year a cracked rib. Uh oh…)

Honestly though, consider the implications of the following statement four or five years ago: “In the year 2009, Brett Favre Vikings jerseys will be the highest selling jersey in the NFL.” It would have sounded totally non-sensical and the kind of thing that a Packers fan would describe as a certain sign of the dawning of the apocalypse.

And here is a contemporary sign of the impending end of the world: Michael Crabtree, who is a turd has yet to sign with the 49ers and is threatening to skip the entire season, is ranked #20 in jersey sales…out of all players in the NFL! 

At least his holdout appears to be hurting his sales though.  Darren Rovell mentions that Crabtree was 8th on the list a short time ago.  As MJD points out, for those 49ers who were excited that Crabtree fell to #10 and then gobbled up his jersey, it “could turn out to be the worst jersey investment of all-time.”

Or, like I said, just a precursor to the apocalypse. 

And now some other great links to carry you through the afternoon and evening.  See you all tomorrow morning.

Sports:

• NBA All Under-25 League — (Barkley’s Mouth)
• Jay Cutler: By the numbers — (Jay Cutler Superstar)
• 2009 NFC West Preview — (MoonDog)
• Broncos-Bears preseason game was like a playoff game — (Peter King’s MMQB)
• NFC North predictions from ESPN — (i94 Sports)
• Rich Rodriguez defends himself against allegations — (FanHouse)
• Great perspective on Tim Tebow — (Tim TeBlog by Dan Shanoff)
• Where’s the love for Miggy? — (MLive)
• College football pick ‘em — (Sparty and Friends)
• Denver fan debuts “Cuntler” #6 jersey — (Busted Coverage)

Non-Sports:

• 4 reasons winning the Mega Millions would suck — (Illuminati)
• Guide to being a man: How to slay a vampire — (Straight Pinkie)
• Macaulay Culkin is the father of Michael Jackson’s youngest kid? — (The Sun)
• 12 inventions that had to have been created by stoners — (Hail Mary Jane)

Geez, a guy gets to double-digit wins one time and his mouth turns into a news making megaphone.

Who knows, maybe Mike Leach has always been like this; but like his beloved pirates who are all the rage in the news right now, stories of Mike Leach’s megalomaniacal attitude and controversial comments have been quite plentiful this offseason.

First, there was the tense period of contract negotiations between Mike Leach and Texas Tech after the Red Raiders won 11 games in 2008. Ultimately, despite an unnecessary pissing match between Leach and the school, they agreed on a 5-year extension to keep Leach in Lubbock through 2013.

Then, during this weekend’s NFL draft, Mike Leach had some choice words for Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini. After Tony Grossi of the Plain-Dealer reported that the Browns had been turned off by Michael Crabtree’s purported “diva attitude” – not citing Mangini as a source or with any direct quotes, mind you – Leach had this to say (courtesy of our friends at Shaver Sports, via the Sporting Blog):

“Crabtree as a receiver has been more successful than that guy has been as a coach. … I think he took it upon himself to figure that in a few minutes he had all the expertise on the subject of Michael Crabtree that he needed. And so we’ll see how those non-divas up there in Cleveland do this year.”

Well alrighty then.

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Click here for great deals on 2009-2010 college football tickets at StubHub

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I know that a coach has to, and should, stick up for his players. However, it seems to me that there just might be a more tactful way to do it, especially since Leach is basically trusting Grossi who is trusting a source – it’s not like the words came straight from Mangini’s mouth. Either way, Leach came across sounding like the kid over in the corner of the sandbox who has trouble getting along with the other kids.

And the coach sounded even more like that in the most recent report of unnecessary comments by Leach, this time concerning a player from a school in his own sandbox state. For whatever reason, Mike Leach decided to take what most people are interpreting as veiled shots at former Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee, who by all account is a nice, upstanding young man – albeit one who never totally lives up to his high school hype.

I am sure that a major reason for Leach’s comments was the fact that McGee was drafted while Tech QB Graham Harrell was not, despite Harrell’s college production dwarfing that of McGee’s. (And in the irony of all ironies, Graham Harrell ended up signing a free agent contract with the Browns.)

Anyway, here is what Leach had to say about Stephen McGee (courtesy of Deuce of Davenport, via the Dallas Morning News):

“I’m happy for Stephen McGee,” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. “The Dallas Cowboys like him more than his coaches at A&M did.”

Now look, there is nothing in that statement that is inherently awful. However, Mike Sherman and Stephen McGee took offense to the comments. And with Leach’s track record, plus the Tech-A&M rivalry, they probably have good reason too.

With Sherman still trying to win over the Texas A&M fan base, and McGee probably feeling a bit defensive about his underwhelming college career that he hopes to turn around in the NFL, I can see how they might be taken aback by what Leach had to say. Moreover, whether what Leach said was that bad or not, why not stay focused on your program? More than anything, it just seems pretty tacky to me.

Said Mike Sherman in response to Leach’s comments about McGee:

“I don’t understand Coach Leach’s comments about Stephen McGee,” Sherman said Monday. “He was named our starter until he got injured. I’ve always believed in Stephen’s character and I’ve always believed in his talent, and I always will. I see him having an outstanding NFL career.

“Coach Leach is in no position to comment about my relationship with Stephen McGee.”

For his part, Stephen McGee showed one of the reasons why so many NFL scouts were high on him as a potential second-day sleeper in the 2009 NFL Draft; he showed that he has something in abundance that Leach apparently lacks: class.

“I don’t know where that comment came from or who it was directed at,” McGee said. “But I am shocked because my time at A&M was very special to me. Obviously, I got injured, and many people think that Coach Sherman benched me. That’s just not true.

“If I had a son today and he was a college quarterback, I would send him to Coach Sherman or Coach Fran without any doubt, without any question, first and foremost.”

And Leach’s response?

“…based on all the fuss and commotion on this, I can’t help but wonder what round Coach Sherman would have drafted Stephen McGee, given the fact he was once a head coach in the NFL.”

As for an apology?

“I’m not sorry for what I said,” Leach said. “I’m sorry if they feel offended.”

After reading the quotes, too big of a deal is probably being made of this latest Leach story. Stephen McGee and Mike Sherman probably need to get their panties unbunched and not get so defensive.

The truth is, Mike Leach knows that he will always face an uphill battle staying relevant out in Lubbock with the majority of the national attention in the Big 12 being showered upon Austin and Norman, OK. And honestly, that’s one of the things that makes Leach perfect as the Texas Tech coach. He’s brash, outspoken, and has proven he can win there consistently and attract national attention to a campus that isn’t typically on the national college football radar screen.

But boy is Mike Leach acting emboldened now that he has his 11-win season, was a hot commodity for every major coaching vacancy this offseason, and now has a new contract. Or maybe he’s always been saying things like this and I’m only now paying attention because of the three aforementioned reasons have increased his profile and because his previous quote about Mangini and Crabtree pierced through the noise of this draft weekend for the Browns.

Either way, something tells me his bosses at Tech are smiling, even if they’d never say so publicly. Leach can’t be vanilla like Mack Brown is at Texas, otherwise Tech will fade right back into the third and fourth tiers of college football relevance. But if Michael Crabtree does turn out to be a diva in the NFL, we’ll have a pretty good idea of at least one example he is probably following.

(FYI…if you caught this article during the first 10 or so minutes it was posted, you’ll realize it’s been edited. I should have made the edits before posting the article live, but I’m making them now.

I originally went off on a pretty big rant about Michael Crabtree and his ego, before realizing that I don’t know him and don’t legitimately have a basis to make such judgments. I still speculate a bit below, based on some of the rumors I’ve been reading online, but define it more specifically as speculation. There are a lot of reports floating around from teams and “draft gurus” that Crabtree is a bit full of himself, but we are also at the time of year when almost nothing should be trusted as teams jockey for draft leverage.

I’ve been burned by trusting vague reports before, so I’d rather err on the side of caution and keep the discussion related mostly to football, as opposed to judgments on ego and character for which I have no first-hand basis to make. So my apologies for the publish-and-change, but I’m much more comfortable with the post as it is now.)

I have yet to decide who I want to see the Cleveland Browns end up with on Saturday when they pick 5th in the 2009 NFL Draft. I think as Browns fans we all know that the most desirable scenario, and probably the most preferred scenario in Berea, is to trade out of the #5 slot; but probably all teams and fans in the top 10 are thinking the same thing. Unfortunately for the Browns, the current economic realities of the NFL combined with the lack of super-stud prospects at the top of the draft mean that they more than likely have to pick at #5.

Who should they take? I don’t pretend to have a definitive answer to that question. There are a lot of hardworking people in the Browns war room right now who have been studying these prospects and the draft landscape all year, and even they probably do not yet have a definitive answer. I’ll leave the sorting to those guys and the predicting to the mock draft mavens across the web.

Plus, there have been so many rumors floating around regarding potential trades involving Braylon Edwards (a possibility still with the Giants, although it’s not looking great) and Brady Quinn (I don’t buy it) that I have been waiting for something to come to fruition that will help to stabilize the Browns’ most immediate need with their first selection. Right now there are more variables than an algebra book.

(Coincidentally, that last sentence easily ranks among the ten worst I’ve ever written for simply being lame and pathetic. I was about to hit backspace when I decided that something so God awfully putrid should maintain its existence so as to serve as a reminder and hopefully a lesson learned. In that respect, I compare it to the Browns 2008 season. We’d all love to erase last year and pretend it didn’t happen, but just as I will be motivated to never offer another public display of such elementary prose, hopefully the Browns will be motivated to not offer another such and elementary, and equally putrid, display of professional football.)

Without question, there are many possibilities that should or could be available at #5 that would fill one of the many gaping holes in the Browns’ starting roster; that is, assuming the guy picked can actually play at the NFL level. Tim Couch and Courtney Brown, among others, make even the most optimistic Browns fan (and readers of this site know that I am exactly that, perhaps to a fault sometimes) a little weary at the thought of counting on a high draft pick to be a franchise player.

Aaron Curry appears to be a safe bet to be a solid linebacker for 10+ years. BJ Raji certainly has the talent and athletic girth to form a pretty formidable inside duo with Shaun Rogers. Brian Orakpo is an incredible talent who could be a superstar if he also develops a consistent motor and the requisite football acumen. And Brian Hartline is a field-stretching future superstar who conjures hallucinations of a Steve Largent-Randy Moss hybrid when you see him on film.

Just kidding. We’re your biggest fans Hartline. Seriously. No…really. (Just wait…surely our resident Buckeye apologist KVB will come leaping to Hartline’s defense.)

Bringing it back to serious mode, if you have been paying attention to the latest draft “speculation” — and I use even that loose term loosely because “disinformation” and/or “strategic gamesmanship” are more accurate — then you know that Mark Sanchez has joined Michael Crabtree as a hot name attached to the Browns at #5. I addressed the Browns-Sanchez-Crabtree rumors this past weekend.

Let me get my thoughts on Mark Sanchez out of the way real quickly here: I think the Browns would be beyond foolish to take him. First, they would have to trade Brady Quinn to even make it plausible, and though I am not sold on Brady Quinn as a future franchise quarterback I certainly think he will be a better pro than Mark Sanchez. The USC QB is entering the draft early (the history of which we analyzed this week) with only 16 starts to his name. So unless the Browns want to wait three or four years for their #5 pick to start paying dividends, they should file Mark Sanchez under the “too absurd to consider” column.

And that brings us to Michael Crabtree, a name that many a mock draft has had penciled in for the Browns. Our very own Ryan Russell even made his own plea for the Browns to draft Crabtree last night in his attempt at Clevelander optimism. (And a mighty fine attempt it was, save for the nonsense about the Indians.)

Just so we’re clear, let me emphatically state for the record right now: I absolutely, positively DO NOT want the Browns to draft Michael Crabtree.

And it’s nothing personal against Crabtree. I have no vendetta of any type against him. But I think the Browns would be making a huge mistake by even considering him at #5, the reasons for which I am about to get into.

In his column at SI.com yesterday, Peter King outlined the terrible odds of picking a WR in the first round who can come in and produce early. I realize that the Browns do not exactly fit the description of having a “win-now” roster — and a reasonable argument could be made that the Browns are in a great position to roll the dice on a WR since they are not under pressure to win a Super Bowl next season — but I still don’t like it, not this high in the draft with so many other problems to fix.

If we couldn’t make it work with Braylon Edwards, whose one very good season coincided with the Browns one good recent season, what makes the Browns think that anything will be different with Crabtree? All we’ll be doing is eliminating the development time that Braylon has had to make the transition from college to pro, which is especially difficult at WR. How does subbing in a rookie Crabtree for a now-veteran Braylon make us better in the next 2-3 years?

This season should be about progression, not regression.

Besides, if this draft is deep at one position it’s WR. The Browns have a 2nd round pick to grab a solid WR (Brian Robiskie, for instance) and perhaps other first day or early second day picks should they consummate a trade. Why not strengthen the defense, and the locker room, with the first pick? I’ve never heard anyone say that “wide receivers win championships” but defenses certainly do.

For the Browns to play Mangini-style football and be successful, the egos must be kept to a minimum and the defense must make significant improvement. The Browns are a team still searching for an identity and last year proved that the locker room is lacking in true leaders. Bringing a guy like Crabtree into such an environment will not, in my opinion, provide the checks his young but reportedly growing ego needs to become a true team-first WR that fulfills his potential. He’ll walk in with little talent at the WR position to challenge him and could believe in his own head that he’s the Browns’ savior. Add in money, plus his increasing profile and level of fame, and any narcissistic tendencies he may have will only grow and become more prominent. And this is not necessarily a judgment on Crabtree as much as it is a generalized judgment of many young, talented WRs in the NFL. And if any of such speculation were to come to fruition, that is decidedly not what the Browns need, and one of the primary reasons, I thought, why we were trying to purge ourselves of Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards this offseason.

Plus, after watching Browns fans turn on Braylon last year, it’s pretty obvious that self-absorbed shenanigans will not be tolerated. At least Crabtree isn’t from Michigan, but where there is smoke there could be fire. And the Browns need to minimize risk with their #5 selection. Thus, I just don’t think Crabtree in Cleveland seems like a good fit.

My advice to the Browns is to stay away from Michael Crabtree. I think he’ll be a productive NFL WR, but not a great one on the level of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, or even Calvin Johnson or Terrell Owens. And if he isn’t going to be a top-flight, game-breaking WR, which is my humble opinion and that of others, then I believe that makes him not worth the #5 pick. WRs need to be home runs if you pick them that high in the draft. I see Michael Crabtree as a double…that tries to get stretched into a triple by someone who thinks they have more speed than they do, and who ultimately gets thrown out at third.

My advice to Michael Crabtree? Call up Braylon for advice on which of your five suits to pick.

If Saturday goes my way, Michael Crabtree won’t be coming to Cleveland. I wish him the best in his NFL career, and I think whoever drafts him will be getting a productive WR, but not the kind of production that warrants a top-5 pick. I think the Browns can be better served, and the franchise will be better off in the long-run, by choosing the best defensive player available at #5.

Just caught on ProFootballTalk that the Cleveland Browns will choose either USC QB Mark Sanchez or Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree with their first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft (#5 overall). The report by PFT cites a report by WOIO-TV in Cleveland that states the Browns are taking either Sanchez or Crabtree.

Now wait a minute. Before you go poo-pooing the report as just some random week-of-the-draft-rumor that we always see this time of year, think about it. With rumors swirling that the Browns are looking to trade WR Braylon Edwards and/or one of their QBs, this report actually *gasp* makes some semblance of sense. At the very least, its believable enough for the rumor to float around and catch on…which, of course, is the very reason the Browns are probably happy it’s out there. (And why you’ll see similar “reports” from “sources” floated by most NFL teams this time of year.)

Because wait until you see who the WOIO-TV report cites in its report.

Are you ready?

Here it comes…

SOURCES

That’s right ladies and gentleman, SOURCES have informed WOIO-TV that the Browns will draft either Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree with the 5th pick in the 2009 NFL draft. This, of course, most likely means that the Browns actually will not draft Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree, but that they want other teams to think they will draft Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree to drive a better deal with a team looking to trade up to the #5 slot for either player.

Or maybe they really do want to draft Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree.

Or maybe the Browns really want Brian Orakpo or Aaron Curry.

Or perhaps the Browns really want B.J. Raji.

Well guess what? SOURCES have informed Midwest Sports Fans that the Browns are actually targeting former Ohio State and current white WR Brian Hartline with the #5 pick. And I will even name my sources, making this MSF exclusive (depending on how you look at it) even more credible than the WOIO-V report.

The source is me. So there you go.

(And, for the record, sometimes I feel like all the disinformation come draft time is the NFL and media doing to fans what Brian Hartline is doing to his fiancee in the picture to the left.)

All joking aside, the myriad reports and rumors that float around during the weeks leading up to the NFL draft always amuse me. I would place the disinformation:information ratio coming out of NFL war rooms this time of year at about 90:10. The draft is all about selection position and value. In fact, it goes a little something like this:

Team A likes Player 1 or Player 2. However, Team A has Pick Z, yet they know they can probably get Player 1 or Player 2 with Pick Y or Pick X, but Team B and Team C have Pick Y and Pick X. Thus, Team A wants Team B and Team C to think that they covet Player 3 and Player 4, who are actually coveted by Team B and Team C. That way, Team A can get a better deal in a trade for Pick Z from Team B and Team C and then move down to Pick Y or Pick Z and Pick Player 1 or Player 2 and pay him less money while acquiring more picks later in the draft. Team B and Team C are compelled to pay a higher premium for Pick Z because they legitimately fear that Player 3 or Player 4 will be gone.

Make sense?

If you want to predict what a team is going to do on draft day, here are a few tips:

1. Believe nothing that comes from unnamed sources or that any coach or GM actually says until their pick has actually been announced. (Even then, only believe what a coach or GM says about 10% of the time.)
2. Only read announcements of official transactions that have actually happened (i.e. if the Browns actually trade Braylon Edwards, pay attention to that.)
3. Look at the team’s roster and needs and use your own football judgment and intuition to try to match that up with the relative value of the prospects projected to be available. And study four or five different sources of draft projections to get a general idea of what players are slotted where and who is rising or falling, so as not to weight one source’s biases too much.
4. Understand that, at best, you will only be able to make an educated guess with a 50/50 proposition of being right. And guess what? Your probability of being correct is probably pretty close to the experts’.

The truth is, draft projections are a fun exercise for die-hard NFL fans, and reading all of the reports about who is interested or not interested in Player X can provide a jolt of entertainment, but be very selective of what you actually believe. And by that I mean believe nothing.

So what’s the takeaway here? Well, obviously it is that the Browns will draft Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree.

Or B.J. Raji.

Or Brian Orakpo.

Or Aaron Curry.

Or that they will just skip their #5 pick and wait until the 10th or 11th position to send in their selection so they can pay the guy less money.

Or Brian Hartline.

Well, maybe not Brian Hartline. But in this case, I’d say the SOURCES saying Hartline are about as believable as the SOURCES saying Sanchez/Crabtree.

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Eric Mangini photo credit: Mike Duncan / USA Today

Breaking News: Michael Crabtree has declared his intention to enter the 2009 NFL Draft. Follow the link to view the current list of underclassmen entering the 2009 NFL draft.

While researching the story I just posted about Marion Barber’s injury status (which includes incredible video of a pregame speech given by Tashard Choice during his Georgia Tech days), I came across another article from the Dallas Morning News that I found to be interesting.

According to the Morning News, Texas Tech sophomore Michael Crabtree told RedRaiderSports.com that he is “not at all” considering declaring for the NFL Draft and plans to stay at Texas Tech for another season. The Morning News article quotes Michael Crabtree’s father, however, as saying that the star wide receiver has not yet made a decision concerning his NFL future.

“He hasn’t told me that,” the elder Crabtree said. “We’re pretty much leaning toward coming out. But it’s up to him. If he wants to come back and win championships, I won’t be mad at him.”

As a college football fan, I love to see great players stay in school for as long as possible. So there is a part of me that would love to see Michael Crabtree stay in school. (And remember, even though he is only a sophomore, he did redshirt his first season. So he will be three years removed from his senior year in high school and thus eligible for the draft.)

But let me make this perfectly clear: There is NO WAY that Michael Crabtree will be returning to Texas Tech next year, no matter what he says now. Despite this reality, however, if he felt that he had to make a statement one way or the other, I do applaud Crabtree for saying he will come back to school. As Texas Tech prepares for its bowl game and the final game of its most successful season in school history, he should be excited and caught up in the moment and saying he will stay.

Why is there NO WAY that Michael Crabtree will stay for another season? Let me count the reasons:

1. With the NFL labor situation up in the year, and the threat of a rookie salary cap looming, there will be a mad rush of underclassmen declaring this season to try to get a rookie contract under the current system. This is especially true for players who are projected to be first round picks. Michael Crabtree would most likely be a top-10 pick if he declares. It makes too much financial sense for him not to do so. The current market situation for rookie contracts is known. There is a great unknown past next year. Why risk it?
2. His quarterback is leaving. Graham Harrell is a senior this year and there is no proven starter behind him. How could Crabtree’s production not take a dip with a new QB replacing perhaps the best passer in school history, no matter how talented Crabtree is? I can’t imagine Michael Crabtree wanting to live through the growing pains of a new QB.
3. His coach may not be back. While I do expect Mike Leach to end up returning to Texas Tech, his name has been bandied about for every open job this year besides President of the United States. It does not look like he will be going Washington, but Auburn is now reportedly interested. I think Texas Tech will ante up a new contract and keep Leach, and this situation should be resolved by the time Michael Crabtree makes his decision; but in the immediate moment, it remains unclear. And if Leach does somehow leave, would Michael Crabtree really want to play for another coach who is not such an oracle of the spread offense?
4. Potential for injury. Did anyone see Michael Crabtree’s ankle turn in the Oklahoma game? I thought it looked the worse than the actual injury turned out to be. Just let Crabtree watch this video of Ball State wide receiver Dante Love getting injured and changing his football future in one random play, and I think the decision will be made right there.

Selfishly, I think it would be great to see Michael Crabtree in school for another year. But I think he would be a fool to come back. Add up the potential for a rookie cap, the ubiquitous chance for injury on every play, and the loss of his QB, and I think Michael Crabtree will ultimately end up feeling the same way — no matter what he says right now.

Texas Tech comes into Saturday night’s matchup (at 8:00 ET on ABC) with an 10-0 record, a #2 ranking, and off of back-to-back wins over top 10 teams Texas and Oklahoma State. The Oklahoma Sooners will defend their home turf Saturday with a 9-1 record, a #5 ranking, and a loss to Texas (in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl) as their only blemish of the year.

Both teams have offenses that are pretty much ridiculous. Texas Tech, powered by the lethal combo of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, is #1 in the nation in passing yards per game with 438.6, and they are #2 in overall offense. Oklahoma is led by superstar sophomore Sam Bradford and is #4 in total offense and #3 in passing offense. Holy crap I am getting excited for this game.

If the over-under is anything less 100, take the over.

What are the keys to victory? I’ll run down a few in the preview and then offer up a prediction. But first, chime in with your prediction:

Texas Tech-Oklahoma Preview: Keys to victory for Texas Tech

1 — Emotion and Mindset

For two straight weeks, Texas Tech has played “the biggest game in school history” and they have won both of them. The Texas game was a knock down, drag out fight that they were able to pull out by the skin of their teeth with an incredible touchdown pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree in the final seconds. It is the kind of play a team makes when they are that season’s “darling of destiny.” (Case in point: think about Tennessee in 1998 and how they won a game on a phantom pass interference and another when Clint Stoerner fumbled while attempting to run out the clock. Some teams just get all the breaks for an entire season.)

Texas Tech needed no breaks against Oklahoma State, however. They thoroughly whooped the Cowboys, who failed to get Dez Bryant enough play-making opportunities. Now, the Red Raiders are 10-0 and have spent a two weeks since the Texas win listening to everyone tell them they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not to mention, they have played with a very high level of emotion and concentration for two consecutive weeks.

Can they maintain it? That is the key question. Norman will be a hostile environment and Oklahoma usually jumps out to early leads with their high-octane offense. If Texas Tech gets down, they can’t panic or lose their emotion. Emotion and mindset have been a strength of Texas Tech all year. It needs to be again.

2 — Pressure Sam Bradford to force turnovers

In Oklahoma’s lone loss this year, Sam Bradford was picked off twice by Texas. He has only been picked off four times in their other 9 games. Texas fell behind early but was able to come back because of timely special teams plays and turnovers. Sam Bradford has been spectacular through nearly two seasons, but has shown a propensity to lose his poise late in games or when Oklahoma is down. Texas Tech needs to capitalize on this and get to him every chance they can.

3 — Establish a ground game

Texas Tech is known for its aerial assault, but Texas won because they stayed committed to running the football. Colt McCoy threw 35 passes and as a team they ran it 35 times. Texas Tech doesn’t need such an even split (McCoy ran it 14 times himself, while Harrell won’t do that), but they do need to try to control the ball, especially late if they have a lead. The top two running backs for Texas Tech average over 5 yards per carry. The Red Raiders will rack up points behind the superb ability of Graham Harrell in leading the spread, but they can salt away a victory by pounding a struggling Oklahoma defense with the run.

Texas Tech-Oklahoma Preview: Keys to victory for Oklahoma

1 — Special frieking teams

Oklahoma has been plagued by special teams breakdowns all season long. They had Texas dead to rights with a 14-3 lead and all of the momentum before Jordan Shipley gave the Longhorns a glimmer of hope with a kickoff return for a TD. Oklahoma scored on the very next possession and could have been up 21-3. Instead, it was 21-10, and Texas got it back to 21-20 before the half. The Sooners dominated the first half in every way, but led by only one at the break. Take away the special teams failure and the game could have had a drastically different outcome.

Oklahoma almost always jumps out and has their offense clicking early. Texas Tech’s D has played well this year, but the offenses in the Big 12 this year, and Oklahoma specifically, have proven they could rack up points with 15 defenders on the field. If Oklahoma gets up early at home, they need to maintain their lead. If a special teams play can spark a struggling Red Raiders team, it could be deja vu all over again for Oklahoma in a big game at home.

2 — Sam Bradford needs to be better than Graham Harrell

In each of the key Big 12 games this year, the quarterback who has played better has been on the winning team. Colt McCoy outdueled Sam Bradford in Dallas, and Texas won. Graham Harrell made one more play that Colt McCoy in Lubbock, and Texas Tech won. Graham Harrell was better than Zack Robinson, Colt McCoy was better than Chase Daniel, and so on it goes.

Sam Bradford’s statistics are incredible. But the one whisper I continuously hear from people who watch the Big 12 closely is that Sam Bradford, while he has the prototypical body and arm of an NFL quarterback, lacks the moxie and winning ability of Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell. This game will be Sam Bradford’s chance to prove that he is a legit Heisman contender and that he can lead a team to victory in a hue game. He failed against Texas, but Oklahoma needs him to be better than the de facto Heisman front-runner right now, Graham Harrell. And part of Sam Bradford being able to do this will be the ability of his offensive line to protect him adequately.

3 — Bob Stoops needs to be better than Mike Leach

Last week, Texas Tech kicked the snot out of Oklahoma State because Mike Leach had his team mentally, emotionally, and tactically more prepared to play than Mike Gundy did. Oklahoma State inexplicably did not use Dez Bryant correctly, and their defense had no answer for Texas Tech. The defense part is not so egregious, because no defense can stop Texas Tech.

But no defense has been able to stop Oklahoma either. And while Texas Tech possesses one of the better defense’s Oklahoma has faced all year, they shouldn’t be able to contain Sam Bradford and the balanced attack of the Sooners — if Bob Stoops doesn’t screw it up, that is. His offense has been superb all year, but coaches sometimes outthink themselves and try to do “special” things in big games. I think this is what has made Mike Leach such a great coach: Texas Tech does what it does and it doesn’t seem to change from the preseason to regular season. They just execute and understand their identity.

Bob Stoops, however, does not have the reputation of a great big game coach; and I think part of the reason why is that he makes the same mistake other coaches make by not staying committed to doing the things they do well. Stoops and the Oklahoma coaches need to let Sam Bradford run the show and not outthink themselves. You know that Mike Leach will do so for Graham Harrell, which is why Graham Harrell has been so good in key spots.

Texas Tech-Oklahoma Prediction

I was really leaning towards picking Oklahoma when I began writing this. They are at home, Texas Tech has to be emotionally drained from the last two weeks, and Oklahoma’s offense is, overall, every bit as good as Texas Tech’s.

But there are two key differences between Texas Tech and Oklahoma: Graham Harrell-Mike Leach and Sam Bradford-Bob Stoops.

Graham Harrell has proven that he is clutch this season, and that he is the type of zone where he believes that he can make every play. Sam Bradford couldn’t do this in his biggest test of the season against Texas. And despite Bob Stoops longer and more decorated coaching resume, I actually trust Mike Leach more in a big game to have his team ready to play, and to not lose its identity. Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford can change my mind with a win Saturday night, but I’m not ready to bank my credibility as a prognosticator on it.

The Sooners are favored by somewhere around 6, but I’m taking the Red Raiders outright (and, like I said, the over if it’s anywhere under 100).

Texas Tech 56 – Oklahoma 52 in an another 2008 Big 12 instant classic.

[tags]texas tech red raiders, oklahoma sooners, college football, big 12[/tags]

Go to the Sports Agent Corner page to view past editions, and feel free to send an email to the Sports Agent Corner if there is a specific question you would like Gary to address in future weeks. You can also respond in the comments section and I’ll be sure that Gary sees your responses.)

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MSF: “Superagent” Leigh Steinberg was arrested last week for public intox. As a fellow sports agent, when you see a story like that about another agent with such a high profile, what is your reaction?

Gary Glick: Honestly, I don’t give much thought to that. All of us have a drink or two at times and it sort of falls into the category of “there but for the grace of God go I.” If it was a more serious charge of DWI, or domestic violence, or a charge relating to drug use it would be a big concern.

MSF: There is a lot of uncertainty right now regarding the future of the NFL’s relationship with the NFLPA due to the impending expiration of the CBA. Do you foresee an uncapped year? If so, what are the ramifications for the NFL?

Gary Glick: It would be difficult to imagine the NFL allowing things to proceed to the point of an uncapped year. That would have the potential of allowing players to essentially name their price and put football contracts up there with baseball contracts. I really do not foresee an uncapped year.

MSF: How is the NFLPA currently operating without a “true” leader after the passing of Gene Upshaw? Who do you think, or better yet, who do you want to see take over as NFLPA president?

Gary Glick: I had not had any direct dealings with Mr. Upshaw and to date, do not believe there has been the situation in which we have been able to see a positive or negative impact. I have not really noticed a difference yet. I continue to deal with those same individuals with whom I have always dealt. I believe at the time the heat of the CBA negotiations is turned up, we will see the difference. There are so many qualified individuals who would be qualified and who I believe could lead the next generation of the NFLPA. It would need to be an intelligent, former player. I have yet to hear any individuals being mentioned as strong candidates. I always thought Ray Farmer (the current Director of Pro Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs) would be a perfect fit (I haven’t heard his or any other name being mentioned). But again, I deal with so many individuals directly or indirectly involved in the NFL that would be good for that position.

MSF: What are some recommendations you would give to the next NFLPA president.

Gary Glick: Somewhat consistently, the NFLPA (the NFL players’ union) is considered to be a weak union, at least relative to the other major sports. I believe its important for the next president to somehow quell that perception and to fight for stronger guaranteed contracts for players. Moreover, it would be good to see the union put up a stronger fight for players as well as former players without jeopardizing relations with the owners to the extent the fans are punished.

From an agent’s standpoint, Id like to see the NFLPA create a more equal footing for agents to compete. There is so much unregulated recruiting by agents who give players incentives to sign with that agency and rarely is anything done about it.

MSF: Let’s talk about some of the great football being played in your home state of Texas. UT-Texas Tech: What were your general impressions of the game? How does Graham Harrell compare to Colt McCoy as an NFL prospect? And how amazing is Michael Crabtree? What would you give up for a year to have Crabtree as a client?

Gary Glick: Generally, I can’t think of a college game I enjoyed watching as much as this one. Not only did it live up to the hype, it previewed 2 outstanding teams having outstanding seasons. From the previous seasons of following the Big 12 and watching Graham Harrell, I did not want to believe he was the “real deal”; but this year, I think he has proven that he is not only for real, but that he is more than just a “system” QB.

Previous QB’s at Texas Tech have had outstanding statistics, but could not make it in the NFL because their success in college was more of a result of the Texas Tech offensive system than it was because they were actual, legitimate NFL-caliber QB’s. Graham Harrell seems to be different. He makes good reads, has a very good pocket presence, never seems to panic, and picks up blitzes and executes as well as any QB in the country.

I believe Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy will probably be neck and neck in the NFL Draft and it will probably come down to the preference of an NFL team as well as the performance of each at the NFL Combine. Both are top quality QB’s who have really come on in their senior seasons.

As far as Crabtree, I can only say Wow! He has everything an NFL team could want: speed, good hands, strength, and ability to make yards after the catch. More than that, he appears to be a quality person off the field as well. I would definitely make sacrifices to have him as a client…I might even give up beer! He is the type of quality player on and off the field that an agent would be lucky to represent.

[tags]sports agent, nflpa[/tags]