I have never seen one player get so much hate than Mcfadden (1 Viewer)

[KellysHeroes]

Listen to Mike and Mike, the Herd, Joe B and Evan Roberts, and any other Sports Talk...and most of them are tearing up McFadden for "Character Issues." In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.

Instead, I keep hearing:

He has 2 or 3 kids on the way by separate woman...

***ok, that stuff happens; but last I checked, hes taking care of those people.. and PLENTY of players have the same issue.

He was involved in a bar brawl or 2... but wasn't arrested or charge w/ anything.

***So he was out w/ his buddies and something happened... it happens all the time. What was he doing at the bar underage... Yeah, he most likely was drinking. But Honestly, who hasn't done that either.

His large family... so the new Issue now is that he has a total of 12 bothers and sisters. One was/is in the Crips and another was/is in the Bloods. His mother was/is a drug user and one of his bothers was arrested on dealing (to the mother no less). Sorry, I catch the tail end of this on Michael Kay. Hey, when you have 12 kids, some are going to be good apples, some are going to bad apples, and some are going to inbetween. I guess Darren is close to his sister, and she is going live with/off of him and make sure he stays out of trouble.

Seriously, its seems that more people are on a witch hunt with this kid and are overlooking his talents... and if some does happen one day, they can raise that "I Told you so" flag. Its starting to really make me sick.

 

[Kirby]

In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.

That one hurt my head.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Thats b/c he is the most overrated RB prospect in the draft!

 

[massraider]

Two bar fights before the age of 21? Um yeah, I'd say that was higher than average.

He got into that much trouble, in Arkansas, with no money. I think it's fair to wonder what'll happen in New York with 20 mill.

 

[GregR_2]

In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.

That one hurt my head.

Just stare at your own avatar and it'll feel better. Or at least, some other part of you feel something that will distract you.

 

[Boston]

I was less concerned about his character issues before I read your post...

The issue is pretty simple. If you're going to invest app. 20 million dollars in a youngster you want to have as few warts as possible. A bad pick in the top part of the draft can really hurt a franchise. It's tough enough being correct about a player's physical abilities but when you add in off-field issues that raises the stakes.

McFadden could be a great guy and simply having some bad luck. Yet, to not think there's a few warning signs when he has illegitmate kids, siblings in hardcore gangs and some legit run-ins with the law (before he had money) that's burying your head in the sand. At the end of the day it's up to each team to research his character and decide whether he's a good kid that simply needs a little more structure to mature or a bad apple that's only going to get worse with 20 mil in his pocket.

 

[Reaper]

He's got baggage.... People are talking about it

It's A LOT of money to shell out, I think it's a very legit concern.

Have there been players at the top of the draft with similar baggage that weren't discussed as much??? I really don't get your title here without similar examples.

 

[ScottyFargo]

Listen to Mike and Mike, the Herd, Joe B and Evan Roberts, and any other Sports Talk...and most of them are tearing up McFadden for "Character Issues." In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.Instead, I keep hearing: He has 2 or 3 kids on the way by separate woman... ***ok, that stuff happens; but last I checked, hes taking care of those people.. and PLENTY of players have the same issue.He was involved in a bar brawl or 2... but wasn't arrested or charge w/ anything. ***So he was out w/ his buddies and something happened... it happens all the time. What was he doing at the bar underage... Yeah, he most likely was drinking. But Honestly, who hasn't done that either.His large family... so the new Issue now is that he has a total of 12 bothers and sisters. One was/is in the Crips and another was/is in the Bloods. His mother was/is a drug user and one of his bothers was arrested on dealing (to the mother no less). Sorry, I catch the tail end of this on Michael Kay. Hey, when you have 12 kids, some are going to be good apples, some are going to bad apples, and some are going to inbetween. I guess Darren is close to his sister, and she is going live with/off of him and make sure he stays out of trouble.Seriously, its seems that more people are on a witch hunt with this kid and are overlooking his talents... and if some does happen one day, they can raise that "I Told you so" flag. Its starting to really make me sick.

I liked the story they did on McFadden on ESPN, it might have been on E:60 but they showed clips on Sportscenter. They covered all of these issues but it was nicely countered during the interview. McFadden is taking care of the children (without a blood test to detirming if he is the father, for now atleast) and he was asked about it. He said he felt because he had a relationship with these women he needs to stand up and be a man. That showed some heart. I have no idea if he isn't planning on detirminging for certain if he is responsible for them, but by stepping up ahead of time and not making them wait it out is a very positive sign. His mother was asked if she felt her drug use affected the family, and she said no. She didn't take responsibility, she claimed that she kept food on the table and that when she was using the brothers all took care of each other.McFadden was asked the same question and he answered honestly, "Yes", it affected the family because the money that was meant to be used on food, utilities would often be used for drugs. When you have parents that refuse to take responsibility it is difficult to not follow down that same path, but he is going above what many others would do by providing for his alleged children without the court forcing him to. That's character, all right.He's clearly made some mistakes, but if you heard him tell the tale about having his toe mangled and realizing what he could lose, it's difficult not to believe him.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Lawrence Phillips

 

[Chachi]

I would feel better if I heard McFadden say something like "I am buying my mother a house and after that I am cutting off contact with my mother completely".

I see his Mom on some espn special and she was asked "Did you doing CRACK have any negative effect on raising your kids"...... One would think she would say something like "Don't be silly, me using hardcore drugs and living in the ghetto wasn't a great thing for my kids, why ask such a stupid question" but instead she says "No, I always cared about my kids, my crack addiction didn't effect my parenting skills"

She went on to say that her and his sibling are really "Looking out for Darren"......

When they asked Darren the same exact question he said "Of course it made growing up hard".

I know it's his mom, but you gotta kick her to the curb.

 

[twitch]

McFadden has the biggest bust potential, not because he's got character issues. Because he's got the legs of a small WR. Im more interested in following his career than any other player coming out this year. But Im not about to hate on the kid. He's just got some awfully thin legs for a back.

 

[Ned]

In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.

That one hurt my head.

ignore feature =

 

[MAC_32]

Thats b/c he is the most overrated RB prospect in the draft!

Funny how this is coming from someone with your user name.

 

[MAC_32]

Lawrence Phillips

Comparing McFadden to Phillips would be like comparing OJ to Pacman.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

It's ridiculous to say that "no player gets as much hate as McFadden". Were you around the Ced Benson threads last year? This doesn't even compare.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Lawrence Phillips

Comparing McFadden to Phillips would be like comparing OJ to Pacman.

I am not comparing.

 

[bcr8f]

He has 2 or 3 kids on the way by separate woman... ***ok, that stuff happens; but last I checked, hes taking care of those people.. and PLENTY of players have the same issue.

He'll never catch Travis Henry.

 

[MAC_32]

Lawrence Phillips

Comparing McFadden to Phillips would be like comparing OJ to Pacman.

I am not comparing.

Then why write his name?

 

[One]

Someone's overanalyzing the draft?? No way..

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Lawrence Phillips

Comparing McFadden to Phillips would be like comparing OJ to Pacman.

I am not comparing.

Then why write his name?

I was answering the title of the thread. Lawrence Phillips got more "hate"....and deservedly so.

 

[ScottyFargo]

It's ridiculous to say that "no player gets as much hate as McFadden". Were you around the Ced Benson threads last year? This doesn't even compare.

He meant to say "unwarranted hate".

 

[TLEF316]

i dont "hate" him because of the character issues. Guy had a tough upbringing. It's not totally his fault. I hate him because..

a) his legs are the size of mine

b) he fumbles...alot

c) his college offense was gimmicky and all his big runs were on sweeps and options through holes that were 20 feet wide.

He could end up being a great pro back, but i'm praying my team isnt the one taking the chance. Unfortunatly, it looks like we wil be.

 

[JAA]

kids arent his

 

[MAC_32]

Lawrence Phillips

Comparing McFadden to Phillips would be like comparing OJ to Pacman.

I am not comparing.

Then why write his name?

I was answering the title of the thread. Lawrence Phillips got more "hate"....and deservedly so.

I stand corrected.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

 

[Christo]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

Well, Quinn did go to ND after all.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

kids arent his

are they Travis Henry's?

 

[Chaos Commish]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

Yeah but Quinn deserved it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

Yeah but Quinn deserved it.

:(

 

[FTRWRTR]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

Yeah but Quinn deserved it.

Whether he deserved it or not is irrelevant, I just want to see more of his hot sister

 

[foxco]

I was watching Mike & Mike on ESPN 2 today and Mike Golic said point blank that McFadden was the best player in the draft, bar none. Didn't seem like he was hatin' on him at all.

 

[vandyt]

Listen to Mike and Mike, the Herd, Joe B and Evan Roberts, and any other Sports Talk...and most of them are tearing up McFadden for "Character Issues." In the past couple of weeks, not once I have I heard about is impress combine 40 or his on the field talents.Instead, I keep hearing: He has 2 or 3 kids on the way by separate woman... ***ok, that stuff happens; but last I checked, hes taking care of those people.. and PLENTY of players have the same issue.He was involved in a bar brawl or 2... but wasn't arrested or charge w/ anything. ***So he was out w/ his buddies and something happened... it happens all the time. What was he doing at the bar underage... Yeah, he most likely was drinking. But Honestly, who hasn't done that either.His large family... so the new Issue now is that he has a total of 12 bothers and sisters. One was/is in the Crips and another was/is in the Bloods. His mother was/is a drug user and one of his bothers was arrested on dealing (to the mother no less). Sorry, I catch the tail end of this on Michael Kay. Hey, when you have 12 kids, some are going to be good apples, some are going to bad apples, and some are going to inbetween. I guess Darren is close to his sister, and she is going live with/off of him and make sure he stays out of trouble.Seriously, its seems that more people are on a witch hunt with this kid and are overlooking his talents... and if some does happen one day, they can raise that "I Told you so" flag. Its starting to really make me sick.

This the first time you've paid attention to a draft? This kind of stuff happens to many players every year. Here's a hint for these players: STOP ####ing up off the field.

 

[msommer]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

And Vince Young before that

 

[Chaos Commish]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

And Vince Young before that

No doubt. Young got it worse than either of them.

 

[TheFanatic]

Nobody since Brady Quinn has been hated as much as McFadden.

And Vince Young before that

No doubt. Young got it worse than either of them.

 

[TheFanatic]

I was watching Mike & Mike on ESPN 2 today and Mike Golic said point blank that McFadden was the best player in the draft, bar none. Didn't seem like he was hatin' on him at all.

This is the nature of the media. They love to build people up and then yank the rug out from underneath them. Watch, if Reggie Bush has another sub 600 yard year ESPN is going to start dogging him because he gets all the press as being a great RB and has all the endorsements yet he's not very good. He will start to get shelled. It's very hard to get built up by the media and stay there. Once you are there it's hard to stay there because people start digging into the personal life and what not. Look at all the press around Brady and his illegitimate kids and Romo and his trip to Mexico. From Dallas to Mexico for a few days is nothing. The flight is under an hour. But if he had flown to Miami and partied it up in S. Beach with a bunch of hookers we wouldn't have heard as much about it because Jessica wouldn't have been there and it wouldn't have been in Mexico. In all likelihood Romo laid around a pool and took it very easy when he was there. Lienart is starting to get it now because of his lack of performance and newspaper selling/ratings grabbing lifestyle. Clausen at ND is catching a ton of grief despite the fact he was a frosh and had no one to throw to. The media loves to build people up only slightly less than they like pulling the rug out from under them. So every time Kyper is on the show all they talk about is how DMC is the best player on the board and in the next breath start ripping the guy. Gives people good water cooler talk and gets more people tuning in the next day....

 

[massraider]

I am not seeing even close to the same kind of questions in the media regarding DMC.

Mike Mayock. That's it. Who else is knocking him?

 

[Chaos Commish]

I am not seeing even close to the same kind of questions in the media regarding DMC.Mike Mayock. That's it. Who else is knocking him?

Are you asking about his character or game being knocked?

 

[massraider]

I am not seeing even close to the same kind of questions in the media regarding DMC.

Mike Mayock. That's it. Who else is knocking him?

Are you asking about his character or game being knocked?

I am saying that most media heads I have seen, have McFadden right up there. Mayock has been very vocal in his criticism, but I heard a lot more about Bush's running style questions than DMC.The character stuff is brought up, but I haven't seen many people that think it's a reason to avoid him. I am not seeing him down on anyone's board, other than Mayock.

The talking heads on ESPN and NFLN (except one) are all pumping him up, and his features generally folllow a ADP montage.

So, I am asking, who is "hating" on McFadden? people on message boards? Shoot, there's millions of us, everyone gets slammed.

Frankly, I don't think DMC is questioned enough by the experts.

 

[Chaos Commish]

I am not seeing even close to the same kind of questions in the media regarding DMC.

Mike Mayock. That's it. Who else is knocking him?

Are you asking about his character or game being knocked?

I am saying that most media heads I have seen, have McFadden right up there. Mayock has been very vocal in his criticism, but I heard a lot more about Bush's running style questions than DMC.The character stuff is brought up, but I haven't seen many people that think it's a reason to avoid him. I am not seeing him down on anyone's board, other than Mayock.

The talking heads on ESPN and NFLN (except one) are all pumping him up, and his features generally folllow a ADP montage.

So, I am asking, who is "hating" on McFadden? people on message boards? Shoot, there's millions of us, everyone gets slammed.

Frankly, I don't think DMC is questioned enough by the experts.

Hm. I think Reggie had a much easier time with the talking heads than McFadden has had. I saw four ESPN talking heads all bash McFadden in unison and not one of them thought he was the top back in the draft. Only Kiper defended him. I think the skinny legs, lack of vision, easy to tackle, poor character thing has been a bit stronger criticism than anything Reggie endured... on TV anyway. Reggie had plenty of doubters online in forums like this, not so much among the punditry. again

 

[TheFanatic]

Hm. I think Reggie had a much easier time with the talking heads than McFadden has had. I saw four ESPN talking heads all bash McFadden in unison and not one of them thought he was the top back in the draft. Only Kiper defended him. I think the skinny legs, lack of vision, easy to tackle, poor character thing has been a bit stronger criticism than anything Reggie endured... on TV anyway. Reggie had plenty of doubters online in forums like this, not so much among the punditry. again

I would agree. Bush was called not just the best player in the draft but was considered the consensus #1. I mean, how many people were stunned when Houston passed on Reggie? I was. McFadden is slated as the best player on the board by many (not all) but not the #1 overall selection.Besides, wasn't Bush already doing commercials before the draft? He had his PR machine in full swing before he was even drafted. DMC is not close to that. ...And just for the record, I think DMC is going to be an absolute stud...

 

[jurb26]

The media often takes things and runs with them (no pun intended) because they make for a good story. That's pretty much what the McFadden "hate" boils down to IMO. Bottom line: McFadden is a stud. He played in the toughest college football conference in the world and dominated from the time of being a true freshman. He is only 20 years old and had a rough upbringing. Anyone who actually went to college knows that 99% of underage kids will drink and go to bars. The kids are not his. Lastly, IIRC they guy has never in his life been asked to do a squat while attending Arkansas. When you think about that and factor in his level of success there in the SEC it's really pretty remarkable.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

McFadden can't sniff the jock of Donovan McNabb hate. Most hated player ever.

 

[Chaos Commish]

McFadden can't sniff the jock of Donovan McNabb hate. Most hated player ever.

Two different types of hate. Ginn got a dose of the McNabb type last year. That's the type you get by your new team's fans when they hate you. McFadden and Young got the type that comes from a belief they are overhyped before they even get drafted. But yeah, McNabb took some serious heat.

 

[Riflemen]

Mort's kid goes to Arkansas and Mort stated on Kay's ESPN show that McFadden is a great kid. Good teamate, good locker room influence etc... He had nothing but positives about the guy. While Mort is sometimes annoying and far off base I'd have to think he's going to get this one right.

 

[Tanner9919]

Lawrence Phillips

ouch!

I'd be more worried about the guys skinny legs, rather than off the field issues. He doesn't seem to be a tackle-breaker, either..his O-line gave him some HUGE holes to run thru. Not sure he's going to see those same holes with the Jets ( if he winds up there).

I'm also surprised we haven't heard more about his height being an issue. Guys like LT2 and Emmitt Smith seem to be the prototypical back, i.e, approx 5-10, 220..

short and stocky beats tall and lanky, for the most part. Yes, Eric Dickerson was tall, but he's really the exception to the rule. Not many 6'-2" RB's lasted in the NFL. You see Chris Brown falling apart. Rod Bernstine didn't last long either.

But, McFadden is still a kid,really. What 20-yr old doesn't have 'off the field issues'?

with this guys resume, you look past all of that..he should be a terrific pro!

 

[massraider]

But, McFadden is still a kid,really. What 20-yr old doesn't have 'off the field issues'?

90% of the other kids that will be drafted tomorrow?Look, McFadden's red flags aren't Pac Man major. I have no idea if he's a bad kid. I don't count makin' babies as a character flaw.

But he has several questions, and character is one of them. You just can't dismiss the bar fights, as a fan, because we don't know the full story on them. You can't dismiss the gimmicky offense he played in, and wonder if he'll be as explosive lout of a base set. You can't dismiss his build and running style, and wonder if he'll be able to move the pile, or if he'll be prone to injury. You can't dismiss his fumbles.

I think people can assess all these things, and decide he'll be the best player in the draft. I am fine with that. He might be.

Personally, I think he has too many questions, and plays at a position of abundance, to seriously consider him in the top 5.

 

[TheFanatic]

Mort's kid goes to Arkansas and Mort stated on Kay's ESPN show that McFadden is a great kid. Good teamate, good locker room influence etc... He had nothing but positives about the guy. While Mort is sometimes annoying and far off base I'd have to think he's going to get this one right.

Ah crap. Now you jinxed the kid. Mort is the worst guy on television on reporting rumors and such. This just tells me the opposite is true!!!OK, more of a Mort Bash than a dig on DMC, I'm just sayin....

 

[fatness]

He has 2 or 3 kids on the way by separate woman...

Or maybe it is 1 kid. Or maybe it is 0 kids.

 

[Jason Wood]

I think it's partially a result of the new world we live in. A generation ago, teams couldn't vet most character issues if they wanted to. They didn't have the sophistication to do extensive background checks and, even if they did, they kept any findings to themselves. College players were only covered for what they did on the field. Unless a player got kicked off a team, there wasn't much of an outlet for stories about their behavior, who they were sleeping with, who they hung out with.

But today everything is different because news is instantaneous. McFadden is at a bar and I guarantee you that at least two or three people are texting their friends about it, another few are trying to take pics of him on their phones, one is probably going to go home and blog about it, another few are going to write about seeing him at AOL Fanzone, etc... On top of that, everyone has become investigative journalists. You may know someone who knows someone who knows a girl that McFadden got pregnant. Now all of the sudden that story starts going around, someone picks up on it at a forum and it circulates to the news desk at ESPN and all of the sudden, it's a story.

Whereas reporters used to have to dig and hope for a scoop every now and then, today there are millions of reporters posting their scoops for free, just in the hope that someone will give them a few minutes of notoriety.

Everyone is under a huge microscope now. Can you imagine what it would've been like for Lawrence Taylor in the age of the internet? Does anyone think Parcells could've played favorites with him the way he did? LT would've been vilified and made into a pariah. Imagine what Babe Ruth's life would've been like having to deal with TMZ.com and Deadspin.

And because people are so frenzied for immediate news, the major media outlets are joining the party. ESPN can't afford to ignore stories about "character issues" because, frankly, their viewers care about them.

And with the escalating costs of rookie players, NFL teams aren't going to turn a blind eye to this newfound deluge of available information. Teams will use everything they possibly can to evaluate players; particularly when it comes down to separating players you may otherwise value similarly to one another based on their on-field merits.

It's the natural course of things, and it's only going to get more intense in the coming years. As a result, anyone that's got skeletons in their closet and hasn't found a way to keep them hidden, is going to be raked over the coals in some public forum.