Don’t believe a word

  • Scott M. Johnson / Herald Writer
  • Saturday, April 17, 2004 9:00pm
  • Sports

The San Diego Chargers’ front office might sing the praises of Eli Manning, and Dennis Green may be gushing over the possibility of making Larry Fitzgerald an Arizona Cardinal, but the only man whose words hold much merit this week is Chuck D.

The former Public Enemy front man coined the lyrics that most aptly describe the annual pre-NFL draft rumors: “Don’t believe the hype.”

“Hype” is the best description of the week that will lead into next weekend’s draft, and many NFL general managers will try to use it to their advantage.

“Probably 90 percent of what you hear in the next few days is agenda-oriented,” said Randy Mueller, a former NFL executive with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints who now works as a draft analyst for ESPN.

While no one will admit to telling outright lies, some front office personnel are quick to bend the truth a bit as the draft gets closer. The rumor mill is always churning this time of year, and sending people in the wrong direction can have its advantages.

“If you tell anybody what you’re really going to do, you’re crazy,” said Mueller, who was the Seahawks’ director of player personnel until 2000. “It’s all propaganda. Some people won’t even tell their own guys what they’re going to do.

“Sometimes you’ve got to give a little (information to the media) to get a little, but you never want to give it all.”

That explains why the Chargers are unwilling to confirm that Manning will be the No. 1 overall pick. Or why Raiders owner Al Davis has kept his plans for the second pick in a shroud of secrecy.

This time of year, the only information front-office types want to get out is the kind of information they can control.

“Very few of the people that you talk to you can believe,” said Ted Thompson, the Seahawks’ vice president of football operations. “If they happen to leave a name out, then that’s the guy they want.”

The Seahawks played a little game with the media two years ago, when rumors were rampant that the team wanted to take Colorado tight end Daniel Graham with the No. 20 overall pick. Graham was available when Seattle’s pick came up, but the team opted to pass on him and trade down eight spots. The Seahawks eventually landed University of Washington tight end Jerramy Stevens at No. 28 after Graham went to New England with the 21st pick.

The following day, perhaps still woozy from 36 hours holed up in a war room, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said that the team had never targeted Graham. The rumors, he maintained, were started by Holmgren himself when he gave false information to a Sports Illustrated reporter.

The false rumor got its desired impact, and the plan worked with such precision that you’d have thought Holmgren was a war general.

“We did a Normandy,” he said the day after the draft.

Despite the difficulty of keeping things under wraps in the Information Age, some draft-week secrets are so closely-guarded that they might seem like military information.

In 2001, the Cleveland Browns let it leak that they were looking at running back LaDanian Tomlinson or wide receiver David Terrell with the No. 3 overall pick. Rather than help out quarterback Tim Couch by upgrading a struggling offense, the Browns shocked everyone by taking Florida defensive tackle Gerard Warren, who was their man all along.

“Our original plan to build with offense took a hit to the ribs today,” team president Carmen Policy cracked while stifling the urge to wink.

One of the most memorable cases of deception came at last year’s draft, when the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 8 overall pick) were talking trade with Minnesota (No. 7). According to several reports, Jaguar officials intentionally kept their Vikings counterparts on the phone lines long enough to let time expire on the pick. The Jacksonville representative at the New York draft headquarters then ran up to the podium and made the pick seconds after Minnesota’s time ran out.

When it comes to sending out crossed signals, Oakland’s Al Davis is the dean of draft propaganda.

Mueller recalls a time when the Raiders contacted Seahawks executives on draft day and tried to convince them that the phone lines in Seattle were down, thereby making it impossible for other teams to call. The ruse was supposed to convince the Seahawks to make a deal with Oakland because technology had cut off any other possible trades.

Davis pulled off his biggest surprise in 2000, when the Raiders somehow kept their draft plans secret. When the No. 17 pick arrived, Oakland shocked all the so-called draftniks by taking Florida State’s Sebastian Janikowski – a kicker.

“I truly think that within (the Raiders’) building, only one man knows what is going to happen on draft day,” Mueller said.

Davis is keeping his cards close to the vest again this year. Holding the No. 2 pick, the Raiders have not let it be known whether their man is Fitzgerald, USC wide receiver Mike Williams, Miami (Ohio) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger or offensive tackle Robert Gallery of Iowa.

Arizona’s Green has already told everyone within earshot that his team plans to take Fitzgerald, the All-American receiver from Pittsburgh, and then went one step further by saying that the Cardinals would not trade up from the No. 3 spot to do it.

Green showed similar candor in 1999, when the then-Minnesota Vikings head coach said he planned on taking Central Florida quarterback Daunte Culpepper with the No. 10 overall pick. Draft day arrived, and the Vikings did just that.

“I don’t know why (Green) would tell anyone that he wants Fitzgerald,” Mueller said. “If someone really wants Fitzgerald, they’re going to (trade for) the Raiders’ pick right ahead of (Arizona). I don’t see any advantage to that.”

When it comes to the NFL draft, there are no advantages to being honest.

So fans should feel free to indulge in this week’s hype, but by no means should they believe any of it.

GRAFIC FOR SUNDAY:

2004 NFL draft

Saturday (Rounds 1 through 3) and Sunday (Rounds 4 through 7)

TV: ESPN, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday

ESPN2, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Seahawks: Have seven picks, including No. 23 in the first round

Top five halfbacks

1, Steven Jackson, Oregon State

2, Kevin Jones, Virginia Tech

3, Chris Perry, Michigan

4, Greg Jones, Florida State

5, Maurice Clarett, Ohio State

Summary: Teams that run a West Coast offense are drooling over Jackson, who leads a deep crop of talented runners. Where Clarett goes … nobody knows.

Seahawks’ outlook: Shaun Alexander is entering the final year of his contract, while backup Maurice Morris has yet to prove he is an every-down NFL back. So it’s possible that the Seahawks will consider addressing the position.

Top five fullbacks

1, Troy Fleming, Tennessee

2, Mike Karney, Arizona State

3, Thomas Tapeh, Minnesota

4, Travis Wilson, Kansas State

5, Lousaka Polite, Pittsburgh

Summary: No fullback since 1999 has gone in the first two rounds of the NFL draft, and that trend probably won’t end this year. Most of the NFL’s better fullbacks come from the middle to late rounds.

Seahawks’ outlook: Mack Strong had his most productive season in 2003, but he can’t go on forever. The Seahawks are still hoping Heath Evans will push for a starting job, while 2003 draft pick Chris Davis is coming back from a knee injury.

Tomorrow: A look at the draft’s offensive linemen.

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