Idiots Write About Sports

Ira Miller, one of the gems of the Chronicle sports section, explains why it’s no mystery that Aaron Rodgers fell so far in yesterday’s draft:

The 49ers took someone else, and other quarterback-needy teams with high picks chose players at other positions. There also were the familiar knocks on Rodgers, that he’s a little cocky, not tall enough, too mechanical and too much a product of Tedford’s system at Cal.

The knocks are silly. Rodgers is not cocky but confident, showing the kind of leadership coaches want from their quarterbacks. He’s not too short; at 6-feet-2, he’s the same height as Favre, Montana and Young, and a half-inch taller than the average height of modern-era Hall of Fame quarterbacks. “Mechanical” should be a positive rather than a minus; it means Rodgers has good techniques. And Tedford’s NFL quarterbacks have gotten a bad rap; one of them (Trent Dilfer) has a Super Bowl ring and several others are still at an early stage of their careers.

Some other nifty details from Miller’s article:

The crowd, mostly made up of vocal Jets and Giants fans, gave Rodgers a prolonged, standing ovation. They chanted, “Aaron, Aaron, Aaron.” Then they chanted “Aar-on Rod-gers, Aar-on Rod-gers,” several times.

And while Rodgers was the glamour candidate in the glamour position, let’s not forget the other Golden Bears who find themselves with new employers today. J.J. Arrington is now an Arizona Cardinal, normally a depressing career move. But you figure with Denny Green running the show now and the Cardinals in need of a running game, Arrington will have every opportunity to thrive in the NFL.

Other Cal draft picks — as of this writing anyway include Chase Lyman, now a New Orleans Saint, and Matt Giordano, who’s ticketed for Indianapolis. Both were fourth-rounders.

See, this is the difference between a Chronicle subscriber and an SFGate reader.

SFGate reader: Lazily pops open a browser window and reads.

Newspaper subscriber: Too lazy to go outside his door, pull the paper out of the plastic advertiser bag, and thumb through the Sporting Greeen. (Sunday's paper sucks.)

That's it -- newspapers are doomed.

"Lazily pops open a browser window and reads."

I'll have you know I put tremendous effort into opening up a browser window.

Chase Lyman hurt that knee again. You gotta feel for the guy.

San Jose Mercury:

Posted on Wed, May. 11, 2005

Lyman hurts knee in first pro workout
EX-CAL PLAYER TO MISS 5-6 MONTHS

Mercury News Wire Services

Wide receiver Chase Lyman, whose senior season at Cal was cut short by a knee injury, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during his first workout as an NFL player.

Lyman, a fourth-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints, was injured while making a cut during a non-contact practice Friday at a rookie camp, a team spokesman said.

Lyman is expected to be sidelined five to six months.

Injuries limited Lyman to eight starts and 34 games during a five-year career at Cal. He previously tore the ACL in his left knee during the second half of a 23-17 loss to USC on Oct. 9. He underwent reconstruction surgery on the knee Oct. 11 and missed the rest of his senior season.

Lyman's appeal for a sixth year of eligibility was denied by the NCAA.

Lyman, a former St. Francis High standout, missed Cal's 2002 season because of a torn hamstring and half of '03 because of a bad ankle.

The Saints selected him after team doctors gave him a positive review during a checkup a couple of weeks before the draft.

Saints director of player personnel Rick Mueller conceded at a post-draft news conference that the club was taking a chance by selecting Lyman.

``It's a risk, but if he's healthy, we aren't talking about him in the fourth round,'' Mueller said then.

The weekend of the draft, Lyman said: ``I'm feeling good. I've been running full-speed routes and doing one-on-ones for the past couple of weeks, so I should be ready to go.''

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