Front Office Families Steal the Show
By: Dane Poe (April 23rd, 2020) (Header Credit: ClutchPoints, Shane Mickle)
The NFL Draft is an annual event that many sports fans love to watch. It’s usually held in a hosting city with a rambunctious crowd standing around the stage. Cities that have hosted in the past few years include Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Nashville, who held the event last year. This year it was scheduled to be hosted in Las Vegas, the brand new home city of the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the draft has been forced to be done inside of the NFL head coaches and front office’s homes due to COVID- 19.
At first I thought that this wasn’t going to go well because of it all being done online. I thought that there were going to be connection problems and a potential hack. However lucky for football fans it has gone better than anyone could’ve expected. Thanks in large part to the inside look into these homes. Before and after every pick, ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network switch their screens to see the coaches and manager’s reactions.
The most interesting part of these looks are the appearances of family members. Kids, grandkids, wives, and even the family dogs are being shown on the screen as their fathers, grandfathers, or husbands are being shown. Some of the best look-ins have to include Tennessee Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel who was seen drafting with a couple teenagers standing behind him, one of which was dressed as Frozone from Disney’s The Incredibles.
Other great look-ins include Dallas Cowboys’ Owner Jerry Jones who seemed to have the most expensive draft room that was inside of his yacht. The Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury was also showing off some money by having a wide view camera angle of his living room with a look into his massive backyard.
Many more coaches had their own setups whether it be in their home office, basement, or even their dining room. The most important part of it all was the inside look. We got to see these coaches and front office members’ families. These are often the people getting blamed for moves that don’t work out. Now we get to see the people that they have raised and have to take care of off the field. We get to see the most important parts of their lives. Get to see kids or grandkids stand next to these men while they are making some of the most important moves that they make during the offseason. Some even help them out with things they need. This whole draft has been a refreshing look into their lives. We often forget that these men are humans too and they have to take care of others and not just a football team.
The first round in general went as expected. Former LSU QB Joe Burrow was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. Most mock drafts had the correct top three with Burrow going first then the Washington Redskins taking DE Chase Young second and then CB Jeff Okudah being selected third by the Detroit Lions. The most shocking selection was Utah State QB Jordan Love being selected 26th overall by the Green Bay Packers. The Packers already have their franchise QB in Aaron Rodgers who is 36 but still has four years remaining on his contract with an option to opt out after the 2021 season. Is Jordan Love the next franchise QB in Green Bay?