An Interview with John "The Professor" Harris
About seven years ago, when I moved back to
Houston, I heard a guy on the radio that I could have sworn was a living
encyclopedia of football. He could tell you the height, weight, high
school, 40 yard dash time, eating and sleeping habits, grade point
average, favorite meal, and girlfriend's name of the third string
cornerback at San Jose State University. It was one of the most amazing
things I've ever heard. Fortunately, I'm now a frequent guest on the
same radio station as John Harris, who in my estimation, is the Joel
Buschbaum of our age. I recently talked to him about the upcoming draft
and some of the players that will make up this year's class.
1. You are affectionately known
as “The Professor” because of your incredible knowledge of the game of
football. Can you give us some background on your career and what led to
the passion you have for the game?
- Played all the way through my college years at
Brown University
- Coached for seven years in
Jacksonville, Florida
at two different schools (varsity assistant for four years and head
coach at Episcopal High School for three years)
- Started doing college
football analysis for Lance Zierlein's View from a Sideline
Newsletter in 1997.
- Started radio segments with Lance and John in 1998
- Wrote for
Collegefootballnews.com
from 2004 to 2008
- Have done guest spots on college football on about 20 different
stations throughout the nation
In essence, I was a coach's kid who took to football like a duck to
water. But, throughout my high school years, I was a much better
baseball player and thought that is what I would play in college, up
until my senior year in high school. Had a great senior year and
was convinced that football was going to be my calling. And, well, it
was.
2. Many people have differing opinions on this year’s draft class
as a whole. What is your overall evaluation of the 2009 version of
incoming NFL players?
I don't know if this draft has the
impact players that previous drafts have had, in the first
round. But, that being the case, typically, great value can be found in
the third and fourth rounds and I think that is the case here. Take for
example the Texans pick at 15. I honestly don't love any of the players
projected in that spot, but if they could trade down effectively and
repeat what they did last year, I think the Texans could find similar
value in later rounds. I think you could take anyone drafted in spots 9
- 32 and flip them around and I would honestly not have a huge problem
with it. I could argue
Jeremy Maclin from Mizzou should go at 9, but could see him going
at 32 and not have a tremendous problem with it.
3. There’s quite a debate over the merits of the two top
quarterbacks, Matt Stafford and
Mark Sanchez. What’s your feeling on the two and which one would
you select?
I haven't seen from Stafford the quality decision making that I saw in
Matt Ryan before last year's draft. And, Ryan had no support around him
on the offensive side of the ball. Stafford had all of the support a
quarterback could need and in the biggest games, he struggled the
most. As a sophomore, I thought he was making some nice strides, but as
the first pick in the draft, I'm not in love with that thought at all.
I just think Sanchez will be better value where he is selected. I've
heard as high as fourth, which might be a little high, but given a year
or two learning, Sanchez can have a solid career in the league.
The ceiling is pretty high for Stafford, but he never approached that
ceiling at the college level, where the game is slower and can be
dominated by an athletic specimen like Stafford. But, he never did
dominate the game, especially against the best the SEC has to offer. I
felt the same way about
JaMarcus Russell and he's taken three years to even feel
comfortable as the starter for the Raiders.
In the end, I would take Sanchez and leave Stafford for someone else to
groom into a bust. Physically, Stafford is a notch above Sanchez, but
this game isn't all about the physical attributes.
4. Likewise, Jason
Smith of Baylor and Eugene Monroe of Virginia seem to be locked
in quite a battle for being the top tackle taken in the draft. What do
you see as their strengths and weaknesses?
I think for both of them, you have to start at their feet and see them
move their feet and you know why each is in this position. Due to the
fact that both can redirect quickly, they are both prototype left
tackles and who doesn't want a
franchise player at that position. Plus, the way teams want their
left tackles to 'reach' the edge AND pass protect, makes these two so
valuable. Monroe may have a bit more versatility, but Smith probably has
more room to grow, given the fact that he's only been a left tackle for
a short time.
I don't think either of them have faced a litany of top end speed
rushers and I do think that both of them can get overextended on pass
protection when facing some
solid edge
rushers. But, that's nitpicky, so to speak. Neither one of them
will get a ton of movement off the
line of scrimmage, but Monroe is probably the better run blocker
at this point, in my honest opinion.
5. Who are some of the players that will be drafted too early and
why?
- Stafford - hard to pass on physical attributes
- William Beatty, U Conn - a team will reach for him in first round -
he's more of a project than the other left tackles
- Josh Freeman, K State - see Stafford
-
Aaron Maybin, Penn State - in a 4-3, he's a specialist and will
get his block knocked off at the line of scrimmage. But, he can
rush the passer and that's going to force a team to take him earlier
than he should go.
6. Who are some of the players that will be drafted much later
than they should and why?
-
Malcolm Jenkins,
Ohio State - if he ran a 4.4, he'd be a top five pick, but he
doesn't. He's a good football player but doesn't have top end speed and
is considered a 'tweener CB-S
- Percy Harvin, Florida - teams won't know what to do with another
Reggie Bush - let
me have him, I'll use him the right way.
7. If you were the general manager of the
Detroit Lions (I
apologize if the thought is just too depressing) and couldn’t trade out
of the top spot, who would you take?
I take Smith or Monroe (follow the Dolphins model of last year). Those
two won't put butts in the seats, but a miss on Stafford could set that
franchise back another five years.
8. Are you a “build-from-the-inside-out” guy? Or, do you feel as
though the quarterback position, regardless of the talent around him,
should always be the highest priority?
Inside out - build the lines first. Case in point, David Carr. With no
line in front of him, he was a dead man walking. Build the lines
first and at the right time, you'll find a quarterback. Too often, if
you say you have to get your quarterback of the future, you often end up
reaching on a guy and it turns out poorly. Very poorly.
9. On the lighter side, many people get more excited about the
draft than they do the opening weekend of the season. Do you have any
draft day rituals or traditions that you enjoy, or are you simply too
wound up to care about that stuff?
Just get my head right for the Draft Show and then enjoy the heck out of
it, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea. But, I love the
draft and can't wait for it.
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