By Josh Katzowitz

Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel made big-time news earlier this week when he announced Tyler Palko was Kansas City’s brand-new third-string quarterback and said that if Kyle Orton’s broken finger allowed him to play, he would start. Otherwise, rookie Ricky Stanzi, who has been panned almost universally for his practice performances this year, would get the go-ahead.

Luckily for the Chiefs, Crennel (via Rapid Reporter Bob Gretz) has seen enough progress from Orton this week to announce Friday that Orton indeed will be the No. 1 quarterback heading into Sunday’s Packers game.

From Denver to KC

Orton in one play, hurts finger Chiefs claim Orton off waivers Denver releases Orton Chiefs Rapid Reports

“Kyle did a nice job and it looks like he’s throwing better and so we are going to start him in the game," Crennel said.

If the Chiefs want any kind of chance to beat the Packers at home, Orton and not Stanzi has to be the one to start. The biggest concern entering the week for the Chiefs was whether Orton continued to have problems gripping the ball with his injured finger. But on Friday, Orton practiced without wearing the glove he’d worn all week to protect his index finger.

Orton apparently has not had a problem taking the snap from the center either.

“The ball has not been on the ground at all this week, so that’s a good sign,” Crennel said.

After the Chiefs generated buzz by signing Orton when the Broncos waived him -- at that point, Kansas City wasn’t quite out of the race in the AFC West, and it seemed like a necessary move if the Chiefs were going to defend their division title -- Orton got hurt on the first play of his Chiefs career.

Palko, with a 1-3 record as a starter, clearly isn’t the answer at quarterback, and considering former coach Todd Haley isn’t around any longer to try to save his job, Crennel obviously would rather have an Orton that might not be 100 percent rather than a Palko who is.

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Depth-chart reshuffling: Crennel will start Orton if he's healthy; if not, Stanzi will play. (US PRESSWIRE)

By Ryan Wilson

On Monday, the Chiefs fired Todd Haley. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was named interim coach for the final three weeks of the season, and it didn't take him long to shake things up at quarterback.

Crennel announced during a press conference Wednesday that either Kyle Orton or Ricky Stanzi will start against the Packers Sunday, depending on Orton's health. Tyler Palko, who started the previous four games in place of injured Matt Cassel, has been demoted to third string. (Palko was 1-3 in said starts.)

"I told them we’re making a change at quarterback, that we’re changing the quarterback and that Tyler would not be the starter this week," Crennel said. "Orton or Stanzi will be the starter. Which one? I’m not exactly sure yet because Orton has a finger that he has got to work through, and we’ll have to see during the week how his finger is and how he comes along and if he can handle it with that finger.

"Stanzi is a rookie and if Orton is able to go and can do it, then Orton is going to be the quarterback. If Orton cannot do it, then Stanzi will be the quarterback, and I told the team that today."

Crennel said the decision was his alone; he informed Palko then spoke with general manager Scott Pioli about the move. "It was my decision, I made it," he said.

Orton, who arrived in Kansas City on November 23 after the Broncos released him, played just one snap against the Bears in Week 13 before a dislocated finger landed him back on the sidelines. And that's where he's been since.

Orton practiced Wednesday on a limited basis and said the injury no longer affects his throws. "I won’t put myself out there unless I can (make all the necessary throws)," he said, according to the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher.

Whoever plays, Crennel is certain that the Packers are losing sleep preparing for the Chiefs' quarterback. “We have Tyler and they’ve seen what he’s done,” he said. “They look at Kyle Orton and know he has a finger (injury), and they look at a rookie (Stanzi). I don’t think they are shaking in their boots about those choices."

When asked if he saw any similarities between Stanzi and T.J. Yates, the Texans rookie quarterback forced into action after injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, Crennel offered this: “Only that they were both fifth round picks."

He added: "You never know, Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick and Tom Brady might never have gotten on the field if [Drew] Bledsoe hadn’t gotten hurt. So Bledsoe gets hurt so Brady gets on the field and then you can’t get him off otherwise he would have been on the sideline so you just never know. So you put him out there and you see what happens.”

Is Crennel just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic? Yeah, probably. But what's he got to lose? The iceberg ain't moving and the Chiefs have three games left. Might was well see what Orton and/or Stanzi can do. What's the worst that can happen, Kansas City finishes 5-11?

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Coach Killers is your weekly look around the league at those performances, decisions and "Wait, what did he just do?!" moments that put the guy in charge squarely on the ol' hot seat.

Posted by Ryan Wilson

Steve Johnson, Bills

First things first: we have absolutely no issue with Stevie Johnson's touchdown skit. Up till the moment he fell to the ground, at which point it became a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration. Prior to that, it was original and funny, two things we could use more of in the staid environs of Roger Goodell's NFL.

We can't take our eyes off the cousin Eddie-inspired dickie.

In fact, the biggest travesty -- outside of the way Johnson played on the final drive -- was the mock incredulity and sanctimony from folks who found the dance offensive (Looks at Bob Costas, who we've taken to calling "Sprockets" after that black mock turtleneck number from Sunday night) because Johnson was making fun of Plaxico Burress, who accidentally shot himself in the leg three years ago.

Here's the thing: Plax shot himself in the leg three years ago. It's not like Johnson was making fun of someone with a special-needs child, or a cancer survivor. He was clowning a dude who carried a gun to a night club, and inadvertently put a bullet in his thigh.

Oh, he also served nearly two years for the incident, on concealed weapons charges.

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson mocks Plaxico Burress' gun incident during a touchdown celebration against the New York Jets on Sunday.

To recap: Johnson's TD dance: hilarious. Getting a 15-yard penalty: not hilarious. Dropping a perfect pass from Fitzpatrick on the Bills' last drive, one that would've given the Bills the lead: unacceptable, especially if you're going to mock the opposition.

Johnson apologized immediately after the game, which doesn't change the final score.

"I was just having fun, and part of having fun ended up being a penalty and a touchdown for the Jets," he said. "It was a stupid decision by myself."

Head coach Chan Gailey, doing everything in his power not to blow a gasket with the cameras rolling, said "I think it was wrong. I told him so. What I hate is that game is remembered for his one action rather than a lot of good things he did in the game. I told him where I stand on it, and he knows exactly."

When asked about possible sanctions against Johnson, Gailey added: "If I were to discipline everybody (for dumb mistakes), there wouldn't be any players or coaches out there. Everybody makes mistakes."

On Monday, ESPN's Merril Hoge went so far as to suggest that Gailey should cut Johnson for his selfish behavior. That ain't happening because despite Johnson's horrible timing, as ProFootballTalk.com's Michael David Smith pointed out on Monday's Pick-6 Podcast, Johnson is one of the few players who made Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis look human in coverage.


Burress, for his part, seemed unaffected by Johnson's end zone interpretive dance.

"I've seen worse, and I've heard worse," said Burress, who spent nearly two years in an upstate New York prison. "So, it doesn't bother me at all. The result I'm looking at is we won the football game ... and he turned around and dropped three wide-open balls to lose it for his team."

Curtis Painter, Colts

At this point, 11 games into the season and still searching for their first win, we're probably piling on. But the Colts don't have to be oh-fer-'11. Not only did they look like a proper football team against the Panthers Sunday, they had a legitimate chance to win an actual football game.

And then Curtis Painter, unable to get out of his own way, derailed those plans with two ill-timed throws -- both interceptions -- during a four-minute span late in the fourth quarter with Indianapolis trailing by eight points.

The first pick came at the Carolina four-yard line with four and a half minutes to go. After the Colts' defense forced a three-and-out, Painter led an 11-play drive that ended with another interception, this time in the Panthers' end zone with 35 seconds remaining.

It's impossible to imagine a scenario that would have Indy sitting at 0-11, even without Peyton Manning. And yet here we are. Painter Bears little of the responsibility for the organization's current predicament; that falls squarely at the feet of Bill Polian and Chris Polian, the architects of the current roster. That doesn't make the latest loss any easier to take.

"I don't know what you can call beyond frustrated," defensive end Robert Mathis said, via the Indianapolis Star.

And head coach Jim Caldwell, who could be looking for work after the season, leaned on feel-good bromides to get him through the latest defeat.

"You can't complain after the ballgame's over," he said. "You've just got to find a way to make it happen. …One of the things you'd like to do is give yourself a chance to win, that you're there at the end and it's just a matter of a play made here or there. I think we did that, but our goal is to win."

If you say so, Jim. We're guessing in your end-of-year meeting with owner Jim Irsay, aspiring to win won't be enough.

Caleb Hanie, Bears

There were certainly worse performance in Week 12, but the absolute worst play, in our estimation, had to be Hanie's delayed fake spike with seconds on the clock and the Bears trailing by five points. The thing is, a delayed fake spike isn't like your run-of-the-mill spike to stop the clock. Turns out, it's intentional grounding. Either you can fake the spike and throw the ball (made famous by Dan Marino), or, you know, actually spike it and stop the clock.

                                           HOW TO vs. HOW NOT TO PROPERLY EXECUTE THE FAKE SPIKE


‘‘We didn’t have any fakes or anything like that,’’ Hanie said afterwards. ‘‘That was just my fault." Forced into duty after Jay Cutler broke his thumb against the Chargers, Hanie also threw three first-half interceptions, which lead to this post-game observation. "It's just not a good time to have a learning experience."

Not helping Hanie's chances for success: offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the man who said he had no intentions of asking Hanie to be Kurt Warner (we thought that went without saying). Martz, it turns out, also had no intentions of crafting a game plan for an inexperienced backup.

Our good buddy Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com's Eye on Baseball blogger and diehard Bears fan, was pretty worked up with Hanie's third interception. Not because it happened near the Raiders' end zone, or that it resulted in three Oakland points before the half, but because Martz had Hanie sprint right before throwing a screen pass to his left across the field. It's not an easy play for veterans well-versed in the offense, never mind a kid making his first NFL start.

Tyler Palko, Chiefs

One word to describe Palko's play the last two weeks: mesmerizing. Clearly, we don't mean that in a "Stop what you're doing, Devin Hester's about to return a punt!" way. More like "Stop what you're doing, spectacular train wreck ahead." And Palko didn't disappoint. He's left-handed, and his throwing motion is reminscent of Tim Tebow's. The difference? Tebow has eight touchdowns to one interception. Palko has six picks in two games. Tebow also has better arm strength and is more accurate.

Tebow also doesn't blame his intended target whenever a pass invariably finds the unintended target, which is exactly what Palko did on three separate occasions Sunday night against the Steelers. It's one thing for a receiver to run the wrong route, or for miscommunication to lead to mistakes. But you watch these throws (here and here) and tell me how anybody but Palko is at fault.

But it was the Chiefs' final offensive play that proved to be the worst. Trailing 13-9 and with about 30 seconds to go, Kansas City was driving. And then Palko happened. Yep, another pick, this time to Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis. After the play, NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth thought Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe quit on the play.

You can judge for yourself below, but here's what we're thinking: the ball was so horribly off-target that Bowe went up, realized that he had absolutely no chance to get a finger on it much less catch it, and decided to protect himself. We have no problem with that. Bowe's career shouldn't hinge on the erratic whims of Palko's arm. As NFL Network's Deion Sanders pointed out Sunday night, Palko's the type of quarterback the opposing team make sure gets to the game. "You send a limo for him," Primetime said.

Palko's third and final interception Sunday night. Yep, that was his fault, too.

Facial Hair Fails

This has absolutely nothing to do with job security, but we noticed a sudden influx of mustachioed NFL players (or in Ricky Stanzi's case, hippies) over the weekend. (Click photos to see our best guess at their inspirations.)


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Orton could be the No. 3 QB behind Palko and Stanzi Sunday night. (US PRESSWIRE)

Posted by Ryan Wilson

The Kyle Orton era won't begin in Kansas City this week. In fact, Orton might be the Chiefs' third quarterback when they face the Steelers Sunday night. Claimed on waivers Wednesday after the Broncos took mercy on his soul and released him, Orton gives Kansas City a veteran presence under center to replace starter Matt Cassel, who was placed on injured reserve Monday with a hand injury. It's just that Orton might not get his chance until Week 13 at the earliest.

On Friday, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said that Orton could be the team's No. 3 quarterback behind starter Tyler Palko and rookie Ricky Stanzi. Other than last Monday night against the Patriots, Kansas City kept the third quarterback inactive on game days.

So what does that mean for Orton this Sunday?

“I wouldn’t rule out anything at this point, other than Tyler starting the game,” Haley said Friday, according to the Kansas City Star's Kent Babb. “We’ll just have to see.”

Haley indicated that Orton's role will be determined by how much of the playbook he's able to learn since arriving Friday.

“We’ve got to get Kyle assimilated into how we’re doing things,” Haley said, “and make decisions as we get closer to the game.”

Best-case scenario, then: Orton makes his appearance next week, with five games left in the regular season. As it stands, the Chiefs are tied for last in the AFC West, two games back of the Raiders.

And even if Kansas City finds a way to get by Pittsburgh (and that's a long shot), their schedule is the league's toughest for the final month of the season: at the Bears, at the Jets, Packers, Raiders, at the Broncos.

So even if Orton plays like it's 2010, where he ranked 12th in Football Outsiders' QB efficiency metrics (3,653 passing yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs) -- which put him just ahead of Michael Vick, Cassel and Eli Manning -- it won't be enough to get the Chiefs back to the playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Who will come out with the victory? NFL.com's Pat Kirwan and Jason Horowitz take a look at this matchup.

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Posted by Will Brinson



Got a link for the Hot Routes? Hit us up on Twitter (@CBSSportsNFL).

• Buffalo Wild Wings is offering up what I like to call "lockout wings." Or, what you might call "free wings if the lockout ends before July 20." (Which, coincidentally, is what BW3's is calling them.) To be eligible for six free wings in the event of the lockout ending, cruise on over to their Facebook page and like their petition to end the lockout. If the lockout ends before July 20, everyone who does so will get some free grub. The fascinating thing here, for me, isn't that I might get six wings. It's how much freaking money places like BW3 stand to lose come September if there's no football on for fans to come in and watch. So, yeah, it's probably worth whatever they have to give up in Jamaican Jerk.

• Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com takes a look at which quarterbacks will be traded once the lockout ends. And which ones won't.

• Roddy White, via Larry Brown Sports, thinks that the Falcons will be the new version of the "Greatest Show on Turf" because of their increased explosiveness. Hmmm. Sounds like he's been reading at least one of our handsome Eye on Football blogger's works.

• We mentioned that Donovan McNabb thinks he's going to start somewhere, so we should also mention that he's working out with his former Philadelphia teammates. The drama!

• Adrian Peterson might have some explaining to do, re: his youth football camp.

• Dear Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens don't NEED YOU to motivate them. But don't stop anyway.

• Joe Haden took a bunch of Browns fans out last night and bought them sushi. Tonight, apparently, he's buying drinks. So Cleveland's got that, I guess.

• Some of the Cowboys are getting a look at Rob Ryan's defensive system and, apparently, it's "crazy."

• Matt Conner at SB Nation Kansas City would like the rest of the media to stop screaming about Ricky Stanzi becoming the future of the Chiefs and remember to appreciate Matt Cassel who, by the way, just went to the Pro Bowl.

Posted by Josh Katzowitz

On Sunday, we brought you the sad news that Tom Martinez – the longtime mentor for Patriots QB Tom Brady – had announced he had less than a month to live.

Quite obviously, the news hit Brady pretty hard.

As SI.com’s Peter King points out in his Monday Morning Quarterback, Martinez’s biggest impact in Brady’s career was his role in developing and maintaining Brady’s throwing mechanics.

"There is no one who knows more about throwing the football than Tom,” Brady said. “And no one has meant more to me when it comes to throwing the football than Tom.

"We've been trying to get together this offseason for a session, and finally we met last Sunday at an indoor facility in San Carlos. We spent two hours there. He analyzed what I was doing, just like always. And when I got in the car with my dad afterward, I said to him, 'It's unbelievable how much he knows – how much he helps me.'"

Brady told King that he keeps a folder in his Blackberry that holds Martinez’s most important mechanical tips.

"That is a collection of 16 years of what I've learned from Tom. It's my guide to stay right with my mechanics,” Brady said. “Every time you step on the field, whether there's weather, whether you're on the road, where you've got a big pass-rush coming, it always comes down to mechanics. He instilled in me the importance of doing things the right way, every time.''

For Brady and for the rest of the football world who has been influenced by Martinez, a long-time coach at the College of San Mateo, it’s been a tough, tough time since Martinez made his announcement on Facebook.

"It's sad,'' said former Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi, who worked with Martinez before the NFL Draft. “But what he would want is for me to not only learn from him myself but pass it on to others. I will. This is a man who didn't even know me, and he took me in like a son and taught me everything he knew for a short time - and had a big impact on me. I am so grateful just to have had the chance to be with him. I won't forget it.''

Photo courtesy of smccd.net.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

One of the best things about the draft is that from it we can find out what teams really think about their current players. Excluding examples of teams filling obvious needs, here are some of the more revealing draft picks from 2011, with a quick blurb of what the team was really saying by making this pick.

Denver Broncos

2nd round, Rahim Moore, FS, Broncos
We too can read Brian Dawkins’ bio: born October 13, 1973. (Also, we’ll admit, it’s not ideal that we’ll have to relocate intriguing young safety Darcel McBath.)

2nd round, Orlando Franklin, OT, Miami
We’re not fond of either RG Chris Kuper or RT Ryan Harris. Hard to say which of those two, exactly, since every outside observer can see that both of those players are athletic young blockers. So yeah, we probably didn’t (in any which way) need to draft an offensive lineman this early. But you know how it is with new GM’s.

3rd round, Nate Irving, ILB, North Carolina State
We feel the same way about Joe Mays as the Eagles did.

Kansas City Chiefs

2nd round, Rodney Hudson, C, Florida State
Rudy Niswanger doesn’t have the strength to hold up in a phone booth.

3rd round, Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia
He can smoke all the weed he wants, he’s still a much, much better athlete than Andy Studebaker.

5th round, Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa
Can you believe we ever toyed with the idea of starting Brodie Croyle!?

Oakland Raiders

2nd round, Stefen Wisniewski, C, Penn State
You might think this was a legacy pick. Yup. (But the good news is we needed a center anyway.)

4th round, Taiwan Jones, RB, Eastern Washington
We’d like to re-sign Michael Bush, but you never know.

San Diego Chargers

2nd round, Jonas Mouton, OLB, Michigan
The hope is that he’ll play well right away and no one will notice that our ’09 first-round pick (Larry English) has absolutely no pass-rushing instinct.

Check back throughout the week for other division’s Draft Truths Revealed. To see all Draft Truths Revealed, click the “Draft Truths” tag.

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Posted by Will Brinson

NEW YORK -- The grind of the NFL Draft -- and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, three days of straight picks is definitely a grind -- is finally over. Which means we should probably take our time to sit back and reflect on who did well and do not do well. Or, alternately, we can just start calling people names right ... now!



WINNERS
Atlanta Falcons: Been flopping on these guys all weekend long it feels like -- I like Julio Jones a lot, but I didn’t like all the picks the Falcons needed to get him. I do, however, freaking LOVE Jacquizz Rodgers. They got a steal when they landed a lot more offensive explosiveness in the seventh round. Couple that with a few more solid adds in Andrew Jackson, Akeem Dent and K/P Matt Bosher and it was a good haul for Thomas Dimitroff. Good enough to have me thinking about picking them to win it all. Again.

Peyton Manning: Not only is the best quarterback in the NFL going to get real paid as soon as we get a new CBA, but he’s going to have two new guys -- Anthony Castonzo and Benjamin Ijalana -- in town to help keep him healthy.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills started off their draft with a good blueprint: DEFENSE. And they stuck to that blueprint throughout the rest of the draft too, only diverting twice to pick up Chris Hairston from Clemson to beef up the offensive line and Johnny White for backfield depth and special teams. Da’Norris Searcy out of Chapel Hill could be a steal for them in the fourth.

Wade Phillips: Not that you expected the Texans to actually go out and get anyone that’s an an offensive player early in the draft, but did a great job with their first five picks, particularly in trading back up to grab Brandon Harris. Given all the limitations on that defense and the switch they have to make, it’s good for him to at least get a head start out of the draft.

Cleveland Browns: Giving up a top-10 selection when you’ve got a young quarterback that needs weapons is no easy move ... unless you’re getting five picks in return and turn those into serviceable offensive products and some defensive standouts. Buster Skrine’s value fell post-Combine but he could be a good find, Jason Pinkston out of Pittsburgh will help and already-physical offensive line. Phil Taylor/Jabaal Sheard immediately improve the defensive line and Greg Little and Jordan Cameron give Colt McCoy some guys with good hands and upside.

Ryan Mallett: My man Freeman thinks Bill Belichick might have taken too big a gamble, and there’s a good chance he might be right. But if Mallett goes anywhere else, you would have heard everyone saying that about the GM that grabbed him. (Can you imagine the reaction if Carolina took him or, dare I say, the Bengals?) The pressure of falling in the draft because of character issues and having to play/perform well at an early time is lifted with his move.

Green Bay Packers: Not that it’s hard to “win” if you’re Green Bay, coming off a Super Bowl-winning season and sitting on a young, stacked roster. But “In Ted We Trust” applies here, because Thompson beefed up the Packers’ offensive line depth, got a superb second-rounder in Randall Cobb to potentially replace and just generally marked everything he needed off his checklist. Standard Packers draft, really.

Arizona Cardinals: They had a good first two days nabbing Patrick Peterson and Ryan Williams and then fared quite well in the later rounds, particularly with their selection of Quan Sturdivant, a pretty stupendous value in the sixth round. Some would argue they didn’t address their QB need and that’s fair, but they’ll be the leaders in the clubhouse for a veteran or a Kevin Kolb trade.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The rich get richer, per usual. Cameron Heyward is the future at defensive end, Marcus Gilbert -- a reliable offensive lineman -- is exactly what the Steelers need, and the Steelers stepped up and addressed their cornerback issues early on Day 3 of the draft by grabbing Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen.

America: For awesomeness’ sake, I’m going to hold out eternal hope that the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, Ricky Stanzi ends up shirtless in a downtown BBQ joint with an American flag as a cape, holding a huge turkey leg while belting out the “Star Spangled Banner” in celebration and this scene makes its way onto YouTube. America needs that.



LOSERS
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers were a classic example of how trading early-round picks and finding yourself extremely weak at certain positions can kill you: in a draft with ridiculous defensive line depth, they still couldn’t add to a weak position until the third round when they picked up a pair of undersized defensive tackles in Terrell McClain and Sione Fua. Kealoha Pilares was a good grab at the top of the fifth, though. And, of course, they were essentially forced to take Cam Newton at the top spot. If he busts, this draft is a total nightmare. It might even be a situation of Carolina just taking their medicine in the best-case anyway.

Carson Palmer: Marvin Lewis says the Bengals have “moved on” for Palmer too; you gotta think they’ll try and trade him just to get something in return, but it’s shame because the best scenario for him might actually be returning to the ‘Nati and helping to bring A.J. Green and Stanford product Ryan Whalen into the fold of Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley. Those are nicer weapons than he’ll find in retirement.

Jacksonville Jaguars: I think Blaine Gabbert will end up being pretty good. If he’s great, this ranking could change, but if Jack Del Rio’s job is on the line, how does he not convince Gene Smith to go out and get him some freaking secondary help before fourth round? (Caveat: Smith has killed drafts since he got to J-Vegas, so if he thinks Gabbert’s “the guy” going forward, more power to him.)

Ronnie Brown: There was some talk Brown might stick with the Dolphins even after they took Daniel Thomas out of K-State in the second round. Nabbing Charles Clay -- even if he’s a fullback -- probably means Brown is done with the ‘Fins. (And it might also mean they’re not as set on paying DeAngelo Williams whatever he wants too.)

Washington Redskins: All weekend long, the Redskins looked like winners as they kept avoiding making huge mistakes by trading down and piling up picks. But did they really end up getting anything of substantial value for it? Leonard Hankerson could be a nice pull in the third round, certainly, but for all the Redskins’ surprising patience, they didn’t once address their (very serious) quarterback issue or linebacker issue.

Reggie Bush: Sean Payton’s saying that he’s open to Bush coming back. That might be true. And it might not be true. But what he’s not doing is making a dumb, knee-jerk reaction on Twitter simply because his team drafted Mark Ingram. Which is what Bush did and it’s not going to help him in the short or long term.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos accumulated a lot of picks, and added a linebacker trio that could be dominant in a few years (Von Miller as the pass rusher, Nate Irving as the tackler and Virgil Green as the cover guy). But two tight ends and not a single defensive lineman? Did someone show John Elway the wrong depth chart before this thing kicked off on Thursday?

Oakland Raiders: Al Davis didn’t have a first-rounder, so it’s okay to temper expectations a little bit, but Al really isn’t going to stop over-drafting athleticism until the day he dies. And considering how hot it was in Radio City Music Hall when they played “California Girls” for the second time on Saturday, I can’t imagine hell’s freezing over any time soon.

David Akers: With the Eagles’ decision to reach up into the fourth round and grab Alex Henery out of Nebraska, as well as the fact that Akers wasn’t happy about his transition tag, it’s pretty obvious that the incumbent kicker’s days as a Philly legend are numbered. (You could also add Henery as a loser here, too: having to come in and kick in front of Eagles’ fans sounds worse than listening to drunk Jets’ fans boo everything for eight-straight hours.)

Seattle Seahawks: Maybe Pete Carroll’s drafts are just too “zany” for me to understand, but the James Carpenter pick strikes me as possibly the biggest reach of the first round, maybe even ahead of Jake Locker and Christian Ponder. Unless bring Matt Hasselbeck back or land another veteran QB in the offseason, it’s almost impossible to imagine them sniffing the playoffs again.

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