Goodell's good grace helps Quinn weather tough day

Quinn's anxious afternoon

NEW YORK -- The smartest draft move Saturday wasn't made by any of the NFL's 32 teams. It belonged to commissioner Roger Goodell, who had the courtesy and good sense to offer Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn his suite behind the stage at Radio City Music Hall.

It was quiet. It was comfortable. And, most important, it was out of public view -- away from cameras and reporters interpreting Quinn's body language as he fell down the draft board.

Hey commish, you hear the one about me sliding all the way to No. 22? (Getty Images)

"I did it because I thought it would be nice to have a change of environment," Goodell explained afterward. "You know, when I met with the five players (here for the draft) I said, 'One of you is going to go last, and it's going to seem like an eternity. It's going to be a difficult process for you.' "

Alas, that someone was Brady Quinn, who slipped past Cleveland at the third spot ... and Minnesota at the seventh ... and Miami at the ninth ... then the 15th and 20th spots. By then, Quinn's disappointment was mercifully hidden from public view.

Thank you, Roger.

OK, so Paul Tagliabue -- Goodell's predecessor -- made the same offer two years earlier when Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, also here, started working his way down the draft board -- stopping at 24th when Green Bay rescued him. But this was Goodell's first draft, and he aced the exam.

"When it comes to the draft," said a relieved Quinn, "everyone knows that at a certain point teams are going to stop needing quarterbacks because they're successful or they have a veteran or somebody they picked the year before. I realized that, and I realized that was a possibility. So, really, what can you do? You have to sit back and wait."

Quinn waited all right. He waited more than four hours to hear his name called, and then it was only because Cleveland -- which passed on him in the draft's first hour -- jumped back into the first round after making a trade with Dallas.

As soon as Goodell announced the 22nd pick, Quinn put on his suit jacket, headed for the stage, took a deep breath and pulled on a Browns baseball cap that was handed to him. When he finally appeared, he pumped his right fist at the crowd.

He was cheered.

"I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders," he said.

I know what he's talking about. Like millions of others, I watched a TV monitor as Quinn and his girlfriend tried to make sense of what was happening. With each pick, he looked as if he was enjoying the experience a little less, and who can blame the guy?