We were surprised by the flood of comments critical of our critical assessment of receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey’s first full-squad minicamp at the NFL level. Where were “yous guys” when we were suggesting prior to the draft that Heyward-Bey could be the next Troy Williamson? Regardless, we disagree with the notion that we’ve already declared that Heyward-Bey will fail. All we’re saying is that: (1) he will be more closely watched than every first-round pick other than Matt Stafford; and (2) if Heyward-Bey fails, plenty of people will be saying that they said so. We’re not rooting for the kid to flop. We hope he has a great career; we like how he carries himself a lot more than the first-round wideout on whom the Raiders passed, Michael Crabtree. But at least we’ve been somewhat professional in expressing our views on the former Terrapin. As several readers pointed out after the draft (and as we’ve just remembered to mention now that we’re clearing out old e-mails), Cris Carter of ESPN arguably went over the line in his assessment of Heyward-Bey. It also was unfortunate that Carter (or someone else) was snickering in the background while Suzy Kolber fought to keep a straight face as she did an on-air interview with Heyward-Bey right after one of the biggest moments in his life. So, yeah, we hope he proves everyone wrong -- and that he’s not the next top-ten wideout who runs just fast enough to let that deep pass bounce off his helmet.
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