It's been a busy offseason here at Pickwatch, and soon you'll be able to see the fruits of those labors as we move to a new interface that allows you to pick against the experts and win cash prizes. We'll also be ensuring you can display the expert pick tables in more intuitive and interactive ways.

But for now, here's installment one of a series we'll be continuing throughout the year - Newshound. This is where we take a look at the murky world of NFL 'journalism' and keep track of media analysis for future reference. We'll also be pointing out the stupidest of the barrel-load of stupidity that regularly spews forth from NFL players and coaches.
Spotted some hypocrisy? Let us know here.

Character Issues

Yesterday former Bucs G.M. and new ESPN talking head Mark Dominik decided to take a few shots at Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, claiming that their draft stock is falling. In particular, we enjoyed his quotes on Bridgewater:

"Something that scouts internally, we talked about it in Tampa with Teddy Bridgewater last year. Is he really the premiere quarterback? I like the young man, I think he’s a quality individual, he’s got character and leadership and those things. But this is a quarterback, and you’re judged by what quarterback you draft, and I think Teddy Bridgewater might not have all the pieces you’re looking for."

That's fine and we totally understand the dynamic that means Dominik has to answer questions about top ranked QB prospects. The problem is, of course, that occasionally we're going to question exactly what makes the man who put together an atrocious 28-52 record during his stint as a G.M. qualified to make such assertions.

In this particular case, we can't help but revisit Dominik's quotes on his own QB pick, Josh Freeman:

"I walked up on the pre-game down on the field and I was amazed at his size, his delivery, his arm strength -- all the pre-game stuff," Dominik said. "You're sitting there going, 'Wow, this guy has got a lot of talent.' There were certain questions you just couldn't answer. And as we have walked through him from the start of draft preparation to taking him with our first pick this year, he continued to check the boxes of the things that were important to us."
Presumably character wasn't an issue with Freeman... oh wait.

So you'll forgive us for not taking Mark Dominik's opinion of a) what constitutes 'good character' and b) what to look for in a franchise QB, very seriously.

Best Buddy

Rotoworld have their own take on Dominik's opinion that Manziel could fall to the back end of the first round in this year's draft.

_"Dominik's thoughts are particularly interesting because he was GMing in the NFL as recently as this past January, and it's probably a safe bet that he still talks to a lot of people around the league." _

We're sure he does, but if we were current NFL G.M.'s we would think twice about accepting a call from him...

Hot Source

Mike Florio of PFT, Saturday April 5th: "On Friday, the Titans cut running back Chris Johnson. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Johnson currently is expected to pick his next team by the middle of next week."
"Given the extended availability of Johnson via trade and the protracted stretch of time in which it was inevitable he’d be cut, interested teams have had plenty of time to do their work and come to a conclusion as to level of interest and financial commitment."

Mike Florio of PFT, Monday April 14th: "When the Titans cut running backChris Johnson, the initial expectation was that he’d sign by the middle of last week. He didn't."

That 'initial expectation' consisted entirely of one guy's guess, with little or no fact to back up those opinions. We're guessing Florio probably thought he could rely on a big-name free agent being a hot commodity, and attempted to bolster the reputation of his 'Rumor Mill' with a freebie prediction.

But that's not all. We admire Florio, if only for his absolute determination to try and shoehorn a sense of I know better than you' into every article. Here's

"It remains unclear which teams are talking to Johnson, but there’s a good chance that the teams talking to Johnson are insisting on discretion."
Ah. We see. those conniving sorts in front offices are trying to pull a fast one over our erstwhile correspondent! As you say Mike, it's impossible to link a player to his eventual destination in these circumstances, so why even try? I mean... wait... what's that?

PFT April 5th: "__It’s still unclear where he will land, although the strongest link appears to be to the Jets."
April 16th: Chris Johnson signs with the Jets

This is so contradictory, we can't work out whether to applaud or condemn Florio's haphazard guesswork, but he certainly proves the old adage about a wall and enough of a brown substance.

Story Of My Life

From ESPN: Jackson said Friday that a call from Eagles coach Chip Kelly to inform him of his release was a "one direction" conversation.

Now all we can wonder is who is Chip's favourite OD'er? Probably not Louis, judging by this clip. And in case you're wondering, it was as a result of this tackle by Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor in a charity match.

Chances are you're laughing now. And rightly so.

Bulletin Bored

We love it when NFL players talk about doubters/haters etc, particularly when there doesn't appear to be anyone questioning a team or player's ability. An example you say? Step forward Reggie Wayne of the Colts, as per our friend Marc Sessler of NFL.com:

Wayne spoke repeatedly of his "naysayers," telling the group: "It's you guys. You guys motivate me."
A cursory glance at google reveals almost universal praise for Wayne, his exceptionally quick recovery time, and the positive impact his return will have on the Colts as a team.

But yeah sure Reggie, you stick that up on your fridge door. Or whatever people do with bulletin board material these days. Do people still use bulletin boards?

Could Care More

Few things irk us - as professional pedants - more than the adoption of 'could care less' as a term used to indicate someone in fact couldn't care less about something.

It's really very simple. Saying that you could care less indicates that you actually care about something, and that you could perhaps care a little bit less, perhaps for your own sanity. There's definitely some wiggle room there in your amount of caring.

Saying that you couldn't care less would tell us that you currently care the absolute minimum it is possible to care about something. There's nothing left to not give. Or something. You get the point.

Says Clemson WR Sammy Watkins on Doug Gottlieb's CBS Radio slot:

"...right now, I really can care less who I play for"
We don't even know where to begin with this head-scratcher. Is he authorizing himself to care less, because he currently cares too much?

Sub-Standard

We always enjoy the Daily Mail's attempts to get to grip with American Football. Or anything apart from immigration and pointless celebrities, in fact. The hilarious combination of journalists with zero intrinsic knowledge of the game, and a desire to steal other peoples' work and pump out as many stories as humanly possible in a 24hr period, often leads to a host of mistakes.

Having said that, even we were surprised (ok, we weren't actually surprised) by this gem in a cringeworthy comparison of Premier League vs NFL teams that we noticed from last season, compiled to help British fans pick a team to follow. It's tenuous stuff at the best of times, but we can't help but wondering if the sub-editor was being a bit of a dick that day.

(Comparing Sunderland to the Jets) "__Paolo Di Canio has brought in 14 new faces at Sudnerland, while the Miami Dolphins spent big in free agency"
"Coach Rex Ryan is a tinder box and and a sub-editor's dream"
Check out the full monstrosity here.

We'll be back next week, and throughout the offseason. We'll also be moving to our 'new' site in the next few weeks that will allow you to make your own picks against those of our panel of experts. If you find something that you think we should use in here, let us know by email or in the comments section below*.

*We've had to turn off anonymous commenting for now due to the sheer volume of spam emails received.