Just say NO to Clarett before round 5

[Rocco]

It's not just his off the field problems or the fact that he only played 1 year of college ball and was injured during parts of that season...

This guy hasn't played in TWO years. That's huge. Can you imagine a guy who hasn't taken a hit in two years going into an NFL training camp and getting smacked by an Adrian Wilson, Gerald Hayes or Darnell Dockett?

I wouldn't be surprised if Clarett finishes his first training camp on the IR list.

Denny, If you want to take a flyer on this guy, please don't do it before the 5th round at the earliest. Even in this draft, there are still going to be guys out there in the 4th and 5th rounds that can help us. Hopefully you wait until the 6th.

 

[earthsci]

If he's there in the fourth round, I wouldn't be adverse to taking him. If he hasn't been getting hit he has less wear.

 

[RobbleRobble]

I am originally from Columbus and know chapter and verse about Clarett. I know Denny likes players with high upside, but this guy is a cancer. If the draft extended 100 rounds, I wouldn't take a flyer him with pick #3200.

Let's hope he is someone other team's problem. If we were to draft him, prepare to watch him make mistake after mistake and hear how its everyone's fault but his.

This guy has a lot more in common with Dimitrius Underwood than Randy Moss.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I am originally from Columbus and know chapter and verse about Clarett. I know Denny likes players with high upside, but this guy is a cancer. If the draft extended 100 rounds, I wouldn't take a flyer him with pick #3200.

Let's hope he is someone other team's problem. If we were to draft him, prepare to watch him make mistake after mistake and hear how its everyone's fault but his.

This guy has a lot more in common with Dimitrius Underwood than Randy Moss.

Being from Columbus i thought you'd have more common sense.So you think Clarett should be in a mental institution? . The guy has not commited one criminal act.I think most people confuse his pusuit to play in the NFL with being a team cancer.If you knew anything about Ohio State football you'd know that he was one of the most popular and respected players on the team.Find me a quote from a player or coach that bad mouth's Clarett as a teammate? In fact for the annual Spring game the coaches let the players draft the teams and Clarett was the first overall pick as an INCOMING FRESHMAN.That has never happened before.So he earned the entire teams respect in about 10 days of practice.Pretty cancerous.Tressel has said he is one of the smarter players,footballwise, that he has been around. The guy listened to some bad advice in an effort to pusue his lifelong dream.No drugs,no criminal problems,great teammate,tons of ability=cancer.I guess Mike Williams is a cancer also.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

 

[clif]

Being from Columbus i thought you'd have more common sense.So you think Clarett should be in a mental institution? . The guy has not commited one criminal act.I think most people confuse his pusuit to play in the NFL with being a team cancer.If you knew anything about Ohio State football you'd know that he was one of the most popular and respected players on the team.Find me a quote from a player or coach that bad mouth's Clarett as a teammate? In fact for the annual Spring game the coaches let the players draft the teams and Clarett was the first overall pick as an INCOMING FRESHMAN.That has never happened before.So he earned the entire teams respect in about 10 days of practice.Pretty cancerous.Tressel has said he is one of the smarter players,footballwise, that he has been around. The guy listened to some bad advice in an effort to pusue his lifelong dream.No drugs,no criminal problems,great teammate,tons of ability=cancer.I guess Mike Williams is a cancer also.

you must have forgotten about the false report that he tried to file saying that there was thousands of dollars of stereo equipment stolen from the car he was borrowing.

i really dont care about all that, I think the problem with him is he tried to blame the school and accept no blame himself for not being able to play. Yes I believe the school was dirty, but so was he.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

you must have forgotten about the false report that he tried to file saying that there was thousands of dollars of stereo equipment stolen from the car he was borrowing.

i really dont care about all that, I think the problem with him is he tried to blame the school and accept no blame himself for not being able to play. Yes I believe the school was dirty, but so was he.

There was some CD's and things in the card and he wasked to put a value on them and he gave a high estimate.Stupid,not criminal.That is no worse than having a mechanic inflate the cost of repair to cover the deductible on an insurance claim.Happens everyday.

 

[clif]

There was some CD's and things in the card and he wasked to put a value on them and he gave a high estimate.Stupid,not criminal.That is no worse than having a mechanic inflate the cost of repair to cover the deductible on an insurance claim.Happens everyday.

its insurance fraud and yes it is a crime. Just because others do the same or worse doesn't mean what he did is right.

My main concern with him is that he has not played in 2 years and last time we saw him he was overweight. I would hope that he has pulled his head out and has been working out and preparing himself for the NFL. I would rather us not waste a pick on him and go after someone who has been actively playing in the last year or 2

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

There are some questions about Clarett, but I think they have little to do with his personality or character. The kid has shown that he's either not too bright or seriously immature. But let's face it, he is still just a kid. Darnell Dockett bought a $1000 worth of merchandise for $20 in college and nobody is throwing him to the wolves as being a "cancer."

My questions about Clarett are about his physical condition. First, is he physically ready after a two year hiatus from football. That's a lot of time away from the game especially if you have been eating fast food and playing video games. We'll find this out when he works out this spring. Second, will he be able to hold up over the course of the NFL season? If I remember correctly, he got dinged up pretty good in a much shorter collegiate season. Time will tell on this question but to me, he'd be a steal somewhere on the second day.

 

[RobbleRobble]

When exactly did I say that Clarett was a criminal or belongs in a mental instituition?

Let's go through some of Clarett's greatest hits:
- October 2002 - As a freshman, does ESPN the magazine article talking about wanting to leave for the NFL early. Article shows picture of Clarett throwing his Buckeye jersey into a trash can.
- December 2002 - After arriving in Phoenix for the National Championship game, a childhood friend is killed in Youngstown. Clarett asks for money to fly home. He is told that this would be an NCAA violation, but that he can pay for the tickets and be re-imbursed by the school. Lashes out at Ohio State AD Geiger and the school a week before the game.
- Januarary 2003 - The New York Times quotes a teaching assistant at Ohio State who says Clarett received "preferential treatment." She says he walked out of a midterm exam but ended up passing the class after the professor gave him an oral exam.
- July 2003 - Clarett reports that $10,000 in clothing, cash, CDs and stereo equipment is stolen from his car. Doesn't realize that people might wonder where he got that kind of cash. When the media starts to wonder aloud where the money came from, Clarett says that he exagerated the value of what was stolen. Is barred from practicing with team as investigation is underway.
- August 2003 - First game of 03 season: at home versus Washington. Clarett is suspended for game, but can attend. Is told by coaches to "support the team and keep a low profile." Proceeds to show up on ESPN gameday set. Then is last guy out of the tunnel, looking disinterested in game. Is shown on sidelines chatting on cell phone.
- September 2003 - Clarett is charged with filing a false police report for above shenigans.
- September 2003 - Athletic director Andy Geiger announces Clarett is suspended for the season. Geiger says Clarett received special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend and repeatedly misled investigators.
- September 2003 - Clarett sues the NFL, challenging the rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft.
- April 04 - After initially being declared eligible for the NFL draft, refuses to workout at OSU's pro day, forcing scouts to come out later for a private workout. Looks lackluster when private workout finally arrives.
- April 04 - Clarett is barred from draft.
- Novemeber 04 - Clarett alleges in an ESPN The Magazine article that coach Jim Tressel or his staff arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and money for bogus summer jobs. Geiger denied the allegations.

Clarett was amazing as a freshman. I am well aware that freshman running backs, NEVER start for the Buckeyes. For Clarett to do it, he truly had special talent. But this guy has made mistake after mistake after mistake and when he does, he blames someone else in an instant. Here's a fun exercise, do a quick google search for "Clarrett AND sorry". You're not going to find any quotes from Clarett apologizing for anything. Why? Because in his mind, its never his fault.

This guy is a cancer with a capital "C". I do not want to see him in a Cardinal uniform.

 

[imaCafan]

Let me ask this. How did Clarrett stack up to McGahee before each got hurt????

 

[Skkorpion]

Clarett is a very good RB who is pampered and immature but very much worth a 3rd round pick. I don't see him lasting past the 3rd round.

I'd take him in a heartbeat in round 3.

 

[RobbleRobble]

Its hard to say exactly, because scouts didn't spend much time looking at Clarett his freshman year as he didn't figure to be draft eligible for two more years. He's definately not the prospect that McGahee is. He's a different type of runner. The biggest knock on Clarett is a lack of speed. I think he compares with Travis Henry and Stephen Davis. The most impressive thing about Clarett is that he's always moving the pile. There were lots of run where it would look like Clarett was going to go for no gain and when the play was over he managed to get three or four yards. And as mentioned above, he has a high football IQ. The play where he stripped the defender of the ball in the Fiesta Bowl was nothing short of amazing.

Most considered Clarett a 2nd day choice last year before the draft, but rumors were that many teams were considering him as high as the 3rd round. The biggest rumor was that the Patriots were poised to burn a late second round pick on him. This rumor got some fuel when the Pats traded for Corey Dillon immediately after Clarett was declared inelligible.

But now he's another year removed from football. It'll depend on how he performs in workouts.

 

[vince56]

I got a feeling this thread is gonna go down in history like Section 11's "Don't piss away our draft pick on Ben Roethlisberger" thread.

Just a hunch.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

When exactly did I say that Clarett was a criminal or belongs in a mental instituition?

Let's go through some of Clarett's greatest hits:
- October 2002 - As a freshman, does ESPN the magazine article talking about wanting to leave for the NFL early. Article shows picture of Clarett throwing his Buckeye jersey into a trash can.
- December 2002 - After arriving in Phoenix for the National Championship game, a childhood friend is killed in Youngstown. Clarett asks for money to fly home. He is told that this would be an NCAA violation, but that he can pay for the tickets and be re-imbursed by the school. Lashes out at Ohio State AD Geiger and the school a week before the game.
- Januarary 2003 - The New York Times quotes a teaching assistant at Ohio State who says Clarett received "preferential treatment." She says he walked out of a midterm exam but ended up passing the class after the professor gave him an oral exam.
- July 2003 - Clarett reports that $10,000 in clothing, cash, CDs and stereo equipment is stolen from his car. Doesn't realize that people might wonder where he got that kind of cash. When the media starts to wonder aloud where the money came from, Clarett says that he exagerated the value of what was stolen. Is barred from practicing with team as investigation is underway.
- August 2003 - First game of 03 season: at home versus Washington. Clarett is suspended for game, but can attend. Is told by coaches to "support the team and keep a low profile." Proceeds to show up on ESPN gameday set. Then is last guy out of the tunnel, looking disinterested in game. Is shown on sidelines chatting on cell phone.
- September 2003 - Clarett is charged with filing a false police report for above shenigans.
- September 2003 - Athletic director Andy Geiger announces Clarett is suspended for the season. Geiger says Clarett received special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend and repeatedly misled investigators.
- September 2003 - Clarett sues the NFL, challenging the rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft.
- April 04 - After initially being declared eligible for the NFL draft, refuses to workout at OSU's pro day, forcing scouts to come out later for a private workout. Looks lackluster when private workout finally arrives.
- April 04 - Clarett is barred from draft.
- Novemeber 04 - Clarett alleges in an ESPN The Magazine article that coach Jim Tressel or his staff arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and money for bogus summer jobs. Geiger denied the allegations.

Clarett was amazing as a freshman. I am well aware that freshman running backs, NEVER start for the Buckeyes. For Clarett to do it, he truly had special talent. But this guy has made mistake after mistake after mistake and when he does, he blames someone else in an instant. Here's a fun exercise, do a quick google search for "Clarrett AND sorry". You're not going to find any quotes from Clarett apologizing for anything. Why? Because in his mind, its never his fault.

This guy is a cancer with a capital "C". I do not want to see him in a Cardinal uniform.

1-when you said he was like Underwood
2-was asked by ESPN to stage that picture and complied.I guess you think Ricky Williams and Ditka are actually married because of their picture.
3-He handled that badly but his friend had just been killed.
4-The " professor's" claims were proved false and i believe she is now actually in a mental facility down in Kentucky.
5-He admitted to exaggerating it and that it was a mistake.
6-Who cares.ESPN asked him on the show.You're reading alot into his facial expressions.How do you knw he wasn't just pissed that wasn't playing.Which is more likely the case.So,he got a phone call.Maybe you didn't like the shirt he was wearing either.
7-paid a fine akin to a speeding ticket.Heinous criminal,this guy is.
8-If you look at the facts he was suspended for not being forthright with the investigators.The guy in question was Bobby Delimutti who had a pre-existing relationship with Clarett which is punishable by the NCAA.I'll admit the whole deal was shady.But i'm relatively sure he's not the first student athlete to accept money from a family friend.
9-Again pretty nitpicky, he chose not to work out at OSU because he wasn't ready.I don't see how that's any different from other players holding private workouts.
10 Geiger just resigned after Troy Smith was admitted the same thing.So, when Clarett does tell the truth,you rip him.

i hope we take in the 3rd round and watch him win offensive ROY.You can list all you want about Clarett but it all adds up to nothing or very little in terms of anything that is serious or makes him a cancer to a NFL team.You don't like him,i do.That's all it comes down to.But you can find an awflu lot of players with less talent and much shadier backgrounds that have been high picks.Dockett was just mentioned. Warrick,Phillips,Sapp,Moss,Peters.Hell, just look at about anyone from FSU,Miami,or Nebraska and you'll find alot worse.

 

[RobbleRobble]

I mentioned Underwood because Moss and Underwood are two examples of guys that Green "rolled the dice on" after many other teams had passed them by. Moss worked out. Underwood didn't. I was just suggesting that Clarett won't work out, not that he's a mental case.

Ohio State football is as close to a religion in Columbus as it can get. The picture of him throwing his jersey away was immenesly disrespectful to the school. Sure he was asked to do it, but he could have and should have said "no thanks".

I'm not going to give a point-by-point rebuttal of every misdeed, but here's a guy that screwed up and instead of saying "I'm sorry" and being on his best behavior, he continued to compound his mistakes and blame everyone but himself. Sure college kids make mistakes. He won't be the first jerk in the NFL. But people, especially college kids, learn from their mistakes. Not Clarett. You want a comparison? How about Simeon Rice?

The free agent running back market is going to be full of talented prospects. This is the deepest running back class in years? Why should be take a risk on Clarett? We don't need to.

You can just keep on apologizing for Clarett. I fully expect Clarrett, his mom and his agent/lawyer to demand a contract chock full of incentives that pay him like a 1st round talent despite being a 3rd round selection. If he is drafted in the 3rd round, but rushes for 1000 yards, I don't think, I KNOW he will hold out the following year. This is not a guy that fill fit in with Green's "my way or the highway" of doing things. Clarett would trash the Cardinal orginization the first chance he didn't get everything he wanted.

All I have to say is that those of you wishing for Clarett in the 3rd round, be careful what you wish for.

 

[Russ Smith]

Its hard to say exactly, because scouts didn't spend much time looking at Clarett his freshman year as he didn't figure to be draft eligible for two more years. He's definately not the prospect that McGahee is. He's a different type of runner. The biggest knock on Clarett is a lack of speed. I think he compares with Travis Henry and Stephen Davis. The most impressive thing about Clarett is that he's always moving the pile. There were lots of run where it would look like Clarett was going to go for no gain and when the play was over he managed to get three or four yards. And as mentioned above, he has a high football IQ. The play where he stripped the defender of the ball in the Fiesta Bowl was nothing short of amazing.

.

Yep you nailed the good part of Clarett, he was one of those guys who always got yardage even when there was no hole. Special guy in the redzone he had an amazing knack of finding a crack and getting through for a TD.

No question he was very immature and handled his college experience very poorly. I still think he's worth a shot but not before the 3rd round.

 

[DieHardFromMO]

I would be thrilled to draft Maurice Clarett with our 3rd round or lower draft pick. This guy surely wants to prove to everybody he was ready for the NFL.

He could be our Darnell Dockett on offense.

 

[Skkorpion]

Clarett - the football player, not the off-the-field child - never failed to perform well as a RB. In sheer talent, he's in the top 5 RBs.

 

[arthurracoon]

I'd love to get Clarett on the second day (of course, provided he is in good shape, etc...).

If I remember, Dockett was supposed to be a "bad carachter guy" which is why he fell to us in the third round. I think that pick has worked out pretty well.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

It's not just his off the field problems or the fact that he only played 1 year of college ball and was injured during parts of that season...

This guy hasn't played in TWO years. That's huge. Can you imagine a guy who hasn't taken a hit in two years going into an NFL training camp and getting smacked by an Adrian Wilson, Gerald Hayes or Darnell Dockett?

I wouldn't be surprised if Clarett finishes his first training camp on the IR list.

Denny, If you want to take a flyer on this guy, please don't do it before the 5th round at the earliest. Even in this draft, there are still going to be guys out there in the 4th and 5th rounds that can help us. Hopefully you wait until the 6th.

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