4 DOWNS WITH DITKA
1 Did you like the Bears’ pick of Kyle Long in the first round?
I liked it. He has good bloodlines and looks like a firing-type guy. He’ll bring a lot of enthusiasm. I don’t know enough about his play, but if he’s anything like his father or brother, he’ll be fine.
2 How much of a say should the coach have at the draft?
First of all, it’s a collaboration of a lot of people — you have scouts, the coaching staff — everybody has some input. You have to respect those others’ opinions, but the final decision should ultimately come down to the head coach. He has to coach these guys. He has to play with them. I don’t think the coach is going to make a decision that will be contrary to what the scouting department or the assistant coaches think, but ultimately, it has to come down to him.
3. How bizarre was the first round of the draft?
You have five offensive linemen picked [in the top 10]. Why is that? You can say anything you want to say, but if you don’t have a quarterback, then you must get a quarterback. You build around the quarterback. You protect him with the offensive line. You have to have the general in place before you start putting the sergeants in place. What this said to me is this was a safe draft. I took a lineman. He may or may not be what you think he is, but it’s safe. I hope all these guys are tremendous stars in the NFL, but it’s kind of a safe pick. Nobody reached out for a key receiver. Nobody reached out for a Walter Payton. Maybe there were none. But I was surprised to see skill players fall as low as they did.
4 How surprised were you to see Manti Te’o fall out of the first round?
Publicity alone has done that. The media has done a pretty good job of running him through the coals. Whoever gets Manti Te’o is going to get a good football player. I know they’re going to get a good person. I don’t buy into all the crap. What happened happened. I think he could be very good in the right defensive situation. If you put some good people around him, you could really accelerate his play.