Reed-ing the right talent

In the NFL you need a premier Quarterback. He must have the ability to make all the reads and right decisions. The San Diego Chargers have this in Phillip Rivers. We lucked out and didn’t get stuck with a JaMarcus Russell – couldn’t read the field or make a decision. He was as indecisive as a blondie on a Friday night with her two red dresses wondering, “should I wear the one with straps or the one with sparkles.”

The same philosophy goes with the guys in our front office. The GM needs to read and evaluate the talent and make the right decision. AJ smith is one of those guys that can REED talent (this year i hope he can). Lets pray that AJ Smith doesn’t pull an Al Davis and get caught up in any oooooohhh or ahhhhhhh. Al Davis sees a strong arm and ignores everything else (its like a sparkly dress that shows some leg if he was a blonde.)

When you think back to the 2009 draft, what do you remember? Well if your a Charger fan, you remember Larry English. He was a member of a draft pool full of talent. With an array of potential talent such as Michael Oher, Matthew Stafford, Brian Orakpo, and Mark Sanchez… just to name a few. But lets think back to the end of the first round. If you cant remember who was selected, it was LB Clay Matthews (number 26 pick in the 2009 draft).

When you hear this name everyone automatically thinks PEDIGREE. The kid was born to play. His mom popped him out and poppa Matthews handed him a ball. The first thing Clay Matthews III probably did in his life was carry a football.

While we cant change the past by going back and picking Clay Matthews, we can look towards the future. I KNOW everyone is expecting me to say we should pick Casey Matthews, younger brother to Clay. I’m not leaning that way at this time, where Casey is a stud, just not sure he would fit the Chargers scheme.

We should take a close look at Brooks Reed, who currently is drawing comparison to Clay Matthews III. He is currently training with Clay Matthews‘ father. If you cant be part of the bloodline, train with them. Brooks Reed wants that pedigree label. Might as well give it to him, Brooks and Clay look like brothers (nah he has to earn that stamp of approval). 

At the NFL scouting combine, Reed ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times. He also posted a 30 1/2 inch vertical leap and a 9-5 broad jump. The nearly 6-foot-3, 263-pounder recorded 47 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks and 10 tackles for losses last season.

For awhile Brooks Reed was a dark horse, not getting a lot of attention. After his pro day he was regarded as a 3rd round pick. Since working out with several teams he has quietly creeped into the second round, edging himself toward the first round. Durability issues could drop him down the ladder. If he drops into the third round and he is there, let’s hope AJ Smith “Reeds” between the lines and makes a good decision.