Darren McFadden is a baby-makin' machine, man. D. Orlando Ledbetter reports from Indy that McFadden's got a paternity suit and two more little buggers soon to land on this moral coil. That, coupled with some of the other rumored and factual character issues, is causing your team owners with Puritan sensibilities to flee for their richly appointed mansions.
In my mind, these character issues are going to force Arthur Blank to assert his influence again. McFadden is a huge talent, yes, but I think off-the-field problems are going to be a big no-no in Atlanta this year. The Falcons are much more likely to flip Hall for the 31st pick and go for Felix Jones or Jonathan Stewart, if they're still hanging around at that point.
The problem here is that McFadden's 40 time of 4.27 seconds is slightly faster than I ran it in high school (actual time: 4.8 seconds), which makes him every scout's midnight fantasy. That kind of athleticism isn't easy to ignore. The Falcons, as you'll recall, have only mildly slower but much less musclebound back Jerious Norwood on the roster already. If you're trying to hit a home run purely based on talent, though, it's hard to smack one much harder than getting McFadden at #3.
I'm torn between reality and fantasy on this one. On one level, I'd like to believe the team can draft McFadden and he can never, ever get in trouble every again. On the other hand, I know for a fact that the new management will look hard at this kid's, um, kids in any decision they make, and there's not guarantee that McFadden won't be a complete head case. Why can't things ever just be simple?
This further solidifies rumors about Matt Ryan and Jake Long, in my mind.
Thoughts?